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Al Jazeera - Shooting the messenger - 23-11-09

Category: Documentary
Description:
By Ian Stuttard Shooting the Messenger, Al Jazeera's documentary on the deliberate killing and intimidation of journalists in conflict zones, has been nominated for a presitigious Emmy award. In the past, members of the media were considered to be neutral in time of war. They were much like paramedics in the sense that their main concern was not victory, but saving lives. Two months ago Fadel Shana'a, a well-known cameraman with the Reuters news agency, was on a routine assignment east of the Gaza Strip to investigate reports that some villagers had been injured in an Israeli attack. On his way back from the village, he stopped his jeep to get some more video footage of the area. He was spotted by the Israeli military and shelled. Shana'a's jeep was clearly marked with the words 'Press' and 'TV'. Nevertheless, Israeli shell fire struck the jeep, tearing it apart. Fadel and three others died instantly. Shana'a's case is but one of many in recent years which has indicated that journalists reporting from conflict zones are no longer regarded as impartial by the combatants. As a result, increasing numbers of journalists have joined the casualty lists. The deliberate targeting of the press in war zones can probably be dated back to the Balkan conflict of the 1990's. When the shocking atrocities committed by the Serbs, Bosnian Muslims and Croats were filmed or reported, the media fell under suspicion, and was accused of supporting one faction against another. 'Embedding' A significant change occurred during the second invasion of Iraq in 2003 when, under the guise of protecting journalists, the military took the media firmly under its wing. This was called 'embedding' and meant that the journalist went where the military wanted them to go and saw what the military wanted them to see, in the hope that they would report what the military wanted them to report. In short, this was the military's effort to protect themselves. Terry Lloyd was a veteran reporter with Britain's ITN organisation and during the invasion he and his crew were one of the few independent, unembedded crews to operate inside Iraq. Caught in crossfire, Terry, his recordist and translator were killed by a deliberate but mistaken US onslaught. In 2006, while covering an attack on the revered al-Askari mosque in Samarra, Al Arabiya journalist Atwar Bhajat was abducted and later shot dead. Before joining Al Arabiya TV, Atwar worked for Al Jazeera, and was not that station's first loss. In April 2003, Sami al-Hajj, a Sudanese cameraman working for Al Jazeera, was seized by Pakistani forces on the Afghan border. He was held on suspicion of being involved in terrorism, and handed over to US forces who imprisoned him in their Guantanamo Bay base in Cuba. In May 2008, after almost seven years, he was released without charge. His lawyer, Clive Stafford-Smith, said: "...The folk[s] in Guantanamo honestly believe that Sami is a terrorist. They are crazy. He's no more a terrorist than my granny." Intimidation Elsewhere in the world, intimidation is a bigger threat to journalists than abduction. In Zimbabwe, after 28 years as president, Robert Mugabe, is clinging to power. Massive inflation, starvation and chaos has seen a third of the population flee abroad. The country's only real opposition voice in the media comes from outside. The Zimbabwean is a newspaper edited in England and printed in South Africa. There is also, for two hours a night, S W Radio Africa, which is intensely critical of the government, but broadcasts from London - 10,800km away. Across the border in Johannesburg, exiled journalists watch the accelerating destruction of their country, helpless spectators on the sidelines. "A number of journalists were being abducted, so it wasn't safe for me, especially as they [Zimbabwe's Central Intelligence Organisation] knew where I was staying and were constantly visiting my place, so I saw I was in danger and had to move out of the country," Trust Matsilele says. In Sri Lanka intimidation and threats to media workers have lead to the creation of a safe house for journalists to use as both a sanctuary and a work base. More than 100,000 people have been killed in the island's civil war since 1983, and the Tamil Tigers' exploitation of the suicide bomb made it the weapon of choice for extremists worldwide. There is no pretence of a free press here. The government considers any criticism of it as Tamil propaganda, bordering on treason. But dare attack the Tamils and you might never write again. Both sides in this war consider journalists to be their enemies and as Sanath Balasooriya, the president of the Free Media group, says: "The government thinks if we write the truth, they will lose public support for this war." Gaza Perhaps the most dangerous place for cameramen and reporters worldwide is the tiny, densely populated Palestinian territory of Gaza. Palestinians there are virtual prisoners, locked within their own borders, dependent on Israel for basic essentials such as food, water, medicine, fuel and power. The daily explosions, gunfire and missile attacks from Israeli incursions and Palestinian resistance have long been part of the Gaza routine. Palestinians know the value of propaganda pictures, as do the Israelis. Five years ago, Saira Shah and James Miller came to film the children of Gaza. They came under fire themselves and took refuge in a house nearby. That night, knowing they were surrounded by Israeli soldiers, Saira and James decided to leave - cautiously. Carrying a white flag and a torch, they identified themselves loudly as "British journalists". The response from Israeli snipers was several shots, one of which hit James in the neck and killed him. Saira said: "I don't know whether James was killed because he was a journalist or in spite of being a journalist. I know he was killed and he shouldn't have been killed." Targeted For news agency cameramen like Fadel Shana'a and Mahmoud Al Agaramey, days when they become the targets are unexceptional. They survive it one day and then go back again the next. Both men became legends in Gaza. Two years ago, Fadel was on his way to film the aftermath of an explosion in a village, when his jeep took a direct hit from a missile fired from an Israeli helicopter. The words 'TV' and 'PRESS' were painted in red on his vehicle, but they did not protect him. He was critically wounded but survived. Having had several narrow escapes, Mahmoud's luck almost ran out in Jebaliah. He was filming children goading an Israeli tank crew. Without warning, they fired a shell that narrowly missed the children, but the blast from the explosion flattened Mahmoud, and he was unconscious for six hours. The Erez Crossing at Beit Hanoun marks the border with Israel. For half a mile into Gaza all buildings, homes, offices and factories have been demolished. It is no man's land. Al Jazeera wanted to film there, but first we thought it wise to check with the Israeli military who were observing us from their watchtowers. There was no mistaking their answer: "Leave now or you will be shelled." We left. A few minutes later they shelled anyway, and hit another target - three students who had detoured through no man's land on their way home. Shana'a, passed us, already on his way to the hospital to film the aftermath of the shelling. But it was too late by the time we got there. Such deaths are common place in Gaza. Cameramen like Shana'a record every one of them and the mass mourning that follows. Two months on and Shana'a himself became the latest victim of the campaign against journalists. Journalists and cameramen like Shana'a and Al Agaramey risk their lives daily to bring us the news. The tragedy is that those who have so much to hide do what they can to prevent it and they shoot the messenger. Shana'a was a messenger, and as he put it: "I can't give up journalism. Only two things can stop me - if I die, or lose my legs."
Seeders: 11
Leeches: 9

PBS Frontline - Obama's War (October 13 2009)

Category: Documentary
Description:
PBS Frontline - Obama's War (October 13 2009) Tens of thousands of fresh American troops are now on the move in Afghanistan, led by a new commander and armed with a counterinsurgency plan that builds on the lessons of Iraq. But can U.S. forces succeed in a land long known as the "graveyard of empires"? And can the U.S. stop the Taliban in neighboring Pakistan, where U.S. troops are not allowed and the government is weak? In Obama's War, veteran correspondent Martin Smith travels across Afghanistan and Pakistan to see first-hand how the president's new strategy is taking shape, delivering vivid, on-the-ground reporting from this eight-year-old war's many fronts. Through interviews with top generals, diplomats and government officials, Smith also reports the internal debates over President Obama's grand attempt to combat terrorism at its roots. "What we found on the ground was a huge exercise in nation building," says Smith. "The concept's become a bit of a dirty word, but that's what this is. We started with the goal of eliminating Al Qaeda, and now we've wound up with the immense task of re-engineering two nations." The brunt of the work is falling on rank-and-file soldiers, and nowhere is it more difficult than in the dusty, unforgiving landscape of Helmand province, the Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan, where FRONTLINE embedded with Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. Since the Marines' arrival in July, Helmand has become the most lethal battlefield in Afghanistan. But FRONTLINE found the Marines trying to act as armed diplomats, attempting to build the necessary trust for badly needed economic development. "It's trying to change the culture of the organization," Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top commander in Afghanistan, tells FRONTLINE of the administration's plan. "At the end of the day, our best counterinsurgents are going to be young sergeants who just have an ability to deal with people. We've got to give them the flexibility to make decisions." Even as American soldiers struggle to make progress in Afghanistan village by village, equally vexing challenges remain across the border in Pakistan. "In Afghanistan we know what to do; we just don't know if we have the resources or the time available to do it," David Kilcullen, a leading counterinsurgency expert, tells FRONTLINE. "The problem in Pakistan is we're not really sure what to do." When FRONTLINE confronts the Pakistani army about its reluctance to take out key Taliban leaders, the military's chief spokesman, Gen. Athar Abbas, argues that the accusations are misplaced. There is no truth, he claims, that insurgents stage attacks on American forces from the Pakistani side of the border. "They operate from Afghanistan. If somebody claims that everything is happening from this side of the border, I am sorry, this is misplaced, and we refute it." Barred from sending troops across the border, the United States is left with few good options. No quick fix will solve Pakistan. "If we have a strategy in Pakistan," says George Packer, a staff writer at The New Yorker, "it's to build up the civilian government to the point where it can be a kind of counterbalance to the military and begin to reorient their own sense of their destiny. Is that even thinkable for a foreign power to do? Even as I say it, I think, why do we think we could even begin to accomplish that?"
Seeders: 74
Leeches: 12

Democracy NOW! Friday, August 14, 2009

Category: News & Current Affairs
Description:
* Gates: Afghan Occupation to Take “A Few Years” * 30 Killed in Iraq Violence * Honduras Rejects OAS Delegation; 5,000 March in Capital * Morales Warns of Militant Activity Following Letter Bombs * HRW: Israel Killed 11 Palestinian Civilians Waving White Flags in Gaza Assault * Dozens Killed, Thousands Displaced in Yemen Clashes * Sen. Webb in Burma for Junta Talks * US Immigration Detains Pakistani Journalist Fleeing Threats * Leaked Memo Details White House, Drug Industry Secret Deal * Single-Payer Advocates Call for Boycott of Whole Foods * Michigan Prison Evaluated as Potential Gitmo Site * Jazz Drummer Rashied Ali Dies at 76; Guitar Pioneer Les Paul Dies at 94 # Exclusive: Youssef Megahed Speaks Out from Prison; Florida Student Was Acquitted in Jury Trial But Now Faces Deportation on Same Charges Florida student Youssef Megahed was arrested by federal immigration agents in April just three days after a jury acquitted him on federal explosives charges. He now faces deportation on the same charges. But this time, he won’t be tried by a jury of his peers, but by an immigration judge. Youssef Megahed speaks to us from prison in a Democracy Now! exclusive. [includes rush transcript] # Juror-new-web Juror in Megahed's Federal Trial Joins Voices Speaking Out for His Release Three days before Youssef Megahed’s immigration trial, his father, mother, sister and two brothers are being granted US citizenship. We speak to Youssef’s father, Samir Megahed; his immigration lawyer, Charles Kuck; and Gary Meringer, a juror in the criminal trial against Megahed who is speaking out in his support. After Megahed’s re-arrest, Meringer and three other jurors issued a statement saying, “It strikes us as fundamentally wrong that the government has put Mr. Megahed back in jail for suspicion of the same activities that he was acquitted of in the criminal case.” [includes rush transcript] # Obama-pills-web "You Do Not Cut Deals with the System that Has to Be Replaced": Ralph Nader on Secret White House Agreements with the Drug Industry The Obama administration admitted last week it promised to oppose proposals to let the government negotiate drug prices and extract additional savings from drug companies. In return, drug companies reportedly pledged to reduce costs by up to $80 billion. The White House has tried to back off the reported agreements, but the drug industry says it expects the White House to uphold its pledge. We speak to former presidential candidate and longtime consumer advocate Ralph Nader. [includes rush transcript]
Seeders: 61
Leeches: 6

Democracy Now! Monday, August 10, 2009

Category: News & Current Affairs
Description:
Today's Headlines Unemployment Rate Falls Slightly in July Report: Holder to Appoint Prosecutor to Probe CIA Abuses Phone Records Show Frequent Calls Between Paulson and Goldman Sachs CEO Banks to Collect a Record $38 Billion in Overdraft Fees US Extends Blackwater Contract in Iraq Sonia Sotomayor Sworn In as Supreme Court Justice US to Target Afghan Drug Lords McChrystal: Taliban Has Gained Upper Hand in Afghanistan Head of Pakistani Taliban Said to Have Died in Drone Strike Over 40 Die in Multiple Bombings in Iraq Iraq Arrests UK Contractor on Murder Charges Coup Government in Honduras to Accept OAS Delegation Obama Attends North American Summit in Mexico Hiroshima and Nagasaki: A Look Back at the US Atomic Bombing 64 Years Later This year marks the sixty-fourth anniversary of the US atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that killed over 150,000 people instantly. Commemorations this weekend in Japan and around the world marked the US bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and then on August 9th, of Nagasaki. We play the report of Wilfred Burchett, the first journalist to make it into Hiroshima, as well as Anthony Weller, the son of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist George Weller, who was the first reporter to enter Nagasaki after the bombing, and we hear from Hiroshima survivor Shigeko Sasamori. [includes rush transcript] "For the 64th Time: No More Nuclear War" - A Roundtable Discussion on Disarmament Sixty-four years after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we host a roundtable discussion on the present nuclear landscape. We speak with nuclear physicist and disarmament activist Pervez Hoodbhoy, peace activist Frida Berrigan, and Daniel Ellsberg, the whistleblower who leaked the Pentagon Papers. Over the next year, Ellsberg will release regular installments of his insider’s memoir of the nuclear era, “The American Doomsday Machine.” [includes rush transcript] Iranian Dissident Journalist Akbar Ganji Blasts Mass Trial in Iran, Torture of Prisoners In Iran, nearly two months after the disputed presidential election that generated mass protests, the crackdown on opposition members, activists, journalists, scholars, students and ordinary citizens continues. As court proceedings in a mass trial of reformers and protesters continued into their second week, a top judiciary official acknowledged Saturday that some of the arrested protesters had been tortured in Iranian prisons. We speak with leading Iranian dissident and journalist Akbar Ganji. [includes rush transcript]
Seeders: 80
Leeches: 15

Democracy Now! Thursday, July 2, 2009 :: John Pilger

Category: News & Current Affairs
Description:
Today's Headlines US Forces Launch Major Afghan Offensive Militants Capture US Soldier in Afghanistan Senate Dems Revise Healthcare Proposal Lieberman Opposes Public Health Proposal US Suspends Military Cooperation with Honduras Amnesty: Israel Committed “Wanton Destruction” of Gaza Poll: Pakistanis Oppose US Attacks, Afghan Occupation Morales: Bolivia Trade Suspension Shows Obama “Lied to Latin America” California Fiscal Crisis Intensifies Staffer: SEC Officials Ignored Madoff Warnings Obama Admin Accused of Relying on Torture-Induced Statements Military Panel Urges Discharge for Gay Servicemember Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire Speaks from Israeli Jail Cell After Arrest on Boat Delivering Humanitarian Aid to Gaza Irish Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire speaks to us from her jail cell in Israel. She was taken into custody along with twenty others, including former US Congress member Cynthia McKinney, when the Israeli military boarded their ship in international waters as it tried to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. [includes rush transcript] Zelaya Vows to Return to Honduras Despite Threats of Arrest by Coup Leaders The ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya has vowed to return to Honduras within the next few days in an attempt to reclaim power. Zelaya was forced out of office in a military coup d’etat on Sunday. He will reportedly return to Honduras accompanied by the OAS Secretary General, the presidents of Argentina and Ecuador, and the head of the UN General Assembly. But Roberto Micheletti, who was appointed interim leader by the Honduran congress, has given warning that Zelaya will be arrested should he return, regardless of who is traveling with him. We speak with Latin American historian Greg Grandin. [includes rush transcript] "Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City" We speak with NYU professor Greg Grandin about his new book, Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford’s Forgotten Jungle City. The book tells the story of Henry Ford, the richest man in the world in the 1920s, and his attempt to build a rubber plantation and a miniature Midwest factory town deep in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon. [includes rush transcript] Up in Smoke: How the Tobacco Industry Shaped the New Smoking Bill President Obama signed into law a bill last week that gives the US government broad regulatory power over cigarettes and other tobacco products. Obama said the law would curb the ability of tobacco companies to market their products to children. But several public health professionals have come out strongly against the new legislation. They argue that it was largely shaped by Philip Morris, now called Altria Group, the largest cigarette company in the country. We speak with Dr. Joel Nitzkin, chair of the Tobacco Control Task Force of the American Association of Public Health Physicians. [includes rush transcript] John Pilger Calls UK National Health Service a Treasure, Blasts US Lawmakers for Being "in Bed with Powerful Interests" and Neglecting "Their Own People's Basic Human Rights" We play an excerpt of an extended interview with Australian investigative journalist, John Pilger. Speaking about the US healthcare system, Pilger says, “What is it about US legislators that they appear to be so in bed with such powerful interests, such as the insurance companies, that they can’t represent their own people’s needs, their own people’s basic human rights.” [includes rush transcript]
Seeders: 69
Leeches: 7

Democracy Now! Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Category: News & Current Affairs
Description:
Today's Headlines US Drone Attack Kills 60 in Pakistan Defying Ban, Iranian Opposition Calls for Mass Protest Obama Defends Public Health Plan, But Signals Willingness to Drop It Group: Dem Proposal Could Hurt Low-Income Job Seekers US Rules Out Panel’s Call for 40% Emissions Cut House to Vote on Climate Bill Iraq to Auction Oil Contracts to Foreign Companies Kyrgyzstan Reverses Move to Close US Military Base Report: Israel Authorizes 300 New Settlement Homes US to Return Ambassador to Syria Veterans of Kenyan Anti-Colonial Struggle Sue Britain 31 Arrested at West Virginia Anti-Coal Protest Obama Admin Drafts Safeguards for Transgender Federal Employees Study Finds Tenuous Claims in Most “Green” Consumer Products DC Transit Officials Were Warned on Subway Cars Before Fatal Crash Pakistani Opposition Politician Imran Khan on US Drone Attacks, the "Massive Human Catastrophe" in the Swat Valley and the Escalation of War in Afghanistan At least sixty people have reportedly died in the South Waziristan region of western Pakistan after a US drone attack Tuesday. The attack came as the Pakistani army and air force expanded their military operations from Swat into South Waziristan. We speak with Pakistani opposition figure and cricketing legend Imran Khan, the leader of the political party known as the Movement for Justice. Khan has been an outspoken critic of both US drone attacks as well as the Pakistani military’s offensive against the Taliban. [includes rush transcript] Hamid Dabashi on Iran Protests: "This is Not Another Revolution. This is a Civil Rights Movement" In Iran, supporters of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi have called for another protest in Tehran today in defiance of the government ban. At least nineteen demonstrators have been killed in the ten days since the election of June 12th. The government continues to detain journalists and activists and has set up a special court for demonstrators. We speak with Columbia University Professor Hamid Dabashi. He writes, “I see the moment we are witnessing as a civil rights movement rather than a push to topple the regime.” [includes rush transcript] Actress Daryl Hannah, Climate Scientist James Hansen Among 30+ Arrested Protesting Mountaintop Removal in West Virginia More than thirty people were arrested on Tuesday, including NASA climate scientist James Hansen and actress Daryl Hannah, protesting mountaintop removal in West Virginia. The protesters were charged with obstructing officers and impeding traffic after they sat down in the middle of the road outside of the facility run by Massey Energy. It was the latest protest in a growing civil disobedience campaign against mountaintop removal. We speak with actress Daryl Hannah and community activist Bo Webb. [includes rush transcript]
Seeders: 102
Leeches: 8

Democracy Now! Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Category: News & Current Affairs
Description:
Today's Headlines Iran’s Guardian Council Rules Out Annulling Election Report: Iran Ordered Family of Slain Protester to Pay $3,000 “Bullet Fee” Obama Signs Bill Regulating Tobacco Judge Orders Release of Guantanamo Prisoner Once Held by Al-Qaeda 45,000 Pakistanis Flee Homes in South Waziristan Supreme Court Upholds Voting Rights Act Court OKs Gold Mine Dumping Toxic Waste into Lake Court Declines to Hear Valerie Plame Lawsuit NASA Scientist James Hansen Plans to Protest Mountaintop Removal Six UK Greenpeace Activists Arrested in Anti-Coal Action Napolitano Kills Spy Satellite Program Israel Releases Jailed Palestinian Parliament Speaker Canadian Firms Sued for Investing in Israeli Settlements Medical Group Provides Free Care for Uninsured Americans Nine Die in Washington, DC Train Crash Education Secretary Arne Duncan Pushes to Aggressively Expand Charter Schools While Admitting Problems The Obama administration has made opening more charter schools one of its top priorities in its plans to improve the nation’s education system. On Monday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan spoke at the annual gathering of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools in Washington, DC. His address came on the heels of a new Stanford University report that found that, on average, students in charter schools were not faring as well as students in traditional public schools. [includes rush transcript] Deep Packet Inspection: Telecoms Aided Iran Government to Censor Internet, Technology Widely Used in US As thousands in Iran turn to the web to make their voices heard around the world, a new report finds telecoms in Europe have helped the Iranian government develop one of the world’s most sophisticated mechanisms to censor the internet. It’s called deep packet inspection, and it’s also being used here at home. We speak with Josh Silver, executive director of Free Press. [includes rush transcript] Judge Orders Release of Guantanamo Prisoner After Seven Years, Saying Government Position "Defies Common Sense" A federal judge has ordered the release of another prisoner held at Guantanamo Bay, thirty-year-old Syrian national Abdul Rahim Abdul Razak Al Janko. In the year 2000, Al Janko was tortured by al-Qaeda, who accused him of being a Western spy, and he was imprisoned by the Taliban for eighteen months. He was then captured by the United States in 2002 and spent the next seven years in Guantanamo. On Monday, District Court Judge Richard Leon rejected the government’s position that Al Janko had once been a part of al-Qaeda, saying it “defies common sense.” We speak with British journalist Andy Worthington, author of The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison.
Seeders: 96
Leeches: 32

PBS America at a Crossroads - The Mosque in Morgantown (2009.HDTV.SoS)

Category: Documentary
Description:
Originally aired: 2009.06.15 Note: This is the final part in the series - all 20 programs have now been released. "Working in Pakistan after September 11, 2001, former Wall Street Journal reporter Asra Nomani (shown) faced a double shock: a surprise pregnancy and abandonment by the Pakistani man she thought would be her husband, then the murder of her close friend Daniel Pearl at the hands of Muslim extremists. Still reeling, and with a son to raise, she returned to her hometown in West Virginia to find that the mosque had been taken over by men she viewed as extremists. This documentary chronicles what happens when she decides to fight back — angering even the mosque's moderates — telling a story of competing paths to social change, American identity, and the nature of religion itself." more info: http://www.pbs.org/weta/crossroads/about/show_mosque.html == Runtime: 55:42 Source: OTA High Definition 1080i Encoding: xvid.720x400.1615kbps.mp3.160.vbr File Size: 700MB Support your local PBS Station by making a contribution or by purchasing their DVDs. To help speed up future releases, please try to seed this torrent as much as possible. Thanks.
Seeders: 18
Leeches: 9

Democracy Now! Thursday, May 21, 2009

Category: News & Current Affairs
Description:
Today's Headlines 60 Killed in Multiple Iraq Bombings 8 Afghan Civilians Killed in NATO Attack Report: Afghan Insurgents Demand Timetable for US Withdrawal Senate Votes Down Gitmo Closure Funding Obama Considers “Preventive Detention” for Indefinite Jailings Court Rules US Can Hold Prisoners Without Charge Blackwater Contractors Flee Afghanistan to Avoid Charges Probe: US Gave KBR $83M in Bonuses Despite Electrocutions Gaza War Crimes Probe to Hold Public Hearings US Pledges $110M for Pakistani Refugees Bolivia, US Hold First Talks Since Ambassador Row 4 Arrested in Synagogue, Air Base Bombing Plot Judges, Attorneys Back Troy Davis Appeal Massive Casualties Feared in Nigerian Military Attack on Niger Delta Villages The Nigerian military has been accused of killing hundreds, maybe thousands, of civilians in the oil-rich Niger Delta. The military offensive began eight days ago but has received little international attention. We go to Nigeria to speak with Denzil Amagbe Kentebe of the Ijaw National Congress. We’re also joined by Sandy Cioffi, director of the new documentary Sweet Crude about the Niger Delta. The village of Oporoza, where much of the film was shot, has just been burned down. [includes rush transcript] Teaching Pioneer Deborah Meier on Obama's Education Policy and the Future of Charter Schools As part of the Obama administration’s education plan, Education Secretary Arne Duncan has urged states to consider partnerships with successful charter school operators. We speak to Deborah Meier, who has spent nearly four decades working in public education as a teacher, principal, writer and public advocate. She is considered to be the founder of the small schools movement and founded a number of public elementary and secondary schools in New York and Boston that serve predominantly low-income African American and Latino students. [includes rush transcript] "Frankie Manning: Never Stop Swinging": New Documentary Chronicles Life of Dance Legend Known as the "Ambassador of Lindy Hop" The legendary swing dancer Frankie Manning, known as the Ambassador of the Lindy Hop, died last month at the age of ninety-four. During a career spanning eight decades, Frankie Manning’s influence on the dance floor was felt around the world. A new documentary, Frankie Manning: Never Stop Swinging, looks at his life and legacy. [includes rush transcript]
Seeders: 75
Leeches: 3

Democracy Now! Thursday, April 23, 2009

Category: News & Current Affairs
Description:
Today's Headlines Rice, Ashcroft Approved Torture in July 2002 Report: Obama Rejected Investigative Commission on Torture Report: CIA Prisoners Still Missing Judge Upholds Habeus Corpus for Gitmo Prisoner Obama: Days of US Inaction on Energy Crisis “Now Over” White House Withholds Endorsement on Bill Capping Emissions IMF: Global Economy to Shrink 1.3% Freddie Mac CFO Found Dead in Apparent Suicide Red Cross: “Hundreds” Killed or Wounded in Sri Lanka Fighting Taliban Fighters Seize Control of Pakistani District Israeli Military Finds No Fault in Gaza Attack Clinton Vows Continued US Boycott of Palestinians Internal Displacements Rise in Colombia Campaign in Montana Seeks to Establish Healthcare as a Human Right We broadcast from Montana, where a vibrant movement is seeking to recognize healthcare as a universal human right. Last December, the Health Board of Lewis and Clark County, which includes the state capital Helena, adopted a resolution that recognizes the human right to health and healthcare. In February of this year, the Montana State Senate held a hearing on establishing the right to healthcare in the state. We speak with State Senator Christine Kaufmann, director of the Montana Human Rights Network. [includes rush transcript] Doug & Andrea Peacock on Montana's Grizzly Bears, the Late Edward Abbey and the Fight to Save the Wilderness We speak with environmentalists Doug and Andrea Peacock. Doug Peacock is a longtime naturalist, adventurer and writer. His books include Grizzly Years: In Search of the American Wilderness. He was a close friend of the late writer Edward Abbey. One of Abbey’s most famous characters, Hayduke, from his book The Monkey Wrench Gang, was based partly on Doug Peacock. Andrea Peacock is an independent journalist who has covered Montana politics and western environmental news for several years. [includes rush transcript]
Seeders: 127
Leeches: 20