#Joe Saade

[cristalconnors]

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Shortlisted: About Dry Grasses / All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt / De Humani Corporis Fabrica / Queens of the Qing Dynasty / Stonewalling / The Taste of Things

THE NOMINEES ARE:

ALL OF US STRANGERS

Cinematography by Jamie D. Ramsay

GODLAND

Cinematography by Maria von Hausswolff

JOYLAND

Cinematography by Joe Saade

THE ZONE OF INTEREST

Cinematography by Łukasz Żal

AND THE CRISTAL GOES TO...

PACIFICTION

Cinematography by Artur Tort

[onenakedfarmer]

Get a second mortgage on your double wide. Sell your kids for scientific experiments. Do you really need both kidneys? 

Jesus commands you to do your part. Will you betray Jesus for Crooked Joe Biden?

[mariacallous]

The Biden administration is on the cusp of entering an ill-advised bilateral agreement with Saudi Arabia. The deal would undermine larger U.S. strategic aims for the Middle East and global order. It could also pose dangerous political risks for President Joe Biden.

Washington and Riyadh are reportedly close to finalizing a pact that would see the United States provide security guarantees for Saudi Arabia and assist in the development of its civilian nuclear program. Supporters of the arrangement maintain that it will enhance regional security by bolstering the U.S.-led alliance in the Middle East against Iran, checking the rising influence of China in the Arab world, and facilitating the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Yet those alleged benefits are either overstated or patently false.

Meanwhile, the potential harms of a Saudi-U.S. deal—which include revived Saudi military adventurism, the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Persian Gulf, hits to Washington’s global credibility, and further divisions within the Democratic Party ahead of the U.S. presidential election—outweigh any possible benefits for either the Biden administration or international security.

Proponents of the prospective enhanced security agreement argue that it is necessary to deter Iranian aggression. The extent of the security arrangement remains under negotiation, though U.S. officials have indicated that it would likely include formal U.S. defense guarantees and access to more advanced U.S. weapons for Saudi Arabia, potentially including F-35 fighter jets. Reporting suggests that the deal would fall short of a NATO-style pact, however.

Regardless of its specifics, a new Saudi-U.S. security deal is of dubious geopolitical value to the United States. Saudi Arabia has—and continues—to benefit from many decades of U.S. arms sales as well as military and diplomatic assistance. The United States has more than $100 billion in active foreign military sales to the kingdom, according to the State Department. Existing U.S. support for Saudi Arabia places significant constraints on Iranian actions; Tehran knows that if it were to engage in open warfare with Riyadh, it would likely face a regime-threatening response from Washington. Simply put: The deterrent already exists.

What a new U.S. security agreement would do, however, is reward the reckless behavior of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler. Mohammed bin Salman has flouted international norms and destabilized the Middle East with (among other actions) his disastrous military intervention in Yemen, temporary detention of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, blockade against U.S.-allied Qatar, and murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Unprecedented U.S. support could further encourage Mohammed bin Salman’s predilection for reckless military adventurism. After years of escalating tensions between his country and Iran, fueled in part large by their support for opposing factions in the Yemeni civil war, the Saudi government negotiated a cease-fire with the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen in 2022 and normalized relations with Tehran a year later. Although the frosty détente between the two countries has thus far persisted, Riyadh remains concerned about the military activities of Iran and its allies. A new Saudi-U.S. pact might embolden the crown prince to again attack Iranian allies using U.S. weapons.

A new Saudi-U.S. pact would also increase the chance that U.S. forces are drawn into the region’s violence—especially if Riyadh and Washington have signed a defense pact.

Advocates of a new Saudi-U.S. deal additionally argue that the combination of strengthened security ties and U.S. assistance for developing civilian nuclear power in Saudi Arabia would help to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The former carrot, they say, would assuage the Saudi government’s security concerns and thus its sense of need for nuclear arms; the latter would place Saudi nuclear facilities under U.S. oversight.

Yet such steps would undoubtedly raise Iran’s threat perception, thereby increasing its own incentives to develop a nuclear weapon as a deterrent. And once in possession of nuclear power, it is far more likely that Riyadh could develop a nuclear weapon of its own if it were determined to do so. Saudi-U.S. plans thus increase the risk of a nuclear arms race in the Persian Gulf by stoking Iranian fears and providing Saudi Arabia with key components for nuclear weapons.

Proponents of a Saudi-U.S. agreement also maintain that it will check the rising influence of China in Saudi Arabia—and the wider Arab world. There may be a modicum of truth to this proposition: U.S. officials have indicated that a deal would include Saudi pledges to freeze purchases of Chinese weapons and limit Chinese investments in the kingdom.

Such an agreement would not, however, change the fact that, for years now, China has been both the largest export and import partner of Saudi Arabia. It would also not prevent the Saudi royals from diplomatically engaging with Beijing as they see fit to pursue Saudi national interests. And while additional defense agreements may extend Washington’s influence in Saudi Arabia, they would also reinforce the prevailing order, where the United States is on the hook for the steep costs of maintaining the faltering security of the Persian Gulf while China operates as a free rider.

A Saudi-U.S. deal has likewise been presented as part of a potential grand bargain with Israel, wherein the United States extends defense and nuclear assistance to Riyadh in exchange for the normalization of Israeli-Saudi relations. This would advance long-standing U.S. aims of Arab-Israeli détente and bolster the region’s anti-Iranian alliance.

Yet there is no urgent need to formalize Israeli-Saudi relations. A de facto peace and anti-Iran alliance between the two countries has now lasted for years—and persisted in the face of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. In the near term, Israeli-Saudi normalization appears increasingly remote, as the Israeli government evinces little interest in pursuing a two-state solution with the Palestinians, while Riyadh has upheld the need for Israeli support for a Palestinian state as a component for any Saudi recognition of Israel.

Ignored by proponents of a Saudi-U.S. agreement is the notion that U.S. support for the Saudi dictatorship undercuts Washington’s ability to marshal international support for vital causes such as the defense of Ukraine against Russian aggression.

Mohammed bin Salman has behaved as a mini version of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In Yemen, the Saudi crown prince militarily invaded his neighbor and subjected civilians to years of fatal bombings and famine; farther abroad, he has assassinated or forced the disappearance of ideological opponents; at home, he has repressed the civil rights of Saudi citizens and conducted mass executions of political prisoners.

Yet the United States offers to lavish the Saudi monarchy with advanced arms and technology. Many people around the world, particularly in the global south, are reticent to join the United States in just causes such as aiding Ukraine because of the unevenness of U.S. support for self-determination and human rights in the Middle East.

Finally, a Saudi-U.S. deal would assist former U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign to return to the White House in what is expected to be a tight race against Biden this fall. Biden and his allies have, with justification, argued that Trump threatens the U.S.-led liberal world order; Trump, for example, suggested in February that he may not come to the defense of some NATO members if they do not up their dues to the alliance.

To block that threat, Biden needs to win reelection. But backing Riyadh is a loser in U.S. politics; for more than two decades, a majority of Americans have held an unfavorable view of Saudi Arabia, according to polling, and roughly 3 in 5 Americans oppose committing U.S. soldiers to defending Saudi Arabia in exchange for a normalization of Israeli-Saudi relations. Biden would receive few impactful accolades for a Saudi-U.S. deal, but he could face significant opposition from Americans who are hostile toward Saudi Arabia for reasons ranging from the Yemen War and oil prices to human rights and allegations surrounding the 9/11 terror attacks.

If Senate approval is required for a Saudi-U.S. agreement, divisions among Democrats would be further deepened and publicly displayed. When he ran in the Democratic primary for the presidential nomination in 2019, Biden publicly declared that he would make Saudi Arabia a “pariah,” knowing this pledge would be popular with voters. Many Democrats have been dismayed by Biden’s subsequent rapprochement with the kingdom, and it is highly likely that some Democratic senators would oppose a defense and nuclear agreement with Riyadh. Republicans would also have an opportunity to embarrass Biden, as a successful vote is not guaranteed; a failed attempt to pass the deal would contribute to the Republican Party’s narrative that Biden is an ineffective leader.

If the agreement passes—and rewards the authoritarianism and militarism of the Saudi monarchy—it would be an additional obstacle for Biden in his efforts to secure the support of important Democratic voting blocs, including Arab, Muslim, left-leaning, and younger Americans, especially if the deal appears to benefit Israel at the expense of Palestinians. In a close contest, every vote—and campaign donation—matters.

For the sake of the international order that it seeks to uphold, the Biden administration should abandon the fool’s errand of a new Saudi-U.S. bilateral agreement.

[warningsine]

Director: Saim Sadiq, DoP: Joe Saade

[reel-drone]

If Joshua Picked the Oscars

Best Picture of The Year : Tár

For notable

Direction: Todd Field

Writing: Todd Field

Performance(s): Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss, & Noémie Merlant

Cinematography: Florian Hoffmeister

Editing: Monika Willi

Best Director

WINNER: Moneyboys by C. B. Yi

RUNNERS-UP:

Charlotte Wells for Aftersun

Kristoffer Borgli for Sick of Myself

Jerzy Skolimowski for EO 

Luca Guadagnino for Bones and All

Best Actor

WINNER: Eden Dambrine in Close

RUNNER UPs

Colin Farrell in After Yang

Cosmo Jarvis in It Is In Us All

Kai Ko in Moneyboys

Paul Mescal in Aftersun

Best Actress

WINNER: Kristine Thorpe in Sick of Myself

RUNNERS-UP

Kayije Kagame in Saint Omer

Guslagie Malanda in Saint Omer

Françoise Lebrun in Vortex

Mia Goth in Pearl

Best Original Screenplay

WINNER: Charlotte Wells for Aftersun

RUNNERS-UP:

Kristoffer Borgli for Sick of Myself

Saul Williams for Neptune Frost

C.B. Yi for Moneyboys

Laura Paredes & Laura Citarella for Trenque Lauquen

Best Adapted Screenplay

WINNER: David Kajganich for Bones and All

RUNNERS-UP:

Jerzy Skolimowski and Ewa Piaskowska for EO

Andrew Litvack, Léa Mysius, and Claire Denis for Stars at Noon

Kogonada for After Yang

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Best Score

WINNER: Athena by Benoit Heitz (GENER8ION)

Best Song of 2022 (Featured in a Movie) 

WINNER: Stars at Noon by Tindersticks

Best Editing of 2022

WINNER: After Yang (dir. Kogonada)

RUNNER UPS

Bret Morgen for Moonage Daydream

Blair McClendon for Aftersun

Paul Rogers for Everything Everywhere All At Once

Agnieszka Glińska for EO

Best Cinematography of 2022

WINNER (TIE): Athena (by Matias Boucard) and EO (by Michal Dymek)

RUNNERS-UP:

Joyland (by Joe Saade)

Moneyboys (by Jean-Louis Uialard)

Close  (By Frank van den Eeden)

Neptune Frost (by Anisia Uzeyman)

Best Sound of 2022

WINNER: Kyle Edward Ball for Skinamarink 

Best Short Live Action Film

WINNER: Tremor by Rudolf Fitzgerald-Leonard

RUNNER UP: Starfuckers by Antonio Marziale

Best Short Documentary Film 

WINNER: Will You Look At Me? by Huang Shuli

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

WINNER: Justin H. Min (in After Yang)

RUNNERS-UP:

Bai Yufan (in Moneyboys)

Sami Slimane (in Athena) 

Gustav De Waele (in Close)

Pablo Schils in Tori & Lokita

Best Actress in a Supporting Role 

WINNER: Alina Khan (in Joyland) 

RUNNERS-UP:

Hong Chau (in The Whale)

Charlbi Dean Kriek (in Triangle of Sadness)

Dolly De Leon (in Triangle of Sadness)

Stephanie Hsu in Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Documentary of The Year

WINNER: Moonage Daydream

RUNNERS-UP

All The Beauty and the Bloodshed

The Fire Within

Best Costume and Production Design

WINNER: Neptune Frost

Best Horror Film

WINNER: Terrifier 2

RUNNERS-UP

Skinamarink

Pearl

You Won’t Be Alone

The Outwaters

[igotopinions]

Books I Read in 2023

* = Re-read

Check out past years: 2012, 2013 (skipped), 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018,  2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Follow me on Goodreads to get these reviews as they happen. 1) A Book of Blades: Rogues in the House Presents edited by L.D. Whitney This book, assembled by the great guys behind the premier podcast in the genre, is an excellent way to sample a breadth of contemporary Sword & Sorcery fiction! My favorite story was "The Blood of Old Shard" by John R. Fultz, with Scott Oden and Howard Andrew Jones' tales close behind, and there were no duds in the mix. "The Blood..." really surprised me with a heart and inventiveness which the opening doesn't give away yet, you realize upon finishing, deftly sets up. 2) Fires of Azeroth by C.J. Cherryh Left my big ol’ spoiler-laden review on Goodreads for ya. 3) Black Paper: Writing in a Dark Time by Teju Cole 4) The Citadel of Forgotten Myths by Michael Moorcock *5) Neuromancer by William Gibson 6) The Expert System's Brother by Adrian Tchaikovsky 7) The Expert System’s Champion by Adrian Tchaikovsky I confess I finished the first book in this series having enjoyed myself, but wondering if I'd remember what I'd read a year from now. I don't have that concern with its follow-up. Tchaikovsky has enriched the world he set up in the first installment quite nicely, and I hope I get to explore it further in a third. 8) Old Moon Quarterly: Issue 3 9) Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner 10) The Gurkha and the Lord of Tuesday by Saad Z. Hossain 11) The Dreamthief's Daughter: A Tale of the Albino by Michael Moorcock 12) Cinema Speculation by Quentin Tarantino Do you think you’d enjoy hearing Tarantino discuss mainly his childhood and adolescence re: movies that meant a lot to him during that period? Congrats, this is extremely that. It could not be more that. 13) The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe 14) Consider This: Moments in My Writing Life After Which Everything Was Different by Chuck Palahniuk Roughly 70/30 instructional / biographical. Has a lot of good advice, focusing on a more literary mode than classic genre stylings, all in a voice and coming from a place any Palahniuk fan will be familiar with (I would have been stunned NOT to find something like the "Voice of Authority" snippet in a writing book by Palahniuk). Entertaining and providing what mostly felt like useful, actionable advice, I'd say it can be handy for writers who aren't knowledgeable of the author's works, but knowing at least a couple of his books can help contextualize his advice so you can determine which parts are right for you or not. 15) Death Angel's Shadow by Karl Edward Wagner 16) Night Winds by Karl Edward Wagner 17) Wyngraf Issue #1 Edited by Nathaniel Webb 18) Rakefire and Other Stories by Jason Ray Carney 19) The White Lion by Scott Oden 20) Werner's Nomenclature of Colours: Adapted to Zoology, Botany, Chemistry, Mineralogy, Anatomy, and the Arts by Patrick Syme, Abraham Gottlob Werner (Illustrator) 21) Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin 22) Lord of a Shattered Land by Howard Andrew Jones *23) Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer 24) Authority by Jeff VanderMeer 25) Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer *26) The Sailor on the Seas of Fate by Michael Moorcock 27) Kundo Wakes Up by Saad Z. Hossain 28) Swords in the Shadows, Edited by Cullen Bunn 29) The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi 30) Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein 31) The Encyclopedia of Amazons: Women Warriors from Antiquity to the Modern Era by Jessica Amanda Salmonson 32) New Edge Sword & Sorcery #1, Edited by Oliver Brackenbury 33) New Edge Sword & Sorcery #2, Edited by Oliver Brackenbury 34) A Book of Blades: Volume II: Rogues in the House Podcast Presents, Edited by L.D. Whitney 35) Old Moon Quarterly: Issue 4, Spring 2023: A Magazine of Dark Fantasy and Sword and Sorcery, Edited by OMQ 36) The Wingspan of Severed Hands by Joe Koch 37) The Sword of Rhiannon by Leigh Brackett 38) Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle 39) Old Moon Quarterly: Issue 5, Edited by OMQ STATS Non-Fiction: 6 Fiction: 33 Poetry Collections: 0 Comic Trades: 0 Wrote Myself: 2

[rockhyrax]

Spectacle Radio ep.100 :: 05.11.23 :: It's horrible, I love it, what is it?

Slava Tsukerman - Liquid Sky (1982) Main Titles from Quartier Mozart (Jean-Pierre Bekolo, 1992) Tokyo Kid Brothers - I kind of hate my father (Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets // Shuji Terayama, 1971) De Kalafe e a Turma - Guerra (Awakening of the Beast // Joes Moijica Marins, 1970) Stelvio Cipriani - Week-end with Mary (Femina Ridens // Piero Schivazappa, 1969) Nicola Piovani - Main Titles from Footprints on the Moon (Luigi Bazzoni, 1975) - Michael Nyman - Squaline Fallaize (The Falls // Peter Greenaway, 1980) Zdeněk Liška - The Deadly Invention (Karel Zeman, 1958) Andrzej Korsynski - Main Titles from The Devil (Andrzej Zulawski, 1972) Vangelis - Entends Tu Les Chiens Aboyer (Do You Hear the Dogs Barking? // François Reichenbach, 1975)

Stelvio Cipriani - La Polizia Chiede Aiuto #4 (Massimo Dallamano, 1974) Rheingold - FanFanFanatisch (Der Fan // Eckhart Schmidt, 1982) Þeyr - Rúdólf (Rokk Í Reykjavík, 1982) Jean-Michel Jarre - Zoolook (Remix) (Magic of the Universe // Tata Esteban, 1986) Westernhagen - Celebration (Supermarkt // Roland Klick, 1974) J.A. Seazer - Buddha Child (Pastoral: To Die in the Country // Shuji Terayama, 1974) Toru Takemitsu - End Titles from The Ruined Map (Hiroshi Teshigahara, 1968)

Michael Nyman - Castral Fallvernon (The Falls // Peter Greenaway, 1980) - Phil Oakley & Giorgio Moroder // Together In Electric Dreams (from Electric Dreams, 1984) Rheingold // Fan Fan Fantatisch (from Der Fan, 1982) Hiroyuki Onogawa // from August In the Water (1995) Chuck Cirino // from Chopping Mall (1986) Yuji Koseki // from Mothra (1961) Shintaro Katsu // Otento-san (theme from Tale of Zatoichi, 1962) music from Out 1 (1971) Hussein al-Iman // music from Anyab (1981) Anna Karina // Roller Girl (from Anna, 1967) Fabio Frizzi & Cricket // You Are Not the Same (from Contraband, 1980) Stardust Brothers // Crazy Game (from Legend of the Stardust Brothers, 1985) BED: theme from 300 (2006) slowed down x3 -

Simon Boswell - It’s Horrible, I Love it, What Is It? (Hardware, 1990) Method Man - Release Yo Self (Prodigy remix) (One Eight Seven, 1997) Shriekback - The Big Hush (Manhunter, 1986) Tangerine Dream - Teetering Scales (Miracle Mile, 1988) Sue Saad - Looker (Looker, 1981) Sheryl Lee Ralph feat. Cedella Marley & Sharon Marley Prendergast - The Mighty Quinn (The Mighty Quinn, 1989)

[lemondeabicyclette]

Aucun des invités de Joe Rogan (la ptite grosse pute de l'AIPAC) n'a critiqué Isra Hell. Qu'on se le dise. En québécois avec un accent. Gad, saad l'air que c'est un raciste qui est incapable de s'excuser. Qu'il mange un si haut de 💩. Stronzo. Un prof sioniste de Concordia.

[boxscorehockey]

2024-25 Alphabetical Fwds L-Z

Last Updated December 14

L’Heureux Zachary Lafreniere Alexis Laine Patrik Lambert Brad Landeskog Gabriel Lapierre Hendrix Lardis Nick Larkin Dylan Lekkerimaki Jonathan Leonard Ryan Leschyshyn Jake Letourneau Dean Lindholm Elias Lindstrom Cayden Lombardi Amadeus Luchanko Jett Lucius Chaz Ludwinski Paul Lund Cam Lundell Anton Maccelli Matias MacKinnon Nathan Malkin Evgeni Mangiapane Andrew Mantha Anthony Marchand Brad Marchenko Kirill Marchessault Jonathan Marner Mitch Masse' Maxim Matthews Auston Mazur Carter McCann Jared McDavid Connor McGroarty Rutger McMann Bobby McMichael Connor McTavish Mason Meier Timo Mercer Dawson Merkulov Georgi Mesar Filip Michkov Matvei Miettinen Julius Miller J.T. Minten Fraser Miroshnichenko Ivan Mittelstadt Casey Monahan Sean Moore Oliver Mustard John Musty Quentin Nadeau Bradly Nazar Frank Necas Martin Neighbours Jake Nelson Brock Newhook Alex Nichushkin Valeri Niederreiter Nino Noesen Stefan Norris Josh Nugent- Hopkins Ryan Nylander William Nyman Jani Nyquist Gustav O’Connor Drew O’Connor Logan O'Reilly Ryan Ohgren Liam Olausson Oskar Olofsson Victor Ostlund Noah Othmann Brennan Ovechkin Alexander Panarin Artemi Parascak Terik Parssinen Juuso Pastrnak David Pekarcik Juraj Pelletier Jakob Perfetti Cole Perreault Gabriel Perron David Perron Jayden Peterka John- Jason Petrovsky Servac Pettersson Elias Pettersson Lucas Pinto Shane Plante Max Point Brayden Poitras Matthew Poulin Samuel Protas Aliaksei Puustinen Valtteri Quinn Jack Ranta Sampo Rantanen Mikko Rasmussen Michael Raty Aatu Raymond Lucas Rehkopf Carson Reichel Lukas Reinhart Sam Ritchie Calum Ritchie Ryder Robertson Jason Robertson Nick Rodrigues Evan Rosen Isak Roslovic Jack Rossi Marco Roy Joshua Roy Nicolas Rust Bryan Saad Brandon Sale Edouard Samoskevich Mackie Sapovaliv Matyas Savage Redmond Savoie Matthew Schaefer Reid Scheifele Mark Schenn Brayden Schmaltz Nick Seguin Tyler Sennecke Beckett Sherangovich Yegor Sidorov Yegor Sillinger Cole Slafkovsky Juraj Smith Reilly Smith Will SJ Snuggerud Jimmy Soderblom Elmer Sprong Daniel Stamkos Steve Stankoven Logan Steel Sam Stenberg Otto Stephenson Chandler Stiga Teddy Stillman Chase Strome Dylan Stutzle Tim Surin Yegor Suter Pius Suzuki Nick Svechkov Fedor Svechnikov Andrei Tarasenko Vladimir Tavares John Teravainen Teuvo Terry Troy Thomas Robert Thompson Tage Tippett Owen Tkachuk Brady Tkachuk Matthew Toffoli Tyler Tolvanen Eeli Tomasino Philip Torgersson Daniel Trikozov Gleb Trocheck Vincent Tsyplakov Maxim Tuch Alex Tuch Luke Turcotte Alex Unger-Sorum Felix Vanacker Marek Veleno Joe Verhaeghe Carter Vilardi Gabriel Villeneuve Nathan Voronkov Dmitry Wood Matthew Wright Shane Yager Brayden Yurov Danila Zacha Pavel Zary Connor Zegras Trevor Zellers William Zetterlund Fabian Zibanejad Mika Ziemmer Koehn Zuccarello Mats

[byneddiedingo]

Ali Junejo in Joyland (Saim Sadiq, 2022)

Cast: Ali Junejo, Rasti Farooq, Alina Khan, Sarwat Gilani, Salmaan Peerzada, Sohail Sameer, Sania Saeed, Ramiz Law. Screenplay: Saim Sadiq, Maggie Briggs. Cinematography: Joe Saade. Film editing: Saim Sadiq, Jasmin Tenucci. Music: Abdullah Siddiqui. 

Haider (Ali Junejo) is a milquetoast, serving as factotum to everyone in the large household in Lahore, including his father (Salmaan Peerzada), his older brother, Saleem (Sohail Sameer), his sister-in-law, Nucchi (Sarwat Gilani), and their daughters. While his wife, Mumtaz (Rasti Farooq), works, he stays home, unable to find a job. When we first see Haider he is being pressed into service to take Nucchi to the hospital on his motorbike because she is about to give birth to another daughter. And then things change: Haider finds a job, and it's Mumtaz's turn to stay home -- though she really doesn't want to -- and cater to the family's needs. And so begins Saim Sadiq's prize-winning debut feature, a comic story that turns tragic in its course. Haider's chief problem is with the job he has found: backup dancer to a performer in a musical revue. Her name is Biba (Alina Khan), and she's transgender. At first, Haider tells the family that he's a stage manager, but the truth emerges. Everyone realizes that there's not much they can do about it as long as he's bringing in money, so he's allowed to continue. Haider is no dancer, but under Biba's tutelage he gets by, and soon he becomes a favorite of hers. There the complications really begin. Joyland reminded me of the Italian comedies of the 1960s by directors like Pietro Germi and Mario Monicelli that centered on a traditional society's conflict with contemporary ways of looking at the world. Sadiq's Pakistan is like their Sicily, but Joyland turns serious in ways that those films don't. It's a film that maybe doesn't quite set up its turn from comic to serious well enough, but the splendid performances make up for its flaws. 

[xtruss]

Whether It’s Biden Or Someone Else, Gaza Remains Top Priority For “Uncommitted” Voters

Activists who protested Biden’s handling of the war during Democratic primaries say they will maintain pressure no matter the nominee.

— Akela Lacy, Prem Thakker | July 3 2024 | The Intercept

A sign urges people not to vote for President Joe Biden in the upcoming election during a protest in front of the White against the Israeli attacks on civilians in Rafah that have killed dozens of people, Washington, DC, May 28, 2024. The bombings of tent camps inside Israel's designated safe zone has sparked outrage around the world, but the Biden Administration has called only for Israel to prevent civilian casualties as much as is feasible. Roughly 1 million Palestinians are taking refuge in Rafah, at Israel's direction. Photo by Allison Bailey/NurPhoto via AP

As Democrats Nationwide Pressure President Joe Biden to abandon his reelection bid, voters aligned with the “uncommitted” movement to protest his handling of the war in Gaza say they won’t get behind any nominee who doesn’t make a clear commitment to a permanent ceasefire.

“I think it would be a big mistake for the Democratic Party to switch gears but stay the course on this particular issue that has galvanized so many people in an unprecedented way in the primaries and who continue showing up and trying to advocate to be heard in a system that is continuing, they feel, to ignore them,” said Halah Ahmad, a policy analyst and spokesperson with Listen to Wisconsin, the state’s “uninstructed” campaign.

“They should let that policy die with this administration and move towards being a party that stands by its actual values,” Ahmad continued, “which are meant to be anti-war and pro-peace and pro-human rights and international law — which is in direct contrast to everything a Trump candidacy stands for.”

The anti-war movement to vote “uncommitted” instead of supporting Biden took off earlier this year ahead of Michigan’s Democratic primary in February. Advocates for the protest vote later launched chapters in other critical swing states including Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and have netted more than half a million votes in more than a dozen primaries. The movement has garnered support for at least 25 delegates at the upcoming Democratic National Convention.

Activists from around the country told The Intercept that they will advocate for an anti-war agenda at the convention in August and withhold their vote in November unless an adequate candidate steps up, listing policy priorities such as support for a permanent ceasefire and standing up to the pro-Israel lobby as it intervenes in Democratic primaries. Even as the Biden campaign insists that he will not step aside, many Democrats appear to be lining up behind Vice President Kamala Harris as an alternative candidate, with some Democratic governors being floated as well.

“My Number One Criteria For Any Candidate Is Opposing The Genocide In Gaza.”

“My number one criteria for any candidate is opposing the genocide in Gaza,” said Saad Farooq, an uncommitted voter in Massachusetts. Farooq said it was unlikely that the Democratic National Committee would select any candidate who took a stance against Israel’s ongoing war, and that he would support Green Party candidate Jill Stein if she were to appear on the ballot in Massachusetts.

Cole Sandick, who left his primary ballot in New York blank, said his apprehension over supporting Biden stemmed completely from his handling of the war on Gaza. “The rest of his presidency has been imperfect but better than I thought it was going to be, and I was fully on board to vote for him prior to October 7,” Sandick wrote. “Really all I want from an alternative candidate is simply *some* moderation on this issue. Some commitment to a ceasefire, some recognition of the carnage that’s taken place. Some concern for the civil liberties being ripped away from all those like me who dissent and protest.”

Sandick said he would support Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer or Harris. “Nominating Biden at this point is a death sentence.”

Shaneez Hameed, an uncommitted voter in California, also said that the war in Gaza is a red line for him as a voter.

“Any new candidate will have to do something about stopping the genocide in Palestine and also be open to making changes with the supreme Court and filibuster,” Hameed wrote. “Or else, nothing changes and there is no point in voting.”

He mentioned Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who has called for a ceasefire in Gaza, as a candidate who might fit the bill, but conceded that there is no “realistic chance of him being nominated.” Hameed said he wasn’t familiar with Harris’s policies, “but if she even entertains the idea of a ceasefire, I will vote.”

Harris, for her part, reportedly pushed the White House to be more sympathetic toward Palestinian suffering in public statements about the war. In March, Harris delivered a speech that symbolized a U.S. escalation, as she more forcefully called for an “immediate ceasefire” and urged Israel to do more to increase the flow of aid to Gaza. “No excuses,” she said. Even then, reports surfaced that National Security Council officials had watered down parts of her speech.

“We have to have a goal that we start working on right now, for peace and for an equal measure of security for Israelis and Palestinians,” Harris said later that month. “Palestinians have a right to self-determination; they have a right to dignity, and we’re going to have to work on that.”

For some activists, Harris’s association with Biden makes her candidacy a non-starter. Mohamed Hussein, an uncommitted voter in Minnesota, said that he didn’t want to see anyone from the current administration replace Biden. “I would have no faith in them to speak up when they can’t even speak up to the obvious circus going on,” he said. “I would question their ability to handle difficult situations and decisions because it seems like no one in the administration is pulling the alarm on the embarrassing situation.”

Harris is “guilty by association,” Hussein wrote. “In my eyes, she’s either ok with Biden running as president again or she’s not able to talk him out of it. Both are bad qualities in a president.”

Hussein added that he was interested in a governor possibly replacing Biden on the Democratic ticket because they might be less tied to D.C. politics. “I feel like they’re less likely to be influenced by people in Washington,” he said.

Will Dawson, an uncommitted voter in Washington, D.C., named several factors that could get him to switch his vote from the Green Party’s Stein to another politician. First on his list is a promise to call for an immediate ceasefire and fighting the influence of the pro-Israel lobby and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Congress.

“This candidate would also ideally work toward pulling further away from the Israeli colonial project over time, with the goal being repealing our absurd financial support, ending the foreign interest agency of AIPAC, and pushing for a nation-wide boycott a la [South Africa] during their apartheid,” Dawson wrote.

The candidate would also have to push to reform the Supreme Court, he added. “The candidate would have to promise to both push for justice impeachment, and expand the courts,” Dawson said.“If a replacement candidate met both of these requirements, I would absolutely consider switching my vote from Jill Stein. Hell, I might even knock doors/canvass for them!”

As uncommitted voters list their conditions, concerns around backing a candidate who supports Israel’s war are spreading to others within the Democratic Party apparatus. One DNC delegate, who was granted anonymity to speak freely, told The Intercept they have been experiencing reservations as a delegate due to Biden’s unrelenting support for Israel. “Do I really want to, you know, even in any way, whether it’s symbolic or not, contribute to Biden being our nominee? And I struggled, because it’s — do I want to vote for someone who’s supporting a genocide? No.”

[sataniccapitalist]

Joe Rogan Pearl-Clutches About Anti-Semitism with Gad Saad

[warningsine]

Director: Saim Sadiq, DoP: Joe Saade

[wimpydave]

Joe Rogan Experience #2148 - Gad Saad

[swldx]

BBC 0418 21 Mar 2023

9915Khz 0358 21 MAR 2023 - BBC (UNITED KINGDOM) in ENGLISH from TALATA VOLONONDRY. SINPO = 55434. English, dead carrier s/on @0358z then ID@0359z pips and newsroom preview. @0401z World News anchored by Neil Nunes. The French government has narrowly survived a vote of no-confidence, which was triggered when it forced through an increase in the pension age to 64. The vote, tabled by centrist MPs, had 278 votes in favour, falling short of the 287 votes needed. Had it been successful, President Emmanuel Macron would have had to name a new government or call new elections. Women and children have been failed by the London Metropolitan Police, with racism, misogyny, and homophobia at the heart of the force, a blistering review says. Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro on Monday accepted the resignation of the country's powerful oil minister following the detention of at least six high level officials amid a corruption probe focused on state-run company PDVSA and the judiciary. U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday signed a bill that requires declassification of information related to the origins of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the White House said. Saudi Arabia on Monday freed an American citizen, a 72-year-old Florida retiree, it had imprisoned for more than a year over his old tweets critical of the kingdom’s crown prince, his son said. Neither Saudi nor U.S. officials immediately confirmed the release of Saad al Madi, a longtime Florida, resident. But progress on his release had been rumored since last week. Letter bombs were sent to at least five journalists working in TV and radio stations in violence-plagued Ecuador Monday, one of which exploded without causing serious injury, Interior Minister Juan Zapata said. Amid a record-breaking heatwave, 23,020 users continue without power in Buenos Aires and the greater metropolitan area. According to data from the National Electricity Regulatory Body (ENRE) this morning, 22,962 users are customers of power company Edesur and 58 are from Edenor. @0406z "The Newsroom" begins. Backyard fence antenna, Etón e1XM. 250kW, beamAz 315°, bearing 63°. Received at Plymouth, United States, 15359KM from transmitter at Talata Volonondry. Local time: 2258.

[digitalminhajalam]

Gender Central to Parliamentarians Programme of Action — Global Issues

Cooperative members in southern Lebanon make a rare, traditional bread called Mallet El Smid to be sold at the MENNA shop in Beirut. Women are central to meeting the SDGs, say parliamentarians. Credit: UN Women/Joe Saade by IPS Correspondent (johannesburg) Thursday, February 23, 2023 Inter Press Service JOHANNESBURG, Feb 23 (IPS) – The post-COVID-19 period has been a crucial one for members of…