Newsletter Volume 33 Issue 1, Jan 2021
From The Editor
Crimes Against Humanity
By Ted Smillie
10th January 2001
It seems Trump’s failed attack on US democracy is insignificant when compared to previous successful US Government attacks on US and third world democracies. Here are some examples:
“In 1965, with the aid of weapons and intelligence from the United States, Suharto hunted down and killed between 500,000 and a million of Sukarno’s supporters in one of the worst mass murders of the 20th century”
“The US felt it had no choice but to shift to a more aggressive stance and resorted to the tactic they had used in Guatemala and Indonesia – the good old-fashioned coup. It was executed on 11 September 1973, by General Augusto Pinochet with CIA support under the code name Operation Fubelt.
British-made bombers – sent on the order of the CIA – came in low over the rooftops of Santiago and pounded the presidential palace with mortars and missiles. The rooftops and walls exploded in columns of billowing dust and smoke, putting an end to Salvator Allende and the hopes of his people”
These quotes are from The Divide: A Brief Guide to Global Inequality and its Solutions, by Jason Hickel. In fact, global outrage against Trump may be the key to allowing Joe Biden and the Senate to achieve what Obama was prevented from doing.
Jason Hickel quotes from a range of sources and the Endnotes to the book provide references to relevant pages, see examples below. Talks at Google provides a 13 Nov 2020 interview with Jason Hickel.
Hunger
Page 15 (data provided by Eric Holt Gimenez, agroecologist, political economist, lecturer and author).
“In 1974 at the first UN Food Summit in Rome, US Secretary of State Henry Kissenger famously promised that hunger would be eradicated within a decade. At that time there were an estimated 460 million hungry people in the world. But instead of disappearing, hunger got steadily worse. Today there are about 800 million hungry people, even by the most conservative estimates. More realistic estimates put the figure at around 2 billion – nearly a third of all humanity. It is hard to imagine a greater symbol of failure than rising hunger, especially given that we already produce more than enough food each year to feed all 7 billion of the world’s people, with plenty left over for another 3 billion.”
The Poverty Gap
P16 (data provided by R Lahoti and S Reddy )
“In 1960, at the end of colonialism, per capita income in the richest country was thirtytwo times higher than in the poorest country. That’s a big gap. The development industry told us that the gap would narrow, but it didn’t. On the contrary, over the next four decades the gap more than quadrupled: by 2000 the ratio was 134 to 1. We can see the same pattern if we take a regional view. The gap between the United States (the world’s dominant power) and Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the developing countries of the Middle East and North Africa has roughly tripled between 1960 and today…..And in early 2017, as the World Economic Forum met in Davos, Oxfam announced that the richest eight people had as much wealth as the poorest 3.6 billion.
The Age of the Coup
P115 (data provided by Naomi Klein, The Shock Doctrine , see also youtube documentary, and Noel Maurer, The Empire Trap )
“When President Dwight Eisenhower took office in the United States in 1953, he took a decisive stand against developmentalism, which he regarded as a threat to the commercia; interests of America’s multinational companies…..But the Eisenhower administration knew that it would be difficult to justify attacking a movement that was so obviously rooted in the principles of equality, justice and independence. He had to find a way to get theb American public onside. He did it in the end by drawing heavily on cold war rhetoric: he painted developmentalism as the first step on the road to communism, and by connecting developmentalist governments to the USSR he was able to tar them in the minds of American citizens.”
P116” Iran became the first target of Eisenhower’s backlash. Iran’s democratically elected leader, Mohammad Mossadegh, had become a stalwart of the developmentalist movement. Tall, dignified and Paris-educated, Mossadegh had risen to popularity in his country as a progressive politician. As prime minister, he introduced unemployment compensation and benefits for sick and injured workers. He abolished forced agricultural labour. He raised taxes on the rich to fund rural development projects. And, most famously, he sought to renegotiate ownership of the country’s oil reserves, which at that point were controlled by the British-owned Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, now BP. When the Company refused to cooperate with an audit of its accounts, the Iranian Parliament voted unanimously to nationalise the company’s assets.
The move further boosted Mossadegh’s popularity at home. But it enraged the British government, which quickly turned to the United States for assistance. The option of military intervention was on the table, but they worried that it might provoke the USSR into coming to Iran’s aid and set off a proxy war….First, they bribed politicians to whip up anti-government sentiment and paid demonstrators to take to the streets to create the false impression that Mossadegh was unpopular. Then they convinced the military to depose Mossadegh and hand power over to the Shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. It worked: the coup in August 1953 toppled Mossadegh and the Shah assumed power as an absolute monarch alongside a military government. He governed Iran for the next twenty-six years, most of that time with US support and with policies that were friendly to the Western oil companies – just as in Saudi Arabia, the West’s other main client state in the region. Mossadegh, for his part, spent the rest of his life under house arrest.”
P120 “After gaining independence from Dutch rule, the leader of Indonesia’s nationalist struggle, Sukarno, son of a primary-school teacher, assumed the presidency and rolled out classic developmentalist policies. He protected the economy from cheap foreign imports, redistributed wealth to the poor and evicted the IMF and the World Bank. Western powers resented Sukarno for these policies, and for the key role he played in mobilising the Non-Aligned Movement. So when he began to nationalise American and European assets, such as oil and rubber facilities, they took the opportunity to intervene.
When the CIA made it clear that they would back a coup, General Suharto – who was upset with President Sukarno for supporting policies that undermined the military’s power – offered to lead it.
In 1965, with the aid of weapons and intelligence from the United States, Suharto hunted down and killed between 500,000 and a million of Sukarno’s supporters in one of the worst mass murders of the 20th century.”
P130 “At the time (1970), much of Chile’spopulation was still mired in extreme poverty, while a small elite controlled most of the country’s vast land and wealth. Allende was lifted to power on his promise of a fairer society: better wages, public education, healthcare, housing and fairer rents. His victory was an impressive achievement, given that the CIA and US corporations had attempted to manipulate the outcome of the election in favour of Allende’s right-wing opponent, Jorge Alessandri.
Allende’s government delivered. He established a minimum wage, reduced the price of bread, rolled out school meals, expanded low-income housing and extended public transportation to working-class neighbourhoods. He nationalised the copper mines and capped land ownership at 80 hectares (fully compensating private owners), ending the latifundia and redistributing land to peasant farmers….
At first , the United States tried to force Allende to back off his nationalisation by applying non-military pressure….But all these efforts came to naught: by 1973, Allende was still in power, In fact, his party had gained support during those three years. The US felt it had no choice but to shift to a more aggressive stance and resorted to the tactic they had used in Guatemala and Indonesia – the good old-fashioned coup. It was executed on 11 September 1973, by General Augusto Pinochet with CIA support under the code name Operation Fubelt.
British-made bombers – sent on the order of the CIA – came in low over the rooftops of Santiago and pounded the presidential palace with mortars and missiles. The rooftops and walls exploded in columns of billowing dust and smoke, putting an end to Salvator Allende and the hopes of his people”
An Adjusted World
P158 (data provided by Robert Pollin, Contours of Descent, and World Bank, World Development Indicators, 2007
“The IMF and the World Bank promised the world that structural adjustment would improve economic growth and reduce poverty. But intended up doing exactly the opposite. Instead of helping npoor countries, as they were supposedly designed to do, SAPs basically destroyed them, reversing all gains they had made during the developmentalist period. “
Regenerating Hope
P302 “and new research from the Rodale Institute in Pennsylvania, although not yet peer reviewed, says sequestration rates could be as high as 40 per cent, and if we apply regenerative techniques to the world’s pastureland as well, we could capture more than 100 per cent of global emissions.”
The Good News
Jason Hickel points out that the Global Inequality Solutions have until now been actively and forcibly suppressed by the US and other Western Governments. Their propaganda has been highly effective, but the Trump actions on 6th January 2021 has been an eye-opener. Joe Biden and the Congress now have a way of moving forward. As Joe Biden said:
” But today’s reminder is a painful one, democracy is fragile.
And to preserve it requires people of goodwill, leaders who have the courage to stand up, who are devoted not to the pursuit of power or the personal interest pursuits of their own selfish interests at any cost — but of the common good. Think what our children watching television are thinking. Think what the rest of the world is looking at.”
https://www.wbur.org/news/2021/01/06/transcript-joe-biden-capitol-chaos
Home Entertainment
Yes, collectors are still revisiting, and sharing, some of their favourite old films Here are some links to films, from golden oldies to more recent. Some of them are only available for a short time, so get in quick to your favourite category:
FAMILY
The Count Of Monte Cristo 2002 (Full Movie)
“(My Favorite Movie)
A young man, falsely imprisoned by his jealous “friends,” escapes and uses a hidden treasure to exact his revenge.
Stars: Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, Richard Harris, James Frain, Luis Guzmán and Dagmara Dominczyk.
Directed by: Kevin Reynolds”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&feature=share&v=QxdY1CwBzSM
Country Remedy (Free Full Movie) Family Drama Comedy
“In order to secure the position of Head of Pediatrics at a top Chicago hospital, a young, highly accomplished, pediatrician agrees to spend a summer setting up a clinic in a small town in the North Carolina mountains. Clashing against the ways of the small community he is forced to deal with the recent loss of his wife while reconnecting with his 9 year old son, and learning a different pace of life. Country Remedy is uplifting story of the healing power of family and community.
Drama. Comedy. Family
Director: Andrew C. Erin
2007
Stars: Cameron Bancroft, Bellamy Young, Aidan Mitchell
Alternate title – ‘Simple Things’ Rated PG”
B&B (1992 British TV film)
“Award-winning feature-length family film starring Kevin Whately as Steve, a single father who, after losing his job as an architect, sets up a guest house with young daughter Alice to avoid losing his home as well. Will they succeed, or will the unscrupulous property developers get their way?”
A Summer to Remember (1985) James Farentino | Tess Harper – Family Drama
“An escaped Orangutan forms a close bond with a disabled boy with whom it shares the ability to communicate via sign language.”
The Cascadia Treasure (2020) | Full Movie | Ron Ford | Anne Selcoe | Erik Golden
“Believing it’s the key to keeping her family together, a teenage farm girl embarks on a quest to find a long-lost treasure — not realizing her closest ally on the project is in league with her chief nemesis.”
Run (2013) – Full Movie
“RUN is a fast-paced, action/thriller, which centers on a street smart, 17-year-old named Daniel who practices Parkour and is both hero and thief.
Stars: William Moseley, Kelsey Asbille, Edoardo Ballerini
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2215457/”
ROMANCE
New Great Hallmark Romance Movies 2020 some ads
“Finding Normal (2013)
The only thing standing between Dr. Lisa Leland (Candace Cameron Bure) and her dream wedding in the Hamptons is a 2600-mile drive from Los Angeles to Long Island. But a run-in with the law in the country town of Normal, North Carolina leaves Lisa with a choice: jail or community service. Sentenced to three days as the town’s doctor, Lisa soon finds her world turned upside-down by a man and discovers a lot more to Normal.
—Jeremy M.
Stars: Candace Cameron Bure, Trevor St. John, Lou Beatty Jr.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2964360/”
Morning Glory (Free Full Movie) Drama Romance | Christopher Reeve short ads
“The novel that millions of readers took to their hearts becomes this stirring film. Laconic drifter Will Parker (Reeve) is an ex-con trying to do right in rural Georgia, 1941.
Drama. Romance. Crime
Director: Steven Hilliard Stern
1993
Stars: Christopher Reeve, Deborah Raffin, Lloyd Bochner”
The Black Velvet Gown | Full Drama Movie | Catherine Cookson
“**This film is under non-exclusive license from Endemol/Banijay Rights. All rights reserved**
The Black Velvet Gown – In the 1830’s in northern England, Riah Millican, a widow with three children, takes a job as housekeeper to a reclusive former teacher, Percival Miller. Miller makes Riah the gift of a black velvet gown, and even educates her children. But when Riah discovers the reason behind Miller’s gifts, she vows to leave his house, but Miller has a hold on her, even after his death, when he leaves his house to her on the condition that she never marry. Riah’s daughter, Biddy, grows up and becomes a laundress in a large house where her education keeps her from fitting in and makes her a target. But it also catches the eye of a son of the house, and with Miller’s legacies, Biddy may yet find her way to happiness. Adapted from the Catherine Cookson book. 1991 Stars: Bob Peck, Janet McTeer, Geraldine Somerville”
Catherine Cookson – The 15 Streets
“In northern England around 1900, the worker John O’Brien lives near poverty in a small house in the worker’s district. He falls in love with Mary, the teacher of his highly intelligent younger sister Kathy and daughter of a rich family. Their love is doomed by the social difference, but the vigorous Mary refuses to allow outer circumstances destroying their love.
—Tom Zoerner <Tom.Zoerner@informatik.uni-erlangen.de>
Stars: Owen Teale, Sean Bean, Anny Tobin
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097352/”
Beautiful Beast (2013) | Full Movie | Shona Kay | Brad Johnson | Melanie Gardner
“In a twist on the classic Beauty and the Beast tale, Isabelle is all beauty on the outside. A glamour-queen socialite, she spends her days spoiling herself and spending money like it s going out of style. When Isabelle injures herself and gets lost in an isolated winterland, she stumbles on the solitude of Jeremy, a man hiding from both the world and his past. He s the first person to put Isabelle in her place, and Isabelle realizes she might be more beast than she wants to admit. Through Jeremy’s influence, she begins to change and fall in love. But will she revert to the beast and give up her chance at real love when she returns home?”
A Marriage of Convenience 1998 Full Movie
“A successful business woman gives up her career and raises the son of her deceased sister. His natural father who was unaware of his son’s existence finds this out after eight years. ..
Stars: Jane Seymour, James Brolin, David Kaye
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0165587/”
Forever Mine (Free Full Movie) Crime Romance. Joseph Fiennes
“It seemed harmless and fun, the affair between Alan and Ella at the resort where he was working. No level of passion on their part could erase the fact that Mark, her husband, has sworn vengeance on Ella.
Directed by Paul Schrader
2002
Starring Joseph Fiennes, Ray Liotta, Gretchen Mol
Edited for YouTube ad standards”
My Name is Sarah (2007) | Full Movie | Jennifer Beals | Peter Outerbridge | Nolan Funk – brief ads
“(A Lifetime Original movie) Sarah begins attending AA meetings at the community center, not because she’s an alcoholic, but to meet Charlies – a handsome man she’s seen going to the meetings. Sarah and Charlie begin to fall in love, but she’ll need to muster up the courage to tell him that she’s not an alcoholic, knowing that she may lose him as a result.
Directed by Paul A. Kaufman Written by Julie Brazier
Starring Jennifer Beals, Peter Outerbridge, Nolan Funk “
KIDS
New Animation Movies 2020 Full Movies English – Kids movies – Comedy Movies – Cartoon Disney
Missing Link
“Mr. Link recruits explorer Sir Lionel Frost to help find his long-lost relatives in the fabled valley of Shangri-La. Along with adventurer Adelina Fortnight, this trio of explorers travel the world to help their new friend.
Director: Chris Butler
Writer: Chris Butler (screenplay by)
Stars: Hugh Jackman, David Walliams, Stephen Fry
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6348138/”
Diamond Dog Caper (2008) | Full Family Comedy Movie
“A boy battles a gang of thieves to rescue a dog carrying a fortune in stolen diamonds.”
The Shrunken City | Full Movie | Michael Malota | Agnes Bruckner | Steve Valentine | Ray Laska
“Two kids, George and Lori, discover a whole new world when they find the tiny bottled city of Shandar unearthed in an excavation site are being hidden underground for centuries. Damaged from the dig, the dormant, miniature metropolis reawakens to find itself unprotected from an inter-dimensional team of assassins sent to destroy it. George and Lori must find a way to stop the death squad and restore power to the city before it uncontrollably expands to normal size – annihilating itself and everything around it.”
The Gold Retrievers | Full Movie | Steve Guttenberg | Curtis Armstrong | Noah Centineo | Billy Zane
“The local economy in his small town threatened by the arrival of a massive new shopping center, a 12-year-old boy attempts to save his family home by hunting for lost treasure with his mischievous golden retriever Marley and a young girl who isn’t afraid of a big challenge. Josh Peters was having the perfect summer until he learned that his family could soon lose their home. A new shopping center is set for construction, and it’s sure to drag his father’s store straight into the ground. Legend has it that the Conquistadors once left a sizable treasure in the area, and when Marley digs up a golden medallion with a map to the riches, Josh and spunky town newcomer Ana set out to recover the gold and save their town.”
COMEDY
High Spirits (1988)
“When a hotelier attempts to fill the chronic vacancies at his castle by launching an advertising campaign that falsely portrays the property as haunted, two actual ghosts show up and end up falling for two guests.
EN
Director: Neil Jordan
Writer: Neil Jordan
Stars: Peter O’Toole, Daryl Hannah, Steve Guttenberg
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095304/”
Bully (2018) New Comedy Movie 2019 in English Hollywood Movies Full length
“Jimmy, a quiet, heavy-set high school kid, is constantly bullied by his classmate Miles and his cronies. After a chance meeting with a former professional boxer, Jimmy decides to learn how to fight back.
Director: Santino Campanelli
Writer: Joe Campanelli
Stars: Tucker Albrizzi, Ron Canada, Patricia Pinto
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5741008/”
The Addams Family Goes To School (Full Episode) | MGM
“Morticia decides to keep the children home from school after she sees the fairy tales they have to read. When the truant officer comes to investigate, he finds Morticia tending her garden of hemlock and poison ivy, and Gomez blowing up bridges on his model train set.”
CRIME
Gold (1974) Full Movie, Widescreen
“A South African gold mine manager discovers a plot hatched by the mine owners and London bankers to flood the mine in order to curb gold production and consequently manipulate its price on the stock markets.
Stars: Roger Moore, Susannah York, Ray Milland
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071566/”
Dead End 1937– Humphrey Bogart, The Dead End Kids
“1937 film about life in the Big bad apple In the 1930’s that contrasts the realities of the Wealthy and the Poor. Starring Humphrey Bogart, Sylvia Sydney, and The Dead End Kids”
“LAS VEGAS SHAKEDOWN” Dennis O’Keefe, Coleen Gray Thomas Gomez, Mary Beth Huges. 5-15-1955. (480p)
“Plot – A teacher (Coleen Gray) writing a book about gambling meets a hotel/casino owner (Dennis O’Keefe) threatened by a gangster.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ctnGK9rrok
“MALAGA” Dorothy Dandridge. DECENT 16MM PRINT 1-26-1960. Premiering on You Tube for the second time.
“”MALAGA” aka “MOMENT OF DANGER” – Plot Summary A jewel thief pulls off a big heist, stabs his partner in the back, dumps his girlfriend and and goes on the run with the loot. The girlfriend teams up with his partner to go after him.
Starring, Trevor Howard, Dorothy Dandridge, Edmund Purdom; Michael Hordern…”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fmRWj174Wc
Suddenly (1954) | Full Movie | Frank Sinatra | Sterling Hayden | James Gleason | Nancy Gates
‘Watch Suddenly (1954) Full Movie on The Film Detective. Frank Sinatra is unforgettable as a psychotic war veteran whose goal is to assassinate the president! As John Baron, Sinatra and his henchmen take over a house near the train station, holding the family hostage while waiting for the president’s train to arrive. Baron is good with a gun and has the perfect vantage point. All he has to do is keep a cool head. But can he? This cold-blooded thriller from director Lewis Allen (The Uninvited) feels as savage as it did decades ago when the New York Times called Sinatra’s performance, “a melodramatic tour de force.”’
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950 James Cagney Crime, Film-Noir, Thriller)
“Starring James Cagney, directed by Gordon Douglas, produced by William Cagney and based on the novel by Horace McCoy. The film was banned in Ohio as “a sordid, sadistic presentation of brutality and an extreme presentation of crime with explicit steps in commission.”
Supporting Cagney are Luther Adler as a crooked lawyer, and Ward Bond and Barton MacLane as two crooked cops.”
Mr. Soft Touch Full Movie (1949) | Glenn Ford and Evelyn Keyes Romantic Full Movie
“When he learns that a gangster has taken over his nightclub and murdered his partner, returning WW2 hero Joe Miracle steals the money from the club’s safe and hides in a settlement home, while the mob is on his tail.
Stars: Glenn Ford, Evelyn Keyes, John Ireland
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041663/”
Sherlock Holmes in New York 1976 DVDRip x264
“In this mystery, Sherlock Holmes pursues his archenemy Professor James Moriarty to New York City, in which the villainous scoundrel has carried out the ultimate bank robbery…
Stars: Roger Moore, John Huston, Patrick Macnee
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075208/ ”
Beware, My Lovely (1952 film noir Drama Crime film)
“A psychopath on the run takes a job as a handyman at the house of a lonely war widow.
Stars: Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, Taylor Holmes
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044417/”
SNOOP SISTERS 1972 / Helen Hayes & Mildred Natwick / Complete Episode
“Female Instinct” was the pilot episode for the series. It aired on 12/18/72.
Cast includes: Art Carney, Jill Clayburgh, Paulette Goddard, Craig Stevens, Fritz Weaver, Ed Platt , Charlie Callas, Ed Flanders and Bill Dana.
Home Invasion – Full Movie has some ads
“After a woman kills a home invasion robber in self-defense, his vengeful girlfriend befriends her at a crime victim support group and sets about trying to destroy her life.
Stars: Haylie Duff, Lisa Sheridan, Jason Brooks
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1843171/?ref_=tt_sims_tt”
Lake City (Full Movie) Crime Drama Drugs. Sissy Spacek
“A desperate young man, on the run from a dangerous drug dealer, returns to his mother, years after a family tragedy drove them far apart, to hide. However, his old and new life are about to collide.
Directed by Hunter Hill | Perry Moore
2008
Starring Sissy Spacek, Drea de Matteo, Rebecca Romijn, Troy Garity, Dave Matthews, Keith Carradine”
Teenage Bank Heist – Full Movie short ads
“Starring: Maeve Quinlan, Abbie Cobb, Cassi Thomson, Augie Duke & Davida Williams
Cassie works as a teller at the bank where her mother is the branch manager. When the bank is robbed, Cassie is taken hostage. She soon finds out that the bank robbers are teenage girls, one of whom is her best friend, Abbie. In this propulsive real time, ticking clock thriller, as the girls are on the run from the police, we learn that the real motivation behind the robbery is something unexpected.”
WAR
The Bridge on the River Kwai 1957 Alec Guinness Full Movie HD
“British POWs are forced to build a railway bridge across the river Kwai for their Japanese captors, not knowing that the allied forces are planning to destroy it.”
The Wild Geese (1978)
The Wild Geese , Richard Burton, Roger Moore & Richard Harris
“A British banker hires a group of British mercenaries to rescue a deposed African President from the hands of a corrupt African dictator.
Director: Andrew V. McLaglen
Writers: Reginald Rose (screenplay), Daniel Carney (novel)
Stars: Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078492/”
Escape to Athena | Full HD Movies For Free | Flick Vault
“A World War II adventure, involving a group of Allied P.O.W.s, Nazis, black market priceless art treasures, Greek resistance, a Greek monastery, and a secret German rocket base.
Director: George P. Cosmatos
Writers: Edward Anhalt (screenplay), Richard S. Lochte (screenplay) | 2 more credits »
Stars: Roger Moore, Telly Savalas, David Niven
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079117/”
Shout At The Devil 1976 Lee Marvin & Roger Moore
“During World War I, a British aristocrat, an American entrepreneur, and the latter’s attractive young daughter, set out to destroy a German battlecruiser, which is awaiting repairs in an inlet just off Zanzibar.
Stars: Lee Marvin, Roger Moore, Barbara Parkins
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075214/?ref_=tt_sims_tt”
North Sea Hijack (1980) Full Movie
“When terrorists take over two oil rigs, and threaten to blow them up if their demands are not met, an eccentric anti-terrorism expert volunteers his unique commando unit to stop them.
Stars: Roger Moore, James Mason, Anthony Perkins
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081809/”
Desperate Moment (Dirk Bogarde) (1953)
“Simon Van Halder (Sir Dirk Bogarde) is accused of murdering a British soldier during post-World War II mayhem. His girlfriend works on his behalf to expose the true villain.
Director: Compton Bennett
Writers: Martha Albrand (novel), George H. Brown (screenplay) | 1 more credit »
Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Mai Zetterling, Philip Friend
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045681/”
THE AMBASSADOR (1984) Robert Mitchum
“An American ambassador to Israel tries to bring peace to the Middle East conflict through unconventional methods, but his efforts are hampered at every turn and his personal life threatened.
Stars: Robert Mitchum, Ellen Burstyn, Rock Hudson
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086884/”
The Years Between (1946 British Drama film)
“The Years Between (1946) is a British film directed by Compton Bennett and starring Michael Redgrave, Valerie Hobson and Flora Robson in an adaptation of the 1945 play The Years Between by Daphne du Maurier. It was shot at the Riverside Studios.
Premise
The film charts the homecoming of a British MI6 officer, who had been working with the French Resistance and was presumed dead. His wife is about to marry again, and to become an MP, and all must now readjust to the new situation.”
The Last Hit (1993) Bryan Brown | Brooke Adams – Thriller HD
“An elite soldier of fortune tries to break free of his old life and retire in peace but the powers that be won’t let him go quietly.”
Midnight Man (1997) Rob Lowe
“British soldiers force a recently captured IRA terrorist to cooperate with them and then assign him to go undercover with a gang of terrorists and prevent them from killing the U.S. President. But the spy isn’t in long before he realizes that the first plot is but a ruse for a more sinister scheme that could result in trouble between China and Great Britain.
—Ørnås
Stars: Rob Lowe, Kenneth Cranham, Deborah Moore
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113002/”
Mercenaries | Full Action Movie short ads
“**This film is under license from The Asylum. All rights reserved**
Mercenaries – The President’s daughter is captured and imprisoned while touring a war zone, so a team of elite female commandos is assembled to infiltrate a women’s prison for a daring rescue.
2014
Stars: Zoë Bell, Kristanna Loken, Vivica A. Fox, Brigitte Nielsen”
WESTERN
Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (Full Movie, Western, HD, English, Entire Film) *free full westerns*
“In 1909, when young Paiute Indian Willie Boy returns to his California reservation to be with Lola, whose father disapproves of him, a killing in self defense takes place, triggering a massive man hunt for Willie.
Based on true events, Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here, tells the story of one of the last Western manhunts, in 1909. Willie Boy, a Native American, kills his girlfriend’s father in self defense, and the two go on the run, pursued by a search posse led by Sheriff Christopher Cooper.
Director: Abraham Polonsky
Writers: Harry Lawton (book), Abraham Polonsky
Stars: Robert Redford, Katharine Ross, Robert Blake”
“Sugar Colt – Spaghetti Western – In order to avenge a friend and to fulfill his last wish, Rocco has to find out what happened to an army corps that has mysteriously disappeared.
Sugar Colt (1966)
Director: Franco Giraldi
Writers: Sandro Continenza (screenplay), Sandro Continenza (story)
Stars: Jack Betts, Soledad Miranda, Giuliano Raffaelli
Genres: Comedy | Romance | Western”
INSPIRATIONAL
A Rumor of Angels – Full Movie – short ads
“Still grieving the tragic death of his mother, young James (Trevor Morgan) is sent to stay with his Uncle Charlie (Ron Livingston) on the Maine coast, where he meets an eccentric old woman (Vanessa Redgrave) who will change his life forever.”
The Good Student (Full Movie), Hayden Panettiere
“An unpopular high school teacher turns his life around after a student is kidnapped. TV version
Director: David Ostry; Writer: Adam Targum
2006
Stars: Tim Daly, Hayden Panettiere, John Gallager Jr., William Sadler, Dan Hadaya, Sarah Steele”
4 Minute Mile (2014)
One Square Mile (original title) other title The Athletic Boy short ads
“A former track coach decides to train a student with natural athletic talent. Tragedy strikes, forcing the student to confront everything that has been holding him back.
Stars: Kelly Blatz, Richard Jenkins, Kim Basinger
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2217895/”
Containment – Full Movie – short ads
“AKA: “Toxic Skies”
Starring: Anne Heche, James Tupper & Tobias Slezak
A respected virologist and a mysterious renegade race to find a cure for the deadly virus that’s spreading across the country like wildfire in this thriller reuniting Men in Trees co-stars Anne Heche and James Tupper on the big screen. Driven by a past tragedy that still haunts her years later, Dr. Tess Martin (Heche) discovers Jack Bowen (Tupper) is the one man capable of bringing the outbreak to an end, and convinces him to aid her in saving humanity from a devastating plague”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFkvU6xeGQw&t=1s
She Sings to the Stars | AWARD WINNING | Mystery Movie | Drama | Free Movie
“Free Mystery Movie: She Sings to the Stars – Sci-Fi Movie – The endless desert. A Native American grandmother lives alone tending her corn. Her half-Mexican grandson and a white, aging magician are stranded.
She Sings to the Stars (2015)
Director: Jennifer Corcoran
Writer: Jennifer Corcoran
Stars: Larry Cedar, Fannie Loretto, Jesus Mayorga
Genre: Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi
HORROR, SCI-FI
Embryo (1976) Rock Hudson- Horror, Sci-Fi Full Length Movie
“From Embryo to woman in 4 and a half weeks!
A scientist doing experiments on a human fetus discovers a method to accelerate the fetus into a mature adult in just a few days. However, the “adult” fetus turns into a homicidal psycho and looks for a new formula to prevent her from aging further.
Director: Ralph Nelson
Writers: Anita Doohan, Jack W. Thomas
Stars: Rock Hudson, Barbara Carrera, Diane Ladd”
Snow Beast (2011) | Full Movie | John Schneider | Danielle C. Ryan | Paul D. Hunt | Kari Hawker-Diaz
“People disappear every year out in the Canadian wilderness – however, this year is different. This year something is increasing the body count. Jim (‘John Schneider’) and his research team trek into the Canadian wilderness to study the Canadian Lynx every year. However, this year is different. The Lynx are missing. In fact most of the wildlife is missing; Jim and his team, including his rebellious daughter Emmy (Danielle C. Ryan), seek to find out why. As they conduct their study, something is stalking them. Something not human. Something that no prey can escape…including human prey! While the research team is trying to find out why the lynx have disappeared, the local ranger (‘Jason London’) is searching for the answer to what is making tourist disappear; even if it the last thing he ever does… and it is.
DOCUMENTARY
Naomi Klein The Shock Doctrine
The Shock Doctrine – the rise of disaster capitalism – 2009- documentary
“An investigation of “disaster capitalism”, based on Naomi Klein’s proposition that neo-liberal capitalism feeds on natural disasters, war and terror to establish its dominance.
Directors: Mat Whitecross, Michael Winterbottom”
– (QESP Editor’s Note: If anyone has a favourite old film to share, send the link to me at tedsmillie@yahoo.com . Thanks, Ted )
HUMOUR
America’s Got Talent Ventriloquist Winner Still In Las Vegas. Earphones Loud. JPS
The Terry Fator Vegas
http://www.rulesdontapply.com/fator.htm
Politics Joke
Son: “Dad, I have to do a special report for school. Can I ask you a question?”
Father: “Sure son. What’s the question?”
Son: “What is Politics?”
Father: “Well, let’s take our home for an example. I am the wage earner, so let’s call me “Capitalism”. your mother is the administrator of money, so we’ll call her “Government”. We take care of your need, so let’s call you “The People”. We’ll call the maid “The Working Class” and your little brother, we can call “The Future”. Do you understand son?
Son: “I’m not really sure, dad. I’ll have to think about it.”
That night awakened by his brother’s crying, the boy went to see what was wrong. Discovering that the baby had seriously soiled his diaper, the boy went to his parents’ room and found his mother sound asleep. He went to the maid’s room, where, peeking through the keyhole, he saw his father in bed with the maid. The boy’s knocking went totally unheeded by his father and the maid, so the boy returned to his room and went back to sleep. The next morning he reported to his father.
Son: “Dad, now I think I understand what politics is.”
Father: “Good son! Can you explain it to me in your own words?”
Son: “Well Dad, while Capitalism is screwing the Working Class, Government is sound asleep, the People are being completely ignored and the Future is full of shit.”
http://www.it.murdoch.edu.au/~sudweeks/jokes/bottomright.html
What phone does Queen Elizabeth II use?
https://www.quora.com/
David Sun
“She apparently typically uses landline phones, but she was given a mobile ‘phone by the Duke of York in 2001 & was taught how to use it by her grandsons. She has banned the use of mobile phones by servants on duty, as she feels that their use disturbs the peace.
A hilarious anecdote about her landline, though —
“LONDON – Princely pranksters William and Harry have been accused of recording a bogus message on Queen Elizabeth II’s answering machine.
The pair were asked for help by their regal gran when she was baffled by the technology.
But she was reported to be mortified when she heard the end result.
‘Hey wassup!’ their message said. ‘This is Liz. Sorry I’m away from the throne.’
‘For a hotline to Philip, press one. For Charles, press two,’ the recording continued. ‘And for the corgies, press three.’
According to The Daily Star, the Queen saw the funny side later when she thought about which VIPs might have heard the message.
But her private secretary was not so amused.
The paper says he almost fell off his chair the first time one of his calls was put through to the voicemail.”
http://www.foxnews.com/story/2007/03/06/wassup-princes-pull-phone-prank-on-queen-elizabeth-ii.html
EDIT: Some people didn’t like the above source, so here is one from the BBC:
The Princes Punk the Queen; No Nudity For Daniel Craig? | BBC America
Thanks Miloslav Divis.”
POLITICS
Not Just Careless: Australian weapons part turns up on Armenian battlefield
by Michelle Fahy | Jan 5, 2021 | Government
“How did an Australian-made transponder, a key part of drone technology, end up in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan where human rights abuses are prolific? Michelle Fahy investigates the murky trail of the drone bit and the cagey response of the Defence establishment from DFAT to DoD to Minister Marise Payne.”
https://www.michaelwest.com.au/australian-weapons-part-on-armenian-battlefield/
The death of democracy in Brazil
Michael Fox January 5, 2021
Issue 1293 Brazil
https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/death-democracy-brazil
China enters 2021 a stronger, more influential power — and Australia may feel the squeeze even more
January 4, 2021
James Laurenceson, Director and Professor, Australia-China Relations Institute (ACRI), University of Technology Sydney
Disclosure statement
James Laurenceson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
” As China’s influence and economic strength grows, it is unlikely to give middle powers like Australia more latitude to manage their relations with both Beijing and Washington.”
https://theconversation.cmail19.com/t/r-l-juhkdhdy-ihihuyyuhh-d/
Guaranteed Job? Radical idea to combat automation, alienation gathers momentum
by Callum Foote | Dec 23, 2020 | Economy & Markets
“A maverick Liberal MP crossed the floor of a state parliament this year to help the push for a Job Guarantee. Callum Foote and Michael West report on the radical political outcome in Tasmania to tackle rising systemic unemployment, and the economic case behind it, MMT.”
SCIENCE
AI Solves Schrödinger’s Equation, a Fundamental Problem in Quantum Chemistry
SciTechDaily
January 2, 2021
‘Scientists at Germany’s Freie Universität Berlin (FU) have developed a deep learning artificial intelligence (AI) technique for calculating the ground state of the Schrödinger equation in quantum chemistry. FU’s Jan Hermann said, “We believe that deep ‘Quantum Monte Carlo’, the approach we are proposing, could be equally, if not more successful [than functional theory]. It offers unprecedented accuracy at a still acceptable computational cost.” The FU team’s deep neural network is a novel approach for representing electronic wave functions, capable of learning the intricate patterns in which electrons surround nuclei by incorporating the functions’ antisymmetry, or “Pauli’s exclusion principle.” FU’s Frank Noé said, “Building the fundamental physics into the AI is essential for its ability to make meaningful predictions in the field. This is really where scientists can make a substantial contribution to AI, and exactly what my group is focused on.” ‘
https://orange.hosting.lsoft.com/trk/click?ref=znwrbbrs9_6-28bedx32721cx097499&
Ph.D. Candidate Uses Comic Strips to Teach Coding
University of Waterloo Cheriton School of Computer Science (Canada)
December 16, 2020
Ph.D. candidate Sangho Suh and colleagues at Canada’s University of Waterloo Cheriton School of Computer Science taught coding to novice programmers using comic strips. The Cheriton team first studied how to design coding strips, identifying programming concepts and creating strips to formulate the design process; it then created a design board or canvas, with five sections corresponding to the steps in the design process. Design workshops with undergraduate and graduate students and high school science teachers followed. Cheriton’s Edith Law said, “Participants praised the potential of coding strips to engage, motivate, and interest students in learning to code.”
https://orange.hosting.lsoft.com/trk/click?ref=znwrbbrs9_6-28926x3270bex098650&
Free Tool Adds Layer of Security for Software Supply Chain
New York University Tandon School of Engineering
December 14, 2020
An open source tool developed by New York University (NYU) Tandon School of Engineering researchers could safeguard the software supply chain against cyberattacks. The tool, called in-toto, works like blockchain for the software development process to ensure all steps performed on a piece of software throughout its design and development lifecycle can be trusted, by providing information crucial to security. The researchers said their experiments show in-toto could have prevented at least 83% of real-life software supply chain compromises affecting millions of users last year. NYU Tandon’s Santiago Torres-Arias said, “As it moves from development to testing to packaging, and finally to distribution, a piece of software passes through a number of hands. By requiring that each step in this chain conforms to the layout specified by the developer, it confirms to the end-user that the product has not been altered for malicious purposes, such as by adding backdoors in the source code.”
https://orange.hosting.lsoft.com/trk/click?ref=znwrbbrs9_6-2887cx326eedx098396&
Medicare can be inefficient and rewards providers for performing unnecessary services, according to most comprehensive review in almost 40 years
By political reporter Stephanie Dalzell
“The Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) task force has been examining the scheme for five years and, its final report to Health Minister Greg Hunt, looked at how the system could be changed to improve health outcomes for patients”
COVID-19
Drug may boost vaccine responses in older adults
A preliminary study shows that a drug which helps immune cells self-clean may improve vaccine protection in older adults.
https://elifesciences.org/for-the-press/8bb8f2f5/drug-may-boost-vaccine-responses-in-older-adults
The virus could well be a stage in human history rather than a one-off crisis
BY: GUY RUNDLE JANUARY 4, 2021
https://mail.yahoo.com/d/folders/1/messages/76925?.intl=au&.lang=en-AU&.partner=none&.src=fp
QESP Blog
(QESP Editor’s Note: MARIA POPOVA discusses James Gleick and others on how the 1664 plague deaths in London contributed to “The Greatest Leap in Science” by Isaac Newton. What lessons can we learn from this as we deal with COVID in 2021?)
Standing on the Shoulders of Solitude: Newton, the Plague, and How Quarantine Fomented the Greatest Leap in Science
“Truth is the offspring of silence and meditation.”
BY MARIA POPOVA
“There, in solitude and isolation, as the plague continued its deadly sweep, Isaac Newton (December 25, 1642–March 19, 1727) dreamt up the fulcrum that would dislodge humanity from the Dark Ages; there, the apple — real or apocryphal — fell, and in its shadow rose the revolutionary idea of gravity, which the young man envisioned as a force “extending to the orb of the Moon” all the way from the Earth, without “cutoff or boundary.” It was there, too, that he set out to compute that force, “requisite to keep the Moon in her Orb with the force of gravity at the surface of the earth”; in the act of computing it, as a necessity of that act, he invented calculus.”
https://www.brainpickings.org/2020/04/06/newton-plague/
Events
ACOSM 2020: Responsible Business Conduct
ACOSM 2020 has been postponed due to COVID-19. A new date will be advised when the restrictions have been lifted.
Quotes
Quote of the Day
“Land on Mars, a round-trip ticket – half a million dollars. It can be done.” – Elon Musk (reported to be the World’s Richest Person in 2021.)
Quote from Yesteryear
“Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies.” – Groucho Marx
Ted Smillie
QESP Chair