Weekending
Iran. I'll get this out of the way first, as it was the subject of my last post and I wanted to keep it out of this one: Max Dunbar on certain leftist attitudes to Iran, with John Wight as the specimen. Other Iran posts I've missed before now include Dave Osler and BHL at HuffPost (via Mod), plus (nearly a week old I'm afraid) Stroppy's carnival of socialism focusing on Iran. Here's lots of lefty intellectuals (including Zizek) doing the right thing and expressing solidarity.I've been meaning to say something about the Lindsey oil refinery strike, which has been very much on my mind this week. However, I've not managed to write it, so instead read Left Luggage (1,2) or The Commune.
I've also wanted to say something about the anti-Roma pogroms carried out by Loyalists in South Belfast. So, here's Bock.
And I have also wanted to say something about the SOAS cleaners deportation, but, again, not enough time, so here's their statement, their blog, Alberto Toscano, and an anonymous occupier.
Scott McLemee on Cathy Wilkerson on Bill Ayers and the Weather Underground: not exactly current, but very good. (H/t Jogo)
Jonathan Steele, one of the Guardian's house infoolectuals, apparently an "expert" on more or less anything "foreign", is one of my hate figures. Norm finds new evidence of his pernicious foolishness.
It was as plain to me as the light of day that Thatcher's Falklands war was wrong, wrong, wrong. Now I am not so sure any more.
The Tablet celebrates Yiddish radio.
Schalom Libertad plays some Kutiman.
Jonathan Sacks on "mutated" antisemitism. I don't like the "virus" analogy, but this is worth a read.
Light relief: Twitter creator regrets use by Iranian people. (H/t Jogo)
Image above from Farhad's photo gallery, of an Iranian gypsy woman.
Comments
"Frankfurter Rundschau 23.06.2009
"The author Isabel Fonseca reports on the scandalous treatment of the Roma in East Europe (also Italy), but primarily in Kosovo. Ten years ago when the Roma were driven out of their settlement areas by "ethnic Albanians", the UN refugee commission put them up in provisional camps, which just happened to be next to an old lead mine. They are still living- or rather dying - there today. "Ten years after the UN took over Kosovo, and after a series of unnatural deaths, miscarriages and countless newborn babies suffering from chronic brain damage (over half of the Roma living in the camp are under 10, every child born in the camp has some form of brain damage) there are no more than 700 Roma left. In 2007 the UN cancelled all medical supplies for cases of poisoning" and it has done nothing to get the Rome out of the death camp."
http://www.signandsight.com/intodaysfeuilletons/1889.html