cuny

GRITtv: May 5, 2011

"Saying when the economy is at its weakest we're going to put into law that we can't spend more to pick ourselves up...that's a depression-maker," says Heather McGhee of Demos. But despite warnings from economists from all over, the government in Washington, Democrats and Republicans both, remain obsessed with the deficit.Heather joins Laura in studio to grade Obama, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and of course the Ryan plan on the budget, the deficit, and the need for more stimulus.Tom Morello, Rage Against the Machine guitarist and protest singer as The Nightwatchman, was in Madison to support the workers' protest, and now his new music is inspired by those union workers. ; His new EP, Union Town, is coming out soon and its proceeds will go to support The America Votes Labor Unity Fund, but you can download this track for free now at SaveWorkers.org.
Bernie Madoff, the infamous Wall Street Ponzi schemer who became one of the villains of the economic crisis, played on his clients' fear, not their greed. So says Diana Henriques, author of the new book Wizard of Lies. Having twice interviewed Madoff in prison, Diana notes that his personal charisma combined with Wall Street's lax regulations to create a perfect storm that wiped out his clients' wealth.Diana joins Laura in studio for a conversation about Madoff, Wall Street, and the ways ordinary people get ripped off by complex financial schemes.Finally, playwright Tony Kushner has spent his career fighting

Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

GRITtv: The F Word: Tony Kushner Denied Honors Over Palestine

This week, the news hit that Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner, perhaps best known for his Angels in America, was being blocked from receiving an honorary degree from the City University of New York because of his views on Israel. Kushner, who also has an honorary degree from Brandeis University, told Salon's Justin Elliott that this was an “unprecedented and pretty ugly experience.” Distributed by Tubemogul.

No votes yet

GRITtv: Urvashi Vaid: We Need Progressive, Multi-Issue Movements

"The national movement has shrunk its vision," says Urvashi Vaid, organizer, activist, and Visiting Scholar with the City University of New York Graduate Center’s Department of Sociology. ; The LGBT movement has become too focused on appeasing, and remains centered around the needs and wishes of white middle-class men--at the expense of women and people of color, and poor people around the country.After the election, Urvashi gave the 2010 Kessler Lecture at the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies at CUNY and called for intersectional, grassroots movements that look beyond formal equality to true social justice. She joins Laura in studio to talk about just that--integrating racial and gender justice aspects into the larger progressive movement.

Your rating: None Average: 5 (2 votes)

GRITtv: Dec. 21 2010

PFC Bradley Manning remains in solitary confinement despite not having been tried or convicted of any crime. The accused leaker of much of the military information that WikiLeaks has so far published turned 23 on Friday and celebrated his birthday without family or friends, in a six foot by twelve foot cell without a pillow and in which he is not allowed to exercise.Michael Whitney of FireDogLake has been following Manning's case closely, and joins us via Skype to fill us in on the latest reports on Manning's condition--and why the government feels the need to hold Manning in conditions like those of an enemy combatant."Institutionally, silence is about control. Personally, silence is about complicity," said Avram Finkelstein, one of the designers of the iconic Silence = Death poster in the age of AIDS. ; In this clip from our friends at Silence Opens Doors magazine, Finkelstein discusses the poster, the movement in the Reagan era, and why speaking out matters."The national movement has shrunk its vision," says Urvashi Vaid, organizer, activist, and Visiting Scholar with the City University of New York Graduate Center’s Department of Sociology.

Your rating: None Average: 4.5 (2 votes)

GRITtv: Dec. 14, 2010

This weekend, the Personal Democracy Forum convened a symposium on WikiLeaks and the Internet. GRITtv was there as well, and today we bring you excerpts from that event, with journalists, academics, activists, and others talking about the impact of the leaks site on our political and technological systems."The sources are voting with their leaks," notes Jay Rosen of New York University's school of journalism. If the watchdog press was doing its job, wouldn't leakers be going to mainstream news outlets like the New York Times and the Guardian directly, instead of to WikiLeaks first? Meanwhile, Emily Bell, formerly of the Guardian and now at Columbia University's journalism school, says that whether we like it or not, WikiLeaks is the new face of journalism."We do not have the Internet we think we have," says Douglas Rushkoff, author of Program or Be Programmed. What we think of as a free and open Web is actually highly controlled by corporations and cash flow. We saw one example of this when WikiLeaks found itself without server space or fundraising ability when Internet service providers, including Amazon.com, cancelled their services and PayPal and MasterCard and Visa refused to process their transactions.And what can we do about that Internet? CUNY professor Jeff Jarvis proposes one solution: an Internet bill of rights.While we talk about the consequences for journalism and the Internet from the WikiLeaks releases, it's important not to forget what's actually in the cables that are causing a stir. Former British diplomat Carne Ross discusses the contents of the cables and what they mean for those watching--and those mentioned therein.Then, documentary filmmaker Charles Ferguson discusses government secrecy and why it's become a problem, reminding us all of the national security letters enabled by the PATRIOT Act and still being used under the Obama administration."The breakdown of trust in all institutions--political, financial, media--is at the center of what we're all dealing with," Arianna Huffington notes the connection between the failures of all of our major institutions and the rise of WikiLeaks as an alternative to traditional news. When the traditional media is too close to the political and financial elites they are supposed to cover, who do we turn to for the truth?Finally, Laura wraps up the conversation--while we focus on DDoS attacks and the Internet, let's not forget the people being hurt by the events disclosed by WikiLeaks.

Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

GRITtv: Personal Democracy Forum: Is the Internet Free?

"We do not have the Internet we think we have," says Douglas Rushkoff, author of Program or Be Programmed. What we think of as a free and open Web is actually highly controlled by corporations and cash flow. We saw one example of this when WikiLeaks found itself without server space or fundraising ability when Internet service providers, including Amazon.com, cancelled their services and PayPal and MasterCard and Visa refused to process their transactions. And what can we do about that Internet? CUNY professor Jeff Jarvis proposes one solution: an Internet bill of rights. Rushkoff and Jarvis discuss in this selection from GRITtv's coverage of the Personal Democracy Forum's symposium this weekend on WikiLeaks and Internet freedom. Distributed by Tubemogul.

Your rating: None Average: 4 (1 vote)

GRITtv: Hunter Students Protest Education Cuts

California isn't the only place where students are protesting cuts in higher education budgets. New York's City University of New York Hunter College had its own protests on March 4th. Thanks to Tami Gold for this video.

No votes yet

GRITtv: Mar. 10 2010

Arun Gupta in the latest issue of the Indypendent, on the way neoliberal "reforms" are being pushed Haiti's way. Gupta joins guest host Esther Armah in the studio, along with Reverend Osagyefo Sekou, who just returned from Haiti, to talk about the rebuilding effort underway and how people in the U.S. can help make sure Haiti is rebuilt for the Haitian people. Simon Kashama learned English listening to music like the Rolling Stones and James Brown--he was born in the Congo but spent his childhood in Belgium. Through his music and his theater work--starring in Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer prize winning play 'Ruined'--he aims to raise awareness of the situation in the Congo, and he joined us in studio recently to play two of his songs. Eliot Spitzer resigned as New York governor in disgrace in 2008 and was replaced by David Paterson, who became New York's first African-American governor--and the second legally blind governor of any state. Paterson is now in the midst of his own scandal: accusations that he pressured a woman to change her story of abuse at the hands of one of his close aides. He's already said he won't run for reelection, but should he become the second governor in two years to step down? Joining guest host Esther Armah to discuss are Dan Gerstein of Gotham Ghostwriters and Forbes and Erica Gonzalez of El Diario/La Prensa.

No votes yet

GRITtv: Tea Parties, Unions and the Working Class

Tea party protests and labor unions might not seem at first to have much in common, but both groups are angry about bailouts of massive banks and the struggles of working people to make ends meet while jobs disappear overseas. Is the dispute between the tea parties and the progressive left just one of the means to an end? To discuss their differences and talk about finding common ground, Michael Johns, Tea Party organizer and Ed Ott, former executive director of the New York City Central Labor Council and Disinguished Lecturer at the Murphy Institute at CUNY, join us in studio.

No votes yet

GRITtv: Jan. 12, 2010

Tea partiers and the left? To discuss their differences and talk about finding common ground are Tea Party organizer Michael Johns and Ed Ott, former executive director of the New York City Central Labor Council; Audacia Ray spent time in Sangli, India, and made a short documentary about the sex workers in Sangli and their fight to organize for their own human rights; a video from Not Under the Bus reminds us not to give up on healthcare and to take action to ensure women don't get thrown under the bus for the sake of reform; Jan. 13 is National Day to Take Action for healthcare; and Laura has some thoughts on reconsidering conclusions about Proposition 8, gay marriage and Ted Olson.

No votes yet
Syndicate content