The Nevin Politology

How Western anti-Muslim bigotry became respectable

2010-03-11T14:18:00.003-05:00

How Western anti-Muslim bigotry became respectable

An interesting debate about the rise of the Muslim bigotry in the last years, both in Europe and in the US, presented by The Real News Network between Sener Akturk and Mujeeb Khan. It's quite short but thought provoking nevertheless.

Enjoy!

PS: Click on the link to watch the video.

A little history of Curacao

2010-03-04T11:50:00.018-05:00

It has been a while since my last post. I have been very busy with getting back to my routine. Actually let me be honest, I am finding it really hard to get back to my routine. Maybe that is why I have been unconsciously avoiding my blog. Well, finally reality set in and here I am. I just hope we will not have another snowstorm before the spring arrives.

I have taken few photos of the island of Curacao, which is located right above Venezuela. It is best known as the A, B, C islands. Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.

I will give you a brief history of the island from what I read and talking to the locals. Of course I always trust the locals rather then history books… Their version is usually more accurate!

Curacao was the home of the Arawaks until the Spanish discovered the island in 1499. As you can imagine, the arrival of the Spanish was anything but blissful. The Arawaks were quickly enslaved and shipped off to various parts of the Empire to work on plantations. They either died of various illnesses encountered by the living conditions or were killed during their enslavement. So today we have little knowledge of the Arawak culture.

With the arrival of the Dutch in 1634, the African slavery was introduced to the tropical island. The Spanish did not see any value to the island therefore they made a deal with the Dutch and gave it away. Half the slaves destined for the other Caribbean islands passed through the Curacao markets. There are a few plantation houses that have been restored recently which are a strong legacy of its sad past.

After the end of slavery, Curacao was pretty much left on it’s own, destitute and fairly poor. During the 1950’s, with the beginning of the tourism market, Curacao gained its importance once more. Now Curacao is a fairly rich and well-preserved land, which is still owned by the Dutch.

I have talked to a few Dutch locals who have bought homes and settled to escape the cold. They are usually shop owners or local merchants. They usually live in big homes close to the town center. However, their ex-slave counter parts do not enjoy the kind of living that the Dutch possess. First and for most, blacks are angry about their past and say it to anyone who would listen. On many occasions they have pointed out to me the discrepancy in the living conditions between the whites and the blacks.

I have been to quite a few of the Caribbean islands in the past to dive and every time I see the horrible legacy of slavery quite clearly. Its everywhere and on every ones mind; well at least on the mind of the black population!

Diving in Curacao

2010-02-21T17:18:00.016-05:00

I am back from an amazing short getaway. My family and I escaped to the exotic island of Curacao, right above Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea. I will post photos of the actual island and tell you a little bit if it's history as well very soon.

In the mean time, enjoy the under world....

I will be going away on a diving trip for 10 days...

2010-02-08T16:03:00.005-05:00

Every year I try to arrange a diving trip for my sanity. This means a double tank dive, one shallow and one deep dive everyday of the trip. Shallow dives are generally 25-35 feet and deep dives are around 100 Feet. In my previous dives I saw amazing and beautiful underworld creatures such as sharks, turtles, large lobsters, moray eels, string rays, interesting corals, fishes of various sizes and colors.

When I dive, I feel diverse range of emotions, which cannot be experienced all at the same time during my mundane life, such as: freedom, inner calmness, fear, anxiety, focus, connectedness and kinship with other divers and underwater creatures.

Freedom: The vast open space, little carved hills, small tunnels and the endless sand at the bottom of the ocean is very liberating.

Inner Calmness: The sound of my breathing and no other sound makes me feel connected to my body on a level I usually do not experience in my everyday life.

Fear and Anxiety: To feel completely vulnerable and defenseless is a great wake up call. To know that your survival is limited to the diving equipment is something that must be experienced in order to be understood.

Focus: When diving, one must have 100 percent focus and attention to everything. One must focus on how much air do I have left, how fast am I going up to the surface, what is the nitrogen level in my body, how many minutes do I wait before surfacing, where is my diving buddy, where is my group, where is my boat etc…

Connectedness and kinship: The strangest of all is how one feels total connectedness and kinship with various animals and divers. Just before we decent down under the ocean, all divers must get to know one another in a short time span. We must all rely on each other for our safety and enjoyment of the whole experience.

In short, diving is my time away from the family and from my boring and ritualistic life. It is a source of escape from my repetitive behavior(s), furthermore it helps me center my soul and body.

Unfortunately it is short but it is very sweet…

I am leaving this Thursday for 10 days get away. I will make sure to take lots of photos.

A little note I must add: Normally, I enjoy my red wine and sometimes I drink more then I should, but in my diving trips, I take care of myself very well. I never drink too much alcohol, I keep my body hydrated at all times, I eat well and I go to bed really early to get a healthy good night sleep. One must be top notch health wise, otherwise it can be quite dangerous.

A poem by my good friend Sarah...

2010-02-07T10:24:00.004-05:00

I have been following Sarah's Blog for sometime now. I love her poems and her beautiful take on life in general. We also share one very important thing in comment... We are both mother's of twins!

The other day on her blog she posted the poem below: I loved it so much that I wanted to share it with you all. If you are a lover of words, I would highly recommend her blog.

Enjoy!
-----------------------------------------

My Lovely Bubble

Call me naive,
lived a long time in a bubble called hope,
or cynical of the manoeveres of double speak,
multiple voiced manipulators.

Naive is innocence?
and yes I am and both guilty at the same time
of listening when my heart knows better,
when my stomach utters.

That gut feeling.

Or is it gullibility,
and yes I am that too,
made stupid, by a life of drink,
and media, listening to mutliple voices,
layering a lie over lie,
of my well tended ignorance.

Spin circles in my brain
of a logic that won't compute,
too many valid oppostitions
for the same answer.

And in the end become my
own best authority,
responsibility, take it back
and call it for my own,
and live on the right of that
or the consequences of
mistakes that are mine alone.

Live in a world
apparently full of
paedophiles, murderers
and rapists,
when the reality is that
the majority are good
living along, smooching kind,
kids, family love,
food on the table,
scraps and suppers.

Speaks of the right we have by justice,
to be humankind in our naivity,
and innocent until proven guilty.

Sarah Turton~Selchie

Master Neyzen: Ercan Irmak

2010-02-03T16:02:00.003-05:00

Ercan Irmak is a master neyzen, who performs various styles on the ney including the Turkish classical Sufi and the Anatolian folk styles.

I love Sufi music. I hope you will enjoy it too...

Nuru Kane: Number One Bus

2010-01-31T20:58:00.003-05:00

Découvrez Découvrez Mondomix.com, le magazine des Musiques et Cultures dans le Monde!

A friend from my London days have brought this video to my attention...

I love it!

Those of you who knows London town will appreciate this video...

Enjoy!

Blackwater’s Youngest Victim: Father of 9 Year-Old Killed in Nisour Square Gives Most Detailed Account of Massacre to Date

2010-01-29T12:45:00.007-05:00

A documentary by Big Noise Films have been brought to my attention by Amy Goodman and Jeremy Scahill. I urge you to watch it. My intention is not to upset you or reiterate on the insanity of wars, however, I also believe it is important to educate oneself on the criminal behavior of Blackwater, the mercenary army that is comfortably roaming around in Iraq and Afghanistan as we speak...

I am so tired of reading, watching and listening to the lunacy of what is going on in various parts of the world but I will not give up on bringing actual human suffering to my blog. I refuse to shut my eyes and heart!

As I was watching the video, I cried for the little boy in the documentary because it could have been my son, or your son that was lying in a pool of blood. Just because we live in our comfortable homes, with our comfortable toys and our healthy lives does not mean everyone else is living like us. Actually, a big majority of the world is living like little Ali in the documentary. Let us never forget that... Even if our lives may feel or seem horrible at times, compare to hunger and war, we have it pretty damn good if you ask me!

My condolences to little Ali's family...

Goodbye comrade, Howard Zinn....

2010-01-28T09:50:00.010-05:00

I am filled with sadness and a deep sense of loss. Howard Zinn, who was an author, lecturer, historian, activist and a kind soul has passed away today.

He stood by the African Americans during the civil rights movement.

He stood by the anti war movement for Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan.

He stood by the poor and disenfranchised.

He re-wrote the history of the United States.

He educated the young, old and anyone in between.

He gave lectures on issues that directly effected all of us.

I respected and loved him greatly. Another great soul will be missed...

I salute Howard Zinn for his courageous and important work throughout turbulent years. (1922 - 2010)

Corporations now have all the privileges of citizenship, without any of the responsibilities....

2010-01-22T14:45:00.004-05:00

I have been extremely busy lately with my personal life. Nothing important.... this.... and.... that... hence the silence again...

Here is an interesting and somewhat disturbing news that has surfaced in the media. During our sweet darling War Criminal George W. Bush's presidency, a legislation that was presented to the Supreme court recently passed, granting all the rights of a human being to corporations. Basically, corporations will be granted the same political and civil rights of a human being!

BUT.... "If corporations were human, they would be accountable to society when they break the law and would be punished with a loss of their freedoms. When a person steals or murders, they are sent to prison, where they lose their freedom to practice their trade and to participate in the economic and political life of the community. When corporations produce products they know to be deadly, or withhold important information on the safety of their products are they not guilty of murder? When corporations submit fraudulent financial statements to investors, or engage in deceptive marketing practices that cost people their homes or their life savings, are they not guilty of felonious theft? Shouldn’t corporate criminals, particularly repeat offenders, be denied their freedom to practice business and have their license revoked?" AlterNet asks...

Corporations can't have it both ways. They can not demand the rights of a company while demanding the rights of a human being. I am increasingly realizing, we are living in Orwellian times.

Thank you President Obama... you are doing a swell job on the behalf of big money!

As a friend on Facebook wrote on his wall post: Corporations 1 - People 0

PLEASE READ THE FULL ARTICLE!

*Photo taken by me

White Power USA: The Rise of Right-Wing Militias in America

2010-01-11T19:24:00.009-05:00

Today, I watched an independent film made by Rick Rowley and Jacquie Soohen on Democracy Now about the White supremacist movement in the USA. Of course it is quite obvious to me why these "Clowns" are finding each other and growing in numbers.

The most important factor is the Economy. Every time there are big numbers of job loses and future insecurities relating to economical welfare, many people find comfort in blaming the “other” for the problems caused by the politicians. It is easier to blame others that do not look like you, think like you, dress like you, speak like you or go to church like you then those who are in the Congress, White House and/or Wall Street.

The irony for me is, those white supremacist in Idaho or New Mexico have more in common with the poor Mexicans then, say, Lou Dobbs or Glenn Beck.

I dislike President Obama’s foreign policy tremendously because it is very much in line with the War Criminal Bush’s foreign policy. However, to hate him because of his color is distasteful and quite honestly, repulsive on every level.

My question to you is, if and when one of these crazy baboons bomb or attack a place or a person, will they be arrested and send to GITMO? Will they be interrogated the same humiliating and de-humanizing way? Will we see other terrorists in the infamous torture chamber other then Muslims?

I condemn anyone being tortured for any reason, so I do not want you to think that I would take any pleasure in finding out that one of these insane NAZI’s are sitting in cages along side cat size rats in GITMO, however, wouldn’t it be nice to have some religious diversity if Guantanamo was still standing…?

Coraline not Caroline

2010-01-08T16:52:00.009-05:00

I never thought I would say this but I am becoming a huge fan of animation. After a certain age, animated movies just seem very childish and quite honestly boring for adults. Maybe somewhere along the line of life, we leave our “imagination” behind, maybe we forget our childish side or maybe life seems so grim that watching cartoons just doesn’t cut it any longer.

I was one of those adults or parents who did not enjoy watching animated movies with my kids. Yes I was forced to watch Toy Story when they were 3 and yes I admit I even watched Lion King but I will refuse to admit that I enjoyed them by any stretch of the imagination.

However! Lately, I am finding more and more amazing animated movies that are specifically for adults. My two favorite such movies are PERSEPOLIS (2007) and WALTZ WITH BASHIR (2008). Both are quite political and entertaining.

Today it has been snowing all day here in the Northeast so I decided to watch the movie that has been sitting on my desk for sometime, called “Coraline” (2008), directed by Henry Selick.

Coraline is about a little girl who is bored… bored… bored with her life and is looking for some excitement. To her amazement, she discovers a little door, much like Alice in Wonderland, and walks through. She discovers there is an alternative world where everything seems more exciting, fun, colorful, kind and crazy. Her alternative parents are kinder and sweeter, her alternative neighbors are entertaining and not annoying like in her real life. Even the cat can speak! But soon she discovers everything is not as it seems… I will stop there and let you watch it for yourself.

The use of imagery is very cleaver; the proportionally distorted bodies, the creepy eyes, the fake smiles, the wondrous yet scary alternative world creates a dark metaphor for the psyche. I would call it a whimsical fantasy movie with lots of creative material.

It maybe a little scary and sophisticated for younger children so parents need to be cautious but I am sure older kids would enjoy it tremendously.

My kids did!

No Comment!

2010-01-08T11:33:00.005-05:00

PART 1:

PART 2:

Negrissim - My People

2010-01-07T17:33:00.011-05:00

Negrissim' - My People (La Vallée des Rois)
Uploaded by MadWiz. - Watch more music videos, in HD!

Great music from Dakar....

Enjoy!

Afghanistan And Global Dominance

2010-01-07T13:06:00.019-05:00

Link to Part TWO of the War in Afghanistan

An interesting conversation with F. William Engdahl about the war in Afghanistan, the emergence of China, Brazil and India, wall street power brokers, the shifting of alliances and how this effects the global dominance of United States, produced by The Real News Network.

If you see world politics as a chess game like me, you will find the 2-part video riveting.

Enjoy!

How about some FATHER TED?

2009-12-28T15:03:00.009-05:00

FATHER TED

When I was living in London, Father Ted was one of my favorite comedy show's. A few weeks ago, my husband got a hold of all the Father Ted series for us to giggle a little. I watched them all in a jiffy. This particular show I have linked (above) made me laugh so much that I wanted to share it with you, for some good old holiday cheers. ...

Happy New Year all...

I will be off skiing with my family for a few days, see you when I get back.

Enjoy!

Happy Holidays (end of a not so great decade....)

2009-12-23T17:32:00.004-05:00

Dear Family, Friends and Fellow Bloggers,

May your days be as peaceful as Zeytin's.

May love, peace and spiritual prosperity be with you in 2010.

Happy Holidays!

Nevin

"Hell on Earth" GITMO!

2009-12-22T10:22:00.011-05:00

Somalian detainee was released from Guantanamo, which he called “Hell on Earth”. Mohamed Saleban Bare was arrested in Pakistan and was transferred to Gitmo in 2001. He was recently released after years of physical and psychological torture.

Mr. Bare said: “Some of my colleagues in the prison lost their sight, some lost their limbs and others ended up mentally disturbed. I am OK compared to them”.

He was mostly reluctant to tell too much but a few words were good enough for me to pause and be totally disgusted with the rulers of the Western World (yet again) for still letting Gitmo continue legally or otherwise.

"Guantanamo is a place of humiliation for Muslims. All the inmates are Muslims but they (Americans) claim the prison is for terrorists. Why don't they arrest non-Muslims belonging to these so-called terror groups?"

"No human rights convention stands in Guantanamo. Interrogators force inmates to confess crimes they didn't commit by torturing them and sullying their religion”.

After years of unspeakable torture, US authorities still didn’t tell Mr. Bare why he was detained.

President Obama STOP this terrible torture chamber and do something about it NOW. I am tired of your smart but empty speeches!

PLEASE READ THE FULL ARTICLE

All Talk No Action When It Comes to CLIMATE JUSTICE!

2009-12-17T12:04:00.002-05:00

UN Bars Friends of the Earth and Other Environmental Groups from Climate Talks

2009-12-16T14:12:00.005-05:00

I will not comment as I can hardly find the right words...

Here is the link for the Friends of the Earth

In fact, I would recommend for everyone to watch today's "DemocracyNow" especially...

Democracy Now

O Mare e Tu - Andrea Bocelli & Dulce Pontes

2009-12-16T12:04:00.002-05:00

"Now for something completely different" as in the words of Monty Python...

Enjoy!

Congressman Kucinich’s Response to President Obama’s “Just War” Doctrine

2009-12-11T19:16:00.002-05:00

WASHINGTON - December 11 -

“Yesterday, our president mused about the inevitability of war, war’s instrumentality in the pursuit of peace and just wars. It is important for us to reflect on his words, because once we believe in the inevitability of war, war becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Once we are committed to war’s instrumentality in pursuit of peace, we begin the Orwellian journey to the semantic netherworld where War IS Peace, where the momentum of war overwhelms hopes for peace. And once we wrap doctrines perpetuating war in the arms of justice, we can easily legitimate the wholesale slaughter of innocents. The war against Iraq was based on lies. Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan are based on flawed doctrines of counter-insurgency. War is often not just; sometimes it is just war. And our ability to rethink the terms of our existence, to explore the possibility of peace without war, may well determine whether we end war, or war ends us.”

Dennis Kucinich

*Photo taken by me.

TARIQ ALI: “Obama’s Afghan-Pak Syndrome"

2009-12-09T14:57:00.009-05:00

British-Pakistani writer, journalist, activist and historian Tariq Ali spoke at Hampshire College on November 17, 2009 on the war in Iraq and the expansion of the wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Please take the time to listen to his analysis on a very important issue that effects all of us, either directly or indirectly.

Mr. Ali's lecture is forthright, candid and full of insight.

He said : "In general, any nation/country in the world do not like being occupied. It's not too difficult to grasp that... isn't it?... It simply doesn't work and it will not work this time..."

I will leave it at that and let you watch the video...

Enjoy!

Food, Inc. By filmmaker Robert Kenner

2009-12-06T10:52:00.009-05:00

The other day I watched a documentary called “Food, inc”, which put me off food forever. Seriously! I knew our food was tainted and manipulated but to what extend was an eye opener for me. I try my best to always buy "organic food" but it seems even that is not enough...

Co-operations have taken control of our government, our health care, our media and now I discover, our FOOD! You may think I am grossly exaggerating, you may think it all sounds like a mumblings of a paranoid person. Yes, some of you will never be convinced and that is OK. You are not ready to take the “red” pill but at least keep your hearts open to what you are about to discover about what you put into your body everyday.

When we go to any supermarket, we have the illusion of having many many choices in what we eat. But it is exactly that, an “illusion”. The meat we eat are controlled by a handful of companies such as Tyson and Purdue, over whelming percentage of our seeds are owned by Monsanto and FDA is in bed with these very co-operations which is slowly making us very sick.

The reality of where our food comes from is quite disgusting. Literally… Chicken are kept in dark and dingy places, fed corn all the time so they can be fatter and bigger in a shorter time span. Cows are also fed (only) corn, which is totally against their nature, injected with all kinds of anti-biotic(s) to prevent them from becoming sick due to the extreme unhealthy living conditions, tomatoes may look like tomatoes but do not taste or smell like one.

The reality is very grim and scary but can be changed. The most important thing is to be aware consumers…. I believe that is half the battle.

I watched this video with my 10-year-old son and daughter. Yes, there were scenes, which were pretty disgusting for a 10 year old, but they are 10 times more aware of what goes on in the food chain then most adults. It is time to educate ourselves, it is time to educate our children, and it’s time to educate our friends!

I do not believe in keeping children in a bubble because it’s good for them. In fact, I believe in the total opposite. Let’s open our children’s eyes as soon as and as quickly as possible so when they grow up to be adults, they can make informed and smart decisions regarding politics, drugs, food, relationships and their over all health.

Link to Food, Inc

A Conservative Love Letter To George W. Bush

2009-12-03T13:11:00.007-05:00

This letter put a smile on my face.... Let's see what you think?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By Ken Kupchik

Dear George W. Bush,

It has been too long. We miss you and we want you back.

This new guy sucks. He just decided to send 30,000 more troops into Afghanistan, but we're still not convinced that he's taking it seriously. He actually had to think about it and analyze the situation, can you believe that crap? What happened to leading with your gut, shooting from the hip? If you were still in charge we'd be building a Disneyland in Tehran by now.

And the budget? This guy spends money like he had your father's credit card during homecoming at Phillips Academy, Andover. This runaway spending is bankrupting the country. We can't explain exactly why it is bankrupting the country, because we have had a higher national debt in relation to the size of our economy before, like after WWII, but it really freaks everyone out so we'll keep saying it. (Learned that one from you and your boys.) Man, are we pining for the days when you made us feel like spending was patriotic, and a dead marsupial could get a mortgage.

I don't think you could fully understand how angry we are! This president is a radical leftist! He is imposing his agenda everywhere we look. Granted, he has drawn an economic team from the same pool of Wall Street elites as nearly all past presidents, kept your Federal Reserve chairman in place, kept your Secretary of Defense, hasn't legalized gay marriage or marijuana, closed Guantanamo Bay, repealed Don't Ask Don't Tell, or even proposed a single-payer health care system, but he is a radical leftist! We know for a fact, because Limbaugh, Hannity and Beck would never say it if it weren't true.

We are sick of people blaming all of these problems on you. I mean it's been like almost a whole eleven months, more than enough time to solve the largest financial collapse since 1929. Please come back, or at least send Sarah Palin in your place. America's problems will never solve themselves unless we allow them to solve themselves by ignoring them for another twenty years. And we miss Dick Cheney. He says the president is projecting weakness, and we know that nothing projects strength and courage like five draft deferments! We want our country back!

Love always,

Your Base xoxoxo

PLEASE READ!

*Photo taken by me at an anti-war rally in Washington DC