May 2012

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Noam Chomsky: US and Europe Committing Suicide in Different Ways

Picture: Noam Chomksy on GRITtv Video Laura Flanders of GRITtv sat down with professor and author, Noam Chomsky, to discuss his latest publication, OCCUPY, published in the Occupy Media Pamphlet Series by Zuccotti Park Press. During the interview, Chomsky talks about anarchism, racism, corporate power, the media and what it might be like to live in a non-market system. "The US and Europe are committing suicide in different ways," says Chomsky. "In Europe it’s austerity in the midst of recession and...

The Danger of the Blindly Obedient Soldier

Picture: Department of Defence: South Africa Jane Duncan - Many South Africans are worried about the mounting evidence of abuse of security cluster resources, and rightly so, as it is a highly sensitive area of government that could easily be used against political opponents of the ruling elite. Without investigative journalists drawing on sources of information inside the cluster, these abuses may not have come to light.   Security cluster employees are often the first people to become aware of abuses, as they are close to the action and...

France's New President-elect, Francois Hollande, Wants Strategic Partnership with BRICS Countries

Picture: Al Jazeera Video Socialist Party candidate, Francois Hollande has defeated Nicolas Sarkozy in the French presidential runoff, making him the latest EU leader to be swept aside by the crippling debt crisis. Among the first steps President-elect Hollande is planning, is to push back against German-led austerity measures. Moreover, Asia Times correspondent, Pepe Escobar argues, Hollande wants a strategic partnership with the BRICS countries. Like the BRICS group, Hollande wants an end to the dominance of the...

Of Flowers and Thorns: Where has the 'Public' Gone in Public Service?

Picture: byronv2/flickr Dale T. McKinley - It wasn’t that long ago, just after the 1994 elections to be precise, when it seemed almost every other South African wanted to became a public servant. For the vast majority, this was not simply because there was a job on offer but because there was a very real sense that becoming part of the newly democratic public service, in whatever capacity was the right thing to do. It was not about the self-interested or political party-centred occupation of positions of power or about using...

Marley's Cry of Rage against Poverty Still Rings out Today

Picture: www.bobmarley.com Video Touted as the definitive biography of reggae legend Bob Marley, the documentary, "Marley", directed by Kevin MacDonald opened in international cinemas on April 20th. South African audiences are in for a wait, as local distributor Nu Metro is yet to announce a release date. In the meantime, enjoy the trailer and a wonderful review by Yuri Prasad who reminds us that Marley “was not the first to take the poverty of Jamaica into pop but that his songs were different to most -...

It's Not Too Late to Reconsider South Africa's Commitment to Nuclear Energy

Picture: Greenpeace/Vinai Dithajohn Ebrahim-Khalil Hassen - Whilst it is early days in the costing of our government’s infrastructure investment programme, ballpark figures suggest R800bn will be spent over the next 20 years. The numbers are still to be tallied, but it appears that the proposed nuclear power stations will be the biggest beneficiaries of government investment since 1994. Government’s second Integrated Resource Plan indicates that nuclear energy will contribute to approximately one quarter of all power generated in South...