one step to hell

I made one step to hell yesterday. Now I am pondering whether there's a way back, or only way forward?

Ahava: Stolen Beauty

ISM Czech campaign on boycott of Ahava products.



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Al Jazeera: The Secret Iraq Files (WikiLeaks)

The Secret Iraq Files

After the biggest leak of military secrets ever this special programme reveals the truth about the war in Iraq.

Al Jazeera: The Rageh Omaar Report on Lebanon

Lebanon: What lies beneath

Why is the fate of thousands who disappeared during the Lebanese civil war still unsolved?

British Unions BDS - boycotting settlement goods

Badil - Rights in Principle, Rights in Practice

I am putting this up mainly as a storage for this pic which I will then put to the ISM Czech website. :-)

You can read more about Badil here.

Baaria (film)

A beautiful Sicilian movie about 3 generations living in town Bagheria (Baaria in Sicilian slang) where the director, Giuseppe Tornatore, was born. I saw it in the cinema and before going, I watched the trailer and from what I saw there, I expected almost a kitch romanticized image of Italian life - simply only nice views made in Italian comedy-style.
I almost declined going, but then changed my mind but did not expect much.
The film was great - slow camera work at times, yes - the images were great and beautiful, but the story was narrated with such sensitivity and sensuality that I completely fell for it. Fragile characters full of humanity, childhood innocence, light and at times ironic humor, symbolism and just hints at a much deeper symbolism involved in that region. It left deep emotions in me, one of rare films I saw, very sensitive and intelligent.

en.wiki / Giuseppe Tornatore / cz.review / febiofest.review

The Informers (film, 2009)

I watched it at home recently. It's based on a book by the author of American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis, directed by Gregor Jordan. It shows young spoiled teenagers living in the 80's Holywood - sex, drogs and rock-and-roll sort of thing, carelessness, not knowing the difference between right and wrong, lost and uprooted in the same way as their parents are. An artistic critique of the superficial shallow American culture. The film is dedicated to the actor Brad Renfro who died of drug abuse, he excelled in the role of Jack (hotel doorman). I found the dedication quite symbolic of the whole plot.



The Informers (2009 film)
Bret Easton Ellis (writer)
Gregor Jordan (director)
Brad Renfro (actor)
Mickey Rourke (actor)

Brno: Květy & Petr Hegyi

Listening to a few songs by Květy, again, I noticed Petr Hegyi mentioned there: photos/videos.
His photos are good, original, different, sensual. I kind of like thinking of Brno and the time when I used to bump into him occasionally through a friend.












Květy / Petr Hegyi / video

Survival Song (film)

Today, when I was watching AlJazeera's news on China's plans to build twelve new hydroelectric dams along the Yangtze river and about how inhabitants are evicted and their life gets worse, I remembered a beautifully made film by a Chinese director, Survival Song - by Yu Guangyi. I saw this film at the Czech Jihlava Film Fest in 2009.

In Survival Song, a hunter/trapper and his wife take an unemployed drifter named Xiao Lizi into their home. When their house is demolished to make way for a nearby dam, the family scatters: the wife goes back to her hometown, Xiao Lizi finds temporary work on a construction site, and the hunter/trapper - who is wanted for poaching - flees to escape the law.

Survival Song - (Xiao Lizi) - 2008
Independent Chinese Documentaries
AlJazeera
Jihlava Film Fest

What time is it in Caracas?