Monday, December 22, 2014

People look east .............

“People, look east. The time is near.

Of the crowning of the year.

Make your house fair as you are able,

Trim the hearth and set the table.

People, look East and sing today:

Love the Guest is on the way.”

Words: Eleanor Farjeon

*

#MichaelFranti Video & plea "When we all see justice, we'll all see peace."

Musician and poet Michael Franti was working in a Miami studio when he got the news that a grand jury had decided not to indict police officer Daniel Pantaleo in the death of unarmed civilian Eric Garner. "I was really shocked," he tells Rolling Stone. "Having seen the tape of the Garner killing, I could not see how no indictment was possible. When I saw Garner's family members speaking on TV, it was really emotional for me."

In response, Franti wrote "Same as It Ever Was (Start Today)," which he recorded with producer Di Genius. The lyrics to the song call for change and a better understanding between police and communities. "When we used to have a problem we used to call the police," he sings somberly at one point of the song, "but who we gonna call when the police make a problem?" Amid jazzy piano and a down-tempo beat, Franti asks everyone to start reassessing their attitudes toward one another today. "I really wanted to write something that would touch hearts, make people think and be moved to work for change in our country," Franti says.

Franti says the song is not an indictment against police officers or police departments. But he thinks officers should be held accountable when they make wrong decisions and innocent lives are lost. "When the decisions to indict police officers are repeatedly denied behind the closed doors of a grand jury and the people are not brought to justice in the public eye of a court room, it breaks all of our trust and it reinforces the idea that there is little or no accountability when it comes to the police killing of African-American men and other people of color," he says. "That their lives are worth less than the lives of others.... It is not due process, it is not just, and it is not acceptable. If that's what the law says, then I believe it's a law that should be changed."

We spoke with Franti who expounded on some of the themes of "Same as It Ever Was (Start Today)."

In your opinion, what could ease tensions between police and civilians?

What we see today is the result of generations of mistrust in our communities: Rodney King, the Watts Riots, the Black Panther movement, the Civil Rights movement all played out with police and people in the streets. It's no secret that the police and black people haven't exactly sat down and sipped tea together. We see incidents like killings taking place and it brings everything to the surface, but honestly it's the way police deal with individuals one-on-one on a daily basis over the years that makes or breaks the trust in the community. So in two words: "respect" and "accountability."

The police will never develop the respect of the community if unarmed men of color continue to be killed and the cases never go to trial in a public courtroom. And does it really take a dozen bullets, or a chokehold to arrest an unarmed man? They seem to manage in other countries all the time. Take England for example, where police do not carry firearms. Despite the Eric Garner decision, police wearing cameras has proven to reduce the rate of complaints against them by as much as 80 percent in communities that use cameras. Equally important is for police to know who they are protecting and serving, perhaps live in the communities or be from them.

How can people rebuild trust with police?

The first thing is people need to have an opportunity to vent their emotions in a safe way. People are hurt, and they need to be able to safely take to the streets. Cases need to be tried in courtrooms and not behind doors. My goal with this song and video is to promote conversation between friends, family members, in schools, the workplace, and on social media. Today, we have an unprecedented opportunity for dialog to take place, and hopefully action that leads to substantive change. Change in the way our communities are policed, change in the way the judicial system works and perhaps change in the way our communities view and relate to the police and judicial system. It's on everyone's minds right now; it should not be swept under the rug.

How hard of a decision was it to include footage of Eric Garner's death in the clip?

It was a very mindful decision, but not a difficult one. It's a horrible thing to see. But in order to discuss it, we have to be open to what we are actually talking about. I know some people will be offended by it, and others might be offended by the picture of the black boy hugging a white police officer. Some will not like that I show a sign that reads "black lives matter," as though I'm saying "other lives don't." Some will not like that I show signs that read "All lives matter," as if I'm diluting the message that black men are being killed by the police. Others may disagree that I say in the song that all of us have a role to play in making these changes possible. I wrote every word and selected each image to trigger dialog. I'm okay with that, because that's where substantive change can occur and healing can begin.

What else would you like to say?

My birth mother is Irish, French and German, and my birth father is African-American. I was raised by Finnish-American parents, who had three kids of their own before adopting me and another African-American son. For as long as I can remember, race and the questions surrounding it have been a part of my life. My mother taught me at a very early age that I should respect law enforcement, but also to be aware that being one of the only people of color in my community that their might be some not so good officers I should be looking out for.

Today, I live in Hunter's Point, San Francisco, a community that is 90 percent African-American. I have had bullets rip through two walls of my home from shots in the community, and I have a neighbor whose unarmed son was killed by police. Last summer, I was stopped, handcuffed and accused of a double homicide while on the way to the movies with my teenage son. I was eventually released. Being wrongly accused and handcuffed in front of my son left me enraged, but I must admit, had my son been the one who got shot in the double homicide that day, I might have been demanding the cops were at least out looking for the perpetrator.

It's easy for people to generalize and say all cops are bad or all black youth are trouble. It makes headlines, and it makes situations like the Mike Brown tragedy easier for people on both sides to rationalize. We all have a stake and a responsibility in bringing about these changes. We might not ever live in a society that is just, unbiased, kind and peaceful all the time, but I know for sure we can all do way better than what we are doing right now. So let's not give up trying. That is the challenge today and we've all been called to play a role in, let's start today.

JUST PEACE FOR PALESTINE

O Come All ye Faithful

O come all ye Faithful

Those who care for justice,

O look ye, O look ye at Bethlehem.

Come and behold it,

Under occupation.

O come let’s not ignore it,

O come let’s not ignore it –

Tell the world.

Sing all ye people,

Sing in indignation,

Be with the citizens of Bethlehem.

Sing out for justice,

Freedom from oppression.

O come let’s not ignore it,

O come let’s not ignore it –

Tell the world.

O come all ye faithful

Those who care for justice,

O look ye, O look ye at Bethlehem.

Deborah Maccoby, Just Peace 2002

www.pipwilson.com.justpeaceforpalestine.org

Sunday, December 21, 2014

#Christmas wonderings from Wilson Mansions

Family whispers

secret presents

from lists provided

secret parcels from Amazon.

Big build up

Tescos started it.

Four days left

Then it slides away

so quickly into Christmas Day.

New

jumpers

slippers

shirts

socks

and

(underclothes)

in brackets.

I wish we could get toys again.

I guess gadgets fix the men.

What do women get?

All the hard work I guess!

Christmas fills all space

busy with family humans*

busy with tinsel*

busy with food*

busy with alcohol

busy with TV*

busy with no time to think/reflect

busy with presents*

busy with NO TIME

* and then I think

*of the beautiful humans

*who live in homeless hostels

*who are dysfunctional in relationships

*who are in conflict with family

*who are rejected by family

*who are without a loved one

*who have dependancy issues

*who are with humans they don't want to be with

*who stop me in the street

and boast about their

new place to sleep

because it is under a stairwell

with an air-con extract

= warmth

= for Christmas ...............

*I am dwelling on those who are facing Christmas in fear.

Little children who are in the way.

Teenagers pregnant without a shed to sleep in.

Teenagers who have complex violent relationships.

Humans who will not chose to be - alone.

@Christmas

I feel .........

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Science Proves That #Hugs Can Boost Your Immune System

Science Proves That Hugs Can Boost Your Immune System

We know that hugs make us feel warm and fuzzy inside. And this feeling, it turns out, could actually ward off stress and protect the immune system, according to new research from Carnegie Mellon University.

It's a well-known fact that stress can weaken the immune system. In this study, the researchers sought to determine whether hugs -- like social support more broadly -- could protect individuals from the increased susceptibility to illness brought on by the particular stress that comes with interpersonal conflict.

"We know that people experiencing ongoing conflicts with others are less able to fight off cold viruses. We also know that people who report having social support are partly protected from the effects of stress on psychological states, such as depression and anxiety," the study's lead author, psychologist Dr. Sheldon Cohen, said in a statement. "We tested whether perceptions of social support are equally effective in protecting us from stress-induced susceptibility to infection and also whether receiving hugs might partially account for those feelings of support and themselves protect a person against infection."

In the experiment, over 400 healthy adults who filled out a questionnaire about their perceived social support and also participated in a nightly phone interview for two weeks. They were asked about the frequency that they engaged in interpersonal conflict and received hugs that day.

Then, the researchers exposed the participants to a common cold virus, and monitored them to assess signs of infection. They found that both perceived social support and more frequent hugs reduced the risk of infection associated with experiencing interpersonal conflict. Regardless of whether or not they experienced social conflicts, infected participants with greater perceived social support and more frequent hugs had less severe illness symptoms.

"This suggests that being hugged by a trusted person may act as an effective means of conveying support and that increasing the frequency of hugs might be an effective means of reducing the deleterious effects of stress," Cohen said. "The apparent protective effect of hugs may be attributable to the physical contact itself or to hugging being a behavioral indicator of support and intimacy... Either way, those who receive more hugs are somewhat more protected from infection."

If you needed any more reason to go wrap your arms around someone special, consider this: Hugs also lower blood pressure, alleviate fearsaround death and dying, improve heart health and decrease feelings of loneliness.

The findings were published in the journal Psychological Science.

Be my baby - a #Christmas poem

#Christmas comes - Poor Win out against RICH

New Era residents toast Christmas victory after charity buys London estate

Families celebrate after US investor Westbrook Partners abandons plans to evict families and triple rents

THIS - delights my soul.

Ordinary people

homes at risk from the mega rich USA humans

HAPPENING in so many areas of London

and I guess beyond.

BUYING up poor housing to build flats for the RICH

and forcing people to move

demolish

high rents

move for miles away

from their historic community

He who was rich became poor

total opposite to the Christmas

story/message.

Residents on the New Era housing estate celebrate the news that they have won their battle against eviction by a US investor.

To the sound of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” on the jukebox and with open fires crackling in the grates of the Stag pub, the residents of the New Era estate in east London last night toasted a remarkable Christmas victory.

At 2pm on Friday it was confirmed that the 93 families’ battle against eviction by an $11bn US investor had finally been successful. Months of protesting, marching and petitioning had forced the millionaire executives of Westbrook Partners to sell the estate, abandoning plans to evict families and triple rents.

The new owner was announced as the Dolphin Square Foundation, a charity dedicated to providing affordable homes for low and middle income Londoners. It instantly pledged to keep rents at their current low rates not just this Christmas but next Christmas too.

“It is an amazing feeling,” said Lindsey Garrett, an NHS worker and one of three women who spearheaded the campaign to save the flats from investors determined to capitalise on London’s soaring property market. “We beat a multibillion-dollar investment company. Who would have thought three single mothers from Hoxton could have done that?”

Outside the Stag pub where choruses of “We are the champions” rang out, Coleen O’Shea put it more bluntly to another of the campaign’s leaders, Lynsay Spiteri.

“Well done girl, you did it,” O’Shea said. “You shot them up the arse.”

Spiteri, a single mother who with others has dedicated hundreds of hours to the campaign, couldn’t hold back the tears of relief.

The deal means Westbrook has sold an estate it bought nine months earlier for an estimated £20m to a relatively small housing group that says it is committed to delivering low-cost rented homes to Londoners on low to middle incomes.

“The whole philosophy of Dolphin Living is that we fix rents relative to people’s incomes and not relative to market rents,” said Jon Gooding, the chief executive. “I can understand the anxiety of the New Era tenants because they are in a complete disconnect between market rents and wages which makes it extremely difficult for working Londoners. We completely understand that.

“We are serving people who are not on benefits but are earning £25,000 to £60,000, but we are setting rents that are realistic in relation to their net income. We will work to understand in detail the financial circumstances of our tenant group and we will then formulate a rent policy that is demonstrably fair.”

Some tenants of the estate, just north of the City of London, had faced rents tripling from £800 a month for a two-bedroom flat to about £2,400 if Westbrook’s plans had gone through. A tight knit, family-oriented community faced devastation and at one point Westbrook looked poised to evict residents before Christmas.

Instead, Gooding was, with less than a week to go, signing off a letter to residents explaining the deal: “I hope you can now have a more relaxed Christmas.”

Asked if anyone is likely to be evicted after the moratorium on rent increases lifts in 2016, the Dolphin chief executive added: “I wouldn’t like to see any circumstances where somebody would not be able to stay on the estate because they can’t afford to pay the rent.”

The campaign had won the support of the London mayor, Boris Johnson, and the mayor of Hackney, Jules Pipe, who were involved in negotiations, as well as the comedian and campaigner Russell Brand, who highlighted their cause.

Johnson said the deal was “welcome news for the residents of the New Era estate who will be able to enjoy their Christmas safe in the knowledge that their homes will continue to be provided at existing rent levels in 2015”.

There was also caution about how high rents might go. Earlier this year Pipe spoke out over the decision by affordable housing provider, Peabody, to increase rents on homes it bought from the crown estate. He said the rises were “making what was once key worker housing unaffordable for many existing tenants”.

Badge Hiscock, 25, a nursery assistant who lives on New Era was one of many who feared significant increases could still break up the community. “We just get by with what the rent is now and we still struggle at the end of the month,” she said. On the estate, the mood of celebration was contagious. Jackie, a 45-year-old worker at Smithfield market, burst out of her front door in delight and insisted on planting a kiss on the cheek of the Guardian’s reporter.

“I am so pleased,” she said. “When Westbrook bought it, we realised rents would go up to market prices and we couldn’t afford it.

“Every day since then has been so tough. It has made my boyfriend ill and a lot of other people too. But who is going to take us on and throw their weight around now? We are a community and have been here for a long time.”