Fiona McCann
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February Calendar Photo
I would have been here sooner with this but I couldn't get 20six to come in. Like last month, STEVE was kind enough to apply his Adobe Photoshop expertise to this picture. Just click on the thumbnail so you can get the full view from Imageshack, save and set it as your computer wallpaper or screensaver and never be unsure of what day it is again--like I go around being. And I shouldn't forget to mention that the calendar pics originally come from ARAN, who will hopefully soon have their own real website up and running. Thank you, Steve!  |
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2.2.06 16:30 |
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Animal Rights Group Criticises Arts Council Funding For Animal Circuses
Indymedia.ie by Ciaran Long - Alliance For Animal Rights pagan_animal_liberation_front at hotmail dot com Animal rights group, the Captive Animals Protection Society (CAPS) has strongly criticised the decision by the Arts Council to allocate120,000 euros to Irish circuses containing animal acts, and described it as “further state funding for animal abuse by this government”. CAPS Irish spokesperson Nuala Donlon is calling on the Arts Council to reconsider its decision in light of the serious concerns about animal welfare and public safety which surround such travelling menageries. Animals in circuses suffer extreme deprivation and are subjected to physical abuse in their training routines, facts which have become public knowledge in recent years following several undercover operations. Wild animals are particularly badly affected, travelling as they do thousands of miles every year in beast wagons and chained (in the case of elephants) and caged (other species) while circuses are on sites. According to Ms. Donlon “There is no way a travelling menagerie can provide such animals with the facilities required to fulfil even their most basic behavioural needs”. The brutal nature of the training methods used by circuses has also been well exposed by now. The nature of these training methods is revealed by the tools of the trade. Whips are seen in the ring, but the use of screws hidden in the base of walking sticks, spikes concealed in tasselled sticks, and hotshots or electric shock devices has been documented. And the Arts Council calls this art!! In 2005 alone at least six people were injured, one of them critically, after being attacked by circus animals. “Given our serious concerns for the welfare of circus animals, and the public safety issues which surround such travelling circuses, we call on the Arts council to take the humane decision and withdraw this funding”. – Nuala Donlon For further information contact Nuala Donlon, Irish spokesperson, Captive Animals Protection Society, at 086 – 3985761 Related Link: http://www.captiveanimals.org/ |
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3.2.06 19:58 |
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a little sexy fun for you guys and girls!
Okay, don't anybody get their knickers in a twist, but I want you to participate in an online beauty contest. All you have to do is click on the link I'm going to give you and peruse the beautiful faces and profiles in PETA's competition for Europe's 'sexiest vegetarians'. Of course, I would really, really like you to vote for ARAN's Campaign Co-coordinator and volunteer, Siobhan Higgins (called 'Shevaun' on the page) because as John Carmody writes: 'Day in day out Siobhan works with many activists around the country getting tables and events set up to help ARAN's campaigns. She also organises protests for here in the west along with rescuing many abandoned and homeless animals. And Siobhan is no stranger to stripping and getting the media's attention focused on our campaigns.'  Now guys, Siobhan looks like this, so it shouldn't be too much of a sacrifice to cast your vote for her and ARAN. As for you ladies, I must say there are several hunky men on view. I won't tell you which one I prefer, but I had fun voting; and of course, it's for a good cause to promote the healthy beauty of the vegetarian lifestyle.Winners will have their pics published in PETA’s Animal Times – plus they will win close to £350 worth of fantastic prizes! Just go >>here and tick off your favourites. Thank you! |
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4.2.06 03:40 |
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The End of the Internet?
The Nation  **This article is from the states via W. Finnerty at Indymedia.ie - and it's very scary because there is no way I could ever make enough money to pay for everything I do on the internet! Jeff Chester The nation's largest telephone and cable companies are crafting an alarming set of strategies that would transform the free, open and nondiscriminatory Internet of today to a privately run and branded service that would charge a fee for virtually everything we do online. >>Read on |
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5.2.06 15:28 |
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Platform27
I do not mean to insult anyone here who has worked on getting a new blogging community started over at Platform27 where Uncle Duck has relocated, so please do not take any of my comments personally, but I just signed up for a test account over there at Platform27, but 15 minutes later I have sent an email requesting said account to be cancelled. I would have done it myself, but I couldn't find a suitable link to click on. The first message I got when I was signing up with Platform27 was this: You have attempted to establish a connection with "www.platform27.co.uk". However, the security certificate presented belongs to "*.21publish.com". It is possible, though unlikely, that someone may be trying to intercept your communication with this web site.If you suspect the certificate shown does not belong to "www.platform27.co.uk", please cancel the connection and notify the site administrator. Well, I already knew that Platform27 is managed by Publish21, a spin-off of 20six, so I was not surised. What surprises me is that people who are having problems with 20six would decide voluntarily to sign up with another entity associated with the same company. I'm sure it's just me not understanding things. However, once I got into Platform27, I was lost. If you think the links here at 20six are convoluted, you ain't seen nuthin yet! I tried to change my colours and got completely different ones than I requested. I clicked on layout--no layout. I also saw that off to the right-hand side is a complete list of all Platform27 blogs for people to go to. What if I find one or two of those blogs objectionable or not to my taste? I do NOT want their link on my blog in that case. I know, picky, picky... but hey! Well, anyway, rant over. I will await a return email about cancelling my account. Sorry to be so bitchy, but blogging shouldn't be rocket science. It should be responsive, simple, pleasurable and user-friendly. |
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5.2.06 21:50 |
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Israel plans to build 'museum of tolerance' on Muslim graves
Belfast Telegraph By Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem 09 February 2006 Skeletons are being removed from the site of an ancient Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem to make way for a $150m (£86m) "museum of tolerance" being built for the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Centre. Palestinians have launched a legal battle to stop the work at what was the city's main Muslim cemetery. The work is to prepare for the construction of a museum which seeks the promotion of "unity and respect among Jews and between people of all faiths". Israeli archaeologists and developers have continued excavating the remains of people buried at the site - which was a cemetery for at least 1,000 years - despite a temporary ban on work granted by the Islamic Court, a division of Israel's justice system. Police have been taking legal advice on whether the order is legally binding. The Israeli High Court is to hear a separate case brought by the Al Aqsa Association of the Islamic Movement in Israel next week. The project, which a spokesman said had been conceived in partnership with the Jerusalem municipality and the Israeli government, was launched at a ceremony in 2004 by a cast of dignitaries ranging from Ehud Olmert, who is currently the acting Prime Minister, to the governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Israeli branch of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre declined to comment yesterday and has had no role in the project. Durragham Saif, the lawyer who brought the Islamic Court petition on behalf of three Palestinian families, Al Dijani, Nusseibeh and Bader Elzain, all of whom have members buried at the cemetery, said: "It's unbelievable, it's immoral. You cannot build a museum of tolerance on the graves of other people. Imagine this kind of thing in the [United] States or England. And this is the Middle East where events are sensitive. If this goes ahead in this way it is going to cause the opposite thing to tolerance." Mr Saif said he had written to the Israeli State Attorney, Menachem Mazuz, seeking police enforcement of the original order. He said on a visit to the site he had entered three out of five tents where excavations were being carried out. "I was shocked to see open graves and tens of whole skeletons there," he said. Ikrema Sabri, the Mufti of Jerusalem, demanded a halt to the excavations and said the Muslim religious authorities had not been consulted on the dig. Saying that the cemetery was in use for 15 centuries and that friends of the Prophet Mohamed were buried there, the Mufti declared: "There should be a complete cessation of work on the cemetery because it is sacred for Muslims." Under Israel's "absentee property" law the cemetery was taken over by the Custodian of Absentee Property after the 1948 war. Mr Saif said the Custodian had no right to sell the cemetery to the Jerusalem municipality in 1992. While parties to the work are resting part of their case on what they say was an 1894 ruling by the then Sharia court that the sanctity of a cemetery could be lifted, Mr Sabri said that ruling meant that only a Muslim could make such a decision. Osnat Goaz, a spokeswoman for the Israel Antiquities Authority, which is carrying out the excavations, said it was common in Jerusalem to build on cemeteries. Adding that in such cases the bones were reburied, she said: "Israel is more crowded with ancient artefacts than any other country in the world. If we didn't build on former cemeteries, we would never build." |
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9.2.06 12:19 |
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Make sure all that sparkles is conflict-free
Belfast Telegraph By Deborah McAleese 10 February 2006 Pressure is mounting on Ulster's jewellers to ensure the diamonds they sell are "bloodshed" free. With the sale of diamonds increasing in the run up to Valentine's Day, Northern Ireland's romantic shoppers have been urged to ensure that they purchase the perfect stone - one that has not been traded to fund armed conflict and civil war. The horrifying affects of conflict diamonds will soon be highlighted in the Hollywood movie The Blood Diamond, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Connelly. Set in Sierra Leone in 1999 DiCaprio plays a juggler specialised in blood diamonds - stones used to finance rebellions, privateers and terrorists. Conflict diamonds are those sold in order to fund armed conflict and civil war. Warlords and rebel groups in countries including Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and Sierra Leone have used billions of dollars of profits from the sale of diamonds from the mines they control to buy arms and fund devastating wars. Director of the Northern Ireland Amnesty International branch, Patrick Corrigan, said: "Diamonds are a once in a lifetime purchase that people often choose as a token of love. I don't believe people here want this special gift to be related to the pain and suffering of others. "Despite some progress, we are still concerned that the local diamond industry is falling short in combating the trade in conflict diamonds. They must keep their promises to end this devastating trade." Diamonds mined in rebel-held areas in Cote d'Ivoire, a West African country in the midst of a volatile conflict, are currently reaching the international diamond market. A new guide to help local shoppers chose the perfect stone has been published and explains that consumers can make a difference by insisting that the diamond industry keep the promises it has made to end the trade in conflict diamonds. It recommends that shoppers ask retailers where the diamonds they sell come from and to see a copy of the company's policy on conflict diamonds as well as a written guarantee from suppliers that shows the diamonds are conflict free. |
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10.2.06 12:36 |
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EMAIL ACTION ALERT
Dear ARAN Friend, Just recently we found out that the Arts Council here in Ireland has been allocating grant funding to several Irish circuses for 2006. Can you please email the person responsible for giving the funding and call on her to stop funding circuses that use animals. Tell her about the recent undercover investigation here in Ireland by Animal Defenders International and also tell her how you feel about animals being used in the circus. Ask her to stop the funding and to grant initiatives that don't involve the use of any animals. Please email Verena.cornwall@artscouncil.ie For great tips on effective letter writing please visit PETA Please visit www.ad-international.org to learn more about the new Animal Defenders International & ARAN campaign to ban the use of animals in circuses here in Ireland. John Carmody - National Events Organiser Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) PO Box 722 - Kildare - Ireland 087- 6275579 Intl'+353-87-6275579 "Ireland's National Animal Rights Group!" |
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10.2.06 19:39 |
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Patients warned of clotting drug risk
Irish Examiner 11 February 2006 By Catherine Shanahan UP TO 500 patients may have been treated with a faulty anti-clotting drug which can cause serious bleeding. Sanofi-aventis, the manufacturers of Clexane Syringes, yesterday announced a product recall after it emerged that some syringes may contain an over-concentration of the active medicinal substance, enoxaparin, which is injected to thin the blood. A statement from the Irish Medicines Board (IMB) warned that over-concentration of enoxaparin "has the potential to cause significant adverse reactions including an increased risk of serious bleeding". Since the affected product entered the Irish distribution chain on November 22 last, the IMB has been notified of one adverse reaction. In this case, the patient suffered irregular but non-fatal bleeding. The IMB yesterday confirmed it had notified all 46 hospitals as well as the six pharmacies which received Clexane Syringe packs from the affected batch. There were 30 batches produced with this potential problem of over-concentration of up to 50% of enoxaparin, distributed to 58 countries worldwide. Britain received five batches and Ireland received one. The IMB said the specific Clexane Syringes, 80mg/0.8ml, distributed in Ireland, were part of batch number 28043 with an expiry date of 09/07. The IMB confirmed the batch in question included 454 packs, each containing 10 vials of the product. The IMB has requested all patients who have been dispensed Clexane Syringes since November 22, 2005 to do the following: * Check if your pack is the 80mg/0.8ml strength. * If your pack is the 80mg/0.8ml strength, check the batch number. This is a lot number printed on one side of the outer carton and on the vial label. * If the batch (lot) number is 28043, then this pack is one of the potentially affected packs and should not be used under any circumstances. * You should, as soon as possible, go to your local doctor for further advice and treatment. * Any affected batches should be returned to your local pharmacy as soon as possible. The IMB said additional batches of Clexane are available in the marketplace. A statement from Sanofi-aventis said the recall had been voluntary as a precautionary measure. It said the decision was taken following quality control testing and a subsequent investigation which identified the potential for over-concentration of the active ingredient in a limited number of syringes. Enoxaparin is an anticoagulant used to prevent clot formation in veins and arteries and to treat deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolisms (blood clots in the lung) and patients with unstable angina. Sanofi-aventis, the world's third-largest pharmaceutical company, has a base in Waterford where it manufacturers over-the-counter products but not Clexane syringes. Clexane is a prescription-only medicine licensed in Ireland for the management of thromboembolic disorders (blood clotting). It is sold as Lovenox in the US and France, and has been used to treat more than 118 million patients in 96 countries since 1987. |
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11.2.06 11:59 |
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I'M MARRIED TO BIOLOGY!!!!
...That's the title of this entry in a blog I found by following a Google ad up over my head. And it's so cute! It's written by a teenager who is in an honours biology class and also in the band. I thought it was really funny. Then there are some comments from other people about their schools and classes, with pics. Take a >>look |
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11.2.06 19:27 |
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NO 'FREE SPEECH' IN AMERICA
Indymedia.ie Posted by redjade American nurse charged with sedition for writing letter critical of governmentRead more about it >>here |
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11.2.06 23:22 |
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Come in and play
 Over the last few years, I have heard about people who become totally engrossed in playing RPGs, or role playing games on the computer. As I am not much of a *cough* gameplayer, I never bothered to find out what the big attraction to RPGs is. I kind of thought they might be something like daytime soap operas on the tube - somewhere you could forget your drab little life and become Zelda the Magnificant or Max the Mighty for a few hours.Yesterday at work, I got a bit adventurous and decided to google these game sites, pick one and join. I thought it might be kind of fun to pretend for awhile. Well! I was all set to throw myself into a wonderful fantasy life, but nothing was happening on the puter. There were no links where I could pick out who I could look like or what I could wear or who I could run off with into the sunset. NO! All I saw was this: Attack When you wish to venture out beyond the safety of your fortifications, click the Attack button. Here, you will view the Battlefield, a listing of other players ranked near you. The amount of gold in a player's treasury will be displayed if your Spy Rating is much larger than the opponent's Sentry Rating. You can page through the battlefield and search for other armies to attack or spy on. Once you click on a player's name you will see their User Stats, where you can see basic info about the player, any officers the player has, and you can recognize the player as friend, neutral, enemy, alliance member, or ignored if you wish to ignore all messages from them. From the User Stats panel you can choose to send a personal message, or conduct an attack, recon, or sabotage mission. This certainly doesn't sound romantic to me!! It doesn't say anything about hairdo's or dresses or love or crowns or castles or mansions or holidays in Tahiti or jewels or anything really exciting. Sheesh! I guess I will have to keep on googling. |
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12.2.06 00:23 |
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British troops videoed 'beating Iraqis'
Guardian Jo Revill and Ned Temko Sunday February 12, 2006 The Observer Details emerged last night of a shocking video which appears to show a group of British soldiers brutally beating and kicking defenceless Iraqi teenagers in an army compound. The footage is said to show eight soldiers pulling four teenagers off the street following a riot and dragging them into their army base, before beating them with batons, as well as punching and kicking them. An urgent Military Police investigation was under way last night into the events shown in the video. The Ministry of Defence issued the following statement: 'We are aware of these very serious allegations and can confirm that they are the subject of an urgent Royal Military Police investigation. We condemn all acts of abuse and treat any allegation of wrongdoing extremely seriously.' But the emergence of the footage, given to the News of the World by an anonymous whistleblower, will spark a huge controversy about the conduct of the army in Iraq. There were also fears that it could lead to more attacks on the British soldiers currently serving there. The MoD has repeatedly given assurances that Iraqis who are captured are treated with respect and decency by British troops. The Abu Ghraib prison scandal involving Americans, dating back to 2004, shocked the world but Downing Street was adamant that there could not be any similar scandal involving the UK forces. However, there have been investigations by MoD prosecutors into a series of serious allegations of abuse by its troops in southern Iraq. The video was apparently shot in secret by a corporal at a time when troops around Basra were dealing on a daily basis with street riots and insurgencies. Taken from a rooftop, the footage is said to show troops engaged in a running battle with youths, who are seen throwing a grenade which hits their compound. The footage shows soldiers in combat fatigues chasing the men away, but then cuts to eight soldiers who return with four prisoners, who are marched to the compound gate and dragged inside. In one of the most brutal scenes, a soldier punches one of the prisoners in the head and the stomach. He is then headbutted and kicked further. Another scene shows a soldier walking up to one of the boys and kicking him hard between the legs from behind. The boy is seen doubling up in pain. In some of the worst footage, a prisoner is kicked in the back and the body six times by two soldiers. As he struggles on the floor, one of the soldiers grabs him again by the shoulder, kicks him twice and then begins to hit him on the legs with a baton. According to the newspaper report, the video also shows shocking footage of a soldier drawing back the blanket over an Iraqi corpse to display it close up to the camera as if it is a trophy. Another scene is said to show an Iraqi man being grabbed by three soldiers and forced to kneel behind a wall where he is kicked hard in the chest. The video, lasting just over three minutes, is said to show at least 42 blows rained upon the four teenagers. The cries of the prisoners can be heard clearly according to the newspaper report. The News of the World said it had decided not to reveal the unit or regiment of the troops involved in the video for security reasons. A spokesman said they received the video a few days ago and had given a copy to the MoD. The Attorney General Lord Goldsmith will also want to see that the fresh allegations of brutality are fully investigated. His office, along with the MoD, was made fully aware of the video last Friday when officials held discussions with News of the World over the contents. There appears to be little doubt on the part of officials that it is genuine footage. The new allegations will put more pressure on the government to hasten the departure of troops from Iraq. At present, there are 8,500 troops serving in Iraq, and officials have said they plan to begin redeployment in the next few months, with a view to bringing some of them back home by the end of the year. The whistleblower who gave the video to the News of the World told the paper his aim was to try to prevent further abuses. The informant is quoted as saying: 'These Iraqis were just kids. Most haven't even got shoes on.' He said the video had been shown by the corporal's friends at their home base in Europe. |
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12.2.06 04:28 |
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Love is the drug
Times online  Falling head over heels for someone can feel heavenly or hellish. But can scientists explain what's really happening? John Cornwell reports.>>Find out! |
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12.2.06 06:15 |
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Imagery and Internet Analysis of the NSA and IXPs
http://uk.geocities.com/osin1776/ **We all know about Geourge Bush and his NSA and how he is spying on Americans, but how does this affect us and our use of the internet? You might want to read this article. Lots of supplemental links onsite **Via cryptome By OSIN Project Quote: "You can tell a good spy by his ominous logo." -Calvin & Hobbes A special thanks to the GOP for providing the motivation to finish this project! >:P During the time I was working on Project 4, the FBI and Infragard project, I kept coming across references about their Carnivore program. For those of you who are not familiar with it, that program was the FBI's attempt to capture someone's Internet traffic coming and going from a particular ISP. There are more details about it below, but it caused such an outcry in the US that the FBI changed the name to something more innocuous, like DCS1000. By the time I was coming to the end of the FBI project, the media revealed via a leaked source that the NSA had been spying on Americans within the US and bypassing all Constitutional requirements of search warrants, even bypassing the secret courts that were set up for national security reasons. So, nearly 230 years of the Republic is coming to an end because one beady-eyed prick in the White House rationalized away our Constitutional rights in the name of national security. So, I thought it only proper to take a quick look at the Agency which raped the Fourth Amendment- the NSA. The NSA is the United States' premier spy agency when it comes to eavesdropping on communications. I won't dwell on their Echelon program and their eavesdropping capabilities because that has been done to death. Just look it up on Google. But, there was one particular area I was curious about. What is the NSA's approach to monitoring the Internet? I can't imagine they would've just left the most extensive communications system in modern times alone. This project is about an assumption I'm making. And although it is a pretty big assumption, I have no doubt that someone is perusing the Internet traffic from Europe and the Middle East and it makes sense that it be the NSA. Think about it- a huge chunk of the Internet traffic is going through North America and what better opportunities for the NSA to catch that traffic than now! Don't think you're going through America to get to another country's websites? For those of you in Europe, you should try doing a traceroute to a website in Japan and look at the IPs and machine names you go through to get there. Because the Internet was created by the US, they wield a huge control over where much of that traffic is directed, and which is I might add, why the US will probably never relinquish control of the Internet over to an international body. >>Read on |
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12.2.06 17:15 |
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Political forum and blog
Got an email today from someone named 'Steve' who informed me of a 20six political blog and associated forum which some of you might be interested in. The first look I had at the blog, there was a pro-abortion article, which I am very much against, but I will give you the links anyway. Discussion is always good I suppose. The blog is Blood Sweat & Tea. The forum is bstea.org. |
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12.2.06 17:59 |
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V Day!!
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14.2.06 05:14 |
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Cézanne, reclusive 19th century genius, gets recognition he craved a century on
Guardian National Gallery Major retrospective of the 'father of modern art' Mark Brown Wednesday February 15, 2006 The Guardian **See also WebMuseum - Paul Cézanne He was shy, reclusive, a bit gruff but probably not as unpleasant as some would have us believe. Hardly anyone knew of him while he was alive but now he is recognised as one of the 19th century's greatest painters. Paul Cézanne died after contracting pneumonia in October 100 years ago. During his life he only had a few exhibitions in his home country and none across the channel. A century on and the National Gallery will go some way to putting this right when it hosts a major retrospective of his work, bringing together 40 of his paintings, all held in British collections.  Cézanne's influence on subsequent artists was phenomenal. Often called the father of modern art, he was a bridge between the impressionists and the cubists, he hugely influenced the likes of Matisse, Picasso, Gauguin, Braque, Kandinsky and Mondrian. He was an innovator taking liberties with shape and form unheard of in his day. (Click to view 'Le lac d'Annecy' from WebMuseum)Anne Robbins, assistant curator of 19th century paintings at the National Gallery, called the exhibition, which opens in October, "terribly exciting". The exhibits will cover all aspects of Cézanne's work; the portraits, the exquisite still-lifes, the landscapes and the bathers.  Cézanne was very much the artist's artist, said to be always far more interested in the theory of painting than the subject. He was obsessed by form and methods and took incredibly daring liberties with painted shapes. (Click to view 'Chrysanthemums' from WebMuseum)Among the works brought together for the London exhibition is a Bathers delicately prised from a private collection and going on public display for the first time. Between the 1870s and his death Cézanne explored the theme of naked bathers in about 200 works, inspired by his love of the Renaissance and the studies he made in the Louvre of the likes of Titian and Giorgione. Never particularly concerned by physical beauty, Cézanne's bathers are more often than not a bit lumpy, deformed even. One of the three paintings on Cézanne's easel when he died will also be part of the exhibition - Great Bathers. Cézanne worked on the three large paintings of women bathing for seven years, hoping they would earn him the place in art history he firmly believed he deserved. The monumental works were a particular inspiration for Matisse and Picasso. Another highlight will be a small, vibrant watercolour of a woman diving into water, borrowed from the National Museum of Wales. It was first drawn in pencil, before a thin layer of watercolour was added and then highlights, resulting in a work almost like an illumination. Also there will be examples of Cézanne's famed still lifes and his landscapes, including the countryside of his native and beloved Provence. Perhaps the painting Cézanne would not want staring down at visitors is the self-portrait, bought for the National Gallery in 1925. "He didn't enjoy self-portraiture. He was never that keen to reveal himself," said Ms Robbins. It is this shyness that has probably given Cézanne more unfair headlines than he deserves. According to Ms Robbins, there is an undeserved cliche of the painter - that he was a rather unpleasant grump. While he did progressively retire into isolation, he was not as unsociable as sometimes made out. The image of Cézanne as unfriendly is not borne out when you find he spent a lot of school days larking about with his great chum Emile Zola. Or that one of his best friends, a man he used to go on painting trips with, was Camille Pissarro. He was, though, beleaguered by self-doubt. His friend, Zola, wrote in a letter: "Paul may have the genius of a great painter, but he will never have the genius to become one. The slightest obstacle makes him despair." Another widely acknowledged theme of Cézanne's life was his craving for recognition, something which did not come easily. The Salon - the official art exhibitions of 19th century Paris - rejected Cézanne in the 1860s. Before he died he offered his work to Aix and was again turned down - the authorities wanted proper art. This year, France has declared, is the year of Cézanne. · Cézanne in Britain, The National Gallery, October 4 to January 7 2007 |
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15.2.06 07:55 |
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Man's inhumanity to man
Mentor the Soul  Those of you reading the news yesterday know there is yet more to the scandal of Abu Ghraib prison abuse of Iraqis by American troops. Newly leaked photos (see Times Online) are said to be so gruesome that they were not published in mainstream media outlets. The U.S. government fears even more of an Islamic backlash because of this. In addition, just recently there were other stories and video exposing British troops involved in the maiming and torture of Iraqi teenagers (see International Herald Tribune). The other day after this last story broke, Al from 'The Diaries of Alan Benefit' gave me a link to a psychological explanation for such very human inhumanity and atrocities in times of war and the steps necessary that must be taken in order to limit the amount of depravity to which people descend during such times. "We must expose atrocities, create and enforce limits on what we can do during warfare, and vigilantly guard against our own descent into savagery because war, especially in its modern technological incarnation, is so brutalizing and dehumanizing to all involved. Without exposure and fierce moral vigilance, atrocities are inevitable. After they are completed, the remorse will slowly kill both perpetrators and survivors as well as continue to inspire the endless cycle of violent revenge in which the world seems trapped". I might add that it still seems a bit strange to attempt to make war more humane, when the very nature of the beast is anything but. The article is interesting, however, for its explanation of how ordinary people are sometimes capable of the most extraordinary acts of brutality. >>Read the article |
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16.2.06 05:24 |
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Family anger as 'coward' soldier is refused pardon
Guardian Mark Townsend, legal affairs correspondent Sunday February 19, 2006 The Observer The family of a First World War soldier shot for cowardice are furious after their legal appeal for a posthumous pardon was turned down by John Reid, the defence secretary. After a hearing at the High Court last October, Reid had asked for more time to review the case of Private Harry Farr, raising the hopes of scores of other families who want to clear the names of British troops who were executed by firing squad during the war. Farr's 92-year-old daughter, Gertrude Harris, said she was 'very disappointed' by Reid's decision. She remains convinced that her father displayed no signs of cowardice. 'He received treatment for a condition then known as shell shock, but this was ignored.' John Hipkin, of the 'Shot At Dawn' campaign group, said that the rejection of the appeal was 'indefensible'. He added: 'I cannot understand or believe this decision. It's absolutely horrific.' Farr was shot for refusing to return to the trenches on the Western Front 90 years ago. The 25-year-old had been in hospital for five months, suffering from severe shell shock. Farr's medical records were not shown to the officers at his court martial, which lasted 20 minutes, and he was not represented. Hipkin added: 'Why have the MoD done this when it is proven that Farr was suffering from shell shock? Despite the time he spent in hospital, where nurses noted that he trembled so severely he was unable to hold a pen, Farr was found guilty of cowardice and sentenced to death. In September 1916 the soldier confided to colleagues that he had become 'sick with nerves' before breaking down and saying that he could not go on. However, his superiors ordered him back to the trenches, where he had spent two years fighting. His sergeant-major was quoted in court-martial papers as saying: 'You are a fucking coward and you will go to the trenches', and 'If you don't go up to the front, I'm going to blow your fucking brains out.' Reid rejected Farr's case on the grounds that it could not be proven conclusively that shell shock was behind Farr's refusal to go back to the front. However, lawyers acting for the soldier's family claim that any mitigating medical factors should have been sufficient to question the death sentence. John Dickinson, of Irwin Mitchell, the law firm representing Farr's family, said that the government had been alerted to the case of an officer who was dismissed from the army for cowardice, but whose sentence was subsequently deemed too severe in 1922. 'The government seems to have come from entirely the opposite direction in this case, perhaps because one involves a private and the other an officer,' said Dickinson. Sir Douglas Haig, later the 1st Earl Haig, the British commander-in-chief notorious for his reluctance to visit the front line, signed Farr's death sentence. On the day Farr was shot, Haig enjoyed lunch with the poet John Masefield. At his execution Farr refused a blindfold, preferring instead to look the firing squad in the eye. An army chaplain who witnessed the execution said: 'A finer soldier never lived.' At least 306 soldiers were shot for desertion during the First World War. None has been pardoned. Although France and Germany also shot men on charges of desertion, both countries have decided to posthumously pardon and build memorials to them. By contrast, Farr's grave is unmarked, its whereabouts unknown. Farr's family plan to appeal to the High Court next month against Reid's decision. |
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19.2.06 03:17 |
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