bm199 What these Elections Will Do To France

Media coverage of the French elections has spiraled into the typical who looks tougher who will lose reporting, as is the norm for mainstream media today. But there are real policies that will harm or help real people throughout and France, depending on the outcome. In this podcast, with the help of Chris of Americablog and Jessica in London, we will identify what changes will come and what it means for French, as well as the effect on Europe.

I recommend Chris’s latest post on round 1 election results
Also Mentioned: Opendemocracy.net

We Discuss:
-The top issues that will HAVE to change regardless of who’s elected
-The economy and jobs
-The 35 hour work week
-The green movement, or lack there of
-The Health system
-Transport
-Selling “American Style” to the French
-Racism as an election tool
-Europe Union issues

 

A mission statement

Speaking with Sijeka in London recently, for an upcoming podcast on the French elections, she mentioned opendemocracy.net. I was invited to write an entry for their blog “The Democratic Image”. And so I did, and as it turns out, I really enjoyed writing it and have been meaning to put these thoughts and facts into words, so go give it read please.

Here’s a quote, just for fun (its sad when you start quoting yourself)

It seems to me that despite all the potential that the internet and personal publishing in all its forms brings to the world, we are still in the primordial ooze stage of what could become a long media evolution.

My North Jersey, UnderWater

My dear Anna over at the Voice wrote to me about the flooding in New Jersey. I had heard something this morning about flooding in New Jersey, but it hadn’t occurred to me that it was taking place in the area I love deeply… the Passaic River/Paterson, NJ.

I flipped through the pictures of flooded parts around the river, areas that I lived so near to and so often visited. Kept thinking of the subject heading of her email “when did New Jersey become New Orleans?” Then I thought about the Army Corps of Engineers, who not too long ago warned that New York, along with Miami and NEw Orleans, are the areas at the highest risk in the country for damage from extreme weather. I also remembered an article Wayne had in the Village Voice a few weeks ago on how under prepared NYC is. Clearly so is New Jersey, just across the river.

Besides extreme storms, such as the one that caused much of this flooding, over-development (they build houses anywhere and everywhere) and the destruction of the wetlands have already been cited as contributing factors to this disaster.

In so many places in the world, they just ignore all the warning signs and all the knowledge, and keep on destroying natural buffers and barriers… keep selling off land to developers.. anyone who will pay a good price for a plot of land.

How are my North Jerseyan readers faring today?

bm198 Zimbabwe Students Movement

Like much of the population in Zimbabwe, students are suffering a great deal at the hands of the government. Their struggle for human rights, academic freedom, justice, and representation is reaching out across borders and continents. In this podcast I sit down with Tendayi Lynnet Mudehwe, information and publicity secretary of ZINASU, the Zimbabwean National Students Union.

We Discuss:
– The circumstances for students in Zimbabwe
– Healthcare, Student Fee’s, and Rights
– Mugabe, who supports him?
– The goal of travelling to Europe
– The role of outside countries
– How close is change?
– The dangers that activists face

ZINASU Website
Clips used from SW Radio Africa

On War and Shooting

Briefly, because the last thing the internets need is another person talking about the Virginia Tech shootings.

If you’ve read the blog for awhile, you know that I normally turn on the CNN or BBC around 1am just to get my daily dose of what the power-elite want the masses to be informed about. And much like you, yesterday I was subjected to wall-to-wall shooting coverage. Oh the shock. Oh the humanity. Oh the repeated faux-sadness and naive-confusion of the news reporters, asking that same old question they actually don’t want answered “how could this happen.”

Look, I don’t know exactly how this happens, but I’d like to throw out a few factoids that should be taken into account.

The United States is a violent nation. Yes, so are some other countries in the world, but few can hold a candle to the US’s capacity and performance when it comes to using violence to kill mass amounts of people over the past… lets say 5 to 50 years. I’m talking about Nuclear Bombs, napalm, smart bombs, land mines, daisy cutters, bunker busters, depleted uranium… the list goes on and on. And whatever age you are, you’ve likely watched plenty of this on TV, or perhaps what is more true these days, you may have used such weapons first hand in a far away country.

What does this have to do with V-tech, or any school shootings anywhere? Probably nothing. Just keep telling yourself that America… probably nothing.

Change From Within

This evening, through a series of coincidences and a thoughtful friend, I stumbled upon what is known as “Lloyd Time” at the always bustling Lloyd Hotel, here in Amsterdam. Although the name reminds me of the NYC cops that long ago declared it Giuliani time as they violated a man with a plunger, Lloyd Time is ACTUALLY a weekly night of art, culture, and education, at the hotel restaurant. With invited speakers and a pretty decent audience.

But before any of that, the reason I originally went there, was to be introduced to two special individuals staying at the hotel: two representatives from the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU). It was an honor to meet them, as I have read and heard so much about their struggle for basic rights and legitimate democratic governance.

There will be a podcast this week, featuring an interview I did on the topic of the ZINASU and the state of the struggle in Zimbabwe. But tonight I just wanted to share with you a very simple, but for me, a very poignant thing that one of the brave students told me.

I asked about the problem of having a corrupt and brutal group of people in charge of her country, and if she ever thought a good solution would be for another country to come in with military force and push that government out of power. (as is so often preached and practiced these days)

She replied something like:

“The solution to the problems in Zimbabwe and the movement to push for real democracy and a true constitution, will come from within the country. And it will come not by coups or the use of guns or war, it will come through direct action and democratic means.”

Of course she said it much better than my quote, and she said alot more than that, so look forward to that on a podcast this week. But keep that in mind next time a politician tries to sell you a war.

And if you ever find yourself in Amsterdam on a monday night and you don’t want to come play frisbee… head over to Lloyd Time.