Bruce and Berd Radio Hour Sunday, May 16, 20101 (20100516)

I posted the following on OlyBlog yesterday, but something seems to have gone awry with the server. So I am re-posting this here. A link to the original is here. Hopefully OlyBlog will be back up and running soon!

Carrying Capacity

I was listening to the radio last night. KOWA FM 106.5 on the right hand side of the dial. I just caught a few minutes of the program, someone was talking about consumption and carrying capacity. People in the USA consume resources at an astounding rate - so much so that if everyone in the world consumed at the same rate as people in the US, then there would need to be material resources on the order of what only 4 or 5 more Earth scale planets could provide. According the program, people in the USA use on average about 30 hectares of land to support their annual consumption. Scary to think about. They also said that the USA is no longer the leader in per capita consumption (although the USA still uses much much more than any other nation.) The leaders in per capita consumption are the UAE (United Arab Emirates) and Kuwait. Other nations in the top 10 included Australia, Ireland, New Zealand - and right off the top of my head I can't remember which others. KOWA Radio — Olympia, WA
http://www.kowalp.org/index.php/Main_Page

David Korten on Time of Useful Consciousness Radio

Hi All,

I want to plug this excellent speech by David Korten. It was delivered in March 2009 at the Northwest Regional Veterans for Peace Conference. I heard it the evening of Wednesday, December 30, 2009, on KAOS 89.3 FM Radio. The speech is in two parts, and both are excellent. The speech is titled, "Community and the New Economy: Why Wall Street Can't be Fixed, and How to Replace it."

In the speech Korten very clearly talks about what's happening in our world in relation to corporate power, militarism, policies of dominance, economics of growth and profitability, violence, poverty, socio-economic inequality and exploitation, and environmental degradation (among other topics.)

Korten also addresses the hopeful and great potential that exists for change to a society (and a money system) that would serve life (rather than profit) - a society that would be cooperative, consensual and mutually beneficial for all people.

I think the speech is a very worthwhile listen.

Korten is the Chair of the Board of Yes! Magazine.

Here are links to the streaming audio, in two parts; an excerpt (that I transcribed,) and a link to the Time of Useful Consciousness Radio Program website.

Please enjoy!

Part One: http://www.tucradio.org/090429_Korten_ONE.mp3

Part Two: http://www.tucradio.org/090506_Korten_TWO.mp3

excerpt:

"...replacing the culture and institutions of an economy devoted to the service of money, with the culture an institutions of an economy devoted to the service of life...

"War is an outmoded institution that serves no beneficial purpose other than to enrich the unscrupulous - and it has become an act of global scale collective suicide."

links to the mp3s can also be found here: http://www.tucradio.org/

Kindly,
Berd

Will Hall and Dawn Menken Talk About Bullying

the problem of bullying in our culture - a talk with madness radio host Will Hall and Doctor Dawn Menken

Madness Radio: School Bullying Dawn Menken | Madness Radio

Source: www.madnessradio.net

What are the lasting impacts of taunting, teasing, and physical harassment between children? Why are kids who are different singled out and picked on? What can parents do if their children are victims of bullies? Psychotherapist, parent, and process worker Dawn Menken, author of Speak Out! Talking About Love, Sex & Eternity, discusses her work with public schools and families to break the cycle of bullying.

mp3 source: http://www.madnessradio.net/audio/download/143/MadnessRadio-2009-06-02SchoolBullyingDawnMenken.mp3

Topic: School Bullying, with Dawn Menken

Source: www.madnessradio.net

Howard Zinn: Against Discouragement

I just listened to an interview of Howard Zinn by David Barsamian, on Alternative Radio. I recommend it. Informative about politics, economics, and power. Here's a short description, which barely begins to capture the substance and depth of the program, and also a link to the program web-page at alternativeradio.org:

Howard Zinn: Against Discouragement

"It wasn't that long ago when the United States labeled the African National Congress as a terrorist organization. Its leader, Nelson Mandela languished for years in prison. Then because of massive grassroots movement and international support through boycott and divestment, Mandela is released and South Africa frees itself from its apartheid regime. Throughout history people have overcome tremendous odds to advance the cause of justice. Take the civil rights movement. What were African Americans up against? The entire apparatus of power from the courthouse to the statehouse was controlled by segregationists. And the federal government? Asleep at the wheel. Nevertheless, blacks organized and fought back against tremendous odds. The key to the struggle was collective action. There's an African proverb that captures that spirit, "If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.""

Really, great interview. Worth the cost of purchase.

The Family: Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power

[update: here's a link to the publisher's website for the book: The Family]

I heard this today on my favorite radio station, KAOS, The Evergreen State College radio station.

It's a great program. Check it out. This is a must listen recording. Here's an excerpt from the description on Writer's Voice and a link where you can find the mp3 of the recording.

I highly recommend this one.

Host Francesca Rheannon talks with journalist Jeff Sharlet about his bestselling new book, THE FAMILY. It’s about the real “New World Order” of elite fundamentalism.

When Senator Sam Brownback ran for president during the recent primary season few people knew that he’s a member of an elite fundamentalist group that’s waging spiritual war in the halls of American power and around the globe. It’s called The Family. It counts not just conservatives but also liberals like Hillary Clinton among its intimates and fellow travelers. When the National Prayer Breakfast is held each year–it’s organized by the Family. When we say “our nation, under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, or we read “In God we Trust” on our greenbacks–that’s because of the Family. Founded during the Great Depression in 1933, the Family preaches a gospel of “biblical capitalism,” military might, and American empire. It’s played a crucial role in the unraveling of the New Deal, the waging of the Cold War, and the harsh economics of globalization. That’s what journalist Jeff Sharlet says in his new book, THE FAMILY: THE ELITE FUNDAMENTALISM AT THE HEART OF AMERICAN POWER.

Jeff Sharlet’s previous book was Killing the Buddha, which he co-authored with Peter Manseau. He’s a contributing editor for Harper’s and Rolling Stone. His Mother Jones article about Hillary Clinton’s cozy relationship with Christian fundamentalists, “Hillary’s Prayer”, can be read here.

The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power

So Check it Out! - Bert

A better world is possible.

Interview about Iraq

I found this series of interviews about Iraq, hosted by the Seattle program Weekday on Raed Jarrar's website, Raed in the Middle. Raed is an Iraqi architect who lives in the USA as a refugee. He is a consultant to the American Friends Service Committee on Iraqi affairs. Raed was among several who were interviewed on the Seattle Public Radio Station KUOW's program, Weekday, by Steve Scher.

Please link to Raed Jarrar's website to check out the KUOW program: raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com/2008_05_14_archive.html

[May 18th, 2008: Essentially, the interviewees presented an alarming and disturbing view of Iraq. They told of an Iraq that has been stretched to the thin margins of social chaos. They told of an Iraq that is plagued by corruption, by a civilian infrastructure that is in shambles. They told of an Iraq in the throes of a humanitarian crisis where roughly 50% of the population goes without adequate access to potable water. The told of the US Military hindering humanitarian relief. They unanimously supported the immediate commencement of a safe and gradual, full and complete withdrawal of US military forces.

I agree. I want a full and complete, yet gradual and safe, withdrawal of US military and vested corporate interests from Iraq.

I want this because it's the right thing, and it's in the best interests of both the Iraqi and the American People.

The invasion was illegal. The occupation is illegal. What we need to do is hold government, and culpable governmental officials, accountable. Then the process of amelioration and reconciliation can begin. /May 18th, 2008]