Journalist Amy Goodman Arrested at RNC

Journalist Amy Goodman, of Democracy Now!, was arrested at the Republican National Convention on Monday. She was charged with conspiracy to riot, but was released today. More details HERE.

The Power of Nightmares

The Power Nightmares is an incredible UK series about the origins of the Neoconservative and Islamic Fundamentalist movements and their eerily similar tactics. It was serialized in McSweeney's excellent DVD magazine Wolphin, but is also available for download online via Archive.org.

PART I

Oil + $ + Politics =

Oil Change International invites you to "Follow The Oil Money". Their site features an excellent interactive database which gives a striking graphic view of the connections between the petroleum industry and the politicians they financially support. Check it out HERE.

(Shown US Congress Relationship View)

News Roundup

Several great articles have appeared in recent issues of the Christian Science Monitor:

Ugandan women improve their lives making paper beads.

Green roofs appearing on New York houses.

Trash ovens in Kenya save trees.

Reducing the racist disparity between crack and cocaine sentencing.

And from Mother Jones:

Chinese toy imports and the lack of U.S. safety regulations.
Which is followed by a short list of stories about the problems with a self-regulating industry including this gem:

HASBRO EASY-BAKE OVENS In 2006, Hasbro overhauled its iconic oven with a new design and heating system. By the following February, the company had to recall nearly 1 million ovens because children had suffered burns after getting their hands caught in them. Rather than taking the ovens back, Hasbro got the cpsc [consumer product safety commission] to sign off on an easier fix: It would send a repair kit to any consumer who requested it. The ovens were recalled again this July, after 77 kids had gotten burned; one five-year-old had to have a finger amputated. This time, consumers got to return their ovens—for a voucher, good only for another Hasbro product.

Richie Bush

If you haven't read a copy of artist/activist Peter Kuper's depressingly funny parody of a Richie Rich comic book featuring George W. you can watch an animated version HERE.

Shock Resistance

I just can't get enough of Naomi Klein. She recently worked with filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón to create a short film which explains the basic premise of her new book The Shock Doctrine.
Not only is it visually powerful and beautifully executed but it ends with a hopeful message.

F Bush

OK it's a cheap shot, but I couldn't resist going out for the long weekend on this lovely portrait of W made entirely out of pieces of porn magazines by Jonathan Yeo. Apparently the Bush Library commissioned him to make a portrait, but after they canceled his services Yeo decided to forge ahead and create one anyway. For detail views (which are definitely NOT work safe) go here.

via Juxtapoz

What Conservative Majority?

A new report from the media research group Media Matters for America gives evidence that the idea of a conservative majority in America is in fact false. "The Progressive Majority: Why Conservative America Is a Myth" includes a range of issues:

• The role of government - Americans support an active government that tackles problems, provides services, and aids those in need.
• The economy - Americans support increasing the minimum wage and strong unions, and believe the wealthy and corporations don't pay their fair share of taxes.
• Social issues - Americans support legal abortion and embryonic stem cell research; opinions on equal rights for women and gay Americans have grown dramatically more progressive in recent years.
• Security - Americans support a progressive approach to national security, emphasizing strong alliances and diplomacy over the indiscriminate use of military force. On domestic security issues, progressive approaches to crime and gun control enjoy wide support.
• The environment - By enormous margins, Americans favor strong environmental protections, a core progressive belief.
• Energy - Americans support energy conservation and the development of alternative fuels.
• Health care - Americans clearly favor universal coverage and are more than comfortable with government solutions to the health care problem.

Read more about the report here. Or download a full version here(PDF).

Groen!

Simple clear message from the Belgian Green Party.



Thanks to copywriter Filip Vandewiele for sending it along.

CNN agrees to make debate footage accessible.

CNN has agreed to make footage from the upcoming presidential debates available to the public without restrictions (read: copyrights). CNN's notice about this appears here.