Podcasts

Anand Giridharadas in Conversation: On Wealth VS Democracy – Part TWO of TWO

Even though his book: Winners Take All, The Elite Charade of Changing the World, was published back in 2018 Anand Giridharadas is still in demand as speaker and writer on that topic. The inequality of wealth and power has grown and Giridharadas’ reach now is international.
This is the conclusion of a one hour conversation. Towards the end of Part ONE John Dankosky and Anand Giridharadas had gotten into a heated argument over the efficiency of government with Dankosky making the case for those who claim that many government functions should be transferred to private companies.
Giridharadas made the counter-argument for the efficiency of the federal court system and restated his support for social security and universal healthcare. He also answered the [ . . . ]

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:59 — 19.9MB)

Anand Giridharadas in Conversation: On Wealth VS Democracy – Part ONE of TWO

There are very few writers who went on a book tour – expecting to be done in 3 months – and 2 years later are still in high demand by TV and radio talk shows, universities, high level think tanks, and festivals. Even the Cornona Virus did not slow him down and on May 19, 2020, Anand Giridharadas was interviewed, from his home, for the International Festival of Arts & Ideas in New Haven, Connecticut.
In his book, Giridharadas asked hard questions about corporate philanthropy: Why, for example, should our gravest problems be solved by the unelected upper crust instead of the public institutions that the rich erode by lobbying and dodging taxes?
Elizabeth Nearing is the curator of ideas for the [ . . . ]

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:00 — 19.9MB)

Chris Hedges and Richard Wolff on the 2020 Election, Part TWO of TWO

Biden vs. Trump and Bernie Sanders – In this part TWO you will hear the conclusion of Chris Hedges’ talk. Hedges puts out a reminder of how Sanders was betrayed by the Democratic party leadership in 2016 – and now again in 2020 – even though Sanders had become a loyal follower of democratic party politics in the intervening four years.
Then we present an excerpt of an extraordinary interview of Professor Richard Wolff – also done by ActTVism Munich. Wolff analyzes why Bernie Sanders endorsed Joe Biden and the recurrent phenomenon of Voting for the Lesser of two Evils.
Richard Wolff is Professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He is currently teaching at New School University, New York City. [ . . . ]

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:01 — 19.9MB)

Chris Hedges on Biden vs. Trump, and Bernie Sanders – One of Two

In this interview on acTVism, Munich, Chris Hedges also comments on Noam Chomsky’s endorsement of Biden, the mistakes of the Sanders campaign, corporate media, Julian Assange, the power of the US arms industry, the rise of fascism and the bi-partisan efforts to expand global trade that impoverish working people.
Chris Hedges is a columnist, award winning journalist and war reporter, a New York Times best-selling author, a professor in the college degree program offered to New Jersey state prisoners by Rutgers University, and an ordained Presbyterian minister.
acTVism Munich is a non-profit & independent online media portal in both German and English languages. Zain Raza founded acTVism in 2013 and is the senior editor.
Credit: Zain Raza, acTVism Munich
Date: 2020/05/05

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:58 — 19.9MB)

Helen Caldicott and Michael Madsen: Into Eternity ONE of TWO

This adds to the Nuclear Power debate inspired by the Michael Moore film “Planet of the Humans” From the TUC Radio Archives: 
This is a conversation between Helen Caldicott and Michael Madsen whose film, Into Eternity, premiered in the US in February 2011. Into Eternity is a documentary about the building of the world’s first permanent repository for nuclear waste in Finland. It shows not only the construction under way that will take 140 years, but introduces the people involved, the scientists, regulators and corporate executives who oversee this project. None of them will be alive when Onkalo, as the repository is called, will be finished in 2120; and they must expect this repository to remain intact and untouched by future [ . . . ]

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David Quammen: Is the Coronavirus the Byproduct of Human Behavior?

An interview with Olmo Parenti In his seventh week of sheltering in place in Milano, Italy, the filmmaker Olmo Parenti called the science writer and explorer David Quammen. He was sheltering in his home in Bozeman, Montana. Olmo had read Quammen’s 2012 book: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic; and asked Quammen how he was able to predict 8 years ago the rise of the Coronavirus pandemic. Olmo Parenti is a member of “A THING BY” a collective of young filmmakers based in Milan.
David Quammen has won many awards for his books and magazine articles, including from the National Association of Science Writers. His work with National Geographic is best known, and has taken him on many [ . . . ]

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David Quammen: Shaking the Viral Tree

An Interview by Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee
In his 2012 book Spillover, Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic, the science writer David Quammen predicted another Corona Virus outbreak. At the end of March 2020 the editor of Emergence Magazine, Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee talked with Quammen who was sheltering in place in his Bozeman, Montana, home.
Their conversation explored the ways in which viruses are embedded in the same systems of ecology and evolutionary biology that we humans are. As we disrupt wild ecosystems and shake these viruses free, and experience the consequences, COVID-19 offers an opportunity to reimagine our relationship with the natural world.
Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee is a filmmaker, musician and executive editor of Emergence Magazine. David Quammen is an award winning science writer, explorer [ . . . ]

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:00 — 19.9MB)

Naomi Klein on Coronavirus Capitalism

An interview by Mehdi Hasan for The Intercept
Naomi Klein is is a Canadian author, social activist, and filmmaker. Among her books are: This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate; No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need; The Battle for Paradise: Puerto Rico Takes on the Disaster Capitalists; and On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal.
Naomi Klein is also a Senior correspondent at the investigative news organization the Intercept. Her colleague and friend Mehdi Hasan is a senior columnist at The Intercept. He is a British political journalist, broadcaster and author.
You will hear excerpts from his interview with her, originally streamed live on Apr 7, 2020.
You can see the full [ . . . ]

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Brian Eno and Yanis Varoufakis: The Future After Corona

This conversation took place on April 4, 2020. A world renowned artist, Brian Eno, and the former Greek finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, are raising questions about the social and cultural consequences of the corona pandemic. Will we be able to design the future of a new civilization or will politicians and corporations hold on to the extraordinary powers they now have taken.
Brian Eno is an English musician, record producer, visual artist, best known for his pioneering work in ambient music and contributions to rock, pop, and electronics. He is also a member of the British Labour Party and campaigned door to door for Jeremy Corbyn.
Yanis Varoufakis was an internationally known economist and academic when he was elected to the [ . . . ]

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Dr. Larry Brilliant: Covid 19 – Outbreaks are Inevitable, But Pandemics are Optional

In the spiring of 2017, at a release party for his book: Sometimes Brilliant he sketched out his extraordinary voyage from civil rights movement, to medical training to helping out as physician during the occupation of Alcatraz by the Indians of All Tribes.
In the Bay Area Larry Brilliant connected with the psychedelic and music counterculture, and followed the hippie trail from London over the Khyber Pass to India – with his wife Elaine, Wavy Gravy and the Hog Farm commune.
One of India’s best known spiritual teachers, Neem Karoli Baba, told him his destiny was to work for the World Health Organization to help eradicate smallpox. Larry Brilliant became a key participant in eliminating that 10,000-year-old disease that killed half [ . . . ]

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Dr. John Campbell: Corona Virus Update

and How NOT to Treat a Corona Virus Fever
On March 23rd, 2020, as global confirmed Corona cases top 400,000, Donald Trump stresses the need to Reopen America and ease up on stay at home orders – at the same time India announces a 21-day lockdown across the country; and UK prime minister Boris Johnson – after weeks of inaction – announces a strict lockdown all across England.
Just before this news became public Dr. John Campbell, in his daily updates on his YouTube channel, explained how important the stay at home orders are. Dr. Campbell is a retired Nurse Teacher based in England
The second commentary by Dr. Campbell deals with treatment of fever. Since fever has become the most important [ . . . ]

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:00 — 19.9MB)

Coronavirus: What is it and how do we prepare for it

With Dr. Michael Osterholm from the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy
In his book, Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs, Osterholm identified the most pressing infectious diseases of our day. AND he laid out a nine-point strategy on how to address them, with preventing a global flu pandemic at the top of the list. On March 3, 2020, he defined the public health strategy that should and could have been followed.
Dr. Michael Osterholm was interviewed by Peter Bergen, Vice President of Global Studies & Fellows, New America
You can watch the full one hour event on YouTube by searching for he title: Coronavirus: What is it and how do we prepare for it.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:01 — 19.9MB)

Dr. John Campbell: Corona Virus – What we need to know now

Interview by Radio Ecoshock Host Alex Smith
In the first week of March 2020, as the world was trying to understand the new Corona Virus, this extraordinary conversation was posted in the weekly line-up of Radio Ecoshock.
My fellow broadcaster and friend Alex Smith reached Dr. John Campbell in Britain and asked him about the medical science and epidemiology of the Corona virus. Dr. Campbell is a retired Nurse Teacher and A and E nurse based in England. He also does some teaching in Asia and Africa. He publishes daily on Youtube under Campbellteaching. These videos help students learn the background to all forms of health care. He currently posts on the spread of the Corona virus. A film posted yesterday had [ . . . ]

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Protecting the Rights of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange

After four days of intense deliberations between Wiki Leaks founder Julian Assange’s legal team and attorneys representing the United States government at the end of February 2020 the British judge suspended the extradition hearings until mid-May.
The Trump administration decided to charge Julian Assange under the Espionage Act for his role in publishing classified documents exposing U.S. war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. He could be sentenced to up to 175 years in prison.
In contrast the Obama administration had decided not to charge under the Espionage Act in order to protect media such as the New York Times who published the very same materials that Assange had made public.
Assange has been held in London’s high security Belmarsh prison since April [ . . . ]

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Stop the Extradition of Julian Assange

With Human Rights Lawyer Jennifer Robinson and author and public intellectual Tariq Ali On February 24, 2020, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange’s extradition hearing opened in a London court.
The US government had said he is guilty of hacking into and publishing US military databases. The Trump administration raised the stakes significantly. They want to put him on trial under the espionage act, threatening Assange with 175 years in prison.
Jennifer Robinson is a member of Julian Assange’s legal team. She spoke on February 4, 2020, at a public rally for Assange at the Royal National Hotel in London.
Tariq Ali is a well know British author, film-maker, historian, political activist and editor who came to support Julian Assange.
This rally and prior events [ . . . ]

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:01 — 19.9MB)