air

The March Opening Valley Free Radio after the Prometheus Barn Raising in Amherst Massachusetts.

I am on the Grass Roots Radio list and have recently received many posts about the situation with Pacifica.

As a long time listener to Pacifica (mostly WBAI) I can sympathize with the problems that are confronting the org (and the stations) now. But surely having something of an electoral process in place will be ultimately better than none! And there is some comfort in the "transparencey" of all these discussions. (AIR!)

I am glad that the WBAI audience has widened to be more diverse. It is always a thrill to get into a cab and hear the station being played. It is the favorite of most of the cab drivers I seem to get. Although I was also touched by the New Yorker article, I think that it is great that Fass is still on even one night a week. But maybe there could be other types of "free form" energy there from different people on the rest of the week.

One of the problems I see is the reluctance of program providers to allow their time slots to be preempted. To me the excitement of the "old Pacifica" was the tremendous coverage of breaking events, whether it was a march on DC or a "happening" at Grand Central Station. Where was the WBAI coverage of the Sean Bell marches? Just a few call ins from the street on the Prison Show, but no substantial coverage of this event.

In a conversation with some WBAI staffers, I recently brought up the possibility of covering the World Social Forum that will take place in Nairobi in a few weeks. They shook their heads sadly. There was 1. no money for that sort of thing 2. no air time available.

Why can't there be some sort of forumula-- that on-going program providers need to relinquish one program a month (accumulatively if necessary) for special events. My recollection is that it was those events in the past that brought new listeners and more funding.

What I miss most was the willingess to do brave cultural specials such as the marathon readings of War and Peace. I will never forget Julius Lester reading the section in which young Petya is wounded. A whole generation of New Yorkers was introduced to Tolstoy with that reading.

There was a flexibility in the schedule that brought new listeners: because you never knew what to expect, so you tuned in. Nowadays, it is pretty predictable.

After Bethlehem

Dove of Peace by Elvira
One of the reasons I originally wanted to do a blog was to try the idea of the advent calendar-- to see how the daily window opening could fit into a blog format. Ever since Jacquie sat out the seige of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem I was interested in somehow conveying the terrible situation that clearly shows the pain of the occupation of the so-called holy land. Then Joel visited there this summer and he was struck with the irony of the fact that this location with its history of the nativity was now in heavily militarized occupied territory. So I found an advent calendar in Austria where I spent time in October for the Dictionary of War (www.dictionaryofwar.org).

So I was pretty new to blogs. I am not usually a "blog reader", which Molly says is the first step to getting into "blogdom". Nor have I posted on others' blogs. Molly describes a whole protocol of exchange of blog urls. The advent calendar didn't really get that much traffic. I wrote to the electronic infitada and to several Palestinian solidarity sites, giving them the url. But judging from the traffic report, I don't think they announced the url. Still I did get many visits, and many from far away countries. It didn't seem to ignite discussion. I received only one comment on the 24 days of pictures and text. I wish people had commented. If I had seen it on someone elses blog, I would have commented.

But some people have told me they appreciated it and wanted to buy a copy! Not realizing that it is totally digital. I never really even opened the windows.. except through photoshop tools!

So now the advent calendar is over and I still have this blog space.

So much has happened in the 24 days of advent. I don't know where to start.

Rebuild the peace in silent streets where once your love was born.

Despite the unprovoked and extreme violence from the IOF, the demonstration was a great success. The primarily settler-used roadway of Route 60 was colored green and purple with the crushed remains of grapes and cardboard cartons. Passing settlers were able to witness the violence that their presence “necessitates,” and many reacted by honking their horns, photographing the demonstration, and one man was even seen proudly waving a peace sign. Though the grapes never reached the mouths of consumers, they were purchased from the farmers and given a political purpose on the road-a stretch of route 60 bordering Al-Khadr checkpoint, as well as a currently under-construction terminal checkpoint, and a small length of the Apartheid Wall already built and waiting to be connected to the Bethlehem portion.

Awake the ire of nations. Let justice be restored.

From
http://palestinesolidarityproject.wordpress.com/tag/uncategorized/
Some police used military-style ‘pain compliance’ maneuvers, such as applying immense pressure to wrists and other sensitive joints, as well as wrenching back fingers and hands. Activists were thrown, and dragged by their ears, noses, necks and hair, while other police and soldiers forced demonstrators to the ground by leaning their weighted knees onto demonstrators’ heads and necks. Many activists were roughly thrown to the ground and dragged across the asphalt road, ripping their clothes. While attempting to stand up, many were pushed and kicked by the booted IOF police and soldiers.
During the assault, five people were arrested: two Palestinian males, one international female, and two Israeli males. The two Palestinian males, Mohammad Salah, 25, and Ahmed Salah, 30 were detained for carrying boxes of grapes, and while Ahmed was released at the end of the demonstration, Mohammad was not so lucky. Following the demonstration, Mohammad was taken by IOF soldiers to a wooded area near Betar Illit colonial settlement. When the soldiers reached this isolated area, they kicked and beat Mohammad in the head and shoulders. He is currently under care at a Bethlehem-area hospital. The international, an American woman, and the two Israeli men are currently still being held in Israeli custody at Gush Etzion police compound, housed within the colonial settlement of the same name.
Despite the unprovoked and extreme violence from the IOF, the demonstration was a great success. The primarily settler-used roadway of Route 60 was colored green and purple with the crushed remains of grapes and cardboard cartons. Passing settlers were able to witness the violence that their presence “necessitates,” and many reacted by honking their horns, photographing the demonstration, and one man was even seen proudly waving a peace sign. Though the grapes never reached the mouths of consumers, they were purchased from the farmers and given a political purpose on the road-a stretch of route 60 bordering Al-Khadr checkpoint, as well as a currently under-construction terminal checkpoint, and a small length of the Apartheid Wall already built and waiting to be connected to the Bethlehem portion.http://www.awalls.org/
http://bethlehemghetto.blogspot.com/2006/08/checkpoint-humiliation-and-bullets-at.html

Drive fear and hate away.

Despite the presence of Reuters cameramen and other international media, around thirty IOF soldiers and police quickly attacked the non-violent demonstrators who carried cardboard crates of grapes. With their hands unable to be used as shields, many were beaten causing the grapes to prematurely spill onto the road. As the demonstrators attempted to continue their march, IOF police and soldiers choked, kicked and punched the demonstrators.

Your love bring down on David's town...

MARCH OF GRAPES
(this story will continue in the succeeding windows)
October 8, 2006- Palestinian, international and Israeli activists joined together to demonstrate against land theft, road closures and economic isolation by bringing two tons of the surplus Palestinian grape harvest to an occupation checkpoint along Route 60. In a display of civil disobedience akin to the North American Boston Tea Party, the demonstrators hoped to dump the surplus harvest onto the road, but were viciously attacked before they were able to reach the checkpoint.
Al-Khadr is a center for vineyards, as is the Bethlehem area in general. Every year its fertile lands yield 11,000 tons of grapes. Not long ago, these grapes were marketed to the entire West Bank, as well as Jordan, Gaza and Israel. Nowadays, with some roads blocked and others closed, and with new decrees restricting the delivery of grapes, the local produce has no market. The prices have dropped so low that the farmers can no longer earn their living. Many are forced to just leave the fruit to rot on the vines. Soon the Apartheid Wall will reach the site of the demonstration, and the Ghettoization of the area will be complete. Where grapes are the prime source of income and unemployment rates soar, this maneuver will effectively strangulate the already fragile local economy.
The wall in the Al-Khadr region will annex 20,000 dunums of Palestinian agricultural land, while the expansion of Betar Illit, Neve Daniel and Elazar colonial settlements will similarly steal additional lands. The Wall in the Al-Khadr and Bethlehem area will also imprison 19,000 Palestinians in between the concrete barrier and the 1967 West Bank border line, known as the “green line.”
For these reasons, local Palestinians, Israeli activists with Anarchists Against the Wall and Tay’ush, as well as international activists with the Palestine Solidarity Project (PSP), joined for a morning of civil disobedience with the intention of dumping a portion of the ample, though unmarketable, grape harvest onto Route 60 in protest. Approximately fifty demonstrators marched on Route 60, blocking northbound traffic, en route to Al-Khadr checkpoint, but were preemptively attacked by Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) police and soldiers. At the scene were numerous armored police jeeps, police transport vans and armored military jeeps. Also on hand was at least one agent with Shabak (Shin Bet), the occupation’s covert intelligence agency, seen filming the IOF’s brutality with a handheld video camera.
http://palestinesolidarityproject.wordpress.com/tag/uncategorized/
http://www.awalls.org/
http://bethlehemghetto.blogspot.com/2006/08/checkpoint-humiliation-and-bullets-at.html

...descend to us we pray.

Comment by clicking on the pencil.

O Holy Child of Bethlehem

This is an advent calendar set in Bethlehem. Each day in December a new window is opened. All the photo images are from searching Bethlehem on the internet. For music and to see the complete lyrics: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/l/olittle.htm
Open a new brouser window to the music site and play the song while you look at the calendar.

...the dear Christ enters in.

...where meek souls will receive him still...

...but in this world of sin...

No ear may hear his coming...

This is an advent calendar set in Bethlehem. Each day in December a new window is opened. All the photo images are from searching Bethlehem on the internet. For music and to see the complete lyrics: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/l/olittle.htm
Open a new brouser window to the music site and play the song while you look at the calendar

..the blessings of his heav'n.

O Little Town of Bethlehem.....

...to human hearts...

This is an advent calendar. Each day in December a new window is opened. All the photo images are from searching Bethlehem on the internet. For music and to see the complete lyrics: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/l/olittle.htm
Open a new brouser window to the music site and play the song while you look at the calendar.

So God imparts....

the wondrous gift is giv'n.

This is an advent calendar. Each day in December a new window is opened. All the photo images are from searching Bethlehem on the internet. For music and to see the complete lyrics: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/l/olittle.htm
Open a new brouser window to the music site and play the song while you look at the calendar

How silently, how silently...

are met in thee tonight.

This is an advent calendar. Each day in December a new window is opened. All the photo images are from searching Bethlehem on the internet. For music and to see the complete lyrics: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/l/olittle.htm
Open a new brouser window to the music site and play the song while you look at the calendar.

of all the years....

The hopes and fears...

This is an advent calendar. Each day in December a new window is opened. All the photo images are from searching Bethlehem on the internet. For music and to see the complete lyrics: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/l/olittle.htm
Open a new brouser window to the music site and play the song while you look at the calendar.

...the everlasting light.

This is an advent calendar. Each day in December a new window is opened. All the photo images are from searching Bethlehem on the internet. for music and the complete lyrics: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/l/olittle.htm

Yet in thy dark streets shining...

The silent stars go by.

All the photos in the windows of the virtual advent calendar are from googling images of Bethlehem.
For music: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/l/olittle.htm

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep....

How still we see thee lie.