tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86840892011-07-29T20:14:16.598+12:00Random thoughts from an anarchist Jew in Aotearoa on modern day politics, war, poverty and more.Ashernoreply@blogger.comBlogger751100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1142409830372398632006-03-15T21:02:00.000+13:002006-03-15T21:03:50.386+13:00

Left and Lefter has moved to a new address, away from blogger. It also has a new name.It can now be found athttp://anarchia.wordpress.comPlease go there to read and comment.Thanks.

Ashernoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1142125656731377372006-03-12T14:06:00.000+13:002006-03-12T14:07:36.743+13:00

Crosspost from the Happy Valley Occupation Blog.On February 28th, the one month anniversary of our occupation, I returned to Happy Valley after a week in Christchurch. The change couldn’t have been more marked. From concrete to native bush, from sparrows and pidgeons to Weka and Kiwi.As I started the walk back into the Valley, I was quickly reminded of how special and unique an area it actually

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1139554958491801752006-02-10T19:57:00.000+13:002006-02-10T20:02:38.503+13:00

So, just after I get back, I'm heading off again. Going back down South for another month, most of which I'll be spending in Happy Valley.In the meantime, enjoy a press release that I wrote today:Kiwi Spotted In Midland ParkOver 100 inflatable kiwi were released in Midland Park at 12 noon on Friday, February 10th by members of the Save Happy Valley Coalition (Wellington). The kiwi were then

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1138334641943208122006-01-27T16:03:00.000+13:002006-01-27T17:04:02.016+13:00

So, I'm back from my holiday (which was amazing, thanks for asking). While I was down South, one of the things I did was attend a hui for the Save Happy Valley Coalition.Now, if you're from Wellington, you may be wondering whats so special about the rubbish tip, but the Happy Valley I'm talking about is not the oh-so-stinky one located on the South-Western tip of the capital, but rather a

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1135653139817931422005-12-27T16:10:00.000+13:002005-12-27T16:12:19.826+13:00

I'm taking an extended break from civilisation, and will be living out of a tent in places that aren't Wellington for a fair while. I'll be back here (and blogging) sometime in Early-ish 2006.In the meantime, visit the blogs on the sidebar. They're there because they're good....well, mostly.

Ashernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1134141661459521922005-12-10T04:18:00.000+13:002005-12-10T13:01:48.403+13:00

In relation to nutty Christian (he's a nutty kind of Christian, not nutty because he's Christian) MP Gordon Copeland's proposed bill that would amend the marriage act to specify that marriage is only between a man and a woman, and the news that it could breach the Bill Of Rights, a late night talkback caller had this discussion with the host:This bill of rights, is it a United Nations thing?Well,

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1133320573404553842005-11-30T15:48:00.000+13:002005-12-01T02:41:17.290+13:00

As you may have heard, Jason Molloy & Ross Baumgarten were sentenced to prison yesterday for attacking 7 Auckland Mosques and shooting at pedestrians with a BB gun.Now, those of you that know me know that one of the things I do a lot of is anti-fascist activism. So, you would probably think I'd be happy with the events at hand, right? Well, so did I.On September 28th, I wrote the following on the

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1131327274231264152005-11-07T14:24:00.000+13:002005-11-07T14:38:31.563+13:00

So, after an extended period of no posting, I'm back onto the task. Sorry, I've just had a lot on my plate lately (and still do, but I think it'll subside soon).I made a few changes to the links on the right side of the page - removed a few links, added a couple of blogs, including my 2 current favourite reads SNAP! and Capitalism Bad; Tree Pretty. As usual, if I've forgotten you, or you don't

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1129348311653461972005-10-15T16:50:00.000+13:002005-10-15T16:51:51.660+13:00

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1128310596035394022005-10-03T16:32:00.000+13:002005-10-03T16:36:36.040+13:00

September 23rd was the first trans-Tasman day of action against ANZ's profiteering from the illegal occupation of Iraq. Actions took place in 8 cities across Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand (Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne, Newcastle, Sydney, Wellington, Wollongong), with many branches shut down, flyers handed out, stickers stuck and chants yelled. Lets make October 21st hit them even harder!Why

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1127115292971106412005-09-19T17:38:00.000+12:002005-09-19T20:52:46.266+12:00

Scott Parkin, a 35 year old resident of Houston, Texas, was arrested on Saturday, September 10th at a café in the inner-northern Melbourne suburb of Brunswick, as he was on his way to run a workshop at a local community centre on the successes of the US peace movement’s campaign against Halliburton, and primarily about their use of street theatre. Scott is a promoter of non-violent direct action

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1126755046323452852005-09-15T15:18:00.000+12:002005-09-15T15:30:46.330+12:00

So, I'm a vegetarian. I just had a flight Wellington - Sydney on Air NZ, then Melbourne - Wellington on Qantas. So, it's time for a review of the quality of vege meals on these two airlines.Air New Zealand's vege meal was, in short, awful. The tiniest sliver of lasagne (about 3cm x 1cm), where I couldn't tell what was in the layers as it just looked like a brown mush and had little flavour. Also,

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1124782151417579402005-08-23T19:26:00.000+12:002005-08-23T19:29:12.220+12:00

As the title suggests, I'm taking a much needed break.Want to know why it's much needed? Keep your eyes on the Dominion Post over the next 2-3 days, you should see my gorgeous face staring back at you sometime soon...I'll post more on that subject once it's been made public.Anyway, I'm heading to Australia - a bit of time in Sydney (for some conferences and the A30 convergence against the Forbes

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1123924885905410112005-08-13T21:17:00.000+12:002005-08-14T02:29:16.233+12:00

Here's something I just made up for a friend of mine.Once upon a time, there was a small town.In this town, there lived a number of athletes of high ability.One day, they heard about a new type of athletic competition - the marathon.The Mayor of the town offered a reward of many, many treasures to the winner of the marathon.The athletes all trained for a few weeks. Then came the starting day.

Ashernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1123415829116873122005-08-07T23:53:00.000+12:002005-08-08T00:02:26.890+12:00

Political graffiti artist Banksy recently took a trip to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, where he engaged in some incredible graffiti art on the wall which Israel is currently building around and through the West Bank.All are incredible, but the last two are my favourites.

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1123342697852758682005-08-07T03:32:00.000+12:002005-08-07T03:38:19.526+12:00

Avram Burg, a former speaker of the Knesset (Israeli Parliament), has long been someone I have held a lot of respect for. He is also an excellent writer, and he recently issued a scathing attack on ultra-nationalist religious Jewish settlers of the West Bank and Gaza Strip who claim to be upholding Judaism in their disgusting views.When they threaten me and talk of 'a war of brothers,' I stop

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1122458514732126812005-07-27T21:38:00.000+12:002005-07-28T12:03:52.560+12:00

On Thursday last week, Jason Molloy and Ross Baumgarten were arrested in Auckland. The charges thusfar? Unlawful possession of a firearm and presenting a firearm. Jason and Ross weren't just two random kids out for a joy-shooting however.Jason is the former long-time webmaster for the National Front, who made a large habit of issuing death threats to people online, including myself. Ross is also

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1122457090982204902005-07-27T21:33:00.000+12:002005-07-27T21:38:10.990+12:00

So, a certain fundie friend of mine told me I should post something about him on this blog. Now, Asher, I hear you ask, why would a fine upstanding citizen such as yourself be friendly with a Christian fundamentalist?Well, thats a very good question. To be honest, I don't know the answer myself. So, fundie, this is just to tell you that I hate you. Sincerely.

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1122300825961687132005-07-26T01:09:00.000+12:002005-07-26T02:13:46.020+12:00

Sometimes I get very angry. The last couple of days has been one of these times.You see, while I was away, a certain nazi saw fit to put up a website called "The Twatts Of Fight Dem Back!". This website published the personal details of 4 people (3 Australians and myself) involved with Fight Dem Back!, an Aotearoa/New Zealand and Australia combined anti-nazi resource site.Now, I'm obviously not

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1122284373777280692005-07-25T19:34:00.000+12:002005-07-25T21:41:45.076+12:00

Hi everyone. Sorry I've been missing for so long - I took a 3 week holiday (although I only left Wellington for 9 days of that) and didn't think to mention it on here. Anyway, I'm back now (hooray!) and will be writing again.It's great when something you've planned for a while turns out to fit in perfectly with what you need - I had organised a while ago for 2 close friends of mine to come visit

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1119269026836958202005-06-21T00:01:00.000+12:002005-06-21T00:06:00.366+12:00

Capitalising on the recent National billboard editing craze, free market nutters ACT have given visitors to their website the opportunity to create their own billboards. Here's my effort (it's too big to fit on here, and it looks crap when resized small).Visit the ACT website to make your own, and be sure to send it off to Rodney for his enjoyment.

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1119104660536912882005-06-19T02:03:00.000+12:002005-06-19T02:24:20.610+12:00

Being somewhat bored and procrastinating making a new website for SNAP!, I decided that I would take the Political Compass test again, seeing as my opinions have changed a little since I last took it in October.The results weren't too surprising - my Economic Left/Right stayed at exactly the same score, -8.88. My Social Libertarian/Authoritarian moved even further towards the extreme (didn't

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1118917987873522952005-06-16T22:31:00.000+12:002005-06-16T22:33:07.876+12:00

This is a short article I wrote earlier today for SNAP!, a weekly anarchist A3 broadsheet that goes up around Wellington.A recent mass-protest by the neo-nazi National Front outside theChinese consulate sent shivers down the spine of anti-racism activistsas the entire Auckland cell of the National Front managed to muster 2people, 2 New Zealand flags and a thermos of weak coffee to help themin

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1118663488555376952005-06-13T23:48:00.000+12:002005-06-13T23:53:06.480+12:00

One of the many actions taken on the 4th of June in Israel to commemorate 38 years of Israeli occupation was this rather amusing one, done in the area of Ariel, one of the largest settlements in the West Bank. Photos courtesy of Israel Indymedia.

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1118039482933806372005-06-06T18:30:00.000+12:002005-06-06T18:31:22.940+12:00

One of the most effective direct action campaigns in the world is taking place as we speak, and those who are organising it say they have barely scratched the surface of what they are planning to do. This campaign is not, however, coming from anarchists, communists or even liberals, but from the far-right, the ultranationalists and religious nationalists in Israel.Protesters against Ariel

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1117810888382893482005-06-04T02:01:00.000+12:002005-06-04T03:04:51.313+12:00

Sorry the posting has been a bit sporadic lately. I've been a bit busy, a bit lazy and a bit overwhelmed with life in general, so the posting hasn't been up to my normal frequency (or quality).This weekend, however, I have moved back into my Dad's place for a few days in order to look after Latte, our cat, while my Dad goes away for business. And, seeing as as of this morning I only had $6 to my

Ashernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1117280163136078182005-05-28T22:46:00.000+12:002005-05-28T23:36:03.236+12:00

I note with interest the new website of the New Zealand National Socialist Party, the latest pseudo-political venture by alleged Somali basher Nic Miller and his friend, Aucklander Anthony Smith.With such delightful sections as Jew Watch, and beautiful quotes asThe NZNSP believe that the Jews themselves were responsible for both the desecrations as to gain sympathy for the recent jailings of the

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1116163607614357622005-05-16T01:23:00.000+12:002005-05-16T01:26:47.620+12:00

I got rid of some blogs from the sidebar that I don't read and/or don't like and/or don't exist anymore. If you aren't on there and want to be, let me know and I'll take a look at your blog. There are a few that I'll add when I get around to it, if I remember.The other purpose of this post is a big plug for Fight Dem Back and the Fight Dem Back Forums. Go, read and post. FDB is a combined

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1115804398594854682005-05-11T21:37:00.000+12:002005-05-11T21:39:58.606+12:00

The following is an article I wrote which appears in the latest issue of Lucid, the national free student magazine that is out now. Grab a copy and see my words in glossy goodness - hooray!Hate Speech: Defending Democracy?By Asher GoldmanNobody likes to hear hate speech. From Bishop Brian Tamaki's rants against homosexuals to National Front head Kyle Chapman's anti- (non-white) immigrant

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1115205877696634112005-05-04T22:01:00.000+12:002005-05-05T00:05:26.673+12:00

Today I'm gonna have a bit of a Jew-fest here on L&L. I was sitting here trying to work out what to write, when kakariki told me I should write about Jews or something Jewish, so if it's crap, blame her. If it's good, of course, all credit should go to me.This week saw the end of Pesach (Passover), the 8 day long Jewish festival which commemorates the escape of the Israelite people from bondage (

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1114485985769465072005-04-26T14:51:00.000+12:002005-04-26T17:08:07.196+12:00

A tour of destruction: the Wellington City Bypass.On a related note, their will be a tour of this area as part of the May Day Weekend events - leaving from Kensington Gardens (in between Kensington St and Victoria St) at 11am this Saturday.There's lots happening this weekend - for more infomation, visit the Wellington May Day Website.

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1114376017643698452005-04-25T08:49:00.000+12:002005-04-25T08:56:14.423+12:00

On the urging of kakariki, who said, and I quote, "blogging waits for no man", I must confess that I am no longer homeless, and have been delaying posting for a couple of days because I couldn't be bothered.Keep an eye out for the next issue of national student magazine Lucid, for a 2 page op-ed by yours truly on the topic of anti hate speech legislation. My words in glossy colour are guaranteed

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1113395188607555492005-04-14T00:24:00.000+12:002005-04-14T00:26:28.606+12:00

Sorry, hasn't been anything for a while and won't be for a little bit longer. I don't have a home at the moment, so I don't have much of an opportunity to write, and on top of that i've been really busy. I expect this will be back alive again in a week or two.

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1112582986368798112005-04-04T14:04:00.000+12:002005-04-04T14:50:16.380+12:00

So, Stephen from Philosophically Made has passed this on to me. I've seen it slowly making it's way through the NZ blogging scene for a few days now, and was hoping it wouldn't reach me, but it did. So, here goes.You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451. Which book do you want to be?Decisions decisions. I think I'd be 1984 by George Orwell, so I could warn people about what might be and we would know

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1112469714967484712005-04-03T07:15:00.000+12:002005-04-03T07:27:02.073+12:00

Around 30 people came to the protest outside the Wellington Town Hall, with topics ranging from GE to the "War On Terror", from the Foreshore & Seabed theft to worker's rights. It was a fairly lively and energetic protest, which always makes things a lot more interesting, with a number of people having their say on a number of issues.Many bloggers were on the other side of the picket lines,

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1112352225490177732005-04-01T22:41:00.000+12:002005-04-01T22:43:45.490+12:00

Meet at 12.30pm Saturday April 2nd outside Burger King in Manners Mall, Wellington.March to the town hall to demonstrate outside the Labour Party Election Year Congress Why protest at the Labour Party Congress?- GE- Solid Energy's poor environmental record- Student debt over $7 billion- Widening gap between rich and poor- Profit from Rogernomics going to the elite- Youth wage rates- Low minimum

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1112077562447515482005-03-29T18:25:00.000+12:002005-03-29T18:27:23.536+12:00

Just wanted to share a beautiful quote I just read."If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."- Lilla Watson, an Australian Aboriginal woman

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1111935726122578472005-03-28T02:49:00.000+12:002005-04-03T07:39:04.710+12:00

The following is an article that I wrote for the latest issue of SNAP!, a local anarchist broadsheet that you'll find stuck up on walls around the central city, and in a few other locations. Also below are photos I took at the march/rally.Over 150 people marched from Civic Square to the US Embassy last Saturday in protest against the United States’ continued illegal occupation of Iraq on the

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1111067482319087652005-03-18T02:07:00.000+13:002005-03-18T02:51:22.323+13:00

Last year, when it first started appearing that David Irving, the notorious Holocaust (I don't like the sacrifice connotations of this word, but it's better known than Shoah) denier, might be denied entry to New Zealand, I drafted a letter to the editor to be sent to the Dominion Post. Unfortunately, I have long since lost this letter, but the general gist of it, taken in point form, was as

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1110950290135341922005-03-16T17:10:00.000+13:002005-03-16T18:22:48.163+13:00

As some of you no doubt will have noticed, in the right hand column on this website is a little counter called Refusenik Watch. It keeps a tally (currently at 1396) of the number of Israeli's who have actively refused to serve in the IDF (Israeli army) for ideological reasons. For those of you who don't know, Israel requires that all of it's Jewish and Druze (not Israeli-Palestinian-Arab or

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1109770819005678292005-03-03T02:26:00.000+13:002005-03-03T02:40:19.006+13:00

So, today, March 3rd, is my birthday.As I do every year around this time, I've spent a lot of time over the last couple of days reviewing my life, where its at, where I want to take it, and what I need to do in order to get there. Now, I'm by no means finished yet. Traditionally, this intense renewal period lasts from about Feb 28th to about March 10th, so my thought patterns could change, but so

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1109594500123358882005-03-01T00:59:00.000+13:002005-03-01T02:31:47.513+13:00

Every week, I get an email from B'Tselem, an organisation which labels itself "The Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories". Normally they are filled with the now tragically standard news of more house demolitions by the IDF, innocent Palestinian civilians killed, land expropriations and other assorted human rights abuses by Israel. This week, one of the items

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1109509000355801362005-02-28T01:14:00.000+13:002005-02-28T01:59:55.253+13:00

Sorry about the slackness with posting of late - I'll get back into the groove soon, I promise. That includes the remaining parts of my Brief History Of Zionism series, which I still want to write. I haven't actually been overly busy, I've just been a bit sick with a cold and thus extraordinarily tired, which is not conducive to writing passages on history.So, instead, a brief update on cool

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1108565771222864472005-02-17T03:54:00.000+13:002005-02-17T04:36:39.726+13:00

Hey all,I've added 4 new links in the side menu, About Town and Some Other Guy on the left and Incomplete Politics and Big News (I know you call yourself centrist, but I don't have a centre section and so you fit here) on the right. Go visit them and read them and abuse them in their comments sections and all those other things you crazy cats do at night.I have a question to ask you, the readers

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1108094790326889832005-02-11T15:59:00.000+13:002005-02-11T17:12:22.700+13:00

Welcome to the first in a series of 10 short articles which I hope will describe the history of Zionism, it's different forms and what that means in today's context.For hundreds of years, Jews all over the world were oppressed by different countries and peoples. In Europe, Christians were forbidden from usury (lending money at interest), so the job fell to Jews to provide the start-up capital to

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1107431363916587302005-02-04T01:40:00.000+13:002005-03-14T18:36:31.836+13:00

After the lukewarm reception to my posting entitled What Is Cultural Zionism?, I thought I might expand a little on Zionism as a whole. Not neccessarily because I think any of you will be interested, but more for my own purposes - I plan to run discussion forums/education sessions on a related range of topics at a later point in the year.Zionism is a rather large enveloping concept/ideology,

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1107182522644555562005-02-01T03:13:00.000+13:002005-02-01T03:45:16.066+13:00

After the shoddy job from the NZ Herald, who released provisional poll results which may now render the remainder of their poll entirely irrelevant, I felt it was time for a truly scientific poll to determine, once and for all, exactly what will happen in the 2005 general elections here in good ol' New Zealand. How will I do this? Obviously, by the only reliable method there is! I will search

Ashernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1106823567446724002005-01-27T23:37:00.000+13:002005-01-27T23:59:27.446+13:00

So, on wednesday night we had the first (and likely not the last) Blogger's Drinks here in Welly. Saving me remembering my own list of people who were there, David Farrar has helpfully compiled a list which I'll happily copy and paste into here: David Farrar, Just Left, Kiwi Pundit, Darkness Net, Silent Running, I Hate Socialism, Gonzo, Big News, Holden Republic, Jeremy Naylor, .nz News and

Ashernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1106479869316038742005-01-23T23:22:00.000+13:002005-01-24T00:36:16.506+13:00

An important moment in the growth of New Zealand music is set to take place on Waitangi Day, with Channel Z (currently available in Wellington, Auckland & Christchurch) set to turn into Kiwi FM, a station playing 100% New Zealand music. I remember listening to Channel Z here in Wellington when it first started up. I remember loving the station that introduced me to Kiwi bands like the Dead

Ashernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1105936115717041912005-01-17T16:43:00.000+13:002005-01-17T17:28:35.716+13:00

A little while back I defined my cultural Zionism, and now it's time to expand a little on what it means to me to be Jewish. First, a blanket statement to clear up a commonly held misunderstanding - I do not believe in god or in any higher power or deity in any way, shape or form. I do not believe humans were "put" on earth, and do not believes our lives serve any higher purpose. I believe that

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1105932787662159542005-01-17T15:58:00.000+13:002005-01-17T16:33:07.663+13:00

So, I'm back from camping - the weather didn't come to the party unfortunately, but now it's beautiful and sunny back in Welly which always helps with the mood. I'm not going to post on the myriad of important events that took place while I was away, except to express my horror at the tsunami and it's devastating effects, and my sincere best wishes to all who will have to rebuild their lives. I

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1103950470271353962004-12-25T17:51:00.000+13:002004-12-25T17:54:30.273+13:00

Hey all Sorry about the lack of posting after I proclaimed I'd post "tomorrow" in the last post. Unfortunately, work and preparing to go away took precedence, and now I'm away. From tomorrow I'll be camping in the Waikato until January 17th - no electricity, no running water. Can't wait to be back amongst nature, to wash and swim in the river and to shit under the stars - a truly liberating

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1103172075995380522004-12-16T17:40:00.000+13:002004-12-16T17:41:15.996+13:00

I'll post more tomorrow, as I have to go home now, but a quick blurb to note that Left & Lefter is now the 6th highest result on Google for Cultural Zionism. Great!

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1102640494156607472004-12-10T13:43:00.000+13:002004-12-10T14:01:34.156+13:00

So, normally these would have each been worthy of their own item, but owing to my extreme business at the moment, I've been forced to condense them. 1: No more smoking in bars It's finally happened - I fully support the new laws. Having friends that work in hospo, both smokers and non-smokers, I feel immensely sorry for them when they get home reeking of ciggarette smoke. I don't share the same

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1102490386712709622004-12-08T19:37:00.000+13:002004-12-08T20:19:46.713+13:00

No, the title is not a lie - after a few weeks of careful consideration, I have made the decision to join the Alliance. I have long known that at some stage before the elections in 2005 I wanted to join a political party, in order to have some influence on the result. I couldn't sit by and do nothing, and I felt that being a lone voice on the outside would not have the same effect as being a

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1101973085875522662004-12-02T20:02:00.000+13:002004-12-02T20:38:05.876+13:00

Over the course of this year, I have had many people question how I can reconcile my socialist beliefs with my Zionist ones - Surely, they say, Zionism is a tool of imperialist ambition. Surely, they say, you can't simultaneously advocate for the abolishment of states AND the existance of a Jewish state. And, in those two calls, they would be right. The mistake comes in their assumption that I

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1101437599091575892004-11-26T15:24:00.000+13:002004-11-26T15:53:19.090+13:00

Those of you in the know will, of course, recognise the title from an episode of South Park. So, it's christmas time again. Or, for me, and the 7,500 other Jews in NZ, Hannukah time (December 8th - 15th to be exact). But I'm not here to talk about the festival of lights. Rather, I'm here to pass judgement on the festival of consumerism. Cal posted over at Musical on a similar note, and I have

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1101097412762772842004-11-22T16:52:00.000+13:002004-11-22T17:23:32.763+13:00

This is an interesting question, raised initially by me here then followed by Matt and span. Now, some further thoughts from me on the matter. Matt states however I feel that they are necessary in that they free MPs from party discipline. ... We might see ambiguous keywords such as 'Christian' or 'ex-business owner' from an MP's profile and draw our conclusions, but ultimately, we have little

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1101095449096317492004-11-22T16:40:00.000+13:002004-11-22T16:50:49.096+13:00

The Campaign for Civil Unions published it's ad in the Sunday Star Times, with over 1000 supporting individuals and organisations signing it. Some prominent names to spot are Chris Knox (musician), Finlay McDonald (journalist), Rev Dr Margaret Mayman, Chris Carter (Labour MP), Katherine Rich (National MP, may or may not be her), and many bloggers including Conor, Jeremy, Stephen, David, Jordan

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1100837415249370322004-11-19T16:47:00.000+13:002004-11-19T17:10:15.250+13:00

A few people have emailed me lately asking me what the (ANZ) means after most of the blogs I link to. Australia & New Zealand was the most common thought. It is, of course, Aotearoa New Zealand. For the record, USA is USA, AUS Australia and ISR is Israel. I seem to be adding more and more links every week, and the list is getting longer, so I thought I'd do a quick spotlight on a couple of blogs

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1100835767351523222004-11-19T16:01:00.000+13:002004-11-19T16:47:12.013+13:00

This morning in the Dominion Post, there was a letter from former Governer-General Sir Michael Hardie Boys (who also happens to be an old boy of my former school, Wellington College) which got me thinking about something that had never crossed my mind previously. As Stuff does not post it's letters online, I'll type it up here: Though much is said about the moral issues raised by the Civil Union

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1100669040915098522004-11-17T18:09:00.000+13:002004-11-17T18:24:00.916+13:00

So, as you probably will have heard, Margaret Hassan is dead. I am incredibly saddened by this - by all accounts, she did some incredible work helping the Iraqi people to overcome years of oppression, war and sanctions. Violence against civilians by anyone can never be condoned or tolerated under any circumstances by anyone with a moral bone in their body. We must seek to continue Margaret's

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1100224316057001102004-11-12T14:33:00.000+13:002004-11-12T14:56:40.626+13:00

Sorry about the lack of posting lately - I've been ridiculously busy, and I just moved into a new flat, where the net access isn't quite so plentiful. I'll try to post a minimum of twice a week from now on. So, Arafat is dead, and his body is in Cairo, where his funeral will be attended by presidents and dictators, foreign ministers and cabinet secretaries. Then it's off to Ramallah, where he'll

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1099451104323556502004-11-03T15:55:00.000+13:002004-11-03T16:05:04.323+13:00

I support Cobb I oppose Bush I oppose Kerry I oppose Nader Those little links are for Technorati, which is counting blog votes. Kinda pointless, but what the hell. CNN currently has it at Bush 171, Kerry 112 with 255 to be confirmed. Bear in mind that the entire west coast is still being waited for, as are Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, 3 key states. To be honest though, there is next to no

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1098938101034828592004-10-28T17:15:00.000+13:002004-10-28T17:35:01.036+13:00

According to Ha'aretz, Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat is in critical condition in his headquarters in Ramallah. According to a bodyguard who was in the compound at the time, Arafat had been eating soup during a meeting with Qureia, Abbas and senior Palestinian official Yasser Abed Rabbo between 8 P.M. and 9 P.M. when he vomited. He was brought to the clinic inside the compound,

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1098792859966839262004-10-27T01:11:00.000+13:002004-10-27T01:34:58.663+13:00

Front: Leftire makes a good point on the Ahmed Zaoui case that I think far too many people forget: I think we shouldn't get too hung up on Ahmed Zaoui the man. I'm sure he's charming, so is Mack the Knife. I don't think we should start fighting for refugees on the basis of how much we like their cause or them as a person. I think we should judge people seeking assylum on the basis of whether they

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1098765241930283062004-10-26T17:18:00.000+13:002004-10-26T18:05:25.213+13:00

This from Keith Ng, posted on DPF: Then, and this is what really irks me, was how the mob treated Cale Olsen. He was beaten (as in defeated). He was by himself, he was defenceless. Yeah, I'm sure he's a shit, but hounding him like that when he's trying to flee? You haven't proven that you're strong. You've proven that you're cruel. The real irony is that if the mob had stopped and looked after

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1098592414965531342004-10-24T17:16:00.000+13:002004-10-24T21:02:16.866+13:00

At about 6:03pm yesterday evening, I was texted by a friend (who hadn't been at the rally due to work) asking if I was alright, and how the rally had gone. The "are you alright" part disturbed me, as I couldn't think of any reason why I wouldn't be - It seemed like an odd question to ask. That is, of course, until I heard about how the media had portrayed the days events on both 1 & 3 news. I

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1098502553385357032004-10-23T16:16:00.000+13:002004-10-24T21:02:40.313+13:00

Today there was a rally organised by Multicultural Aotearoa against racism, the National Front and for a tolerant, respectful multicultural Aotearoa New Zealand. Earlier in the day, the National Front (an NZ white supremacist, facist group with many neo-nazi members) had organised a protest at parliament, so it was expected that our march (which finished at parliament) would meet up with theirs.

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1098356434532775802004-10-21T23:52:00.000+13:002004-10-22T00:02:20.953+13:00

I recently heard the following story about pre-1948 Palestine. It was originally told by a woman who had grown up there, more specifically in a place called Gan HaShlosha. She told of how it was somewhat famous as a place that protected pre-state Jewish fighters/terrorists (and yes, there were both) from the ruling British soldiers. The fighters would flee to Gan HaShlosha, where they would be

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1098338928399485752004-10-21T19:08:00.000+13:002004-10-21T21:30:06.116+13:00

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog. That'll save you guys from registering or having to post anonymously...not that anyone comments here yet anyway, but I'm not crying. All previous comments have gone with the introduction of this new section - sorry to the 7 commenters on my BlogWatch topic.

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1098265607498629792004-10-20T22:29:00.000+13:002004-10-21T18:36:00.363+13:00

"The disengagement is actually formaldehyde. It supplies the amount of formaldehyde that's necessary so that there will not be a political process with the Palestinians." So said Dov Weisglass, senior aide to Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister of Medinat Yisrael (the State of Israel) and one of the main creators of the Tochnit HaHitnatkut (Disengagement Plan), which proposes that Israel unilaterally

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1098000526683719732004-10-17T21:01:00.000+13:002004-10-19T17:30:12.096+13:00

As in most democratic countries, there are 2 major political parties in Israel - Ariel Sharon's Likud and Shimon Peres' Avodah (Labour). Avodah evolved from many parties over many years, but it's main (and most important) ancestor was Mapai, the party of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion. Avodah claims to be centre-left, but in reality, it is currently centre-left in the same ways

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1097993928498216912004-10-17T19:05:00.000+13:002004-10-23T18:31:15.783+13:00

This is the first in what will become a regular series. BlogWatch takes a look at some of the other blogs around this general Jewish/Israel/New Zealand scene, casts a critical eye and sees what it comes up with. Today I was having a look through the archives of Silent Running, a collabarative right wing blog. A Kiwi correspondant, Kiwi Bob, had posted an article entitled "Pork posted to Muslims

Ashernoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8684089.post-1097992988421678912004-10-17T19:01:00.000+13:002004-10-17T19:03:08.420+13:00

What better way to start off a new blog than with a bit of "Rak B'Yisrael" (Only in Israel) humour? This headline from Haaretz: Pomegranate tossed at parked cars in Carmel area; no injuries reported, damage caused to number of cars Gotta love it!

Ashernoreply@blogger.com0