MP3/AUDIO NEWS DOWNLOADS
MAY AND JUNE 2014

RATINGS... for each clip are out of a possible 5.

CATEGORY:  NUCLEAR — 30.MAY.2014

Leid Stories

Hanford—America's Fukushima — The Hanford Site in south-central Washington state manufactured two-thirds of US plutonium during World War II and the Cold War. During those 40-plus years, a steady stream of industrial and radioactive waste was dumped directly into the surrounding air, the Columbia River, and the grounds of the 586-square-mile reservation. Now, the United States is faced with the largest cleanup in history, with little hope that it will totally succeed. Investigator Paul DeRienzo reports.
Download/listen   57:02

GP comment:  The American political establishment shows no signs of phasing out—or even slowing down—nuclear energy and weapons.

Original Show Pub Date: 20.May.2014

CATEGORY:  GARDENING — 30.MAY.2014

You Bet Your Garden

Keeping New Trees Safe from the Summer Heat — Mike McGrath's topics this time include ... rose pests; combating your neighbor's running bamboo; industrial-scale composting; keeping seedy characters out of your compost pile; seeds vs. starts for new gardeners; tips for keeping new trees from croaking over the summer.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   52:58

GP comment:  New gardeners should not be afraid to try some things from seeds, though starts are always good for redundancy.

Original Show Pub Date: 24.May.2014

CATEGORY:  EMPIRE — 30.MAY.2014

Fresh Air

China Turns to Africa for Resources, Jobs, and Future Customers — China's economic engagement in Africa can be measured in dollars—for instance, the $71 million airport expansion contract in Mali, funded by American foreign aid, that went to a Chinese construction firm. More remarkably, it can be measured in people: More than a million Chinese citizens have permanently moved to Africa, buying land, starting businesses, and settling among local populations. Journalist Howard French, who spent years reporting on Africa and China, looks at these trends.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   26:23

GP comment:  Pretty good for NPR, though I still crave more "deep state" analysis on how this sort of thing is playing out.

Original Show Pub Date: 27.May.2014

CATEGORY:  MEDIA, HEALTH — 30.MAY.2014

On The Media

Health Reporting—The Worried Well Whipped Into A Frenzy — Health news reporting is plagued by imprecision, false correlation, and general public confusion. Gary Schwitzer has devoted his life to reviewing how health news is reported and, more often than not, mis-reported. Schwitzer discusses his new study, “A Guide to Reading Health Care News Stories,” and the impact of bad health reporting.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   8:01

GP comment:  Most reporters and the public come up short on critical thinking and analysis skills, which is one reason why the propaganda that flows from the corp-gov cabal through mainstream media to the public is so effective.

Original Show Pub Date: 23.May.2014

CATEGORY:  EMPIRE — 29.MAY.2014

Democracy Now

Obama Extends Afghanistan Occupation to 2016 — President Obama has that announced the longest war in the history of the United States will last another two-and-a-half years, saying the US will maintain almost 10,000 troops in Afghanistan after its formal combat mission concludes at the end of this year. The United States will eventually withdraw troops until only a small residual force remains after 2016. By then, the war will have lasted more than 15 years. Author Anand Gopal reviews the situation.
Watch  |  Download/listen   17:13

GP comment:  Good job from Gopal, though he stays mostly inside-the-envelope. The US presence in Afghanistan is officially about "getting the Taliban," but in reality it has always been more about keeping the opium trade thriving, fostering energy pipelines, and encircling Iran.

Original Show Pub Date: 28.May.2014

CATEGORY:  HEALTH — 29.MAY.2014

One Radio Network

Environmental Aspects of Health and Disease — William J. Rea, M.D. explains how various environmental exposures may cause sleep disturbances; learning disorders; inflammation of blood vessels, the colon, and the bladder; as well as a host of other inflammatory problems. Exposures may relate to machinery, carpets, cleaning supplies, perfume, exhaust, smog, pollen, mold, animal dander, EM radiation, and many other ubiquitous but hidden substances. Topics include ... WiFi towers near schools and cancer; humans as electrical beings; the dangers of GMOs; water pollution; indoor air quality; dental implants; the benefits of sweating; chemical smells and toxicity.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   59:38

GP comment:  We are tricky little bio-electric machines. It's a miracle we work at all.

Original Show Pub Date: 31.Mar.2014

CATEGORY:  NUCLEAR — 29.MAY.2014

Fresh Air

Godzilla and the Anti-Nuclear Meme — It's been six decades since Godzilla first hit the screen, and to celebrate the big guy's birthday, Rialto Pictures is releasing a restored version of Ishiro Honda's 1954 original Godzilla film. Critic John Powers discusses the advent of Godzilla in the aftermath of Nagasaki/Hiroshima, the era of American H-bomb tests in the Pacific, and specter of doomed children setting off Geiger counters. ~~ Steve Ryfle is the author of a book about the Honda Godzilla film and the many sequels. He spoke to Fresh Air in 2004, on the film's 50th anniversary.
Go to page A  |  Download/listen A   5:56
Go to page B  |  Download/listen B   14:30

GP comment:  "History shows again and again // How nature points out the folly of men." -- Blue Oyster Cult

Original Show Pub Date: 02.May.2014

CATEGORY:  ENVIRONMENT (CLIMATE) — 29.MAY.2014

Quirks and Quarks

Why Are Scientists Sure That the West Antarctic Ice Will Slip Away? — The West Antarctic ice sheet appears to have passed a critical tipping point and will inevitably collapse. According to new research by two separate climate-study groups, warm deep-sea water, driven by shifting climate patterns around Antarctica, has undermined two critical glaciers that are part of the ice sheet, making it likely that the whole ice sheet will melt into the sea. If this happens, global sea levels will rise by more than three meters.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   10:52

GP comment:  Three meters (10 feet) will devastate many major coastal cities. The scientists say the process will take hundreds of years. We'll see.

Original Show Pub Date: 17.May.2014

CATEGORY:  PEAK OIL — 28.MAY.2014

Boom Bust (RT)

Peak Oil—Supply, Demand, Price, and Economic Impact — Richard Heinberg and James Hamilton discuss peak oil theory and reality. Heinberg argues that we have reached peak oil supply, which will have major economic consequences for our future prospects of economic growth. Hamilton adds that the balance of supply and demand at a new, higher price will impose a new economic paradigm.
Download/listen   28:01

GP comment:  The easy oil is gone. All energy costs will inexorably continue rising. That means the price for everything else will inexorably continue rising, too. And as the energy surplus—the amount of energy left after energy has been generated and used for core needs—continues to fall, our ability to continue doing unnecessary things, no matter how desirable, will also fall.

Original Show Pub Date: 09.May.2014

CATEGORY:  FOOD, GMOs, CHEMICALS, HEALTH — 28.MAY.2014

One Radio Network

Glyphosate—Either It Goes Away or We Go Away — Stephanie Seneff is a Senior Research Scientist at MIT. She's been studying the effects of GMOs and glyphosate, the primary herbicide used with GMOs, and what she has discovered is devastating: Glyphosate is ubiquitous and exposure is toxic, leading her to conclude that we either ban glyphosate's use or we prepare to die off. Topics include ... glyphosate and gut bacteria; glyphosate as a cause of fungal infections; glyphosate vs. bees, bats and other animals; Europe, Russia, China, and others pushing back against GMOs.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   1:03:24

GP comment:  GMOs are bad, bad, bad. And now they even spray glyphosate on non-GMO wheat as part of the harvest process? Eat organic!

Original Show Pub Date: 20.May.2014

CATEGORY:  EMPIRE — 28.MAY.2014

TUC Radio

Reassessing the US-Israel "Special Relationship" - Part 2 - Gareth Porter — Historian, investigative journalist, and author Gareth Porter specializes in US national security policy. He gives a talk on the “manufactured crisis” driving US/Israel military actions against Iran, a continuum of government malfeasance going as far back at least to the George H.W. Bush administration. Porter discusses the false evidence that Iran had a nuclear weapons program—the documents used to prove the existence of the weapons program were fabricated, and those who presented the evidence knew they came from sources that could not be trusted.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   30:00

GP comment:  Some deep cultish politics going on with those who keep pointing to Iran as an uber threat.

Original Show Pub Date: 16.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  COOL AND COSMIC — 28.MAY.2014

11:11 with Simran Singh

Discovering Your Soul Signature — Your soul signature is your spiritual DNA—it is who you are at your core, the most authentic part of you. When living it, you tap into your limitless potential. You can uncover your soul signature and begin to overcome the vibrational density and emotional obstacles that keep you from connecting to its unalterable truth.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   56:28

GP comment:  Don't know about the guy's fee-based course, but there are a lot of nuggets of cosmic wisdom spoken in this interview.

Original Show Pub Date: 08.May.2014

CATEGORY:  ENERGY — 27.MAY.2014

Sea Change Radio

Solar Strides — The signs of solar power becoming a truly self-sustaining industry are manifold: Solar manufacturing costs fell by 70-80 percent from 2007 to 2012. At the same time, the efficiency rates of solar panels continued to improve. But this success has also led to pushback from many of our nation's utilities. Adam Browning of Vote Solar discusses some of the policies that have helped the solar explosion, how public utilities are reacting to the success of solar in very different ways, and what steps are being taken to start getting solar to the millions of Americans who are not homeowners.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   30:00

GP comment:  Nice to hear about some of the ways solar is starting to kick butt.

Original Show Pub Date: 06.May.2014

CATEGORY:  EMPIRE, HISTORY — 27.MAY.2014

Dan Carlin—Common Sense

The Specter of Dissent — The worst nightmare of the global establishment isn't Islamic terrorism, it's critical-mass levels of domestic dissent. If you were The Powers That Be and that was your worst worry, wouldn't you use every tool you had to forestall it? Dan Carlin offers a review of dissent in the US in the last 50 years, examining the need for active dissent to keep the power structure of the government honest. He also speculates that an upcoming Snowden leak will reveal that the US government considers legitimate political dissent to be domestic terrorism. After this revelation, he thinks the people will not be happy.
Download/listen   1:22:06

GP comment:  Carlin talks about drawing the line at "dangerous dissent." But IMO, allowing dissent, even if it potentially incites revolution, is the price of a self-governing, rule-based society. Allow it, or be captive to the corp-gov totalitarian cabal.

Original Show Pub Date: 24.May.2014

CATEGORY:  MUSIC — 27.MAY.2014

Fresh Air

Donovan—The '60s, the Hits, and the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame — The singer-songwriter Donovan Leitch, a.k.a. Donovan, who wrote several '60s folk rock hippie anthems, will soon be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In this interview from 2004, he discusses the background to some of his hits, including "Wear Your Love Like Heaven," "Co'dine," "Sunshine Superman," "Mellow Yellow" and "Season of the Witch," as well as some of the cultural oddities of the 1960s.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   12:29

GP comment:  I'm just mad about Saffron ... and Donovan.

Original Show Pub Date: 23.May.2014

CATEGORY:  EMPIRE — 26.MAY.2014

Democracy Now

Guantanamo "Suicides" Cover-Up Unraveling — On the night of June 9, 2006, three prisoners died at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay. The official report said the three men committed suicide, with base commander Rear Admiral Harry Harris describing their deaths as an "act of asymmetrical warfare." But numerous pieces of new evidence, including pages from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, do not fit the official story and suggest that the men may have been tortured to death by the CIA. Investigative journalist Scott Horton discusses the case.
Watch  |  Download/listen   17:59

GP comment:  We should all commit to avoiding 24 and Blacklist and all the other shows the routinely show torture in an acceptable light and show government agents, however flawed, as always on the side of right. Torture is NOT acceptable and government agents are NOT always on the side of right, and chronic exposure to such mental constructs is designed to slowly convert our thinking.

Original Show Pub Date: 21.May.2014

CATEGORY:  FOOD, ENVIRONMENT, LABOR — 26.MAY.2014

Sierra Club Radio

Green Coffee — Helen Russell of Equator Coffee discusses the reasons we should care about sustainably grown, fair-trade coffee. Russell also talks about how she went from two coffee shops to a $9M green coffee company.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   14:02

GP comment:  Shade-grown. Organic. Fair-trade. Bird-friendly. Try to get at least two of those in your choice of brews.

Original Show Pub Date: 17.May.2014

CATEGORY:  EMPIRE — 26.MAY.2014

One Radio Network

Globalism, GMOs, Pharmaceuticals, and the Depopulation Agenda — Jon Rappoport's topics include the importance of banning GMOs vs. labeling them; who the players are in the globalist movement; why the globalists are seeking planetary control; mechanisms of controlling people, from cradle to grave; how the medical and food systems are a covert form of warfare to keep the population in check; the de-population agenda as a radical environmental viewpoint. He also talks about the enormous potential within each human, why it has been obscured, and how we can create a different reality.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   1:01:23

GP comment:  Rappaport has many apt thoughts on how TPTB are running (and ruining) the world—and us. But he badly misses the mark when he ascribes the depopulation agenda of TPTB (real or not) to environmentalism, radical or otherwise, and he shows his ignorance of energy constraints when he talks about desalination as a scalable solution for water shortages.

Original Show Pub Date: 20.May.2014

CATEGORY:  MUSIC — 26.MAY.2014

The Vinyl Experience

New And Rare — An OK set of rock sprinkled with light country, vocal standards, and dance pop. Top tracks are ... Toto - "Rosanna" // Rolling Stones - "Far Away Eyes" // Bee Gees - "First Of May" // Lloyd Cole & The Commotions - "29" // Greg Kihn - "Roadrunner" // Ting Tings - "That's Not My Name" // Johnny Hartman - "Charade"
Download/listen   58:08

GP comment:  Good background music.

Original Show Pub Date: 02.May.2014

CATEGORY:  GARDENING — 23.MAY.2014

One Radio Network

Grow Your Own Groceries — "Homegrown Food On Every Table" is the catalyzing statement of Marjory Wildcraft's organization. Topics here include .... food as medicine to prevent cancer; why sunlight is the key to a successful garden; how meat is one of the easiest food sources to grow, but also has a spiritual component; the role of a good dog on a homestead; which plants are the easiest to grow with the highest yield; more.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   1:00:00

GP comment:  All good, though probably further into homesteading than most of us will venture.

Original Show Pub Date: 15.May.2014

CATEGORY:  FINANCIAL — 23.MAY.2014

The Real World of Money

The BRIC Bat Won't Break the US Dollar's Legs — Though more and more people are catching on to the tricksy US dollar game, the dollar is still the big gorilla in the room. Andrew Gause does not see any credible threat to dollar hegemony, from the BRICS nations or anywhere else. The “American Plan” is here to stay—for the moment. Other topics include ... the $2.5 trillion slush fund at the Fed; inflation; ongoing near-zero interest rates for banks; emerging capital controls; Quantitative Easing; why the banksters don't monetize the collectible coin market; the status of the MERS mess.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   57:19

GP comment:  It's probably correct that the banksters' dollar empire is too strong to be challenged in the near term, but we can hope...

Original Show Pub Date: 21.May.2014

CATEGORY:  COOL AND COSMIC — 23.MAY.2014

Awakening to Conscious Co-Creation

The Gene Keys—Unlocking Your Genius — You alone are the architect of your evolution. At this time of world change, the Gene Keys are a new teaching tool designed to enable a quantum leap in consciousness. Unifying astrology, the I Ching, and genetics, the premise of the Gene Keys is that you have an innate higher purpose encoded in your DNA. Concept originator Richard Rudd explains how you can literally reprogram your DNA with a higher vision of yourself.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   57:31

GP comment:  Lots of interesting concepts, thought I'm not sold on the approach.

Original Show Pub Date: 30.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  FINANCIAL, EMPIRE — 22.MAY.2014

Democracy Now

As Credit Suisse Execs Plead Guilty But Avoid Prison, Occupy Protester Gets 3-Month Term — European banking giant Credit Suisse has pleaded guilty to helping American clients avoid paying taxes by concealing assets in illegal, undeclared bank accounts. Credit Suisse will pay about $2.6 billion in penalties but no senior Credit Suisse executives will face jail time. In stark contrast, Occupy Wall Street protester Cecily McMillan has been sentenced to three months in jail and five years of probation. McMillan was arrested in March 2012 in Zuccotti Park and was later convicted of striking an officer with her elbow. McMillan’s case sparked national outcry and pleas for leniency, even from a majority of the jurors who initially found her guilty.
Watch  |  Download/listen   32:14

GP comment:  To paraphrase Leona Helmsley, jail is only for the little people.

Original Show Pub Date: 20.May.2014

CATEGORY:  MEDIA, INTERNET — 22.MAY.2014

Democracy Now

How Media Mega-Mergers and FCC Rollback of Net Neutrality Threaten Democracy — The FCC is preparing to push a proposal that critics say threatens net neutrality—the concept of an open Internet where all traffic is treated equally. The new rules could allow Internet "fast lanes" where companies pay providers for faster access to consumers. That sparked a wave of protest from opponents who say the rules hand too much power to the large corporations who can afford to pay, allowing them to further consolidate their hegemony at the expense of smaller competitors and consumers. Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota comments.
Watch  |  Download/listen   16:27

GP comment:  Like food and water, the internet has become one of the key commodities. Control the internet and you control the information; control the information and you control to populace.

Original Show Pub Date: 20.May.2014

CATEGORY:  SUSTAINABILITY, ENVIRONMENT — 22.MAY.2014

ExtraEnvironmentalist

William Rees: Why Degrowth? — Ecological economist William Rees, author of the "ecological footprint" concept, talks about the numerous limits humans are smacking up against and that may prove to be our undoing. He explains the concept of "degrowth"—the idea that we would intentionally choose a to shrink economic activity to reverse unsustainable trends. From the 2014 De-Growth Vancouver Event, Part 1.
Watch  |  Download/listen   35:43

GP comment:  Politicians will give up their growth meme when we pry it from their cold, dead hands.

Original Show Pub Date: 17.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  SUSTAINABILITY, CLIMATE — 22.MAY.2014

ExtraEnvironmentalist

Jennie Moore: How Degrowth Applies to Vancouver, Canada, and the World — Jennie Moore is the Director of Sustainable Development and Environmental Stewardship at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. She discusses opportunities for we caring humans to do better at reducing our ecological footprint, especially carbon, but also explains why such steps will never be enough in the context of an infinite growth economy. From the 2014 De-Growth Vancouver Event, Part 2.
Watch  |  Download/listen   17:33

GP comment:  She is right that green consumerism will never be enough to solve our environmental problems. Ironically, "enough" is a concept that is antithetical to the infinite growth paradigm.

Original Show Pub Date: 17.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  ENVIRONMENT (MINING) — 21.MAY.2014

Living on Earth

Deep Seabed Mining — Deep-ocean mining may sound futuristic, but a Canadian company recently struck a deal with Papua New Guinea to mine gold and other metals from deep beneath their coastal sea. Greenpeace campaigner Richard Page explains what types of minerals and mining are being targeted and talks about why the project raises concerns about the impact on life in the deep ocean.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   6:30

GP comment:  Where is a killer leviathan when you need one?

Original Show Pub Date: 16.May.2014

CATEGORY:  FOOD — 21.MAY.2014

Diet Science

Canola Oil—A Hidden Source of Trans-Fats — Nutritionist Dee McCaffrey discusses the unfortunate truth about canola oil. The only way to get canola oil out of its source, the rape seed, is to press it using high heat. That destabilizes the oil, makes it go rancid, and produces trans-fats. Manufacturers then use chemical deodorizers to make the product usable. This is a problem even in organic and non-GMO canola.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   7:22

GP comment:  Yikes. Canola was already fairly low on my oil list, but I guess it's gone for good now!

Original Show Pub Date: 21.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  MEDIA, HISTORY — 21.MAY.2014

Democracy Now

William Worthy—The Most Important Journalist You've Never Heard Of — Pioneering journalist William Worthy died in May 2014 at the age of 92. During the height of the Cold War, Worthy defied the US government by reporting from the Soviet Union, Cuba, China, Iran, North Vietnam, and Algeria. As he learned the other side of the story on "how the world really works," Worthy began to see the lies permeating US foreign policy and became more determined than ever to print the truth of current events, no matter the threats from the government.
Watch  |  Download/listen   47:18

GP comment:  Lots of interesting historical references in here.

Original Show Pub Date: 19.May.2014

CATEGORY:  CLIMATE — 21.MAY.2014

Living on Earth

The (So Far) Elusive Dream of Carbon Capture And Storage — Future regulations on carbon dioxide emissions will mean that coal plants must capture and sequester their CO2—or go out of business. Reid Frazier reports that despite years of experiments there is still no cost-effective way to employ carbon capture technology at coal-fired power plants.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   7:55

GP comment:  Injection-style CO2 sequestration is a pipedream. Yes, they have the technology to inject it and cap it. But geology shifts, and stuff comes back up. Ever hear of a volcano or a seep? Carbon capture is a scam designed to keep the coal industry at the table.

Original Show Pub Date: 16.May.2014

CATEGORY:  GARDENING, BIODIVERSITY — 20.MAY.2014

Food Sleuth Radio

The Nation's Largest Edible Landscape — Alan Branhagen, Director of Horticulture at Powell Gardens in Kingsville, MO, talks about the concept of "complementary crops"—adding crops that help reduce pest problems on adjacent plants—and how to choose plants that attract pollinators and predator insects. His project known as the Heartland Harvest Garden has been dubbed the largest edible landscape in America.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   28:15

GP comment:  I should do more of this in my garden!

Original Show Pub Date: 15.May.2014

CATEGORY:  INTERNET, PRIVACY — 20.MAY.2014

On The Media

Free To Forget — Europe's highest court recently ruled that EU citizens have the right to be "forgotten" by Google's search engines. Journalism guru Emily Bell talks about the impact of this decision on freedom of information and internet privacy. Is the right to privacy more important that the right to public information?
Go to page  |  Download/listen   7:27

GP comment:  The solution is relatively simple: If it's a private individual, privacy concerns should trump information desires. If it's a government, a public official, a corporation, etc, then put the high beams on it.

Original Show Pub Date: 16.May.2014

CATEGORY:  ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE — 20.MAY.2014

Moyers and Company

David Suzuki on Corp-Gov Anti-Environmentalism — We live in an upside-down world where the people who would protect the natural systems that sustain us (environmentalists) are openly declared enemies of the state, where corporations fund a big-media propaganda machine dedicated to false statements about global warming and other environmental issues. David Suzuki says the "kill the messenger" strategy is ripped straight from big tobacco's old playbook. While he is concerned that humans are setting themselves up for a fall, he is more optimistic about the chances for "the planet"—it's highly resilient (though we are not).
Watch  |  Download/listen   24:27

GP comment:  Suzuki is clear and cogent, as always.

Original Show Pub Date: 16.May.2014

CATEGORY:  SUSTAINABILITY — 20.MAY.2014

C-Realm Podcast

Recognizing Our Dark Mirror — As preparatory work for the 2014 Age of Limits conference, KMO speaks with Kelly Coyne and Erik Knuteson about their experience at the 2013 Age of Limits conference. Kelly thought that the overly specific predictions of near term human extinction from climate change said more about psyche of the presenter than about the state of the climate. Erik wasn't thrilled with what he called "Kumbaya moments," which came in the form of fabricated grief rituals. ~~ Later, John Michael Greer talks about doom biases and ways to use ritual to good effect in coming to terms with the long decent of industrial civilization.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   59:54

GP comment:  This is a "3" for C-Realm fans, a "2" for everyone else. Too much time is spent in banter about the logistics of the Age of Limits conference.

Original Show Pub Date: 14.May.2014

CATEGORY:  ENVIRONMENT, GLOBALIZATION — 19.MAY.2014

CounterSpin

White House Trade Policies Undermining Clean Energy Goals — Ben Lilliston of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy explains why White House policies promoting energy efficiency and renewables may be good rhetoric, but the broader goals for sustainable energy and a clean environment are undermined by White House trade policies.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   9:30

GP comment:  Follow the money.

Original Show Pub Date: 16.May.2014

CATEGORY:  CORPORATIONS, EMPIRE — 19.MAY.2014

On The Media

Blurred Lines — In Washington, the lines are increasingly blurring between politicians, lobbyists, and the media. Host Bob Garfield meets with a journalist turned lobbyist, the man known as the "doorman to the revolving door," to talk about the industry of DC.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   10:44

GP comment:  It's the corp-gov axis—true fascism.

Original Show Pub Date: 09.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  EMPIRE — 19.MAY.2014

TUC Radio

Reassessing the US-Israel "Special Relationship" - Part 1 - Keynote — The National Summit to Reassess the US-Israel "Special Relationship" was held in March 2014. It was the most high profile, public response and critique to date of AIPAC, Israel's aggressive lobbying group. Harvard professor Stephen Walt gave the keynote address, asserting that AIPAC pressures US politicians into granting Israel the special status but that it's really not in the interest of either country. US politicians and pundits are starting to get bolder about criticizing Israel's inappropriate actions in Palestine and elsewhere, but AIPAC's interest still dominates US policy.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   30:00

GP comment:  Some interesting points here, but Walt makes it sound as if Israel and AIPAC are somehow separate. Be assured, the Zionist cabal in Israel is very happy with AIPAC's results.

Original Show Pub Date: 09.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  ENVIRONMENT, CORPORATIONS — 19.MAY.2014

Political Analysis

Green Slime—The Corporate Attack on Rooftop Solar — Solar industry insider Chuck McCune discusses energy democracy, solar power, and paradigm shifts. Topics include how energy corporations are trying to undermine consumer-installed solar; the true (and shocking) kilowatt-hour cost of nuclear energy; strategies for boosting solar energy.
Download/listen   1:00:00

GP comment:  Dinosaur energy will not die easily. Best we help it in that direction.

Original Show Pub Date: 08.May.2014

CATEGORY:  CORPORATIONS, LABOR ISSUES — 16.MAY.2014

Democracy Now

Walmart and Warehouse Contractor Settle Wage Theft Suit for $21M — More than 1,800 workers in California have settled a major "wage theft" lawsuit against one of Walmart's largest warehouse contractors, agreeing to accept a $21 million payment. The workers had sued Walmart and Schneider Logistics, the partner company that owned and ran the warehouses, alleging that workers were often paid less than minimum wage and were not given legally required breaks or overtime compensation. We hear comments from attorney Theresa Traber, who represented the warehouse workers, and policy analyst Catherine Ruetschlin.
Watch  |  Download/listen   8:58

GP comment:  A pittance compared to Walmart's annual revenues, but it's good to win one once in a while.

Original Show Pub Date: 15.May.2014

CATEGORY:  EMPIRE, FINANCIAL — 16.MAY.2014

Corbett Repot / Finance and Liberty

Is the West is Engineering Its Own Downfall? — James Corbett details the process by which Russia, China, Iran and other so-called “resistance bloc” nations are being driven into each other’s arms by the increasingly aggressive US-led NATO/IMF community. He explains how this is analogous to similar periods from recent history where an enemy was consciously and deliberately created by Western corporate and financial interests in order to justify the further spending in an ever-escalating takeover of global economic and political systems. Corbett also discusses the financial system, the derivatives bubble, and better ways to hold assets.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   44:31

GP comment:  Good overall, but he probably overestimates the riskiness of the US position.

Original Show Pub Date: 13.May.2014

CATEGORY:  ENVIRONMENT, MEDIA — 16.MAY.2014

Between the Lines

Environmental Group Targets NPR for Ditching Coverage of Fracking Issues in Deference to Corporate Sponsors — It's no secret that the interests of corporate sponsors influence what stories get covered, which get ignored, and what point of view the coverage conveys. So it was not surprising that when NPR started accepting corporate sponsorship from the American Natural Gas Alliance, the network's national coverage of the downsides of fracking all but ceased. Drew Hudson of Environmental Action explains why his group targeted NPR.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   6:58

GP comment:  NPR is corporate media, just like the others. In a way, NPR is more of a problem than obvious hacks like Fox and MSNBC—NPR's sins of ommission and misframing are much more subtle, but their stories almost always represent corp-gov interests.

Original Show Pub Date: 02.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  FINANCIAL — 16.MAY.2014

The Real World of Money

Andrew Gause: Massive Inflation Has Begun — Andrew Gause thinks the rise of producer prices and record prices at Christies for artworks both indicate that the banksters' big pile o' money is now being deployed, ushering in an era of "massive inflation." Other topics include ... how the federal government will use Fat Cat (FACTA) legislation and capital controls to shut down tax loopholes and offshore wealth transfers; whether money in the Thrift Savings Account is safe; how the federal debt limit is now a time limit; no significant slowdown in Fed money printing.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   1:00:00

GP comment:  Inflation has been bad for years now. It's reflected not only in higher prices, especially for basic commodities, but also in smaller products for the same price and items that are more cheaply made.

Original Show Pub Date: 14.May.2014

CATEGORY:  EMPIRE, MEDIA — 15.MAY.2014

Progressive Commentary Hour

Russia to US: Nyet Means Nyet — Ray McGovern reviews the history of the last two decades as it pertains to Ukraine and US-Russia politics, pointing out how the US broke its promise not expand NATO eastward after the dissolution of the USSR. Ukraine is a particularly egregious example of US duplicity on this score. McGovern and second guest Peter van Buren both speak to the problem of a captured mainstream media keeping the populace misinformed and on the importance of alternative media. Coleen Rowley talks about the system of sycophancy in US politics and media. Former Marine and spook David MacMichael talks about how US covert operations have been (and are) used for ill purpose.
Download/listen   1:50:00

GP comment:  Rowley think the intelligence agencies suck up to powerful politicians. She's got it backwards.

Original Show Pub Date: 12.May.2014

CATEGORY:  AGRICULTURE, CLIMATE — 15.MAY.2014

NPR

Less Nutritious Grains May Be In Our Future — In the future, Earth's atmosphere is likely to include much more carbon dioxide. Scientists say that some of the world's most important crops will likely contain fewer crucial nutrients when they grow in such an environment.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   2:59

GP comment:  It's sort of the same effect as too much nitrogen fertilizer on your tomato plants—lots of vegetation, not so many tomatoes, and not so tasty. The balance is delicate.

Original Show Pub Date: 08.May.2014

CATEGORY:  GARDENING, CLIMATE — 15.MAY.2014

Living On Earth

Gardening in a Climate-Changed World — From vicious drought to terrible storms, climate change is affecting people throughout the world. But writer Jim Barilla sees that climate change is also being felt in his own urban garden in South Carolina. He explains how climate disruption has changed his gardening practice and offers suggestions on how gardeners can adapt.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   6:10

GP comment:  Including more (southern) varieties—good idea.

Original Show Pub Date: 09.May.2014

CATEGORY:  PEAK OIL, COLLAPSE — 15.MAY.2014

KunstlerCast

Peak Oil, Exponential Math, and Fast Crash — Alice Friedemann worked for 25 years as a systems architect and engineer before dropping out to write full time on a wide variety of contemporary scientific issues bearing on the fate of industrial civilization. Here she discusses the reasons she thinks society is headed for a fast crash based on peaking energy supplies, particularly oil. She cites the math associated with exponential growth—which is poorly understood by the general public—as a main reason we could go quickly from the status quo to an utterly different, collapsed civilization. The problems ahead will include lawlessness, crazy dictators, decaying concrete, roads that become less and less usable, nuclear containment vessels that no longer contain, and scarce food supplies.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   1:00:00

GP comment:  Overall, most of Friedemann's points are apt, though her analysis is weak on a number of points. For instance, she should not blame instability in the electricity grid on alternative energy. After deregulation, energy companies radically underinvested in grid maintenance and upgrades. As usual, the problem lies with corporate and investor greed trumping the public good. In any event, bring on the doom talk!

Original Show Pub Date: 13.May.2014

CATEGORY:  MEDIA — 14.MAY.2014

CounterSpin

'State of Journalism' Survey Results—Ugh! — A journalist survey from the University of Indiana suggests that in the age of Edward Snowden and WikiLeaks, many journalists are nonetheless becoming more reluctant to expose government and corporate secrets. Is this an effect of the US war on journalism and whistleblowers, or just journalistic cluelessness? Journalist David Sirota discusses the results of the survey.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   8:31

GP comment:  In the mainstream media space, investigative journalism is 98% dead. TPTB occasionally allow an important story to run there just to try to maintain the illusion that the MSM is something other than a mechanism of propaganda.

Original Show Pub Date: 09.May.2014

CATEGORY:  PRIVACY, EMPIRE — 14.MAY.2014

Democracy Now

NSA Motto: "Collect it All ... Process It All" — Nearly a year after he first met Edward Snowden, journalist Glenn Greenwald continues to unveil new secrets about the National Security Agency and the surveillance state. Here he reveals new details on how the NSA physically intercepts routers, servers and other computer hardware and modifies them to allow clandestine data collection. Other topics include economic espionage by NSA; the meaningless FISA court; attempts to monitor in-flight internet use and phone calls.
Watch  |  Download/listen   48:37

GP comment:  NSA is determined to monitor our every word. Here's one: ppppttttthhhhbbbb! Anyway, excellent report.

Original Show Pub Date: 13.May.2014

CATEGORY:  FOOD, CHEMICALS — 14.MAY.2014

Living on Earth

Guide to Pesticide Residues on Produce — The Environmental Working Group has released its annual "dirty dozen" list of the twelve fruits and vegetables most contaminated with pesticide residues. This clip lists many of the top 12 and reminds us that extra washing of non-organic produce is not a solution.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   5:40

GP comment:  PROCESSED organic foods are quite expensive. But the extra cost to get fresh organic veggies and fruits and other basic commodities is not huge—and is well worth it.

Original Show Pub Date: 09.May.2014

CATEGORY:  FINANCIAL — 14.MAY.2014

The Keiser Report

The Speculation Game — Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert discuss the warning from legendary stock market speculator Jesse Livermore that speculation is "not a game for the stupid, the mentally lazy, the person of inferior emotional balance, or the get-rich-quick adventurer. They will die poor." And, yet, has speculation become the economic model for a nation of stupid and mentally lazy speculator-taxpayers? ~~ In the second half, Max interviews Steve Keen. Topics include housing bubbles, surprising honesty from the Bank of England, falling wages, and why Mom 'n' Pop investors are always wrong.
Watch  |  Download/listen   25:45

GP comment:  Amazing that a new housing bubble is being blown, and even more amazing that people are buying into it less than a decade after the epic crash of the last one.

Original Show Pub Date: 10.May.2014

CATEGORY:  COOL AND COSMIC — 10.MAY.2014

C-Realm Podcast

Learning Charm — Personality is a key ingredient in success, whether it's in the workplace or in relationships with significant others. Jordan Harbinger explains how charisma, confidence, and persuasive abilities can improve with coaching, study, and practice, and how failure to correct personality problems like ego or negativity can trap you in circumstances you inappropriately blame on other factors. He also discusses personality traits and social engineering as part of exploitation, scams, and organizational security problems. ~~ KMO then plays a clip of Nicole Foss talking about good post-collapse skills, and he reflects on some of the tenets of the classic book How to Win Friends and Influence People.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   1:00:00

GP comment:  All of Harbinger's points are good ones, but it's ironic that a guy who coaches on the art of personal interaction is not particularly pleasant to listen to.

Original Show Pub Date: 07.May.2014

CATEGORY:  COLLAPSE — 10.MAY.2014

Radio EcoShock

Richard Heinberg: Waiting for the Crash — Richard Heinberg speculates on why the zombie economy is still walking about, despite its rotten parts. Topics include .... how the fracking boom in the US has delayed the arrival of economy-killing energy prices (but it can't keep that up much longer); the energy ramifications of the US-Russia wrangling over Ukraine; backyard gardening as a core part of the solution basket; the insanity of 'more road projects'.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   31:00

GP comment:  Urrgghhhh... Zombie economy... hungry... must have more humans ....

Original Show Pub Date: 07.May.2014

CATEGORY:  MUSIC — 10.MAY.2014

Fresh Air

The Animals—The British Invasion That Wasn't — Largely ignored today, the rough-and-tumble '60s band The Animals gets reassessed in a new box set titled The Mickie Most Years & More. This clip talks about the early years of The Animals and plays sections of some of the hits from that era, including "House of the Rising Sun"; "We Gotta Get Out of This Place"; and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood".
Go to page  |  Download/listen   8:50

GP comment:  A nice if too-brief summary of the early years.

Original Show Pub Date: 01.May.2014

CATEGORY:  EMPIRE — 10.MAY.2014

A Woman's Perspective

US Laws and Practices, Post-9/11 — Laura Pitter of Human Rights Watch discusses US laws and practices since 9/11 and how public opinion has perceived and influenced these changes. Topics include Guantanamo, torture, mass surveillance, and Snowden.
Download/listen   55:55

GP comment:  Unfortunately, most Americans—or at least those who even think about the subject—seem to have bought into the idea that even though indefinite detention is unpalatable, it's for the best. That's a cowardly position that is totally inconsistent with our founding concepts.

Original Show Pub Date: 03.May.2014

CATEGORY:  HISTORY — 09.MAY.2014

The Real World of Money

One Hundred Years of Fascism, Banksters, and Spooks — Currency historian Andrew Gause talks about a variety of events in history. Topics include a brief history of banking crises and central banking in the early 1900s; how the US installed people and systems favorable to their interest in conquered Germany and Japan in the post-WWII era; how James Madison's farming operation was made possible by banksters; why Herbert Hoover called the New Deal a precursor to fascism; the significance of Operation Northwoods to the overall pattern of using false flags to get the public onboard with desired military engagements; the CIA-sanctioned activities during the Reagan era of an operative named Leo Emil Wanta, who undertook to destabilize the Russian ruble. Gause also comments on the consolidation of media—only three major players now own the majority of TV, radio, newspaper, and publishing outlets, making it very easy to coordinate central memes.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   1:05:33

GP comment:  Do not adjust your set. They control the vertical, the horizontal...

Original Show Pub Date: 07.May.2014

CATEGORY:  ENVIRONMENT — 09.MAY.2014

Radio EcoShock

Kevin Danaher on the Green Future — Kevin Danaher says people often react to the proposal of good grand projects with the attitude, "sure, that will be great for the future." But "the future is now" in terms of implementing projects that will correct current problems and pay dividends for the era of our grandchildren. He talks about this year's green festival and green goals in general.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   21:00

GP comment:  Danaher's pitch is appropriate and enthusiastic. But if I have to pick between people being greener consumers and people knocking the wheels off the bankster-industrial complex, I'll take the latter. If you pay for your green purchases with bankster credit cards, what's the point?

Original Show Pub Date: 07.May.2014

CATEGORY:  GARDENING — 09.MAY.2014

You Bet Your Garden

Cool-Climate Gardening; Goats & Sheep for Weeds; Tomatoes When Space is Limited; more — Mike McGrath's topics this time include ... adding a high tunnel to support summer crops in a cool, sun-deprived climate; using goats or sheep to control weeds; strategies for planting tomatoes when space is limited; keeping cats out of an urban garden; making spring compost when fall leaves are unavailable.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   52:56

GP comment:  All good, but we've heard a lot of these same questions and answers before. And you CAN use hay as mulch, but you have to keep the mulch thick enough that the hay seeds won't be able to sprout. That said, if you can afford it, straw is better.

Original Show Pub Date: 03.May.2014

CATEGORY:  EMPIRE — 09.MAY.2014

Gary Null Show

Celente: Back to 'No Foreign Entanglements' — Trends forecaster Gerald Celente's topics this time include the Facebook bubble; the crushing debt of the millennial generation; China vs. the US Asia Pivot and AFRICOM in Nigeria; why the Democrats' faux populist credentials make the perfect cover for their servitude to the multinationals; why we need a policy of no foreign entanglements as part of a plan to rebuild the United States.
Download/listen   15:18

GP comment:  Foreign entanglements are a chronic part of empire. So what he's really saying is, stop being an empire!

Original Show Pub Date: 08.May.2014

CATEGORY:  EMPIRE — 08.MAY.2014

Unwelcome Guests

The US Deep State, 1981-2001 — In part 3 of the series, we hear about the operations of the "deep state" since the Reagan era. Topics include the Reagan assassination attempt as a failed coup d'etat; George H. W. Bush as the mastermind of "the enterprise," a multifaceted deep-state rogue operation; how Bill Clinton's mild attempts at balanced policy were undermined by TPTB's exploitation of his inappropriate personal behavior; the Oklahoma City bombing as a deep state operation; Noam Chomsky's clueless rhetoric on 9/11 as (not possibly being) an inside job; the "Alec Station" and the CIA's "Bin Laden Unit"; the attempt to cover up the paper trail revealing who was responsible for the complex series of interventions needed to bring 9/11 to pass.
Go to page A  |  Download/listen A   1:00:00
Go to page B  |  Download/listen B   1:00:00

GP comment:  Lots of good tidbits in here, though as a whole it was less compelling and cohesive that parts 1 or 2.

Original Show Pub Date: 03.May.2014

CATEGORY:  SPECIES — 08.MAY.2014

The Colbert Report

E.O. Wilson on Ants, Dominion, Biodiversity, and Extinction — Stephen Colbert thumps his Bible and—true to his funny, faux right-wing character—asks E.O. Wilson to explain why man's dominion over the beasts should not be paramount, even if it means extinction. Tut, tut, explains Wilson; in the end, the ants win.
Watch  |  Download/listen   6:02

GP comment:  Mildly amusing. Wilson is a class act.

Original Show Pub Date: 05.May.2014

CATEGORY:  EMPIRE — 08.MAY.2014

Electric Politics

The Constitution—Caught Between Rhetoric and Reality — Meta-discussions about the US Constitution can be problematic. It seems that the rhetorical values we use in talking about the Constitution are almost perfectly contradicted by the rules laid out in the document itself, or rules we have subsequently dreamt up and improperly ascribed to it. Constitutional law scholar Robert L. Tsai offers historical insight into this revered document and whether it should—or can—be changed via a constitutional convention.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   44:06

GP comment:  It MUST be changed to forbid corporate personhood, corporate rights, and any form of money = free speech. Otherwise, plutocracy will rule.

Original Show Pub Date: 11.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  FINANCIAL — 07.MAY.2014

C-Realm Podcast

Beating the Bounds (of the Commons) — KMO welcomes David Bollier to the C-Realm to discus the themes in his book, Think Like a Commoner: A Short Introduction to the Life of the Commons. They review the standard misrepresentation of Garret Hardin’s so-called "Tragedy of the Commons." Mainstream economists routinely say that Hardin proved it's impossible for people to self-manage a shared resource, but Hardin's message was actually the opposite. This chronic mis-memering by academic economists is just them trying to validate their own core preconceptions by projecting them onto the world. Bollier also discusses examples of "enclosure of the commons," such as the patenting of the human genome as corporate intellectual property. Finally, he reviews the reasons why local, integrated, cooperative efforts should, at least in theory, be much more appealing to the masses that assimilation into the predatory-capitalism machine.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   59:01

GP comment:  Yes, IN THEORY, local self-determinism should be what people are hungry to do. But the pull of the elites' infinite growth/money paradigm is very, very strong. Avert your eyes!

Original Show Pub Date: 31.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  ENVIRONMENT (POLLUTION) — 07.MAY.2014

Living on Earth

State of the Air 2014 — This year's State of the Air report from the American Lung Association shows a growing ground-level ozone problem. But the recent Supreme Court decision on interstate air pollution has clean-air advocates smiling. ~~ In a related story, Houston, Texas is home to the largest chemical hub in the Americas and is one of the smoggiest cities in the US. The city is working to clean up its air, but it still has a long way to go.
Go to page A  |  Download/listen A   6:07
Go to page B  |  Download/listen B   5:00

GP comment:  No surprise that the petrochemical industry would be a cause of air pollution in that area.

Original Show Pub Date: 02.May.2014

CATEGORY:  GMOs — 07.MAY.2014

Diet Science

Hail Vermont! ... the First State to Require GMO Labeling — California and Washington voters failed to approve GMO labeling laws in their states. Several Northeast states passed laws that only kick in if a sufficient number of other states pass similar laws—that is, they want strength in numbers when they get sued by the GMO lobby. But now the Vermont legislature has struck a blow for food freedom—it has passed a GMO labeling law. The governor has said he will sign the bill. Dee McCaffrey talks about the victory and the reasons we should not be eating GMO food.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   7:06

GP comment:  Gentlemen, start your lawyers! Hopefully, Monsanto and their ilk will ultimately be beaten into submission with sticks and stones and sensible legal decisions.

Original Show Pub Date: 05.Mar.2014

CATEGORY:  FINANCIAL — 06.MAY.2014

ExtraEnvironmentalist

Locally Invested — As trust is lost in the global financial system and its intermediaries, surplus investment capital seems stranded in ever more risky international asset flows. Are there ways of re-routing investments towards local processes that rebuild communities and food systems? Michael Shuman talks about ways to invest locally, with the potential for better returns on capital and improved community cohesion. He also discusses the emerging revolution in crowdfunding. Then, Carol Peppe Hewitt explains how she fostered a slow money revolution in her North Carolina community, helping put creative but cash-strapped people to work and bolstering the local foodshed.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   2:08:00

GP comment:  Given my axiom that all investing is a parasitic activity, I really wanted to dislike this episode. But I have to admit that the core ideas here are very good, and the concept of local investment exchanges is way, way better than what we get with Wall Street. If nothing else, local investing is a good stepping stone to a world where capital is one day stripped of its underserved power.

Original Show Pub Date: 29.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  EMPIRE, MEDIA — 06.MAY.2014

Meria Heller Show

Operation Hollywood — When a filmmaker wants the cooperation of the US military in making a new movie, the military is more than happy to provide equipment and other goodies that would not otherwise be available. Of course, there is a price—the filmmaker must agree to delete any scene that is unacceptable to the military, typically because it shows the military or a soldier in unfavorable light or raises troubling questions about US policy. David Robb talks about some of the movies that have been affected by this suppression, including Thirteen Days, The Great Santini, Heartbreak Ridge, Forrest Gump, Good Morning Vietnam, Stripes, and Independence Day.
Download/listen   58:04

GP comment:  The important takeaway here is that any time you watch TV or movies, you need to be aware that the rightness of the ruling power structure is usually reinforced, even if subtly. We viewers even imprint our own "goodness bias" onto media—we always want characters to behave according to idealized values, and we want to believe that what we're seeing and hearing is true, that we are not being deceived.

Original Show Pub Date: 27.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  FUN — 06.MAY.2014

Fresh Air

Hari Kondabolu—The Accidental Comic — It might seem that comic Hari Kondabolu risks alienating his audience by constantly taking on topics like the "understanding gap" between whites and minorities and the oddities of colonialism. But risks have always been fine with him. He never intended to be a comic—his primary job was working as an immigrant-rights organizer. So he was surprised—and pleased—when his standup career took off.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   46:02

GP comment:  Yep, funny man.

Original Show Pub Date: 21.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  NUTRITION — 06.MAY.2014

Diet Science

Don't Fear the Saturated Fat — A new meta-study finds that there is insufficient evidence to recommend consumption of saturated fat only in moderate amounts. Simultaneous consumption of simple carbs with saturated fats is, however, something to be avoided.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   6:51

GP comment:  The artery-clogging reputation of saturated fats is undeserved. Rancidity is much more of a problem, and saturated fats are very resistant to going rancid. That said, with all that delicious saturated fat, eat your vegetables!

Original Show Pub Date: 07.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  EMPIRE — 05.MAY.2014

The Keiser Report

Blood for Oil — Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert discuss the $1 trillion "humanitarian budget" that supports the ostensible role of the US as a muscle-bound global good guy. Of course, the reality is that the US is a global economic colonialist, with Roman-like bases throughout the empire to enforce the continued financial harvest via the petro-dollar as the global reserve currency. Other topics include, China is about to overtake the US as the world's #1 economy based on purchasing power. ~~ In the second half, Max interviews Nafeez Ahmed about Tony "Blood for Oil" Blair. These days, Blair is saying that his new vision for the Middle East is for the UK to stay engaged because the ME has oil. This is a complete reversal from the Gulf War days, when Prime Minister Blair said the war in Iraq was in no way about oil.
Watch  |  Download/listen   25:36

GP comment:  For the elites, it's all about money and energy, and the geopolitical strategy to maximize them. Everything else is just distractions.

Original Show Pub Date: 03.May.2014

CATEGORY:  ENVIRONMENT (POLLUTION) — 05.MAY.2014

NPR

Farmers And Frackers Wrangle For Water In Shadow Of California Drought — California's drought has developed an interesting relationship between farmers and oilers: California oil wells produce more water than oil, and Chevron filters that water and sells it to a local water district. Interest in the technology is growing in the Central Valley, but high costs and uneasy relations between oil and agriculture might get in the way.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   4:58

GP comment:  Yeay! The oil and gas industry saves the day! OK, seriously, it would be good to use "excess water" from petroleum pumping operations IF it's properly cleaned up. But are they willing to spend the bucks needed to properly clean it? Or will they "sort of clean it" and let the subtle contamination just end up part of what grows your food? Always bet on the answer that is the most profitable one.

Original Show Pub Date: 29.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  ENVIRONMENT (POLLUTION) — 05.MAY.2014

NPR

Supreme Court Ruling Affirms Law Regulating Out-Of-State Pollution — The Supreme Court has upheld an EPA air pollution rule that reins in pollution from power plant smoke stacks when that pollution fouls the air in downwind states. Clean-air advocates say the rule finally addresses a disconnect between the science of air pollution and the laws intended to clean it up.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   2:41

GP comment:  A rare but very welcome true victory on the environmental front. Let's hope the power companies decide to comply rather than dragging their feet (and knuckles) for the next decade.

Original Show Pub Date: 29.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  FOOD, CHEMICALS — 05.MAY.2014

Living on Earth

Pesticide Residues Found to Contaminate GM Soy — A recent study found “extreme levels” of the chemical pesticide glyphosate in genetically modified soybeans grown in the US. Glyphosate, which is the typical herbicide farmers use with GM crops, has been linked to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and birth defects. The study also found samples of organic soybeans and non-GMO soybeans to be free of glyphosate residue. ~~ Also in this clip, a new law in Vermont will require labeling of genetically modified foods starting in 2016.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   6:44

GP comment:  Buy organic or make sure the label specifies non-GMO soybeans.

Original Show Pub Date: 02.May.2014

CATEGORY:  FOOD — 05.MAY.2014

Diet Science

A Processed-Free Diet—Good for Your Brain! — A new study finds that processed foods and certain other foods—including industrial-milk products, salted fish, eggs, sausages, sugary drinks, candy and desserts—increase incidence of dementia and certain other diseases. Conversely, the protective/helpful foods include vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish; broccoli, kale, beets, red pepper, and other dark-skinned veggies; and blueberries, cherries, prunes, and raisins.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   4:44

GP comment:  It takes time to obtain and prepare fresh food, but the investment in time now will pay back in years added to your life.

Original Show Pub Date: 28.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE — 04.MAY.2014

Sea Change Radio

Richard Heinberg on the Anthropocene — Richard Heinberg discusses the era of the anthropocene, the geological epoch during which the enduring central feature will be human-driven changes to the environment. Climate change is not the only characteristic within this concept, but it is likely to be the dominant one. Heinberg distinguishes between "lean, green" solutions (typified by permaculture) and "techno" solutions (typified by genetic engineering, geoengineering, etc.). The first group is hampered by the fact that human desire is at odds with the goals; the second group is likely to prove unsustainable. In the end, Heinberg thinks the interdependence of species—the web of life—will prove to be something that we break at our peril.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   30:00

GP comment:  Heinberg also aptly observes that the techno-optimists are missing a key point—it's not all about us (humans).

Original Show Pub Date: 22.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  HISTORY — 04.MAY.2014

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History

Blueprint for Armageddon III — World War I was supposed to be a war of maneuvering, and it was supposed to be over quickly. Instead turns into a lingering bloody stalemate. Trench warfare begins, and with it, all the murderous efforts on both sides to overcome the static defenses. Subtopics here include changing battle plans, high casualty rates, the first use of poison gas in the war, and shell shock.
Download/listen   3:54:08

GP comment:  War is hell—almost literally.

Original Show Pub Date: 24.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  MUSIC — 04.MAY.2014

A Bowl of Soul

Satisfied by Agent 00 Soul — This set is R&B and soul. Top tracks are ... "The Girl Can't Help It" by Little Richard // "Agent 00 Soul" by Edwin Starr // "Young Americans" by David Bowie // "You Brought the Joy" by Freda Payne // "Satisfied" by Little Milton.
Download/listen   59:15

GP comment:  With the exception of "Young Americans," the listed tracks all occur in the first half. The rest is skippable.

Original Show Pub Date: 25.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT (CHEMICALS) — 02.MAY.2014

Living on Earth

Flea Collar Chemical Banned To Protect Toddlers — The EPA has banned certain flea and tick collars for cats and dogs because young children touching their pets can get exposures to unhealthful amounts of pesticides. The move came in response to lawsuits filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council. NRDC Senior Scientist Miriam Rotkin-Ellman explains which collars are the problem and says there are safer alternatives.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   5:54

GP comment:  Any form of pesticide in the home should be avoided. That includes antibacterial soap!

Original Show Pub Date: 25.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  HISTORY — 02.MAY.2014

Against the Grain

Thomas Paine and the Commons — Peter Linebaugh, best known for tracing of the history of the commons and of commoning practices, calls Thomas Paine 'a planetary revolutionary.' He has found in Paine's lesser-known works radical critiques of inequality and authoritarianism and even the system of money wages. Many lessons for our time, Linebaugh argues, can be drawn from Paine's writings and his extraordinary life. Linebaugh is author of Stop, Thief! -- The Commons, Enclosures, and Resistance.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   54:42

GP comment:  Paine's finding balance between working with empire to survive while simultaneously fighting against it is interesting.

Original Show Pub Date: 31.Mar.2014

CATEGORY:  COOL AND COSMIC — 02.MAY.2014

Awakening to Conscious Co-Creation

The Love Revolution—Our Road to Sovereignty — In order for humanity to truly claim its sovereignty from the suppressive patriarchal matrix, we must first understand the tiers of freedom that have been taken from us. Then we must examine the disease in our cultures that cause us to behave in ways that perpetuate our own suffering. Our movement of awakening requires us to start within and take responsibility for the ways we unconsciously give away our freedom and power to the machine of the dark matrix. Then we need to reclaim our capacity to love. Open our hearts and minds to receive the healing of self-trust, self-love, love of source and let the clarity pour in. We can then reach inner peace and reclaim the dignity of our own soul sovereignty. Guests: Kelly La Sha and Perry Mills.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   54:33

GP comment:  The description above is verbatim from the AtCCC web site. Sounds pretty cool. Unfortunately, while there was plenty of cosmic, there was not much cogent.

Original Show Pub Date: 23.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  HEALTH — 01.MAY.2014

What Women Must Know

Epigenetics—Alter Your Genes, Create a Better You — The bulk of our genetic encoding is not imparted to us at birth but rather is created on-the-fly as we react to our life taking place. Dawson Church explains the science behind epigenetics, with a focus on the role stress and other emotional disturbances have on our health and genetics. He also shares how to apply "EFT," a self-help technique that can alter your gene expression and reset your health.
Download/listen   54:34

GP comment:  Our thoughts definitely have a lot to do with out health. Genes are, at the most basic level, biochemistry; so it's no surprise that they can be influenced by things (such as stress) that affect our biochemistry.

Original Show Pub Date: 22.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  MEDIA, FINANCIAL — 01.MAY.2014

The Keiser Report

Behind the 'CNN Curtain' — Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert discuss living behind the 'CNN Curtain,' where the dollar is still mighty and America has just landed on the moon; that is, a fairytale land that utterly misrepresents America's status in the world. Meanwhile, inside the CNN Curtain, the American worker is earning less than their counterparts around the world. Max and Stacy also discuss the "wealth begets wealth" theory—perhaps it's more that wealth protects itself. ~~ In the second half, Max interviews Chris Cook about a alternative exchange methods, compound interest, obsolescent central banks, fracking, and Russia as King of Gas.
Watch  |  Download/listen   25:41

GP comment:  It's not just CNN, it's the whole mainstream media landscape, from Faux News all the way to iNane-P-R.

Original Show Pub Date: 29.Apr.2014

CATEGORY:  GARDENING — 01.MAY.2014

You Bet Your Garden

Weeds, Voles, Grapes, Bulbs, Tomato Varieties — Mike McGrath's topics this time include ... starving weeds out; keeping dandelions out of your sidewalk or craggy driveway without chemicals; grape basics; bulb tips; and how to get rid of voles in your lawn and garden. Guest Chelsea Fields, vegetable product manager at Burpee Seed Company, discusses considerations for choosing tomato varieties.
Go to page  |  Download/listen   52:58

GP comment:  A flameweeder will indeed work on the sidewalk dandelion problem, but I've found that spraying with vinegar on a couple sunny days in a row works more efficiently. This is for driveways and walkways only—the vinegar will kill things you like, too.

Original Show Pub Date: 26.Apr.2014

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