civil liberties

In the news today: a tour of bicycle-friendly Copenhagen; who made Joe Lieberman king of health-care; Philippine transgender activist Sass Rogando Sasot addressed a panel of  the Permanent Missions to the United Nations of Argentina, Brazil, Croatia, France, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, calling for action to end discrimination and violence against people based on their gender identity; and Tabla player Suphala talks about her instrument and her cultural diplomacy, and plays a few songs with Mike Block on cello and Hadi Eldebek on oud.

The 2004 presidential election was one of the most politically divisive moments in recent American history. Amidst the division, the Republican Party held its first ever convention in New York City, a potent symbol for both President Bush and the local progressives energized to defeat him. Using the convention and the animated reaction of New Yorkers as its backdrop, "August in the Empire State Part One" delves into the forgotten debate over the growth of poverty in America.

Cathy Crowley's 18-year-old son bought a shotgun, and on May 24, 2004, the Maine youth killed himself. Cathy went to the store to find out how her son could buy a weapon so easily. They said that selling her son a gun was legal, and if she didn't like it, she should try to change the law. So, Cathy said she'd do just that. "There Ought to be a Law Part One" begins her story.

In a time of illicit war, unchecked corporate greed, and a presidential regime that supports such indecencies, two sisters take the media into their own hands seeking change. Antonia writes a potential anti-Bush bestseller for a mainstream publisher and goes on a corporate book tour. Alex documents her sister's "scale-shift," following Antonia's ups and downs on the road. Divisions and connections between the sisters mirror those within the left itself, as the sisters experience the power of individual action, media attention, and grassroots movements for social justice.