HUMANITY?

Update
It looks like most of the peace activists held since Monday are now being released either back to Turkey or to their own countries.

However, some activists are still being held by the Israelis. It is still not sure if they are all Arab-Israelis.

Abid Mahi - A British film maker is also amongst the activists in the flotilla. He has not yet arrived back in Britain.


A full list of those who were killed has not yet been confirmed but it is thought that most were of Turkish nationality.


Reports today are saying that 10 PEACE activists were killed (read murdered), by Israeli commandos on the peace flotilla that was heading towards Gaza. This is a despicable act of state terror towards civilians. Israel is already operating an apartheid system in Palestine and has no qualms in murdering innocent men, women and children in the name of security.

Israel seems to get away with everything it does without any real condemnation or action from the International community including 'Muslim' countries in the Middle East.

For us ordinary people, apart from writing to our MPs and raising awareness of what is going on in Palestine, we can try to boycott any Israeli goods that we come across in protest.

Attack in Pakistan
Last week, two Ahmadiya mosques in Lahore were targetted by terrorists leaving 70 worshippers dead. It leaves me asking what did this achieve? It leaves me asking what makes us human?

Drawings of a prophet?

Reuters

May 20th was 'Everybody Draw Muhammed Day', contrary to belief, this was not a campaign led by Molly Norris. Instead it was the 'brainchild' of a pathetic idiot who thought it would some how symbolise the war against censorship.

In reaction to the facebook page, the Pakistani authorities put a temporary ban on facebook and a number of other facebook pages were started calling for the boycott of facebook by muslims.

Catch up

We have a new Con/Lib coalition in place and the country is thus far, still functioning as normal. David Cameron and Nick Clegg, or Davnick as I will now call them are positively in love with each other right now. Gone are the lovers' tiffs on television or during parliamentary question times; the election marriage and now subsequent honeymoon period have cemented (for now) the (doomed?) relationship. (Read into brackets what you will)...so what have Davnick got in store for us? Well apparently this is a new era in politics...I suppose it's the first time we've seen a co-alition like this so to an extent the statement rings true. However, I'm not sure how liberal policies can easily sit next to tory ones. Sure, they both agree on not having a third runway...hurrah...or I.D cards...again hurrah, but what about the real issues of transport and the real issues on civil liberties? Can this new era of politics deliver? Only time will tell...and what of the broken 'New Labour'...pff!!! Gordon has gone into hibernation (not difficult in the current climate) and now Ed and David are having their playground tiffs in front of the nation. Are we to expect a Blair/Brown type agreement? Will Ed Balls scupper their plans? Will John Mcdonnell rally his comrades and the unions to fight his corner? Exciting times ahead and difficult decisions to be made. I for one am back in 'lovish' with politics. It's a dirty game but as with that other game that is always in the news for being dirty (ask John Terry, Ashley Cole, Ribery etc), you don't have to play the whole 90 minutes, there are opportunities for spectacular own goals, extra time often yields surprises and it's all down to your skill and stamina...Let's see who lasts the distance.

Election 2010

I've resisted writing about the Election till now...and trust me, my fingers were itching to get typing; but resist I did until today. The eve of a new dawn...ok that's a bit over dramatic but for me anyway, this is the first time since the 1997 election which swept New Labour in, that I have actually felt like it matters. Yes, this election matters because a lot has changed since 1997, and a lot has changed since 2001 and 2005.

Now I'm not advocating a particular party because to tell you the truth, I'm still sitting on the fence. For the first time however I'm taking part in a local election which has both a bnp and National Front candidate. How sick? How horrific? what has happened to multi cultural Britain? How has this happened? I ask myself.

So yes, this election matters, because I will not sit by and let fascism creep in through the back door of disaffection. Politics is a dirty game if you want to play dirty. The expenses scandal is testimony to this. Unpopular wars have made foreign policy a hugely contentious issue alongside the dreaded subject of Immigration. A

Apparently, people are voting BNP because they feel like they're being ignored and it's all about the recession and housing. No it's not. It's because they're stupid and don't realise who and what they're letting in. So if you want to remain stupid and vote in nasty, violent fascists who pretend to be otherwise, then use your democratic right. But please don't say it's a 'protest' vote..if you want to protest, vote Green.

And for all those Muslims out there who say it's haraam to vote, well, the next time your road has pot holes, and the planning permission for your mosque is rejected, or funding for your local group/organisation gets cut, then blame yourself for not voting for a person you thought would represent you.

Live Earth hypocrisy

Update
This is an email I sent to DOW. I'm awaiting a response and will post it here when it comes along.

Dear Sir/Madam,
I recently came across the Live Earth, Run for water campaign. I applaud your involvement in this campaign but am wondering what you are doing to help ensure that the people of Bhopal, India are also being given the chance to access clean water and live free from the effects of the union carbide gas leak in 1984. I understand that DOW took over Union Carbide back in 1999 and yet the people of Bhopal are still suffering from the after effects of the pollution caused by the leak.
I would appreciate your response.
Thank you

I'm just back from Pakistan and Dubai and had lots to write about. Then I came across this story about Live Earth and it made me really mad. I know it's hard to always stand by your principles...I know I've boycotted Starbucks for ages but have now caved in a few times...but charities have an obligation to make sure they have robust policies in place when dealing with any partnerships.

If you go onto www.liveearth.org 'Run for water' campaign page, you will see a link to its event partners including DoW. The blurb for DoW is as follows:
"With sales of $58 billion in 2008 and 46,000 employees worldwide, Dow is a diversified chemical company that combines the power of science and technology with the "Human Element” to constantly improve what is essential to human progress. The Company delivers a broad range of products and services to customers in approximately 160 countries, connecting chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help provide everything from fresh water, food and pharmaceuticals to paints, packaging and personal care products. On April 1, 2009, Dow acquired Rohm and Haas Company, a global specialty materials company with sales of $10 billion in 2008 and 15,000 employees worldwide"

Pretty impressive, especially the bit about 'human progress'. Tell that to the thousands of people in Bhopal, India, affected by the Union Carbide chemical leak in 1984. Dow owns Union Carbide, albeit the acquisition was after the disaster. When you buy a company you take on the good and the bad. Take a look at www.bhopal.org if you want to see how 'bad' it is.

What makes this partnership even more disgusting is that Live Earth's campaign is about access to clean water for people.
This is the blurb from their website:
"The Dow Live Earth Run for Water – to take place April 18, 2010 – will consist of a series of 6 km run/walks (the average distance many women and children walk every day to secure water) taking place over the course of 24 hours in countries around the world, featuring concerts and water education activities aimed at igniting a tipping point to help solve the water crisis"

I wonder whether they're going to have an event in Bhopal???

Pretty things

I've been in a rather sombre mood lately...a variety of reasons that I won't go into right now. So I thought it high time that I talked about things that make me happy.

I'm generally a happyish kind of person. Yes, politics and the London underground always seem to have the ability to annoy me and get my blood pressure up, but the list of people/things/events that make me smile is far far greater.

Anyone that knows me will be able to immediately pick on my love of traditional Islamic/South Asian/Arab art. I enjoy the ability to lose myself in the geometric symmetry that is so perfect in an imperfect world. I love the swirls of floral patterns from Mughal architecture that capture the beauty of nature in stone and marble as well as through paintings. I could very easily spend hours in the V and A taking random photos or copying designs for no reason in particular other than they give me joy whenever I go back to look over them.

Our home is a mish mash of different influences. I have religious art on the walls, mosaiced mirrors and candle holders, floral ceramics and glassware from Turkey, Morocco and India. If I had the money I'd completely 'redo' the house and garden, but since I don't, it's the pretty little things I have that make the house our home. I still have a bare wall awaiting its guest; A Kashmiri wall hanging of 'the tree of life'. I want to have one especially made, or find something that I think will fit into the general look I'm going for. I haven't yet succumbed to ordering something from the internet as you never quite know what you're going to end up with until you physically see it. So the wall remains bare as it has been for the last three years. When I do eventually find what I'm looking for, it will hopefully be well worth the wait:)

I recently came across a few really pretty things that I'd love to have, although I need to make a bit of room in the kitchen/cupboards before I purchase any other nick nacks


This pretty cake stand is from Watts London and I love the rest of the 'Kinnersley' collection. I've been looking for a cake stand for a while now and this one ticks all the boxes.

I was also watching a programme about the Mosque in Granada, Spain where Munira Mendonca, a local artisan was being interviewed


Again her work is all the more lovely for being hand made and not mass produced. I may just contact her to ask if she runs art classes..

If any of you managed to visit the Hiroshi Suzuki exhibition, you lucky things! The closest I got, was staring longingly at the posters lining the walls of the underground. If only I had a few thousand pounds to spare on his work :)







To help you create a more boudoir look to your room, you can't go wrong with this over the top chair from 'Belle Interiors'



More pretty things coming soon

Capitalism or bust

I had a meeting yesterday, in Westfield shopping centre. For those of you who don't know Westfield, it's the largest shopping centre in Europe with a designer section called 'The Village' and the usual list of high street brands.

The meeting was only arranged there because it was local to the person I was meeting who is 8 months pregnant; and there are a whole load of coffee places to sit at and talk shop.

After the meeting, I had to grab a few things from Boots and pick up a birthday present for my nephew. The shopping centre was surprisingly busy for a weekday and come 4pm was buzzing with school kids from the local area. I hate shopping on my own, whether it's for groceries, clothes, anything. It's always nice to have company and someone elses opinions. So I limited my spending and bought only the things I needed and no money spent on a whim. Yesterday was not a 'shopping experience' rather a necessary whizz around with a quick bite to eat in the middle.

A lot of people I know don't like Westfield, for the same reason they don't like the Bull ring in Birmingham, The Trafford Centre in Manchester or Bluewater in Kent. Unlike the high street, which is open air, with an eclectic mix of chain stores, independent shops and cafes as well as the fast emerging poundlands (a sign of our times)..these huge buildings have no 'soul'. If you want one symbol to sum up capitalism at its best then shopping 'malls' fit the bill.

I remember the first day Westfield opened. I had a day off for a hospital appointment and popped in to see what all the fuss was about. There is nothing mind bogglingly different about Westfield. Same shops, same look, same facilities. I mean we all shop, eat and go to the loo right?

The only interesting thing about Westfield is its collection of designer brand boutiques. They are positioned away from the main shopping area in a section called 'The Village'. Haute Couture and high end fashion brands have never really struck me as being well suited to shopping centres. Surely the whole allure of high end fashion is exclusivity. What is so exclusive about Westfield? Yet here they sit almost side by side to Zara and H and M, albeit with a champagne bar in the middle.

The answer is of course common sense commercial capitalism. Ms. Chocolate barfi blogs may not find herself ordinarily frequenting Gucci or Louis Vuitton on a regular basis when in the West End. Yet in Westfield you almost do it by accident. In one shop and out the other on automatic. Realisation only hitting when you look at the price tag and think 'have they added a nought?' The very fact you have to look at the price tag immediately informs the attentive sales person that you are not where you belong (if the shop was in Knightsbridge) but here in Westfield, you are the buyer who can be persuaded to buy into a little bit of luxury because well, doesn't it feel good to walk around with a Miu Miu bag in amongst all the Radleys and Nicas. Who cares about not eating for a week.

I'm happy to say although salivating at a Miu Miu bag, I was not persuaded to part with £600 for a bag. My mother for one would never forgive me for spending that much money on something that will only end up carrying my snotty tissues and leaking pens. Instead, I ate a piece of cake costing £3.99 (even hummingbird cupcakes are cheaper) and a coffee. Yes, I was happy that I had emerged into the sunlight with only two bags of goods and my self defined semi-socialist head held high.

On the way home on the tube, I happened to stand next to someone with a 'Capitalism is crap' badge on his jacket. A kindred spirit I said to myself. Although I think we were both mistaken; he was reading a digital book which probably cost him a few hundred quid.

In the end, high end boutiques and high street chains are happy neighbours in Westfield. Although I'm sure 'The Village' is a message saying 'we don't like people from outside our village, we just tolerate them for the tourist season. Makes economic sense'