Film: ‘The Waiting City’
Cast: Radha Mitchell, Joel Edgerton, Samrat Chakrabarti, Isabel Lucas
Director: Claire McCarthy

A bittersweet, true-to-life film that challenges the senses and gets you to think about the real values in life.

It tells of the hardships faced by an Australian couple Fiona (Mitchell) and Ben (Edgerton) who go to Kolkata (Calcutta), India, to adopt a little girl named Lakshmi.

They are impatient after waiting for two years, but become frustrated when red tape further delays their meeting. That’s when cracks in their relationship become apparent. Fiona is a lawyer, the main breadwinner, who works long distance.

Ben, on the surface, appears easy-going, but is a frustrated musician who loves playing his guitar. Hidden beneath the surface is the damage revealed following depression.

One wonders what Fiona sees in Ben. He seems distant. She is the more dominant partner.

Devoid of a specific plot, there’s an absorbing ambience created by Australian writer/director Claire McCarthy. She captures it – warts and all.

However, it’s easy to get caught up with images of the Indian lifestyle; bureaucratic red tape; orphanage staff, the likeable Krishna (Chakrabarti), the unofficial tour guide who is the nephew of the hotel manager; meeting his family members; and attending a wedding are most touching. He is also Fiona’s ethical sound board.

The people of Kolkata form the heart and soul of the film which is beautifully layered.

‘The Waiting City’ is about spirituality and the effect the Hindu gods have on a resilient Fiona.

A lot of emotional ground is covered in a short span of time, but McCarthy sets out to make the audience think about a number of issues including international adoption but passes no judgement.

Combine the cinematography by Denson Baker and the pulsating Indian-inspired soundtrack, and you undertake a satisfying journey.

Kolkata’s colourful tapestry of life is beautifully captured, full of hope and love.

Full credit to Claire McCarthy for pulling off an incredible feat: leading a versatile Australian and Indian crew, shooting in over 40 locations, overcoming the language barrier and working with professional and non-professional actors.

‘The Karate Kid’: This is one storyline that is very close to the 1984 release, but a new cast uses different techniques about a lonely 12-year-old boy who empowers himself against intimidating youngsters.
Dre Parker (actor Will Smith’s son Jaden) accompanies his mother from Detroit to Beijing, China, and in no time sets out to impress classmate Mei Ying (Wenwen Han). However, the class bully has other ideas.
Dre turns to Mr Chan (Jackie Chan) for some valuable advice and training. In the end, perseverance pays off and we also get a quick look at China’s Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China.
It’s a surprise to see Jaden giving a touching performance.

‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’ – As the three-way romance between a vampire, werewolf and human continues, the action scenes are more thrilling.

‘Shrek Forever After’: After making a pact with Rumpelstiltkin (Walt Dohrn) to live one day as an untamed, unmarried ogre, Shrek (Mike Myers) quickly realises the pitfalls and sets out to reclaim his true love.

‘The Toy Story 3’: As the group is donated to a day care centre, what results is a comical and touching tale that lives up to the standards of its predecessors.

Returning to star together after ‘Vanilla Sky’, Cruise and Diaz carry off the film in style with their captivating liveliness. This movie takes you back to the good old days of action films without the special effects gloss.

Cruise plays an inscrutable government agent caught with an ‘innocent’ victim in Diaz as they dodge assassins chasing an energy force and its potential to change the ace of the world.

Director James Mangold shows practical sense in using physical stunts and action sequences which see the film dashing from one exotic location to another.

This is one ride that the two lead actors carry off with finesse, ably assisted by support cast including Viola Davis and Peter Sarsgaard.

This is value entertainment.

War, racism, refugees, homophobia, economic crisis: Labor and the Liberals have the same policies

Thursday 22 July at 6 pm in room G 40 Haydon-Allen Building ANU

Labor and the Liberals have the same policies on war, refugees, attacking living standards, cutting public services like schools and hospitals, screwing Universities and doing nothing about climate change.

They both run the system for the bosses and their profits. It’s time for a real alternative – a socialist alternative of democracy where production is organised to satisfy human need. The first step in that process is fighting against the attacks of whichever party is in power and managing capitalism for the bosses.

Come along to hear John Passant from Socialist Alternative argue the case against capitalism. John will argue that only socialism – the democratic organisation of society to satisfy human need – can begin to solve the problems facing humanity.

It is apparent to anyone who follows the political events and elections of governments all over the world that people are becoming more and more dissatisfied with how their political leaders are selected and how they behave. Recent elections indicate that political parties are not giving the people enough choice with regard to who they can vote for and the policies they have.
This indicates to me that political parties are becoming less and less able to give the people the choices they want. The major problem is that individuals do not agree with all the policies that one political party has. We may agree with some of what one party says, some of what another party says, and disagree with a lot that all parties say. This really leaves us the choice of the party that we disagree with the least. This is not the way to elect a government.
There is a better way to elect governments. The ‘no party’ system which I would like everyone to consider and debate. In this system, people in areas located around districts which have a school, a library, or some other central meeting place would talk about issues and make decisions affecting their district at regular meetings. These meetings would be open to everyone. They would elect a representative who would sit on a council similar to the councils most towns have now. They would look after the affairs of their town.
Each council would elect one or two representatives who would represent their area on a district body which would be like a county in the United States. These districts would be like the electoral districts now, except they wouldn’t divide towns, cities, and areas in half simply because the people there vote a particular way. Something that has happened a lot in the past.
The county governments would elect representatives for a state body, or a national parliament which would run the country. If we abolish state governments, as some people are advocating, then the counties would send a number of representatives to sit on the commonwealth government. Under this system, state governments would be more useful than they are at the moment.
This system would do away with expensive elections because most people would only have to vote for their representative at the local level. All other elections would be conducted by the representatives at their particular level of representation. Any dissatisfaction with a candidate would be solved by a debate which would be followed by an election if necessary. Representatives are only retained while those who elected them are satisfied with their performance.
Councillors and politicians will argue and vote according to their own opinions, but more importantly, the opinions of the majority of the people who elected them. They will be free to follow common sense and the choices of the people rather than decisions made in party rooms behind closed doors. People won’t have to tolerate politicians who they elected making decisions they had no opportunity to debate. Certainly a better formula for open and responsible government.
When issues arise, instead of being coerced into arguing the case a political party agrees upon, even if is against their own better judgment, councillors and politicians will be able to represent what the majority of their electors want. Decisions by governments would then reflect what the majority of people in the city, state, or country want. Hopefully, there will be less interference in government from corporations and big business.
Using internet communication, questions of national importance can be put to everyone almost immediately when enough public debate has been conducted. A system of checking to ensure everyone only votes once should be easy to create. The necessary systems and security would cost far less than referendums of the past. Libraries and other public places can be used by people who don’t have their own internet connections to vote.
This is a brief outline of an electoral and government system which could replace the antiquated and unworkable systems we have today. There would have to be adjustments made with regard to distribution of money and resources, but these can be worked out before the new system is introduced.
Now is the time to change before the dissatisfaction of the people with the current system leads to a revolt against those in power who use the system to increase their own wealth rather than serve the interests of those who elected them.
This debate needs to be separated from big business, political parties, parliaments, and councils so that the wealthy, the politicians, and the political parties do not hijack it, destroy it, or use it for their own purposes.
If you are interested in making our country really democratic, spread the word that there is an alternative to the system we have now. A lot of work must go into it to make a practical and realistic system which everyone will appreciate and support.

John Bright
[email protected]

28 Rubina Terrace
Irvinebank Qld 4887

Gently appealing, this Academy Award-winning 2009 Best Foreign Language film provides a delightful journey into the heartland of Japan.

It also offers a fine-looking insight into a sacred cultural heritage.

An unemployed cellist Daigo Kobayashi (Moroki) moves back to his old home town with his wife to look for work. He answers an ad and thinks it’s for a travel agency. However, he takes on the job – as a mortician.

Accurately put, this firm specialises in “encoffinments”, a Japanese funeral ritual that requires the dear departed to be washed and prepared for burial.

This is no ordinary task for Daigo who takes pride in perfecting this artform. He is a caring gatekeeper between the departed and their family.

This is a thoughtful journey with death, not always comical, but one that reverberates with the joy of life.

Aptly titled, this film is tender, moving and uplifting despite the subject.

One can’t help but get emotional because of the storyline – and it’s handy having a box of tissues.

This is a rapier-sharp political send-up about British and US politics in the lead-up to a war in the Middle East that purposely hits the funny bone – and how!

Depending on your interpretation, it features some of the best, or worst, swearing that certainly breaks new ground. Ian Martin is one writer who was apparently employed as a “swearing consultant”.

This comic film of war has a devilishly clever spin even though the plot is deliberately opaque. What is everyone doing? No-one is sure of what they are doing or why it should matter. All they know is that it should have happened.

Even though the UK Prime Minister and the US President fancy a war, not everyone agrees that war is a good thing.

Both US General Miller (Gandolfini) and the British Secretary of State for International Development, Simon Foster (Tom Hollander) don’t think so. However, Simon gains a lot of friends in Washington, DC, after he accidentally backs military action on TV.

Then of course there’s the British prime minister’s director of communications, Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi): how can he be stopped from rigging the vote at the UN?

Excelling on a number of dramatic levels, the film is particularly noticeable when it comes to displaying the heartless interpersonal tensions that well-up between characters who should be trustful and supportive instead of exhibiting betrayal.

The gifted British writer-director Armando Iannucci (BBC series ‘The Thick of It’), keeps a tight reign on the fast and furiously funny dialogue.

We all have some great pictures that have captured a special moment between a child and a special man in their lives. They could be their dad, granddad, uncle foster dad or even older brother! These are the type of pictures that make up the Thanks Dad National Exhibition and, without pictures like yours being contributed, they couldn’t run this wonderful exhibition of these moments.

It is the 10th year of this competition! The National Thanks Dad Photo Competition is again calling for entries. Why not encourage everybody you know – adults or young people – to enter this Competition. You could win a cash prize and at the same time celebrate the great things your kids do with the most important man in their life. All entries into this competition will go onto the website and become part of the National Exhibition for 2010 that will tour the country throughout 2011 for people to enjoy. Be part of this exhibition that helps encourage more men to spend quality time with their children.

The competition is not judged on technical quality – rather on capturing that special moment between the child and the man in their life. There are categories for Primary and Secondary School aged children as well as Adults. There is also a section for a short story written about the day or moment the photo was taken.

If you would like to thank a special man in your life for their involvement in your children’s lives – or thank someone who has been special to you – then find a photo and email or post it in. Entry forms can be downloaded from the website www.thanksdadphotos.org.au or call 0266 223143 and they will send you out an entry form.

All entries will be entered into the National Competition which closes August 25th. Winners will be announced on Father’s Day.
For more information about ‘Thanks Dad’ and to see past entries go to www.thanksdadphotos.org.au

Rosa Rugani and her colleagues at the University of Trento, Italy, published the findings of an experiment to train domestic chicks to find food rewards in Biology Letters. Chicks (Gallus gallus) and nutcracker birds (Nucifraga columbiana) were trained to find food rewards by pecking at the fourth or sixth food dispenser in a straight line of sixteen. The placement of the line of dispensers was then altered by 90°, giving the birds a choice of starting at the left or right end of the line. Both nutcracker birds and domestic chickens showed a preference for pecking at the dispensers fourth and sixth from the left. In humans, the right hemisphere of the brain is associated with visual and spatial tasks, and governs the left field of vision. It may be that similar brain structure in birds makes counting from left to right instinctive, rather than learned, suggest the researchers.

Karin Cox, author of Amazing Facts about Australian Birds and the newly released Nature Watch: Birds says she’s not surprised by the findings of another similarity between humans and birds. “Although humans are mammals, and of course there are several major differences between the classes Aves and Mammalia, while writing these books for Steve Parish Publishing I came across many similarities between bird and human behaviour. Several bird species, for instance, pair bond for life and mate monogamously, which shows a high parental investment in offspring, similar to how many humans conduct their relationships. Of course, others are ‘single parents’. Like humans, birds have also been shown to use tools. One Australian bird, the Black-breasted Buzzard (Hamirostra melanosternon) has been widely observed picking up rocks and throwing them at other birds eggs to smash them and eat them, and several species in the Corvid family of Crows and Ravens are known to use similar tactics,” says Cox.

Also take into account the close bonds that form between some captive birds and their owners, particularly Australian parrots like the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo and budgerigars, both of which even replicate human sounds, as does the male Superb Lyrebird, which uses song and dance to attract a female partner. “Not so dissimilar to blokes out at a nightclub,” Cox suggests. “Of course there are many differences, too,” she qualifies, “even aside from the obvious ones of beaks and feathers. Owls, for instance, can’t roll or swivel their eyes so they have to turn their heads to see, but of course they have excellent hearing so can pinpoint movement using that alone. And birds are much better at using oxygen in the body and at regulating body temperature than humans are.”

When developing the Nature Watch range, designed for children from three years and up, Cox admits that her primary objective was to draw comparisons between birds and humans to highlight the similarities. “In the past, it used to be considered bad science writing to ‘anthropomorphize’, or bestow human qualities or concepts on animals,” Cox admits, “but for very young children, it’s a great way of getting them to see just how evolution has occurred, even between classes of animals, and of getting them to think about concepts like flight, the difference between fur and feathers, and the way animals live their lives. So, throughout the Nature Watch series, we deliberately draw attention to things humans and animals do similarly and to what they do differently, whether that is in body structure and function or behaviour. Birds are actually very intelligent animals too,” she enthuses, “so the term bird-brained is certainly wrong and as this study shows, they probably have a secrets left to knock us off our perch.”

The Nature Watch range of ten books aimed at young readers from 3+ is available from all good book stores or online from Steve Parish Publishing at www.steveparish.com.au

Nature Watch Titles include: Birds, Mammals, Fish, Baby Animals, Dangerous Animals, Reptile, Animal Homes, Insects, Things to Make and Do and Outdoor Activities.

Indian cinema is a solid, colourful representative of Bollywood overseas. It is also the primary connection to their homeland for Indians living abroad.

So when the 11th International Indian Film Academy (IFFA) awards ceremony, held in Sri Lanka in June 2010, is telecast globally it will be viewed by close to an estimated half a billion people.

Bollywood’s equivalent of Hollywood’s Academy Awards, IIFA has been touted as one of the world’s most watched events.

The star-studded awards night will be broadcast in Australia and New Zealand on the Vision Asia network through Star Plus on July 19, 2010 (and repeated on July 26). This channel alone reaches more than 600 million viewers world-wide.

Bollywood appeal for NRIs
Member of Indian Parliament and former senior U.N. official Dr Shashi Tharoor best summed up the appeal of Bollywood at the IIFA ceremony: “Hindi cinema is India’s most successful brand ambassador”.

The appreciation by non-resident Indians of their Bollywood ambassadors was evident at the IIFA weekend when numerous groups huddled waiting patiently to catch a glimpse of their idol, capture them on camera or stop them to get an autograph.

IIFA was created over a decade ago to promote Indian films abroad. Former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan may have acted in several Hollywood movies and appeared on the Oprah show (with husband and fellow actor Abhishek Bachchan), but outside of India, the biggest Hindi film fans are non-resident Indians.

Analysts say that international ticket sales account for between 15% and 25% of the money made in theatres in Indian films. For some films, that figure can be as high as 50%.

It’s interesting to note that the taste for films by non-resident Indians (NRIs) are dissimilar to those of their fellow countrymen and women back home.

In years gone by, there have been films like ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’, ‘Don’ and ‘Salam-E-Ishq’ which have played well at home, but proved to be blockbusters overseas.

Hindi film actor Anupam Kher describes this trend as a “certain escape” that’s craved by NRIs through movies like ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ and ‘New York’.

A veteran of more than 300 films, Anupam Kher believes that stars like Shah Rukh Khan are the “icons of Indians abroad”.

Expatriate Indians need Hindi cinema to stay in touch with ‘home’. Big budget films – and equally big name stars – are the salvation for expatriate Indians. Delivering on demand are directors like Yash Chopra and Karan Johar who have recognised the successful formula for NRIs: enticing international locations, big budgets and impressive themes involving family and home that are sure to touch the heart.

No doubt, this ‘modus operandi’ is here to stay.

After being invited by the organisers – Wizcraft – and hosted by Sri Lanka Tourism to attend the 11th International Indian Film Academy Awards in Colombo, I was elated at the opportunity of meeting some of Bollywood’s biggest stars last month.

IIFA brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, his family, other stars like Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan did not walk the ‘green’ carpet, but there were many other ‘big’ name celebrities who attended including Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Dutt, Anil Kapoor, Govinda, Anupam Kher, Kangana Ranaut, Irrfan Khan, Bipasha Basu, Kunal Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Mughda Godse, numerous film directors and Sri Lanka’s very own ‘newcomer’ to Indian cinema Jacqueline Fernandez.

India’s equivalent of the Hollywood Oscars, the weekend of June 3-5, 2010 was jam-paced, showcasing the IIFA Foundation Fashion Extravaganza, FICCI-IIFA Global Business Forum, IIFA Foundation Celebrity Cricket Match, IIFA Film Workshops and the ultimate in glamour and glitz – the Micromax IIFA Awards.

The annual celebrations also resulted in the spotlight being turned on the ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean’ and generating lots of goodwill for the host country.

The college comedy ‘3 Idiots’ dominated the IIFA awards winning about half of the more than 30 categories including Best Film and Best Director for Rajkumar Hirani.

Amitabh Bachchan won Best Actor for ‘Paa’ and Vidya Balan (‘Paa’) shared the award for Best Actress with Kareena Kapoor (‘3 Idiots’).

June 5 culminated with the IIFA awards night at the Sughathadasa Indoor Stadium, in Colombo. There was lots of glamour, heady fanfare and over five hours of entertainment which saw a star-studded line-up including actors Boman Irani, Riteish Deshmuk, Lara Dutta and performances by Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan.

Some of the other significant awards handed out were: Salman Khan being named Habitat For Humanity Ambassador; J. Om Prakash and Zeemat Aman were recognised for making an Outstanding Contribution to Hindi Cinema; Anil Kapoor was acknowledged for Outstanding Achievement by an Indian Internationally; and Vivek Oberoi received the IIFA Green Global Award.

The IIFA global press conference at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel was attended by more than 400 international and local media. Outlining the program of events, Sabbas Joseph, director, Wizcraft International spoke of the satisfaction among the organisers and sponsors about the benefits for Sri Lanka.

“IIFA is pleased to partner with Sri Lanka Tourism to initiate engagement and discussion for exciting projects, focused on the north and east regions of Sri Lanka,” Mr Joseph said. “Our work with the UNICEF, Habitat for Humanity and the discussions at the FICCI IIFA Global Business Forum brought focus to the development and reconciliation process in Sri Lanka.”

This point was further elaborated on by Sri Lanka’s deputy Economic Development Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena. He spoke about the country having great potential in expanding its vistas in investment, tourism, agriculture and other sectors that would “immensely contribute towards the rapid development drive initiated by the Government. IIFA will play a vital role in further strengthening the mutual co-operation of the two nations”.

The President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa inaugurated the FICCI-IIFA Global Business Forum brought together business leaders, policy makers and dignitaries from around the world to deliberate on key industry verticals creating a conducive environment for development of joint initiatives between business leaders across the two countries. The forum focused on various strategies to explore and boost business opportunities between India and Sri Lanka, with this year’s theme being ‘India – Sri Lanka Partnership: The Way Forward’.

For the first time ever, the world saw a sneak preview of ‘Kingdom of Dreams’ – a soon-to-be-launched theatre production in Gurgaon, near New Delhi – starring Hussain Kuwajerwalla, Isha Shravani and Gauhar Khan.

The IIFA Film Workshop saw director R. Balki, actor Anupam Kher and Jacqueline Fernandez sharing their experiences, together with an interactive session between Indian and Sri Lankan film industry personalities.

The trendsetting IIFA Foundation Fashion Extravaganza was a trail blazer event over two days with Indian and Sri Lankan fashion designers showing their collections and the Indian film fraternity walked the ramp!

However, it was the fund-raising aspects of IIFA that touched everyone’s heart.

The IIFA Foundation Celebrity Cricket Match, in support of UNICEF’s ‘Cricket for Children’ project, was played between India’s top cinema stars and Sri Lankan cricketers. Proceeds from the charity cricket match were donated to the ‘IIFA Hands for Humanity’ project. IIFA, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, will rebuild a village for refugees.

Now that the second decade of IIFA has unfolded, the academy will continue to build on its theme of ‘One People, One World’ – and that will benefit its world-wide partnerships.