Saturday, October 30, 2010

Haiti: The Shape of Things to Come?



New World Notes News
Vol. 3, No. 44 -- October 30, 2010

This week in New World Notes, radio program #139, November 2:

Haiti:
The Shape of Things to Come?

Garment factory in Haiti.

In brief

Third World people are intentionally kept poor so that our rich "investors" may become still richer. British journalist Johann Hari argues this case, using Haiti as example. Michael Parenti (from the early 1990s) concurs, with examples from Haiti and elsewhere. I suggest that the US is now being pushed down the same road as Haiti. And comedians Bob and Ray offer a comic look at a domestic company that has adopted a Third-World business model: The Great Lakes Paper Clip Company.

Top: Aristide, of Haiti (2010): Probably the only democratically elected
head of government to have been overthrown twice by the United States.
Bottom: Brit journalist/commentator Johann Hari.

Notes, credits, & links

http://www.michaelparenti.org/

Johann Hari's "Suffocating the Poor: A Modern Parable" from Common Dreams, September 19, 2010.

New World Notes is produced under the auspices (Latin for "very noses") of WWUH-FM, a community service of that beacon of light in darkest Connecticut, the University of Hartford.

You can listen to any installment of New World Notes online or else download it (as an mp3 audio file) for later listening. The show is archived at both radio4all.net and (from #90 onwards) The Internet Archive. Either link should get you a reverse-chrono listing of available installments. Or browse the show's Web site: Each installment has a page, and each page has links to the recorded audio.

Series overview: Political and social commentary in a variety of genres. Exploring the gap between what we want ... and what they're trying to make us settle for.


Coming soon (Tuesday air debut dates shown)

  • November 9 & 16 -- JFK in 1963: Disarmament Crusader
Catch New World Notes (all times Eastern):



A-Infos Radio Project http://www.radio4all.net


Friday, October 22, 2010

WTC-7 Follies



New World Notes News
Vol. 3, No. 43 -- October 23, 2010

This week in New World Notes, radio program #138, October 26:

WTC-7 Follies

Dr. David Ray Griffin in West Hartford, May 7, 2010.
Photo by Kenneth Dowst.


In (not overly) brief

Not two but three buildings of the World Trade Center collapsed on September 11, 2001. Each collapsed suddenly, onto its own footprint, at near-freefall speed, spewing forth tons of minutely pulverized concrete. Each collapse bore a certain resemblance to a controlled demolition.

The third to go was Building 7, about a block away from the Twin Towers. It was a 47-story steel-framed skyscraper of conventional architecture and construction. It was not hit by an airplane. It suffered only a few minor office fires on a few floors. It came down, in 6.5 seconds, at about 5:20 PM.

BBC America and CNN each announced the collapse about a half hour before it occurred. In both reports, the building can be seen standing, apparently unperturbed, through the picture window behind the news anchor.

The 9-11 Commission Report does not discuss Building 7. The collapse was finally discussed in a report--released only in the last days of the Bush administration--by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). They conclude that the collapse was caused by fire.

If true, WTC-7 is the only steel-framed high-rise building in the history of the world ever to have collapsed from fire. (Oddly, New York has not yet revised its Building Code.)

In this installment, Professor David Ray Griffin discusses the mysterious collapse of WTC-7 and shows that the NIST report is a work of massive scientific fraud.

A real investigation into the events of 9-11-2001 is needed. Don't hold your breath, waiting.

Dan Rather shows and describes the fall of WTC7.
Note how the penthouse dips first--as though something
very bad had just happened to all the central support
columns.
An invitation: After watching this video, tell
yourself what you have just seen.

Pro bono

Most of us have seen--hundreds of times--televised video clips of the collapse of the Twin Towers. Few Americans have ever seen any video of the collapse of Building 7. Plenty exist. How do we account for the discrepancy?

The video-widget, above, plays a clip of the collapse from a CBS News broadcast on 9/11. You'll recognize the voice of Dan Rather saying that it looks just like a controlled demolition. I urge you to view it. It will take only 36 seconds.

Notes, credits, & links

This is the final third of a long presentation David Ray Griffin gave at the University of Hartford on May 7, 2010. His talk was titled, "Is the War in Afghanistan Justified by 9/11?" Recorded and edited for radio by K.D.

For description of the first two-thirds of Griffin's talk--plus links to download the audio--please see our blog entry.

New World Notes is produced under the auspices (Latin for "resigned sighs") of WWUH-FM, a community service of that beacon of light in darkest Connecticut, the University of Hartford.

You can listen to any installment of New World Notes online or else download it (as an mp3 audio file) for later listening. The show is archived at both radio4all.net and (from #90 onwards) The Internet Archive. Either link should get you a reverse-chrono listing of available installments. Or browse the show's Web site: Each installment has a page, and each page has links to the recorded audio.

Series overview: Political and social commentary in a variety of genres. Exploring the gap between what we want ... and what they're trying to make us settle for.

Building 7

Coming soon (Tuesday air debut date shown)

  • November 2 -- Haiti: The Shape of Things to Come?
Catch New World Notes (all times Eastern):



A-Infos Radio Project http://www.radio4all.net


Saturday, October 16, 2010

Corporations + LIVE on WWUH



New World Notes News
Vol. 3, No. 42 -- October 17, 2010

This week in New World Notes (except WWUH), radio program #137, October 19:

Corporations


In brief

Our nation's Founders encouraged business but distrusted corporations--which they tightly regulated and restricted. Jefferson warned that corporations could end up running the country. (Yep!) In a fine talk, environmental activist and business expert Ted Nace describes the history of corporations, ... their growing power, ... and their frequent battles with The People--some of which The People won. Also reflections by K.D. on the branding of everything and 2 relevant songs.

Two books by Ted Nace. Most photos: Click to enlarge.

Notes, credits, & links for # 137

NWN #137 is a repeat of NWN #26 (August 2008), re-edited.

This week's music:

  • James McMurtry, Can't Make It Here Anymore
  • Roy Zimmerman, from Multinational Anthem

Introductory recitation: Stupid's Pledge by Utah Phillips

Original Nace recording--edited to a fare-thee-well by K.D.--courtesy of Sue Supriano's "Steppin' Out of Babylon" (suesupriano.com). Sue's complete half-hour interview with Nace (2004) is available here.

Ted Nace's book on corporations, Gangs of America (2003) is available in print and also as a free download (.pdf).

Tuesday, October 19, noon to 1 PM on WWUH 91.3 and streaming on wwuh.org:

In this special broadcast for Pledge Marathon Week, regular but brief appeals for money will punctuate a potpourri of insightful political/social commentary by a range of voices. You'll hear none of these voices on corporate-controlled radio or TV stations--neither the overtly commercial stations nor the ones dependent on grants from Cargill, Exxon Mobil, and other social ils. Plus we'll have a reflection or two by me and a couple of songs (not by me).

Pledges of support to any noncommercial, alternative, community-based radio station are always in good taste. Pledges of support to WWUH made by telephone while New World Notes is broadcasting--noon to 1 PM (Eastern) on Tuesday, October 19 are even nicer, as I'll be able to thank you on-air . . . unless you prefer to remain anonymous. A tally is made of the amount pledged by phone during each show--and the loser has to buy beer and pizza for the other 67 volunteer staff members. No, just kidding about the beer and pizza.

The phone number for pledges is 1 - 800 - 444 - WWUH ( - 9984). You can also pledge online at http://wwuh.org/ or else print out a form and mail in a check (same Internet address). In the Hartford area you can dial 860-768-4008.

Other essential info.

New World Notes is produced under the auspices (Latin for "boiler room") of WWUH-FM, a community service of that beacon of light in darkest Connecticut, the University of Hartford.

Feedback to kdowst at hotmail period com.
Free weekly NWN email newsletter on request.

You can listen to any installment of New World Notes online or else download it (as an mp3 audio file) for later listening. New World Notes' main audio archive is at radio4all.net. Installments beginning with #90 are archived also at The Internet Archive, in a variety of file formats. Either link should get you a reverse-chrono listing of available installments. Or browse the show's Web site: Each installment has a page, and each page has links to the recorded audio.

Series overview: Political and social commentary in a variety of genres. Exploring the gap between what we want ... and what they're trying to make us settle for.

Two commentators whose words will be read (top) or heard (bottom)
on our live broadcast: Amy Goodman and Doyle Redland (of
The Onion
Radio News)

Coming soon (Tuesday air debut date shown)

  • October 26 -- "WTC-7" Follies, featuring David Ray Griffin.
Catch New World Notes (all times Eastern):



A-Infos Radio Project http://www.radio4all.net


Saturday, October 9, 2010

BP Then and Now



New World Notes News
Vol. 3, No. 41 -- October 10, 2010

This week in New World Notes, radio program #136, October 12:

BP Then and Now

In brief

British oil company BP specializes in disasters--political as well as ecological. The U.S. government then helps by making the disaster worse.

Reporting from the Gulf, Anne McClintock details how the government is reducing BP's legal liability for the blowout by sinking the oil with millions of gallons of the extremely toxic "dispersant" Corexit. This unprecedented policy is greatly compounding the damage.

In 1953, Iran was a democracy with an anti-Soviet, pro-American government. They tried to negotiate a new oil contract that would require BP to pay some royalties for taking Iran's oil. The CIA helped BP by overthrowing the democratic government and installing the Shah as dictator of Iran. (Then they gave Iran's oil to the Rockefeller empire.) Strategic analyst William Engdahl tells this fascinating and outrageous story.

Top: Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadeq, on a state
visit to the U.S., reverently touches the Liberty Bell. At the far
left is Philadelphia Mayor Bernard Samuels. In 1953, the U.S.
overthrew Iran's pro-American, democratically elected
government and installed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
(bottom)
as dictator. The Iranian government had threatened BP's profits.
Most photos: Click to enlarge
.


Notes, credits, & links

This week's music: Tom Lehrer, Pollution (1965).

Anne McClintock's article from CounterPunch, August 23, 2010. http://www.english.wisc.edu/amcclintock/index.htm

William Engdahl interview from Ken MacDermotRoe's "History Counts" radio series.

New World Notes is produced under the auspices (Latin for "Executive Dining Room") of WWUH-FM, a community service of that beacon of light in darkest Connecticut, the University of Hartford.

Feedback to kdowst at hotmail period com.
Free weekly NWN email newsletter on request.

You can listen to any installment of New World Notes online or else download it (as an mp3 audio file) for later listening. New World Notes' main audio archive is at radio4all.net. Installments beginning with #90 are archived also at The Internet Archive, in a variety of file formats. Either link should get you a reverse-chrono listing of available installments. Or browse the show's Web site: Each installment has a page, and each page has links to the recorded audio.

Series overview: Political and social commentary in a variety of genres. Exploring the gap between what we want ... and what they're trying to make us settle for.

Top: recent scholarly book by Anne McClintock. Bottom: An iconic
image of the Vietnam War: Police General Nguyen Ngoc Loan summarily
executes a man believed to be a Viet Cong guerilla. The photo is the
inspiration for the graphic at the top of the page.

Coming soon (Tuesday air debut date shown)

  • October 12 on WWUH -- Special hour-long live broadcast for Pledge Marathon week.
  • October 12 elsewhere -- Corporations (R)
Catch New World Notes (all times Eastern):



A-Infos Radio Project http://www.radio4all.net


Saturday, October 2, 2010

Gulf Oil


New World Notes News
Vol. 3, No. 40 -- October 2, 2010

This week in New World Notes, radio program #135, October 5:

Gulf Oil

In brief

The Gulf of Mexico oil disaster is not over--it's only beginning. Our first look at the subject features fine reporting from two independent journalists.

Anne McClintock (read aloud) shows the incestuous, conflict-of-interest relationships of the U.S. government, BP, and a consulting firm, CTEH, hired to monitor the health effects of the disaster. It's a win-win-win situation ... except for the poisoned people of the Gulf states.

Then Dahr Jamail, talking with host Dori Smith, exposes the government's lies about the safety of Gulf seafood. He also details the Coast Guard's program of camouflaging the scope of the disaster by (temporarily) sinking the floating oil with millions of gallons of highly toxic "dispersants" sprayed in the dead of night.

Hiding the oil lets BP and the government claim that less was spilled, thus reducing BP's financial liability.

Top: Professor Anne McClintock. Bottom: Dahr Jamail, speaking in
Hartford, September 20, 2009 (photo by Kenneth Dowst).

Most photos: Click to enlarge.

Notes, credits, & links

This week's song: MOTU, Death Comes to Louisiana

Anne McClintock's article from CounterPunch, August 23, 2010. Dahr Jamail from the August 19 installment of Dori Smith's radio program Talk Nation Radio .

http://dahrjamailiraq.com/
http://www.english.wisc.edu/amcclintock/index.htm

New World Notes is produced under the auspices (Latin for "imprimatur") of WWUH-FM, a community service of that beacon of light in darkest Connecticut, the University of Hartford.

Feedback to kdowst at hotmail period com.
Free weekly NWN email newsletter on request.

You can listen to any installment of New World Notes online or else download it (as an mp3 audio file) for later listening. New World Notes' main audio archive is at radio4all.net. Installments beginning with #90 are archived also at The Internet Archive, in a variety of file formats. Either link should get you a reverse-chrono listing of available installments. Or browse the show's Web site: Each installment has a page, and each page has links to the recorded audio.

Series overview: Political and social commentary in a variety of genres. Exploring the gap between what we want ... and what they're trying to make us settle for.

Coming soon (Tuesday air debut date shown)

  • October 12 -- BP Then and Now.
Catch New World Notes (all times Eastern):


A-Infos Radio Project http://www.radio4all.net