Dusting off the blogging boots

I think... stay tuned.

Eco Radio 29 July - Peace Convergence arrests and the Campaign against Uranium Expansion

Eco Radio proudly flew the anti-war, anti-nuclear flag this week. We spoke with long time anti-war activist Ciaron O'Reilly about the protest actions and arrests at this year's Peace Convergence at Shoalwater Bay in Central Queensland.

The audio is online at Radio 4 All and Rad Radio's own Ili Tulloch has a story in Rockhampton's Morning Bulletin here.

We then heard a clip from Dr Helen Caldicott's If You Love This Planet, featuring Lawrence Wittner, Professor of History at the State University of New York/Albany. Prof. Wittner is an award-winning American historian who has written extensively on peace movements and foreign policy. He is the author of seven books, including his most recent: Confronting the Bomb: A Short History of the World Nuclear Disarmament Movement, published by Stanford University Press. He also wrote an earlier trilogy of books Toward Nuclear Abolition: The Struggle Against The Bomb upon which Confronting the Bomb is based.

We heard Wittner’s evaluation of the global movement for disarmament, and an analysis of the pathology of war and weapons.

Finally, we checked in with Steve Holdsworth from Friends of the Earth about the campaign against the expansion of the Olympic Dam uranium mine in South Australia. Time is ticking for submissions to the Environmental Impact Statement, so get it together and follow FoE's lead by making a submission here.























Music
Joy Division – Transmission
The Clash – Hate and War
The Drones – River of Tears
The Coup – 5 Million Ways to Kill a CEO
Elton Britt – Uranium Fever
Trillion Ft. Pataphysics and Project nRt – Say No to the Vaccine (censored by YouTube)
Scul Hazzards – Slaughtered Pigs

Eco Radio 17 June 2009 - ASEN, SoS and Northey Street

This week Kristy Walters from the Australian Students' Environment Network paid us a visit to tell us about what ASEN does, their plans for this year's Students of Sustainability conference and this Saturday's Cocktail Affair, which will help raise money to get Queensland's finest environment activists down to chilly old Melburn for SoS.

The Cocktail Affair is taking place at Kurilpa Hall in West End, this Saturday the 20th of June from 6:30pm. Be there or be square fools. Kristy also worded us up about the climate justice forum taking place this Friday at the Brisbane Square Library form 6:30, which will look at the human considerations of a post-Kyoto climate change solution. Details below.

Or you might like to get along to Northey Street City Farm's annual Solstice celebration. Rossco called in for a yarn about what to expect – lots of fire, food, good tunes and happy people. The Northey St mob are still in the process of mopping up after their second flood this year, so anyone who wants to go and help get one of Brisbane's finest community institutions looking pretty again would be much appreciated!

Eco Radio's roving reporter Eliza then gave us the people's view of last week's Climate Emergency Rally.

We also heard from Peak Oil Check-in, a program out of Vermont in the USA. This week the show was looking at the impact Peak Oil will have on the spread of pandemic diseases, much like swine flu.

Then Mumia gave us the lowdown on the spectacular collapse of one of the planet's greatest environmental vandals, General Motors.

Climate change: a global issue. How good is the global solution?

This first evening in a series of climate justice events will focus on the international UN climate talks, in the lead-up to Copenhagen in December 2009.

Friday 19 June, 6.30-8pm
Community Meeting Room, Ground Level, Brisbane Square Library (corner Adelaide and George Streets, City)
Please RSVP to Nicole Rankin by Tuesday 16 June
Email climatejusticebrisbane@gmail.com or mobile 0431 942 807

Speakers and discussion will explore problems with the climate negotiation process, and give a snapshot of thow those problems can be solved. Learn about how the climate negotiations impact on local people's struggle for justice and explore strategies for creating global climate justice through local solutions.

A facilitated discussion on how we can build the climate justice movement in Australia will conclude the evening.

Music

No Time – The Saints
Earth Died Screaming – Tom Waits
Mountain Song – Jane’s Addiction
Dancehall Girl – Salmonella Dub
Carnival – Chocolate Strings
Free Mumia – KRS One
Don’t Take a Knife to the Graveyard – Ouch My Face

Eco Radio 10 June 2009 - National Climate Emergency Rally and the Radtour

This week on Eco Radio we spoke with Ewan Saunders, one of the organisers of the National Climate Emergency Rally in Brisbane. The rally has united a coalition of different activist groups and is hoping to pressure state and federal governments in to actually doing something about climate change and our transition to a post-carbon future. The audio can be heard here.

Eliza then gave us the lowdown on last week's World Environment Day protests, organised by the Six Degrees crew who will also be out in force for this week's rally.

We also had a report back from Kasey Sparks, who was recently part of Friends of the Earth's Radioactive Exposure Tour. The Radtour takes in such abominations as the Maralinga test site and Ranger uranium mine. Here's a fun fact: Australia's cheese exports are actually a bigger contributor to our economy than the current revenue stream generated by the nuclear industry! Sorry vegans, this is proof that we should all eat cheese and leave the poison in the ground. Yep.

The interview with Kasey is on Radio4All!

Music

The Pledge (DJ Spooky Ill Bootleg mp3 remix) – Saul Williams
Anarchy Burger (Hold the Government) – The Vandals
Up to No Good – Rancid
Dontcha Hear Me - Lazy Grey
The Raft – Fat Freddy's Drop (during the community notices)
Leaky Lifeboat – Sonic Youth

Eco Radio 03 June 2009 - Greenwashing and CSR

Eco Radio this week spoke with independent researcher Michael Barker Michael Barker about evil corporations' use of Corporate Social Responsibility to manage their often problem problematic public images. Rather than change their behaviours toward workers and the environment, they pour millions into shallow PR to 'green' their image. If you missed it you can hear it here.

We also had a visit from Ellie Smith at Reverse Garbage to tell us about their events schedule for June and July, including this Friday at Green(wash)fest.

Music
Search and Destroy – The Stooges
Police and Thieves – Junior Murvin
We Want Your Soul – Freeland
War – Bob Marley
Your Children Aren’t Special – Bill Hicks
It's not Scotch, It's Whisky – Dick Nasty (playing at Brain Banana this Sunday at the Jube!

Eco Radio 20 May 2009 - CRAGs

This week on Eco Radio we had a visit from Omar Ameer from the North Brisbane Carbon Reduction Action Group. Omar told us about a group of awesome Brisvegans who are doing their bit to slow down the seemingly inevitable clusterfuck that is climate change. For the uninitiated, a Carbon Reduction Action Group or CRAG is an organisation of peeps taking climatic matters into their own hands, basically due to their frustration with our shitty governments and 'captains of industry' doing sweet FA. With an undertaking to reduce their carbon emissions – mainly by reducing their electricity consumption and travel patterns – CRAG members set about the business of fixing shit up before it's too late. Word.

Meanwhile the schmucks in Canberra, Washington, Geneva and probably Copenhagen grease the wheels of the capitalist death machine with a softly softly approach to the climate criminals. Go figure.

For more info about CRAGs in general a great resource is http://www.carbonequity.info/. For info about the North Brisbane CRAG hit up the link above, email NB.CRAG[at]gmail[dot]com or call Omar on 0413 664 369. They're having their next meeting on the 15th of June in Red Hill, so get on ya bike or PT and get involved. We'll hear from the North Brisbane CRAG later in the year when they do a bit of a stocktake on their carbon reduction efforts to see how things are working out.

We also heard some mutherf*ckin radness from the Stimulator and the latest edition of ITEOTWAWKIAIFF, and another of Mumia Abu Jamal's pearls of wisdom from death row.

Don't forget the Peace Convergence too!

Music
Gang of Four – Capital
Barons of Tang – Tango for Billy
The Slits – Typical Girls
Mexico City – Ghetto
Fireballs – Depression Manic
Chris Macro presents: King Tubby vs Wu Tang Clan – Money Rules Everything Around Me

Radio Democracy 24/12/08

Yes. The Rhythm, the Rebel...

Radio Democracy was very excited to speak to Brian 'Mr Hardgroove' Hargrove, bass player, band manager, and with Chuck D, co-writer from seminal NY hip-hop crew Public Enemy.

We spoke about 20 years of Public Enemy tours, the state of hip hop today, US politics and the future for the Enemy.

Without further ado... the interview!

Public Enemy are playing a series of dates around the country in the first week of January. Yeah boyee!

We also heard more from Radio Ecoshock out of Vancouver, Canada and a speech given by Gwynne Dyer. See last week for details.

Music
Bring the Noise - Public Enemy
I Don't Wanna be Called Yo Niga - Public Enemy
Fight the Power - Public Enemy
Politician - Kora
Gigantic - Pixies