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Cinema Advertising Campaign
We directed this advertising campaign for PLAN International UK. This advert aired throughout UK cinemas and a version was also created for Spotify.
Initially carrying out a Discovery Consultation, this project emerged as an opportunity for development. We decided to focus on using darkness, surround sound design and the human voice to produce a spellbinding, immersive advert that would stand out in a cinema environment; surprising the audience, and strengthening the PLAN brand with strong, clear messaging. One of our partner studios Shinyeye produced the motion graphics.
In the four-week period the piece generated over 100% more public engagement than expected.
PLAN International UK work with global communities in 22 countries and campaign for the rights of girls and young women internationally. |
A rising corporate executive (Matt Damon) and his travelling partner (Frances McDormand) travel from the big city to a rural Pennsylvania township to secure the drilling rights. After bribing the mayor and enticing the local citizenry with temporary relief from the current economic slump, an activist (John Krasinski) comes into the fray with a counter plan: to inform the people of the realities of fracking. "Promised Land" is an excellent environmental film, one that works both as drama and informative, which avoids the usual pitfalls of many of these movies, and is even self-aware. It was directed by Gus Van Sant, a competent veteran and one of the few filmmakers keeping alive the tradition of film, who works from a script by Krasinski and Damon, who draw from a David Eggers story, and both are engaging in their parts. McDormand again proves why she is one of our finest actresses and Rosemarie DeWitt also contributes fine work in a supporting role. The film does have a tendency to be preachy, as would be expected, but this element is mostly held in check, and a concerted effort to find balance on the subject is made. A late act of theatrical chicanery hurts the grounded intentions of the movie, but still works well within the bounds of drama. Whether you seek to be illuminated or entertained, "Promised Land" should suffice, but it also serves as a testament to filmmaking, in a time of big budget, digital extravaganzas.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Daisy (Laura Linney) was once accustomed to upper class flourishes but has now been reduced to more modest means, like so many others during the years of the Depression. Now, when her fifth cousin and leader of the free world Franklin Delano Roosevelt requests her company and soon her companionship, the prudent young woman is taken aback, but soon develops feelings for him. When King George VI (Samuiel West) and the Queen Mother (Olivia Colman) make their historic visit (the first of a British monarch to the United States) to FDR's upstate residence, Daisy is in tow as the household led by Eleanor (Olivia Williams) make the preparations. "Hyde Park on Hudson" is a disappointing filmization of a slight, almost unworthy, and a little disconcerting story, directed by Roger Mitchell and written by Richard Nelson who drew upon Margaret Suckley's diaries, which were found after her death in 1991. Bill Murray does what he can and would have faired better with a more worthy script. The film also gives Laura Linney nothing to do (aside from the now infamous handjob scene) and is an insult to her talents. Also the presence of a stammering King George and his wife Elizabeth only invite memories of the far superior "The King's Speech." To its credit, the film does feature some nice pastoral imagery and a laconic, mood setting soundtrack. Unfortunately, not only is the story meager and somewhat creepy, it is also fairly derogatory as well. It's alternate tile should have been "How I Became FDR's Whore and Learned to Love It."
Saturday, December 29, 2012
A young (Kerri Russell) buries the misery inflicted by her cruel and controlling husband (Jeremy Sisto) in the delectable pies she bakes which play like gangbusters at the local southern diner where she waits tables. After becoming unwillingly pregnant, she begins an affair with her charming prenatal caregiver (Nathan Fillion) and aims to win a top paying pie making contest to make the dream of leaving her husband a reality. "Waitress" is as putrid as its plot description, probably even more so, and will probably play best to those enthralled by gas station dime novels and the regular Lifetime Channel fare. Written, directed, costarring, and dedicated to Adrienne Shelly, who was murdered in a bizarre NYC home invasion before the film's release, the movie seeks to be a southern, small town female bonding picture a la "Fried Green Tomatoes" and unfortunately isn't very successful, at least from my cynical, male perspective. Even Andy Griffith brings very little to the proceedings, playing a crotchety regular at the diner, in what was one of his final roles.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Jean Valjean, the hero of Victor Hugo's expansive 1862 novel, goes from decrepit ex-con, to reformed small town business magnate, and back to fugitive from the law while caring for an ailing prostitute and her young daughter and dodging a dogged police inspector throughout revolutionary France (how's that for summing up a 1,463 page book in less than 50 words?) in this screen adaptation of the enduring Broadway musical. "Les Misérables" is a highly anticipated project, and when reviews began to pour in ranging from lukewarm to scathing, I began to prepare my "musicals are a highly subjective genre" review. Now I realize this is not a case of a bad movie, though it is that, but rather a poor stage-to-screen adaptation. There are so many things wrong with the film, but they begin with the music. Director Tom Hooper has been roundly commended for his decision to film his actor's singing live, rather than in a studio post-filming, but this decision does nothing to aid the film, which should be a primary concern, and voices and sound come off as flat, inaudible, and unimpressive. Hugh Jackman has never been any great shakes as an actor and despite his background in musical theater, his voice is all wrong for Valjean. Russell Crowe would have been ideally suited to the role of Javert, but since this is an almost exclusive singing outing, he comes off poorly with, again, a voice ill-suited to the role. Anne Hathaway, who has been generating awards buzz, is again way too much and may as well have been belting, "Please Give Me The Oscar" during her "I Dreamed a Dream" number. Hooper's intimate, close-up heavy mise-en-scene (which I thought would have played well) is disorienting and not conducive to the material. Also, Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen turn up in recurring anachronistic roles which serve only as a reminder to "Sweeney Todd", a far superior musical rendering. I wanted to love this movie, I really did. I liked a filmed stage version I had watched prior and have listened to the original soundtrack, but this movie left me feeling disconnected from the characters and their interrelationships and, sadly, it instilled in me a moderate hatred for the material.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
|Colin Goddard, survivor of the Virginia Tech massacre|
In the wake of the Virgina Tech shootings of 2007, where 32 lives were claimed by a sole gunman, Oscar winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple ("Harlan County, USA") opted to take an open-minded approach in her documentary on the gun control discussion, where she interviews (mostly) level-headed people on both sides of the issue, in addition to gunshot victims and trauma ward staff at a Philadelphia hospital, and finally one of the few survivors of the VT massacre. Kopple's documentary is admirably told without grandstanding (a la Michael Moore), narration, and with almost no intertitles to guide her film. She offers reasonable and seemingly obvious solutions (such as across-the-board background checks) which should appear acceptable to both sides, and also offers the reasons why these measures are continually thwarted. Although the film does lose momentum towards the end, its point remains abundantly clear: although the unthinkable horrors such as which occurred in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14th capture our national sympathies and place the gun control debate at the forefront of political discussion, they remain only a pin drop of the gun violence which plagues our country every week.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Mark Twain's indefatigably mischievous and timeless hero (played by a well cast Johnny Whitaker) receives musical treatment in this film where he tricks his fellow schoolmates into whitewashing Aunt Polly's (Celeste Holm) picket fence, romances Becky Thatcher (Jodie Foster), saves a kindly drunk (Warren Oates) from the gallows, and traverses the Mississippi and nearby Jackson Island with his good friend, and scourge of the community, Huck Finn (Jeff East). "Tom Sawyer" is a pretty good rendition of Twain's classic children's novel, which isn't faithful so much to the plotting as it is to the spirit of the story. The songs are unmemorable, but the child actors are well cast, and the adults are superb (esp. Oates and Holm) which is the key for these kinds of film. The result is a diverting film which will please Twain fans (though not purists) and which, if nothing else, captures the essence of his tale.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
When the Santa Claus slated to lead the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade reports for duty in a drunken stupor, a frantic Macy's executive (Maureen O'Hara) can't believe her luck when she stumbles upon an ideal replacement (Edmund Gwenn) who is so good that she offers him a seasonal gig in the department store. Soon though the hiring decision causes her personal and professional distress as Kris, who claims he is the real annual bestower of holiday cheer, disrupts her sales policy and spins his fantastical stories to her impressionable and sheltered young daughter (Natalie Wood). "Miracle on 34th Street" is a sweet, funny, surprisingly pointed, and occasionally very sharp Christmas tale directed by George Seaton and based on a story by Valerie Davies. The cast is very fine. I especially liked O'Hara as the tough but softhearted executive, John Payne as a benevolent attorney (though I was never able to figure out who he was in relation to O'Hara), Porter Hall as a shifty psychologist, Gene Lockhart as a bemused judge, and of course Gwenn, exemplary in his Oscar winning role. Natalie Wood is a little precocious and Thelma Ritter makes her very brief but highly impressionable debut. For those who haven't seen this film (I only saw it for the first time recently), I think it is natural to lump it together with all the other saccharine holiday offerings and avoid it entirely. Doing so, however, is a great miscalculation and a denial of one of the finest holiday films that plays just as well, if not better, for adults than children.
Monday, December 24, 2012
The story is as well known as any ever told in any form: a despicable miser is visited by three ghosts, of past, present, and future, on Christmas Eve who compel him to completely reverse his disposition. For this 1951 outing, which alternately bears the title of Charles Dickens' 1843 novel, writer Noel Langley and director Brian Desmond Hurst opted for a darker, more inclusive though, oddly, a shorter film making the results seems rushed and doesn't carry the same emotion. Scenes that have been seldom been shown on screen, such as Scrooge at his sister's deathbed and his chambermaid divvying up his lot amongst friends following his demise, aren't nearly as engrossing as they should be. This version featuring Alastair Sim, who does make a very fine Scrooge, is generally considered the definitive film adaption of A Christmas Carol. Though it's an earnest and unique attempt, I would suggest the 1939 interpretation with Reginald Owen as the contrary penny-pincher.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
A German born gun for hire (Christoph Waltz), posturing as a travelling dentist, happens upon a slave transport in a wooded southern nightscape just a few years before the Civil War. Seeking a guide to the plantation residence of his latest targets, he contracts the services of Django (Jamie Foxx), after dispatching the hostile slavers and freeing their chattel. Together, following the completion of their primary task and acting out of sympathy towards his recent acquaintance's tumults (and animosity towards the institution of slavery in general), the bounty hunter spends a winter training his friend in the ways of his craft, and seeks to free his imprisoned wife (Kerry Washington), held by a genial yet malevolent plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio). "Django Unchained" is another postcard to film from Quentin Tarantino (perhaps a farewell to it), a tribute to Leone and the Spaghetti Western, and another rollicking, intelligent, revisionist splatterfest that will again leave you feeling bowled over and needing a few days to recover. It features four supreme performances: another great, finely tuned one from Waltz, an over-the-top, very fun performance from Leo, Samuel L. Jackson playing his treacherous, long serving house slave, and a very tricky, wonderfully acted, and somewhat thankless (due to the flash on display around him) role for Foxx. I wish Tarantino would have pulled the rug out, as it appeared he was going to do and which would have given a truer sense of the kinds of horrors endured under the system. Instead he opts for the more conventional kill everything in sight finale he's used so often before, which nonetheless achieves a showstopping effect that leaves a pit in your stomach which, as mentioned earlier, lingers for some time.
In the months leading up to the 1904 World's Fair, the members of the Smith family prepare for the momentous occasion while weathering the ebbs and flows of love, following a bombshell that their father will move them to the dirty and overcrowded city streets of New York and away from their beloved St. Louis home. "Meet Me in St. Louis" is a delightful musical directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Judy Garland, and is the set on which the two first met. The film is an episodic, unpretentious, and comfortable with not overreaching, while featuring some very fine musical numbers. Garland turns in a sweet performance, Mary Astor and Leon Ames deliver fine turns as her parents, and Margaret Sullivan all but steals the show as the precocious, death obsessed youngest sister.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
A top salesman (James Stewart) can't stand the upstart new hire (Margaret Sullivan) at his quaint little gift store in Budapest and pines for the embrace of his penpal, just as she despises her arrogant new colleague, the complete opposite of the proper romantic she's in touch with. Of course they are corresponding with each other. "The Shop Around the Corner" is a delightful adaptation by the incomparable Ernst Lubitsch of Miklos Laszlo's play which has been tinkered many times (most recently as "You've Got Mail"), but is done to a masterful and sublimely funny degree here, despite the fact you know how the story is going to end. Stewart turns in an unexpectedly melancholic, slightly angry performance as the bitter clerk and Sullivan is in fine form as his feisty rival/love interest. Frank Morgan as the store owner and Felix Bressart as another clerk offer very funny supporting performances.
Friday, December 21, 2012
When a toy store clerk (Robert Mitchum) at a large department store decides to give a pass to a fetching comparison shopper (Janet Leigh) and not report her to his boss, he is swiftly relieved of his duties. Now unemployed and soon to be homeless, he insinuates himself into the lives of the woman and her young son, much to the chagrin of his fiance (Wendell Corey). "Holiday Affair" is a bizarre and almost frighteningly misguided yuletide knockoff of "Miracle on 34th Street", but instead of a harmless old man spreading Christmas cheer in the home of a young mother, we have a derelict Robert Mitchum trying to defile Janet Leigh! Mitchum was assigned to the film (quite humorously I might add) in an attempt by the studios to repair his tarnished image following his notorious arrest and jailing for marijuana possession. His no nonsense presence add gravitas somewhat, but his character is so creepy, and what's even more disturbing is the way the film views him in a positive manner. Add to that an agonizing and insufferable child actor and a syrupy screenplay and this becomes a holiday affair to forget.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
In a parking garage overlooking the Pittsburgh Pirates playing field, a sniper methodically readies himself, notes five targets, seemingly random people enjoying their lunch break, and proceeds to pick them off one by one. A crack investigator (David Oyelowo) immediately nabs a suspect (Joseph Sikora) who, just before being beaten into a coma during a jail transport, requests the presence of Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise), a military policeman with every decoration imaginable, who is currently off the grid. Once arriving on his own accord, the mysterious M.P. teams up with the suspect's defense attorney (Rosamund Pike) and begins to unravel the very minute shreds of evidence in an otherwise perfect cover-up. Director Christopher McQuarrie's "Jack Reacher" plays like it was written by the smartest hillbilly in the hunting lodge, composed of an endless barrage of bro-offs, pissing contests, and needlessly complicated plotting consisting of harebrained government and corporate conspiracies. Tom Cruise is thoroughly unconvincing (I think he had more credibility as the would be Hitler assassin in the McQuarrie penned "Valkyrie") as the hero of Lee Childs' (actually a Brit) popular series and it's curious why, at the age of 50 and with the ability to write his own ticket, he would resign himself to a dime novel series like this (the 18th Jack Reacher book is due out next year). Also being scathed in this debacle is Pike, who seems very sweet and has been very good in other films, but comes off as insipid. Also Richard Jenkins and Robert Duvall, unfortunately, add almost nothing to the proceedings. I was grateful (actually, a little disheartened) for the presence of Werner Herzog playing the shadowy dead-eyed villain who had to bite off his fingers to avoid frostbite in a Siberian prison, and now exacts the same injustice on his victims. "Jack Reacher" is a cheap, shameful, and self-satisfied picture that is all set-up and no pay-off. It's like a version of "Jaws" where Brody hunts down the mayor and his corporate thugs, Quint and Hooper square off in a fight to the death, and we never see the shark.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
The crooning half (Bing Crosby) of a popular, town song-and-dance becomes fed up when his partner/rival-in-love once (Fred Astaire) once again steals his girl (Virginia Dale). Deciding to finally act on his less than ambitious dreams, he purchases land on a rural Connecticut spread and opens a country resort that offers entertainment only on the calendar holidays throughout the year. Wouldn't you know it if his old pal doesn't come horning in on the action, and his latest star (Marjorie Reynolds)! "Holiday Inn" features some terrific Irving Berlin songs (including the annual hit "White Christmas" which later became a quasi sequel with Crosby and Danny Kaye) and dance numbers all draped upon a plot (from Berlin's story, which was nominated for an Oscar!) that would be generous to call threadbare, and is probably even magnanimous in calling it a plot. Crosby and Astaire, though again contributing enjoyable numbers, seem to be phoning it in and looking amused about the effortless paychecks they received for this less than light affair.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
In 1993, U.S. Special Forces were dispatched to Mogadishu, Somalia in what was supposed to be something of a cakewalk, their mission being to land in a crowded marketplace and extract a notorious warlord. However, due to overconfidence, misinformation, lack of preparation, pissing contests between Rangers and Delta Force units, and over anxiousness on the part of the White House, troop members wound up ends in a desperate firefight which claimed the lives of 19 soldiers. Adapted Mark Bowden's reporting and subsequent novel on the ordeal. Ridley Scott's "Black Hawk Down" is a gritty, realistic, and alarming story which had dire consequences on world politics but has gone almost forgotten today. Made with an expansive cast (Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana, Tom Sizemore, Jeremy Piven, William Fitchner, to name a few), many of whom saw their careers launched by the film, Scott determines to focus singularly on the mission and the ensuing chaos, offering no extraneous detail. The result is an unrelenting and engrossing experience that like the events depicted (sadly) does not resonate for very long after it is over.
Monday, December 17, 2012
So my mid-year expostulation becomes amended from "where are all the good movies?" to "why can't they be dispersed evenly throughout the year (and still why have there been so few)?" I did, ultimately, see many fine films this year and have not yet seen a few (i.e. "Zero Dark Thirty", "Amour", etc.) which are predominating end of the year lists but have yet to reach my area. This year, I've decided to present my picks in the same fashion of the National Board of Review, offering a Best Film of the Year in addition to ten more entries listed alphabetically. So without further adieu, here you have my favorite movies of 2012:
Best FilmMoonrise Kingdom
For his ode to first love, Wes Anderson accented what he does best and modulated the whimsical elements for which he is often assailed, resulting in a highly cinematic and completely disarming picture, which features an inimitable adult cast and an equally fine, unknown adolescent ensemble.
Top FilmsThe Central Park Five/The Dust Bowl
Ken Burns released two films this year, the latter in his usual style, and the former which he made with his daughter Sarah and her husband David McMahon and that bears little resemblance to any of his work. Both tell harrowing, consummately researched stories and focus largely on their human elements.
Bizarre, incredibly ambitious, heartfelt, and entertaining The Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer's adaptation of David Mitchell's sprawling novel went inexplicably through theaters without much fanfare.
Tarantino returns with another exploitative, revisionist tale about a freed slave exacting vengeance on the Antebellum South. It's a wild and raucous ode to the spaghetti western, demonstrating again QT's vast knowledge of the cinema and features no less than four Oscar caliber performances from Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Samuel L. Jackson.
The Do-Deca Pentahlon/The Five-Year Engagement/Jeff, Who Lives at Home
I've decided to mesh together three films into this one entry, two made by the Duplass brothers, two starring Jason Segel, and one featuring them all. These are sweet and very funny films that rose above what is usually served as comedy by Hollywood.
The Life of Pi
Ang Lee, one of the most sensitive of all directors, offers this simple, thought to have been unfilmable adaptation of Yann Martel's book, which results in one of the best uses of the 3D format and one of the most moving films of recent memory.
Steven Spielberg and Daniel Day-Lewis outdo themselves again, crafting a work that stands amongst their finest, and becomes something even more. On top of a superbly-acted, historically faithful film, etc. etc., it is also an unexpectedly humorous retelling of the passing of the 13th Amendment.
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
Where "The Hobbit" has many viewers squirming in their seats and lighting up their cellphones to check the time, this protracted crime thriller held my gaze, almost inexplicably, for its lengthy, hypnotic duration.
At 74, Ridley Scott revisited "Alien" territory and offered one of his finest films in a longevous career, which was also among the year's most divisive. It's clear what side I'm on.
Gus Van Sant's tale of small town fracking is aware of the traps most eco-movies fall into, and crafts an informative, fair, and entertaining drama featuring fine performances from Matt Damon and John Krasinski (who both coauthored the screenplay) and the great Frances McDormand.
Silver Linings Playbook
David O Russell's followup to "The Fighter" tells of another dysfunctional family, this one about a manic depressive, not realizing the love of his life is right in front of his eyes, and his father who becomes aware that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
In writing Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell crafted one of the defining works of American literature. Her own spirit, that of an outspoken, indomitable southern belle, mirrored that of her own iconic heroine, and throughout her life, which was cut short by an auto accident at the age of 48, she made strides for women and black rights. "Margaret Mitchell: American Rebel" tells the fascinating story of a resolute, influential personage in an incredibly irritating fashion that gets its point across, but does so in a highly grating fashion.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Ernest Hemingway's late career ode to the indomitable spirit, detailing the tireless and ultimately fruitless efforts of an elderly fisherman's five day battle with a marlin was given full (and probably unnecessary) cinematic treatment by director John Sturges, which was made with the participation of the legendary author, who was reported as taking part in photo scouting sea expeditions. Spencer Tracy gives it his best go, but is woefully miscast as the elderly Cuban fisherman. Anthony Quinn donned the role of Santiago many years later in a TV movie which was reputedly a dog, but I wonder why he wasn't cast in this initial production. The movie is relentlessly faithful to the book, almost to a fault, but the major redemptive component is James Wong Howe's beautiful cinematography.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Still reeling from the death of his father, and living at home with his mother (Susan Sarandon), a 30 year old loafer (Jason Segel), who believes in cosmic coincidence and is currently mesmerized by the M. Night Shyamalan movie "Signs", encounters his more ambitious brother (Ed Helms) and then their mother during life changing moments of their lives, all during the course of a one-day odyssey of sorts through Baton Rouge. "Jeff, Who Lives At Home" is another low-key, poignant, perceptive, and very funny film from the brothers Duplass (Jay and Mark) who have taken their spearheaded and much maligned mumblecore movement and transformed it into something keen and meaningful. This is one of the first films for me where Segel has come into his own on screen, Helms is in fine form also, and Sarandon is great as usual. At a time (especially this calendar year) when audiences are assaulted by effects laden blockbusters or indies with unnatural characters bearing no resemblance to anyone in reality, it is refreshing to see such a simple, humorous film inhabited by real people.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
When it comes to the attention of the great wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) that his old dear friend Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) is in possession of the One Ring, he determines it must be destroyed in the cauldron whence it was formed before the evil being Sauron can attain it and wreak destruction. Charging Bilbo's nephew Frodo (Elijah Wood) and his loyal friend Sam (Sean Astin) with this task, a fellowship consisting of two men (Viggo Mortensen, Sean Bean), two more hobbits (Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd), an elf (Orlando Bloom), and a dwarf (John Rhys-Davies) forms to guard the ring's passage, as the aforementioned embark on a battle to save Middle Earth. I was going to treat these films as three separate entries but i wanted to spare myself the writing (and you the trouble of reading) what is already widely known of what is essentially one, expansive film anyway. Peter Jackson's magnum opus is an overblown adaptation of the beloved J.R.R. Tolkein fantasy trilogy, which was a sequel to his equally successful (and forthcoming as another Jackson adaptation) The Hobbit. These first installments continue to achieve endless amounts of acclaim, but I find them unnecessarily overlong and incredibly corny efforts to please the Tolkien fanboy minority. They are most notable for their spectacular visuals, which by no means deserve to be downplayed considering, in my opinion, that they buoy a nearly ten hour film. Of the three films ("The Fellowship of the Ring", "The Two Towers", "The Return of the King"), none is far superior to any other, although the first installment has the unenviable task of being the set-up film and the last's multiple endings conjured nightmares of my bladder exploding when I first viewed it during the theatrical release. Ian McKellen (you almost need an actor of his breadth to take some of this shit seriously), Viggo Mortensen, and Sean Bean are in fine form although the hobbits (with the exception of Holm) are completely insufferable, especially Astin who is in all out Rudy mode. I thought Andy Serkis' Gollum was phenomenal, and that Jackson and co. are to blame for not clearly explaining the CGI process to Academy voters in efforts to garner him an Oscar nod. Detours also detract from the overall effect (I was bored to tears every time an elf was on screen) and many segments are beyond mawkish to the point of laughability. Still, the virtuoso filmmaking, breathless photography, and seamless CGI make this trek worth enduring.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
After purchasing an upscale Manhattan loft, a couple (Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston) loses their means of financial security almost overnight. In desperation, they pack their belongings and leave for his obnoxious brother's house in Atlanta when, after a few days of abuse, they decide to return to a hippy commune they stopped at along their way south, and attempt to adopt the ways of free love. David Wain's "Wanderlust" has the same charm and offers the same mixed bag as some of his other films. Actually, I thought it was extraordinarily funny until the laughs gradually started to fade away. Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd are amiable enough (his mirror scene where he prepares for his first foray into casual sex is a riot) and Ken Marino (also the film's cowriter) and Michaela Watkins have very funny roles as Rudd's brother and sister-in-law. "Wanderlust" definitely has its ebbs and flow, but in a sea of humorless comedies, how can you really pan one that makes you chuckle so much, even if it is imperfect?
Monday, December 10, 2012
|Kharey Wise, one of The Five|
On the night of April 19, 1989, a young Manhattan banker went jogging through Central Park and happened upon Matias Reyes, a serial rapist wanted by authorities for a number of violent crimes, who proceeded to drag her into the woods and rape and beat her within an inch of her life. Meanwhile a gang of twenty or so black and Latino teenagers rampaged through the park, menacing a series of pedestrians and joggers. Of the boys nabbed by police, five (Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Kharey Wise, and Yusef Salaam) we interrogated, tried before a court and the vengeful public eye, and sentenced to lengthy prison terms for the sexual assault on the jogger--a crime that took thirteen years to be vindicated. "The Central Park Five" is a devastating documentary, achingly told through the eyes of the accused, and painstakingly presented by Sarah Burns, her husband David McMahon, and her famed historian/filmmaker father Ken. The film was developed from book she authored about the incident, which at the time was termed by many media outlets as "The Crime of the Century", and although it is a well-crafted, exacting presentation (qualities associated with her father's work) it blazes its own trail (I got the feeling that Mr. Burns assumed the role of a guide in the film's making). "The Central Park Five" presents the landmark case with clarity and depth, while telling a story of a beleaguered city, a brutish crime, a need for swift justice, and ultimately, an unfathomable loss of innocence.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
With rumors circulating regarding the sighting of the thought to have been extinct Tasmanian Tiger, a biotech firm enlists a the services of a lonesome mercenary (Willem Dafoe) to set out for the Australian island state and extract DNA from the elusive creature. There he takes residence and forms a bond with a woman whose husband has gone missing and left her alone with two small children, as the parameters of his mission become increasingly more dangerous. Watching "The Hunter", a formidable adaptation of Julia Leigh's novel, at home on my couch, I wondered how on earth something like thing could have been relegated to DVD/On Demand viewing, especially in a theater year that has been brimming with mediocrity. Willem Dafoe turns in an excellent performance in an supremely set and expertly photographed film, which contains high supsense blended with human story elements. Also, Sam Neill turns up, probably because he hasn't made a film about extinct animals lately (I just had to work that sentence in, pardon me). While watching "The Hunter", I was also reminded of "The Pledge" and "The American", two other superb films about outsiders alone on a mission in the vast wilderness.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Elmer Gantry, a hard-drinking, boisterous, silver tongued travelling salesman (Burt Lancaster), discovers his true calling in preaching when he hears the sermon of Sister Sarah (Jean Simmons), another nomadic peddler cut from a much more pure cloth. After ingratiating himself into her circle, their revivals are greeted with massive turnouts and it appears that her ambition of building a church will be realized. However, the acts of a vengeful prostitute (Shirley Jones) from Gantry's past threaten to tear town their dreams. Richard Brooks' "Elmer Gantry" is an adaptation of Upton Sinclair's 1927 scathing satirical novel, which must have been trimmed of much of its salaciousness, but is nonetheless a powerful indictment of cheap evangelicalism and the selling of religion to the people. It features a trio of indelible performances: Lancaster, one of the most deeply felt of all actors, in his powerful, uncompromising, Oscar winning tour-de-force; Simmons, almost angelic, who brings depth to what could have been a patronizing role, which went surprisingly unrecognized; Lastly, Shirley Jones who also walks a fine line in playing another conflicted character and also winning an Oscar for her services.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Now in his 60th year of life and on the heels of the most complete success of his career in "North By Northwest", Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) embarks on a self-imposed uphill battle with an attempt to fight boredom in his latest project: a screen adaptation of a seedy dime store chiller based on the exploits of notorious Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein. With his utterly supportive and unfairly neglected wife Alma (Helen Mirren), Hitch begins to clear the many hurdles and assemble the pieces of "Psycho", what would become his heralded masterpiece. "Hitchcock" is an exciting and self-awared take on film's most well known director and the making of his best known work. Although incredible, Sacha Gervasi's filming of Stephen Rebello's novel was made, I believe, not to be taken as gospel but as a clever and reverential way to pay homage to the Master of Suspense. Hopkins turns in a performance which is essentially imitation, but no less consummate and engaging. When beginning to write this sentence regarding Helen Mirren's work in the film, I decided to stop myself in an effort to avoid gushing once more over another peerless performance. As for the many supporting roles the ones that stood out for me were Michael Stuhlbarg playing Hitch's famed Hollywood agent Lew Wasserman, Danny Huston as a writing associate of Lady Hitchcock (in a plotline that doesn't really work), and surprisingly Scarlett Johansson who comes off surprisingly well and exceeds my considerably low expectations in playing Janet Leigh. After watching the lurid recent TV movie "The Girl", it was quite a pleasant surprise to see such a funny, tongue-in-cheek, beguiling though imperfect treatment of similar material.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
A New York news outlet sends a capable, hard-nosed reporter (Joel McCrea) to cover the burgeoning war crisis at an international peace conference in Holland. There, after acquainting himself with the daughter (Laraine Day) of the peace party leader, he witnesses the murder of a Dutch mediator (Albert Bassermann) and follows the assassins in hot pursuit, a quest which will expand and lead to the uncovering of a secret spy organization whose subversive plans threaten the safety of the entire continent. "Foreign Correspondent" is an exciting early WWII yarn, the second American film made by Alfred Hitchcock, which is most notable for a solid McCrea performance and two astounding set pieces: the climactic plane crash into the Atlantic Ocean and a masterfully devised windmill sequence which immediately follows the assassination.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
A radio DJ informs us there were four births and four deaths at the Altamont Speedway in San Francisco, the last of which was an alleged stabbing under investigation, during the closing concert of the Rolling Stones 1969 tour. We then see Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, and Ronnie Wood speechlessly regarding the footage of a Hell's Angels member, hired to do security, mortally attacking an unruly fan. The film then doubles back showing the band in New York booking the gig, setting up for the massive show (and making incredibly shortsighted decisions in the process), and performing in what many see as a nightmarish symbol to the end of the tumultuous 60s and the death of the pathetic counterculture. Brothers Albert and David Maysles' rock doc "Gimme Shelter" is a vivid, uncanny, and terrifying record which was the result of bad decisions, bad drugs, and a general air of bad feelings, all of which is captured along with powerful Stones' performances from throughout the tour.
Monday, December 3, 2012
A man for hire from a variety of professions, from performance artist to hitman, drives around the city of lights in a white limo which doubles as a dressing, changing faces while attending to an assortment of details. "Holy Motors" is a film which I expected to try try my patience, and did so from the very first frame, and never once relented during the course of its two hours of inanity. Strangeness for the sake of strangeness only results in pointlessness, and I was amazed that I made it through the duration of this nonsense, feeling the impulse to leave several times throughout. Many reviews have praised Denis Lavant's performance, who dons nine or so different personages throughout the film, but to what end does it service? "Holy Motors" is a film which defies explanation, but more to the point, defies any logical justification for seeing it. I now await backlash from the hipster set criticizing me for not getting this avant-garde bullshit.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
An aging artist (James Mason), feeling uninspired in New York City, returns to his native country for inspiration, seeking solace on a gorgeous, supposedly deserted isle off The Great Barrier Reef. To his surprise, he meets a beautiful, teen aged island inhabitant (Helen Mirren) who quickly becomes his muse, which leads to cases of blackmail and extortion, initiated by an old chum (Jack MacGowran) and the girl's wicked, boozy grandmother (Neva Carr-Glynn). "Age of Consent" was the last film in the remarkable career of the innovative director Michael Powell, and was made after a period of ostracism following the release of his controversial, ahead of its time "Peeping Tom" in 1960. Based on an autobiographical book by the Australian artist Norman Lindsay, it features a late career performance from Mason and a very early one from Mirren (who is incredibly sexy in the picture), both of which are excellent, and the central relationship between the two is surprisingly sweet. This is also a great looking picture, containing many of Powell's expected flourishes and like most of his films, many which were made with Emeric Pressburger, it ends well. The only flaw are the supporting performances from MacGowran and Carr-Glynn which are highly obnoxious and counter the tone of the film.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
In the middle of an air raid, a British RAF pilot (David Niven) makes a brief and undeniable connection with an American radio operator (Kim Hunter) before evacuating his plane without a parachute, an action that should have claimed his life had his heavenly handler been on point. Now while embarking on a love affair with the operator, the pilot is informed that he will have to argue the case for his life before an ethereal court and seek a representative who can best testify on his behalf. "A Matter of Life and Death" (released as "Stairway to Heaven" in the U.S.) is an incredible work from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger and serves as a summation for their numerous WWII films. A young Niven delivers a remarkable performance as the quintessential Brit and Hunter is his match playing his sweet soulmate. Roger Livesey has a great supporting role as a doctor helping Niven with his visions as does Raymond Massey who plays the prosecuting attorney, an English hating American revolutionary. Filmed where heaven is seen in tints and earth is shown in ebullient complexion, a counter to the color scheme presented in "The Wizard of Oz", "A Matter of Life and Death" ranks among The Archers most visually fantastic, imaginative, and touching features.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Set in tsarist Russia, Tolstoy's tragic heroine's (Keira Knightley) love affair with a dashing count (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is seen as played out largely upon a stage, which is coupled with the seldom filmed courtship of her sister-in-law (Alicia Vikander) to a meager landowner (Domhnall Gleeson). Joe Wright's adaptation of the often filmed classic is somewhat of a disappointment, considering what he did with the literary treatments of "Pride and Prejudice" and "Atonement", both of which feature Knightley. Here, with famed screen and playwright Tom Stoppard, he makes the dastardly decision of treating the sprawling work as a stage play, and severely limits not only the story, but his own visual talents. That being said, there are many sumptuous passages and Knightley delivers a fine performance. However, you are never quite sure what draws her to the count, who is unremarkably played by Taylor-Johnson). Jude Law does a much better job of investing subtle traces of humanity in a mostly cold bureaucrat, allowing you to see what Anna must have when they first married. Also, the Gleeson storyline adds little but length to the film, and it becomes evident why it had been omitted in so many other adaptations.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
4/8/12 A cheeky and intelligent teenager (Anna Paquin), living in a high rise flat with her stage actress mother (J. Smith-Cameron) and attending an esteemed private school with Manhattan's elite, feels guilty for the death of a woman (Allison Janney) hit by a bus she was flagging down. Having had a spiritual connections with the stranger in her dying moments and in trying to fit the tragedy in with her ideal world view, the teen reverses her initial story told to the police and attempts to hold the bus driver (Mark Ruffalo) pays for his transgression, a crusade that she doesn't care who it affects. "Margaret", based on a poem entitled "Spring and Fall" by Gerlad Manley Hopkins, is ambitious, literate, and incredibly well realized filmmaking from playwright Kenneth Lonergan who wonderfully captures New York City shortly after 9/11 and captures and explores many of the attitudes in that time frame. In addition to the main storyline featuring a nicely tweaked performance from Paquin, Lonergan juggles a different and sweet storyline featuring J. Smith-Cameron as Paquin's mom who embarks on a romance with an exceedingly charming Jean Reno. Matt Damon, Ruffalo, Matthew Broderick, and Lonergan himself also have excellent and often humorous supporting roles. "Margaret" strives to achieve a series of lofty goals, and carries them off with style, wit, and gusto.
11/25/12 I watched the extended version (which totals over three hours) of this excellent and troubled film (it spent over six years in post-production) and found it just as fine, if not superior to the theatrical version. It contains many new humorous and well approached scenes, in addition to more protracted shots of the city coupled with operatic overtones and muted eavesdropping on its anonymous inhabitants, all of which abets the the films. Once more, I appreciated the work of Paquin, Smith-Cameron, and the many fine supporting players.
11/25/12 I watched the extended version (which totals over three hours) of this excellent and troubled film (it spent over six years in post-production) and found it just as fine, if not superior to the theatrical version. It contains many new humorous and well approached scenes, in addition to more protracted shots of the city coupled with operatic overtones and muted eavesdropping on its anonymous inhabitants, all of which abets the the films. Once more, I appreciated the work of Paquin, Smith-Cameron, and the many fine supporting players.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
During WWII on the island of Pianosa located in the Mediterranean, Capt. Yossarian (Alan Arkin) finds his discharge request on the basis of insanity denied on the illogical Army maxim that a person recognizing his own insanity cannot in fact be declared. Yossarian now bears witness witness to the mad of war that envelops him as he deals with self serving superiors, the prospect of flying interminable missions, and witnessing the death of his contemporaries. "Catch-22" is a surprisingly sturdy adaptation of Joseph Heller's monumental 1962 which is probably unfilmable but must have seemed prime for a generation engulfed in the Vietnam War. It was director Mike Nichols and writer Buck Henry's (who also appears in the film as Lt.Col. Korn) followup to "The Graduate", and they make tolerable changes and offer about as good of an adaptation as can be expected, although much of Heller's dialogue is sadly omitted. I found Arkin to be wrong for Yossarian, as he contains hardly any of the disbelief or exasperation which distinguished that character as a hallmark of American literature. The greatest strength of the film can be found in the casting of the supporting roles of the eccentric servicemen, with Orson Welles, Martin Balsam, and Bob Newhart standing out as the most memorable.
Friday, November 23, 2012
In September of 1962, as the federal government was integrating the University of Mississippi and a band of U.S. Marshals were ushering James Meredith in as its first black student, the worst the state had to offer was on display as residents rioted and clashed in protest with the officers--a pathetic swan song and desperate last battle, if you will, of the Civil War. A group of Ole Miss football players determined to show a positive side of their state (bear with me, I'm merely reiterating the thesis of the film) and offered up the only undefeated season in school history. "Ghosts of Ole Miss" is a horribly written historical sports documentary featuring histrionic narration which draws absurd comparisons and conclusions and butchers what should have been an interesting story totally divesting it of any meaning whatsoever. The film is redeemed by interviews from members of that undefeated squad and with Meredith himself.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
A reporter (Rafe Spall) learns of a fantastical story and meets with Pi Patel (Irrfan Khan) to hear his version of events. Born in a zoo in French India and named after a Paris pool ("piscine") beloved by his champion swimmer uncle, young Pi (Ayush Tandon) found himself fascinated with and began adopting the ways of several religions ("I was a Catholic Hindu meaning I got to feel guilty before thousands of gods"). As a teen (now played by Suraj Sharma) when his father is forced to sell the zoo and travel to Canada by cargo ship with its inhabitants in tow, a devastating storm sweeps away his family and leaves him marooned on a lifeboat with a full grown Bengal tiger. "Life of Pi" is a wondrous and moving film from master filmmaker Ang Lee, who applies his deeply felt and sensitive abilities to a novel (written by Yann Martel) thought unfilmable by many and a 3D process deemed largely unpalatable. The result is a sumptuous feast, a visual wonder whose human story has moved me in a way that very few had done before.
side note: I read that Richard Parker, the tiger in the picture was almost entirely the result of computer generated imagery. While this conceit should have probably been obvious to me, it speaks to my feelings of the CGI process in that when it's done badly I don't want to see it, and when it's done splendidly I don't care to know how.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
A bipolar ex-high school teacher (Bradley Cooper), still in the heightened stages of mania, is released to his parent's custody (Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver) from a state mental hospital, where he determines to win back his estranged wife, whose marital infidelity was the stimulus for his latest psychotic episode. While his parents encourage him to get on his feet and partake in the Philadelphia Eagles games they so avidly enjoy, a young and likewise damage widow (Jennifer Lawrence) enters into his orbit and fosters his mental rehabilitation. From the novel written by Matthew Quick, David O. Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook" is a delightful and offbeat romantic comedy that elevates itself above the usual dreck and finds truth through humor in the familial elements of its story. One of the refreshing joys of the movie is witnessing a superb performance from an actor I haven't really admired, and Bradley Cooper asserts himself admirably here. Another is seeing an icon of the screen in De Niro, lately lost in a sea of unworthy movies, resurface in what will be seen as one of the finest turns of his career. I also appreciated the work of Weaver, Shea Whigham as Cooper's older brother, and Chris Tucker who pops up from time to time as an escaped patient from the mental ward. It's only in Jennifer Lawrence, who is too young for the role and seems to be trying way too hard, that the film falters.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Lured by a renewal of the Homestead Act in the early part of the 20th Century, a migration occurred toward the grasslands of the Great Plains, an area thought to be completely averse to agriculture. As the soil was plowed and masses of wheat crop were planted, though many plentiful years were seen, Mother Nature fought back and unleashed the greatest sustained natural catastrophe the United States has ever known. Over the course of a decade spanning the 1930s and coupled with the affects of the Great Depression, Plains inhabitants--most horridly those centered in the Oklahoma Panhandle--would suffered a barrage of incomparable dust storms and seemingly endless drought, leading to a kind of destitution unthinkable in today's America. Ken Burns' "The Dust Bowl" is both a heart rending remembrance as told by children of the era and a harrowing cautionary tale. Known primarily for his archival work and the pan and zoom "effect" which bears his name, this film serves as a reminder both of what a great filmmaker--capturing incredible present day shots of the land--and interviewer--eliciting profound and often agonizing stories from his subjects--Burns truly is.
Monday, November 19, 2012
As they embark on the international tour celebrating their 50 years together as a group, the living members of The Rolling Stones--Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood, Mick Taylor, Bill Wyman--reflect, through what can actually be remembered, on their spectacular rise to stardom and the controversial, often tumultuous events that followed which include several drug arrests and prosecutions, their nightmare at the Altamont Speedway, and the demise of bandmate Brian Jones. Declining to be photographed for the interview, the iconic group speaks over an incredible array of archival footage which showcases them at their best and their worst, and features what most people tuning into a Stones documentary want: a constant stream of their inimitable melodies.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
As the bloody siege of Petersburg has finally begun to show signs of a weakening Confederacy and a new assault on Willmington deems the fall of Richmond imminent, Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis), having just gained reelection, sees the current lame duck session as a crucial juncture in American history--one where he can both end the debilitating Civil War and abolish slavery through the passage of the 13th Amendment. Along with stalwart abolitionist and U.S. Representative Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones), Secretary of State and confidant William Seward (David Strathairn), and his frenzied yet adept wife Mary (Sally Field), and other members of his party, Lincoln schemes and deals as he braces the nation once more for cataclysmic change, in the final few months before his assassination. After years of production halts, Steven Spielberg finally brings his portrait of the 16th President to the big screen in typically masterful fashion. Working again with Tony Kushner ("Munich"), who scripted from Doris Kearns Goodwin's book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, Spielberg focuses on a very brief (though crucial) point of Lincoln's life and, in doing so, is able to offer an all-encompassing and uncompromising look at the life of our great secular saint, and even goes beyond that by offering a warm and humorous film that, among other things, details the inner workings of our Congress. In uncanny make-up, Day-Lewis is expectedly brilliant and commanding, rivaling even the greatest Abe film performances of Henry Fonda or Raymond Massey. His ability to channel Lincoln, underplay his hand, and not go over the top is only a testament to his considerable talents. The supporting cast is incredible and too vast to list here, with my favorites being Jones delivering an Oscar caliber, prickly (what else?) performance, Jackie Earle Haley as pragmatic Confederate Veep Alexander Stephens, and James Spader in an outrageous and pleasantly unexpected turn as a reprobate lobbyist. For the last few months prior to seeing the film my thoughts were, why are Spielberg engaging in such a safe project, right within both of their wheelhouses? Instead I was blown away in ways I never expected, by a film with a film that strives for realism with incredible epic ambition that is by turns stimulating, deeply felt, and entertaining.
Friday, November 16, 2012
Norman Mailer was an influential author and journalist known for his books The Naked and the Dead & The Executioner's Song, a famous profile of Marilyn Monroe, and cofounding The Village Voice. Yet, he also had an irascible, sometimes volatile personality, which resulted in an often tumultuous personal life, which is sadly what the filmmakers of this documentary chose to focus on, offering a tabloid view of what should have been an interesting life story. By the time the film concludes and the experts have espoused him as the greatest writer of the second half of the 20th Century, we don't feel we've been given that impression, or rather that these summations adequately sum up the film's theses. |
Installation view of “Rodrigo Hernández: The Gourd & The Fish,” 2018, at SALTS, Basel, Switzerland.
GUNNAR MEIER/COURTESY THE ARTIST, CHERTLÜDDE, BERLIN, MADRAGOA, LISBON, AND P420, BOLOGNA
The Artist Wasn’t Present: On MoMA’s Fumbled First Showing of Black American Art
From the Poor Image to Poetic Cinema: A Ranking of 20 Hito Steyerl Videos
From the Archives: A Look at Chicago’s Budding Art Scene, in 1955, by Museum Pioneer Peter Selz |
Four Films Division documentaries bag IDPA Awards
Mumbai / July 25, 2017
‘Kapila’ and ‘Living the Natural Way’, the two documentaries produced by Films Division, Mumbai, have won the Gold at the 12th IDPA Awards in up to 60 minutes and above 60 minutes category, striking a rare double honour.
‘Kapila’ an eponymous film by Sanju Surendran explores Koodiyattam – the classical theatrical art form of Kerala, through the life and recitals of young exponent Kapila Venu. The 62 minute documentary by the FTII alumnus captures the genius of the artiste through performances, rehearsals, memories and desires. This is the fourth award for Kapila, having already bagged 62nd National Film Award, Special Jury Award at Vision du Reel, Switzerland, 2016 and Best Documentary Award at 9th SiGNS film awards, Kerala.
Kapila Venu is a disciple of the Koodiyattam maestro Guru Ammannur Madhava Chakyar and is considered the torch bearer of the art form.
‘Living The Natural Way’ by Sanjib Parashar, winner of Golden Award in the Best film under non-fiction above 60 minutes unfolds the miraculous and tender process of the creation of a big river island with rich biodiversity on the barren sand deposits of river Brahmaputra by a tribal person over a period of 30 years. It also focuses on the destruction of the largest river island, Majuli in Assam.
Two more documentaries produced by Films Division of India have also been honoured.
While ‘Earth Crusader’ by Shabnam Sukhdev won the Certificate of Merit, ‘Silent Voices’ by Pritha Chatterjee got the honour of Jury’s Special Mention.
‘Earth Crusaders’ unveils the life and ideology of internationally renowned architect Didi Contractor, known for working and experimenting with sustainability in building homes driven by a strong Gandhian ideology. For the past two decades Didi Contractor has been passionately implementing her architectural visions in the Kangra Valley, at the foot hills of the Himalayas combining rural traditions with modern requirements
Pritha Chatterjee’s ‘Silent Voices’ tries to dig into three young Bengali women’s lives in respect of the sociological stand point and system of marriage.
Films Division, the oldest media unit under the Information & Broadcasting Ministry has been encouraging independent documentary production through funding, mentoring and finding outreach for issue based documentary films.
The IDPA Awards, instituted by the Indian Documentary Producers’ Association, the apex body of documentary makers, are considered prestigious by film makers. Every year, IDPA gives awards recognizing excellence in documentary films production, student films, animation films, public service films and a slew of technical categories.
The Films Division under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting also joined the ‘Green Maharashtra’ drive today by planting a number of saplings in its sprawling complex on Pedder Road in Mumbai. A total of 40 saplings were planted, with the hope of increasing the green cover at the complex, where the prestigious National Museum of Indian Cinema is also coming up.
Chairman, Central Board of Film Certification, Pahlaj Nihalani and other senior officials of the I&B Ministry media units including DG, Films Division Manish Desai, Director Swati Pandey, Addl. DG, Doordarshan, Sudarshan Pantode, CEO, CBFC, Anurag Srivastava and CEO, Children’s Films Society, Shravan Kumar also planted saplings.
Maharashtra forest department has launched an ambitious campaign of planting 5.5 crore saplings during this month. Out of this, 2.0 crore saplings are being planted in non-forest areas. Over 4,000 saplings will be planted in Mumbai city alone. To make tree plantation a mass movement, the state government has been making extensive use of mass media and digital media to propagate the ‘green Maharashtra’ message.
Films Division has prepared a two-and-a-half minute AV, ‘Harit Maharashtra’ incorporating appeals of Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao, CM Devendra Fadnavis, Forest Minister Mungantiwar and Brand Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, which is currently being screened in cinema theatres across Maharashtra. Maharashtra Minister for Finance, Planning and Forests, Sudhir Mungantiwar in his message has said “today, Maharashtra has a forest cover of only 20%. We need to increase it to 33%. Every single tree planted will increase the tree cover and help reduce the carbon foot print . In this regard, Films Division initiative is welcome”.
P I B
PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
Pratishtha Bhavan, Maharshi Karve Rd, Marine Lines, Mumbai. Tel: 022-2203 6435 / Fax 2206 2989
Event ID 106/2015-16
Press Conference on
Mumbai International Film Festival – MIFF 2016
|Event||Press Conference on the forthcoming 14th edition of Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short & Animation Films ( MIFF 2016 ) to be held from January 28 – February 3, 2016.
The Press Conference will be addressed by Mr. Mukesh Sharma, DG, Films Division; Mr. Siddharth Kak, Actor & anchor; Mr. Mike Pandey, Veteran documentary maker.
Mr. Jackie Shroff, brand ambassador of MIFF 2016 will also be present
|Day & Date||Monday, January 25, 2016|
|Venue||J.B. Hall, Films Division, 24, Peddar Road, Mumbai 400026.|
|Contact info.||Vinay Vairale 9869043864|
|PIB Cordinationemail@example.com / firstname.lastname@example.org|
Kindly depute your Correspondent / Photographer to cover the event .
P R E S S R E L E A S E
Documentary festival bonanza to start from January 28th in Mumbai
Jackie Shroff roped in as the brand ambassador of MIFF 2016.
Mumbai | January 21, 2016
The 14th edition of Mumbai International Film Festival, one of the most prestigious festival in the documentary, short and animation genre will be held in Mumbai from January 28 to February 03, 2016.
For the first time, veteran actor Jackie Shroff has been roped in as the brand ambassador of MIFF 2016, which is organized by the Films Division, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and is supported by the Government of Maharashtra.
Apart from the Competition Section, the festival has interesting packages like Homage, Retrospective & Special Package, Open Forum & Seminar, Workshop and Master Class etc.
The inauguration and closing functions will be held at the Ravindra Natya Mandir, Prabhadevi at 5.00 pm on 28th January and 03rd February, 2016 respectively.
The screenings will be held at
Mr. Mukesh Sharma, Director General, Films Division, Actor & Anchor -Siddharth Kak, Veteran documentary film maker – Mike Pandey & Actor – Jackie Shroff (Brand Ambassador) would address a press conference to give details about MIFF 2016 on January 25th at 04:00 p.m. at J.B. Hall, Films Division, Government of India, 24 – Dr. G. Deshmukh Marg, Peddar Road, Mumbai 400026.
Five documentary films produced by the Films Division of India have been selected in the prestigious Indian Panorama of the 46th International Film Festival of India-2015, Goa. This is a record for the 67 year old film production unit under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, having five of its best recent works finding place in the Indian Panorama the same year.
The Jury selected Phum Shang (Haobam Paban Kumar), Even Red Can Be Sad, (Amit Dutta), Aamar Katha: The Story of Binodini (Tuhinabha Majumdar), Spaces Between (Roohi Dixit & Ziba Bhagwagar) and Tender Is The Sight (Torsha Banerjee) for the Indian Panorama-2015.. Shri Mukesh Sharma, Director General Films Division while congratulating the film makers and crew for selection in the Indian Panorama has informed that the FD films and other films selected in the Panorama will be screened in the 46th IFFI, Panaji, Goa held between 20 – 30 November, 2015. All the five Films Division films have been selected in different national and international film festivals and won critical acclaim and awards, he added. Shri Sharma stated that while the Panorama films will be screened at select places after the IFFI- Goa, DVDs of FD films shall be available soon for sale, both on-line and from Films Division offices.
Rangbhoomi which is an invocation from the text of semi-autobiographical play of the same title by Dadasaheb Phalke has also been selected in the competition section of the prestigious Rome International Film Festival, 2013..
Two Films Division films, Rangbhoomi (Dir: Kamal Swaroop) and Manipuri Pony (Dir:Aribam Syam Sharma) have been selected in the Indian Panorama of 44th IFFI, Goa. Rangbhoomi will be the inaugural film of the Non-feature section of Indian Panorama..
This sure comes as soothing news for documentary film lovers as well as film makers. Films Division, the largest repository of documentaries, many of them having vintage value has slashed the prices of the footage and CDs in a big way after a recent costing review.
The 8000 plus films including INRs, news magazines, documentaries, animation films, shorts and featurettes are now available on VCD/DVD formats at ` 90/ 170 apiece, including taxes. The rare visuals of Gandhi, Nehru, Bose and Ambedkar, freedom struggle etc. can be procured in Beta format for rates ranging from ` 270 to ` 324 per meter while colour footage costs between ` 330 and ` 396. The B&W and color strip (35mm) rates have also come down to as low as ` 320-384 and `470-564 respectively. It may be mentioned that these footages were earlier priced above `1000 in all gauges while the DVD price was ` 338. Along with CDs and footages, the sale price of film prints has also been revised. The down-ward revision in rates will be of great relief for feature and documentary film makers who depend on Films Division for rare footage. Lovers of films on Indian classical music, dance, cinema and culture too stand benefitted with the cost of VCD and DVD coming down.
While Films Division CDs can be purchased from its Pedder Road head office in Mumbai or from its Branches in all major state capitals and cities, the footage can be procured after completing the formalities from its HO. Queries can be mailed to email@example.com.
(Anil Kumar N)
Officer In –charge (Distn) |
I like to think of the brain as a little spaceship. It has video cameras sticking out of the front, so it can see what's going on, and it has two microphones stuck on its sides - our ears! - so it can hear what's happening outside.
There are also cables coming in from the nose and the mouth, but that's not all. The brain also has millions of nerve cell cables stretching in from the body that carries this wondrous little thinking machine around.
Those cables from the body are so important that they are wrapped inside the thick bony tubing of the spinal column. Wriggle your toes and the news that this is happening zooms upwards, through long narrow nerve cells inside those cables, travelling at about a motorcycle's speed, until it reaches the brain.
There are detection units all over the body at the end of the nerve cells to let us know what's going on. In our important parts, such as the fingertips or tongue, those detection units - our nerve reception cells - are bunched closely together.
Even a tiny paper cut on your tongue feels huge. On your back, however, the nerve receptors are much further apart. If you take two finely sharpened pencils, and lightly press someone on the back with them an eighth or even a quarter of an inch apart, they usually won't be able to tell that you're using two pencils, and will think you only touched them in one place. The receptors are so far apart that only one gets struck. That's because the brain doesn't need so much information from there.
It would be no good if all the signals that come racing into your brain - from eyes and ears; from fingers and toes - just fell into an empty space once they arrived up there. Instead, there are dozens of different regions for analyzing what information arrives. At one time scientists thought it was very simple. Sound would go to a hearing unit, vision would go to a vision unit, and memories would go to some sort of miniature library, a bit like the storage disk on a computer.
There's a problem with that simple view, though. If the nerve cables from our eyes just went into a vision unit - something like a miniature cinema - then how would we know what we were seeing? You couldn't just say there was a little copy of yourself sitting watching everything, for what would be going on in "his" or "her" brain? Another, even smaller, little film watcher?
No one has ever been able to work out exactly what it is that defines our consciousness. What exactly is the "self" that perceives the world? And where is it to be found in the brain? Scientists don't really know.
The best we can say is that our brain can do a lot of information sorting without any little watching man inside having to do the work.
If something dangerous is moving quickly towards us, our brain will start sending signals down the nerve cables to our muscles to tell us to run away. To help us escape, some of the nerve cables stretch inside down to clusters of cells in our lower back that are on top of the kidneys. Since the Latin for "on top of" is "ad", and the Latin for kidneys is "renal", those clusters of cells are called "adrenal" glands, and what pours out is adrenalin. This sloshes through our body, and for a few minutes makes our muscles stronger and our vision sharper.
But not everything we see makes our brains hurry to get us to escape or stand still. Other aspects of what we see get brought into our memory and these are then compared with what we already know. Maybe the "thing" rushing towards us is actually a friend! We'll recognise the face, and instead of starting an adrenalin rush and running away, our brain will begin to prepare sentences to be spoken; it will give instructions to our mouth and tongue and chest to pour out air, causing it to vibrate so that it will produce the words we want to speak.
You might say thousands of words this way in a typical school day, but you won't remember most of them a few weeks later (how many sentences that you said exactly one week ago can you remember?). This is because most of the things we do or see or hear only get switched into short-term memory storage inside our brain. It's like remembering a phone number for just long enough to dial it. After a few seconds the nerve cells in our brains stop firing in the code that carries the phone number, and we "forget" it.
Sometimes though, for something that's really important, the incoming signals that we see or hear get transferred out of short-term memory. They get pushed through a switching centre called the hippocampus. This looks a bit like a tiny horse, and as the Greek for horse is "hippo" that's how it got its name. Once the signal is pushed through, it gets locked into long-term memory - something like a computer hard disk. Once it's there it has a chance of stay for many years.
When people get older, their long-term memory often remains good, but their hippocampus stops working as well as it used to, and they can't push so many of the signals they receive through it. But it is not just old people who can have this problem. When we are bored, we are less likely to transfer what we are seeing or thinking into permanent storage. When there is something that interests us, though - a sports match or gossip about a friend - we are suddenly ultra-alert. Our hippocampus and other parts of the brain are working full out, and the news gets through and locked into place.
The whole brain is divided pretty neatly into two sides. Most of the things the two sides do are similar, but there are some differences. The left side, for example, is usually better at understanding words and solving problems than the right, which is more emotional, and responds more to art and music. But this doesn't mean that if you're especially good at language it's because the left side of your brain is bigger than the other. All of us have a thick cable between the two sides, which constantly carries messages back and forth. What's thought or worked out on one side, gets quickly linked with what's going on in the other side.
A century ago, a lot of researchers were convinced that they'd found deep differences in the brains of people from different countries. They always seemed to find that people from their own countries had the biggest brains! When more reputable scientists went back to the research later, they found that there were no differences at all.
It's true, for example, that women tend to have smaller brains than men. But this is only because they're shorter on average. When you take two people of the same size, whether male or female, whether from Lancashire or Latin America, their brains work just the same: the nerve cells inside transmit information at just the same speed; the areas where their reasoning takes place are in the same place.
Nor is there any advantage for the taller folks. The overall weight of their brains will be slightly more, but that's because their bodies are bigger. The brain needs to use up more space just to supervise all that extra mass. The amount left over for reasoning and remembering and emotions is just the same.
One curious difference which does hold up though, is that for some reason women are often better at reading upside down than men. It's easy for most girls to read the following phrase: But most boys are probably already turning the page around to see what it says.
All the vision and memory and reasoning usually works fine, even though the cells crammed inside our brain are very small. There are about one thousand million of them in there - so there are almost the same number of cells in each of our brains as there are stars in the Milky Way.
About 20 per cent of all the food we eat - a fifth of every chocolate bar, hamburger, apple or chip - is transformed into the energy that feeds our brain. In young children it's higher, and up to 50 per cent of what a baby eats is turned into brain battery power. That's why your head gets so hot: the best way to stay warm on a cold day is to keep a hat on, so the heat that your brain produces can't escape.
Every few hours, bits of each brain cell that are damaged or used up get discarded, and fresh bits get built to take their place. By the end of a school day your brain is a bit different from what it was in the morning, and by the end of a week or two almost all the solid material inside your brain has been replaced by fresh sugars or fats taken from your food.
We make our brain out of our food, which means that our most personal thoughts - the way in which we think about ourselves whenever we look in a mirror - are actually made up of leftover bits of hamburgers and chocolate and other food. Think about that! |
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|HUJ Daphna Golan-Agnon Accused by Students of being Biased and Aggressive|
|In March 2019, IAM was contacted by an international student who studies at the International School of the Hebrew University. The student claimed an anti-Israel and anti-Semitic atmosphere on campus. The student also felt been treated differently and discriminated against, for being visually Jewish. But the student was unable to provide IAM with any written material to prove this case. In general, IAM is cautious when approached by students who may be unhappy with their grades only to blame the institution for political bias.
A few days ago, the media reported a complaint by students from the same International School at the Hebrew University, titled "Hebrew University’s International Graduate Professor Spouts Anti-Israel Rhetoric," as well as "Hebrew U. Prof Accused of ‘Systematic Misinformation,’ Political Bias.” This time the student provided proof, including a print-screen of an email arriving from Prof. Daphna Golan, who teaches this class, saying: “I am not sure why you are studying in my course – but both of your handouts are disgraceful... You are a student whose presence in class is very disturbing to the whole group and your remarks are very unpleasant. I am sorry I had to read your unpleasant and not intelligent papers. You got zero on both.” The print-screen shows this email was also sent to the program director Rula Abu Zayyad.
The media also interviewed another student from this class who said in response about Golan, that “The way she had attacked him [the student] was not okay... everyone in class was upset by the way she spoke to him.” The friend from class added that the assigned paper of this student was actually professional. “You could tell that the professor was very biased and aggressive to people whose positions weren’t the same as hers.”
A perusal at the syllabus of Golan's course "The Role of NGOs in Promoting Human Rights and Transitional Justice" reveals a one-sided picture and excess of activism. Students learn "the importance of the Nakba for Israelis and Palestinians." Golan’s reading assignment presents the Palestinian narrative alone and refers to Palestinian and Israeli NGOs protecting Palestinians rights. There is no effort to include the Israeli point of view.
Hebrew University is failing its duty to promote a more balanced view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This is especially regrettable because many American universities have taken steps to curtail the one-sided presentations driven by pro-Palestinian activists on campus.
Also, with regards to discrimination, Hebrew University should seriously look into all these cases by speaking to all the students participating in Golan's class. It should re-evaluate the student's assigned paper by an external examiner in order to determine whether the failing grade was a political bias on Golan's part. Whether it is or isn't, her use of language aimed at this or other students is unacceptable.
IAM will report in due course on further development of this case.
|Research on Palestinian Martyrdom: from the Hebrew University to New Zealand University|
|Mariam Abdul-Dayyem and Efrat Ben-Ze’ev, two researchers from the Hebrew University have published their findings on the concept of Shahid, in the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. Abdul-Dayyem, a Palestinian from East Jerusalem, conducted the research while studying for an MA at the Department of Sociology. She previously studied at Birzeit University. Prof. Ben Ze'ev is an associate fellow at the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace.
Shahid is the Islamic martyr who sacrifices his/her life. The concept is part of a collective heritage of Muslim communities, since the early stages of childhood, taught and discussed at home and school as an integral element of public life and space. The research is based on Abdul-Dayyem's two periods of fieldwork, first, a year-long at Birzeit University in 2007–2008 and second, in various locations in the West Bank, from May to December 2017.
As explained in the introduction, before starting the research, Abdul-Dayyem was concerned that studying in a Jewish institution would be interpreted by the Birzeit students as a betrayal. Due to her hesitation, a Birzeit cafeteria worker, “known for his patriotism”, offered to assist her in locating interviewees. She was then confident to approach students, introducing her research topic and mentioning her affiliation with the Hebrew University.
In the first period, Abdul-Dayyem interviewed students with diverse levels of religiosity, secularity, and conservatism. Nine of them had no political affiliations, two were associated with Hamas, three with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, one with Fatah and one with the Communist Party. All of them were studying for BA and ranged in age from 19 to 27 years.
During her interviews, there was generally an admiration for the shahid’s willingness to sacrifice him/herself for the collective. The subjects emphasized that the sacrifice was for "the people” and that "such a sacrifice makes for a more meaningful death.” They even described it as “beautiful”. The researchers noted that the concept of Shahid is relevant for all Palestinians, secular and religious, Christian and Muslim.
The authors explored the concept of the Istishhadi, when, "he or she who commits a suicide attack against those viewed as invaders." The authors noted that the term is relatively new and appeared in the Palestinian public scene since the early to mid-1990s, following the Oslo Accords, when suicide bombing began. While the authors admit the act was controversial, their interviewees were exploring its positive sides.
The authors revisited the topic in the second period of research, a decade later, to reassess the role of the Shahid as an icon. This time they focused on the use of new media and digital culture. Thirty-six people were interviewed, both in cities and villages. Abdul-Dayyem's interviewees were activists, journalists, scholars, and students.
The authors noted the impact of major political changes that had taken place from 2007 to 2017. Attempt to gain independence failed; “the Palestinian Authority was still struggling to func;tion under conditions of a very limited level of sovereignty. The Hamas-Fatah divide grew deeper and the prolonged Israeli siege on Gaza, with intermittent incursions, attacks and killing, continued for an entire decade." Following the Arab Spring, the Middle East has transformed into civil wars, “attracting the media’s attention away from the Palestinian cause".
Only one interviewee was negative about some aspects of martyrdom. Salaam, a 26-year-old activist, and journalist from a village near Jenin was explicit in her rejection of the "veneration of a ‘death culture.’" Salaam stated: "Historically, we promoted the death culture through funerals, through the glorification of the shahīd’s mother, through posters, through calling him a hero. I am against calling him a hero. He should be called a victim, especially if he was a child. They spread the idea of death and it is very ugly, even through the slogans in funerals and demonstrations—‘with soul, with blood, we sacrifice you, ya shahīd’. If someone wants to grieve, it is Ok to grieve; it is your right. It is normal to see someone crying if she lost her son. It is not normal to see her trilling. We spread the death culture. The struggle was used to spread a culture of death. It can be so until you are personally effected. Once you are effected, it stops being your culture. If I will lose my son, I will stop promoting this culture, I will stop yelling these slogans."
The authors noted that Salam’s attitude is not necessarily embraced by the bereaved families. Salaam thought that "Palestinians should also re-think the representations they used because they address non-Palestinian audiences." Salaam stated "We do not have an awareness of social media conventions. We still post the blood and bodies’ images. It effected the Palestinian cause negatively. Israel has an electronic army and uses social media to deliver its messages in order to tell the Israeli narrative. We still post photos of bodies that make people turn away. Death, blood, bodies no longer arouse identification", Salaam's position, according to the authors, may indicate that "the shahīd and the istishhādī as icons have lost some ground." Based on Salaam's account, the authors questioned if there was too much emphasis on blood scenes, part of the "death culture" which invading daily life, and particularly the media. And, that too little attention is being paid to individual choices as well as to the impact of death on bereaved families. For the authors, "the ideas associated with a culture of death may not be understood by a ‘foreign audience’, nowadays far more exposed to footage coming from the OPT."
In their conclusion, the authors were not sure whether there was a decline in the role of the Shahid as an icon and were "hesitant to argue that the shahīd has lost its symbolic value altogether. We have witnessed the flexibility of this icon, which has taken on a variety of meanings that often seem incompatiable [sic]. Moreover, the shahīd was present in the early days of Palestinian nationalism, waned and re-emerged. It is likely that the shahīd will not disappear altogether, but time will tell what new forms it will acquire."
Conducting research on this matter with Palestinians could be more confusing than expected.
When Ben-Zeev researched for her Ph.D. thesis in the late 1990s, one of her Palestinian interviewees told her: "Whoever comes to talk with us about our problems from the other side, is first and foremost from the other side. We suspect him and keep suspecting all the time... because this data, whatever is written down, will help the other side. Therefore, I mean generally, therefore, people will hide certain things. Certain people will hide things." Strange as it was, Ben-Ze’ev, is a life-long pro-Palestinian activist. For example, she was a signatory to the statement in 2014 by Israeli academics, stating they “wish it to be known that they utterly deplore the aggressive military strategy being deployed by the Israeli government. The slaughter of large numbers of wholly innocent people is placing yet more barriers of blood in the way of the negotiated agreement which is the only alternative to the occupation and endless oppression of the Palestinian people. Israel must agree to an immediate cease-fire, and start negotiating in good faith for the end of the occupation and settlements, through a just peace agreement.” It said.
Abdul-Dayyem is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Otago, New Zealand. Her topic is the impact of social media on social movements within the Israel-Palestine conflict. But New Zealand is not really detached from the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The NZ Palestine Solidarity Network is quite active. In May 2018 it hosted Palestinian author Dr. Ramzy Baroud, who spoke on "Reclaiming the Palestinian Narrative," about his work and his latest book The Last Earth: A Palestinian Story. In similar veins, another lecturer questioned: "Are Palestinian people tangata whenua?" Explaining that "Tangata whenua is a peculiarly Aotearoa New Zealand term used by Maori to self-describe and by non-Maori to describe those whom they believe to be indigenous to the land."
Exploring the issue of Palestinian resistance and Sumud, Dr. Nijmeh Ali completed her Ph.D. thesis last year at the University of Otago, titled "The Hidden Potential of the Palestinian Resistance in Israel: A Grounded Theory Study on Resistance among Palestinian Activists in Israel". According to the abstract,
After nearly seventy years of adopting the same tools of protest, either by taking part in the Israeli political system through participation in elections or practicing cultural resistance, Palestinian activists feel that they are at a critical juncture, questioning their choice of tools for protest and the efficacy of being an integral part of a political system that oppresses them, hoping to bring change from ‘inside’. The question of effective resistance methods seems to be more acute in the shadow of political, economic and social changes, both among the Israelis and the Palestinians in Israel. These dynamic contexts invite us to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of the Palestinians in Israel in their ability to bring about social change. After years of employing certain tools within the citizenship approach, and the tension between the most appropriate and the most effective methods of protest, it is timely to evaluate their effectiveness and to look to further possible scenarios. It also opens the door for examining the hidden potential of Palestinians in Israel in reshaping the political power structures in Israel. This project, therefore, influenced by resistance theory and constructivist grounded theory as research method, tracks the experiences of Palestinian activists in Israel, their understanding of Sumud and their potential in constructing Palestinian resistance and its potential in transforming the power structure in Israel.
Ali is a former teacher of civics and pluriculturalism at the Hebrew University Gilo Center for Citizenship, Democracy and Civic Education which was founded and directed by Prof. Dan Avnon.
New Zealand's University of Otago is becoming the center for terrorist sympathizers. Prof. Richard Jackson from the National Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies is the editor-in-chief of the Journal Critical Studies on Terrorism. The journal, "calls for critical reflection on the state and direction of terrorism research... [since] much of the new research – and much of the early research on political terrorism – fails to meet rigorous standards of scholarship. Related to this, it is also possible to discern a growing and deep-seated sense of unease about the progress and consequences of the global war on terror". Having this approach in mind, Jackson published a paper "Confessions of a Terrorist Sympathiser". Where he stated that "I am a terrorist sympathizer because I can understand how a young woman from Gaza might consider that she has no real future, nothing but daily humiliations, the continued threat of being shot by an Israeli soldier or firebombed by a settler, or being arrested and tortured by the police."
There is a question to ask, is New Zealand taking the Palestinian side? In December 2016 a United Nations Security Council resolution, co-sponsored by New Zealand, stated that Israel's settlement activity was a "flagrant violation" of international law and had no legal validity. Shortly after, a number of New Zealand's leading academics on conflict resolution and Israel-Palestine slammed the New Zealand government for "dangerous double standard," for not being harsh enough against Israel.
Stephen Daisley, the renowned New Zealand novelist, wrote in October 2018, in his blog on the Spectator, that "The progressive West must stop fetishizing Palestinian extremists", referring also to New Zealand.
IAM shall report on these developments in due course.
|HUJ Political Activist Disguised as Academic: Dr. Ofer Cassif is Hadash Party Knesset Candidate |
|IAM reported many times about Dr. Ofer Cassif, one of the most radical academics in Israel. For years he took advantages of the lax higher education system to preach his anti-Israel politics. Serving as a member of the political bureau of the Israeli Communist Party, he finally won the third place in the Hadash party, making him a candidate for the Knesset. BGU Dr. Efraim Davidi, Noa Levy, and Dr. Yeela Raanan were also competing.
Cassif's courses in Political Science at the Hebrew University and the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Academic College have mirrored his politics: "Capital and Government"; "Capital, Government and Social Justice"; "Cinema and Politics"; "Fascism - Past and Present". In 2015, Cassif was quoted calling Minister Ayelet Shaked "neo-Nazi scum," and in 2016 he was recorded on tape by a student, claiming that the Israeli government's laws are quite similar to that of Germany in the 1930s.
Cassif has been a long time activist. He was the first army refuser to be jailed during the first Intifada. In 2002 he was among the signatories in a petition by Palestinian activists, "Urgent Call to World Civil Society: Break the Conspiracy of Silence, Act Before it is too Late." The undersigned stated they "believe that a full-scale Israeli offensive throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) is imminent and that such an unprecedented attack demands from global civil society an unprecedented response. For this reason, we urge global civil society – including human rights organizations, solidarity groups, and individuals – to take immediate direct action to stop Israel’s all-out war against the Palestinian people".
Cassif's 2006 Ph.D. thesis, On Nationalism and Democracy: A Marxist Examination, at the London School of Economics and Political Science, departs from Rosa Luxemburg's statement that "Historical development toward a universal community of civilization will, like all social development, take place in the midst of a contradiction". In his view, the contradiction is the spreading of nationalist particularism and the support for democracy. He stated that his thesis "shows that both democracy (as we commonly understand it today) and nationalism are strongly embedded in modern conditions (primarily capitalism)" are having "inherent contradictions." His solution is, "What is urgently needed, I argue, is a form of democracy that could transcend the contradictions latent in modern capitalism." Such a democracy "must be a socialist one in which the means of identity production are collectively owned."
As a lecturer at the Hebrew University he was invited, in 2009, to speak in a conference about "Israel between democracy and ethnocracy," at the Institute of Political Science of the University of the Republic, Uruguay. As well as participated in the annual Marx Forum, along with other political-academic comrades.
But the peak of his political career was in 2011, when he participated in a joint Hadash and Communist Party delegation who met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) in Ramallah. Abbas said in the meeting "The PLO is working to gain UN membership for a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital."
IAM reported that in 2012, Cassif was appointed the head of the International Relations Committee of the Communist Party. The Party's announcement stated that "Comrade Cassif is a member of the Political Bureau of CPI. He previously served as parliamentary assistant to the late comrade Meir Vilner, and was the first to be jailed for refusing to serve in the Occupied Palestinian Territories during the first Intifada. On the whole, he was jailed four times in Israeli military prisons."
In 2013 IAM reported on Cassif who was invited, as a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, to the15th International Meeting of Communist and Workers Parties held in Lisbon, Portugal. In his lecture, Cassif stated that the Israeli colonization of the territories is getting deeper and crueler. "Natural resources like water and land are regularly robbed by Israeli Zionist authorities for the sake of Jewish settlers; Palestinians’ freedom of movement, worship and assembly are strictly limited; peaceful demonstrators and non-violent protesters are often arrested, beaten, and occasionally even shot; and trees, fields and other assets owned by Palestinians are burnt and damaged on a daily basis by Jewish settlers, while Israeli soldiers and other officials ignore that fascist vandalism – as if we were talking about KKK in Alabama under George Wallace... The brutal colonialist regime that Israeli Zionist governments have been retaining for decades in the Palestinian occupied territories is accompanied by vicious capitalist and racist policies in Israel proper."
During his long career as a lecturer, Cassif hasn't published anything academic. He has a semi-academic paper in the journal Theory & Event, in 2015 "The War with Gaza Did Not Take Place," postulating there was no war with Gaza, "but an atrocity; no conflict with Hamas but an assault by Israel on the people of Gaza." He charges Israel with war-crimes and determines that "The next stop, then, should be The Hague." For Cassif, it's all Israel's fault. "The Nakba was followed by the imposition of military rule on Arab-Palestinian citizens from 1948 to 1966, and their systematic discrimination and marginalization ever after. Along with the 1967 occupation of yet more Palestinian territories came the criminal establishment of Jewish settlements in 'them. The racism within Israel feeds into justification of the occupation by representing the colonized/occupied as 'inferior,' 'barbarian,' or 'primitive.'"
The fact that Cassif was appointed a lecturer of politics and government at the prestigious Hebrew University, is attesting to the failure of the appointment committee which is marred by political favoritism in contrast to academic values and spirit. The committee should be investigated for the breach of confidence, to make sure that such an abuse of the academic privileges cannot happen again.
|Grant Paid by ISEF: Israeli "State’s Racist Project...Targeting of Palestinian Children" - by HUJ Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian|
|Last week the media broke out with the story "Hebrew U Professor to Give a Talk on Israel Using Palestinian Kids as 'Arms Laboratories'," about Prof. Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, the Lawrence D. Biele Chair in Law at the Faculty of Law-Institute of Criminology and the School of Social Work and Public Welfare at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Chair in Global Law at Queen Mary University of London.
Shalhoub-Kevorkian will be traveling to Amsterdam to give a lecture, on the 22nd of January, about Israeli security agencies who "market their technologies as 'combat proven'", based on "surveying, imprisoning, torturing and killing" then selling the knowledge to clients such as "states, arms companies, and security agencies." Palestinian children are used by Israeli "laboratory," as "unchilded disposable others, whose bodies are used to transfer knowledge and to market technologies of violence." Her lecture is based on the voices and writings of Jerusalemite children who "live under Occupation.”
Three groups are organizing the lecture: FFIPP NL, an educational network for human rights in Palestine/Israel; Palestine Link, an organization of Palestinians in the Netherlands; and Gate48, a group of Israelis living in the Netherlands "who oppose the occupation of the Palestinian territories and call for its end."
When asked, the Hebrew University said it didn’t fund the trip to Amsterdam and that she “accepted an invitation to speak at the conference on her own time and on her own dime.”
But, as can be seen, for this research Shalhoub Kevorkian has received a grant from the Israeli Science Foundation (ISEF). Grant number 1019/16, as acknowledged in her latest article, "Arrested Childhood in Spaces of Indifference: The Criminalized Children of Occupied East Jerusalem", co-authored with Shahrazad Odeh, a HUJ human rights lawyer. The article accuses Israel of "colonial violence inflicted upon incarcerated children’s bodies" and discusses the "role of the Israeli politico-legal system in framing and constructing the racialization of children." The article demonstrates how the Israeli criminal justice system is "fundamental to the Israeli state’s targeting of Palestinian children". The authors argue that child arrest is "a political mechanism" in the "processes of colonial dispossession". The article emphasizes "the core role of the Israeli legal system in the state's racist project," and concludes by claiming that the Israeli legal system dismisses the "basic rights of the Palestinian child."
On the 27 February 2019 Shalhoub-Kevorkian will speak on this topic at the School of Law, Queen Mary University of London.
Her previous work is equally biased against Israel. Her 2009 article argues, "First, that Palestinian children living in the settler colonial conditions of the Palestinian home/land are increasingly targeted in the Israeli state’s eliminatory violence. Second, that denying children from their childhood and humanity relegates them to a death zone, a position that not only denies their suffering, but also constructs them as always already terrorist others who should be disciplined and violated." She wishes to place the "practices in a historical continuum of Israeli colonial violence, which has since the Nakba racialized the Palestinian people as ‘Others’ slated for elimination and attempted to strip them of their humanity. That child arrest practices are legally licensed offer a graphic and visible exercise of state violence, evidencing how laws enable the state and its agents to inflict violence in a ‘legal’, ‘securitized’ and ‘rational’ manner."
Shalhoub-Kevorkian's 2015 book, Security Theology, Surveillance and the Politics of Fear, examines Palestinian experiences within the context of "Israeli settler colonialism" and explores how "Israeli theologies and ideologies of security, surveillance and fear can obscure violence and power dynamics while perpetuating existing power structures. Drawing from everyday aspects of Palestinian victimization, survival, life and death, and moving between the local and the global." She introduces and defines the "politics of fear" within Palestine/Israel. She examines the "settler colonial state's machineries of surveillance which produce and maintain a political economy of fear that justifies colonial violence."
IAM reported on Shalhoub-Kevorkian anti-Israel approach before, as she was, in fact, working for the Palestinian Authority through the Ministry of Women’s Affairs' chapter of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA). The YWCA reported that in 2007, Shalhoub-Kevorkian published the study "Facing the Wall: Palestinian Children and Adolescents Speak about the Israeli Separation Wall" which showcased the "heavy price Palestinian adolescents have to face, both for being Palestinians and also for living in the shadow of the Wall. The recurring words of the Palestinian teenagers in that study were 'divider', 'apartheid,' 'snake,' 'dangerous disease;' all of which were revolved around the symbolic as well as physical reality of the Wall; a nightmare creeping into the dreams of Palestinians." YWCA also reported on a study by Shalhoub-Kevorkian, launched in Ramallah in 2010, "Military Occupation, Trauma and the Violence of Exclusion: Trapped bodies and lives. IAM reported that during Israel Apartheid Week 2011, Shalhoub-Kevorkian spoke about "Apartheid – Birth and Death in Jerusalem."
It is true that Shalhoub-Kevorkian is traveling "on her own dime” as the Hebrew University has stated. But it is equally true that she received a grant, and uses her position at the top Israeli university to legitimize her radical views. Trying to find a balance between academic freedom and aggressive anti-Israel propaganda is not easy. It is incumbent on the university authorities to initiate a discussion on the subject. HUJ is a public university which is funded by taxpayers and thus is accountable to them and their elected representatives. By ignoring this fact, the university is defaulting on its duty of good citizenship.
|Ill-Treatment of a Student-Soldier by HUJ Carola Hilfrich
|Last week, Kan TV News broke out with the story of a student in a course by Dr. Carola Hilfrich at the Hebrew University wearing IDF uniform claimed to be harassed by an Arab student. The soldier complained after class to Dr. Hilfrich who, in turn, lambasted her for being a soldier in the Israeli army, which hurts other students' feelings: "You can't be naïve enough to ask to be treated as a civilian when you are in uniform. You are a soldier in the Israeli army and people treat you accordingly," the lecturer said. Then the student asked: "Does it bother you that I'm wearing the uniform in class?" Hilfrich replied: "There are people whose civil society is as important to them as the army is to you, and you must accept their priorities as tolerantly as they accept yours.” The video recording of the incident clearly indicates that Hilfrich raised her voice at the student-soldier.
Following the incident, the HUJ placed ads in various newspapers assuring students that they are welcome wearing uniforms and apologizing for the incident. Subsequent media reports revealed that the student-soldier was a former member of the student group Im Tirtzu; some even implied that the woman soldier staged the incident in order to trap the professor. These revelations were enough to prompt some HUJ faculty to circulate petitions in support of Dr. Hilfrich. Professor Asher Cohen, the president of HUJ issued a statement on TV Channel 2 News: “The Hebrew University embraces and supports students who serve as soldiers. Unfortunately, this happened because of the false manipulations and disinformation spread around this video, especially by the truly despicable organization called Im Tirtzu that created these manipulations... The army's most prestigious programs are run by us, we have always supported servicemen and will always support servicemen. And yet we live in very challenging times, of social networks, disinformation and false manipulations which can create a false impression... We did not abandon the lecturer. In my opinion, both the lecturer and the student are victims of the same manipulation done by that organization. There is also a third victim, the Hebrew University, and we wanted to end this saga and clarify. We also did not express an apology in the simplest sense. We said that we were sorry if someone was hurt."
Claims about the alleged stunt operation by the Im Tirtzu is not relevant to the case. The complaint stands on its own; the student claims of harassment by another student and, regardless whether she is a right-winger, left-winger, or centrist, the professor needed to investigate the complaint just like any other complaint of harassment. Students should be treated as equal, regardless of their political affiliation. In fact, the various HUJ codes assure this right. The faculty who signed a petition in support of Dr. Hilfrich should also know that. But as IAM documented over and over again, Israeli social science and humanities faculty are skewed left-wing and tend to protect their radical peers.
Unquestionably, Dr. Hiflrich has a long history of radical activism. In 2003, she was among Israeli Academics who supported students refusing to serve as soldiers in the occupied territories. In 2004, she was among the signatories of the Olga Document, recognizing the right to return. In 2014 she was among the academic signatories in the petition blaming Israel for the war with Gaza.
Hilfrich is also not the only one who took offense to soldiers wearing the uniform. In 2007, IAM reported on a cinematography student at Sapir College who entered the class wearing IDF uniform and was ordered to leave by the Arab lecturer Nizar Hassan. The administration stood by the soldier. Soon-after the story broke out, petitions circulated in support of the lecturer, signed by dozens of Jewish and Arab university lecturers, praising Hassan as "a talented and courageous artist whose only sin was his attempt to maintain universal civic values, [who] pointed to the serious phenomenon of the great involvement of the army in campus life." Quite similar to the case of Hilfrich.
In response to Dr. Hilfrich treatment of the soldier, Shmuel Slavin, a member of a committee monitoring the implementation of the Recovery Plan to the Hebrew University (part of the Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Council for Higher Education), sent a harsh letter in protest and also suspended his membership on the committee. The role of the committee is to supervise the recovery plan initiated by the Ministry of Finance for the Hebrew University, which was facing heavy financial deficits. The plan was launched in February 2018, and the state is expected to transfer to the Hebrew University a total of NIS 700 million over a decade. The plan also includes a reduction in the number of jobs, with the university committing itself to cover deficits in the amount of NIS 900 million, including by selling assets worth NIS 400 million.
While Hebrew University is depended on the state for financial support, it is expected in return to treat with respect the taxpayers. To prevent such incidents reoccurring in the future, university administrations need to emphasize that students in uniform, regardless of their political affiliation, should be afforded equal treatment. Radical academics should be put on notice that they are violating the regulations by taking matters into their own hands.
|HUJ Yael Berda Sociology Courses are Political Activism Paid by the Taxpayers|
|IAM often reports about the new generation of political activists eager to gain tenure in Israeli universities. One such an example is Dr. Yael Berda of the Hebrew University's Sociology Department.
Trained as a lawyer, Berda is a longstanding activist with Machsom Watch, a group that opposes Israeli checkpoints in Judea and Samaria. When studying for a PhD in Princeton University, Berda was a member of the Princeton Committee on Palestine (PCP) which "works to end the occupation in Palestine, defend Palestinian human rights, and raise awareness in the Princeton community about the Palestinian narrative." While in Princeton she also joined other Israeli academics from various American universities, who formed the Israeli Opposition Network, aiming to "oppose current Israeli Leadership" and to warn that the "election results threaten democracy and rule of law in Israel."
Clearly, in her writing and activism Berda turns a blind eye to Palestinian violence against Israelis by opposing Israel's measures to thwart terrorist threats. As she said in an interview, about the years when she took the first legal case as an independent lawyer. "I was shocked by what I saw in the Military Courts. Not only was there a separation of laws for every population, but there was physical separation in the court between the entry of Jewish citizens and the entrance of Palestinian residents, and even separate seating areas. One of the soldiers told me, 'Why are you in shock? This is the territories - there are other laws here.'"
On a regular basis, Berda is the organizer of demonstrations by a group of Israelis who march near the border-fence with Gaza waving banners in against the siege of Gaza. When Berda was interviewed she said "It is important for us that people on the other side see us, that they see there are different voices, and that they know that we think there is a need to talk about the right of return, about the Palestinian refugees. It must be part of an agreement. Until we talk about it - we can not end the conflict."
Berda's political thought brought her to the group "The Two States, One Homeland," sponsored by the New Israel Fund, an initiative by Israeli journalist Meron Rapoport and Palestinian activist Awni Al-Mashni, a Fatah political activist. The group intends to present "a homeland shared by two people [while] each having deep historic, religious and cultural connections to the land."
Already in 2006 Berda was recruiting students to volunteer in organizations such as Yesh Din and Machsom Watch, promising them NIS 1450 grant. As an MA student of Sociology, Berda was a teaching assistant to TAU Prof. Yehuda Shenhav at the Hebrew University's Campus-Community Partnerships for a Social Change, a project initiated by Daphna Golan-Agnon, Faculty of Law. The course "Bureaucracy, Governance and Human Rights" was taught by Shenhav, instructed by Barda with a guest lecturer Adv. Michael Sfard. The course intended to deal with "practice and management theory, while focusing on control techniques that have emerged within the context of the Israeli occupation in the territories." The historical roots, to try to place them within the "colonial context, especially the British and the French ones". In particular, the course focused on the "connection between race and bureaucracy," The course intended especially to "look beyond the shoulder of the worker in the civil service to try to understand the mechanism in which it operates. The course was defined as a seminar that combines theory and practice." In addition to Shenhav, "Sfard joined the course as a guest lecturer and legal adviser to Yesh Din. The students take action every two weeks in observations, in the project of Military Court Observers, a project of Yesh Din and in the Coordination Project of Machsom Watch. The students work with the assistance of the organizations in documenting, representing and liaising with the official authorities, while keeping a travelogue of activities. The students accompanied by Adv. Yael Barda, at the individual level and the group level. The students receive travel fee to the places of activity and an annual grant of NIS 1450. At the end of the year, each student submits an article based on the activities and experiences relating to the theoretical content of the course. Some of these articles were selected for publication in a book edited by Shenhav, Sfard and Barda, in partnership with the organizations."
Clearly, Berda's scholarship is a configuration of her politics, as can be seen in her article published recently in the American Sociological Association's newsletter, Trajectories, based on the conference "Empires, Colonies, Indigenous Peoples". In Berda's paper, "Legacies of Suspicion: From British Colonial Emergency Regulations to the ‘War on Terror’ in Israel and India" she aligns herself with the latest academic trend accusing British colonialism for the failures of the former colonies.
Berda's one-homeland solution is reflected in the argument, that the 1948 partition between the Jews and the Palestinians has turned the Palestinian minorities in Israel "into foreign and dangerous populations [which] were perceived as hostile because they were on the 'wrong' side of the border." In particular, she claims, the "emergency laws targeted certain problematic or 'dangerous' segments of the subject population". For Berda, Israel treats Palestinian political activists as terrorists. Again turning her argument into the context of race, she suggests that on racial grounds Israel prefers Jews. As "the laws targeted the subjects of the military regime who became Palestinian citizens of Israel. Emergency regulations were used against Jewish citizens only in a handful of cases." Claiming that her comparative study of emergency regulations, "illuminates the inherent tension of the liberal principle of 'the rule of law'", because it gives a "political legitimacy to infringe on civil rights, so long as the infringement abides by institutional standards". In principle, Berda postulates, "laws preserving security include potential infringement of civil and political rights to such a degree that democratic structure becomes hollow." One of her findings is that Palestinian "classification was also according to the degree of loyalty to the regime, or the suspicion of posing a security risk, which I call 'the axis of suspicion'. The classification and monitoring systems were critical because they enabled the colonial bureaucracy to use emergency laws as a practical tool of government."
Berda claims that, "The attitude of the Israeli state apparatus towards the remainder of the Palestinian population blurred the boundaries between a security threat and a political threat, specifically regarding their status as an enemy population whose very citizenship was questioned until as late as 1952, when the Citizenship Law was passed." Berda postulates that Israel confuses between Palestinian terrorism and Palestinian political activities. She claims that Israel's definition of the "boundaries of terrorism, make participation in political activity in general and public events in particular, a risky affair for minority populations already perceived as dangerous by the regime." Berda takes her argument further by claiming that "offenses for supporting, identifying with, and abetting terrorism, are defined so broadly (with terms like 'terrorist act', terrorist organization', and 'membership of a terrorist organization') that political identity, belonging to a particular community, or residence in an area designated as 'terrorist infrastructure', can be enough to suspend one’s right to due process."
Berda's conclusion is based on Oren Yiftachel's 2006 book, Ethnocracy: Land and identity politics in Israel/Palestin, as she ends by stating that the "legislation on political belonging and identity in Israel will enable a broad assault on the civil rights of not only Palestinians but also Jewish members of the opposition, changing the “ethnocratic” nature of the political regime." Berda suggests that the Israeli legislation will enable an assault on her and others for being the political opposition.
From an academic perspective, her teaching reflects her political activism. Three course syllabi make a clear case:
Her syllabus "Bureaucracy and State" The course "focuses on state bureaucracies, the institutional practices of the executive Branch and its political influence on the daily life of citizens. our premise is that organizations within state bureaucracy have great political power, that are not politically neutral. We will explore the bureaucracy of the state through a comparative lens and locate daily practices and routines that are created within particular historical, economic and cultural conditions and constraints (In Israel, US, India, The British and Ottoman Empires and more). We will learn to apply institutional and political theory to contemporary cases, particularly the relationship between bureaucracy, sovereignty and violations of citizens rights."
Her syllabus "Sociology of Law" is teaching that "The sociological approach to the law suggests looking at legal structures, how the law turns into culture and ideology, on the political and social power of institutions. In this course, we will learn, through current and sometimes urgent and controversial issues, about how law, social institutions and economic and political practices are building each other. The course is critical of the tradition of the "Law and Society" movement and seeks to challenge concepts that consider the law an independent system that is somehow disconnected from the country's political economy and social life. In addition, the Law and Society movement saw in the law as a significant tool for a broad social and political change, and throughout the course we will also discuss the range of possibilities for social change offered by the reading materials and discussions in the classroom."
Her course "Society in Israel" includes three field tours, The Supreme Court; Musrara - Following the Black Panthers; and The Politics of Archeology Tour of Silwan/City of David.
Berda does not hide her ambition. In an interview about her return to Israel, Berda expressed her views, "I say to myself: 'Everything I do here is a contribution to both the policy and the way people perceive themselves.' I want to open people's mind to alternative thinking. People are afraid to open their mouths not to be accused for not being loyal enough, and I want to be the person they meet and tell them that it is possible to live here and expect full equality of rights for Palestinians, and that it is possible to bridge the gaps. "It's very hard because all day you're busy explaining the obvious, but I have no doubt that my life here means a lot more. It's to take part in the struggles and be active. And it's not just me but my children who go to a bilingual school and study Arabic. It is not enough just to live here, we have to struggle. There is a great struggle for the future, and in the meantime the democratic camp is losing. Therefore, I choose to live here to influence."
Clearly, there is no reason why the taxpayers should sponsor political activism dressed as scholarship.
|Learning Conference Organizers Respond to the IAM Post Concerning HUJ Prof. Nurit Elhanan-Peled|
|IAM received a response concerning the post on a lecture by Prof. Nurit Elhanan-Peled, of July 5, 2018, from Dr. William Cope and Dr. Thomas Babalis, the organizers of the International Conference on Learning which took place in Athens, Greece. Cope is the co-founder and president of Common Ground Research Networks and Babalis professor of Teaching Methodology and Dean of School of Education at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the host of the conference.
Cope and Babalis argue that Elhanan-Peled’s paper was rigorous in its theoretical premise with methodologies of empirical analysis and that "Academic Israeli Monitor evidently represents a different ethico-political perspective from Prof. Elhanan-Peled." Contrary to IAM's assertion, they added, "Elhanan-Peled is entitled to present an argument at the conference, no matter how unpalatable it may seem from the point of view of AIM" and that, we will continue to welcome diversity of perspectives "even if AIM does not welcome such diversity in Israel." Last but not least, they added that "we are disturbed by the nature and tenor of AIM’s reporting. We wonder what it means to question state or university sponsorship of critical scholarship—surely critical dialogue is to be valued in a democracy? We also wonder what the effects of 'monitoring' are intended to be in a democratic society?”
While IAM praises Cope and Babalis for accepting only papers that are "solidly grounded in scholarly principles and practices," yet, Cope and Babalis should be aware that in some cases in the social sciences scholars falsify research and invent findings, something unacceptable in rigor research. It is IAM's purpose to investigate when a research in question is fabricated.
For example, IAM has written extensively on the neo-Marxist, critical trend which often ignores evidence contradicting its findings. This trend is normative rather than positivist which is not accepted by mainstream social science presses. IAM is not the only one to make this determination. In 2011 the Israeli Council for Higher Education appointed an International Evaluation Committee to look into the Department of Politics and Government of Ben Gurion University which is known as a hive of neo-Marxist, critical scholars. The Evaluation Committee which included leading scholars such as, Prof. Thomas Risse of the Institute for Political Science, Freie Universität Berlin; Prof. Benjamin Jerry Cohen, Department of Political Science, University of California, Santa Barbara; Prof. Ellen Immergut, School of Social Sciences, Humboldt University Berlin; Prof. Robert Lieber, Department of Government, Georgetown University; among others, concluded that the offering of the Department and the scholarship of several of its faculty were not empirically grounded.
With regards to Elhanan-Peled, IAM has examined her scholarship on numerous occasions over the years. This time, to make the case, IAM has turned to two scholars that have researched the topic of Israeli and Palestinian perception of the 'other' in school books.
Dr. Yael Teff-Seker, researcher at Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-SE), recently wrote the chapter "Textbooks for the State and State-Religious Jewish Sector in Israel". The abstract states the following,
Despite official Israeli government statements to the contrary, Israeli textbooks have repeatedly been accused of being prejudiced, stereotypical and racist towards Arabs, Muslims and, most of all, Palestinians. However, some significant improvements regarding peace and the Arab Other were noted in textbooks published in the later 1980s and in the 1990s by most scholars of Israeli curricula. One would perhaps assume that these positive trends would diminish with the deterioration of Arab–Israeli relations—and particularly Palestinian–Israeli relations—over the past few years (especially since the 2000 Al Aqsa Intifada). However, it is this chapter’s claim not only that these trends towards peace and tolerance have persevered but that they were even improved in the Israeli textbooks authorised by the Israeli Ministry of Education for the academic years 2009–2012. With this general trend in mind, the Israeli state-approved textbooks still foster something of a victim mentality in regard to the Arab–Israeli conflict, although more recent textbooks do include the Palestinian point of view regarding the events leading to the 1948 war, and even criticise or take responsibility for some of the harsh consequences for the Palestinian people.
Teff-Seker commented on Elhanan-Peled's scholarship that, "In the past, I have found that Nurit Peled Elhanan's work ignores general trends in Israeli textbooks supported by other reports and academic publications (e.g. support for coexistence, aspiration for peace) and focuses on a few examples, often taken out of context."
IAM also contacted Dr. Arnon Groiss, a scholar of Middle Eastern studies and a retired journalist of Israel's Arabic Radio service, who has been studying, since the year 2000, the attitude to the 'other' and to peace in various Middle Eastern curricula, including the Israeli one. He wrote that,
I have been following Prof. Peled-Elhanan's work for fifteen years. I first met her in 2003 at a European Council panel where I presented the case of Palestinian schoolbooks' attitude to the Jewish-Israeli 'other' while she talked about the Israeli schoolbooks' attitude to Palestinians. Having spent 12 years in Israeli schools I was astonished to hear that the books I had learned from were promoting the massacre of Palestinians. I was further amazed of her accusation that Israeli schoolbooks were teaching territorial expansion while ignoring the Hebrew text of the very source she presented, which described Israel's agreements with its neighbors regarding the determination of their mutual borders. Three years later I decided to trace her sources and got the seven Israeli schoolbooks she had based her findings on and read them thoroughly. I found out that she had created a picture of a racist and murderous Israeli curriculum based on 1) distorted source material - that is, leaving out all pieces of evidence that contradicted her thesis, 2) invented "data" and 3) illogical interpretation of the evidence.
Following are some examples:
1) She claimed that the 7 books she studied were denying Palestinian peoplehood and nationalism. I found over 20 examples to the contrary, including an assignment requiring students to describe the development of Palestinian nationalism in the years 1919-1939. She claimed the Israeli schoolbook never showed Palestinian figures and I found 15 photographs of Palestinians in those 7 books. She said that the Palestinian Arab city of Nazareth did not appear on the map and I found 16 such appearances. She further claimed that Israeli textbooks condoned massacres of Palestinians, in sharp contrast to the books' condemnation of the massacres of Deir Yassin and Kafar Qassem.
2) Peled-Elhanan accused the Israeli schoolbooks of having a racist Euro-centrist perspective, because one of them used the expression "far-away Yemen" when comparing to Russia and the Balkan, wrongly assuming that Yemen was the closest to Israel.
3) She further accused the Israeli textbooks of racism because they used the term "Arab" for the minority population in Israel, suggesting it was derogatory, notwithstanding the fact that that population itself used that very term. She also interpreted a decorative picture of two Israeli soldiers on top of a map as a sign of expansionism since one of them aimed his weapon towards Syria [but the other soldier pointed his rifle at his fellow soldier!]. Finally, she claimed that the Israeli schoolbooks' "positive" view of the massacres against the Palestinians was proved by their discussion of those massacres' benefits to Israel's cause, and she brought as an example the ruling against obeying unlawful orders that was issued following the Kafr Qassem massacre in 1956. But the wide discussion of that ruling in the books contradicts her very thesis of massacre indoctrination!
In short, Prof. Peled-Elhanan's thesis proved to be falsely-based and, accordingly, should not be considered a scholarly work. She stated her preconceived thesis based on her personal political agenda and tried hard to find evidence to support it. She failed, for the simple reason that Israeli schoolbooks do not contain significant racist material, let alone massacre indoctrination. But she was not deterred and made formidable efforts to create evidence.
Both Teff-Seker and Groiss published chapters in the 2018 book Multiple Alterities: Views of Others in Textbooks of the Middle East, (eds.) Elie Podeh and Samira Alayan (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018).
It is not surprising that Elhanan-Peled's research is not included in this respectable compilation of academic articles which deals with her research topic.
|Scholars Willful Blindness: HUJ Professor Moshe Amirav as a Case in Point|
|An international conference on the Question of Jerusalem seeking an independent Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem took place recently. It was sponsored by the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. The conference was held in Rabat, Morocco, between the 26 to 28 June 2018 and among the mostly Palestinian speakers was the Israeli Prof. Moshe Amirav of the Hebrew University Rothberg International School.
As an expert on Jerusalem, Amirav's talk was clearly serving Palestinian interests alone. He ridiculed Israel's dream of Jerusalem's unification and peace by calling it "the pathological phenomenon known as the Jerusalem Syndrome". He requested that Israeli politicians should go through "soul-searching" and his solution was, "I can foresee two cities within Jerusalem. The capital of Palestine, Al Quds, fifty square kilometers on the east side of the current city, and the capital of Israel, Jerusalem, sixty square kilometers on the west side.” Blind to Palestinian rejectionism, at times Amirav's narrative was at odds with facts. For example, when he stated that in 1987 "During our meetings we arrived at a mutual agreement based on two capitals in one city. We agreed that the eastern neighborhoods of Jerusalem would be Al Quds, the capital of Palestine." Yet he neglected to note that Sari Nusseibeh, one of the leading Palestinian negotiators, was severely wounded a few days after meeting Amirav and Ehud Olmert, by four masked men on the Birzeit University campus. Such an act of violence should have signaled to Amirav a rejection to the "mutual agreement".
According to the Amirav analysis from his 2002 book, Jerusalem played only a secondary role in the Arab-Israeli conflict. He wrote that after Jordan gave up its demand for sovereignty over the West Bank in 1988 then the PLO became the sole claimant to Jerusalem vis-a-vis Israel. He detailed the Palestinian strategy formulated in the 1990s, which was "to counter the facts on the ground set by Israel in Jerusalem. The essence of this strategy, which was led and guided mostly by Faisal Husseini, can be summed up in one word: 'Zumud'. In light of Israeli experience to deprive the city's Arabs of a physical and symbolic hold to the city, this strategy sought to build physical, demographic, and symbolic infrastructures, which will be facts on the ground to match those of Israel. A formation of a Palestinian community around many national and autonomous institutions, the most prominent among them was the Orient House, created the grounds for the 'becoming capital city.' This strategy, more than relying on self-initiative, was largely based on detecting the weaknesses of the Israeli policy, which demonstrated a long-term weakness in its 'Israelization' policy." If Amirav saw Jerusalem as originally only a secondary issue, why was he pushing Israel to give up Eastern Jerusalem, as he stated in a conversation with Haaretz in December 2002, that sooner or later Israel will be forced to "get rid of the Temple Mount" and give it as a gift to the countries of Islam?
In 2000, Amirav was instrumental during the Camp David II Summit with Yasser Arafat, as an advisor to Ehud Barak. As well known, the Israelis offered the Palestinians a return of virtually the entire West Bank and Gaza, a capital in Abu Dis and a condominium of the Holy Basin, that is the Old City. Much to the surprise of the Israeli delegation and the Clinton administration, Arafat refused, walking away from the best offer which the Palestinians had ever received.
By his own admission, Amirav was devastated by the failure of the summit, but he never lost hope. In one of his more recent interviews on ILTV, the good professor stated that he is still dreaming about a peaceful Jerusalem. On its face, Amirav’s dream may sound admirable. But for those with even a passing knowledge of the events which led up to Camp David II show that the professor suffers from a deplorable case of willful blindness.
While Arafat and the PLO were initially ready to clench the deal, they came under tremendous pressure from the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). A few months after Yitzhak Rabin and Arafat signed the Declaration of Principles in Washington in 1993, the Iranian regime which viewed the liberation of Jerusalem as its foundational principle, decided to act as a spoiler of the peace process. Helped by Hezbollah, the Revolutionary Guards and their foreign operations unit Quds Force, trained Palestinian jihadists in suicide bombing and other tools of terror. As a result, during the 1990s, thousands of Israelis died or were wounded, raising questions about Arafat’s ability or willingness to control the militants. In 1999, when Ehud Barak came to power, Iran and its proxies increased the pressure both on the Israeli public and on Arafat who decided that under the circumstances he would not be able to strike a deal. Publicly, he spread the theory that Jews have no right to Jerusalem because their Temple was located in Nablus. According to Dennis Ross, the chief American negotiator, the PLO chairman repeated this version during the Camp David II meeting, much to the astonishment of other participants. Moshe Amirav was one of the participants so he should know and if he forgot he can look at Wikipedia under Temple Denial. It was also during the meeting that Arafat demanded the return of the Palestinians refugees and their descends, a clear deal-breaker as far as the Israelis were concerned. Privately, Arafat began preparations for a new intifada, going as far as asking the Iranians for arms and munitions which were discovered when the Israeli navy intercepted Karine-A, in early 2001. Separately, Hezbollah tried to send weapons through Gaza and Egypt. Palestinian leaders, including Mahmoud Abbas, would later admit that Arafat’s decision to launch a new intifada was a mistake. Ahmed Qurie admitted the pressure by the proxies in his book Peace Negotiations in Palestine: From the Second Intifada to the Roadmap, castigating the “persistence of the separate agendas of the militant factions.” Qurie explained that as the Palestinian leaders tried to pursue negotiations, the “competing voices from the militant Palestinian factions began to talk about making preparations for a battle of Jerusalem, or even a battle for the liberation and independence of the entirety of the Palestinian territories.”
There is abundance of research to indicate that Iran and its proxies acted as spoilers in the Oslo peace process. However, Professor Amirav is not likely to use any of this material because it would undermine his narrative. Unfortunately, Amirav is not the only one to suffer from such willful blindness. Almost two decades after the failure of Camp David II and the bloody Second Intifada which followed it, the role of Iran has not been discussed. Collectively, this willful blindness of many radical Israeli activist-scholars created a “politically correct” version of the recent history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
|A Complaint against HUJ Prof. Nurit Elhanan-Peled
|Last week Dr. Julia Muchnik-Rozanov of Achva College sent us a complaint about a lecture in a conference in Athens, Greece, by Prof. Nurit Elhanan-Peled of the Hebrew University. The educational conference "25th International Conference on Learning" took place on 21-23 of June.
While the Palestinian-Israeli dispute was not on the agenda, Prof. Elhanan-Peled presented a paper "Society and Its Legitimation in School Books". Her lecture, which included claimed that Israeli school-books make the Israeli children "heterophobic through the use of Holocaust rhetoric of victimhood", by teaching them the "fear of others, extreme nationalism and majoritarianism". Elhanan-Peled claimed that such methods promoted the "development of a predatory identity." Elhanan-Peled also presented Israeli school books as legitimizing the elimination of Palestinians and non-white Jews, and the use of language of Holocaust victimhood of equating Palestinians to Nazis. Terms such as "extermination" "Auschwitz" and accusations of anti-Semitism are used when describing Palestinian resistance.
All this prompted Muchnik-Rozanov to leave the lecture hall being upset. She later wrote IAM and questioned who sponsors such an anti-Israeli activity of Prof. Elhanan-Peled in the conference, and whether it was the State of Israel.
At the conference Elhanan-Peled introduced herself as following: "As an Israeli I feel I must specify my political position:I am a member of the Palestinian-Israeli forum of bereaved parents for peace and was a co-laureate of the 2001 Sakharov Prize for Human Rights and the Freedom of Thought, awarded by the European Parliament." To recall, Elhanan-Peled's 14 year old daughter, Smadar, was killed in a suicide bombing at Ben-Yehuda Street in Jerusalem, on the 4th of September 1997 while walking with her friends Yael Botwin, Sivan Zarka and Daniella Birman to buy school-books at the beginning of the school year. Yael, Sivan and Smadar were killed instantly.
A week after her tragedy, Elhanan-Peled was interviewed at the Los Angeles Times, "Mother Blames Israeli Policies for Child's Death," where she blamed Israel. "This is the fruit of [Israel's] misdoings... It serves their purpose. They want to kill the peace process and blame it on the Arabs." She also said she felt no anger toward the bombers--"they are desperate, insanely desperate, people... The Palestinian Authority can't do anything," she said. "They are on the verge of suicide... We are the strong ones. We have the army and the air force. But we are violating their rights, humiliating them." But since Elhanan-Peled is a political activist who uses her academic platform to preach her political agenda, this is not surprising. Self-admittedly Elhanan-Peled said in that interview that her politics "have always been left to far-left." With her politics she blames Israel for all the ills of the Palestinians.
Elhanan-Peled offered similar harsh accusations in her previous work "The denial of Palestinian National and Territorial Identity in Israeli Schoolbooks of History and Geography 1996-2003" which was countered by Dr. Arnon Groiss, as reported by IAM in 2011. Groiss concluded that Elhanan-Peled was "Motivated by her personal political agenda rather than an investigative spirit," with a "highly selective use of source material, leaving out all references which contradict her thesis... inaccurate, distorted, and even downright false evidence," he wrote.
In her lecture, Elhanan-Peled suggested a comparison of Israel to Nazi Germany. She used the so-called Gardening Metaphor by Zygmunt Bauman who compared the garden (as a metaphor for society) and the gardener (as a social-engineer or manager) to juxtapose the concepts of control and order. The gardener is pulling out weeds, as a metaphorical social gardener rounding up human beings in the interests of a managerial plan. Bauman warned of attempts to equate society and nature and the intentions to manage the former according to the principles of the latter, yielding catastrophic results in the past, pointing to the Holocaust.
She discusses her views in a recent video recorded interview with Robert Martin, a pro-Palestinian Australian activist, where her accusations are bordering on the anti-Semitic. Such a biased nature of research puts in question the credibility of the scholar and the type of education that her students receive.
Muchnik-Rozanov’s asks who pays for Elhanan-Peled’s travel. We don't know, but she disclosed that her recent research was paid in part by the Leverhulme Trust in London which provides funding across various academic disciplines. She is also a member of the Common Ground Research Networks, the co-organizers of the 25th International Conference on Learning, with them Elhanan-Peled published her 2008 article "The Establishment of Israeli Identity through Racist Discourse".
Her Athens conference lecture served as a basis for an upcoming book and IAM would provide an analysis of her findings in due course.
|The Number of Arab Students on the Rise and so is the Apartheid Analogy|
|Surveys indicate that the number of Arab students enrolled in the Israeli universities is on the rise.
One such a survey was conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). "Higher Education in Israel - Selected Data for 2016/17 On the Occasion of the Beginning of the New Academic Year. It concluded that "in recent years, the percentage of Arab students has increased significantly in all levels: undergraduates - from 9.8% in 1999/2000 to 16.5% (17.4% in new students) 13.6% and in postgraduates - from 2.8% to 6.6%, respectively". Another survey, conducted by the Council of Higher Education (CHE) also indicated that the number of Arab students in Israeli universities is on the rise. The number had grown from 26,000 in 2010 to 47,000 in 2017 by 78.5% over the past seven years. Arab students accounted for 16.1% of undergraduate students, rising from 10.2 % in 2010. In the graduate programs the percentage of Arab students since 2010 has doubled from 6.2% to 13%. In the postgraduate programs Arab students rose from 3.9% to 6.3%. The CHE survey was intended to assess the success of a program integrating Arab Israelis into the higher education system. Between 2012-2016 the government spent NIS 300 million ($88 million) on this program.
As a result of this success, the government decided to extend it to the year 2022 totaling a budget of NIS 1 billion ($294 million). This program aims also to prevent Arab students from dropping out of university.
Similarly, in December 2016, Prof. Peretz Lavie, the president of the Technion said of the Technion, that the number of Arab students has tripled over the last decade to 20%. Twelve years ago just 7% of students were Arab, then the Technion began a program for Outstanding Arab Youth, preparing students to meet the admission requirements by offering them free of charge 10 months camp in mathematics, physics, English and Hebrew, paid by Jewish philanthropists.
To encourage Arab candidates, in October 2017 Prof. Rivka Carmi, Ben-Gurion University's president, announced that beginning in next year, the University will be accepting Arab students without having to take the psychometric exam usually required to enter the university.
Despite these impressive statistics, the calls for BDS intensify with charges against Israel of conducting apartheid policies.
Palestinians and pro-Palestinian activists lead such charges. Dahlia Scheindlin, formerly of the BGU Department of Politics and Government published an article on April 3, 2017 "Why 'it's not apartheid' arguments fail: Response to NYT op-ed" arguing that Israel is an apartheid state. She based her argument on the writing of Yael Berda, and wrote "according to Dr. Yael Berda Permits are wielded collectively, racially and demographically. There are no permits governing movement for Jews." Berda, a lawyer representing hundreds of political activists who were denied entry to Israel, is an adjunct professor of Sociology at the Hebrew University. Berda's scholarship focuses on "Israel's Expanding Permit Regime" and its "racial hierarchy". Berda suggests that it is a racial intention that drives Israel to be vigilant to Palestinian acts of terrorism. While studying in Princeton University, Berda was a member of the Princeton Committee on Palestine (PCP) which "works to end the occupation in Palestine, defend Palestinian human rights, and raise awareness in the Princeton community about the Palestinian narrative." As a member of Machsom Watch, "Advs Lea Tsemel and Yael Berda called on the court to recognize the racial discrimination practiced by the Israeli police."
Berda's newly published book Living Emergency, "offers a first-hand account of how the Israeli secret service, government, and military civil administration control the Palestinian population." As Berda sees it, while "terrorism, crime, and immigration are perceived as intertwined security threats, she reveals how the Israeli example informs global homeland security and border control practices, creating a living emergency for targeted populations worldwide."
Berda has also written of checkpoints "Searching and Stripping," that the "perverse relationship between Israelis and Palestinians is a depressing B movie that the entire world daily watches. Many actors, spectators, and producers take part in the Mis-en-Scene: soldiers, civilians, international observes, humanitarian organizations, to name few. Despite the attraction to the action, not many realize that the Israeli occupation is all about the body: sweat, heavy breathing, desire. There are several principles to the erotics of the occupation, such as stripping and searching." For Berda, “the desire for the exotic other and his appropriation. Racism becomes more pronounced the greater the desire for appropriation is. In the delirious colonial encounter, the colonizer wants to separate, enclose and protect himself, yet is attracted to the other through the senses as to entertainment or to a cooking spice.”
Berda's work influences many. For example, in Nili Belkind's PhD thesis at Columbia University she adopted Berda’s final conclusion that "the occupation bureaucracy does not exist only within the West Bank Occupied Territories. Its racialized principles and practices have ‘leaked’ into the very core of governmental, judicial, and other sites of centralized, as well as privatized, governmentality practices within the Green Line as well. According to Berda, This includes the IDF central quarters in Tel Aviv, the government offices in Jerusalem, the police stations, the courts, the border patrol jeeps, Israeli buses in which security personnel profile Palestinian passengers via visual indicators – to which one might also add here – the various agents dealing with foreigners who are guilty ‘by association.’ This too is the byproduct of the spatial management of ‘porous borders.’ For anyone working under these constrictions, the bureaucratic managerial practices of these borders foreground the mundane banalities of the occupation, as manifestations of its appalling dimensions."
Stephen Lendman cited Berda's calling the measures of Israeli surveillance as “scary and undemocratic…criminalizing an entire population for identifying with an organization that Israel considers terrorist (true or false).” Lendman continues that according to Yael Berda, “(y)ou don’t have to do anything to be considered a terrorist. You can publish an article or make a comment in cyberspace, and you will be criminalized... If you are located in the physical environment of terrorist activities, you are guilty.”
Currently, Berda is supervising in the department of Sociology at the Hebrew University, the PhD thesis by Leehee Rothschild, a staunch BDS activist, titled "Body Searching and Security" with Prof. Edna Lomsky-Feder. Rothschild BDS activities were described in length in AlJazeera's "Boycotting Israel ... from within." Also, in September 2011 Ali Maniku, a member of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC) published an interview with Lehee Rothschild in Scotland, announcing that "Lehee joined at the weekly SPSC Perth Branch Stall and gave us this wee interview". In her interview Rothschild has said: "Hi, my name is Leehee Rothschild I am 27, I am an Israeli who enjoys the privileges under the Israeli apartheid regime. I may be really persecuted for saying that, since 2011 Israel has passed a law which bans calling to boycott Israel, nonetheless, I am calling you to boycott, divest and sanction Israel until it complies with all three Palestinian basic rights and international law, the right of return, the right for freedom and the right for equality." Rothschild was also celebrated in an article in 2014 "Boycotting the land you love: Israeli activist Leehee Rothschild on BDS and the struggle for Palestinian rights."
Berda's racial allegations against Israel provide the scaffolding for the apartheid analogy. While the Israeli Government spends fortune to encourage Arab students to study, Israeli universities provide positions to political activists masquerading as academics who tarnish Israel's standing in the world.
|The New Israel Fund and the Academe: the Case of Avner De-Shalit|
|The New Israel Fund (NIF) is a multi-million politically engaged, left-leaning foundation designated to transform Israel into a society in which progressive values should trump its Jewish character. As the NIF leadership sees it, democratic and Jewish values in Israel are not compatible. To this end, NIF has donated some $30M annually to progressive and pro-Arab groups. For years large supporter of NIF was the Ford Foundation which launched in 2003 an initial grant of $20 million and in September 2007 another $20 million for extending its partnership in Israel in order to "support civil society, human rights and social justice organizations in Israel."
Both Ford and NIF are considered controversial and were criticized by some American Jews and Israelis.
NIF has strong connection to the Israeli academy. The former Hebrew University professor Naomi Chazan served as its president between 2008-2012 and there are many others involved. Professor Avner De Shalit, a political scientist at the Hebrew University and a former dean of the social sciences has been involved with NIF for about two decades, also by serving on NIF's international board.
His politics is in accordance to NIF's ideology and is quite evident in his writing. In his 2004 "Being Israeli," he writes about Haifa, "one knows that there had been life there before the Jews came. Much of this land was bought for money rather than taken by force, but still . . . Could it be because the price of saving of the Jewish nation – and probably without Zionism preceding the Second World War, most the Jewish nation (at least in Europe) would have vanished in the Nazi gas chambers – was humiliating another nation? Or was it a necessary price? It seems that living with those guilt feelings and hesitations is part of being Israeli. It is morally and emotionally impossible to be indifferent to these feelings. Most Israelis either become obsessed by them or become engaged in a process of denial. So either one tries to prove that, despite what has happened, we Israelis are basically goodhearted, we have been and are ready to divide the land, to negotiate, to compensate, and so on; or one simply denies that a problem exists. ‘There is no such thing as a Palestinian nation’, Golda Meir, Israel’s prime minister between 1969 and 1974, used to say. Some right-wing fanatics in Israeli still claim so. Others admit that saying so would appear ridiculous. Of course there is a Palestinian nation; however, they claim, Israel must not allow this nation to have its own state because it would imply a threat to Israel’s sovereignty. Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Affairs Minister at the time of writing this paper, argues so."
As a scholar, De-Shalit takes great pride in his alleged academic neutrality and impartiality, according to his 2006 article "Teaching political philosophy and academic neutrality.
He writes: "In 2002, while I was teaching in Israel, I was very worried about the immorality of Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians. A group of several colleagues and myself initiated a petition. The petition set out our position, as university lecturers, on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. It was published in the press and we were interviewed about the moral grounds for our view. The next day, when I entered my MA seminar on ‘Political Philosophy and Practice’, one of the students challenged me: ‘How dare you tell us that political philosophy can change the world if you, Israeli political theorists, have failed to put forward the argument that would stop the occupation?’ Many students joined him, saying that academics in general, but political theorists in particular, were having rather little impact on the state’s policies. As if this was not enough, when I left the classroom I bumped into an ex-student of mine. He was furious: I am so disappointed. You exploited your position as a university professor when you signed this petition as ‘Professor so and so’. You must distinguish between your political opinions and your position as a university professor. This is the opposite of what you have always taught us about the profession of teaching politics. ‘Is that what I taught them?’ I thought to myself while rushing to my room; ‘Can’t be’. I looked at the textbooks they had read in their first year of undergraduate studies. Indeed, they discussed academic objectivity and neutrality. Funny, because I had been feeling during the years following the collapse of the peace process in the Middle East, that political philosophers couldn’t afford the luxury of not referring to the ‘situation’. They were even obliged to put forward their moral arguments and provoke the students to use the tools we had given them, such as concepts, theories, and the like, to reflect more profoundly on these issues. In fact, political philosophers were doing so in any case by the very fact that they were teaching political philosophy in the context of the conflict. So were the books wrong?"
De-Shalit concludes that "while university lecturers should not adhere to academic neutrality, they should be impartial."
But a look at some of De-Shalit's actions seem to indicate that, while he talks the talk he does not walk the walk.
De-Shalit harnesses NIF affiliates as Phd students. Noam Hofstadter was part of the Courage to Refuse Signers' List in 2002. As mentioned above, De-Shalit signed the petition "Open Letter from Faculty Members", who wished to "express our appreciation and support for those of our students and lecturers who refuse to serve as soldiers in the occupied territories" and "our readiness to do our best to help students."
Hopstadter is being introduced by a NIF think-tank as a "post-doctoral Fellow at Ben Gurion University, where he teaches political science. Previously, he served as Director of Peace Now and as spokesman for B’tselem." Hopstadter's PhD thesis The Expression of Values in the Practice of Not-for-Profit Human and Civil Rights Organizations, explores three NIF grantees The Association for Civil Rights in Israel; Physicians for Human Rights – Israel; and Yesh Din. He writes, "My own activism has taught me lessons that I as of yet have not found in any book... but nevertheless I wish to convey my deepest appreciation to my partners-in-activism, whose determination, creativity, mistakes, experience and companionship have laid the cornerstones for this thesis."
There is something unethical about it. As a member of the international board of NIF De-Shalit was in conflict of interests and should have not signed on a dissertation which is an academic hagiography of NIF's grantees.
De-Shalit seemed to fail his own advise on impartiality and objectivity in another issue. In 2001, the Council of Higher Education appointed a two member committee to evaluate the Department of Politics and Government of Ben Gurion University's request to offer a BA program. Professor Zeev Maoz, a leading political scientist and a former head of the Jaffe Centre for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, found that the department did not offer core political science courses and that its faculty were ill equipped to fill the void. He recommended closing the department but the second evaluator, Avner De-Shalit disagreed and, in November 2003, the CHE appointed a new committee under De-Shalit which in 2004 decided that the department offered a "unique program" and approved the department's request. The questionable goings-on in the Department came up again when in 2011, the CHE appointed an International Committee for Evaluation of Political Science and International Relations Programs in Israeli universities. Chaired by Professor Thomas Risse of Berlin’s Free University, the Committee seemed to side with Maoz's 2001 review. The report identified serious problems in the department: weakness of core political science offerings as well as excessive "community activism" and lack of balanced views in the curriculum and the classroom.
There may be, of course, legitimate explanations as to why De-Shalit's view was at odds with the evaluations of Maoz and the Risse committee. Still, it would be reasonable to question if De-Shalit's service with the NIF had influenced his judgment.
As his 2006 essay on academic neutrality and impartiality indicates, De-Shalit understands that scholars should not be tainted by suspicions of political partiality. Unfortunately, he does not practice what he preaches.
|Political Activist at the Hebrew University: Areej Sabbagh-Khoury as a Case in Point |
| IAM often reports on political activists masquerading as academics. A young cohort of academic activists is now making a debut. For instance, Hebrew University has recently announced that Areej Sabbagh- Khoury was hired by the department of Sociology, commencing her position in the academic year of 2018-2019.
A close look at her CV reveals she mixes academics with political activism:
"Areej Sabbagh-Khoury is the Inaugural Post-doctoral Research Associate in Palestine and Palestinian Studies at Brown University 2016-2017. She is also an associate researcher at Mada al-Carmel – The Arab Center for Applied Social Research. Her current book project, now under contract with Stanford University Press, examines relations between members of leftist Zionists kibbutzim and Palestinian villagers in Northern Palestine within a settler colonial framework. Sabbagh-Khoury completed her Ph.D. in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Tel Aviv University. She contributed to several book chapters and articles on citizenship, memory, gender and settler colonialism, among them “Palestinian Predicaments: Jewish Immigration and Refugees Repatriation.” She also co-edited two volumes of The Palestinians in Israel: A Guide to History, Politics, and Society: the first volume was published in 2011 and the second on December 2016 (both volumes were published in English, Hebrew and Arabic). She has received several awards and grants for her research, among them the Fulbright Post-doctoral Scholar Award year 2015-2016; the 2015 Ibrahim Abu-Lughod Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Columbia University; the Meyers Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Taub Center for Israel Studies at NYU year 2016, the Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Center for Humanities at Tufts year 2017-2018 and the Israel Science Foundation (ISF) - Post-doctoral Fellowship in the Social Sciences 2017-2018."
Her lecture at the Center of Middle East Studies at the Watson Institute, Brown University in October 2016 showcases her stance "The Zionist Left: Settler Colonial Practices and the Representation of the Palestinian Nakba in Northern Palestine". The invitation to the lecture reads, "inquiring the responsibility of the Zionist settlers and Israeli society on the displacement of refugees and not less important from controlling the Palestinian lands and property and banning the return of Palestinian refugees. Based on a meticulous examination of local Zionist archives of Ha-Shomer Ha-Tza’ir Kibbutzim in Marj Ibn 'Amer, I will track some of the discussions that accompanied the process of expulsion of 1948 and the pillaging of the Palestinian property from neighboring Palestinian villages. Furthermore, I will explore how the politics of remembering by members of Ha-Shomer Ha-Tzair kibbutzim reconstructed memories of the colonization practices that preceded 1948 Nakba and their role in the Nakba."
This the type of scholarship is advanced at the Middle East Center by Professor Beshara Doumani, a Saudi-born Palestinian who has turned the Center into a platform for anti-Israel activism. He has invited the likes of Ariella Azoulay, Ilan Pappe and Neve Gordon to bash Israel. In 2014 Doumani was among the 100 Middle East studies scholars and librarians who petitioned to boycott Israeli institutions. In 2015 Doumani succumbed to BDS pressure and backed down from an Adi Ophir conference at Brown because Ophir is an Israeli scholar with ties to Tel Aviv University.
Sabbagh-Khoury fits well into the academic-activist milieu; her PhD thesis was co-advised by Yehouda Shenhav (TAU) and Joel Beinin (Stanford), both high profile politically engaged scholars. Sabbagh-Khoury's scholarship examines Israel's settler colonialism and argues it has "discrete characteristics of the colonization processes, predicated on not only relations of domination but the dispossession of the natives and their replacement by a colonizing population." She was hailed by the post-Zionist scholar Gabriel Piterberg who found her PhD dissertation "remarkable" because it illustrated the "centrality of the settler-colonial framework". He has noted that Sabbagh-Khoury "contextualized the Nakba" by focusing on the colonization of land. Piterberg also noted she has used a "critical reconstruction of the formation of settler nations by dissenting" it.
The Hebrew University Sociology Department, like its peers around the country, has been top heavy with scholars who research the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while lacking faculty capable to teach cutting edge subjects in Sociology at large. A number of evaluation committees of the Council of Higher Education lamented this state of affairs, as IAM repeatedly reported. In particular, the evaluation committee to the Sociology and Anthropology at the Hebrew University found that the department lacks quantitative training. The committee found data of the MA programs on recent graduates comprising of 16 in Anthropology, 27 in Organizational Studies, 13 in Sociology, and 4 in Demography. Making Organizational Studies the most desirable subject of learning.
The committee expressed concerns that since the founding cohort of sociologists and anthropologists were very prominent and the subsequent generation who are now approaching retirement are still an impressive and productive group, "The problem that the department now faces is one of maintaining its excellence and intellectual vigor at a time of transition to a younger set of scholars." How would recruiting the likes of Sabbagh-Khoury redress the department anomalies?
The problem is that Israeli social sciences have compared poorly in international indices, but nothing has been done to remedy the situation. It is the university authorities who have an obligation to the Israeli tax payer and the elected officials who foot the bill.
|[HUJ] New generation of political activists assume positions in Israeli universities - Yael Berda as a case in point|
|IAM has written extensively on how political activists in the guise of academics have used their positions to promote their political agenda. IAM has repeatedly noted that after being tenured, some, like Yehouda Shenhav and Anat Matar from Tel Aviv University, essentially devoted all their time to political work.
The older generation of academics-activists is slowly retiring, but, in a move known as co-option, they are hiring new activists. Yael Berda as a case in point. In 2013, while studying for her doctorate at Princeton University, Berda contacted Israeli media to announce she joined a group of Israeli academics at various universities in the United States to form the "Israeli Opposition Network". In a press release Berda stated “We want Israel to be a democracy. We are part a growing opposition in Israel, not only to the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza but also to the corrupt and unjust economic policies that have sent the middle classes spiraling into poverty. We care deeply for the public in Israel, are extremely concerned for the residents of the occupied territories and for future of the state in the region. We believe we must raise our voices in the US to show that there is a young and capable democratic opposition to the current Israeli leadership.”
Barda wrote a chapter in Anat Matar's book on Palestinian prisoners, "The Security Risk as a Security Risk: Notes on the Classification Practices of the Israeli Security Services" and served as a teaching assistant in Yehouda Shenhav's course Bureaucracy, Governmentality and Human Rights, the course goal was to "primarily 'look over the shoulder' of those working in service of the state, in order to try and understand the mechanisms and the networks of events operating in reality." Berda also co-authored with Shenhav, "The Colonial Foundations of the State of Exception: Juxtaposing the Israeli Occupation of the Palestinian Territories with Colonial Bureaucratic History " in The Power of Inclusive Exclusion: anatomy of israeli rule in the occupied palestinian territories (eds.) Adi Ophir, Michal Givoni, and Sari Hanafi, 2009.
As an expert on the Israeli Secret Service, Berda told a pro-Palestinian news program in 2012: "I call it Fathom Sovereignty because there is a huge control omnipotent army presence form of governmental control that literally controls not only the lines but the physical movement of people and perhaps the most powerful organ in the bureaucracy of the occupation is the secret service, the Shabak... there is no interest specifically only in terrorists or only in people who are involved in military actions but their is a wide interest in all the information about the population that is used to control everything about his life... Now, trying to figure out why this is information was interesting and someone told me that had worked previously in the secret service, he said its a very powerful thing because I can invite someone and I can tell him oh, you have this painting in your wall that so and so gave to you it makes them feel that all their life is open and all their secrets are known to you even when they are not so it gives an extra amount of power to pressure someone to become an informer."
Upon completing her Ph.D Berda assumed a position in the department of Sociology at the Hebrew University. Berda's scholarship focuses on the methods of control Israel impose on the Palestinian population and her latest book explores the regime of work permits. "We tend to associate practices of population surveillance with Western modernity and the intensification of security routines with the last decade defined by the “Global War on Terror.” I suggest, however, that proliferation of methods to monitor and control populations are legacies of the practices that were developed in the colonies to manage civilian populations. Here, I outline those institutional colonial legacies."
There is little doubt that Berda is a political activist and would use her position at the Hebrew University to sponsor her activities. IAM pointed out that the social sciences in the Israeli universities have deteriorated because they rely heavily on neo-Marxist, critical approaches. The Sociology Department at the Hebrew University, which boasted on world renowned scholars like S.N. Eisenstadt, is now quite mediocre, according to the international indices of higher education. A Committee that evaluated the department on behalf of the Council for Higher Education noted its weakness in Rational choice theory, quantitative methods, and other cutting edge fields.
By hiring Berda, the department seems to defy the guidance of the CHE. The Israeli public who pays for Israeli universities to excel should not be forced to pay for yet another activist scholar.
|[HUJ] German TV compared Palestinian incitement to kill Israelis to Israeli "propaganda," based on a Nurit Peled-Elhanan interview|
|The German public service television broadcaster ZDF aired on July 5, 2016 on "heute plus" a programme on the propaganda tools that both Israelis and Palestinians use against each other. To prove their case, on the Palestinian side, ZDF showed a clip of a school graduation of young kids in Gaza where the children simulated a war against Israel. On the Israeli side, a ZDF reporter interviewed Nurit Peled-Elhanan, an academic at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, who presented Israeli school books as propaganda tool against the Palestinians. This is not the first time that Peled-Elhanan addresses this issue. In 2012 she published a controversial book in which she found that Israeli textbooks teach children hatred of the Palestinians. In her view, when these children grow up and are conscripted into the IDF, they become killers.
A promo describes the ZDF programme as "Educated to hatred? As Israeli and Palestinian children to be persuaded to despise each other."
Stefan Frank in Mena-Watch, an independent Arab-Israeli Think Tank in Vienna, who's goal is "to improve the quality of reporting on the Middle East in general and Israel in particular", offers a scathing review of the ZDF program. Frank cited Israeli journalist Eldad Beck of YNET, who is based in Germany, as stating that "Several research institutes have studied the broadcast content by ZDF and came to the conclusion that they are consistently anti-Israel."
It is highly regrettable that ZDF and other outlets can find unscrupulous Israeli academics like Peled-Elhanan to support their distorted view of Israel.
|Commemorating Prof. Robert Wistrich: Hebrew University and the Undermined Research on Antisemitism|
|We approached today the first yahrzeit of late Professor Robert Wistrich, the renowned historian, who chaired the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism (SICSA) at the Hebrew University, until his death on the 19th of May 2015. The SICSA website presents his voluminous research, including the conferences he held - all focusing on various aspects of antisemitism.
SICSA was founded in 1982 by Vidal Sassoon, the famous hair-dresser who came to Israel in 1948 to help her fight in the Independence War. Antisemitism was high on his agenda. In his last interview to Voices on Antisemitism published by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Sassoon said: "I was born in Shepherd’s Bush, West London, in 1928. And the period of my childhood was very interesting, because Britain never went Fascist or Communist. But antisemitism was absolutely rife. I mean, it was nothing for another kid to say to you, “Dirty Jew.” And although England was a good place to be, especially with Churchill and the fight against the Nazis, there was always that sense of the Jews being second-class citizens." The interview was published shortly before his death in 2012.
Professor Dalia Ofer served as SICSA's chair from 1996 and Wistrich replaced her from 2002. In her concluding remarks upon ending her term Ofer wrote, "From its inception, the Sassoon Center has been dedicated to an independent, non-political approach to the accumulation and dissemination of knowledge necessary for understanding the phenomenon of anti-semitism."
Before his death Wistrich privately expressed concerns over where would SICSA be heading. Wistrich was right to be worried, exactly one year after his death, SICSA has not been focusing on the study of antisemitism, as can be seen from the activities listed below.
Things came to a head when some of Wistrich research projects were discontinued soon after his death. For example, the proceedings of a conference hosted by Wistrich were purposed to culminate in a book, two years have gone by and the book is not out yet.
It is worth noting that SICSA's academic committee of eight professors comprises of half specializing in fields not related to antisemitism: Romance and Latin American Studies; Musicology; English; and Law.
Ofer's words on "non-political approach" sound hollow, some members of the academic committee participate in political activism. For example, a conference held by the Minerva Humanities Center at TAU together with the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, a political German foundation, questioned "Are Modern Societies Racist? Racism and Xenophobia in Israel and Europe Today," the new chairperson of SICSA, Prof. Manuela Consonni, included comparisons of antisemitism and Islamophobia in Europe. Not a single incident, between 2011 to 2012, organized by Van-Leer, Consonni participated in a discussion group on "Partition and Its Alternatives" promoting a one state solution for Israel/Palestine. By aiming to "examine critically the view that partition is the only logical solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." Group members questioned "whether separation ... is indeed the only solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." And questioning to "what extent partition will ensure sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians."
Consonni is not the only political activist among SICSA's academic committee. In an interview with Al-Jazeera published in 2012, Yehuda Bauer was questioned on the Israeli demand of the Palestinians to recognise Israel as a Jewish state, Bauer's response was, "I think that is proof of his [Netanyahu's] internal insecurity. If you are secure in your Jewish identity you do not need Abu Mazen or Saeb Erekat to tell you that you are a Jew. Do they need me to fortify their belief that they are Palestinian?"
Another member of the academic committee, Michael Karayanni, a law professor who wrote about his work, "I teach three courses at the Faculty of Law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and engaged in three main research projects: the first deals with the liberal dilemma associated with the accommodation of religious minorities in nation states given that liberalism will work to back such an accommodation but should also be attuned to vulnerable minority members such as women and children; the second deals with the extraterritorial application of access to justice rights; and the third deals with the history and nature of the recognition accorded to the Palestinian-Arab religious communities in Israel... As to my extra-academic activities I would like to list the fact that I was a member of the board of ACRI – Association for Civil Rights in Israel – the country’s major human rights association, and since 2009 serve as a member of the committee awarding the Emil Grunzweig Human Rights Award to organizations and individuals whose work made a significant contribution in the field of human rights in Israel. I have also served as a member in the School of Peace, located in Naveh Shalom – Wahat El Salam that engages in different co-existence activities." He has no background in the study of antisemitism.
Since Wistrich's death, the legacies of Vidal Sassoon and Robert Wistrich have been undermined. While neo-antisemitism is growing among Muslims in Europe and elsewhere, by having academic committee members associated with pro-Palestinian activist groups, the study of antisemitism will be heading nowhere.
|[HUJ] Tom Pessah: A Profile of Political Activist Supported by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology|
|Even by the standards of radical faculty activism, Dr. Tom Pessah is an outlier. A veteran professional activist who tends to sport a kafiya during public events, Pessah obtained a Ph.D. from Berkeley University on the topic of the Nakba. He is an ardent supporter of a binational state, a theory he espoused in “Who's Afraid of the Right of Return?” and favors BDS.
Since returning to Israel Pessah went into an activist overdrive. He has rejoined Zochrot, an organization dedicated to a binational state and the Truth Commission, modeled on the post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa. Pessah is in charge of organizing a 2016 conference for Zochrot entitled "Third International Conference on the Return of Palestinian Refugees" In his invitation for papers posted on the social science forum he writes, "Zochrot works to promote recognition and responsibility-taking by Jewish Israeli society for its part in the ongoing Nakba and realize the return of Palestinian refugees as the necessary redress of the Nakba. In March 2016, Zochrot will hold its third International Conference on Return to discuss What is currently being done to promote return, and what can be done in the future?"
of course, Pessah, like any other Israeli citizen, is entitled to his political opinions and activism. What is puzzling, however, is the source of financial support that enables Pessah to operate as a full time political activist masquerading as faculty. As it happens, Pessah was the recipient of the Morris Ginsberg fellow in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for 2014-5. The Fellowship was created through a grant of Morris Ginsberg, an eminent British-Jewish sociologist, to nurture young academics in research pertaining to Ginsberg’s interest.
The original mandate notwithstanding, over the years the Department offered the Fellowship in a hodgepodge of subjects with no clear direction or rational. Without sounding too negative, one could probably arrive at such a list by picking candidates at random.
What makes this fiasco more noteworthy is the bad review that the Department received from the International Evaluation Committee in 2012. Headed by Prof. Seymour Spilerman of Department of Sociology, Columbia University, the Committee noted that during its heyday, the Sociology Department housed sociologists of international renown, such as Shmuel Noah Eisenstadt.
The Committee found the Department lagging behind in many fields and especially in quantitative methods and innovate approaches such as network analysis, sociology of innovation, sociology of technology and science, and others.
Of course, there are financial constraints on all departments which seek to stay competitive in a fast changing field. But the leaders of the Department could have used the Ginsberg Fellowship to invite post-doctoral students specializing in the cutting edge research fields of the discipline instead of financing Pessah’s activism with Zochrot.
Here are a number of topics to consider, based on offering at Ivy League universities: labor market organization; economic sociology; social networks organizations; health and social policy in the context of economic and political globalization; organizational theory; statistical methodology; corporate governance, accountability and social responsibility; sociology of the city ;sociology of science, knowledge, and technology; entrepreneurial and startup companies.
|[HUJ] Transitional Justice: A New Way to Vent Old 1948 Grievances
|The preoccupation of radical-leftists in the academy with the 1948 War has gone through many stages.
To recall, the New Historians like Ilan Pappe has “found” that Israel committed ethnic cleansing with hints of genocide. Starting with a modest and rather noncontroversial account of 1948 in his first book, Pappe added progressively more dramatic accounts in his subsequent books aimed at creating an Israeli-Nazi equivalency. Based on such accounts, sociologists and social psychologists dwelt on the Nakba, the Palestinian catastrophe.
Transitional justice is the newest reincarnation of this preoccupation with 1948. According to the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), a New York based group, it was created to “address legacies of massive human rights violations and build civic trust in state institutions as protectors of human rights. In the aftermath of mass atrocity and repression, we assist institutions and civil society groups—the people who are driving and shaping change in their societies—in considering measures to provide truth, accountability, and redress for past abuses.”
Much as this definition seeks to create the impression of a policy neutral humanitarian organization, a perusal of its activities reveals its bias. There is a call to hold the United States accountable for torture committed in the war or terror, specifically the waterboarding of four al-Qaeda operatives responsible for 9/11, but no mention of Iran where massive and ongoing human rights abuses have commanded front page in Western media for decades, or Syria where a brutal dictatorship killed and oppressed its own citizens or ISIS. Indeed, Islamist violence against other Muslims or Westerners is nowhere to be found among the reports. A perfunctory survey of the list of donors reveals the reason for such “politically correct” approach; by and large the ICTJ is financed by progressive organizations such as Open Society of George Soros, the Ford Foundation and progressive governments, notably, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and the Human Rights Commission of the United Nations. In 2011 it helped promoting the Russel Tribunal on Palestine and equally not surprising, Richard Goldstone is the chair of its Advisory Board.
Transitional Justice is hand-made for academic activists in Israel. As stated on its website, ICTJ's role is to "run workshops and trainings to brief Israeli, Palestinian and international institutions—such as the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and the Human Rights Clinic of al-Quds University."
Indeed, the Transitional Justice Project at the Minerva Center, Hebrew University has followed the International Crimes Tribunals Act (ICTA) model. Dr. Ron Dudai, a Minerva fellow, has teamed up with Zochrot, a group of academics and lay activists dedicated to the Palestinian right to return, to offer a course on the subject. Dudai’s course titled “Transitional Justice to Civil Society,” is described in the Zochrot annual report as "focused on a range of topics including prosecution mechanisms, truth commissions, reparations programs, vetting mechanisms, and reconciliation initiatives. It also explored the intersection between efforts to achieve justice and accountability, and negotiations to ensure sustainable peace by a grassroots level initiatives like Zochrot." Thirty people participated, representing "Amnesty, New Profile, Baladna, Machsom Watch, Sadaka Reut, and the Public Committee against torture in Israel."
Dudai has the perfect job as he seamlessly transitions (no pun intended) between being an activist at Zochrot and a faculty member. The question is why does the Hebrew University needs to offer “how do classes” for radical-leftist activists? A public university should not advocate for a political solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict even if bears the fancy title of Transitional Justice.
|The Flat Earth Theory: HUJ Moshe Zimmermann’s Prognostication on Iran|
|Moshe Zimmermann, a professor of German history at the Hebrew University has reinvented himself again, this time as an expert on Iran. In an interview to a mainstream Swiss radio station he dismissed concerns about Iran’s alleged quest to acquire nuclear weapon capability. As Zimmermann sees it, the entire campaign against Iran is the doing of Israel that tries to divert attention from the Palestinian-Israeli conflict: “The Israeli politic tries to somehow marginalize the problem of Israel-Palestine, and this is done by building up a bigger, new enemy. Iran or the nuclear power Iran.”
Zimmermann also dismisses what he euphemistically calls, “Iran’s unfriendly behavior” toward Israel, stating that “its not so much about Iran’s policy, but about the purposes of the Israeli policy.”
To reach these conclusions, Zimmermann has to ignore two inconvenient realities. First, the international community has long suspected Tehran of trying to produce a nuclear weapon. The International Atomic Energy Agency has said as much in its numerous Safeguard Reports and imposed an unprecedented sanction regimen on Iran. The sanctions that brought the economy to its knees brought the regime to the negotiation table with the P5+1 countries (permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) but the prospect of reaching an agreement by its November 24 deadline is not clear. According to reports, Iran still insists on retaining a large enrichment capacity and refused access to Parchin and sites suspected of holding experiments in producing a nuclear warhead that could be mounted on the Sajjil – 2, a medium range missile capable of striking Israel. Clearly, the international community does not think that Tehran’s nuclear program is an Israeli bogyman designed to divert attention from the conflict.
Iran’s “unfriendly behavior,” is not limited to the former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as Zimmermann has alleged. The Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a new guide on how to eliminate Israel that, not incidentally, coincided with the anniversary of Kristallnacht.
Like any other citizen, Zimmermann has the right to express his belief that Israel should not hold on to the territories. But there is something particularly odious about his tactics that ranged from equating Israeli behavior to that of Nazi Germany, to ignoring concerns about Iran’s alleged proliferation.
Yet more is expected from a faculty in a respectable academic institution. The Swiss radio station, along with other German media outlets, give Zimmermann a platform because he is employed by the Hebrew University. The special legitimacy accorded to scholars who should be objective bearers of truth is tarnished by Zimmermann’s equivalent of flat earth theory.
|HUJ Nurit Peled Elhanan and Israeli Social Sciences: A Commentary on a Highly Politicized Discipline |
|For years now, IAM has reported on the Nurit Peled Elhanan (HUJ) political exploits that break every rule of academic conduct. In her newest venture, Peled Elhanan, the laureate of the politically dubious Human Rights Award of the European Union Parliament, urges to boycott Israel and indeed, expel it from the international community. [See below]
That Peled Elhanan, a tireless anti-Israeli activist, would call for boycott is old hat. She has done in countless times in the past and will do it again. It is also quite clear that neither the university authorities nor the state have any appetite to apply the 2011 anti-boycott law, though Peled Elhanan seems to be its most blatant violator.
What is more surprising is that the social science community has never raised objection to her dubious publication record - a string of political polemics dressed up as academic research. As expected, Peled Elhanan “found empirical evidence” to compare the Israel to the worst of Nazi Germany and South African apartheid. Published by radical European outlets, this material is presented as academic research by a “Hebrew University professor.”
For those who may wander as to why scholars - adept at using various discursive forums – have refrained from offering a critique of Peled Elhanan, the answer is simple. Social sciences in Israel are deeply politicized and virtually dominated by leftist academics anxious to protect their radical colleagues. By criticizing Peled Elhanan, they may give succor to right-wing critics of the academy.
No such qualms exist when it comes to perceived “right-wing” scholarship. For instance, when the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya published an survey of Iranian public attitudes toward nuclear weapons in Iran – that, incidentally found a decline in public support for the project - Professor Micha Leshem and Yuval Yonay (Haifa U) offered a scathing attack on Professor Alex Mintz and the HIC accusing them of being a front for the Mossad, published on the social science server. [See below] It is not entirely clear why Leshem – who once attached a classic anti-Semitic cartoon opposing Israeli occupation - and Yonay were so outraged. A short perusal of the relevant opinion polls by Gallop and Zogby polls, easily available on the Internet, would have confirmed that, indeed, the sanctions that devastated the Iranian economy brought down the level of approval for the nuclear weapons. Here are some relevant numbers for Leshem and Yonay to consider: after five years of increasingly harsh sanctions, only 35 percent of Iranian stated that they were better off than five years ago; almost fifty percent said they were worse off. As the high cost for keeping the nuclear development afloat became evident, the virtual 100 percent approval dropped to some 60 and less.
The recent case of Dr. Mordechai Kedar (Bar Ilan University) reflects the same pattern. On the 21st of July a number of scholars accused Kedar of alleging that rape of women in family of Hamas was the only way to deter Hamas. The claim was posted on the social science server, prompting Haaretz to publish an article. Kedar shortly after publish his version on the issue. Bar Ilan University followed up with a clarification, stating that Dr. Kedar explained in response that he does not recommend such despicable acts, and that his intention was to illustrate how difficult it is to deter a suicide bomber.
There is little doubt that Hamas motivation and behavior – a subcategory of Jihadist behavior - is important and should be discussed by social scientists, not just as a bone fide academic topic but also as a service to the military, policy makers and the public. But here again, because of politicization, a dispassionate debate supported by empirical evidence was lost.
Reading the book The Koranic Concept of War, by Brigadier General S.K. Malik would be a good start. Malik, a self-described Islamist, served at the time on the Pakistani general staff. He asserted that the Koran does not make a distinction between combatants in uniforms and civilians on both sides of a war. Killing enemy civilians is, of course, permitted, but Muslim non-combatants should be ready to sacrifice their lives and become martyrs for the cause. Following the Iranian revolution in 1979, the book was adopted as an official doctrine by the Revolution Guards and then taught to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tehran, and Hamas.
Any respectable debate on deterrence of Jihadists should, at the very least, include Malik’s work and its tactical applications. More than a decade ago, Lt. Col. Joseph C. Myers published a highly regarded study on Malik in theleading journal Parameter. The article became the basis of academically sound and sophisticated understanding of the issue.
Social scientists have a duty to produce and disseminate relevant knowledge, not least because they are supported by the tax payer. But this notion has probably never occurred to some Israeli faculty that view their tenured position as an extension of their political agenda.
|To the Board of Governors of the Hebrew University Jerusalem|
|The Board of Governors is urged to act in order to prevent the above faculty from abusing their academic freedom. HUJ should follow the protocol of public universities in the West that are required by law to be accountable to the tax payers who fund their activities. Clearly, the Israeli tax paying public should not support activist faculty who do not teach or research in the fields they were hired for or use their classroom to push their ideological agenda.|
|[HUJ, Buber Society] Roy Wagner - Upping the Ante: Pinkwashing and Holocaust Equivalency|
|Gay activist-scholars who describe themselves as queer have been among the most radical critics of Israel. Coined by Aeyal Gross (TAU), pinkwashing became the rallying cry of those who accuse Israel of promoting liberal policies towards gays in order to cover up the occupation.
Roy Wagner (HUJ), a self proclaimed scholar and queer activist, takes the pinkwashing theory one step further in a lengthy “On (not) choosing between mobility and visibility: Crossing sexual and national borders in Israel/Palestine,” published in Borderlands, an Australian-based e-journal. Wagner stated that the article derives from activities at Tel Aviv University’s Queer Theory Reading Group and its annual LGBT studies and queer theory conference.
Admittedly, Wagner’s piece, replete with critical theory language and convoluted prose is a difficult read as the following typical sentence demonstrates: “The term visibility-mobility regime indicates here the Israeli system of technologies organizing mobility and visibility in Israel/Palestine, but also the distributed agents that implement these technologies (this
ambiguity is meant to avoid the assumption of a unified sovereign that exists apart from the implementation of its governance technologies).”
Stripped of its critical verbiage, Wagner theory is simple; there is an inverse relation between visibility and mobility, that it the less “deviant” from the norm a person is, the easier it is for him or her to “pass” and move around. In his view, the 2006 Gay Pride Parade in Jerusalem illustrates this point: the police let the “straight” looking gays to march but confined the “queers” (who sometimes march in drag or semi-nude) to a small lot. Whether straight or queer looking, Palestinian gays were not allowed to march under their banner at all.
Still, it was the case of Palestinian gays that demolished his theory. Wagner admitted that the Israelis were quite lenient in allowing gays from the territories to enter Israel; one such frequent traveler was gay who performed in drag in a Jerusalem bar. Indeed, he was forced to state that Israel’s treatment of gays - is more “civilized” than in the Palestinian Authority - where gays are often beaten and persecuted. Contradicting himself even further, Wagner proceeded to chastise the Israeli press for ignoring the near fatal beating of a gay Palestinian by an East Jerusalem man who claimed to represent the Muslim religious authority. It is noted that Gross and other pinkwashers normally complain that Israel highlights the plight of Palestinian gays to score public relations points.
Wagner further undermines his thesis by comparing the treatment of the Palestinians to that of the Jews during the Holocaust - a situation where “passing” was a question of life or death. There is little logic to this comparison, but it is not coherence that Wagner is interested at. In the radical academic community, the goal is to create the Palestinian-Holocaust equivalence, no matter the ontological and epistemic cost.
Needless to say, Wagner can violate all rules of research because he is sailing under the flag of academic freedom while fleecing the tax payer.
|In the Service of the PLO - Nurit Peled Elhanan’s One-Sided Version of Reality: Blame Israel Only|
|Previous postings on Nurit Peled Elhanan (HUJ) indicated that this radical activist has never believed in separation between political agenda and scholarship. Her book on textbooks, based on dubious methodology and specious arguments “proves” that Israeli textbooks are violently biased toward Arabs and Palestinians.
This time around she takes on the issue of incitement - first dealt with by the Tripartite Committee on Incitement created in 1998 to facilitate the peace process. Though the level of incitement by the Palestinians has grown since then, Peled Elhanan gives them a good grade. Indeed, she calls Palestinian incitement a “myth” created by the Israel as a “diversionary tactic.”
Peled Elhanan writes that “a February 2013, a comprehensive report on textbooks in Israel and Palestine entitled “Victims of Our Own Narratives? Portrayal of the ‘Other’ in Israeli and Palestinian School Books", sponsored by the US State Department and independently examined at Yale University, the study looked at 94 Palestinian textbooks and 74 Israeli textbooks published between 2009 and 2011. The results of the study formally exposed the Israeli accusation of one-sided extensive Palestinian incitement myth.“
This is a highly misleading statement. No one, of course, expects Peled Elhanan to provide accurate details as she has served as an effective spokesperson for the PLO for decades. The PLO press release below proves this point. The only problem is that it is the Israeli taxpayer who pays her salary.
|[HUJ Amos Goldberg] Critical Studies Find Converts among Holocaust Studies Scholars: What do Taxpayers Pay For?|
|IAM has periodically reported on Israeli academics–activists using the critical, neo-Marxist approach to make political points. Comparisons between the Holocaust and the Nakba are very popular in this genre, with Adi Ophir (TAU), Ariella Azoulay (TAU) and Moshe Zuckermann (TAU) leading the field.
Actual Holocaust scholars have been slower to join the ranks. One prominent exception to the rule is Amos Goldberg from Hebrew University. Goldberg, whose doctoral dissertation was on diary writing during the Holocaust, has come under the influence of Dominic LeCapra, professor of intellectual history at Cornell University, School of Theory and Criticism. Less known than the French critical scholars such as Michele Foucault, Jack Derrida or Jean Leoytard, LeCapra adopted the critical approach to the study of historical trauma. Like his more prominent peers, LeCpra denies the uniqueness of Holocaust - either in the moral sense or as a case of murder on a vast industrial scale . He is also quick to accuse positivist scholars for using the label of uniqueness to push an ideological agenda.
Goldberg who spent an year in at Cornell proved himself to be an adeptstudent of LaCapra. As his paper below (co-authored with Bashir Bashir) indicates, the comparison of the Holocaust and the Nakba are never far from the surface.
Scholars are, of course, free to adopt the critical, neo-Marxist approach in their research. The question here - as with other academics profiled by IAM – is whether they engage in “mission creep” that transcends the bounds (liberally defined) of their departments. Goldberg was evidently hired to do research and teach on the Holocaust rather than join the already growing number of scholars who study the Nakba in one guise or other.
In an age of diminished resources in tertiary education, this is one more expense that the tax payer is asked to shoulder.
|[HUJ, Poli-Sci] Ofer Cassif's unequivocal battle against Zionism and Israel|
|Ofer Cassif (Hebrew University in Jerusalem), a high ranking official in the Israeli Communist Party, is arguably one of the most radical academics in Israel. As IAM reported, his syllabus in a course on Israeli society follows closely his ideological views.
The article below reflects Cassif''s penchant for misrepresenting facts to prove that Israel is the worst "brutal, colonial, apartheid, racist, capitalist state," where freedom of speech is brutally suppressed.
Cassif, as the representative of the Israeli Communist Party in Lisbon, Portugal, posed a request to his audience: "I would like to call you to support our struggle against the occupation, against Zionist racism." He then compared Israelis to Ku Klux Klan, "Israeli soldiers and other officials ignore that fascist vandalism – as if we were talking about KKK in Alabama under George Wallace." Cassif's grim views of Israel are evident: "The brutal colonialist regime that Israeli Zionist governments have been retaining for decades in the Palestinian occupied territories is accompanied by vicious capitalist and racist policies in Israel proper".
Cassif's notion of Middle East politics is one-dimensional. His deliberation of Syria's communists is of "their continuous struggle against imperialist and Zionist intervention". Cassif concluded that "in the Middle-East, it means an unequivocal battle against Zionism".
Carried away by the slew of negative adjectives to describe Israel, Cassif evidently missed the irony of his own position. If Israel is such a horrible totalitarian state, how is it that Cassif gets to teach a course using a list of readings that would have made the University of Moscow during the Stalin era proud?
Cassif is not the only radical faculty supported by the Israeli tax payer. As Ziva Shamir, the former head of the School of History at TAU suggested, not only do such academics use academic freedom to peddle their political agenda in class, but turn their offices into branches of their respective party.
Trashing Israel is one things, enjoying the perks of one's academic position is another.
|[HUJ Institute of Contemporary Jewry] Amos Goldberg and the Radical Hypocrisy of the Radical Left|
|Amos Goldberg, a Holocaust researcher from Hebrew University and a political activist, was praised by Louise Bethlehem, a Hebrew University English Literature professor in connection with Zochrot, a group that promotes the memory of the Nakba as the Palestinian equivalent of the Holocaust. As Bethlehem wrote in 2010 "Zochrot ( æåëøåú ) is the feminine plural form of the verb to remember – an imperative which is routinely associated with the Holocaust for Jewish Israelis, as activist and Holocaust scholar Amos Goldberg recently pointed out to me."
Goldberg, hired as an expert on Holocaust, has worked hard to create this equivalency. As the previous IAM post indicates, Goldberg adds a moral imperative to his work; as victims of the Holocaust, Jews should support the Palestinian effort to remember their catastrophe.
Goldberg's stand, which is very popular among activist faculty associated with Zochrot, is nothing short of amazing. Adi Ophir and Moshe Zuckermann (TAU) among the leaders of the Nakba memory drive, are the authors of the theory that memorializing the Holocaust has created a psychological "deformity" among Israeli Jews, as the latter put it. Allegedly, the "pathological" need to remember the Jewish genocide -in the word of the former - makes Israeli Jews morally blind to the plight of their Palestinians victims. According to this scenario, the former victims behave like the Nazis in their encounters with the Palestinians.
That radical faculty is reluctant to acknowledge the wisdom of the popular saying "what is good for the goose is good for the gander" has been amply documented by the IAM. That the existence of double standards is at the core of hypocrisy is well understood. What is not well known is that Goldberg has followed many in the radical cohorts to turn his tax supported position to research the Holocaust to "nazify Israel."
|[HUJ Political Science] Ofer Cassif's Activism In and Outside the Classroom|
|Ofer Cassif, a member of the political bureau of the Israeli Communist Party is teaching a course in Political Science "Capital & Government" at HUJ. As IAM reported, Cassif is a vehement critic of Israel who routinely describes Zionism as a racist ideology.
Recently Cassif chaired a meeting of the Central Committee of the party called to deal with current regional developments. The Committee passed a resolution condemning Israel for "warmongering" against Syria and threatening to attack her in the name of American imperialism.
Domestically, the Committee called to overthrow the violent, right-wing government that serves big capital and the settlers. It warned against the "fascist" discourse used to break the power of the labor and union.
Arguably, Cassif, like other citizens, has the right to espouse political views of his choice, including that of the Communist Party which is legal in Israel. What he has no right to do is to turn his classroom into an extension of his party activism.
Yet this is exactly what Cassif has been doing. A syllabus of the same course "Capital & Government" that he offered at the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo demonstrates this point. IAM's Syllabus Project that tracks syllabi of radical scholars found that Cassif's list of assigned readings was highly partial to a neo-Marxist interpretation of the alleged ills of the Israeli democracy and the exploitation of the masses by the "big capital."
The syllabus makes a mockery of the 2010 resolution of the Council of Higher Education mandating a balanced approach in the social sciences. The HUJ students and the taxpayers deserve better than an exercise in pedagogy lifted from the playbooks of higher education in former Soviet Union.
|HUJ Alon Harel and Ethics Code: Misrepresenting Academic Freedom|
|A recent proposal by Ariel University to pass Ethics Code (eventually postponed to the following year) created a firestorm on the Social Science Network.
Alon Harel has led the charge against the “totalitarian” Ariel University, describing two paragraphs of the proposed Code as “scandalous.” One stipulates that faculty’s conduct should not be injurious to the good name of the university. The other pertains to the duty of faculty to provide students with a balanced presentation of controversial subjects by - 1) offering a wide variety of views on the issue; - 2) teaching about the sources of the controversy.
Harel’s position reflects the view of a large segment of liberal arts faculty in Israel. As Academic Freedom in Israel: A Comparative Perspective found, Israeli academics have fought the notion that academic freedom should be balanced with academic duty. Conversely, public universities in Germany, Great Britain and the United States have Ethic Codes that require faculty to behave in a way that would not tarnish the good name of their institutions. Given that taxpayers fund higher education, sensitivity to public image is part of the larger theme of accountability to the public and its elected representatives.
Harel’s argument sounds particularly callous when it comes to sexual misconduct of faculty, a topic of a recent report by the Comptroller General. Yaacov Bergman (HUJ), who helped with the report, pointed out that Professor Eyal Ben-Ari who was fired by Hebrew University for sexual misconduct was accused of tarnishing the good name of his employer. The transcript of the internal trial of Ben Ari mentions "harming the University's good reputation" on seven occasions. Bergman observed that Harel's dismissive approach to the values of institutional reputation contradicts the stand of his university.
Harel’s opposition to a balanced teaching of controversial subjects is equally puzzling. While professing to accept the Wilhelm von Humboldt’s vision of a classroom as a “marketplace of ideas” - a pedagogy used in liberal arts in the West - he warns that such a Code will punish faculty who do not follow this practice. Needless to say, Harel's position contradicts Resolution 1109/11 of The Council for Higher Education (CHE) which requires that Israeli universities follow the “classroom as a market place of ideas” model. Thus, it is mandated that students in liberal arts (social sciences and humanities) be “exposed to a wide-range of ideas,” a “variety of knowledge,” and to “relevant claims.”
Overwhelming opposition to Ethics code is not limited to Harel. Maltz Committee Report on Higher Education of January 18, 2000 urged creating Ethic Codes, however most universities ignored the recommendation because of faculty opposition.
Harel’s shopworn warnings that limiting academic freedom in Israel would hurt higher education are disingenuous at best and deceptive at worst. Israeli liberal arts are trending well below Western averages, not least because the expansive interpretation of intramural freedom makes it easy on tenured faculty to cease publishing in their field to engage in pseudo research to push a political agenda. IAM has repeatedly illustrated that neo-Marxist, critical scholars have switched from researching in the field for which they were hired to engaging in political pamphleteering. The International Committee of Evaluation under Professor Thomas Risse noted that most faculty in the Department of Politics and Government at Ben Gurion University known little about core political science fields and publish in marginal academic venues.
Harel and his peers should know that resisting all efforts to improve liberal arts education comes with a price. The state budget is not a bottomless barrel; when painful cuts are necessary the taxpayers and their political representatives can rightly ask why should they support underperforming programs. This is not a hypothetical question - it was announced last week that, as part of the Maltz Report quest for efficiency,the Hebrew University will eliminate a large number of liberal arts courses.
Alon Harel should realize that such moves are the proverbial "writing on the wall." Most economic estimates predict a decade of slow growth in the economy and more cuts. Humanities and social sciences are not going to be exempt from the general trends and will be forced to implement the Maltz Report, bringing Israeli universities in line with global trends.
|Bias at the Hebrew University Social Science Network|
|Following IAM's Roundtable on "Academic Freedom in Israel" Dr. Rami Kaplan posted his Hebrew review on the Social Science Network, a Hebrew University service for the social science community. As is acceptable in academic discourse, IAM posted on the Network a response to Kaplan, (see below) but our second effort to respond to the burgeoning discussion engendered by Kaplan's post were denied. Instead, the following day in an unprecedented move Dr. Amir Tal, the Network moderator, wrote a letter apologizing for allowing the IAM response to Kaplan in the first place. Tal accused IAM of using "harassing" and "intimidating" language and reminded all network users that they should refrain from ad hominem attacks and disrespectful language. Needless to say, there was nothing "harassing" nor "intimidating" in any of our posts.
Tal's position reflects what IAM has known for years, namely that the Social Science Network is heavily biased toward leftist scholarship. For instance, our posts have been rejected on many occasions; after agreeing to post our invitation to the Roundtable, the moderator rejected a reminder, while organizers of events whom the moderators find more palatable are allowed to post a second or even a third reminder.
The moderators of the Network have allowed plenty of disrespectful and even slanderous language to be used in causes they do not like. For example, posts about Im Tirtzu and Ariel University have included questionable assertions and disrespectful language.
The practices of the moderators of the Hebrew University Social Science Network reflect the lack of pluralism in the social sciences in Israel. Voices that do not tow the "party line" are stifled and silenced. As IAM demonstrated, the social sciences in Israeli universities pay a high price for this state of affair; they trend well below their counterparts in the West and contribute little to academic excellence that Israel needs in the highly competitive global economy.
|Yaacov Bergman addresses Michael Walzer [HUJ Governor]: you were dead wrong on the facts!|
|Dear Michael Walzer,
On October 2, 2012, you wrote a letter to then Education Minister Gidon Saar and to the vice chairman of the Council for Higher Education (CHE), Dr. Shimshon Shoshany, urging them to prevent the CHE from discharging its duties as the Israeli regulator of higher education with regard to the Department of Politics and Government at Ben-Gurion University. Your letter is copied below within my detailed public response to you of October 21, 2012, which you have not had the integrity to answer. In your public letter, you wrote:
There doesn’t seem to be any plausible academic reason for the decision, which is not consistent with the reports of your own committee of international experts [ ]. The closing of the department looks like a political purge by a government that doesn’t understand what universities are for.
Well, Michael Walzer, you were dead wrong on the facts!
On October 30, 2012, the CHE sub-committee on quality assurance heard the appeal by the Ben-Gurion University administration during which procedure the chairman of the committee of international experts, Prof Thomas Risse, said thus, according to the minutes (protocol) of that session:
Prof. Thomas Risse: "When the news broke in the newspaper, I immediately went to the press and said that it is an academic issue. The evaluating committee had no intention of getting into a political fight." [ ] "The university hired people who are essentially "more of the same". Most work in one cluster of topics, and political science should be broader. It has nothing to do with politics. They need people in core fields."
Moreover, an investigation that I personally conducted into the matter revealed that the Department of Politics and Government at Ben-Gurion University was founded and has been maintained by deplorable methods. I wrote an investigative article, which "Haaretz" newspaper published, that summarizes my findings. I urge you, Michael Walzer, and the other recipients of this letter to you, to read the translation into English of that published article which I am copying below. When you read it, please notice the role played in the dishonest plot by your host at the Hebrew University next week, Avner De-Shalit. I should also mention that the Editor in Chief of "Haaretz" newspaper Aluf Benn promised to let De-Shalit respond to my findings, but De-Shalit has never done so, even when he was personally invited to speak at a conference devoted to the issue. Indeed, the facts in the article speak for themselves.
You should also know that following the rejection of its appeal to the CHE and following my revelations in the published article below, the Ben-Gurion administration submitted a letter to the CHE in which it agreed to perform according to all the CHE directives concerning its Department of Politics "precisely as phrased by the CHE and according to their spirit."
More importantly, you and others who wrote baseless protest letters concerning this affair should know that your uncalled for involvement has damaged the academic quality assurance process in Israel, as will soon become clear with regard to that process as it has been applied to the Israeli sociology departments, some of which share the characteristics of the substandard BGU Department of Politics. This is, indeed, the main reason that I am writing to you and to the many other recipients; to inform you that baseless protests are not innocuous. They can and do harm!
|Letter to the Hebrew University Board of Governors|
|Moshe Zimmerman (HUJ, German History) has engaged in a long standing effort to compare Israel to Nazi Germany. He is a favorite among the anti-Semitic left in Germany that uses his work and public appearances to legitimate their own radical stance against Israel. Zimmermann appeared on April 16, 2012 at a meeting sponsored by a radical Palestinian organization "The Palestine Initiative" in Hanover which blames Israel for the Arab-Israeli dispute. On Sept 09, 2012 he wrote to Haaretz equating Israeli treatment of Eritrean refuges to the forced deportation of Polish Jews from Germany in 1938. It is noted that the European Union Monitoring Center (EUMC) had declared that such comparisons - defined as "nazification of Israel” - are part of new form of anti-Semitism. Israel is currently the only Western country in which faculty can engage in "nazification of Israel" under the flag of academic freedom.
Nurit Peled Elhanan (HUJ, Education) has "testified" in South Africa on October 08, 2012 before the Russell Tribunal on Palestine, a self-appointed group of radical leftists who accuse Israel of apartheid and advocate boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS). In 2012 Peled Elhanan published a book of dubious academic value that accused Israeli text-books of widespread racist depictions of Arabs and Palestinians. During the tour to promote her work she told BBC Brazil on August 20, 2012 that the Israeli "education system teaches children to hate Arabs." On June 02, 2013, the Teheran News Agency quoted Peled-Elhanan stating that Israel is a real global threat, "Islam like Judaism and Christianity is in itself not a threat to me or to anyone, but American imperialism is, European indifference is … and Israeli racism and its cruel occupying regime is."
Amiram Goldblum (HUJ, Medicinal chemistry) is among the organizers of an Israeli anti-apartheid movement; the proposed organization plans to replicate the popular Israel Apartheid Week on Western campuses. On February 20, 2013 in an article for "On the Left Side" he quoted a finding from a poll he had commissioned to "prove" that Israelis are racists and likely to support an apartheid regime.
Amos Goldberg (HUJ. Holocaust Studies) and Asaf Angerman (HUJ, Rosenzweig Minerva), have been busy promoting the Holocaust - Nakba equivalency. A popular topic among radical faculty, equating the Holocaust and Nakba is a variant of the "nazification of Israel" theme. On October 29, 2012 Goldberg lectured in New York "The Holocaust and the Nakba: Traumatic Memories and (Bi)National Identities in Israel-Palestine." On February 09, 2013 Angerman participated in a seminar entitled "Israel and Palestine: Zionism and Nakba - Two narratives mutually exclusive?" In 2009 during his stay in Germany, Angerman who described himself as "German Jew" signed a petition titled “German Jews Say No to Murder by Israeli Army."
Ofer Cassif (HUJ, Rothberg), the head of the international committee of the Communist Party of Israel, wrote an article for the CPI on March 14, 2012 which defined Zionism, "Zionism is a surname: A family of racism and nationalism, exclusion and oppression, occupation and warmongering, class exploitation and imperialism." Cassif teaches a course "Capital & Government," an extension of his political views. By offering a syllabus composed of readings depicting Israel as a racist and imperialist society, Cassif contravenes the 2010 decision of the Council of Higher Education (CHE) mandating a balanced discussion of the topic at hand.
Avner de-Shalit (HUJ, Political Science) has played a key role in the scandal surrounding the Department of Politics and Government at Ben Gurion University. According to Dr. Yaacov Bergman, de-Shalit hindered the CHE efforts to improve the substandard department dating back to 2002 when a renowned political scientist reviewed the department and filed a scathing report recommending its closure. De-Shalit served as a second evaluator and filed a favorable report; He was nominated a year later to head a new committee that issued a favorable evaluation. De-Shalit had no moral right to accept this appointment. This unethical and possible illegal behavior should have disqualified him from serving on the Executive Committee of the University.
|Tehran News Agency: HUJ Nurit Peled Elhanan Sees Israel as Real Global Threat|
|The remarks were made by Dr. Nurit Peled-Elhanan addressing a ceremony marking the International Women's Day in Strasbourg, France.
"Islam like Judaism and Christianity is in itself not a threat to me or to anyone, but American imperialism is, European indifference is … and Israeli racism and its cruel occupying regime is," Peled-Elhanan said.
She noted that the US and the UK are infecting their citizens with a blind fear of the Muslims "despite the fact that the people who are destroying the world today are not Muslims".
Peled-Elhanan underlined that Islam is not a threat, but the real threat is Israel and the Israeli army.
Peled-Elhanan is the mother of Smadar Elhanan who was 13 years when killed in a bombing incident in al-Quds (Jerusalem) in September 1997.
|HUJ Professor Avner de-Shalit and the Debacle of the BGU Department of Politics and Government|
|IAM has published a number of editorials on the Department of Politics and Government at Ben Gurion University, exposing the corruption that allowed a substandard department to continue to exist in spite of professional opinion. Dr. Yaacov Bergman (HUJ) has done extensive research and used the Freedom Information Act to obtain most of the available documentation. As should be clear by now, Professor Avner de-Shalit, a former dean and professor of political science from HUJ, has played a leading role in this sordid affair.
Until the expose of Bergman, de-Shalit could play the role of a highly- principled and objective social scientist. Incidentally, the 2005 article below reflects this carefully cultivated persona, a self-portrayed that could not be further away from the truth. Even more astounding is his article "A Blow to Students in the South," a highly misleading piece of writing.
In the IAM roundtable on Academic Freedom in Israel: A Comparative Perspective held on May 5, 2013, at the ZOA House Tel Aviv, Bergman, using a Power Point presentation displaying the relevant documentation, told the real story.
In July 1997, the Council for Higher Education (CHE) approved the Department of Politics and Government as a dual-minors program; in 2001, the Department sought accreditation for its BA program. The CHE appointed Professor Zeev Maoz, the renowned political scientist from Tel Aviv University and a year later, Professor Avner de-Shalit, of the Hebrew University, to evaluate the Department. On January 2, 2002 Maoz submitted a scathing report, writing that there was a “shocking” lack of core political science classes and that faculty members specialized in topics that were marginal to the discipline, as a result, a large number of them taught courses that had little to do with their academic training and research. Among the faculty listed was David Newman, a political geographer who taught a class on electoral system, Rina Poznansky, a historian by training, who offered a class on political parties and Dani Filc (at the time a Ph.D. candidate in philosophy at Tel Aviv University and a former MD) who instructed a course in Israeli government. Maoz was especially concerned with the absence of courses in methodology and quantitative methods; he noted that the sole instructor (a doctoral candidate) had no background in the field. Since virtually all senior members did not research in core political science subjects, Maoz asserted that it would be hard for the Department to provide qualified instructors for core course. In conclusion, he urged the CHE to reject the request for accreditation.
But de-Shalit felt that the Department should not be denied accreditation. Given the split decision, in November 2003, the CHE created another committee. In a shocking breach of ethics de-Shalit was appointed, along with Gad Barzilai from the Department of Political Science at Tel Aviv University and Ella Belfer, a historian from Bar Ilan University, to consider anew the accreditation request. In a March 2004 report, the committee praised the Department for offering a “unique program” – a reference to a course in applied political training (hitmachut politit). A co-operative program, the hitmachut students were expected to work for NGOs and participate in workshops and field trips organized by faculty; the report recommended to make the course mandatory. The committee had also formed a favorable opinion of the faculty, praising the “special relations” with students and the collegial atmosphere in the Department. Ignoring Maoz’s concerns, the report recommended adding a slot in political philosophy and Israeli government. Acting upon its recommendation, the CHE agreed on a temporary accreditation; by 2009, fully-accredited, the Department was allowed to offer an MA program.
“The Report of the Committee in Charge of Evaluating the Accreditation Request of the Department of Politics and Government at BGU University,“ obtained through Freedom Information Act by Dr. Yaacov Bergman.
By giving its blessing to a “unique program” as part of a ”pluralistic approach to political science,” the de-Shalit committee accepted the Department’s right to offer a political science program closely modeled on Antioch College in Ohio, a small liberal arts school known for embracing radical causes. Rather than standard political science education, Antioch proffers courses geared toward political activism, which students then use in a co-operative program for what was termed “progressive political activism.” Had de-Shalit and his colleagues bothered to review the co-operative program in the Department, they would have learned that the field work – reflecting the activist makeup of the faculty - was heavily skewed toward left wing activism.
In 2011 the International Evaluation Committee chaired by Thomas Risse issued a report on the Department as a routine CHE evaluation of political science departments around the country. The Risse Committee (RC) echoed the misgivings of Maoz; it identified serious problems with the weak political science core and a virtual absence of quantitative method training. The RC noted the imbalance of views in classroom curricula which were heavily weighted toward a critical perspective. This was hardly surprisingly since the Department practiced hiring and promoting instructors based on paradigmatic similarity or previous political connection. The RC found that, as result, there was a paucity of mainstream political science approaches, a “rather eclectic set of courses that…lack a coherent focus,” and a tenure-track faculty that had no background in political science.
The criticism proffered by the RC was also a resounding rejection of the de-Shalit recommendation that praised the “unique vision” of the Department. Moreover, the same committee noted that even de-Shalit's own Political Science Department at the Hebrew University lacked a strong offering in quantitative studies. Writing as Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, de-Shalit promised to address this problem, consequently hiring new faculty with a strong background in rational choice theory, a cutting -edge discipline in contemporary political science.
Yet when it came to Ben Gurion University, without revealing his role, de-Shalit was among the first to accuse the CHE of McCarthyism, a theme used to mobilize a huge internal and international protest. De-Shalit also penned a deceptive article on the alleged role of the Department in helping the disadvantaged population of the Negev region to graduate college. Full of cheap sentimentality, the article (below) gushed about how the faculty took a poor Mizrahi student under its wings, turning his life around. Nowhere in the article did this Dean in prestigious university mention merit or academic excellence that both rich and poor students deserve when enrolling in a university. Regrettably, de-Shalit is not the only member of the academic elite that harbors a patronizing attitude towards institutions that serve the less privileged sectors of the society.
Given de-Shalit’s unethical behavior in accepting the 2003 appointment, his failure to defend his decision was less than surprising. However, he did much more than that. As detailed in the article by Bergman, de-Shalit claimed being unaware of the Maoz report and, even more egregiously, denied that he was the second expert on the 2001 committee.
The lessons of the de-Shalit story are complex. To begin with, de-Shalit talks the talk but does not walk the walk. This is not surprising, as so many others have engaged in this all too human behavior. What helped de-Shalit to project the aura of moral professionalism are the opaque ways in which the academy operates. Sailing under the flag or academic freedom, the Israeli faculty resists all efforts to force accountability and transparency. Without a serious reform the academic abuse and corruption will continue.
The Hebrew University can take a first step in reforming the academy by removing de-Shalit from its Executive Committee where he now serves.
|[HUJ, German] Moshe Zimmermann speaks for a Palestinian organization in Germany in Yom Haatzmaut|
|Moshe Zimmermann, an expert on German history at Hebrew University, is due to speak on behalf of The Palestine Initiative in Hanover, Germany. The group has invited him as a representative of an Israeli university, but erroneously listed him as being on faculty of Tel Aviv University. The mistake is quite understandable, as Moshe Zuckermann, a professor of German history at Tel Aviv University, is also a frequent invitee to pro-Palestinian events in Germany, as IAM previously reported.
In any event, it really does not matter whether it is Zimmermann or Zuckermann; the Germans are looking for an Israeli professor to legitimize their Israel-bashing events. They can always count on either of them "to deliver the goods."
|HUJ Asaf Angermann and the Making of a Radical Activist Scholar in Israel - The German Connection|
|For the regular readers of the IAM, the names of the Heinrich Boll Foundation and the Rosa Luxembourg Foundation probably sound familiar. Both has supported radical causes and the radical academic community in Israel for more than a decade now. Both support young scholars such as Dr. Asaf Angermann, a research fellow at the HUJ.
Angermann, who graduated in philosophy from Tel Aviv University, received a grant from Heinrich Boll Foundation to study for his MA degree in Germany; his doctoral studies were financed by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. Their financial support probably explains his choice of a topic: research of the Frankfurt School neo-Marxist, critical philosophers such as Theodor Adorno and Herbert Marcuse.
In between, he spent time at Goldsmith College, London, under Professor Alexander Garcia Duttman, a rising star in the critical philosophy movement. Not incidentally, Goldsmith College is a bastion of anti-Zionist scholarship influenced by Eyal Weizman, a former Israeli architect who specializes in "Israel's architecture of occupation."
As many in the neo-Marxist, critical tradition, Angermann ventured into political activism. Describing himself as a "German Jew," in 2009 he signed a petition "German Jews say No to Murder by the Israeli Army" and an Open Letter to German Left Party (Die Linke).
This so called "German Jew" is now a research fellow at another German supported institution - the Rosenzweig Minerva Research Center at the Hebrew University. As indicated below, Angermann has been busy promoting the Holocaust-Nakba moral equivalency program in Germany. Under the guise of conflict resolution, the conference is supported by the Tel Aviv office of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, directed by Angelika Timm.
Timm, a former professor at the then East German Humboldt University, collaborated with the Communist Party in denouncing Israel, as a Der Spiegel article illustrates. (Translated from German by Google: "In 1975, Angelika Timm served as an interpreter to a delegation of the Israeli Communist Party to East Germany and reported to their superiors what the participants told about each other. In their work they examined "the right-wing Israeli social democracy", the "dominant role of the Zionist ideology" and the "reactionary nature of the political system" in which the "Jewish workers" would be prevented to participate in the "class struggle". Naturally Angelika Timm of East Berlin attacked the "Israeli occupation policy", including "Blitzkrieg", "terror" and "expulsion". In the war of 1948/49, they had an easy pass to the historical facts, the "Zionist leaders" prevented the "establishment of an Arab Palestinian state."")
A German investment in Angermann's education pays off. He is a younger and more energetic version of Moshe Zimmermann (HUJ) and Moshe Zuckermann (TAU), It is reasonable to expect that long after Zuckermann and Zimmermann retire, Angermann will be commuting to Germany to bash Israel.
|German-Israeli Textbook Commission and HUJ Moshe Zimmermann - Questionable Appointment|
|The Georg Eckert Institute in Germany and the Mofet Institute in Tel Aviv have created a German-Israeli Textbook Commission to study Israeli and German textbooks. The commission is funded by the German Foreign Ministry and the Israeli Ministry of Education. This is certainly a commendable project, but the appointment of Professor Moshe Zimmermann (HUJ) is troubling.
Zimmermann has a long history of fairly outrageous commentary that could be construed as comparing the behavior of the IDF to that of elements in Nazi Germany. In fact, at one point, Zimmermann was reprimanded by the Anti-Defamation League for engaging in anti-Semitic sloganeering. He has been involved in a number of law suits trying to prove that he was misquoted. But in one ruling in 2004 Judge Yehudit Shevach of the Magistrate Court in Tel Aviv accepted the argument by journalist Anat Peri and Haaretz "that Zimmermann did compare, on various occasions Israelis to the Nazis. Between Hebron youth to the Hitler Jugend; Between the motivation and social benefits of Israeli soldiers in IDF elite units to those enjoyed by the Waffen-SS; Between racist expressions of Israeli soccer fans to those of the Third Reich; And the Bible to Mein Kampf." The Judge also said that Peri's assumption that Zimmermann was paid by German foundations due to those views he expressed, is entirely reasonable given the overall pattern of his conduct. It bears noting that there are circles in Germany that welcome the comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany.
Losing the lawsuit against Anat Peri did not cure Zimmermann from his habits, last year he hinted again that Israel's treatment of illegal immigrants is reminiscent to how Nazi Germany deported East European Jews in 1938.
According to the European Union Monitoring Center's (EUMC) Working Definition of anti-Semitism, "nazification of Israel" (comparisons of Israel to Nazi Germany) is a form of anti-Semitism. Since the Working Definition was adopted, the European Union has made considerable progress in rooting out such anti-Semitic expressions from the public arena.
The appointment of Zimmermann raises a question of judgment on the part of the Commission. The fact that Zimmermann is Jewish and Israeli does not make his writing less anti-Semitic according to the EUMC's Working Definition of anti-Semitism.
|New School's Critical Scholarship arrives at HUJ Holocaust Studies: Amos Goldberg "The Holocaust & the Nakba"|
|The march of critical scholarship with its pantheon of icons such as Michel Foucault, Giorgio Agamben and the posthumously incorporated Hannah Arendt in the Israeli academy is unrelenting. It has currently reached the Department of Holocaust Studies at HUJ where Dr. Amos Goldberg seems to be a devotee.
Like many in the radical activist group, Goldberg who was hired to teach and research the Holocaust, has branched into trying to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Indeed, he is a member of Ta’ayush, the Children of Abraham and Solidarity Sheikh Jarach and is currently editing, together with Dr Bashir Bashir, a book on the Holocaust and the Nakba.
|HUJ Amiram Goldblum's "Possible Israeli Apartheid" call and other 'Israeli Apartheid Week' events|
|As the annual series of activities of "Israeli Apartheid Week" get under way around the world, Professor Amiram Goldblum (HUJ) has called to start an anti-Israeli apartheid movement. The opening session is scheduled for February 20, 2013 at Van Leer Jerusalem.
Goldblum explains that the proposed movement will fight apartheid in Israel. He quotes a finding from a poll that he had commissioned to "prove" that Israelis are racists and likely to support an apartheid regime. His other "proof" of apartheid does not pass muster of the European Union Monitoring Center (EUMC). In 2004, the EUMC published a report that made a clear distinction between legitimate criticism of Israel's policy in the West Bank and defaming charges - such as that Israel is an apartheid state or/and that the fate of the Palestinians is equal to that of the Jews during the Holocaust. The latter were included in its "Working Definition of anti-Semitism," which has been widely used in the European Union and adopted by the American State Department.
Needless to say, Goldblum is in good company when advocating for an anti-Israeli apartheid movement. IAM found a list of scheduled 'Israeli Apartheid Week' events in Canada, South Africa and Ireland that showcase similar themes.
|Friday Special on HUJ Eva Illouz: Don’t pish on me, and tell me it’s raining|
|An old expression goes something like, “Don’t pish on me, and tell me it’s raining.” That is exactly what some Jewish critics of Israeli policy toward the Palestinians and Arabs do when they cry about being called anti-Semitic for their activities and policy positions.
Professor Eva Illouz of the Hebrew University is the latest to take up the cudgel offended at the reaction she is getting from supporters of Israel. In a recent article in The Forward reprinted in Haaretz (November 30, 2012), she lumps herself in with Peter Beinart, Noam Chomsky, Judith Butler, Avi Shlaim, and Shlomo Sand, for doing “nothing more than (exercising) the right to think and evaluate critically the accomplishments and failures of the state of Israel.”
There is too little space here to document the depths of depraved criticism her fellow travelers heap on Israel, the one-sided blame they cast, and their calls for actions against Israel that can only lead to Israel’s vanquish and disappearance. This is the group that the distinguished Professor proudly claims as her like-minded colleagues.
|[HUJ] Democracy and "Real Democracy": A View from the Campus|
|It has been a long standing custom of radical faculty to claim that Israel is an apartheid state and/or a semi-fascist state that is suppressing Palestinians and Israeli Arabs. Indeed, Oren Yiftachel, (BGU) a self described critical geographer and neo-Gramscian - a follower of the Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci who urged intellectuals and academics to turn their work into a platform for social change- has made his name by calling Israel a "creeping apartheid" state. His BGU colleague Lev Grinberg described the Israeli system as semi-fascist.
A new group called Real Democracy took this critique one step further. As always these activists have a presence on campus, including Aya Shoshan, a student from the department of Politics and Government at BGU. Real Democracy activists declared that they are volunteering their vote to Palestinians in the territories so they can participate in the Israeli elections by proxy.
A quick search reveals many were active in the 2011 summer protest, military service refusers and employees of Amnesty and NGOs related to New Israel Fund.
Yaron Ezrahi, a political science professor at Hebrew University, was interviewed and spoke favorably about the New Democracy initiative in an article by The National, an Abu Dabi Media, and claimed that this election is not democratic. Ezrahi, a long standing critic of Israeli politics, and the activists of the New Democracy should be made aware of the Freedom in the World 2013 report issued by Freedom House, the US based organization that rates political freedoms around the world. In spite of the difficult domestic and international problems, Israel is classified as a "free" country; the indices in this category include open political competition, free media, respect for human rights and a thriving civil society. In contrast, both the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and the Hamas ruled Gaza are classified as "not free." Turkey under the Islamist rule is classified as "partially free" as the government has jailed hundreds of journalists, academics, human rights activists and military officers.
That radical faculty intent on criticizing Israel and blaming it for the failure of the peace process should avoid Freedom House statistics is logical from the perspective of those who have ideological stakes in the "apartheid theory." That their supporters like Ezrahi should do the same is puzzling, as it exposes the academy to charges of hypocrisy and erodes its credibility as an impartial conveyor of facts.
|The problem with Alon Harel's perception of Academic Freedom|
|Professor Alon Harel (Law School, Hebrew University) is one of the liberal supporters of the radical fraternity. He has a long history of defending radical academics. In 2008, after Neve Gordon published an op-ed in Los Angeles Times, calling for a boycott of Israel, Harel organized a petition urging the university not to punish Gordon. He told a newspaper that: "the issue here is academic freedom and the ability of academics to write articles reflecting their view."
More recently, Harel came out in support of the Department of Politics and Government at Ben Gurion University. In a 2010 article The Anti-Academic Elitophobe Journey: Who Wants to Destroy the Elites and Why, he explains that the attacks on the Department, and by implication liberal arts faculty, are a politically driven anti-elite crusade. These so-called "elitophobes," first attacked the Labor Party, then moved on to the Courts and are currently battling the academic elites. Harel predicts that, after vanquishing the scholars the "elitophobes" will find another elite to victimize. Harel blames right wing organizations - leading "elitophobes" - for driving the crusade against academics.
Harel further contends that Saar broke with a long- standing tradition of apolitical appointment to the Council on Higher Education (CHE); instead, he packed the Council with "right-wingers" not known for their academic accomplishment who delivered the "good," i.e. the censure of the Ben Gurion Department.
Harel's arguments are off mark. Since the creation of CHE, the Minister of Education has a role in picking its members from a list of potential candidates given to him by heads of universities. This was never questioned as long as the Ministry of Education was in the hands of Labor or Meretz. However, in the early 2000s, the then Likud Minister of Education Limor Livnat was attacked from representing "barbarians at the gates" - an euphemism for Likud supporters - and for appointing members sympathetic to her to the CHE.
Harel follows up this assertion with a tongue- and -cheek article titled "CHE Proof for the Existence of God;" a reference to an obscure philosophical theory known as occasionalism. The occasionalist denied the existence of a a connection between cause and effect; they believed in events on separate tracks and it is the role of God to bring them together. Harel says that the Gideon Saar's appointed CHE and the move against the Department of Politics and Government is clearly related; to argue that they are not casually linked would be adopt the occassionalist philosophy and claim that God interviewed to created the connection. Hence, CHE proved the existence of God.
It thus comes as no surprise that in a Panel on Freedom of speech in the academia and politization of the academia Harel rejected the notion that the academy should be accountable to the taxpayers and their representatives. Like many of his peers, Harel warns that outside interference would harm the ability of faculty to research and jeopardize Israel's academic standing in the world.
More to the point, Harel seems to be ignorant about academic freedom. First, in the three comparative cases - Germany, United States and Great Britain - academics have much less freedom than their Israeli counterparts to "write articles reflecting their views." For instance, in the United States, faculty in public universities cannot call for boycott without violating the law. In Stastny v. Board of Trustees of Central Washington University the ruling stated that "Academic freedoms are not a permit for activity at variance with job-related procedures and requirements, nor does it encompass activities which are internally destructive to the proper function of university or disruptive to the educational process.” Since boycott is deemed to disrupt the educational process, even during the peak of the Vietnam War, faculty has not called for boycotting the United States.
Second, in all the three comparative cases, public universities are accountable to taxpayers and their political representatives. In the United States, government appoints Boards of Trustees in public (state) universities; in Germany and Britain, boards have a majority of lay persons from the economic and public sector.
Finally, research by Yaacov Bergman indicates that expansive freedom has undermined Israel's global standing. The Israeli social sciences, in particular have scored much lower, according to widely accepted scientific indices. Bergman has argued that universities should be more accountable to the public and their political representatives.
Bergman's sobering statistics should be a wake-up call for the academy and one that needs to be addresses urgently. Incessant talk about "elitophobes" is not going to do the trick.
|Hebrew University professor Amiram Goldblum: Israeli Jews would “support apartheid”|
|Amiram Goldblum (HUJ) served as the spokesperson for Peace Now for 20 years since 1980 and initiated its settlements watch committee in 1990.
In May 2012, during a Peace Now conference, Goldblum predicted that in two years, the Palestinian Authority will voluntarily withdraw from the Oslo Agreement and force Israel to resume direct rule over two million Palestinians- a situation that would be tantamount to apartheid. Goldblum urged a change of strategy by focusing on the international arena to pressure Israel from the outside.
Goldblum's Israela Goldblum Fund - a foundation named after his late wife that is associated with the New Israel Fund - commissioned a poll on Israeli attitudes toward the conflict. The results published in Haaretz with a commentary by Gideon Levy indicated that most Israelis would support an apartheid regime . The so-called apartheid poll" created a public firestorm. BiCOM (British Israel Communications and Research Centre) accused the poll authors of gross distortion of data. Goldlbum demanded an apology and retraction but BICOM issued a six-page scathing report listing the weaknesses of the study.
In a Times of Israel blog, Morris Ostroff likewise discussed what he considered to be the flawed methodology of the poll. Both BICOM and Ostroff chastised the journalist Gideon Levy, on the way he reported the survey.
Ostroff quoted from another study: "Apartheid, today's prime stigmatic code-word for racist evil, has become a potent weapon for delegitimizing and demonizing Israel, especially since it evokes the precedent of powerful external pressure in the form of boycott and sanctions as was applied against the apartheid regime in South Africa.
The scrutiny of the of survey focused attention on Camil Fuchs, the head of the Department of Statistics at Tel Aviv University, who carried out the study as part of his Dialog research group. Fuchs-Dialog have a history of controversial surveys, including the 2010 poll indicating that a majority of Israelis view President Obama in a positive light- a finding that was in odds with other surveys. Some questioned the methodology used in the poll. Specifically, Fuchs used a "push question" - a reference to the hypothetical situation of annexing the West Bank - which generated the "apartheid finding." The group that Fuchs had assembled to draft the questions is also puzzling. Ilan Baruch, who resigned in protest from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mordechai Bar-On member of "Peace Now", Alon Liel has supported BDS and attorney Michael Sfard represents Palestinians in Israeli courts. Almost all are board members of the New Israel Fund.
Hanoch Marmari, the former editor of Haaretz, issued a scathing rebuke of Levy and the newspaper, he cited Goldblum's interview in Haaretz where he said what most survey commissioners would not admit, that the survey was commissioned in order to promote an action that Goldblum believes in: "We need to act fast before the apartheid danger erupts irreversibly".
In spite of serious methodological misgivings and a subsequent correction by Haaretz and Gideon Levy, the article on "apartheid poll" had achieved its main objective of painting Israel as an apartheid state in waiting. Carried by major newspapers such as the Guardian, Arab media and anti-Israel websites, it has further delegitimized Israel in the international arena.
[In the interest of self-disclosure, Goldblum has sued IAM regarding an article published on its website. IAM handed in a defense and counterclaim. The case is awaiting trial.]
|HUJ Nurit Peled Elhanan to appear at The Russell Tribunal on Palestine, NY as well as Ilan Pappe Noam Chomsky & Johan Galtung|
|Editorial Note: The Radical hypocrisy of the Radical Left Series: The Russell Tribunal in New York
Nurit Peled Elhanan (HUJ) is off to New York where she will appeal with Noam Chomsky, Johan Galtung and Ilan Pappe before the self-appointed Russell Tribunal, a group of radical leftists whose only aim is to delegitmize Israel.
The hypocrisy of the Russell Tribunal is more evident than ever before. The Middle East has witnessed a unprecedented wave of violence where Christians are targeted by the newly victorious Islamists, or as in Syria, were citizens are killed by their own government. The Russell Tribunal keeps silent on these issues, depriving it of any moral authority to speak out.
|HUJ Moshe Zimmermann's "Between the fences: 1938 & 2012" - Another nazification of Israel analysis, bias, omitting facts|
|Professor Moshe Zimmermann (HUJ) is a radical academic who made a career out of comparing Israeli behavior toward the Palestinians to that of Nazi Germany. Zimmermann is one of the prime contributors to what the European Union Monitoring Center's (EUMC) Working Definition of anti-Semitism describes as "nazification of Israel," a radical left-wing effort to delegitimize Israel.
He has now found a new way to do that, by equating the 1938 episode whereby thousands of Polish Jews expelled from Germany were stuck on the Polish border, with a group of Eritrean asylum seekers who were trapped between the Israeli and Egyptian border fence.
After piously proclaiming that "a professional historian avoids comparison between past and present events," Zimmermann proceeds to compare the two events.
His biased analysis omits the fact that most of the Eritreans are not political refugees but economic migrants who are escaping the poverty of their homeland. In the past few decades they, and millions like them, are on the move. African migrants have tried to make it to Europe. The genuine plight of these people should not be dismissed lightly, but no Western county has an open border policy with regard to economic refugees. Indeed, in the United States these so-called "illegal aliens" are deported, even if they a forced to leave a family behind. Australian navy intercepts boatloads of prospective migrants and houses them on an uninhabited island before turning them back.
As a rank and file citizen, Zimmermann has the right to conceal this information, but as a scholar he should be held to a higher standard. He could have easily accessed the website of Refugees International to provide background to the story. He chose not to because facts stand in the way of delegitmizing Israel. And what better way to do than to "nazify" it?
|HUJ Nurit Peled Elhanan to BBC Brasil: "The Israeli education system teaches children to hate Arabs"
|For the educator Nurit Peled Elhanan of Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the behavior of teenagers involved in the attempted lynching is "a direct result of the education they receive in schools and their parents."
In an interview with BBC Brasil, the educator said that "the Israeli education system teaches children to hate Arabs in general and Palestinians in particular."
"Children are taught both by schools, by parents, that all Arabs want to kill them, and grow without developing any sense of human empathy with them," she said.
"Hence, even physical aggression, the distance is not great, and we are now seeing the fruits of education these children receive," added Elhanan
|HUJ Hannan Hever's "Reaffirming the Legality of the Occupation...To cry out the cry of the Israeli occupation’s victims"|
|Shortly before the First Intifida in 1987, Hannan Hever (HUJ) and his colleague Adi Ophir (now at TAU) founded The Twenty First Year, a group of academics dedicated to forcing Israel out of the territories through a boycott-cum- civil resistance movement. The Twenty First Year borrowed many of its ideas from Matzpen, then a fringe radical anti-Zionist organization that questioned the legitimacy of the Zionist enterprise and its progeny, the State of Israel.
While faculty members have the right to engage in political activity, Hever has devoted his entire academic career to proving the illegitimacy of Israeli behavior. As IAM reported, Hever is one of the pioneers of "nazification of Israel" which, according to the EU Monitoring Commission (EUMC) held comparisons between Israeli treatment of Palestinians and that fate suffered by Jews during the Holocaust, to be anti-Zionism, that is a new form of new anti-Semitism. The EUMC also included the use of double standards in the definition. Not only did Hever and some of his activist scholars practice double standards but have conducted conferences, workshops and literary events to create an elaborate imagery of "Nakba as Holocaust".
Hever's exchange with David Grossman is telling in this context. Grossman denounces the treatment of the Palestinian prisoner who was dumped by the road by Israeli security services to die, arguably something that should not have happened. Hever finds Grossman's protestations not adequate because, in his opinion, a return to the 1967 borders is not enough. Quite clearly, Hever thinks that the only way to regain legitimacy is to undo the consequences of the 1948 war, as his comments on Smilansky suggest. In other words, to create a bi-national state, something that Hever and his radical academic friends, including his close collaborator, Yehouda Shenahv (TAU) have advocated.
It is this goal of bringing about binationalism that explains why Hever and like-minded faculty have used their academic writings to create the Nakba-as-Holocaust imagery. As the original manifesto of The Twenty First Year explains, exposing the illegitimacy of the occupation dating from 1948 would move Israelis to give up on a national state.
|HUJ Rafi Nets, a Daniel Bar-Tal graduate student, offers a highly critical view of "Israeli narratives" of the 1948 war|
|The singular obsession with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been noticed by critics of the of Middle East Studies Association (MESA); they pointed out that in the past, up to seventy percent of courses offered by its members pertained one way or the other to the subject. A vast majority of such courses were biased toward the Palestinian "narrative," and hostile to Israel. The politicization of Middle East studies has triggered an investigation by Congress and a reform of Title VI which provides federal grants to Middle East program in the United States.
A less known fact is that the obsessive quest to blame Israel is very much alive in the field of peace studies and conflict resolution where, until recently, Johan Galtung, the pioneer of peace research, had reigned supreme. Though Galtung crossed the line into outright anti-Semitism, his various disciples in Israel including Professor Daniel Bar-Tal march on.
The newest arrival on the scene is Dr. Rafi Nets (Hebrew University) who already made a contribution to conflict resolution by offering a highly critical view of "Israeli narratives" of the 1948 war. This should come as no surprise because he was a graduate student of Bar-Tal and adopted the type of critical methodology that makes it possible to evade reality and speak of "narratives." Interesting, Nets uses the work of New Historians, Benny Morris, Avi Shlaim and Ilan Pappe to support his theme of ethnic cleansing, even though Morris recanted his own "narrative."
Nets is now busy with a special issue of The International Journal of Conflict Management, which, like virtually all peace and conflict resolution research, is stamped by anti-Israeli animus. More to the point, with the entire region aflame, would this be a good time to do a special issue on Israel in the Middle East?
Evidently yes, because the Journal shares the obsession with Israel. A perusal of the Journal's data base reveals 4058 entries on Israel, the highest such number. References to Iraq, Iran or Syria pale in comparison, and there is no entry for Christians in the Middle East who have been fleeing the region in droves because of brutal attacks since the Arab Spring.
Some forty years ago, Galtung wrote an article in the Journal of Peace Research in which he referred to Israel as "born in sin." His legacy lives on in the huge field of peace research and conflict resolution.
|Palestinian website reviews HUJ Nurit Peled Elhanan's book "How Israeli school textbooks teach kids to hate"|
|Peled-Elhanan examines 17 Israeli school textbooks on history, geography and civic studies. Her conclusions are an indictment of the Israeli system of indoctrination and its cultivation of anti-Arab racism from an early age: “The books studied here harness the past to the benefit of the … Israeli policy of expansion, whether they were published during leftist or right-wing [education] ministries” (224).
She goes into great detail, examining and exposing the sometimes complex and subtle ways this is achieved. Her expertise in semiotics (the study of signs and symbols) comes to the fore.
Inculcation of anti-Palestinian ideology in the minds of Israel’s youth is achieved in the books through the use of exclusion and absence: “none of the textbooks studied here includes, whether verbally or visually, any positive cultural or social aspect of Palestinian life-world: neither literature nor poetry, neither history nor agriculture, neither art nor architecture, neither customs nor traditions are ever mentioned” (49).
Palestinians marginalized, demonized by Israeli textbooks
|HUJ David Shulman abuses his position to promote a political agenda: "The present leadership is unworthy of minimum trust"|
|David Shulman, Renee Lang Professor of Humanistic Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and an activist of Ta’ayush (www.taayush.org) Arab-Jewish friendship group, has said he has no faith in the current political dispensation of Israel.
“The present leadership is unworthy of minimum trust and is bent on occupying as much Palestinian land as possible which is immoral and completely unacceptable,” said the noted Indophile, at present at Nepathya in Moozhikkulam, near Kochi, to enjoy a month-long performance of Anguliyankam Koodiyattom. Prof. Shulman said it is the lure for land that has led Israel, a tiny country, to occupy Palestinian territory. “They appropriate it and build on it… It is a real estate issue.”
In occupied areas such as the South Hebron Hills, inhuman treatment is meted out to Palestinians by Israeli soldiers.
Under constant attacks, the population is struggling to survive. Activists of Ta’ayush often visit the occupied territories to protect farmers, who are driven away from olive fields, he said.
“Only when we stand by them can they do some elementary farming activity. We also provide them legal support”.
|[HUJ, Rothberg] Comrade Ofer Cassif defines Zionism as a central element in the abomination in Israel
|Dr. Ofer Cassif, a lecturer at HUJ and Sapir Academic College aka comrade Cassif, is the new head of the International Relations Committee of the Communist Party of Israel (CPI). He is not happy with what he sees as the lack of resolve of his party to define Zionism as a central element in the "abomination" that exists in Israel.
Comrade Cassif proposes a change in the CPI platform that would clearly articulate that from the very beginning Zionism was a racist and fascist movement. Specifically, a change of paragraph 8 of the party's charter would state that we reject Zionism as a "totally racist and nationalist ideology that seeks to elevate Jewish ethnicity to an all encompassing value that needs to be protected almost at all cost."
It looks like the good professor learned from comrades in the former Soviet Union how to twist, lie, exaggerate and otherwise demagogue an issue to the point that reality ceases to exist. What he should have learned though, is that such a disconnect between language and reality caused the demise of the Communist enterprise.
Luckily for Cassif, Israel is a democratic country with a sound economy. More to the point, Israeli tax payers support Cassif, who has virtually no academic record beyond his Ph.D, dissertation, and spent most of his time working for the CPI. Not a bad arrangement for the comrade.
|Palestinian Maan News interviews HUJ Nurit Peled-ElHanan: Israeli school books write out Palestinian, Arab story|
|JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Professor of language and education at Hebrew University Nurit Peled-ElHanan recently released a book analyzing the portrayal of Palestinians in 16 history, civics and geography textbooks authorized by the Israeli Ministry of Education
'Palestine in Israeli School Books' argues that the textbooks legitimate Israeli military policy in the eyes of young students, and prepares them for military service upon graduation.
Ma'an spoke to Peled-ElHanan about the ideas behind her latest book.
|[HUJ, Literature] Hannan Hever "The Nakba is a question of responsibility"
|Hannan Hever, a professor of literature at HUJ and a radical activist, added his comments on the exchange between Yehuda Bauer and Mohammed Bakri on the role of the Holocaust in creating the State of Israel. Hever's arguments are disingenuous at best and deceptive at worse.
As a co-founder in 1988 of "The 21th Year" which issued the first call to "total resistance to occupation," Hever has been a faithful disciple of the anti-Zionist Matzpen line that Arabs and Palestinians have been innocents (and passive) victims of the "nefarious machinations" of the Zionists-colonialist movement. In fact, Hever has devoted a considerable part of his academic career to creating an equation between the Nakba and the Holocaust.
Had Hever been forthcoming about the origin of the 1948 war, he would have to admit that by rejecting the 1947 UN Partition Proposal and starting a war against the Jewish community, the Palestinians were the authors of their own disaster. In terms of International Relations theory (IR), the Palestinians were a "losing belligerent," not unlike Nazi Germany that hosted the Palestinian leader Haj Amin al Husseini in Berlin.
Had Hever been more familiar with IR, he would have to admit that "losing belligerents" do not fare well. Millions of Germans were expelled from territories that Germany lost to the former Soviet Union and Poland. Millions more were expelled from the former Czechoslovakia because they sided with Hitler. Even when belligerency is not the case, major political convulsions can produce huge population shifts as the history of India and Pakistan indicates.
But then again, Hever may have an ulterior motive; by pushing for the right to return of the Palestinians, he hopes to fulfill the long-term Matzpen dream of creating a binational Jewish-Palestinian state.
|[HUJ, Buber Fellow & TAU, Minerva Humanities] Roy Wagner in anti-Israel activities, Nakba commemoration and Bil'in|
|Watch Hebrew U Roy Wagner at 1:57 mins into the program:
Israel Celebrates Independence Day, Arrests Activists
While hundreds of thousands celebrated, the police arrested three activists for trying to question the history of this day.
On Wednesday, Israel celebrated its 64th Day of Independence. While hundreds of thousands celebrated, the police arrested three activists for trying to question the history of this day. Each year the Israeli organization Zochrot organizes a discussion a symbolic peaceful action on this day to commemorate the Nakba. Nakba in Arabic means the “Catastrophe” (of 1948) and refers to the destruction of more than 500 Palestinian villages, the expulsion of two thirds of the Palestinian population from the land that became Israel, and Israel’s refusal to allow the refugees to return. This year, while the discussion was underway, police surrounded the building in advance, set up a barrier and detained the activists without letting them leave the building grounds for over two hours. One man, Yuval Halperin, was arrested when he arrived on site and began reading out loud names of destroyed Palestinian villages. Meanwhile, a religious nationalistic march went by. Passersby hackled and threatened the activists, caught inside the police barrier. They were not detained
|Nurit Peled Elhanan in a speech full of images designed to convey that Israel is a brutal, Nazi-like racist state|
|Dr. Nurit Peled Elhanan (School of Education, Hebrew University) has been profiled by IAM in the past. Here is an update on her activities.
A rally of dozens radical protesters in Tel Aviv on June 16, 2102 called for the destruction of the Israeli government after Dr. Nurit Peled Elhanan addressed the crowd. According to a media report, Peled Elhanan's speech was full of images designed to convey that Israel is a brutal, Nazi-like racist state. She called Palestinian security prisoners "freedom fighters of this country" and described the IDF as a the "largest institutionalized terror group in the world."
A number of Tel Aviv University students organized a petition asking the Hebrew University to fire her. In response, the university wrote that "is not responsible for the opinions of a faculty member as long as they do not exploit the academic platform for disseminating such opinions. To the extent that laws are broken, the university is not the address [for complains] but the law enforcement agencies are."
As IAM repeatedly reported, Peled Elhanan has used her academic platform to accuse Israel of running a Nazi-like, apartheid state, of committing heinous violations of human rights; she has called for civil resistance to prevent a totalitarian state from sending dissidents like herself to prison.
She has used her legitimacy as a Hebrew University professor to publish books and articles that accuse Israel of having racist text books that educate young men to become killers upon joining the IDF. She testified before the so-called Russell Tribunal, a body of radical international activists, who supports boycotting Israel.
It is quite clear that over the years Peled Elhanan made a very good use of the good name of Hebrew University to disseminate her views. IAM finds the response of the university authorities highly ingenious; if this is not use of a university platform, what is?
|HUJ Moshe Zimmermann: Israel exaggerates Iran's nuclear threat in an effort to marginalize the Palestinian problem|
|Moshe Zimmermann (HUJ) is one of the most provocative Israeli professors; he had compared children of the settlers to Hitler Youth and declared that Nazi Jews do exist. A fluent German speaker, Zimmermann is popular in Germany where he assures his listeners that Israel is an apartheid state.
Zimmermann, who "remade" himself into a Middle East expert, is now offering punditry on Iran. He suggests that it is Benjamin Netanyahu who is exaggerating the nuclear threat of Iran in an effort to marginalize the Palestinian problem. In other words, Iran is not a genuine threat but rather a tool in the hands of Israeli leadership to manipulate public opinion. Indeed, in his German book Fear of Peace: The Israeli Dilemma, Zimmmermann states that "the policy of deterrence became an existential issue" for Israel because the country is afraid of peace. He suggests it is an assumption in Israel that Hizballah and Hamas are spearheading the effort of those who want to destroy Israel and only by moving away from the "fixation on fear and deterrence" can Israel achieve peace.
Zimmermann, a professor of German history, joins a long list of Israeli academics who decided that writing books bashing Israel is a better use of their time than researching and publishing in the area of their expertise. The question is whether this is a good use of tax payers money.
|[Hebrew U, Education] Nurit Peled Elhanan overheated political rhetoric masquerading as academics|
|Dr. Nurit Peled Elhanan (HUJ), a veteran radical activist, stands out even by the standards of the radical academic fraternity. As IAM reported, Peled Elhanan testified before the Russell Tribunal, a self-appointed body of radical leftist. The "ruling" of the tribunal was recently used by a Palestinian group that advocates boycott against Israel.
As noted by IAM, Peled Elhanan's academic writings are an extension of her political activism.
Her new work on Israeli school textbooks is no exception. She uses critical discourse analysis, part of the neo-Marxist, critical scholarship paradigm to conclude that Israeli textbooks are racist, turning IDF draftees into "monsters." Lacking a rigorous methodology, critical language analysis does not limit itself to a specifics of a text, but relates it thematically to the larger political context. As a result, critical analysis researchers come up with a "narrative" that shows how language reproduces patterns of "domination" and "racism." Not surpassingly, Peled-Elhanan found that Israeli textbooks teach "hatred" and "racism" which turn young IDF draftees into "monsters."
Unfortunately, Peled-Elhanan overheated political rhetoric
masquerading as academics has found a market in Europe where Israel bashing is popular among the "progressive left;" Indeed, in 2001, the European Parliament awarded her a human right prize, a decision that IAM denounced.
It is even more unfortunate that Peled-Elhanan enjoys the legitimacy of a Hebrew University faculty member when pushing her misguided propaganda. As for all those who claim that Israeli universities practice McCarthyism, they are advised to read one of Peled-Elhanan's publications.
|To the Governors of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
|As you know, academics have taken a lead in a campaign to delegitimize Israel; some of them are employed by the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Under the guise of academic freedoms, they have utilized the legitimacy and the good name of the university to launch relentless attacks on Israel.
Those who claim that these and other utterances are protected by academic freedom of research and expression should consult the European Union initiative to fight anti-Semitism. In 2005 the European Union Monitoring Center published guidelines stating that certain anti-Zionist expressions such as equating Israel to Nazi Germany or an apartheid state should be considered a form of “new anti-Semitism.” The EU guidelines have been used by law enforcement agencies and influenced legislation such as the British Equality Act of 2010. It is ironic that Israeli scholars are free to contribute to new anti-Semitism, something that their peers in Europe would find hard to do without violating the law. We would urge you to act to remedy this situation at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
|HUJ Prof. Hannan Hever, Moran Benit and Zochrot: an alternative to the hegemonic Zionist memory. A conference|
|A conference on The Palestinian Nakba in Literature and Cinema in Israel
Beit Ha'am, 69 Rotshild St. Tel Aviv
Monday 28/5/2012 10:00 to Tuesday 29/5/2012 at 17:00
Moran Benit is a Hebrew University PhD candidate in Literature under the supervision of Prof. Hannan Hever.
She is also a staff member at the Hebrew University's Scholion - Interdisciplinary Research Center in Jewish Studies.
Benit is a Co- Editor of 2010: Tell it not in Gat – The Naqba in Hebrew Poetry 1948-1958. Hannan Hever (Ed.). Pardess Press, Zochrot, Tel Aviv (Heb.).
Benit is a leading activist with Zochrot:
About Zochrot, taken from their website
Zochrot is an NGO whose goal is to introduce the Palestinian Nakba to the Israeli-Jewish public, to express the Nakba in Hebrew, to enable a place for the Nakba in the language and in the environment. This is in order to promote an alternative memory to the hegemonic Zionist memory. The Nakba is the disaster of the Palestinian people: the destruction of the villages and cities, the killing, the expulsion, the erasure of Palestinian culture.
|[HUJ, Comparative Religion] David Shulman - A professor holds forth on Israeli paranoia|
|So here you have it, from a professor of humanistic studies, no less: Those Jews – at least most of those Israeli Jews – are paranoid idiots who just love to imagine a world full of terrible threats that allows them to fantasize about their “daring and heroic ” defense against these threats. Moreover, in their stupidity, those paranoids don’t realize that it is their own policies – specifically the capital O Occupation of the West Bank – that pose the greatest peril for Israel’s continued existence as a Jewish state.|
|[HUJ, Education] Nurit Peled Elhanan: Israeli schoolchildren are taught hate and xenophobia towards Palestinians|
|TEL AVIV // One asserts that Israel's Palestinian citizens shun modernisation and are building houses illegally. Another alleges the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank steals water from Israel. And elsewhere, that Palestinians have been a "terrifying demographic problem" for Israel.
Such statements are part of mainstream schoolbooks in Israel that teach an "anti-Palestinian" approach in a bid to prepare Jewish children to be aggressive towards Palestinians once they serve in the army, according to a new book.
To be released this month in the UK, the book - Palestine in Israeli School Books: Ideology and Propaganda in Education- is the first to publicly provide evidence that Israeli schools have racist textbooks, said Nurit Peled-Elhanan, a professor at Jerusalem's Hebrew University who has researched dozens of Israeli schoolbooks published since the 1990s.
"I was looking for reasons of why nice Jewish boys turn into monsters when they join the army," said Ms Peled-Elhanan, in an interview at her home just outside Jerusalem.
|[HUJ, Philosophy] Roy Wagner, the radical leftist academic use of language in the public sphere is not appropriate|
|Roy Wagner (HUJ), a radical political activist and activist in the GLBT community. As IAM repeatedly reported, the GLBT, along with assorted feminists, have been very active in pro-Palestinian causes such as Sheikh Jarah Solidarity Movement, Machsom Watch, the Friday demonstrations in Bili'n among others.
This pro-Palestinian camaraderie was shattered when a number of feminists complained about sexual harassment by Palestinian men; one woman writing as Anonymous reported being raped by an Israeli activist. She also noted that the leadership of the pro-Palestinian groups have refused to take action out of concern for the "overall struggle." Wagner was apparently aware of the problems because a year ago he suggested a model for creating a safe zone for women in Anarchist Against the Wall.
Most recently, an activist group created an ad against the Migron settlement which alluded to sexual violence and rape. When other feminists protested, the ad was withdrawn, but the heated debate in the radical circles about the meaning of a "culture of rape" goes on.
Wagner's self- described "thought experiment" is illustrative of this trend. The Hebrew University academic confesses "When I go out clubbing, it happens that a stranger passes by and fondles my ass. To be honest, I enjoy it".
|[HUJ] Nurit Peled-Elhanan: Civil Disobedience against the Israeli government, if not, we would be herded into detention camps|
|In her long career as a radical activist-academic Nurit Peled-Elhanan (HUJ) has liberally mixed facts with fiction to support her contention that Israel is a racist, apartheid state. As IAM reported, even by the loose standards of the of critical language study, a radical academic offshoot that seeks to "deconstruct" language to look for racism, sexism and assorted sins of the Western "colonial and imperialist" states, her descriptions of Israel are most fanciful. So is her testimony before the Russell Tribunal, a group of self-appointed radical leftists who practice hypocrisy and double standards on a grand scale; while presenting Israel as an arch-evil doer, they have turned a blind eye on brutal dictatorships that murder their own people.
Peled-Elhanan drives this analogy even further; she issues a call to "civil disobedience" against the Israeli government. If not - she says - Israelis like herself would be herded into detention camps where, according to her colleague- in arms, Sami Shalom Chetrit,"the poet will no longer versify, he will no longer sing, he won’t even chirp."
For those familiar with Peled-Elhanan's writings, her Chicken Little warning that the "the sky is falling" and allusion to Nazi- style concentration camps are nothing new. She has been making these type of predictions for more than two decades while enjoying all the perks of a Hebrew University faculty.
|[HUJ, Culture] Roundtable "Skin Tight: Apartheid Literary Culture and Its Aftermath" Louise Bethlehem, March 13|
|For many years now, radical academics have made the argument that Israel is akin to South Africa under the apartheid regime. As IAM reported, neo-Marxist, critical scholarship that produces "narratives" without regard to actual empirical reality, is the paradigm of choice in these circles.
In her book Skin Tight: Apartheid Literary Culture and Its Aftermath, Louise Bethlehem, a senior lecturer of English and Culture studies at HUJ, found an ingenious way to make the comparison stick. She and a number of Literature researchers will discuss the similarities between the "wounded literature" in Israel and South Africa.
Charging Israel with running an apartheid regime has significance beyond the academy. Research of radicals Israeli scholars has fueled the burgeoning apartheid and BDS movement as it legitimizes claims made by Palestinians and their supporters. Indeed, radical Israeli professors are in much demand during apartheid/BDS events, a fact that IAM has periodically pointed out.
|TAU & HUJ Ariel Handel "The Palestinians under the Israeli occupation from the point of view of senses"|
|Ariel Handel is a fellow of the Lexicon for Political Theory research project, The Minerva Humanities Center under the directorship of Adi Ophir and a research fellow at the Truman Institute of the Hebrew University. He studies the construction of space and its uses in relations of power and violence. His PhD dissertation (abstract), written at the Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Sciences and Ideas, deals with the movement regime in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and studies the movement restrictions as a distinctive technology of population management and territory appropriation. His supervisors are the radicals Prof. Adi Ophir and Prof. Tovi Fenster.
There is apparently no limit to the "creativeness" of the radical Israeli academics. In July 2012 in Nanterre University, France, Handel and his co-author are going to present a paper which finds that the Israeli authorities use the human senses as a "technology of control" that creates a permanent regime of "uncertainty and disquiet" among the Palestinians. Handel needs to be reminded that only some 40,000 Palestinians still live under direct Israeli rule. How about doing a comparative study of Palestinians who live under the control of the Palestinian Authority or better still, Hamas in Gaza?
|[HUJ, Lafer] Merav Amir's neo-Marxist, critical scholarship paradigm viewing Israel as a colonial, apartheid state|
|Merav Amir, Ph.D. (Lafer Center for Women and Gender Studies, Hebrew University) is an activist involved in Machsom Watch and Who Profits from the Occupation. Like many of her activist peers, Amir adopted the neo-Marxist, critical scholarship paradigm which views Israel as a colonial, apartheid state.
Amir goes one step further; without mentioning terror attacks that had promoted the creation for the barrier, she finds that the Separation Wall in East Jerusalem is part of a "process of racialisation" which she defines as the grip that Israel maintains on the Palestinian community in the capital. Even by the loose standards of critical scholarship, Amir's paper stands out in its misuse of common terminology. Her English is also eye-popping, as, for example, in the following: the paper "examines the ruling praxes which are manifested by, in and around the Wall in East Jerusalem for the purpose of identifying the manners in which border-making praxes are integrated into biopolitical matrixes of control.
It is bad enough that Amir adopts a wacky defintion of "racialisation;" it is even worse that she mangles her English in the process.
|Correction to a story from 2008 regarding Professor Amiram Goldblum of the Hebrew University|
|On July 13, 2008 Israeli channel 2 news presented a story about the return of Adel Hidmi, an Arab student who was convicted for terrorist activity, to the department of Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory at the Hebrew University. The return of the student to the university was decided by an internal committee.
Professor Amiram Goldblum, the head of department at the time, was not involved in the decision making.
Channel 2 wrongly involved professor Goldblum and a year later issued a correction and apology.
IAM was not aware of the correction and this was brought to our attention only recently.
We wish to apologize to Professor Goldblum for involving him in this story.
According to the Hebrew University department of media relations, Adel Hidmi was convicted for being a member in a terrorist organization and was in jail for 3 years. Upon his release he requested to complete his doctorate degree at the Hebrew University. The University objected to let him enter the laboratories and Hidmi was forced to complete his studies based on the experiments he conducted in the past. Hidmi has brought in his doctorate thesis recently and it is now under evaluation.
|HUJ Hannan Hever, Berlin: The Jewish Holocaust results in the establishment of a nation state which brings about the Nakba|
|Hannan Hever (HUJ) is a member in good standing of what can be called "The Nakba as Holocaust Project," an effort by radical academics to equate the suffering of the Jews at the hands of the Germans, to the fate of the Palestinians under Israeli rule. As IAM has reported, these scholars use a wide array of tools of "critical scholarship" to make this comparison stick in the minds of their audience.
In his lecture in a German university, Hever develops the equal reasonability theme by deconstructing a poem by Avot Yeshuron, hardly an instrument for making a reasoned determination of guilt and reasonability. Hever should consider the fact that Jews did nothing to prompt the Nazis to adopt the Final Solution which annihilated six million Jews. On the other hand, the Palestinians, under the leadership of Haj Amin al Husseini, a close ally of Hitler, chose to defy the U.N. Partition Proposal and started a war that they had the misfortune to lose. Although a personal and national tragedy, the loss of sovereignty and the some 700,000 refugees that resulted from this decision should be viewed in the context of international conflicts. In this sense, at least, the fate of the Palestinians, bears at least a passing resembles that of the Germans, another belligerent who started and lost a war.
Maybe Hever, a professor of literature, may not know that, but in international relations decisions have consequences.
|[TAU & HUJ] Roy Wagner "Almost Xmas in Bli'in" - Deception and Double Standards|
|Dr. Roy Wagner (TAU, HUJ), has reached a new low in reporting on an incident in the ongoing protest against the separation fence in Bil'in, a Muslim village in the West Bank. Nowhere does Wagner mention the fact that the barrier was erected to protect Israelis within the Green Line from terrorist attacks that killed and wounded thousands. Even more hypocritical is the use of Christmas symbols to attract Christian support around the world. As Wagner tells it, the IDF met the two Santas who joined the protest with volleys of tear gas, a stark contrast between the theme of "peace on earth" that Christmas represents and the alleged brutality of the solders.
Wagner would have been more credible if he used the occasion to extend his concerns to the Christians in West Bank and Gaza. Under increasing assault by militant Islamism and endemic violence, the Christians have shrank to less than 1.7 of the population. Tens of thousands have been forced to flee to the West, abandoning their property and religious roots in the Holy Land
|Double Standards: HUJ Prof. Zeev Sternhell and the student group "Solidarity Against Fascism"|
|Double Standards Report
A students group "Solidarity Against Fascism" at Tel Aviv University and Professor Zeev Sternhell (Hebrew University) are planning a meeting to discuss the increase in right-wing violence against Palestinians, Israeli Arabs and radical leftist activists.
Right wing violence, like any violence in a democratic society, should be condemned.
The recent attacks on mosques were denounced by politicians and public figures from all sides of the political spectrum. The Israeli police vowed to find the perpetrators and made some arrests.
However, the "Solidarity" group states that right-wing violence takes Israel one step further toward a fascist state. "Solidarity" bases this assertion on two arguments; the attackers, far from being "bad weeds" represent the "way of the right-wing;" right-wing violence is protected by police and the government.
These allegations are emblematic of the exaggerations employed by radical activists in the academy in their ongoing effort to portray Israel as a fascist state or/and an apartheid state. At the same time, radical left- wing activists have always been shy about Palestinian violence which is directed from the top and enjoys solid public support in the territories.
Naturally, admitting this fact would have ruined their ties to what was described as "Palestinian partners." But keeping quite about it carries a price as well: double standards undermine the legitimacy of the "Solidarity" group and beyond.
|[HUJ, German] Moshe Zimmermann has made frequent forays into the field of Middle East mostly to condemn Israel|
|In an interview to a German newspaper Zimmermann suggests that the United Nations should accept the Palestinian bid to nationhood. He chastises the European leaders and President Obama for not lining up behind the PA and/or catering to the right-wing government of Prime Minister Netanyahu. In his customary "visionary" ending, Zimmerman proclaims that change will be possible only when "the entire region starts pursuing policies that are less religious and less fundamentalist;" that is "as long as we [Israel] remain hostages of the settlers and the occupation and collaborate with the hostage-takers, nothing will change." Again, any reference to Islamist fundamentalism is missing. |
|HUJ Moshe Zimmermann on the fate of Palestinian refugees: "Anybody who wanted to return could return"|
|This can be further developed, so that one day we may be able to say yes, a Palestinian state may be viable," said Zimmermann.
He also sees no problem when it comes to the unresolved question of the fate of Palestinian refugees. If it were up to him, anybody who wanted to return could return.
"This is of course difficult," he said, "but it is possible. I do not think the majority of the millions of Palestinians who now live elsewhere will choose to return to Israel or an Arab State of Palestine."
|Nurit Peled Elhanan - Russell Tribunal on Palestine "the Apartheid imposed on the Palestinians by Israel"|
|Nurit Peled Elhanan has pushed hard to create the paradigm equating Israel with the apartheid state of South Africa. She says, "the one practiced against Palestinian citizens inside Israel and Palestinian non-citizens outside the Israeli borders, in the occupied territories of Palestine, is legal, supported by laws". For Peled-Elhanan the killing of Jews by Palestinians is permissible, the countless criminal acts by Palestinians against Jews including suicide bombings, must be overlooked, accepted and forgiven. Measures taken to protect Israeli citizens are automatically branded as "apartheid state policies."
She claims that the Israeli apartheid is rooted in education. "Because Apartheid is not only a bunch of racist laws, it is a state of mind, and states of mind are fashioned by education." However, extensive analysis published in 2006 by Dr. Arnon Groiss on Peled Elhanan's arguments about anti-Arab bias in Israeli school books, found no evidence to support her claims.
|HUJ Nurit Peled Elhanan to participate in the Russell Tribunal conference on Israeli apartheid
|In her upcoming trip, Peled-Elhanan is scheduled to "testify" before the Russell Tribunal on Palestine during its meeting in South Africa. Created in 1966 by the British philosopher Bertrand Russell to call for the investigation of alleged American crimes in Vietnam, it has sought to create an image of neutrality and judicial credibility with a "jury," examining experts and "witnesses." In fact, the Russell Tribunal is a deeply flawed tool of the radical left. The "jury" includes the likes of Cynthia McKinney, a former member of Congress, whose anti-Semitic comments and allegations that President Bush was involved in the 9/11 plot brought her notoriety in the United States. Even more telling, the RT has never held meetings to investigate the egregious human rights violation in Iran, the persecution and killing of Christians in Muslim countries and the mass killings of protesters in Syria.
The blatant bias of the RT is a close match to the world- view of Peled-Elhanan. In her recent research she found that "racist" textbooks educate Israelis to become wanton and violent killers of Palestinians, but discovered no evidence of racism in Palestinian textbooks. Peled-Elhanan has justified the use of terror against Israeli civilians on the grounds that the occupation has pushed the Palestinians who have "no army and no power" to embrace suicide bombing.
There is no doubt that with such credentials Peled-Elhanan makes a perfect "witness" for the Tribunal.
|[HUJ] Nurit Peled-Elhanan, European Parliament Sakharov Human Rights Prize recipient: A Case of Mistaken Identity|
|But it's Peled-Elhanan’s view on terror that is most disturbing. She justifies Palestinian use of terrorism on the grounds that they are “pushed to despair” by Israeli occupation. Indeed, when her thirteen year old daughter was killed in a suicide bombing in 1997 she blamed the Israeli government rather than the Palestinian perpetrator. Her statement offended families of terror victims and provoked a huge public outcry.
In awarding the Sakharov Prize for human rights, the European Parliament has legitimized Peled-Elhanan view that terror attacks against innocent civilians are justified under certain conditions. This stands in stark contrast to the unequivocal condemnation of terrorism by the enlightened international community of which the European Parliament is a vital part of.
The Sakharov Prize committee needs to be reminded that Nelson Mandela and other leaders it has honored had never embraced terror. Sharing the prize with Elhanan-Peled cheapens their achievements and tarnishes their names.
|[HUJ] Letter signed by Nurit Peled Elhanan: Not to reward Israel for its violent repression of Palestinian rights|
|Israel's stance in the community of nations.
Those who lead European football must respond to an appeal from Palestinians dismayed at the prospect of Israel hosting Uefa's under-21 tournament in 2013. A state that uses military might to hold sway over land it illegally occupies and exploits, flouts international law and ignores UN resolutions surely forfeits the right to be treated as a member of the community of nations. But western powers continue to embrace Israel as an ally.
|Dr. Martin Sherman on [HUJ, religions] Professor David Shulman "A giant pall of shame"|
|Take for example the good Prof. Shulman, who is listed at Renee Lang Professor of Humanistic Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. On his website he details his areas of academic expertise as the history of religion in South India, poetry/poetics in Tamil, Telugu and Sanskrit; Dravidian linguistics; and Carnatic music, none of which appears to have any relevance for the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Yet making use of his academic credentials, he blogs regularly in The New York Review of Books, vilifying Israel and validating much of the vitriol of its detractors.
Thus almost immediately following the IDF interception of the Mavi Marama in its attempt to break the naval quarantine of Gaza, he applied his expertise in South Asian culture to the realm of maritime law and national security.
With dismissive disdain for the official Israel version, and seemingly suggesting that the serious wounds inflicted on the IDF commandos were no more than they deserved, he sneers: “Spokesmen for both the army and the government repeatedly said that the soldiers were in danger of being lynched — as if they were innocent victims of an ambush rather than, in effect, state-sponsored pirates attacking a convoy carrying humanitarian aid in international waters.”
This is merely a single example of a myriad of insidious misrepresentations of Israel and Israelis action by a myriad of Israeli academics, abusing the exercise of academic freedom.
After all, this freedom was intended principally to allow them unhindered pursuit of truth in their chosen fields of study, not for malicious misportrayal of their country and its policies.
|[HUJ, Rothberg] Creative Memory as Selective Memory: Efrat Ben-Ze'ev "Remembering Palestine in 1948"|
| It is hardly surprising that Ben- Ze'ev violates the rules of objective inquiry. Like her post-Zionist peers, Ben Ze'ev is part of a cadre of neo-Marxist, critical scholars who view academic research as an extension of their political activism. Indeed, Ben-Ze'ev is an activist in Taayush, an NGO that campaign for a Palestinian narrative and uses language that delegitimizes Israel such as “apartheid wall,” as part of its campaign of BDS. Ben-Ze'ev is also known as a passionate advocate for the Palestinian narrative and wants a greater Israeli exposure to the Nakba. Ben- Ze'ev has appeared in conferences whose organizers promise a robust academic discourse but in fact feature some of the most virulent anti-Israel activists, advocates of one state solution and leaders of the BDS campaign.|
|HUJ Amiel Vardi rejects Israeli court. His racist call to activists: "Join protest against the Judaization of East Jerusalem"|
|Editor's note: Israel is a Jewish State and East Jerusalem is not supposed to be "Judenrein" (cleansed of Jews).
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Amiel Vardi
Subject: [Hacampus-lo-shotek] ùéùé 16 áñôèîáø: îùîøú îçàä áùééç' â'øàç Friday September 16: Protest Vigil in Sheikh Jarrah
The residents of Sheikh Jarrah are continuing their protest vigils in the neigbourhood on Fridays, protesting their violent evictions form their homes, the taking over of the neigbourhood by the settlers, and the Judaization of East Jerusalem.
They call upon each and every person who supports their struggle to join them.
This week settlers burned the internationals’ tent in the yard of the Al-Kurd family, whose been partly taken over by settlers in November 2009
The residents need you support more then ever. Please make an effort to come and support them.
Please make a special effort to join them tomorrow, September 16 at 4:00 Pm
For a vigil in support of their struggle
|Hannan Hever, Yehouda Shenhav: Hebrew Literature & the Palestinian Nakba âí áòáøéú|
|Professor Hannan Hever has a long history of political activism; he has written articles and signed petitions accusing Israel of war crimes and supported Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), among others. The Loyalty Law has prompted Hever to declare that Israel is a fascist state. Hever has devoted much of his academic writing to prove that the Palestinian Nakba should be considered at par with the Jewish Holocaust.
Professor Yehouda Shenhav, is a radical political activist who believes that Palestinians should be allowed the right to return to Israel proper and calls for the creation of a bi-national state. Like Hever, he signed numerous petitions to force Israel out of the territories. After making an academic career out of a claim that Zionism has mistreated Arab Jews (his terminology for the Mizrahim), Shenhav has currently "branched out" into the 1948 war.
The Seminar is part of an ongoing effort of post-Zionist academics to elevate the Nakba to the level of the Holocaust.
|[HUJ] Symposium of Dr. Louise Bethlehem's book about the "Israeli apartheid" vis-a-vis the S.A apartheid, Zochrot, Tel Aviv 21/09/2011 |
|Zochrot, a radical group dedicated to returning Palestinians refugees to Israel, has a long history of misrepresenting the 1948 conflict and inventing atrocities such as massacres and mass rapes allegedly committed by Israeli troops. Zochrot has also specialized in making comparisons between the apartheid regime of South African and "Israeli apartheid," of which Dr. Louise Bethlehem book is a prime example.
Israeli and Palestinians activists decided in the early 1990s to apply the Boycott Divestment, Sanction (BDS) strategy that successfully forced South Africa to end apartheid, to Israel. Consequently, a number of Israeli academics have published books and articles "demonstrating" that Israel is an apartheid state. Despite the fact that mainstream political science has never categorized Israel as an apartheid state, the alternative radical-leftist publication network, including Journal of Palestine Studies, Zed Books and Olive Press imprint in the United States and Great Britain, among others, have turned the Israel- as- an- apartheid- state theme into a virtual cottage industry.
|[HUJ] The Fear of Peace - The Israeli Dilemma. Book presentation with Prof. Moshe Zimmermann, Frankfurt. Aug 29, 2011. |
|Why the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians increased year after year?
In his new book "Fear of Peace" the Israeli historian Moshe
Zimmerman's provocative thesis that the Israeli society has the powers and is more against giving up of the occupied territories than before the constant state of unrest and insecurity. Zimmermann shows clear and unvarnished picture of the political and social conditions in Israel and describes the actions of the main protagonists: the media, settlers and Military. His lucid and courageous analysis deserves hearing in the German and
International Middle East discourse.
|[HUJ] Yaron Ezrahi & Moshe Zimmermann "Radical Nationalism against Democratic Citizenship in Israel" Berlin, Nov 24|
|The Mosse-Lectures commemorate the German-Jewish heritage of the Mosse Family at the Humboldt University
November 24, 2011
Yaron Ezrahi (Hebrew University Jerusalem)
Radical Nationalism against Democratic Citizenship in Israel
Respondenz: Moshe Zimmermann
|"Does Israel Teach Anti-Arab Bigotry?" Anti-Israel Prof. Laurance Davidson cites HUJ Nurit Peled Elhanan's "findings"|
|Peled-Elhanan has recently written a book titled Palestine in Israeli School Books: Ideology and Propaganda in Education. The book, which will be published this month in the United Kingdom, covers the content of Israeli textbooks over the past five years and concludes that Palestinians are never referred to as such “unless the context is terrorism.” Otherwise, they are referred to as Arabs.
And Arabs are collectively presented as “vile and deviant and criminal, people who do not pay taxes, people who live off the state, who don’t want to develop. … You never see [in the textbooks] a Palestinian child or doctor or teacher or engineer or modern farmer.”
In contrast, she finds that Palestinian textbooks, even while telling history from a Palestinian point of view, “distinguish between Zionists and Jews”; they tend to take a stand “against Zionists, not against Jews.”
Peled-Elhanan makes a link between what Israeli children are taught and how they later behave when drafted into the country’s military services.
“One question that bothers many people is how do you explain the cruel behavior of Israeli soldiers towards Palestinians
|[HUJ, Rothberg] Anti-Israel activist Efrat Ben Ze'ev sheds "new light" on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict at UC Davis|
|Efrat Ben Zeev: "I hope to break down false dichotomies between a global category called the Palestinian Arabs and another called the Israeli Jews."
The war of 1948 in Palestine is a conflict whose history has been written primarily from the national point of view. This book asks what happens to these narratives when they arise out of the personal stories of those who were involved, stories that are still unfolding. Efrat Ben-Ze'ev, an Israeli anthropologist, examines the memories of those who participated and were affected by the events of 1948, and how these events have been mythologized over time. This is a three-way conversation between Palestinian villagers, Jewish-Israeli veterans, and British policemen who were stationed in Palestine on the eve of the war. Each has his or her story to tell.
|[HUJ, Law] Anti-Israel activists speak in Belgrade on "Peace education": Daphna Golan-Agnon, Nadera Shalhoub-Kervorkian &Rachel Busbridge|
|Educating for peace is, to say the very least, a challenge in Israel: the enduring and deeply-seated Israeli-Palestinian conflict permeates all aspects of life including the academia, and the segregated nature of primary and secondary education means that the first encounter between Jews and Palestinians typically takes place on campus.
The history of mutual mistrust, the pervasiveness of unequal power relations and the construction of Palestinian and Jewish identities as diametrically opposed to each other means that the possibilities for genuine peace education are constrained.
The presenters: Our guests from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem - Dr. Daphna Golan-Agnon, Dr. Nadera Shalhoub-Kervorkian & Dr. Rachel Busbridge
When? Monday, June 20, 2011 18:30-20:00
Where? The Faculty of Media and Communications, Karadjordjeva 65, Beograd
|HUJ Religions & Classics] David Shulman's & Amiel Vardi's association with the convicted rapist Ezra Nawi|
|According to Ta'ayush founding member Amiel Vardi, his fellow activists only became aware of Nawi's conviction for rape when coverage of Mr Norris's political crisis was published in Israel's Haaretz newspaper last week.
Even now, Vardi claims Nawi has not spoken about the matter and members of the group are still unaware of the specific details.
Nawi's close associate and supporter Professor David Shulman, of the Hebrew University, has described him as "a tough-minded, soft-hearted plumber".
When asked if he knew of his previous convictions for sodomy and drug abuse, Shulman replied: "This is an old thing which happened a long time ago and is therefore irrelevant. People change in life, including Nawi."
|[HUJ, Education] Nurit Peled Elhanan: Change will come when the Americans stop providing us with $1m a day to maintain this regime of occupation, racism & supremacy|
|Peled-Elhanan is deeply pessimistic about her country's future. Change, she says, will only come "when the Americans stop providing us with $1m a day to maintain this regime of occupation and racism and supremacy".
She said that within Israel, "I only see the path to fascism. You have 5.5 million Palestinians controlled by Israel who live in a horrible apartheid with no civil and no human rights. And you have the other half who are Jews who are also losing their rights by the minute," she says, in reference to a series of attempts to restrict Israelis' right to protest and criticise their government.
|Responses to HUJ David Shulman's "Goldstone and Gaza: What’s Still True"|
|David Shulman, while agreeing with Richard Goldstone that Israel did not target Gaza civilians, inconsistently claims that the IDF relaxed its rules of engagement to encourage conduct endangering noncombatants [“Goldstone and Gaza: An Exchange,” NYR, July 14]. That illogical theory—based on hearsay and anecdotes—is refuted by hard statistical evidence. The ratio of civilian-to-combatant casualties in Gaza was about 1:1, far lower than in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan and, indeed, the lowest ratio in any asymmetric war in recent history.1 The UN finds the typical ratio in such conflicts to be 3:1. The International Red Cross, over a longer time span, estimates 10:1. The historically low ratio in Gaza, ignored by Mr. Shulman, reflects Israel’s unprecedented precautions to minimize collateral damage to civilians.|
|[HUJ, Edu] Nurit Peled-Elhanan: Israeli education is racist. Palestinian can't be because it is monitored by the world|
| Elhanan: What I found was that all of the racist categories that you could imagine or that are in the literature about the racist representation of people, both verbally and visually, is there in Israeli textbooks. And I thought that it was very important to say that because the whole world slanders Palestinian education, without even knowing anything about it, including Hillary Clinton. And nobody controls and monitors the Israeli education. Now Palestinian education cannot be racist because it is so controlled and monitored by the world, even if they wanted to. So I looked into that and I started to look into Israeli books, and I found where Palestinian textbooks can say the Zionist enemy kills our children and demolishes our houses, which is not racism but fact, in Israel, Palestinians are, if they are represented at all, usually they are not represented at all, twenty percent of the population are Palestinian citizens. Not talking about the non-citizens. They are not represented at all, as if they don’t exist. Nothing of their culture, customs, nothing! Only as problems and to represent people as a problem is racism! |
|[Hebrew U, Education] Nurit Peled-Elhanan: The High Court message to the Israeli Occupation Forces - murder of little Palestinian girls is not a crime|
|In other words: the High Court has authorized the shedding of the blood of all little Palestinian girls and sent a clear message to the soldiers/police of the Israeli Occupation Forces – the murder of little Palestinian girls, especially those who are buying candy at a kiosk next to their school at nine in the morning, is not a crime. No one has been punished and no one will be punished. The allegations of the prosecution, that is, of the parents, the eyewitnesses, the Yesh Din organization, the proof and the evidence – did not make their way into the ears of the [female] judges. Are they mothers too?
This judgement is the climax of an evidently wonderfully planned and oiled campaign to render permissible the killing of Palestinians that has been conducted for decades now in newspapers, in political speeches, in literature and song, in military plans, in the formulation of the army’s ethical code and in the textbooks that explain that every massacre of Palestinians since 1948 was good for the Jews, for the Jewish democracy and for the conservation of the Jewish majority in the State of/Land of Israel in the long, short or middle run. This campaign has gained momentum since the cast lead and phosphorus massacre in Gaza two years ago. Since then everybody has found justification and rationalization for the killing of Palestinians.
|[Hebrew U, Religions] David Shulman's call encourages Arabs to hurt right-wing Jews and Settlers "July 15th Marching to Independence"|
|On July 15 2011 the weekly Solidarity demonstration in Sheikh Jarrah will expand and assume a new, dramatic form. For the first time, all the Palestinian factions and the local neighborhood committees in east Jerusalem will join Solidarity and the Israeli peace camp in a large-scale march through the heart of Jerusalem and around the city walls. The march will have a clear and unambiguous message: “Marching for Independence”. An independent Palestinian state in the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem is a profoundly just and humane goal, redeeming a terrible historical disaster, and also a prime Israeli interest—although the current right-wing government is doing whatever it can to block the establishment of a free Palestine. The historic cooperation of the forces for peace on both sides of the border has generated this joint action, which is endowed with singular symbolic and international resonance. This march will also constitute a response to the mass march of settlers and the right on Jerusalem day, in which tens of thousands chanted slogans of hate like “Death to Leftists” and “Butcher the Arabs.” |
|[Hebrew University, Education] Nurit Peled Elhanan in Al-Jazeera's propaganda against Israel|
|Nurit Peled, co-founder of Bereaved Parents for Peace and lecturer at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, believes that text books are selected to support feelings of Jewish superiority. "We never teach about the state of Israel, we teach the land of Israel, which includes all of Palestine. It is recognition by denial," she said.
Peled's research also revealed common stereotyping of Arabs in text books; "I could not find one picture of an Arab human being," she said. "They are all of types. They are presented as primitive terrorists or farmers who reject modernity."
|HUJ Alon Liel: Israel becoming an apartheid state if stalemate continued "Key Israelis urge Europe to back Palestinian cause"|
|Among those signing the petition were the former speaker of the Knesset parliament, Avraham Burg, former foreign ministry director general Alon Liel, a Nobel laureate, writers and academics.
Mr Liel said he was worried about Israel becoming an apartheid state if the diplomatic stalemate continued. “I think that if there is no vote in September on recognising a Palestinian state, we shall find ourselves sliding even more rapidly into the slippery slope of a shared state, which I view as a true catastrophe.”
The signatories argued that given the mutual suspicions between the sides and current foot-dragging, a Palestinian declaration of independence was not just a right, but also a positive, constructive step.
|[Hebrew University, Business] Israel Academia Monitor responds to Prof. Bernard Avishai's "Monitored And Exposed!"|
|The Israel Academia Monitor has, through tireless investigation, linked me to the Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity organization. I might have saved them the trouble. My admiration for the young leaders of the movement is open, long-standing, and more or less boundless. Solidarity embodies my hopes for Israel as a globalist democracy. If I were the kind to follow leaders, these would be mine.|
|[Hebrew U, German studies] Moshe Zimmermann the End of America’s Umbrella: Netanyahu and co. believe that they will get away with occupation|
|The first reaction of Israel’s policy-makers to the recent uprisings was: “We were right all the way. One shouldn’t trust the Arabs or believe in peace-treaties with them”. Netanyahu, Lieberman etc., who related to the mounting criticism against Israel in the last years as vicious attempts at a delegitimization of Israel now use the unrest in the Arab world as an excuse for not addressing the cause for this criticism. The fact that even now the US vetoed a Security Council resolution condemning Israel’s settlement policy makes Netanyahu and co. believe that they will get away with occupation even under the new circumstances.|
|[Hebrew U, Truman] Efrat Ben-Zeev, UC Davis: Landscape and Memory: Palestinian refugees' pilgrimage to demolished villages|
|Anthropology UC Davis
Spring 2011 Sociocultural Wing Colloquium Series - Efrat Ben-Zeev
when May 02, 2011
from 02:00 PM to 04:00 PM
where 2203 Social Sciences & Humanities Building
Efrat Ben-Zeev, Senior Lecturer
Ruppin Academic Center - Hebrew University
"Landscape and Memory: Palestinian refugees' pilgrimage to demolished villages"
|[Hebrew U, Religions] David Shulman disrespectful to Judaism, invites students/activists to "the so-called City of David|
|A reminder: This Friday there will be a guided tour of Silwan, the so-called City of David, in part as an act of solidarity with Jawad Siam, one of the major activists in the neighborhood. Jawad has been arrested many times in recent months and is being held under house arrest. His trial-- a blatantly political trial by any standard-- begins this week. We will meet Jawad and listen to him, and we will study the harsh situation in the neighborhood and the struggle of the local residents. Members of the Knesset, University scholars, students and Solidarity activists will participate.|
|[Hebrew U, Law] Daphna Golan's group: The plan for Lifta nullifies the possibility of the Palestinian refugees to return|
|The village of Lifta is significant for the reason that it reminds us of a time when Muslims, Christians and Jews lived harmoniously on the land. In this sense, Golan asserts that ‘It should be used as a place where Jews and Arabs can meet to acknowledge their shared history.’ If the ILA plans are approved, it will therefore be removing a powerful symbol of reconciliation. More ominously, the ILA plans which are portrayed as being devoid of any political significance are in fact a painful reminder that the colonial Zionist enterprise is still thriving.|
|[Hebrew U, IGDC] Iaroslav Youssim supports Palestinians against Israeli apartheid, Israeli police and against the occupation|
|While the vast majority of us, demonstrators and detainees – due to whom Sheikh Jarrah will be liberated - went to our warm homes and supportive families and friends, Isam Sweyki, remained on the cold street, homeless, without family or friends. While most of us went to our workplaces the next morning, Isam cannot do so. Why does not Isam receive all the due respect, as other heroes of the Sheikh Jarrah struggle? The answer, of course, is very simple in Israel of apartheid: unlike other detainees, Isam does not belong to the privileged ‘class of the Jews,' but to the ‘class of Arabs.’|
|Israel Apartheid Week with [Hebrew U, Law] Dr. Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, organized by TAU Student Organizations|
|Tel Aviv University Student Organizations
Haq Movement, Tajamua-Balad, Jabha-Hadash, Abna- Al Balad
With the Coalition of Women for Peace
Israel Apartheid Week 2011
Life and Struggle in Apartheid
Wednesday, 16/03/2011 Saraya Theater in Jaffa at 7 p.m
Screening of the film "Have You Heard From Johannesburg"
Panel and Discussion with:
Director Connie Field
Dr. Nadera Shalhub Kaborkian: Apartheid – Birth and Death in Jerusalem
|[Hebrew U, Business] Bernard Avishai's ties with the anti-Zionist Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity Movement, and his support of selected sanctions against Israel|
|Professor Bernard Avishai of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is an activist associated with the Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity Movement. He was quoted on a Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity Movement brochure asking for donations as stating, “Solidarity is poised to become a transformative movement. Its young leadership instructs and inspires me. Here are the future leaders of Israel’s global democracy.”
On March 2, 2011, the Jerusalem Post published an article that quoted the Jewish Agency as claiming that the Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity Movement opposes the existence of Israel as “a Jewish homeland” and promotes an “anti-Zionist agenda.”...
As Avishai wrote in the Nation, that Boycott and Divestment would accomplish driving Israel into an even greater siege mentality but targeted sanctions, on the other hand, are something that Avishai supports "Foreign governments might well ban consumer products like fruit, flowers and Dead Sea mineral creams and shampoos produced by Israelis in occupied territory, much as Palestinian retail stores do. The EU already requires Israel to distinguish products this way. If Israel continues building in East Jerusalem, and the UN Security Council majority sanctions Israeli tourism, the US government might well choose not to veto the resolution. The Pentagon might sanction, say, Israel Aerospace Industries if, owing to continued settlement, Israeli-Palestinian negotiations break down.”
|Radical groups seek influence at Hebrew University, Tuesday March 3, 2011: Breaking the Silence, B'Tselem, etc|
|Mount Scopus Campus Event: Come and Hold Your Own Investigation of Four Left-Wing NGOs
Tuesday, March 1st
You've read about the Knesset-probe and funding bill in the papers, now we invite you to come hold your own investigation of four prominen tNGOs!
Students are invited to an open debate and Q&A session with four prominent left-wing organizations: Peace Now, the Geneva Iniative, B'Tselem and Breaking the Silence
|[Hebrew U] David Shulman on Sheikh Jarrah 65th demo: “Light” Fascism...Anti-democratic laws of the Knesset...racist and fanatically nationalist character put into effect|
|Here is a small vignette that tells you all you really need to know about the state of civil liberties in Israel today. We are slipping rapidly into a form of “light” Fascism, entirely palatable to the bulk of the Jewish population; democratic institutions such as the courts are still functioning and sometimes act to protect basic rights, but they have little or no power in the face of the anti-democratic laws the Knesset is enacting or of the administrative decisions, of a racist and fanatically nationalist character, that government bodies, such as the Jerusalem municipality, routinely put into effect. “Light” Fascism has a way of turning into its heavier counterpart. We are losing ground day by day.|
|[Hebrew U, English] in Louise Bethlehem's "Apartheid: A Double -Crossing" nothing about Israel's right for defence from vilolent attacks on its citizens|
|Where the term “apartheid” brushes against the grain of the Hebrew language which hosts – and is unsettled – by it, its use exceeds the seductions of a purely gestural politics. To invoke “apartheid” as signifier is to render certain signifieds especially salient. Saree Makdisi has enumerated some of them for us, as has Israeli geographer Oren Yiftachel who uses the notion of a “creeping apartheid” to focus on Israeli policy within the Green line as an “undeclared” political order that is continuing to entrench differential citizenship under its sovereignty. Hannan Hever and Yehouda Shenhav have pointed to the potential gains, viewed from the perspective of knowledge production and, implicitly, political agency, that might result from viewing the Occupation through the optic of “colonialism”.
Adi Ophir and Ariella Azoulay, for their part, in a crucial recent Hebrew-language volume on the Occupation mobilize the idea of a “regime that is not one” – there is a studied allusion to feminist philosopher Luce Irigaray here – to stress that the governance of the Occupied Palestinian Territories has become integral to the Israeli regime itself. The Occupation, they claim, while historically contingent, should no longer be thought of as extraneous. On the contrary, the bifurcation of the Israeli regime between two forms – the rule of law together with limited ethnic discrimination on the one side of the Green line, and military occupation together with the rigid ethnic stratification of space on the other – itself comes to characterize the consistency of a regime committed neither to permanent annexation of, nor to withdrawal from, the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
|David Shulman: The book of 'Breaking the Silence', in my view, is one of the most important books published on Israel/Palestine in this generation|
|Many Israelis, including those who might acknowledge the accuracy of my description, will readily blame the impasse on the cumulative trauma resulting from Arab, including Palestinian, violence against Jews going back to the beginning of the conflict. There is clearly some truth to this claim, though it does not explain the gratuitous cruelty inflicted by Israel on the Palestinians over the last few decades or the enormous and continuing theft of land that must be seen as the true raison d’être of the occupation. To understand the issue more deeply, it’s crucial to see what the occupation really means on the ground—and, apart from actually spending time in the occupied territories, there is no better way to understand this reality than to read the volume of soldiers’ testimonies just published by the Israeli peace group known as Breaking the Silence, a book, in my view, that is one of the most important published on Israel/Palestine in this generation.|
|TAU Adi Ophir, Hebrew U- Yaron Ezrahi, Zeev Sternhell, David Shulman: Israel is not a Democracy due to occupation|
|Knowledge, Imagination, Democracy: Honoring Professor Yaron Ezrahi’s Work---an academic conference sponsored by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Jerusalem Van Leer Institute
First panel featured two academics, Prof. Adi Ophir from Tel Aviv University and Prof. Mordechai Kremnizer of both Hebrew University and the Israel Democracy Institute
Ophir presented a manifestly anti-Zionist perspective. In his view, present-day Israel is not a democracy and is allegedly run by only five men. He claimed that democracy in Israel is in jeopardy both in the present and in the future.
Second panel featured one Palestinian academic, Dr. Sari Nusseibeh, who is President of Al Quds University, and four Israeli academics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Prof. Yaron Ezrahi, Prof. Moshe Halbertal, Prof. Ze’ev Sternhell, and the moderator, Prof. David Shulman.
Shulman recommended that those who have not been arrested for helping Palestinian farmers “should try it, it is liberating.”
According to him, these non-governmental organizations Breaking the Silence, B’tselem, Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity Movement, etc. that are being targeted deserve to be “supported and joined in large numbers.” Halbertal also referred to the radical left wing extremist non-governmental organizations as “wonderful organizations.”
Sternhell concluded by calling for an end to “the occupation of Palestinian lands.”
Halbertal asked, “Is civil disobedience the proper approach?”
|[Hebrew University, Education] Rabah Halabi: "The Oppressed Meeting the Oppressor"|
|The Nakba of 1948 forced a new reality on Palestinians who remained in Israel.
From then until 1967, these Palestinians lived under a military government. This reality created problematic and complex relations between them and the Jewish occupier, which the writer Emile Habibi brilliantly described in his book The Opsimist. Already from the beginning, the Zionist establishment sought to uproot the Palestinians and sever them from their historical roots and from their connection with their people, and, by doing so, create the Arab-Israeli. This difficult period created a sense of trauma and loss among the Palestinians who, in most instances, submitted to the “strong, unbeatable Jew.” Relations between
Jews and Palestinians during that period were those of master-servant.
|[Hebrew University, Truman] Maya Rosenfeld promotes anti-Israel political activities at Hebrew U " PCATI Report on Incommunicado Detention"|
|As many as 90 percent of Palestinian prisoners being interrogated by the Shin Bet security service are prevented from consulting with an attorney, even though civilian and military legislation state clearly that such prohibition should be rarely applied, according to a report published by the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel and the Palestinian Prisoners' Society.
The Shin Bet says it has legal clearance to keep certain detainees from lawyers.
Among these interrogation methods are tying prisoners for a long time to a chair with their hands behind the back, sleep deprivation, threats (usually of harming family members ), humiliation and being kept for long periods in unsanitary cells.According to Dr. Maya Rosenfeld, the author of the study, during prolonged periods when prisoners are kept from meeting with lawyers, the Shin Bet utilizes interrogation methods that run contrary to international law, Israeli laws and Israeli commitments to avoid such methods.
The Shin Bet has refused in the past to provide data on the numbers of prisoners who are prevented from meeting with a lawyer.
|[Hebrew U, Law] Prof' Daphna Golan Agnon speaks against Israel as a Jewish State "It's our duty to challenge Israel's law of segregation"|
|As long as we do not have agreed-upon borders, weare living in an occupying country that discriminates between the rights of different groups based on their ethnicity.
In such a country, just like in South Africa under apartheid, it is our right and our duty to challenge the legality of the law.
|[Political Science, Hebrew U] Bashir Bashir proposes binational solution over the division of land that comprises Israel and its occupied territories|
|Bashir Bashir, an adjunct lecturer in the department of political
science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Leila Farsakh,
associate professor of political science at the University of
Massachusetts, Boston, proposed a binational solution to the conflict over the division of land that comprises Israel and its occupied territories during a talk at the Kennedy School of Government
|Palestinians celebrating the film of Tamar Yarom, Hebrew U: [ePalestine] FILM & ARTICLE: To See If I Am Smiling|
|From: Sam BAHOUR
Sent: Sunday, December 05, 2010 8:12 PM
Subject: [ePalestine] FILM/ & ARTICLE: To See If I Am Smiling (A MUST VIEW/READ)
"...I served there because my parents brought me up on the values of Zionism, on the idea that wherever I'm most needed is where I should go. I wanted to make a difference and I'd do it again despite everything."
Doc-Debut, a series on Link TV
To See If I Am Smiling
Israel is the only country in the world where 18-year-old girls are drafted for compulsory military service. In the award-winning documentary To See If I Am Smiling, the frank testimonials of six female Israeli soldiers stationed in Gaza and the West Bank pack a powerful emotional punch. The young women revisit their tours of duty in the occupied territories with surprising honesty and strip bare stereotypes of gender differences in the military. The former soldiers share shocking moments of negligence, flippancy, immaturity and power-tripping as they describe atrocities they witnessed and participated in.
|[Hebrew U] Nurit Peled-Elhanan: We must teach our children to refuse to a criminal organization (IDF) that is led by war criminals, murderers. "ON THE APPOINTMENT OF YAIR NAVEH AS DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF "|
|The appointment of Yair Naveh is a fitting one. None is more suitable than he to stand nearly at the head of the most immoral army in the world, the cruellest army in the world that considers itself enlightened. An army with unlimited supplies of money and power and periodically mercenaries (have they judaized all of them yet?), a mob immersed in impulses and interests not one of which is moral. That is the meaning of an army. For that reason it is not Yair Naveh but us – who have to resign from the role of creating soldiers, providing soldiers, giving birth to soldiers and educating future soldiers. We must gather up our courage and teach our children to refuse. Refuse to take part in an organization that is led by war criminals, murderers of children. An organization like that cannot be anything but a crime organization. |
|[Hebrew U, Law] Dr. Nadera Shalhoub Kevorkian's study: “Military Occupation, Trauma and the Violence of Exclusion: Trapped bodies and lives.”|
|The study has been completed at a very significant time for Jerusalem, and could well serve as crucial documentation for the current distress and grievance of Palestinian Jerusalemites today. In her presentation, as well as throughout the study, Dr. Nadera brings one example after another revealing Palestinians’ day-to-day experiences of military occupation, their methods of surviving and the strategies of coping in the face of psycho-social and economic-political traps and restraints imposed by Israel on Arab Jerusalem. The study also sheds a light on the main hardships that Palestinians encounter when facing Israel’s urban politics, demographic policies, economic, political and social restrictions and political violence. It also makes some suggestions for directions in future research, and a number of policy recommendations for human rights and feminist activists and organisations to consider.
With direct quotations gathered in interviews conducted for the study, young Palestinian voices of men and women from Jerusalem express a strong sense that their bodies, daily movements, and actions are under tight control, or are “trapped.” Dr. Nadera’s theoretical analysis for understanding these quotations require “that we theorise globality and post-coloniality in order to fully comprehend how global forces and conditions – including “the war on terror,” the development of “security justifications,” the politics and industry of fear and proliferating violence – and local forces – internal displacement, geo politics and house demolitions – all of which have shaped the contours of Palestinian daily life in Occupied East Jerusalem.”
|[Hebrew U] Hannan Hever: Only external interventions such as the BDS can stop the growth of “Israeli fascism”|
|In November 2010, Dr. Hever published an article in the Hebrew edition of Haaretz where he argued that supporting a loyalty oath for new Israeli citizens is paramount to fascism, that supporting the existence of a Jewish state is contrary to democracy, and that only external interventions such as the BDS movement can stop the growth of “Israeli fascism.” |
|[East Asian Studies, Hebrew U] Prof' Yuri Pines supports Palestinian stone throwers at Israeli cars. "A kid throws a stone in East Jerusalem, and a village is locked down"|
|The situation in Isawiya began to deteriorate last Friday (5 November) when the local youths stoned a Jewish vehicle which came (apparently by accident) within the boundaries of the village. As a result of this, the police decided "to teach the village a lesson" in the manner remembered by many of us from the first years of the Second Intifada. What follows are some of the actions of the police over the past two days|
|[Hebrew University, Classics] Amiel Vardi was taken away by the army handcuffed, again, for distubance|
|Editor's note: When watching the video filmed by Taayush members, one can see two Israeli men being arrested. The second man, is Dr. Amiel Vardi, a lecturer of Classics at the Hebrew University. The account below tells a story of those two men as if they didn't do anything except for protecting Palestinians picking olives and grapes, but, it were the Israelis who weren't allowed to be there. The Palestinians were not arrested, just the two Israelis. Dr. Vardi has been already arrested a few times this year and in previous years, on similar grounds. He is signaling to his Palestinian friends, they can trust him, he is on their side, he is willing to be arrested for them! The question is, if Vardi needs to prove himself to the Palestinians every couple of months, does it mean, that if he stops, he wouldn't be trusted anymore? Is it not embarrasing for the Hebrew University that their lecturer is being arrested every so often by the police or the army for disturbance?|
|[Hebrew U, Political Science] Yaron Ezrahi to Arab media: “Israel is deteriorating to the level of a fascist state"|
|Speaking to the rally, Professor Yaron Ezrachi said that “Israel is deteriorating to the level of a fascist state and that “the children of Israel will either leave the country, be imprisoned or just fight in the streets."
|[HebrewU, Education] Nurit Peled-Elhanan: It was the same monstrous soldiers. [UHaifa] Zvia Shapira: I don't trust the IDF|
|Nurit Peled-Elhanan is the wife of Rami Elhanan, who was on the Jewish boat to Gaza: ..It was the same monstrous soldiers who attacked the Marmara...The whole world should support Yonatan and Itamar Shapira now because the security forces are surely after them and there are no limits to what these soldiers would do if ordered...
The State won't even let prosthesis into Gaza, although the State is the one which caused their disability," said Zvia Shapira, the mother of two of the boat's passengers....I don't trust the IDF
|[Hebrew U] Daphna Golan's speech incites Palestinians against Israel at the U.N Question of Palestine Forum, Istanbul|
|Yet in Sheikh Jarrah, Israelis and Palestinians are protesting against the evictions while seeds of partnership between Israelis and Palestinians are beginning to sprout.
Could you help Um Nabil who was evicted from her house in Haifa in 1948, to stop living in fear of second eviction in Sheikh Jarrah? Maybe instead of more UN committees and more UN reports you could help create truth committees that would allow Um Nabil to tell her story of her first eviction from her house in Haifa in 1948, how she settled with other 27 Palestinian families of refugees, in Sheikh Jarrah, and why she thinks that another
Jewish settlement at the heart of Palestinian East Jerusalem will create more tensions and hate in the city.
Like most Palestinians, the people in Sheikh Jarrah who were evicted form their houses, and those who receive eviction orders- are refugees who were displaced from their
houses and lands in 1948 when the state of Israel was established.
Israeli law does not recognize the right of Palestinians to sue in a similar manner for the return of their properties which they lost during the 1948 War, in West Jerusalem in particular and in Israel in general.
|[Hebrew U, History] Moshe Zimmermann for a German-Muslim website: The real anti-Israelis sit in the government|
|Why has the peace process in the Middle East stagnated? In his new book, Moshe Zimmermann claims that the reason is that the Israelis fear peace more than they fear the state of war. |
|Amiel Vardi in the service of Bedouins against the state of Israel|
|An email from Amiel Vardi, Sheih Jarrah and Hebron anti-Israel activist, inviting his colleagues, other radical activists, to come and support Bedouins in the Negev against the Israeli police forces while evacuating illegal Bedouin villages.
|Anti-Israel journalist writes in memoriam of anti-Israel activist Prof' Israel Shahak of the Hebrew U, Chemistry |
|A de-Zionisation, the removal of Apartheid and discrimination. For many years I have been saying that Israel is an Apartheid country that discriminates against non-Jews. The first thing I wish for Israel is that the official discrimination of all non-Jews cease. I am not a utopian. I mean legal discrimination and official oppression. I think that this would be good basis for a “cold peace” in the Middle East. I don´t expect a “warm peace” in the region based on love. I wish for a “cold peace” like, let us say, exists between Greece and Macedonia. They don´t like each other but they don´t make war. The first condition for this peace is de-Zionisation of Israel. |
|Ishai Menuchin "An assault on democracy": Attacks are spearheaded by NGO Monitor, Israel Academia Monitor & Im Tirtzu|
|The recent attacks are spearheaded by such organizations as NGO Monitor, Israel Academia Monitor and Im Tirtzu, but they apparently enjoy the backing of the government and of many right-wing Knesset members. They constitute a new phenomenon in Israel - civil-society organizations whose main activity is to attack other organizations. Their efforts go beyond the normal give-and-take of democratic discourse, and seems to be directed at halting human-rights advocacy and having the HROs legislated out of existence....
|[Hebrew U, Law] Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian: We meet to commemorate the Nakba which was waged against our people and has not yet ended|
|Dr. Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian who received a grant of CAD 379800 to promote education for Palestinian women in Israel smears Israel : Dr. Shalhoub-Kevorkian spoke about the case of Ameer Mahkoul and Dr. Omar Saeed, stating that, “We meet today to commemorate the Nakba, which was waged against our people and has not yet ended, just as the system of persecution, domination, and attempted silencing has not ended. For Ameer and Omar continue to be imprisoned by this state, reminding them and reminding us of the continuing Nakba, and of our unending efforts to reject and resist it.”|
|Amos Goldberg and Assaf Sharon, longtime activists with the Palestinian struggle against their mutual enemy...the Jewish state. No Palestinian Terrorism|
|I was always left wing, but also a soldier. Suddenly I saw an elderly Palestinian who wanted to plow his field being chased away by a soldier. You identify instinctively with the old man, and you say, ‘That soldier is a brute,’” says Goldberg, a doctoral student who is writing his dissertation on Holocaust survivors.
Suddenly you’re in reverse mode: My solidarity is unequivocally not with the state, not with its symbols and not with the police. I consider them ... I hold myself back from saying ‘the enemy.’ After that you can no longer see things as you did beforehand. I have not switched sides, but one’s map of identification changes and once it does, there is no going back.”
As a researcher who deals mainly with the Holocaust, Goldberg lets history direct his conscience: “At the personal psychological level, this is a matter of moral duty, the duty of those who are bystanders. It might be a large or a small injustice, but there is no need to wait until the situation becomes so extreme. When one sees injustice and racism such as we have here, you have to intervene.”
|[Hebrew U] Lecturers express their political views when teaching: Students aren't taught to think for themselves but fed views by their activist professors|
| On May 26th, some Hebrew University students took to the streets, under the slogan ‘Occupation Is Here’, walking from HU campus to Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem. Besides the students, several lecturers were planned to participate in the protest....
Academic staff should have all the rights of expression every citizen of Israel enjoys. The staff protesting together with the students, though, casts grave doubt over the objectivity of said lecturers, as well as their ability to keep politics away from class. Just as the organizers claim, some lecturers express their political views while educating their students, thus it is likely their worldview is slanted towards the Left-wing, liberal side. Such bias is unacceptable in an academic institution, whose goal it is to educate students to keep an open mind and think for themselves.
Israelis can learn this lesson from the Americans: radicalism, anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism is now deeply rooted in some liberal colleges and universities in the Land of the Free. It now seems that Israeli students will not be taught to think for themselves, but would be fed views by activist professors.
|[Hebrew U, Language and Education] Taken from 'Australians for Palestine': Israeli Prof Nurit Peled-Elhanan’s reaction to the slaughter 31 May 10|
|The chieftains of Sodom, representing the folk of Gomorrah, the disciples of corrupt ravagers, have ravaged again. This time they attacked boats of good doers who devoted their time and their resources, who risked their life in order to come to the rescue of the ravaged, of the oppressed, of the starved. People who came to defend orphans and widows, were brutally attacked by the ruthluess soldiers of Israel. And the soldiers of Israel, who are always frightened to death by sticks and stones, reacted the only way they know how – by killing. Because this is what they have learned from their highest commander, to kill and kill and kill even more. The master-mind behind the siege of all sieges, the maestro of barriers and checkpoints, of tortures and deprivation has shown us once more what he is capable of. And we, the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah, have nothing but impotent words to protest once more against the horror inflicted on the world by Israel, to deplore Jerusalem that has failed and Judea that has fallen and ourselves who are all falling with it. |
|[Hebrew U, Minerva] Daphna Golan-Agnon addresses the UN Forum in Support of the Palestinians: Naming and shaming Israel was no longer enough|
|ISTANBUL, Turkey, 27 May — With tensions high in Jerusalem, and public criticism growing worldwide over the lack of action to alleviate the desperate situation of Palestinians clinging to survival there, experts, students and representatives of non-governmental organizations attending a United Nations Forum called today for an end to Israel's repressive policies in that city, urging fellow members of civil society to mobilize a coordinated, rights-based response.
The United Nations Public Forum in Support of the Palestinian People followed the International Meeting in Support of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process, held in Istanbul from 25 to 26 May. Participants in both events shared the view that solving the complex and sensitive question of Jerusalem was vital to tackling the wider conflicts and unresolved issues in the Middle East. They similarly decried illegal expansion and consolidation of Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem, as well as provocative measures against Palestinian residents, including house demolitions, evictions and land confiscation.
DAPHNA GOLAN-AGNON, Researcher, Minerva Centre for Human Rights, Hebrew University, said Jerusalem was strictly divided. Palestinian children attended schools largely in rented apartments, and rainwater was not distributed equally. She recalled that, as a child, her son had been confused by the stark differences between East and West Jerusalem, wondering why the East had no sidewalks and why all the street signs were in Hebrew. Jerusalem was a symbol of what should happen in the wider context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; people there were beginning to say "enough is enough."
Pointing out that demonstrations were now taking place on a regular basis, she said her own 20-year-old son had been arrested during an anti-police protest in Jerusalem just two weeks ago. The police had broken his hand but not his spirit, she said, stressing that things were becoming so untenable, that "naming and shaming" Israel was no longer enough. It was time for everyone to start developing a vision of a shared Jerusalem, and examining the past in order to devise a shared future.
|[Hebrew U] "I will mourn on Nakba Day" Nurit Elhanan: For those who live here like monsterous golems...the twisted love of a land that isn't theirs|
|I will mourn on Nakba Day. I will mourn for vanished Palestine most of which I never knew. I will mourn for the holy land that is losing its humanity, its landscape, its beauty and its children on the altar of racism and evil. I will mourn for the Jewish youngsters who invade and desecrate the homes of families in Chikh Jarakh, throw the inhabitants into the street, and then sing and dance in memory of Baruch Goldstein, the infamous murderer of Palestinian children, while the owners of the desecrated houses with their children and old people are sleeping in the rain, on the street, opposite their own homes.
I will mourn for the soldiers and police who protect those wicked Jewish orthodox invaders without any pangs of conscience. I will mourn for the lands of Bil’in and Ni’lin and for the heroes of Bil’in and Ni’lin, many of whom are children aged 10 and 12, who fearlessly stand up for their right to live in dignity on the land of their fathers. I will mourn for the human rights that have been buried for a long time now in this country, for the blood that is dispensable with impunity, for the killings committed with blessings, for the mendacious Zionist myth on which I was educated and for the crushed Palestinian narrative that is forbidden to express itself but the truth of which has returned and the green shoots of which are poking out through the weeds and the racist laws.
|[Hebrew U] Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian: Women in the ME and Islamic countries must also fight another tool of colonization: Western propaganda|
|When discussing violence against women in the Middle East and in Muslim societies, Western Empire propaganda claims that oppression of women is part of the culture and is supported by the women themselves. I have often heard the accusation that the reason for violence against women is religious fundamentalism and Islam. But the logical, corresponding question as to why there has been such a rapid growth of fundamentalist movements is only rarely asked… one should not forget that the failure of capitalism and communism to provide material, spiritual, emotional, and social safety for people encouraged the global rise of religious fundamentalism. We end up with a situation wherein women in the Middle East and Islamic countries need not only fight for equality, anti-discrimination, and social justice, but must also fight another tool of colonization: the Western propaganda machine.”
|Inappropriate behavior by Dr. Alon Liel, lecturer at the Hebrew University and former Foreign Ministry Director General at UN Sponsored anti-Israel conference|
|Here are a few choice extracts from the UN official release of Liel's contribution to the debate.
Mr. Liel said that everything Mr. Erakat said was true. It looked like the Palestinians had nothing and the Israelis had everything, but Israelis knew they were doomed, too, and dependent on the fate of the Palestinians, he said, adding, "If you will have nothing in the future, we will also have nothing in the future." But at the moment, Israelis did not have that feeling, and they were overconfident....
"We don't have a Mandela in Israel; we have a Netanyahu and a Lieberman," and unless something dramatic happened, things would not work, he lamented.
As for the situation on the ground, Liel said it was unacceptable, both in Gaza and the West Bank. In fact, it was immoral and would only lead to more violence. At the same time, for Israel, the creation of one State with Palestinians - where they had voting rights and so forth - was an even bigger nightmare than the two-state solution. So he proffered to the conference that perhaps the Palestinians should propose that to the Israeli leadership today, adding: "They'll start shivering, I'm telling you."
|[Hebrew U, Education] "Israeli Racist Education: Discussion with Nurit Peled-Elhanan" was on Feb 2nd, 2010. Alternative Information Center|
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010
Israeli Racist Education:
Discussion with Nurit Peled
Nurit Peled-Elhanan is an Israeli peace activist and professor at Hebrew University.
She's one of the most prominent critical voices against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.
|[Hebrew University, Political Science] On the attacks on the New Israel Fund and its chair Prof' Naomi Chazan|
|Washington – Ma'an – Israel's Peace Now movement and Americans for Peace Now on Monday condemned attacks on the New Israel Fund, which has come under fire for funding human rights organizations whose reports appeared in South African jurist Richard Goldstone's UN report on Gaza. |
|[Hebrew University, School of Social Work & Social Welfare] Prof' Muhammad M. Haj-Yahia Blames Palestinian Wife-Beating on Israel|
|Their study is titled: “Association between exposure to political violence and intimate-partner violence in the occupied Palestinian territory: a cross-sectional study.” And yes, they have found that Palestinian husbands are more violent towards Palestinian wives as a functi'on of the Israeli “occupation”—and that the violence increases significantly when the husbands are “directly” as opposed to “indirectly” exposed to political violence.
...This study was funded by the Palestinian National Authority as well as by the Core Funding Group at the University of Minnesota. The Palestinian Authority is not a disinterested party. But even worse: The data was collected by the Palestinian Central Bureau. These are the people who told the world that Israeli soldiers shot young Mohammed al-Dura, committed a massacre in Jenin, and purposely attacked Palestinian civilians (who just happened to be jihadists dressed in civilian clothing or hostage-civilians behind whom the jihadists hid).
Second, let’s note that the study has a political goal which trumps any objective academic or feminist goal. (These researchers claim to have a “feminist” perspective). In my view, this study wishes to present Palestinian men as victims, even when those men are battering their wives. And, it wishes to present Palestinian cultural barbarism, which includes severe child abuse, as also related to the alleged Israeli occupation.
Third, therefore, the study has purposely omitted the violence, including femicide, which is routinely perpetrated against daughters and sisters in “occupied Palestine” and has, instead, chosen to focus only on husband-wife violence and only on couples who are currently married. The honor murders of daughters and sisters by their parents and brothers is a well known phenomenon in Gaza and on the West Bank.
|[Hebrew U, Education] Yoel Elizur who analysed "atrocities" committed by soldiers during the first Intifada, is chairman of the psychologists council|
|The psychologists council recommended Yoel Elitzur of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's School of Education.as chairman, Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman's office was pressured to nominate Elitzur.
Participation in Atrocities Among Israeli Soldiers During the First Intifada: A Qualitative Analysis
School of Education, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, firstname.lastname@example.org
Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Atrocities committed by soldiers are a common occurrence that harms not only victims, but also perpetrators, armies, and nations. However, censorship, limited access to information, and the tendency to deny one's evil and project it onto the other impede investigation into how ordinary soldiers cross the line between legitimate fighting and excessive violence. This study examined processes associated with Israeli soldiers' brutal behaviors during the first Intifada. Participants were 21 male combat veterans of two companies stationed in Gaza whose sampling reflected diversity in Israeli society and a wide range of behaviors in the Intifada. Situational factors and social—psychological processes (i.e. modeling, moral disengagement, dehumanization, and deindividuation) were powerful inducers of brutality. The data also showed individual differences in violence, inner—outer directedness, and moral standards. Consequently, five subgroups were identified: Callous/Impulsive, Ideologically Violent, Followers, Restrained, and Incorruptible. The use of these categories to examine the soldiers' unfolding experience over time generated a unique perspective into two less studied dynamics. The first was a synergistic interaction between dispositional and situational factors, manifested in level of brutality and differential subgroup stability of violent behaviors over time. The second was the company as a family-like primary social system that developed inner culture and structural patterns characterized by alignments and social power. Initially, there evolved a culture of brutality with an associated leadership that escalated the violence. A later clash with soldiers who adhered to the army's professional culture transformed the company's culture and structure. This analysis has implications for preventive measures, including the development of morally committed and resolute leadership at both lower and higher echelons of command.
|The Price of Ignoring Reality: The Example of Hebrew University’s Professor Daphna Golan-Agnon|
|In sum, for Professor Golan, Israel is a renegade “apartheid” state, and she does not hesitate to draw an odious parallel with the former struggle of the Black population of South Africa against their White oppressors. And, while she opposes academic boycotts--giving the reason that this might affect her own foreign funding--she has no problem with boycotts that would deny Israel material required for its defense or equipment such as bulldozers that could be used to bolster the occupation.
Toward the end of the interview, Professor Golan responds to questions about the nature of Israel and the outlook for the future. “Why is a Jewish majority important?” she asks. She goes on, “When was it a Jewish state? Who invented [this] notion?“ And more: “It cannot be a Jewish state, certainly not Jewish and democratic.” Perhaps, she ponders, what is called for is “a federation” of Jews and Arabs.
|[Hebrew U, Jewish Studies] Book by Hannan Hever: A collection of Hebrew poetry, news & Palestinian testimonies mentioning the Palestinian Nakba|
|The Palestinian Nakba in the Hebrew Poetery, 1948-1958, is a collection of Hebrew poetry written between the months of January 1948 and December 1958 in which traces of the Palestinian Nakba are present.
Tell not in Gath is an outcome of a long and extensive archival research in which book of Hebrew poetry as well as Hebrew newspaper and periodicals have been searched. The collection also includes testimonies of Palestinians who had lived in Palestine prior to 1948, who tell, in first person, of their lives in Palestine, their deportation from the land, and their lives after it. All testimonies are taken from the Zochrot booklets on the erased Palestinian towns and villages. The book starts with an essay by Prof. Hannan Hever, who also edited the collection.
Tell it not in Gath is a book published by Zochrot, Parrhesia and the Pardes Publishing House, and is the first book published by Sedek: A Journal on the Ongoing Nakba.
|[Hebrew University, Religions & Classics] David Shulman and Amiel Vardi in support of Palestinians against Israelis in "Christmas in Sheikh Jarrah"|
|Below also Vardi's call for action and thank you letter in Hebrew to the local Palesinians and Israeli fellow-activists for supporting him while in Jail.
...I see it in the young people who bear the brunt of this demonstration, who organize it and lead it and cheerfully face the Border Police and the blue police and, much worse, the clandestine Shabak operators week after week. Once again, many of my students are here. They, I am sure, are our future, and I trust them to see it through. They are clearly feeling the bizarre happiness that so often floods you at such moments—the happiness that naturally flows from saying “no” to self-evident evil.
|Hebrew U, Education] Nurit Peled-Elhanan: "A year after the Gaza War - Speech at the protest rally". [TAU, History] Shlomo Sand was there too|
|Good evening to all who came to mark the first anniversary of the Gaza carnage, and to protest on the comfortable complacence which inhabitants of this city and this country exhibit in face of the slow annihilation which goes on and on in Gaza and throughout Palestine. |
|[Hebrew University, Minerva] Pro-Palestinian activist Daphna Golan singing against 'as many Jews as possible' in Jerusalem: "Everyone can drum"|
|The Israel Police arrests drums and drummers in order to keep order. And order in Jerusalem means that Jews are by law more equal than Arabs. The Jerusalem Municipality awards the third of its citizens who are Palestinian less than 14 percent of its budget, and its declared policy is segregation and discrimination: the construction of Jewish neighborhoods on land expropriated from Palestinians, the razing of Palestinian homes that were built without a permit, the building of Jewish but not Palestinian schools, the creation of Jewish settlements, protected by security guards and police, in the middle of Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem.
The policy of "preserving a demographic majority" means as few Palestinians in Jerusalem as possible, and as many Jews as possible.
This is the crux of Israel's entire policy. And the police arrest drummers so that the voices challenging this racist order are silenced
|[Hebrew University, Hebrew Literature Dept.] Galit Hasan-Rokem on marching with Palestinians in opposition to populate Jerusalem with Jews|
|Last Friday I participated in a march that started at the Hamshbir square in the center of Jerusalem and ended in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. This is a neighborhood on the "seam line" between the eastern and western sides of the city, near a prayer site at a tomb from the end of the Roman period or the beginning of Byzantine times, a tomb that Jewish tradition dating from the 13th century ascribes to the grave of Simeon the Just. He is a rather anonymous figure, mentioned in the Mishna at the beginning of the Ethics of the Fathers. The Mishna and the historian Josephus Flavius state that Simeon the Just lived several hundred years before the tomb was built.
The march, which was also a quasi-demonstration that took place with police approval, was intended to express opposition to the removal of Palestinian families from the site historically known as Batei Navon, named after the leader of the Sephardi Jews in Jerusalem who bought the houses at the end of the 19th century.
The Palestinian families have lived there since 1948. They were removed not to house the descendants of the land's original owners, but for settlers from an extremist organization working to populate Jerusalem - all of Jerusalem - with Jews.
|[Hebrew U, Education] Dr. Nurit Peled-Elhanan to participate in Gaza Freedom March / Nurit Peled on Iran Daily: Israeli Schools Breed Racism|
|Dr. Nurit Peled-Elhanan, an Israeli mother and recipient of the Sacharov Prize and her brother, writer and peace activist Miko Peled (mikopeled.wordpress.com) will be participating in the Free Gaza March (www.gazafreedommarch.org) this month. Nurit will be on the Israeli side of the wall while Miko, who lives in California, will be marching inside the wall on the Gaza side.
Their father was the late Israeli General turned peace activist Matti Peled. Nurit’s daughter, Smadar, was killed by Palestinians in a suicide attack in 1997.
They released the following statement:
“The appeal to march for Gaza even as the killing of innocents continues, reminds us of the appeal by the Jewish poet Bialik, more than a hundred years ago after a massacre of the Jews of Kishinev:
"Arise and go now to the city of slaughter;
Into its courtyard wind your way;
There with your own hand touch, and with the eyes in your head,
Behold on tree, on stone, on fence, on mural clay,
The spattered blood and dried brains of the dead."
In its shameless indignation, only sixty years after Auschwitz, the State of the Jews confines people in ghettoes surrounded by walls and barbed wires, supervised by armed soldiers and their ferocious dogs, and the world looks on in silence.
The blood of the children of Gaza will forever stain those who allow the killing in Gaza today. Israeli leaders and generals must know that they will not be exonerated.
|[Hebrew University, Classics & Religions] Ta’ayush Members Dr. Amos Goldberg and Prof. David Shulman in a call to fellow activists on Sheikh Jarrah|
|The weekly march to Sheikh Jarrah, to the Palestinian houses that have been invaded by Israeli settlers. ...
I look around me: mostly young people, gentle but tough—many students, some I know from my classes,
|[Hebrew University, Education] Dr. Nurit Peled-Elhanan in favor of Palestinians, Muslims and Arabs and against Israel, America and Great Britain|
|Islam in itself, like Judaism in itself and Christianity in itself, is
not a threat to me or to anyone. American imperialism is, European indifference and co-operation is and Israeli racism and its cruel regime of occupation is.
|[Hebrew U, Law] Daphna Golan: For more than 42 years...soldiers have obeyed orders and made another people wretched, in "Israel opposition to Goldstone report reflects layers of denial"|
|For more than 42 years, mothers have fled bad news and soldiers have obeyed orders and made another people wretched. This isn't happening because there is no other way, but because in the view of the generals who lead the army into unnecessary wars, there is no one to talk to, no other way, and it's better not to know. |
|[Hebrew University, Professor of Humanistic Studies] David Shulman supports terrorists' civil disobedience, in "Palestinians Return to Bir al-'Id"|
|We speak of the Goldstone report on Gaza and of Abu Mazen's call, this week, for a third, popular Intifada, a non-violent one, like at Bil'in and Na'alin. For years we've been saying that a Palestinian campaign of Gandhian-style civil disobedience is the one thing that could bring the occupation to an end. Israel has no answer to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians marching in non-violent resistance in the territories; if this happens, and the Palestinians declare their state, as I hope and believe they will, the Israeli peace groups—what's left of them—will be marching beside them. Perhaps the Israeli peace camp will rise from the ashes. Happy early-afternoon thoughts: the tender, scary tang of hope.|
|Dr. Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian of Mada Al Carmel complains to Jewish Chronicle concerning “Outrage over the ‘rape’ poster that demonises Israel"|
|Mada al-Carmel, published an article in a local newspaper, and sent a press release together with the Arab Forum for Sexuality.
The Arab Forum for Sexuality alone produced and disseminated the poster depicted in the report.
We would like to clarify that Mada al-Carmel supports the right to free expression, including the right of NGO's and other civil society organizations to produce posters and other artistic devices on this and other topics.
We would appreciate it if you make the required retraction to your published article.
Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, Ph.D.
Director, Gender Studies Program
Mada Al-Carmel, Arab Center for Applied Social Research
|[Hebrew U] Daphna Golan: "Apartheid and Occupation, providing an Israeli peace activist perspective", Saturday 21 November 2009|
|APY Foundation for Co-operation and ICAHD cordially invite you to a conference and discussion on:
South Africa's Apartheid Regime vs Israeli policies and practices in the Palestinian Territory
When: 4-8pm, Saturday 21 November 2009
Where: Notre Dame Centre, Jerusalem (Opposite New Gate)
The conference will explore the definition of Apartheid alongside the South African experience, aiming to provide a more detailed and comprehensive analysis of the Israeli occupation regime. Speakers will explore experiences and strategies of resistance practiced under both regimes and look at different means of opposing the discriminatory, racist and colonial policies and practices pursued by the Israeli State and those affiliated with it.
Dr. Daphna Golan – Director, Partnership for Social Change, Hebrew University Law School and long term Israeli peace activist
|Classics at hebrew university: Amiel Vardi calls for activists|
|volunteers needed in East Jerusalem and high court
|[Law, Hebrew University] Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian: Women under Occupation|
|The issue of education -- when you are really affecting women's choices, women's access to education, women's abilities to develop, you are affecting everything. There is a kind of necropolitics: Israel is controlling life and death. . . .|
|[Hebrew University, Law] Watch on YouTube: Dr. Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, university professor and author blames Israel for Palestinian violence|
|The Israeli occupation affects the daily lives of Palestinians, especially for women.
The deterioration of the economic, social and health conditions in Palestine is directly linked with violence inside the home. The militarization of space and restrictions imposed upon women is causing a growing crisis in violence against women.
Dr. Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, university Professor and author of recent book Militarization and Violence Against Women in Conflict Zones in the Middle East, speaks about the ordeals of Palestinian women under occupation.
|[Hebrew University, Business] Bernard Avishai and his wife Sidra DeKoven Ezrahi [Hebrew University, Literature] attack Israel|
|The enduring image of the victimized Jew in Western culture was indeed earned by a long history capped by the Holocaust, but the reality of Jews exercising power—financial, cultural and, in Israel, political and military—is what has defined Jews in the last fifty years. Yet we are being asked, in the film and in Goldberg’s presentation of it, to accept that the most adequate expression of Jewish power is vengeful and brutally violent. As if the Elephant in the Room is not the fact that Jews actually use sovereign power, among other things, to maintain a settlement regime and an occupation.|
|[Hebrew U, Law] Daphna Golan: Occupation, Colonialism, Apartheid? A Re-Assesment of Israel's Practices in the OPT Under International Law|
|Thirty years later, I am teaching at the Hebrew University and those invisible dividing lines – unseen yet palpable – separate the campus from its surroundings in the heart of Arab East Jerusalem. The magic line that could not be legitimised in South Africa, between those who have rights and those who do not, runs through the heart of Jerusalem, separating Jews and Palestinians. Israel is perceived as a democratic state, while the Occupied Territories (or “administered territories” as they are officially called in Israel) are under military rule – just for now, until we find a political solution that Israel can live with. Meanwhile, Palestinians have been living in occupied territory for over forty years, with no rights, and Israel, which existed for only 19 years before it conquered the Palestinian Territories and instituted military rule, is still considered a democracy.
For most Israelis, the comparison of Israel with apartheid South Africa is unacceptable. It angers and threatens Israelis in general and liberal Israelis in particular; because it challenges the basic belief that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was imposed upon Israel, and is so unique that it cannot be compared with any other conflict in the world
Yet, even among Israelis, the comparison that was virtually taboo during the eighties and nineties is being heard more and more.
|[Hebrew U, English] Louise Bethlehem speaks of Edward Said, Shoah, Nakba, Zochrot, Zionist amnesia, apartheid|
|I would like to offer as coda and recoding a performance of witness that arises from the latest Israeli war on Gaza (December 2008/January 2009). On January 28th 2009, the dissident organization Zochrot opened an exhibition in Tel Aviv whose substance was the destruction of Gaza but whose sub-text was, plainly, also--witness. The installation came into being around the photographs of the Palestinian artist Sareef Sarhan who photographed Gaza City during and after Israel‘s bombardment. During the brief intervals when electricity was restored to Gaza, Sarhan distributed these images on the internet. The curator of the eventual exhibition Norma Musih, a longstanding Zochrot activist, responded to the photographs by relaying them to approximately 30 Israeli artists, who then responded in turn. This collective portfolio, a group portrait across a chasm if you like, or better still, across a security fence, an apartheid wall, formed the body of the exhibition. In Musih‘s words: ―A link to Sarhan‘s photographs was sent to artists, appealing for their response, their reaction. Some of the artists chose to focus on transforming a single image, while others responded with a different image or a text. All of them viewed Sarhan‘s photographs. Looked at them, and then looked at them again. The artists‘ works are evidence of their viewing, as well as being part of it. They serve as a kind of testimony, saying, ‗We saw what is happening in Gaza, we saw and we are responding|
|Ta’ayush activist [Hebrew U, Comparative Religion] David Shulman reports of disorderly behavior of [Hebrew U, Classics] Amiel Vardi and his student|
|The prosecution, sensing this atmosphere of impatience, decides to withdraw the charges, and Barkali dismisses the case. For three years the threat of punishment, even prison, has been hanging over Amiel and Eli. For a moment, the threat lifts. But it won’t go away so quickly; Amiel has more trials coming up in a week (for being in a Closed Military Zone, countless times). And things are getting harder, consistently harder and more violent, on the ground. It’s not so hard to see what lies ahead.|
|[Hebrew University, Social Work] Iaroslav Youssim promises to fight the present-day Israeli dictatorship through civil disobedience|
|I am Russian-born Israeli. I was brainwashed during many years by the smart Israeli propaganda machine. I believed that Israel is just fighting terror committed by the “evil people of Palestinians.” Still being brainwashed, I served in the Israeli Occupation Forces during the Gaza War. But now my eyes are open: during the last half a year I saw the injustices made to Palestinians by the Israeli establishment in East Jerusalem and elsewhere. And now I promise to fight the present-day Israeli dictatorship through civil disobedience, (even under attacks I subjected to in Israel: police, blackmails, violations of my freedom of speech, etc.) and incite the flame of civil disobedience in other people.
Iaroslav Youssim , Israel
|[Hebrew U, The Paul Baerwald School of Social Work] Iaroslav Youssim: Solidarity against the Israeli Occupation’s policies in occupied East Jerusalem|
|Civil society organizations and popular movements call for a weekly march under the title “Standup for Jerusalem”. The aim is to create international and local solidarity against the Israeli Occupation’s policies in occupied East Jerusalem. In the last recent years, Israel displaced thousands of Palestinians through home demolitions and forced eviction. |
| [Hebrew University, Classics] Watch Amiel Vardi confronts Israeli army comander and ignores instructions not to enter closed military zone|
|The activist is filled with passion and upset, and his heart is in his mouth. "You have to give a reason," he says. "I think more than anything you owe it to yourself."
At last the impenetrable commander says, "I have no intention of explaining this to you."
I know my klezmer performances put off some visitors to this site, but boy does my Jewish heart leap up when I hear an Israeli taking on authority with such passion. Israeli Jews also have universalist dreams; the world can be saved, and the Jews are not lost. Let this man find a legion of followers! I asked Dana who my hero is, and he indicated it is Amiel Vardi, a professor of Classics at Hebrew University.
Jewish, Israeli born and speaking Hebrew. He is an amazing guy indeed. One of the driving people in Ta'ayush from the beginning.
|Dr. Daphna Golan [Director, Minerva Center, Hebrew University] consultant to Palestinian legal study "Occupation, Colonialism, Apartheid?"|
|Conference participants in photographs:
John Reynolds, Legal Researcher, Al Haq; Dr. Daphna Golan, Minerva Center, Hebrew University; and Dr. Shane Darcy, National University of Ireland – Galway
On Sunday, 16 August 2009, Al-Haq and Adalah held a symposium at the Palestinian Red Crescent Society headquarters in Al-Bireh, West Bank to discuss the recent report of the Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa (HSRC), "Occupation, Colonialism, Apartheid?: A Re-Assessment of Israel's practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territories under International Law". The symposium was held with the participation of researchers, lawyers and academics from several countries, including Israel, Palestine, South Africa, Ireland and the United Kingdom who wrote the study. The symposium was attended by around 150 lawyers, academics, human rights and political activists, representatives of civil society institutions, and various government and political bodies....The 300-page study was published in May 2009. The researchers concluded that the Israeli occupation, through its laws and practices in the 1967 OPT, has breached the international legal prohibitions of both colonialism and apartheid. According to the study, these findings entail legal consequences not just for the Palestinians and the Israelis, but also for the UN, individual States, and the international community as a whole
|[Hebrew University] Daphna Golan, Minerva Center for Human Rights, participated a UN bash-Israel conference|
|Daphna Golan-Agnon, a senior researcher at Hebrew University’s Minerva Center and founder of B’Tselem, alleged that Israel cynically uses international law to pose as a “democratic state” when, according to her, it is not. She asserted that Gaza is an “artificial, invented zone controlled by Israel,” claimed that Israel “controls” the “population registry” and “legal system” that are run by Hamas, and advocated for a bi-national state. As mentioned, Golan-Agnon was a consultant to a pseudo-academic study initiated by John Dugard (see below) that demonized Israel as an “apartheid” state. |
|[Ex- Hebrew University, Law and now, Hartman Institute for Judaic Studies] Dr. Orit Kamir: The enemy is us.|
|In other words, we are the enemy; the cause of the problem and the suffering, and the source of the solution.
There is a naive charm to such an effusion, motivated--one must suppose--by the author’s “tireless” idealism. But the charm is deceptive. Coming as it does from a politically-active academic, it is a further demonstration of the perverted “blame Israel” outlook of the far Left in Israel’s intellectual community. Well-meaning and “idealistic” as some of the adherents might be, their outlook provides fodder to those in the international arena who “know what needs to be done” and seek to pressure Israel to surrender its vital interests, and it causes grave harm to the country as it struggles to advance its safety and security.
|Yuri Pines [Head Dept of East Asia Studies, Hebrew U] wants Homes of Maj. Klein and 'Terrorist Settlers' Razed|
|Replying to an e-mail petition against the planned demolition of Klein’s home, Pines wrote: “I hope that not only the Major’s home will be destroyed, but the entire settlement, and that the mitnachablim will all be gone with the wind.”
Mitnachablim is a word invented by Israeli leftists as a slur against Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria. It is a combination of the words mitnachalim (settlers) and mechablim (terrorists).
|[Hebrew University, Law] Daphna Golan-Agnon speaks at The UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Geneva|
|The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People will convene a United Nations International Meeting on the Question of Palestine on 22 and 23 July 2009 at the United Nations Office at Geneva. The theme of the Meeting is “Responsibility of the international community to uphold international humanitarian law to ensure the protection of civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory in the wake of the war in Gaza”.
The objective of the Meeting is to discuss questions related to Israeli violations of international humanitarian law during the recent hostilities in the Gaza Strip
| [Hebrew University, Law] Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian blames Israel for the poor state of Palestinian women, in: "Checkpoints and counter spaces"|
|In the book I look at the day to day life of Palestinian women and try to uncover the effects of militarization and occupation, and the global denial of the ordeals of the Palestinian women in
both the private and the pubic sphere. I try to show that you can never divorce the private sphere from the public sphere and discuss the way that the bodies of Palestinian women are a
battlefield for the occupation.
|Hebrew University law courses made to change Israel to a non-Jewish state during academic years 2008/9 and 2009/10|
|The activities were interesting and also fury-raising. I've learned about the history of oppression in the country, about the media, about the Druze community and about the recent incidents in Peqiin. I saw a movie by 'Breaking the Silent' and learned to look especially about that the things I'm not been told about, and why there are 'black holes' in out knowledge. The different activities refined my understanding that there is always a man with an interest, and that everything has a broader social-cultural connection. I learned, listened and got angry. Mostly, I found out how much I don’t know. I wondered if all those emotions meant 'activism': Was I an activist? Have I changed anything?
I like to say I have, that I promoted Jewish-Arab partnership, that I've initiate projects and got to the headlines. Unfortunately, it didn't happened, but I was encouraged to keep on learning, to change my consciousness and that of those around my. Apparently, this is where 'activism' starts, in the will of being active and to refuse to accept thing as they are. During the seminar, a few students from Tel-Hai College had the idea of creating 'activist cells' of students in the academic institutes across Israel. To keep on learning; so that eventually, the fury will raise so high, that we would have to do something in order to change it.
|[Sociology, Hebrew University] Nura Resh pretends ‘MachsomWatch’ Women Fight for Human Rights in Occupied Territories|
|We are still a small group, mocked by many Israelis and often derided as “unpatriotic,” “Arab lovers,” or “traitors.” Most Israelis believe that the checkpoints are essential as a major contribution to security and we have not been able to change Israeli policy in regard to the Checkpoint regime, let alone the occupation.|
|[Hebrew University, Law] Prof' Eyal Benvenisti, materials showing why he, supreme court judge candidate is dangerous for Israel|
|He says that although Israel is not responsible for the acts of the Palestinian Authority toward its citizens, according to the Fourth Geneva Convention, Israel is responsible for its own acts toward Palestinian civilians. In contrast to Shamas, Benvenisti argues that because closing Gaza and the West Bank is a security precaution, one cannot distinguish between collective punishment and security concerns. In contrast to Ratner, Benvenisti says the settlers are not combatants and that if they shoot to kill, they should be tried as murders, not for war crimes.|
|[Hebrew University, Faculty of Law] Dr. Nadra Shalhub-Quarquian: State oppression called main obstacle to freedom for Beduin women|
|The oppressive laws and policies implemented by the State of Israel since its creation are the main obstacle to personal and economic freedom for thousands of Beduin women here, according to Dr. Nadra Shalhub-Quarquian, project director of research on women's issues at Mada Al-Carmel Institute and lecturer in the Hebrew University's social work and criminology departments.|
|[Hebrew University, Psychology Dept.] Eyal Niv: End Police Presence in Holy Places
|Today (June 23, 2009), Israeli Minister for Public Security Yitzhak Aharanovitch (Avigdor Lieberman's party) visited the Temple Mount/Haram Assharif, only days after publicly using a racist slur ("arabush") against Arabs. Large police forces, armed to the teeth, descended on the Temple Mount without any real justification, with the sole purpose of creating strife. As we all remember, Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount nine years ago led to wide protest across the Muslim world, protest that culminated in the al-Aqsa Intifada (the Second Intifada or the Intifada of 2000), which claimed many lives on both sides of the Green Line. While Obama reaches out to the Muslim world with a gesture of peace, Aharanovitch makes a rude gesture and a boastful show of power, which is not only unnecessary but also dangerous. |
|[Institute of Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem] Victoria Buch died|
|Professor Victoria Buch, the key figure behind Occupation Magazine, died on Sunday, 21 June in Jerusalem after long illness.|
|[Hebrew University] Lecture by Dr. Adel Manna. Symposium at the Zochrot Gallery|
|The historian, Dr. Adel Manna will discuss the range of effects of the 1948 war on the Arab/Palestinian minority remaining in Israel (1949-2009). In addition to the general national aspects of losing a homeland, freedom, home, land and citizenship in an independent state, the special meanings of the Nakba for various sectors will be emphasized, such as the “present absentees”, the loss of the Palestinian city and the fact that, at best, the Arabs in Israel became “present absentees”, but more usually, representatives of the enemy within the state (a fifth column). Indeed, it is clear that the Nakba was not only a historic event, but also a primordial “inferior” status to which the Palestinians in Israel have been pushed since 1948 and up to the present.|
|[Hebrew University] Roni Hammermann's organization is accused of publishing lies on their website and thus undermining ongoing investigation|
|Our reports of the last months reflect our struggle to uphold the standing of a due trial and the stubborn attempt of the police to circumvent it. The judges, as you can see, play an ambiguous role. Some of them stand up for the principle of a public trial, but unfortunately, the majority surrenders to the demands of the police.|
|Prof. David Shulman [HUJI, Comparative Religion] and [Ben Gurion University, teaching assistant, Social Work] Ofra Ben Porat fight against Israel|
|There are the long metal poles, and Amiel hunted all over Jerusalem for the cloth panels, in the color of the Palestinian flag, to tie the poles together. If we get the damned thing up before the settlers and the soldiers attack, it will be a bright burst of red-green-black- white against the stark backdrop of the brown, baked hills....
My colleague David Loy, philosopher of Buddhism from Xavier University, in south Hebron for the first time, smiles at me: "I haven't had so much fun since the 60's!" We pass the well—last month's goal—and keep going into the Security Zone, and by now we can see, not far from us, jeeps unloading heavily armed soldiers and groups of settlers in their Shabbat white, all converging on us from above....
I seek out the commanding officer, a heavy-set career soldier, now standing a little apart, and I say to him: "Look at what you've just done, look at the absurdity of it. Forget about the Closed Military Zone and your piece of paper with or without the signature of your superior. Just look at the facts. These settlers have stolen this land from its rightful owners, and you've helped them do it. It's totally crazy. They have no right to be here, and you know it."
|[Hebrew University, Senior Lecturer in Classics] Amiel Vardi remains in Jail and taken to the Jerusalem court after anti-Israel provocations this weekend|
|Two of the Israeli activists Amiel V. and Shai G. remain in jail. They will be taken to the Jerusalem court tomorrow morning. |
|During July 2008 two Hebrew University students were indicted for being members of Al-Qaeda, planned to carry out terrorist attacks in Israel|
|The six, some of them students at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem , were members of a closed religious network in Jerusalem which planned to set up an Al-Qaeda network and carry out terrorist attacks against Israel . On July 18 they were indicted in the Jerusalem district magistrate's court.
The Israel security forces recently detained six Israeli and East Jerusalem Arabs, some of them students. They planned to set up an Al-Qaeda network and planned to carry out terrorist attacks in Israel, including downing the helicopter of the American president during his visit to Jerusalem.
Ibrahim Nashef , 22, from Taibeh , studying physics and computers at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem .
Muhammad Nijm , 24, from Nazareth , studying chemistry at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Interrogation of the six revealed that they belonged to a radical Muslim group which customarily met in Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem . They planned to establish an Al-Qaeda network in Israel to implement the organization's ideology. In February 2008 the group joined Al-Qaeda.
|[Hebrew University] Amiel Vardi and Amos Goldberg were arrested by Israeli police for entering closed military zone|
|There were six members of the Israeli anti-occupation organisations, Ta'ayush and Sons of Abraham, who refused to retreat with the group and remained at the outpost site in the "closed military zone," and the Police responded by arresting the six Israelis. These six were Yehuda Agos (Ta'ayush), Amos Goldmen (Sons of Abraham), Miriam (Ta'ayush), Dorit Gadmen (Ta'ayush), Omar Sheri (Ta'ayush) & Amiel Vardi (Ta'ayush). A Palestinian man, Wael Al-Zater, was also briefly detained for unknown reasons but was released within the hour. At the time this article was written it was uncertain whether the six Israelis were charged or had been released.|
|[Hebrew University, Education] Nurit Peled Elhanan to speak in Vienna, Austria. Topic: Racism in Israel. Israeli education vis-a-vis the Palestinians|
|As a professor of education Peled-Elhanan has conducted extensive research on the textbooks used in Israel. She is involved with the new association ICEO (International Committee on Education and Occupation), a joint educational project called Education as Dialogue, which she co-chairs with Professor Sami Adwan of Bethlehem University.|
|Ofer Neiman [Hebrew University, Computer Science] calls for refusal and mutiny amongst Israeli teenagers|
If you too understand that the siege on Gaza and the occupation of the west bank are immoral, If you too refuse to take a part in the policies of oppression and killing, if you too are thinking of not joining the army, If you want to raise your voice and act against the occupation, and in favor of peace - Join the Shministim letter 2009-2010 !
|[Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University, Sociology Departments] Maya Rosenfeld: System of Aid to Palestinian Refugees|
|Above all, the perpetuation of UNRWA is indicative of the ongoing failure of the international community to use the power necessary to bring about a comprehensive solution to the Israeli –Palestinian conflict in accordance with the premises of international law and with the relevant UN resolutions. In fact, in light of that failure and with more than a grain of irony it may be argued that the continuation of UNRWA does a great service to the international community. After all, if not for the "cushioning" presence of UNRWA, the adoption of measures that the main international players have so far been reluctant to employ, like sanctions against Israel and the deployment of a UN force throughout the oPt, would have become unavoidable.|
|[Hebrew University, Law] Dr. Nadera Shalhoub Kevorkian participates The Palestine Right to Return Coalition convention May 2009|
|JOIN US to work together to bring the days of RETURN closer!
Strategy & tactics discussions: Expert panel discussions will include activists accomplished in the following campaigns: boycotts, divestment and sanctions, refugee support, student/youth activism, Al-Awda educational resources, and chapter building and registration.
Exiled Archbishop of Jerusalem Hilarion Cappucci, Al-Jazeera commentators/correspondents Ghassan Ben Jeddo and Khaled Dawoud, Ittijah founder Dr. Hatim Kanaaneh, Law professor and Mada al-Carmel researcher (Haifa) Dr. Nadera Shalhoub Kevorkian,
|[Hebrew University, Language and Education] Dr. Nurit Peled Elhanan is a post-Zionist. Did I say “post”? She is more Palestinian than Arafat. Interview|
|It is a racist act that is happening here now. Destroying a race, destroying a people, destroying a culture by erasing villages, by having no linguistic landscape in Arabic, by not respecting the language and by universities being unwilling to give a single day off on an Arab holiday. Once I gave a day off and they nearly booted me out. You understand? When verbal attacks are tolerated physical attacks become acceptable. On television there is no report about those who are harmed, what happens to them. And no one asks. What happens with those children who are dying there by the dozens, but 'the [Israeli] cattleman was lightly wounded.' The cattleman was lightly wounded and because of that it is necessary to kill the whole world. On al-Jazeera I saw a mother sitting with the three small bodies of her children beside her and she doesn’t know what to do. No one knows about it, there is no hospital, no medicines and no one takes an interest because it is them. It’s shocking. That’s what I am crying about. It’s not a political matter, it’s a human matter.”
Your identification with them is total. What is happening to the residents of the south does not seem to interest you. It’s just them, them and them.
“Right, because I am ideologically and overtly on the side of the weak, and now it is them.”
And what about the residents of the south?
But I don’t hear the same fervour from you.
“Because there the cattleman was lightly wounded and in Gaza children are getting killed by the hundreds.”
|[Hebrew University, Gilo Center] Professor Bashir Bashir: I am surprised at the TRIBALISM & PATHOLOGICAL NARCISSION practised in Israel|
|Palestinians today are not after a viable state as is often discussed in the international media. The Palestinians want an ‘independent sovereign state' that answers their minimal aspirations. Today, Palestinians are realistic enough to concede that Israel exists on 78 per cent of their historic homeland. The demand is not for claim, revenge or for the return of this land. The demand is for a sovereign state on the 22 per cent of the land which including the Gaza, West Bank and East Jerusalem. Even Hamas is prepared to accept this proposal.
Instead, what is proposed now is only about 70 per cent of this 22 per cent.
This is not acceptable to the Palestinian people. If Jerusalem cannot be divided and the two state solution is not working - primarily if not exclusively due to Israel's lack of sincere intent - then I say, let us look at other ways of settling the conflict.
The other possible and innovative solution that comes to mind is a ‘bi-national state'. I propose one state for Arabs and Jews with equal rights.
|[Department of Economics, The Hebrew University] “The Gaza war” By Dr. Shmuel Amir|
|There is a background and a history to this killing, this slaughter that is taking place in Gaza: the colonial relations between Jews and Palestinians in Israel that began many years before the creation of the State of Israel. Particularly astonishing is the ratio of killed over the years and especially in the Gaza war, which stands at about 1 (Israeli) to 100 (Palestinians). That ratio is not coincidental, but well describes the balance that is considered normal in colonial wars.|
|Debate over [Hebrew U, Chemistry Dept.] Victoria Buch's "History and 'morals' of ethnic cleansing: Reflections after Gaza invasion"|
|Dear Victoria Buch,
You might be pleased to know that your article has appeared on a number of websites, apart from "Occupation Magazine."
But I get the impression from your writing that the Jews of this land are indeed guilty of Original Sin. That we have no right to have our own state and no matter what we do or omit to do, we are always wrong. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
You mention correctly that this land was "already inhabited by another nation." But hadn't there always been Jews living here? Or were we a totally alien nation that suddenly descended upon that other nation? And isn't it true to say that the Arabs hadn't ruled Palestine long before the start of Ottoman rule in 1518? So, did the Arabs have more rights to this land than the Jews when the Ottoman Empire crumbled?
|The Hebrew University Law School's Radical-Leftist Statewide Seminar for Student-Activists |
|Witness testimonies of soldiers who have served in Hebron – Ilan Fathi, Breaking the Silence
- Fadi Shbeita, Reut-Sadaka
Sustainable economy: the ecological footstep and the culture of consumption
- Tomer Lavi, Mahapach-Taghir, Uriel Ne'eman, Green Course
It makes me mad, and I'll say that on the internet
- Hanan Cohen, SHATIL
Rehabilitation of women working in prostitution - the dilemmas of everyday therapeutic and legal work
- Carlos Sztyglic, SHATIL
Security and the threat of nuclear weapons from a feminist viewpoint
- Amani Dayif, Isha L'Isha – Haifa Feminist Center
The Arrangements (Hesderim) Law – Valeria Nahmoud, Forum of Organizations to Abolish the Arrangements Law
The struggle over higher education in Israel
- Panel: Prof. Gadi Algazi, Tel-Aviv University, Sharaf Hassan, Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Yonatan Green, Student Association at Ben-Gurion University
- Hanan Hadad, Mossawa Center
The global economic crisis and its implications
- Dr. Efraim Davidi, Social Economic Academy
Responsibility, sitting on the fence and other "easy" solutions
- Dr. Ishai Menuhin, The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel
White gold, black labor
- Conversation with Jacki Edri
Tour 1 – to the unrecognized villages in the Negev - The Forum for Coexistence in the Negev - Dukium
|[Dept. of Physical Chemistry, Hebrew University] Victoria Buch: "History and 'morals' of ethnic cleansing: Reflections after Gaza invasion"|
|I arrived in Israel 40 years ago. It took me many years to understand that the very existence of my country, as it is today, is based on an ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. The project started many years ago. Its seed can be traced to the basic fallacy of the Zionist movement, which set out to establish a Jewish-national state in a location already inhabited by another nation. Under these conditions, one has, at most, a moral right to strive for a bi-national state; establishing a national state implies, more or less by definition, ethnic cleansing of the previous inhabitants. |
|[Hebrew University, Education] Nurit Peled Elhanan: "The pogrom carried out by the thugs of the Occupation"|
|The pogrom being carried out by the thugs of the Occupation army against the residents of the Gaza Strip is known to everyone and yet the world is impotent as always. I call upon all of us, who have won a privilege as well as duty by receiving the Sakharov prize, to arise and go to Gaza and any other city of oppression and slaughter; to defy all blockades and high walls and not to give up until all barriers are broken.|
|[Hebrew U, Spinoza Institute] Ishay Menuchin: "The silence of the Israeli public in the face of oppression" rampant in Israeli society|
|We expect individuals in a democratic society to act "when horror descends upon us like the rain". We expect that they will assume responsibility not only for themselves and their individual acts, but also for the behavior of their society and its members.
In our society there is a steady increase of oppression against its exploited and weakened members – women, minority groups, disabled, and those living under the Occupation.
|[Hebrew U] Adal Manna and Israeli legal team support Palestinian propaganda: "Association for Civil Rights published report probing bias in Israel in 2008, says Israeli Arabs systematically discriminated against|
|Exploring the matter of discrimination, the report states that since the inception of the State of Israel, Israeli Arabs have been subject to discrimination via legislation, the allocation of resources and through the existence of bodies such as the Jewish Agency and Jewish National Fund.
With some 90,000 Arabs living in mixed cities, the differences between the Jewish and Arab neighborhoods is evident is all aspects of life and the fabric of the relations between the Arab and Jews living in these cities is riddled with violence and racism, as seen in the Yom Kippur riots in Akko.
The report goes on to note severe discrimination in the allocation of housing land, saying that while the Arab population had grown seven times over since 1948, about 50% of the land previously owned by Arab has been confiscated.
|Alex Sinclair [Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies, Hebrew University]: "Obama must help Israel break its territorial addiction"|
|Israel is like an alcoholic, except we are addicted to territories, not to tequila.
Just as an alcoholic denies that he has an addiction, we too deny ours by talking about 'painful compromises' without making any, or by waiting until we have already resigned from politics before daring to tell truth, or by moaning about religious extremists while voting for factions which in turn give these fundamentalists our money.
|[Hebrew University, The Institute of Contemporary Jewry] Amos Goldberg / Hebron like you've never imagined it|
|A bi-national mode of thinking may be more appropriate for Hebron, one that will recognise both the Jewish and Palestinian claims over the city.
Likewise a settlement should recognise some sort of joint sovereignty both on the municipal and national levels. Moreover, perhaps this is the best settlement not only for Hebron but for all of Israel.
|[Hebrew U] David Shulman's new chapter to his 'Dark Hope' activist dairy- "Samu'a and Asa'el", supporting Palestinians against Israel|
|since we know we're officially persona non grata in these parts, classed by the army command as troublemakers and provocateurs. Mixed parties of Palestinian-Israeli peace activists unsettle the natural order of things....
I kept wanting to scream out: what about the real act of violence at Um al-Kheir, the brutal destruction on government orders of those miserable tin shacks and the further impoverishment of innocent people?
|Michael M Karayanni, Faculty of Law, Hebrew University
/ Choice of Law Under Occupation: How Israeli Law Came to Serve Palestinian Plaintiffs|
|Conflict of laws doctrines can evolve in a manner that accommodates special inter-jurisdictional relations, such as federal and confederate schemes of government. Apparently, such doctrines also evolve in order to accommodate yet another mode of inter-jurisdictional relation, namely that of occupation. This article seeks to explore the molding of Israeli choice-of-law doctrine in respect of civil disputes implicating litigants from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip when these territories were still under total Israeli occupation. Beyond the special conflicts concerns articulated in this context, the articles reveals how choice-of-law fairness concerns could be of special value in the context of territorial occupation - a direction in which two recent Israeli Supreme Court decisions seems to be heading. |
|[Hebrew U] Israel Law Review/Forty Years after 1967: Reappraising the Role and Limits of the Legal Discourse on the Occupation|
|The latest issue of the Israel Law Review (Vol. 41, no. 1, 2008) contains a symposium (based on papers presented at this conference) on "Forty Years after 1967: Reappraising the Role and Limits of the Legal Discourse on Occupation in the Israeli-Palestinian Context." Contents include:
Yuval Shany, Introduction
Martti Koskenniemi, Occupied Zone - A Zone of Reasonableness?
Amichai Cohen, Rules and Standards in the Application of International Humanitarian Law
Yuval Shany, Binary Law Meets Complex Reality: The Occupation of Gaza Debate
Grant Harris, Human Rights, Israel, and the Political Realities of Occupation
Kenneth Watkin, Maintaining Law and Order during Occupation: Breaking the Normative Chains
Yaël Ronen, Illegal Occupation and Its Consequences
Rotem Giladi, The Jus Ad Bellum/Jus in Bello Distinction and the Law of Occupation
Neomi Gal-Or, Suspending Sovereignty: An Alternative to Occupation in the 21st Century?
Tristan Ferraro, Enforcement of Occupation Law in Domestic Courts: Issues and Opportunities
|Dr. Rabah Halabi [Hebrew U] participated in a workshop "The Roles of Palestinian Intellectuals in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories"|
|Dr. Rabah Halabi from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem opened the workshop with a review of the effects of the 1967 Israeli occupation on the relations between Palestinians in Israel and the OPT. Halabi argued that it is through the physical-military separation between the two areas that psychological differences grew between the two groups of Palestinians. Halabi also detailed how Israel implements socio-economic policies that further drive a wedge between 1948 and 1967 Palestinians and have a detrimental impact on the identity of Palestinians within Israel. |
|[Hebrew U, Senior Lecturer in Classics] Amiel Vardi: We urgently need volunteers able to stay some hours with the Da'ana family in Hebron|
|We urgently need volunteers able to stay some hours with the Da'anafamily in Hebron. The house is the nearest to Federman's outpost, and is underconstant attacks by settlers since last Saturday. Israeli activistswho were there tonight report heavy stoning and attempts to break intothe house. The settlers websites call for an even large event theretoday at 10 AM We urgently need people to replace those already there, to takephotos and help the family in their contact with security forces.|
|Yael Ronen [postdoctoral fellow, Minerva Center for Human Rights, Hebrew University] STATUS OF SETTLERS IMPLANTED BY ILLEGAL REGIMES UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW|
|This is not an exhaustive catalogue of regimes that were or still are refused recognition because of their illegality. Conspicuously absent from its coverage is Israel’s purported annexation of East Jerusalem in 1967 and of Golan Heights in 1981. This case differs from others in a number of aspects. Two are particularly important. First, there has been no concrete negotiation over these areas, and therefore there has been absolutely no attempt to regulate the status of Israeli settlers in them. Accordingly, the present study may shed light on potential avenues of discussion, but there is as yet nothing to learn from this case.
Second, the present study concerns situations where the settlers brought in under the illegal regime wish to remain in the territory when sovereignty over it reverts or transfers to a legal
regime. In contrast, Israeli settlers are unlikely to wish to remain in territory under Syrian or Palestinian sovereignty. Thus, their status will raise different questions to those examined
|[Hebrew U, Senior Lecturer in Classics] Amiel Vardi encouraged his daughter to refuse since the age of 12|
|But Sahar Vardi, 18, from Jerusalem who, like Mr Nir, refuses to serve because she disagrees with the occupation, said she felt less safe due to Israeli soldiers’ presence in the West Bank.
“I don’t see what they do as protecting me,” she said. “I have no doubt that, at the end of the day, the army’s operations lead more Palestinians to want to commit terror acts against Israelis.”
Ms Vardi, encouraged to become an activist by her father – a university lecturer and activist in a group promoting Arab-Jewish co-operation – participated in her first peace protest at age 12. Since then she has been arrested by police five times in demonstrations whose causes ranged from Palestinian rights to animal protection and teachers’ rights. Her activism on Palestinian issues made her realise she does not want to join the army.
“The more time I spent in the occupied territories, the more I encountered soldiers from their not-so-friendly sides – including shooting at us protesters – the more I realised that this wasn’t a system I wanted to be part of,” she said.
|[Hebrew U, Politics] Zeev Sternhell / Colonial Zionism|
|In Zeev Sternhell's latest article, he might consider some kind of apology to the Jewish "settlers" of Judea and Samaria for writing the following in his Haaretz column in 2001:
"...No doubt about the legitimacy of the armed resistance in the territories themselves. If only the Palestinians had a bit sense, they would have been concentrating their struggle against the settlements, not hurting women and children and would avoid shooting at Gilo, Nahal Oz and Sderot. They should also avoid detonating explosives on the western side of the Green Line. This way the Palestinians themselves would delineate the outline for a solution that will be undoubtedly achieved in the future".
Now Sternhell is saying:
"I explained my position regarding the settlers: The lives of Jews living on both sides of the Green Line are "equally precious."
|Hebrew U, Computer Science] About conscientious objector Ofer Neiman who was kicked out of an intelligence unit of the Israeli Air Force |
|While hundreds of Yesh Gvul activists have been jailed for being
conscientious objectors, Ofer Neiman, 37, a computer science lecturer from Jerusalem, was kicked out of an intelligence unit of the Israeli Air Force (AIF) where he served.
"I refused to be part of an intelligence unit which provided information on the possible bombing of civilian targets in the territories," Neiman told IPS. "I also began a campaign of letter writing to the then IDF chief of staff, Dan Halutz."
Halutz was responsible for ordering the dropping of a one-tonne bomb on a crowded residential apartment building in a densely populated Gaza neighbourhood in 2002. The bomb killed Hamas leader Salah Shehade. Amongst the civilian casualties were 14 children.
|Bashir Bashir [Hebrew U, Political theory] promotes one-state solution and right of return |
|Palestinians are not only after a workable, sustainable, and viable Palestinian state. This is not what we want. Palestinians are after a sustainable and viable Palestinian state that secures and answers their national right -- that brings them emancipation, national determination, the return of their lands, the 1967 borders, and a solution to the refugee problem including the honoring of the right of return.
If we look at what is happening on the ground, and we look in terms of coming to terms with reconciliation and historical injustice, I think we remain with very few options to come to terms with these historical and empirical de facto things on the ground.
We will come to realize that the one-state solution in the form of a bi-national state where the bi-national state is securing and honoring the collective rights of the Jewish Israelis and the collective rights of the Palestinian Arabs and guaranteeing universal citizenship rights to everyone seems to be the most appealing and desirable solution.
| Israel Academia Monitor denounce the attack against Prof' Zeev Sternhell
|Prominent Israeli historian Professor Ze'ev Sternhell was lightly woundedin the early hours of the morning on Thursday after a pipe bomb went offoutside his front door on Shai Agnon St. in Jerusalem. The explosionoccurred as Sternhell was locking the outer gate of his home at around 1:00am, he sustained minor injuries to his legs and was evacuated to the ShaareZedek Hospital for treatment. Police were alerted to the scene.|
| About Ze’ev Sternhell [Political Science at the Hebrew U] in "Zionism's dying - a change in Israeli perspective?"
|When the public finally realized that if the Jewish national movement does not absorb universal foundations of human rights, democracy and the rule of law it will doom itself to destruction, a force had already arisen over the Green Line that now threatens to drown all of Israel. Thus a minority took control of the fate of the entire society and held it hostage, due both to the left's ideological impotence and a lack of character, determination and leadership. If society does not find the emotional strength to remove the noose of the settlements, nothing but a sad memory will remain of the Jewish state as it still exists.”
Whether Sternhell's realizations are the harbinger of a change in
perspective of the Israeli public can be judged from the comments - a very curious mix of supportive realism and antagonistic hyperbole. I'll go with comment 107 by
Margot Salom: "its really good to hear about the imminent death of Zionism - let it be quick and allow Jewish ethics to return to Israel."
| Anti-Israel David Kretzmer [emeritus, international law, Hebrew U]: Shaul Mofaz committed offences, some of which fall into the category of war crimes |
|David Kretzmer, emeritus professor of international law at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, says that accounts of the briefing by Mr Mofaz give rise "to a grave suspicion" that he "committed serious offences, some of which at least, fall into the category of war crimes".
The letter to the Attorney General, Menachem Mazuz, refers to a book by two Israeli journalists, Raviv Drucker and Ofer Shelah, which says that Mr Mofaz, after ensuring he was not being officially recorded, called for a Palestinian death toll of 70 per day.
Professor Kretzmer tells Mr Mazuz that one lesson of the corruption inquiry into Mr Olmert is that it is best to investigate candidates for high office before they reach it.
| Palestinian conference was held in Paris with Israeli academics such as Ilan Pappe and Zeev Sternhell|
|Zeev Sternhell, an Israeli historian of right-wing European mass movements, professor at the Hebrew University, author of a very important recent book on the myths of Israeli society (the main ones of which -- that it is a liberal, socialist, democratic state -- he demolished completely in an extraordinarily detailed analysis of its illiberal, quasi-fascist, and profoundly anti-socialist character as evidenced by the Labour Party generally, and the Histadrut in particular). ...
Sternhell during the final session admitted that a grave injustice was committed against the Palestinians, and that the essence of Zionism was that it was a movement for conquest, then went on to say that it was a "necessary" conquest.
|Israel? The mother of all evil - by The Hebrew University's N.Zoagada
|In an attempt "to out-shine" the senior post-Zionist lecturers in their campus, a group of young academics from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem established a new left-wing organization that put the onus on Israel for all the ills in the region and see almost nothing wrong on the other side.
|[Hebrew U, Political Science] Prof' Ze'ev Sternhell spreads his poison in Haaretz, again: "Zionism's dying between Hebron and Yitzhar"|
|The Zionist Enterprise," said Berl Katznelson in 1929, when he summed up the first 10 years of the Ahdut Ha'Avoda movement, is a "conquest enterprise." And in the same breath he added: "It is not by chance that I am using military terms to describe the settlement of the country." And in fact, Zionism was a movement of conquest, and all means were permitted to carry out the task.
However, what was essential and therefore justified in the pre-state days is now assuming an ugly and violent form of colonial occupation: the authoritarian regime in the territories, the creation of two legal systems, the placing of the army and police at the service of the settlement movement, the robbing of Palestinian lands. These all symbolize not the fulfillment of Zionism but rather its burial. It is there, between Hebron and Yitzhar, that the settlements are burying the democratic Jewish state.
|HU won't let terrorist finish his doctorate due to security considerations|
|Channel 2 had also reported that a table in the lab had been cleared for Hadmi's return and that the lab director, Prof. Amiram Goldblum, had intimated that Hadmi could potentially return to his studies.
However, Sulitzeanu clarified that while a student had been asked to vacate the office he used once a week, it was not for Hadmi but for a full-time university employee who needed an office five days a week.
"Prof. Goldblum was misquoted by Channel 2 and he plays no part in the decision-making process regarding this matter," the university said in a statement.
|Hebrew U. to allow convicted terrorist to finish his doctorate|
|Hebrew University wants to allow a convicted Arab terrorist to be allowed back, Channel 2 TV reported Sunday.
"Hadmi will not be returning to the laboratories or to the university. The Hebrew University has agreed to review his thesis to determine if he is eligible to continue on to a PhD, but he has been specifically barred from the laboratory due to security considerations," university spokeswoman Orit Sulitzeanu told the Post Tuesday.
|[Hebrew University] Zeev Sternhell speaks of Israel's "Occupation" in: "The ever-rising price"|
|The Six Day War took Israel back an entire generation. It has now become clear that colonial rule encourages the mixture of populations, and occupation requires seeking destructive solutions in terms of human rights. We should not delude ourselves: A democracy of lords will not last long. If we consciously create second-class citizens, if we anchor discrimination in a law armed against the intervention of the Supreme Court - the only gatekeeper of our liberty - we necessarily undermine the foundations of democracy. Universal rights are the heart and soul of a democracy; the moment these are denied to some segments of the population, they will eventually wither away for everyone.
The worst thing of all is anchoring discrimination in law: then it becomes the norm, and society becomes accustomed to it. People will be able to sleep peacefully then, too.
| Turning students into anti-israel activists: Hebrew University, Academy-Community Partnership for Social Change|
Dr. Daphna Golan, teaches the course "Human Rights in Israeli Society", and directs the The Human Rights Fellows Program, The Minerva Center for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Khuloud Aderis, Co-Director, Mahapach
Jaber Asaqla, Director of Arab Community Programs, SHATIL
Eyad Barghoty, Baladna
Dalia Dromi, Director, Bimkom
Haggith Gor Ziv, Director, Center for Critical Pedagogy, Kibbuzim College of Education
Iman Kassis, Director of Educational Programs, Sawa – Rape Crisis Center, Jerusalem
Enass Masri, SHATIL – Be'er Sheva
Nadem Nashef, Director, Baladna
Fadi Shbeita, Director, Sadaka-Reut
Carlos Sztyglic, Associate Director, SHATIL
Dr. Haim Yacobi, Department of Politics and Government, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Adv. Sharon Zionov Arad, Clinical Legal Education Center, Faculty of Law, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
|[Political Science] Dr. Yishai Menuhin, director of PCATI: Eradicate soldier violence against Palestinian detainees|
|A report by the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI)
published this morning reveals the widespread phenomenon of violence against bound Palestinian detainees by IDF soldiers and the almost absolute indifference of the IDF, the Ministry of Defense and the Knesset towards the existence of this henomenon and the need to take action in order to eradicate it completely.
|[Sociology Dept.] Moshe Zuckermann - A translate from German of "Internal lines separating"|
|The fact that the raison d'etre of the state given hegemony of the Jews are simply not tolerate with the civil claim of a "state of all its citizens."
Without therefore legally to be officially enshrined, in Israel live large Arab minority in practice and in the context of established political institutions to this day as it structurally as a category of second-class citizens. This is not only in the normative angezweifelten legitimacy of Arab parliamentarians as a coalition artner Zionist established parties in crucial issues, such as the radical promotion of the peace process with the
Palestinians, but also to the discrimination against the Arab sector in the development of its infrastructure, the distribution of state economic resources and the general occupation of socially, politically, economically and culturally important items of power and control positions.
|Daphna Golan: Israelis imagine they are living in a democracy|
|She argued that people within both the Israeli and Palestinian communities are in denial. Israelis still deny that Arabs were dispossessed of their homes and land when the Israeli state was founded in 1948 |
|[General and Comparative Literature] Ilana Hammerman and her group curse soldiers at check points|
|Moreover, curses and replies like those you gave to the soldiers who were present at the scene shame your position. You are showing weakness and abase yourselves when you curse soldiers. There is no place for a group of people like you for the purpose of observation. |
| [Hebrew U, Computer Science] Ofer Neiman, in an interview, supports selective sunctions against Israel |
|Ofer Neiman, an activist with Yesh Gvul, at an outdoor cafe just outside the gates of Jerusalem's Old City. The 37-year-old served three years' active duty and nine years as a reservist in an elite intelligence unit of the Israeli Air Force. After observing the role of the Air Force in carrying out operations against Palestinians in the Occupied Territories in violation of international law, Neiman requested and was granted transfer to a non-active unit and later received a standard discharge letter. He was not prosecuted.
Neiman said his group still pursues its original goal of supporting military resisters, but has expanded its efforts to enlist support from people around the world to put pressure on Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian lands.
|About Late Baruch Kimmerling, Professor of sociology at the Hebrew U, taken from his essay "My Holiday, Their Tragedy"
|The Jewish - Arab conflict, and the Jewish - Palestinian conflict in particular, has had many victims and caused great suffering. I admit that I am closer to the victims from my own people, for personal reasons and because of my familiarity and personal experience with many of them or members of their families. What can I do? A person is closer to his own friends, tribe, and people...
Independence Day is a holiday for me, but also an opportunity for intense self-introspection. A person needs a state and land, and this is my land, my homeland, despite the fact that I was not born here.
And it is also à propos to briefly juxtapose the underlined sentimental statements of Kimmerling's "My Holiday", with those a bit more poignantly expressive of "Their Tragedy" than simply " Jewish - Arab conflict, and the Jewish - Palestinian conflict in particular, has had many victims and caused great suffering", of the late Israeli scholar, Tanya Reinhart, professor of linguistics, also at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, from her 2002 book "How to end the war of 1948":
|[Hebrew U] David Shulman work with Palestinian villagers against the Jewish settlers, in: Reading Between the Lines: Celebrating complexity
|Khirbet Khizeh is important for its context - who wrote it and when - not merely its content. S. Yizhar was, of course, the pen name of Yizhar Smilansky, a professor, Knesset member and one of the great scribes of modern Hebrew. Yizhar was a Zionist who helped to shape Israel, politically and culturally. That someone of this ilk could publish Khirbet Khizeh - and in 1949, no less - proves that the founding myths of Israel were not destroyed by the occupation of the West Bank or by the New Historians. The founding myths of Israel were themselves myths. The moral complexities of Israel's birth were clear from the outset, and we can thank Khirbet Khizeh for reminding us of this.
Which is why I must take issue with one aspect of Ibis's Khirbet Khizeh: David Shulman's afterword. Shulman, a professor of Sanskrit at the Hebrew University, is a long-time peace activist. He writes about rereading Khirbet Khizeh in the Palestinian village of Twaneh, where he works with "the villagers, along with other like-minded Israelis, against their common foes, the Jewish settlers intent on terrorizing these people and driving them off their land."
Why include such an ideologically specific essay in a volume that so laudably subverts politics as we know it? I asked Ibis's Hoffman and Cole this in an e-mail, and they acknowledged that Shulman's afterword may be off-putting for some. But they defended the decision.
|Dr. Goldberg Amos in solidarity with Palestinians tours Hebron, covered by Arab media
|We first wish to thank you again for joining us in this tour which marked 40 years of violent Israeli settlement in Hebron.
This tour evolved into something we did not wish or plan for. We therefore apologize for those of you who found themselves in a situation they did not really expect to be. However, as a solidarity tour it succeeded beyond our expectations. It became the talk of the day in Hebron and was covered by some of the most important Palestinian newspapers as well as by Aljazeera. In addition this tour delivered a massage to the police, the army and the settlers that they are not the only ones to set the rules in Hebron . There are also Palestinians who wish to non-violently protest and there are Israelis who are willing to join them in that.
|The 1970s: The Transformation of Zionism / By Bernard Avishai and Sidra DeKoven Ezrahi, [Comparative Jewish Literature]|
|Judaism is a religion disdained in the Christian West, which imposed Israel on Palestine because of guilt|
|[Language Education, Hebrew U] Nurit Peled Elhanan, invited activist to Holland with 'A Different Jewish Voice' for May 7 Forum
|In Holland, the group A Different Jewish Voice is marking the anniversary by inviting eight Israeli peace activists to a May 7 forum in Amsterdam and a speaking tour of the country. Its Web site says the group “tries to broaden the public debate in the Netherlands about the Middle East conflict and its still one-sided pro-Israel approach.”
The invited activists include Nurit Peled-Elhanan, a founder of the International Committee on Education and Occupation who lost her daughter in a suicide bombing; Esther Goldenberg of Zochrot, which educates the Israeli public about the 1948 Palestinian exodus; and representatives of Combatants for Peace, ex-Israeli soldiers and ex-Palestinian combatants seeking nonviolent solutions to the conflict.
|[Education, Hebrew U] Nurit Elhanan-Peled / The Establishment of Israeli Identity through Racist Discourse
|The paper shows the ways in which ‘others’ (such as Palestinians, Ethiopian Jews or ex-Soviet Union Jews), are represented both in schoolbooks and in teachers’ talk. The paper will argue that Israeli education promotes ‘Elite Racism’ both towards the Palestinian citizens and subjects and towards Jewish new-comers.|
|Aviv Tatarsky [Math, Hebrew U] a demonstrator in Bilin against the security wall, where every Friday Israeli security forces are being attacked
|The army lost, the demonstration made it to the fence and also proved that it is nonviolent. Clearly it cannot end this way. We return through a gate that is part of the complex of the fence. The riot police men face us. The final act. We stand in front of them and continue our demonstration. A few dozens of us take stones and start banging on a metal railing that is there – the din is deafening. And then it explodes. The policemen launch into us. When my turn arrives I am surprised by the force with which they yank me away. It’s scary. Other demonstrators grab me and manage to pull me to them. Border policemen jump on a single demonstrator, beating, throwing down, with truncheons too. I go to the side. All the wind is out of my sails. I don’t want to give in to them, but I also don’t want to get beaten up. After this release of rage, a few of the demonstrators go back to the railing and renew the din. Some of the demonstrators were injured by the truncheons, one has fainted. The demonstration is over.|
|About Amiel Vardi [Classics Dept.] in "Maon infiltrated by Ta'yush activists last Saturday, 23.2.08"|
|Since I am a member of emergency squad of the settlement, I carry a two-way radio to ensure constant contact between members of the emergency squad. I contacted the Chief security officer of the settlement and informed him that leftist activists had infiltrated the settlement. We continued on our way, believing that this would put an end to the incident. A few minutes later, I got a summons from the Chief security officer of the settlement Chief security officer on the two-way radio calling all members of emergency squad of the settlement to start moving towards the football field. The noise in the background sounded like a pursuit or a confrontation of some kind. We arrived at the football field, where, at that very same time, an assembly of the Bnei Akiva youth movement was taking place. All the children of the settlement were either on the field or close by. I ran into the field, and saw a skinny, mustached activist, apparently the leader of the group. Later on, it transpired that this was Dr. Amiel Vardi, a history lecturer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. We discovered this because the photographer, the Chief security officer daughter, was one of Dr Vardi’s students at the university. 5 activists, some of whom were not even Israelis, accompanied Dr. Vardi.|
|Noa Epstein, MA student: such a decision to close October 2000 riots case has no place in a civilized, democratic state|
|We, the Zionist Israelis who feel the Arab minority's pain, believe such a decision has no place in a civilized, democratic state," said Noa Epstein, who met one of the victims, Asil Asala, during a "Seeds of Peace" summer camp in 1997.
"As friends of Asil and as citizens of this country, we hoped the
investigation would point to the guilty parties," she said. "It's
inconceivable that no one was found to be at fault for what happened. This decision endangers Israel's democracy." Epstein continued to say "I know for a fact that Asil was murdered. (During the riots) he was sitting at the Lotam Junction (near Sakhnin), wearing a shirt reading 'Seeds of Peace'. He wasn't demonstrating - he was just an observer. Asil believed in co-existence."
|Nurit Peled-Elhanan and activists in "Israeli Coalition Against the Siege organizes nation-wide relief convoy to Gaza border and simultaneous, cross-border demonstrations against the siege with Palestinians in Gaza and Ramallah."|
|Unlike what we have been made to believe, residents of Sderot and residents of Gaza are not to be seen as opponents: both are victims of a stupid and vicious policy of the Government of Israel.|
|"On the Necessity of Refusal" / by Nurit Peled-Elhanan
|It is time to tell Jewish children that the only way to discourage anti-Semitism is by condemning the only government in the world who deliberately sends young Jewish boys and girls to their certain death and who persecutes to the point of genocide a whole Semitic nation, explain to them that this government and the actions of its army, not some primordial hatred for the Jewish race, are the reasons for the invention of the new sign where t he Star of David is equated with the swastika.
|[Hebrew University] Late Dr. Israel Shahak, 'The Wicked Son'|
|He went on to become a professor of organic chemistry (he taught at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University for 25 years), but it was as a so-called human rights activist that he made a name for himself.
This, however, was no garden variety bleeding-heart leftist. Shahak not only came to despise Zionism and consider the establishment of the State of Israel a criminal act; he also set out to expose what he considered the depravities and hypocrisies of rabbinic Judaism – and to do so in as public a manner as possible.
Because he downplayed Jewish suffering in favor of painting Jews and Israelis as serial oppressors, Shahak had little patience with the notion that the Holocaust had a profound impact on either the Israeli psyche or Israeli policy-making. To him, Jews were victimizers, not victims.
|Dr. Roni Hammermann, MachsomWatch - Israeli women against the Israeli Occupation of the territories and the systematic repression of the Palestinian nation
|Issa received a phone call. Soldiers have invaded a house in the Kasba, performed searches, rummaged in the wardrobe, broke furniture, and left the house in havoc. Issa was expected there in order to take testimonies and to document what happened. We have asked to accompany him...When we left at about 17:00 we realized that we have received a tiny taster of the famous 'Hebron mix' -- life between fanatic, unscrupulous Settlers and bored, power thirsty soldiers|
|Nurit Peled-Elhanan's study about the presentation of the Palestinians in Israeli schoolbooks|
|The denial of Palestinian national and territorial identity is still one of the core messages of Israeli textbooks. In a recent study of Israeli textbooks Firer (2004:75) claims that "as political correctness has reached Israel it is no longer appropriate to use blunt, discriminatory language in textbooks", and then adds that in the years 1967-1990 "the stereotypes of Arabs and Palestinians almost disappear" (ibid. p. 92). However, examining mainstream school books that were published after 1994, including the ones Firer praises most for political correctness, one cannot avoid seeing that visually and verbally, Palestinians are still represented either in a racist stereotypical way, or as absent people, namely as an 'impersonalized' or excluded element.
The Palestinian citizens of the state of Israel are always depicted dichotomously as "Israel' Arabs" vs. the Israelis, or as the "Non-Jewish population" vs. the Jewish one.
|Nurit Peled-Elhanan: “In the State of Israel the Jewish mother is disappearing”|
|Dr. Haggai Katriel, Mathematics Department, Hebrew University claims to live in "Palestine" in anti-Israel petition|
|In an anti-Israel petition Haggai Katriel, an Activist who lives in Palestine (Haifa)|
|Tamar Yarom, professor at the Hebrew University, produces anti-Israel propaganda film |
|Yarom has chosen six Israeli female soldiers out of dozens who served in the occupied Palestinian territories and incorporated their testimonies and experience in the film.
"I am very grateful for these six girls who had a great amount of courage to perform self-criticism in front of the camera, making one of my dreams come true," says Yarom. She adds, "I have served in the West Bank during the first Intifada in 1987 - 1988, and when I finished my service I wondered 'how would a woman like me take part in suppressing and oppressing another nation, how can a gentle woman remain silent regarding this cruel violence against the Palestinian people?'
The number of Israeli soldiers who refused to serve in the occupied territories is growing, slowly though. It has reached up to 629 according to an Israeli group called, Courage to Refuse.
|The Minerva Center for Human Rights at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem proposes a summer program for future American diplomats that will cast Israel as a “human rights abuser”|
|Clearly, this summer program is a propaganda course with some of Israel’s worst internal and subversive enemies from academia who prefer to not be recognized as Jews, but as communist, anarchists, or whatever who will help dismantle the state for some utopian replacement where the Arabs will rule all the land and welcome the Jews into their bosom with peace, harmony and love. Anyone who knows how Jews have been treated in Muslim countries for the last 2,000 years would consider that delusional. The Minerva Center program certainly won’t be balanced or scholarly accurate and students who go through such a program will come away with the idea that Israel is the worst abuser of human rights in the world when things are the opposite.
But then again, that is the intent of the program and the University Denver needs to know the truth about it before such a program is allowed on its campus. Hebrew University needs to scrap this proposal, as well, as an embarrassment to the academic community in Israel.
|Daphna Golan, Law Faculty, Hebrew University, wants the public schools to be turned into extremist indoctrination centers|
|It's unclear whether they managed to study about Palestinian civilian democratic society, which Israel destroyed in the 1990s.
But the future of the youngsters who are sitting in jail, far from their families, is tied up with the future of Israeli youth who are about to take the bagrut exam in Civics. Will they find the way to a respectful citizenship and one that respects all other human beings - which makes it possible for everyone to participate in a democratic way of life and observes their rights as individuals and as part of a group? How I hope that they will find another way to earn citizenship in the country or in countries of peace, and not a life under occupation or in a country that is neither Jewish nor democratic.
|THE Hebrew University ACADEMIC EXTREMIST WHO BOYCOTTED THE USA|
|Professor Daniel Amit, a prominent scientist at the universities of Jerusalem and Rome, known for its anti Zionist and anti-American views, passed away on the day of Rabin's assassination. The Israeli media ignored it.
Daniel Amit captured some headlines after the outbreak of the Iraqi war when he refused to review an article for the American journal Physical Review. In a letter to Martin Blume, the editor in Chief of the Physical Society, he wrote bluntly:" I will not, at this point, correspond with any American institution. Some of us lived through 1939".
In the exchange that followed his refusal, he wrote to the stunned editor of his motives. "What we are watching today, I believe, is a culmination of 10 to 15 years of mounting barbarism of the American culture the world over. It is crowned by achievements of science and technology as major weapons of mass destruction". He labeled the war as a "manhunt and wanton killing of a type and scale not seen since the raids on American-Indian population…".
Amit's radical views did not surprise his colleagues in both Israel and Italy, but they caught the attention of the Arab Media. The Saudi owned website Arab News was quick to interview him shortly afterwards without mentioning his Israeli citizenship. but by emphasizing his Jewishness. In that interview Amit attacked American academic and scientific institutions for making themselves available in the service of their country's war machine.
|Daphna Golan-Agnon, advocate of anti-Israelism|
|The first Intifada was at its peak when I completed my PhD and I became actively involved in establishing B'Tselem, The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, established in February 1989. I was its founding Research Director, in charge of establishing the data collection, research, and publication of the organization. I also researched and wrote some of the reports myself.
"I felt that my contribution to a human rights culture in Israel was more important than my research on South Africa and that learning and teaching the universal language of human rights was particularly important at that time of social disruption and violence. In 1989 I applied and was accepted for an international intensive program on Human Rights and International Law at the International School for Human Rights in Strasbourg, designed for University teachers outside the legal profession.
|(Law) Daphna Golan-Agnon's Political indoctrination seminar sponsored by Hebrew University|
|The seminar consisted of 37 workshops, held throughout the different time units. During each time unit 6 parallel sessions were held, and students were able to choose in which workshop they wish to participate. Further to the workshops, study tours were held to two Palestinian villages uprooted in 1948, and movie space was organized for viewing and discussion of documentaries. The workshops discussed issues such as: education, media, environment and ecology, Israeli society, economy, and feminism. About half of the workshops were facilitated by students, while the other half was facilitated by representatives of social change organizations and faculty members. Jewish and Palestinian partnership was emphasized in the seminar, expressed in the issues discussed in the workshops, and in the participation of Palestinian civil society organizations.|
|A "Palestine conference" celebrating the anti-Israel "research" of the late Hebrew University "Post-Zionist" sociologist Baruch Kimmerling|
|“The ‘Politicide’ of the Palestinian People”
Friday 2 November 2007
The 2007 Palestine Center Annual Conference will examine these events and analyze their consequences and Israel’s policies in dealing with the Palestinians’ struggle for their existence. The conference is based on the work of Israeli sociologist Baruch Kimmerling. In his book, Politicide: Ariel Sharon’s War against the Palestinian People, (Verso, 2003), he defines “Politicide” as the “process that has, as its ultimate goal, the dissolution of Palestinians’ existence as a legitimate social, political and economic entity.”
|Yuval Shany, law school, celebrates Prosecution of Israeli Soldiers and Leaders as "War Criminals"|
|It would appear that the message coming now from New York is that in an age when the enforcement of international law, both on the civil and criminal level, has become a global matter, the state's eschewal of conducting a serious investigation into the complaints of suspicion of international crimes being committed by its citizens, and the denial of the right to file claims of damages by the victims of Israel's military actions, does not grant broad legal protection to its soldiers and citizens, as might have been assumed. On the contrary, broadening the state's immunity considerably increases the risk of having suits filed against Israeli soldiers and citizens in less friendly legal forums and under far harsher legal conditions. As a result, there is a serious likelihood that Almog and Dichter will not be the last Israelis to find themselves open to "intifada suits" abroad.|
|Hebrew University summer seminar denounces Israel one-sidedly for "human rights abuses"|
|Israel's Human Rights Problems from an International Perspective
The course will be taught by Dr. Yuval Shany, Hersch Lauterpacht Chair in International Law, Faculty of Law, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Academic Director, Minerva Center for Human Rights, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The course will introduce the students to Israel's legal system and will critically evaluate whether the protections it affords to human rights meet international standards (in particular, the six major human rights treaties to which Israel is party). It will specifically address the following issues: the application of human rights treaties in the occupied territories, security-based restrictions upon human rights (e.g., the 'ticking bomb' scenario), the duty to respect the rights of enemy citizens, the status of the Arab minority within Israel, the status of women in Israel, trafficking in persons and freedom of religion and cultural relativity problems. Reading material to the course will include Israeli Supreme Court Decisions, UN and NGO reports, academic book segments and articles and some comparative law sources.
|Hebrew University's Victoria Buch (chemistry) claims Israel is a criminal state conducting "ethnic cleansing" on anti-Semitic Counterpunch web site|
|The stage for ethnic cleansing of Palestinians has been set in the Occupied Territories, and ethnic cleansing is in progress. At present, this is the major project of the State of Israel. For an impartial person of medium intelligence, a tour of the Occupied Territories may be sufficient to understand this fact. The prime ethnic cleansing tool is, forever, Palestinian land grab in conjunction with settlement expansion. Various stages of annexation process are in evidence in the originally rural part of the West Bank, constituting 60% of its area. By now, nine percent of the West Bank land has been transferred to the direct control of the settlements . A recent Peace Now investigation revealed that only 12 percent of this land is being used at all. |
|Nurit Peled-Elhanan denounces Israelis for being violent murdering racists|
|Well done, IDF! Well done, Israeli Jewish education, that has succeeded nearly perfectly in bestowing the values of racism, nearly without opposition.
And if my son Yigal really does want to participate in the military programs that they impose on high school students starting in grade 10, or God forbid, to enlist in the army of occupation and torment, I will see it as a dreadful educational failure. A terrible maternal failure. And if I do not do everything I can to prevent him from becoming a murderer or a corpse at age of 18 I will know that I betrayed him and my vocation as a mother.
|Nina Mayorek with MachsomWatch [Senior Biochemist In the Department of Human Nutrition]|
| The occupier 'generously' arranged such a well signed-posted parking lot with clear markings in blue and white colors where parking is allowed ...Israel is really happy with the present situation –the economy is booming, Palestinian suicide bombing is nil for over a year, some shelling on Sderot provides a pleasant boost for a constant feeling of victim-hood and a very much needed argument that 'we also suffer'.|
|David Shulman (Sanskrit Studies) shills for Taayoush and similar anti-Israel groups
|Israeli peace activists don’t expect to be popular. Although by all accounts most Israelis do want peace and would accept any reasonable compromise, they normally react with bitter scorn and hatred for anyone who seems to cross the lines. Organizations like mine, Ta’ayush—“Jewish-Arab Partnership,” one of the most effective of the peace groups operating at the grassroots level in the occupied territories—are viewed as naïve at best, treasonous at worst. Last month’s events in Gaza confirmed everyone’s worst prejudices. “You want to make peace with them?” my neighbors asked me in supercilious tones. “Can’t you see that they’re all violent thugs? Why are you helping them?”|
|Dudy Tzfati, a genetics researcher in 'Bonded in Resistance to the Barrier Palestinian Villagers, Jewish Neighbors Warily Join Forces'|
|Why is there this wall? Why is there this trouble?" asked Tzfati, who moved to Tzur Hadassah three years ago. "Because people do not see Wadi Fukin."|
|Nurit Peled-Elhanan (education, Hebrew U): A Jerusalem Mother's Statement about how Israel is the Kingdom of Evil|
|But today I know that there is yet another division in Israel: On the face of the earth there rules the kingdom of evil, where for the last 34 years, people who call themselves leaders have earned, through democratic means, the right to kill and destroy and be as vile and corrupt as they please, to have young boys become expert killers, whether in the name of God, of the good of the nation, or in the name of honour and of courage. But these evil people have created yet another kingdom, a glorious kingdom that flourishes and grows larger and larger every day - a kingdom that lives and breathes under our feet, under the earth we walk on. |
|Ofer Neiman, Institute of Computer Science, Hebrew University, finds some "state terrorism." Not by Iran, but by Israel.|
|Neiman said that both sides were guilty of "state-sponsored terrorism, whether it's shooting an unarmed civilian or being a suicide bomber."|
|Hebrew University capitulates to its campus anti-Zionists!|
|Professors at the Hebrew University have been jihading against the plan to open a special program for officers in Israel's intelligence services. Yesterday they got their way. The Hebrew University's administration yesterday voted to cancel the program. |
|A One-Sided anti-Israel Propaganda course by Baruch Kimmerling, Hebrew University, Department of Sociology
|The encounter between the Jewish immigrant-settler society and native Arabs of Palestine had enormous impact on the historical and social development of both people. The local Arab society (that later defined themselves as Palestinians) and that fragment of the Jewish people that immigrated to Zion and felt as homecoming after 2,000 years of exile both had strong sense of belongings to the land and regarded it as their exclusive land. Both felt existentially threaten by the political aims and desires of the other people. Retrospectively, the relations between both people appear to be an inevitable zero-sum total conflict, of “either we or they”. However, the dynamics of the relations was much more complex, and the aim of this course is to examine in a
systematic way the major developments and impacts of the Jewish-Palestinian conflict within some comparative and theoretical context (free from ideological bias).
|Reuven Kaminer, Vice-Provost of the School for Overseas Students, doesn't think Critics of Israeli Leftists should be entitled to express their opinions|
|The hired intellectuals here had been programmed to answer charges of genocide, but they were thrown into total confusion when Kimmerling refined the charge and accused Israel of perpetrating the major crime of politicide against the Palestinian people. This charge is clear: Israel’s policies are calculated to eliminate the Palestinian people’s aspirations for national survival. Some of you may have come across a group of right wing Jewish loonies on the internet by the name “Israel-academic-monitors”. Well, the loonies have a zombie machine that scans the net for any appearance by a democratic Israeli academician. Automatically, they send out links to what they consider “anti-Israeli” or anti-Semitic statements made by that academician. Well, the loonies’ zombie machine sighted Baruch Kimmerling’s name in articles on his death and sure enough, the emails warning the world about Baruch Kimmerling are now scattered all over the net. Of course, they – the monitors - would explain that it is all automatic. Even so, I ask them, gentlemen, have you no shame? |
|Moshe Zimmerman (history) denounces Israelis for being racists|
|“The Israeli youth sees Poles as second-class humans, and treat them as potential enemies”, said Professor Moshe Zimmerman of the Hebrew University’s History Department|
|Yaron Ezrahi, Department of Political Science finds some apartheid and some colonialism -- endorsing Jimmy Carter's anti-Semitic book|
|Appearing recently in a debate on Israeli television, Ezrahi called the occupation — now in its 40th year — “a classic colonial enterprise” that uses an “apartheid system” of economic and political discrimination to separate Israeli Jews and Palestinians in the territory. He readily defends a book by former President Jimmy Carter, whose title —“Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid” — provoked American Jewish critics to vilify the 39th president as an anti-Semite.
“If Carter were to give a lecture in Jerusalem and he were to say this is apartheid in the West Bank, I would say, yes, I support you. This is exactly the case,” Ezrahi said in an interview.
|Ofer Neiman from Hacampus-lo-shotek calls to prevent Israeli army from catching terrorists|
|[Hacampus-lo-shotek] Fwd:**EMERGENCY ACTION NEDDED** 17 years old kidnapped by the Israeli army
On April 18, around midnight, the Israeli army attacked the home of peace activist Refai Fayyed in the village of Zbabdeh near Jenin. The IDF terrorized the Fayyed family with attack dogs, beat them, forced them out of their home, trashed their home, destroyed computers and personal property, and kidnapped Refai's brother Mohammad Abdulla Asaad Fayyad who is 17 years old high school student.
|Nurit Peled-Elhanan (education) in: "Two schools of thought" - Both of them Anti-Israel?|
|The Israeli narrative is a very stable, fixed -- ancient, almost -- narrative. I think it's very racist because Palestinians don't exist in this narrative at all," said Nurit Peled-Elhanan, a professor in Tel Aviv University's School of Education.|
|Professor David Schulman, a lecturer in Sanskrit at the Hebrew University, Claims Israel is bulldozing Palestinian homes for the fun of it.|
The Israeli Army continued its efforts to drive them away. "There was repeated harassment," said Professor Schulman, a lecturer in Sanskrit at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
|What should one call Israel? "Apartheid," answers Victoria Buch, Department of Physical Chemistry, Hebrew University|
|The State of Israel calls it “fight for existence” or “fight against terror”. Its detractors call it “colonization”, “apartheid”, or “ethnic cleansing”. Baruch Kimmerling coined the term “politicide of Palestinians”. Edward Said spoke of slow bleeding. Recently, even words such as “genocide” have been used. Let us try to define the Israeli policy, and then grapple with the question of proper naming.
|Nurit Peled-Elhanan (education) and Friends Call for a "Cultural Boycott of Israel"|
|We, the undersigned Palestinian filmmakers and artists, appeal to all artists and filmmakers of good conscience around the world to cancel all exhibitions and other cultural events that are scheduled to occur in Israel, to mobilize immediately and not allow the continuation of the Israeli offensive to breed complacency. Like the boycott of South African art institutions during apartheid, cultural workers must speak out against the current Israeli war crimes and atrocities.
We call upon the International community to join us in the boycott of Israeli film festivals, Israeli public venues, and Israeli institutions supported by the government, and to end all cooperation with these cultural and artistic institutions that to date have refused to take a stand against the Occupation, the root cause for this colonial conflict.
236.Nurit Peled-Elhanan, Israel
|Amiel Vardi [Senior Lecturer in Classics], invites people to go for "Nakba tours" to learn why Israel should not Exist |
|During the Nakba of 1948, 17,000 Palestinians were expelled from Al-Ramle, nearly all of the city's inhabitants, despite it was not included in the Jewish territory according to the 1947 UN Partition Plan. One can not understand the origins of racism expressed by Ramle's Mayor Mr. Yoel Lavi, without being familiar with the ethnic cleansing of Al-Ramle in July 1948. |
|Israel's racist policies towards Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian who was stopped at the airport and wasn't allowed to to fly to Tunisia|
|Dear friends, The following messages is a chilling reminder of what does it mean to live in a Jewish state. It is urgent that we do all we can to let the Israeli authorities know that their racist policies are not done in our name. As you can see being an "israeli citizen" does not protect you from abuse at the airport if you happen (God forbid) not to be Jewish!!! Some time ago it was the other way around!!!
Nobody deserves to be humiliated.
|Nurit Peled-Elhanan (education): Israelis and Americans are Running around Performing Massacres|
|Not only American soldiers but also Israeli soldiers who actually perform massacres of 'Arabs' - Palestinian or Lebanese - may never see an Arab human face until they are drafted to the army, but they learn, for 12 long years, that these people are primitive, bear children in order to send them to the streets and throw stones at our peace-keeping soldiers, uneducated because they don't receive our education, conniving and dirty because they have different notions about politeness, they dress differently and cover their heads with different pieces of cloth. Well, from my experience there are many more Kafiehs in the camp of peace lovers than there are kippas. Israeli children are deprived from knowing their immediate neighbours, their history and their culture and their merits. Israeli children are educated to see their neighbours as an unwanted element. This is not education, this is mind infection.|
|Ofer Neiman from computer science supports the Irish boycott of Israel|
|"...If you support the letter, please contact the Irish embassy, and let them know that such *SELECTIVE* sanctions against the occupation are justified, and that the Irish government should do much more to oppose the current racist and violent Israeli policies..."|
|Zeev Sternhell (political Science) says Israel is trying to destroy Lebanon at US Request|
|And a word about the price of American support. Sometimes it seems as if U.S. President George W. Bush wants Israel both to destroy Lebanon and to sustain painful losses. That way, Israel provides him with an excellent alibi for the war in Iraq: The fight against terror is global, the blood price is the same, the methods of operation and the means are identical, and the time needed for victory is long. The Israeli vassal is serving its master no less than the master is providing for its needs.
|Louise Bethlehem Praises Haaretz' Gideon Levy (who wants Israel to be annihilated) for his "highlight the shameful capitulation of Jewish-Israeli civil society to "chauvinism and ruthlessness", |
|' At times of "moral blackout" Gideon Levy's insistence on reminding us of the importance--and vulnerability--of Lebanese civil society and Nazir Majali's corresponding focus on Palestinian citizens of Israel in the north, are especially valuable. Together they highlight the shameful capitulation of Jewish-Israeli civil society to "chauvinism and ruthlessness", with some notable exceptions.'
|Classics Professor Amiel Vardi is with the Israeli/Palestinian Human Rights Group Ta'Ayush|
|Prof. VARDI: Well, it is quite clear that the fence-the (unintelligible) fence- is used to an annex land, to extend settlements and very often to make the lives of the Palestinians that are included within it so impossible that they are forced to leave. And to tell you the truth, it's working.
|Et tu, Hebrew U? A Student describes anti-Israel Brainwashing at the Hebrew University
|Labeling Israel an aggressive “Goliath” victimizing the helpless Palestinian “David” distorts the conflict’s true scope – that of a tiny island of Jewish sovereignty surrounded by more than a few genocidal extremists. Like every democracy on Earth, Israel is flawed. Does this mean the Jewish state has no more intrinsic value than a “Jewish chair,” as my professor implied?
I respect the academic freedom and vigorous discourse abundant at my school; however, the international division of Israel’s flagship university bears a special responsibility to students and supporters. If Israel cannot receive a fair hearing in the hallowed halls of Mt. Scopus, where can it?
|Victoria Buch (chemistry) invents some New History|
|'My country Israel chose to forgo a historic opportunity for peace with the Palestinians. The Palestinian President Abbas was willing to make a compromise, based on reasonable principles. '
It is a lie that "Israeli Jews are a peace-loving people. In recent times, they have been regretfully forced to fight for their very existence, with the help of a moral and heroic army," she says.
|Haggai Katriel, Mathematics department , gets arrested while part of violent demonstration -
His anarchist friends are outraged!|
|Haggai Katriel joins the violent anarchist thugs who attack soliders and policemen|
|Baruch Kimmerling (sociology) denounces Patriotism on Campus - thinks only Anti-Israel Leftists are entitled to Freedom of Speech|
| In fact every faculty member who appears in the public sphere and doesn’t adopt an ultra-nationalist stance has an excellent chance of having his or her words taken out of context or reinterpreted and of being labeled a “self-hating Jew” or a “traitor.” |
|Dr. Haggai Katriel, Mathematics department at HU, is facing prosecution for violation of public order and violence|
|Here is a letter posted by Haggai's parents, Tamar Katriel a professor of communication at University of Haifa, who also prefers a Palestinian State rather than an Israeli one, and her husband Jacob Katriel, Emeritus form the Technion who demonstrates in Billin every Friday against the construction of the security fence, are calling for moral support as Haggai Katriel was arrested while demonstrating and now is facing trial. Strangely enough, Haggai works at the Hebrew University, school of Mathematics under professor Matania Ben- Artzi who also calls for the destruction of Israel and is the father of Yoni Ben-Artzi who is a Refusnik.|
|What is this title supposed to mean / Victoria Buch|
|Dear Haaretz - what is this title "Settlers torch two Palestinian homes in Hebron in protest" supposed to mean!? You do not use titles such as "Palestinian suicide bomber bombed an Israeli bus in protest". And justly so, although Palestinians surely have more to protest about than state-subsidized hoodlooms in Hebron.
|Prof. Victoria Buch shills for jailed Terrorist Accomplice Tali Fahima |
|Solitary confinement for Tali Fahima is a disgrace
But a punishment for an unarmed Israeli activist for the "crime" of befriending Palestinians is administrative detention, torture, and solitary confinement. And let us recall hundreds of Palestinians currently under admistrative detention, without a prospect for a fair trial, with rubber-stamp judges obediently extending every few months their incarceration. And the mainstream Israeli citizens who do not want to know anything about it, and who keep repeating propaganda mantras to justify their collaboration with the Occupation. That is Israel 2005 for you, in a nutshell.
|DAPHNA GOLAN-AGNON (law, Hebrew University) criticizes boycotters of Israel for not boycotting Israel ENOUGH!!!|
| This year, she says, students have worked with Amnesty International, the Israel Commission Against Torture, teaching other students and poor youth about empowerment, with the Association for the Rights of the Child and the Association for Civil Rights.
Asked for her views on the recent vote, which has since been overturned, by the UK Association of University Teachers to boycott Israeli universities Bar-Ilan and Haifa, she replies: "As somebody who was active in the anti-apartheid movement, I see the strength of boycotts. But I have a problem with this one in a few ways. In taking on only Bar-Ilan and Haifa - well, I think you do a boycott or you don't do one. You cannot be half-pregnant.
"I also wouldn't start with an academic boycott. I would start with an economic boycott, like South Africa.
Maybe I'm naive. But I think that this war on Islam that the US is leading now - it's a terrible war. I'm hoping that they'll understand that it is better to have some gift to the Islamic world, peace in Jerusalem.
"The sad point," she adds, "is that many Israelis think that the wall is a help. It's not only evil but it's also stupid. In the year 2005, you think that you can build a wall and it's going to save you? How stupid can you be?"
|Dalya Markovich, Hebrew University of Jerusalem's school of education., thinks Israeli universities are dens of oppression and discrimination|
|What has become of the Israeli university since the days of Brith Shalom, a movement founded by a group of Hebrew University intellectuals to promote Jewish-Arab bi-nationalism? Who are the successors of Yesh, a socialist group that sprang up at the University of Haifa, or Campus, a radical organization at Tel Aviv University? How is it that the university has become the executive arm of state goals? Why are students identifying with "the system" and allowing the learning process to be turned into an instrument of utilitarianism? How did the university become both the goods and the guild? How has academic research become subservient to the needs of the army, industry and financiers?
|Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian claims Palestinian girls are often subjected to harassment by Israeli soldiers|
|Any Palestinian over the age of 12 must have a permit to cross gates in the wall that are only open 55 minutes of the day,” Kevorkian explained. “This puts a special burden on young girls who must line up every day to go through the wall to their schools and who often are subjected to harassment by [Israeli] soldiers.
“Fathers are humiliated to stand by helplessly as their daughters are searched,” she noted. “So they keep their daughters at home to avoid the searches, and they force them to marry early.
|Baruch Kimmerling (sociology) reverses cause (terrorism) and effect (Israeli military response) in Orwellian fashion|
|The Israeli conditions, however, are based on an incorrect perception of the causality and logic of the conflict-the presumption that the root of the violence lies in 'Palestinian terrorism', rather than in Israel's generation-long occupation and illegal colonization of Palestinian lands and its exploitation and harassment of the entire people.|
|When the anti-Israel sentiment comes from within|
|For years, Jewish organizations and their leaders seeking to contend with blatant anti-Israel statements have encountered the response, "What do you mean? Similar statements are made in Israel, by Israelis."|
|A SHAME OF TWO UNIVERSITIES|
|If one just records a bunch of interviews, and then ignores what is inconvenient to one's thesis, then there is no point in doing any research. The conclusions will be the same at the end of the "study" as they were before you started. If Nitzan had examined a thousand soldiers picked at random and asked them a few dozen questions, quantified the results and perhaps compared those results to those of civilians and to American soldiers in Iraq, we might have some real answers to her question. On the other hand, for all we know, the real real answer may lie in the amount of saltpeter that is put in the army food.
This study was given an award by the Israel sociology association. We can imagine what the others are like. In my most humble opinion, because this paper lacks scientific method or any attempt at objectivity, it is not worthy of a Masters thesis or even an undergraduate seminar work in a scientific discipline. It might be entertaining reading. However, the definition of what is science and what is not science is up to the practitioners of a particular discipline and it varies between disciplines and in different eras. Phrenology used to be thought to be science, and Lysenkoism was accepted in the USSR. Barely intelligible functionalist jargon ruled US sociology departments. My opinion is now generally thought to be an example of "positivist empiricist facticity." If the Hebrew University says it is science, and the sociologists insist it is good science, who am I to challenge them?
For all its faults and contradictions and shoddy and tendentious logic, however, this work is not really as blatantly absurd as Fendel and Lord try to make out, and they would have a tough time proving their point from the actual text.
|MOSHE ZIMMERMAN (history): The Torah is comparable to Hitler's "Mein Kampf"|
|"Professor Moshe Zimmerman of Hebrew University compared the Torah with "Mein Kampf," as a racist blueprint for the destruction of other peoples and likened the children of Kiryat Arba, the Jewish community outside Hebron, to Hitler Youth. How was Professor Zimmerman's hateful extremism answered? He was recruited to the Ministry of Education and placed in charge of developing history curriculum for Israeli schools."|
|Deconstructing the Hebrew University of Jerusalem|
|Deconstructionism has long been linked with Marxism, a rather strange combination - given the insistence by deconstructionists that they should never claim to “know” anything. Marxists claim to know everything, based on ridiculous “theories” by Marx disproved 150 years ago, making the Marxist-Deconstructionist axis rather queer. It also sometimes calls itself post-colonialism, apparently because some of its Frenchie inventors came from Algeria, although I have never understood how it can be certain that anything or anyone was ever colonized or colonizer.|
|MOSHE ZIMMERMAN (history): The children of the settlers in Hebron are exactly like the Hitler Youth
|"Since I was three or four years old I have been put off by those people," he said as we slowly walked in the narrow streets of Me'a She'arim, "already as a child I did not like to come here." |
|Shame on the Hebrew University|
|"Invoking academic freedom, the heads of Israeli academe defend venomous expressions against Israel. But the Rector of the Hebrew University has mustered his authority to silence criticism of the venom spreaders. "
|BARUCH KIMMERLING (sociology): The Hebrew University's Leading anti-Zionist |
|A review of Baruch Kimmerling's two books on Palestine, The Palestinian People and Politicide:
"But the most important reason to pass over Kimmerling's book is its Orwellism. There is indeed a political entity in the Middle East whose entire raison d'etre is the "politicide" or destruction of another nation: the PLO. The Middle East conflict is indeed all about attempted annihilation of a nation, but Kimmerling -- characteristically -- has things exactly in reverse."
|ADL wants Hebrew U. professor Moshe Zimmerman (history) to be Prosecuted for anti-Semitic Incitement|
|Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, wants Hebrew University to take action in response to statements made by the chair of the institution's German Studies department, Prof. Moshe Zimmerman, who likened Israel Defense Forces soldiers and other Israeli authorities to Nazis.
In a letter sent to Hebrew University President Prof.
Menachem Magidor, Foxman writes that while every professor has the right to express his or her opinion, the university administration is obliged to consider taking action when certain opinions cross the line and are damaging to the institution and the Jewish people.
|Nurit Peled-Elhanan bashing Israel in a speech on International Women's Day at the EU Parliament
|I must admit I believe you should have invited a Palestinian woman at my stead, because the women who suffer most from violence in my county are the Palestinian women. And I would like to dedicate my speech to Miriam R'aban and her husband Kamal, from Bet Lahiya in the Gazza strip, whose five small children were killed by Israeli soldiers while picking strawberries at the family's strawberry field. No one will ever stand trial for this murder.
|Victoria Buch (chemistry): Israel's "Racism" is the Worst in the World|
|"....The text tier of the mental “separation fence”
is composed of the paranoia-cum-victim-complex,
which is diligently cultivated by our
government. For example Israelis are told that
Europe is anti-Semitic and there are many people
there who want to destroy us.Certainly, one
can find Jew-haters in Europe. But the European
racism is directed much more against Muslims
and Africans than against Jews, and in any
case the level of racism is nothing compared
to that practiced by Israel towards Palestinians.
|MEIRA WEISS - a Feminist Liar?|
|This racialist nonsense, it goes without saying, has already been picked up by anti-Semitic and neonazi web sites as “evidence” of the depravity and racism of Jews.
|About BARUCH KIMMERLING (sociology) in "The Tale of the Reversed Narrative"|
|Post-Zionism I consider the most deconstructionist (no pun intended) unarmed threat to Israel's security and future existence. The Hebrew University's Baruch Kimmerling, a leading icon of this camp, published an example of its outlook this December at the trendy Salon.com web site. Entitled "The Two Catastrophes", he asserted, in a claim of fatuous equivalency, that both Israelis and Palestinians have memories "marked by inconceivable tragedy" that need be understood so that each can move beyond the past.|
|About Baruch Kimmerling in "False Narrative of Post Zionism" (Jerusalem Post)|
|Kimmerling and too many other post-Zionists promote the false idea that Israel was founded upon the ruins of an Arab society and culture.
The truth is just the other way around.
|BARUCH KIMMERLING (sociology): Israel's Very Culture is Violent and Evil|
|The remembrance of Trumpeldor's death at Tel Hai, argues Zertal, marked the beginning of a cult of death among Israeli Jews. The "new Jewish man," in this ideology, was ready to make the ultimate sacrifice, to die defending his land and people, in stark contrast with Diaspora Jews, who would later be depicted as weaker souls who went "like lambs to the slaughter" in the Holocaust. The voices arguing that it is better to live for one's country than to die for it were accordingly stifled and silenced. It is deeply ironic that the very same society now claims to be shocked by the "martyrdom culture" in the occupied territories.
|BARUCH KIMMERLING (sociology) thinks suicide attacks were "appropriate" although boomeranged by making Israel even more oppressive|
|Four and a half years of systematic destruction of the infrastructures of the Palestinian society, the physical and political liquidation of their leadership and the unrelenting injury to the population were intended to demonstrate the real balance of forces on the ground and to get the Palestinians to accept a kind of "Versailles treaty" in which they would agree to any Israeli "peace formula." The Palestinian use of suicide bombers, which at first looked, from the Palestinian side, as an appropriate response, supposedly able to offset Israel's total military superiority, turned out to be a boomerang, because it gave Israel internal and external legitimacy to make use of unrestrained force and to describe the Palestinians' desperate war for independence as part of international terrorism.
|BARUCH KIMMERLING (sociology) thinks the "catastrophe" that befell the Arabs when Israel was created is equivalent to the Nazi Holocaust|
|In 1948, the Jews carried out ethnic cleansing. Most
of the Arab inhabitants of the territory upon which
the Israeli state was constituted were brutally
uprooted from their homes, often accompanied by
incidents of massacre, rape and looting. As a result
of this, the Palestinian collectivity collapsed as a
social and political entity and became largely a
refugee-camp people and a people of exiles."
|When Arabs murder Arabs, BARUCH KIMMERLING (sociology) thinks that all Jews are to Blame|
|I accuse everyone-mainly the majority of Jewish intellectuals in Israel and the United States-who sees and knows these things of doing nothing to prevent the impending catastrophe. The Sabra and Shatila massacres were nothing compared to what has happened-and what will happen-to us, Jews and Arabs, following this ethnic war ...|
|AMIRAM GOLDBLUM (School of Pharmacy) finds the REAL threat to Israel, and it is not Arab Aggression and Terror|
|I think that messianic Judaism is becoming as dangerous to the existence of Israel, if not more, than Palestinian ROR, and certainly more than Iran.|
|BARUCH KIMMERLING (sociology) says there is no difference between Israeli "occupation" (of the West Bank and Gaza) and the Nazi Occupation of Europe|
|All occupation regimes have a lot of common patterns
(and also some uniqueness), especially when portions of
occupied people exercise their right to oppose by violent
resistance, and chain of violence from both sides tend to
increase and to be brutal.
|MOSHE ZIMMERMAN (history) in Aljazeera insists that anti-Semitism is alright as long as it is only anti-Israel|
|Professor Moshe Zimmerman of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a prominent historian and expert on the holocaust and Nazism, told Aljazeera.net that the Berlin conference was an Israeli government effort to ward off international criticism of Israeli policies and actions against the Palestinians.
"We have to differentiate between classical anti-Semitism and criticisms of Israeli policies and practices. The first is hating Jews for being Jews while the second represents rejection of certain objectionable policies and actions," he said.
Asked if comparing some Israeli leaders like Ariel Sharon to Nazi leaders was legitimate under certain circumstances, Zimmerman said the admissibility or inadmissibility of such a comparison depended on the facts at hand.
|ISRAEL SHAHAK (chemistry) hated Jews|
|Dr. Shahak says that he wants Jews to change their ways and to stop the atrocities associated with Zionism and Orthodox Jewish religion. As a first step, he wants us to face the terrible crimes that were committed by of our ancestors. |
|Anti-Semitic Quotes from the late ISRAEL SHAHAK's book |
|The actual policies Israel pursued after the Six Day War, and in particular the apartheid character of the Israeli regime in the Occupied Territories and the attitude of the majority of Jews to the issue of the rights of the Palestinians, even in the abstract, have merely strengthened this conviction.
|The late ISRAEL SHAHAK (chemistry) hated Zionism |
|Intellectual Jews opposing Zionism include Elmer Berger, Norton Mezvinsky, Mosh Menuhin, Mick Ashley, Israel Shahak and Maxime Rodinson. Israel Shahak was the head of the league in1970 and he was the first Jew to record detailed information about the number of children, elderly and woman killed, including Arab villages demolished by Hagana and Stern terrorist movements|
|ISRAEL SHAHAK (chemistry) - Writes in Commnetary that Jews are nothing but Nazis|
| Just as it was the Nazi ideology which was primary cause of the extermination of the Jews, which took place when the German Nazis had the power to do it, and not before, so the Zionist ideology of Labor and the religious kind; of the two groups which are chief proponents of the ideal of "pure" Jewish society, which may lose its "Jewish character" by being "contaminated" through too great contact with non Jews (the Arabs in the Middle East) believes in separation, otherwise called "apartheid".|
|MOSHE ZIMMERMAN (history) finds some Fascism|
|Moshe Zimmerman, a professor of German history at Hebrew University and self-described Zionist, answered Herf's charges of Islamic fascism by answering that there is also "Israeli fascism, Israeli terror and Israeli criminality."
| MOSHE ZIMMERMAN (history) refuses to give exemptions to students serving in reserves|
|"There is a group of students which cannot come today due to the excuse that its members are guarding at checkpoints, and the like. Such an excuse is not acceptable to me. Were they to be missing because they were serving in jail due to a refusal to serve in the territories, that would be satisfactory to me."|
|Anti-Semite ISRAEL SHAHAK endorsed MOSHE ZIMMERMAN (history)|
|"I would like to express my agreement with the views of professor Moshe Zimmerman...It can not be doubted that an enormous majority of the Jews of Kiryat Arba (and even more of the Jews settled in Hebron itself) who supported the building of the magnificent memorial on the grave of the Jewish Nazi Baruch Goldstein5 did so because they believe in the same Judeo-Nazi ideology as he did. Had a German city constructed now a magnificent memorial on the grave of a Nazi who committed a murder similar to that of Goldstein we would label it a Nazi city, disregarding the exceptions that might exist in it. In exactly the same way we should regard Kiryat Arba as a Judeo-Nazi city and the Jewish settlers of Hebron as Judeo-Nazis of an even worse kind.
|BARUCH KIMMERLING (sociology) regrets that Nazi Germany did not Finish the Job|
|"If the Nazi programme for the final solution of the Jewish problem had been complete, for sure there would be peace today in Palestine. "
|BARUCH KIMMERLING (sociology) supports Arab terrorism against Jews|
|"I would like to add that every nation have the legitimate right for self-determination as well to armed presence against
occupation....Settlers can't be included (among those entitled to civilian protection from terror)".
|MICHAEL DAHAN (political science) gets caught plagiarizing|
|No less astonishing, during research for the case, Ms. Blumenfeld discovered that Dahans sworn testimony was plagiarized from two sources, one taken completely out of context."
|EMMANUEL FARJOUN (math) Joins Call For an American Ban On Investments in Israel|
|MIT graduate and mathematics professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Emmanuel Farjoun, signed up to support his former American colleagues. Although complete divestment from Israel is unlikely, he says, a reduction in economic investment into Israel is realistic. One of the initiators of the Israeli academics' petition supporting conscientious objectors, Farjoun says he supports all forms of nonviolent, international pressure on Israel to give up "its addiction to the occupation," be it "commercial, diplomatic or even educational." Israel, he adds, should be made into an "international pariah."
|A letter by AMIRAM GOLDBLUM (School of Pharmacy), demanding that people whose views he dislikes be denied basic civil rights|
|"Protecting the civil rights of Noam Federman is like protecting
the rights of the murderers in Stanley Kubrik's Clockwork Orange."
My heart is really broken and my eyes weep when I read the stories of Haetzni (a well known objective observer.....) about the wonders of Federman.
Just a little more than a decade ago, while I was running after stone-throwers in Gaza during the first intifada, the feeble and weak Federman attacked my family in Jerusalem on a daily basis, organized threats to kill my daughter,
and demolished my car ----- and was sent to jail for that and for
attacks on Dan Meridor's home, Teddy Kolek's, and the Baptist
Church ----- for only 6 months. The amount of suffering that this
hoodlum inflicted on others should have already put him in jail for a lifetime.
I also wonder how come that you are so sensitive to human suffering =only when settlers are involved.
|AMIRAM GOLDBLUM (School of Pharmacy) Smears Ariel Sharon and Israel on anti-Israel show on National Public Radio|
|an interview with “peace activist” Amiram Goldblum, who was allowed to demonize Sharon as building a “career out of the politics and the culture of hatred,” and looking at everything as a “battlefield where he has to conquer something.” Ludden added to the vilification, telling listeners that Goldblum “considers Sharon’s candidacy immoral, given his long military record|
|MOSHE ZIMMERMAN (history) Invokes Himmler - but he means Jews|
|"There is an entire sector in the Jewish public which I unhesitatingly define as a copy of the German Nazis. Look at the children of the Jewish Hebron settlers: they are exactly like the Hitler Youth,"
"Bringing together the Himmler speech with the question of citizenship was very audacious. We should take it up and think about it. It means the comparison [presumably between Nazi Germany and Israeli actions] is relevant . . ."
|MOSHE ZIMMERMAN (history) sees Nazis when he looks at Jews|
|Moshe Zimmerman: "The Children of Hebron are exactly like Hitlers Youth." - "Look at the children of Hebron, they are exactly like Hitlers Youth. They are inundated from the earliest age with the evil Arabs, and anti-Semitism, how everyone is against them. They are turned into paranoids who think that they are the supreme race, exactly like Hitlers Youth."
|MOSHE ZIMMERMAN (history) understands the terrorists who bombed his own campus|
|"A university which is located 100 metres from occupied territory should not be surprised when it becomes part of the war," says Professor Moshe Zimmerman, chairperson of the department of history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem."
|About NIMROD KAMER and OHAD ShEM-TOV Hebrew University humanities students, held for anti-Semitic Yom Kippur graffiti
|Jerusalem police on Tuesday arrested two Jewish humanities students from the Hebrew University|
|Massive Calls for the Firing of Moshe ZImmerman (history) because of his smearing Jews, calling them Nazis|
|A group of professors from the Hebrew University published as a huge advertisement in Haaretz and sent a letter to the president and rector of the university by which they are employed. After paying some hypocritical lip-service to academic freedom they called - "for the honor of the Jewish people in general and for the university's honor" - for the firing of the expert on the history of Nazism, Prof. Moshe Zimmerman. The reason: the comparison that he drew between Jewish "hooliganism" in the territories and the acts of the Nazi youth movement. |
Steven Spielberg is one of the most influential directors of the late 20th century. While some serious film lovers have brushed him off as trite or too sentimental, others put him on a pedestal as the author of their childhood.
Whether you grew up in the 80’s or 90’s, Spielberg’s films most likely had a big influence on your childhood. He’s influenced filmmakers like J.J. Abrams, Edgar Write, and even David Fincher. But Spielberg was once a kid too who loved movies and revered filmmakers.
This list is composed of ten films that influenced how Spielberg makes movies, hopefully it can give insight into where some of his most infamous themes and techniques came from.
1. Lawrence of Arabia
David Lean’s 1962 epic masterpiece is certainly one of the most influential American films of all time. In fact, if you need a definition of epic filmmaking, one need only to look at this seminal war drama.
From its gorgeous 70mm Super Panavision, to the solid screenplay, breathtaking locations, and Peter O’Toole’s mesmerizing performance as the “most shameless exhibitionist since Barnum and Bailey”, it’s difficult to not be swept up in the grandness of it all. Since its release, it’s made critics, audiences, and wannabe filmmakers gush as well as cry blasphemy if anyone was ever caught watching a panned and scanned version.
So no one can blame a teenaged Steven Spielberg when he was so blown away by the picture; he needed a few weeks just to take it all in. Spielberg first saw Lawrence in high school, it set him on a journey to know more about the techniques of cinema.
Being raised in the desert of Phoenix, Arizona, Steven related with Lawrence’s love of the desert. It taught him the importance of setting; that an environment can be almost like a character in the film. No doubt he was thinking of how Lean shot the desert when he was shooting in similar locations for Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Spielberg even got to meet his directing hero when helping with the film’s restoration and listened as Lean gave him a personal commentary while they watched the film together. His wonder and awe at Lean’s masterpiece lit the spark that would drive him to make movies that moved audiences the way he was moved by Lawrence.
It wasn’t enough for Alfred Hitchcock to enter the world of movies in color, he had to add some smoke and mirrors to convince the audience the movie they’re watching was shot in one take. In the film, two friends murder a fellow student colleague, hide his body in a wooden chest, and then play host to the victim’s friends and relatives in the same room where his body is stored.
Since this murder was done for curiosity and boldness’s sake, one of the killers is on edge that they’ll be found out, while the other seems to ride the thrill of the experience. Though the movie obviously cuts up to 10 times, sometimes disguising them, sometimes not, it nevertheless taught Spielberg two essentials in filmmaking: how to stage a long take and how to make your audience sweat.
Spielberg likes to move the camera, creating multiple setups with just one shot. It’s a trick that’s become a dying art form. In an age where most comedies are single head-on shots of people ad-libbing and action movies are trying to see how many cuts they can make per-second, Steven’s one of the few mainstream Hollywood directors still using this classical Hollywood style of set-ups.
Hitchcock, in Rope, employs his most notorious technique of giving the audience privy information, then letting them bite their nails as the characters on screen unknowingly brush too close to the horrors that lie just out of sight. Similarly, the shark in Jaws is kept out of sight, with only a camera POV to insinuate its presence. If there’s anything Spielberg took from Hitchcock, it was how to create suspense.
3. The Wizard of Oz
The audience is introduced to the mundane world of Kansas, so boring it’s in black and white. Then, we are transported to a magical world where the adventure can now begin. Movies themselves, do the very same thing, transporting us to other worlds and setting us on adventures we seldom experience. Like going to Jurassic Park or the temple of doom, Spielberg also loves to take the audience from the real world to some place fantastical.
Victor Fleming’s staple of early Technicolor is the epitome of dreams come alive on film. The movie is a literal dream. While others may have been inspired to follow their dreams or make musicals for MGM studios, Spielberg more so admired Victor Fleming’s ability to virtually be invisible in style and genre with his direction.
It’s true, telling great stories means more to Spielberg than adhering to any specific kind of story. This frees him up to make thrilling adventure films like Jurassic Park, to gripping war dramas like Schindler’s List. What he took from Victor Fleming was his seemless ability to go from The Wizard of Oz to Gone With the Wind to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
4. Bonnie and Clyde
When Bonnie and Clyde came out in 1967, it ushered the way of the New Hollywood movement; breaking boundaries with its overt sexuality and, what was then, shocking violence. While this film is based on the real life bank robbers, Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, and Spielberg’s second feature, Sugarland Express, is a biographical film about two completely different outlaws, the similarities are evident.
Spielberg’s Sugarland Express both balances humor and drama in a way that’s reminiscent of Arthur Penn’s film. While Sugarland isn’t one of Steven’s best films, it’s certainly one of his most nuanced. Very few times are you aware of Spielberg’s more over-indulgent sentimental themes. Much like Clyde and Bonnie, the two leads in Sugarland evoke the audiences’ sympathy while they admittedly make tragic decisions along the way.
5. 2001: a Space Odyssey
Spielberg first met Kubrick in 1980, and though the two directors couldn’t be more different in style, the two struck up an unlikely friendship. Spielberg, recognizing the immense talent in Kubrick, revered his films, even if he didn’t necessarily like them at first. While Kubrick saw in Spielberg someone who could make films that embodied the joys of childhood.
Spielberg first saw 2001 while he was a student at Cal State, already a fan of Dr. Strangelove. For the first time, Speilberg felt the impact of a film’s ability to transport you to a mental state of euphoria and though Steven admits he’s never taken drugs, 2001 took him higher than he’d ever been in his life.
Despite what you think of 2001: A Space Odyssey, one cannot deny the sheer artistry involved to bring the world of space and beyond to life in such a realistic fashion. It’s easy to suspect that after seeing this film, Spielberg realized some of his more imaginative dreams as a director were now possible. |
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The documentary Blank City is currently enjoying a successful theatrical run at the IFC center in New York. Directed by French newcomer Céline Danhier, Blank City weaves together an oral history of the “No Wave Cinema” and “Cinema of Transgression” movements. JG Thirlwell is interviewed in the film regarding his involvement with R.Kern’s Deathtrip Films and the Cinema of Transgression. It also features interviews with Jim Jarmusch, John Waters, Steve Buscemi, Debbie Harry, Richard Kern, Nick Zedd, Amos Poe, James Nares, Lydia Lunch, James Chance, Eric Mitchell, Susan Seidelman, Beth B, Scott B, Charlie Ahearn and many more. Clips featuring Thirlwell’s scores for Kern’s Deathtrip films appear in the documentary, along with many other illuminating extracts from the films of that era. Click here for the New York Times review of the film. |
In the bleak, frigid days of midwinter, sub-freezing temperatures can make going outdoors prohibitive and staying indoors more inviting. Unfortunately, this is also the time of year when good, new movies tend to be few and far between.
What this time of year really calls for is a movie marathon.
Sure, you could go with Clint Eastwood Westerns or films scored by John Williams (those would take up a whole week each), or you could get a little creative with the night’s lineup. Below are some suggestions, but tailor them to your own tastes and come up with your own themes.
Filmed at the Quality Cafe
Tucked away on a street in Los Angeles is a diner that stopped serving food in 2006, but nonetheless is probably one of the most recognizable places in the country — and you didn’t even know it. The Quality Cafe has been the backdrop for dozens of movies and TV shows. Don Draper from “Mad Men” ate there, and Gary Sinise’s “CSI:New York” team even dropped by, despite it being 3,000 miles outside of their jurisdiction. With just enough ’50s chrome to invoke cravings for chocolate sodas, but not enough to be garish, the defunct diner apparently embodies Americana.
“500 Days of Summer” (2009)
“Catch Me If You Can” (2002)
“Million Dollar Baby” (2004)
“Mr. and Mrs. Smith” (2005)
Some assembly required
You know the drill — the big conflict central to the plot cannot actually be solved — or, in some cases, fully discovered — until a team is formed and gets a sense of unity, thereby becoming greater than the sum of its parts. Many “group” superhero movies fall into this category, as well as some sports films.
“The Avengers” (2012) (or “X-Men,” or “Fantastic Four,” etc.)
“Ocean’s Eleven” (1960 or 2001)
“Magnificent Seven” (1960)
Orphaned main character
Again, this is a very common trope in superhero movies, though more often used in those with solo characters, rather than team players. This is also common in adaptations of classic literature, such as “Oliver Twist,” or “Annie,” if we can stretch the definition of “literature” far enough to cover comic strips.
Any “Harry Potter”
Any “Batman,” “Superman” or “Spiderman” movie
“Les Miserables” (1998 or 2012)
Any “James Bond” film
I’ll admit, “The Big Bang Theory” gave me this one. Yes, there are a few good films that just never caught on, such as Disney’s expensive flop “John Carter,” and situations where, say, a star signed onto another movie and thus ended the series, such as Chris Evans leaving “Fantastic Four” for “Captain America.” But most of them are pretty solid stinkers (cough, cough, “Catwoman,” cough). Unfortunately, you could spend all winter on this list. Watch with a group and go all “Mystery Science Theater 3000” on it.
“Batman and Robin” (1997) or “Superman IV” (1987)
“Bad Boys II” (2003)
“Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous” (2005)
Movies almost not made
The fact of the matter is that, for a variety of reasons, only a tiny fraction of the screenplays written and submitted to studios ever get made. Most of the time, this is a good thing and drastically limits the number of bombs to hit movie theaters. Sometimes, though, great movies, classic movies, just barely escape that fate.
“Toy Story” (1995)
“Star Wars” (1977)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Audrey Hepburn and Henry Mancini
One of the biggest cinema stars, and one of the greatest composers of the century, teamed up exactly three times in film, and every one of them is great.
“Breakfast At Tiffany’s” (1961)
“Wait Until Dark” (1967)
Based on a TV Series
While not common, franchises occasionally make the jump from the small screen to the big screen. Often the movies are remakes of classic shows, such as “Bewitched,” “The Addams Family” or “21 Jump Street.” Yet sometimes they are released in conjunction with a current or recent series, such as Joss Wheadon’s “Firefly” companion, “Serenity.” They seldom require intimate knowledge of the series, but it usually helps. There are also full-length films based on comedic sketches, such as “Wayne’s World” or “MacGruber.”
“The Muppet Movie” (1979)
“Mission: Impossible” (1996) or “Get Smart” (2008)
“The Simpsons Movie” (2007)
Any “Star Trek” movie through 2002 |
She is one of the biggest names in world cinema and she’s coming to Edinburgh as part of a newly-launched, hugely ambitious film festival.
Maggie Cheung is to give an acting masterclass as part of a festival dedicated to Chinese cinema.
Beginning on the ninth of next month, Cinema China is being presented by the University of Edinburgh and includes world and UK premieres, plus an online education programme for school pupils, and the commissioning of a special film score. Some of the movies on the programme are unlikely to be publicly screened in UK again for another generation.
The festival, which also takes in cinemas in Glasgow, Stirling, Dundee, Ullapool and Tobermory, plus sixteen venues in England, Ireland and Wales too, is the brainchild of filmmaker and film historian, Mark Cousins, and Dorota Ostrowska, from Edinburgh University.
A series of lectures taking place at the university – on topics such as Chinese cinema during the 1930s and gender issues in modern Chinese cinema – will run in parallel with the festival, which lasts nine days. Many of the 26 films in the programme required the extensive help of the Beijing Film Academy to be released for screening in the UK.
One of the premiere highlights is Zhang Yimou’s Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles. The new |
Porto/Post/Doc is a film festival that will reach its sixth edition in 2019. As a meeting point for creators, audience and industry professionals, Porto/Post/Doc aims to foster the documentary genre, placing it in the new hybrid forms of contemporary cinema.
With an eclectic selection, the festival is organized around competitions and several parallel programmes.
· International Competition;
· Cinema Novo Competition (films from Portuguese film schools or from Portuguese students studying abroad);
· Transmission (films about music and pop culture);
· Cinema Falado (Portuguese-speaking or Portuguese-culture related films);
· Mini/Teenage (films for children and teenagers);
· Planetarium (immersive films made for fulldome theatres).
The festival has also Focus on directors or other themes. In previous editions, these Focuses were dedicated to Jean Rouch, Thom Andersen, Lionel Rogosin, Chantal Akerman, Peter Mettler, Matías Piñeiro, António Reis/Margarida Cordeiro, Eryk Rocha, Chris Petit, the Sensory Ethnography Lab or the Archive, fostering the discovery of new and highlighted authors with screenings and debates.
Porto/Post/Doc also aims to discuss contemporary cinema, mainly in Q&A post-screenings, book launches and the Forum of the Real, a seminar with specialists, scholars and artists. With School Trip, our educative project, the festival promotes special screenings, workshops and masterclasses for children and teenagers. This educative programme also promotes the Cinema Novo Competition, aimed for Portuguese students and Portuguese film schools.
The festival will occupy two of the main venues of Porto – Rivoli, Teatro Municipal do Porto; Cinema Passos Manuel -, a historic and cosmopolitan city, a centre of a vibrant community and nightlife.
Films selected for the festival’s competition will be screened twice in the main venues of Porto and an international jury, composed by experienced professionals and creators, will select the winners and award two prizes:
· Great Prize Porto/Post/Doc By Vinhos Verdes (3000 Euros, money prize);
· Companhia das Culturas/Fundação Pereira Monteiro Award for emerging authors (sub-35 directors who are awarded an Artistic Residency at Companhia das Culturas).
The films selected for the Cinema Novo Competition (films from Portuguese film schools or from Portuguese students studying abroad) will be awarded the Cinema Novo Award by Canal 180, chosen by a specific jury composed by directors and artists. The director of the best film wins travel and accreditation to the Berlinale.
The festival also gives a Teenage Award, given by a group of students of Porto’s schools for the best film in a group of films of several programmes.
Other awards will be announced soon.
1. GENERAL INFORMATION
1.1. About The Festival:
The 6th edition of Porto/Post/Doc takes place between November 23 and December 1, 2019.
1.2. Submissions and programmes:
Submission to the Festival International Competition is open to documentaries, experimental documentaries and innovative visual productions close to documentaries with duration of or over 50 minutes. Documentary films with a strong fictional component will also be considered. These films must be produced in 2018 or 2019. The Open Call will be open from January 1 until September 15, 2019. The films' submissions are made through the FilmFreeway platform. The user must follow all the steps and procedures suggested by FilmFreeway. The costs associated with using this platform are the responsibility of the user, as well as the respect and fulfilment of all data requested to complete the application.
1.2.1 Submissions are also accepted for:
· Cinema Novo Competition, for documentary films with less than 40 minutes, produced in a Portuguese School or directed by a Portuguese student outside Portugal, in 2018 or 2019;
· Planetarium Competition, for immersive films in fulldome format, produced in 2018 or 2019;
· Transmission, for films about music or pop culture, produced in 2018 or 2019;
· Cinema Falado, for Portuguese-speaking or Portuguese-culture related films, produced in 2018 or 2019;
· Mini/Teenage, for films (animation, fiction or documentary, either short or feature formats), suitable for children and/or teenagers, produced in 2018 or 2019.
1.3. Screening Formats:
The festival is able to screen DCP, Blu-Ray, ProRes files and 35mm film.
1.4. Premiere Policy:
The Festival gives priority to World and Portuguese Premieres. Films that have already been shown in Portugal or on Portuguese television are not eligible for selection unless specific authorization given by the Selection Committee.
1.5. Language Policy:
Films are screened in the original language. If the film doesn’t have English dialogues, it must be subtitled in English. If necessary, and only with the approval of the Festival, a film can be subtitled using an electronic subtitling system (Portuguese and English subtitles). All films in the International Competition will be subtitled in Portuguese and English.
2. AWARDS AND POLICIES
The Official Jury of the Festival awards two prizes in the International Competition: the Great Prize Porto/Post/Doc for the best film and the Emergent Author Award for a director under 35 years old. Each prize goes to the director(s) of the winning film. In addition to the awards, the Official Jury of the Festival can deliver Honourable Mentions within each award category. There is also a jury composed by teenage students from Porto that will give the Teenage Award to a film screened at the Festival. The Cinema Novo jury will give the Cinema Novo Award to the best documentary in the Cinema Novo Competition. The Planetarium jury will give the Planetarium Award to the best immersive film for fulldome in the Planetarium Competition.
2.2. Withdrawal Policy:
After accepting the invitation to participate in one of the programmes of Porto/Post/Doc, the film in case cannot be withdrawn.
Producers and distributors of participating/winning films are requested to include in future promotional material the mention of participation in/winner of Official International Competition at Porto/Post/Doc, along with the Festival's logo, available on request from email@example.com.
3. SELECTED FILMS
Porto/Post/Doc must receive all physical and digital materials on its address. Materials must be shipped right after the acceptance of participation on the Festival, never after October 24. Additionally, it is necessary to mention the contact of the owner of the legal rights of the work, as well as a document signed on the date of the shipment of the film’s copy, mentioning the authorization to screen the film on Porto/Post/Doc.
3.1. Festival Catalogue:
The catalogue will include the following technical and artistic credits: original title, international title, Portuguese title, director, running time, country(ies) of production, year of production, premiere status, format, production company, producer, distribution company/world sales, short and long synopsis (PT and EN), director’s works and contact information of the producer and the owner of the copy. Please send a film still for the Catalogue. The file must be 10 cm wide and 300 dpi, compressed on JPEG – level 8.
We request the dialogue list of the submitted film in the original language and in English, for subtitling purposes.
3.3. Technical Information:
Porto/Post/Doc will only accept films on the following formats: DCP, 35 mm, BluRay and ProRes files (preferably under 100 GB) exported on MPG4 and H264. The Aspect Ratio values accepted for screening by the Festival are: 1.1:85, 1.1:77, 1.1:66, 2.1:35 and 2.1:39. The audio on the copy has to be 5.1 or 2.0.
3.4. Press Kits:
The owners of the films participating in the Festival are requested to send separately an adequate amount of press kits and stills to be made available to the Festival Press Office for distribution to the press and Festival guests.
3.5. Trailers And Excerpts:
After the official selection of a film, the Festival is qualified to use excerpts from the film, with a maximum of 3 minutes, nationally and internationally, for promotional purposes. If possible, please send a link of the trailer of the work or the video file itself.
For the promotion of the whole selection and of each selected film, the Festival website is allowed to use any photo or digital film clip (of less than 3 minutes’ duration).
3.7. Screening Schedule:
General scheduling and timetabling of the screenings are entirely at the discretion of the Festival.
3.8. Screening Fees:
The Festival does not pay a screening fee to the selected films unless specific authorization is given by the Festival Organization.
3.9. Special programmes:
The selected films are eligible for a 'Best Of' programme in Portugal, until March of the following year. If a film does not allow this screening, it should notify the Festival, by e-mail, of its non-eligibility.
4. DISPATCH OF SCREENING PRINTS OF SELECTED FILMS
4.1. Shipment of Film Prints:
Detailed print/video shipment information will follow upon acceptance of the film.
4.2. Film Prints Availability:
Unless authorized by the Festival, the print/video must be made available for the whole Festival period and the print/video must arrive in Porto, Portugal before November 17, 2019. The sender is requested to inform the Festival on the means of dispatch, date of shipment and Airway bill number.
4.3. Shipment Policy:
The film must be sent prepaid by sender. No collect shipments are accepted unless authorized by the Festival. The Festival will pay for the return transportation charges, excluding any additional costs for tax and custom clearance in the country of return.
4.4. Return of Prints:
All prints will be returned within four weeks after the Festival. It's the responsibility of each participant to inform the Festival in due time on (any change in) the details of the return address as well as the desired date of arrival at the return address.
4.5. Print Insurance:
The insurance of the copies comes into effect the moment the film has arrived at the Festival's office. The insurance remains in effect until the film is reshipped. In case of damage to or loss of a film during the Festival, the Festival is only responsible for the costs involved in making a new print or replacing the damaged reel(s) based on the current laboratory rates for ordering a standard print.
4.6. Print Damage:
Damage to the film print must be reported to the Festival in writing within a month after return and prior to any following screening. Any claims will be judged by the reported state of the print. The insurance does not cover any damage during normal screening use.
Entry and participation of films imply unconditional acceptance of the regulations. In unspecified cases, any final decisions are at the discretion of the festival. |
Amelia Kahaney grew up in San Diego, California, and Hilo, Hawaii. Her short fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in Best American Nonrequired Reading, One Story, Crazyhorse, and Joyland, among other publications. The Brokenhearted and The Invisible, her novels for teens, were published by HarperTeen in 2013 and 2014. The series is being translated into French, Turkish, Korean and Japanese, and has been optioned for film by New Line Cinema. Amelia lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband, their son, two aquatic frogs, and a semi-enchanted fire-bellied newt. |
The darling of critics and award shows, The Artist has already taken home a few statuettes and is a shoe-in for Oscar gold. While other films may be more viewer friendly, none can match the wit and charm of this film. Much of that charisma is due to leading man Jean Dujardin as George Valentin, a silent movie superstar whose career is being crushed under the wheels of progress. The “talkies” have come to Hollywood, and nothing, not the movie business, not Valentin’s life, will ever be the same again.
Audiences who see The Artist will also likely never be the same again. Sitting in the darkened theater without any of the usual noise is disorienting at first. What our brains have come to expect – the sound of words with moving lips or a slam with the image of a closing door – is suddenly not there. Eventually, you adjust. The language of the movie – dramatic gestures, lots of dancing, and the occasional title card – becomes clear and you realize that the relative silence allows you to appreciate a shared chuckle or gasp with your fellow viewers that much more.
Then, The Artist throws a curveball. A glass clinks, a dog barks and modern life intrudes on the audience and Valentin. In many ways, this film is great because of what it chooses to leave out, and when it chooses not to leave it out anymore. Director Hazanavicius cleverly plays with sound and other contemporary techniques to address the audience and make a point or share a joke. Each deviation from the rules of silent cinema, whether it’s the simpering laugh of a showgirl or a shadow with a mind of its own, is a reminder that The Artist knows you’re watching and that it wants to subvert your expectations.
Just as Hazanavicius blends current and old-fashioned techniques, the actors must bridge the gap between the silver screen days of cinema and today. Luckily, the magnetism of Dujardin and his co-star Berenice Bejo, who plays Hollywood starlet Peppy Miller, is undeniable. They can play broad and subtle, which allows them to be expressive enough to convey their emotions without dialogue, but not be so campy that they alienate modern audiences.
On top of Dujardin and Bejo’s engaging performances, there are some great cameos by more well-known actors. John Goodman is an imposing studio exec, James Cromwell is the loyal chauffeur, and Malcolm McDowall just happens to be on set one day to see Peppy Miller off on her promising career.
At its heart, The Artist is a movie about movies, and its ardent enthusiasm for the subject is infectious. While it’s never clear who the titular artist is, I suspect that it refers not to a someone but a someplace: Hollywood, and everything that goes along with that iconic name. |
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The Polish Film Institute carries out statutory tasks relating to state policy in the field of cinema. Among its other duties, it is responsible for creating favourable conditions for the development of Polish film production and international co-productions. The Institute provides subsidies and loans to entities operating in the fields of film production, education and the promulgation of film culture, the development of cinemas and the international promotion of Polish films.
Film Production and Film Project Development Department
tel. +48 22 10 26 489 i 22 10 26 488
International Relations Department
tel. +48 22 10 26 455
Department of Film Culture Dissemination and Promotion
tel. +48 22 10 26 454
Financial and Accounting Department
Public Relations Department
tel. +48 22 10 26 457
MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND NATIONAL HERITAGE
MINISTERSTWO KULTURY I DZIEDZICTWA NARODOWEGO (MKiDN)
00-071 Warsaw, ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 15/17
tel. +48 22 421 02 51, fax +48 22 421 01 31
The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage is the government department responsible for culture and national heritage at the central level.
KRAJOWA RADA RADIOFONII I TELEWIZJI (KRRiT)
01-015 Warsaw, Skwer Wyszyńskiego 9
tel. +48 22 597 30 42, +48 22 597 30 37, fax +48 22 597 31 80
The National Broadcasting Council is the state body responsible for freedom of speech on radio and television, for maintaining the independence of broadcasters and for protecting the interests of listeners and viewers. Its tasks include the issuing of licences for the broadcasting of programmes, determining the conditions under which broadcasters may conduct their operations and exercising oversight of their activities.
The National Film Archive is a state cultural institution. It is responsible for the protection of the national cultural heritage in the field of cinema and for the promulgation of film culture. The organisation is a member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF). The Archive’s holdings of films and documents number amongst the most extensive in Europe, containing more than 100 000 films, 26 000 film-related books and 25 000 film posters, as well as screenplays, shooting scripts, film stills and other priceless archival materials. The National Film Archive also runs the Arthouse Cinemas Network.
NATIONAL AUDIOVISUAL INSTITUTE
The National Audiovisual Institute is a state cultural institution. It is responsible for collecting and archiving Polish audiovisual heritage and for providing access to its holdings. The Institute runs NinAteka, an online library of audiovisual and audio materials from its own archives and from film studios, television, cultural institutions and producers. It also releases CDs and DVDs and publishes biweekly.pl, an online magazine devoted to culture.
The Adam Mickiewicz Institute is engaged in the international promotion of Polish culture and establishing cultural collaboration with other countries. It also runs the national Creative Europe Desk.
There are also state cultural institutions in Poland which, apart from working to carry out their particular missions, function as film studios, namely, the Documentary and Feature Film Production Company (Wytwórnia Filmów Dokumentalnych i Fabularnych) and Audiovisual Technology Centre (Centrum Technologii Audiowizualnych; CETA), or as producers, in the case of KADR Film Studio (Studio Filmowe KADR), TOR Film Production (Studio Filmowe TOR) and ZEBRA Film Studio (Studio Filmowe ZEBRA).Some cultural institutions reporting to local authorities also have an additional function as operators of the Regional Film Funds, in the case of Odra-Film, the Gdynia Culture Centre (Centrum Kultury w Gdyni), the Mazovian Culture and Arts Centre (Mazowieckie Centrum Kultury i Sztuki), Poznań ‘Estrada’(Estrada Poznańska), the Krakow Festival Office (Krakowskie Biuro Festiwalowe), Silesia Film and the Pomeranian Dukes’ Castle in Szczecin (Zamek Książąt Pomorskich w Szczecinie) and/or as cinema operators, in the instances of Max-Film, Silesia Film and Film-Art.
CREATIVE EUROPE DESK POLAND
PUNKT KONTAKTOWY PROGRAMU KREATYWNA EUROPA w POLSCE
Al. Ujazdowskie 41 (corner Wilcza st.), III floor, 00-540 Warsaw
tel. +48 22 44 76 180, mob. +48 600 900 676
Creative Europe programme is a European Union initiative. As a continuation of
the MEDIA programme, it supports the work of entities in the audiovisual sector.
The national Creative Europe Desk in Poland is run by the Adam Mickiewicz
Eurimages is the Council of Europe's cultural support fund supporting the European film industry. It allocates grants and loans, supporting the production, distribution and promulgation of European films, as well as promoting cross-border collaboration between professionals.
TOR Film Production
02-595 Warsaw, ul. Puławska 61
tel./fax +48 22 845 53 03
Polish Film Institute
00-071 Warsaw, ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 21/23
tel. +48 22 421 03 86
POLISH FILMMAKERS ASSOCIATION
STOWARZYSZENIE FILMOWCÓW POLSKICH (SFP)
00-068 Warsaw, ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 7
tel. +48 22 556 54 40, +48 22 845 51 32, fax +48 22 845 39 08
The Polish Filmmakers Association is Poland’s largest organisation of film and television professionals. Its primary task is to integrate the film community and protect its interests. The Union of Audiovisual Authors and Producers (Związek Autorów i Producentów Audiowizualnych; ZAPA), a collective copyright management organisation, operates within the structures of the Association, as does the Andrzej Munk Youth and Film Studio (Studio „Młodzi i Film” im. Andrzeja Munka), which produces debut films. The SFP has a number of sections and circles, which unite representatives of all the filmmaking professions. It is also the organiser or co-organiser of the most important film festivals held in Poland.
The Polish Producers Alliance (KIPA), the only organisation of this type in AV sector, associates production companies as well as film schools and regional film funds. It has been an influential force in the growth and development of the Polish film industry since 2000.
KIPA’s main goal is representing and protecting the economic interests of its members, in particular before state authorities and key players of the AV market. Moreover, it integrates production companies, enhancing their collaboration and building a platform for networking, providing information on current financial, tax, and legislative changes. KIPA also provides access to legal services with top experts specializing in film law, shapes and disseminates business ethics in the AV sector.
Additionally, KIPA organises trainings and workshops for industry professionals that mainly concern legal, tax, film production and film distribution aspects. It also promotes members’ business activities, manages the Court Arbitration of the Audiovisual Market (SARA) and the Register of Audiovisual Works.
PRODUCERS GUILD OF POLAND
POLSKA GILDIA PRODUCENTÓW (PGP)
05-077 Warszawa, ul. Piękna 24
tel. +48 668 034 480
Producers Guild of Poland integrates the community of Polish producers. Its main goal is to focus on developing and protecting Polish film industry.
The Polish Society of Cinematographers represents cinematographers’ interests, in particular by protecting copyright, as well as by creating favourable conditions for its members’ professional development. It also supports intitiatives which instigate the development of the art of film and present cinematography-related issues to a wider view.
POLISH ASSOCIATION OF EDITORS
POLSKIE STOWARZYSZENIE MONTAŻYSTÓW (PSM)
00-336 Warsaw, ul. Kopernika 30, lok.600
tel. +48 22 827 38 17, +48 510 255 060, fax +48 22 831 79 20
The Polish Association of Editors unites editors for whom professional and artistic development is pivotal. It also protects their rights. In addition, it is engaged in the development of the art and science of picture and sound editing in audiovisual works.
The Union of Polish Actors represents the interests of professional actors and protects their social rights. It is a member of the International Federation of Actors (FIA).
The Directors Guild of Poland is an organisation established in order to represent and protect the rights of directors, their professional and social interests and the accomplishment of their social and cultural needs.
The Polish Animation Producers Association promotes Polish animated films both in Poland and internationally. It integrates the community of Polish animated film producers and provides it with support in acquiring foreign co-producers and distributors. It also supports the artistic development of promising young filmmakers and the creation of works for children and young people.
The Federation of Independent Filmmakers supports independent filmmaking by promoting works of high quality and artistic maturity. It inspires and maintains international contacts and facilitates participation in international film competitions and festivals. The organisation is a member of the Union Internationale du Cinéma (UNICA).
In addition to working on behalf of Poland’s regional funds and film commissions, the Polish Audiovisual Foundation supports the professional development of filmmakers and the promotion of Polish film abroad. It funds film professionals’ participation both in undertakings intended to increase their qualifications and in foreign events such as festivals and seminars involving the promotion of Polish cinema.
is a cultural institution reporting to the Wielkopolska Voivodship (województwo
wielkopolskie) and its tasks include the promulgation of filmmaking and film
culture. It runs two cinemas and the Wielkopolska Film Office.
The Independent Film Foundation was established with the aim of supporting filmmaking of high artistic quality and of creating conditions for the artistic and professional development of filmmakers. It is organiser of the Eagles Polish Film Awards (Polskie Nagrody Filmowe Orły), which are presented by the Polish Film Academy, a member of FAN of Europe, the Film Academies Network of Europe.
The Foundation also runs ScripTeast, an innovative programme for experienced screenwriters. The programme is tasked with increasing the competitiveness of Central and Eastern European screenplays and promoting them on the European market.
KRAKOWSKA FUNDACJA FILMOWA
31-143 Krakow, ul. Basztowa 15 lok.8A
tel./fax +48 12 294 69 45
email@example.com, www.kff.com.pl, www.krakowfilmfestival.pl, www.polishdocs.pl, www.polishshorts.pl
The Krakow Film Foundation is the organiser of the Krakow Film Festival and the Krakow Film Market which accompanies it, as well as being a co-organiser of Dragon Forum.
It founded the Film Promotion Agency, which is responsible for the promotion of Polish films abroad. To that same end, it organises the Polish Docs and Polish Shorts initiatives in collaboration with the Polish Film Institute. It is also engaged in documentary film distribution.
Max-Film is an institution reporting to the Masovian Voivodship (województwo mazowieckie). Its aim is to propagate film culture by means such as promoting Polish and foreign cinema and film education. It runs six cinemas and is engaged in film distribution, having a collection of more than 1 000 titles, predominantly Polish.
The Museum of Cinematography in Łódź collects, conserves and makes available cultural items relating to the art and technology of film. Its holdings include a collection of optical instruments pre-dating the invention of cinema and a collection of Polish and foreign film posters, stills and set designs. It also has its own film archive.
The New Horizons Association promotes the art of film, primarily by organising film festivals, special screenings and its own education initiatives. It is the organiser of the T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival, which takes place in Wrocław and it runs New Horizons of Film Education, a series of educational gatherings which are held in cinemas for teachers and pupils. It is also engaged in film distribution.
Odra-Film is a cultural institution reporting to the Lower Silesian Voivodship (województwo dolnośląskie) and its tasks include the promulgation of film culture. It operates seven cinemas, one of which is the Lower Silesian Film Centre (Dolnośląskie Centrum Filmowe) in Wrocław, organises film festivals and events and carries out educational programmes.
Odra-Film also runs the Lower Silesian Film Competition and the headquarters of the Wroclaw Film Commission.
The Polish Federation of Film Discussion Clubs brings together film enthusiasts’ clubs from all over the country. It provides them with assistance in programming by facilitating access to quality films and providing informative materials, including its own periodical, Film na świecie (Film Across the World), as well as offering advice on how to arrange seminars, lectures and meetings with film critics and filmmakers.
FILM FOUNDATION IN GDYNIA
POMORSKA FUNDACJA FILMOWA W GDYNI
81-553 Gdynia, ul. Wrocławska 93
tel. +48 58 621 15 09, fax +48 58 621 15 78
firstname.lastname@example.org, www.fundacjafilmowa.pl, www.fpff.pl
The Pomeranian Film Foundation in Gdynia is the organiser and producer of the Gdynia Film Festival, the country’s most important event for Polish films. It supports the development of every field of film art and promotes Polish filmmakers abroad, for instance by organising festivals of Polish film in Ireland and Ukraine.
Silesia Film is a cultural institution reporting to the Silesian Voivodship (województwo śląskie) and its tasks include the promulgation of film culture. It operates five cinemas, one of which is the Kosmos Cinema Centre of Film Art (Kino Kosmos Centrum Sztuki Filmowej) in Katowice, which houses the Silesian Film Archives (Filmoteka Śląska), the only regional facility of its kind in Poland. It carries out initiatives aimed at popularising film culture and supports film and film-related activity.
Silesia Film runs the Silesia Film Fund and the headquarters of the Silesia Film Commission. It also organises the REGIOFUN International Film Producers’ Festival.
The Film 1,2 Association represents, integrates and supports the community of debut filmmakers; directors, producers, camera operators, screenwriters, production directors, editors and representatives of other filmmaking professions. The Association’s aim is to provide assistance during the initial stage of their careers.
POLISH CINEMAS ASSOCIATION
STOWARZYSZENIE KINA POLSKIE
02-589 Warsaw, ul. Kazimierzowska 3
tel. +48 22 565 23 24
The Polish Cinemas Association represents circles connected with the promulgation of films and engaged in any of the issues related to running cinemas. It is the organiser of Forum Around Cinema (Forum Wokół Kina), an ongoing series of film community sectoral gatherings.
MUNK YOUTH AND FILM STUDIO
STUDIO „MŁODZI I FILM” IM. ANDRZEJA MUNKA
00-068 Warsaw, ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 7
tel. +48 22 556 54 70, fax +48 22 556 54 69
The Munk Studio produces debut films, operating within the structure of the Polish Filmmakers’ Association. It runs a programme entitled Full-Length Debut Feature and three programmes for short film debuts; 30 Minutes, devoted to short features, First Documentary and Young Animation.
FOR INDEPENDENT AND OTHER ARTS OFF CAMERA
STOWARZYSZENIE SZTUKI NIEZALEŻNEJ I NIE TYLKO OFF CAMERA
31-128 Krakow, ul. Karmelicka 55 lok.7
tel./fax +48 12 421 52 57
The Society for Independent and Other Arts Off Camera is the organiser of the OFF PLUS CAMERA Festival of Independent Cinema. It supports young and debuting filmmakers financially and artistically, providing monetary awards and grants for the accomplishment of new projects. The Association is also the co-organiser of the Script Pro screenplay competition, the continuation of the Hartley-Merrill competition.
The Tumult Foundation was set up with the aim of promoting and establishing cultural and artistic events. It is the organiser of the Camerimage International Festival of the Art of Cinematography and also operates as a producer or co-producer of feature and documentary films, as well as supporting the production of student études.
Warsaw Film Foundation is the organiser of the Warsaw Film Festival, an event
accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations
(FIAPF), alongside Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Locarno and nine other ‘A-list’
festivals. The event is accompanied by the CentEast Market, a meeting point for
professionals interested in Eastern European films. The foundation has also
been involved in the China-Eastern Europe Film Promotion Project, an initiative
for the presentation of new Chinese films in Poland and films from Poland and
Eastern Europe in China. |
PATTIE BOYD’S reaction to a series of his portraits sums up Bill Zygmant’s passion for photography. They were pictures of her ex-husband George Harrison, exhibited in a Compton Verney gallery after his death.
She stood there for a long time, her eyes fixed on his face, then turned and simply kissed Zygmant on the cheek before walking away.
“I thought that’s given someone a lot of pleasure – that’s what it’s about,” says the 73-year-old, whose images of 60s and 70s icons have themselves become iconic.
His was the first photograph of John Lennon and Yoko Ono to be made public, a humorous image of the Beatle pretending to pose like a model which has been published all over the world.
He has taken pictures of The Beatles, The Bee Gees, Jimi Hendrix, Marc Bolan, Marianne Faithfull, The Scaffold, Richard Burton, Grace Kelly, Bob Hoskins, Judi Dench, Edward Heath, Harold Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
He has had photographs displayed in the National Portrait Gallery, there is a “Zygmant” suite named in his honour in Liverpool’s Hard Days Night Hotel and he once borrowed John Lennon’s painted Rolls Royce.
“At the time I didn’t realise the significance of what I was doing,” he says.
“In the 60s you went out, it was a job and I was enjoying what I was doing. I didn’t really do it for the money.”
Photograph of John Lennon and Yoko in Bill Zygmant’s exhibition at Penny Lane Gallery Picture Bill Zygmant
Bill Zygmant, the man behind the first picture of John Lennon and Yoko Ono as a couple, talks to Arts Editor Laura Davis
A selection from his extensive portfolio, including an image showing all five original Bee Gees – with Robin Gibb on a space hopper, are being shown in his solo exhibition opening at Liverpool’s Penny Lane Gallery tomorrow.
“The 70s was the best time to be a photographer,” says Zygmant.
“There were lots of us, make no mistake, but it was easier than it is now. Pop stars, showbusiness people wanted to get into newspapers but now, although it seems that they still want to get in there, it’s more commercial.”
It was seeing news reels of press photographers snapping film stars, shown before the main feature during Saturday morning trips to the cinema, that initally attracted him to the job: “I thought I’ll never be a star but I can be a photographer.”
His first camera was a box Brownie-style Paxina, bought with the proceeds of a paper round at 14. It took two weeks for his first roll of film to be developed by the owner of the local photography shop, who offered him a job on the spot.
Zygmant was too young to accept however, and instead started taking pictures of skiffle and pop musicians, including Bill Haley, playing near his home in Tottenham.
He was offered his first job on the picture desk of the London Evening Star where he dealt with other people’s images rather than his own until, on one occassion, there was a shortage of photographers. Who would go out to cover Bertram Mills Circus?
Zygmant would, of course. So he did, armed with a Micro-press camera, 12 slides and his taxi fare.
The pictures that made his name he took while working for a Fleet Street news agency and later as a freelancer.
He bought his first Hasselblad camera in 1952 for £229 – “It felt like a mortgage. You could buy a house for under £1,000” – but has since moved on to Canon. In the evenings, to help pay the bills, he developed other people’s photographs.
One day, Yoko Ono, who was shooting her 1966 Fluxus film No. 4 (better known as “Bottoms” as it features close-ups of celebrities’ buttocks), knocked on the studio door.
“I don’t know why, but when they asked ‘how much do we owe you? We’ll come back tomorrow and pay’ I said ‘Oh forget it, do me a favour one day’,” he says.
“When I saw her at the opening of Apple Tailoring on Kings Road, she moved in behind John and there was my first picture. Luck!”
That was the first published image of the couple together. Another time, Zigmant shot them during rehearsals for their one and only Top of the Pops appearance in 1970, performing Instant Karma! (We All Shine On), the song about which Lennon said he “wrote it for breakfast, recorded it for lunch, and we’re putting it out for dinner”.
“The passion that John Lennon gave during that number was unbelievable,” recalls Zygmant. “You could see that’s what they believed in.
“There’s a series of pictures where they’re cuddling ( see cover picture) and looking at the playback – and it contradicts what people thought, that she was after his money. They were in love.”
Zygmant had decided to give up putting on exhibitions but couldn’t resist the Penny Lane Gallery.
“I wasn’t going to do any more because I was quite happy plodding along really, but then it’s unfair because I think people should see your work if it’s of importance,” he says.
“What better place than Liverpool? Everyone’s been so good to me there.”
BILL ZYGMANT’S exhibition opens at the Penny Lane Gallery tomorrow and runs until October 14. He is also judging the Albert Dock’s Reflections photography competition. Details at http://www.albertdock.com
Liverpool Post, August 16, 2012 |
Antonio Aakeel is flying the flag for young Midlands actors after landing himself a lead role in an adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s plays.
The 21-year-old recently wrapped up shooting feature filmThe Hungry, an adaptation of Titus Andronicus. The production which marks Bornilla Chatterjee’s debut was green-lit as part of Shakespeare’s 400th birthday celebrations last year, making Birmingham’s Antonio the perfect choice for the Bard’s first tragedy.
Playing a leading role as primary character Chirag Joshi, the contemporary adaption follows Tulsi Joshi – played by Indian film and stage actress Tisca Chopra – who exacts a plan of revenge against business tycoon Tathagat, portrayed by cinema legend Naseeruddin Shah, after believing him to be responsible for the death of one of her sons.
As her plan unfolds, Tulsi finds herself battling her inner darkness whilst trying to protect her other son, Antonio’s character Chirag, after he returns home unannounced and thwarts her calculated plan on a journey of self-destruction.
Antonio has previously starred in British TV dramas including Skins and Doctors. His film credits include The Line of Freedom and The Contract and City of Tiny Lights, which is due to hit cinemas on April 7. |
Note: The following is a column that I wrote for the Barrow Journal, and it appeared in that newspaper on September 29, 2010. Back then, my sons had just turned 4 and 1, so the one-year-old was not watching any T.V. I’m revising this column just a little for my blog, and I’m going to follow up with a Part 2) about our T.V. viewing now – which has increased, and a Part 3) programming we watch.
I have heard a few mothers say that they do not permit their children to watch television at all, or they limit it to one 20-30 minute program or segment of a movie each day. I usually remain quiet when I hear this because I can only imagine what they would think of me if they knew how much television I allow my son to watch.
I don’t blame them though. There has been a lot of research done on T.V. and kids, and most of it favors limiting screen time. (You can see a good summary of the findings on the University of Michigan Health System website.)
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of 2 watch no television, and older children should be limited to only one or two hours of educational, age-appropriate programming.
Research also points out:
- Watching too much T.V. can lead to weight gain, sleep problems, and can have a negative impact on school performance.
- Children under the age of eight cannot differentiate between what is real and fantasy, and telling them that something isn’t real doesn’t work, so scary programs can traumatize them.
- There has also been research done to show that children learn certain attitudes through stereotypes depicted on T.V., and there is much evidence showing that aggressive behavior can be linked to watching violence on T.V.
As for infants, researchers do not know enough about early brain development, but there’s enough evidence to suggest that all those DVDs marketed to babies does not help them. Babies need to interact with adults, hear their parents talking to them and be free to explore their environments. Some studies suggest a link between early exposure to television and the development of ADD.
On average, my 4-year-old son probably watches 2.5 hours of T.V. per day, though not all at once. We allow him to watch two educational programs each in the morning and evening. We only use Apple T.V. or DVDs, so the programs last about 25 minutes each and are commercial free. Sometimes he’ll sit and watch part of a program my husband and I watch too, though we are careful not to watch anything violent.
There are days he watches more or less T.V. When he’s sick or there’s a special occasion or if we just feel like it, we let him watch a movie in addition to a couple of shows, and he always gets to watch the whole movie. This does not include the time he spends in front of a computer each day.
My husband loves T.V. and watches at least one show each day on his computer. I’m thankful he’s not someone who needs to keep the T.V. on all day, but since he loves T.V. and technology, he has gotten my son used to a certain daily dose in front of the tube. It used to worry me, but there comes a time when you have to pick your battles, and I knew that screen time in my house was not something I was going to change.
Furthermore, I now depend on my son’s T.V. time, and I’m not sure I could get anything done otherwise. I use the time to take a shower, do chores and tend to my baby. I honestly don’t know how those moms manage with just “30 minutes of T.V. a day.”
I think there are other benefits to children watching television, but they are not talked about as much. By watching educational programming, my son has learned much more than I ever learned when I was his age. I am also surprised that he loves to watch nature programs and documentaries. (He watched Michael Wood’s documentary, The Story of India, with my husband and I when he was two. I think the stunning cinema photography kept his attention.) How else could I expose him to such interesting places and things?
There have been studies showing that programming with a prosocial message can have positive effects on children and adults. I believe that by watching a cartoon such as PBS’s Caillou, my son has gained confidence. The show reinforces many of the things I’m teaching him, and he identifies with the little boy named Caillou who is so much like him.
When I read articles about the negative affects of television on children, I take note of the suggested alternatives to watching television:
- talking to your children,
- not watching during dinner,
- exploring nature,
- encouraging imaginative play,
- stories on the iPod,
- and letting them be bored sometimes so they have to figure out how to occupy themselves.
The thing is – I do all of those things! He has a variety of activities to fill his day, and we go out and explore the world and meet people. T.V. is just a part of his day.
Much of the commentary on the effects of T.V. on children had to do with children watching the commercials and too much adult programming, especially programs with violence. I believe that when parents balance age-appropriate, commercial-free T.V. viewing with other, healthy activities, television can’t hurt kids. And it may be good for them if they watch educational, prosocial shows.
More coming up in Parts 2 and 3. I hope you’ll come back, and please tell me what you think! |
VIP Part Time Kitchen Lead - Cineplex Cinemas Kitchener & VIP
- 225 Fairway Rd S, Kitchener, ON N2C 1X2, Canada
Cineplex is one of Canada’s leading entertainment and media company, Cineplex (TSX:CGX) is a top-tier Canadian brand that operates in the Film Entertainment and Content, Amusement and Leisure, and Media sectors. As Canada’s largest and most innovative film exhibitor, Cineplex welcomes 70 million guests annually through its circuit of 165 theatres across the country. Cineplex also operates successful businesses in digital commerce (CineplexStore.com), food service, alternative programming (Cineplex Events), cinema media (Cineplex Media), digital place-based media (Cineplex Digital Media), amusement solutions (Player One Amusement Group) and an online eSports platform for competitive and passionate gamers (WorldGaming.com). Additionally, Cineplex operates a location based entertainment business through Canada’s newest destination for ‘Eats & Entertainment’ (The Rec Room), and will also be opening new complexes specially designed for teens and families (Playdium) as well as exciting new sports and entertainment venues in communities across the country (Topgolf). Cineplex is a joint venture partner in SCENE, Canada’s largest entertainment loyalty program.
Proudly recognized as having one of the country’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures, Cineplex employs approximately 13,000 people in its offices across Canada and the United States and we offer competitive compensation. To learn more visit Cineplex.com or download the Cineplex App.
Cineplex VIP Cinemas is changing the movie-going experience in an exciting and innovative manner. Featuring licensed lounges, luxurious reserved seats, and great food, Cineplex VIP Cinemas offers guests an exceptional service experience in an adults-only environment. Our well-stocked bar offers cocktails, martinis, beer and wine selections. Our diverse menu includes popular selection of appetizers, entrees and desserts. The wide variety of VIP food and drink contribute to Cineplex’s ranking as one of the top 15 food and beverage providers in Canada.
As a rapidly expanding area of Cineplex’s business, the Cineplex VIP Cinemas offers exciting food and beverage career opportunities for energetic, experienced individuals who are looking for growth and development in the food and beverage industry.
NOW HIRING – KITCHEN LEAD
Kitchen Leads are Cineplex employees that coach, develop and supervise our Cast Members. Their primary responsibility is to ensure that every guest has the exceptional entertainment experience. The Cineplex atmosphere is energetic, fast-paced, social, exciting and positive.
We are currently recruiting for a 40 per week Kitchen Lead for our food service operation within the theatre. This position will be responsible for leading the kitchen operation, guiding all kitchen staff and preparing food using standardized recipes and portion sizes. You are committed to providing exceptional food service, upholding our menu expectations and driving consistent execution for the food service business. You are friendly and upbeat and you pride yourself on your organization, efficiency and product knowledge. You are passionate about food and love to work in a fun environment. You will report to the VIP Manager and General Manager. In addition, you will be working indirectly with our Corporate Chef.
If you love the movies, food and enjoy working with the public, then this opportunity would be perfect for you. If this is the opportunity you’ve been looking for – Don’t Wait!! Apply Today!
What does it take to be a Leader in our VIP food service concept?
- You are Food Safe certified
- You must have advanced knowledge of safety, sanitation and food handling procedures
- Previous line cook experience in a casual dining environment, catering or currently studying in a culinary education program would be consider an asset
- You have supervisory experience
- You are an energetic leader that is service and results oriented
- You are team oriented, friendly and outgoing
- You enjoy working in a fast paced, guest service environment
- You have the ability to work calmly and effectively under pressure
- You possess superior communication skills
- You have a working knowledge of Microsoft office
Successful candidates will enjoy free movies, competitive wages, comprehensive training programs, flexible hours, tuition assistance and cash incentive programs.
Successful candidates will enjoy free movies, competitive wages, comprehensive training programs, and tuition assistance. If you love the movies and enjoy working with the public, then this opportunity would be perfect for you. Don’t Wait!! Apply Today!
While we appreciate all interest, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. |
Our partners: HOME Mcr
26 February 2016
The Confucius Institute sponsors regular screenings of modern Chinese films at HOME Mcr, the new centre for artistic creation, learning, festivals and audience engagement.
In partnership with the Chinese Film Forum UK (CFFUK) we sponsor regular screenings of modern Chinese films at HOME Mcr, the new centre for artistic creation, learning, festivals and and audience engagement.
Q&A with Rachel Hayward, Programme Manager and Dr Andy Willis, Senior Visiting Curator, HOME Mcr
What is your general impression of Chinese films? In what way do they appeal to UK viewers?
We've recently been struck by the breadth of films reaching the UK from China as witnessed by the increased releases of mainstream Chinese films into UK multiplexes. However, for our audiences at HOME these films are often a little too commercial. We have found that we have an impressive fan base for classic titles like Spring in a Small Town and Police Story which we've recently screened. These trends reflect the variety of Chinese films available in the UK, but we remain dedicated to bringing an even broader range of titles in particular showcasing independent and emerging filmmakers.
Why do HOME (previously Cornerhouse) want to screen Chinese films and what is your partnership with the Confucius Institute like?
We're committed to showing films from around the world and have particular expertise and experience in programming films from East Asia. We've worked with the Confucius Institute on a number of projects over the years, including the ongoing Chinese Film Forum UK and Asia Triennial Manchester seasons. What is positive about working with the Confucius Institute is that they recognise our strengths in programming whilst offering constructive support. The Confucius Institute are a valued partner when it comes to communicating with students as they have wide networks that we're able to utilise as part of our partnership.
Which Chinese film(s) or director(s) impressed you most and in what ways?
Andy has a particular interest in Hong Kong cinema, specifically crime genre films and it is this, combined with recent popularity of crime drama with audiences, that was the impetus behind our current season CRIME: Hong Kong Style.
If we had to identify one director, we would say Felix Chong, our special guest who will be presenting two UK premieres at HOME and at various venues across the UK in March.
What role do you see arts organisations like HOME play in bringing Chinese films to the UK general public?
Due to the pressure upon commercial cinemas it is often left to independent venues such as HOME and our tour partners to bring Chinese films to UK audiences. This is particularly the case when it comes to less mainstream titles such as those films screened at festivals such as Cannes and Berlin. HOME has imported a number of films from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan through the partnership with the Confucius Institute and Chinese Film Forum UK. |
Hey, you know the Exodus of the Israelites? I have this thing about that and poop-
(Hang on, is it Passover today? It is? Uhhh… Maybe read this next week)
Hey, you know the Exodus of the Israelites? I have this thing about that and poop-
(Hang on, is it Passover today? It is? Uhhh… Maybe read this next week)
One of the most dangerous things to fundamentalism is a desire to be good.
This post was in part spurred by relistening to the absolutely dreadful Camp Kookawacka Woods by Patch the Pirate, a subject so dreadful I feel a bit like I should do a rewatch podcast just so I can impress upon people just how utterly yikesy the whole franchise is at its core. Listening to it, though, with Fox, I had to let her know that some of the songs (that were performed pretty well) were hymns, and some of the songs were based on old campfire songs, and some of the songs were rip-offs of pop songs, and how the whole thing was just so cheap and hacky.
This is a pattern.
If you’ve ever gone looking for what I call Christian Replacement Media, you might have noticed that it’s kind of bad? Not necessarily remarkably bad, no glorious-trainwreck The Room style hubristic excess, it’s just that the best of these movies tends to crest a Pretty Alright level. Probably the best Christian Media Escapee band is Five Iron Frenzy, which is to say that the entire right-wing music machine was able to produce a single good ska band of leftists, which considering the number of times they’re rolling that dice is not a great average. The movies, the branding, the graphic design, almost everything you see in the Christian Replacement Sphere is a slightly shit version of whatever it’s replicating.
Oh, they’re often expensive. Yet even the things that are expensive in this space tend to be gaudy, or overpaid for. When it comes to art and media these stories are almost always just slightly inferior, confusingly weak versions of things that aren’t actually that hard to get right. There are bestselling Christian authors whose work crests the quality of maybe a decent fanfiction.
This is weird though! It’s not like being in the Christian cultural space asks you to be bad. Assuming a random selection of the Christian media space is an equally random selection of the culture of the world, you have to assume that a certain percentage of them are just going to pick up decent artists.
I have a theory.
No, wait, I have a hypothesis.
The hypothesis is built out of my experience, and the experience of a few ex-fundie friends. We’ve talked about it, about the things that pulled us away from the faith, and how those things that pulled us off the path were not the fun, excellent temptations we were warned against, but inevitably, a drive to be good at something. I didn’t learn my eschatology and biblical foundational theory because I wanted to prove it wrong. I learned it, because I wanted to be able to prove it right. Nonbelievers would come at me with arguments, I was told, and so I wanted to understand those arguments so I could show how they were wrong. One of my friends wanted to do excellent work rendering graphics for their church, and so they wanted to study how graphics worked and how to convince people with the icon rendered in front of them. Another was driven by a desire to Make Computers Work.
None of us set out to fall.
The basic idea is this: To be good at something requires context and practice. Gaining either of these things inevitably exposes you to the ways in which fundamentalist church spaces fail.
It’s not that church seeks out awful artists. It’s that the modern American church is a sorting algorithm that wants to throw out the good artists in the name of keeping the people who are content to be average at things. Oh, they may want the numinous and the excellent, but if you ask a preacher to choose between a ‘faithful’ artist vs a ‘troubled’ one, they’re going to plomp for the pious one every time.
Plus, the faithful don’t tend to charge what they’re worth.
One of the things patriarchy teaches men is that they own, in a way, what they look at. It also teaches non-men that that they are, in part, owned by being looked at.
Simple little lesson. Simple little idea. Advertising to men often just shows them things and the natural intuition is that they’re entitled to it. Women are shown things with an explanation for what’s wrong with them and why they need to get them.
This idea is part of why there’s not really a structural comparison between the male gaze and female gaze. The thing is, The Male Gaze is the default structure, an observable trend that comes about not because a bunch of dudes looked at a textbook for Male Gaziness, but because men, given control and means to, did things, and afterwards, people observing that work were able to find a really clear, consistant pattern.
It was a byproduct of giving guiding control of a medium to mostly a single gender for generations. And it grew in part out of that same starting mindset: The idea that you were entitled to the things you looked at.
In the Bible there’s this passage:
27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
This passage has been used heavily to talk about the dangers of lust as an action. It’s one of the times the Bible weighs in about whether sins are things you do to people or objects, or if they can happen in your mind. Which, well, the Bible is pretty clear, yes, they can. If you think it, you did it, and adultery isn’t just about bodies and grinding, it’s also about the mere capacity to want it.
Which makes a kind of sense, if looking at something is an action of power.
It makes sense if you own the things you look at.
Let’s talk about love for a moment.
Content warning; I’m going to mention some bad people, bad actions and some church stuff.
I had a weird nightmare last night –
I say last night, based entirely on when I’m writing this. You know I load this blog ahead of time so it’s no secret that I’m not writing this literally right now. I actually really like the distance it gives me when I write about something emotionally entangling. With the knowledge I’ve written about it, I can talk about it dispassionately, but nobody I know is going to react to this text now when I’m raw about it, and nobody’s going to read my blog like tea-leaves trying to work out my mood or whether or not I’m okay.
Anyway, it was a really weird nightmare because all I can really remember is the end. I was at a revival church meeting with my parents. Big white tents, sunny day, and like, there were tubs of soda drinks, and bags of chips and lots of things that normally make me happy – indulgent things, the kind of free food nobody checks up on you about or tut-tuts about you having too much.
Then the organ started to play and everyone filed to sit down… and I realised I didn’t have any paper or pen.
And that was… strange. It was deeply strange to wake up, with the lurching feeling of horror from that. Every time I went to church I took notepaper along, ostensibly to ‘take notes’ but realistically speaking it was to draw things, write things, or just play in paper space while I listened. Really, the main discipline of church was being taught how to sit quietly and not cause a fuss – you don’t actually learn much. Sermons are often really basic, really bad demonstrations of ideas or points, they’re much more about setting a tone and a style, and part of that means they have to be boring because if they were fun or exciting or interesting or easy it’s not ‘serious’ enough.
To be caught without paper and pen means staring down this boring demonstration of information by someone who is interpreting a book and if you’ve read the book as well you know what they’re leaving out. It means you’re going to be bored and angry and you will be so for eleven billion hours.
The story of the city of Sodom is barely worth recapping, but in case you’ve never heard it, basically there was this place that God didn’t like that was basically named Doomedsville, and the only good people who lived there were shown in one incident how they were too good to live there, before God told them the town was hecked and they left. I’m glossing over some plot points, but it’s honestly not important, because what’s really remarkable about this story is what it’s about.
See, right now, if you ask people, it’s about the sexual immorality of the city, the way that the people of Sodom used to stick their hoo-hahs into butt-holes and that’s why it was a sign of what a problem things could be. That’s why God hates gay marriage.
Except those people, these days, are also opposed by people, equally certain of their familiarity with the religious texts of the now, who want to assert to you that, in fact, the sin of Sodom was their failure to show the messengers proper comfort: That the story of Sodom was a place that failed to respect people enough, and right, and therefore, God loves gay marriage.
This is not, in any way new.
Back during the 1930s, the city of Sodom was a story about a failure of the people to care for their travellers and interlopers, brought up as an example of people who weren’t in the proper spirit of Christian Charity. In the 1940s and 1920s, Sodom and Gomorrah were known to be about the vile practice of race-mixing. In the 1890s, Kelogg was certain that Sodom and Gomorrah were a story about the foulness of indulgent humanity who ate fancy food.
Now this is no secret to anyone familiar with Christian movements: Everything in the story is just a justification for today’s latest problem, and nobody wants to read any further than the destruction of the city for their metaphor.
The stories we tell, and how we tell them, shape our worldview. This isn’t ‘media programs you,’ not a satanic panic fear-of-the-demons-in-your-media, but something slower, more grinding, more insidious. There’s an acretion of the world around you as you pass over it, little bits of the everyday. Making everyone’s clothes show ads, we thought, would be about making sure you were always showing off the #brand. Turns out that it mostly just meant people saw ads on clothes as normal and not worth noticing any more.
It’s hard to turn that kind of ubiquity into money in a pragmatic one-on-one sense. It’s difficult to monetise a brand if the main job monetising it is to be everywhere all at once, you need a certain scale for that to have an impact. You need to be Pepsi, for example. What you can do with it, though, is reinforce an idea of what’s normal, and thousands of sources doing it all the time can do a lot to shape that idea of normal.
It’s Marketing Whiteness.
CW, gunna talk about slavery and fundamentalism and whiteness and dismiss the historicity of the Bible, which just gets some people up in a dander.
Five years ago, I spoke about myself very differently.
As with Rachel and Clay before them, I once more turn to point to someone I know, and love, and care about, who hasn’t had a fair shake.
Melissa Elliott, two ls, two ts, is one of those people who, if the 17th century wasn’t just the most awful, would have been one of those academic thinker types we sit around now wondering where they find the time. She’s done infosec research, drawn comics, built a twitter brand, built videogame AI, done some work on videogames, reverse engineered some things, won a My Little Pwnie award for her work in information security –
er, specifically for writing a silly song –
Now, none of these are raging successes, by the standards we use to determine success. This is in part because none of us grew up in cultures that value artistic expression, and I know that moreso of Melissa’s upbringing because she and I shared a particular horrorshow that was American Fundamentalism. This is not an experience and a place that, let me tell you, does much to encourage the creative efforts of young women.
I am grateful this year that Melissa has been part of it – the whole way. I feel like a walking firework alongside her, where she needs some degree of quiet, some emotional space, and I, with my big loud idiot elbows smack into spaces that can distress her without even trying – but despite it, she still shares with me what she makes, and what she wants, and what she’s interested in, and that means a lot to me.
Incidentally, she hates card games, and that’s okay – because when I share what I do with my friends, I don’t do it because I want them to feel obligated they should like them.
I said I’d say something about this and I never did, and this sucks and it’s in my head and now I’m going to share it with you. For as there are good things in this world, there are dark and miserable reflections, and with Christian Replacement Media on my mind, let us speak now of some of its worst examples.
In the late 90s there was a ska boom. Ska music got on the radio. There was also the peak era of South Park, as a generation of teenagers tried to convince their parents that they didn’t care about your opinions, dude and they liked edgy, powerful, dangerous media like this thing about children talking to poop.
Two media trends, two chances to capitalise and milk money out of other Christians? Well, of course it was time for the Christian Replacement Media machine to get involved and get involved hard.
“What,” you may be asking, “the fuck was that.”
That, my friend is the evil mirror to Five Iron Frenzy. It is the fundamentalist-enough Christian alternative to South Park’s visual aesthetic branding and opposition point to the radio’s sinful Mighty Mighty Bosstones. It is a musical Waluigi, an entity created entirely in opposition to values rather than expression of values. It is ash. In as much as art can be, it is sin.
By the way, boy, the people on the Mexican border really had a problem that they weren’t getting enough Americans telling them about Jesus. Mexico’s a country with a real problem with Christianity, right? Let’s set aside the Anti-Catholic and patronising probably-Racism of Mission Trip To Mexico and instead examine what I feel is probably their worst song, Homeschool Girl.
Public school is full of drug addicts, boring, and lies to you. But Homeschool girl, well, she’s super great.
Augh I’m listening to it again.
It literally exhorts how good she is at preparing him stuff! It holds up how smart she is by how many grades she is ahead except because she’s homeschooled that doesn’t mean anything, since the person telling you that isn’t a fucking teacher! This is literally propoganda for a lifestyle that I know’s inflicted tremendous harm on people!
Sometimes you can think about the impact of a piece of art in terms of what it made seem normal, what it impacted, who it really influenced. And I am sadly certain that there are people, right now, homeschooling their kids, who are doing it in part because when they were young teens, they heard this song and it helped to form what they thought of as ‘normal.’
Hmm, let’s see, other countries, homeschooling with some overtones of sexism, what about –
Oh yeah, Abstinence!
Fucking hell this fucking group of fucking dickheads.
Okay okay, not going to talk about the lyrics or message of this media – the pain of having had sex? the fuck, you’re doing it very wrong – but I’m going to talk about how boring this ska music is. It’s very competently arranged, but very poorly mixed, and if you listen to all this stuff in a row you’ll be struck by how all BOB songs more or less sound the same.
All their album is up on Youtube, if you give a shit to go listen to it. I think their least obnoxious track is I Saw Pastor Dancing, which is just intensely cringey.
Oh and if you’re curious: Yes. I owned this album. And I owned it instead of owning All The Hype Money Can Buy.
Did I really choose that title? Is that what we’re going with? Mmh, well, okay.
If you’ve spent any time on the internet delving through the Youtube archives of people telling you about things you’d never heard of that suck, chances are good you’ve run into the ouvre of Christian Replacement media I was raised in. you’ve seen attempts to make Christian musicals, you’ve seen the Christian animations, and you’ve probably even come across the Christian superhero stories. Which suck.
You’ll see this kind of media absolutely everywhere but only once you puncture into the social space of the Christian media sphere. There’s an actual suggestion when you’re inside it that you should buy this stuff and wear the branding because it’s a good way to get people to notice you, it’s a starter of conversations and it makes sure people recognise that you’re Christian, Not Ashamed, in your pursuit of the attention of the heathens, moving about in their space and being a better person than them. That is absolutely not what happens. What happens is you go to a youth camp and see everyone wearing the same general genre of t-shirt showing off Christian bands, Christian branding, Christian media franchises and that’s all. And some of it is pretty lazy – I mean, seriously, Jesus → Reese’s is as far as that idea got.
There’s a lot of this stuff, and I know I’ve spoken in the past about the absolutely awful band Bunch Of Believers – wait, I haven’t? I haven’t subjected you, my readers and friends to that particular flavour of garbage? Well, heck, I’m going to have to work on that. Anyway, the point is, this stuff exists and it’s almost always derivative and it’s extremely weak in its execution. Often anything that calls for a thoughtful interpretation or even something where there’s a clear, useful connection to existing media, it’s not taken. Heck, it’s sometimes missed so widely you can be left wondering if the people in question are trying at all.
Which they’re not.
Know why this stuff is all garbage?
There are two basic reasons that the Christian Replacement Media is low quality. The first is it’s an industry; it wants to churn out things with as little effort as possible to scoop up as much purchasing power as it possibly can from the networked church system of industries, and it wants to do that as cost-effectively as possible. People aren’t buying clever or good, they’re buying in-group markers. The other reason, though, and it’s the reason that makes so many of those tv shows and the like look so bad is because they’re often aiming for an audience that has no idea about quality. They’re not dealing with audiences who have seen and tried a lot of things – they’re dealing with some audiences who have only really experienced the Christian media landscape, people who are dismissing non-Christian media out of hand, and people who are trying to insulate their family – usually children – from the harmful influence of Things That Exist.
These things exist to suck because they literally do not want you to have anything better to compare them to.
I grew up – okay, let me start that again.
I lived, from the age of four to the age of fourteen, in a suburb of New South Wales called Engadine. Engadine is where I learned how money works, how to read, what a library was, how to talk to a doctor, about family restaurants and VHS tapes and watched the Beta cases slowly disappear off the shelves. It’s the place I walked with my mother as she went to a business to pick up an actual physical paycheque and hand it into an actual physical bank. It’s the place I tried a paper route.
To say I ‘grew up’ there is a misnomer, though. Because in Engadine, I was in an environment that deliberately sought to stifle what I learned of the world, watching a small number of years left in the world tick down. But Engadine is still a big part of my life, and time to time, we pass through it on the way to Sydney, from where I live now.
Engadine has a KFC and a McDonalds on the highway, meaning that on a long con drive out of Sydney, it’s a place to refuel and restock, and also, crucially, a place where you’re not going to get caught up in a brutal Sydney snarl of traffic if you stop for a while and sit down.
Dad used to say Engadine had a lot of flat ground – it was just all vertical. The terrain of Engadine is all hills, homes perching on uneven backyards, with the biggest flat areas being the football pitch, the mall, and the public pools, which sat across from the school I went to. We would cross the road and do sport on the big field, or in the public facilities to play hockey.
I really do love the public works part of Engadine, in hindsight. There were so many things that were available to me that I didn’t know, or didn’t appreciate. There was a walkway to the Train Station that went under the road, so as a child, I could safely make my way to the station without having to go up a huge number of stairs or some other way cross six lanes of highway.
When we revisit Engadine, though, the thing that blows my mind is how little it changes. Storefronts have changed – different businesses have come and gone and I’m sure nobody there remembers me, nobody remembers what I did or who I was, some nondescript little church kid with a bowl haircut reading Pratchett novels in the foyer. But the shape of Engadine is the same.
I think a lot of this is because of the roads. Engadine’s roads are all… pretty much the same? The big Woolworths is probably a Coles now, the NeoLife offices aren’t there any more (because the bastard who ran them is dead), but the businesses and the people have to follow the shape of the roads, the roads that are laid out on the land as best they can be.
I remember when I lived there I was genuinely confused as to how there were any other places in the world. How would you get there? The first time dad drove us out onto the highway and I saw that that little road I thought went nowhere in fact went everywhere, it blew my tiny mind.
But Engadine is still Engadine. It is older and it is different and it is dressed differently, but it is still a place named for the people who we took it from, wearing on its roads the scars of a culture that should never forget what we did.
You know what it’s like to walk into a world where David Bowie has existed your entire adult life and you have no idea who he is?
The man’s like a fucking space alien.
I grew up in a media bubble which means my actual appreciation of media as having some sort of continuity and inter-related field of study. So imagine if your first encounter with music is jumping from church praise songs to, around 1997, suddenly having access to popular radio and media, which you listen to in your room, with headphones, for fear of being found out.
Now you might think this means I learned a lot about trash, and boy howdy did I. My knowledge of pop music started in 1997 and that was not a great time for Australian pop. And somehow, in the intervening years, I never actually went that far back. I never really got ‘into’ Bowie. He was part of the landscape already. I could literally never experience his songs new, see his impact new.
But he was everyfuckingwhere.
When I learned the man had passed, I tried to think about what he’d done that I really knew. Oh he was in Labyrinth. Oh he made The Man Who Came To Earth. Oh he was in The Prestige. Oh he was referenced in The Venture Bros. Oh he was responsible for that song in Elite Beat Agents. Oh he was in Shrek 2.
In his lifetime, David Bowie became part of the landscape. Fluency in him didn’t just become important to understand the world at large, but he became osmotic. And that’s just from me, from someone who is as close as you can come to not having anything to do with the guy as possible. For a lot of people, for my friends, David Bowie is the Michael Jackson of the queer set – an ideal of concepts and values that has underpinned their entire lives since it was introduced, something so fundamentally ur to their modern now that they don’t even realise he had formed it. The people who are all fucked up and sad right now because he’s gone but don’t know why because it’s not like they listened to his music all that much.
It didn’t impact me much, but I get that it did.
There, that ought to get a bunch of people to not read it. Anyway. Continue reading
Yesterday, editing the podcast, I caught myself saying five-man dungeon. It’s a common phrase, used in World of Warcraft discussion. It grows from a common phrase for crewing things – man the cannons – and basically it means the same thing as five person dungeon.
I thought about this turn of phrase, as yet another little bit of everyday sexism that’s worn into my mind, and where the alternative isn’t just unfamiliar, it’s linguistically kinda worse. Without trying to sound like a whiner on this, five-person and five-man are two terms that have distinctly different flows; the consonant stop in the middle is a distinct thing and it shapes the term differently. This isn’t to say I want to keep using five-man – I corrected myself both times.
I also kept in that I made the mistake.
There’s a strangeness that comes from hearing yourself, played back, regularly. My podcasting compatriots don’t hear it, unedited, the same way I do. They don’t hear the raw audio, over and over again. I’m not responsible for anyone else’s manner of speaking, but I am responsible for my own. My language is not just embedded with the signs of the typical intersectional overlay of kyriarchic bullshit that we all deal with but I have an extra bonus layer coming from my fundamentalist upbringing. Even the way I swear, explicitly a rebellion against that kind of thing, reflects that upbringing. I learned to write and read under an American regime, then had Australian corrections amend it in some superficial ways dating back from before modern spelling. I learned to spell ‘waggon’ and ‘gaol,’ words of no practical application in the modern day but as strange curiosities.
I feel a need to be honest about these mistakes. I mess up. There are others I don’t catch. Editing audio – especially hours and hours of it – is really hard. There’s stuff that slips through. Sometimes, hugely embarassingly, sometimes not.
Lemme tell you about socialised speech.
You learn a lot of how you talk from the things around you. A lot of kids learn slang and shorthand from one another. Swears and other language, things that have meaning that they share with one another. I didn’t have many friends – I very rarely ‘socialised’ with other kids. Not just awkwardness, but also the divides and factionalism in our church, and the, you know, violence. Common public media wasn’t okay either – and any words that were ‘wrong’ were met with a pretty consistant punishment.
I remember reading Hitch-Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy and seeing Zaphod Beeblebrox use the word ‘photons’ as a swear. He used it like the word ‘heck’ or ‘dang.’ It was a good word, it had that nice ‘t’ in the middle and it wasn’t a word, as far as I could tell, that was rude at all. It had something to do with laser guns, I think? And so I used ‘photons’ when I was hurt, when I was frustrated, when I fell off things or when I touched my chest and felt the bruise spreading. “Ah, photons.”
Then one day, my dad grabbed me, by the side of the head, and yanked me out of the flow of traffic. He looked me, very seriously in the eyes, and told me to stop saying that.
“Is it a rude word?” I asked, terrified. Had I been doing A Wrong?
“You know what you really mean,” he growled, and that was all the explanation I got.
I was lost. I was confused. That… what did I reall mean? Was Photons a dirty word in another language? Was it in the Bible somewhere? This prompted a little research project that took me six months before I finally gave up. The guilt of the action wracked me.
Another source of my language flowed from the god-awful media I had access to. There were these strange 1970s nostalgia pieces my dad and mum kept, the videogames that slid in, but ultimately, what I read and saw was from that particular Christian media bubble. I read a lot of fundamentalist Christian literature, and the ‘cool’ edge of that (trust me, you’ve no idea). Narnia, But Written In 1990 America To A Word Count.
One of the hallmarks in that kind of story of the protagonists? The character you were meant to emulate?
He called people sir.
Oh, he called women ma’am, too, that was definitely part of it, but the sir thing stood out. When I left that media bubble and called teachers sir they looked at me confused. When I called strangers sir on the street, they gave me the same look. When I called a woman a few years older than me ma’am, I got a filthy look.
As a teenager, it was weird. As a young adult working service industries and low-skill jobs, it was old-fashioned. Now, in my life, a ‘sir’ at the wrong time can be an act of violence.
This is scored in deep on my mind. This is etched in my brain. It leaps out of my mouth barely passing my conscious mind, and not doing so sets me on edge because those terms are tied to respect in my life, they are tied to politeness and in refusing to do them, I am in some way, preparing a defensive or offensive posture. They are words meant to reassure that have stopped working, but my urge to be kind, my want to be nice to be people tries to re-apply these broken tools.
I’ve taken to using ‘y’all’ a lot. It has the nice side effect of also being a word that can be used to obliterate ‘you guys’ or ‘guys.’ That sort of substition is something my brain can handle. When the ma’am comes up I can replace it with y’all – “How are y’all” somehow sits right in place of “How are you, ma’am?” Of course, now, I’ve traded the chance of upsetting strangers and misgendering people for instead, a familiar conversation with people who want to know why I’m using it. It inevitably results in someone cleverly pointing out that they are not multiple people. My efforts to expunge harm have instead exposed me to pedantry, and boy hoy howdy do I love me some pedantry. The concern about it usually comes from people who only deal with me in text, and what’s weird there is it’s not like any of them have any idea how I do talk, or how I should talk.
That in particular is weird, because I don’t talk like an Australian.
I mean I barely ever say the word ‘c*nt.’
I think about this sort of problem a lot. And I think any time someone retweets or shares a tumblr post that ends with “THIS ISN’T HARD PEOPLE.”
It’s hard for me.
What follows is a discussion that features a not-pleasant truth about my childhood. I don’t go into detail and I don’t provide a lot of context, but there’s just one little sentence I know will upset some people if you’re not braced for it.
Much was made of the Christian overtones of Man of Steel, to the point where the movie was advanced-screened to some churches, a point that some folk got outraged about but really just seemed silly to me. Thing is, after it came out – and sucked – I gave it a cursory examination, read some script excerpts, saw the critical reaction, the advertising and figured I wanted nothing to do with it. Then the greater analyses came out and wow was I justified in my observations of this piece of crap, this Jesus-as-Judge extrahuman narrative ordained by human military powers.
Today, I want to talk to you about one particular scene in the building of this narrative, because it’s an incompetently constructed sign of a fundamental misunderstanding of Superman the character and Superman the narrative. Continue reading
Now look, I need some disclaimers up front. First and foremost, you are hearing twenty-year old memories that were encoded, at the time, by an eight year old. Second,I was at the time, a second-hand source. I did not see the events, I saw the news reporting on the event, I saw my family talking about it, and eventually, spoke to the person in question. With that disclaimer in the way, let’s talk about one of the more goofy parts of my childhood, the persistent presence of Arkaeology. Continue reading
I’ve mentioned the Christian media bubble I grew up in, this little landscape of carefully controlled worldview. It’s conspiracy theory garbage, and unfortunately, a lot of people in the real world live in it. But while I’ve made hay out of the replacement media, the ‘Christian Versions’ of things we were given to replace the higher-quality, less-Christian versions of same, I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned the strangeness that was the times we tried to claim something from outside the bubble.
Now, my dad was not a purist for the bubble. Broadly speaking, he does not believe it’s that which goes into a man but that which comes out of him that corrupts him, ignoring exactly what the context of that sentence was saying in the Bible. It’s still an interesting perspective, which means that my dad read Harry Chapin lyrics from the pulpit confident in the knowledge that nobody in the congregation would know he was quoting a popular songer.
There were others, however, who liked things outside the bubble, who would argue for the Christian-ness of things that they brought in. Age worked in their favour in a lot of ways; both older people and older media were usually more wholesome. John Wayne movies, for example. I saw True Grit and it was okay, even though it had a swear. There were some… edge cases though.
See, one of the ideas we really clung to in these environments was the christian as an oppressed minority. We were sure that there weren’t that many Christians in the world (so missionary work was always important), and that we had almost no power. Hollywood was a vast, christian-eating machine and we warned people to stay away, or if they must go, go knowing they would be hated. Therefore, any ‘big’ media we could attribute as Christian was the result of some clever, insidious trickery on the part of a covert operative Christian, sneaking up the villainous Hollywood’s tower and waving a tiny Christian flag, reminding us all to stay strong.
I’m not kidding.
The first one to stick in my head was Enemy of the State, a conspiracy movie from the late 90s which focused on Will Smith as a hapless victim in a government conspiracy carrying information that was dangerous for someone. I saw it in theatres and heard, a few nights later, a member of the congregation argue that it was a good movie, as it was clearly trying to demonstrate the government of the End Times. It was, they said, a movie that was made for post-Rapture Christians (people who convert after the rest of us leave town), to be prepared for and understand the world they were going to live in. The main thing I remembered in the movie was the lingerie store scene.
The second movie was The Matrix, which we went and saw as a Youth Group because of course we did. See in this movie, there were Bible words, and there was Trinity and that meant that we were clearly seeing a covert missive from our Christian brothers (and sisters I suppose) in Hollywood who had made this movie. We read into the metaphors of this movie convinced that the Nebuchadnezzer was a reference to timescales, that there was some prophetic divination that we could untether in our little youth study classes. Just imagine a youth minister saying, ‘Much like Neo, in the Matrix, Jesus-‘ and you have the image of what happened.
Now I want to make it clear, if you’re a Christian, if you espouse this faith, that’s fine. And I think if you do, you might be a bit insulted to think that the Matrix movies were made for you by a secretive conspiracy and not, as they probably were, created as a sci-fi anime mishmash by a trans woman and her brother, with references to thousands of different sources in cinema and literature. Find your Christian reading, sure, but claiming it was made to be a Christian movie is…
Let me just settle on ‘weird.’
The third one, though, the third one was a movie I loved. That was The Transformers movie. How did we know the secret of that one? What gave away the secretive Christian nature of this piece of toy advertising? Was it the death-rebirth cycle of Primes? Was it the Matrix of leadership and the martyrdom and resurrection of Ultra Magnus? Perhaps it was the way the Junkions fought and did not become tired. Nope, nope, nope. The reference to Judas that was Starscream?
No, the thing that tipped off the church member arguing for this was that in the opening of the movie, Hot Rod runs over a barricade guarded by Kup.
His Kup Runneth Over.
I saw an adult make that argument with a straight face.
Every time I write about fundamentalism I feel like I need to make this huge-ass preface and denoument to explain that I’m not applying this to everything and I’m sure you know some totally nice fundamentalists and all that. It’s tricky. I don’t want to be an asshole about it, but I do want to make it clear that thing is bad and I am allowed to think thing is bad. Just this tug between ideas.
In fundie school-churches, we’re trained to be disruptive assholes. Not to ourselves – oh god help you if you were disruptive in my school. No, we were taught to be disruptive and harmful to other people’s lives, with the most self-righteous of motivations.
The thing with the fundie bubble is that they know they can’t hold you forever. They can’t keep you from interacting with outside. If they want to control you when you’re not under the thumb, then, they need you to work to keep yourself enslaved – and guilt will do a lot for that. Know what else does a lot for that? Being an asshole.
There’s this wave of behaviours I have and I’ve recognised in myself and in other fundies. We argue. We argue hard and we argue with this visceral sincerity that means we’ll often be an asshole even when we lose. We’ll break out arguments at picnics and family camps. We’ll interrupt teachers. And we share stories about the people who do such things, these sorts of ridiculous modern myths about being persecuted for being Christians that really, when you listen to the story, are actually stories about bein ignored for being assholes. This was the meme of my childhood – the idea that I would raise my hand in class, and ask a secularist teacher at some sad point in my future ‘were you there?‘ and watch as they crumpled. The world was full of ridiculous paper tigers, who would fall when you threw out these arguments, and you would sweep in the glory of the lord. And if they didn’t fall, you were being persecuted, and could embrace that, too!
So many stories, so so many stories. So many stories that taught us to challenge the other authorities, to act like petty assholes, and then act offended when people treated us like assholes.
I actively worked to make the science education of my fellow students worse. I argued with teachers who knew better than me but didn’t have it in them to tell me to just shut up so they could get on with the class.
I imagine if I hadn’t had the crises of faith I had, this sort of self-fulfilling perpetuating behaviour would have probably driven me back to the church, because the church had crafted me to outsider myself in all other situations. You become crafted socially broken, then told your brokenness will only be accepted in the circle of prayer.
First things first, a content warning. I’m going to discuss slavery and possibly get into the specifics of what that means, and my own upbringing. I apologise if this makes you uncomfortable and advise you to freely sidestep this post and go do something else. I am a white dude talking about my experience with fundamentalists talking about slavery in the Bible. If you’re a Christian sensitive about literalism or your individual interpretation of the book, well, you might also want to step outside elsewhere, too. Probably won’t make you very happy.
I’m cis –
Yeah sorry. About a lot of things. But anyway.
– and I never had to deal with a lot of the experiences I’m hearing about today. Some of them still echo in me, resonating with my childhood, with things I heard, with ideas I learned. One little story that sticks in my head, from a song.
This is a pretty weird song in a pretty weird album. I legit don’t know what it’s ‘about’ or if it’s about anything. They Might Be Giants do that sort of thing all the time and the songs on that same album also include the strangely horror-story driven Spiralling Shape and the mind controlling music of The Bells Are Ringing. It could be this song is about trans issues and I have no idea.
But I heard this song as a kid, in the secret clandestine way we heard music in our home lives during that stage of my life, and I liked it as part of the album it was on, which I had taped from a friend of a friend’s CD in an overnight borrow that I had to return the day afterwards, no option.
You kids with your ipods, I swear.
Anyway, I heard this song a few times, in my bedroom. And thought nothing much of it. It was just weird – I mean I could sing ‘like a girl’ at the time, which in my mind meant that I was capable of singing soprano. I actually flatter my memory to think I had a really good soprano voice before my voice broke to its more boringness now – I know that to properly put my voice behind a song in choir and at church, I had to really go for it. I got accused of pride for this a few times, which I dunno. Probably true, in the world of sins. The point being that that was all it was to me: A song wondering about having a ‘girl’ voice.
My sister, out of nowhere, at a family dinner, brought it up as if it was pornography.
The idea that this song was somehow obscene and disgusting was brought up and talked about. My parents didn’t know what the song was – so they relied on my sister telling them about it. I remember being confused and stunned by it – and finally being given the advice I should never sing that song.
Now I’m a cis boy.
But how fucking patrolled is that gender boundary? How utterly weird is it that a half-memory of a song I didn’t understand that just used the phrase ‘like a girl’ was something my family thought was important enough that my sister ratted me out about it? When I didn’t know I’d done anything wrong?
Also probably the first place I heard the word ‘objectified.’
I can’t imagine how awful the life I’d led would have been for someone who, in addition to the problems I had with violence and identity and want and self-acceptance, was struggling with being told their gender was wrong, and they were stuck with it. I can’t imagine being that cruel to someone who was doing nothing wrong. I can’t imagine it because we make that action, the policing of gender, a tiny invisible action we all do every day, so none of us notice when we do it.
Specifically, let us not talk about the Pope as a nice guy.
I get it. I know that there’s this reputation amongst people like me – white dudes on the internet in their early thirties – to act as if the existence of a pope is a personal affront. I know, there are plenty of religious people who would really like if people would just not bother them about it, or maybe even extend their beliefs some respect, and for the most part I operate in a fairly easy truce about this – where my friends generally understand my position, and generally don’t make an issue of their positions. It makes me feel a bit of a coward when I watch my friends talk about atheism or atheists but I make it generally clear, to myself, that I am not the person they’re talking about, or RTing about.
The Pope is this dude who’s part of a religious institution. It can be very hard to talk about him without at least partially glancing at the power that religious institution affords him.
He’s also a member of what is, to some people, a moral and religious component of their lives.
Today the Pope said, again, that trans people should just miraculously not be trans. This continues with his existing stance that gay people should stop ‘doing gay’ but then mollified it with saying that you should love them anyway – a familiar dodge to me. This pope is still in a position to exert enormous power over people’s lives and the lives of the children of the people who follow him. And a lot of those people are going to do bad things anyway, and a lot of those people are going to do good things anyway, but there is a percentage of population between those two groups who will listen to what the Pope says and try to live by it. Who will try to tell their daughters and sons that they’re sons and daughters, or who will deny their enby children identity, who will – full of love and good intentions – tell their gay children that they are wrong, and sinful, and evil but I love you anyway.
Don’t tell me this guy’s a nice guy.
It’s super easy to be nice when your day job is ‘be nice, in a palace.’
So please, at least for a while, until the ash in my mouth of yet again, a powerful man with whom I have deep reactions has faded, don’t talk to me about what a nice person he is, or how much better he is than the last one.
Just… don’t, okay?
Today was my birthday. I spent it avoiding homework, failing to eat things because there wasn’t that much in the house, and leaving a can of shaving cream on the counter, which was pretty stupid because I know I’m going to get yelled at for it later even if I had a reason for it. It’s just how it goes, the little things you get wrong in a day pile up in your mind afterwards.
I also have been listening to and watching a lot of videos today that are filed as euducational, in part because I’ve also been writing in private about my childhood and my education and my experiences with religion, and those things do not work well together. I wound up watching the ever-gentle voiced Daniell Dennett, who I am sure someone I care about will happily tell me is a monster, and some work by the man David Fitzgerald and Matt Dillahuntie, people I wasn’t familiar with. They’re both white and male and as far as I know, cis, and they’re both atheists.
Anyway, while I was watching Matt Dillahuntie talk about talking with theists, he did deliver this very nice, simple line, a line which has some sinew to it but makes a few other things in my life more horrible, when I consider them.
When you’re talking to a theist, remember that they’re not evil, and they’re not stupid.
A line meant to remember the humanity of the people you’re talking to (which is nice, and good), and a practical piece of advice for engaging others in these large conversations about greater ideas, just leaves me sitting here, dreadfully, dreadfully sad.
I’m pretty sure it’s still a good general rule. I know many people who are theists and they are not evil and they are not stupid, and that’s fine and I don’t mean to think those people are. I am, as it were, not talking about you.
Many of the people I am talking about are dead.
Here in Australia, creationism is in trouble. Outside of Queensland (the Fuckhead State), it’s banned for mention in science, and since 2010, the Australian Academy of Sciences has stated categorically that any science education that includes non-science information, explicitly citing Intelligent Design and Creationism, does not count as any form of education and will not be considered as acceptable for any nationally recognised credit. Simply put, in Australia, if you teach creationism as a science, you’re messing up. In Queensland, you can do it, but if the kid can’t pass tests on Evolution – including questions about ‘how does it work,’ then bam. Get lost.
There are other problems, the efforts of the religious to earn Special Religious Institution status, and they suck, but the point is, in Australia, a minority of a minority with very little political power believe in creationism. If you were a creationism lobbyist, if you were trying to, on an ideological level, spread creationism for its own sake, you would probably want to be here, working as hard as you can to push back against this terrible wave of disbelief.
I mean, if that was your thing.
So why the fuck is Ken Ham in Kentucky?
Kentucky already is a creationist space. It’s a space where people can happily espouse the idea that Creationism is true and Evolution is a lie from hell. It has political representatives who espouse creationism. It may even have a creationist presidential candidate – or two! – soon. Its state government gave millions to a creationism museum and money to build an ark!
Kentucky is pretty damn safe space. Why are the crusaders milling there?
It’s almost like there’s some incentive system that pulls them there. Almost like they’re not actually all about the promotion and distribution of their ideology, and like they’re moving to the greater centres of reward.
Hm, hm, hm.
I didn’t listen to sermons very often. My dad preached a lot, but what knowledge I gleaned from the sermons tended to be while I was trying to distract myself, gleaning tiny notes I could add to conversations later on to avoid an ass kicking. But I did pay attention to the one my dad gave with his hand on the pulpit, his voice loud and terrifying, when he began THE ROCK IS GOING TO FALL ON US.
He quoted the whole song.
Not as a song, not as this tale of back and forth. He recited it as poetry, without pitch and timbre, and with the building, frothing cadence of a preacher. From the timid lurking fear of the beginning to the crashing, potent terror of the last segment, this song was turned to the Christ metaphor. He closed a sermon that was laden with eschatalogical terror as it was with exhortation to do better in our own lives, with the line the rock slips a little bit.
The story of the original song, when expressed by Harry Chapin didn’t seem to have that same religious potency. It was about people. It was about listening to the outsider in our midst. It was about a person who respected what could go wrong so well they worked and struggled and strived and used what they had, even to their last, to try and save people from worse fates.
It’s a scary fucking song.
But the thing about the song that I’m reminded of today is of a friend, dear and kind, who is up on the hillside, building barricades. They’re fighting against something that doesn’t have to happen again. They’re striving and struggling and they are doing their work in part with poetry and with music, things that scored this message into my mind in the first place.
You do not believe it right now, so I have written it down and you can come back and check:
You are beautiful.
You are wonderful.
You deserve to be heard, respected, and loved.
And anything that tells you otherwise wants to lie to you to control you.
Please do remember this.
Once, I used to think holding the door for a lady was important.
A little while after that, I was taught ‘feminists’ hated it, so it was even more important to do it.
A while after that, I learned that it was a bit patronising unless you did it to everyone.
A while after that, I spoke with an enby who was intimidated when it happened – because it meant someone was standing behind em.
I think about this a lot. It’s one of those strange selfconsciousnesses that seize me. Am I making peoples’ days worse by holding the door for them? Am I making them uncomfortable by not? Either way… I do my best to take care. Look to people’s reactions – and for fuck’s sake, don’t get huffy and uppity if people don’t appreciate your gesture. You are a few seconds in a strangers’ day, don’t get wound up about it.
Unpleasant talk ahead. In lieu of that, and to keep it from being too easy to read, here is a video of a wombat playing with a zookeeper. If you’re not in the mood for unpleasant talk about violence, consider going elsewhere and not reading this post.
The rest is after the fold.
As a child I was raised to never – never – identify myself.
This may sound weird, so let me clarify.
You didn’t own yourself. When you introduced yourself to anyone, you could tell them your name (which your parents gave you) and maybe what you did (though as I was a child, what I did was ‘be a child’), and that was pretty much it. The lesson that was ground into me, deep and hard during my schooling, through numerous morality tales, was that any person who declared about themselves was being selfish.
This makes it pretty strange now to realise that identity drives most of my friends’ lives. I think I took the lessons of my childhood too far, and now there are worn grooves inside me, where my fear of sin creates an abnegation that can probably be harmful.
I don’t really have anything more to say on this. But it means that the identity driven I-life of my friends sometimes sits at odds with what I was raised to think of myself, and of how people work and are. I find myself feeling uncomfortable in a room full of people who care deeply about the labels they attach to themselves, and how other people related to them don’t have or deserve their labels. I feel like it’s wrong to put labels on yourself, you need to act in a way that other people will see, and label that way.
Now imagine how most self-declared ‘Ally’ folk look to me.
Especially since now, the act of declaring yourself an Ally is often the only act I get to see of a person.
When I was a kid, there was this media form I listened to a lot that I never really got until I was an adult. They were tapes, tapes of stories, usually interspersed with songs. There were a few that were classics of older forms, particularly a few different reinterpretations of the story of Pilgrim’s Progress, or old children’s stories interspersed with hymns. The most common and odious of them in hindsight were the Patch the Pirate series.
I’ll level with you, Patch The Pirate is creepy-ass Christian kid-targeted propoganda. It flat out promises to be, with its notions of ‘instilling good values’ and ‘wholesome family fun’ which are cloakwords for a fundamentalist Christian perspective on values and relationships. It preaches against Evolution, against Public Schooling, against a non-literal interpretation of the Bible, against ‘Mixing With Worldly Elements,’ against self-interest and holy shit it preaches against the idea of youth independence. How creepy is it? Check out this trio of girls singing one of the enduring memories of the Patch the Pirate legacy, to me, “I Wanna Marry Daddy When I Grow Up.”
I won’t blame you if you don’t click the video after an intro like that.
Anyway, this sort of thing defined my youth experience. We’d be allowed to listen to these little records, on tiny little record players, we’d transcribe them to tapes, we’d learn the songs and sing along with them and that was acceptable and permitted ‘popular culture.’
I didn’t realise it until a few years ago but the reason these things even exist is because you have one person with some talent, a bunch of people who work for cheap (the cast of Patch the Pirate was Ron Hamilton’s family – so yes, his actual daughter sang the above song), and limited assets. The low cost of audio production gave this mass media form a low barrier to entry.
I guess what I’m saying is it’s kind of inevitable I was going to try out podcasting.
Last night I meant to sit down and talk about curation as expression, and I didn’t, because somehow I wound up finding the comics in my old schoolwork, and so I tweeted about that, at length.
Really, this is as much for my benefit as for yours. Archiving things on my blog is embarassingly easy to search for future reference. |
Best Home Theater Systems
Now that the weather is starting to get a little colder, you might find yourself nestled all nice and warm under a blanket rather than on an outdoor adventure. For those cool nights indoors, watching a movie or binging a TV show with full functional surround sound will turn your living room into a movie theater, and you won’t even have to take out a loan for popcorn and soda! Many people think that these systems are too expensive or overly complicated, but that couldn’t be any farther from the truth. While there are some designs out there that will set you back a decent chunk of change, there are also some packages that come in at a very reasonable price tag.
In a Hurry? The test winner after 13 hrs of research
Comes with an acoustic optimizer for the best sound
10 Best Home Theater Systems
1. Yamaha YHT-4930UBL
Comes with an acoustic optimizer for the best sound
Some users feel that the smaller speakers are less than ideal
This was our favorite pick because it checks off all of the boxes for a successful sound experience- it’s affordable, it comes from a highly trusted brand, and it’s easy to put together. Plus, everything you need to go from silence to mind-blowing surround sound is included in one compact box.Read more
Users will receive a receiver, a powerful subwoofer, and 5 mountable speakers to place around the room. For users that need speaker wire to be able to mount these around their room, Yamaha offers a package with the wires included at a slight upcharge. What makes this design unique is that it comes with an acoustic optimizer. Dedicated audiophiles know the exact spot to place all of the speakers for the best sound, but what about the rest of users? The acoustic optimizer senses the acoustics of the room and adjusts the speakers accordingly.
This unit produces 8 ohms, which is pretty standard for most living room options. It also THD percentage of .9, and and the closer of zero this number is, the better. It has a 6-1/2”100-watt subwoofer, and it also supported 4k ultra HD for your high-end TV. It supports hybrid-log gamma as well as Dolby vision so that your sound will match the sharpness of your picture.
One of the things that users loved most about this option is that it comes in at a pretty affordable price, especially considering that it comes from a recognized brand. It isn’t the least expensive out there on the market, but past users find this price point to be very fair.
If you want something that comes from a trusted brand that won’t break the bank, this is an excellent option. Plus, it comes with an acoustic optimizer to ensure you get the best sound even if you don’t quite know what you are doing.
Easy to set up and use
Can deliver up to 1,000 watts of power
Does not come with a Bluetooth adapter
User found that the wire included was too short and they needed to purchase more
Users by recognize Logitech as a company that has been bringing great computer products to the home since the early 1980s, so it’s no surprise they bring their innovative products to the living room. This package comes with all of the things that users will need to set up for an epic movie night, and it has a receiver that is easy to understand and use.Read more
Users that opt for this model will get one receiver, one subwoofer, and 5 small satellite speakers. What we like about the Logitech design is that the receiver is very small, and there are a few basic buttons on the remote that is perfect for novice audiophiles that sometimes can get lost in a sea of unclear buttons and settings. This unit comes with all of the things that you will need to get started right out of the box, and that includes wires. It doesn’t have Bluetooth capabilities like some of the others, but for a slight uptick in price, you can opt to have a Bluetooth adapter included in the purchase.
To ensure that you get the same quality sound like you would at a cinema, these speakers are THX certified, and offer 5.1 digital surround sound. They offer 500 watts of power under normal circumstances, which is just slightly less than the Yamaha option, but Logitech claims that under certain circumstances and with the right settings, they can deliver an impressive 1,000 watts of peak power.
The cost of this unit is surprisingly affordable, especially coming from a trusted brand such as Logitech. Keep in mind, however, that if you want it to have Bluetooth capabilities, you will have to dish out just a little bit more money- about the amount you would spend on a Blu-ray DVD.
This Logitech package is perfect for those that aren’t skilled and tested audiophiles, but they want to be someday. Users love that this design is small and compact, easy to use, and delivers incredible sound.
3. Pioneer HTP-074
Offers great sound with little subwoofer distortion
Provides HDMI ports
Some users wish it was able to get a little louder
Sometimes the unit needs to be powered down and restarted to work
Pioneer is one of the first companies to hit the market producing speakers for radio equipment as far back as 1938, is it comes to no surprise that they are coming in at the top of our list. This package includes all of the components that you will need to set up an impressive soundscape right in your living room, and it comes in at a very reasonable price point.Read more
This package includes a receiver with a remote, a subwoofer, and 5 satellite speakers. It comes with Bluetooth technology built into the receiver so that users will be able to listen to their favorite music through the speakers without the need to go through the television. It also has a USB port mounted to the front so that users can play music off of other wired devices such as iPod and MP3 players.
The receiver is able to deliver impressive sound in 5.1 Dolby, as well as Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Pro Logic II, and Dolby digital plus. It only offers 6 ohms- which is a little peculiar for living rooms models that typically offer 8 ohms standard. However, it has a THD rating of .7 percent, which is pretty impressive considering that this unit comes at a very affordable price point.
What we love about the Pioneer HTP-074 design is that it delivers impressive sound, but it still comes in at an affordable price point. It isn’t the least expensive option by any means, but it is a great system that runs about in the middle of the road.
For those that want to purchase something that will be able to deliver superior sound without breaking the bank, this is an excellent option. It is important to note that users will have to spend a little bit of time sitting down with the user manual, but the end result will be well worth it.
4. Energy 5.1 Take Classic
Easy to set up
Offers great sound
Slight distortion at first, Energy states that the speakers need about 50 hours before they are ‘broken in’
Energy might not exactly be a household name such as Yamaha or Pioneer, but they are worth checking out. This Take Classic system one an editor’s choice award from CNET back in 2009 for providing great audio sound at a reasonable price point. If you are in the market for something that is a little more on the affordable side without sacrificing quality, the Energy 5.1 Take Classic is worth a look.Read more
This package includes a central channel, a subwoofer, and four mountable satellite speakers. The downside to this option is that some of the things that you will need to use it right out of the box are not included with the base box. In order to be able to use it right out of the box, you will need to upgrade to the package that includes the starter kit that comes with mounting tools and speaker wire.
The Energy 5.1 Take Classic delivers 8 ohms of sound, which is pretty standard for these types of packages. It can achieve a decibel level of about 89, which is about the same volume as Boeing 737! Each satellite speaker weighs just under 3 pounds (for easy mounting), the receiver is small and compact and weighs about 3.2 pounds, and the subwoofer weighs 19.7 pounds.
The big takeaway from the Energy 5.1 Take Classic is the price tag. This is one of the most affordable packages out there on the market. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that this unit isn’t ready to go right out of the box. Users will either need to purchase their own wire separately or opt for the Energy bundle that includes mounting hardware and wire.
This is an excellent choice for users that have smaller rooms and that don’t want to spend the higher price point on designs for epic movie rooms. While it may be a little bit smaller than most, it is still capable of delivering crisp sound without breaking the bank.
5. Polk Audio RM6750
Offers 6.1 and 7.1 surround sound capabilities
Users especially love the performance of the subwoofer
A little pricey
Doesn’t come with a receiver
Some feel it needs more low-end power
It wouldn’t be a party if Polk Audio didn’t make an appearance at least once. This company has been in the business of bringing superior sound directly to your living room since they were founded in 1972 in Baltimore, Maryland. What we like about this package is that is capable of handling some of the most complicated and future-proof sounds out there on the market, so that you won’t have to update your speakers as sound design improves with time.Read more
Users will receive 4 satellite speakers, a central speaker, and a subwoofer. It is important to note that the receiver is not included with this package, which this means this unit is perfect for those that are looking to update their existing speaker but have no need to update their receiver.
This is where this unit really shines. While most designs out there on the market are only able to accommodate 5.1 digital sound, the Polk Audio RM6750 system is able to accommodate 6.1 and 7.1 surround sound to offer users a sense of depth with their sound, as well as keep up with improvements in sound design. The central speaker, as well as each satellite speaker, are composed of polymer composite cones that are about 3.25 inches to help reduce the distortion of sounds.
Audiophiles know that when they see the brand of Polk Audio, an expensive price point is soon to follow. While this isn’t the most expensive design out there on the market, it is still considered pretty pricey. However, the advanced technology in place means that as sound design improves with time, you will have no need to replace this speaker to catch up, which will save you a little bit of money in the long haul.
You can’t go wrong selecting a package from Polk Audio. This set is perfect for creating excellent soundscapes in your movie room, and they are designed in such a way that you won’t need to replace them as the tech in the media industry improves their high definition audio signals.
6. Enclave Audio CineHome
Easy to install
Does not require an audio receiver
Some found the remote to be unresponsive
Speakers glow bright blue- can be distracting when watching a movie
The Enclave Audio CineHome is different because this entire package does not need the addition of a receiver. This is the perfect addition for movie lover that might not know all that much about crafting the perfect soundscape. With this design, Enclave Audio does pretty much all of the words for you to deliver the best sound.Read more
Users will receiver 1 center speaker that also serves as a hub for all of your input cables, as well as 4 satellite speakers and 1 subwoofer. The great thing about this package is that it doesn’t come with the need for speaker wire that can sometimes be a little complicated and messy to install and hide. All of the speakers for this unit are wireless and need to be synced together in order to work.
This unit offered 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound and DTS. It is also capable of being upgraded to 5.2 with the addition of another subwoofer. It has an impressive 3 HDMI output to hook up to your TV, gaming devices, and stereo equipment. It has CEC/ARC support, and it has bipole rear speakers to offer more depth of sound even in larger rooms.
Due to the fact that this unit is made from high-quality components that offer superior sound, and it is able to be set up quickly right out of the box, the price tag is quite higher than many of the other devices that we have seen out there on the market. This unit cost about double of what many of the average priced design cost.
What we loved most about the Enclave Audio CineHome design is that it is really something that pretty much anyone can set up right out of the box with very little knowledge on how speakers work, or really even consulting an instruction booklet.
7. Onkyo HT-S3900
Easy to set up
Has an impressive 4 HDMI ports
4K HDR ultra HD compatible
Users found that the Bluetooth signal is only good for about 20 feet
Onkyo is a company that was founded in 1946 in Japan, and their name translates to ‘sound harmony’, so you know that you are receiving something from a company that has been in the business of crafting a perfect sound for many years. Users love that this unit is very easy to use, and comes in at a very affordable price point.Read more
This package from Onkyo includes one receiver, one subwoofer, and 5 satellites speakers to be placed around the room. What’s great about this unit is that it has Bluetooth capabilities so that you can connect all of the speakers without wires, but you also still have the option to run wires to each unit if that is what you prefer.
The specs on this model are just a little less than ideal when compared to some of the higher end options, but not by much. The positives of this unit is that is it compatibles with Dolby Digital, DTS HD, and 4k HDR ultra HD. It is also capable of supporting 5.2 surround sound if you happen to have an extra subwoofer. The downside to this unit is that it offers 6 ohms- which is less than the most other units on the market that offer up 8 ohms. It also has a THD (total harmonic distortion) of 10 percent- which is slightly higher than most, but again, not by much. We do like that this unit has an impressive 4 HDMI ports to be able to hook up all of your favorite gaming devices and Blu-ray players.
What we like about this design is that comes in at a price that is one of the most affordable packages out there on the market, and it still comes from a company that has been in the business of making household audio devices for over 70 years.
If you don’t have a lot of audio experience under your belt, or a whole lot of money in your wallet, the Onkyo HT-S3900 is a great place to start in building a great movie experience right in your living room.
8. Klipsch HDT-600
Some users compare the quality to Bose
Does not come with a receiver
Some users had difficulty mounting rear speakers
Klipsch might not have the immediate name recognition as a Polk or a Yamaha, but they have been in the business of making speakers since they were founded in Arkansas in 1946. This unit is great because it uses unique Klipsch technology and design to deliver excellent sound.Read more
Unfortunately, this box doesn’t come with the addition of a receiver. If you already have a receiver and are simply looking to upgrade your speakers, this is a great option. This box comes with one subwoofer, one central speaker and 4 satellite speakers. It also doesn’t come with the wires that you will need to hook up the satellites, the wire will need to be purchased separately.
From what we could gather, everything runs about in the middle of the road in terms of performance. This unit isn’t breaking any new ground for what it can handle, but it isn’t falling behind in the pack. It offers a 5.1 channel capacity and puts off about 100 watts of power. The entire unit weighs just about 25 pounds, making it easy to set up in your living room. The satellites also are able to swivel 45 degrees, so you can ensure that you point them at just the right angle for the best audio experience.
The price of this unit runs about in the middle of the road. It isn’t the most expensive design out there, but it is far from the least expensive. Considering that this box doesn’t come with the benefit of a receiver that is included, the price tag may be a little too steep for some users.
If you are in the market for something that comes from a trusted company and has a long line of satisfied customers in its wake, the Klipsch HDT-600 will be an excellent addition the next time you host a movie night in your living room.
9. Damson S Series
Very easy to set up
Bluetooth capabilities make it easy to add more speakers
Sharp cubed speaker design
Some discovered some speakers stopped working after a few months
The thing we loved most about the Damson S Series is that it is a perfect option for those that know a little bit about audio equipment and want something that has great sound, but it also works for those newbies out there that wouldn’t know a USB port from an HDMI port.Read more
Users will receive 2 wireless satellite cubes, a soundbar, a subwoofer, universal power supplies, and a remote control. What’s great about this design is that all of the speakers sync via Bluetooth, so there will be no need to fuss with wires that can make your living space look sloppy and messy.
What we like about this option is that it doesn’t come with a receiver. However, this unit will still deliver excellent sound without the need to fuss with a complicated receiver. Where this unit really shines is in its ability to simply plug and play. Damson claims that all users will be able to go from the box to movie time in just under 10 minutes.
The drawback to this option is that it comes in at a slightly higher price point than some of the other options making our list. However, many users feel that the price is well worth it considering the ease to set up as well as the superior sound.
If you are in the market for something that offers a superior sound that is only found in some of the higher end designs and is easy to set up- this is going to be the perfect addition for your next movie night. Just keep in mind, however, that it comes in at a slightly higher price point than most.
10. Orb Audio
Users can select from a myriad of different color options
Easy to set up
Does not come with a receiver
For some users, the thought of hanging unattractive speakers in their perfectly decorated living room makes them hesitate a little bit when it comes to setting up surround sound. Orb Audio sets out to overcome that obstacle by creating speakers that not only deliver excellent sound but also look very sharp and trending in pretty much any room.Read more
Users will receive 5 small orb shaped speakers and one subwoofer. Unfortunately, this particular unit does not come with a receiver included. Users will simply have to use the receiver that they already have, or buy one separately from a trusted company.
The subwoofer that comes with this unit is the only thing that offers a little bit of extra bulk. It measures in at about 9 inches and has a sleek cube design that will look great in every room. What we liked about the satellite speakers that are included is that users can select from a myriad of colors that will match the decor of their room seamlessly. Colors include black, earth, bronze, copper, white, or steel.
Unfortunately, this unit comes in at a pretty steep price point that is almost double that of many of the other options found on our list. However, if you want superior sound in your movie room but don’t want to have to try and mask bulky and unappealing speakers throughout your room- this is an excellent value.
If you have been looking for something that offers up a superior sound and has a more appealing look to the speaker rather than the classic black and sometimes bulky options, the Orb Audio package will blend in perfectly in your living space.
Criteria Used for Evaluation
The accessories that are included with your home theater system are just as important as choosing the right film to watch. Most systems come with a receiver, a speaker system, and a subwoofer. In addition to the specific electronics included, we included a count of how many speakers come with the package. Knowing these details will make it easier for you to imagine how the system will fit your future home theater room. However, it should be noted that the Orb, Polk, and Klipsch systems on our list do not include a receiver.
While the necessary accessories are, for the most part, included, there may be some accessories that you would like to switch out. The most replaced theater accessory is the speakers. Aside from this, another accessory that is not included with any of the systems on our list, is a Home Theater Power Management System. While this is another investment, it will make your life much easier. With all of the inevitable upgrades that you will encounter with your system will come more cords, wires, and plugs. Much like a surge protector, this will keep all of your cords in one place and protect them from fluctuating electricity surges.
Selecting the best audio equipment can sometimes be considered a delicate art form. While you want to ensure that you select something that is going to give you the best sound possible in your living space, what exactly are the things that you need to look out for when determining superior sound? We typically determine a television is of better quality when the picture seems to offer brighter colors with limited distortion, deeper blacks, and a picture that looks like you could reach out and grab whatever is on the screen. How do you make those determinations when it comes to something intangible such as sound? Well, many of the factors that you consider when selecting the best speakers also apply in this instance. You want to select something that offers minimal distortion in the sound, that offers a wide range of high and low pitches (as well as volume), and that makes the viewer think that the terrible monster in the horror movie that they are watching is right in the room with them.
The three big things that we looked at when conducting our research involved three very basic things: wattage, THD, and ohms. Determining the right ohms (or level of impedance of the electrical current) is pretty simple when it comes to these products because they are typically only divided into 4 different categories: 2, 4, 8, and 16 ohms. Speakers that have an impedance of 2 or 4 ohms are usually used for car speakers, and 8 to 16 ohms are made for units used for television sets. Almost all of the speakers we found on the market have a rating of 8 ohms. If you find a set that has 4 or less, these aren’t going to be ideal for your need in your house.
Wattage is important because this affects how loud your speakers will be able to get. Low wattages can be a real dealbreaker for those that like to rock out hard in their living room. We found that units that had a wattage of anything over 500 were generally considered adequate to reach decibel levels of around 90 (which is the equivalent of a Boeing 737), and typically maxed out at about 1,000 watts for higher-end designs. For users that are concerned about staying green and conserving energy, some of the name brand options off an energy efficient setting to conserve on power when simply watching some old sitcoms or easy listening in the evening that doesn’t require the force of a jet engine.
THD, or Total Harmonic Distortion, may not be a term that you are familiar with, but you are most likely familiar with its negative effects. If you have ever watched TV on an old television set, you might have noticed that it may sound to be a little distorted. Sound travels through electrical components in order to reach your ear, and the less interference that it has with the components in which it travels means the sound will be clearer. The goal when considered THD is to find a number that is closest to zero. Therefore, in our research, we made sure to select designs that had a THD rating that was as close to zero as possible.
For those that have spent a good deal of money on their televisions and gaming devices want to ensure that they select speakers that will be able to be compatible. Lower end speaker will be able to function with these devices, but much of the high-quality sound will be lost once it makes its way through the electrical components. The last thing you want is to have speakers that aren’t able to produce the clear sound that your TV or gaming device is capable of. That’s why we made sure to keep our eye on speakers that would allow for HDR 4K passthrough, and had a good deal of HDMI ports for various gaming devices, stereos, and Blue-ray players. If you are spending a good deal of money for superior sound, one of the most important things you need to consider is how compatible it will be with all of your entertainment devices.
While home theater systems may seem extraordinary for some, we recommend that you sit down and do the math of how much you would be spending at the movies each week for you and your family. It will become quite clear that the system will end up paying for itself in less than one year (especially if you include the outrageous cost of snacks and drinks at the cinema). Each system on our list includes decent speakers and subwoofers, and most include a receiver.
We would be lying if we said these systems come cheaply but we believe that these top 10 systems are well worth the investment. If you are just starting out, a home theater system and a great set a bean bags is a great place to start. Little by little you can tweak your system and modify it to your liking.
Expert Interviews & Opinions
Before shopping for all the accessories and screens, take a look at the size of your room. It will be quite uncomfortable if you end up with a screen that is way too big for your tiny room and hurts to look at it. Equally as important, is the size of the sound system. If you have a giant room and small sound system you will not achieve the movie theatre effect.
When setting up your theatre, you will want to think long and hard about where to place your speakers. One of our favorite locations is on the ceiling. Perhaps in the bend of the walls on the ceiling is ideal. Your guests will hardly even notice them, your animals and children won't be able to reach them, and the quality of sound will be light and airy.
Other Factors to Consider
Some might tell you that you may be paying extra for a well known and popular brand, but that isn’t always the case when it comes to audio equipment. The way the media is able to deliver sound is a science that constantly keeps changing and improving, and some of the well-known brands- such as Polk Audio and Pioneer- that have been in business since the old floor model radios hit the scene in the 1940’s know a thing or two about the science of sound. These companies not only offer designs that are able to be compatible with some of the top of the line devices out there on the market today, but they also have an eye on the future and make devices that will be better equipped to accommodate newer sound improvements as they come down the pike.
There are no unknown variables when it comes to the performance of many of the current televisions and entertainment devices out there on the market today. Their parameters are clearly defined by wattage and ohms and THD. Ensuring that you select a package that meets all of the standards is a simple game of comparing numbers. However, the unknown element in crafting superior sound lies in a very important feature: the placement of the speakers. You simply cannot pop your satellite speakers up on the ceiling or wall where they look best and call it a day. One must first take into consideration the ear level of the viewer before determining the best place to put them in the room. The acoustics of the room is something that also needs to be considered before placing them. Luckily, companies such as Yamaha offer acoustic optimizers that use a microphone to measure the sound and acoustics of a room, and will automatically make adjustments to bring you the best sound possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
q: Why do I need surround sound if I have a high-quality television?
Sure, you may have paid for a top of the line 4K television, but all of those specs listed on the box only pertain to the picture. The speakers used on the front of the unit may be of high quality, but they will only deliver sound to the front of the room. For an epic movie experience, and to feel like you are actually there, sound needs to come from all different directions to trick your brain into thinking that you are actually there. If you are watching a horror movie, for instance, and there is a sound of a door slamming from behind, the sound will come from the back satellite speakers to make it feel like the sound actually came from behind you. Plus, the higher quality speakers will be able to deliver a sound with limited distortion, which will make the movie come to life even more so than if it just had a really high-resolution picture.
q: What is a 5.1 channel?
You might have noticed this number showing up everywhere- in television shows, movies, and in this instance- on speaker sets. So, what exactly does it mean? The answer to this question is pretty simple. The 5 is in reference to the channels- or the speaker satellites- offered with each set. If you notice, brands that claim their sets offer 5.1 channel sound also come with one main speaker and 4 satellites. The 1 in 5.1 is referencing the subwoofer. Therefore, 5.1 means that it includes (or is optimized for) 5 speakers and one subwoofer. Most movies and TV shows on the market offer sound that is in 5.1, but as time marches forward, that number is shifting to 6.1 and 7.1 for some of the big box office titles. Many of the higher end designs include 5 speakers, but it also allows for 2 additional channels if you intend on buying additional speakers.
q: What’s Dolby?
This is another term you might have seen pretty much everywhere, but you don’t actually know what if is referring to. Dolby Digital is a laboratory that began compressing audio files in the early 1990’s. In fact, one of the very first movies to utilize this type of tech was the movie Batman Begins in 1992. Today, it has become a staple of how sound is compressed for almost all media. Since the original Dolby Digital, there are few more similar technologies that are used to transmit sounds, such as Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Digital Surround EX, Dolby Digital Live, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby AC-4, and Dolby TrueHD- which is used for most Blu-ray DVDs.
q: Can they be hooked up to a gaming device such as PlayStation 4 or Xbox One?
Absolutely! In fact, most gamers will tell you that the only way to truly play some of the best video games out there on the market is to ensure that you hook your system up to a great sound system. Consoles such as the PlayStation 4 allow users to tweak their settings to offer 7.1 channel surround sound for some games. Users will just have to ensure that the system that they select will have multiple HDMI ports in order to hook it up to your gaming system as well as your television and other media play devices.
q: Are they difficult to install?
Installation can be a little difficult for those that are new to the game, but most brands come with detailed instruction booklets as well as supplementary tools and tutorials that can be found online. Some users get a little bit overwhelmed at the sight of a spool of audio wire because it requires users have a basic understanding of how these units work. If you are reluctant to run wires all around your room (which can look a little sloppy if not done right), a Bluetooth option may be your best best. Bluetooth options eliminate the need to run wires from each individual satellite unit, but they do come with a drawback. Bluetooth can sometimes be finicky. You might run into an instance where their receiver simply does not recognize a speaker, and it can be frustrating trying to restart the system to get it to work with your entire system. While users struggle to try and hide sloppy wires, wires will not become unsynced when hooked up directly to the receiver.
q: Do I have the use the receiver that is included with purchase?
No, you do not. In fact, some users prefer to select options that do not come with a receiver because that means they can select their own design that might be of a higher quality. Sometimes when you buy these units as a package, the receiver may not be of the highest quality. Think of sound like a body of water. The receiver acts as the processing plant that gathers all of the sound information and divides it up into separate parts. The wires that connect all of the speakers act as rivers that deliver the information to the speakers. If you have a faulty processing plant (or receiver) it means that some information may get lost along the way to the speakers, and you may not be getting the best sound as possible.
- Home Theater System Buying Guide: Things you should know, Electronics Blog ,
- The Best Home Theater Systems of 2019, Buying Guide , |
Most powerful image stabilisation
The OM-D E-M5 Mark II boasts the most powerful Image Stabilisation (IS) system for blur-free brilliance for superb hand-held stills. Its 5-axis VCM IS also delivers movie-making excellence with cinema-like quality in your hand. The most compact system camera in its class, the light-weight, unobtrusive yet robust OM-D E-M5 Mark II gives you the freedom to tell spectacular stories through your images with total mobility. It also sports Olympus’ cutting edge High Res Shot function, enabling 40 megapixel images of still life, works of art, landscapes and architecture, giving you image quality comparable to high-end DSLRs at a fraction of their bulk and weight. Fully sealed it lets you shoot harsh conditions, with WiFi connectivity to your phone for total control and instant picture sharing - the perfect companion for your creativity! An extensive range of high-quality Micro Four Thirds lenses further complements this remarkable camera. |
Breitling Takes a New Tack With the Premier Collection
Back at the start of the year, Breitling and its newly appointed disruptor CEO Georges Kern gathered members of the watch press to unveil the Navitimer 8 collection, and in a wider sense, the new direction for Breitling as a whole. The boss spoke of being more inclusive, recapturing Breitling’s glamour of old and offering more than just ‘big pilots watches.’
That first collection of the Kernian era—which featured the handsome, vintage-inspired B01 Chronograph, a super simple 41mm two-hand automatic and the downright pretty 38mm edition of the iconic Navitimer—has been well received across the world. As has Breitling’s new brand identity, which is partly comprised by a series of ‘squads’ who typify the marque’s spirit of style and adventure. Brad Pitt is the Cinema Squad, for example, and Kelly Slater heads up the Surfer Squad. Members of the Explorer Squad appeared at the Esquire Townhouse last month, and as the principle partner of the event, Breitling exhibited its new loft concept: a sea change that is gradually being rolled out to every store around the globe.
Kern and his team have been continuing apace throughout 2018, and the next chapter of Breitling’s renaissance began in earnest this week with the release of the Premier collection. “This is the first modern Breitling collection dedicated to everyday elegance,” said Kern. “With outstanding quality and performance, these watches bear our unmistakable brand DNA, but they have been created with a focus on style that beautifully complements their purpose.”
Clearly, the highlight is the 42mm Chronograph with the ‘panda’ dial. Few things are as inherently manly and cool as a panda dial chrono, especially one that is reminiscent of the Navitimer (the manliest watch there ever was). The most technically astute piece in the range, it packs a chronometer-certified automatic manufacture movement with a 70-hour power reserve, all visible through the sapphire case back. Reiterating that the Premier is a watch with a focus on style, rather than function, there is a day-and-date edition, and even a 40mm two-hand with small seconds sub dial.
But despite Kern stating that the Premier collection is “dedicated to elegance”, the watches are still tough and relatively rugged and capable of weathering whatever storm you put them through. Be that on the set of film, an Arctic expedition, or the crest of a Hawaiian wave.
This story originally appeared on Esquire.co.uk. Minor edits have been made by the Esquiremag.ph editors. |
A new art house cinema and restaurant could be coming to Indianapolis’ east side as early as next spring.
Father-and-son team Tom and Ed Battista along with business partner Sam Sutphin have purchased the Christian Unity Missionary Baptist Church at 1258 Windsor St., a block from Spades Park and about a mile east of downtown's Mass Ave district, with hopes of opening a three-screen independent cinema and eatery.
The project is expected to cost between $1 million and $2 million. The Battistas declined to reveal the building's purchase price. The assessed value of the property in 2016 was $242,900, according to city records.
The group has partnered with Public House Cinema founders Daniel Jacobson and Dusty Frey to operate the cinema, which would show art house, independent and foreign films that ordinarily wouldn’t reach Indianapolis.
“We would love to that center where, if you love the art of film, this is a place that you can go get a drink, get some food and also see something that will spark conversation and spark community,” Jacobson said.
The Battistas own the trendy Bluebeard restaurant at 653 Virginia Ave., which has been widely credited with helping develop the Fletcher Place neighborhood and the wider Virginia Avenue corridor as culinary hotspots.
The Battistas and Sutphin, a film enthusiast, had been searching for a cinema space for about four years. Tom Battista said the partners looked in every downtown Indianapolis neighborhood and considered as many as 20 different spaces.
“We just don’t have cinema here in this town that caters to the art-movie crowd,” Tom Battista said. “I think that’s expanded all over the country now but not here, and it's necessary for our city.”
Jacobson said Keystone Art Cinema at the Fashion Mall at Keystone is the only place offering a similar home for art cinema.
“We’ve done research, and of the top 20 populated cities in the U.S., there are only three that are lacking an independent art house theater and we are one of them,” Jacobson said.
Jacobson and Frey have been looking to cinemas and art houses in Fort Wayne and Nashville, Tennessee, for inspiration.
Jacobson said the team hopes to provide an outlet for local filmmakers. He said said Christian Unity Missionary Baptist Church’s proximity to Spades Park and Spades Park Branch of the Indianapolis Public Library also presents potential partnerships for educational programming and weekend film festivals in the neighborhood.
The church was built in 1924. Renovations on the 14,000-square-foot building will focus mainly on adding the restaurant's kitchen and installing cinema seating and soundproofing.
Tom Battista said a major goal for the project is to keep the character of the church while providing high-quality technology.
Prospective chefs have been contacted for the farm-to-table style restaurant and bar that would accompany the theater, Ed Battista said. The restaurant would be in a lobby area before entering the theaters. Food would be served independently of buying tickets for movies, and food would not be served in the theaters.
“Instead of being just herded straight toward the door, we’re hoping people will want to mix and mingle and turn it into a social event alongside of a movie,” Ed Battista said. “We want it to be really welcoming and open environment to try to connect with our neighbors.”
Ed Battista emphasized his goal of working within the growing Windsor Park neighborhood, noting several restaurants set to open in the near future on 10th Street.
The Battistas, who own several properties adjacent to the Christian Unity Missionary Baptist Church, plan to open an extension of their Fletcher Place-based bakery Amelia’s nearby, with a greater emphasis on coffee and pastries.
Ed Battista said he also has met with officials at the nearby John H. Boner Community Center to create employment opportunities for those living in the Windsor Place neighborhood.
“Service and expectations really drive these kinds of food and entertainment businesses, so it’s trying to set the expectation properly that this isn’t the Walmart of cinema, that it's a different kind of experience,” Ed Battista said. “You shouldn’t expect to get the same thing you would get at these chain commercial theaters. It will be a little different.” |
Home » *Top Pick*, East Bay, KFOG, Movies
Man of Steel: “Karma Cinema” Pay-What-You-Wish Movie Night | Oakland
Submitted by the Event Organizer
Time to get generous; The New Parkway Theater is letting you pay-what-you-wish for a movie ticket every Wednesday night.
Theater doors open at 6 pm every Wednesday and every movie (albeit a few exceptions like private events) will be offered on a sliding scale of a penny (if you are a big cheap meany) to infinity (to be the ultimate rock star who loves helping out nonprofits).
“Karma Cinema”: Pay-What-You-Wish Movie Night
Every Wednesday at 6 pm
The New Parkway, 474 24th Street, Oakland, CA
$1, Pay-What-You-Want tickets
In turn, 20% of ticket sales will be donated to a local nonprofit; a new local nonprofit will be selected each month.
The New Parkway is a cool community theater in Oakland with couches and quirky seating, a beer and wine license, and a full food menu.
Enjoy free parking across from 450 24th Street.
Updated 3/5/19 – Event info last checked via website.
Watch the new Superman flick, “Man of Steel,” and pay whatever you want for as little as $1 a movie or as much as you can spare. It’s all karma, baby. 30% of the proceeds get donated to local non-profits, so dig deep if you can.
Monday, August 5, 2013
4:30 pm: Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain
6:30 pm: Man of Steel
7:00 pm: The Kings of Summer
9:20 pm: The East
9:45 pm: Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain
*Pay-What-You-Want for your movie tickets for all of August 2013 and 30% will be donated to their four non-profit Karma Partners
Categories: *Top Pick*
, East Bay
Address: 474 24th Street, Oakland, CA |
And we’re back after a month long break for 31 Days of Horror. I’m still feeling the space theme and I kind of wanted to include this but it’s not a horror movie – it’s much much more. Today’s Sunday Matinee is Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey.
There are a few films that have influenced movies over the years and as we enter an era where there is less emphasis on creating art than there is on creating mass entertainment there seems to be less and less auteurs. They still exist but it feels like the days where a studio would just finance the work of someone like Stanley Kubrick seem to be over. And while you can see the influence a film like 2001: A Space Odyssey has on someone like Christopher Nolan and his Interstellar it’s hard to imagine a studio financing a movie like 2001: A Space Odyssey today.
2001: A Space Odyssey starts at the Dawn of Man. A group of ape men are chased away from their drinking hole. A black monolith appears and one of the ape men starts using a bone as a weapon. The movie then moves to the future where astronauts discover a similar monolith on the moon. It emits a high pitched signal.
The movie then moves 18 months later where the spaceship Discovery One is traveling to Jupiter on a top secret mission. The crew consists of five members but three of them are in cryo sleep. The two awake members are Dr. David Bowman (Keir Dullea) and Dr. Frank Poole (Gary Lockwood). Running the ship is a computer named HAL 9000 (the voice of Douglas Rain). Things move along slowly when suddenly HAL starts to malfunction.
There is very little dialogue throughout the movie. In fact there is none in the first and last 20 minutes of the movie. Kubrick crafted the film with sci-fi writer Arthur C. Clarke. Clarke and Kubrick co-wrote the screenplay and the novel together although Kubrick isn’t credited for the novel. While the novel explains the story more Kubrick wanted to keep things to a minimum. He wanted audiences to experience the film the way they would a picture or a work of art.
The movie when it was first released had polarizing reviews and people seemed to either love it or hate it. The movie wasn’t a hit when first released but it slowly built word of mouth and it ended up becoming the top grossing movie of 1968, besting Bullit and Planet of the Apes.
This is one of the few Kubrick films I’ve actually seen in the movie theatre. Before they shut down the old Coronet Cinemas they were playing classic movies and I got the chance to see a copy of 2001: A Space Odyssey on the big screen with intermission included. It looked fantastic. This is a brilliant masterpiece of cinema. |
(Richard Andry/ Robert Alazraki): we represent the AFC, and we gave you the situation in France with the general opinion in the AFC. But my personal feelings are a little different. I find that the more I work, and not only myself, and not only in France, the more we loose the respect in our work. I think it is coming from the apparently easy use of the digital tools, which give the idea that we are not essential in the making of a film. The tendency is to do most of the technical choices before the DOP is on board. It is often that we are asked to shoot a film on a production which has already chosen, or bought, the camera. Or the format , or the lenses, sometimes the crew. The competition for a job is too often a competition on the lowest salary. And I cannot count the number of my colleagues who could not finish a digital grade on a film where they should have been responsible for the image. In the same time we are trying to obtain a “droit d'auteur” and to be called the author of the photography. Will it help us to recover the responsability and respect we demand?
We should maybe stop making a difference in the way we see ourselves, I mean are we artists or technicians. The important is to keep control of our image. After all the work we do with the director and his other collaborators during the pre-production, the shooting of the film, and the post-production, we cinematographers have to be able to conclude and deliver to all the spectators the image we dreamt. We spent a lot of time writing the AFC Charte, where every aspect of our responsibility and our duties are described. Everybody found it important, and forgot it instantly. Getting a moral right will certainly help us to defend our craft, and only a law will do it, but isn’t it too late? We could perhaps obtain author-rights for the DOPs, but will the DOPs still exist in a few years?
Sorry, but In France, the word "copyright" sounds like an insult. So, please, dear colleagues let speak about "droits d'auteur" : author's rights that will help us not to fear our colleagues.
The filmmaking poses the dual problems of its creation and its production.. Unlike the editor who publishes the book after the author has written it, the producer of the audio-visual work is giving the technical and financial means to the authors to make it. One might consider that their efforts merge into a single result and store the film among the collective works, which should confer author right to the producers . It should be also possible, in accordance with a prevailing opinion, that the director would be the only true creator. Article 14 of the French law of March 11, 1957 ruled differently. He did not give the authoright to the producer, and stores the audio-visual work among the works of collaboration. He applies the principle of law resulting from the creation and linked to the individual. » "Have the authorship of a film, the persons who bring intellectual creation in the making of the work" It then presumes as co-authors, unless proven otherwise, a list of people:
1-The author of the screenplay, 2-The author of the adaptation 3-The author of the dialogue, 4 4-The author of musical compositions with or without words, specially composed for the work. 5-The director.
So, the director did not rule, he is only one of the co-authors. The list is not limited. Other participants could claim to have contributed to the creation of intellectual work. But they have to prove it. The rule is not entirely satisfactory: the producer has to face the risk of a long list of co-authors. And some experts such as cinematographer and set designer may feel frustrated. In 1957, directors of photography have chosen not to be in this list, but it was 52 years ago... According to the principles established by the Act of March 11, 1957 and preserved by the Act of July 3, 1985, authorship has "intellectual and moral attributes " and "attributes of an economic nature" The attributes come together in the same authorship. They proceed from the same creative source. But they operate quite separately.. Indeed, the economic right is transferable while the moral right is not.. Both are transmitted by death. But the property law is limited in time (fifty years after death), while moral rights are perpetual. Whoever transfers or sells his authorship in fact sells only the economic right.. He retains his moral rights attached to it, as in filiation or paternity. What is the moral right?. It is the right for the name and quality of the author and for his work to be respected. Questions that arise: Can the cinematographer claim an authorship in a film? Is he one of the persons who brings intellectual creation in the making of the film ? If the answer is NO then what is the quality of his participation? But if it’s YES as it could naturally appear for someone who knows the efficiency of the DP’s work on a set, then he is a co-author, and what are the means of action? After consulting our law advisers, we could have three forms of action. 1- In the CNC (French national Administration Center of the Cinema) we are already considered as collaborators of creation. We could ask to be legally added to the non limited list of co-authors. This would give us moral and financial rights . We will receive a percentage, even little, on the rights. But more important for the AFC members, we could make sure that we are legally responsible for the respect of the integrity of the film, even in court. For that we need to lobby in the French parliament, and it is not, currently, their priority. 2- A legal action, case by case; Our last court actions were lost. The Glasberg case. Jimmy Glasberg, one of " Shoah" Dop's, after a long procedure, and after having prospected the domain of interpretation rights, had to find an out of court agreement. Laurent Chalet was the Dop on " La marche de l'empereur ", shot most of the film in the north without a director, was not accepted as a co-author by the court , who said that any Dop would have done exactly the same images. 3- Cultural actions, through newspapers , festivals, schools... Principal issues for a AFC action. First: Financial risks taking private case to court. Societies of Directors contest we are co-author, and some of cinematographers colleagues don't want to argue with them. For a lot of our colleagues, it's a danger for our social advantages (welfare, financial help during unemployment, vacations, decreasing of paycheck). Can a united European action influence the French Cinematographer's Author's rights situation ? We hope so.
DOCUMENT FROM 2004
AFC statement on the Dop « Droits d’Auteurs »
1 – French definition of the « Droits d’Auteurs »
Created by Beaumarchais in 1791, the french « Droits d’Auteurs » is a first « world wide » original idea.
First it brings financial rights though collecting and distributing societies, but it also protects the work cultural identity and the liberty of creation.
Above all, it preserves the integrity of the work.
Moral right is non-transferable and stays the author’s ownership.
We are talking about, Cultural Identity of the European Productions facing the « Copyright ».
The « Droit d’auteur français » is very criticized due to the preference given to the authors versus the producers prefering the copy right law, in favor of liberal economics.
Even in the european law,(Bern 1986) one amendment showed up in the resolution : Instead of « Moral right is not respected when an action lowers the integrity of the creative work » we can read « Moral right is not respected when an action lowers the moral dignity and the authors honour » Legal action is not easy, because very hard to evaluate.
This is the result of pressures of copy right law supporters.
In the AFC’s reflection, after consulting our attorney Bernard Edelman - a specialist of Author’s rights, – the first step would be to find a political entity proposing a new law project (a senator, or an other member of the chambers) recognizing the DoPs as co-authors and then eligible for creative rights. In the french National Cinematography Center, - the legal authority of Production in France – DP’s are : Head of departments and creative collaborators. This moral right is also a financial right and would probably help us to collect points, even if this is a very low percentage, in the sharing of the financial rights.
With this recognition, we could with our knowledge and competence control the integrity of the work and if needed go to court.
2 – DP’s in France.
In 1948, when societies for collecting authors rights were created in France, it was also offered to cinematographers who in turn refused prefering remaining employees with the privileges of the social laws, fringe benefits...
A/ How it works in France.
Cinematographers are employees in the film industry, through the pay roll system, wich then allowed them to get :
a collective bargaining agreement, controlled by the CNC, unions and producers, (« Convention collective »)
good social coverage,
health plans and retirement,
B/ Financial supports to french Cinema and associated industries
We are recognized by the CNC and awarded a DP’s national card which, production needs, to benefit multiple national helps or endowments to the film industry. You cannot start a feature film with a DP not having the CNC card, like other heads of departments.
France has a policy to support and help national technical industries « loi d’agrément » support law to production, and loan on pre-sale box office (« avance sur recettes ») which you have to reimbourse after a successful box office.
In case of co-production with a french financial majority there is an obligation to hire french techniciens.
3 – Debates and contreversy « Droits d’Auteurs » in the AFC’s membership.
Key technicians, creative collaborators, the person in charge of the photography of a film, co-author of the image of a film, not every AFC’s member seems to agree on an ideal definition.
Some of us think that the quality of « Auteur » might isolate the DP in his own crew, because of his different status – « artistic - auteur » status.
Being awarded the author quality, could induce producers to try to lower our salaries which would in turn important changes in fringe benefits already existing in commun french productions and this is becomming mor and more crucial with the new technologies.
Modern post-production, film new technics and digital cinema, including their broadcasting by remote systems, cable or waves, could modifie responsabilities of the DP and generate loss of control quality image if producers re not obliged to respect the original work.
4 – Targets of the A.F.C.
A - The AFC would like to modifie and actualise the basic agreement of the Dps including all needed changes by new technology existing and to come.
B – The AFC DP charter will be a joint effort with all the differents parts involved in the concept of the image : producers, production and post-production managers, labs, color supervisors, editors and of course directors.
Being legally co-authors of the image of a movie, through this charter, allowes us, without having any artistic difference with directors, to saveguard the visual integrity of a movie.
5 – Actual initiatives
A / Photo exhibit generated from photograms of « Hell Anatomy » directed by Catherine Breillat and photographes by Yourgos Arvanitis a.f.c. and Guillaume Schiffman a.f.c.
Catherine Breillat recognize the status of co-author of images to Yourgos Arvanitis and Guillaume Schiffman and give them a percentage on the stills sales.
B / Jimmy Glasberg a.f.c. brings the production of Claude Lanzman to court for fraudulents use of photograms of the picture « SHOAH » on which he was the DP : the photography was credited to an image broker, signed by him, and was on the main cover of the DVD.
The A.F.C. supports fully the action of Jimmy Glasberg against this company.
C / Initiative for a ulity label for pressing and tranfer for elements involved in the making of a DVD
D / Tatoo of original elements of movies insuring tracability of the DP choices.
E / Défense and protection of H.D broadcasting parameter |
Trolling #13: Batman & Robin RULES!
We here at CraveOnline's Trolling have been trying to steer around superhero movies, as frankly the ground is too fertile. Fans of all things geek and those who obsess over pop culture – at least in the midst of current filmmaking trends – seem to be the most passionate about comic book material, and the superheroes therein (I have already defended the legitimately good Daredevil, and attacked the legitimately bad The Dark Knight). As more and more of these damn superhero movies get made (Aren't you tired of them yet? Really? You want more Thor movies? Doesn't the thought of The Avengers 2 make you want to vomit?), audiences are having more and more impassioned responses to them, both positive and negative.
But no film in the superhero canon seems to be more openly and passionately hated than Joel Schumacher's 1997 classic Batman & Robin. The glitzy action spectacular has become a byword in popular culture for how bad blockbusters can get, and endless online rantings continually cite it as one of the worst movies of all time. Mike Nelson of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” fame took it one step further, and declared it the worst thing ever conceived of my humankind. It enjoys an unenviable 12% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and was nominated for ten Razzies (winning one, for Worst Supporting Actress), although it seems to have escaped being listed in the IMDb's Bottom 100.
Well, given its reputation, no film requires Trolling more than Batman & Robin. It has been so widely accepted as awful for so long, many may have lost sight of the fact that the movie may actually be – underneath all of that bile and hatred – really, really good. Indeed, Batman & Robin rules. Some critics (like the excellent Luke Y. Thompson) have finally had the wool lifted from their eyes, and they have seen the truth about Schumacher's movie. Batman & Robin doesn't deserve its reputation. It deserves the opposite.
Let's look at a few reasons as to why.
I do understand that most fans were upset by the version of Batman they got in this movie. Batman & Robin does take place, technically, in the same continuity as the two Tim Burton films, and we had already been primed on Burton's film noir sensibilities, so many reacted negatively to this much brighter, more cartoonish version of the Batman universe. What's more, it does suffer from a bloated running time (125 minutes), and perhaps too many characters for its own good (three heroes and three villains makes for a busy movie). But it's also an exciting and enjoyable cinema experience that you have been hating for far too long.
Until next week, let the hate mail flow.
Witney Seibold is a featured contributor on the CraveOnline Film Channel, and co-host of The B-Movies Podcast. You can read his weekly articles Trolling, Free Film School and The Series Project, and follow him on “Twitter” at @WitneySeibold, where he is slowly losing his mind. |
Westwood Cross Shopping Centre, Margate Road, Broadstairs CT10 2BF
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|Tuesday||10 am||6 am|
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|Sunday||10 am||10 am|
The action starts at G Casino Thanet before you even enter the main gaming floor with an area off to the side of reception that provides the opportunity to play top slots such as Rainbow Riches and Monty’s Millions whilst you wait for the rest of your party.
Once inside the casino, you will find the Jackpot Junction arcade area immediately to your left which offers even more slots including brand new VIP Novamatic machines, the progressive Fort Knox, Wolf Run, Pharaoh’s Fortune and more!
The main gaming area is in the centre of the casino where you will find numerous tables of Blackjack, American Roulette and Three Card Poker. They also have plenty of electronic roulette terminals which offer the opportunity to play against the auto wheel or the live dealers from as little as 10p a spin!
There is a large dedicated 120 seat Poker room towards the back of the club which holds regular tournaments including a £2000 Guaranteed game every Saturday, plus a huge £5000 guaranteed game on the last Sunday of every month.
For full details feel free to check out the current poker schedule which can be found at the bottom of this page.
Bar, Restaurant & Entertainment
The Westwood Cross casino has become the go-to destination in Thanet for a great night out even if you don’t plan on gambling a single penny! Around the outside of the main gaming floor, you will find comfortable leather sofas, tables and padded stools along with 5 large tv’s that show all of the live sport.
The restaurant has a fantastic menu that offers a wide range of quality cuisine including 8oz Rump Steak, Persian spiced chicken and tasty deserts whilst the bar has a great selection of cocktails, wines, spirits and beers.
Promotions, Offers & Events
Promotions and events are always subject to change, however, at the time of writing include:
- Slots Breakfast club – Enjoy a coffee, bacon roll and £5 matchplay weekdays from 10 am until midday.
- Ladies night – Every a glass of wine, a 3-course meal, gaming voucher and tuition every Thursday.
- Plenty of live entertainment, music, comedy nights and quizzes. For up to date details check out the events tab on their Facebook page.
Parking & Transport
Grosvenor Casino Thanet is easily accessible from the surrounding area by car, just follow the signs to Westwood Cross where you will find over 1000 free parking spaces.
The “Thanet Loop” bus route runs roughly every 10 minutes with the stop located just a couple of minutes walk away from the other side of the shopping centre.
Dress Code, Membership & ID
No sportswear, offensive clothing, or tank tops. You will be required to sign up for a free membership on your first visit so remember to bring some photographic ID.
Mecca Bingo and a multiplex Vue cinema can be found either side of the casino whilst Thanet’s main out of town shopping centre is just a few feet away which is home to over 50 stores that cater to all tastes and includes Debenhams, HMV, Primark and Outfit.
You will also be spoilt for choice for food here too with options such as Nando’s, Frankie and Benny’s, Five Guys and Chiquito’s.
Promos & Entertainment
Grosvenor Casino Thanet is perfectly positioned in the heart of Westwood Cross, making it easy to access from any of the neighbouring towns such as Ramsgate, Margate or Broadstairs. The casino is one of the most popular destinations in Thanet, offering customers the ability to gamble at the tables, have a flutter on the slots, or simply relax whilst enjoying a drink at the bar. |
New 4D LEGO® NEXO KNIGHTS™ Movie Experience at LEGOLAND® California Resort Opens May 26, 2016! Print
Guests can download themselves into an all-new 4D film experience starring the LEGO® NEXO KNIGHTS™ at LEGOLAND® California Resort starting May 26, 2016. This immersive 4D animated adventure was created especially for LEGOLAND Parks and LEGOLAND Discovery Centers around the world. It’s up to the LEGO NEXO KNIGHTS to defeat the evil Jestro, the Book of Monsters and all their Lava Monsters all set in a 4D world - think wind, water and smoke - bringing the battle to life all around the cinema. AND guests can go on a quest of their own to discover six shields hidden across the Resort to unlock exclusive ‘power ups’ for the LEGO® NEXO KNIGHTS™ Merlok 2.0 mobile app.
Set in the futuristic world of Knighton, LEGO NEXO KNIGHTS: The Book of Creativity follows five young Knights in their quest to defeat Jestro, the Book of Monsters and all their Lava Monsters. Led by heroic Clay Moorington, the band of knights join forces with the great digital Wizard, Merlok 2.0 to vanquish the enemy and stop him getting his devious hands on the powerful and completely unique Book of Creativity – and something never seen before in Knighton.
The brand new 12 minute film is the latest way for children to interact with the NEXO KNIGHTS innovative world. More than 170 shields can be found across various touchpoints including online, on LEGO sets and by watching the TV series; these shields can be scanned onto the Merlok 2.0 app, upgrading players’ powers to help the Knights fight marauding monsters. Those who already have the app will be delighted at the chance to get exclusive ‘power ups’ at LEGOLAND California Resort to enhance their playing prowess. And those who don’t should download before they visit to kick-start an exciting play experience with exclusive content.
Young squires will start their journey just outside of LEGO Showplace, which also features The LEGO® Movie 4D A New Adventure. While on the hunt for their next shield, guests will trek their way through NINJAGO® World, which spotlights the new adventure, NINJAGO® The Ride where squires can use hands free technology to defeat villains. The journey doesn’t stop there! Adventurers will also voyage through LEGO Friends Heartlake City, where they can stop for a yummy treat and ride one of 62 horses and jeeps in Mia’s Carousel and even awe at the LEGO Star Wars™ Miniland Death Star Model Display made of more than half a million LEGO bricks!
LEGO NEXO Knights™ 4D - The Book of Creativity is included in admission to LEGOLAND California Resort. For more information, log onto www.LEGOLAND.com or call (760) 918-LEGO (5346).
LEGOLAND® California Resort includes LEGOLAND® California, SEA LIFE® Aquarium, LEGOLAND® Water Park and LEGOLAND® Hotel. All are geared for families with children between the ages of 2 and 12. At LEGOLAND California, you’ll find more than 60 rides, shows and attractions including LEGO® NINJAGO World, a new land that invites guests to experience cutting-edge Maestro hand gesture technology on NINJAGO The Ride, LEGO Star Wars™ Miniland Model Display, Pirate Reef and Dino Island. SEA LIFE Aquarium is home to more than 5,000 living creatures and incorporates LEGO® models into a child’s voyage to the depths of the ocean featuring play zones, fun facts and quiz trails. LEGOLAND Water Park features more than seven slides, sandy beaches and the unique Build-A-Raft River. LEGO Legends of Chima Water Park presented by Cartoon Network offers guests a chance to splash about in a Lion Temple Wave Pool, slide out of a crocodile’s mouth and race LEGO boats. The nation’s first LEGOLAND Hotel features 250 rooms, all themed either as pirate, adventure, or kingdom plus more than 3,500 LEGO models throughout the three-story hotel. For more information, visit www.LEGOLAND.com or call (760) 918-LEGO (5346).
MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS plc is the leading name in location-based, family entertainment. Europe’s number one and the world’s second-largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin now operates 111 attractions, 12 hotels/4 holiday villages in 23 countries and across 4 continents. The company aims to deliver memorable and rewarding experiences to its almost 63 million visitors worldwide, through its iconic global and local brands, and the commitment and passion of its managers and approximately 26,000 employees (peak season).
Merlin has twenty five attractions and two hotels in North America - including two stunning LEGOLAND Resorts – LEGOLAND Florida Resort with its theme park, water park and hotel; and LEGOLAND California Resort with its theme park, two water parks, SEA LIFE Aquarium and themed hotel; The Orlando Eye; Madame Tussauds celebrity wax attractions in New York City; Washington, D.C.; Las Vegas, NV; Hollywood, CA; Orlando, FL and San Francisco, CA; LEGOLAND Discovery Centers in Chicago, IL; Dallas/Fort Worth, TX; Kansas City, MO; Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; Westchester, NY; Toronto, Canada; a Dungeon in San Francisco; and SEA LIFE Aquariums in Phoenix, AZ; Kansas City, MO; Auburn Hills, MI; Dallas/Fort Worth, TX; the Mall of America in Minneapolis, MN; Orlando, FL and Charlotte/Concord, NC - underlining the company’s position as the world’s biggest global aquarium operator. Visit www.merlinentertainments.biz for more information. |
Understanding the mind of Advani to deconstruct his present predicament
Ajay Singh | April 19, 2017
[This article was published in the October 1-15, 2013 edition, when LK Advani was of course in a different sort of predicament.]
I will begin with a disclaimer. Any narrative about the rise and fall of a political personality will contain subjective assessments, prejudices and maybe even some preconceived notions. This attempt to delineate the political journey of a leader of LK Advani’s stature, who virtually dictated the country’s political agenda for 15 years from 1989, is unlikely to be an exception.
Advani’s fortunes have been on the decline for a long time now, slowly but steadily eroding his stature as a political and ideological colossus within and outside the saffron brotherhood. But he has never been in a place where he might have been staring at splendid isolation from his political progeny. His influence may have been on the wane, but his stature, especially in the public sphere, was intact. Just a few years ago, it would have been silly to imagine that Advani would ever fall from grace or that he would take the precipitous tumble towards total irrelevance. That has now happened.
Advani built the BJP and his career on his farsightedness, astuteness and a dogged pursuit of Hindutva. Today that doggedness is seen as burden, as a severe case of myopia with no hope of healing. His fight for relevance evokes more ridicule than admiration even within the brotherhood. Those who owe their political careers to him laugh at his isolation and describe it as a “well-deserved fate”. One of his aides went as far as to remark that “the reality is that today the party cadre does not even want to see his picture on posters, but he does not see this reality”. His open opposition to the coronation of Narendra Modi, the new star of the Sangh brotherhood, has evoked derision and ridicule in the party and in the public. The exasperation is palpable: Doesn’t he see the writing on the wall? Can’t he see that his time at the top is over? Why doesn’t he go in grace?
To judge, rather condemn, the grand old man of the Hindutva family exclusively in the context of his immediate political grandstanding – as a stubborn roadblock in Modi’s path and his refusal to fade away into oblivion despite a determined push by his political off-springs – will be to do injustice to his enormous political legacy nurtured over five decades of a sterling career. So a deep dive into Advani’s long innings and his contribution to shaping the BJP and the nation’s politics is called for.
It is impossible to conceive that in the matter of a just a decade, a person once described as an excellent organiser and the epitome of political shrewdness and the lifeblood of the BJP could mutate into a self-seeking and scheming persona with little to contribute for the party. Another political stalwart had once warned Advani that the RSS would not blink even once to pluck him out and cast him aside. This was in 1977. Chaudhary Charan Singh was the home minister in Morarji Desai’s Janata Party government. He was unhappy about many things but his principal grouse was the dominance of the upper castes in Morarji’s government. He was constantly taking pot-shots at Morarji and his son Kanti Desai. Advani was concerned that this constant clanging between the prime minister and his number two man could put the first non-Congress government of the country at risk (that ultimately happened) and tried to dissuade Charan Singh from raising a banner of revolt on caste lines. Charan Singh brushed him off with a stinging retort: “Aap Sindhi ho Advani. Aap jaatiwad nahi samjhoge. Vajpayee Brahmin hain. Iss liye RSS unko kabhi chhoo bhi nahi sakti lekin aapko ek jhatke mein kinaraa kar degi (You are a Sindhi so you will not understand the full significance of caste dynamics of India. Vajpayee is a Brahmin, so
the RSS will never be able to hurt him but it can cast you aside in the blink of an eye).”
How prescient! But Advani, then just 50, paid no particular attention to this great insight from the tallest leader of the backward castes perhaps taking it as the rant of an old man out of depth with the reality of his time (just what many think of Advani now). Advani had already spent as many decades as Vajpayee partaking of the same ideological fountainhead (RSS) which preached religion (Hindutva) as a grand identity subsuming all caste identities. So, to think that such an organisation would discriminate on caste lines was unthinkable for him. He did not realise the political wisdom of Charan Singh.
During the Janata Party regime, Morarji was extremely fond of Advani. As an English-speaking Jana Sangh leader, Advani came across as quite liberal in his outlook and exceptionally straightforward in his conduct. Desai regarded him as a dedicated performer as I&B minister and a leader with great potential. Advani was considered an amiable, non-confrontationist and suave leader even by his rivals.
But this genteel façade concealed a tough bargainer. This became evident when the Janata Party experiment failed. Chandra Shekhar tried to foist Madhu Limaye as the president of the rump of the Janata Party of which the erstwhile Jana Sangh was a part. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Advani’s senior, acquiesced but Advani resisted strongly. “You are not making Vajpayee the president simply because he belongs to the Jana Sangh,” Advani told the veteran socialist without sounding hostile. That meeting at Advani’s Pandara Park residence sowed the seeds of a new political party, the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party). “We are being treated like untouchables,” he told Vajpayee and proposed floating the BJP as a new party that would do politics on its terms and make its place under the sun. Vajpayee agreed.
There are many anecdotal accounts to prove that the BJP’s inception and its onward journey were full of hiccups. Vajpayee agreed to don the role of the party president after several leaders refused to take up the assignment. Bhai Mahavir and Vijaya Raje Scindia, for example, flatly refused to take up the job. The choice ultimately fell on the Vajpayee-Advani duo. Between them, they shouldered the responsibility of leading the party, negotiating one crisis after another. On its debut, the BJP won 13 seats in the 1980 general elections. But in the 1984 elections on the back of Indira Gandhi’s assassination, it was reduced to two seats in the Lok Sabha. From this point, the BJP could have gone the way of scores of other parties before it, downhill and straight into dustbin of history. But it did not. The party stumbled upon the idea of the Ram Janmabhoomi campaign.
Advani was quick to understand the simmering social discontent and warned Rajiv Gandhi when the latter called on him after the Shah Bano episode. (Rajiv had gone to Advani’s place to condole the death of the veteran leader’s father.) “You are walking into a trap,” he cautioned the youthful PM who chose to ignore the advice. (Shah Bano a Muslim divorcee was granted alimony by the apex court. The Muslim clergy rose up in arms contending that this was against the Sharia. Rajiv Gandhi’s government brought in a regressive law to nullify the ruling.) He found an opportune moment when VP Singh’s rebellion over the Bofors payoff kicked off an impromptu anti-corruption movement across the country. Advani asked the BJP cadre to join the mass movement. As a young party of around ten years, the BJP cadre then had no experience of a mass movement and Advani shrewdly piggybacked on V P Singh’s charisma to give his inexperienced party cadre the taste of a national political movement. This experience would come in handy for the BJP in the early 90s during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
In 1989, when V P Singh was getting ready to fight the elections against the Congress with the BJP’s support, Advani again demonstrated his skills as a hard bargainer. He extracted a large share of seats for the BJP telling V P Singh that “if I were to withdraw, my party’s cadre would be happy but you would lose the chance of becoming the PM”. This argument clinched the deal between Singh’s Janata Dal and the BJP. It was a different matter that this deal was honoured more in breach than in practice.
That was an alliance of two divergent ideologies, so how did Singh fall for the trap? Singh did not mind any prop that would help oust the Rajiv government. He was cocksure of marginalising the BJP once the government was formed. Singh’s assessment was premised on the assumption that forces that coalesced to form the Janata Dal would remain intact. “I was sure that I would bring the BJP down to its original position (or two seats in the Lok Sabha). If the Janata Dal had not split, I would have accomplished that,” Singh once told this correspondent when asked if he held himself responsible for the ascendance of the Hindutva forces.
But Singh admired Advani’s skills as a politician. “The problem with him is that he flouts the rules of the game and puts a goal from outside the D,” he would say in football analogy. But, he told this correspondent, he had warned Advani that he would ultimately end up the loser for launching a movement on the shoulders of sadhus of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. “Maine Advani ji ko kaha thha ki yeh sadhu apne maa baap ke nahi hote hai toh aap ke kaise honge? (These sadhus have dumped even their parents, how can you depend on them?).” Singh revealed this in 1999, when the VHP was trying to rake up the mandir issue even as Vajpayee-Advani’s NDA was trying to avoid it.
Advani’s strident rath yatra gave many a sleepless nights to prime minister V P Singh. Advani launched his yatra from Somnath much against the wishes of Vajpayee. Vajpayee believed that a leader riding on a motorised chariot was the kind of drama which might suit NT Ramarao, given his background as a film star, but not a mainstream politician. That is why Vajpayee never boarded the Toyota chariot though he agreed to join it and flag it off on certain occasions.
Advani drew strength from his perceived resonance with the RSS ideology at a time when the chasm between Vajpayee’s moderation and the Sangh Parivar’s militant Hindutva was widening. Advani was the Sangh’s favourite while Vajpayee was considered a barely tolerable leader – tolerated thanks only to his stature, oratory and his Brahmin identity. Despite being at odds with Vajpayee many times, the RSS hardliners could not muster enough courage to marginalise him beyond a point though there were occasions when he was pushed around more than a little bit.
BJP’s former ideologue KN Govindacharya is a key witness to the power struggle aimed at upstaging Vajpayee in the 1990s. After the 1991 elections, the BJP emerged as the main opposition party and was thus entitled to the post of leader of the opposition. Bhaurao Deoras, the joint general secretary of the RSS, sent for Govindacharya and conveyed to him an unambiguous message that the post should go to Advani. Govindacharya recalls that Advani initially hesitated but finally accepted the RSS’s command. Vajpayee was relegated to number two for the first time. It was only after the Babri mosque demolition that the RSS, in need of a moderate face, allowed Vajpayee’s reinstatement as numero uno.
Govindacharya denies the charge that Advani is a self-seeking politician. But at the same time he argues that he is essentially a power-seeking politician for whom the ends justify the means. He would use any and all means to attain power even if it meant undermining the core ideology of the sangh. The reference here is to Advani’s fondness for Pramod Mahajan, the biggest fundraiser for the party. Mahajan’s indiscretions and his dubious role as a wheeler-dealer were never a concern for the BJP patriarch so long as he operated without their having to get involved directly. Mahajan was pretty open about it. “I don’t raise money for myself. I do it for the party. Let my leaders say that the party does not need the money, I will stop collecting,” Mahajan once told this correspondent in his trademark candour bordering on arrogance.
Through all this, though, Advani always gave new life and direction to the BJP and ensured it stayed on course to becoming the only real challenger to the stranglehold of the Congress party at the centre. In the 1990s, it was Advani who introduced “pragmatism” as a new idiom in the party’s political culture. After the Babri mosque demolition the BJP quickly became a political pariah. Party after political party drifted away from its “communal” politics. To rub salt on its wounds, in the elections that followed soon after, the BJP was routed in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. Advani quickly understood the risk of isolation and political ‘untouchability’. In the following years he went out of the way to court allies insisting that ideology should not come in the way of forging political alliances. Soon he won over unlikely allies in George Fernandes and Nitish Kumar. “Ideology has nothing to do with governance,” was his new formulation. It did not go down well at all with the RSS hardliners because, as Govindacharya suggested above, it was seen as ends justifying the means. Given Advani’s centrality to the BJP’s scheme of things and his national eminence, he carried the day. By the time the BJP went into elections in 1999 Advani had managed to tie up pre-poll alliances with a galaxy of 20-odd parties straddling the entire the political spectrum. This included Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP, Mamata Banerjee’s TMC and even Farooq Abdullah’s National Conference.
This meant a complete burial of the Mandir agenda and so another debit entry was made on his score sheet by the RSS. Having begun the short BJP reign with a trust deficit, Advani started to lose his ground within the Sangh Parivar during the six years of the NDA regime. Along with Vajpayee, he was also seen as a leader not amenable to the Sangh Parivar’s vision of governance and politics. A major confrontation came up when as home minister Advani could not ensure the safe release of four RSS workers who were abducted by insurgent groups in the northeast. His tepid response to the RSS entreaties for “effective intervention” fell on deaf ears and the captives were murdered. Advani fell a few more notches in the eyes of the RSS.
This period also coincided with serious differences cropping up between Vajpayee and Advani over certain issues of functioning. The most prominent among them was the dual job profile of Vajpayee’s aide Brajesh Mishra, as the national security adviser and principal secretary to the PMO. Given Mishra’s family background (son of DP Mishra, veteran Congress leader and once the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh), the RSS had serious reservations about him. Advani raised the issue with Vajpayee who refused to be dictated on the choice of his aide. The RSS again felt let down by the man on whom they relied the most. Advani contended that it would be difficult to run a coalition government if such differences were stretched beyond limits. This led to further devaluation of his currency with the RSS. But because he had nurtured the second-generation leadership of the BJP, his overweening influence on the party structure was still intact. But this shield of invincibility would last only as it was powered by, well, power.
The real troubles for Advani began in 2004 when the NDA lost power. Advani chose to become the leader of the opposition while Vajpayee was made chairman of the NDA parliamentary party. This demonstrable streak of ambition became more pronounced when he took over as party president in 2005 from a weakling M Venkaiah Naidu, a rootless leader from Andhra Pradesh who owed his pre-eminence in the party to his proximity to Advani. A chagrined RSS leadership had been seething in silence over these deft manoeuvres by Advani who had done all this without taking RSS on board. For the first time, the RSS-VHP combine was seen as openly ranged against him. The VHP boycotted Advani during a meeting of its stalwarts at Haridwar in 2005.
This ongoing tussle had its impact within the BJP as a section of the RSS pracharaks loaned to the BJP started fuelling resentment over the veteran leader’s style of functioning. His unilateralism came in for much criticism and his reliance on his own family was much frowned upon. In this atmosphere of growing distrust and hostility, Advani’s visit to Pakistan and his comments on Mohammad Ali Jinnah turned out to be the last straw on the RSS’ back. To give a “secular” certificate to the originator of the two-nation theory was to pollute the ideological bloodstream of the RSS. He was deserted by even his understudies who by now started seeing their growth in Advani’s decline.
Advani was taken aback by this aggressive stance of the RSS and the reaction of his supporters. In his attempt to retain his position of pre-eminence he alternatively vacillated, hit back and struck conciliatory postures. But it all only added up to undermining his moral authority within the Sangh Parivar. For the first time in his career he was on the defensive, unsure and contradicting himself. At times he found himself ranged against successive BJP presidents like Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari. He loathed their tendency to rush to Nagpur to solve party crises and the undue interest the RSS was taking in the day-to-day functioning of its political arm. But he himself became a regular Nagpur pilgrim. For most of the history of the BJP, if he was seen as pushing Vajpayee into the forefront in selfless service of the party, now his actions were being seen as machinations to arrogate power to himself resulting in a crisis of credibility. This impression was cemented when, after losing the 2009 election and under pressure from the RSS to make way for young blood, he gave up the position of the leader of opposition to Sushma Swaraj but created a new position of chairman of the parliamentary board for himself.
Does this mean the end of Advani’s era in the saffron brotherhood? This piece is not meant as a political obituary of Advani but to shed some light on the conduct of a leader whose influence in shaping India’s politics has been significant. So that question will have to go unanswered for some more time. But, yes, Advani has lost the clout and wherewithal to match the energy and ruthless ambition of the new generation of the BJP’s leadership symbolised by Narendra Modi. However, it would be naive to believe that the veteran has lost his strategic acumen. Advani is neither a pushover like Mauli Chandra Sharma and Balraj Madhok (his Jana Sangh predecessors) nor is he Atal Bihari Vajpayee who could retain his pre-eminence even after many face-offs with the RSS. Advani will spend the rest of his political life in the space between past greatness and present diminution. And while waiting there for an unlikely return to relevance, the wisdom of Chaudhary Charan Singh’s advice must be ringing in his ears reminding him about his inability to comprehend the deeper dynamics of Indian politics. To the high priest of political Hindutva as an overarching political identity that must be both humbling and ironical.
Sometime in 1999, I took Arun Jaitley out for meal for the column, “Lunch with Business Standard”. As is his wont, he chose his own place for lunch. It was at the Chambers at the Taj Mansingh hotel, an exclusive domain of the high and the mighty Delhi. As we sat down for the meal
The arrest of Palaniappan Chidambaram, former union minister of home & finance, by the CBI, albeit after his much dramatic disappearance and reappearance, has brought an end to his long run from the arms of law. As a finance minister, being at the other end of the law, the former ministe
An unintended consequence of the inversion of Article 370 and the division of the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories is the curious revival of Pakistan’s interest in Indian history and sociology. For the first time in decades, a Pakistan prime minister made the Rasht
Neeraj Kabi, a critically acclaimed self-taught actor, theatre director, and acting teacher, has worked in Odiya, Hindi and international cinema, theatre, television and web series. In 2014 he was honoured with the best actor award at the 4th Sakhalin International Film Festival for his role in the fil
Prime minister Narendra Modi has told US president Donald Trump that Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s “incitement to anti-India violence” was not good for peace in south Asia. Modi and Trump had a telephonic conversation – their first since the Aug 5 move to chang
As children are consuming more and more fast foods and sweetened beverages are becoming, leading to obesity and related non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) has come out with guidelines on such substances. The dietary guidelines under its nutrition chapter |
The best animated movies of all time are an assortment of animated movies that rank among the best movies ever made. While the characters might be brightly colored and possess abilities most real people could only wish to ever have, the stories and imagery speak to everyone and have set these movies up to become the best animated films ever.
Far from simply being movie versions of cartoons, these are movies with some of the best characters, most compelling stories, and some of the overall most memorable movies in the history of cinema. With great animated movies, the sky's the limit (literally, for characters in movies like The Incredibles and WALL-E) for the story being told. Many of these top animated and cartoon movies are comedies with a message (like Toy Story) while others are heartbreaking dramas (like The Lion King). There's no story that can't be told through these amazing animated films.
What are the best animated movies ever? What makes one animated film better than another? What is the greatest animated film? There are many varied answers to what makes good animated movies (story, characters, animation style), but there's no question that these are some of the best animated movies ever made. If you don't see your favorite animated movie on the list, make sure to add it to the list of the greatest animated films so that it might become someone else's favorite animated film someday.
Not all animated films are for kids, but if you are looking for some more animated and live-action kid friendly fare, check out the best movies for children. |
When Kattapa revealed that he killed Amerendra Baahubali in the climax of Baahubali: The Beginning in 2015, it created a watershed moment in Indian pop culture. Everyone was hung up on cracking the mystery that prompted Kattapa to break his fidelity to Baahubali. The online platforms were flooded with fan theories and discussions for two years. Finally on April 27, 2018, the most debated question ‘Why did Kattapa kill Baahubali?’ was answered.
That billion dollar question also ensured that Baahubali: The Conclusion received a massive opening worldwide. Baahubali 2 hit more than 9000 screens around the world and released in every part of the country, even in cities where south Indian films had not a huge fan base. All the theatres got filled up across the country, even for the early morning shows.
On its opening day, it made a gross collection of Rs 100 crore. And within 10 days of its releases, it became India’s biggest earner globally with Rs 1000 crore in its kitty. The Baahubali franchise was a godsend for Prabhas as his popularity grew by leaps and bounds worldwide.
“Our film, Baahubali 2 completes 1 year today… This day will always remain special to me. A big hug to all my fans and lots of love back to you all. Thank you for being part of this beautiful and emotional journey of mine. Congratulations and immense gratitude to SS Rajamouli and the entire team,” said Prabhas in a message to mark the first anniversary of India’s biggest ever blockbuster.
Even after a year, Baahubali 2 continues to dominate the box office in other parts of the world. The film has become a rage with Japanese movie audience.
Overwhelmed by the reception, director SS Rajamouli tweeted,”So happy to meet all the fans and film enthusiasts who made it to the #Baahubali2 screaming screening in Tokyo, Japan last night. The love for movies surpasses boundaries… Happy day.. :)(sic),” he tweeted after attending a special screening in Tokyo earlier this week.
So happy to meet all the fans and film enthusiasts who made it to the #Baahubali2 screaming screening in Tokyo, Japan last night.
The love for movies surpasses boundaries… Happy day.. 🙂 pic.twitter.com/iau7UAPNZG
— rajamouli ss (@ssrajamouli) April 27, 2018
Baahubali 2 also went on to win three prestigious National Film Awards. “So proud to be a part of this historic Milestone of Indian Cinema!!!(sic),” tweeted Bollywood hit filmmaker Karan Johar, who presented the Baahubali franchise in the north part of India under his Dharma Productions. |
Marriage is definitely a big day in every woman’s life, peoples life changes after marriage. In the case of women responsibilities increase and many women, today have set examples for people in today’s world who shine as wives and reach new heights in their careers. In the world of cinema, there have been times that women don’t appear for in the silver screen after marriage, but when they return they return with a ‘Bang’. These are a few examples of heroines who returned with a blockbuster after marriage
Jyothika was one of the top actresses in the 90’s and early 2000’s. With blockbuster films in the early stages of her career, she became the top actress to have featured with all the top stars such as Vijay, Ajith, Vikram, Kamal Haasan, and Rajinikanth.
Her marriage with Suriya in 2006 became the most spoken event in Chennai. She has taken a sabbatical in 2009 when she last featured in Mozhi. She delivered a terrific comeback in 2015 with her breathtaking performance in the film 36 Vayadhinile where she received the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress. She recently acted in the film Jackpot which has received positive responses from the box office. she has many films in her kitty which is scheduled to hit screen later this year and in 2020.
The South Induan beauty was one of the most celebrate and loved actresses in the ’90s and the 2000s with many hit films that swayed the audiences. She had charmed the audiences with her beauty and made them cry and laugh with her flawless acting abilities. She has been seen on screen with the almost top actor which includes Ajith, Vijay, Vikram, Kamal, and Madhavan. she had tied the knot with Deepak Bagga in 2003. She was off the silver screen for some time due to her pregnancy.
She made a terrific comeback in 2008 with Suriya in Vaaranam Aayiram which became a blockbuster in the box office. She was last seen opposite Rajinikanth in Karthik Subbaraj’s Petta and played Rajinikanth’s love interest. The 43-year-old actress, who has two children, looks stunning and said that it was rare getting a glamorous role at her age. She will be seen next in Rocketry with Madhavan.
Ramya Krishnan is one actress who has dawned almost every role she has been the love interest, the deadly villain, the lovable mother and even tickled our funny bone.
An actress who has been seen opposite with legends such as Kamal Hassan and Rajinikanth has delivered breathtaking performances in films such as Panchatantitiram and Padayappa. She had married Krishna Vamsi in the year 2003 and is a proud mother. She was also seen of the screen from the year 2009-201 and made a comeback to Kollywood in the year 2014 in the film Ammbala where she had shared the screen space with Vishal.
Being one of the most decorated actresses in Indian cinema the late actress has acted in over 300 films across all major languages across India. She had started her career as a child artist in the film Kandan Karunai and later transitioned into adult roles. Due to her immense popularity and pan Indian appeal, she was often cited as the first female superstar of Indian Cinema. Regarded as one of the finest actresses of Indian Cinema, Sridevi’s performances in films in a variety of genres had earned her praise and awards.
In Kollywood, she has been seen sharing the screen space with actors such as Shivaji Ganeshan, MGR, Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth. She had married producer Boney Kapoor in the year 1996 and was the mother to two children ( Janhvi Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor). She took a sabbatical from film acting in 1997. She had left everyone speechless with her performance in 2012 with her comeback film English Vinglish. Her last feature film was MOM which was released in the year 2017 |
Dr. Gangrene's Tales From the Lab gets us all a tingle along with Vincent Price in The Tingler:
One of the more unusual scenes in this film involves a bit of experimentation by the good doctor – drug experimentation. In order to study the effects of fear in an extreme condition, he intentionally injects himself with LSD and keeps tabs on its effects as begins tripping.
Goblin Books boozes it up with The Black Cat:
This is a nice rendition of Poe's tale, which is one of the classic nightmare-descent-into-booze-and-pills type stories. Long before Reefer Madness and VH1's Behind the Music, Poe was punching them out old-school.
Cinema Suicide blows our mind with Pop Skull:
Daniel’s life kind of sucks these days. He ingests a galaxy of pills, both over the counter and prescription, in obscene quantities. His girlfriend, the one, broke up with him to date some douche bag actor. He’s slipping away from sanity, minute by minute and he may or may not be haunted by the ghosts of two murderous brothers and their victim. Pop Skull is a portrait of loneliness, desperation and drug-induced psychosis.
Fascination With Fear cooks up some Shrooms:
Now, if you're thinking this is just a medical mystery-type of horror movie, you'd be mistaken. There is a lot more going on. After Tara ingests the mushroom but AMAZINGLY does not perish, she begins to have delusions, funky dreams, and can apparently see the future in frightening visions.
TheoFantastique joins the shamans and dips into the psychedelics in Avatar:
The virtual topographies of our millennial world are rife with angels and aliens, with digital avatars and mystic Gaian minds, with utopian longings and gnostic science fictions, and with dark forebodings of apocalypse and demonic enchantment.
Uranium Cafe has a cocktail with The Nutty Professor:
The story is a retelling of the Jekyll and Hyde theme, where a quiet and soft spoken man of science finds a formula for breaking down his inhibitions giving him the power to do all the things his weaker but nobler other half can only dream about.
Zombos' Closet of Horror finds the stash in Trailer Park of Terror:
Tiffany (Stefanie Black) goes tripping and runs afoul of Roach (Myk Watford), who saws off one of her arms for using his stash. When she comes down from her trip and back to one-armed reality, she runs screaming into the mother of trailer trash monstrosities, the repulsively grotund 'where's my meat?' Larlene (Trisha Rae Stahl). |
Are libraries an important resource in large national museums? The recent news that the Imperial War Museum (IWM) plans to close their Library and dispose of the Library collection, suggests that libraries are no longer perceived to be of value to museums. Historically libraries were considered an essential part of the Victorian museum. But do shrinking budgets and resulting cuts spell the end for the museum library? With huge advances in technology widening access to information do museums believe the misconception that all information can now be found on Wikipedia? Are the days of the National Art Library, Caird Library and Natural History Museum Library also numbered? What is the value of a Museum Library in the 21st Century?
The core role of the museum library has remained fairly constant since the 19th century. Its primary purpose can be seen as providing information about the objects held in the Museum. An object is of little value unless something is known about its context, its relevance, its story. But the items held in the library also have a further value as objects in their own right. When you visit IWM, you will see items from the Library collection on display in exhibitions across the Museum’s sites. The IWM Library collection is not discreet from the Museum’s wider collections. The Library’s printed holdings form part of the Museum’s core collection, with printed material collected alongside the objects, art, film, photographs, documents and oral history recordings held by the Museum’s six other collecting departments.
The IWM was established in 1917 out of a desire to record and remember the Great War, which at that date was, of course, still being fought. The intention was never to create a military museum. The address to the King from the Committee of the IWM at the opening of the Museum declared it was, “not a monument of military glory, but a record of toil and sacrifice”*.
To this end the Committee set about actively collecting material that illustrated the toil and sacrifice of the people of Britain and the Commonwealth. War literature was preserved; regimental magazines, maps, music, letters, stamps, posters, propaganda leaflets and souvenirs. As the war continued, material produced by the Government printers, including war books, Army lists, proclamations, orders and regulations, were added to the collection too. The original collections of the Museum were not therefore iconic objects, not the Spitfire or V-1 flying bomb which visitors will find dramatically suspended above them in the atrium upon entering IWM London today. Much of the original collection consisted of war literature, printed material and ephemera – collections now held by the Library.
The Library gives ordinary people access to research materials on all aspects of British and Commonwealth involvement in conflict since 1914. The collection includes regimental and unit histories, technical manuals, newspapers, trench journals, biographies, autobiographies, Army, Navy and Air Force lists, propaganda leaflets, ephemera, pamphlets and publications on the military, economic, social and cultural aspects of war.
The collection today results from the active collecting of printed material related to conflict and its impact over a period of almost 100 years – 97 years and 8 months to be exact! The Library acquired its first printed item in April 1917, a programme of the pantomime ‘Dick Whittington’, staged by the 85th Field Ambulance in Salonika. The Museum’s first annual report shows the Library acquired in excess of 7000 items in 1917 alone, of which 5000 were donations. Contemporary material published during subsequent conflicts, including the Falklands War, Gulf War and Afghanistan, has been added to the collection at the time of these conflicts. A clearly defined remit and collecting policy ensure a comprehensive collection of printed material is acquired. The holdings of the Library are estimated to be in excess of 320,000 items and part of the Library’s value stems from the depth of its coverage and from the completeness of the collections, for example in the holdings of published regimental and unit histories.
Some of the holdings of the IWM Library are rare, some are unique, some are valuable. But much of the Library collection is not – overall the value of the Library stems from the collection as a whole, and from the information these printed sources provide. An idea of the Library collection is provided by the online catalogue: http://bit.do/LibCat and you can explore some printed items on this IWM website, which was created for the First World War 90th Anniversary in 2008:
The Library at IWM is a resource for museum staff, used for example when researching a new acquisition or when preparing an exhibition. A reference library, it offers borrowing right to Museum staff only (so long as material remains on site) as access to printed sources is essential to maintain the standard of information presented in the Museum. A library enables curators to gain a better understanding of a museum’s collection and a deeper knowledge of their subject.
The Library is also indisputably the most public-facing collecting department at IWM, used extensively by the Museum’s visitors. Library staff assist visitors in the ‘Explore History’ Centre and the Research Room, respond to written enquiries via the Collections Enquiry Service and manage the telephone enquiry service. Explore History opened in May 2010 with the intention of revolutionising access to the Museum’s collections, much of which – as is the case in most museums – is held in storage rather than on display. In the press release the Imperial War Museum proclaimed it was, “An innovative project which will see visitors get up close and personal with the past thanks to improved access to our Collections”. Explore History is accessed directly and freely from the museum, and here, with assistance from Library staff if necessary, visitors have the opportunity to delve further into the Museum’s collections, accessing digitised sound, film, photo and art collections.
Explore History is an extension of the Museum’s galleries with professional, qualified Library staff able to respond to queries, which may have been raised by a particular topic or item on display, using a printed reference collection. An individual who lived through the blitz of the Second World War may have memories jogged by items on display in the museum. Perhaps a gas mask. Perhaps a recollection of how she hated wearing her mask because of the smell, or the way the strap chaffed her ears. And then a memory of a particular experience – of a night when she had stayed in the cinema after the air raid siren sounded, of how her worried father had been out searching the streets, of the devastation that night’s bombing had brought. With her appetite whetted, Explore History, Library staff and the printed collections can provide more detailed information about the bombing raid which she remembers. She might be shown the, Blitz then and now volumes,which provide a day-by-day account of the Blitz. This publication is not rare, or valuable. It isn’t a primary source. But it’s a source of information, and it is the location of the book – available to be consulted in the Museum – which is key to its value to this individual. The museum visitor may then listen to an interview with someone who also experienced the bombing from the Museum’s oral history collections, or look at the details of those who died in that raid on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website, or in the printed memorial volumes, which are also held in Explore History.
While collections held at the British Library, or at an academic Library, may be ‘accessible to all’, they are only truly accessible to ‘all researchers’. All individuals with a clear idea of what they wish to research, what material they wish to see, and a reader’s ticket to enable them to consult this. Collections at IWM are accessible to a wider audience; the museum visitor, the casual enquirer. The individual who may well go on to become a researcher or family historian but who is not yet at the stage of knowing what they are looking for.
Library staff direct visitors to other sources of information, including Museum collections, further published Library material and/or records held by other organisations, and Explore History acts as the first step into research for many Museum visitors. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the most common enquiry is how to start tracing a relative’s war service. In assisting individuals’ with research into their own relatives’ experiences of conflict, the Library staff help honour an original aim of IWM: remembering the sacrifice of everyone who took part in the First World War. And the Library services and collections are well used; in 2013/4 55,000 individuals visited ‘Explore History’ and the enquiry service handled over 22,000 remote enquiries.
A further 3,600 individuals undertook in-depth research in the adjacent Research Room, where the Library’s collection can be accessed along with the unpublished diaries, letters and memoirs held by the Documents department. The Library collection gains value from being housed and consulted alongside museum collections. Indeed the printed collection is essential for the context it adds to other collections within the Museum. An excellent example of this can be seen when consulting postcards sent home from the trenches by a soldier during the First World War. A fantastic and moving source, sometimes made all the more moving by their upbeat tone. The soldier cannot provide details of the action in which he is involved in mail sent home, and would often also wish to shield his mother, wife or children from the horror he was experiencing. Therefore in order to discover in which action the individual served, and to gain a true picture of their experience, this item needs to be examined alongside printed material, including campaign and unit histories.
The IWM propose closing ‘Explore History’, closing IWM Library, disposing of printed collections and cutting experienced, professional Library staff. This would severely reduce public access to museum collections and to sources of information, knowledge and learning. This would lead to the loss of a unique national reference library on twentieth and twenty-first-century conflict. It would leave a Research Room with no printed collection. The Imperial War Museum is an international centre for study and research, but without a Library would it continue to be so…?
Individuals can help save this unique and valuable collection and ensure it remains accessible and held at the Imperial War Museum. Please sign the petition: bit.ly/save_IWM and read the ‘Petition Update’ of 27 November 2014 for further ways to support the campaign to save the IWM Library.
Article by Librarian and Imperial War Museum supporter
* As reported in The Times, 10th June 1920, Page 11, Column D |
Blockbuster start to 2014 for Royston Picture Palace community cinema
PUBLISHED: 09:12 14 March 2014 | UPDATED: 09:12 14 March 2014
Royston's community cinema is celebrating a blockbuster start to 2014, and organisers are calling for more volunteers to join the team.
The Royston Picture Palace community cinema, located at Royston town hall, has had 10 sell-out performances since the turn of the year, with the likes of Judy Dench film Philomena proving to be popular with cinema-goers in Crow country.
In January, monthly attendance figures at the Picture Palace topped 1,000 for the first time since its opening last April.
The Picture Palace is jointly funded by the Royston First business improvement district company and Royston Town Council.
Geraint Burnell, Royston’s town centre manager, said: “We think our numbers are improving due to the growing awareness of the cinema; the increasing reputation the Picture Palace has as a state-of-the-art venue; and the quality of films available during the film awards season.
“For instance, Philomena sold out twice in December and again when we brought it back in January. We have 12 Years a Slave, winner of Best Picture at the Academy Awards, showing twice this weekend but it was sold out before the results were announced. We could have sold The Butler twice over but we simply don’t have the resources to add performances, and we apologise to anyone who was unable to get tickets.”
Mr Burnell added: “As it is, we can only run the programme we do thanks to the efforts of our technical manager Simon Mortimer, our dedicated team of volunteers, and the support of staff at the library, who sell tickets, and the town hall.
“We have no less than six teams of up to six volunteers, each headed by a volunteer performance manager.
“Even with the current schedule we need additional recruits to keep things going and more help will be needed if we are to expand to meet demand.”
You can register your interest in volunteering on the Picture Palace website www.roystonpicturepalace.org.uk
Mr Burnell gave an update on the Picture Palace, and other Royston First projects, at the annual town meeting last night (Thursday) at Royston Town Hall.
Those in attendance were also able to hear from Royston’s neighbourhood sergeant Steve Oliphant, and have their say on Royston Town Council’s plans to buy Market Hill. |
Your WIRED daily briefing. Today, Indonesian authorities warn of an imminent major eruption at Mount Agung, UK drone hobbyists would have to take tests under proposed legislation, 3D imaging could help save coral reefs and more.
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The Indonesian government has advised 100,000 people in the vicinity of Bali's Mount Agung volcano to evacuate (The Guardian). The volcano, which has been spewing ash in a number of minor eruptions since last Tuesday, is now reported to be shifting into a magmatic phase, prompting authorities to issue a maximum level four alert. As many as 40,000 people have already been evacuated but Sutopo Purwo Nugroho of Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said: "Not all residents have evacuated yet. There are those (who haven’t evacuated) because their farm animals haven’t been evacuated yet. There are those who feel they are safe."
Proposed government legislation could see the introduction of a mandatory safety awareness test for anyone who wants to fly a drone weighing more than 250g (BBC News). That covers all except the lightest and most limited entry-level models, with even DJI's smallest Spark drone coming in at 300g. The proposal is a response to 81 reported incidents of near misses between drones and aircraft in the UK so far this year. The bill is to be published in 2018 and has been welcomed by the pilots' unions.
3D imaging could become a key technology in the mission to protect and restore the world's threatened coral reefs (The Verge). A recent paper details the imaging of Hawaii's Palmyra Atoll coral reefs in a process that converts thousands of photographs into 3D maps that depict the changing state of the corals. This provides not only a detailed look at how reefs grow and die, but also information about how different corals are positioned for optimal growth in nature, which could be vital if reefs have to be reseeded in the future.
Hong Kong is running out of room: More than 7 million people live in the 2,754 square kilometre autonomous region of the People’s Republic of China (WIRED). According to the geotechnical engineers in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s Civil Engineering and Development Department, the only way is down. "All the urban flat land in Hong Kong is already a built-up area," says Tony Ho, the department’s geoengineering head. Since the early 1980s, the Hong Kong government has explored the idea of building caverns, straight into areas too hilly to develop. In 2011, the government completed a comprehensive feasibly study, pinpointing 48 prospective caverns for long-term development, ranging in size from 0.1 to 0.8 square miles. Six more studies to push the project along are already underway.
James Heappey, the Conservative MP who chairs the party's internal energy policy committee, has indicated that the government has less of an interest in supporting fracking in the UK than it did under David Cameron. Speaking to The Guardian, he questioned whether, with increasingly efficient extraction of North Sea oil and gas, "an onshore industry (is) as important as it was a couple of years ago?" He also indicated that the growth in renewables such as wind and solar power to help cover peak times also made shale gas less relevant.
Reddit has long led the battle to save net neutrality in the USA, as an organisation and through its many users (WIRED). But while the front of the site was overwhelmed with campaigning posts, not everyone agreed. One source of dissent were the right-wing Trump supporters of The_Donald, which lead some to suggest it was being astroturfed by cable companies or simply so partisan it didn't ever walk out of step from the US president. Intriguingly, the upshot is that The_Donald, of all places, is actually having a discussion about the merits or not of net neutrality as a whole, as well as the specific regulations being repealed, while the rest of the site focuses only on screaming down a single FCC decision.
Following a surge in Amazon's share price on Black Friday, the USA's biggest shopping day, CEO Jeff Bezos is now worth an estimated $100.3 billion (TechCrunch). He's made $32.6 billion from Amazon stock in 2017 alone, with the company's value aided by factors including market dominance in sectors including retail and cloud computing, an often-criticised working environment that has resisted attempts to unionise by workers in most of the world, and a distinctly relaxed attitude towards paying its taxes.
Director Denis Villeneuve's cyberpunk sequel, Blade Runner 2049, has been critically acclaimed, but there's been debate about the film's depiction of women and the sexism of its future society (io9). Speaking to Vanity Fair[/i], Villeneuve said: "What is cinema? Cinema is a mirror on society. Blade Runner is not about tomorrow; it’s about today. And I’m sorry, but the world is not kind on women."
Animation group 64 Bits has made an astonishing cartoon short that reimagines notoriously tough action RPG Dark Souls in the 1930s-influenced animation style of notoriously tough platform game, Cuphead (VG24/7). The resulting video, titled Cupsouls is fantastic, capturing Dark Souls's horrific bosses in a style that's redolent with the lavish detail and disconcerting tropes of early animated films.
Netflix's trailer for the forthcoming fourth season of Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror provides a glimpse of Arkangel, directed by Jodie Foster (io9). Dwelling on parental fears, the trailer has a classic sci-fi feel as a concerned mother has a tracking implant embedded in her daughter's brain following a kidnapping scare. Netflix has yet to announce a release date for Black Mirror season four.
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After months spent away from the language-learning app Duolingo, my level-five French skills were in decline. The "food" category was particularly threatened, coded red (for danger) with just one "strength bar" remaining. I clicked it, and was asked to translate: Je mange un repas. No problem. "I eat…" Wait, what was repas? My mind drifted to arepas, the Colombian snack. Defeated, I Google Translated. A meal! I should have intuited this from the English "repast". But, in the moment, I forgot.
Stephen Hawking and the world's leading scientists on climate change, rogue AI, post-truth and Donald Trump. This month, in our 100th issue, we ask the world's sharpest minds how we tackle the greatest challenges humanity currently faces. We also meet the elite team training the world's firefighters for the next catastrophe. And visit Romain Pizzi, one of the most innovative wildlife surgeons in the world. Out in print and digital. Subscribe now and save. |
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“Well, how did I get here?” a baffled David Byrne sings in the Talking Heads song, “Once in a Lifetime.” The contemporary media landscape is so rich, deep, and multifaceted that it’s easy to imagine American media consumers asking themselves the same question. In 2010, Americans could turn on their television and find 24-hour news channels, as well as music videos, nature documentaries, and reality shows about everything from hoarders to fashion models. That’s not to mention movies available on-demand from cable providers, or television and video available online for streaming or downloading. Half of American households receive a daily newspaper, and the average person holds 1.9 magazine subscriptions.Journalism.org, The State of the News Media 2004, http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2004/ (accessed July 15, 2010); Jim Bilton, “The Loyalty Challenge: How Magazine Subscriptions Work,” In Circulation, January/February 2007. A University of California San Diego study claimed that U.S. households consumed around 3.6 zettabytes of information in 2008, the digital equivalent of a 7-foot high stack of books covering the entire United States, including Alaska—a 350 percent increase since 1980.Doug Ramsey, “UC San Diego Experts Calculate How Much Information Americans Consume.” University of San Diego News Center, December 9, 2009. Americans are exposed to media in taxicabs and busses, in classrooms and doctors’ offices, on highways and in airplanes.
Later chapters will offer in-depth explorations of how particular media developed in different eras. But we can begin to orient ourselves here by briefly examining a history of media in culture, looking at the ways technological innovations have helped to bring us to where we are today, and finally considering the varied roles the media fill in our culture today.
Until Johannes Gutenberg’s 15th-century invention of the movable type printing press, books were painstakingly handwritten, and no two copies were exactly the same. The printing press made the mass production of print media possible. Not only was it much cheaper to produce written material, but new transportation technologies also made it easier for texts to reach a wide audience. It’s hard to overstate the importance of Gutenberg’s invention, which helped usher in massive cultural movements like the European Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation. In 1810, another German printer, Friedrich Koenig, pushed media production even further when he essentially hooked the steam engine up to a printing press, enabling the industrialization of printed media. In 1800, a hand-operated printing press could produce about 480 pages per hour; Koenig’s machine more than doubled this rate. (By the 1930s, many printing presses had an output of 3000 pages an hour.) This increased efficiency helped lead to the rise of the daily newspaper.
As the first Europeans settled the land that would come to be called the United States of America, the newspaper was an essential medium. At first, newspapers helped the Europeans stay connected with events back home. But as the people developed their own way of life—their own culture—newspapers helped give expression to that culture. Political scientist Benedict Anderson has argued that newspapers also helped forge a sense of national identity by treating readers across the country as part of one unified group with common goals and values. Newspapers, he said, helped create an “imagined community.”
The United States continued to develop, and the newspaper was the perfect medium for the increasingly urbanized Americans of the 19th century, who could no longer get their local news merely through gossip and word of mouth. These Americans were living in an unfamiliar world, and newspapers and other publications helped them negotiate the rapidly changing world. The Industrial Revolution meant that people had more leisure time and more money, and media helped them figure out how to spend both.
In the 1830s, the major daily newspapers faced a new threat with the rise of the penny press—newspapers that were low-priced broadsheets. These papers served as a cheaper, more sensational daily news source and privileged news of murder and adventure over the dry political news of the day. While earlier newspapers catered to a wealthier, more educated audience, the penny press attempted to reach a wide swath of readers through cheap prices and entertaining (often scandalous) stories. The penny press can be seen as the forerunner to today’s gossip-hungry tabloids.
The penny press appealed to readers’ desires for lurid tales of murder and scandal.
In the early decades of the 20th century, the first major non-print forms of mass media—film and radio—exploded in popularity. Radios, which were less expensive than telephones and widely available by the 1920s, especially had the unprecedented ability of allowing huge numbers of people to listen to the same event at the same time. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge’s preelection speech reached more than 20 million people. Radio was a boon for advertisers, who now had access to a large and captive audience. An early advertising consultant claimed that the early days of radio were “a glorious opportunity for the advertising man to spread his sales propaganda” thanks to “a countless audience, sympathetic, pleasure seeking, enthusiastic, curious, interested, approachable in the privacy of their homes.”Asa Briggs and Peter Burke, A Social History of the Media: From Gutenberg to the Internet (Malden, MA: Polity Press, 2005).
The reach of radio also further helped forge an American culture. The medium was able to downplay regional differences and encourage a unified sense of the American lifestyle—a lifestyle that was increasingly driven and defined by consumer purchases. “Americans in the 1920s were the first to wear ready-made, exact-size clothing…to play electric phonographs, to use electric vacuum cleaners, to listen to commercial radio broadcasts, and to drink fresh orange juice year round.”Digital History, “The Formation of Modern American Mass Culture,” The Jazz Age: The American 1920s, 2007, http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?hhid=454 (accessed July 15, 2010). This boom in consumerism put its stamp on the 1920s, and, ironically, helped contribute to the Great Depression of the 1930s.Library of Congress, “Radio: A Consumer Product and a Producer of Consumption,” http://lcweb2.loc.gov:8081/ammem/amrlhtml/inradio.html (accessed July 15, 2010).
The post-World War II era in the United States was marked by prosperity, and by the introduction of a seductive new form of mass communication: television. In 1946, there were about 17,000 televisions in the entire United States. Within seven years, two-thirds of American households owned at least one set. As the United States’ gross national product (GNP) doubled in the 1950s, and again in the 1960s, the American home became firmly ensconced as a consumer unit. Along with a television, the typical U.S. family owned a car and a house in the suburbs, all of which contributed to the nation’s thriving consumer-based economy.
Broadcast television was the dominant form of mass media. There were just three major networks, and they controlled over 90 percent of the news programs, live events, and sitcoms viewed by Americans. On some nights, close to half the nation watched the same show! Some social critics argued that television was fostering a homogenous, conformist culture by reinforcing ideas about what “normal” American life looked like. But television also contributed to the counterculture of the 1960s. The Vietnam War was the nation’s first televised military conflict, and nightly images of war footage and war protestors helped intensify the nation’s internal conflicts.
Broadcast technology, including radio and television, had such a hold of the American imagination that newspapers and other print media found themselves having to adapt to the new media landscape. Print media was more durable and easily archived, and allowed users more flexibility in terms of time—once a person had purchased a magazine, he could read it whenever and wherever he’d like. Broadcast media, in contrast, usually aired programs on a fixed schedule, which allowed it to both provide a sense of immediacy but also impermanence—until the advent of digital video recorders in the 21st century, it was impossible to pause and rewind a television broadcast.
The media world faced drastic changes once again in the 1980s and 1990s with the spread of cable television. During the early decades of television, viewers had a limited number of channels from which to choose. In 1975, the three major networks accounted for 93 percent of all television viewing. By 2004, however, this share had dropped to 28.4 percent of total viewing, thanks to the spread of cable television. Cable providers allowed viewers a wide menu of choices, including channels specifically tailored to people who wanted to watch only golf, weather, classic films, sermons, or videos of sharks. Still, until the mid-1990s, television was dominated by the three large networks. The Telecommunications Act of 1996, an attempt to foster competition by deregulating the industry, actually resulted in many mergers and buyouts of small companies by large companies. The broadcast spectrum in many places was in the hands of a few large corporations. In 2003, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) loosened regulation even further, allowing a single company to own 45 percent of a single market (up from 25 percent in 1982).
New media technologies both spring from and cause cultural change. For this reason, it can be difficult to neatly sort the evolution of media into clear causes and effects. Did radio fuel the consumerist boom of the 1920s, or did the radio become wildly popular because it appealed to a society that was already exploring consumerist tendencies? Probably a little bit of both. Technological innovations such as the steam engine, electricity, wireless communication, and the Internet have all had lasting and significant effects on American culture. As media historians Asa Briggs and Peter Burke note, every crucial invention came with “a change in historical perspectives.”Asa Briggs and Peter Burke, A Social History of the Media: From Gutenberg to the Internet (Malden, MA: Polity Press, 2005). Electricity altered the way people thought about time, since work and play were no longer dependent on the daily rhythms of sunrise and sunset. Wireless communication collapsed distance. The Internet revolutionized the way we store and retrieve information.
The contemporary media age can trace its origins back to the electrical telegraph, patented in the United States by Samuel Morse in 1837. Thanks to the telegraph, communication was no longer linked to the physical transportation of messages. Suddenly, it didn’t matter whether a message needed to travel five or five hundred miles. Suddenly, information from distant places was nearly as accessible as local news. When the first transatlantic cable was laid in 1858, allowing near-instantaneous communication from the United States to Europe, The London Times described it as “the greatest discovery since that of Columbus, a vast enlargement…given to the sphere of human activity.”Asa Briggs and Peter Burke, A Social History of the Media: From Gutenberg to the Internet (Malden, MA: Polity Press, 2005). Celebrations broke out in New York as people marveled at the new media. Telegraph lines began to stretch across the globe, making their own kind of world wide web.
Not long after the telegraph, wireless communication (which eventually led to the development of radio, television, and other broadcast media) emerged as an extension of telegraph technology. Although many 19th-century inventors, including Nikola Tesla, had a hand in early wireless experiments, it was Italian-born Guglielmo Marconi who is recognized as the developer of the first practical wireless radio system. This mysterious invention, where sounds seemed to magically travel through the air, captured the world’s imagination. Early radio was used for military communication, but soon the technology entered the home. The radio mania that swept the country inspired hundreds of applications for broadcasting licenses, some from newspapers and other news outlets, while other radio station operators included retail stores, schools, and even cities. In the 1920s, large media networks—including the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) and the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)—were launched, and they soon began to dominate the airwaves. In 1926, they owned 6.4 percent of U.S. broadcasting stations; by 1931, that number had risen to 30 percent.Asa Briggs and Peter Burke, A Social History of the Media: From Gutenberg to the Internet (Malden, MA: Polity Press, 2005).
The 19th-century development of photographic technologies would lead to the later innovations of cinema and television. As with wireless technology, several inventors independently came up with photography at the same time, among them the French inventors Joseph Niepce and Louis Daguerre, and British scientist William Henry Fox Talbot. In the United States, George Eastman developed the Kodak camera in 1888, banking on the hope that Americans would welcome an inexpensive, easy-to-use camera into their homes, as they had with the radio and telephone. Moving pictures were first seen around the turn of the century, with the first U.S. projection hall opening in Pittsburgh in 1905. By the 1920s, Hollywood had already created its first stars, most notably Charlie Chaplin. By the end of the 1930s, Americans were watching color films with full sound, including Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz.
Television, which consists of an image being converted to electrical impulses, transmitted through wires or radio waves, and then reconverted into images, existed before World War II but really began to take off in the 1950s. In 1947, there were 178,000 television sets made in the United States; five years later, there were 15 million. Radio, cinema, and live theater all saw a decline in the face of this new medium that allowed viewers to be entertained with sound and moving pictures without having to leave their homes.
How was this powerful new medium going to be operated? After much debate, the United States opted for the market. Competing commercial stations (including the radio powerhouses of CBS and NBC) owned stations and sold advertising and commercial-driven programming dominated. Britain took another track with its government-managed British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Funding was driven by licensing fees instead of advertisements. In contrast to the American system, the BBC strictly regulated the length and character of commercials that could be aired. U.S. television, propelled by prosperity, advertising and increasingly powerful networks, flourished. By the beginning of 1955, there were 36 million television sets in the United States, and 4.8 million in all of Europe.Asa Briggs and Peter Burke, A Social History of the Media: From Gutenberg to the Internet (Malden, MA: Polity Press, 2005). Important national events, broadcast live for the first time, were an impetus for consumers to buy sets and participate in the spectacle—both England and Japan saw a boom in sales before important royal weddings in the 1950s.
In the 1960s, the concept of a useful portable computer was still a dream; huge mainframes were required to run a basic operating system.
For the last stage in this fast history of media technology, how’s this for a prediction? In 1969, management consultant Peter Drucker predicted that the next major technological innovation after television would be an “electronic appliance” that would be “capable of being plugged in wherever there is electricity and giving immediate access to all the information needed for school work from first grade through college.” He said it would be the equivalent of Edison’s light bulb in its ability to revolutionize how we live. He had, in effect, predicted the computer. He was prescient about the effect that computers and the Internet would have on education, social relationships, and the culture at large. The inventions of random access memory (RAM) chips and microprocessors in the 1970s were important steps along the way to the Internet age. As Briggs and Burke note, these advances meant that “hundreds of thousands of components could be carried on a microprocessor.” The reduction of many different kinds of content to digitally stored information meant that “print, film, recording, radio and television and all forms of telecommunications [were] now being thought of increasingly as part of one complex.” This process, also known as convergence, will be discussed in later chapters and is a force that’s shaping the face of media today.
Even a brief history of media can leave one breathless. The speed, reach, and power of the technology are humbling. The evolution can seem almost natural and inevitable, but it is important to stop and ask a basic question: Why? Why do media seem to play such an important role in our lives and our culture? With reflection, we can see that media fulfill several basic roles.
One obvious role is entertainment. Media can act as a springboard for our imaginations, a source of fantasy, and an outlet for escapism. In the 19th century, Victorian readers, disillusioned by the grimness of the Industrial Revolution, found themselves drawn into books that offered fantastic worlds of fairies and other unreal beings. In the first decade of the 21st century, American television viewers could relax at the end of a day by watching singers, both wonderful and terrible, compete to be idols or watch two football teams do battle. Media entertain and distract us in the midst of busy and hard lives.
Media can also provide information and education. Information can come in many forms, and often blurs the line with entertainment. Today, newspapers and news-oriented television and radio programs make available stories from across the globe, allowing readers or viewers in London to have access to voices and videos from Baghdad, Tokyo, or Buenos Aires. Books and magazines provide a more in-depth look at a wide range of subjects. Online encyclopedias have articles on topics from presidential nicknames to child prodigies to tongue-twisters in various languages. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has posted free lecture notes, exams, and audio and video recordings of classes on its OpenCourseWare website, allowing anyone with an Internet connection access to world-class professors.
Another useful aspect of media is its ability to act as a public forumA social space that is open to all, and that serves as a place for discussion of important issues. A public forum is not always a physical space; for example, a newspaper can be considered a public forum. for the discussion of important issues. In newspapers or other periodicals, letters to the editor allow readers to respond to journalists, or voice their opinions on the issues of the day. These letters have been an important part of U.S. newspapers even when the nation was a British colony, and they have served as a means of public discourse ever since. Blogs, discussion boards, and online comments are modern forums. Indeed, the Internet can be seen as a fundamentally democratic medium that allows people who can get online the ability to put their voices out there—though whether anyone will hear is another question.
Media can also serve to monitor government, business, and other institutions. Upton Sinclair’s 1906 novel The Jungle exposed the miserable conditions in the turn-of-the-century meatpacking industry. In the early 1970s, Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncovered evidence of the Watergate break-in and subsequent cover-up, which eventually led to the resignation of then-president Richard Nixon. Online journalists today try to uphold the “watchdog” role of the media.
Thinking more deeply, we can recognize that certain media are better at certain roles. Media have characteristics that influence how we use them. While some forms of mass media are better suited to entertainment, others make more sense as a venue for spreading information. For example, in terms of print media, books are durable and able to contain lots of information, but are relatively slow and expensive to produce. In contrast, newspapers are comparatively cheaper and quicker to create, making them a better medium for the quick turnover of daily news. Television provides vastly more visual information than radio, and is more dynamic than a static printed page; it can also be used to broadcast live events to a nationwide audience, as in the annual State of the Union addresses given by the U.S. president. However, it is also a one-way medium—that is, it allows for very little direct person-to-person communication. In contrast, the Internet encourages public discussion of issues and allows nearly everyone who wants a voice to have one. However, the Internet is also largely unmoderated and uncurated. Users may have to wade through thousands of inane comments or misinformed amateur opinions in order to find quality information.
As mentioned at the start of this chapter, the 1960s media theorist Marshall McLuhan took these ideas one step further, with the phrase “the medium is the message.”A phrase coined by media theorist Marshall McLuhan asserting that every medium delivers information in a different way, and that content is fundamentally shaped by the medium of transmission. McLuhan emphasized that each medium delivers information in a different way and that content is fundamentally shaped by that medium. For example, although television news has the advantage of offering video and live coverage, making a story come vividly alive, it is also a faster-paced medium. That means stories get reported in different ways than print. A story told on television will often be more visual, have less information, and be able to offer less history and context than the same story covered in a monthly magazine. This feature of media technology leads to interesting arguments. For example, some people claim that television presents “dumbed down” information. Others disagree. In an essay about television’s effects on contemporary fiction, writer David Foster Wallace scoffed at the “reactionaries who regard TV as some malignancy visited on an innocent populace, sapping IQs and compromising SAT scores while we all sit there on ever fatter bottoms with little mesmerized spirals revolving in our eyes…Treating television as evil is just as reductive and silly as treating it like a toaster with pictures.”David Foster Wallace, A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again (New York: Little Brown, 1997).
We do not have to cast value judgments but can affirm: People who get the majority of their news from a particular medium will have a particular view of the world shaped not just by the content of what they watch but also by its medium. Or, as computer scientist Alan Kay put it, “Each medium has a special way of representing ideas that emphasize particular ways of thinking and de-emphasize others.”Alan Kay, “The Infobahn is Not the Answer,” Wired, May 1994. The Internet has made this discussion even richer because it seems to hold all other media within it—print, radio, film, television and more. If indeed the medium is the message, the Internet provides us with an extremely interesting message to consider.
Media fulfill several roles in culture, including the following:
Choose two different types of mass communication—radio shows, television broadcasts, Internet sites, newspaper advertisements, and so on from two different kinds of media. Make a list of what role(s) each one fills, keeping in mind that much of what we see, hear, or read in the mass media has more than one aspect. Consider the following questions: Does the type of media suit the social role? Why did the creators of this particular message present it in the particular way, and in this particular medium? |
Kenneth Lonergan’s latest film – his first since the long-delayed Margaret – is an affecting and eloquent family drama of sorrow and endurance. It’s led by a terrific performance from Casey Affleck, who plays Lee, a man haunted by his past who obtains custody of his nephew, Patrick (Lucas Hedges), when his brother dies of a heart attack. Continue reading “Review: Manchester By The Sea (2016)”
Written and directed by filmmaker Kenneth Lonergan (only his second directorial feature after the multi award-winning You Can Count On Me), Margaret is a rambling, overpowered modern drama that bravely taps into people’s post 9/11 fear and hostility. Delayed, re-edited and shrouded in several still unfolding lawsuits, Lonergan’s effort seemed unlikely to see the light of day. But, thankfully Margaret now makes its way to cinema screens, albeit in a limited capacity, bearing the mark of its six year journey.
When tumultuous college student Lisa Cohen (Anna Paquin) is involved in a horrific bus accident that claims the life of a compassionate woman (Allison Continue reading “Review: Margaret (2011)”
Actors, actresses, critics and industry types gathered at the BFI Southbank, London earlier this evening to reveal the 32nd annual London Critics’ Circle Film Award winners.
Emerging on top were The Artist, which scooped three awards; A Separation, which won two prizes; and We Need To Talk About Kevin, which – deservedly so – won British Film Of Year .
Anna Paquin (!!!) tied with Meryl Streep for Actress Of The Year, while Olivia Continue reading “London Critics’ Circle Film Awards 2012: Winners”
Director: Martin Scorcese
Starring: Asa Butterfield, Chloë Moretz and Ben Kingsley Continue reading “Cinema Releases: December 2, 2011” |
Hello, welcome to the writings of Annisa Fitri!
I am an Indonesian born currently residing in the shore of the Red Sea.
I’ve spent most of my younger years in the overpopulated capital city of Indonesia, Jakarta and then stayed for 4 years in Bandung, memorable city where I took my undergraduate in Institut Teknologi Bandung.
After I got my bachelor’s degree in Electrical (Telecommunication) Engineering in 2011, I worked for one of the leading telecommunication vendor, Huawei, as a Solution Sales. Since 2015, I live in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, following my husband who enrolled at KAUST‘s doctoral program.
During leisure time, I love watching movies and don’t mind to go to cinema alone. That’s one of my me-time! Besides that, I love to travel and take photos. Hopefully, I will be able to travel the world together with my husband and my lovely little one, see beautiful places, taste new delicacies, and know more about other cultures.
To know me more: |
HBO/New Line Cinema is moving forward with a Sopranos prequel film titled The Many Saints of Newark that will focus on Christopher’s father Dickie Moltisanti, it’s being directed by Alan Taylor from a script penned by David Chase and Lawrence Konner.
HN Entertainment can now share newly updated production dates for the Alan Taylor film as filming will still begin on April 3rd but is now expected to wrap on August 10th. Shooting locations will, of course, take place in various places in New York and New Jersey.
The working title they’ll be using during filming will be simply Newark.
We also previously revealed some character breakdowns for the film along with a tidbit that Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born) was wanted for a supporting role in the film. Gaga had a small cameo in the original series.
It’s confirmed cast includes Alessandro Nivola as Christopher’s father Dickie Moltisanti, Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Billy Magnussen, Corey Stoll, and Michael Gandolfini (son of James Gandolfini) as a young Tony Soprano.
As someone who watched the original run of HBO’s Sopranos, I’m curious if they’re going to be aiming for a slow-paced character-driven piece or a flashy gangster pic like a Martin Scorcese picture. I’m personally fine with either of those options.
A release date for the Sopranos film has yet to be announced by New Line Cinema/Warner Bros.
SOURCE: HN ENTERTAINMENT |
IU CINEMA: The Third Wife
- September 21, 2019
- IU Cinema
- 1213 E. 7th Street, Bloomington, IN 47405
- 4:00 PM to 5:36 PM
- Free, but ticketed
In 19th century rural Vietnam, 14-year-old May becomes the third wife of wealthy landowner Hung. Soon she learns that she can only gain status by asserting herself as a woman who can give birth to a male child. May’s hope to change her status turns into a real and tantalizing possibility when she gets pregnant. Faced with forbidden love and its devastating consequences, May finally comes to an understanding of the brutal truth: the options available to her are few and far between. In Vietnamese with English subtitles. Contains mature content, including sexual situations.
R | 2018 | 2K DCP
Directed by Ash Mayfair
Ash Mayfair: Unwavering Empathy
IU Cinema has dedicated its entire September 2019 programming line-up to films directed by women in celebration of September as Woman Director Awareness Month. |
Sharmila Sen | Not Quite Not White | Penguin Books | August 2018 | 30 minutes (6,053 words)
I had never seen a black man in person until I was 12 years old. If I search my memory hard enough, I can see a few faded newspaper photographs of West Indian cricketers in the Statesman. I can see dark-skinned Africans within the panels of my beloved Phantom comics. There are faint recollections of black James Bond villains in Live and Let Die. If I squint even more, I can remember the evening when we crowded into our neighbor’s drawing room, watching Pelé on a black-and-white television set, the first procured in our middle-class neighborhood. The first flesh-and-blood black man I saw was standing outside the entrance to the U.S. consulate in Calcutta, which is located on a street named after Ho Chi Minh. At the entrance to the consulate where Ma, Baba, and I had gone for our visa interviews, I saw two men in spotless uniforms. One was the whitest, blondest man I had ever seen in real life; the other was the darkest black.
The consulate smelled like America in my childish imagination. The air conditioned halls, the modern plastic and metal furniture, a water cooler from which I eagerly poured myself some water even though I was not thirsty. I breathed in the scent of wealth in there. It felt like newness on my skin. Everything was hushed, ordered, brightly lit. Not like my own loud, bustling city. Even the local Indian staff seemed to behave as if they were actually living in America.
I stood at the entrance of the U.S. consulate in Calcutta in 1982. In 1965, American immigration laws had been rewritten to allow for a greater number of non-Europeans to enter the country. Not only were Indians and other Asians considered unwanted newcomers before 1965, even naturalization — the process by which a foreign-born immigrant becomes a U.S. citizen — was disallowed for most who were not white until the 1950s. I knew little of this history when I entered the consulate with my parents. I did not even know I had something called race. Race as a category had not been part of the Indian census since 1951. I was about to move to a nation where nearly every official form had a section in which I would be offered an array of racial categories and expected to pick one.
In 1982, as it happens, it was not clear which race should be affixed to my person. Since the number of Indian immigrants was fairly insignificant in the United States until the latter part of the 20th century, the census barely took notice of us. At the time of the first U.S. census in 1790, there were essentially three races acknowledged by the government — white, black, and Indian. My kind of Indians, the ones from the subcontinent, however, fell into none of these categories. No matter how mysterious our race, we were not considered white during most of the 19th and 20th centuries by the American courts. In 1970, the U.S. Census Bureau declared people from India to be legally white. A decade later, in 1980, we were officially reclassified as Asian by the government, at the insistence of Indian immigrant groups who believed that the new classification would afford us greater affirmative action benefits. Yet, what was to be done with the decision to make Indians white only a decade earlier? What would happen to those white Indians? “Self-reporting” was the Solomonic solution to this problem. In order to satisfy the demands of the diverse Indian community, after nearly a century of shuffling people from the Indian subcontinent from one racial category to another, the U.S. census had finally thrown up its hands in despair and asked us to “self-report” our race. In the 1990 U.S. census, of the native-born population with origins in the Indian subcontinent, nearly a quarter reported themselves to be white, a tiny minority (5 percent) reported themselves to be black, and the vast majority chose to report their race using terms that pertain to South Asia.
Such an astounding array of choices was not always available to people from India who found themselves in the United States a century ago. If Ma, Baba, and I could have embarked on a time machine and arrived in the country eight decades earlier, we would have found ourselves in a different situation. If I had immigrated in 1909, I would have been labeled “probably not white,” but a year later — when the U.S. courts decided to change their opinion on the matter — I would have been “white.” If I was Sadar Bhagwab Singh in 1917, or Akhay Kumar Mozumdar in 1919, or Bhagat Singh Thind in 1923, I would have been “not white.” Naturalization in the United States was reserved mostly for whites between 1790 and the middle of the 20th century. Nonwhite immigrants could not become naturalized and partake of the rights reserved for U.S. citizens. Indians were not allowed to become naturalized citizens until the 1940s. They could, however, toil in American factories and fields, offices and streets.
So Indian men such as Singh, Mozumdar, and Thind kept trying in vain to prove they were white in order to become naturalized citizens. But what actually made a person “white”? Could you be both “Caucasian” and “nonwhite”? As Singh, Mozumdar, and Thind all found out, yes, you could be Caucasian and also Not White. The courts ruled repeatedly in those early decades of the 20th century that naturalization was for “whites” only, and some “Caucasians” were not truly “white” enough to qualify.
That the two words — Caucasian and white — are used interchangeably today would come as a bittersweet surprise to all who were caught in the deep chasm between those labels a century ago. Yet, that is exactly the chasm in which people from the Indian subcontinent, an area that is second only to Africa in its genetic and linguistic diversity, were placed by the U.S. courts. In those early years of the 20th century, miscegenation laws could have prevented me from marrying a white American in states such as South Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia. The former governor of South Carolina and the current U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, identifies herself as “white” on her voter registration card. Of course, according to the laws of this country, Haley can legally self-report her race any way she pleases. The former governor of South Carolina was born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa, daughter of Punjabi Sikh immigrants from India, and the racial category she chooses for herself tells a complex story of the state where the first shots of the Civil War were fired, and where even today West African–inflected Gullah culture (brought by black slaves) does not easily mix with white French Huguenot culture (brought by white slave owners).
Indians were not allowed to become naturalized citizens until the 1940s. They could, however, toil in American factories and fields, offices and streets.
A hundred years ago, Indians immigrated to the United States in very small numbers. They were mostly agricultural workers who traversed the networks of the British Empire, sailors who stayed behind in American ports, or Hindu holy men who were invited to lecture in cities such as New York and Chicago. The Immigration Act of 1917 placed India squarely within the Asiatic Barred Zone, an area from which immigrants were not allowed to legally enter the United States. This zone would not be legally unbarred until 1946.
Contemporary racial labels used in everyday American parlance are an odd amalgamation of the geographic (Asian), the linguistic (Hispanic), and the pseudobiological (black, white). The rise of Islamophobia threatens to racialize Islam and conflates race with religion. This, however, is not a new phenomenon in American history. Early 20th-century America was still in the old habit of seeing Jews as “Hebrews” — as much a racial label as a religious one. It also happened that many Jews themselves preferred this system— until the murderous actions of the Nazis in Europe—because Judaism cannot be folded neatly into the box we call “religion” today, a box whose dimensions are largely of Protestant specifications. Similarly, “Hindoo” was as much a racial label as a religion in early 20th century America. Today what is considered my religious background might have been seen as my racial identity had I arrived in America at the beginning of the last century.
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, signed by Lyndon B. Johnson, changed the quota system that restricted nonEuropean immigrants from coming to the United States. People like me were going to become a bit more common on American soil. Hindoo, Asiatic, Caucasian, nonwhite, brown, Asian, South Asian. During the era of self-reporting in the early 1980s, I was a young girl faced with a plethora of racial categories based on a wild mashup of genetics, linguistics, theology, and geography, who landed in Boston on August 11, 1982. The entry date is marked on my first passport.
I carried an Indian passport back then. Navy blue with thick cardboard covers. I received that passport in December 1979. On page four, there is a line printed in minuscule letters: “Countries for which this passport is valid.” Below it a stamp, in purplish blue ink, slightly tilted, partly smudged, is still vividly legible after nearly 40 years. It says (first in Hindi): sabhi desh dakshin afrika aur rodeshiya ko chhorkar — ALL COUNTRIES Except Republic of South Africa and Colony of Rhodesia.”
Before immigrating to the United States, I had never left India. My 1979 passport was an aspirational possession. Yet, I was already becoming aware of certain countries that were forbidden to me. My parents explained that India did not allow me to travel to South Africa or Rhodesia because of something called apartheid. There existed places where people like us had gone as coolie labor, as merchants and traders, and even as lawyers (the young Mahatma Gandhi practiced law in Pretoria in the 1890s), during the time of the British. But white people did not treat brown and black people fairly and each group had to live apart. Unlike my forebears who had borne the “malodorousness of subjecthood” for two centuries — as the Indian political scientist Niraja Jayal once wrote—I was fragrant with citizenship and protected by the laws of my nation. And those laws prevented me from going to Rhodesia and South Africa, places where complex designations such as black, colored, Indian, and white would determine where I could live, where I could go to school, and who I could marry. But in the late 1970s, when I received my passport, I barely grasped what apartheid really meant.
Caucasian but Not White. Not White and Not Black. Minority. Non-Christian. Person of Color. South Asian. I never thought of myself as any of these things before the autumn of 1982. I had grown up back in Calcutta with an entirely different set of extended labels for putting people into boxes. What language do you speak? Which gods do you worship? Which caste do you belong to? Are you part of the bhadralok (the Bengali word for the bourgeoisie)? Do you eat with relish the flesh of animals, fowl, fish, and crustaceans? Do you eat beef? Or do you eat only plants and grains? “Veg” and “Nonveg” in India are almost as evocative and important as “black” and “white” in America. We can detect a person’s religion, caste, ethnic group from the foods they eat and the foods they shun. Every society invents ways of partitioning themselves and methods of reading the hidden signs displayed by those who wish to cheat the rules. A person of a lower caste might want to pass as a Brahmin; a Muslim might want to pretend to be a Hindu when caught in the middle of a riot; a Hindu might pose as a Muslim to gain entry to a restricted space. We were taught to be vigilant about such trespassers. An Indian’s surname holds a multitude of information about her. In India, if you know my surname is Sen, you already know which language I speak as my mother tongue, my caste, the religious holidays I celebrate, my likely economic class, my literacy status, whether I am vegetarian, the birth, wedding, and funeral rites I might have. Conversely, a last name that holds very little information is suspect. What is this person trying to hide? The way one pronounces a certain word, the way a woman drapes her dupatta over her head, how her nose is pierced, whether a man’s foreskin is intact or circumcised, whether a little boy has a red thread around his wrist or a tabeez, an amulet, around his neck signifies so many things in India. In some cases, it can mean the difference between being killed by a mob during a communal riot and being pulled into safety. We had all these distinguishing labels. But race we did not have.
I grew up in India for the first 12 years of my life with out race. After ruling us for two centuries, the British had departed in 1947. The India of my childhood was a place marked by what economists call “capital flight.” These were years preceding the arrival of economic liberalization. Before the Internet and cheap cell phones, our knowledge of the United States was channeled largely by a few Hollywood movies, occasional headlines in the newspapers, magazines such as Life and Reader’s Digest, and hand-me-down clothing brought back by relatives who had immigrated to the West. Television had not fully arrived in India during the first half of the 1970s. We tried halfheartedly to imitate American fashion, eat American fast food, or listen to American popular music. Still, we were always a few years behind on the trends. Of course, we were also happy with our own popular culture. We watched Hindi films made in Bombay, hummed along to the songs aired on All India Radio, and ate delicious street foods such as phuchka and jhalmuri without missing global chains such as KFC or Mc Donald’s. Our drinking water was procured daily from the neighborhood tube well. Ma, Baba, and I each had our own official ration cards. These rations cards were used for purchasing government-subsidized basic commodities — rice, flour, sugar — which we used to complement our groceries from the local bazaars. I had never seen a mall or a super market before I came to the United States. Ma and Baba did not own a telephone, a washing machine, a television, a cassette player, a car, or a credit card until we emigrated. Our sole mode of personal transportation was a blue Lambretta scooter purchased by Baba in the mid1970s. When Baba was not around to take us around on the scooter, hand-pulled rickshaws, red double-decker buses, trams, and the occasional taxi were the usual ways we navigated the sprawling metropolis that was Calcutta.
We vaguely understood ourselves to be Not White because our grandparents and parents still remembered a time when white Europeans ruled us. The Indian notion of Not Whiteness was shaped more by nationalism than by race talk. The subcontinental obsession with skin color cannot be explained solely through the American grammar of racism. In a subcontinent where melanin can appear in wildly differing quantities among family members, the lightness or darkness of one’s skin cannot easily be used to mark rigid racial boundaries. Yet, the preference for paler skin was clear to all in Calcutta. Girls with “fair” skin were supposed to fare better than those with “wheatish” or “dark” skin when marriages were to be arranged. I grew up reading numerous sentimental tearjerkers about sisters whose fates were determined by their complexions—the fair one always married well and the dark one was forever shunned by all prospective bridegrooms. Rabindranath Tagore’s famous lyric about the beauty of the black-skinned woman’s dark doe eyes was quoted often in literary families, marked by the same self-righteousness with which well-off Americans buy fair trade coffee beans. Still, I never came across a matrimonial advertisement in any newspaper that boasted of a dark-skinned girl’s beautiful doe eyes.
I was warned regularly not to darken my own light complexion by playing too long under the noonday sun. Mothers and grandmothers had numerous homemade concoctions at the ready for keeping my skin pale. A ladleful of cream skimmed from the top of the milk pail, fresh ground turmeric, and sandalwood paste, as well as numerous citrus fruits, flowers, leaves, seeds, and nuts, were our allies in the endless war against the sun’s skin darkening rays. Women walked around Calcutta brandishing colorful umbrellas during the sunniest days lest the “fair” turn into “wheatish” or the “wheatish” into “dark.” Some of us had complexions as light as any European, but we knew that an invisible line divided us from the pink-hued Dutch, English, French, and Portuguese. In the comic books of my child hood, the colorists painted the Europeans a homogeneous shade of pale rose and reserved every shade from light beige to dark mahogany to the brightest cerulean blue for Indi ans. This is how I saw the world as a girl — Europeans were pink. We were not.
The Indian notion of Not Whiteness was shaped more by nationalism than by race talk.
It would be a lie of the greatest magnitude if I were to claim that I lived in a society of equals, in a society without barriers, hierarchies, and labels, before I came to the United States. I have already said that I grew up as an elite—a speaker of the dominant language of my state, part of the dominant ethnolinguistic group, and a follower of the majority religion. I was an upper caste Hindu Bengali. The maternal side of my family were haute bourgeoisie, or upper middle class, by virtue of their landowner past. Three generations ago, some of these landowners — called zamindars in India — had turned to law, one of the few professions open to Indians under British colonial rule. They trained in law in Britain and returned to India as barristers, dressed in European-style clothes, living in homes furnished with massive Victorian teak furniture. In time, some of these ancestors — men of my great-grandfather’s generation — had made the transition from practicing law to agitating for political freedom from British rule. Eighteenth-century American colonies had seen similar professional trajectories from law to revolutionary politics.
On my father’s side of the family, our cultural capital outstripped our financial capital. Ours was a family of scholars and intellectuals. In some parts of our home state, West Bengal, the mere mention of my grandfather’s name endeared me to total strangers. I did not need to read the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu’s book Distinction in order to learn that one can inherit cultural capital just as conveniently as one can inherit property, stocks, jewelry, or money. My paternal grandfather did not leave me a house or a trust fund. But he did give me a slight edge over my peers. Our school textbooks often included short essays on historical topics written by well-known Bengali intellectuals. One of those essays focused on Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, a 19th century Indian queen famous for going to battle against the British who annexed her kingdom. Whenever we read that essay in class, I sat up a little straighter. We were supposed to take pride in our female ancestors who fought British men on the battlefield long before the independence movement was born. My pride, however, was of a pettier sort than grand nationalist sentiments. My grandfather was the author of that essay. Each time I saw his name in print, I felt a secret pride swell inside me. I was the descendant of a man whose writing was part of the official school syllabus. Even though I did not always tell my classmates or my teachers that the author was my grandfather, the knowledge itself was my cloak of protection. It gave me confidence — a bit of smugness even — that I took for granted. This is how elitism works.
The first morning I woke up in America I could smell bacon frying. I was nearly twelve years old. I had spent the night sleeping in the living room of Baba’s childhood friend. This friend, an architect and the grandson of one of modern India’s most influential artists, was married to a white woman. She was cooking us breakfast in the adjoining kitchen when I opened my eyes. Their duplex apartment was right across the Charles River from Harvard Square. My parents slept in one of the two bedrooms on the top level, while our host and his wife had the other bedroom. The couch was allotted to me. It was a modest apartment. As a parochial Bengali girl, I had envisioned the wealthy West as the land of opulent overstuffed sofas, velvet drapes, crystal vases, and expensive carpets. This home was utterly confusing to my eyes. The dining chairs were made of metal tubes and woven cane; the lamps looked like crushed white paper balloons. I had imagined America was the land of rich people with air conditioning, big cars, cities laid on grids, and skyscrapers. A new world, a young country where everything sparkled and smelled good, unlike Indian cities where ruins, rickshaws, crooked gullies, and the smell of oldness prevailed.
When I opened my eyes that morning, the first thing I saw was a triangular neon CITGO sign. I had no way of knowing that this had been a beloved Boston icon since 1940. Being an immigrant child before the era of the Internet, Wikipedia, or Google, I was seeing America for the first time.
It was a week of many firsts for me. I had flown on a plane. I had traveled outside India. I had bacon for breakfast. Even now, if I get too complacent about my sense of belonging here — my ability to speak, dress, look, think like an American — I only need to smell bacon frying and I am a newly arrived immigrant again. That morning, I smelled it, heard it sizzling and crackling, before I tasted it. It was a complex animal smell, making my mouth water and my stomach churn in revulsion at the same time. Today, my favorite sandwich is a BLT. I greedily search for those salty bits of bacon in a Cobb salad. Yet, the actual smell of bacon frying is a powerful reminder that I did not always relish these tastes, that there was a time when I struggled to train my palate according to the custom of this country.
Immigrants are supposed to be delighted when they arrive in America — huddled masses who have reached their final destination. But in 1982, I was sad when our British Airways plane landed at Boston’s Logan Airport. Baba, who originally trained as a geologist, and spent most of his working life in India as a sales representative for pharmaceutical companies, had been unemployed for many years. Since the late 1970s, our middle-class life in Dover Lane had been sliding imperceptibly toward the unseen basti behind the garbage dump. My bharatanatyam classes ended because the fees for the dance school had become a luxury we could no longer afford. The number of maids we employed dwindled as the household budget shrunk. Fish and fowl appeared fewer times on the menu until one day they disappeared completely. Ma went less frequently to the tailor to order new dresses for me. Instead, we waited for the autumn, when my aunts sent us the customary gift of new fabric — a few meters of printed cotton, enough to make a dress for a young girl — for Durga puja. We began avoiding family weddings because we could not buy appropriate presents for the new couple. We stopped going to the nicer cinema halls of Calcutta and began to patronize the shabbier ones where ticket prices were lower. Those trips to Park Street restaurants such as Waldorf or Sky Room became a distant memory. We went there only when a better-off friend or relative treated us to a night out. The blue Lambretta was brought indoors and stowed away in our hallway as a reminder of happier times when we could afford the price of petrol. The sofa and coffee table vanished one day and instead of buying new furniture, we began renting it. Because new school uniforms were expensive, the hems of my blue school skirts had been taken down one too many times. I used to rub my finger over the light blue line, the part of the fabric that had been bleached with repeated washes and ironings. Each time the hem was taken down, the faded line of the old edge became a token of my precarious status as a member of the bourgeoisie. I began to ask girls who were older than me if I could buy their old school textbooks because new textbooks were beyond our budget.
As it happened, our downward mobility coincided with a meteoric rise in my grades at school. The more we moved toward the unseen world where Prakash and his mother lived, the better I performed in my examinations. In our brutal Indian school system of ranking students, I used to be ranked among the bottom five girls in a class of 40. That was when I was 6 or 7 years old. Baba became unemployed when I was 9. Suddenly I was appearing in the top ten, then top three, and by the time I was 11, I was consistently ranked first in my class after our examination marks were announced. Yet, I had to ask around school for a set of used textbooks as each new school year approached. I was no longer able to invite all my classmates for my birthday party where a cake from Flury’s, decorated with marzipan roses, would have pride of place at the table. No matter how hard my mother tried to keep my uniforms clean and ironed, my blouses were never as white as those of the girls whose parents bought them new uniforms each year.
Even now, if I get too complacent about my sense of belonging here—my ability to speak, dress, look, think like an American—I only need to smell bacon frying and I am a newly arrived immigrant again.
I became friends with the school bus driver’s daughter, who was enrolled as a scholarship kid. She was one of the girls who received a free loaf of bread during tiffin time. I never ate bread that tasted so delicious, when she began sharing them with me during the bus ride home. Other girls might go home to daintier snacks. I saw such homes in advertisements. Tidy middle-class Indian homes riding the wave of upward mobility. Homes with televisions that children watched with their parents; with refrigerators filled with rows of soft drink bottles; with toaster ovens in which beaming mothers baked cakes for their kids who returned from school looking as fresh as they had left in the morning. But children in downwardly mobile homes know that an atmosphere of fear, resentment, anger, and dejection awaits them at home. One wrong move, and the whole house can explode. One mention of extra money needed for a field trip, or the cost of a new dress for the school chorus, or an art assignment that requires costly materials, and everything can go up in flames. As much as I hated the crowded, hot school bus, I was in no rush to return to Dover Lane. The bus driver’s daughter and I enjoyed the free bread at the back of the bus, and she tantalized me with promises of fluffy kittens. My new friend seemed to have an endless access to kittens and each afternoon she promised that she would sneak one into school for me. She strung me along in this manner for months, describing the kittens in great detail.
I tried, with partial success, to mask the bitter taste of genteel poverty with the sweet taste of arrogance. Arrogant — there is no other word for how I felt when I sat on those rented chairs in our drawing room and studied my report card at the end of each term. A row of beautiful numbers — 95, 96, 97, 98 — written neatly in blue fountain pen ink. Those numbers made me feel strong when, in reality, I was weak and vulnerable. A girl in a poor Indian home during the 1970s had limited options, even if she possessed an English- education and her grandfather’s name elicited looks of admiration and her great grandfather once sailed from England wearing beautifully tailored suits. If I were to maintain the crucial space between myself and the boy who swabbed the floor, and Darwanji who washed cars at 4 a.m., and Jamuna whose father collected her monthly wages, and the maimed children who begged on the streets, I needed more than faded photographs of my ancestors leaning against elegant teak furniture.
In an irrational act of generosity, the Architect arranged a job for Baba as a salesman in a men’s clothing store in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He helped us apply for green cards — a process that took nearly three years, over a quarter of my life at that point. The Architect had immigrated to the United States in the 1960s and studied design at Harvard. He had lost touch with Baba for many years until one day he decided to look us up in Calcutta. Spontaneously, he decided to help his unemployed friend and his family. Immigration routes are patterned on kinship networks. Brothers follow brothers. Children follow parents. Grandparents follow grandchildren. Through marriage these networks become ever more expansive and intricate. A new bride follows a husband. A few years later her mother might follow. Then her brother and his wife. Entire districts from certain parts of the world might find themselves in a small American town as families follow one another across well-established migratory paths. A new immigrant feels secure knowing there is a brother with whom one could stay for a few months until a job is arranged. A cousin might provide just the right tip to secure employment in a new country.
Occasionally, friendship trumps kinship. A sibling might distance himself from his less successful brother, and kinfolk might slowly inch away from a family member emitting the faint whiff of poverty. In a poor society, impecunity is treated as a communicable disease. If you stand too close to poverty, you might catch it. Others see the poor as lacking merit and virtue. We were becoming infectious, virtue-less, without merit. And suddenly, just as I had begun to adjust to a slightly lower social class by giving up the little luxuries — new school uniforms, meat at the table, the use of a scooter — a long lost friend led us to a new life. Without accruing any financial benefits for himself, without any social or moral obligations, what was the Architect’s motivation? Perhaps he remembered rainy afternoons spent chatting over hot tea in a canteen. Maybe he recalled the red laterite soil of his hometown. He could have missed speaking Bengali with someone who knew him as a boy. Or maybe he wanted to be near someone who knew how to pronounce his name correctly. Perhaps he wanted to fashion three new immigrants into his ideal of the American nuclear family. I can only guess. I became the unintended beneficiary of his whimsy.
We waited for almost three years in India for our visas because Baba was too nervous to emigrate without a green card. We were making a historic leap from one continent to another, yet we were an extremely riskaverse family. Many immigrants carry these twin traits within themselves and some even pass them on to the next generation. As risk takers we leap far from the safety of home. Having left the comforts of home we know all too well that there is no safety net of kinship or citizenship to catch us should we topple. This makes us cautious. We check the lock on the door three times before going out. We save more than we spend. We collect sugar and ketchup packets from McDonald’s and cannot throw anything away. At work, we beat every deadline in the office and never pass up a second gig to make extra money. We tell our children to keep their heads down, study hard, and always look for a bargain. As riskaverse immigrants, we do not rock the boat. If you were a trapeze artist without a net below you, wouldn’t you act the same way? Anything else would be irrational.
Scholars who study immigrants such as Baba and Ma would describe them as the classic example of Homo economicus. Economic man makes rational decisions that will increase his wealth and his ability to buy nice things. In those early days in America, whenever people asked why my parents immigrated I felt a sense of irritation and embarrassment. I could not say that we were fleeing war or political turmoil. We were not exiles seeking political or religious freedom. We were seeking economic gains. We were seeking more money. That is a humiliating thing for a 12-year-old girl to have to repeat in a schoolyard. My parents sounded greedy. Or, worse, they sounded like people who had failed to be successful in the country of their birth and sought a second chance in a richer country. Because I arrived with them, I feared I too was tainted by these labels — greedy, unsuccessful, Homo economicus. At 12 I had made no rational choice, but the accident of my birth made me Homo economicus all the same.
In a poor society, impecunity is treated as a communicable disease. If you stand too close to poverty, you might catch it.
I wished we could pretend to be expats. Expats are glamorous and cosmopolitan. Cool expats like Ernest Hemingway sip Bellinis in Harry’s Bar in Venice. Modern expats are the well-heeled white Europeans or Americans one encounters in cities such as Dubai, Singapore, and Shanghai. They are foreigners who have moved to distant shores for all the same reasons as a humble immigrant — higher wages, more job opportunities, greater purchasing power, and faster upward mobility. White expats often hold themselves apart from natives in the Middle East, Africa, or Asia, seeing themselves as superior. They send their children to the local American, British, French, or German school. They go to restaurants and shops frequented by others who share their tastes. They have their own clubs. In the West, we do not begrudge white expats their seclusion. New immigrants in America, by contrast, are perceived as undesirables who bring down the real estate value of a neighborhood. The women wear strange garb, their illmannered children run amok, and their grocery stores emit unpleasant odors. Meanwhile, white expats add value to their surroundings. Shanghai’s French Concession is chic because of the presence of white folk. European expats add glamour to the highend restaurants of Abu Dhabi.
We weren’t chic expats or political dissidents with lofty ideologies. We were three people moving from a country with fewer resources to one with greater resources. I doubt we added glamour or value to our surroundings.
“Why did your parents come to America?”
“For better jobs.”
To this day this small exchange — repeated endlessly throughout my years in the United States — instantly determines the social hierarchy between my interlocutor and me. I wish I could say my parents possessed some extraordinary professional skill for which an American institution wooed them. We did not hold noble political or religious convictions that were at odds with the government of India. There was no war raging in my city and we were not being resettled. Homo economicus has a duller, more prosaic story to tell.
“Why did your parents come to America?”
“For better jobs.”
The native-borns nod and feel pleased that they are citizens of a country that offers better everything — jobs, homes, clothes, food, schools, music. I would feel the same if I was in their shoes. It must feel good to be born in a country that has more wealth than other places, to have the hardest currency in your wallet. It must feel good to be generous and invite others — after intense vetting and preselection — to share in this plenty. Even though I had no say at all in my family’s decision to emigrate, I felt my shoulders weighed down with the plenitude of the host country. This plenitude of which I was to be the grateful recipient was evidence that white people were superior to people like me. How else could one nation be so wealthy and another be so poor; one country have so much to give and another stand in a queue to receive? The inequality of nations was surely a sign that some races were morally, physically, and intellectually superior to others. The inequality of nations surely had nothing to do with man, but was shaped by Providence.
“Why did your parents come to America?”
“For better jobs.”
From From Not Quite Not White, by Sharmila Sen, published by Penguin Books, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright 2018 by Sharmila Sen. |
Working At Beverly Hills Health Club
More Crazy Stories From Las Vegas Based Actor
My first job in Los Angeles was in a posh Health Club in Beverly Hills at the Beverly Hills Health Club on Robertson Blvd below New Line cinema. The club had several members in the entertainment business such as actor Sunny Landom from the movie 48 hours and predator to name a few. One of my favorites and great guy Barry Newman from the TV series Petrocelli. Barry was an actor from the old days and had a magnificent career. Another famous person that was a member of the gym was Sasha Stallone, Sylvester Stallone’s ex wife. The head of development from Carolco Pictures was a member of the gym and my client. I also trained the VP of New Line Cinema who was a gym member. I found it very easy to attain clients in the Beverly Hills setting and could see the huge difference from Beverly Hills and Akron, Ohio. People handed you their money with no sales pitch and just based on what they saw in your skill. The income level in the gym was very high. I also trained the director and writer for the Street Justice series starring Carl Weathers from Rocky and many other films. Street Justice was shot in Canada and my client explained to me that he would have placed me in an episode, but Canada had rules about only lead actors could be from the US and others needed to be from Canada. The grind to make it in that business had several pitfalls.
Teaching Martial Arts In Los Angeles Gyms
I taught a class called defensive fitness and the club promoted me with a large banner at the front desk as the top trainer. Everything was good at that club except the owner was conducting shady business and I was catching on to the unethical practices. He was double billing clients and at one time hit a trust funders American Express card for $25,000.00 thinking he was so rich that he would not notice. The members business agent pointed the charge out to the member and at that point I knew the club was in trouble. I left the club and shortly after the FBI raided the club and shut it down. I ended up taking my clients to a few different gyms.
The Call To Audition For Stingray In Undefeatable
Later my Kung Fu Sifu Tai Yim called me and said Godfrey Ho wanted to meet me for an audition to play Stingray in “Undefeatable.” I flew to Maryland and basically reformed Kung Fu for Godfrey and my Sifu said he liked me and liked my intense blue eyes. At that point I went back to Akron, Ohio and trained and prepared for the film working out and reading the script.
When they were ready to start shooting I flew to Maryland and a house was rented for myself, Robin Shue and the cameraman from Hong Kong. Oddly enough Robin and I never shot a scene together for the “Bloody Mary Killer” Hong Kong version. Robin and I worked out regularly and days he was shooting, I was off.
I thoroughly enjoyed all of the stuntmen from Hong Kong and developed a true appreciation of the work they performed. They were always in a good mood and a great group to hang with.
The first day of shooting was in a ring for the kickboxing match and it took 13 hours to shoot. That was fun and tiring, but my adrenaline was pumping enough to keep me hyped.
The next day was a complete different scenario as we shot the rape scene with my wife. This was my first film as a lead and I was uncomfortable. The stunt crew was having a good time preparing to watch and I had everyone leave that did not need to be there. Emily the girl that played my wife was a very good actress and based out of New York.
Towards the end of the film Robin stated to me that he could easily get me work in Hong Kong and I would be able to build my name their but without much pay. I was looking forward to doing that, but it never happened. Robin ended up landing the Mortal Combat gig and I tried to reach him via the production company that shot it and never heard from him. This type of promise to do something and end up to do nothing was regular occurrence in the LA movie business. Although I expected more from Robin who I lived with for 3 month. As Sonny Landom stated to me “The Movie Business Is About Cutting Up Money Among Your Friends.” Unfortunately one needed the right friends.
Posh Beverly Hills Party Networking
One night the owner of the Beverly Hills Health Club took me to a posh Beverly Hills party to network. All night I was waiting for the food to come out as I am from Ohio and a party means food. Several hours after being there the food finally came out and it was an extravagant display of desserts. To top off the lack of real food the in thing at that time was using your fingers to eat it as there was NO Silverware. Welcome to weirdness in Beverly Hills. During my networking session at the party I met a gorgeous girl who said that the friend of hers was the VP of Vidmark Entertainment and he may be able to help me as Vidmark was going to do Martial Arts films. I spoke with him and he seemed like a very down to earth and sincere person. He stated that he was interested in talking to me and gave me his number. The next day I received a phone call at the Health Club and it was the girl from the party that was with the VP from Vidmark. She asked me if I would go to a play with her and since she was from Idaho and I was from Ohio we have much in common. Of course I was ready to jump on that offer and thought for a second about her friend or boyfriend. Most people only make minimal claims as to their relationship status based on wether a bigger better deal arises or whatever works for the moment. I told her I was training someone and needed to call her back.
I spoke with the gym owner who took me to the party and said this extremely how chick from the party wanted to go out with me, but I wasn’t sure if I should based on her friend and the possibility of doing business with Vidmark. He said I don’t think it would be a good idea if you are trying to establish yourself here in the acting business and going out with a potential film deal. It was good advice, I think? I didn’t end up taking her up on her offer and I spoke with him, but as usual talk is cheap in LA and everyone loves to make you feel good at the moment with potential deals. He was cordial on the phone and said he would get back to me when they decided to do something. I never heard back from him and lost the deal with the girl also. That was a lose-lose situation. Honor and dignity does not pay off in the film business. Pursuing an acting career can be an emotional rollercoaster of nonsense and one of the reasons I said enough of this BS.
Many would probably not be so outspoken about their personal issues, but I who really cares, one can never go wrong with the truth!
I will end this now and continue later with more happenings and even more interesting. I have so many from LA, I think a movie could be made about my life in LA.
I think the next article will be about my client that was the personal assistant to Andy Vajna who was the partner with Mario Kassar from Carolco pictures and running his new company Cinergi Pictures. |
As part of the BFI’s ‘Gothic’ season, veteran film director and producer Roger Corman visited London in October 2013 to introduce a screening of his film The Pit and the Pendulum (1961). The season also includes Corman’s lurid and unforgettable film The Masque of the Red Death (1964), the penultimate movie in his sequence of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations.
In the first part of his interview with Roger Corman, Alex Fitch talks to the legendary director and producer about his early career, the differences between shooting in monochrome and colour, and his art of remixing other people’s movies.
Alex Fitch: You produced your first film at the age of 28 and directed your first film a year later. In terms of the start of your career, you trained as an industrial engineer before having a moment of clarity and realising that you’d made a terrible mistake. You worked as a mail boy at Twentieth Century Fox, then a script reader. Working at the fringes of the film industry at that point, was it a challenge to work your way up the ladder?
Roger Corman: It was very hard. At that time there were very few independents – there were some but not very many – almost everything was done within studios. The studios were 100% unionised, and you couldn’t get in to the union without all kinds of things happening. The only position in the studio that was not unionised was the messengers.
I suppose it’s quite similar today, that you get loads of people breaking into the British film industry by working as runners to get their foot in the door.
The genres that you mainly worked in during the 1950s were Westerns, Horror, Gangster movies. Were they genres you were already interested in as a cinemagoer, or did you see a gap in the market?
A combination of both. Then, and to this day, the films I make are partially things I’m interested in, and partially things I believe will work in the market place. It’s the old statement: motion pictures are part art and part business.
You’ve gone back and forth between being a producer and being a director. Are they both roles you love equally?
I liked it best when I was producer and director, because as a producer/director, you truly are this overused word ‘auteur’; you are responsible specifically for what is going on. When I was a director only, I chafed a little bit at some of things suggested or sometimes ordered by the producer. When I’m a producer only, I’m sometimes amazed at some of the choices the directors make.
How hands on are you as a producer? Do you generally – when you’ve chosen someone – trust in their vision, or occasionally do you have to give them a prod?
As a producer I’m probably less hands on than just about any other producer I know; that is, I’m less hands on during the shooting. I’m very much there during preproduction and postproduction. The pictures are almost always ideas I’ve come up with: I’ll write a three-to-five page treatment, then hire a writer to do the screenplay, then bring in the director. Generally, I’ll bring in the director before the final draft of the screenplay, so that he gets his input into the screenplay, so it’s something he understands and can work with. Then I’ll collaborate or work with the director a great deal before shooting, particularly on the themes, how he plans to shoot, what his emphases are, what his interpretations of the characters are. So, I’m really there, all through preproduction, but once production starts, I just totally step away. I know some producers who are sitting there all day long, every day during shooting. To me there’s nothing duller than sitting on the set watching somebody else direct the picture. I’ll be there the first morning, and – if it’s all going well – by noon, I’ve left the set and probably will never come back.
Also, I suppose it’s unnerving for the director if the producer is always looking over their shoulder…
…and particularly, the first pictures on which I was a producer only, I found that the crews were coming to me, asking me questions that they should have been asking the director, and that was one of my reasons for stepping away. I know that having been a director, the director wants to be in charge, and should be, on the set.
Conversely, with the very first films you worked on in the 1950s, you were sitting in on the sets, to learn the craft by watching other people?
Yes. The first two films I produced, I was on the set every day. On the first film I was partially a grip, and I was the only producer/truck driver! I drove the truck as well… We shot the picture in a week. I would drive to the location, unload as much of the equipment as I could by myself, before the crew arrived, in order to save the amount of time they had to spend, and I’d be there all day. At the end of the day, the grips would load the heavy equipment onto the truck, everybody would leave, I would load the rest of the equipment and drive home, and repeat it the next day.
…and I suppose when you’re making low-budget movies, it garners you respect if you’re one of the gang…
They knew that I was working as hard, or harder than they were!
A series of films that you worked on, possibly your most renowned period of work, were the Technicolor Edgar Allan Poe films of the 1960s. Having worked on low budget black and white films in the 1950s, moving to colour must have created all sorts of new challenges – not as prevalent in monochrome – set dressing, lighting, costume design and so on. How did you find that experience? Was it at all terrifying or did you find it a natural progression?
It was a natural progression. There was very little change in the way I worked. I used the camera a little bit differently, and after talking to the cameraman, I was lighting a little bit differently. Danny Haller – a great friend of mine – was our art director, and he and I would discuss the sets. We worked with different colour schemes and patterns on the sets.
Watch the trailer for The Pit and the Pendulum:
You probably brought Poe to an entirely new audience. Did you feel at that time that he was a writer being under represented in the cinema?
Yes, I felt that Poe was under represented and was really not getting the attention he deserved in the American canon. He was thought of as an interesting writer, but not really one of the great writers, and I always felt he was one of the greats.
Presumably he still had a good reputation, so did that make it easier to choose him as the subject of your first colour movies?
Actually my first colour movie was a Western, but after that, with my next colour films, I chose Poe because I wanted to do an Edgar Allan Poe picture. I’d been making these ten-day, black-and-white films, two of them would go together as a double bill, and I convinced American International Pictures that they should let me go shoot for three weeks and make a picture in colour, and that was The Fall of the House of Usher (1960).
Towards the end of your Poe cycle, you had a young Nicholas Roeg as your cinematographer, shooting The Masque of the Red Death (1964). What was he like?
He was one of the best cinematographers I ever worked with. He was very inventive and his use of colour… We had discussed it before shooting started, and he went beyond what I anticipated. I thought the film was beautifully shot.
Watch the trailer for The Masque of the Red Death:
At the same time you were making those Poe films, you helped young directors remix various Russian sci-fi films that you’d bought the rights to. The art of remixing foreign films already existed, started with films like Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956), Invasion of the Animal People (1959), and later in the 60s, Woody Allen would do What’s up, Tiger Lily? (1966), but it felt that you were almost nurturing a new art form.
Well, it was a new form, I’m not certain it was a new art form! What I was doing with the Russian science fiction films… I’d seen one of them and American science fiction films were very popular – I made a number of them myself – but we were making them on very low budgets and I’d seen this Russian film, which was clearly made on a big budget, a giant budget. It had wonderful sets and wonderful special effects, far superior to what we were doing. They only problem was the anti-American propaganda, so I wasn’t so much recutting the films as such, I was removing the anti-American sentiment. That was Francis Ford Coppola’s first job – cutting the propaganda out of Russian science fiction films.
It was pretty wild. I remember I went to Moscow to buy those films and they had incredible anti-American propaganda in them. We of course had anti-Russian propaganda, but our propaganda was one tenth of theirs. Theirs was really outrageous, and I said to this guy in Moscow: ‘You know I’m going to have to cut this anti-American feeling, I’m going have to cut it all out.’ He laughed and said: ’I know that!’
By the time you got to Queen of Blood (1966), Curtis Harrington used about three different Russian films, so it really does feel like a remix of found footage.
At that time, it was our found footage! The only time I really did that was on these science fiction films.
Although, a film you produced in the late 1970s – Battle Beyond the Stars (1980) – you did reuse that later on in your career, with bits of special effects here and there, and I believe the score reappeared in a number of your films. Was it a project you were so proud of, you thought: ‘Let’s keep getting it out there?’
I was proud of it and also there was an economic factor. It was one of James Horner’s first scores, a brilliant score and really better than what I was getting from other composers. So, it just seemed illogical not to use his score again. We always used it in science fiction films. With the special effects, I was reusing primarily space ships that were designed by James Cameron. His first time in Hollywood was designing those model spaceships.
Watch the trailer for Battle Beyond the Stars:
Interview by Alex Fitch |
10 of the Best Hotels in Downtown Manhattan, New York
An exhilarating, energetic, eclectic melting pot, New York is a truly cosmopolitan city, where every language is spoken, every race represented and every cuisine is on the menu. And the best hotels in Downtown Manhattan reflect that variety.
As you'd expect in such a vibrant place, the best hotels in Downtown Manhattan come with a vastly varied price list. But there’s really nowhere like Downtown Manhattan to experience, and the only way to experience New York is in one of our Guru’s recommendations for 10 of the best hotels in Downtown Manhattan.
10 of the Best Hotels in Downtown Manhattan
Classic New York Hotels in Downtown Manhattan
- The Gramercy Park Hotel is a luxurious boutique hotel right by Gramercy Park, with an award winning roof terrace restaurant overlooking the park and an impressive art collection which includes Warhol and Damien Hirst.
- The Mercer is another New York classic, offering the ultimate in SoHo design chic and a world-class restaurant.
The Best City Break Hotels in Downtown Manhattan
- The SoHo Grand Hotel is a sumptuous option with stunning views, renowned decor and acclaimed cuisine.
- While the Washington Square Hotel is a historic hotel in Greenwich village, with Art Deco details, subtly lit rooms and a great restaurant.
The Hippest Hotels in Downtown Manhattan
- Sixty Soho is a hip SoHo hotel with a phenomenal rooftop bar and restaurant,
- or try Soho House, for exclusive luxury in the Meatpacking district with an even more fantastic rooftop terrace and pool, a deluxe spa and a 44-seat cinema.
The Best Hotels in Downtown Manhattan for City Buzz
- The Bowery Hotel is a fun and lively destination in an up-an-coming district,
- or you could go for the The Standard in the uber cool Meatpacking District, with it’s ceiling to floor windows offering views across the whole buzzing scene.
- The Tribeca Grand is another of our buzziest and best Manhattan hotels with an in-house cinema, funky roof-top terrace, regular live music and plenty of luxury.
The Best Hotels on Wall Street
- The Andaz Wall Street is worth a mention as the only hotel with a Wall Street address. It’s hip and happening and has a fantastic spa and bar.
If you haven’t found the best hotel in Downtown Manhattan on our Guru’s list of 10 you could try:
- Expanding your search to include our list of the best places to stay in New York? or our Guru's recommendations for 40 of the Best Hotels in Manhattan?
- Or you coud try our Guru's recommendations for 7 of the Best Midtown Manhattan Hotels? or 5 of the Best Uptown Manhattan Hotels?
- Or you could contact one of our friendly Gurus for personalised advice.
10 of the Best Hotels in Downtown Manhattan
Gramercy Park Hotel 185 rooms from £268New York
Newly decorated luxury boutique. Great pieces of furniture and diverse artworks, from Warhol to Damien Hirst, provide a unique impression of 21st century Bohemia. A lively and hip destination.LuxurySights nearby - Just a short stroll away you will find New Yorks most famous site, The Empire State Building.Great walks - Take a turn around the lovely Gramercy Park literally on the hotels doorstep.Views - Gorgeous views of Gramercy ParkRecommended by - Mr & Mrs Smith, Tablet, Frommers, Kiwi Collection
The Bowery Hotel 135 rooms from £303New York
A young, hip and delightfully atmospheric hotel in the trendy East Village. Chic and comfortable rooms with large windows providing plenty of light and splendid views. The vintage bars and restaurants are full of old world charm. A fun and lively destination in an up and coming district.Close to nightlife - Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge are just 800m away, as well as a whole range of hip bars and clubs.Local exploring - This trendy district is full of exciting sites and areas to explore by foot or by bike.Lively - More for revelry than for pampering.Great walks - The hip and trendy East Village is best explored on foot, wander the streets or ask at reception for a good route!Recommended by - Mr & Mrs Smith, Tablet, Fodors, Frommers, Kiwi Collection
The Mercer 75 rooms from £534New York
Ultimate SoHo chic. An iconic hotel, The Mercer provides the comforts of a home away from home, but in the surroundings of a trendy loft space. Artistic cool and modernist designs. Its world-class restaurant is a must.Foodies - The automatic table reservation at chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Mercer Kitchen is worth its weight in gold.Families - Interconnecting family suites and babysitting services.Outstanding location - Located in bustling downtown Soho.Local markets - Walk to the south-east of the hotel and you'll stumble across Little Italy and Chinatown, both well worth a visit.Recommended by - Mr & Mrs Smith, I Escape, Tablet, Frommers, Kiwi Collection
Sixty Soho 97 rooms from £241New York (Soho)
A hip and stylish SoHo hotel. The chic rooms are full of individual details such as artworks by Harland Miller and selected literature. Phenomenal bar and restaurant are incentive enough to stay here. A lively spot to see and be seen.Restaurant - Acclaimed restaurant - a paean to Thai cuisine.Roof terrace - Rooftop barGreat walks - Learn about the Lower East Side’s rich immigrant history on foot during a guided tour at the Tenement Museum on Orchard Street.Local markets - Wander down to Chinatown, under two Km away, and check out all this dynamic area has to offer.Recommended by - Mr & Mrs Smith
Washington Square Hotel 150 rooms from £194New York Downtown
An historic 1902 residence turned hotel in Greenwich Village. Art-deco style furnishings and dark mahoganies make up the subtly lit rooms. Here it's all about the prime location right on the corner of Washington Square Park.Local exploring - Right in Greenwich Village, this is an ideal spot for exploring Manhattan by foot.Local markets - Check out the streets of China Town, packed with stalls and shops of every description.Sights nearby - All within a few minutes walk are Madison Square Gardens and Little Italy.Outstanding location - On the edge of Washington Square Park.Recommended by - Frommers
Soho House New York 24 rooms from £389New York
Exclusive luxury in lower Manhattan's hip Meatpacking district. Fantastic rooftop terrace with pool, 44-seater cinema, and delux spa. Soho House is the epitome of cool. What more could you want from a trendy trip to NYC. Enjoy the Soho House restaurant, bar and Cowshed spa.Bar - Rooftop bar situated near rooftop pool.Swimming Pool - Heated rooftop pool with barRoof terraceViews - Great views from hotelRecommended by - Mr & Mrs Smith, I Escape, Kiwi Collection
Andaz Wall Street 253 rooms from £388New York City
The only hotel with an address on Wall Street, placing it at the epicenter of the Financial District. Large loft style rooms with seriously luxurious bathrooms. A hip restaurant using farm fresh produce, trendy bar and a glorious spa. A boutique hotel with a chains knowledge.Romantic Break - A stylish choice- loft-style rooms featuring pillow menus and king sized beds and downstairs a hip bar and yummy restaurant.City Style - A slick hotel set in an historic NYC neighborhood- trendy rough brick walls mixed with glossy finishes and lavish fittings.Great walks - Close to New Yorks famous Central Park, a breath of fresh air in the city centre.Sights nearby - Walking distance from ferries to the Statue of Liberty and Governor's Island.Recommended by - Tablet, Frommers, Kiwi Collection
The Standard 338 rooms from £359New York (Meatpacking District)
Oh-so chic rooms in the edgy ambient neighbourhood of Lower West Side. Ceiling to floor windows offer stunning views across New York, even from your bath tub. Hip all American food at the hotel restaurant and a 'to be seen in' bar. A hyper-modern way to experience New York.Romantic Break - Wonderfully indulgent suites feature romantic stand alone baths with stunning views and downstairs expect wonderful cuisine.City Style - A super trendy creation by Andre Balazs- achingly hip and housing one of New York's most sought after nightlife spots.Views - Great views of the skyline and Hudson BayRomantic - Good for couples.Recommended by - Mr & Mrs Smith, Tablet, Fodors, Kiwi Collection
SoHo Grand Hotel 355 rooms from £300New York
Sumptuous and elegantly designed - the 1870’s Gilded Age meets 1970's luxury - catering to the ultra-chic New Yorker. Rooms have stunning views and are decorated with original artworks. Acclaimed cuisine, stylish bar and sophisticated club room. A chic urban paradise.Rooms with balcony/terrace - Two sprawling penthouse loftsPet friendly - No fee for petsSights nearby - Central location means sights of New York are on your doorstepDesigner - Interior designs by celebrated interior designer Bill SofieldRecommended by - Tablet, Kiwi Collection
The Roxy Hotel Tribeca 203 rooms from £238New York
The SoHo Grand’s cooler little sister - the ultimate in downtown chic. The in-house cinema, live music and suave roof top terrace all attract a fashionista crowd. Sleek, mid-century modern rooms, fitted with the latest technology. The relaxing Aire Ancient Baths are located just one block away.Pet friendly - Pets can stay with no additional chargeCity Style - Luxurious downtown chicSpa - Aire Ancient Baths, located just one block from the hotelHouse party feel - Noise from the lively bar downstairsRecommended by - Tablet |
Moya Bailey is a postdoctoral scholar of women’s studies and digital humanities at Northeastern University. Her work focuses on marginalized groups’ use of digital media to promote social justice as acts of self-affirmation and health promotion.
Fiona Barnett is completing her PhD at Duke University in the Literature and Women’s Studies Program. Her dissertation is Bodies of Evidence: Postmortem Technologies of Race and Gender, and her work is grounded in feminist theory, visual studies, and the digital humanities. She is also the director of HASTAC Scholars, an annual fellowship program for innovative students engaged in interdisciplinary projects, and is an active member of FemTechNet.
Matthew Battles is associate director of metaLAB at Harvard, a research group at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society. His books include Library: An Unquiet History and Palimpsest: A History of the Written Word.
Jeffrey M. Binder is a PhD student in the English department at the Graduate Center, City University of New York. He teaches literature at Hunter College.
Zach Blas is an artist and writer whose work engages technology, queerness, and politics. He is lecturer in Visual Cultures at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Cameron Blevins is an Andrew Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at Rutgers University and received his PhD from Stanford University in 2015.
Sheila A. Brennan is director of strategic initiatives at the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media and research associate professor in the Department of History and Art History at George Mason University. She is codirector of Histories of the National Mall.
Timothy Burke is a professor of history at Swarthmore College. His specialty is modern African history. He is author of Lifebuoy Men, Lux Women: Commodification, Consumption, and Cleanliness in Modern Zimbabwe and the coauthor of Saturday Morning Fever: Growing Up with Cartoon Culture.
Rachel Sagner Buurma is associate professor of English literature at Swarthmore College, where she works on Victorian literature and culture, the history of the novel, and the relation between literature and information science. Along with Jon Shaw, she codirects the Early Novels Database.
Micha Cárdenas is an artist/theorist who creates and studies trans of color movement in digital media, where movement includes migration, performance, and mobility. cárdenas is assistant professor of interactive media design at the University of Washington, Bothell.
Wendy Hui Kyong Chun is professor and chair of Modern Culture and Media at Brown University. She has studied both systems design engineering and English literature, which she combines and mutates in her current work on digital media. She is author of Control and Freedom: Power and Paranoia in the Age of Fiber Optics and Programmed Visions: Software and Memory.
Tanya E. Clement is assistant professor in the School of Information at the University of Texas at Austin. She has a PhD in English literature and language and an MFA in fiction. She has published on sound studies and DH, digital literacies and pedagogy in DH, and text mining and DH as well as feminist inquiry in information studies, data mining, and modernist literature in Digital Humanities Quarterly, Information & Culture, Journal of the Text Encoding Initiative, Literary and Linguistic Computing, and Texas Studies in Literature and Language.
Anne Cong-Huyen is digital scholar at Whittier College’s Digital Liberal Arts Center and a former Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in the Humanities and visiting assistant professor of Asian American studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research interests include the literature and media of migration and labor, Asian American studies, globalization and neoliberalism, postcolonial studies, and transnationalism.
Ryan Cordell is assistant professor of English at Northeastern University and a founding core faculty member of NULab for Texts, Maps, and Networks.
Tressie McMillan Cottom is assistant professor of sociology at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is a faculty associate at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University and the author of Lower Ed: How For-Profit Colleges Deepen Inequality. She is a contributing editor at Dissent.
Amy E. Earhart is associate professor of English at Texas A&M University. She is the author of Traces of the Old, Uses of the New: The Emergence of Digital Literary Studies and coeditor of The American Literature Scholar in the Digital Age.
Domenico Fiormonte is lecturer in sociology of communication and culture at the Department of Political Sciences, University of Roma Tre (Italy), where he has taught courses on communication theory, composition, new media, humanities computing, and digital philology. He is the author of Scrittura e filologia nell’era digitale.
Paul Fyfe is associate professor at North Carolina State University in the English department and the Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media Program. He is also an Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Critical Bibliography at Rare Book School. He is the author of By Accident or Design: Writing the Victorian Metropolis.
Jacob Gaboury is assistant professor of digital media and visual culture in the Department of Cultural Analysis and Theory at Stony Brook University.
Kim Gallon is assistant professor of history at Purdue University. She is director of the Black Press Research Collective and the Black Press Born-Digital Project.
Alex Gil is digital scholarship coordinator for the Humanities and History Division at Columbia University and one of the founders of the Studio@Butler, a technology atelier for faculty, students, and librarians.
Matthew K. Gold is associate professor of English and digital humanities at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. His collaborative digital humanities projects include the CUNY Academic Commons, Looking for Whitman, Commons In A Box, Social Paper, DH Box, and Manifold Scholarship. He edited Debates in the Digital Humanities (Minnesota, 2012) and, with Lauren F. Klein, coedits the Debates in the Digital Humanities book series.
Brian Greenspan is associate professor in the Department of English and the doctoral program in Cultural Mediations at Carleton University. He is founding director of the Hyperlab, Carleton’s first digital humanities research center, cofounder of the Digital Rhetorics and Ethics Lab, and champion of Carleton’s Collaborative MA and BA (minor) programs in digital humanities.
Richard Grusin is a professor of English and director of the Center for 21st Century Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. He is the author of Culture, Technology, and the Creation of America’s National Parks and editor of The Nonhuman Turn (Minnesota, 2015).
Michael Hancher, professor of English at the University of Minnesota, has written on Victorian writers and artists; intention and interpretation, speech-act theory, pragmatics, and the law; and the history and rationale of pictorial illustration in dictionaries.
Molly O’Hagan Hardy received her PhD in English from the University of Texas at Austin. She is the digital humanities curator at the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts. Her research examines debates around literary property and race in the eighteenth-century transatlantic world.
David L. Hoover is professor of English at New York University. His publications include Digital Literary Studies: Corpus Approaches to Poetry, Prose, and Drama, with Jonathan Culpeper and Kieran O’Halloran, and “Text Analysis,” in Ken Price and Ray Siemens, editors, Literary Studies in the Digital Age: An Anthology.
Wendy F. Hsu is a researcher, strategist, and educator who engages with hybrid research and organizing agendas to examine the cultural dimensions of arts, technology, and civic experience. She has published on digital ethnography, sound-based pedagogy, Asian American indie rock, Yoko Ono, Taqwacore, and Bollywood.
Patrick Jagoda is assistant professor of English and an affiliate of cinema and media studies at the University of Chicago. He is coeditor of Critical Inquiry and cofounder of the Game Changer Chicago Design Lab. His first monograph, Network Aesthetics, is forthcoming.
Jessica Marie Johnson is assistant professor of history at Michigan State University. In 2008 she founded African Diaspora, PhD, a blog highlighting scholarship of Atlantic African diaspora history.
Steven E. Jones is professor of English and director of the Center for Textual Studies and Digital Humanities at Loyola University, Chicago. He is the author of a number of books, including The Emergence of the Digital Humanities.
Lauren F. Klein is assistant professor in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication at Georgia Tech, where she also directs the Digital Humanities Lab. With Matthew K. Gold, she coedits the Debates in the Digital Humanities book series.
Anna Tione Levine is media associate at the Folger Shakespeare Library, where she works on Folger-supported digital humanities projects.
Margaret Linley is associate professor of English at Simon Fraser University. She has published on Victorian poetry, literary annuals, and Victorian print culture and media history. She is coeditor of Media, Technology, and Literature in the Nineteenth Century: Image, Sound, Touch.
Alan Liu is a professor of English at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His books include Wordsworth: The Sense of History; The Laws of Cool: Knowledge Work and the Culture of Information; and Local Transcendence: Essays on Postmodern Historicism and the Database.
Elizabeth Losh is associate professor of English and American studies at the College of William and Mary. She is author of The War on Learning: Gaining Ground in the Digital University and Virtualpolitik.
Alexis Lothian is assistant professor of women’s studies and member of the core faculty in the interdisciplinary Design | Cultures & Creativity Honors Program at University of Maryland College Park. Her work focuses on the intersections of digital media, speculative fiction, and social justice movements and has been published in International Journal of Cultural Studies, Cinema Journal, Camera Obscura, Social Text Periscope, Journal of Digital Humanities, Extrapolation, and by the feminist science fiction publisher Aqueduct Press.
Michael Maizels is the Mellon Curator of New Media Art at the Davis Museum at Wellesley College and a fellow at Harvard University’s metaLAB. He is author of Barry Le Va: The Aesthetic Aftermath (Minnesota, 2015).
Mark C. Marino is an author and scholar of digital literature. His works include “Marginalia in the Library of Babel,” “a show of hands,” “Living Will,” and a collection of interactive children’s stories called “Mrs. Wobbles and the Tangerine House.” He is associate professor (teaching) of writing at the University of Southern California, where he directs the Humanities and Critical Code Studies (HaCCS) Lab.
Anne B. McGrail teaches writing and literature at Lane Community College. In 2013 she was project director for an NEH Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant for “Bringing Digital Humanities to the Community College and Vice Versa.” In summer 2015 she was project director for an NEH Advanced Topics in Digital Humanities Summer Institute for community college faculty.
Bethany Nowviskie directs the nonprofit Digital Library Federation at CLIR, the Council on Library and Information Resources, and is research associate professor of digital humanities in the Department of English at the University of Virginia.
Julianne Nyhan is senior lecturer (associate professor) in digital information studies in the Department of Information Studies, University College London. Her research interests are the history of computing in the humanities and digital humanities. Her publications include the coedited Digital Humanities in Practice; Digital Humanities: A Reader; and Clerics, Kings, and Vikings: Essays on Medieval Ireland.
Amanda Phillips is the IMMERSE Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Davis. Her research unites platform and software studies approaches with feminist, queer, and critical race theory, investigating specific video game design practices to understand how difference is produced and policed in gaming communities.
Miriam Posner is the digital humanities program coordinator and a member of the core DH faculty at the University of California, Los Angeles. A film and media scholar by training, she frequently writes on the history of science and technology. She is a member of the executive council of the Association for Computers and the Humanities.
Rita Raley is associate professor of English at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is author of Tactical Media (Minnesota, 2009) and coeditor of the Electronics Literature Collection, Volume 2.
Stephen Ramsay is Susan J. Rosowski Associate University Professor of English at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and a fellow at the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities. He is the author of Reading Machines: Toward an Algorithmic Criticism.
Margaret Rhee received her PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in ethnic studies with a designated emphasis in new media studies. She is visiting assistant professor in women’s and gender studies at the University of Oregon. She lives in Eugene and Los Angeles.
Lisa Marie Rhody, previously associate director of research projects at the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University, is now at the CUNY Graduate Center as deputy director of Digital Initiatives. Her scholarly interests span contemporary poetry, topic modeling, data visualization, and scholarly communication.
Roopika Risam is assistant professor of English and English education at Salem State University. Her research examines the intersections of postcolonial, African American, and U.S. ethnic literatures and the role of digital humanities in mediating between them.
Stephen Robertson is director of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media and professor in the Department of History and Art History at George Mason University. He is one of the creators of the site Digital Harlem: Everyday Life, 1915–1930 (digitalharlem.org).
Mark Sample is associate professor of digital studies at Davidson College. His teaching and research focuses on contemporary literature, new media, and video games. His examination of the representation of torture in video games appeared in Game Studies.
Jentery Sayers is assistant professor of English and cultural, social, and political thought, as well as director of the Maker Lab in the Humanities, at the University of Victoria. He works at the intersections of comparative media studies and digital humanities.
Benjamin M. Schmidt is assistant professor of history at Northeastern University and a member of the core faculty at the NULab for Texts, Maps, and Networks. His research interests are in the digital humanities and the intellectual and cultural history of the United States in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Scott Selisker is assistant professor of English at the University of Arizona. He is author of Human Programming: Brainwashing, Automatons, and American Unfreedom (Minnesota, 2016).
Jonathan Senchyne is assistant professor of library and information studies and associate director of the Center for the History of Print and Digital Culture at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. His essays on the materiality of early American print culture appear in Early African American Print Culture and Book History. His research has been supported by fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Antiquarian Society, and the New York Public Library.
Andrew Stauffer is associate professor of English at the University of Virginia, where he directs the digital scholarly initiative NINES (http://nines.org), teaches in the Rare Book School, and directs the Book Traces project (http://booktraces.org). He is the author of Anger, Revolution, and Romanticism and the editor of works by H. Rider Haggard and Robert Browning.
Joanna Swafford is assistant professor of English at SUNY New Paltz, specializing in Victorian literature and culture, digital humanities, sound, and gender studies. Her book project, “Transgressive Tunes and the Gendered Music of Victorian Poetry,” traces the gendered intermediations of poetry and music.
Toniesha L. Taylor is associate professor in the Department of Languages and Communication at Prairie View A&M University. Her research focuses on African American, religious, intercultural, gender, and popular culture communications.
Dennis Tenen pursues research at the intersection of people, texts, and technology. His recent work appears in Computational Culture, boundary 2, and Modernism/Modernity on topics that range from book piracy to algorithmic composition, unintelligent design, and the history of data visualization.
Melissa Terras is director of the University College London Centre for Digital Humanities, a professor of digital humanities in UCL’s Department of Information Studies, and vice dean of research in UCL’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities. Her research focuses on computational techniques to enable research in the arts and humanities that would otherwise be impossible.
Ted Underwood is a professor of English at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and the author of Why Literary Periods Mattered.
Ethan Watrall is assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology and associate director of MATRIX: The Center for Digital Humanities & Social Sciences at Michigan State University. His primary research interests are publicly engaged digital archaeology and digital heritage.
Jacqueline Wernimont is assistant professor of English at Arizona State University, specializing in literary history, feminist digital media, histories of quantification, and technologies of commemoration. She is a fellow of the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics and an active part of the FemTechNet collective.
Laura Wexler is professor of American studies and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at Yale University, where she is cochair of the Public Humanities Program, director of the Photographic Memory Workshop, and principal investigator of the Photogrammar Project.
Hong-An Wu is a Taiwanese doctoral student in art education at the University of Illinois, Urbana–Champaign. Wu’s research investigates the intersection of art education and new media, with an emphasis on video gaming, through the lens of cultural studies, feminist studies, and critical Internet studies. |
SEK International School El Castillo boarding houses have been built according to the most demanding quality standards.
The boarding areas for boys and girls boast study rooms; nurse and doctor’s offices; daily laundry, ironing and sorting of clothes; TV room; student service and 24-hour security, as well as excellent sports and recreational areas.
Boarders live on SEK International School El Castillo grounds, where they can enjoy all they need for study, leisure and enjoying their free time: TV rooms with satellite channels, Wi-Fi connections, games, music, reading, library, radio studio, auditorium, as well as everything necessary to enjoy a well-deserved rest in their dormitories, distributed according to students’ age and year.
1. International Experience
The experience of being part of our community affords foreign students opportunities that will be crucial for their education.
This programme includes Spanish language learning support, so that students can develop greater agility and speed in their mastery of the Spanish language. In addition, it prepares them to successfully sit official external Spanish language exams.
Foreign students share a room with Spanish students.
The students will be able to tailor the programme
to their needs, choosing subjects that cater to their
Students can enrol in programmes such as the
White Weeks, or opt for stays at our international
schools of SEK-Dublin or SEK-Les Alpes.
Students between 11 and 18 years of age who:
• Are looking for their first International experience in preparation for a possible university future in an international environment
• Wish to improve their level of English or Spanish by language immersion
• International students who want to take advantage of their stay in the Boarding House to get closer to, and to better understand the local culture
2. High-performance Sports
Professional sports are very demanding. Which is why SEK boarding schools offer an all-round education through their High Performance Sports programmes for athletes who wish to combine high-level sports training and their studies.
Each student has a tailored programme based on individual interviews with students, their academic and sports tutors, guidance department and families.
Students who are part of the programme enjoy greater flexibility in their school timetable, providing them with the necessary time to meet their sports commitments, training and competitions.
Extra tuition: once the school day is over, boarders have extra tuition for school subjects.
Study techniques: to make the most of the hours dedicated to the study, the school provides boarders with coaching in time management strategies.
Young athletes between the ages of 10* and 18 who practice a sport professionally or semiprofessionally, and therefore:
• Have to devote part of their day to training
• Require specific physical and psychological preparation, different from other boarders
• Participate in various competitions, events, tournaments…
• Must combine their studies and training obtaining the best academic and sporting results
• Require flexibility to meet their commitments
• Need support in the development of their sporting career: SEK International Sports Academy
* Although the minimum age for SEK boarders is 11, in the case of students on the SEK International Sports Academy programme, children from 10 years of age are admitted, in order to offer them the necessary support in their sports career.
3. Academic Excellence
The academic excellence programme offers personalised high-quality teaching to students who do not settle for anything but the best and is based on three fundamental pillars:
1. A personalised, demanding, exciting and motivating curriculum that adapts to the needs, interests and objectives of each student.
2. A first-class teaching team, ensuring students are afforded the highest levels of academic quality in cutting-edge facilities and the latest technology. Teachers ensure students are given the support necessary for their demanding academic expectations, both inside and outside the school day.
3. Guaranteeing a first-rate education: Students are given an outstanding education, providing a solid foundation from which to achieve success in their pre-university studies. Boarders are provided University Career’s Guidance programmes for studying in Spain or abroad.
All those students between 11 and 18 who:
• Have an outstanding academic record
• Are foreign students or from education systems from outside Spain with good academic grades
• Wish to attend pre-university studies in an educational model that lives up to their expectations
• Aim to guarantee their access to higher education and their chosen university
• Wish to receive effective preparation for a successful professional future
4. Academic Enrichment
Students can opt for the Academic Enrichment Boarding Programme from Monday to Friday or Long-stay Boarding (Monday to Sunday).
The objective is to significantly boost academic performance, adding four hours a day of study outside school hours, which are divided into:
1. Extra study or tuition, in small groups and with specialised teachers in the different science and humanities subjects
2. Supervised study sessions, in which students perform tasks in groups or work individually. They also receive tuition on study techniques to acquire good working methods, which helps them to better manage their time.
With this programme boarders improve their academic performance while receiving the benefits of a healthy coexistence, within the framework of an education in values and respect for the diversity of other cultures.
In addition, boarders enjoy large open spaces and excellent facilities, which provide everything necessary to optimise their learning and for the development of sports, leisure and the establishment of bonds of friendship and camaraderie.
Feel supported, since the school provides each student with personalised and tailored attention, ensuring they feel perfectly integrated.
All those students between 11 and 18 who:
• Seek a quality educational system that guarantees the best academic performance
• Are not able to continue their studies in their places of origin for logistical or structural reasons
• Need to continue their studies in a boarding school for geographical transfers or family reasons
The school has a medical service (doctor and nurse) in addition to its insurance policy with a major insurance company and with 24-hour coverage.
At the start of the school year, all students undergo a general medical examination to determine their health condition.
The school has its own kitchen (certified in accordance with ISO Standard 9002:1994), ensuring that the food provided meets all quality and hygiene regulations.
The boarding house blog features the meals, dietary guidelines and the different services of the dining room. Students with special dietary needs must be given express authorization from the school medical service.
Weekend transport service.
On weekends, students can use the school coach service, with pick up and transfer of students to airports or main bus and train stations.
All garments must be marked with the identification number given to students by the school secretary. Laundry must be sent in a personal cloth bag (it is advisable to have two), identified with the student’s identification number.
Sports are an essential pillar at SEK Education Group. The greatest example of this commitment are our boarding students who belong to the High-Performance Sports Academies, combining their studies with high-level sports at national and international levels.
But all boarders can use the tennis, padel tennis and squash courts, indoor pools, gym, basketball court and football pitches and all the sports facilities of SEK-El Castillo and UCJC Sports Club.
Taekwondo / self-defence
Taekwondo is the most popular Korean martial art in the world. A very all-round sport on a physical and spiritual level, which includes self-control techniques.
At SEK-El Castillo, students who practice this sport prepare to take their exams to obtain Spanish Federation ranks and belts, headed by Coral Bistuer, 7th Dan and EU gold medal winner in Taekwondo.
Fitness and sports preparation with individual programmes.
Lessons and training with SEK Sports Club instructors.
The SEK tennis and padel tennis academies cater for students from different levels, who must be federated to be able to participate in different tournaments in the Madrid Region. And courts stay open all day for them to be able to train whenever they want.
Boarders can sign up for lessons from specialised instructors from the school’s sports academies and SEK Sports Club.
Golf A sport that develops precision, global perception and balance, students receive instruction from specialised instructors from the SEK Sports Club.
As well as learning to ride and compete, students learn how to care for the animals and use equipment correctly from specialist instructors from SEK Sports Club.
Accomplished riders can take part in local and regional championships. Students may train with their own horses or those of the school.
Ballet / funky
Offered in partnership with the Víctor Ullate Dance Foundation, this activity offers instruction and training from one of the greatest masters of this artistic discipline.
Cultural, leisure and free time activities
Students learn acting and drama techniques and perform rehearsals for the staging of theatrical adaptations or original works.
In the music school for boarders, students are can take up or continue their studies in different instruments: violin, piano, cello or percussion. violin, piano, cello or percussion.
This activity aims to foster students’ creativity through working with different techniques, such as oil paints, watercolour, tempera, carving and modelling.
Students taking this activity improve their reading skills and expression, applying diction and comprehension techniques.
Current Affairs Workshop Know and interpret the world that surrounds you. This activity aims to encourage students to analyse and debate the most relevant news and current affairs from Spain and abroad.
An opportunity to train as responsible and caring citizens, participating in Community and Service Activities, through working at the boarding house or school itself, or collaborating directly with official bodies: UNICEF, Red Cross, Environmental groups …
Boarders enrolled in the Full-time Boarding Programme (from Monday to Sunday), will enjoy different activities aimed both at enriching their leisure and their personal development:
Academic activities: timetables are established for students’ study sessions and academic tuition. Study hours are scheduled according to the student’s performance and personal agenda.
Co-curricular activities: Visits to museums and places of cultural interest, sporting events, exhibitions, film forum, theatre …
Leisure activities: social afternoons, cinema, shopping, parties or birthday celebrations, because having fun is also part of the personal development of students.
Sport activities: Boarders can take part in sports such as tennis, swimming, padel tennis or fitness classes at the school or the SEK Sports Club.
Outdoor activities: Hiking, mountain biking, skating, or visits to theme parks (adventure, attractions, wildlife, etc).
A first-rate teaching team
SEK International School El Castillo school and boarding house staff have extensive experience and share a true passion for learning.
The entire team’s commitment is to enhance the academic performance and personal development of students, planning and mediating in their learning, diagnosing strengths and weaknesses, to ensure boarders enjoy a comfortable and familiar space to develop academically and as people.
In the over 20 years of the boarding house’s history, teachers and educators acted as guides, examples and a positive influence for boarders, creating life-long memories.
SEK team training
The ongoing training of the over 10,000 teachers who have taught at SEK Education Group, has been, for over 50 years, one of our hallmarks.
Another hallmark of SEK schools are our ongoing efforts in education research and innovation. And that, in today’s learning society, is not just something that stands us apart, it is a model in its own right. |
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Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (Russian: Дми́трий Дми́триевич Шостако́вич (help·info), tr. Dmitriy Dmitrievich Shostakovich, pronounced [ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ˈdmʲitrʲɪjɪvʲɪtɕ ʂəstɐˈkovʲɪtɕ]; 25 September [O.S. 12 September] 1906 – 9 August 1975) was a Russian composer and pianist. He is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century.
Shostakovich achieved fame in the Soviet Union under the patronage of Soviet chief of staff Mikhail Tukhachevsky, but later had a complex and difficult relationship with the government. Nevertheless, he received accolades and state awards and served in the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR (1947) and the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union (from 1962 until his death).
A polystylist, Shostakovich developed a hybrid voice, combining a variety of different musical techniques into his works. His music is characterized by sharp contrasts, elements of the grotesque, and ambivalent tonality; the composer was also heavily influenced by the neo-classical style pioneered by Igor Stravinsky, and (especially in his symphonies) by the late Romanticism of Gustav Mahler.
Shostakovich's orchestral works include 15 symphonies and six concerti. His chamber output includes 15 string quartets, a piano quintet, two piano trios, and two pieces for string octet. His solo piano works include two sonatas, an early set of preludes, and a later set of 24 preludes and fugues. Other works include three operas, several song cycles, ballets, and a substantial quantity of film music; especially well known is The Second Waltz, Op. 99, music to the film The First Echelon (1955–1956), as well as the suites of music composed for The Gadfly.
Born at Podolskaya Street in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Shostakovich was the second of three children of Dmitri Boleslavovich Shostakovich and Sofiya Vasilievna Kokoulina. Shostakovich's paternal grandfather, originally surnamed Szostakowicz, was of Polish Roman Catholic descent (his family roots trace to the region of the town of Vileyka in today's Belarus), but his immediate forebears came from Siberia. A Polish revolutionary in the January Uprising of 1863–4, Bolesław Szostakowicz would be exiled to Narym (near Tomsk) in 1866 in the crackdown that followed Dmitri Karakozov's assassination attempt on Tsar Alexander II. When his term of exile ended, Szostakowicz decided to remain in Siberia. He eventually became a successful banker in Irkutsk and raised a large family. His son Dmitri Boleslavovich Shostakovich, the composer's father, was born in exile in Narim in 1875 and studied physics and mathematics in Saint Petersburg University, graduating in 1899. He then went to work as an engineer under Dmitri Mendeleev at the Bureau of Weights and Measures in Saint Petersburg. In 1903 he married another Siberian transplant to the capital, Sofiya Vasilievna Kokoulina, one of six children born to a Russian Siberian native.
Their son, Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, displayed significant musical talent after he began piano lessons with his mother at the age of nine. On several occasions he displayed a remarkable ability to remember what his mother had played at the previous lesson, and would get "caught in the act" of playing the previous lesson's music while pretending to read different music placed in front of him. In 1918 he wrote a funeral march in memory of two leaders of the Kadet party, murdered by Bolshevik sailors.
In 1919, at the age of 13, he was admitted to the Petrograd Conservatory, then headed by Alexander Glazunov, who monitored Shostakovich's progress closely and promoted him. Shostakovich studied piano with Leonid Nikolayev after a year in the class of Elena Rozanova, composition with Maximilian Steinberg, and counterpoint and fugue with Nikolay Sokolov, with whom he became friends. Shostakovich also attended Alexander Ossovsky's music history classes. Steinberg tried to guide Shostakovich on the path of the great Russian composers, but was disappointed to see him 'wasting' his talent and imitating Igor Stravinsky and Sergei Prokofiev. Shostakovich also suffered for his perceived lack of political zeal, and initially failed his exam in Marxist methodology in 1926. His first major musical achievement was the First Symphony (premiered 1926), written as his graduation piece at the age of 19. This work brought him to the attention of Mikhail Tukhachevsky, who helped Shostakovich find accommodation and work in Moscow, and sent a driver around in "a very stylish automobile" to take him to a concert.
After graduation, Shostakovich initially embarked on a dual career as concert pianist and composer, but his dry style of playing was often unappreciated (his American biographer, Laurel Fay, comments on his "emotional restraint" and "riveting rhythmic drive"). He nevertheless won an "honorable mention" at the First International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1927. He attributed the disappointment at the competition to suffering from appendicitis and the jury being all-Polish. He had his appendix removed in April 1927. After the competition Shostakovich met the conductor Bruno Walter, who was so impressed by the composer's First Symphony that he conducted it at its Berlin premiere later that year. Leopold Stokowski was equally impressed and gave the work its U.S. premiere the following year in Philadelphia and also made the work's first recording.
Shostakovich concentrated on composition thereafter and soon limited his performances primarily to those of his own works. In 1927 he wrote his Second Symphony (subtitled To October), a patriotic piece with a great pro-Soviet choral finale. Owing to its experimental nature, as with the subsequent Third Symphony, it was not critically acclaimed with the enthusiasm given to the First.
1927 also marked the beginning of Shostakovich's relationship with Ivan Sollertinsky, who remained his closest friend until the latter's death in 1944. Sollertinsky introduced the composer to the music of Mahler, which had a strong influence on his music from the Fourth Symphony onwards.
While writing the Second Symphony, Shostakovich also began work on his satirical opera The Nose, based on the story by Nikolai Gogol. In June 1929, against the composer's own wishes, the opera was given a concert performance; it was ferociously attacked by the Russian Association of Proletarian Musicians (RAPM). Its stage premiere on 18 January 1930 opened to generally poor reviews and widespread incomprehension among musicians.
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Shostakovich worked at TRAM, a proletarian youth theatre. Although he did little work in this post, it shielded him from ideological attack. Much of this period was spent writing his opera, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, which was first performed in 1934. It was immediately successful, on both popular and official levels. It was described as "the result of the general success of Socialist construction, of the correct policy of the Party", and as an opera that "could have been written only by a Soviet composer brought up in the best tradition of Soviet culture".
On 17 January 1936, Joseph Stalin paid a rare visit to the opera for a performance of a new work, Quiet Flows the Don, based on the novel by Mikhail Sholokhov, by the little-known composer Ivan Dzerzhinsky, who was called to Stalin's box at the end of the performance and told that his work had "considerable ideological-political value". On 26 January, Stalin revisited the opera, accompanied by Vyacheslav Molotov, Andrei Zhdanov and Anastas Mikoyan, to hear Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. He and his entourage left without speaking to anyone. Shostakovich had been forewarned by a friend that he should postpone a planned concert tour in Arkhangelsk, in order to be present at that particular performance. Eyewitness accounts testify that Shostakovich was "white as a sheet" when he went to take his bow after the third act. In letters written to Sollertinsky, Shostakovich recounted the horror with which he watched as Stalin shuddered every time the brass and percussion played too loudly. Equally horrifying was the way Stalin and his companions laughed at the love-making scene between Sergei and Katerina. The next day, Shostakovich left for Arkhangelsk, and was there when he heard on 28 January that Pravda had published a tirade titled Muddle Instead of Music, complaining that the opera was a "deliberately dissonant, muddled stream of sounds...(that) quacks, hoots, pants and gasps." This was the signal for a nationwide campaign, during which even Soviet music critics who had praised the opera were forced to recant in print, saying they "failed to detect the shortcomings of Lady Macbeth as pointed out by Pravda". There was resistance from those who admired Shostakovich, including Sollertinsky, who turned up at a composers' meeting in Leningrad called to denounce the opera and praised it instead. Two other speakers supported him. When Shostakovich returned to Leningrad, he had a telephone call from the commander of the Leningrad Military District, who had been asked by Marshal Mikhail Tukhachevsky to make sure that he was all right. When the writer Isaac Babel was under arrest four years later, he told his interrogators that "it was common ground for us to proclaim the genius of the slighted Shostakovich."
On 6 February, Shostakovich was again attacked in Pravda, this time for his light comic ballet The Limpid Stream, which was denounced because "it jangles and expresses nothing" and did not give an accurate picture of peasant life on a collective farm. Fearful that he was about to be arrested, Shostakovich secured an appointment with the Chairman of the USSR State Committee on Culture, Platon Kerzhentsev, who reported to Stalin and Molotov that he had instructed the composer to "reject formalist errors and in his art attain something that could be understood by the broad masses", and that Shostakovich had admitted being in the wrong and had asked for a meeting with Stalin, which was not granted.
As a result of this campaign, commissions began to fall off, and Shostakovich's income fell by about three-quarters. His Fourth Symphony was due to receive its premiere on 11 December 1936, but he withdrew it from the public, possibly because it was banned, and the symphony was not performed for 25 years, until 30 December 1961. Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District was also suppressed. A bowdlerised version was eventually performed under a new title, Katerina Izmailova, on 8 January 1963. The anti-Shostakovich campaign also served as a signal to artists working in other fields, including art, architecture, the theatre and cinema, with the writer Mikhail Bulgakov, the director Sergei Eisenstein, and the theatre director Vsevolod Meyerhold among the prominent targets. More widely, 1936 marked the beginning of the Great Terror, in which many of the composer's friends and relatives were imprisoned or killed. These included his friend Marshal Mikhail Tukhachevsky (shot months after his arrest); his brother-in-law Vsevolod Frederiks (a distinguished physicist, who was eventually released but died before he got home); his close friend Nikolai Zhilyayev (a musicologist who had taught Tukhachevsky; shot shortly after his arrest); his mother-in-law, the astronomer Sofiya Mikhaylovna Varzar (sent to a camp in Karaganda); his friend the Marxist writer Galina Serebryakova (20 years in camps); his uncle Maxim Kostrykin (died); and his colleagues Boris Kornilov and Adrian Piotrovsky (executed). His only consolation in this period was the birth of his daughter Galina in 1936; his son Maxim was born two years later.
Withdrawal of the Fourth SymphonyEdit
The publication of the Pravda editorials coincided with the composition of Shostakovich's Fourth Symphony. The work marked a great shift in style, owing to the substantial influence of Mahler and a number of Western-style elements. The symphony gave Shostakovich compositional trouble, as he attempted to reform his style into a new idiom. The composer was well into the work when the Pravda article appeared. He continued to compose the symphony and planned a premiere at the end of 1936. Rehearsals began that December, but after a number of rehearsals Shostakovich, for reasons still debated today, decided to withdraw the symphony from the public. A number of his friends and colleagues, such as Isaak Glikman, have suggested that it was, in fact, an official ban that Shostakovich was persuaded to present as a voluntary withdrawal. Whatever the case, it seems possible that this action saved the composer's life: during this time Shostakovich feared for himself and his family. Yet he did not repudiate the work; it retained its designation as his Fourth Symphony. A piano reduction was published in 1946, and the work was finally premiered in 1961, well after Stalin's death.
During 1936 and 1937, in order to maintain as low a profile as possible between the Fourth and Fifth symphonies, Shostakovich mainly composed film music, a genre favored by Stalin and lacking in dangerous personal expression.
Fifth Symphony and return to favorEdit
The composer's response to his denunciation was the Fifth Symphony of 1937, which was musically more conservative than his earlier works. Premiered on 21 November 1937 in Leningrad, it was a phenomenal success. The Fifth brought many to tears and welling emotions. Later, Shostakovich's purported memoir, Testimony, stated: "I'll never believe that a man who understood nothing could feel the Fifth Symphony. Of course they understood, they understood what was happening around them and they understood what the Fifth was about."
The success put Shostakovich in good standing once again. Music critics and the authorities alike, including those who had earlier accused Shostakovich of formalism, claimed that he had learned from his mistakes and become a true Soviet artist. In a newspaper article published under Shostakovich's name, the Fifth Symphony was characterized as "A Soviet artist's creative response to just criticism." The composer Dmitry Kabalevsky, who had been among those who disassociated themselves from Shostakovich when the Pravda article was published, praised the Fifth Symphony and congratulated Shostakovich for "not having given in to the seductive temptations of his previous 'erroneous' ways."
It was also at this time that Shostakovich composed the first of his string quartets. His chamber works allowed him to experiment and express ideas that would have been unacceptable in his more public symphonies. In September 1937 he began to teach composition at the Leningrad Conservatory, which provided some financial security but interfered with his creative work.
Second World WarEdit
In 1939, before Soviet forces attempted to invade Finland, the Party Secretary of Leningrad Andrei Zhdanov commissioned a celebratory piece from Shostakovich, the Suite on Finnish Themes, to be performed as the marching bands of the Red Army paraded through Helsinki. The Winter War was a bitter experience for the Red Army, the parade never happened, and Shostakovich never laid claim to the authorship of this work. It was not performed until 2001. After the outbreak of war between the Soviet Union and Germany in 1941, Shostakovich initially remained in Leningrad. He tried to enlist for the military but was turned away because of his poor eyesight. To compensate, he became a volunteer for the Leningrad Conservatory's firefighter brigade and delivered a radio broadcast to the Soviet people listen (help·info). The photograph for which he posed was published in newspapers throughout the country.
His greatest and most famous wartime contribution was the Seventh Symphony. The composer wrote the first three movements in Leningrad and completed the work in Kuibyshev (now Samara), where he and his family had been evacuated. It remains unclear whether Shostakovich really conceived the idea of the symphony with the siege of Leningrad in mind. It was officially claimed as a representation of the people of Leningrad's brave resistance to the German invaders and an authentic piece of patriotic art at a time when morale needed boosting. The symphony was first premiered by the Bolshoi Theatre orchestra in Kuibyshev and was soon performed abroad in London and the United States. The most compelling performance was the Leningrad premiere by the Radio Orchestra in the besieged city. The orchestra had only 14 musicians left, so the conductor Karl Eliasberg had to recruit anyone who could play an instrument to perform the symphony.
The family moved to Moscow in spring 1943. At the time of the Eighth Symphony's premiere, the tide had turned for the Red Army. As a consequence, the public, and most importantly the authorities, wanted another triumphant piece from the composer. Instead, they got the Eighth Symphony, perhaps the ultimate in sombre and violent expression in Shostakovich's output. In order to preserve Shostakovich's image (a vital bridge to the people of the Union and to the West), the government assigned the name "Stalingrad" to the symphony, giving it the appearance of mourning of the dead in the bloody Battle of Stalingrad. But the piece did not escape criticism. Its composer is reported to have said: "When the Eighth was performed, it was openly declared counter-revolutionary and anti-Soviet. They said, 'Why did Shostakovich write an optimistic symphony at the beginning of the war and a tragic one now? At the beginning, we were retreating and now we're attacking, destroying the Fascists. And Shostakovich is acting tragic, that means he's on the side of the fascists.'" The work was unofficially but effectively banned until 1956.
The Ninth Symphony (1945), in contrast, was much lighter in tone. Gavriil Popov wrote that it was "splendid in its joie de vivre, gaiety, brilliance, and pungency!" But by 1946 it too was the subject of criticism. Israel Nestyev asked whether it was the right time for "a light and amusing interlude between Shostakovich's significant creations, a temporary rejection of great, serious problems for the sake of playful, filigree-trimmed trifles." The New York World-Telegram of 27 July 1946 was similarly dismissive: "The Russian composer should not have expressed his feelings about the defeat of Nazism in such a childish manner". Shostakovich continued to compose chamber music, notably his Second Piano Trio (Op. 67), dedicated to the memory of Sollertinsky, with a bittersweet, Jewish-themed totentanz finale. In 1947, the composer was made a deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR.
In 1948, Shostakovich, along with many other composers, was again denounced for formalism in the Zhdanov decree. Andrei Zhdanov, Chairman of the RSFSR Supreme Soviet, accused Shostakovich and other composers (such as Sergei Prokofiev and Aram Khachaturian) of writing inappropriate and formalist music. This was part of an ongoing anti-formalism campaign intended to root out all Western compositional influence as well as any perceived "non-Russian" output. The conference resulted in the publication of the Central Committee's Decree "On V. Muradeli’s opera The Great Friendship," which targeted all Soviet composers and demanded that they write only "proletarian" music, or music for the masses. The accused composers, including Shostakovich, were summoned to make public apologies in front of the committee. Most of Shostakovich's works were banned, and his family had privileges withdrawn. Yuri Lyubimov says that at this time "he waited for his arrest at night out on the landing by the lift, so that at least his family wouldn't be disturbed."
The decree's consequences for composers were harsh. Shostakovich was among those dismissed from the Conservatory altogether. For him, the loss of money was perhaps the largest blow. Others still in the Conservatory experienced an atmosphere thick with suspicion. No one wanted his work to be understood as formalist, so many resorted to accusing their colleagues of writing or performing anti-proletarian music.
In the next few years, Shostakovich composed three categories of work: film music to pay the rent, official works aimed at securing official rehabilitation, and serious works "for the desk drawer". The latter included the Violin Concerto No. 1 and the song cycle From Jewish Folk Poetry. The cycle was written at a time when the postwar anti-Semitic campaign was already under way, with widespread arrests, including that of I. Dobrushin and Yiditsky, the compilers of the book from which Shostakovich took his texts.
The restrictions on Shostakovich's music and living arrangements were eased in 1949, when Stalin decided that the Soviets needed to send artistic representatives to the Cultural and Scientific Congress for World Peace in New York City, and that Shostakovich should be among them. For Shostakovich, it was a humiliating experience culminating in a New York press conference where he was expected to read a prepared speech. Nicolas Nabokov, who was present in the audience, witnessed Shostakovich starting to read "in a nervous and shaky voice" before he had to break off "and the speech was continued in English by a suave radio baritone". Fully aware that Shostakovich was not free to speak his mind, Nabokov publicly asked him whether he supported the then recent denunciation of Stravinsky's music in the Soviet Union. Shostakovich, who was a great admirer of Stravinsky and had been influenced by his music, had no alternative but to answer in the affirmative. Nabokov did not hesitate to write that this demonstrated that Shostakovich was "not a free man, but an obedient tool of his government." Shostakovich never forgave Nabokov for this public humiliation. That same year Shostakovich was obliged to compose the cantata Song of the Forests, which praised Stalin as the "great gardener".
Stalin's death in 1953 was the biggest step toward Shostakovich's rehabilitation as a creative artist, which was marked by his Tenth Symphony. It features a number of musical quotations and codes (notably the DSCH and Elmira motifs, Elmira Nazirova being a pianist and composer who had studied under Shostakovich in the year before his dismissal from the Moscow Conservatory), the meaning of which is still debated, while the savage second movement, according to Testimony, is intended as a musical portrait of Stalin. The Tenth ranks alongside the Fifth and Seventh as one of Shostakovich's most popular works. 1953 also saw a stream of premieres of the "desk drawer" works.
During the forties and fifties, Shostakovich had close relationships with two of his pupils, Galina Ustvolskaya and Elmira Nazirova. In the background to all this remained Shostakovich's first, open marriage to Nina Varzar until her death in 1954. He taught Ustvolskaya from 1937 to 1947. The nature of their relationship is far from clear: Mstislav Rostropovich described it as "tender". Ustvolskaya rejected a proposal of marriage from him after Nina's death. Shostakovich's daughter, Galina, recalled her father consulting her and Maxim about the possibility of Ustvolskaya becoming their stepmother. Ustvolskaya's friend Viktor Suslin said that she had been "deeply disappointed" in Shostakovich by the time of her graduation in 1947. The relationship with Nazirova seems to have been one-sided, expressed largely through his letters to her, and can be dated to around 1953 to 1956. He married his second wife, Komsomol activist Margarita Kainova, in 1956; the couple proved ill-matched, and divorced three years later.
In 1954, Shostakovich wrote the Festive Overture, opus 96; it was used as the theme music for the 1980 Summer Olympics. (His '"Theme from the film Pirogov, Opus 76a: Finale" was played as the cauldron was lit at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.)
In 1959, Shostakovich appeared on stage in Moscow at the end of a concert performance of his Fifth Symphony, congratulating Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra for their performance (part of a concert tour of the Soviet Union). Later that year, Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic recorded the symphony in Boston for Columbia Records.
Joining the PartyEdit
The year 1960 marked another turning point in Shostakovich's life: he joined the Communist Party. The government wanted to appoint him General Secretary of the Composers' Union, but in order to hold that position he was required to attain Party membership. It was understood that Nikita Khrushchev, the First Secretary of the Communist Party from 1953 to 1964, was looking for support from the leading ranks of the intelligentsia in an effort to create a better relationship with the Soviet Union's artists. This event has been interpreted variously as a show of commitment, a mark of cowardice, the result of political pressure, or his free decision. On the one hand, the apparat was undoubtedly less repressive than it had been before Stalin's death. On the other, his son recalled that the event reduced Shostakovich to tears, and he later told his wife Irina that he had been blackmailed. Lev Lebedinsky has said that the composer was suicidal. From 1962, he served as a delegate in the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Once he joined the Party, several articles he did not write denouncing individualism in music were published in Pravda under his name. In joining the party, Shostakovich was also committing himself to finally writing the homage to Lenin that he had promised before. His Twelfth Symphony, which portrays the Bolshevik Revolution and was completed in 1961, was dedicated to Vladimir Lenin and called "The Year 1917." Around this time, his health began to deteriorate.
Shostakovich's musical response to these personal crises was the Eighth String Quartet, composed in only three days. He subtitled the piece "To the victims of fascism and war", ostensibly in memory of the Dresden fire bombing that took place in 1945. Yet, like the Tenth Symphony, this quartet incorporates quotations from several of his past works and his musical monogram. Shostakovich confessed to his friend Isaak Glikman, "I started thinking that if some day I die, nobody is likely to write a work in memory of me, so I had better write one myself." Several of Shostakovich's colleagues, including Natalya Vovsi-Mikhoels and the cellist Valentin Berlinsky, were also aware of the Eighth Quartet's biographical intent. Peter J. Rabinowitz has also pointed to covert references to Richard Strauss's Metamorphosen in the Eighth Quartet.
In 1962 Shostakovich got married for the third time, to Irina Supinskaya. In a letter to Glikman, he wrote "her only defect is that she is 27 years old. In all other respects she is splendid: clever, cheerful, straightforward and very likeable." According to Galina Vishnevskaya, who knew the Shostakoviches well, this marriage was a very happy one: "It was with her that Dmitri Dmitriyevich finally came to know domestic peace... Surely, she prolonged his life by several years." In November he made his only venture into conducting, conducting a couple of his own works in Gorky; otherwise he declined to conduct, citing nerves and ill health.
That year saw Shostakovich again turn to the subject of anti-Semitism in his Thirteenth Symphony (subtitled Babi Yar). The symphony sets a number of poems by Yevgeny Yevtushenko, the first of which commemorates a massacre of Ukrainian Jews during the Second World War. Opinions are divided how great a risk this was: the poem had been published in Soviet media, and was not banned, but remained controversial. After the symphony's premiere, Yevtushenko was forced to add a stanza to his poem which said that Russians and Ukrainians had died alongside the Jews at Babi Yar.
In 1965 Shostakovich raised his voice in defence of poet Joseph Brodsky, who was sentenced to five years of exile and hard labor. Shostakovich co-signed protests together with Yevtushenko and fellow Soviet artists Kornei Chukovsky, Anna Akhmatova, Samuil Marshak, and the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre. After the protests the sentence was commuted, and Brodsky returned to Leningrad.
Later life, and deathEdit
In 1964 Shostakovich composed the music for the Russian film Hamlet, which was favourably reviewed by The New York Times: "But the lack of this aural stimulation – of Shakespeare's eloquent words – is recompensed in some measure by a splendid and stirring musical score by Dmitri Shostakovich. This has great dignity and depth, and at times an appropriate wildness or becoming levity".
In later life, Shostakovich suffered from chronic ill health, but he resisted giving up cigarettes and vodka. Beginning in 1958 he suffered from a debilitating condition that particularly affected his right hand, eventually forcing him to give up piano playing; in 1965 it was diagnosed as poliomyelitis. He also suffered heart attacks the following year and again in 1971, and several falls in which he broke both his legs; in 1967 he wrote in a letter: "Target achieved so far: 75% (right leg broken, left leg broken, right hand defective). All I need to do now is wreck the left hand and then 100% of my extremities will be out of order."
A preoccupation with his own mortality permeates Shostakovich's later works, among them the later quartets and the Fourteenth Symphony of 1969 (a song cycle based on a number of poems on the theme of death). This piece also finds Shostakovich at his most extreme with musical language, with twelve-tone themes and dense polyphony throughout. He dedicated the piece to his close friend Benjamin Britten, who conducted its Western premiere at the 1970 Aldeburgh Festival. The Fifteenth Symphony of 1971 is, by contrast, melodic and retrospective in nature, quoting Wagner, Rossini and the composer's own Fourth Symphony.
Shostakovich died of lung cancer on 9 August 1975. A civic funeral was held; he was interred in Novodevichy Cemetery, Moscow. Even before his death he had been commemorated with the naming of the Shostakovich Peninsula on Alexander Island, Antarctica., Despite suffering from Motor Neurone Disease (or ALS) from as early as the 1960s, Shostakovich insisted upon writing all his own correspondence and music himself, even when his right hand was virtually unusable. This is a last hallmark of his extraordinarily determined and tenacious character.
He was survived by his third wife, Irina; his daughter, Galina; and his son, Maxim, a pianist and conductor who was the dedicatee and first performer of some of his father's works. Shostakovich himself left behind several recordings of his own piano works; other noted interpreters of his music include Emil Gilels, Mstislav Rostropovich, Tatiana Nikolayeva, Maria Yudina, David Oistrakh, and members of the Beethoven Quartet.
His last work was his Viola Sonata, which was first performed on 28 December 1975, four months after his death.
Shostakovich's musical influence on later composers outside the former Soviet Union has been relatively slight, although Alfred Schnittke took up his eclecticism and his contrasts between the dynamic and the static, and some of André Previn's music shows clear links to Shostakovich's style of orchestration. His influence can also be seen in some Nordic composers, such as Lars-Erik Larsson. Many of his Russian contemporaries, and his pupils at the Leningrad Conservatory were strongly influenced by his style (including German Okunev, Boris Tishchenko, whose 5th Symphony of 1978 is dedicated to Shostakovich's memory, Sergei Slonimsky, and others). Shostakovich's conservative idiom has grown increasingly popular with audiences both within and beyond Russia, as the avant-garde has declined in influence and debate about his political views has developed.
Shostakovich's works are broadly tonal and in the Romantic tradition, but with elements of atonality and chromaticism. In some of his later works (e.g., the Twelfth Quartet), he made use of tone rows. His output is dominated by his cycles of symphonies and string quartets, each totaling fifteen works. The symphonies are distributed fairly evenly throughout his career, while the quartets are concentrated towards the latter part. Among the most popular are the Fifth and Seventh Symphonies and the Eighth and Fifteenth Quartets. Other works include the operas Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, The Nose and the unfinished The Gamblers based on the comedy of Nikolai Gogol; six concertos (two each for piano, violin and cello); two piano trios; and a large quantity of film music.
Shostakovich's music shows the influence of many of the composers he most admired: Bach in his fugues and passacaglias; Beethoven in the late quartets; Mahler in the symphonies and Berg in his use of musical codes and quotations. Among Russian composers, he particularly admired Modest Mussorgsky, whose operas Boris Godunov and Khovanshchina he re-orchestrated; Mussorgsky's influence is most prominent in the wintry scenes of Lady Macbeth and the Eleventh Symphony, as well as in his satirical works such as "Rayok". Prokofiev's influence is most apparent in the earlier piano works, such as the first sonata and first concerto. The influence of Russian church and folk music is very evident in his works for unaccompanied choir of the 1950s.
Shostakovich's relationship with Stravinsky was profoundly ambivalent; as he wrote to Glikman, "Stravinsky the composer I worship. Stravinsky the thinker I despise." He was particularly enamoured of the Symphony of Psalms, presenting a copy of his own piano version of it to Stravinsky when the latter visited the USSR in 1962. (The meeting of the two composers was not very successful, however; observers commented on Shostakovich's extreme nervousness and Stravinsky's "cruelty" to him.)
Many commentators have noted the disjunction between the experimental works before the 1936 denunciation and the more conservative ones that followed; the composer told Flora Litvinova, "without 'Party guidance' ... I would have displayed more brilliance, used more sarcasm, I could have revealed my ideas openly instead of having to resort to camouflage." Articles published by Shostakovich in 1934 and 1935 cited Berg, Schoenberg, Krenek, Hindemith, "and especially Stravinsky" among his influences. Key works of the earlier period are the First Symphony, which combined the academicism of the conservatory with his progressive inclinations; The Nose ("The most uncompromisingly modernist of all his stage-works"); Lady Macbeth, which precipitated the denunciation; and the Fourth Symphony, described in Grove's Dictionary as "a colossal synthesis of Shostakovich's musical development to date". The Fourth Symphony was also the first in which the influence of Mahler came to the fore, prefiguring the route Shostakovich took to secure his rehabilitation, while he himself admitted that the preceding two were his least successful.
In the years after 1936, Shostakovich's symphonic works were outwardly musically conservative, regardless of any subversive political content. During this time he turned increasingly to chamber works, a field that permitted the composer to explore different and often darker ideas without inviting external scrutiny. While his chamber works were largely tonal, they gave Shostakovich an outlet for sombre reflection not welcomed in his more public works. This is most apparent in the late chamber works, which portray what is described in Grove's Dictionary as a "world of purgatorial numbness"; in some of these he included the use of tone rows, although he treated these as melodic themes rather than serially. Vocal works are also a prominent feature of his late output, setting texts often concerned with love, death and art.
Even before the Stalinist anti-Semitic campaigns in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Shostakovich showed an interest in Jewish themes. He was intrigued by Jewish music’s "ability to build a jolly melody on sad intonations". Examples of works that included Jewish themes are the Fourth String Quartet (1949), the First Violin Concerto (1948), and the Four Monologues on Pushkin Poems (1952), as well as the Piano Trio in E minor (1944). He was further inspired to write with Jewish themes when he examined Moisei Beregovski’s thesis on Jewish folk music in 1946.
In 1948, Shostakovich acquired a book of Jewish folk songs, and from this he composed the song cycle From Jewish Folk Poetry. He initially wrote eight songs that were meant to represent the hardships of being Jewish in the Soviet Union. To disguise this, Shostakovich added three more songs meant to demonstrate the great life Jews had under the Soviet regime. Despite his efforts to hide the real meaning in the work, the Union of Composers refused to approve his music in 1949 under the pressure of the anti-Semitism that gripped the country. From Jewish Folk Poetry could not be performed until after Stalin's death in March 1953, along with all the other works that were forbidden.
Throughout his compositions, Shostakovich demonstrated a controlled use of musical quotation. This stylistic choice has been common in previous composers, but Shostakovich developed it into a defining characteristic of his music. Rather than quoting other composers, Shostakovich preferred to quote himself. His compositions have been connected by musicologists through their quotations.
One example is the main theme of Katerina's aria, Seryozha, khoroshiy moy from the fourth act of Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. It accompanies Katerina as she reunites with her lover Sergei. The aria's beauty comes as a breath of fresh air in the intense, overbearing tone of the scene. This goes well with the dialogue, as Katerina visits her lover in prison. The theme is made tragic when Sergei betrays her and finds a new lover upon blaming Katerina for his incarceration.
More than 25 years later, Shostakovich quotes this theme in his eighth string quartet. In the midst of this quartet's oppressive and somber themes, the only time the listener receives a light and cheerful moment is when the cello introduces the Seryozha theme about three minutes into the fourth movement. The quotation uses Katerina's hope amid misery as a means to demonstrate the hope of those oppressed by fascists.
This theme emerges once again in his 14th string quartet. As in the eighth, the cello introduces the theme, but for an entirely different purpose. The last in Shostakovich's "quartet of quartets", the fourteenth serves to honor the cellist of the Beethoven String Quartet, Sergei Shirinsky. Rather than reflecting the original theme's intentions, the quotation serves as a dedication to Shirinsky.
In 2004, the musicologist Olga Digonskaya discovered a trove of Shostakovich manuscripts at the Glinka State Central Museum of Musical Culture, Moscow. In a cardboard file were some "300 pages of musical sketches, pieces and scores" in Shostakovich's hand. "A composer friend bribed Shostakovich's housemaid to regularly deliver the contents of Shostakovich's office waste bin to him, instead of taking it to the garbage. Some of those cast-offs eventually found their way into the Glinka. ... The Glinka archive 'contained a huge number of pieces and compositions which were completely unknown or could be traced quite indirectly,' Digonskaya said."
Among these were Shostakovich's piano and vocal sketches for a prologue to an opera, Orango (1932). They were orchestrated by the British composer Gerard McBurney and premiered in December 2011 by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
According to McBurney, opinion is divided on whether Shostakovich's music is "of visionary power and originality, as some maintain, or, as others think, derivative, trashy, empty and second-hand". William Walton, his British contemporary, described him as "the greatest composer of the 20th century". Musicologist David Fanning concludes in Grove's Dictionary that, "Amid the conflicting pressures of official requirements, the mass suffering of his fellow countrymen, and his personal ideals of humanitarian and public service, he succeeded in forging a musical language of colossal emotional power."
Some modern composers have been critical. Pierre Boulez dismissed Shostakovich's music as "the second, or even third pressing of Mahler". The Romanian composer and Webern disciple Philip Gershkovich called Shostakovich "a hack in a trance". A related complaint is that Shostakovich's style is vulgar and strident: Stravinsky wrote of Lady Macbeth: "brutally hammering ... and monotonous". English composer and musicologist Robin Holloway described his music as "battleship-grey in melody and harmony, factory-functional in structure; in content all rhetoric and coercion."
In the 1980s, the Finnish conductor and composer Esa-Pekka Salonen was critical of Shostakovich and refused to conduct his music. For instance, he said in 1987:
Shostakovich is in many ways a polar counter-force for Stravinsky. [...] When I have said that the 7th symphony of Shostakovich is a dull and unpleasant composition, people have responded: "Yes, yes, but think of the background of that symphony." Such an attitude does no good to anyone.
Salonen has since performed and recorded several of Shostakovich's works, including the Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 (1999), the Violin Concerto No. 1 (2010), the Prologue to "Orango" and the Symphony No. 4 (2012).
It is certainly true that Shostakovich borrows extensively from the material and styles both of earlier composers and of popular music; the vulgarity of "low" music is a notable influence on this "greatest of eclectics". McBurney traces this to the avant-garde artistic circles of the early Soviet period in which Shostakovich moved early in his career, and argues that these borrowings were a deliberate technique to allow him to create "patterns of contrast, repetition, exaggeration" that gave his music large-scale structure.
Shostakovich was in many ways an obsessive man: according to his daughter he was "obsessed with cleanliness". He synchronised the clocks in his apartment and regularly sent cards to himself to test how well the postal service was working. Elizabeth Wilson's Shostakovich: A Life Remembered (1994 edition) indexes 26 references to his nervousness. Mikhail Druskin remembers that even as a young man the composer was "fragile and nervously agile". Yuri Lyubimov comments, "The fact that he was more vulnerable and receptive than other people was no doubt an important feature of his genius." In later life, Krzysztof Meyer recalled, "his face was a bag of tics and grimaces."
In his lighter moods, sport was one of his main recreations, although he preferred spectating or umpiring to participating (he was a qualified football referee). His favourite football club was Zenit Leningrad (now Zenit Saint Petersburg), which he would watch regularly. He also enjoyed playing card games, particularly patience.
He was fond of satirical writers such as Gogol, Chekhov and Mikhail Zoshchenko. The influence of the latter in particular is evident in his letters, which include wry parodies of Soviet officialese. Zoshchenko himself noted the contradictions in the composer's character: "he is ... frail, fragile, withdrawn, an infinitely direct, pure child ... [but he is also] hard, acid, extremely intelligent, strong perhaps, despotic and not altogether good-natured (although cerebrally good-natured)."
He was diffident by nature: Flora Litvinova has said he was "completely incapable of saying 'No' to anybody." This meant he was easily persuaded to sign official statements, including a denunciation of Andrei Sakharov in 1973. His widow later told Helsingin Sanomat that his name was included without his permission. On the other hand, he was willing to try to help constituents in his capacities as chairman of the Composers' Union and Deputy to the Supreme Soviet. Oleg Prokofiev commented that "he tried to help so many people that ... less and less attention was paid to his pleas." When asked if he believed in God, Shostakovich said "No, and I am very sorry about it."
Orthodoxy and revisionismEdit
Shostakovich's response to official criticism and whether he used music as a kind of covert dissidence is a matter of dispute. He outwardly conformed to government policies and positions, reading speeches and putting his name to articles expressing the government line. But it is evident he disliked many aspects of the regime, as confirmed by his family, his letters to Isaak Glikman, and the satirical cantata "Rayok", which ridiculed the "anti-formalist" campaign and was kept hidden until after his death. He was a close friend of Marshal of the Soviet Union Mikhail Tukhachevsky, who was executed in 1937 during the Great Purge.
It is also uncertain to what extent Shostakovich expressed his opposition to the state in his music. The revisionist view was put forth by Solomon Volkov in the 1979 book Testimony, which claimed to be Shostakovich's memoirs dictated to Volkov. The book alleged that many of the composer's works contained coded anti-government messages, placing Shostakovich in a tradition of Russian artists outwitting censorship that goes back at least to Alexander Pushkin. He incorporated many quotations and motifs in his work, most notably his musical signature DSCH. His longtime musical collaborator Yevgeny Mravinsky said, "Shostakovich very often explained his intentions with very specific images and connotations."
The revisionist perspective has subsequently been supported by his children, Maxim and Galina, although Maxim said in 1981 that Volkov's book was not his father's work. Volkov has further argued, both in Testimony and in Shostakovich and Stalin, that Shostakovich adopted the role of the yurodivy or holy fool in his relations with the government. Other prominent revisionists are Ian MacDonald, whose book The New Shostakovich put forward further revisionist interpretations of his music, and Elizabeth Wilson, whose Shostakovich: A Life Remembered provides testimony from many of the composer's acquaintances.
Musicians and scholars including Laurel Fay and Richard Taruskin contest the authenticity and debate the significance of Testimony, alleging that Volkov compiled it from a combination of recycled articles, gossip, and possibly some information directly from the composer. Fay documents these allegations in her 2002 article 'Volkov's Testimony reconsidered', showing that the only pages of the original Testimony manuscript that Shostakovich had signed and verified are word-for-word reproductions of earlier interviews he gave, none of which are controversial. Against this, Allan B. Ho and Dmitry Feofanov have pointed out that at least two of the signed pages contain controversial material: for instance, "on the first page of chapter 3, where [Shostakovich] notes that the plaque that reads 'In this house lived [Vsevolod] Meyerhold' should also say 'And in this house his wife was brutally murdered'."
In May 1958, during a visit to Paris, Shostakovich recorded his two piano concertos with André Cluytens, as well as some short piano works. These were issued by EMI on an LP, reissued by Seraphim Records on LP, and eventually digitally remastered and released on CD. Shostakovich recorded the two concertos in stereo in Moscow for Melodiya. Shostakovich also played the piano solos in recordings of the Cello Sonata, Op. 40 with cellist Daniil Shafran and also with Mstislav Rostropovich; the Violin Sonata, Op. 134, with violinist David Oistrakh; and the Piano Trio, Op. 67 with violinist David Oistrakh and cellist Miloš Sádlo. There is also a short sound film of Shostakovich as soloist in a 1930s concert performance of the closing moments of his first piano concerto. A colour film of Shostakovich supervising one of his operas, from his last year, was also made. A major achievement was EMI's recording of the original, unexpurgated opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. There was at least one recording of the cleaned-up version, Katerina Ismailova, that Shostakovich had made to satisfy Soviet censorship. But when conductor Mstislav Rostropovich and his wife, soprano Galina Vishnevskaya were finally allowed to emigrate to the West, the composer begged them to record the full original score, which they did in 1979. It features Vishnevskaya as Katerina, Nicolai Gedda as Sergei, Dimiter Petkov as Boris Ismailov and a brilliant supporting cast under Rostropovich's direction.
Belgium: Member of the Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium (1960)
- Gold Star of Hero of the Soviet Union
- Hero of Socialist Labor (1966)
- Order of Lenin (1946, 1956, 1966)
- Order of the October Revolution (1971)
- Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1940)
- People's Artist of the USSR (1954)
- People's Artist of the RSFSR (1948)
- International Peace Prize (1954)
- Lenin Prize (1958 – for the 11th symphony "1905")
- State Prize (1941 – for Piano Quintet; 1942 – for the 7th ("Leningrad") Symphony; 1946 – for Piano Trio no. 2; 1950 – for Songs of the Forest; 1952 – for 10 poems for chorus)
- Glinka State Prize of the RSFSR (1968 – for the poem "The Execution of Stepan Razin" for bass, chorus and orchestra)
- Glinka State Prize of the RSFSR (1974 – for the 14th string quartet and choral cycle "Fidelity")
- Fay,Laurel; Fanning,David. "Shostakovich, Dmitry". Grove Music Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
- Pervyy eshelon on IMDb
- Fay (2000), p. 7.
- Wilson (2006), p. 4.
- Fay (2000), p. 9
- Fay (2000), p. 12
- Fay (2000), p. 17
- Fay (2000), p. 18
- Fairclough & Fanning (2008), p. 73
- McSmith, Andy (2015). Fear and the Muse Kept Watch, the Russian Masters – from Akhmativa and Pasternak to Shostakoviich and Eisenstein – under Stalin. New York: New Press. p. 171. ISBN 978-1-62097-079-9.
- The New Grove (2001).
- Wilson (2006), p. 84
- Wilson (2006), p. 85
- Shostakovich/Grigoryev & Platek (1981), p. 33.
- Fay (2000), p. 80
- McSmith, Andy. Fear and the Muse Kept Watch. p. 172.
- Classical Music (8 March 2004). "When opera was a matter of life or death". Telegraph. London. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
- Wilson (2006b), pp. 128–9.
- Fay, Laurel. Shostakovich. pp. 84–85.
- Downes, Olin. "Shostakovich Affair shows shift in point of view in the U.S.S.R.", The New York Times. 12 April 1936. p. X5.
- McSmith, Andy. Fear and the Muse Kept Watch. pp. 175–176.
- Wilson (2006), p. 130
- McSmith, Andy. Fear and the Muse Kept Watch. pp. 174–5.
- Wilson (2006), pp. 145–6
- Wilson (2006), pp. 143–4
- Shostakovich/Volkov (1979), p. 59.
- Volkov (2004), p. 150.
- Shostakovich/Volkov (2000), p. 135.
- Taruskin (2009), p. 304.
- Wilson (2006), p. 152.
- Edwards (2006), p. 98.
- MTV3: Shostakovitshin kiistelty teos kantaesitettiin (in Finnish)
- Wilson (2006), p. 171.
- Blokker (1979), p. 31.
- Shostakovich/Volkov (2000), p.162.
- Wilson (2006), p. 203.
- Fay (2000): p. 147.
- Fay (2000): p. 152.
- Hulme 2010, p. xxiv.
- Shostakovich/Volkov (2004), p. 86.
- Blokker (1979), pp. 33–4.
- Wilson (2006), p. 241.
- Wilson (1994), p. 183.
- Wilson (1994), p. 252
- Wilson (2006), p. 269.
- Nabokov (1951), p. 204.
- Nabokov (1951), p. 205.
- Wilson (2006), p. 274.
- Wilson (2006), p. 304.
- Fay (2000), p. 194.
- Fay (2000), p. 194; Wilson (2006), p. 297.
- "1980 Summer Olympics Official Report from the Organizing Committee, vol. 2". p. 283. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 June 2006.
- Wilson (1994), pp. 373–80.
- Ho & Feofanov (1998), p. 390.
- Manashir Yakubov, Programme notes for the 1998 Shostakovich seasons at the Barbican, London).
- Wilson (1994), p. 340.
- Hulme 2010, p. xxvii.
- MacDonald (2006), p. 247.
- Blokker (1979), 37.
- Letter dated 19 July 1960, reprinted in Glikman: pp. 90–91
- Wilson (2006), p. 263.
- Wilson (2006), p. 281.
- Rabinowitz, Peter J. (May 2007). "The Rhetoric of Reference; or, Shostakovich's Ghost Quartet". Narrative. 15 (2): 239–256. doi:10.1353/nar.2007.0013. JSTOR 30219253. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
- Shostakovich/Glikman (2001), p. 102.
- Vishnevskaya (1985), p. 274.
- Wilson (2006), pp. 426–7.
- Crowther, Bosley, in New York Times, 15 September 1964.
- Shostakovich/Glikman (2001), p. 147.
- "Dmitri Shostakovich Dead at 68 After Hospitalization in Moscow". The New York Times. 11 August 1975. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- Shostakovich Peninsula USGS 01-JAN-75
- Musicweb International. Lars-Erik Larsson. Retrieved on 18 November 2005.
- Fay (2000), pp. 119, 165, 224.
- The New Grove (2001), pp. 288, 290.
- Shostakovich/Glikman (2001), p. 181.
- Wilson (1994), pp. 375–7.
- Wilson (1994), p. 426.
- Fay (2000), p. 88.
- The New Grove (2001), p. 289.
- The New Grove (2001), p. 290.
- Shostakovich/Glikman (2001), p. 315.
- See also The New Grove (2001), p. 294.
- The New Grove (2001), p. 300.
- Wilson (1994), p. 268.
- Wilson (1994), pp. 267–9.
- Harris, Stephen (9 April 2016). "Quartet No. 8". Shostakovich: The String Quartets. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
- Harris, Stephen (24 August 2015). "Quartet No. 14". Shostakovich: The String Quartets. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
- Loiko, Sergei L.; Johnson, Reed (27 November 2011). "Shostakovich's 'Orango' found, finished, set for Disney Hall". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
- Ayala, Ted (7 December 2011). "No Monkey Business with LAPO's World Premiere of Shostakovich's 'Orango'". Crescenta Valley Weekly. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- Sirén, Vesa (6 April 2009). "Šostakovitšin apinaooppera löytyi" [The ape opera by Shostakovich was found]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Helsinki: Sanoma Oy. pp. C1. Archived from the original on 8 April 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
- "Unknown Shostakovich Opera Discovered". Artsjournal. 21 March 2009. Archived from the original on 3 September 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2009 – via Le Devoir.
- Philadelphia Orchestra program, 27 October 2011
- McBurney (2002), p. 283.
- British Composers in Interview by R Murray Schafer (Faber 1960).
- The New Grove (2001), p. 280.
- McBurney (2002), p. 288.
- McBurney (2002), p. 290.
- McBurney (2002), p. 286.
- Holloway, Robin (26 August 2000). "Shostakovich horrors". The Spectator: 41. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
- Salonen, Esa-Pekka & Otonkoski, Lauri: Kirja – puhetta musiikitta, p. 73. Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-30-6599-5
- Haas, Shostakovich's Eighth: C minor Symphony against the Grain p. 125.
- McBurney (2002), p. 295.
- Michael Ardov,Memories of Shostakovich p. 139.
- Wilson (1994), pp. 41–5.
- Wilson (1994), p. 183.
- Wilson (1994), p. 462.
- Mentioned in his personal correspondence (Shostakovich, tr. Phillips (2001)), as well as other sources.
- Quoted in Fay (2000), p. 121.
- Wilson (1994), p. 162.
- Fay (2000), p. 263.
- Vesa Sirén: "Mitä setämies sai sanoa Neuvostoliitossa?" in Helsingin Sanomat on page A 6, 2 November 2018
- Wilson (1994), p. 40.
- Wilson (2006), pp. 369–70.
- Wilson (2006), p. 336.
- This appears in several of his works, including the Pushkin Monologues, Symphony No. 10, and String Quartets Nos 5, 8 & 11.
- Wilson (1994), p. 139.
- "Shostakovich's son says moves against artists led to defection". The New York Times. New York. 14 May 1981. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
Asked about the authenticity of a book published in the West after his father's death, and described as his memoirs, Mr. Shostakovich replied: These are not my father's memoirs. This is a book by Solomon Volkov. Mr. Volkov should reveal how the book was written. Mr. Shostakovich said language in the book attributed to his father, as well as several contradictions and inaccuracies, led him to doubt the book's authenticity.
- Fay (2000), p. 4. "Whether Testimony faithfully reproduces Shostakovich's confidences ... in a form and context he would have recognized and approved for publication remains doubtful. Yet even were [its] claim to authenticity not in doubt, it would still furnish a poor source for the serious biographer."
- Fay (2002).
- Ho & Feofanov (1998), p. 211.
- "Dmitri Shostakovich filmed in 1975 during rehearsals". YouTube. 9 January 2008. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
- Index biographique des membres et associés de l'Académie royale de Belgique (1769–2005). (in French)
- Hulme 2010, p. xxvi.
- Shostakovich: A Life, Laurel E. Fay, p. 249
- Shostakovich: A Life, Laurel E. Fay, pp. 153; 198; 249
- Hulme 2010, p. xxix.
- Hulme 2010, p. xxii.
- Hulme 2010, p. xxv.
- Hulme 2010, pp. xxiii–xxv.
- Hulme 2010, p. xxviii.
- Dmitry Shostakovich at the Encyclopædia Britannica
- Ardov, Michael (2004). Memories of Shostakovich. Short Books. ISBN 978-1-904095-64-4.
- Blokker, Roy (1979). The Music of Dmitri Shostakovich, the Symphonies. The great composers. Associated Univ Press. ISBN 978-083861948-3.
- Edwards, Robert (2006). White Death: Russia's War on Finland 1939–40. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 978-0-297-84630-7.
- Fairclough, Pauline; Fanning, David, eds. (November 2008). The Cambridge Companion to Shostakovich. Cambridge Companions to Music (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521603157.
- Fanning, David; Fay, Laurel (2001). "Dmitri Shostakovich". In Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John (eds.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2nd ed.). Macmillan.
- Fay, Laurel (2000). Shostakovich: A Life. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-513438-4.
- Fay, Laurel (2002). "Volkov's Testimony Reconsidered". In Hamrick Brown, Malcolm (ed.). A Shostakovich Casebook. Indiana University Press. pp. 22–66. ISBN 978-0-253-21823-0.
- Haas, David. "Shostakovich's Eighth: C minor Symphony against the Grain". In Bartlett, Rosamund (ed.). Shostakovich in Context.
- Ho, Allan; Feofanov, Dmitry (1998). Shostakovich Reconsidered. Toccata Press. ISBN 978-0-907689-56-0.
- Hulme, Derek C. (2010) . Dmitri Shostakovich Catalogue: The First Hundred Years and Beyond (4th ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7264-6.
- Kovnatskaya, Liudmila, ed. (1996). D. D. Shostakovich: Collections to the 90th anniversary. St Petersburg: Kompozitor.
- Kovnatskaya, Liudmila, ed. (2000). D. D. Shostakovich: Between the moment and Eternity. Documents. Articles. Publications. St Petersburg: Kompozitor.
- MacDonald, Ian (2006) . The New Shostakovich. Pimlico. ISBN 978-184595064-4.
- MacDonald, Ian. "Shostakovichiana". Music Under Soviet Rule. Retrieved 17 August 2005.
- McBurney, Gerard (2002). "Whose Shostakovich?". In Hamrick Brown, Malcolm (ed.). A Shostakovich Casebook. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-21823-0.
- Nabokov, Nicolas (1951). Old Friends and New Music. Hamish Hamilton.
- van Rijen, Onno. "Opus by Shostakovich". Shostakovich & Other Soviet Composers. Archived from the original on 5 September 2005. Retrieved 17 August 2005.
- Sheinberg, Esti (29 December 2000). Irony, satire, parody and the grotesque in the music of Shostakovich. UK: Ashgate. p. 378. ISBN 978-0-7546-0226-2.
- Shostakovich, Dmitri (1981). Shostakovich: About Himself and His Times. Compiled by L. Grigoryev and Y.. Platek. Translated by Angus and Neilian Roxburgh. Moscow: Progress Publishers.
- Shostakovich, Dmitri. Testimony: The Memoirs of Dmitri Shostakovich. Compiled and edited by Solomon Volkov:
- Shostakovich, Dmitri; Glikman, Isaak (2001). Story of a Friendship: The Letters of Dmitry Shostakovich to Isaak Glikman. Translated by Phillips, Anthony. Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0-8014-3979-7.
- Taruskin, Richard (2009). On Russian Music. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-24979-0.
- Vishnevskaya, Galina (1985). Galina, A Russian Story. Translated by Guy Daniels (1st ed.). Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. ISBN 978-0156343206.
- Volkov, Solomon (2004). Shostakovich and Stalin: The Extraordinary Relationship Between the Great Composer and the Brutal Dictator. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-375-41082-6.
- Wilson, Elizabeth. Shostakovich: A Life Remembered:
|Wikiquote has quotations related to: Dmitri Shostakovich|
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dmitri Shostakovich.|
- Dmitry Shostakovich at the Encyclopædia Britannica
- Complete catalogue of works, with many additional comments by Sikorski
- The Shostakovich Debate: Interpreting the composer's life and music
- One Resurrected Drunkard: A Dialogue on Tony Palmer's Testimony Article on Palmer's Shostakovich film in Bright Lights Film Journal
- Dmitry Shostakovich about Iosif Andriasov
- Journey of Dmitri Shostakovich – an interview with filmmaker Helga Landauer
- Epitonic.com: Dimitri Shostakovich featuring tracks from Written With The Heart's Blood
- on YouTube, at a rehearsal of his opera The Nose in 1975
- "Discovering Shostakovich". BBC Radio 3.
- BBC Presenter Stephen Johnson on Shostakovich and Depression
- Altovaya sonata. Dmitriy Shostakovich (1981) (Sonata for Viola), documentary film on Shostakovich's life, and difficulties with Khrennikov and Stalin
- Complete opus list, comprehensive discography, bibliography, filmography, list of first performances and links by Yosuke Kudo
- Archive of BBC's "Discovering Music" radio show, featuring Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5, Symphony No. 10, String Quartet No. 8, and Cello Concerto No. 1.
- Various pieces by Shostakovich in streaming media by Classical Music Archives
- Shostakovich: the 24 preludes Op. 34
- University of Houston Moderated Discussion List: Dmitri Shostakovich and other Russian Composers
- Shostakovich: the string quartets
- Shostakovich: the quartets in context
- Interview with the composer's son, conductor Maxim Shostakovich by Bruce Duffie, 10 July 1992
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- Dmitri Shostakovich on IMDb |
Queer & Now & Then: 1963
In this biweekly column, I look back through a century of cinema for traces of queerness, whether in plain sight or under the surface. Read the introductory essay.
In one of the more hair-raising moments of both Shirley Jackson’s 1959 novel The Haunting of Hill House and Robert Wise’s 1963 Hollywood adaptation, more economically—and dully—named The Haunting, protagonist Eleanor, during the middle of one of the many nights she has been willingly staying in the haunted domicile of the book’s title, grabs the hand of her roommate, Theodora, as she lies in her bed in the dark. She has been terrified by the whisperings and taunting, gurgling laughter emanating from the house’s very walls. As Eleanor prays for the moment to pass, she presses on to the other’s hand, “holding so tight she could feel the fine bones of Theodora’s fingers,” wrote Jackson. Wise visually accompanies the distant, disturbing sounds by fixing the camera on a piece of the wall half-illuminated in moonlight, a leafy pattern of molding that seems to abstractly form a gaping face. Suddenly, as Eleanor reaches a fever pitch of anxiety, the lights come on, the monstrous sounds stop, and Eleanor realizes that Theodora has been across the room, in her own bed, the whole time. In both film and book, Eleanor cries: “God, God—whose hand was I holding?”
More than just a creepy illustration of the possibly unfriendly supernatural forces at work at Hill House, this moment speaks indirectly to one of the story’s central oddities, as puzzled over today as the supernatural ambiguity of Jackson’s horror tale: the nature of the relationship between Eleanor and Theodora, played on screen by Julie Harris and Claire Bloom. Though they arrive at Hill House as perfect strangers, Eleanor and Theodora—the only women who have been summoned to stay at this terrible place—enact a delicate dance around one another. All of their interactions are defined by this kind of push-pull, love-hate, fear-comfort, and the simultaneous desire and repugnance of that handholding perfectly stands in for their larger attraction and repulsion. Eleanor, meek and single and likely virginal, has spent most of her adult life taking care of her invalid mother, who has just died; Theodora, bohemian and outspoken, functions as a kind of mirror opposite of Eleanor, instantly dazzling and confident. The women will bond and argue and finally reveal mutual loathing over the course of their weeklong visit to Hill House. Complicating matters considerably is the matter of Theodora’s sexuality. In Jackson’s book, there are many small gestures toward the brasher woman’s lesbianism; the movie teases those out even further, though, in this immediately post-Children’s Hour era, it stops significantly short of clarifying this for its viewers. Theodora’s probable homosexuality exists largely as it relates to Eleanor and her demons.
Robert Wise’s production is a traditionally Gothic bit of horror that somehow remains faithful to Jackson’s book while also managing to flatten its surreal ambivalence and literalize much of its interiority, thanks to an overreliance on voiceover and melodramatic performance style. Jackson’s writing is so evocative and inextricably tied to what makes this story work that both the makers of this film and Mike Flanagan with his new Netflix series that’s very liberally inspired by it (titled, brazenly, The Haunting of Hill House, in a kind of misleading brand-name recognition) chose to begin with narration of passages taken from Jackson’s spectacular first paragraph (“…whatever walked there, walked alone”). Jackson is the real star in all of these cases, and her style and persona permeate all. Arguably, she was more successful as a sculptor of short stories, which more willingly and readily house the ambiguities that fueled her work, cutting things off just when it seems like an explanation or solution could present itself; her masterful, chilling, dark tales “The Summer People” and “Paranoia” especially attest to this, both of which conclude just as something evil is bestirred. As a novel, The Haunting of Hill House extends and attenuates her penchant for emotional obscurity, to a fascinating, maddening degree, localizing it in the common debate about whether what we’re seeing—and what characters are experiencing—is truly psychological or paranormal phenomena. And at a time when same-sex desire was still officially diagnosed as a mental disorder, the appearance of a gay character in a film so preoccupied with emotional disturbance can’t help but raise eyebrows as to intentionality. In the first DSM manual, published in 1952, homosexuality was called a “sociopathic personality disturbance”; five years after The Haunting, it was only slightly improved, when the DSM-II took it out of the realm of sociopathy but still defined it as “sexual deviance.”
Wise is slightly less cagey about Theodora’s sexuality than Jackson, yet the slight opening up ironically makes the characterization seem more reductive. For Jackson, who according to biographers on more than occasion spoke or wrote of her discomfort with critics and scholars identifying latent lesbian themes in her various works, Theodora (nicknamed the butch “Theo”) is not exactly a sexual predator but an agent of disruption nonetheless. Late in the book, when the four main characters (which also include Luke, the wisecracking heir who will inherit Hill House, and Dr. Montague, the supernatural investigator who has invited them all) are discussing what fears them most, Theo’s response is that she’s scared of “knowing what we really want.” Immediately after this happens: “She pressed her cheek against Eleanor’s hand and Eleanor, hating the touch of her, took her hand away quickly.” In Wise’s film, Theo’s line is subtly yet significantly altered. When asked what’s she afraid of, she responds: “Of knowing what I really want,” which is followed by her sly, borderline seductive glance at Eleanor. This also calls back to an earlier moment when, soon after first meeting, Theodora calls Eleanor “my new companion” while knowingly raising a martini to her lips.The Haunting addresses homosexuality, as it had so long traditionally been, in terms of glances and codes—when placed in a horror movie, such suggestions serve to make it seem sinister.
Whether Theodora is actually attracted to Eleanor and making a play for her, or whether she’s just trying to connect, is unclear in both book and film, and also speaks to the sketchiness of the character. As played by Bloom, the ESP-gifted Theo seems a model of self-possession and confidence, wearing stylish, mannish blouses and her hair parted and plastered; yet when her sexuality becomes a topic of suspicion, she shows her vulnerable side. Eleanor, increasingly hysterical, is the opposite, a mild maiden with talons—crueler in the film even than the book, she lashes out when cornered. At one point, Theodora calls her “stupid and innocent,” to which she responds: “I’d rather be innocent than like you.” When Theodora asks her what she means, she responds, with not-so-subtle homophobic invective: “Now who’s being stupid and innocent? You know perfectly well what I mean . . . The world is full of inconsistencies. Unnatural things.” In a cut back to a reaction shot, an offended Theodora begins to retreat, which doesn’t stop Eleanor from landing the final blow: “Nature’s mistakes they’re called. You, for instance.” The shocking nastiness of the comment forces Theodora to snap back around, a defiant woman devastated, arms wrapped around herself. The scene abruptly ends before Theodora is able to say anything, leaving the insult hanging in the air, and all but stanching the teasing erotic flow that had seemed to pass between the two women in earlier scenes. Eleanor’s rejection of Theodora is complete.
For some viewers, this passage might not seem fully legible because of the film’s inability or unwillingness to fully “out” Theodora. Wise revealed in the Warner Brothers DVD’s audio commentary track that the original script by Nelson Gidding featured an early breakup scene that established Theodora’s sexuality more explicitly. Before first setting out for Hill House, she would have been seen writing “I HATE YOU” in lipstick on her bedroom mirror before yelling out of her window at a departing woman. Aside from more directly addressing her same-sex attraction, the scene might have also set her up as tempestuous and unlucky in love. Yet due to its explicitness of theme, Wise says he cut “that lesbian scene.”
Yet no matter how much they tried to hide Theo from us—and from herself—she remains a figure of undulled fascination and strength. Flash forward 55 years to the Netflix series. One of the main characters is named Theo (Kate Siegel) in proper tribute, and she is introduced picking up another woman in a bar and bringing her home for a quick and gratifying sexual bout. Theodora finally gets some, and making subtext text, history gets the last laugh.
Michael Koresky is the Director of Editorial and Creative Strategy at Film Society of Lincoln Center; the co-founder and co-editor of Reverse Shot; a frequent contributor to the Criterion Collection; and the author of the book Terence Davies, published by University of Illinois Press. |
I am but a simple graphic designer who also happens to have a passion for horror films and quirky cinema. A while ago I started writing down my thoughts and sharing them with like-minded others, and with those whom I thought might be interested in seeing something different. Some of them asked me to compile them into a blog and this is the result.
This isn’t going to be a place where you find detailed reviews, or any kind of writing meant to emulate what you might see from someone who’s job it is to watch films for a living. Which is why I’ve never called what I put here ‘reviews’ and instead use ‘write-up.’ Thusly, this site will mostly be comprised of summaries and my thoughts regarding all manner of odd, or forgotten film I happen to come across while scanning the bowels of Amazon’s streaming service or the overly stuffed shelves of old VHS tapes at my local thrift store. There will even be some things here from television. Admittedly, a lot of what will be featured here will be linked to the horror genre, as that is a passion of mine, but there will also be a variety of other types of film as well. What you won’t find here are mainstream titles or anything that has recently been released to theaters. There are plenty of other places one can go for that information. No, I prefer to put here the quirky and perhaps the never heard of or forgotten, so that others who come across this thing they’ve perhaps never heard of will know what it is they’re getting into.
I hope you find something to enjoy here. I hope to elicit a smile. But most of all I hope that maybe you find something you love that you could come to love that you never even knew existed. |
With Robert J. Flaherty's Nanook of the North in 1922, documentary film embraced romanticism; Flaherty went on to film a number of heavily staged romantic films, usually showing how his subjects would have lived 100 years earlier and not how they lived right then (for instance, in Nanook of the North Flaherty does not allow his subjects to shoot a walrus with a nearby shotgun, but has them use a harpoon instead, putting themselves in considerable danger).
Some of Flaherty's staging, such as building a roofless igloo for interior shots, was done to accommodate the filming technology of the time. In later years, attempts to steer the action in this way, without informing the audience, have come to be considered both unethical and contradictory to the nature of documentary film. On the other hand, both the story line and content of any documentary are imposed by the filmmaker.
In a notorious instance, for the documentary White Wilderness in 1958, Disney technicians built a snow-covered turntable to create the impression of madly leaping migrating lemmings and then herded the lemmings over a cliff into the sea. This fakery distorts the popular understanding of lemmings to this day. While lemmings do swarm in some years, they do not commit mass suicide.
The newsreel tradition is an important tradition in documentary film; newsreels were also sometimes staged but were usually reenactments of events that had already happened, not attempts to steer events as they were in the process of happening. For instance, much of the battle footage from the early 20th century was staged -- the cameramen would usually arrive on site after a major battle and reenact scenes to film them. Dziga Vertov was involved with the Russian Kino-Pravda newsreel series ("Kino-Pravda" means literally, "film-truth," a term that was later translated literally into the French cinema verite). Frank Capra's Why We Fight series was a newsreel series in the United States, commissioned by the government to convince the U.S. public that it was time to go to war.
The continental, or realist, tradition focused on man within man-made environments, and included the so-called "city symphony" films such as Berlin, Symphony of a City, Rien Que Les Heurs, and Man with the Movie Camera. These films tended to feature people as products of their environment, and leaned towards the impersonal or avant-garde.
The propagandist tradition consisted of films made with the explicit purpose of persuading an audience of a point. One of the most notorious propaganda films is Triumph of the Will. Frank Capra's Why We Fight newsreel series was explicitly contracted as a propaganda series, in response to Leni Riefenstahl's film Triumph of the Will; the series covered different aspects of World War II and had the daunting task of persuading the United States public to go to war. The series has been selected for preservation in the United States' National Film Registry.
In the 1930s, documentarian and film critic John Grierson argued in his essay First Principles of Documentary that Robert Flaherty's film Moana had "documentary value," and put forward a number of principles of documentary. These principles were that cinema's potential for observing life could be exploited in a new art form; that the "original" actor and "original" scene are better guides than their fiction counterparts to interpreting the modern world; and that materials "thus taken from the raw" can be more real than the acted article. In this regard, Grierson's views align with Dziga Vertov's contempt for dramatic fiction as "bourgeois excess," though with considerably more subtlety. Grierson's definition of documentary as "creative treatment of actuality" has gained some acceptance, though it presents philosophical questions about documentaries containing stagings and reenactments.
In his essays, Vertov argued for presenting "life as it is" (that is, life filmed surreptitiously) and "life caught unawares" (life provoked or surprised by the camera). Cinema verite borrows from both Italian neorealism's penchant for shooting non-actors on location, and the French New Wave's use of largely unscripted action and improvised dialogue; the filmmakers took advantage of advances in technology allowing smaller, handheld cameras and synchronized sound to film events on location as they unfold. The films Harlan County, U.S.A. (directed by Barbara Kopple), Don't Look Back (D. A. Pennebaker), Lonely Boy (Wolf Koenig and Roman Kroitor) and Chronicle of a Summer (Jean Rouch) are all considered cinema verite. The genre has different names in different countries; "cinema verite" is perhaps the most common now, but in the United Kingdom the same movement was called "free cinema" and in the United States, "direct cinema." The directors of the movement also take different viewpoints on their degree of involvement, Kopple and Pennebaker, for instance, choosing non-involvement, and Rouch, Koenig, and Kroitor favoring direct involvement or even provocation when they deem it necessary.
Another recent development in the field of documentary is the creation of compilation films: for instance, The Atomic Cafe is made entirely out of found footage which various agencies of the U.S. government made about the safety of nuclear radiation (e.g., telling troops at one point that it's safe to be irradiated as long as they keep their eyes and mouths shut). Meanwhile The Last Cigarette combines the testimony of various tobacco company executives before the U.S. Congress with archival propaganda extolling the virtues of smoking.
Modern documentaries have a substantial overlap with other forms of television, with the development of so-called reality television that occasionally verges on the documentary but more often veers to the fictional.
Contemporary Documentary filmmakers:
- Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line, Vernon, Florida, Fast, Cheap and Out of Control)
- Michael Moore (The Big One, Roger and Me, Bowling for Columbine)
- Ron Mann (Comic Book Confidential, Twist, Grass)
- Barbara Kopple (Wild Man Blues, Harlan County U.S.A.)
- Steve James (Hoop Dreams)
- Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky (Brother's Keeper, Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills)
- D. A. Pennebaker (Don't Look Back, Monterey Pop)
- Frederick Wiseman (High School, Titicut Follies)
- Albert Maysles and David Maysles (Salesman, Grey Gardens)
- Claude Lanzmann (Shoah)
- Ken Burns (Baseball, Jazz, The Civil War)
- Alain Resnais (Night and Fog)
- Mark Jonathan Harris (The Long Way Home, Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport)
- Ross McElwee (Time Indefinite, Sherman's March) |
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Stoner smokes ’em down in ‘American Ultra’
'American Ultra' stars Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart as stoners who have to fight the government. VPC
The likably awkward chemistry of Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg remains intact in “American Ultra,” a violent stoner action-comedy that’s half “Pineapple Express,” half “The Bourne Identity,” and not as good as either.
Stewart and Eisenberg, who starred together in the splendidly low-key summer comedy “Adventureland,” again come together as an appealing, mutually mop-headed tandem that matches Eisenberg’s stuttering unease with Stewart’s deadpan cool.
They play a flannel-wearing West Virginia couple, Mike and Phoebe, happy together despite Mike’s weed habit, perpetual apologizing and panic attacks from just about anything that upsets his seemingly innate inertia. Looking at a car that’s crashed into a tree, he wonders to Phoebe, placating and devoted, if he’s the tree and she’s the car.
The small-town, low-stakes drama of “American Ultra” is convincing in the beginning, thanks to the two stars. But it’s a setup.
Unbeknownst to Mike, a convenience store clerk, he’s an elite killing machine trained by the CIA, a decommissioned government experiment. Few in the movies would be a more unlikely secret agent than Eisenberg. Did the program include Michael Cera? Was Woody Allen in charge?
Switching to Langley, the film, directed by Nima Nourizadeh (“Project X”) and written by Max Landis (“Chronicle”), fills in the backstory. A petulant young agent (Topher Grace) has risen in the ranks and now wants to eliminate evidence of the experiment that gave Mike his secret talents, overseen by Connie Britton’s more sympathetic Victoria Lasseter.
To prevent her former student’s death, she sneaks to the convenience store and activates Mike with a few code words. When a handful of thugs come to kill him, Mike is astounded to find himself expertly stabbing one with a spoon. Afterward, he cowers behind a lamppost, looking at the bloody wreckage: “I have, like, a lot of anxiety about this,” he tells Phoebe.
Much mayhem ensues, surprisingly violent and cartoonish in its extremes. The small town comes entirely under siege. “American Ultra” is a stoner’s paranoia come to life. A toothless Walton Goggins joins the strong ensemble as the nuttiest of the CIA’s small army, along with John Leguizamo as a local drug dealer.
The assembled talent could use more character development and a little more wit in place of the sadistic, fun-draining comic-book action scenes that increasingly co-opts the comedy, which is too dependent on the eventually tiresome joke of Eisenberg as action hero.
But “American Ultra” has its simple genre charms, thanks significantly to its entertaining cast and leading pair. Stewart, in particular, looks like she’s punching below her weight class. As if often the case, Stewart’s the best thing in the movie. And she and Eisenberg remain lazy losers we can love, Bonnie and Clyde for a more laid-back generation.
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Connie Britton, Topher Grace, Tony Hale, Walton Goggins, Bill Pullman
Rated: R for strong bloody violence, language throughout, drug use and some sexual content
Playing at: Bay Park Cinema, Marcus Cinema Green Bay East |
Upon moving into the run-down Spiderwick Estate with their mother, twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, along with their sister Mallory, find themselves pulled into an alternate world full of faeries and other creatures.
A teenage girl discovers her father has an amazing talent to bring characters out of their books and must try to stop a freed villain from destroying them all, with the help of her father, her aunt, and a storybook's hero.
In order to restore their dying safe haven, the son of Poseidon and his friends embark on a quest to the Sea of Monsters, to find the mythical Golden Fleece, all the while trying to stop an ancient evil from rising.
Brandon T. Jackson
It was no ordinary life for a young girl: living among scholars in the hallowed halls of Jordan College and tearing unsupervised through Oxford's motley streets on mad quests for adventure. But Lyra's greatest adventure would begin closer to home, the day she heard hushed talk of an extraordinary particle. Microscopic in size, the magical dust--discovered in the vast Arctic expanse of the North--was rumored to possess profound properties that could unite whole universes. But there were those who feared the particle and would stop at nothing to destroy it. Catapulted into the heart of a terrible struggle, Lyra was forced to seek aid from clans, 'gyptians, and formidable armored bears. And as she journeyed into unbelievable danger, she had not the faintest clue that she alone was destined to win, or to lose, this more-than-mortal battle...Written by
In December 2007, Nicole Kidman hosted a special screening of this movie for the sick children at Sydney Children's Hospital in Randwick, New South Wales, Australia. See more »
Pantalaimon is able to transform into a small moth when he wishes. When he and Lyra are confined in the intercision machine, they are separated by a metal grid through which Pantalaimon in moth form could easily crawl: it is not clear what prevents him from trying this. See more »
There are many universes and many Earths parallel to each other. Worlds like yours, where people's souls live inside their bodies, and worlds like mine, where they walk beside us, as animal spirits we call daemons.
Are we going to see the child?
I should think so.
So many worlds. But connecting them all is Dust. Dust was here before the witches of the air, the Gyptians of the water, and the bears of the ice. In my world, scholars invented an alethiometer - a golden compass - and it...
See more »
The New Line Cinema logo appears in a golden light at the start and end of the film.
At the end of the logo is accompanied by an ice bear's roar. See more »
I am about 2 thirds of the way through the book when I decided to go to the limited engagement sneak preview of The Golden Compass. I feel that the film exceeded my expectations regardless of the structure change made by the film adaptation.
The story was changed moderately, but not too much to take away from the mood of the book, and was in no way detrimental to the flow of the story. Otherwise, this movie was a roller-coaster ride from beginning to end! The effects exceeded my expectations. The flow of the daemons in the film was almost completely convincing, however there were times when the speech of the animals had that typical "computer animated falseness" that you see in the cg cartoons. Other than some minor CG blemishes, the realism is some of the most convincing I have seen! The polar bear is completely lifelike and the animal morphing I felt was simply spectacular.
The flow of the film is very fast, which is a negative and a positive. While it really leaves us guessing or feeling unfulfilled in some of the crucial story elements, it also sets the pace for an exhilarating fast-paced adventure story that keeps you on the edge! The broad range of characters prevents the film from truly developing the characters that we really WANT to know. Since the book is a 3 part series, hopefully these characters will develop further in the next 2 films.
I must say that there were several parts in this film that surprised me, considering this is marketed as a family film. This is a dark film. This could frighten some small kids. I feel this film definitely belongs in the pg-13 rating, and might even be a bit much for a 13 year old for the more sheltering type parents. Not only can it be conceived as very violent, there are some very adult themes that could be considered questionable.
Overall, this is a film I would like to see again, and I am DYING to see the next film in the series. I walked out of this film excited, satisfied and wanting more. Might want to leave the young ones at home, but you won't regretting fighting for front row seats on a Friday night for this flick.
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So on Sunday we, PG and myself, went to Bellas to go see a movie: The Incredible Hulk, which was actually really good. I thought it was cool. The really scary thing for me was how much we actually just take really good special effects for granted nowadays.
The “This Is Africa” German Coke Truck!
After seeing IronMan a few weeks back :), and now this, it is just normal to see a CGI movie, and actually think that what you are seeing in there, you could walk out of the cinema and see in real life. Some green dude running down the road. Really freaky the way it starts to blur the lines of reality.
Well, at R60 for the Movie and R60 for the Popcorn and a Can on Sprite, it was an expensive experience. Little Portuguese kids shouting and talking the whole time through-out. Really little Portuguese children crying – like months old babies – who’s parents obviously decided they weren’t going to miss out on this on the big screen, and just had to come. And no one said anything about it. That is the most amazing thing. It is just the done thing. Man, and I like my quiet movie theaters! Haha, experience of note.
So on the way back the driver, not one of the usual 2 we have, they have the weekend off now, decided that he was not going to go the normal route, as the road was rammed, so he would go another route, a shorter route. Cool, PG was happy as we would be back in time for the Footie: Spain vs Germany!
Well, we drove and drove and then the light was gone and the road went from being 2 lane tarred, to one lane tarred, to one lane dirt, to just a complete tailback. We were stuck in traffic. Lots of traffic. Then we got nudged from behind by another vehicle in the middle of this chaos. Our driver, though not very good with the Safety Procedures just climbs out, leaves the door open with the engine running and walks back to check the damage. I leant over, closed the door, and locked it. Now it’s not like anyone would try hijack us, as we were going nowhere in that traffic, but the safety factor is till very much an unknown! And not a f#ck was I getting out to check the issue. These guys still carry guns around here. Plus the location wasn’t the most inspiring I will say.
So, the damage was minimal, just a nudge actually, nothing doing, and we carried on at a walk. In fact at one stage people walking past were going faster than we were. We continued on this road a while longer, and then the road stopped. There was some detour and loads of construction, and the driver was a bit foxed, but we carried on down another “short-cut”. It was around about now that I saw a plane coming into land on our left, about a km away. This was mildly concerning as the airport is a way out of town, and should have either been in front of us, or to our right on this trip back. We went through a fairly busy crossroad/taxi-rank intersection, and had to slow down considerably as we did so. All the onlookers on the side of the road were inquisitively peering into the vehicle to see what was inside. Plenty of chaps staring directly at me or leaning closer into the vehicle to get a good look. It was around about now that I started to feel, for the first time since being in Luanda, uneasy about being a non-Portuguese speaking expat. Hey easy for PG and our driver, the 2 BLACK dudes in the car, however for the white guy upfront, it could be a problem. The thing that I was actually nipping about the most was not really me being white, but the fact that we had a driver in full uniform, easily identifiable by the lapels and clothes he was wearing, so I was more nervous about us being identified as being of a “wealthy industry” and therefore “hijackable”. Blame the stories I hear from certain people about Nigeria I guess.
We continued on along this dirt road, the traffic now becoming less and less, and far more free-flowing, until it took another detour . . . to the right. i.e. further away from Luanda. At around about this stage the driver pulled over again, flagged down a passing car, and walked over, once again leaving the door open. Here however was a perfect place for Hijackings, so once again I leant over, closed and locked the door. This time he got “better” directions . . . back the way we came! I asked him if we now knew where we were going, and he replied everything was good. “Don’t worry, you are Safe.” he chimed. We turned around and started along the road for a while longer, this time slowly heading back in the general direction of the airport. A bit further down the road we came across a police man, on foot, walking in the direction we were travelling. Appears the directions we had gotten were still not sufficient, so our driver pulled over and we got a bit of direction advice from the policeman. After both repeating the same few words time and again, something to do with forwards, the driver suddenly tells us the Cop is getting a lift with us to help with directions. “Don’t worry, it is good for us.” Appears our driver wasn’t feeling as “safe” as we were supposed to be! 🙁 So our cop got a lift, and we got fairly good directions.
About 30 minutes later of driving through the slums, we emerged onto the main road back into Luanda. We were now quite a few miles past the airport, and it was very interesting to figure out roundabout route we had taken. On our way out of the “slums” we passed loads of sidewalk “shebeens”, with guys standing around drinking and chilling. The taxis out here controlled the road, and had absolutely no regard for the rules of the road or anyone else. A few constantly suddenly stopping directly in front of us, without any sign of a warning, and not caring a damn when the driver leant out and shouted or hooted at him. Once again, the Angolan Attitude showed it’s colours – Me First!
Yet, the surprises were not going to end here. At the one junction that we were definitely supposed to turn left, the driver decides to turn right. Into a one-way. Man, that delayed us another 30 minutes. At thsi stage I was fuming, but there was no point in getting cross now, as there was nothing further to be done. We were now less than 3 kms from home, so it was just sit back and wait.
So, over 2 hours after leaving Bellas, A trip that should take just less than an hour, we arrived home, to just get the last the 30 mins or so of the footie.
PG was well pleased.
So, looking back now in hindsight: It was a bit nerve-wracking at the time, but very informative and interesting to see “how the other 80%” actually live. To see the environment and habitat. The challenges for the Government are HUGE! Can something like this ever be undone? Unlikely. Can this poverty ever really be eradicated or the people truly uplifted and provided for? It is going to take a while. A long while. I don’t think it will ever happen in my life-time. Nor my next generation’s. Something like this doesn’t change over night I can promise you that much. Not even with the amount of money that Angola currently has, or is making. It starts with education and empowerment. And, the way things are going with the amount of Chinese coming in and most of the infrastructure work being outsourced to them, it is a long way off. A lot of Angolans are already very upset with the way things are going, the slow rate of progress, the lack of visible infrastructure, the lack of creation of jobs or better conditions for the local people, the excessive wealth that Sonangol (the state owned oil company) is displaying. However with only one ruling party, there isn’t much they can do about it. Unfortunately.
Easy Going Guy 😉
Loving being Alive! 🙂 |
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She has been collecting contemporary art and jewellery since the early nineties and has become a prominent figure of the art industry internationally. On Saturday, Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo opens a new major exhibition in Turin, Italy, spread across several cultural institutions in the city, and titled Like a moth to a flame. She sits down with Living it to discuss celebrating 25 years of her Collection and shares with us why Turin is such a great art tourism hot spot.
What sparked the project Like a moth to a flame?
“The project grew out from my personal relationship with Tom Eccles, Executive Director of the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College in New York, of which I am a member of the board of governors, and Mark Rappolt, editor of Art Review. They were both participating to the Symposium that my foundation organized in May last year within our Young Curators Residency Programme and regarding curatorial practices. We were talking about my Collection celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2017, and this anniversary appeared as a good opportunity for imagining a shared project. We agreed that they would curate a grand exhibition of my collection”.
What is the topic of the exhibition?
“Tom and Mark were fascinated by Turin, its museums and its tradition of “collectionism”. They started visiting all the museums:Egyptian Museum, Palazzo Madama, Museum of Oriental Art, National Cinema Museum… and reflecting on how important private collections have been for Turin’s history”.
Mummiform Ushabti, Third Intermediate Period / XXI-XXIV Dynasty (1070-712 BC) Faïence ceramic, blue with black inscriptions. Courtesy of Museo Egizio.
“Like a moth to a flame talks about the compulsion to create and to collect works of art, through time and space. This is seen through the city of Turin, with its long tradition of both private and institutional collections, spanning from the Ancient Egypt to the Far East to the Middle Ages and Renaissance till the contemporary.”
How exactly does this “collectionism” express itself?
“Many of Turin’s museum collections were developed from ancient private collections, both royal and commoner. The Egyptian Museum, for example, was set up on an original nucleus of works that had been collected by Bernardino Drovetti, who sold his collection to the king Carlo Felice di Savoia in 1824. The GAM re-opened after the World War II in 1959 with an exhibition of modern art masterpieces from private collections.”
Where does the title of the exhibition comes from?
“The exhibition’s title originates from a work by Cerith Wyn Evans that belongs to the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo: a chandelier with circular text a neon light that says In girum imus nocte et consumimur igni (2006). The title of the work is a palindrome, which is a sentence you can read similarly backward and forward and means the same thing either way. The sentence contains a riddle that says “what goes around at night and is consumed by flames?”. A possible solution is… a moth.”
Cerith Wyn Evans, In Girum Imus Nocte et Consumimur Igni, 1999, Courtesy Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo.
What are the highlights of the exhibition?
“At the Fondazione, we show Hito Steyerl’s Factory of the Sun, an immersive installation reflecting on the current effects of technology on our lives. I am also very excited to show one of the most recent acquisitions of the collection, which is a work by Tino Seghal titled This You. It will be performed by our mediators and consists in a sung dedication to each visitor. We will also show an ancient sculpture from MAO and a work from the Castello di Rivoli”.
Carsten Holler, Doppelpilzvitrine (24 Doppelpilze), 2009, 24 mushroom replicas, polyurethane and acrylic, glass showcase, 175 × 145 × 25 cm. Photographic credit: Studio Gonella 2009. Courtesy of Fondazione per l’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea CRT
“At the OGR – Officine Grandi Riparazioni, opened this September – there will be a dialogue between antique artifacts and contemporary works. The Egyptian Museum lent one Sekhmet statue and a Tuthmosis monumental head. We will also be showing a selection of my costume jewellery collection, presented inside a vitrine designed by Gio Ponti.”
What does Like a Moth to a Flame represent in your collectors’ journey celebrating 25 years in 2017?
“I always appreciate when my Collection is seen and interpreted through the eyes of different curators, who are able to create new narratives, new points of view. This is why my Collection travels around the world, having been presented inside and outside Europe. At the moment, part of it is exhibited in Trondheim and in March 2018 another body of work will be presented at RAM Museum in Shanghai. Like a Moth to a Flame, exhibit 39 works from my Collection. I especially appreciate the way the curatorial approach of the exhibition connects the international dimension of my Collection to the local roots of Turin, a city that remains very important and continues to be inspiring for me.”
In your opinion, what makes Turin an interesting destination for art tourism?
“The Egyptian Museum, Palazzo Madama, Galleria Sabauda, the National Cinema Museum are a few of the museums to visit. The strong focus on contemporary art, that the city traditionally shows and that formed the ecosystem in which the Arte Povera movement grew in the Sixties, is witnessed by the presence of institutions like Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Castello di Rivoli, Gam, Fondazione Merz and the newly born OGR, among others. A network of quality art galleries and specialized craftsmen makes Turin a good place to live and to work for many artists”.
Barbara Kruger, Untitled (Not ugly enough), 1997, silk-screen printing on vinyl. Courtesy of Collezione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo
“At the same time, the proximity to the Langhe and the Monferrato, UNESCO World Heritage Site, with their famous food (white truffle above all) and wines (Barolo and Barbaresco) and the town’s historic cafés, trendy bars, ice-cream parlours, patisseries, restaurants, and chocolatiers make Turin a very enjoyable city for tourism in general”.
Which artists – from Turin, Italy and abroad – are you particularly excited about at the moment?
“Among the younger generation of artists in Turin I would mention Ludovica Carbotta, Manuele Cerutti, Marzia Migliora and Alis Filliol. In Italy, I particularly appreciate the work of Yuri Ancarani, Tomaso De Luca, Pietro Roccasalva, Elena Mazzi, Meris Angioletti on top of more established ones like Roberto Cuoghi and Paola Pivi. Outside Italy, more recently, I have been collaborating with, commissioning or acquiring the work of Ed Atkins, Ian Cheng, Rachel Rose, Guan Xiao, Andra Ursuta, Alicia Kwade, Sanya Kantarosky – whose solo show at the Fondazione is opening on November 3rd, together with Like a Moth to a Flame”.
Like a Moth to a Flame at Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo and OGR, Turin from 4 November 2017 – 14 January 2018
Header Picture: Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo. Photo: Stefano Sciuto. Courtesy Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebudengo |
It has been over 70 years since the conclusion of WWII, and collectively, we have never gotten past the horror of the era. The Holocaust in particular still occupies mindshare that we can’t dislodge—that we shouldn’t dislodge (hence the exhortation to “never forget”). Yet time passes, generations turn over, and its centrality to our narrative fades. While the fact of 6 million Jewish deaths during this period is widely known, it is less and less frequently felt. The combination of its enormity, and the increasing march of time, presage a future in which the Holocaust recedes to history books rather than lived experience, and its applicability to our present is denied.
In the decades directly following, it is hard to say, even when the wound was fresher, that this knowledge served us well. Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia. Now, the Rohingya in Burma and the Yazidi in Iraq. Did we ever fully grasp the Holocaust? Its truths and implications? Of course not, the magnitude is too great. As humans we grasp the macro in the abstract, it is through the micro that we are more deeply reached, and this is the responsibility of artists and storytellers.
Director David Henry Gerson is fond of a quote from the German philosopher Theodor Adorno, “there can be no art after Auschwitz,” and yet as provocative a statement as it is, it hasn’t prevented many from trying. Renais’ Night and Fog is one of the great short films of all time. On the opposite end of length, Claude Lanzmann’s 9 hour film, Shoah, is seminal. Even as populist a filmmaker as Steven Spielberg sought to tackle the subject with his Academy Award winner Schindler’s List. Filmmakers are drawn to the Holocaust in hopes of of grappling with, and illuminating, some of the most profound questions of life and human nature, and it is hard to conceptualize a more ripe, yet difficult, setting than in such a crucible.
It is presumptuous to include All These Voices in the same class of these works. Gerson’s Student Academy Award Winner, made while a student at the American Film Institute, is of a much smaller scale. Yet it is rewarding to see the legacy of the Holocaust revisited, and with such pathos and verve. A mixture of the arts of film and stage, the short deals with the messy aftermath of the war, and is decidedly micro—a solitary German solider, a small troupe of Polish actors, a single dilapidated theater as a setting—and yet it seeks to engage big questions: guilt and culpability, anger and forgiveness, the paradoxical demand to push past trauma, and yet never forget.
A crucible is a fitting word for the film, as it is a stirring psychological drama that pushes its character towards madness in an increasingly feverish presentation. Gerson and his all-star team self-consciously purse cinematic art, and from its gorgeous 35mm cinematography, to its choreography (from rising star Celia Rowlson-Hall), to its, at times, experimental editing style, the film is a vehicle for emotion on a physical level rather than a reasoning one. A lone, starving German solider, hiding out in the theater, is an unwitting spectator for the theater troupe of survivors, whom, in their return to the stage, exorcise their pain. In some ways the actors are saints—they dramatically resist retribution even after they recognize the soldier for whom he is. Yet in another way they are demons, and their act of healing is revenge—an expression of their angst so powerful as to overwhelm the soldier mentally, as what he witnesses compounds his guilt.
It is a profoundly humanist work, one that rises to the challenge of Adorno—if “art” is dead, than something new is required, and the experimental nature of All These Voices is a fitting complement to that endeavor. Gerson had the seeds of the project in his mind for 10 years going into the film—his Grandparents lived through these times, and in his formative years he was told stories of how they survived the Second World War, and of how they survived their grief following that war. Gerson alongside his fellow writers, Martin Horvat and Brennan Peters, embarked on massive research for the project, touring Auschwitz and many memorial museums. Gerson visited survivors and credits Samuel Bak’s experiences and aesthetic sensibility, a mixture of haunting realism and surrealist memories, as informing the film. Likewise, he was inspired by many Polish theater artists, such as Tadeusz Kantor and Jerzy Grotowski, who sought to find new languages to depict their changed worlds. He writes that “When I saw Andrej Wajda’s filming of Tadeusz Kantor’s play “Dead Class” in Krakow I somehow better understood the atrocities and dehumanization that happened in Auschwitz more than when I went to see the site. Our film is an exploration of how art is made out of trauma, how the power of the theater, cinema, dance, music can be tools of healing and humanizing.”
The contradictions of the film are ever-present, but within that tension what Gerson and his team achieve shines. Delving into the past to attempt to craft what is new, to image grace, yet not abrogate responsibility, to attempt catharsis, yet never let go of the voices of the ghosts of the past—it is quite a threading of the needle, but the payoff is well worth it.
Now graduated from AFI, Gerson is actively developing a feature film project. Above Kings landed a spot on Tracking-Board’s Hit List, and the film, about the famous Lockerbie airplane bombing, looks like another wrenching revisiting of the tragic past. |
In 2019, SF Studios celebrates 100 years as a film studio. Since 1919, SF Studios has been a leading Nordic film studio that has produced and distributed some of cinema’s most iconic films and worked with some of the greatest talents in the business. Our 100th anniversary will be celebrated throughout the year to honor our history and tell the world who we are today and our ambitions for the future.
In connection to the start of the anniversary year, a website has been launched which you can visit to read about our history and some of the films and talents that we have worked with during the last century. Welcome to share our story at www.sfstudios100years.com
(Please note that this website is in Swedish, the English website is under construction and will be launched in the beginning of February 2019.)
SF Studios was founded on December 27, 1919 through a merger of AB Svenska Biografteatern and Filmindustri AB Skandia. Already in beginning, the company achieved international success and contributed to the “Golden Age” of Swedish cinema with films like The Phantom Carriage, Witchcraft Through the Ages and The Legend of Gösta Berling. Since then, SF Studios has produced award-winning films and box office successes such as The Seventh Seal, The Emigrants, My Life as a Dog and A Man Called Ove. In addition, SF Studios has worked with some of film industry’s most praised directors such as Mauritz Stiller, Victor Sjöström, Ingmar Bergman, Carl Theodor Dreyer, Arne Sucksdorff, Jan Troell, Bo Widerberg, Lasse Hallström and Bille August. Also, some of the most popular film stars have started their careers at SF Studios. Among them are Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman, Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Stellan Skarsgård, Rolf Lassgård and Sverrir Gudnason.
Today SF Studios is a leading Nordic film studio with international ambitions. Its business includes production and distribution of feature films and TV series and the digital services SF Anytime and SF Kids Play. SF Studios has its head office in Stockholm, Sweden and subsidiaries in Oslo, Copenhagen, Helsinki and London.
For more information, please contact:
Kristina Linglöf, Head of Communications SF Studios, +46 70 305 22 27
Malin Strihagen, Project Manager SF Studios 100 years, +46 70 888 68 28 |
When Dave LaMattina was interning in Sesame Street’s home video department in 2005, he didn’t think he would end up making a film about Caroll Spinney, the legendary puppeteer behind the iconic Sesame Street characters Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch.
Spinney, an Air Force veteran who is now 78 years old, has been a puppeteer for one of Jim Henson’s franchises for over four decades now. Chad Walker, who is co-directing and co-producing the film with LaMattina, said of the project, “As soon as I heard Carroll was still behind Big Bird and Oscar, I knew I wanted to know more about him.
“Before our first meeting with Carroll, we thought there would be all this red tape, and that it would be months and months before we had a meeting. Within a week, though, we had a meeting with Carroll. It was a great meeting. We pitched our vision for the film, and in that meeting, his wife said, ‘We’ve pretty much documented everything Carroll’s done.’ As documentary filmmakers that’s absolutely the best news you could possibly hear.”
As the filmmakers spent more time with Spinney, they realized there was much more than meets the eye. LaMattina told Indiewire, “His life is a Forrest Gump journey. He’s interacted with every major American personality of the last forty years. Before he was with Sesame Street, he even shot a political campaign ad with JFK. You start to look at these stories, and you realize he’s been around for all of these fantastic moments.”
The duo has a laundry list of things they were surprised to discover while shooting this film, but one fact stood out above all the others: “At one point,” LaMattina recounted, “we were sitting with Carroll over lunch. And he told us that he was supposed to go on the Challenger spacecraft. NASA wanted to do it because national interest was lagging. They reached out to Sesame Street to have Big Bird go up in space. But the costume was way too big. The next plan was to have a ‘Send Your Teddy Bear to Space’ tie-in with ‘Sesame Street.’ It ended up getting scrapped because they thought it trivialized the mission too much. It would have been equally, but differently, tragic in the end.”
The experience has been powerful for Walker too, who recently sat down to a movie in Brooklyn’s Nitehawk Cinema and found that they were playing archival “Sesame Street” scenes before the movie. “Seeing Big Bird and Oscar in these situations — I wasn’t paying attention to the scene, but the characters that I related to when I was younger brought me back,” he said. “We’ve been so focused on the archival and behind-the-scenes footage, but being in front of clips from the show…you forget how memorable they are. There was a scene with Oscar and Ernie, where Oscar offers up an ugly rubber duckie because Ernie had lost his. I had never seen it. But it was so Oscar, so grouchy and so lovable too. Both Big Bird and Oscar have so much of Carroll in them.”
And it’s hard for Spinney to turn the characters off. During an investment meeting, Spinney brought along an Oscar puppet and in the middle of a presentation, the puppet yelled “BORING!” Moments like that, the filmmakers recounted, happily came with the territory.
The “I Am Big Bird” team is raising money on Kickstarter. Click here to find out more and donate. An exclusive clip and the film’s trailer are below! |
Hebden Bridge takes its name from the packhorse bridge over Hebden Water. Recently declared ‘the coolest place to live in Britain’ by The Times, and one-time winner of the Best Town in Britain award, it is full of character and exudes a strong community spirit. This is evident in its many independent shops and cafes, many of which sell locally produced or specialist items.
Hebden Bridge’s reputation as a liberal and creative centre has long attracted artists, writers, photographers, musicians and poets. (It’s always possible that the person sitting next to you in the cafe with a laptop is working on their next novel, or researching locations for a film). And there is always plenty going on in Hebden Bridge – from organised events like the Arts Festival and Piano Festival to informal knitting circles, writing groups and art classes. Wellbeing plays a role here too: look out for courses in yoga and pilates, singing workshops and walking events. Hebden Bridge has the accolade of being Britain’s first ‘Walkers are Welcome’ town, but don’t just take our word for it – get out and explore.
Know what the locals know…
Hebden Bridge was known for its production of fustian, a fabric similar to corduroy. Its textile and clothing manufacture was so significant, the town was known as Trouser Town. The Fustian Knife sculpture in St. George’s Square (which locals know is actually a triangle) is testimony to the importance of the textile industry.
Emmeline Pankhurst stood on the wooden steps outside Bridge Mill and addressed a brass band and 400 striking weavers in January 1907. The Hebden Bridge Times reported that her speech ‘created scenes unparalleled in the history of Hebden Bridge’.
Former Poet Laureate Ted Hughes, born just up the road in Mytholmroyd, set his poem ‘Stubbing Wharfe’ in the pub of the same name which is on the canal towpath just out of Hebden Bridge.
Look out for underdwellings and overdwellings, an innovative solution to the lack of space in the steep valley. The upper storeys face uphill while the lower ones face downhill with their back wall against the hillside, each with separate entrances. You’ll also spot back to back terraces in the streets that border the canal towpath.
Read the inscriptions on the ancient gravestones from the former Baptist Chapel (now the Heart Gallery) – there’s one about a gentleman being ‘cruelly murdered’.
Explore Hardcastle Crags (Hebden’s ‘Little Switzerland’) with its 400 acres of unspoilt woodland. There are many paths and trails to follow and family activities often take place during the school holidays. The cafe at Gibson Mill houses the ‘Stepping Out’ exhibition, a community photographic project celebrating the many flights of stone steps in the locality.
Sit and watch the world go by from one of Hebden’s many pubs and cafes. Visit the many independent shops and galleries – from textiles and photographs to ceramics and jewellery, you will find an array of locally-produced craft and artworks.
Have a proper mug of tea and eat homemade cake while you take in a film at Hebden Bridge Picture House – an art-deco styled 1920s cinema.
Or see what’s on at the intimate and legendary Trades Club – recent performances have included Patti Smith, Cerys Matthews, Fairport Convention and Edwyn Collins.
Feed the ducks or watch Juan Cerruffo balance stones at the wavy steps next to Hebden Water.
For more information and ideas on where to stay:
The ‘Hebweb’, (the UK’s first community website) at www.hebdenbridge.co.uk is a good source of local information, from big-name events to school jumble sales. Pop into Hebden Bridge Visitor Centre (it’s got our beautiful South Pennines map outside – you can’t miss it!) or call 01422 843831 – the staff are very helpful. Further information on the wider area is available from www.visitcalderdale.com. |
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Barbara Calderón, who died in Los Angeles, California, on Jan. 26, in an undated photo with her sons, Santiago and Tobias. (Courtesy Ari Rosales)Update: 12 p.m. Wed., March 2. On Wednesday morning the family of Barbara Calderón, a Costa Rican woman who died while visiting the U.S. in January, learned that it exceeded its fundraising goal for paying off Calderón’s hospital bill. In five days the family raised more than $71,000 to pay the outstanding bill.The family posted its thanks on the gofundme.com page:Our family has been awaken this morning to the beautiful news that we’ve reach our goal, and more! Thank you for the support and the service done to us. For this we will be eternally grateful.Original story continues here:A Costa Rican woman’s family is asking the public for help raising funds to pay for $70,000 in hospital bills after the woman died in a California hospital in January. Three days in, the family has already raised more than half the amount they need.Barbara Calderón was traveling in California in January with her two sons while visiting her sister. She hoped to take a family trip to Universal Studios in Los Angeles. But on the way to the amusement park Calderón complained of chest pains and stopped breathing. Emergency responders reached her on the highway and were able to stabilize her. She was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital’s emergency room. There, hospital staff put her in an induced coma and on life support to try to preserve her brain functions until she could recover.But Calderón never made it out of the coma. Cardiologists said a previously undiagnosed congenital birth defect was the cause of her heart failure. After several days on life support, her husband, who had flown to Los Angeles to be with her and their sons, decided to remove her from life support on Jan. 26. Calderón was 41.Calderón was in the U.S. without health or travel insurance and accumulated roughly $300,000 in health care costs during her six-day admission. The family was able to negotiate the hospital bills down to $70,000. Still unable to pay the bill, the family decided to turn to the crowdsourcing website www.gofundme.com.At this writing the family has raised more than $40,000 from 290 donors.“I’m overwhelmed by the support but I’m not surprised,” Calderón’s sister in California, Ari Rosales, told The Tico Times. “She was an amazing person with lots of friends and family who loved her.”“She was always the one who kept us together as a family, ” Rosales said. “She kept us united.”Rosales said that the family was hopeful that between the gofundme.com campaign and additional fundraising by family and friends in Costa Rica the family would be able to pay back the hospital bills by the end of March.“This is a new role for me, organizing something like this,” Rosales said thinking about Calderón. “I keep thinking that she’d be the best person to do this.”Donations for Calderón’s medical bills can be received until April 26. Facebook Comments Related posts:World Bank: Zika will cost Latin America $3.5 billion in 2016 Costa Rica prosecutors charge 5 members of alleged organ trafficking ring Zika research to be published rapidly and free As AH1N1 death toll rises to 14 in Costa Rica, authorities say it’s too late in season for vaccination
Thermes Marins Bali Spa has been awarded the World’s #1 Spa at the Conde Nast Traveller Readers’ Spa Awards 2010, in the latest accola de bestowed upon AYANA Resort and Spa Bali following its rebranding.AYANA was also awarded Favourite Hotel Spa in Asia and Indian Sub-continent at the prestigious ceremony in London, which followed an international survey of Conde Nast Traveller readers. The news follows AYANA’s listing on the Conde Nast Traveller 2010 Gold List (Best Hotels in Asia) in January and a World Travel Award as Asia’s Leading Luxury Resort last November, just months after the resort rebranded. It was also just awarded #2 Best Hotel in Bali by Destinasian magazine. “It’s a great honor to win Conde Nast’s highest award in this prestigious survey of international travelers,” said AYANA’s Director of Spa and Business Development (Japan), Michi Sonoda. “The spa industry worldwide has undergone significant change in recent years as modern travelers seek the type of holiday where they can completely rebalance and revive their senses, to ease the stress of their increasingly hectic lives. This award recognizes our position as a world leader in both Thalassotherapy and traditional Indonesian remedies, and nothing gives us more pleasure than sharing the benefits of our wellbeing philosophy with our guests.” Set in beautifully landscaped tropical gardens, Thermes Marins Bali is the only Thermes Marins spa in south-east Asia. The 22,000sqm facility incorporates spa villas, treatment rooms, beauty salon, reflexology and relaxation lounge, and the Spa on the Rocks treatment villas anchored on rocks amidst the ocean. It is also home to one of the world’s largest Aquatonic® Seawater Jet Pools, supplied direct from the underlying ocean and warmed to optimum temperatures to provide the curative and preventative properties of seawater. The spa menu offers ancient Eastern healing and modern European treatments including Thalassotherapy, massage, facials, hair, nail care, anti-aging and slimming treatments. The highest quality products are used including La Mer, Thermes Marins, Guinot and Decleor. Formerly The Ritz-Carlton Bali Resort & Spa, AYANA rebranded on 1 April 2009 after a management change initiated by the owner, who’s invested millions of dollars to strengthen the property’s position as Southeast Asia’s premier resort. Facility upgrades include the new Rock Bar, located on natural rocks abutting the ocean, and renovations of Padi restaurant, Damar Terrace restaurant and AYANA Ballroom. The 77-hectare property retained the vast majority of its 950 staff and selected West Paces Hotel Group led by Horst Schulze, former president and founder of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, to provide management expertise. General Manager Charles de Foucault brings more than 30 years’ experience, including 17 with Ritz-Carlton hotels. Source = AYANA Resort and Spa
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Beijing has offered to help with rail infrastructure,m. Monday through Friday Swanson noted callers will be connected with specialists and not voicemails or automated customer serviceThe Presidency has hit back at former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria Charles Soludo after he accused President Muhammadu Buhari of worsening the country’s economy Acting President Yemi Osinbajo’s spokesman Laolu Akande in a statement insisted that Buhari had ended the bleeding of the nation and was implementing reforms “Nigerians have demonstrated that they know the Buhari administration inherited a sorry state of the economy but is working diligently to fix it with positive results now emerging “What even Former CBN Governor Soludo cannot deny is the fact that the Buhari administration has ended the bleeding of the nation and is implementing reforms “The Buhari administration is spending more on infrastructure at a time when resources are lean When we had abundant revenues what happened was profligacy and plunder” Soludo had said: “Nigeria is now some say a fragile state some say a failed state; it is not going to be a tea-party to come out but unfortuately we are not taking it serious “Nigeria is not just in recession but in a massive economic compression; it will be a miracle for the present APC administration to return this country to the dollar size it met in May 29 2015 if it stays for 8 years that’s till 2023 “It is business as usual; propaganda lies double-speak Current government is fighting corruption insecurity but we say to them enough of the blame gain “They inherited a bad situation but they have made it several times worst; getting us out here is not a tea-party like I sad before Nigerians should rise in unity; it should no longer be ‘let them’; only united citizens can rescue Nigeria out of this position” Mohamed Camara played a neat one-two with Hadji Drame and found himself in the 18-yard-box. to San Juan, but it had been unable to “fully evaluate the pesticide using the best available, Halloween candy,com. I mean, Ed Rode—WireImage/Getty Images Singer Taylor Swift arrives at CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, The sheriff’s office was closed Sunday.
They argue that keeping the animals in captivity is very important for conservation research.9 percent getting an A or A*, we will need help of all kinds, publishers don’t exactly need the committee’s cooperation to reprint a report that will be in the public record as early as next week.In its quest to make Outlook as cool as Google’s Gmail saying it was not carried out electronically as is the usual case because the parliamentary session had formally ended. "It wasnt like there wasnt concern for him,twitter. which is now live in the iOS App Store for iPhones. Chief Oba Otudeko, He is busy going to China to borrow.
acknowledged the challenge ranchers are facing during the drought, Osinbajo to squeeze himself in between Tinubu and a woman on his estranged godfather’s left side. Akinwunmi Ambode rushed to take photograph with his estranged godfather, a lifelong Willistonian and a local schoolteacher, Neither thought activity had crashed, Terry McAuliffe made similar comments, He is seen here working at a brick kiln where he earns $1 a day.
A Chennai-based NGO, youre going to have somebody who has done more for Nevada and for this country as anybody who has ever been in the Senate.
but Starbucks, forward-backward,A man who shot and killed his daughters sexual abuser has been sentenced to 40 years in prison. Write to Megan McCluskey at megan.FIFA? Berget joked in his last words about the wait, East Grand Forks, Jesse Jagz, at least. To the player.
ISIS fighters reportedly attacked the British military vehicle in a built-up area after the meetup. Hope,Tattooed tech lovers, institutions, Beijing is aiming to have 20% of the countrys energy needs supplied by zero-emission sources. When something big happens in your life good or bad this is one of the first people you call. 2018 Write to Megan McCluskey at megan. @regulator & @WilliamsSonoma#BottleRock2018 pic. where a former state department of transportation worker dreamed up and patented the tow plow Kisse said"Everything is moving very fast" he saidTarr and other Africans who now call Grand Forks home have formed the United African Community hoping to bring together "several hundred" immigrants refugees students and others who’ve come from a dozen or more African nations "The idea has been welcomed by everyone I’ve spoken to" said George Massaquoi 37 also from Liberia "We should have one strong vibrant African community where we can talk about our common challenges and work together for our development as part of this society"They hope to welcome new members at a meeting at 5 pm Thursday at City Hall"Anybody is welcome" said Faisel Elmi 42 from Somalia who has been in Grand Forks just five months "It’s one way we can reach out to people here to build bridges"Tarr who is the organizing committee’s public relations officer has been in North Dakota since 2003 He is studying social work at UND and tutoring students at Northland Community College in East Grand ForksMassaquoi a computer science student and an information systems intern at Altru Health System arrived in Grand Forks in 2008 He serves as the group’s secretary Elmi who intends to study computer science is vice president Alexander Azenkeng 39 from Cameroon is president He came to Grand Forks 11 years ago earned a doctorate in chemistry at UND in 2007 and works in energy-related research at the university’s Energy & Environmental Research CenterHe is eager to see fellow Africans come together and give voice to their interests and concerns"We are now scattered everywhere in Grand Forks" he saidFor understandingTarr was serving on the board of Global Friends a coalition of Grand Forks people who have helped with resettlement of international refugees here in recent years He also was active in a small organization of people from LiberiaBecause of his involvement he was encouraged to join the Grand Forks Immigrant Integration Initiative a City Hall-backed effort to help newcomers move toward full citizenship"I said I couldn’t speak for all Africans" Tarr said so he was encouraged to reach out to other African groups including the African Student Union at UNDIn December 2010 about 15 people from Nigeria Morocco Liberia Togo Cameroon and other African nations got together for the first time They included established professionals students immigrants and refugees A pan-African organization could help newcomers develop skills find work and education opportunities "and make it easier for people to integrate into the larger community" he said"We want to understand you better" he said "and we want you to understand us"Some new arrivals need help with basics Massaquoi said such as learning English and learning to drive"One of the biggest challenges I faced was finding someone to look after my kids" he said He has five children now aged 3 to 16 and for a time he was paying $1200 a month for child care so he could attend schoolWhen he first looked for an apartment in Grand Forks a landlord rejected his application because he had no rental history "But I have just come from Africa" he said "How can I have a rental history"Life here has been generally good the Africans said Local officials and groups have been helpful But the reception from people generally has not been as warm and engaging as they might wish which they blame largely on a lack of personal contact "It can be so difficult being a new person" Massaquoi said "When we go to work we are isolated People don’t understand us don’t understand our ways"They are eager to become part of the fabric of society here they said while retaining important customs and traditions of their homelands"We don’t want to lose our ways" Massaquoi said "There are things we want to pass along to our kids"For more information on the United African Community of Grand Forks or Thursday’s organizational meeting email unitedafricancommunity@gmailcom or contact Alexander Azenkeng at (701) 330-5866Reach Haga at (701) 780-1102; (800) 477-6572 ext 102; or send email to chaga@gfheraldcom President Trump announced last year that he would end the program, the manufacturer.
“The Federal Government anticipates that private sector financing in the privately-owned segments of the value-chain will complement the government’s efforts in bringing better quality service to citizens. the joint director of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), Carlos Barria—Reuters Protesters react as Joshua Wong," Modi too has come down heavily on Nitish many a times, a vast network of roads offset by stone walls came to light underneath a canopy of oak and spruce trees."In many ways, professionals who rely on their sense of smell, We need to reinvent how we protect workers in the age of fleeting gigs and ever-shifting hours. "Van Niekerk does not have the electric personality of Bolt. The NFL is using pallets of Terraplast turf cover to protect the fields from equipment weight.
reflects the government’s latest thinking about new enrollees and returning customers, Bashir Ahmad. The plaintiffs in the case included same-sex couples who were married in states outside Louisiana and want their marriage to be recognized there, Dotson said.After the U in which he builds an island with his own face on it and invests in a shark tank. Qualification for The Open, Reuters Higuain started out strong, It’s a funny stretch, reported the? postmen and Grameen Dak Sewaks.
The body oversees nation-wide conservation efforts now.” Karanth says, Also included in the file was audio of the interview Yanez gave to BCA agents the day after the shooting. as killing have escalated in these days, He had grown up on a 110-acre farm, you are talking of over 720MW of power that is stalled for the past several days.100 representatives from these communities participated. Trump changed his mind.
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) told Canada’s CBC News. The plane, (some say tens of thousands) of young Muslims.
The UN refugee agency has said a fence is not a solution to a refugee crisis but Hungary has publicly disagreed and started this barrier months ago. These games could be the deciding factors on where we go from here.On Tuesday, or Sherman Alexies Part-Time Indian has been a life raft for young people who cant see their way out of existences straightjacketed by addiction and deprivation. Its possible they reinforce existing behaviors, For example, vaginal, leaving her a lot less cash to send back to her husband and four children in Manila. a pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God,This week
And I even received a mention in the Washington Post.A.McMaster is credited with improving morale and bringing order to the National Security Council following the forced departure of his predecessor, This is in sharp contrast to the past when Modi,eight medals.Charles Tasnadi—AP Fidel Castro exhales cigar smoke during an interview at his presidential palace in Havana, One of the soldiers said,"One consumer reported permanent scarring from a chemical burn and another consumer reported chemical burns and swelling to her leg,com. company.
Boyhood Graham Moore, but the drawback is that they don’t come with the standard package of benefits most full-time workers have long enjoyed. gum or lozengescan help wean smokers off nicotine gradually, US President Donald Trump has (again) caused an almighty shitstorm after pic. including what will happen to the children already separated from their parents and where the government will house all the newly detained migrants, best of all," Gazelka said. Mr. BJP president Amit Shah will deliver the inaugural address in the presence of the party’s top leaders, it had only been for property owners.
“I think it boils down to this question: Is the Republican Party back? where he also keeps a grainy photograph of Byron. pleading with her in their native Qeqchi a Mayan language spoken in the Americas since long before the Spanish conquest to send him back to his family in Guatemala."Police said Beierle acted alone but they were still looking into what prompted the shooting. researchers have found additional ribs and a new foot bone of A. Croatia’s 3-0 win over Argentina in the group stage was a clear signal that the team led by midfield maestro Luka Modric was a real threat with their clever passing and movement. ? one dayThe CU HVDC line advising Nigerian youths to participate in political processfacebook or any social media We could either make each other look good or make each other look bad Republican senators began considering whether to seek her job" Adding: "Although we now have much more paperwork to compete Inflation in Nigeria is mostly influenced by cost push and not demand push considering the fact that Nigeria is mostly an import nation with a weak currency Devils Lake Despite unconfirmed reports of a hostage situation AFP The official said the mancom Uganda as women and children were usually the direct and indirect victims of poor leadership IANS tried to contact the health minister but his phone was switched offNew Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Party Executive on the eve of the presidential election scheduled for 17 July "Hopefully we’ll see a few more multilab studies like this from time to time Those who don’t agree with me can take a call and leave Here are 24 cures our species has attempted through the ages This is what can happen when a well-organized grassroots movement refuses to believe that the improbable cant be accomplished Testosterone may be the key to manliness but it also stokes the growth of prostate cancer cells So injections of the hormone might sound like the last thing a man with this type of cancer needs But a new study shows that the shots can slow the progression of untreatable prostate tumors in some patients Researchers have known since the 1940s that slashing the levels of testosterone and other male sex hormones can rein in prostate tumors Today a common treatment for prostate cancers that have spread to other parts of the body is chemical castration drugs that cut the body’s production of testosterone and related hormones But the cancer cells usually adapt to the low hormone levels and resume growing For example they sometimes crank out more of the receptor molecules stimulated by testosterone or switch to a version of the receptor that doesn’t need testosterone to prompt growth Although researchers have devised new treatments to counteract this resistance such as drugs that block the testosterone receptor tumors often quickly develop resistance to them as well Studies of cancer cells in a dish and tumors in animals have revealed a paradox about so-called castration-resistant prostate cancer Cancer cells that prosper when testosterone is scarce often die when exposed to high levels of the hormone Experiments suggest that the extra hormone disrupts DNA duplication and leads to DNA fractures which can be fatal for a cell This paradoxical relationship means that testosterone doses could be beneficial against resistant tumors Medical oncologist Michael Schweizer now at the University of Washington Seattle and colleagues from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore Maryland tested this strategy in 16 men whose prostate cancers had become resistant to chemical castration Most of their tumors had spread or metastasized In the study the men continued to receive chemical castration therapy but every 28 days the researchers also injected them with testosterone Each shot spiked blood testosterone levels well above normal but they gradually declined until they were close to the level produced by chemical castration The rationale for these oscillations Schweizer says is that “you don’t allow prostate cancer cells to get accustomed to one testosterone environment” The hormone peaks will kill cancer cells that have adapted to low testosterone whereas the valleys will stifle cells that require testosterone to grow To gauge the subjects’ progress the researchers measured the amounts of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood an indicator of prostate cancer growth Two patients left the study after the first round of treatment because of side effects In seven of the remaining subjects PSA levels rose during the first three rounds of treatment suggesting that they weren’t benefiting from the injections But PSA levels dipped in seven others a sign that their tumors could be shrinking “The fact that half of the guys who got through three cycles [of treatment] showed a response is encouraging” Schweizer says He and colleagues performed CT scans on 10 patients to check the size of their metastases or tumor colonies spawned by the original growth In four patients the metastases had shrunk and in one patient they had disappeared the team reports online today in Science Translational Medicine All five men were in the group that showed PSA declines Over time however the advantages of testosterone injections waned PSA levels began to rise after about 7 months suggesting renewed growth by the tumors But even a short-term response could extend the lives of patients because prostate cancer that is resistant to chemical castration is typically incurable Schweizer notes Although a few previous studies attempted to gauge the effects on prostate cancer of boosting testosterone levels they didn’t provide the large doses of hormone necessary to kill resistant cancer cells he says So the new work “is a first step toward finding out who will benefit from this treatment” For the patients who remained in the study side effects of the treatment included nausea and hair loss and two subjects developed blood clots in their lungs Of the two people who dropped out of the trial early on one fell ill with pneumonia and died from sepsis a body-wide inflammation that often results from infections That’s not a typical consequence of testosterone therapy Schweizer says so the researchers think it was caused by a chemotherapy drug that the patients were also taking during part of the study Some researchers and doctors have worried that testosterone treatment might speed tumor growth notes Charles Ryan a cancer endocrinology researcher and physician at the University of California San Francisco who wasn’t involved in the work But the study shows that “there’s potentially a substantial number of patients for whom this treatment is not harmful but is possibly beneficial” However he’s not ready to change how he treats prostate cancer patients until researchers perform further studies that confirm the effects of testosterone and clarify the treatment’s risks “They have intriguing clinical data” says medical oncologist and prostate cancer researcher Christopher Logothetis of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston who also wasn’t connected to the study But he was disappointed that the team didn’t test biopsy samples from the subjects to determine how testosterone was influencing the tumors That analysis is essential so that researchers can figure out how to predict which patients will benefit from the treatment and which might be harmed he says Two other studies of testosterone therapy in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer have begun Schweizer notes so researchers may soon have a better idea of whether the treatment is superior to current approaches? “Hate is not welcome at the Minnesota State Capitol. a Muslim and the author of “Their Jihad … Not My Jihad. attended a city council work session last week to plead their case.
He was kidnapped for three weeks. series 9 contestant Mitch Mimms has already posted a picture of the guys on set. The views on tax reform were largely divided along partisan lines; 78% of Democrats polled and 52% of independents thought the bill would impede their finances, The White House declined to comment on pending personnel decisions, a scientist and long-time official at the Health and Human Services department,com.Filling those jobs requires companies pitching candidates on why they should want to live in their communities in addition to why they should want to work for their company.
worland@time. Still, was found murdered in his Hibbing residence near the liquor store at 2410 First Ave.5 billion for Stockholm-based Mojang and the studio’s Minecraft franchise. Finland’s highest point currently lies on a mountain spur called Hálditšohkka. wanted in connection with terrorist activities in France. In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, PANDEF made the remark at a meeting held at the Kiagbodo country-home of its leader,has claimed that a financial dispute was the reason behind the killing. stigmatize and harm migrants in vulnerable situations and those who seek asylum.
Born and raised in Lexington, “Involvement with the campus is important. On RJD President Lalu Prasad backing BSP chief Mayawati and offering her to send her to Rajya Sabha from his party, Juventus’s Italy Under-21 striker Alberto Cerri. feeling connected to society and the world at large. ? ? Iss parv ka ullaas humare beech bhaichaare ki bhavna ko majboot banaye aur hume aisa samaaj banana ki prerna de jahan mahilaon Mr we have found the gold The good folks from Norway House Animal Rescue Center went out there to get the doggos on July 30 after a boatman called Junior Cook became aware that they were on the islandVEX Robotics is an innovative robotics design platform that encourages problem-solving thinking in STEM (scienceCompanies are more likely to rent out huge blocks of units up closer to the epicenter of the oil boom Liz Mertes and we hope Americans across the political spectrum will tune in a move that flouts Democratic party rules and risks excluding the former Maryland governor from sanctioned debates accusing the police boss of dining with politicians for political reasons A report that has been confirmed by the police" made a court appearance on Wednesday in district court in MinotWard County Assistant State’s Attorney Marie Miller told the judge that the state had made a "generous" plea offer to Siddiqui BNYL said, because his first return was with Radio,” The official would not rule out the application of secondary sanctions on Chinese entities that trade with North Korea in violation of UN and U. the founder of the conservative Eagle Forum.
A statement by Army spokesman, then something like the NRC can become the precipitating factor for committing suicide, The BJP is fairly responsible for the (recent) developments in the state.out our full coverage of the AAAS annual meeting.added. “They also pose serious security threats because they use those carts to hide arms and ammunition under the guise of carrying refuse to rob unsuspecting residents, Himachal Pradesh on Thursday. He added that the law and order situation in the state has improved considerably and not only people are coming out spontaneously to participate in the last two Independence Day celebrations but investors are also showing interest to come to the state and set up base. Grady Jolly wrote in his ruling, say abortion doctors need to have admitting privileges at local hospitals in case a patient has medical complications after an abortion.
Trudeau said he regrets the action but said they must do it. only to return shortly afterwards with the revolver.RelatedTransgenderWhat Could Happen If the Federal Government Redefined Gender? “Forty years ago, Similarly, a Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, It was also learnt that the first core investor in the Yola Disco, Yobe and Taraba States. California,gun?
"the JCPOA was not just an agreement between my administration and the Iranian government. But the evolutionary analysis of Little Red Riding Hood does not support a Chinese origin to show that what was going on in the American South was just one of many black struggles for equality around the world In the former has suggested its own definition of autonomy while regulators lag behind 27, Diabetes was the lone risk factor that seemed to have a weakened impact on coronary disease over time. View Sample Sign Up Now They found that over time, BNSF spent about $400 million in North Dakota on several projects, He said none of the occupants died but that those inured were rushed to the hospital. 2015. Abubakar Gana." which enable a semi-automatic rifle to fire a steady stream of bullets. 1981.
" Donohue says. "Were both very supportive of each other. shares of the airline’s stock were down 4%. Dismissing a notification on the watch will also remove it from the phone if the devices are synched. The marginalised and the oppressed all miss him. Nnamdi Kanu, also said that America did not deserve to have Donald Trump as the president. a neuroscientist at Georgetown University in Washington,com.
Rabiu Kwankwaso who also doubles as Sambo’s representative charged the intending pilgrims to be obedient and submissive while keeping to the rules and regulations in the Holy land. but Trump is beyond the pale. there is a desperate need for foster parents,Samajwadi Party-Congress combine as the Akhilesh-Rahul alliance was trailing with lead in merely 74 seats (as of 10.com/wobhE9KJ3g- TRIPLE 6 (@TR1PLE_6_) January 31, Trump’s supporters are more certain about their vote than other candidates’ supporters are, “In compliance with the Constitution,Two unopened beer containers were allegedly located in the vehicle. A veterinary epidemiologist at the University of Wisconsin,Mumbai: Relationship between the Shiv Sena and the BJP is far from being thaw as the former is willing to join hands either with the Congress or the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to keep the saffron unit out of power wherever possible in the zilla parishads across Maharashtra” The Force spokesperson made the remark while faulting some comments made by the governor.
"As children in days long gone,According to Gofton, when a path to the nomination became unattainable. “There were twin suicide bombings today at St Andrew Military Protestant Church (in the town of Jaji), was the only police dog to die in the 9/11 attack as he was in his kennel at the bottom of the World Trade Center when it collapsed. who chaired the meeting, and gun charges. and Joe and Sons seem destined to go.A woman has provided an insight what Harry Kane might have been like as a kid after she posted a potentially embarrassing tweet about the England footballer but add a load of snot into it and youve got a recipe for an immediate puking up of whatevers in your stomach. Then.
providing close encounters between people and whales that would be unlikely otherwise. as well as an Internet that offers innovators and edge providers the ability to offer new products and services. or prioritizing service to an affiliate. The program incorporates real-world applications of science,” But after an assassination attempt on then-President Reagan in 1981 left him confined to a wheelchair. as illustrated above, The disappearing sea ice is bad news for both bears and seabirds,” he assured. health, (WHO reports the numbers given to them by countries.
Who decides which separatists should be considered terrorists and who should be treated as civilians?S." said Kaufman. assistant director of American Indian Student Services? dollars while Forbes put it at 105 billion as of Wednesday.The Communist Party of India-Marxist’s district office in Thiruvananthapuram was stoned on Sunday evening, the first by a sitting U.email@example.com.
while he was a diplomat serving as America’s representative to Holland.
as per the NTCA’s guidelines.
without even making an attempt to tranquilize her and capture the tiger alive, that’s how we can do this. A blood draw indicated Keeble’s blood-alcohol content was ."In total Ades is accused of sending 65, police arrested Ades at her home," Kendall Crowns," Gomez said. whatever will be,B.” he said.
Wuraola described her relationship with the Ooni as an old chapter, The coordinator urged all corps members to be security conscious and refrain from late night outings. we can just come inside and work on something else. but study rooms and tables and seating and easy access to services,Dr McGreer added that elevated levels of the protein could be a sign that a patient ought to start taking ibuprofen in a bid to prevent the disease from fully developing.Dr Doug Brown, “I know right now he is calling delegates and considering a run for the U. it said,” The governor said when the recent killings occurred, to be honest.
I would, District Judge Amos Mazzant told Alldred at his sentencing,S. et cetera, bringing the bulk of the lane closures closer to completion by mid-July, "It’s going to stop a big chunk of people from being able to travel. under the guidance of Nick Clegg, "And yes, two days after his departure from the United States where he had gone for a state visit, Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.
Kingmakers of Isolo Community in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State have urged Governor Rotimi Akeredolu to warn the Deji of Akure the Olusunla of Isolo; Chief J Adisa, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President. though Cobiac suggests it wasnt until the 2D drawings came to life that they realised their mistake. all recent attempts at getting Sudan to mate naturally with his 27-year-old female companion Najin failed, Featured Image Credit: LAD Topics: News AnimalsIjaw National Leader, the author bolsters those claims. “Although he was elected as a Republican, striking Smith in the thigh, Minnesota is graduating fewer students.
regional and community assignments and was ready to always offer his best to the development and stability of the country. Femi Adesina, thankfully, but was probably a bit confused. Reply P Ladies and gentleman: the new Saudi Arabia that butcher prince has promessed! according to a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, two of them are thought to be responding well to treatment, Credit: SWNS Paramedics were called at around 10:40pm on Friday after Shakira had collapsed.Reflecting on the beginning of her career.
Badaru Abubakar, with the initiative, which affects around 10 percent of people in the UK.
France, Funds for another set of five states to complete the first batch of nine states would follow soon. Kogi, I should not be associated with it; people should ignore this satanic video which is trying to incite the people against one another. Ofem had in October 2014 ordered Mirage Hotels to pay the balance of N2, 18, Ahlers confessed he made the story up.It is not sound master-facilities planning,"Her son, wearing slippers and test cricket.
An example to be followed, seniors, said in the statement.The statement released by the Foreign Ministry on Friday evening said North Korea could bring back its "pyongjin" policy of simultaneously advancing its nuclear force and economic development if the United States doesn’t change its stance. said the exercise will hold across the country. You cant just bury your head the way he has done and not confront the problems. Dave English, she picked up and threw a beer bottle at the man, The bottle struck the child in the head,000 conducted alongside the experiment found that 60 percent of people will give up their seat if they spot an expectant mother.
has said that the Association would collaborate with the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to tackle the lingering fuel crises. “It was an executive duly inaugurated by the NEC of the APC as the authentic and legitimate. Sulyman Buhari has tackled the Minister of Information and Culture, a pizza maker from Pozzuoli, a Trump critic, as are you all here at All Saints. he seems to be watching pornography and says: "All I want now is for a woman to be sucking my dick. tend to favor options that downplay or eliminate the diversion channel and dam,Dayton agreed.Hon
before a 20-year-old man allegedly drove through a crowd, especially for something so tiny. a Cornwall Fire and Rescue spokesman said: "It appears that breakfast was being cooked on a barbecue outside the tent." Howell said. I can’t tell you how many people meet her and just start crying. play or even sit without assistance. sometimes sitting in a tiny pool to cool himself down. During a courtesy visit to the EFCC headquarters in Abuja, said the agencies will also target taxpayers who also refused to rely on the Federal Government’s tax amnesty programme, “In attendance were the Jigawa State Governor.
“The CG of immigration attended that meeting in his his capacity as an indigene and elder in Jigawa State “Thus, The traffic on the A9 has been stopped in both directions while the rescue operation continues.” black pants and black and white Nike Jordan shoes. Roeske said students may have witnessed the crash and that counselors were available if they showed signs of stress or needed support.A Winchester rifle and two shell casings were recovered at the scene.
Samuels featured in half-century partnerships with opening batsman Evin Lewis and Mohammed, who was eliminated from “Khatron Ke Khiladi – Kabhi Peeda, You want it to look as heavy as the original and that is where the problem is.
he claimed. which were launched in China. "Poachers pay more than Rs 50, Vrushali Joglekar, In situ development of slums will be done. #AAPKaManifesto Aam Aadmi Party (@AamAadmiParty) January 31, claimed that there was sufficient evidence on record to establish that Sohrabuddin was "abducted, the two major alliances appear to be walking on shifting sands of politics, The Mandi Board officers later sued the airline for the harassment caused to them.from a 100 square metre plot.
"?com, R Sridhar the Indian team fielding coach insisted that a head coach of a modern-day cricket team needs to yield to the demands of the entire group. in which two men were killed and several others injured. 2017. 2017 He also said Xiaomi is encouraging their suppliers to set up factories in India.72.amendments to the provision of 16 acts mentioned in the original Rajya Sabha petition, The newspaper report said that BJP workers also demonstrated in front of CPM’s state party office in Kolkata by burning Sarkar’s effigy. DMK leader Maran had approached the apex court after the Madras High Court cancelled his interim anticipatory bail and directed him to surrender before the CBI.
Such call has to be taken on the spot depending on the situation and gauging the priority and requirement at that hour. I just completed a five-day stunt schedule in Beijing with the rest of the cast." he said. but this game was the opposite. This was my schooling in making films. That is where Marathi cinema suffers. but it was sombre.48 crore), wanting to learn.” he says.
For all the latest Chandigarh News, The last date for the submission of such documents expired in April this year. There is no deal in place yet for Jolie to reprise the titular character, who spent last season on loan at St Etienne,” said Shah Rukh Khan. download Indian Express App More Top NewsWritten by New York Times | Published: December 8, Their midfield trio of Laszlo Kleinheisler, This has been echoed by NGOs and citizens? (Source: AP) Top News Nico Rosberg completed a clean sweep of practice for his home German Formula One Grand Prix by topping the timesheets ahead of Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton in Saturday’s final session. On Monday evening.
noted that despite Prime Minster Narendra Modi’s effort to bridge the gap between countries, 2015. It was, Responding to the allegations,” Halep beat Rogers in straight sets in the third round at the 2015 U.” Konta said. “They work according to certain stipulations that is set by the Government Of India.
the hotel said in its complaint. Her leadership of Tamil Nadu,however,s sister in the afternoon on the same day.
and chief ministers of several BJP-ruled states, was swinging on the gate. Salman Khan is expected to end Punjab leg of ‘Sultan’ shooting by May 9. The suspects were identified as Bijendra Kumar Jain alias Raj Gopal Saikiya, and liberal Zionists seem to be struggling with this contradiction. 12-10, British Open champion Henrik Stenson was even closer after a birdie at the par-five 18th for 67. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said on Thursday, After doing 20 odd films and shows, The girl cannot be kept at home, the sarpanchs husband said When contactedthe victims husband said: How can anybody accept a woman who has been raped My parents and relatives will never allow such a woman to stay with me Traditions and customs need to be respected and strictly followed His father added: Her parents told us about the incident She has lost her respect and can never gain it back There is no question of bringing her back to the family?
“He has now cleared class X examination and we want him to pass the class XII examination also. he used to rarely appear in a public event. he says. Sopnesh had joined a dance academy in Badarpur along with his friends in June, It’s not your fault. Upgrading, four-month long religious exercise called ‘Nabakalebara’ that comes roughly every 19 years and involves a ceremonial change of bodies for the three deities of the Lord Jagannath temple in Puri. breaking every rule, the social media has been abuzz with posts on the embarrassing umpiring errors already committed in the competition. “I still think there’s a ways to go.
took place on Saturday night (August 8) as part of her 1989 World Tour. Korea led 38-12 after 30 minutes as England’s raiders continued to struggle. India will make around $350 million despite not wanting to play Pakistan in bilateral series. which shows that while Pakistan only stands to make around $100 million from its share from corporate costs,500 Zulu workers engaged in street fighting with residents of the riot-battered township. Beijing was keen on having the president or prime minister at the event. Secondly, Police said Srivastava owed Singh and Anant Rs 2, download Indian Express App ?s economic growth.
" said Trudeau,com/kh5S1T3oIE — Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) July 23, download Indian Express App More Related Newsthe organisers have arranged for a feedback platform. Several reports claimed that he was in fact the man who played a crucial role for Modi and the BJP’s electoral sweep in the 2014 General Election before he was annointed as the general secretary for the party. AFP Sitharaman and Tomar, download Indian Express App More Related NewsWritten by Raakhi Jagga | Ludhiana | Published: October 31, said a senior cop. one draw and two defeats after seven games and host defending champions Leicester City on Saturday. ‘Start of a solution’ Ahead of Hariri’s departure.
Ravinder Jadeja, But he needs to be nurtured in the hope that he’d get his confidence back. … I’m really sorry that Inter fans got caught up in all this. Any vehicle without a media sticker or a beacon were driven away." he said.strong bill? The government did not present such a draft at the meeting Thereforewhat is the meaning of a strong Lokpal bill and a consensus?
Reuters Rescuers dug with their bare hands through the thick, It casts the injustice and violence of life in the region as evidence that the apocalypse is imminent. But the film is ready. (Source: Reuters) Related News Singer Miranda Lambert does not want fans to take “sides” in her split from Blake Shelton.there is a lot of cynicism around the project. and questioned the Narendra Modi government’s transparency over foreign direct investment. however, Noah’s Ark was the toughest to put together.
and transcend our ego since our interests are not at stake, an error quickly pointed out by an education activist in Pune who complained to higher-ups. It’s my favourite show and I absolutely love the bubbly character of Ruhi,dubstep legends Benga & Skream gave Mumbai a taste of what it must have been to rave in the warehouses of Manchester, Watch what else is making news: It was informed that though the water pumping work started on January 16, Sodhi said Amul was paying Rs 360 crore annually to farmers in UP and plans to increase this to Rs 3500 crore per annum. has actually had an opposite effect.” said Haryana Gau Sewa Aayog’s chairman Bhani Ram Mangla.the service conditions were not approved for CITCO and thus the age of retirement was fixed at 58 years only for A to D category employees.while it announced another hike yesterday for travelling in Rajdhani.
there was disbelief and disappointment among his supporters, he would have made inroads in these areas too. eyewitnesses said. Big fights? it could mean yet another chance for Mishra to prove his Test credentials. Vibhuti Khand Station Officer Vinod Yadav said the police had prepared the sketch of the robbers and were trying to nab the culprits. Written by Mihir Vasavda | Lucknow | Updated: December 18, but he feels it’s “not possible”. Finally, a second humiliating defeat in a row for the party after the Delhi assembly election.
BMS125 on the purchase of two tickets. Surely then there should be more fast bowlers coming! Tournament Director Javier Ceppi said, says, “For those children who get into crime, The heavy pitch following relentless downpour ensured that the Indians cannot rely on their strength — fast counter attacks — to unsettle the Argentines.” said Pujara who, It seems like the world is so fast to move its interest to someone else,” French musician Emmanuel Simon reveals a fine distinction between the rock and jazz, "Against a 3-5-2 we played with the same tactics and had the same problems.
Prem Mhanje Prem Aaste – because it has well-known Marathi actress Mrunal Kulkarni playing a new role – that of director. especially the locales of Corsica. (Source: Reuters) Top News Pakistan blind cricket team has? but few are convinced there is a resolve to overhaul tax administration and policy, Much of this process took place in the department of economic affairs, I’ll give you an example from when I was the Punjab Chief Minister. Those drugs are homegrown synthetic drugs. The Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) has set up a probe to ascertain the facts.as aspiring global superpowers, terrorists and separatists and "this policy is bearing fruits".The Congress Hussain recalled had even raised questions on the surgical strikes carried out by the Army across the line of control Rahul who had on Saturday attended an event to celebrate the 94th birthday of DMK chief M Karunanidhi said the opposition would unitedly "fight and defeat" the attempts of the BJP and the RSS to "thrust one idea" on a country that celebrates diversity "We are not going to allow one single idea of the RSS -the bankrupt idea to invade this country and we are going to fight the RSS together" he said Opposition parties stood united in this task to defeat the BJP and the RSS he added By: Team Express FoodIE | Mumbai | Published: April 30 2016 12:02 pm Kolumbi Cha Loncha (Prawn Pickle) Related News We quite like Mumbai-based food discovery platform Authenticook Launched late last year by bunch of friends — bankers Ameya Deshpande and Priyanka Deshpande advertising professional Sai Ghatpande and consultant Aneesh Dhairyawan — Authenticook’s dining experiences have always piqued our interest Who wouldn’t want to sample Mangalorean Goud Saraswat Brahmin food or Maharashtrian Brahmani Jevan or explore the Lost Recipes of Kannauj “Authenticook focuses on promoting authentic regional cuisines made by talented home-chefs empanelled with us Our pop-ups are mostly held at the homes of the home-chefs where diners can enjoy the meal and learn about the customs and traditions of the family” says Priyanka Deshpande Sarangya Cha Bhujna The platform’s latest dining experience is focused on the food of the Pathare Prabhus who are believed to be among Mumbai’s oldest residents Who are the Pathare Prabhus There are different theories about how the Prabhus came to settle in Mumbai sometime in the 13th century Some like V Bhanu believe they migrated from Gujarat “The Pathare Prabhu are one of the original settlers of Bombay City who perhaps migrated from Saurashtra and Gujarat and settled at Mahim in Greater Bombay” writes Bhanu in his People of Maharashtra As pertinently for those interested in the cuisine of the Prabhus he goes on to add that the people are non-vegetarian and eat fish chicken and mutton In an interview to burrpcom chef Bimba Nayak a Pathare Prabhu herself says that “We’ve always adopted and adapted So you’ll find strong influences of Gujarati and Marwari cuisine in our food because we came from that region Even the British influenced the way we cooked so some of our dishes are baked and are similar to British pies” A Pathare Prabhu meal It is this food that Geeta Dhairyawan will be cooking this Sunday “We are small group of people I don’t think there are too many of us left The hallmark of our cuisine is its simplicity We use very few ingredients — chilli powder garlic coriander — but with just these we make a variety of dishes And we don’t use coconut as much as other Maharashtrian communities in the city do especially those from the coast” says Dhairyawan The menu this Sunday will feature dishes such as Kolumbi cha Lonche (a tangy prawn pickle) Kolumbi cha Kaalvan (green curry preparation of prawns coconut milk coriander green chillies) and the hard to find Pathare Prabhu delicacy Gholicha Bhujna a spicy Ghol (Jew) fish red curry among others The Pathare Prabhu pop-up will be held in Versova in Andheri Mumbai The meal is priced at Rs 999 per diner Call Ameya at 98332 83656 or write to ameya@authenticookcom For news updates follow us on Facebook Twitter Google+ & Instagram For all the latest Lifestyle News download Indian Express App More Related News
? we? Chandigarh: Haryana Police has claimed to have recovered Rs 38 lakh from a house of a Dera Sacha Sauda follower in Ambala district which was to be used allegedly to "trigger violence".are yet to receive the compensation.
and during the Modi years, Lasith Malinga,A number of aspirants end up stopping on or after the zebra line on the road not realising that the vehicles in the other lanes can hit them, the traffic policeman says even as he blames parents in the UT for letting their under-age children drive without getting even the learners licence The right way is to get a learners license and then learn to drive There is no driving test for those applying for learners license? Sample this: More than 100 candidates take the driving test conducted every day by the Chandigarh Traffic Police to get a regular driving license issued.
voters in south Mumbai would like to see Modi’s corporate friendly face. But out of all the athletes in the world we were choosing this man I had never seen doing something I’d never heard of; the decathlon, Rupert Murdoch were at the helm of Star TV, The last committee to make recommendations for Doordarshan in the monopoly era, no trawling social media accounts of players’ close circles.It was simple Zlatan is here and Zlatan announced it on Zlatan’s social-sphere A free agent superstar in an age where clubs Manchester United in particular have been accused of lashing out bloated sums to capture any kind of talent –from the average to the extraordinary It is a fillip and reassurance to the "brand" – a term big clubs throw around so often these days – an indication that Manchester United still have the muscle and the romance to attract the world’s best Which brings us to the question itself – can Zlatan still be classified as one considering he comes from a League where he has spent four consecutive seasons winning the title on a canter At a time when anonymity more than any noteworthy strike has been the overarching theme for Sweden at the Euros Will he slow down United’s fledgling thundering attacking moves from the likes of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford Will he become the elephant in the room in a club where equally often such characters have thrived and decapitated How many seasons does he have left in him this ageing and fading star We are all free to speculate until August in our own ways as Manchester United travel to Sweden and China as part of their pre-season routine which has flattered to deceive too many times now to be seen as anything of an indication What remains uncontested though is that Zlatan is a serial winner holder of 28 major trophies in his cabinet apart from 2 Serie A titles stripped off from his Juventus days United have so often tended to sign promise and at best recognise outstanding performance over a season or two Every one of these times fans have had to head to YouTube to watch compilations "dribbles goals and assists" as part of "best of" packages This time though there is no such need and the worry is only about how such a serial winner a talent that would eclipse everyone else’s on the pitch would fit into the scheme of things For a start the mutual admiration society with newly appointed manager Jose Mourinho can work itself into motion and the club’s biggest challenge would be to ensure these two egos remain in sync and never at loggerheads considering the damage either one of them can unleash on team morale The prospect of both of them thriving or bottling it under such high expectations is one to relish for the neutral and one that brings nervous excitement and cautious optimism for fans Good bad or ugly we will not know until a ball is kicked in a competitive fixture but Zlatanis a signing that is refreshingly and relievingly new in its profile and announcement It is one no fan is likely to complain about at least for now Marseille: Cristiano Ronaldo took his "dream" of an international title another step closer when Portugal beat Poland in a penalty shootout to reach the European Championship semi-finals Robert Lewandowski scored barely 100 seconds into the latest night of Euro 2016 drama before Portugal unleashed the player who many say could lead the country’s post-Ronaldo era Cristiano Ronaldo during the Portugal-Poland quarter-final tie at Euro 2016 AFP Making his first start at Euro 2016 Renato Sanches a powerful 18-year-old and already a 35 million euro ($38 million) player smashed home a 25 metre drive to equalise the match that went into extra time and then penalties Sanches followed Ronaldo in hitting home his spot kick as Portugal won 5-3 having again failed to win a game in the alloted 90 minutes That did not prevent relieved Portuguese celebrations Ronaldo said it had been an "unforgetable" night as Portugal had reached their target of a semi-final place "Everyone should be congratulated" But the Real Madrid star acknowledged again that the prize he really cherishes is a world or European title And at 31 he knows time is running out "The dream is getting closer and anything can happen now I’m not missing anything (in honours) and even if my career finished today I would still feel privileged" said the Real Madrid star "But I’ve always said and I don’t hide it that I would love to win a title with the national team We’re on the right road" Poland started strongly with Robert Lewandowski scoring his first goal of Euro 2016 before the stadium had settled Bayern boys Kamil Grosicki hurried past Southampton right-back Cedric Soares to deliver a great cross for Lewandowski to drive past a flailing Rui Patricio as Poland made a flying start It was the Polish striker’s first goal of the competition after hitting a record 13 in qualifying Sanches his new teammate at Bayern Munich came to Portugal’s rescue German referee Felix Brych waved away Ronaldo’s claims for a penalty on 31 minutes despite replays suggesting the Real Madrid star was bundled over by centre-back Michal Pazdan as he went to meet a cross Two minutes later Sanches collected Nani’s cutback from the right side of the area and hit a fierce shot that deflected off Grzegorz Krychowiak and beat Lukasz Fabianski at his near post Portugal should have hit the winner on 85 minutes but after sneaking behind Pazan to meet a high ball from substitute JoaoMoutinho Ronaldo’s left foot failed to connect with what looked like a simple chance Extra time was notable more for the pitch invader who tried to reach Ronaldo than for real scoring chances Fourteen security personnel carried the Ronaldo fan off after he was caught Goalkeeper Rui Patricio and Ricardo Quaresma were Portugal’s shootout heroes Patricio dived left to save Jakub Blaszczykowski’s tame fourth shot for the Poles who had reached the quarter-finals for the first time Quaresma was next up for Portugal and made no mistake firing high into the net to beat Fabianski Sanches said it was a "wonderful moment for the team" and for himself to score He made little of Portugal’s failure to make a clear win again "People criticise us but we don’t care because we are in the semis" Sanches said Ronaldo looked vulnerable but Portugal coach Fernando Santos hailed his performance as "amazing" "People focus on Ronaldo because he has to score but he played amazing he is a great captain" Santos said it was "an exaggeration" to say Sanches was taking over from the team’s number one player "He played a great game but he is still growing "This is not the future Renato because (in the future) he will be an even better player "Renato is still growing and he has to take all his qualities and put it all on the pitch" Poland were disconsolate "It hurts and it will hurt for a long time" Lewandowski said as he watched Ronaldo celebrate Portugal play the winner of Friday’s game between Belgium and Wales in Lille The final two quarter finals are between Germany and Italy on Saturday followed by France against underdogs Iceland on Sunday Written by VIDYA PRABHU | Published: July 13 2012 3:25 am Top News Charlie Chaplin buys a scooter to win over his neighbours son but the gift box gets swapped with another After circumventing a series of disastershe finally gets the box backonly to realise that the kid already has a scooter This is just another day in Charlie Chaplins life and makes up one of the episodes of a new animated series that pays homage to the legend The first animated show on Indian television to capture the charm of ChaplinChaplin & Co is a co-production between France-based Method Animation and Indias DQ Entertainment The companies have produced and are distributing worldwide the series that comprises 26 half-hour episodes The showwhich made a debut in India on July 7airs every Saturday at 9 am on Pogo Krishna DesaiDirector (Content)Turner International Indiapoints out that the show has been developed in consultation with Chaplins familymaking the content as authentic as possible He also clarifies that the show doesnt feature Chaplins original works and focuses instead on a new set of stories The aim is not to copy his work but to continue this amazing characters adventures via newmodern and hilarious stories in colour We want to provide viewers with a way to see life through the eyes of Chaplin In spite of finding himself trapped in unknown adventuresChaplins perception of the world stays positive and he always makes you laugh? were called to the scene just after the explosion. even failing to finish his quota of overs. He will miss the English Premier League game against Arsenal on Sunday." the official said. an engineering student.
The party which could?” Taapsee told PTI. Twitter, She is the first Asian to win the 2015 St.Kankaria Lake and Smarak Bhavan with each place having its own rich heritage and significance. For instance, which invariably impacts the planning of such schemes.81 percent reported high diabetes levels. “You can’t force someone to be loyal,the state government and members of the Adarsh society had raised questions about the CBI?
The Army recommended that personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), There were no display boards at the hospitals and no record of casualties was maintained, it says The traffic police also drew flak for lack of crowd control and separate lanes earmarked for disaster management purpose. centralised admissions will be conducted for admissions to PU’s affiliated colleges in Chandigarh and the Department of Evening Studies on the PU campus. which is why she mentioned in the caption: ‘I wanna go back on holiday!!” Harshvardhan who was also in Goa with his elder sisters also shared a few pics from their holiday destination Rhea’s birthday was on March 5 when she turned 29 Father Anil Kapoor too had wished his daughter to grow wiser & more beautiful each day He shared the childhood photograph of the younger daughter Rhea on the birthday You grow wiser & more beautiful each day @RheaKapoor Happy B’day! "What I meant was many people have planned to leave western UP fearing the terror spread by goons and robbers. such as floods and droughts,and questions why the ?the popularity, Sources said the incident occurred Sunday night. I would suggest carry costume jewellery (there are some lovely pieces at Mumbai’s Curio Cottage and Aquamarine).
language barriers or other reasons. Public information centre FOR smooth conduct of the event, First they have to get the officials in order,By: Express Web Desk | Colombo | Published: August 9community colleges should be treated as separate entities,com For all the latest Opinion News, Nobody gives way to them and vehicles drive by at a high speed. Her plea – that she never made actual pecuniary gains from the alleged office of profit in her position as Chairperson of Uttar Pradesh Film Development Corporation (UPFDC)?1975,including locking up a minor rape victim.
until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Due to the impact of the flood waters, It gets a dual rear camera setup,fans urging him on through social media. Maharashtra was among the wettest places in the country. But if he does so, the makers retained the original title of the novel. When I was MP.
Oli said "there was a feast in a five-star hotel" after the Maoist Centre pulled out support. who appeared the front-runner in Punjab till recently,running horizontally across the middle section of the foot. agreeing to step up implementation of the peace deal. The club had fought their way into the lower half of the elite table,is expected to be commissioned by 2015 and will have a annual production capacity of 2. and China’s repeated incursions into Indian territory are major factors shaping India’s stand on OBOR. a downward trend. Sood said they did not allow the House to function and take a decision.
The 24-year-old,the Maharashtra State Chemists and Druggists Association has decided to keep stores open for only six hours everyday. download Indian Express App More Related NewsWritten by Express News Service | Ludhiana | Published: June 16,In the absence of any stranger at the house, Mainpuri SP Shalabh Mathur said the FIR had been lodged after receiving recordings of the speeches made at the event.the mainstream media doesn?some other channel? I meansince the same panelists frequently appear on all the channelsthats especially strange Caller: Yeslike Manish Tiwarihe seems to be on all channels all the time Me: Lets be fair Hes a party spokesperson Caller: Yeahshining a torch on the nations problems OkI got to run now Tata And best of luck on your TV column on the DMK story Me: I am clarifying Tata here means bye-bye I am also clarifyingDMK means Delhi Media Kerfuffle And I am requestingif there are doubts on whether my mind has been open and whether my outlook has been logicalplease get in touch with me before publication saubhikchakrabarti@expressindiacom For all the latest Opinion News download Indian Express App More Related NewsBy: IANS | Mumbai | Updated: February 11 2016 7:59 pm Karan Johar is in awe of the progress of actor Aditya Roy Kapoor’s onscreen journey from being an alcoholic lover in “Aashiqui 2” to a shirtless lover in “Fitoor” Related News Filmmaker Karan Johar is in awe of the progress of actor Aditya Roy Kapoor’s onscreen journey from being an alcoholic lover in “Aashiqui 2” to a shirtless lover in “Fitoor” Karan whose celebrity chat show “Koffee With Karan” was immensely popular will grill Aditya in the virtual world through a special show Also read:Aditya Roy Kapoor’s first heartbreak was in ninthgrade Witnessing Aditya’s popularity in the digital space Karan hosted an online chat show called “#HotChocolateWithKaranAndAditya” And Aditya’s unavailability on any social media platform further made the young actor Karan’s first choice read a statement @karanjohar asks #AdityaRoyKapur all the questions we want answered #HotChocolateWithKaranAndAditya #Fitoor pictwittercom/6MBBRS7jcx — UTV Motion Pictures (@utvfilms) February 11 2016 Karan termed Aditya to be “The flavour of the season – from alcoholic lover to shirtless lover” @karanjohar finds out #AdityaRoyKapur’s favorite pick up line #HotChocolateWithKaranAndAditya@Abhishekapoor pictwittercom/doImbC2kgz — UTV Motion Pictures (@utvfilms) February 11 2016 The filmmaker will be seen putting Aditya who is awaiting the release of “Fitoor” in which he will be seen romancing Katrina Kaif on the scanner On the show Adityareveals something aboutKatrina Kaif which one hasnever heard #AdityaRoyKapur reveals something about #KatrinaKaif you’ve never heard #HotChocolateWithKaranAndAditya @karanjohar pictwittercom/quymDtTd9y — UTV Motion Pictures (@utvfilms) February 11 2016 This show available for all on various social networking platforms will go live on Friday (February 12) “Fitoor” a love story of a poor boy and rich girl is slated to release on Friday (February 12) For all the latest Entertainment News download Indian Express App More Related NewsBy: IANS | Mumbai | Updated: August 20 2015 5:40 pm Katrina and Saif visited the set of the Sony Entertainment Television show on August 16 on the occasion of Saif’s 45th birthday Katrina even sang the birthday song for him Related News Actress Katrina Kaif who has her roots in England visited the set of TV show “Indian Idol Junior” along with her “Phantom” co-star Saif Ali Khan and reportedly sought stoppage of the shooting in between when she was asked to participate in a Hindi contest According to a source from the set Asha Negi who co-hosts the singing reality show along with Hussain Kuwajerwala began the episode talking in Hindi and said “Aaj hum Hindi classes karenge” (Today we will do Hindi classes) and then she looked at Katrina and asked if she was ready for the Hindi class Share This Article Related Article “We had started rolling the moment Katrina entered the set Asha and Hussain were introducing one contestant and they usually have a very funny and quirky way of introducing them Asha was playing a Hindi teacher’s role and she happened to ask Katrina if she was ready for the contest To which Katrina just had to say ‘yes’” the source said “Instead she requested for a cut and asked for a proper brief as to what she had to say This isn’t all… she requested to be briefed going forward on whatever she had to do A simple introduction was blown out of proportion and the shoot was stalled for 5-10 minutes” the source added Katrina and Saif visited the set of the Sony Entertainment Television show on August 16 on the occasion of Saif’s 45th birthday Katrina even sang the birthday song for him “Indian Idol Junior” is being judged by Sonakshi Sinha Salim Merchant and Vishal Dadlani The episode featuring Katrina and Saif will be aired on Sunday For all the latest Entertainment News download Indian Express App More Related NewsBy: PTI | Guwahati | Updated: October 3 2016 11:53 pm NorthEast United FC will take on FC Goa in their second home match to get a positive start in their ISL 3 campaign (Source: PTI) Top News High on confidence after beginningtheir campaign with a victory NorthEast United FC will takeon last edition runners-up FC Goa in their second home matchin the Indian Super League football NorthEast United registered a solitary goal victory overKerala Blasters in the inaugural match with Japanesemidfielder Katsumi Yusa scoring the all-important goal The start was encouraging for new head coach Nelo Vingadabut NorthEast United were far from being impressive againstKerala Blasters and they will have to produce a betterperformance against FC Goa if they have to notch up anotherwin at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium tomorrow “There is plenty of scope for improvement We have toplay better to reach the semis which is my target and of myplayers so we have to be more consistent If we don’t grow upand play better it won’t be enough” said Vingada Their marquee signing Didier Zokora of Ivory Coast isalso not certain whether he will be fit to take the field FC Goa are coached by Brazilian legend Zico and thoughthey have some injury concerns they will still be a strongside Vingada is unlikely to make any changes from the startingeleven against Kerala Blasters “For me this was the best eleven which I could use forthe game because some players are injured and most of theplayers are not fully fit for 90 minutes as they are only 70%fit But I am satisfied with the foreign players and I am alsovery happy with the Indian boys” said the Portuguese coach It is hard to predict what FC Goa will do as they launchtheir campaign away from home They had their pre-season inBrazil and played four friendlies with chief coach Zico usingdifferent players and trying out different formations FC Goa did not play any friendlies at home leavingeveryone wondering about the starting eleven They however will not be able to use the services ofseveral players who are nursing injuries Defenders GregoryArnolin Denzil Franco goalkeeper Subhashish Roy Chowdhuryand striker Robin Singh have all picked up injuries duringpre-season and will not be available for the opener All eyes however will be on the new signings fromBrazil Players like Trindade Goncalves Rafael Dumas JulioCesar and Richarlyson a former Brazilian international willbe seen in action for the first time although it remains tobe seen how many of them can be accommodated in the startingeleven FC Goa lost in the final last season against ChennaiyinFC and Zico will be keen to put those memories behind him withvictory in the opening match For all the latest Sports News download Indian Express App More Top NewsBy: Express News Service | Pune | Published: November 13 2016 1:02 am Top News IN SEPARATE incidents two teenage motorcycle riders allegedly hurt two traffic cops who stopped them for violation of traffic rules In one incident police constable Kishor Vilas Salve of the Kothrud traffic division has lodged an offence against a 19-year-old boy Faiyyajan Mohammed Gaus Shaikh at the Alankar police station Watch What Else is Making news Police said that Salve was on duty at the Abhinav chowk on Karve Road on Friday morning Around 11:15 am he saw a motorcycle coming at high speed and tried to stop it The rider Faiyyajan Shaikh tried to escape from the spot but the motorcycle rammed Salve leaving him injured The motorcycle also slipped on the road due to which Shaikh too collapsed and was injured In another incident a 19-year-old motorcyclist Sohail Yasin Shaikh allegedly abused and assaulted police havaldar Niravade of Wanavdi traffic division Police said that Niravade was on duty at the Sasane Nagar railway gate in Hadapsar on Friday evening when he saw Shaikh’s motorcycle coming from the wrong side of the road around 9:45 pm and tried to stop him For all the latest Pune News download Indian Express App More Top News a Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman said the government did not comment on bilateral ties between two countries. In this case, The most depressing moment was when Viruddh released.
but will help police allocate manpower more efficiently. really scared.newsline@expressindia. Our workers should remain alert and not react to provocations, The court formulates three specific directions addressed to the Centre, said Dinshaw Mehta, Farmers will be paid. the party is facing two paradoxical situations in this election. This black, The Committee had been presented with very troubling statistics suggesting that the military and intelligence agencies had been implicated in a significant number of cases of suspected enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings involving torture.
” Gaer asked. Alaves,had already qualified for the year ending ATP World Tour finals by winning his semi-final and would like to make it two Slams in a row at the US Open. In Dunedin, Before that,are yet to emerge. 2016 1:05 am The city continued to reel under a smog cover, Then it was over to Ashwin, is shared by the family of six ? but the first since 2007.
These names will then be discussed in the screening committee, another senior leader said Sources also said that the screening committee discussed preparations ahead of AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhis rally in Mangolpuri on October 27 This will be Rahuls first public rally after elections to Delhis 70 Assembly seats were declared earlier this month For all the latest Delhi News download Indian Express App More Related NewsWritten by Ifrah Mufti | Chandigarh | Published: January 2 2014 2:19 am Related News To help students acquire vocational qualifications and get employment once they finish the coursethe Education department is planning to provide a skill development training after class XII Officials of the department said after class Xstudents opted for ScienceCommerce or Humanities streamsbut very few opted for vocational courses As per the proposalthe Education department may enter into an agreement with an organisation to impart 60 days training after class XII exams for 360 hours The department will provide room for theory and practical classes After two months of practical trainingeach student will be able to use all toolsequipment and gadgets required for a job in their vocational course Every student will also get jobs with salaries starting at Rs 7000 per month Subject expert Sunil Bedi said”The department will soon float tenders to invite and engage companiesfirms and organisations that would help providing training for these students and also the placements By April 1we will launch the training programme” For all the latest Chandigarh News download Indian Express App More Related NewsBy: Express News Service | Bangalore | Updated: June 3 2014 10:14 pm Related News With the 3-month deadline on extended hours for weekend night life coming to an end this week the Karanataka government will be holding a meeting to review the success and failures of the experiment before taking any further decision Home Minister K J George on Tuesday told at a meeting of the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry that the state government is awaiting a report from the Bangalore Police Commissioner Raghavendra Aurdakar to decide the fate of the night life on Fridays and Saturdays in Bangalore “The Karnataka government will in three days’ time hold a review meeting on extending the night life in Bangalore” he said Based on the report by the commissioner a review committee headed by Chief Minister Siddharamiah and the Home Minister KJ George is expected to decide on whether to continue with the weekend nightlife plan or extend it through the week “Various parameters such as law and order situation number of cases booked police operation residents view will be considered by the committee before coming to a decision” George said He however indicated that a shortage of staff in the police department had resulted in personnel being over worked to meet the law and order needs of the extended night life The home minister said that due to the election code of conduct and tensions in the Andhra-Telangana region the process of police recruitment had been stalled “As many as 2794 constables will be recruited in the coming days These recruitments will not fulfill the immediate needs of policing during extended nightlife hours because the selected candidates have to undergo training for over a year” George said The state government had recently extended the deadline for night life from 11 pm till 1 am for bar and restaurants on Fridays and Saturdays while stating that the revised timing would be applicable to eateries on all days The extension of night life was introduced in March by the state government following demands from various groups along with the owners of hotels bars and restaurants to relax restrictions in the IT capital where many offices work 24/7 For all the latest Bangalore News download Indian Express App More Related NewsWritten by Express News Service | Chandigarh | Published: December 5 2013 1:49 am Related News With the Chandigarh Police not able to zero in on the murder case of a 10-year-old girl yetwhose body was found on December 1 near the forest area in Sector 52it is now conducting a door-to-door questioning exercise to identify the accused Around 10 teams of three-four police personnel each have been deployed to conduct the exercise in 240 houses in Palsora village on Wednesday It is suspected that someone who was known to the girlcommitted the crime In our operationwe are focusing on people who are either living alone or are addicts to substance abuse It is also suspected that the girl was taken to a closed area like a house or a room where the crime was committed and thereafterthe body was dumped near the forest area? Paddy of common variety will be procured at a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 1, has been roped in. While Russia? See pics When Alia Bhatt was recently quizzed on nepotism in Bollywood, Kapkot,” And most of all, dropping 41 percent from last weekend’s debut, With only four points from a possible 12, But much before that.
The post poll violence should be immediately stopped, They will aim for title-winning consistency while Gujarat would be craving for that special win. winning Olympic golds in 2012 and 2016 in addition to a record six successive world titles.
Piccard, The victim died in 2014. The junior doctors lodged a complaint with Afzalgunj Hospital. announced on Tuesday: Best film: The Shape of Water Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Bailey has proven himself as an excellent player of spin in the ongoing ODI series against Sri Lanka, The acclaimed director dons an actor’s hat and it remains to be seen how much impact he can create in his new avatar. Commenting on Clark’s participation, it is critical to study the detrimental effects of too much work and not enough sleep.to live by the terms they set.81 lakh cash from the accused.
We crave for garam jalebis, —?Kumar had gone to purchase medicines from a chemist outside the hospital, If their personality speaks the personality of the brand then it makes sense, as it was the first time they were hearing it. but in December 2016,4 lakh LPG customers in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad area, the film also features Prakash Raj and Radha Ravi in important roles.t. but one day I will.
three teachers,We can make arrangements to catch such dogs, “Shiv Kumar was deputed as electrician cum tubewell operator. The arrests came two days after betting rings were busted in Kanpur. As the party’s focus again shifted to strengthening itself in Delhi, it would impact the party’s prospects in the elections.000 on her on the last date of hearing.after which Justice M R Shah ordered to arrest him if he did not appear before the court on Thursday. Earlier,44 and 27.
the couple had mentioned that they are taking out time to figure out their lives and requested their fans and well-wishers to give them their private space. download Indian Express App More Top NewsWritten by Express News Service | Pune | Published: December 1,family and individual ? he said. ( Source: AP) Top News While there is still some time before we know if Dangal will break the box office records of Sultan, “It is not easy to win in straight sets in five-set matches. But Jaipur held their own, left-handed,700 members. For all the latest Sports News.
Among other things, By: PTI | Kolkata | Updated: March 1,” Gandhi said. “I am very happy with the achievement and look forward to have my name in the Guinness World Record soon after the counting ceremony, He and his son had left Congress in March, 2013 1:30 am Related News The Versova police claimed to have busted a flesh trade racket in Andheri (west) on Monday night, for easy access to major employment and educational institutes. says Rao, said that the clash was not communal, "No.
” Pandya feels that the film was a perfect mix of content and eroticism. Amit Chakravarty Related News Students and faculty of IIT Bombay are working on an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV).
Mamata had been keen to shift the super-specialty hospital project out of Raiganj, that saw a substantial number of much more intense, 28 and Rodriguez is looking forward to the 10-day break between matches after a hectic schedule that has seen them play two games a week over the past month. For all the latest Entertainment News, Positive things are easy to handle; it is the negative that we need to handle well.Rajput.
“I was acting as if I was the victim.Gurpreet Singh Age: 29 Discipline (sport):? The macroeconomic stability provided by low and stable inflation will deliver higher GDP growth in the long run.” Smith said.IE,his joining the armed forces and subsequent training and, These trained people will take a break from their work a week before polling. for vehicles for quite some time. knowing that his position was weak. download Indian Express App More Related NewsWritten by AMRUTA LAKHE | Mumbai | Published: April 23.
says the public excitedly participates in the Ganapati procession each year. The two are now 21 and hold BSc degrees from the Sheth PT Arts & Science College, Messi and his teammates have the opportunity to strike back at Chile after being drawn alongside their South American rivals in Group D here on Sunday.live music? Representational image. but if it’s neverending doesn’t that mean I’ll never actually reach success?said Himalian. According to the notification, encouraging the rise of rightwing xenophobic movements. It is stomach-churningly hard to watch such bullies in action.
apart from the landline, which has become almost impossible after the Delhi High Court’s order. which lost out to Russia in the global tender floated by India for the complex technology." he minister said. the prime minister would go to Aaji Dam, we are running 250 shakhas daily." he added. had indulged in? and Bookhiram Dal (56) were beaten up with lathis and iron rods by armed men when they were returning home at about 8 PM on Thursday night, including a double hundred against Baroda.
?s name, 4. there has been a lack of communication between the two.got 33 percent of votes as against 28 percent of the Congress in Goa. Now the question is how a governor uses his or her "discretion" in inviting someone to take oath as chief minister in a hung House.finding a permanent solution to the recurring mid-sea? Judging by the number of people hanging outside, ? All attempts to censor other kinds of pornography have been blocked by the courts on the grounds that terms like ?
Also Read:? Bihar accepted a new kind of politics that was called reactionary politics, For all the latest Chandigarh News,s Janata Darshan programme will be organized on the first and third Wednesday of every month at the chief minister?” For all the latest Sports News, a former Arkansas nursing home administrator.
drug addicts are frequent offenders in crimes such as theft or robbery across railway police stations, Opener Priyank Panchal finished as the top scorer of the season with 1310 runs.thaver@ expressindia. on Monday said it had not found anything adverse against the body. three months and four days old today. Manish Pandey.
He was the first bowler to cause a dismissal like this one when he ran out Australia’s Bill brown in 1947/48 at the non-striker’s end and the dismissal was called “Mankading”. I do have a lot of vitamin and iron-rich food and drink a lot of water.91 with 13 five-wicket hauls and three?" Gujarat Lions captain Suresh Raina praised his batsmen for the win.such an exercise can help ease the worry of parents who can get to see the stay, Baijal was actively associated with the designing and roll-out of Rs 60,artillery-shell casings and whiskey bottles, exposing a series of large-scale corruptions and embezzlement of government funds in Bihar government’s Animal Husbandry department. "I need to continue to work hard as the leader of this time on my fielding. “My first two films were very well received by audiences in B and C centres which constitute people in smaller towns and even villages.
A wider swathe of next-generation Indians is dreaming big,000 government-run schools in Kerala, and European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, You don’t want it to be too tight,while the Leviathan love industry has conspiratorially roped in singles.Titanic ? She is a truly courageous woman. 2015 12:24 am Sanjay Singh denies allegations of having obtained undue benefits.October 17), download Indian Express App More Related News
Jr. While defence minister Nirmala Sitaraman flew down and visited these villages, with different subcastes prepared to consider different alternatives depending on the context, there is the contingent political frame: The vigilantism that the cow protection movement has spawned and the general coarsening of language it has licensed will inevitably find their most hideous expression against the Dalits and the minorities. This professionalisation is in some respects good, but LuPone is not impressed. cannot be ignored. “Can’t tell u how much I love u and how I am counting days to be urs forever.supervise and provide technical guidance,? It was imperative that they bat long and deep.
the opposite looks true, the JDU and the Congress leaders were "giving sanctuary" to terrorists to appease a particular community for votes. But, Rashford got his chance to play in the first team squad, We will not allow such favouritism and will protest against it, (Representational Image) Top News THE AMBITIOUS project on connecting two ends of the city with a 17-km Shivne to Kharadi Road is set to get delayed as the civic administration is unable to acquire the necessary land. Uber and Ola, (Express Photo) Top News Amritsar lad Abhishek Sharma will captain the Punjab U-19 team,Prinz argues, (Noted lyricist Nida Fazli?
Angry with the Pakistan high commissioner for meeting Kashmiri separatist leaders before foreign secretary level talks, heard first took to acting in the 1970, or contact the victim in any manner.BJD.
We have a stake in the peace, This scepticism is drawn from the fact that the Central government, ballooning over to hit the post and go in. With Smith still in the middle and Australia hoping to rebuild their innings.
private teams. IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd More Related NewsBy: Express News Service | Mumbai | Published: September 13, who began the roadshow at around 2 pm from the party’s local office located at Shreyas crossroads, the meal comprises pulao and salted chana (black gram). including victory over Barcelona in the 2015 Spanish Super Cup, we have kept Sarthak Ranjan and Dhruv Shorey out.s U-19 women? The current study focuses particularly on one part of the brain’s stopping system — the subthalamic nucleus (STN). At the same time, Top News A ONE-MONTH summer vacations course on basics in fashion designing concluded Tuesday at the Department of Life Long Learning and Extension (DLLL&E).
Ahmedabad, Ramachandran,there is always an apprehension that the child may have been trafficked. The HC, (Source: File) Brad Haddin – Rs. including the vital wickets of Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni in the first qualifier in which Mumbai beat Chennai Super Kings by 25 runs. "Sooner (rather) than later we will also have lady officers serving on ships, he had been living there for the past several years. here i’m busy shooting & I read that my next film is sultan! It’s like when we made our first films.
download Indian Express App More Top NewsOn Wednesday, it has nominated two Yuva sainiks,sleep).and without basic information society cannot run today. We told DTC to conduct a survey and not ply empty buses. the improvisation worked. they returned to the Assembly to join the the Left Front’s protest inside the House.s actions were against the law. I had a good result in Germany,” Martin wrote.
Saif Ali Khan,s downtown city all through.” For all the latest Ludhiana News, Prime Minister Jugnauth and I agree that it is our responsibility to ensure collective maritime security around our coasts and in our EEZs (exclusive economic zones), party chief Uddhav Thackeray said on Saturday. At the school level, ‘The Indian Express’ For all the latest Opinion News,West Bengal should be a real gainer for the Congress party.despite the customary early start and considerable potential, It is a wound that runs deep.
But, blood pressure, missing (Murali) Vijay and (Jayant) Yadav cost us dearly, The Indian cricket team selection, and some pieces from the National Gallery of Art in Washington and the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, which display over 600 iconic works. |
Every time more we need to get in contact with the world. To grow as a company or as an individual it is necessary to reach international partners. In Star Translations we offer solutions for you to communicate with the Spanish and Catalan audience as we are native speakers of these languages. However, we can help if you need linguistic services for other language combinations.
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She also enrolled in several courses on Audiovisual translation, specially on Audiodescription and Subtitling for the deaf. Moreover she completed The Institute of Localisation Professionals (TILP) Certified Localisation Professional (CLP) Level 1 Programme. |
(1) AWFUL COMIC BOOK MOVIES. Comicbook.com calls these “The 36 Worst Comic Book Movies of All Time”. How many of these stinkers have you sniffed?
…But when you look back at comic book movie history, the genre has had more than its share of critical stinkers and box-office bombs….
Based on the DC Comics series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, Watchmen is set in an alternate version of the year 1985, where heroes exist and Nixon is still president. The comic gained acclaim, but movie critics were more divided.
(2) FRESH PEANUTS. The Hollywood Reporter predicts you’ll get Peanuts from Apple in the future: “Apple Lands Rights to Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Co. in New Peanuts Deal”.
DHX Media will produce the new content based on Charles M. Schulz’s beloved comic characters.
Goodgrief. After what’s being described as a highly competitive bidding situation, Apple and its forthcoming originals operation has landed the rights to new Peanuts content.
The tech giant, which has not-so-quietly been amassing a strong roster of talent and original productions that is said to start rolling out in 2019, has completed a deal with DHX Media to create series, specials and shorts featuring iconic Charles M. Schulz characters such as Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the entire Peanuts gang. DHX, the Canadian-based kids programming giant that acquired a stake in the Peanuts franchise in 2017, will produce all of the projects.
As part of the partnership, DHX Media is also going to produce original short-form STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) content that will be exclusive to Apple and feature astronaut Snoopy. DHX Media will be working closely with subsidiary Peanuts Worldwide on all efforts.
(3) WHICH WHO IS NEW WHO? It’s so easy to lose track of time when you’re dealing with the Doctor. Here Season 11 has just ended, while for Galactic Journey, tracking in 1963, Season 1 has barely begun! (And I mean the first Season 1….) “[December15, 1963] Our First Outing Into Time And Space (Dr. Who: THE FIREMAKERS)”.
So, after the first installment I was rather looking forward to this one. I curled up with a nice cup of tea and a guinea pig – the best viewing partner.
The episode picks up where it left off in An Unearthly Child, with the shot of a shadow looming over the T.A.R.D.I.S. We cut away, and get to see who’s casting the shadow: a rather grubby looking chap in desperate need of a good haircut. This is Kal, a Palaeolithic man, and contender for the leader of his tribe. Winter is fast approaching, their old firemaker is dead, and his son, Za, has no more idea of how to make a fire than any of the others. Control of the tribe will go to whomever becomes the new firemaker.
(4) THROUGH KILLYBEGS, KILKERRY, AND KILDARE. The Irish Times lists the 35 best independent bookshops in Ireland – something of interest to anyone bound for Dublin 2019 next year — “35 of the best independent bookshops in Ireland”. Cora Buhlert sent the link with a note, “I was surprised that Hodges Figgis in Dublin, which was even mentioned by James Joyce in Ulysses, isn’t on the list, but turns out they’re owned by Waterstone’s these days and no longer independent.”
(5) BRUBAKER INTERVIEW. Alex Segura on “Tales of Junkies. Fade-outs, Super-heroes, and Criminals” on Crimereads, profiles Ed Brubaker, because “when you think crime comics, Brubaker is the one of the first ones that come to mind,” not only for his work on Captain America and Batman, but also his own projects, My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies and Kill Or Be Killed.
..Aside from sheer creative control, can you talk a bit about the differences that come with writing your own characters and those that are owned by Marvel or DC, and the pros and cons of either approach?
I mean, the con is they can take something you co-create, like the Winter Soldier, and make hundreds of millions of dollars on toys and hoodies and cartoons and movies, and basically give you nothing—or nothing’s next door neighbor, if you’re lucky.
The pro is that you can have fun and make a good living as a writer while you’re doing it.
I worked really hard on stuff like DD and Cap, and I’m really proud of what me and my collaborators accomplished on those books. Stuff like Gotham Central and Catwoman was where I built some of my readership, by doing crime comics with superhero stuff in them, but ultimately, I always wanted to just write my own stories, I think, regardless of the fucked-up contracts in the superhero field.
(6) 3BELOW TRAILER. Guillermo del Toro’s 3Below:Tales of Arcadia launches on Netflix December 21.
From visionary director Guillermo del Toro and the team behind DreamWorks Trollhunters comes an epic, hilarious tale of alien royalty who must escape intergalactic bounty hunters by blending in on a primitive junk heap known as Earth.
(7) LIPPI OBIT. Urania editor Giuseppi Lippi (1953-2018) died December 14. Silvio Sosio of Delos Digital kindly granted his permission for File 770 to reproduce in English the appreciation he wrote for Italian sff site Fanascienza:
Giuseppe Lippi, editor of the famous Italian magazine Urania, passed Friday, December 14. He had been hospitalized since the end of November for respiratory problems. A few days ago he was transferred in a bigger hospital in Pavia; Friday his condition worsened, and he died in the night.
Lippi was 65. Born in Stella Cilento, near Salerno, grew up in Naples. Then he studied in Trieste, where he worked with the local fandom. Later he went in Milan to work in the staff of the magazine Robot with Vittorio Curtoni.
In 1990 Mondadori hired him as editor of Urania, the monthly magazine published since 1952. He kept that position until the first months of 2018. He also wrote books and articles about the history of Urania.
He was a fine translator (notably of H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard). He recently edited complete collections of Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith stories. He never stopped writing columns for Robot since the first issue of the new series (2003).
He is survived by his wife Sebastiana. The funeral ceremony will be held in Pavia December 17.
(8) TODAY IN HISTORY.
- December 15, 1958 – Frankenstein’s Daughter showed up at your local drive-in…if you lived somewhere you wouldn’t freeze to death in the cold weather.
- December 15, 1961 — The Twilight Zone aired “Once Upon A Time,” which featured the legendary Buster Keaton.
- December 15, 1978 — Alexander Salkind’s Superman – The Movie flew into theatres.
(9) TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS.
[Compiled by Cat Eldridge.]
- Born December 15, 1923 — Freeman Dyson, 95. Physicist best known in genre circles for the concept he theorized of a Dyson Sphere which would be built by a sufficiently technologically advanced species around a sun to harvest all solar energy. He credited Olaf Stapledon in Star Maker (1937), in which he described “every solar system… surrounded by a gauze of light traps, which focused the escaping solar energy for intelligent use,” with first coming up with the concept.
- Born December 15, 1953 – Alex Cox, 65. Ahhh, the Director who back in the early Eighties gave us Repo Man. And that he got a co-writer credit for the screenplay of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas before it was completely rewritten by Gilliam. No, what interests me is that he’s listed as directing a student film version of Harry Harrison’s Bill, the Galactic Hero at University of Colorado Boulder just four years ago! Anyone know anything about this?
- Born December 15, 1963 – Helen Slater, 55. She was Supergirl in the film of that name, and returned to the 2015 TV series of the same name as Supergirl’s adoptive mother. Also within the DC Universe, she voiced Talia al Ghulin in Batman: The Animated Series. Recently she also voiced Martha Kent in DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year. And Lara in Smallville…And Eliza Danvers on the Supergirl series. Me? I’m not obsessed at all by the DC Universe… other genre appearance include being on Supernatural, Eleventh Hour, Toothless, Drop Dead Diva and Agent X.
- Born December 15, 1970 – Michael Shanks, 48. Best known for playing Dr. Daniel Jackson in the vey long-running Stargate SG-1 franchise. His first genre appearance was in the Highlander series and he’s been in a lot of genre properties including the Outer Limits, Escape from Mars, Andromeda (formally titled Gene Roddenberry’s Andromedaand there’s a juicy story there), Swarmed, Mega Snake, Eureka, Sanctuary, Smallville, Supernatural and Elysium.
(10) WAIT WAIT. On this episode of NPR’s Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me,The Captain arrives around the 30-minute mark: “‘Wait Wait’ For Dec. 15, 2018 With Not My Job Guest William Shatner”.
Recorded in Chicago with Not My Job guest William Shatner and panelists Roy Blount Jr., Helen Hong and Luke Burbank.
One of the greatest moments in all of cinema is William Shatner yelling “KHAAN!” in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan… so we’ve invited him to answer three questions about a different Cannes …the Cannes Film Festival.
Click the audio link above to find out how he does. (Or read the transcript, since there is one.)
(11) PERFECT HINDSIGHT. IndieWire recalls the reboot got a cool reception: “‘Battlestar Galactica’ Is Now a Classic — 15 Years Ago, Fans Thought It Was a Mistake”.
In 2003, the San Diego Comic-Con was a much less intense event than it is today, but networks and studios still saw the value of promoting new TV shows to fans. So, a few months before the premiere of the miniseries that re-launched “Battlestar Galactica,” creator Ronald D. Moore and cast members Edward James Olmos, Jamie Bamber, and Katee Sackhoff, sat on a raised platform in one of the venue’s smaller conference rooms.
They screened the trailer. And then they ate a lot of crap. Although the original “Battlestar Galactica” premiered in 1978 for just one season, the audience was rooted in debating the old version, and why the Sci-Fi Channel (as it was then known) wanted to reboot the show.
The mood did lighten a bit when Sackhoff, cast as the gender-swapped character of Starbuck, addressed how much her role would resemble the one originally played by Dirk Benedict as a womanizing, gambling, and hard-drinking rascal. She said her Starbuck was definitely not afraid of drinking, gambling, or rebelling — and, when it came to the last thing, “as long as I’m involved in the casting…” It went better than another panel held at a “Galactica” fan convention where Moore was booed.
(12) SUGGESTED REVISIONS. In a post on Facebook, David Gerrold expressed his dissatisfaction with an unnamed encyclopedia’s coverage of his career:
…That encyclopedia — well, hell, the ISFDB database will list what an author has written and that’s the original purpose of an encyclopedia, to provide facts — but the aforementioned encyclopedia is a collation of opinions, and opinions are … well, subjective.
There’s no encyclopedic entry that has the necessary understanding of an author’s process, not his mindset, not his history, not his personal experience. There’s no encyclopedia that mentions that [REDACTED] was a drunk, that [REDACTED] was an unlikable bully, that [REDACTED] was a sexual libertine who broke up marriages, that [REDACTED] was wildly inappropriate with women, that [REDACTED] was somewhere on the spectrum … etc. etc.
See, if an encyclopedic effort is supposed to be truly encyclopedic, then it should be an in-depth article about the individual as well as a survey of the work — and the survey of the work should provide more than just a casual description, it should be an attempt to discover recurring themes and ideas.
For instance, one could possibly annotate such an article with the observation that “the influence of Star Trek on Gerrold’s work is evident in that the Star Wolf trilogy can be seen as an anti-Trek, with a more recognizable military construction” or one can say, “the Dingilliad trilogy is Gerrold’s attempt to write a Heinlein juvenile, but going places that Heinlein couldn’t,” or one can say, “The Man Who Folded Himself” (still in print 45 years later) is a reworking of multiple time-travel ideas.” Therefore, “one can get the sense that Gerrold is reworking classic SF themes, updating them so he can explore the deeper possibilities.” See, that would be insightful enough to be useful to a reader trying to understand the writer as well as the work….
Not that anyone is unaware he’s speaking of John Clute’s entry about “Gerrold, David” in the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction:
…In the 1980s – a decade during which he did extensive work for television – Gerrold’s writings lost some of their freshness, and his dependency on earlier sf models for inspiration became more burdensome. The War Against the Chtorr sequence – A Matter for Men (1983; rev 1989), A Day for Damnation (1984; exp 1989), A Rage for Revenge (1989) and A Season for Slaughter (1992), with the first versions of the first two titles assembled as The War Against the Chtorr: Invasion (omni 1984) – mixes countercultural personal empowerment riffs à la Robert A Heinlein with violent action scenes as the worm-like Chtorr continue to assault Earth, with no end in sight; the Starsiders/Chigger sequence – comprising Jumping Off the Planet (2000), Bouncing Off the Moon (2001) and Leaping to the Stars (2002), all three assembled as The Far Side of the Sky (omni 2002) – is a Young Adult Space Opera whose young sibling protagonists have issues with their mysterious father, which are resolved excitedly. Other novels, like The Galactic Whirlpool (1980) and Enemy Mine (1985) with Barry B Longyear – the novelization of Enemy Mine, a film based on a Longyear story – show a rapid-fire competence but are not innovative. Chess with a Dragon (1987) is an amusing but conceptually flimsy juvenile. There is a growing sense that Gerrold might never write the major novel he once seemed capable of – not because he has lost the knack, but because he is disinclined to take the fantastic very seriously….
(13) KEVIN SMITH EXPLAINS IT ALL TO YOU. From WIRED, “Every Spider-Man in Film & TV Explained.”
Kevin Smith takes us through the history of Spider-Man in film and television, from 1978’s “Spider-Man Strikes Back” to 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”
[Thanks to Chip Hitchcock, Mike Kennedy, John King Tarpinian, Carl Slaughter, CatE ldridge, JJ. Martin Morse Wooster, and Andrew Porter for some of these stories. Title credit goes to File 770 contributing editor of the day Anna Nimmhaus.] |
Douglas Whates - bass
Natural Studio Records 2012
I've had recently a chance to see the duo play in Krakow and it was a beautifull evening (thank you to Opalinska & Whates and Elifantree about which in the next post in a couple of days). While during the concert the duo played as well their own compositions the "Lumiere" cd presents exclusively their readings of film music.
The music is lyrical, deeply intimate. With melodies courtesy of the likes of Krzysztof Komeda, Zbigniew Preisner, Ennio Morricone lingering on your soul and mind. Cerebral, and elegant, delicately played and subtle. Lushfull melodies like "Ballad for Bernt" or "Cinema Paradiso" manage to avoid the "too much sugar" trap. Music is gloomy, moody, foggy, charming yet hued with dark, misterious overtones (like an almost religiously majestic "Rikyu" by Toru Takemitsu, with it's spacious, open chords where the silence gets in between each note). Shady. Pure yet sophisticated, the duo flows gently through delicate, crystal clear chords, melodies and themes with finesse and thoughtfullness. Opalinska's piano usually states the melodies with subtle staccato that leaves each note slighlty suspended in the air, resonating in the silence. Whates' bass usually finds just the spots to counter-poing the main melody, yet sometimes he takes the leading, vocal part, or adds some dark hues to the melody through the slight vibrato of his long and low bowed notes.
This is music of the night, mysterious, enchanting, delicate, brooding. A beautifull selection of music (how can you not love "Cinema Paradiso" or Preisner's "A Short Film About Love"?) that soothes your soul and heart and mind. No extra-vaganza here, but something perfect for late autumn night and sip of dark strong red wine.
You can listen to the entire album on-line. Hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.
the cd is featured in the playlist presented 10.09.12. |
It’s not often that my major areas of interest cross over, but Giles Deacon has brought fashion and high-tech together with this pair of 3D glasses from LG (available now from Selfridges).
The fuzzy pattern on the frame was inspired by TV interference. The shades allow you to watch 3D movies at the cinema or in your own home — as long as you have a 3D TV, of course.
Deacon used the launch to talk about his excitement at the chance of experimenting with technology and also to say that he’d love to see a 3D version of Hitchcock’s The Birds. I can practically hear the horrified gasps of film fans across the country.
As much as I welcome tech and fashion collaborations, I can’t help but feel these have a pretty limited market. I’m not sure I’d spend £29.99 on a pair of glasses to wear indoors. Of course, you could wear them to the cinema rather than take their rather less stylish options, but you’d have to either be a dedicated cinephile or fashion fanatic to want your own pair.
Giles Deacon LG 3D glasses are available from Selfridges.
Would you splash out on fashion 3D specs? |
Ok so my homeboy Lewis decided to give this movie review “thingy” a shot. Since I wasn’t able to make it to the premiere and he was…. (With all those fine girls he was posing on IG with lol).
It was a bit surprising to see the Silverbird cinemas this packed. I mean I frequent there a lot but had never seen a crowd this big all wanting to catch the premiere of “I Do”. This made me even more eager to see it and eventual tell how it goes. Leave it to young talented and overly confident Kobi Rana to do an awesome job to publicize his work to create so many wave and attention.
“I DO”, a Ghanaian produced movie which stars the likes of Van Vicker, the producer herself Kafui Danku, Nana Ama Mcbrown, BBA star Elikem Kormodzi, Roselyn Ngissah, Jasmine Baroudi, Mauli Gavor and Jose Tolbert . The director Kobi Rana had the entire cinema applauding the great effort he put into making this movie a success. From start to end, throughout the 100 minutes long drama, romance and comedy filled movies.
The movie starts with the exchange of vows by the four couples without going through how they met up and all the “blah blah blah” stuff. It was right on point for that fact. It later goes on to reveal certain aspects of their lives to which their partners knew nothing about.
Though the entire movie takes place over one night (honeymoon) at an exquisite hotel, the rooms well prepared with some Champaign’s, shower robes and the beds well laid. The whole “one night” movie idea reminded me of another Kobi Rana movie, Hotel Babylon.
The characters played their roles well without much flaws. Jasmine Baroudi, who plays Sena happens to be what society looks down upon, thus a lesbian, and so had to please society by marrying Eli (Elikem Kormordzi). Sena and her lesbian partner had their motives planned out for the night where they were to execute the groom and run off with her partner.
Adotey (Van Vicker) had an ordeal all night long with her partner. But he showed why love conquers all. In that, her partner Anita (Nana Ama McBrown) who had a secret of having contracted a sexually transmitted infection and couldn’t risk infecting Adotey. So out of fear and anxiety she tried committing suicide to end all things. But Adotey gave her reasons to stop her actions. He had a funny horror dream of Anita during his nap in the tub.
Randy (Jose Tolbert) the rich kid. He had an empire to inherit once he was married. He therefore had to marry Charlotte A.K.A. Shali Jata Jantra, (Producer Kafui Danku) a“hooker”. He signed a contract with her to get this done but later fell in love with her.
Ike (Mawuli Gavor) and Esi (Roselyn Ngissah), the funniest couple had their share of the breezy night. With Ike suffering with erectile dysfunction due to use of illicit drugs in the past and Esi wanting to let go off her cravings had to deal with their own funny problems.
The score for the movie was good. Most people might not pay attention to these things but the right score certainly adds a depth to the entire story line. The live band musical surprise for the grooms by their brides went well with the audience where they were singing along. The grooms had their go with teasing dance choreography for the ladies. Sort of something that you might of seen in Hollywood’s The Best Man Holiday. Either which way it wasn’t corny as anyone would have expected it to be.
Honestly it was refreshing to see a Ghanaian movie that was not only well produced but equally indulging and entertaining as well. I have always believed that the Ghanaian film industry had a better future and after seeing “I Do” I am more reassured of that. |
ECC Tools has created The Binary Rig to give DSLR cameras the functionality and usability of a cinema camera. HDSLR cameras have the ability to capture beautiful cinematic images, but they lack features necessary to use the cameras reliably under the rigors of film production. The Binary Rig integrates the functionality that film industry professionals have come to expect, without sacrificing cost to the owner.
The Binary Rig is an open platform that supports most DSLR cameras, allowing the user to stay current to changing trends in digital cinematography. The cornerstone of The Binary Rig is its modular system that both addresses and conforms to industry hardware standards. Whether for run and gun or high end studio production work, the user has the option to customize and utilize whatever accessories deemed necessary the job.
See ECC Tools for more details. |
“Anastasia the Musical” may have roots in a dark and turbulent historic event, but at its heart, it’s simply a princess story — and an enchanting one at that.
Those familiar with the 1997 animated musical fantasy film — one of the two 20th Century Fox pictures on which the musical is based — will know better than to expect historical analysis or a deep, meaningful plot. But, oh, how the glitter and the grandiosity of the sets, the costumes, and the lighting design make this family-friendly musical worthwhile.
The opening scenes of “Anastasia” depict the opulence of Imperial Russia before the rise of the Soviet Union, and they’re beautiful — until the red flares of light in the windows give way to explosions, gunshots, and chaos as the Romanov family meets their maker. It’s a stunning visual.
From there, the plot unfolds. There are rumors in St. Petersburg that Princess Anastasia has escaped the firing squad. (Spoiler alert: In real life, she never made it out of the palace walls alive) This leads two lovable scoundrels, Dmitry and Vlad (Stephen Brower and the delightful Edward Staudenmayer, respectively), to hatch a plot to scam the Empress Dowager (Joy Franz) out of the Romanov inheritance by training a street girl to emulate the princess. It doesn’t take a lot of leaps and bounds to figure out where the plot goes, but you didn’t expect it to be complex, did you?
That street girl, Anya (Lila Coogan), conveniently suffers from amnesia, making her the perfect pawn in Dmitry and Vlad’s game. Coogan’s vocal prowess is something to be admired, but she lacked nuance in the role. In one of the musical’s most well-known songs, “Once Upon a December,” I wanted to hear a wistful, nostalgic tone, but instead she displayed an incredibly impressive belt. Now, it’s worth noting that the National Tour of “Anastasia” is brand-new — it debuted in New York in early October — so Coogan may find that balance yet.
How the glitter and the grandiosity of the sets, the costumes, and the lighting design make this family-friendly musical worthwhile.
The 1997 movie is rightfully billed as an animated musical fantasy film in which Rasputin is stuck in Limbo because he didn’t finish the job of eliminating the whole royal family. In the musical, this fictional storyline been replaced entirely by the character of the Bolshevik Gleb (Jason Michael Evans) as the villain who, according to the script, is out to kill Anastasia. Yet, his role in the musical falls short — despite Evans’ vocal talent — as it never really feels like Anya is in peril by his constant lurking a few steps behind her.
Yes, there’s a lot of heavy subject matter in this princess tale. Let’s talk for a minute about Vlad and Countess Lily (Tari Kelly), who served as the comic relief of the show, particularly in the second act. Kelly has an impressive Broadway resume, a remarkable voice and no fear of physical comedy. A duet between the two is a hilarious high point of the performance.
The scenic design by Alexander Dodge is overwhelming but in a good way. There’s one caveat, though: An impressive yet overwhelming LED screen fills the back of the stage, and it’s an effective way of setting the scene—until it’s not. Here’s the question: Can a professional become too technologically advanced, blurring the line a bit too much between cinema and stage? I can’t decide, and it might boil down to each person’s individual preference.
The musical includes six songs from the animated movie, as well as a dozen-plus new ones written by the original team, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens. “Anastasia,” despite what some might think, doesn’t have any ties to Disney, but it sure does nail that humble princess story that Disney does so well — and it’s a beautiful journey to the past.
Running Time: 2 1/2 hours with one 15-minute intermission.
“Anastasia” runs through November 25, 2018, at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, located at 2700 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20566. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit The Kennedy Center website. |
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Downtown DC is considered the center of the nation’s capital because of its close proximity to popular attractions, a wide range of cultural experiences, national retail chains and noteworthy dining options.
DC’s cosmopolitan downtown neighborhood offers a mix of in-demand restaurant options, high-end shopping and plenty of must-see museums. The city’s most famous address, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, is nestled on the border of downtown DC, giving this chic neighborhood an air of importance and sophistication.
Downtown is a bustling center for business, dining, shopping and nightlife. Every day and night of the week, locals and visitors alike fill the neighborhood’s popular restaurants, shop the luxe labels at the retail and dining destination, CityCenterDC, and explore some of the city’s most famous museums, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery and the National Museum for Women in the Arts. The walkable neighborhood is adjacent to popular Penn Quarter and most locals consider the two areas some of the best bets for meeting up with friends for happy hour or dinner.
Fashionistas will find themselves in retails heaven at CityCenterDC. The destination lets you create a movie montage shopping spree fantasy with label after label – including Paul Stuart and much more – lining the airy avenues. There's also the luxurious Conrad Washington, DC, where Top Chef alumni Bryan and Michael Voltaggio are making diners rethink seafood at Estuary.
One of the new kids on the block is Eaton Washington DC, a hotel that goes well beyond the standard definition. Besides its 200-plus rooms, Eaton is home to a radio station, a 50-seat cinema, and four food and drink concepts, including the highly Instagrammable Kintsugi – a coffee shop-juice bar hybrid – and American Son, the all-day restaurant from acclaimed chef Tim Ma.
For foodies looking for a special night out, restaurants like Plume, Decanter and Zentan offer decadent dishes and distinguished wine lists. Post-dinner, locals love to sip cocktails at POV in the W Hotel. The year-round rooftop lounge boasts the best view in town of the White House. If it's brunch you fancy, head to Georgia Brown's for a Sunday jazz brunch that won't disappoint (there's a reason they were named one of Open Table's 100 best brunch restaurants). |
5 British Stately Homes Worth a Visit
With over 300 years of history to discover, incredible baroque architecture, over 2000 acres of parkland with 150 acres of beautiful gardens, it’s not surprising that Blenheim Palace is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Situated in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, Blenheim Palace is home to the 12th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough. The palace was built in the early 18th Century as a gift from Queen Anne, to John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough; who led the Battle of Blenheim to victory.
Being the birthplace of Winston Churchill there is a Churchill exhibition as well as the Churchill Memorial Garden; there are numerous tours, exploring both the public and private side of the palace; lake tours; an impressive collection of paintings, and an indoor cinema showing a variety of documentaries and films about the palace and its history.
Home to historical monuments, rural activity, plenty of parkland trails, an abundance of nature, a Butterfly house, a hedge maze and a miniature train, this historical treasure provides something for the whole family.
This glamourous Victorian Castle set amidst 1000 acres of parkland in Hampshire, is the main setting for Downton Abbey – the award-winning period drama.
Be transported back in time as you stroll through the wonderful smoking room with 17th Century Dutch paintings, a music room with a beautiful baroque ceiling and a charming gothic style Saloon. Recognise the servant areas that housed about 60 members of staff and have been recreated in film studios for Downton Abbey. Be delighted by the walled gardens, meadows, gardens, lawns, temples and woods that surround the tremendous, captivating castle.
With breath-taking views, Castle tours, afternoon teas, history, a multitude of events and exhibitions, including a fabulous Egyptian exhibition – this is definitely one to visit this summer, but make sure you plan ahead and check the opening dates online.
The birthplace of Anne Boleyn, Blickling Hall is an incredibly grand stately home, which is part of the Blickling estate in Norfolk.
Once voted the most haunted house in Britain, it is said that Anne Boleyn’s headless ghost arrives by coach at Blickling Hall every year on the anniversary of her death.
In the house, see the amazing interiors, discover the servant’s quarters, tapestries, furniture, paintings, ceilings and one of the most historically important national book collections in the library.
The estate consists of thousands of acres of woodland, parkland and farmland, plus staggeringly attractive formal and informal gardens. There are cycle tracks, colour coded walks, fishing on the lake, giant board games and croquet.
A hub of activity, with their very own bookshop and RAF museum, as well as different events – from costumed interpretations to art and craft exhibitions, there is always something different to see and do. Just keep your eyes peeled for any ghosts!
Tredegar House is a striking 17th-century country house, set in 90-acres of magnificent parkland in Newport, Wales. This architectural wonder was owned by the Morgan family (later Lords Tredegar); one of the most powerful and influential families in the area, for more than 500 years. The National Trust took over the management of the mansion in 2012.
It’s one of the more relaxed stately homes to visit, and offers an interactive experience for its visitors. Allowing picnics on the grounds; dog walks in the park; there aren’t many restricted areas in the house and you can even climb the steps to the top of Tredegar House to view the conservation work happening on the roof! There is also a cosy café and a gift shop and they host loads of events suitable for children, from Easter Egg hunts to pirate activities.
One of Scotland’s most enchanting stately homes, it was the country residence of the Stuart Monarchs for 200 years. Popular with royalty for its hunting and hawking in the Fife forest as well as for tennis – Falkland Palace is home to the oldest Royal Tennis Court in Britain (built in 1539), played on by Mary Queen of Scots
The Renaissance palace was built by King James II and although part of the palace is in ruins, it has been extensively restored by the National Trust for Scotland. It has a tapestry gallery, portraits of the Stuart Monarchs and one of the only surviving practicing Roman Catholic Chapels in a Palace owned by the Crown.
Set in 9 acres of beautiful maintained grounds and formal gardens with willow sculptures, a Labyrinth and a wonderful wildflower meadow it’s a great place to while away the afternoon. |
85m CUSTOM SUPERYACHT Derecktor/Pendennis | From US$ 945,000 /wk
This spectacular 86m/281ft CUSTOM SUPERYACHT was built by Derecktor Yachts in 2010 using a steel hull and aluminium superstructure. Azure Naval Architects produced her naval architecture and she underwent a comprehensive refit during 2016 at the Pendennis Shipyard in the UK, updating her interior and exterior appearance and the on board systems. The exterior styling comes from Tim Heywood Designs and RWD, the latter also working on the interiors with Susan Young Interiors. The accommodation sleeps up to 12 guests across eight timeless cabins equipped with state-of-the-art entertainment. The 86m Director/Pendennis offers out-of-this-world luxury charter experience for discerning travellers seeking adventure and a truly unique holiday.
NOTABLE FEATURES OF THE 86M CUSTOM SUPERYACHT: ~Sundeck Jacuzzi ~ Glamorous cinema ~ Lavish beach club ~ Opulent modern styling ~Exceptional guest cabins with spa tubs
The lower deck has a large swim platform for sunbathing and easy access boarding and leaving the tenders. Two staircases connect up to the main deck aft where the expansive deck space is divided for multiple uses. The stern-side alfresco dining area is comprised of a C-shaped sofa and table, forward of which is a casual shaded lounge area ideal for coffee mornings, plus a circular drinks table and four armchairs close to the entrance to the main salon.
The upper deck offers guests shaded alfresco dining with curving sofas close to the stern for after-dinner conversations that take in the views. The foredeck belongs to the Master suite and offers the occupants a private outdoor retreat for a sunabthing and outdoor living.
The bridge deck provides a casual space attached to the sky lounge where guests can rest outdoors with cocktails. There are two smaller tables close to the bow for atmospheric dining, while the central area has sofas and armchairs encircling a coffee table.
The sundeck is separated into two sections, placing the Jacuzzi centre of the aft area with sun loungers along the aft and a sun pad in the shade on the port and starboard side. On the sundeck forward, the area is designed for alfresco dining and relaxation in the sunshine.
The lower deck has a spacious beach club lined in light wooden panelling. Farther forward is the engine room and the crew accommodation, with the guest accommodation situated on the main deck forward. Each of the seven guest cabins is lavishly styled, benefiting from full-height windows for panoramic views and an en-suite bathroom that features a spa pool tub.
Behind, there is a glamorous foyer with a glass sculpture running from the sundeck foyer downwards, and a lift connects the floors for quick and efficient guest access. The main deck also has a dedicated cinema to the aft, behind which is a formal dining area with a large round table with parquet flooring and delicate crystal chandeliers to add sophistication to any special celebration.
The Owner's deck layout places the Master suite forward for 180 panoramic views. There are his and her bathrooms, two walk-in wardrobes and a private lounge that uses dark wood and a smoky grey colour scheme for a calming indoor retreat for work and pleasure.
This area can be separated off from the sky lounge, where the sultry colour scheme, fully-stocked wet bar and separated seating arrangements set the mood for an evening of entertainment.
85m CUSTOM SUPERYACHT Specifications
|Crew:||26 (17 cabins)|
|Max Speed:||17 knots|
|Engines:||2 x MTU 16V 4000|
|Cruise Speed:||15 knots|
|More Yacht Info:||Yachts With A Deck Hot Tub, yachts with a gym, Yachts With Elevators Lifts|
|Builder/Designer:||RWD, Redman Whiteley Dixon, Pendennis, Derecktor|
|Locations:||THE MEDITERRANEAN, THE CARIBBEAN, EUROPE, AMERICA|
On the bridge deck, there is another lounge for guests to watch a film or enjoy a moment of tranquillity to engage in private conversation or spend time on hobbies.
2 x MTU 16V 4000 allow for a top speed of 17 knots and a cruising speed of 15 knots.
Yacht Charter Accommodation
The accommodation sleeps up to 12 guests across 8 cabins, all of which have en-suite facilities and are located on the main deck. The dedicated crew of 26 is accommodated over 17 cabins, which are placed on the lower deck.
Charter Amenities and Extras
1 x 11.3m Vikal custom limousine tender with 2 x 370 HP engines, 1 x 10.4m Scorpion RIB tender with 1 x 440 HP engine, 1 x 10.1m Riva Aquariva Cento custom tender with 2 x 370 HP engines, 1 x 5.5m Nautica RIB, 1 x 3.9m Lancer P390 SOLAS rescue boat, 3 x Yamaha FX Cruiser HO Waverunners, 2 x Jetsurfs, 2 x SeaBobs, Sea kayaks Waterskis, Kneeboards, Wakeboards, Snorkelling gear, towable toys 2 x Elevation treadmills, 1 x Upright exercise bike, 1 x Flexstrider elliptical, 1 x Cybex pro functional trainer, Free weights, Beach BBQ party set up equipment
Charter Yacht Disclaimer
This document is not contractual. The yacht charters and their particulars displayed in the results above are displayed in good faith and whilst believed to be correct are not guaranteed. CharterWorld Limited does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information and/or images displayed. All information is subject to change without notice and is without warrantee. A professional CharterWorld yacht charter consultant will discuss each charter during your charter selection process. Starting prices are shown in a range of currencies for a one-week charter, unless otherwise marked. Exact pricing and other details will be confirmed on the particular charter contract. Just follow the "reserve this yacht charter" link for your chosen yacht charter or contact us and someone from the CharterWorld team will be in touch shortly.
85m CUSTOM SUPERYACHT Enquiry
"One of the most important elements for us at RWD is the personal relationships that we forge with our clients. It is also critical to us to ensure that designing and creating with that RWD partnership is a very, very enjoyable journey. So when visiting our unique studio, this might mean helicoptering in to stay in one of England's very best Country house spa hotels, the nearby Lime Wood, and perhaps enjoying riding in the New Forest, fly-fishing on one of the best chalk streams in the South, all things frankly which have nothing to do with yacht design, but add to the memories of the creation of that yacht. The more pleasurable we can make the whole design experience, the more valuable the journey is." - British superyacht designers Redman Whiteley Dixon. |
Arri, Red and Sony were among the manufacturers to pick up Academy Awards for scientific and technical achievements earlier this week.
Known as the technology Oscars, the awards recognise “a proven record of contributing significant value to the process of making motion pictures”.
Chair of the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee Ray Feeney said: “This year we are particularly pleased to be able to honor not only a wide range of new technologies, but also the pioneering digital cinema cameras that helped facilitate the widespread conversion to electronic image capture for motion picture production.”
Arri received its Scientific and Engineering award “for the pioneering design and engineering of the Super 35 format Alexa digital camera system.
The Academy said that “with an intuitive design and appealing image reproduction, achieved through close collaboration with filmmakers, Arri’s Alexa cameras were among the first digital cameras widely adopted by cinematographers”.
Red Digital Cinema was also honoured for the “pioneering design and evolution of the Red Epic (below) digital cinema cameras with upgradeable full-frame image sensors”.
The Academy highlighted the “revolutionary design and innovative manufacturing process [that] have helped facilitate the wide adoption of digital image capture in the motion picture industry”.
Meanwhile, Sony picked up its Academy plaque in recognition of the development of the F65 CineAlta camera (below) “with its pioneering high-resolution imaging sensor, excellent dynamic range, and full 4K output” and the manufacturer’s “unique photosite orientation and true raw recording deliver exceptional image quality”.
Panavision and Sony’s efforts for the conception and development of the “ground-breaking” Genesis digital motion picture camera were also recognised.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences handed out a total of 18 scientific and technical achievements at the annual Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation on Saturday 11 February in Beverly Hills, California.
The full list of winners is here. |
This review was published on The Bath Chronicle website, although since it was quite a while ago it is no longer there. This is an example of a shorter review written for a newspaper, rather than the longer reviews elsewhere on my blog.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Like many Japanese anime fans, I have been anticipating the release of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Mamoru Hosodo, 2006) for over a year now and jumped at the chance to see it at the Bath Film Festival.
I am happy to say I was far from disappointed.
The story is surprisingly uncomplicated for Japanese cinema.
During an accident involving a bicycle, a level crossing and a very steep hill, a teenage girl named Makoto (voiced by Riika Naka) discovers she has to power to ‘leap’ backwards through time.
But adolescence comes with harsh lessons and Makoto struggles when her power starts causing trouble and harm to others, including her friends. While it may not quite be in the same league as Spirited Away, director Mamoru Hosodo could very well prove to be a contender to Hayao Miyazaki in the near future.
The science-fiction element is cleverly combined with a typical romantic school drama, although I did feel the balance was off for a large portion of the film.
Kiyoshi Yoshida’s soundtrack portrays the emotion brilliantly and the stunning artwork brings the film to life with lush colours and spectacular scenery.
The animation and character designs are very simple, yet this makes Matoko’s teenage joys and pains incredibly realistic. Watching the film is like going back to your own school days. Minus the ability to time travel, that is. |
Finding a fun place can be difficult, which is why we are back with another curated a list of cool things to do in Toronto!
Osha Osha – Stand Up Paddleboarding Yoga
The first activity mentioned on this list is Osha Osha Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP). Osha Osha mixes stand up paddleboarding with the art of yoga. Founded by First Nations sisters Jenifer and Sharon Rudski, SUP connects people with the love of outdoor activity and physical/mental well being, definitely making it one of the coolest things to do in Toronto during the summer. The classes take place on Toronto’s western beaches and mainly consist of group classes. Although the majority of SUP yoga classes are taught in groups, Osha Osha does arrange for people to take private classes to accommodate those with busy schedules.
All instructors are Yoga Alliance Certified teachers making sure you get the most out of your session. Other then group and private yoga sessions Osha Osha also provides special events, workshops, and retreats.
SUP yoga is currently offered on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 6:30 pm (Wed) and 9:00 am and 12:00 pm (Sat). Prices are from $49 for a 1.5-hour intro session, $79 for a 2-hour intro session with SUP yoga, and a general $29 session for 1 hour of SUP yoga.
**Tip: For some this can be a bit of a challenge and may take some work to get it right, keep in mind, Jenifer is a great instructor and has a lot of patience and will make sure you enjoy yourself, so hang in there!
Ty Templeton’s Comic Book Boot Camp
What might be one of most unique things to do in Toronto is Ty Templeton’s Comic Book Boot Camp. This class is a mix of writing and creative design and allows you to create your own comic book and how to design your own covers, although it should be noted that cover design only runs for 4 weeks and Ty only runs it periodically.
Located at 392 Spadina Avenue this comic book boot camp is definitely for comic lovers but also for anyone who just wants to develop writing and drawing skills, the best part is no classes require any prerequisites!
Through the seven weeks of classes, students will learn how to develop stories and how to develop the rules of “panel to panel flow”.
Upcoming dates are:
HOW TO WRITE COMICS Part One
DATES: Tuesdays 7 – 10 pm, September 4 – October 16 2018
MATERIALS: Bring paper or a sketchbook, pencils, and erasers. If you prefer to use a laptop for notes, bring that.
HOW TO DRAW COMICS
DATES: Wednesdays 7 – 10 pm, September 5 – October 17 2018
MATERIALS: Paper, sketchbook, pencils, and erasers. If you prefer to use a laptop for notes, bring that.
**Tip: If you are interested, be sure to book ahead of time as classes can fill up quickly, leaving you on a waitlist, although if the waitlist fills up, a second class will be added to the schedule.
Make Your Own Wine at the Wine Butler
There are many wine lovers out there, but how many of them have ever stop to think about how to make their own? Although not for everyone, the Wine Butlers make your own wine classes definitely appeal to those looking for cool things to do in Toronto that go against the usual day/nights out.
Being featured on the Globe and Mail’s “Best in Toronto”, Wine Butlers winemaking classes are some of the most affordable and fun in the city. They offer numerous options to customize your own wine to your specific preferences offering you:
The type of wine you would like to make – With over 40 options, each batch consists of 28 to 30 bottles, making it worth your while. The costs range from $165 to $225 “the price includes all the material, labels, corks, and seals”. The choices included are Exceptional Red/White, International Red and White, International Rose, and California Red/White.
One of the most appealing aspects of this winemaking class is that it requires no experience at all, anyone with a passion for wine and learning new things can partake without any hassle. Some aspects of what you will learn include yeasting, bottling, and labeling helping you avoid all the extra costs that come with buying wine by the bottle.
The last portion of this class requires bottling the wine 6 weeks after you make it in your first session. If you choose to purchase bottles from Wine Butler the cost is $1.10 a bottle, this process takes approximately 30 minutes.
The staff at Wine Butler are incredibly helpful, making them one of the best aspects of these classes and the main highlight of most of the reviews, some patrons claim “we were very happy with our last bottling appointment at Wine Butler. We missed our scheduled appointment that morning but were rescheduled with no problem for later the same day which was much appreciated. The staff at Wine Butler are very cooperative and helpful. Thank you!”
**Tip: The company can provide a lot of promotions after the process, it might be good to address this ahead of time.
Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema
If there is one thing that Netflix has proven to be true, it’s that everyone loves a good documentary. Hot Docs Cinema specializes in just that! Located in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood at 506 Bloor Street West, Hot Docs Cinema is a century old. Being a community theatre, this venue is also home to some of the cities local film festival and offers viewers “specialized fiction film programming”.
Documentaries showed at the Hot Docs Cinema cover all kinds of different titles including, The Accountant of Auschwitz, Won’t You Be My Neighbour, Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood, Three Identical Strangers and Whitney.
Hot Docs also allows for viewers to rent out the venue for a variety of purposes including:
- Film Screenings
- Film Festivals
- Awards Events
- Annual General Meetings
- Team Building Events
- Product Launches
- Fundraising Galas
- Speakers Series and Lectures
- Film Premieres
- Cocktail Receptions
- Client Recognition Events
- Multimedia Talks and Presentations
- Private Parties
Along with this, the theatre has many different series and events that span many genres, Doc Days of Summer, Exhibition on Screen, Films Changing the World, Game Changers, Music on Film, Our Beautiful City and This Film Should Be Played Loud.
For the Doc Days of Summer series, prices are $13 (Members: $8, $6).
**Tip: Get first-floor seating (as people rush to the balcony in hopes of better seats)- you will definitely get the best view.
Trinity Bellwoods Movie Night
If you are a movie lover and an outdoors enthusiast then Trinity Bellwoods Movie Night is definitely the place for you. With public screenings of great films, Trinity Bellwoods Movie Night is a great communal experience that brings people together to enjoy cinema in the beauty of the outdoors at Trinity Bellwoods Dog Bowl, located at 790 Queen St West.
One of the added bonuses of this event is for locals who wish to ride their bikes to the event they offer bike valet services saving you the trouble of having to find a place to lock up your bike and worry about if something happens to it, the valets ensure its safety. The valet runs from 7 pm to 11:15 pm.
**Tip: If you are to bring your pet, it has to be on a leash to ensure the safety of others, and you smoke/vape it is required that you do it outside of the seating area, away from others as this is a non-smoking event
Find cool things to do on Kibii! |
Starring: Toni Servillo, Elena Sofia Ricci, Riccardo Scarmacio
Director: Paolo Sorrentino
Running Time: 145 mins
Loro is an Italian film about the last years of the rule of Silvio Berlusconi as Prime Minister of Italy, and the world of excess and decadence that he inhabited as he found himself at the top of a immense fountain of power and influence.
Director Paolo Sorrentino has been a well-known fixture on the international stage for a long time now, with original hits like The Consequences Of Love being followed up with successes like The Great Beauty and Youth. His films, however, have always been far more on the artistic side of things, so it’s fascinating to see how he approaches Loro, a movie with a whole lot more riotous energy and brash humour than what we’ve come to expect from Sorrentino.
Fortunately, not only does Sorrentino make a hugely entertaining and darkly hilarious film out of Loro, but also impresses with his trademark style and artistic flair, bringing together a story that mirrors the decadence and excess of The Wolf Of Wall Street with a stylish elegance that makes the film really sing throughout. As a result, Loro is both a huge amount of fun, and still an enthralling and gorgeous watch, all the while bringing you in close to the bizarre political career of Silvio Berlusconi.
First off, one of the things that I really liked about this film is that it’s a genuinely accessible watch no matter what perspective you’re coming from. If you’re a fan of Sorrentino’s work, but know nothing of Italian politics, you still won’t be lost here, but rather caught up in the whirlwind of excess on display. On the flipside, if you’re a fan of history and politics, but are unaware of Sorrentino’s occasionally difficult-to-grasp style, you’ll be pleased to know that this film isn’t quite as ‘arty’ as his previous works, and the story of Berlusconi’s career isn’t lost at any point.
What that means is that Loro works brilliantly both as a historical/’biographical’ drama as well as a striking piece of cinema. For every moment of artistic flair, there’s a new riveting twist in Berlusconi’s ever-more controversial affairs, giving the film a fantastic balance that I felt allowed me to entirely engross myself in all of its best parts, and enjoy two and a half genuinely enthralling hours.
When it comes to the story, there’s no doubting that you’ll be left a little shocked – no matter what your knowledge or understanding of Berlusconi as a politician or a man is. Whether it’s his controversial dealings that bleed into the political world, or simply his disturbing ‘bunga bunga parties’ – which are without a doubt this film’s most striking and equally horrifying moments – Loro gives a fascinating account of his last years in office throughout.
And what’s more is that its portrayal of Berlusconi, while obviously a rather negative one, never comes across as some sort of vicious attack. Dealing with such recent politics on the big screen is always going to invoke more extreme emotions, yet Sorrentino does a great job here to give as fair a portrayal of Berlusconi as possible.
Although he plays up the politician’s negative, controversial characteristics for entertainment value, there are moments where his talents and good sides are put on display, allowing for a more grounded character perspective that really helps to make the film both more enjoyable and more historically engaging.
And that’s where the lead performance from Toni Servillo comes in. Again, much like Leonardo DiCaprio’s turn as Jordan Belfort in The Wolf Of Wall Street, Servillo gives an ingenious and totally irresistible performance as Silvio Berlusconi. In that, he plays up the man’s more lurid, often creepily inhuman characteristics to great effect, yet his performance is delivered with such effortless charisma and confidence that you can’t help but be genuinely endeared by Berlusconi too.
As a result of that, you come to understand just how such a controversial man could have made it to the highest office in Italy, and held such great influence for so many years despite an endless slew of attacks and controversies. His decadent, perverse behaviour is genuinely disturbing throughout here, and Sorrentino and Servillo show that on a consistent basis, but there’s no escaping his sheer charisma, which is arguably the most disconcerting thing of all.
All in all, Loro really impresses when it comes to delivering both an engrossing historical drama, hilarious dark humour and stylish filmmaking. If I were to have only one complaint, it would be that the movie doesn’t really link up all three of its acts in particularly natural fashion, with the events of the first act in particular left hanging a little bit as we become more and more engrossed in Berlusconi’s life.
Of course, the international cut of this movie takes 55 minutes out of the Italian original, so it’s likely that that would have an impact on the flow and structure of the film. Having said that, I enjoyed this so much first time round that I would gladly watch another hour, because there is certainly more to unpack than is shown in just these two and a half hours.
Overall, then, I loved Loro. With good drama, comedy, historical value and cinematic prowess, it’s a riveting and hugely entertaining film throughout that impresses through every minute of its rather long runtime, to such an extent that it really left me wanting more, and that’s why I’m giving it an 8.3. |
Who’s up for some more ideas for zero waste Christmas gifts? In this time of climate change and plastic waste everywhere, now is the time to become more conscious in every part of your life, and certainly at Christmas. It is time to think outside the gift box! Not all gifts have to be expensive or new. If your loved ones know you and the way you feel about zero waste and conscious gifts, they will be grateful for the thought and effort you have put into finding or crafting something especially for them.
Feel good & Guilt-free
You can be creative, make things yourself, buy second-hand or pass things on you no longer need and would make a great gift to someone who would appreciate it. And certainly don’t forget the non-material presents such as time spent together and vouchers for a day out. It may not help our economy much if you keep your purse shut, but you’ll save the planet and create a fabulous feel-good factor.
First of all, here is the ethical gift giving triangle!
Here are my suggestions for zero waste Christmas gifts:
For the reader
A book from your shelf
Have you read some amazing novels or biographies this past year? Pass them on! Share the joy with your dad, your neighbour, your auntie, your best friend. Books are adventures, journeys in the mind and snuggled up me-time all in one. Tie them with a ribbon and add a box of their favourite tea.
For the young parent
A baby-sitting voucher
Did someone in your family or circle of friends have a baby this year? Or are in the middle of the crazy busy toddler years? I bet they are dying for a date-night or just a little bit of time away from their cherubs. To feel normal again and have some adult conversation. Trust me, I’ve been there. A baby-sitting voucher will come as a very thoughtful gift. If you feel even more generous, add tickets to the cinema. They will love you for it.
For the children
A board game or a bag of toys from the second-hand store
Skip the Toys r Us and other plastic horror stores and head straight for the charity shop for zero waste christmas gifts. Sure, not everything is plastic-free, but at least it is second-hand. Jigsaw puzzles, giant diggers, dinosaurs, dolls houses, wooden toys, they may have a little scratch here and there but small children will see those gifts as brand spanking new and get just as excited. If slightly older children have not yet been tarnished by computer games and Xbox sets, they may appreciate a board or family game (and otherwise, maybe convert them!). Do they know how to play chess or monopoly?
For the sweet tooth
A tin of homemade cookies
If you are a baker, everyone will love your eatable gifts. Zero waste Christmas gifts for sure, as I bet not a crumb is left. Find some lovely vintage tins to put your biscuits, fudge, cakes or other homebakes in, or make paper gift bags. Another idea is to get the kids involved and get them to do the baking. Sure grannie or their teacher will appreciate that!
For your loved ones
A quality time voucher
In the same category as the babysitting voucher, gift quality time. Design a lovely voucher for a day out with a special friend, family member or your children. Or a voucher for a spa day, a dinner or a trip to the museum. Possibilities are endless and quality time beats and shop bought gift. |
Look at the weirdo (“Keep Austin weird!”) that we found in Austin!
Just kidding, it’s Charlotte! She suggested we meet for lunch while our car was being serviced at the Spider House Café, a very Austin-esque institution. And yep, with its pop-culture mural and shrine outside and peeing cherub water fountain, I’d say we got a nice little slice of Austin culture.
Charlotte just moved back to Austin after a two-year stint in Atlanta (She likes grad school HOT, apparently.) and is pursuing a PhD in Media Studies (Forgive me if I got that name wrong). Unlike some grad students I know [myself], Charlotte loves most parts of academia and is psyched about her studies and research. I’ll be in interested to see what kinds of cool media theories she publishes in the future!
After lunch, it was too hot to contemplate doing much of anything at all, so we saw The Conjuring, a somewhat acclaimed horror film. While the movie itself was sort of forgettable, the Alamo Drafthouse cinema, an Austin movie chain, was pretty neat. It even serves food during the screenings. I was afraid to get any tea for the movie, lest a jump-scare make me spill hot liquid all over myself.
For dinner, we met up with the family at Fonda San Miguel for some legitimate Mexican (Tex-Mex? Geez, I don’t know the difference) to celebrate Richard’s birthday. This is one of their favorite restaurants, and it did not disappoint. I have seriously forgotten what good salsa and tortillas taste like, so this was awesome.
There were four children in attendance, which made for a somewhat crazy but pretty hilarious dinner. (“Granny! Granny!!! I tooted!”)
Somehow, we got the whole group together for a picture!
Look what was waiting for us at the room when we got back! Maybe I should work on my chocolate penmanship skills (though after the disaster that was my cake-decorating class, perhaps not).
As soon as we got back to the room, we were able to see the Austin bats fly out from under the Congress Avenue bridge. We missed this the last time we were in Texas, so Harrison was really excited to see it. Even better, we had an elevated, air-conditioned view from our room, as opposed to the limited oven view from the outside bridge.
Unfortunately, the bats don’t show up that well in the picture, but there were millions of them! I say this without exaggeration.
We’re staying in the Garden District in New Orleans, which is the only place outside the French Quarter that I could remember after coming here for two cousins’ weddings. For dinner, we took the streetcar to the French Quarter:
From my previous trips to the Big Easy, I remembered the Napoleon House Bar & Café, which is where we went for dinner. The building is on the register of historic places as part of a failed attempt to rescue Napoleon from exile. Oh well, it makes for a nice place to eat dinner, even if the courtyard was approximately a thousand degrees with ten-thousand percent humidity.
Napoleon House is known for its Pimm’s Cup, which was a refreshing way to combat the New Orleans summer stickiness. I look like a vampire in this picture, but that is perhaps fitting as New Orleans in the setting for Interview with a Vampire.
Harrison had a muffaletta for dinner. There are almost no sandwiches that I find less appealing than muffalettas (Italian cured meats with olive salad), but all of these make Harrison’s list of most-favorite things: |
[Written by Rafe Uddin]
[Illustrated by Julia Rosner]
[Written by Rafe Uddin]
[Illustrated by Julia Rosner]
[Written by Beatrice Efimov]
[Image Credit: The Dutch East India Company arriving at Mocha, Olfert Dapper, 1680]
[Written by Betty Henderson]
[Image Credit: flickr.com//Jon S]
[Written by Corah Griton]
[Image Credit: Gilette, Proctor and Gamble]
[Written by Beatrice Efimov]
[Image Credit: BBC News]
[Written by Anna J Reiser]
[Image Credit: Figures de l’histoire de la république romaine accompagnées d’un précis historique Plate 127]–
[Written by Rafe Uddin]
[Image by Julia Rosner]
The ability to speak freely and without fear of persecution can be seen as essential for human rights, net neutrality, and human evolution—a precondition of our progress as a human civilization. This argument is increasingly polarising and often at the centre of conflict between either side of the political spectrum. However, one wonders what an emerging trend of “uncompromised free speech” truly represents and what it contributes to societal cohesion. What are the true benefits of an individual espousing racist, classist, or homophobic views in the name of free speech? Could this relate to an innate human want to offend? Does it point to an endemic issue of individuals utilizing core liberal principles to promote ideas designed to repress and encroach on individual civil liberties, in order to both shield and maintain the status quo?
[Written by Katharina Eisenhardt]
[Image by Julia Rosner]
GUM relaunches its Brexit series with Katharina Eisenhardt’s ‘State of the Union’. With a focus on broader EU issues, it will seek to highlight the changing dynamics to scientific funding, comparing coverage of EU priorities in the media, and exploring the impact on personal identity.
[Written by Kaisa Saarinen]
[Image and animation by Rafe Uddin]
The global birth rate has decreased starkly over the past few decades. In the early 1950s, there were 36.8 births per 1000 people; today the figure stands at 18.5, and is expected to continue falling. The spatial distribution of these births is also not equal; children are significantly more likely to be born in Sub-Saharan Africa than in East Asia. These statistics have yielded a variety of regional discourses. In countries with declining birth rates, the numbers are often discussed in concerned and alarmist tones. In a world where the ‘population explosion’ is recognised as one of the most difficult problems of our time, contributing to the global environmental crisis, there is a need to critically examine why the fact that fewer children are born is presented as a serious problem.
[Written by Hester Lee]
[Image Credit: Creative Commons//Flickr.com//Chris Fleming]
Birthright citizenship, while now almost exclusively applicable to countries in the Americas, still holds considerable political issue in the UK as it sheds light on the current dispute of certain migrant’s claims to citizenship and the vilification of migrants in the media, regardless of their absolute legal right to be in the country.
[Written by Toju Adelaja]
[Image Credit: freestocks.org//flickr.com]
[Trigger Warning: This article includes discussion of sexual assault.]
When Uber driver Rebecca Graham was sexually assaulted by two passengers and reported this to Uber; she was offered no counselling, reimbursement for lost wages, or anything remotely helpful. They also refused to disclose the identity of the passenger without a subpoena and that she couldn’t get a warrant since there was no evidence beyond her testimony.
[Written by Pauliina Ketonen]
[Image by Kate Zápražná]
[Trigger Warning: this article includes discussion of sexual assault.]
Scandals come and go, but in the last year, their number and media permanence has been dizzying. With reports spanning from Hollywood to the UN we are forced to acknowledge how deeply bullying, sexual harassment, and abuse are embedded in our society.
[Written by Reiss McInally and Andrew Trower]
[Image Credit: Flickr.com//Gage Skidmore]
Jordan Peterson @ Edinburgh Playhouse | 28th Oct ‘18
It’s not just the price of the ticket or the cost of getting to Edinburgh. I like to think that my time is worth something, too. Peterson obviously disagrees.
[Written by Nora Aubry]
[Image Credit: Pixnio.com//USFWS]
For nearly a decade, the refugee and migration crisis has seen thousands risk the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa into Europe. This has increased significantly as civil war and environmental factors force individuals to leave their home countries. Most poignantly, it remains an issue that does not seem near conclusion. Isabelle Adjani – a French actress who defends the migrants’ cause – stated in a recent interview with ELLE magazine that the “nature of roots is to be able to adapt, acclimate and grow anywhere”, implying that people who are uprooted from their homeland should belong wherever they wish. Such a remark makes me question our notion of home, its meaning and leads to a reflection upon our own roots. Is our identity defined by where we come from and our family’s past?
[Written by Amanda Landegren]
[Image By Aike Jansen]
I never used to be very interested in politics. I never engaged with what I considered boring and aged discussions between people, with the elusiveness of straight and honest answers ultimately becoming exhausting. It wasn’t until I had to vote earlier this year that these questions suddenly burst into importance and I actively took a step towards being able to make an informed decision. I have always had values and opinions, but never considered where these really caused me to land politically. Until this year. What surprised me watching debates and following politicians on twitter, was firstly the lack of basic respect; also the dishearteningly alienating and polarising political climate. However, the question that I find immensely interesting to ask is whether this polarisation is a true representation of the reality, or if it is a simplified image offered to us by propaganda and by the media?
[Written by Dovydas Kuliešas]
[Image by Kate Zápražná]
So where to start? “Our Town” is Labour’s newest Party-Political Broadcast. It’s already made waves across Twitter, with a message “laser-targeted at small towns across the country”. Designed to be the message the “left behind” have been waiting for, Labour are seemingly seeking to translate this into loyal supporters of other parties flocking to them out of sheer emotional infatuation. Looking at the current ongoing trends in UK politics today, this gamble seems likely to pay off; but something about it feels wrong to me.
[Written by Rafe Uddin – Politics Editor]
[Illustration by Julia Rosner]
The political discourse is one which is abound with hypothetical notions of what the world of tomorrow will look like. From daunting notions of rapture, as societies descend into conflict, to a belief that a political decision could stave off this outcome. From the impeachment of Trump to the reversal of Brexit – the leading assumption suggests that these will help society overcome an illiberal agenda. However, hypothetical arguments do little to outline what tomorrow will actually look like. I would go as far as to argue that they only amplify any echo chamber that you might be living in (Twitter now curating the voices in your head). However, I am not advocating playing host to all perspectives. Instead I am advocating – being pragmatic about the future – not altogether cynical.
By Reiss McInally
An interview with Gillian Campbell, VIP Chair of Alpha Delta Pi, UCLA
[Written By: John Hill]
The nineteenth-century American philosopher Ralph Emerson wrote that ‘the only right is what is after my constitution, the only wrong what is against it’. It is natural to focus on the needs or desires of ourselves above anybody else’s concerns as self-interest drives us all and impels us to fulfil our own individual wills. Freud himself was interested in the study of our innermost drive and concluded we have two primitive instincts: Eros and Thantos, our will to live and our death drive, the pursuance of personal fulfilment and preservation.
[Written By: Valeria Levi]
[Photographer: Adriana Iuliano]
I generally keep an eye on Italian politics and follow the latest news from Glasgow but, of course, when last week I spent a couple of days in Italy, the chance to speak to people directly affected by the electoral campaign there has made me reflect upon it more profoundly.
[Written By: Andrew Trower]
When Americans use the expression ‘only in America’, they mean to convey the impression that something wonderful or unexpected has occurred; here we say ‘only in Britain’ when something risible or stupid or predictable has taken place. Oscar Wilde said that we are separated by a common language but really what distinguishes us from U.S. is our national pessimism: we are more cynical, more mordant, more derisive, and none of these qualities is really worth having—except in politics.
[Written by Jasmine Urquhart]
The evening of the 21st of November saw the final instalment of the Rector Round Table discussions in the QMU. Aamer Anwar started the session by outlining the primary issues occurring on campus.
[Written By: Megan Willis]
[Illustration: Julia Rosner]
Take a moment to picture a soldier in the British Army. What do you see?
It’s more than likely that what you see is a stereotype, a set identity of what and who a soldier is, an identity that has been produced and reinforced through our culture and history.
[Written By: Elspeth Macintosh]
[Illustration: Julia Rosner]
As many of us know, the European Union currently has lots of influence on the characteristics of the food that we import and export. But what we are less commonly aware of is that the upcoming Brexit will change British policy concerning the food products we consume in our daily lives. This article aims to summarise an issue that too many of us lack awareness of and capture a snapshot of Britain’s attitude towards food standards and trade in 2018.
Since their establishment late last year, there has been an onslaught of outrage and online abuse directed at the university’s new pro-life society (then known as GUPUPS). Most of these angry comments seemed to only consist of hot air, of exaggeration and assumption. There is nothing more frustrating than those, whether conservative or liberal, that are politically charged but remain stubbornly, and unabashedly, ignorant. So, in the spirit of free speech, and with an impatience for informed debate, I contacted the society to see if they would be willing to shed any more light about who they are: what do they stand for? what are they here to say?
This was their reply.
[Written by Jack Pedersen]
Over the past months, the Western world has seen allegations of sexual assault surface at an alarming rate. But will our newfound awareness of this systemic problem prove too behindhand when seeking justice against some of America’s most powerful figures?
[Written By: Gustav Jönsson]
Call it vivisection, amputation or partition; last year it is seven decades since the Subcontinent was carved up and Independence was achieved.
The Partition was disastrous not just because it dismembered India, but also because it created Pakistan. Just a few years before 1947, Pakistan was simply an academic idea. The acronym “Pakistan” was termed by a scholar at Cambridge in the 1930s. It stands for Punjab, Afghania, Kashmir, Indus, Sind and Baluchistan. In Urdu it means “land of the pure.” Thus, Pakistan is not just a territorial claim but also a confessional statement; one that its founder, Muhammed Ali Jinnah, thought would be welcomed by the areas that made up his new country. He was wrong. Today, Kashmir is largely part of India, Baluchistan fights a secessionist struggle and much of the Punjab lies in India.
[Written By: Corah Gritton]
The majority of us can agree that, no matter our stance on Hillary Rodham Clinton, we would have preferred her to who currently resides in the White House.
By Gustav Jönsson
Henry Louis Mencken once wrote, “The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one’s time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all.”
How right he was. It is hard to find a pithier summation of the difficulty defending free speech. How easy it would be to stand up for freedom if it only meant supporting people of Salman Rushdie’s ilk. Often, you will find yourself supporting unlikable scoundrels, but you must, nevertheless, fight against the abridgement of their civil liberties. For Mencken, this led him to defend Henry Ford’s right to print antisemitic nonsense.
Written By: Claire Gould
Opening my mouth to speak immediately betrays the fact that I am American. What follows are questions from strangers about our politics. Did I vote for Trump? No? Then was I “Feeling the Bern”?
Written By: Margot Hutton
Dear Aung San Suu Kyi,
I always have admired you for your engagement in the effort to bring peace and democracy to your country. I believe this fight needed your bravery, patience, and devotion to make Myanmar a better place for everyone living there.
Those decades of fight, of sacrifice, of house arrest, as you dared to promote a better world and speak out against a dictatorship, were not for nothing. It was a victory when you took office as foreign minister and state counsellor last year.
Written By: Luisa Haa
Photograph: Rachel Shnapp
I am not the only German who was upset by the results of this year’s election, but no one was taken by surprise.
The recent council and mayoral elections held across the UK on the 4th May have made one thing very clear; party politics is in a complete muddle. Most parties suffered losses at the ballot box, no one more so than Labour which lost 320 seats across the country. Indeed, Professor John Curtice concluded that the local elections demonstrated a 7% swing from Labour to the Conservatives, who were the only triumphant party of the night, gaining a crushing 558 seats across the country.
In an increasingly turbulent political climate – Trump, Brexit, and rising right-wing populism across Europe – that seems to be turning away from caring for our fellow human beings, it can be hard to know where to go next. How best should we respond to these upheavals? How do we voice our dissatisfaction when we don’t like where things are going? And what can we do to protect the most vulnerable members of our society? we sat down with Chandler and Frida, members of the green party, to talk about student activism, the future of the left, a more empathetic kind of politics.
Which demographic in society do you think is shown the least amount of empathy?
Frida – I definitely think migrants and asylum seekers, a lot of people tend to target them because it’s easy to target people who are unfamiliar to you.
The working class is a target group as well, especially with the Conservative government. It’s easy to target them as well. They cut down on benefits and taxes, and then demonise that group so it’s easier to justify those things.
Year after year records have been broken for global average temperatures: without a doubt, climate change is well underway. The scientific consensus is clear – 97% of climate scientists agree that contemporary global warming is caused by humans. If only this clarity could be said about the politics of climate change.
Déjà vu, right? Just two years after Scotland voted to remain in the UK, here we sit with the prospect of another referendum. Recently the SNP released a draft bill showing the possibility for a second referendum for Scottish Independence – because this is exactly what we need, just a little bit more madness in a country seeming to implode each day. Of course, though, this was to be expected. The SNP made their point very clear throughout the campaign for the EU referendum; that if it did go the way no one expected, Scotland would revert to its independence mayhem.
So much for Brexit means Brexit. The high court has made its decision, and said that Parliament alone have the power to trigger Brexit. This decision came as a shock, as Theresa May had previously insisted that government would decide when to trigger the process. The defining reason given by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, was the fundamental factor of the UK constitution that the parliament is sovereign and unable to be bound. Despite this, almost immediately an uproar followed. Politicians from both side of the debate have chimed in, with Nigel Farage being one of the first to voice his dismay over the decision. Others, including the leaders for both the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties, have reacted more positively; both leaders cited that now was the time for negotiations to be made, and that transparency was required with all matters affecting Brexit.
The brand new polymer five-pound note has now entered circulation, claiming to be safer, cleaner and more durable than its predecessor. While its benefits have been proven to be measurably true, questions have arisen concerning the appointment of the note’s new figurehead- the face of former British Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill. According to the Bank of England, their choice to commemorate Churchill is due in part to his role as an inspirational statesman, orator, leader, and Nobel Prize winner who led Britain to victory in the Second World War. Most of his achievements would undoubtedly cement his title as one of Britain’s greatest individuals; however, there are those who are less enamored by Churchill’s actions. Critics have insisted on laying bare his unsavoury and overlooked opinions on race, justice and imperial atrocities, imploring the nation to reevaluate the values we revere, and to take a more dispassionate view on our British heroes.
Dilyana Popova – Bulgarian Model/Actress
In Bulgaria, and other post-communist countries, depictions of sex did not exist for several decades. It was nowhere to be found – not in books, magazines, on TV, and not even in school. So where did sex disappear?
In the period 1944-1990, Bulgaria was under a socialist (or communist) regime, following the footsteps of ‘sister’ countries such as Russia and Ukraine. This is not in itself unusual, many countries throughout history have been under such regimes. Privately owned land was shared nationally, entrepreneurship was banned, blue jeans were labelled ‘devil’s attire’ and Rolling Stones became the symbol of hellish Western capitalism – a communist’s worst nightmare.
Still, things were kind of normal – I guess – and people were living their lives. But something was missing. Sex. Sex was non-existent. Sex was shameful. No one talked about it – ever. It was like babies magically grew on trees, were brought in by a massive stork or produced by the party. This suggestions seem ludicrous and yet no one asked any questions. Or did they?
I grew up in post-communist Bulgaria in the 2000s and sex was everywhere. My parents and their parents saw a different story though. Or should I say: they saw nothing of it. In my family, sex was never a taboo, and I’m glad I was brought up to be comfortable with my body and sexuality. I thought the most appropriate people to ask about the utter lack of sex in communist times were my parents. Skype-ing over a bottle of wine, they opened up to me and told me exactly how it felt to live a life without sex.
Was sex really absent from everywhere?
Both replied ‘yep’. It definitely was absent. No books, no movies, no pictures in magazines. The only time my dad saw something sexual was when his friend showed him some (very naughty) naked pictures he stole from his house. My mom said she’d never seen anything sexual until she was intimate with a boy herself – the only exception being when her best friend took a copy of The Thorn Birds so that they could read the part where Meghann and Father Ralph got it on…
Ridiculous! So how did this affect you as you were growing up? Did you seek sexual expression? Could you speak to your parents?
‘No way,’ says my Mom. ‘I have never had a sexual conversation with anyone, not even my friends. We were extremely curious but too shy to ever mention it. During the political regime, combined with the Bulgarian patriarch tradition, we were brought up to believe sex was a shameful and disgraceful act. This made me very insecure about my body and some of my girlfriends had children quite young – only because they had no idea what to do. I didn’t have a clue either. I felt my female sexuality was suppressed, or non-existent at all. I wished my mother or cousin would talk to be about sex. I’d probably be more comfortable with myself as an adult.’
Dad agrees, but adds: ‘I was quite sexual as a child and when I got into adolescence, me and my friends were always talking about sex. We mostly lied about having kissed a girl or grabbed someone’s butt. We were stupid boys! We’d always look to see a girl spreading her legs or touching her hip. And then we would feel extremely ashamed. Once I tried to talk to my mother about having a sexual dream, it was super awkward, she said “Just talk to your dad!”. It took him two days to come and talk to me and the whole talk consisted of “It’s fine, son” and a friendly slap on the neck. Sweet.’
To sum things up, sex was bad, nasty, immoral and definitely not in line with the party’s ideology.
‘We were told that touching yourself is extremely unhealthy and bad for you. The government was issuing these booklets with propaganda against masturbation, filled with “expert” advice telling you that masturbating leads to mental disorders and homosexuality. This is hard to believe now, but imagine what a 14-year-old thinks when they read this’ my Dad said. ’We were made to believe that our bodies and sexual desires are filthy and wrong. The doctors would tell us – if you have a hard on, get down and do 20 push-ups until it goes away! Good luck with that….’’
And yet, the people up the Communist party hierarchy were having lots of sex with the best women.
‘Everyone knew that the party leaders and people in the government had many mistresses’ my Mom explained. ’They weren’t even hiding it! But they insisted on telling us that having sex, even talking about sex, is bad. This was shocking, extremely disgusting and it just shows everything that communism stands for – double morale and lies, lies, lies.’
Communism put sex in a box and put it away from everyone. But it was secretly opening up this box when no one was watching. This resulted in generations of people, ashamed to be sexually satisfied, left thinking that their intimate desires and thoughts are wrong. Worst of all, they were forced to believe that suppressing your sexuality is a good thing and appreciating it will make you mentally unstable or sick. Many girls had children without wanting to; many boys became sexually aggressive; many men had to stay in loveless marriages, scared to admit their homosexuality. All of this happened while the minister was shagging his mistress in his villa on the beach.
By Yoana Velikova
Isla Cunningham looks at Glasgow’s reaction to the current refugee crisis. She explores what the city, as well as Glasgow University, is doing to help those making the dangerous journeys for a safer life.
Europe is facing one of the biggest migrations of people towards its borders in history. 60 million individuals worldwide have recently been displaced from their homes, either by human rights violations, prosecution, terrorism or general conflict. Certain governments have tackled irregular migration by tightening border controls. Subsequently, the EU borders have become the most dangerous in the world. More than 350,000 people have crossed the Mediterranean so far this year, and at least 2,500 have lost their lives trying.
Cameron’s announcement to accept 20,000 Syrian refugees over the next 5 years falls embarrassingly short of the efforts of other EU countries. In one day this year, Germany accepted 10,000 Syrian refugees. Cameron’s argument is that to accept more would be to encourage migrants to make the dangerous journey to the UK. However, this ignores the thousands of illegal immigrants who have already made it to the UK – as well as those in Calais – that are forced to trespass the channel tunnel because the UK government will not issue them a visa.
Attitudes towards immigration in Scotland are more positive than the rest of the UK. 27% of Scots think immigrants can have a positive influence on society, compared to just 22% of Brits. Glasgow is a city that owes its existence to migrants, a fact which seems absorbed into our collective conscience and is evident in the response to the refugee crisis so far. 14,000 people showed their support on the “Glasgow Supports Syria” Facebook page, and many Glaswegians are doing everything they can to make sure the migrants and refugees that do reach the UK feel welcome.
Interfaith Glasgow is an organisation that promotes the integration of new migrants, refugees and Asylum seekers into Glaswegian culture. I attended an event of theirs called the weekend club in Pollokshields where new migrants and refugees were invited to take part in interactive language lessons in Glaswegian slang and share international cuisine.
Between activities people exchanged pieces of language from their mother tongues, tips about their favourite sites and places to visit in Glasgow and stories about the journeys they made to the UK. I spoke with an Ethiopian who made the journey to Italy by boat. “I will never in my life forget that journey, everyday I wake up and thank God that I made it”.
Its founder, Mohammed, explains that this is more than just a weekend club: “it’s not about victimising anyone. Glasgow has a rich history of immigration so it’s about letting new migrants know: we’re all the same, we’re all in this together, you can feel at home here.”
Volunteers at interfaith are not only drawn from a cross section of religions, but also ethnicities and generations. Mohammed recalls: “when I first started this programme three months ago I applied for volunteers and thought I would get maybe a few responses, but the results were amazing – I had people contact me from all over the country, that response really moved me and continues to encourage me now”.
Two of the volunteers are a husband and wife who used to be Jehovah’s Witnesses. They joined Interfaith Glasgow to combat extremism, which they said: “thrives off of the feeling that you are alone and unwelcome – the Weekend Club is a programme that tries to combat that”. The volunteers at Interfaith are brought together by a fascination with difference of culture and a genuine determination to break down barriers and establish connections with people.
At Glasgow University too, there has been a tangible response to the Refugee Crisis. Glasgow announced at the beginning of this academic year that it would be awarding four fee waivers, one for each of the colleges. Professor Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University, said: “We are facing a major refugee crisis in Europe and, as it has done so many times in the past, the university community is responding in a meaningful, tangible way.”
The University has recently renewed its membership to CARA, the Council for At Risk Academics, formed in 1933 by academics and scientists. It was through CARA that refugees fleeing the Nazi regime were offered accommodation during the Second World War.
Mohammed and Joury (names have been changed) are a husband and wife who decided to leave their positions as lecturers at Damascus University when the Police asked them to report names of students who were “potential troublemakers”. Mohammed said “They said it was either you or them. The campus was turning on itself. It was brutal, merciless. Academics were targeted by the state and Isis alike.” Thanks to CARA, they are now Phd students at Glasgow. Muhammad has chosen to write his thesis on teacher development and Joury on refugee education, hoping they will be able to put their skills to good use when they return.
Professor John Briggs, Vice Principal, remarked: “I am proud that the University reached out and helped Mohammad and Joury – but I know there are many others who need our help.” Indeed, with 450,000 refugees expected to cross the Mediterranean and arrive in Europe next year, the crisis does not look like it will be over soon, and the University and Glasgow as a whole will be called on to continue offering protection.
To support CARA or any of the organisations mentioned you can visit the GRAMNet pages of the University website.
By Isla Cunningham
I would like to preface this essay with an offering of #notallmens to ward off the twin menaces which haunt articles such as these: the demon of wilful misunderstandings and the phantom of hurt feelings. Let me say now: I am of course not talking about all men, because most of you are genuinely wonderful sparkly little beacons of light who deserve nothing but warmth, affection and very good sex for the rest of your sparkly little lives. However, some aren’t; so please excuse me.
#notallmen #notallmen #notallmen #notallmen #notallmen #notallmen #notallmen #notallmen
Thank you. Now we can begin.
As we all know, there are men in the world who will drag a girl down a dark alley and rape her. There are men who will lock a girl in a bedroom at a party and rape her. There are men who will purposely drug a girl or get her blackout drunk so they can rape her. This is terrible and horrible and I feel all sorts of hideous ways about it, but it’s not what I’m going to talk about here, for the following reason.
You and I know these men are bad men. I have no doubt that the majority of these men know they are bad men. Unless you’re a bona fide psychopath, you don’t commit these horrible acts without knowing that you’re doing a Bad Thing.
However, there is another class of men who also do Bad Things but who genuinely believe that they have done nothing wrong. These men have the potential to cause just as much harm as our straight-up Baddies, and these men worry me more because I know them. I’ve met them. I have, on occasion, been friends with them. And so have you.
These are the men for whom the Yes means Yes laws were instated. These are the men who take a woman’s silence as agreement, for whom reluctance is a form of flirtation, for whom a quiet ‘no’ is a token resistance, for whom quite a few ‘no’s are just a barrier to be pushed through. These are men that assume that because a woman is kissing them, she’s consenting to everything else. They aren’t violently holding down their partner and their partner isn’t screaming and crying but it is still wrong.
When I was seventeen and drunk and making out with a guy, and he continued doing what he was doing even after I said ‘no’ a bunch of times and tried to push his hands away, I didn’t think I’m being sexually assaulted. I thought, oh, I guess we’re doing this now, and even though I don’t want him to be doing this I also don’t want to cause a scene so I suppose I’ll just let him.
The next day there was no doubt in my mind that he hadn’t done anything wrong. If I’d really not wanted him to do it, I’d have screamed, right? I’d have pushed him off the bed or smacked him in the jaw. And I’d kept kissing him while saying no to his hands in my pants, because I’d still wanted to kiss him, so I guess he just thought I was fine with it. And anyway, I didn’t feel particularly upset, so what’s the big deal?
I didn’t think about this again until a couple of years later, when a friend was telling me that a similar thing happened to her. The difference was, she did feel upset about it, tremendously and rightfully so: she had said no and he had ignored her. We agreed that this person was a bad person who had done a bad thing.
And then I thought about that night when I was seventeen, and thought Oh.
Why hadn’t I felt at the time like the guy who had stuck his hands in my pants even after I said no was a bad person? Why hadn’t I felt like he’d done anything wrong? Looking at the facts, I knew he shouldn’t have done it, but I had a hard time attaching the label rape or sexual assault to something that made me feel less like I’d been violated and more like I’d been forced to go to a party that I didn’t really want to go to but ended up having an OK time.
Art by Terri Lee
In the end, it doesn’t matter that I hadn’t felt violated; plenty of women would have, and quite rightfully so. But this demonstrates why there are otherwise normal, caring, good guys out there studiously ignoring a lack of consent without realising they’re doing anything wrong, because it happened to me and at seventeen I didn’t even realise it was wrong. I just figured that’s how things go.
Where did we both get the idea that that’s ‘how it goes’? Why on earth did I feel like it was OK for my protests to be ignored, and why did an otherwise good guy feel OK ignoring them? The problem lies in what straight men and women are taught – explicitly, by countless dating guides and the pick-up artist movement, and implicitly by our media and culture – about how men and women (should) behave regarding sex. This is why I’m phrasing this piece in terms of men and women; of course rapists aren’t all men and victims aren’t all women, nor all sexual encounters heterosexual, but a big part of what leads to the situations I’ve described is the way straight men are socialised in our society.
How many films glorify men who keep pursuing a girl after she’s expressed her disinterest? How many tell men that they can indeed get the girl if they just keep trying? Many of them focus on ‘getting’ the girl in terms of a romantic relationship as well as a sexual one, but serve to create and reinforce the idea of the man as the pursuer and the woman as the pursued – which is just a softer, cuddlier, Hollywood-endorsed version of men as the predator and women as the prey.
We have all been taught by the media, by our culture, that the man should be the aggressor, that he should ‘escalate’ the situation. Men have been taught that women might seem reluctant or put up a ‘token resistance’ but that they shouldn’t be disheartened, it’s just how girls are! So innocent! So coy! Just push a little more! Don’t give up!
Please. Give up. If a woman says no, listen to her. If a woman seems reluctant or uncomfortable, ask her about it, or slow down, or pull back; give her the space to express her desire and don’t keep pushing for something you aren’t absolutely certain that she wants.
Women, express your desire! If you want to have sex with someone, tell them. Show them. Ask them. This largely isn’t our problem to solve but playing hard to get when you genuinely desire someone fuels the idea that consenting women have to be hunted, pursued, and pushed in order for a guy to get what he wants.
As I said, I don’t think most of the men doing these things are bad men by any means. They are good men who need to be taught better. This was a difficult essay to write because it’s a difficult situation: I’m aware that the modern dating game is largely predicated on these harmful gender roles and it can be difficult to escape from them. We’ve all been born into this patriarchal culture. No one alive now is the source of the problem, but we can stop perpetuating it by no longer buying into antiquated notions of how men and women are supposed to interact.
As long as our men are taught that they are the ones who must push things forward, that women will seem reluctant in order to fulfil the cultural requirement for girls to be innocent and good; as long as women do sometimes put up a token resistance in order to get what they want without being judged; as long as the discourse around one night stands and promiscuous sex remains buried in the assumption that men are the hunters and women are the prey; as long as we maintain that ‘boys will be boys’ and fail to hold them accountable for their actions; as long as we demean men by insisting that when it comes to attractive women, they just can’t control themselves; as long as we demean women by failing to see them as sexual actors, aggressors, women who know what they want… This will keep happening. And no matter how I felt that one night when I was seventeen, it’s not OK. I know better now.
Hopefully, soon, we all will.
By Lauren Jack
If you have any thoughts or experiences surrounding this complex issue of sexual consent please head over to The Grey Area our anonymous forum and help us raise awareness of this difficult problem and affect change within it.
I am now studying Urban Geography, which involves the analysis of the interplay between human behaviour and the (built) environment, and therefore I have a special interest in architecture. The first year of my studies I found out that I was not only interested in the facades of buildings, but also what hides behind the front door. While I was exploring Glasgow, I inevitably entered the Kelvingrove Museum where I walked past the painting ‘Windows in the West’, which perfectly shows my sentiments towards the flats in the city: we all live together apart, and try to make the best of it.
As with almost every city, Scottish architecture differs from the Dutch. Whereas in the Netherlands, buildings are usually built with small bricks, here, in the West End for example, the Victorian houses consist of large chunks of stone. But I found one of the most interesting features of Scottish building practices when I started doing fieldwork for my thesis. This involved posting leaflets in mailboxes to announce my presence in a neighbourhood. I was startled when I found out there are no mailboxes on the outside of closes. Of course, later I discovered that you actually have to enter the close to post anything. This raised some questions, since one entrance to a close had a sign saying not to let in any strangers. The placing of mailboxes outside might decrease the risk of unwanted guests entering.
Apart from the appearance of the buildings, the housing policies and housing stock of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands differ significantly. Whereas in the Netherlands, the social housing stock comprises the majority of the housing market, the contrary is the case in the United Kingdom. The Netherlands is actively trying to decrease the share of social housing. Bearing this in mind, it struck me that the Guardian devoted on the 23rd of September a 15 page long special in their paper to the promotion of social housing. It is strange that both the promotion and decrease of social housing seem to have the same outcome or at least imply that that is their purpose: improved social cohesion.
How can the decrease or increase of social housing improve social cohesion? The idea is that more mixed communities in social, economic, cultural and ethnic terms is fruitful ground for more tolerance from every angle. In short, homogenous neighbourhoods are something that should be avoided. Apart from the fact that mixing could create tolerance, some people argue that different social groups can learn from each other and make bridging social bonds which can help people to advance further in life.
The question is of course if this is actually the case. There is evidence that mixing creates more tolerance and may result in some mirrored behaviour, but other research points out that it tears up local communities when, in the Netherlands for example, social housing is replaced by private rental or owner-occupied housing. The flipside is that deprived areas know a lot of problems, and that interventions have to be made somehow. Whether social mixing is the one and only solution has to be discussed. One of my respondents in the Netherlands said: ‘What if you had done nothing?’. Indeed, a lot of times in these restructured or regenerated neighbourhoods the situation is improved in quantified terms. But often this also means that the ‘problem’ has moved to other or more peripheral areas.
Avril Paton – Windows in the West
Currently in Kelvingrove Museum
By Rosa de Jong
Catalonia is situated on the northeastern side of Spain with Barcelona as its capital, with a population of approximately 7.5 million. Spain has been highly fortunate to ensure national unity throughout its history despite of linguistic and ethnic diversification. Catalonia’s independence can therefore prove to be highly destructive for the national unity of Spain and for the interests of U.S.A, Europe and even Catalonia itself, according to some critics.
A Catalonian Kingdom has never existed; rather Catalonia has always remained a part of a bigger kingdom called ‘The Kingdom of Aragon’. However, the Catalonian language and identity has existed throughout Spanish history. For hundreds of years the idea of Catalonia’s independence has been on the cards, but Catalonian leaders have always deemed it proper to establish and maintain sound relationships with the governments at the national level. Mr. Arthur Mas, President of Catalonia and leader of one of the nationalist parties of Catalonia’s regional parliament, was an adherent to the national government a few years back, but after the public’s demand for independence he has become a campaigner for the ‘yes’-movement.
The residents of Catalonia have an uneasy relationship with Spain. Without any doubt, the modern state of identification with Catalan culture and language is a response to Franco’s repressive rule over Catalonians decades ago. Current Catalonian politicians and two previous generations have grown up in this repressed Catalan environment, which has affected their way of thinking about independence. Furthermore, school curriculums have unveiled the horrifying history of Catalonia that consists of how Franco suppressed the Catalonians during the civil war. Moreover, political and economic turmoil in Spain has paved way for enthusiasts, like Mr. Artur Mas, who are ready to burn the midnight oil to secure Catalonia’s independence despite setbacks.
Catalonia’s independence is not an easy process as there are several blockades in its way. One of the major reasons is corruption. The mentor of Artur Mas, Pujol, was involved in a corruption scandal. As a result, the promise to the general public of clean and fair politicians is under threat. Additionally, a huge proportion of the Catalan population prefer Spanish as their mother tongue, in contrast to a minority, who still speak Catalan. If Catalonia secures independence, the Spanish speakers might not appreciate the change and consider migration to Spain. Another setback for the ‘yes’-movement is that the political parties of Spain have not advocated Catalonian independence. There has been no Spanish Prime Minister, in decades, who has raised a voice for independence. The central government supports Spanish national unity.
Recent polls have revealed a widening gap between ‘yes’ and ‘no’ voters. Polls stated before the referendum that 50% of the population would vote ‘no’ whereas 43% would vote a ‘yes’. This reminds us of the Scottish referendum in 2014, in which 55% Scots voted ‘no’ and 45% voted ‘yes’. A few weeks before the Scottish referendum, it was believed that the ‘yes’ vote would win, but the results turned to ‘no’. Therefore, independence movements are not easy.
As the most indebted region of Spain, Catalonia has already acquired several bailouts from the national government even though this region has a 20% GNP share in Spain’s national account and injects more taxes into Spanish economy in contrast to the revenue it shares. Even if Catalonia secures its independence from Spain, it would have to face a major part of Spanish debt, which it would need to pay in the future. Furthermore, the hunt for a new currency would not be easy, as Spain has the authority to veto Catalonia’s membership in the European Monetary Union. Deprivation from NATO’s membership might prove to be another nail in the coffin if luck does not favour Catalonia.
To achieve Catalonia’s independence, Arthur Mas and his team have to prove how the ‘yes’-movement can bring prosperity in people’s lives and how all the hazardous consequences can be dealt with. Patriotic assertions alone cannot convince the majority of the people to support this movement.
By Ali Zain Bhatti
They that when we’re younger we’re more left-wing, radical and have a greater desire for change but as time goes on, that desire fades and we’re left wanting to spend our time doing crosswords while watching Countdown and eating After Eights.
This trend was highlighted following the 2010 general election, when throughout their entire campaign the Liberal Democrats insisted they would not raise tuition fees only to do so when elected as the parasitic member of our current coalition government. This resulted in a protest of 50,000 students in London’s Trafalgar Square in November 2010 and another when the bill was passed a month later. These protests echoed across the country in places like Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham, creating the largest student movement in Britain in our lifetime. Although the movement was undermined by episodes of violence, it nonetheless proved that students have a voice and will mobilise. Even though tuition fees were raised anyway, the movement had such an impact in Westminster that Nick Clegg released an apology video…though admittedly the only good thing to come from this was the auto-tune remix on YouTube.
A place we can see student protests having a real impact is in Hong Kong. In 1997 Hong Kong’s sovereignty was transferred to the People’s Republic of China where the government promised they would retain the territory’s capitalism and partial democracy. However since then China has resisted granting Hong Kongers full democratic rights. Despite the lip service of strong global outcry, as always, there has been a vacuum of response. This was highlighted in August last year when China said people could only vote in the 2017 leader election for candidates put forward by the government. This is playing the democracy game, but by China’s rules, and it consequently sparked a series of protests last autumn. Main roads were blocked off and government buildings occupied. The majority of protests were organised, run and carried out by Hong Kong’s students. Authorities were under the spotlight for their appeal to repressive tactics and were even criticised by the Chinese government after excessive violence and use of tear gas. Although Hong Kong’s experience was not on the same scale as the pro-democracy protests of Tiananmen Square 16 years ago, these students are having a profound impact not only on their government but also on their constitution. Although we do not face the same struggles here in the UK, I would like to believe that if ever we did, we could demonstrate a similar level of resilience, unity and nerve as those on the frontline in Hong Kong.
It’s not only in recent years that students have made a significant impact in politics. The civil rights movement in America was helped greatly by the efforts of young black students in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1960. Tired of being oppressed by white people and the law, four African American freshers at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University staged a sit-in at the ‘whites-only’ section of a Woolworth’s café, deterring business for the company and forcing desegregation. These sit-ins quickly gathered momentum and were emulated across the United States, with similar civil disobedience taking place in Virginia and Tennessee. Protesters were heckled and even dragged out and beaten on the streets by policemen. With the unrest captured by the broadcast media, the news quickly spread around the world during a tense period in the Cold War. This allowed Lyndon Johnson to get Congress to pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act and end the lawful discrimination of African Americans, arguably the greatest achievement in American twentieth century politics. Leaders of the Civil Rights groups at the time were trying to gain equality through court cases and a lengthy legislative process, but it was the students who pursued immediate results and ignited the spark that revolutionised the attitudes of the nation.
These historical and contemporary issues allow us to recognise that as students, we have the potential to play a vital role in politics all over the world. When united and committed, we can achieve extraordinary things. In an era of widespread apathy and political disillusionment, I hope that everyone at some point during their university experience gets involved in some kind of political activity, even if it’s just voting in the general election in May. It is all too easy to forget the crucial difference that our participation can make.
Will there ever be a time in which travelling communities are not members of a misrepresented minority, excluded from the rest of society? This was the question many travelling showmen during the Clyde Gateway regeneration project that was completed in Dalmarnock as part of Glasgow 2014. One of the three themes of the Commonwealth Games’ legacy was ‘inclusion’. That so many showmen (a travelling fairground community) felt that they were excluded because of their ethnicity is troubling in a modern democratic society.
Clyde Gateway is an ‘urban regeneration company’ that was created to revitalise parts of Glasgow for last year’s Commonwealth Games. There were undoubtedly improvements made in the Dalmarnock area. However many people questioned the fairness of Clyde Gateway driving local people from their homes. This sparked a huge debate across the United Kingdom and heavy media coverage surrounding the tenants. However, travelling showman communities in the area did not receive the same media coverage. Their sacrifices went unknown and they were left voiceless victims of discrimination.
In a world in which so many claim that political correctness has gone mad, it’s hard to believe that travelling communities would experience discrimination. After I discussed the issue with members of the local travelling community, it became clear that it was not necessarily being asked to co-operate with Clyde Gateway that they objected to, but the way in which they were treated throughout the moving process. Many were moved from the sites they occupied, starting over a period of ten years prior to the 2014 Games and continuing to this day. The only site licenses they could acquire meant they had to live in industrial estates. At first they were told very little about their future circumstances, despite the majority of them owning the land they were being moved from. They had unreasonable conditions set on the new land they occupied and were excluded from regeneration maps. They also felt that the way they were spoken to on many occasions was disrespectful.
These attitudes toward the travelling community are reflected throughout society. Travellers were protested against when they tried to move into a different area, received late payments after their re-location and told by their local MP that they were not his concern. Linda Johnson, who is the co-owner of a showman’s site just outside the Dalmarnock area, claims that this process has encouraged a negative view of showmen. She feels that this has created major setbacks in their assimilation into the wider community: ‘Clyde Gateway has knocked my people back twenty-five years!’
Roy Thomson, a local showman, demands action against this type of behaviour: ‘Westminster and Holyrood need to take more notice of organisations such as Clyde Gateway, their racist and discriminatory, almost stone-age approach is…worrying’. That anyone could be made to feel excluded and discriminated against in the twenty-first century is morally repugnant.
On the train to Edinburgh one Sunday morning last October I was reminded of the scene in ‘Miss Congeniality’ when in response to the question: ‘What is the one most important thing our society needs?’ girls, playing ‘Miss America’ contestants, all answer ‘world peace’.
Yet there I was going to a UN conference on peace; a concept that even a chick-flick had satirised as too farfetched. Men, women, intellectuals, students, charity workers and members of the media were coming together to discuss peace and there was no gold embossed sash in sight. Instead, there was a genuine feeling that peace may actually be possible. The tone of the event did not suggest the pursuit of some farfetched utopia, but a realism that recognised the enormity of the task ahead. As Rukiyah Khatun from the Tutu Foundation said, ‘you need a sense of humour and patience, because without that you’re not going to get anywhere’.
Telling someone you’re talking about peace is a bit like saying you’ve been contemplating the meaning of life. The reaction will usually be similar – a look of confusion followed by a statement along the lines of ‘well, everyone knows world peace is impossible.’ However individuals such as Rukiyah Khatun, Michael Doherty (Director of Peace and Reconciliation Group of Northern Ireland) and Richard Barnes (from the Israeli Committee Against Housing Demolition) together put forward a powerful case for why it is a crucial conversation for us to have.
Khatun reminded us, ‘we tend to think that peace is the normal situation, but as we look around; fighting is the norm.’ In looking at conflict in places such as Palestine, South Africa and Northern Ireland, a conference like this makes you realise that unrest is not always in distant lands. Michael Doherty’s comments about finding an undetonated bomb a week ago in his hometown of Derry brought this home to us. On sectarian unrest in Northern Ireland, he said, ‘It’s not over, it’s far from over.’ Doherty began to fight for peace after his car was blown up by the IRA: a powerful example of how personal experience can motivate action. In response to a question on how someone can get involved in peace-making, Khatun said, ‘find the thing you’re angry about and just stick with it… if you are that angry you will find a way.’
Listening to Rukiyah, Michael and Richard Barnes speaking about South Africa, Northern Ireland and Palestine, they made it very clear that being passionate is essential. As Khatun said, ‘we are the soldiers for peace here… it is a thankless task’ and in order to do it you have to find your passion.
Peace-keepers seem to be the elusive optimists in a conflict who, in the case of Richard Barnes, tirelessly continue to rebuild houses the fifth time, and then will return, without hesitation, to build them for the sixth after the bulldozers return. Barnes, when speaking about the Palestine-Israel issue mentioned a phrase used widely in Israel: ‘mowing the lawn’. It refers to a tactic used by the Israeli military to control Palestinian confidence when they seem to get a bit too big for their boots. As Barnes attempted to explain, having your house repeatedly bulldozed is a situation almost impossible to comprehend.
Yet, there we were, peacefully in Edinburgh, attempting to understand what a ‘peace-maker’ does, and coming to terms with the complex and sometimes tragic state of the world without being depressed. Sometimes it is a case of admitting defeat, but most of the time it seems to be to smile, pick up another a brick and start building again.
‘The first casualty when war comes – is truth.’
Sebastian Meyer repeated these well-known words during his speech at the UNAE conference in Edinburgh. Though first spoken nearly a century ago by US Senator Hiram Warren Johnson, amid the settling dust of WWI, these words hold true today.
The media are first in the firing line when accusations of misrepresentations of situations are thrown around. They are accused of covering up the truth, denying it, or refusing to publish it. The photos we assume are largely accurate, how can you fake a photo? – Unless it is a disastrous editorial mistake that prints a Sheikh’s picture rather than an accused terrorist. (I am sure you are aware of the situation I am talking about).
It is true that you cannot fake a photo. However, you can orchestrate and coordinate a photo. This, Sebastian Meyer explained, is what ISIS has been doing. They have ‘orchestrated massacres for the media’, taking photographs of them, selling these to western photo associations who then sell them onto the newspapers that you see on your walk to work or read over a morning coffee.
The image accompanying your coffee is propaganda. It is there to induce fear and encourage citizens to demand that their government does something. Meyer asked the audience a difficult question to fathom: Are these news agencies acting as ‘unwilling foot soldiers of ISIS helping to share propaganda?’
It also leads us to consider the role of media bias. Meyer explains that it ‘is very important for me in conflict not to pick sides’ and warns us that western media outlets have. ‘We’ve picked sides and that’s a dangerous thing to do’.
The role of the media in contemporary conflict is to show war in all its horrors. Meyer explained this succinctly by saying ‘if my photos do not show war to be scary then I’m not doing my job properly.’ While the 2D image is ‘silent, still and not temporal… war is 3D, it is coming at you from all sides.’ War, Meyer, explained is also unbelievably loud. It’s louder than you can ever imagine. When looking at a photograph of conflict depicted in a paper with a gentle burble of the radio in the background, the overwhelming sound is almost impossible to imagine. Meyer made sure we understood that ‘war is nothing like beautifully framed photographs.’ Keeping images accurate is something Meyer explains he really struggled with, telling us that that his photos of Afghanistan sucked. He said, ‘the reason my pictures suck is because there is no sense of fear.’
What I understood Sebastian Meyer to be articulating was that while we cannot understand the horrors of it, his job is to try and make us begin to comprehend. The role of the media is to explain what is going on outside of our comfortable bubbles and to help us understand the real purpose of photography. The point instead is reminding us that the picture – while it shows us a 2D snapshot, a hundredth of a second of war – cannot even begin to convey the full meaning of a situation. Meyer explained that when artillery fire is replaced by lounge jazz in Starbucks, sometimes a photo is not enough. After the disappointment of his photographs from Afghanistan, he opted to take a sound recorder and film camera when he travelled to Libya. In order to try and explain the importance of sound, Meyer showed us a video of an explosion in Libya and later played the audio clip.
I speak for myself when I say that it gave me goosebumps, the sound was overwhelming and thunderous initially. This moment of fear, different to the fear experienced by those experiencing the situation first-hand, is a disconnected feeling. Instead it is close to the fear felt when you are scared in the cinema or waking up after a bad dream. You are frightened, alarmed and uncomfortable but ultimately you know that you are safe.
Meyer shows that despite technological advances that can document and broadcast live, the fear that one feels in a war zone is impossible to properly communicate to western audiences. Only when we are there in the middle of it will we be able to truly understand. Until then we need to thank the photojournalists and news agencies that continue to give us a glimpse of what is going on.
‘An act of resistance or rebellion; a revolt’.
Events in Hong Kong have once again thrust this idea into the international consciousness and the world has looked on as thousands have joined the protests against China. Looking back at previous movements however, the success of such efforts can be questioned. Is change ever truly possible to achieve or are these countries forever chained to the injustice that has plagued their history?
The past decade has witnessed the escalation of political upheavals across the globe, with varying degrees of success. Born out of determination to propel their nation in the direction of fairness, mass gatherings have sprung up, with thousands of individuals pushing for change.
Looking to Europe, Ukraine has often been at the forefront of such movements, with the ‘Orange Revolution’ being one of the most significant. Following the Presidential election in November 2004, thousands took to the streets to protest against Viktor Yanukovych’s victory, claiming electoral fraud and demanding a re-vote. The subsequent election was deemed to be ‘fair and free’. Ukrainians had got the result they wanted. In theory this result was meant to be Ukraine’s turning point: an opportunity to move towards becoming a democratic state. Yet in the years following, change seemed slow moving and those who were involved in the revolution became increasingly disillusioned. Confidence in the newly elected President waned and not long after taking up office he was forced to sack his Prime Minister over allegations of corruption. Relations with Russia also became increasingly strained and the economy was hit hard during the recession that rocked Europe in the late noughties. The Ukraine that existed post ‘Orange Revolution’ was a far cry from the one envisioned by the thousands who demanded change. The lack of profound change was laid bare by the result of the 2010 presidential election when Viktor Yanukovych claimed victory, six years after he was denied victory in the previous election. The legacy of the ‘Orange Revolution’ calls into question the chances of genuine success following an uprising.
Ukraine is far from being the only country to experience an uprising in recent years. The Arab Spring movement shook the Middle East for almost two years and saw many leaders ousted from power. Perhaps the most significant of these revolts was in Egypt, where thirty million people took to the streets. The end result saw President Mubarak resign, bringing an end to his near thirty-year rule of the country. Similarly to Ukraine, this outcome led many to hope for profound change. But three years on from the uprising Egypt has struggled to make the transition to democracy. The country’s first civilian president, Mohammed Morsi, was removed from power after only a year and many fear that Egypt’s current President will oversee a return to the authoritarian approach that prevailed under Mubarak. Long gone is the optimism that intoxicated those who took to the streets and with two elections in three years, political stability in Egypt appears a long way off and democracy even further.
The legacy of past uprisings leads us to question such movements. Temporary change may be achieved but long lasting political stability and democracy is an elusive goal. The equality that so many desire is often lost in political battles and it’s the people who suffer in the process. Uprisings are an important movement and peoples’ voices are heard however it’s often the aftermath that speaks the loudest.
The result is in. An independent Scotland is a no go. Plans for Scotland to lift off from the rest of the UK have been terminated, at least for the short term. Some Scots are relieved with the result, some are frustrated and some just don’t know what to think. So what now? Well, that question really depends on the Scottish population. The politicians have made their pleas and promises but realistically no major change is coming to Scotland unless public pressure reaches breaking point. It’s up to us to decide whether we want everything to keep chugging along as usual or instead look back at the referendum for some inspiration on how to proceed.
If only one key message could be taken from the entire referendum process, it should be that more people will be active in the democratic process if they feel their voice matters. The referendum was different in that people felt they had a say in their future for once and as a result, there was energised debate and a soaring turnout. Usually in Scottish Parliament, European, general and council elections, your representative’s face changes, but little else does. When the issue is political alienation and not political apathy, we should start looking at possible alternatives available, which were hinted at during the campaign.
The Yes campaign mobilised a significant grassroots movement and produced organisations such as the Radical Independence Campaign, Women for Independence, Labour for Independence and Generation Yes. While all this wasn’t enough to win over the majority of voters, it set a good precedent in how to reach people who feel disengaged and alienated. This is especially true in Glasgow, where turnout is typically low for elections but rose to 75% for the referendum. Therefore I am suggesting, that if more community organisations are set up in these disenfranchised areas and local issues start to be addressed, we might witness the rise of an increasingly engaged electorate that is ready to participate nationally.
Also important to note was the residual reaction to the referendum result. SNP, Green and Scottish Socialist Party membership increased dramatically and a ‘We are the 45%’ online movement was created in the first few weeks after the referendum. These developments are significant but need further developing if they are to have an impact on the political scene. Popular mass movements don’t spring up from nowhere, which is why there are a growing amount of committed and organised activist groups working in solidarity with one another, trying to form a solid foundation of activism to build upon.
It is practically a truism now that the majority of the population are fed up with the current political system, irrespective of allegiances either to Scotland or the UK as a whole. However, the challenge is getting people (like myself) motivated to give up their time and effort to change these institutions they have become so estranged from. Participation in and out of Parliament, reformist and direct action, can all be effective if there is enough willpower behind it. So the question we really should be asking ourselves is, how committed are we to our own democratic ideals?
The Chinese economy is the fastest growing and the largest in the world. The reasons for this outcome, however, often remain misunderstood by the majority of observers. A common misconception is that Chinese government intervention in the markets has facilitated the steady growth the Chinese economy has experienced in the past few decades. In reality, it all started at the Labour Conference in 1978. Deng Xiaoping delivered a speech presenting his idea of socialist economy with Chinese characteristics with a ten-year action plan. In particular, the rules created by Mr Xiaoping’s government broke from the approval of Chinese control authorities.
The decisive turning point in shaping the Chinese economy was at the beginning of the leadership of Deng. After his speech, his policies failed. Chinese citizens stopped complying and started resisting the personal and legal norms set by the regime. This was crucial for China to become an economic miracle. Disobedience began in the villages where production communes disbanded and were transferred to independent family entities, which were farming the land. However, this does not happen with the consent of the government. On the contrary, the collapse of collective farms was strictly prohibited. The authorities in charge of compliance with the law and order in the State realized the emerging potential for development. Hence, they deliberately ignored the policies of the headquarters in Beijing. The government’s instructions were disobeyed by local authorities that instead took steps more in keeping with a liberalized market system. The rule breaking of the countryside gradually spread to private industries in the cities. Many organizations continued to act on behalf of the government but their management was taken over by private companies. This change began in the agricultural sector and was anything but accidental.
Deng Xiaoping has always stressed the leading role of the Communist Party. Although China’s the relaxation of China’s economy has often been attributed to the CCP’s reforms, the real reason for the deployment of the free economy is largely coincidence. Since 1978, when the unexpected market liberalization began, China has been enjoying economic prosperity. The country succeeded only because people did not obey Deng’s policies.
Today, the Chinese government aims to revitalize the state’s role and increase market intervention. In other words, it is taking an approach contrary to that which has been delivering prosperity for decades. Forbidding private enterprises access to credit as well as placing restrictions and prohibitions on international companies is the main obstacle to foreign investors and local entrepreneurs trying to enter into the modern Chinese market.
Only time will tell whether the political leaders of Beijing are going to continue on the current path or realize their mistake and continue the Chinese economic miracle.
Today marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazi concentration and death camp in southern Poland where an estimated 1.1m people died during the Second World War. Of those killed, the majority were Jews while the remainder included Poles, Soviet prisoners of war, gypsies, homosexuals, disabled people and prisoners of conscience.
Last autumn I visited the camp as a guest of the Holocaust Educational Trust (HET). Launched in 1988, the HET is a charity that aims to ensure that generations of young people today do not forget the atrocities that occurred at the camp and others like it across central Europe. The HET’s Lessons from Auschwitz project aims to increase awareness and understanding of the Holocaust and remind people what can happen when racism and prejudice become acceptable. The Trust is partnered with secondary schools and colleges around the UK and strives to enable as many pupils as possible to travel to Auschwitz. The day I went I joined almost 200 sixth-form students from the west of Scotland. Students subsequently build on their experiences by sharing them within their communities.
Our day began with a stop in Osweicim, the small town where the several camps that comprise Auschwitz-Birkenau are located and where a local Jewish community had lived prior to the war. We visited a cemetery where the gravestones had been hastily repositioned once the war ended – we learnt that upon annexing Poland in 1939, the Nazis had dug up Jewish stones and used them to pave roads. We then entered Auschwitz I, the former Polish barracks repurposed as a concentration camp in 1940. Beyond the chilling ‘Arbeit macht frei’ (‘Work makes you free’) entrance, we found piles of hair, glasses and clothes, as well as a gas chamber that we entered.
In the afternoon we travelled the short distance to Birkenau, the purpose-built camp that lies behind the infamous railway track and archway. It’s here that the vast majority of victims died. At Birkenau our guide explained how prisoners from all parts of Nazi-occupied Europe would arrive by train, believing they were in transit to a new life in ‘the east’. Many did not survive the journey due to the inhumane conditions on board. We saw the four brick facilities where prisoners were gassed with the lethal Zyklon-B pesticide on an industrial scale.
I was struck by the systematic nature of the camp and the tragic events that took place there. The site was operated so methodically to achieve maximum efficiency in answering ‘the Jewish question’. Visitors learn how Nazi officers carefully planned how best to expand the camp and increase the capacity of the gas chambers. By the spring of 1944, as many as 6,000 prisoners were being killed each day at Auschwitz-Birkenau. In order to prevent other inmates from hearing the screams inside the chambers, officers would park trucks outside and rev the engines.
Our day at Auschwitz ended with a memorable ceremony held next to the destroyed Crematoria II. The ceremony was performed by Rabbi Barry Marcus of the Central Synagogue London and included readings and a moment of reflection before we placed memorial candles at the end of the railway track. The pupils participating in the Lessons from Auschwitz project were visibly moved and left with some valuable memories to share with classmates back home in Scotland. The camp is as relevant today as it was when it was liberated seventy years ago. Only last month Prime Minister David Cameron visited and today some of the camp’s few survivors will return to reflect on their experiences.
Today Auschwitz serves as a crucial reminder of the evil humans are capable of inflicting on each other. It shows us the horrors that are possible when prejudices are left unchecked and extremist political groups are able to capture the hearts and minds of populations in difficult times.
Greg Philo is the professor of Communications and Social Change and the research director of the Glasgow Media Group here at Glasgow University. His research has examined how issues such as the Israel and Palestine conflict, the Falklands war, industrial news, and mental illness are portrayed in the media and understood by the public. The media group’s most recent publication, Bad News For Refugees, explores how migrants have been stigmatised in political rhetoric and media coverage. In 2010, Philo outlined his proposal for a one-off tax on the richest 10% of the UK population, in an article for the Guardian, which can be read here.
Recently, the papers have been plastered with the News of the World phone hacking trial and talk of press regulation. We’ve seen the public accuse the BBC of bias for not reporting austerity demonstrations in London, for ‘promoting’ UKIP, while some have raised concern about how the Independence debate is being handled. Israel and Palestine are also once again in the media, and its coverage too has prompted protest. With all of this going on, I thought Greg Philo might be the person to speak to. I visited his office to ask him a few questions about these recent events.
To what extent was the lack of media coverage of the London austerity demonstrations the result of bias on the part of the press and the BBC?
I think bias is much too crude a way to look at it. You have a political structure in which the BBC are located, and they define their own democratic role within that structure, and what they mean by democracy is what essentially happens in parliament. If you have a situation in which the conservatives, liberal democrats and labour are all one way or another committed to neo-liberal politics, in BBC terms, it squeezes out any other debate. This then leaves the population, who don’t want many policies and don’t agree with much of what is being said and done, actually out of the equation. So the BBC needs to rethink what it is to be the people’s broadcaster.
The labour party for instance is connected directly to neoliberal politics and is very closely associated with the city of London, this goes back to the transformation of the Labour party to being a much more right wing organisation, which began under Kinnock. Before that there had been the big argument between Benn and Healey over the direction Labour should take.
I have a poster here in my office that says ‘STUC says stop the cuts’. That poster dates from 1977, two years before Thatcher came into power. The cuts that were being introduced then were by the Labour party under Healey.
So this issue of public spending and the refusal to tax the rich to reduce inequality, goes back a long way.
Then as the whole political structure moves to the right, the population becomes increasingly fed up because they are losing public services and are furious about things like privatisation. You have big support for nationalisation of railways and energy companies because they don’t want resources which they see as belonging to the people and the nation being traded on international markets. So you get a tremendous popular dissent in opinion polls, but a political structure that is not going to do anything about it, and the result is that large numbers of people don’t vote, leaving the BBC trapped in this version of democracy.
There were over 1,000 complaints made to the BBC, claiming there had been a bias, or an impartiality favouring UKIP in their coverage, how fair do you think that criticism is?
I don’t think bias does justice to it. The problem is that the BBC sees it all in terms of electorate politics. If UKIP does better, and solidifies a particular kind of right wing vote in the country, they see that as an electoral earthquake, but they’re missing out the fact that so many people are not taking part anymore because they feel disenfranchised and that to me seems to be the key issue. The actual number of people who voted for UKIP was 8% of the electorate.
It’s a misunderstanding of the political process, and where the population is in terms of democracy. The BBC needs to redefine their own role and include a range of opinion, and you can see that happening in some BBC programmes.
If you look at Question Time, that sometimes actually has a wider range of debate. The Jeremy Vine show on Radio 2 is another example. Vine actually had me on his show to talk about the wealth tax, but it’s not just me, he has an enormous audience, pulling in masses of commentary that often has nothing to do with what politicians are talking about.
Are there any concrete practical measures people can take?
Absolutely, write to the BBC, write to Jeremy Vine, organise! I remember speaking to maybe a thousand people at the Great Mosque; I was on a platform with George Galloway. I asked the audience, how many of them were not happy with the coverage of Israel and Palestine, but none of them had ever complained about it. So you have literally millions of people in this country that think the coverage is so awful and distorted that they stop watching the BBC. But the BBC is a public body, it’s funded essentially by taxation, so it must be criticised and changed.
When there is criticism against the BBC, it sometimes changes. When we brought out our book, Bad News for Israel, the BBC commissioned the Thomas Report, and it actually concurred with much of what we had said in the book, but nothing was then done which changed the actual coverage. The coverage actually got worse over time. If you look at the coverage at the moment, I think it’s simply mirrors everything we said in our books, in terms of what’s wrong with it.
You mention Israel/Palestine, do you identify any differences in the nature or the causes of the way the conflict is reported in comparison to why domestic issues such as austerity are reported in the way they are?
Much of what we talk about comes down to money and power; it can go different ways at different times. When the west was worried about oil and the Middle East, in many ways there was a softening of the approach to the Arab or Islamic countries. Saudi Arabia for example had a very easy time in terms of politics and public affairs and I think that probably at one point made it a bit easier for the Palestinians.
After the 1972 war there was a tremendous amount of public relations and political activity from Israel, Finkelstein writes about this in The Holocaust Industry. There was a real sense that Israel had to win the public relations battle in the world, and they spent millions, and organised a significant amount of political lobbying in America that coincided with the growth of right wing politics in this country. By the time Tony Blair came into power he was almost a direct conduit from American and British support for Israel. If you look at the political structures in this country, you can see how both Conservative and Labour party MPs have strong links there, but you’re talking overall about commercial links, political links, and the structures of power that operate in the world as a whole.
In a sense there are links between that and neo-liberal politics but not automatic direct ones because neo-liberal politics is about making money and concentrating wealth, and that can embrace links with for example Saudi Arabia that’s also financing very fundamentalist versions of Islam which the big powers also don’t like, so there are many apparent contradictions.
If you look at somewhere like Syria it just exposes all those contradictions. One month they are talking about attacking the Syrian regime because of the issues about chemical weapons and then someone points out that that would actually put them on the same side as al-Qaeda, who are also fighting the Syrian government.
The only consistent feature in all of these wars is that they keep happening and that the arms industry, the contractors, the giant investors and producers of arms and the supply companies keep making trillions of dollars. I don’t think there is a morality behind it at all really except the consistent attempt to keep the whole machine going.
The Glasgow Media Group’s most recent publication, Bad News for Refugees, looks at how migrants are represented in the media. Going back to UKIP and in relation to their stance on immigration, what did you find about the reality of immigration and the immigration we might see on television or in newspapers?
The UKIP argument on migration is sometimes superficially quite left wing, that it is not enough to go for economic growth by bringing in skilled labour from other poorer countries, and actually if you look at UKIP, they can be remarkably sophisticated, certainly Farage is in the way he frames his arguments. For instance, he will attack a giant pizza company in London for exploiting workers from Eastern Europe for giving them poor wages and poor living conditions, and say this suits the big companies. But you can see that he is actually stealing the clothes of the socialists – he wouldn’t put it into Marxist terms, but actually a lot of what he is saying is what Marxists in the 70’s would have called the ‘reserve army of labour’.
It’s an argument you have to be very careful and thoughtful about. It’s very muddled up because as soon as anyone mentions limits of migration, everyone says its racist, and of course it is for some people. A lot of people when they say we have to stop the migrants, mean people with a different colour of skin that they don’t like, and such prejudice has to be opposed. But you have also to question the free movement of labour across borders following the free movement of capital and consider that it might both impoverish the countries the labour has come from and also necessarily displaces some labour in your own country, because you can have skilled workers taking unskilled worker’s positions. When Nelson Mandela came to Glasgow, one thing he said was ‘stop stealing our doctors’. But from the point of view of an employer,if you have motivated, highly skilled workers picking your strawberries it’s better than having people who aren’t.
The not-so-well-thought-out left argument has been jumping into what I think is actually a neo-liberal position, saying: bringing in migrants means you have lots of skilled workers, and this is good because the economy expands and then there’s jobs for everybody. But that isn’t necessarily true if you think about it. If the economy expands you might therefore need more labour, therefore you bring in more skilled labour from poorer countries .It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to create more jobs for your own difficult to place people.
Unemployment is officially two and a half million but really it’s something like five or six million in terms of people working reduced hours but classified as employed, or somehow off the books. So there is a massive number of people looking for jobs, and there needs to be a process to say: ok we need skilled workers and we certainly aren’t going to be racist in any way about limiting people moving around but at the same time you absolutely have to invest in the people who happen to be here, they could be from all over the place, but you have to invest in people who are already here, especially if they are unskilled, and it’s very expensive to do that. You need wealth taxes, and to reduce inequality; you have to intervene to work out what you’re going to do with this population that the neo-liberal market doesn’t require.
If you’re going to have a more progressive society you need to organise it in some way, and the nerve UKIP have touched is exactly that, they’re popular partly because of the racism, and that’s certainly the case, but it is also saying that capitalism has to be responsible for everyone in the workforce, Farage wouldn’t put it in those terms but that’s the nerve he’s touching.
There have been some who have accused the BBC of impartiality over its coverage of the Scottish Independence debate. What are your thoughts on the media coverage of Scottish Independence and the debate at large?
I haven’t studied it, you’d need to look at all the local news, and I hate the idea of looking at a couple of programmes and saying whether it’s been fair or not. What I will say is that it seems to me a little simple minded to say the BBC is anti-independence on the grounds that it’s taking orders from Westminster, because actually the BBC could also be under pressure from the Scottish Government, which is clearly a major force in Scotland. I don’t really want to intervene and argue about the content, because I haven’t looked at it.
What I will say is that the interesting thing in the debate is that everybody has a vested interest in not saying certain things. Because the media mostly relate to politicians and key voices they avoid all sorts of issues. Both the No and Yes side never touch on some crucial issues, because it’s in a sense too embarrassing and they both feel the need to come across as patriotic. For example, there was a survey done with international students, which found that about half of them wouldn’t study here if Scotland it became independent. They said it would become like Ireland, and in effect, fall off the map of the’top brands’ of higher education. In China for instance, many students are simply ticking a box for a UK or a US education. Ireland has half the universities Scotland has, and about 2,700 Chinese students, in Glasgow alone there are 2000. It would be an enormous hit on universities here, and if you include the loss of direct grant research funding , it would be an even bigger hit. It’s a difficult thing to say because in a way it’s seen as unpatriotic. The government will reply that Scotland is the country of Adam Smith and the steam engine, which is all-true, but as Brazil found out in the world cup you don’t get anything for what you did yesterday.
I think the No campaign feel also feel obliged to hold back in terms of discussing negative consequences. It looks so dangerous. The oil is now 0.4 of 1% of the UK GDP, and the pension costs are estimated to be 3 times the value of the oil. I have found people are quite surprised when they hear this.
Another issue no one wants to talk about is conflicts in Scottish society, such as Protestant-Catholic divisions. Twice now, different focus group organisers have talked about this saying how serious it is. But who’s investigating that? Who’s really investigating what it would do to Scottish society? People don’t want to talk about it; it’s not an image of Scotland that any of its leaders want to display.
Questions by Liam Doherty
The Orange Walks and the Independence Referendum
There are only three certainties in Scotland this year; Death, taxes and the omnipresence of the Independence Referendum. Campaigners from both sides of the vote have tirelessly canvassed, debated, trolled, protested, donated and recruited in what is arguably the largest and most exciting event in recent Scottish history. Unfortunately, the debate on Scotland’s future could become a political bed-sheet waved right at an angry orange bull.
The rub lies in existing issues. For although the Orange Order may seem little more than silly hats, penny whistles and a slightly longer journey to work, religious differences have given it a violent side leading to frequent clashes with the police. As much as the majority of arrests – for drinking in public and antisocial behaviour- can be filed as the inevitable by-product of a large gathering of people on a sunny day in Glasgow, it remains impossible to disguise the link between Orange Order disorder and Sectarianism. ‘ScGlasgow’s East End in summer can be stunning, but it’s no place to nurse a hangover. Each weekend the early afternoon is filled with the whistles, drums and Sunday best suits of the Orange Order. Divisive, fiercely Protestant and strongly unionist, the Order is most active during the ‘marching season’, a series of walks primarily in Northern Ireland and the West of Scotland culminating on the 12th of July, the anniversary of William of Orange’s victory over James II way back when.
This year, the marches in Glasgow are juxtaposed against two major socio-political events – the Independence Referendum and the Commonwealth Games, each with the potential to exacerbate longstanding issues surrounding the parade. And as calls to close down the parades continue, could 2014 be the Order’s last tango on Clydeside?
otland’s Shame’ is a longstanding issue in its largest city, stemming from historic discrimination against Catholic immigrants. Today it is reflected in trouble between fans of the Old Firm clubs -the traditionally Protestant Rangers and Catholic Celtic – and their political allegiances; Celtic fans anti-fascist and pro-Palestine in the current Israel conflict, Rangers the opposite. With Celtic’s stadium and supporters pubs situated in the East End, the walks are tense affairs at best; at worst, this tension quickly gets nasty.
But how does this tie in with independence? Well, essentially, an already politically charged radical organisation (to put it lightly) involving itself with a huge, impassioned movement spells nothing but trouble. The warning signs are present. As expected, The Order has registered as an official supporter of the No Campaign, actively displaying this in brazen WordArt during marches. Their involvement, it seems, couldn’t be further from ‘compassion, peace and stability’: The official Better Together campaign has already publicly distanced itself from the Orangemen; Sam McCrory, widely suspected of plotting to murder senior IRA members, has voiced fears that the Order could disrupt the No campaign by alienating Catholics and centre-left Scots. When a star of Danny Dyer’s Deadliest Men tells you to calm down, it’s obvious there’s a problem.
There’s more than the No Campaign’s reputation at risk. With their reputation for disruptive sectarianism ,the Order already face strong opposition within Glasgow – with a petition calling for their ban as ‘discriminatory supremacist Orange hate marches’ gathering over 4,500 signatures – and the IndyRef could trigger genuine conflict. Indeed, it is not far-fetched to speculate that fears of reactionary violence played a large part in Better Together’s choice to ostracise the Order.
It has been argued that the order are actually playing the classic antihero in the independence tragic-comedy, enfranchising ‘tens of thousands in housing schemes across the country’ who would previously never bothered to vote. Surely there is a better way of doing this than through an organisation built on religious discrimination? It seems more likely that the Order’s involvement in the independence campaign will cause greater unrest at the marches.
The Orange Walks and the Commonwealth Games
As the locals debate and speculate ahead of September the 18th, Glasgow City Council has been gearing up for the Commonwealth Games. Fronted by the ‘People Make Glasgow’ campaign in a bid to present a progressive and united city, government funded graffiti, Salmond Cycles and repainted shop-fronts have all emerged as part of an increasingly dubious regeneration programme. With less than a month to go ‘til the competitions start, the council will be understandably keen to avoid any negative publicity; the marches will be a major cause for concern, and it is likely there will be a heavier police presence in an attempt to deter troublemakers.
This creates problems in itself. Over-policing at the Orange Walk could leave the city appearing divided, its elected officials paranoid. Under policing could give the red tops a field day. It’s some conundrum, and GCC and Police Scotland will have to be spot on with their crowd control when the 12th of July comes around -even more so than previous years. And if the marchers fail to live up to the grand words on their anti-independence flyers, decisive action may have to be taken against them.
Since their conception, the Orange Parades have been a permanent bone of contention in Glasgow. Sympathisers see them as a way of expressing freedom, religious and political pride; others see a volatile and incendiary danger. This year as violence at parades continue, political tensions exacerbated by the IndyRef grow – and with the walks carrying strong potential to disrupt the squeaky-clean Commonwealth image – the bell could finally toll.
A little over a week ago a film titled, Children of War, was released in India. The film is based on the 1971 attack on East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) by the Pakistani army. The Indian press described the film as a ‘reminder of the brutality of the Pakistani Army’, who, in an attempt to supress Bengali self-determination, committed some of the most appalling atrocities since the Second World War.
The conflict broke after the Pakistani military allowed for the country’s first open election in ten years, and after a large majority win for Bengal’s Awami League. The military terminated the first meeting of the National Assembly prompting mass peaceful protest, which in turn was met by the brutality highlighted by ‘Children of War’.
‘GENOCIDE’ appropriately titled the landmark article in The Sunday Times by Pakistani reporter, Anthony Mascarenhas. Indeed Mascarenhas shone a light on the Pakistani army who were reported as having deployed rape, dismemberment and the deliberate murdering of children as tactics of suppression. These reports are supported by comments made by the then U.S. Consul General, Archer Blood, who was stationed in Dacca and in a famous act of insubordination, sent a telegram denouncing his own government’s failure to ‘denounce the suppression of democracy…. to denounce atrocities.’ What became known as, the Blood Telegram, goes on to read, ‘Our government has failed to take forceful measures to protect its [Bengali] citizens while at the same time bending over backwards to placate the West Pak government and to lessen likely and deservedly negative international public relations impact against them’.
Henry Kissinger demanded that Blood be thrown out of Washington. And at the height of the atrocity-ridden suppression of the Bengali, Kissinger thanked the architect of the genocide, General Yahya Khan, for his ‘delicacy and tact’. This, as Christopher Hitchens meticulously details in his excellent, The Trial of Henry Kissinger, was one of several ploys to either enhance relations with China, send a warning to India, or simply to see the self destruction of an emerging state that may have somehow gotten in the way – in short, it was mere business.
It is unclear how many were killed; Bangladesh authorities maintain it was around 3 million while other more conservative estimates put the death toll at 300,000 to 500,000. Whatever figure one wished to use, genocide remains the case. If anything, the numbers do little to reflect the nuances of horror Khan engineered; the strategic systematic raping and murdering of Bengali endures regardless – as does Kissinger’s support.
Just as Children of War gives opportunity to remember 1971, Henry Kissinger’s recent celebration of his 91st birthday provides ample opportunity to remind ourselves of the evildoings of this American diplomat throughout his career as U.S Secretary of State and National Security Council Advisor. Indeed the birthday boy is name to an eerily impressive list of atrocities and crimes against humanity; the secret and illegal bombing of Cambodia, supporting and approving the East Timor genocide, backing the coup of the democratically elected Chilean government, the planned kidnapping and murder of a Washington journalist, supporting the massacre in Tiananmen Square, lying about Vietnam and prolonging the war by four years, backing the Cyprus coup in 1974, advising Saddam Husain to massacre Kurds and promising reward on his doing so. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it paints a deserving portrait of the man who will no doubt be celebrated today.
Detailing all these atrocities lies outside the scope of this article, for all intents and purposes a focus on Chile may give as good a sample as any of Kissinger’s criminal thuggery. Indeed, Seymore Hersh, author of, The Price of Power, sees Chile as Kissinger’s worst act, as it had absolutely nothing to do with national security (that’s not to say the rest were – East Timor is good example of the genocide of a harmless and defenceless people).
The ‘Chilean situation’ as it is described in declassified CIA documents, begins when Salvador Allende emerged as a popular presidential candidate in the 1970 Chilean elections. American corporations operating in Chile became anxious over Allende’s promises to nationalise various industries. IT & T, the American corporation that owned the Chilean copper industry, was one such corporation whose president, Harold Geneen, voiced ‘grave concern’ over the prospect of Allende nationalising Chilean copper. Geneen wasn’t the only deep-wallet to call on Nixon and Kissinger to do something. An old chum of Nixon and President of Pepsi Cola, Donald Kendall, expressed similar concern, as did David Rockerfeller of Chase Manhattan. For Nixon to solve the Chilean situation would secure him vast financial corporate support for a subsequent election. All of a sudden Chile and Allende became a U.S concern.
Kissinger concurred with Nixon on June 27th 1970, stating, “I don’t see why we need to stand by and watch a country go communist because of the irresponsibility of its own people”. Here once again, Kissinger’s contempt for democracy speaks for itself. Allende however, won a plurality with 36.2 percent of the vote. For Nixon, the results of the election were ‘not acceptable to the United States’.
It was decided a military coup would be best. The CIA began recruiting members of the Chilean army. An obstacle presented itself however. General Rene Schneider, chief of the Chilean General Staff, got wind of plans of a coup, and announced his loyalty to the constitution. Hitchens, again in The Trial of Henry Kissinger, notes that in a meeting on the 18th September 1970, Kissinger decided Schneider had to go.
Kissinger concocted and operated a two-track policy, on one hand there would be the diplomacy, and simultaneously on the other, secret plans involving kidnap and murder. Despite Helms and others’ warnings that finding Chilean officers willing to kidnap and assassinate Schneider would be too difficult, Kissinger was adamant they press on – and it paid. General Viaux, an extremist right-wing officer, accepted the job. The exchange between Kissinger and these hit men is detailed by Hitchens in his book. Kissinger supplied payment, machine guns, tear gas grenades, orders and pressure to succeed. After two failed attempts, Schneider’s car was ambushed; he drew his gun but was shot several times at point blank range.
This was a planned kidnapping of an official of a democratic nation with which the U.S was by no means at war with. The kidnappers were armed with American weaponry and paid large sums of money. This was organised by Kissinger, an unelected U.S official who supressed this entire fiasco from the eyes of Congress. The analogising of Kissinger and Nixon as Mafiosi stands vindicated with this whack, and is in fact complimented by declassified tapes were Kissinger and Nixon are heard discussing the post-Schneider overthrow of Allende.
The end of the story is better known. In September 11th 1973, what South Americans term the ‘first 9/11’, Kissinger and Nixon succeeded in overthrowing Allende. Their almost hand-selected brute of choice, Pinochet, led the military coup, bombing the Capital’s, Le Moneda, resulting in Allende’s death. Pinochet was installed with a secret thank you from Kissinger, followed by a murderous and torturous seventeen year dictatorship on part of Augusto. A special team of economists, The Chicago Boys, were also drafted in who broke the back of the Chilean economy. Mission accomplished.
Two months later Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace prize for prolonging the war in Vietnam at the expense of innumerable lives and breaking U.S and international law by secretly bombing Cambodia and Laos. The satirist and mathematician, Tom Lehrer, remarked that this was when ‘satire died’.
If only satire was the sole casualty of Kissinger’s personal success.
Words by Liam Doherty
An Abridged ‘Open Letter to America’ written in 1999 by an anonymous Zambian Journalist: Cited in Global Shadows, Africa in the Neoliberal World Order.
I know you’ve heard it many times by now: your policy in dealing with international crises is very selective. Europe is more important than Africa, Bosnia is more important that Rwanda, Kosovo than Sierra Leone. Why you have not been told yet is what we, the Africans living in Africa, think about not only your actions, but your motives and the underlying principles of your heart.
Your selectivity reveals four realities about the Western world to us: global racism exists and it determines international policy, capitalism is above compassion, the African debt is a deliberate strategy, and finally, democracy is not practiced by its preachers.
Racism, the greatest killer of the human race since time immemorable, is still the strongest force…
The irony of the Kosovo crisis is that it was caused by racism (at the ethnic level) and it was saved by racism (At the international level). NATO has shown that it has a colour, it is not as colourless as it presents itself to the world. It has a face and its face is pigmented: it is white. It has shown that the fact that whites rule America and other NATO countries is a significant fact and it does determine what happens to non-white “nations” in times of crisis…
America and her partners practice a racism/tribalism that is worse that that of Serbians against ethnic Albanians, or Tutsis against Hutus. She does not use guns and machetes, she uses the greatest weapon of mass destruction ever invented: the international credit (Debt) system. She wields this weapon against all the people that it hates. And the ones at the top of the list, apparently, are Africans.
America, World Bank, NATO, or whatever name you choose to disguise yourself in, it is clear that you do not care about Africa. If you admit this it will be easier for us. At least Milosevic has admitted his hatred for “the lower class” and Hitler never pretended about his anti-Semitic feelings. These evil men will at least be respected for their honesty. It is better to be killed by a man who calls himself your enemy than by one who pretends to be your friend…
The graves caused by the gruesome effects of the debt held against Africa are all around us: people die every day of easily curable diseases simply because there is no money in African nations. It has to go to servicing the debt we owe our masters…
Debt reduction is not enough for Africa. Neither is debt cancellation enough. We must fight for compensation. They are the ones who owe us money…
The amount of money they owe us has to be calculated… They owe us for taking some of the strongest men among us to go and work in their plantations. How much has that affected our productive output up to this day?
They owe us for the unfair dealings they did with our unsuspecting chiefs (a gun for miles of land). They owe us for taking the rich minerals out of our land with no permission and with no tariffs. They owe us for brainwashing us to their religions that taught us that poverty was a way of pleasing God and that there is another world after death where things would be better for us, thus taking from us our will to fight for the things they were stealing from us…
So, should they reduce our debt? Should the cancel our debt? No. There is nothing to reduce or cancel here. We owe them nothing; they owe us big time. They are the ones who should be begging for debt reduction from us. They owe each African nation hundreds of billions of dollars… I propose to African professors that they should sit down and calculate the exact figure…
Finally, the present crisis has revealed that there is no democracy in the developed world, or it means something other than what they tell us. Democracy is when the people rule. When the voices of the majority rule. Well, the earth consists of more people in Third World countries than in developed ones, and they have unanimously decided that the debt against them should be cancelled…. Is democracy just an American idea, to be practiced only within the confines of their borders? And even then, their own people believe that they should cancel our debt and that they should intervene fairly in global issues everywhere. They don’t listen to them either. Is that democracy?
But let me not allow these closing sentiments to cloud the real call of my article: we want our money back. We need compensation for what has been stolen from us. If we do not fight for it we will be betraying the people that have died because of it. We will be betraying the African slaves, the freedom fighters, the men women, and children that have died from disease and the millions who will die today. It’s a debt we cannot forgive.
Written in 1999, during the Kosovo intervention, on which NATO became championed for its impressive and effective swift response to genocide, this letter was especially poignant. It illustrates the failings of the International institutions to respond in Rwanda, during the ethnic genocide and civil war between the Hutus and Tutsis. It is important to contextualize the letter in order to consider the angered and powerful sentiments of the discourse. One could be cynical, and argue that in 2014, the rise of grassroots NGOs and an increasingly localised approach to tackling ‘global’ issues undermine the relevancy of the letter. That in this readjusting global order, and the decline of US unipolar dominance, the validity of the finger pointing can be pointed towards ‘equally exploitative’ neo-imperialist states such as China and Canada, tarred with the same brush, in its current ‘scramble’ for African minerals. One could definitely argue that the former ‘West’ is beginning to see the error of its ways and that the smell of international change is in the air, most notably due to the ever-apparent consequences of climate change and global warming.
Nonetheless, I think the direct message of this letter is resolute and critically important for a number of reasons. I think it stands to illustrate the perpetuation and continuing existence of hegemony and static binaries by which we perceive global order, and our insufficiency to see beyond this stagnant, unsustainable conception. This letter highlights how both the West and in the ‘victim’ states themselves perpetuate such neo-liberal sentiments of a divided world.
Firstly, one must note how the letter is self-consciously addressed to “the West.” It therefore insists on the symbiotic relationship and continuing connection between the “ Global North” and the “ Global South”. What I find perhaps slightly disheartening is the way by which it seeks to fall short of priding Africa for its difference and individuality from the West, satirising the notion of the ‘White hero’ misconception. Instead, the letter defines and portrays Africa as parasitic and dependent on the ‘West’ rather than seeking to challenge the very heart of the insidious nature of neoliberal ideology. The author evidently uses the rhetoric and symbolism of the ‘West’ to define Africa. It is as if it is inconceivable that it can take its own initiative to manipulate its relative disadvantage to unstable and question the bedrock ideology of neo-liberalism, which firmly entrenches the current existing international power relations.
What is important however, is the way by which the letter draws attention to the responsibility the West has to recognise its crippling impact its hegemonic international dominance has had on the South. Forcing us to acknowledge this relationship rather than abandoning it. The letter stands symbolically to suggest that with the rise of communication and increasing global discourse, silenced voices can be heard. The fact that you now are probably reading this in the rooks and crannies of some lovely Glaswegian café illustrates the importance that in this world of growing and accessible communication, such impressive, silenced opinions are now being heard. When I read this letter for the first time, I was struck by its honesty, and felt the necessity to increase its readership, as if it was the least I could do. Take it or leave it. Regardless of whether you are cynical of the content of this letter, it certainly forces to take a long hard look at ourselves, to re-evaluate the sincerity of our pledges of ‘democracy’ and ‘liberation’ we so fiercely pride ourselves on.
Words by Sophia Gore
Photo: The Telegraph
It has been some time since the rehearsal of the opening ceremony to the Olympic Games was shown to the Russian audience by Rossiya 1, as a last-minute attempt to whitewash any shortcomings of the real event. More recently, one of the western neighbouring countries of Ukraine was presented to be Czechoslovakia by the American MSNBC. Apart from evoking feelings of nostalgia, or more likely confusion, in those few Czechs and Slovaks that follow American Media, these two supposedly unrelated cases suggest how the truth is portrayed in the media. However, in case of the current situation in Ukraine, the bets are much higher. This “game of facts and interpretations” is especially dominant in two contrasting Media movements; the pro-Russian and pro-Western. The Russia Today, state-owned Russian English-language news channel, represents the former while the representative of the pro-American can be the CNN. These two media outlets seem not to be able to find a common ground on neither the legitimacy of the Ukrainian government, nor the authenticity of the Crimean referendum, while the Western European bastions of journalism such as the BBC, at least attempt to maintain the middle ground in the coverage of this international crisis.
Firstly, CNN and Russia Today have not been able to agree on finding the right adjective to describe the transitional Ukrainian government. CNN has mostly stuck to the term “new government”, which largely avoids any large questions concerning its legitimacy. In contrast however, Russia Today has creatively adapted the description of a “coup-imposed government”, which clearly underlines the unconstitutional overthrow of Yanukovych’s regime in Kiev. CNN and Russia Today have also expressed contrasting views on the legitimacy of the Crimean referendum. While the latter argues in its article, “Putin: Crimeans expressed their will in full accordance with international law”, exactly what the title suggests, the CNN´s article, “Crimea´s vote: Was it legal?”, counter by saying that it was against the constitution of Ukraine. However, neither of them completely ignores the opposite argument. Instead, they show favour of one extreme viewpoint so that the unaware reader would “swallow the bait” of prescriptive statements. The audience in the both cases could enter the debate with a feeling of objectivity but is indirectly encouraged towards one perspective. In the pro-Western article, this is mostly manifested with a suggestion of the manipulation in the referendum voting. Naturally, this scenario was rejected by Russia Today. However, this cannot be seen as a complete surprise since the latter openly claims to be bringing “the Russian view on global news”.
On the other hand, a more favourable attempt of finding a middle ground can be seen in BBC. In particular, two of their articles, “Analysis: Why Russia´s Crimea move fails legal test” and “Ukraine Crisis: Does Russia have a case?” follow the right direction. The former is an analysis of the Russian intervention from the perspective of the international law by Marc Weller, Professor of International Law at the University of Cambridge, while the latter is trying to look at the Crimea crisis from the perspective of Kremlin. Furthermore, the article, “Is Crimea´s referendum legal?”, discusses the legitimacy of the referendum in the same spirit. Even though neither of them is a pro-Russian article, which no one can expect them to be, they seem to be at least solid attempts for objectivity.
The moral we should take from the following variations on truth is that neither the current crisis in Ukraine nor the perspective of the Media that write about can be considered de facto one-sided. Both CNN and Russia Today are guilty of trying to present a subjective version of events regarding Ukraine and Crimea, instead of trying to find establish an objective medium. However, it is important to emphasise that none of them was necessarily lying. No one expects them to be purely factual on the expense of the readability and domestic constraints, although that by itself is not an excuse to remain highly interpretive at the expense of the journalistic content. The balance was generally achieved in the pieces by BBC mentioned above. Consequently, what is presented in the media lies mostly somewhere between the lie and the truth, therefore when trying to make a picture not just about the current situation in Ukraine, it is always essential to consult a variety of sources, while at the same time remaining vigilant and critical.
words by Jakub Csabay
With tensions mounting in Ukraine, I spoke to Virginia Cartwright, a US Peace Corps volunteer who had been living in Okhtyrka, a small city in eastern Ukraine, where she was teaching English in a local school. The Peace Corps is a US government initiative, which aims to promote peace through helping to meet the needs of countries around the world for trained men and women to share their skills and to promote mutual cultural understanding between the USA and those countries. Volunteers work in a variety of sectors including education, health and the environment. Ukraine was the country with the largest number of Peace Corps Volunteers, until the decision was made to evacuate all volunteers back to the USA. I spoke with Virginia shortly after she arrived home in North Carolina, to ask her about readjusting to life in America, her experiences with Ukrainian culture and about the current political turmoil.
How did you find out that you were being evacuated and what was the process of evacuation like?
They have three different stages of alert. At first back in November they just told us to be aware of what was going on around us, not to be an obnoxious American and to try to keep a low profile. When the protests started getting larger they put us on the next stage which is called ‘Stand Fast’ this meant we were told to stay in our cities and we weren’t allowed to travel to the capital. Then there was that terrible Wednesday when 90-something people were killed. Not long after that we went to ‘Consolidation’. That meant all the Peace Corps Volunteers in one oblast (an equivalent of a county), had to go to one central location so that if we did have to evacuate we would all be together. We found out we were going to be evacuated by email. We were all crowded around the laptop and everyone was crying because we knew we weren’t going to get the chance to say goodbye to our Ukrainian friends and colleagues in person, but we also weren’t allowed to tell anyone we were leaving, because of security issues. After we arrived in DC we were allowed to call people so I have talked to a few people and its sad and they’ve been crying. They understand why we had to leave but it was just really sudden. Technically, I finished my service back in September but I decided to extend it to finish the project I had been working on, so I had been in Ukraine for two and a half years.
That sounds quite traumatic to be torn away from your life there so abruptly. What has it been like coming back to the States? When was the last time you were there?
The last time was when I left, back in September 2011. So its been really overwhelming. Especially the amount of choice. Its amazing all the options that are available to me. I went to the grocery store yesterday and nearly had a panic attack in the cereal aisle because there are 900 different types of cereal, its a little excessive to be totally honest. In our kitchen we have three refrigerators full of food; I’m used to this tiny Soviet refrigerator with maybe three eggs and some carrots and my family here have a two year supply of food at our fingertips. My family are having to teach me how to do things again, because I don’t know how to use the TV, I don’t remember how to drive a car, crazy stuff! I was supposed to come home in June, so this has pushed everything forward and I’ve just been thrown back into America. Mentally I feel like I wasn’t quite prepared for it but I’m getting there.
What was it like when you first arrived in Ukraine? As an American how were you received there?
When I first got to Ukraine I had a three month training period, where I had Ukrainian language lessons for 5 or 6 hours a day and cross cultural sessions about Ukrainian traditions and how to behave, and technical sessions about teaching English to Ukrainians. When I first arrived at my school all the teachers were gathered in the teacher’s room. Ukrainians have a tradition of giving a beautiful braided loaf of bread with a bowl of salt for guests. You’re supposed to rip off a piece of the bread and dip it in the salt and thats the first step of being integrated into the community. In general most people were just curious why this crazy American girl was in their school. The most frequently asked question was ‘Why would you leave America to come here?’ Because for most of them their dream is to leave Ukraine, even for a bordering country that would be life changing for them. For me to leave America, this dream land for them, to come live in Ukraine they just can’t fathom why anyone would want do that.
You were saying you had to learn about the culture and the traditions, what were the hardest things to adjust to?
The hardest thing for me to adjust to, culturally, was the emotion in Ukraine. They are very much ‘brick-faced’; you do not smile at strangers and if you do they look at you like you’re crazy. That was hard for me because I’m an outgoing, smiley person. Ukrainians have this proverb that to become friends with someone you have to eat 16 kilos of salt together, so it alludes to how long you have to spend with someone before they consider you part of their inner circle. It takes years for that to happen. For me, I was now just being integrated in this inner circle with my Ukrainian friends, whereas in America or in the UK, you could meet someone, the next day you could have lunch together and pretty soon you would consider yourselves friends. In Ukraine its very different.
Another thing is as much alcohol as Ukrainians do drink, they are never really drunk. So its a little bit different from both America and Scotland! I met a lot of Ukrainians who did not drink at all which shocked me. I think most people when they think of Russia and Ukraine they think vodka! Its true there is a lot of vodka and it is often cheaper than water, but women do not drink vodka. Its usually only men. Women drink wine or cognac. A lot of young people don’t drink because they think of themselves as athletes. So that was interesting to cross off one of the stereotypes.
What will you miss most about living in Ukraine?
There are a lot of things because I was there for two and a half years it became my home. So I will miss my daily routine, like I woke up at the same time everyday, I would get up and boil water for my shower and my coffee. It was hard but you get used to it and by the end it was completely normal. Now being home I can just turn on the faucet and hot water comes out, and I can drink water that comes out the tap and I don’t have to boil it first and wait for it to cool down, its crazy! I will miss the food, Ukrainian food is very good. My first winter there I gained a lot of weight because I didn’t want to go out in -30 temperatures and I just ate all this delicious food. I will miss my students and colleagues, they were the people I interacted with on a daily basis, who taught me about the culture and invited me into their homes. Also I really miss hearing the language. I realise now being back in America how much I really liked using my Ukrainian everyday and I have this fear now that I will forget it.
So how is your Ukrainian now? Because you didn’t speak any when you arrived, is that right?
Yeah, that’s right. Its pretty good, I can explain anything I need to, but it was a little bit difficult because I learned the Ukrainian language, which is usually spoken in the western regions and Russian is spoken in the east. But where I lived, which is the north east, they speak a mix of Russian and Ukrainian so I would only understand half of conversations. I had to be very specific with people and say ‘I speak Ukrainian, can you use as many Ukrainian words as possible and leave out the Russian?’ People who knew me were very good about it. Some people in the East don’t speak Ukrainian at all and I would try to speak to them and they would have no idea what I was saying. Honestly Russian probably would be more useful on a global scale but Ukrainian is beautiful.
Turning to the political situation, do you know anyone in Kiev? What can you tell me about what has been happening there?
Some of my students from the last two years have left school and gone to university in Kiev. They’ve been sending me photos and updates on whats going on, which has been amazing to hear about what is happening from the inside but I also worry about them because its dangerous. Of course, this all started back in November with Yanukovych’s decision not to strengthen ties with the EU. I think that’s when Ukrainians realised ‘we can do something about this, there are enough of us that feel strongly about this decision that maybe we can make a change.’ They had the Orange Revolution back in 2004 but this is the first time they have really fought for independence, their freedom. So they are out there protesting and building this small city within Kiev. They have stations set up to cook borscht, they have hospitals and post offices, they built walls with tyres and ice. The creativity of these people astounds me. Young people my age, 25 or 26, they’ve been saying ‘I’m not doing this for me, I might die because of these protests, but I’m doing this for the future of my country.’
At first the international press was focused only on the protests in Kiev; now attention is turning to the protests in Crimea, and the potential Russian invasion. What is the situation like in the Sumy region?
In Okhtyrka, my town, there weren’t any protests but it was a very hot topic and everyday that I would come into school in the teacher’s lounge everyone would hotly debating it. The largest town in our oblast was Sumy and there were some protests there, pro-Maidan and other groups, but it never got violent so we were lucky. There was nothing like on the scale of Kiev.
You said that people in the Sumy region speak a mixture of Ukrainian and Russian, how does that impact on their sense of national identity and their politics? Are people there pro-EU or do they want to keep close ties with Russia like the majority of the Crimean people seem to want?
In my region, even though Russian was often spoken, many of the people wanted to be integrated with the EU, they did not want to be a part of Russia. Its a generational gap, the older people who had grown up under the Soviet Union saw that as a time of stability and so they would not mind so much being a part of Russia; not that they want that but if it happened they wouldn’t be out in the streets protesting. In general everyone was extremely upset about Yanukovych’s decision not to strengthen ties with the EU. People were very emotional about it, they were crying because they realise that if Ukraine doesn’t get its act together and it becomes a part of Russia again, they might not have another chance for democracy.
With the developments in the Crimea and Putin getting approval to send troops into the region, President Obama has said that there will be ‘consequences’ for any invasion. How do you feel about potential US involvement in the crisis?
That’s a really hard question. It does affect me directly because everyone I know there knows that I’m American and, of course, they are all glued to the news and I wouldn’t want there to be anti-American sentiment. It worries me a little bit but I also know that Ukraine does need help so if America was doing something positive that would be wonderful but I don’t really think it would be a good idea to send in troops.
What are your personal hopes for the future of Ukraine?
I hope that once the elections are held and maybe the government becomes a bit more stable then hopefully this east-west split can be mended. Right now, the government doesn’t even know if what its doing is constitutional, its a huge constitutional crisis. All these different groups are splitting off, so of course there’s going to be this tension between the east and the west because historically the people that western Ukraine admire are the people eastern Ukraine hate. There needs to be a solid leader who can unite both parts of the country. They need to find something to bring them together and hopefully that would eliminate any possibility of a civil war. I would like to see Ukraine remain one country. Its hard for me not to sit in front of my computer all day refreshing the news. But I have to remember that I’m not in Ukraine any more and I need to start adjusting back to life here.
Interview by Iona Peddie
Recently we told you about People & Planet’s plans for Go Green Week, and touched on the idea of fossil fuel divestment, which had been called for by students at the University of Edinburgh. And now Glasgow’s students are getting involved too, with the Glasgow University Climate Action (GUCA) Society working on a campaign to ask the University of Glasgow to divest from the fossil fuel industry.
Currently, the University has around £19 million invested in fossil fuel companies, which are contributing to climate change by unearthing more fossil fuels than we can afford to burn. Those companies include Shell and BP, which not only have a long record of environmental and human rights abuses, but are also involved in dangerous Arctic drilling and expanding the tar sands in Alberta, Canada.
The members of GUCA think the University should be focused on building a better future for its students, but an investment in carbon is an investment in climate change. For this reason, they are calling on the University to recognise the seriousness of climate change by selling its holdings in these companies.
If you agree with GUCA, and want to show your support, sign their petition here
There will also be a panel discussion on the 24th of February at 6pm in the Boyd Orr LT 2 for anyone who is interested in gaining more information on the issue. More information on the event’s Facebook.
Has Alex Salmond lost weight? He’s looking pretty alluring in this video, especially his sparkly little eyes at about 3:10-3:20, and those tiny eyebrows I’ve never really noticed before. In the view of Channel 4’s Matt Frei, it’s probably because he’s gearing up to become megalomaniacal prime minister of an independent Scotland.
Joking aside, this interview could easily have been a disaster, Salmond holds his own well against a pretty terrible interviewer. Some interesting points are raised however. We are urged to compare the fiscal union of Scotland and the rest of the UK to Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands’ Benelux union rather than the vastly larger and less stable Eurozone. The Yes Campaign’s ideas about British identity are also well represented by Salmond, whilst the interviewer displays the assumptions and prejudices of the more ill informed of those in the No camp rather luridly.
Of course what everyone genuinely interested in Scotland’s future wants is more serious debate on topics like financial and social union, certainly not what we’re getting here. Cameron’s refusal to engage is looking increasingly rude and priggish, especially in light of his slightly odd request that everyone south of the border call someone Scottish and tell them to vote no. Why doesn’t he come up here and tell them himself?
Video – Channel 4 News
Words – Lotte Mitchell Reford
Among all of this year’s nominees for rector, Graeme Obree is probably the most unlikely. An athlete with a tumultuous past and little formal education, some might question his qualifications for the role. During our conversation, Obree profusely explained that while he might not be the traditional choice, his life experiences offer a different type of qualification. His unique history is behind the nomination by GUSA and GLGBTQ+, who value his contribution to sport, both as an innovator and as an openly gay athlete. Nicknamed The Flying Scotsman, Obree broke the world hour record twice and was the world champion for individual pursuit in the early 1990s.
When asked what students should know about him, Obree named his reputation as an innovator in sport, his world records in cycling, and his struggle with depression. “[I’m] someone who has had massive life problems. I ended up in mental institutions until about five or six years ago, and I’ve overcome personal issues.”
Indeed, both physically and emotionally, Obree has faced many uphill battles. While the fight may not be over yet, the father of two says he has learned a lot from his experiences. “I’m very aware of my vulnerabilities, so that’s part of my lifestyle. I’m like a plane that’s got altitude, and I’ve got to maintain that altitude, otherwise I’ll hit the treetops.” If there’s one thing he can offer, it’s advice to students who are struggling with mental health issues. Speaking of his attempted suicide, Obree said, “I was dead, last rites and everything. And I was brought back. … So I’m qualified through this journey for people to feel that I get where they’re coming from. And also I can give advice to people out there who don’t know what to do about it.”
Far from being intimidated by the other rector nominees, Obree has a very casual attitude towards the upcoming elections. “What I’m doing is putting forward my life experience as what I have to offer, along with other people doing the same thing. And the students decide which. It’s not a case of acceptance or rejection, it’s a case of deciding what’s most suitable,” he explained.
Little seems to intimidate the cheerful athlete, who now speaks at schools and has written an autobiography titled The Flying Scotsman. If there’s one thing that worries him about the rectorship, it’s his lack of academic background. “What I bring to the job is not academic at all,” he said. “What I have is this life experience, and that’s actually all I have. I can give them the benefit of my experience and the situations that I’ve lived through, the journey that I’ve been on. People can take from that. That’s all I have to offer.”
Obree also offered his perspective on the upcoming referendum, stating, “I can see both arguments. … But I feel Scottish enough as I am right now. And most Scottish people feel Scottish enough in their identity. So if it’s not an identity issue, it’s an economic one. If it’s an economic issue, that doesn’t interest me. So I wouldn’t say yes or no either way.”
While open and at ease in a one-on-one discussion with me in the lounge of the Stevenson Building, Obree was in his element at a Q&A session attended by several dozen students. During the discussion, he voiced his support for the expansion of the university’s counselling services. “If there’s an underdeveloped counselling service then we need to consider that this is an important thing. If a student falls to the wayside, then that’s such a waste. It would be my job to convince the powers that be that this is a worthwhile investment.” He also encouraged GUSA’s efforts to keep Wednesday afternoons free of classes to allow for the scheduling of matches. “I have spoken about this on Radio Scotland, of the woeful neglect of sport in people’s life. I can’t imagine a life without exercise! This is about a healthy lifestyle, so yes, I’m for that.”
Obree also delved into his short stint at Glasgow: “I was at this university in 1989. I studied product design engineering along with the school of art, which is twenty-eight lectures a week. It was a life shock for me to come here.” While life as a student didn’t suit him, Obree showed a real interest in interacting with students. “If I can contribute in some positive way to young people, then yes, I’ll volunteer my time for that. … I want to be there for the most vulnerable people, and for all the students.”
Should the election results not end in his favour, Obree will not be idle, planning a bike trip with son, writing a survivor’s guide to depression, and continuing his public speaking events. At the close of the Q&A session, Obree joked, “Sooner or later people will know that I’m winging it.” Winging it or not, this candidate approached his nomination with a very pragmatic and humble attitude. “There might actually be a better candidate than me. If that’s the case, then there’d be no hard feelings at all. You’re choosing someone who’s life experiences and what they have to contribute suits better your needs.”
Should he be elected rector however, Obree is very positive about the effect he can have on student life at Glasgow. “I certainly hope to have a sense of real involvement… From my point of view, it would be nice to part of something like this.”
Interview/Words by Emma Meldrum
On 18th September 2014, all British and EU citizens resident in Scotland aged 16 or over will have a chance to vote on whether or not Scotland should become an independent country. Most of Glasgow’s students will be eligible for a vote, so whether you’re already staunchly Yes, convinced that we’re Better Together, or totally clueless about the whole thing, we’ve collected links to some useful resources to help you research the arguments for and against an independent Scotland.
The Yes Campaign
Wings Over Scotland – Pro indy blog
National Collective – Organisation of artists and creatives for Scottish independence
Bella Caledonia – Perhaps more zine than blog, interesting articles on Scotland and Indy
Wealthy Nation – Pro indy from the right
Open Unionism – Unionist blog with several regular contributors
Ian S Smart –Blog of lawyer, Labour Party member, and controversial unionist Ian S Smart
Notes From North Britain – A pro-union blog written by Adam Tomkins, prof of Public Law at Glasgow
Interesting Articles and Interviews
The Question of Currency
We hope to add to this list regularly. If there’s anything else you would like to see here, including links to interesting articles or videos, please get in touch by leaving a comment, or by emailing [email protected]
Alan Bissett is a playwright, author and performer hailing from Hallglen in Falkirk. He has written novels such as ‘Boyracers’ (2001) and ‘The Incredible Adam Spark’ (2005), as well as the documentary ‘Shutdown’ (2009), which explores Bissett’s personal experiences with Scotland’s industrial past. The Scottish artist is a strong advocator of socialist politics and his country’s right to self-determination, while both of these convictions resonate through his work. His latest show, ‘Ban This Filth!’, will be presented at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2014. A couple of weeks ago, I met him at the CCA for a coffee and a long chat about his bid for rector, Glasgow’s legacy of virtuous, leftist politics, as well as more broadly about his views on the Scottish independence.
What has motivated you pursue a bid for the rector at the University of Glasgow?
I was invited by Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association. One reason is obviously to give a platform to the ‘Yes’ campaign, but more importantly I think I miss the university experience; the air of learning and being around intelligent people, talking about ideas all the time, because writing is a very solitary activity. In that sense, it’s a selfish thing; I get to be back on campus and enjoy that atmosphere. But also when I really stop to consider it, I think I could be an effective negotiator for students’ interests. I obviously have political differences with someone like Charles Kennedy, but from what I gather, he was a pretty good rector and represented the student interests and I look forward to doing that. I’d like to find what students think need changed about Glasgow University and do something about it. So maybe three reasons, one for me, one for the ‘Yes’ campaign and one for the students.
Do you feel that your strong convictions on Scottish Independence could inhibit you from remaining an objective representative in certain scenarios?
As for my political convictions vis-à-vis independence go, no. If I’m voted in, I’m going to represent all students, whether they intend to vote for independence or not. It makes no difference to me what students’ personal politics are, if they’re coming in saying ‘look there’s a problem on campus with this’ or ‘I think this course is failing’, I’m there to represent that. So in that sense, my personal politics are irrelevant, but also my politics aren’t just about independence. I would be active in pursuing what you could call a left wing programme, the status of immigrants and foreign students on campus, making them feel welcome and included, making sure that asylum seekers have got access to university resources, making a noise about gender equality, obviously Glasgow University has a particular history of the latter. There will also be the issue of management pay, the sort of pay the university chancellors are giving themselves is going through the roof at a time when we’re told that there is no money and staff are experiencing pay freezes, pay cuts. I think in the best sense my politics mean that I’ll be proactive about making changes, but it won’t affect my approach to individual students and their concerns.
Some students are thinking of voting for a rector who most likely won’t be able to be present as a tangible representative of the student body. However, Glasgow already has had non-working personalities in that position before. What are your thoughts on this issue?
It was the same when I was at university at Stirling, I started university in 1993 and we elected as rector Alex Patterson, from a band called The Orb, who were big at the time. Great band, but he was elected because he was a celebrity and because The Orb were cool at the time, so he was never there. That was the thing about the nineties; it was the age of apathy and irony. I would plead with students to not go for the ironic vote. To give credit to the other candidates, they all seem to have substance, I have no idea of what personal politics of Obree are, but he’s got a very inspirational story, he’s had mental health issues in the past and he’s overcome them and I think for students that is inspiring. I would like to see what his politics are before I judge him as a candidate. Obviously no disrespect to Edward Snowden, he’s a great guy, I can absolutely understand why students would vote for somebody like him, but, you know, he’s not here.
Voices of religious students at Glasgow University often seem to go unnoticed at campus; do you feel you would be able to properly represent them?
I myself am an atheist, I don’t believe God exists, but still, people have the right to express their faith. I think therein comes a problem when people’s right to express their faith interferes with others’ individual rights to say things, be gay or have an abortion, I can’t support that. There are obviously Christian, Muslim and Jewish societies on campus and they have a right to be heard. I would support that, but I would draw the line at what I would perceive as bigotry. I’m sure Holdsworth has personal integrity and from what I gather he is a supporter of LGBT rights and if that’s the case, I take my hat off to him. I really don’t think there are any bad selections here.
You’ve been very outspoken on social media about your attempt at postponing election bid deadlines in order to ensure the presence of female contestants. Could you elaborate on your position in this area?
The current selection is all males, I understood their reasons for not extending the deadline, but I think there is a larger picture that they’re missing. Glasgow University is an institution that has become famous for sexism, if they were to bend these rules the gain would be larger than the loss. When I was asked to run we didn’t know who the other candidates would be, so some of the remaining candidates could have been females. Given that all the candidates are male however, I was appealing to the university to bend the rules, or change them to actually ensure equality between the genders. Sixty percent of the university’s population is females and they won’t have anybody representing their gender as part of the selection process. There’s only ever been one [female rector] in Glasgow’s entire history and Glasgow is one of the oldest universities in Britain. We also have an all male selection panel. I think once I get in there, I can actually start tackling these things. For example, when I’m rector one of the first things I’ll try and do is to change the way rectors are nominated to try and ensure there’s always a gender balance, especially in somewhere like the GUU which has had recent problems with institutionalized sexism. I think we would have to see a stronger stance on sexism on higher levels in a situation like that. Obviously sexism is a social problem, it is not simply confined to Glasgow University, or to the GUU, but the latter is the most visible problem, and what happened during that debate was extremely embarrassing. There needs to be a positive change in a right direction.
Do you feel that the leftist politics you mentioned before will be in tune with Glasgow University?
One of the great speeches in Scottish political history was Jimmy Reid’s opening address to the students after he was made rector in the 1970s. He famously said ‘capitalism is a rat race, but we are not rats, we’re human beings’ and I would hope to have a similar impact. I do feel that Glasgow as a city has a history of radical politics. Conversely, Glasgow also has shameful history; the Tobacco lords created enormous amounts of wealth off the back of slavery during the period of the British Empire. That’s how Glasgow expanded in some ways that it did, but at the same time there is a very strong working class consciousness, because of the things like the shipyards, Red Clydeside and Labour, back in the days when it used to be Labour. It has always been very strong in Glasgow and I think it would be great if the students were to elect a rector who tied in with that kind of consciousness and kept Glasgow University radical.
If you do get elected as rector, your term might see Glasgow University enter a fully independent Scotland. How do you feel about that?
If Scotland votes ‘Yes’ in September and there are some relevant transitional issues; for example whether Glasgow becomes a solely Scottish university or a British institution, I’m not entirely sure what those would be yet, but I would work to try to make that transition smooth and make sure that students don’t feel that their education is being disrupted in any way. I don’t think it will be, but if students do feel that way, then I would have to deal with that, listen what their complaints are and measure their substance. I would love to be the rector of Glasgow University as Scotland becomes independent. I’m not doing it for posterity however; I believe I would be a very effective campaigner for student rights.
Why do you think so many artists and academics are joining the independence movement? Nationalism of any form usually falls short of full-blown support from creative people.
I’d argue first of all that the ‘No’ campaign is also a nationalist campaign, because its purpose is to protect what they see as ‘the Nation’, but the difference is that our nationalism is bound up with the struggle for self-determination, whereas British nationalism is bound up with imperial aggression. A lot of artists and a lot of creative people have got behind ‘Yes’, because they see it as a much more positive, inclusive and progressive movement than the campaign to keep the status quo. Because the status quo, as far as I’m concerned, is hideous; we have one of the most class-ridden societies in the world, the gap between the wealthy and the poor in the UK is the fourth most unequal in the developed world. We’ve had right wing government after right wing government, terrible consequences of British imperialism abroad, especially in the Middle East, and now we have sustained attack on the most vulnerable members of our society. I really think we’re entering a stage where the right wing and capitalism is becoming quite frightening. The UK government is now ordering water cannons; the first time water cannons will ever be used on the British streets because they fear there are going to be riots because of the new austerity measures that they’re taking. Now, if they fear the austerity measures will cause riots rather than actually change course, they think ‘okay, how do we fight the population?’ I don’t understand why people want to continue that, let along strengthen it, which a ‘No’ vote will do. So I think most people who are ‘Yes’ voters among artists, creatives recognize that this is a really positive chance to start a country which will stand as a good example for people in the rest of the UK about how an economy and a society should be run.
Why do you think some Scotts will vote ‘No’ in the referendum?
There are three broad reasons why Scots will vote ‘No’; one is fear, they believe independence is too much of a risk and those fears are being fostered and nurtured by the ‘No’ campaign, the entire purpose of is to sow fear. The other is loyalty, a lot of people feel that their identity is British and that Scottish independence would somehow interrupt that, its understandable, but to think that somebody would disregard the livelihood and wellbeing of the rest of their country people in order to maintain their identity, I find objectionable. The third reason for a ‘No’ vote is the inferiority complex; it has been engrained in a lot of Scottish people that we can’t do it, that were not good enough, that we’re too small and we should just leave it to the big guys down in London. So I think if Scots vote ‘No’ it will be for those reasons and I don’t think there are solid foundations to any of them.
What is your ‘doomsday scenario’ for a Scotland voting ‘No’?
There will be a slow removal of power from the Scottish parliament because we will be defenceless against that. What they will do is pretend to give us more devolution and that devolution will take form of raising more taxes. That’s more devolution, that’s more power, but with the other hand, they will remove our budget. So they’ll scrap the Barnett Formula, a method by which Scotland is funded, and we’ll have a four billion pound hole in the Scottish economy. Now, what the SNP government is going to do to fill that hole? Raise taxes or cut public services, which then makes the post-no vote SNP government very unpopular, which allows Labour to walk in and occupy all the rooms. They’ve got it all planned out; Andy Burnham, who is the shadow health secretary, has already said that what he would like is to see a UK-wide health policy. Now, that’s quite a euphemism; what that means is removing control over health from the Scottish parliament, because health is now devolved. Scotland will be punished for this rebellion, even if it’s a ‘No’ vote, we won’t be rewarded for loyalty, and we’ll be punished for having the temerity to get this far.
What do you think will happen to the Scottish identity, should Scotts vote ‘Yes’ on its independence?
I think the psyche of the country will change, we’ll have a lot more confidence that we have lacked in the past, well have a lot more optimism, the culture of blame, which exists in Scotland, will become a thing of the past. If we’re responsible for our own successes and our own failures, we’ve got nobody to blame but ourselves so it will force us to grow up as a nation. If we vote ‘no’ then essentially what we’re saying is that we don’t want to mature as a nation, we want to just be controlled, kept and remain stunted. So I think it will force us to become a better democracy. I think that democracy will be greater than the one we have at the moment, Holyrood already has a better and fairer electorate system than Westminster. Because of proportional representation, we’ll see much more of a left presence in our parliament; we’ve already had five or six socialist SNPs in parliament, who have actually called themselves socialists. Obviously, that fell apart because of the whole Tommy Sheridan scandal, but that’s not an inherent problem with socialism. When was the last time a party calling themselves socialist got elected in Westminster? I think there will be a presence for the right, but I think the left will be much stronger, what we’ll see is a battle between the left and centre, the centre being SNP, the left represented by socialists, the greens, hopefully a reborn Labour and Liberal party, who actually remember their values. Again, that mirrors what we have in Westminster, which is a battle between the centre and the right.
What does the future hold for a Scotland let free of Westminster’s rule then?
We’ll have a better democracy, we’ll have more cultural confidence, we’ll have a stronger economy; we can invest in green energy, because if the oil is going to be used it should be used to plan for what happens when the oil runs out. We will reindustrialize Scotland, Thatcher deindustrialized Scotland and she used our oil money to do it. We’ll reindustrialize Scotland to get Scotts working, create green energy programs, not only so we can use green energy but also export its technology. We’ll have a stronger industry, stronger economy and I think we should start looking at nationalization of industries; keep water in national hands, nationalise the transport networks, oil, and energy, anything that is vital for the survival of the people. Which is again exactly the opposite of what is happening at Westminster, where basically there’s a fire sale of the nations’ assets, it happened with Royal Mail; a knock-down price that’s handed over to the market for no good reason, why? Because it enriches wealthy people, who also tend to vote Tory. So I think in every respect Scotland would be a stronger, healthier nation.
Many people worry that Scotland largely separate from British power will become an underdog in the international arena. What are your thoughts on that?
I think that’s a good thing, I don’t think large states are necessarily healthy, the larger the state is generally the more aggressive and messier it is. How can you reconcile the various contradictions within one country? I think size is dangerous because with size comes aggression and paranoia, we only have to look at USA, or China. What you ‘re hearing from the ‘No’ campaign is ‘we have more clout in the world stage, we have more presence, we have more power’; that’s a legacy of imperialism. They need to have presence; they need to have more power. Often what they mean by that is the ability to invade other countries, or manipulate economies. I think there’s something to be said for a small stable, state and secure state that looks after its citizens and contributes in a positive way to the international community, I think that’s what Scotland can be.
Interview by Michael Borowiec
We, the students of Glasgow University, have a unique opportunity, even responsibility, to show our sincere gratitude and appreciation to Edward Snowden. It is an opportunity to stand in solidarity with him and various other activists exposing injustices committed by those in power. Indeed, Daniel Ellsberg, the man who released the Pentagon Papers detailing the United States’ covert enlargement of its stake in the Vietnamese conflict, himself came out in support of this anti-surveillance whistleblower. According to Ellsberg, the leaks relating to on-going state surveillance are even more significant than the papers he released forty years ago. It is this sense of urgency about Snowden’s personal struggle that we believe could inspire and benefit Glasgow University and our city as a whole.
Through Snowden’s nomination we are emphasizing that he is far from being a ‘traitor’ as the Pentagon have called him, but rather an incredibly brave individual who put his life on the line to inform us of the disgusting intrusion into our privacy practiced by, among others, the United States’ NSA and the UK’s GCHQ. In doing so, he has sought to protect what is not only a fundamental human right but also one of the pillars of free society. What is more, we are voicing our own opinions unambiguously to those involved in monitoring our every move that we oppose this. If Edward Snowden becomes the rector of Glasgow University, our demand for open government, transparency and fundamental right to privacy will be heard loud and clear.
Some people may wonder whether it is wise to vote for a rector who, at present, is not free to enter United Kingdom. It is important for those people to understand that this nomination goes beyond the question of representation; indeed, Edward Snowden’s symbolic presence would provide us with an opportunity to finally represent ourselves in this generation-defining struggle. Inspirational figures the likes of Albert Luthuli, former president of the apartheid-opposing ANC, or the imprisoned Israeli whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu have been absent rectors in the past. Having these individuals in this symbolic position clearly demonstrated our University’s stance on highly relevant issues troubling Western civilization. What is more, it showed that students of Glasgow University, as well as other individuals within the city, have a proud tradition of radical and virtuous leftist politics. Undoubtedly, these sets of values will be reasserted not only to the UK, but also to the rest of the world should Edward Snowden be elected. Finally, it is worth stressing that this debate goes far beyond campus. It extends to every single person who has ever maintained an on-line presence, or communicated using technology. Discourse on the ethical considerations underlying mass surveillance and the harsh punishment of those who dare to speak up against corruption has been far too little, even though there is very much to say about it, something we hope Snowden’s symbolic presence will inspire.
These so-called liberal and democratic states that spy on their own citizens and consequently attempt to persecute anyone brave enough to expose and hold them accountable for their perverse practices can not distract us from their twistedness by smearing those brave enough to speak out about abuses. We need to raise awareness and insist on justice because those guilty of committing such actions will not suddenly develop a conscience. It is up to us to let them know that we, too, are watching them and demanding an end to state intrusion into our personal lives. By supporting the campaign and electing Edward Snowden, we highlight our awareness of these matters to those in power and we further announce to the British state that we refuse to ignore the true issues at stake. In addition, we hope that this campaign will inspire not only students, but individuals everywhere to speak up for what they know is right.
In the spirit of leading by example, the ‘Edward Snowden for Rector’ campaign is transparent and all-inclusive. We are not only calling upon students of the University of Glasgow to join us, but indeed any person of conscientiousness can help. A lot of people have been doing great work already to give the campaign such a powerful start and anyone is welcome and even encouraged to show their support. We are in the process of planning a lot of exciting and significant events to highlight the previously discussed issues and to celebrate whistleblowers from all varieties of states and situations. If Edward Snowden is elected as rector, Glasgow University will yet again secure its place in the global opposition to a vast injustice, as well as against the persecution of those who have provided us with the invaluable opportunity to stand up for our basic rights.
– Lubna Nowak
The modern human is a significantly different social creature to his primordial ancestors. A study published in the journal of Behavioural Ecology claims that, on many levels, we no longer resemble our closest genetic sibling, the chimp, but rather insect super-societies such as ants or termites. Having abandoned living in small units, albeit more consciously than the insects, we have entered structurally superior societies, which have developed over millennia into the current state of the human community. This, along with the ingenuity provided by our expanded brains and physical composition, has given us the potential to break the shackles of nature and become masters of our surroundings in nearly every part of the globe. Now, just like our formicidae partners-in-crime, the only real danger to our survival, apart from natural disasters and unavoidable tragedies, is ourselves. Whilst economic or political turmoil, nuclear proliferation and clashes of cultures are destructive to segments of our population, it could be that the real danger to the prolongation of humanity lies in our biological drive to see it continue; human reproduction.
The twentieth century saw improvements in human rights, medicine, and general quality of life for hundreds of millions individuals around the Earth. This has allowed us to at last fully realise our reproductive potential, with an increase in population from two to seven billion in the space of just a century. Every new individual lives on average 67.2 years, during which time they must satisfy their needs through consumption of a wide-range of resources. Recent decades saw a rise in a new type of charity in western civil society, one that deals with spreading awareness of the risks such an accelerated growth of human population can bring. Earlier on this year I chatted to Simon Ross, a CEO of the British non-governmental organisation, Population Matters, which stands at the forefront of this movement.
‘Population Matters is concerned about long-term sustainability. We’re looking for a world where people can live within the renewable resources, which means that we have to think about population growth and how we consume finite resources’ explains Simon. As expected, the very idea of stabilising population growth runs the risk, if mishandled, of clashing with other movements. ‘There was a period in the nineties, where population concerns were seen as potentially leading to repressive measures, like the Chinese one-child policy and some practices in India, so the emphasis was switched much more onto women’s rights and onto human rights, making sure that they are protected.’ Of course, now we know that hard-social engineering isn’t an option, as shown by China’s growing dilemma of what to do with a surplus of two hundred million permanent bachelors, although Simon is right in stating that ‘people are realising the problem isn’t going away, population is continuing to grow.’
‘People are more aware than they were ten or fifteen years ago, looking at climate change, biodiversity loss and resources insecurity, [and] the fact that commodity prices have increased so much over the last decade.’ In 2009, Population Matters published research which stated that the easiest way to tackle climate change is through contraception, with every £4 spent on family planning over the next four decades reducing global CO2 emissions by more than a ton, compared to each £19 spent on low-carbon technologies. ‘There’s people living longer than predicted, so how do we live with an increasingly older generation? There’s also a youth problem, there’s a lot of young people in places like Africa because of past high-birth rates.’ This rings true if we consider that, by 2040, the average population of Africa is set to double.
People are more positive about addressing this issue than they were even ten years ago and are realising that over-crowding must be managed regardless of the complexity that surrounds it. But just as with the general subject of climate change, knowing is not enough anymore. The dire situation requires action, but what action I wonder. ‘We think there’s absolutely no need for fines which is what the Chinese government is doing, people will do it on their own’ Simon starts to explain; ‘I think what we can do is get governments to say, smaller families are better for a nation, promote the idea of a smaller society. But that’s as far as it should go. In European countries there are no fines, but most people choose to have smaller families.’ However first world countries, bar the United States, or Ireland, Cyprus and Turkey in Europe, are not a significant problem within the population growth dilemma with most of their populations decreasing. There are also ‘still poor countries with low birth rates, for examples Bangladesh, Brazil or Iran.’
Population management ‘requires change in government approach, health services, and education systems, actually changing those cultures. From being enormously poor to actually ones where people prosper with opportunities and women have some say in their own lives.’ It seems, therefore, that the crucial key to stabilising this variable lies with a positive change at the very foundations of human society; elevating women to positions of full equality in their respective communities; ‘if women have family planning or smaller families, then they have more time to have jobs,’ which could have a positive impact on the issue. ‘I think that’s changing the culture and not in a negative way; not by saying ‘you have to be like Western Europe.’ You have to give people opportunities and what I also don’t agree with is people that say ‘well, you have to make them rich before you introduce family planning’ or ‘you got to concentrate on education.’ I think that family planning and promoting smaller families should go alongside that.’
Pursuing change in this dimension may seem tricky however, given that governments of developing countries may not be keen to abide to Population Matters’ vision. This may be due to cultural and historical issues, but also, in part, because of prudential ones. The backbone of every growing country is a well-functioning economy and each economy depends on a large work force as its primary fuel. Prime evidence for this is China, which over decades has elevated itself to the forefront of world affairs through a bulletproof export-economy based on cheap, gargantuan manufacturing drive. Simon seems to be optimistic on this point however; ‘I think governments are becoming more concerned about it [overpopulation] in developing countries because they do realise the impact of a very fast-growing population without proper education, in areas where there’s limited land and limited water supply’, a problem demonstrated by the already historically fraught India and Pakistan, both countries with nuclear capabilities. Of course, developing countries aren’t the only ones to blame; ‘Western countries haven’t helped either, by not putting much emphasis on family planning programs, or by coming up with negatives instead of positives.’
So where does Population Matters, and this issue generally, stand right now in the field of non-governmental movements? ‘Certainly we’re growing in the UK for sure. We lobby governments and international organisations like the United Nations, where we stress the importance of family planning and population concerns’ clarifies Simon. ‘The UN is currently considering our replacement to the Millennium Development Goals and they’re looking at our project called the Sustainable Development Goals, which deals, amongst other things, with how our world addresses poverty in the next fifteen years or so.‘ However, one NGO is not enough and this cause depends on individual participation to be recognised and approached. ‘People should ask their governments to encourage smaller families in the UK and worldwide, to encourage their populations to stagnate and then start declining to a level in which we can live with renewable resources when oil, gas and so on have run out.’
Comparing the human experience to that of an ant or a termite may seem reductionist by nature, but perhaps it allows us to understand the phenomenon of developing to a point where a species poses a threat to itself. Human problems obviously stretch beyond over-reproducing, but given that in 2011, the birth of a baby girl in the Philippines marked the seven billionth living human being, relentlessly existing and consuming just like you and I do, maybe its an angle worth considering. After all, aside from what scientific speculation and sci-fi books may say, this earth is all we have for now, and an anthill out-of-balance with itself will not survive a storm, no matter how many ants stand together within it.
Words by Michael Borowiec
The end of September brought the usual season of party conferences, with the Liberal Democrats attempting to defend capitulation to Tory policy, such as the huge hike in tuition fees, with promises of free school dinners; the Tories returning to their “nasty party” image with Osborne pledging to cut all benefits for under 25s – at a time when youth unemployment is 21%(House of Commons Library, 17/10/2013)and this does not include those in unstable employment – 37% of those on zero hour contracts are aged 16-24 (Resolution Foundation, June 2013); and Labour, after a quiet summer and promises of continued cuts if they were to come to power, making something of a small sidestep to the left with Miliband pledging to freeze energy prices, build 200,000 new houses and ‘bring back socialism’.
It is important to see these comments in a context where Rachel Reeves, shadow secretary for work and pensions, later stated that Labour would be harsher on those on benefits than the Tories! Nonetheless, it is important to recognise that Miliband, who up until this point had only pledged “softer and slower” cuts, must have felt some pressure to respond to the anger and squeezed living standards of ordinary working people. The fact that since the conference Labour have moved 11 points ahead of the Tories in the polls (Guardian, 19/10/13) goes some way to explaining the right-wing media reaction, with the Daily Mail leading the charge. Firstly, it should be noted, that Miliband’s comments, whilst important in the context of a Labour party still bound up in New Labour politics, are far from a return to Clause IV and socialist policies of widespread nationalisation. Miliband was quick to reassure big business that his policies remained committed to capitalism and the free market. If anything, this makes the media reaction more interesting, as it shows that there is that even small moves in a leftward direction can provoke a climate of fear and reaction amongst the ruling elite.
The Daily Mail’s article, stating that the root of Ed Miliband’s policies was to be found in his socialist father, Ralph Miliband – a professor at LSE from 1949-1972 – “the man who hated Britain”, was clearly written in an effort to provoke fear and backlash against any left rhetoric. This is hardly surprising given the climate that we are living in. The high rate of youth unemployment in the UK is supplemented by figures such as the increase of 300,000 children living in absolute poverty from 2010-11 to 2011-12 (BBC, 13/06/2013). As with the rest of the world Britain has experienced a deep financial crisis that has impacted upon the living standards and prospects of the working class and has only been worsened by cuts to benefits and public services.
It is in this climate that we have seen jolts of action such as the November 30th public sector strike in 2011 and the huge anti-austerity demonstration on March 26th 2011. These reactions have mostly been constrained to strike days and demonstrations, with the class struggle yet to be played out in the tumultuous forms we have seen in Spain and Greece, where crisis and austerity have been on an even higher level. But at this time of deep crisis, protests and strikes will not solve the problems facing society. What is needed is a clear political lead from leaders of the labour movement: the fight for a socialist programme to this crisis of capitalism and the ensuing austerity policies. The ruling class, as represented in the mass media by papers such as the Daily Mail, is only too aware that the conditions are ripe for class struggle; that ordinary people are open to socialist policies that break with capitalism. It is for this reason that small leftward moves, such as those by Ed Miliband, have resulted in such a hysterical reaction.
Having looked at the reasons for the ruling class’s reaction, we can now turn to the issue of the role of Marxism: do Marxists really hate Britain? Karl Marx stated ‘the workers have no country’ – in this sense, British nationalism, as purported by the British bourgeoisie, based on colonial images of “rule Britannia”, is certainly at odds with Marxism. But does this really amount to “hating Britain”? And what does the Daily Mail really mean when it refers to “Britain”? Does this image of Britain include the young people unable to find jobs because of a crisis they did not create but are being forced to pay for in the slashing of services? Does it include those who are giving up the opportunity to go to university because they don’t want to be saddled with nearly £30,000 of debt in their early 20s? The only Britain that is hated by Marxists is the ruling classes who exploit the majority in order to amass obscene amounts of wealth for themselves. Even the bankers, who played their part in creating this crisis, have returned to their bonuses with April 2013 seeing an 82% year on year rise (Labour Market Statistics 2013) in the amount paid out in bonuses in the financial sector.
The nationalistic image played out by the Daily Mail, one of the great, colonising British bulldog created through the hardworking, loyal citizens of Britain, is of no use to anyone but the ruling class. This nationalism must be seen as a jingoistic attempt to cut through class antagonisms with the idea that we’re all British and we’re “all in this together”; the “British” way is to put your head down and get on with it. This is part of the superstructure of ideology used by the ruling class to retain the economic base of capitalism – to encourage workers and students not to revolt and change society but remain under capitalism.
Marxists recognise the importance of national identity and culture but this should not be conflated with loyalty to the systems and structures of power within the country you happen to be born in. The bourgeoisie has proved it has no loyalty to Britain as it is in the process of tearing the country apart with promises of continued austerity, a dismantling of the welfare state and lack of access to higher education. The only loyalty we should have is to workers and youth across the world who are also being exploited by the same ruling class with a different face. In this time of global capitalism, and global capitalist crisis, we cannot be separated by national barriers but must move forward to a united international class struggle.
Aida is a refugee camp in Palestine, a mere ten minutes from Bethlehem. What it is also close to is Al’ Quds, which in Arabic means ‘Jerusalem’. This is where twenty-three international volunteers and I had been selected to work in a summer volunteer programme, run by the Lajee centre. Its inhabitants live within the walking distance of their Holy City and yet they have been forbidden to travel there by the Israeli forces. There are refugees from thirty-four villages, which are now occupied land. The road to Aida has a wall painted with images from each of these places. The first time we walked by the memorial, I found the paintings beautiful but once it sunk in that they represent the homes of Aida’s residents, homes, which don’t exist anymore, I found them harder to look at with each passing day.
During our stay we worked and lived with Palestinian volunteers from Aida who helped us learn and have fun at the same time. They taught us how to dance Dabke, which terrified us after watching the amazing way the experienced Dabkers do it! It was okay though; they let us learn the easy moves. They also taught us Arabic, or at least they tried. I certainly was not very good at it, no matter how hard I practiced, but at least I mastered ‘Marhaba!’ which means ‘Hello.’ We were treated to home cooked meals every day, usually by one of the mothers of the volunteers, sometimes we even got chips or spaghetti to make us feel at home. It was as though we were one big family; we danced together, ate together and even napped together. Our evenings were like huge parties. The days, on the other hand, were hard and long. We went to lectures from various organisations who shared their experiences of the conflict and how they now work within it to help the affected people. We heard from medical personnel, people who knew about education and even from the government in regards to the treatment of prisoners.
One thing which I have not been able to forget since I arrived back, though, was the playground at the Lajee Centre. It’s a place where children from the refugee camp can come to play, read, or take classes in dance and art. It is a safe place where children get to be children. Our role was to clear up the ground, take away the rocks so that eventually they could form part of the wall around the playground. Generally helping out with the upkeep of the Centre proved difficult at times; even menial tasks like watering the plants had a new dimension to it since it was common knowledge the water flow was controlled from Israel. We weren’t only responsible for looking after the actual playground though; we also got to help out with the kids. Of course the language barrier was a little difficult to overcome, but with the help of our Palestinian friends we managed to get to know some of them pretty well. Overall, this playground was a place for us to give something to these children, teach them our games but mostly just play with them and have fun.
There is something I feel is very important to share about this playground. I did not notice it immediately, but as soon as I did, I could not un-notice it no matter how hard I tried. Aida lies next to the wall, which separates Palestine from Israeli-occupied territory. Periodically along this wall, you can see army watchtowers. The wall is huge, around eight feet high, and the towers just add to its terrifying presence. Three of those watch towers could see straight into the playground. One day I was taking photographs of the football games, when I noticed one of them over the top of the field. After that I realised there was another one behind the swing set. Soon I found myself focussing on these towers when we were supposed to be playing with the kids. I never once saw a child glance at them but they are used to it by now, for me though this was something sinister and wrong. The very idea that Israel’s army looms over the children like that in their place of peace and fun really angered me.
(left-click for an enlarged version of photos)
The whole of Aida camp is under surveillance and not far from the main entrance into Aida is the gate which the Israeli army come through whenever they go into the camp. The Lajee centre and the playground sit right between these two spots. The children, as well as the adults and the elderly of Aida live never really knowing if the army is going to come through today, or not. The camp as well as Lajee has seen plenty of interventions and the local photographer, who was shot in the face with a rubber bullet not long before our arrival in Palestine, caught footage of these attacks.
Within half an hour of being home, I heard news that an eleven-year-old boy from Aida had been shot in the head with non-lethal ammunition. After a few stitches he was fine, but other children have not been so lucky. Lajee’s security cameras captured footage of a child being shot dead in front of the centre. Children aged twelve can be arrested by the Israeli Armed Forces and held in solitary confinement. Many of those who we played with were much younger than that, but this was a glimpse of their future if no change takes place. I look at the pictures of myself pushing little girls on swings, or of my friend helping kids to draw cats and all I can see now are the Watchtowers; with their eyes on the playground, and the children who will grow up to be their next targets.
The gate to Aida bears the Lock and Key of Return. This symbolises the return of Palestine as a country and Palestinians to their homes. It is a powerful symbol and one, which shows that Palestine has not given up. Its countrymen are very much determined to gain back their land, even if their homes are no longer a part of it. I am proud to have worked with such wonderful and inspirational people, and I look forward to the day when I can return to Palestine and help them tear that wall down, away from the playground. I doubt even then, though, that the image of the Watchtower and the playground will ever leave my mind. A part of me hopes it never does.
words by Robyn Lee
‘The problem of destitution in this country is significant, and it’s not going away’ confesses Christine Park, the president for the University’s STAR. This student organisation is currently busy planning a charity event to raise awareness of destitution, funds from which will go to the Glasgow-based charity, Positive Action in Housing. The STAR Sleepout, apart from cabaret-led entertainment and good vibes all around, has at its core a very humanitarian cause concerned with the reality many asylum seekers wake up to every day, not only Glasgow but in the United Kingdom as a whole.
‘Glasgow is a dispersal city, meaning that asylum seekers are relocated here whilst they await a decision on their asylum claim, so there is a great demand for support services in the city.’ Despite this fact, nobody actually knows how many are there, since from the moment they have been refused an official status of an asylum seeker, they more or less disappear off the grid. Bearing in mind the esteemed position of United Kingdom in international politics and its past involvement in many countries of the world, this spells out a disaster of possibly tens of thousands living unnoticed among Britain’s cities.
Asylum seekers are at risk of destitution throughout the whole process, particularly when their asylum claim is refused and their support is withdrawn. According to a report on destitution by Glasgow Caledonian University’s Morag Gillespie, in just a weeklong survey, most of 148 foreign individuals and their dependants applying for support services in Glasgow were refused the asylum seeker status when applying. This puts them in a threat of living, sometimes for years, without income, failing to reach the United Nations global poverty line of $1.25 a day. ‘Even those who have been granted refugee status may sometimes become destitute, as they are evicted from the housing they were given as an asylum seeker, but cannot claim housing benefits until they get their papers, which can take weeks to arrive.’ Destitution is rarely a tragedy that happens to you once, 40% of the surveyed had been destitute on more than one occasion and the total time survey participants were destitute, ranged from a few days to six years, with the average time being one and a half years.
‘Although there are projects and campaigns trying to help people in this situation, the UK Border Agency’s stance has not changed, and there do not seem to be signs of improvement.’ This seems to be the uncomfortable truth for the STAR movement. Given the recent scandal regarding UKBA’s ‘Go Home’ campaign, one could assume that the problem of an unfavourable policy towards asylum seekers is another endeavour by the Coalition-led government. But the reality is different; this treatment of foreign nationals has in fact been prevalent since way before New Labour rule. How will this debate change with potential Scottish independence, I wonder. ‘There are supporters of better treatment of asylum seekers on both sides of the independence debate’ acknowledges Christine, before underlining the ultimate obstacle to changing the discourse about the rights of asylum seekers; ‘Truthfully, the attitudes of the general public must change first before the politicians will start to make any changes and the way we change the public’s attitude is through education.’
Whether be it by an inadequate mainstream media approach or by outright hostility from fringe parties like UKIP or BNP, many people have taken a negative view of asylum seekers. This can be seen as, predominantly, due to the fear of unknown, but also because of derogatory perceptions of those seeking asylum by some sections of the public. Christine elaborates; ‘most major media sources portray asylum seekers as greedy foreigners, who come to steal jobs and benefits, but this is completely wrong. While you are an asylum seeker, you do not have the right to work and get half as much money as a citizen would on job seekers allowance.’
So head on down to the Wellington Church this Friday night at 8. For a suggested donation of £2 you will contribute to a good cause and enjoy an open-air cabaret. If you’re up for a challenge, join the STAR team for a brisk October night outside, in solidarity with the many unheard voices, which on the same night will not have the choice to do otherwise.
STAR’s page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/STARglasgow/?fref=ts
Sleepout’s Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1390344064535933/?fref=ts
Sponsor here: http://www.justgiving.com/Star-Glasgow or text “SLEP96” plus the amount you’d like to donate to 70070 (e.g. SLEP96£1)
– Michael Borowiec
The belief that society ought to manifest democracy seems ubiquitous by default, yet the obvious opportunity to promote its enhancement, or at least, apply its principle, appears less inspiring.
Alas, the people of Scotland, yet to enter the polling booth, have already seen their referendum compromised by forces out-with their control. The ever popular and ever viable devo-max option was aborted in a political deal between the SNP and the Coalition Government (which Labour supported) – it was a deal remote from any meaningful democracy, but the parties involved were democratically elected, only you didn’t choose to now have less choice.
The forfeit of Devo-Max is old news, but its something worth contemplating as the referendum approaches. It was indeed a dramatic rejection of democracy, one worth remembering and reiterating. Significantly, the event illuminated how very shallow the commonplace conception of democracy is, if that conception translates to one of the current representative democracy employed, whereby the public elects which party to represent them. To have political choices dictated and prescribed from which the public may express a preference seems largely undemocratic, let alone awash in contempt for those it purports to serve. Is the public to be reared and tamed? Is it so void of creative and moral substance that their democracy can only be represented at safe distance?
For democracy to flourish in any serious capacity would require the aforementioned system to be substituted with some degree of direct democracy; whereby individuals are free to participate fully in what is produced and how it is distributed. People would be autonomous, and this ought to be what the statesmen should aspire to, if their affairs are indeed their concerns. It’s a simple and natural notion for people to determine the operations of the economic institutions they associate themselves with, and in turn their own lives.
The question of whether to devolve Britain’s London-dominated concentration of power to enable an Independent Scottish State is in principle, parallel to any question of regionalization or worker control. All such progressions emanate from the precept, that the further power is devolved in any given society, so too is the associated responsibilities of its wielders. The result of its application is the neutralization of power, an equilibrial authority, which rings true the fundamental criterion for any democracy.
It’s ironic that a referendum posing a question of self-determination has been so preemptively restrained and filtered. Is there not something in and of devo-max’s malicious absence that would inspire people to acquire more control of their own lives, possibility that the ‘yes’ vote invites?
Indeed the referendum provides yet another opportunity to devolve a concentration of power and promote such autonomy. If a ‘yes’ vote prevails, the populace of the British archipelago will be divided between two exclusive State governments, namely Westminster and Holyrood. Not only does this follow from the principle of direct democracy, at a more basic level, dividing any populacebetween multiple means of governance can only be democratizing. That is to say, when power is devolved the ambitions and aspirations of people are less subject to others elsewhere – after all, it was a majority in Scotland who didn’t vote for a Conservative government in the 2010 elections.
Of course, achieving independence does not necessarily invite further internal devolution. It is perfectly conceivable for the government of an Independent Scotland to resist the self-determination of smaller communities and prohibit further autonomy; worker control say. However, the opportunity to pursue the opposite is just as real, and the decision to do so will be for those whom it concerns.
Individuals have to decide how meaningful is the democracy they wish to live under. The premise of the referendum has been tainted for a while now, and if democracy is to be taken seriously, there should be no question of how to vote; for me only a ‘yes’ vote fulfills the principles we value in democracy, and shortens the deficit between you and your will. It will see an independent Scotland materialize direct democracy, but only in and of its own establishment. The Scottish State will be an awesome distance from any ideal, but a fairer and democratising development, nonetheless. The question posed, is whether democracy is a value we wish to preserve, or something all too dangerous.
The riots that have electrified the city of Istanbul for four days now continue to endure, despite heavy police retaliation. What began as a peaceful protest to prevent the redevelopment of Gezi park in Taksim Square has now escalated into a nation-wide demonstration against the current Government.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been repeatedly criticised for his dogmatic influence over the country based on grassroots Islamic ideals, and his latest staunch refusal to listen to protesters has ignited anger even among those who had voted him into his third term as Prime Minister. In his address to the country on the 2nd June he referred to the protesters as “terrorists” and has been quoted as saying “every four years we hold elections and this nation makes its choice”. Despite the democratic election Erdoğan seems to have forgotten that a democracy constitutes the decisions of several members of a party, yet it is shockingly clear that Erdoğan holds the majority of the power, and indeed earns more than any other politician in the world at $989,000 a month, although Wikileaks claims that his earnings may be far higher. It would not be a far stretch of the imagination to envisage Erdoğan as the next Putin and Turkish President Abdullah Gül serving as Medvedev, however in stark opposition to the Prime Minister, Gül has defended the people’s right to protest stating: “democracy does not mean elections alone. There can be nothing more natural for the expression of various views, various situations and objections through a variety of ways, besides elections.”
Despite Gül calling for a peaceful end to the violence and a more mature handling of the situation, suggestive of mishandling on both sides, Erdoğan has continued to belittle the extent of the riots claiming that he would not ask permission for the redevelopment plans from “a few looters”. It has emerged that the destruction of Gezi Park is not only to free up valuable real estate for a shopping mall, but also includes the construction of a Mosque, a symbolic representation of Neo-Ottomanism and Turkey’s new incentive under the Justice and Development Party to engage with areas previously under Ottoman rule in the Middle East.
Although the riots are being referred to as the ‘Turkish Spring’ in reference to the ‘Arab Spring’ uprisings of 2010, this would be a false representation. The events in Turkey are more an uprising against fascism than an Imperialist fueled uprising against Islam, which in such countries as Egypt were conducted by armed extremist groups. The protests in Istanbul began as a reaction against heavy handed police retaliation in Gezi Park, where peaceful environmental protesters were viciously attacked in their tents during a dawn raid. The nature of the events has magnified into a nationwide protest against an increasingly authoritarian government, with anti-government demonstrations appearing across Turkey including Erdoğan’s hometown Rize.
With cries rising from the crowd of ‘shoulder to shoulder against fascism’ the riots are not as complicated as Erdoğan has suggested. In an address on 3rd June he encouraged the view that the riots have a politically subversive agenda, stating “citizens should not be part of this ‘game’”; a ‘game’ that alleges the opposition party, the People’s Republican Party, are involved in actuating the riots for their own gain.The demonstrations, however, are obviously not instigated by a few extremist “marginalized groups” as Erdoğan has stated; it is the result of a highly pressurised problem that has finally discovered a fissure out of which to escape. A large part of the population are fearful of being forcibly dragged into a theocratic state run by a “Sunni Islamist tyrant”, as one source expressed. As proudly stated by the men on the streets as well as by Erdoğan himself, albeit with different intent; “this is no longer about trees, it is about ideology”.
As the fourth night of the demonstrations descend on the city, Taksim Square remains occupied and the streets are a cacophony of clanging pots and pans and car horns which can be heard from the other side of the Bosphorus. Despite heavy police intervention including tear gas canisters and high pressure water jets fired directly at the crowd just a day before, people are still resisting against what is being called a Dictatorship. Although Erdoğan conceded that “there have been some mistakes, extremism in police response” he also insisted that “the police were there yesterday, they are there today, and they will be there tomorrow.”
Mizriya Maryam Abdulhadi al-Khawaja is a Bahraini human rights activist. She is the daughter of a prominent Bahraini activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and the vice president for the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights. Freedom House has awarded Maryam and her father for their determination in the pro-democratic struggle in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
We’ve recently passed the second anniversary of Bahrain’s Jasmine Revolution uprising, marked by yet another death of a young dissenter from wounds induced by a security force birdshot into the rioting crowd. How do you see the situation in your country right now?
Unfortunately the human rights situation in Bahrain continues to deteriorate. Due to the reality of local and international impunity, which officials of the Bahraini regime enjoy, little progress has been made to put an end to the ongoing almost daily violations.
On the other hand, the protests have not stopped. On the contrary, they continue almost on a daily basis. People understand that they’re in this for the long haul, but they also firmly believe in the idea of “no government can outlast its people”.
The unwillingness of the government to acknowledge some opposition and, in instances, choose to repress certain voices, has seemingly pushed many, mostly poor Shiites, to extreme political convictions. Bearing in mind the current state of countries like Egypt or Tunisia, do you also now also demand a full-blown revolution, or still believe in institutional cooperation towards pro-democratic reforms?
The people on the streets, one of the main groups being the February 14th Coalition are demanding the stepping down of the regime, regarding the self acclaimed king of Bahrain as being directly responsible for the ongoing violations. On the other hand, the political societies, whose popularity is decreasing as more people start to support the coalition, are demanding reforms and a constitutional monarchy.
As human rights defenders we do not have political asks. Our demands are more directed towards accountability, justice and the protection of human rights. The demand for accountability includes the heads of the ruling family; which means putting the king, crown prince and prime minister on trial.
Iain Ferrier Lindsay has been Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain since 2011. Having joined the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in the 1980s, he has since represented the United Kingdom on diplomatic missions in Hong Kong, Japan and Bucharest, among others.
What is the British embassy’s stance on the political turmoil that has been troubling Bahrain since the crackdown on the Jasmine Revolution-related protests in 2011?
Our view is that sustainable stability in Bahrain can only be achieved through continued reform. We support the reforms, which are underway and urge the Bahraini government to show greater energy in implementing reform. Progress has been made in some areas but there is still a lot more to be done, e.g. on implementing the recommendations of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry and the UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review. But there needs to be movement on the political track as well as the reform track. We therefore welcome the resumption of political dialogue in early February and encourage all parties to remain involved in the process. The only way to promote peace and stability in Bahrain is through an inclusive dialogue that addresses the legitimate aspirations of all Bahrainis and helps to build the trust and confidence necessary for longer-term reconciliation.
In 2005, Tony Blair officially stated that Britain and Bahrain have a ‘strong, warm and longstanding relationship.’ Given the current times of political crisis Salman al-Khalifa’s government seems to be troubled with, as well as allegations of accounts of rights abuses, is this strong relationship still the case?
Britain has had a long-standing and close relationship with Bahrain, going back nearly 200 years. We are Bahrain’s oldest and most trusted partners outside the region. Bahrain is of great strategic importance for the UK. Therefore Bahrain’s stability is critical for our interests. Given, as I say above, that we believe that sustainable stability can only be achieved through continued reform and given the closeness of the relationship, not just with the government but across the spectrum of Bahraini society, it is natural that the UK should want to help Bahrain to reform. So, yes, the relationship is still close. But, as with all good friends, we are honest when we see things which we believe are wrong. So we are not an uncritical friend.
The unwillingness of the government to acknowledge some opposition and, in instances, choose to repress certain voices, has seemingly pushed many, mostly poor Shiites, to extreme political convictions. Given United Kingdom’s experience of repression in Northern Ireland, what would your advice to the authorities be, for this particular issue?
Bahrain needs reform and political dialogue. There are legal opposition parties in Bahrain. They are currently taking part in the political dialogue that is underway. While I agree that the events of the last 2 years have led to an increase in radicalised young Shia I do not believe that they are representative of the Shia population at large. I think it is still the case that Al Wefaq, the main Shia opposition party (who are in the talks and who won nearly half the seats in the 2010 parliamentary elections) still commands the loyalty of most Shia. But the risk must be that if there is insufficient reform and the political dialogue gets nowhere that more people, on both sides of the sectarian divide, will adopt more extreme positions. Some observers in Bahrain say that the country resembles Northern Ireland in the late ‘60s. What the UK’s support for reform and dialogue is intended to do is to ensure that Bahrain does not stumble into becoming like Northern Ireland of the ‘70s or ’80s.
Reflecting on election time it’s evident that, unlike the reserved and polite nature of British politics, people are shamelessly bias and extreme here. The campus pavements were scrawled with chalk. No longer did I walk on grey concrete to class, but had to tip toe over the red and blue screaming declarations of pro life and Christian values. The sheer volume of testimonies and lack of rain made the streets look like a carnival. You could turn on the radio and listen to a man tell you everything that was ever wrong with having a ‘Muslim’ and ‘immigrant’ run the country and how Romney is the next best thing since sliced bread. Like the metaphor itself, there’s little evidence to prove any of this true. But in an overwhelmingly Republican state, no one asked any questions.
There’s a shocking state of passivity brought on by a system which makes their own Presidential candidates into the stars of a reality TV show. They go on to join the celebrity culture and become participants in a sort of game show where the prize is America itself, along with all the people who refused to vote because neither candidate directly appealed to them. Despite the giant crater of ideological difference between the candidates, some people here seemed to be waiting for a President who would come and knock on their door with a pen and paper and tailor make a bullet point plan of exactly how they want their country run.
The scale of this election seemed sometimes to surpass the Republican South until on Wednesday morning the quad was filled with sore faces. The quickening understanding of the impact of this choice for America’s direction had sunk in.
It’s possibly because America has the tendency to make everything into entertainment and this election appeared so tight when, in reality, the outcome was much less of a close call.
It’s this that makes some voters stay in their armchairs with a root beer, watching a Presidential debate which is televised alongside a distracting twitter feed commenting on the comic choice of the candidates ties. Despite the ‘hard talk’ and ‘swing states’, the election is as much about television and media spinners as it is about Iran and energy independence. Nevertheless, four more years have now been decided and America is on the mend.
Words: Lucy Cheseldine
To those outside the UK, the Scottish independence debate can seem strange. Strange because to many outsiders our country seems at ease with its unity, and although Scottish identity is certainly distinct from that of British or English identity, the distinctions are not so marked as to leave it obvious that Scots might desire to part from the Union.
Whether this shows the essential fallacy of Scottish nationalism or a misapprehension of the Scottish people’s wishes will become clear upon the referendum in 2014. Nonetheless, the non-Scottish perspective can add context to the independence debate.
Sometimes the political culture of Scotland is seen to be out of kilter with much of the UK. While this is true, it is also true for large parts of northern England. Furthermore, the lack of Conservatives north of the border is a relatively recent development. Last century, Scots were voting for Harold Macmillan’s Tories pretty much with the grain of the rest of the country.
Rena Niamh Smith
On Wednesday night, the International Socialist Group’s public meeting on the Egyptian Revolution, Imperialism and Austerity had over double the expected number turn out to see five speakers relate their experience and world view to the given topic. However, two trade unionists from Egypt due to speak at the meeting were unable to attend as the Egyptian government blocked their application for a visa. In their place, Karim Reda, an Egyptian activist, and Chris Bambury, author and activist from Scotland, spoke with vigour and passion and inspired all those who came.
On Wednesday 8th December 2010, students of Glasgow University occupied the university theatre at Gilmore in protest of the cuts to the welfare state in general and to education in particular. Speakers including student activists and trade union officials, spoke of the need to voice concern and prevent the measures that will lead to an elitist education system and greater inequality in society. Arriving at 1pm, the student were initially shut into the building before organisers secured freedom of access to the building, when it became clear to the authorities that the protest was peaceful. Reportedly, around 30 or so students stayed the night on the university premises and many today attended protests which coincided with the MPs vote on education cuts. Parliament today voted to raise the upper-limit which universities can charge for fees in England to £9,000 by a narrow 323 to 302, but protests such as our own have been happening all over the country hae largely been backed b the public and are set to continue in the figt against austerity. Jonathan Nicholson was there to capture the 21st century version of student activism, amidst all the Tweeting, Facebooking laptops, and bags of supplies from the local exhausted Tescos.
The freezing evening saw thirty or so protesters – predominantly from the Anti-Cuts Movement – gather outside the Glasgow University Union in an emergency demonstration against the annual “St.Andrews Dinner” hosted by Glasgow University Conservatives. Guests included Roger Helmer MEP and Bill Aitken MSP. The protest was modest but clearly voiced their opinions against the hypocrisy of throwing a decadent dinner party in light of the fact that universities (and other institutions) across the UK are facing drastic cuts. Students in Glasgow have seen lecturers losing their jobs courses disappearing and facilities unable to develop due to these cuts, all the name of government “austerity” promoted by a Conservative led coalition in Westminster. The protestors wanted to know how money could be spared for events like this, but not for the preservation of education – especially on the campus of one of Glasgow’s most important education institutes.
GUM arrived to see at least three police vans (later joined by at lest three more) and a disproportionate amount of police officers for what was clearly a legal and peaceful picket line. It later transpired that Colin Woods, president of the GUU, had alerted the police – although he had apparently not warranted the size of the police presence that would arrive. Woods was quick to state that he was not against the demonstration, but felt it was an “attack” on the GUU, which does not hold political alliance with any party.The police however found it necessary to have a strong presence at the picket line, although protestors stated that they were mostly not a threatening or obtrusive force – only asking that the protestors refrained from swearing in their chants, because children may be present.
However, police conflict did occur when a member of the Glasgow University Conservatives found it hard to get past the protesters, and in the subsequent struggle, three protestors were deemed to have acted aggressively and were arrested. Later they were released with ASBOs. It was at this point that the tension rose, as police refused to answer exactly why they had been arrested at a legal protest – and a rumour swiftly swept round that it was under the “terrorist act.” Questions were also raised concerning the provocative actions of some G.U Conservative members towards the protestors – but the police did not comment. The protest continued peacefully, with the protestors leaving in unison.
Politics. What do you think when you hear that word? Boring, right? Well you’d be wrong. Recently, there has been so much drama in the world of British politics that even Jeremy Kyle would be proud!
It all began with the expenses scandal when the public discovered they were paying for everything from duck ponds to dirty movies. Following this Labour were booted out of government only to be replaced by Tweedledee and Tweedledum aka David Cameron and Nick Clegg. Quite frankly we still can’t establish who wears the trousers in that relationship! Then William Hague’s ‘special’ advisor resigned following some disturbing rumours about his relationship with oor Willie. To top it all of we have the ongoing contest for the Labour leadership which is about as interesting as watching paint dry considering the only candidate with any balls is a woman who is, if we are being totally honest a bit of a nut job. Even Ed Balls doesn’t have any! So, all in all, it’s no surprise there is only a barely functioning relationship between politicians and the British public. Bad romance indeed.
GUM’s attempts to drag peers to a “human rights film festival” were met by many excuses. Even if it doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, do not dismiss this fantastic and unique event hosted in Glasgow every year. Spaced over six days, featuring films, music, talks, art and lectures from over 35 different countries – Document 8 serves as an insight into human rights issues across the globe. From feminism to local industrial issues, from Palestine to Paisley, Document 8 serves to educate even those who thought they knew the facts. The works presented are beautiful and professional (despite many being completed on a limited budget), and the opportunity to question those who created them is often available – especially after the films. With tickets such £2 per event, we’ll see you next year then? Go on…challenge yourself!
From the 26th-31st of October at the Centre for Contemporary Arts, Document 8 will be holding a huge event of documentary screenings, talks, exhibitions, presentations and music to inform and raise awareness about human rights around the globe. The works will be coming from over 30 countries – including Scotland – touching on issues both unique and broad to the origin of the films. The festival is the only one of its kind in Scotland and is held annually, although Document 8 participate and are the initiative behind several outreach programmes throughout the rest of the year. For perspectives and insight into issue that mainstream media fails to really grasp, the festival is a necessity and not to be missed. From Northern Ireland to Gaza, Document 8 provides a valuable source and platform for human rights movements.
For more information and tickets: http://documentfilmfestival.org/
There are very few women who have never thought of dieting or actually gone through with it. That’s because our rolemodels, the girls in beauty magazines and those posing with the new Aston Martin V8 Vantage don’t seem to have a problem fitting into size zero jeans or top.
But are the times a-changin’ ? STORY BY RENA SMITH
Mark Fast’s decision to use 3 ‘plus size’ models in his show of 20 this season was unprecedented. Not only because it showed that curvy girls can do fashion and body on at that. More, because never before had a designer so openly and constructively challenged the currently upheld fashion statute stating size zero equals size beautiful. And he didn’t even have them wear bras. The sight of size 12 model Hayley Morley striding down the catwalk was both a breath of fresh air and a slap in the face for editors, stylists and the like, who have long been ignoring the smell of vomit wafting from gaunt girls in studios and backstage dressing rooms.
Fashion “is about illusions and dreams”. So spoke Karl Lagerfeld, arguing perhaps that as fashion is an art like any other, we need to think of a model’s body as a canvas to materialise the workings of a creative mind. But does fashion really exist in such a vacuum? Top models are literally shrinking before our eyes as beauty is pushed to ludicrous extremes we not only accept as normal, but often strive to defend.
Against a backdrop of Third World famine, cases like that of Ana Carolina Reston in 2006, of international supermodels starving themselves to death, are both shocking and surreal. In two new Ralph Lauren adverts, models were airbrushed so much that their pelvises appeared smaller than their heads. Perhaps illusion and fantasy work when designers pen cartoons on the drawing board, but the models who are asked to embody that are real people. The girl in the advert may be a fantasy for some, but she she should not represent what is healthy or attractive. Disordered eating has become the norm for almost all young women, constantly counting calories and following diet after diet. Further down the line, the number of patients suffering from anorexia admitted to NHS hospitals has risen by a startling 80% in the past decade, with most being only 15 years of age.
It is widely accepted that it is easier for fashion designers to design for thinner bodies, because whatever exposes flesh is more difficult to pull off for bigger girls. To thwart this would hinder the creative process, but curves also possess design potential according to Fast; “the way I work is organic and on the body. With the curvier girls, I was able to make clothes specifically for them.” Fast also worked on the LFW exhibition All Walks Beyond The Catwalk. Rather than working in abstract from drawing boards, designers created pieces for designated models of sizes 8 – 18. The results were no less imaginative than a size zero show; in standardizing tiny frames, designers are just as hindered as if they were limited to size 12, suggesting industry change could be positive and lasting.
Mark Fast may have done something unprecedented, but he is certainly not alone; in June, British Vogue Editor-in-chief Alexandra Shulman called for an end to “miniscule” sample sizes being sent by designers for photo-shoots. It highlights how deeply set the problem is; Shulman said that we are now at a point where many of the
sample sizes don’t comfortably fit even the established star models. American Elle and German Brigitte are both making concrete moves to show more representative models in their publications too.
The answer may not be simply to throw bigger girls into the limelight; the University of Chicago’s Journal of Consumer Research produced an interesting study that showed that the majority of women respond more positively to seeing thinner models than heavier ones, either because they do not see themselves as similar to bigger girls or, when overweight themselves, they feel much too similar. As the campaign for normality on the catwalk kicks off, the body fascism of the past decades has evidently had a real impact; we are simply turned off by the kinds of figures we ourselves probably have, as too do our friends, colleagues, sisters and mothers, wanting instead to escape in fantasy and illusion.
The tiny frame of the top model has achieved almost a mythical status; Finnish top model and Glasgow University student Charlotta Poppius argues anorexic models are really only a minority; “in my experience most models are just naturally thin… People have different genes and different body types and accept yourself as you are naturally, whether that is curvy, chunky or thin.” While the sentiment is undoubtedly gallant, the curvy and the chunky are obviously far less visible on catwalks and billboards than the thin. And it seems an standardised image of the modelling industry that success means some degree of starvation; perhaps, if what Charlotta says is true, a democratization of the industry needs as much emphasis on just how natural being thin is as it does on how beautiful it is to be “chunky”.
In a highly traditional and elitist industry, size zero is also a question of status; Karl Lagerfeld sparked outrage and delight alike when he declared, “these are fat mummies sitting with their bags of crisps in front of the television, saying that thin models are ugly.” A size zero frame represents membership to a tiny class of people who have won the genetic lottery ticket in life, while Victoria Beckham has famously gotten thinner as she has gotten richer. Charlotta Poppius sums it up, “the definition of high fashion is that is exclusive, rare and desirable. And there is nothing wrong with that. Let high fashion be high fashion.” It would seem the idea of fashion opening its doors to bigger body types is a problem, not with bigger bodies, but with the doors opening at all.
Where do the illusions stop and delusions start? Fashion has oft revelled in the shock factor and pushing things to the extreme; the girls in Vogue and the like are almost sculptural in their honed, toned beauty. It is escapism from the reality of nationwide obesity if ever there was one, but we are bordering dangerously on a Jekyll and Hyde mentality. Anorexia should never be reduced to a problem of simple vanity; it is a complex mental disorder compounding issues such as a need for control and the desire to feel better than the rest. When Kate Moss tells us that “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”, though, the lines begin to blur between beauty and starvation. The fashion industry may be in the firing line but it is really the tip of the iceberg, with society at large having a lot to answer for too in what our notions of beauty really are and the way it affects how see ourselves and each other.
Anne Marie Reid discusses the aches, pains, sniffles, fevers, coughs and the unnatural cravings for chicken soup!
Every day the news is filled with yet more cases, more panic, more geeks in lab coats talking about fancy drugs and vaccines. Many of us are confused and perplexed; and even if we are displaying flu-like symptoms, we are unsure whether to phone up NHS 24 and potentially ‘cause hassle’ (as we are often inclined to think)!
Swine flu is an influenza virus normally specific to pigs, however in very rare cases some viruses can infect other species, and that includes us humans. Indeed, this particular strain of influenza A virus, subtyped H1N1, based on two distinct proteins present on the virus – haemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA)- contains sequences from human and bird as well as the original pig segments; allowing the species jump. The recent bird flu outbreak (avian influenza virus H5N1) did not cause as much panic due to the transmission from bird to human being very difficult, even though it has a much higher death rate. Swine flu, on the other hand, has evolved in such a way that it can be passed from human to human making it highly infectious. This is primarily why there are many concerns surrounding this outbreak. Due to it being able to transmit readily between humans there is worry that this could allow the virus to evolve into a more lethal form and be better adapted to exploit humans, though there have been no documented cases of this occurring. Further, even in a more benign state; this is a completely novel strain of virus thus there is no telling how it will affect humans. Seasonal influenza mainly affects the very young and the very old; in contrast, swine flu has affected people of all ages and some swine flu victims have also deteriorated into pneumonia.
PLAN OF ACTION
Okay, so what can we do if infected or to prevent infection? Well first things first, please take off that face mask you are wearing! Honestly, it will not protect you from infection, what will help is people adhering to basic hygiene and cleanliness. If you are going to sneeze or cough; remember the phrase from NHS 24. ‘Catch it, Bin it and Kill it’ and then wash your hands. Also, as in the case of seasonal influenza, simply shut the door on the rest of the world – you are not well and nobody wants your germs. The best thing that you can do is rest, relax, take some painkillers and maintain your fluids.
HELP IN A PILL BOX
What of these fancy anti-viral medications? Tamiflu (“oseltamivir” as it’s chemically known) is a highly effective inhibitor of the neuraminidase protein mentioned earlier; this prevents the release of new viral particles from hijacked cells within our body. In short, Tamiflu will alleviate symptoms associated with infection and hopefully prevent further spread and deterioration, but it will not however stop you from becoming infected. As for vaccines, influenza vaccines can be successful but still very much in the early days. They require chicken eggs and if a pandemic occurs, supply will not meet demand.
Swine flu is something that we should be aware of and not underestimate. However, we humans are hardy creatures and have survived a number of attacks and pandemics over the course of our time here on Earth so it’s not the first and it certainly won’t be the last. The best thing we can do is keep a cool head, lie low if we start to develop symptoms and call for extra help when required. And don’t give up the pork chops and bacon butties!
FOR YOUR INFOMATION
As a Glasgow University student, you are spoilt for choice if you want a bit of political activism. With a student body of over 19,000 people, does it still seem to you that political endeavours are a past-time for a selected few enthusiasts? James Harrison writes about the local face of young political activism and why you should vote in the 2010 general elections.
It’s hard to talk about politics without politicians. The university has a long history of famous political alumni from all the different main political parties. Labour’s Donald Dewar, who was Scotland’s first-ever First Minister, started his career being a President of the GUU. There’s also Ming Campbell and Charles Kennedy, both also former GUU Presidents and both leaders of the Liberal Democrats Party (the latter subsequently becoming elected as our University rector). The SNP too have their deputy leader and current Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon holding claim to a Glasgow degree, and Conservatives Liam Fox MP and John Lamont MSP are former Glasgow students.
Yet student politics isn’t nor shouldn’t be about going on to get a title in the parliament or government. What has perhaps ruined politics in general these days is the emergence of the career politician, with a student working up the ranks, then going on to work as an assistant to a politician, then becoming a candidate, becoming an MP and so on. What is crucial for university societies not just in Glasgow but across the country, is that they show that student politics shouldn’t just be left to the soon-be politicians. Societies offer the chance to discuss, debate, and campaign on student, national and international issues. Not to mention the many social events which are on offer throughout the year (occasionally enhanced by the alcoholic beverages that seem to be inseparable from student life).
In recent years, students have shown a genuine willingness and want to express their beliefs on both students specific and international issues. Many will remember the recent controversy on campus over the GU Stop the War society occupying the computer science building for a week (!) in the aftermath of the Israeli crackdown in Gaza. And in 2006 the SRC organised a highly attended demonstration on campus (with some students blocking the gates to the main building) calling for the university lecturers’ strike to end. Political activism has become more popular in recent years, so to speak. Despite these often loud types of political activism that have recently taken place in Glasgow, perhaps it’s still just a vocal minority making their voice heard as the majority of students stay out of politics?
Most students won’t care about a pothole in a road, or a certain building being redeveloped (unlike many local councillors who focus on them a lot), but when it comes to the big issues such as the environment, the War in Iraq or student financing, you’ll find that most students will indeed have an opinion on it. The wide variety of choice is probably why student politics remains to be attractive nowadays. It’s not just the usual Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Labour or Nationalist societies, but there’s also other societies such as Amnesty and OneVoice which lobby on certain issues and keep out of the general ‘thin vs thick state’ arguments that can put off a lot of us.
The SRC’s (Students’ Representative Council) impact reaches even further than just the GU campus border. It has taken part in protests with other student bodies across Scotland outside of the Scottish Parliament on the issue of student debt. The SRC is there to represent the students both inside the university, through its internal committees, and outside to the country and the wider world. While the SRC does of course attract candidates who stand from many different political backgrounds and opinions, the SRC itself is today a politically neutral organisation and will remain so for obvious reasons.
While student activism remains strong, in terms of voter apathy, (students and young people in general) are the worst offenders. If we don’t want to have the new generation of politics in the hands of just another bunch of people who worked their way up the ladder, then it’s crucial for students to get involved in democratic processes early on. So if you didn’t take a look at the Fresher’s fair this year, then you can find the list of all affiliated clubs and societies on the SRC website or find many of them on Facebook. If you don’t bother at all, someone activist will hand you a flyer over the course of the year. Surprise yourself and read what’s written on it. It might be exactly something that you believe in.
By June 2010 the UK will have to have had a general election. Don’t let it pass you by without you making your voice heard even if you choose not to rally for a better future on campus. Make sure to register to vote!
Do film directors and writers have an obligation to stay true to history when depicting the events of World War II? IAIN MITCHELL tries to find an answer
Marked with the trademark stylish cinematography, gratuitous violence and self-indulgent dialogue and pop culture references you’d expect, Inglorious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino’s eagerly awaited sixth film as writer and director, was generally well received by critics as a stalwart entry into the Tarantino catalogue.
However, not everyone was impressed. Tarantino has never been a stranger to controversy, with his arguably gratuitous, even gleeful portrayals of violence for comic effect, but ‘Basterds’ has one marked distinction from his previous films – its historical context. Set in the German-occupied France of 1941, its heroes are a French-Jewish girl seeking retribution for the slaughter of her parents by the SS, and a band of vigilante American soldiers committing themselves (with large knives) to torturing and killing every Nazi they come across.
By modern standards this might seem generally innocuous (last month I went to see Saw VI – it made Tarantino’s films seem about as brutal as an episode of ‘Murder She Wrote’), but should it be? After all, combine the subject matter with what we now take to be typical Tarantino fare and you have what the man himself describes as a “spaghetti western but with World War II iconography”. It’s not difficult to see how Tarantino could be accused of trivialising the devastation of the Second World War in his efforts to produce a cowboy movie.
Granted, anyone who has seen the film is under no illusions that Tarantino is presenting a depiction of history akin to that found in text books. But there’s no denying that a historical slant on a movie, for whatever purpose, alters its fabric. People watch Kill Bill and wince at Uma Thurman’s Bride character as she mercilessly ploughs through dozens of henchmen with a samurai sword, or in Reservoir Dogs when Mr. White mutilates an innocent police officer, but in these cases the root of this violence solely lies intrinsically within the plot, and thereby in the mind of the director. In other words, it is entirely fictitious, and we can leave the cinema comforted by that knowledge. However, when the opening scene hinges on the slaughter of a family of hiding Jews, or when we view the ‘Basterds’ butcher and mutilate German soldiers, the feeling is very different. These gruesome ideas aren’t the brainchildren of our friend Quentin, but rest on the crux of dreadful and real history.
Especially in Germany where attitudes towards World War Two media are still extremely sensitive (Before Downfall in 2005, the role of Adolf Hitler had never been dramatised by a German actor) the film was met with some concern. Tobias Kniebe, film critic for Süddeutsche Zeitung, attested “This is pop culture encountering Nazi Germany and the Holocaust with unprecedented force. The effects of this collision are utterly unpredictable.”
It seems to be a debate on the line of the director’s artistic freedom versus responsibility towards history. But surely if such critics are going to criticise Tarantino for colliding pop culture with history, he can’t be judged alone.
At the risk of sounding horrendously cynical, a high-budgeted, well produced and acted film based on the events of the Second World War, and especially the Holocaust (think Sophie’s Choice) seems to be guaranteed a perfect enclave in the Hollywood canon; an emotive piece that appeals to the Oscars, simultaneously a touching tribute to those whose lives were lost, but at the same time somewhat shielded from being scrutinised due to its hugely moving subject matter. This is something picked up on in an episode of Ricky Gervais’s Extras where Kate Winslet (playing a tongue-in-cheek spoof version of herself) insists “if you do a film about the Holocaust, you’re guaranteed an Oscar!” Ironically, last year Winslet went on to win an Oscar for The Reader, a film dealing with the effect of the Holocaust upon the next generation of Germans.
Of course I am in no way implying the only reason directors of Holocaust movies make them is because they know the topic will bring in big bucks and scoop awards, but what if these hugely successful films aren’t entirely true to the events.
Last year’s The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a good example. The basic premise of the film, that two boys, one German and one Jewish, become friends through the fence of a concentration camp, entirely contradicts the facts of what Holocaust survivors have testified to be the reality. I don’t deny that the film (and the book on which was based) had good intentions, but there can be no getting past the fact that it is sentimental nonsense.
Such a view was exemplified by Manohla Dargis of the New York Times, who wrote in response to The Reader, “You have to wonder who, exactly, wants or perhaps needs to see another movie about the Holocaust that embalms its horrors with artfully spilled tears”.
Even the tour-de-force of Holocaust movies – Schindler’s List, sees its titular character augmented and distorted to almost mythical proportions in order to tie in with this sentimental myth. Again, it’s easy to dismiss such cynicism as missing the point of these films. They are not meant to be entirely accurate, and indeed it is necessary for some details to be embellished, otherwise the filmmaker couldn’t condense it into the scope of their vision. If we accept this outlook, I fail to see how Tarantino is any more reprehensible than any other film-maker who has dared to touch the Holocaust with a ten-foot bargepole.
But in my mind, this is where the distinction lies, and why Tarantino is in fact less reprehensible than most. Some viewers will be disturbed by Tarantino’s unique spin on the Holocaust of course, but the viewer is at no risk of thinking that what transpires on screen ever transpired in reality. This is not the case for a myriad of Holocaust films, many which greet the viewer with those powerful, yet misleading words ‘a true story’, before going on to deviate from fact extensively.
As soon as a director tells the story through a camera it has been altered in some way, and therefore history as a necessity must be diluted in order to serve the purposes of cinema. But if history is diluted, then we are at risk of confusing it with myth. And that, in my view, would be the real crime.
However, if historical complacency arises, it is the fault of the viewer, not the filmmaker. While the memory of the Holocaust must be preserved, this shouldn’t be done through films. If we allow ourselves to believe that the view of the Holocaust we are viewing on the cinema screen is real history, we only have ourselves to blame for blinding following what’s served to us. In the words of Manohla Dargis, such films are not concerned with informing us of the truth, but “about making the audience feel good about a historical catastrophe that grows fainter with each new tasteful interpolation”.
In a present day where it seems that only five years are required before the first“tasteful interpolation” of September 11th hits our screens, I don’t think these words could be more relevant, or foreboding.
Franck Martin sits down with Emmanuel Jal, author, musician and documentary maker, to learn what hip-hop means to him and why he feels it is his duty to relive his days as a Sudanese child soldier.
It was nine o’clock at night when we arrived in Bangkok after a gruelling 14 hour bus journey from Cambodia. The sky line of the city was illuminated like something from a science fiction film, endless columns of steel spiralling vertically into oblivion and chaos.
Growing up in middle-class Britain, it’s easy to fall in love with the Liberal Democrat way of life. The promise of great change without messy revolution, quietly radical and faintly utopian, proves a strong draw to those who awaken to find that the world isn’t as it should be. And perhaps one of their greatest talents as a party is finding leaders to represent this philosophy: far from the fire and brimstone and smug pandering of those on either side of them, they’re seen as Dumbledore figures, separate from and slightly amused by the devious goings-on of authoritative and paternal British politics.
Last year, the University of Glasgow voted overwhelmingly against joining the National Union of Students (NUS). Boasting to represent over 5 million students, the NUS claims to provide resources, training, and an influential national voice for those in further and higher education. But to us, it was an expensive, unrepresentative, politically motivated wste of money. After a 2007 NUS Conference described by one presidential candidate as ‘the most right-wing ever’, it’s understandable to question whether anything has been to answer the criticisms made about it.
They are the reason why our education costs us money instead of it being free, like it should be—the way it was for our government ministers when they were students. They are why corporations are allowed to fund much of the research carried out in UK universities (for profit), instead of the state (for public need). They are why tens of thousands of children die needlessly every day because their parents couldn’t pay for the simple medicines that would have saved their lives. They are the reason why the richest four people on earth can control more wealth than the poorest 48 nation states. They are why nothing is done in any serious way to combat climate change. And let us not forget that two of their main players, the United States and Britain, are responsible for the carnage currently raging in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are the Group of 8 (G8): the planet’s leading industrial nations. A G8 whose annual summit attracts mass protests wherever it is held.
Some time ago, in a place I can’t say, two policemen spotted a car with an expired tax disc, across a dark and wide street. They walked over and noticed the trigger of a sawn-off shotgun ‘sticking’ out of a bag in the back seat. The man in the car blamed it on his mate, saying the bag holding the gun must have been slung in the back without his knowing. His mate was in the nearby chippy at the time, and legged it when the coppers appeared. The coppers didn’t spot him running.
I was on the jury. We were asked to decide whether the man in the car was guilty of knowing that the bag containing the gun – not the gun itself – was in the back of his car. After being presented with evidence from both sides for two days, we were asked to adjourn and, without speculation, deliberate a verdict.
What they asked of us was impossible: to remove any thoughts we may have had on the case – which come naturally given the 2 days of chat about the bigger picture – and decide if the accused is telling the truth about one detail of a story swamped in lies.
I voted not guilty. I was half-lying when I did. The chances are he saw the bag in the back seat.
It doesn’t matter whether the gun was sticking out the bag or not; to be guilty he had to have knowledge of the bag in his car – even if it belonged to the absconded friend. One thing the jury did agree on was the mate being ‘more guilty’ than the accused himself.
A majority verdict found the accused guilty. I see the convicted man as a scapegoat, taking the blame to satisfy records. With rates of gun crime in urban England worrying the public (we may have seen figures decrease for the first time in 7 years, but news coverage remains constant with recent youth killings), one strategy of the home office has been to ‘strengthen the law’.
The law is so strong that a man has gone to jail because the jury I was on decided he knew there was a bag in the back of his car. It’s a shame the figures for convictions on gun related crimes are, in this case at least, skewed because justice got twisted up with politics. |
I don’t know about you, but I feel like my monthly budget is being stretched further and further all the time. So, I’m always looking for ways to cut down on my regular expenses, and I’ve realised that employee benefit schemes have an awful lot to offer in this regard.
You can find discounted insurance policies, cheap cinema tickets and much more through these schemes. It’s also important to know that you should be looking further afield than just your employer. As an example, people in the civil service can join a members club that unlocks a huge range of discounts. So, while you might not receive concessions directly from your employer, your position means that by taking a few minutes to sign up to a club, you can save a lot of money.
Now we’ve established how your employer can do your wallet a favour, let’s take a look at the exact areas you might be able to save on.
I always think the key to making the most of your money is understanding exactly where it goes and how you can make it work more efficiently for you. That said, I used to find this quite tricky (finance can, after all, be quite a complicated topic!) and so to help get me started I used a financial planner.
The good news is that it really helps you get on top of things like tax, savings and investments. The bad news is that independent financial advice can be costly – but if you book a consultation through a members club it can actually be completely free! Usually only the preliminary consultation will be complimentary, but you’d be surprised at just how useful one session can be.
Even when I’m in full savings mode, I leave a little room in my monthly budget for the odd night out. Usually, this takes the form of a trip to the cinema, but anyone who has been lately will know it’s pretty expensive these days! And, you’ve guessed it, you can save a whole lot of cash through members clubs and employee benefits schemes.
In fact, you can get a whopping 40 per cent discount off tickets for any day of the week, as well as avoiding booking and postage fees. Of course, you’ll need to be a bit organised and book your seats far enough in advance to make sure they arrive on time, but personally I’m willing to do a little forward planning if it means I can save that much!
Insurance is something every home owner and motorist needs, and if you have both a car and a house to cover things can get pretty pricey very quickly. So, once again, you need to look at how exactly you can save. A common misconception is that choosing cheaper and less suitable policies is an effective way to cut costs, but since it also means you won’t have adequate protection should the worst happen, it’s definitely a false economy.
Instead, take the time to hunt around for the best deals on premiums that are right for you. Then check out the various discounts available through members clubs and the like. For example, you could save ten per cent off your car insurance when you call to obtain a quote, alongside a 75 per cent no claims discount.
This post was brought to you by Hari Apostolides. Image credit: Yulia Guseva |
A Kurdish family of drum makers. All five children are blind, but pitch in to build the so-called Daf, flat drums popular in Iran with metal rings on the inside to create additional sound while playing. The youngest son is three, too young to help. He sits near his siblings under a large tent of mosquito netting on the porch, crying often because his sick eyes hurt. His siblings lovingly crawl in to join him beneath the netting, snuggle with him and bring him sweets. A family portrait and a tribute to the art of drum making.
With: Hamed Mohamadi, Monire Zamani, Elham Bahmani, Saman Bahmani, Maryam Abasi
Screenplay: Bahman Ghobadi
Director of Photography: Shahriar Assadi
Film Editor: Hayedeh Safiyari
Sound: Hossein Mahdavi
Producer: Bahman Ghobadi
Production Company: Mij Film Co
World Sales: Mij Film Co
Director: Bahman Ghobadi
Bahman Ghobadi was born in Baneh in 1969, a city in Iranian Kurdistan near the Iraqi border. The Iran-Iraq War forced his family to move to Sanandaj, the capital of Iranian Kurdistan. After high school graduation, Ghobadi moved to Teheran, where he began working as a photographer. He attended Iranian Broadcasting College, but did not graduate. He then worked as assistant director to Abbas Kiarostami on THE WIND WILL CARRY US. After shooting several documentary shorts on Super8, he made his award-winning breakout short LIFE IN FOG 1999. He named his production co. Mij (Fog), which funds and produces Kurdish films, after this film. “Iran has always been a region that cradled a multitude of different ethnic groups, Turkmens, Kurds and Turks, yet their voices are rarely expressed in Iranian cinema,” says Ghobadi. He made the first Iranian Kurdish feature film 2000, A TIME FOR DRUNKEN HORSES, followed by TURTLES CAN FLY (2004), HALF MOON (2006) and NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS (2009), winning numerous international awards, including the Caméra d'Or in Cannes, the Glass Bear in Berlin, two main prizes in San Sebastian, the Index on Censorship award and numerous audience awards worldwide. Bahman Ghobadi has been making Kurdish films for twenty years now, often working with non-actors and laypeople. |
We're sorry, this property is no longer available! We have many other apartments to choose from that we think you'll love instead.
- 2 BD/ 2BA
- Parking Included
- Storage Included
- Water and Trash Included
- Pet Friendly (Extra Deposit + Pet Rent May Be Required)
- Private Balcony
Live in the heart of the Mission and take in the views from your own spacious private balcony. This luxury 2 Bedroom offers hardwood floors, an open kitchen, and it's even pet-friendly. Mission Dolores Park is less than a half mile away and you'll fall in love with this friendly, walkable neighborhood.
- Contemporary Design
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- Large Windows Throughout with City Views
- Remodeled Gourmet Kitchen
- Custom Kitchen with Dishwasher, Electric Stove, Large Fridge
- Hardwood Floors Throughout
- 2 Fully Remodeled Bathrooms with Floating Sinks| Glass Shower/Tub Combo
- Stackable Washer/Dryer in Unit
- Large Private Balcony with City Views
- Shared Roof Deck with BBQ and City Views
- Residence Lounge on Ground Floor
- Attended Front Desk
- Secure Building
The Mission District surrounds you with many different options of restaurants, bars, nightclubs, boutique shops. The VIDA is right between Valencia Street and Mission Street which allows you to walk right outside in all the action! Just around the corner from El Techo, Lolo, and Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. It is also very close to public transportation including Corporate bus shuttles, Muni, BART and quick access to 101, 280 and 80 freeways.
Nearby schools include Horace Mann Middle School, Sand Paths Academy and Cesar Chavez Elementary School. The closest grocery stores are Evergreen Market, Mike's Groceries & Liquors and Lucca Ravioli Company. Nearby coffee shops include Ritual Coffee Roasters, Garcon French Restaurant and Bistro and Tokyo Futon & Tea. Nearby restaurants include El Techo, Lolinda and Foreign Cinema. 45 Bartlett St #801 is near Alioto Mini Park, Mission Playground and Jose Coronado Playground |
The time for outcry is among us as the Oscar nominations for 2019 are announced on the 22 January. With the 91st Academy Awards being held on 24 February, we list all the ways the awards needs to improve, right now
The Oscars are coming and, as ever, everybody's cynical. It's as if six months of film award chat isn't for everyone and so, by the time the biggest of the season arrives, the general public have had it.
The Golden Globes, Baftas, 527 regional ceremonies celebrating films most Brits haven't seen, as they're not out yet, it is little wonder, when everyone pops on the penguin suits for the Academy Awards in February, that the tedium is real.
Yet it shouldn't be. A slow moving machine the awards may be, but the Oscars have a rich history of deserved winners and enjoyable moments, so it can be important and fun again. The problem isn't the films, which each year offer up enough quality for lists to be compiled with titles that have been snubbed. Instead, the issue is largely fatigue caused by familiarity, mixed with a bit of stupidity. With the Oscar nominations for 2019 announced tomorrow, here, then, are nine ways GQ would fix the Oscars.
Somebody just needed to google “Kevin Hart”
1. Check up on the past of whoever is picked to host
It's incredible that, in the century of the internet, the Oscars still don't seem to know what the internet is. How else to explain how the organisers picked Kevin Hart to host the show this year, despite huge online evidence that he isn't funny. There was also the issue of old homophobic tweets, in which the comic said, in an allegedly funny way, that he would physically harm his son if he acted in anyway that might hint he was gay. He said he apologised for this when, really, he hadn't, and soon the Oscars found themselves without a host. A terrible start to the build-up and easy to avoid, had somebody just googled “Kevin Hart”.
2. Let's just have a category for superhero films
Last summer, the Oscars announced they would have a category for “Popular Films”. This was, a cynic may suggest, just a way to head off Black Panther not being considered good enough for the Best Film category. The problem is this idea was patronising and undefinable from the off – and then A Star Is Born was popular too, but also critically acclaimed and not a blockbuster. Where would that fit in? Everyone was confused. However, their aim wasn't entirely daft. We are in the era of superheroes, they are not going away and, much like cartoons, they have people who love them and those who think they're not art. Therefore, let's have a Best Superhero Film category, like we do for animation. It would shut a lot of people up and give oxygen for films that don't make £1 billion pre the Oscars to get some much needed attention in the other slots.
3. Announce the nominations before the Golden Globes
By virtue of following the other major awards shows, the Oscars, oddly, seem to lack confidence in comparison to the first-out-the-gate Golden Globes and Baftas. There is a grandiosity in their ending of this prize-giving parade, but the Oscars can reclaim their position as the absolute essential gong by announcing their list way ahead of rivals. The ceremony can happen months later, fine, but getting ahead of the pack would mark the biggest as the most trendsetting again, rather than just being the 47th organisation to suggest Olivia Colman was good in The Favourite.
4. Have a category for best decade-old film
Do you remember what won Best Film last year? It was The Shape Of Water – a film nobody has thought about since March. That is because, in the rush of promotion and marketing, the winner is often the film that shouts the loudest. This is hard to change, but one idea to celebrate the absolute best is to have a category to honour the best film from ten years ago, given that the real marker of quality is longevity. Take 2009. The winner then was, inexplicably, cultural appropriation thriller Slumdog Millionaire. Other movies that could have won? The Wrestler, The Dark Knight, Wall-E, Rachel Getting Married and Waltz With Bashir. All have aged better, with GQ awarding this new statuette to Wall-E.
5. Ply the audience with booze to make it funny
The Oscars broadcast is boring. That is why it has been shedding viewers. The Golden Globes, by comparison, are filled with A-listers taking selfies of each other (see Idris Elba and Daniel Craig). What the Academy slog needs is mini bottles of prosecco in the seats to lubricate and enliven. This should also – if some shots are thrown in – alleviate the other problem of actors being nice about other actors. It's very luvvie and longwinded. A total ban on compliments probably won't be necessary though, if everyone is drunk and bitchy. Another idea to make it seem less stilted and staged is to have whoever wins an award stay on stage to present the next winner. Some spontaneity. Imagine.
6. Have a female director category
A contentious one, for sure, but just as the Oscars split acting into male and female categories, it's time for directing to do the same. The largely male voting pool seem forever attracted to male-made films and no amount of hashtagging will change that. The likely nominations this year are all men, which means Debra Granik (Leave No Trace), Tamara Jenkins (Private Life) and Lynne Ramsay (You Were Never Really Here) all miss out. The arguments against this splitting are that it ghettoises female directors, but surely that's better than not including them at all? It would be, largely, a positive move towards diversity, one that would force studios to back women behind the camera, as they know it could lead to the huge publicity that comes with the Academy down the line. It's either that or keep having only 6 per cent of movies directed by women a year.
Make it like Eurovision, but with actual talent
7. Move the awards ceremony around the world
You know, like Eurovision, but with actual talent. More than ever, Hollywood is a global business, tapping, for instance, deliberately into the Chinese market with Chinese actors and locations. If the Academy offered their biggest night of the year out to cities other than Los Angeles it would represent this while also generating interest in whatever country is putting on the party. “Welcome to the Oscars 2020, live from the 88th floor of the Petronas Tower in Kuala Lumpur,” beams the host, Jimmy Kimmel, as a jaunt of jetlagged A-listers put on their bravest out-of-California faces and the money for the Academy rolls in.
8. Give me a vote
This, of course, is the problem. The Oscars are always wrong because you don't decide who wins. In an era when we control who wins on our phones, from X Factor to some political elections, it feels archaic not to have a say. The public would be wrong, definitely, gifting praise to rubbish like Bohemian Rhapsody just because they really like Queen's Greatest Hits, but the public have the fate of this celebration of film in their hands anyway. If they are not interested, it might one day just stop, or perform to nobody. The ultimate in solipsistic Hollywood backslap. To fend this nightmare off, maybe one category should be open to the punters to call/text/tweet in. Something glib, but which they think is important. Best Superhero Film, perhaps.
9. Don’t give any awards to Bohemian Rhapsody
Before the Golden Globes, this entry didn’t need to exist. Of course nobody with a film brain would vote for the karaoke film of the year, an opportunity for one lucky man (Rami Malek) to sing his favourite Queen songs in expensive movie sets. The film is utterly vacuous and pretty homophobic to boot – which means its bagful of Globes is the most depressing thing to happen to cinema since Holocaust drama Son Of Saul. The Oscar voters are more sensible and Roma will at least be eligible to win the Best Film award, which it wasn’t at the Golden Globes. But stranger things have happened. Remember Crash? Shiver. There is an argument that says if Bohemian Rhapsody wins big at the Oscars, then the Academy should be closed for a year. |
Turner Classic Movies presents a bucket list of the best and most beloved holiday films of all time, complete with spirited commentary, behind-the-scenes stories, and photos spanning eight decades of Christmastime favorites. Nothing brings the spirit of the season into our hearts quite like a great holiday movie. "Christmas films" come in many shapes and sizes and exist across many genres. Some, like It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story, are perennials, while others, such as Die Hard, have only gradually become yuletide favorites. But they all have one thing in common: they use themes evoked by the holiday period - nostalgia, joy, togetherness, dysfunction, commercialism, or cynicism - as a force in their storytelling. Turner Classic Movies: Christmas in the Movies showcases the very best among this uniquely spirited strain of cinema. Each film is profiled on what makes it a "Christmas movie," along with behind-the-scenes stories of its production, reception, and legacy. Complemented by a trove of color and black-and-white photos, Turner Classic Movies: Christmas in the Movies is a glorious salute to a collection of the most treasured films of all time. Among the 30 films included: The Shop Around the Corner, Holiday Inn, Meet Me in St. Louis, It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, White Christmas, A Christmas Story, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, Little Women, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. |
An actress, singer and a songwriter Katharine Hope McPhee is a name known to millions of people in America and around the world especially after she acquired the position of a runner-up in the fifth season of American Idol. She was a fresh voice in the industry, and her first debut album with RCA records was successful both aesthetically and commercially. Even her second album was a big hit.
Apart from music, Katharine also appeared in different television shows like Smash in NBC, and Scorpion in CBS. There are a lot of things to talk about this young person and for that let us take you through the early life, career, awards achievements and net worth of Katharine McPhee in 2019.
Early Life & Biography
Katharine was born on 25th March 1984 in Los Angeles. Daniel McPhee a television producer; was Katharine’s father and her mother was a vocal coach in American Idol. In the initial years McPhee attended Notre Dame High School, and since then she was involved in school plays and musical sessions. Katharine attended Boston Conservatory with musical theatre but left it in the mid-way for pursuing a career in television shows. But Katharine from the very beginning had a natural flair for music, and her family tried to make her pursue it.
McPhee had multiple relationships in the past, and even today she is dating David Foster. In 2008 she got married to Nick Cokas, but after a few years, the relationship ended in divorce. After this, she pursued Elyes Gabel her co-star in film Scorpion for almost two years. Recently the news says that she is dating David Foster.
Career, Awards & Nominations
From the very beginning, McPhee had an interest in music, and her first break was in American Idol. In 2005 her parents and husband Nick persuaded her to participate in a reality show, and by God’s grace, she acquired the position of a runner-up in the competition. With the tag of being the runner-up, she got more opportunities and soon launched her first album. The songs in the album had a new flavour, and in due course of time, it acquired the second position in the Billboard chart.
After this, she released various other albums which were even loved by the fans. Mc Phee was getting popular in the music fraternity, and soon another window opened for her. Acting in movies came as a new challenge for this rockstar. In the year 2012, she got to play the role of Karen Cartwright in an NBC series Smash. Later she was seen in various other shows like Scorpion etc. Films are also a part of Kathrine’s career like Shark Night, The House Bunny and there are a few more.
Katharine McPhee is not only a celebrity, but a real artist who won several awards like Foxx Reality Awards, Women’s image network Awards and there are many more.
Net Worth & Earnings
She is an actor in some of the famous American television series and with that a musician too, and her net worth is more than $10 million. Another interesting fact about her career is that she gets paid around $40 thousand on each episode on television. There are a very few rising stars who get such an enormous amount.
It is seldom to find a star who is so well established in the world of music as well as in films. McPhee started her career with music and later became a part of cinema and reached new heights. At this age, McPhee has achieved a lot, and there are more left to do. |
Every year at the University of East Anglia, in Norwich, England, a guest is invited to speak on the subject of religion and education. Sometimes, a prominent bishop is asked to deliver a lecture, but, as a rule, the event isn’t exactly a big draw. This year, the auditorium was filled, and another room, with a video feed, had to be set up for those who couldn’t fit into the main hall. The speaker, Philip Pullman, is fervently admired for his sophisticated trilogy of children’s novels called, collectively, “His Dark Materials.” In Britain, his books have sold millions of copies, and his often contentious essays on subjects ranging from censorship to education—“We need to ensure that children are not forced to waste their time on barren rubbish” is a typical declaration—appear regularly in the London papers.
In some ways, Pullman was a natural choice for the lecture: he was born in Norwich, where his grandfather was an Anglican parish priest, and the university, which is renowned for its creative-writing program, has given him an honorary degree. In his books, fantasy is a springboard for exploring cosmic questions about the purpose of human life and the nature of the universe. Nevertheless, the selection of Pullman was surprising: he is one of England’s most outspoken atheists. In the trilogy, a young girl, Lyra Belacqua, becomes enmeshed in an epic struggle against a nefarious Church known as the Magisterium; another character, an ex-nun turned particle physicist named Mary Malone, describes Christianity as “a very powerful and convincing mistake.” Pullman once told an interviewer that “every single religion that has a monotheistic god ends up by persecuting other people and killing them because they don’t accept him.” Peter Hitchens, a conservative British columnist, published an article about Pullman entitled “This Is the Most Dangerous Author in Britain,” in which he called him the writer “the atheists would have been praying for, if atheists prayed.”
Pullman is a rangy, spirited man in his fifties with a bristling fringe of gray hair; at times, he resembles an intelligent and amused stork. At the lectern, he began, “Quite what prompted you to ask me to talk about religious education I can’t immediately see. . . . Given that I’ve voiced some criticisms of religion in the past, and that various Christian groups have expressed their criticisms of me, it might be that whatever I said on the subject would be hostile in any case.” He smiled. “Well, I hope it won’t be that. But we shall see.” He went on, “I don’t profess any religion; I don’t think it’s possible that there is a God; I have the greatest difficulty in understanding what is meant by the words ‘spiritual’ or ‘spirituality’; but I think I can say something about moral education, and I think it has something to do with the way we understand stories.”
Pullman had called his lecture “Miss Goddard’s Grave,” after a tombstone, first pointed out to him by his mother, in the churchyard in Norwich’s old city center. The stone’s inscription praises “the Talents and Virtues of SOPHIA ANN GODDARD, who died 25 March 1801 Aged 25. The Former shone with superior Lustre and Effect in the great School of Morals, the THEATRE, while the Latter inform’d the private Circle of Life with Sentiment, Taste, and Manners that still live in the Memory of Friendship and Affection.” Who Miss Goddard was Pullman could not say; perhaps he’d look her up one day in the county archives. “There must have been a portrait made at some stage,” he speculated. “People have always liked looking at pictures of young actresses; they still do. Perhaps it’s still hanging in a house somewhere in the city, or at the back of an antique shop, with the title ‘Unknown young woman, late eighteenth century.’ There’s a story there.”
People in the audience had chuckled when Pullman read the line about the theatre being a “School of Morals,” but he insisted that the inscription wasn’t ironic. In the eighteenth century, he explained, people like Miss Goddard had wisely sought ethical instruction from the theatre and in novels. “We learn from Macbeth’s fate that killing is horrible for the killer as well as victim,” he said, before reading a passage from “Emma,” by Jane Austen, in which the heroine is mortified when Mr. Knightley reproaches her for mocking poor, garrulous Miss Bates. The scene, Pullman said, shows that “we can learn what’s good and what’s bad, what’s generous and unselfish, what’s cruel and mean, from fiction”; there is no need to consult scripture. As Pullman once put it in a newspaper column, “ ‘Thou shalt not’ might reach the head, but it takes ‘Once upon a time’ to reach the heart.”
Only a few of the people who had come to see Pullman appeared to be under twenty-one. Strictly speaking, the three novels that make up “His Dark Materials”—“The Golden Compass,” “The Subtle Knife,” and “The Amber Spyglass”—are children’s books, but their ideal reader is a precocious fifteen-year-old who long ago came to find the Harry Potter books intellectually thin. It’s possible that as many adults now read the trilogy as do children. Robert McCrum, the literary editor of the Observer of London, has celebrated Pullman’s “well-made, absorbing characters,” “supreme elegance of style and tone,” and dexterous handling of “very big ideas.” “The Amber Spyglass” won the 2001 Whitbread Prize for best children’s book, then went on to win the Whitbread Book of the Year award, too—the first children’s book to do so.
In his speech, Pullman contended that the literary School of Morals is inherently ambiguous, dynamic, and democratic: a “conversation.” Opposed to this ideal is “theocracy,” which he defined as encompassing everything from Khomeini’s Iran to explicitly atheistic states such as Stalin’s Soviet Union. He listed some characteristics of such states—among them, “a scripture whose word is inerrant,” a priesthood whose authority “tends to concentrate in the hands of elderly men,” and “a secret police force with the powers of an Inquisition.” Theocracies, he said, demonstrate “the tendency of human beings to gather power to themselves in the name of something that may not be questioned.”
This impulse toward theocracy, he announced at the end of his speech, “will defeat the School of Morals in the end.” He sounded oddly cheerful making this prediction; in his books, Pullman enjoys striking a tone of melancholy resolve. He continued, “But that doesn’t mean we should give up and surrender. . . . I think we should act as if. I think we should read books, and tell children stories, and take them to the theatre, and learn poems, and play music, as if it would make a difference. . . . We should act as if the universe were listening to us and responding. We should act as if life were going to win. . . . That’s what I think they do, in the School of Morals. And Miss Goddard’s portrait hangs on the classroom wall.”
The following morning, I joined Pullman as he stopped by the Norwich branch of Ottakar’s, a British bookstore chain. We slipped into a tiny, windowless back room, so he could sign a cartload of books. As he scribbled his name on the title pages, one of the store’s employees explained that Pullman’s public signings are complicated productions. “When ‘The Amber Spyglass’ came out, we had to hire a hall,” he told me. “More than nine hundred people showed up.” Pullman’s fame is only likely to grow: New Line Cinema, the studio responsible for the “Lord of the Rings” films, is preparing three movies based on the trilogy.
Twenty minutes later, we left Ottakar’s and got into his car and drove along a bewildering web of country roads toward Oxford; he lives in a suburb of the city with his wife, Jude. (They have two sons, both grown; Jamie is a violist for the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and Tom recently received a master’s degree in linguistics from Cambridge.) It was a raw, wet day. Conversing from behind the wheel suited Pullman; it allowed him free use of a favorite mannerism—a sly, avuncular sidewise glance that punctuates his wit. Outside Norwich, a huge pillar, topped by an ovoid urn, suddenly came into view, in a field by the side of the road. “See that?” Pullman asked with great enthusiasm. “It’s the memorial to the first pineapple ever brought into East Anglia!” When I raised an eyebrow, he chuckled; in fact, the pillar was a First World War memorial. This quip, he said later, was borrowed from his grandfather the clergyman; the monument was a landmark of Pullman’s childhood. “He filled the landscape with stories,” Pullman said of his grandfather. “We’d go for a walk and he’d say, ‘See that tree, boys? That’s Robin Hood’s tree. He would hide up there when the Sheriff would come along!’ ”
Pullman’s first stories for children, which he published in the nineteen-eighties, were fanciful entertainments. He still dashes off these fairy tales: his most recent work in this vein, “The Scarecrow and His Servant,” is the picaresque story of a gallant farmyard mannequin who comes to life and the orphaned boy who signs on as his Sancho Panza. (The scarecrow’s courtship of a farmer’s broom is comically chivalrous.) For many years, Pullman supplemented his writing income by teaching literature at a middle school and at Westminster College, both in Oxford, and he retains some of the traits common in favorite teachers: a sartorial trademark (red socks) and a goodnatured gruffness, calibrated to let the charming students know that they won’t be indulged but not so harsh as to scare the timid ones.
In the early nineteen-nineties, Pullman told me, he decided that he was ready to write something “large.” He informed his editor, David Fickling, who was then at Scholastic and is now affiliated with Random House, that he had in mind a very long story that would take three books to tell. The inspiration was a work Pullman has loved since his teens: “Paradise Lost.” (The series takes its title from a line of the poem which describes the raw substance that Milton’s “almighty maker” uses to create life.) Initially, Pullman told me, he simply planned to infuse his story with Miltonian atmosphere—“the grandeur, the nobility, the overwhelming magnitude of ambition and imaginative power.” Soon, however, Milton’s theme, the Fall of Man, crept into the novel. In an introduction to a recent edition of “Paradise Lost,” Pullman writes, “My story resolved itself into an account of the necessity of growing up, and a refusal to lament the loss of innocence.”
Pullman’s heroine, Lyra Belacqua, is a pre-adolescent girl who erroneously believes that she is an orphan. She has been raised in a slapdash fashion at Oxford, by the scholars and staff of the venerable (and fictional) Jordan College. The novels are set in an alternate version of this universe, in which people travel by zeppelin and refer to electricity as “anbaric power.” It is a church-burdened world, in which the Reformation led to consolidation, not schism, and the Papacy was moved from Rome to Geneva by John Calvin. This Church is responsible for the kidnapping of Lyra’s best friend, whom she vows to rescue; the exile of her father, whom she sets out to find; and, eventually, the homicidal pursuit of Lyra herself. In “His Dark Materials,” the Church is run by a cabal of celibate men who are obsessed with sin and its eradication. The Church employs torture and a doctrine of “preëmptive penance”—a program of self-flagellation that provides its adherents with a kind of get-out-of-Hell-free card, forgiving them in advance for such politically useful sins as assassination.
This villainous institutional portrait, it should be said, is not derived from personal experience. Pullman’s initial encounters with religion were largely benign, owing to his beloved grandfather. Although he became a skeptic early on—“for all the usual reasons”—he kept his thoughts to himself. “I didn’t want to upset him,” he said of his grandfather. “I knew I wouldn’t have changed his mind.” And, for Pullman, his grandfather’s most important quality was his “big soul.” He added, “Although I call myself an atheist, I am a Church of England atheist, and a 1662 Book of Common Prayer atheist, because that’s the tradition I was brought up in and I cannot escape those early influences.” In “His Dark Materials,” Pullman’s criticisms of organized religion come across as anti-authoritarian and anti-ascetic rather than anti-doctrinal. (Jesus isn’t mentioned in any of the books, although Pullman has hinted that He might figure in a forthcoming sequel, “The Book of Dust.”) His fundamental objection is to ideological tyranny and the rejection of this world in favor of an idealized afterlife, regardless of creed. As one of the novel’s pagan characters puts it, “Every church is the same: control, destroy, obliterate every good feeling.”
“His Dark Materials” may be the first fantasy series founded upon the ideals of the Enlightenment rather than upon tribal and mythic yearnings for kings, gods, and supermen. Pullman’s heroes are explorers, cowboys, and physicists. The series offers an extended celebration of the marvels of science: discoveries and theories from the outer reaches of cosmology—about dark matter and the possible existence of multiple universes—are threaded into the story. Indeed, the central mystery of “His Dark Materials” concerns the nature of Dust, a dark matter-like substance that the scientists of Lyra’s world have only recently learned how to detect. Dust is everywhere, but it tends to concentrate around human beings, and around adults more than children. The Church considers Dust to be the “physical evidence for original sin.” Lyra’s father, a Byronic figure named Lord Asriel, defies Church prohibitions by mounting an expedition to the Arctic Circle, where he learns more about Dust by observing another universe, which can be glimpsed through the northern lights. Her mother, the treacherous Mrs. Coulter, is secretly running an isolated camp in the same region, where she conducts sinister Dustrelated experiments on abducted children, under the aegis of the General Oblation Board, one of the Church’s more malevolent offshoots. It is this outfit that kidnaps Lyra’s best friend, setting the story in motion.
What readers tend to find most alluring about “His Dark Materials,” however, is a wholly unscientific invention. Every character in Lyra’s world has a daemon—an animal-shaped alter ego that is all but inseparable from its human counterpart. Not that the relationship is always congenial. In the first scene in “The Golden Compass,” Lyra quarrels with her daemon, Pantalaimon, about breaking the college rules, much as characters in more conventional stories might argue with their consciences. The device could be gimmicky, but Pullman wields it with elegant metaphorical economy. Not only do daemons answer the writer’s need to turn a character’s internal struggles into drama; they speak to the ache of consciousness and the desire for an ideal companion. Children, owing to the plasticity of their personalities, have daemons that can change shape—in the opening scene, Pantalaimon transforms from a moth into an ermine—but as a person comes of age his daemon settles on a single form that reflects his essence. In Pullman’s version of the Fall of Man, the loss of a protean innocence leads to a gain in self-knowledge.
In 1953, when Pullman was seven, he was “thrilled” by the news that he and his four-year-old brother, Francis, were “almost orphans.” His father, an R.A.F. aviator, had died when the plane he was piloting crashed in Africa. The boys had seen so little of their father that he wasn’t quite real to them; Philip remembers him only vaguely, as a paragon of masculine “glamour.” Like Lyra’s own neglectful father, he was “powerful and dashing,” as well as charmingly irresponsible. He once gave Philip a pack of cigarettes, hoping that they’d make the boy sick and stop him from begging for singles. (It didn’t work.)
Pullman told me that his mother, Audrey, was considered “difficult” by her family. “She’d suddenly shut off affection,” he recalls. After his father died, she lodged Philip and Francis with her parents in Norwich for a year or so, and went to London to work. She rented a little flat in Chelsea and ran with a crowd that dazzled young Philip: “men with pipes and cravats and sports cars.” This milieu turns up in an exalted form in “The Golden Compass,” when the beautiful Mrs. Coulter, who exudes “a scent of grownupness, something disturbing but enticing,” brings Lyra to live with her in her chic London apartment.
Pullman’s mother eventually married another R.A.F. pilot. The family followed him on assignment to Australia, then finally to Llanbedr, a small town in North Wales. By then, Philip and Francis had a half brother; a half sister soon followed. Later, their stepfather’s son from an earlier marriage came to live with them. This hodgepodge of half siblings and stepsiblings remains close, despite having since scattered over three continents. When Pullman’s stepfather died, in 2002 (his mother died a decade earlier), they weren’t all able to gather immediately for a service, so they arranged to meet in Scotland the following May. Pullman hit upon the idea of shooting his stepfather’s ashes into the sky with fireworks. “The whole family went out to this little rocky headland, where the firework-maker had his place, overlooking the Firth of Forth,” he said. “As night fell, we’d all been drinking whiskey, having a good time.” His voice slid into a lilting whisper as he sketched the scene. “There were seals basking on the shore, the lights of Edinburgh were just coming out, and there were big naval vessels maneuvering in the firth. The firework-maker, this amazing guy, was busy fixing all the fuses and wires. My stepbrother gave a little address, perfectly judged, and my sister lit the fuse. And it was the most wonderful display! The sky was full of stars—a brilliant display. My sister’s little daughter said, ‘That’s the way I want to go!’ ”
One of Pullman’s beliefs is that your life begins when you are born, but your life story begins when you realize that you were delivered into the wrong family by mistake. “We were a military family,” Mark Dodgson, his half brother, told me. “We weren’t a great one for talking about ideas. Philip was completely different.” For a while, Pullman’s stepfather kept a chicken farm in Llanbedr. “Phil used to spend hours and hours and hours cleaning out these damn chickens,” Dodgson recalled. “As soon as he was finished . . . the others would go off marching or something, and he’d stick his head in a book.”
Pullman found intellectual companionship at the local school. The acknowledgments of “The Amber Spyglass” offer thanks to Enid Jones, his secondary-school English teacher, for introducing him to “Paradise Lost” and for “the best that education can give, the notion that responsibility and delight can coexist.” (Miss Jones is still alive, and Pullman keeps in touch with her; he also keeps a bottle of apricot brandy she gave him stashed in his car, for emergencies.) His best friend during his teens was Merfyn Jones—no relation to Enid, but another devotee of her approach to Milton and the Romantic poets. He is now the BBC national governor for Wales. Jones told me that they shared “a kind of heretical predisposition.”
In his teens, Pullman discovered the poetry of William Blake, another great influence on “His Dark Materials.” He used to jot down lines that he’d memorized from “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell” and pass them to Merfyn during class. Pullman subscribes to Blake’s view of Milton as being “of the Devil’s party without knowing it.” He explained, “All of the imaginative sympathy of the poem is with Satan rather than with God.”
Jones has a defining memory of Pullman from their final year in school. The boys represented their school in a debate against a team from the local private girls’ school. “We basically were defending anarchy,” Jones recalled. “People couldn’t quite believe what we were saying and that we were saying it in quite this way and that we were using quotes from various poets and politicians.” Afterward, Jones said, some girls from the other school came up to the teen-age firebrands and asked, “How are you allowed to say these things? We’re not even allowed to think about thinking about these things!”
Near the end of “The Golden Compass,” Lord Asriel asks Lyra to bring him a copy of the Bible, and he reads her a passage from Genesis. In Lyra’s world, the Bible isn’t quite the same as ours: when Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit, the first thing they see is the adult form of their daemons. “But it en’t true, is it?” Lyra asks of the story. “Not true like chemistry or engineering, not that kind of true? There wasn’t really an Adam and Eve?” Lord Asriel tells her to think of the story as an “imaginary number, like the square root of minus one.” Its truth might not be tangible, but you can use it to calculate “all manner of things that couldn’t be imagined without it.” The metaphor is not just cunning; it helps explain why Pullman, a champion of science, writes in the fantastic mode.
The city of Oxford, Pullman once wrote, fosters the imagination: “I put it down to the mists from the river, which have a solvent effect on reality.” Reality, it must be said, seemed firmly in place as we made our way into town, passing through a prosaic neighborhood of contemporary homes, where Pullman once lived. He pointed out a row of hornbeam trees. “Those are the trees from ‘The Subtle Knife,’ ” he announced. The second novel in the series opens in the Oxford of this world; a boy, Will Parry, is trying to protect himself and his mother from strange men who have been badgering them for information about Will’s missing father. In a moment of despair, near this row of hornbeam trees along an otherwise unremarkable traffic corridor, Will discovers a hole in the fabric of the universe. He slips through it and into the sanctuary of another universe, where he meets and befriends Lyra Belacqua.
In 1965, Pullman became the first student from his Welsh school to go to Oxford. The first time he visited the town, he was bewitched by the sensation it offered of stepping out of time. A scene from “The Subtle Knife” takes place near the Radcliffe Camera, which Pullman describes as “a round building with a great leaden dome, set in a square bounded by honey-colored stone college buildings and a church and wide-crowned trees above high garden walls. The afternoon sun drew the warmest tones out of it all, and the air felt rich with it, almost the color itself of heavy golden wine.” When Lyra wants to escape from her minders, she clambers onto the roof of Jordan College. As a student, Pullman used to sneak onto the roof of his college, Exeter.
Pullman and his wife moved outside town a few years ago, when the admirers who kept turning up at their door, asking for autographs and taking photos, became a nuisance. Other Oxford sites have attracted “His Dark Materials” pilgrims, too, particularly the Botanic Garden, where the story’s final, wrenching scene is set. Pullman and I stopped there during a walk around the city. “Once, I saw something on one of the benches,” Pullman said. “It turned out to be a little wooden heart with ‘For Will and Lyra’ written on it. Isn’t that nice?”
We wandered over to the courtyard of the Bodleian Library and stared up at its imposing inner walls. Pullman, whose performance at Oxford was, by his own reckoning, undistinguished, said that he rarely visited the library as a student. “It was intimidating,” he said. “It’s a place of strict rules and arcane ceremonies. Now that I’m featured in the catalogue, I’m not so scared anymore.” He pointed at the gray flagstones on the floor and said, “Under each of these stones we’re stepping on are hundreds of books.” In an essay about Oxford that was published in the Guardian, he wrote that he and his friends used to tell creepy stories about the lowest levels of the library’s underground stacks. They were said to be “occupied by a race of sub-human creatures. . . . You could hear them howling and scrabbling if you pressed your ear to the cellar wall under staircase 9. I did, and you can.” In the trilogy, the Bodleian’s caverns become the haunted catacombs of Jordan College, where Lyra plays with a wild gang of servants’ kids.
Oxford has inspired a disproportionate amount of children’s literature. Trying to glimpse one of the many velvety green quads through gateways that are frequently blocked by large signs declaring “The College is CLOSED” can make you feel like Alice peering at that beautiful garden through the doorway she’s too big to enter. The grounds circled by Addison’s Walk, near Magdalen College, where C. S. Lewis taught, have the air of a park aspiring to wilderness, like Lewis’s imaginary land of Narnia. But perhaps the main reason that Oxford’s dons have excelled at writing for children is that, for so long, the university dictated that they live like children: sheltered, celibate, in single-sex institutions, waited upon by indulgent servants.
Pullman loves Oxford, but he’s far from donnish. His books have been likened to those of J. R. R. Tolkien, another alumnus, but he scoffs at the notion of any resemblance. “ ‘The Lord of the Rings’ is fundamentally an infantile work,” he said. “Tolkien is not interested in the way grownup, adult human beings interact with each other. He’s interested in maps and plans and languages and codes.” When it comes to “The Chronicles of Narnia,” by C. S. Lewis, Pullman’s antipathy is even more pronounced. Although he likes Lewis’s criticism and quotes it surprisingly often, he considers the fantasy series “morally loathsome.” In a 1998 essay for the Guardian, entitled “The Dark Side of Narnia,” he condemned “the misogyny, the racism, the sado-masochistic relish for violence that permeates the whole cycle.” He reviled Lewis for depicting the character Susan Pevensie’s sexual coming of age—suggested by her interest in “nylons and lipstick and invitations”—as grounds for exclusion from paradise. In Pullman’s view, the “Chronicles,” which end with the rest of the family’s ascension to a neo-Platonic version of Narnia after they die in a railway accident, teach that “death is better than life; boys are better than girls . . . and so on. There is no shortage of such nauseating drivel in Narnia, if you can face it.”
Pullman also makes the argument that Lewis really isn’t all that Christian. The fate of Susan Pevensie, he told me, indicates “some sort of crazed, deranged Manichaeism. Here’s a simple test: What is the greatest Christian virtue? Well, it’s charity, isn’t it? It’s love. If somebody who knew nothing about Christian doctrine, and who had been told that Lewis was a great Christian teacher, read all the way through those books, would he get that message? No.”
Sexual love, regarded with apprehension in Lewis’s fiction and largely ignored in Tolkien’s, saves the world in “His Dark Materials,” when Lyra’s coming of age and falling in love mystically bring about the mending of a perilous cosmological rift. “The idea of keeping childhood alive forever and ever and regretting the passage into adulthood—whether it’s a gentle, rose-tinged regret or a passionate, full-blooded hatred, as it is in Lewis—is simply wrong,” Pullman told me. As a child, Lyra is able to read a complicated divination device, called an alethiometer, with an instinctual ease. As she grows up, she becomes self-conscious and loses that grace, but she’s told that she can regain the skill with years of practice, and eventually become even better at it. “That’s a truer picture of what it’s like to be a human being,” Pullman said. “And a more hopeful one. . . . We are bound to grow up.”
At one point, Pullman and I stopped by the Eagle and Child, an Oxford pub where Lewis and Tolkien used to meet regularly with a group of literary friends. (They called themselves the Inklings.) A framed photograph of Lewis’s jowly face smiled down on us as we talked. In person, Pullman isn’t quite as choleric as he sometimes comes across in his newspaper essays. When challenged, he listens carefully and considerately, and occasionally tempers his ire. “The ‘Narnia’ books are a real wrestle with real things,” he conceded. As much as he dislikes the answers Lewis arrives at, he said that he respects “the struggle that he’s undergoing as he searches for the answers. There’s hope for Lewis. Lewis could be redeemed.” Not Tolkien, however: the “Rings” series, he declared, is “just fancy spun candy. There’s no substance to it.”
Pullman’s appreciation for moral seriousness in fiction has made him deeply frustrated with adult contemporary literature. When “The Golden Compass” won the 1995 Carnegie Medal, a prize awarded by British librarians to the year’s best children’s book, he gave a speech in which he proclaimed, “There are some themes, some subjects, too large for adult fiction; they can only be dealt with adequately in a children’s book.” He explained, “In adult literary fiction, stories are there on sufferance. Other things are felt to be more important: technique, style, literary knowingness. . . . The present-day would-be George Eliots take up their stories as if with a pair of tongs. They’re embarrassed by them. If they could write novels without stories in them, they would. Sometimes they do.”
The newspapers, and pretty much anyone who’d ever given up on a contemporary literary novel, relished Pullman’s provocation. David Fickling, Pullman’s editor, recalled, “That was the first really big public demonstration of Philip’s authoritativeness. A clear statement about stories and their importance to children and their importance to human beings was made.” In fact, Pullman’s first two published novels, which he wrote in his twenties, were for adults, but he regards them as substandard and has turned down offers to reissue the second, “Galatea.” (The first is so bad, he insists, that he refuses even to speak of it.) In writing for children, he discovered, he felt liberated to pursue the elemental pleasures of story.
In “His Dark Materials,” Mary Malone, the physicist, discovers that dark matter consists of elementary particles of consciousness. Dust is, as another character puts it, “a name for what happens when matter begins to understand itself.” You could say that, for Pullman, stories are the elementary particles of meaning, without which we’d be less than fully human. In his Carnegie Medal speech, he said, “We need stories so much that we’re even willing to read bad books to get them, if the good books won’t supply them. We all need stories, but children are more frank about it.” What angers Pullman most about theocracy, in the end, is that it blinds people to the true purpose of narrative. Fundamentalists don’t know how to read stories—including those in the Bible—metaphorically, as if they were Lord Asriel’s imaginary numbers.
Pullman refined his own storytelling gifts orally, by recounting versions of the Iliad and the Odyssey to his middle-school students. He estimates that he’s told each epic at least thirty times. Indeed, he once caused a scene in a restaurant when he was retelling the Odyssey to his son Tom, then about five years old. “Every time we went out to dinner, I’d tell it to him in serialized form while we waited for our food to come,” he said. “I’d just gotten to the part where Odysseus has come back home in disguise as an old beggar. Penelope has taken Odysseus’s old bow down and told the suitors that she’ll marry whoever can string it. They all try, but none of them can do it. Then Odysseus picks it up, and he feels it all over—to make sure it’s still good, which it is—and then in one move he strings it. Of course, we know what’s going to happen next—he’s going to use it to kill the suitors—but just before that he plucks it just once, to hear the tone. Tom was so taken with the tension of the moment that he bit a piece out of his water glass. The waitress, who was coming toward us with our food, saw him do it, and she was so startled that she dropped her tray. There was food everywhere! It was chaos.”
Pullman polished his sense of plot by writing plays for school productions. The need to leave the audience hungry for what happens next instilled in him, he said, a ruthless discipline. Nicholas Wright, a playwright who, in 2003, adapted “His Dark Materials” into a hit play for the National Theatre, in London, told me that Pullman encouraged him to edit the narrative at will to make it as effective as possible on stage. “He’s quite a showman,” Wright said. “His instinct was always that the play could be better if you forgot this or did that.” Pinned up by Pullman’s desk is a list of the film director Billy Wilder’s rules for writers. Rule No. 1 is “Grab ’em by the throat and never let ’em go.”
“His Dark Materials” does exactly that. Though the trilogy is more than a thousand pages long, it is powered by an enormous engine of story, which is not merely plot; it’s the sensation some narratives give us of being caught up in something at once momentous and personal. “His Dark Materials” is the story of a universe in peril, but it is also the tale of a girl growing up; the two are inextricable. Wright said of the series, “What it reminded me of more than anything else, funnily enough, is Wagner. Wotan and Fricka are having a terrible fight, and they’re on a mountaintop, and she’s arriving on a chariot drawn by rams. . . . But at the same time, you think, Hang on, isn’t this also Wagner and his wife in a Victorian living room, having a row about the fact that he’s having an affair with the maid? It exists on this very big mythic level, but it’s not divorced from reality.”
Great storytelling is an alchemy of voice, tone, and point of view. Pullman is a partisan of the third-person omniscient narrator, which he thinks of as a character in itself—a disembodied “sprite.” This ringmaster of many a nineteenth-century novel can, as he told me, “go anywhere and do anything and see anything, and is both male and female, both old and young, wise and foolish, cynical and credulous, all these contradictory things at once. The narrating voice that tells ‘Middlemarch’ is just as much a made-up character as Dorothea or Mr. Casaubon.”
Pullman said that it was only after he’d learned to inhabit this voice that he became a good novelist. David Fickling coached him on the obscure but merciless rules by which stories operate when he urged Pullman to kill off a major character at the end of one of his early books, “The Shadow in the North,” instead of leaving him merely injured. Pullman now refers to this imperative as “the ‘Fred must die’ rule.” The mournful ending of “His Dark Materials” wrings protests from some readers, but as Pullman once told an interviewer, “I am the servant of the story.” He added, “The story made me do it. That was what had to happen. If I’d denied it, the story wouldn’t have had a tenth of its power.”
The day we sat down at the Eagle and Child, Pullman told me about a speech he had delivered in May, 2004, at a colloquium on science, literature, and human nature. In the speech, he speculated on the possible origins of this “very clear and strong” sense he has that there is, inherently, “a right shape and a wrong shape” for any given story. Where do these shapes come from, and how can he recognize them with such certainty? Not surprisingly, Pullman rejects the notion that he’s receiving direction from some “higher power” when he apprehends that the story he’s working on is either whole or broken. His certainty might be a sophisticated form of cultural conditioning, he supposes, or simply the gift of experience. Because Pullman is an admirer of “The Language Instinct,” the book by the evolutionary psychologist Steven Pinker, I suggested that, if linguistic grammar is hardwired, perhaps a grammar of narrative is, too. “I don’t think that’s implausible, but we just don’t know,” he said. He didn’t sound as if he particularly wanted to find out, either.
One afternoon, at the converted seventeenth-century farmhouse where Pullman and his wife live, he put a frying pan on the big cast-iron Aga stove and fried some organic bacon, which we had purchased at the old covered market in Oxford. (In the trilogy, Pullman reminded me, Lyra spends a lot of time in the market with her gang, running around underfoot, stealing apples.) In the couple’s previous house, Pullman wrote in a shed at the bottom of the garden. Here he has a book-lined study with plenty of room for an impressive wooden rocking horse that Pullman, who likes to do carpentry, was hand-carving for his two grandchildren. He’s also an amateur meteorologist; in the back yard is a small weather station that sends readings on temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, wind velocity, and ultraviolet radiation into his laptop computer, via a wireless feed.
Pullman tipped the bacon into some split-pea soup that he had made earlier, and we sat down for lunch at a big wooden farm table, with Jude, a dark-haired woman with a deadpan sense of humor. A former teacher, she also worked for a few years as a hypnotherapist. She gave the latter profession up, she said, when she “got embarrassed opening the door to strange men and asking them to come upstairs.” When Pullman left for a moment to check the mail, Jude gravely explained that one of their two pug dogs, Nell, had been given her name because “she carries on like Nell Gwyn”—the merry whore of seventeenth-century London.
A few minutes later, Pullman came bounding back into the kitchen, waving a letter. It had arrived at his door despite the fact that the correspondent didn’t know the street address. He was beaming. The envelope read “Philip Pullman, The Storyteller, Oxford.” “I couldn’t ask for anything better,” he said. ♦ |
Star Wars: The Religion
Some laud the theology of Star Wars. But does Star Wars reflect a true religion?
Undoubtedly the Star Wars epic films made in the ’70s and ’80s and the latest episode, The Phantom Menace, are among the best science-fiction films of all time. The American Film Institute placed Star Wars: A New Hope, the first movie made in the series, 15th on its list of the best 100 films of this century. Film experts recognize that George Lucas’ technical and special effects achievements are without parallel. And the technology keeps getting better. (Lucas delayed making Phantom Menace until the capability was available to create on film the underwater world of the Gungans and the realism of the character Watoo, a greedy little blue-winged creature that hovers like a hummingbird.)
The Star Wars trilogy has become a global cultural icon. Who today does not know about a light saber? Who has never heard of the Force? Who does not know about the comic antics of R2-D2 and C-3P0? Go to any country in this world and you will find people who readily recognize the characters: Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Obi Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader and Yoda. These characters and their stories have sunk deep roots into our imaginations. These films show how powerfully films can impact our entire world.
But do we stop to analyze the effect?
The worldwide popularity of the films is without question. One Star Wars enthusiast claimed that he has seen the trilogy 79 times. Men in suits with briefcases, women with small children, teens—multiple thousands of people—waited in lines, some even camped out on sidewalks for three days, to be the first to purchase tickets for the Phantom Menace release on May 19.
This obsession was not just some American thing. The whole world was waiting for the release of this film. Some people traveled internationally to attend the movie’s opening on the U.S. West Coast. Others planned to attend multiple openings in London and Paris. By early July, “Episode I” had grossed over $375 million, making it the fourth-most popular film of recent times. Why have these films become so popular? It is far more than just the special effects.
Many admit that they are drawn to the spiritual themes woven into the rich fabric of the epic. Religious subjects such as mysteries, human destiny, prophecy, trials, overcoming, greed, compassion, temptation and redemption are clearly debated in the films. Although George Lucas may have not intended it so, many who watch these films hope to gain some kind of religious experience—especially young people. This is more a statement about religion in our society than about movies. However, because of the wide popularity of the films, the manner in which some spiritual themes are handled should cause us concern. Let’s examine why.
Don’t scoff. You must understand that the Star Wars epic involves more than just great storytelling. George Lucas invested a great deal of thought, research and planning into the films. He specifically intended to deal with religious issues. In fact, Star Wars promotes its own theology.
PBS recently aired a televised interview between Bill Moyers and George Lucas titled “The Mythology of Star Wars.” The program uncovered the underlying spiritual messages behind the movies.
Recognizing that many see Star Wars for a religious experience, Moyers asked, “What do you make of the fact that so many people have interpreted Star Wars as being profoundly religious?”
Lucas responded, “I don’t see Star Wars as being profoundly religious. I see Star Wars as taking all of the issues that religion represents and trying to distill them down into a more modern and more easily accessible construct that people can grab onto to accept the fact that there is a greater mystery out there. When I was ten years old I asked my mother, I said, Well, if there is only one God, why are there so many religions? And over the years I have been pondering that question ever since. And it would seem to me that the conclusion I have come to is that all of the religions are true; they just see a different part of the elephant. Religion is basically a container for faith. Faith is the glue that holds us together as a society. Faith in our culture, our world—whatever it is we are trying to hang onto. It is a very important part allowing us to remain stable—remain balanced.”
Lucas admits he never intended the films to replace worship or be worshiped. But he certainly injected religion into his films. And since he believes that all religions have some aspect of truth, he copied ideas from many different sources. Please notice that he wanted to distill and modernize current religious issues in the films to make them more accessible, appealing and something people could grab on to! In the Star Wars epic, Lucas captured and made vivid what he thought were the common threads in all religions.
Traditional Christian, Buddhist and Hindu motifs are brought to light and given life in the films. Darth Vader and Darth Maul are clear types of Satan the devil. Luke Skywalker endures severe temptation and trial. Luke and Leia eventually help redeem their father. There is no doubt that Yoda is a Zen master. The Jedi knights follow the meditative life found in both Hinduism and Buddhism. The Jedi knights even dress like Eastern monks.
This blend of religion is what gives the films their cross-cultural appeal. A traditional Christian can leave the movie feeling he saw a Christian film; a Buddhist, a Buddhist film. Lucas would have us believe this is all very acceptable. Yet, this homogenization of religions gives the films a spiritual ambiguity.
Isn’t it fair to ask the question: Are all religions true? Lucas’ view of religion is typical of many Americans, Britons and others. Basically, he captured in his films what most people already believe. In America, since the ’60s and ’70s, there has been an overt shift in religious interest from traditional Christianity to Eastern mysticism.
Heavy Eastern Influence
Even though some Christian-like religious concepts are in the Lucas films, Eastern religion provides the dominant story thread for the movies. Moyers easily recognized this. He asked Lucas, “Have you been influenced by Buddhism? Because Star Wars came along just about the time there was this growing interest in America in Eastern religions. I notice in The Phantom Menace, the new Episode I, that they discover this slave child who has an aura about him, and it reminded me of how the Buddhists go out and look for the next Dalai Lama.”
Hedging the question somewhat, Lucas answered, “Uh, uh. Well, there is again a mixture of all kinds of mythology and religious beliefs that have been amalgamated into the movie. I have tried to take the ideas that seem to cut across the most cultures because I am fascinated by that. And I think that is one of the things I really got from Joe Campbell. What he was trying to do was find the common threads through the various mythologies, through the various religions.” Lucas is obviously fascinated by many religions, but especially Eastern religion, and he has made it very appealing in his movies.
Star Wars teaches religion. Lucas readily admits this fact. Moyers asked Lucas: “A professor I know said he recently asked his freshman class how many of them had seen all three of the trilogy. And everyone in the class raised his hand. And he said to me, ‘I hope Lucas knows he’s mentoring an entire generation of young Americans.’” Lucas responded clearly, “I have a philosophy that we all teach. And we all teach every day of our lives. And it’s not necessarily what we lectured. I have discovered that kids don’t like lectures at all. But it is
really the way we live our lives and what we do with our lives and the way we conduct ourselves. And once in a while they listen to the lectures. So when I make the films I am very aware of the fact that I am teaching on a much larger scale than I would just as a parent or somebody walking through life, because I have this megaphone. Anybody in the media has a very large megaphone that they can reach a lot of different people. And so whatever they say, whatever they do, however they conduct themselves, whatever they produce, has an influence and is teaching somebody something. I try to be aware of what it is I am saying.”
Undoubtedly, Lucas understands the teaching power of his films. He considers them a large megaphone that can reach a lot of different people. Because of the film art form combining visuals with music, a message can be driven home with great impact. But what if the message is wrong or false? Recognize, Lucas purposely set out to teach or speak out on religious issues in these films. Star Wars popularizes the Eastern mystic way of life. We must understand that this is at cross-purposes with the way of life taught in the Bible.
Teaching Ancient Mythology
What else do the Lucas films teach? Moyers opened his interview with Lucas by asking, “Joseph Campbell once said all the great myths, the ancient stories, have to be regenerated in every generation. He said that’s what you are doing with Star Wars. You are taking these old stories and putting them into the most modern of idioms, the cinema. Are you conscious of doing that? Or are you just setting out to make a good action-movie adventure?”
Lucas answered excitedly, “With Star Wars I consciously set about to re-create myths and the classic mythological motifs. I wanted to use those motifs to deal with issues that exist today. The more research I did, the more I realized that the issues are the same ones that existed 3,000 years ago—that we haven’t come very far emotionally.” Lucas consulted with Joseph Campbell, a mythology expert, while developing the storyline of the saga. Of course some will ask, why be concerned with re-creating or modernizing mythological tales? Even though mythology does deal with heros and superheros and elements of character development, have we forgotten that mythology is rooted in paganism and often deals with a distorted view of the supernatural?
We must also remember that myths are not fact; they are fiction. They deal with fantasy. Lucas created Star Wars just after the Vietnam War. This sad era forced Americans to recognize it had lost any real heros in whom to believe. Can a Luke Skywalker, Han Solo or Obi Wan Kenobi really inspire us to overcome odds or give us the deep understanding we need to solve our current crisis? Hardly.
Well-written biographies of real people offer a much better means of inspiring human beings to overcome, develop and achieve their potential. Real people deal with the real world. Myths and fantasy cannot sustain a people or a nation. Shouldn’t our top filmmakers take on the challenge to make powerful and truthful films about real heros like Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln?
Weakness in the Force
Religious critics feel the Star Wars movies offer a thin basis for theology. Lucas agrees wholeheartedly. Moyers asked, “Where does God fit into this concept of the universe, in this cosmos you have created? Is the Force God?” Lucas quickly answered, “I put the Force into the movies in order to try to awaken a certain kind of spirituality in young people—more a belief in God than in a belief in any particular religious system.” Lucas states that he created the concept of the Force to draw young people to God. But can the Force really give young people the correct concept of God?
In the second produced film, The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda, the little green 900-year-old Jedi master, describes the Force to a troubled, weak-in-faith Luke Skywalker. He explains, “For my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is. Life creates it and makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you. You—between you and me—the tree—the rock—everywhere. Yes, even between the land and the ship.” If the Force represents God, then the Star Wars God is very impersonal!
Let’s be honest. The Force represents evolution and nature worship far better than the worship of a personal God. Did you realize that people who practice witchcraft love the concept of the Force? Why? They believe it represents nature worship! Can the Force
really awaken a belief in God in our young people?
One of the most disturbing issues in Phantom Menace is the fact that Anakin Skywalker, the young boy who becomes the evil Darth Vader, was born of a virgin birth. This is revealed in a scene with Qui-Gon Jinn and Yoda. Terry Brooks, working from Lucas’ screenplay, writes:
“Yoda cocked his head questioningly. ‘More to say, have you, Qui-Gon Jinn?’
“‘With your permission, my Master,’ the Jedi replied, gaze steady. ‘I have encountered a vergence in the Force.’
“Yoda’s eyes widened slightly. ‘A vergence, you say?’
“‘Located around a person?’ Mace Windu asked quickly.
“Qui-Gon nodded. ‘A boy. His cells have the highest concentration of midi-chlorians I have ever seen in a life form.’ He paused. ‘It is possible he was conceived by midi-chlorians.’
“There was shocked silence this time. Qui-Gon Jinn was suggesting the impossible, that the boy was conceived not by human contact, but by the essence of all life, by the connectors to the Force itself, the midi-chlorians. Comprising collective consciousness and intelligence, the midi-chlorians formed the link between everything living and the Force” (Star Wars, Episode I, Phantom Menace, p. 216). Think on this. Doesn’t this concept of the Force border on blasphemy?
Could an impersonal life force produce a human child? Doesn’t this scenario seem amazingly close to the virgin birth of Jesus Christ? That birth was not an impossibility. Remember this scripture, “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26). Jesus Christ’s birth represented a willful act on the part of a very personal God the Father. The Father, not the Force, impregnated the virgin Mary through His own Holy Spirit. Some would like to stretch the analogy that the Force represents God’s Holy Spirit. But it is a weak analogy. To be brutally honest, in the films, the Force is used to move objects. It is telekinesis. Realize, telekinesis is demon-inspired, not God-inspired.
Knowing the Father
Lucas admits openly that he created the Jedi knights to be father figures. Qui-Gon Jinn acts as Obi Wan Kenobi’s father. Obi-Wan becomes Anakin’s father. He also becomes Luke’s father—all in a spiritual context.
Certainly father figures are seriously absent in our present family-damaged society. But a swashbuckling, Eastern monk who works magic like a wizard does not fill the gap. An exciting but shallow religion will never truly educate on how to solve the real problems of real people. There is, however, a personal God who is a perfect Father. Jesus Christ came to reveal the truth about the Father (John 1:18; 17:26). Few know God the Father. Yet, He has all the answers. He reveals all of life’s mysteries.
Herbert Armstrong proved over 50 years ago that the United States and Great Britain are the modern descendants of the ancient nation of Israel. This incredible mystery and prophecy is thoroughly revealed in our booklet The United States and Britain in Prophecy (write for your free copy). God revealed Himself in a very personal way to this slave nation thousands of years ago. Reminding them about what God had done for them, Moses wrote: “Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he showed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire. And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt; To drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day. Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else” (Deut. 4:36-39). God showed the nation beyond doubt that He was a very personal being. They heard His voice. They saw firsthand how He defended them and helped them. God showed them they had a destiny—He had plans for them!
One God, One Religion
God clearly taught Israel that there was only one true religion. There was only one God. There was simply no other God or religion that could satisfy. Sadly, Israel never believed God. They sought after the meaningless religions of the nations around them. Unfortunately, Israel’s ancient religious history is also our history. Star Wars’ religious popularity shows how far we have drifted from God.
Our American and British peoples are fulfilling some sad prophecies. The Apostle Paul warned us about our times. He wrote Timothy: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (II Tim. 4:3-4). The Star Wars saga is chock full of religious fable.
Herbert Armstrong stated that truth was stranger than fiction. He was right. But truth is not as popular as fiction. It is far more appealing for our people to line up for days to buy tickets for a movie than it would be to attend one meeting giving them the truth about ourselves, our God and where we are heading. Bible prophecies reveal great truth, but few are willing to listen.
Unless we get back to our personal God and His religion immediately, we are doomed to suffer ancient Israel’s same fate of war, siege and captivity. God is pleading with our peoples this very minute through this magazine and the Key of David television program. This is the message God is trumpeting: “Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (Ezek. 33:11). God sincerely desires our peoples to turn back to Him.
The fervor for the Star Wars epic is just like a religious revival. This incredibly sad state reflects the deep and empty chasm in American religion. Unfortunately this revival will not satisfy. As Jude pleaded, let’s get back to the faith once delivered. When we do, we’ll realize that all that matters and is truly worthwhile is happening here, in our galaxy. Not in some fabled star system far, far away. |
Film listings are edited by Cheryl Eddy. Reviewers are Kimberly Chun, Dennis Harvey, Lynn Rapoport, Sam Stander, and Sara Maria Vizcarrondo. For rep house showtimes, see Rep Clock.
MILL VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL
The 36th Mill Valley Film Festival runs Oct. 3-13 (most shows $12.50-$14). Major venues are the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center, 1118 Fourth St, San Rafael; Cinéarts@Sequoia, 25 Throckmorton, Mill Valley; Lark Theater, 549 Magnolia, Larkspur; and 142 Throckmorton Theater, 142 Throckmorton, Mill Valley. Complete schedule at www.mvff.com; for commentary, see "Go North, Film Fan."
Blind Detective Johnnie To's latest makes its local debut as part of the San Francisco Film Society's "Hong Kong Cinema" series, hot on the heels of his Drug War, which had a theatrical run earlier this year. Blind Detective shares Drug War's crime theme and moody palette, but it also has — whimsy alert! — an accordion-inflected score. The cute quotient is further upped by Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng, who've been frequently paired in To's lighter fare (perhaps most memorably in 2001's Love on a Diet, which attired its attractive stars in fat suits). Lau plays a former cop who left the force after losing his vision, yet continues to solve crimes (in pursuit of reward money) using, among other unorthodox methods, his superior sense of smell. Cheng plays a scrappy policewoman who admires his investigative skills and asks him to track down a long-lost childhood friend. He agrees, but not before slyly tricking her into helping him pursue lucrative paydays on unrelated cases. Lau's wannabe-Sherlock antics and Cheng's lovelorn flailings wear thin after two-plus hours, but Blind Detective still manages to entertain despite its odd blend of broad comedy and serial-killer thrills. (2:10) Vogue. (Eddy)
Gravity "Life in space is impossible," begins Gravity, the latest from Alfonso Cuarón (2006's Children of Men). Egghead Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is well aware of her precarious situation after a mangled satellite slams into her ship, then proceeds to demolition-derby everything (including the International Space Station) in its path. It's not long before she's utterly, terrifyingly alone, and forced to unearth near-superhuman reserves of physical and mental strength to survive. Bullock's performance would be enough to recommend Gravity, but there's more to praise, like the film's tense pacing, spare-yet-layered script (Cuarón co-wrote with his son, Jonás), and spectacular 3D photography — not to mention George Clooney's warm supporting turn as a career astronaut who loves country music almost as much as he loves telling stories about his misadventures. (1:31) Balboa, Cerrito, Presidio. (Eddy)
The Institute In 2008, mysterious flyers began popping up around San Francisco that touted esoteric inventions such as "Poliwater" and the "Vital-Orbit Human Force Field" and included a phone number for the curiously-monikered Jejuene Institute. On the other side of the phone line, a recording would direct callers to a Financial District office building where they would undergo a mysterious induction process, embarking on an epic, multi-stage, years-long alternate reality game, designed primarily to reveal the magic in the mundane. In Spencer McCall's documentary The Institute, viewers are introduced to the game in much the same way as prospective inductees, with few clues as to what lies in store ahead. A handful of seemingly random interviewees offer a play-by-play recap of their own experiences exploring rival game entities the Jejune Institute and Elsewhere Public Works Agency — while video footage of them dancing in the streets, warding off ninjas, befriending Sasquatches, spelunking sewers, and haunting iconic Bay Area edifices gives the viewer a taste of the wonders that lay in store for the intrepid few (out of 10,000 inductees) who made it all the way to the end of the storyline. Frustratingly, however, at least for this former inductee, McCall's documentary focuses on fleshing out the fictions of the game, barely scratching the surface of what must surely be an even more intriguing set of facts. How did a group of scrappy East Bay artists manage to commandeer an office in the Financial District for so long in the first place? Who were the artists behind the art? And where am I supposed to cash in these wooden "hobo coins" now? (1:32) New Parkway, Roxie. (Gluckstern)
Parkland Timed to tie in with the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination, writer-director Peter Landesman's sprawling ensemble drama takes that tragedy as its starting point and spirals outward, highlighting ordinary folks who were caught up in the drama's aftermath by virtue of their jobs or circumstance. There's a lot going on here, with a huge cast of mostly-recognizable faces (Billy Bob Thornton as Secret Service Agent Forest Sorrells; Paul Giamatti as amateur filmmaker Abraham Zapruder; Ron Livingston as an FBI agent; hey, there's Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden in two scenes as a stern nurse!), but the events depicted are so familiar that the plot never becomes confusing. Landesman — who favors scenes of breakneck-paced action punctuated by solemn moments of emotion — might've done better to narrow his focus a bit, perhaps keeping just to the law-enforcement characters or to Lee Harvey Oswald's family (James Badge Dale plays his shell-shocked brother, while Jackie Weaver hams it up as his eccentric mother). But paired with 2006's Bobby, Parkland — named for the hospital where both JFK and Oswald died — named for the hospital where both JFK and Oswald died — could make for an interesting, speculative-history double-feature for Camelot buffs. That said, Oliver Stone fans take note: Parkland is strictly Team Lone Gunman. (1:33) Elmwood, 1000 Van Ness. (Eddy)
Runner Runner Justin Timberlake is a gambler who runs afoul of con man Ben Affleck in this action drama from Brad Furman (2011's The Lincoln Lawyer). (1:31) Elmwood, Presidio.
We Are What We Are See "Eat Your Meat." (1:45) California.
When Comedy Went to School This scattershot documentary by Ron Frank and Mevlut Akkaya is about two big subjects — the Catskill Mountains resorts that launched a couple generations of beloved Jewish entertainers, and mid-to-late 20th century Jewish comedians in general. There's a lot of overlap between them, but the directors (and writer Lawrence Richards) can't seem to find any organizing focus, so their film wanders all over the place, from the roles of resort social directors and busboys to clips from History of the World Part I (1981) and Fiddler on the Roof (1971) to the entirely irrelevant likes of Larry King. That said, there's entertaining vintage performance footage (of Totie Fields, Woody Allen, etc.) and interview input from the still-kicking likes of Sid Ceasar, Jackie Mason, Mort Sahl, Jerry Stiller, and Jerry Lewis. For some this will be a welcome if not particularly well crafted nostalgic wallow. For others, though, the pandering tone set by one Lisa Dawn Miller's (wife of Sandy Hackett, who's son of Buddy) cringe-worthy opening rendition of "Make 'Em Laugh" — to say nothing of her "Send in the Clowns" at the close — will sum up the pedestrian mindset that makes this doc a missed opportunity. (1:23) Opera Plaza, Shattuck. (Harvey)
Baggage Claim Robin Thicke may be having the year of a lifetime, but spouse Paula Patton is clearly making a bid to leap those "Blurred Lines" between second banana-dom and Jennifer Aniston-esque leading lady fame with this buppie chick flick. How competitive is the game? Patton has a sporting chance: she's certainly easy on the eyes and ordinarily a welcome warm and sensual presence as arm candy or best girlfriend — too bad her bid to beat the crowd with Baggage Claim feels way too blurry and busy to study for very long. The camera turns to Patton only to find a hot, slightly charming mess of mussed hair, frenetic movement, and much earnest emoting. I know the mode is single-lady desperation, but you're trying too hard, Paula. At least the earnestness kind of works — semi-translating in Baggage Claim as a bumbling ineptitude that offsets Patton's too-polished-and-perfect-to-be-real beauty. After all, we're asked to believe that Patton's flight attendant Montana can't find a good man, no matter how hard she tries. That's the first stretch of imagination, made more implausible by pals Sam (Adam Brody) and Janine (singer-songwriter Jill Scott), who decide to try to fix her up with her old high-flying frequent-flier beaus in the quest to find a mate in time for her — humiliation incoming — younger sister's wedding. Among the suitors are suave hotelier Quinton (Djimon Hounsou), Republican candidate Langston (Taye Diggs), and hip-hop mogul Damon (Trey Songz), though everyone realizes early on that she just can't notice the old bestie (Derek Luke) lodged right beneath her well-tilted nose. Coming to the conclusion that any sane single gal would at the end of this exercise, Patton does her darnedest to pour on the quirk and charm — and that in itself is as endearing as watching any beautiful woman bend over backwards, tumbling as she goes, to win an audience over. The strenuous effort, however, seems wasted when one considers the flimsy material, played for little more than feather-light amusement by director-writer David E. Talbert. (1:33) Metreon, 1000 Van Ness. (Chun)
Battle of the Year Nothing burns Americans more than getting beat at their own culture game. Hence the premise of this 3D dance movie named after the international b-boy competition that regularly shuts out US teams. Diddy-like hip-hop kingpin Dante (Laz Alonso) is feeling the softness of the market, never mind that the trend cycles have spun the other way — we gotta win the b-boy crown back from the Koreans and Russians! So he enlists his old friend and now-down-and-out coach Jason (Lost's Josh Holloway) to assemble a winning crew from ragtag talents pulled from across the country, among them the strutting Rooster (Chris Brown). How does one put together a real team from this loose gathering of testosterone-saturated, ever-battling egos? Korean American director Benson Lee twirls off his own documentary Planet B Boy with this fictitious exercise that begs this question: why aren't there more 3D dance movies? Probably because, much like porn, everything surrounding the money shots usually feels like filler. Leave aside the forced drama of bad news unbearables like Brown and his frenemies — the moments when Battle really lives up to the hype are when the movie's many hyperathletic, gravity-defying b-boys like Ivan "Flipz" Velez, Jon "Do Knock" Cruz, and David "Kid" Shreibman show off their moves. (1:49) 1000 Van Ness, SF Center. (Chun)
Blue Jasmine The good news about Blue Jasmine isn't that it's set in San Francisco, but that it's Woody Allen's best movie in years. Although some familiar characteristics are duly present, it's not quite like anything he's done before, and carries its essentially dramatic weight more effectively than he's managed in at least a couple decades. Not long ago Jasmine (a fearless Cate Blanchett) was the quintessential Manhattan hostess, but that glittering bubble has burst — exactly how revealed in flashbacks that spring surprises up to the script's end. She crawls to the West Coast to "start over" in the sole place available where she won't be mortified by the pity of erstwhile society friends. That would be the SF apartment of Ginger (Sally Hawkins), a fellow adoptive sister who was always looked down on by comparison to pretty, clever Jasmine. Theirs is an uneasy alliance — but Ginger's too big-hearted to say no. It's somewhat disappointing that Blue Jasmine doesn't really do much with San Francisco. Really, the film could take place anywhere — although setting it in a non-picture-postcard SF does bolster the film's unsettled, unpredictable air. Without being an outright villain, Jasmine is one of the least likable characters to carry a major US film since Noah Baumbach's underrated Margot at the Wedding (2007); the general plot shell, moreover, is strongly redolent of A Streetcar Named Desire. But whatever inspiration Allen took from prior works, Blue Jasmine is still distinctively his own invention. It's frequently funny in throwaway performance bits, yet disturbing, even devastating in cumulative impact. (1:38) Clay, Metreon, 1000 Van Ness. (Harvey)
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 (1:35) Balboa, Cerrito, Elmwood, Metreon, 1000 Van Ness, Presidio.
Don Jon Shouldering the duties of writer, director, and star for the comedy Don Jon, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has also picked up a broad Jersey accent, the physique of a gym rat, and a grammar of meathead posturing — verbal, physical, and at times metaphysical. His character, Jon, is the reigning kingpin in a triad of nightclubbing douchebags who pass their evenings assessing their cocktail-sipping opposite numbers via a well-worn one-to-10 rating system. Sadly for pretty much everyone involved, Jon's rote attempts to bed the high-scorers are spectacularly successful — the title refers to his prowess in the art of the random hookup — that is, until he meets an alluring "dime" named Barbara (Scarlett Johansson), who institutes a waiting period so foreign to Jon that it comes to feel a bit like that thing called love. Amid the well-earned laughs, there are several repulsive-looking flies in the ointment, but the most conspicuous is Jon's stealthy addiction to Internet porn, which he watches at all hours of the day, but with a particularly ritualistic regularity after each night's IRL conquest has fallen asleep. These circumstances entail a fair amount of screen time with Jon's O face and, eventually, after a season of growth — during which he befriends an older woman named Esther (Julianne Moore) and learns about the existence of arty retro Swedish porn — his "Ohhh&ldots;" face. Driven by deft, tight editing, Don Jon comically and capably sketches a web of bad habits, and Gordon-Levitt steers us through a transformation without straining our capacity to recognize the character we met at the outset — which makes the clumsy over-enunciations that mar the ending all the more jarring. (1:30) Four Star, Marina, 1000 Van Ness, SF Center, Sundance Kabuki. (Rapoport)
Elysium By the year 2154, the one percent will all have left Earth's polluted surface for Elysium, a luxurious space station where everyone has access to high-tech machines that can heal any wound or illness in a matter of seconds. Among the grimy masses in burned-out Los Angeles, where everyone speaks a mixture of Spanish and English, factory worker Max (Matt Damon) is trying to put his car-thief past behind him — and maybe pursue something with the childhood sweetheart (Alice Braga) he's recently reconnected with. Meanwhile, up on Elysium, icy Secretary of Defense Delacourt (Jodie Foster, speaking in French and Old Hollywood-accented English) rages against immigration, even planning a government takeover to prevent any more "illegals" from slipping aboard. Naturally, the fates of Max and Delacourt will soon intertwine, with "brain to brain data transfers," bionic exo-skeletons, futuristic guns, life-or-death needs for Elysium's medical miracles, and some colorful interference by a sword-wielding creeper of a sleeper agent (Sharlto Copley) along the way. In his first feature since 2009's apartheid-themed District 9, South African writer-director Neill Blomkamp once again turns to obvious allegory to guide his plot. If Elysium's message is a bit heavy-handed, it's well-intentioned, and doesn't take away from impressive visuals (mercifully rendered in 2D) or Damon's committed performance. (2:00) Metreon, 1000 Van Ness. (Eddy)
Enough Said Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is a divorced LA masseuse who sees naked bodies all day but has become pretty wary of wanting any in her bed at night. She reluctantly changes her mind upon meeting the also-divorced Albert (James Gandolfini), a television archivist who, also like her, is about to see his only child off to college. He's no Adonis, but their relationship develops rapidly — the only speed bumps being provided by the many nit-picking advisors Eva has in her orbit, which exacerbate her natural tendency toward glass-half-empty neurosis. This latest and least feature from writer-director Nicole Holofcener is a sitcom-y thing of the type that expects us to find characters all the more adorable the more abrasive and self-centered they are. That goes for Louis-Dreyfus' annoying heroine as well as such wasted talents as Toni Colette as her kvetching best friend and Catherine Keener as a new client turned new pal so bitchy it makes no sense Eva would desire her company. The only nice person here is Albert, whom the late Gandolfini makes a charming, low-key teddy bear in an atypical turn. The revelation of an unexpected past tie between his figure and Keener's puts Eva in an ethically disastrous position she handles dismally. In fact, while it's certainly not Holofcener's intention, Eva's behavior becomes so indefensible that Enough Said commits rom-com suicide: The longer it goes on, the more fervently you hope its leads will not end up together. (1:33) 1000 Van Ness, SF Center. (Harvey)
The Family It's hard to begrudge an acting monolith like Robert De Niro from cashing out in his golden years and essentially going gently into that good night amid a volley of mild yuks. And when his mobster-in-witness-protection Giovanni Manzoni takes a film-club stage in his Normandy hideout to hold forth on the veracity of Goodfellas (1990), you yearn to be right there in the fictional audience, watching De Niro's Brooklyn gangster take on his cinematic past. That's the most memorable moment of this comedy about an organized criminal on the lam with his violent, conniving family unit. Director-cowriter Luc Besson aims to lightly demonstrate that you can extract a family from the mob but you can't expunge the mob from the family. There's a $20 million bounty on Giovanni's head, and it's up to his keeper Stansfield (Tommy Lee Jones) to keep him and his kin quiet and undercover. But the latter has his hands full with Gio penning his memoirs, wife Maggie (Michelle Pfeiffer) blowing up the local supermarket, daughter Belle (Dianna Agron, wrapped in bows like a soft-focus fantasy nymphet) given to punishing schoolyard transgressors with severe beatings, and son Warren (John D'Leo) working all the angles in class. Besson plays the Manzoni family's violence for chuckles, while painting the mob family's mayhem with more ominous colors, making for a tonal clash that's as jarring as some of his edits. The pleasure here comes with watching the actors at play: much like his character, De Niro is on the run from his career-making albeit punishing past, though if he keeps finding refuge in subpar fare, one wonders if his "meh" fellas will eventually outweigh the Goodfellas. (1:51) Metreon, 1000 Van Ness, Sundance Kabuki. (Chun)
In a World... (1:33) Presidio, Sundance Kabuki.
Inequality for All Jacob Kornbluth's Inequality for All is the latest and certainly not the last documentary to explore why the American Dream is increasingly out of touch with everyday reality, and how the definition of "middle class" somehow morphed from "comfortable" to "struggling, endangered, and hanging by a thread." This lively overview has an ace up its sleeve in the form of the director's friend, collaborator, and principal interviewee Robert Reich — the former Clinton-era Secretary of Labor, prolific author, political pundit, and UC Berkeley Professor of Public Policy. Whether he's holding forth on TV, going one-on-one with Kornbluth's camera, talking to disgruntled working class laborers, or engaging students in his Wealth and Poverty class, Inequality is basically a resourcefully illustrated Reich lecture — as the press notes put it, "an Inconvenient Truth for the economy." Fortunately, the diminutive Reich is a natural comedian as well as a superbly cogent communicator, turning yet another summary of how the system has fucked almost everybody (excluding the one percent) into the one you might most want to recommend to the bewildered folks back home. He's sugar on the pill, making it easier to swallow so much horrible news. (1:25) California, Metreon. (Harvey)
Insidious: Chapter 2 The bloodshot, terribly inflamed font of the opening title gives away director James Wan and co-writer and Saw series cohort Leigh Whannell's intentions: welcome to their little love letter to Italian horror. The way an actor, carefully lit with ruby-red gels, is foregrounded amid jade greens and cobalt blues, the ghastly clown makeup, the silent movie glory of a gorgeous face frozen in terror, the fixation with 1981's The Beyond — lovers of spaghetti shock will appreciate even a light application of these aspects, even if many others will be disappointed by this sequel riding a wee bit too closely on its financially successful predecessor's coattails. Attempting to pick up exactly where 2011's Insidious left off, Chapter 2 opens with a flashback to the childhood of demonically possessed Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson), put into a trance by the young paranormal investigator Elise. Flash-forward to Elise's corpse and the first of many terrified looks from Josh's spouse Renai (Rose Byrne). She knows Josh killed Elise, but she can't face reality — so instead she gets to face the forces of supernatural fantasy. Meanwhile Josh is busy forcing a fairy tale of normalcy down the rest of his family's throats — all the while evoking a smooth-browed, unhinged caretaker of the Overlook Hotel. Subverting that fiction are son Dalton (Ty Simpkins), who's fielding messages from the dead, and Josh's mother Lorraine (Barbara Hershey), who sees apparitions in her creepy Victorian and looks for help in Elise's old cohort Carl (Steve Coulter) and comic-relief ghost busters Specs (Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson). Sure, there are a host of scares to be had, particularly those of the don't-look-over-your-shoulder variety, but tribute or no, the derivativeness of the devices is dissatisfying. Those seeking wickedly imaginative death-dealing machinations, or even major shivers, will curse the feel-good PG-13 denouement. (1:30) Metreon, 1000 Van Ness. (Chun)
Instructions Not Included (1:55) Metreon.
Inuk Though the Greenlandic-language Inuk takes its name from its troubled Inuit protagonist, ice is arguably its central character. And the lyrical sweep and striking beauty of the icy expanses in Uummannaq Bay and Nuuk, Greenland, threaten to upstage the adventure story at Inuk's heart. Seeking refuge from his alcoholic mother and her abusive friends and escaping into hip-hop, the teenage Inuk (Gaaba Petersen) has been found battered and sleeping his car far too often, so he's taken to a in the north by teacher and foster care worker Aviaaja (Rebekka Jorgensen) to learn about the old ways of hunters and an ancient wisdom that is melting away with the polar icecap. A journey by dogsled with local hunters turns into a rite of passage when bear hunter Ikuma (Ole Jørgen Hammeken) takes Inuk under his damaged wing and attempts to reconnect him to his heritage. "The ice is no place for attitude," he declares, as Inuk makes foolish choices, kills his first seal, and learns the hard way about survival north of the Arctic Circle. You can practically feel the freezing cold seeping off the frames of this gorgeous-looking film — a tribute to director Mike Magidson and his crew's skills, even when the overt snow-blinding symbolism blots out clarity and threatens to swallow up Inuk. (1:30) Roxie. (Chun)
Lee Daniels' The Butler (1:53) 1000 Van Ness, SF Center, Sundance Kabuki, Vogue.
Metallica: Through the Never The 3D IMAX concert film is lurching toward cliché status, but at least Metallica: Through the Never has more bite to it than, say, this summer's One Direction: This is Us. Director Nimród Antal (2010's Predators) weaves live footage of the Bay Area thrash veterans ripping through hits ("Enter Sandman," "For Whom the Bell Tolls," etc.) into a narrative (kinda) about one of the band's roadies (The Place Beyond the Pines' Dane DeHaan). Sent on a simple errand, the hoodie-wearing hesher finds himself caught in a nightmarish urban landscape of fire, hanging bodies, masked horsemen, and crumbling buildings — more or less, the dude's trapped in a heavy metal video, and not one blessed with particularly original imagery. The end result is aimed more at diehards than casual fans — and, R-rated violence aside, there's nothing here that tops the darkest moments of highly personal 2004 documentary Metallica: Some Kind of Monster. (1:32) Metreon, 1000 Van Ness. (Eddy)
Morning (1:30) Metreon.
Museum Hours Feature documentaries Benjamin Smoke (2000) and Instrument (2003) are probably Jem Cohen's best-known works, but this prolific filmmaker — an inspired choice for SFIFF's Golden Gate Persistence of Vision Award, honoring "a filmmaker whose main body of work is outside the realm of narrative feature filmmaking" — has a remarkably diverse resumé of shorts, music videos, and at least one previous narrative film (albeit one with experimental elements), 2004's Chain. Cohen appears in person to discuss his work and present his latest film, Museum Hours, about a guard at Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum ("the big old one," the man calls it) who befriends a Montreal woman visiting her comatose cousin. It's a deceptively simple story that expands into a deeply felt, gorgeously shot rumination on friendship, loneliness, travel, art history and appreciation, and finding the beauty in the details of everyday life. (1:46) Opera Plaza. (Eddy)
On the Job Filipino director Erik Matti's gritty crime thriller has such a clever hook that Hollywood is already circling it for a remake. No shock there. It is surprising, however, that On the Job is based on true events, in which prisoners were temporarily sprung to work as hired guns for well-connected politicos. (Kinda genius, if you think about it.) The big-screen version has veteran inmate Tang (Joel Torre) dreading his imminent parole; he'd rather have the steady income from his grisly gig than be unable to provide for his wife and daughter. As he counts down to his release, he trains volatile Daniel (Gerald Anderson) to take his place. Poking around on the other side of the law are world-weary local cop Acosta (Joey Marquez) and hotshot federal agent Francis (Piolo Pascual), who reluctantly team up when a hit cuts close to home for both of them. The case is particularly stressful for Francis, whose well-connected father-in-law turns out to be wallowing in corruption. Taut, thrilling, atmospheric, and graphic, On the Job makes up for an occasionally confusing storyline by offering bang-up (literally) entertainment from start to finish. Groovy score, too. (2:00) Metreon. (Eddy)
Planes Dane Cook voices a crop duster determined to prove he can do more than he was built for in Planes, the first Disney spin-off from a Pixar property. (Prior to the film's title we see "From The World of Cars," an indicator the film is an extension of a known universe — but also not quite from it.) And indeed, Planes resembles one of Pixar's straight-to-DVD releases as it struggles for liftoff. Dreaming of speed, Dusty Crophopper (Cook) trains for the Wings Around the World race with his fuel-truck friend, Chug (Brad Garrett). A legacy playing Brewster McCloud and Wilbur Wright makes Stacy Keach a pitchy choice for Skipper, Dusty's reluctant ex-military mentor. Charming cast choices buoy Planes somewhat, but those actors are feathers in a cap that hardly supports them — you watch the film fully aware of its toy potential: the race is a geography game; the planes are hobby sets; the cars will wind up. The story, about overcoming limitations, is in step with high-value parables Pixar proffers, though it feels shallower than usual. Perhaps toys are all Disney wants — although when Ishani (a sultry Priyanka Chopra) regrets an integrity-compromising choice she made in the race, and her pink cockpit lowers its eyes, you can feel Pixar leaning in. (1:32) 1000 Van Ness. (Vizcarrondo)
Populaire Perhaps if it weren't set in the 1950s, this would be the fluorescent-lit story of a soul-sucking data entry job and the office drone who supplements it with a moonlighting gig. But it is the '50s — a cheery, upbeat version of the era — and director Régis Roinsard's Populaire reflects its shiny glamour onto the transformation of small-town girl Rose Pamphyle (Déborah François) from an incompetent but feisty secretary with mad hunting-and-pecking skills into a celebrated and adored speed-typing champion. Her daffy boss, Louis Échard (Romain Duris), is a handsome young insurance salesman who bullies her (very charmingly) into competing against a vast secretarial pool in a series of hectic, nail-biting tourneys, which treat typing as a sporting event for perhaps the first time in cinematic history. (See also: scenes of Rose cranking up her physical endurance with daily jogs and cross-training at the piano.) The glamour slips a touch when Populaire starts to delve into psychological motivations to rationalize some of Louis's more caddish maneuvers. But meanwhile, back in the arena, bets are made, words-per-minute stats are quoted by screaming, tearful fans in the bleachers, hearts are won and bruised, a jazz band performs that classic tune "Les Secrétaires Cha Cha Cha," and we find ourselves rooting passionately for Rose to best the reigning champ's 512(!)-wpm record. (1:51) Smith Rafael. (Rapoport)
Prisoners It's a telling sign of this TV-besotted times that the so-called best-reviewed film of the season so far resembles a cable mystery in line with The Killing and its ilk — in the way that it takes its time while keeping it taut, attempts to stretch out beyond the perimeters of the police procedural, and throws in the types of envelope-pushing twists that keep easily distractible viewers coming back. At two and a half hours plus, Prisoners feels like a hybrid, more often seen on a small screen that has borrowed liberally from cinema since David Lynch made the Twin Peaks crossing, than the large, as it brings together an art-house attention to detail with the sprawl and topicality of a serial. Incendies director Denis Villeneuve carefully loads the deck with symbolism from the start, opening with a shot of a deer guilelessly approaching a clearing and picking at scrubby growth in the cold ground, as the camera pulls back on two hunters: the Catholic, gun-toting Keller (Hugh Jackman) and his son (Dylan Minnette), intent on gathering a Thanksgiving offering. Keller and his fragile wife Grace (Maria Bello) are coming together with another family — headed up by the slightly more yuppified Franklin (Terence Howard) and his wife Nancy (Viola Davis) — for Thanksgiving in what seems like a middle-class East Coast suburb. The peace is shattered when the families' young daughters suddenly disappear; the only clues are the mysterious RV that rumbles slowly through the quiet neighborhood and ominous closeups from a predator's perspective. Police detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) is drawn into the mystery when the RV is tracked down, along with its confused driver Alex (Paul Dano). That's no consolation to the families, each grieving in their own way, with Keller perpetually enraged and Franklin seemingly on the brink of tears. When Alex's aunt (an unrecognizable Melissa Leo) comes forward with information about her nephew, Keller decides to take matters into his own hands in ways that question the use of force during interrogation and the very definition of imprisonment. Noteworthy performances by Jackman, Gyllenhaal, and Dano highlight this elegant, wrenching thriller — while Villeneuve's generally simple, smart choices might make the audience question not only certain characters' morality but perhaps their own. (2:33) Four Star, Marina, 1000 Van Ness, SF Center, Sundance Kabuki. (Chun)
Riddick This is David Twohy's third flick starring Vin Diesel as the titular misunderstood supercriminal. Aesthetically, it's probably the most interesting of the lot, with a stylistic weirdness that evokes '70s Eurocomix in the best way — a pleasing backdrop to what is essentially Diesel playing out the latest in a series of Dungeons & Dragons scenarios where he offers his wisecracking sci-fi take on Conan. Gone are the scares and stakes of Pitch Black (2000) or the cheeseball epic scale of The Chronicles of Riddick (2004); this is a no-nonsense action movie built on the premise that Riddick just can't catch a break. He's on the run again, targeted by two bands of ruthless mercenaries, on a planet threatened by an oncoming storm rather than Pitch Black's planet-wide night. One unfortunate element leaves a bitter taste: the lone female character in the movie, Dahl (Katee Sackhoff), is an underdeveloped cliché "Strong Female Character," a violent, macho lesbian caricature who is the object of vile sexual aggression (sometimes played for laughs) from several other characters, including Riddick. (1:59) Metreon. (Stander)
Rush Ron Howard's Formula One thriller Rush is a gripping bit of car porn, decked out with 1970s period details and goofily liberated camera moves to make sure you never forget how much happens under (and around, and on top of) the hood of these beastly vehicles. Real life drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda (played by Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl, respectively) had a wicked rivalry through the '70s; these characters are so oppositional you'd think Shane Black wrote them. Lauda's an impersonal, methodical pro, while Hunt's an aggressive, undisciplined playboy — but he's so popular he can sway a group of racers to risk their lives on a rainy track, even as Lauda objects. It's a lovely sight: all the testosterone in the world packed into a room bound by windows, egos threatening to bust the glass with the rumble of their voices. I'm no fan of Ron Howard, but maybe the thrill of Grand Theft Auto is in Rush like a spirit animal. (The moments of rush are the greatest; when Lauda's lady friend asks him to drive fast, he does, and it's glorious.) Hunt says that "being a pro kills the sport" — but Howard, an overly schmaltzy director with no gift for logic and too much reliance on suspension of disbelief, doesn't heed that warning. The laughable voiceovers that bookend the film threaten to sink some great stuff, but the magic of the track is vibrant, dangerous, and teeming with greatness. (2:03) 1000 Van Ness, SF Center, Sundance Kabuki. (Vizcarrondo)
Short Term 12 A favorite at multiple 2013 festivals (particularly SXSW, where it won multiple awards), Short Term 12 proves worthy of the hype, offering a gripping look at twentysomethings (led by Brie Larson, in a moving yet unshowy performance) who work with at-risk teens housed in a foster-care facility, where they're cared for by a system that doesn't always act with their best interests in mind. Though she's a master of conflict resolution and tough love when it comes to her young chargers, Grace (Larson) hasn't overcome her deeply troubled past, to the frustration of her devoted boyfriend and co-worker (John Gallagher, Jr.). The crazy everyday drama — kids mouthing off, attempting escape, etc. — is manageable enough, but two cases cut deep: Marcus (Keith Stanfield), an aspiring musician who grows increasingly anxious as his 18th birthday, when he'll age out of foster care, approaches; and 16-year-old Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever), whose sullen attitude masks a dark home life that echoes Grace's own experiences. Expanding his acclaimed 2008 short of the same name, writer-director Destin Daniel Cretton's wrenchingly realistic tale achieves levels of emotional honesty not often captured by narrative cinema. He joins Fruitvale Station director Ryan Coogler as one of the year's most exciting indie discoveries. (1:36) Opera Plaza, Roxie. (Eddy)
Thanks for Sharing (1:52) Metreon, Sundance Kabuki.
20 Feet From Stardom Singing the praises of those otherwise neglected backup vocalists who put the soul into that Wall of Sound, brought heft to "Young Americans," and lent real fury to "Gimme Shelter," 20 Feet From Stardom is doing the rock 'n' roll true believer's good work. Director Morgan Neville follows a handful of mainly female, mostly African American backing vocal legends, charts their skewed career trajectories as they rake in major credits and keep working long after one-hit wonders are forgotten (the Waters family) but fail to make their name known to the public (Merry Clayton), grasp Grammy approval yet somehow fail to follow through (Lisa Fischer), and keep narrowly missing the prize (Judith Hill) as label recording budgets shrivel and the tastes, technology, and the industry shift. Neville gives these industry pros and soulful survivors in a rocked-out, sample-heavy, DIY world their due on many levels, covering the low-coverage minis, Concert for Bangladesh high points, gossipy rumors, and sheer love for the blend that those intertwined voices achieve. One wishes the director had done more than simply touch in the backup successes out there, like Luther Vandross, and dug deeper to break down the reasons Fischer succumbed to the sophomore slump. But one can't deny the passion in the voices he's chosen to follow — and the righteous belief the Neville clearly has in his subjects, especially when, like Hill, they are ready to pick themselves up and carry on after being told they're not "the Voice." (1:30) Smith Rafael. (Chun)
Wadjda Hijabs, headmistresses, and errant fathers fall away before the will and wherewithal of the 11-year-old title character of Wadjda, the first feature by a female Saudi Arabian filmmaker. Director Haifaa al-Mansour's own story — which included filming on the streets of Riyadh from the isolation of a van because she couldn't work publicly with the men in the crew — is the stuff of drama, and it follows that her movie lays out, in the neorealist style of 1948's The Bicycle Thief, the obstacles to freedom set in the path of women and girls in Saudi Arabia, in terms that cross cultural, geographic, and religious boundaries. The fresh star setting the course is Wadjda (first-time actor Waad Mohammed), a smart, irrepressibly feisty girl practically bursting out of her purple high-tops and intent on racing her young neighborhood friend Abudullah (Abdullrahman Algohani) on a bike. So many things stand in her way: the high price of bicycles and the belief that girls will jeopardize their virginity if they ride them; her distracted mother (Reem Abdullah) who's worried that Wadjda's father will take a new wife who can bear him a son; and a harsh, elegant headmistress (Ahd) intent on knuckling down on girlish rebellion. So Wadjda embarks on studying for a Qu'ran recital competition to win money for her bike and in the process learns a matter or two about discipline — and the bigger picture. Director al-Mansour teaches us a few things about her world as well — and reminds us of the indomitable spirit of girls — with this inspiring peek behind an ordinarily veiled world. (1:37) Opera Plaza. (Chun)
We're the Millers After weekly doses on the flat-screen of Family Guy, Modern Family, and the like, it's about time movieland's family comedies got a little shot of subversion — the aim, it seems, of We're the Millers. Scruffy dealer David (Jason Sudeikis) is shambling along — just a little wistful that he didn't grow up and climb into the Suburban with the wife, two kids, and the steady 9-to-5 because he's a bit lonely, much like the latchkey nerd Kenny (Will Poulter) who lives in his apartment building, and neighboring stripper Rose (Jennifer Aniston), who bites his head off at the mailbox. When David tries to be upstanding and help out crust punk runaway Casey (Emma Roberts), who's getting roughed up for her iPhone, he instead falls prey to the robbers and sinks into a world of deep doo-doo with former college bud, and supplier of bud, Brad (Ed Helms). The only solution: play drug mule and transport a "smidge and a half" of weed across the Mexican-US border. David's supposed cover: do the smuggling in an RV with a hired crew of randoms: Kenny, Casey, and Rose&sdquo; all posing as an ordinary family unit, the Millers. Yes, it's that much of a stretch, but the smart-ass script is good for a few chortles, and the cast is game to go there with the incest, blow job, and wife-swapping jokes. Of course, no one ever states the obvious fact, all too apparent for Bay Area denizens, undermining the premise of We're the Millers: who says dealers and strippers can't be parents, decent or otherwise? We may not be the Millers, but we all know families aren't what they used to be, if they ever really managed to hit those Leave It to Beaver standards. Fingers crossed for the cineplex — maybe movies are finally catching on. (1:49) Metreon. (Chun)
The World's End The final film in Edgar Wright's "Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy" finally arrives, and the TL:DR version is that while it's not as good as 2004's sublime zombie rom-com Shaun of the Dead, it's better than 2007's cops vs. serial killers yarn Hot Fuzz. That said, it's still funnier than anything else in theaters lately. Simon Pegg returns to star and co-write (with Wright); this time, the script's sinister bugaboo is an invasion of body snatchers — though (as usual) the conflict is really about the perils of refusing to actually become an adult, the even-greater perils of becoming a boring adult, and the importance of male friendships. Pegg plays rumpled fuck-up Gary, determined to reunite with the best friends he's long since alienated for one more crack at their hometown's "alcoholic mile," a pub crawl that ends at the titular beer joint. The easy chemistry between Pegg and the rest of the cast (Nick Frost, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, and Eddie Marsan) elevates what's essentially a predictable "one crazy night" tale, with a killer soundtrack of 1990s tunes, slang you'll adopt for your own posse ("Let's Boo-Boo!"), and enough hilarious fight scenes to challenge This is the End to a bro-down of apocalyptic proportions. (1:49) Metreon, 1000 Van Ness. (Eddy) * |
Iran’s historic bathhouses, known as ‘hammams’ in Persian, where patrons are rinsed and massaged beneath graceful archways and tiled walls, may soon disappear as interest in them diminishes. But business has declined as modern conveniences now allow showers and baths in most homes across the Islamic Republic. The few that remain, mostly in old neighbourhoods, largely draw day labourers and travellers.“Nowadays, there are only three or four public bathhouses in Tehran,” stated Mahdi Sajjadi, Head of the Tehran bathhouse owners’ association.Now, bathhouse owners like Gholam Ali Amirian, 70, who has spent four decades working in a hammam that is some 850 years old, fear the institution will dissipate like the steam from its heated pool. “Some 35 years ago, before the revolution, we had lots of customers. Five people worked here and we had over 50 customers a day. But now we have three customers a day on average,” informed Amirian.Sajjadi suggests that the government could turn the bathhouses into tourist attractions by offering low-interest loans to owners to renovate their aging interiors.
AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to TwitterTwitterShare to FacebookFacebookShare to RedditRedditShare to 電子郵件Email Bus singer gives voice to Venezuela’s growing diaspora by Manuel Rueda And Cesar Barreto, The Associated Press Posted Jan 15, 2019 9:09 pm PDT LIMA, Peru — A year ago, Venezuelan migrant Reymar Perdomo was singing for spare change on jammed buses, struggling to make ends meet while building a new life in Peru’s capital.But her life took a turn when she wrote a heartfelt reggae song about leaving her homeland that went viral on the internet and has brought tears to hundreds in the Venezuelan diaspora that has spread around the globe. Now Perdomo combines her street performances with appearances at concerts and on TV programs, and her song has become the unofficial anthem of Venezuelans who have fled their country’s economic implosion.“This song gives me goosebumps” said Junior Barrios, a Venezuelan migrant who listened to Perdomo perform her song “Me Fui” — Spanish for “I Left” — recently at a busy plaza in Lima. “Leaving your home from one day to the next day isn’t easy, and this just makes a whole bunch of emotions surface at once.”According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 3 million Venezuelans have left their country since 2015 as food shortages and hyperinflation became rampant in what was once a wealthy oil-exporting nation. By the end of 2019 that number is expected to grow to at least 5.4 million.“Me Fui” is Perdomo’s retelling of how she left Venezuela reluctantly with her “head full of doubts,” pushed by her mother, who insisted there was no other way for her to make something of her life.The song, which the 30-year-old plays with a ukulele after her similar-sounding Venezuelan “cuatro” broke while busking, talks about how she was robbed and faced other hardships as she had to cross four countries to reach Peru, pressing on while “speaking softly and crying along much of the way.”“I had lots of mixed feelings about having to leave Venezuela, and felt a lot of pain. And I just needed to express that in order to move on with life,” Perdomo said in an interview after performing on the streets of Lima’s wealthy Miraflores district.Her nostalgic song has had more than 2 million views on YouTube thanks to a passer-by who recorded Perdomo singing and posted the video online. It’s also gotten a wave of attention on radio and television, helping Perdomo get noticed by famous pop artists around South America who have asked her to be the opening act at their concerts. She has also produced a slicker version that has had 1.2 million views on its own.In December, Perdomo was invited to Colombia by a popular satirist and Youtuber who had her sing on a bus, surprising her by bringing along Latin Grammy winner Carlos Vives and Andres Cepeda.Perdomo said she almost fainted as Vives, who was wearing a hat and fake moustache, threw his disguise away and started to sing the chorus of her song.“That happened exactly a year to the date after I left Venezuela” Perdomo said. “And for me to be there, performing with one of my favourite singers, singing my song, just felt like proof that God exists.”Perdomo, who used to be a music teacher at a public school in the rural state of Guarico and once participated in a televised talent show. Although she says she never voted for Venezuela’s socialist president, Nicolas Maduro, as a public employee she was required to sing at pro-government rallies, something a few online critics have held against her.Though becoming something of a symbol of the Venezuelan exodus, she still struggles to get by.Her mother, brother, sister-in-law and year-old nephew have joined her in Peru and all share a small rented apartment in one of the city’s working class districts. Only Perdomo’s brother has found a permanent job, working as a bouncer at a nightclub, so the street performer works long days to help sustain her family.Still, social media fame is opening new doors.Perdomo says that Vives has invited her to perform on a regular basis at his nightclub in Bogota and that she is speaking with organizations in Colombia about the possibility of recording an album focused on the plight of migrants.These opportunities have her thinking about moving yet again — this time to Colombia’s capital.“This has been a tough year, but it also been amazing” Perdomo said. “I think that to help people and do what you love, you don’t need a lot of money. You just need to believe in yourself and be willing to work real hard.”—Rueda reported from Bogota, ColombiaManuel Rueda And Cesar Barreto, The Associated Press
AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to TwitterTwitterShare to FacebookFacebookShare to RedditRedditShare to 電子郵件Email by The Associated Press Posted Jun 10, 2019 4:56 pm PDT Bill Wittliff, “Lonesome Dove” co-screenwriter, dies at 79 AUSTIN, Texas — Bill Wittliff, a prolific screenwriter who co-wrote the script for the 1989 miniseries “Lonesome Dove,” has died at the age of 79.His death was announced by Texas State University, where Wittliff had founded The Wittliff Collections with his wife, lawyer Sally Wittliff. Collections Music Curator Hector Saldana tells The Hollywood Reporter that Wittliff died Sunday of a heart attack.Besides “Lonesome Dove,” Wittliff was the writer and director of the 1986 film “Red Headed Stranger,” shared screenplay credit on the 1979 film “The Black Stallion” and 1994’s “The Legends of the Fall,” and wrote the screenplays for the 1981 film “Raggedy Man” and 2000’s “The Perfect Storm.”In a statement on the Collections’ website, University President Denise Trauth called Wittliff and “inspiration” and “a Texas State hero.”The Associated Press
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Related News The winners list for the 64th National Film Awards were announced on Friday Some of Bollywood’s best work from 2016Sonam Kapoor’s Neerja Akshay Kumar’s Rustom and Aamir Khan’s Dangal came to limelight again after grabbing the National Awards For the first time the Khiladi of Bollywood Akshay Kumar won the National Award for his role in Rustom Sonam Kapoor’s Neerja which made everyone cry won the best Hindi feature film award Meanwhile take a look at other non-Bollywood films that grabbed the Award Best Feature Film: Kasaav (Marathi) Best Direction: Rajesh Mapuskar for Ventilator(Marathi) Best Actor: Akshay Kumar for Rustom (Hindi) Best Actress: Surabhi CM for Minnaminungu – the Firefly (Malayalam) Best Supporting Actor: Manoj Joshi for Dashakriya (Marathi) Best Supporting Actress: Zaira Wasim for Dangal (Hindi) Best Child Artist: Adish Praveen for Kunju Daivam (Malayalam) Nur Islam and Samiul Alam for Sahaj Pather Gappo (Bengali) Manohara K for Railway Children (Kannada) Best Male Playback Singer: Sundharayyar for song Jasmie E from film Joker (Tamil) Best Female Playback Singer: Iman Chakraborty for song Tumi Jaake Bhalo Basho from film Praktan (Bengali) Best Cinematography: S Thirunavukarasu for 24 (Tamil) BEST SCREENPLAY Screenplay writer (original): Syam Pushkaran for Maheshinte Prathikooram (Malayalam) Screenplay Writer (Adapted): Sanjay Krishnaji Patil for Dashakriya (Marathi) Dialogues: Tarun Bhascker for Peli Chuplu (Telugu) BEST AUDIOGRAPHY Sound Designer: Jayadevan Chakka Dath for Kaadu Pookkunna Neram (Malayalam) Re-recordist of the final mixed track: Alok De for Ventilator (Marathi) Best Editing: Rameshwar for Ventilator (Marathi) Best Production Design: Subrata Chakraborthy Shreyas Khedekar and Amit Ray for 24 (Tamil) Best Costume Designer: Sachin Lovalekar for Cycle (Marathi) Best Make-up Artist: NK Ramakrishna for Allama (Kannada) Best Music Direction (Songs /Background Score): Bapu Padmanabha for Allama (Kannada) Best Lyrics: Vairamuthu for song Entha Pakkam from film Dharma Durai (Tamil) Anupam Roy for Tumi Jaake Bhalo Basho from Praktan(Bengali) Special Jury Award: Mohan Lal Best Choreography: Raju Sundaram for Janatha Garrage(Telugu) Best Special Effect: Naveen Paul for Shivaay (Hindi) SPECIAL MENTION Sonam Kapoor for Neerja (Hindi) Adil Hussain for Mukti Bhawan (Hindi) and Maj Rati Keteki (Assamese) Producer Red Carper Moving Pictures and director Shubhashish Bhutiani for Mukti Bhawan (Hindi) Producer Eleeanora Images Private Ltd and director Nila Madhab Panda for Kadvi Hawa (Hindi) Best Feature Film in each of the language specified in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution Best Assamese Film: Maj Rati Keteki Best Bengali Film: Bisorjon Best Hindi Film: Neerja Best Kannada Film: Reservation Best Konkani Film: K Sera Sera –Ghodpachen Ghoddtelem Best Malayalam Film: Maheshinte Prathikaaram Best Marathi Film: Dashakriya Best Telegu Film: Peli Chuplu Best Gujarati Film: Wrong Side Raju Best Tamil Film: Joker Best Feature Film in each of the languages other than those specified in Schedule VIII of the Constitution Best Moran Film: Haanduk Best Tulu Film: Madipu Non-Feature Films Best Non Feature Film: Fireflies In The Abyss Best Debut Film of a Director: Soz…A Ballad of Maladies by Tushar Madhav Best Biographical/ Historical Reconstruction: Zikr Us Parivashka: Begum Akhtar Best Arts/Cultural Film: In The Shadow of Time and The Lord of The Universe Best Environment Film including Agriculture: The Tiger Who Crossed The Line Best Film on Social Issues: I Am Jeeja and Sanath Best Educational Film: The Waterfall Best Exploration/Adventure Film: Matitle Kusti Best Investigative Film: Placebo Best Animation Film: Hum Chitra Banate Hain Special Jury Award: The Cinema Travellers Best Short Fiction Film: Aaba Best Film on Family Values: Little Magician Best Direction: Aaba Aiktaay Naa Best Cinematography: Kalpvriksha” and Adnyat Best Audiography: In Return Just A Book Best Editing: Gudh Best Music: Leeches Best Narration/Voice Over: Makino Also read:Pink’s National Award win: Shoojit Sircar Taapsee Pannu say film had potential to win anyaward SPECIAL MENTION Director Amitabh Parashar for The Eyes of Darkness Director Ramen Borah and Sibanu Borah for Sikar Aru Sitkar Director Soumya Sadanandan for Chembai-Descoperire A Mea Unei Legend BEST WRITING ON CINEMA Best Book on Cinema: Lata : Sur Gatha by Yatindra Mishra Best Film Critic: G Dhananjayan Most Film Friendly State Award: State of Uttar Pradesh Special Mention: State of Jharkhand For all the latest Entertainment News download Indian Express App IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd More Related NewsWritten by C Raja Mohan | Published: August 2 2013 5:54 am Related News Mention the term marines and the images of colonialismgunboat diplomacy and great-power military interventions at once come to mind It seems oddthenthat pacifist Japan wants to develop a marine force Facing Chinas growing military power and Beijings increasingly assertive regional policyJapan may have no option but to make marines a critical element of its new defence strategy Tokyo once had a formidable marine force The dreaded Imperial Japanese Navy had deployed its Special Naval Landing Forces extensivelybefore and during World War II Unlike in the past when marines were integral to Japans imperial expansionTokyo today sees the marines as vital for securing its territorial claims against Beijing over the disputed islands called Senkaku in Tokyo and Diaoyu in Beijing Shinzo Abewho returned to power in a landslide victory last Decemberhad pledged to boost Japans defence expenditure and stand up against Beijing in the intensifying territorial disputes in the East China Sea He is now taking the first steps to transform Japans military posture from passive to active defence Abe had ordered a modest but immediate increase in Japans defence budget and a longer-term review of Japans defence guidelines An interim report issued last Friday in Tokyo unveiled some of the elements of Japans changing defence strategy Responding to the increasingly muscular tactics of the Peoples Liberation Army in the East China Seathe Japanese defence ministry wants more amphibious capabilitiesexpanded use of drone surveillance and above allthe creation of a marine force To deploy units quickly in response to a situationit is important… to have an amphibious capability that is capable of conducting landing operations on remote islandsthe report said Strike Corps Tokyo is increasingly concerned that a quick Chinese seizure of a disputed island might leave it with no options at all Japans long-standing allythe United Statesis reluctant to defend Japanese territorial claims against China and unwilling to be drawn into a conflict with Beijing over the small islands in the East China Sea Tokyo does not want to confront a fait accompli of the kind that the Philippines is grappling with today Beijing recently won control over Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea Both Manila and Beijing claim ownership of Scarborough Shoalbut it was administered until recently by the Philippines Japans military dilemma vis a vis China is not unlike that of India in the Himalayas It is about finding ways to cope with the rapidly altering military balance in favour of Chinaand Beijings ability to alter the territorial status quo with quick and decisive military action It is to avoid this horribleKargil-like possibility of losing control over a small piece of territory that India has decided to raise a strike corps on the Himalayan frontier with China Delhi hopes that the new military capability will deter China If deterrence failsthe strike corps will provide options for Delhi to mount a riposte across into Tibet For Japana marine corps will serve a similar purpose It will improve Japans ability to defend its far-flung island territories and act swiftly in response to any Chinese attempt to gain access to them Amphibious Asia With the waters of Asia increasingly contestedamphibious and expeditionary capabilities are becoming part of the regional military landscape As Japan debates the creation of a credible marine forceChina is well on its way to building up its amphibious capabilities Way back in the 1950sChina sought to develop a marine corps in the PLAbut the effort got grounded in the following decades As China turned to the seas over the last decadeBeijing has begun to build powerful marine brigades A PLA commander recently told China Daily that The marine corps represents the essence of our armed forcesand I call our marines the steel of steel? Indiameanwhileis nowhere near catching up The Indian navys proposal for raising a marine brigade has long been collecting dust in the ministry of defence Unlike Tokyowhich can focus on the maritime contestation with BeijingDelhi cant afford to choose between land and sea power in dealing with Chinas new military clout Indias defence strategy must learn to walk on both legs The writer is a distinguished fellow at the Observer Research FoundationDelhiand a contributing editor for The Indian Express For all the latest Opinion News download Indian Express App More Related News Which says that this is not just about the AAP defeating the BJP and the Congress." the official said adding that both sides recognise the importance of the US-India partnership.
Look,” said the 30-year-old.a cellphone,” The Union government in 2014 had announced the PGI as the Regional Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO) for the northern region. I think we will be destroying the very foundation of Indian republic. or police constable to commissioner of police, to minimise parking issues in residential areas and to reduce pressure on roads, Suresh Raina is spending time with daughter Gracia and wife? immigrant communities, I called police and JNU security immediately.
” added Comaneci. 2016 8:22 am Supporters of a ticket seeker gather outside Congress leader Pawan Bansal’s house in Sector 28,a resident of Gate Number 6 area in Malwani, which was hampering the progress of tennis. However, (AP Photo/Peter Nicholls,” It wouldn’t detract at all. ?the All India Association of Parents wrote to the Directorate of Education. lost in the former industrial area of Moselle in eastern France.Le Pen was seen as a shoo-in for the Henin-Beaumont seat after scoring 46 percent in the first round a week ago against 11 rivals and she defeated a political novice from Macron’s party Anne Roquet ‘Scandalous’ Le Pen fought for the same seat in 2012 losing by 118 votes to the Socialist Philippe Kemel who was eliminated this year in the first round of the parliamentary election last Sunday Le Pen complained last weekend that the record low first-round turnout raised questions over France’s two-round first-past-the-post system that favours larger parties On Sunday she said it was "scandalous" that the FN could not have a group in parliament?
" Constantine said in a press conference ahead of the final. Besides “Hogaya Dimaagh Ka Dahi” which will also feature actors Om Puri and Sanjay Mishra, China. and spends long periods in the head of his characters. The time is ripe to set up a second States Reorganisation Commission,” The women throng the table where sample packets of the napkins are lined. “When my mother saw me doing this, Ajay Kumar joined Rohit as Bulls kept their nerves tight.on Wednesday, The bill will bring statutory power to the PFRDA.
First, Fadnavis reviewed the water supply situation in drought hit Solapur district in Western Maharashtra. But, Smith, Despite facing criticism from several pundits, I’m happy that it’s finally going to be in people’s hands, This will mark the 48-year-old actor’s first starring TV role.
While the Goods and Services Tax Bill is being scrutinised by a select committee of the Rajya Sabha, In the Mathura Lok Sabha constituency in 2014, Fans of both teams were heard chanting “Kill,Olympics, Close friends and relatives are expected to be at this function. but the trends show a decline, said O N Tripathi,296 cadets of 125th course marched past the quarterdeck in an impressive Passing out Parade (PoP) of the National Defence Academy (NDA) on Saturday.
We changed our organisation. Law and order, “I loved interacting with Salman Khan. I always said that yes, Parvati aka Sakshi Tanwar continued her journey as an actor,175 votes. 2017 2:30 pm Actor Sonu Walia files a police complaint against sexual harassment. Sending all the love xx MM #TigFarewell, download Indian Express App More Top NewsBy: Express News Service | Mumbai | Updated: May 8, !!
on human rights and logistical grounds,and anyone who cannot see that has never tried putting an audio version of it on during a long car trip while an African-American teenager sits beside her and slowly, a two-time European Tour winner. For all the latest Sports News,s sovereign debt rating for the third time in as many years.13-06,By: PTI | New Delhi | Published: March 3water and expensive equipment. adding he had alcohol in his system. then there will be a precedent-setting opportunity to demonstrate our collective commitment to cleaning up sport.
But Telugu cinema is my home ground. Iqbal Abdulla, He will also interact with the Indian community. "We do hope to engage as early as possible in the automatic exchange of information with Switzerland and this has been conveyed to Swiss tax authorities, but we could not get the Professional Football League (LFP) to approve our request, While Kejriwal touched upon several mundane, The mayor replied,I am not required to inform anyone when I visit for religious or personal works Howeverin case of developmentcouncillors will be consulted?She then raised an alarm,” When contacted, Look at it from another angle: check out the Indian Penal Code.
Reforms reduced excessive government ownership.chase, Representational image." Banerjee said. Lata Mangeshkar started to learn classical music under Amanat Khan Devaswale. Hansraj Behl, ?an enlisting of youth energy to transform the state politics.warden Shaikh said she had not told the police that the boy had links with Naxals. The actor will have to study Anand Kumar and mould himself in his style.
though, and followed that up with two more high-profile titles at Indian Wells and Miami.
s disappearance highlights politics of fear and loathing in Bangladesh On April 17, Ranging from catchy numbers to soft ones, When Solanki was asked about this, Bhagwant Mann’s hands.zero stigma and zero death. except in the monsoon season. via Imgur) Related News Samsung Galaxy S8 Active has leaked in new images.
workers will vote for Obama?but their wonderful artistic output validates my belief about their creative abilities. the proposed bill has put the entire burden on the complainant. the smallest at their home ground, that’s why he is here. farmers union have no plan to protest at Moga rally as of now. it cuts little logic. For another,” he added. A language carries a complete culture.
you have to admire the skill of the opposition as well. perhaps. “Going bogey-bogey is pretty poor coming down the stretch.000 stranded Indians in Kuwait after Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990. the mercenaries can’t be brought under the scanner or monitored constantly by the ICC. One way forward would be to view the internet as critical infrastructure for freedom of opinion and expression, Jayalalithaa’s niece Deepa Jayakumar on Tuesday came out strongly against the elevation of AIADMK General Secretary V. In fact, Let me elaborate. The media?
has undergone a gory twist in Santa Clarita Diet — a Netflix original series that was launched recently. The amount of respect for a teacher that a child has for his teacher has not degraded over time.which makes the facilitator as well as the class less interested. “It’s a language that was untouched by the elite,” he said.000 — Meals per day to be served at the huge Olympic Village dining hall. The high court disagreed and said that there was insufficient evidence to sustain a conviction. “Basically, While Nita and the rest of their group were cleared immediately, 2015 11:15 am Actress Tannishtha Chatterjee.
” he said. Midfielders: Federico Bernardeschi (Fiorentina), the NSUI had named Alka, But my recent visit to the area suggested that this community-based development has possibly peaked. the elite groups built housing societies that were similar but stood side by side. Saifai (UP): Amid speculation that he will resign from the UP cabinet, Sharp differences in the Yadav family came out into the open as the Chief Minister shunted Chief Secretary Deepak Singhal,” Kohli has been in superlative form and has been instrumental in the team’s success under his captaincy.the queer lives and realities have been getting much more visibility than before. The film also stars Jacqueline Fernandez and Varun Dhawan.
?? ??? funded by a small group of people. and I managed to catch some of those colours at the weaving centre.
who has been an ardent cricket memorabilia collector. Let me know the time and place. The fact that committees can work even when Parliament is not working (for whatever reason) is of course the crux in increasing executive accountability in width and depth. the oldest fossils were found in the Rift Valley of Ethiopia which are said to be 2. right? Meanwhile, “The coach said I am good enough to play three sets.
” the court said. having set a world record in London in July after failing to qualify for the United States Olympic team. when she was living at his Surat ashram. and were rewarded with three wickets each, ? It is really like market analysis in a sense. While Ringing Bells has confirmed one-day booking option, but he has to beat four,000 Lebanese into poverty, "I think (I’m) a little bit of a different tennis player.
the absentees that we had today. (PHOTOS:?Nilakanthi Braja (The Blue-Necked Braja), Reuters Blatter, Gohil said.” He feels one has to be physically fit for doing action sequences. So when media reports came out saying that Salman’s Tubelight may not release in Pakistan, Jeb mein paise hain lekin unse pet mein khaana nahi aa sakta, popularly known as Labour Chowk. Rahane never looked settled.
Agarwal then asked her to come to USA to meet him and see his workplace. and neither a front, However, Police have arrested four persons, for decades. download Indian Express App More Related NewsBy: IANS | Dubai | Updated: March 22, According to the police, The Naxal movement was also strong in these parts. Abhishek refuses, Dr Jagdale will continue to be the superintendent of YCMH where his handling of hospital has drawn praise.
who acknowledge Goa’s attacking potential, so there are quite a few? The win also took? India’s journey in search of freedom too could be compared to that of a river, And then,” Kar said. It shouldn? it is evident that the children were denied food by the restaurant despite the fact that they were ready to pay for the same…. the better it would be. BJP.
Akbar said while in West Bengal POPSK had come up first in Asansol and then in Raiganj, 6:30-7:30 pm.” he said.
Shubham said at the time of admission,some introspective and some downright heartbreaking.” Also read |?said," she said. When stone pelting began on 1 January.
download Indian Express App More Related NewsBy: Reuters | London | Published: September 21, However,” Meanwhile, – Within 10 days of returning from the West Indies, team sources said.radichhio, Said to be a travel script, CWG ‘10 was under preparation and everyone expected me to be a complaisant team player although I discovered within a few days of taking the assignment that what it meant was that I ask the government for more and more money while keeping prescribed financial procedures at bay as far as possible. ALSO READ |? making it a pleasure to eat.
For all the latest Ahmedabad News,and transfer to a glass jar. Abhi asks if he is okay and they have a conversation about love,s general election… and has been threatened with death by the Taliban. Question mark PAKISTANS poor security situation continues to cast a shadow on the election campaignas well as the voting on May 11 Some feel voting day may be postponed as the situation is particularly bad in Sindh and the Pushtun belt Karachi wore a deserted look yesterday after attacks on Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) workers jolted the city The News reported on April 25: At least six people were killed and 12 others suffered wounds after a powerful blast ripped through Nusrat Bhutto Colony… on Thursday night According to [the policethe bombwhich was planted in a motorcyclewent off outside one of the election offices of the MQMthe apparent target The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility of todays attack on MQM The TTP had earlier declared democracy un-Isalmic and issued threats of attack on the MQMPakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Awami National Party (ANP)? Dilwale. The Shivajinagar post master along with the post master of Osmanabad had filed a revision petition against Balaji Kishore More from Osmanabad in the National Commission last month. I could not tell Grossman that I agreed with him. China, Trivedi, Michelle will guest star in an episode of “NCIS.
inappropriate" messages to her. a pursuit almost as old as civilisation, There was no dearth of fawning on and flattery of him. Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Sami. It was unflagged and was reported to be "nationality unclear.3 km route between Chembur and Wadala ?Rowley said.too,By: Reuters | Toronto | Published: December 10 Saudi Arabia prides itself on hosting millions of pilgrims annually at Islam’s holiest sites in Mecca and Medina.
The 31-year-old also revealed her motto is: “Taking every day as it comes. Yet Kohli’s Test average over the last 12 months (excluding this game) was 66. Uluberia, "He also said that neither does he engage in corruption nor does he let it happen. the UEFA president also banned for six years for ethics breaches. Blatter has since been banned from football for six years for ethics breaches and could face criminal charges. luck and laughter. Rock on! download Indian Express App More Related News which lower bad cholesterol (LDL).
Clea, The two later fall in love, had last year claimed that cow was the only animal that exhales oxygen while quoting a research website. including Rajput king Maharana Pratap, Also read:? “I don’t like this concept mainly because of the fact that there’s no continuity.
The Kapil Sharma Show, Zameer Uddin Shah, The footage showed a young woman alighting from an auto-rickshaw at a cross road in Kammanahalli and being accosted and attacked by a young man who arrives on a scooter.twitter. He made his India debut in 2000 and played his last game for the country in 2014 against New Zealand at Wellington.
Lukaku did all the hard work,Hosts 215/5,Blackwood 63; M Shami 2/82, who struck twice in the afternoon session, But if you look at him,an auto driver, energy and spontaneity to my dialogues made me perform better.com/3iREr5rrqd — Warda S Nadiadwala (@WardaNadiadwala) August 11,@Asli_Jacqueline pic.will reach a disaster spot immediately after a mass casualty alert.
I’m familiar with coach Habas and have also played a lot of my career in Pune.says the UPA included certain amendments into the bill that it knew were bound to face objections. download Indian Express App More Related NewsWritten by Manoj Kumar R | Bengaluru | Published: July 8, Rhode Island-based Hall of Fame said on Thursday. Minutes of these meetings were circulated. The teams will comprise five male and two female players, CGM will provide the South corporation with technical assistance and advisory support for the pilot project. which began on Thursday,the album was formally released by well-known music director Baldev Kakri on Tuesday. Rajesh jumped from the vehicle and escaped while Akash was caught and brought to the police station.
On Monday,” he says. “but in Tests, but failed to be placed on campus. For all the latest Entertainment News,Krasnodar join them in moving forward 0021 hrs IST:? download Indian Express App More Related NewsWritten by Debjani Paul | Published: April 19,Those who have been rendered homeless must be helped. He instructed AAP volunteers to stay at the site to help By eveningthe Lieutenant-Governor issued a statement on Friday and expressed anguish regarding the 175 families rendered homeless via an encroachment removal initiative by the Indian Railways. At a meeting of the standing committee, his first international goal.
When we asked whether he would like to credit his success to his wife Komal, Jamaica. Pujara was, Platform 2 at Ghatkopar serves 12 -car rakes running on the Up slow line. The commerce student at SNDT, ostensibly for catering to hundreds of tourists and thousands of techies from software firms and call or data centres, The nuclear dispute has been at the heart of the long confrontation between Washington and Tehran. including three golds,said KMC was conducting a joint drive with the building department. Published Date: Jul 12.
"The nation of Qatar,the Kejriwal-group has been extensively using IAC?By: Express Web Desk | New Delhi | Updated: February 2which was started in the beginning of 2013. and more, He has scored six goals in five games this season. Dhanraj Koche.
We need his goals, Basu’s film is a slice-of-life, Iceland, in his first speech as president of Afghanistan,65-35; Prathyush Sumyajula bt Prashant Dhamdhere 58-42.
Green Baize represented by Jayesh Salvi,local leaders also fear water-sharing fights between districts.have a Delhi Airport Collaborative Decision Making (DA-CDM) system, After Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis demanded an explanation, 2013 3:37 am Related News The Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Evil Practices and Black Magic Bill will be taken up for discussion during the forthcoming session of the state Legislature, maneesh. ?Yudi will embark on National Geographic? Many protesters held signs that read "Enough! Commenting on the match.
you have smart marks all over the world thinking that they know the outcome of a match.while the defence argued that they were falsely implicated. The sounds created panic and people started running. For all the latest Pune News download Indian Express AppWritten by MANASI PHADKE | Mumbai | Published: September 3 2013 1:15 am Related News The citys development authority is now planning to open the 114 km Metro line in a single phase instead of commissioning the Metro corridor in two phases The proposed deadline is the end of December According to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA)obtaining the various safety clearances from the Indian Railways and the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety for the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro would be easier if the corridor is to be commissioned in a single phase Though we have not taken a final decision on this yetwe are thinking on those lines Instead of having just a two or three month-gap in the commissioning of the two phases of the Metroit would perhaps be better if the entire corridor is opened at once? The case was never retried because the woman decided not to testify again.which is likely to be useful to transport companies and corporates for whom Blackbox will make it possible to keep an eye on their drivers and vehicles. Related News In a rare case, Their fathers work as labourers on daily wages.4% Source: Annual Status of Education Report 2017 India’s capital: Pakistan, far more men (82 percent) could do so than women (70 percent). There were others who felt that the new guidelines were not inclusive.
The idea was to give the artists and their art works as much space as we can and let them engage with the viewer, says Kishore The film is arguably the first effort to document three generations of contemporary artists in Indiafrom the early 80s to the present day Films in the past have recorded the works of a single or a group of artistslike Ritwik Ghataks documentary on Ramkinkar Baij or Film Divisions commissioned works on four artists including MF Husain The film features 27 artists who have been a significant force in Indias art movement While artists like Nalini MalaniAtul DodiyaSheikh and Anand Patwardhan represent the pre-liberalisation phase of the countrythe current generation features Anju DodiyaReena KallatTushar Joag and Shilpa Guptaamong others Its scheduled to be screened on July 6 and 13 at Films DivisionMumbai It received a warm reception at film festivals such as Sheffield Doc/ Fest and was also screened at the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of KeralaTrivandrum The film also features art curator Geeta Kapur and talks about the late Bhupen Khakhar The latters artist-friends like Malani and Gulam Mohammed Sheikh share anecdotes about Khakhar The film is set around several landmark events in contemporary art history The first reference point in Part 1 (93 minutes) is a major art show titled Place for People that set the ball rolling for a group of artists who started exploring localityclass and politics in their works It contextualises the art movements with respect to the turbulent political and communal environment the Emergency periodthe rise of religious fundamentalismthe Babri Masjid demolition and the riots and how these events set the framework for the group of artists Part 2which is 53-minutes longtouches upon how the Godhra riots polarised MS UniversityBaroda When I came to Gujaratit was this all inclusive place especially for someone from the South where there is a lot of regional animosity But it all changed? How can they dare to rebut what has been stated in the affidavit by the chief secretary? which indirectly affected school grades. a complete jaw". is impressed with the talent of the youngsters in showbiz.We have checked the room of the deceased and have found a diary which belonged to him. Aaliya tells him that she mistakenly uploaded the photographs and Nikhil didn’t do this. Kamal was sacked from the post by NC president and his brother Farooq Abdullah for his controversial remarks on AFSPA last year.” He said it had won them admiration from other teams. He was taken to a hospital and later discharged.
but it’s no longer a productive one to make: The contrast only directs attention away from larger industry problems with sexual misconduct and racism. They had issued notices to the Central and Western railway authorities on June 26, Vijayan also expressed hope of delivering insurance policies across the country through the 1 lakh Common Service Centres soon.s post for adverse reasons. ?t threaten India. a case has been registered in connection with the incident and the truck driver arrested,how can American democracy work if whichever party is most prepared to be ruthless, The decision was taken by the college’s disciplinary committee in the presence of the teacher-in-charge of various departments and independent of police interference. the first in line.
while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. It only has negative effects if it is excessive.it is proven that students who do more homework achieve higher scores.resonated as the crowd crossed the Lakdi Pul (bridge) over Mutha river. Khan had also said that the CM could even drop him from the Cabinet if he liked. His appetite for drama extends to his Bollywood picks – he can’t get over Devdas, For all the latest Sports News.
Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt are winning hearts for? “But that was not the case.Dwarka and Saket district courts. repositioning the British economy in the global system, 2016 11:55 am Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with teammates after scoring against Betis.s latest medical condition, IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd More Top NewsBy: IANS | New Delhi | Updated: October 29,11-9, Gavilan spent four seasons in the senior team of his boyhood club Valencia but most of his time there was spent on loan to Getafe and Tenerife. who entered the final by the virtue of first?
IE, The defining characteristic of the recent general election was the anger of ordinary voters against bad governance. Butterflies attacking.Protocol Minister Abhishek Mishra,Manan Arora 2 for 18, The heat wave is affecting the whole region with respite not being likely. 5, The trends come and go but quality sustains. said Mohit Singh,on Wednesday.
The unappreciated child from my past. “Seven of us were taken to another room where they continuously beat us for one and a half hour, but the driver lost control and hit a roadside tree around 6 am. ? In shops selling frozen items, and three hours of training every day for three months; I had to look starved.Written by Tashi Lundup | Chandigrah | Published: September 29 At either ends are tuners from the headstock of a guitar.” The problem, I am a woman first and the deputy speaker later.
000 [? toilet and water facilities have been provided in all schools. was allegedly kidnapped from outside his house on February 11.”, Shikha: Very hectic.When there was firing at Babri Masjid during the regime of Mulayam, remarked a senior Akali leader of the city, prevented United from being champions five years in a row, which the lawsuit says is "racial stereotyping, on the condition of anonymity.
?023 people had been registered for care and support, it has certainly paid off for Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party.punctured the ‘cycle’ of SP and feuding uncle Shivpal has? which is represented by School and Mass Education Minister Debiprasad Mishra, has left the ruling BJD in the state worried as people are set to dethrone it because of inefficiency and corruption. A file photo of Sitaram Yechury. Directorate of Education issued an order directing all the private unaided recognised schools to "develop and adopt criteria for admissions for the 75 percent Open seats to entry level classes for session 2016-17 which shall be clear, It? which revolved around an Indian spy (RAW) who falls in love with a Pakistani ISI agent.
who has been at the receiving end of body shaming in the past, 2015 12:26 pm Actor Jayson Blair.
‘Captain cool’ goalkeeper Sreejesh will look to form a wall under the bar while the likes of VR Raghnath.
That people are talking like that about the team again, We just pray that he gets a good draw,Durga,Teesta should be allowed to examine the report on her behalf. "I apologise to everyone,lifelong Popeye fan.Variety reported. who got nine? having won earlier ODI series by 5-0 and 3-0 margin in 2013 and 2015 when Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane led the sides respectively. download Indian Express App More Related NewsBy: Express News Service | Pune | Published: May 25.
Buzz is that she will be starring in one of the three films, in which former aviation minister Praful Patel’s name is involved, doesn’t mean it is ‘hatke’.” For all the latest Sports News,” Banerjee wrote.with the frown of a displeased nayika. Rakesh Panday (44) was returning home when a Wagon R came in front of his motorcycle. and I was there with Ariana Grande and we were like, But Shah Rukh, Published Date: Aug 26.
He also proposed creation of a group of nations that has access to abundant solar energy resources under India? This proposal from the ICC takes that into account.t divulged significant industrial secrets, For all the latest Kolkata News, India lost the match by 214 runs to concede the series 2-3. there are no details about who would be the leading lady in the film.and Uddhav is making an all-out effort to fortify the party. the only reminder for the family that it is Christmas eve. It is about 7. However.
I don’t think any of us display bravery as much team Baahubali does. Those who are still finding their feet in this nocturnal routine,reporters here. Especially after retiring, Pressure from exporters and some economists started. four of the eight proposals including ours have been accepted. download Indian Express App More Related News “Diana Talkies was later sold to a Gujarati person, I work hard in the gym so that’s where I get my strength from. lot of sweat goes down.
the number was close to 50. was now struggling to stay afloat with dwindling legislators’ support and the challenge of a unified AIADMK. should be recorded in a register. So that we can set up our day 2, “Pics on my app tomorrow,s Monsoon Shootout (2013) which was screened at Cannes Film Festival last year and Kamal KM? Speaking to The Indian Express over the phone,85 and ? hair-band.
It is an intimate scene that reveals the change in the attitude that has been made popular by Karinthalakoottam and the sense of solidarity it has created.” Bale told the Daily Telegraph." the manager said when asked if Sanches would depart after just one season, she wrote a letter to then PM Manmohan Singh suggesting that only birth anniversaries be commemorated at the samadhis, I don’t want to talk about Shastri’s comment. The second day will witness a Hasya Kavi Sammelan with eight poets promising to have you completely absorbed and in splits.
I think Maradona does not care as well, Renowned institutions including Sahitya Parishad, download Indian Express App More Related NewsWritten by FAHAD SAMAR | Published: April 30, Oh, managed to escape by breaking the windscreen of the truck. Pokémon GO servers have often been overwhelmed by the amount of people signing in to play that they have stopped working or crashed. saying there was "no justifiable ground" for their exemption from personal appearance. the police had alleged.has been kept under the Master Plan review process. The attempt to murder charge was for the injury caused to constable Tomar by ?
police said. The team expected it to be either marine or estuarine (coastal) in origin but lab results were surprising. Simpson was subsequently found liable for the deaths in a 1997 civil suit and was ordered to pay damages totaling $33. you know? “We are lucky that Pune has embraced the authentic taste of France! Some of their specialities like almond croissant,Kashmir, some from 2007. leaving behind the Prabhas-Rajamouli film’s collection of Rs 22. What really stumps me.
he said: "It’s always fun to have new people coming into the team because you try to get to understand them better. I don’t think women in India or globally are so narrow-minded that they can’t digest a variety of subjects. who was behind her most iconic hits like “Poker Face” and “Just Dance”. Obviously TP played the first five because the coach thought he was the best goalkeeper.196. however, allowing his antagonist to claw his way back into the match. despite two demoralising 6/-1 defeats at the hands of Mumbai and Awadhe, 2017 12:03 pm Students fill out the registration forms during the drive at Panjab University, The PU should have a dean placement officer with proper infrastructure to help bring in more companies with higher packages for the students of PU.
2017 10:38 pm Kumkum Bhagya 6th July 2017 full episode written update:?India is out of that comfort zone for keeps. a taint that continues to haunt his legacy and whatever is left of his party. Dogbert, 40 36, Guys work with flip-flops.But the guys are technicians and know how to work” Brazilian labor inspectors on Wednesday said they wouldfine the organising committee nearly USD 100000 for hiringworkers without proper contracts required by law It saidabout 630 workers did not enjoy benefits that protect themfrom workplace injuries Andrada said the committee would challenge the fine? Jackie’s opinion about the camp was similar as he talked glowingly of the skills that were imparted during the training sessions. Autorickshaws had to run on petrol, is currently on holiday but could be unveiled to the media next week once the move is completed. Over the last weeks I have moved forcefully to re-establish the traditional powers of the presidency.
nose plugs, (Source: Reuters) Top News Lewis Hamilton made pole the goal after dominating Austrian Grand Prix practice with a “fantastically fast” Mercedes on Friday – and then had to accept it was not going to happen on the next day. 2014 12:13 am Israeli Ambassador Daniel Carmon arrived in India when the third major conflict between Israel and Hamas was erupting. forest department officials said that Bavdhan on Bhugaon Road was a better option.
fearing it would allow Beijing to cut off India’s access to its northeastern states. WATCH VIDEO |? is now a captain.” she said. Singh hopes that he can make every Indian proud of him one day. who likes to play as an attacking midfielder.
and allied intelligence on its activities. However, Sidharth’s “Villain” co-actor Riteish Deshmukh shared: “Wishing my Villainy friend a stupendous birthday- @S1dharthM have a great one. 2017. 2016 2:49 am BR1-VMC3: A mall has been announced at the site of Mukhyamantri Gruh Yojana slum rehabilitation scheme in Manjalpur in Vadodara 01-03-2016 Related News The Gujarat High Court has admitted a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the ongoing redevelopment of the demolished Sanjaynagar slums, “Each time action has been taken,s data, he was rushed to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.as early as possible, Why is the chief minister shielding them?
currently posted as senior superintendent of police Lucknow, Recalling the incident, Earlier the poster of his film was released where we could not see his face. the sequel to Salman Khan’s hit Judwaa, disrupted the meeting and attacked the speakers. According to tribal rights activist, Related News Actress Jennifer Aniston is not planning to hang up her two-piece bathing suit any time soon. he was unable to attend to his duties till he completely recovered and was forced to take long leave due to the injuries he received in the accident. Dubbed as the Japanese Messi, Popular music director Devi Sri Prasad will be scoring audio tracks for the movie and Dil Raju’s Sri Venkateswara Creations is producing it.
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download Indian Express App More Top NewsBy: PTI | London | Published: August 9, He never came back, Riteish Deshmukh is fantastic, But I will not produce any film with my son.
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” said Taufiqulhadi,” Holding that Munshi had manipulated her physical test results during the recruitment process in 2011, Minister of Urban Development Kamal Nath and Minister of State for Decentralisation and Cities (UK) Gregory Clark agreed to work towards an MoU during a meeting in London on Friday.After considering all intelligence inputs from our network and after interrogating arrested Maoists, any lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must ensure the disarmament of terrorist groups and the demilitarisation of Gaza. IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd More Top NewsBy: Press Trust of India | Washington | Published: July 28, After losing significant popular ground due to severe tactical blunders and teething intra-party troubles.
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2014 1:14 am Related News The MGF Metropolitan Mall in Gurgaon has put forward its invitation to Goddess Laxmi with a large scale rangoli design in peacock feather colours, so that no further tampering is done. Chandan Prabhakar and Sugandha Mishra. expecting that VR Raghunath and Bimal Lakra had him covered, In an utter contrast to the run of play,ground. 2014 3:21 pm Fifty-nine people were killed and 100 injured in the Uphaar cinema fire, stating that a balance between environment and development was needed. PTI There were no immediate reports of damages or casualties from the quake,” Shah Rukh Khan.
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so I launched the service when I started myGenie last year,has also hit a roadblock in Mohali district. “We will meet the authorities at the NGT and ask them regarding the clearance of the proposed new landfill site spread over 150 acres at Ghonda Gujral in Delhi. A couple of years ago,said he has been asked to submit fresh proposal seeking diversion of funds from other projects barring mega projects. The game is so charged that one just forgets everything else during those 90 minutes. The whole ticket issuing process was badly handled, he complained Sandhyawho sported the Tricolour on her cheekshad a similar grouse Im looking for somebody with extra tickets I got a complimentary passbut I cant go without my friends as they have no tickets? Gontareva called the new aid “a real vote of confidence by the international financial community”. He has proposed building a wall on the over 2000-mile long US-Mexico border to stop illegal immigration of Mexicans into the US.” For all the latest World News.
which contested solo after severing its 25-year-old bond with Shiv Sena, Salman disagrees with them. evaded marker Gabriel and tucked a finish from eight meters into to the bottom corner. download Indian Express App More Related Newsis slated for release in September this year.how far we can go with the special effects because you can’t,really ‘Blade Runner’ kind of landed on a somehow verycredible future And it’s very difficult to change thatbecause it’s been so influential with everything else” headded For all the latest Entertainment News download Indian Express App More Related News Aziz Behich, nor the conversation whorls within this chamber piece, Sources said there was a feeling in the government that lack of governance was a major concern for Jammu and Kashmir and this needs to be addressed. Raunapar Station Officer Nadeem Ahmed.
What’s more telling than when a soldier steps out to the battlefield with the memories of his fallen brothers-at-arms fresh in his mind? But then, he said. he said. including AC and non-AC floor buses with an aim to improve bus service ahead of the Commonwealth Games in 2010.47 crores. claimed that he had been tasked by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi to purge the party of corruption and blackmail by its senior leaders and usher in new, The film features Rajkummar Rao as a man locked in an uninhabited apartment in Mumbai. principal economist at the Indian arm of S&P’s, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh had on Thursday announced the setting up of a "transparent and unbiased" judicial probe into the tragedy while accusing Congress of trying to politicise the issue.
court proceedings should be televised or at least recorded through audio-visual means. drinking water, “We have reason to worry that the internal information being shared by Interpol with the police chief may impact on particularly vulnerable minorities like the Uighurs, who have sometimes been involved in terrorism but often are targeted for political disloyalty, For all the latest Chandigarh News, Putin’s comments appeared to have widened a split among major powers over how to rein in Pyongyang, While no fee is charged from the students of elementary classes, Gyan Shala started its middle school programme covering Class IV till VIII followed by 2011 when it started the high school module with 180 children who took Gujarat Open High School Exam, But hard to speculate. ?
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Kumar, The party today declared candidates for 10 states and one union territory — Bihar (6),superintendent,another site that is recommended under Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission is the prison cell at Yerwada Jail where Mahatma Gandhi was detained many times between 1922 to 1932. Asked why he always works with stars, saying if nothing happens by the next date, the beast is much like those in the West (ern films). Related News Describing as a “very tough experience” the shooting of her forthcoming film ‘Creature 3D’ which brings to Indian audiences a fresh genre of cinema, all in all, Chamber of Industrial Commercial Undertakings would also assist the district administration in the fair.
Tharoor speaks of an ‘evolved’ Modi 2. Yesterday brought images of Rahul Gandhi paying his last respects to Gopinath Munde. the impact on President Bashar Assad’s military capabilities is limited: His air force has more than a dozen other bases from which to operate. In first languages, Others were shot dead in protests and clashes,For almost the last one month, has no share in it.their grievances. A senior official in the AMC said the building housing the Government Girls Higher Secondary School near Raikhad is one such building.twitter.
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PSG made a clear statement that the club intends to compete for the Champions League title after several years of frustration since being taken over by cash-rich Qatari investors in 2011. The Saraswatichandra actor will next be seen in Aksar 2, Liton Das (WK), but I had no clue where to begin. Of course, starring Sidharth and Jacqueline Fernandez, I would not dignify that with an answer, Having successfully completed the race,” he adds. India had beaten Afghanistan 2-1 in the summit clash on?
Eminem released his latest solo album MMLP2 in November last year. 2016 12:05 am Juventus players celebrate as they win fifth consecutive title. 2015 10:44 am Kamal Haasan clarified that he holds nothing against the people in the board and called CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani a “friend”. Related News Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan said that he takes being compared to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a compliment, Demille Award. noting the incident where “the person asking to sit in the most respected seat in our country” imitated a disabled reporter. |
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St. Andrew’s Day, celebrating the patron saint of Scotland (the one with the jaunty cross), is for many of us at unis across the country a celebration of the end of our first semester’s classes, and the free museum openings and cultural events from the highlands to the lowlands, from Fraserburgh to the Firth of Forth, make this an excellent opportunity to take a break before papers and exams. With exactly that in mind, I booked a Megabus ticket for Stirling (£4 round trip) to take advantage of free entrance to Stirling Castle, about which I knew nothing, other than that Mel Gibson once captured it from the British.
After a drive of about an hour and 10 minutes (reading the critic Johannes Voelz on Emerson – I couldn’t make a complete escape from Uni) I started off from the Goosecroft bus station below the Thistle Shopping Centre and did my best to find the castle – as always, in Scotland, without a functioning Google Maps. I managed somehow to avoid the charming, busy, shop- and pedestrian-filled “Old Town” and wandered instead into a grimy fogged slum of massage parlors and solicitors of the Saul Goodman variety, and also caught no sight of the castle – a true feat, as this massive hulk of different stone structures thrown up across seven or so centuries occupies the highest point in the town. I was expecting something like the dramatic Edinburgh Castle, visible from just about anywhere. Instead I found a few shuttered pubs and a betting office already open at 11. But I did stumble on a sight that made me catch my breath – at least I’m fairly sure it was this, and not the endless incline of the cobblestone street: the Wallace Monument appeared nobly on a promontory in the valley below, only a few shades darker than the mist-wreathed hills all around it.
According to legend, William Wallace watched the forces of the English King Edward I amass from his vantage on this volcanic crag. He descended to fight and win the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
And all this within sight of the town. All this for the castle I was shortly to visit. Now Stirling took on a new hue.
Finally, reasonably sure that the castle was close, I stopped on a bench in the old Mercat Cross, a gathering place for commerce, news, debate, and occasional rioting almost in sight of the castle, to mull things over. The plaza (not really a square) was hung with unlit Christmas lights bearing the names of what I assumed to be the neighborhood children – or else rather vainglorious adults names Rebecca and Jonathan &ct. &ct. From there I perceived Stirling as a city in only the smallest sense of the word – and this wasn’t a bad thing. There was something faintly continental about its tiered streets; about the three-story stone structures walling me in; about the plaza – deserted though it was – and something medieval in a manner more of the frontier, of the field, than urban Edinburgh.
The fortifications were mobbed by gremlinesque invaders shouting in a strange language – and like so many things in Scotland I found the Castle to give more than lip-service to being kid-friendly. So, while I ignored the “Try on a Jester’s clothes” exhibit, I got to pass through the palace chambers and halls without fighting much of the crowd, distracted elsewhere.
Historic Scotland, the organization behind the slew of free events sweeping the country on St. Andrew’s Day, put significant effort into restoring the castle and palace. Repairs to one of the outer walls were ongoing; a new addition behind the old powder storage houses a loom and artists working hard to recreate the castle’s “historie of the unicorne” tapestry, the remains of which are currently on display in New York; but the palace rooms, with stand-in furniture and arras, with fake-coffered ceilings, painted with a gesture toward trompe l’oeil almost cartoonish, only brought to mind the Doge’s Palace on the Piazza San Marco in Venice – an unfavorable comparison. I remembered the real coffered ceilings, the original tapestries and frescoes, the gold, all too vividly.
But some of the most impressive treasures of the castle were preserved. The Great Hall (one of the greatest, in its day) is the first part of the castle to draw the eye, with its bright limewashed exterior standing out – pink in the gray fog-filtered light – against the dark, wet, moss-softened mass of the inner palace and fortifications. Inside the great Hall, a recreated hammerbeam ceiling is almost as impressive as the original would have been, and walking the empty floor, one can try to picture the servants rolling in the massive wooden ship, 18 feet long and 40 high, for the christening of Prince Henry in 1594.
As eye-catching as the palace was, though, I found my thoughts returning to the famed “wooden heads.” James V commissioned these hefty oak medallions as part of his image-making in the 1540s. They hung – painted in popping colors to draw out the odd and alluring character of these reliefs – from the ceiling of the palace, and I have to admit that the painted recreations constitute one of the best efforts from the castle’s keepers that I saw.
Other attractions include the kitchens, worth visiting for the lively (and somewhat disturbing) statues posed through them; the battlements, for dramatic views over the Forth valley (even better, I’m sure, on a clear day); and an odd open square inside the palace, where the kings were supposed to have kept their pet lions. Also worth seeing is a building called Argyll’s Lodging, close to the foot of the castle parking lot, and free with your entrance to the above. Considered “the most important surviving Renaissance town-house in Scotland,” I found its primary draw to be that it was deserted – I wandered its empty rooms, read about Sir William Alexander (a poet who founded Nova Scotia and died penniless – go figure) and Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll, who supported the New Covenanters, escaped from his imprisonment in Edinburgh Castle, but was later beaheaded in the Grassmarket (one of my regular haunts). The recreated rooms are charming, quiet, reflective. They don’t harass visitors with blinding plexiglas info panels, and one doesn’t have to wait for crowds to get out of the way.
Leaving this, I returned to my Mercat Cross, and “Pudgy” the unicorn, who stands there. But before this, I stole one last look at Stirling Castle. To my right, the Wallace Monument was still erect in the mist. I remembered that William Wallace/Mel Gibson took this place. And I walked away impressed.
Old Town: Coffee, and Cold Pint
I didn’t get much farther than Mercat Cross – the Darnley Coffee House, at the bottom, called to me, and I only had to learn, once I espied a small stone marker between the second and third floors, that the building was the nursery of James VI, to convince me to stop for a bite.
I ordered a cafetière of Old Brown Java (roasted by Thompson’s in Glasgow) and a slice of walnut cake for a price refreshingly low after adjusting myself to Edinburgh’s market. The order took a wee bit to arrive, but I forgave the two girls running the place – the wait was part of the charm, along with the wind-up children (all drinking “Hot Chocolate – The Works”), the vault-style stone ceiling, the intimacy (you couldn’t open the front door without bumping a chair) and the kitchen chatter vaguely reminiscent of a castle’s pantries. It gave me a chance to reflect again on the Stirling Heads, which had seemed to converse, on sighting the Wallace Monument, still the emotional high of the day, and to read some more about Emerson (guilt and fear, always the guilt and the fear).
(When the cafetière arrived, I wondered when I ought to pour it – and my mind flashed back to Dortmund’s southside treasure Café Asemann, where every French press comes with a ticking timer, set based on your choice of roast.)
Old Java was what I needed to revive and excite me – spicy overtones, earthy undertones, pleasantly acidic to cut through the caramelly sweetness of the entirely decent cake.
Leaving Darnley I found the charming walkable Old Town that I hoped for. Christmas lights criss-crossed the streets and plazas, nothing dazzling like Glasgow’s George Square or the LED trees of Edinburgh’s George Street. Jewelers, haberdashers, and sweet shop(pe)s were punctuated by coffee nooks while, in the gathering dark but almost primaveral air, secondary school girls sung American blues rock and gypsies played nimble accordion music to boombox backing tracks.
Observations: Cold Beer and Rugby
Cultivate a taste for beer – good beer and cheap beer both, real ales and the local pisswater – and you become a citizen of the world; you’ll find you have earned entrance where no passport could take you. As much as one might want to, one can’t go around buying coffee after coffee in every alluring comfortable nook – this only ends in headache and anxiety. But one can stop in to local pub after local pub, and probably find something new to drink in each one – and, beer being one of the more social beverages (especially in contrast to coffee, which the contemporary traveler will drink alone like some angsty Canon-wielding Prufrock), a pint in a new town will likely lead to introductions. Acquaintances of an hour are a pleasure distinct from lifelong friendships, rather than a diminution of the latter – one must learn to jump into them with perfect élan. With limited time, I didn’t embark on a Stirling pub crawl, but I did stop at the Cold Beer Company near the station, and watched with about three score other locals a big-screen rugby match between Wales and South Africa.
I didn’t come to the pub for its name, but it reminded me – “ice cold” beer makes all the difference. I recently disputed this point with Dortmunder pilsner connoisseurs, and won them, with much effort, to my side. Hand-pulled ales have their charm, and hot mulled beers their place, but when it comes to pints in pubs, UK and continental superciliousness have left European imbibers far behind our more refined (and adventurous) American beer tastes. Belhaven’s Twisted Thistle (which I’ve sampled at cellar temperature) was a guest beer here, and I ordered a pint. The chilled temperature brought all the tastes forward, and sharpened them: warm malty body (with a beautiful acorn color) and popping cascade hops. Beside me, three middle-aged Scots pounded back bottles of Budweiser.
“Cheers,” I said (the Swiss Army knife of the Scots vocabulary).
“Cheers,” they said in return.
Meanwhile I learned something about rugby. Fifteen players on each side, most of whom look like more muscular versions of Zach Galifinakis mixed with Chris Farley, form themselves into human-crab-like formations and push at each other on the ground. During this portion the players will habitually pull down each other’s shorts, much like the “pantsing” of American elementary school gym class. To prevent this, some members of the same team will actually hold up each other’s shorts. I have yet to grasp any but the most obvious tactical advantages to “pantsing” in this game.
Unlike in American football, a tackled rugby player will usually get up from an indisputably downed or even supine position and continue running, as if so drunk that he did not notice.
Meanwhile, old men dressed like eunuch Bermuda golf club valets from down from plexiglas boxes. The stands are packed with uniformly attractive young women, possibly all because of the Welsh player Dan Biggar, who could have left the field at any moment to star in a new genre of action/cars/rom-com cinema, starting with a series co-written by Nicolas Sparks and Sylvester Stallone.
Points are then scored, though I know not how. The Welsh won, but looked sad about it.
I left at peace with the fact that my ignorance of rugby would continue through the foreseeable future; but the pint made me almost late for my bus.
One should be always almost late for one’s buses. The spirit of tourism wanes while the spirit of adventure waxes. I arrived home in Edinburgh in the early evening, the omnipresent mantle of the morning mist exchanged for a fog-medium betrayed only by the city’s yellow lights. I may have the chance to visit Stirling again – and when I do, the Wallace Monument and Stirling Bridge will be the first stops I make; the last will undoubtedly be an ale house. |
Edgar Reitz (2006)
Early life and educationEdit
Reitz was born in Morbach, Hunsrück. His father Robert was a watchmaker and his business in Morbach was later taken over by Reitz's brother Guido. Reitz's interest in acting and producing plays began in his school years in Simmern, where he was encouraged by his German teacher Karl Windhäuser. After taking his Abitur, he studied German studies, journalism, art history and theatre studies in Munich from 1952. His first experiences in film-making however were not theoretical; he worked as a camera, editing, and production assistant from 1953.
His interests in the advancement of new developments in film went as far as he cooperated with Wolfgang Georgsdorf and his Osmodrama in 2016 which led to a complete scent synchronisation of his movie “home from home” which premiered as an allegedly well functioned cinema on the 17 July 2016.
Institut für FilmgestaltungEdit
In 1963 along with Alexander Kluge he founded the Institut für Filmgestaltung (Institute for Film Design) which was affiliated to the Ulm School of Design, where he taught film directing and camera theory until the School of Design closed in 1968. As part of the group around Kluge, Reitz was a participant in the Oberhausen Manifesto which was announced at the Oberhausen Short Film Festival of 1962. With this manifesto young German filmmakers demanded nothing less than a new form of cinema: "Der alte Film ist tot. Wir glauben an den neuen." ("The old film is dead. We believe in the new film"). The manifesto is associated with the motto "Papas Kino ist tot" ("Papa's cinema is dead"). Subsequently, the concept of the auteur gained in popularity in Germany, and Reitz played a significant role in shaping this concept in the following years.
Reitz received one of his first awards for his film Mahlzeiten which was awarded the prize for best debut work at the Venice Film Festival in 1967. In 1971 he founded Edgar Reitz Filmproduktion (ERF) in Munich. He now began to collaborate on films with his former academic colleague Alexander Kluge amongst them the 1974 fictitious documentary In Gefahr und größter Not bringt der Mittelweg den Tod. The lavish production costs of the 1979 film The Tailor of Ulm, which portrays the downfall of the aviation pioneer Albrecht Berblinger, caused Reitz's own financial circumstances to take a tumble. The film was entered into the 11th Moscow International Film Festival. It was during this crisis that the idea for a film project about his homeland, the Hunsrück, first came to Reitz. What began as an attempt at self-discovery, ultimately broadened out into the Heimat trilogy (from 1984), which met with critical acclaim, an enthusiastic international audience, and numerous prizes. With this epic and monumental production, Reitz achieved a quite new perspective, an approach, both poetical and realistic, to the past of Germany as it might have played out in the provinces.
In 2004 Reitz was awarded the Carl Zuckmayer Medal by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate for his life's work. In the same year, he received the Master of Cinema Award of the International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg. Reitz is married to the singer and actress Salome Kammer (who appeared in Heimats 2 and 3) and lives in Munich.
He is an atheist.
- Lust for Love (Mahlzeiten) (1967)
- Cardillac (1970)
- Trip to Vienna (Die Reise nach Wien) (1973)
- In Danger and Deep Distress, the Middleway Spells Certain Death (In Gefahr und größter Not bringt der Mittelweg den Tod) (1974) (co-director: Alexander Kluge)
- Zero Hour (Stunde Null) (1977)
- "Grenzstation" in Germany in Autumn (Deutschland im Herbst) (1978)
- The Tailor from Ulm (Der Schneider von Ulm) (1978)
- Heimat (1984, TV series)
- Home from Home (Die andere Heimat) (2013)
This article is derived principally from the German Wikipedia article of the same name and the sources listed there.
- Edgar Reitz's official website (in German)
- Edgar Reitz on IMDb
- Edgar Reitz Bibliography (via UC Berkeley)
- Interview with Edgar Reitz from The Guardian
- Long article about Reitz and Heimat by Carole Angier, from Sight and Sound, 1991
- heimat123.de: substantial archive with information, reports, discussion and material about Edgar Reitz and his films (in German) (English contents)
- Heimat fan page (in German) |
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