Articles by ICH
We found 2433 results.
THE HUMANITARIAN MYTH
Richard Seymour – Socialist Worker,
26 Jan 2010
The author of The Liberal Defense of Murder, analyzes the propaganda manufactured to justify U.S. actions in Haiti after the earthquake. With U.S. forces obstructing aid and beefing up "security" while Haitians die, no one should accept that the U.S. is motivated by "humanitarianism."WITHIN DAYS of Haiti suffering an earthquake registering 7.0 on the Richter […]
→ read full articleWHY SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION IS NOT A JOB FOR THE MARKET
Michael Edwards – Open Democracy,
26 Jan 2010
In 2007, I experienced one of those fork-in-the-road moments that seem to occur when you least expect them. It was another day at the office, sifting through e-mails in the Ford Foundation’s glass palace in Manhattan, where I worked as one of the organization’s six directors. As usual, half of my inbox was filled by […]
→ read full articleTHE OTHER HALF
Dietrich Fischer,
18 Jan 2010
A married couple enjoyed their new fishing boat together, but it was always the husband who was behind the wheel operating the boat. He was concerned about what might happen in an emergency. So one day out on the lake he said to his wife, "Please take the wheel, dear. Pretend that I am having […]
→ read full articleTHE MILITARIZATION OF EMERGENCY AID TO HAITI: IS IT A HUMANITARIAN OPERATION OR AN INVASION?
Michel Chossudovsky – Global Research,
16 Jan 2010
Haiti has a longstanding history of US military intervention and occupation going back to the beginning of the 20th Century. US interventionism has contributed to the destruction of Haiti’s national economy and the impoverishment of its population. The devastating earthquake is presented to World public opinion as the sole cause of the country’s predicament. A […]
→ read full articlePARECON & PARTICIPATORY SOCIETY
Matt Grinder, interviewing Michael Albert - ZNet,
14 Jan 2010
In this interview, Michael Albert, one of the originators of Participatory Economics (along with Robin Hahnel), is interviewed by parecon advocate Matt Grinder. Matt Grinder: Could you briefly summarize Participatory Economics, or parecon? Michael Albert: Participatory Economics, or parecon for short, is a vision for how to conduct economics in a classless manner. It delivers to […]
→ read full articleWRONG ANSWER
Dietrich Fischer,
11 Jan 2010
Little Billy returns home from school and says he got an F in arithmetic. Why?" asks the father." The teacher asked, ‘How much is two times three?’ I said six," replied Billy. "But that’s right!" says his dad. Yeah, but then she asked me, ‘How much is three times two?’" "What’s the bloody difference?" asks […]
→ read full articleAFRICOM – LATEST U.S. BID TO RECOLONISE THE CONTINENT
Tichaona Nhamoyebonde – Global Research,
11 Jan 2010
African revolutionaries now have to sleep with one eye open because the United States of America is not stopping at anything in its bid to establish Africom, a highly-equipped US army that will be permanently resident in Africa to oversee the country’s imperialist interests. Towards the end of last year, the US government intensified its […]
→ read full articleLOGIC
Dietrich Fischer,
3 Jan 2010
A boy from a village went to study at the university in the nearest town. One day he returned home, and one of his childhood friends asked him, "What are you studying?" He said, "I am studying logic." His friend asked, "Logic, what’s that?" He said, "I will explain it to you. Do you […]
→ read full articleCOVERUP
Dietrich Fischer,
31 Dec 2009
A man comes home and finds his dog with the neighbor’s pet rabbit in his mouth. It is dead. He is shocked and is afraid that the neighbors will hate him forever. So he takes the dirty, chewed up rabbit into the house, gives it a bath, blow dries its fur and puts the […]
→ read full articleODDS
Dietrich Fischer,
22 Dec 2009
A patient did not feel well and went to see his doctor. The doctor examined him and said, "I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news is that you have a problem that requires immediate surgery. It is a serious operation from which two out of three people die. "But […]
→ read full articleSEPTEMBER 11, 2001: AMERICA AND NATO DECLARE WAR ON AFGHANISTAN
Michel Chossudovsky - Global Research,
20 Dec 2009
NATO’s Doctrine of Collective Security Why are American and NATO troops in Afghanistan? What is the justification for waging war on a country of 28 million people? What justifies Obama’s military surge? Both the media and the US government, in chorus, continue to point to the 9/11 attacks and the role of Al Qaeda led […]
→ read full articleLEFTIST WIN IN URUGUAY ELECTIONS
Michael Collins - Global Research,
14 Dec 2009
Uruguay’s left wing political coalition, the Broad Front party (Frente Amplio), retained control of the presidency in the November elections. This wasn’t just any election. The winner, flower farmer Jose "Pepe" Mujica, was the victim of imprisonment and torture during Operation Condor in the 1970’s as a result of his efforts as a Tupamaro rebel. […]
→ read full articleCOURTROOM
Dietrich Fischer,
14 Dec 2009
A man caught in embezzlement asked his lawyer, "Would it help my case if I sent the judge a box of cigars?" The lawyer warned, "Don’t do that! This judge is absolutely incorruptible, it could only hurt our cause." The day the case came to court, the judge ruled in favor of the defendant, to […]
→ read full articleEXCLUDED FROM THE COPENHAGEN AGENDA: ENVIRONMENTAL MODIFICATION TECHNIQUES (ENMOD) AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Michel Chossudovsky – Global Research,
7 Dec 2009
The Manipulation of Climate for Military UseThe term "environmental modification techniques" refers to any technique for changing – through the deliberate manipulation of natural processes – the dynamics, composition or structure of the Earth, including its biota, lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere, or of outer space. (Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile […]
→ read full articleLUCKY/UNLUCKY
Dietrich Fischer,
7 Dec 2009
A lucky housewife has a Swiss banker, a French cook, an English gardener and an Italian lover. An unlucky housewife has an Italian banker, an English cook, a French gardener and a Swiss lover. A lucky diplomat has an American salary, a Chinese cook, an English country house, and a Japanese wife. An unlucky diplomat […]
→ read full articleON VIRGINITY
Dietrich Fischer,
30 Nov 2009
A young woman had been married three times, but was still a virgin. The first husband had a heart attack as they stepped out of the church after the wedding. The second husband turned out to be a homosexual. And the third husband was a computer programmer who had a terminal in the […]
→ read full articlePALESTINIANS WHO SEE NONVIOLENCE AS THEIR WEAPON
Richard Boudreaux – Los Angeles Times,
27 Nov 2009
Mohammed Khatib and his West Bank supporters hope to rally others to a peaceful campaign for statehood. But fellow Palestinians seem largely indifferent, and Israel’s army is not amused.Reporting from Bilin, West Bank – Every Friday, Mohammed Khatib’s forces assemble for battle with the Israeli army and gather their weapons: a bullhorn, banners — and […]
→ read full article(ITALIAN) I PALESTINESI CHE USANO COME ARMA LA NONVIOLENZA
Richard Boudreaux - Los Angeles Times, Osservatorio Iraq,
27 Nov 2009
Bil’in, Cisgiordania – Ogni venerdì, le forze di Mohammed Khatib si radunano per combattere la loro battaglia contro l’esercito israeliano, e preparano le loro armi: un megafono, degli striscioni – e la forte convinzione che la protesta pacifica possa portare alla creazione di uno stato palestinese.A centinaia marciano verso la barriera israeliana che separa la […]
→ read full articleTITLES
Dietrich Fischer,
23 Nov 2009
Someone who farms is a farmer. Someone who writes is a writer. Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
→ read full articleDEBATE ON THE U.N. GAZA WAR CRIMES REPORT
Justice Richard Goldstone and former Israeli ambassador Dore Gold,
19 Nov 2009
Packed house hears Justice Richard Goldstone, whose name has become synonymous with the U.N. Human Rights Council’s fact-finding report on the conflict, engage in a public forum with a senior Israeli political figure over widespread criticism of the report among supporters of Israel. "Let me be absolutely clear," Goldstone said. "International law allows, and indeed […]
→ read full articleEXPLANATIONS TO THE BLIND
Dietrich Fischer,
18 Nov 2009
Someone asked Albert Einstein at a party: "Oh, you are Albert Einstein, could you please explain me your relativity theory in three or four sentences?" Einstein thought for a while, then he said, "I am very sorry, it is not really possible to explain relativity theory so quickly, but I will at least try to […]
→ read full articleCHURCH ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dietrich Fischer,
9 Nov 2009
"The cost for attending the Fasting and Prayer conference includes meals." "We are taking up a collection to defray the cost of the new carpet in the sanctuary. All those wishing to do something on the carpet please come forward and get a piece of paper." "There will be a picnic in the […]
→ read full articlePEACE STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY LEVEL
Dietrich Fischer,
8 Nov 2009
There is an enormous need in the world for people with skills in nonviolent and creative conflict transformation and work for peace in general. By solving conflicts in peaceful ways, creative energy can be released at the personal, social and world levels and material and nonmaterial destruction avoided. Peace studies, like medicine, are clearly […]
→ read full articleITALIAN RULING A MILESTONE VERDICT – AND EMBARRASSMENT FOR THE CIA
Mark Hosenball and Michael Isikoff - Newsweek,
5 Nov 2009
The ruling by an Italian judge convicting 23 Americans—including several CIA officers—of plotting the abduction of a Muslim cleric is a milestone verdict on several fronts. It represents the first legal judgment by a foreign court that elements of the Bush administration’s post-9/11 counterterrorism policies involved the commission of criminal acts. Even if none of […]
→ read full articleITALIAN COURT SENTENCES 23 CIA AGENTS OVER RENDITION FLIGHT
Richard Owen in Rome – The Times,
5 Nov 2009
An Italian court sentenced 23 former CIA agents to up to eight years in prison today for their role in the abduction of an Egyptian terrorist suspect in the first trial over “extraordinary renditions”.The Americans were all tried in absentia, but the verdicts were nevertheless hailed by human rights campaigners as an important victory that […]
→ read full articleLANGUAGE STYLE
Dietrich Fischer,
2 Nov 2009
A crusty old man walks into a bank and says to the teller, "I want to open a damn checking account." The astonished woman replies," I beg your pardon, sir. I must have misunderstood you. What did you say?" "Listen up, damn it. I said I want to open a damn checking account now!" […]
→ read full articleWELCOME TO 2025
Michael T. Klare,
28 Oct 2009
American Preeminence Is Disappearing Fifteen Years EarlyMemo to the CIA: You may not be prepared for time-travel, but welcome to 2025 anyway! Your rooms may be a little small, your ability to demand better accommodations may have gone out the window, and the amenities may not be to your taste, but get used to it. […]
→ read full articleRAINFOREST TREATY ‘FATALLY FLAWED’
Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor,
28 Oct 2009
Climate Summit Loophole Lets Palm Oil Producers Cull Vital Wilderness A vital safeguard to protect the world’s rainforests from being cut down has been dropped from a global deforestation treaty due to be signed at the climate summit in Copenhagen in December. Under proposals due to be ratified at the summit, countries which cut down […]
→ read full articleMISTAKES
Dietrich Fischer,
28 Oct 2009
A biology teacher wanted to warn his students about the harmful effects of alcohol. He put a worm into a glass of water, and another into a glass of whiskey. The one in water swam happily around, while the one in whisky curled up and sank dead to the bottom of the glass. "What do […]
→ read full articleWEATHER FORECASTERS
Dietrich Fischer,
20 Oct 2009
A tribe of American Indians on a reservation heard on their radio that there would be a cold winter. So they stacked up plenty of firewood. The next week, they heard the weatherman announce that there would be a severely cold winter. So they stacked up more firewood. A week later, the weatherman forecast that […]
→ read full articleDISARMAMENT: LESS THAN 1000 NUKES BY 2025?
Taro Ichikawa,
20 Oct 2009
Is the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (ICNND) drifting away from the goal of a nuclear weapons free world? Is a small group of Japanese government officials colluding with U.S. conservatives to torpedo reduction in American nuclear weapons? These questions loomed large in run-up to and during the Commission’s fourth meeting Oct. 18-20 […]
→ read full articleOBAMA AND THE NOBEL PRIZE: WHEN WAR BECOMES PEACE, WHEN THE LIE BECOMES THE TRUTH
Michel Chossudovsky,
12 Oct 2009
When war becomes peace, When concepts and realities are turned upside down, When fiction becomes truth and truth becomes fiction. When a global military agenda is heralded as a humanitarian endeavor, When the killing of civilians is upheld as "collateral damage", When those who resist the US-NATO led invasion of their homeland are […]
→ read full articlePSYCHIATRISTS
Dietrich Fischer,
12 Oct 2009
A psychiatrist needed a plumber. He fixed the leak within 20 minutes and charged $200. The psychiatrist complained, "I used to be able to charge $200 an hour, but now with managed care, I can get no more than $100 an hour. How can you charge $200 for 20 minutes?" The plumber replied, "When […]
→ read full articleCONGRATULATIONS PRESIDENT OBAMA ON THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE – NOW PLEASE EARN IT!
Michael Moore,
10 Oct 2009
Dear President Obama, How outstanding that you’ve been recognized today as a man of peace. Your swift, early pronouncements — you will close Guantanamo, you will bring the troops home from Iraq, you want a nuclear weapon-free world, you admitted to the Iranians that we overthrew their democratically-elected president in 1953, you made that great […]
→ read full articleON BEING NOSY
Dietrich Fischer,
5 Oct 2009
A bus stops and two Italian men get on. They sit down and engage in an animated conversation. The lady sitting next to them ignores them at first, but her attention is galvanized when she hears one of them say the following: "Emma come first. Den I come. Den! two asses come together. I come […]
→ read full articleEXPERTISE
Dietrich Fischer,
28 Sep 2009
A foreign tourist’s car got stuck in a small Russian village. The driver found a local engineer who looked at the motor, turned one screw, and the car worked again. He charged $100 for the repair. The tourist found this excessive and demanded an itemized bill. It said, "Turning a screw, 50 cents. Known where, […]
→ read full articleWHY GOLDSTONE’S REPORT MATTERS
Richar Falk,
21 Sep 2009
“So why did the Israeli government boycott the commission? The real answer is quite simple: they knew full well that the commission, any commission, would have to reach the conclusions it did reach.”— Uri Avnery (Israeli peace activist and former Knesset member), “On the Goldstone Report,” 19 Sept 2009. Richard Goldstone, former judge of South […]
→ read full articleFARMER STORIES
Diterich Fischer,
21 Sep 2009
A farmer from Appenzell was small and slim. On a visit to Zurich, a tall, heavy-set man said to him, "When I see you, it reminds me of a famine." The farmer replied, "Yes, and when I see you, it reminds me of who is responsible for the famine." A farmers couple from Appenzell went […]
→ read full articlePOLL: NEWS MEDIA’S CREDIBILITY PLUNGES TO NEW LOW
Michael Liedtke, The Associated Press,
15 Sep 2009
The news media’s credibility is sagging along with its revenue. Nearly two-thirds of Americans think the news stories they read, hear and watch are frequently inaccurate, according to a poll released Sunday by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. That marks the highest level of skepticism recorded since 1985, when this […]
→ read full articleTHE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION IS ACTUALLY INCREASING THE US PRESENCE IN IRAQ
Michael Schwartz,
14 Sep 2009
US Presence in Iraq is Actually Growing Believe it or not, the U.S. presence in Iraq is growing under the leadership of ‘antiwar ‘president Barack Obama. A recent Washington Post by reporter Walter Pincus explains that when U.S. troops are "withdrawn," their jobs are taken over by……mercenaries — the notorious "contractors," who are hired for […]
→ read full articleFORGETFULNESS
Dietrich Fischer,
14 Sep 2009
An old man sat on a park bench crying. A young man walked by and asked him why he was crying. The old man said, "I’m retired, with a fat pension, I have a big luxury apartment and a beautiful young wife who loves me." The young man asked, "Then why the hell are you […]
→ read full articleTHE REAL FRIENDS OF TERROR
Ted Honderich,
13 Sep 2009
Documentary Report: "Do Americans share with "Bin Laden" some of the moral responsibility for the attack?" "What is the difference between the horror and the violence created by suicide bombers and the horror and the violence created by bombs dropped from 30,000 feet by airplanes?" Can suicide bombers ever be justified? Professor Honderich, Britain’s leading […]
→ read full articleQUESTIONS
Dietrich Fischer,
10 Sep 2009
Someone calls an airline and asks, "Can you tell me how long it’ll take to fly from San Francisco to New York City?" The agent replies, "Just a minute…" "Thank you," he says, and hangs up. *************** My sister’s expecting a baby, and I don’t know if I’m going to be an uncle or an […]
→ read full articleAn Inspiring Message for the Future of Peace on Earth
Dietrich Fischer,
10 Sep 2009
Prof. Dr. Dietrich Fischer, Academic Director of the World Peace Academy, and Assistant Francesco Marelli
→ read full articleLIFE MANAGEMENT
Dietrich Fischer,
4 Aug 2009
A professor of management gave a lecture on time management. He filled a mason jar with a dozen fist-sized rocks, until no more would fit. He asked his students, "Is this jar full?" and all shouted "Yes!" Then he took some gravel from under the desk to fill the empty spaces and asked again, […]
→ read full articleENVIRONMENT
Dietrich Fischer,
27 Jul 2009
Isn’t making a smoking section in a restaurant like making a peeing section in a swimming pool?
→ read full articleAMERICA’S WARS: HOW SERIAL WAR BECAME THE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE
David Bromwich,
23 Jul 2009
On July 16, in a speech to the Economic Club of Chicago, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said that the "central question" for the defense of the United States was how the military should be "organized, equipped — and funded — in the years ahead, to win the wars we are in while being prepared […]
→ read full articleTOWARDS A GLOBAL CURRENCY? TOWARDS THE INTEGRATION OF THE DOLLAR AND THE EURO?
Michel Chossudovsky,
22 Jul 2009
With a view to restoring financial stability, World leaders have called upon the Group of 20 countries (G-20) to instigate a new global currency based on the IMF’s Special Drawing Rights (SDRs). The media has presented the global currency initiative as a consensus building process, in which BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) would […]
→ read full articleTRUTHFUL
Dietrich Fischer,
20 Jul 2009
An applicant was filling out a job application. When he came to the question, ‘Have you ever been arrested?’ he wrote, "No." The next question, intended for people who had answered in the affirmative to the previous question, was "Why?" The applicant answered it anyway: "Never got caught."
→ read full articleINFECTION
Dietrich Fischer,
13 Jul 2009
After an interval of four million years, two planets meet again in the universe. One asks the other, "How are you doing?" "Just fine, thank you. And you?" "I feel quite miserable." "What’s wrong?" "I have homo sapiens." "Don’t worry, that will pass."
→ read full articleTHE DOSSIER
ICH,
8 Jul 2009
Shadow Secrets – Must Watch Video This new film looks at the origins and history of the Afghan Mujahedin & al-Qaeda and their associations with various intelligence agencies including the CIA, FBI, MI6 and those of Saudi Arabia & Pakistan. Compiled, edited and produced by TheDossier http://www.thedossier.ukonline.co.uk/ CLICK TO VIEW – INFORMATION CLEARING HOUSE
→ read full articleTHE UIGHURS AND CHINA: LOST AND FOUND NATION
Yitzhak Shichor,
8 Jul 2009
The broader roots of the eruption of protest in China’s far-west region of Xinjiang lie in the experience of the Uighur people under Beijing’s rule. The reports of violence and deaths in the city of Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang province in northwest China, draw renewed attention to this comparatively neglected region of China and […]
→ read full articleNARRATIVE AND NATIONALISM
Dietrich Fischer,
6 Jul 2009
A man is taking a walk in Central park in New York. Suddenly he sees a little girl being attacked by a pit bull dog. He runs over and starts fighting with the dog. He succeeds in killing the dog and saving the girl’s life. A policeman who was watching the scene walks over and […]
→ read full articleWHICH DIRECTION?
Dietrich Fischer,
2 Jul 2009
After a summit meeting, Reagan, Brezhnev and Deng Xiaoping were being driven to the airport in a limousine. The driver arrived at an intersection and asked which way to go. Reagan said, "Turn right." Brezhnev said, "Turn left." Deng said, "Signal left and turn right."
→ read full articleREVEALING SIGNS
Dietrich Fischer,
22 Jun 2009
The following are actual signs seen in various places: – In a New York restaurant: "Customers who consider our waitresses uncivil ought to see the manager." – At a Santa Fé gas station: "We will sell gasoline to anyone in a glass container." – In the window of a long-established New Mexico dry […]
→ read full articleGRASSROOTS LESSONS FROM LATIN AMERICA
Michael Fox,
19 Jun 2009
Michael Fox is a Brazil-based independent journalist and co-producer of the new documentary Beyond Elections: Redefining Democracy in the Americas (PM Press). He is also the co-author of an upcoming book called Venezuela Speaks: Voices From the Grassroots, also available through PM Press and set to be released this fall. Throughout his research for this […]
→ read full articleDRINKING MICE
Dietrich Fischer,
15 Jun 2009
Three mice were drinking. The first said, "Let’s drink a glass and sing." The second said, "No, let’s drink two glasses and dance." The third said, "No, let’s drink three glasses and go beat up the cat!" ********************* A mouse fell into a jar of wine. She cried for help. The cat came and saw […]
→ read full articleDISARMAMENT
Dietrich Fischer,
9 Jun 2009
Honoré Daumier drew a cartoon of a disarmament conference. A group of generals and presidents stood in front of a door called disarmament, and complimented one another, "You go first." ********** In Geneva, business negotiators rent a hotel room. UN functionaries rent an apartment. And disarmament negotiators buy a house. ********** When someone argued, "We […]
→ read full articlePRAYER
Dietrich Fischer,
1 Jun 2009
A reverend came to heaven and said to St. Peter, "I have preached every Sunday and helped many people in my community, may I come into heaven?" St. Peter said, "Sure, please sit on this bench here and wait until your name will be called." Then a young man in blue jeans arrived […]
→ read full articleEVERYONE SHOULD SEE “TORTURING DEMOCRACY”
Bill Moyers and Michael Winship,
31 May 2009
In all the recent debate over torture, many of our Beltway pundits and politicians have twisted themselves into verbal contortions to avoid using the word at all. During his speech to the conservative American Enterprise Institute last week – immediately on the heels of President Obama’s address at the National Archives – former Vice […]
→ read full articleSTUPIDITY
Dietrich Fischer,
31 May 2009
Sweden has built a new bridge to an island. A driver is stopped by the police and told, "Your car is the ten-thousandth to cross this bridge, and we wish to give you an award. Can you tell me how you plan to use it?" "First of all I will take some driving lessons […]
→ read full article“THE WORLD HAS IGNORED OUR WARNINGS”
Dieter Bednarz and Erich Follath,
24 May 2009
Nuclear watchdog Mohamed ElBaradei talks about being wiretapped by the Bush administration, whose "arrogance and ignorance" turned the Middle East into "a giant mess." Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), discusses the record of his term in office, his bitter struggle with the Bush administration and the dangers that new […]
→ read full articleJOKES TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY
Dietrich Fischer,
19 May 2009
“Education is what remains after you have forgotten everything you learnt.” "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog."— Harry Truman "Anger has always a reason, but seldom a good one." — Benjamin Franklin "Those who can give up essential liberty for a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." — Benjamin […]
→ read full articleXSTRATA DREAMING: THE STRUGGLE OF ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIANS AGAINST A SWISS MINING GIANT
Michael Deibert,
15 May 2009
The McArthur River winds through Australia’s remote Northern Territory creating lush floodplains that sustain vast herds of kangaroos, wallabies and cattle. Above them, finches, wild turkeys, and flocks of migratory birds fill an endless sky. The area around the river, which runs 300 kilometers before emptying into the Gulf of Carpentaria, also provides spiritual sustenance […]
→ read full article“DON’T BUY ANY FOOD YOU’VE EVER SEEN ADVERTISED”
Democracy Now! Amy Goodman, interviewing Michael Pollan,
15 May 2009
"The real food is not being advertised. And that’s really all you need to know." Amy Goodman: Energy, healthcare, agriculture, climate change, global outbreaks like swine flu—what do all these topics have in common? Food. That’s right, none of these issues can really be tackled without addressing some of the fundamental problems of the food […]
→ read full articleCITIES CAN SAVE THE EARTH
Richard Register,
13 May 2009
The climate crisis won’t be solved by changing light bulbs and inflating your tires more, planting a tree and driving a little less. It’s going to require a truly fundamental shift in how we build our cities and live in them. The key to changing our cities involves the car. Cars dominate cities in […]
→ read full articleCOMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
Dietrich Fischer,
13 May 2009
Science is hard. It is like looking for a black cat in a dark room. Philosophy is harder. It is like looking in a dark room for a black cat that is not there. And dialectics is like looking in a dark room for a black cat that is not there but is constantly crying, […]
→ read full articleMUSICIANS
Dietrich Fischer,
12 May 2009
A little boy rang the neighbor’s bell. "Does it disturb you that I practice the piano every day?" "To be frank," the neighbor replied, "it really disturbs us a lot." The boy said, "Then could you please be so kind and complain to my mother?"
→ read full articleGOD AND THE WORLD
Dietrich Fischer,
29 Apr 2009
God was disgusted with the mess in the world that people had created. He decided to end the experiment in three days, and summoned Bill Clinton, Boris Yeltsin and Bill Gates in front of him to tell them that he would destroy the world, and they should please announce it to their people. Clinton went […]
→ read full articleLESSON ON POLITICS
Dietrich Fischer,
22 Apr 2009
A teacher gave her fourth graders a lesson about politics. Johnny raised his hand and said, "I don’t understand all that." "Go home and ask your father," she said, "he is a politician, he will explain it to you." When Johnny came home, he found his father sitting on his armchair, reading the paper. "Father," […]
→ read full articleUS-NATO MILITARY AGENDA: THE DESTABILIZATION OF PAKISTAN
Michel Chossudovsky,
20 Apr 2009
Author’s note: In an article published in December 2007, following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, I suggested that the US-NATO course for Pakistan consisted "in fomenting social, ethnic and factional divisions and political fragmentation, including the territorial breakup of Pakistan." Recent developments (including the aerial bombardments of Pakistani villages under the auspices of the "war […]
→ read full articleTHE CASSANDRA SYNDROME
Michael N. Nagler,
14 Apr 2009
"As a colleague of mine in Public Health recently declared, ‘We are increasing violence by every means possible.’ He was talking about the mass media. The enormously high, and increasing, level of violence in the ‘entertainment’ industry – including the violent emphasis of the nightly news – makes violence seem normal, unavoidable, sexy and fun […]
→ read full articleSTUDENTS
Dietrich Fischer,
13 Apr 2009
From actual students’ science papers: "Algebraical symbols are used when you don’t know what you are talking about." "Humans are more intelligent than beasts because the human brain has more convulsions." "The earth makes one resolution every 24 hours." "A triangle with an angle of 135 degrees is called an obscene […]
→ read full articleHOW DO WE SAVE NATO? WE QUIT
Andrew J. Bacevich,
3 Apr 2009
The alliance has lost its sense of purpose. The way to get it back is for the U.S. to withdraw and let Europe be responsible for its own defense. When he visits Strasbourg, France, this week to participate in festivities marking NATO’s 60th anniversary, President Obama should deliver a valedictory address, announcing his intention to […]
→ read full articleAN OPEN LETTER TO BAN KI-MOON
Richard Morse,
2 Apr 2009
Why Haiti Can’t Forget Its Past Dear Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, Thank you for the attention you have brought to the country of Haiti. In response to your New York Times Op Ed piece I wanted to widen your perspective a bit. I don’t pretend to represent anyone. I’ve been living in Haiti since 1985. I […]
→ read full articleLAWYERS
Dietrich Fischer,
31 Mar 2009
A lawyer entered a butcher store with his dog. The dog stole a sausage and ran away. The butcher asked the lawyer, "Now who is going to pay for this sausage?" "That will be my responsibility, of course," said the lawyer. The butcher said, "Alright, that is what I thought, that will be three dollars." […]
→ read full articleHUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN PALESTINE AND OTHER OCCUPIED ARAB TERRITORIES
Richard Falk – Member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace and Development,
25 Mar 2009
United Nations General Assembly – Human Rights Council 18 February 2009 Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.PLEASE CONTINUE READING IN THE ORIGINAL
→ read full articleHEAVEN AND HELL
Dietrich Fischer,
25 Mar 2009
In heaven the cooks are French, the policemen English, the mechanics German, the Swiss run the trains and the Italians are lovers. In hell the cooks are English, the policemen German, the mechanics French, the Italians run the trains and the Swiss are lovers.
→ read full articleCOLERIDGE AT THE G20
Richard Bronk,
22 Mar 2009
The Romantics have much to teach today’s leaders about the limits of rationalist economics Among the briefing notes being prepared for G20 world leaders, I suspect very few are drawing attention to the lessons taught by Romantic poets and philosophers. This is a pity. For they have much to tell us about the limits of […]
→ read full articleISRAEL’S WAR CRIMES
Richard Falk,
22 Mar 2009
Israel blamed its earlier wars on the threat to its security, even that against Lebanon in 1982. However, its assault on Gaza was not justified and there are international calls for an investigation. But is there the political will to make Israel account for its war crimes? For the first time since the establishment of […]
→ read full articleBEAWARE THE MADOFF DIVERSION!
Richard Grossman,
18 Mar 2009
Sure, there are crooks out there. But the overwhelming majority of actions by corporate directors and managers that have created today’s messes have been legal. Not only legal, but also widely regarded as necessary and essential to sustain the American Way of Life. To put food on our tables. To heat our homes. To […]
→ read full articleALBERT EINSTEIN
Dietrich Fischer,
16 Mar 2009
Albert Einstein compared the disarmament negotiations sponsored by the League of Nations with a discussion in a town council that, after a series of fatal stabbings, deliberates how long and how sharp the knives ought to be that people are allowed to carry when they go out. Someone asked Einstein, "With what weapons […]
→ read full articleACCURATE DESCRIPTION
Dietrich Fischer,
15 Mar 2009
The organizer of a conference introduced the keynote speaker and read a long list of his degrees and achievements, when the speaker whispered in his ear, "Please don’t forget to mention my great humility."
→ read full articleFATE OF THE RAINFOREST IS ‘IRREVERSIBLE’
Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor,
12 Mar 2009
A third of the Amazonian ‘carbon sink’ is doomed whether or not emissions are cut, Copenhagen conference is told The impact of climate change on the Amazon rainforest could be much worse than previously predicted, new research suggests. Even if emissions were reduced and governments managed to limit temperature rises to 2C – the current […]
→ read full articleThe Oldest Profession
Dietrich Fischer,
6 Mar 2009
A surgeon, an engineer and an economist were arguing which was the oldest profession. The surgeon said, "On the seventh day of creation, God removed a rib from Adam’s body to create Eve. This is obviously surgery, so my profession is the oldest." The engineer argued, "But on the first day of creation, God built […]
→ read full articleProf. Dietrich Fischer on the Philosophy of Peace & Conflict Studies
Dietrich Fischer,
5 Mar 2009
World Peace Academy, Basel-Switzerland – A TMS interview. Dietrich Fischer (1941-2015) from Münsingen, Switzerland, got a Licentiate in Mathematics from the University of Bern 1968 and his Ph.D. in Computer Science from New York University 1976. 1986-88 he was a MacArthur Fellow in International Peace and Security at Princeton University. He has taught mathematics, computer […]
→ read full articleDISENTANGLING LAYERS OF A LOADED TERM IN SEARCH OF A THREAD OF PEACE
Michael Slackman,
28 Feb 2009
If President Obama is serious about repairing relations with the Arab world and re-establishing the United States as an honest broker in Middle East peace talks, one step would be to bridge a chasm in perception that centers on one contentious word: terrorism. The recent fighting in Gaza offered a potent reminder of the challenge […]
→ read full articleCAPITALISM’S SELF-INFLICTED APOCALYPSE
Michael Parenti,
11 Feb 2009
After the overthrow of communist governments in Eastern Europe, capitalism was paraded as the indomitable system that brings prosperity and democracy, the system that would prevail unto the end of history. The present economic crisis, however, has convinced even some prominent free-marketeers that something is gravely amiss. Truth be told, capitalism has yet to come […]
→ read full articleAMERICAN TRIUMPHALISM: A POSTMORTEM
Andrew J. Bacevich,
11 Feb 2009
Although George W. Bush is a man without intellectual pretensions, his departure from office brings down the curtain on a distinctive era of American political thought. Ideas that recently qualified as smart have suddenly become passé. Propositions once alluringly au courant now appear not simply obsolete but absurd. The bubble of American triumphalism has burst. […]
→ read full articleOBAMA SEEKS NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT DEAL WITH RUSSIA
Ian Traynor in Munich and Luke Harding in Moscow,
7 Feb 2009
Hillary Clinton to head US efforts to reduce warheads to about 1,000 The Obama administration is looking for a quick deal between the US and Russia to more than halve their nuclear weapons stockpiles, reversing the Bush White House’s refusal to be bound by international treaties. Diplomats and officials say they are optimistic Washington and […]
→ read full articleRAINFOREST RAZED SO CATTLE CAN GRAZE
Michael McCarthy, Environment editor,
2 Feb 2009
Brazil’s attempt to double its share of the global market for beef will carry a heavy environmental cost, report warns. Scenes like this, with vast tracts of Amazonian rainforest razed to make way for cattle, are to become more common in Brazil as it continues its drive to expand its beef export industry, according to […]
→ read full articleGEORGE BUSH’S GIFT TO THE WORLD: THE END OF AMERICAN IMPERIALISM
David Michael Green,
1 Feb 2009
George W. Bush was unquestionably the worst American president in the two and a quarter centuries of the country’s existence. After all, James Buchanan, the previous aspirant to the title, merely did nothing while the South seceded. Hah! You’ll have to do better than that, Jimmy, if you want to wear this crown! Bush did […]
→ read full articleWAR AGAINST IVORY TRADE TAKES TO THE SEA
Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor,
25 Jan 2009
Auction House Agrees to Stop Sale of Whale Tusks After Pressure from Campaigners It’s the "other" ivory. And this week, conservationists in London stepped in to stop its sale. It might not be as well known as the stuff that comes from elephants, but the ivory from the narwhal, the tusked whale of the northern […]
→ read full articleMISTER OBAMA, YOU FORGET SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR TWO DAUGHTERS…
Michel Collon,
25 Jan 2009
Dear Mister Obama, You have declared about the Gaza conflict: "If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I would do everything to stop that, and would expect Israel to do the same thing". Protect your children? I certainly can understand that. But if you want to be […]
→ read full articleOCCUPATION 101
ICH,
13 Jan 2009
Award-winning documentary film on the root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unlike any other film ever produced on the conflict — ‘Occupation 101’ presents a comprehensive analysis of the facts and hidden truths surrounding the never ending controversy and dispels many of its long-perceived myths and misconceptions. The film also details life under Israeli military […]
→ read full articleUNUSUALLY LARGE U.S. WEAPONS SHIPMENT TO ISRAEL: ARE THE U.S. AND ISRAEL PLANNING A BROADER MIDDLE EAST WAR?
Michel Chossudovsky,
12 Jan 2009
A very large delivery of US weaponry to Israel consisting of 3,000 tons of "ammunition" is scheduled to sail to Israel. The size and nature of the shipments are described as "unusual": "Shipping 3,000-odd tons of ammunition in one go is a lot," one broker said, on condition of anonymity. "This (kind of request) is […]
→ read full articleWAR AND NATURAL GAS: THE ISRAELI INVASION AND GAZA’S OFFSHORE GAS FIELDS
Michel Chossudovsky,
9 Jan 2009
The military invasion of the Gaza Strip by Israeli Forces bears a direct relation to the control and ownership of strategic offshore gas reserves. This is a war of conquest. Discovered in 2000, there are extensive gas reserves off the Gaza coastline. British Gas (BG Group) and its partner, the Athens based Consolidated Contractors International […]
→ read full articleISRAEL IN GAZA: RIGHT BUT NOT SMART
Rabbi Michael Lerner,
4 Jan 2009
Israel is still using a strategy of domination in its struggle with Hamas, trying to use force to gain security. But this is a recipe for endless war. Israel’s attempt to wipe out Hamas is understandable, but dumb. No country in the world is going to ignore the provocation of rockets being launched from […]
→ read full articleISRAEL VIOLATES INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW
Prof. Richard Falk - United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories,
4 Jan 2009
The Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip represent severe and massive violations of international humanitarian law as defined in the Geneva Conventions, both in regard to the obligations of an Occupying Power and in the requirements of the laws of war. Those violations include: Collective punishment – the entire 1.5 million people who live […]
→ read full articleTHE PARADOX OF PEACE
Soraya Ulrich,
1 Jan 2009
Israel thrives on war. Peace is a threat to Zionism. It demands compromise. Twice this year, the leaders of Hamas indicated their readiness to accept a Palestinian State within the 1967 borders. Khaled Meshaal, Hamas leader, informed former president Jimmy Carter of this decision in April 2008. In May 2008, it was revealed that Yves […]
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