Monday, April 28, 2014
Resources for April 28, 2014
Business Insider: "6 Corporations Control 90% of the Media in America"
Mayer for Mayor comments on the Business Lexington article "HUD to Provide Lexington a Loan Guarantee for 21c Hotel Project.": "As a writing teacher, I bristle when places like art hotel 21C receive $6 million in federal loans earmarked for low income economic development. Leaders seem to have no shame in assuming that the Main Street project of billionaire bourbon heiress Laura Lee Brown represents 'a powerful public investment tool to drive economic development in underserved areas.' Main Street is underserved? Have we re-defined this word? This isn't a semantic question--it enabled 21C to receive over 60% of this city's lending capacity for creating low-income jobs. Keep that in mind when you hear city leaders bemoan the need to create good-paying jobs. When it comes to jobs for low-income residents, our brain trust went with house maid--and it accomplished this by giving billionaire Louisvillians a special $6 million loan at reduced rates."
"There are two parts to the human dilemma. One is the belief that the end justifies the means. That push-button philosophy, that deliberate deafness to suffering has become the monster in the war machine. The other is the betrayal of the human spirit. The assertion of dogma closes the mind and turns a nation, a civilization into a regiment of ghosts — obedient ghosts, or tortured ghosts." -- Jacob Bronowski, Ascent of Man (1973)
“This is the only story of mine whose moral I know. I don’t think it’s a marvelous moral; I simply happen to know what it is: We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.” -- Kurt Vonnegut, Mother Night (1961)
Dorr, Gary, et al. "Cowboy Indian Alliance Protests Keystone XL Pipeline in D.C. After Latest Obama Admin Delay." Democracy Now (April 28, 2014)
Johnsen, Gregory D. "60 Words And A War Without End: The Untold Story Of The Most Dangerous Sentence In U.S. History." Buzzfeed (January 16, 2014)
Ross, Julianne. "17 Lies We Need to Stop Teaching Girls About Sex." PolicyMic (April 25, 2014)
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Resources for April 24, 2014
XKCD:
ACLU: The Department of Justice announced expanded criteria for clemency applicants during a press conference today. According to the DOJ, thousands more will now be able to ask the President to commute or pardon their sentence.
Dialogic Cinephilia archives:
April 23, 2014
April 24, 2014
Zander, Ben. "'Rite of Spring' Revival." Radio Open Source (April 22, 2014)
Jameison, Dave. "Fast Food CEOs Make 1,000 Times More Than Their Typical Workers: Report." Huffington Post (April 22, 2014)
Giroux, Henry A. "Neoliberalism, Democracy and the University as a Public Sphere." Truthout (April 22, 2014)
Dialogic Peace & Conflict Studies archive: Scott Horton (Lawyer -- Human Rights, Emerging Markets and International Law)
Sharma, Akhil. "On Family Life." Radio Open Source (April 23, 2014)["We’re in conversation with the writer that so many other writers are talking about, the Indian-born New Yorker, Akhil Sharma. His novel is Family Life, a faithful recounting in fiction of a horrific swimming-pool accident that did catastrophic brain damage to his gifted older brother and smashed his family’s immigrant adventure. But our conversation, like the book itself, is also about how writers are made, how agony becomes art, how memory wants be nudged forward. Akhil Sharma is telling us he chiseled 7,000 pages in draft to barely 200 pages in hardcover. It was a project, he says, that was full of love more than sadness, that was designed to be useful to his parents and others, and to move like a rocket. The conversation jumped from writing to life and back again, from Hemingway to Chekhov and Proust and the devices of storytelling and fiction. And we found that we were high on each other almost before we began."]
Merriam-Webster's Word-of-the-Day:
fissiparous \fih-SIP-uh-rus\
adjective 1 : tending to break up into parts; 2 : creating disunity or dissension : divisive
EXAMPLES
The election for class president had a fissiparous effect on the school as students took sides for their favorite candidate.
"In Calvinism: A History, D.G. Hart … shows how Protestantism's fissiparous nature has allowed it to adapt and, in some instances, transmogrify to fit local and personal needs." — From a book review by Michael P. Orsi in the Washington Times (Washington D.C.), December 12, 2013
When it first entered English in the 19th century, "fissiparous" was concerned with reproduction. In biology, a fissiparous organism is one that produces new individuals by fission; that is, by dividing into separate parts, each of which becomes a unique organism. (Most strains of bacteria do this.) Both "fissiparous" and "fission" trace back to Latin "findere" ("to split"). The second part of "fissiparous" is rooted in Latin "parere" ("to give birth to" or "to produce"). Other "parere" offspring refer to other forms of reproduction, including "oviparous" ("producing eggs that hatch outside the body") and "viviparous" ("producing living young instead of eggs"). By the end of the 19th century "fissiparous" had acquired a figurative meaning, describing something that breaks into parts or causes something else to break into parts.
ACLU: The Department of Justice announced expanded criteria for clemency applicants during a press conference today. According to the DOJ, thousands more will now be able to ask the President to commute or pardon their sentence.
Dialogic Cinephilia archives:
April 23, 2014
April 24, 2014
Zander, Ben. "'Rite of Spring' Revival." Radio Open Source (April 22, 2014)
Jameison, Dave. "Fast Food CEOs Make 1,000 Times More Than Their Typical Workers: Report." Huffington Post (April 22, 2014)
Giroux, Henry A. "Neoliberalism, Democracy and the University as a Public Sphere." Truthout (April 22, 2014)
Dialogic Peace & Conflict Studies archive: Scott Horton (Lawyer -- Human Rights, Emerging Markets and International Law)
Sharma, Akhil. "On Family Life." Radio Open Source (April 23, 2014)["We’re in conversation with the writer that so many other writers are talking about, the Indian-born New Yorker, Akhil Sharma. His novel is Family Life, a faithful recounting in fiction of a horrific swimming-pool accident that did catastrophic brain damage to his gifted older brother and smashed his family’s immigrant adventure. But our conversation, like the book itself, is also about how writers are made, how agony becomes art, how memory wants be nudged forward. Akhil Sharma is telling us he chiseled 7,000 pages in draft to barely 200 pages in hardcover. It was a project, he says, that was full of love more than sadness, that was designed to be useful to his parents and others, and to move like a rocket. The conversation jumped from writing to life and back again, from Hemingway to Chekhov and Proust and the devices of storytelling and fiction. And we found that we were high on each other almost before we began."]
Merriam-Webster's Word-of-the-Day:
fissiparous \fih-SIP-uh-rus\
adjective 1 : tending to break up into parts; 2 : creating disunity or dissension : divisive
EXAMPLES
The election for class president had a fissiparous effect on the school as students took sides for their favorite candidate.
"In Calvinism: A History, D.G. Hart … shows how Protestantism's fissiparous nature has allowed it to adapt and, in some instances, transmogrify to fit local and personal needs." — From a book review by Michael P. Orsi in the Washington Times (Washington D.C.), December 12, 2013
When it first entered English in the 19th century, "fissiparous" was concerned with reproduction. In biology, a fissiparous organism is one that produces new individuals by fission; that is, by dividing into separate parts, each of which becomes a unique organism. (Most strains of bacteria do this.) Both "fissiparous" and "fission" trace back to Latin "findere" ("to split"). The second part of "fissiparous" is rooted in Latin "parere" ("to give birth to" or "to produce"). Other "parere" offspring refer to other forms of reproduction, including "oviparous" ("producing eggs that hatch outside the body") and "viviparous" ("producing living young instead of eggs"). By the end of the 19th century "fissiparous" had acquired a figurative meaning, describing something that breaks into parts or causes something else to break into parts.
Scott Horton (Lawyer -- Human Rights, Emerging Markets and International Law)
Biographies/Archives/Organizations:
Wikipedia: Scott Horton
No Comment (Scott Horton's Blog on Harper's)
Columbia Law School: Scott Horton
The Nation Institute: Scott Horton
The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law: Scott Horton
Resources by/about/featuring Scott Horton:
Horton, Scott. "7 Letter Word." On the Media (April 24, 2009) ["While some in the media wondered if Obama flip-flopped when it comes to prosecuting Bush Administration officials who authorized torture, the White House tried to get its media message straight ... all without actually using the T-word. Columbia University law professor and Harper's Magazine contributing editor Scott Horton explains why the Administration, and some members of the media, are backing away from "torture.""]
---. "FCC Launches Probe of Alabama TV Station Accused of Censoring a 60 Minutes Expose on the GOP’s Prosecution of Alabama’s Imprisoned Former Gov. Don Siegelman." Democracy Now (March 6, 2008)
---. "Gonzales Resignation Puts Torture, Guantanamo Back on Center Stage in Washington." Democracy Now (August 28, 2007)
---. "Politicizing the Judiciary." Harper's (June 28, 2012)
---. "Secret Federal FISA Court Advocate of National Security State." Law and Disorder Radio (July 15, 2013)
---. "A Setback For Obama’s War On Whistleblowers." Law and Disorder Radio (August 15, 2011)
---. "The Torture Doctors." No Comment (November 4, 2013) ["An expert panel concludes that the Pentagon and the CIA ordered physicians to violate the Hippocratic Oath"]
---. "The Woman Who Could Nail Bush: Are the Worst of the Torture Memos Still to Come?" Alternet (March 29, 2009)
Rizzo, John and Scott Horton. "A Debate on Torture: Legal Architect of CIA Secret Prisons, Rendition vs. Human Rights Attorney." Democracy Now (March 28, 2014)
Wikipedia: Scott Horton
No Comment (Scott Horton's Blog on Harper's)
Columbia Law School: Scott Horton
The Nation Institute: Scott Horton
The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law: Scott Horton
Resources by/about/featuring Scott Horton:
Horton, Scott. "7 Letter Word." On the Media (April 24, 2009) ["While some in the media wondered if Obama flip-flopped when it comes to prosecuting Bush Administration officials who authorized torture, the White House tried to get its media message straight ... all without actually using the T-word. Columbia University law professor and Harper's Magazine contributing editor Scott Horton explains why the Administration, and some members of the media, are backing away from "torture.""]
---. "FCC Launches Probe of Alabama TV Station Accused of Censoring a 60 Minutes Expose on the GOP’s Prosecution of Alabama’s Imprisoned Former Gov. Don Siegelman." Democracy Now (March 6, 2008)
---. "Gonzales Resignation Puts Torture, Guantanamo Back on Center Stage in Washington." Democracy Now (August 28, 2007)
---. "Politicizing the Judiciary." Harper's (June 28, 2012)
---. "Secret Federal FISA Court Advocate of National Security State." Law and Disorder Radio (July 15, 2013)
---. "A Setback For Obama’s War On Whistleblowers." Law and Disorder Radio (August 15, 2011)
---. "The Torture Doctors." No Comment (November 4, 2013) ["An expert panel concludes that the Pentagon and the CIA ordered physicians to violate the Hippocratic Oath"]
---. "The Woman Who Could Nail Bush: Are the Worst of the Torture Memos Still to Come?" Alternet (March 29, 2009)
Rizzo, John and Scott Horton. "A Debate on Torture: Legal Architect of CIA Secret Prisons, Rendition vs. Human Rights Attorney." Democracy Now (March 28, 2014)
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Resources for April 23, 2014
Benton, Michael Dean. "Increase the Minimum Wage." Mayer for Mayor (April 21, 2014)
"60 Words." Radiolab (April 18, 2014) ["This hour we pull apart one sentence, written in the hours after September 11th, 2001, that has led to the longest war in U.S. history. We examine how just 60 words of legal language have blurred the line between war and peace. In the hours after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, a lawyer sat down in front of a computer and started writing a legal justification for taking action against those responsible. The language that he drafted and that President George W. Bush signed into law - called the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) - has at its heart one single sentence, 60 words long. Over the last decade, those 60 words have become the legal foundation for the "war on terror." In this collaboration with BuzzFeed, reporter Gregory Johnsen tells us the story of how this has come to be one of the most important, confusing, troubling sentences of the past 12 years. We go into the meetings that took place in the chaotic days just after 9/11, speak with Congresswoman Barbara Lee and former Congressman Ron Dellums about the vote on the AUMF. We hear from former White House and State Department lawyers John Bellinger & Harold Koh. We learn how this legal language unleashed Guantanamo, Navy Seal raids and drone strikes. And we speak with journalist Daniel Klaidman, legal expert Benjamin Wittes and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine about how these words came to be interpreted, and what they mean for the future of war and peace."]
"Straight Outta Chevy Chase." Radiolab (April 1, 2014) ["Over the past 40 years, hip-hop music has gone from underground phenomenon to global commodity. But as The New Yorker's Andrew Marantz explains, massive commercial success is a tightrope walk for any genre of popular music, and especially one built on authenticity and “realness.” Hip-hop constantly runs the risk of becoming a watered-down imitation of its former self - just, you know, pop music. Andrew introduces us to Peter Rosenberg, a guy who takes this doomsday scenario very seriously. Peter is a DJ at Hot 97, New York City’s iconic hip-hop station, and a vocal booster of what he calls “real” hip-hop. But as a Jewish fellow from suburban Maryland, he's also the first to admit that he's an unlikely arbiter for what is and what isn't hip-hop. With the help of Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest and NPR's Frannie Kelley, we explore the strange ways that hip-hop deals with that age-old question: are you in or are you out?"]
Blackford, Linda. "University of Kentucky students protest plan to privatize dining services." Lexington Herald-Leader (April 21, 2014)
"Kill 'em All." Radiolab (March 25, 2014) ["Ever since there have been humans, mosquitoes have been biting us, and we’ve been trying to kill them. And, for the most part, the mosquitoes have been winning. Today there are over 3000 species on pretty much every corner of Earth. Mosquito-borne diseases kill around 1 million people a year (most of them children) and make more than 500 million people sick. But thanks to Hadyn Perry and his team of scientists, that might be about to change. Producer Andy Mills talks with author Sonia Shah about the difficulties of sharing a planet with mosquitoes and with science writer David Quammen about the risks of getting rid of them."]
Democracy Now Headlines for April 22, 2014:
Kitchell, Mark. "Earth Day Special: Fierce Green Fire Documentary Explores Environmental Movement’s Global Rise." Democracy Now (April 22, 2014)
Merriam-Webster Word-of-the-Day
oneiric \oh-NYE-rik\
adjective: of or relating to dreams : dreamy
EXAMPLES
The paintings, filled with fantastical imagery conjured by the artist's imagination, have a compellingly oneiric quality.
"Most of the actors here are double and triple cast, and if they barely differentiate among their roles, that just adds to the oneiric effect." — From a theater review by Jeffrey Gantz in The Boston Globe, March 12, 2012
The notion of using the Greek noun "oneiros" (meaning "dream") to form the English adjective "oneiric" wasn't dreamed up until the mid-19th century. But back in the early 1600s, linguistic dreamers came up with a few "oneiros" spin-offs, giving English "oneirocriticism," "oneirocritical," and "oneirocritic" (each referring to dream interpreters or interpretation). The surge in "oneiros" derivatives at that time may have been fueled by the interest then among English-speaking scholars in Oneirocritica, a book about dream interpretation by 2nd-century Greek soothsayer Artemidorus Daldianus.
"60 Words." Radiolab (April 18, 2014) ["This hour we pull apart one sentence, written in the hours after September 11th, 2001, that has led to the longest war in U.S. history. We examine how just 60 words of legal language have blurred the line between war and peace. In the hours after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, a lawyer sat down in front of a computer and started writing a legal justification for taking action against those responsible. The language that he drafted and that President George W. Bush signed into law - called the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) - has at its heart one single sentence, 60 words long. Over the last decade, those 60 words have become the legal foundation for the "war on terror." In this collaboration with BuzzFeed, reporter Gregory Johnsen tells us the story of how this has come to be one of the most important, confusing, troubling sentences of the past 12 years. We go into the meetings that took place in the chaotic days just after 9/11, speak with Congresswoman Barbara Lee and former Congressman Ron Dellums about the vote on the AUMF. We hear from former White House and State Department lawyers John Bellinger & Harold Koh. We learn how this legal language unleashed Guantanamo, Navy Seal raids and drone strikes. And we speak with journalist Daniel Klaidman, legal expert Benjamin Wittes and Virginia Senator Tim Kaine about how these words came to be interpreted, and what they mean for the future of war and peace."]
"Straight Outta Chevy Chase." Radiolab (April 1, 2014) ["Over the past 40 years, hip-hop music has gone from underground phenomenon to global commodity. But as The New Yorker's Andrew Marantz explains, massive commercial success is a tightrope walk for any genre of popular music, and especially one built on authenticity and “realness.” Hip-hop constantly runs the risk of becoming a watered-down imitation of its former self - just, you know, pop music. Andrew introduces us to Peter Rosenberg, a guy who takes this doomsday scenario very seriously. Peter is a DJ at Hot 97, New York City’s iconic hip-hop station, and a vocal booster of what he calls “real” hip-hop. But as a Jewish fellow from suburban Maryland, he's also the first to admit that he's an unlikely arbiter for what is and what isn't hip-hop. With the help of Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest and NPR's Frannie Kelley, we explore the strange ways that hip-hop deals with that age-old question: are you in or are you out?"]
Blackford, Linda. "University of Kentucky students protest plan to privatize dining services." Lexington Herald-Leader (April 21, 2014)
"Kill 'em All." Radiolab (March 25, 2014) ["Ever since there have been humans, mosquitoes have been biting us, and we’ve been trying to kill them. And, for the most part, the mosquitoes have been winning. Today there are over 3000 species on pretty much every corner of Earth. Mosquito-borne diseases kill around 1 million people a year (most of them children) and make more than 500 million people sick. But thanks to Hadyn Perry and his team of scientists, that might be about to change. Producer Andy Mills talks with author Sonia Shah about the difficulties of sharing a planet with mosquitoes and with science writer David Quammen about the risks of getting rid of them."]
Democracy Now Headlines for April 22, 2014:
Kitchell, Mark. "Earth Day Special: Fierce Green Fire Documentary Explores Environmental Movement’s Global Rise." Democracy Now (April 22, 2014)
Merriam-Webster Word-of-the-Day
oneiric \oh-NYE-rik\
adjective: of or relating to dreams : dreamy
EXAMPLES
The paintings, filled with fantastical imagery conjured by the artist's imagination, have a compellingly oneiric quality.
"Most of the actors here are double and triple cast, and if they barely differentiate among their roles, that just adds to the oneiric effect." — From a theater review by Jeffrey Gantz in The Boston Globe, March 12, 2012
The notion of using the Greek noun "oneiros" (meaning "dream") to form the English adjective "oneiric" wasn't dreamed up until the mid-19th century. But back in the early 1600s, linguistic dreamers came up with a few "oneiros" spin-offs, giving English "oneirocriticism," "oneirocritical," and "oneirocritic" (each referring to dream interpreters or interpretation). The surge in "oneiros" derivatives at that time may have been fueled by the interest then among English-speaking scholars in Oneirocritica, a book about dream interpretation by 2nd-century Greek soothsayer Artemidorus Daldianus.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Resources for April 19, 2014
Hudson, David. "Gabriel García Márquez, 1927 – 2014." Keyframe (April 17, 2014)
Wallace, Gregory. "Oklahoma bans local minimum wage hikes." CNN Money (April 15, 2014)
Gross, Daniel. "Radical Fast Food Joint Doubles Down on High Wages." The Daily Beast (September 9, 2013)
"Walmart on Tax Day: How Taxpayers Subsidize America’s Biggest Employer and Richest Family." Americans for Tax Fairness (April 2014)
Zornberg, Avivah. "The Transformation of Pharaoh, Moses, and God." On Being (April 10, 2014) ["With a master of midrash as our guide, we walk through the Exodus story at the heart of Passover. It's not the simple narrative you've watched at the movies or learned in Sunday school. Neither Moses or Pharaoh, nor the oppressed Israelites or even God, are as they seem. As Avivah Zornberg reveals, Exodus is a cargo of hidden stories — telling the messy, strange, redemptive truth of us as we are, and life as it is."]
"How U.S. Taxpayers Subsidize the Nation's Wealthiest Family." Jobs with Justice (April 14, 2014)
Jones, Ann. "How US Wars Came Home With the Troops: Up Close, Personal and Bloody." Truthout (April 17, 2014)
Courtney, Oliver. " One Percent of Environmentalists Killings Lead to Convictions: Global Witness report co-author Oliver Courtney discusses the alarming number of murders in South America and how governments and corporations work in unison to subvert indigenous rights." Real Network News (April 17, 2014)
Crabapple, Molly. "George Bush's Paintings Aren't Funny: But they are fascinating." Politico (April 13, 2014)
Pangburn, D.J. "These Short Online Psychedelic Courses Will Bend Your Mind." Motherboard (April 16, 2014)
Glaser, April. "Electronic Frontier Foundation is Expanding into Student and Community Organizing, and We Need Your Help." Electronic Frontier Foundation (April 9, 2014)
Wallace, Gregory. "Oklahoma bans local minimum wage hikes." CNN Money (April 15, 2014)
Gross, Daniel. "Radical Fast Food Joint Doubles Down on High Wages." The Daily Beast (September 9, 2013)
"Walmart on Tax Day: How Taxpayers Subsidize America’s Biggest Employer and Richest Family." Americans for Tax Fairness (April 2014)
Zornberg, Avivah. "The Transformation of Pharaoh, Moses, and God." On Being (April 10, 2014) ["With a master of midrash as our guide, we walk through the Exodus story at the heart of Passover. It's not the simple narrative you've watched at the movies or learned in Sunday school. Neither Moses or Pharaoh, nor the oppressed Israelites or even God, are as they seem. As Avivah Zornberg reveals, Exodus is a cargo of hidden stories — telling the messy, strange, redemptive truth of us as we are, and life as it is."]
"How U.S. Taxpayers Subsidize the Nation's Wealthiest Family." Jobs with Justice (April 14, 2014)
Jones, Ann. "How US Wars Came Home With the Troops: Up Close, Personal and Bloody." Truthout (April 17, 2014)
Courtney, Oliver. " One Percent of Environmentalists Killings Lead to Convictions: Global Witness report co-author Oliver Courtney discusses the alarming number of murders in South America and how governments and corporations work in unison to subvert indigenous rights." Real Network News (April 17, 2014)
Crabapple, Molly. "George Bush's Paintings Aren't Funny: But they are fascinating." Politico (April 13, 2014)
Pangburn, D.J. "These Short Online Psychedelic Courses Will Bend Your Mind." Motherboard (April 16, 2014)
Glaser, April. "Electronic Frontier Foundation is Expanding into Student and Community Organizing, and We Need Your Help." Electronic Frontier Foundation (April 9, 2014)
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Resources for April 17, 2014
Popova, Maria. "Famous Advice on Writing: The Collected Wisdom of Great Writers." Brain Pickings (May 3, 2013)
Jayaraman, Saru. "All Work and No Pay." Bill Moyers and Co. (April 4, 2014) ["Did you know the federal minimum wage for millions of restaurant workers is $2.13 an hour? Advocate Saru Jayaraman says that’s not only unfair but unsafe."]
Dialogic archive: Laura Poitras: Documentary Filmmaker and Producer
Ravitch, Diane. "Public Schools for Sale." Moyers & Co. (March 28, 2014)
Taibbi, Matt. "Who Goes to Jail? Matt Taibbi on American Injustice Gap from Wall Street to Main Street." Democracy Now (April 15, 2014)
Center for Constitutional Rights: News on the torture accountability front -- Spain’s National Court is continuing its investigation into the alleged torture of men formerly detained at Guantánamo prison by U.S. officials, despite recent legislative restrictions stating that Spanish courts can only investigate human rights violations committed abroad if the suspects are present in Spain. In an order issued yesterday, Judge Pablo Ruz ruled that Spain’s obligations under international law to investigate any credible allegation of torture took precedence over the new restrictions, and renewed his request for information from the Obama Administration regarding any U.S.-based investigations into torture allegations.
Dialogic Cinephilia: Resources for April 17, 2014
""This Award is for Snowden": Greenwald, Poitras Accept Polk Honor for Exposing NSA Surveillance." Democracy Now (April 14, 2014)
Kumar, Deepa. "Media Stokes Our Terrorism Mindset." The New York Times (April 16, 2014)
Isay, David. "The Everyday Art of Listening." On Being (April 17, 2014)
Jayaraman, Saru. "All Work and No Pay." Bill Moyers and Co. (April 4, 2014) ["Did you know the federal minimum wage for millions of restaurant workers is $2.13 an hour? Advocate Saru Jayaraman says that’s not only unfair but unsafe."]
Dialogic archive: Laura Poitras: Documentary Filmmaker and Producer
Ravitch, Diane. "Public Schools for Sale." Moyers & Co. (March 28, 2014)
Taibbi, Matt. "Who Goes to Jail? Matt Taibbi on American Injustice Gap from Wall Street to Main Street." Democracy Now (April 15, 2014)
Center for Constitutional Rights: News on the torture accountability front -- Spain’s National Court is continuing its investigation into the alleged torture of men formerly detained at Guantánamo prison by U.S. officials, despite recent legislative restrictions stating that Spanish courts can only investigate human rights violations committed abroad if the suspects are present in Spain. In an order issued yesterday, Judge Pablo Ruz ruled that Spain’s obligations under international law to investigate any credible allegation of torture took precedence over the new restrictions, and renewed his request for information from the Obama Administration regarding any U.S.-based investigations into torture allegations.
Dialogic Cinephilia: Resources for April 17, 2014
""This Award is for Snowden": Greenwald, Poitras Accept Polk Honor for Exposing NSA Surveillance." Democracy Now (April 14, 2014)
Kumar, Deepa. "Media Stokes Our Terrorism Mindset." The New York Times (April 16, 2014)
Isay, David. "The Everyday Art of Listening." On Being (April 17, 2014)
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Laura Poitras (Documentary Filmmaker and Producer)
Biographies/Archives/Projects:
Wikipedia: Laura Poitras
Praxis Films: Laura Poitras
The Intercept ("The Intercept, a publication of First Look Media, was created by Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras, and Jeremy Scahill. It has a two-fold mission: one short-term, the other long-term. Our short-term mission is to provide a platform to report on the documents previously provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. Although we are still building our infrastructure and larger vision, we are launching now because we believe we have a vital obligation to this ongoing and evolving story, to these documents, and to the public. Our NSA coverage will be comprehensive, innovative and multi-faceted. We have a team of experienced editors and journalists devoted to the story. We will use all forms of digital media for our reporting. In addition, we will publish primary source documents on which our reporting is based. We will also invite outside experts with area knowledge to contribute to our reporting, and provide a platform for commentary and reader engagement. Our long-term mission is to produce fearless, adversarial journalism across a wide range of issues. The editorial independence of our journalists will be guaranteed. They will be encouraged to pursue their passions, cultivate a unique voice, and publish stories without regard to whom they might anger or alienate. We believe the prime value of journalism is its power to impose transparency, and thus accountability, on the most powerful governmental and corporate bodies, and our journalists will be provided the full resources and support required to do this. While our initial focus will be the critical work surrounding the NSA story, we are excited by the opportunity to grow with our readers into the broader and more comprehensive news outlet that the The Intercept will become.")
IMDB: Laura Poitras
Salon: Laura Poitras
Zeitgeist Films: Laura Poitras
The Guardian: Laura Poitras
Resources by/about Laura Poitras:
Appelbaum, Jacob and Laura Poitras. "Surveillance Teach-In." Praxis Films (April 20, 2012)
Appelbaum, Jacob, William Binney, and Laura Poitras. "More Secrets on Growing State Surveillance: Exclusive with NSA Whistleblower, Targeted Hacker." Democracy Now (April 23, 2012)
Greenwald, Glenn. "Finally: hear Bradley Manning in his own voice." The Guardian (March 12, 2013)
---. " U.S. filmmaker repeatedly detained at border: Laura Poitras makes award-winning controversial films, and is targeted by the U.S. government as a result." Salon (April 8, 2012)
Greenwald, Glenn and Laura Poitras. "Q&A on Snowden, the Surveillance State & Press Freedom." Democracy Now (April 11, 2014)
Greenwald, Glenn, Ewen MacAskill and Laura Poitras. "Edward Snowden: The Whistleblower Behind the NSA Surveillance Revelations." The Guardian (June 9, 2013)
---. "NSA shares raw intelligence including Americans' data with Israel." The Guardian (September 11, 2013)
Leonard, Andrew. "A Pulitzer triumph: Snowden reporting wins journalism’s top prize ." Salon (April 14, 2014)
Maas, Peter. "How Laura Poitras Helped Snowden Spill His Secrets." The New York Times (August 18, 2013)
Mizer, Brian and Laura Poitras. "The Oath." POV (September 21, 2010)
Poitras, Laura. "An American woman's startling tale of life in Iraq." NOW #241 (October 13, 2006)
---. "Detained in the U.S.: Filmmaker Laura Poitras Held, Questioned Some 40 Times at U.S. Airports." Democracy Now (April 20, 2012)
---. "The Program." The New York Times (August 23, 2012)
---. "Puzzling Over A Jihadi's Journey." Fresh Air (June 2, 2010)
Wikipedia: Laura Poitras
Praxis Films: Laura Poitras
The Intercept ("The Intercept, a publication of First Look Media, was created by Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras, and Jeremy Scahill. It has a two-fold mission: one short-term, the other long-term. Our short-term mission is to provide a platform to report on the documents previously provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. Although we are still building our infrastructure and larger vision, we are launching now because we believe we have a vital obligation to this ongoing and evolving story, to these documents, and to the public. Our NSA coverage will be comprehensive, innovative and multi-faceted. We have a team of experienced editors and journalists devoted to the story. We will use all forms of digital media for our reporting. In addition, we will publish primary source documents on which our reporting is based. We will also invite outside experts with area knowledge to contribute to our reporting, and provide a platform for commentary and reader engagement. Our long-term mission is to produce fearless, adversarial journalism across a wide range of issues. The editorial independence of our journalists will be guaranteed. They will be encouraged to pursue their passions, cultivate a unique voice, and publish stories without regard to whom they might anger or alienate. We believe the prime value of journalism is its power to impose transparency, and thus accountability, on the most powerful governmental and corporate bodies, and our journalists will be provided the full resources and support required to do this. While our initial focus will be the critical work surrounding the NSA story, we are excited by the opportunity to grow with our readers into the broader and more comprehensive news outlet that the The Intercept will become.")
IMDB: Laura Poitras
Salon: Laura Poitras
Zeitgeist Films: Laura Poitras
The Guardian: Laura Poitras
Resources by/about Laura Poitras:
Appelbaum, Jacob and Laura Poitras. "Surveillance Teach-In." Praxis Films (April 20, 2012)
Appelbaum, Jacob, William Binney, and Laura Poitras. "More Secrets on Growing State Surveillance: Exclusive with NSA Whistleblower, Targeted Hacker." Democracy Now (April 23, 2012)
Greenwald, Glenn. "Finally: hear Bradley Manning in his own voice." The Guardian (March 12, 2013)
---. " U.S. filmmaker repeatedly detained at border: Laura Poitras makes award-winning controversial films, and is targeted by the U.S. government as a result." Salon (April 8, 2012)
Greenwald, Glenn and Laura Poitras. "Q&A on Snowden, the Surveillance State & Press Freedom." Democracy Now (April 11, 2014)
Greenwald, Glenn, Ewen MacAskill and Laura Poitras. "Edward Snowden: The Whistleblower Behind the NSA Surveillance Revelations." The Guardian (June 9, 2013)
---. "NSA shares raw intelligence including Americans' data with Israel." The Guardian (September 11, 2013)
Leonard, Andrew. "A Pulitzer triumph: Snowden reporting wins journalism’s top prize ." Salon (April 14, 2014)
Maas, Peter. "How Laura Poitras Helped Snowden Spill His Secrets." The New York Times (August 18, 2013)
Mizer, Brian and Laura Poitras. "The Oath." POV (September 21, 2010)
Poitras, Laura. "An American woman's startling tale of life in Iraq." NOW #241 (October 13, 2006)
---. "Detained in the U.S.: Filmmaker Laura Poitras Held, Questioned Some 40 Times at U.S. Airports." Democracy Now (April 20, 2012)
---. "The Program." The New York Times (August 23, 2012)
---. "Puzzling Over A Jihadi's Journey." Fresh Air (June 2, 2010)
Resources for April 15, 2014
Baker, Dean. "The Hedge Fund Managers Tax Break: Because Wall Streeters Want Your Money." Truthout (April 14, 2014)
Harvey, David. "17 Contradictions of Capitalism." London School of Economics and Political Science (April 2, 2014)
Boyd, Andrew and Jonathan Matthew Smucker. "Recapture the Flag." Beautiful Trouble (2014)
As a teacher, I'm not interested in just reproducing class after class of graduates who will get out, become successful, and take their obedient places in the slots that society has prepared for them. What we must do--whether we teach or write or make films--is educate a new generation to do this very modest thing: change the world. (15)
-- Zinn, Howard. "Stories Hollywood Never Tells." The Sun #343 (July 2004): 12-15.
[Michael Benton: This poem goes good with the latest episode of Cosmos I watched last night -- both expand my mind while bringing me down to a perspective that often escapes my notice.]
Spring Cress by Wesley Houp
No pollinator,
no mason,
orchard,
or honeybee,
no wasp,
no fly,
needs more
than two sips
to get to the shallow heart
of a Spring Cress blossom.
They go insatiably
from one flower to the next,
rapt in magnetism
that spurns
vagaries of wind,
sun,
shadow,
each bloom,
pointed with light,
providing scant sweetness,
but each white cross
an infinitesimal portion
to be multiplied by a billion
to comprise the whole
of the world.
Two statements of fact:
A single bee
will kill itself trying
to take in the whole,
one bee
after another
all spring,
but this world
has given up
on death for now.
Dialogic Cinephilia: Resources for April 15, 2014)
Schlosser, Eric. "Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety." Book TV (October 6, 2013) ["Using recently declassified documents, Eric Schlosser details the ease with which an accident can occur when handling nuclear weapons and how little control military leaders and missile designers have over them. He speaks with Lynn Davis, the former U.S. undersecretary for arms control and the director of the RAND corporation's Washington office."]
Fadiman, Dorothy. "Motherhood by Choice Not Chance." Making Contact (March 11, 2014) ["Before it was legal in the United States, some doctors would risk arrest to provide women with access to safe abortions. When that wasn’t possible, some sought abortions from unsafe providers, often with deadly consequences. The Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973, and the numbers of people dying after having an abortion dropped, but are we now seeing a return to the past? ... what can the time before abortion was legal tell us about the dangers of restricting access to abortion today? We’ll hear a special radio adaption of “Motherhood by Choice not Chance” a documentary produced and narrated by Dorothy Fadiman.
"It was my job to report what those in power were doing or thinking . . . That is all someone in my sort of job can do." -- BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson (2014); Glenn Greenwald responded on Twitter: "That'd make an excellent epitaph on the tombstone of modern establishment journalism." (2014)
Harvey, David. "17 Contradictions of Capitalism." London School of Economics and Political Science (April 2, 2014)
Boyd, Andrew and Jonathan Matthew Smucker. "Recapture the Flag." Beautiful Trouble (2014)
As a teacher, I'm not interested in just reproducing class after class of graduates who will get out, become successful, and take their obedient places in the slots that society has prepared for them. What we must do--whether we teach or write or make films--is educate a new generation to do this very modest thing: change the world. (15)
-- Zinn, Howard. "Stories Hollywood Never Tells." The Sun #343 (July 2004): 12-15.
[Michael Benton: This poem goes good with the latest episode of Cosmos I watched last night -- both expand my mind while bringing me down to a perspective that often escapes my notice.]
Spring Cress by Wesley Houp
No pollinator,
no mason,
orchard,
or honeybee,
no wasp,
no fly,
needs more
than two sips
to get to the shallow heart
of a Spring Cress blossom.
They go insatiably
from one flower to the next,
rapt in magnetism
that spurns
vagaries of wind,
sun,
shadow,
each bloom,
pointed with light,
providing scant sweetness,
but each white cross
an infinitesimal portion
to be multiplied by a billion
to comprise the whole
of the world.
Two statements of fact:
A single bee
will kill itself trying
to take in the whole,
one bee
after another
all spring,
but this world
has given up
on death for now.
Dialogic Cinephilia: Resources for April 15, 2014)
Schlosser, Eric. "Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety." Book TV (October 6, 2013) ["Using recently declassified documents, Eric Schlosser details the ease with which an accident can occur when handling nuclear weapons and how little control military leaders and missile designers have over them. He speaks with Lynn Davis, the former U.S. undersecretary for arms control and the director of the RAND corporation's Washington office."]
Fadiman, Dorothy. "Motherhood by Choice Not Chance." Making Contact (March 11, 2014) ["Before it was legal in the United States, some doctors would risk arrest to provide women with access to safe abortions. When that wasn’t possible, some sought abortions from unsafe providers, often with deadly consequences. The Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973, and the numbers of people dying after having an abortion dropped, but are we now seeing a return to the past? ... what can the time before abortion was legal tell us about the dangers of restricting access to abortion today? We’ll hear a special radio adaption of “Motherhood by Choice not Chance” a documentary produced and narrated by Dorothy Fadiman.
"It was my job to report what those in power were doing or thinking . . . That is all someone in my sort of job can do." -- BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson (2014); Glenn Greenwald responded on Twitter: "That'd make an excellent epitaph on the tombstone of modern establishment journalism." (2014)
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Resources for April 12, 2014
Democracy Now Headlines for April 9, 2014:
Roy, Arundhati. "Is India on a Totalitarian Path? Arundhati Roy on Corporatism, Nationalism and World’s Largest Vote." Democracy Now (April 9, 2014)
Dialogic Cinephilia: Resources for April 10, 2014
Zerkel, Mary. "Dollars for Endless War or Investment in a New Era?" Truthout (April 9, 2014)
Gordon, Paul. "Billionaires Score Big Win With McCutcheon Decision." Truthout (April 10, 2014)
\ Merchant, Brian. "93 Harvard Faculty Members Call on the University to Divest from Fossil Fuels." Motherboard (April 10, 2014)
Chatterjee, Partha. "Nationalism, Internationalism and Cosmopolitanism: some lessons from modern Indian history." London School of Economics and Political Science (April 3, 2014)
Tuesday, April 08, 2014
Resources for April 8, 2014
"The War on/in Higher Education." Jump Cut #55 (Fall 2013)
Derrick Jensen. "Endgame." Unwelcome Guests #311 (June 18, 2006) ["Derrick Jensen speaking about his forthcoming book, Endgame, on the hidden nature of violence in Western Culture, and the revolutionary nature of the changes needed to live on the land sustainability once more. He begins by explaining his premises, and argues from them why he believes violent destruction of man's civilizing influence on nature is the appropriate response, and one for which future generations will thank us."]
Center for Constitutional Rights: The Washington State Court of Appeals has affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by five members of the Olympia Food Co-op against current and former members of the Co-op’s Board of Directors for their decision to boycott Israeli goods. The court held that the lawsuit was a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation, or SLAPP, and that participation in the boycott is protected by the First Amendment. Read CCR's press release here.
Lowery, Wesley. "Mitch McConnell isn’t going to be a big fan of this week’s New Yorker cover." Washington Post (April 7, 2014)
Merriam-Webster Word-of-the-Day
virescent \vuh-RESS-unt\
adjective: beginning to be green : greenish
Examples:
Buds formed on the bare trees, infusing the stark branches with a slight virescent tint.
"While Heisman Trophy winner and National Football League quarterback Tim Tebow read 'Green Eggs and Ham,' during Dr. Seuss Week, Lincoln Elementary kindergarten teacher Mary Jo Bures quietly slipped away to a meeting. None of the kindergartners noticed, their eyes fixated on the screen, their ears absorbing the story of Sam I Am and his never wavering quest to get the narrator to try the virescent foods." — From an article by Chris Dunker in the Beatrice Daily Sun (Nebraska), February 25, 2014
Center for Constitutional Rights:
Today, CCR Senior Staff Attorney Pardiss Kebriaei is at Guantanamo, urging a Periodic Review Board to clear for release CCR client Ghaleb Al-Bihani. He has been imprisoned for 12 years without charge or trial. Watch Pardiss discussing Ghaleb's case in this vlog.
Kiely, Declan and Isaac Gewirtz. "Poe's Terror of the Soul." Lapham's Quarterly Podcast #51 (November 20, 2013)
Derrick Jensen. "Endgame." Unwelcome Guests #311 (June 18, 2006) ["Derrick Jensen speaking about his forthcoming book, Endgame, on the hidden nature of violence in Western Culture, and the revolutionary nature of the changes needed to live on the land sustainability once more. He begins by explaining his premises, and argues from them why he believes violent destruction of man's civilizing influence on nature is the appropriate response, and one for which future generations will thank us."]
Center for Constitutional Rights: The Washington State Court of Appeals has affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by five members of the Olympia Food Co-op against current and former members of the Co-op’s Board of Directors for their decision to boycott Israeli goods. The court held that the lawsuit was a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation, or SLAPP, and that participation in the boycott is protected by the First Amendment. Read CCR's press release here.
Lowery, Wesley. "Mitch McConnell isn’t going to be a big fan of this week’s New Yorker cover." Washington Post (April 7, 2014)
Merriam-Webster Word-of-the-Day
virescent \vuh-RESS-unt\
adjective: beginning to be green : greenish
Examples:
Buds formed on the bare trees, infusing the stark branches with a slight virescent tint.
"While Heisman Trophy winner and National Football League quarterback Tim Tebow read 'Green Eggs and Ham,' during Dr. Seuss Week, Lincoln Elementary kindergarten teacher Mary Jo Bures quietly slipped away to a meeting. None of the kindergartners noticed, their eyes fixated on the screen, their ears absorbing the story of Sam I Am and his never wavering quest to get the narrator to try the virescent foods." — From an article by Chris Dunker in the Beatrice Daily Sun (Nebraska), February 25, 2014
Center for Constitutional Rights:
Today, CCR Senior Staff Attorney Pardiss Kebriaei is at Guantanamo, urging a Periodic Review Board to clear for release CCR client Ghaleb Al-Bihani. He has been imprisoned for 12 years without charge or trial. Watch Pardiss discussing Ghaleb's case in this vlog.
Kiely, Declan and Isaac Gewirtz. "Poe's Terror of the Soul." Lapham's Quarterly Podcast #51 (November 20, 2013)
Monday, April 07, 2014
Resources for April 6, 2014
"Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability." IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) (2014)
Ludwig, Mike. "FCC Votes To Curb Media Consolidation in Local TV Markets." Truthout (April 1, 2014)
Miller, Greg, Adam Goldman and Ellen Nakashima. "CIA misled on interrogation program, Senate report says." Washington Post (March 31, 2014)
Correia, David. "APD Riot Troops, Mounted Units, Tanks and Military-Style Tactical Units in Albuquerque." La Jicarita (March 31, 2014)
"Should GM Get the Death Penalty for 57 Cent Premeditated Murder? Truthout (April 3, 2014)
Potter, Will. "Animal Rights Activist Sentenced to 30 Months in Jail for Having Bolt Cutters in His Car." Vice (April 3, 2014)
." Mullins, Paul. "The Peep Show of Death: Televising Human Remains." Archaeology and Material Culture (March 28, 2014)
Dialogic Cinephilia: Resources for April 5, 2014
Merriam-Webster's Word-of-the-Day
debunk \dee-BUNK\
verb: to expose the sham or falseness of
At the premiere of their new movie, the actor and actress addressed the media to debunk the rumor that they were dating.
If you guessed that "debunk" has something to do with "bunk," meaning "nonsense," you're correct. We started using "bunk" at the beginning of the 20th century. (It derived, via "bunkum," from a remark made by a congressman from Buncombe county, North Carolina.) A little less than 25 years later, "debunk" was first used in print for the act of taking the "bunk" out of something. There are plenty of synonyms for "debunk," including "disprove," "rebut," "refute," and the somewhat rarer "confute." Even "falsify" can mean "prove something false," in addition to "make something false." "Debunk" itself often suggests that something is not merely untrue, but also a sham; one can simply disprove a myth, but if it is "debunked," the implication is that it was a grossly exaggerated or foolish claim.
Ludwig, Mike. "FCC Votes To Curb Media Consolidation in Local TV Markets." Truthout (April 1, 2014)
Miller, Greg, Adam Goldman and Ellen Nakashima. "CIA misled on interrogation program, Senate report says." Washington Post (March 31, 2014)
Correia, David. "APD Riot Troops, Mounted Units, Tanks and Military-Style Tactical Units in Albuquerque." La Jicarita (March 31, 2014)
"Should GM Get the Death Penalty for 57 Cent Premeditated Murder? Truthout (April 3, 2014)
Potter, Will. "Animal Rights Activist Sentenced to 30 Months in Jail for Having Bolt Cutters in His Car." Vice (April 3, 2014)
." Mullins, Paul. "The Peep Show of Death: Televising Human Remains." Archaeology and Material Culture (March 28, 2014)
Dialogic Cinephilia: Resources for April 5, 2014
Merriam-Webster's Word-of-the-Day
debunk \dee-BUNK\
verb: to expose the sham or falseness of
At the premiere of their new movie, the actor and actress addressed the media to debunk the rumor that they were dating.
If you guessed that "debunk" has something to do with "bunk," meaning "nonsense," you're correct. We started using "bunk" at the beginning of the 20th century. (It derived, via "bunkum," from a remark made by a congressman from Buncombe county, North Carolina.) A little less than 25 years later, "debunk" was first used in print for the act of taking the "bunk" out of something. There are plenty of synonyms for "debunk," including "disprove," "rebut," "refute," and the somewhat rarer "confute." Even "falsify" can mean "prove something false," in addition to "make something false." "Debunk" itself often suggests that something is not merely untrue, but also a sham; one can simply disprove a myth, but if it is "debunked," the implication is that it was a grossly exaggerated or foolish claim.
Thursday, April 03, 2014
Resources for April 3, 2014
Maguire, Robert. "Despite Disclosure, Dark Money Stays Dark in Nevada." Open Secrets (March 31, 2014)
Center for Constitutional Rights: While Donald Rumsfeld gets to explain himself in yet another film, instead of a court of law, here are the stories of U.S. veterans and Iraqi civilians fighting to overcome the harm caused by his actions. We've known for a decade that Rumsfeld lied and bears criminal responsibility for a massive host of international and domestic crimes. It is time to focus on the stories of those who will bring him, Bush, Cheney, and the rest, to justice. Here’s the full VIDEO of the People’s Hearing on the Lasting Impact of the Iraq War.
Democracy Now Headlines for April 3, 2014
Sanders, Bernie. "Supreme Court Undermines Democracy by Allowing Billionaires to "Buy Elections." Democracy Now (April 3, 2014)
Kroll, Andy. "'The Next Citizens United': McCutcheon Opens Floodgates for 1 Percent to Spend Millions on Campaigns." Democracy Now (April 3, 2014)
Claybrook, Joan and Ken Rimer. "Ex-Auto Safety Head & Parent of Dead Victim: GM CEOs Should Face Prison for Covering Up Safety Flaws." Democracy Now (April 3, 2014)
Center for Constitutional Rights: As the Senate Intelligence Committee moves to vote today on whether to declassify its report on the CIA’s post-9/11 torture practices, here's a reminder that torture is happening even today, on President Obama’s watch, at Guantánamo Bay.
Hintze, Thomas. "Homeland Security Study Praises Occupy Sandy, With Murky Intentions." Truthout (April 2, 2014)
Koerth-Baker, Maggie. "Archaeologists vs. The National Geographic Channel." Boing Boing (April 1, 2014)
Henwood, Doug. "A Return to a World Marx Would Have Known." The New York Times (March 30, 2014)
Center for Constitutional Rights: While Donald Rumsfeld gets to explain himself in yet another film, instead of a court of law, here are the stories of U.S. veterans and Iraqi civilians fighting to overcome the harm caused by his actions. We've known for a decade that Rumsfeld lied and bears criminal responsibility for a massive host of international and domestic crimes. It is time to focus on the stories of those who will bring him, Bush, Cheney, and the rest, to justice. Here’s the full VIDEO of the People’s Hearing on the Lasting Impact of the Iraq War.
Democracy Now Headlines for April 3, 2014
Sanders, Bernie. "Supreme Court Undermines Democracy by Allowing Billionaires to "Buy Elections." Democracy Now (April 3, 2014)
Kroll, Andy. "'The Next Citizens United': McCutcheon Opens Floodgates for 1 Percent to Spend Millions on Campaigns." Democracy Now (April 3, 2014)
Claybrook, Joan and Ken Rimer. "Ex-Auto Safety Head & Parent of Dead Victim: GM CEOs Should Face Prison for Covering Up Safety Flaws." Democracy Now (April 3, 2014)
Center for Constitutional Rights: As the Senate Intelligence Committee moves to vote today on whether to declassify its report on the CIA’s post-9/11 torture practices, here's a reminder that torture is happening even today, on President Obama’s watch, at Guantánamo Bay.
Hintze, Thomas. "Homeland Security Study Praises Occupy Sandy, With Murky Intentions." Truthout (April 2, 2014)
Koerth-Baker, Maggie. "Archaeologists vs. The National Geographic Channel." Boing Boing (April 1, 2014)
Henwood, Doug. "A Return to a World Marx Would Have Known." The New York Times (March 30, 2014)
Tuesday, April 01, 2014
Resources for April 1, 2014
Morin, Roc. "Assault Rifles for Christ." Vice (March 28, 2014)
Barlow, Maude, Richard Grossman and Thomas Linzey. "When Lawmaking Becomes Rebellion (Water Privatization, Democracy School and the Corporate State)." Unwelcome Guests #307 (May 21, 2006) ["A new populist alliance of long time environmental activists and rural folk in central Pennsylvania has grown out of a struggle to ban toxic agribusiness operations that have targeted the area as the next profit opportunity. This movement is taking a new approach that is spreading across America via a project of public education and organization called democracy schools, that are teaching direct action lawmaking to challenge corporate supremacy and to create rights under law for people and the land."]
Wall, Richard. "Who's Afraid of Noam Chomsky?" Lew Rockwell (2004)
Dialogic archive: Noam Chomsky (Linguist/Political Economy/Historian/Philosopher/Cognitive Scientist)
Lapham, Lewis. "Crowd Control." Lapham's Quarterly (Spring 2014) [This is the introduction to the new special themed issue on "Revolution."]
Center for Constitutional Rights: “A report by the Senate Intelligence Committee concludes that the CIA misled the government and the public about aspects of its brutal interrogation program for years — concealing details about the severity of its methods, overstating the significance of plots and prisoners, and taking credit for critical pieces of intelligence that detainees had in fact surrendered before they were subjected to harsh techniques… The report also does not recommend new administrative punishment or further criminal inquiry into a program that the Justice Department has investigated repeatedly.” President Obama must declassify the full Senate report and we must remain uncompromising in our demand for criminal prosecutions of U.S. officials who authorized and carried out torture. Transparency without accountability is meaningless.
Democracy Now Headlines for March 31, 2014:
El-Fattah, Alaa Abd. "Egyptian Activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah on Prison & Regime’s 'War on a Whole Generation.'" (March 31, 2014)
"We apologize for the inconvenience, but this is a revolution." -- Subcomandante Marcos to a group of tourists on New Year's Day 1994 during the Zapatista capture of San Cristobal (cited in Florence Babb's book The Tourism Encounter: Fashioning Latin American Nations and Histories)
Dialogic Cinephilia: Resources for April 1, 2014
Barlow, Maude, Richard Grossman and Thomas Linzey. "When Lawmaking Becomes Rebellion (Water Privatization, Democracy School and the Corporate State)." Unwelcome Guests #307 (May 21, 2006) ["A new populist alliance of long time environmental activists and rural folk in central Pennsylvania has grown out of a struggle to ban toxic agribusiness operations that have targeted the area as the next profit opportunity. This movement is taking a new approach that is spreading across America via a project of public education and organization called democracy schools, that are teaching direct action lawmaking to challenge corporate supremacy and to create rights under law for people and the land."]
Wall, Richard. "Who's Afraid of Noam Chomsky?" Lew Rockwell (2004)
Dialogic archive: Noam Chomsky (Linguist/Political Economy/Historian/Philosopher/Cognitive Scientist)
Lapham, Lewis. "Crowd Control." Lapham's Quarterly (Spring 2014) [This is the introduction to the new special themed issue on "Revolution."]
Center for Constitutional Rights: “A report by the Senate Intelligence Committee concludes that the CIA misled the government and the public about aspects of its brutal interrogation program for years — concealing details about the severity of its methods, overstating the significance of plots and prisoners, and taking credit for critical pieces of intelligence that detainees had in fact surrendered before they were subjected to harsh techniques… The report also does not recommend new administrative punishment or further criminal inquiry into a program that the Justice Department has investigated repeatedly.” President Obama must declassify the full Senate report and we must remain uncompromising in our demand for criminal prosecutions of U.S. officials who authorized and carried out torture. Transparency without accountability is meaningless.
Democracy Now Headlines for March 31, 2014:
El-Fattah, Alaa Abd. "Egyptian Activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah on Prison & Regime’s 'War on a Whole Generation.'" (March 31, 2014)
"We apologize for the inconvenience, but this is a revolution." -- Subcomandante Marcos to a group of tourists on New Year's Day 1994 during the Zapatista capture of San Cristobal (cited in Florence Babb's book The Tourism Encounter: Fashioning Latin American Nations and Histories)
Dialogic Cinephilia: Resources for April 1, 2014
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Resources for March 30, 2014
Dialogic Cinephilia: Resources for March 28, 2014
Zinn Education Project: Women's History Month and Labor History -- Florence Reece was an activist, poet, and songwriter. She was the wife of one of the strikers and union organizers, Sam Reece, in the Harlan County miners strike in Kentucky. In an attempt to intimidate her family, the sheriff and company guards shot at their house while she and her children were inside (Sam had been warned they were coming and escaped). During the attack, she wrote the lyrics to Which Side Are You On?, a song that would become a popular ballad of the labor movement. Read more about this song in the children's book "Which Side Are You On? The Story of a Song". Learn about more women in labor history here.
Global Uprisings: Footage from the student demonstration in Madrid on March 27th
"10 Things They Won't Tell You About Money in Politics." Open Secrets (2014)
Potter, Gary. "Fundamental Violence: Protestant Fundamentalism and Violent Crime." Uprooting Criminology (November 11, 2013)
Carlin, Dan. "Vlad and Dianne." Common Sense #272 (March 22, 2014) ["Russia annexes the Crimea and the intelligence community's biggest supporter, Sen. Feinstein turns against the CIA. How can Dan choose between these two stories? He doesn't. He deals with both of them in this episode."]
Cheves, John. "Kentucky Lawmakers strike deal on state budget, but Rupp Arena out of luck." Lexington Herald-Leader (March 30, 2014)
Bodhi, Bhikkhu. "Of Budgets, Values and Visions." Truthout (March 30, 2014)
Zinn Education Project: Women's History Month and Labor History -- Florence Reece was an activist, poet, and songwriter. She was the wife of one of the strikers and union organizers, Sam Reece, in the Harlan County miners strike in Kentucky. In an attempt to intimidate her family, the sheriff and company guards shot at their house while she and her children were inside (Sam had been warned they were coming and escaped). During the attack, she wrote the lyrics to Which Side Are You On?, a song that would become a popular ballad of the labor movement. Read more about this song in the children's book "Which Side Are You On? The Story of a Song". Learn about more women in labor history here.
Global Uprisings: Footage from the student demonstration in Madrid on March 27th
"10 Things They Won't Tell You About Money in Politics." Open Secrets (2014)
Potter, Gary. "Fundamental Violence: Protestant Fundamentalism and Violent Crime." Uprooting Criminology (November 11, 2013)
Carlin, Dan. "Vlad and Dianne." Common Sense #272 (March 22, 2014) ["Russia annexes the Crimea and the intelligence community's biggest supporter, Sen. Feinstein turns against the CIA. How can Dan choose between these two stories? He doesn't. He deals with both of them in this episode."]
Cheves, John. "Kentucky Lawmakers strike deal on state budget, but Rupp Arena out of luck." Lexington Herald-Leader (March 30, 2014)
Bodhi, Bhikkhu. "Of Budgets, Values and Visions." Truthout (March 30, 2014)
Friday, March 28, 2014
Resources for March 28, 2014
Hélène, C. "Police arrest Alexandria workers as strikes continue nationwide." Libcom (March 26, 2014)
Kouddous, Sharif Abdel. "3 Years After Revolution, Egypt Faces Deadly Polarization & Growing Militancy." Democracy Now (January 30, 2014)
Kouddous, Sharif Abdel. "Egypt’s Courts Further Repression with Journos on Trial & Mass Death Sentence for Morsi Supporters." Democracy Now (March 26, 2014)
Chris Hedges and Hamza Yusuf. "Does God Love War? (A Dialog on Religion and the State)." Unwelcome Guests #306 (May 14, 2006)
Dialogic archive: Chris Hedges: Journalist/War Correspondent
Morris, Earl. "The Unknown Known: Errol Morris’ New Doc Tackles Unrepentant Iraq War Architect Donald Rumsfeld." Democracy Now (March 27, 2014)
Egyptian Winter by Brandon Jourdan
"Two years after the revolution in Egypt began, unrest continues across the country as the political and economic situation worsens. As the current government consolidates its power, the demands of the revolution may seem further away than ever. Still the revolution has opened up new spaces for political action, spurring public debate on issues that have gone unacknowledged and unresolved for too long.
This short documentary looks at some of the reasons motivating revolutionaries to keep taking the streets, the obstacles that they are facing, and the tactics that they are using. It looks into the current economic and political problems facing Egyptians, the growing independent union movement, black bloc tactics, and the response of women to sexual assaults."
Global Uprisings ("Global Uprisings is an independent news site and video series dedicated to showing responses to the economic crisis from around the world. Brandon Jourdan and Marianne Maeckelbergh have been travelling, researching, and making short films about responses to the economic crisis and current uprisings. Their short films and articles detail social movements in Spain, Greece, the UK, the US, and Egypt. These films and articles cover the riots, demonstrations and occupations in the UK, large-scale housing occupations and demonstrations in Spain, massive and continuous general strikes, and self-reduction campaigns in Greece, the ongoing revolution in Egypt, and occupy movements within the United States. Throughout the project, they have also collaborated with collectives and media makers such as the Mosireen collective, Grit TV, Deep Dish TV, Big Noise Films, Democracy Now, and David Martinez.")
Jourdan, Brandon. "New Documentary: Bosnia and Herzegovina in Spring." Global Uprisings (March 21, 2014) ["This short documentary tells the story of the uprising in Bosnia and Herzegovina that started in early February 2014. Since February 5 2014, protests have swept across Bosnia and Herzegovina. The protests were started by workers from five factories in northern city of Tuzla: Dita, Polihem, Poliolhem, GUMARA and Konjuh. The factories had been privatized, bankrupted and stripped of assets, leaving the workers with large debts, no salaries, no health care and no benefits. The protests culminated on February 7, 2014 when several governmental buildings were set on fire in cities across the country, including the presidential building in Sarajevo. Under pressure of protests, four regional governments resigned. The protests were followed with mass popular assemblies, referred to as plenums, that quickly spread across the country."]
Desvarieux, Jessica. "Hundreds of Students and Faculty Occupy College Campus To Fight Cuts to Public Higher Ed." Truth-Out (March 25, 2014)
For Truthout Richard D. Wolff's Economic Updates: "Updates on labor struggles at the University of Southern Maine; how low interest rates hurt retirees; the super-rich getting state subsidies; Northwestern University athletes moving to unionization; the BBC on US unemployment; and Nestle's CEO vs. human right to water. Major discussions on income distribution vs. redistribution; Maryland cutting taxes on rich and leaving tipped workers' minimum wages at $3.63/hour; and a final segment on criticisms of capitalism. Response to listener's questions on Bill Gates' C-Span interview."
Merriam-Webster's Word-of-the-Day:
adscititious \ad-suh-TISH-us\
adjective 1 : derived or acquired from something on the outside; 2 : supplemental, additional
EXAMPLES
"We should choose our books as we would our companions, for their sterling and intrinsic merit, not for their adscititious or accidental advantages." — From Charles Caleb Colton's 1832 book Lacon
"I thrilled to crates of chilly hardware—coffee tins of rusty nails and mismatched bolts and nuts, odd attachments, gimcrack, rickrack, and adscititious crap…." — From William Davies King's 2008 book Collections of Nothing
"Adscititious" comes from a very "knowledgeable" family—it ultimately derives from "scire," the Latin verb meaning "to know." "Scire" also gave us "science," "conscience," "prescience" ("foreknowledge"), and "nescience" ("lack of knowledge"). "Adscititious" itself comes to us from "scire" by way of the Latin verb "adsciscere," which means "to admit" or "to adopt." This explains why "adscititious" describes something adopted from an outside source.
Kouddous, Sharif Abdel. "3 Years After Revolution, Egypt Faces Deadly Polarization & Growing Militancy." Democracy Now (January 30, 2014)
Kouddous, Sharif Abdel. "Egypt’s Courts Further Repression with Journos on Trial & Mass Death Sentence for Morsi Supporters." Democracy Now (March 26, 2014)
Chris Hedges and Hamza Yusuf. "Does God Love War? (A Dialog on Religion and the State)." Unwelcome Guests #306 (May 14, 2006)
Dialogic archive: Chris Hedges: Journalist/War Correspondent
Morris, Earl. "The Unknown Known: Errol Morris’ New Doc Tackles Unrepentant Iraq War Architect Donald Rumsfeld." Democracy Now (March 27, 2014)
Egyptian Winter by Brandon Jourdan
"Two years after the revolution in Egypt began, unrest continues across the country as the political and economic situation worsens. As the current government consolidates its power, the demands of the revolution may seem further away than ever. Still the revolution has opened up new spaces for political action, spurring public debate on issues that have gone unacknowledged and unresolved for too long.
This short documentary looks at some of the reasons motivating revolutionaries to keep taking the streets, the obstacles that they are facing, and the tactics that they are using. It looks into the current economic and political problems facing Egyptians, the growing independent union movement, black bloc tactics, and the response of women to sexual assaults."
Global Uprisings ("Global Uprisings is an independent news site and video series dedicated to showing responses to the economic crisis from around the world. Brandon Jourdan and Marianne Maeckelbergh have been travelling, researching, and making short films about responses to the economic crisis and current uprisings. Their short films and articles detail social movements in Spain, Greece, the UK, the US, and Egypt. These films and articles cover the riots, demonstrations and occupations in the UK, large-scale housing occupations and demonstrations in Spain, massive and continuous general strikes, and self-reduction campaigns in Greece, the ongoing revolution in Egypt, and occupy movements within the United States. Throughout the project, they have also collaborated with collectives and media makers such as the Mosireen collective, Grit TV, Deep Dish TV, Big Noise Films, Democracy Now, and David Martinez.")
Jourdan, Brandon. "New Documentary: Bosnia and Herzegovina in Spring." Global Uprisings (March 21, 2014) ["This short documentary tells the story of the uprising in Bosnia and Herzegovina that started in early February 2014. Since February 5 2014, protests have swept across Bosnia and Herzegovina. The protests were started by workers from five factories in northern city of Tuzla: Dita, Polihem, Poliolhem, GUMARA and Konjuh. The factories had been privatized, bankrupted and stripped of assets, leaving the workers with large debts, no salaries, no health care and no benefits. The protests culminated on February 7, 2014 when several governmental buildings were set on fire in cities across the country, including the presidential building in Sarajevo. Under pressure of protests, four regional governments resigned. The protests were followed with mass popular assemblies, referred to as plenums, that quickly spread across the country."]
Desvarieux, Jessica. "Hundreds of Students and Faculty Occupy College Campus To Fight Cuts to Public Higher Ed." Truth-Out (March 25, 2014)
For Truthout Richard D. Wolff's Economic Updates: "Updates on labor struggles at the University of Southern Maine; how low interest rates hurt retirees; the super-rich getting state subsidies; Northwestern University athletes moving to unionization; the BBC on US unemployment; and Nestle's CEO vs. human right to water. Major discussions on income distribution vs. redistribution; Maryland cutting taxes on rich and leaving tipped workers' minimum wages at $3.63/hour; and a final segment on criticisms of capitalism. Response to listener's questions on Bill Gates' C-Span interview."
Merriam-Webster's Word-of-the-Day:
adscititious \ad-suh-TISH-us\
adjective 1 : derived or acquired from something on the outside; 2 : supplemental, additional
EXAMPLES
"We should choose our books as we would our companions, for their sterling and intrinsic merit, not for their adscititious or accidental advantages." — From Charles Caleb Colton's 1832 book Lacon
"I thrilled to crates of chilly hardware—coffee tins of rusty nails and mismatched bolts and nuts, odd attachments, gimcrack, rickrack, and adscititious crap…." — From William Davies King's 2008 book Collections of Nothing
"Adscititious" comes from a very "knowledgeable" family—it ultimately derives from "scire," the Latin verb meaning "to know." "Scire" also gave us "science," "conscience," "prescience" ("foreknowledge"), and "nescience" ("lack of knowledge"). "Adscititious" itself comes to us from "scire" by way of the Latin verb "adsciscere," which means "to admit" or "to adopt." This explains why "adscititious" describes something adopted from an outside source.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Resources for March 27, 2014
We Are Many:
Moderators: Tithi Bhattacharya and Anthony Arnove
Speakers: Alex Lichtenstein, Jesse Hagopian, James Loewen, Susan Curtis, Anne Wright, Staughton Lynd, Tiffany Montoya and Fernando Tormos
In honor of historian Howard Zinn and all the ordinary people he celebrated in his work, on Tuesday November 5, scholars and activists from across the country took part in a Read-in of Zinn's work on the campus of Purdue University and on campuses across the nation. The day marks the birthday of another fighter for social justice -- Indiana-born labor activist, Eugene Debs. The idea for the event was sparked when the Associated Press reported that the current Purdue University President Mitch Daniels, in 2010 as Governor of Indiana, tried to censor and ban Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States" from Indiana schools. When the news became a national scandal, many students, faculty, and citizens of Indiana had expressed deep concern over the news that the President of one of our great public universities would have attempted such censorship. 'The Zinn Read-in Committee' envisions the event to be a commemoration of academic freedom and a declaration of anti-censorship. The event also symbolized the ongoing fightback in the United States against the privatization of public education, attacks on teachers and teachers unions, and the need for real democracy in both schools and curriculum. Zinn's A People's History of the United States is an important text for understanding the history of underrepresented populations; the fight for the right to teach this history is never separate from the fight to improve the material lives of students, teachers, minorities and workers around the world. The Zinn Read-in Committee encourages support for this event by any means possible.]
Dialogic archive: Howard Zinn (Historian/Playwright/Political Science)
Ali, Mostafa and Hani Shukrallah. "What Happened to the Egyptian Revolution?" We Are Many (June 2013)
Crawshaw, Steve. "10 Everyday Acts of Resistance That Changed the World." Yes! (April 1, 2011)
Hermes, Kris and Omar el-Shafei. "White-washing Human Rights Abuses and Suppressing a Popular Revolution; Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi Ousted Following Days of Massive Largest Anti-Government Protest." Law and Disorder (July 8, 2013)
Newman, Zak. "What's the Difference Between Force Feeding and Waterboarding?" Blog of Rights (March 24, 2014)
Kinzer, Stephen and William Murphy, Jr. "US Wars and Social Control (From Regime Change Abroad to the War on Drugs at Home)." Unwelcome Guests #304 (April 30, 2006) ["In our first hour, this week, Stephen Kinzer, whose book, Overthrow, details the US empire's long history of instigating regime change, both the public pretext and the real interests at play. In our second hour, William Murphy Jr speaks about the "War On Drugs"."]
Glenn Greenwald Speaks Out
Socialism 2013
Introduced by Jeremy Scahill and Sherry Wolf
Glenn Greenwald speaks via Skype to the Socialism 2013 conference in Chicago regarding Edward Snowden's revelations about the NSA's mass surveillance program. Introductions by Jeremy Scahill, author of Blackwater and the filmmaker behind Dirty Wars, and Sherry Wolf, author of Sexuality and Socialism. #Socialism2013 #Snowden #NSA
Dialogic archive: Glenn Greenwald: Constitutional and Civil Rights Lawyer/Journalist
Democracy Now headline:
Egyptian General Resigns to Clear Run for Presidency
The head of the Egyptian military has stepped down, paving the way for his candidacy in the upcoming presidential elections. General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi led the coup that ousted Egypt’s first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, last July, and has overseen the ensuing crackdown that’s left hundreds dead and thousands behind bars. Sisi has a strong base of support and is expected to win. On Wednesday, one person was killed near Egypt’s Cairo University in ongoing protests against the sentencing of over 500 Muslim Brotherhood members to death. The protests come as over 900 additional Brotherhood members were ordered to stand trial on charges of terrorism and murder.
Moderators: Tithi Bhattacharya and Anthony Arnove
Speakers: Alex Lichtenstein, Jesse Hagopian, James Loewen, Susan Curtis, Anne Wright, Staughton Lynd, Tiffany Montoya and Fernando Tormos
In honor of historian Howard Zinn and all the ordinary people he celebrated in his work, on Tuesday November 5, scholars and activists from across the country took part in a Read-in of Zinn's work on the campus of Purdue University and on campuses across the nation. The day marks the birthday of another fighter for social justice -- Indiana-born labor activist, Eugene Debs. The idea for the event was sparked when the Associated Press reported that the current Purdue University President Mitch Daniels, in 2010 as Governor of Indiana, tried to censor and ban Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States" from Indiana schools. When the news became a national scandal, many students, faculty, and citizens of Indiana had expressed deep concern over the news that the President of one of our great public universities would have attempted such censorship. 'The Zinn Read-in Committee' envisions the event to be a commemoration of academic freedom and a declaration of anti-censorship. The event also symbolized the ongoing fightback in the United States against the privatization of public education, attacks on teachers and teachers unions, and the need for real democracy in both schools and curriculum. Zinn's A People's History of the United States is an important text for understanding the history of underrepresented populations; the fight for the right to teach this history is never separate from the fight to improve the material lives of students, teachers, minorities and workers around the world. The Zinn Read-in Committee encourages support for this event by any means possible.]
Dialogic archive: Howard Zinn (Historian/Playwright/Political Science)
Ali, Mostafa and Hani Shukrallah. "What Happened to the Egyptian Revolution?" We Are Many (June 2013)
Crawshaw, Steve. "10 Everyday Acts of Resistance That Changed the World." Yes! (April 1, 2011)
Hermes, Kris and Omar el-Shafei. "White-washing Human Rights Abuses and Suppressing a Popular Revolution; Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi Ousted Following Days of Massive Largest Anti-Government Protest." Law and Disorder (July 8, 2013)
Our schoolbooks would like us to believe that social change must always be gradual and peaceful. Sudden, abrupt changes are seen as disruptions of a “normal” functioning society. “Respectable” society looks upon mass protest, civil disobedience, strikes, disruption and revolution with horror. But fundamental social change rarely comes gradually. Industrial unions didn’t come to this country by the gradual addition, year after year, of a few new unions. On the contrary, mass industrial unionism came in an explosion of organizing and mass strikes over a period of about five years, from 1934 to 1938. The gains of the civil rights movement were achieved through heroic civil disobedience and mass protest in the face of systematic racist terror.
While governments caution the governed to act peacefully and to refrain from drastic action, they themselves reserve the right to use overwhelming force. There was nothing gradual about the invasion of Iraq.
Revolution is the ultimate social leap – a period when the gradual accumulation of mass bitterness and anger of the exploited and oppressed coalesces and bursts forth into a mass movement to overturn existing social relations and replace them with new ones. A few days of revolutionary upheaval bring more change than decades of “normal” development. Rulers and systems that seemed invincible and immovable are suddenly unceremoniously toppled. Revolution is not an aberration in an otherwise smoothly functioning society.
The last three centuries have been filled not only with wars, but also with revolutions and near-revolutions. A list of only some of these gives us an idea of the scope of revolutionary upheaval since the dawn of modern capitalism: the American Revolution (1776-87), the French Revolution (1789-94), the US Civil War (1861-65), the European revolutions of 1848, the Russian Revolutions (1905 and 1917), the German Revolution (1918-23), China (1925-27), the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), the Hungarian Revolution (1956), Chile (1973), Portugal (1974-75), Iran (1979), Poland’s Solidarnosc uprising (1980-81). This partial list is enough to put to rest the notion that revolutions are rare or unusual occurrences.
Paul D’Amato, The Meaning of Marxism (Haymarket Books, 2006)
Newman, Zak. "What's the Difference Between Force Feeding and Waterboarding?" Blog of Rights (March 24, 2014)
Kinzer, Stephen and William Murphy, Jr. "US Wars and Social Control (From Regime Change Abroad to the War on Drugs at Home)." Unwelcome Guests #304 (April 30, 2006) ["In our first hour, this week, Stephen Kinzer, whose book, Overthrow, details the US empire's long history of instigating regime change, both the public pretext and the real interests at play. In our second hour, William Murphy Jr speaks about the "War On Drugs"."]
Glenn Greenwald Speaks Out
Socialism 2013
Introduced by Jeremy Scahill and Sherry Wolf
Glenn Greenwald speaks via Skype to the Socialism 2013 conference in Chicago regarding Edward Snowden's revelations about the NSA's mass surveillance program. Introductions by Jeremy Scahill, author of Blackwater and the filmmaker behind Dirty Wars, and Sherry Wolf, author of Sexuality and Socialism. #Socialism2013 #Snowden #NSA
Dialogic archive: Glenn Greenwald: Constitutional and Civil Rights Lawyer/Journalist
Democracy Now headline:
Egyptian General Resigns to Clear Run for Presidency
The head of the Egyptian military has stepped down, paving the way for his candidacy in the upcoming presidential elections. General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi led the coup that ousted Egypt’s first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, last July, and has overseen the ensuing crackdown that’s left hundreds dead and thousands behind bars. Sisi has a strong base of support and is expected to win. On Wednesday, one person was killed near Egypt’s Cairo University in ongoing protests against the sentencing of over 500 Muslim Brotherhood members to death. The protests come as over 900 additional Brotherhood members were ordered to stand trial on charges of terrorism and murder.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Resources for March 25, 2014
Dialogic Cinephilia: Resources for March 24, 2014
Powless, Irving, Jr. and Robert Venables. "Who Are These People?(The Onondaga Nation Encounters European Settlers)." Unwelcome Guests #302 (April 16, 2006)
Iraqi human rights activists and Iraq Veterans Against the War are determined to show the true costs of the Iraq War and hold the U.S. government accountable for the suffering and destruction it caused. Join them by tuning in to the People's Hearing on the Impact of the Iraq War this Wednesday at 6:30pm EST via CCR's live-stream.
Dialogic archives:
Resources for Re-Thinking the World
Social Movements/Resistance: Peace and Conflict Studies
Project Censored: Top 25 Censored Stories from 2012-2013
Dale, Tom. "Will Egypt's Mass Death Sentence Provoke More Violence?" Vice (March 25, 2014)
Powless, Irving, Jr. and Robert Venables. "Who Are These People?(The Onondaga Nation Encounters European Settlers)." Unwelcome Guests #302 (April 16, 2006)
Iraqi human rights activists and Iraq Veterans Against the War are determined to show the true costs of the Iraq War and hold the U.S. government accountable for the suffering and destruction it caused. Join them by tuning in to the People's Hearing on the Impact of the Iraq War this Wednesday at 6:30pm EST via CCR's live-stream.
Dialogic archives:
Resources for Re-Thinking the World
Social Movements/Resistance: Peace and Conflict Studies
Project Censored: Top 25 Censored Stories from 2012-2013
Dale, Tom. "Will Egypt's Mass Death Sentence Provoke More Violence?" Vice (March 25, 2014)
Monday, March 24, 2014
Resources for March 24, 2014
Brooks, Diane. "These Seattle Teachers Boycotted Standardized Testing - and Sparked a Nationwide Movement."Truthout (March 18, 2014)
Mayer for Mayor commenting on the Lexington Herald-Leader article "Rupp redesign project manager says project will likely need 'bridge funding' soon":
"In crony capitalism, success is not determined by a free market and the rule of law. It's instead dependent on the favoritism that is shown to it by the ruling government in the form of tax breaks, government grants and other incentives. Crony capitalism is a good description of our current Mayor's signature plan for downtown: Rupp Renovation. Here are some members of his hand-picked 47-member Rupp Arena Task Force who, without a single public representative on it, approved public money for the project, their position on the Task Force, and what they and their businesses have since made off the first $5.5 million installment in public money for the project they approved:
--Frank Butler (Technical Advisory Group), a former UK Vice President, gets $290,000/year in salary and benefits for "overseeing" the project.
--Urban Collage (support staff) gets $10,000 for urban planning.
--Lord, Aek & Sargent (via Stan Harvey, support staff) gets $250,000 for TIF funding knowledge
--NBBJ (Arena Feasibility) gets $2.78 million for beginning designs.
This amount totals $3.3 million of the first $5.5 million spent in public funds."
Dialogic Cinephilia: Resources for March 20, 2014
Electronic Frontier Foundation: 404 Day: A Day of Action Against Censorship in Libraries
On April 4th, EFF is bringing attention to the long-standing problem of Internet censorship in public libraries for 404 Day. Join us for a digital teach-in with some of the top researchers and librarians working to analyze and push back against the use of Internet filters on library computers. Everywhere.
Iraq War veteran and Occupy protester Scott Olsen wins a major settlement against the city of Oakland: Freedom Information Network: "Court Victory for Occupy Protester Scott Olsen Who Was Shot by Oakland Police" and NBC Bay Area: Iraq War Veteran Scott Olsen Reaches $4.5M Settlement in Occupy Oakland Bean Bag Case
Scott Ritter, John Stauber, Pepi Leistyna, Loretta Alper, and Tom Scott. "Stupefying the Group Mind (Managing the Class War with PR and TV)." Unwelcome Guests #301 (April 8, 2006)
Blum, William. Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions since World War II. Monroe, ME: Common Courage Press, 1995.
Uprising Radio: "Daily News Flash with Robert Jensen on Egypt Death Sentences, UN Women’s Rights Declaration, and Texas Oil Spill"
Mosher, Holly and Jonah Minkoff-Zern. "What is At Stake in Supreme Court’s McCutcheon Ruling?" Uprising Radio (March 24, 2014) ["In what some are calling Citizens United Part 2, the US Supreme Court will make a landmark ruling on the case McCutcheon v. FEC this week. If the Court rules in favor of McCutcheon, caps on individual donations to federal officeholders will be completely removed, eviscerating the last vestiges of untainted elections. ..."]
Mayer for Mayor commenting on the Lexington Herald-Leader article "Rupp redesign project manager says project will likely need 'bridge funding' soon":
"In crony capitalism, success is not determined by a free market and the rule of law. It's instead dependent on the favoritism that is shown to it by the ruling government in the form of tax breaks, government grants and other incentives. Crony capitalism is a good description of our current Mayor's signature plan for downtown: Rupp Renovation. Here are some members of his hand-picked 47-member Rupp Arena Task Force who, without a single public representative on it, approved public money for the project, their position on the Task Force, and what they and their businesses have since made off the first $5.5 million installment in public money for the project they approved:
--Frank Butler (Technical Advisory Group), a former UK Vice President, gets $290,000/year in salary and benefits for "overseeing" the project.
--Urban Collage (support staff) gets $10,000 for urban planning.
--Lord, Aek & Sargent (via Stan Harvey, support staff) gets $250,000 for TIF funding knowledge
--NBBJ (Arena Feasibility) gets $2.78 million for beginning designs.
This amount totals $3.3 million of the first $5.5 million spent in public funds."
Dialogic Cinephilia: Resources for March 20, 2014
Electronic Frontier Foundation: 404 Day: A Day of Action Against Censorship in Libraries
On April 4th, EFF is bringing attention to the long-standing problem of Internet censorship in public libraries for 404 Day. Join us for a digital teach-in with some of the top researchers and librarians working to analyze and push back against the use of Internet filters on library computers. Everywhere.
Iraq War veteran and Occupy protester Scott Olsen wins a major settlement against the city of Oakland: Freedom Information Network: "Court Victory for Occupy Protester Scott Olsen Who Was Shot by Oakland Police" and NBC Bay Area: Iraq War Veteran Scott Olsen Reaches $4.5M Settlement in Occupy Oakland Bean Bag Case
Scott Ritter, John Stauber, Pepi Leistyna, Loretta Alper, and Tom Scott. "Stupefying the Group Mind (Managing the Class War with PR and TV)." Unwelcome Guests #301 (April 8, 2006)
Blum, William. Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions since World War II. Monroe, ME: Common Courage Press, 1995.
Uprising Radio: "Daily News Flash with Robert Jensen on Egypt Death Sentences, UN Women’s Rights Declaration, and Texas Oil Spill"
Mosher, Holly and Jonah Minkoff-Zern. "What is At Stake in Supreme Court’s McCutcheon Ruling?" Uprising Radio (March 24, 2014) ["In what some are calling Citizens United Part 2, the US Supreme Court will make a landmark ruling on the case McCutcheon v. FEC this week. If the Court rules in favor of McCutcheon, caps on individual donations to federal officeholders will be completely removed, eviscerating the last vestiges of untainted elections. ..."]
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Resources for March 19, 2014
The Universal Clock - The Resistance of Peter WatkinsbyGeoff Bowie, National Film Board of Canada
Dunn, Jeff. "The Top 10 Free Web Tools (As Chosen By You)." Edudemic (March 6, 2014)
Dialogic Cinephilia: Resources for March 18, 2014
Center for Constitutional Rights: TAKE ACTION: Speak out against the Bureau of Prison's use of experimental isolation units. The BOP has reopened a comment period about these units (a.k.a Communications Management Units - CMUs), where prisoners are given extremely limited access to calls and visits and are deprived of any physical contact with visiting loved ones, without due process. Two-thirds of CMU prisoners are Muslim, and others have been sent to these units in retaliation for their political and religious speech. Submit a comment and SHARE this info with others!
Popova, Maria. "Obey: How the Rise of Mass Propaganda Killed Populism." Brain Pickings (February 6, 2013)
Dialogic archives:
Propaganda (Key Concept)
Chris Hedges (Journalist/War Correspondent)
Recommended short science fiction: Understand by Ted Chiang
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Resources for March 16, 2014
Center for Constitutional Rights:
"The United States has already changed in profound ways as a result of a decade-plus of global war, and US war-making has profoundly altered the lives of those outside of our country. We cannot simply end the 'war on terror'; we must grapple with the world it has created." CCR's Vincent Warren on the need for international bodies like the UN Human Rights Committee to hold the U.S. government accountable for post-9/11 crimes -- from arbitrary detentions at Guantanamo prison, to targeted assassinations around the world, and the toxic legacy of the U.S. military’s munitions in Iraq.
"As the Obama administration continues rallying its allies to hold Russia to its international law obligations in Ukraine, the international community had an opportunity this week to turn the magnifying glass the other way and question the U.S. government about its own compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)." CCR's Nahal Zamani reports on the UN Human Rights Committee's review of the U.S. government's human rights record.
Venezeula Analysis ("Venezuelanalysis.com is an independent website produced by individuals who are dedicated to disseminating news and analysis about the current political situation in Venezuela. The site's aim is to provide on-going news about developments in Venezuela, as well as to contextualize this news with in-depth analysis and background information. The site is targeted towards academics, journalists, intellectuals, policy makers from different countries, and the general public.")
Cohen, Andrew. "When Prosecutors Admit to Cheating." The Atlantic (March 4, 2014)
"Attorney for wrongly convicted Ryan Ferguson files $100M lawsuit." Crimesider (March 11, 2014)
Dialogic Cinephilia: Resources for March 14, 2014
Doctorow, Cory. "FBI recommended felony counts against Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio's cronies." Boing Boing (March 13, 2014)
"The United States has already changed in profound ways as a result of a decade-plus of global war, and US war-making has profoundly altered the lives of those outside of our country. We cannot simply end the 'war on terror'; we must grapple with the world it has created." CCR's Vincent Warren on the need for international bodies like the UN Human Rights Committee to hold the U.S. government accountable for post-9/11 crimes -- from arbitrary detentions at Guantanamo prison, to targeted assassinations around the world, and the toxic legacy of the U.S. military’s munitions in Iraq.
"As the Obama administration continues rallying its allies to hold Russia to its international law obligations in Ukraine, the international community had an opportunity this week to turn the magnifying glass the other way and question the U.S. government about its own compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)." CCR's Nahal Zamani reports on the UN Human Rights Committee's review of the U.S. government's human rights record.
Inside Job from dunyagercekleri on Vimeo.
Venezeula Analysis ("Venezuelanalysis.com is an independent website produced by individuals who are dedicated to disseminating news and analysis about the current political situation in Venezuela. The site's aim is to provide on-going news about developments in Venezuela, as well as to contextualize this news with in-depth analysis and background information. The site is targeted towards academics, journalists, intellectuals, policy makers from different countries, and the general public.")
Cohen, Andrew. "When Prosecutors Admit to Cheating." The Atlantic (March 4, 2014)
"Attorney for wrongly convicted Ryan Ferguson files $100M lawsuit." Crimesider (March 11, 2014)
Dialogic Cinephilia: Resources for March 14, 2014
Doctorow, Cory. "FBI recommended felony counts against Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio's cronies." Boing Boing (March 13, 2014)
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Resources for March 13, 2014
Dialogic Cinephilia:
Resources for March 8, 2014
Resources for March 12, 2014
Pinker, Steven. "The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined." Radio Open Source (March 10. 2014)
Crawford, Jarmahl, Peniel Joseph and Isabel Wilkerson. "Stokely Carmichael and Black Power." Radio Open Source (March 6, 2014) ["Stokely Carmichael was a down-home organizer and radical off-beat visionary of racial equality in America 50 years ago, a quicksilver activist, theorist, street hero, preacher and prophet of black revolution in America and the world. He’s in the civil rights pantheon, for sure, but he’s still struggling in spirit with the leadership, especially the example of Martin Luther King; and he’s still a scarecrow in the memory of white America. Stokely Carmichael had some of Malcolm X’s fury and fire, and some of the comedian Richard Pryor’s gift with a punchline, too. “Black power” was his slogan that became a chant, that built his bad-boy celebrity and awakened a political generation but may also have been his undoing in the 1960s. So what does a half-century’s hindsight make of the man and his Pan-African vision? And while we’re at it: what would Stokely Carmichael make of black power today – looking at Hollywood, Hip Hop, the White House, and prisons and poverty?"]
Leonard, Christopher. "The Meat Racket." Radio West (March 7, 2014) ["Just a handful of companies raise nearly all the meat consumed in America, and among them, Tyson Foods is king. According to the journalist Christopher Leonard, Tyson wrote the blueprint for modern meat production. He says there’s no better way to understand how our food is produced than to know how the company works. In a new book, Leonard explores how Tyson mastered the economics of factory farming to rise to the top, and how it transformed rural America and the middle class economy in the process."]
New Dialogic archive: Animals
Center for Constitutional Rights: Since 2006, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has operated two experimental prison units called Communications Management Units (CMUs), where prisoners are given extremely limited access to calls and visits and are deprived of any physical contact with visiting loved ones, without due process. Two-thirds of these prisoners are Muslim, and others have been sent to the CMUs in retaliation for their political and religious speech. CCR is challenging these unconstitutional policies and practices in court, but we also need the BOP to hear from you. This week, the BOP opened up a 15-day period for concerned individuals to submit comments on their proposed policy that would govern the CMUs. Learn more about these units, and our clients, by reading this article, and submit your comments to the BOP using this link.
Hudson, David. "Věra Chytilová, 1929 – 2014: Best known for DAISIES (1966), Chytilová was a major figure in Czech cinema." Keyframe (March 12, 2014)
Smith, Noah. "Drones will cause an upheaval of society like we haven’t seen in 700 years." Quartz (March 11, 2014)
Resources for March 8, 2014
Resources for March 12, 2014
Pinker, Steven. "The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined." Radio Open Source (March 10. 2014)
Crawford, Jarmahl, Peniel Joseph and Isabel Wilkerson. "Stokely Carmichael and Black Power." Radio Open Source (March 6, 2014) ["Stokely Carmichael was a down-home organizer and radical off-beat visionary of racial equality in America 50 years ago, a quicksilver activist, theorist, street hero, preacher and prophet of black revolution in America and the world. He’s in the civil rights pantheon, for sure, but he’s still struggling in spirit with the leadership, especially the example of Martin Luther King; and he’s still a scarecrow in the memory of white America. Stokely Carmichael had some of Malcolm X’s fury and fire, and some of the comedian Richard Pryor’s gift with a punchline, too. “Black power” was his slogan that became a chant, that built his bad-boy celebrity and awakened a political generation but may also have been his undoing in the 1960s. So what does a half-century’s hindsight make of the man and his Pan-African vision? And while we’re at it: what would Stokely Carmichael make of black power today – looking at Hollywood, Hip Hop, the White House, and prisons and poverty?"]
Leonard, Christopher. "The Meat Racket." Radio West (March 7, 2014) ["Just a handful of companies raise nearly all the meat consumed in America, and among them, Tyson Foods is king. According to the journalist Christopher Leonard, Tyson wrote the blueprint for modern meat production. He says there’s no better way to understand how our food is produced than to know how the company works. In a new book, Leonard explores how Tyson mastered the economics of factory farming to rise to the top, and how it transformed rural America and the middle class economy in the process."]
New Dialogic archive: Animals
Center for Constitutional Rights: Since 2006, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has operated two experimental prison units called Communications Management Units (CMUs), where prisoners are given extremely limited access to calls and visits and are deprived of any physical contact with visiting loved ones, without due process. Two-thirds of these prisoners are Muslim, and others have been sent to the CMUs in retaliation for their political and religious speech. CCR is challenging these unconstitutional policies and practices in court, but we also need the BOP to hear from you. This week, the BOP opened up a 15-day period for concerned individuals to submit comments on their proposed policy that would govern the CMUs. Learn more about these units, and our clients, by reading this article, and submit your comments to the BOP using this link.
Hudson, David. "Věra Chytilová, 1929 – 2014: Best known for DAISIES (1966), Chytilová was a major figure in Czech cinema." Keyframe (March 12, 2014)
Smith, Noah. "Drones will cause an upheaval of society like we haven’t seen in 700 years." Quartz (March 11, 2014)
Saturday, March 08, 2014
Resources for March 8, 2014
Nuland, Sherwin. "The Biology of Spirit." On Being (March 6, 2014)["Dr. Sherwin Nuland died this week at the age of 83. He became well-known through his first book, How We Die, which won the National Book Award in 1994. But pondering death was for him a way of wondering at life. He reflected on the meaning of life by way of scrupulous and elegant detail about human physiology."]
Dialogic archive: "Gilles Deleuze 1925-1995 (Philosophy)
As a teacher, I'm not interested in just reproducing class after class of graduates who will get out, become successful, and take their obedient places in the slots that society has prepared for them. What we must do--whether we teach or write or make films--is educate a new generation to do this very modest thing: change the world. (15) -- Zinn, Howard. "Stories Hollywood Never Tells." The Sun #343 (July 2004): 12-15.
Godmilow, Jill. "Killing the Documentary: An Oscar-Nominated Filmmaker Takes Issue With The Act of Killing." IndieWire (March 5, 2014)
“Rape is one of the most terrible crimes on earth. And it happens every few minutes. The problem with groups who deal with rape is that they try to educate women about how to defend themselves. What really needs to be done is teaching men not to rape. Go to the source and start there.” ~ Kurt Cobain talking in November 1991 about the background behind the song ‘Polly’
“Look, I’m glad ‘12 Years [A Slave]’ got made and it’s wonderful that people are seeing it and there is another view of what happened in America. But I’m not real sure why Steve McQueen wanted to tackle that particular sort of thing.[‘Fruitvale Station’] explains things like the shooting of Trayvon Martin, the problems with stop and search, and is just more poignant. America is much more willing to acknowledge what happened in the past: ‘We freed the slaves! It’s all good!’ But to say: ‘We are still unnecessarily killing black men’ – let’s have a conversation about that.” ~ Samuel L. Jackson (source Sociological Cinema)
Center for Constitutional Rights reports:
"While President Obama criticizes Russia’s military intervention and asserts its international law obligation in Ukraine, here’s his administration disputing whether human rights treaties barring arbitrary killings, torture, and arbitrary detention, apply to the U.S. outside its borders (e.g. Guantanamo, CIA secret prisons abroad, etc). Next week, a United Nations panel in Geneva will question the U.S. government on its compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. CCR will be there to draw attention to U.S. civil and political rights violations at home and abroad."
Alexis Agathocleous and Gregory Koger of The Stop Mass Incarceration Network join the The Real News Network to discuss new details about the statewide mass hunger strike that took place last year in California prisons. As many as 30,000 prisoners participated in the 59-day peaceful strike against the state's barbaric solitary confinement practices.
Dialogic archive: "Gilles Deleuze 1925-1995 (Philosophy)
As a teacher, I'm not interested in just reproducing class after class of graduates who will get out, become successful, and take their obedient places in the slots that society has prepared for them. What we must do--whether we teach or write or make films--is educate a new generation to do this very modest thing: change the world. (15) -- Zinn, Howard. "Stories Hollywood Never Tells." The Sun #343 (July 2004): 12-15.
Godmilow, Jill. "Killing the Documentary: An Oscar-Nominated Filmmaker Takes Issue With The Act of Killing." IndieWire (March 5, 2014)
“Rape is one of the most terrible crimes on earth. And it happens every few minutes. The problem with groups who deal with rape is that they try to educate women about how to defend themselves. What really needs to be done is teaching men not to rape. Go to the source and start there.” ~ Kurt Cobain talking in November 1991 about the background behind the song ‘Polly’
“Look, I’m glad ‘12 Years [A Slave]’ got made and it’s wonderful that people are seeing it and there is another view of what happened in America. But I’m not real sure why Steve McQueen wanted to tackle that particular sort of thing.[‘Fruitvale Station’] explains things like the shooting of Trayvon Martin, the problems with stop and search, and is just more poignant. America is much more willing to acknowledge what happened in the past: ‘We freed the slaves! It’s all good!’ But to say: ‘We are still unnecessarily killing black men’ – let’s have a conversation about that.” ~ Samuel L. Jackson (source Sociological Cinema)
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Center for Constitutional Rights reports:
"While President Obama criticizes Russia’s military intervention and asserts its international law obligation in Ukraine, here’s his administration disputing whether human rights treaties barring arbitrary killings, torture, and arbitrary detention, apply to the U.S. outside its borders (e.g. Guantanamo, CIA secret prisons abroad, etc). Next week, a United Nations panel in Geneva will question the U.S. government on its compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. CCR will be there to draw attention to U.S. civil and political rights violations at home and abroad."
Alexis Agathocleous and Gregory Koger of The Stop Mass Incarceration Network join the The Real News Network to discuss new details about the statewide mass hunger strike that took place last year in California prisons. As many as 30,000 prisoners participated in the 59-day peaceful strike against the state's barbaric solitary confinement practices.
Thursday, March 06, 2014
Gilles Deleuze 1925-1995 (Philosophy)
Biographies:
The European Graduate School: Gilles Deleuze - Biography
Wikipedia: Gilles Deleuze
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Gilles Deleuze
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Gilles Deleuze
Works from/about/inspired by Gilles Deleuze:
Benton, Michael Dean. "I am Past Imperfect." Dialogic (May 26, 2010)
---. "Notes on Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia." Dialogi (February 20, 2014)
---. "Response to a Message About the Threat of Islamo-Fascism." Dialogic (October 1, 2008)
---. "Transperspective Waiting." Dialogic (March 4, 2010)
Buchanan, Ian. Deleuze and Guattari's Anti-Oedipus. NY: Continuum, 2008: 13-19.
Codrescu, Andrei. "The Posthuman Dada Guide: Tzara and Lenin Play Chess." Weekly Signals (March 17, 2009)
Foucault, Michel. “Intellectuals and Power: A Conversation between Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze.” Language, Counter-Memory, Practice. 1977: 207-208.
McCormack, Tom. "Madness and Civilization: Monsieur Verdoux and the meaning of Chaplin's cinema." Moving Image Source (July 22, 2010)
Shaviro, Steven. "Gamer." The Pinocchio Theory (December 15, 2009)
The European Graduate School: Gilles Deleuze - Biography
Wikipedia: Gilles Deleuze
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Gilles Deleuze
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Gilles Deleuze
Works from/about/inspired by Gilles Deleuze:
Benton, Michael Dean. "I am Past Imperfect." Dialogic (May 26, 2010)
---. "Notes on Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia." Dialogi (February 20, 2014)
---. "Response to a Message About the Threat of Islamo-Fascism." Dialogic (October 1, 2008)
---. "Transperspective Waiting." Dialogic (March 4, 2010)
Buchanan, Ian. Deleuze and Guattari's Anti-Oedipus. NY: Continuum, 2008: 13-19.
Codrescu, Andrei. "The Posthuman Dada Guide: Tzara and Lenin Play Chess." Weekly Signals (March 17, 2009)
Foucault, Michel. “Intellectuals and Power: A Conversation between Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze.” Language, Counter-Memory, Practice. 1977: 207-208.
McCormack, Tom. "Madness and Civilization: Monsieur Verdoux and the meaning of Chaplin's cinema." Moving Image Source (July 22, 2010)
Shaviro, Steven. "Gamer." The Pinocchio Theory (December 15, 2009)
Resources for March 6, 2014
Greenwald, Glenn. "How Covert Agents Infiltrate the Internet to Manipulate, Deceive, and Destroy Reputations." Intercept (February 24, 2014)
Ahmed, Nuwar, et al. "School’s Out: The Decimation of Public Education." Making Contact (February 18, 2014)
"Supreme Court Denies Review of NSA Warrantless Surveillance Case." Center for Constitutional Rights (March 4, 2014) ["Recent Snowden Revelations Showed Government Likely Spying on Attorney Communications"]
Culp-Ressler, Tara. "New Study Disputes Robin Thicke, Finds Sexual Aggression Doesn’t Actually Have Blurred Lines." Think Progress (march 5, 2014)
Haney López, Ian. "The Dog Whistle Politics of Race." Moyers & Company (February 28, 2014)
Lofgren, Ian. "The Deep State Hiding in Plain Sight." Moyers & Co. (February 21, 2014) ["Everyone knows about the military-industrial complex, which, in his farewell address, President Eisenhower warned had the potential to “endanger our liberties or democratic process” but have you heard of the 'Deep State'?”]
Dialogic Cinephilia archives:
Dirty Wars (USA/Afghanistan/Iraq/Kenya/Somalia/Yemen: Rick Rowley, 2013)
The Square (Egypt/USA: Jehane Noujaim, 2013)
McFerrin, Bobby. "Catching Song." On Being (February 27, 2014)
Ahmed, Nuwar, et al. "School’s Out: The Decimation of Public Education." Making Contact (February 18, 2014)
"Supreme Court Denies Review of NSA Warrantless Surveillance Case." Center for Constitutional Rights (March 4, 2014) ["Recent Snowden Revelations Showed Government Likely Spying on Attorney Communications"]
Culp-Ressler, Tara. "New Study Disputes Robin Thicke, Finds Sexual Aggression Doesn’t Actually Have Blurred Lines." Think Progress (march 5, 2014)
Haney López, Ian. "The Dog Whistle Politics of Race." Moyers & Company (February 28, 2014)
Lofgren, Ian. "The Deep State Hiding in Plain Sight." Moyers & Co. (February 21, 2014) ["Everyone knows about the military-industrial complex, which, in his farewell address, President Eisenhower warned had the potential to “endanger our liberties or democratic process” but have you heard of the 'Deep State'?”]
Dialogic Cinephilia archives:
Dirty Wars (USA/Afghanistan/Iraq/Kenya/Somalia/Yemen: Rick Rowley, 2013)
The Square (Egypt/USA: Jehane Noujaim, 2013)
McFerrin, Bobby. "Catching Song." On Being (February 27, 2014)
Tuesday, March 04, 2014
Resources for March 4, 2014
Rosenbaum, Jonathan. "Interview with Alain Resnais on MON ONCLE D’AMÉRIQUE (1980)." (Personal Website: February 26, 2014)
Democracy Now Headlines for March 3, 2014:
McGovern, Ray and Timothy Snyder. "Who Is Provoking the Unrest in Ukraine? A Debate on Role of Russia, United States in Regional Crisis." Democracy Now (March 3, 2014)
Shelly, Deirdre. "XL Dissent: 398 Youth Arrested at Anti-Keystone XL Pipeline Protest at White House." Democracy Now (March 3, 2014)
Kalmár, György. "Body Memories, Body Cinema: The Politics of Multi-Sensual Counter-Memory in György Pálfi’s Hukkle." Jump Cut #55 (Fall 2013)
Wilkerson, Isabel. "The Warmth of Other Suns: Isabel Wilkerson on the Great Migration." Making Contact (February 25, 2014) ["Should they go or should they stay? That was a question millions of African Americans living in the South asked themselves in the 20th Century. For many the answer was simple. Life in the South was hard and dangerous, with lynching, Jim Crow laws, and lack of economic opportunities. From 1910 to the 1960s an estimated 6 million African Americans left the South and moved North, in what became known as 'The Great Migration.'"]
Carlin, Dan. "Poking the Bear." Common Sense #270 (February 24, 2014) ["Ukraine has erupted in violence as protesters in Kiev oust the country's leader. Dan thinks U.S. efforts to clandestinely support or encourage one side of the conflict are dangerously short sighted."]
Cheves, John. "Beshear: Ky. will appeal federal judge's ruling in same-sex marriage case without Conway." Lexington Herald-Leader (March 4, 2014)
Statement from Attorney General Conway:
As Attorney General, I have vowed to the people of Kentucky to uphold my duty under the law and to do what is right, even if some disagreed with me. In evaluating how best to proceed as the Commonwealth’s chief lawyer in light of Judge Heyburn’s recent ruling, I have kept those promises in mind.
When the Governor and I were first named as the technical defendants in this lawsuit, my duty as Attorney General was to provide the Commonwealth with a defense in the federal district court, and to frame the proper legal defenses. Those who passed the statutes and the voters who passed the constitutional amendment deserved that, and the Office of Attorney General performed its duty. However, it’s my duty to defend both the Kentucky Constitution and the Constitution of the United States.
The temporary stay we sought and received on Friday allowed me time to confer with my client and to consult with state leaders about my impending decision and the ramifications for the state.
I have evaluated Judge Heyburn’s legal analysis, and today am informing my client and the people of Kentucky that I am not appealing the decision and will not be seeking any further stays.
From a constitutional perspective, Judge Heyburn got it right, and in light of other recent federal decisions, these laws will not likely survive upon appeal. We cannot waste the resources of the Office of the Attorney General pursuing a case we are unlikely to win.
There are those who believe it’s my mandatory duty, regardless of my personal opinion, to continue to defend this case through the appellate process, and I have heard from many of them. However, I came to the inescapable conclusion that, if I did so, I would be defending discrimination.
That I will not do. As Attorney General of Kentucky, I must draw the line when it comes to discrimination.
The United States Constitution is designed to protect everyone’s rights, both the majority and the minority groups. Judge Heyburn’s decision does not tell a minister or a congregation what they must do, but in government ‘equal justice under law’ is a different matter.
I am also mindful of those from the business community who have reached out to me in the last few days encouraging me not to appeal the decision. I agree with their assessment that discriminatory policies hamper a state’s ability to attract business, create jobs and develop a modern workforce.
I prayed over this decision. I appreciate those who provided counsel, especially my remarkable wife, Elizabeth. In the end, this issue is really larger than any single person and it’s about placing people above politics. For those who disagree, I can only say that I am doing what I think is right. In the final analysis, I had to make a decision that I could be proud of – for me now, and my daughters’ judgment in the future.
May we all find ways to work together to build a more perfect union, and to build the future Commonwealth in which we want to live, work and raise all of our families.
Democracy Now Headlines for March 3, 2014:
McGovern, Ray and Timothy Snyder. "Who Is Provoking the Unrest in Ukraine? A Debate on Role of Russia, United States in Regional Crisis." Democracy Now (March 3, 2014)
Shelly, Deirdre. "XL Dissent: 398 Youth Arrested at Anti-Keystone XL Pipeline Protest at White House." Democracy Now (March 3, 2014)
Kalmár, György. "Body Memories, Body Cinema: The Politics of Multi-Sensual Counter-Memory in György Pálfi’s Hukkle." Jump Cut #55 (Fall 2013)
Wilkerson, Isabel. "The Warmth of Other Suns: Isabel Wilkerson on the Great Migration." Making Contact (February 25, 2014) ["Should they go or should they stay? That was a question millions of African Americans living in the South asked themselves in the 20th Century. For many the answer was simple. Life in the South was hard and dangerous, with lynching, Jim Crow laws, and lack of economic opportunities. From 1910 to the 1960s an estimated 6 million African Americans left the South and moved North, in what became known as 'The Great Migration.'"]
Carlin, Dan. "Poking the Bear." Common Sense #270 (February 24, 2014) ["Ukraine has erupted in violence as protesters in Kiev oust the country's leader. Dan thinks U.S. efforts to clandestinely support or encourage one side of the conflict are dangerously short sighted."]
Cheves, John. "Beshear: Ky. will appeal federal judge's ruling in same-sex marriage case without Conway." Lexington Herald-Leader (March 4, 2014)
Statement from Attorney General Conway:
As Attorney General, I have vowed to the people of Kentucky to uphold my duty under the law and to do what is right, even if some disagreed with me. In evaluating how best to proceed as the Commonwealth’s chief lawyer in light of Judge Heyburn’s recent ruling, I have kept those promises in mind.
When the Governor and I were first named as the technical defendants in this lawsuit, my duty as Attorney General was to provide the Commonwealth with a defense in the federal district court, and to frame the proper legal defenses. Those who passed the statutes and the voters who passed the constitutional amendment deserved that, and the Office of Attorney General performed its duty. However, it’s my duty to defend both the Kentucky Constitution and the Constitution of the United States.
The temporary stay we sought and received on Friday allowed me time to confer with my client and to consult with state leaders about my impending decision and the ramifications for the state.
I have evaluated Judge Heyburn’s legal analysis, and today am informing my client and the people of Kentucky that I am not appealing the decision and will not be seeking any further stays.
From a constitutional perspective, Judge Heyburn got it right, and in light of other recent federal decisions, these laws will not likely survive upon appeal. We cannot waste the resources of the Office of the Attorney General pursuing a case we are unlikely to win.
There are those who believe it’s my mandatory duty, regardless of my personal opinion, to continue to defend this case through the appellate process, and I have heard from many of them. However, I came to the inescapable conclusion that, if I did so, I would be defending discrimination.
That I will not do. As Attorney General of Kentucky, I must draw the line when it comes to discrimination.
The United States Constitution is designed to protect everyone’s rights, both the majority and the minority groups. Judge Heyburn’s decision does not tell a minister or a congregation what they must do, but in government ‘equal justice under law’ is a different matter.
I am also mindful of those from the business community who have reached out to me in the last few days encouraging me not to appeal the decision. I agree with their assessment that discriminatory policies hamper a state’s ability to attract business, create jobs and develop a modern workforce.
I prayed over this decision. I appreciate those who provided counsel, especially my remarkable wife, Elizabeth. In the end, this issue is really larger than any single person and it’s about placing people above politics. For those who disagree, I can only say that I am doing what I think is right. In the final analysis, I had to make a decision that I could be proud of – for me now, and my daughters’ judgment in the future.
May we all find ways to work together to build a more perfect union, and to build the future Commonwealth in which we want to live, work and raise all of our families.
Monday, March 03, 2014
Resources for March 3, 2014
Law and Disorder podcast episodes:
"David Vivar and Laura Raymond -- The Drug War: Policing and U.S. Militarism at Home and Abroad; Kazembe Balagune -- Imagine: Living In A Socialist U.S.A"
"Marty Stolar -- Jury Trial Begins for Occupy Wall Street’s Cecily McMillan; Jody Kent Lavy -- Fair Sentencing Of Youth Campaign."
Roos, Jerome. "Venezuela: it’s the opposition that’s anti-democratic." ROAR (February 21, 2014)
Hedges, Inez. "Amnesiac memory: Hiroshima/Nagasaki in Japanese film." Jump Cut #55 (Fall 2013)
Cho, Violet. "Thauk gya paw hee thwi deh thwi (Blood’s Oath to Beautiful Flower) — drama of insurgency in a Burmese Pwo Karen Film." Jump Cut #55 (Fall 2013)
Musgrave, Beth. "Citing new same-sex marriage ruling, Fayette judge allows step mother to adopt her wife's son." Lexington Herald-Leader (February 28, 2014)
Davies, Andrew and Penny Woolcock. "Gang Culture: On Screen and In Print." London School of Economics and Political Science (Literary Festival 2014: Recorded on 27 February 2014 in Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building.)
Hudson, David. "Alain Resnais, 1922 -2014." Keyframe (March 2, 2014)
Gillepsie, Alex, Philip Horne and Sandra Jovchelovitch. "Literary Festival 2014: More Tales from the Two James(es)." The London School of Economics and Political Science (February 23, 2014) ["... readings from the work of William and Henry James to explore the links between psychology and fiction."]
Merriam-Webster's Word-of-the-Day
decoct \dih-KAHKT\
verb 1 : to extract the flavor of by boiling; 2 : boil down, concentrate
The author has tried to decoct the positions the players in this complex situation have taken into two camps: those who are for the changes and those who are against them.
"Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is far better known as a bottled astringent than a native shrub. Its medicinal uses date back to the Native Americans, who taught Europeans how to identify the plant and decoct its leaves and stems into the now-familiar tonic." — From an article by David Taft in the New York Times, December 1, 2013
"Decoct" boils down to a simple Latin origin: the word "decoquere," from "de-," meaning "down" or "away," and "coquere," meaning "to cook" or "to ripen." "Decoct" itself is quite rare. Its related noun "decoction," which refers to either an extract obtained by decocting or the act or process of decocting, is slightly more common but still much less recognizable than some other members of the "coquere" family, among them "biscuit," "biscotti," "cook," and "kitchen." Other "coquere" descendants include "concoct" ("to prepare by combining raw materials" or "to devise or fabricate"), "concoction" ("something concocted"), and "precocious" ("exceptionally early in development or occurrence" or "exhibiting mature qualities at an unusually early age").
"David Vivar and Laura Raymond -- The Drug War: Policing and U.S. Militarism at Home and Abroad; Kazembe Balagune -- Imagine: Living In A Socialist U.S.A"
"Marty Stolar -- Jury Trial Begins for Occupy Wall Street’s Cecily McMillan; Jody Kent Lavy -- Fair Sentencing Of Youth Campaign."
Roos, Jerome. "Venezuela: it’s the opposition that’s anti-democratic." ROAR (February 21, 2014)
Hedges, Inez. "Amnesiac memory: Hiroshima/Nagasaki in Japanese film." Jump Cut #55 (Fall 2013)
Cho, Violet. "Thauk gya paw hee thwi deh thwi (Blood’s Oath to Beautiful Flower) — drama of insurgency in a Burmese Pwo Karen Film." Jump Cut #55 (Fall 2013)
Musgrave, Beth. "Citing new same-sex marriage ruling, Fayette judge allows step mother to adopt her wife's son." Lexington Herald-Leader (February 28, 2014)
Davies, Andrew and Penny Woolcock. "Gang Culture: On Screen and In Print." London School of Economics and Political Science (Literary Festival 2014: Recorded on 27 February 2014 in Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building.)
Hudson, David. "Alain Resnais, 1922 -2014." Keyframe (March 2, 2014)
Gillepsie, Alex, Philip Horne and Sandra Jovchelovitch. "Literary Festival 2014: More Tales from the Two James(es)." The London School of Economics and Political Science (February 23, 2014) ["... readings from the work of William and Henry James to explore the links between psychology and fiction."]
Merriam-Webster's Word-of-the-Day
decoct \dih-KAHKT\
verb 1 : to extract the flavor of by boiling; 2 : boil down, concentrate
The author has tried to decoct the positions the players in this complex situation have taken into two camps: those who are for the changes and those who are against them.
"Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is far better known as a bottled astringent than a native shrub. Its medicinal uses date back to the Native Americans, who taught Europeans how to identify the plant and decoct its leaves and stems into the now-familiar tonic." — From an article by David Taft in the New York Times, December 1, 2013
"Decoct" boils down to a simple Latin origin: the word "decoquere," from "de-," meaning "down" or "away," and "coquere," meaning "to cook" or "to ripen." "Decoct" itself is quite rare. Its related noun "decoction," which refers to either an extract obtained by decocting or the act or process of decocting, is slightly more common but still much less recognizable than some other members of the "coquere" family, among them "biscuit," "biscotti," "cook," and "kitchen." Other "coquere" descendants include "concoct" ("to prepare by combining raw materials" or "to devise or fabricate"), "concoction" ("something concocted"), and "precocious" ("exceptionally early in development or occurrence" or "exhibiting mature qualities at an unusually early age").
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