Celebrating World Hello Day: Greeting for Peace

Hi there /Shwmae,  today is World Hello Day a global,event dedicated to promoting peace and unity through simple greetings. Saying 'hello' is more than just a word,it's an open door to connection, understanding, and respect across different cultures and languages. 

Participants are encouraged to verbally greet at least ten people or more. Its intention is aimed at resolving conflicts through communication rather than the use of force.

The theme for this year, "Greeting for Peace," underlines the role of communication in fostering harmony. Participants are encouraged to verbally greet at least ten people or more. Its intention is aimed at resolving conflicts through communication rather than the use of force, in a small yet impactful step towards global unity. 

We can go further by saying hello to someone we've had a disagreement with. Try to understand each other’s mistakes and make peace. Many people think apologizing makes them look weak, but it actually shows courage and earns respect. It might feel hard at first, but if the person is important to you, it’s worth making the first move. This simple act of kindness can make you and others happy, 

World Hello Day was first created in 1973 in order to show people, especially the people of the Middle East that conflicts can and should be resolved through communication, and not violence. The idea is that clear, honest communication breeds peace. 

In the 1970s, the conflict between Egypt and Israel was quite severe, and many people began to fear yet another huge war would end up coming of it. World Hello Day was in fact created as a direct response to the Yom Kippur War that had just finished in October of 1973, during which thousands of both soldiers and innocent civilians were killed. 

The Yom Kippur War began on October 6, 1973. Six years prior, in 1967, Israel quadrupled its size during the Six-Day War, by gaining the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip from Egypt, East Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria. Anwar El-Sadat became Egypt’s president in 1970, and it was his hope that peace with Israel could be achieved and that with it would come stability in his country and a return of the Sinai Peninsula. But it seemed unlikely Israel would cede the Sinai, so El-Sadat devised a plan to attack Israel to make his bargaining position more favorable. He first opened up communication with Washington, D.C., an Israeli ally, as he knew they would be needed for prospective peace talks, and he also formed an alliance with Syria. 

As Egypt launched their attack, with Syria’s backing and also with help from Iraq and Jordan, many Israeli soldiers were observing Yom Kippur, so posts were left unguarded. The Arab countries made initial gains and it took a few days for Israel to get mobilized. They were able to push back the Arabs, but it didn’t come without heavy losses of men and equipment. A ceasefire was secured through the United Nations on October 25. 

Israel’s victory came at a great cost, with many casualties. The following April, Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir stepped down. Egypt had lost the war, but Sadat gained leverage in the Middle East and the opportunity to seek peace. Two disengagement agreements were signed between Egypt and Israel in 1974, which gave Egypt back part of the Sinai Peninsula. In 1979, Menachem Begin, Israel’s Prime Minister, signed a peace agreement with El-Sadat. 

The peace discussion at the end of the war was the first time that Arab and Israeli officials met for direct public discussion in 25 years. The first peace agreement between Israel and one of its Arab neighbors, it stipulated the rest of the Sinai Peninsula be returned, and in 1982 it was.

Sadly there is no peace in the middle east  today, the land of Palestine is filled with chaos and fear, and the violence rages on without cease. Over the past year, the Israeli indiscriminate bombardments on Gaza have killed more than 42,000 Palestinians, including at least 16 thousand children, while thousands are critically injured, creating lifelong disabilities in direct and indiscriminate attacks as part of Israel's genocide against Palestinians. 

At least 25,973 children have been orphaned, forced to endure unimaginable suffering, while countless others remain missing, buried beneath the rubble of destroyed neighborhoods. These figures underscore the horrific reality of Israel's ongoing war against the Palestinian people, indiscriminately targeting all sectors of society, especially children, in blatant disregard for international Laws and United Nations resolutions.

Bombs and bullets tear through the night, and civilians still cower in their homes, bereft of peace. The loss of life and suffering is great, and the scars of war run deep as rhe conflict rages on without end,and  hope seems so hard to find.

Palestine currently, a place of terror, shattered and broken. Amidst the chaos and despair, we search for a light, a glimmer of hope. So we  keep  demanding and  calling  for  a ceasefire, though the scars of war may run deep,we  don't  simply give up, we  try and build a better tomorrow, where peace reigns and hope abounds. 

Who knows perhaps World Hello Day can play a part in this  process while never forgetting the lessons of war, we can create dialogues of peace while striving for a brighter future, these ideals certainly resonate with this day. 

World Hello Day was created by brothers Brian McCormack, a Ph.D. Graduate of Arizona State University, and Michael McCormack, a graduate of Harvard. To spread awareness, the McCormack brothers sent 1,360 letters in multiple languages to world leaders, urging them to resolve disputes through dialogue. Since its inception, the day has been celebrated in 180 countries, as citizens of each of these countries take advantage of this time to express their concerns for world peace.  

Thirty-one winners of the Nobel Peace Prize have stated that World Hello Day carries substantial value as an instrument for preserving peace. 

World Hello Day took on a fresh significance as the world was still recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Physical distancing and isolation highlighted the value of human connection. As people began to emerge from lockdowns, many found renewed appreciation for the simple act of greeting—a reminder that connections, no matter how small, are vital to our emotional well-being. 

In an era marked by polarization, social media disputes, and global conflicts, World Hello Day underscores the importance of fostering a spirit of cooperation and understanding. It serves as a reminder that while we may not always share the same viewpoints, we can find common ground through dialogue. 

Incorporating regular greetings and warm exchanges into our daily lives can yield tangible benefits. Studies show that greeting others positively impacts mood, enhances social interactions, and fosters a sense of belonging. Through World Hello Day’s initiatives, individuals learn that their greetings and words can have far-reaching effects, potentially influencing others to spread kindness and warmth.

The connection between social interaction and mental health is well-established. Loneliness and social isolation are significant risk factors for depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions.

World Hello Day serves as a reminder of the importance of human connection and its positive impact on our mental well-being. By encouraging us to reach out to others, World Hello Day helps to combat feelings of loneliness and isolation. The simple act of greeting someone can initiate a conversation, which can lead to deeper connections and a sense of belonging. This can be particularly beneficial for individuals struggling with social anxiety or those who find it difficult to initiate social interactions.

Here are  some  beautiful ways people greet each other around the globe and let's  reflect on how these gestures connect us.

Saying Hello Around the World 

Wales: In Wales there are a number of different forms of Welsh for Hello depending on location and formality. Here are some examples. Helô/Hylô - Hello and can be used as formal and informal greetings. Sut mae (North Wales) or Shwmae (South/West Wales) - Literally meaning "how is it", they are used in everyday life as a standard greeting alongside the more informal "Helô" when you meet someone. Haia - very informal greeting that can be heard all over Wales. It is identical to the English hiya. Ti'n iawn? - very similar to the English "Alright". Helô/Hylô, sut mae - Hello, how are you.

Japan: In Japan, a polite bow is the customary way to greet someone, expressing respect and humility. The depth of the bow can indicate the level of respect or formality of the greeting. France: The French often greet close friends or family with 'la bise,' a light kiss on each cheek. This warm and intimate gesture embodies a sense of familiarity and affection. 

Kenya (Maasai Tribe): Among the Maasai people of Kenya, a friendly greeting often involves a raised hand or even a light touch on the shoulder, accompanied by the word 'supa.' It is a way to acknowledge each other's presence and build community spirit. 

Palestinian: In Palestinian culture, greetings often start with 'Marhaba' (مرحبا), which means hello, or 'Ahlan wa sahlan' (أهلا وسهلا), meaning 'welcome.' These expressions convey hospitality and warmth, reflecting a cultural emphasis on welcoming others with an open heart. 

Thailand: The Thai greeting, known as the 'wai,' involves placing the palms together in a prayer-like gesture and bowing slightly. It's a versatile greeting used to express respect, gratitude, or apology. 

United States: In the U.S., a casual wave or handshake is common. The diversity in greetings reflects the melting pot of cultures that define the nation. 

Arabic: In Arabic-speaking countries, 'مرحبا' (Marhaba) is a common way to say hello. Another popular greeting is 'السلام عليكم' (As-salamu alaykum), which means 'peace be upon you.' This greeting is often used across the Muslim world and reflects a deep cultural emphasis on peace and mutual respect. 

Fijian: In Fiji, 'Bula' is the most common greeting, which goes beyond a simple hello. 'Bula' conveys a wish for good health and happiness, often delivered with a cheerful tone and a smile. This greeting reflects the warmth and friendliness of Fijian culture and is a key part of the country's hospitality and communal spirit. 

Jewish: In Jewish culture, the greeting 'Shalom' (שלום) is used, which means 'peace.' It is used both to say hello and goodbye, reflecting a wish for peace and well-being. This greeting carries a deep cultural and spiritual significance, embodying a universal aspiration for harmony.

Hindi: In India, 'नमस्ते' (Namaste) or 'नमस्कार' (Namaskar) is a traditional greeting used across many regions. This greeting is often accompanied by a slight bow and hands pressed together in front of the chest, similar to a prayer gesture. It conveys respect and reverence, signifying 'I bow to you,' and is used in both formal and informal settings. 

These unique greetings demonstrate that, while the words or gestures may differ, the intent is universal, to acknowledge, welcome, and show respect to another person. Let's celebrate these differences  and embrace this day as an opportunity to strengthen our bonds, embrace diversity, and foster a culture of respect, kindness  and  inclusion , one hello at a time, and reflect on how these simple acts can contribute to a more connected and harmonious community. 

We can go further by saying hello to someone we've had a disagreement with. Try to understand each other’s mistakes and make peace. Many people think apologizing makes them look weak, but it actually shows courage and earns respect. It might feel hard at first, but if the person is important to you, it’s worth making the first move. This simple act of kindness can make you and others happy, just as the  two brothers imagined when they created this day.

World Hello Day is more than just a day for greetings; it is a celebration of communication and connection in our rapidly changing world. Its roots, grounded in the quest for peace and understanding, remind us that we have the power to bridge divides with a simple “hello.” 

As we navigate through the complexities of modern life, fostering empathy and openness becomes increasingly essential. World Hello Day serves as a powerful reminder that a small gesture,such as reaching out with a friendly greeting, can lead to meaningful interactions, promote solidarity, and inspire collective action for a more compassionate global community. Let us embrace this day as an opportunity to strengthen our bonds, celebrate diversity, and commit to a culture of respect, empathy and kindness, one hello at a time.

So, take a moment today to say 'hello' to someone in a way that celebrates our shared values. Whether it’s with a wave, a bow, a handshake, or a smile, remember that every greeting is a step toward unity. As wars rage around the world. may we all continue to work to heal the divisions in our society, and to create a more just, peaceful and equitable world. Wishing you a joyful World Hello Day. Heddwch/Peace.

In these dark times

In these dark times of trouble and strife.

And endless wars are ingloriously fought, 

Souls get dim and lose their way 

As hopes radiant flame burns pale,

Hate takes over spawning it's toxins 

Dangerously poisoning all it touches,

Creeping amidst a society in disrepair

It's effluence seeping into air without care,

Infecting minds and dehumanising

Spreading insiduous seeds of division,

As mainstream mediaocracy manipulating

Pushes narratives splintering, triggering,

Destroying harmony, spawning racism

Enabling malignent forces of fascism,

Releasing venom across the land

Suffocating happiness with it's hand,

The devil at play with deadly intent

It's odious scent slaughtering innocence,

Commiting murder and larceny 

Showing no mercy, oozing depravity,

From the fear-mongering mouths of leaders

To the hands of conditioned madmen, 

We cannot allow this miasma to spread

Refuse it's mire, before it leaves many dead,

Resistance is the strength we all need

To stop this harm from being able to feed,

Refuse pestilance forces from penetrating 

Until they no longer keep on palpating,

Defy festering hostility, toxic visage

Don't be blinded by indifference,

Keep singing your unrelenting love songs

Vanguish an execration that tries to seperate,

Find ways to dispel the menacing darkness

Instead of bitterness, create swells of goodness,

Tell strangers that they are beautiful

Follow ways more gentle and merciful,

Disable thickening strains of hoplessness

Allow kindness to be your friend,

Feel light, hold on firmly and tightly

Extinguish deflating streams, shine brightly.

Tell FIFA and UEFA: Ban Israel from World Soccer competitions

During Thursday's match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Israeli supporters refused to hold a minute of silence for Valencia flood victims. They even started illegal fireworks.

This came after Spain cancelled arms deal with Israeli company worth billions. Earlier the same fans were filmed chanting racist, genocidal slogans  and tearing down pro Palestinian flags of Dutch  buildings. Football hooligans then get into fights with locals But if you google ‘Amsterdam’ you’ll see a bunch of headlines about Israelis being targeted in unprovoked attacks and Israel and it's supporters claiming this is akin to Europe’s darkest hour or pogrom for Jews. Both minimising the Holocaust and insulting our intelligence. 

Israel’s most senior leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have openly courted far-right football supporters in Israel and have received their violent support in return. The well-documented racism and violence exhibited by Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in Amsterdam mirrors the thuggery of the Israeli government in Gaza and Lebanon.

To rid European football of the type of genocidal chanting we saw from Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, Uefa should remind the Israel Football Association of its obligations under article 7(7) of its statutes to stamp out racist behaviour, and impose appropriate sanctions if the IFA does not take action.

The Israeli offensive on Gaza has claimed the lives of of more than 40,000 Palestinian civilians – 16,500 of whom are children and 100,000 injured, not counting the hundreds of thousands still unaccounted for, that has created a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

90% of Palestinians are internally displaced and living in inhumane conditions with “no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel.” No functional hospitals. No mosques. No churches. No libraries. No schools. No universities. No bakeries. At this rate, the brutal Israeli regime will soon destroy every aspect of life in Gaza, including its sports. 

Remember Israeł has killed 523 athletes in Gaza. Among them, 341 footballers — of whom 91 were children. 64 sports complex have been destroyed — 19 in the occupied West Bank.

Israel is a legally recognised apartheid state, under investigation by the  international court of justice (ICJ) and the international criminal court (ICC) for Genøcide and war crimes and is in direct contravention of UN resolutions and  international  law.

Both the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem and the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement (modelled on the anti-apartheid movement) have called for boycotting Israeli sport.  Certainly the International Court of Justice verdict was clear in its expectation of the international community “not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by Israel’s illegal presence” in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. 

For decades, Palestinians have asked the international community to recognise their daily realities as reincarnated apartheid. In much the same way black South Africans were forcibly removed from lands reclassified and reserved as “Whites Only” areas, and their settlements were bulldozed, Palestinians have watched the illegal and violent annexation of areas for which they now require permits from Israel to re-enter. 

And much like the apartheid Bantustans, most Palestinians living in the West Bank have been banished to the desolate and overcrowded Area A, where they are permitted a limited form of self-determination, while Israel has either partial or full control of the remaining 82 percent of the territory.

With a few notable exceptions, our governments and elected representatives continue to toe the official line of Israel – even increasing diplomatic, financial and military support to it despite countless violations of international laws, international humanitarian laws, and UN resolutions. 

In the past, FIFA has banned other countries from competing under similar circumstances. South Africa was banned in 1961 due to growing calls from the anti-apartheid movement to boycott South Africa. FIFA and UEFA banned Yugoslavia from playing in the 1992 European cup and the 1994 World Cup following U.N. sanctions amid the Serb-dominated government’s aggression in the Balkans. Most recently, in February of 2022, FIFA and UEFA banned all Russian clubs and national teams “until further notice” because of its war against Ukraine. 

However UEFA won't ban Israel despite the ICJ likely genocide ruling. Now even after the trouble caused by Israeli football hooligans in Athens and Amsterdam, and after saying they will show racism the red card and promote fair play, they are complicit in allowing their teams to compete.

While hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are under brutal attack by the IDF, Israel is allowed to continue to compete in football competitions. Israeli players are not neutral -  joining the Israeli army is mandatory in order to become a football player in the national team, and Israeli players have proudly posted comments on social media such as “Why haven’t 200 tonnes of bombs already been dropped on Gaza?” and “We’ll erase Gaza permanently.” 

The chance to compete on the international stage is a privilege that should be reserved for states that do not commit genocide.There should be no place in sport for those who have served as IDF who are  perpetrators of illegal occupation, ethnic cleansing, apartheid, genocide and crimes against humanity. If FIFA/UEFA had any integrity, they would agree with the already 12 nations calling on them both to ban Israel from being allowed to compete in world soccer competitions. 

Sign if you agree!

https://internal.diem25.org/en/petitions/93?id=93

Stand with Ahoo Daryaei

 

On Saturday in Iran, a  30 year old female French Literature student was harassed by  members of the Basij security forces over her “improper”use of the  hijab. She  didn’t back down and turned her body into a protest, according to witnesses, members of the Basij tore off her headscarf, an incident that led Daryaei to stage a protest by stripping down to her underwear outside Tehran’s Islamic Azad University. drawing a crowd of students and onlookers. as she  marched through the campus. 

Her protest speaks to the frustration felt by many Iranian women who oppose the dress codes mandating headscarves and loose clothing, a requirement strictly enforced by Iran’s morality police. stripping to her underwear outside Tehran’s Islamic Azad University.and marching through campus defying a regime that constantly controls women’s bodies. Her act is a powerful reminder of Iranian women’s fight for freedom.

The  name of this iconic woman student of  defiance has been identified by some media outlets as Ahoo Daryaei,(meaning Deer of the Sea) herdramatic act of protest against Iran’s strict dress code by stripping down in public has raised fears for her safety and amplified international calls for reform. Following her protest, Daryaei was forcibly taken away by men in plain clothes and hasn’t been seen since.

Various media reports indicate that she was initially taken to a local police station, where authorities claim she showed signs of mental distress. Amir Mahjob, a university spokesperson, publicly stated that Daryaei has a “mental disorder,” a claim often used by Iranian authorities to justify detentions in such cases.

Later reports suggest she may have been transferred to a mental health facility, but other sources claim she is in custody at an undisclosed location. Her family and supporters worry about her safety amid concerns that detainees in similar cases have faced torture or harsh treatment while in custody. 

In 2022, widespread demonstrations erupted across Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman who died a victim of police brutality for not wearing a hijab, women protested and circulated the rallying cry, “Woman, Life, Freedom.”  These protests led to a brutal government crackdown, resulting in the deaths of 551 protesters and thousands of arrests. 

While conditions for women have not improved since the protests, it has not stopped some brave women from continuing to defy the regime  and taking  a stand,often removing their headscarves in public, and activists continue to push for reforms. The government, however, has remained steadfast, deploying aggressive measures to suppress dissent.  

International human rights organizations have responded swiftly to Daryaei’s detention. Amnesty International which has documented allegations of abuse against women in Iranian prisons over recent years,has issued statements demanding her immediate release, emphasizing that Daryaei should be protected from torture  and other mistreatment while ensuring access to her family and legal counselemphasized the need for independent investigations into allegations of abuse during her arrest. 

Meanwhile, UN Special Rapporteur Mai Sato expressed intent to monitor Daryaei’s case closely, and prominent Iranian activists have voiced their support, hailed her bravery and called her protest an urgent call against oppression.

As she remains in custody with her whereabouts unknown, this incident highlights the tensions surrounding Iran’s enforcement of conservative dress codes, sparking global criticism of the country’s treatment of women.  It’s not about applauding a woman stripping off to her underwear. It’s applauding a woman standing up for her choice to wear whatever she wants. 

I want everyone to understand that its possible to advocate for women's liberation while not amplifying orientalist ideas co-opted by white people to fuel their saviour complexes. 

Images of Ahoo Daryaei, arms crossed, head held high, wearing only a purple bra and striped underwear, circulate widely on Iranian social media alongside videos of her brave act.and she has become a new symbol of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement.

The images of her boldly standing alone despite the immense danger she was in have been compared to other historical photos of rebellion and bravery. She has been compared to “Tank Man,” the unidentified man who stood alone in front of a column of tanks after the Tiananmen Square massacre, and to the lone man who refused to salute Adolf Hitler in a crowd of supporters. Powerful art renditions of Daryaei’s protest have already flooded X, depicting Daryaei holding a flag, standing in front of a tank, or taking the baton from her predecessors.

Social media has  also been flooded with expressions of solidarity, with prominent figures, including actress Katayoun Riahi, urging the public not to let  let individuals like Daryaei stand alone in their fight against oppression.Activist Hossein Ronaghi praised Daryaei's bravery, framing her protest as a heartfelt  protest against the  injustices faced by  women in Iran. 

Hossein Ronaghi a prominent  activist who was jailed during the protests, in a post on X hailed the "bravery" of the student and described her action as a "cry from the bottom of the heart against the oppression that has taken the life out of people, especially women.".

Ahoo DaryaeiI embodies resistance against the moral police, representing the demands of many Iranian women.We must be worthy of her courage. All democracies, all international bodies, must stand up and protect Ahoo Daryaei, now! For her, for Mahsa Amini, for all the Women around the world,  wherever they may  be,  who are fighting killer states, for their freedom. The move from fear to courage is the freedom of every human being.

The impact of her actions mean her life is in grave danger, though many are hoping the worldwide attention will discourage Iran authorities from harming her.Ahoo Daryaei's courage represents every woman’s right to freedom and dignity. We must tell her story. Stand with her and join the call on world leaders, that  Iran must release Ahoo before it's too late! 

Add your name now to pressure the Iranian regime and encourage the G20 governments and the UN to speak up. Sign and share now!

https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/free_ahoo_now_1_1/?fpla

Remembering Laika, Russias cosmonaut dog.

 

Between 1957 and 1987, Soviet allies, such as Romania (above), Albania, Poland and North Korea, issued Laika postage stamps.

On this day in 1957, Laika, the Soviet dog, became the first living being to orbit Earth. Her journey was a monumental step in space exploration, but also a stark reminder of the ethical complexities of scientific advancement.

The decision to send a dog into orbit was largely down to Nikita Krushchev (First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union) who wanted to repeat the success of Sputnik 1 on a larger scale and show the world the true power of the USSR. He settled on achieving this by planning an orbital flight - with a dog. 

Sputnik 2 was also planned to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution so to satisfy Krushchev’s grand demands, Soviet recruiters set about collecting stray female dogs from the streets of Russia. If they could successfully send dogs to space, what else could they achieve, and what power potential could this unlock? 

Once they had gathered a small group of stray dogs, they began to test for obedience, reactions to changes in air pressure, and loud noises - surely enough to terrify anyone. Footage of such tests can be viewed in the 2020 documentary Space Dogs, though watch at your own discretion. 

After narrowing it down to just two potential choices, doctors performed gruesome surgery on both dogs, embedding medical devices into their bodies to monitor heart impulses, breathing rates, physical movement, and blood pressure. 

Following extreme experiments and surgery,ten days before the launch, Soviet space-life scientist Vladimir Yazdovsky selected Laika to be the primary flight dog. Kudryavka (Curly) a half Husky, half Terrier was chosen because of her docile and submissive nature. She later became known as Laika (derived from the Russian verb ‘bark’) after barking repeatedly on the radio when introduced to the public.

The mission's primary goal was to study the biological effects of space travel and pave the way for future human expeditions into space. However, the mission was a one-way journey. Equipped with life support systems, Sputnik 2 was not designed for return. For Laika, it was a death sentence. 

Before the launch, Yazdovsky took Laika home to play with his children. In a book chronicling the story of Soviet space medicine, he wrote, "Laika was quiet and charming ... I wanted to do something nice for her: She had so little time left to live."

To adapt Laika to the small cabin of Sputnik 2, she was kept in a cage that began to get continuously smaller over a period of twenty days. Such cruel confinement caused her to stop urinating and defecating and for her overall condition to rapidly decline.  

Though Soviet scientists promoted the mission as daring and exciting, Three days before the scheduled liftoff, Laika entered her constricted travel space and  was chained into the spacecraft to limit any movement. She was also fitted with an invasive bag to collect waste.  

A technician who prepared the capsule for the mongrel dog said: “After placing Laika in the container and before closing the hatch, we kissed her nose and wished her bon voyage, knowing that she would not survive the flight.” A heartbreaking goodbye to a sweet-natured and trusting dog.  

It’s reported that before lift-off, a female physician broke protocol by feeding Laika one final meal. A heartbreaking goodbye to a sweet-natured and trusting dog. On November 3 at 5:30 a.m., the ship lifted off with G-forces reaching five times normal gravity levels. The noises and pressures of flight terrified Laika: Her heartbeat rocketed to triple the normal rate, and her breath rate quadrupled. The National Air and Space Museum holds declassified printouts showing Laika’s respiration during the flight. She reached orbit alive, circling the Earth in about 103 minutes. Unfortunately, loss of the heat shield made the temperature in the capsule rise unexpectedly, taking its toll on Laika. She died from overheating, alone, isolated  and  frightened, and  became a tragic symbol of humanity’s pursuit of progress at any cost.

During and after the flight, the Soviet Union kept up the fiction that Laika survived for several days. . Soviet broadcasts claimed that Laika was alive until November 12. The New York Times even reported that she might be saved; however, Soviet communiqués made it clear after nine days that Laika had died.  

While concerns about animal rights had not reached early 21st century levels,the controversial hidden fact that the mongrel dog was sent to space on a one-way ticket brought about a world outcry. A pack of dog lovers attached protest signs to their pets and marched outside the United Nations in New York. 

Britain showed to be the most outraged and before the announcer had even finished reading the news bulletin of the event, the switchboards were overwhelmed with angry callers. 

The RSPCA too was inundated with phone calls, and as a result, ended up giving callers the number for the Soviet Embassy. The Soviet Embassy in London had to swiftly change their celebration mode into damage control, with First Secretary Yuri Modin commenting: “The Russians love dogs. This has been done not for the sake of cruelty but for the benefit of humanity.” 

However, the British were not consoled.  Lady Munnings, wife of the Royal Academy’s former President, Sir Alfred Munnings, demanded: “Instead of dogs, why not use child murderers, who just get life sentences and have a jolly good time in prison?”  

And novelist Denise Robins wrote a touching elegy.  “Little dog lost to the rest of the world,” it began.  “Up in your satellite basket curled . . .”  A German daily newspaper even reported: ““For a few days, the world is again united.  “For a few days, black and white, democrats and communists, republicans and royalists in all countries, islands and continents have one feeling, one language, one direction . . . our feeling of compassion for this little living being twirling helplessly over our heads.”

Though Sputnik 2 completed over 2,500 orbits before reentering the atmosphere and disintegrating, Laika’s legacy endures. Her story serves as a stark reminder of the ethical implications of scientific advancement. It is a tale of human hubris and the exploitation of innocent creatures.

The story of Laika lives on today in websites, YouTube videos, poems and children’s books, at least one of which provides a happy ending for the doomed dog. Laika’s cultural impact has been spread across the years since her death. The 1985 Swedish film, My Life as a Dog, portrayed a young man’s fears that Laika had starved. 

Several folk and rock singers around the globe have dedicated songs to her. An English indie-pop group took her name, and a Finnish band called itself Laika and the Cosmonauts. Novelists Victor Pelevin of Russia, Haruki Murakami of Japan, and Jeannette Winterson of Great Britain have featured Laika in books, as has British graphic novelist Nick Abadzis.

In 2008, more than half a century after her fatal flight, a statue of Laika was unveiled in Moscow. The statue is an abstract piece, depicting a rocket and hand morphed into one, cradling Laika and pointing upwards towards the stars - if only she had been shown so much care and consideration in reality.

While some may argue that Laika's sacrifice was necessary for progress, in reality the value of the information attained by her journey is questionable at best. Soviet researcher Oleg Gazenko recounted his involvement with the Sputnik 2 mission, saying:  

“Work with animals is a source of suffering to all of us. We treat them like babies who cannot speak. The more time passes, the more I’m sorry about it. We shouldn’t have done it … We did not learn enough from this mission to justify the death of the dog.”  

Laika's story serves to  remind us of just one example of an animal’s life being sacrificed for human knowledge, the issue sadly remains prevalent in our society today. 

Laika’s death set a precedent for using live animals to understand how space impacts their biological processes. Numerous other countries sent a variety of animals into space as well, including mice, rabbits, guinea pigs, and tortoises. The real question at the end of it all is, has the world learned anything from these acts of cruelty,  when we look at the tens of thousands of dogs who are harmed—and who go unwillingly to their deaths—in pursuit of scientific “knowledge” that is at best flawed and at worst harmful to advancing human science.

Most dogs used in research today are used in pharmaceutical testing, even though upwards of 95% of drugs tested on animals fail when they move to human clinical trials. Whatever it is we “learn” from harming animals has little or no useful application for humans. Let's remember Laika, and the 115 million other animals who have died needlessly in experiments per year, and let this remind us to fight animal cruelty and treat non-human creatures with the respect they deserve.  .

Anniversary of the infamous Balfour Declaration

  

 Lord Arthur Balfour

 

On this day, one of history's most infamous and unjust declarations was made, when on November 2, 1917 a British official on  behalf of  the British government issued the  Balfour Declaration, which laid the foundation for the establishment of a Jewish state at the expense of the indigenous Palestinian population. The ramifications would be seen up until the present day and is regarded as one of the most controversial and contested documents in modern history. The genocide we are witnessing in Gaza today is a direct result of these colonial efforts. 

It was named after Lord Arthur James Balfour, the British Foreign Secretary during the Word War 1, who on an order by United Kingdom’s Prime Minister at that time, David Lloyd George,sent an official letter  to Baron Walter Rothschild (the 2nd Baron Rothschild), a leader of the British Zionist community, who accepted it on behalf of Great Britain and Ireland.

The document was quite short, consisting of only 67 words in three paragraphs. However, the impact was enormous: the declaration was the beginning of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which has not ended.The immortal words of the letter said the following:

" His Majesty's Government view with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by jews in any other country."

The Original Letter of the Balfour Declaration

 

 

With the Balfour Declaration, London was seeking Jewish support for its war efforts, and the Zionist push for a homeland for Jews was an emerging political force. In 1917, Jews constituted 10% of the population, the rest were  Arabs. Yet Britain recognised the national rights of a tiny minority and denied it to the majority This was a classic colonial document which totally disregarded the rights and aspirations of the indigenous population. In the words of Jewish writer Arthur Koestler: “One nation solemnly promised to a second nation the country of a third.”And in the words of the late Palestinian academic Edward Said, the declaration was “made by a European power … about a non-European territory … in a flat disregard of both the presence and wishes of the native majority resident in that territory. 

The indigenous Palestinian population’s political and national rights were ignored in the Balfour Declaration, not to mention their ethnic and national identity. Instead, Great Britain promised not to “prejudice the[ir] civil and religious rights,” and referred to Palestinians as “non-Jewish communities in Palestine.” The percentage of Jews living in Palestine in 1917 did not exceed 7%, yet the British attempted to rewrite history in order to justify their colonial policy.

Balfour, in a 1919 confidential memo, wrote: 

 “Zionism, be it right or wrong, good or bad, is rooted in age old traditions, in present needs, in future hopes, of far greater import than the desires and prejudices of the 700,000 Arabs who now inhabit that ancient land”  

For all those that celebrate the Balfour Declaration. Balfour was an antisemite and wanted to migrate Jews out of Britain to solve the "Jewish problem".  Arthur Balfour wrote about the Zionist movement that it would “mitigate the age-long miseries created for Western civilization by the presence in its midst of a Body [Jews] which it too long regarded as alien and even hostile, but which it was equally unable to expel or to absorb.”

The discriminatory language used by Sir Arthur Balfour and seen in the Balfour Declaration and the British Mandate reveal the prejudiced rational behind British foreign policy in Palestine. A month after the Balfour Declaration on 2 December 1917, the British army occupied Jerusalem.

The British government sought the approval of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson before the public announcement, with France and Italy also endorsing the declaration in 1918. By 1920, the Supreme Council of the Allied Powers at the San Remo Conference entrusted Britain with the mandate over Palestine, which included implementing the Balfour promise. 

The League of Nations subsequently approved the mandate in July 1922, coming into effect in September 1923 and included the entire text of the Balfour Declaration. Thus, the Balfour Declaration can be seen as a Western promise, not solely a British one. Arab responses to the declaration ranged from shock and outrage to outright condemnation  who had received promises of independence of its own in the post-war break up of the defeated Ottoman Empire.

To mitigate the backlash, Britain sent a letter to Sharif Hussein, affirming that it would not permit Jewish settlement in Palestine beyond what aligned with Arab interests. However, at the same time, the British military administration in Palestine was instructed to comply with the orders of the Jewish Agency, led by Chaim Weizmann, facilitating Jewish immigration from Russia and Eastern Europe and providing necessary protection. 

The Palestinians have always condemned the declaration, which they refer to as the "Balfour promise" saying Britain was giving away land it did not own. The Balfour Declaration constituted a dangerous historical precedent and a blatant breach of all international laws and norms, and this  act of the British Empire to “give” the land of another people  for colonial settlement and marked the beginning of a pattern of ethnic cleansing and displacement of the Palestinian people  that  continues to  this day.

The Mandate for Palestine constituted the entire legal framework for how Britain should operate during its occupation of Palestine. Despite this, the Mandate made no mention of the Palestinians by name, nor did it specify the right of Palestinians to nationhood. Instead, it was during its rule in Palestine that Britain sought to lay the foundations for the creation of a ‘national home for the Jewish people’. 

By the end of the 1920s, it became clear that this ambition would have violent repercussions.Between 1936 and 1939, thousands of Palestinians were killed and imprisoned as they revolted in protest against British policy.

The British response took a heavy toll on the livelihoods of Palestinian villagers, who were subjected to punitive measures that included the confiscation of livestock, the destruction of properties, detention and collective fines. During this time, British forces’ are said to have carried out beatings, extrajudicial killings and torture as they attempted to quell the uprising. To this day, there are still the ‘Tegart Forts’ in Palestine built and named by Sir Charles Tegart who had been stationed in India to punish those fighting against the British Raj and then later stationed in Palestine to control any Arab dissent.

The Palestinian people did not passively accept British promises and the realities imposed by Zionist actions. They engaged in a series of revolts, the first of which was the 1929 Buraq Uprising, followed by the 1936 Revolt.  

However for Palestinians, Britain’s three decades of occupation in Palestine was a turning point in the country’s history, laying the foundations for what would become decades of occupation, displacement and insecurity.

When the UK eventually decided to withdraw from from Palestine in May 1948  when the Israeli state was established. By this point, the Zionist paramilitary army was ready with a plan to colonise Palestine and the newly established United Nations was ready to take over the role of legitimising the occupation. 

This time is known by Palestinians as the Nakba or ‘catastrophe’, when large-scale ethnic cleansing, saw more than 700,000 Palestinians lose their ancestral homes. Hundreds of Arab villages razed to the ground and 15,000 Palestinians  killed in several massacres. Much of these events took place whilst streets of Palestine were still being patrolled by tens of thousands of British soldiers.

To this day, there are more than 5 million Palestinian refugees registered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the occupied Palestinian territories, Lebanon and Jordan as a result of the Nakba in 1948 and the displacement that followed the Israeli occupation of Palestine in 1967.

Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem have now been under occupation for over 50 years, devastating the lives of millions of Palestinians.

The catastrophe of the Arab Palestinian people in 1948 continues today at the hands of Israel, using the same old policies and laws established by the British such as land confiscation laws, home demolitions, ‘administrative’ detention, deportations, violent repression, and the continuation of the expulsion of about 7.9 million Palestinians who are denied their basic national and human rights, especially their right to return and live normally in their homeland. Today, the State of Israel, backed by the military and diplomatic might of the United States, continues this century-long pattern of denying the Palestinian people their right to self-determination. In violation of international law, Israel refuses to allow Palestinian refugees their right of return to the homes from which they or their ancestors were forcibly displaced by Israel during the Nakba in 1948; denies Palestinian citizens of Israel their equal rights; and imposes upon Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip a brutal military occupation and suffocating siege. that is currently facing  what amounts to genocide. This catastrophe of the Palestinian people could not continue without the support of Israel by the United States and Britain.

In the June 1967 war, Israel completed the conquest of Palestine by occupying the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. By signing the Oslo Accord with Israel in 1993, the Palestine Liberation Organisation gave up its claim to 78% of Palestine. In return they hoped to achieve an independent Palestinian state on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with a capital city in East Jerusalem. It was not to be.

 On May 7, The Guardian newspaper regretted its support in 1917 for the Balfour Declaration, describing it as its “worst errors of judgment”.

The Guardian of 1917  had supported, celebrated, and could even be said to have helped facilitate the Balfour Declaration,” the British daily wrote, adding that the then editor, CP Scott, was “blinded” to Palestinian rights due to his support of Zionism.

The Balfour Declaration is not just history, it's actuality. The Palestinian people still experience this declaration's catastrophic consequences to this day, which bear witness to such a historic injustice due to the persecution, repression, killing, arrests and demolition of homes and properties. that perpetuated one of the longest-running settler-colonial occupations on a land that was and remains exclusively Palestinian.

This painful anniversary coincides with the ongoing crises in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, especially in the Gaza Strip, which is witnessing the escalation of killings, organized terrorism, displacement, and the deliberate destruction of residential buildings, schools, hospitals, places of worship, and infrastructure. The occupying army continues to commit one massacre after another without any accountability. Just today they destroyed an entire neighborhood in the Bureij camp over the heads of its residents! 

These actions constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Israeli occupation. Unfortunately, it highlights the failure of the international community to carry out its duties and assume its responsibilities in putting an end to this Israeli military aggression, providing protection for the Palestinian people, and obliging Israel, the occupying power, to comply with the principles of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions

On the Anniversary of the Balfour Declaration,it is important to note that the UK is currently assisting and providing cover for a second Nakba, the brutal genocide in Gaza and Israel’s latest and barbaric attempt to exterminate the north of Gaza, as well as the executions of Palestinians in the West Bank, continue with full impunity and collaboration from the British establishment!

Today Britain continues to be involved by supplying arms and political support to Israel, enabling bombings ending in tens of thousands of Palestinian civilian deaths. And of all of the nations to stand by and watch, it shouldn't be ours. Britain has played a role in creating this cycle of killing and bloodshed in the middle east. Our country, the former colonial power is jointly responsible for the disaster of the Balfour declaration, and is fully accountable to the atrocities and dehumanizing of Palestinians. But even till this day, the UK has not shown any remorse for the historical sin it had made.

The silence and complicity surrounding the atrocities in Gaza highlight a chilling continuity we are witnessing an attempt to execute the final phase of a long-standing scheme—the theft of a homeland, encapsulated in the so-called Deal of the Century, backed by those who refuse to acknowledge the truth of the Palestinians struggle.

Over 100 years on, the commemoration of the Balfour Declaration is a stark reminder that the Zionist settler-colonial project was in the works long before the Nakba in 1948, and Britain has played a vital part in the expansion of the colonial project. Today Britain continues to support Israel in all its barbaric war crimes against the people of Palestine and beyond. For over 100 years the Palestinian people have been resisting colonisation and have become a catalyst for the world revolution everywhere! 

Let us follow in their footsteps and fight to break the kill chain right here from the heart of the country that promised a land away that was not theirs to begin with! Britain bears a moral and historical responsibility over the displacement and dispossession of millions of Palestinians and should therefore make every possible effort to remedy the wounds inflicted upon the Palestinians as a result of the Balfour Declaration by apologizing to the Palestinian people, and recognizing the Palestinian state on the June 4, lines with East Jerusalem as its capital in support of achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in accordance with the vision of a two-state solution to ensure that future generations of Palestinians can live in dignity.The Israeli occupation should be brought to an end and Israel should be held accountable for its war crimes and crimes against humanity. There can be no peace without righting this historic injustice.

Budget 2024 : Austerity Labour style.

Addressing the Commons as Britain's first female chancellor, Rachel Reeves pledged to make good on Labour’s promise to voters in July’s general election.This Budget, Reeves declared at the top of her speech, will "drive economic growth" and “invest, invest, invest”. 

What followed was for me  very dissapointing. Crackdown on benefits, slashes welfare by £3.4bn, kicking 400,000+ disabled people off benefits (according to Joseph Rowntree Foundation), access to bank accounts, cuts to the work capability assessment are going ahead, based on the outdated idea that weakening support improves work incentives. It doesn't, it actually creates barriers to work. And  their  planning cuts, which  will see 400,000 people more than £400 a month worse off at  a time when all the charities emphasise the desperate need for an increase. 

People on benefits do not live the life of riley, many with problems that are not always visible, with barely to live on as it is, Labours solutions are not going to help one bit, in many cases will just add to anxiety, We are seen as convenient scapegoats in a very uncaring society. Most people who complain about those on benefits never have had the indignity of relying on them. People receiving sickness benefits also face a fearful future at a time when almost two thirds of those experiencing destitution have a long term health condition.

Disabled and sick are not economically inactive. In fact no one is. This is a very ableist viewpoint. We all pay bills and not everyone can work. Starmer  and Reeve's ‘no stone unturned’ on benefits claimants is dangerous. Claimants are already *hounded for years* to prove they’re not faking it.this will simply break .people who are already struggling.

The whole point is to get more “growth” (profit) by pushing more people into the labour pool which helps employers push wages down and increase profit. Oh and pensioners robbed of Winter Fuel Allowance and public services cut by 4% annually (includes inflation). This is Austerity Labour style. 

All this has been  greeted by cheering bellows of "Hear hear" from the opposition benches. Of course the Tories are pleased that Labour will be continuing their 14 years of persecution of the disabled and vulnerable  on benefits. Labour has now become more Tory than the Tory Party themselves. 

I forgot to mention that with Tax Fraud approx. 4.8% (£40Billion) compared to Benefit Fraud 2.8%(£7.4Billion) Starmer/Reeves choose to protect their friends/Donors wealth by focusing on bullying disabled/ill people "back to Work" while cutting support services by 4%.

The Govternments decision to keep regressive Tory fuel duty freeze and to choose to penalise bus users is utterly nonsensical. What happened to promoting public transport?  A rocketing bus fare rise hits young people, families and all those who can't afford a car. It entrenches years of unequal burdens, is the opposite of a progressive transport pricing policy, and means less for better travel across the country. 

It seems to me watching this budget that Rachel Reeves is borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. Basically taking it from one section of society to pay another section of society. Starmer / Reeves budget is just another tax and spend budget, probably worse than the last government but broadly speaking part of the same consensus.

It will continue to deliver poor public services, anaemic growth, not enough houses and more debt. The consensus is the problem and needs breaking. At the end of the day,a  very  dissapointing budget. We needed a Budget to build a fairer society and a greener economy. The Chancellor has missed the opportunity to close the inequality gap and fund public services by taxing the super-rich.

 Never thought the labour party would inflict such poverty onto ordinary people trying to get by in life. The rich will be comfortable thats for sure as they take from the poorest in society. Happy no I''m fucking  not,  I am honestly devastated at the financial misery this budget will inflict on the poorest people in the country. Starmers Labour Party offers no help and no hope. no meaningful boosts to support, no protections from widespread usury. But there’s always money for war £54.2 billion last financial year, that’s £100,000 per minute. It's a farce, well the  same old rotten system as usual,  just  dressed up in new clothes. 

Marking the Anniversary of the Dawayima Massacre during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War

Pictured: Palestinian refugees forced to flee their homes in 1948.

October 29th,marked the  anniversary of the Dawayima Massacre 1948 when Israeli terrorists  murdered hundreds of peaceful Palestinian villagers. in the town of al-Dawayima  on October 29th, 1948. during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. 

The incident occurred after the town was occupied by the Zionist regimes Israeli Defence Force (IDF)’ army’s 89th Commando Battalion during Operation Yoav, encountering little resistance. The battalion, whose first commander was Moshe Dayan, was composed of former Irgun and Lehi forces.This occurred after the town was occupied  by the IDF, encountering little resistance. 

Little is known about the brutal massacre in the village of Dawaymeh which is situated a few kilometres West of Hebron. It had a population of six thousand people.Some four thousand Arab refugees had taken refuge in the village prior to the massacre. 

According  to Palestnian historian Saleh Abd al-Jawad an estimated 80-200 civilian men, women and children were murdered in cold blood..The children of the village had their heads beaten with ’sticks’ – adults were blown up in their homes Around 60 people were murdered in the local mosque, most of them elders, and 85 people who sought refuge in the nearby cave of Iraq al-Zagh were also killed there. These included women, as well as children, who had their skulls beaten and smashed. Palestinian women were raped by soldiers, and women and their babies were murdered. Bodies were then  stuffed down the village well.

The Israeli daily 'Al ha-Mishmar gives the following description: 'The children they killed by breaking their heads with sticks. There was not a house without dead... One commander ordered a sapper to put two old women in a certain house...and to blow up the house with them. The sapper refused...The commander then ordered his men to put in the old women and the evil deed was done. One soldier boasted that he had raped a woman and then shot her...' 

One Israeli soldier wrote a letter to a newspaper describing what happened, and recounted how the "cultured, polite commanders, who are considered upstanding members of society, turned into base murderers, and not in the heat and passion of battle but in a system of expulsion and destruction." He claimed that the military was working on the principle that: "The fewer Arabs that will remain, the better. That principle is the political driving force of the expulsions and atrocities, to which no one objects, either in the operational command or in high command. I myself was at the front for two weeks and heard tales of boasting by soldiers and commanders of how they excelled at hunting and 'screwing.' To screw an Arab, just like that and under all circumstances, is an honorable mission and there’s competition for winning at this." 

The newspaper did not publish the letter.though it  was finally  released tn 2016.Link  here :-

 https://mondoweiss.net/2016/02/barbarism-by-an-educated-and-cultured-people-dawayima-massacre-was-worse-than-deir-yassin/ 

After the massacre, the Palestinians' homes were destroyed, and the survivors forced to flee as refugees in the West Bank and Jordan. The Israeli Prime Minister ordered the attorney general to investigate the massacre. His report remains classified to this day.

The reason why so little is known about this massacre which, in many respects, was more brutal than the Deir Yassin massacre on 9 Aprilhttps://teifidancer-teifidancer.blogspot.com/2019/04/remembering-deir-yassin.html  is because the Arab Legion (the Army in control of that area) feared that if the news was allowed to spread, it would have the same effect on the moral of the peasantry that Deir Yassin had, namely to cause another flow of Arab refugees, but as with Deir Yassin, some months earlier  on 9 April, these acts of slaughter terrified the area and stimulated the flow of refugees, the abandonment of their land, as they sought refuge..  

Unlike massacres carried out by Zionist paramilitary groups, such as Deir Yasin  the perpetrators of the al-Dawayima Massacre were regular armed forces with operational planning capacity. They were part of the armed forces of the new state that, having firmly established its presence, was seeking recognition by the international community and was preparing its application to become a member state of the UN , which meant a pledge to respect all the commitments specified by its charter.

Moreover, the massacre of al-Dawayima was not followed by condemnations from Palestinians and Arabs; more than three decades passed before it received attention from scholars and the media. 

Moreover, interviewed in 1984 by the Israeli daily Hadashot, the former mukhtar (head) of the village recalls the following: 'The people fled, and everyone they saw in the house, they shot and killed. They also killed people in the streets. They came and blew up my house, in the presence of eye-witnesses. [...] The moment that the tanks came and opened fire, I left the village immediately. At about half-past ten, two tanks passed the Darawish Mosque. About 75 old people were there, who had come early for Friday prayers. They gathered in the mosque to pray. They were all killed.' 

According to the mukhtar, thirty-five families were hiding in caves outside al-Dawayima, including some from the previously occupied village of al-Qubayba. When discovered by the Israeli forces, '[t]hey told them to come out and get into line and start to walk. And as they started to walk, they were shot by machine guns from two sides...We sent people there that night, who collected the bodies, put them into a cistern, and buried them.'  

When taken back to his village in 1984 for the first time since the massacre, the mukhtar showed an Israeli journalist where his home had been, as well as the cistern where the bodies had been buried. The journalist returned with four labourers a few days later. After digging for a short while they discovered several human bones, including three skulls, one of which was a child's. They stopped digging and reburied the bones.  

Although a number of further investigations were launched, they were generally ineffectual and only ended with the disciplining of some soldiers and the issuing of a set of rules on the Israeli army's treatment of Arab civilians. When the issue of al-Dawayima was raised again in December 1984, during a general discussion of atrocities by an Israeli ministerial committee, Agriculture Minister Aharon Zisling said: 'This is something that determines the character of the nation...Jews too have committed Nazi acts.' 

While complaining that the investigation was not proceeding as it should, he nevertheless agreed with other ministers that Israel should admit nothing outwardly, in order to preserve its image. 

In 1955, the settlement of Amatzya was established on the on land that had belonged to Al-Dawayima. According to the Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi :  "The site has been fenced in. A cowshed, a chicken coop, and granaries have been built at its center (which has been leveled). The southern side of the site contains stone terraces and the remnants of a house. The eastern side is occupied by the residential area of the moshav."  

In 2013, the whole area, apart from some ancient Jewish remains, was bulldozed to pave the way for the erection of a new community called Karmei Katif, which was completed in 2016 and which houses evacuees of the Gaza Strip settlements.

The war did not start on 7th October it started with the mass killings and forced displacement of Palestinians in 1948,  with the Nabka continuing through over half a century of military occupation, repeated military assaults on Gaza, and official Israeli statements that openly express support for the elimination of Palestinians. 

Historical accounts suggest that, during this turbulent period, both Israeli and Yishuv (later Israeli) soldiers were involved in at least 33 massacres and other indiscriminate acts of violence against Palestinians. 

Israel's history is replete with events that have raised serious accusations of genocide and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian population. that continues to  this day.More than 43,000 Palestinians killed in yearlong war in Gaza, Palestinian Health Ministry says. 

Months ago the Lancet said Palestinian deaths were at least 200k, with a probability it was 500k. Since then, unparalleled slaughter of the innocents has been perpetrated by Israel. Thousands buried under the rubble have not been counted.  

As Israeli atrocities are broadcast each day out of Gaza. How long will this genocide continue? When will the rest of the world stand up to the murderous Israeli regime and say enough is enough.The Israeli genocide in Gaza must be stopped!

This means supporting a full arms embargo  and an end to political support, international sanctions on all Israeli goods and services, prosecutions for all those who have committed war crimes and a plan for a viable Palestinian state.The horrific suffering" won't end all by itself.

October: Ten Days That Shook The World (1928)

October: Ten Days That Shook the World (Russian: Октябрь (Десять дней, которые потрясли мир); translit. Oktyabr': Desyat' dney kotorye potryasli mir) is a 1928 Soviet silent historical film by Sergei Eisenstein and Grigori Aleksandrov. It is a celebratory dramatization of the 1917 October Revolution and  was one of two films commissioned by the Soviet government to honour the tenth anniversary of the October Revolution (the other was Vsevolod Pudovkin's The End of St. Petersburg). 

Eisenstein was chosen to head the project due to the international success he had achieved with The Battleship Potemkin in 1925 .

Originally released as October in the Soviet Union, the film was re-edited and released internationally as Ten Days That Shook The World, after U.S socialist journalist and founder of the Communist Labour Party of America John Reed's popular eyewitness account on the Revolution.

In the cultural sphere of the day, after the triumphant success of Battleship Potemkin in 1925 – a film that stands as one of the greatest achievements of silent cinema, and which inspired generations of filmmakers and artists, the  director Sergei Eisenstein found himself in high demand. 
A committed communist himself, Eisenstein spoke about how the revolution brought him to art from his engineering background, and how art, conversely, brought him to revolution. His films bear out that relationship. isenstein had planned to make a film about the events of October 1917 as the final part of his revolutionary triptych of films – succeeding The Strike (1925) and the aforementioned Battleship Potemkin.

 His “October” film was highly anticipated, received enthusiastic state support, and was to be released in commemoration of the ten-year anniversary of the Bolshevik seizure of power. What resulted was the most challenging (and perhaps most problematic) work in the filmmaker’s career. The authorities did not like October – it was partly censored, when it was  eventually released some months after the jubilee had passed in early 1928.
Nikolai Povoisky, one of the trioka who led the storming of the Winter Palace was responsible for the commission. The scene of the storming was based  on the 1920 re-enactment involving Vladimir Lenin and thousands of Red Guards, witnessed by 100,000 spectators. This scene is notable because it became the legitimate, historical depiction of the Winter Palace owing to the lack of print or film documenting the actual event, which led historians and filmakers to use Eisensten's recreation. This illustrates October's success as a propaganda film.
Today Sergei Eisenstein is often portrayed as the godfather of propaganda in film and.is regarded as one of the most important pioneers of early cinema, a filmmaker and theorist whose legacy can still be felt.
The film opens with the elation after the February Revolution and the establishment of the Provisional Government, depicting the throwing down of the Tsar's monument. It moves quickly to point out it's the "Same old story" of war and hunger under the new Provisional Government.The buildup to the October Revolution is dramatized with intertitles marking the dates of events. 
The film was originally  intended to represent two revolutionary leaders, Vladimir Lenin and  Leon Trotsky. Trotsky’s absence from the eventual film so obviously contradicts the historical record that one can only conclude the work was heavily censored as Eisenstein was required to re-edit the work to expurgate references to Trotsky, who had recently been purged by Stalin. 

Trotsky was chairman of the Petrograd Soviet from September 25, 1917. However, the film does not show Trotsky, but another leader of the Petrograd Soviet, Yakov Sverdlov, exhorting soldiers with a rousing speech. An important episode in the film concerns the second All-Russian Congress of Soviets. This was of huge importance in relation to the debates actually taking place. Trotsky is missing from this part of the film. The program notes to October reveal that his “historic utterance, ‘Words must be followed by deeds’ 'are put into the mouth of a political companion”

The film was not as successful or influential as Potemkin and Eisenstein's montage experiments met with official disapproval; the authorities complained that October was unintelligible to the masses, and Eisenstein was attacked—for neither the first time nor the last—for excessive "formalism". 
October was criticised in Keatsian terms by no less a luminary than Lenin’s widow, Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya. “Crude tricks will not do,” she said. “The dead horse suspended over the water, hanging from the shafts of the opening bridge; the murdered woman’s hair spreading out, covering the bridge’s slats. It’s too much like an advertisement, it’s theatrical.” It is, if you like, “palpable design”.
In spite of the film's lack of popular acceptance, film historians consider it to be an immensely rich experience,a sweeping historical epic of vast scale, and a powerful testament to Eisenstein's genius and artistry. October was initially banned, with its first British screenings only taking place in 1935.

October is significant in global cinema history as it exemplifies the use of film as a political tool, showcasing revolutionary events through innovative editing and montage techniques that influenced later film movements.

This iconic film continues to receive attention for its dramatic use of imagery, deploying  Eisenstein’s famous techniques of intercutting, juxtaposition and montage to create mood and drama  and. is still in my opinion a wonder to behold. 

 

In the maze of emotions

 

The more we share our stories, the more we discover the love that holds this world together. There’s a unity in the human experience that, when bravely spoken from the heart, can liberate us all. Always  speak your truth with every word you utter. 

Our voices and experiences are capable of bringing transformation, both within ourselves and to the world around us. Stay away from people who put you down, lower your vibe, they'll probably judge you anyway, so for self care keep moving in your own free direction, 

Search for that place called love, containing the ultimate truth, held within the beauty of every bloom. where dreams never die. Ignore the inner mind of our politicians who stand by genocide, the sickest minds of society with nowhere now to hide. 

In the maze of emotions find paths of resistance, between the light and dark, the dance of liberation, savour the gifts of mother nature.With every fluttering heartbeat, seek new depths, cast peacefullness wherever possible, as time slips through our fingers, with each passing day, discover new layers of  meaning.

Follow the eternal flames of justice, through every season, let them be known, despite the struggles all  around us, remember it's ok to feel delicate, after  the storms have diminished, we can find calm, see the world through a new lens of wonder. 

Celebrating Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud: The ' enfant terrible' of late 19th century French literature ( 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891)

The marvellous visionary French  poet Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud  known for being the ‘enfant  terrible’ of French literature and for .his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism, an individual  whose work and life I've  long been interested in, Arthur Rimbaud was born in Charleville in the Ardennes  region of northern France  near the Belgium  border on October 20, 1854. His father was an infantry officer frequently away from home, and Arthur’s parents separated when he was six, leaving him to be raised by his rigid, narrow-minded, humorless, miserly mother, whom he called the “mouth of darkness.”

A priest at the Pension Rossat, where Arthur was enrolled, inspired him to love Greek, Latin, and French literature, and encouraged him to write poetry. and  he started writing at a very young age and excelled as a student. 

He surprised from an early age with his intellectual precocity and a special talent for communicating images and feelings through words. At the age of ten, he began to make known his first verses, with great imagination and sense of rhythm, to such an extent that the writer Victor Hugo called him the “child Shakespeare” and many consider him the “father of modern poetry”. 

At the age of 17  he  wrote- The Drunken Boat , one of his most celebrated poems: “I know of the skies that burst into lightning, and of the waterspouts and the undertows and the currents. I know of the afternoon, of the Dawn exalted like a village of doves. And I have seen sometimes, that which man has believed to see! (…) I would have liked to show the children those golds. Of the blue wave, the gold fish, the singing fish. The foam of the flowers has blessed my wanderings and ineffable winds gave me their wings for a moment”.

As in these verses, he never forgot his passionate childhood. What better than to let him speak, through his own definition in the famous work entitled We Must Be Absolutely Modern : 

“I am an inventor whose merits differ greatly from those who have preceded me; I am even a musician who has found something like the key to love. Now, a gentleman  of a bitter field  under a sober sky, I try to be moved by the memory of my beggarly childhood (3), of the time of apprenticeship and of arriving in wooden shoes  of the disputes, of the five or six widowhoods and of some parties in which my stubbornness prevented me from being in tune with my friends."

  

By the time he was seventeen, Rimbaud had become a dyed-in-the-wood rebel and libertine he consumed alcohol, wrote obscene poems, stole books, and allowed his appearance to grow unkempt and disheveled.What makes Rimbaud’s poetry  so important, is part of what makes his life so compelling,  his sheerrebellion, audacity, creativity and exploration. 

Almost all of Rimbaud’s poems were written between the ages of fifteen and twenty. Against the backdrop of the crumbling Second Empire and the tumultuous Paris Commune, the poet took centuries-old traditions of French versification and picked them apart with an unmatched knowledge of how they fitted together. 

Combining sensuality with pastoral, parody, political satire, fable, eroticism and mystery, Rimbaud’s works range from traditional verse forms to prose-poetry and the two first free-verse poems written in French. As a poet, Rimbaud is well known for his contributions to Symbolism and for A Season in Hell, a precursor to modernist literature. Within it Rimbaud fully tested the boundaries of traditional forms of verse. In an approach to writing verse he famously described as a "rational derangement of all the senses", 

When Rimbaud's mother asked of A Season in Hell, "What does it mean?" - perhaps voicing a universe inquiry, Rimbaud answered, "It means what it says, literally and in every sense."

Rimbaud allowed his own observations to dictate his experiments with language and the rhythmic flow of his poems. It did not matter to him if his visions lacked coherence or shape, and it was images, and the ideas he associated with those images, that determined the arrangement of his poetry.

Thematically, Rimbaud's poetry also challenged conservative norms. His complex relationship with his domineering mother saw him rebel against her strict Catholic standards. He would reject all forms of scholarly rationalism, and all concessions to traditional family and civic values. His writing, which sometimes ventured into mysticism and spiritualism, also dared to celebrate the "virtues" of apathy, laziness, and vice.

Critics have called Rimbaud one of the creators of free verse for such poems as Marine and Mouvement in Les Illuminations. Rimbaud had written in Une Saison en Enfer: 

"I believed I could acquire supernatural powers. Well! I must bury my imagination and my memories!" 

Rimbaud wrote to several poets in order to  promote  his  work,but received no replies, so his friend,  Charles Auguste Bretagne, advised him to write to Paul Verlaine, an eminent Symbolist poet. who as it happens Rimbad  greatly  admired.

 Rimbaud sent Verlaine two letters with several of his poems, including the hypnotic, finally shocking "Le Dormeur du Val" (The Sleeper in the Valley), in which Nature is called upon to comfort an apparently sleeping soldier. 

Verlaine was intrigued by Rimbaud, and replied, "Come, dear great soul. We await you; we desire you," sending him a one-way ticket to Paris.Rimbaud arrived in late September 1871 and resided briefly in Verlaine's home. Verlaine's wife, Mathilde Mauté, was seventeen years old and pregnant, and Verlaine had recently left his job and started drinking. 

In later published recollections of his first sight of Rimbaud at the age of seventeen, Verlaine described him as having "the real head of a child, chubby and fresh, on a big, bony, rather clumsy body of a still-growing adolescent", with a "very strong Ardennes accent that was almost a dialect". His voice had "highs and lows as if it were breaking."  

Desire him, Verlaine certainly did. Rimbaud and Verlaine began a short and torrid affair. The Parisian literary coterie was scandalized by Rimbaud, whose behaviour was that of the archetypal enfant terrible, yet throughout this period he continued to write poems.

He moved in with Verlaine and his wife and was a houseguest from hell: his room was a squalid sty, he indulged heavily in absinthe and hashish, he sunbathed stark naked in the front garden, he picked lice from his overgrown hair and flicked them onto visitors, he smashed china, he desecrated an heirloom crucifix, he sold some of his hosts’ furniture, and he used a magazine containing poems by a friend of Verlaine’s for toilet paper. 

Verlaine, enamored of the boy, was delighted with his antics. Throughout these rambunctious teen years.They indulged in absinthe ,opium and hashish together, and reveled in their sexual excesses, even collaborating on a “Sonnet du trou du cul”—which can most politely be translated as “Sonnet in Praise of the Butthole,” and whose contents are decidedly pornographic which includes the lines “Dark and puckered like a violet carnation/It breathes, humbly lurking amidst the moss,” and “It’s the shrivelled olive and the flute-hugger.”. 

Rimbaud entered into a prolific period of creativity during the next three years, turning out virtually his entire body of work in that time.  In 1872 Verlaine abandoned his wife and child and took Rimbaud with him to England, where they lived in Bloomsbury and Camden Town, and scraped a living by teaching and an allowance from Verlaine’s mother. Rimbaud stuck to his writing in the Reading Room of the British Museum to take advantage of the free heating, lighting, pens, and ink. After several months in London, Verlaine went to Brussels, where he asked his mother and Rimbaud to join him at the Hotel Liège.  

Now drinking even more heavily, Verlaine bought a pistol, with which he intended to commit suicide, but instead he used it to shoot Rimbaud in the wrist during a violent lovers’ quarrel. Rimbaud declined to press charges but wisely decided to hightail it out of Brussels. On the way to the train station, Verlaine threatened him again, and Rimbaud summoned a police officer and had him arrested. Verlaine served two years in prison for the assault.  

Rimbaud returned home to Charleville and wrote his last verses, after which he abandoned poetry forever. In his late adolescence and early adulthood, he produced the bulk of his literary outputi ncluding Le Bateau ivre, Une Saison en Enfer, and Illuminations,  that became hallmarks of French surrealism. 

In 1875 he and Verlaine met for the last time. Verlaine had become an exceedingly pious Catholic, and Rimbaud described him as “clutching a rosary in his claws.” They parted on chilly terms. However  despite this Verlaine was nevertheless essentially faithful to Rimbaud even after their friendship collapsed, and arranged publication of his Complete Poems in 1895.

By the age of 21, he had ceased writing poetry altogether, turning his back on the literary world to seek a different path. After quitting poetry, Rimbaud studied Italian, Spanish, and German, and committed to touring Europe, often on foot, seeking adventure and opportunities to make money. 

In 1876 Rimbaud went to Vienna, where he was robbed of all his money and stripped of his clothes by a cab driver. The French consul general arranged for his passage back to France. Then he joined the Dutch Colonial Army and served in the East Indies, but deserted into the Indonesian jungle and eventually found his way back to France once more. 

In 1877, Rimbaud spent some time working in a traveling circus in Sweden and Denmark before, in December 1878, arriving in Cyprus where he took a job as a stone quarry foreman. After five months in Cyprus, he contracted typhoid and returned to France. Critic John Tranter writes that, in March 1880, Rimbaud "found work in Cyprus again, as a foreman of a construction gang in the mountains. He got involved in a quarrel and, it seems, threw a stone which hit a local worker on the temple and killed him.!

Rimbaud fled, travelling through the Red Sea - further and further from Europe - and ending up in the British port of Aden, a sun-baked volcanic crater perched at the gateway to the Indian Ocean and the coast of Yemen".  

Once in Aden, Rimbaud worked for Alfred Bardey, a coffee trader. Already fluent in English and German (and with a working knowledge of Latin, Greek, Spanish and Italian) he quickly took to native languages and dialects. Tranter writes that "once he'd learned the ropes and proved himself useful and trustworthy, Bardey asked him to set up a branch of the business in Harar, five hundred kilometres from Aden [...] in the highlands of Abyssinia, as Ethiopia was then". 

The route to Harar was perilous as it was policed by the notorious Danakil tribesmen (they had recently attacked a French trader and his wife, killing them and their twenty Abyssinian guards, taking their testicles as battle trophies). Rimbaud risked the journey and once in Harar, befriended the Governor, Ras Makonnen Wolde Mikael Wolde Melekot, father of future emperor Haile Selassie. 

In Harar, Rimbaud was soon trading on his own behalf. As Tranter explains, "he had developed a circle of friends among the Africans as well as the Europeans. He had a devoted servant, a beautiful Abyssinian mistress, and a busy schedule. He'd earned the esteem of the society he'd chosen to join". However, Rimbaud was not happy with his new life (which, Tranter suggests, had been rather forced on him following the killing of his fellow workman in Cyprus). Tranter makes his point by citing Rimbaud's letters home (mostly to his mother).

It was a life from which literature was completely absent. As far as I can determine, in all the letters he wrote to his family during these last years, he never once mentions literature. (He does mention books, but they are invariably technical or instructional ones.) He certainly never wrote poetry again. He did write, though: He published several pieces on East Africa, including a treatise on Ogaden that appeared in the bulletin of the French Geographical Society. It was decently, though not memorably, written, but its author hardly seemed the same Arthur Rimbaud who had upset and forever altered the French literary world. 

In fact, like many before him and after, Rimbaud reinvented himself. The problem for posterity has been that with this reinvention, Rimbaud discarded his marvelous ability to spin words in the stars. When, some years later, Pierre Bardey's brother Alfred happened to learn that Rimbaud had written poetry and was revered in certain small circles in Paris, he confronted Rimbaud with this. Rimbaud seemed aghast: "Absurd! Ridiculous! Disgusting!" he said to Bardey. The Rimbaud who had written "The Drunken Boat" and A Season in Hell was dead and buried. The new Rimbaud wanted to make money. And, perhaps, to do some exploring and a bit of photography. This was the Arthur Rimbaud who arrived in Aden, Yemen in August of 1880  whose personality could hardly have been more different from the wild days of his youth. People who knew him said he was taciturn, withdrawn, gruff, and unsociable, but honest and methodical as a trader, with a dry sense of humor. He led a simple, almost ascetic, life, and he delighted in helping the poor.

In 1884  he left his job at Bardey's to become a merchant on his own account in Harar, where his commercial dealings included coffee and (generally outdated) firearms. 

He was, in fact, a pioneer in the business, the first European to oversee the export of the celebrated coffee of Harar from the country where coffee was born. He was only the third European ever to set foot in the city, and the first to do business there.

In 1885 Rimbaud became involved in a major deal to sell old rifles to the king of Shewa.The explorer Paul Soleillet became involved early in 1886. The arms were landed at Tadjoura in February, but could not be moved inland because Léonce Lagarde, governor of the new French administration of Obock and its dependencies, issued an order on 12 April 1886 prohibiting the sale of weapons.

In February of 1891, when he was thirty-six, he noticed a pain in his right knee, which made it difficult to walk, and he assumed it was arthritis. When it became more troublesome, he had a canvas stretcher made and was carried on it more than 150 miles across the desert to the port of Zeila in Somaliland. From there, he sailed to Aden, Yemen, where he saw a European doctor, who misdiagnosed his ailment as tubercular synovitis, an inflammation of the membrane around the kneejoints, frequently seen in rheumatoid arthritis. 

He recommended immediate amputation of the leg.  Rimbaud remained in Aden until May 7, when he took the steamer L’Amazone on a thirteen-day voyage to Marseille, where he was admitted to Conception Hospital, and on May 27 underwent amputation of his leg.  It was discovered that he was actually suffering from osteosarcoma, advanced bone cancer, and had only a few months to live. 

He wrote to his sister Isabelle: “What a nuisance, what a bore, what misery when I think of my former travels, and how active I was just 5 months ago! Where is my skipping across mountains, the walks, the treks through deserts, across rivers, and over seas? And now, the life of a one-legged cripple…. And to think I had decided to come back to France this summer to get married! Goodbye to wedding, goodbye to family, goodbye to future! My life is gone, I'm no more than an immobile trunk.”  

Isabelle joined him in Marseille and remained with him during his last days, engineering his deathbed conversion to the Catholic Church. She wrote to their mother in Charleville on October 28: “He is no longer a poor, unrepentant sinner.  He is now a saint, a martyr, one of the just, one of the chosen! Sunday morning, after mass, one of the priests came to see him and offered to hear his confession—and he accepted! As he left, the priest told me, ‘Your brother has the true faith. I have never seen faith of this quality.’ I kissed the ground with joy.  There is joy, even in his death, now that his soul is saved!”  Despite his repentance, the priest did not offer Rimbaud communion since he felt he was too weak to receive it and might vomit on the host.  Isabelle described her brother’s condition: “His stump is extremely swollen.  There is an enormous cancerous growth between his hip and his belly, just on top of the bone.  All the doctors—ten of them have visited him—seem terrified by this strange cancer. They say his case is unique, and there is something about it they don’t understand. Arthur’s head and left arm are in great pain, but he usually remains in a a deep lethargy, apparently sleeping.  At night he has a morphine injection.  When he wakes, he says odd things, thinking we are in Ethiopia or Yemen and must find camels and organize a caravan…He has the thinness of a skeleton and the color of a corpse. And his poor limbs are all paralyzed, mutilated, and dead around him.  O God, how pitiful!” 

His cancer widespread, Rimbaud died on November 10, 1891, alone and miserable. Though he was by then aware that some of his poetry had been published and had attracted attention, he had not a clue of the magnitude of his eventual, posthumous fame. Would he have cared? In one of his last letters, also written to his sister, he wrote, "Our life is a misery, an endless misery! Why do we exist?"  He was 37. He was buried at his place of birth in Charleville. 

Arthur Rimbaud led a truly remarkable life. When he wasn’t running away from home, denouncing God, or having an illicit love affair with Paul Verlaine, he wrote some truly remarkable poetry  and was obviously an incredible genius whose influence has extended long after his death,  with his life  and poetry analyzed and celebrated a myriad times. 

Following Rimbaud's example, many Dadaists and Surrealists engaged in spontaneous wordplay and other games and activities associated with free association and collage. Rimbaud had led the way in showing how one could visualize the workings of the subconscious. 

His influence has passed down through the generations, too, with figures as wide-ranging as Marcel Proust, André Freynaud, David Wojnarowicz, Samuel Beckett, John Ashbery, Jim Morrison, Bob Dylan, and Regina Hansen all acknowledging a degree of debt to Rimbaud's way of working.

In “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go,” Bob Dylan includes the line “Relationships have all been bad/Mine’ve been like Verlaine’s and Rimbaud.” 

Sixteen-year-old Patti Smith, enduring the drudgery of working in a New Jersey factory, stated that her "salvation and respite from my dismal surroundings was a battered copy of Arthur Rimbaud's Illuminations, which I kept in my back pocket ] became the bible of my life" Her song “Easter” is about Rimbaud’s first communion. and she considers him "the first child of punk-rock", for inspiring talented lyricists of this genre.

Jim Morrison, of The Doors, wrote to Wallace Fowlie in 1968 to thank him for his English translation of Rimbaud’s poems; Fowlie subsequently wrote the book Rimbaud and Jim Morrison: The Rebel as Poet. 

What began with Rimbaud continued with the Beat Generation poets who honoured Rimbaud for his systematic disordering of the senses. Proust said that Rimbaud was “almost superhuman.” Edmund White ends his biography, Rimbaud: The Double Life of a Rebel, with the line “Every important thinker and artist of the last hundred years has had an opinion about Rimbaud, who continues to elude us as he streaks just ahead of our grasp on his ‘soles of wind.’”

The 'enfant terrible'of late 19th century French literature, Rimbaud was a genuine firebrand whose disreputable lifestyle merely reinforced his status as an archetypal rebel. His life was one of scandals, and later, dubious overseas escapades in exotic African countries. The fact that he would come to dismiss his own writing as "absurd, ridiculous [and] disgusting" has merely reinforced his status as a modern literary iconoclast.

Rimbaud's output might have been limited, but it has seen him firmly established as one of the most original and important writers of his generation, and, in his personal life, one of the great anti-authoritarian troublemakers in the mythology of the modernists who continues to captivate readers, artists and writers all over the world. 

“Life is the farce which everyone has to perform.” - Arthur Rimbaud

Departure- Arthur Rimbaud

Everything seen... 

The vision gleams in every air.

Everything had... 

Tthe far sound of cities, in the evening, 

In sunlight, and always.

Everything known... O Tumult! O Visions!

These are the stops of life.

Departure in affection, and shining sounds.

Eternity- Arthur Rimbaud

It has been found again.

What ? - Eternity.

It is the sea fled away 

With the sun. 

Sentinel soul, 

Let us whisper the confession

Of the night full of nothingness 

And the day on fire.  

From human approbation, 

From common urges 

You diverge here 

And fly off as you may.  

Since from you alone, 

Satiny embers, 

Duty breathes Without anyone saying : at last. 

Here is no hope, No orietur. 

Knowledge and fortitude, 

Torture is certain.  

It has been found again. 

What ? - Eternity.

It is the sea fled away 

With the sun.