After many weeks without a vlog entry, this one was recorded today as I floated through the Oud West. Its short and addresses the recent changes in Zimbabwe where opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has now joined in the government of Robert Mugabe as prime minister.? Which begs the question, is this good news? Oh and yes the video at the end comes from the fine people at the guardian.co.uk.
bm279 Demolishing New Orleans, Post Gustav
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?
The Super Rich vs The Super Poor in the US
Normally I prefer to NOT talk about the US elections. I’m not very impressed or excited by the actions and promises of either candidate of the 2 parties that share control of the country.? Sure Obama says things I like better than the things that McCain says. But that doesn’t automatically mean I’m satisfied or impressed.
One of the big issues for me is poverty.? Gone is the one candidate who at least spoke the words “the poor” in his speeches and proposed policies (John Edwards), the remaining 2 candidates call everyone working families or hard working Americans, little buzz phrases that are just vague enough to make everyone think this candidate is speaking for them.?? Meanwhile poverty in the US is on the increase, and also alarming, the wealthy class is more wealthy than ever in history and that gap between the two is wider then ever.? A fact that opens the door to many social, financial, and political problems.. yet there is little action or demand to put a stop to it.? (yes yes, both candidates mention their concern for CEO’s making so much money, I’m aware of that)
All this to bring me to my big recommendation of the day; the latest edition of Radio Open Source, where Chris interviews Chuck Collins.? While I’ve never heard of Chuck Collins, who is a specialist in the areas of US incomes, property, and economics, I found myself rewinding various segments to listen again.
You’ve heard it said before, though rarely do leaders or corporate media investigate it, the inequality boom in the United States is dangerous.? I highly recommend listening to this interview and soaking it in, it is the kind of critical thinking that we should be pummeling these candidates with.. obligating them to not just make the occasional lament, but to lay out a serious point by point plan for turning the tide and making it politically and hopefully cuturally a priority to preserve opportunity and keep the playing field of life and work from becoming an out of control thunderdome.
Calculating Sept. 11th
As much as I hate what a giant clich? this date has become, there are still a few memories and pieces of culture I don’t mind revisiting.? Moreover I hope this day would be a reminder to put things in perspective, in my case to never forget how dangerous jingoism and blind patriotism have been for this planet since 9/11 and long-long before it.
If I could recommend 1 piece of audio that I replayed today, I recommend Radio Open Source’s episode on calculating the value of a human life. It features a very unique interview that I always remember, with the person put in charge of calculating the financial compensation for the families of those who died on this day in the World Trade Center towers. Go listen.
bm278 Radioactive Waste and Germany’s Nuclear Future
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
Nuclear Waste Leaking
Whenever I’m travelling long distance, either by train or occasionally by car, if a nuclear reactor appears on the horizon, I find myself staring at it.? One of the thoughts going through my head, an issue that still has no real long term answer: where do they put the radioactive waste?
Over the years, trains carrying nuclear waste traveling between Germany and France have gained a decent amount of media attention.? These journeys used to attract crowds of protesters pointing out the danger and lack of long term plan that either country had for their waste.
In the case of France, I’ve seen the occasional documentary or news report about their temporary overground storage facilities. Always seemed odd, this was the best plan they had for waste that will be dangerous for the next few thousand years. Beyond that it isn’t easy to get news and information about the process of transporting and storing Europe’s nuclear waste.
Then this week the issue of a place called Asse in Germany has emerged, where a salt mine used for storing waste has apparently been leaking into, among other things, ground water. Thus adding more fuel to the fire of the raging debate in Germany about whether or not to stop using nuclear power and how soon to stop.? An important question and concern not only for Germany, or Europe, but in fact for many of the world’s nations that rely on nuclear energy but have no long-term, viable plan for what to do with the waste.
This will be the topic of a podcast this week with the help of a journalist (or two) in Germany.? Stay tuned for that and feel free to throw in questions or useful facts in the comments.