Fellow blogger Joel Davis tackles the question head on in his blog U.S. Role in the World: “For our focus on the U.S. role, I think the real question is, did the director intend to depict Americans? Having seen the film, I’d say the answer to that question is yes.” [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/y7G-hAHMGoo” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” […]
In a clever play on words, Theo Sommer rejects the concept of “Chimerica,” a bipolar order run by the United States and China, as a “chimera” in the March issue of The Atlantic Times, a monthly German English-language newspaper. Sommer, the newspaper’s Executive Editor, is equally dismissive of “Chindia,” a liaison between China and India, […]
A U.S. Army sergeant is suing the makers of the Oscar-nominated film “The Hurt Locker.” He says he felt betrayed because they stole his story. Master Sergeant Jeffrey S. Sarver, 38, claims in court documents the film makers turned an account of his frightening duties defusing bombs in Iraq into the much lauded action-thriller without […]
This movie is all about desperation. It focuses on a family eking out an existence in post World War II Berlin. The main character, Edmund, is 13 years old and does what he can to help the family get by. It appears the film was shot entirely on location in rubble-strewn Berlin where people wait […]
NEW YORK—A look at global press freedom during 2009 offers a glimpse into dangers journalists face as the media industry adjusts to years of corporate meltdowns. Of particular concern are those who rely on the Internet to get news and information out—more than half of imprisoned members of the press are online journalists, including bloggers. […]
The Three Gorges Dam, the largest public works project in human history, is located on China’s Yangtze River. This enormous endeavor has displaced more than 1.3 million people, swallowed about 1,500 municipalities, and has created a reservoir more than 373 miles long. The project is seen as an important future source of energy for China’s […]
For those of you in the New York area, I wanted to draw your attention to an event at the City University of New York Tomorrow: From Combat to Healing: The Music of War The relationship between music and war—both to rally the troops and defeat the enemy—goes back centuries, even millennia. The Biblical tale […]
In the big, wide world, there is no shortage of regimes willing to suppress the media. So it’s not hard to miss what has been happening recently in the nation of Tunisia, nestled between Algeria and Libya on the Mediterranean Sea. Imprisonment, censoring, and harassment have increased since elections there last year. Journalists Tawfiq Ben […]
Following documentary filmmaker Paul Martin’s kidnapping in Gaza on Monday by Hamas, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) noted that the kidnapping came just when he was about to give evidence at a military tribunal. The IFJ called it a “shocking violation of journalists’ rights” and demanded his immediate release. IFJ and its UK affiliate, […]
This week marks the 20th anniversary of the release of Nelson Mandela from Robben Island, a gesture that symbolized an end to Apartheid. While Mandela’s human face and political eloquence will place him firmly in history as one of the world’s greatest icons, it was musician Hugh Masakela who provided the soundtrack to the anti-Apartheid […]
This film is intense. It follows three members of the Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) squad in Baghdad in 2004. When Staff Sergeant William James (played by Jeremy Renner) takes over the unit, he freaks out his fellow squad members by having an apparent total disregard for safety and protocol. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/2GxSDZc8etg” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” […]
While roughly 300,000 people around the globe have participated in the Fulbright Program, named after internationalist Senator William J. Fulbright, since its inception in 1946, it’s probably safe to say that researcher Canyon Cody’s collaboration with producer/rapper Gnotes is the first project to fuse hip-hop with Spanish Andalusian flamenco. The vibrant, 14 track record, Granada […]
“Iranian filmmakers- despite heavy restrictions – have over the years provided an intriguing and provocative look at Iran’s dynamic social, religious, and political culture.” That from fellow FPA blogger Sahar Zubairy who takes a look at two new films that define the new Iranian cinema. “Kick in Iran” is a documentary about Sara Khoshjamal-Fekri, the […]
Swaziland is Africa’s last absolute monarchy. It has the world’s highest HIV infection rate and its citizens have a life expectancy of 31 years. King Mswati III, who was installed in 1986, appears to be out of touch with his people who live lives of devastating poverty. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/o37iJhBo7VU” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] This documentary […]
From the Brussels-based record label that brought the innovative and “hypnotique” sounds of Konono No 1 to the world stage comes another Congolese sensation with a great back story. Staff Bendi Bililli are a high energy group of paraplegic street musicians who were stumbled upon by Crammed records near a zoo in Kinshasa, DRC. Cruising […]