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(06 Feb) 120201 Noam Chomsky - Revolutionary Pacifism: Choices and Prospects Pacifist, activist and civil rights campaigner A.J. Muste, argued that "one must be a revolutionary before one can be a pacifist". He pointed out that we must cease to "acquiesce [so] easily in evil conditions," and must deal "honestly and adequately with this ninety percent of our problem … the violence on which the present system is based, and all the evil – material and spiritual – this entails for the masses of men throughout the world." Unless we do so, he argued, "there is something ludicrous, and perhaps hypocritical, about our concern over the ten per cent of the violence employed by the rebels against oppression". According to The New York Times, Noam Chomsky is "arguably the most important intellectual alive." He has authored over 150 books and is the eighth most cited source of all time, and is considered the "most cited living author". His most recent books include American Power and the New Mandarins, Gaza in Crisis: Reflections on Israel's War Against the Palestinians and How the World Works with Alternative Radio's David Barsamian. In 2011 Professor Chomsky was awarded the City of Sydney Peace Prize. On November 4th 2011 he delivered the City of Sydney Peace Prize lecture at the Sydney Opera House. (13 Feb) 120202 Noam Chomksy - Changing Contours of Global Order) Order implies some form of organisation. Some type of arrangement. The US has often been described as the enforcer of the global order. However, the role of the US in global affairs is declining. Old hands still want to steer the course for the good ship 'Manifest Destiny'. Unfortunately for them, the fog of a new world order has confused and confounded them. No longer the powerhouse it once was, US businesses and governments have outsourced, downsized and sold off just about everything. The unintended consequence of this decades old trend has been to see the balance of power and capital move to the East. India and China have extended and are extending their reach into regions the US once controlled. A new politic is rising in the Middle East. The new global order has moved beyond imperial ambitions and sees new ways of doing business and politics. Can the US adapt? If not, it will shrink to the sidelines, isolated and alone as it was not much more than 100 years ago. According to The New York Times, Noam Chomsky is "arguably the most important intellectual alive." He has authored over 150 books and is the eighth most cited source of all time, and is considered the "most cited living author". His most recent books include American Power and the New Mandarins, Gaza in Crisis: Reflections on Israel's War Against the Palestinians and How the World Works with Alternative Radio's David Barsamian. (20 Feb) 120203 Noam Chomsky - unpeople: Where do they Come From? Since the creation of the Israeli state the original occupants of that land have become known as "un-people". Palestinians are only given limited recognition within the state of Israel and that is for the lucky ones. For the rest, particularly those in the apartheid enclaves of Gaza and the West Bank, the term "un-people" is most apt. Receiving no worthwhile support from the international community while its controllers in Israel enjoy billions of dollars in foreign aid, Gaza and West Bank residents remain the poorest and most pitiful in the Middle East. Palestinian status as "un-people" is reinforced in the Western media. Try and find out about the fate of the Muamar brothers and you will find no trace. They have indeed become "un-people". According to The New York Times, Noam Chomsky is "arguably the most important intellectual alive." He has authored over 150 books and is the eighth most cited source of all time, and is considered the "most cited living author". His most recent books include American Power and the New Mandarins, Gaza in Crisis: Reflections on Israel's War Against the Palestinians and How the World Works with Alternative Radio's David Barsamian. He delivered the 7th Edward Said Memorial Lecture in Adelaide in November 2011 at an event hosted by the Australian Friends of Palestine Association. (27 Feb) 120204 Richard Wolff - Systemic Crisis of Capitalism Today's economic crisis is the most severe since the Great Depression. What are its root causes? The conventional explanations put the blame on greedy bankers who pawned off credit default swaps, sub-prime mortgages, and a smorgasbord of derivatives, on a hapless and helpless public. To make matters worse there was little or no regulation. So if we tinker with some reform measures, pass some legislation, a tax cut here, a little stimulus package there and everything will be hunky-dory. Will it? The seismic failures and problems plaguing Capitalism are systemic and deep. Many people are in dire straits. But not the upper crust. They are riding the gravy train to more riches. Fundamental change is necessary to avoid future collapses. It's long past time to examine Capitalism itself.  Richard Wolff is Professor of Economics Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and currently a visiting professor at the New School in New York. He is the author of numerous books on economics including Capitalism Hits the Fan.