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Westley Heine on "Chicago: tale of two cities"

Westley Heine — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:32:46 +0100

Mr. Charles Shaw,

How have you been? This is Wes Heine, the creator of that short film "Trail of Quetzalcoatl" with Daniel Pinchbeck. Thank you again for your help with that project. I'd like to repay you with a new venture.

I am on the board with a group called Wicker Park Nights. We are planning and event entitled: AN END OF DAYS; THE RESURRECTION OF THE ARTIST IN ALL OF US.

It will take place inside a very large, and recently abandoned, church in Wicker Park. There will be art and live music as well as speakers.

I always liked you columns, and at the showing of Zeitguist I thought you were a great group speaker. I'd like to officially invite you to do speak at this event (date still pending). I'd leave the subject to your discretion, the theme is broad, but basically what you feel are some signs of the times and how the world is rapidly changing.

You can learn more at:

http://wickerparknights.com/

Hope to hear from you soon,

- Wes Heine

PS
How is your book going? & feel free to use you work in the lecture if you wish.

I had a brief appearance in Conscious Choice last year:
http://consciouschoice.com/2008/02/oor_infinigon0802.html

not so blond on "Intelligence, inequality and race "

not so blond — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:38:09 +0100

intelligence is wat u make of it

Hassan Samrhouni on "Barack Obama, Moroccan Ali, and me"

Hassan Samrhouni — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 07:08:53 +0000

Here is why It should be Morocco

What do you call an Arab, Muslim and African country who was the first to recognize the United States independence?
Kingdom of Morocco

What do you call a moderate, tolerating, peaceful country who is the strongest ally to the United States in the region?
Kingdom Of Morocco.
What do you call Obama's first speech in Morocco after his inauguration?
A historical moment.

The Moroccan Community is one of the fastest growing communities in the USA, Moroccan Americans Democrats, republicans and independents are inviting President Elect Obama to Make Morocco the home for his first foreign policy speech abroad.

Morocco is the ideal country to launch a message of peace to the Muslim world.
A peace loving country with a respected voice in the region, Morocco is a long time friend of the United States and would be proud to host President Elect Barack Obama in this historical event.

Morocco is well positioned to hold this great event .Besides the long standing ties and good relations Morocco has with the US for over 200 years, there are many other factors that would lead the new elected Leader, Mr. Barack Obama to give a speech in Morocco .

Morocco enjoys political stability, a stability that is continuously strengthened as Morocco builds a modern democracy in the spirit of freedom, openness and tolerance.

Morocco is also well positioned as a Western ally in the global war on terror.

Morocco offers a rich and widely diversified potential as it is strategically located on both the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, within 7 miles from Europe and serves as a gateway to both Africa and the Arab world. The diversity of Amazigh, Arabs, and Jews, who have lived side by side for centuries, as well as its close ties to Europe, has made Morocco a different country than many of its neighbors.

Mr. President Elects Obama, please accept our invitation. Not only do we support your vision for change, but we are ready to help you make it happen. Let this speech in Morocco be the start of a new day for America's relation with the Muslim World
www.obamatospeakinmorocco.com/home/
Hassan Samrhouni
Founder of Obama to Speak in Morocco

Charles Shaw on "Chicago: tale of two cities"

Charles Shaw — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:10:50 +0000

Hi Jill,

Please do offer us your observations on the Washington era. I have my own, but they didn't really fit into this theme.

IMO it was such a short period of time, and nothing was really accomplished, except for the symbolism of the election itself.

* * * * * * *

Charles Shaw

Author/Activist

Editor, The Dictionary of Ethical Politics

jill benderly on "Chicago: tale of two cities"

jill benderly — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 13:20:43 +0000

good piece but it's a shame you blinked over Harold Washington's era

opendemocracy on "Chicago: tale of two cities"

opendemocracy — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:35:26 +0000

Thank you for the correction, kathlulu. Tony

kathulhu on "Chicago: tale of two cities"

kathulhu — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:34:05 +0000

Nice article homeboy! Love Chicago, love/hate the politics.

FWIW, "Gehry" not "Geary".

Not logged in on "Barack Obama, Moroccan Ali, and me"

Not logged in — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:14:02 +0100

SUBTLE RACISM

I'd like to thank you for this beautiful article . Even though i don't agree with everything you said i am happy that outsiders are somewhat noticing what is going on in Europe . Cause let me tell you African- Immigrants in Europe have absolutely NO representation in European media. But to respond to the last part about subtle racism the answer to your wish is NO nothing is gonna be or has been mild as far as subtle racism goes. See you Black Americans have done very well for your selfs : you top the entertainment business, Black serious senators, Black TV-shows, Black Movies, Black newspapers, Black News reporters, Black athletes, Black Entrepreneurs and lets not forget a serious Black candidate for the White House. With all the subtle racism you Black Americans face you have POWER to respond and more importantly be HEARD. Now as for the African Europeans we don't have peep. Why ? well #1 language barriers French Africans Dutch Africans Belgium Africans don't speak the same language and so for its hard to unite or speak to a whole audience #2 numbers there are approximately 10 million Africans in Europe divided over four country's Spain, France, The Netherlands and Belgium #3 separation in Europe its hard to have very big minority communities living in the same part of a city so its hard for us to create our own Harlem if you will And since there is no unity under Africans there is also no real community so it quickly becomes a save your own ass situation so there are no rules given to African Celebrities on how to act when on television for example i watched a Moroccan celebrity say on a all white program in front of a all white audience 'We sand niggers cant do nothing right' although joking was the purpose you probably know what the consequences of such a joke can be especially when there are no alternative perspectives shown on prime time day time or any time TV. So living in Europe as an educated African the frustration is somewhat comparable to the pain of a knife in your back and a hand on your mouth not allowing you to scream and yell out the pain. I'm not trying to victimize my self but i wonder if you to get a certain headache on top of your eyes just under your eyelids when you think of Subtle Racism. Just a few months ago a Moroccan stabbed 2 police officers not killing them but lightly injuring them a police officer responded by killing him in self defense of course later it became known that the young 21 year old called Bilal was suffering from Schizophrenia. Not to insult your intelligence but to clarify that Schizophrenia is not a split personality but it is a mental condition in where the victim suffers from, confusion, Delusions, Hallucinations, hearing voices and sometimes became aggressive it is a fact that most patients who suffer from this mental illness are suicidal. Now a new investigation has shown that this illness is diagnose 3 times more under African Immigrants then under White Europeans. It is also a scientific FACT that this disease is caused by strong feelings of not fitting in with the masses or not having a clear vision of who you are and where you belong. Talk about Subtle Racism.

Much love and Keep up the good work,
( and even if you not respond its a relief just writing this )
An African brother,
Youssef

Cheap Brochure Printing on "Morocco’s illusory democracy "

Cheap Brochure Printing — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:36:18 +0100

You touched a sensible chord when you said many people died so we can vote. Of course, it wasn't just about voting but this is a major development for us and we should take advantage of it and express our political preferences.

spamgreg on "France’s two worlds"

spamgreg — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 22:47:17 +0000

About the french law of carrying an identity card : it is necessary as we are not protected from unwanted incomers by a sea. In fact anybody may come into France by merely walking.
It is very rare to be checked by the police, unless one looks like a offender. I work in IT, with many stranger-origin people, and I assure you that they are not more, or only slightly more, checked than me (twice in my life). But one important point is that they dress well, and don't jump over turnstiles at train stations (one major way to be checked and get a fine).

The french police do not especially like checking people, nor do they gain from it. They gain from arresting offenders. Yes, they check people with a browner skin and particular, for instance an integrist look, or an USA-imported look (you know, the ugly US pants where the briefs are visible), and listening to loud rap music. There is a simple explanation : by heuristics the police know they have a better chance to take an offender. That's also why they don't check much girls, it wouldn't happen so if they were only racists.

Another proof is that, in french jails 50 percent to 80 percent of prisonners are Muslims, but only 7 to 8 percents of the total population. If you can read french, please confer to FARHAD KHOSROKHAVAR 's study at http://www.prison.eu.org/article.php3?id_article=7700

As KA Dilday seems to live in a Paris suburb, she can't have not seen the "sport" of jumping over turnstiles at train stations. Who play that sport ? A massive proportion, perhaps 90 percent are black or brown, that is an unescapable fact. Same for smoking in places where it is forbidden, or listening too loud music, or spitting on the ground, or smoking cannabis. Just take the D line to Evry, you will understand.

It is true but shocking to read that these youth are "in a war with the police". It is not normal and these youth have most of the responsibility for that. As for the three boys who clambered into a power generator to escape the police, they are fit for a "Darwin award". Last week, and internal inquiry from the Police has ended, it has concluded that the police has done nothing wrong and is not responsible from these boys frying themselves.

Mind you, many others black or brown people manage quite well in the french society, have good job, etc., and the french society is rather open to them. The rate of stranger-origin people who marry someone of indigenous-origin is just 10 times higher than in Britain...

spamgreg on "France’s two worlds"

spamgreg — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 22:40:36 +0000

(continued)
It is true but shocking to read that these youth are "in a war with the police". You suggest that it is because the police is bad with them and checks their ID too often.
But these youth are also attacking Firemen, and Firemen don't ask your ID card, ok ? These youth are also in a feud with... their siblings from other districts, who don't ask their ID card either.

So, in fact, the asking ID card has nothing to do with their problem : these youth are in what canonlybe called a tribal behavior, attacking everyone who is not from their "tribe", including the Whites, the police, the Firemen, their own teacher, etc.
And where do the very most of these problem youth, or their parents, come from ? Africa. And what hapens in Africa, currently ? Hmmm ? Kenya, Democratic Congo republic, Somalia, Darfur ? Ethnic wars.

So the dots are connected. These problem youth from the "problemsome suburbs" act so because they are, and act as, African people.

mirvana on "Language, immigration and citizenship"

mirvana — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 19:29:57 +0000

I live in macedonia and I am albanian. Even the albanians are native people here in Republic of Macedonia our language is not official language, so what can you say for this.\\ Sincerely Mirvana

JFox on "Intelligence, inequality and race "

JFox — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 11:47:17 +0000

Intelligence may be defined as a quality of intellect believed to be unequally distributed in a population and whose definition satisfies the intellectual pretensions of those who claim to be able to measure it. We still know very little about how our brains work; but what is certain is that we can only display our ability through interaction with our environment. If someone is brought up with books, he/she will find easier it to negotiate literary discourse than - say - the average Kalahari Bushman. But I would bet on the latter surviving more successfully if both were set the challenge of negotiating Namibia on foot. Great sports men and women may have extraordinary hand-eye coordination, timing and reaction times. These are brain functions just as much as those that permit a Harvard philosophy scholar to penetrate the darker pages of Hegel. Is James Watson more intelligent than Roger Federer? Depends on the test.

Felix Cohen on "Intelligence, inequality and race "

Felix Cohen — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 14:01:28 +0000

Good discussion of the social side of IQ testing; and you managed not to mention the Bell Curve once! The thing I find most interesting in IQ testing is the Flynn effect, whereby average IQ scores across a population seem to increase by significant amounts each generation; most IQ tests have to be restandardised occasionally as a result of this. Everyone getting smarter, or just more education focus on answering the questions right...

alfredo.bremont on "Defenders of the nation "

alfredo.bremont — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 22:07:22 +0100

First we must understand the nature our civilisation has given to wars; wars dwell on 3 mayor principles; security, identity, and stimulation. Security we have got on our millions cameras that surround the nation ,on the speeches of Gordon Brown Sarkosy and George Bush, the war on terror and the anguish that the many bombs exploding in London Madrid and New York have created on the minds of many of our entertain citizens. The French as we all know are planning to follow the same path as Britain and Washington and implement, bionic passports, infrared identity cards and millions of surveillance televisions all over the nation in order to secure the population, the last’s French president Jacques Chirac won his election on the banner of security. Identity the second factor that moulds wars can be perceived once again by the French and their DNA test and minister of national identity. However France is a nation build by feudal families, not by presidents and is a mixture of Germans Latin’s and Spanish, therefore there is not a true Frenchmen for that matter neither is there a pure race. All this is on the name of identity as it is the European Union and its followers and sceptics. Stimulation has as opposite to boredom and we do entertain ourselves watching the many bombs that were drop on Iraq, Afghanistan and Haiti; from G I JOE to the video games and strings of films that were develop from the last two wars on Iraq. Today we find ourselves once again in front of a dilemma and at the beginning of a new war, which purpose is to identify and give the many Americans, and Frenchmen an identity and a reason to be secure and safely guarded from the Iranian evil intend, a nation that has never attacked another nation neither invaded anyone. But G W, Sarkosy and Gordon Brown are certain that the evil Iranians will do the trick therefore we will entertain you, protect you and make you proud of your origins, call them barbarians and we the civilise lot will democratise their realm. pilot you away from boredom and shall offer you meat for the newspapermen to chew on, divert you via CNN and fox news and at the end enrol Hollywood once again on his fateful duty of recreating war hero’s and sitcoms.