Noam Chomsky rejects 9-11 Conspiracy Theories

Although he has been a fierce critic of what he sees as the exploitation of 9-11 for authoritarian ends, Noam Chomsky rejects widespread theories of a 9-11 conspiracy as extremely unlikely.

21st c. feminism

Perhaps this is an example of the more globalized feminism we were talking about today.

An American Honor Killing

I thought after today's discussion this article might be interesting to some. The article is about a Pakistani family that moved to America. While living in Georgia, just outside of Atlanta, the father killed his daughter because she was trying to end her arranged marriage. The father saw this as enough of a reason to commit an "honor" killing. The article discusses America ignoring the practice of honor killings in America because of the fear of insulting radical Islam or Arab culture. Feminism is addressed in the issue as well, both in America focusing more on how Barbie dolls creating an unrealistic image of a women then the killings and genital mutilation happening domestically and internationally, and how it is only Muslim women that assimilate to western culture that are punished by "honor" killings while Muslim men are not punished for assimilating in the same way. 

http://www.nypost.com/seven/07232008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/an_american_honor_killing_121118.htm?&page=0

Irving Kristol signature

I was doing research for my term paper and checked out the book Confrontation: the Student Rebellion and the Universities ed. by Daniel Bell and Irving Kristol.

This appears to be Irving Kristol's signature. Anyways, thought that that was really interesting.

MLK

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92-r05TH9qs

http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/about_king/encyclopedia/vietnam.htm


Martin Luther King Jr. was opposed to the Vietnam War. He believed that the US government should conduct warfare through “nonviolent direct action in international dimensions.” MLK also believed the United Nations should be involved in negotiations between the US and Vietnam. King argues that LBJ’s involvement in the Vietnam War eroded the Great Society and withdrew attention from the Civil Rights Movement. Multiple clips of King’s speech are within the video. In each King is displaying his opposition to the Vietnam War. King was attempting to not to insult LBJ but to criticize the refocusing of the federal government’s activities to the War instead of focusing on the Great Society that inevitably caused some erosion of liberalism.

K. Klimusko

Susan Sontag: "Fascinating Fascism"

Here is Susan Sontag's seminal essay on the enduring power of fascist aesthetics in contemporary culture.

The Sokal Hoax

Here is NYU physics professor Alan Sokal's 1996 account of how he duped the editors of Social Text, and why he did it.