Should one buy goods made by Jewish Settlers in the Occupied Territories?

The new law that was passed by Israel’s parliament prevents me from advocating a "geographically based boycott." Under this law, the party injured in the boycott call could sue me for damages in a civil court.

Whilst not advocating a boycott, I would like to inform my friends that I make a point of not buying goods produced by settlers in their illegal settlements. Moreover, I can well imagine that those buying Israeli goods may wish to know whether what they are about to buy has been produced in Israel or whether it stems from one of the Jewish settlements in the Occupied Territories.

If, despite Israel’s attempt to shut up free speech, boycott would succeed, thriving companies might wish to reconsider: For example, perhaps the shareholders of Ahava, a company making cosmetics from Dead Sea minerals, will consider moving their plant from the Occupied Territories into the area of the State of Israel?

Murdoch – Back to Australia

There is an old British tradition of sending criminals from England to Australia. Let's find the old law that arranged for the shipping of unwanted Britons to that country and send Murdoch back to Australia, the country he came from. Now is the time to get rid of him.

With a bit of luck, if the allegations of bribery by Murdoch’s company will be proven, that will also be the end of his US media empire.

The phone hacking scandal could become a blessing if it brings about a change in our rules on media ownership.

Let us have no compromises – Murdochs and their ilk should not be allowed to control the media. We should not let them – just because they successfully seduce us with titillating stories - manipulate our politics and have power over our lives.

Seize the moment.

I Have Finally Made It

A friend who has come back from China has told me that she tried to read my latest blog during her short trip to China and was unable to access it: The Chinese government has blocked my blog.

No longer disregarded – I have been cut by the censors – I have finally made it.

A Call for Boycott

Israel’s parliament has recently passed, in its first reading, a law that would punish Israelis who call for boycotts of Israeli institutions. This new law explicitly includes boycotts of goods and services originating in the Jewish settlements of the Occupied Territories.

This outrageous undemocratic law that would try to gag free speech should not be allowed to pass. If it does, it should be disregarded by so many as to make it unenforceable.

Do not buy goods produced in settlements in the Occupied Territories.

Murdoch - Wounded

Rupert Murdoch owns or controls 20th Century Fox, FOX Broadcasting, BSkyB , FOXTEL, Sky Deutschland, SKY Italia, The New York Post, the Wall Street Journal. In the UK he owns the Times, the Sunday Times, the Sun, the News of the World. In Britain, Murdoch owns 37% of the newspaper market whilst in the USA, content of his media organisation reaches 40% of the domestic audience.

Murdoch has not invented such unhealthy and democracy threatening control. Germany’s late Axel Springer and the still alive and kicking, hair dying Silvio Berlusconi are but two famous examples.

Ownership structures of the media do not excite the general public. But the same people who buy sleazy newspapers because of their sleazy content are the first to get worked up by the techniques employed by these papers to acquire such sleaze. The rich and famous, whose phones were hacked by a private detective who had been hired by Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World, were offered compensation. Now it turns out that they also hacked the phones of a disappeared and murdered 13 year-old-girl as well as those of bereaved families of British soldiers and the proverbial shit has hit the fan.

To appease the public, Murdoch has just closed down the News of the World. The 200 staff of the paper will be made redundant, whilst the woman who was the editor of the News of the World when all the phone hacking took place and who is now Murdoch’s CEO is glued to her chair. Doubtlessly, if the closure of the News of the World will not suffice, Rebekah Brooks will also have to go.

Finally there is blood. But this is not enough. Murdoch should now at long last be gotten rid of. People like him should not own any media. We should definitely not allow such concentration of media ownership and not allow a Murdoch to decide who will be the next prime minister.

Other People on MY Plane – II

My call for more consideration by those entering the public domain managed to anger some readers. However, not one of those who suggested that to avoid being disturbed I should fly first class had offered to buy me first class tickets. It is not that I do not appreciate luxury I simply cannot afford it. I can hardly afford the fares they charge for economy these days, let alone first class.

I know, beggars can’t be choosers but this is not the point. We no longer let people poison us with nicotine exhalation, why should we tolerate other people’s noise or dirt?