The following is an excerpt from an Associated Press article by Ben Hubbard: “Oscar-nominated film director Tim Hetherington was killed Wednesday in the besieged city of Misrata while covering battles between rebels and Libyan government forces. “British-born Hetherington, co-director of the documentary Restrepo about U.S. soldiers on an outpost in Afghanistan, was killed inside the […]
Hearts and minds. That’s what narrator Peter Coyote says coalition forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan need to win over in this National Geographic offering. Talibanistan is the nickname given to the treacherous mountainous area straddling Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is called that because of the Taliban forces entrenched there. This hour long documentary shows firsthand […]
Alberto Fujimori is a complicated person. He single-handedly rooted out terrorism while president of Peru (1990-2000) and brought the country back from the economic abyss. However, he appears to have sold his soul to achieve his victories. Currently serving in a Peruvian prison for a variety of crimes, not the least of which are human […]
This film has drawn the ire of many a critic. Which is understandable given its content. The movie takes place in Ireland in 1920. Damien O’Donovan (played remarkably by Cillian Murphy) decides to join his brother Teddy in fighting the British instead of studying medicine in London. The violence with which the British Black and […]
Not really sure what to make of this bizarre video of virtuoso guitar playing, North Korean six-year-olds. The skill level is amazing, though one has to dig deep in any attempt to understand the context that their training and performance must have taken place in. One commentator noticed that the physical features of the performers […]
Political collateral damage inflicted by the West’s military action against Libya includes the destruction of two serious misconceptions long cherished by numerous experts in Washington. The first is the idea that in the rapidly changing world of the 21st century Europe is no longer strategically important to the United States; the second the fallacious belief […]
This morning the Internet is abuzz with news that musician Wyclef Jean was shot in Haiti the night before historic presidential elections. The drama follows the return of former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from exile in South Africa just days before the polls. Reports indicate Jean, who has thrown his international clout behind front runner […]
“Being sorry isn’t nearly enough, but I can’t tear myself apart or destroy myself. It’s so terrible. I’ve suffered anyway for over half a century and it will never end, until I die. It’s such an incredible burden, that to say ‘sorry’… it’s inadequate, it expresses too little.” That is a 1993 quote from director […]
It might help the U.S. media better understand the various rebellions breaking out in the Middle East if they could clear their minds of thoughts of 1776 and the strange idea that despots like Hosni Mubarak and Moammar Gadhafi are somehow equivalent to King George III. Although a number of commentators are comparing the Arab […]
The makers of this film have an axe to grind. That being said, they make a lot of sense. What The Panama Deception shows is how Manuel Noriega (referred to in the United States press as “Panamanian strongman”) went from ally to enemy in a few short years. Once the first Bush presidency had no […]
By Sean Patrick Murphy This film follows the rise of an Arab sentenced to six years in a French prison. At 19, Malik El Djebena is a lone wolf. That is until he is ensnared in a plot to kill someone on behalf of the powerful Corsicans in the prison. Literally, it’s kill or be […]
These fellas took home first prize in the 1 minute to save the world film competition. Kudos to GOOD, where I picked this up.
Egypt: Rise to Freedom is a video and music tribute to the people of Egypt by Basha Beats and Natacha Atlas Via Six Degrees Records blog, Globalnoize
By Sean Patrick Murphy Is Simon Bolivar’s dream becoming a reality? There are some who see South America’s increasingly leftist and nationalistic regionalism as evidence of just that. Bolivar, the Great Liberator, envisioned a continent united, not one of competing countries whose borders were drawn up by empires hundreds of years ago. From the very […]
A reporter for the UK’s Guardian has been denied re-entry to Russia after a two-month absence. Luke Harding, who is the Guardian’s Moscow correspondent, was told he could not enter Russia after two months away reporting on Wikileaks. According to the Guardian, Harding’s reporting on Wikileaks included “allegations that Russia under the rule of Vladimir […]