Palestinian teenager chooses prison over Israeli community service.

A Palestinian teenage Bassem Abdullah Siam aged 15 has handed himself into Jerusalem police on Wednesday to serve a 100 day prison sentence rather than carry  out  community service working for the occupation. 
The work is described as designed " to break the will of young men and boys" according to the Wadi Hilweh Information Centre.
Bassem was originally arrested on 15 March last year on his way to school, after allegedly throwing stones at Israeli soldiers.
A kid with guts, like many Palestinians nourishes the idea of living in freedom, dignity and a just peace.

Authority

( old unfinished poem just touched up, thanks Mr T.C)

Authority likes to shake its head,
Find ways to stop us from doin what we want,
Reasons to prevent us from enjoying life to the full,
Creates legislation to dissuade us from being free,
Turns us into puppets that they can move at will.
Authority enjoys making rules, 
That leave us tumbling about in confusion,
Acts as a catalyst that fuses unrest in rebellious minds,
A turbulence in every turning page of history,
An imprisoner of disobedient thought,
But cannot deny you without being wrong,
Unable to stop setting sun, a moving sea, paths of defiance.
But remember we are all authorities in our own right,
We can tell ourselves what we want to do,
And when we don't want to,
To be laws upon ourselves,
Be your own authority,
Cultivating different paths.
That always, always questions. 

Britain isn't eating

Ian Duncan Smith is said to be furious about this billboard campaign from the 'Church action against poverty' charity which suggests people are using food banks as a direct result of his benefit cuts. The fact is Tory policies cause poverty and trying to divert us from this wont mitigate this truth. The Government and Ian Duncan Smith would prefer it if we do not hear about it's victims, the effect that  their policies have on ordinary people across this land. As benefit sanctions continue to bite, the growing use of food banks show no sign of abating  as we enter 2016, even though Ian and his chums keep saying there is no link with their welfare reforms or  their rotten austerity ridden policies. It is a real scandal that Britain is still experiencing hunger in the Twenty First Century, but that's life under Tory's for you. 
Let's make him more furious by sharing this image as wide as possible.

Link to campaign :-

http://www.church-poverty.org.uk/news/britainisnteating

People of the world we are in safe hands.

Saudi Arabia, Head of UN Human Rights Council executing political opponents. So far having killed 47 ,157 put to death last year.  David Cameron's new chums on the world's stage. A barbaric country which the UK should not be trading with.
Mass executions ok, if it serves  our interests,  he possibly ignores the injustice, because he likes to cosy up to an oil rich nation .

Another top executioner and human rights violator ironically is a fierce critic of Saudi executions, which happens to be Iran.

Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran are at an all time low after  the execution of renowned  Shiite cleric named Nimr- Bagr- al - Nimr.

Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran are locked in a bitter rivalry, whilst supporting the opposite sides in the  wars in Syria and Yemen.

Both these " champions " of human rights are also claiming to be leading the fight against terrorism in the Middle East.

People of the world - we are in safe hands. 

Postscript :-

 4/1/06 

The street in  in Tehran, in which the Saudi Arabian Embassy is situated  is now called after the cleric mentioned earlier. This is the tit -for-  tat world we live in.

Wheels of time

( I don't really celebrate the new year, just another day merging into another, but it does give me time to pause for reflection, in a gazing at the bottom of a glass kinda way. So happy/new year/ blwyddyn newydd da, hope the year ahead brings  much hope and promise, I give thanks to my friends in what has been a difficult year, for their support, you know who you are. Continue to be awesome. Best wishes, heddwch/peace.
Here's a poem. Oh dear!

Time is precious, waste it wisely,
as it flashes by in moments,
testing faith and patience,
this resiliant necessity, unavoidable essence,
waits for no one, moves in constant rearrangement.

Time costs nothing,
lets the world reveal itself,
rattling with kaleidoscopes of change,
acting as a catalyst for transformation.

Time carries us in all directions,
giving and taking in equal measure,
allowing tomorrow to call,
the past to fade gently away.

Without hesitation or pause,
time sets course and destination,
as thoughts fly freely,
enables us to find what we need,
good health, friends and companionship,
peace and hope for all mankind.

Relentlessly engulfing,
the wheels of time keep turning,
allows dreams to restore,
for love that exists in hearts,
to last a whole life long.

After the storms have gone,
allows the sun to shine again,
to chase away the darkness,
can move what we see,
in simple acts of believing,
has the capability to heal.

Time moves fast,
though the hands of the clock seem slow,
awaiting now for springs return,
for life's renewal, 
new buds and leaves to grow.

In my imagination, 
past, present and future is stored,
sewn together in unity,
poems arrive, take journeys on clouds,
wait for injustices, to unravel,
for time, to take away  discontent,
to drown me in seas of hope and love.

Warning

WARNING:-

Hygiene problems in Cumbria, as a large turd is seen floating down the high street. Remember that it is on David Cameron's watch that funding for flood defenses have been cut, flood defenses that could have saved 2,000 homes and  400 businesses. Also while he's been in charge  nearly 10,000 new homes have been built each year on flood plains, putting lives at risk and threatening misery and financial disaster for thousands of households.
The weather has unleashed a wave of anger, a lot of it directed at him following widespread devastation that we have recently been witnessing.
Perhaps if the floods had hit the home counties David Cameron would be seen there wading about with a gold bucket  trying to hold back the flood, while Ian Duncan Smith would be lurking near him,blaming the welfare state and the poor for making it all happen.
David Cameron likes to blame climate change,  but what he and his government should be doing is spend more money on protecting people from floods.
It is really inexcusable  that the government has failed to learn lessons from floods in the past
Well done to Syrian refugees though who have been helping to fill sandbags, as a small act of gratitude.They wont ruin this country but cuts to public services will. More money to be spent on planting trees please.At the end of the day my sympathies go out to all victims affected.

Lemmy R.I.P Legend (24/12/54 - 28/12/15)

I will be raising a few glasses later, it's the least I can do, already had a few cans in the fridge, now they have Lemmy's name on them, who I first encountered in my teenage years, when I thought, wow what's all this then,  tasty, think I better get  a record player.My vinyl copies now battered and torn, but still spinning.This iconic heavy metal pirate, angel with  his dirty bass has taken his final  journey, after succumbing to an aggressive form of cancer,  though it's been one hell of a ride. He'd just got to 70 as well. Life is short so will be taking the volume to maximum laters, crank em up past 11. We have sadly lost a legend of legends. What a life of excess and no limits. I used to think that one person who could live forever would be Lemmy, but death in the end comes for us all. Here's to Rock and Roll and to Lemmy.
Rest in Peace.

" I know I'm born to lose,
and gambling is for fools,
But that's the way I like it baby,
I don't want to live forever

Motorhead - Iron Horse/ Born to lose

Motorhead - Ace of Spades

(on the Young ones)

 

Hawkwind - Silver machine

                                                     
                                                      Motorhead - white line fever.

Musical highlights of the year

It's been a rather surreal year, what with my partners having spent nearly half of it stuck in hospital here in West Wales. Despite this there have been  much musical pleasure that has been released in the last year, that have given me some kind of respite, thankfully. Most of the following I actually have copies of, some kindly copied for me, I do like to support musicians, the following are some of my musical highlights in no particular order.

1. Datblygu -  Porwr Trallod

2. Sleaford Mods -  Key Markets

3. Fundamental - A Philosophy of Nothing.

4. Suns of Arqa - All is not lost but where is it?

5. Asian Dub Foundation - More Signal More Noise.

6. Gwenno - Y  Dydd Olaf

7. Cosmo - Hiraith

8. Selector - Subculture

9. The Ex - The Ex live at BIMHUIS (1991 -2015)

10. Efa Supertramp - Rhyddid yw y Freuddwyd

11. Sendelica - Anima Mundi

12. Killing Joke - Pylon

13. Seckou Keita - 23 

14. Bjork - Vulnicura

15. Tinariwen - live in Paris.

All in all not a bad musical year roll on 2016. Sorry that this post was just a boring list, check the artists out, on the net, you will not be disappointed, well maybe.

Operation Cast lead remembered.

Today on December 27th 2008, Israel began an intensive campaign that would last 22 days, combined with a ground invasion which they called 'operation cast lead,' It would lead to  death and destruction and international condemnation and protests and would be met by Palestinian resistance in Gaza.
The conflict resulted in between 1,166 and 1,417 Palestinians and 13 Israelis, most of them innocent civilians.
The horrors inflicted remain  indelibilly embedded in the minds of all Gazans. Crimes against humanity were committed with the use  of chemical and biological agents, like white phosperous, leading to symptoms that medic al professionals had never seen before. Burning flesh to the bone. Also there was deliberate targetting of civilians and vital infrastructure.
Six years later, Gaza still relies on international  aid for day to day activities, including the most basic needs such as food and drink. 75% of homes  destroyed are still waiting to be rebuilt. Leaving many people still displaced. The people of Gaza  left with a legacy of poverty and economic injustice,  80% of the population lives under the poverty line. 1.8 million of people in Gaza still locked in like animals by Israels illegal blockade, that  prevents them from access to essential goods that are needed to rebuild and sustain life.
In a sense the war never ended. People still demanding justice, because without justice, peace will remain a distant illusion.

Alternative Christmas message

No apologies - stuff you Cameron , just  like Tony BLIAR before you, and all the others who mouth  about Christian values, whilst being the biggest hypocrites alive.
In the second year in succession Cameron has referred to Britain as a christian country, A privileged PM peddling platitudes to the poor with his Christmas message. He talked of the poor and homeless, the vulnerable, but forgets to mention how he punishes  the poor with cruel sanctions and delayed benefits,  or the thousands of families his government has condemned to homelessness, temporary accomodation or hostels, while new tower  blocks are built for rich speculators. He also mentioned  NHS staff and refugees, a really nauseating mixed bag . Reflecting on values  like peace, mercy and goodwill, traits that he definitely does not possess. He failed to mention  that is his government's policies that increase hunger, poverty and desperation, whilst destroying services that the poorest in society rely upon,all for the worship of money. May he heed the following words.

Luke 18: 24-34

(22 ) "  When Jesus heard this. he said to him, " You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me."

(23) When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.

(24) Jesus looked at him and said " How hard it is for the rich to get to heaven."

(25) Indeed, it is easier for a camel, to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of god.

So Mr Cameron may your Turkey give you salmonella,
and your Xmas lights all short,
may your presents all be socks,
and your sprouts as hard as rocks,
may your dinner guests all suffer wind,
and your quail eggs all be rotten,
let your yule log be too wet to burn,
and your sky box blow a fuse,
may you get so drunk you forget the company you keep,
and the party piece you re-enact with the pigs head centrepiece.