5 easy steps to vote in the next european parliament election

Confused? Don't know who to go for? Worry no more! Here you are the instructions to vote in the next European election and do no wrong*.

1. Look around you. If you see no problems then you are either very lucky, living in an isolated privileged pocket of Europe, or you have a perception problem and an inability for empathy, often times classified as, yes, psychopathy. In that case you can stop reading now and go back to whatever it is you were doing, torturing kittens, probably. Bastard.

2. You kept reading so you think the continent is fucked up. Don't worry, you're not alone. You might like kittens too. Stop thinking about kittens. Seriously, stop. Now, grab a ballot with all the political groups running for the European parliament in your constituency. Now, scratch out any party which has had any kind of political responsibility in government or has supported government policies in the last 20 to 30 years.

3. In the remaining list you will probably have some names you know nothing about and a few old acquaintances you know are just nutters. You will obviously avoid the latter (trying hard not to give names here...).

4. Do a quick search on the Internet and discard any group or party or individual that smiles or laughs at or uses irony and acts histrionically in response to what you reckon as reasonable, legit remarks and interventions by others. Also avoid those stating the obvious, those making you excited, those blaming ethnic, cultural or out-of-the-norm groups for all the trouble... Those who turn you into a bitter person, basically.

5. If you followed the previous steps, you should be left with a manageable bunch by now. And if you followed them right, none of the people in the list are directly responsible for the current state of affairs and are likely to genuinely want to make a difference. These are generally more specific in who they blame for the mess we're in. Vote for any of them. However, if you're still at a loss, vote for the one with the best logo. Aesthetic taste is always a plus and should be rewarded.

You're welcome.

*IF you want to vote, that is.

there was a girl, there was a society

There was a girl, a young girl, and her name was Urtza, from Ondarru in Basqueland, and she happened to be politically active.

One day the government decided she was a terrorist and sent the police to arrest her and prove that she was, in a part of the world where, as Amnesty International reports year in year out, torture is not only not prosecuted but encouraged. No wonder she confessed she was a terrorist! Later on she said she said so because she was tortured. Too late, she had already confessed, she had to go to jail for 5 years.

There was a society which decided it would take situations like this no more. And they gathered around Urtza to protect her from the police, with nothing to gain but dignity and a great deal to lose. And today, I thought I'd let you know, is the 5th day in which anonymous people are protecting this girl by standing or sitting next to each other and around her while she is in the middle of this bridge, waiting for the police to come.

Photo from http://badubadastm.talaios.net

アンダルシア // ez da ezer aldatu

Berlinen bizi nintzenean, pasaportea berritzeko, pasaportea hegoaldeko estatu horrena denez, euren egoitzara hurbildu nintzen. Nire txanda hel zedin itxaroten mahai gainean zeuden panfletoei begiratu eta bat aukeratu nuen. Espainiako Autonomien Estatua azaltzen zuen: zenbat autonomi erkidego mapan, hauen izen ofizialak euren hiriburuenekin, estatu buruaren argazkia, Borboitar Juan Carlos eta gobernukideena, presidentea, Felipe González, buru. Oso ondo, normala, Berlinen 1982-1996 artean bizi izan banintz. Azaldutako gertakizuna 2002koa da, ordea, Aznar pairatzen ari ginen 6. urtea zen, gehiengo osoko 2.a, Tiergarten inguruko Espainako enbaxada estreinatu berrian.

Pasadizo honek espainiar Estatuan aldaketa irudikatzeko, gauzatzeko, ezintasuna ilustratzen du. Galiziako Calvo Sotelo kale ugariek, Gaztelako Generalísimo etorbide anitzek , Bartzelonako Joan Tarradellas etorbidean 2009an erautsitako Primo de Riveraren monolitoak, oraindik han hemenka ikusgai diren zaldigaineko - edo bestelako jarreretan - eskultura higuingarriek, Instituto de la Vivienda plakek... adierazten duten legez. Aldatzeko borondate eza. Sinboloak mantentzen dira, sinboloek oraindik ere betetzen zuten eginkizuna betetzen dutelako, sinboloak oraindik ere onartuak direlako. Alemanian ez bezala, Italian ez bezala.

Hau guztia etxean, horren gaizki kudeatzen duten nazioa baino cortijo, hacienda, finca den Estatu espainiarrean. Baina honek, kanpora begira ere, badu bere eragina. Espainiako gobernuek ez dute inoiz nazioartean tranzisioa deritzon aldaketa ia mitologiko horren benetako aldarrikapenik egin. Ez dutelako inoiz sinetsi, ez zelako inoiz eman. Horregatik Google Maps-en El Ferrol del Caudillotik Santurce-Antiguora bidaia dezakezu, baina ez Ferroletik Santurtzira (edo ez behintzat orain gutxi arte). Horregatik, ia Frankismoa bezain luzea izan dugun dermokrazia honen 36. (?) urtean, Japonian pelikula bat egin, 'Andaluzia'* izena jarri eta afixeko diseinuan erakusten duten mapan Castilla la Vieja, Castilla la Nueva, Vascongadas. Kanpoan eta urrun ere badakitelako: ez da ezer aldatu.

*filmaren trailerra beherago ikusgai

Trailerra ikusita filma zergatik 'Andaluzia' deitu duten ez dakit, senyeraz betetako Bartzelona nonnahi agertzen bait da.

sometimes words shouldn't come easy (silences)

時には何も言わない方がいいです。時には暗黙何、沈黙何より言われている何よりも重要です。時には話せないほうがいいです。特に嘘をつくつもりなら。時にはシャットダウンするだけで良いでしょう。時には沈黙が優れています。

Batzuetan ezer ez esatea hobe. Batzuetan atzean dagoena, esaten ez dena, esaten dena baino garrantzitsuagoa da. Batzuetan hobe ez hitzegitea, batez ere gezurretan hasiko bazara. Batzuetan hobe muturra ez irekitzea.  Batzuetan isiltasuna hobe.

Sometimes it's better not to say anything at all. Sometimes what's implied, what's silenced is more important than what's being said. Sometimes it's better not to talk, especially if you're going to lie. Sometimes it's just better to shut the fuck up. Sometimes silence is better.

Parfois il vaut mieux ne rien dire du tout. Parfois, ce qui est implicite, ce qui est réduit au silence est plus important que ce qui se dit. Parfois il vaut mieux ne pas parler, surtout si vous allez mentir. Parfois c'est mieux de fermer la gueule. Parfois le silence est préférable.


SILENCE : JEAN SARKOZY 投稿者 systaime

Obama : Osama Bin Laden Dead / Silences 投稿者 systaime

Japan's emperor Silences 投稿者 systaime

Carla Bruni Sarkozy / Druckers : Silence ' 2 投稿者 systaime

VOEUX SARKOZY 2010 [ SILENCE ] 投稿者 systaime

Segolène Royal : Silence 投稿者 systaime

こちらはこのビデオした人のページです。
Hemen bideoen egilearen webgunea.
Here you are the site of these videos' author.  
Ici vous pouvez voir le site de l'auteur de ces vidéos.

AQUESTA ENTRADA ESTÀ DEDICADA A L'EDUARD DE VICENTE PER DESCOBRIR-ME AQUESTS VÍDEOS. MERCI MACO!
このエントリは、これらのビデオを発見して、エヅアルヅデビセンテに専用されている。 

Sarrera hau bideo hauei buruz jakinarazi didan Eduard de Vicenteri eskainia da.  

This entry is dedicated to Eduard de Vicente for making me aware of these videos.

Cette entrée est dediée à Eduard de Vicente pour me découvrir ces vidéos.

hieroglifikoa(k): bildu da...

Pic credit / Pic credit

Pic credit / Pic credit

Pic credit / Pic credit

stopBanque // run with your money, run for your life

Nik bezala, agian ez duzu bankuan diru askorik izango, baina Abenduak 7an denok diru guztia, daukaguna daukagula, kontutik ateratzen badugu, zerbait aldatzen hasteko aukera litzateke agian.

aizpearen lapsusa

Justy (El Mundo)

berria 2010.10.29: Etxepare Institutua "euskararen eta euskal kulturaren etxea" izango dela adierazi du Aizpea Goenaga Etxepare Institutuko zuzendariak; "euskal ekoizpen kultural guztiak du tokia etxe honetan: euskaraz egiten denak, gaztelaniaz egiten denak eta hizkuntzarik ez duenak".

Etxeparek 'Euskara, jalgi hadi mundura' esan zuen, ez 'Euskara, jalgi hadi mundura gazteleraren eskutik'. Eta zer esan nahi du 'hizkuntzarik ez duenak'? Zer da hizkuntza eza, Aizpea? Handia diglosia!

日本の外国人党

Intervention in the streets of Tokyo. Modified political campaign poster on official election propaganda boards.  

Posters were placed on space no. 5 on official election propaganda boards in various locations around Kita-ku and Arakawa-ku between 5 and 6 AM and removed a few hours later. Lack of financial as well as human resources didn’t make a broader and potentially more effective intervention possible. Maybe next election? 

Japan is a country with a very little immigration flow. And yet in the Japanese society, the idea of too many immigrants arriving and settling in is taking hold. However, statistically, Japan hardly does get any immigration, especially when compared to the rest of the industrialized countries. The outcry towards the conservation of traditional values, supposedly threaten by foreigners coming to Japan, towards keeping Japan Japanese and for the Japanese is, in some cases, almost hysterical. The struggle of the most concerned, the right-wingers driving through Tokyo in Japanese flagged black vans, is undertaken in western black suits and western black ties, which makes it funny, almost surreal, if not pathetic.

The government contributes to the idea of the 'bad gaijin*' with laws that imply the foreigner is a potential criminal, i.e., picture and fingerprints taken at airports or third generation Koreans, descendants of those kidnapped and forced to come to Japan and work as slaves, not being considered citizens and therefore not being able to take part in any election process let alone vote. The media, collaborates with these laws either by not talking about them or endorsing them with passion. The police ask to show their ID to anyone who does not look Japanese in the streets when not rioting into student guest houses. All this adds up to the idea that Japan does not welcome foreigners, and yet, there’s a big contradiction, as many Japanese love anything foreign and Japanese society itself is most welcoming. At least at first.

The 日本の外国人党 (Nihon no Gaikokujin To or Japan’s Foreigners’ Party) does not exist, but it could very well do, as it may be necessary. Such a party is rare in other industrialised countries, true, but that’s maybe because it is perfectly legal there. If other industrialised countries would do the same Japan does with their foreign residents, there would be no Kurdish and Turkish MPs in the German Reichstag, no black ministers in France, no presidents with non-Basque and non-Catalan origins in Basqueland and Catalonia... There wouldn’t even be a Sarkozy, whose father is Hungarian!  Didn’t we all agree racism is bad? Isn’t it politically incorrect to be openly racist also in Japan? Well these laws are racist.

The日本の外国人党 does not exist then, but its candidate does. His name is Heinz-Christian Strache and he is the president of the openly racist neo-Nazi FPÖ (Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs). Just thought it ironic that if for any reason someone like him would come to Japan, he would be in the very same situation he wants to put foreign people through in his country, Austria.

The message of this intervention is, as well as its staging, simple. The poster was taken from the original FPÖ campaign on their website, the original design maintained and new mottos related to Japan and its foreign residents were added. The almost childish in its evidence, populist if you want to and therefore not easy to contradict はい！外国人も人間です (Yes! Foreigners are also Human Beings), and the more political and related to the current injustice/tragedy people who are Japanese but not considered to be are living, (sometimes even by themselves): 平等な権利 (Equal Rights). The name of the candidate appears written in katakana.

 

*gaijin is slang for foreigner

amb molt de carinyo

azkenik // la finca del señorito

Han tenido que pasar más de 10 años para que la lógica se materialice. Por supuesto para que finalmente Renfe se integre en el sistema tarifario único no tiene nada que ver la bajada de usuarios ni que los que la gestionan desde Madrid hayan llegado a Ajuria Enea. El transporte público supeditado a la oportunidad política partidista.

La decisión, que en cualquier empresa pública regida por criterios de servicio público se hubiera de haber tomado cuando surge Creditrans, llega al mismo tiempo que la destitución del director del Consorcio de Transportes que siempre demandó la inclusión de Renfe al sistema. Surrealista: el responsable de la empresa que va mejor, que funciona, que mira por los usuarixs, destituído. Y el de Renfe Cercanías, el que hasta ahora se negaba a incluír Renfe en el sistema tarifario único por motivos claramente políticos, afectando a la movilidad de miles de personas en Ezkerraldea, provocando la sangría de usuarixs a lxs que les va mejor el metro y por tanto perdiendo dinero para la empresa, repito, pública, provocando también la sangría económica para lxs que no tienen otra que utilizar Renfe, claramente el transporte más caro de toda Bizkaia, no sólo no dimite sino que es mantenido y nos anuncia que a partir del 1 de julio la lógica triunfa. Tarde, muy tarde, más de 10 años tarde.

Qué país. Nos vamos ya, ¿o qué?.

happy fucked up worker's day!

 

May 2, International Day of the Workers who forgot May 1 because they're going through bad times on the dole.

...

2 de Maig, Diada Internacional dels/de les Treballadorxs els quals van oblidar-se'n de l'1 de Maig perquè són a l'atur passant-lo molt malament.

...

2 de Mayo, Día Internacional de lxs Trabajorxs que se olvidaron del 1 de Mayo porque lo están pasando muy mal en el paro.

...

2. Mai, Internationaler Tag der Arbeiter(inen) die haben den 1. Mai vergessen, weil sie durch schlechte Zeiten stempeln gehen.

...

2 de Maio, Día Internacional dxs Traballadorxs que esquecéron-se do 1º de Maio porque están a pasa-lo moi mal no paro.

...

2 Mai, Jour International des/de les Ouvrier(e)s qui vont oublier le 1er Mai parce que ils/elles vivent des temps difficiles au chomage.

...

５月２日、失業しているので５月１日忘れちゃった会社員の国際的日。

Schule-tik 学校-ra

ETBren webgunetik hartu dut argazkia.

Norberaren bizitzan hainbat gertakari memoriaren irratian (Anari dixit) noiz entzun genituen argi gogoratzen dugu, hots, gertatu zena gertatu zenean non geunden, zer egiten, norekin... gehiegi kosta barik gogoan dugu.

Adibidez, New Yorkeko Dorre Bikiena gertatu zenean Mamarigako jaiak ziren, guraso eta arrebarekin etxeko egongelan biharamuna pasatzen ari ginen, alfonbra gainean etzanda ni, telebistan ez dakit zer ikusten, bat batean Julio Ibarra 'ezbeharraz' hitz egiten agertu zenean (honekin ez naiz horren ziur, agian beste baten bat izango zen, baina ETB2 zen, hori bai). Bigarren hegazkina bigarren dorrea jo zuenean, etxean argi geneukan: ez zen ezbeharra izan, ez lehena, ez bigarrena.

Lady Di hil zenekoa ere gogoan dut. Irratia entzuten loak hartu ninduen eta gaueko ordu txikietan printzesaren eriotzaren berri ematen ari zirela esnatu nintzen. Zergatik ez galdetu. Lola Flores hil zenean antzeko pasadizo bat gogoan dudala uste dut, baina hori memoriaren ziria edo nerabetasunean lobako pasatutako gau askoren errua delakoan nago.

Madrilgo trenen atentatuaren goiz berean Bartzelonako Unibertsitateko Arte Eder Fakultateko Eskultura Ataleko zuzendari Jaume Ros Vallverdúrekin ez dut orain gogoan noren eskultura tailerrera joateko geratua nintzen. Fakultateko atetik irten eta berak eman zidan albistea. Kotxean sartu eta irratia pizteko baimena eskatu nion. Matarórako (Mataró al zen?) bidean buletinak eta hildakoak biderkatzen hasi eta ETA ez zela astakeria horren erantzule esan nion Jaumeri, ez zuela inodik inora zentzurik eta ETA balitz, bereak egin zuela.

Bushek Irak inbaditu zuenean Unter den Linden behera Sylvestre, Virginie, Armelle, Angeliki... eta milaka pertsona gehiagorekin Branderburgoko Atera abiatzen ari ginen. Justu hilabete bat lehenago, 2003ko Otsail hotz hark 20 zituen egunean FHTW eskolan negoen. Orain dela 7 urte izan zen, ondo gogoratzen dut, Euskaldunon Egunkaria itxi zutenean Berlinen nengoen, Arte Ederren azkenengo urtea bukatzen, ordenagailu gelan begi batekin berriak interneten irakurtzen, orain izenik ez duen baina garai haietan gogoko nuen neskari begiratzen bestearekin. 

Interneten bidez jabetu nintzen gertatzen ari zenaz eta interneten bidez jabetu naiz gertatzen ari denaz. Berlinen nengoela jabetu nintzen Audiencia Nacional eta Guardia Zibilaren berri paper baten aurkako basakeriaz eta Tokyon nagoela jabetu naiz Audiencia Nacional berak, 'oops, oker genbiltzan' esan eta Guardia Zibilak beste 10 euskalherritar Egunkaria ixteko argudio berekin gaur atxilotu dituenaz. Eskolan nengoela jabetu nintzen Egunkariaren itxiera maltzurraz eta eskolan nagoela jabetu naiz absoluzioaz.  Haurrentzako jolas-toki bat diseinatzen ari nintzela ikusi nituen Martxelo Otamendiren torturen osteko bideoak eta japoniera apunteak alboan ditudala 5 auzipetu/absolbituen zuzeneko agerraldia ikusi dut.

Ez dakit hemendik 7 urtera guzti hau gogoan izango edo orain zertan ari naizen gogoratuko dudan. Bada ez bada ere hemen idatzita utziko dut:


Apirilak 15 ditu gaur, gaueko hamarrak dira, nire gelan nago, birpasatu behar baina birpasatuko ez dudan japoniera liburua dut nire ezkerrera, arroz ensalada afaldu berria nere eskuinera, Bat For Lashesen Seal Jubileek xuabe ari du, gaueko bainua hartzen ari diren bi umeren farreak alboko etxetik heltzen zaizkit eta euskaraz idazten ari naizelako etakidea naizela, Japoniari estradizioa eskatu, bloga itxi, torturatu eta espetxeratu ahal nautenaz guztiz jabetzen naiz. 


Orain dela 7 urte gertatu zen, gaur egun gertatzen ari da.


PS: Egin gogora ekartzea ez da soberan, gauza bera izan bait zen. 

united colors of torture

I found this picture from long ago today. Putting it on here or not, I gave it much a thought. Basqueland's street walls appeared covered with images of Unai Romano's face one morning back then, and so they remained for many months, but I had the feeling nothing happened on anyone's minds, that people weren't moved by it, as if we Basques were immune to such things because they happen all the time, as if it were just another commercial campaign pretending to be shocking. So I pasted the logo of a company very well known for that kind of campaigns on the picture.

 

"Unai Romano was arrested in September 1999, and alleged that while he was held in the Civil Guard headquarters he was subjected to electric shocks to his ear-lobes and his testicles.

According to the conclusions in the forensic report, the injuries sustained by Romano "are multiple low-intensity blows to various parts of the head and cannot be justified by a single traumatism, which would have had to be extremely intense". Therefore, a Legal and Forensic Medicine expert ratifies Unai's version of events, whereby he told how he had suffered repeated blows to his head, with varying intensity and from behind.

This medical explanation and the latter statement to the court in order to ratify the contents of his report says: "it is highly unlikely that a voluntary frontal traumatism against a smooth wall, with no soft materials in between may produce a generalised oedema of the whole neurocraneum". The report concludes that "the blows sustained by Unai Romano were dealt from behind, on the sides and upper part of the skull and not on the frontal region".

Copy&pasted from amesty.org (before and after pictures too)

immer wieder

'gehiengo berria'

Iturgaiz aboga por cambiar de himno y modificar el escudo del País Vasco

Carlos Iturgaiz cree que es la hora de que Patxi López se comprometa a cambios concretos. Lo primero, según dice, es que "El Árbol de Guernica" se convierta en el himno oficial del País Vasco. También aboga por modificar el escudo para suprimir el cuartel navarro.


(copy&paste de libertaddigital.com)

eusko jaurlatxirla

Bakezaleak, alderdien lege eta epaile-superstarraren kontrakoak... kolirio malkoak, aurpegi gogorrak. Laqua, Lehendakatxirlaren argazkia uzten dizuet. Atzo Bilbon egon zinetenontzat, posta.

freedom of speech, the spanish way

On a day like today 5 years ago the spanish police shut down 'Euskaldunon Egunkaria', the then only daily newspaper published in Basque. The back then ruling Popular Party also closed another basque paper in 1998, 'Egin' and their sister radio station 'Egin Irratia'. ETA was the excuse, but nobody has been condemned nor obviously compensated since.