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January 16th, 2012
thesmithian
The award of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 brought the name of Liu Xiaobo to the attention of the entire world. Yet well before that, he had already achieved considerable fame within China, as a fearless and clearsighted public intellectual and the author of some seventeen books, including collections of poetry and literary criticism as well as political essays. The Communist authorities…kept arresting him for his views—four times since the Tiananmen massacre in June 1989. Now he is again in jail, since December 2008… more.

The award of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 brought the name of Liu Xiaobo to the attention of the entire world. Yet well before that, he had already achieved considerable fame within China, as a fearless and clearsighted public intellectual and the author of some seventeen books, including collections of poetry and literary criticism as well as political essays. The Communist authorities…kept arresting him for his views—four times since the Tiananmen massacre in June 1989. Now he is again in jail, since December 2008…

more.

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Tiananmen Nobel Peace Prize Liu Xiaobo books authors politics culture china poetry communism jail
February 21st, 2011
thesmithian
He had not accomplished a thing when he got the Nobel Prize…It was given to him on hope, had to have been, because there wasn’t anything that he had done. He had been in office 15 minutes…I think he has made a practice of trying to apologize for America. I personally am proud of America.
former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, yesterday, on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
3 notes
donald rumsfeld nobel peace prize politics cnn united states
December 10th, 2010
thesmithian
The words used by statesmen in our day no longer have a common meaning. Perhaps they never had. Freedom, democracy, human rights, international morality, peace itself, mean different things to different men. Words, in a constant flow of propaganda - itself an instrument of war—are employed to confuse, mislead, and debase the common man. Democracy is prostituted to dignify enslavement; freedom and equality are held good for some men but withheld from others by and in allegedly “democratic” societies; in “free” societies, so-called, individual human rights are severely denied; aggressive adventures are launched under the guise of “liberation”. Truth and morality are subverted by propaganda, on the cynical assumption that truth is whatever propaganda can induce people to believe. Truth and morality, therefore, become gravely weakened as defences against injustice and war. With what great insight did Voltaire, hating war enormously, declare: “War is the greatest of all crimes; and yet there is no aggressor who does not colour his crime with the pretext of justice.” from Ralph J. Bunche’s Nobel Lecture. He was awarded the Peace Prize on this day in 1950 (first African American to receive).

The words used by statesmen in our day no longer have a common meaning. Perhaps they never had. Freedom, democracy, human rights, international morality, peace itself, mean different things to different men. Words, in a constant flow of propaganda - itself an instrument of war—are employed to confuse, mislead, and debase the common man. Democracy is prostituted to dignify enslavement; freedom and equality are held good for some men but withheld from others by and in allegedly “democratic” societies; in “free” societies, so-called, individual human rights are severely denied; aggressive adventures are launched under the guise of “liberation”. Truth and morality are subverted by propaganda, on the cynical assumption that truth is whatever propaganda can induce people to believe. Truth and morality, therefore, become gravely weakened as defences against injustice and war. With what great insight did Voltaire, hating war enormously, declare: “War is the greatest of all crimes; and yet there is no aggressor who does not colour his crime with the pretext of justice.”

from Ralph J. Bunche’s Nobel Lecture. He was awarded the Peace Prize on this day in 1950 (first African American to receive).

7 notes
democracy nobel peace prize diplomacy united nations politics ralph bunche morality war peace
September 30th, 2010
thesmithian
Denzel Washington will host this year’s Nobel Peace Prize concert … Herbie Hancock, Florence and the Machine, Colbie Caillat and Elvis Costello have been tapped to play the Dec. 11 event. The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on October 8 and awarded on December 10. more, here. +++++ art: drawing by Valeria Fernand

Denzel Washington will host this year’s Nobel Peace Prize concert … Herbie Hancock, Florence and the Machine, Colbie Caillat and Elvis Costello have been tapped to play the Dec. 11 event. The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on October 8 and awarded on December 10.

more, here.

+++++

art: drawing by Valeria Fernand

12 notes
denzel washington nobel peace prize herbie hancock florence and the Machine elvis costello music culture concerts colbie caillat
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