Displaced persons arriving in New York, 1948.

Photo: Clemens Kalischer via the NY Times

Essential Homes Research Project,

The housing concept was designed by Norman Foster for displaced communities who are used to living in temporary settlements for years, providing the necessary needs of safety, comfort, and well-being.

The designed prototype is extremely sustainable and emits 70% less CO2 than conventional buildings. It is low-carbon, energy-efficient, and circular, incorporating a variety of Holcim sustainable building solutions.

Holcim and Norman Foster Foundation

Robert W. Kelley, “From Displaced Person to College Queen,” Life, Dec 15, 1952

A Palestinian child in Gaza attempts to protect his family’s tent from r...

Heya folks. Unfortunately I have a bit of bad news from my end. On Friday, April 19th my apartment building caught on fire. Thankfully no one was seriously harmed but I can't say the same for the things people owned. The fire started next door to us on the bottom floor and crept its way up. We were alerted to the blaze at 2am and had to flee. We couldn't catch our cat in time before the smoke became too heavy but we are very lucky we found her later, terrified but alive. All four families, including ours, were displaced after the fire. Two apartments suffered intense damage while mine and the one below mine were spared the worst of it. However, the smoke damage was bad enough that it's deemed unfit to live in. We were only allowed in long enough to grab essentials and take a few pictures, but since then we've had to live in an extended stay hotel. Until the investigation into the cause of the fire is complete everything we own has to stay put.

Ironically, we were gearing up to move this upcoming Friday into a new place. We were in the process of packing but never got to finish. We'd planned our budget down to the dollar to afford the move but now we're stretched thin because of all of the unexpected expenses. While our renters insurance is meant to reimburse us for out of pocket costs we don't know how long that will take and our new place will be expecting upfront payment on the day of move-in, which has now been eaten into.

I've backspaced and rewritten this paragraph at least ten times. I'm not good at asking for help, in truth. I'm proud, stubborn, and I think I can fix everything. I can't fix this. We've never been in this situation before and uncertainty is my greatest enemy.

I understand everyone is under financial strain and if you aren't able to donate I'm entirely in your corner. If you are, a link to my ko-fi will be provided at the bottom of the post. A signal boost would be appreciated to help get the word out. All proceeds will go toward lodging, food, cleaning supplies, clothing and other expenses as a result of the fire. I greatly appreciate everyone and I hope this never happens again. I would love to have some positive news soon but for now all we can do is wait. Until then, thank you for your time and stay safe out there.

-Adrian

Ko-Fi

transcript:

Papa Emereritus LXIX @ aardvarkwizard

Homeless people in your neighborhood are your neighbors

Before I post this, I do not want any antisemitism on this post.

From the UN website:

The Nakba, which means “catastrophe” in Arabic, refers to the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Before the Nakba, Palestine was a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society. However, the conflict between Arabs and Jews intensified in the 1930s with the increase of Jewish immigration, driven by persecution in Europe, and with the Zionist movement aiming to establish a Jewish state in Palestine.

In November 1947, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution partitioning Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab, with Jerusalem under a UN administration. The Arab world rejected the plan, arguing that it was unfair and violated the UN Charter. Jewish militias launched attacks against Palestinian villages, forcing thousands to flee. The situation escalated into a full-blown war in 1948, with the end of the British Mandate and the departure of British forces, the declaration of independence of the State of Israel and the entry of neighbouring Arab armies. The newly established Israeli forces launched a major offensive. The result of the war was the permanent displacement of more than half of the Palestinian population.

As early as December 1948, the UN General Assembly called for refugee return, property restitution and compensation (resolution 194 (II)).  However, 75 years later, despite countless UN resolutions, the rights of the Palestinians continue to be denied. According to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) more than 5 million Palestine refugees are scattered throughout the Middle East.   Today, Palestinians continue to be dispossessed and displaced by Israeli settlements, evictions, land confiscation and home demolitions.

The Nakba anniversary is a reminder not only of those tragic events of 1948, but of the ongoing injustice suffered by the Palestinians. The Nakba had a profound impact on the Palestinian people, who lost their homes, their land, and their way of life. It remains a deeply traumatic event in their collective memory and continues to shape their struggle for justice and for their right to return to their homes. In 2022, the UN General Assembly requested that this anniversary be commemorated on 15 May 2023, for the first time in the history of the UN.

Source:

War refugees arriving in the city, 1947.

Photo: Arthur Rothstein via the Howard Greenberg Gallery

"The Complete Maus" - Art Spiegelman

Global Movement

There were 280.6 million global migrants in 2020, according to Migration Policy data – approximately 4% of the world’s population. Current conversations surrounding migration are particularly poignant: the UN estimate that, as of October 2022, over 7.6 million Ukrainians have been displaced by the Russo-Ukrainian war. As net migration continues to make headlines worldwide, Olgaç Bozalp’s (b. 1987) monograph, Leaving One for Another (2022), is a timely visual documentation of migration that examines the reasons people leave their homes ­– from forced displacement to individual aspirations. Here, documentary combines with fine art in scenes where journeys take centre stage. Life jackets and floatation rings perch on the beach, rifles balance atop a motorcycle and groups in plastic ponchos clamber up a rocky mountainside.

This man tries to comfort displaced kids in Gaza by handing out snacks

Appealing to self-interest, not solidarity, might be a more effective strategy in a time of crisis.

In the face of these multiple and overlapping crises, appeals of solidarity are showing themselves to be of limited value. Repeated calls for greater solidarity with the nations hosting refugees have not led to more equitable burden-sharing arrangements over time.

“The milk is sour

I've barely been to college

And I've been doubtful

Of all that I have dreamed of

The brink of my existence essentially is a comedy”