Jeremy Brecher , Dec 2013 "Based on the Justinian Code’s protection of res communes, governments around the world have long served as trustees for rights held in common by the people...
What Then Must We Do? (his latest book and his twelfth since 1965) is a breezy, conversational read filled with somber forecasts, hopeful alternative economic strategies and lots of surprising facts and stats
William I. Robinson: "Simply put, the immense structural inequalities of the global political economy can no longer be contained through consensual mechanisms of social control. The ruling classes have lost legitimacy; we are witnessing a breakdown of ruling-class hegemony on a world scale."
"Although Hosni Mubarak was forced to step down in February 2011, the uprisings in Egypt show little sign of retreat. While the uniting rallying cry may have been against dictatorship, the struggle in Egypt that took headlines across the world in early 2011 reflected deeper social, political, and economic problems. The key demands of the revolution have still not been met. The continuation of military rule and the promise of more neoliberal economic policies lead many to believe it will be a long battle. Protestors in Egypt are hopeful, however, as people all over the world revolt against an economic system that benefits the few at the expense of the many."
"Nothing could enhance American democracy more than if Occupy Wall Street helped enact the 28th Constitutional Amendment to end the pretense that corporations are people who speak with money. The 99% can stop the privatization of government." Huffingtodn Post 12/14 2011
What Would a Green Industrial Strategy Look Like? Robert Pollin: Shifting spending from the military-industrial complex to a green economy would create more jobs and build a sustainable industrial base
GOD'S CENTURY: RESURGENT RELIGION AND GLOBAL POLITICS Timothy Shah, Daniel Philpott, Monica Duffy Toft Reviewed by Joustra. article was originally printed in the September/October 2011 issue of Books and Culture
Naomi Klein, at ALA in Toronto , June 2003 "Most of you probably didn't think that helping people to share books was subversive when you decided to become librarians. And it shouldn't be: sharing, giving, saving and reusing are the most human of impulses and we are at our best and most human when we act on them. The desire to share, as you know, is immense." Yet the fact is that you have chosen a profession that has become radical. Being a librarian today means being more than an archivist, more than a researcher, more than an educator - it means being a guardian the embattled values of knowledge, public space and sharing that animate your profession.
October 28 is the National Day of Greece. On October 28, 1940 Mussolini asked Greek government to surrender. When the Greeks replied “NO”, Italians invaded the country. Surprisingly, Greek army won the war over the wanna-be Roman Empire of Mussolini. Only after a second German invasion, Greek army collapsed. Every year after the Liberation, on October 28 Greeks celebrate the historic “No” with a huge military parade in Thessaloniki and school parades in all municipalities. But this year’s October 28 was different. All over the country, parades turned to anti-government and anti-austerity demonstrations. People who lost their jobs, students and pupils, “indignados”, professors and teachers, everyday working people with no political background, expressed their anger for the IMF-EU-Greek government austerity plans. They demanded government officials to leave the parades and in many cases politicians were forced to leave.
"I think we need a revolution of the middle class, through the national parliaments. These anxieties of the people in the street need to be adressed at parliamentary level so they know that they are being heard. When parliament enacts disgraceful legislation, I would like to see us out in the street. "
The use of social media to facilitate and organise protests could lead to an uncertain future for the web in Egypt.Jillian York (Boston) Last Modified: 01 Feb 2011