It is not easy to go to a country like Cambodia and develop an ecotourism project that involves preserving forests while generating income. Many obstacles will appear, not to mention the amount of people who simply don’t believe it can be done right. Katie Matlack has been working on one such project, and on one recent afternoon we sat together in a park in Bangkok, to discuss that project.
We discuss:
- Wildlife Alliance
- Cambodia, the situation
- How the project works
- Downside to ecotourism
- Green Architecture
- Funding and progress
- And more–
Music:
- Elvis- Crawfish
- LCD Soundsystem – Watch the Tapes
Ever since Lindsay started writing for In These Times, I’ve become a regular reader of their work. One recent article on food donations from the US and how the food donation system works has sparked my attention as a topic for an upcoming podcast.
According to their investigation, the US food aid system, which is supposed to feed starving people throughout the world, actually works against that goal. By selling off much of the food, encouraging factory farming, using genetically modified foods, and seeking to boost US influence in different regions, the food aid program can actually increase the level of hunger in the world.
50% of the world’s food donations are said to come from the US… but clearly that fact in itself does not tell the whole story. And while you often hear about how a country donates food to help starving people, there is significant evidence that what is really happening is the creation of a corrupt and inhumane shadow economy where political agendas and profit seeking supersede the aim of assisting those in need.
More on this topic coming soon in a podcast.
I read a recent report from the AP that Venezuela gives more money to Latin American countries than the United States. An interesting fact, if it proves true.
Through direct investment, aid, and grant programs, Hugo Chavez’s government has offered 8.8 billion dollars for development and infrastructure to countries like Bolivia and Nicaragua.
Of course it can be said that through private companies and supragovernmental organizations like the world bank, the US provides more funding… but any student of history knows that a loan from the world bank is more often a curse then a blessing.
For all the criticism and hate directed towards Chavez’s administration, seeing this fact is an example where they’ve done right for the region. By right I mean leading the way to provide an alternative to the US influence and domination over the region. If nothing else, making it OK for Latin American nations to stand up and say “we can do things our way” instead of feeling dependent on international loan schemes or empty private investment promises.
The president of Guinea has ruled this west african nation for over 20 years. Under his rule the nation has become one of the world’s poorest and more corrupt. But recently the people have taken to the streets and declared a general strike, making demands of this president who previously seemed to answer to no one. What is really going on in Guinea and why… Pauline Bax, my friend and a journalist based in Abidjan, Ivory Coast joins us to explain.
Her Blog: West Africa Wins Always
We Discuss:
-The last month in Guinea
-The strikes
– Lansana Conté, what should we know about him
-Where the country gets income
– Working as a journalist in Guinea
– Mining and mining companies
– Who Benefits from the present situation
– Plenty more, download the show.
It was one year ago that Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was elected president of Liberia, promising the enormous task of rebuilding and reuniting the country. One year on, some may wonder how the process is going, what signs of progress and hope can be found across Liberia? Elma Shaw of Liberia Stories joins me to point out the milestones.
We Discuss:
-The milestones of development for the last year
-Running Water, Communications, and other services
-The types of jobs Liberians are creating
-Popularity of the president
-Outside interests and investment
-Charles Taylor in the public discussion
listen to the program for further details
President Johnson-Sirleaf’s Speech last year at the US Institute for Peace
During 23C3 I had the good fortune of running into SJ who works for the Green Machine project. Which has been renamed the OLPC project, but I still like calling it the Green Machine because that is what it is… a 100 dollar laptop that had been designed specifically for the harshest conditions in the most remote places in the world. It is an issue close to any internet content creator’s heart… anyone who wants to see more of the world having access to computers and personal publishing online. If you’re intested in learning more, after the interview perhaps consult their website:
wiki.laptop.org