New Site Online!

If you want you may take a look at the “Free Burma!” campaign’s new site: free-burma.org!

It contains nearly the same content like our wiki, where the work will go on. If you want to help – you’re welcome!

I would like to find many of you in the official supporters list which you can find on our new site. I really hope it will contain thousands of entries on October 4th – and that you all will take part in the Free Burma! campaign.

I recently wrote a letter to Esra’a of MidEast Youth, who has joined our action within 15 minutes. Remember: That could have been you. Do it! Free Burma!

Action Free Burma!

Netizens all over the world support the peaceful revolution in Burma.

We want to set a sign for freedom and show our sympathy for these people who are fighting their cruel regime without weapons. Bloggers and Webmasters are planning to close down their Blogs and Websites on October 4th and just post one Banner then, underlined with the words „Free Burma!“.

If you want to take part, please look at our wiki here. It’s written in English as well as in German, French and Italian. You may also have a look at our flickr group, where we collect graphics to be shown on October 4th at our Blogs.

We hope, that Bloggers all over the world will take part in this action to support Freedom and Peace in Burma.

Action for Burma

German Bloggers are planning an action for freedom in Burma on October 3 (our national day) October 4. We would like the international community to participate in it. It will be online, like a special post or something like this for Burma. We hope, you all will join our support for the Burmese revolution – I will post more about it as soon as I get to know it.

(Everybody who speaks German: here‘s a informative post by Robert Basic)

Free Burma!

 

I hope the Burmese people will win their fight for Freedom, Democracy and Peace. They are heroes. Everyone of them.

On Burma

I believe I said it before: I really like Desmond Tutu. He is, if I remember correct, the only Christian Bishop or so I really like. And he recently said something impressing about the revolution in Burma going on:

“The courage of the people of Myanmar is amazing and now they have been joined by their holy men. It is so like the rolling mass action that eventually toppled apartheid”

“We admire our brave sisters and brothers in Myanmar and want them to know that we support their peaceful protests to end a vicious rule of oppression and injustice.”

That doesn’t sound special, but to me, it is. There’s something impressing in his words… something, which, I think, has to do with that situation and the fact he got through something like this before.

I found this quote here when I was adding some blogs to a list of blogs form and / or about Burma:

ko-htike (partly in English)
justice and injustice
Mr. Jade
Burma Gateway (in English)
Mizzima News (in English)
Irrawady News (in English)
Reporterdairy
Nyein Chan Yar (in English)
Myanmar Media, Education and Development Watch

via Basic Thinking

Freedom instead of fear

Last Saturday I attended the “Freedem instead of fear” demonstration against surveillance and security mania in Berlin. It’s main topic was the coming law about data retention.

The German newspaper taz speaks about the “Generation Internet” which had demonstrated on Saturday in Berlin under the motto “Freedom instead of fear”. The list of the calling organizations gives a different view on it – and which do the participants?

The last demonstration in Frankfurt on April 14 under the same motto did not let me await a homogeneous group – already then members of extremely different groups were on the streets for freedom and against surveillance and security mania. For the demonstration there were more than 50 supporters registered now. They came from a wide political and social spectrum – beneath political parties and civil right movements also trade unions and social groups.

But the biggest part of the demonstrators most probably were not the organized activists, but committed citizens. Demonstrators which, because they are not easily to assign with any group, do not assign attention with huge posters, banners or interesting costumes, are very likely to not become recognized. So at the end it is not just the community, but often a little group of organized “hardliners” which form the masses image.

From the 15.000 attending – which were relatively young on the average – some groups were surely gaining more attention than others.
Especially for sure the radical left – not just the black bloc, but a not too small group of people, they guess 2.000 – from the extreme left and even with an own truck from a group called “No peace with the police estate”. This is a group which has for sure enough reasons to fight data retention – but at the demonstration, they were mostly recognized for protesting against other problems, glorification of the RAF, a former German terror organization and, and getting into trouble with the police. Trouble, which came up, because the black bloc – approximately 200-400 participants – did not accept common rules and the law.

Another group which may not gain such attention, but was as well very confusing, were the communists.

Whether members of the Communist Party, Marxist-Leninist Party, spartakists or the Left Party (former PDS, a party which as “SED” was the biggest party in the DDR) – they all were there. And they all showed an astonishing historical oblivion. If a spartakist holds up a poster “Defend Cuba, China, Vietnam and North Korea” – at a demonstration against surveillance! – than you have to wonder about their ideas. But it is the same for all sympathizers of “red” regimes – if it is Ché Guevara and the flag of Cuba or the Soviet one on the shirt…
But the “big” parties which were demonstrating – Greens and FDP, the liberals – did not always vote for what the Demonstrations goal was.

There were also great actions by data protection groups like the Chaos Computer Club or the “FoeBuD, which also had their own cars. Cars – there were some really interesting ones! But also much critic on others… “Hedonist International” was told they were doing a “Love Parade” and the Antifascist Left had to accept critic about their glorifying the RAF.

Very interesting as well were the speakers’ entrances: The usual ones like the artist padeluun, who is one of the founders of the “FoeBuD”, but also representatives of Hedonist International or the medical profession and – with special applause – Markus Beckedahl, one of the authors of the internationally awarded blog netzpolitik.org and Thilo Weichert, the independent commisioner for data protection of Schleswig-Holstein.
Weichert told, that “Freedom instead of fear” in Berlin was Germany’s biggest demonstration für civil rights and data protection since protests against a census twenty years ago.

Though we have to see: “Freedom instead of fear” and the movement behind it is still no movement of the whole society. It can grow to it, but now it is not. And for that we have to work – the demonstration’s goals, Freedom instead of fear, is not just in this time, when we are awaiting new restrictive laws, important, but always. They have to be the ground on which every democracy should be built up.

Restrictive laws are a problem all over Europe (where they are coming) and the whole world (where they are still existing). Everyone has to fight them for a peaceful and free life!

More Photos here.

Pangea Day

Some time ago I have linked to the “Pangea Day” project. Today I found a really well done and interesting video about it at Mahmood’s Den:

On the website is said about the project:

Pangea Day taps the power of film to strengthen tolerance and compassion while uniting millions of people to build a better future.

The project’s goal is the bring up film as a connection between people in a world, where they are often divided by borders, differences or conflicts. In a world, where it is easy to loose the sight of what we all have in commen, this project wants to remind and show us, where we can find ourselves in others.

To reach that there will be a live videoconference on May 10, 2008 at different places all over the world. It will include a four hour programm with films, speakers and music.

These films you are told to produce and submit!

Get involved!

Links I

• Pangea Day – “unite the world in a day of film”

• 9/11 – the scorecard after six years

• “I turn into a foreigner” – when the Big Pharao turns into an American

• “A dirty joke rendered acceptable”

We’re all -ists.

Picture from istoyanov

We are now in the 12th class – it’s not far from separation; separation between those who will try to make their abitur (like a college graduation) and those who will leave. A separation after twelve long years which most of us have witnessed over the full time. A separation we have to celebrate!

Waldorfschool: That’s also a way of traditions. First day at school, second class test, eight class play, foreign language play, twelfth class play, year’s work (a special work focusing on one topic and during one year), forest intern, agriculture intern, industry and social intern. Art journey.

Art journey, that’s not like before when they were away two weeks, drawing and painting, in Prague or Florence. The “central abitur” has tightened the plans, now it’s just seven days or eight, the last class was in Barcelona. Now it’s our turn.

When 34 students have to find a decision you can be sure of the frontiers which grow up fast. We are, as you can say, a class with a good community, but also a class of voting duels. Usually there are two groups, ideas: The “progressive party”, the adventurers, searching for the new, strange, unusual. And the “traditionalists”, who strive for the well known, good, harmonic. We had that situation when we chose our class play, we have it by choosing our art journey.

Five cities were nominated for the first pre-selection: Vienna, Paris, Barcelona, Amsterdam – and Istanbul.

Why “- and Istanbul”? For the one hand, because I nominated it together with a classmate. That means, we both put up our hands – and he said “Istanbul”. I heard it – and was confused, ’cause who is able to telepathy? But it’s that way, you see: There is it, beautiful Istanbul.

Two cities were out of chance: Paris – we don’t like French; and Amsterdam, who wants to smoke pot does it at home, or so. It stays a trio. Who choses what? For sure you can’t just generalize: Everyone has his own personal reasons. But eventhough a critical mass the same.

Vienna: That’s Austria, nearly Germany, German language – and  European Football Championship. Who want’s to go there? The slightly despaired, “home sweet home”, that’s one side. The other is – racism. Does not sound beautiful, but truth is truth is sometimes ugly. Most important German.

Barcelona: There’s been the last class. That’s sun, strand, sea – but also language problems and, as we heard from our predecessors, smashed douches, bad rooms. Who want’s to go there? The sun-chasing, bathers, overall tourists. Of course, a beautiful city (Vienna too!) – Dalí, Miró, Picasso, art as much you want. But at the end the strand is the only thing to count. And to get there fast.

Istanbul: That’s new. That’s unusual. That’s – Turkey. “That’s Turkey” – as positive as negative. Positive: The adventurers. A (nearly) strictly strange culture, away from the western world, into the oriental, something, you don’t know. But eventhough: Negative. That’s Turkey. Ghetto kids, headscarf, Marco W. (a boy currently kept there in prison which caused a great interest in the media). “What kind of arguments are that?” asks the open-minded. Despaired, uninformed, racist arguments.

There are many -ists in this class. At the end we’re all -ists. Traditionalists, sun fetishists, overall tourists, artists – on the high wire act of consent. But most important: At the end individuals – not individualists. Everyone one vote, one decision, win, defeat, agreement. Acceptance of the majority. A nice journey. One last week, together, like nevermore.

It’s a way, too…

Last week my former maths teacher came to me and asked, if he could give private lessons to one of his students. “Simon never says he has too much to do, he’s rather bored”, he’d thought, and there’s something true with it. Maths were never my best or favorite subject – I got a ’2′ (that’s a ‘B’) last year, and that was narrow, I needed a straight ’1′ in the last test to get it. But eighth class, “no equations with an unknown quantity I’m currently doing with them”, as the teacher said, just basic knowledge – that’s no problem for me, even if I have to teach it.

On Monday I told the boy teacher I would do that job so we could set a date, what should have been done today.

Unfortunately the boy didn’t appear at school. The parents don’t want him to stay. He’s now going to a “Hauptschule”, which is the lowest level in German school system (we have three kinds of schools, with different levels. I’m a student at a Waldorf (Rudolf-Steiner-) school, a private school based on the ideas of the philosopher Rudolf Steiner (if you have questions about it, ask me!)).

Yes, that’s a way, too. You can do so. But even though I really can’t stand such irresponsible parents. Everybody knows the problems are not the school’ or the teachers’, but the boy’s. If the parents try to evade instead of taking action, it’s just weak, so weak. Believing the boy will make it at his new school is a dream, and for sure not a good one.

Sorry, boy, we could have done something for you…