7. Molon Labe
Herodotus tells us that in 480 B.C., 300 Spartans and their allies held off two million Persian soldiers, under King Xerxes, at the pass of Thermopylae. They held on for seven days. They fought to the last man.
Five days into the battle, seeing the impossible odds, Xerxes offered Leonidas, King of the Spartans, the lives and freedom of his men. The only condition: they must lay down their arms.
Leonidas answered with two words,which are inscribed on the modern monument there: "Molon Labe".
Translated from the ancient Greek, it means simply:
"Come and get them."
Obscura
Tuesday, March 20, 2001
6. Babakueria
(c/o Phoenix1 - Cafe Utne)
Re: "a wealthy and powerful group of blackfolks who run things"... one of the BEST uses of TV I have ever experienced is in a half-hour program written, directed, & produced by Australian Aborigines (mainly Eora & Yorta Yorta tribes).
It's called "Babakueria"... the phonetic spelling of the white Aussie/ocker (redneck) pronunciation of "Barbeque Area".
It is a mock-documentary, reversing the white/black roles in the European takeover of Australia; i.e., the Aboriginal colonisers arrive and "conquer", then marginalise, the indigenous white inhabitants.
It is hysterical... and frightening. Most thought-provoking. If it is ever shown where you live, or if you can get the video, don't miss it.
It is obvious (to me, anyway) that Amerika's wealth has been built on the backs of black and Hispanic forced labour... and so sad that, several hundred years later, certain sectors of the community cannot even bring themselves to acknowledge it. I also think that the vibrancy of the US pop culture is largely due to African-American influences in music, literature, and the arts in general.
But why does mainstream culture not recognise this?
(c/o Phoenix1 - Cafe Utne)
Re: "a wealthy and powerful group of blackfolks who run things"... one of the BEST uses of TV I have ever experienced is in a half-hour program written, directed, & produced by Australian Aborigines (mainly Eora & Yorta Yorta tribes).
It's called "Babakueria"... the phonetic spelling of the white Aussie/ocker (redneck) pronunciation of "Barbeque Area".
It is a mock-documentary, reversing the white/black roles in the European takeover of Australia; i.e., the Aboriginal colonisers arrive and "conquer", then marginalise, the indigenous white inhabitants.
It is hysterical... and frightening. Most thought-provoking. If it is ever shown where you live, or if you can get the video, don't miss it.
It is obvious (to me, anyway) that Amerika's wealth has been built on the backs of black and Hispanic forced labour... and so sad that, several hundred years later, certain sectors of the community cannot even bring themselves to acknowledge it. I also think that the vibrancy of the US pop culture is largely due to African-American influences in music, literature, and the arts in general.
But why does mainstream culture not recognise this?
Sunday, March 18, 2001
1. Palindaba
Originally a South African Nuke plant. Now a treaty.
The Treaty covers the entire African continent, Madagascar and a number of island groups in the Atlantic and Indian ocean.10 The treaty was signed the 11th April, 1996 by 53(along with some late-comers) of the some 60 African states. Setting aside some island groups, thus far others on the continent have stayed outside the process: Botswana, Congo(Brazzaville), Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, Somalia, West Sahara and Tanzania. These are not countries with a nuclear infrastructure; so the political meaning of their current present absence is therefore not so great. The contributions to the UNIDIR book don. t go into the absence of these countries, so it might be a case of too little political interest or acting capability.11 So far, all nuclear weapon states have signed the Treaty, even France has ratified it. Also in this treaty, a protocol explicitly prohibiting nuclear tests was entered into. This is where the South African attempts in the Kalahari desert and the French tests in the Sahara in the sixties play a part. Having been ratified by only two states, Mauritius and Gambia, by October 1996, the Treaty still has to pick up speed in Africa. The Treaty states its coming into force after 28 ratifications, that is, when roughly half of the continent has reacted positively. Relevant to Europe is that the whole of Northern Africa is involved in the treaty. So, the political intention is almost complete, but legal completion is still in its infancy.
Originally a South African Nuke plant. Now a treaty.
The Treaty covers the entire African continent, Madagascar and a number of island groups in the Atlantic and Indian ocean.10 The treaty was signed the 11th April, 1996 by 53(along with some late-comers) of the some 60 African states. Setting aside some island groups, thus far others on the continent have stayed outside the process: Botswana, Congo(Brazzaville), Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, Somalia, West Sahara and Tanzania. These are not countries with a nuclear infrastructure; so the political meaning of their current present absence is therefore not so great. The contributions to the UNIDIR book don. t go into the absence of these countries, so it might be a case of too little political interest or acting capability.11 So far, all nuclear weapon states have signed the Treaty, even France has ratified it. Also in this treaty, a protocol explicitly prohibiting nuclear tests was entered into. This is where the South African attempts in the Kalahari desert and the French tests in the Sahara in the sixties play a part. Having been ratified by only two states, Mauritius and Gambia, by October 1996, the Treaty still has to pick up speed in Africa. The Treaty states its coming into force after 28 ratifications, that is, when roughly half of the continent has reacted positively. Relevant to Europe is that the whole of Northern Africa is involved in the treaty. So, the political intention is almost complete, but legal completion is still in its infancy.
Verbal Atom Splitting. Memex for Tlon, Uqbar & Orbis Tertius
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