Walden Bello

Shock Doctrine: Power, Passion, and Neoliberalism

Bello
Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism is very impressive indeed. This is, however, not immediately evident, a sense that is confirmed by Joseph Stiglitz' review of the book. Even before I read it, I was certain that the Nobel laureate would highlight Klein's attempt to make a connection between the electric shock experiments performed by the notorious McGill University psychologist Ewen Cameron who was on contract with the CIA and the economic shock approach developed by Milton Friedman at the University of Chicago.

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Hungary: The Radical Right and the Neo-Liberalist State

It's no longer raining in Budapest. Although the clouds of commotion which hung over the October 23rd anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution should have dissipated along with the official end to the ceremonies, they still hang heavy over the capital. Indeed, Friday, October 26th saw a new round of disturbances as groups of protesters blockaded traffic on two major bridges in the capital as well as on a major street. Still, all things considered, the anniversary commemorating the Hungarian Revolution passed off in a relatively peaceful manner this year.

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As the World Burns: Liberating Responses to Global Warming

Tuesday, October 23rd, 7pm at Burlington College
95 North Ave, Burlington, Vermont
 

Join us as we take a fresh look at the limits of the current global warming debate and how to move beyond them. Topics will include the human costs of the expanding biofuels industry, the limits of "market-based" solutions to global warming, tools for redefining the "good life," and ways to create a culture of hope. 

Panelists will critique Al Gore’s limited approach to citizen/corporate action and discuss experiences on the ground in Latin America’s biofuels craze.

Brian Tokar is a long time Vermont author and activist, and a faculty member at the Institute for Social Ecology, based in Plainfield. read more

A protest against TILMA

Free Trade Under Fire in Canada

Protests Against TILMA
Plans to deepen Canada's embrace of trade liberalization and deregulation are running into new pockets of resistance. A wave of protest has risen in western Canada over a new trade deal between British Columbia and Alberta. Embracing the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) model, this new accord goes by its acronym 'TILMA'-the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement.