FORA videos on counterterrorism and the Iraq war

From FORA.tv: Laura Donohue talks about counterterrorism and surveillance in the US after September 11. She argues that 'freedom' vs 'security' is the wrong angle, and that one of the overlooked challenges of counterterrorism is the power it gives to the executive branch.




Peter Galbraith talks about the Iraq war, the prospects of democracy, and why Iran is the victor of the war:

Did he learn nothing in Hanoi?

From FORA.tv: Philip Gourevitch and Errol Morris talk about the less-known backstory of the Abu Ghraib scandal. You need to watch this.




An interview with the satirist and former Republican speech writer Christopher Buckley, (author of the delightful Thank You For Smoking):




Richard Rigby explains what's happening in China:




Robert Reich talks about the financial crisis:

A monument to curiosity

Steven LeVine talks about the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, the Russian journalist.






Philip Pan talks about freedom and repression in China.






Frank Wilczek explains the Large Hadron Collider. And there's a silly LHC rap. Physics nerds are so awesome.

Today's evening news replacement

New York Times correspondent Dexter Filkins talks about his experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq:






Jacob Weisberg talks about the life and character of George W. Bush:






OMG!!1! Two hours of talking! Brain hurts .. must .. find .. funny .. cat .. picture. Aaaah:

Remember when there were smart programs on TV?

FORA.tv is a video site that wants to make you smarter. Without saying anything bad about YouTube and its imitators, this is a rare ambition on the web today. FORA.tv gathers videos of speeches, lectures and panel debates on topics such as politics, science and culture. The videos are long, often boring, and rarely contain even a single TV-worthy soundbite. It's my favourite new website in a long while - this is what's missing from television. In such a gathering of public intellectuals, academics and activists, you'll inevitably suffer many silly and eccentric speakers, and if that is enough to scare you away I recommend you go watch this freaking hilarious dramatic chipmunk on YouTube. For the rest of you, here are some recommendations to start with:

• I already linked to Nassim Nicholas Taleb, who is a bad speaker, but has important things to say, (a common combination).
  
• A panel on propaganda. Skip the first speaker, and my favourite part (about the Solidarity movement in Poland) begins at chapter 15.
  
• This second part from the same conference talks about the science of manipulation. My favourite part is with Frank Luntz from chapter 9.
  
• Walt Mossberg talks about cellphones and internet technology.
  
• Sudhir Venkatesh talks about his book Gang Leader For a Day, about what he learned from his friendship with a Chicago gang leader.
  

The future has always been crazier than we thought

Skip the evening news today, and instead watch this talk by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, where he summarizes his wonderful book on unpredictable surprises, The Black Swan. Favourite provocation: If you're skeptical towards bishops, but believe in the stock market, you're a hypocrite.