TED (Ideas Worth Spreading) presents this excellent interview with Julian Assange of the increasingly famous organization WikiLeaks (or infamous, depending on what side of the disinformation wall you are standing on, and whether one is trying to scale that wall or garrison it). In it Assange discusses why their work is necessary in helping to provide the information that is important to the world. He elaborates on how information which organizations spend large amounts of time and money on keeping hidden gets out, and the hope that its exposure can do some good.

This is a wonderful initiative from the human rights organization WITNESS. The Hub is a new website for anyone, anywhere in the world to upload, view, share, discuss and take action on human-rights related media. Part curated, part grassroots-driven, it brings under-reported and urgent human rights issues to a broad audience to inspire and catalyze action.

(Please read the important update on this program from WITNESS provided in the ‘Comments’ section below)

This seems to be a very cool project. I look forward to its completion and as widespread distribution as possible.

On October 10th, 2010, thousands of people from every nation around the world will film their perspective and contribute their voice to the largest participatory media event in history. The event will result in a feature documentary and dynamic video archive. Through an open forum of diverse perspectives, our community will reveal the basic human struggles and triumphs that unite us. We anticipate that this new understanding of the shared human condition will foster a greater sense of global empathy and interconnectedness, and ultimately, action towards a more sustainable and equitable planet.

Find out more at One Day On Earth. If you have any material you may want to submit yourself, email Gina Nemirofsky.

This is great stuff here from Julian Assange, co-founder of the increasingly well-known organization WikiLeaks.

Paraphrasing Orwell, Assange explains that he who controls today’s internet servers controls the intellectual record of mankind. In this speech to the Oslo Freedom Forum, he warns about Western governments, large corporations, and certain wealthy individuals who are increasingly able to wield power and influence to remove material permanently from the historical record using sophisticated methods. “If the West doesn’t reverse its course of increased censorship and rights abuses, Assange warns, it will lose all of the ideals that it once stood for.”

Or should one add that it will continue to lose all those ideals it once stood for, considering the rate the US is going today in replicating the model of the USSR when it comes to matters of empire and surveillance state tactics and techniques.

WikiLeaks - “The method is transparency; The goal is justice.”

On the 200th anniversary of Thomas Paine’s death, Bill Moyers sits down with Thomas Paine and the Promise of America author Harvey J. Kaye and National Review senior editor Richard Brookhiser, author of What Would The Founders Do?, as they discuss the relevance and meaning of the life and legacy of Thomas Paine.

Watch The Video/Read The Transcript

Interesting perspective on the branding of Obama and the cult of personality.

An informative expose’ on the Israeli attack against the American naval ship the USS Liberty, and the cover up that ensued. Produced by the BBC, it is curiously unfortunate that not only has this program received practically no airtime in the United States, but the entire issue has received next to zero exposure in the U.S. Perhaps that can and will change in the coming days.

The costs of the war have been rendered invisible. There’s no draft. Instead, we take the most vulnerable elements of our population, and give them a choice between unemployment and missile fodder. Government deficits conceal the need to pay in cash for the war.

We put the cost of both guns and butter on our Chinese credit card. In fact, we don’t even put these wars on budget; they are still passed using ‘emergency supplemental’. A nine-year ‘emergency’.

Let’s show Congress the cost of these wars is too much for us.

Tell Congress that you support ‘The War Is Making You Poor Act’.

Go to http://www.TheWarIsMakingYouPoor.com

Chomsky on corporate rights and campaigns.

The Supreme Court ruling in essence “means that corporations can buy elections directly instead of indirectly.”

Lucid analysis from Noam Chomsky (and predictive, considering this predates the Supreme Court ruling on corporate contributions to political campaigns by months).