The South African Civil Society Information Service
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
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Uruguayan anti-capitalist writer, Eduardo Galeano, died on Monday, April 13, 2015 aged 74. In this 2009 interview, he talks about his penultimate book, “Mirrors: Stories of almost everyone”, a book comprising his reflections on the lives of the invisible and oppressed.
Galeano said, “We are afraid because the owners of power are also the owners of a big factory of fear. The world is a big factory of fear…You are afraid of losing your job or not finding a job or...
The news of society's growing inequality makes all of us uneasy. But why? In this TED Talk, behavioral economist, Dan Ariely, reveals some new, surprising research about what we think is fair, as far as how wealth is distributed over societies. He then shows how public perception stacks up to real statistics. What he exposes is an incredible knowledge gap in terms of what people think the level of inequality is compared to the reality. Ariely’s research findings got really interesting...
In this Big Think interview, economist Thomas Piketty, best-selling author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century, delves into several common misconceptions about free market economics. Piketty argues that strong public institutions are necessary for market regulation. So-called "natural forces" of self-regulation commonly associated with the writings of Adam Smith cannot be relied on to maintain a healthy economic climate. An example of this is the heavy trend toward deregulation...
While studying future alternatives for China’s global relations, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has come to an ominous conclusion: conflict is looming. As China's global ambitions grow, it finds itself on a collision course with the United States. How can this be avoided? Rudd is a long-time student of China, with a unique vantage point to watch its power rise in the past few decades. Drawing on his deep knowledge of Chinese culture, language and history he argues that the...
Many in the West believe that the destiny of the human race is to embrace Western liberal democratic values. This may or may not be true, but it partially explains why Washington and its allies are so willing to overthrow governments around the world, even if they are democratically elected -- and their favourite tool is the NGO. Peter Lavelle of RT's Cross Talk hosts a discussion on how NGOs are used to encourage regime change in countries that Western powers deem problematic. He is joined...
Dreading April Fools Day? Perhaps you should. People have been playing April Fools' pranks for centuries. In fact, the earliest recorded pranks and hoaxes associated with the first day of April go back to the fourteenth century. This year, comedian John Oliver of Last Week Tonight fame urges his fans to take the April Fools’ Day “No Prank Pledge”. Anyone who is excited about April Fools Day is probably a sociopath, he jokes. “We don't need a special holiday to...
