Newest Sustainer Content
Blog Post More on the abduction of an employee with the U.S. Human Terrain System in Iraq... Blog Post I don't understand Question 33 from the Vision and Strategy poll, and I'm looking for an example to illustrate what is meant. -
- Monday, Feb 08, 2010
Blog Post This will be the first in the series of many more blogs to come in which I will primarily focus on members of the Puerto Rican community which have distinguished themselves greatly in society. They will be from a wide range of fields to include science, astronomy, politics, religion, the military, the arts, invention, engineering and many others. I hope these articles will inspire many; especially my fellow Puerto Ricans and raise awareness amongst many as to the vast contributions to the global community made from the inhabitants of this tiny island. A special dedication goes out to my own Taina Princess Layala. Blog Post I am about to embark on a year long do-it-yourself educational experiment with a few close friends. We are all currently teaching in public and charter schools in New Orleans. We will take turns facilitating seminars for ourselves, one another, and anyone else who would like to come our public meetings. -
- Sunday, Feb 07, 2010
Blog Post Can consumer society survive climate change? ZNet Article The Global War on Terror is now resulting in an erosion of civil liberties in the United States. We must consider cases such as the one of Fahad Hashmi, which illustrates the overreaching powers that have come to characterize the Federal Government, the intelligence community, and the American justice system through the War on Terror. Book Une histoire populaire des États-Unis
De 1492 à nos jours
Traduit de l’anglais par Frédéric Cotton
Book Impostures Intellectuelles est un ouvrage d'Alan Sokal et Jean Bricmont publié en 1997. Book Premier volet du quintet de l'Islam Blog Post Increase in violent crime, homeless school children, lunchroom moms packing heat and cancelled public works projects; just the sign of the times! Blog Post Texte trouvé sur le blog d'Alain Gresh
http://blog.mondediplo.net/-Nouvelles-d-Orient- Blog Post Explains some interesting features of the intellectual life in "liberal" regimes..., the freedom of press, the role of intellectuals and so on.
Blog Post John Stanton reports on the latest attack directed against the U.S. Army's Human Terrain System.... -
- Saturday, Feb 06, 2010
Blog Post "Corporate America" gets a brand new meaning Blog Post A call for a new, Fifth International, to come out of the upcoming conference in Venezuela is for it to be a Participatory Socialist International is here: http://ruby.zcommunications.org/newinternational.htm This is what I signed it. -
- Thursday, Feb 04, 2010
Blog Post We have no brakes and the accelerator is stuck. Blog Post http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/5512/as_milwaukees_economy_fails_how_can_public_schools_succeed/ ZNet Article Energy and Power in the Middle East Blog Post With the recent Supreme Court decision of Citizens United v. the Federal Elections Commission, the Corporate States of America was officially born. Perhaps we can compare the Corporate States to the Confederate States of the mid 19th Century. -
- Wednesday, Feb 03, 2010
Blog Post workinginthesetimes.com post for Feb. 3, 2010 Blog Post Registration is open for the US Social Forum, in Detroit, Michigan (June 22-26). Blog Post Several attempts have been made since the 60s to unify, theoretically, the diverse social movements, with the hope that this will aid the aborted fulfillment of the radical promise of the 1960s. The approach taken here to this quest for unification will b Blog Post The neo-fascist Supreme Court rolls back democracy. -
- Tuesday, Feb 02, 2010
Blog Post Traduzione dell'articolo Zinn: A Marvelous Victory http://www.zmag.org/zspace/commentaries/4128 Blog Post This is a post that concisely details a socialist (cooperative communitarian) alternative ecological economic redevelopment plan that deals directly with existing and impending resource scarcity. Blog Post This piece puts the 6 month-old strike by mine workers in Canada in a larger context, that of neoliberalism, and argues that we should all support the strikers because we face a common enemy. Blog Post If the Left does not have some kind of coherent, well-thought-out plan of its own, and just relies on whatever reactive "get-our-people-in-office-and-all-will-be-well" strategy the Michigan Democratic Party comes up with, I think we are likely to see even -
- Monday, Feb 01, 2010
Blog Post Dems show pre-existing condition: compulsion for disastrous concessions
The Democratic healthcare reform effort has been gasping for air, as Art Levine suggested in his recent post.
But healthcare reform certainly won't be resuscitated if Democrat Blog Post This post tries to synopsize the role of the profession and practice of Resource and Regional Planning and Allocation and how it must change to meet the scarcity, inclusion, equity, humane, artisan, wellness-oriented, peaceful, participatory, and sustaina ZNet Article I have a cousin. A male cousin. We were born less than two months apart. But he exemplified for me the inequality of sisters and brothers, made it real and living and present and enfeebled and invalidated by comparison any prepackaged assurances of equality. - All Newest Sustainer Content

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New Sustainer Comments
Forum Post Hi Michael B., I just noticed this while looking in our new forum system. I would be happy for you to review. Please send to me when done...   Forum Post Speaking of celebrities, I think it is telling that so many celebrities who are not leftist radicals but fairly standard Hollywood liberals appear in "A People Speak." Zinn wrote with such a mild manner that I think he made non-radical liberals more comfortable but at the same time I think there are a alot of people who express admiration for Zinn who really don't understand his radicalism. There are a couple of non-radical liberal acquaintances on my facebook friends list who paid tribute to Zinn when he died and one young lady even allowed that she was very sad but I wonder if either of them have actually read any of his works. I remember an English professor at my undergraduate institution who expressed warm admiration for Zinn but she is a fairly standard liberal. Perhaps "A People's History" is going to become or has already become a book that you read, or pretend to read, if you want to seem sophisticated and part of the counter-culture. Perhaps some people have not read Zinn but have heard that he tells history from the point of view of ordinary Americans and think that it is a very nice thing even if they haven't read much about Zinn's interpretation of specific historical events and phenomenon.It's not a knock on Zinn but I can't imagine Ben Affleck and Matt Damon getting celebrities together to do a movie about one of Chomsky's books. Zinn probably had more mainstream acceptance than Chomsky because he often wrote in the manner of a kindly Catholic priest and didn't have the level of intellectual fierceness as Chomsky. And Zinn wrote little on Israel-Palestine, which is understandable and not a knock on him.. But if he did write on Israel-Palestine I'm sure he would not have been given a column in The Progressive.The quote from Zinn at the end of this article demonstrates why Zinn had a certain level of acceptance that Chomsky didn't have. He writes with such a mild manner. He says " I wish President Obama would listen carefully to Martin Luther King.....What would Martin Luther King do? And what would Martin Luther King say?’ And if he only listened to King, he would be a very different president than he’s turning out to be so far." Of course, I think Zinn knew that politics dosen't actually work that way. Substantial progressive change won't come about merely ("if only") when Obama starts paying attention to MLK's radical ideas. But Zinn chose the tactic in that interview of criticizing Obama in rather grandfatherly fashion and some folks might find that manner of speaking more palatable than Chomsky's more blunt appraisal.   Forum Post Perhaps Goodman thinks that people who have never heard of Zinn who read this article might become interested in Zinn if they see he has credentials like being mentioned in Good Will Hunting or that a "star studded" cast appeared in a movie based on his work.Goodman did a better job covering Zinn's life in the segment of the show where Chomsky and Anrove and, I think Naomi Klein, appeared to discuss Zinn's life. Zinn had such a rich life it is difficult to fully impart that richness in a short article but I think more important than the celebrity connections were things like his work against the Vietanam war (e.g. getting beat up by the cops), his battles with John Silber, (the right wing lunatic former president of Boston University), how a People's HIstory has been taught in classrooms in this country (how many I would be interested to know), how the presence of the book has influenced efforts to teach kids history, how the book has caused controversy among elite intellectuals, the resistance to using the book as a textbook in schools, the resistance of some parents when Zinn was invited to speak to high school classes, and so on. Forum Post I am a daily user of the ZCom site, and I hadn't noticed the poll until yesterday. Since I like to participate in active debates, I usually navigate directly to the ZSpace page. But the poll isn't visible there. I went to the ZNet page proper last week, where I saw the "Endorse our proposal" box. I read it and being quite excited about it, I immediately clicked on the "Endorse" link... which means that I completely overlooked the last paragraph where the poll is mentioned.So for me, the poll was completely overshadowed by the "Fifth Internationale" proposal!I finally noticed a link to the poll yesterday; I can't even remember where. Anyway, I've started taking the poll. -
- Monday, Feb 08, 2010
Forum Post Again my title, verbatim. This also sort of happened with "The Empire's New Clothes." Perhaps just a coincidence but maybe not (I have reason to suspect not).More importantly, this is not an impressive write up! I'm a little insulted by the superficiality. Please the celebrity attachment: we have to hear of course about Hollywood actor Matt Damon and about the famous author Alice W. and about the "star-studded" nature (so what?) of the cast on the documentary and we have to be told that NC is "world-renowned linguist." Come on. This does not come off well in my opinion. It does not do justice to HZ.Please do better and be a little more careful on you're title-checks AG and DM (it's starting to look a little creepy) I think these 2 issues I'm raising -- (a) posslby lifting my titles and (b) celebrity attachment and superficiality --- strike me as potentially interrelated. Forum Post ...I can't read any of the comments under the new system...so did not know whether the first version of my comment went up or not hence the second (or third, i have no idead at this point) one/version. My password is iffy now (it is unclear when and if Im am actually logged in) and I no longer see the "quick edit" function that previously allowed corrections....Still, I assume someone somewhere can read what I wrote (I can't) and that the basic point is clear enough.... Forum Post you know i have heard a lot complaints growing over the recent years of how DN! is becoming too focused on celebrities and leftist intellecutals (professors and such).   Forum Post I just want to remind you that in point #4 of the PSI proposal, it is made explicit that what is being proposed is a multi-'current' alliance, in which there would be ongoing debates over differences of strategy, analysis and vision.Moreover, there is no mention in the entire proposal of 'parecon,' 'parpolity,' or any other parts of the 'parsoc' vision(s) advocated by many ZNet supporters, including many (but by no means all) signatories. Some of the signatories are Marxists, some are eco-feminists, some are Trotskyists, some are anarchists, some are syndicalists, some are radical social democrats, and so on, and there are supporters and critics of parecon among the 'initial endorsers.' (Chomsky, for instance, endorses the proposal, but does not endorse parecon. Same with Michael Lowy, Vandana Shiva, and others.)More generally, it is important to see that this is an intervention in the debate, which originated and is mainly proceeding in Latin America, about Hugo Chavez's proposal for a new International. It isn't an idea that came out of the PPS [Project for a Participatory Society] groups, like the ones you mention (and which I have also been involved in). It is (1) an expression of broad support for the basic idea put forward by Chavez, and (2) a more focussed argument about what basic form that idea should take in practice (like being multi-current, and giving equal weight to a range of issues like race, gender, class, ecology, etc., rather than focusing on one or two of these at the expense of other issues, etc.).For these reasons, it is very misleading, I think, to frame the PSI proposal as a suggestion to create a bigger, more global version of the PPS project that has basically emerged from ZNet.It would be a mistake, in other words, to confuse the label "participatory socialist International" with the very different idea of a "parsoc International." What is proposed in the PSI document is not a parsoc International. Forum Post "It would be a mistake, in other words, to confuse the label "participatory socialist International" with the very different idea of a "parsoc International." What is proposed in the PSI document is not a parsoc International."You're absolutely right, and that's why I endorsed it. By the way, there's no field on the left of the document for endorsers in Japan. - All New Sustainer Comments

ZSpacer's Films
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- Wednesday, Feb 11, 2009
Film Review The movie Slumdog Millionaire and the Booker Prize-winning novel White Tiger have highlighted the non-shiny part of India. Far from exploiting poverty, these are stories about India that demand a global response — especially for the sake of the children -
- Sunday, Feb 01, 2009
Film The story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life... -
- Thursday, Oct 30, 2008
Film Review This comment may contain spoilers Film An illiterate cook (Robert De Niro) at a company cafeteria tries for the attention of a newly widowed woman (Jane Fonda). As they get to know one another, she discovers his inability to read. When he is fired, she takes on trying to teach him to read in h -
- Monday, Jun 16, 2008
Film Directed by Ken Loach, written by Paul Laverty, this film tells the story of the relationship between George, a free-spirited Scottish bus driver and Carla, a Nicaraguan refugee who is adrift in Glasgow. -
- Tuesday, Jun 03, 2008
Film Manuel Artiguez, a famous bandit during the Spanish civil war, has lived in French exile for 20 years. When his mother is dying he considers visiting her secretly in his Spanish home town. But his biggest enemy, the Spanish police officer Vinolas, prepare Film Review This is one of the lesser known popularized films on the Spanish Civil War. - All ZSpacer's Films

Some ZSpacer's Books
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- Sunday, Feb 07, 2010
Book Une histoire populaire des États-Unis
De 1492 à nos jours
Traduit de l’anglais par Frédéric Cotton
Book Impostures Intellectuelles est un ouvrage d'Alan Sokal et Jean Bricmont publié en 1997. Book Premier volet du quintet de l'Islam -
- Friday, Jan 01, 2010
Book This brilliant new book from the author of Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch explores the tyranny of positive thinking, and offers a history of how it came to be the dominant mode in the USA. Book In Transforming Power, veteran activist Judy Rebick champions new ways of achieving political goals by emphasizing co-operation and consensus over confrontation and partisanship. Rebick argues that today's combination of environmental crisis, globalization, and rapid technological innovation is producing profound new ideas about social and political life, and that this groundswell is truly the vanguard of a global movement to change the way we live our lives, from the ground up. -
- Thursday, Oct 01, 2009
Book Shevek, a brilliant physicist, decides to take action. He will seek answers, question the unquestionable, and attempt to tear down the walls of hatred that have isolated his planet of anarchists from the rest of the civilized universe. To do this dangerous task will mean giving up his family and possibly his life. Shevek must make the unprecedented journey to the utopian mother planet, Anarres, to challenge the complex structures of life and living, and ignite the fires of change. -
- Tuesday, Sep 01, 2009
Book The hike in global food prices has pushed hundreds of millions more people into poverty, and sparked riots and protests in the Middle East, Africa and the Americas. Walden Bello, the leading writer and activist on the global South, provides a penetrating analysis of the various causes: not just the rise in energy costs, but also the IMF and WTO-led restructuring of the worldwide agricultural system. - All Some ZSpacer's Books

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Getting Started
Some Sustainers
Exemplary ZSpace Pages
Michael McGehee's Page Chris Spannos's Page Michael Albert's Page If you prepare a ZSpace page you think is worthy of highlighting in this box, please let us know via sysop@zmag.org - thank you! 
Sustainer Blogs
Blog Post The current situation is marked by two notable factors… Blog Post More on the abduction of an employee with the U.S. Human Terrain System in Iraq... Blog Post I don't understand Question 33 from the Vision and Strategy poll, and I'm looking for an example to illustrate what is meant. -
- Monday, Feb 08, 2010
Blog Post I'd like to ask the 44 Nobel laureates who added their names and endorsements to the Open Letter on Iran published in the New York Times on February 7, 2010 Blog Post This will be the first in the series of many more blogs to come in which I will primarily focus on members of the Puerto Rican community which have distinguished themselves greatly in society. They will be from a wide range of fields to include science, astronomy, politics, religion, the military, the arts, invention, engineering and many others. I hope these articles will inspire many; especially my fellow Puerto Ricans and raise awareness amongst many as to the vast contributions to the global community made from the inhabitants of this tiny island. A special dedication goes out to my own Taina Princess Layala. Blog Post I am about to embark on a year long do-it-yourself educational experiment with a few close friends. We are all currently teaching in public and charter schools in New Orleans. We will take turns facilitating seminars for ourselves, one another, and anyone else who would like to come our public meetings. -
- Sunday, Feb 07, 2010
Blog Post Can consumer society survive climate change? Blog Post Increase in violent crime, homeless school children, lunchroom moms packing heat and cancelled public works projects; just the sign of the times! Blog Post Texte trouvé sur le blog d'Alain Gresh
http://blog.mondediplo.net/-Nouvelles-d-Orient- Blog Post Explains some interesting features of the intellectual life in "liberal" regimes..., the freedom of press, the role of intellectuals and so on.
- All Sustainer Blogs

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