Building Bridges in Mississippi

Took the journey to Amsterdam Noord today, to say hello to a visitor from Long Beach Mississippi. Yup, one half of the wonderful couple that I stayed with on the gulf coast, is here in Amsterdam for a few weeks.

As we sat down and started to run down all the updates about people, places, and anything under the sun, she mentioned that the famous bridge between Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian was just re-opened. (if you’ve never seen images of the bridge in ruins like fallen dominoes, it is pretty amazing)

I was pretty excited to hear the news. While so much of what I saw in Louisiana and Mississippi, seemed so hopeless, and so completely frozen in time when it comes to rebuilding… it is great to hear that such a vital bridge has been reopened.

As I drove from New Orleans to Long Beach, I of course, couldn’t take that bridge as it was still being rebuilt. I didn’t even get near enough to look at the construction work. But when I eventually make my return to the Gulf Coast, I have definitely made myself a promise to not only go see what rebuilding is taking place in Bay St. Louis, but also, I intend to drive along the bridge and hopefully feel some sense of excitement that rebuilding can and is taking place somewhere.

Happy Birthday Malcolm X

Malcolm X, a man who’s life and words shape how I see the world, would have been 82 years old today. Every month or so, I take out my collection of audio files and video clips, or I sit down and watch Spike Lee’s Malcolm X, because I continuously find new meaning and inspiration. Today, as I sat watching and listening to all these things in honor of his birthday, I’ve been thinking alot about how he changed in his life, and how his world view evolved after he went to Mecca. I wonder if I too will one day look back on some experience in my life as my “Mecca”.

In celebration of his life, one of the great video clips of his return from Mecca.

bmtv48 Miccosukee Land Co-Op Visit Part II

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Second part of my 2 part vlog from my visit to the Miccosukee Land Co-Op. With my guide and friend, Dave Bightbill of RadioMacGuys.

Nuclear Juntas

Can’t quite finish the vlog I’m working on tonight so instead I wanted to bring up Burma. Or Myanmar, same difference.

What strikes me as odd and worthy of attention about Burma is that over the past 6 years they’ve managed to come in completely below the diplomatic and global media radar. Besides the international sanctions applied years ago, rarely does any politician in any country make a concerned speech about a country ruled by a bunch of military thugs. They periodically arrest political dissidents and are conducting their own insane slave labor project of building a new capital, mostly funded with the help of Dick Cheney associates of the oil industry. I guess that detail helps to explain some of the silence from the diplomatic side.

Today I read about Russia’s deal to supply them with a nuclear reactor. Naturally the Russian government, having long shown it doesn’t care much for human rights, see’s no problem in doing such big business with a cabal that the world likes to not think about. And irritatingly enough, compared to all the noise about Iran, or the scary stories spread about North Korea, one would have to work very hard to find criticism of this deal from any powerful government out there.

For the time being, I’ll look to the Burma correspondents of global voices online, who normally provide a good snapshot of happenings in the isolated country.

Tomorrow I’m coming out of academic retirement and participating in blogwalk Amsterdam. I think I’ll take the boat, hopefully parking won’t be bad.

Prepping Child Care Workers Show

Currently researching, in between doing some projects for trippist.com, the order by the governor of New York that Child Care Workers be allowed to organize and form labor unions.

As I seek out guests, I’m thinking alot about the whole industry, and how it works. Those people who take care of the children, often its the type of job that gets paid under the table, isn’t it? Perhaps many immigrants as well, who often fear what risks may be involved with organizing, or perhaps they aren’t aware of their rights.

What I’m most curious about are the next steps. Once this decision goes into effect, suddenly all these people have the right to demand some basic standards of work. Will big unions take the lead and recruit them or teach them how to do things? Will smaller locals of child care workers emerge around new york state? Will many somehow get fired for trying?

Sorting through the questions while sorting through the interview possibilities. It is hard to believe that they didn’t have the right to organize to begin with. I wonder how that was possible for so long. And what about this Elliot Spitzer, a few months on the job and he’s already more competent than most governors in my brief lifetime.

Podcast, including all these questions and concerns, in the coming days…

bm203 Door to Door in New Orleans

In an effort to shed more light on the situation that people are living in New Orleans today, this program focuses on the survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation. By going door to door in some of New Orleans hardest hit parishes, they found out what issues and problems are the most troubling for people. If you don’t take the time to read the survey (which I recommend) this podcast will hopefully give you an overview.

Audio, text, and charts all available at KFF.org
Excerpt from Free Speech Radio News

Issues Covered include:
-The survey process
-door to door versus phone
-reception by residents
-Healthcare access
-Employment
-Housing
-Finances
-The Future
-Statements by PRes and Vice Pres of KFF
-The return to normal?