מפח הזבל

תעלומה במכולה הירוקה
יום בהיר אחד באפריל 2007 רכב הבמאי טל יופה על הטוסטוס שלו בדרום תל אביב,
באזור של תעשייה זעירה. תוך כדי נסיעה לכד משהו את עינו והוא עצר ליד מכל אשפה גדול, מלא עד גדותיו. מעל הזבל היו מפוזרים מסמכים ותמונות של משפחה שלא הכיר, שנראו כאילו הושלכו לשם לפני זמן קצר. מיד כשהגיע הביתה פרש יופה על השטיח את המסמכים שמצא, והחליט להתחקות אחרי קורותיה של המשפחה. כך נפתחה חקירה, שנמשכה כשנה. הוא ביקר בבתי קברות, חפר בארכיונים ובשלב מסוים אף ביקש ברדיו את עזרת הציבור. התוצאה המצולמת של האובססיה הבלשית הזאת היא סרט דוקומנטרי מרגש, "התעלומה במכולה

"הירוקה

     ( ...לינק)

The Green Dumpster Mystery

One day in south Tel Aviv, filmmaker Tal Yoffee noticed some old photographs and documents inside a green dumpster. “Googling” one name, he begins investigating a history that begins in Lodz, Poland, transverses a Siberian gulag, a Samarkand sugar plant, a deserted Arab building in Jaffa, and a missing IDF soldier somewhere in Sinai. Just an anonymous family, but a typical Israeli one. 

Изгои

Поэтому фильм назван "Изгои"?

- Название пришло уже в ходе работы над материалами. Я вдруг увидел - на основании того, что услышал и собрал, - совсем другой подход к этой теме.
Во время войны евреи на самом деле неожиданно для себя оказались одни - один на один со смертью и несправедливостью.
Пришла война и нацисты. И одни соседи начали убивать евреев, как в Балтии. Другие смотрели и отворачивались. А чтобы оправдаться перед собой, обвиняли евреев в коммунизме и во всех смертных грехах. Третьи - спокойно забирали их имущество и вселялись в их дома. Четвертые - сами не убивали, но собирали евреев в эшелоны и депортировали. Или поступали как болгары, которые своих евреев - пятьдесят тысяч человек - Гитлеру не отдали, но, будучи его союзником, оккупировали Македонию и Северную Грецию и всех тамошних евреев "преподнесли" немцам. И так далее...

В итоге - миллионов людей как будто не было на этой земле. Только в Беларуси погибли 800 тысяч евреев. В Польше до войны их проживало более трех миллионов. А сегодня - где-то шесть тысяч. Те евреи, кому повезло выжить, кто был в подполье или ушел в партизаны, там тоже нередко оказывались одиноки.

И в партизанах встречался антисемитизм, и не хотели принимать еврейских беженцев, и верили слухам немцев, что беженцы из гетто - это засланные агенты. Всякое бывало. Но то, что было в Украине, Польше, странах Балтии - просто кошмар. Я, например, и раньше встречал информацию о то, что, скажем, в Польше евреев не любили. Это не новость. Но то, что в Литве и Беларуси еврейские партизаны погибали не только от рук немцев или полицаев, но и от рук польских партизан, - меня удивило. И это были не единичные случаи. Иначе я бы на такие факты не клюнул

(more...)

Смотрите "Мелодии рижского гетто"

And he's lost upon the road to peace

Young Abdel Mahdi (Shahmay) was only 18 years old,
He was the youngest of nine children, never spent a night away from home.
And his mother held his photograph, opening the New York Times
To see the killing has intensified along the road to peace

There was a tall, thin boy with a whispy moustache disguised as an orthodox Jew
On a crowded bus in Jerusalem, some had survived World War Two
And the thunderous explosion blew out windows 200 yards away
With more retribution and seventeen dead along the road to peace

Now at King George Ave and Jaffa Road passengers boarded bus 14a
In the aisle next to the driver Abdel Mahdi (Shahmay)
And the last thing that he said on earth is "God is great and God is good"
And he blew them all to kingdom come upon the road to peace

Now in response to this another kiss of death was visited upon
Yasser Taha, Israel says is an Hamas senior militant
And Israel sent four choppers in, flames engulfed, tears wide open
And it killed his wife and his three year old child leaving only blackened skeletons

It's found his toddlers bottle and a pair of small shoes and they waved them in front of the cameras
But Israel says they did not know that his wife and child were in the car
There are roadblocks everywhere and only suffering on TV
Neither side will ever give up their smallest right along the road to peace

Israel launched it's latest campaign against Hamas on Tuesday
Two days later Hamas shot back and killed five Israeli soldiers
So thousands dead and wounded on both sides most of them middle eastern civilians
They fill the children full of hate to fight an old man's war and die upon the road to peace

"And this is our land we will fight with all our force" say the Palastinians and the Jews
Each side will cut off the hand of anyone who tries to stop the resistance
If the right eye offends thee then you must pluck it out
And Mahmoud Abbas said Sharon had been lost out along the road to peace

Once Kissinger said "we have no friends, America only has interests"
Now our president wants to be seen as a hero and he's hungry for re-election
But Bush is reluctant to risk his future in the fear of his political failures
So he plays chess at his desk and poses for the press 10,000 miles from the road to peace

In the video that they found at the home of Abdel Mahdi (Shahmay)
He held a Kalashnikov rifle and he spoke with a voice like a boy
He was an excellent student, he studied so hard, it was as if he had a future
He told his mother that he had a test that day out along the road to peace

The fundamentalist killing on both sides is standing in the path of peace
But tell me why are we arming the Israeli army with guns and tanks and bullets?
And if God is great and God is good why can't he change the hearts of men?
Well maybe God himself is lost and needs help
Maybe God himself he needs all of our help
Maybe God himself is lost and needs help
He's out upon the road to peace

Well maybe God himself is lost and needs help
Maybe God himself he needs all of our help
And he's lost upon the road to peace
And he's lost upon the road to peace
Out upon the road to peace.

TOM WAITS-Road To Peace

London, 1940

Ein Hod: 05.06.1982 on Gotlieb's Roof

On 3 June 1982, the Palestinian militant group Fatah-The Revolutionary Council (headed by Yasser Arafat's opponent Abu Nidal) attempted to assassinate Shlomo Argov, Israel's ambassador in London, paralyzing him. Rafael Eitan, who was then the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defence Forces, responded to in his famous saying: "Abu Nidal, abu shmidal. We need to screw PLO!" אבו נידאל, אבו שמידאל. צריך לדפוק את אש"ף
On 4 June and 5 June 1982, Israeli F-16 planes bombed Palestinian refugee camps and other PLO targets in Beirut and southern Lebanon. For the first time in over ten months, the PLO responded by launching artillery and mortar attacks on civilian centers in northern Israel.
On 6 June 1982, Israeli forces under direction of Defense Minister Ariel Sharon invaded southern Lebanon in "Operation Peace of the Galilee".(from wikipedia)
On the photo Zvi Garti,Bob Nechin and I- 10 minutes before being called to join my Army Unit.

A man behind the gun, and a woman behind the man

The Man Behind The Gun
There are many to sing of the noble deeds of Kansas' favorite
sons
The men who stood in the early days so manfully by their guns;
Who shed their blood at the Nation's call for the martyr-state's
release,
And led her out of the depths of war and into the ways of peace.
I honor them all, but I honor, too, the Infinite Wisdom's plan
Of putting a man behind the gun, and a woman behind the man!

The men of the days of Old John Brown Lord love them,
every one!
Each is a hero in Kansas' eyes, and each is a favoriteson.
But I venture to say that you'd find, if you got right down to
the truth of things,
They were mostly held to their duty's post by a couple of apron
strings !
For who could waver, or who could fail in the struggle in
Freedom's name,
When woman's courage and woman's faith were backing him in
the game?

Our dear fore-mothers! who lived and loved in the days when
the State was young,
(And many have gone to their last long rest, unhonored, un-
known, unsung.)
For Woman rose to the needs of the hour when the dear-
bought peace was won,
And backed up the man at the plough as well as she'd backed
up the man at the gun!
He gave his strength for the land's increase, his voice to the
new State's good,
But back of his every word and deed some valiant woman stood.

There are men at the front in our State today, and back of each
one stands
Some dauntless woman with loving heart and ready and will-
ing hands.
I do not ask for her, Equal Rights, nor a place at your polls
as yet,
(For Heaven knows I am anything but a rampant suffragette !)
But give her a place in your Halls of Fame, along with your
honored ones;
Let Kansas' favorite daughters rank as high as her favorite sons.
I pledge you loyally, heart and hand, as only a Kansan can,
A toast:
To the Man who is at the front and the Woman
behind the Man!

The Call of Kansas and Other Poems
Esther M. (Clark) Hill

More on Art of War

part 1 is here

Fighter and Artist

(5) Thott 290 2, Kongelige Bibliothek, Copenhagen, Hans Talhoffers Alte Armatur und Ringkunst, 150 folia, 1459
The Fechtbuch (Fight-Book) from 1459 AD by Hans Talhoffer is truly an uncanny work. In this edition of his work, the fight-master opens a window for us to his world. He shares knowledge from his own field of expertise – the martial arts of Renaissance Europe. Yet he also presents works from masters of the same and other fields – Zwaintzig Ussrichtung (Twenty Directives) by fight-master Johann Liechtenauer; Bellifortis (Battle Force) by military engineer Conrad Kyeser; and Hie Lert (Here Teaches) by astrologer-physiologist Jud Ebreesch. By text and by pictures, numerous diverse and lively scenes are shown that are sometimes quite bizarre – vigorous fighting lessons, for judicial dueling and for battle; war-machines, strange inventions and secret formulas; and treatises upon cosmology and physiology.
In this rich personal edition of his work, Talhoffer deals with a wide variety of things, from the lofty to the earthy. He has something to offer everyone – whether fighter, artist, botanist, philologist, herbalist, chemist, metalsmith, carpenter, jurist, kinesiologist, astronomer, culinarian, theologian, costumer, physician or otherwise.
Although fighting-arts are the focus of Talhoffer's book, it is really something of a kaleidoscopic view of the interests and pursuits of the Renaissance German warrior, inclusive of manifold things meaningful to his life. However atavistic or unreal his world may be deemed now, it did truly exist and held wonder and honour worthy of our admiration.
The diversity of this book stands witness to Hans Talhoffer as one of the dynamic personalities of his generation – one whom we must deem was a true Renaissance Man.
All imagery herein is from the 1459-Thott edition, courtesy of the original 15th Century manuscript held by sterwardship of Det Kongelige Bibliotek in Copenhagen Denmark(more from arma)

The deck of cards

Boris Kobe (1905-81) was a Slovenian architect and painter who became a political prisoner in the concentration camp of Allach, a sub-camp of Dachau, near Munich, Germany.
These images are from reproductions of the original cards provided courtesy of the Slovenian delegation (Slovenian Ministry of Education) to the Stockholm International Conference in the year 2000. Reproduction sets of cards were given to educators who attended the Swedish government sponsored conference in order to help identify an aspect of the victimization of one Slovenian political prisoner who became a prominent architect after the war.
A deck of tarok/tarot cards made in the Allach by Kobe most probably after the April 1945 liberation by American forces (see card XXI which depicts liberation and the Slovenian flag, Allach being burned). As a whole, this work of art represents a visual summary of life in a concentration camp, the main vehicle of which consists of Kobe's tragic and humiliating sequences spiced with acrid humor. At the same time, this tiny exhibit is a miniature chronicle of the twilight of humanity brought about by Nazism, which regarded a human being, and therefore the artist himself, as a mere number.
Allach, a sub-camp of Dachau, was ten miles from the main camp and was liberated on April 22, 1945 by American forces, 42nd Rainbow Division
After the war, Kobe did no more work as far as is known about his camp experiences. He was, however, a major Slovenian architect. One of his major projects was the restoration of the Ljubljana Castle. Plecnik was the major architect but Boris Kobe was also involved in creating elaborate plans for the castle...more>>

Dirty Homer

"Personal Hygiene" Part 1.

Army Training Film T.F. 8-1665 produced in 1950 is arguably the most bizarre military training film ever made. Titled, "Personal Hygiene", the film's Hollywood production values and 'Capraesque' direction make it unusual among military training films. But where this film leaves all others behind is in its plot.
Here we see the story of Homer Turner, a semi-literate country boy that, quite frankly, stinks. When Homer reveals to a barracks-mate that the printed Army training material on military sanitation is too difficult for him to read, his buddies decide to help him with song.
In part 1, we meet Homer and the boys decide to render the army hygiene manual to the tune of various American folk songs

"Personal Hygiene" Part 2.

In part 2, the troops compose and perform several songs. Homer is forcibly gang scrubbed in the shower to the toe-tapping "Soap and Water". Homer gets a clue.
This segment may cause you wonder if the Army was conducting their experiments with LSD in conjunction with the making of this film.

"Personal Hygiene" Part 3.

In part 3, Homer has mastered his funk and is ready for graduate education in diet, exercise and latrine etiquette.
The troops in the mess hall scold Homer for his unhealthy candy bar snack while blowing a steady stream of unfiltered Lucky Strike smoke in his face.
Latrine procedures are covered and the campfire song "Fly-Yi-Yippie-Yi" is a highlight.

"Personal Hygiene" Part 4 - Final.

In part 4, Homer's cleanliness pays off and he gets his "Class A Pass" for a little off-base liberty.
The tension among the troops over presumed camp follower and local skank, "Myrtle", reaches the breaking point.
The barn dance sequence features a Busby Berkeley type overhead shot of the square dancers and enough detail to qualify as an Army training film on "Square Dancing for Soldiers".

Stolen keys

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's 1,200 troops assigned to NATO forces in Afghanistan will not achieve full combat readiness for up to several weeks due to stolen vehicle keys, the defense ministry said Thursday.
"We had been told a 10 percent theft rate was likely in convoys brought in from Pakistan, but we had not expected the spare car keys to go missing," defense ministry spokesman Jaroslaw Rybak told news channel TVN24.
"We shall have to send away for spares, so it may take from several days to several weeks for our contingent to become combat ready."
According to media reports, Polish troops taking part in NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan have been assigned to patrol the mountainous border area with Pakistan to search for Taliban guerrilla activity.
The military vehicles used by Polish forces include Poland's Land Rover-like Honkers and U.S.-built Humvees.