Let Your Life Be a Friction to Stop the Machine

New World Notes #614, 29:02 (December 10)
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An essay on America's current problems from Class War Films. A wide-ranging but concise critique of how America is run by a financial and corporatist elite. It's also about how our national myths (e.g., American Exceptionalism) are used to sugar-coat and justify imperial war abroad, political repression at home, and economic exploitation everywhere.

Beneath the Doomsday/Armageddon tone and style of this piece is an intelligent, cogent, left-of-center critique of our current system.

Plus--relatedly--a few words by me on the election of 2016..

Previouslly broadcast, as NWN #437, in July 2016.

More Gore

New World Notes #613, 28:32 (December 3)
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Gore Vidal, with Senator John F. Kennedy, 1960

The late activist-essayist-novelist-historian Gore Vidal reads his "Open Letter To the Next President." I hope Elizabeth and Bernie are listening, for Vidal's "letter"  is as timely now as it was when he spoke--shortly before the election of 2000.

Vidal urges dismantling the out-of-control Pentagon and the National Security State, and he denounces Congress for serving the corporations rather than the citizens.

Plus a clip from the movie Bob Roberts and some music by Bruce Cockburn.

This is the third in our series of shows featuring Gore Vidal. Our pages on the first and second shows are here and here,

Dave Zirin on American Football

New World Notes #612, 28:17 (November 26)
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Harvard's Ben Ticknor, 1930

Progressive sports commentator Dave Zirin explains the upper-class origins of American football. And he shows football's connections with "muscular Christanity" and with 19th century US imperialism.
 
The game has always been violent and has caused countless player injuries and deaths--but Zirin argues against those who would ban the sport. Zirin's solution: for all jobs--including NFL football--is this: support the workers in their struggle to control workplace rules and working conditions.

I have never been a sports fan. I think the last football game I watched was in 1968. We--that is to say, Bucknell--won. Or maybe we lost. Who cares? Instead of warming the bleachers, I should have burning my draft card.

But even I find Zirin's talk to be to be witty, interesting, and well worth a listen.

Dave Zirin

I have condensed Zirin's talk, which he delivered at the Socialism 2012 conference, in the Chcago area, in September 2012.

This program was originally broadcast, as NWN #240, in October 2012. Audio files downloaded fro the links, above, are identified as #240.

Thanksgiving, Conquest, Genocide

New World Notes #611, 28:217 (November 19)
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An alternative view of the European "settling" of the U.S. Three views, in fact, ranging in tone from Jim Hightower's wry humor to the Firesign Theater's comic satire to Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz's matter-of-fact catalogue of horrors.

Hightower tells of American settler-Indian feasts before the one in Plymouth. The Firesign Theater reenacts how the West was won. Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz reveals many shocking details of the settlers' genocidal war against North America's native population.

With an afterword by KD.

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

The Firesign Theater segment is taken from their sketch, "Temporarily Humboldt County." Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz was interviewed by Abby Martin on The Empire Files. I have edited and condensed the interview for radio broadcast.

This year two high schools in my county have changed the name of their mascot from "Indians" to "Redhawks"--possibly in honor of Connecticut's second-greatest maker of handguns, William B. Ruger. Or possibly not  Above: Ruger's classic .44 Magnum revolver, the Redhawk, introduced in 1979. Go, Redhawks!

The Terror Threat

Part 1: New World Notes #608, 28:20  (October 29)
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Part 2: New World Notes #609. 29:06 (November 5)
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Part 3: New World Notes #610, 28:59 (November 12)
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An important and highly listenable exploration of the meaning of "terrorism" and the many aspects of life affected by terrorist behavior. The program reveals remarkable similarities in the acts and goals of Al Qaeda, The US government, the Fortune 500, and others.

The backbone of the program is a brilliant talk professor John McMurtry gave just after 9/11 (2001)--as the U.S. war in Afghanistan was just getting underway. Interspersed with this are excerpts from talks by several other speakers that complement or illustrate McMurtry's points.

Robin Upton, current producer of the radio program Unwelcome Guests, assembled this collage from material broadcast over that show's 19-year history. The result is impressive, insightful, .. and also great listening.

Introductions and an afterword (in Part 2) by KD.

John McMurtry was Professor of Philosophy (now Emeritus) at the University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada).

Searching for the Authentic on a Motorcycle

New World Notes #607, 29:47 (October 22)
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This week's show is mostly monologue.  It's an extended "personal essay" by me, more or less in the tradition of Blue Highways and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.  With I guess a few echos of "News From Lake Wobegon."

It's about authenticity and its opposites.  It's also about motorcycle design, and simplicity versus clutter, and the rebirth of the "Indian" brand, and the quiet, subtle virtues of a Harley-Davidson. It's about how New England place-names sort of begin to make sense after you've lived here 20 or 30 years.

It's about corporate franchises and their phony food and their phony architecture--including fake gables, fake windows and even fake "widow's walks."  And it's about taking a motorcycle to search for "the authentic"--and sometimes even finding it when you get far enough out of town.  Uncasville, maybe.

Previously broadcast. Audio files downloaded from the links, above, are identified as NWN # 357.

The photos (Click to enlarge)

Top: Mel's Diner, Uncasville, Connecticut, January 2, 2015, by Kenneth Dowst. (Copyright. Creative Commons license: Attribution--Non-Commercial.)  The diner is discussed in this installment.

Above: K.D. and H-D Road King. Photo by Barry Pinkowitz.

Dahr Jamail 3

New World Notes #606, 28:25 (October 15)
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Dahn Jamail (in Iraq, early 2000s)

Journalist Dahr Jamail returns to discusses more aspects of the climate crisis--and how individuals can respond to it. He speaks of melting glaciers, methane feedback loops, geoengineering, industrial capitalism, and indigenous vs. capitalist-consumer approaches to the world.

We have much to learn from indigenous peoples, Jamail stresses--and we had better learn it fast.

Dahr Jamail's new book is The End of Ice (2019).

This is the Q&A session following Jamail's April 11 talk in Syracuse, edited by KD. The original live recording was by Wilton Vought, producer of the series Essential Dissent (available on iTunes, YouTube, radio4all.net, and elsewhere). Many thanks.

Snowden, NSA Spying, and the Hypocrisy of the Press

New World Notes #605, 29:20 (October 8)
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Edward Snowden

Edward Snowden has just published a memoir, Permanent Record. So this seems a good time to revisit the Snowden affair--the massive, illegal surveillance Snowdon exposed--and the bias of the media.

Journalist Glenn Greenwald revealed the story of Snowden and the US government's secret spying on every American. Here Greenwald talks about Snowden and also about the government's surveillance of everybody, assault on civil liberties, and hypocrisy about leaks.

And he talks about the disgraceful behavior of the US "mainstream" news media-- determined to serve those in power rather than to hold them accountable.

With an updated introduction by KD.

Glenn Greenwald (2013)

Greenwald's words are taken from a video interview (by Vice magazine) conducted in Rio de Janeiro in November 2013. Most of this installment was previously broadcast on NWN (as #316), under a slightly different title, in March 2014. The current installment (#605) has a new introduction.

Conspiracy and Class Power

Part 1: New World Notes #603, 29:36 (September 24)

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Part 2: New World Notes #604, 28:30 (December 1)
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Occupy Zurich, 2011
"Apres moi, le deluge."

Another installment in our series of classic talks by political scientist Michael Parenti.  Parenti gave this talk (to a very enthusistic audience) in Berkeley, Califormia, in 1993.

Long before 9/11, Americans were trained to dismiss any claim of concerted wrongdoing among the elites as a crackpot "conspiracy theory." Parenti argues that conspiracies are real and common--just one tool among many that the wealthy and powerful use to advance their own personal and class interests.

He discusses several examples of claims first dismissed as "conspiracy theories" and now accepted as historical fact--for instance the Gulf of Tonkin fabrication and the FBI infiltration of civil-rights and antiwar organizations.

Plus one that was news to me: the likely assassination by poisoning of President Zachary Taylor.

Parenti's trademark wit, humor, and incisive analysis are much in evidence in this classic--and still extremely relevant--lecture.

Many thanks to Maria Gilardin and TUC Radio for making this archival recording available.

Previously broadcast on NWN. Files downloaded from the links, above, are identified as installments #351 and 352.

Dahr Jamail on the Climate Crisis

Part 1: New World Notes #601, 28:16 (September 10)
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Part 2: New World Notes #602, 27:43 (September 17)
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For several years, independent journalist Dahr Jamail--who won awards for his coverage of the Iraq War and occupation--has been investigating the global climate crisis.

His conclusions are based on both his personal observations around the world and also extensive interviews--with top scientists and with ordinary people already suffering from the effects of climate change. His new book is titled, The End of Ice.

In April, Jamail gave a wide-ranging talk on his findings. Among his conclusions: (1)The climate situation is even worse than you think. (2) In responding to it, we desperately need to reject the European/imperialist mindset and partake of much of the wisdom of indigenous peoples.

Introductions by KD.

In Part One, Jamail connects his attraction to Alaska's Denali (f.k.a. Mount McKinley), U.S. war crimes in Iraq, statistics on global warming, and an account of his visit to the dying Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

In Part 2, Jamail summarizes the frightening statistics and more-frightening prognosis for life on earth. He then explains how listening to the wisdom of indigenous peoples can--and should--shape our responses to the crisis. Plus a song by David Rovics.

Jamail spoke in Syracuse, NY, on April 11, 2019. Our audio is taken from a live recording by Wilton Vought, producer of the series Essential Dissent (available on iTunes, YouTube, radio4all.net, and elsewhere). Many thanks to Wilton for his good work.

Labor Day Musical Special

New World Notes #600, 29:13 (September 3)
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Bindery workers assembling the Sears, Roebuck catalog (1942)
(Click to enlarge.)

American Labor celebrated in some really good contemporary songs--by Anne Feeney, The Foremen, Mad Agnes, John McCutcheon, Utah Phillips, and David Rovics. Featuring (in order of appearance)

David Rovics, The Day the Minimum Wage Workers Went on Strike. An upbeat celebration of the working class and of strength in solidarity ... with some very nice banjo picking

Mad Agnes, Katie. A witty and sharp critique of bourgeois life from the perspective of the long-suffering--and admirable--cleaning lady

The Foremen, Workin' on an MBA. Comic satire of the cushy life & boundless self-pity of the men in the gray flannel suits--set to a tune that recalls a chain gang work-song. Yep, one of those voices is Roy Zimmerman's

Utah Phillips, Moose Turd Pie. Spoken, with a little guitar. Utah recalls (with only the slightest hint of exaggeration) the worst job he ever held

Anne Feeney, Business News / Hallelujah, I'm a Bum! A beautiful rendition of an 1890's song about unemployment. A fine homage to Simon & Garfunkel's 1965 classic "Silent Night / 6 o'Clock News" and a good song in its own right

John McCutcheon, Doing Our Job. McCutcheon applies Cal Ripken Jr.'s modest remarks upon breaking a major-league record to working people generally. A long-overdue celebration of the best of American working-class values.

This installment was previously broadcast in 2010 and 2015. Files downloaded from the links, above, are identified as NWN #391.

Charles C.Ebbetts, Lunch: Rockefeller Center (1932)

Gore Vidal on the U.S. Garrison State

New World Notes #599, 28:49 (August 27)
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Gore Vidal

Progressive historian, essayist, and novelist Gore Vidal is in fine form as--with much wit--he explains what's wrong with the United States.

Spoiler Alert: The answer is, two fake political parties with essentially the same program; perpetual war that benefits only the military-industrial-political complex; the ruinous costs to the citizens of perpetual war; and rule by the financial elite.

Sounds like he's got us pegged pretty well ... but he was speaking in 1982. Some things never change.

Vidal spoke to the Golden Gate Business Association, in San Francisco, on January 28, 1982. The audio recording (which I have condensed) was provided by The Gay Life radio program on station KFAN, San Francisco. Thanks to all.

This is the first broadcast of this speech on New World Notes. The episode title is mine, not Vidal's.

Dog Day Afternoon at the Movies

New World Notes #598, 29:04 (August 20)
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Archer City, Texas. The Royal Theater was gutted by fire in 1965,
shown in The Last Picture Show in 1971, and reopened in 2001.

Three short, Progressive documentary films on our environmental crises--specifically, on fossil fuels, air and water pollution, consumer-electronics trash, and Wall Street schemes. The films are,

• 300 Years of Fossil Fuels in 300 Seconds by the Post Carbon Institute (Richard Heinberg)
• The Story of Cap & Trade by Annie Leonard
• The Story of Electronics by Annie Leonard

This program was previously broadcast. Files downloaded from the links, above, are identified as NWN #283.

Annie Leonard is now (since 2014) Executive Director of Greenpeace USA.

Gore Vidal

New World Notes #597, 28:49 (August 13)
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Progressive historian, analyst, social critic, public intellectual, anti-imperialist, and wit (not to mention novelist and screenwriter) Gore Vidal is fondly remembered in this tribute. Vidal is in fine form as he holds forth in two interviews, from 2005 and 2003. With a brief introduction by K.D.

Gore Vidal, October 3, 1925 - July 31, 2012.

Thanks to the U.S. program Five o'Clock Shadow (2012, containing the 2005 interview) and the Australian program Dateline (2003) for the Vidal audio. I have excerpted from, edited, and condensed both programs. Top photo courtesy ABC News.

The "Seven Sisters" and the Oil of the Middle East

Part 1: New World Notes #595, 28:49  (July 28)
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Part 2: New World Notes #596, 28:59 (August 6)
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The "Seven Sisters" was Big Oil. It was the cartel of huge private oil corporations that ended up owning almost all the oil in the Middle East. They stole and kept this treasure by hook and by crook, in violation of many laws, with help from corrupt monarchs abroad and muscle from the U.S. government, armed forces, and CIA.

We adapt to radio a fine video documentary.  

Part 1 takes us from the founding of the cartel in 1928 (by Standard Oil, Shell, and BP) to the creation of OPEC in 1960.

Of note in Part 1: The story of how BP came to own all of the oil in Iran--and how, in 1953, Iran's parliament tried to regain control of the country's oil--and how the United States government responded by overthrowing Iran's democratic government and installing the Shah as dictator of Iran. (We then gave Iran's oil to US-based oil companies, not back to BP.)

Man of the Year: The last prime minister of democratic Iran, Mohammad Mossadeq (January 1952). In 1953, the Iranian parliament nationalized the country's oil, threatening BP's profits.  The United States overthrew Iran's government, installed the Shah as dictator, and handed Iran's oil back to the big Western oil companies. 

Part 2 takes us from the creation of OPEC in 1960 to the fate of Iraq today (its oil weath again taken away from the Iraqi people and again handed over to the big oil companies). Includes the Suez crisis, OPEC price hikes, Iraq's nationalizing of its oil in 1972 (succeeding where Iran in 1953 had failed), the Iranian revolution, and Gulf Wars I and II.

Introduction by K.D.

Previously broadcast. Files downloaded fro the links, above, are identified as NWN #273-274


 

Corporations

New World Notes #594, 28:46 (July 23)
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Book by Ted Nace

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.

Originally broadcast in 2008 and (with updated introduction) 2010. Files downloaded from the links, above, are identified as NWN #594.

Eugenics

New World Notes #593, 28:11 (July 16)
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Eugenics is in the news again. We explore the sordid pseudo-science with a section from the film Human Resources (not previously broadcast on NWN), reflections by KD, and a song by David Rovics.

Thanks to Robin Upton (unwelcomeguests.net), who adapted all of Human Resources for radio broadcast. David Rovics' song "Denmark 1943" is from his album, The Other Side.

New World Notes broadcast the rest of Human Resources, in four installments, in October-November 2018.

 

Climate Change (Methane)

New World Notes #592, 28:35 (July 9)
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This week we'll hear another fine audiocollage by Chazk / Virtual Renderings. It's about climate change and ecological catastrophe. In several passages, veteran climate activist David Wasdell explains why global warming is getting worse at an increasingly faster rate. Disaster looms.

The prospect may be a real downer, but the program is a delight to listen to. Spun around Wasdell's spoken words are movie clips, songs, comedy routines, and whatnot from artists including Firesign Theater, George Carlin, Lee Camp, Al Gore (remember him?), Natalie Merchant, and several others.

Personal favorites in this installment:

• at the beginning, Firesign Theater on How the West Was Won
• the TV "weather girl" who goes ballistic (by the Canadian comedy group Deep Rogue Ram)
• near the end, a haunting snippet of the song, "Frosty the Snowman," by Angela McCluskey

David Wasdell (2011)

Previously broadcast, as NWN #242, in October 2012. Fies downloaded from the links, above, may be identified as #212.

American Oppression, American Resistance

New World Notes #591, 28:12 (July 2)
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A fine talk (technically an interview) by Noam Chomsky, recorded in his office on November 20, 2012. This is the talk's first broadcast on New World Notes.

Chomsky brilliantly explores three questions highly relevant to today:

• In a free society such as the US, by what means do the rulers control the common people?
• How do protest movements today compare with those of the 1960s?
• What issues are most pressing for today's generation of activists?

Chomsky's long answer to question #2 is especially interesting and surprising: The 1960s were not the great age of popular protest, as legend has it. The 1980s were.

This audio is from the now-departed podcast series, Smells Like Human Spirit. The interviewer is series host Guy Evans. Many thanks. I have condensed the audio a bit to fit our timeslot.

George Carlin Memorial

Part 1: New World Notes #589, 28:59 (June 18)
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Part 2: New World Notes #590, 28:42 (June 25)
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Ceorge Carlin, ca. 2008

On the eleventh anniversary of his death we celebrate the political and cultural satire of the great stand-up comedian George Carlin. We focus on the last two decades of Carlin's long career--by which time his political views had moved well to the left of center.

Carlin is one of the most astute critics of capitalism, imperialism, American popular culture, and American arrogance--and certainly the funniest. He died on June 22, 2008.

Sketches in Part 1:

• Religion = B.S.
• Airlines English
• The War on Homelessness
• Euphemisms

1960s

Sketches in Part 2:

• They own you / the class system
• Airport security / germs / parents
• The Book Club
• American B.S. / children

With brief introductions by KD.  Suitable for airplay: naughty words have been bleeped.

Thanks to Scooter, of The innerSide radio program (KPFT-FM, Houston), and to Colorado Free Radio for some of the recorded material. These two installments, except for some introductory updates, were previously broadcast on New World Notes, in June 2015.

Everything You Know Is Wrong

New World Notes #588, 28:15 (June 11)
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Card-carrying Socialist agitator/troublemaker

(God bless her) Helen Keller. Amazing what school

history books neglect to mention!

Lies, distortions, and omissions by the Powers That Be concerning current events and past history.

First an article by David Swanson on how the CIA invented the story of Chinese "brainwashing" of American POWs during the Korean War. In fact, the POWs were honestly confessing atrocities and war crimes they had been ordered to commit--including germ warfare against civilians.

Then Ralph Nader and James Loewen discuss the distortions, omissions, and lies taught in American history courses in school.

Plus a couple minutes of Firesign Theater, from whom I have stolen this week's title.

In the Korean War, civilian casualties of U.S. bombing numbered

in the millions. Then the U.S. tried spreading bubonic plague.

Loewen interview courtesy of the Ralph Nader Radio Hour (#252, 2019). David Swanson article from davidswanson.org (September 6, 2015).

Parenti Ad Lib

Part 1: New World Notes #586, 28:31 (May 28)
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Part 2: New World Notes #587, 28:00 (June 4)
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Michael Parenti

In Part 1:

Progressive political scientist Michael Parenti's unscripted reflections on capitalism, socialism, student rebellion, Cuban plumbers, Russian prostitutes, worker ownership of workplaces, and Parenti's former running mate--and former close friend--Bernie Sanders.

Plus a relevant song by David Rovics.

In Part 2:

Parenti takes on capitalism, socialism, public utilities, popular rebellion, plutocrats in general, the Waltons in particular, Occupy Wall Street, and the monetary system.

Plus a brief recorded Parenti essay from 2005--"Welfare for the Wealthy"--and a song by Monty Python's Flying Circus.

 Bernie Sanders (courtesy politico.com)

Parenti spoke in Springfield, Illinois, on October 6, 2015.  The original recording--which I have condened and edited--is courtesy of the Unifersity of Illinois at Springfield and Dale Lehman/WZRD (via radio4all.net).  "Welfare for the Wealthy" courtesy of L.A. Sound Posse.  Many thanks.

Previously broadcast. as NWN #402-403, in November 2015. Files downloaded from the links, above, are identified as #402 or 403.

Beyond Militarism

New World Notes #585, 28:33 (May 21)
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Armed Forces Day / Memorial Day special!

Is American militarism a problem? What are the causes of this militarism? Why are we now calling every guy who ever put on a uniform a "hero"? And can militarism be stopped?

Former career soldier Stan Goff addresses these questions with impressive insight and erudition.

We supplement Goff's analysis with a few minutes of Martin Luther King's fine address on American militarism and war, Beyond Vietnam (April 4, 1967). Plus some background and commentary by KD.

Thanks to Michael Welch, the Global Research News Hour, and station CKUW-FM (Winnipeg, Manitoba) for the recorded interview with Goff, which I have edited and condensed.

Previously broadcast, as NWN #412, In January 2016. Files downloaded from the links, above, are identified as # 412.
 

Illustrations by Eric Drooker (top), Robert Shetterly (above).

Surveillance Capitalism

New World Notes #581, 28:15 (May 14)
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Shoshana Zuboff--with Ralph Nader--discusses how Americans have lost their privacy, their freedom, and their personal autonomy. Digital technology is the means of these losses. But the real cause of the problem is "surveillance capitalism," which has taken control of our digital technology.

And now it's not just social-media companies. For instance, Ford Motor Company has decided to have its automobiles record, analyze, and deliver for sale information on (literally) your every move.

Introduction by KD.

Zuboff's and Nader's words are excerpted from a long conversation broadcast as installment 255 of The Ralph Nader Radio Hour (January 26, 2019). Many thanks to all concerned.

Shoshana Zuboff is professor emerita at Harvard Business School. Her latest book is The Age of Surveillance Capitalism (Hachette, 2019). 

James G Anderson on Climate Change

Part 1: New World Notes #582, 29:05 (April 30)
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Part 2: New World Notes #583, 27:59 (May 7)
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Harvard climate scientist James G. Anderson interviewed--and the news is not all depressing.

In Part 1, Anderson lucidly explains why "global warming" is a bad term to use (it understates the problem's breadth and severity). He makes short work of the claim that climate change is natural, not man-made. And he has interesting things to say about the ozone layer ... the Kyoto Protocol ... and why electricity is overwhelmingly the best fuel, not only for transportation but for heating too. Plus a song by David Rovics.

In Part 2, Anderson discusses--among other matters--how vulnerable the U.S. is to climate chnge, what steps need to be taken, and how to persuade the American people to act. Plus a short talk on climate and the environment by political scientist Michael Parenti (2006) and another song by David Rovics.

Thanls to Dale Lehman (WZRD, Chicago) for the original recording, which I have gently edited and condensed.

Previously broadcast, as NWN #462-463, in January 2017. Files downloaded from the links, above, are identified as #462 and 463.

Easter Season in America

New World Notes #581, 28:44 (April 23)
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Easter parade: Note "Torch of Freedom" in

the fashionable young lady's right hand.

In a humorous and satiric monologue, KD reflects on several current (and some other) events, all somehow connected to Easter-time in America. Plus a song by David Rovics.

Topics include secularization and commercialization of holidays, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Mueller Report, John Brown, the Stop-and-Shop supermarket strike, and how Edward Bernays got American women hooked on cigarettes.

"John Brown" is from David Rovics' "Big Red Sessions" album.

John Brown--"Beecher's Bible" in his (right) hand--redefines the Easter parade.

The Great Hamburger Blowup

New World Notes #580, 29:03 (April 16)
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A classic broadcast from 1965 by radio's great humorist-satirist-storyteller, Jean Shepherd. Condensed by K.D.

With wit and humor, Shepherd reflects on adolescent psychology ... on being "shot down" ... on traumatic experiences ... and on the absurd prose on back of packages--notably Official World's Fair Toothpicks. Then he tells a story from his childhood: how he snuck into a Ukrainian-American picnic, pretended to speak Ukrainian, and--to his later regret--consumed 17 hamburgers.

Jean Shepherd

Originally broadcast on WOR AM-FM on April 1, 1965. Original recording courtesy of Radio Veronica via radio4all.net

This installment is the fourth, to date,  in our series of classic Jean Shepherd broadcasts, condensed and then aired again on New World Notes. The others are

• Radio Great Jean Shepherd
• Jean Shepherd vs. "Creeping Meatballism"
• Jean Shepherd: Elephant Feet

The Algebra of Revolution

Part 1: New World Notes #578, 28:41 (April 2)
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Part 2: New World Notes #579, 28:38 (April 9)
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Chris Hedges

A hard-hitting speech by journalist/essayist Chris Hedges. It's about the corruption of "the System" ... the increasing power of "the one percent" ... the betrayal of the people by the Democratic and Republican parties ... the century-long crackdown on dissent ...

And it's about our increasingly meaningless national politics, in which our real and pressing problems (climate change, oligarchy, a plundered economy) are seldom even mentioned--let alone debated, let alone put to a vote.

Hedges devotes some particular attention to the three national candidates: Clinton, Sanders, and Trump. None of them advocates the sort of radical change that (to Hedges) is our only hope.

Introduction by K.D.

Hedges spoke in Seattle on April 25, 2016. Video recording courtesy of Pirate Radio Seattle. I have edited the soundtrack for radio broadcast.

Previously broadcast, in August 2916, as NWN #442-443. Files downloaded from the links, above, are identified by those numbers.  

Photo (above) by Justin Norman, Creative Commons licanse (by-cc). Thanks.

Propaganda, Capitalism, Empire, Media

New World Notes #577, 27:53 (March 26)
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Media scholar Mark Crispin Miller explores how the government--aided by the corporate media--molds public opinion through massive and unceasing campaigns of propaganda. This propaganda manufactures widespread public consent for imperialism, neoliberal economic policies, and military adventures abroad.

In a brief introduction, KD analyzes the propaganda saturating a New York Times "news" article on Venezuela (March 13, 2019).

Mark Crispin Miller spoke with host Abby Martin on the TeleSUR program The Empire Files in June 2016. I have edited and condensed the audio.

Past installments of The Empire Files are available at theempirefiles.tv (video) and soundcloud.com (audio). This program is now shut down owing to U.S. economic sanctions against Venezuela, where the TeleSUR network is based.