Monday, July 20, 2009

The Carnival of Socialism

Some bonded wills compiled by Renegade Eye

The Carnival of Socialism # 40 is here. At it's description profile it says, "The Carnival of Socialism attempts to bring a fortnightly round up of everything that's going on in the global socialist blogosphere." Hopfully this carnival, will introduce a few new blogs for your consideration, at other carnivals as well.




















Kasama caught my interest with a post entitled Mao Zedong: Should Reactionaries Have Free Speech?.

American Left History should be a regular stop on your blog reading. This blog centers on American history and culture, from a socialist view. Markin's love of history and art shine through.

The Third Estate managed to interview political icon in the UK Tony Benn.

Left in East Dakota notes Obama's base being disillusioned with him.

Worker's Press criritiques Obama on healthcare.

River's Edge notes that the UK anti-terror units, only find rightist plots, "it is invariably more by luck than by design".

Vengeance and Fashion has an interesting post about a schoolteacher who was abused by his students and snapped. There are Facebook groups supporting both sides. It is unusual for socialists to write about such a subject so close to home.

The Trotsky Museum has a blog of its own.

Querida Celia Hart Is a Spanish blog that honors Celia Hart Santamaria, the Cuban revolutionary who died last year in an auto accident related to the Cuban Hurricane. Celia opened doors for socialist democracy in Cuba.

From Turkey Mehmet Çagatay writes about Michael Jackson.

The Red Mantis tackles Iranian unrest, and asks who leads and where is it going?

Histomat replies to a BBC documentary about Leon Trotsky, based on the book The Exile and Murder of Leon Trotsky. Histomat writes, "Just as Stalin smeared the Jewish Trotsky as an agent of Hitler, so Richard Overy describes Trotsky's supporters as a 'motley crew', while Trotsky himself suffered from a 'blindness to any sense of humanity' and apparently 'never had any scruples about killing those in the way of the Marxist utopia'. It is a pity that Overy has seemingly not made time to read Trotsky's Their Morals and Ours where he answered exactly Overy's critique about 'moral scruple' over seventy years ago:"

Socialism or Barbarism reviews the Irish economy, in a two part series.

Celticfire writes about a Portland transit riders union.

The Daily Maybe discovered the Trotskyist soft drink Red Kola.

Untouchable Earth writes from India about the will of the Iranian people. This blog is oriented to socialism, art and astronomy.

Madam Miaow gives us good analysis of the Uighur uprising in China. At my local coffeeshop Madam Miaow's blog is blocked by the computer's filtering software. What's wrong with Anna Mae Wong?

A Reader's Word from India, takes on the myth of micro finance.

The next Carnival will be August 02, 2009 at Red Wombat

Renegade Eye

Monday, July 13, 2009

TSE2009 - Live Webcast from SURAT



























This year, on morning of 22nd of July, the umbral shadow of the moon will be passing over the rich heritage of our country. The Greatest eclipse of the century is just few days away from us and is tailor-made for India. It crosses the entire breadth of India starting from the westernmost state of Gujarat to the easternmost state, Arunachal Pradesh. The path of totality passes over 13 Indian states including the small area called the Chicken's Neck in West Bengal. Not only this, partial eclipse is visible throughout the country.


Total Solar Eclipse 2009 Program by Amateur Astronomers Association of Surat- AAAS

International Live Workshop on Total Solar Eclipse 2009
Total Solar Eclipse 22 July 2009
Live Webcast from SURAT !!!

Dear All,
AAAS is organizing a special event on "International Live Workshop on Total Solar Eclipse 2009" on 21-22 July 2009 collaboratively with Aatmiya Vidyamandir School at Surat. Eminent scientists ,from PRL and ISRO, and Astronomy experts are going to join the event.

Venue: Aatmiya Vidya Mandir- An International Residential School, Koli-Parthana Road, Taluka- Kamrej, District- Surat 394180

Date: 21-22 July 2009 (Tuesday-Wednesday)

Registration Fee: Rs.200/- Including Food, Accommodation and Kit

Those who have their own Telescopes/Binoculars/Solar Filters are requested to bring it with them. The campus and place is safe for all those Astronomy Items. Rest Assured!

Regards,
AAAS, Surat

Tentative Schedule:

Day- 1 : 21st July, 2009
11:00 - 11:30......Opening Ceremony
11:30 - 12:15......Keynote Address
12:15 - 1:00........Lecture-1
01:00 - 02:00......Lunch
02:00 - 03:00......Lecture-2
03:00 - 04:00......Lecture-3
04:00 - 04:15......Tea Break
04:15 - 05:00......Lecture-4
05:00 - 07:00......Group Activities
07:00 -08:00.......Dinner
09:00 - 10:00......Star Party

Day- 2: 22nd July, 2009
05:30 - 08:30.....Eclipse Viewing Programme
09:00 - 09:30.....Data Collection
09:30 - 10:00.....Breakfast
10:00..................Valedictory Function

For more information and Registration/Application visit here
Although now all type of rubbish, superstitious programs are started broadcasting on various mainstream media TV, ignore all these rubbish talk, discussion and if possible just witness this natural celestial phenomenon.
Only you need to take some guidance/precaution from expert  while observing TSE2009

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

The missing poetry in Terminator -Salvation

What missing in Terminator -Salvation is musical structure and the poetry that genuinely presents in Terminator 2: Judgment Day .

Again it is the influence of the Terminator 2: Judgment Day for what usually we draw in toward any terminator related films and always wish to see some visual magic, impressive presentation that we witnessed in T2. But Terminator -Salvation is just nothing but a disappointment, only some hopeless visual.

Hollywood usually always like to show fire powers, blasting, big blowing up, big fights as a core presentation in most of Hollywood productions. Sometimes it seems like exhibitions of macho USA against other countries. Diverse war equipments, variety guns etc. are frequents accessory and components of most of Hollywood films from the beginning. Latest Terminator -Salvation is just another supreme example of this show business and an example of how much it can be more dreadful. This movie depicts only some big fire show, big blowing up from start to end with great technical achievements. It is your eyes and ears that make you busy during watching of this movie, not the brain, not your feelings, intellects.

We have seen some fire shows, big blowing up in T2, yet T2 able to captured, created some great filmic scene and got some cine achievement, above all T2 is sensual in nature. The T2 remains in the true film tradition always and may be it is real film genius of James Cameroon that T2 is became a one of the true great action film in film history.

The T2 as a whole is a beautiful poetry start to end, composed in a wonderful musical structure or musical notes. Visual of T2 are polite and lyrical. Transition of shot selection is also smooth and not jerky. All scenes dominate its central intent, not allowing too much exhibitionism. We have witnessed amazing cinematography as it varied with color, tone and motif. The film was edited frame by frame, scenes are cut and joined where it needed in proper time, and not one extra single frame is added or deleted. Back ground score (including theme music) also clutched the movie in to its soul and body of the film.

After he pushed the limit of computer-generated special effects in The Abyss, director James Cameron turned his sequel to Terminator1 into a well-written, action-packed showcase with more advanced special effects. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a justifiable sequel: a story of leather-clad android that arrives from the future to protect a rebellious teenager and future leader from being killed by the indomitable T-1000 robot, whose liquid-metal design makes him apparently unstoppable and posing as a single minded lethal killer.

Though from the same director, and much of the same cast and writers, "Terminator 2" is a vastly different movie from the 1984 original. There is strong underlying message about the value of human life, to the extent that even the emotionless Terminator appears to learn sensibility as we heard in the last scene when T-800 said, "Now I know why you cry".

Sarah, is a patient at a mental institution, sentenced there after she was caught trying to blow up the Cyberdyne System, the computer company building – the company that will eventually build the SkyNet computer that responsible for starting war against human. Her son John has become a cynical teenager, who is raised by foster parents.

The two Terminators come together on John, both searching for and finding him at the mall. We also see that that Schwarzenegger’s character is here to protect John, while other one for kill.

James Cameron conceived a total package, almost two decades later, the film still looks great. The effects of the morphing terminator were so visually impressive, very much mathematical. Logically, the time-travel elements are very complex, it causes lot of ontological paradoxes and it is mingling with the idea of proper cause-and-effect and confusing.

Apart from pioneering FX work, other element that works also at best and effective is acting of the cast. One of it is Linda Hamilton's performance. She quite effectively plays the scratched rebel who's driven to do anything, no matter how terrible, to stop the war.

For all of its real entertainment value, Terminator 2 just feels in so many ways. But it may look better than its predecessor and recent sequels, but it's not a complete better film, and in many ways it's weak also. Its cautionary message falls flat as the terminator, supposedly the dispassionate voice of pure, hard algorithmic data, to make the claim "It's in your people nature to destroy yourselves." But, actual evolutionary biologists say opposite way, that human nature tends towards cooperation and compassion.

James Cameron films trapped in attempts at intellectual social commentary and in treatment mostly concentrating on the shit blowing up, big blasting, big savaging, with big technical howdy. Because, it is general believes in Hollywood that, the big shit blowing up looks really cool.

But still T2 is amazing in its structure, its poetical presence. James does not all the time allow technique to dominate his film, it his poetic visual imagery and understanding of musical notes and it application mostly controls his shots.

He able to placed himself as an artist first then we see another James Cameron with his managerial and technical entities.


And actually everyone knows why T2 is awesome. Here a few reason:

    

T-1000, the steel cold cyborg, it portrays the delicacy and smoothness, a class act by Robert Patrick. James Cameron used a different background score for this cyborg, which is metallic in sound



Big size vehicles, but smothered appearance, volatile emotions, largesize impact, controlled demolitions



Machine in human cover up, dwindling appeal for audience in time frame. Clever treatment by Director James Cameron.



Big Blow business but in control manner



Human vs Cyborg, human uncomfortable and tend to contradict with belief, choice and decision.



Machine is learning things, a wonderful, practical innovation of Director



Machine and Human, relative adaptability, anxiety of human



Big Blow showiness, but content is not distracted from central theme, its remain intact




Another human face in the film, this time a kid , more innocent, edgy, focus or balance point of the film



Another human face, a doctor, cynical perspective of the film, may be perspective of director too.



Another human face, cry out in nuclear destruction, trapped, powerlessness 



The earth destruction



Last scene, well wishes from a learning machine, a well composed scene, a nice understanding of musical note of director, like a nice "word" selection in a poetry, clam and joyfulness.



Machine Protector and human entity, this scene is one of the great chase scene in film history. Machine in disguise of human to protect or to kill, a subject usually interesting in science fiction film.

Feeling nostalgic…ok here is a scene link from T2.

Terminator 2 Judgment Day Intro (Theme Song)


This is title scene of the film T2. We can see here how aesthetically blended the entire shot in a musical rhythm. The  elements of park are shown in slow motion with wonderful composition while flames are in normal motion, which create a definitive lyrical blend captured through smooth camera tracking. James Cameron used flames also in lyrical manner such as it seems like some dancing flames, layer by layers it appears and goes. Sometime white and dark gray black patches of flame appears in moving around right to left, bottom to top and vice-versa.

And last but not least, added treasure in this scene is back ground score by Brad Fiedel, which is marvelous.



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Monday, June 29, 2009

They gone, two great music maestro of our time















Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, acknowledged as one of the world's greatest musicians, passed away peacefully at his home in San Anselmo, California, on June 18 after a prolonged illness.


Ustad Ali Akbar Khan once said that “music is the only thing that you can share with a million people and you don't lose, you gain”.

Here a beautiful piece of music by Ustad Ali Akbar Khan - Raag Madhuwanti

AAK-Madhuvanti-Live
AAK-Madhuvanti-Liv...
Hosted by eSnips


We are the World



















Emi
has started a mission that carries the massage of late Micheal Jackson.

[it is interesting and little unreasonable that why black MJ wanted to become a white MJ,  is this all for inferiority and social dilemma, his dislike of big nose, black skin and his likeness of Caucasian appeal, for this effort we some friends were irritated with him, actually we more to music of dire straits, pink floyd, scorpions etc, in our growing up, we usually avoided pop genre, but we listen and we bound to listen songs like “we are the world”, “heal the world”, “black and white” etc, all these song with so strong social massage and somehow reflects MJ’s anger to all injustice, social prejudice. Later part of his life he converted to Islam (according to news) and this also remind us another great black American Mohammad Ali and cause of this conversion was racial discrimination. Mother of his children is stripped off from parental right to her son and daughter in exchange of money which is also very much ironical.
But the end of the day it is his music that wins, that win heart of people, through his music he able to possess in the heart of countless people around the world, it is his music which is tirelessly propagating a true human spirit “we are the world”.]





*Start Copy Here*

You do not have to be tagged to play along. The game is simple and so are the rules.
1. Copy from *Start Copy Here* through *End Copy Here*
2. Add your site(s) to the list. Just be sure to post at each site you add.
3. Tag as many bloggers as you like so the list keeps on growing.
4. Let me know your blog’s name and url by leaving me a comment HERE. I will add you to the master list.
5. Come back and copy the master list back to your site, often. This process will allow late-comers to get as much link benefit as the first ones in.
We Are The World Bloggers Master List:
*End Copy Here*

So, Start moon walking and join the mission.....

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Inner will of Iranian people

As everybody, every moviegoer know about Iranian films and its influences in many part of the world. Domination of Iranian movies is an usual sight in almost all film festival around the world.

Me too as a big fan of Iranian movies, watching them with uttermost interest, specially movies of Abbas Kairostami, Jafaor Panahi, Mahsin Makhmalbaf, Majid Majidi and many more. All these are part of a generation of filmmakers in the Iranian New Wave.

The Iranian government has refused to permit the screening some of their films in their native Iran and banned their some of movies. It is after math of Islamic revolution in Iran that created few path for new explorations, bringing rich historical Sufi influences in their films and new innovative method of film making that perused by most of Iranian film makers today.  Instead of luxury and sophistication of big studios, without technical significance or technical extravaganza Iranian directors looks in to more in social realism and find some wonderful way to making a film.

Very interesting way Iranian movies are experimenting with new styles that are varied with different layers of life of many commoner of Iran. Critics such as Jonathan Rosenbaum  argues that disagreements and controversy over Kiarostami's movies have arisen from his style of filmmaking because what in Hollywood would count as essential narrative information is frequently missing from Kiarostami's films.

Apart from Kiarostami other his contemporary also almost began to consciously avoid and ignore what usually called as a popular narrative structure of film making. They bring out and explored those idioms and inner voices of Iranian people that hidden and suppressed under Iranian authorities and far right regime. And the best part of it they embraced a method what is called as a social realism. They used actors from ordinary life, their actor talked in bressonian way. They shoot film on real location, real situation. They are filming a scene in a documentary style but still remains far away from an objective docu-drama. What is unveiled through their film is spirit of Iranian people, inner will of Iranian people, soul of Iranian culture, above all reverberation of an universal appeal.

What we have witnessed now, the volcano already erupted in Iran in the form of mass uprising, sign of it already captured on many Iranian new wave films.

Here is a disturbing video, in perspective of a film its a tragic example of ultra realism which really gone too far, but captured something raw truth in the name of information and objective use of a technical tool .


A woman gunned down during protests in Iran


This video may not be suitable for minors.

More about Neda Agha-Soltan, the woman who killed in gun shot here

Friday, June 19, 2009

You know us; Support us!

People of the world!

We are your neighbours, friends, lovers, colleagues, and comrades.

You know us.

We have lived together and fought together – whether for labour rights, against Sharia, for civil rights, asylum rights, against executions and stonings, against cultural relativism, against faith schools and apostasy laws, for freedom of expression, rationalism and secularism, against political Islam and US militarism…

Today, our revolution – the one we have been preparing and waiting for - has begun in Iran.

We need you to support it full force.

The battle you see unfolding on the streets of Iran is not about the farce of an election, though that is what the western media wants you to think. Everyone knows that elections in Iran are anything but. In fact, people are taking advantage of the intensified infighting between the regime’s factions to raise their own demands and they – like the rest of us - want the Islamic regime to go.

And it has to go.

Thirty years of medievalism and brutality is enough.

If nothing else, one thing is clear.

The mass movement that is going to bring this regime in Iran to its knees and break the back of the political Islamic movement internationally has begun.

Your support and solidarity will strengthen this revolutionary movement. Come out and condemn the regime and its brutality; exert pressure on western governments to politically isolate the regime. Join us in front of the Islamic regime’s embassies across the globe to call for them to be shut down. Call for the prosecution of all those involved in the killings, for the immediate release of all detainees and political prisoners, unconditional freedoms, including for organisation, strike and protest, an end to compulsory veiling, a living wage and an end to sexual apartheid. Send your messages to the protesting people of Iran to be read on our 24 hour New Channel TV station. Support us and our party, the Worker-communist Party of Iran.

Mark our words; like racial apartheid in the former South Africa, a regime of sexual apartheid can and will be relegated to the dustbins of history.

The future is ours.

Maryam Namazie
Mina Ahadi
Fariborz Pooya
Bahram Soroush
Mahin Alipour
Afsaneh Vahdat
Abe Asadi
Farshad Husseini
Farideh Arman
Karim Shahmohammadi
Fereshteh Moradi

For regular updates on people’s protests in Iran, click here.

Email your messages to the people of Iran to Maryam Namazie at wpibriefing@gmail.com.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Addicted Time Traveler


























 


Great marijuana times

Rivers flowing through
Mist Mountain 
Perusing lucrative narcotics,
The course is redefined
He lost somewhere
Swallowing pills,

Accessing in Andromeda Galaxy
Holographic love of a mother
Digital kiss of a lover
 
Flavor of time wrap
Its naked influences
Having inside
Narrow roads and tall grasses

Emerged inside an old jungle

Walking beside
The bamboo trees, owl and rhinoceros

Wild Orchids, white flowers
Still smells in another time dimension

Running on 1857
Travel back to 1947
So yet another 100 years
Then leaping directly inside
3rd Indian INTIFADA

In the shore of ocean
Kinematics of smiles

Children, splashing Walrus
Playing hide and seek 


Hurrah to a
Regular time traveler
Addicted time traveler
Regular addicted time traveler

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Tiny Katerina: A good movie






Tiny Katerina : Director: Ivan Golovnev
Produced In: 2004


Synopsis: Northwestern Siberia, Russia. Small Khanty girl Katerina observes and understands the outer world. She learns the voices of people, animals and other beings. Gradually she approaches the unknown and the unknown comes closer - not far from Katerina's nomad camp an oil rig appears.

A Joycean treatment, a soulful journey constructed without any sophistications/luxury of studio movie making. Far away from all kind of gimmickry which associated with consumerist films. Again apart from all monster movies here oil rig itself a huge monster. A sad disassociation with so-called development and whole mechanical development posed here as invader. A monster emerges through market systems, who act with capitalist values and devouring all morality, earthly sensitivity.
Yet Tiny Katrina reminds us lot about whole basic human rawness, all necessary upbringing values which are collected through out the time long ago. She reminds us how we bonded with nature, part of it inseparable way and nature as guiding light, healing power.
But displacement of her family, terrible state of her family tells same story of million around the worlds.
Director’s use of sound is marvelous. The film consists with lot of beautiful moments around Katerina, her interaction, observation and absorption with earth, one of it we see her mumbling to a reindeer.
Simple in making or in presentation yet an intensified good movie with strong message.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

90 years since the founding of the Communist International



90 years since the founding of the Communist International By Mick Brooks

Friday, May 29, 2009

90 years ago, he was right: Celebrating the 1919 Eclipse at Príncipe

 
It was this day, 90 years ago, when Einstein was proven right and became world famous. A revolution was happened in science history of humankind and evevrything change in our perspective toward universe. A new theory emerged and established itself strongly.

In a world torn apart by first world war, it was hailed as a ray of hope that "a new theory of the universe, the brain-child of a German Jew working in Berlin, had been confirmed by an English Quaker on a small African island" (J. P. McEnvoy).

Einstein's new theory predicted that light does not necessarily travel in straight lines, but can be deflected when it passes something as heavy as the sun. This gravitational deflection of light by the sun's mass provided the first experimental verification of Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity.

This International Year of Astronomy special project will celebrate the expedition's 90th anniversary: to explain the historic significance of Príncipe, and the way in which gravitational lensing is shaping contemporary scientific understanding of the Universe.