The Known Universe by AMNH - All Languages

The Known Universe takes viewers from the Himalayas through our atmosphere and the inky black of space to the afterglow of the Big Bang. Every star, planet, and quasar seen in the film is possible because of the world's most complete four-dimensional map of the universe, the Digital Universe Atlas that is maintained and updated by astrophysicists at the American Museum of Natural History. The new film, created by the Museum, is part of an exhibition, Visions of the Cosmos: From the Milky Ocean to an Evolving Universe, at the Rubin Museum of Art in Manhattan through May 2010.

Data: Digital Universe, American Museum of Natural History

Visualization Software: Uniview by SCISS

Director: Carter Emmart
Curator: Ben R. Oppenheimer
Producer: Michael Hoffman
Executive Producer: Ro Kinzler
Co-Executive Producer: Martin Brauen
Manager, Digital Universe Atlas: Brian Abbott
Music: Suke Cerulo

Remember Imam Hussain - Muharram Presentation - English

"Hussain is alive in the hearts of millions of mourners
Hussain is alive in the cries for truth and justice
Hussain is alive in the struggles of the oppressed people
every day, everywhere...

Each year Muharram comes with an invitation:

Remember Hussain
Remember his great sacrifice
Remember what he stood for
Spread his message
Inspire hearts and minds
And strive for a better world."

Composed by SalamVision

Muslim Youth Helpline - English

Hope other communities will take inspiration from this project. We need more of such culturally sensitive, religiously informed, and professionally trained services in our communities addressing issues of youth, women, and families.

Living Cell - Amazing Cell Animation

"In this clip Nuclei, proteins and lipids move with bug-like authority, slithering, gliding and twisting through 3D space. Each of the things in the animation are going on in every one of your cells in your body all the time. There are some surprising things. For instance, in the animation there's a motor protein that's sort of walking along a line, carrying this round sphere of lipids. It really does look like its out for a stroll, like a character in a science fiction film or animation. But based on all the data, it's pretty accurate rendering." (Text taken from the description of the above clip)

Following is a quote attributed to Imam Ali. Perhaps this clip may be considered as a material interpretation of this quote; the spiritual possibilities from within are said to be even greater and limitless.

"Your remedy is within you — but you do not sense it.
Your sickness is within you — but you do not perceive it.
You presume that you are a small entity –
whereas within you is concealed the vast world.
You are indeed that magnificent book –
by whose alphabet the hidden becomes evident.
Therefore you have no needs beyond yourself
Your essence and secrets are in you — if only you can reflect"

Norman Finkelstein on Gandhi and Non-Violence

The above is from Professor Norman Finkelstein's presentation at the University of Alberta on January 22, 2009.

(Some useful insight from Inside Sectarianism (Oct 30, 2009)) "...chanting 'peace, peace, non-violence, non-violence' ... sometimes ... [is] used to de-legitimize militant resistance (as 'irrational' and 'unjustifiably violent'). It takes attention away from the whole history of Israeli atrocities by focusing too much on - and even blaming at times - the victims for responding with violence in defense. (Same goes for the case of Lebanon.) The 'peace, peace' slogans at times neglect the fact that the international community has failed to deliver any positive results in the last sixty years."

"I think the resistance in Palestine as well as Lebanon would also prefer non-violence over violence. The difference really is on the question of 'efficacy' of violent vs. non-violent tactics. The Iranian Revolution of 1979 was largely non-violent. Even scholars of non-violent movements acknowledge that fact.

The distinction between principle and tactic is important here. We would be arguing on a very different level if some peace activist believes in non-violence as a principle - that militant resistance is always wrong. (Even Gandhi made exceptions to that principle!)

But if it is a matter of tactic with non-violence as the preferred method, then the implication is that if legit resistance-s choose militant tactics in Palestine or Lebanon, their actions should not be looked down upon by peace activists. Also since it is a matter of tactic (not principle), tomorrow the resistance-s may very well decide to become non-violent, if they feel that time has changed and the international community is more responsive to non-violent tactics and can actually do something to address their grievances."

Yah Bacha - By Ibn Insha - Urdu sub English

This presentation visualized in the context of Pakistan is based on a poem by Ibn Insha. I read somewhere that he wrote this poem after seeing an image of a starving child in Ethiopia in the 70s.



Violence comes in various forms - physical, symbolic, structural. This should imply that conscientious activists around the world cannot afford to focus on only one facet of injustice.

Poverty and hunger are forms of structural violence, largely resulting today from current international trade laws written by corporate greed.



Materialism is the underlying logic of the prevailing global injustice. Unfortunately, it seems that we - the non-corporate actors - are also implicated in this exploitation, with variable degrees however, knowingly or otherwise, because of self-absorbed excessive consumption, apathy, and lack of resistance against how our governments and corporations are exploiting people and resources around the world.



The above video addresses not only 'how' bad it is, but also 'why' is it that bad and what are some of the structural causes.

In the ultimate analysis, the root cause lies in materialism - a deep psychological force - that has become pervasive in our values, cultures, and institutions.

See a related post here: Miniature Earth.

10 minutes by Ahmed Imamovic - Short Film - English subtitles

The Truth about the 1967 Arab-Israel War - Norman Finkelstein - English

Part I


Part II


On the circumstances surrounding the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Norman Finkelstein writes:

“Preserving its deterrence capacity has always loomed large in Israeli strategic doctrine. Indeed, it was the main impetus behind Israel's first-strike against Egypt in June 1967 that resulted in Israel's occupation of Gaza (and the West Bank). … After Israel threatened and laid plans to attack Syria, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser declared the Straits of Tiran closed to Israeli shipping, but Israel made almost no use of the Straits (apart from the passage of oil, of which Israel then had ample stocks) and, anyhow, Nasser did not in practice enforce the blockade, vessels passing freely through the Straits within days of his announcement. In addition, multiple U.S. intelligence agencies had concluded that the Egyptians did not intend to attack Israel and that, in the improbable case that they did, alone or in concert with other Arab countries, Israel would -- in President Lyndon Johnson's words -- "whip the hell out of them." … The predicament for Israel was rather the growing perception in the Arab world, spurred by Nasser's radical nationalism and climaxing in his defiant gestures in May 1967, that it would no longer have to follow Israeli orders. Thus, Divisional Commander Ariel Sharon admonished those in the Israeli cabinet hesitant to launch a first-strike that Israel was losing its "deterrence capability...our main weapon -- the fear of us."[8] Israel unleashed the June 1967 war "to restore the credibility of Israeli deterrence" (Israeli strategic analyst Zeev Maoz).[9]” [Italicized in the original]

See the full text: “Foiling Another Palestinian “Peace Offensive”: Behind the Bloodbath in Gaza.” Norman Finkelstein. Jan 19, 2009.

On Summer 2006 Israeli War on Lebanon:

American Radical - the Trials of Norman Finkelstein - English

American Radical - the Trials of Norman Finkelstein - English

Particularly interesting in this documentary was the lesser known emotional and personal side of Norman Finkelstein. The documentary covers his earlier work dissecting Joan Peters' zionist fabrication, "From Time Immemorial". It also looks at concerted propaganda and coercive tactics used by the Zionist organizations against him. More recently they led to his tenure rejection at DePaul University. Finkelstein continues to be a supporter of the two-state solution - I believe for its rhetorical and diplomatic value in the eyes of the international community. But realistically speaking this solution is no more viable. (See http://gazaawareness.blogspot.com/ for more on this line of argument.)

Culture Jamming for the Right Cause

You may be familiar with a campaign technique called 'Culture Jamming'. Basically, you use the same vocabulary and methods of presentation that you see in the regular, mainstream media and turn them into something ironic, unexpected, and thought provoking (although people realize that only afterward). Culture jamming is an act of subversion. It can also be a form of protest.

Think about the impact the following headlines would make if they were published in NYTimes or on CNN:

"Israel admits it made a huge mistake, calls for immediate ceasefire, promises to compensate the Gazans in full."

"Israel admits it was wrong all along, promises to return Palestinians their land by the end of the year."

Examples of Culture Jamming

1. Some people recently tried something similar with NYTimes (you probably have seen this already). According to reports, the culture-jammers printed 1.2 million papers and distributed them for free in New York's busy locations. The headline of the paper read "Iraq War Ends".

Here is the paper: http://www.nytimes-se.com (apparently, the link is not functional anymore, but note that this spoof website has almost the same address as the original NYTimes)



On a topic that was not covered in the NYTimes spoof - the Palestine-Israel Conflict - see the coverage in a recent Financial Times spoof:

"Anti-Semitism on decline since Israel wiped off map": http://ft2020.com/israel/ (unfortunately, link not functional anymore)



"G20 protesters distribute spoof FT" - Guardian, March 27, 2009
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/mar/27/g20-spoof-financial-times-ft

2. Check out the 'Yes Men' Dow Chemical spoof



The guy in the video did the homework really well. Had all the relevant facts (more than just mocking Dow, he is also conveying useful information), and did a very convincing performance - very professional.

More interested in their works? Check out their documentary, The Yes Men Fix The World (trailer)