Today my niece was born. Amazing, I have a niece. I have a wonderful nephew and now a niece. I can think of no better reason to travel tomorrow to the US and A…. so today there is no post in honor of my brand new niece Riley who was born on this day Nov. 27th, 2007. One day she will read this..years from now.. and smile.
A cycle? Or an explosion?
I often listen to my own podcast. Might sound strange, but one of my rituals, besides losing most of my nights sleep preparing a podcast, is to listen to it the next day as I ride my bike through town. I listen to try and hear what others might hear; an idea or an experience that teaches me something, gives me a new idea or leads to deeper questions.
Lately I’ve noticed a common thread; through all the podcasts about work, income, quality of life, and history. That common thread is the question of whether or not things are happening as part of a cycle or have we reached some kind of major confrontation.
I’m referring to the strikes but I’m also referring to the inequality in the world. I’ve read the reports, looked at the statistics, and listened to individuals tell their stories and their evaluations about this moment in history. The strikes around the world, pitting people struggling to make a living against companies or governments who also struggle to do what they think is necessary for the future. Pension cuts, job cuts, contract negotiations collapsing, governments against workers, corporations against workers, public opinion against strikers, the conflicts and alliances go on and on.
Of course I’m too young to make some bold statement that this is some unique moment in history. Whenever I ask more experienced people they give me a mix of reactions, that these things happen in cycles and this is just the return of old stuggles as old as time itself.
In a recent interview for a forthcoming podcast, I asked a very excellent journalist who covers labor, if he thinks we’ve reached some climax in the struggle to make ends-meat. He didn’t see it as a climax, yet he did talk about what a huge boom of interest there is for his work now more than ever before. More and more individuals want to know about their rights as working people, and have a clear idea of their wages and benefits and they’re using the internet to find out about these issues.
Still I’m left wondering… is this truly a unique moment in history? Is this more of the same or the return of some age-old cycle?
BioFuel and Food
The topic of biofuels is not always my favorite to talk about. It is complex, it is a very grey area when it comes to benefits versus drawbacks.
Yet overall as someone who supports social justice, sustainability, human rights, and cleaning up the mess we have made of the world, I welcome the era of biofuels that we seem to be at the beginning of.
Among the great points of the big debate is the issue of world hunger and the price of food. As many of you will know by now, there is a great deal of speculation and already some evidence that food prices will go up because so much food is being turned into fuel. Many critics say, this is the problem if we make the global focus bio fuels.
The initial issue I have with this argument is the idea that world hunger will worsen and that food prices will increase. It is a fact that IF the leaders of the world wanted to, there is enough food in the world to feed everyone. But when you introduce the politics and economics of food production, that food never reaches the hungry. So this is already a problem no matter what we’re using to fuel vehicles.
Then comes the issue of rising food prices, a much tougher one for me get into since I’m neither a farmer nor can I see the future in terms of prices. I do however believe that governments could cooperate to make sure prices would not get out of control. Again it requires that they WANT TO solve the problem, and based on history it is clear that ending hunger is NOT the priority of world leaders.
Of course there’s alot more to it and I hope to build on this discussion through both writing and podcasts. For now I want to recommend the latest edition of The State We’re In; specifically a conversation they have with a Brazilian farmer that, for me, is very interesting and informative.
bm236 The Story of Sierra Gorda
The following podcast features an interview I recorded during the TBLI sustainable investment/corporate social responsibility conference I attended in PAris last week. Pati Ruiz Corzo was one of the first people I met and we immediately began talking about the world, the environment, and her experiences in Sierra Gorda, a very special biosphere reserve in Mexico which she helped to found.
We Discuss:
- How Sierra Gorda Began
- Who lives there
- How do people live
- Emmigration to the US
- Government support
- International partners
- Eco tourism
- Teaching the community
Thanksgiving and Guinea-Bissau
It is no secret that I’m a huge admirer of my friend Pauline’s travels and writing in West Africa. She is my journalistic hero and Im so excited to see how her blog is evolving. People should stop reading blogs about stupid new devices that cost too much money, and start reading about how people live their lives in places like Guinea-Bissau through the great observations of someone like Pauline.
Many of you are with family eating alot today and relaxing. That is nice and I’m certainly somewhat jealous as I have to wait another week before finally seeing my family in New Jersey. But in the mean time, I once again recommend you read Pauline’s blog as she is travelling in Guinea-Bissau and with every sentence I read I find myself wishing I was there with her. One of my resolutions in the coming months, is to do just that…
bmtv63 Kosovo, the Month Ahead
Been reading about the next month and what it holds in store for Kosovo and the entire Balkan region. Would have made for an interesting time to be back in Belgrade around this time.
The following video is just a montage of images, texts, and audio that I’ve been taking in and evaluating. My g4 powerbook, after 3 years of service, is struggling with exporting video… It is time for a new computer and as always.. I appreciate tips in the tip jar.. and your moral support is nice too.