New at the Belmont Club: Why militant protesters dress the way they do. It’s not just style.
Pith Helmet
The Forever Man
When Aggression Wears a Mask
When Hostilities Were Declared
What is your command?
Dark Wind
The Big Parade Moves to China
Names on a Map
For those to whom the exotic place names in the Western Philippine Sea are just letters on a map, thanks to the proliferation of RoRo-type ferries, there is now the option of visiting these places simply by boarding a bus at a Manila terminal. This is a convenient and cheap way to get a sense of the Philippine archipelago. Just how easy is shown by the hundreds of YouTube videos being churned out by content providers like the one below.
The Armpits of the World
News that Israel is considering resettling Gazans in South Sudan is a reminder that for citizens of failing states, escape to the first world is becoming less and less an option. “Israel is in discussions with South Sudan about the possibility of resettling Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to the war-torn East African country, part of a wider effort by Israel to facilitate mass emigration from the territory left in ruins by its 22-month offensive against Hamas.”
Israel is in talks to possibly resettle Palestinians from Gaza in South Sudan
Israel is in talks with South Sudan about the possibility of resettling Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to the war-torn East African country.
A Lifetime of Escapes
The Man With Nowhere To Go
Bowed by the weight of aid boxes he leans
Upon the truck and gazes on the ground,
The emptiness of ages in his face
And on his back the burden of loot.
Who made him dead to agency and life,
A thing that consumes and that never makes,
Resentful and desperate, a brother to the ox?
Who loosened and let down this brutal jaw?
Whose was the hand that slanted back this brow?
Whose stuffed hate within this brain?
The Tourists
So gradually that the press didn’t notice, nontraditional countries took over the mercenary trade. Colombian mercenaries working for North African strongmen have taken over one of the largest refugee camps in the world. “The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have handed over control of the massive Zamzam camp for displaced people to Colombian mercenaries, a camp spokesman alleged on Sunday, months after the RSF seized the area.”
Humanitarians vs Gangs
An prominent Irish aid worker and 8 others were kidnapped from an orphanage in Haiti. Gena Heraty, from Liscarney, County Mayo is described by the Guardian as a missionary. “Among them was Gena Heraty, an Irish missionary who oversees the orphanage – operated by the humanitarian organization Nos Petits Frères et Sœurs (Our Little Brothers and Sisters). But as the Irish Times explains she is not a missionary in the denominational sense.
Continue reading “Humanitarians vs Gangs”A strong faith helps to combat the fears of the Liscarney, Co Mayo-born aid worker, who is a Roman Catholic but does not, as she puts it, feel tied to any religion.
“My faith is simple: if I believe in a God, then I have to believe in goodness and in doing good. I am not bothered in a life after death – I do believe in it but I am more concerned in doing my best for the here and now. I believe whatever will happen to me here, I’ll be given the strength to deal with it.”
What Lies Beneath
Netanyahu reportedly goes all in and decided to take Gaza according to the Jerusalem Post. “The Prime Minister’s Office conveyed the message to IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir: If this does not suit you, then you should resign.” The Israelis may not find any more hostages alive, but perhaps that possibility has simply been accepted as a fact. We think of ourselves as civilized, but underneath the veneer of culture a million years of savage nature lurks.
Tale of Two Cities
Morality takes different forms. “A zoo in Denmark is asking for donations of small pets as food for its predators. … That way, nothing goes to waste — and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition and well-being of our predators,” the zoo said.
Meanwhile over in Sudan: “‘We’re suffering’: People in Sudan’s el-Fasher eat animal fodder to survive”.
Continue reading “Tale of Two Cities”Angaro described how he and his family rely on livestock fodder known as ambaz, a type of animal feed made out of peanut shells. … In recent months, more than half a million people have taken shelter in Tawila, some 60km (37 miles) west of el-Fasher, the state capital, which has been under two months of siege by the RSF rebels.
