3/29/2008 Community Gumbo

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Democracy Now

• Listen | Anti-Epileptics, Sex Hormones, Mood Stabilizers, Antibiotics Among Pharmaceuticals in US Water Supply (3/24/08)

An exhaustive five-month investigation by Associated Press has found the drinking water in at least twenty-four major American cities across the country contains trace amounts of a wide array of pharmaceuticals. Amy Goodman speaks with Associated Press national writer, Jeff Donn.

• Listen | A Century in Iraq, Replacing UN with “League of Democracies,” Rogue State Rollback? A Look at John McCain’s Foreign Policy Vision (3/26/08)

Amy Goodman talks to investigative reporter Robert Dreyfuss about Senator John McCain’s vision for foreign policy. “McCain is drawing up plans for a new set of global institutions,” Dreyfuss writes, “from a potent covert operations unit to a ‘League of Democracies’ that can bypass the balky United Nations, from an expanded NATO that will bump up against Russian interests in Central Asia and the Caucasus to a revived US unilateralism that will engage in ‘rogue state rollback’ against his version of the ‘axis of evil.’ In all, it’s a new apparatus designed to carry the ‘war on terror’ deep into the twenty-first century.”

Listen | Climate Change: In the Community & the Courtroom

Tulane Law School's 13th Annual Environmental Conference on Law, Science & the Public Interest (April 4 & 5). Conference organizer Dante DiPasquale, and Mary Kathryn.

3/22/2008 Community Gumbo

Democracy Now

• Listen | Fed Bailout of Bear Stearns First of its Kind Since Great Depression (3/20/08)

  The Fed has become the lender of last resort for other investment banks in a move that marks one of the broadest expansions of the Fed’s lending authority since the 1930s.

• Listen | Censoring Science: Inside the Political Attack on Dr. James Hansen and the Truth of Global Warming (3/21/08)

  For the past twenty-five years, he has headed NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Just over a year ago, Dr. Hansen went public with a charge that made headlines around the world—that the Bush administration had been trying to silence his warnings about the urgent need to address climate change.

Former President Bill Clinton Inspires Student Volunteers in New Orleans to Solve Global Problems

• Listen | Former President Bill Clinton, CGIU closing (excerpted)
• Listen | Jennifer Landix, Lower Ninth Ward resident
• Listen | Rebecca Otten, Tulane University student
• Listen | Darryl Malek Wiley, New Orleans Sierra Club & Victor Amoo, Historic Green

Related:

Historic Green

Delta Chapter of the Sierra Club

Make It Right Foundation

Clinton Global Initiative

Clinton Global Initiative University Meeting 2008 Coverage hosted by KaiserNetwork.org

Ryan Rivet, "Clinton Targets Change Around the World or Around the Corner," New Wave, 3/17/08.

John Pope, "Clinton rallies students to improve world," The Times-Picayune, 3/16/08.

Joseph R. Schwartz, "Family finds reasons to stay in Lower Ninth," The Daily Tarheel, 8/30/07.

David MacCauley, "Dwell Visits Historic Green," Historic Green podcast, 3/15/08.

Gordon Soderberg, "Ms. Leblanc talks about the Lower Ninth Ward," New Orleans Voices for Peace (vcast), 8/24/07.

Tom Valtin, "'Historic Green' Event Helps Rebuild Lower Ninth Ward," Sierra Club Grassroots Bulletin, 3/10/08.

Music Played:

Benny Goodman, "Blue Skies"

Benny Goodman, "Basin Street Blues"

3/15/2008 Community Gumbo

Listen | Democracy Now (3/14/08)

• Headlines for March 14, 2008
• Winter Soldier: Hundreds of Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan Gather to Testify in Echo of 1971 Vietnam Hearings
• House Holds Rare Secret Session on Spy Bill

Listen | Anne Rolfes: Louisiana Bucket Brigade

The Louisiana Bucket Brigade is a 501(c)(3) environmental health and justice organization working with communities that neighbor the state's oil refineries and chemical plants, empowering citizens to take air samples in the fight to reduce pollution and protect public health. Anne Rolfes is the Louisiana Bucket Brigade's founder, and program director.

Related:

Louisiana Bucket Brigade
5th Annual Crawfish Boil
Saturday March 22, 2008 1-5 PM
Palmer Park at the corner of Carrollton & Claiborne
Buy your tickets now

Testimonials of people who live next to the Exxon Mobil Refinery in Chalmette, La.

Jim Cross, "Plan for Yuma Refinery Moving Forward," KTAR.com, 3/12/08.

Refinery Reform Campaign, "Refinery gets permit: Group to Take Refinery Permit Battle to EPA as State Issues Permit," 4/15/05.

David Baker, "Hurricane damage points up need for more refineries: Legislation would ease environmental laws for new ones," San Francisco Chronicle, 10/2/05.

Wikipedia, Oil Refinery.

3/08/2008 Community Gumbo

Listen | Democracy Now (3/03/08)

• Stephen Kinzer on US-Iranian Relations, the 1953 CIA Coup in Iran and the Roots of Middle East Terror.

Listen | The Inspector General: Not a Play by Nikolai Gogol

Did New Orleans' new Inspector General accept a take-home vehicle? What kind of car does he drive? Six months into his tenure, has Robert Cerasoli made a dent in corruption, and what are his plans to improve efficiency of government services? And did he accept the gift of a tie in exchange for his address delivered at St. Charles Presbytarian Church?








Related:

Ethics in Public Service and The Inspector General Function: An Address by New Orleans Inspector General Robert Cerasoli, Loyola University, 11/27/07 (Community Gumbo, 12/1/07).

Cripple Creek Theatre performs The Inspector General by Nikolai Gogol, March 6-29. SeeAPlay.org for more information. Robert Cerasoli answers questions every Thursday at 7:00 before the performances.

Announcements:

Fifth Annual Crawfish Boil and Egg Hunt to Benefit Clean Air Campaigns and Ninth Ward Re-Building

WHAT: The Louisiana Bucket Brigade and the Palmer Park Neighborhood Association are sponsoring the Fifth Annual Crawfish Boil and Egg Hunt. The proceeds will benefit the work of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, including green building projects in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward as well as communities’ work to reduce petrochemical pollution around the state.

Otra! will provide live music, and the entrance fee is good for all the crawfish you can eat. The annual Egg Hunt is free for children. A raffle will be held throughout the afternoon.

WHO: The events are sponsored by the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, the Palmer Park Neighborhood Association and Abita Beer. The Lower Ninth Ward Re Building Projects involve collaborators including the Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development as well as the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association.

WHY: We need clean air, we need sustainable development, we need to eat crawfish and we need to have fun! There aren’t many egg hunts around town, so grab your basket and head to the park!

WHERE:

Palmer Park – uptown at the intersection of Carrollton and Claiborne

WHEN:

Saturday, March 22 – the day before Easter
1 PM – 5 PM; Egg Hunt Starts at 2 PM

Ticket Information:

Call 484 – 3433; online at www.labucketbrigade.org

$15 for adults; $5 kids 8 – 12; Free for kids under 8; Egg hunt is free for all kids!


Oceans Night of Action

Please join us March 11th for an Oceans Night of Action to help end overfishing and conserve our ocean legacy. Last year, a study published in the journal Science predicted widespread collapse of the marine ecosystem by 2048 due to overfishing, pollution, and other human-induced factors. It's time to act for the Gulf and all of our oceans!

Next Tuesday, GRN Campaign Director, Aaron Viles, and University of Southern Mississippi Professor, Janet Kessler, will discuss threats to the Gulf's marine resources and the solutions we can implement now. With proper ecosystem-based management that truly ends overfishing, the Gulf can be restored to a vibrant marine ecosystem with abundant fish populations.

The National Marine Fisheries Service is currently revising their rules concerning overfishing and environmental review, so the evening will conclude with a series of action steps we can take to have an impact on protecting the Gulf. There will also be a free raffle and food! Please RSVP to emartin-craig@greencorps.org.

An Ocean Night of Action
Tuesday, March 11th at 7pm
Tulane University's Lavin-Bernick Center, Room 201
New Orleans, LA

RSVP today by emailing emartin-craig@greencorps.org.

Music Played:

Eddie Bo, "It Must Be Love"

Eddie Bo, "Tell It Like It Is"

3/1/2008 Community Gumbo

Listen | Democracy Now (2/29/08)

• Headlines for February 29, 2008
• EXCLUSIVE–The Three Trillion Dollar War: Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz and Harvard Economist Linda Bilmes on the True Cost of the US Invasion and Occupation of Iraq

Listen | Democracy Now (2/28/08)

• William F. Buckley Dies at 82; A Look Back at his 1969 Debate with Noam Chomsky on Vietnam

Listen | Spring Crush: A Flood of Volunteers is Still Needed to Help Rebuild New Orleans

While the range of rebuilding activities has moved beyond gutting flooded houses, Spring Break volunteers are still helping New Orleans rebuild from the destruction brought upon neighborhoods by Hurricane Katrina and the federal levee failure. Volunteers who sign up to help in the Lower Ninth Ward can be trained for a range of activities, says the Director of Operations for Common Ground Relief, Tom Pepper, including deconstructing houses to recover valuable wood and historic architectural "gingerbread" ornamentation, hanging sheetrock and making homes energy efficient, and planting seedlings to restore the wetlands forests which once dissipated hurricane wave action. More information on how to sign up to volunteer is available at commongroundrelief.org.

Announcements:

All About Eve

"The Vagina Monologues" playwright Eve Ensler will be back in town Friday, when she speaks at the University of New Orleans on the upcoming "V to the 10th" celebration, inviting the college population of New Orleans to be part of the April 11 to 12 event.

On both those days, the Superdome will be transformed into "Superlove," a giant vagina enclosure offering speakers, singers, theater performers, slam poets, storytelling, art and healing. Tickets to "Superlove" are free with the purchase of a ticket to the all-star production of "The Vagina Monologues" April 12 at the New Orleans Arena.

Scheduled to perform Ensler's play -- which has grown into the worldwide V-Day movement to stop violence against women -- will be Sally Field, Jennifer Hudson, Glenn Close, Rosario Dawson, Salma Hayek, Jessica Alba, Julia Stiles, Marisa Tomei, Kerry Washington and Jane Fonda, who brought considerable attention to the gathering on the "Today" show by uttering the word Ensler urges audiences to reclaim and yell in one of the monologues. Oprah Winfrey will perform a new monologue written specifically for the occasion by Ensler. Musical guests Faith Hill, Common, Eve and Charmaine Neville will also be part of the evening.

The event is a benefit to raise money for groups working to end violence against women, including the New Orleans area and Gulf South region.

Tickets to the Saturday event are $25 to $1,000. To reserve tickets, visit www.vday.org/tickets.

Ensler's Friday appearance at 6 p.m. is free. It will be held in Room 165 in the Business Administration Building, 2000 Lakeshore Drive on the UNO campus.

Freret Street Market

Music Played

Susan Cowsill, Just Believe It.

Irma Thomas, Gonna Cry 'Til My Tears Run Dry.

Eddie Bo, Piano Roll.