sábado, 31 de outubro de 2009

Blood and Oil - Featuring Michael T. Klare




The notion that oil motivates America's military engagements in the Middle East has long been dismissed as nonsense or mere conspiracy theory. Blood and Oil, a new documentary based on the critically-acclaimed work of Nation magazine defense correspondent Michael T. Klare, challenges this conventional wisdom to correct the historical record. The film unearths declassified documents and highlights forgotten passages in prominent presidential doctrines to show how concerns about oil have been at the core of American foreign policy for more than 60 years – rendering our contemporary energy and military policies virtually indistinguishable. In the end, Blood and Oil calls for a radical re-thinking of US energy policy, warning that unless we change direction, we stand to be drawn into one oil war after another as the global hunt for diminishing world petroleum supplies accelerates.
http://www.bloodandoilmovie.com/

The Coconut Revolution - Ecological Revolution on Bougainville


fpcn
"...to Bougainvilleans, the land is like the skin on the back of your hand. You inherit it and it is your duty to pass it on to your children in as good a condition, or better, than that in which you received it. You would not expect us to sell our skin, would you?"
The people of Bougainville are known throughout the world as one of the few groups of indigenous people to have shut down a mine owned by one of the mining giants of the world.
Throughout the South Pacific, and indeed the world, this mineral-rich island with a population of only 160,000 has inspired those struggling for freedom and self-determination. Refusing to be bought off with paltry compensation offers, over the past 15 years Bougainvilleans have risked, and often paid with, their lives - to defend their land, their culture, their environment and the right to be free.

Bougainville has survived the onslaughts of the Australian-backed Papua New Guinean army and the interests of a massive multi-national. They survived an eight year blockade, preventing food, medical supplies and reporters from entering the island. They started off combating modern warfare equipment with homemade and antique guns - and they won!
Source : http://www.eco-action.org/ssp/bougainville.html
In "The Crash Course", Chris Martenson presents an in-depth consideration of the Economy, Energy, and the Environment. Not only does he explain the fundamental causes of the current economic crisis, but he also demonstrates how the problems facing the economy are related to concurrent issues regarding our sources of energy and climate change. The information provided is eye-opening and vital to understanding the world in which we live and how that world will change in the near future. Presented as a concise and easy-to-understand video production in language accessible to all, The Crash Course is completely free, in an attempt to inform as many people as possible about the problems we face, and action we can take in response. As Chris says: "In order to know where we are headed, we have to know where we are, and in order to know where we are, we have to know where we have come from." That is precisely what "The Crash Course" tells us.
Chris Martenson: The Crash Course seeks to provide you with a baseline understanding of the economy so that you can better appreciate the risks that we all face. The Intro below is separated from the rest of the sections because you'll only need to see it once...it tells you about how the Crash Course came to be.

To commemorate our one-year anniversary, I'm pleased to announce that I am posting a free, condensed, 45-minute version of the Crash Course for your viewing enjoyment.

The presentation it contains is part of a public talk delivered in Boulder, Colorado, this past summer filmed by Dave Gardner (who is working on a documentary called GrowthBusters, check it out - he deserves and would appreciate support for his project).

If it has been a while since you watched the Crash Course, please take the time to experience this new format.

You can watch all six parts here on this page.
Chapter 17a - Peak Oil: Energy is the lifeblood of any economy and a steady supply of energy is necessary to maintain the status quo, while an ever-increasing supply is needed to grow an economy. In this chapter, Dr. Chris Martenson explains that Peak Oil is not a theory, rather it is a description of how oil production increases over time, reaches a peak, then declines. Evidence points to a global production peak in the near future, which is troubling since the U.S. imports two-thirds of its oil and relies on it to much of its transportation and food production needs.
Al Bartlett interview from Blind Spot documentary

From the DVD cover: "Blind Spot is a documentary that illustrates the current energy crisis that our way of life is facing. Whatever the measures of greed, wishful thinking, neglect or ignorance, we have put ourselves at a crossroad which offers two paths, both with dire consequences. If we continue to burn fossil fuels we will choke the life out of the planet and if we don't our way of life will collapse."
Definiciones y reflexiones de Richard Heinberg 2/2

El profesor y escritor Richard Heinberg habla sobre los enormes cambios que debemos emprender en nuestra producción de comida y distribución de la población para evitar una mortalidad masiva durante el descenso energético que se avecina. Al final de este clip, Heinberg visualiza lo aberrante de nuestro comportamiento con los combustibles fósiles mediante la metáfora de las levaduras que producen el vino.
Definiciones y reflexiones de Richard Heinberg 1/2

El profesor y escritor richard heinberg define el cénit del petróleo y sus consecuencias sobre el sistema en que funcionamos hoy en día y sobre la población humana. En este clip, Heinberg utiliza el término "Competición Diacrónica" para describir el hecho de que estamos agotando recursos (junglas, pesquerías, minerales y otros no renovables) que, de ser usados racionalmente, estarían ahí para generaciones futuras. Además de acaparar recursos y quitárnoslos unos a otros en el presente, con nuestro consumo desmesurado de recursos los vivos del presente estamos reduciendo la probabilidad de supervivencia de nuestra propia descendencia.
Serge Latouche, economista y filósofo, Catedrático emérito de la Universidad de Paris Sud, explica la filosofia del decrecimiento y departe sobre los cambios que deberíamos hacer, a escala mundial y personal, para evitar las catástrofes que se aproximan, cuya naturaleza no sabemos con precisión pero que podemos intuir claramente. El crecimiento indefinido en un mundo finito es, obviamente, una imposibilidad, y la única estrategia razonable ante esta evidencia es la re-localización (revertir la tendencia a la globalización vivida en décadas recientes). Estamos ante una tarea descomunal, pues requiere un cambio radical en los valores y anhelos de la mayoría de individuos de las sociedades consumistas.
Maurizio Pallante. Decrescita e Economia del dono

All'interno di RIVESTITI 2006, mercatino di scambio non monetario,; organizzato dall'associazione VIATERREA a Cesena (dicembre 2006), lo scrittore Murizio Pallante parla di Decrescita, scambi non monetari e economia del dono.
Monica Donini: costruire la decrescita

Monica Donini, presidente dell'assemblea legislativa dell'Emilia Romagna, interviene su decrescita e partecipazione dei cittadini.
Maurizio Pallante - DECRESCITA FELICE

Il Movimento per la Decrescita felice muove i suoi primi passi il 12 gennaio del 2007 quando Maurizio Pallante riunisce nell’abbazia di Maguzzano un gruppo di persone che ha incontrato in decine di incontri organizzati in tutta Italia per parlare del suo libro “La decrescita felice”. La proposta di Maurizio è quella di fondare un Movimento che metta in rete le esperienze di persone, associazioni, comitati, per incamminarsi insieme verso la messa in pratica dei dettami della descrescita.

Tra il 16 e il 18 di marzo del 2007 il Movimento, costituito in via informale, raduna a Rimini imprenditori e professionisti per la Decrescita. Si tratta di imprese e professionisti che lavorano e creano occupazione proponendo prodotti e tecnologie che consentono una drastica riduzione dei consumi. A Rimini si costituisce il primo gruppo informale di coordinamento.

Dal 18 al 20 maggio 2007 il Movimento ha partecipato a Firenze all’evento “Terra Futura” con laboratori di buone pratiche ed alcuni stand di imprenditori per la Decrescita. Nell’ambito della stessa manifestazione ha organizzato un importante Convegno cui hanno partecipato, tra gli altri, Peter Hennicke - direttore del Wuppertal Institute e Ugo Biggeri - Presidente della Fondazione di Banca Etica.

Durante tutto il 2007 Maurizio Pallante ed altri esponenti del Movimento hanno partecipato a decine di incontri, conferenze, dibattiti in tutta Italia.

Il 15 dicembre 2007 a Rimini il Movimento per la Decrescita Felice si costituisce ufficialmente come Associazione.
«Quanto menos, melhor»

Falamos hoje de decrescimento, uma ideia muito minoritária preocupada com o facto de não poder «existir crescimento infinito, isto é, sem limites, num mundo finito. Querendo isto dizer que as matérias primas, sejam elas quais forem, terão, a um determinado momento, um fim. Sobretudo se continuarmos a explorar inconscientemente os recursos, sem nunca repô-los». É nossa convidada Ana Loichot, que pertence a este movimento, ela que está radicada numa aldeia perto de Vieira do Minho, onde vive de acordo com as ideias do decrescimento, num projecto de autosuficiencia em comunidade.

sexta-feira, 30 de outubro de 2009

Individual Differences: The Next Frontier in Cognitive Neuroscience
Harry A. Whitaker, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at Northern Michigan University

Educational Neuroscience: Insights into Attention, Reading, and Mathematics
Bruce McCandliss, Ph.D., Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Member
Paul Farmer on Development: Creating Sustainable Justice

Harvard medical anthropologist and physician Paul Farmer tells his captivating story of treating the worlds poorest populations for infectious diseases and trying to raise healthcare standards around the world through his charitable organization, Partners in Health. Farmers work was chronicled in Tracy Kidders best-selling book, Mountains Beyond Mountains. In this talk, he addresses the need to create sustainable justice in developing countries.

quinta-feira, 29 de outubro de 2009

Mary Helen Immordino-Yang on Vimeo

Mary Helen Immordino-Yang is a cognitive neuroscientist and educational psychologist who studies the brain bases of emotion, social interaction and culture and their implications for development and schools. She is an Assistant Professor of Education at the Rossier School of Education and an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, where she was formerly a joint postdoctoral fellow under the mentorship of Robert Rueda and Antonio Damasio. A former junior high school teacher, she earned her doctorate at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, where she was the recipient of grants from the Spencer Foundation and the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation. She is the Associate Editor for North America for the journal Mind, Brain and Education, and the inaugural recipient of the Award for Transforming Education through Neuroscience, co-sponsored by the International Mind, Brain and Education Society (IMBES) and the Learning and the Brain Conference. She lectures nationally and abroad on the implications of brain and cognitive science research for curriculum and pedagogy.
Carolyn Steel: How food shapes our cities

About this talk
Every day, in a city the size of London, 30 million meals are served. But where does all the food come from? Architect Carolyn Steel discusses the daily miracle of feeding a city, and shows how ancient food routes shaped the modern world.

About Carolyn Steel
Food is a shared necessity -- but also a shared way of thinking, argues Carolyn Steel. Looking at food networks offers an unusual and illuminating way to explore how cities evolved. Full bio and more links
Active Transportation in Copenhagen

Niels Tørsløv, the Traffic Director of Copenhagen, gave an inspiring lecture on active transportation in his city to a full house at the Fletcher Challenge Theate.

quarta-feira, 28 de outubro de 2009

Chris Hedges: Empire of Illusion - Part 1 of 3

The Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition coordinated a weeklong series of events leading up to the International Day of Climate Action on October 24, 2009 as a part of the international campaign being organized by 350.org.

Launched by eminent scientists, activists, and environmentalists, 350.org called for coordinated action around the world on October 24, 2009 to build awareness of the need to bring greenhouse gases under control – from our current 390 ppm to below 350 ppm. In particular, the campaign aimed to put pressure on world leaders who planned to meet in Copenhagen six weeks later to achieve international agreement on ways to deal responsibly and adequately with the threat of climate change. Details on the global campaign are at 350.org.

GRITtv with Laura Flanders » One-on-One: Chris Hedges

How did such a sizeable portion of modern society develop into a post-literate, fantasy-fueled, perma-reality show? Noted reporter Chris Hedges joins us in the studio to discuss his new book: The Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle.

terça-feira, 27 de outubro de 2009

149: A Chemical Season of the Mind

KMO welcomes Joe Bageant, author of Deer Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America's Class War, to the program to examine the corporate media-fabricated bubble of hyper-propaganda that Americans perceive as the real world, the "Stockholm syndrome of the soul" by which we identify with the ideologies of our captors and align ourselves against our own interests, and what this snow globe of a society looks like from the outside.
Music by Neon Brown

segunda-feira, 26 de outubro de 2009

Something Incredibly Wonderful Happens:

Frank Oppenheimer and the World He Made Up

By K.C. Cole

Description:
As a young man Frank Oppenheimer followed in his famous brother’s footsteps—growing up in a privileged Manhattan household, becoming a physicist, working on the atomic bomb. Tragically, Frank and Robert both had their careers destroyed by the Red Scare. But their paths diverged. While Robert died an almost ruined man, Frank came into his own, emerging from ten years of exile on a Colorado ranch to create not just a multimillion dollar institution but also a revolution that was felt all over the world. His Exploratorium was a "museum of human awareness" that combined art and science while it encouraged play, experimentation, and a sense of joy and wonder; its success inspired a transformation in museums around the globe. In many ways it was Frank’s answer to the atom bomb. K. C. Cole—a friend and colleague of Frank’s for many years—has drawn from letters, documents, and extensive interviews to write a very personal story of the man whose irrepressible spirit would inspire so many.
The Science Reader
Making climate change policy work in difficult economic times

This was one of the morning workshops offered as part of the May 5th conference, Making Climate Change Policy Work in Difficult Economic Times. PowerPoint presentations by these and other conference speakers will be available at UC Berkeley Labor Center
Moderator: Rachel Morello-Frosch, UC Berkeley

Speakers:
Lisa Hoyos, AFL-CIO
Nia Robinson, Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative
Erin Rogers, Union of Concerned Scientists
Miya Yoshitani, Asian Pacific Environmental Network

sexta-feira, 23 de outubro de 2009

The Great American Bank Robbery - Hammer Museum

William K. Black, the former litigation director of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board who investigated the Savings and Loan disaster of the 1980s, discusses the latest scandal in which a single bank, IndyMac, lost more money than was lost during the entire Savings and Loan crisis. He will examine the political failure behind this economic disaster, in which not only massive fraud has taken place, but a vast transfer of wealth from the poor and middle class continues as the federal government bails out the seemingly reckless, if not the criminal. Black teaches economics and law at the University of Missouri, Kansas City and is the author of The Best Way to Rob a Bank Is to Own One.
William K. Black: CSI Bailout

The financial industry brought the economy to its knees, but how did they get away with it? With the nation wondering how to hold the bankers accountable, Bill Moyers sits down with William K. Black, the former senior regulator who cracked down on banks during the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s. Black offers his analysis of what went wrong and his critique of the bailout
As Foreclosures Hit All-Time High, Wall Street on Pace to Hand Out Record $140B in Employee Bonuses

The Dow Jones Industrial Average has topped 10,000 for the first time in a year, as JPMorgan Chase reported massive profits in the third quarter. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that major US banks and securities firms are on pace to pay their employees about $140 billion this year—a record high. But on Main Street, foreclosures are also at record levels, and the official unemployment rate is expected to top ten percent. We speak to former bank regulator William Black, author of The Best Way to Rob a Bank Is to Own One.
Framing The Public Debate (with George Lakoff)

A look at what the term ‘framing’ means in political discourse, and how it is used to influence people’s perceptions and perspectives on the issues of the day. Why citizens believe what they do about specific issues is often directly related to how that issue is presented to them in the first place. Featured on the program is exclusive USTV coverage of a presentation by professor George Lakoff, director of the Rockridge Institute, and author of numerous books on the topic, including “Don’t Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate” and “Metaphors We Live By” (taped at the Free Press National Conference on Media Reform). The program also discusses some of the specific techniques on how framing actually works and of the influence that private, corporately-funded think tanks have in helping to shape our nation’s populace’s perception of the issues of the day.

George Lakoff: Moral Politics


UCtelevision

UC Berkeley professor of Cognitive Science and Linguistics George Lakoff explores how successful political debates are framed by using language targeted to people's values instead of their support for specific government programs in this public lecture sponsored by the Helen Edison Series at UC San Diego.

quinta-feira, 22 de outubro de 2009

October 22 October Global Exchange will honor one human rights hero from each category (Peace, Economic Justice, Green Alternatives), who will receive $1,000 toward their work, and join the esteemed legacy of our Human Rights Awardees, including Harry Belafonte, Alice Walker, Dr. Paul Farmer and others.
GEN-Europe’s General Assembly and the course ‘European Ecovillage Network – Research and Training for Sustainability’ have taken place July 11-16 in Keuruu Ecovillage, Finland. The great interest in sustainability and community of our times was reflected by the unusually large number of participants of 130, making this the biggest meeting GEN-Europe has ever held.... see photos and an interview with Kosha Joubert.

"The movement to create ecovillages is perhaps the most comprehensive antidote to dependence on the global economy. Around the world, people are building communities that attempt to get away from the waste, pollution, competition and violence of contemporary life.
The Global Ecovillage Network links several of these communities worldwide."

Helena Norberg-Hodge,
Director of the International Society for Ecology & Culture (ISEC)

Gen-Europe endorses the Earth Charter
The mission of the Earth Charter Initiative is to promote the transition to sustainable ways of living and a global society founded on a shared ethical framework that includes respect and care for the community of life, ecological integrity, universal human rights, respect for diversity, economic justice, democracy, and a culture of peace. ... read more

quarta-feira, 21 de outubro de 2009

Leonard Susskind - The Black Hole War

Recognizing a contradiction in Stephen Hawking's claim that things disappear in black holes, Susskind and Gerard t'Hooft offered a counterargument aimed at disproving this controversial theory.

Susskind discusses the story behind the black hole conflict and how it has led to a better idea of how our universe works - The Commonwealth Club of California
Cradle to Cradle Design
Architect William McDonough calls for remaking the way we make things by transforming human industry through ecologically intelligent design. He argues that the current industrial system that "takes, makes and wastes" can become a creator of goods and services that generate ecological, social and economic value.

Mr. McDonough's leadership in sustainable development is recognized widely, both in the U.S. and internationally, and he has written and lectured extensively on his design philosophy and practice. He was commissioned in 1991 to write The Hannover Principles: Design for Sustainability as guidelines for the City of Hannover's EXPO 2000, and in 1993 to give the Centennial Sermon at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. More recently, Mr. McDonough and Michael Braungart co-authored Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, published in 2002 by North Point Press.

Creativity in the Face of Climate Change:

The Role of Humanities in Awakening Societal Change

An exploration of the visual arts in conjunction with the exhibition Human /Nature: Artists Respond to a Changing Planet on view at the UC Berkeley Art Museum through September 27, 2009.


Panelist: Naomi Oreskes, Provost, Sixth College, UC San Diego

Panelist: Greg Niemeyer, Associate Professor, Department of Art Practice, UC BerkeleyAssociate Director, Center for New Media

Panelist: Marko Peljhan, Associate Professor, Department of Art, UC Santa Barbara Co-Director, UC Institute for Research in the Arts

Panelist: Dario Robleto, artist featured in Human/Nature: Artists Respond to a Changing Planet

Creativity in the Face of Climate Change:

The Role of the Humanities in Awakening Societal Change

Human society is at a crossroads. Todays decisions will determine if human culture will continue to impose catastrophic effects on the earths climate, oceans, and ecosystems. While scientists explore the technical approaches to the environmental predicament, the humanistic fields of inquiry have a critical role to play in helping society face the challenge of climate change. Explore the role that the humanities can play in the transformation of society towards one that can sustain the planet.
Panel:
Robert Hass, Professor of English, UC Berkeley
Carolyn Merchant, Professor of Environmental History, UC Berkeley
Timothy Morton, Professor of Literature and the Environment, UC Davis
Michael Osborne, Professor of History, UC Santa Barbara
Robert Watson, Professor of English, UC Los Angeles

terça-feira, 20 de outubro de 2009

Paul Aries contre les sarkozysmes

Entrevue de l'économiste Paul Aries par le maire de Grigny René Balme à l'occasion du lancement du journal "Sarkophage : contre tous les sarkozysmes" ce 14 juillet 2007 par Paul Aries. http://lesarkophage.com/

Publié sur dailymotion avec l'accord de René Balme. http://rene-balme.org
Bill Moyers Journal . Mark Danner

During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama laid out his vision for a new era of diplomacy and international cooperation — but can a President who inherited two wars change the course of a nation?

Journalist Mark Danner speaks with Bill Moyers about the challenges Obama will face as he attempts to reset the mindset of America from war to peace, and redefine America's role in the international community.

In three decades of reporting from the frontlines of violent upheavals, journalist Mark Danner has seen countless deaths over ethnic and political divides, and witnessed firsthand the often disastrous unforeseen consequences of U.S. involvement.

Danner's new book, STRIPPING BARE THE BODY, explores the intersection of politics and violence, drawing on three decades of reporting from conflict zones — from the end of the Cold War to the continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Danner writes in the introduction:

Want to understand a society, comprehend the roots of its injustices, trace the structure of its power? Examine it at a moment of intense political struggle, when leader assassinates leader, party milita battles army, death squads liquidate rivals, paramilitaries massacre the defenseless — and above it all power, that great distinguished thing, suddenly disembodied and contested, floats free, bobbing up and down above the roiling crowd like a brightly colored ball, ready to be seized and claimed by the strongest, the most clever, the luckiest.

"With this vivid and deeply disturbing book," writes Andrew Bacevich, "Mark Danner affirms his standing as our preeminent guide to the world's broken places, littered with the detritus of American carelessness and delusions."

Mark Danner is a writer, journalist and professor who has written for more than two decades on foreign affairs and international conflict. He has covered Central America, Haiti, the Balkans and Iraq, among many other stories, and has written extensively about the development of American foreign policy during the late Cold War and afterward, and about violations of human rights during that time.

His books include STRIPPING BARE THE BODY (2009), THE SECRET WAY TO WAR: THE DOWNING STREET MEMO AND THE IRAQ WAR'S BURIED HISTORY (2006), TORTURE AND TRUTH: AMERICA, ABU GHRAIB AND THE WAR ON TERROR (2004), THE ROAD TO ILLEGITIMACY: ONE REPORTER'S TRAVEL'S THROUGH THE 2000 FLORIDA VOTE RECOUNT (2004) and THE MASSACRE AT EL MOZOTE: A PARABLE OF THE COLD WAR (1994). Danner was a longtime staff writer for THE NEW YORKER and is a regular contributor to THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS.

He is also professor of Journalism at the University of California at Berkeley, where he directs the Goldman Forum, and the James Clarke Chace Professor of Foreign Affairs, Politics, and Humanities at Bard College.

segunda-feira, 19 de outubro de 2009

Elinor Ostrom on resilient social-ecological systems

Given rapid changes in large-scale human and biophysical processes — carbon emissions, population increase and migrations, over-harvesting and pollution leading to loss of species — many scientists are worried that many of the social-ecological systems existing today may collapse by the end of the 21st century. Is this an exaggerated worry?

The thesis Ostrom will present is that the negative prognosis will indeed occur in many parts of the world if we do not worry a great deal about these processes and their consequences.

More important than simply worrying, however, is the development of a strong diagnostic method for analyzing the diversity of processes and the multiplicity of potential social and bio-physical solutions that are needed to cope effectively with these varied processes.

Past efforts to impose simple solutions to these complex problems have frequently led to worse outcomes than the problems addressed. Our need today is building a strong inter-disciplinary science of complex, multi-level systems that will enable over-time a matching of potential solutions to a careful diagnosis of specifi c problems embedded in a social-ecological context.

Ostrom will take some small steps toward this goal in her presentation.

About Elinor Ostrom
Elinor Ostrom is Arthur F. Bentley Professor of Political Science; Co-Director of the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis, Indiana University, Bloomington; and Founding Director, Center for the Study of Institutional Diversity, Arizona State University.

She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society, and a recipient of a number of prestigious awards.

Her books include Governing the Commons (1990); Rules, Games, and Common-Pool Resources (1994); The Commons in the New Millennium: Challenges and Adaptations (2003); The Samaritan´s Dilemma: The Political Economy of Development Aid (2005); Understanding Institutional Diversity (2005); and Understanding Knowledge as a Commons: From Theory to Practice (2007).

sexta-feira, 16 de outubro de 2009

Surplus - La Consommation par la Terreur



Ironique et sans concessions, cet essai en forme de collage virtuose réalisé autour du "gourou de l'antimondialisation", John Zerzan dénonce les dérives du libéralisme, la coercition médiatique et publicitaire, la course insensée au profit et le gâchis produit par la société de consommation. Ses paroles croisent ici celles de Berlusconi, Bush, Chirac, Poutine, Bill Gates et Fidel Castro, sur des images des manifestations de Gênes ou des dérives consuméristes (détritus, management, publicité...). Collage, manipulation des sons et des synchronisations, répétitions suggestives, montage incisif, musique dub et électro, slogans martelés... le film utilise les mêmes techniques que la publicité et les shows télévisés. Ironique à souhait, le documentaire interroge plus qu'il ne dénonce... Note: Le film a reçu le Silver Wolf Award, Festival international de documentaires d'Amsterdam.

Surplus, Consumidores Aterrorizados


Irónico y corrosivo documental de Erik Gandini, realizado por la productora independiente ALMO de Estocolmo. Parte de un análisis del papel del consumidor actual. Una representación perfecta y excepcional de la cultura antisistema. Entre una edición frenética, un constante acompañamiento musical y un inagotable juego de montajes audiovisuales, Surplus logra poner en evidencia las contradicciones del sistema.

quinta-feira, 15 de outubro de 2009

Noam Chomsky: Philosophies of Language & Politics

World-renowned intellectual Noam Chomsky has been pushing change in language, politics and culture for decades. The controversial expert on modern language explains why "the smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum."
PERI - Political Economy Research Institute

Sustaining Our Commonwealth of Nature and Knowledge

A Lecture by Herman Daly

(Requires free Real Media Player)

One of the world's most notable environmental thinkers, Herman E. Daly is currently Professor at the University of Maryland in the School of Public Affairs. His numerous works include: Steady-State Economics , Beyond Growth , and For the Common Good . Daly is also a co-founder of the journal Ecological Economics and serves on its editorial board.
Ecological Economics, Second Edition: Principles and Applications

Herman Daly, Joshua Farley


In its first edition, this book helped to define the emerging field of ecological economics. This new edition surveys the field today. It incorporates all of the latest research findings and grounds economic inquiry in a more robust understanding of human needs and behavior. Humans and ecological systems, it argues, are inextricably bound together in complex and long-misunderstood ways.

According to ecological economists, conventional economics does not reflect adequately the value of essential factors like clean air and water, species diversity, and social and generational equity. By excluding biophysical and social systems from their analyses, many conventional economists have overlooked problems of the increasing scale of human impacts and the inequitable distribution of resources.

This introductory-level textbook is designed specifically to address this significant flaw in economic thought. The book describes a relatively new “transdiscipline” that incorporates insights from the biological, physical, and social sciences. It provides students with a foundation in traditional neoclassical economic thought, but places that foundation within an interdisciplinary framework that embraces the linkages among economic growth, environmental degradation, and social inequity. In doing so, it presents a revolutionary way of viewing the world.

The second edition of Ecological Economics provides a clear, readable, and easy-to-understand overview of a field of study that continues to grow in importance. It remains the only stand-alone textbook that offers a complete explanation of theory and practice in the discipline.

quarta-feira, 14 de outubro de 2009


Authors:
Committee on Food Marketing and the Diets of Children and Youth, J. Michael McGinnis, Jennifer Appleton Gootman, Vivica I. Kraak, Editors Authoring Organizations

Description:
Creating an environment in which children in the United States grow up healthy should be a high priority for the nation. Yet the prevailing pattern of food and beverage marketing to children in America represents, at best, a missed ...Read More

Reviews:
"Statistics, studies, and health concerns blend in a powerful survey recommended for college-level collections in education and health"
--Library Bookwatch ... Read More
What to Eat Personal Responsibility or Social Responsibility

October 3, 2009 - College of the Atlantic's food conference Food for Thought, Time for Action: Sustainable food, farming and fisheries for the 21st century. Marion Nestle is the Paulette Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health at New York University, where she also teaches sociology, as well as a visiting professor of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell. She holds a PhD in molecular biology and a MPH in public health nutrition, both from UC Berkeley. Her research examines scientific, economic and social influences on food choice. Other books include the 2003 Safe Food: Bacteria, Biotechnology, and Bioterrorism and the 2008 Pet Food Politics: The Chihuahua in the Coal Mine. Nestle writes the Food Matters column for the San Francisco Chronicle.

Religulous no Cineclube de Santarém 21/10/2009

RELIGULOUS – QUE O CÉU NOS AJUDE

Título original: Religulous
De: Larry CharlesGénero: Documentário
Classificacao: M/12EUA, 2008, Cores, 101 min.

Sinopse
Religulous acompanha o comediante Bill Maher (”Real Time with Bill Maher”, “Politically Incorrect”) na sua viagem a locais de culto religioso em todo o mundo, para entrevistar um vasto espectro de crentes em Deus e na Religião. Conhecido pela sua astuta capacidade analítica e pelo seu empenhamento em não ser agressivo para ninguém, Maher aplica a sua característica honestidade e espírito irreverente às questões da Fé, fazendo-nos entrar numa divertida e provocatória viagem espiritual.
Site do filme

terça-feira, 13 de outubro de 2009

Raj Patel - The Real Cost of Food

College of the Atlantic's food conference Food for Thought, Time for Action: Sustainable food, farming and fisheries for the 21st century. Keynote speaker Patel is a visiting scholar at the Center for African Studies at the University of California at Berkeley and a fellow at the Food First Institute of Food and Development Policy in Oakland, CA. He has just returned from two years at the Centre for Civil Society at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, where he is a research associate. He holds a PhD from Cornell University's Department of Development Sociology, an MA from the London School of Economics, and a BA in philosophy, politics and economics from Balliol College, Oxford.
Straus Innovator Award Lecture 2008 - James Gustave Speth

Rather than advocate for a renewed environmental movement, with market-driven incentives, Speth believes we must alter our personal and collective values.
Religulous: Bill Maher's take on the current state of world religion.

Consume Hasta Morir (Gran Superficie)


¿Nunca has tenido la sensación de que, en tu vida cotidiana, hay siempre "algo" que te incita a comprar cualquier tipo de producto o servicio, aunque no lo necesites?. De esto y otras cuestiones va este magnífico documental en el que se nos muestran sin tapujos algunas de las estrategias que utilizan las grandes marcas para crear en nosotros todas esas falsas necesidades.

Es un hecho que vivimos en una sociedad absolutamente consumista, sin embargo eso es algo que tenemos asumido y, en consecuencia, obviamos. Pero de vez en cuando quizá es buena idea pararse a pensar quién dirige nuestras vidas, nuestras necesidades y nuestras decisiones pues, aunque la publicidad y las estrategias de marketing puedan parecer recursos puramente persuasivos, en muchas ocasiones condicionan nuestros actos o decisiones y, lo que es peor, nuestra percepción de la realidad, creando falsas necesidades y convirtiéndonos en marionetas del mercado siempre a la espectativa de un inalcanzable bienestar.

Documental sobre la manipulación de la publicidad comercial sobre nuestras vidas. Como nos van llevando hacia el consumismo indiscriminado y al individualismo egoísta. El verdadero poder de las grandes empresas de productos y servicios.

http://www.consumehastamorir.com/

"Gran Superficie" nos da a conocer, en ocho capítulos, los aspectos del consumo menos aparentes y vistosos, analizando desde el punto de vista del consumidor en una gran ciudad la publicidad, las estrategias de venta, la estética y la alimentación y las grandes superficies.

Con opiniones especializadas que reflexionan sobre el impacto del comercio en nuestro modo de vida, este documental nos ayudará a tener una visión más crítica del consumo.

DATOS DEL DOCUMENTAL:

Duración: 60 minutos.
Fecha: Septiembre de 2005
Guión: María González, Pedro Ramiro, Pablo Buchó e Isidro Jiménez.
Dirección y realización: María González, Pedro Ramiro e Isidro Jiménez.
Música: Jose María Alfaya, María González y dj.Sildorf
Producción: Carlos Martín Sanz, Eva Bernáldez.

Índice de Capítulos: I. Publicidad II. Estrategias III. Alimentación y estética IV. Educación V. Consumo VI. Grandes superficies VII. Entorno VIII. Infelicidad

segunda-feira, 12 de outubro de 2009

Bill Moyers Journal . Simon Johnson on Banking Oligarchy

On Tuesday, February 10, 2009 Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner unveiled the Obama administration's plan to address the crisis in the financial sector. The strategy he outlined calls for the largest Federal intervention in banks and finance since the Great Depression, flooding as much as $2.5 trillion into the system. Given its size and scope — the bill's lack of detail drew a widely negative response from analysts and economists.

Although he thinks the details are important, Simon Johnson, Professor of Economics at MIT, worries more that Geithner and the Obama administration won't address a big underlying problem and be tough enough on the politically powerful banking lobby.

Too Big To Fail?
Johnson explains to Bill Moyers on the JOURNAL that the U.S. financial system reminds him more of the embattled emerging markets he encountered in his time with the International Monetary Fund than that of a developed nation. As such, Johnson believes that the U.S. financial system needs a "reboot," breaking up the biggest banks, in some cases firing management and wiping out shareholder value. Johnson tells Bill Moyers that such a move wouldn't be popular with the powerful banking lobby: "I think it's quite straightforward, in technical or economic terms. At the same time I recognize it's very hard politically."

Without drastic action, Johnson argues, taxpayers are merely subsidizing a wealthy powerful industry without forcing necessary systemic changes: "Taxpayer money is ensuring their bonuses. We're making sure that banks survive. And eventually, of course, the economy will turn around. Things will get better. The banks will be worth a lot of money. And they will cash out. And we will be paying higher taxes, we and our children, will be paying higher taxes so those people could have those bonuses. That's not fair. It's not acceptable. It's not even good economics."

Johnson expands these arguments on his blog, THE BASELINE SCENARIO:

"[W]eakening the big banks and their bosses should not be seen as an unfortunate side effect of beneficial medicine. It is exactly what we need to do under these circumstances. Unless and until these banks' economic and political influence declines, we are stuck with too many people who know exactly what they can get away with because their organizations are "too big to fail."

And weakening these banks (or actually having some of them go out of business and be broken up) as part of a comprehensive system reboot - with asset revaluations at market prices and a complete recapitalization program - will help return the credit system to normal.
Picture: "Wall Street Bubbles; -- Always the same." Caricature of John Pierpont Morgan as a bull blowing bubbles which say "inflated values." May 22, 1901. by J. Ottman Lithographic Company. Collection of the Library of Congress. High resolution image available here.


"This is the big one."

Since the first rumblings of the sub-prime mortgage meltdown, BILL MOYERS JOURNAL has stayed on the story of the economic collapse with original reporting and insightful interviews, making headlines and informing the public with greater range and depth than any other telecast.

From economists to community organizers, Wall Street financiers to historians, guests on BILL MOYERS JOURNAL provide powerful insight into the roots of the crisis and have stimulated a crucial national dialogue on its causes, effects and possible solutions.

You can explore and share JOURNAL coverage of the meltdown in the video player below. Also, find the must-read guide to understanding the tumult, and a complete list of links to JOURNAL coverage in the References and Readings.
Bill Moyers Journal . Simon Johnson and Rep. Marcy Kaptur

One year after the near-collapse of the U.S. financial system, the crisis seems to be over for the banks. No one expects any of the remaining huge banks to collapse, and a few large firms — JPMorgan Chase & Co., Goldman Sachs Group and Wells Fargo — are expected to post another quarter of billion dollar profits.

But according to guests on BILL MOYERS JOURNAL, ordinary Americans have little reason to celebrate the better fortunes on Wall Street. Simon Johnson, professor of Global Economics and Management at MIT's Sloan School of Management, and Representative Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), explain to Bill Moyers that the outlook for the rest of America isn't so rosy. Not only are many Americans still suffering the collapse of the housing market, they say, but Congress and the president haven't made the changes needed to prevent a much worse catastrophe sometime in the future.

To highlight the disparity between bailing out the banks and helping homeowners, Rep. Kaptur points to her district, where she sees one of the now-profitable banks not doing enough to help struggling borrowers:

Let me give you a reality from ground zero in Toledo, Ohio. Our foreclosures have gone up 94 percent. A few months ago, I met with our realtors. And I said, "What should I know?" They said, "Well, first of all, you should know the worst companies that are doing this to us." "Well, give me the top one." They said, "JPMorgan Chase."

Johnson adds that even bailed-out banks have little incentive to help homeowners:

I'm afraid that it's pretty obvious, and it's very tragic, that they have no interest in helping the homeowners. They make money with what they're doing. They expected a lot of these mortgages they made to default, okay? It was in their models. A high default rate. Now, they didn't expect house prices to come down so much. That's where they got their losses. But they absolutely made these loans expecting they would have to foreclose on people. And figuring they would make money on that.

Too late to reign in the banks?The problem, Rep. Kaptur and Johnson agree, is that Congress and the Executive Branch didn't sufficiently reign in the banks because the banks have too much power in Washington. Responding to a recent ASSOCIATED PRESS report about Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's close ties to a few powerful bankers, Rep. Kaptur said, "Wall Street and Washington is a circuit. And because Mr. Geithner headed the New York Fed, that historic relationship, unfortunately, continues. And it gives them special access and special power to influence policy."

Johnson agrees, arguing that these links are especially beneficial in a time of crisis: "And in a crisis, when everything is up for grabs, you don't know what's going on, the people who will take your phone calls, right, in government and the people who are going to be standing in the oval office, making the key decisions — that's the heart of the system. That's the heart of how you get your agenda through, by changing their worldview."

Rep. Kaptur believes that Congress has also failed to use its power to hold the banks accountable for their actions: "Congress has really shut down. I'm disappointed in both chambers, because wouldn't you think, with the largest financial crisis in American history, in the largest transfer of wealth from the American people to the biggest banks in this country, that every committee of Congress would be involved in hearings? [...] What we're seeing is tangential hearings on very arcane aspects of financial reform [...] rather than hearings on the fundamental new architecture of reforming the American financial system."

And now that the banks have stabilized, they may have successfully prevented any meaningful reform. Johnson explains that "the opportunity for real reform has already passed. And, not only is there not going to be change, but I'll go further — I'll say it's going to be worse, what comes out of this, in terms of the financial system, its power, and what it can get away with."

Naomi Klein : A Doutrina do Choque (The Shock Doctrine) - Naomi Klein


matheusrodriguez

Tragédia em Nova Orleães, 2005. Enquanto o mundo assiste ao flagelo dos moradores com as inundações causadas por tempestades que estouraram os diques da cidade, o economista Milton Friedman apresenta no jornal The Wall Street Journal uma ideia radical. Aos 93 anos de idade e com a saúde debilitada, o papa da economia liberal das últimas cinco décadas vislumbrava, naquele desastre, uma oportunidade de ouro para o capitalismo: "A maior parte das escolas de Nova Orleães está em ruínas", observou. "É uma oportunidade para reformar radicalmente o sistema educacional". Para Friedman, melhor do que gastar uma parte dos biliões de dólares do dinheiro da reconstrução refazendo e melhorando o sistema escolar público, o governo deveria fornecer vouchers para as famílias, que poderia gastá-los nas instituições privadas. Estas teriam subsídio estatal. A privatização proposta seria não uma solução emergente mas uma reforma permanente. A ideia deu certo. Enquanto o conserto dos diques e a reparação da rede eléctrica seguiam a passos lentos, o leilão do sistema educacional se tornava realidade em tempo recorde.

domingo, 11 de outubro de 2009

Taming the Giant Corporation - Agenda
A National Conference on Corporate Accountability

Corporations were originally chartered by the states in the early nineteenth century to be our servants not our masters. Now the servant has become master.

Lucy Komisar at the Taming the Giant Corporation Conference

From June 8-10, hundreds of leading scholars, advocates and activists convened in Washington, D.C. to discuss how to subordinate raw corporate power to the will of the people. "Taming the Giant Corporation: A National Conference on Corporate Accountability," sponsored by Ralph Nader and the Center for Study of Responsive Law, was held in Washington, D.C.

Conference speakers included U.S. Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Democracy Now!'s Amy Goodman, Mark Green of Air America, Thea Lee of the AFL-CIO and many more.

"Taming the Corporation" aimed to go beyond exposé to galvanize discussion, insight and strategic thinking about how to subordinate corporate power to the will and interests of the people.
100 Ways America Is Screwing Up the World

Foreign policy analyst John Tirman discusses his book, 100 Ways America Is Screwing Up the World.

Mr. Tirman examines the disintegration of American culture and the portrayal of the "ugly American" overseas. He looks at specific areas he believes America needs to improve.

John Tirman is the executive director of the Center for International Studies at MIT. Previously he was a Fulbright Scholar in Cyprus. He has written several books, including Spoils of War and Making the Money Sing: Private Wealth and Public Power in the Search for Peace. Mr. Tirman's articles have appeared in The Nation, Boston Review, the New York Times, and Los Angeles Times.
Elizabeth Grossman talks about her book, High Tech Trash: Digital Devices, Hidden Toxics, and Human Health, published by Island Press. She describes the health hazards of electronic waste, saying that chemicals used to make electronics are showing up as toxic substances in food and in the human body. She argues for changes in electronic manufacturing and disposal. After her presentation she responds to audience members' questions.
On the Brink focuses on case studies that link armed conflict and political crises with environmental issues such as the loss of grasslands, spreading disease, deforestation, soil erosion, water scarcities, surging populations and global climate change. The program features the work of scientists, community organizers and political leaders, as they grapple with the fact that the world's political security may be bound up with the quality of the land, air and water.

In this episode of Journey to Planet Earth, we travel to India/Bangladesh, South Africa, Peru, Haiti, Mexico and the United States. For American audiences, it is particularly important to understand that struggles over natural resources can lead to instability in regions critical to the well being of the West.
The Ecology of Food

A distinguished panel at UC Berkeley's Townsend Center for the Humanites, discuss the evolution and adaptation of food. Panel includes: Michael Pollan, Ignacio Chapela, Catherine Gallagher and Patricia Utterman.
What Every Person Should Know with Deborah Garcia

What should every person know about the food they ingest. The documentary "The Future of Food" changed the way we think about food(and continues to do so) by answering this very question. But, just how has food actually changed? Do we need to worry about genetically modified foods? What about artificial foods? Learn all this more as Kurt Olson, host of the Educational Forum, sits down with Deborah Garcia the award winning creator of "The Future of Food."