Archive for the ‘South America’ Category
Thursday, November 19th, 2009
Covering both international affairs and labor issues on this week’s show, which brings us back from a long hiatus.
We start in Afghanistan, and discuss the likelihood (and impact) of an escalation in U.S. troop numbers. Bob points to a day of action next Monday, where Peace Action West and others are urging supporters to call the Whitehouse to oppose an escalation.
We then move to Honduras, and discuss recent State Department statements which have garnered praise from supporters of the coup, and corresponding criticism from figures such as Senator Kerry and Rep. Berman. In talking about the situation on the ground I pointed to Bill Taylor of the Primary Communications Project, who has been working with Radio Lenca, one of the few pro-Zelaya broadcast outlets still on the air in Honduras. We note that it seems difficult to believe that the conditions for a free and fair election exist in an environment which has seen assassinations of Zelaya supporters.
GEO members celebrate after their successful strike earlier this week (credit: Ben Seese)
Finally, we move back to Urbana, Illinois, and talk about the succcessful strike by the Graduate Employees’ Organization, defending the continued existence of tuition waivers for graduate employees – and by extension intervening to ensure the accessibility of graduate education.
The version uploaded this evening (Thursday) is a fairly rough version, as I want to get it up for broadcast on WRFU this evening. I have audio courtesy of Joe of I-Resist that I hope to use to supplement our studio-based conversation, but that’s going to have to wait for later this evening or tomorrow.
ACE 2009-11-19 on Radio4All.net
Indymedia Radio copy
Tags: A Critical Ear, ACE, Afghanistan, Congress, diplomacy, GEO, Graduate Employees, Honduras, Obama, radio, South America, syndication, WITC
Posted in Audio, South America, Uncategorized, media, syndication | No Comments »
Monday, August 18th, 2008
On this week’s show, we spent most of our time talking about Georgia, in light of the recent events there. We wanted to get beyond the headlines and usual frames of coverage, and believe we accomplished this through two approaches. First, we talked with Jodi Blumenfeld. A graduate student at the University of Illinois, she has participated in archaeological excavations in Georgia, and she spoke with us a little about Georgian culture, giving a more three-dimensional portrait of the country than is usually achieved in news coverage.
Second, Bob and I (Andrew) spoke about the news frames being used, and how we might contextualize the conflict. Is it as simple as “Russia is an aggressor?” Is it sufficient to look for a ‘good guy’ and a ‘bad guy’? How does this relate to resource issues (Georgia is an important distribution route for gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe)? What about politics in other former Soviet states and Eastern bloc nations?
Then a brief update on events in Bolivia and Ecuador – where offers of mediation by the government in the lawsuit against Chevron may not be the positive development one might think.
Finally, in a tribute to Mahmoud Darwish, Bob recites (in the original Arabic) from the 1964 poem Identity Card.
Write down!
I am an Arab
And my identity card number is fifty thousand
I have eight children
And the ninth will come after a summer
Will you be angry?
We close with salutations in Georgian, from Jodi.
The show is now available on Radio4All (direct mp3 link), on Audioport (mp3), and Indymedia Radio (mp3).
Tags: Bolivia, Ecuador, georgia, Mahmoud Darwish, Palestine, poetry, poland, recitation, russia, USSR
Posted in Palestine, South America | No Comments »
Friday, August 1st, 2008
The show is now on Radio4All and Audioport. This week we cover more geography than usual:
- We start, as usual, with the Panos Institute news bulletin.
- Ecuador is in the process of putting in place a ban on foreign military bases
- Chevron using the US Trade Representative to put pressure on Ecuador and resist an environmental lawsuit. The money quote? We Can’t Let Little Countries Screw Around With Big Companies
- Disputes in Bolivia about attempts to reform constitution. Rich, white provinces (illegally) undertake ‘autonomy’ referendums to protect their privilege.
- Venezuela’s Citgo to offer Venezuelan coffee at their service stations. Post-air update: this is currently a pilot program in Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia, and Citgo will expand it if there is interest.
- AIPAC-backed Congressional resolution calling for blockade of Iran losing steam. Four original sponsors have now revoked their support.
- Ultimatum on ‘Freeze for Freeze’ proposal coming up this weekend.
- Possibilities of a US ‘interests section’ in Iran.
- Prof. Francis Boyle of Illinois says Iran should sue the USA in the International Court of Justice. We discuss the positive normative and diplomatic aspects of such a move. A video interview with Prof. Boyle is available on YouTube.
- US still negotiating ’security agreement’ with Iraq – have now missed their original deadline. We discuss the issue of ‘permanent’ and ‘enduring’ bases.
- Iraqi government supports Obama’s call for a timetable on withdrawal.
- Increased opposition to calls for more troops being sent to Afghanistan – even Thomas Friedman has criticized Obama’s calls for more troops.
Tags: Afghanistan, autonomy, Bolivia, Citgo, Ecuador, foreign military bases, Francis Boyle, ICJ, Iran, Iraq, militarism, Venezuela
Posted in Iran, Iraq, Presidential election, South America | No Comments »
Friday, April 11th, 2008
Yesterday’s edition of the show included an extended discussion of the Petraeus testimony, an update on the Colombian trade agreement, a brief discussion of events in Ecuador, and of former President Carter’s visit to Palestine. Available for download from WRFU or on Pacifica’s Audioport. Starting, of course, with the Interworld Radio news bulletin.
And some advance notice: next week we’ll be interviewing author Allison Hantschel about her book “Special Plans” and neo-con Douglas Feith, whose memoir is due out shortly. Send us an email with any questions you want to ask her.
Tags: Audioport, Carter, Colombia, Congress, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Petraeus, podcast, trade agreement
Posted in Audio, IWR feature, Iran, Iraq, South America | No Comments »
Friday, April 4th, 2008
You can listen to yesterday’s edition on the WRFU site. It’s also available, of course, on Audioport.This week we talked about Iran and Iraq (and interplay between the two), Afghanistan and the IMF, and trade deals in South America. A good show all around, if I say so myself.
Tags: Afghanistan, Bolivia, Colombia, diplomacy, IMF, Iran, Iraq, Latin America, South America, trade deals
Posted in Audio, Iran, Iraq, South America | No Comments »
Thursday, March 20th, 2008
Today we started with the Interworld Radio headlines, as usual, and then played some actuality from yesterday’s vigil at the veterans’ memorial in Urbana, marking 5 years of war in Iraq. Following some short discussion of the vigil, and an aborted start to an excerpt from the Winter Soldier event, we cut to an interview being conducted with Bob, live on WRFU, by broadcasters from Radio Adelaide’s Back Story. We closed out the show with the compilation from Winter Soldier (compiled by Pacifica) and a discussion of the role of such events and of independent media in providing coverage.
Tags: Back Story, Ecuador, independent media, interview, InterworldRadio, Iraq, MoveOn, Pacifica, Radio Adelaide, simulcast, Venezuela, vigil, Winter Soldier
Posted in Iraq, Presidential election, South America, media | No Comments »
