PEACE JOURNALISM PERSPECTIVE
EDITORIAL
Longer, but Less Meaningful Lives?
Nº 451 | Johan Galtung, 24 Oct 2016 – TRANSCEND Media Service
We are now living the accelerating history of the end of the US empire, in the wake of about 11 in Europe; and the general decline and fall of Western hegemony. Yet, EU creates an EU Army HQ, USA elects a president known for belligerence, Brexit England revives symbols of an empire long since gone; finding meaning in war and domination. Far better would have been for all three to lift up the bottom living in misery.
TMS PEACE JOURNALISM
What Is Peace Journalism?
Posted by Antonio C. S. Rosa | Editor – TRANSCEND Media Service
Profs. Jake Lynch and Dietrich Fischer reply to the question.
NOBEL LAUREATES
Myanmar’s Rohingya Continue to Suffer Systematic Extortion, Abuse
Physicians for Human Rights, Nobel Peace Laureates – TRANSCEND Media Service
Report from Physicians for Human Rights Shows Severe Persecution Contributes to Cycle of Poverty and Despair among Rohingya Minority
OTHER COMMENTARIES
BIOGRAPHIES
Prof. Johan Galtung (24 Oct 1930)
Posted by Antonio C. S. Rosa | Editor – TRANSCEND Media Service
Johan Vincent Galtung was born in Oslo, Norway on the same day that the UN would come to existence 15 years later. He was jailed for six months at age 24 as a Conscientious Objector to military service. In jail he wrote his first book, Gandhi’s Political Ethics, together with his mentor, Arne Næss. This event would trigger a world-changing lifetime work for peace: 167 books, plus.
NONVIOLENCE
Nonviolence Charter: Progress Report #9 (Oct 2016)
Robert J. Burrowes, Anita McKone & Anahata Giri – TRANSCEND Media Service
This is the latest six-monthly report on progress in relation to ‘The People’s Charter to Create a Nonviolent World’ together with a sample of news about Charter signatories and organizations. Our collective effort to build a worldwide consensus against the use of violence in all contexts continues to make progress, even against rather overwhelming odds!
CONFLICT RESOLUTION / MEDIATION
Peacekeeping: Fiction vs. Reality
T.J. Petrowski | Dissident Voice – TRANSCEND Media Service
The word peacekeeping is like the word terrorism: it is meaningless on its own and able to be molded to serve the interests of a political clique. Peacekeeping “is usually an instrument for the attempted realization of a political…project that perpetrators lacking mass support are seeking.”
BY TRANSCEND MEMBERS
A Drinker’s Hamlet
Anthony Marsella, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service
Ah, to drink, and with our sips
To end the heartaches and the thousand natural shocks Flesh is heir to;
Nay, to refrain, and with the virtue
Therein derived,
Face the onslaught, full strength alone.
Aye, that’s the rub!
Interview on Palestine for Middle East Eye with Hilary Wise
Richard Falk | Global Justice in the 21st Century – TRANSCEND Media Service
I want above all that Palestine will not suffer the fate of other oppressed people, and be written off as ‘a forgotten struggle,’ or worse, ‘a lost cause.’ “Apartheid, annexation, mass displacement and collective punishment have become core policies of the state of Israel.”
Natural Rights: A Solution in the 18th Century, a Problem in the 21st
Howard Richards – TRANSCEND Media Service
Individual and Human Rights – Let’s talk about natural rights. What shall we say? Well, let’s begin the way students in law schools begin when they brief a legal opinion to prepare for a class. They read the dissenting opinion before they read the majority opinion. Starting with the dissent is a good way to bring the issues into focus.
Religious Goddesses and Conditions of Women Today in India
Dr Ravi P Bhatia – TRANSCEND Media Service
Although I have focused on the situation of women in India today, in many parts of the world women are victims of prejudice, injustice and violence both physical and mental. What can be done to alleviate the situation? There is no easy answer. Let us remember that injustice and violence is taking many forms to which we must be sensitive and act against it sincerely.
What U.S. Progressives Should Do on Nov. 8
John Scales Avery – TRANSCEND Media Service
The drift towards militarism and fascism which we can observe today, not only in the United States but also in several other countries, is worryingly reminiscent of the 1930’s. We must fervently hope that the disasters which resulted then from the rise of fascism and militarism will not occur again, and we must work with dedication to prevent this from happening.
Battle for Mosul. Can There Be Respect for the Laws of War?
Rene Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service
In a situation confused by the number and nationalities of the groups in combat and the very ethnically and religiously mixed population of Mosul, what possibilities exist for respect of the laws of war? The laws of war, now often called humanitarian law, have two wings, one dealing with the treatment of medical personnel in armed conflict situations, the treatment of the military wounded and prisoners of war as well as the protection of civilians
The Funeral Ruckus
Uri Avnery | Gush Shalom – TRANSCEND Media Service
Shimon Peres would have enjoyed it. A public battle about his funeral. The Arab members of the Knesset did not attend. So what? I did not attend, either. We never liked each other, and my attendance would have been sheer hypocrisy. I don’t like hypocrisy… One thing is quite certain: there will be no change for the better in Israel, no change of government and policy, unless the Arab citizens and their representatives become an integral part of the new peace force without which there is no hope.
Masters of War Have Names!
James Albertini | Malu 'Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action – TRANSCEND Media Service
Among Bob Dylan’s many songs written over decades was “Masters of War” that included these lyrics:
“Come you masters of war, You that build the big guns, You that build the death planes. You that build all the bombs. You that hide behind walls. You that hide behind desks. I just want you to know I can see through your masks…
ACTIVISM
Energy Transfer Partner’s “Black Snake” (the Dakota Access Pipeline) is at Risk of Being Beheaded
Gary G. Kohls, MD – TRANSCEND Media Service
Amy Goodman’s Legal Charges Concerning the Standing Rock Water Protests Dismissed – The ALCU is calling on the state of North Dakota to stop its suppression of the right to protest and to demilitarize Morton County. Sign our petition and learn more about Sacred Stone Camp and how you can help at
On Strip Searches and Press Freedom in North Dakota
Amy Goodman & Denis Moynihan – Democracy NOW!
Pipeline guards unleashed pepper spray and dogs on the land and water defenders. Democracy Now! video showed one of the attack dogs with blood dripping from its nose and mouth. The video went viral, attracting more than 14 million views on Facebook alone. Five days later, North Dakota issued the arrest warrant.
IN FOCUS
Philippine President Duterte: ‘I Announce My Separation from the United States’
Barbara Demick and Tracy Wilkinson – Los Angeles Times
20 Oct 2016 – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced today that he was “separating” from the United States and embracing China as the new best friend of the Philippines. Chinese President Xi Jinping called the visit by Duterte a “milestone.’’
Good Deaths in Mosul, Bad Deaths in Aleppo
Robert Parry – Consortium News
Note how differently The New York Times prepares the American public for civilian casualties from the new U.S.-backed Iraqi government assault on the city of Mosul to free it from the Islamic State, compared to the unrelenting condemnation of the Russian-backed Syrian government assault on neighborhoods of east Aleppo held by Al Qaeda.
INDIGENOUS RIGHTS
Indigenous Land Rights Bring Economic, Not Just Environmental Benefits
Lyndal Rowlands – Inter Press Service-IPS
The report, Climate Benefits, Tenure Costs: The Economic Case for Securing Indigenous Land Rights, describes how local communities can sustainably manage forests and generate economic growth when given tenure rights to their land. In Guatemala, Indigenous communities have successfully created sustainable income from the forest, while treating it as a renewable resource.
ANGLO AMERICA
Vote All You Want – The Secret Government Won’t Change
Jordan Michael Smith – Boston Globe
The people we elect aren’t the ones calling the shots, says Tufts University’s Michael Glennon.
The Greater Evil of ‘Lesser Evilism’
Emanuel E. Garcia, MD | Intrepid Report – TRANSCEND Media Service
It’s high time we freed ourselves from the politics of cronyism, fear and the greater evil of lesser evilism. If not now—when global stakes are at such a height, given nuclear weaponry, climate change, never-ending war and utter contempt for international law—when?
The Middle East and the Next Administration
Chas W. Freeman, Jr. | LobeLog – TRANSCEND Media Service
The U.S. is making enemies all over the Muslim world. And every day here at home, millions pay homage to the memory of Osama as they remove their shoes to pass through metal detectors and are stripped of their dignity by body-imaging devices at airports. Americans are less secure, less prosperous, and less free than we were as this century began. In life, Osama was transformative. In death, he continues to shape the world he left behind.
War or Peace?
Dennis Kucinich – TRANSCEND Media Service
20 Oct 2016 – The most consequential statement by Secretary Clinton in last night’s debate was her pronouncement that a no-fly zone over Syria could “save lives and hasten the end of the conflict,” that a no-fly zone would provide “safe zones on the ground” was in “the best interests of the people on the ground in Syria” and would “help us with our fight against ISIS.” It would do none of the above.
Washington’s Global Economic Wars
Prof. James Petras – TRANSCEND Media Service
18 Oct 2016 – During most of the past two decades Washington has aggressively launched military and economic wars against at least nine countries, either directly or through its military aid to regional allies and proxies. US air and ground troops have bombed or invaded Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon.
ASIA & THE PACIFIC
Genocide of Rohingya in Myanmar May Be Entering New and Deadly Phase
Queen Mary University of London – TRANSCEND Media Service
The International State Crime Initiative at Queen Mary University of London has warned that reports of attacks against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar may signal a new phase in what ISCI researchers say is genocide.
BRICS
The Terrifying Impunity of Brazil’s Riot Police
Vanessa Barbara – The New York Times
Protests are back with a vengeance since Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment, and the cops are cracking down. Protesters will have to take matters into their own hands. I’ve seen it before: Activists once formed their own volunteer security group to protect people from police abuse. That could get ugly.
Russia’s First Ever Monument to Tsar Ivan the Terrible Unveiled in Oryol
TASS | RBTH Network – TRANSCEND Media Service
14 Oct 2016 – The first monument to Tsar Ivan the Terrible in Russia was unveiled on Oct. 14 in the city of Oryol, founded by the Tsar. The monument was erected near the Epiphany Cathedral and Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky welcomed the decision.
The Uniform Civil Code Debate in India: Unveiling the Myths
Moin Qazi – TRANSCEND Media Service
The Indian government has embarked on a marathon exercise of seeking public opinion on having a Uniform Civil Code. A uniform civil code will mean that personal laws will become subservient to constitutional law. The Constitution enjoins all religions and faiths to be respected equally and adherents be free to carry out the articles of their faith.
LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN
As Honduras Activists Continue to Burn, US Backs Govt
teleSUR – TRANSCEND Media Service
21 Oct 2016 – The U.S. will continue giving millions of dollars in military funding to the Honduran government, despite the high-profile targeted assassinations and other human rights abuses documented this year in the Central American nation. The political instability plaguing the country largely followed from the U.S.-backed 2009 coup against President Elect Manuel Zelaya.
Overview of Class Struggle in Latin America
Prof. James Petras – TRANSCEND Media Service
17 Oct 2016 – The class struggle from below has taken different forms and directions, with greater or lesser intensity, between countries and within countries in different time periods.
Plan Colombia, Permanent War, and the NO Vote
Laura Carlsen – Common Dreams
The NO vote unexpectedly flipped the political situation back in favor of the rightwing hawks. This uprising could not only flip it back in favor of peace, but also create a social movement capable of going beyond the accords in terms of establishing social justice and human rights and addressing the enormous backlog of demands from below.
PALESTINE / ISRAEL
Let’s Talk about What UNESCO Resolution Does Say Instead of What It Doesn’t
Tom Pessah - +972 Magazine
UNESCO passed a resolution regarding holy Muslim sites in Jerusalem on Thursday [13 Oct]. After “affirming the importance of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls for the three monotheistic religions,” the resolution calls for the restoration of the previous status quo around “Al-Aqṣa Mosque/Al-Ḥaram Al-Sharif and its surroundings.”
Prospects, Hope and Strategies for the Future in Palestine
Tommaso Segantini and Norman Finkelstein – teleSUR
Renowned scholar and political activist Norman Finkelstein talks about a range of issues around Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
SYRIA IN DEPTH
US-Led Sanctions Targeting Syria Risk Adjudication as War Crimes
Franklin Lamb – TRANSCEND Media Service
Let there be established without further delay a Special Tribunal for Syria, so that the global community can render its judgment on all claims of War Crimes being committed daily in Syria, by all sides. And surely these claims include the US-led civilian targeting sanctions on the people of Syria.
THE UNITED NATIONS
Free Distribution of Two UN Books
Surya Nath Prasad – TRANSCEND Media Service
At the Occasion of the 71st Anniversary of the United Nations, 24 October 2016
SURVEILLANCE / SPYING / WHISTLEBLOWING / BIG BROTHER
Google Has Quietly Dropped Ban on Personally Identifiable Web Tracking
Julia Angwin | ProPublica – TRANSCEND Media Service
Google is the latest tech company to drop the longstanding wall between anonymous online ad tracking and user’s names.
Private Eyes
Ryan Gallagher and Nicky Hager – The Intercept
The Little-Known Company That Enables Worldwide Mass Surveillance – The Medusa system, named after the mythical Greek monster with snakes instead of hair, had one main purpose: to vacuum up vast quantities of internet data at an astonishing speed.
How Israel Became a Hub for Surveillance Technology
Alex Kane – The Intercept
Israel’s cyberwarriors are increasingly taking their skills to the private surveillance industry. And now Israel, the self-proclaimed “startup nation,” is selling its products around the world to governments that want to spy on their own citizens.
MILITARISM
Washington’s Game of Good Terrorists vs Bad Terrorists
John Wight – Russia Today
22 Oct 2016 – When you reach the stage of making a distinction between good terrorists and bad terrorists, not only are you defending the indefensible, you are engaged in the ugly business of sowing dragon’s teeth. On Oct 20, US State Department spokesman, John Kirby, was asked by a reporter, “Is the US fighting al-Nusrah [sic] in Syria at this time?” Kirby replied, “Our efforts militarily in Syria, as I said today, is against ISIS, against Daesh.”
EDUCATION
The Perils of Market-Driven Education
Noam Chomsky, CJ Polychroniou and Lily Sage | ZNet – TRANSCEND Media Service
What is the actual role of education and its link to democracy, to decent human relations and to a decent society? What defines a cultured and decent society? World-renowned linguist, social critic and activist Noam Chomsky shares his views on education and culture.
CAPITALISM
Capitalism Is Doomed — Without Alternatives, So Are We
Jake Johnson – Common Dreams
Far from loosening the leash, elites have consolidated power to an unprecedented extent, and they have used their influence to undercut democratic movements and hijack public institutions… One thing is clear: The future of capitalism and the future of the planet are intertwined.
Why Wall Street’s Scandals Keep Coming
Maureen O'Hara | Market Watch – TRANSCEND Media Service
It’s too easy for Wall Street to overlook ethical constraints and only care about the ends, not the means.
MEDIA
Freedom of the Press Faces Judicial Harassment in Brazil
Mario Osava – Inter Press Service-IPS
The latest high-profile case involves the Gazeta do Povo, the main daily newspaper in Curitiba, the capital of the southern state of Paraná, which is facing 48 lawsuits from judges and public prosecutors who are suing the paper and several of its employees for reporting their incomes in February.
The Crackdown on Dakota Access Pipeline Reporters Shows the Vital Role of Independent Media
Sarah Aziza | Waging Nonviolence – TRANSCEND Media Service
The recent arrests of independent journalists have raised questions about state suppression, free speech and the line between activism and journalism.
HEALTH
MSF Refused a Million Free Vaccines to Stand up to Big Pharma
teleSUR – TRANSCEND Media Service
16 Oct 2016 – Doctors Without Borders said last week it had refused a donation of one million pneumonia vaccinations from the drug manufacturer Pfizer as part of a principled stand against Big Pharma’s monopolistic drug-pricing policies. While Pfizer made $6.245 billion in revenue last year, 1.4 million children die each year from the pneumonia strain.
Drug Resistance: How Dirty Production of UK National Health Service Drugs Helps Create Superbugs
Andrew Wasley and Madlen Davies – The Bureau of Investigative Journalism
18 Oct 2016 – The NHS is buying drugs from pharmaceutical companies in India whose dirty production methods are fuelling the rise of superbugs, and there are no checks or regulations in place to stop this happening. The growth in superbugs – infections which are resistant to antibiotics – is one of the biggest public health crises facing the world today, and pollution in drug companies’ supply chains is one of its causes.
ANIMAL RIGHTS / VEGETARIANISM
World Must Tackle the Biggest Killer of Whales – And It’s Not Whaling
Leigh Henry – Inter Press Service-IPS
24 Oct 2016 – Every two years, governments from across the globe gather to debate the fate of the world’s whales. And every two years, Japan, Norway and Iceland find themselves in the firing line for their refusal to end commercial whaling. But while the divisive debate on whaling rages, the IWC has the chance to unite behind efforts to tackle the most immediate 21st century threat to whales – bycatch.
Spanish Court Overturns Catalonian Bullfighting Ban
teleSUR – TRANSCEND Media Service
Spain’s Constitutional Court on Thursday [20 Oct] overturned a ban on bullfighting imposed in Catalonia, calling it a cultural asset protected under national law in a ruling likely to fuel political tensions between the region and Madrid. Bullfighting, a bloody ritual intended to ennoble both the “torero” and his victim, has been popular in Spain for generations.
HISTORY
This Week in History
Satoshi Ashikaga – TRANSCEND Media Service
Oct 24-30 ~ QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “To fear is to expect punishment. To love is to know that we are immersed not in darkness, but in light.” – Mother Teresa
INSPIRATIONAL
10 Learnings from 10 Years of Brain Pickings
Maria Popova | Brain Pickings – TRANSCEND Media Service
Fluid Reflections on Keeping a Solid Center – I left Bulgaria for America lured by the liberal arts education promise of being taught how to live. As the reality fell short of that promise, I began keeping my own record of what I was reading and learning outside the classroom in mapping this academically unaddressed terra incognita of being.
The Invitation
Oriah | Mountain Dreamer – TRANSCEND Media Service
It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing…
POETRY FORMAT
Land without Mirrors
Dr. Emanuel E. Garcia – TRANSCEND Media Service
At some point, hard to remember
Under the sway of the stars,
Along the pathless plains
Brimming towards I knew not what,
Travelers
Barbara Millar – TRANSCEND Media Service
Sea gulls squawked and arched their wings
and dove for scraps above the terminal
where long grey busses in their slots
waited for their human cargo,
each with his own destination.
I Voted
Gary Corseri – TRANSCEND Media Service
I voted today. …
I voted for peace and justice and sanity
In an insane world of violence and injustice.
I voted.
If the Media Too Will Become a Party
Dr. M. Ashaq Raza - TRANSCEND Media Service
If the media too will become a party
Who will then resolve the conflicts?
SHORT VIDEO CLIPS
The Power of Gratitude – Oprah Winfrey
OWN – TRANSCEND Media Service
If you can’t find what to be thankful for, you should start by just being grateful for your breath. Focus on the good you have, not the lack of it, because whatever gets your attention will increase the energy of gratitude. That’s how joy rises.
Algarabías – (Music Video of the Week)
Vasco Hernández | ARC Music – TRANSCEND Media Service
Algarabías (Spanish): Yelling, boisterous and confusing babble of people shouting/speaking all at the same time.
SATIRE
Assembly Line
Posted by Antonio C. S. Rosa | Editor – TRANSCEND Media Service
Garbage In-Garbage Out
JOKE OF THE WEEK
Drunks
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service
Recently, a routine police patrol was parked outside a local neighborhood bar in Minnesota. Late in the evening, the officer noticed a man leaving the bar so intoxicated that he could barely walk.
“Capitalism and State sovereignty are goners. Bankism rules the world in all respects now.” “Militaries are the ultimate manifestation of direct, structural and cultural violence—a cancer that must be extirpated from humanity.” — Antonio C. S. Rosa, M.A.
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