Eco-communities as a social vision

Eco-communities as a social vision
Egalitarian and ecological communities, like the pictured East Wind (www.eastwind.org), are very close to our vision of an ecological society

06 November, 2012

"Donaukinder" by Rammstein (2009)

Donauquell dein Aderlass
Wo Trost und Leid zerfließen
Nichts Gutes liegt verborgen nass
In deinen feuchten Wiesen

Keiner weiss was hier geschah
Die Fluten rostigrot
Die Fische waren atemlos
Und alle Schwämme tot
An den Ufern in den Wiesen
Die Tiere wurden krank
Aus den Augen in den Fluss
Triebabscheulicher Gestank

Wo sind die Kinder
Niemand weisst was hier geschehen
Keiner hat etwas gesehen
Wo sind die Kinder
Niemand hat etwas gesehen

Mütter standen bald am Strom
Und weinen eine Flut
Auf die Felder durch die Leiche
Stieg das Leid in alle Teiche
Schwarze Fahnen auf der Stadt
Alle Ratten fett und satt
Die Brummen giftig allerort
Und die Menschen soviel fort

Wo sind die Kinder
Niemand weisst was hier geschehen
Keiner hat etwas gesehen
Wo sind die Kinder
Niemand hat etwas gesehen

Donauquell dein Aderlass
Wo Trost und Leid zerfließen
Nichts Gutes liegt verborgen nass
In deinen feuchten Wiesen

Wo sind die Kinder
Niemand weisst was hier geschehen
Keiner hat etwas gesehen
Wo sind die Kinder
Niemand hat etwas gesehen


 English translation by Affenknecht.com:

Children of the Danube

Donau Spring your bloodletting/bleeding
Where comfort and sorrow dissolve
Nothing good lies hidden, wet
in your damp meadows

No one knows what happened here
The floods (are) rusty red
The fishes were breathless
And all sponges dead
At the banks in the meadows
The animals became sick
Out of the eyes into the river
(the) stench (of) vile urge

Where are the children?
No one knows what happened here
Nobody saw anything
Where are the children?
No one saw anything.

Soon mothers stand at the stream
And cry a flood
On the fields through the dead body
The sorrow climbed into all ponds
Black flags on the city
All rats fat and satisfied
The poisonous humming everywhere And the people so far away

Where are the children?
No one knows what happened here
Nobody saw anything
Where are the children?
No one saw anything.

Donau Spring your bloodletting/bleeding
Where comfort and sorrow dissolve
Nothing good lies hidden, wet
in your damp meadows

Where are the children?
No one knows what happened here
Nobody saw anything
Where are the children?
No one saw anything.


The song deals with an accident near Baia Mare, in Romania, which occurred on 30th Januar 2000.

Extremely heavy rainfall on 30 January caused a dam to breach, causing 100.000 m³ of water to flood a goldmine and carry with it app. 100 ton of heavy metals and sodium cyanide into the nearby river Donau (German name for the Danube). The poison was carried along the river, causing havoc in several countries; drinking water became poisoned, and people fled the rivers’ surroundings to escape the deadly poison, which quickly destroyed all life in and around the river itself.

Lots of children were obviously affected by this disaster, but the name ‘Donaukinder’ (’Danube Children’) more probably refers metaphorically to the fish in the river, seen as the ‘children’ of the Danube/Donau; the fish obviously suffered most directly the full force of this disaster and the absence of fish in the river is the most obvious consequence of the disaster. Hence, the song rhetorically asks: ‘Wo sind die Kinder?’ (’Where are the children?’). Furthermore, the German name for Baia Mare, where the breach occured, is ‘Frauenbach’, meaning ‘Woman-River’, which sustains the metaphor of comparing River/Fish to Mother/Children. (Last FM)

But Romanian Gold Mine Reopens Despite Cyanide Disaster Fears


No matter such disasters, the lobby of gold, under a new gold fever and uncontrolled capitalistic paranoia, doesn't hesitate to use the most toxic ways to extract the last and very small concentrations of gold from billions of tons of rocks that consist natural lansscapes, exterminating useful lands, forests, aquatic environments and aquifers and intoxicating fauna, flora and consequently local societies.


Greece, and especially the Northern parts and the touristic paradise of Chalkidiki are in great peril for being surrendered to the new gold fever amd the most beautiful forests are going to be destroyed for a fistfull of gold. Local societies were risen, but the Greek state, in favour of the private interests  violently supresses any kind of peaceful demonstration and Mass Media ignore them, because they are property of the Greek lobby of gold. The gold fever also has striken Turkey and other Balkan countries, where local societies and States violently collide.


You can hear this song in youtube

26 September, 2012

Ecocide by Earth crisis, EP “All Out War” (1992)


Silenced in the roar of the flames. 
After the screams of the dying, nothing remains. 
Desecrated, slashed, burned to The ground. 
In the frenzy of greed, cries of protest are drowned. 
The Earth dies - Ecocide. 

The Earth's forests laid forever To waste. 
Thoughts of the future trampled in their haste. 
Corporations with their dollar sign focus ravage the Amazon like a Plague of locusts. 

Plumes of black smoke ascend into the sky. 
A forest of beautiful creatures senselessly die. 
Smoking fields Of devastation left in mankind's wake. 
With populations left to grow and greed, They justify this rape. 

The power of the dollar can't take precedence Over the inevitable detrimental consequence. 
The time to react is long overdue from protest to Confrontation by me and by you.

 You can hear this song about rainforest devastation in youtube

26 May, 2012

"The Earth Dies Screaming" by UB40 (1980)

A warm dry wind is all that breaks the silence, 
The highways quiet scars across the land. 
People lie, eyes closed, no longer dreaming, 
The earth dies screaming. 

Like scattered pebbles, cars lie silent waiting, 
Oilless engines seized by dirt and sand. 
Bodies hanging limp, no longer bleeding, 
The earth dies screaming. 

The earth dies screaming 
The earth dies screaming 
Your country needs you, 
lets strike up the band. 
The earth dies screaming 
The earth dies screaming 

Despite all odds we must defend our land.
Half eaten meals lie rotting on the tables, 
Money clutched within a boney hand. 
Shutters down, the banks are not receiving, 
The earth dies screaming.

A post-apocalyptic song after a nuclear holocaust. The title was inspired by an ols sci-fi movie in 60s but it was about an allien invasion. You can hear this song in youtube

18 March, 2012

Album "E Pluribus Funk" by Grand Funk Railroad (1971)

Loneliness

Loneliness cries deep from my soul,
Keeps trying to tell me about the world growing so cold.
Too many people trying to take from my Earth,
But we can't live without controlling our birth.

Deep inside a voice cries out for you,
It's not alone 'cause, people, I been cryin' too.
If we don't stop what we all see is wrong,
I guarantee you mankind won't live long.

CHORUS
There's a land, a glorius land,
It's right here on Earth.
Understand what you can from the land,
Your life is it's worth.
Woah-oh, woah-oh, woah-oh-oh.
Woah-oh, woah-oh, woah-oh-oh.
Woah-oh, woah-oh, woah-oh-oh.

To face the problems that everyone's found,
We must replace what we took out of the ground.
Pray for your brother, let your soul find a way,
Help one another, oh, please listen to what I say.

CHORUS

Loneliness ...
Oh ..., I can't get away from loneliness ...
Yeah, loneliness ... oooo ...
Loneliness ...
Yeah, loneli- ... loneli- ... lo- ... neliness ...
I just can't get away from loneli- ...loneliness ...
Yeah, ... yeah ...

Loneliness ...
Can't get away from loneliness ...

Save the Land

Look out for the land rush, it’s coming day by day.
Said, get ready for the land rush, it’s headed right your way.
Look what you’re paying, to live on your land,
And most folks don’t even have some, but I don’t understand.


Chorus
Spread the news across the land, and just do the best you can,
All we’ve got is just the land; take a stand, save the land.


Sometimes I sit here thinking, but all the answers just don’t appear.
I’m calling to my brothers and sisters, let’s get together and kill this fear.
There ain’t really gonna’ be much to it. we can control the thing if we try.
With just a little more understanding, the whole world will get by.


Two beautiful songs from Grand Funk, appeals for respect and mindful treat of land and Earth as a whole

You can hear these songs in youtube
Loneliness
Save the Land

03 February, 2012

"Earth Passport" by Liquid Blue (2009)

Envision, in your mind an open door to all the world
One planet, one people, a world where fear does not exist
All nations, united, and human rights for everyone
It can happen, why can't we?
Take me to a place where there's peace in the human race
Where everyone is treated the same, regardless of their name
Where the arts flourish here, where there's no such thing as fear
The people dance, the people sing, let freedom ring
Step into, the shoes of, your brothers in distress and pain
Perspective is changing, open hearts can change the world
Change places, new vision, inviting all into the dance
It can happen, why can't we?
Earth passport, no visa.


Earth Passport was recorded in nine languages including all six official UN languages and it received a Guinness World Record for “Song Sung in the Most Languages (Billboard Hit)”. The lyrics are a plea for world peace and include (in order from start to end of song): English, Arabic, Hindi, Mandarin, French, Tagalog, German, Spanish, and Russian. In addition to the English vocals recorded by Liquid Blue, singers were brought in from around the world to sing in their native dialects. For example, the Russian vocals were recorded by a local singer when the Liquid Blue was performing a show in Belarus.(www.liquid-blue.com)

You can hear this song in youtube