Sunday, October 28, 2012

The Surprising Power of the People

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New World Notes News
Vol. 5, No. 43 -- October 28, 2012

This week in New World Notes, radio program #243, October 30, 2012

The Surprising Power of the People

Copenhagen, 2011

In brief

Feeling powerless to change The System? Howard Zinn (1992), Chris Hedges (2012), and singer David Rovics discuss several examples of how large-scale nonviolent popular resistance surprisingly appeared and forced major changes in--or overthrew--bad systems.

From the Civil Rights movement in the South (1950s) to the overthrow of communism in Eastern Europe (1980s) to the Arab Spring (2011-), citizens, nonviolently, often have produced major change.

Is "Occupy" the beginning of something big?

Civil-rights marches, 1963. Above: Oak Park, Illinois.
Below: Washington, D.C.

Notes, credits, & links

Zinn's remarks are excerpted from an hour-long talk, "Virtual Optimism," which he gave in Berkeley, California, in 1992. Recording courtesy of the Pacifica Radio Archives.

I have slightly condensed Chris Hedges' brief address to the Left Forum, in New York, March 18, 2012.

Music added: David Rovics, Tunisia 2011.

New World Notes is produced under the auspices (Latin for "thumb") 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. See the gray sidebar on the right ("CONTENTS [Links]") for a table of contents.

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.

Above: Poster by Christiaan Briggs. Below: Howard Zinn

Coming soon (Tuesday air debut date shown)
  • November 6 -- The Firesign Theater
Catch New World Notes (all times Eastern):
A-Infos Radio Project http://www.radio4all.net
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Sunday, October 21, 2012

Dave Zirin on American Football

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New World Notes News
Vol. 5, No. 42 -- October 21, 2012

This week in New World Notes, radio program #240, October 23, 2012

Dave Zirin on American Football

Harvard player Ben Ticknor, 1930

In brief

I'm no sports fan, but commentator Dave Zirin is. And I am a fan of Zirin's thoughtful, Progressive commentaries on sports in America.

Here he's discussing professional football. He tells of the upper-class origins of football, its connections with "muscular Christanity" and with 19th century U.S. imperial adventures abroad.

The game has always been violent and has caused countless player injuries and deaths--in its early years even more than today. But after describing the havoc, Zirin argues against those who would ban the sport. To Zirin, NFL football is a job, and its problems are best fixed the same way as in any other job: support the workers in their struggle to control workplace rules and working conditions.

Even if you don't like football ... or even if you do ... I think you'll find this an informative, witty, and very interesting talk.

Above: Dave Zirin. Below: University of Pennsylvania team, 1901

Notes, credits, & links

I've condensed Dave Zirin's talk, which he gave at the Socialism 2012 conference, near Chicago, in September 2012.

New World Notes is produced under the auspices (Latin for "first floor") 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. See the gray sidebar on the right ("CONTENTS [Links]") for a table of contents.

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.

The definitive sociological analysis of college football: Horse Feathers, 1932

Coming soon (Tuesday air debut date shown)
  • October 30 -- The Surprising Power of the People
Catch New World Notes (all times Eastern):
A-Infos Radio Project http://www.radio4all.net
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Saturday, October 13, 2012

Climate Change (Methane)

To download an audio file (save it on your hard disk): Click on this link for instructions.

New World Notes News
Vol. 5, No. 41 -- October 13, 2012

This week in New World Notes, radio program #242, October 16, 2012

Climate Change (Methane)

In brief

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

This week on WWUH, FM 91.3, West Hartford

Same program ... plus additional live commentary and more whatnot in a special hour-long broadcast as part of the station's Fall Fundraiser (pledge week). Call with a pledge--or just good wishes--and be acknowledged on-air (or remain anynonymous if you prefer).

Tuesday, October 16, noon to 1 PM Eastern time. 1-800-444-WWUH (-9984) or 860-768-4008. You can also pledge online using the station's secure server: http://wwuh.org/

Please support your local, independent, noncommercial radio station(s) ... and the fine public-affairs programming offered there.

Notes, credits, & links

I have slightly condensed the original podcast and bleeped an expletive (for radio broadcast). You can find the uncut version and a list of the audio sources used at this page.

For a listing of audiocollages by Virtual Renderings, click this link or the semipermanent link near the top of our gray sidebar (under "Worth a Look").

New World Notes is produced under the auspices (Latin for "first floor") 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. See the gray sidebar on the right ("CONTENTS [Links]") for a table of contents.

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.

Above: David Wasdell, Lisbon, 2011

Coming soon (Tuesday air debut date shown)
  • October 23 -- Dave Zirin on American Football
Catch New World Notes (all times Eastern):
A-Infos Radio Project http://www.radio4all.net
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Saturday, October 6, 2012

A Bummer of an Election

To download an audio file (save it on your hard disk): Click on this link for instructions.

New World Notes News
Vol. 5, No. 40 -- October 6, 2012

This week in New World Notes, radio program #241, October 9, 2012

A Bummer of an Election

In brief

With Election 2012 we return to lesser-of-two-evils time. Or do we instead denounce the whole charade? For Progressives, Romney is G.W. Bush III--and so is Obama, pretty much. What to do?

We'll read essays on crummy presidential elections by W.E.B. Dubois ("Why I Won't Vote," 1956) and Chris Hedges ("How Do You Take Your Poison?" September 2012). We'll hear a funny trailer for a pretend GOP horror movie about Obama's second term. Plus a satiric rant by Lee Camp and a bit of music by Bruce Cockburn.

Below: W.E.B. Dubois (1950s)

Notes, credits, & links

The trailer 2nd Term O2H was produced by The Final Edition Radio Hour. Lee Camp's rant is from his "Moment of Clarity" podcast #162.

The full text of W.E.B. Dubois' "Why I Won't Vote" is here.

The full text of Chris Hedges' "How Do You Take Your Poison?" is here.

New World Notes is produced under the auspices (Latin for "long-suffering 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. See the gray sidebar on the right ("CONTENTS [Links]") for a table of contents.

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.

Above: Chris Hedges

Coming soon (Tuesday air debut date shown)
  • October 16 -- Climate Change (Methane)
Catch New World Notes (all times Eastern):
A-Infos Radio Project http://www.radio4all.net
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