Category Archives: Viva!

Background on the Dakota Access Pipeline — LRInspire

The Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation is home to Dakota and Lakota people of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Since time immemorial, they have lived and governed a vast territory throughout North and South Dakota, and parts of Montana, Wyoming, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska. Currently, the Tribe is located in central North and South Dakota.

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Hey Ho, It’s Old: England Embraces Punk Rock 40 Years Later – The New York Times

In July, the singer Viv Albertine of the band the Slits visited the British Library for a talk connected to Punk London. While there, she stopped by the institution’s punk history exhibition to scrawl over the names of prominent female punk artists in permanent marker onto to the show’s signage.Continue reading the main storyRELATED COVERAGEForty Years On, What Does Punk Rock Mean? AUG. 14, 2016FROM OUR ADVERTISERS“What about the women!!” she wrote on a sign, crossing out the names of male punk groups and replacing them with female-driven acts like Siouxsie and the Banshees and X-Ray Spex.The concerts of the summer of ’76 proved a crucible: In the months that followed, punk broke into public consciousness across Britain. The Clash, the Buzzcocks and the Damned gained nationwide attention. And the Sex Pistols became tabloid sensations, both for their wild behavior and their boundary-pushing lyrics, particularly for “God Save the Queen,” an anti-monarchical screed that suggested the queen was the head of a “fascist regime.”

Source: Hey Ho, It’s Old: England Embraces Punk Rock 40 Years Later – The New York Times

NYT: Puerto Rico Gets First Olympic Gold as Monica Puig Surprises in Tennis — Repeating Islands

A report by Christopher Clarey for The New York Times. See below for links to other reports kindly sent to us by Peter Jordens. The Puerto Rican anthem had just been played for the first time at an Olympic medal ceremony. Monica Puig was wiping away her tears when the two women she had defeated in […]

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Rio 2016: Puig overcomes Kerber to make Olympic history for Puerto Rico | Sports | DW.COM | 13.08.2016

Monica Puig produced a devastating final set to beat Angelique Kerber 6-4 4-6 6-1 in the women’s final and claim gold for Puerto Rico, their first in Olympic history.Puig, ranked 34 in the world, went into the match as the underdog as she faced off against in-form Kerber, the world number two and reigning Australian Open champion.Puig, by contrast, had never made it beyond the quarter-finals in a Grand Slam tournament – and the odds were stacked against her.The 22-year-old claimed the first set as Kerber suffered a shoulder injury. But the German roared back in a close second, only for Puig to run away with the third.Victory for Puig came in a dramatic seventh game of the final set when she saved six break points before taking gold on a fourth match point when a Kerber forehand sailed wide.”Oh my God,” she screamed before breaking down in tears and parading her national flag around centre court.

Source: Rio 2016: Puig overcomes Kerber to make Olympic history for Puerto Rico | Sports | DW.COM | 13.08.2016

For Simone Manuel, Gold Ripples Beyond the Pool – The New York Times

She was just bawling,” Neal said. “She was like: ‘I’m so happy you guys are my teammates. I couldn’t have done this without you guys. I love you.’”Manuel’s sentiments meant the world to Neal, who was disappointed when she did not qualify for these Games in an individual event.“Why I broke down in tears and why I felt so much emotion when she won was because I was there with her every step of the way,” Neal said. “I knew exactly what it took to get to that point and win a gold medal firsthand.”How long will it take for swimming in the United States to become colorblind? Is one gold enough to change the questions Manuel and Neal face?“I think this definitely catapults us many steps forward,” Neal said, adding, “I think just that one medal will bring so many different people into the sport and inspire so many different people.”Manuel, who on Friday qualified for Saturday’s 50-meter freestyle final, said she looked forward to the day when she is known simply as a champion.After the 100 final, she said, “I would like there to be a day where there are more of us and it’s not Simone, the black swimmer, because the title ‘black swimmer’ makes it seem like I’m not supposed to be able to win a gold medal or I’m not supposed to be able to break records.”

Source: For Simone Manuel, Gold Ripples Beyond the Pool – The New York Times

Incoherence of Blindness (Extremism)

نادية حرحش

Amid the race behind blood…

A state of madness is taking over the scene.

It is fanatically crazy. I don’t know where we are heading.
Everything is so mixed, we cannot differentiate anymore. Our extremism and theirs. Them and us.
What happened on the Greek airlines with the Arab passengers and the mad Israeli mass was by all means not different than the madness in opposing the Dabkeh in Bir Zeit University.
For the first instant. One would think… what? What are you talking about?
But if we just give our selves a passing breath of air we will realize that we are all driven by the same panic. A fear of something dark that will overwhelm our existence if we let go. We seem to protect ourselves with this shield of fear.
To arrive a level of radical extremism that cannot but defined by “apartheid” and “racism” in the…

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Simone Biles Soars, Lifting Belize With Her — Repeating Islands

A report by Jeré Longman for The New York Times. One o’clock arrived. Relatives gathered at a hotel bar to watch Olympic gymnastics on television. So did the first lady of Belize and 11 contestants in the coming Miss Belize pageant, wearing their sashes and carrying tiny flags. But where was Simone Biles? The women’s individual […]

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Mónica Puig into Olympics Tennis Final — Repeating Islands

Puerto Rican tennis player Mónica Puig has defied all expectations to win her semi-final match against Czech player Petra Kvitovà to move to the Rio Games ‘women’s singles final match. Mónica, ranked 34 in the world, beat 14th-ranked Kvitovà in three sets (6-4, 1-6, 6-4) to move on to the final. She is guaranteed at […]

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Friday Fantasy ~ Invisible Skies — Dorinda Duclos – Night Owl Poetry

Faces paint the midnight aura Colors light the evening sky Watching over land and sea Satellites go zipping by Galaxies become as one Constellations come to life Visions watching over us Beguiling, mesmerizing, rife The universe above, as one Beneath, the Earth divisible Lessons learned become undone As the skies become invisible ©2016 Dorinda […]

via Friday Fantasy ~ Invisible Skies — Dorinda Duclos – Night Owl Poetry