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magazine for culture, politics and life from a transatlantic perspective

Deconstructing the Iraq War Buildup

When future generations are going to judge the presidency of George W. Bush, they will base their decision to a large degree on the Iraq war and the false pretenses under which it has been started. By now, it is clear that President Bush and his aides – Rumsfeld, Powell, Rize, Cheney – proved themselves wrong about the Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq, about Saddam Hussein’s co-operation with Al Qaeda, about the publicly announced reasons to invade Iraq.

The following video called “Leading To War” collects TV appearances of members of the Bush administration before the American troops began their march towards Bagdad, so that they can be held accountable for their statements. It is comprised entirely of news footage, presented chronologically from President Bush’s State of the Union address in January 2002, when he proclaimed an “Axis of Evil,” and ends with the announcement of U.S. military action in Iraq on March 19, 2003. The video is completely left uncommented, which makes the cold rhetoric sound even more chilling.

The video was produced by Walden Woods, where it can also be downloaded in its entire length. Another comprehensive resource for statements of the Bush administration is The War Card; the project aims to build up a searchable database of all relevant expressions of views and facts which led to the war. All in the hope that a more informed public will make the right judgment about this administration, as well as its successors.

All the World’s a Screen on Pangea Day

In the late Palezoic and Mesozoic times, a supercontinent is said to have existed, which comprised of all the continental crust of the earth.
It’s name is a composition of the Greek words for all and earth – Pangea.

Pangea Day, picture courstey of www.pangeaday.org

Pangea Day – tomorrow – is a joined effort to turn this supercontinent into reality again. It will bring together an audience of 500 million or more people in a worldwide filmfest, which you can follow in thousands of venues around the globe, or simply on your PC screen. The festival features two dozen outstanding short films, the crème de la crème of more than 2,500 entries worldwide.

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We Hood, We Votin’, and Throwin’ it Uuuup!

Just when you thought the Dems were beginning to move in circles, looking to something as colorful as gas taxes to spike the “Donkey Punch,” Obama supporters turn the knobs and change the beat.

Following Will.I.Am’s wildly popular “Yes We Can,” featuring soul saint John Legend, basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the angelic Scarlett Johansson (just to name a few), TI$A (from the superior, but much overlooked, hip-hop/r’n'b producer/writer/super group Sa-Ra Creative Partners) drops another MTV/Hollywood gem to keep the election spectacle vibrant.

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Guam. Now not only on the History Channel.

On July 21, 1944, American troops retook Guam from the Japanese. For almost 64 years after that crucial victory in World War II, absolutely nothing happened there. Until now.

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Demonstrate Awareness at the Olympics

In the weeks since the outbreak of demonstrations in Tibet, much debate has evolved around the Olympic Games in China. Should there be a boycott? How can the athletes express their opinion? Now athletes have found a way to show their disapproval of China’s politics without violating the Olympic Charter.

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Two Events in Berlin

If you are interested in American politics – of course you are, why bother reading this blog if not? – here are two dates to mark in your calendar: [Read more]

The Cho Show

Exactly one year ago, at 9:01 am, Cho Seung-Hui paid $14.40 for a U.S. Postal Service express parcel, two hours after he had killed two students at a dormitory of the Virginia Tech University.

The package was bound to go to NBC’s headquarters; the Zip code and street address were incorrect, so it reached the network with a little delay. The parcel contained 27 quicktime-files with videos of Cho, several pictures and a collection of his writings. Cho signed with „A Ishmael“ and returned to the Blacksburg campus to murder another 30 people before shooting himself.

NBC went on to air parts of Cho Seung-Hui’s “Multimedia Manifesto” – a decision which has been widely attacked, as well as it has been defended. What guided the editors at the Rockefeller Center to impart those disturbing communications of a multiple murderer? Why are the decisions of TV producers still relevant in the age of the Internet video? And when does Cho become too much Cho? [Read more]

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