Here’s the story of how an idealistic crackpot’s crazy idea saved what was once one of our dirtiest rivers.
Video
Our Story Starts Now
As people worldwide are taking stock, looking backwards to 2015 and forward to 2016, “A Resolution” shows that amidst growing catastrophe, the only real future is the one we’ll make.
This video was produced by Woodbine, an experimental hub in Ridgewood, Queens for developing the skills, practices, and tools for building autonomy in the Anthropocene.
The Fallen of World War Two
Neil Halloran has produced an animated data-driven documentary about war and peace called The Fallen of World War II. It looks at the human cost of the second World War and sizes up the numbers to other wars in history, including trends in recent conflicts.
The data he presents challenged many of my tacit assumptions about the war.
You can view the video above, or access an interactive version at fallen.io.
Sanders and the Second Bill of Rights
In September of 2012, I wrote about FDR’s 1944 State of the Union Address which proposed a “Second Bill of Rights.”
I wonder what might happen if President Obama were to make these rights the foundation of his bid for re-election. Would the American people rally to such a program? Would we recognize that political rights alone cannot ensure liberty and justice for all? Would we recognize that today our freedom is most threatened, not by the government, but by the tyranny of the marketplace? Would we recognize, at long last, that there is no democracy without economic democracy?
Today, at Georgetown University, Bernie Sanders appears to have taken up the challenge, putting Roosevelt’s speech at the center of his own campaign.
Sander’s speech begins about one hour and eight minutes into the video.
You can read the full text of the speech here.
I can’t say that I agree with everything Senator Sanders said in this speech, but it is certainly refreshing, even heartening, to hear a presidential candidate make such a vigorous defense of Social Democracy in this era where political discourse in the United States seems limited to the range between Neoliberalism and Fascism.
I wonder what will happen next.
Kshama Sawant on Election Night 2015
“We have shattered the myth that there is nothing progressive candidates can do against the avalanche of corporate money. We have shown that it is entirely possible, if there is the political will, to refuse donations from big corporations and instead base ourselves on the support of working people and win. That is why we have won, and successfully I might add, not just independent of corporate cash but also independent of the two political parties that represent that corporate cash.”
Kshama Sawant spoke to her supporters on November 3rd as her reelection victory was confirmed.
Read the full text of the speech.
C-SPAN Interview with Maria Svart
Maria Svart of the DSA was on Washington Journal last Sunday to talk about the organization, Democratic Socialism and the Bernie Sanders campaign.
“Do we want a society where greed rules and it’s everyone for themselves and we don’t look out for each other, or do we want a society where we work together?”
Racial Taboo Townhall Meeting October 27th
The Kankakee County Branch NAACP will be co-sponsoring a townhall meeting on race, featuring the film Racial Taboo, at the Kankakee Public Library auditorium on Tuesday October 27th, 2015 from 6 to 8 PM. The meeting will be an opportunity to learn more about the relationships in our society between people of various races, to discuss the topic in small groups, and to perhaps begin to establish your own friendships across racial lines.
Source: Racial Taboo Townhall Meeting October 27th – Kankakee County Branch NAACP
A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace
This is worth a watch. I learned this morning that Barlow suffered cardiac arrest last week, but was revived and is now recovering. I’m posting this in his honor.
A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace by John Perry Barlow. from IDEALOGUE on Vimeo.
Joe Hill Road Show Chicago Performance
Here’s the full video of the first night of the Joe Hill Roadshow, from the Hideout in Chicago, featuring Bucky Halker, Anne Feeney, Jan Hammarlund, JP Wright and Alexis Buss with emcee Paul Durica. This program was recorded by Chicago Access Network Television (CAN TV).
S15
It’s been one of the pleasures of my life to attend the annual Socialism Conference in Chicago the past couple of years. Socialism 2015 is July 2nd through the 5th. Click the banner below for details.
