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ANIMAL PEOPLE The best resource anywhere to educate yourself and others about the tyranny of humans over nature, and especially "living, suffering nature"--the animals. With more than 3,000 articles on hand, it's the Internet's largest independent archive of information on "the problem of speciesism." Must resource for those who understand that moral justice, if it is to be consistent, must also extend to all of our fellow creatures.

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JOE BAGEANT'S PAGE —DEER HUNTING WITH JESUS: DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA'S CLASS WAR

JOE BAGEANT IS WITHOUT A DOUBT ONE OF THE MOST INSIGHTFUL contemporary chroniclers of American culture, with an authoritative hook on the "red state" mentality. Born in Winchester, Virginia, Bageant was raised among folks for whom the Bible's teachings were literal truth and The Rapture a welcome event. Escaping this early conservative formation has been a lifelong enterprise, but in the process Bageant has matured into an indispensable guide for a segment of the American population which, boasting amazing and often fiercely contradictory idiosyncrasies, continues to puzzle most political observers. As Joe himself puts it: "Died in 2000 when George Bush got elected ... died along with 275 million other Americans ... Plan to rise again from the dead when he is tossed out ...maybe reincarnate as a Commie terrorist on Wall Street ... maybe as a sex worker in Amsterdam ... can't decide ... both have their advantages."

Joe Bageant is a senior Cyrano's Journal Contributing Editor. Joe can be reached at

BARTCOP.COM Probably the first thing anyone needs to know about this highly original site is that, along with a select handful of other veteran progressive sites, it was there fighting the good fight long before others realized the importance of the medium, literally at the very inception of what we now call the "blogosphere". Consistently providing high-caliber materials for scholars, activists, and just plain engaged citizens, BartCop.com is a site to reckon with as a genuine democratic resource and a veritable lynchpin in the citizens' media revolution that is increasingly challenging the stranglehold of the mainstream media over public information. In the words of its publisher:

BartCop.com has been consistently truth hammering right wing ditto monkeys on the web since 1996. That was before anyone had heard of "blogging" or the "blogosphere" and ten years later the hammer is still swinging at the "Tequila Treehouse." Five to six content-rich issues are published each week but BartCop.com isn't a typical "blog". Most blogs publish a series of articles, bits, toons, links and photos on an ongoing basis with the most recent item at the top. BartCop.com publishes an entire issue all at once - like a magazine or newspaper that comes out every day.

BETWEEN THE LINES [RADIO RESOURCE]

Since 1991, non-commercial, listener-supported WPKN Radio in Bridgeport, Connecticut, has produced a weekly, award-winning public affairs show called Between the Lines. A four-time winner of the Connecticut Associated Press Broadcast Award for Best Feature in the non-commercial category, this syndicated, half-hour program provides a platform for individuals and spokespersons from progressive organizations generally ignored or marginalized by the mainstream media. Between the Lines covers a wide range of political, economic and social topics. Each program begins with a five-minute summary of some of the week's under- reported news stories gathered from the alternative press. This summary is followed by three five-minute interview segments focusing on significant international, national and regional issues.The BTL goal is to encourage activism. Between the Lines offers its audience timely information on how to become active on the issues featured on each week's program. Every interview segment includes phone numbers and Web sites to facilitate contact between listeners and activist groups, that are taking a stand on critical issues of the day. Its site also offers text summaries, transcripts of selected interviews and audio archives of BTL programs, and links to additional resources. Between The Lines' production staff includes journalists and community activists who have a passion for disseminating information and points of view that all too rarely reach average citizens.

Between The Lines' producers, affiliated with media organizations, non-profit institutions and universities, contribute material to regional and national media outlets such as: Pacifica Radio Network, Free Speech Radio News, the New York Times, MediaChannel.org, AlterNet.org, Toward Freedom, In These Times, Dollars & Sense, E: The Environmental Magazine, The Advocate newspapers, Progressive Media Project, Women's International News Gathering Service (WINGS), This Way Out! and many more. The main engines behind Between the Lines are his founder, Scott Harris, and his able and indefatigable producer, Anna Manzo.

BLACK AGENDA REPORT By far one of the most indispensable reads for activists of any stripe, this publication, helmed by Executive Editor Glen Ford, addresses and clarifies a broad spectrum of issues, all of universal human interest, while anchoring commentary on the realities faced by African Americans. Glen Ford is a veteran journalist and seasoned broadcast professional with a career streatching back more than three decades. Ford conceived, co-founded and hosted America's Black Forum in the early 1980s, and was lead editor, co-publisher and founder of the internet magazine Black Commentator (see below), till leaving there to start Black Agenda Report. Ford is based in Jersey City NJ. BAR also has on its editorial staff Bruce Dixon (Managing Editor) a native Chicagoan living in exile near Atlanta. Dixon is a longtime and incorrigible activist whose most recent internet home was also Black Commentator. This formidable duo is reinforced by the abilities of Editor and Senior columnist Margaret Kimberley, whose weekly column Freedom Rider appears in dozens of print newspapers around the country. Ms. Kimberley lives and works in New York City, and maintains a frequently updated blog at http://freedomrider.blogspot.com.

Glen Ford is a Cyrano's Journal Contributing Editor.

THE BLACK COMMENTATOR Founded and ably edited by veteran journalists Glen Ford and Peter Gamble, who in 1977 created America's Black Forum, the first nationally syndicated Black news interview program on commercial television, The Black Commentator's core audience is African Americans and their allies in the struggle for social and economic justice. The site alse serves as a vital resource "to share Black American perspectives with the rest of the world, a mission uniquely suited to the Internet. Its focus is commentary, analysis and investigation, elements of political dialogue that are absolutely essential to the creation of movements for social change. Without regular forums for advocacy and debate, a people are at the mercy of their adversaries."

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COUNTERPUNCH Needs no introduction to most left-oriented activists, but for those who have just arisen from a 50-year slumber, let us just say that this is a "must visit" stop for anyone seeking a broad array of fact and opinion.

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DISSIDENT VOICE Founded and helmed by a Renaissance man, Sunil Sharma, who is not only a political activist but a musician as well, this site is without a doubt one of the best edited all-round resources on the web for independent (and highly original) voices on the left. In his own words, "[t]he goal of Dissident Voice is to provide hard hitting, thought-provoking and even entertaining news and commentaries on politics and culture that can serve as ammunition in struggles for peace and social justice." He accomplishes that and more.

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FAIRNESS AND ACCURACY IN REPORTING ( FAIR) This is the progressives' pre-eminent media watchdog group, founded, in part, to counterbalance the phony media watchdog organizations created by the Right to hound the media into submission. (cf Reed Irvine, "Accuracy in Media"). FAIR in its own words: "As a progressive group, FAIR believes that structural reform is ultimately needed to break up the dominant media conglomerates, establish independent public broadcasting and promote strong non-profit sources of information[...] FAIR works with both activists and journalists. We maintain a regular dialogue with reporters at news outlets across the country, providing constructive critiques when called for and applauding exceptional, hard-hitting journalism. We also encourage the public to contact media with their concerns, to become media activists rather than passive consumers of news."

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GREEN LEFT WEEKLY (Australia) Green Left Weekly, launched in 1990 by progressive activists to present the views excluded by the big business media, is now Australia's leading source of local, national and international news, analysis, and discussion and debate to strengthen the anti-capitalist movements. Green Left Weekly aims to provide a much-needed forum for discussion and debate about changing the world. By giving a voice to progressive ideas, by sharing a wide range of views, by linking issues, campaigns and activists, and by letting people know how they can join with others to take action for change, the paper contributes to the development of a more just and democratic world.

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MEDIACHANNEL.ORG Founded by the Protean Danny Schechter (who continues at the helm, and who files a must-read daily column on current affairs), this extraordinary media & culture watch group is an obligatory stop for anyone seriously interested in the comings and goings of corporate media, the government, and the political and cultural issues underlying many of their actions. Danny Schechter is a senior contributing editor to Cyrano. See his special section, at [ Schechter ].

MEDIALENS—CORRECTING THE DISTORTED VISION OF CORPORATE MEDIA

MediaLens.org — a young British media watch organization crewed by two editors and a very committed webmaster, is simply remarkable for the breadth and seriousness of its media behavior analyses. Its marching principles are noble, and its priorities worthy of emulation by other activists engaged in the battle of communications to liberate human consciousness from the falsifications introduced by corporate power. We are happy to reproduce below, in its entirety, the site's mission statement:

"MediaLens is a response based on our conviction that mainstream newspapers and broadcasters provide a profoundly distorted picture of our world. We are convinced that the increasingly centralised, corporate nature of the media means that it acts as a de facto propaganda system for corporate and other establishment interests. The costs incurred as a result of this propaganda, in terms of human suffering and environmental degradation, are incalculable...>In seeking to understand the basis and operation of this systematic distortion, we flatly reject all conspiracy theories and point instead to the inevitably corrupting effects of free market forces operating on and through media corporations seeking profit in a society dominated by corporate power. We reject the idea that journalists are generally guilty of self-censorship and conscious lying; we believe that the all-too-human tendency to self-deception accounts for their conviction that they are honest purveyors of uncompromised truth. We all have a tendency to believe what best suits our purpose - highly paid, highly privileged editors and journalists are no exception<....>

MediaLens has grown out of our frustration with the unwillingness, or inability, of the mainstream media to tell the truth about the real causes and extent of many of the problems facing us, such as human rights abuses, poverty, pollution and climate change. Because much modern suffering is rooted in the unlimited greed of corporate profit-maximising - in the subordination of people and planet to profit - it seems to us to be a genuine tragedy that society has for so long been forced to rely on the corporate media for 'accurate' information. It seems clear to us that quite obvious conflicts of interest mean it is all but impossible for the media to provide this information. We did not expect the Soviet Communist Party's newspaper Pravda to tell the truth about the Communist Party, why should we expect the corporate press to tell the truth about corporate power?<...>

We believe that media 'neutrality' is a deception that often serves to hide systematic pro-corporate bias. 'Neutrality' most often involves 'impartially' reporting dominant establishment views, while ignoring all non-establishment views. In reality it is not possible for journalists to be neutral - regardless of whether we do or do not overtly give our personal opinion, that opinion is always reflected in the facts we choose to highlight or ignore. While we seek to correct corporate distortions as honestly as possible, our concern is not to affect some spurious 'objectivity' but to engage with the world to do whatever we can to reduce suffering and to resist the forces that seek to subordinate human well-being to profit. We do not believe that passively observing human misery without attempting to intervene constitutes 'neutrality'. We do not believe that 'neutrality' can ever be deemed more important than doing all in our power to help others<...>

We accept the Buddhist assertion that while greed and hatred distort reason, compassion empowers it. Our aim is to increase rational awareness, critical thought and compassion, and to decrease greed, hatred and ignorance. Our goal is not at all to attack, insult or anger individual editors or journalists but to highlight significant examples of the systemic distortion that is facilitating appalling crimes against humanity: the failure to communicate the truth of exactly who is responsible for the slaughter of 500,000 Iraqi children under five; the silence surrounding the motives and devastating consequences of corporate obstruction of action on climate change; the true nature, motives and consequences of 'globalisation'; the corporate degradation and distortion of democratic society and culture. Our hope is that by so doing we can help all of us to free ourselves from delusions. In the age of global warming and globalised exploitation these delusions threaten an extraordinary, and perhaps terminal, disaster - they should not be allowed to go unchallenged."

MEDIA TRANSPARENCY.ORG This is a unique and invaluable site devoted to tracking down the rivers of money feeding the reactionary corporate royalist (in polite quarters, aka "Conservative") movement in America. From Milwaukee's BRADLEY FOUNDATION, to Richard Mellon Scaife, the Godfather of the Right, this site follows the dollar from donor to final dastardly use.

MY LEFT WING IS A VERY UNUSUAL BLOG. Highly original, bewildering in its offerings, a little dislocated at times due to its tremendous desire to be of service, this site is utterly democratic, receives warmly anyone who's battling in an honest way the forces of cruelty and injustice, and posts an equally impressive range of opinion on the issues of the day, yesterday and tomorrow. The site reflects the generous temperament of Mary Scott O'Connor, its founder and producer, who (not surprisingly) also happens to be a fighter for the liberation of animals and nature from human tyranny. Put MLW on your "must-visit" list. You won't be disappointed.

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NEWS HOUNDS A highly original media watch blog proving that the mobilized citizens of this nation can work in increasingly powerful (and self-empowering) networks to resist, balance, and eventually defeat the concentrated power of corporate royalists. From their manifesto: "Like many projects, this one started out as something else. In early 2004, eight middle-aged citizens from different backgrounds and locations around the USA teamed up via MoveOn.org and the internet...to volunteer our services for OUTFOXED, a documentary film by Robert Greenwald regarding Fox News Channel. For approximately three months, each of us watched FNC conscientiously for five or more hours a week and posted our findings regarding Fox's self-proclaimed mission of fair and balanced reporting. Appalled by our results, we, who would not meet in person until months later, banded together in cyberspace in concern and outrage over the failure of American media, and Fox News in particular, to relate the news properly. Rather than serve as the public's eyes and ears, Fox and other media conglomerates have become echo chambers for the rich and powerful with whom they have become all too cozy. This blog is an attempt to counter that alarming condition. We believe that a viable democracy depends upon viable media. We invite you to join us in our efforts here and elsewhere to make a difference in the future of our country.

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ONLINE JOURNAL Impeccably edited, and with an impressive breadth of topicality in its copious archives, Online Journal stands out as one of the web's most influential new media. As its tagline indicates, OJ was "established in 1998 to provide uncensored and accurate news, analysis and commentary." This it has done with distinction, setting high standards along the way for younger entrants in a highly competitive field. Spending time with OJ is always a rewarding experience.

"OpEdNews runs news stories and sharply smart anti-war/anti-Bush opinion pieces" Ed Wiener of the Philadelphia Daily News

"Something Like the Drudge Report, But Designed For People Who Think" - Mike Malloy

OPEDNEWS.COM Imagine for a moment that progressives had their own Reuters or Associated Press, a well-managed distribution engine for news, high-caliber analysis, and commentary capable of reaching ever-larger audiences. Imagine further that such an outfit was staffed by extremely dedicated editors, under the direction of an equally motivated visionary—wouldn't that be wonderful? Well, we don't have to imagine it, because we already have such an alternative news and commentary distribution instrument, and it's called OpEdNews.com.

In Rob Kall's capable hands, this site—recently overhauled to facilitate navigation and the expansion of its services—has served, and continues to serve, the critical mission of putting alternative views of reality and history in front of large audiences, thereby giving such normally censored views a chance to reach and influence the national debate. OpEdNews.com is a terrific concept, long overdue, implemented with unfailing courtesy, warmth, and generosity. We are all indebted to OpedNews.com.

[ FINANCIAL SUPPORT RECOMMENDED ]

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LA PATRIA GRANDE (THE GREATER MOTHERLAND) Self-defined as "communicators for the Greater Motherland" this site, based in Venezuela, and staffed with writers and editors from many countries, but with a preponderance of Venezuelans, other Latin Americans, and Italians, "was created to generate information from The Greater Motherland ( Bolivarian Venezuela ) conducive to the birth of a "Patria Grande" (Greater Motherland). Our Motherland is the world, and what really matters is not where we are born, nor where we happen to reside, but where we live and fight." This is a site created by both young and seasoned idealists of the left, and naturally supportive of President Hugo Chavez' work.

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THE SMIRKING CHIMP The smirkingchimp.com is a megablog for activists of leftwing persuasion, but with a demographic heavily skewed toward a "temperamental" preference for centroid opinion, often (in our view) too much in favor of the Democratic Party establishment, or the notion that the Democratic party is actually a credible opposition to the current system. Posters who range outside the unstated parameters of "acceptable discourse" will be flamed or "trolled" without warning, and attempts to contact the management will fall on deaf ears. Still, a useful instrument to disseminate facts and opinion on the breaking issues of our time.

SWANS.COM A highly provocative and original website, Swans (in its own words) "is a co-operative effort dedicated to building a world based on justice and solidarity. We look for people who understand that the only way not to play a game is to not play it; that problems cannot be solved by using the tools and thought processes that were used to create them in the first place." Reflecting the tough standards set by its deeply iconoclastic creator, Gilles d'Aymery, the site measures up to its image as a place certain to teach and tease the intellect into action.

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Edited by Jason Miller

Thomas Paine's Corner is a site dedicated to advancing universal human rights, fostering social and economic justice, and supporting the cause of all oppressed, exploited, and impoverished human beings on our Earth.

In the words of its publisher, "Thomas Paine's Corner is not a vehicle for self promotion. The banner clearly states this site's purpose. Its publisher makes no disingenuous (Fox News) claims of "objectivity". Thomas Paine's Corner exists unfettered by the undue influence of corporate sponsors or advertisers. It is a non-profit (actually non-income) endeavor. Participation via commentary is open to all. No comments will be censored or deleted. Submissions for publication are welcome." Nobly edited, this is one of Cyranos' favorite political-cultural commentary sites, anywhere. We are also fortunate to have Jason as a new contributing editor to Cyrano.

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WBAI—FM 99.5 The biggest and most influential jewel in the crown of the Pacifica radio network, NYC-based WBAI, with programs that have set national and international standards for quality, courage, and timeliness, requires little in the way of introduction to progressive publics. Democracy Now! helmed by the formidable and charming Amy Goodman, an award winning journalist who truly deserves the name of journalist, is presently WBAI’s most influential offering. The station also hosts Golden Age of Radio type serials such as, Weaponry, a show about military history and technology, Free Speech Radio News and Wakeup Call; WBAI's morning drive-time news magazine presented by Deepa Fernandes and Mario Murillo.

Never shy of controversial offerings, as befits a leftist, alternative-oriented broadcaster, WBAI also presents in its lineup the compelling Taking Aim (airs Weekly at 005:00 PM). { Website: http://www.takingaim.info/ } On this program, and with meticulous documentation and lively by-play, Ralph Schoenman and Mya Shone analyze the assault upon working people in the United States and internationally waged permanently by the capitalist ruling class. Schoenman and Shone remove the veil of deception from events such as September 11, the assault against Iraq, and the Zionist plans to expel and or subjugate the Palestinian people. Taking Aim arms people with information and context to further their organizing efforts.

CHECK THE PACIFICA.ORG SITE FOR PROGRAMS NOT ONLY FROM WBAI, but from all other stations in the network.

To check WBAI, CLICK HERE. || To visit Amy Goodman's DEMOCRACY NOW! site, CLICK HERE.

WHAT'S LEFT—THE STEPHEN GOWANS BLOG Stephen Gowans publishes one of the most outspoken and incisive political commentary blogs anywhere on the Internet. His analyses of North Korea, Iran, Cuba, Latin America, the Middle East and imperialism, among others, should be regarded as "obligatory reading" for anyone wishing to really understand this historical stage, and, most importantly, what to do about it.

WORLD PROUT ASSEMBLY PROUT is a revolutionizing vision that is transforming the way many people see the process of social change. In their own words:

"The vision of World Prout Assembly is for activists in all countries fighting for justice in all spheres of life to come together to form one universal coalition, in order to mobilize moralists for creating global change. By providing solidarity and support to all local, anti-exploitation struggles, the World Prout Assembly envisions the mobilization of humanity to end the economic hegemony of the transnational corporations and the political hegemony of any present or future superpowers."

 

The PROUT position is definitely anti-capitalist, but it is also against centralization, in both economic and political areas. The movement has been endorsed by some of the most respected contemporary activists and thinkers.

"The world needs new socioeconomic structures that are more just, stronger and less self-centered like Prout; and we need to make systematic changes that free us, too." Maria Dirlene Trindade Marques, President of the Union of Brazilian Economists

"Prout is very important to all who yearn for a liberation which starts from economics and opens to a totality of personal and social human existence." Leonardo Boff, Founder of Liberation Theology

"Alternative visions are crucial at this moment in history. Prout’s cooperative model of economic democracy, based on cardinal human values and sharing the resources of the planet for the welfare of everyone, deserves our serious consideration." Noam Chomsky, Critic of U.S foreign policy, supporter of libertarian socialist objectives

WORKING TV is a labour television program broadcast weekly on community access television in the province of British Columbia, Canada. In their own words, WORKING TV is "primarily a labour show, focusing on union issues. This derives from our original mandate: to counter the marginalization and censorship of labour by mainstream television broadcasters, with labour positive programming produced by working people, for working people."

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