bees

"The paradox of education is precisely this -- that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated." James Baldwin wrote that in 1963, but as we watch teachers and their students leading pro-labor protests in Wisconsin and around the country, it remains truer than ever. Baldwin died in 1987, but his novels and essays--and his activism--live on. This week at NYU, a conference examining Baldwin's work and influence in today's globalized world is meeting, and Laura sat down with two of the speakers, Hortense Spillers and Darryl Pinckney, to discuss why Baldwin's work still feels so vital, so important. In a time of global crisis we don't want to be messing with our food supply. So how has it that the very technology designed for big crops threaten the bees required by the ecosystem? Some are taking action: Queen of the Sun introduces a few of the lesser-known heroes of the 21st century--the beekeepers. Want to keep bees of your own? Spring is the best time to start! And good news for our New York City viewers: the city lifted its ban on beekeeping last year. Got a Got Doc? We'd love to hear from you. Pitch it to us on our Facebook page. Next up, to Queens, New York, to visit artist Alice Mizrachi. A graduate of the Parsons School of Design, Mizrachi's shown her work around the world, and yet her favorite canvas is New York's walls. Mizrachi's built a global network of women artists as co-director of the Younity Arts Collective, and now she's working with young people. This piece was produced by Rebecca McDonald, and special thanks to Noisemaker Media for the music. If you are in the New York area, please join Alice Mizrachi in a stencil making workshop in collaboration with Materials for the Arts on Thursday February 24, 2011 from 7-9pm. This event is free, and open to the public. More info here. Distributed by Tubemogul.

Joining us today, International Women's Day, to talk about women around the world are Kavita Ramdas, president and CEO of the Global Fund for Women, and Sharon Bhagwan-Rolls of femLINKpacific: Media Initiatives for Women in Fiji. They discuss war and peace, media use, and women's rights as human rights."From Grass to Cheese" is the story of the Nolan family and their Laurel Valley Creamery, founded in 2005 as a way to make cheese sustainably and renew the connection between people and their food. Staying on the topic of food, honeybees pollinate one out of every three bites of food on our tables, so when they started disappearing, beekeepers and other environmental activists took notice. Filmmakers Maryam Henein and George Langworthy took notice as well, and put together a documentary that looks into the circumstances.The Citizens United decision will allow corporate spending on elections at unprecedented levels, but it also seems to have had a motivating effect on pro-democracy activists. This video looks at one activist spurred to organize by the decision.Humor can be a powerful tool for justice and can help spread your message. So say our friends at the Tactical Technology Collective, who have seen tools from karaoke to comedy aid in organizing.Finally, Laura notes that union leaders and activists are unhappy with Obama's focus--away from the working people that need the most help.