Monday, October 27, 2014

Policy Failures ... or ARE they?

New World Notes #347, 29:15 (October 28)
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Decent quality MP3 (13 MB)




With the the US again escalating its war against Iraq, many have decried the failure of US Middle-Eastern policy. But a "failure" to the majority may be a "success" to the elite, who profit from those policies.

Naomi Klein (2006) and Michael Parenti (2007) each argue this point, with many examples from the recent past--including Iraq. Plus a song by James McMurtry.

Updated with new commentary by KD.


New World Notes previously broadcast much of this material (as NWN #30) in September 2008. Thanks to Redeye - Co-op Radio and to Mike McCormick's "Mind Over Matters" (via TUC Radio) for the archival recordings.


Saturday, October 18, 2014

Independent Journalism

New World Notes #346, 29:26 (October 21)
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Decent quality MP3 (14 MB)


We need independent journalists and media. When the people oppose policies of the elite, only the independent media will report the truth.

Case in point: the police riot against citizens peacefully protesting "free trade" deals, Miami, 2003. We'll hear what actually happened in prose (by journalist Jeremy Scahill) and song (by David Rovics).
 
Plus selections from a funny talk by Scahill on how, during the Bush II years, he managed--if only briefly--to air an anti-Iraq-War perspective on network TV news.

This installment is a replay of New World Notes #59, from April 2009.

David Rovics (with ironic T-shirt)


 

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Naomi Klein: Capitalism vs the Climate

Part 1: New World Notes #344, 27:51 (October 7)
Broadcast quality MP3 (38 MB)
Decent quality MP3 (13 MB)

Part 2: New World Notes #345, 27:34 (October 14) 
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Decent quality MP3 (13 MB)


Writer and activist Naomi Klein discusses the subject of her new book, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate.

Klein argues that any real solution to the climate crisis must necessarily overturn four factors that are making the crisis worse. And making our lives worse. They are privatization, deregulation, "austerity," and "free trade" deals.

These four factors--pillars of neoliberal economic theory and policy--well deserve overturning on their own (lack of) merits. Because of the climate crisis, transforming the global economy for the better seems much more possible now than it did a decade or two ago.

An interesting and upbeat talk with many good specific examples.

Klein spoke in Montreal on September 16, 2014. Original recording courtesy of CKUT-FM, Montreal. I have lightly edited the original for radio broadcast.  Chuck Rosina recorded David Rovics' "The Biggest Windmill" (in Part 2) live in Boston on January 27, 2013.