 G21 AFRICA:
Voices in Durban
AAMERA JIWAJI
Aamera Jiwaji
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The UN Conference against Racism held in Durban may have failed to release any substantive policy measures on the issue of racism. In fact, like many bureaucratic gatherings it was a lot of talk and no action. But it succeeded on one front. It banished forever the stereotype that racism is a black-white dynamic.
The human soul has many colours. Not black, white, and brown but smiles of blue, whispers of green, drops of red and echoes of yellow. "Voices of Victims" built a rainbow from the colours of pain, sorrow, and suffering. Those that shone through were of strength and survival.
Voices of tragedy and sorrow echoed around the ICC (International Conference Centre) in Durban begging a release from every member in the audience through hoarse tears and gasps of horror. But the kind of pain that was carried in the words of the victims and hidden in the shadows of their eyes could not be communicated, could not be shared. Like a silent scream, it was pent up inside with no release... More
AMERICAN DREAMS:
Kids Say the Darnedest Things
D.A. BLYLER
Ever since 1980, when Jimmy Carter was ridiculed for consulting his daughter Amy about the pressing issues of our time, including nuclear war, our nation's leaders have shied away from interviewing the young. Yet children, devoid of insidious political agendas, often are accurate barometers of the cultural climate. So, at a recent birthday of an old friend, I resurrected Art Linkletter's mic and interviewed the guests' children who were congregating in an unruly mass in the backyard.
WHAT KIDS HAD TO SAY WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE ATTACKS ON THE WORLD TRADE CENTER AND PENTAGON:
Why are those people so angry? -- Michael, age 6
It looked really cool; I bet I could have shot them planes down. -- Andy, age 8
Dad says we should kill'em all. Mom says he's a fanatic. -- Josiah, age 11 ... More
IRISH EYES:
There's Love and There's Sex and There's 46A
MATTIE LENNON
When you're feeling the urge to retreat and to flee
from work that's a cartload of ess haitch one tee
when people are plastic -- the plastic is cracked,
and barely believable fiction is fact --
when you need to meander, to rest from the race
(be it human or rat), to explore a new space;
gift-wrap your troubles & throw them away
& take the great trip on the 46A...
No. I didn't compose that. It's from a collection "Comrade Dao Jones Reassesses Tienamen Square" by Sydney Bernard Smith. And it just goes
to show how our successful Dublin Quality Bus Corridors (QBCs) are
creeping into Irish literature.
Patrick Kavanagh said; "No man can adequately describe Irish life who ignores the Gaelic Athletic Association. Football runs women a hard
race as a topic of conversation". To suggest that the man from Enniskeen
was anything less than accurate could incur the wrath of many from the
"stony grey hills", but I do contend that in the articulation stakes buses
come in a comfortable third; ahead of the weather, tribunals and Eamon
Dunphy... More
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POWERSSOUND: : Asked to select 10 favorite bands of the rock era, most people would not automatically include Blondie. But after listening to a half-dozen newly remastered CDs from this talented group, I suspect many listeners would consider ,putting this always entertaining band into the mix of the best of the '80s, if not of all time.
 In listening into Blondie's entire six albums for Capitol Records in chronological order, listeners can hear the band advance with each release, willing to take chances and not just content to keep the singles coming. Deborah Harry, certainly one of the most enticing blondes ever to stand in front of a band, comes off as a woman with a damned good voice and a sly attitude toward the sexual attraction that she quickly became... "Blondie's Welcome Return" BOB POWERSMore
ESSAYS ON CULTURE: : You know what Sly Stone meant when he sang: "Everybody is a Star"; it ranks alongside John Rawls statement that everyone is entitled to equal concern and respect, or the Christian tenet that everybody is equal in the sight of God. It's a statement about social attitudes, about dignity and about the equal worth of all people; but it has nothing to do with aptitude. Nor, for that matter, has it anything to do with wealth. If we were genuine followers of Stone, questions of aptitude and wealth would be of little concern but as we find it extremely difficult to love our neighbours, whoever they are, most of us resort to the pursuit of achievement, wealth or power in order to command that admiration of our fellows which may be a poor substitute for love but is all that we can reasonably expect... "Stars" KEVIN CAREYMore
RECOMMENDED DAILY REQUIREMENT: : ...I ran into one of the neighborhood characters. We'll call him "Jack" because that's his name.
"'Mornin', Jack!" I greeted him. "Headed into work, too?"
"Naw, Pete," he said. "Just gettin' back from the bar."
"It's Rod. Have a good sleep." ... "On the Way to the Job Site..." ROD AMIS More
RDR 09.17.01: KEVIN CAREY writes on the failed conference in South Africa. "Racism"
RDR 09.03.01: ROD AMIS remembers "Lord Russell"
 MY GLASS HOUSE: : NEW ORLEANS, 24 SEPTEMBER, 2001 - This town is hurting right now. It's the fallout from the terrorist attack. People aren't taking planes like they used to, and that's death for a town where one out of six people work in the hospitality industry. The hotels are practically empty, as our the bars and restaurants. Celebrity chef Paul Prudhomme's place closed early on Wednesday night because their hadn't been enough clientele to cover his overhead. Normally, people are lined up waiting for a seat. Everyone I know who works in the service industry down here was whining this week about possibly not being able to pay their rent next month. So the vulture side of New Orleans is coming out very quickly... "War of the Worlds" ROD AMIS More
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YOUR E-MAILS to us were quite overwhelming during the last few weeks. No wonder, considering what we have published and how the world has changed. Rumors of war in the air and all that.
From "Lady B.", (No City Provided,) GA, USA:
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