On the internet is an image of Ronald McDonald, the McDonald’s hamburger icon, seated in a lotus position. Some Thai Buddhists see this in literal terms as disrespectful to the Buddha; others are rightly critical of the colonialist and harmful cultural appropriation of Buddhism by the west and the lack of regard for Asian Buddhism…
Author: THEJOHNANTONIOBLOG
‘Dirt and filth’: Russia attacks film about Red Army in Afghanistan
A row has broken out in Russia over a film about the Soviet Union’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, after politicians and former servicemen criticised its unflattering depiction of Red Army soldiers as unpatriotic. Leaving Afghanistan, directed by Pavel Lungin, is based on the experiences of Nikolay Kovalyov, a veteran of the Afghan war who went on…
Bibi Andersson obituary
It is often the fate of any actor who worked regularly for the illustrious Swedish director Ingmar Bergman to be celebrated, above all, for that association. Among this elite ensemble, Bibi Andersson, who has died aged 83, appeared in 10 features and three television films by Bergman, which included such masterpieces as The Seventh Seal…
Russian court jails Norwegian for 14 years on spying charges
A Russian court has jailed a Norwegian man for 14 years after finding him guilty of spying on nuclear submarines, a verdict that could strain ties between Moscow and its Nato-member neighbour. Frode Berg, 63, a retired former guard on the Norwegian-Russian border, was detained in Moscow in December 2017 and tried behind closed doors…
Captain chaos: Trump advises Boeing, despite swift failure of own airline
“What do I know about branding[?]” Donald Trump mused on Twitter, early on Monday morning. “Maybe nothing […] but if I were Boeing, I would FIX the Boeing 737 MAX, add some additional great features, & REBRAND the plane with a new name.” Quite aside from the scant regard shown by the president for the…
Gene Wolfe, ‘magnificent’ giant of science fiction, dies aged 87
Gene Wolfe, a towering figure in science fiction whose magnum opus The Book of the New Sun was hailed as a masterpiece by Ursula K Le Guin, has died at the age of 87. Wolfe’s publisher Tor, when announcing the news on Monday, described him as a “beloved icon”. “He leaves behind an impressive body…
Trump investigations and gun coverage shine in 2019 Pulitzer Prizes
The 2019 Pulitzer Prizes, rewarding journalism and cultural excellence, were handed out on Monday, with a special emphasis going to investigations involving Donald Trump and reporting on gun safety issues in the aftermath of mass shootings. A rare, posthumous citation was made to Aretha Franklin “for her indelible contribution to American music and culture for…
Alberta election is key test for Rachel Notley and Canada’s carbon tax
When Canada’s leftwing New Democratic party launched a manifesto promising carbon taxes, coal plant closures and welfare spending in the heartland of country’s oil industry, few thought they could win. But in 2015, the party ended 40 years of conservative rule in the province of Alberta with an unexpected victory that seemed to mark a…
Ian McEwan: ‘Who’s going to write the algorithm for the little white lie?’
There is a scene toward the end of Ian McEwan’s new novel, Machines Like Me, when the narrator, Charlie, is pushing his lifelike prototype robot, Adam, in a wheelchair through a demonstration in Trafalgar Square. The demonstrators are protesting about everything under the sun – “poverty, unemployment, housing, healthcare, education, crime, race, gender, climate, opportunity”….
Indonesia: 193m people, 17,000 islands, one big election. Here’s what you need to know
World’s most complex one-day elections Indonesia, a nation made up of 17,000 islands, will hold the biggest, most complex one-day elections in the world on 17 April. The elections in India are bigger in number but are held over a comparatively relaxed period of six weeks. A total of 192.8 million Indonesians are registered to…