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Category Archives: culture
No matter what political reasons are given for war, the underlying reason is always economic. – A.J.P. Taylor
With so much attention on arguments for and against a potential World War 3, it’s almost easy to forget about economic problems though the issues overlap. To remind us (if we did need reminding), a number of great articles have come out recently.
Two headlines at OpEd News explain how economic pressures play a part in mass opposition against the war and reasons why even without another war, America is headed towards a greater financial crisis.
Though corporate media tells us we’re in an economic recovery, the truth is it’s a recovery for the rich, a recession for the rest.
A new UC Berkeley report documents the growing gulf between the rich and poor in the U.S. since 2009, while on a global scale a new “superclass” has emerged who are 94% male, white, and connected to financial corporations, governments, and the military, as reported in this expose on the Financial Core of the Transnational Capitalist Class.
On related notes, ever wonder how much money missile strikes cost and how many CEOs were prosecuted for their role in the financial crisis? The answers will tell you something about the priorities of the U.S. government.
Greg Palast article about the “End-Game” memo: http://www.gregpalast.com/larry-summers-and-the-secret-end-game-memo/
Belated Dose of Patriotism
Because I tuned out all corporate media yesterday I completely forgot about showing my quota of patriotism (now a required and integral part of annual 9/11 observances).
To make up for that, here’s possibly the most patriotic music video ever made:
In case that expression of patriotism was too unsubtle, here’s something a little more abstract (hint: think of Frank Pacholski as a personification of U.S. political leadership):
Two For Tuesday
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Lupe Fiasco getting forced off stage by security at the presidential inaugural party on 1/20/13 with commentary by Tommy Sotomayer:
Bonus Clip: Lupe Fiasco, Guy Sebastian and The Roots team up for an exceptional live performance of “Battle Scars” (no longer available on YouTube): http://www.metatube.com/es/videos/166177/Jimmy-Fallon-Lupe-Fiasco-Guy-Sebastian-Perform-Battle-Scars/
Message of Peace
Last Monday (Sept. 2), the White House received a letter calling for peace in Syria from Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on behalf of Venezuela and “independent voices who love humanity”. Not surprisingly, no mention of the letter was made by corporate media but many of us are aware of it thanks to foreign and independent media such as the Venezuela News Agency and Axis of Logic. Though the letter seems to be speaking to the public persona of Obama and not the reality of who he really is, it could be interpreted as idealistic or ironic; a way of highlighting the differences between the two. Maduro also uses a number of memorable quotes to support his argument from activists such as Simon Bolivar, Susan Sontag, Malcolm X, John Lennon, Howard Zinn and Martin Luther King.
Via: Axis of Logic:
What we do in pursuit of lasting peace and stability of any nation on the planet will never be enough, because the wellbeing of a people exalts us while their pain diminishes us to the vilest inhumanity.
We, from the love of peace that the Venezuelan people cultivate, reject war and say no to bombs, desolation and death. That is our hope, the same that fed the soul of Martin Luther King when he said:”If I knew that the world would end tomorrow, I, today would still plant a tree”. This tree is the one we want to flourish in these tense and ominous times.
I aspire and hope that the call that I have made to you in this letter, Mr. President, doesn’t fall on empty ears. I aspire and hope that you rectify and proceed to stop the war machine that has already been set up. I aspire and I hope that you stop the beating of the funeral drums of war on Syria. I pray for it to be so.
Peace in Syria and the world!
No War!
Nicolas Maduro
Chavez lives, the homeland continues!
Read the complete letter here: http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_66001.shtml
What Are The Neocons Thinking?
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Abby Martin, of the RT program “Breaking the Set” does a brilliant dissection of the absurdity and lies coming from the pro-war neocons.
What reality are the neocons living in? These clips from “Monkey Dust” may give some insight into their state of mind:
Bill Hicks – Revelations
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The complete video of one of Bill Hick’s greatest shows. Filmed at the Dominion Theater, London in late 1992 (1:15):
Schools are Becoming Privatized Prisons
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A lot of interesting analysis has been coming out recently about the problematic education system, and it’s not just on obvious longstanding issues such as lack of funding and overcrowded classrooms. Peter Gray of Salon.com wrote in his article “School is a Prison – and damaging our kids”:
Parents send their children to school with the best of intentions, believing that’s what they need to become productive and happy adults. Many have qualms about how well schools are performing, but the conventional wisdom is that these issues can be resolved with more money, better teachers, more challenging curricula and/or more rigorous tests.
But what if the real problem is school itself? The unfortunate fact is that one of our most cherished institutions is, by its very nature, failing our children and our society.
School is a place where children are compelled to be, and where their freedom is greatly restricted — far more restricted than most adults would tolerate in their workplaces. In recent decades, we have been compelling our children to spend ever more time in this kind of setting, and there is strong evidence (summarized in my recent book) that this is causing serious psychological damage to many of them. Moreover, the more scientists have learned about how children naturally learn, the more we have come to realize that children learn most deeply and fully, and with greatest enthusiasm, in conditions that are almost opposite to those of school.
Read the full article here: http://www.salon.com/2013/08/26/school_is_a_prison_and_damaging_our_kids/
David L. Kirp of Slate.com writes about three new books which pick apart arguments for charter schools and vouchers in his article: The Wrong Kind of Education Reform
Today at Truthout there’s an op-ed by Marion Brady which critiques the Common Core State Standards program: http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/18638-a-quiz-on-americas-core-curriculum
Jan Irvin and Clint Richardson discuss Common Core in great detail in this lengthy but well-researched conversation at Gnostic Media:
For more great information about the history and problems of compulsory education, check out John Taylor Gatto’s site: http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/
From the BBC series “Monkey Dust” (NSFW):
