Sep 23 2011
David Pakman on the Media, Internet, and Activism
In the retaliation for Troy Davis’ execution, the hackers collective Anonymous promised a “Day of Vengeance” on September 24th – a national “cyber-attack” on a number of institutions including the Atlanta Police Department. Even though several members of the shadowy internet activist group were arrested and are being prosecuted, their high-profile work continues, targeting state and corporate websites related to …
Comments Off on David Pakman on the Media, Internet, and Activism
Up to 60,000 Japanese protesters rallied on Monday in Tokyo to demand an end to the nuclear power industry in Japan. Recalling the events of the massive radiation fallout caused by the meltdown of the Fukushima Da-Ichi Nuclear Power Plant, protesters demanded that all 54 of Japan’s nuclear reactors be shut down. Despite the protests, the Japanese Government …
In a shocking loss for Democrats this week, New York’s heavily Democratic ninth Congressional district that has never before elected a Republican, cast a majority of votes for Republican Bob Turner. Turner defeated David Weprin, a Democratic State Assemblyman, 53% to 47%, for the House seat vacated by Anthony Weiner who resigned this past June over a sex scandal. The …
Exactly ten years ago today, University of Texas Journalism Professor Robert Jensen wrote an essay responding to the terrorist attacks that took place a day earlier. On September 12th 2001 he wrote that the destruction we witnessed on 9/11 was no worse than the destruction our government has wrought countless times on other nations. According to Jensen, “[f]or more than …
U.S., NATO, and Afghan forces are gathering on the outskirts of Kandahar in Southern Afghanistan to prepare for the latest offensive in President Obama’s “surge” strategy. The troops plan to secure areas around Kandahar, which has recently witnessed a sudden increase in insurgent attacks. General David Petraeus has argued that if NATO’s counterinsurgency strikes work, they will …
Once a city heralded by the promoters of the North American Free Trade Agreement, Juarez, Mexico has now become a global epicenter of the failed so-called “war on drugs.” Just across the border from El Paso, Texas, the northern Mexican metropolis home to 1.3 million people has garnered a grittier reputation in recent years as a place where cartels battle for control, murders …
The Green Party of California held a meeting this weekend in San Jose to address various issues ahead of elections scheduled later this year. Delegates gathered as candidates hoped to capitalize on widespread voter disaffection to grow the party’s ranks. A Field Poll released in late January showed just sixteen percent of Californians approve of the job that the …
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrapped up a week long tour of Latin America last week and while she was not greeted with protests and riots like President George W Bush had been in 2005, many in Latin America acknowledge that the Obama administration seems to be continuing Bush’s policies in the region. A major part of Clinton’s trip …
A new report by a group of prominent economists this week warned that banks are still engaged in high-risk investing activity that is making another, potentially bigger financial crisis not only likely, but inevitable. The group includes Rob Johnson of the United Nations Commission of Experts on Finance, plus Elizabeth Warren, chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel to oversee …
A new poll by USA Today and Gallup found that a majority of Americans want President Obama and the Democrats to suspend their work on the healthcare bill and consider alternatives being suggested by the Republican Party. With the late Senator Kennedy’s seat being lost to Republican Scott Brown in Massachusetts this week, the political landscape is looking …
