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Lorna Mills and Sally McKay
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A lot of you will already be reading Baghdad Burning, the "girl blog from Iraq." We just found out about it through Book Ninja. It's really good, sad and stressful, but as I said to Von Bark, it feels like a big relief to hear a voice from inside the situation. An example from March 18:
I’m sitting here trying to think what makes this year, 2006, so much worse than 2005 or 2004. It’s not the outward differences- things such as electricity, water, dilapidated buildings, broken streets and ugly concrete security walls. Those things are disturbing, but they are fixable. Iraqis have proved again and again that countries can be rebuilt. No- it’s not the obvious that fills us with foreboding.
The real fear is the mentality of so many people lately- the rift that seems to have worked it’s way through the very heart of the country, dividing people. It’s disheartening to talk to acquaintances- sophisticated, civilized people- and hear how Sunnis are like this, and Shia are like that… To watch people pick up their things to move to “Sunni neighborhoods” or “Shia neighborhoods”. How did this happen?
I read constantly analyses mostly written by foreigners or Iraqis who’ve been abroad for decades talking about how there was always a divide between Sunnis and Shia in Iraq (which, ironically, only becomes apparent when you're not actually living amongst Iraqis they claim)… but how under a dictator, nobody saw it or nobody wanted to see it. That is simply not true- if there was a divide, it was between the fanatics on both ends. The extreme Shia and extreme Sunnis. Most people simply didn’t go around making friends or socializing with neighbors based on their sect. People didn't care- you could ask that question, but everyone would look at you like you were silly and rude.
There is a protest going on right now against Canada's "adoption of U.S-style enforcement policies" with regards to illegal immigrants. Portuguese people, among others, are being deported out of Toronto. It's been making the news because of the large number of illegal Portuguese immigrants working in the construction industry. Apparently there were recently raids conducted at Dufferin Mall, where people were stopped and asked for their papers. This is my neighbourhood and these are my neighbours. It feels pretty awful. A colleague of mine said the other day that it is immigrants who will be the first to feel the oppressive tactics of right wing government. For the rest of us the suffering will come later. Here is the mandate from the No One is IIlegal website, the group who organised today's protest:
No One is Illegal (Toronto) is a group of immigrants, refugees and allies who fight for the rights of all migrants to live with dignity and respect. We believe that granting citizenship to a privileged few is part of a racist immigration and border policy designed to exploit and marginalize migrants. We work to oppose these policies, as well as the international economic policies that create the conditions of poverty and war that force migration. At the same time, we also work to support and building alliances with our Indigenous brothers and sisters in their fight against displacement and the ongoing theft of their land.
Our demands:
- National Regularization Program for non-status people
- An end to detentions and deportations
- An immediate end to security certificates and secret trials
- An end to racial or religious profiling
- Recognition of the right to free movement
- Recognition of Indigenous sovereignty
Tom Moody just posted the some sound in progress that he and John Parker are working on for a Mods and Rockers show I'm curating that opens May 12th at York Quay Centre (part of digifest). I'll be putting up a full and proper blurb next week. The artists are working in teams: Myfanwy Ashmore & Lorna Mills, Chandra Bulucon & Andrew J. Paterson, Rob Cruickshank & Veronica Verkley, Tom Moody & John Parker. Tom and John have been posting their work in progress and its fantastic. You can follow their collaboration from the links at www.eyekhan.com.
Yes I do accept assignments...at my discretion. Rob Cruickshank sent me this link to a flying-through-space Christopher Walken with a note: "This effect needs to be overused on your blog, with or without Mr. Walken." Hence the flying pod. It's easy as pie! (Actually its a lot easier than pie. Pie is kind of tricky because you have to make the crust.) The original Space Walken post is at Mighty Optical Illusions. Here's their recipe, pretty much as it was posted by Vurdlak:
This ubercool Illusion of Christopher Walken [green pod in my case] flying through space [over ocean] is our newest submission. Believe it or not, this magical "animated" illusion is a composition of only four frames. The second two are just color-inverted originals (with small modification in shiftment from the original). It gives you opinion Chris [pod] is drifting through galaxy [over ocean], while in fact he's [it's] just leaning milimeter back and fourth for our photo-session ;)
I forgot to mention: the film Rhinocerous Eyes is really really fun. You need a bit of tolerance for f#*cked-up-stalker stories, but the script is really funny, the acting is great and the animation is visually and conceptually satisfying on many levels of detail. I love the nose made out of a spinning blue plastic rabbit. No more spoilers.
