TUC And Cover

TUC Radio's February 13th and 20th shows cover some of the most important challenges facing us as we try to survive as a species: the destructive forces of globalization that are driving the planet's ecological crisis; the dangers to our water supply due to over-pumping, privatization, and pollution; and how the World Bank funds destructive development in fossil fuels.

Vandana Shiva had just witnessed the arctic melt on Greenland and speaks eloquently about the destructive forces of globalization that are driving the ecological crisis. She also sheds light on the effects of rapid economic growth in her home country, India.

Maude Barlow has completed a new book, entitled: Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and The Coming Battle for the Right to Water. She explains how we are losing water through pollution, over-pumping and displacement while the demands for water are rising. She names the corporations that are in the process of capturing water sources – the new Blue Gold.

Daphne Wysham of the Institute for Policy Studies speaks on the World Bank’s destructive role in driving climate change. She lays out in great detail how the system of carbon trading came about and how the World Bank is funding destructive development in fossil fuels - and she talks about solutions.

For a broadcast quality mp3 version of Part ONE with Vandana Shiva click:
http://www.tucradio.org/2008_02_27.Triple_one.mp3
For a broadcast quality mp3 version of Part TWO with Maude Barlow and Daphne Wysham click:
http://www.tucradio.org/2008_02_20.Triple_two.mp3
For a LOWBAND VERSION of Part ONE click HERE
For a LOWBAND VERSION of Part TWO click HERE

Liberate The Stream

Given the limited independent media options available here in the High Country, a lot of us are forced to stream news and music from the internet. It's great to have all of the options that are out there in cyberspace, but let's face it--being shackled to the computer isn't always the most comfortable experience.

Fortunately, there are a range of products out there that can liberate us. We do not do product endorsements, but generally speaking, these products are referred to as wireless music systems (for the PC or mac).

Here's what they do: in a few very easy steps, these wireless transmitters take whatever you are streaming on your computer (news, music, etc.) and re-transmits what is being streamed on your computer directly to a stereo elsewhere in your house. These things are seriously easy to use--we did it, and it took all of 20 minutes to set up. The end result is that you can stretch out on your couch or bed and listen to your favorite non-corporate show--and it will seem like it's just a local, over the air program.

Imagine what it would be like to have something informative coming out of your speakers, instead of what passes for news or entertainment around here.

Here's a link to some of these products.

Weekend Video Salon: Garbage!

Where does all that stuff go anyway? Maybe we'll show this film at another free screening.

Weekend Video Salon: Martial Law Preparations

Collateral has some good coverage of something the corporate media refuses to touch. Enjoy!

Options Do Exist

The failures of corporate, consolidated media are on display everywhere. Despite massive consolidation, these behemoths still can't seem to turn a profit.

But big media says "just let us consolidate some more--then everything will be fine--we'll make lots of money, and then PRESTO! The inevitable result will be some excellent journalism."

So, we are presented with only one option--the corporate media. There is no other way, we are told.

Well, not so much. Non-profit journalism is on the rise, big time. From the Christian Science Monitor:

There's freedom in not having to worry about making every possible reader happy, says managing editor Roger Buoen, formerly with the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune. In his previous job, his bosses were preoccupied with attracting "readers who don't read the paper," he says. "If you had complicated stories, there were a few strikes against them off the bat."
...

Meanwhile, in New York, a new nonprofit investigative-journalism organization is hiring about 25 full-time journalists to look at "people and institutions in our society that have power and have abused it, or have been entrusted with the public trust and have not lived up to it," says its general manager Richard Tofel.

Supported by philanthropic groups, ProPublica plans to hire veteran journalists – it is led by former Wall Street Journal managing editor Paul Steiger – and offer its stories free to media outlets.

The project will help stave off the newspaper decline that threatens "a real loss to the health of our democracy," said Rebecca Rimel, president and CEO of The Pew Charitable Trusts and a member of ProPublica's board of directors in a statement reflecting the motives of many philanthropists who are funding such ventures.

...

Options do exist, so try not to listen to the corporate media echo chamber.

Full article here.

WXIT 1200 AM

When you run a radio station which describes itself this way...

NewsTalk 1200 WXIT is a favorite of upscale, educated, involved people. Listen live to Roten in the Morning, The Sports Page with Jeff Fancher, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Medved, and more.

...and you air programming from a fella who says things like this...

Rush Limbaugh revived his claims about Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's so-called "testicle lockbox," stating: "Clinton's testicle lockbox is big enough for the entire Democrat hierarchy, not just some people in the media. ... Her lockbox, her testicle lockbox can handle everybody in the Democrat hierarchy." Limbaugh later claimed that Clinton "reminds men of the worst characteristics of women they've encountered over their life: totally controlling, not soft and cuddly. Not sympathetic. Not patient. Not understanding. Demanding, domineering, Nurse Ratched kind of thing."

...then exactly which upscale, educated demographic are you appealing to? We wonder how many women-owned businesses sponsor Limbaugh's show. We'll take a listen, and give you a full list of all local businesses who sponsor this hateful little man's show.

Just so we can check our facts, or something.

Full transcript, full audio, HERE.

Make Mine A Nice Warm Green Latte

No, we don't mean St. Paddy's Day.

Corporate Watchdog Radio aired an interesting report yesterday--it's all about the new "green networking" movement--groups of people who get together to discuss and take action on environmental and sustainability issues. From corporatewatchdogradio.org:

Every month all over the globe, people interested in the environment and sustainability get together for "Green Drinks" to schmooze and network. Today on CWR, hosts Bill Baue and Francesca Rheannon go to their local Green Drinks gathering at the Northampton Brewery in Northampton, Massachusetts. There, they talk with John Meyercak of the Center for Ecological Technology, based in Northampton, about CET projects like ReStore, which sells second-hand building materials. Then Chris Landry of the Sustainability Institute in Hartland, Vermont talks about balancing the need to support small farmers in developing nations with fair trade while also fostering living local economies in developed nations. We also hear about the Sustainability Institute's "Climate Bathtub".

Corporate Watchdog Radio is free for any radio station to air. Do you think that WASU-FM might be interested in airing it? Just thinkin', ya know--because ASU seems to be slightly involved in that whole sustainability thingy. Can you say built-in listener base? Sure you can.

Listen to the program here.
P.S. The picture above shows the hosts of Corporate Watchdog Radio.