The Stark Truth: Interview with Marc Armstrong – the case for public banks
Robert Stark, “The Stark Truth: Interview with Marc Armstrong” (Voice of Reason, 7 May 2012) With recent public anger at the behaviour of large private banks…
Australian and New Zealand Films
The Proposition: film essay and character study of British imperialism and colonialism, and the brutalisation that results
John Hillcoat, “The Proposition” (2005) A gritty and visually stunning film essay on the combined effect of nineteenth-century British imperialism and Victorian mores, colonialism and a…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Sharia Money (Episode 2: The Price of Paradise): easy-to-follow documentary on Islamic banking and finance
“Sharia Money (Episode 2: the Price of Paradise)” (2011) In the wake of the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 and people’s realisation that the global finance industry,…
The Stark Truth: Interview with Anatoly Karlin – enjoyable if demanding interview with rising young intellectual
Robert Stark, “The Stark Truth: Interview with Anatoly Karlin” (Voice of Reason, 4 May 2012) I’ve been visiting Russian-American political analyst Anatoly Karlin’s blogs Sublime Oblivion, AKarlin.com…
The World Tomorrow (Episode 6: Rafael Correa): Ecuador as microcosm of Latin America in struggling for democracy and social justice
Julian Assange, “The World Tomorrow (Episode 6: Rafael Correa)” (Russia Today, 22 May 2012) Halfway through the series, Assange must have read my mind telepathically as…
Prophets of Science Fiction (Episode 6: Robert Heinlein): tame and timid treatment of controversial SF writer
Declan Whitebloom, “Prophets of Science Fiction (Episode 6: Robert Heinlein)” (2011) After a few episodes of worthy yet not very controversial science fiction writers, this series now switches to…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Outsourced!: small-scaled film offers a resigned look at call-centre work outsourcing
Anna Cater and Safina Uberoi, “Outsourced!” (2006) An interesting and pleasant personalised film revolving around eight call-centre workers in India and Australia, “Outsourced!” examines the effect…
The Dictator: comedy savages Western self-righteousness, ignorance and hypocrisy
Larry Charles, “The Dictator” (2012) I confess I saw this latest Sacha Baron Cohen film to see how offensive and tasteless it is. Truly dictatorial “The Dictator” is,…
The World Tomorrow (Episode 5: Moazzam Begg, Asim Qureshi): series is becoming repetitive and a little disappointing
Julian Assange, “The World Tomorrow (Episode 5: Moazzam Begg, Asim Qureshi)” (Russia Today, 15 May 2012) At last Julian Assange gets a real cosy conversation with both…
Prophets of Science Fiction (Episode 5: Isaac Asimov): patchy and shallow portrayal of famous science fiction writer and his influence
Declan Whitebloom, “Prophets of Science Fiction (Episode 5: Isaac Asimov)” (2011) Curiously in this episode on American SF writer Isaac Asimov, none of his really major…