July 21, 2011 :: The Editors :: No Comment Yet
When comedians are keeping watch over the deliberate falsehoods dispensed by “mainstream media”, there is something rotten in the culture of our free press. Not because comedians shouldn’t do that work—all citizens should—but because the mainstream media should be committed, at every level, to truth-telling and citizenship. Fox News, in light of the bribery, spying and coercion, scandal engulfing its parent company, has definitively shown how far from that mission its news operation is.
More on page 8203
December 22, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
[W]e are not a nation that says, “don’t ask, don’t tell.” We are a nation that says, “Out of many, we are one.” (Applause.) We are a nation that welcomes the service of every patriot. We are a nation that believes that all men and women are created equal. (Applause.) Those are the ideals that generations have fought for. Those are the ideals that we uphold today. And now, it is my honor to sign this bill into law.
More on page 7031
July 18, 2010 :: staff :: 2 Comments
In his weekly address, Pres. Obama criticizes Republicans in the United States Senate who are obstructing passage of an emergency extension of unemployment and efforts designed to help steer capital to small business. “When storms strike Main Street, we don’t play politics with emergency aid,” he says. “We don’t desert our fellow Americans when they fall on hard times. We come together and do what we can to help. We rebuild stronger and we move forward.”
More on page 6573
July 17, 2010 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
Buckminster Fuller was one of the 20th century’s most visionary architects, whose philosophy of socially responsible planning and design has influenced cutting-edge technology research and public policy the world over, through the UN’s development programs and pioneering entrepreneurship aimed at lifting billions out of poverty. His vision was, in his own words, “To make the world work for 100% of humanity in the shortest possible time through spontaneous cooperation without ecological offense or the disadvantage of anyone.”
More on page 6567
June 1, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
Geneticist and biotech pioneer Craig Venter unveils the process of experimentation and research that allowed his team to create the “first synthetic cell”. The video includes not only information about how the genetic code was created first on a computer and includes “watermarks” such as the name of the new species’ official website, but also about how the team studied ethical issues relating to the project of creating synthetic life. The project took 15 years and was aimed at creating “error-free genetic code”.
More on page 6377
April 28, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
MSNBC reporter and host Rachel Maddow reveals the foundation of clear and overt racist ideology that helped shape and promote the anti-immigrant legislation that has been passed and signed into law in Arizona, requiring policemen to demand documentation of residency from anyone who “looks like” they might be an undocumented immigration.
More on page 6292
February 2, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
I’ve said this before, but I’m a big believer not just in the value of a loyal opposition, but in its necessity. Having differences of opinion, having a real debate about matters of domestic policy and national security — and that’s not something that’s only good for our country, it’s absolutely essential. It’s only through the process of disagreement and debate that bad ideas get tossed out and good ideas get refined and made better. And that kind of vigorous back and forth — that imperfect but well-founded process, messy as it often is — is at the heart of our democracy. That’s what makes us the greatest nation in the world.
More on page 5994
January 14, 2010 :: staff :: Comments Off
Pres. Obama outlined today a wide array of search and rescue, relief aid and security efforts his administration is sending to Haiti to assist the Haitian people in dealing with the worst recorded earthquake to strike their nation. The US president promised Haiti’s people that the US will not forget the victims of the Haitian quake and that “more search and rescue teams” are on their way. He also said his administration will invest an initial amount of $100 million to support its relief efforts in Haiti, and that this investment will grow.
More on page 5839
December 19, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
The Philippines looks upon these negotiations in Copenhagen with a critical sense of urgency. The average world per capita CO2 equivalent emission is 6 tons and must be brought down to 3 tons to stabilize at 450 ppm in 2050. The Philippines is already doing better than that. Our emissions are only 1.6 tons per capita and we are committed to further deviate from our business-as-usual growth path.
More on page 5546
December 18, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
The above video highlights the Danish city of Frederikshavn’s ongoing comprehensive plan to achieve 100% carbon neutral status by 2015, by focusing on wind and other renewable resources to produce its entire municipal energy supply. Mikael Kau, the director of the Frederikshavn energy project explains that other, larger cities in Denmark could adopt similar plans and from the local level help Denmark achieve 100% energy independence and carbon neutrality by 2015.
More on page 5520
December 10, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
I believe that peace is unstable where citizens are denied the right to speak freely or worship as they please; choose their own leaders or assemble without fear. Pent-up grievances fester, and the suppression of tribal and religious identity can lead to violence. We also know that the opposite is true. Only when Europe became free did it finally find peace. America has never fought a war against a democracy, and our closest friends are governments that protect the rights of their citizens. No matter how callously defined, neither America’s interests — nor the world’s — are served by the denial of human aspirations.
More on page 5377
December 9, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
With a population of over 150 million people, and much of its land below sea level, Bangladesh is already losing significant amounts of cropland to rising seas related to persistent warming in global average temperatures and polar and glacial ice melt. It is expected that in 10 to 20 years, Bangladesh could lose 20% of its land mass to rising seas or chronic flooding.
More on page 5339
November 15, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
Pres. Obama used his weekly address to honor American veterans and to mourn those who lost their lives in the tragic shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas. The president discusses the review he has ordered for the Fort Hood killings and pledged he would support American servicemen and women, which he considers his most profound responsibility.
More on page 5105
November 9, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
This video shows original video footage from 12 November 1989, taken at various sites both before sunrise and later that morning. The video focuses on Potsdamer Platz and records the tearing down of the Berlin Wall and the jubilation of those who flocked to the historic celebration.
More on page 5064
November 9, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
This video shows an ABC News report on the fall of the Berlin Wall and the process of reform and political change that rapidly swept across eastern Europe in the months surrounding that event. The report cites the efforts of mass movements of ordinary people to overthrow hardline totalitarian regimes through peaceful mass protest.
More on page 5062
September 26, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
We also took unprecedented steps to secure loose nuclear materials; to stop the spread of nuclear weapons; and to seek a world without them. As the first U.S. president to ever chair a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, I was proud that the Council passed an historic and unanimous resolution embracing the comprehensive strategy I outlined this year in Prague.
More on page 4740
September 10, 2009 :: staff :: 2 Comments
But the problem that plagues the health care system is not just a problem for the uninsured. Those who do have insurance have never had less security and stability than they do today. More and more Americans worry that if you move, lose your job, or change your job, you’ll lose your health insurance too. More and more Americans pay their premiums, only to discover that their insurance company has dropped their coverage when they get sick, or won’t pay the full cost of care. It happens every day.
More on page 4385
September 9, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical-thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.
More on page 4348
August 27, 2009 :: staff :: One Comment
And that’s one reason he became not only one of the greatest senators of our time, but one of the most accomplished Americans ever to serve our democracy. His extraordinary life on this earth has come to an end. And the extraordinary good that he did lives on. For his family, he was a guardian. For America, he was the defender of a dream.
More on page 4180
August 27, 2009 :: staff :: One Comment
When his brother Robert was assassinated, in June 1968, in the midst of a celebration for his victory in the California Democratic primary, Ted Kennedy became his family’s patriarch, and young as he was, he delivered an historic eulogy, outlining and elevating the political ideals his brother Robert, and John before him, the fallen president, had so devotedly pursued.
More on page 4178
August 26, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
This video shows an emotional introduction by Caroline Kennedy, along with a video tribute to the life and work of Sen. Ted Kennedy, followed by a rousing speech by the senator himself, who spoke before an adoring audience of Democratic delegates.
More on page 4169
August 9, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
Sonia Sotomayor was sworn in today by Chief Justice John Roberts in two separate private ceremonies. Her swearing in gives her a lifetime position as the 111th United States Supreme Court justice. She is only the 3rd woman to join the Court and the first justice of Hispanic ethnicity. She is also the first justice nominated by a Democratic president since 1994.
More on page 3928
August 5, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
During a brief mission to the North Korean capital Pyongyang, former US president Bill Clinton secured the release of two jailed Korean-American reporters, Euna Lee and Laura Ling. Lee and Ling had been sentenced to 12 years hard labor for allegedly violating North Korean law by filming without state permission. Clinton met personally with DPRK leader Kim Jong-il, who is reported to be in ill health, and there is speculation the visit could create an opening for US-DPRK dialogue on a range of issues.
More on page 3904
August 1, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
Is the creative act a mission, a success, a failure? Is it a process? Are there geniuses, or do we all carry filaments and thunderclaps of genius deep within? Gilbert explains that as a writer, as someone devoted to a creative process, she’s been subjected to countless discouraging suggestions about how likely failure is and how failing at a creative life can be so destructive, so much an engine for suffering and marginalization.
More on page 3886
July 31, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
In an odd exchange between neoconservative luminary Bill Kristol and comic news anchor Jon Stewart, Kristol found himself, perhaps inadvertently, arguing that government run healthcare for the US military was “first class healthcare” and that the rest of the public did not deserve such high quality. Stewart, delighted, challenged the logic of Kristol’s argument, pointing out that Kristol was at once arguing that the public should get its health insurance entirely from the private sector, but that what the public ‘should’ have would be less quality than the government-run military healthcare service.
More on page 3833
July 31, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
Physicist Brian Greene explains in this rich, yet concise video, how superstring theory is giving new shape to our understanding of the universe. Dr. Greene gives an astoundingly cogent and simple explanation for how what seem to be three dimensions of space might actually be ten dimensions, with seven bound up in complex Calabi-Yau shapes that almost defy explanation.
More on page 3868
July 29, 2009 :: Webb Tisch :: Comments Off
Senators Hatch (R-UT) and Cornyn (R-TX) have positioned themselves in the camp of “purified” Republican ideology, with a vaguely explained no-vote against Sonia Sotomayor. Sen. Hatch, who has never, in his 33 years in the Senate, voted against a Supreme Court nominee did not explain what specifically he found so objectionable in Sotomayor’s extensive judicial record, but kept close to code-words that might tip conservatives as to his ideological stance. Cornyn also appeared to critics to be “posturing” as he voted no against a nominee whose credentials he acknowledged.
More on page 3839
July 25, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: 2 Comments
Life for women in Darfuri refugee camps in Sudan and neighboring Chad is extremely hard. Many have no access to any public authority that will investigate violence against women, and medical facilities are scarce to non-existent. While rape is rampant, and has allegedly been used as a “weapon of war” by the Khartoum backed militia engaged in a campaign of ethnic cleansing in Darfur, women are seldom able to find safety in seeking help from local authorities.
More on page 3791
July 20, 2009 :: staff :: 2 Comments
This is what the debate in Congress is all about: Whether we’ll keep talking and tinkering and letting this problem fester as more families and businesses go under, and more Americans lose their coverage. Or whether we’ll seize this opportunity – one we might not have again for generations – and finally pass health insurance reform this year, in 2009.
More on page 3699
July 18, 2009 :: Riga Listin :: Comments Off
Many in the news business have touted Cronkite’s passionate interest in new technologies and his willingness to take the work of the field reporter to the cutting edge of radio and television media, despite his early start in the business of ink and newsprint. More than oppose emerging media which had shifted the news culture away from his principles, he urged fellow reporters to be rigorous, thoughtful and given to probing investigation, so that the service they provided would be worthy of the expectations the public invests in the free press.
More on page 3666
July 8, 2009 :: staff :: One Comment
Ghana has now undergone a couple of successful elections in which power was transferred peacefully, even a very close election. I think that the new President, President Mills, has shown himself committed to the rule of law, to the kinds of democratic commitments that ensure stability in a country. And I think that there is a direct correlation between governance and prosperity. Countries that are governed well, that are stable, where the leadership recognizes that they are accountable to the people and that institutions are stronger than any one person have a track record of producing results for the people. And we want to highlight that.
More on page 3497
July 7, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
In Senator-elect Al Franken’s debut on Capitol Hill, he explained that he sees himself not as the 60th vote for the Democratic majority but as the 2nd senator from the state of Minnesota. He added that “Minnesotans are practical people” and explained why “rational” healthcare, that is available and affordable for all Americans must be a priority, why jobs and an economy that works for working people will be part of his agenda. Franken concluded, saying: “I am going to work day and night to make sure that our kids have a great future and that America’s best days lay ahead. I’m ready to get to work.”
More on page 3460
June 21, 2009 :: staff :: 7 Comments
Ali Larijani, speaker of the Iranian parliament, has criticized the Guardian Council, alleging that some of the 12 clerics have taken sided with an apparent effort to falsify election results in favor of incumbent pres. Mahmoud Ahmedinejad. Larijani said “a majority of people are of the opinion that the actual election results are different than what was officially announced”.
More on page 3162
June 21, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
As concerned people inside and outside Iran try to get a grip on what is taking place in the anti-government demonstrations, pro-democracy rallies and security crackdown, following the presidential vote of 12 June 2009, social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook have been useful to those trying to get word out about abuses and harsh security measures; the use of proxy servers has allowed journalists, activists and concerned citizens, to circumvent controls on media freedom.
More on page 3158
June 21, 2009 :: staff :: 16 Comments
Today Iranian state television published comments by the government blaming “terrorists” for yesterday’s clashes. With video and numerous eyewitness accounts indicating that government-backed militia attacked unarmed civilians, raided homes and fired live rounds and tear gas at unarmed demonstrators, the use of the word “terrorists” suggests the regime is now classifying all opposition supporters in this way.
More on page 3150
June 20, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
We are going to promote markets that work for those who play by the rules. We’re going to stand up for a system in which fair dealing and honest competition are the only way to win. We’re going to level the playing field for consumers. And we’re going to have the kinds of rules that encourage innovations that make our economy stronger – not those that allow insiders to exploit its weaknesses for their own gain.
More on page 3135
June 18, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
The Bush administration made a name for itself finding ways to obscure information about its activities by claiming the right to “state secrets” under the “sources and methods” rule, protecting active intelligence operations. The entire scope of the “enhanced interrogations” regime was justified under the need to use detainee interrogations not for criminal prosecution but as sources of militarily “actionable” intelligence. The use of “national security letters” comprehensively erasing certain citizens’ First Amendment rights regarding specific government activity proliferated wildly during the Bush years, threatening criminal prosecution in secret courts should the relevant “sources and methods” be compromised.
More on page 3022
June 17, 2009 :: staff :: 16 Comments
On Tuesday, as opposition demonstrations calling for a full accounting for all votes cast in Friday’s election spread, authorities revoked press credentials for foreign journalists and warned media not to report from the protest marches. Opposition leaders, protest organizers and some media staff have reportedly been rounded up and held in undisclosed locations.
More on page 3051
June 16, 2009 :: J.E. Robertson :: 29 Comments
Supporters of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi allege the official results are electoral fraud, and accuse Pres. Ahmedinejad of an effective “coup d’état”. Such language has led some to believe the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamene’i has been pressured by other political heavyweights to acknowledge that wrongdoing may have occurred.
More on page 3040
June 5, 2009 :: staff :: One Comment
The Associated Press is reporting that China has marked the 20th anniversary of the bloody military assault on demonstrators gathered peacefully in Tiananmen Square with a comprehensive crackdown on media or public mention of the tragedy. While the regime refuses to acknowledge what was done to unarmed Chinese citizens on 4 June 1989, an effort has been underway for months to prevent reporting online or in print, as well as to track or block text messages that might mention the day’s meaning.
More on page 2924
June 3, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
Historic video footage of the unknown man who risked his life to stop a column of Chinese tanks moving on demonstrators in Tiananman Square, where hundreds were massacred in 1989…
More on page 2895
June 1, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
This Playing for Change song brings together musicians who played together on “Stand by Me”, and for the first time, shows all the musicians playing together in the same place. The piece is a live recording of Grandpa Elliot and Clarence Bekker, singing with this band from around the world, in New Orleans. An audience of thousands was able to witness this inspired performance.
More on page 2868
May 29, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
This video shows conservative radio host Erich “Mancow” Muller undergoing the process known as “waterboarding”, in an effort to demonstrate that it does not amount to torture. After only 6 seconds, Muller called off the experiment and said he felt like he had experienced certain death. He said the process is “absolutely torture”.
More on page 2848
May 27, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
ALITO: Because when a case comes before me involving, let’s say, someone who is an immigrant — and we get an awful lot of immigration cases and naturalization cases — I can’t help but think of my own ancestors, because it wasn’t that long ago when they were in that position.
More on page 2841
May 9, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
This “song around the world” recording of Bob Marley’s “One Love” is an expression of the Playing for Change team’s approach to using the creative process to reach the point where the message of human creativity and expression illuminates a basic common humanity. It is, like any effective rendition of the song, a hymn to love and understanding, but it is also a lesson about the little ways any given person might contribute texture and emotion to a shared undertaking, a strong example of the Playing for Change project.
More on page 2659
May 6, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
Playing for Change: “The idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race.”
More on page 2615
May 2, 2009 :: Riga Listin :: 5 Comments
UNESCO Committee on Communication and Information representative presents award for research into press freedom. Debate discusses anti-press actions that have impeded the free flow of information about civilian suffering in war-zones ranging from Gaza to Sri Lanka to Iraq. The debate is hosted and moderated by William Horsley, of the Association of European Journalists.
More on page 2556
April 22, 2009 :: staff :: Comments Off
Redford notes that it is young people who will inherit the world we are making and their views, their concern about whether it will be stable and livable in their prime, is vital for planning now in a conscious and ethical way.
More on page 2306
April 22, 2009 :: Severino Villalonso :: Comments Off
Former vice president Dick Cheney has repeatedly used mass media to accuse Pres. Obama of jeopardizing America’s security or even inviting a major terrorist attack by acting to bar US personnel from using torture in terrorism investigations or interrogations. He has repeated those claims in response to Obama’s releasing memos that show how the Bush administration crafted a legal “justification” for using techniques banned by law.
More on page 2304
March 27, 2009 :: Webb Tisch :: Comments Off
Pres. Barack Obama held a live online town hall meeting yesterday, which is reported to have attracted 3.5 million viewers and 100,000 participants. It was a landmark event in the developing media of interactive democracy in 21st century politics. It was an opportunity for the president to reach out directly to the public in order [...]
More on page 2023
CafeSentido Partner Sites: