Laura Gottesdiener

7 Brilliant Insights From Noam Chomsky on American Empire

Seven powerful quotes on the evils, atrocities and ironies of the American empire from Dr. Chomsky.

Laura Gottesdiener
By Laura Gottesdiener
Photo: Tom Ipri/Flickr

Noam Chomsky is an expert on many matters -- linguistics, how our economy functions and propaganda, among others. One area where his wisdom especially shines through is in articulating the structure and functioning of the American empire. Chomsky has been speaking and publishing on the topic since the '60s. Below are seven powerful quotes on the

Read Full Article

Now You See Me: A Glimpse Into The Zapatista Movement, Two Decades Later

20 years later, people are pouring into one of the Zapatistas’ political centers, known as Oventic, to celebrate.

Laura Gottesdiener
By Laura Gottesdiener
In this Dec. 27, 2013 photo, a woman sews part of a traditional skirt in the Zapatista controlled community of La Garrucha, Mexico. Since their uprising 20 years ago, Zapatistas, known by their initials as the EZLN, have lived in secretive, closed-off enclaves they have formed in the half-dozen communities they hold. But in the last five months the rebels have opened up their communities to more than 7,000 Mexicans and foreigners interested in learning about how they self-govern and maintain their independence and way of life. Those invited stayed for a week at a time and lived with a Zapatista family. Members of these communities wear masks to hide their identities when outsiders, interested in learning about how they self-govern and maintain their way of life, gain access to visit them. (AP Photo/Christian Palma)

Growing up in a well-heeled suburban community, I absorbed our society’s distaste for dissent long before I was old enough to grasp just what was being dismissed. My understanding of so many people and concepts was tainted by this environment and the education that went with it: Che Guevara and the Black Panthers and Oscar Wilde and Noam Chomsky

Read Full Article