Good Politics Radio - Alaska

The following podcast is brought to you courtesy of A World of Possibilities and The Mainstream Media Project.

The mechanistic world view that has dominated Western thinking has much to learn from healthy, well-balanced biological systems, as well as from indigenous cultures that have a symbiotic relationship with their environment. This weeks show was recorded at a major international conference on biocultural diversity held at the American Museum of Natural History in New York in April 2008.

Guests:
Rick Step, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Latin American Studies, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, US
Tero Mustonen, and Vyacheslav Shadrin, The Snowchange Cooperative, Finland; Head, Yukaghir Elders Council
Gary Paul Napham, Founder, Renewing Americas Food Traditions, Southwest Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, US
Alejandro Argumendo, Founding Member and Co-Chair, Call of the Earth Steering Committee, Cusco, Peru
Eleanor Sterling, Director, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, US
Jules Pretty, Professor of Environment and Society, University of Essex, UK

(Click on a guest’s name to listen to their full unedited interview.)

Credits:
Host: Mark Sommer
Senior Producer: Gregg McVicar
Associate Producers: Naihma Deady, Matt Fidler
Production Engineer: Michael Schwartz
Field Engineers: Jon Kalish, Neil Harvey
Music in this program: open - “Cry of the Forest” by Cha-das-ska-dum Which-ta-lum - Soundings of the Planet; “Flametop Green” by Daniel Lanois - Anti Records; “A United Earth I” by Alan Stivell and Yousou N’Dour - Putamayo World Music; “The Sound is Fading” by Robbie Robertson - Capitol Records; “@ Ley” by Gjallarhorn - Vindauga Music Ltd.; “Juju In Those Strings (Big Mind Ambient Remix” by Eccodek - Festival Distribution Inc.

Funding: The Christensen Fund

Duration: 55:00 minutes

To listen to this podcast click here.

This week on American Radio Journal: Ryan Shafik gets the “Real Story” from Club for Growth President Pat Toomey on what is happening to the U.S. economy; Lowman Henry talks with Jim Boulet, Jr. of English First about the latest efforts to have English be the official language of the U.S. government; Colin Hanna of Let Freedom Ring, USA has an American Radio Journal commentary on the impact of Barack Obama’s speech on racial issues.

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American Radio Journal is produced and distributed by the Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion Research, Inc. The Lincoln Institute is a 501c3 non-profit educational foundation based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Founded in 1993, the mission of the Lincoln Institute is: “To promote the ideals of free market economics, individual liberty, and limited government through the conduct of public opinion research and related educational programs.”

The Lincoln Institute accepts no government money and is completely funded by philanthropic grant making foundations, corporations, and individuals.

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Everyone knows Montel Williams is a very popular prime time TV show host. His fans also know he was diagnosed 9 years ago with Multiple Sclerosis. In this interview, Montel tells our listeners how they can join with him in a dazzling glamour gala where proceeds will go to fight MS and find a cure for this deadly disease.

We know how difficult it may be to find ways to make a difference in the world. We are all busy and maybe a little worn out listening to all of the woes of the world. Montel has a simple, convenient way for our listeners to help shut down this terrible disease that literally eats a person’s neural net, degenerating every function and system of the body in a long slow, painful spiral. No imaginary monster is as cruel.

So take a listen as we interview the master interviewer about joining his Poker Party Gala to beat MS. Yes…you can join in the glitzy, glamorous NYC Gala. After you listen, click here to find out more.

The following podcast is brought to you courtesy of A World of Possibilities and The Mainstream Media Project.

Deserts advancing toward cities. Dust storms visible from space. Topsoil literally blowing away. Sounds like an apocalyptic act of nature but actually is the result of overgrazing, heedless development and poor land use planning. Is this trend reversible? Listen with us to some of those who are doing cutting edge work to try to stem the tide of the world’s advancing deserts.

Guests:
Lester Brown, Wangari Maathai, Wang Tao

Credits: Music in this program: open- “China” by Levi Chen, Ying Yang Records; welcome- “A United Earth I” by Alan Stivell with Yousou N’Dour, Putumayo World Music; break 1- “Desert Winds” by Illinois Jacquet, The Verve Music Group; break 2- “Dustbowl” by Indi Hawkes & The White Eagle Band, White Eagle Records; Bottom of the Hour Billboard- “A United Earth I” by Alan Stivell with Yousou N’Dour, Putumayo World Music; break 3- “Mansane Cisse” by Habib Koite, Putumayo World Music; close and credits- “The Desert” by Kazu Matsui, Narada Records. Movie Credits: Scenes from The Grapes of Wrath courtesy of 20th Century Fox and CBS/Fox Video.

Funding: The Park Foundation

Duration: 55:00 minutes

Click here to listen to this podcast.

The following podcast is brought to you courtesy of A World of Possibilities and The Mainstream Media Project. 

Farmers’ markets: From four hundred to four thousand in less than two decades. They’re sprouting like sunflowers in parking lots, town squares and plazas all across the country. They represent signs of life, connection and community in a culture of isolation and alienation. Join us for a stroll through the throngs, the music, the aromas, colors and laughter of farmers’ markets.

Guests:
Ralph Cwerman, President and Co-Founder, The Humpty Dumpty Institute
Sonia DeMarta, Co-Founder and Market Manager, Lexington Farmers’ Market in Massachusetts.
Dan Best, Certified Farmers’ Markets of Sacramento; Member, Federation of California Certified Farmers’ Markets
(Click on a guest’s name to listen to their full unedited interview.)

Credits: Music by The Delta Nationals courtesy of The Delta Nationals; welcome- “A United Earth I” by Alan Stivell and Yousou N’Dour, Putumayo World Music; break 1- “A Small Farm in Kentucky” by John Anderson, Koch Records; break 2- “Food” by Deirdra Flint, courtesy of Deirdra Flint; bottom of the hour billboard- “A United Earth I” by Alan Stivell and Yousou N’Dour, Putumayo World Music; break 3- “A Small Farm in Kentucky” by John Anderson, Koch Records; close and credits- “Hog Potato” by Yonder Mountain String Band, Partners in Music. Distribution: WFMT Radio Network, Chicago. Marketing: Creative PR, Los Angeles. Funding: W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Duration: 55:00 minutes

Click here to listen to the podcast.

The following podcast is brought to you courtesy of A World of Possibilities and The Mainstream Media Project.

Ever wish you could put your own words in the president’s mouth? You’re not alone! Join us to hear how regular folks and political insiders talk about and re-conceive America’s foreign policy and its role in the world.

Guests:
Derek Thompson, Student at Northwestern University
Salman Ahmad, Founder and Guitarist of the South Asian band, Junoon
Rand Beers, President National Security Network
Jamal Dajani, Producer and Director of Middle Eastern Programming at Link TV
Sabienne Brutus, Sophomore at the High School for Global Citizenship
Aneka Hewitt, Junior at the High School for Global Citizenship
(Click on a guest’s name to listen to their full unedited interview.)

Credits: Music in this program: open- “Hail to the Chief” by U.S. Air Force Concert Band, courtesy of U.S. Air Force Concert Band; and, “Dimension 37” by Chris Surma, courtesy of Chris Surma; insert 1- “Ghoom Tana” by Junoon, Nameless Records; break 1- “Ghoom Tana” by Junoon, Nameless Records; break 2- “President” by Alexis Harte, courtesy of Alexis Harte; bottom of the hour billboard- “A United Earth I” by Alan Stivell and Yousou N’Dour, Putumayo World Music; break 3- “Dear Mr. President” by Pink and The Indigo Girls, LaFace Records; insert 2- “Folk Vibe #1” by Tananas, ATO Records, insert 3- “New Orleans Instrumental #1” by R.E.M., EMI; close and credits- “Chord Sounds” by Moby, V2 Records; and, “Ghoom Tana” by Junoon, Nameless Records. Other Credits: Sound from State of the Union address courtesy of americanrhetoric.com. Funding: The Ploughshares Fund

Duration: 55:00 minutes

Click here to listen to this podcast.

President Bush, in his weekly radio address to the nation, talked about the need for Congress to pass a defense funding bill.

THE PRESIDENT: “Good morning. In a time of war, America’s top priority should be to ensure that our troops on the front lines get the funding they need. So beginning in February, I submitted detailed funding requests to Congress to fund operations in the war on terror. Congress has had months to pass this funding. Unfortunately, with just days to go before members leave for their Christmas vacation, they still have not come through with these funds.

This week Congress considered a defense authorization bill. An authorization bill is a pledge to spend money. Under such a bill, Congress will make a promise to fund our troops in combat. But a congressional promise — even if enacted — does not pay the bills. It is time for Congress to provide our troops with actual funding.

The stakes are high for our men and women on the front lines. Our troops are striking blows against the terrorists and extremists in Iraq and Afghanistan — and these funds are critical to their continued success. The funds I have requested include money to carry out combat operations against the enemy. They include money to train the Iraqi and Afghan security forces to take on more responsibility for the defense of their countries. They include money for civilian agencies deployed in the field with our military to help build local governments and create jobs. And they include money for intelligence operations to protect our troops on the battlefield.

Congress has had plenty of time to consider the emergency funds our troops need. Time is running out. And Pentagon officials say that continued delay in funding our troops will soon begin to have a damaging impact on the operations of our military. Congress’ responsibility is clear: They must deliver vital funds for our troops — and they must do it before they leave for Christmas. Our men and women on the front lines will be spending this holiday season far from their families and loved ones. And this Christmas, they deserve more than words from Congress. They deserve action.

Thank you for listening. ”

To listen to this radio broadcast click here.

This podcast is courtesy of The Keystone Report by Matt Best on Good Politics Radio Pennsylvania.

Today on The Keystone Report, host Matthew Best interviews Dr. Paul Kengor. Dr. Kengor is a professor of Political Science at Grove City College, in Grove City, PA. Dr. Kengor specializes on Foreign Policy, the Middle East, and the Reagan and Bush Administrations. He’s also a fellow at the Hoover Institution and has authored over 2 dozen articles that have appeared in national newspapers. He’s also the published author of two national best sellers, God and Ronald Reagan and God and George W. Bush. In addition, his newest book, God and Hillary Clinton was released in September of this year.

During the interview, Mr. Best asked Dr. Kengor about his latest book, the series that he has been writing, the impact of faith on prominent political figures, and the impact the book might have on the 2008 presidential election.

To listen to this podcast click here.

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Matthew Best is the host of “The Keystone Report” which can be heard on the Good Politics Radio Network. Mr. Best is also the President of Best Solutions, an entrepreneurial coaching firm, and co-author, with Ken Blanchard, Jack Canfield, and Steven Covey, of Speaking of Success. He also serves as the Political Editor for The National NetWorker online magazine and is the founder of Link to Politics, an online political community. You can read more of Matthew’s thoughts on politics and courage on his blog - Courage of Conviction.

On November 15, 2007, a huge cyclone hit the country of Bangladesh, killing more than 3200 people, injuring 34,500 more and damaging more than 450,000 homes. The cyclone and recent floods have caused losses currently estimated at $1.4 billion.

In this podcast Muriel Glasgow interviews Mr. Fazle Abed, chairman and founder of BRAC (formerly the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee). Mr. Abed has been working at the grassroots level for over 35 years and has helped to mobilize 70,000 of Bangladesh’s 80,000 villages.

Here, Mr. Abed shares his valuable and enlightening message about the people of Bangladesh. This interview with Mr. Abed illustrates what is possible in relation to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

By Chika Oduah

Greetings! Welcome to Good Politics Radio. I’m Chika Oduah, your podcast anchor. Thank you for joining in.

Let’s talk about that 7 letter word that negatively affects about 1 billion people worldwide. I’m talking about poverty. So, there’s finally an international initiative to fight poverty. Sounds like another dreamy wish? Think again. Stay tuned to find out more.

You are listening to Speak Out Georgia. I’m Chika Oduah. As I preluded, an international initiative to fight poverty is finally in place, with the backing of governments, NGOs, religious groups, celebrities, and experts worldwide. And we’ve all heard the disheartening facts: 50,000 people die everyday from preventable causes. Every 3 seconds a child dies from extreme poverty.  More than 1 billion people live on less than $1 a day. This is abject poverty.  But this global spark has erupted and a collective concern is encouraging the masses to take charge, to take responsibility, and to take a stance against poverty.

But maybe this is just a surge of collective guilt or maybe it’s a global moral awakening to do some good in the world. Whatever it is, it is working. How do we know? Because on October 17, which is the World Day to Overcome Extreme Poverty, a record breaking 38.8 million people in 110 countries joined efforts to make their voices heard and support the goals put out by the United Nations Millennium Campaign.

These 8 goals are monumental in the fight against poverty and include: eradicating extreme poverty and hunger by reducing by half the proportion of people who live on less than $1 a day and reducing by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger; achieving universal primary education;   promoting gender equality and empowering women; reducing child mortality; improving maternal health; combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability; and developing a global partnership for development. These goals were adopted in 2000 by the UN General Assembly. The UN seeks to accomplish these goals by 2015.

 Oct. 17’s Stand Up and Speak Out Day was an international success. Hordes of individuals gathered at churches, shelters, government buildings, schools, parks, and every other public space. The numbers were impressive. Specifically, there was a huge amount of participation in the developing nations.  1400 people participated in Manila, Philippines; 1547 students and teachers gathered in Singapore; 200,000 participants in Afghanistan; 401,900 participants in Nepal; 103,000 participants in Australia. Bangladesh boasts 847,000 participants. Last year’s record of 23.5 million is incomparable to this year’s 38.8 million.

But what exactly is the purpose of October 17? Let’s discuss this. UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon stated in reference to October 17, “Today tens of millions of people are making their voices heard by standing up and speaking out against poverty and for the Millennium Development Goals. They are sending messages that call on their leaders to keep their promises. They are calling for the actions of citizens to be matched by the actions of Governments, in developing and developed countries alike, to demonstrate the political will required to  end the scourge of poverty once and for all.”

October 17, the World Day to Overcome Extreme Poverty, was adopted by the United Nations in 1992 and has been globally recognized ever since. It all began with a humble French Catholic known to the world as Father Joseph Wresinski who lived from 1917- 1988. Father Wresinski, who himself grew up in an impoverished household, worked tirelessly for the causes of the poor. In 1957, He founded the ATD Fourth World Movement, an international NGO that still operates today. He devoted his time at an emergency housing camp in France, helping and guiding those inflicted with extreme poverty. Father Wresinski continue to plead for the poor and his plea was finally recognized in 1987 on October 17 when 100,000 people stood in the Trocadero Plaza in Paris in a public demonstration calling for the eradication of poverty and for the preservation of human rights. In December of 1992, The UN General Assembly officially proclaimed October 17 as the “International Day for the Eradication of Povery.”

Since then, October 17th has been recognized all over the world. It is the day for the poor to speak out, to plea, to get attention, to demonstrate. It is a day for the rich, the middle class, the students, the mothers, the corporates, the NGO’s and everyone else to listen to the poor and unite their efforts to eradicate poverty. 38.8 million is a great number for this year’s commemoration.

On October 17, we all remember the words of Father Joseph Wresinski: “Wherever men and women are condemned to live in extreme poverty, human rights are violated. To come together to ensure that these rights be respected is our solemn duty.”

This year was the 20th anniversary and the theme for October 17 was “People living in poverty as agents of change.”

We can confidently say that this is the largest effort to end poverty. International organizations in collaboration with the UN Millennium Campaign include: Amnesty International, Global Call to Action Against Poverty, International Movement ATD Fourth World.

UN Millennium Campaign’s Executive Coordinator, Eveline Herfkens remarked about this year’s number of 38.8 million stating, “Together we have broken the incredible record for the largest number of people standing up to demand action on poverty. But the record we really want to break is the world’s record of poverty every year. This is the great issue of our times, let us become great by dealing with it decisively.”

Many experts have declared that poverty is the greatest issue of this age and some have labeled the problem as a conundrum because it seems that there are more than enough monetary and agricultural resources, yet the number of impoverished individuals is staggering.

So, even if you think this is a temporary spasm of guilt, the United Nations is pushing onward, working with NGOs to eradicate poverty.

For in-depth information on this topic, visit the websites of the United Nations Millenium Goals, www.standagainstpoverty.org, and www.oct17.org.

Listeners, that’s the end of the today’s program. The opinions on Speak Out Georgia do not reflect those of Good Politics Radio. Thank you for listening to Speak Out Georgia. I’m Chika Oduah.

Click here to listen to the podcast.