Hella Heaven is 10 years old

"...I want to be able to live the life of a human being, where every individual is respected, in my lifetime." Anna Politkovskaya

This was the first post I published on March, 13 2009.
It's hard to believe ten years have passed. This desire Anna couldn't see is in the mind of the vast majority of the people in this world.

A special place: Virtlantis where dissent is mandatory

This is another picture of the house I had at Second Life. At the fence I hanged pictures of people I admire: from left to right: Vanessa Redgrave as Julia; a graffiti of the poet Rimbaud; Italy's map (my grandma was Italian), and, the Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya.

I love Vichen's graffiti that uses the leaves as the hair and you can watch it at this post.

I stopped going to Second Life because this Windows's version makes it impossible to use sound and talking to the friends I met - people from many countries - is the reason I go to this virtual place.
I have bonds with some people that are hard to explain for we have a connection that is not like a friendship in real life.
I'll try to make it come clear in another post.

A place I love to go is Virtlantis. We can practice English by talking about different topics that vary according to our mood - from our favorite dishes to "the meaning of life" which is the proposal when we feel out of topic: "Let's discuss the meaning of life." and the silence is broken with laughs.

There are numerous different activities in English and in other languages. I started teaching Portuguese and it was a great experience. I wanna do it again because it is very empowering and I never thought that someone would want to learn my language.

I tried learning Polish and Arab. It is so hard! I'm still learning English and French that are the two languages I've been studying since... ever for English and from high school for French. I lived in Paris for one years and, yes, they treat you well if you speak the language.
I rather dedicate my time trying to master these two languages I have the privilege of speaking.

It all for free. You don't have to pay for these activities at Virtlantis or at other language practicing community.

What I like about Virtlantis is the freedom of speech. Yes, a place we can dissent, better, a place where dissent is incentivated, as a matter of fact dissent is mandatory.
Of course you can tell the official version but usually you'll receive information from people who have connections with the independents who are trying hard to tell what is really going on.

Rambling is also encouraged as long as you leave time for the others. I abused my ramblings prerogatives a lot... Shame!

"Yes! I love Van Gogh but I think that people put too much emphasys on his biography in a way that it overshadows his work... and the movie that is seen by... so I read a book about him and a psychoanalyst said that the pattern of the wall paper indicated he was emotionally unstable.  This is crazy!... and since we are talking about Van Gogh who was born in The Netherlands and spent a brief period of time in Paris... France? Oh! Sarkozy was a disaster and...'

My problem is that I think aloud. I start making connections and... I have to thank those great people who were patience with me.

Six years without Anna Politkovskaya

                                                                                   © Photo Anna Politkovskaya's family archive
The first post of this blog is a quotation by Anna Politkovskaya.
Whenever I search for pictures of Anna it amazes me by the many expressions and how her always changing  hair helps showing different attributes of this great woman.

The first time I saw Anna Politkovskaya I knew nothing about her. It was a documentary about the Moscow theater siege and she speaks for one or two minutes.
Instantly I knew this woman was special and was deeply concerned with human beings.
I don't wanna talk about those who killed her and I don't even need to know who pulled the trigger.
We know why she was murdered: they hate those who are connected with ethics, integrity, fighting for human rights, truth and it is the same way not only in Russia: it's like this all over the world.

I want to remember Anna as a journalist, activist, thinker a woman of multiple gifts.
She is so above those who killed her that I rather not refer to them in a post about her. I already did.
Next time I'll say nothing but praise and show the work of Anna Politkovskaya.
Let's celebrate her.

Anna Politkovskaya                                30 August 1958 – 7 October 2006

Tribute to Anna Politkovskaya: Fifth anniversary of assassination

Five years ago Anna was shot dead when entering the building of her apartment: " ...the pro-Kremlin premier of Chechnya." Yaroshevsky noted, according to the Times, that "a Makarov 9-millimeter pistol had been dropped at her side, the signature of a contract killing."* .

I want to remember her as the great journalist and woman she was.

The video shows her working always with the passion, commitment in search for justice.

I have publish some posts about Anna Politkovskaya and the first post I published at this blog was this one about her with this quote:

"...I want to be able to live the life of a human being, where every individual is respected, in my lifetime."

Anna Politkovskaya

According to International Freedom Exchange 300 Russians journalists were killed between 1993 to 2010.

* source: "The Chicago Blog"

Anna Politkovskaya in love

As I wrote at this post I'm doing a tribute to Anna Politkovskaya. This is a very beautiful moment of peace in Anna's life. She speaks one minute and her smile is so beautiful!

Woman: "Many thanks to you Anya! You are like the dove of peace for us. Poems are written about you. Chechen women pray for you."

Anna: "I'm deeply grateful." Actually I just got back from Norway where I fell in love. So the whole way back I was dreaming about a possible future for us." 

Woman: "You fell in love?"

Anna: "Absolutely!"

Woman: "No kidding!'

Anna: "Head over heel at first sight! I would never have thought this could happen to me. My entire life, I've never felt as good as I do now. Even going to Chechnya, no matter how dreadful it is, I somehow feel inspired, not burdered, as I always do."

Anna Politkovskaya talks about risks that journalists face and freedom of speech

Next October, 7 will be Anna Politkovskaya death's anniversary. In October,7 2006 Anna was shot when entering the elevator of the building of her apartment. There is a good article "The heinous execution of Anna Politkovskaya" by St. James that also tells a little about her biography. I will write more posts about her till October, 7 as a tribute to such a great woman. Journalists of the mainstream media do not have this problem since they are working for the corporations that are ruling the world and forgot about ethics, integrity and what journalism is as this example shows. But for those who are committed to inform people and give analysis of what is happening they face death threats everywhere in the world and the number of those who were killed is high, killed for doing their work. We just saw what happened to some of them in Libya. America has to fight for the first amendment because what is happening in US is similar to what happens in totalitarian states.

"This is what I think about it: risk by definition is part and parcel of our profession."

"We live now in an era where normal values have been displaced. The good is called bad, the bad - good. I no longer think that we have freedom of speech in the sense that we had in the Yeltsin years. Our right to receive and distribute information is rationed."

Anna Politkovskaya

apartamento

substantivo apartamento, aposento

“I am Ashamed to be a Participant of the Match in Chechnya” Raí Brazilian Football Player

In a world where ethics and measuring consequences for one's actions is fundamental a Brazilian football player give an incredible examples of dignity, integrity and concern with human beings. I just came across with this letter Raí left at his site in 23 March, 2011.

It is about a game he attended in Chechnya that can be seen as a practical joke played by Chechen leaders. Here is the translation of the letter and I want to thank Raí for not only his commitment to Brazilian's children but also for his convictions that makes him an activist of humans rights and also as a man that can be an idol and a role-model as an athlete and someone who fights for his beliefs. 


“Chechnya: The Day that I was Betrayed”

“Just over a month ago, I received an invitation from intermediaries to be a participant in a game in the Russian Federation, the country that will host the 2018 World Championship. The event would be for the inauguration of a new stadium and the match would be against a local team which is lead by Ruud Gullit. 

I was on a vacation with my partner who is responsible for conducting these negotiations, and I accepted the proposal if everything was confirmed and the payment was made 10 days before travel. I confess that there was a lack of information and I behaved with recklessness to confirm everything. My naive thought was this: I had attended similar things in Europe before, and this time it would be in Russia. I would meet with old friends and also earn a quick buck. But, frankly, my decision was not motivated by financial gain.

 What I earned didn’t change anything in my economic situation and is the equivalent to what I charge for a two hours lecture in São Paulo and much less than what I donate frequently to human rights projects. Only a few days before our travel, I was notified that the location of the match had changed; it would now be in Chechnya. This news made me feel strange because I knew about a hideous war was taking place there between Chechenian separatits and the Russian army. 

However recent reports were saying that the situation had calmed down for a certain period of time. I tried to inform myself about the president of that republic but maybe I didn't search well enough. I decided to go to honor a commitment I did. What happened was I became part of something that I most condemn in my life. I attended an event that was blatantly political and populist, and without knowing the possible consequences and intentions. 

I'm sure that what is happening in the Arabic world demonstrates that a soccer game and some of it's idols will not change ideological convictions but the outcome of this choice is in me. I felt terrible because I act inconsequently and didn't take the criteria I usually do. When after the game I realized what was really at stake I felt like hiding of everything and everybody, me included. Until our arrival in Grozny, the Chechen capital, everything was a great joy, because friends were reunited. Immediately, memories of everything that came to pass in the big victories returned. 

But the fact is that there was a military climate in Grozny: giant photos of men who are in power are all around and very few people are seen on the streets. Something seemed very strange to me. Only later I learned from a Russian interpreter that 98% of the city was destroyed during the war. I imagined the memories of people who saw those battles and still live there. I also heard that some NGOs are accusing the current head of the republic of human rights violations. Based on what I saw there, it would not surprises me. 

We arrived in Grozny in the beginning of the afternoon. We ate and went to the theater in one of the reconstructed buildings, for a presentation of traditional dances and music, also with an international attraction. We were received very kindly by all. It was the only moment that I got close to the population that seemed fine. Women was the vast majority at the audience because it was 8 March, international women's day and many of them had their mobiles filming everything. I can even say that it was a pleasant moment and I could feel, even if for a few moments, the human part of that city that tries to build itself again.

We stood in a hotel in reasonable conditions practically in the statium of the home team that has many Brazilian football players. The statium was sold out and 15.000 people sang all the time. Just hours before the game, we learned that the president, Kadyrov and his companions would be our opponents. The only good news was the duration of the game: only two halves of 25 minutes each. 

The officers asked us "not" to play with full force, it was like a "joke". Even thou Gullit and Mattaus were at the opponent team, there was no condition whatsoever for a true game. Besides the president there were others that have never been a footballer athlete. It was like playing in the backyard, but the audience seemed happy. Score aside, I took two important lessons from this stupidity (that is how I felt): I will closely follow the political process in Russia and Chechnya, and will much more alert to these possible lapses of evaluation. I can say that this experience was at least an important learning experience. I write this letter the same way and with the same intensity that I wanted to hide after the event, I need to expose myself and express my shame." Raí Souza Vieira de Oliveira

Update: Someone left a comment and with a link for this site about Chechnya. I added the label Anna Politkovskaya to this post. She was a great human being and very concerned with Chechnya. May her R.I.P. There is a video-documentary at this site about her with captions in English.

Stream of consciousness in pictures

Post updated:

I was searching to write about stream of consciousness in the literary sense and came across with some works in painting and in photography that has the title stream of Consciousness. I published two pictures I found interesting and left a message to the photographer as I always do and got an e-mail. I've been blogging for two years and for the first time someone complained. No problems. I have received many thanks for promoting people out of the mainstream artistic scene.

These pictures are mine.

Right one: Stream of consciousness when we are facing the horrors of the world (Anna Politkovskaya is at the picture behind my avatar)

Left picture: Looking at James Joyce's Ulysses that will be one of the authors I'll talk about tomorrow when approaching stream of consciousness in the literary sense. Why should I promote a starlet when I can have Vanessa Redgrave at 'Julia" in a picture?

Now I understand why some people get the pictures, publish them without credits and use them as they want. But I cannot do it. Only once in two years it caused misunderstanding.

Now I'm stimulated to do a stream of consciousness photo with water... YaY!

Alexander Lebedev offered 1 million dollars reward for information about Anna Politkovskaya's killers

You might be surprised if you search for the first post of this blog. It's a Anna Politkovskaya's quotation and I have already published other posts about this woman who was fighting to tell the truth about Russian corruption and other problems. Alexander Lebedev was the co-owner with Anna of the newspaper Novaya Gazeta and he was devastated at that time and offered the 1 million dollars reward as you can see at this video. Now it seems he forgot about her or is frightened but I'm publishing this post because Anna's death will never be forgotten. He even forgot he said that the Russian secret services as "totally out of control". I just watched him at BBC's interview with Stephen Sackur and when asked about Anna's killers he showed he doesn't care any more. She is an amazing woman whose work could make a huge change in this world since she was denouncing those who work the other way. So, I will keep asking: 'Who killed Anna Politkovskaya?' and I'm not alone since Anna has fans all over the world. At this video you will see her blood at the entrance of her house and her body being carried in a black plastic bag. This is the first time I saw it and I confess I was horrified. But it's worthy watching 'Murdering the Truth in Russia" you can find here. For the first time I write a post like this but I cannot keep silent or touch very serious questions in a tangent way. Sometimes we have to scream to be heard and a human being like Anna Politkovskaya deserves so. This is the least I can do. R.I.P. Anna Politkovskaya ‘People sometimes pay with their lives for saying out loud what they think,’ Anna Politkovskaya Her books are available at Amazon.

Anna Politkovskaya an homage and seven great women

This is not the first time I publish about Anna Politikovskaya. August, 30 would be her birthday and... I don't think I have to explain. I took pictures at my virtual garden in front of the fence where I hanged some posters. At the left side is Vanessa Redgrave in the movie Julia. We are talking about five great women since Lilian Hellman, who wrote the book that was adapted for the movie, has Jane Fonda as Lilian .

Now I'm remembering Natasha Richardson Vanessa's Redgrave daughter who did the movie Nell with Jodie Foster. The only man is Rimbaud who is designed in white graffiti at the fence. R.I.P. Anna Politkovskaya R.I.P. Natasha Richardson

(click the images to enlarge)

Boulevard Anna Politkovskaya

"An RA reader in Paris has forwarded us this photograph of a street sign, taken today on Boulevard Lannes right near the Russian Embassy. In an apparent gesture of protest, someone has plastered on a poster which has renamed the street "Boulevard Anna Politkovskaia." This guerilla dedication also reads "1959 - 2006 Russian Journalist." Part of the poster has been ripped away, so there may have been more text." Took it from here.

Anna Politkovskaya

"...I want to be able to live the life of a human being, where every individual is respected, in my lifetime." Anna Politkovskaya