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Costa Rica – a Parade for Peace

Written by Juliet Bennett
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A month ago I passed through Costa Rica for two reasons (1) to check out the University for Peace and (2) being stingy (bargain flights to LA). I was pleasantly surprised to discover that, like bear statues in Berlin a few years ago, and elephants in Copenhagen last year, San José was spotted with colourful statues of doves…

It is probably no surprise Costa Rica was hosting a “Parade for Peace” considering it also:

(1) has no army (abolished permanently in 1949)

(2) is considered the “greenest” country in the world (and is planning to be the first carbon-neutral country by 2021)

(3) ranks first in the Happy Planet Index [1]

(4) houses the world’s first University for Peace

(5) is soon to be the HQ for The Earth Charter (more next entry…)

It’s also probably not much of a surprise that the University for Peace was up in the mountains in one of the most… wait for it… peaceful places to study. Hm… maybe I’ll go back one day…

 

References:
[1] Ashley Seager (2008-07-04). “Costa Rica is the world’s happiest and greenest country in the world.”. London: Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-07-04.

 

 

Adventure,

Necessary conflict: standing up for what’s right

Written by Juliet Bennett
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A few things happened yesterday that have led me to a morning of pondering and being frustrated by the injustices in our world and the conflict that seems to be necessary in order to stand up for what’s right…

1) Last night I watched Changeling (with Angelina Jolie, directed by Clint Eastwood, written by J. Michael Straczynsk) about the true story of a mother in the 1920s in LA who battles corrupt cops who try to convince her that a boy they have found is her missing son, when he is not. They put her in a nutter house in hope of shutting her mouth to prevent bad press. “Never start a fight, but always finish it” is her motto. She did. And, after a great deal of trauma and incredible perseverance, justice prevailed.

2) I had dinner with an old friend who insisted that the actions of the British Empire have made the world a better place for all. Really???

3) I transcribed a conversation with former Sydney Peace Prize recipient Hanan Ashwari, about the invisible but pervasive administrative techniques used to get Palestinians off their land in Jerusalem. The fine print of administrative legalities allows homes to be seized and whole families to lose their houses, land, jobs, passports, identity, and their right to do anything at all. Who was the first to use such mandates in Palestine? Surprise surprise – it was the Brits. Now Israel has maintained as part of their own system to oppress some and reward others.

I’m not saying I have a problem the British Empire, or Israel. Nor am I saying I don’t have a problem with them. Regardless of my opinions  surely we should all be able to be honest and acknowledge the things they/we have done/are doing, and who benefits… right?

4) The Sydney Morning Herald published this letter by my friend and mentor Prof Stuart Rees:

US bullies have no respect for liberties

The prospect of US charges against Julian Assange will be a test of the Australian government’s courage in standing up to big brother America, thereby showing its independence and willingness to protect the interests of any Australian citizen (”Revealed: US plans to charge Assange”, February 29).

For centuries, governments and other powerful interests have behaved as though secrecy was a necessary form of governance. Since the introduction of the war on terror, civil liberties have been further eroded by the multiplication of public and private intelligence and counter terrorism agencies such as this Texas outfit, Stratfor, whose employees are invisible and not accountable.

That the WikiLeaks/Assange cables have told us something about the clandestine and sometimes criminal activities of governments and their sub-contracted intelligence collaborators is a public service not a crime.

A grand jury in Virginia has been struggling for months to concoct a charge against Julian Assange. This demonstrates not only the flimsy nature of evidence but also America’s usual bullying desire for revenge against someone who has merely revealed what has been going on.

Stuart Rees director, Sydney Peace Foundation

Be it going along with corrupt cops, corrupt nations, corrupt policies or corrupt empires — staying silent, staying “peaceful”, not thinking for oneself, being a happy robot — always seems to be the easiest option.
It seems to me that: 1) peace requires conflict; 2) entering conflicted spaces requires courage; and 3) courage requires honesty.
Be it as individuals being picked on my corrupt cops, or as nation states sucking up to our big brothers, or as one class allowing exploitation of other classes for our own gain, I suppose whether or not we stand up for what’s right depends on these three things:
  1. Being honest with ourselves and not turning a blind eye and ear to things we don’t want to see or hear
  2. Having the courage to enter a conflicted space
  3. Caring for “the other” (be it other people or the planet) enough to do something about it

 

President of Costa Rica 1978-1982, well-known critic of the IMF and other global financial institutions, and founder of the University for Peace.

All these things, these abuses of power, the oppression of the powerless, makes me think of the famous “First they came…” words of Martin Niemoller:

First they came for the communists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

All’s well and fine when it’s not you – stay quiet, “keep the peace” so to say – but if one day they come for you, I wonder, will there be anyone left with the honesty, the courage, and the care-factor, to do something about it?
 

References:

 

 

Peace

“Throwness” into many worlds

Written by Juliet Bennett
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Stepping off an airplane we throw ourselves into completely different worlds. Like when we are born, except that when travelling we have a choice. It can be a shock to the system, forcing us to constantly adapt — to different temperatures, people, and ways of life.

Throwing myself from the small-town world of Hickory, North Carolina, via the buzz of New York, into the fast-paced mountain-view winter world of Vancouver for three weeks; directly into the hot humid horse-cart raw world of Nicaragua for three weeks; then back home to be whooshed into the world of family and close friends, where I’ve now been for three weeks… has led my mind down a rabbit hole of thought about the many worlds in which we dwell.

Heidegger writes about the situation of “thrownness” in which we find ourselves — born into a world that is always already there. Whether we like it or not, since the moment of conception we are growing into particular ways of relating to each other and particular ways of interpreting the things that surround us. Our essence, our identity, is inseparable from the matrix of relationships that comprise the many worlds we are absorbed in — even if we don’t know it.

“My Scene”, by Aussie hip hop artist Seth Sentry, made me think about the worlds within worlds within worlds within worlds in which we (by choice or default) have our being:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnGYgWU_ieA[/youtube]

What’s my scene? At this very moment, my scene is this:

Well, that’s the scene from my new balcony… talk about urban living! Inside the house is a little paradise, but more about that some other time.

My present task, now back in Oz, is to re-create my world to be the one in which I want to live. Some things have been easy to re-adjust to, like good coffee, hot showers, and putting toilet paper down the toilet (instead of a basket next to you). Other things are more difficult… noticing spider webs before you are covered them for example.

I’ve thrown myself into a mix of old and new: old and new jobs, old and new friends, a new room in a new location filled with my old furniture & belongings, a new wardrobe filled with new clothes from the 50s, 60s & 70s – from Nancy Sutton, a socialite who recently passed away at 94.

http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au/news/story/designer-wear-under-hammer/

It’s been fun. And to top it off this weekend I’m throwing myself into a world of sailing and sunshine in Jervis Bay. Now that’s my kind of scene! Yep – it’s good to be back in the Land of Oz 🙂

Random Life Stuff, Truth,

“Meeting the world” at Encuentros

Written by Juliet Bennett
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The word “encuentros” translates in English to “meeting” or “to encounter”. Or as my friend translates it “Encuentros is a Meeting Point.” The philosophy behind this restaurant/bar/cafe in Granada, Nicaragua, is that it is a place to “meet the world”.

Having travelled the world making documentaries (as well as doing a Master in Peace and Conflict Studies in Sydney) Erik Hof, with the help of his dad Rob Hof, set up this unique fusion of world food, cocktails, culture and conversation, with pool parties and a cinema to top it off. No wonder I almost didn’t leave…

“It seems the path to peace must involve creating a place where people can meet ‘the other’, talk with ‘the other’, and see that in fact there is no ‘other’,” the Hof’s explained Encuentros’ philosophy. “It is much harder to cause harm to someone, to stereotype or hate groups of people, after you have met them. This is our attempt to create such a place, Encuentros: a place to meet the world. After you meet people from around the world, from different world’s within our shared world, it becomes explicitly clear that while we have our individual communities, we are also all part of one large global community. While we each have and share infinite number of stories, these stories combine together to create one shared story of humanity. These stories need to be shared, through conversation, and we need to talk about where our collective story is headed.”

Ok, so this is my elaboration on a many conversations I had with the Hofs (you can probably hear my words in this spiel loud and clear..) Anyway the Encuentros philosophy and idealistic aspirations lined up with my own. How you do carry it out in a realist’s world, I’m not sure.

Is it possible that by “meeting the world” or “putting a face to the other” we can move toward greater states of peace? Is a place like Encuentros a productive way to do this? Or (to maintain a critical perspective), is a place like Encuentros just another place to have fun? Well it’s definitely the latter, and if it’s even a little bit the former, then I think it’s a good thing 🙂

Some events photography I did for them: Encuentros – Salsa Night & Pool Party 13-14th Jan 2012: (click one to open in a viewing window)

Check out their website: http://encuentros.com.ni/

 

 

Adventure,

Blogs, Fashion and a Favour… “Enough” by Nicole Bennett

Written by Juliet Bennett
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My sister, Nicole Bennett, was the first person to introduce me to “Fair trade”. She travelled to Burma, India and other countries getting the bad end of the globalisation stick, long before I did, and became passionate about making a difference. She inspired me to want to make a difference too. I’m (hopefully) doing it through my research and writing. Nicole’s doing it through her (soon to be certified) fair trade eco-friendly fashion label “Enough”.

“Enough” is all about knowing when to say “enough is enough” – enough injustice, enough poverty, enough destruction of our environment, (slightly paradoxically, she knows) enough stuff!

These are a couple of photos from her look book shoot last year:

There are more photos of me modeling her stuff of far better resolution on Margaret Zhang’s blog:

http://www.shinebythree.com/2011/01/not-enough-of-nicole-bennett/

…

And now the favour I have to ask:

Nicole is close to winning a free website in a competition. If you could spare 30 seconds of your time to click this link and then click “like” next to her label – “Enough” – then she has a very good chance of winning:

http://www.facebook.com/letsmakeawebsite?sk=app_215628168512018

The competition ends in 3 days and 22 hours from now so PLEASE help her!!! Thank you so much!

…

PS Nicole has been blogging her journey here (although she’s let it lapse a bit…):

http://iwanttobeafashionguru.blogspot.com.au/

Peace, Random Life Stuff

The Woes of the Girl-Who-Cried-Surprise

Written by Juliet Bennett
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There was a girl who hated being bored. She hated boredom so much that she liked to do the unexpected. She almost killed herself diving into the deep end, time and time again. It was an intense way of life. It had its benefits. It also took its tolls.

Surprise surprise, that girl is me: I’m home. As in, my home in Sydney, “Surprise!”

I feel like the boy-who-cried-wolf, but with surprises. It is the second time I’ve turned up in Sydney unannounced. I’ve booked tickets that transport me half way around the world with less than 24 hours notice. More than surprising others, I like to surprise myself. I like to keep myself guessing. Does that sound schitzo? Hm.

In the last seven months I’ve played the girl-who-cried-“I’m coming home” too many times:

I almost changed my return flight to last August, but then I pushed on. I was supposed to come home for Christmas, but then I extended for six weeks in Canada. When I added Nicaragua into the mix and I put the wheels in motion to change extend again, bailing on weddings, announcing my plan to study where it’s sunny and cheap. I was in no rush to return. Then at the last minute I decided not to change my flight, and not to tell anyone.

My sisters jumped out of their skins when they saw me. My parents were over-the-moon. I called friends and turned up at doors to say: “Guess who?!”

Why tell people you’re coming home when it’s much more fun to surprise them? Well, maybe with a little noticed I’d have a car and place lined up…

A week ago I was in sunny Granada staying at Pure Gym, teaching Yogalates twice a day, sitting by the pool sipping Pina Coladas most afternoons and partying a little at night. Now I’m in Sydney at my grandma’s house with a 9:30pm curfew, and waking up at 4am (the present time of writing) with jet lag contemplating my intentionally spontaneous behaviour. Will too many surprises one day also get boring?

I’m very happy to be home, but not so happy to be living the agony Carlin satirised in Stuff. Where did all these piles of stuff come from? I have some stuff at under mum’s house, some stuff in grandma’s garage, some in this room, that room, some in a box in Vancouver, some in Hickory, some in a car, and some still in my backpack, and all of that stuff is mixed with other people’s stuff.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac[/youtube]

Having somewhat lived out of a backpack for seven months it’s like Christmas, rediscovering all my stuff. But (like Christmas-time) it is also involving fake smiles and gracious acceptances. What was I thinking when I bought these things? What am I going to do?! I feel like I can’t do anything until I find a place for my stuff. I have NOWHERE to put my stuff!!!

So now I’m on the hunt for accommodation in the ghastly Sydney rental market – to find a place to house my stuff, simultaneously looking for jobs, figuring out cars, moving towards selling my scooter… all the boring stuff: cars, houses, money — then I’ll be ready to… buy more stuff — urgh!!!

Oh well, I guess you have to take the good with the bad. Travel comes with jetlag. Life in the 21st century western culture comes with stuff. And we need places to put it, and some way to save for our next trip. Work. Sleep. Spend. The cycle starts. The cycle continues…

Adventure, ,

Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish

Written by Juliet Bennett
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I love it when Spanish words resemble their English equivalent. Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish, illustrated by Andy Warhol, is a cheat code for English speakers to learn Spanish. Carried out with a sense of humour too. See if you can guess these words: diferente; conveniente; elefante; producto;  intereste;  nación; universidad; usé... I’ve been recommending this book to so many people that I figure I should share it on here.

Some the cheat code:

Words that end in ‘or’ are often identical in Spanish: actor; doctor; tractor; color; error; favor. All you have to do is slightly change your vowels and accents.

Words that end in ‘al’ are also often identical in Spanish: animal; central; local; musical; legal; natural.

Words that end in ‘ble’ often don’t change: horrible; possible; flexible; probable; visible; inevitable.

Words that end in ‘ent’ or ‘ant’, just add an ‘e’: presidente; ecelente; accidente; conveniente; inteligente; imporante; el elefante.

Words that end in ‘ist’ just add an ‘a’: artista; dentista; capitalista.

Words that start with ‘s’ prefix with an ‘e’: especial (special), espiritual (spiritual).

Words that end in ‘ous’ change to ‘oso’: delicioso (delicious); famoso (famous); curioso (curous); nervioso (nervous); misterioso (mysterious); fabuloso (faboulous).

Words that end in ‘ly’ change to ‘mente’: absolutemente (absolutely); automaticamente (automatically); naturalmente (naturally); personalmente (personally); realmente (really/actually).

Words with ‘ph’ change to ‘f’: filosofia (philosophy), elefante (elephant).

Words that end in ‘ty’ change to ‘dad’: espiritualidad; (spirituality); curiosidad (curiosity); electricidad (electricity); personalidad (personality); humanidad (humanity).

Words that end in ‘ry’ change to ‘rio’: necesario; aniversario; extraordinario; contrario; diccionario; imaginario; involuntario; itinerario;

Words that end in ‘sion’ change to ‘sión’: decisión; discusión; comisión; confusión; conclusion.

Some words that end in ‘cal’ end in ‘co’ in Spanish: tipico (typical), logico (logical); identico (identical); etico (ethical); clasico (classical); economico (economical); politico (political).

Words that end in ‘ic’, add an ‘o’: artistico; acadmeico; burocratico; cientifico (scientific); democratico; fotografico; historico; ironico; magico.

Words that end in ‘tion’ convert simply to ‘ción’: invitación; anticipación; civilización; cooperación; generación; admiración; generación.

Pronunciation key:

Some words to remember:

que = what; donde = where; quien = who; cuando = when; como = how; porque = why.

y = and; bonita = beautiful; linda = beautiful; amor = love.

cuánto = how much; costó = cost.

tu or usted = you; va = go; mañana = morning.

antes = before; después = after

la izqueirda = left; la direcha = right;

Verbs:

Examples of verbs
verb ends with: when applied to: that is: tener (have) poder (can) ser (be)
-o I yo tengo puedo soy
-es you tú tienes puedes eres
-en he/she él/ella/usted tiene puede es
-emos us nosotros tenemos podemos somos
-nen they ellos/ellas/ustedes tienen pueden son

Some prepositions to remember:

Use ‘es’ to say ‘is’ when something is permanent eg el banco es grande (the bank is big).

Use ‘esta’ to say ‘is’ when something is temporary, or when referring to a location eg el banco no esta limpo (the bank is not clean).

‘la’/’el’ = ‘the’ (masculine/feminine singular)

‘las’/’los’ = ‘the’ (masculine/feminine plural)

‘una’/’uno’ = ‘a’ or ‘an’ (masculine/feminine singular)

‘unas’/’unos’ = ‘a’ or ‘an’ (masculine/feminine plural)

Masculine & feminine:

Feminine = words that end in -d; -sion; -cion; -a

Masculine = words that end in -e; -o; -n; -l; -s; -z

Patterning the numbers:

0 cero 10 diez
1 uno 11 once 100 cien
2 dos 12 doce 20 veinte 200 doscientos
3 tres 13 trece 30 treinta 300 trescientos
4 cuatro 14 catorce 40 cuarenta 400 cuatrocientos
5 cinco 15 quince 50 cincuenta 500 quientos
6 seis 16 dieciseis 60 sesenta 600 seiscientos
7 siete 17 dieciseite 70 setenta etc…
8 ocho 18 dieciocho 80 ochenta 1000 un mil
9 nueve 19 diecinueve 90 noventa 1,000,000 un million

 

This is just a sample of this magical book. It not only takes you through a pile of nouns and verbs, but helps you learn how to change verbs to different tenses, including the irregular ones and exceptions, and using simple exercises it helps you apply it and start putting together your own sentences from the get go. Did I mention I highly recommend this book?

If it weren’t for PROCRASTINATION and DISTRACTIONS I’d be fluent by now 😉 The fact that paying for lessons means you actually study is a good reason to still do lessons, even if reading this book is more effective… I’m a pretty self-motivated person, and yet when my paid Spanish classes finished, so did my reading of Madrigal’s key. That being said, the time I’d have been studying Spanish was replaced with studying philosophy (and a bit of falling asleep by the pool)… hence why another change in travel plans, but more on that another day.

This key makes me wonder what else can be made more simple. Tim Ferris seems to do it with a lot of things, from languages to swimming to the tango:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPE2_iCCo0w[/youtube]

SIMPLICITY = cheat code to Spanish, and also maybe to life…

 

Academic, Adventure,

Learning Spanish y Juego con Ninas…

Written by Juliet Bennett
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Ok, given my travels, my book, and living with Latinos most of this year, I should know more Spanish than I do. And considering the “peace” and “environmentalist” stereotype it may shock you to find out I’m (A) not a vegetarian (which really has nothing to do with this post), and (B) that in Granada I had my first ever experience with volunteer work.

Given volunteering in Granada didn’t cost money (in case you didn’t know, most volunteering projects do) and the bonus discount it gave for my Spanish school (yep self-interest) I decided to give it a go.

It’s school holidays, so basically this volunteer work equated to entertaining kids 8-12 years old, for a couple of hours.

“Bring games. Teach them something you are good at.” I was told.

They were a well-behaved bunch, welcoming Mark (a fellow estudante de espaniol (- yes, I know my Spanish is probablemente incorrecto…)) by taking our hands, showing us the garbage bin (anywhere you like) and leading us into the school grounds.

We spent a couple of hours playing skip rope, limbo, soccer, and even trying to do a little yoga when the more competitive games started to cause havoc.

“Hasta mañana?” they asked, as we said goodbye.

I looked to Mark, who looked as exhausted as I felt.

“Ah… próxima semana!” we smiled.

The next week Mark and I came prepared: corn cakes and cameras.

The healthy(ish) cakes worked a treat. So did the cameras. The kids loved posing, and I always love being behind the camera.

With my shockproof/waterproof point & shoot, they learned to take their own. An interesting insight to the world from a child’s perspective. A couple of them had quite the creative eye.

Can you guess which were my photos, and which were theirs? You might be surprised!

Adventure,

PROTECT IP / SOPA Act Breaks the Internet

Written by Juliet Bennett
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On Jan 24th the US senate will vote on the PROTECT IP / SOPA Act:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGEUhCfQ464[/youtube]

Today, on the Jan 18th, my site will join hundreds/thousands of sites in a blackout strike from 8am-8pm to encourage people to sign the petition against such censoring of the internet.

There’s different petitions for people from different places if you scroll down on this website:

http://americancensorship.org/

Truth