bm231 Gold Mining in Canada

Many people are excited about the rising price of gold. But with that price comes a renewed push for more gold mines, which have serious effects on environments and communities. In this program with the help of Joan Kuyek of Miningwatch.ca, we talk about gold mining in Canada, especially above the arctic circle.

We Discuss:
– Overall Picture in Canada
– Regions with gold mining
– Price of Gold related to mining activity
– Old Mining Regions
– Mining Resurgence
– Communities and the Environment
– Need for Support
– Where do the profits and benefits go
– Agreements with Companies
– Hope Bay Project, Nunavut

Retired Leaders

I remember a few years ago when Joaquim Chissano, president of Mozambique, decided not to run for a third term. I remember because I already thought he was a fair guy from his good speeches and the fact that under his watch, the nation had managed to move passed the long era of civil war. But when he decided not to run for a third term, even though he could, I thought – hey, there’s someone who isn’t obsessed with power.

Indeed Kofi Annan confirmed my observations when he and the Mo Ibrahim foundation gave Chissano the honor of a good governance award. On a continent where certain leaders seem to hold on to power until it is pried out of their dead hands, he seems to indeed be a good example.

Speaking on The State We’re In last week, the foundation’s namesake, Ibrahim said that his award involves giving money to that person so that they can continue to do good work through organizations and campaigns to improve lives in Africa. He spoke about how in the west, leaders seem to make good money after leaving office (foundations, think tanks, book deals, etc).. yet in Africa, he said… leaders often sit in office making themselves rich in order to stay rich once out of office. This way, in his view, they can say to leaders, just do your job as an elected leader, when you’re finished, there will be this money for you to continue to be the champion for your cause, don’t worry about not having funds.

Interesting idea….this Ibrahim gentlemen is on to something.

Brad Will, Compañero

Riding home from the train station today, feeling the cold wind of the sudden winter that has gripped Amsterdam, in my ears I’m listening to the cries of a friend who I never knew… he has been shot…he is dying. And I’m on my bike in Amsterdam, but I can see the barricade in my mind, I can feel Brad Will dying again…

Those cries were recorded one year ago in a place called Oaxaca. Brad Will was a journalist. There are many kinds of journalists in this world, some write blogs, some attend demonstrations and report about what is happening from remote parts of the world. Some do all of this and more. Brad Will dedicated his life to the cause of the forgotten, the voices that have been forced out of the mainstream, paved over, and declared marginal or unimportant. He did things with indymedia that directly or indirectly inspired many of us in this movement of global citizens committed to speaking out about events unfolding in our name.. injustice wherever it may be, no matter how many people would rather not pay attention.

I rode my bike and listening to those final moments of Brad’s life, as the shots rang out… I wondered which hit him. I wonder if the officer that shot him looked him in the eyes and realized what a ray of light he had just dimmed. And what was Brad thinking; could he have known that throughout the world, people like myself would be listening.. a year or even years later… carrying on his work and remembering his death..

Well today as I listened.. I remembered Brad Will’s life and death… and his spirit lives on.. throughout this world of ours.

Tradition

If you should browse the current.com website, which belongs to the people behind currenttv (American cable channel founded by Al Gore), you’ll find a growing amount of content from yours truely. And as I posted a link to an article about the new French requirement that immigrants who wish their family members to join them in France must take a DNA test to prove they are really family, I received some interesting comments, and I say that not because several people agreed with me.

In discussing this topic on that website and amongst friends here in Amsterdam, one common concern that people bring up to defend the policy sounds something like this: “Using DNA will ensure that immigrants aren’t lying about who is family.”

I realize many people agree with this, on the surface it is a simple request, that people not lie. But when I hear this comment, my mind travels to the past.. to who I am and how I got to be where I am.. or better yet.. how I got to be at all. Or beyond me, what about all the people all over the world, who are the children of immigrants or the grandchildren of immigrants… what if they had had DNA testing?
The idea that people would not have been able to lie in any aspect of the immigration process would have basically changed the entire face of the western world, destination for many immigrants over the past 300 years. The midwest of the United States, with its huge Scandinavian population… imagine they had not been able to lie about who is who’s cousin or daughter.

I realize, there are immigration laws, there is a process, and it isn’t going away. I also realize that no matter the rules, if humans want to go somewhere, they will find a way, they will break or bend the rules, because it is a question of survival.

When it comes right down to it, history teaches us that there is a long and glorious tradition of lying for the sake of moving your family.. your hopes.. your dreams. It is a tradition that deserves our respect… it should be honored.. not disrespected with DNA tests that few migrants could ever afford anyway.

There are of course, numerous other criticisms of this policy that governments should take note of. But for right now, in this particular post, I just wanted to show my respect by defending the rights of immigrants.. of humans.. to not be DNA tested because they want to try and make a new life.. a better life.

bm230 Global Wealth Gap

Recent reports indicate that in the last 5 years, the tiny group of wealthy people in the world got even wealthier. While the mass amount of poor people in the world actually got poorer. My two guests today help pick apart this information, to help us understand why this has happened and also some examples of what can or is being done to address this problem.

Sam Pizigatti of Too Much Online
Dave Richard of Defeat Poverty

We Discuss:
– The recent report
– The conditions of the last 5 years
– Historical comparisons
– What will happen in the short and long term
– microfinancing
– other possible solutions
– responding to the critics

Yellow Cakes

As winter has suddenly come upon us here in Amsterdam, many of my friends and I talk about energy. Heating, electricity, all the costs involved with sustaining our lifestyles, especially at home. And as I peddled to the university this morning to go speak in BlondeButBright‘s class, what would be more fitting to come up in my podcast rotation than a program about the new push for nuclear. More specifically, a program about what is happening to a country like Niger when so much of the world is clammering about building new nuclear powerplants, powerplants that require uranium.. which is something Niger has alot of.

According to the investigation and interviews conducted by Australian public broadcast program Background Briefing, the first world’s demand for access to Niger’s uranium deposits is already impacting the country in a very negative way. Populations being pushed off their land, opponents being arrested or simply eliminated, internal divisions being deepened by those who want to keep the country from being united.

The issue of new or more nuclear energy has deservedly attracted lots of criticism. Commonly for the fact that the world still does not no how to handle nuclear waste, or cope with large scale nuclear accidents, and the overall effect of such power plants on the environment. But the fact that an entire country, like Niger, could be torn apart because nuclear power wants a renaissance, isn’t mentioned.

I highly recommend you listen to this most excellent program as you go about your day. As you flip that lightswitch. As you plugin that laptop. If we’re serious about building a viable future with more sustainable energy sources and socially responsible solutions… nuclear continues to fall short as a solution.