I recently gave a talk at the Chaos Communication Camp on the subject of New Orleans and the Federal Flood; a mix of my observations and research combined with all that I’ve learned from the many excellent NOLA bloggers. After the talk Rob Savoye walked up to me with lots of kind words, and explained that he was there in the days following the storm, working to give people medical care, food, and shelter. This podcast features his story. (recorded as the CCC was being dismantled around us)
Rob’s site
Rising Tide Conference
We discuss:
– His work as a search and rescue volunteer
– When Katrina hit, the decision to go
– First contact with victims and authorities
– Intimidation versus encouragement from different authorities
– Day to day tasks
– The importance of communication and art
– Keeping America interested
– How Rainbow families works
– The mainstream media
– Future disaster relief preparation
The US government, in cooperation with the US media, have long attempted to convince everyone that North Korea is an insane country where people are all miserable and life is impossible. Emmanuel Goldstein of 2600.com, decided he needed to go there and see for himself what life is really like. I sat down with him during the Chaos Communication Camp outside Berlin and talked to him about the journey, the myths, and the lessons.
Listen to his journey on the 2600 website
Other media from the CCC
We Discuss:
– Motivation for going to NK
– Image that media and government have long pushed on us
– Arriving in Pyong-yang
– Security
– Poverty and Electricity
– Movement around the city
– Technology
– Contact with North Koreans
– Impressions of the US
– Myths Debunked
– The importance of such visits
My mother went to school at a time in Portugal where you weren’t supposed to question or challenge a very sexist, classist, and politically repressive nation. Yet throughout her education she took on one challenge after another, making it her tradition to fight against the rules and the limits placed upon her. This podcast is about that experience, in her own words, as we sat in our living room in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal, last week.
We discuss:
– Girls and School
– Access to schools
– Private and Public schools during the dictatorship
– Class and privledge
– Getting to school
– Gender inequality
– Challenging the norms
– University in Coimbra
– Secret activism against the fascist state
– Pamphlets
– Access to power
– Corruption
In his recent book, Ralph Nader talks about the town he grew up in, his family, and the traditions that helped make him who he is. My father read the book and said to me “That is how it was for us!” The result is this podcast, likely to be the first of several, where we talk about his town, his family, and everything related that shaped who he is today.
We Discuss:
– The town – Murtosa, Portugal
– School
– Church
– Farming versus Shoemaking
– Siblings
– Food
– High School
– Careers
– Military
– The pleasure of the Radio
– Uncles Abroad and in the Colonies
– Local Politicians and the Dictatorship
The ground breaking director of The Power of Nightmares and Century of the Self, has a new documentary: The Trap. It looks at Game Theory and how it has been incorporated into every aspect of government and society, and the result of adopting these theories. (Recorded from downtown Lisbon.)
After studying, working, and living in the Netherlands for 5, 10 or even 20 years, people are being deported on technicalities and bureaucratic errors. Faced with the choice of fighting or leaving the life they’ve built, many people are finding that there is no fair fight to be had. In this podcast the focus is on the Canadian example, the story of current and former residents. Asking the question, what kind of immigration policies are these?
Interviewees:
Thomas here in Amsterdam
Sarah in Toronto
Dutch Immigration Lawyer (anonymous)