The Silenced Majority

Part 1: New World Notes #338, 29:38 (August 26):
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Part 2: New World Notes #339, 29:30 (September 2):
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Amy Goodman

A nice--and highly listenable--talk by Amy Goodman, host and producer of Democracy Now! Goodman presents several interlocking "stories of uprisings, occupations, resistance and hope" by somewhat-ordinary Americans whose activism changed the world.

In Part 1, she tells the parts of the stories not reported by the corporate media-- about Rosa Parks, Mamie Till, Martin Luther King Jr., Bowe and Bob Bergdahl, and others.

Of special note: Goodman reads, in full, Life magazine's rabid denunciation of M.L. King following his Riverside Church speech against the Vietnam War (April 4, 1967). And she reveals that Rosa Parks was considerably more than "a tired seamstress" with a stubborn streak.

Rosa Parks: Not just "a tired seamstress" but an experienced

and trained activist and "world-class Troublemaker."

In Part 2, Goodman tells the interconnected stories of Chelsea Manning, Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras, and journalists imprisoned by the Egyptian regime. Plus young Anjali Appadurai, who shamed the delegates at the Durban climate conference.

Amy Goodman spoke at the Socialism 2014 conference in Chicago on June 26, 2014.  Audio courtesy of wearemany.org.

With introductions by K.D.

The People vs "The Masters of Mankind"

New World Notes #337, 28:40 (August 19)

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All for ourselves, and nothing for other people, seems, in every age of the world, to have been the vile maxim of the masters of mankind. -- Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, Chapter 4

Three short, impromptu talks by Noam Chomsky on the state of America today.  Chomsky brilliantly discusses

• the 1%'s attack on public education--and why they are doing it
• financial crimes that get people arrested--and the more serious ones that don't
• whether the people can change the system

The surprising answer to the third question is, Yes--they've done it before.

Our title refers to a favorite quotation of Chomsky's--reprinted at the top of this page.

Chomsky's remarks are taken from a Q&A session following a talk he gave in Syracuse, NY, on November 11, 2011.  From the video recording by Wilton Vought (othervoicesotherchoices.blogspot.com).  Many thanks.

The Lightbulb Conspiracy

Part 1: New World Notes #335, 29:50 (August 5)

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Part 2: New World Notes #336, 29:30 (August 12)

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A documentary film about "planned obsolescence."  That is, about products designed to fail early so another must be purchased--and the bad effects this has on our lives and environment.

Topics include the international lightbulb cartel, which greatly reduced the life of bulbs, ... nearly indestructable nylon stockings, later made flimsy by DuPont, ... the original iPod, with a non-replaceable battery designed to fail early, ... the Epson InkJet printer's "stop working" chip, ... and other outrages.

Also--in Part 2--The Book Report:  KD reviews Russ Baker's work of investigative journalism, Family of Secrets (Bloomsbury, 2009). On the Bush dynasty and their enablers & co-conspirators. Summary judgment: 4 out of 5 (well worth reading).

e-waste dump in China

The film was directed by Norway's Cosima Dannoritzer. Most of this radio adaptation was produced by Robin Upton and previously broadcast on his radio show, Unwelcome Guests. I have condensed and slightly rearranged Robin's adaptation to fit the half-hour format of New World Notes.  New World Notes previously broadcast this installment, in March 2011.

Fun fact: In the Livermore, California, firehouse is a lightbulb that has been burning continuously since 1901--113 years ago. See it live on Webcam.  They don't make 'em like they used to!  By way of contrast, the Livermore FD's first Webcam lasted all of 3 years before breaking.  Thia is not a coincidence. 

Pro bono: a free software fix to overcome the Epson InkJet's "stop working" chip is available, courtesy of a Russian computer whiz.  The Epson problem is explained in Part 2 of the documentary.