"In this rare clip from 1972, legendary psychiatrist and Holocaust-survivor Viktor Frankl delivers a powerful message about the human search for meaning -- and the most important gift we can give others." (TED.com)
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Why it is vital that we all believe in each other, folks.
by
Per Hoel
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
All of PBS' Frontline documentary programs available free online
by
Per Hoel
PBS has been producing the Emmy and Peabody award-winning documentary series Frontline since the late 80's -- and many of the episodes can now be found online here. The series' subjects are varied, but Frontline is known for creating in-depth investigations into high-profile stories and phenomena, providing concise explanations and lucid insights into current affairs.
I hope that audiences won't feel too disinterested in some of the older content. A measured, analytical piece about current events only becomes measured, analytical history. Most of this stuff is still relevant. These are just a few that I highly recommend:
Inside the Meltdown (2009)
"On Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008, the astonished leadership of the U.S. Congress was told in a private session by the chairman of the Federal Reserve that the American economy was in grave danger of a complete meltdown within a matter of days. "There was literally a pause in that room where the oxygen left," says Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.)."--
The Card Game (2009)
"In The Card Game, a follow-up to the Secret History of the Credit Card and a joint project with The NewYork Times, Bergman and the Times talk to industry insiders, lobbyists, politicians and consumer advocates as they square off over attempts to reform the way the industry has done business for decades."--
Cheney's Law (2007) - Won the Peabody Award
"For three decades Vice President Dick Cheney conducted a secretive, behind-closed-doors campaign to give the president virtually unlimited wartime power. Finally, in the aftermath of 9/11, the Justice Department and the White House made a number of controversial legal decisions. Orchestrated by Cheney and his lawyer David Addington, the department interpreted executive power in an expansive and extraordinary way, granting President George W. Bush the power to detain, interrogate, torture, wiretap and spy -- without congressional approval or judicial review."
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
"The Living Dead" - 3 films about the manipulation of memory and history.
by
Per Hoel
It was Winston Churchill himself who said that "history is written by the victors." One might go further to say that history is also manipulated, simplified, and, in some cases, literally blown to bits by the victors. What you know about Nazi Germany circa World War 2 is probably more or less true, but it is also probably very incomplete. In Part 1 of The Living Dead, Adam Curtis explores how the national memory about what happened in World War 2 was twisted to tell a very particular story. Emerging Cold War politics and human optimism facilitated that World War 2 be cast as a valiant struggle of good versus evil.
So what? What was lost was the story of how an entire nation was -- and could ever possibly become -- complicit in horrible crimes against humanity. What was lost was the story of how fascism is latent in every human being. What the world got instead was a tale of monsters and saviors, a black and white picture of humanity as naturally good, and a dismissal of the idea that darkness can bubble up in every person.
You can view part 1 here:
So what? What was lost was the story of how an entire nation was -- and could ever possibly become -- complicit in horrible crimes against humanity. What was lost was the story of how fascism is latent in every human being. What the world got instead was a tale of monsters and saviors, a black and white picture of humanity as naturally good, and a dismissal of the idea that darkness can bubble up in every person.
You can view part 1 here:
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