It is no secret that the post Katrina rebuilding effort has been mismanaged, but now the city of New Orleans is taking that to a new level, post Gustav. My guest on this podcast is Karen Gadbois, who writes the blog squanderedheritage.com, focusing on housing and history in New Orleans. Together we look at the city’s accelerated policy of demolishing houses with minimal to no notice.
Among the topics we discuss:
- The policy
- Gustav as the excuse
- Post Ike damage
- The living museum that is NOLA
- Grassroots action and organization
- The role of bloggers
- The other arguement, rationalizing the speedy demolitions
- Demographic change and development plans
- Wetlands resoration and the need for it
- Entergy
- Jail
Music:
Mof Def – Dollar Day
Dirty Dozen Brass Band – Whats going on?
Germany plans to phase out nuclear energy by 2021. But there’s some question if the government will really do it. Now the news has gotten out that radioactive waste has been leaking in the storage area that was supposed to be secure for many years to come. Will this speed up the nuclear phase out? What can be done about the dangerous waste and who is to blame?
Michael Scott Moore writes for Der Spiegel and has covered this issue. He also blogs at radiofreemike.com and he is the author of Too Much of Nothing. He joins me to explain what is happening and how the German media are addressing this issue.
Music:
REM – Supernatural Superseriou
Roots – Lost Desire
Law and Order China Style.
I pay a visit to Greenpeace International to followup on what is going on with fishing rights in Mauritania.
Fellow independent video blogger and friend Baghdad Brian, along with 5 other individuals, was arrested Thursday in Beijing. They are accused of being part of an overseas pro-tibet activist group. Brian was there to report about the demonstrations during the olympics as an independent journalist.
Chinese authorities say they must serve a 10 day jail sentence, according to the American embassy the conditions they are living in are better than average (perhaps because they’re foreigners). Since the start of the olympic games at least 400 people have disappeared as part of the continued repression of pro tibet and other human rights demonstrations. These disappeared include many journalists who are their without the supervision of Chinese government handlers.
The following podcast features an interview with Brian’s wife, Eowyn, who explains what she knows about Brian’s situation, the group, and people who have risked their freedom and well-being in protest of the Chinese government and their disregard for basic human rights. More information can be found here. Please listen to the program and do pass on the link, otherwise all we have is the image of the mainstream press… the picture perfect images of the olympic games and China on television.
Music:
Phil Ochs – I’m Going to Say it Now
Utah Phillips – Ain’t it Grand
My father Alfredo Rendeiro joins me to talk about Newark, the Ironbound, since the late 1960’s when he first arrived from Portugal.