In the last 25 years the world has seen disasters like theBP oils spill Bhopal gas tragedy, Exxon Valdez oil spill, Enron's ponzi scheme just to name a few. These events highlight the relentless pursuit of profit that drives big corporations today, and how they are not accountable to any govts.

Part 1

Multimedia—dangerous!

Online research—depthless!

Classroom screens—dubious!

If you're looking for a contrarian take on technology, Nicholas Carr is your man. In 2003 the author touched off a debate about the role of computers in business with his article "IT Doesn't Matter." He caused another kerfuffle five years later with an Atlantic piece, "Is Google Making Us Stupid?"

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Multimedia—dangerous!

Online research—depthless!

Classroom screens—dubious!

If you're looking for a contrarian take on technology, Nicholas Carr is your man. In 2003 the author touched off a debate about the role of computers in business with his article "IT Doesn't Matter." He caused another kerfuffle five years later with an Atlantic piece, "Is Google Making Us Stupid?"

Read More

In 1933 Diego Rivera (1886-1957), completed his Detroit Industry fresco cycle. The abundant, controversial work, considered one the twentieth century’s outstanding achievements of monumental art, covers the four walls of the Garden Court in the Detroit Institute of Art. The murals illustrate the dignity of the worker in relation to the history of technology - from its origins in agriculture to the factory floor of a Ford auto plant. The most intriguing aspect of the murals lies hidden within the outline of a gigantic stamping press on the South Wall: the press intimates a resemblance to the Aztec deity Coatlicue - the goddess of creation and destruction. Through the image Rivera suggests that in the 1930s the deity revealed herself, in all
of her contradictions, as technology. The murals present us with the latter’s dual nature - factories and smokestacks, passenger planes and war planes, vaccines and poison gas - implying that technical progress always offers us the choice between self-immolation or an increase in human flourishing. The obvious question that the Detroit Industry fresco cycle poses to us is what would the eminent artist design if asked to do a contemporary version of the murals? How would he depict the tragedy and possibility of a city and country – with a heroic history of activism – that has been steadily crippled by a generation of neoliberal economic policies?

Failure of climate change summit in Copenhagen has been disappointing. But instead of playing blame games lessons have to be learnt for resumption of talks. In an exclusive interview with Newsclick, Martin Khor talks about mistakes occurred and way forward to take these negotiations to a positive conclusion.

To frustrated Americans who have begun boycotting BP: Welcome to the club. It's great not to be the only member any more!
Does boycotting BP really make sense?  Perhaps not.  After all, many BP filling stations are actually owned by local people, not the corporation itself.  Besides, when you're filling up at a Shell or ExxonMobil station, it's hard to feel much sense of moral triumph. Nonetheless, I reserve my right to drive by BP stations. I started doing it long before this year's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

To mark Faiz Ahmed Faiz's centenary, Newsclick presents the first in a series of discussions on Faiz by Gauhar
Raza and Sohail Hashmi. This episode specifically discusses the poem "Bol".

The esteemed historian and novelist on how there is only one path for the United States in Afghanistan: withdrawal. The following talk was given on April 19 to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the London Review of Books. Afghanistan now is at a critical stage.

The climate negotiations at Copenhangen appear to have set the trend for future climate talks in more senses than one. One is of course very much aware of the Copenhagen Accord, the product of a last-minute face-off between the United States and the major developing countries at the highest political level. We are also aware that despite its not being an official UNFCCC resolution, the text of the Copenhagen accord nevertheless casts a shadow over the future of climate negotiations.

Interview with Prof. David MacDonald, Queens College, Kingston, Ontario, Canada on "Electricity Capitalism in South Africa and beyond".