Thursday 28 February 2008

An Unlikely Weapon

“An Unlikely Weapon”

“An Unlikely Weapon” by director Susan Morgan Cooper tells
the life story of Photojournalist Eddie Adams. Adams’ most famous
“decisive moment” was during the Vietnam War when he photographed General Nguyen Ngoc firing at point blank range at a Vietnamese prisoner.

Archive footage is interspersed with interviews with fellow
photojournalists and Adams talking to camera himself as he walks
the streets of New York. It creates a picture of a brutally honest,
sometimes difficult, courageous and charismatic man who continually
struggled with the responsibilities that came with his profession.

The aftermath of the photo haunted Adams for the rest of his life as he concludes that “the photograph destroyed two lives” – the prisoner and the General who shot him. On photographing Clint Eastwood for “Unforgiven” he is told by Eastwood that Michael Cimino carried a folded up photo of the image for and year and a half in his wallet before going on to make the Deer Hunter ( a film in which he reversed the Russian Roulette roles ).

Work assignments with Fidel Castro and the early pre-porn
Playboy illustrate the toughness and integrity of the man (as he never touched the models) and towards the end of his life he set up a free workshop based school in Upper State New York for those studying Photography “This will save you five years” he declares to the young photography trainees.

Adams passed away in 2004 making the completion of
such a fine representation by Susan Morgan Cooper
even more remarkable.Catch it at Art-house cinemas if you can.

Peter Burton

Josef Koudelka

Magnum Slideshow of work

http://www.magnumphotos.com/Archive/C.aspx?VP=XSpecific_MAG.PhotographerDetail_VPage&pid=2K7O3R135R3G&nm=Josef%20Koudelka

Prague Spring 68 established Koudelkas' reputation.

Peter Magubane

Demonstrating with the camera

http://www.ic-creations.com/SouthAfrica/Pages/Men/menpic3.htm

Tuesday 19 February 2008

George’s Bright Colours

George’s Bright Colours

You tended them too well,
Your foreign fruit.
Your languid, shackled oranges,
Where no such smell of liberty
Relieved their souring stench.
Two faced, one-eyed fuckwit.
Couldn’t see or wouldn’t,
How your tin-topped ambassadors,
That painted Stars and Stripes,
On that scorched Republic,
Made the Promised Land ignite.
The Peninsula of sand,
By your petroleum command.
Turned from red and blue to black.
Ripped apart your own Jihad.

Amy Anderson

Monday 11 February 2008

The Liverpool Docker

It's ten years since the end of the longest strike in British labour movement
history-The Liverpool docks strike . The Liverpool dockers and the Women of the Waterfront performed heroics to win their strike but got sold out by their
own union the Transport and General workers Union.


I'm a docker under a Mersey sky
My heart longs for
a time free from worry ; I blow
on my freezing picket lines hands

Fuckin' bosses!!

I'm obsessed with Unity and Solidarity
They see the world in
dog eat dog bottom line terms
but i never will

How much longer must
this pain go on ?
Bloody forever if needs be-
know whaur a fuckin' mean like !!

Peter Burton
February 2008

Wednesday 6 February 2008

The Story of the Blues







The Story of the Blues Part 1 by Peter Burton

http://www.workersliberty.org/story/2008/01/25/story-blues

The Story of the Blues Part 2 ( Pre-War Blues) by Peter Burton

http://www.workersliberty.org/story/2008/02/09/sex-prison-law-and-racism-blues

Blues part 3
http://www.workersliberty.org/story/2008/02/22/migration-blues

Blues Part 4 - Pre-war blues
http://www.workersliberty.org/story/2008/03/20/pre-war-blues
http://www.workersliberty.org/story/2008/04/24/blues-1960s-and-1970s

Blues -60's/70's
http://www.workersliberty.org/story/2008/04/24/blues-1960s-and-1970s

General Strike Verse





(From the St Pancras Bulletin, May 5-10 1926)

A is for ALL, ALL OUT and ALL WIN,

And down with the blacklegs and scabs who stay in.

B is for Baldwin, the Bosses’ Strong Man,

But he’s welcome to dig all the coal that he can

C is for Courage the workers have shown,

Class Conscious and Confident that they’ll hold their own.

D is for DOPE that the Government spread—

Dishwash for Duncos and Dubbs—“nuff sed”.

E is for Energy that will carry us through,

Everyone class-conscious, steadfast and true.

F is for Fight, our fight to the end,

For we’re solid together, not an inch will we bend.

G is for Grab-all, the bosses, you know,

Greedy and grasping, one day they must go.

H is for Hardship, we all must endure;

However, keep smiling, for Victory is sure.

I is for Interest, Profits and Rend

Into the pockets of the Indolent.

J is for Jix*, the stirrer of strife,

Just waiting the chance to have your life.

K is for knife that is wielded by Jix,

Keep yourself orderly and frustrate his tricks.

L is for London, where the TUC meet,

Leading the workers the bosses to beat.

M is for miners, for whose rights we must fight,

Maintaining the cause which we know to be right.

N is for Natsopa, who stopped dope from the Boss,

Narking Churchill and Jix, so Baldwin was cross.

O is for OMS, the scabbing patrol;

Oh! How they are working, digging the coal!!

P is for pickets on guard at the gates,

Pulling up blacklegs who scab on their mates.

Q is for Quandary the Government’s in,

Quite certain now the workers will win.

R is for Railways that won’t run alone,

Ready for workers to run as their own.

S is for Solidarity that is winning our fight;

Stick well together, for Victory’s in sight.

T is for Taximen joined in the fray,

Troubling the blacklegs to walk all the way.

U is for Unity, each one for all,

United we stand till the Government fall.

V is for Victory, of which we are sure,

Vanquishing the bosses for evermore.

W is for Workers’ Wages and hours,

We are nearing the day when control is ours.

X is for exit the whole boss class—

Xtra enjoyment for me and my lass.

Y is for Young Workers to whom fighting is new;

Yes, Young, but determined to fight with you.

Z is for Zeal shown by the Vigilance Corps,

Zealous that workers aren’t trapped by the law.

* Jix is a play on Joynson-Hicks the Home Secretary.

Alexandr Rodchenko


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandr_Rodchenko#Gallery_of_selected_works