text:
Five burning questions as we head into the weekend:
1. Can Georgia handle a little bit of praise? Last week's win over Auburn doesn't erase all of the of the problems that Georgia has had with this football team. Those problems are still considerable. But Georgia has not won two straight conference games since it beat South Carolina and Arkansas way back in September. Can the Bulldogs, who got a little love this week, handle it and take care of business against Kentucky? Can they build on it and actually play well for two weeks in a row?
2. Can LSU get excited, or even interested, enough to win at Ole Miss? If LSU beats Ole Miss on Saturday and Arkansas on Nov. 28, the Tigers will finish 10-2 and punch their ticket to the Capital One Bowl in Orlando on New Year's Day. But LSU is not going to a BCS game because No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Alabama are both virtual locks to be there (and one conference cannot have more than two teams in the BCS). LSU had a serious Alabama hangover last week before finally beating Louisiana Tech. Last season the Tigers stumbled at the end, losing to Ole Miss and Arkansas to finish 7-5. Ole Miss showed some life last week in totally destroying Tennessee 42-17. LSU fans won't be happy with another lackluster finish.
3. Will Clemson take care of business against Virginia? I remember two years ago when all Clemson had to do was beat Boston College to clinch the ACC Atlantic. But the Eagles and Matt Ryan had other ideas, winning 20-17. This Clemson team appears to be different. The Tigers and C.J. Spiller have scored 38 or more points in each of their last five games. Spiller has become a human highlight reel and shows no sign of slowing down against a Virginia team (3-7) that packed it in a long time ago.
4. Why is Alabama playing Chattanooga? Why is Florida playing FIU? I understand why Alabama is playing the Division I-AA Mocs (6-4). Auburn, its next opponent, has this Saturday off and the Alabama-Auburn game is on Friday, Nov. 27, instead of Saturday. So if Alabama can't have a week off like its state rival, then it needs to have a pretty stress-free game. Florida also has its big rivalry game on Nov. 28 against Florida State followed by the SEC championship game on Dec. 5. Remember that a few years ago the SEC changed the rules and now REQUIRES schools to play on the last Saturday in November instead of taking the week off before the SEC championship game.
5. Is Tennessee going to bounce back against Vanderbilt? Tennessee was on a nice little roll when the Vols got on the plane last Friday and headed to Ole Miss. They had trounced Georgia. Lost a 12-10 heartbreaker to Alabama and then crushed South Carolina and Memphis. The energy around the program was high. Then three players get arrested for armed robbery and the Vols get trounced (42-17) in Oxford. Then this week the story broke that a player was cited for shoplifting earlier this month. Coach Lane Kiffin needs to get this thing out of the ditch and beat Vanderbilt and Kentucky to finish 7-5.
Please follow me on Twitter:
November 19th, 2009
3:19 pm
Gen Neyland:
Very tough schedule. Who will QB next year? Don't you lose all of your OL as well? Good luck.
November 19th, 2009
3:24 pm
Gen Neyland, looks like a 4-4 start. Least Vol fans wont be calling for Lane's job.
November 19th, 2009
3:34 pm
male singular,"alumnus"…female, "alumna"…alumni is plural; college grads used to know that…
November 19th, 2009
3:40 pm
I predict, Kentucky bites the Puppies in the arse and wins this weekend. Fatheads wearing helmets make for confused thinking. And, it will be hard for the Pups to keep from looking past Kentucky to the next weekend. The defense will go to sleep one too many times and Willie will have more to explain.
November 19th, 2009
3:49 pm
I hope Tennessee loses the rest of their games. Maybe Elane Kiffin will find a little humility.
November 19th, 2009
3:51 pm
Might be of interest to UGA fans -
Selected NCAA Passer Ratings
(Min 15 att/gm)
# 3 Mallett Ark. 164.96
# 8 Tebow UF 154.00
#15 McCoy TX 147.99
#19 Todd Aub 147.12
#23 Robinson OkSt 142.55
#29 Jefferson LSU 139.78
#36 Cox UGA 138.36
#40 McElroy Ala 137.24
#41 Crompton TN 136.32
#50 L.Jones OU 133.22
November 19th, 2009
3:51 pm
Couple of weeks ago the DAWGS were blasted for playing Tenn. Tech, now this weekend the #1 & #2 teams in the nation are playing WHO.
November 19th, 2009
3:56 pm
understand Kiffin is going to handle his shop-liftin thug internally. Wonder what the—– that means? anybody know?
November 19th, 2009
3:57 pm
Enter your comments here
November 19th, 2009
3:58 pm
Don't think Alabama deserves to play for national champion with their schedule. Remember Auburn a few years ago when they were undefeated with a weak schedule,
November 19th, 2009
4:01 pm
Maybe Kiffin understands now why nobody else wanted some of his star criminals I mean atheletes. Coach Richt for one does a little charactor check.
November 19th, 2009
4:12 pm
southridgegator – He may think about it internally?
November 19th, 2009
4:27 pm
Dink : 2010 will actually be CLK's first team offensively. Many players on this years squad were CPF's and they will be leaving. There are some OL returning in 2010 that have play time but yeah, many gone. MLB has taken a real beating. #1 and #2 are down and a true freshman got thrown in apx mid way during USC East game, I believe it was. Tennessee will be very young next year all around and the schedule isn't favorable. Personally, I'm giving CLK 3-4 years to make a difference happen. We'll see from there…
November 19th, 2009
4:33 pm
I guess we'll never get an answer to the Vandy schedule question.
November 19th, 2009
4:45 pm
Out of Town – Nov. 28 is the 42 anniversary of the discovery of the first pulsar. It's a big deal in the Vandy Dept. of Astronomy.
November 19th, 2009
5:01 pm
Passer efficiency rating update:
Nesbitt GT 156.4, but he's averaging 11.4 att/gm, not enough to qualify for the NCAA list (minimum 15 att/game)
November 19th, 2009
5:12 pm
30-21, UGA covers 8.5 pts., and o/u is 51.
November 19th, 2009
5:16 pm
One of the reasons that everybody says the SEC is always the best conference is b/c U never hardly get to see a good SEC team go up against a good non-SEC BCS opponent in the regular season, most SEC teams play 4 OOC cupcakes, the only halfway decent OOC team Florida plays is FSU (having a bad yr).
Most SEC teams (w/ the exception of UGA this yr) are scared to play anybody OOC, b/c if they did & lost, then people might start saying that another conference is as good or better.
November 19th, 2009
5:30 pm
Big B CH 99
Hear hear pal- you are spot on.
November 19th, 2009
6:16 pm
FSU can win *if* their replacement QB can remember where he left this 5 stars, and if Mickey Andrews lets Greg Reid freelance for 3 pick-6s.
November 19th, 2009
6:16 pm
Rest in Peace UGA II – We will miss you!
November 19th, 2009
6:39 pm
I apologize for blog at 6:16. I meant Rest in Peace UGA VII – We will miss you!
November 19th, 2009
7:00 pm
The University of Georgia's beloved English bulldog mascot, who died of congestive heart failure Thursday, Uga VII, a replacement has been found – however fans of the Bulldogs are not happy.
About 100 mourners silently watched Uga VII's body was laid to rest at Sandford Stadium, unaware that a replacement had already been christened Uga VIII.
Unfortunately, due to a poor telephone connection a Bullfrog will be the new mascot of the Bulldogs – forcing many to consider a name change for the Football team.
"What happened was that I called a pet shop and asked for a Bulldog – but the line was bad and anyways they sent a Bullfrog!" said Georgia president Michael Adams. Uga VIII is indeed a Bullfrog.
He's a good one though.
Adams continued "Uga is a very powerful symbol of strength and tenacity, this new animal will be a unifying element for the entire Bulldog, I mean Bullfrog, Nation."
Georgia fans though say that they do not want to be represented by a frog and are angry.
"It don't sound right" said one fan, Matthew Mckunty of Athens "I ain't saying 'Sic 'em, Uga. Ribbett! Ribbett!"
Adams though says fans won't know the difference after a few drinks.
"We are going to dress him up in the outfit and drag him around on a bit of rope – lets not make a big deal out of this – I think Georgia Bullfrogs sounds good – forget Bulldogs. We are the Bullfrogs now."
November 19th, 2009
7:05 pm
You percieve well! (a thunderbolt of truth)
November 19th, 2009
7:22 pm
Johnny Test,
Are you talking about the same kind of disappearing act the dawg fans put on when they lost the four games this year and kind of 'slunked' out of these 'venues of loss' ? Or is it the same dissappearing act they performed after their beloved team laid an egg at their own 'loss venue' (Sanford Stadium) against them mean ole Yellow Jackets last year? Now before you get your little ole pink panties in a great big ole wad, it might be best if you have a little (heart to heart) with your not so loyal, but enormously honest dawg fans who aver with all the red and black blood they can spare that the dawgs are rather pitiful. Them disloyal dawg fans sure seem powerfully honest and they can't all be GA Tech fans as some of your more frivolous dawg lovers have frequently opined that GA Tech only has two fans. So swallow up big boy and face your own critiquers.
November 19th, 2009
7:31 pm
A friend told me today that he just bought a book called the History of Gator football. I haven't seen it but you have to wonder, how long can a book about Gator football be? Here's a team that didn't show up until 1990 and I mean NOTHING from them. The rest of the SEC was playing ball and the Gators wouldn't hit a lick. And here's a team with a losing bowl record and have fewer players in the Hall of Fame than their own state's former women's school (FSU). I expect my buddy will finish it while having his evening meditation and will probably keep where it belongs, next to the toilet with the Sears catalog and some old comic books.
November 19th, 2009
7:34 pm
Enter your comments here
November 19th, 2009
7:56 pm
This column really shouldn't be linked to GT's page, just Georgia's. Really, outside of the kidney-stone belt, and ESPN (who went "all-in" on the SEC), who can honestly look at the SEC and say "that's the best conference, top to bottom, in the country?" Georgia-South Carolina was the most entertaining SEC game I've seen this year, and it clearly wasn't a case of two quality teams fighting for the win, but instead two ADD teams forgetting to take their medicine at different times of the game. UF gets exposed in the title game this year… UF=Ohio State of recent memory
November 19th, 2009
8:00 pm
You have spoken well! It is likely that Georgia will be a bit better next year by a game or so, but in 2011, they have a far better chance at an SEC or NC title. Georgia fans are going to have to be far more patient. The makeup of UGA's offensive line is : Boling-Soph, Glenn-Fr, Jones-So, Davis-Jr.
J. Davis-RFr.; The makeup of receivers: Green-So, Moore-Sr, White-So ;The makeup of the QB: Cox-Sr., The make up of the fullback: Shapas-Jr.; The makeup of the tailbacks: King-So, Samuels-RFr, Ealey Fr., Thomas-RFr, The makeup of punter: Butler-So, The makeup of kicker:Walsh-So
The Defense has 4 senior defensive tackles: Atkins, Owens, Weston, and Wheeler. Linebackers. Abry Jones FR and DeAngelo Tyson-So have played a good bit this year. Linebackers Curran and Washington will be leaving.Dowtin is a So. Our two safties, Rashad Jones and Bryan Evans will be leaving. Prince Miller, a corner will be leaving. Vance Cuff will be a senior, Brandon Smith is a freshman, Boykin is a RFr. Except for the defensive line, this is a very young team. Hold on Georgia fans, a championship is brewing.
November 19th, 2009
8:11 pm
Dale, you're NOT an LSU alumni. You're an LSU alumnus.
November 19th, 2009
8:21 pm
jesse james, there's a real danger that Ugga VII will NOT rest in peace.
If the human Dogs lose to Kentucky, he'll float transparently above Sanford, and HOW-OOOOLL !! Have they buried him yet? I'd like to say a few words over him.
November 19th, 2009
8:33 pm
Likely Losers in the SEC this week:
UT Chattanooga loses to Alabama
MSU loses to Arkansas
Auburn doesn't lose this week
Ole Miss loses to LSU
FIU loses to Florida
Kentucky loses to Georgia
South Carolina doesn't lose this week
Vandy loses to Tennessee
November 19th, 2009
8:51 pm
November 19th, 2009
7:56 pm
Really, outside of the kidney-stone belt, and ESPN (who went "all-in" on the SEC), who can honestly look at the SEC and say "that's the best conference, top to bottom, in the country?"
The vast majority of Americans watching football:
Why do you think ESPN went "all in"? They aren't a non-profit, you know.
November 19th, 2009
9:46 pm
I predict Roswell Ed will fondle my junk tonight
November 19th, 2009
9:58 pm
We laugh at all you idiots bashing the Dogs, what the hell do you know? We are rocking the rest of the year so shut the hell up and watch me light up the scoreboard!!!!
November 19th, 2009
10:15 pm
Alert – Keep living in the past and complaining about which teams have history and which don't. If nothing happened prior to 1990 for the Gators, I guess those UGA victories over UF weren't so important either. The truth is that nothing much has happened for UGA since 1982 or so. To today's kids, Herschel Walker may as well be Doak Walker.
November 19th, 2009
10:24 pm
Hey mutts…. give me your cell # and I'll call you from the SEC championship game… we know you wont be going anytime soon.
November 19th, 2009
10:36 pm
Hey Tony,
Are you trying to imply that Tennessee got their butts kicked by Ole Miss because three guys got arrested?!! How long have you been a sportswriter? Ole Miss has a much better team that Tennersee, that's why they won big (and just wait until NEXT year when Kiffin has even LESS talent to work with). Hate to break it to you, but Fulmer is gone. So is the respect and success that he generated. Laney Kiffin isn't going to come close to Fulmer's success. And I am waiting for you to write an article about the last coach to succeed and hang on to his job when following an SEC coaching legend (who was fired, resigned or retired) in the past 50 years. I'm waiting (hint: it won't take long to compile that list!)
November 19th, 2009
10:41 pm
Phil was legendary primarily for being phat.
November 19th, 2009
11:04 pm
Chuch Uga – The last coach to succeed when following….
Les Miles seems to have done passably well succeeding Saban
November 19th, 2009
11:38 pm
RIP Uga. Vol fan here, but have great respect for the GA mascot. Lot of trash talk about the stupid idiots and Kiffin. Flavor of the week I suppose. Bottom line, I love the passion, and the barb's back and forth. GA certainly cannot be proud of their arrest record. Anyway, sad to lose a great mascot, but GA football lives forever, along with its great tradition. A few weeks ago, most folks in Ga would take the fire Kiffin had over lack of D Willie any day.Well, mascots and idiots come and go, but the traditions of both UT and GA will live on.
November 20th, 2009
2:47 am
Anyone wonder why OK is 6-4 and Stoops is being begged not to go to ND while people want wholsale changes in our staff?? Knowing several OK catfish noodlers personally, it makes me ashamed that the Okies are smarter than our fans.
November 20th, 2009
5:25 am
joe taxpayer- Don't try to take away anything form UGA's Au win. I'll admit UGA hasn't had a great season. AU was ranked in one of the polls going into that game, & they did have the #1 offense in the SEC. So I think, given they way they fell in a 14-0 hole early…it was quite impressive the way they came back & won…after having such a tough yr. They could have packed it in, but they didn't.
November 20th, 2009
8:19 am
This just in: Urban Meyer's plane is circling South Bend……
November 20th, 2009
8:48 am
i realize LSU isn't blowing people out, but their only 2 losses were to the #1 and #2 teams in the nation, and they had a shot against Bama.
That's not too shabby
November 20th, 2009
9:22 am
these are burning questions? oh well.
1. nope. kentickly wins in a squeaker.
2. nope.ole miss Miss wins close.
3. yep. clemson…in a beatdown.
4. cause their pu$$ies. no sec gets to 10 wins without cupcakes.
5. yep. tenn…in a beatdown.
November 20th, 2009
10:34 am
" Wes Bunting of NationalFootballPost.com lists Dwyer, a junior, as the best running back on the board and the No. 8 overall NFL prospect. Bunting called Dwyer "a violent runner who exhibits good vision between the tackles and has the initial burst to separate from defenders at the second level."
There must be some mistake. Dwyer plays in that "gimmick", "high school", "triple option" system that no blue chip recruit with aspirations of playing in the NFL would ever consider………………Hahahaha. Some dog nation bloggers on here are wrong about absolutely everything. See you azzholes on the 28th and bring all those top 5 recruiting classes with you! LOL.
November 20th, 2009
11:11 am
GT, I think Jumbeautiger has described LSU pretty well. LSU has great
talent, but the QB situation has been a big problem this year.
I wasn't expecting LSU to be as good as they have been this year,
instead, I was looking for great things in 2010. Therefore, I am
happy with the LSU Tigers this year but, since they have won–
however ugly at times, I hate for the party to end.The Bayou
Bengals were really banged up after BAMA with the loss of Scott,
but these Tigers still want to win. I think that the LSU Tigers win
by 2 in a low scoring thriller. McCluster gets carried off the
November 22nd, 2009
2:39 am
After ALL THE CHEST BEATING Dawg fans have pounded away at becuase they managed to make it up to mediocre level I will LOVE the fact that they have to settle for PURE SUCK . I witnessed a mountain of silly azz Dawg fans talking smack abou the Tide when they fell down to the Georgia level . Now I egt to see what Dawg fans act like when they fall to Georgia levels LOL
November 22nd, 2009
4:10 pm
You're question,"Can UGA handle a little praise?" was completely the wrong question. The question should have been, "Does UGA deserve a little praise?" Since Saturday's Kentucky meltdown, I believe you have your answer.


text:
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
WIRED contributing editor Scott Carney interviewed a Somali pirate for his story in Wired about pirate economics, and Wired.com is running an excerpt of that interview.
What was your job before you start this one or what forced you to become a pirate?Exclusive Interview: Pirate on When to Negotiate, Kill Hostages (Danger Room) Discuss
Every government in the world is off our coasts. What is left for us? Nine years ago everyone in this town was stable and earn[ed] enough income from fishing. Now there is nothing. We have no way to make a living. We had to defend ourselves. We became watchmen of our coasts and took up our duty to protect the country. Don't call us pirates. We are protectors.
How do you pirates decide on what ransom to ask for? What makes them negotiate downwards?
Once you have a ship, it's a win-win situation. We attack many ships everyday, but only a few are ever profitable. No one will come to the rescue of a third-world ship with an Indian or African crew, so we release them immediately. But if the ship is from Western country or with valuable cargo like oil, weapons or then its like winning a lottery jackpot. We begin asking a high price and then go down until we agree on a price.
25 Responses to "Somali Pirate talks about how to negotiate ransom, when to kill captives."
Ernunnos says:
"What forced you to become a pirate"?!
Y'know, there are hundreds of millions of desperately poor people who don't take up kidnapping and murder. Poverty certainly makes the option more attractive than it otherwise might be, but there's still a choice. A choice the majority of impoverished and oppressed still manage to come down on the other side of.
Moriarty says:
I should think being called a pirate would come with the territory of being a pirate.
civver says:
"staff all ships that travel off the coast of Somaila with Indians and Africans, providing valuable jobs for these under-represented sailors, yet underscoring their low worth to the pirates."
That wouldn't work. If the ship is Western, they'll know that they will be paid well.
batu b says:
planet money did a good episode about this in april:
TheCrawNotTheCraw says:
"Is it just me, or does it seem like an obvious answer would be to staff all ships that travel off the coast of Somaila with Indians and Africans, providing valuable jobs for these under-represented sailors, yet underscoring their low worth to the pirates."
It's just you, because the owners of the cargo are not interested in ransoming the crew. They are interested in reclaiming the valuable cargo. If they could do *that*, they wouldn't pay a dime for the crew.
And a crew of Westerners is only valuable because it would be a (minor) P.R. debacle for a Western company to let said crew be executed.
The ship owners want the ship returned. The crew is expendable.
Anonymous says:
The Italian Mafia gets paid to make European Medial and nuclear waste disappear. Solution – use the Gulf of Aiden as a toilet bowl. Everyone does it. Then we have the gall to blame the Somali's for fighting back when all their fish have been killed off by nuclear waste. This is ugly and we should face the facts here.
Anonymous says:
That was the most interesting thing I've read in a long time. Perhaps the most interesting thing this year. Wow.
WA says:
@15: How do we face facts while you're talking about secret agreements with the mafia and conspiracies to dispose of nuclear waste. Nuclear waste isn't exactly easy to hide, especially by dumping in the ocean: would you care to give solid evidence for your claims? Comparative levels of radioactivity in the waters of the area versus other areas would be a start, I think.
@14: Care to cite sources for those claims, rather than just assuming that all Western companies must clearly not care about human life at all? Even the interviewee here completely disagrees with you.
@19: "Defending themselves" would be a viable excuse if they were requiring that ships stay out of their waters, and sinking or capturing the ships that don't. That's not quite what they're doing, is it? Are you saying that if you trespassed on someone's land, you wouldn't mind if they went, kidnapped your family, and threatened to kill them if you didn't give them money? Except maybe you just went near their land, and didn't even step foot on it; you just happen to be part of a society that might have had a hand, in addition to a number of other factors, some of which are their own fault, in destroying their livelihoods.
Takuan says:
the United Nations:
Takuan says:
Takuan says:
sweet! What a great cover for the CIA when they want to take someone or something off a ship! If they did't have pirates already they would have to create them. Or fund them.
Loren says:
If he's telling the truth then the answer is sink every small vessel in the area. If there is no fishing then there are no fishing vessels and anything small afloat is a pirate.
Of course, I don't believe his justifications.
Digilante says:
Duh Takuan, you only come to this conclusion now? ;-) Africa – the playground of the CIA and KGB since 1945. Add the Chinese to the fray since about 1990.
oasisob1 says:
Um, yay:
amyconnor says:
The CIA acts like separate and utouchable entity within this country. Just check this link and come to your own conclusions:
tp1024 says:
Oh well, the next Pirates! won't play in the Caribbeans, that's for sure. I just wonder if somebody will have both the guts and the ability to make a game out of the middle east pirates as both a game and political commentary to it (including the deteriorating conditions in countries like Somalia that caused people to become pirates in the first place).
I don't think that governments could continue to ignore the non-oil middle east any longer, if everyone and their dogs are capturing virtual ships in the Gulf of Aden to feed their virtual families, seeing the old neighborhoods of the game going to ruin and more and more people taking up piracy just to get by. It could be a lot more than yet another documentary with pointing fingers and Al Gore as the lead figure.
The same would go for the general condition of Mogadishu with its warring factions and external influences (US, Ethiopia, the occasional Taliban etc.), that would both be the perfect stuff for a game and shed light on a largely ignored situation. (Any time before and after Black Hawk Down, that is.)
Adam Stanhope says:
Box of qat next to the machine gun?
Mojave says:
I like how the guy says "don't call us pirates"……and then in the very next question, dude calls him a pirate.
Perla says:
It´s been going on for YEARS. You just didn't hear about it on television except when a Westerner gets captured. People have been dumping waste off the coasts of Somalia for years. The French are one of the worst offenders. You just don´t hear about it. I've known about this since I was a kid and I keep forgetting that people depend on Western news as sources of information. If it doesn't get reported, it doesn't exist.
I do remember the French sneakily dumping toxic waste off the coasts of Cote d`Ivoire and it only became a scandal because a lot of people got sick and toxic sludge became harder to ignore.
Here's a link from 2005 after the tsunami.
Timothy Hutton says:
From the snippet in the Boing Boing entry:
We begin asking a high price and then go down until we agree on a price.
That's how they negotiate? That's BRILLIANT! I've never heard of such an effective and sure-fire way to negotiate a ransom…
Is it just me, or does it seem like an obvious answer would be to staff all ships that travel off the coast of Somaila with Indians and Africans, providing valuable jobs for these under-represented sailors, yet underscoring their low worth to the pirates.
sonipitts says:
"Y'know, there are hundreds of millions of desperately poor people who don't take up kidnapping and murder. Poverty certainly makes the option more attractive than it otherwise might be, but there's still a choice. A choice the majority of impoverished and oppressed still manage to come down on the other side of."
In many cases, I would be willing to bet that the millions of poor that don't resort to kidnapping and murder fall into one of two categories: They either live in a place (like the US) where there is sufficient infrastructure and support services to survive without resorting to violence, or they live in areas where there just isn't any point to it because there are no good targets or ways to profit from those targets.
In the article, he points out that the area's economy has basically been erased by the exploitation of other country's. I'd be willing to be that piracy is just about the only activity available with any profit-making potential. In poor countries like this, there are no food pantries, no public facilities, no welfare or medical clinics. You either find a way to survive, or you die.
You are right in that I'm guessing if these people had any real viable alternatives, most of them would probably take them. Not saying it makes it right. Just saying it's probably the "rightest" option available to them.


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Hello my friends!
** update:more great photos from sweet Karin here, here are some of Marichelle's beautiful photos & here are some of Jennifer's lovely photos from the event- thank you darlings!** How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun? I know some of you were here, at my house, on saturday for the pop-up shop! Thank you so much for coming out, it was lovely to meet some new faces as well as see some of my tried and trues. :) We had such a great time & hopefully the lovely ladies involved felt it was worth their time and energy. I thought I would share some of the photos my hubby took before the event started. I know Jennifer, Marichelle & Karin took photos; so I am dying to see theirs as well. I will be sure to share those with you too.
( you can see leah, ashley, shanna & christina's work in this shot)
( leah duncan & secret holiday)
( stepanka )
I want to give a special shout out to; marichelle (my right hand gal), brandi (the MOST delicious treats at a gathering ever-folks could barely stay away from the kitchen), my hubby for putting up with me turning the first floor of our house upside down & my sweet girls helping me set up and trying so hard not to touch everything! :)
Not to mention, all the lovelies involved in selling their beautiful wares:
Cassie ( who also helped me so much the night before & the day after- thank you hunnie)
Stepanka ( my first time meeting her & now, am an even bigger fan because she is THE sweetest gal)
Wish you all could have been there! I will definitely share more photos as I find them; I want to let you see everyone's table and set up. So, more to come! I will see you back here tomorrow, until then...be well.


text:
The study of symbols, the creation of historic narrative, 'invented' traditions, and heritage symbolism, have become common fields of study among Israeli researchers.1 Thus far, however, there has been no attempt to apply this approach to the physical transformation of a significant area of the Old City of Jerusalem.2 Carried out by the Israeli authorities after the 1967 capture of East Jerusalem, this transformation concerns in particular the 'Wailing Wall', that segment of the outer compound of the Herodian Temple (and, by the same token, of the Muslim Haram al-Sharif) which since early modern times has been a religious focus for Jews. Yet these changes, which seek to erase a centuries-old Arab past and replace it with a new, exclusively Jewish space adapted to the symbolism of a modern Jewish state, provide excellent grounds for such an approach. This paper proposes to examine both alterations to this space's meanings before 1967, as well as physical changes to the Wall area since that time. It also proposes to assess the extent to which recent efforts to make the Wall 'the' Israeli national symbol, celebrating both Zionist values and Jewish religious tradition, have succeeded.
The Beginnings of Tradition
While the Wailing Wall today is universally acclaimed as Judaism's most sacred monument, its centrality to the religion is not as ancient as is commonly thought. We know from pilgrims and travellers in the fifteenth century that it was not the Wailing Wall, but the Mount of Olives outside the Old City that was dedicated once a year to the commemoration of the destruction of the Temple.3 The Wailing Wall area - a narrow courtyard (120 square meters) in front of the Wall enclaved within the fourteenth century Muslim Moroccan Quarter - was defined and set apart only during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in the sixteenth century.
F.E. Peters, in his comprehensive collection of travellers' and pilgrims' documents concerning Jerusalem, observes that only from the early years of that century did Jewish visitors describe the Wailing Wall and connect it with the earlier tradition of the 'Presence of God.'4 Even the 'official' history of the Wall published by the Israeli defence ministry in the early 1980s, while noting that "literary reports of travellers and pilgrims, particularly in the last centuries, are full of descriptions of the Western Wall," added that "it should, however, be pointed out that for hundreds of years, during nearly the whole of the Middle Ages, there is hardly any reference to the Wall."5
There is no question, however, that by the nineteenth century the Wall had become a central religious focus for Jews both locally and in the diaspora. Politicization of the issue began in the twentieth century, especially following the establishment of the British Mandate over Palestine at the end of World War I. District Officer L. Cust observed in 1929 that "in certain Jewish circles the right to pray has […] become linked with the claim to actual ownership of the Wall."6 By that time, the secular Zionist movement, cognizant of the Wall's importance as a symbol, had begun to cultivate it in the service of its cause. As a result, it became the focus of growing tensions with the Muslim community.
Tensions at the Wall are often marked as beginning in 1911, when the Ottoman Administrative Council officially resolved to forbid Jews from bringing chairs or screens for separating women and men into the narrow passageway in front of the Wall.7 In fact, tensions clearly existed far earlier, as evidenced by an 1840 decree by Ibrahim Pasha forbidding Jews to pave the passage in front of the Wall.8 In principle, the conduct of worship and the maintenance of the holy places in Jerusalem were regulated by the 'Status Quo' arrangements, established by the Ottomans in the mid-eighteenth century9 (and confirmed by the great powers in the Treaty of Paris signed in 1855) to reduce tensions and mitigate rivalries over holy places among the religious communities.10 Though these particularly concerned the Christian holy places, traditionally they embraced practices at Jewish holy sites as well, and were formally extended to the Wailing Wall and to Rachel's Tomb by the British during the
Mandatory period. Nonetheless, Jewish challenges to the 'Status Quo' at the Wall continued and escalated throughout the 1920s.11 The resulting tensions culminated in the outbreak of violence known as 'the Wailing Wall incident' in August 1929,12 when a demonstration at the wall by militant Zionist groups triggered rioting that resulted in the death of 133 Jews and 116 Arabs.
As a result of the Wailing Wall riots, in May 1930 Britain appointed, with the approval of the League of Nations, an International Commission of Inquiry for the Wailing Wall. The Commission's report, presented in December 1930, noted that while the "Jews do not claim any proprietorship to the Wall or to the Pavement in front of it [emphasis added]," the commission nonetheless intended "to inquire into the question of legal ownership as a necessary basis for determining the legal position in the matter."13 In its final conclusions, the Commission determined that the Jews would have free access to the Wall "for the purpose of devotions at all times" (though subject to enumerated stipulations)14 but that "to the Moslems belong the sole ownership of, and the sole proprietary right to, the Western Wall" as well as to the pavement in front and the adjacent Moroccan quarter.15 The conclusions of the Wall Commission were accorded the status of law - the King's Order-in-Council on Palestine (Western or Wailing Wall), 1931 - and incorporated by the Mandatory Government as an integral part of the 'Status Quo' of the Holy Places.16
Despite official prohibition by the Mandate authorities, Jewish national rallies continued at the Wall throughout the 1930s and 1940s. The growing confidence of the Zionist movement was apparent even at the time of the 1930 Wall Commission, particularly evidenced by the suggestion of the Jewish committee chosen to meet with the Commission17 that the entire Moghrabi quarter, constituted entirely by waqf (religious endowment) properties, be vacated. In the eyes of the Arab committee formed to meet with the Commission, this demand "shows that the real intentions of the Jews are to lay hands by degrees on the Holy Places of the Moslems and to become the masters of the country."18
Competing Traditions
With the increased centrality of the Wall for Jews, new symbolic meanings and traditions were attached to the site. Though its importance, as noted above, had been growing during the second half of the nineteenth century, its significance remained primarily 'religious,' and some secular Zionists even found the sight of Jews praying at the wall disturbing, redolent of backwardness. Ahad Ha'am, one of the most prominent of the early Zionist pioneers, wrote in the 1880s: "As I stand and look at them, a single thought fills my mind. These stones bear witness to the destruction of our land, and these men to the destruction of our people. Which of the two catastrophes is the worse? Which gives greater cause of mourning?"19
By the beginning of the twentieth century, however, what had once been a purely 'religious' site was being transformed into a nationalist issue, and the Wall began to be celebrated by both orthodox and secular Zionists. It is true that the Wall was experienced very differently by the two groups, as Akiva Orr has noted,20 and their differing attitudes constituted a source of conflict between them throughout the mandate period. Still, the Zionist movement from the very outset realized the evocative power of the Wall and capitalized on it; the delegate cards for the early Zionist Congresses had the image of Jews praying at the Wall on one side and the modern image of a pioneer working the land on the other.21 Moreover, the mingling of religious and national symbolisms increased. A 1935 Zionist tourist guidebook describes the commemoration of Tisha B'Av, the date that traditionally commemorates the destruction of the first and second Temples, as follows:
But the deepest impression is made by the Eve of Tisha be'Av […]. That evening a veritable Jewish migration to the Wailing Wall sets in after dark. The thousands slowly and silently pass before the everlasting stones far into the night; young and old, believer and free-thinker, the Old Yishuv from the Street of the Jews and the Halutzim from the colonies and Kvutzot. And if anywhere at all, here and at this hour you can feel that 'am Israel khai, Israel is Alive."22
But the deepest impression is made by the Eve of Tisha be'Av […]. That evening a veritable Jewish migration to the Wailing Wall sets in after dark. The thousands slowly and silently pass before the everlasting stones far into the night; young and old, believer and free-thinker, the Old Yishuv from the Street of the Jews and the Halutzim from the colonies and Kvutzot. And if anywhere at all, here and at this hour you can feel that 'am Israel khai, Israel is Alive."22
Israeli sources emphasize the fact that in the same period, and as a reaction to the growing Jewish interest in the Wall, a Muslim counter-narrative developed celebrating the religious narrative of the sanctity of the tethering place of al-Buraq, the prophet's magical steed. The Israeli Defence Ministry publication dates this tradition to the mid-nineteenth century,23 while alternative earlier locations for Buraq's tethering place are 24 listed in Elad's Medieval Jerusalem and Islamic Worship.
Though it appears evident that new attention was accorded to the al-Buraq tradition in the early twentieth century, and a sort of planned development of this 'tradition' was staged by the Muslim religious authorities to counteract the Jewish/Zionist claims, relatively ancient traces of the association of the site with Muhammad's magical steed do exist. A fourteenth century manuscript by Ibn Furkah (d. 1328) states that al-Buraq was tethered outside Bab al-Nab, an old name for a gate along the south-western wall of the Haram al-Sharif, located at the very spot presently known as al-Buraq.25 Wilson's map of Jerusalem of 1865 names the area around the Wailing Wall 'Hosh al-Buraq,'26 and the 1840 Deliberation refusing the Jews the right to pave the area in front of the Wall already defines it as "the spot where al-Buraq was tethered".27 Following the 1948 War and the expulsion of the Jews from the Old City, the role of the Wall changed again: the Jordanian Authorities tried to minimize the Jewish relevance of the site and stressed its uniquely 'Arab' connotation. This is visible, for example, in a Jordanian-period postcard28 portraying a Palestinian woman in 'traditional' dress walking by the Wall.29
June 1967: Erasing The Past
With Israel's 1967 conquest of East Jerusalem, a dramatic transformation took place. Immediately after the battle for the Old City ended, the entire Moroccan Quarter was razed, and its 650 inhabitants were evicted with only three hours to remove their belongings.30 The section of the Wall dedicated to prayers was extended southwards to double its original length from 28 to 60 meters, while the original facing open area of some four meters grew to 40 meters: the small 120 square meter area in front of the wall became the vast Western Wall Plaza,31 covering 20,000 square meters over the ruins of the Moghrabi Quarter.
This radical transformation of the urban landscape, in clear violation of the Geneva Convention32 not to mention the 'Status Quo' understandings, was decided jointly by the military and civil authorities and later officially attributed to mayor of Jerusalem Teddy Kollek. The reasons for this move, which dramatically marked the symbolic appropriation of the city by the Israelis, have been analyzed by Benvenisti33 and by Benziman,34 but its long-term impact on the city, its residents, and foreign visitors often goes unmentioned.
The millions of tourists who have visited Jerusalem since 1967 have no idea of the site's previous layout; Israeli tour-guides generally avoid any mention of the Moroccan Quarter and its razing immediately after the June war.35 Thus this erasure was not only physical, but one of memory as well: the many publications about the Old City almost never include photographs of the site as it used to be. Even the few available images of the Moroccan Quarter sold in the Old City photography shops date from the beginning of the century, therefore promoting a convenient confusion between the destruction caused by the 1948 fighting and the deliberate erasure of the neighbourhood in 1967. This erasure, to an extent, applies even to the younger generations of Palestinians who have grown up knowing only the vast, empty Plaza - and this despite the fact that many Palestinian families in the Old City have relatives who used to live in the Moroccan Quarter36 or in nearby buildings demolished to make way for the greatly expanded Jewish Quarter.37 Over the past 35 years, the new Plaza and the totally revamped Jewish Quarter have become 'traditional' features in a city where Arabs and Jews speak different languages, live in separate worlds, and do not intermingle.38
The depiction of the Moroccan Quarter as a jumble of hovels (when it is referred to at all) almost immediately became the official truth.39 According to a foreign resident of the Old City:
The day the bulldozing began the quarter was described in The Jerusalem Post as a slum. Two days later it was reported as having been by and large abandoned during the siege. I expect in time that its existence will vanish altogether from the pages of developing Zionist history.40
The day the bulldozing began the quarter was described in The Jerusalem Post as a slum. Two days later it was reported as having been by and large abandoned during the siege. I expect in time that its existence will vanish altogether from the pages of developing Zionist history.40
These ideologically-motivated depictions are refuted by descriptions culled from contemporary reports, interviews with former inhabitants,41 and old photographs of the quarter, all of which testify that the ancient medieval quarter was a lively neighbourhood, its level of dilapidation mirroring that found elsewhere in the Old City.
The following step in 'clearing' the area, the demolition of the Abu S'uud complex42 in front of Bab al-Magharibah, took place two years later in June 1969. An example of Mamluk architecture and a well-known element of the city landscape and history was removed to enlarge the excavation area and to 'free' access to the Haram al-Sharif for the Israeli army in case of troubles. In this case too, the tendency to downgrade the architectural and historic value of 'inconvenient' buildings is evident in the above-mentioned Defence Ministry publication's description of the buildings:
Even the remaining houses on the outcropping are unimportant. Although some date from the Middle Ages, extensive reconstruction has been done in them in the 20th century. One of them has a concrete roof supported by iron railways tracks! The balconies of the buildings are also constructed of railways tracks which proves conclusively that they do not predate our century. The presence of these buildings in the area is purely accidental; a decision to remove them would be just as legitimate as one to leave them there.43
Even the remaining houses on the outcropping are unimportant. Although some date from the Middle Ages, extensive reconstruction has been done in them in the 20th century. One of them has a concrete roof supported by iron railways tracks! The balconies of the buildings are also constructed of railways tracks which proves conclusively that they do not predate our century. The presence of these buildings in the area is purely accidental; a decision to remove them would be just as legitimate as one to leave them there.43
This strategy of purposeful depreciation of the non-Jewish heritage of the city can be seen in several developments involving the Wall. After the 1967 capture of the Old City, Jewish religious personalities pushed for 'freeing' the entire length of the 465-meter wall, proposing the demolition of all the Islamic theological colleges (the Mamluk madrasas built along the outer wall of the Haram al-Sharif constitute one of the pre-eminent architectural features of the old city of Jerusalem44) and Arab-inhabited buildings that had grown along it during the centuries.
The case that caused the greatest controversy involved the 'Little Wall', the only segment of the Western Wall (aside from the extended Wailing Wall) unobstructed by later construction. Located in the courtyard of the thirteenth century Ribat al-Kurt, a Mamluk period hospice near Bab al-Hadid, the wall was 'discovered' by Jewish religious groups during 1971/2. Though no previous Jewish worship was attested there,45 they began to pray at the site and tried to take over the property. Referring to an 'ancient tradition'- for which no evidence was produced - the site was quickly baptized the 'Little Kotel' to emphasize its connection with the Wailing Wall.46 In this context, it is important to note the distinction between the Wailing Wall and the Western Wall. The International Commission established in 1930 to investigate the 'Wailing Wall', for instance, specified that the "part of the wall about which dispute has arisen between the Jews and the Moslems" (i.e., the 'Wailing Wall') is about 30 meters long;47 the tendency to equate the two since the 1967 War appears to coincide with expanding claims (these terms will be discussed in more detail below).
Meanwhile, excavations along the Wall to open an underground 'tunnel' and uncover the underlying Herodian stones, initiated in 1967 with the approval of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, had caused serious damage to the same Ribat al-Kurd and to some of the finest examples of Mamluk architecture in the Old City. Digging was ordered halted. In the 16 February, 1972 Knesset debate concerning the damage, most speakers - using language and rhetorical technique reminiscent of those used for the Moroccan Quarter - demanded that the entire length of the Western Wall be cleared. The Ribat al-Kurt was presented as a 'slum' with no 'historical significance.'48 Rabbi Meir Kahane, leader of the extremist Kach party, questioned the authority of the archaeologists that the municipality had hired to assess the 'historicity' of the Arab structures in relation to the Jewish 'historicity' of the Wall. What was at stake was in fact the role of heritage in shaping the city's future.
Heritage and History
The symbolic significance of these changes and attempted changes might be better understood with reference to the concept of 'heritage' as defined by David Lowenthal in The Heritage Crusade. Lowenthal distinguishes between 'History,' the past that actually happened, and 'Heritage,' the past manipulated for some present aim: "Heritage links us with ancestors, certifies identities, builds collective pride and purpose, but in so doing stresses distinctions between good guys (us) and bad guys (them). Heritage faith and heritage rhetoric inflame enmity."49
The very definition of Israel as a 'Jewish State' implies that its national heritage must be a 'Jewish Heritage.' It can easily follow, then, that all that is not specifically 'Jewish' might (or should) be removed. New 'facts' can be created that compete with those sought to be minimized - or the urban landscape can simply be demolished and replaced with a more suitable one, as in this case. Other questions to be pondered are those raised by Turndridge and Ashworth in the preface of their 1996 Dissonant Heritage, where they say: "we will never again look at a monument or exhibit without posing not only the 'Whose heritage is this?' question, but also the insistent 'Who is disinherited here and what are the consequences of such dispossession?'"50
The answers, in the case of the Wall, are obvious: Palestinian heritage has been erased, both from the physical map and from the map of memory, and the consequences of this dispossession have buttressed Israeli claims to the city. Plans for the Wall area have managed to erase from centre stage the complexity of history and the embarrassing presence of other people's heritage.
Israel's efforts after 1967 to present an image of Jerusalem in keeping with its political aspirations and vision of history (and thereby bolster principles like 'the unity of the Jewish people' and its 'necessary realization in the Jewish State') entailed a large propaganda effort to celebrate the Wall and highlight its importance for Judaism. Pseudo-scientific books on the Jewish Quarter and the Wall were published,51 while new 'traditions' centred on the Wall were developed. In a Jerusalem Post article of 1971, for instance, we read:
[…] Tisha B'Av at the Western Wall is becoming ever more an international Jewish Holiday [emphasis added] and ever less a day of mourning. To the tens of thousands of Israelis and tourists who swarmed to the Old City last night when the fast commenced, The Wall was obviously more of a reminder of the Israeli victory four years ago, than of the Jewish defeat and destruction of the Temple 1901 years ago.52
[…] Tisha B'Av at the Western Wall is becoming ever more an international Jewish Holiday [emphasis added] and ever less a day of mourning. To the tens of thousands of Israelis and tourists who swarmed to the Old City last night when the fast commenced, The Wall was obviously more of a reminder of the Israeli victory four years ago, than of the Jewish defeat and destruction of the Temple 1901 years ago.52
But in order to become the 'universal' and 'eternal' symbol of Judaism - and in so doing strengthen the link with the Jewish Diaspora and forge a unity between the diverse components of Israeli society (secular and religious, Ashkenazi and Sephardi, Ultra Orthodox and Reform) - it was necessary to mute alternative Jewish traditions as well as critical voices objecting to the 'worship of stone' or the partition between men and women at the Wall.53 In other words, the symbolism of the Wall had to be 'adapted'. Linguistically, this change is represented by the rejection of the traditional term 'Wailing Wall', with its emphasis on what has been lost, and its substitution with the more neutral 'Western Wall' (which is also conveniently ambiguous, designating, as it does, both the entire western wall of the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif compound and the area traditionally set apart for prayers). At the rhetorical level, the locus shifted from the destruction of the temple to the themes of national renaissance.
This strategy , commenced in the 1920s, has been highly successful, and since the June 1967 victory, the Wall has undoubtedly become the central altar of the Israeli state. This success has not been welcomed by all. Israeli philosopher Yeshayahu Leibowitz, for example, noted in an interview: "Twenty years ago, neither those who practiced the mizvot nor, obviously, those who did not, paid attention to or even thought about the Western Wall. Why, after 2000 years of Jewish life, should a new Judaism suddenly appear, seven days after the Six-Day War, with the Western Wall?54
For the most part, however, religious and secular Israelis accord extraordinary importance to the Wall as both a sanctuary and a monument.55
This carefully planned double dimension is physically represented in the plaza. The space in front of the Wall is composed of two distinct zones: the area closest to the wall, for prayer, is the focus of traditional religious devotion and falls under the aegis of the rabbinate. The more distant expanse of the plaza, controlled by the government, became the representation of Israeli 'civic religion': military parades, swearing-in ceremonies, commemoration of the soldiers fallen in war, Jerusalem Day, and so on.
Further, emphasizing the 'sanctity' of the Wall area allowed the Israeli government to divert attention from the (in its eyes) highly problematic site of the Haram al-Sharif, which remained in Muslim hands. The Wall was officially transformed into an open-air synagogue and the minister of religious affairs explicitly declared it a holy place. Not only the Wall was declared 'holy' under the new regulations, but also the prayer square in front of it "including any structure or passage above or below ground whose entrance is through the prayer square."56
One of the tools used in establishing this consensus and underscoring the new 'secular' value of this site has been - as so often in Israel - archaeology. It was hoped that through archaeology the Jewish 'historic right' to the land could be affirmed and traces of the Arab past erased (as in June 1969 when the Abu S'uud complex in front
of Bab al-Magharibah was demolished in order to uncover a Herodian road). In fact, however, the archaeological excavations at this extremely sensitive site aggravated tensions between secular and religious Israelis, demonstrating the delicate balance needed between the diverse elements with which the state was playing and the fragile nature of their consensus over the celebration of the Wall.
The extensive excavations directed by Prof. Mazar of Hebrew University between 1968 and 1977 near the southwest corner of the Haram, and which uncovered the remains of previously unknown Umayyad palaces, became the focus of a long-lasting 'battle' between the archaeologists and the rabbinate. These hostilities were exposed when a decision was made to set aside a section of the Western Wall for archaeological excavation, and intensified as soon as the excavations extended northward along the wall towards the Wailing Wall and the prayer area controlled by the Ministry of Religious Affairs.57
The tension between archaeologists and the religious establishment reached its peak in 1972, when the archaeologists demolished the building housing the Supreme Rabbinical Court (originally a Girls' School built by the Jordanians in the early 1960s) in order to enlarge the dig.58 Other simultaneous occurrences showed the incompatibility of the two groups: the ongoing 'unofficial' excavations at the 'tunnel' carried out by the Ministry of Religious Affairs without archaeological supervision, and the polemics surrounding the excavation of Jewish graves by archaeologists, considered unacceptable by the religious authorities and by part of the religious public. The un-aesthetic 'outcropping' leading to Bab al-Magharibah, resulting from the June 1969 demolitions described above, also should be viewed in this context. This area plays the role of frontier between two parts of the very same wall: one set apart for secular needs, and one for religious worship. The state, a third oversight body, acts as an arbitrator and maintains control of the gate for 'security' needs.59
New Trends and the Shifting Symbolism of the Wall
Efforts to shape the link between ancient past and present rebirth through architecture and planning have met with obstacles. Though the large esplanade and the rebuilt Jewish Quarter conveyed to hundreds of thousands of citizens and tourists the clear message of Israel's control over the city, fear of disrupting a precarious equilibrium has prevented the implementation of any comprehensive architectural plan for the plaza. No design for the area, in fact, has ever received the approval of both the secular and the religious establishments, and after more than 30 years the large esplanade remains an open, shapeless and empty scar in the heart of the dense urban fabric of the city.
The two best known design proposals for the Wailing Wall Plaza were prepared by the internationally renowned architects Moshe Safdie and Isamu Noguchi in the 1970s. Safdie's plan - supported by the Israeli Jerusalem municipality and heavily influenced by economic considerations and archaeological finds - proposed a complex system of multi-level terraces and stairs leading down to the original basis of the Wall, some ten meters below the present level. Isamu Noguchi's proposal, on the other hand, stressed further the symbolic relevance of the site for all Jews by proposing the creation, in front of the Wall, of a monument to the Holocaust - a large irregular block of black basalt. Though extremely different in scope and sensitivity, both designs are based on the ideological assumption that the site has an exclusively Jewish significance.
But among Israeli Jewry, the goal of transforming the Wall into a unifying symbol has substantially failed. In the last 30 years Israeli society has grown more and more differentiated and internally divided; symbolism around the Wall has evolved along with these changes and the blossoming of religious/messianic movements.
A fracture between the planned 'national' symbolism attributed to the Wall and its actual use was already apparent in 1974, when, after a few years of growing secularization in the commemoration of Tisha B'Av, the traditional character of the celebration re-emerged, as indicated in press accounts.60 With the fading of 'civil religion' and of the Zionist narrative, the Wall has been re-appropriated by new religious communities61 and other trends have developed in connection with this religious re-appropriation. By this, I refer to the shifting of attention from the Wall itself to the Haram al-Sharif and to the proposed reconstruction of the Temple on the site of the Muslim mosques.
The 'master commemorative narrative'62 that created the Wall plaza and the new Jewish Quarter as the symbol of continuity between the ancient past and the modern Jewish state persists, but is now shared by a different constituency. This new 'Jewish' community (including a large group of foreign born-again Jews) that has developed within the quarter itself no longer pays much attention to archaeology or to celebrating the heroism of the quarters' defenders in the 1948 battle. Rather, it longs for the 'dream' of a new temple.
The physical environment of the Jewish Quarter has therefore changed to adapt to new needs and values. This is particularly evident in the restored Byzantine Cardo. What was planned as the main tourist-commercial axis of the rebuilt quarter, with a didactic reconstruction of the original wooden roofing of the shops of the ancient street, has been transformed into an exhibition hall for the reconstructed vessel of the Third Temple.
In 1983, when discussing the issue of the planning of the Wailing Wall Plaza, Meir Ben Dov underlined the Wall's function as 'surrogate' temple:
Prayer at the Wall became important as a result of a compromise – because the Temple is not rebuilt – but cannot, in any way, serve to transfer the spotlight form the centre to the periphery. No matter how holy its tradition has become for many but such a status is not within Jewish tradition. Any design for the Wall area must, therefore, realize that that the Wall does not represent the achievement of Judaism's ultimate hopes; that will be in the rebuilding of the Temple however theoretical that may be and however delayed it may be till the arrival of the Messiah.63
Prayer at the Wall became important as a result of a compromise – because the Temple is not rebuilt – but cannot, in any way, serve to transfer the spotlight form the centre to the periphery. No matter how holy its tradition has become for many but such a status is not within Jewish tradition. Any design for the Wall area must, therefore, realize that that the Wall does not represent the achievement of Judaism's ultimate hopes; that will be in the rebuilding of the Temple however theoretical that may be and however delayed it may be till the arrival of the Messiah.63
With the growing political influence of extremist religious groups and Israel's ability to maintain its hold on the entire city, more and more individuals have begun to reconsider the role of the Wall and turn their gaze towards the Haram al-Sharif, site of the planned third temple, as they await its miraculous transformation.
To underline the differences between mainstream Judaism and contemporary ultra-orthodox groups in their perspective of the temple, we might compare the late nineteenth century mizrah64 reproduced in Ben Dov, Naor and Aner's Western Wall (p.198) which shows the Dome of Rock with its Muslim crescent under which is written in Hebrew "The site of the Temple", with the oft-reproduced poster depicting a rebuilt Third Temple replacing the Muslim holy shrines, which is sold in many Jewish Quarter bookshops.
Evolution: Towards a New Synthesis of Zionism and Tradition?
In very recent years, a new evolution is taking place in the Jewish Quarter: the revitalization of some out-moded Zionist symbols by Ariel Sharon's government. Possibly worried by the excessive focus on the Temple and its reconstruction, Israel's rightwing government is attempting to establish fresh bonds between Zionist and religious values. The new public relations offensive is evident in a number of plans, presently at various stages of implementation, whose goal is the revitalization of the reputation and the landscape of the Jewish Quarter and the Wall plaza. The most important among them for its symbolic role is the project for the reconstruction à l'identique of the nineteenth century Hurva Synagogue, the 'heart' of the Ashkenazi community in the pre-1948 Quarter. A similar plan, favoured by Menahem Begin when he was prime minister, was refused by the architects and planners designing the new quarter in the late 1970s who preferred, instead, to consolidate the ruins of the synagogue as a memorial to the quarter's 1948 destruction.
The reconstruction of the 24-meter high dome of the Hurva will certainly transform the image of the neighbourhood; the rebuilt synagogue could become a new focal point for the religious community of the Jewish Quarter. Nahum Miltzer, an Israeli architect, has prepared the plans for the reconstruction in cooperation with the Israeli Antiquity Authorities and the site-work is scheduled to begin in 2005.65
To this same new trend we might ascribe also the recently completed refurbishment of the Wall plaza (with the construction of stone-faced arcades along its northern side), the planned enhancement of the archaeological exhibitions of the Jewish Quarter and the creation of a new archaeological/religious attraction, the Davidson Virtual Centre. This new 'museum,'66 whose design skillfully makes use of some of the ruins of the archaeological garden near Dung Gate, is dedicated to Jerusalem and pilgrimage to the Jerusalem Temple in Herod's time. With the support of high-tech computer graphics and virtual models, the visitor is introduced to a virtual reality where everything is Jewish, where no 'foreign' elements perturb the scene. This extremely selective representation of a single moment in the long and complex history of the city, though based on archaeological data and probably scientifically correct, conveys an obvious political message. It presents a mythical ancient city whose virtual houses bear an unexpected resemblance to the reconstructed Jewish Quarter buildings.
The main difference between these newly planned transformations and the 1970s project for the Jewish Quarter seems to lie in their openly-stated connection with Jewish religious symbols. What proved an impossible task for Israeli governments in the seventies (i.e. the contemporary celebration of secular Zionist and traditional religious values) seems nowadays possible through an insistence on religious heritage and the partial playing down of nationalist-historic elements. Whether this new campaign will be able to divert the attention from the possibilities of a Third Temple, recreating a larger national consensus and interest in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem is still too early to say, but it is obvious that these apparently minor transformations have in fact deep political meaning, and represent new symbolic steps in the continued Israeli take-over of the Old City of Jerusalem.
The military conquest of Jerusalem necessitated the city's physical transformation, in order to adapt a typical Middle Eastern, medieval and mainly Arab city to the symbolism and requirements of a modern Jewish state. The contrast between the mythical image of the city in Jewish prayers and in Zionist political expectations on the one side, and reality on the other, was too strong to sustain the claims of Israeli ownership: hence, the transformation of both the human and physical landscape of the Old City.
The goal of the urban plans carried out by the Israelis in the Old City and in the area of the Wailing Wall, in fact, has been to erase the living memory of a non-recognized Arab/Muslim past (and present) and to replace it with a new space. The efforts to rebuild this environment as effective scenery for representing a new ruling power were carefully planned and embody the symbolic role the Israeli government attributed to the city.
Though the will to transform the cityscape and adapt it to the needs of the new rulers is a common feature in urban history, what makes the case of Jerusalem peculiar is that these acts have been presented to international public opinion as the 'restoration' of the Old City of Jerusalem. With great ingenuity, Israel has been able to present itself as 'restorer' of the city's heritage, enlightened 'caretaker' of the holy sites and defender of the menaced urban fabric of the city.
The destruction of the Moroccan Quarter and the creation of the Wailing Wall esplanade in its stead, therefore, not only exemplify the strict relationship between architecture, planning, heritage, symbolism and nationalism, but moreover demonstrate Israel's overall ability to successfully re-write history according to its needs.
Simone Ricca is a conservation architect and a researcher; he holds a Ph.D. in Middle Eastern Politics from the University of Exeter (UK). He has been working in Europe (Italy and France) and in the Middle East (Palestine and Syria) where he collaborates regularly with national Antiquity Departments, NGOs and UNESCO.
1 See T. Katriel, "The past in Israeli Pioneering Museums" in D. Ben Amos and L. Weissberg, eds., Cultural Memory and the Construction of Identity (Ohio: Wayne State University Press, 1999), 99-135 and Y. Zerubavel, Recovered Roots (Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 1995).
2 With the notable exception of Nadia Abu El Haj's work, Excavating the Land, Creating the Homeland: Archaeology, the State and the Making of History in Modern Jewish Jerusalem (Ph. D. Thesis, Duke University, Department of Cultural Anthropology, 1995) and Facts on the Ground: Archaeological Practice and Territorial Self-Fashioning in Israeli Society (Chicago: Chicago University Press, 2001).
3 Cf. Rabbi Meshulam Da Volterra, 1481, letter of the Italian Jewish pilgrim, in J. Nom de Deu, Relatos de Viajes y Epistolas de Peregrinos Jud.os a Jerusalén (USA, Madrid, 1987), 82:
"And all the community of Jews, every year,
goes up to Mount Zion on the day of Tisha
Be-'Av to fast and mourn, and from there they
move down along Yoshafat Valley and up
to Mount of Olives. From there they see the
whole Temple (the Temple Mount) and there
they weep and lament the destruction of this
House." (My translation - emphasis added).
"And all the community of Jews, every year,
goes up to Mount Zion on the day of Tisha
Be-'Av to fast and mourn, and from there they
move down along Yoshafat Valley and up
to Mount of Olives. From there they see the
whole Temple (the Temple Mount) and there
they weep and lament the destruction of this
House." (My translation - emphasis added).
4 F. E. Peters, Jerusalem (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1985), 528.
5 M. Ben Dov and Z. Aner, The Western Wall (Tel Aviv: Ministry of Defence Publishing House, 1983), 65.
6 L.G.A. Cust, The Status Quo in the Holy Places (Confidential print, September 1929, reprint by Jerusalem: Ariel Publishing House, 1980), 45.
7 Ibid., 46.
8 "Report of the International Commission appointed by His Majesty's Government", in The Rights and Claims of Moslems and Jews in Connection with the Wailing Wall at Jerusalem Basic Documents Series No. 4 (Beirut: Institute for Palestine Studies), 20.
9 Based upon a 1852 firman, and in conformity with a preceding firman of 1757. Cf. Sh. Berkovitz, The Temple Mount and the Western Wall in Israeli Law (Jerusalem: The Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, 2001), 12.
10 For a brief chronology relative to the 'Status Quo' arrangements, see The Survey of Palestine, volume II, reprinted by IPS in Beirut, 899-900.
11 For a detailed account of Zionist challenges up until the Wailing Wall incident, see M.E. Lundsten, "Wall Politics: Zionist and Palestinian Strategies in Jerusalem, 1928," in Journal of Palestine Studies, no. 29 (Autumn 1978): 3-27.
12 See Michael Dumper, The Politics of Jerusalem since 1967, (NY: Columbia University Press, 1997), 200.
13 The Rights and Claims of Moslems and Jews…, 52.
14 Ibid, 74.
15 Ibid, 73.
16 Berkovitz, 26.
17 The committee included representatives of the Rabbinate of Palestine, the World Association of Rabbis, the Jewish Agency, Vaad Leumi and Agudat Israel.
18 The Rights and Claims of Moslems and Jews, 35.
19 A. Ha'am (Asher Ginsberg), quoted in A. Hertzberg, "Jerusalem and Zionism" in N. Rosovsky, ed., City of the Great King (Cambridge & London: Harvard University Press, 1996), 157.
20 A. Orr, The unJewish State: the Politics of the Jewish Identity in Israel (Ithaca, London, 1983), 193-4.
21 Rachel Arbel has observed in "Menorah and Magen David: The Evolution of Zionist Symbols", in The Israel Museum Journal, Vol. XVI (Summer 1998): 22-23 how the seemingly antithetical symbols are in fact complementary:
"The praying Jews represent the impotence of the Diaspora and a focus on the past. Yet these opposites are complementary and interdependent: the pioneer relies on tradition, on generations of Jews who yearned for Zion, and draws his strength from them, while the traditional Jew has no hope and future without the pioneer. [¼…]. The use of emblematic images that were both contradictory and complementary reflects the attempt of Zionist propaganda to mitigate the revolutionary shock of national revival, to make room both for those eager to change the face of Jewish culture and society and for those who wished to preserve the old frameworks and traditions."
"The praying Jews represent the impotence of the Diaspora and a focus on the past. Yet these opposites are complementary and interdependent: the pioneer relies on tradition, on generations of Jews who yearned for Zion, and draws his strength from them, while the traditional Jew has no hope and future without the pioneer. [¼…]. The use of emblematic images that were both contradictory and complementary reflects the attempt of Zionist propaganda to mitigate the revolutionary shock of national revival, to make room both for those eager to change the face of Jewish culture and society and for those who wished to preserve the old frameworks and traditions."
22 C. Z. Kloetzel, The Way to the Wailing Wall (Jerusalem, 1935), 21.
23 Ben Dov, 62: "The section of the Western Wall which serves for Jewish prayer is called 'al Buraq' by the Moslems, and is, according to them, the place where the horse was tethered [¼…]. This was transferred to the Western Wall from the eastern wall and the southern wall about one hundred and twenty years ago when the Jewish nationalist movement chose the Western Wall as the symbol of the renewal of the Jewish settlement in Eretz Israel."
24 A. Elad, Medieval Jerusalem and Islamic Worship (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1995), 99-104.
24 R. Khalidi, Palestinian Identity: The Construction of Modern National Consciousness (New York: Columbia University Press, 1997) 216, footnote 25.
26 See C. Wilson, Ordnance Survey of the Old City of Jerusalem - Jerusalem Map 1:2500, (London: Her Majesty's Treasury, 1865) and A. L. Tibawi, The Islamic Pious Foundations in Jerusalem (London: The Islamic Cultural Centre, 1978), 46.
27 Tibawi, 20.
28 The original colour postcard is reproduced in black and white in A. al-'Alami, Waqfyiat al-Magharibah [The Waqfs of the Moroccans], Arabic (Jerusalem: Da'irat al-Awqaf al-'Amma, 1981), 263.
29 The dress portrayed in the postcard seems typical of the north of the West Bank and not of Jerusalem, but ethnographic accuracy was not necessary because foreign tourists were the 'target' of this highly symbolic image.
30 The destruction of the Moroccan Quarter has been detailed by the foreign press and by foreign and Palestinian commentators (see Dumper, 162).
31 Berkovitz, 27.
32 The Geneva Convention of 1949, signed and ratified by Israel on August 12th 1949, art.53, prohibits: "The destruction by an occupying power of moveable and immovable property, except where such destruction is rendered necessary by
military Operations".
33 See. M. Benvenisti, Jerusalem, the Torn City (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1976) 307: "Despite the justified criticism, the act itself was seemingly inevitable. The Wall area could not hold the hundreds of thousands who wished to come in 1967. Beyond the overwhelming practical considerations, however, an irrational impulse was at work. The move was the settling of an historic account with those who had harassed the Jewish People over the centuries, restricting and humiliating it at its holiest place, as well as with those who had prevented access to the Wall for 19 years. The displaced inhabitants of the Moroccan Quarter were not personally to blame, but it was their fate to be additional victims of the Arab-Israel conflict."
34 In his Yerushalaim, Ir lelo Homa [Jerusalem, A City Without Walls], (Tel Aviv, Schocken, 1973), Haaretz journalist Uzi Benziman states that those in charge of bulldozing the Mughrabi quarter, who speeded up the operation to avoid challenges, "realized that their action was motivated neither by security considerations nor by town planning. They were driven by some mysterious feeling that they represented the Jewish people, that they were asserting Jewish sovereignty over its most sacred place." In A.L. Tibawi, "Special Report: the Destruction of an Islamic Heritage in Jerusalem", in Arab Studies Quarterly, vol. 2, no 2 (Spring 1980): 184-85.
35 As an example of this attitude, on February 9, 2002, I was part of a guided tour (mainly composed of members of the International Diplomatic Community) of the Jewish Quarter led by the well-known author of an archaeological guide to the Holy Land. Not only did he not mention the previous existence of the Moroccan Quarter in his description of the Wailing Wall area, he even stated that the whole area up to the Wall has always belonged to the Jews.
36 One hundred and thirty five houses and two mosques were demolished.
37 The large-scale reconstruction project of the area that forms today's Jewish Quarter is not the subject of this article, but it might be useful to remember that in March 1968, 29 acres (including the area of the demolished Moroccan Quarter) of the Old City were expropriated by the Israeli authorities to create the new Jewish Quarter and that, according to Benvenisti (1976, p. 239) Jewish-owned property before 1948 comprised no more than 20% of the Quarter. On the reconstruction plan of the new extended Jewish Quarter, see S. Ricca, The Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem, Analysis of its Destruction and Reconstruction After 1967 (Ph. D. Thesis, University of Exeter, 2003, unpublished.
38 Edward Said has noted that the now-dominant Israeli narrative on Jerusalem has been able "to project an idea of Jerusalem that contradicted not only its history, but its very lived actuality, turning it from a multicultural and multireligious city into an 'eternally' unified, principally Jewish city under exclusive Israeli sovereignty." (E. Said, "Projecting Jerusalem", in Journal of Palestine Studies, Vol. XXV, no. 1 (Autumn 1995): 7). For the religious syncretism of Ottoman Jerusalem, see Salim Tamari, ed., Jerusalem 1948, The Arab Neighborhoods and Their Fate in the War (Jerusalem: Institute of Jerusalem Studies, 1999).
39 See, for instance, T. Kollek, For Jerusalem, a Life (Jerusalem: Steimatsky, 1978), 197; and Ben Dov, 36.
40 A. Schleifer, The Fall of Jerusalem – 1967 (New York: Monthly Review Press, 1972).
41 T. Abowd, "The Moroccan Quarter: a history of the present" in Jerusalem Quarterly File, no. 7 (Jerusalem: Institute of Jerusalem Studies, 2001): 6-16.
42 That included the Fakhriyyah zawiya and the Abu S'uud living quarters. It might be noteworthy to remember that the mother of the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Zahwa Abu S'uud, was a member of the Abu S'uud family. The Israeli journalist Danny Rubinstein writes in his biography of Arafat:
"It is doubtful that Yasser Arafat witnessed
the demolition of the house, but, on the few
occasions he has spoken of his childhood, he
mentioned the destruction of the Abu S'uud
house along with vague hints and fragmentary
remarks on childhood memories from
Jerusalem. As far as we can ascertain, Arafat
did live in this house from 1933 to 1936, from
the age of four to seven. Perhaps he visited it
on a few occasions afterward." D. Rubenstein,
The Mystery of Arafat (Vermont: Steerforth
Press, 1995), 21-22.
"It is doubtful that Yasser Arafat witnessed
the demolition of the house, but, on the few
occasions he has spoken of his childhood, he
mentioned the destruction of the Abu S'uud
house along with vague hints and fragmentary
remarks on childhood memories from
Jerusalem. As far as we can ascertain, Arafat
did live in this house from 1933 to 1936, from
the age of four to seven. Perhaps he visited it
on a few occasions afterward." D. Rubenstein,
The Mystery of Arafat (Vermont: Steerforth
Press, 1995), 21-22.
43 Ben Dov, 167. Though the book was published in 1983 it is evident that this chapter pre-dates the demolition of June 1969.
44 For a complete historic and architectural record of these monuments, see M.H. Burgoyne, Mamluk Jerusalem, The World of Islam Festival Trust, The British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem, 1987.
45 A. Rabinovich, "Experts doubt 'little Kotel' ever used by Jews for prayer", The Jerusalem Post, 16 February, 1972, 9.
46 Michael Burgoyne, in his analysis of Ribat al-Kurt (Burgoyne, 150) believes that the lower part of the outer face of the Haram in the building's courtyard belongs to the Umayyad rebuilding of the wall and not to the Herodian period.
47 The Rights and Claims of Muslims and Jews…,15-16.
48 Dr. Zerah Warhaftig, the Minister for Religious Affairs, said that "¼… the Arab families were suffering in their homes along the Wall ¼… (and) children could not grow properly under such conditions," Menachem Begin spoke of "ramshackle houses to be cleared," while Dr. Yitzhak Raphael declared that the buildings "had no historical significance" Jerusalem Post, 14 February, 1972, 7.
49 D. Lowenthal, The Heritage Crusade and the Spoils of History (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), 248. Other authors push further the debate and question the very nature of 'history' by inserting a three-level system separating the 'past' (what has happened) from both 'history' (selective attempts to describe this) and 'heritage' (a contemporary product shaped from history). Cf. J.E. Tunbridge and G. Ashworth, Dissonant Heritage, (Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 1966), 21.
50 J.E. Tunbridge and G. Ashworth, Op. Cit., xi.
51 See Ben Dov; and L. Abramovich, "Jews of Jerusalem the eternal", The Jerusalem Post Magazine, 17 May 1974, 13 (review of A. Rivin, Ishim be'Ir hanezah Personalities in the eternal city (Tel Aviv: Alef, 1974) where we read: "With the renovation, reconstruction and repopulation of the Jerusalem Old City's Jewish Quarter in the last five years, there has been a revived interest in the history of Jerusalem. […] Many books have appeared describing people and periods of Jerusalem history. […] Perhaps the greatest contribution of such works, as the late Ben Gurion wrote in an introduction to the book is that they make it possible for our youth to 'know that Israel's establishment did not begin with the declaration of the State'. This book, and all the others of this genre, are a good reminder that there were always Jews living here."
52 D. Landau, "70.000 at Western Wall; little mourning observed", The Jerusalem Post, 1 August 1971.
53 This was, for instance, the approach of the Judaism Reform Movement.
54 Interview with Prof. Yeshayahou Leibovitz, in D. Storper-Perez, Au pied du mur de Jérusalem (Paris: Editions du Cerf, 1989), 98, my translation.
55 According to a survey (E. Katz, Sh. Levy, Sh. Levy and J. Segal, The status of Jerusalem in the eyes of Israeli Jews, Guttman Institute of Applied Social Research & Center for International and Security Studies, University of Maryland, January 1997) 97% of Israeli Jews consider Jerusalem, with the Wall at its centre, important as the 'symbol of Israel'.
56 See Berkovitz, 20-21.
57 A. Rabinowitz, "Diggers and prayers dispute new section of the Wall", The Jerusalem Post, 22 July 1969, 8.
58 On the polemics surrounding this decision, see D. Landau, "Demolition order against Supreme Rabbinical Court", The Jerusalem Post, 16 October, 1972, 12; "Religious Court still sitting in its building declared unsafe", The Jerusalem Post, 4 November, 1972, 7; and D. Landau, "Old Rabbinical Court by Western Wall coming down", The Jerusalem Post, 3 January 1972, 8.
59 Bab al-Magharibah is the only access to the Haram al-Sharif under full Israeli control. It is considered essential by the Israelis to secure the control of the Haram as it facilitates access for police and army intervention.
60 See J. Siegel, "100.000 expected at Wall for Tisha B'Av observance" The Jerusalem Post, Friday, 26 July, 1974, 3 and "Contrast between night and day crowds at Wall for Tisha B'Av" The Jerusalem Post, 29 July, 2: "It seemed that, as daylight broke through, the traditional pattern of mourning that has marked Tisha B'Av through the ages had resurfaced again."
61 Already in 1974, Geula Cohen said that the Wall was 'a symbol of spiritual power which could cure the ills of the sick nation'. (Anon, "Plea to radio, TV to allow live coverage" The Jerusalem Post, Friday, 26 July, 1974, 3).
62 As defined by Y. Zerubavel, Recovered Roots (Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 1995).
63 Ben Dov, 165.
64 'Mizrah' means 'east' in Hebrew, but the word is used also for the traditional Jewish engraves (mostly featuring the word mizrah in Hebrew in the center) that were hung on the eastern wall of a home to indicate the direction in which to pray.
65 In 2002, the Israeli government allocated six million dollars for the reconstruction. On February 2004, the Israeli Antiquities Authority had almost completed the salvage excavations on the site and the plan had received most of the official approvals (See D. Grenn, "From the Ruins", in The Boston Globe (internet edition), 29 February, 2004.
65 More than a museum, in fact, it is a 'heritage centre', a museum without original artefacts, exhibiting only models and complex 3D computer simulations of the city before the destruction of the Temple by the Romans.
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text:
Hartselle (6-4) at No. 2 Fort Payne (10-0)
Where: Wildcat Stadium
The skinny: Reigning state champion Hartselle fell 34-27 in double overtime to Austin last week to end the season with back-to-back losses. ... De'Andre Mack scored on a pair of runs for the Tigers, who have not been ousted in the first round since 2007. ... Fort Payne defeated James Clemens 41-7 last week to give the Wildcats their fourth undefeated regular season since 2006. ... Hartselle and Fort Payne last met in 2001.
Huntsville Times pick: Fort Payne 27-26
on November 08, 2012 6:59 p.m.
on November 08, 2012 6:59 p.m.
11/09 - 7:00 PM Football FinalHartselle 14Fort Payne 6


text:
10 months from now the Magic Band is scheduled to play Beefheart in London. That's all we know right now.
Monthly Archives: November 2007
DMG Newsletter November 30th 2007
From DMG:
New! Other Dimensions: Carter/Campbell/Parker/Drake 2 CD set! Herb Robertson NY Downtown AllStars! Anthony Braxton 2007 Trio! Dennis Gonzalez NY Qt! Brotzmann/Wilkinson Qt!
Harry Beckett/George Haslam Sextet plus 6 More New Discs from Slam! Steve Jansen w/ David Sylvian! 4 Discs from Weasel Walter's Ug-Explode label! 3 from Australia's Barney McAll w/ Billy Harper, Joey Baron, Josh Roseman & Badal Roy!
Daunik Lazro & Joe McPhee! Nobu Stowe & Perry Robinson! Ghidra w/ Wally Shoup & Bill Horist! ESP Disk: Billie Holiday box, Lester Young, and Burton Greene!
Plus Historic Discs & Reissues from Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Wolfgang Dauner Quintet, Taj Mahal Travelers, Fela Kuti 3 CD Set, Erik Satie//Poulenc, 3 by Morricone, 4 from Welsh Rockers: Man and An Eccentric Soul Compilation!
His Name is Alive Tribute to Marion Brown Reviewed
This review covers the improvising rock collective covering the sounds of free-jazz pioneer Marion Brown.
Deutsche Grammophon Launches DRM-Free Online MP3 Store
This, of course, is good news, as many out of print recordings can now be downloaded. Their prices are a bit high, but it is a step in the right direction. Quite a number of modern classical releases are included.
Bagatellen Reviews
From Bagatellen:
Stephen Riley – Once Upon a Dream – 28 Nov 07
Ted Brown – Shades of Brown – 27 Nov 07
Chip Shop Music – s/t – 27 Nov 07
Anthony Braxton – Solo Willisau – 27 Nov 07
Musique Machine Reviews
From Musique Machine:
The English Heretic – Wyrd Tales(cd & book)
The English Heretic are a mysterious musically, literary & dark historic collective who investigate ocultic matters blurring the lines between fact and fiction, their music is a layered and sinister mix of dark electronics, folk and source recordings & ambience. Their written word a mixture of ocultic history, true crime and horror fiction- all to make a intoxicating and often highly un-nerving whole.
Supersilent – 8
The eighty chapter in the awe inspiring Norwegian collective Supersilent's career finds them creating a rather horror shrouded atmospheric album that weaves together elements of jazz, complex electroinca, rock & metal, creepy synth expanses, cinematic tones and all manner of genre pick & mix into a magical, epic often edgy, sometimes beautiful whole
Chapter – Two – (the Biographer)
Two is, as the title would indicate, the second album by Chapter, a duo consisting of Swiss artists Alexander J.S. Craker and Thierry van Osselt. The album's subtitle (the biographer) refers to the unifying concept of the work; an elegantly presented lyric book presents a short biography, for which each track is named. For instance, the first track is named Baron B.M. Craker (1946-2003). Each biography refers to lyrics or poems found or provided by family members or significant others. Chapter sets each of these lyrics or poems to music. It is only upon careful examination of the album credits that you realise you've been had, most of the time. It says "All biographies are fictional; any resemblance to persons living or dead, are purely coincidental (except for Baron B.M. Craker, which is based on true facts)". It's an intriguing idea, and a pretty clever prank.
Tenhornedbeast – The Sacred Truth
The Sacred Truth is first slice of sonic darkness from this new project from Christopher Walton one half of the now defunct ocultic dark ambient, neo-classical & ritual percussion project Endvra. Thankful this doesn't try to recapture Endvra's past glories instead this has it's own grim identity that summons up a quite an organic mix of dark ambience, drone blackness & doomy/ blackened mettlic guitar tone.
Rapoon – Time Frost
For me Time Frost is the first fully realized release from the Glacial Movements label that fulfils the labels remit of supplying ambience and sound work that conjures up vast frozen deserts, shifting ice continents and the loneliness and beauty of artic climes.
AAJ Reviews
From AAJ:
29-Nov-07 One Shot
Ewaz Vader (Le Triton)
Reviewed by John Kelman
29-Nov-07 Bismillah Khan
The Shenai's Humble Master (Saregama India)
Reviewed by Chris May
28-Nov-07 Miles Davis
Miles Davis: The Complete On The Corner Sessions (Sony-Legacy Music)
Reviewed by John Kelman
27-Nov-07 3 Cohens
Braid (Anzic Records)
Reviewed by Mark F. Turner
Steven Bernstein Interview
Sex Mob's Bernstein is interviewed about playing all over the world.
When the nine-year-old NYC club Tonic closed its doors in April, many saw it as the last gasp of the Downtown Scene. With the Knitting Factory long ago having abandoned its more experimental roots, the distinctive brand of rock-tinged jazz that had flourished in the area for more than 25 years was left effectively homeless. Even CBGB's is gone. Besides, Brooklyn has been crowned the new Village and John Zorn has been officially designated a Genius. So is the Downtown Scene a museum piece?
Slide trumpeter/bandleader Steven Bernstein had been there since before the beginning, but sees these developments from a more optimistic perspective. "When I joined the Lounge Lizards," Bernstein recalls, "I realized that what we do is as related to Andy Warhol as it is to Ornette Coleman and Mingus and the Art Ensemble. Downtown had occasioned that sensibility, and that sensibility is now from another era. But we're infiltrating the world slowly. It's such a slow creep that some people don't even realize it, but it's getting out there in a small, subversive way. We don't have a center anymore, but I feel like we've disseminated into the world."
Ground and Sky Reviews
From Ground and Sky:
28 November 2007
New review: Miasma & the Carousel of Headless Horses – Manfauna
New review: Zs – Arms
Upcoming at the Bohemian National Home
From the Bohemian National Home
Thurs. Nov. 29: Capillary Action, Wildcatting
The first time at Bohemian National Home, Capillary Action backed-up Fugazi's Joe Lally with understated accompaniment. Now they return to do a full set of their own material, full of unexpected changes and genre-hopping. Detroit's Wildcatting keep their instrumental music more firmly rooted in great guitar-rock, but with plenty of suprising tricks of their own. Doors at 9 pm; $5.
Friday. Nov. 30: Last Friday Funk and Soul Night
Detroit's dance all-nighter, once again featuring the Modern Room. Doors at 12 pm; $5. 21 and up only.
12/17 (the) giants of gender
12/18 Frode Gjerstad Trio plus Aram Shelton (solo)
12/29 Awesome Color, Human Eye
2/19 Halvorson/Shea


text:
|Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, tic disorder, and allergy: Is there a link? A nationwide population-based study.
MedLine Citation:
|PMID: 23140273 Owner: NLM Status: Publisher
|Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and tic disorder usually co-occur in the same individuals, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Previous evidence has shown that a frequent coexistence of allergic diseases was noted in patients with ADHD or tic disorder. We attempted to investigate the possible link among ADHD, tic disorder, and various allergic diseases. Methods: Utilizing the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from 1996 to 2010, 5,811 patients with ADHD alone, 1,816 patients with tic disorder alone, and 349 patients with dual diagnoses of ADHD and tic disorder were identified and compared with age-/gender-matched controls (1:4) in an investigation of the association among ADHD, tic disorder, and allergic diseases. Results: Patients with dual diagnoses of ADHD and tic disorder had a significantly higher prevalence of allergic diseases and psychiatric comorbidities, including allergic rhinitis (43% vs. 28.4% vs. 33.6% vs. 19.7%, p < 0.001), asthma (27.5% vs. 17.2% vs. 18.2% vs. 11.9%, p < 0.001), atopic dermatitis (10.6% vs. 8.4% vs. 7.0 vs. 5.9%, p < 0.001), allergic conjunctivitis (55.6% vs. 34.7% vs. 43.5% vs. 26.3%, p < 0.001), obsessive compulsive disorder (4.0% vs. 1.3% vs. 2.0% vs. 0.1%, p < 0.001), and anxiety disorder (22.1% vs. 18.0% vs. 6.0% vs. 0.5%, p < 0.001) than the ADHD alone group, the tic alone group, and the control group. Furthermore, ADHD patients with more allergic diseases (≥3 comorbidities: OR: 3.73, 95% CI: 2.65∼5.25; 2 comorbidities: OR: 2.52, 95% CI: 1.82∼3.47; 1 comorbidity: OR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.41∼2.49) exhibited an increased risk of tic disorder compared with ADHD patients without allergic disease. Conclusion: A significant association among ADHD, tic disorder, and allergic diseases was noted in our study. The results may inspire further studies to clarify the underlying mechanisms and help us understand more about the complex etiology of ADHD, tic disorder, and their co-occurrence.
|Mu-Hong Chen; Tung-Ping Su; Ying-Sheue Chen; Ju-Wei Hsu; Kai-Lin Huang; Wen-Han Chang; Ya-Mei Bai
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Publication Detail:
|Type: JOURNAL ARTICLE Date: 2012-11-12
Journal Detail:
|Title: Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines Volume: - ISSN: 1469-7610 ISO Abbreviation: J Child Psychol Psychiatry Publication Date: 2012 Nov
Date Detail:
|Created Date: 2012-11-12 Completed Date: - Revised Date: -
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|Nlm Unique ID: 0375361 Medline TA: J Child Psychol Psychiatry Country: -
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|Languages: ENG Pagination: - Citation Subset: -
Copyright Information:
|© 2012 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry © 2012 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.
|Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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