320,000 people in the demonstrations of yesterday

Yesterday there were almost 300,000 people in the demonstration in Tel Aviv, 30,000 in Jerusalem and thousands in demonstrations all over the country. Once I was in a demonstration of a million and half in London. It was different – they were more organized, the demand was clear: NO WAR in Irak and if I love it or not I don’t live there.
And yes 300 thousand in Tel Aviv is like almost three million in London or Paris, it is similar to 9,000,000 people in Brazil!
Brazilians, can you imagine 9 million people in one big demo? That’s what happened yesterday.

The demands were various: against the concentration of capital in the hands of few, against privatization, for better public health care, for public housing, for more budgets to education, against the taxes, against the cost of living and hundreds of particular demands.

Mostly the demonstrations were against the disdain of the government towards the people.

In the meantime the stocks were already down by six percent at the opening of the market. Tel Aviv is the first market to open after the downgrade of US to AA+.

Interesting days before us.

Something is happening in Israel

Two weeks ago I saw in the news a small interview with a young woman saying that she needed to leave her apartment, she was fed up with the prices of the housing and she is putting a tent in Rothschild Boulevard. She also invited people to join her.

In Hebrew we say: “Day Azui”, meaning “she is hallucinating”. That was what I though.

Last Saturday I participated in a march of 150 thousand people from the same Rothschild Boulevard (now renamed to “If I were Rothschild” Boulevard) and everybody around me was shouting “Revolution” and “The people wants social justice”. Today I am going to participate in a “Hyde Park” of people calling for general strike. There are tents now all over Israel, in every city. In Tel Aviv there are tents in Jaffa, in Nordau Street – the whole Rothschild is full of tents.


Stolen from Ido Amado Facebook album


The events are numerous and diverse: there is a big strike of the doctors, yesterday there was strikes in all the hospitals, protest against the price of the petrol, the prams parades (parents and children in protest against the cost of living). Today most of the municipalities will be on strike in solidarity with the “tent movement” and Rothschild was transformed in a living Woodstock.

Out of 150000 people most were middle class but there were a lot of people from the poor neighbourhoods. There were some Arabs and here and there we could see a religious guy. But this is changing. Arabs are starting to participate more and more and in Jerusalem there are a lot of religious people.

What happened in two weeks? Nobody really knows. It is more than that: when I went to the manifestation and saw the people shouting I understood that till then I had no idea of the nature of this thing that is happening. In the news we can see reporters and commentators talking about the events and you can understand which ones participate on it and which did not. Those who did not are completely out of the pictures. They talk, for example, about the demands. They don’t understand the 150000 are not talking about demands – they are talking about change.

The government are completely out of answers. In fact, they are desperate. Last week, Bibi declared on a press conference a lot of reforms that the tent movement explained they don’t believe on them – they dismissed it as “more promises”. Bibi went on in another occasion and declared a committee of ministers to talk to the tent movement. They answered they talk only to him and with cameras. “Total disclosure, they explained – we do not represent anybody, we represent only ourselves and if he wants to talk to them it must be transparent to all”. In an interview Bibi said he is going attack the tycoons that control the businesses, in another he told they are entrepreneurs, they promote the progress of the country. Now Bibi send his people to tell the press he is preparing reforms to cut taxes.

Why all this happened now? Difficult to say. Two weeks ago, people would burn the same red flags you see now all over the tents, they never revolted, and they were always very conformable and very passive. Suddenly this exploded. Part is influence of Kikar Tahrir, part the social media seems to liberate a new kind of communication. The truth? I have no idea.

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TAM

Gezica, a Brazilian friend of mine, posted this story in Facebook in Portuguese:

It happened in TAM and it is a true story. A 50 years old white woman arrived at her place in economy class and saw that in the next seat the passenger was a black man. Visibly disturbed, she asked the stewardess for a different place. "What is the problem?” - asked the stewardess. “Don’t you see?” - answered the lady - "you have placed me on the side of a black man. I cannot stay here. You must give me another chair”. "Please calm down" - said the stewardess - "unfortunately, all the seats are occupied. However, I’ll see if we still have some available”. She departed and returned some minutes later. "Lady, as I said, there is no other place in the economy class. We have only one place in first class”. And she continues: "It is very uncommon that our company enables a passenger of economy class be placed on the first class. However, in view of the circumstances, we think it would be outrageous to oblige a passenger traveling on the side of a person so unpleasant”. And, turning to black passenger, she continued: "Therefore, Sir, please, take your hand luggage, because we have a place for you in the first class.” And all the other passengers stupefied with the whole scene, began to applaud.

I Had the Time of My Life

I’ve had the time of my life And I’ve never felt this way before And I swear this is true And I owe it all to you I’ve had the time of my life And I’ve never felt this way before And I swear this is true And I owe it all to you You-you-you-you-you You-you-you-you-you You-you-you-you-you-you-y-y-y-y-you Dirty bit Dirty bit I-I came up in here to rock Light a fire, make it hot I don’t wanna take no pictures I just wanna take some shots So come on, let’s go Let’s lose control Let’s do it all night ‘Til we can’t do it no mo’ People rockin’ to the sound Turn it up and watch it pound We gon’ rock it to the top Until the roof come burnin’ down Yeah, it’s hot in herrre The temperaturrre Has got these ladies Gettin’ freakierrr I got freaky, freaky, baby I was chillin’ with my ladies I didn’t come to get bougie I came here to get crazy I was born to get wiiild That’s my styyyle If you didn’t know that Well, baby, now you know now ‘Cause I’m! Havin’! A good! Time! With you! I’m tellin’ you I’ve had the time of my life And I’ve never felt this way before And I swear this is true And I owe it all to you I’ve had the time of my life And I’ve never felt this way before And I swear this is true And I owe it all to you You-you-you-you-you You-you-you-you-you You-you-you-you-you-you-y-y-y-y-you Dirty bit Dirty bit All-all these girls, they like my swagger They callin’ me Mick Jagger I be rollin’ like a Stone Jet-setter, jet-lagger We ain’t messin’ with no maggots Messin’ with the baddest Chicks in the club Honey, what’s up? Mirror, mirror on the wall Who’s the baddest of them all? Yeah, it’s gotta be the apl I’m the mack daddy, y’all Haters better step back Ladies (don’t load your act) I’m the party application Rockin’ just like that (This is international) (Big mega radio smasher)

Boy: Now I've had the time of my life No I never felt like this before Yes I swear it's the truth and I owe it all to you Girl: 'Cause I've had the time of my life and I owe it all to you Boy: I've been waiting for so long Now I've finally found someone To stand by me Girl: We saw the writing on the wall As we felt this magical fantasy Both: Now with passion in our eyes There's no way we could disguise it secretly So we take each other's hand 'Cause we seem to understand the urgency Boy: just remember Girl: You're the one thing Boy: I can't get enough of Girl: So I'll tell you something Both:This could be love because (CHORUS) Both: I've had the time of my life No I never felt this way before Yes I swear it's the truth And I owe it all to you 'Cause I've had the time of my life And I've searched through every open door 'Til I found the truth And I owe it all to you Girl: With my body and soul I want you more than you'll ever know Boy: So we'll just let it go Don't be afraid to lose control Girl: Yes I know whats on your mind When you say: "Stay with me tonight." Boy: Just remember You're the one thing Girl: I can't get enough of Boy: So I'll tell you something Both: This could be love because (CHORUS) Both: 'Cause I had the time of my life No I've never felt this way before Yes I swear it's the truth And I owe it all to you 'Cause I've had the time of my life And I've searched through every open door Till I found the truth and I owe it all to you *Instrumental* Boy: Now I've had the time of my life No I never felt this way before (Girl: Never Felt this way) Boy: Yes I swear it's the truth and I owe it all to you Both: 'Cause I had the time of my life And I've searched through every open door Till I've found the truth and I owe it all to you Both: "cause I've had the time of my life No I've never felt this way before Yes I swear it's the truth And I owe it all to you

Giant

By Mely Lerman, March 24th, 2011

Elizabeth Taylor – Liz Taylor - died yesterday.

Many would say she was the unforgettable Cleopatra, other the actress of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, or Suddenly, Last Summer or Graham Greene’s Comedians. She participated in a lot of great movies and was really talented.
On Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf I read the book, I saw the play twice and even so I was impressed by her and Richard Burton when I first saw the movie.

I am not crying for her – she had a wonderful life: success, money, beauty, 8 (or 9?) marriages, 5 Oscar nominations, 2 won, everything. I am not crying but I am remembering.

My first memory of her is on Elephant Walk. I was 12 years old. She was young and lovely. At first, dressed in white, she was the symbol of a distant world, far from Africa.
In Giant she was again the stranger (this time in Texas), pure again. The other side, contrary to all she represents is James Dean.
Never mind when –in life, in East of Eden, Rebels without a cause or Giant, James Dean was always the rebel without a cause. Angry, never accepting the conventions, he was the first swallow bringing the message of the sixties. In the years to come the rebels got causes and changed the World: the Black Panthers, Malcolm X, Paris in 68, Che Guevara, the whole Latin America, Women’s Lib, the Beatles, and Woodstock. The World would never be the same again.
Somehow Giant was part of this revolution. The movie brought a kind of intellectual courage not seen at the time on Hollywood, the first line of the American conservatism.
Difficult to people understand today but the last scene: two babies one white and one black in the same play-pen was a definitive no-no at the time.

Liz Taylor and James Dean remember me the Radio Head song:

“When you were here before
Couldn't look you in the eye
You're just like an angel
Your skin makes me cry
You float like a feather
In a beautiful world
I wish I was special
You're so fucking special

But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here”

She was an angel and he was a creep and at the moment he found oil in his land he came to claim her love.