Chomsky Watch

Noam Chomsky – Rebel without a pause – The Bastard Archive

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:12:20 +0000

Noam Chomsky – Rebel Without a Pause by Redcanoe Productions

1hr 13mins – English

Originally Released in 2003

The world’s most famous anarchist, Noam Chomsky is generally revered as a public treasure and conscience of the academic and intellectual world. This documentary follows him on tour and gives a brief glimpse into both his ideas and opinions and his life as a ” rockstar intellectual”, lecturing to sellout crowds around the globe.

Download – 1hr 13 min (697MB avi) (A download helper is recommended for files of this size.)

via Noam Chomsky – Rebel without a pause – The Bastard Archive.

Prof Noam Chomsky – On the Cold War – YouTube

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:10:49 +0000

Was the Cold War a battle between capitalism and socialism?

via Prof Noam Chomsky – On the Cold War – YouTube.

Noam Chomsky reads “Of Idiots and Sages” by Mumia Abu-Jamal | Prison Radio

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:09:06 +0000

Mumia Abu-Jamal is being held in extremely repressive conditions. And like thousands of prisoners, residents of solitary confinement and isolation units in every hole in every prison across the country, Mumia is being subject to draconian, dehumanizing and brutal conditions. He is chained in leg, waist and wrist irons, behind Plexiglas during visits. Subject to strip searches before and after visits. Unable to walk freely. Having bits of paper to write notes on, with a rubber flex pen. No shelves, no books. Limited access to new reports, letters delayed. Resitricted visiting. Lights on 24hrs a day. Only one brief phone call to his wife. No access to adequate food or commissary.

“Solitary Confinement is simply torture. It has been well known for a long time. It is savagery Mass incaceration is an incredible crime. All of these things are a true international scandal. He is a striking case, but it is far more general. Maximum security prisons in the United States are horrendous. They make Guantanamo look like a vacation resort. Same with Death Row. Executions in the United States are far beyond the norm. There are very few countries except ones that we would prefer not to mention that use the death penalty either at all or anything like the U.S. does. Noam Chomsky, Professor MIT, Cambridge Mass.

via Noam Chomsky reads “Of Idiots and Sages” by Mumia Abu-Jamal | Prison Radio.

“Responsibility to Protect: Asian-African Perspectives” | Asian Tribune

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:07:13 +0000

Professor Noam Chomsky has this to add. “……The maxims that largely guide international affairs are not graven in stone, and, in fact, have become considerably less harsh over the years as a result of the civilizing effect of popular movements. For that continuing and essential project, R2P can be a valuable tool, much as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been.”

We in Asia and Africa know that nothing in the international discourse is graven in stone. However, before R2P can command a broad international consensus, the legitimate concern that has been raised particularly by the developing countries of Asia and Africa, of the potential for its political abuse, must be unambiguously addressed.

via “Responsibility to Protect: Asian-African Perspectives” | Asian Tribune.

MediaShift Idea Lab . The Front Line of the U.S. Censorship Battle Is Behind Bars | PBS

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:06:06 +0000

There are around 7,000 subscribers to the print publication, but the reach is much broader. Reader surveys suggest that copies reach more than 10 prisoners each — Paul estimates a readership of 80,000-90,000 readers. Additionally, the website gets around 100,000 visitors per month. The subscriber base includes judges, court officers, lawyers, journalists and academics, including Noam Chomsky, who Paul told us proudly was one of the first subscribers. All the big investment banks subscribe, Paul told us, because they follow news on the private prison industry. “I was happy when Lehman Brothers went under, but we lost a subscriber,” he said. Lehman Brothers had been one of the biggest bankrollers of the private prison industry, so it was a happy day when they went down.

via MediaShift Idea Lab . The Front Line of the U.S. Censorship Battle Is Behind Bars | PBS.

Trailer for Ethos: the truth about the U.S. Government and its corrupt system – Boing Boing

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:05:00 +0000

[Video Link] Sounds like this documentary explores the same kind of mass psychological manipulation that Freud’s nephew, Edward Bernays invented to convince Americans that it was a good idea to get involved in World War One, as well as convince women that they’d become socially powerful if they smoked cigarettes.

Directed by filmmaker Pete McGrain and hosted by Academy Award nominated actor and activist Woody Harrelson, Ethos: A Time for Change, explains how our country is controlled by some very wealthy families and not our chosen government. These families control the main pillars of our society which include; politics, corporations, banks and the media. The United States is framed as a democracy, suggesting that we the people govern our country and elect our officials, but the truth of that matter is that a democracy does not exist. Rather, the nation was designed to be a polyarchy, one that is ruled by many, those many being the key families. By structuring the country this way, it was premeditated that ultimately it would not matter who is in office because the people campaigning would be controlled and influenced by those controlling the money.

Those featured in the film include renowned historians such as Noam Chomsky (Manufacturing Dissent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media), Chalmers Johnson (Blowback: The Sorrows of Empire), Howard Zinn (A People’s History of the United States), the CEO’s of massive corporations such as Goodyear and Interface, as well as filmmaker Michael Moore.

via Trailer for Ethos: the truth about the U.S. Government and its corrupt system – Boing Boing.

ethos trailer-with WOODY HARRELSON – YouTube

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:04:00 +0000

Trailer for Ethos, a powerful new political documentary.

Those featured in the film include renowned historians such as Noam Chomsky (Manufacturing Dissent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media), Chalmers Johnson (Blowback: The Sorrows of Empire), Howard Zinn (A People’s History of the United States), the CEO’s of massive corporations such as Goodyear and Interface, as well as filmmaker Michael Moore.

Hosted by WOODY HARRELSON, Directed by PETE MCGRAIN See the film at:

www.ethosthemovie.com

via ethos trailer-with WOODY HARRELSON – YouTube.

Ig Publishing Marks a Decade

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:01:27 +0000

Ig Publishing’s bestselling backlist title is Propaganda by Edward Bernays, originally published in 1928; Ig first published the book in 2004 and has since sold 50,000 copies. Turns out Bernays was a pioneering figure in the practice of public relations and the science of shaping public opinion, and his book, long out-of-print, had been photocopied for class use for years. Lasner heard Noam Chomsky mention the book on BookTV, called Bernays’s daughter, and bought the rights for $500. “We had no idea there was even a market. We printed 2,000 initial copies, and we just keep reprinting it,” Lasner said.

via Ig Publishing Marks a Decade.

Remembering Howard Zinn – Opinion – Al Jazeera English

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:00:14 +0000

His best-selling A People’s History of the United States spawned a new field of historical study: People’s Histories. This approach countered the traditional triumphalist examination of “history as written by the victors”, instead concentrating on the poor and seemingly powerless; those who resisted imperial, cultural and corporate hegemony. Zinn was an award-winning social activist, writer and historian – and so who better to share his memory than his close friend and fellow intellectual giant, Noam Chomsky?

Cambridge, Mass – It is not easy for me to write a few words about Howard Zinn, the great American activist and historian. He was a very close friend for 45 years. The families were very close too. His wife Roz, who died of cancer not long before, was also a marvellous person and close friend. Also sombre is the realisation that a whole generation seems to be disappearing, including several other old friends: Edward Said, Eqbal Ahmed and others, who were not only astute and productive scholars, but also dedicated and courageous militants, always on call when needed – which was constant. A combination that is essential if there is to be hope of decent survival.

via Remembering Howard Zinn – Opinion – Al Jazeera English.

Noam Chomsky – Peak Oil and a Changing Climate – YouTube

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:57:04 +0000

In this sixth video in the series “Peak Oil and a Changing Climate” from The Nation and On The Earth Productions, linguist, philosopher and political activist Noam Chomsky talks about the Chamber of Commerce, the American Petroleum Institute and other business lobbies enthusiastically carrying out campaigns “to try and convince the population that global warming is a liberal hoax.” According to Chomsky, this massive public relations campaign has succeeded in leading a good portion of the population into doubting the human causes of global warming.

Known for his criticism of the media, Chomsky doesn’t hold back in this clip, laying blame on mainstream media outlets such as the New York Times, which will run frontpage articles on what meteorologists think about global warming. “Meteorologists are pretty faces reading scripts telling you whether it’s going to rain tomorrow,” Chomsky says. “What do they have to say any more than your barber?” All this is part of the media’s pursuit of “fabled objectivity.”

Of particular concern for Chomsky is the atmosphere of anger, fear and hostility that currently reigns in America. The public’s hatred of Democrats, Republicans, big business and banks and the public’s distrust of scientists all lead to general disregard for the findings of “pointy-headed elitists.” The 2010 elections could be interpreted as a “death knell for the species” because most of the new Republicans in Congress are global warming deniers. “If this was happening in some small country,” Chomsky concludes, “it wouldn’t matter much. But when it’s happening in the richest, most powerful country in the world, it’s a danger to the survival of the species.”

http://www.thenation.com/video/158093/noam-chomsky-how-climate-change-became-…

Noam Chomsky – Peak Oil and a Changing Climate http://climateforce.net/2012/01/20/noam-chomsky-peak-oil-and-a-changing-climate/

via Noam Chomsky – Peak Oil and a Changing Climate – YouTube.