The mass media is one of the principal sources of wealth and power for U.S. capital as it extends its communication networks throughout the world. An increasing percentage of the richest North Americans derive their wealth from the mass media.

Today almost one out of five of the richest North Americans derive their wealth from the mass media. Cultural capitalism has displaced manufacturing as a source of wealth and influence in the U.S.

The mass media have become an integral part of the U.S. system of global political and social control, as well as a major source of super profits.

American cultural imperialism has two major goals, one economic and the other political: to capture markets for its cultural commodities and to establish hegemony by shaping popular consciousness.   more »

A Staggering Mess

In Iraq and elsewhere, Bush's successor will be called on to clean up a staggering mess.

Above all, this will mean returning to the principles of US foreign policy as practiced by every other president since FDR.

Particularly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Bush and his advisers presumed that this hoary old approach was no longer relevant.

But the record shows that Bush has not succeeded in rewriting the rules of statecraft.

Proceeding from false premises, he came to false conclusions. His successor, whether a Democrat or a Republican, will need to revive the internationalist traditions of his predecessors to clean up the mess he is leaving behind.   more »

Given the bloody mayhem in Iraq, and the clamour in Washington to bring the boys home from a failing war, it may seem hard to believe that any sane western policymaker could be contemplating yet another attack on another, much bigger, Muslim country.

But as Iran moves inexorably closer to learning how to build an atomic bomb, the danger that America or Israel will attack its nuclear sites is now acute.

Both countries are making the case that a military attack would be better than allowing a self-proclaimed theocracy to acquire nuclear weapons.

This is not a private fantasy harboured only by Bush and Cheney: all America's front-running presidential candidates, Democrats as well as Republicans, say that they would also contemplate a pre-emptive strike if sanctions fail.

The laughable thing about all this is that the Bush/Cheney alliance will, by the time Bush gets voted out in 2008, have taken only 8 short years to completely destroy America's influence in the global economy.   more »

Young, internet-savvy voters challenged Democratic presidential hopefuls on Iraq, the military draft and the candidates' own place in a broken political system, playing starring roles in a provocative, video-driven debate.

"Wassup?" came the first question last night, from a voter named Zach, after another, named Chris, opened the CNN-YouTube debate with a barb aimed at the entire eight-candidate field:

"Can you as politicians ... actually answer questions rather than beat around the bush?"   more »

Green consumerism is becoming a pox on the planet. If it merely swapped the damaging goods we buy for less damaging ones, I would champion it.

But two parallel markets are developing - one for unethical products and one for ethical products, and the expansion of the second does little to hinder the growth of the first.

I am now drowning in a tide of ecojunk. Over the past six months, our coat pegs have become clogged with organic cotton bags, which - filled with packets of ginseng tea and jojoba oil bath salts - are now the obligatory gift at every environmental event.

I have several lifetimes' supply of ballpoint pens made with recycled paper and about half a dozen miniature solar chargers for gadgets that I do not possess.

Ethical shopping is in danger of becoming another signifier of social status.   more »