Lines of Resistance: Prison Art from the Middle East
612 Markham St., April 9-17
by Brandon Gray

Dozens gathered at Beit Zatoun Gallery last Sunday to experience firsthand the stories and art of Turkish and Iranian political prisoners who have suffered horrific repression yet persevered to continue their struggle for freedom and equality.

The evening, hosted by Toronto Anarchist Black Cross, featured a screening of The Tree that Remembers, a powerful documentary film that explored the nightmare that was and is the Islamic Republic of Iran. Through bittersweet art and personal stories, we are taken from the American CIA & British MI5-orchestrated military overthrow of elected President Mossadegh through the iron grip of an imperialist puppet called the Shah, the revolutionary uprisings of 1979, followed by the bloodbath committed by the Khomeini regime in the 1980s. The film ends leaving us with the hope and reflections of life in exile here in Toronto.

A Letter to CBC's 'The Lang & O'Leary Exchange'

The 14 March episode of The Lang & O'Leary Exchange featured a beaming Kevin O'Leary patched in from a beach in the Bahamas who spoke with great enthusiasm about the opportunities the massive earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdowns devastating Japan had created for making a profit. As palm trees swayed in the breeze behind him, O'Leary exclaimed that he was feeling quite “bullish” about investing in infrastructure after so much had been destroyed. This was broadcast by the CBC as the Japanese had not yet finished finding, let alone burying, their thousands of dead and their nuclear reactors were teetering on the brink of full meltdown.

When Lang asked if O'Leary agreed this was a disaster for the Japanese economy, he responded,