A question of tones

“I stopped for you because you’re white,” the taxi driver tells me after the tires screech in Reina Street around midnight. From his wide mulatto lips come the justifications, one after another, for why he doesn’t accept clients “of color” at this late hour. He looks for complicity in me, who was born in a majority black neighborhood and who loves skin the color of cinnamon. I barely listen to him. Those who discriminate against people like themselves especially bother me: the hotel doorman who berates the Cuban but lets a shouting gesturing tourist pass; the prostitute who will go, for ten convertible pesos, with a Canadian twice her age but doesn’t want to seem “defeated” by accepting a fellow Cuban; the Santiaguan who, once installed in Havana, mocks the accents of people from his own city.
Often I wake up and wish I was mixed, like Reinaldo and Teo, because when you look at my straight nose and my pale skin you think I have it easy. But it’s not true. There are many ways of being separate, because along with racism here we have discrimination based on social origin, the stigma of ideological affiliation, and the exclusion for not belonging to a family clan with power, influence or relationships. Not to mention the underestimation one receives in a macho society for having a pair of ovaries hidden in the middle of your belly. And so I am bothered by the dissertation of the driver who stopped the car because of the pallor of my skin. I want to get out, but it’s late, very late.
“What do you do?” he asks me under the streetlights of Belascoain Street. I’m a blogger, I warn him, and the lights of Carlos III Avenue show me his suspicious and fearful face. “Look, don’t go and tell what I just said,” he says, changing the indulgent tone he used when picking me up amid the gloom. “I don’t want you to publish later some nonsense about me on the Internet,” he clarifies, while grabbing his crotch in a gesture of power. My straight hair is no longer a reason to trust me, now my eyes don’t seem so almond-shaped, and when I explain—through my narrow lips—the subjects I deal with in my blog, it’s as if I am threatening him, razor in hand, a dangerous criminal. I confirm, then, that his spectrum of classification stigmatizes not only some shades of color, but also certain leanings of opinion, those tones which are not carried on the epidermis but that also lead, on this Island, to displays of segregation and rejection.

By: Generation Y (Noviembre 4th, 2009)

My bench blueprint

http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/workshop/workbench/outdoor/3x7_long.htm

Pankhurst Corner

It is commonly said that World War II started in 1939 and ended in 1945, but for Ethiopia the Fascist aggression began earlier with Mussolini's invasion in 1935. As detailed in two soon to be re- issued books of the time by a South African-born journalist, what followed was half a decade of isolated resistance by Ethiopian patriots, including an exceptionally daring attempt to recapture Addis Ababa.
By Professor Richard Pankhurst,

I am writing these lines, Dear Reader, in London, where the newspapers and other media have been celebrating what they consider the anniversary of the opening of World War II on September 3, 1939. It is a nostalgic time in Britain, the more so as the country is currently enmeshed in a bloody and in all likelihood unwinnable Afghan war.Historically, World War II started for different people at different times. For Britain, it is true, it began on September 3, 1939, when the then British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, made his famous broadcast declaring that his country was at war with Nazi Germany - though we are told that he did not record this fact in his diary until the following day, September 4. He later spoke of Hitler "missing the bus" - though many thought that it was Chamberlain himself who had in fact failed to catch it.Despite the above multiple-dating there can be no denying that for Poland fighting had clearly began a few days earlier, on September 1, 1939, and Mussolini, Dear Reader, though speaking of his country's pre-belligerency, did not in fact announce Italy's actual involvement in war until 10 July 1940 - when he declared war on Britain and France. Albania, however, had been attacked by Fascist Italy in the previous year, 1939. And the two Great Powers, the United States and the Soviet Union, did not enter the war until 1941, when both were suddenly attacked - without any warning - by Germany and Japan respectively.You can, it should be evident, thus choose your date for the beginning of the war: giving it as 1939, 1940, 1941 - or what you will.***Ethiopia, like the above-mentioned countries, has its own unmistakable date for the opening of hostilities - 1935, which is interesting in that it is the earliest of the possible dates on record.Because the Ethiopian date was the earliest we would favour using it to date the beginning of the war as a whole, i.e. October 3, 1935, when Italian Fascist forces attacked Ethiopia. This date has actively been canvassed by none other than Ato Zaude Haile Mariam, the son of Haile Mariam Mammo, a notable Ethiopian patriot, who has often been described as the First Patriot of Shoa.And I made the additional point, in the briefest of all possible letters published in the London Independent last week, that the invasion of Ethiopia in 1935 was historically important in spelling the demise of the League of Nations. ***The origins of Ethiopia's part of what Zaude Haile Mariam unashamedly describes as his country's part in World War II are conventionally seen in the rise in 1922 of Fascism - which destroyed previous Ethio-Italian friendship, and led Italy into aggression against Ethiopia. We know from the published memoirs of the Fascist commander Emilio De Bono that it was as early as 1933 when Mussolini disclosed to him his intention of invading Ethiopia. Efforts were then accelerated to turn the previously peaceful Italian colonies of Eritrea and Somalia into bases for aggression and war against Ethiopia. Roads and harbours were expanded, and army and air force bases established.Then followed the Wal Wal incident of December 1934 when an Italian force infiltrating from Italian Somalia clashed with an Ethiopian force some hundred kilometres within Ethiopian territory. Mussolini used this incident as his excuse for beginning his invasion of Ethiopia, which opened - without any declaration of war - on October 3, 1936 - Zaude Haile Mariam's date for the commencement of World War II,On that day the Fascist Air Force bombed Adwa - for sentimental reasons; and eleven days later the League of Nations ruled that Fascist Italy was guilty of having resorted to war in disregard of the League Covenant. This decision was made with only one contrary vote - that of Fascist Italy itself; and three abstentions: Albania - which was soon to be invaded by Fascist Italy; Austria, which was soon to be annexed by Nazi Germany; and Hungary of which the less said, Dear Friends, the better.Then followed the imposition of League of Nations Sanctions against the aggressor - sanctions which the renowned British economist Lord Keynes described as "comparatively mild economic sanctions".And then followed the Anglo-French compromise talks, conducted by the British Foreign Secretary, Sir John Simon - who was soon obliged to resign as a result of the indignation with which his policies were viewed by British public opinion. And on the French side by Pierre Laval - of whom a critic said: "his hair was black; his face was black; his heart was black". Those were the days of course, Dear Reader, before people held that "Black is Beautiful".***The War in Ethiopia was characterized by overwhelming Fascist superiority of weapons, cannons, machine-guns and tanks, and almost complete control of the air - as well as the widespread use of poison-gas, which proved decisive in defeating the Ethiopian armies of defence. Ethiopian resistance in the north was initially led, in the autumn of 1935 and the spring of 1936, by three traditional leaders, Ras Seyoum, Ras Imru, and Ras Kasa - under the overall nominal command of the aged Minister of War, Ras Mullugeta. They were eventually forced to withdraw, after which Emperor Haile Selassie bore the main brunt of the invasion, and was defeated at Mai Chaw at the end of March 1936 - after which the Fascist army advanced, to occupy Addis Ababa on 5 May 1936.The Patriots, however, continued their resistance to the invaders until Mussolini's declaration of war on Britain and France, on 10 June 1940, brought the two latter countries into the struggle on Ethiopia's side. France, however, effectively only for a short while.One incident in the Patriots' lone struggle from 1936 to 1940 deserves special attention - this was these freedom fighters' attempt to re-capture Addis Ababa during the summer of 1936. They failed, because they were defeated by the Occupying Forces' complete control of the air - but their attempt was however memorable, as well as something unique in World War II. None of the other Allies, the Free French, the Free Belgians or the Free what-have-you ever envisaged let alone attempted so daring an enterprise as the re-capture of their former capitals. For details of the struggle, as seen at the time, I would recommend to you the two books, Dear Reader, of the veteran South African-born journalist George Steer: Caesar in Abyssinia and Sealed and Delivered. Originally published in 1936 and 1941 respectively, both are highly illuminating works, and will be re-issued in London, by Faber and Faber, next month.

Art

Michael Jackson you are the best...

The greatest performer of all times has made his final curtain call. RIP

The Big Question: Who was Geronimo, and why is there controversy over his remains?

Why are we asking this now?
The US government has been dragged into a bizarre legal battle between descendants of the Apache leader Geronimo and a secret society of Yale students called Skull and Bones, whose members allegedly raided his grave during the First World War. Yesterday, the Justice Department asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed in February, on the 100th anniversary of Geronimo's death, seeking to recover the legendary warrior's remains and re-bury them near to his birthplace in the Gila Wilderness of southern New Mexico.
The legal action, by 20 descendants of Geronimo, claims a group of Skull and Bones members, including George W Bush's grandfather, Prescott, took his skull from Fort Sill in Oklahoma in 1918. The artefact has allegedly been stored in a glass case at the organisation's clubhouse in New Haven, Connecticut ever since. The Justice Department became involved because Barack Obama and his defence secretary Robert Gates are named alongside the Skull and Bones society as co-defendants, due to the fact that Geronimo was initially buried on public land.
So who was Geronimo?
For much of his lifetime, Geronimo was considered the greatest terrorist in America. These days, he's feted as a fearless guerrilla fighter, whose famously brave troops were the last American Indian force to hold out against the United States.
Born Goytholy, meaning "the one who yawns," he took up arms when his wife, children and mother were massacred by Mexicans in 1851. His nickname stems from daring retaliatory raids, when he led men on cavalry charges, often into a hail of bullets. Legend has it that victims would scream a plea to St Jerome (hence "Jeronimo!") as they died.
Geronimo evaded capture for more than three decades. Though wounded countless times, he was never defeated, and his men are perhaps the most effective light cavalry force in military history. They numbered no more than a couple of hundred at any one time, but are said to have killed more than 5,000 enemies.
Why did he fight?
Geronimo was a member of the Chiricahua Apache tribe whose homelands in the deserts of New Mexico were annexed first by Mexico and later by the United States during its expansion into the south-west during the 19th century. His insurgency was part of a wider rebellion by Native Indians against their treatment by white settlers, who carried out what in modern terms might be called ethnic cleansing: removing tribes from ancestral territories and (in some cases) placing a bounty on their scalps. Geronimo's success was down to old-fashioned derring-do, and sheer good luck. Because of repeated close shaves with mortality, many followers believed he was resistant to bullets. His men were adept at using their opponents' technology – including rifles and pistols – against them.
How was he captured?
After more than 30 years the US General Nelson Miles tracked Geronimo to Arizona. The rebels were exhausted after decades on the run, and their number had dwindled to just 36 men, many of whom (including their leader) had taken to heavy drinking. In the autumn of 1886, Geronimo negotiated a tactical surrender, agreeing to lay down his arms on condition that his followers would be allowed to disband and return home to their families. But the US reneged on its promises, and promptly took Geronimo and his troops into custody. They spent seven years in prison in Alabama before being transferred to Fort Sill, where they lived out the rest of their days in a form of open prison.
What became of him?
Ironically, Geronimo's fame only grew during his year in captivity. He became a local celebrity, charging visitors to Fort Sill to have their photo taken with him, and keeping a stock of autographed cards and other souvenirs to sell to tourists. In old age, he was constantly interviewed (for a small fee) by the US press, and took part in Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Circus, where performers recreated his most daring battles. He was a star attraction at the 1904 World's Fair in St Louis, and had a prominent place in Theodore Roosevelt's inaugural parade in 1905.
Having embraced capitalism, Geronimo also took up the white man's religion, converting to Christianity saying he believed it to be "better than the religion of my forefathers." He joined the Dutch Reformed Church in 1903, but was expelled four years later, apparently for gambling. He died in 1909, at the age of 79.
What happened to his remains?
Three members of the Skull and Bones society, including Prescott Bush, were stationed at an artillery school at Fort Sill during the First World War. In a bizarre prank, they are rumoured to have dug up his grave, and taken his skull and femurs back to their alma mater.
Why does this matter?
Although unproven, the alleged desecration of Geronimo's grave carries significant political baggage. Like Chief Sitting Bull, who defeated General Custer at the battle of Little Bighorn, Native Americans view him as a symbol of their people's righteous rebellion against white colonialists. Geronimo is also firmly embedded in the US psyche as a symbol of bonkers bravado. Paratroopers shout his name after leaping from aeroplanes, apparently as part of a tradition that began in 1940, when they prepared for their first mass jump by watching the film "Geronimo." In a scene based on one of its subject's many narrow escapes – and mimicked by generations of schoolchildren – the movie's hero yells his own name as he leaps from a cliff into a river to escape capture by approaching soldiers.
What is the Skull and Bones?
Adding to the intrigue is long-standing public fascination with the Skull and Bones society, an organisation of privileged Yale Students whose alumni include both Presidents Bush and John Kerry. The club, founded at the Ivy League school in 1832, selects 15 new members each year. They are sworn in at the "Tomb," a windowless campus clubhouse which is purported to hold the skulls of a range of famous figures, including Che Guevara. During the initiation ceremony, recruits are apparently required to kiss the skull of Geronimo, which is said to be held in a glass case near the door, and take a solemn oath to support fellow members.
Since the society is secret – it has never clarified the exact contents of the "Tomb" – some regard it as vaguely sinister. Others say it is a harmless networking organisation. In this respect, it is perhaps best described as an upmarket version of the Freemasons.
What happens next?
The lawsuit by Geronimo's descendants was filed in a federal district court in Washington DC, and seeks: "to free Geronimo, his remains, funerary objects and spirit from 100 years of imprisonment at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, the Yale University campus at New Haven, Connecticut and wherever else they may be found."
Presuming the case isn't immediately thrown out – and the political ramifications of doing so would be enormous – the court's immediate next step must be to determine if the Skull and Bones society really does own Geronimo's disputed skull.

Does the Skull and Bones society really have Geronimo's skull?

Yes
*The Skull and Bones has repeatedly refused to discuss the skull, still less surrender it for DNA testing
*A letter written in 1918 by a society member says it gained possession of it
*A history of the society written in 1933 claimed that Prescott Bush 'engaged in a mad expedition' at Fort Sill to obtain Geronimo's skull

No
*Geronimo's grave was miles from where Prescott Bush was stationed
*The exact location of Geronimo's grave was unmarked at the time of the alleged theft
*Historians say that, while the Skull and Bones may very well have a Native Indian's skull, it is unlikely to be that of Geronimo

By Guy Adams
g.adams@independent.co.uk