Cloud Atlas: A New Potential Direction

by Martin Giannini

Cloud Atlas, both the film scripted by The Wachowskis (The Matrix Trilogy) and Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run), and the book by David Mitchell, have so much to offer from excitement to dire prediction, from brilliant story-telling to deep knowledge.


All images below are sourced from: Warner Bros



For one, watching the film on the big screen was a roller-coaster ride of an experience in itself. When I wasn't one hundred percent engrossed and present, it was because I was reflecting on the fact that I was so captured (enraptured) by the film, that I didn't have time or the inclination to stop to think or analyse. Waste of time (mind) you say? I agree! Having read the book first, I had great expectations! Ah… but these are fun aren't they? A line in the book that tickled me didn't feature in the film. One of the heroines, Sonmi, reveals that she succeeded in downloading the works of "two Optimists… Orwell and Huxley." Either the author is enjoying delicious irony, as here we have two of our most famous (Western) dystopian writers, or we are to believe that their texts have been rewritten. In any case, to explore dystopia such as in Brave New World or Nineteen Eighty-Four or Cloud Atlas, can also become a practice in seeing present (and possible future) injustices for what they are, and heeding the warnings of those who speak the "True True".  More...


 


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Good News?

Could this be the beginning of a groundswell that overturns Citizens United?  Read this article on TreeHugger. 

Vermont Senate Votes Against Citizens United, Corporate Personhood

Awakening a Sleeping Society

Dear Folks,

I am thinking in this period of time when OWS (Occupy Wall Street) is gearing up for a further attempt to awaken a sleeping society, that we must help its leaders consider the many issues that are at stake. Please feel free to comment using the functionality on this blog! 

OWS needs to help people, especially in the South (examples now, Mississippi and Alabama), where l4% roughly of the citizens of these two states believe that Obama is a Christian and over 40% believe he is Muslim. Obama has his problems. However, compared to the nightmare of having another Republican president and a Republican controlled Congress, Obama is a gift to democracy. Free of any more need for monied support if he is elected, he can proceed to act on his authentic values, which I believe are close to OWS. Most importantly, we know from political history that a movement like OWS can profoundly effect the agenda of a president and a national Congress (as well as democratic legislatures and governors in every state)  What is your deepest concern?

Titillating over the Weaknesses of Mitt Romney

Dear Folks,

One of the persons on this group Email I call Power Politics is Gus Wilhelmy. Gus along with one other person in our group, Bernie Curran, were the co-creators of SAFER Foundation. I had the privilege of working for these two guys in the 1970s in which, as one of their managers, I for the first time truly enjoyed management because our "product" was not a well-manufactured thing but a human being, an ex-offender, who needs some help in adjusting to social life. SAFER is now a force in many cities. Gus lays out here the POWER OF TRUE FACTS.  Have you ever tried to read an evangelical or neo-conservative on any issue? I challenge anyone to find any facts or logic in these writings. Today, Doonesbury, the political cartoon, has a guy seeking from an organization (like FACTCHECK in real life) that -- in this story, "produces any fact that you want." The guy wants proof that Obama's stimulus plan produced no jobs. The Fact fellow says, "that could be tricky sir. the Government Budget Office reported the stimulus created up to 3.3 million new jobs."  So in effect, he is saying he can't help the guy. The latter answers, "But it's only for Fox News." The answer: "Oh, you should have said so sir. I'll get it right off to you." See the strip here. 

A Collage of Facts and Images of the 1% and 99

Dear Folks,

We need to continue paying attention to the facts and images of our two national groups, mainly the l %. Elizabeth Warren on the Daily Show: 30% of our largest companies pay more to lobbyists than federal taxes. Even the old very conservative Senator Grassley complained that so many lobbyists appeared at congressional offices to fight off company's like Romney's Baines being required to pay over 30% taxes than l5%, that the bill, he also supported, failed. Warren added that whatever benefit one seeks financially, lobbyists will get such for you in Washington.

John Stewart, said in a whisper: "the poor have no lobbyists." Elizabeth also noted: China invests 9% of GDP on infrastructures, we, 2%. During this week's Republican primary, we learned that Romney earns - without working, only drawing on his investments - $57,000 per day, better than the Middle Class earns. Rachael Maddow also showed the following diagram: First she pictured all presidents from JFK on and including Obama, she then noted that their combined wealth multiplied by two equals Romney's. Further, the superpacks are now so loading up Romney's coffers that in Florida and for several months he had thousands of adds, some amount like 2500 to Gingrich's roughly 500. This is political madness.

A case brought by Chris Hedges against the Obama administration

Dear Folks,

See Nation of Change website. Interesting developments in Occupy including a case brought by Chris Hedges against the Obama administration. Hedges spent roughly l5 years as a war correspondence, and then wrote two books, one on the addiction of war and the other, on the lethal ideas of evangelicals. He grew up in such a family. See the rest in article. This movement is growing. It must continue to grow if our country is to be saved from big money.

Sincerely, John G

OWS and Worldwide Protesters

Dear Folks, You already know my personal viewpoint about Occupy Wall St (OWS), that because all significant political change in history begins from the bottom up, OWS is so significant that it has now become the elephant in the room that even the brightest people are not seeing. I have been reading pundits who, pointing to this years election, are discussing strategies, but seldom are they including in their reflections the power of the people when that power is collectively felt. Now we know that this people presence is worldwide. I say this because of one of the most remarkable articles that has been written in recent decades. I learned that it was coming when I listened when Charley Rose had the Time's Managing Editor, Rick Stengel, on his talk program, discussing not only OWS but also protest movements in the world in sink with we Americans. Now we have Time magazine's vol l78,no 25 historical article, 'Person of the Year: The Protester : From The Arab Spring to Athens, From Occupy Wall Street to Moscow." The article is 50 pages long, written by Stengel, with input from people worldwide. Remarkably, this worldwide movement began with a young man who burned himself to death in Tunisia in protest against indignities laid on him by police and government officials. His mother says, "My son set himself on fire for dignity." His sister added: "In Tunisia, dignity is more important than bread."

Some thoughts on Occupy and Creation Spirituality from Matthew Fox

DEAR FOLKS, I am introducing you to one of the wisest men I have had the privilege of knowing and teaching with for many years. In l981, I met Matt when he was then heading a graduate program at little Mundelein College, now part of Loyola U on our North side. I taught with him through l982, then he moved to Holy Names College, Oakland. His course was called Creation Centered Spirituality. There I also met Brian Swimme and Thomas Berry who eventually wrote The Universe Story. Brian has made a movie called "The Journey of the Universe" and now a book of that name.  Work with these people, including eventually the so-called "witch" Starhawk provided me with some of the most creative and spiritual experiences of my life. John G

Some thoughts on Occupy and Creation Spirituality from Matthew Fox

Spiritual Dimensions of Occupy

Dear Folks, Some interesting responses to Occupy Wall St (OWS) have, recently, been spiritual in content. A few weeks ago, the Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire told Rachael Maddow that, after talking to many occupiers, he noted an underlying thceme that has been missing in our political life, that these people are experiencing community and with it a shared concern for one another, in contrast to the growing narcissism from the Right that says, I made mine; you make yours. If not, then fail, and even die in your uninsured condition. Last night I heard on MSNBC that the Archbishop of Canterbury said, "If Jesus were alive today, he would be with the 99ers." A small article appeared in the last few days in the Chicago Tribune pointing out that many Christian churches in both New York, in Portland, Ore, and other towns have opened up their church buildings and other buildings to the 99ers. An editorial in the National Catholic Reporter, Dec 8-22, first notes "Truth is the superich and the superinfluential have walked off with our government....The rest of us have largely lost our voices... The OWS protests have put front and center the growing divide between two classes of Americans --the one percent superrich and the other 99 percent....Maybe,just maybe, by November 20l2 enough of us will have had enough to demand a radical reordering of an election process that has stolen our voices and government."

A Must Read Article

'How to Occupy the moral and political high ground' by Naomi Wolf