Off to Beijing
Listen to Moby - String Electro
R.I.P Yasser Arafat
Yasser Arafat
1929 - 2004
I have just saw some celebrations of Arafat's death in Tel Aviv on tonight TV news.
Most people think Mr. Yassir Arafat is a war criminal. He has compiled a record of atrocities - blowing-up of plane through terrorist attacks etc....
However, when you have to fight an asymmetric war, it was difficult for anyone who had to resort to unsavory tactics to survive then to prevail.
IMHO, Mr Arafat was not predominantly a Terrorist. He was a Palestinian president elected by his people. He even shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Israeli Leader, Mr Yitzak Rabin who unfortunately was killed by an extremist from his own people.
I recall there were events show how innocent children on both sides are being killed. So much for those fanatics who live in the fantasy world in which the Israel Defense Force ONLY kills those accused of atrocities against Israelis. The IDF kills as many children as Palestinians ever have. Whether by mistake, on purpose, is almost never found out, all the IDF ever does is investigate to no end.
If the Israelis want to live in peace, all they have to do is leave the occupied territories and stop committing genocide against the Palestinians, if they truly wanted peace it would have happened years ago.
Palestinians and Israelis have sown the seeds of hatred towards both sides for far too long. It is unfortune that so many men, women and children on both sides have to suffer, to live in fear, just because of the hatred and selfishness of Israel. May God find a way to bring peace between Jews and Arabs in the Middle East.
Listen to nothing
Super Size me no
The whole idea of the film was that filmmaker Morgan Spurlock ate only McDonalds three times a day, and he had to eat nothing else. Whenever they asked if he wanted to supersize he would always say yes. On top of that he would live a sedentary lifestyle similar to that of overweight Americans. I had already heard that this experiment caused dramatic damage to the filmmaker's liver, and caused him to gain 25 lbs, not to mention he got depressed, totally lacked energy and became addicted to the blood sugar rushes he got from eating and drinking the crud. What I didn't know was that the movie was full of amazing information about the fast food industry, advertising and lobbying. Spurlock travels all over States, investigating school lunch programs and showing the insidious ways that fattening food has come to dominate the American diet, as well as this awful epidemic of obesity that is having horrific effects on the health and economy of America.
The film, however, has already changed McDonalds, because they have now dropped their Super Size options and are offering customers some healthier choices. McDonalds claims these changes have nothing to do with it of course.
I have long thought that documentaries could be both educative and funny, but I have never seen two genres combined so effectively as in this film. Definitely one not to miss.
Listen to nothing
Motocycle Diaries - Riding with Che
The film has some interesting footage shot on the Amazon River, and very stunning South American landscapes. Very believable 50's scenery, but that might not be so hard to find in some small towns in South America.
For a special treat, try not to read the reviews of the movie before attending. (It did get four stars). I think it would be especially mind blowing for folks who have no idea who "Ernesto" is until its revealed at the end of the film. Like the fact that this hero was born in Argentina, his family were middle-class, he was a student doctor who suffered from asthma and that he played rugby but couldn't dance. And of course he was handsome. But we all knew that already.
I can enthusiastically recommend "The Motorcycle Diaries", currently out.
Listen to Team America - America, Fuck Yeah!
Four more years of.....
OH NO! But, ok, calm down, I'm still waiting for Greg Palast to weigh in.
Listen to Public Enemy - Son of Bush