KPFA - Making Contact

President Obama recently declared that "we have banned torture without exception." However, some would take exception to this claim. The practice of isolating a person in solitary confinement for extended periods of time causes severe sensory deprivation and has been denounced as torture by the United Nations. But tens of thousands are locked up in solitary confinement in American prisons.  Producer Claire Schoen met nine formerly incarcerated people, who described what it's like not to talk to or touch another person, for years at a time.

 
Featuring:  Hakeem Shaheed, Laura Whitehorn, Robert Dellalo, Bilal Sunni Ali, Munirah El Bumani, Ray Luc Levasseur, Tommy Escarciga, Diano King ArchAngel Rodriguez, and Robert King Wilkerson, solitary confinement survivors; Teresa Vaughn, mother of son who died in solitary confinement.

The post Making Contact – Survivors of Solitary Confinement appeared first on KPFA.

Many Americans assume that women in the U.S. military are stationed far from the fighting. While it’s true they can’t train for frontline combat positions, the changing nature of the Iraq war has placed many women at the center of the conflict. Yet the women serving and dying for the U.S. have received very little attention. Who are they, why did they join and what are their experiences and points of view? 
On this edition, Making Contact’s Sarah Olson speaks with veterans of the U.S. Army, Navy and Marines and to one active duty soldier who served for a year as an army journalist in Iraq. Each woman has a unique story, but all share an understanding of the power-politics of the U.S. military and the price that is paid by women seeking to serve their county.

Featuring:

Anuradha Bhagwati, Former Marine Captain; Maricela Guzman, Former Information Technician in the U.S. Navy; Linsay Rousseau Burnett, Sergeant U.S. Army, first brigade combat team 101st Airborne division; Stefani Pelkey, Former Army Captain.

The post Making Contact – Many Lines of Fire: Women at War (encore edition) appeared first on KPFA.

As the Obama Administration directs billions of dollars toward reshaping America¹s economy and environment, millions of jobs are part of the plan.  But before the current employment shortage, there were many people who already couldn¹t find good work‹including women,
people of color, immigrants and youth.  On this edition, we hear from community advocates in Portland, Oregon, who are working to make sure the money in the Green Jobs initiative ends up benefiting those who need it the most.

This program contains segments of a panel discussion presented by the National Radio Project, April 2009, in Portland, Oregon.

Featuring:
Jeremy Hays, Green For All field director; Dawn Jones, journey level carpenter and Oregon tradeswomen instructor; Jo Ann Bowman, Oregon Action executive director; Francisco Lopez, CAUSA executive director; Alan Hipolito, Verde executive director; Joe Biden, United States
Vice-President.

The post Making Contact – Green Jobs, Race and the Economic Recovery appeared first on KPFA.

In 1997, the "Buena Vista Social Club" CD took the world by storm. Two years later, a documentary film about the musicians became even more popular earning an Oscar nomination.  And while the movie was a hit, it may also have created some myths about Cuba and the musicians themselves.  Independent producer Reese Erlich spent years interviewing members of the Buena Vista Social Club and separates fact from fiction.

Erlich¹s new book is Dateline Havana: The Real Story of U.S. Policy and the Future of Cuba.

Featuring:
Eliades Ochoa, Cuarteto Patria guitarist; Ruben Gonzalez, pianist and original Buena Vista Social Club pianist; Eneida Lima, Ruben Gonzalez' wife; Ibrahim Ferrer, original Buena Vista Social Club singer; Mario Jorge Munoz, Havana newspaper "Juventud Rebelde" cultural reporter; Barbarito Torres, original Buena Vista Social Club virtuoso laoud player; Manuel Galban, modern Buena Vista Social Club Band guitarist; Pablo Menendez, Mezcla guitarist; Magda Gutierrez, Manuel Galban's wife.

For More Information:

Buena Vista Social Club
http://www.pbs.org/buenavista
About:  An award winning documentary featuring the music of the Cuban ensemble the Buena Vista Social Club.

The post Making Contact – What Ever Happened to the Buena Vista Social Club? appeared first on KPFA.

Tax time. It¹s a blessing or a curse.  Maybe you¹re celebrating the extra cash or maybe you¹re reeling from the hit to your bank account. Either way, taxes are something we all have to deal with, whether we like it or not.  They¹re the life¹s blood of public projects and much needed social programs.  And now, in these hard economic times, more attention is being paid to where our taxes are going, who¹s paying their fair share and who¹s not.

On this edition, we¹ll talk to folks who say we need to reframe the tax structure to support and sustain ³the commons²Š those public spaces and common grounds we all share. From upper income New Yorkers to public school teachers in Nevada, many are crying, tax me, I¹m yours.

Featuring:
Jo Comerford, National Priorities Project (NPP) executive director; Mike Lapham, Responsible Wealth director (Project of United for a Fair Economy); Allen Bromberger, Manhattan law firm attorney; Bob Fulkerson, Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN) executive director; Holly Davidson, Bobby Clark, Anne Peer, Missy Allen, Grady Tarbutton, Lisa Stiller, Marsha O¹Malley, Kathy Oviatt, Paula Berkeley, Missy Allen, Jackie Taylor, Robert Townsend, Jan Gilbert ­­ Nevada citizens testified at Reno Town Hall Budget meeting; Kim Klein, Building Movement  Project member.

The post Making Contact – Tax Me, I¹m Yours appeared first on KPFA.

Women are gaining influence as leaders throughout the world, fighting for peace, justice, the environment and civil society. In this program, we profile three courageous women struggling with religious issues. Elana Rozenman is co-director of the Women's Interfaith Encounter in the Middle East. Irshad Manji is a Canadian Muslim lesbian and feminist who wants a reformation of her own faith. And Regina O'Callahan helped found the Northern Ireland Interfaith Forum
to support religious diversity in her country.

This Women's Desk program is a special collaboration with the Women Rising Radio Project, Lynn Feinerman and Crown Sephira Productions.

Featuring:
Elana Rozenman, Women's Interfaith Encounter co-director; Irshad Manji, The Trouble with Islam Today author; Regina O'Callahan, Northern Ireland Interfaith Forum founder.

The post Making Contact – April 10, 2009 appeared first on KPFA.

Gardasil is the first cervical cancer vaccine ever developed. After it was approved in 2006, controversy has surrounded this vaccine. Its safety and effectiveness have been questioned, and the requirement that immigrant women take the vaccine has come to the forefront of both immigrant rights and reproductive justice organizing.

These groups have also put this new vaccination requirement into a historical context. Advocates argue that this vaccine is a new chapter in a history of reproductive oppression that targets women of color and immigrant women.
On this edition, we look at the intersection of reproductive justice and immigrant rights. And we hear from activists, doctors, attorneys and women most affected by the new vaccination.

This program is made possible in part by The Reproductive Justice Fund at the Tides Foundation. Special thanks to The Winston Salem Journal for use of their audio from "Against Their Will" multi-media project.  Thanks to Sarah Olsen for her editorial guidance.

Featuring:
Fatima Querashi, Pakistani immigrant; Priscilla Huang, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum policy and programs director; Dr. Deblina Datta, CDC division of STD Prevention; Jessica Gonzales, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health director of policy and advocacy; Loretta Ross, SisterSong founding member; Beth Stickney, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project executive director and attorney; Woman client (name withheld for confidentiality and safety), immigrant from Chile; Nial Cox Ramirez, and Elaine Riddick Jessie, residents of North Carolina and subjects of sterilization.

The post Making Contact – Guard Us All? Immigrant Women and the HPV Vaccine appeared first on KPFA.

It¹s been 20 years since the Exxon Valdez crashed in the Prince William Sound and spilled more than ten million gallons of oil into Alaska's waters and shores.  It was one of the largest man-made ecological disasters in history, and the effects are still being felt today.

On this edition, we hear from Alaskans who saw their homes forever altered, and have been fighting Exxon in court ever since.  And we'll go to Tennessee, where a 2008 coal sludge flood is being called the new Exxon Valdez.

Featuring: Dune Lankard, co-founder of the Resisting Environmental Degradation of Indigenous Lands Network co-founder; Dr. Shea Tuberty, Appalachian State University biology professor; Penny Dodson, Tennessee nurse; Dennis Ferguson, Tennessee State representative; Mary Maston, attorney and Tennessee Environmental Council board member;
Riki Ott, Exxon Valdez survivor and environmentalist.

The post Making Contact – Exxon’s Oil to Tennessee’s Coal appeared first on KPFA.

Nearly two million Americans have fought in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. On this edition, reporter Aaron Glantz takes us inside the war as it comes home to our communities, with a focus on the special role our educational institutions can play in helping former soldiers adjust to civilian life.

This documentary was produced with support to Aaron Glatz from the Hechinger Institute for Education and the Media at Columbia University Teachers College and the Rosalynn Carter Journalism Fellowship program at the Carter Center. Thanks also to Mike Siv of New America Media.

Featuring:
Andrew Berends, The Blood of My Brother filmmaker; Michael Hall, former US Army staff sergeant; Rachel Feldstein, New Directions associate director; Joshua Kors, The Nation magazine correspondent; Zollie Goodman, former Naval petty officer; Barack Obama, United
States president; Todd Stenhouse, National Veterans Foundation spokesperson; Terry "T.J." Boyd, former Marine Corps sergeant; Ron Finch, National Business Group on Health; Catherine Morris, Sierra College veterans¹ counselor; Paul Sullivan, Veterans for Common Sense executive director.

The post Making Contact – The War Comes Home: Washington¹s Battle Against America¹s Veterans appeared first on KPFA.

Women are gaining influence as leaders throughout the world, fighting for peace, justice, the environment, and civil society. In this program, we profile two American masters of the spoken word, provoking, inspiring, and moving us to action. Eve Ensler, playwright of the hit ³Vagina Monologues² shares the innovative work of her organization, V-Day, and renowned storyteller, Diane Ferlatte, talks with us about using her art as an international bridge over cultural divides.

Featuring:
Diane Ferlatte, storyteller; Eve Ensler, Vagina Monologues writer and V-Day founder.

The post Making Contact – Women Rising 19: Masters of the Spoken Word appeared first on KPFA.