Love for Three Oranges

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US Elections
2008-01-08 14:16:00
The US battle among both republicans and democrats for party leadership has officially begun. Although, 'the world's greatest democracy' knows little difference between both sides - I tend to favour the Dems (just because I hope that a possible minority representative could bring at least some good). However, in the end, what difference does it really make?Hillary or Barack. Yale versus Harvard. Old versus new. Female versus black. Real differences between the two are polarised to the extent of mere image building/ marketing and other aesthetic tools.And when the image can't do the trick, we always can rely on sex. Because sex always sells, right Obama girl?What remains is the money machine behind their campaigns. All candidates apparently have decided to refuse matching funds, which means that they are now free to spend as much money as they can raise privately - a lot of which, however, comes from the pockets of the American citizens. Some of which can have rather extreme view...
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The Prodigy
2008-01-06 13:45:00
I am a child of the 1990s, which made The Prodigy essential for my cultural upbringing. The Prodigy as the logical consequence of mixing 1980s punk (eg. The Clash, Rancid etc) and the increasing techno scene in the European capitals - legendary and making history.Enjoy:Their Law (@ Lowland - The Netherlands)Baby's got a TemperAnd of course the 1990s classics, which made them (to my opinion) among the best and most progressive formations in Europe in the 1990s.BreatheOut of SpaceVoodoo People (My favourite)No Good

Werner Herzog
2008-01-05 13:19:00
One of my favourite directors is definitely Werner Herzog . Herzog made fame with movies such as Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht, Fitzcarraldo and later Grizzly Man. The documentary below is an interview with Herzog on art, cinema, postmodernity among other topics. Well, worth a watch.If you are up for it, below you will find a copy of The White Diamond (2004) - one of Werner's later movies.Plot: A film about the daring adventure of exploring rainforest canopy with a novel flying device-the Jungle Airship. Airship engineer Dr.Graham Dorrington embarks on a trip to the giant Kaieteur Falls in the heart of Guyana, hoping to fly his helium-filled invention above the tree-tops. But this logistic effort will not be without risk. Twelve years ago, a similar expedition into the unique habitat of the canopy ended in disaster when Dorrington's friend Dieter Plage fell to his death. With the expedition is Werner Herzog , setting out now with a new prototype of the airship into the Lost World of ...

American Drug War: The Last White Hope
2008-01-05 02:57:00
Charlie, C, white, Percy, snow, toot, rocks, wash, stones, pebbles, base, freebase....Plot: The War on Drug s has become the longest and most costly war in American history, the question has become, how much more can the country endure? Inspired by the death of four family members from "legal drugs" Texas filmmaker Kevin Booth sets out to discover why the Drug War has become such a big failure. Three and a half years in the making the film follows gang members, former DEA agents, CIA officers, narcotics officers, judges, politicians, prisoners and celebrities. Most notably the film befriends Freeway Ricky Ross; the man many accuse for starting the Crack epidemic, who after being arrested discovered that his cocaine source had been working for the CIA. AMERICAN DRUG WAR shows how money, power and greed have corrupted not just dope fiends but an entire government. More importantly, it shows what can be done about it. This is not some 'pro-drug' stoner film, but a collection of expert...
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The Poet's Testament
2008-01-01 23:38:00
I give back to the earth what the earth gave,All to the furrow, none to the grave,The candle's out, the spirit's vigil spent;Sight may not follow where the vision went.I leave you but the sound of many a wordIn mocking echoes haply overheard,I sang to heaven. My exile made me free,from world to world, from all worlds carried me.Spared by the furies, for the Fates were kind,I paced the pillared cloisters of the mind;All times my present, everywhere my place,Nor fear, nor hope, nor envy saw my face.Blow what winds would, the ancient truth was mine,And friendship mellowed in the flush of wine,And heavenly laughter, shaking from its wingsAtoms of light and tears for mortal things.To trembling harmonies of field and cloud,Of flesh and spirit was my worship vowed.Let form, let music, let all quickening airFulfil in beauty my imperfect prayer.----George Santayana
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Small country = small talk
2007-12-29 17:34:00
A story about the country of my origins, The Netherlands (also known as the Low Lands and not Holland).Some years ago there were a couple of young Moroccan "boys" who fabricated a "shocking" *cough* hiphop track, which threatened one of the extreme right populists "politicians" *coughing loudly* to kill him.Name of Politician: Geert WildersName of Moroccan hiphop "formation" *again that cough*: Youssef & KamalThe song:Soon, the whole country was in panic and Mr. Wilders felt afraid of being murdered. The boys apologised and made a new song to show how sincere they were:Today the news came out that the boys have a new song and executed Mr. Widers in the video (the conventional way with some sort of knife). Mr. Wilders became angry and now he threatens the boys with legal sanctions. The website that uploaded the song can be found here and the song:Mr. Wilders is known in the Netherlands as the "politician" (darn, what an awful word) who favours a change in the Dutch constitution ...
More About: Country , Talk , Small

Hollywood Craze
2007-12-25 17:32:00
Merry Jesus Day!Here, some Hollywood craze, enjoy some cheap piracy products from Google.Spiderman IIIAmerican Pie V (Yawn)Saw IV (click here)
More About: Olly

Moscow
2007-12-23 01:03:00
On a cold winter night you can taste Moscow Cold, white snowIcy streetsAnd potato selling aged women at metro ShchukinskayaSo much misery, so much prideRussian melancholyAnd Pushkin's poetryIn the streets of MoscowWinter eveningStorm has set the heavens scowling,Whirling gusty blizzards wild,Now they are like beasts a-growling,Now a-wailing like a child;Now along the brittle thatchesThey will scud with rustling sound,Now against the window latchesLike belated wanderers pound.Our frail hut is glum and sullen,Dim with twilight and with care.Why, dear granny, have you fallenSilent by the window there?Has the gale's insistent proddingMade your drowsing senses numb,Are you lulled to gentle noddingBy the whirling spindle's hum?Let us drink for grief, let's drown it,Comrade of my wretched youth,Where's the jar? Pour out and down it,Wine will make us less uncouth.Sing me of the tomtit hatchingSafe beyond the ocean blue,Sing about the maiden fetchingWater at the morning dew.Storm has set...

Blair and his Religion
2007-12-22 14:35:00
Some political oriented news today.Blair has today been openly converted to catholism - yet another sign of the increasing "religiousation" of modern politics. Even after his step-down, Blair is still a leading figure in the worldwide political scene, something which is reaffirmed by the fact that his speeches are better attended (and bring more money in) than those of Clinton's. Moreover, former politicians play an important in institutions (think tanks, advising agencies, informal relations etc) that have a direct impact on the political decision making apparatus. Finally, who knows what Blair will do professionally in a couple of years (eg. World Bank, IMF or even the UN).The fact that he joined the catholic club (cause that is was all religions are, clubs), brings him in an awkward position towards topics such as abortion, homosexuality, aids and yes also the Islam. I can't understand how it is possible to one the hand follow the rules of the Vatican (or the Bible) and on th...
More About: Religion

French culture
2007-12-21 15:24:00
Some time ago I read an article in Times Magazine, claiming that French culture was dead."Once admired for the dominating excellence of its writers, artists and musicians, France today is a wilting power in the global cultural marketplace."I was not even upset by its general statement, but even more by the arguments it provided for its conclusion."[N]obody takes culture more seriously than the French... Every French town of any size has its annual opera or theater festival, nearly every church its weekend organ or chamber-music recital... All of these mighty oaks being felled in France's cultural forest make barely a sound in the wider world."Fortunately, I was not the only one that felt the need to defend the French as even the English (who always find themselves arguing with the French) were outraged by the American claims. The Guardian wrote a full page arguing that the article, probably said more about contemporary American culture than about the French one.I mean, really, to ...
More About: Culture , French culture

Grizzly Bear - Knife
2007-12-21 14:59:00
This is the new clip of the British indie band, Grizzly Bear (link to clip director). The song is wonderful, but the video must be one the best I have ever seen. It has a lot of El Topo elements in it (For you that can't remember the movie, click here) and is quite hallucinating. It is psychedelic, it is original, its simply good stuff. The lyrics and song are also wonderful, probably the best song of the year...Enjoy, really do (and tell me what you think)!
More About: Knife

Easy Rider
2007-12-19 21:15:00
I saw Easy Rider a looong time ago and was happy to find it online yesterday. I imagine this film to probably need no introduction :), so enjoy!Plot: Two young "hippie" bikers, Wyatt and Billy sell some dope in Southern California, stash their money away in their gas-tank and set off for a trip across America, on their own personal odyssey looking for a way to lead their lives. On the journey they encounter bigotry and hatred from small-town communities who despise and fear their non-conformism. However Wyatt and Billy also discover people attempting 'alternative lifestyles' who are resisting this narrow-mindedness, there is always a question mark over the future survival of these drop-out groups. The gentle hippie community who thank God for 'a place to stand' are living their own unreal dream. The rancher they encounter and his Mexican wife are hard-pushed to make ends meet. Even LSD turns sour when the trip is a bad one. Death comes to seem the only freedom. When they arrive ...

Cartoons
2007-12-18 13:26:00
A couple of more cartoons, just before I head of to the library!SamuraiLos Angeles Lets Be Friends (Music by Basement Jaxx and others)AngstNeed to go to Toilet
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UN Summit on Climate Change
2007-12-18 13:16:00
The UN summit on climate change just finished. Below the summary in cartoon form.
More About: Climate Change , Climate , Change , Summit

Christmas in China
2007-12-16 15:57:00
Last year around this time I was teaching research methodology to Chinese undergrads in a freezing university class room too far from Shanghai. Christmas was just another working day and so was New Year’s Eve. The birthday of Jesus and the annual tradition of Christmas trees, bells, reindeers and all things that could be related to the Christian holidays (glowing red substances hanging in departed trees, romantic chimney fires and too fat Santa Class Coca Cola ads) seemed to be a mere abstract Western phenomenon to the vast majority of my class room. So what!? I thought, I am what many believed to be an atheist myself (although I am not so sure of that just yet). However, it made me think (rest assured it was just for a second). China has according to Wikipedia about 4 million Catholics and 10 million Protestants, India has according to that same source 24 million Christians. Now, 40 million on a population of 2,5 billion (almost half of the world population) who do not beli...

Some Marxian thought
2007-12-14 21:31:00
Today some more insights in the beauties of Marx! The person that proposed the idea of dialectic materialism as the explaining and driving force in the course of history. The first few mp3 files are purely introductory, while the latter ones are more a contemporary critique of society.What is class? - Dave Weltman (2006)About historical materialism - Rob Owen (2006)The Dialectic - Andy Lawson (2006)Theories Of Imperialism - Alex Callinicos (Yes, Callinicos) (2006) The New Imperialism - David Harvey and Alex Callinicos (2005)The New Imperialism - David Harvey and Alex Callinicos (both in discussion) (2005)*with thanks to Resistance MP3 and The Mighty Owl
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Black Desire
2007-12-13 18:30:00
I have always very much enjoyed listening to Noir Desir, to my opinion probably the best pop band of the 1990s. Their lyrics are dark, intsense yet very poetic. If only Betrand Cantat did not get charged with murder... they still could have done so much more. I cant wait till he gets out of prison and starts making music again.Le Vent Nous PorteraA l'Anvers a l'Endroit LostDes Armes
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Wake up America....
2007-12-09 23:47:00
Some easy political movies, well worth a watch if only to discuss the wider implications and validity of the statements and arguments made.Zeitgeist (probably the better of the two) - Religion as doctrine, violence as control, finance as exploitationAmerica : Freedom to Fascism (I think this was shown at Cannes - US illegal income tax)
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I have a bad case of diarrhea
2007-12-05 16:00:00
Japanese Jam on the beauties of diarrheaTriple A
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M- Eine Stadt sucht einen Morder
2007-12-04 20:47:00
Definitely time for something new on this blog. I have always liked Fritz Lang. An amazing director in a time where modernism was increasingly visualised in the arts. I personally appreciate Lang more than Hitchcock, if only for the fact that the former continued in his obscure film niche, while Hitchcock was much more of a "Hollywood" director. Lang had something Kafkasian over him, something which made his movies more real (albeit more pessimistic, perhaps).Anyways, "blablablabalabalabalaba", see it for yourself, here is "M"!Plot: A psychotic child murderer stalks a city, and despite an exhaustive investigation fueled by public hysteria and outcry, the police have been unable to find him. But the police crackdown does have one side-affect, it makes it nearly impossible for the organized criminal underground to operate. So they decide that the only way to get the police off their backs is to catch the murderer themselves. Besides, he is giving them a bad name.Enjoy
More About: Stadt

AIDS
2007-11-26 12:39:00
I accidentally came across these two sets of graphs. The evidence that can be drawn from them is truly shocking and its implications for the future of Africa and the world at large are severe.The first graph shows the dramatic decrease in life expectancy rates in 5 different African nations. A decrease that sheds light on the the social impacts of AIDS and HIV infections in the different nation states.GRAPH IThe second graph gives a wider overview of the general situation in both North and Sub Saharan Africa. Again, the evidence is again shocking. Some countries suffer from AIDS/ HIV infection rates of over 30 percent to the total population. A truly scary sight, not even taking the economic and political consequences of AIDS and HIV in consideration.GRAPH II
More About: Aids

Labyrinth
2007-11-25 14:56:00
Feeling lazy today and I have to start reading very soon. So, just a quick David Bowie movie for you on his chilly Sunday, Labyrinth .Plot: Grown angry about the fact that she must watch over her little brother Toby, Sarah (Jennifer Connely) wishes the child to the goblins. They translate this careless statement into action: The Goblin-King Jareth (David Bowie) announces that soon Toby will mutate into a goblin. There is only one hope: Sarah has to find the way to Jareth's castle - through a dangerous labyrinth - where she will find strange creatures.Enjoy

End of history
2007-11-23 22:48:00
From Birmingham all the way to Guantanamo...
More About: History

Animal Crackers
2007-11-22 03:50:00
Marx! No, not that one, the brothers experience. Old skool cinema with a lot of heart.Plot: Captain Spaulding, the noted explorer, returns from Africa and attends a gala party held by Mrs. Rittenhouse. A painting displayed at that party is stolen, and the Marxes help recover it. Well, maybe 'help' isn't quite the word I was looking for--this is the Marx Brothers, after all...Enjoy a classic
More About: Animal , Crackers

Duel
2007-11-20 02:55:00
This time a more mainstream flick, Spielberg. Albeit, I must admit it is an instant classic. I am talking about Duel (1971). Originally produced as a TV movie, it became an instant classic due to its suspense and tension throughout the story.Plot: David Mann is trying to drive his car across California. When he tries to pass a gas tanker, the driver somehow takes offense. At first the unseen driver just annoys David by continually passing him and slowing down. Then he starts playing mind games with David, tempting him to pass the tanker, only to prevent him when he tries. The story is seen from David's point of view, with commentary as he thinks to himself.Enjoy

Bruce Li
2007-11-18 18:51:00
What is better than to follow the last Bruce Lee post with a post with an imitation of the legend himself. Watch Bruce "Li" in an Image of Bruce Lee Plot: A band of counterfeiters wants to make Hong Kong their new territory. The disgraced leader of the Special Squad will have to team-up with a group of Hong Kong police officers in an attempt to stop the dirty business of crime lord Han Tin Lung, but Han's problem not only is the interference of the Police force, his Japanese ally Kimura is not happy with his 'cut' in the counterfeit deal and will try to put Donna (a relative of Han) on his side a make Han's business his own property. Both policemen and criminals are highly trained Martial Arts fighters and they will have the chance to prove who has the best Kung Fu techniques.High class cult!

Bruce Lee
2007-11-18 18:40:00
Doing my PhD on Chine, I cant ignore a tad of contemporary Chinese (or Canton) culture. A culture in which Bruce Lee plays an important role. I found the below interview in which Bruce explains his obsession with the "martial arts". I was not aware that his English was so good! I guess the occupation of Hong Kong played a role in that.
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Porn!!!!!
2007-11-17 14:41:00
A good friend of mine, commented on the last video I posted, suggesting that he saw a Louis Theroux's porn episode that was worth watching. I started browsing on the Web and fortunately came across the episode he suggested.Porn business is a lucrative business (coming close to Hollywood money) and it seems rather easy to become an actor (as long as you keep your "wood" hard). The scripts are lousy, but in a way funny.Example of a Porn script from a random site:"Katy is carrying her suitcase towards the carpark at the airport when John decides to show some chivalry and offers to take the weight for her. They discuss the plane trip, the cost of long stay parking and indulge in some idle chat. John mentions that he will get a cab into his motel, hoping for the offer of a lift.When Katy opens her boot for John to put the suitcase in both are surpirsed [sic] to see her huge vibrator sitting there, she had forgotten about that; he hadn't even got to dreaming about such things yet."If th...

God hates all Fags
2007-11-16 19:42:00
The long awaited moment of return. Well, here I am again. It would be boring to say that I am sorry, because I am not and I definitely needed the long break. As I reckon most of you know, life is a pain sometimes, especially when you taking love in consideration. But let`s not get into that today, instead let`s have some laughs with "Louis Theroux" and his fantastic documentaries on BBC2.I went through the archives and came up with a number of funny and shocking episodes. The first one is about the "Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka". That freaky xenophobic church that praised Bin Laden's doings in 2001 and wants all "gay loving" countries dead. Seems like Sweden is one of their targets... look at their site at: God hates Sweden.They don't seem particular fond of the US either, God also hates America. Yep, they are a freaky bunch of God's righteous chosen "folks", hoping to get the chance to tell us that we all going to hell. *would not be a bad idea, England is cold enough*Enjoy

Plaint of Icarus
2007-10-31 13:31:00
Lovers of prostitutes, in crowds,Are sated and content and cheery,But as for me, my arms are wearyBecause I have embraced the clouds.It is thanks to the peerless starsThat flame in the depth of the skyMy devoured eyes can now descryOnly the memories of suns.In vain I had at heart to findThe centre and the end of space;Beneath some burning, unknown gazeMy wings are crumbling bit by bit.And burned because I beauty love,I shall not know the highest blissAnd give my name to the abyssWhich waits to serve me as my tomb.- Baudelaire in Flowers of Evil