Happy belated May 1st Workers' Day. I' ve been telling some of my ESL students about the Rochdale Grocery Store Co-operative, the first modern co-op. Linked as it was to the Industrial Revolution in England, I talked about the steam engine, the factory system, working hours, and the nonexistent right to strike. The 28 or so workers who organized the Rochdale Pioneer Co-op then acted in 1844, creating the foundation for the modern International Co-op Alliance which has had membership earning some $900 billion worldwide.
Otherwise, I have just finished Leon Uris's Exodus. Simply extremely cool. I also now have a clearer understanding of the hostile Arab role in Israel's historical state of affairs. My Portuguese has also gotten a boost, since I read it in translation.
I have just seen Parker and Stones' Team America again. Mostly hilarious, the flick isn't as progressive as I prefer. Nevertheless, their nutty humor is riotous. The hero's power source in his acting talent is hilarious, leading of course to his eventual raucously funny showdown with Alec Baldwin in Kim Jong-Il's amphitheater. The theme song pounds out lyrics like "America, F- yeah!" though I noticed at the end it finally includes a lyric "Slavery!" with its dramatic sarcasm.
In contrast, I saw today Chernobyl Diaries by somebody connected with Paranormal Activity. I had to get used to its low budget quality, but it was well acted and directed to my taste. As a horror film, it finally sends a message of how the Chernobyl accident represents a real historical crisis that creates a horror show which finishes off a bunch of frivolous and decadent Western youth. A fine statement of sorts which would be well combined with a reference to the recent Right Livelihood alt Nobel winner, Ursula Sladek of Schoenau, the German woman who lead a co-op takeover of her local energy agency. Their renewable energy efforts have been highly and increasingly successful..
