By JEFF MACKLER This memorial article was originally published following Stephen Jay Gould's death at age 60 in May 2002.
Stephen Jay Gould, a Man for All Seasons
Category: Arts & Culture
Roger Waters [formerly of Pink Floyd] National Concert Tour Defends Julian Assange
By BRIAN GARVEY From start to finish Waters used his platform to scream out a message to a packed Boston Garden. It was a message that was explicitly anti-war, anti-authoritarian, pro-people, and pro-justice; offering commentary that was not only poignant but also intentionally challenging to a mainstream audience.
A Tale of Two Summits
By RICK STERLING Last week (June 8-10) there were two summits in Los Angeles, California: the Summit of the Americas hosted by the US State Department and the Peoples Summit hosted by US and international activist organizations. The two summits were held in the same city at the same time but could not be otherwise more different.
A tribute to Mitch Podolak: 1948 – 2019
By BOB LYONS This is my best friend, Mitch Podolak. He and I have been comrades in the Trotskyist movement for more than 50 years, in Mitch's case since 1961. Mitch will be remembered for his enduring contributions to the Canadian folk music scene. He was the founder and artistic director of some of the … Continue reading A tribute to Mitch Podolak: 1948 – 2019
Michael Moore flays Trump in ‘Farenheight 11/9’
Michael Moore plugs ‘Farenheight 9/11’ (Paul Morigi / Getty Images) By LISA LUINENBURG Michael Moore’s new documentary film, “Farenheight 11/9” debuted in theaters across the country on Sept. 21. The title of the film is a reference to the date on which Trump was declared the winner of the U.S. presidential election in 2016. And … Continue reading Michael Moore flays Trump in ‘Farenheight 11/9’
Cecil Taylor: Jazz revolutionary, 1929-2018
By MARTY GOODMAN “Technique is a weapon to do whatever must be done.”— Cecil Taylor “Conquistador” was the first Cecil Taylor jazz album that I ever heard. It astonished me, and the title piece nailed me to the wall with its dangerous, urban sound. Taylor’s sideman, Jimmy Lyons, blew amazing sax riffs; the coolest, hippest, … Continue reading Cecil Taylor: Jazz revolutionary, 1929-2018
Buy one, get one free: On capitalist propaganda
By ANDY BARNS The more pervasive and unchallenged propaganda is, the more effective it becomes. As a salesman by trade, I handle a lot of promotional materials for the products we sell at my workplace (booklets and product samples). These range from decking, to fasteners, all the way to kitchen faucets. I have a front-row … Continue reading Buy one, get one free: On capitalist propaganda
A children’s book that teaches about justice and resistance
By JOHN LESLIE “P is for Palestine,” a children’s alphabet book by Golbarg Bashi, illustrated by Golrokh Nafisi. The publication of the book, “P is for Palestine,” has sparked controversy and charges of anti-Semitism from pro-Israel parents and politicians. Some parents were particularly upset by the choice of “I is for Intifada” as part of a … Continue reading A children’s book that teaches about justice and resistance
Marxism and Literature, Or Bread and Roses
By JOE AUCIELLO “You can become a Communist only when you enrich your mind with a knowledge of all the treasures created by mankind” (V.I. Lenin, “The Tasks Of The Youth Leagues,” Selected Works, Vol. 3, p. 413). “… we can still learn from Balzac and Tolstoy, but should we really be urging comrades to … Continue reading Marxism and Literature, Or Bread and Roses
Films: John Coltrane Lite
By MARTY GOODMAN “Chasing Trane,” a documentary film by John Scheinfeld. “Trane is now a scope of feeling. A more fixed traveler, whose wildest onslaughts are gorgeous artifacts not even deaf people should miss.” — Amiri Baraka, poet, jazz critic, and activist In July 1967, I heard on a late night jazz radio show in … Continue reading Films: John Coltrane Lite
Films: “I Am Not Your Negro”
By ERNIE TATE Now and then, and despite its capitalist and racial biases, our culture throws up something that can speak quite eloquently and uniquely about the times we're living through. In this case, I'm referring to an amazing documentary film that has been released recently, “I Am Not Your Negro,” directed by Raoul Peck, … Continue reading Films: “I Am Not Your Negro”
Film classics: Irish socialist portrayed in ‘Jimmy’s Hall’
By ANNE-MARIE MONTEBELLO “Jimmy’s Hall,” a film by Ken Loach. The word hall, in this Franco-British-Irish film from 2014, is understood in French to mean dance hall. But it is much more than this. It is a meeting place, a place of learning, drawing, music, boxing, literature, and also of course a place to dance and celebrate in a country … Continue reading Film classics: Irish socialist portrayed in ‘Jimmy’s Hall’
Film: Defiance in the Old South
By GAETANA CALDWELL-SMITH “Free State of Jones,” directed by Gary Carr. “The Free State of Jones” is based on a true Civil War story, a little known story, because its subject matter is in a controversial gray area. Here we have Newton Knight (a spot-on Matthew McConaughey at his scraggly, unkempt, bearded best), a Confederate … Continue reading Film: Defiance in the Old South
200 years ago: Journeymen shoemakers strike in Philadelphia
By MICHAEL SCHREIBER The autumn of 1805 was unusually mild. Farmers were able to plough their land almost until Christmas. And in Philadelphia, the balmy temperatures might have “gone to the head” of a group of journeymen cordwainers [shoemakers], who had the temerity on Nov. 1, 1805, to undertake what was one of the earliest … Continue reading 200 years ago: Journeymen shoemakers strike in Philadelphia
Muhammad Ali: 1942-2016
In tribute to Muhammad Ali, who died on June 3, we are reprinting this biographical film review, “‘Ali’ is good … but not the greatest,” from our January 2002 issue. By JOE AUCIELLO “Ali,” directed by Michael Mann, starring Will Smith, Mario Van Peebles, Jon Voight. A Columbia Pictures release, 2001 (rated R, 158 … Continue reading Muhammad Ali: 1942-2016
Laura Poitras: Astro Noise
By CHRISTINE MARIE “Astro Noise,” Whitney Museum of American Art, Feb. 5 – May 2, 2016. In the “Seeds of Time,” Frederic Jameson famously wrote of our cultural moment, “It seems to be easier to imagine the thorough-going deterioration of the earth and of nature than the breakdown of late capitalism; perhaps that is due … Continue reading Laura Poitras: Astro Noise
Eye in the Sky
By JOE AUCIELLO “Eye in the Sky,” (2016), a film directed by Gavin Hood, written by Guy Hibbert, with Helen Mirren and Alan Rickman. The arc of the suspense story is familiar enough. Begin the tale in normal times, introduce a disruptive element whose threat deepens until it is ultimately destroyed, and conclude with a … Continue reading Eye in the Sky
Party time? A review of two classics
By BARRY WEISLEDER Is it time to build an international revolutionary workers' party? James P. Cannon consistently said yes. Isaac Deutscher, for most of his adult life, said no. Both were highly esteemed Marxists, selflessly dedicated to workers' self-emancipation. But their difference on this crucial point amplified important political divergences. Some 45 years after their … Continue reading Party time? A review of two classics
Harper Lee’s discarded leftovers
By JOE AUCIELLO Harper Lee, “Go Set A Watchman,” (New York: HarperCollins, 2015), 288 pp., $27.99. Why throw away the Christmas turkey after it’s been eaten? It can still be used. Take the carcass, simmer with water, and the bones make a good stock for soup. Take the carcass of a popular novel—its discarded rough … Continue reading Harper Lee’s discarded leftovers
Film: The Danish Girl
By JOHN WILSON “The Danish Girl,” 1 hr. 59 min., directed by Tom Hooper. “The Danish Girl” is a mesmerizing, moving account of how transgender pioneer Lili Elbe (originally Einar Wegener) came to be one of the first persons known to have gender reassignment surgery. Adapted from David Ebershoff’s fictionalized novel of 2000, it features Eddie … Continue reading Film: The Danish Girl
Trumbo — The Hollywood witch hunt
By GAETANA CALDWELL-SMITH TRUMBO, written by John McNamara, from the book by Bruce Cook. Directed by Jay Roach. With Bryan Cranston, Helen Mirren, and Diane Lane. Hopefully, word of mouth will encourage the general public to see this engaging film, in part because of the contemporary relevance of its focus on the consequences of not … Continue reading Trumbo — The Hollywood witch hunt
The anguish of racial oppression
By JOE AUCIELLO Ta-Nehisi Coates, “Between the World and Me” (New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2015), 152 pp., $24. When Ta-Nehisi Coates spoke to an overflow audience at Boston College last October as a distinguished guest of the Lowell Humanities Lecture Series, he was introduced by the Law School dean as a new voice in … Continue reading The anguish of racial oppression
A new look at 1959 novel about Trotsky
By JOE AUCIELLO Bernard Wolfe, “The Great Prince Died: A Novel About the Assassination of Trotsky,” (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1959/2015), 416 pp., $18. Credit the critical and popular success of two recent novels, “The Lacuna” by Barbara Kingsolver and “The Man Who Loved Dogs” by Leonardo Padura, for this year’s re-publication of this … Continue reading A new look at 1959 novel about Trotsky
Film: Battleground of home foreclosures
By GAETANA CALDWELL-SMITH “99 Homes,” a film with Michael Shannon, Andrew Garfield, and Laura Dern. Written and directed by Rahmin Bahrani. “99 Homes,” set in Florida, is an excellent socio-economic film that could have been a documentary. I’m glad it isn’t. It is a well-acted, powerful drama based on the 2007-9 economic collapse, when banks … Continue reading Film: Battleground of home foreclosures
Film: A racist killer on trial
By GAETANA CALDWELL-SMITH British filmmaker Marc Silver’s documentary, “3 ½ Minutes 10 Bullets,” mainly consists of the trial of Michael Dunn, the killer of Jordan Davis, a Black teen. It plays out like television’s “20/20” or “Dateline” production, with no commercials. Despite the current inflamed debate on racial injustice, director Silver offers us a cool-headed … Continue reading Film: A racist killer on trial
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