Noam Chomsky – Clash of Civilizations

Chomsky’s Philosophy

Published on Dec 12, 2015

Chomsky on “the clash of civilizations” and Western support for Islamic extremists. Excerpts from 1998 and 2012.

The Myth of the “Clash of Civilizations”. Edward Said

Palestine Diary

Uploaded on May 13, 2011

In 1993 Harvard Professor Samuel P. Huntington wrote an essay titled “The Clash of Civilizations?” and later he expanded into a book with the same title, but without the question mark. Edward Said, late Columbia professor rips Huntington’s thesis to shreds.

Noam Chomsky on The “Clash of Civilizations”

TrystanCJ

Uploaded on Mar 2, 2007

Noam Chomsky on the Samuel P. Huntington “clash of civilizations”, Islam, and the West’s relashionship to the most extreme Islamic state – Saudi Arabia, a “key ally”, according to Tony Blair.

Samuel Huntington on the ‘Clash of Civilizations’

Krifko

Uploaded on Sep 11, 2011

Food Issues: Food & Sustainability | Cultures of Resistance

http://culturesofresistance.org/food-issues-food-and-sustainability

Until quite recently, farming had not changed much for thousands of years. Human and animal power was responsible for tilling the soil and harvesting crops, and nearly all food was produced in close proximity to where it was consumed.

A number of developments in the twentieth century changed all that. Perhaps most important was the availability of plentiful cheap fossil fuels. This made possible the introduction of mechanization as well as the creation of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, greatly improving crop yields. As part of our Sustainability Not War project area, we’re highlighting sustainable agriculture as a way in which we can help grow healthy food and build a healthier planet.

Cultures of Resistance

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Worldwide, people from all walks of life are finding creative ways to oppose war and promote peace, justice, and sustainability. Culture is fertile terrain for this struggle. Education that nourishes a critical mind and fortifies the soul is just as essential.

Cultures of Resistance.org is the outreach website of the Cultures of Resistance Network, which aims to promote and support organizations, activists, and artists who seek a more peaceful, just, and democratic world. The CoR Network was created by Iara Lee, director of the feature documentary Cultures of Resistance (visit the film website here), as a way of supporting people wishing to take action around peace and justice issues. This website exists as a space in which people can learn about the inspiring members of our network and find ways to join their global justice campaigns. For updates on our work and the groups that we support, sign up for our mailing list here.

This Is How We Can Tackle Climate Change, Even With a Denier in Chief | The Nation

https://www.thenation.com/article/this-is-how-we-can-tackle-climate-change-even-with-a-denier-in-chief/

 Cities and states can step up their efforts to tackle global warming—with or without federal leadership.

By Laurie Mazur Today 2:45 pm

 President-elect Donald Trump doesn’t believe the climate is changing. Alone among world leaders, he has called climate change a “hoax,” perpetrated by the Chinese. Accordingly, he appointed a prominent climate denier to head the Environmental Protection Agency; fossil-fuel industry lobbyists are advising him on energy policy.

Here in the real world, of course, the climate is changing. We just experienced the warmest five-year period in recorded history, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Human-induced climate change is increasingly to blame for the extreme weather that wreaks havoc on American cities and towns—from Alaska’s thawing permafrost to the flooded streets of Miami and Norfolk. Even as we work to cool the planet by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, there’s an urgent need to adapt to the changes that are now unstoppable.

With Trump at the helm, the prospects for addressing climate change in the United States seem bleak. But in the absence of federal leadership, we may see an explosion of climate action at the local level. In fact, some communities are already stepping up and preparing for a warmer, wilder future.

According to a new study—the first in-depth assessment of climate adaptation in the US—communities are busily preparing for risks by moving people out of harm’s way, reducing the vulnerability of vital systems, and building capacity to deal with disaster. The study, a two-year project conducted by environmental research firm Abt Associates with support from the Kresge Foundation, shows that communities are taking action in red states and blue states, in big coastal cities and small rural towns—even where the phrase “climate change” is rarely uttered in public. All while avoiding the political polarization that has led to gridlock at the national level.

With a new administration predisposed to deny climate change, these local works-in-progress will become even more important to the safety and security of Americans.

…(read more).

Trump’s transition: sceptics guide every agency dealing with climate change

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/12/donald-trump-environment-climate-change-skeptics

Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt, Trump’s nominee for head of the Environmental Protection Agency, has claimed scientists disagree about the causes of global warming. Photograph: Nick Oxford/Reuters

Oliver Milman

Monday 12 December 2016 06.00 EST

The heads of Donald Trump’s transition teams for Nasa, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior and the Department of Energy, as well as his nominees to lead the EPA and the Department of the Interior, all question the science of human-caused climate change, in a signal of the president-elect’s determination to embark upon an aggressively pro-fossil fuels agenda.

Trump has assembled a transition team in which at least nine senior members deny basic scientific understanding that the planet is warming due to the burning of carbon and other human activity. These include the transition heads of all the key agencies responsible for either monitoring or dealing with climate change. None of these transition heads have any background in climate science.

Trump has also nominated Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt to lead the EPA and is expected to pick congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers to head the interior department. Pruitt has claimed that scientists “continue to disagree” about the causes and extent of global warming while McMorris Rodgers has said that former vice-president Al Gore, who has championed climate action, “deserves an ‘F’ in science.”

The president-elect has vowed to pursue an “America first” energy policy that will open up a new frontier in domestic coal, oil and gas extraction while eviscerating the effort to combat climate change, which Trump has previously called a “hoax”.

Trump is personally invested in this agenda. According to his latest financial disclosure records, Trump held investments in the fossil fuel companies Shell, Halliburton, Total and Chevron. His largest energy investment was in BHP Billiton, with the documents showing a stake worth up to $1.015m.

…(read more).

Top GOP lawmakers, Trump at odds over Russia allegations

PBS NewsHour

Published on Dec 12, 2016

Republican congressional leaders are calling for an investigation into Russia’s possible influence in the 2016 election. But on Sunday, President-elect Donald Trump dismissed the CIA’s conclusion that the Russians were trying to help him win, calling it “ridiculous.” John Yang reports on the allegations, as well as the president-elect’s challenge to the longstanding “One China policy.”

1st US Offshore Wind Farm Opens Off Rhode Island

Associated Press

Published on Dec 12, 2016

The nation’s first offshore wind farm has opened off the coast of Rhode Island, ushering in a new era in the U.S. for the industry. Deepwater Wind built five turbines three miles off Block Island, to power about 17,000 homes. (Dec. 12)