AIDS & Bioterrorism: Presents a book called “Face to Face: Children of the AIDS Crisis in Africa” and interviews the author, Ruthann Richter. Comments on the documentary “Angels in the Dust” about a South African AIDS children’s village. Investigates how Charity Navigator rates nonprofits by the size of their bank accounts and the aggressiveness of their fundraising. Also presents the history and evidence indicating that AIDS was developed as a weapon of bioterrorism against homosexuals and non-whites to reduce their population. Quotes the following sources on the DoD development of AIDS: Time Magazine, 1946, House appropriations hearing, 1969, World Health Organization, 1972, New Delhi Patriot, 1984, London Times, 1987, a DoD flowchart for the US Special Virus (1962-1978) discovered in 1999, Chief of Staff Anthony Traficanti, 2002, and Dr. Boyd Graves, current. Quotes from “Designer Diseases: AIDS as Biological and Psychological Warfare” by Waves Forrest.
Poems:
- “Finding What You Didn’t Lose” by John Fox
- “Waiting in Line” by Nick Penna
- “The Winter of Listening” by David Whyte
Songs and/or Music Videos:
- Dead Can Dance with “Song of the Stars”
- “Will I?” from the Broadway musical, Rent
- TVTV$ with “AIDS is a Four-Letter Word”
Informational Videos:
- Director’s trailer from “Angels in the Dust”
Audio Bonus:
- Inspiring interview with Ruthann Richter about grandmothers in Kenya and nonprofits in Santa Cruz raising up the lost generation of AIDS orphans.
Tags: Africa, AIDS, Angels in the Dust, biological weapon, bioterrorism, Charity Navigator, David Whyte, Dead Can Dance, Dr. Boyd Graves, John Fox, Nick Penna, Rent, Ruthann Richter, TVTV$, Waves Forrest
Posted in Africa, Racism | No Comments »
Apropos of Everything: Reviews the “coming of age” of Democracy Now from their book, The Exceptions to the Rulers. Examines how one person’s journalist-with-integrity is another person’s hostile crank. Discusses Christian Parenti’s response, called “Free the Truth,” to Kevin Bales, founder of Free the Slaves, who claimed that child slavery in cocoa has been eradicated. Delves into child labor in Uzbekistan cotton, linking an article pro and a video against. Reviews a new book by Tracy Kidder called Strength in What Remains. Asks whether the international development aid that antagonized the Hutu-Tutsi relationship was “unwitting.” Consults Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies for advice on life after FRSC.
Poems:
- Samuel Hazo, ”Seesaws”
- Ranier Marie Rilke, ”You Are the Future”
Songs and/or Music Videos:
- Trilok Gurtu, ”Dea”
- Michael Franti and Spearhead, ”Sometimes”
- Michael Franti and Spearhead, ”Nobody Right, Nobody Wrong”
Informational Videos:
- AlJazeera English, “Changing Channels”
- White Gold: Cotton in Uzbekistan
Tags: AlJazeera English, Amy Goodman, Brian Eno, child slaves, Christian Parenti, cocoa, cotton, Democracy Now, Kevin Bales, Michael Franti, Oblique Strategies, Ranier Marie Rilke, Samuel Hazo, Tracy Kidder, Trilok Gurtu, Uzbekistan, White Gold
Posted in Africa, Child Labor, Foreign Aid, Media | No Comments »
With Friends Like This: Examines whether US foreign aid has been a benefit or a pain in the arse for impoverished people. Looks at a book by Dambisa Moyo called Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is a Better Way for Africa. Uses the evidence of Patrice Lumumba, Mobutu, and AFRICOM to contradict her conclusion that Africans need tough love. Relates the recent drama at Free Radio Santa Cruz and plays our listener survey, which was called racist, ignorant, offensive, skin privileged, Nazi propagandist, white supremacist, fearmongering hate speech. See what all the excitement’s about!
Poems:
- Diana Der-Hovanessian, “Shifting the Sun”
Songs and/or Music Videos:
- John Hiatt “Your Dad Did”
- Bruce Cockburn, “Call it Democracy”
- Iron & Wine “Upward Over the Mountain”
Informational Video:
Tags: AFRICOM, Bruce Cockburn, Dambisa Moyo, Dead Aid, Diana Der-Hovanessian, FRSC, Iron & Wine, John Hiatt, Mobutu, Patrice Lumumba, Resist AFRICOM, US foreign aid
Posted in Africa, Economics, Foreign Aid | No Comments »
Finance is an Extractive Industry: Examines foreign investment as a form of pollution, according to the Abya Yala, and as a form of perpetual slavery. As examples, cites the oil and gas transnationals in the Peruvian Amazon, and Firestone in Liberia. Shows how Dell, HP, and AT&T are collaborating to censor free speech in China. Illustrates NAFTA’s pro-investor bias with the case of Glamis Gold against the State of California. Applies NAFTA’s rules to the hypothetical case of a Canadian hog farm buying Wilder Ranch State Park. Breaks down the relative value of time, from a Bangladeshi 12-yr- old making $8/month for 500 hours of work to a WalMart employee or teenage babysitter making $8/hr. Looks at the downward spiral of profit and control. Relates a shareholder proxy vote in which Fidelity’s Vanguard Fund directors recommend against a proposal to not invest in genocide.
Poems:
- Gregory Orr, “Grief Will Come to You”
- Jane Hirschfield, “Optimism”
- Czeslaw Milosz, “On Pilgrimage”
Songs and/or Music Videos:
- Big Country, “Just a Shadow,” somewhat dated video, but classic
- Moby, “Shot in the Head,” sad, adorable video
- Comrade Fatso, “Bread and Roses,” live concert video from Zimbabwe
Tags: Abya Yala, Bagua massacre, Comrade Fatso, Czeslaw Milosz, Dell in China, Firestone Liberia, Glamis Gold, Gregory Orr, Jane Hirschfield, Moby, NAFTA, Peru, Q'orianka Kilcher, WalMart, Wilder Ranch State Park, Zimbabwe
Posted in Africa, Economics, Sovereignty | No Comments »
