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GRITtv: Sept. 9 2010
September 11 is not only an infamous date in the U.S.--in Chile, it marks the anniversary of the coup that overthrew Salvador Allende. This year, 33 miners will spend that anniversary trapped underground, and Greg Grandin notes that Chile is seeing what amounts to the "Shock doctrine with a human face" under its current regime--deregulation leading to safety issues like that in the mine. Meanwhile, Mexico continues to see ever-escalating violence from drug cartels, and the U.S. State Department is now calling it an "insurgency." Grandin joins Laura in studio to talk Mexico, Chile, Brazil's upcoming elections, and more in Latin America. General Petraeus is all over the media these days, but the attempt to sell the war in Afghanistan is much bigger than that. As this video from our friends at Brave New Films shows, the Pentagon's $500 million budget for public relations aimed at the U.S. people is churning out propaganda hand over fist. It's the ninth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon this weekend, and while one war has ostensibly been wound up, another still rages--and inside the U.S., the culture wars have reached a fever pitch, with Islamophobic ugliness centering on the anniversary seemingly everywhere. From a pastor in Florida threatening to burn Qurans on Saturday (and terror alerts being issued because of his actions) to the ongoing media arguments over the Cordoba House community center, American Muslims feel threatened, and the outreach to the larger Islamic world is threatened. To discuss the anniversary, we're joined by Fekkak Mamdouh, who was headwaiter and union leader at Windows on the World in the World Trade Center, and Reverend Dr. Jacqui Lewis, Senior Minister of the Middle Collegiate Church. They talk about interfaith outreach, the hard work that has been done to create understanding since the attacks, and what we can still be hopeful about. Finally, Laura has a look at the real culture war encroaching on New York this weekend.
GRITtv: Greg Grandin: Corporations, Cartels, and History
September 11 is not only an infamous date in the U.S.--in Chile, it marks the anniversary of the coup that overthrew Salvador Allende. This year, 33 miners will spend that anniversary trapped underground, and Greg Grandin notes that Chile is seeing what amounts to the "Shock doctrine with a human face" under its current regime--deregulation leading to safety issues like that in the mine. Meanwhile, Mexico continues to see ever-escalating violence from drug cartels, and the U.S. State Department is now calling it an "insurgency." Grandin joins Laura in studio to talk Mexico, Chile, Brazil's upcoming elections, and more in Latin America.
GRITtv: Greg Grandin: Beck, BP, and Latin America's Leadership
Latin America is ahead of the curve when it comes to fighting resource-extracting corporations, says NYU professor Greg Grandin. While Obama makes nice with BP CEO Tony Hayward (and Glenn Beck claims that Obama is unfair to Hayward because he's white), Grandin notes, social movements across South and Central America have been fighting the companies that are after their resources for a while now--and dealing with the repercussions; often violent death squads, as well. Grandin joins us to keep us up to date on the coup in Honduras, the ongoing resource struggles in Latin America, and give us some insight on just why Glenn Beck has a "Tourettes-like" obsession with race. We also bring you footage from a new film that goes inside the Honduran coup; from director Katia Lara, check out "Who Is Afraid: Fathoming the Coup in Honduras."
GRITtv: June 17 2010
Latin America is ahead of the curve when it comes to fighting resource-extracting corporations, says NYU professor Greg Grandin. While Obama makes nice with BP CEO Tony Hayward (and Glenn Beck claims that Obama is unfair to Hayward because he's white), Grandin notes, social movements across South and Central America have been fighting the companies that are after their resources for a while now--and dealing with the repercussions, often violent death squads, as well. Grandin joins us to keep us up to date on the coup in Honduras, the ongoing resource struggles in Latin America, and give us some insight on just why Glenn Beck has a "Tourettes-like" obsession with race. We also bring you footage from a new film that goes inside the Honduran coup from director Katia Lara, check out We Are Not Afraid: Inside the Coup in Honduras. Students graduating or looking for summer employment in 2010 are facing the worst labor market in at least a generation, according to Heidi Shierholz, a labor economist with the Economic Policy Institute. Young people are often the last hired and the first fired, and state budget crises have seen cuts to programs from MetroCards for students in New York to after-school programs and academic counseling. To discuss the ongoing effects of youth unemployment, both now and on the futures of those affected, we talk to Shierholz and Sharmin Hossain, a youth organizer here in New York City. President Obama's announcement that BP would set aside $20 billion in a fund for victims of the Gulf spill is a welcome relief to communities where businesses and homes have been destroyed. The total amount needed to compensate, however, is being estimated at closer to $60 billion. Obama swears the 20 is not a cap -- I guess we'll see. More to the point: Since the president had no legal basis to demand the set aside, on what basis did he extract those billions?
GRITtv: May 21 2010
Poet, musician, playwright, and artist Joy Harjo is a member of the Muscogee Nation, and her art has always served to reconnect her audiences with Native issues and themes. Though, she notes, the history of her people is disappeared from discussions in the U.S.--or turned into cartoons and easy narratives--Harjo's work serves to highlight the humanity of all people. She joined us in studio to discuss poetry, music, and dance, as well as to discuss the Arizona immigration law--and to perform some of her poems for us. From the soybean plantations of Brazil to the tin mines of Bolivia, Latin America has experienced 500 years of several angles of exploitation and repression. Yet, Latin America is at a turning point where a series of socialist leaders have come to power. Our Got Doc this week, Gonzalo Arijon's "Eyes Wide Open" explores this history and this present, asking the question, "Can these new leaders satisfy the peoples' hunger for change?" We continued our conversation with Ray Laforest concerning global redevelopment projects in Haiti. Despite the pitched beneficiaries of these projects, there are still bedrock problems such as representing the peoples? interests in the Haitian government, and the ever-present threat of sophisticated recolonization efforts. Laforest describes these forces in the wake of the earthquake and surrounding foreign "aid." On Sunday, seven-year old Aiyana Jones was shot and killed during a failed murder investigation. What happens when the police accidently shoot and kill a seven-year old black girl and the media reaction is muted? Somehow, the dangerous guerilla tactics frequently used by police are overlooked. Radio correspondent Farai Chideya reports that in the face of a lacking media, it is necessary to use tools such as Wikipedia to investigate and piece together the facts.
GRITtv: Honduras Coup Flashpoint for Latin America
The U.S. has decided to recognize the result of the recent elections in Honduras despite ongoing reports that the elections were boycotted and that the people consider them an extension of the coup. But will the coup in Honduras create larger problems for Latin America? What will its effects mean for the rest of Latin America, a region trending leftward in recent years? Nation contributor Greg Grandin and Sujatha Fernandes, Queens College professor join us in studio to discuss. We also have updates from inside Honduras from Andres Conteris of Nonviolence International and Democracy Now!, and freelance journalist Elyssa Pachico reports from Chile.
GRITtv: Dec. 14, 2009
Will the coup in Honduras create larger problems for Latin America? What will its effects mean for the rest of Latin America? Greg Grandin and Sujatha Fernandes discuss. Updates from inside Honduras from Andres Conteris of Nonviolence International and Democracy Now! and freelance journalist Elyssa Pachico reporting from Chile. Jacqui Patterson, NAACP Climate Justice Initiative director, tells us how her time in Copenhagen is going. And much more.
GRITtv: Stories From the Street
According to New American Media, "federal experts estimate that at least 1.6 million juveniles leave or are put out of their homes each year. Other research has found a 40% spike in the number of homeless youth over the past year." It's Homeless Youth Awareness Month, and in this video, we hear one story of a young man, his family, hopes, and dreams, and how he ended up without a home. He credits becoming a father for helping him create stability in his life and is working toward a degree so he can help people like himself.
GRITtv: Nov. 9, 2009
Veteran's Day is this week, and the shootings at Fort Hood this week brought to the forefront many questions about soldiers and military personnel: how are soldiers surviving the wars, and readjusting to life at home? What are we doing to help them, and is it enough?
Enviro Close-Up: Barbara Zimmerman: Protecting The Amazon Rainforest
Barbara Zimmerman, Director of the Kayapo Project for Conservation International, explains how the Kayapo tribe of Brazil has managed to protect the largest preserved area of rainforest in the world. "Enviro Close-Up" explores issues such as global warming, renewable energy, nuclear proliferation and globalization.
