Posts Tagged ‘ politics ’

David Cameron: A Look Back

December 1, 2010
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David Cameron: A Look Back

We’re nearly seven months into David Cameron’s term as Prime Minister. Here’s a look back at his May 11, 2010 acceptance speech at 10 Downing Street, via Wordle:

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Middle East Focus of Poetry Festival

October 26, 2010
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Middle East Focus of Poetry Festival

On the belief that poets, not politicians, can help bring about tangible political change, London’s Southbank Center will again host its biennial Poetry International festival, nine days’ worth of readings, music, translations and new poetry commissions. The festival, which runs from Oct. 30 to Nov. 7 in various venues within Southbank, has political roots....

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Pimp My (Friends’) Books

March 8, 2010
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Pimp My (Friends’) Books

I don’t usually write about music or journalism produced by friends or colleagues, but when friends or colleagues happen to produce badass work, I gotta give due credit. The San Francisco-based Mac McClelland, a former colleague of mine at Mother Jones, recently wrote a book about refugees from Burma called For Us Surrender is...

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“Opium War” Opens Afghanistan Film Festival

April 29, 2009
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“Opium War” Opens Afghanistan Film Festival

The rationale behind an upcoming Afghanistan film festival in London came about during a trip to Afghanistan in November of 2006. Zahra Qadir and her friend Dan Gorman were there working on a short film called “Circus for Life,” about a therapeutic circus for children in Kabul. While making their documentary, the two filmmakers...

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London’s Obamathon

January 21, 2009
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London’s Obamathon

I watched Barack Hussein Obama’s inauguration yesterday via an internet connection in Brixton. I was the only American in the room, and couldn’t help but crack jokes about Dianne Feinstein’s hair and the strange pit orchestra they assembled for the event (Watching the event live, Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman seemed bored and under-used...

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Four Irrelevant Questions for Zbigniew Brzezinski

December 13, 2008
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Four Irrelevant Questions for Zbigniew Brzezinski

A foreign policy lecture at London’s renowned international affairs hub, Chatham House, isn’t the sexiest way to spend an evening. But with Zbigniew Brzezinski as the invited guest speaker, the discussion was complex, enlightening and stunningly direct. The full blog post at INTELLIGENT LIFE

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Obama: The View From London

November 6, 2008
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Just before midnight on election night 2008 I’m scolded by a Starbucks manager for attempting to interview one of his employees–a Latvian teen wearing a plastic Uncle Sam top hat and a red, white, and blue lei around his neck. People are eating free Subway sandwiches and Burger King fries and whoppers and dancing...

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Pistolera: Party at the Border

May 1, 2008
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Pistolera: Party at the Border

Pistolera front woman Sandra Lilia Velasquez dishes on San Diego slow pokes, fierce New Yorkers, and how to make it without a record label.

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Audio: Torture Playlist

March 24, 2008
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Listen to investigative reporter Justine Sharrock explain why the Meow Mix jingle, Neil Diamond, and the Barney theme song all lend themselves to “no-touch torture.” Plus: How Metallica reacted when they found out how their music was being used. The full story, with audio, is at MOTHER JONES

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Boots Riley: Revolution You Can Dance To

December 1, 2007
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Boots Riley: Revolution You Can Dance To

Boots Riley talked with me about politics, and vented about how the biz shortchanges idiosyncratic bands like the Coup. The INTERVIEW appears on motherjones.com, and appeared in the November/December 2007 issue of Mother Jones Magazine.

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