Next up on my reading list is (Gore’s latest book) The Assault on Reason.
Gore has taken on the most important issues of the day: the environment, the politics of media, public life. These are grounded in the big questions of living together on this planet. His tone is measured. Had the Supreme Court handled the 2000 elections other than they did, would Gore be the Statesman he is now?
Posted in books, commons, community, EFN, green, news, politics, process, public, social justice | No Comments »
Lars found this excellent statement by Marvin Minsky (The Society of Mind).
Common sense is not a simple thing. Instead, it is an immense society of hard-earned practical ideas – of multitudes of life-learned rules and exceptions, dispositions and tendencies, balances and checks.
Posted in aphorisms, books, community, friends, public, semiotic, thoughts | No Comments »
From Our Unfree Press, 100 Years of Radical Media Criticism, resolution adopted in convention, St. Paul, June 1934:
WHEREAS, freedom of the press is a right of the readers of news and a responsibility upon the producers of news; and is not a privilege for owners of news channels to exploit; and
WHEREAS, reporting is a high calling which has fallen into disrepute because news writers have been too often degraded as hirelings compelled by their employers to serve the purposes of politicians, monopolists, speculators in the necessaries of life, exploiters of labor, and fomentors of war; therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the American Newspaper Guild strive tirelessly for integrity of news columns and opportunity for its members to discharge their social responsibility; not stopping until the men and women who write, graphically portray, or edit news have achieved freedom of conscience to report faithfully, when they occur, and refuse by distortion and suppression, to create political, economic, industrial and military wars.
Posted in books, commons, EFN, media history, news, politics, public, social justice | No Comments »
From my good friend Fran:
Dear Colleagues,
Your Illinois libraries are concerned re this filtering legislation. You are probably aware that
internet filters are notorious for not being “smart”. They typically block health and other vital
information, We as librarians believe that filtering is a decision that should be made by a local
school, library, or community, not mandated by the state.Please join us in unity on May 14th. Let your legislators and all who support free and open
access to the internet and local control know that you oppose this bill.Thank you all for your support!
Monday, 14 May 2007 Is a Day of Unity for the Illinois Library Community to Demonstrate Our Opposition to House Bill 1727
Public Policy Committee’s Action Plan Regarding Proposed Mandatory Internet Filter Legislation
In response to the Illinois House of Representatives passing House Bill 1727, the Illinois Library Association’s Public Policy Committee met yesterday to determine the library community’s response. ILA requests that libraries communicate and/or demonstrate the negative effects of this legislation. Because the association is a strong promoter of local control, we are recommending that local libraries determine the most appropriate action for their community and act accordingly. The committee did, however, declare:
Monday, 14 May 2007 is a day of unity for the Illinois library community to demonstrate our opposition to House Bill 1727, the mandatory public and school library Internet filter legislation.
Posted in books, civic garden, commons, community, education, friends, grassroots, news, politics, process, public, social justice | No Comments »
Out for a walk on Easter, I stopped in the Hyde Park 57th Street bookstore and found a copy of Amartya Sen’s new book Identity and Violence: the Illusion of Destiny.
Posted in books, social justice, theory | No Comments »
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