Saturday, March 30, 2013

Casualties of War

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New World Notes News
Vol. 6, No.13 -- March 30, 2013


This week in New World Notes, radio program #265, April 2, 2013

Casualties of War

Victims of a NATO drone attack, October 2012, Helmand province, Afghanistan. The three chidren were in a field, collecting dung for cooking fuel.

In brief

A look at some seldom-acknowledged victims of the U.S.'s current wars. Hundreds of children killed by drone strikes ordered by President Obama. (We name 25 of the children.) Thousands of U.S. servicemembers, male and female, raped each year by other U.S. servicemembers. One soldier suicide per day and one veteran suicide per hour.

Why is this happening?

This installment features articles by Dave Lindorff, Alyssa Rohricht, and the New York Times; commentary in song by David Rovics and Roy Zimmerman; and remarks by me.

During a Senate subcommittee hearing on March 13, three former U.S. servicemembers (foreground, right) spoke of their experiences of rape while serving in the armed forces.

Notes, credits, & links

Music added: David Rovics, "The Comets of Kandahar"; Roy Zimmerman, from "Thanks for the Support"; and a dash of Orff's "Carmina Burana" (London S.O.).

Chuck Rosina recorded David Rovics live in performance in Boston on January 27, 2013.

The articles by Dave Lindorff and by Alyssa Rohricht are from CounterPunch online.

New World Notes is produced under the auspices (Latin for "radar") of WWUH-FM, a community service of that beacon of light in darkest Connecticut, the University of Hartford.

You can listen to any installment of New World Notes online or else download it (as an mp3 audio file) for later listening. The show is archived at both radio4all.net and (from #90 onwards) The Internet Archive. Either link should get you a reverse-chrono listing of available installments. Or browse the show's Web site: Each installment has a page, and each page has links to the recorded audio. See the gray sidebar on the right ("CONTENTS [Links]") for a table of contents.

Series overview:
Political and social commentary in a variety of genres. Exploring the gap between what we want ... and what they're trying to make us settle for.

One U.S. soldier a day commits suicide. One military veteran an hour commits suicide. Something is very wrong. What could it be?

Coming soon (Tuesday air debut date shown)
  • April 9 -- A World Without Cheap Oil: Changes We Need to Make, featuring James Howard Kunstler 
Catch New World Notes (all times Eastern):
A-Infos Radio Project http://www.radio4all.net

Friday, March 22, 2013

The Corporations and the Economy

To download an audio file (save it on your hard disk): Click on this link for instructions.

New World Notes News
Vol. 6, No.12 -- March 22, 2013


This week in New World Notes, radio program #264, March 26, 2013

The Corporations and the Economy


In brief

Corporate profits and stock prices continue to go up, up, up. Yet unemployment remains disastrously high, layoffs are increasing, poverty and personal debt are increasing. How can this be?

Noam Chomsky, Jim Hightower, Dave Johnson, The New York Times, and singer Mike Stout provide some answers.

Hint: don't blame nature, the Internet, new technologies, or China. Changes in federal laws and regulations--which Big Business fought hard for--enabled and encouraged the current mess.

Two of the sources we hear from bring up our local contributor to the Dow Jones Industrial Average: United Technologies Corporation. Two weeks ago, UTC reported record profits and reached a record high share price--and announced it would lay off (that is, fire) 3,000 more workers--on top of the 4,000 it laid off in 2012.


Notes, credits, & links

Chuck U. Rosina recorded the Chomsky segment in Boston on February 25, 2013. (Thanks again.)

Music added: Mike Stout, from "Occupy"

New World Notes is produced under the auspices (Latin for "infleible deadlines") of WWUH-FM, a community service of that beacon of light in darkest Connecticut, the University of Hartford.

You can listen to any installment of New World Notes online or else download it (as an mp3 audio file) for later listening. The show is archived at both radio4all.net and (from #90 onwards) The Internet Archive. Either link should get you a reverse-chrono listing of available installments. Or browse the show's Web site: Each installment has a page, and each page has links to the recorded audio. See the gray sidebar on the right ("CONTENTS [Links]") for a table of contents.

Series overview:
Political and social commentary in a variety of genres. Exploring the gap between what we want ... and what they're trying to make us settle for.


Coming soon (Tuesday air debut date shown)
  • April 2 -- TBA
Catch New World Notes (all times Eastern):
A-Infos Radio Project http://www.radio4all.net

Friday, March 15, 2013

Capitalism, Democracy, and Environmental Catastrophe

To download an audio file (save it on your hard disk): Click on this link for instructions.

New World Notes News
Vol. 6, No.11 -- March 15, 2013


This week in New World Notes, radio program #263, March 19, 2013

Capitalism, Democracy, and Environmental Catastrophe


In brief

Invited to speak on "the future of capitalism," Noam Chomsky first shows that the actual U.S. economic system is very far from real "capitalism." It is essentially socialism-for-corporations. And the political system actually in place is far from "democracy." Chomsky shows why "plutocracy" is the more accurate term.

So Chomsky will discuss not actual capitalism or actual democracy but instead what he calls "really existing capitalist democracy"--the system that actually exists in the United States.

Alas, its future--and that of the planet--seem grim. Chomsky describes how--for the sake of short-term profit--the leaders of the world's most advanced (alleged) capitalist democracy are working hard to bring about environmental catastrophe as rapidly as possible.

In this powerful and moving speech Chomsky again displays his typical clarity, mastery of fact, and deadpan ironic wit.


Notes, credits, & links

Chomsky spoke at Northeastern University, in Boston, on February 25, 2013. Recorded on location by Chuck Rosina.

New World Notes is produced under the auspices (Latin for "spreading chestnut tree") of WWUH-FM, a community service of that beacon of light in darkest Connecticut, the University of Hartford.

You can listen to any installment of New World Notes online or else download it (as an mp3 audio file) for later listening. The show is archived at both radio4all.net and (from #90 onwards) The Internet Archive. Either link should get you a reverse-chrono listing of available installments. Or browse the show's Web site: Each installment has a page, and each page has links to the recorded audio. See the gray sidebar on the right ("CONTENTS [Links]") for a table of contents.

Series overview:
Political and social commentary in a variety of genres. Exploring the gap between what we want ... and what they're trying to make us settle for.

Coming soon (Tuesday air debut date shown)
  • March 26 -- TBA
Catch New World Notes (all times Eastern):
A-Infos Radio Project http://www.radio4all.net

Friday, March 8, 2013

GMOs (3): Health Dangers

To download an audio file (save it on your hard disk): Click on this link for instructions.

New World Notes News
Vol. 6, No. 10 -- March 8, 2013


This week in New World Notes, radio program #262, March 12, 2013

GMOs (3): Health Dangers


In brief

More from Gary Null's documentary, GMO: Ticking Time Bomb (part 4 & some of part 3). Focus is on the environmental damage and health risks--both of the genetically modified crops themselves and of the potent herbicides that are used to grow them.

Most GMOs are genetically modified in order to survive exposure to toxic herbicides such as Monsanto's "Roundup"--not to increase yield, improve drought resistance, resist blight, or any other arguably-good reason.

This installment includes a prologue by KD and a brief news story about a new GMO labeling bill just introduced in Connecticut.


Notes, credits, & links

New World Notes is produced under the auspices (Latin for "unisex bathroom") of WWUH-FM, a community service of that beacon of light in darkest Connecticut, the University of Hartford.

You can listen to any installment of New World Notes online or else download it (as an mp3 audio file) for later listening. The show is archived at both radio4all.net and (from #90 onwards) The Internet Archive. Either link should get you a reverse-chrono listing of available installments. Or browse the show's Web site: Each installment has a page, and each page has links to the recorded audio. See the gray sidebar on the right ("CONTENTS [Links]") for a table of contents.

Series overview:
Political and social commentary in a variety of genres. Exploring the gap between what we want ... and what they're trying to make us settle for.

Coming soon (Tuesday air debut date shown)
  • March 19 -- Noam Chomsky

Catch New World Notes (all times Eastern):
A-Infos Radio Project http://www.radio4all.net

Saturday, March 2, 2013

GMOs (2): Corruption

To download an audio file (save it on your hard disk): Click on this link for instructions.

New World Notes News
Vol. 6, No. 9 -- March 2, 2013


This week in New World Notes, radio program #261, March 5, 2013

GMOs (2): Corruption

Arpad Pusztai

In brief

This week we'll hear more from the video documentary, GMO: Ticking Time Bomb (part 2 & some of part 3). We'll focus on the corrupt politics, corrupt science, and corporate strong-arm tactics--especially by Monsanto Corp.--that got genetically-modified food crops approved and established in the U.S. despite the absence of safety testing.

Includes the stories of (and remarks by) two noted opponents of GM crops: Saskatchewan farmer Percy Schmeiser and scientist Arpad Pusztai.

Percy Schmeiser's canola crop was genetically contaminated with patented genes from Monsanto's "Roundup Ready" canola, which grew in a neighboring field. When Schmeiser saved and replanted the seeds from his contaminated crop, Monsanto successfully sued him for patent infringement.

Research in Scotland by biologist Arpad Pusztai indicated that eating genetically modified potatoes damaged the immune system of rats. When Pusztai publicized his findings, he was fired from Aberdeen's prestigious Rowett Research Institute.

Introductory remarks by K.D.

Percy Schmeiser

Notes, credits, & links

New World Notes is produced under the auspices (Latin for "benign neglect") of WWUH-FM, a community service of that beacon of light in darkest Connecticut, the University of Hartford.

You can listen to any installment of New World Notes online or else download it (as an mp3 audio file) for later listening. The show is archived at both radio4all.net and (from #90 onwards) The Internet Archive. Either link should get you a reverse-chrono listing of available installments. Or browse the show's Web site: Each installment has a page, and each page has links to the recorded audio. See the gray sidebar on the right ("CONTENTS [Links]") for a table of contents.

Series overview:
Political and social commentary in a variety of genres. Exploring the gap between what we want ... and what they're trying to make us settle for.
Coming soon (Tuesday air debut date shown)
  • March 12 -- GMOs (3): Health Dangers
Catch New World Notes (all times Eastern):
A-Infos Radio Project http://www.radio4all.net