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In the transmodern world, human rights form the foundation for appropriate laws and a new language of world truth. Our planetizing human tribe reinvents communication, education, commerce and politics as the new millennium unfolds. |
YOU UPGRADEmag
Common Dreams Newscenter received praise from Jeff Cohen, founder of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), the New York-based media watch organization, for doing an excellent job of compiling breaking news and views.
YOU UPGRADEmag
Parallel YOUniversity's UPGRADEmag from Sept. 18th, with comments, pleas, rants and sermons from Deepak Chopra, Alexei Sayle, Chomsky, Buddha, Greg Sams, John Pilger, Robert Fisk, Gay Times, Theodoore Rozak, Mark Heley, Jules Marshall and ... YOU!
SORTING THROUGH THE RUBBLE
The October 1st issue of The Nation features editorials, comments and columns trying to make sense of the calamity. All are available currently at The Nation's website.
A HOLE IN THE WORLD
Reflections from New Yorker Jonathan Schell about what should be done in the aftermath of the World Trade Center attack, as well as what should not be done, considering the destructive power of nuclear weapons.
THE DARK SMOKE
David Corn points out that things do indeed seem to be changing, namely political discussion, in George W. Bush's favor. Perhaps the intelligence community will now receive additional funds and give more money to spies.
TERROR IN AMERICA
Robert Fisk gives his informed opinion on past events in the Middle East that makes some of the people there the presumed aggressors against the United States.
PAX AMERICANA
Patricia Williams connects the degree to which Americans dismissed the World Conference Against Racism, and the degree to which newscasters seem naive about resentment of US foreign policies.
A GREAT WOUND
The Nation's editors warn against succumbing to fear and hurt pride, loss of civil liberties, and the thinking that brutal reprisals will act as a deterrent to further violence.
MEDIA BIAS ON HIJACKING
When we require detatched, unbiased coverage in the wake of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, scapegoating and rush to judgement is widespread. CNN airs interviews with Henry Kissinger and network news does not hesitate to place blame and call for revenge. As Laura Flanders says, "the media have an enormous capacity to make an awful situation worse." Read commentary on this from Working For Change's Geov Parrish.
REPORT FROM WASHINGTON DC
Local activists in DC are afraid that the US government and military are planning to escalate violence around the world in reponse. They say that the attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center are the result of oppressive military and economic policies that the United States inflicts on other countries and people.
ACCOUNT FROM GENOA
Independent media Center reporter, Red Black Promise offers the point of view of a participant in the bloc, starting with details from the First International Genoa Offensive meeting on the 16th of July.
CONTROLLING CORPORATIONS
The corporate control of American Democracy gives priority to profit over basic human rights. Check out this page for a comprehensive list of sites and articles covering the issue.
THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS
A party promoter and two nightculb managers are being railroaded by New Orleans police and the DEA in a legal battle that affects the future of the entire dance community.
TWO FACES OF GLOBALIZATION
Two summits on globalization--the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil--faced off this week in a symbolic battle for the planet's future.
CULTURAL CREATIVES
Are you a Cultural Creative? Visit the website by the authors of The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World and delve into the subculture whose creativity of optimism and altruism could promise a new way of life for our time and the time ahead.
DEATH BECOMES US: WHY AMERICANS SUPPORT CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
Alone among advanced industrial nations still practicing state sanctioned murder, the USA is heading for a long overdue identity crisis. An editorial.
ALCHEMIND SOCIETY
The Alchemind Society is an international nonprofit association of people united by their belief that the freedom to control one's own consciousness is the essential foundation of all other freedoms. They seek to foster cognitive liberty, the right of each individual to think independently, to use the full spectrum of his or her mind, and to engage in multiple modes of thought and alternative states of consciousness.
Globalization
Ever since the WTO protests in Seattle, the world has started to examine globalization, the global economy, global corporations, world trade, and inequalities in wealth. Do we really want international corporations controlling the world, setting political as well as economic policy? Should the profit motive be the sole motivating factor in world affairs? Should we continue down the destructive path of materialism and consumption? With the world uniting as one, we face unprecedented potential for cooperation or competition, destruction or sustainability. Around the world, people have begun to stand up against the corporate agenda.
You can find out more information about globalization and activism in general from:
GLOBAL EXCHANGE
The place to go for global issues, workers rights, political and economic freedom, and sustainable development. Excellent source for news and actions.
CORPORATE WATCH
On-line magazine and resource center, keeping track of corporations and the global economy. Award-winning source for information.
PROTEST.NET
Global community of activists. Has excellent magazine, Znet, protest news, events, actions, calendars, handbooks, and links by region and organization.
Independent Media Center
What began as an independent and fair source for information about events in Seattle during the WTO protests, has evolved into an international resource for media of all types, covering activist issues and allowing journalists to post their stories.
WHIRLED BANK
Parody site of the World Bank, created in time for their most recent meeting in Washington D.C. in April. Contains good information about the World Bank and global economy. Also see the official protest site, which is filled with background information, archive of the actions in DC, and links to everything on the subject, A16
Culture Jamming
As mass media attempts to gain greater control over our culture and behavior, and as more and more media companies are consolidating into a handful of all-powerful media monopolies... it is refreshing to know that there is a vibrant and creative counter-culture in culture.
ADBUSTERS
Culture jammers headquarters. On the frontlines of cultural activism; creators of Adbusters Magazine, uncommercials, parody ads, Buy Nothing Day, and TV Turn-off Week. "Our aim is to topple existing power structures and forge a major shift in the way we will live in the 21st century. We believe culture jamming can be to our era what civil rights was to the 60's. It will alter the way we live and think. It will change the way information flows, the way institutions wield power, the way TV stations are ran, the way the food, fashion, automobile, sports, music, and culture industries set their agendas. Above all, it will change the way meaning is processed in our society."
MEDIA CHANNEL
"As the media watched the world, we watch the media." Excellent source of information about the media, commercialization, society and culture. Amazing network of affiliated sites and links, all organized very well.
ALBION MONITOR
The news you're missing. Important stories ignored by the American mainstream press.
MILLENNIUM MESSAGE FROM THE DALAI LAMA
Many people seem to be excited about the new millennium, but the new millennium in itself will be nothing special. As we enter into the new millennium things will be the same; there will be nothing unusual. However, if we really want the next millennium to be happier, more peaceful and more harmonious for humankind we will have to make the effort to make it so. This is in our hands, but especially in the hands of the younger generation.
We have had many experiences during this century - constructive as well as extremely destructive ones. We must learn from these experiences. We need to approach the next millennium more holistically, with more openness and farsightedness. If we are going to make the right kind of efforts to make the future of the world better, I believe the following matters are of great importance.
1. While engaging in material progress and taking care of physical well-being we need to pay equal attention to developing peace of mind and thus taking care of the internal aspect of our being.
2. Along with education, which generally deals only with academic accomplishments, we need to develop more altruism and a sense of caring and responsibility for others in the minds of the younger generation studying in various educational institutions. This can be done without necessarily involving religion. One could therefore call this 'secular ethics', as it in fact consists of basic human qualities such as kindness, compassion, sincerity and honesty.
3. This past century in some ways has been a century of war and bloodshed. It has seen a year by year increase in defense spending by most countries in the world. If we are to change this trend we must seriously consider the concept of non-violence, which is a physical expression of compassion. In order to make non-violence a reality we must first work on internal disarmament and then proceed to work on external disarmament. By internal disarmament I mean ridding ourselves of all the negative emotions that result in violence. External disarmament will also have to be done gradually, step by step. We must first work on the total abolishment of nuclear weapons and gradually work up to total demilitarisation throughout the world. In the process of doing this we also need to work towards stopping the arms trade, which is still very widely practiced because it is so lucrative. When we do all these things, we can then hope to see in the next millennium a year by year decrease in the military expenditure of the various nations and a gradual working towards demilitarisation.
Human problems will, of course, always remain, but the way to resolve them should be through dialogue and discussion. The next century should be a century of dialogue and discussion rather than one of war and bloodshed.
4. We need to address the issue of the gap between the rich and the poor, both globally and nationally. This inequality, with some sections of the human community having abundance and others on the same planet going hungry or even dying of starvation, is not only morally wrong, but practically also a source of problems. Equally important is the issue of freedom. As long as there is no freedom in many parts of the world there can be no real peace and in a sense no real freedom for the rest of the world.
5. For the sake of our future generations, we need to take care of ourearth and of our environment. Environmental damage is often gradual and not easily apparent and by the time we become aware of it, it is generally too late. Since most of the major rivers flowing into many parts of south-east Asia originate from the Tibetan plateau, it will not be out of place to mention here the crucial importance of taking care of the environment in that area.
6. Lastly, one of the greatest challenges today is the population explosion. Unless we are able to tackle this issue effectively we will be confronted with the problem of the natural resources being inadequate for all the human beings on this earth.
We need to seriously look into these matters that concern us all if we are to look forward to the future with some hope.
THE HUNGER SITE
Here's a web site which gathers sponsors to make donations so that every time a person goes to the site and clicks on the "Donate Free Food" button, one sponsor will make a donation to feed a starving person for one day. You can do this once a day. This is a form of advertising for the sponsoring corporations. It gets their name in front of you, and does not cost you anything to make this donation. The donated food is distributed through the United Nations World Food Program.
HOW PRISONS PRODUCE CRIME
Popular perceptions about crime have blurred the boundaries between fact and politically expedient myth. The myth is that the United States is besieged, on a scale never before encountered, by a pathologically criminal underclass. The fact is that we're not. After spiraling upward during the drug wars, murder rates began falling in the mid-1990s; they are lower today than they were more than twenty years ago. For the Atlantic Monthly by Sasha Abramsky.
GLOBALIZING GRASSROOTS COMMUNITIES
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