Transcribing the Past

  Bildo: Manifestaciantoj protestas kontraŭ la ekzekuto de du gejaj adoleskantoj  la 5an de Aŭgusto 2005 en Manilo (Filipinoj) el neniammilitointerni Two LGBTQ activists Condemned to death in Iran The UN declared that it was "Very concerned" after the death sentence judgement in Iran against two same sex rights activists. They are accused of promoting homosexuality.  Both women, 31 year old Zahra Sedighi Hamedani and 24 year old Elham Chubdar were condemned to death by a tribunal in Urmia in the northwest of Iran.  "We are deeply concerned by the decision to sentence two LGBTQ activists to death in Iran" said Liz Throssell spokesperson for the bureau of rights at the UN.  She lamented that the two women were condemned "on the basis of a vague charge of `corruption on earth` and denied a fair legal trial".  This verdict is often given to those accused of violating the religious laws.  Homosexuality is prohibited in Iran, whose penal code punishes sexual...

  This from a radio program that runs on the BBC called Great Lives, essentially a series of audio biographies on people chosen by the guests. This episode on the life of Louise Michel was chosen by Paul Mason, this was in 2013 before he reminded us all that he is firmly a social democrat. He the host and the other guest Professor Carolyn Eichner author of Surmounting the Barricades Women and the Paris Commune. Link  https://youtu.be/yIv3P1p47Ro Its very comprehensive and covers her life from childhood to working as a teacher, to the Commune and her time in exile and her return to France. Louise Michel Great Lives Transcript. Matthew Paris Show Host: Our Great Life this week was known as the “Red Virgin of Motmartre” the “Red She-wolf” and “Bonne-Louise”, she’s also been called the “Grande dame of Anarchy”.   And she used the pseudonym Clémence. But she had a name, it was Louise Michel. She was a school teacher, writer, orator, anthropologis...

  Seven years ago Veteran's for Peace UK released a series of short satirical anti war Action Man adverts. The narrator was Matt Berry and the production values and scripting were incredible. Its some of the most affecting anti-militarism messaging I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot. Its short, its snappy, its explicit and doesn't pull its punches. I grew up in a military family and have seen relatives and friends go through struggles that are close but thankfully not as extreme as those depicted in the adverts. And as a kid I watched many adverts for the toy and had one of them which I used to play with fighting imaginary battles.  This campaign was provoked by the government's targeting of 16 year olds for recruitment. Its been on my mind ever since I first saw them. The English language compilation upload has done really well, with over 10 million views. However, I've always thought it was a shame that its message was limited to the Anglosphere. Yes, the Bri...