Limit Telephotography

Trevor Paglen's photographs of 'secret' US military bases and CIA 'black Sites' using high power telephoto lenses in the 1300 - 7000mm range at distances of up to 40 miles.

via Rhizome

The Culchie Control Platform

George Galloway vs Eamonn Delaney

From the Late Late Show, Eamonn Delaney editor of Magill takes on George Galloway (the exchange starts at around 9 minutes in) By any standards Delaney gets trounced and loses the crowd (again). You have to wonder why, if Delaney fashions himself as the champion of the invasion of Iraq, is he so ill prepared for such an encounter? Is he really the best they can come up with back at Castle Greyskull?

If you are interested in US support for Saddam have a look at these documents about Donald Rumsfeld's meeting with Saddam. The documents ( which are all declassified US Government documents obtained by George Washington University under the freedom of information act)show that during this period of renewed U.S. support for Saddam, he had invaded his neighbor (Iran), had long-range nuclear aspirations that would "probably" include "an eventual nuclear weapon capability," harbored known terrorists in Baghdad, abused the human rights of his citizens, and possessed and used chemical weapons on Iranians and his own people. The U.S. response was to renew ties, to provide intelligence and aid to ensure Iraq would not be defeated by Iran, and to send a high-level presidential envoy named Donald Rumsfeld to shake hands with Saddam (20 December 1983).

Fidel & Me

The connection is that we share a birthday, happy birthday Fidel.

The Power of Nightmares

Adam Curtis's powerful three part BBC series The Power of Nightmares which tells the story of the American neo-conservatives and the radical Islamists and explores how the idea that we are threatened by a hidden and organised terrorist network is an illusion available for free download from the Internet archive. Essential viewing.

1916

I was at the celebrations of the 90th anniversary of the 1916 rising in Dublin today and I thought this banner on Liberty Hall caught the true spirit of 1916.

Bebo madness

This Bebo thing's getting out of hand even the Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has a Bebo page now and I see Dave Fanning's trying to convince people that he's 26 years old on Myspace (use an old photo Dave!).

Saving the Nazi Church

The Martin Luther Memorial Church in Berlin the last Nazi era church in Germany and the appeal to raise money to stop it falling down.

Tax me if you can

An eye opening RTE Primetime investigation ( real video stream of the entire program)into how Ireland's super rich pay no tax thanks to 'non residency' and other legal tax breaks. My favourite is the yacht Christina O which was famously owned by Aristotle Onassis where he entertained the likes of Jackie Kennedy, Maria Callas and Princess Grace. It is now owned by Irish investors who charter it for €70k/day and are able to claim tax breaks under 'plant and machinery'. The lenient non residency provisions (in the US to be tax non-resident you have to give up your citizenship) are all thanks to the Bertie's changes to the tax law when Minister of Finance.

Coke in India

A disturbing account by Alexander Cockburn of a Coca Cola plant in Plachimada, Kerala in India which drained the groundwater reserves leaving drinking water wells unfit for human consumption, dumped toxic sludge on local land passing it off as a good fertiliser and when the water ran out upped and left leaving locals to pick up the pieces.

Pope John Paul II

With the extraordinary scenes in Rome I'm a bit wary of the value of adding my two cents but I though I'd add a few thoughts because I've always been conflicted in my attitude toward the Pope and recent events have brought these conflicts into sharp focus. He always seemed to me to be a man of great contrasts. On one hand he was an authoritarian conservative while on the other a steadfast supporter of peace and human rights who condemned all the invasions of Iraq as immoral, who opposed the death penalty everywhere and believed that that after the fall of communism that capitalism was the world's greatest menace. He was a populist with the common touch but also a formidable intellectual and philosopher, a practical man and also a mystic with a devotion to St John of the Crossand a dark apocalyptic vision of the world, a vision which stunned the curia during his 1976 Vatican lenten retreat lecture series, a lecture series which is believed to have marked him for the Papacy. He was praised for his championing of freedom but believed that we are only free in order to pursue truth ( and for truth read God as revealed by the Catholic Church) and that freedom without virtue is a new form of slavery. Did his ideas actually make an impact or did people just take what they want to hear? Conservatives like his conservative values but ignore his oposition to war, the death penalty and free market capitalism wheras the more liberal minded admire his stance on these things but disagree with his more conservative positions. I wonder was there really a dichotomy in his thinking or was he thoroughly consistant but we can't beyond our preconceived notions? I'm not sure but it's worth thinking about.

Just two links one an insightful article about John Paul II's faith and the other Panoramas from St Peter's Square

Olunkunle is un-deported

A u-turn from the minister and Olunkunle is to be brought back and to be allowed to finish his studies. The incredible protests from the students at Palmerstown Community School seemed to have made the difference.

More protests against schoolboy deportations

As the deportation of Dublin schoolboy Olunkunle Eluhanla continues to dominate the news with protests outside the Dail and teacher's union the TUI adding their voice in support of Olunkunle, Minister McDowell is beginning to show his true colours with his outrageous implications that Olunkunle is a liar - does he really think that ANYONE being deported would turn down an offer to collect their belongings? Does he think the Irish public are all fools? I think though that the minister's mean spirited approach goes against the Irish publics' sense of fair play and the contrast between the minister's approach and the general mood is becoming starker by the day. As for his argument that to make exceptions in exceptional cases would lead to chaos I can only refer you once more to those Dail debates from 1987 & '88 when no exception was too great when it came to illegal Irish immigrants.

The deportation of schoolboy Olunkunle Eluhanla

With the deportation of leaving cert student Olunkunle Eluhanla (real audio) in his school uniform last week Michael McDowell has hit a new low and I think the public is finally beginning to wake up to what the minister and the Department of Justice are doing in their name. The Irish Independent carries a story today about a family in hiding in Athlone because of fear of deportation, and Morning Ireland covered both stories at length.

To add insult to injury Olunkunle and many others were deported while most of the government was attending St Patrick's Day celebrations all over the world in the annual celebration of the Irish diaspora, a diaspora born of economic migration. Of course McDowell and the government are suffering from collective amnesia when they say exceptions can't be made. In 1987 the then Fianna Fail government (which included Bertie Ahern) sent Foreign Minister Brian Lenihan to the USA to stop the US government from deporting an estimated 60,000 plus illegal Irish emmigrants , click here for the full text of his responses to Dail questions (Dáil Éireann - Volume 371 - 24 March, 1987) on his return and from 1988 more Dail questions (Dáil Éireann - Volume 385 - 13 December, 1988) about whether the Government was going to ask Ronald Reagan to make an executive order granting amnesty to illegal Irish before he left office.

These deportations are part of a campaign to deport unaccompanied minors who have reached the age of 18 , a particularly mean spirited and inhumane campaign even by the standards of Michael McDowell.
The following is the introduction to an application for leave to remain made by a Dun Laoghaire based group of 'unaccompanied minors' which sets out their case better then I could.

We came to Ireland as unaccompanied minors seeking asylum. Our asylum applications were unsuccessful. In our countries of origin gross violations of human rights continue to be widespread. We have been resident here for up to five years. We can contribute our education, skills and hard work to help the Irish economy grow, if allowed to work. We can repay the investment made in our education and skills-training for which we are grateful. Revised arrangements have been put in place for granting temporary “leave to remain” to non-nationals who are the parents of an Irish born child. We ask for similar arrangements to be put in place for those who did not parent an Irish child.

The deportation of schoolboy Olunkunle Eluhanla

With the deportation of leaving cert student Olunkunle Eluhanla (real audio) in his school uniform last week Michael McDowell has hit a new low and I think the public is finally beginning to wake up to what the minister and the Department of Justice are doing in their name. The Irish Independent carries a story today about a family in hiding in Athlone because of fear of deportation, and Morning Ireland covered both stories at length.

To add insult to injury Olunkunle and many others were deported while most of the government was attending St Patrick's Day celebrations all over the world in the annual celebration of the Irish diaspora, a diaspora born of economic migration. Of course McDowell and the government are suffering from collective amnesia when they say exceptions can't be made. In 1987 the then Fianna Fail government (which included Bertie Ahern) sent Foreign Minister Brian Lenihan to the USA to stop the US government from deporting an estimated 60,000 plus illegal Irish emmigrants , click here for the full text of his responses to Dail questions (Dáil Éireann - Volume 371 - 24 March, 1987) on his return and from 1988 more Dail questions (Dáil Éireann - Volume 385 - 13 December, 1988) about whether the Government was going to ask Ronald Reagan to make an executive order granting amnesty to illegal Irish before he left office.

These deportations are part of a campaign to deport unaccompanied minors who have reached the age of 18 , a particularly mean spirited and inhumane campaign even by the standards of Michael McDowell.
The following is the introduction to an application for leave to remain made by a Dun Laoghaire based group of 'unaccompanied minors' which sets out their case better then I could.

We came to Ireland as unaccompanied minors seeking asylum. Our asylum applications were unsuccessful. In our countries of origin gross violations of human rights continue to be widespread. We have been resident here for up to five years. We can contribute our education, skills and hard work to help the Irish economy grow, if allowed to work. We can repay the investment made in our education and skills-training for which we are grateful. Revised arrangements have been put in place for granting temporary “leave to remain” to non-nationals who are the parents of an Irish born child. We ask for similar arrangements to be put in place for those who did not parent an Irish child.

Antiwar Protest

It's been two years since the US invaded Iraq and this saturday 19th will be a global day of protest to protest against the invasion and the continuing occupation. The Dublin march starts 2pm from Parnell Square.

Stay at the Berchtesgaden

You can can stay at a new incontinental hotel in Berchtesgaden, sound familar? yep it's that Berchestesgaden, home to the Berghof, Hitler's summer retreat and playground for the Nazi party leaders. Can't wait to see the ad campaign for this.

Tony Blair apologises to the Guildford four

Tony Blair apologises to the 11 people wrongfully imprisoned for the IRA bomb attacks in Guildford and Woolwich in 1974.

Unfortunately while he apologises for one miscarriage of justice he presides over a system where it still goes on.
The Independent compares the political situation in Britain in 1974 to that today. And from the Observer an account of British involvement in the abduction of Martin Mubanga who was held hostage and tortured by the US government in Guantanamo Bay for 33 months.

The British Abu Ghraib

The British Abu Ghraib trail after photos of torture were discovered at the photolab. Of course even if they are convicted chances are they'll be looked after by the military establishment. Remember Lee Clegg? Convicted of murder, released after under two years, reinstated, promoted and eventually had his conviction controversially quashed. He now trains Iraq-bound soldiers.

Shocking photos of US soldiers shooting a family in Iraq, by all accounts an everyday ocurrance only reported this time because a photographer was present.

ESA lands on Titan

Today, after its seven-year journey through the Solar System on board the Cassini spacecraft, ESA’s Huygens probe has successfully descended through the atmosphere of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, and safely landed on its surface.

Bush Wins

They voted for him, they deserve him.
God help everyone else.

US elections links

Kerry against Bush not the man, the county and when the Kingdom's against you you're in trouble.

God Hates Me proof yet again that any url starting with god hates is gold-dust.

Download Fahrenheit 9/11 for free until the US election, with Michael Moore's approval

The truth about electronic voting in Florida.

A glimpse into the future if bush wins?

Wolf packs for truth

John Peel 1939 -2004

Sad news that John Peel has died.

Why is war-torn Iraq giving $190,000 to Toys R Us?

Naoimi Klein on the scandal of Iraqi reparations payments.

Has tony Blair lost his reason

Maybe Saatchi was right all along

Dear Mike, Iraq Sucks

Letters to Michael Moore from US soldiers in Iraq from his forthcoming book Will They Ever Trust Us Again? Letters from the Warzone to Michael Moore