engineering consent

Econvergence, a conference adressing the current political, economical, and environmental problems, brought together Pacific Northwest activists in Portland, from Oct. 2–4. The keynote speaker was the ubiquitous Noam Chomsky, his presence exciting the sold-out audience and even bringing the man who introduced him, American University economics professor Robin Hahnel, to tears. For a man who is eight decades old, Chomsky resonated with authority during his speech, though he used humor to ease the density of information he presented.