Trevor Paglen, Experimental Geographer, Artist & Author

Media Roots Radio – Trevor Paglen Interview by Media Roots

MEDIA ROOTS- Trevor Paglen’s work deliberately blurs the lines between science, contemporary art, journalism, and other disciplines to construct unfamiliar, yet meticulously researched ways to see and interpret the world around us.

Paglen’s visual work has been exhibited at several art museums worldwide and his writing and art have been published in major publications including The New York Times, Wired, Vanity Fair and Newsweek, as well as served as a focal point for meditation and inspiration.  Paglen holds a B.A. from UC Berkeley, an M.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a Ph.D. in Geography from UC Berkeley, where he remains an affiliated researcher.

In the 90s, Paglen was a member of a locally revered bay area noise/experimental project called Noise Gate, and co-ran an infamous underground venue in downtown Oakland called the Sandcrawler.  His electronic music background hugely inspired co-host Robbie Martin in his own musical evolution.

Paglen is also the author of several books: Torture Taxi, the first book to comprehensively cover the CIA’s extraordinary rendition program; I Could Tell You But Then You Would Have to be Destroyed by Me, a book looking at the world of black projects through unit patches and memorabilia created for top-secret programs; and Blank Spots on the Map: The Dark Geography of the Pentagon’s Secret World, a book that gives a broader look at secrecy in the United States.

 

The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Trevor Paglen
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

 

Trevor Paglen on the Colbert Report in 2008 discussing his book on military patches.

Find out more about Trevor on his website http://www.paglen.com/

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The above timeline is interactive. Scroll through it to find out more about the show’s music and to resources mentioned during the broadcast. To see a larger version of the timeline with clickable resources go to the soundcloud link below the player.

If you would like to directly download the podcast click the down arrow icon on the right of the soundcloud display. To hide the comments to enable easier rewind and fast forward, click on the icon on the very bottom right.

This Media Roots podcast is the product of many long hours of hard work and love. If you want to encourage our voice, please consider supporting us as we continue to speak from outside party lines. If you donate, we want to thank you with your choice of art from AbbyMartin.org as well as music from RecordLabelRecords.org. Much of the music you hear on our podcasts comes from Robbie’s imprint Record Label Records, and Abby’s art reflects the passion and perspective that lead her to create Media Roots.org.

$40 donation: One 8×10 art print and one RLR release (You choose! Tell us in the Paypal notes.)

$80 donation: Two 8×10 art prints and two RLR releases (You choose!)

$150 donation: Four 8×10 art prints and four RLR releases (You choose!)

Even the smallest donations are appreciated and help us with our operating costs.

Thanks so much for your support!

Listen to all previous episodes of Media Roots Radio here.

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Hazare’s Anticorruption Supporters Picket Leaders

MEDIA ROOTS- Anna Hazare is a social activist who is leading the anticorruption movement in India by following Mahatma Gandhi’s  principles of nonviolence. He received worldwide attention with a four day hunger strike in early April that led to the Indian government conceding to his demand of enacting an anti-corruption law (based on the Lokpal Bill) for those holding public office.

On July 28, the Parliament approved a draft of the Lokpal Bill, which excluded the Prime Minister, judiciary and lower bureaucracy from the scope of proposed corruption. Hazare discounted the draft and announced that he would embark on an indefinite hunger strike starting August 16 until proper provisions were made to the legislation. After a brief arrest, Hazare started his strike a week ago and he is garnering support from millions across the country. Regardless of what the outcome of the strike may be, it is exciting to see a figure making corrupt politicians pay attention by practicing Gandhi’s satyagraha methods. Hopefully his method starts a ripple effect…

Abby

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THE HINDU– Over 100 supporters of social activist Anna Hazare staged a dharna in front of the rented house of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Sarumotoria here on Monday. They beat drums, shouted slogans Anna Hazare zindabad and in support of the demand for tabling the Jan Lokpal Bill in Parliament.

The rented house of Dr. Singh, a Rajya Sabha member from this State, is owned by Hemoprova Saikia, former Assam Minister and wife of the former Chief Minister, Hiteswar Saikia.

Police arrived at the spot but Anna’s supporters dispersed peacefully after about half an hour. The protesters included Guwahati BJP MP Bijoya Chakravarty’s daughter and award-winning filmmaker Suman Haripriya and son Ranajit Chakravarty, a lawyer.

Security has been beefed up at Dr. Singh’s residence in the wake of the protests.

Anna’s supporters staged a dharna in front of the residence of the BJP MP also. However, there were no reports of demonstration in front of the houses of other MPs from Assam.

© 2011 The Hindu

Photo by Flickr user vm2827

Film: Fault Lines – The Top 1%

AL JAZEERA– The richest one per cent of Americans earn nearly a quarter of the country’s income and control an astonishing 40 per cent of its wealth.

Inequality in the US is more extreme than it has been in almost a century – and the gap between the super-rich and the poor and middle class people has widened drastically over the last 30 years.

Meanwhile, in Washington, a bitter partisan debate over how to cut deficit spending and reduce the US’ $14.3 trillion debt is underway. As low and middle class wages stagnate and unemployment remains above nine per cent, Republicans and Democrats are tussling over whether to slash funding for the medical and retirement programmes that are the backbone of the US’ social safety net, and whether to raise taxes – or to cut them further.

The budget debate and the economy are the battleground on which the 2012 presidential election race will be fought. And the US has never seemed so divided – both politically and economically.

How did the gap grow so wide, and so quickly? And how are the convictions, campaign contributions and charitable donations of the top one per cent impacting the other 99 per cent of Americans? Fault Lines investigates the gap between the rich and the rest.

Al Jazeera’s Fault Lines

Photo by flickr user J_D_R

 

Belarus Moves To Ban ‘Silent Protests’

THE RAW STORY– The opposition in Belarus on Monday criticised a parliamentary bill that would give Alexander Lukashenko’s regime the legal right to crack down on protesters engaging publicly in “non-actions”.

The bill — submitted by top ministers to the lower house of parliament last week — proposes a ban on “previously-agreed actions or non-actions.”

This is apparently aimed at the numerous “silent” protests the opposition has held in recent months, where protesters chanted no slogans and merely stood clapping their hands.

Under existing legislation, the regime can act against protesters engaged in “hooliganism”, while the new bill also covers “the mass gathering of people at a previously-agreed location — including in the open air — at an agreed time to conduct previously-agreed actions or non-actions”.

Read more about Belarus Moves To Ban ‘Silent Protests’ 

© 2011 The Raw Story

Photo by flickr user varjagg

Imperialism, Self-Censorship, Spying, Empowerment

Media Roots Radio- US Imperialism, Spying, Self-Censorship, Building Communities by Media Roots

MEDIA ROOTS – In this discussion, Abby & Robbie Martin cover US imperialism: wars, costs, media and government propaganda; the culture of self-censorship and the erosion of privacy in the US; information as power and how communication is an important tool to strengthen and build communities.

The above timeline is interactive. Scroll through it to find out more about the show’s music and to resources mentioned during the broadcast. To see a larger version of the timeline with clickable resources go to the soundcloud link below the player.

If you would like to directly download the podcast click the down arrow icon on the right of the soundcloud display. To hide the comments to enable easier rewind and fast forward, click on the icon on the very bottom right.

This Media Roots podcast is the product of many long hours of hard work and love. If you want to encourage our voice, please consider supporting us as we continue to speak from outside party lines. If you donate, we want to thank you with your choice of art from AbbyMartin.org as well as music from RecordLabelRecords.org. Much of the music you hear on our podcasts comes from Robbie’s imprint Record Label Records, and Abby’s art reflects the passion and perspective that lead her to create Media Roots.org.

$40 donation: One 8×10 art print and one RLR release (You choose! Tell us in the Paypal notes.)

$80 donation: Two 8×10 art prints and two RLR releases (You choose!)

$150 donation: Four 8×10 art prints and four RLR releases (You choose!)

Even the smallest donations are appreciated and help us with our operating costs.

Thanks so much for your support!

Listen to all previous episodes of Media Roots Radio here.