Nord-Dakota, House Bill 1328 erlaubt es nun, Dronen mit "Less than
Lethal Weapons" auszurüsten. Dieser Gesetzesentwurf wurde schon im
April vom ehem. Gov. Jack Dalrymple gezeichnet.
North Dakota is the first state in the nation to permit police to use drones armed with nonlethal weapons.
House Bill 1328 was signed by North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple in April. The law took effect earlier this month.
A photo provided by the North Dakota Department of Health shows an oil spill from the Belle Fourche Pipeline that was discovered Dec. 5 in Ash Coulee Creek, a tributary of the Little Missouri River, near Belfield, N.D. (Scott Stockdill/North Dakota Department of Health via AP)
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The discovery of an oil pipeline spill earlier this month in western North Dakota has drawn heightened attention because of the battle over the Dakota Access oil pipeline being built about 150 miles to the southeast. While the spill was on a different pipeline, the Standing Rock Sioux and its supporters say a spill on the Dakota Access pipeline could threaten the tribe's drinking water, which is drawn from the Missouri River.
The developer of the Dakota Access project, Energy Transfer Partners, and the Army are battling in court over permission for the pipeline to cross under Lake Oahe, a Missouri River reservoir in southern North Dakota. It's the last large chunk of construction for the $3.8 billion project to move North Dakota oil 1,200 miles to a shipping point at Patoka, Illinois.
Here are some questions and answers about the spill on the Belle Fourche Pipeline:
HOW BIG WAS THE SPILL?
The pipeline rupture spilled about 176,000 gallons of oil, about 130,000 gallons of which flowed into Ash Coulee Creek. The spill went about 5 ½ miles down the creek, which feeds into the Little Missouri River, a tributary of the Missouri River. A photo released by the North Dakota Department of health shows the creek with a brown muck on it. Another photo shows what appears to be the pipeline break with oil oozing out.
As of Wednesday, about 46,000 gallons had been recovered.
It appears no oil got into the Little Missouri, and no drinking water sources were threatened, according to Bill Suess, an environmental scientist with the North Dakota Health Department. The creek was free-flowing when the spill occurred but has since frozen over.
The spill was in a remote area of the southwest part of the state, far from any major population centers. It fouled an unknown amount of private and U.S. Forest Service land along the waterway.
Dozens of workers have been at the site the past week in subzero temperatures cleaning the spill, which regulators don't expect to be completed until spring.
******************** German ********************************
Der fragliche Bruch entstand in einer 6inch Leitung, die DAPL is eine 30 inch Leitung
6 inch (or Zoll = 2,54 cm) ergeben eine Röhre von 15,24 cm Durchmesser
30 inch ergeben to 76,2 cm Durchmesser.
Ein paar einfache Berechnungen:
Der Durchmesser der DAPL ist 5 mal größer als die beschädigte Belle Fourche Pipeline.
Zitat: "Der Bruch der Pipeline liess 176.000 Gallonen Rohöl in die Landschaft laufen, davon liefen 130.000 Gallonen direkt in den Ash Coulee Creek".
176k Gallonen ergeben 643520 liter oder grob 643 ³m.
Eine Badewanne fasst grob 200l, das ergibt 3217 Badewannen voll Rohöl
Stellt euch vor, was eine 5 mal größere Pipeline anrichtet?!
A photo provided by the North Dakota Department of Health shows an oil spill from the Belle Fourche Pipeline that was discovered Dec. 5 in Ash Coulee Creek, a tributary of the Little Missouri River, near Belfield, N.D. (Scott Stockdill/North Dakota Department of Health via AP)
By BLAKE NICHOLSON and JAMES MacPHERSON, Associated Press
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) —
Die Entdeckung eines Öl-Lecks in einer Pipeline früher diesen Monat im Westen von Nord-Dakota zog erhöhte Aufmerksamkeit mit sich, aufgrund des Kampfes um die Dakota Access Pipeline, die etwa 150 Meilen südöstlich gebaut wird. Während dieses Öl-Leck in einer andren Pipeline enstand, sehen die Standing Rock Sioux und ihre Supporter, dass ein ebesolches Leck die Wasserversorgung des Stammes gefährdet, die vom Missouri stammt.
Die Entwickler des Dakota Access Projekts, Energy Transfer Partners, und die Armee kämpfen vor Gericht um die Genehmigung, die Pipeline unter dem Lake Oahe Reservoir, einem Staudamm am Missouri im südlichen Nord-Dakota hindurch zu führen. es ist das letzte große Abschnitt eines 3.8 Milliarden Dollar Projekts, um Roh-Öl von Nord-Dakota über 1200 Meilen zu einem Übergabepunkt in Patoka, Illinois zu transportieren.
Hier sind einige Fragen und Antworten über das Leck in der Belle Fourche Pipeline:
Wie groß war der Bruch?
Das Leck entließ etwa 176.000 Gallonen Roh-Öl, davon flossen 130.000 Gallonen direkt in den Ash Coulee Creek.
Das Leck trat etwa 5 ½ Meilen flussabwärts auf, welcher in den Little Missouri River mündet, ein Seitenarm des Missouri River.
Ein Foto, welches von der Gesundheitsbehörde von Nord-Dakota freigegeben wurde, zeigt den Fluss mit einer braunen Schicht überzogen.
Ein andres Foto scheint das Leck in der Pipeline zu zeigen, aus dem Öl heraus fliesst.
Seit Mittwoch wurden etwas 46.000 Gallonen geborgen. Laut Bill Suess, einem Ökologen des Gesundheitsamts von Nord-Dakota, ist augenscheinlich kein Öl in den Little Missouri vorgedrungen und es wurden keine Wasserquellen verseucht.
Der Fluß floß frei als das Leck auftrat, ist aber seit dem überfroren.
Das Leck geschah im rückwärtigen Teil im Wüdwesten des Staates, fernab jeder größeren Stadt. Es verseuchte eine unbekannte Menge von privatem und stattlichem Waldland entlang der Wasserwege.
Dutzende Arbeiter haben in den letzten Wochen bei Temperaturen unter Null das Leck beseitigt und gereinigt. Die Behörden rechnen mit der Fertigstellung nicht vor dem Frühling.
A flag was raised on Turtle Island, besides the camp is in chaos.
People climbing the hill, DAPL people on top of the hill.
A helicopter is monitoring the situation, a plane showing up later disturbs her signal.
She is slightly disgusted and disappointed.
They are moving the camp to a different site while doing stands at the Backwater Bridge. The grounds of the camp will be flooded when spring comes.
9 People have reportedly been arrested at the time the video is taken.
The rising of the flags she calls them agitators, because she believes this was not sanctioned by the elders. The flags apparently to be Standing Rock Flags.
She believes this does NOT help., puts the camp at risk.
A [?] ceremonie was held by the elders, she could not attend. According to the ceremony things shall be done according to the traditional way.
A lot of medics are moved around to help people.
She asks for sending prayers and positive emotions.
As per the following video done with a magnifier on the handy cam, from Johnny Dangers the people on top of Turtle Island did a prayer circle and raised the flags.
************************** German************************************
Auf Turtle Island wurden Flaggen des Standing Rock Tribes gehisst, Menschen ersteigen die Seite des Hügels.
Sie glaubt an Agitatoren, da diese Aktionen von den Ältesten nicht sanktioniert worden seien.
In einer Zeremonie der Ältesten wurde beschlossen, die Dinge auf eine traditionelle Art durchzuziehen .
Diese Art Aktionen bringe das Camp in Gefahr.
Insgesamt verlegen sie das Camp, weil der Platz im Frühling überflutet sein wird.
Ein vorbeifliegendes Flugzeug stört ihre Telefonverbindung.
Das Video von Johnny Dangers zeigt die Situation mittels eines Tele-Aufsatzes auf der HandyKamera.
Nach dem alles "etwas beruhigt wurde" und so die Anzahl der Water Protectors herunter ging, (auch dem wirklich üblen Wintereinbruch gestundet) geht es nun wie zu erwarten weiter.
Mir ist derzeit kein aktueller Stand der Dinge zur Flutung des Lake Oahe bekannt. In einem Video von Myronsagt dieser, dass es auf grund der Wetterbedingungen nicht möglich sei.
After things have been calmed and the amount of Water Protectors has fallen (also due to the Blizzard conditions) the story continues. As per Myron Deweys the flooding of Lake Oahe seems not to be possible, also due to blizzard conditions.. It might be assumed that the US ACE actually not do it.
This video shows the again rising appearance of DAPL mercenaries and police. Law Enforcement again has people on Turtle Hill and as per the videographer water cannons on different locations.
As per Myron Dewey the camps are still observed by non illuminated planes.
Today 4 people have been arrested from the Sacred Stone Camp.
This video confirms 4 people arrested while praying
Diese neuesten Videos zeigen, dass die Polizei nun wieder Stellungen bezieht und auch aktiv gegen Water Protectors vorgeht.
Vier Personen wurden verhaftet, laut Videografierer mal wieder lediglich betend.
tonight we will step from the old light of the last year into the new light of the coming year
It is quite crazy, we are so dispersed, family and friends, that we now have to gather around the fire using modern technology but it is also good that we have this possibility.
The old year provided nice and also very bad pictures, just as the last decade did. We see the transition of our world into one Corporatocracy, a world that is ruled by money, selfishness and greed for power. It is ruled by fear tactics and disconcertion for just one single purpose: Self-enrichment, especially of those few who are on top and some favored few.
What is behind a war in Syria and the never ending suffering in Aleppo?
What is behind the attack in Berlin, or Nizza, Paris or Brussels?
What stands behind a decade long tug of war in Afghanistan, a never ending suffering?
What stand behind the intention of all those far right winged populists, who try to incite fear and use the dumbness of the people? What is behind one Donald Trump, who is contradictory and openly lying, so that NO ONE SHOULD trust him? Does anybody really have an answer? America is today, like in the past, the image of a coming reality. A death economy. A inhuman economy, which does not cringe from aggression, violence or slander under the disguise of a democracy. In Germany it is no difference, where a Hambacher Forrest is cut down for a economical absurd and ecological mad action. But.. WE stand against that and the people at the Cannonball River have shown us, how that works, to stand together and how to build a community. How a world wide synchronized prayer builds up power and starts to move things. So the term "Standing Rock" became a synonym, although the people in the camps oz there are very far away from just being a synonym. The situation in North-Dakota shows us all, how vile and false politics can be. It also shows us, that with some effort, we can stand peacefully and truthful! Same is true here in Germany, where we mostly can be just virtual and spiritual supporters.
Standing
Rock: Stand together solid as a rock! This sign we, especially in Germany, should take as an example to stand as one and not fight each other selfishly. Stand with respect and and full of love.
So: With the dying light of the past year i pray that conceit and egoism will die with it. And so, that we, under the new light of the coming year, will find an example in the doings of the people out there in North-Dakota, who stand and thrive under harsh conditions. Over 200 tribes, some enemies, came together and stand together.
And, BECAUSE the First Nations showed us such a good example of deep wisdom and firmness, I want to honor them in my prayer for the coming of the new light. I am very aware that the First Nations, foremost the Lakota, since they are the best known Nation, do not like it how their medicine and rituals are misused for greed.
Just in the mid of this year, before I got to know about Standing Rock, I started to pray by singing and music. And so I started to sing while drumming, and again felt so deeply connected to the people in the
Native States of America, just as it had been in my youth. And so I tried to sing like you, how you do it at your sacred places, doing sacred rituals (which I actually envision, but do not really know. But I am just a white European, so am stuck with trying. Because of that I am covering the prayer song of Michael Two-Feathers CD INIPI, which I will sing and drum along. I do this with the deepest respect for the meaning and the sacredness of all the songs on that CD.
This prayer I will pass over to the new light of the coming light-year so that Wankan Tanka will support our wisdom, to act aware and in a good way.
I wish you all a good Rauhnacht-Time.
May all your and our God and Gods and the Great Mystery lead and guide and secure us all, on our way through the things we have to face.
Asa
og Vana Blessed
be Wir
sind Eins, We are one
From my deepest heart, Mitakuye
Oyas‘in A'Ho
To
my friends in the Native States of America I say, for what you have
done: Lila
Washtè, you have done very well Pilámaya
ye, many thanks for the energy you have inspired Have
a save and nice yule tide.
****************** Original ******************************
Guten
Abend Familie, good evening relatives.
Heute
Abend werden wir aus dem alten Licht in das neue Licht des kommenden
Jahres treten.
Es ist schon merkwürdig, wir sind so weit
verstreut, Familie und Freunde, dass wir nun über die Entfernung mit
Hilfe der Technik gemeinsam feiern müssen und das aber auch können. Das
letzte Jahr hat viele unschöne Bilder mit sich gebracht, so wie das
ganze letzte Jahrzehnt. Wir
erleben den Umbau unserer Welt in eine Corporatocracy, eine Welt die
von Geld und Selbst- und Machtsucht regiert wird. Es
wird regiert durch Angstmache und Verunsicherung. Die
Konzerne regieren uns, aus dem Dunkeln und nur zu einem Zweck: Der
Selbstbereicherung ihrer selbst, vor allem derjenigen an der Spitze,
und der einiger weniger "Auserwählter". Was
steht wohl hinter einem Krieg in Syrien und dem unendlichen Leiden in
Aleppo?
Was
steht hinter einem Anschlag in Berlin, oder dem in Nizza oder in
Paris oder in Brüssel? Was
steht hinter einem jahrzehntelangen Tauziehen in Afghanistan, einem
unendlichen Leiden? Hinter
den wahren Absichten all jener Rechtspopulisten, die Ängste schüren
und Dummheit ausnutzen? Hinter
einem Donald Trump, der so widersprüchlich und offensichtlich
verlogen handelt, dass ihm eigentlich niemand vertrauen DARF? Weiss
da wirklich jemand eine Antwort drauf?
Amerika
ist heute, wie schon so oft in der Vergangenheit, das Abbild einer
kommenden Realität. Eine
"Death Economiy" eine Wirtschaft des Todes. Eine
Menschenverachtende Ökonomie, die nicht vor Gewalt und Lügen und Verleumdung zurückschreckt unter dem Deckmantel einer Demokratie.
Nicht
anders ist es in Deutschland, wo ein Hambacher Forst für eine
ökonomisch unsinnige und ökologisch irrsinnige Maßnahme abgeholzt
wird. Aber..
WIR stehen dagegen und die Menschen am Cannoanball River haben uns
allen vorgemacht, wie das geht, zusammen
zu stehen und eine Gemeinschaft zu bilden. Wie friedliches weltweites
Gebet Macht hat und haben kann, etwas zu bewegen. So
wurde seit dem April der Begriff "Standing Rock" zu einem
Synonym, auch wenn die Menschen dort in den Camps alles andre als NUR
ein Synonym sind. Das
Bild in Nord Dakota zeigt uns, wie niederträchtig und verlogen
Politik sein kann, gesteuert von einem Konzern. Es
zeigt uns aber auch, dass es einiger Anstrengung bedarf, wahrhaft und
friedlich zu stehen! Auch
hier, in Deutschland, wo wir fast ausschließlich virtuelle Supporter
sein können.
Standing
Rock: Gemeinsam zu stehen, wie ein Fels in der Brandung!
Ein
Zeichen, dass wir, in meinen Augen gerade in Deutschland, einmal
ernsthaft in Betracht ziehen sollten. GEMEINSCHAFTLICH
aufstehen und nicht (selbst)zufrieden sein, das Ganze aber mit
Respekt und Liebevoll, mehr sehen als nur Ego. So
werde ich mit dem Verlöschen des alten Lichts dafür beten, dass die
Dünkel und der Egoismus mit darin vergehen. Und
wir unter dem neuen Licht des kommenden Jahres uns ein Beispiel an
den Menschen dort in Nord-Dakota nehmen, die es schaffen, unter
schwersten Entbehrungen zusammen zu stehen. Über
200 Stämme, zum Teil verfeindet, haben sich zusammen gefunden. Und
WEIL die First Nations uns ein solches Bild tiefer Weisheit und
Standhaftigkeit zeigen, möchte ich sie mit einem Gebet zum Wechsel
des Lichtes ehren.
Mir
ist sehr bewusst, dass die First Nations und zuvorderst die Lakota,
da sie die bekannteste Nation sind, es nicht mögen, dass ihre
Weisheit und das tiefe Wissen um Medizin und Rituale aus Eigennutz
von Weißen missbraucht werden. Ausgerechnet
dieses Jahr, noch bevor mir Standing Rock bewusst wurde, eröffnete
sich mir der Weg des Betens durch Gesang. Genauer,
das Musik und Gesang Gebet sind. viel mehr als lange Wortvorträge in
einer Kirche. Und
so habe ich begonnen zu singen und fühle mich den Menschen in den
Native States of America wieder so tief verbunden wie in meiner
Jugend. Und
so habe ich versucht auf die Art und Weise zu singen wie dort an den
heiligen Orten und während der heiligen Rituale. Aber,
ich bin nun mal Europäer und kann "nur nachmachen". Daher
leihe ich mir das Gebetslied von der CD des Michael Two Feathers aus,
das ich singen und zu dem ich trommeln werde. Ich
tue das mit dem tiefsten Respekt vor der Bedeutung welche die Lieder
auf dieser CD haben. Dieses
Gebet gebe ich dem neuen Licht mit, damit es uns im kommenden
Licht-Jahr begleitet und uns das Große Mysterium bei in der kommende
Zeit Weisheit gibt.
Ich
wünsche euch allen eine schöne Rauhnacht-Zeit.
Mögen
alle euer und unsere Götter mit euch sein, euch geleiten und
beschützen auf dem Weg durch die Zeiten die da kommen.
As
og Vana Blessed
be Wir
sind Eins, We are one
Aus
tiefster Überzeugung Mitakuye
Oyas‘in A'Ho
To
my friends in the Native States of America I say, for what you have
done: Lila
Washtè, you have done very well Pilámaya
ye, many thanks for the energy you have inspired.
We all do NOT hear much from Aleppo in Syria, the massive blood shed there.
Even I was ashamed that, although indirectly obvious, I did not see WHAT is actually happening there. I am so bound to the damn Media.. If they do not do their job.. the world does not know.
See the Ebola outbreak 2013 - 2016 which all of the sudden had no more media coverage after (so told by the German Media) two infected individuals appearing in Germany by plane in 2015 (Correct me if I am wrong), this lack of media coverage in my eyes was forced by the Deutsche Bunderegierung.
So we do not hear from things like now in Aleppo as if we are living in the year 1200 after the romans reset the time scale!
Actually we HEAR and SEE.. news from Aleppo, what the Russians say or do, or Assad says or his Army does, or the rebels. We see people fleeing, bloodied, hurt.
But somehow there is no one to stand for.. no one we can support. There is "No Standing Rock in Aleppo".
Bu I found an article on a small radio station "Radio Alwan" out of Istanbul.
My Englisch speaking follower might read the article directly.
My German followers do need to have some patience.
So we find forgiveness in Aleppo.. but they are not able to stand on their own.
This might lead to the conclusion:
If you are able stand up on and for your own, you'll find supporters, like if you are on the ground but still moving, there might be one who gets aware and helps. But what, if you cannot even move anymore?
As
horrifying war reports are beamed out of Syria, a tiny radio station
sends broadcasts in the other direction from Istanbul. Made up of Syrian
exiles, the team gathers news from citizen journalists on the ground
and has branched out into dramas and comedy shows. But they say the most
important thing they provide is hope.
The studio technician patches through the first call of the morning phone-in programme.
"Hello
there!" says Sama the cheerful presenter, nodding through the studio
window at the engineer on the other side of the glass.
There's a long silence followed by a crackle.
"Hello? She repeats "Hello? What's your point about forgiveness?"
It
might be any old radio show in any old country but this is Radio Alwan -
an independent Syrian news station which broadcasts out of Istanbul and
their calls are coming in from inside the war-torn country. Forgiveness
takes on a whole new meaning here. No-one's calling the programme to
chat about pardoning a cheating partner or absolving a friend who's
stood them up.
The crackle splits and splinters into a male
voice. It's a paramedic from Idlib province, south-west of Aleppo. He
wants to share a comment a colleague has just posted on Facebook
straight after witnessing the massacre of 27 people.
"The only way forward for Syria's future is to forgive and to be forgiven," he says.
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Syrian children play in Aleppo's Salaheddin neighbourhood
In the meeting room after her show is off air, Sama
tugs at her hair, buzzing with the emotions that have come down the
phone lines into the studio.
"Did you hear the audience?" she asks
me. "I mean they all want to forgive - it's just stunning!" She shakes
her head in disbelief. "You know, I would have a problem forgiving you
if you slapped me or if you took my cup of tea - yet these people inside
Syria who suffered bombings and missiles and death - they say we must
forgive. The Syrian people are really amazing."
It's certainly
humbling. Like all of Radio Alwan's staff, Sama is an exiled Syrian and
she still has family and friends stuck in besieged areas.
"Sometimes
I can hear the bombing when the listener is talking to me," she tells
me. "And sometimes when I hear what they tell me, I just want to die - I
want to cry or I want to scream. But this is my job and I have to
continue."
Find out more
Listen to Emma Jane Kirby's report about Radio Alwan on the PM programme, on BBC Radio 4
The
incessant bloodshed has made continuing extremely difficult for Radio
Alwan's news operations, especially in Eastern Aleppo, which was
effectively recaptured by government troops last week, not long after my
visit to Radio Alwan. Early this year, their local studio in Aleppo was
smashed by masked men and their staff attacked. All their equipment was
destroyed.
Sami, the station's head of special projects and human resources, sighs.
"It
was a difficult decision to take," he admits "But we had to think of
the safety of our staff and we closed the office. Now we just have one
correspondent on the outskirts of Aleppo and we just pray he is OK."
Sami
explains that the station is continuing with a network of civilian
journalists who are not professionally trained but whom he says are
"incredibly brave" as they chase up news, despite horrific dangers and
terrible personal circumstances. He invites his young colleague Dima in
from the newsroom to explain how their newsgathering operation works.
"Our
sources in eastern Aleppo are two girls," she tells me. "And right now
they are stuck - they are trapped in the fighting - and they run from
one neighbourhood to another… they have to walk many miles on foot and
they are in the path of the war planes and missiles."
Image caption
Sami says the team call their journalists every day to check on their safety
She tells me that one of the women is a teacher and
that both women are now extremely frightened because they have often
sent video footage and worry they will be recognised, tracked down and
punished.
Sami has already told me that it is Radio Alwan's
priority to call all of its journalists every single day to check on
their safety and their psychological health. He tries hard to "lift them
up". But of course, it's not always easy getting hold of someone in
eastern Aleppo.
Dima puts her hands to her mouth. "Sometimes we
miss them for hours and we call and call… we say, 'Where are you?
Please, where are you?'... but there is nothing."
Dima and Sami
have reason to be worried about losing contact with their reporters.
Last month, their main source in eastern Aleppo, a married man who had
recently become a father, was on his way to check the details of a story
for Radio Alwan's newsdesk, when his car was hit by a missile strike.
As she talks, Dima breaks down.
"His boy was just two months," she cries. "It's hard, but it's real life and every day we deal with sadness."
Sami
admits the war has taken its toll too on his Istanbul team who are
often racked with guilt that they managed to escape the war. He tells me
an evening out can often turn sour for him when he remembers his family
and colleagues struggling back home. Ironically he says, it's often
those trapped in besieged areas who give Radio Alwan hope.
Mid-morning presenter Sama sighs.
"It's
so hard," she says. "Because honestly, right now, I don't believe in
hope. I don't feel any hope. But I can't say that in the studio when I
am on air. I have to keep talking about hope. The audience tell us
that's what they need - hope."
Image caption
Radio Alwan produces news, dramas and even comedy shows
Radio Alwan sees itself very much as a public
service and Sami explains that's why the station has put a lot of
resources recently into creating radio dramas, comedy shows and magazine
programmes for its listeners.
"The radio is for the people," he
insists, "Not for the presenter, the producer or the technician. And the
people don't just need to hear bad news, they need diversion too."
He talks me through the new schedule.
Coming
up is a practical programme aimed at Syrians who have fled to refugee
camps. An expert is on hand to explain to the refugees how to make
warmer shelters for the winter months using mud found on site. Another
expert will advise on making food and clothing go further.
Sami's
very proud of the station's new women's programme that is presented by a
woman from Idlib and has attracted a lot of male listeners too. It's
broadcast and welcomed in areas where extremist ideology has taken hold,
he points out. I tell him about BBC Radio 4's long running programme,
Woman's Hour, and he chuckles that it's nice to know Radio Alwan is on
the right path. The name of their programme he tells me is Hi Grandma. I
make a mental note never to tell Jenni Murray.
How Radio Alwan began
Radio Alwan began in May 2013 as a community radio station in Saraqib, northern Syria
Initially it broadcast for four hours a day from a transmitter mounted on a van
Alwan's founder, Ahmad al-Kaddour, was forced to leave the country in July 2013
The station now transmits daily programmes on FM from Istanbul to Aleppo and Idlib and over the internet at alwan.fm
"Alwan" in Arabic means "colours" - to reflect its aim of representing the many different groups across Syrian society
In the small gallery, we listen to an excerpt from a
twice-weekly comedy sketch, Where Are You My Dear? which features two
Syrian shopkeeper characters and a cleaner who banter in the street
together. Although I can't understand the Arabic, I find I'm smiling at
the voices. Sami looks delighted.
"It's really very clever writing," he grins. "I laugh out loud when I listen. And it is written and produced in Idlib."
Twenty-three-year-old
Maram comes to join us wearing dark jeans and a trendy bright green
T-shirt. She's the new young face (or rather young voice) behind Radio
Alwan's youth strand and she regularly hosts phone-ins on subjects like
football kit and football supporters. It gives, she explains, a young
generation who have grown up under a backdrop and soundscape of war,
something else to focus on.
"I just try to put a smile on their
face," she shrugs. "You know, make them think of something normal,
something that isn't bombs."
Radio Alwan is currently planning a
new drama about the White Helmets, Syria's volunteer civil defence
force, but I want to know what's happening in their established soap
opera, Sad Northern Nights. It tells the story of widowed Thoraya whose
husband has been killed by Assad's forces, her teenage son Karam who
has been brainwashed by Daesh and Sariah, a member of the civil defence
force who is trying to help them both. It is low-budget and many of the
parts are played by members of the newsroom yet the drama is
spellbinding.
"It's a true story in a way, even if the actual
characters don't exist," Sami reminds me. "We are really telling the
same stories we tell in the news - but through the drama we try to tell
the story of the Syrian people in a different way, perhaps a less brutal
way."
And the Syrian audience - who love the drama - were
treated at the end of the last series to a truly happy ending. Karam was
rescued from Daesh and went back to school, Sariah wooed and then
married Thoraya and they even had a baby together. "So, that's it?" I
ask Sami. "They all lived happily ever after?"
Sami smiles sadly.
"We want to make the drama realistic," he says. "So I think we now have
to wait a bit to see what will happen in Syria before we start making
series three. You just never know what will happen in Syria… if or when
an attack will come."
Later that day, waiting for my plane at the
airport, I receive an email from Sami, in which he has attached the last
minute of Sad Northern Nights series two for me to enjoy. I hear
Sariah chatting cheerfully with his wife about the baby before he picks
up his bag and heads out of the door for a meeting with the civil
defence force. His footsteps trail off into the night…
And I think
of Sami and Dima and Sama back at Radio Alwan nervously calling and
calling their correspondents on the ground back home in Syria, willing
them to pick up the phone, willing them to return home safely, willing
them a happy ending to this war from hell.
********************* German Translation ***************************
Institute of Policy Studies says: Stand with Standing Rock: Move your money out of banks fundingDAPL
Das Institut für wirtschaftspolitische Studien sagt: Ziehen Sie ihr Geld aus Banken heraus, die DAPL fördern
38 Banks funding DAPL, a dead pig.
The pipeline will transport 500.000 Barrel crude oil (79Million Liter) DAILY.
1 drop of Oil contaminates1000 l of fresh water!
A super catastrophic ecological (and henceforth economical) disaster is apt to follow, and then, no one will be responsible, not ETP, not Trump, not the not yet current US administration or even the state of North-Dakota.
Zur Deutschen Übersetzung
38 Banken unterstützen DAPL, eine Totgeburt!
Die Pipeline wird 79 Millionen Liter Roh-Öl TÄGLICH fördern!
1 tropfen Öl verseucht 1000l Frischwasser!
Eine ökologische Super-Katastrophe (und in der Folge auch eine ökonomische ) wird sehr wahrscheinlich folgen und dann wird niemand verantwortlich sein, nicht ETP oder Trump, die noch nicht eingesetzte US regierung oder etwa der Staat von Nord-Dakota.
After months of Native American water protectors gathering in peace, prayer and solidarity to protect their sacred lands, the Obama administration announced on Dec. 4 that it's sided with the Standing Rock Sioux and halted the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
A battle was won. But with a Trump administration looming, the fight isn't over.
The president-elect has pledged to remove constraints on fossil fuel projects, and it's likely he'll try to reverse this decision once he takes office. But there's something you can do to help stand up for life and for justice.
The controversial pipeline would be 1,170 miles long and cost $3.7 billion. A project of that scale doesn't build itself. Behind the lead investor, Energy Transfer Partners, stand heavily armed police forces, sound-cannon trucks, water cannons, tear gas and attack dogs – and 38 banks funding it all.
That's why the Institute for Policy Studies, where we work, is pulling its money from one of these banks – SunTrust – and switching to a more socially responsible institution. Banks that fund the planet-destroying fossil fuel economy and undermine Native American land rights aren't the ones we should be doing business with.
For 150 years, the U.S. government has been taking land from the Lakota and Dakota people, and violating Native sovereignty and treaty rights. So for the Standing Rock Sioux, this is not a new struggle.
Congress sidelines women and the issues they advance. Public pressure could change that.
And the militarized police response to peaceful protest isn't so new either. Water protectors have been arrested and strip-searched and shot at with rubber bullets. On Nov. 28, North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple issued an executive order demanding protesters leave, citing "harsh winter conditions."
But as the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe David Archambault II pointed out, "The most dangerous thing we can do is force well-situated campers from their shelters and into the cold."
The very reason the Sioux were willing to face the elements is because the pipeline endangers their livelihood. The pipeline would transport more than 500,000 barrels of crude oil every day, right through the Missouri River and under their sacred Lake Oahe. If the pipe were to leak, as pipelines are prone to do, it would devastate the tribe's drinking water.
None of these atrocities would be possible without the loans and credit lines from individuals and organizations banking with institutions like SunTrust, Wells Fargo, Citibank or PNC. The list goes on.
Instead, there are many mid-size alternatives that are actually investing in positive, main-street priorities like affordable housing and good local jobs. At breakupwithyourmegabank.org, the group Green America even has a directory that can help you find a small, locally based bank or credit union that isn't funding the Dakota Access pipeline.
The discovery of an oil pipeline spill in North Dakota has drawn heightened attention because of the battle over the Dakota Access oil pipeline.
We're not alone in moving our money. More than 500 civil society organizations globally have demanded their banks stop loaning to Energy Transfer Partners or threatened to move their money. These groups are part of a growing movement to divest from pro-fossil fuel Wall Street firms and invest in a just transition to clean energy Main Street enterprises that provide dignified jobs.
If your money is in a mega-bank, we urge you to divest, too, and to tell your bank why you're leaving. You can also act in solidarity with water protectors by telling President-elect Trump to respect this recent Obama administration halt on construction or by donating directly to the Standing Rock tribe.
Energy Transfer Partners CEO Kelcy Warren told NBC News in November that he was "100 percent sure that the pipeline will be approved by a Trump administration," so this battle will continue.
Let's stand with Standing Rock, and force the banks out instead.
Nachdem die WwaterProtectors sich monatelang in Frieden und Gebet solidarisch versammelt haben um ihren Heiligen Grund zu schützen, hat die Obama Administration am 4. Dezember angekündigt sich auf auf die Seite der Standing Rock Sioux zu stellen und den bau der Dakota Accesss Pipeline zu stoppen.
Ein Gefecht war gewonnen. Aber im Angesicht der drohenden Trump Adminstration ist klar, dass der Kampf nicht vorüber ist. Der zukünftige Präsident hat seinerseits versprochen, alle Beschränkungen für die Rohöl-Gewinnung aufzuheben und es ist wahrscheinlich, dass er die o.g. Entscheidung zurück nehmen wird, wenn er sein Amt übernommen hat. Aber da gibt es etwas dass ihr tun könnt um für das Leben und Gerechtigkeit einzustehen.
Die umstrittene Pipeline wird etwa 1800 km lang sein und $3.7 Milliarden gekostet haben,
Ein Projekt dieser Größe baut sich nicht von selbst. Hinter dem führenden Investor, Energy Transfer Partners, stehen schwer bewaffnete Polizei-Kräfte, Schall-Kanonen auf LKW, Tränengas (Anm.d.Ü.: CS-Gas) und Kampfhunde - UND 38 Banken die das alles bezahlen.
Aus diesem Grunde hat das Institut für Wirtschaftspolitische Studien, an dem wir arbeiten. seine Gelder von einer dieser Banken - Sun Trust - abgezogen und einer sozial verantwortungsvolleren Institution anvertraut. Mit Banken, welche die, unseren Planeten zerstörende, Öl-Wirtschaft fördern und die Rechte an Indigenem Land unterminieren, sollten nicht die sein, mit denen wir Geschäfte machen.
Seit 150 Jahren hat die U.S. Regierung den Lakota und Dakota Land genommen, und dabei Hoheitsrechte und Abkommen verletzt. So ist dies für die Standing Rock Sioux keine neuer Kampf.
ebenso ist die militärische Antwort auf friedlichen Protest nicht gerade neu. Water Protectors wurden eingesperrt, bis auf die Haut durchsucht und mit Gummi-Kugeln beschossen.
Am 28. Nov. 2016 hat der (Anm.d.Ü.: scheidende) Gouverneur von Nord-Dakota, Jack Dalrymple in einer Vollzugsanordnung von den Demonstranten verlangt, die Camps zu verlassen, dabei bezog er sich auf die "harschen winterlichen Bedingungen.."
Aber, worauf der Vorsitzende des Standing Rock Tribe, David Archambault II hinwies "Das gefährlichste das wir tun können ist, sicher untergebrachte Camper aus ihren Behausungen zu verweisen und der Kälte auszusetzen
Der eigentliche Grund, warum die Sioux bereit sind, den Elementen zu begegnen, ist die Gefährdung ihrer Lebensbedingungen durch die Pipeline. Die Pipeline wird täglich mehr 500.000 Barrels Roh-Öl (Anm.d.Ü.: 1 US bbl = 159 L Öl, das sind täglich über 79 Millionen Liter! ) durch den Missouri und unter ihrem heiligen Lake Oahe transportieren.
Wenn die Pipeline leckt, und Pipelines neigen dazu, wird das die Trinkwasserversorgung des Stammes (Anm.D.Ü.: und sehr wahrscheinlich deutlich mehr Anrainer weiter unterhalb am Lauf des Missouri, mal ganz abgesehen von der übrigen Umwelt) katastrophal verheeren.
Keine dieser Grausamkeiten wäre ohne Anleihen und Kredite von Einzelpersonen und Organisationen möglich, die Geldgeschäfte mit Einrichtungen wie SunTrust, Wells Fargo, Citibank oder PNC machen.
Stattdessen gibt es viele mittelgroße Alternativen, die tatsächlich in positive, "Main Street" Prioritäten wie bezahlbare Häuser und gute ortsnahe Arbeitsplätze investieren.
Unter breakupwithyourmegabank.org hat die Gruppe "Green America" ein Verzeichnis eingerichtet, dass Ihnen helfen kann eine kleine, lokale Bank oder Kredit Union ausfindig zu machen, welche die Dakota Access Pipeline nicht unterstützt.
Nicht nur wir (das Institut für Wirtschaftspolitische Studien) verlegen unser Geld (...auf eine andre Bank). Mehr als 500 zivilgesellschaftliche Organisationen haben weltweit ihre Banken aufgefordert, Energy Transfer Partners Kredite zu verweigern oder davon zurück zu ziehen unter der Androhung, ihre eigenen finanziellen Einlagen aus den jeweiligen Banken abzuziehen.
Diese Gruppen sind Teil einer wachsenden Bewegung, die sich jener Wall Street-Firmen entledigen, die für fossile Brennstoffe stehen und stattdessen in einen berechtigten Übergang zu Main Street Unternehmen zu investieren, (Anm.d.Ü.: Die Unterscheidung zwischen Wall Street und Main Street versinnbildlicht den Unterschied zwischen Aktien-Konglomeraten und davon abweichenden Firmen-Typen) die saubere Energie fördern und würdevolle Jobs anbieten
Sollten Sie Ihr Geld in einer Mega-Bank (Anm.d.Ü.: klassisch in Deutschland: Citibank, ING DiBa u.ä.) bitten wir Sie dringend, auch Ihr Geld zu verlegen, UND : erzählen Sie Ihrer Bank warum sie das tun! Sie können ebenfalls die water Protectors unterstützen, indem Sie dem zukünftigen Präsidenten Trump mitteilen, dass er die Entscheidung der gehenden Obama Administration zu respektieren hat oder indem Sie direkt an den Standing Rock Sioux Tribe spenden.
Energy Transfer Partners' CEO Kelcy Warren sagte NBC News im November der er "zu 100% sicher ist, dass die Pipeline von einer Trump Administration bewilligt wird", also wird diese Schlacht weiter gehen.
Lassen Sie uns mit Standing Rock zusammenstehen und die Banken aus diesem Geschäft heraus treiben.
