Independent Media Centre Ireland     http://www.indymedia.ie

The Sunday Papers "dark side of the moon" edition

category international | summit mobilisations | opinion/analysis author Sunday July 03, 2005 15:32author by iosaf .:. the ipisphi ·.·

"& if the band you're in starts playing different tunes" "you got to keep the loonies on the path"

We are the mass.
We make our regimes.

the G8 do not lead the world.
Yet their collective malpractise and tolerance to injustice compounds the poverty which their historical exploitation began.

"Thank you Pop stars and Pop Prime Minister, you have recruited for us. We will guide these kids to political awareness"
"maybe war will become history, I'l take a break from amputation, and sewing up whipped backs, and turn my attention to naming new types of reptile"
"maybe war will become history, I'l take a break from amputation, and sewing up whipped backs, and turn my attention to naming new types of reptile"

What do you have to do to get into the G8?
Indeed why do we have a G8?
Who are they?

Lets clear up some points.

The G8 are not the richest states on earth.

They are a club of leaders, half of whom are permenant members of the UN security council, (USA, UK, France, Russia) one which has just joined the security council for two years - Japan.

4 are members of the EU, ( UK, France, Germany, Italy) 2 are members of NAFTA - (USA and Canada).

All with the exception of Canada received post WW2 reconstruction assistance from the USA.

the USA played a pivotal role in the writing of the constitutions of Germany, Italy and Japan (former enemies).

2 (France and UK) have had former empires which were responsible for the creation of what little infrastructure Africa has, and the cultural ties which Africans enjoy today with Europe.

*******************************************************
Q. So what do you have to do to get into the G8?

A. Simply put, "fight a war with the USA" either "for" or "against" it, and at the end of attrition, if you have had enough aircraft carriers, you get into the club.

Q. Don't you have to give a lot of Aid to get into the G8?

A. No, aid is not required, Sweden and Norway and Switzerland are found in the top 5 donor states and they are not members of the G8. As an example, Norway gave 290mil$ to vaccines this year and the UK matched the Bill Gates (a private citizen) donation of 750million$, leaving a shortfall of 2.8billion$.

Q. Do you have to sell arms and weapons and fuel war in the third world to get into the G8?

A. No, Sweden and Norway are found in the top 5 of nations which export weapons and arms.

Q. Do you have to be very innovative and invent things like cars?

A. It helps, though the US are 15% more innovative than the Japanese in the creation of new products the Japanese have 3.5 times more patents and top the world in car production.

Q. Do you have to be religious?

A. Of course. they are 8 god fearing men. And tolerant with it, Mr Blair left London yesterday to fly to Saudi Arabia, to talk to the royal family there about the rising cost of religion, the Saud family have custody of the holy oil sites since getting them from the British (&french) with US approval last century (back in the G3 days).

Q. Do you have to be very good at education and sorting out poverty at home?

A. No not really, first world poverty is calculated on a different series of indices, and mostly first world kids get vaccines, clean-ish water, the chance of literacy education and enjoy equal citizen rights. Notwithstanding Both the USA and UK are in the top ten of child poverty indicators for the developed world.

Q. do you have to eat healthy food?

A. Not a bit of it, the G8 nations with the exception of Russia lead the world in obesity and malnutrition.

Q. do you have to have gay marriage?

A. No the UK, USA, Japan do not recognise single sex matrimonial unions.

Q. Do you have to speak english?

A. yes that helps, all leaders of the G8 speak english of a sorts and boast a minimum vocabulary of 1000 key words and expressions.

Q. Do you have to speak Spanish?

A. No, of the top five languages on the planet, only english is needed to discuss poverty, wealth, trade, climate change and so on.

Q. Is that why Africa is on the agenda now and not South America or Asia?

A. No, that's way too cynical, Africa compounds all the worst poverty indicators. Africa "defines poverty".

For their part the British through Gordon Brown reject the idea of them being imperialist as he remarked on a visit to Tanzania in january "the days of Britain apologising for its colonial past are over" and that its time for Africans to see- "the enduring British traditions of liberty and tolerance".

********************************************************

Africa "needs" 25 billion $ a year minimum "absolute minimum".
$8-$12 billion is needed from both donor and developing country governments from 2005-15 to immunize children in the poorest countries with vaccines available today.
put that in perspective-

the Tsunami states needed 30billion$ this year,for vaccines and medicine, logistics, food, water, housing.

the G8 ahead of their meeting, have cobbled together suggestions which sum-

Japan, France and Germany would come up with a joint proposal for reducing debt totalling some $70 billion provided to heavily indebted poor countries via multilateral development institutions.

France & Germany backing "the Airline tax" have guaranteed 2billion$ so far with their european allies , and believe if accepted by all states will guarantee 20billion$ to pay for vaccines in the third world over the next twenty years.

Unlike 100 percent debt reduction -- proposed by Britain and the United States -- Japan, Germany and France plan to approach this issue on a case-by-case basis by helping those with good administrative capacities and stable political conditions first.

The Brown & Blair plan is for the creation of an International Finance Fund which would raise an extra $50 billion a year by issuing bonds using a donor's long-term funding commitments as collateral. effectively securitising national aid budgets.

The full scope of the idea was rejected early this year, because it puts pressure on Greenspan's US budget.

The USA has accordingly promised aid would rise from $4.3bn (£2.4bn) in 2004 to $8.6bn by 2010.

Japan proposes an end to illegal logging, 50% of illegal timber comes from the south pacific (including indonesia malaysia and philippines) 20% comes from Russia.

Russia backs the UK and wants a seat on the WTO.

Canada has guaranteed 560million $ for bilateral development.

****************************************************

Brown's first suggestions to cancel world debt were made in the immediate aftermath of the Tsunami. You may find details here and the reaction of Greenspan the American money man.
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=68133

France and her involvement in Africa see here-
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=70578

Canada has her own "G8" website-
http://www.g8.gc.ca/

as does the UK (they even have a junior website)
http://www.j8changetheworld.com/

WORLD HEALTH ISSUES-

Vaccines. this is the start. The highets birth rates are also the poorest states, children are born into "infant mortality", young deaths cuased by lack of clean water, food and vaccines.
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=68369

Aids the drugs are there but the poor have not the money to make them this effects Africa and South America more than Asia for now-
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=68118

Flu the drugs are there but the poor are not able to make them, this effects Asia more than Africa.
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=68157
*****************************************************

What the G8 need to do, is to accept and bravely use the mass media to inform their citizens that they are an integral part of the problem rather than the solution.

the G8 exist as a result of the "rules" which allowed the liberal capitalist system to win the second World War and dominate the planet leading to the collapse of centralised state socialism in the Soviet Union.

They have given the poor of the world a system ostensibly based on "free-ing trade" but which relies on corruption, poor and dishonest corporate practise, the supply of arms and military assistance which exacerbate the tribal differences on a continent where "nation-states" have not developed as in with South America or Asia.

The G8 represent before the aspirations and hopes of concert goers, who as representatives of the "mass" are of little true political significance, the policies and leadership of the business, commercial and trade entities in thier countries.
Economic entities which so far have not admitted their culpability and responsibility for poverty and passed that onus on to their share-holders.

There will be updates. As every year, Neither I nor my contemporaries globally (look at the list at the bottom of the page) owe any allegiance to either Bono or Geldof. Last year Ahern attended the fortress G8 gig at Sea Island, almost got talked up to being the EU commission man, remember? in his silly mismatching white suit. No injuries. The year before one of the best direct action protester teams were cut off a bridge during Evian G8 where they hung and left to drop 60 foot, which they did (thanks to gravity) and perhaps because "they knew how to fall" or maybe "because they were carried by angels" He survived and wasnursed back to health in Barcelona. The year before Canada saw riot riot riot, the year before saw Genoa.
Been there done that. To read this week, that somehow rich and famous Irishmen working so cIosely with the Blair government had "made the disreputable reputable" almost made me spit fury, but back behind it all, that is politics and the politics of the mass. the Mass, reclaiming media, streets and issues played its part in bringing the new labour regime to power, if at end this G8 justifies their social global policy and differs from the toryism of before, then a tiny step has been taken.
This week's illustration is a still from the movie "master and commander" written by an irishman, and set during the napoleonic war the movie tellingly scripts the ship's doctor (a naturalist) and irishman, who is rebuked by the ship's captain for challenging a disciplinary action "I will have no anarchy on board". "you are speaking like an irishman", to which the doctor replies " I am an irishman". It is a little clue of where Ireland, and the Irish are to be found on the global stage.

I now wait for the G8 in St Petersburg Russia, I know and have known (some on a personal basis) the players of "the New Labour alliance" of this year, and at end, cynicism must now be left aside.
Of the G8 nations, the UK was going to be the "most friendly" yet "most infuriating" to publicise our campaign. Thanks to all those who took part. Thanks to Mr Blair & Brown & Geldof & Bono for if 2% of the kids grow up and get political, they'll get political. But in the meantime, you people, Blair, Brown, Geldof, Bono etc "are the problem". Do us justice and "admit it".

BASTA = DINERO GRATIS

After all the song and dance, Africa still needs billions or it will end 2005 as poor as it began.

Comments (10 of 10)

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author by redjadepublication date Sun Jul 03, 2005 17:09author address author phone

browser - kivinjari
browse - vinjari
chat - sogoa
chat group - kundi sogozi
download - pakua
e-mail - barua e-
emoticon - kikaragosi
hacker - mdukizi
internet - wavuti
junk mail - barua taka
keyword - neno msingi

more at
http://ambiguousadventure.blogs.com/ambiguous_adventure/2005/05/kiswahili_words.html

. . . . .

Swahili language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiswahili
Swahili (also called Kiswahili; see below for a discussion of the nomenclature) is a Bantu language widely spoken in East Africa. Swahili is the mother tongue of the Swahili people who inhabit a 1500 km stretch of the East African coast from southern Somalia to northern Mozambique. There are approximately five million first-language speakers and fifty million second-language speakers. Swahili has become a lingua franca for East Africa and surrounding areas.

author by redjadepublication date Sun Jul 03, 2005 17:54author address author phone

Afro-Blogosphere:
Diary of a Mad Kenyan Woman
June 27, 2005

• Trashin' Tradition
Hello, 21st Century Kenyans. We are very proud to be Kenyans, aren’t we? We belong to cultures that go waaaaaaay back, yea unto the time of our ancestors’ ancestors. This is how we know ourselves, this is how we differentiate ourselves from others, this is what we eat, these are our rituals, these are our ways of courting and marrying, these are our ways of relating to older and younger generations: this is tradition.
[....]
Yup. Lose your tradition, lose your sense of self. Lose your African claim to identity. Lose the whole thing. Or just lose it and go mad. But definitely, lose it and become a mzungu wannabe. Yes? No. In fact, so much no, that this is just RUBBISH.

more at
http://madkenyanwoman.blogspot.com/2005/06/trashin-tradition.html


Dr. Wangari Maathai
2005 Nobel Peace Prize for Environmental Activism from Kenya
http://www.digitalnpq.org/archive/2005_spring/05_maathai.html

Since women are the primary caretakers in much of Africa, the burden of environmental degradation and conflict has fallen mainly on them. In Kenya, our response, starting in 1977, has been to engage women in planting trees-30 million so far-that provide fuel, food, shelter and income to support their children and their household needs. The planting also creates employment, replenishes the soil and improves the watersheds. Planting trees is simple, attainable and the results can be seen right away.

Getting from there to here was not easy. At the outset, this work was very hard because people were conditioned to believe that the solution to their problems must come from "outside." And they didn't understand the connection between their own needs and a healthy environment. They were unaware that a degraded environment leads to a scramble for scarce resources and may culminate in poverty and even war.


Afro-Blogosphere:
Ambiguous Adventure
Ideas, Culture and Politics in African Affairs

• The Missing "Cultural" Link
'As a culturalist, I have to say I'm not sure about this relationship. [re: Dr. Wangari Maathai speech to the Nobel Committee] Perhaps, this "Christian" or "Western" approach laid the intellectual groundwork for environmental degradation. In Southern Africa, the growing pervasiveness of cash economies, reduction of resources available to the population due to settler colonies and the need to be competitive with those who do "exploit" the environment have been instrumental in changing husbandry and farming patterns.'



Video: Cosmic Africa explores Africa's astronomy
http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2003/november/cosmic.htm

'Cosmic Africa film poster In a journey that stretched from Namibia to the coastline and steamy jungles of Ghana, across crocodile infested lakes and deserts of Northern Kenya, the cliff-side dwellings of the Dogon in Mali and on to the mysterious archaeological sites of the Egyptian Sahara, the recently launched film Cosmic Africa explores Africa's ancient astronomy history.'

Quicktime Trailer: 6megs
http://www.carlsagan.com/revamp/programs/cosmicafrica/flix/catrailer_small.mov

author by redjadepublication date Sun Jul 03, 2005 17:57author address author phone

•• Africans in German Zoos...

Row over German zoo's Africa show
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4070816.stm

German anti-racism campaigners have condemned plans to stage an African cultural festival in a zoo.

The event is intended to give residents in the town of Augsburg in south Germany, a taste of Africa with craft sellers, drummers, story tellers, music groups and food from around Africa.

But campaigners, including representative of Germany's black community and academics, say setting it in the town's zoo is racist.

"People are upset by the idea of placing [the festival] in a zoo between the baboons and the zebras," said Noah So, who founded Der Braune Mob - an organisation that monitors race issues in the German media.

- - - - -

May 30, 2005
STOP the exhibition of AFRICANS in the Augsburg ZOO
By Norbert Finzsch

It is obvious that the conveners do not understand the historical implications of their project. Even in Germany the impact of colonialism and racism on African societies are nowadays debated in public. The way Africans and African Americans in Germany are perceived and discussed, the way they are present on billboards and in TV ads prove that the colonialist and racist gaze is still very much alive in Germany. This is the direct result of forty years of German colonialism and twelve years of National Socialism. People of color are still seen as exotic objects (of desire), as basically dehumanized entities within the realm of animals.

more at
http://www.africanfront.com/AF033.php

- - - - -

Afro-Blogosphere:
Diary of a Mad Kenyan Woman
• In the Zoo
June 11, 2005

We are leaping ahead to the past. Colonialism 101. The images of Africa that the West conjures up for itself have really very little to do with Africa, and everything to do with the West. Since Africans are the ultimate Other, the complete opposite, indeed the antithesis, all the things that Africans are said to be negatively confirms all the things that the Western world wishes to think of itself, which of course is the reason for the original image of Africa. Africa is the West's radical alterity, the "-not." Starting from white/black to culture/nature to civilised/savage and so forth (we can all fill in the blanks) the Africa that the West constructs for itself is often the expression of some deep insecurity.

[....]

Putting Africans in a zoo, as an exhibit, says nothing about Africans. On the other hand, it says a whole lot about the people of Augsburg.

more at
http://madkenyanwoman.blogspot.com/2005/06/in-zoo.html

author by ipublication date Sun Jul 03, 2005 20:41author address author phone

you can compare the map of freedom of speech and internet with the indymedia list of african based centres and the map of euro-cash in africa at the article "who owns africa?"http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=70578

afric@
afric@

the Redder the country the more serious its freedom of speech as expressed in media on internet.
the Redder the country the more serious its freedom of speech as expressed in media on internet.

author by iopublication date Mon Jul 04, 2005 12:38author address author phone

for pre-G8 chit-chat and a cup of tea. They talked about climate change, and how far the envelope can be pushed, as a NASA 400kg box of tricks called "deep impact" smashed into a comet called "Tempel 1".

It is the sixth time that that France, Germany and Russia have met, the last meeting of the trio saw newly elected Spanish Zapatero invited along as well.

Kalingrad is celebrating its 850th annivesary (for much of its history it was a prussian or "german" city) and Putin is there for the celebrations. Tellingly the first European to arrive was Shroeder who was greeted by Putin in german on the steps of the Svetlogorsk health-building center called Rus on the Baltic coast.

english coverage from the ruskies-
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=2195797&PageNum=0
this is their second notice on the G8 the first was an interview with Captain Dan Blair "saviour of the universe" in which he outlined the attack plan on the Mekon.
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=2132131

The Russians have also written a little (in english) about the comet smashing business, its hard to figure out if they approve.
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=2197937&PageNum=0

author by iosafpublication date Tue Jul 05, 2005 13:29author address author phone

Sales of Pink Floyd's music have increased by more than 1,000 per cent following the re-formed group's spectacular performance at Live8.
A snap survey by the music retailer HMV showed that sales of the Pink Floyd " Best of" album Echoes rose by 1,343 per cent on Sunday compared to the previous Sunday. Two of the band's albums, Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here, were among the top 10 best-selling albums on the Amazon website yesterday.
http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/music/news/article296904.ece

********************************************

Meanwhile, the one to watch is Ghadaffi.
He's hosting the African union, and has told them all not to beg from the richman. Relative to Africa Libya is "rich". And boasts with Tunisia the best infrastructure (apart from urban south africa) and by far the best health care on the continent.
Aye!
But if you look at the map above you get the feeling that "muslim africa" is not on the G8 agenda.
Nor is it. They are talking about slight reduction in debt with loads of strings attached for _sub-saharan_ africa.
Maybe its all the porkpies which Chirac complained about, (yesterday he slagged off the mrs beaton cuisine he's expecting to whomever would listen, "the english have only done one thing for agriculture -the mad cow". Amazing how many people were listening.

Ghadaffi's summit will wind up later today, with a final declaration and is supported by the "richer muslim" nations and Mr Kofi Anan!
Here are some links.
http://www9.sbs.com.au/theworldnews/region.php?id=115213®ion=5
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5118092,00.html
http://www.zaman.com/?bl=international&alt=&trh=20050705&hn=21362
http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=5920510&cKey=1120503918000
Meanwhile, if you're into pink floyd, you can
download them free off the net, and give the money you save to charity.

Mr Ghadaffi does jams, has women only bodyguards, gaurds oily sites, been there done that. the Henry Rollins of the fusion scene.
Mr Ghadaffi does jams, has women only bodyguards, gaurds oily sites, been there done that. the Henry Rollins of the fusion scene.

author by iosafpublication date Wed Jul 06, 2005 13:52author address author phone

Oh, it's so exciting.
The 53 african states want cancellation of all their debt, and help building "re-entry camps" from Europe. "Re-entry camps" will be the places returned migrants live in, after they've got through the internment camps in Europe, and as of yesterday's G5 decision, bundled onto specially shared european-chartered deportation flights.
the G5 (UK,France, Germany, Italy & Spain) think this will save money.

So the Europeans want to "save money".
& the Africans want to stop oweing 450,000,000,000$
and then they'd like 30,000,000,000 a year to buy essential things, like now if possible.
How much have they got? the answer is less than 10% within 5 years.

the G8 are offering them (by 2010)-

UK
"a lot of really good publicity" - Blair & Brown with a doubling of aid by 2010 to 50,000,000,000$

USA
"George W Bush, US president, last week announced a $4.5 billion package which he says will double US aid for Africa by 2010, targeted at malaria, girls' education and protection for women. However, the package must be agreed by Congress, and critics have said that much of it is tied to African nations purchasing US services or goods and privatising public services. President Bush has said he is ready to scrap US farm subsidies, but only if the EU abolishes its own Common Agricultural Policy."

Germany
"Schröder will not wish to be seen to be splashing out with taxpayers' money. Green issues are high on many German voters' personal agendas, and Mr Schröder can be expected to hold out for a tough statement on climate change.
Der Spiegel also quoted an aide to Mr Schröder as dismissing the IFF as a means for City of London banks to earn fat fees from international aid."

Japan
Junichiro Koizumi, prime minister, has already pledged $5 billion (£2.8 billion) in increased aid to Africa over the next five years, targeted at health, trade and development. He has set a goal of doubling Japanese aid to the continent by 2008.
the Japanese sort of feel proud of Kyoto and want to see it honoured fully and improved. Sweeties.-

Italy
Has no money and a very unpopular leadership, who are mostly seen as being stuck up the american ass, they've backed the UK proposals becuase the UK proposals make really good PR.

Canada
Paul Martin has refused to commit Canada to the United Nations' target of 0.7 per cent of GDP for aid, arguing that it is not affordable. Canada has promised to double aid by 2008, but critics say this will only bring it to 0.37 per cent.

the EU
Jose Manuel Barroso, European Commission president, comes to the summit with an EU pledge to double its development aid to Africa by $19 billion by 2010.

Which means in 5 years time, europe will be paying half of what Africa needs for development assistance now, this year. And every day of those next 5 years, 30,000 kids will die due to lack of essential services and medicine.

Those kids of the first world, who are mostly poor relative to the majority of their countrymen and countrywomen who are protesting today in Scotland, have every moral right to expose this G8 2005 farce for what it was.
The most cynical, distorting, publicity relations exercise in Third world exploitation yet. So far the only people to have seen the lives materially improved, to have seen more money in the pensions funds, and more cash in the drugs kitty are those who work for or in some the most famous rock groups of all time.

one of those historic "flower power" moments in California protesting the Vietnam war. The girl offers the soldier a flower.
one of those historic "flower power" moments in California protesting the Vietnam war. The girl offers the soldier a flower.

The girl at the G8 protests yesterday, says "I don't care if you're a piggy with herpes, we're using protection, our relationship can go on and on"
The girl at the G8 protests yesterday, says "I don't care if you're a piggy with herpes, we're using protection, our relationship can go on and on"

author by iosafpublication date Wed Jul 06, 2005 19:41author address author phone

the British Military have joined the protest. activists and protesters have said- they were "fucking scared". Imagine, how would you feel?
Quite, it has been sometime since the British military were deployed in Scotland for crowd management.

"Those in authority fear the mask for their power partly resides in identifying, stamping and cataloguing: in knowing who you are...our masks are not to conceal our identity but to reveal it...Today we shall give this resistance a face; for by putting on our masks we reveal our unity; and by raising our voices in the street together, we speak our anger at the facelessness of power..."
whether we cover our face or not our evolving revolution shall never have a face.

The young woman in the photograph hijacked a TWA plane in 1970 en route to Damascus.
She didn't wear a mask. She wore a scarf.
She carried a gun. She carried her beauty
She carried her hope. She carried her innocence.
She carried her guilt.

Then she had plastic surgery so she could do it all over again without being recognised.

Her cause became "a pin up of her beauty" her face masked the agony she had hoped to fight.

Or maybe she really wanted to lose her beauty?

The man in the picture was an italian policeman on protest duty in Genoa at the G8 2001. You see the G8 and "Terror" go hand in hand, just so that some people don't have to explain why they are so rich and so well off to their electorates.

So we have brought "terror" to the G8.
that's our job, we're young & beautiful
and ever so cynical.

Lelia Khalid, hijacked planes for the arabs in the 70s. had plastic surgery to go on doing it.
Lelia Khalid, hijacked planes for the arabs in the 70s. had plastic surgery to go on doing it.

italian man blurs soldier with policeman at the G8 in Italy 2001
italian man blurs soldier with policeman at the G8 in Italy 2001

author by fists are the only weapons i needpublication date Thu Jul 07, 2005 00:27author address author phone

You're blurring lines in your head. The facts are Leila khalid was an armed right wing lunatic, there is no bravery or beauty fighting with a gun, similarly the stupid Italian right wing militia policeman arsehole, is just as ugly hiding behind his gun.

The G8 protestors are UNARMED non military protestors, fighting with their bare hands, bricks, stones and golf clubs against an ARMED MILITARY Force. There is no comparison between unarmed protesters and armed right wing lunatics.

author by .:. iosaf ·.· ipsiphipublication date Thu Jul 07, 2005 13:36author address author phone

that's all. no lines blurred.
may the victims of terror in London
7/7/05
rest in peace.
for no chinook was going to stop them.
& it was painfully obvious it was going to happen.


This Sunday Papers has now ended.

"here endeth the lesson"


http://www.indymedia.ie/article/70614

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