Video

As a prelude to Zinn’s new illustrated “A People’s History of American Empire”, this animated short gives a brief overview of American imperialism since the nation’s beginnings utilizing Zinn’s personal experiences since WWII as a lens for examining these events.

As part of People & Power’s special series of films from Iraq we look at the success of the so-called Awakening movement and how religious tensions between Sunnis and Shias could still undermine the developments.

A local news channel covers the events of September 1st in St. Paul.

Shot in the cold month of January, this film focuses on the growing Latino population in post-Katrina New Orleans. Largely ignored by mainstream media, this film addresses not only the Latino reconstruction contribution of N O L A, but also the difficulties many Latino workers face in the recovering city. Issues such as Black/Brown relationships, racial tensions, racism, wage-theft, police brutality, worker exploitation, on-job injuries, worker organizing and resistance, and cultural assimilation are discussed in the film.

In August 2006, almost one year after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, survivors sit down and talk about their experiences of fighting for survival in the days following the disaster and how their lives have progressed since returning to New Orleans. Providing accounts of living in a city whose populace has largely been forgotten, the survivors give a stinging description of a slow reconstruction process that is ignoring the human cost of rebuilding. Down But Not Out shows the people directly affected by the fallout from Hurricane Katrina, and lets those who experienced it tell the stories themselves.

This is a short clip from Anarchism in America, a film by Steven Fischler and Joel Sucher. This segment includes a short portion of a rare interview with legendary anarchist Emma Goldman and a brief summary of the immigrant anarchists who made the movement so vibrant and powerful. In the full documentary Fischler and Sucher take a road trip to map anarchism as a distinctly American tradition, interviewing a diverse cast of characters: from “ordinary” truckers and farmers to famous anarchists like Kenneth Rexroth, Ursula LeGuin, and Murray Bookchin.

The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) initiated a one-day strike at all University of California campuses in April of 2005. The impact of the strike at the UC Santa Cruz campus was especially strong due to the support the union received from the student body. Together students and workers physically shut down the campus for hours as thousands blocked the two entrances. Blending interviews with custodians and dining hall workers and on-the-ground footage at the picket line, Estamos Aquí gives an inside look at the historic events of April 14, 2005 and the militancy of UCSC students and workers that made the strike successful. This is a film by Colectivo Media Insurgente.

David Rees’ popular comic “Get Your War On” has been turned into an online animated series. Here’s the first episode entitled “The Watch List”.

Howard Zinn is one of this country’s most celebrated historians. His classic work A People’s History of the United States changed the way we look at history in America. He recently spoke at Binghamton University a few days after the 2008 presidential election. His speech was called “War and Social Justice.

Iraq veterans perform street theater in “Operation W.A.N.T.” (We are not toys)

“This is the farewell kiss, you dog,” yelled al-Zaidi as he threw his first shoe at Bush during a news conference. “This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq,” he yelled after he threw the second. The journalist was severely beaten by security after he was tackled and has been beaten in Iraqi prison as well as he awaits his trial. It’s great to finally see a journalist with principles.

Protests against the Democratic National Convention continued Wednesday as members of Iraq Veterans Against the War led an unpermitted march to the Pepsi Center to call on Barack Obama to back an immediate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.

One hour before the final presidential debate of the 2008 campaign, fourteen members of IVAW marched in formation to Hofstra University to present questions for the candidates. IVAW had requested permission from debate moderator Bob Schieffer to ask their questions during the debate but got no response.

Legendary labor singer and IWW activist Utah Phillips died peacefully in his sleep on May 23, 2008. Labor Beat celebrates his memory with clips from their video archives over 20 years.

Naomi Klein’s speech attacking Obama’s ‘anti-war’ stance at the National Conference for Media reform was not included on the conference website. subMedia (submedia.tv) got a hold the video and put it on their site, so we thought it would be nice to distribute it as well.

The revelation that Obama’s candidacy was the only thing that gave their lives any meaning has caused many supporters to wander aimlessly, unsure of what to do with themselves. Another exceptional piece of reporting from The Onion.

Naomi Klein, author of the The Shock Doctrine, is interviewed on Democracy Now! by host Amy Goodman about the financial crisis. Klein shows who was pushing for the bailout and why the government is falling in line so quickly behind the massive payout to Wall St. Her theory of “disaster capitalism” is evident once again in this reactionary shift toward further deregulation in a time of economic crisis.

We were saddened to learn of the death of George Carlin. He was one of our favorite comedians due to his incredibly astute (albeit sometimes obscene) societal observations. We’ll miss ya.

A trailer for the upcoming 2008 R.N.C. protests.

Political hip hop artist, former Baltimore City high school teacher, activist, cancer survivor, sickle cell battler, and recipient of praise by Public Enemy’s Chuck D as “[Leaving] a mean look on somebody’s face” for being “More than relevant!,” S.O.N. doesn’t just entertain his crowds he empowers them. Check out his skill.

Did watching the 2nd and 3rd debates give you a feeling of déjà vu? This montage of synced-up footage from all three presidential debates confirms our deep-seated belief that every debate was exactly the same.

Since Hurricane Katrina emptied New Orleans of its residents, a battle has been waged over the future of the city. The struggle over what the “New” New Orleans will look like and who will return to live here largely depends on the future of the city’s public housing developments – and this week is a crucial showdown in that fight.

People & Power, a news-feature on Al-Jazeera English, questions the shifting balances of power between the West and the Middle East, focusing on Iran as an emerging regional power. This clip offers interesting insight into the economic war quietly being waged beneath alleged War on Terror and the reasons we may not see any downward trajectory anytime soon. To top it off, the segment ends with an interview with former-US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton on the supposed economic and military threat of Iran.

In The Know: Should The Government Stop Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole?

Alfonso Cuarón, director of “Children of Men”, and Naomi Klein, author of “No Logo”, present a short film from Klein’s book “The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism.”