Life is a voyage of discovery and transformation Containing equal measures of ugliness and beauty, Prisms of moveability and change Balancing acts between holding on and letting go, Riding on waves of wonder and transition Surging high above or deep below, Navigating times eternal cycles The pulse of the morning and the light of evening stars, Moments slow - then last forever On journeys without maps, where roads turn into rivers, Divisions forcefields continue to be unbroken Love's reasoning uninterrupted constantly flows, As no cages or fences remain to lock us in.
Today I remember the life of Vittorio Arrigoni a renowned Italian human rights/ peace activist, who served as a volunteer for the International Solidarity Movement, who worked closely with the fishermen and farmers of the occupied Gaza strip. Who for ten years worked for the recognition of Palestinian rights under Israeli occupation. During the Israeli offensive against the Gaza strip in 2008-09 he acted as a human shield while working with the Palestinian Red Crescent humanitarian organisation. He was also abroad the 2008 Free Gaza Movement Vessel and was imprisoned in Israel several times. He also worked as a freelance journalist for the Italian daily IL Manifesto and for his own blog Guerilla radio. His daily dispatches written between bombing raids and patchy internet access ended with the plea - "Stay human." which became the motto of anti-israeli peace protests in his native Italy. His authoritative and deeply moving eyewitness accounts were published in 2010 under the title Gaza - Stay human. On April 14 2011 he was kidnapped and the next day brutally murdered by militants in Gaza, which caused international outcry and was unanimously condemned by both Hamas and the Palestinian National authority. A senseless, shocking mindless act. Known for his infectious smile, and deep humility and the tattoo he bore on his arm of the word resistance written in arabic. Along with his dedicated support of the Palestinians, who embodies many of the qualities that draw people to Palestine - his immense bravery - against the odds - when confronting incredible violence and his unwavering determination to stay human and loving in the face of inhumanity towards the very end. He remains a hero to the Palestinian people and many others across the globe.
Currently going viral, new one from Cassetteboy. If your not worried about the Investigation Powers Bill ( aka the snoopers charter) you obviously don't know enough about it. The Investigators Poers Bill will make us less safe and less free. It will force communication companies like Sky, BT, Google and facebook to collect and hand over details and record everything you do online. All of this will be logged abd analysed and used to build an intimate picture of your life, as a means of keeping us under control. It is a dangerous piece of legislation, which is also a human rights issue, who knows how your data could be used if the information they hold on you got into the wrong hands, the Governments hands already pretty dangerous. At the end of the day it could needlesly violate your rights. Visit https://www.privacyinternational.org and join the campaign against the Governments sinister new snooper charter.
France As spring awakens, tens of thousands of people have recently occupied the streets of major European capitals. People taking to the streets to protest against their governments and call for the resignation of their political leaders. In Reykjavik, Iceland mass protests bought down their Prime Minister in wake of the Panama papers and in London similar demonstrations have taken place demanding that dodgy Dave Cameron resigns. While in France a burgeoning movement of anger has emerged known as uit Debout ( up all night ) that has swept the country people's assemblies have been organised and city squares have been occupied inspiring the world. And in Athens, Greece refugees have marched to demand open borders and respect for their human rights and dignity. We are witnessing a resurgence of mass protests, an unprecedented escalation in large scale citizen protests, movements building for a better future, trying their best to achieve social change. People not usually interested in politics interested in this spirit of change. People connecting and joining the dots, demanding another way, it seems like an impossible spirit to kill. Diverse in their goals but unified by their people power but all motivated by a strong desire for change. The long history of social movements that have the ability to transform our lives is a notable one, that seek to end the rule of money so that people and planet come before profits. With the impact of austerity hitting us all hard, causing economic hardship and unfairness the inevitable results are these waves of rebellion. The mainstream media seems intent on ignoring these mass protests, but the spirit is growing and spreading, hope is alive and in the air, people now boiling with rage but with the desire to construct something brand new, from the bottom up, whilst despising a system made by the elite for the elite, a system that everybody is beginning to realize is broken and cannot be fixed. As our leaders continue to treat us as dirt, want us to remain broken, together we will rise and in solidarity we will find our strength. With resistance, triumph and compassion I have a strong belief that our futures can be changed for the better, forwards we move, our roads are clear. All these things give me hope as I write. One of lives lessons is always moving on. These movements have no limit, no borders and belong to all who wish to be part of it. This spring hope is well and truly in the air. As the late singer Phil Ochs once said "In such ugly times the only true protest is beauty." I will end with the following poem by Emily Dickinson :- Hope is the thing with feathers " Hope is the thing with feathers - That perches in the soul - And sings the tune without words- And never stops -at all - And sweetest - in the gale - is heard - And sore must be the storm - That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm - I've heard it in the chillest land - And on the strangest sea - Yet - never - in Extremity, It asked a crumb - of me.
Tory leader who looks like a train continues to treat us as idiots, as he tries desperately to react to the public's disgust at his and others tax avoidance and evasion. He has announced that HMRC will be working with the National Crime Agency to lead a wold class task force to investigate allegations of tax dodging and money laundering bought to light by the leak of 11 million files by a Panama Law firm. But Cameron in charge does not exactly inspire much confidence - a man who has made a career out of advising people on how to dodge tax who once publicly stated that the whole concept of tax was ' legalised extortion.' And so the story keeps on running, since he has not drawn a line under the story, we all now know how much money he has been making, profits made and how supposedly bloody transparent he is. Now that we have started we will continue to keep asking much needed questions. Each day he looks more and more at unease , the case of Dave a man who looks like a train continuing to treat us all as idiots. We should keep pointing out to him how big money has continually corrupted and tainted British politics. This is a man who has had the audacity to cut the benefits of disabled people who cannot dress or look after themselves , while the tax payer continues to pays him around 53 k a year to help him and his wife (Samantha worth in her own right £29 million ) to dress and look after themselves. David Cameron cannot keep on treating us as idiots, with added lies and expect the people to continue to trust him. His ethics and morality have now been called into question and it is clear that he is not passing the test as he continues to be evasive and defensive and his obvious unwillingness to be straight to the public that he supposedly serves . because of this his credibility now lies in shatters as his policies continue to lead to direct cuts in services and benefits that are hurting millions of people right now in Britain. No wonder that Dennis Skinner had the tenacity to call him ' Dodgy Dave" and did not to withdraw the remark and then subsequently got kicked out for speaking the truth. Thank Dennis. Yes dodgy Dave by name and nature I hope that he will continually be given the shunt and shown all the derision that he deserves. Even he admits he could have handled this affair much better, it just shows yet again how his government is run for the privileged few and not for the majority of the population.
Dennis Skinner on dodgy Dave
Let us hope that this sorry affair will lead to new rules being put in place , that lead to more openness and transparency that enables the British public to know more about the dubious nature of our leaders business dealings. Old research also reveals that wealth does not trickle down - it just floods offshore :-- http://www.theguardian.com/business/2012/jul/21/offshore-wealth-global-economy-tax-havens/ In response to his gaffes a large scale public call for a general election in 2016 is now going viral. British patience has finally reached its limit. It also comes as no surprise to learn that as our Tory Government destroys our steel industry, that Margaret Thatcher a political hero of Cameron's who herself contributed to the destruction of the coal industry and society as a whole, also benefited from not paying no tax. It has been revealed that her own children will continue to avoid millions in inheritance tax since their mothers house in Belgravia, London, was registered to an offshore trust yet still taxpayers had to fork out for the cost of her funeral three years ago this month. Has it not always been the case up to now of one rule for some and a completely different one for the rest of us less fortunate. Sadly tax avoiders usually need to be pushed before they can change their attitudes. In the meantime when Cameron's election leaflet pops through our doors in the next few days printed by a German printing company you can send it back to the following address and the Conservative Party will get the 'bill for the postage.
In light of Howard Marks's passing this great advocate for the legislation of cannabis, is it not time to change the law. It is a fact that 45% of us here in Britain have tried it, and a majority of 47% currently support its legislation. As seen in the Independent newspaper on Saturday. Is it not time that the UK reformed its cannabis policy speak out about its continual prohibition and offer direct comparisons how UK citizens are treated unfairly compared to our equals in Spain, Uruguay, Canada, Jamaica, and a growing number of US states. At the moment Cannabis consumption, possession and supply are currently illegal under current UK legislation. Possessing or cultivating any form of cannabis without a home office licence, anywhere in the UK is prohibitive. I personally believe the law to be an arse, surely now is the time for change. The war on drugs costly, stupid and counter-productive. Up to £900 million could be raised annually through the taxation of the regulated cannabis market, which demonstrates a potential revenue that at the very least deserves further investigation, it could be such a good thing as our economy because it certainly needs all the help it needs. This combined with much evidence in the safety and efficiency of cannabis for medical relief, that helps people enormously suffering from Alzheimers, cancer, chronic pain, Chrones disease and multiple sclerosis. We should rage against its continual suppression, the criminalisation of people, simply because of their use of it. The country is awash with booze that personally has not served me too well, at least with the use of cannabis I have been at least able to feel some benefits, especially in relation to ongoing depression issues. It would be a step in the right direction because at the moment so many creative people stuck in prison for no reason, apart from being caught in possession of an innocent herb, at the at the end of the day our current drug policies have made things even more bad, since more dangerous drugs are available on the market than weed unregulated that makes a mockery of our current drug laws. I would add that I personally believe that cannabis has the capability to heal the world, which makes it an incredible commodity. Many people still using it for pleasure, as part of an essential lifestyle decision, prohibition has not curbed its use one iota , in fact I would argue that in a sense it has made it more popular which makes it more appealing in the sense of a 'forbidden fruit' especially to youth. Legalise, regulate it and tax it now , let society as a whole profit from its use instead of criminal gangs. The benefits of marijuana as effective treatment alternatives are plain to see, not only to individuals but to society as a whole. It would ultimately would contribute to reduced crime and the protection of our civil liberties. It is so necessary and the only way forward , I hope that Mr Howard Marks as he moves skywards would agree with my words. Who the hell are the legislators who can tell me or you what I or you can or cannot do with our own minds and bodies.
Sad to hear that Howard Marks - A.K.A Mr Nice - has passed away of inoperable cancer at the age of 70. The father of four was born in Kenfig Hill, Wales in 1945 and went on to study at Oxford University at Balliol college where he took nuclear physics, and later got post graduate qualifications in philosopy he was also a fluent Welsh speaker and practicing Bhuddist. As a drug smuggler he found infamy however, asnd was sentenced to 25 years inprisonment , realeased on parole in 1995 for good behaviour. In his 1996 autobiography Mr Nice he wrote with humour and unashamed bravado about his life and the sheer scale of his daily deeds and escapades involving a whole host of characters ranging from the C.I.A. M.I.6. the P.L..O. the I.R.A to the mafia. Mr Nice was one of 43 aliases he used which struck a chord in the public imagination.
A man I was fortunate to meet, at a speaking tour and remember rushing up to him at Hay -on - wye one year in order for him to sign some king size rizlas of mine, and amiable friendly bloke I could not hope to have encountered. Mischeivious twiknling eyes and warm handshake On his release he became a notable campaigner for the legislation of cannabis and toured a comedy show, a man regarded as a true modern day folk hero, counter cultural icon and loveable rogue. A life spent indulging in all things good, friendship, laughter music and of course drugs. A man of very few regrets he will be remembered with fondness. He certainly lived quite a life. Reflecting on his crimes he said " Smuggling cannabis was a wonderful way of living - perpetual culture shock, absurd amounts of money, and the comforing knowledge of getting so many people stoned." Still passionate about the issue he stood for Parliament on four seperate occassions on the single issue of the legislation of cannabis. He had completed eight cycles of chemotherapy and had initially responded well, but alas his condition finally succumbed. He died surrounded by loving family members at his Bridgend home in the early hours of Sunday. One of his last acts was to set up the Mr Nice foundation, to ensure causes dear to him continue to get support. It is still outrageous that after his death the innocent little drug that is cannabis is still illegal, and that the war on drugs is still not succeeding. Let us hope that in the coming years, legislation is finally achieved, that it becomes controlled and sanitised . Howard Marks, Mr Nice, R.I.P keep on rolling deep. Hashes to ashes. Stoned immaculate. Do not go gentle into that good night.
