Podcasting since 2004; Conversations, conflicts, adventures and monologues from around the world.
As I type this entry I’m listening again to a recent episode of CBC radio’s The Current podcast.? It is a profoundly sad and important interview with a Cambodian man (now living in Canada) who survived 4 years in the killing fields during the Khmer Rouge regime. There are in fact, no words to make someone understand or express why this needs to be heard, simply put – it must be heard.
Among the most gut-wrenching and ponderous points of the interview,Continue reading “Killing Fields Survivor”
Not the sexiest topic for the mass media to cover, but over in a city I like very much – Istanbul – the 5th World Water Forum is taking place.? Essentially a meeting about addressing the state and future of the planet’s water, this is supposed to be the gathering where conflicts and concerns are discussed and hopefully solutions are found.
Looking around at what organizations and individuals are attending, one could argue that the concerns about protecting access to water, quality and affordability especially, is definitely on the agenda.? But as with the previous 4 meetings, the big name water companies like RWE and Suez will also be there, corporations that have been busy buying up water systems throughout the world for more than a decade.? Naturally if any discussions are going to take place, it makes sense that all stakeholders in the water management world are a part of them. Yet the record of many of these players call into question any serious claim of wanting water as a human right and an essential resource for life, to be protected and respected. The spirit of viewing water as a commodity is very much still out there.
Over the next 5 days I’ll gather up what I can coming from the conference and its participants. Taking a look at what gives hope and what brings concern from the 5th World Water Forum.
Since it is Sunday and I haven’t posted a picture of my niece and nephew in quite some time, here you go internets:
Wait don’t leave yet. I know the title doesn’t scream exciting, but if you’re like me, you want to know about how the city you live in handles waste disposal.? The EU’s statistics office, Eurstat, has released information for 2007 from throughout the EU27, about how municipalities handle waste, and I think it is very important to analyze these numbers and figure out what is good and what needs improvement as quickly as possible.? And if you don’t live in the EU, I still think it is of interest when it comes to learning what to and what NOT to do when it comes to handling a city’s garbage.
Lets start with the positive:Continue reading “Municipal Waste in the EU”
As under-reported and alternative as I may hope to be, I also consume lots of the mainstream as well. So when I recommend you listen to this very special episode of This American Life, I realize that blogs all over the internet are doing the same and there is no shortage of linking and praising going on.? Actually I didn’t love it, but this particular episode does what it says it does…? you listen for an hour and you will understand why the economy is the way it is now, specifically when it comes to the banks.
As I listened to this program twice, I kept thinking about the culture I grew up in, especially post-high school. The discussion in New Jersey was always about owning… owning house as this logical thing to do.? That alone might be fine were it not for the underlying suggestion that renting was for suckers. That not owning something or having debt on a credit card and needing to make car payments, that somehow the LACK of any of those was Continue reading “You Want the Economy Explained”
Back from Istanbul and I was so busy I decided to hold off on long posts until I could sit and gather my thoughts properly. So here’s how it begins:
I’ve never stood at the edge of Europe and looked at Asia. I’ve never arrived in Asia and looked back towards Europe. Actually if I start to list all the I’ve nevers for my time in Turkey, this post will fill up instantly.? Istanbul and its 12 million people was a place filled with things that I loved and things I think no one loves, even Istanbulu’s themselves.
As the 5 euro bus pulls out of the airport area and rides along the sea, I’m fixated atContinue reading “Impressions of Istanbul Part 1”