Winner of a Special Award at Rotterdam’s Movies That Matter and of Best Documentary at the 2006 Jerusalem Film Festival, this all too short teaser is of a excellent film directed by Shai Carmeli-Pollak, Bil’in Habibti (Bil’in My Love).

Bil’in Habibti - Bil’in My Love (1:47)
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Revised with additions

Two short news report video clips from Al Jazeera and the Real News Network cast some light on why the price of oil is so high at the moment, and how it is affecting ordinary Saudis even in the world’s largest oil exporting country, as it is affecting ordinary people everywhere.

In short—and notwithstanding the basic demand outstripping readily available supply—it is speculators, not Saudis, who are tipping the price up according to what these news clips suggest.

Aside from market manipulation, other important factors that weigh in on the high price of oil include geopolitical tensions (in the main, belligerent Bushmert noises against Iran) and government taxes. (Video h/t: Informed Comment)

Who’s to blame for price of oil? (3 minutes)

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Major networks in corporate US media spend on average only 2 minutes per week on Iraq war coverage.

Here’s 2 minutes actually worth watching, a survey of this corporate MSM near-blackout by the Real News Network (h/t Juan Cole)

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Thanks to Representative Press for putting this video of Mike Wallace’s CBS (See BS) 60 Minutes interview in 2006, for which he was recently and shamelessly awarded an Emmy.  RP’s narration pretty much says it all in the video; also check out the transcript over the fold. See also RP’s You Tube video channel. H/T to Buntnussel.

R/T 4:41

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Palestinians mark the 60th anniversary of the Nakba with, among other things, large symbolic keys and black balloons over Al Quds-Jerusalem.

This video clip comes from our good friends over at the great Italian Guerrilla Radio site (4.36)

The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation also has this striking poster and terrific advertisement (click on thumbnail for larger image).

The Campaign will be placing more than 1,000 of these posters on the streets of Manhattan, educating New Yorkers about the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948 and the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

An unlikely-sounding film release — an animation about a massacre detailed from one who was on the side of the co-perpetrators — has been getting attention in Cannes. Waltz With Bashir is about the struggle of the filmmaker and former IDF soldier, Ari Folman, to come to terms with the gaps in his memory surrounding the part he played in the first Lebanese war and the 1982 massacre of thousands of unarmed Palestinian civilians in the West Beirut refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila.

Folman asserts that this is a personal rather than political film, but hopes to convey that “war is useless”.

Waltz With Bashir Trailer 1m45s

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Appended below are five links to poignant short videos from the excellent Guardian series A Week in Gaza, detailing the impact of the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Ghetto on ordinary people. On this 60th anniversary of the Nakba, these heart-rending portraits of Gazans is particularly timely and offers a window into life in Gaza.

As Ali Abunimah, currently in Sydney, has said, Nakba Denial not only exists, but unlike Holocaust Denial still has some mainstream intellectual acceptance. The ongoing plight of the indigenous Palestinians after 60 years deserves our attention and support now more than ever. For our part in Australia, there is a strong campaign to have the Australian Parliament acknowledge the Nakba — please consider lending your support if you are in Australia.

1. The blockade and the smugglers (4.55)
Israel’s fuel blockade has ground Gaza’s infrastructure to a halt. In response, smuggling gangs bring fuel in from Egypt through underground tunnels. Read the rest of this entry »

As the Siniora government today officially rescinds the two incriminating decisions about Hezbollah’s telecommunications network and the head of security of Beirut’s airport that sparked this month’s clashes, this Briefing on Beirut seminar at the New America Foundation takes stock of recent events.

Audio

See also video of the event below/ over the fold

Rami Khouri (pictured) is always worth listening to; he asks whether Beirut will follow Baghdad or Belfast and is optimistic that the Lebanese will move past the internal strife at this “historical moment of reckoning” to form a pluralistic society that can integrate Western and Arab ideals. Hisham Melhem represents the March 14-Hariri Inc view on Hezbollah’s intentions and is less optimistic, overstating Iran’s influence on Hezbollah. Nir Rosen (over)draws comparisons to Iraq on the Sunni-Shi’a conflict. Read the rest of this entry »

Isfahan is a short animated film inspired by stunning Persian architecture and created by Etérea Studios. H/T to friend and inspiration Ressentiment. For a great Persian culture fix (and much else besides) see also Reclaiming Space’s Iranian sister city blog Forever Under Construction, and also check out NeoResistance. The clip may need a few seconds to load.

Thousands of people marched through the streets of London yesterday to show their support for the Palestinian cause. The demonstrators were calling for an end to the siege on Gaza, the right of return for Palestinians, and an end to Israeli occupation. Looks like Neturei Karta were there as well (1:41)

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A fair summation of the crisis and interviews with Nicholas Noe, Anwar Wazen and Mohsen Saleh from Al Jazeera’s Inside Story. Saleh is pro-Opposition, Brussels-based Wazen is obviously anti-Hezbollah. This is followed by Nasrallah’s address; a three minute highlights clip with English subtitles followed by a clip of the full speech which has a voice-over translation in English.

Inside Story - Lebanon strike - 07 May 08 - Part 1 (12.52)

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Wherein the menu for terrorist acts sounds a lot like the prescription for fascism. A James Pence video (1:25). H/T Miche.

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Public art for art’s sake can be a fun and participatory affair, creating a grassroots ‘collective effervescence’ in civil society. A great recent example is the Beirut installment of the global phenomenon of ‘Flash Mob’ public performances that occurred earlier this month, at City Mall, Dora. The flash mob involved a couple of hundred people converging on a city mall and freezing for 5 minutes, near the anniversary of the Lebanese Civil War.

The next one in Beirut:
Date: Sunday, June 22, 2008 | Time: 4:00pm - 8:00pm | Location: to be communicated | Contact lebmobbers @ gmail.com

LebMobbers (3 minutes)

As NowLebanon reports,

“This was just to have fun and to have positive vibes. Lebanon needs more positive vibes,” said the organizer in a phone interview with NOW Lebanon. “Today is the birthday of the civil war, and we wanted to give the media an opportunity to talk about something other than politics,” he added. … Read the rest of this entry »

It is good to see a serious, fair and interesting profile of Reverend Jeremiah Wright on Bill Moyers’ PBS Journal program. Moyers looks at the person and his politics, discussing Obama, history, theology, race and his faith. I found it thoughtful and inspiring—well worth your time.

See also:

• Rev Wright’s electric address to the National Press Club in Washington on Monday 28th April — transcript here, and his prior NAACP address in Detroit on the 27th April — transcript here.
• The Audacity of Hope sermon mp3
  

Also check out Monte Asbury’s posts Priest stands up to reporter on Jeremiah Wright (video clip below, with thanks to 99 and Homey) and Is Jeremiah Wright mostly right? The video clip below is also available to listen to as an mp3 (55 mins):

Investigative reporting hits the mark from within the corporate mainstream media: a NYTimes report on how the compliant media companies spins the media by reproducing the Administration’s own talking points; David Barstow examines primary source documents detailing the Pentagon’s response to criticism of then-Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld by a group of prominent retired generals. Could this possibly signal that sections of the establishment are furnishing a basis for the US military to finally withdraw from Iraq?

The Generals Revolt Part 1 (8 minutes)

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Anthony Arnove talks to Dahr Jamail, author of Beyond the Green Zone, at the Winter Soldier hearings in Silver Spring MD in a very worthwhile view (14 minutes).

See also this inspiring 2 minute clip of an Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) action at the National Archives Building: Read the rest of this entry »