Jim Pascual Agustin's Blog, page 30
August 8, 2014
Day of Rage and a previously posted poem, “Rent a Horror Movie”
After seeing Jon Snow’s “Unseen Gaza,” many years ago, I wrote a poem called “Rent a Horror Movie.” It is full of rage, but one that is like a fist in the dark. HERE IS THE LINK TO THE POEM.
-o-
The following is taken from the BDS Movement.
Gaza Calling: All out on Saturday 9 August Day of Rage
Join the Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions Movement today. Demand Sanctions on Israel Now.
As we face the full might of Israel’s military arsenal, funded and supplied by the United States and European Union, we call on civil society and people of conscience throughout the world to pressure governments to sanction Israel and implement a comprehensive arms embargo immediately.
Take to the streets on Saturday 9 August with a united demand for sanctions on Israel.
From Gaza under invasion, bombardment, and continuing siege, the horror is beyond words. Medical supplies are exhausted. The death toll has reached 1813 killed (398 children, 207 women, 74 elderly) and 9370 injured (2744 children, 1750 women, 343 elderly). Our hospitals, ambulances, and medical staff are all under attack while on duty. Doctors and paramedics are being killed while evacuating the dead. Our dead are not numbers and statistics to be recounted; they are loved ones, family and friends.
While we have to survive this onslaught, you certainly have the power to help end it the same way you helped overcome Apartheid and other crimes against humanity. Israel is only able to carry out this attack with the unwavering support of governments – this support must end.
This is our third massacre in six years. When not being slaughtered, we remain under siege, an illegal collective punishment of the entire population. Fishermen are shot and killed if they stray beyond a 3 km limit imposed unilaterally by Israel. Farmers are shot harvesting their crops within a border area imposed unilaterally by Israel. Gaza has become the largest open-air prison, a concentration camp since 2006. This time, we want an end to this unprecedented crime against humanity committed with the complicity and support of your own governments!
We are not asking for charity. We are demanding solidarity, because we know that until Israel is isolated and sanctioned, these horrors will be repeated.
- See more at: http://www.bdsmovement.net/2014/gaza-calling-all-out-on-saturday-9-august-day-of-rage-12423#sthash.NW8glK7y.dpuf
Filed under: Alien to Any Skin, Capitalism's greed, Europe, Fragments and Moments, Imperialism, Influences, Mga Tula / Poetry, Middle East, poetry, politics, Uncategorized Tagged: Alien to Any Skin, Gaza, human rights violations, Israel, Israeli apartheid, Jim Pascual Agustin, Palestine, poetry, UST Publishing House
Facebook’s New Mandatory Messenger App Raises Concerns « The New Bull @ 100.3
Who needs the NSA when you’ve allowed Facebook to do the snooping?
Facebook’s New Mandatory Messenger App Raises Concerns « The New Bull @ 100.3.
Filed under: Uncategorized
August 6, 2014
Three poems from Sound Before Water featured in Dead Snakes
Cluster bombs being dropped on Gaza by Israel (image from Wikipedia)
Three poems from Sound Before Water have been posted on Dead Snakes. Please click THIS LINK to read them. Posting a comment (or three) will help encourage the editors to keep up their good work.
Thank you, Stephen, for making room for my work.
Filed under: Fragments and Moments, Imperialism, Influences, Life in a different world, Mga Tula / Poetry, Middle East, poetry, politics, Sound Before Water, terrorism, Uncategorized Tagged: Gaza, human rights, human rights violations, Israel, Jim Pascual Agustin, murder of civilians, Palestine, Sound Before Water, terrorism, terrorist state, terrorist state of Israel, UST Publishing House
August 4, 2014
One of my poems got nominated Best of the Net 2014
image from Wikipedia
In an earlier post I announced two poems that were published in Poppy Road Review. One of the poems has been nominated for Best of the Net 2014 and I thank the editors and all the readers who have appreciated my work. I hope to keep finding new keen readers who are open to seeing various versions of my writing as I trudge along to somewhere hopefully better with them.
HERE is the official announcement from Poppy Road Review and a LINK to the poem.
Maraming salamat.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: A Thousand Eyes, Best of the Net 2014, ghosts, Jim Pascual Agustin, meltdown, nuclear meltdown, nuclear radiation, Poppy Road Review, Sundress Press, The Ghosts of Fukushima, tsunami
August 1, 2014
This poem is a draft, but I am hoping ISRAELies and Tony BLiar will read it one day, if not today
Yes, I can see the funny spelling. Had a laugh?
-o-
The Saddest Photo, International Space Station, 23 July 2014
Light, I’m told, is invisible
unless it strikes something:
a wall, a tree, a sliver
of smoke, your eye.
Fireworks makers know
how to make light whirl
and dance, displacing
the stars of midsummer
or grip of winter. You cannot
help but surrender,
be entranced by their magic.
Today I saw a photograph
taken by Alexander Gerst
as the ISS orbited the earth.
If you didn’t know
what the bursts of light
he captured, you could be forgiven
for thinking they were beautiful,
like filigree or deep sea creatures.
There, dark waters
bordered by scattering
lights, the beach
where four children playing
were blown up.
-o-
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Alexander Gerst, Breaking the Siege, Gaza, Gaza Massacre, Israel, ISS, Jim Pascual Agustin, siege, The Saddest Photo, Tony Blair
July 27, 2014
Maybe, just maybe
Three Views of an Israeli Checkpoint and a Missing Mother
1
Who chose your womb before you were born?
Was your name known
to the speck of dust that first entered your eye?
Are you the only one
who sweats in the harsh burning
of this sun as it turns in silence?
Why does the next moment lie
on your finger that senses fear?
It is only a child you face,
why do you warm the trigger?
2
You are in full military gear.
He is wrapped in a blue blanket, serene.
The barrel of your gun is close to his feet.
His grandfather holds him steady, to keep his sleep.
The next moment is measured in increments
of fear, that distance closing in.
3
Old man, it is not time alone
that has struck
your hair this white.
Your hands know the depth of olive roots,
the countless times they can be pulled
out of the ground by those
who wish to see them twist in the sun.
Those hands
hold more
than your daughter’s child.
-o-
“Operation Cast Lead” is not the Title of a Movie
After a night of gasping
at fireworks
I nurse the consequences
of champagne.
Somewhere else they are remembering
smoke that takes forever
to clear, the ringing in the ears,
the smell of burnt flesh
among personal belongings.
-o-
The Dog and Its Master
With a firm wave of the master’s hand
the dog sets off, sharp as a dagger,
its nose cuts the wind.
Over and over, this lesson is taught.
The dog quickly learns
whom it must seek, sending hairs on end.
They conduct this concert of violence
with such precision, in the end, with the slightest
twitch of the master’s brow, the dog
flies swifter than a bullet, finishing off a prey.
Israel, which are you?
-o-
I’m not sure if I’ve posted these here before. But I feel I need to share them right now. I don’t often post comments to articles I read online. This time I had to. The article can be found HERE.
A dilemma for the party responsible for mass slaughter of a people in an open air prison?
Through the years various war crimes (as documented by the UN and other international bodies) were committed repeatedly by Israel and not a single Israeli official or Israeli have ever been tried. Now we are seeing worse atrocities for they know they can get away with it again.
It takes a certain imagination to accept a twisted view of history. Israel is an occupying power and Palestinians are under one of the thickest military boots in the world.
The oppressed has become the oppressor and, in full battle gear, continues to call himself the victim. And the people who are desperately trying to defend themselves are branded militants and terrorists. Having a starched uniform and being armed to the teeth (paid for in billions of US dollars a year) as well as having extensive control of dominant media are apparently the way to keep oneself from being called a terrorist state. For it seems terror-spreading weapons manufactured with quality control (to ensure precise kills and widespread destructive powers) make all the difference.
Yes, there are Israelis who oppose the Zionist madness, and they need to shout out louder against this atrocity to prove to the world that this is not how they wish to be seen by the the rest of humanity.
Meanwhile, the number of people worldwide who are waking up despite the dominant media’s relentless support of Israel continues to rise. They take to the streets or spread the truth through various means.
One last thing. Apparently there is a vast wealth sitting in Gaza. Is it all about greed then?
-o-
Filed under: Capitalism's greed, Fragments and Moments, Imperialism, Mga Tula / Poetry, Middle East, politics, terrorism, Uncategorized Tagged: Gaza, human rights, impunity, Israeli offensive, Jim Pascual Agustin, Occupied Territories, Operation Cast Lead, Sound Before Water, war crimes
July 25, 2014
URGENT! Maybe you can help trapped medical personnel – from International Solidarity Movement
Medical teams under fire
in Gaza, Press Releases July 25, 2014
25th July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement | Gaza, Occupied Palestine
At 19:00 Beit Hanoun Hospital was hit by an Israeli tank shell. Inside the hospital are 61 medical staff, three patients, civilians, and ISM volunteers who are all trapped inside. Israeli soldiers are in the area, approximately 150 meters behind the hospital. Gunfire can be heard in the area.
This afternoon Israeli forces targeted an ambulance with two paramedics inside in Beit Hanoun, North Gaza. One paramedic was killed and another was critically injured.
This is the third Israeli attack on Gazan medical facilities and personnel in the last 24 hours. The first resulted in the destruction of Al Durrah Children’s Hospital in Gaza City last night. A two year-old child in the Intensive Care Unit was killed, and 30 others injured.
Since Israel began its attack on Gaza, 13 ambulances have been completely destroyed and two paramedics have been killed. Throughout the massacre, medical staff and facilities have been repeatedly targeted.
“Israel’s attacks on Gaza hospitals are ongoing, with those in areas by the separation barrier forced to evacuate their patients, paramedics and other rescue workers are doing what they can under conditions of great risk.” Stated Joe Catron, U.S. International Solidarity Movement activist.
According to the Gazan Ministry of Health, six out of Gaza’s 13 hospitals have already been severely damaged. One, el-Wafa rehabilitation hospital, has been completely destroyed. Two medical clinics have been completely destroyed, seven other clinics have been damaged, 13 medical staff members have been injured, and five have been killed.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza has demanded, “the immediate cessation of Israeli occupation military attacks against medical facilities and personnel in Gaza, and demands that the international community soundly condemn this latest Israeli atrocity, and hold Israel accountable for these war crimes.”
CLICK THIS TO GET TO THE ISM PAGE
Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Carl Bildt
+46 8 405 10 00 [4]
(Plus a load more phone numbers on this page: www.government.se/sb/d/2085)
@carlbildt
@SweMFA
The German Foreign Office:
Federal Foreign Office
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Minister
Tel. (24 hours service): +49 30 1817 0
Telefax: +49 30 1817 3402
German Embassy Tel Aviv emergency number / for German citizens only: +972-54-9944724 (mobile)
Twitter
Auswärtiges Amt @AuswaertigesAmt
UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office
MP Philip Hammond
+44 20 7008 1500
020 7219 4055
@foreignoffice
US Department of State
Israel Foreign Service Desk: 202-647-3672
@StateDept
Spain
José García-Margallo y Marfil
91 379 97 00
@MAECgob
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Murray McCully
+64 4 439 8000
@NZNationalParty
French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Laurent Fabius
@francediplo
@laurentfabius
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Julie Bishop
+61 2 6261 1111 (office)
1300 555 135 (24-hour Consular Emergency Centre)
@dfat
@JulieBishopMP
Venezuelan Ministry Foreign Affairs
Elías Jaua
+58 212 806.4400
+58 212 8061111
@ Vencancilleria
Filed under: Uncategorized
July 22, 2014
Massive Attack at Longitude Festival
July 21, 2014
Here’s a Scary Scenario
Just as the World Cup was underway, Israel begins to bomb Gaza for… what again?
Now that World Cup fever has died down (pun intended), an airline is shot and who’s quickly blamed?
Yeah, it sounds far fetched, like some weird conspiracy movie… well, weirder things have happened. It could also be compared to a performance on a stage with a bunny and a top hat.
Don’t mind me. I’m not running from missiles and drones, I’m not looking for missing members of my family in the few seconds when the air clears a little for me to see my own footsteps amid the rubble and mayhem.
I’m far away and screaming my lungs out in anger at this madness.
-o-
The following was written and translated in January 2009, during Israel’s blockbuster movie, OPERATION CAST LEAD.
Ang Aso at ang Amo
Maigting na kumpas lang ng kamay ng amo
kakaripas agad ang aso, sintalas ng patalim
kung humiwa sa hangin ang nguso
Ilang ulit nang ganito itinuro
kung sino ang dapat tugisin,
panindigin ang balahibo.
Napakagaling ng kanilang konsiyerto
ng karahasan, sa wakas, pinakabahagyang
kibot ng kilay ng amo, mabilis pa sa bala
pumapaslang na ang aso.
Israel, alin ikaw?
-o-
The Dog and Its Master
With a firm wave of the master’s hand
the dog sets off, sharp as a dagger
its nose cuts the wind.
Over and over, this lesson is taught
the dog quickly learns
whom it must seek, sending hairs on end.
They conduct this concert of violence
with such precision, in the end, with the slightest
twitch of the master’s brow, the dog
flies swifter than a bullet, finishing off a prey.
Israel, which are you?
-o-
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Ang Aso at ang Amo, collective punishment, Gaza invasion 2014, human rights violations, Israel, Jim Pascual Agustin, Operation Cast Lead, Palestine, people of Gaza, The Dog and Its Master
