International Effort in Greece

Last week I talked about the rainbow families rescue work that Rob was involved in throughout the United States. Today I thought of him as I listened to RFI reporting about how extremely terrible the forest fires in Greece have now become. Photos of the earth published by NASA show just how huge the fires have gotten as the smoke is visible from space.

Amidst all this tragedy and the struggle to combat the fires, I get a strange sort of positive feeling from listening to the news reports. This is because I listen closely to the part about Firefighters coming from all over the world to battle the fires. France sends several hundred firefighters. Spain, Germany, and Italy also send firefighters who specialize in these types of fires. My dear Portugal, which struggles year after year with similar fires, sends re-enforcements. Canada, the United States, Russia, and Israel .. all send firefighters, water dropping planes, and equipment. Even Romania sends an elite unit of firefighters to take part in the battle to control the fires.

Imagine being there… being one of the firefighters standing amongst all those nationalities.. all those languages.. the different uniforms.. all with one common goal. So often in history the story is about some conflict or invasion where a few countries get together to kill another country’s people, or to defend people from being killed by killing other people… variations on that theme. Yet here we get to see what is possible.. the kind of world that CAN exist when nations put all the other issues aside and focus on one – helping each other.

Venezuela Gives the Most

I read a recent report from the AP that Venezuela gives more money to Latin American countries than the United States. An interesting fact, if it proves true.

Through direct investment, aid, and grant programs, Hugo Chavez’s government has offered 8.8 billion dollars for development and infrastructure to countries like Bolivia and Nicaragua.

Of course it can be said that through private companies and supragovernmental organizations like the world bank, the US provides more funding… but any student of history knows that a loan from the world bank is more often a curse then a blessing.

For all the criticism and hate directed towards Chavez’s administration, seeing this fact is an example where they’ve done right for the region. By right I mean leading the way to provide an alternative to the US influence and domination over the region. If nothing else, making it OK for Latin American nations to stand up and say “we can do things our way” instead of feeling dependent on international loan schemes or empty private investment promises.

bm219 Special Courts and Presidents in Sierra Leone

It is quite hard to find an article on Sierra Leone on your average day in your average newspaper. Forgotten by some, written off by others, the country presses on – electing a new president while a special war crimes tribunal continues to do its work. We’re talking Sierra Leone today with journalist and blogger Pauline Bax in the Ivory Coast.

We Discuss:
– Recent History in Sierra Leone
– The special tribunal
– Public Opinion
– Civil War Effects
– Resources and money
– Working as a journalist there
– Media attention

 

Lessons from the Amish

Part of having a little office/studio space in an old squat means that I have to clock working hours on the actual building. Thankfully hammering, scraping, or painting are all tasks that allow me the mental freedom to listen to my favorite podcasts all day long.. stopping for the occasional watermelon break.

Today’s audio gem which I strongly recommend comes from On Point, with Tom Ashbrooke. Always a great program, the most recent episode focuses on the Amish population of the United States. It features an author who spent many years living next door to Amish, getting to know them and becoming good friends. He did extensive research about different Amish communities and provides some really eye opening information about them… what I would label as both positive and negative details.

One particular detail that opened my eyes was the fact that Amish communities, especially some of the most conservative ones, have seen population BOOMS in the last decade… more than doubling their numbers!
– Imagine that… living in the US, while all these non-amishpeople, media, objects, not too far from your home.. and yet.. a whole community not only staying out of much of it.. but actually growing!

Beyond that he presents important lessons that the amish could offer the rest of the world.. including: buying and selling local. He talks about their tremendous skill and capacity for farming, and the great tradition of selling locally, to communities down the street. Now of course he talks about issues of education and patriarchy which present some troubling realities… but overall I was very impressed with what he learned about the Amish.

Recovery Work in Wisconsin

After posting yesterday’s podcast, I sent Rob a thank you email. He responded and proceeded to tell me of another disaster going on right now that Rainbow Rapid Response is going to tackle: the catastrophic flooding of farms in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Record rainfalls have led to terrible flooding in that part of the US. A few people have died, and a tremendous amount of organic farm land has been ruined. The last number I saw estimated 8 million$ in crops were lost. It has also been reported that alot of farmers who had crop insurance will not receive anything for this type of damage. (familiar story)

The great thing, if anything positive can be found in all this, it is the spirit of the Rainbow Rapid Response people. Not waiting for the notoriously slow and incompetent emergency response from the white house or congress, they’re already on their way to feed and shelter people who’ve lost everything. They’ve already put out the call for industrial kitchen equipment, large tents, communications equipment, and response vehicles. The least I can do besides write about it, is echo that call and provide links for where you can get informed and involved.

bm218 Remembering Search and Rescue in New Orleans

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