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September 21, 2006
09.21.06 Monsters and Capitalism; Sharks vs. Marriage; Vaccines Against Narcotics
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September 21, 2006 Edition |
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THiS WEEK: What we can learn from Kafka's despair; Annalee Newitz examines monsters and capitalism; military veterans discuss myths and realities of recruiter propaganda; study shows there's a two-thirds chance the FBI can't find a requested file; new book divulges information on the US extraordinary rendition program—torture taxis; defending the institution of marriage from the ocean's most vicious predator; oldest known Australopithecus skeleton—a three-year-old girl—found in Ethiopia; researchers hard at work on vaccines against narcotics; how "fair" is "fair trade?"; Greenpeace's study on the most toxic laptops; the new "Warrior Ethos" of the US military; Brazilian Soma therapy combines Reichean therapy, capoeira Angola, and anarchist politics for mental-physical healing; when "democracy rights" groups are funded by the government; and much more to be enjoyed in this week's Media Picks.
This Week's Picks:
- What Kafka Knew
Kafka’s ability to imagine and portray the unimaginable horror of conscious human life, imprisoned in power structures that function on the psyche as catatonia does on the body, may not seem to be generative of engagement for social transformation; certainly it was not in his personal case. What Kafka knew was a depth of despair that most Americans, and most particularly those of us on the Left, find shameful to acknowledge or to speak of at all, except couched in recurrent warnings of potential catastrophe.Christy Rodgers | Dissident Voice
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Sept06/Rodgers19.htm - So That's Why Frankenstein Is Green
Cultural theorist Annalee Newitz says our favorite monster stories are really about the destructive effects of capitalism.Phoebe Connelly | Chicago Reader
http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/bookreviews/060908/ - VIDEO | Before You Enlist!
Veterans, young and old, inform potential military recruits about the lies of recruiting officers and video, and the harsh realities of war.Youth4Peace
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFsaGv6cefw - CARTOON | Rebellion For The Image Conscience
Clay Butler | Sidewalk Bubblegum
http://www.sidewalkbubblegum.com/images/055.gif - FBI's Most Wanted: Its Own Files
If you requested a file from the FBI, chances are good the agency can't find it. A Cox Newspapers study found that last year, the FBI said it had "no records" in response to roughly two-thirds of requests filed under the federal Freedom of Information Act, which is meant to ensure that citizens have access to information not exempted by law. The Treasury Department, which ranked second behind the FBI, could not find freedom of information-requested records 25 percent of the time.Lars-Marten Nagel | Statesman
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/nation/09/02/2fbifiles.html - AUDIO | Torture Taxis
As President Bush admits the existence of secret overseas CIA prisons, we take a look at the U.S. government's shadowy program of extraordinary rendition with A.C. Thompson and Trevor Paglen, the authors of the new book Torture Taxi: On the Trail of the CIA's Rendition Flights.Amy Goodman | Democracy Now
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/09/15/1342250 - COMEDIC INTERLUDE | New Bill Would Defend Marriage From Sharks
"Liberals and Democrats would have you believe that sharks pose no threat to married couples. They tell us that sharks should just be left alone to mind their own business, and they won't do anyone any harm. But we say it's time for those of us with backbone to stand up for what we believe in—before that backbone is torn violently from our torsos by these soulless, underwater killers." - Lucy's Big Sister
Scientists exploring a hillside in Ethiopia have announced the discovery of a 3.3-million-year-old near-complete skeleton of a three-year-old girl, the oldest juvenile remains of one of the earliest direct ancestors of humans. In a report that will appear in the journal Nature, an international team of scientists has said features on the skeleton provide clear evidence for bipedal walking as well as the capacity for climbing trees.The Telegraph
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060921/asp/frontpage/story_6774710.asp - A Vaccine Against Narcotics
Someday, along with jabs against mumps and measles, kids could get vaccinated against nicotine, cocaine and heroin.Jeffery Helm | The Tyee
http://thetyee.ca/News/2006/09/15/Vaccine/ - Farmers Question Value of "Responsible" Coffees
The trend toward making coffee seen as socially or environmentally responsible was boosted in the early part of this decade when world coffee prices collapsed, pushing many farmers into bankruptcy or deep debt. Many of those left saw specialist labels as a way to boost income. Now, a slew of organisations offer an array of labels, all with differing requirements, paperwork, and fees. Many farmers find it hard to know which to chose, and whether their investment will be rewarded with better coffee prices.Mica Rosenberg | Reuters
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=reutersEdge&storyID=2006-09-08T075349Z_01_CAS827767_RTRUKOC_0_FOOD-GUATEMALA-COFFEE.xml - Toxic Laptops
Some of the best-known laptops are contaminated with some of the worst toxic chemicals. Of the five top brands, Hewlett-Packard and Apple laptops showed the worst contamination levels.Greenpeace
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/hp-apple-toxic-laptops180906 - Cult of Cruelty
Robert Fisk examines the US Army "Soldier's Creed" and the new "Warrior Ethos": "I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills..."Robert Fisk | Counterpunch / Mostly Water
http://www.mostlywater.org/node/10409 - Canada’s NED?
Whose rights? What sort of democracy? These are the questions that must be asked of “Rights & Democracy,” a Montreal-based political group funded almost entirely by the Canadian government.Yves Engler | ZNet
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=55&ItemID=10970 - VIDEO | Louis CK on Gay Marriage
Stand-up comedian and star of the Showtime sitcom Lucky Louie, on the ever-so-sensitive issue of gay marriage.
- Media Picks Contributing Editor: Adam Barker
- Media Picks compiled and edited by Erin
Wiegand and Brian Awehali
Posted by erin at September 21, 2006 04:42 PM