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THiS WEEK: Wal-Mart mistreats women and gets over $1 billion in government subsidies; Why the rightwing wins the framing war; the economics of global food trafficking; How to forget a nuclear meltdown in just 25 years; The predictable contours of today's white populism; why non-violent resistance will not work in Palestine; Monsanto loses for once; Co-ops continue to thrive in a bad economy, but why?; and This American Life goes inside the Republican machine and unearths no simple descriptions of what it finds. There's humor, too, but you'll have to read on to find it.

This Week's Picks:

1. The Women of Wal-Mart
   Rights and Liberties: A gender discrimination lawsuit offers a glimpse inside the nation's largest private employer and its treatment of women. It ain't pretty.
   Geri L. Dreiling | Alternet
   http://www.alternet.org/rights/19901/
   
   
   
2. Framing the Debate: It's All GOP
   How do Republicans continually frustrate Democrats, keeping them on the defensive? It's not just their media control (Fox News, Clear Channel, etc.), it's not just the $2 billion they've put into think tanks over the past 30 years, and it's not just lies and dirty tricks. It's their skill at "framing." George Lakoff | commondreams.org
   http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0912-20.htm
   
   
   
3. Yes Another Prozac Scandal
   Research done on Prozac that was originally used as 'positive evidence' to market it for children and adolescents has now been brought up again to point out a disturbing flaw: the data showed a higher incidence of harmful behavior and suicide among teens taking Prozac than those taking a placebo or receiving therapy.
   Fred Gardner | Counterpunch
   http://www.counterpunch.org/gardner09112004.html
   
   
   
4. The True Cost of Food
   New Zealand is 7,500 miles from the Okanagan valley of British Columbia, Canada. So why are BC grocery stores flush with New Zealand apples when perfectly good ones are grown in the Okanagan? In 2002, BC apple exports totalled 77 million pounds, while apple imports from New Zealand and elsewhere ran to 111 million pounds. British Columbians need more apples than they produce, but wouldn't it make sense to eat the apples their neighbors grow before bringing them in from the other side of the Pacific?
   Adbusters
   http://www.adbusters.org/magazine/55/articles/truecostoffood.html
   
   
   
5. Fruits of the Sea
   The following items were among those found in the last two years during California¹s Coastal Cleanup Day, an annual event in which volunteers remove debris from the state¹s shorelines. Since the program began in 1985, 8.5 million pounds of garbage have been collected.
   Harper's
   http://www.harpers.org/FruitsOfTheSea.html
   
   
   
6. Three Mile Island: Healthy Study Meltwon
   The most notorious nuclear accident in the United States resulted in a partial core meltdown. Yet 25 years later, few questions about how the meltdown affected public health have been asked.
   Joseph Mangano | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
   http://www.thebulletin.org/issues/2004/so04/so04mangano.html
   
   
   
7. Popularity, Privilege, and the White Populists for Populate the Airwaves
   The history of white populism is a story of overlapping goals and class politics; however, it is equally a story of sustained racism, of pimping people of color in the name of working class power and thereby erasing the privilege and power bestowed upon white workers because of their skin color.
   David Leonard | ColorLines
   http://www.arc.org/C_Lines/CLArchive/story7_3_03.html
   
   
   
8. Paying for Congestion
   London's "red" mayor, Ken Livingston, was widely believed to have gone "too far" a year ago when he announced a plan to hit commuters with a special congestion charge every time they entered the central city.
   Jim Motavalli | E Magazine
   http://www.emagazine.com/view/?2056
   
   
   
9. The Myth of Gandhi and Palestinian Reality
   The recent visit of Mohandas K. Gandhi's grandson, Arun Gandhi, to Palestine has sparked new discussion about the role of nonviolence in the Palestinian struggle for freedom. Ali Abunimah sorts the genuine efforts to energize the struggle with non-violent tactics from the spurious ones resigned to shift the blame from the occupier to the occupied.
   Ali Abunimah | Electronic Intifada
   http://electronicIntifada.net/v2/article3066.shtml
   
   
   
10. Black Muslims and the Sudan
    It has taken a genocide in Darfur, where hundreds of thousands have been killed in a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing and countless
    Salim Muwakkil | In These Times
    http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/1071/
    
    
    
11. Grim Day for Monsanto
    Bowing to a worldwide pressure campaign, the Monsanto Company announced in May that it would abandon plans to place genetically engineered wheat on the market.
    +
    Wal-Mart's Subsidy Shopping
    Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, has benefited from more than $1
    billion in economic development subsidies from state and local governments across the United States, according to a new study by Good Jobs First, a Washington, D.C.-based research group.
    http://multinationalmonitor.org/mm2004/05012004/may-june04front.html
    
    
    
12. Co-ops: Tales of the Unexpected
    For all their faults, co-ops are more widespread and active than you might imagine. If economic democracy has anything to do with it, argues David Ransom, there will even more of them in future.
    The New Internationalist
    http://www.newint.org/issue368/keynote.htm
    
    
    
13. AUDIO | This American Life: Big Tent
    Republicans are on the march at every level of state, local and federal
    government. Yes, they're just barely the majority in the Senate and in the last Presidential race and in state legislatures around the country, where they hold just one percent more seats than Democrats nationwide. But Republican numbers are increasing. It's the Republicans who are on the rise. On this program, we leave behind the official Republican talking points ... and ask them to speak instead about what they actually believe, and what they want for their party and for the country. The answers turn out to be way more complicated than you might think.
    This American Life
    http://www.thisamericanlife.com/ra/272.ram
    

- Media Picks compiled and edited by Erin Wiegand and Brian Awehali

Posted by erin at 12:13 PM | Comments (0)

September 12, 2004

09.11.2004 | Consequences of the 'Anybody But Bush' Plague; Whitewashing Race; Wal-Mart in Teotihucan

THiS WEEK: Great online video from Freespeech-TV; anti-democratic power and influence behind the scenes in the Green Party; Venezuelan media democracy; the compassionate dedication of a small group of rich people; why "anybody but Bush" sucks; Wal-Mart in Teotihucan; whitewashing race (as usual); And fact or fiction?: Some environmentalists are calling on nuclear power as the only way to stop global warming.

This Week's Picks:

1. VIDEO | Source Code: Manufacturing Consent
   Check out this RNC-focused episode of Source Code, a new show on Freespeech-TV. Includes an interview with Noam Chomsky covering the perceived differences between the political parties; Leslie Cagan (national coordinator of United for Peace and Justice) on the repercussions of repressing dissent, and other matter of vital interest.
   
   Freespeech-TV / Source Code
   http://sourcecode.freespeech.org/
   
   
   
2. Green House Party Gasses
   Following a critical article of the inner workings of the Pacific Green Party in Oregon titled, "The Green Party Unravels from Within," a suspect rumor was brought to light. After talking to a dozen or so pro-Nader delegates that attended the Green Party Convention in Wisconsin last July, virtually all of them came forward with a similar belief: that the founding director of Code Pink and Global Exchange, Medea Benjamin, funded California delegates to attend the event and support the nomination of David Cobb. The money was rumored to have come from George Soros, the billionaire tycoon who has deep ties to the Democratic Party, and hates Ralph Nader with a visceral fury.
   
   Joshua Frank | Counterpunch
   http://www.counterpunch.org/frank09092004.html
   
   
   
3. Venezuelan Community TV: Feeding the Matrix of Cultural Resistance
   A key part of Venezuela’s political process has always been communication, and especially television. While the role of the state Channel 8 in reversing the military coup of April 2002 is known outside of Venezuela, largely thanks to the video documentary ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,’ the role of community media with a more critical eye and a grassroots focus is increasingly important.
   
   Justin Podur | Z Magazine
   http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=45&ItemID=6174
   
   
   
4. Small Group of Dedicated Rich People Change the World
   Think that a few people can't make a difference? These plucky rich white men think they can. A report from the Republican National Convention.
   
   The Onion
   http://www.theonion.com/news/index.php?issue=4035
   
   
   
5. Six Grim Consequences of the Anybody But Bush Plague
   Some of the nasty side effects of the Left's tendency to focus on a Kerry
   victory as the answer to all that is wrong in America.
   
   M. Junaid Alam | Left Hook
   http://www.lefthook.org/Politics/Alam082304.html
   
   
   
6. BOOK REVIEW | Whitewashing Race: The Myth of a Color-Blind Society
   'Whitewashing Race' develops the case against a dominant belief in our time:
   that racial inequalities in America are a thing of the past. Review by Adolph Reed, Jr.
   
   Dissent Magazine
   http://www.dissentmagazine.org/menutest/articles/su04/reed.htm
   
   
   
7. Kuwait's Parliament Considers Women's Political Rights, Again
   Despite a thriving feminist movement, Kuwait continues to deny full citizenship rights to women - but the next sitting of parliament, in late October, may change that.
   
   Mary Ann Tetreault | Middle East Report Online
   http://www.merip.org/mero/mero090204.html
   
   
   
8. 9/11 Rescue Dogs Dying of Cancer
   14 of 97 rescue dogs are dead, including 8 dead of cancer, following their
   exposure to toxic dust and rubble in the wake of the September 11th, 2001
   attacks. (with commentary from Unknown News)
   
   Heidi Evans | New York Daily News; Unknown News
   http://www.unknownnews.net/040824rescuedogs.html
   
   
   
9. Wal-Mart Upsets Cosmic Balance of Ruins
   A Wal-Mart is being built not half a mile from the pyramids and temples of the ancient Mexican city, Teotihucan, drawing protests from conservationists, small business owners, and believers in the spiritual power of the ruins - which Wal-Mart, they say, is severely disrupting.
   
   Jo Tuckman | The Guardian
   http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,5008145-103681,00.html
   
   
   
10. Get Ready for the Peak Experience
    Two new realities are fast converging on the public consciousness with what may be serendipitous timing: climate change and peak oil. After years of controversy and denial, there finally seems to be a solid consensus that climate change is here, it threatens everything from agriculture to human health, and it will probably turn out to be even worse than predicted.
    
    Kelpie Wilson | Truthout
    http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/083004A.shtml
    
    
    
11. Backlash 101: Why Conservatives are Winning the Campus Wars
    College liberal organizations are coming up against much stronger and
    politically-saavy conservative groups on campus, fueled by millions of dollars
    from the Right and the help of seasoned conservative strategists.
    
    Joshua Holland | Gadflyer
    http://gadflyer.com/articles/print.php?ArticleID=187
    
    
    
12. The Iron Shiek
    Rapper Will Youmans taps into the American minority experience to address the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
    
    Laila Weir | San Francisco Chronicle
    http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/08/22/CMGO87TBMQ1.DTL
    
    
    
13. AUDIO | Hope in the Dark: An interview with author Rebecca Solnit
    In her poetic biography, Rebecca Solnit uses the figure of photographer
    Edward Muybridge to discuss a whole range of metaphysical issues: time and motion, of course, but also movies, California and contemporary activism.
    
    Bookworm Radio (RealAudio)
    http://kcrw.com/cgi-bin/ram_wrap.cgi?/bw/bw040708Rebecca_Solnit
    Read excerpt: http://www.kcrw.com/dialabook/Hope_in_the_Dark.htm
    
    
    
14. Pollutants Cause Huge Rise in Brain Diseases
    An alarming study shows that the rate of brain disease - including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and dementia - have tripled in less than 20 years. Even more disturbing: they seem to be connected to rises in levels of domestic and industrial waste, car exhaust, and pesticides.
    
    Juliette Jowit | The Observer
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/medicine/story/0,11381,1283588,00.html
    
    
    
15. Companies With Highest Levels of Employee Injury and Illness
    Garnering practically zero attention, the Occupational Safety and Health
    Administration—under pressure from a FOIA suit—has released its hall of shame: 13,000 companies with more than twice the national average of occupational injuries and illnesses
    
    The Memory Hole
    http://www.thememoryhole.org/corp/dart/
    
    
    
16. There Is an Alternative: Nuclear Power
    The debate over the environmental-friendliness of nuclear power is swelling
    again, thanks in part to a recent essay by James Lovelock (famous for his 'Gaia hypothesis') that entreated fellow environmentalists to drop their objections to nuclear energy: it is, he argued, the only real solution to stop global warming. So does the future hold death by climate change or death by meltdown - or is there another option?
    
    George Monbiot | The Guardian
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,5673,1298592,00.htm

- Media Picks compiled and edited by Erin Wiegand and Brian Awehali

Posted by brian at 11:28 AM | Comments (0)

September 05, 2004

08.28.2004 | RNC Counterconvergence Edition

August 28, 2004 Edition THiS WEEK: The Republican National Convention kicks off, and so do the protests. Read opinions and strategy about the RNC protests; find out where you can hear live independent radio and see streaming video; a high-visibility "banner drop" unfurls and stays around until world media shows up (brought to you in part by the Ruckus Society, of course, who've also introduced a protest-specific novel text-messaging group for your mobile phone).

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This Week's Picks:

Dissent Must Come Alive in New York Protesters need not fear that they will be playing into the hands of Bush's campaign strategy. Tom Hayden | Newsday http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-vphay203935797aug20,0,6070651.story Protestors Risk Playing Into GOP Hands Get Mad. Act Out. Re-Elect George Bush? Rick Perlstein | The Village Voice http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0434/perlstein.php Emergency Revolutionary Margaret Cho is taking her revolution to the streets. The most difficult part of revolution? Feeling you deserve one. Scott Thill | AlterNet http://www.alternet.org/story/19682/ NYC Banner Drop Succeeds A group of activists calling themselves "Operation Sibyl," trained by the Ruckus Society, and describing themselves as a concerned group of students and professionals, dropped a banner off of the Plaza Hotel on 58th St. and 5th Ave on Thursday the 26th. The banner read "Bush" with an arrow pointing one way, and "Truth," with an arrow pointing in the other direction. READ: http://nyc.indymedia.org/feature/ display/103408/index.php WATCH: Protestors scale the Plaza Hotel in midtown http://cbsnewyork.com/topstories/ topstoriesny_story_239101008.html Indymedia RNC Protest Coverage RADIO: http://liveradio.indymedia.org/ VIDEO: “Un-conventional TV” - For coverage of the Republican National Convention that you won't find in the mainstream media http://www.nycimcvideo.org/ RADIO | A-NOISE Participatory Webstream The NoRNC Sound Coalition http://radio.socialtechnology.net/ RNC 2004 Text Alerts A mobile text message group for your phone. Subscribe to receive instantaneous updates on demonstration activities during the Republican National Convention. Ruckus Society http://www.ruckus.org/textalert/index.html Court to Protestors: Drop the Rally David Lindorff | Counterpunch http://www.counterpunch.org/ lindorff08262004.html Partying at the Conventions What you see of the political conventions on television is only part of the story. Behind the scenes and away from the rhetoric at the convention halls, lavish parties sponsored by corporate interests celebrate the union of money and politics. NOW with Bill Moyers and ABC News chief investigative correspondent Brian Ross examine the close ties between big corporate donors and the elected officials they're courting and provides a candid look at the parties that the Democrats and Republicans don't want you to see. [Friday, August 27 at 9 p.m. on PBS - check local listings at http://www.pbs.org/now/sched.html] http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/082704L.shtml - Media Picks compiled and edited by Erin Wiegand and Brian Awehali Media Blog (The Media Picks archive)

Posted by brian at 09:16 PM | Comments (0)