It's About You!

All archives are current

2006-07-06T17:28:00.001-07:00

and the wonderful Chris T. at KDVS has upgraded the quality of the sound as well as the ease of download. Just click on the show referenced to the right of this box and thank you a million times for listening!!!!!!!!!! Namasté.

All archives are current

2006-07-06T17:28:00.000-07:00

This coming Monday, July 10, 2006

2006-07-06T17:17:00.000-07:00

where has the time gone? I promise to keep up the postings more frequently from now on. So much is going on. Coming up, a show about The Color of Wealth, with Meizhu Lui, and actor Mike Farrell will speak about the death penalty. Activist Victor Copeland will also be on.

On Vacation

2006-05-12T22:44:00.000-07:00

yes, a very special one too.

Si se Puede!

2006-05-12T22:38:00.000-07:00

Today, we heard from Davis High School students who were preparing to board a bus to go to march in Sacramento to protest HR-4371. These passionate and eloquent young people were imbued with the knowledge that they could affect their own future. Then, we spoke to a group of UCD students who were already marching in Sacramento. You could hear them catching their breath as they spoke about the reasons they were there while car horns honked in support of their cause. It was inspiring, to say the least. Michael Deibert also joined us to remind us that the first cause of Haiti is to alleviate the abject poverty which affects most of the population.

Thank you so much!

2006-05-12T22:36:00.000-07:00

It is very humbling to see the kindness of all of you who generously donated during our fundraiser. Many many thanks for supporting independent radio.

The Communist Manifesto

2006-04-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

Phil Gasper provided a contemporary perspective to Karl Marx' Communist Manifesto. He is the editor of the annotated version of The Communist Manifesto which is out on Haymarket Books. It was a tad chilling to hear how trends described a hundred and fifty years ago are more present than ever in our society.

David Edwards of MediaLens!

2006-04-16T10:24:00.000-07:00

what a thrill it was to visit with the eloquent and informative co-editor of MediaLens. The fearless twosome, David Cromwell and David Edwards, just published their first book together. It is on Pluto Press and titled "The Myth of the Liberal Media". He dispelled some popular misconceptions about the BBC and related a few of the fascinating confrontations MediaLens serves on unsuspecting and complacent journalists and media elite. You can go to www.medialens.org to find out more! Thanks for listening. Monday will be Phil Gasper on the Communist Manifesto!

Raise the Village!

2006-04-05T08:56:00.000-07:00

Professor David C. Berliner, a highly acclaimed authority on education and the psychology of education, was my guest on Monday. He made such great points, including telling us that all psychometry experts will flatly state that single tests should NEVER be used for important decision. He also mentioned that these tests are simply a political tool and devisive at best.

I wasn't fully there that morning, and no one corrected us, when Professor Berliner mentioned Walgreens when he clearly meant WalMart. My deepest apology to the audience.

People who serve

2006-03-31T21:36:00.000-08:00

This past Monday, you got to hear back from Dahr Jamail who is one of a handful of truly independent journalists reporting the truth from Iraq. He told us about the horrible living conditions there and how the US has very little control or knowledge of what goes on outside the Green Zone. He also concurred with Iraqis who have given up the hope of surviving this disaster which we have visited upon them. That is how he serves.

And we heard from our very own Jeff Kravitz, constitutional attorney who used to host Panic Attack on KDVS. He can't this quarter because he is running for Congress on the Green Party ticket opposing Doris Matsui.

Breesa Kassing, a mechanical engineer student from Chico State, told us how she and some of her fellow students chose to spend their summer break helping with the clean up efforts in New Orleans. Very inspiring. Hope you listen to the archives! It is so good to be back!

Oh, and a HUGE thanks to Rex Babin for sitting in for me and sharing some of his keen insights while I was away. And, OF COURSE, thanks to Erik Klein for engineering the show.

Covering

2006-03-05T12:55:00.000-08:00

I really enjoyed speaking with Yale School of Law Professor Kenji Yoshino. He suggests we look at the way we are forced to hide some parts of our identities as a crucial hurdle to us growing as a civilization. His book Covering, the hidden assault on our civil rights, encouraged me to think about civil rights in a very new way. And his writing is exquisite!

Rex Babin in the KDVS house!

2006-03-05T12:49:00.000-08:00

Rex Babin, the editorial cartoonist for the Sacramento Bee, is sitting in for me today. I admire this Pullitzer Prize finalist so much for his keen insights and deep compassion. Hope you give him a listen. You can find view his brilliant work here

Reconstruction

2006-02-23T17:06:00.000-08:00

No, this isn't about post-Katrina or rebuilding the destruction we have wrought in Iraq. There was a period of time, shortly during the Civil War and up until 1868 when emancipated slaves and other African-Americans built schools, owned property, and were elected to office. Professor Eric Foner wrote about this in a book titled Forever Free The story of emancipation and reconstruction on A.A. Knopf. A winner of the Bancroft Prize and the Francis Parkman Prize, is the DeWitt Clinton Professor of History at Columbia University and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His books include The Story of American Freedom and Politics and Ideology in the Age of the Civil War.

During our interview this past Monday, he reminded us all that the KKK was the first terrorist group and it was comprised of men who professed to be Christians. He also issued a crucial warning that rights can be taken away and must be defended. A timely message, no?

Haiti Elections

2006-02-13T13:47:00.000-08:00

Last week, millions of Haitians exercised their right to vote. It is quite possible that these votes will be stolen by parties who don't wish to see the poor of Haiti have a voice in the running of their country. To hear some valuable insights into this situation, please consider listening to Seth Donnelly, a high school teacher in the South Bay area who has gone to Haiti as part of a group interested in observing human rights violations, and Professor Robert Fatton, Jr. who was born and raised in Haiti and has spent his life documenting the abuse of power and harm wrought by the elite Haitian group in which he was born and raised. He now teaches at the University of Virginia.

Tim Grieve

2006-02-13T13:44:00.000-08:00

What a privilege it was to welcome Tim Grieve, the man at the helm of The War Room at Salon .
If you enjoy the kind of free flowing and respectful discussion you suspect some of us of having off the air, do give it a listen!

California, a history

2006-01-30T10:46:00.000-08:00

If you listen to today's show, you will know a lot more about the history of this great state than you knew before you tuned in. This is thanks to Professor Kevin Starr, the author of today's featured book. He is an acclaimed historian who is University Professor at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and the gold and silver medals from the Commonwealth Club of California, he served as the state librarian of California from 1994 to 2004. He divides his time between LA and San Francisco. What a privilege it was to have us take us on a breezy romp through the past of California!

Hungry Planet: What the World Eats

2006-01-24T10:40:00.000-08:00

When I read the Salon.com article on the most recent book written by today’s guest, it became clear that it would be one you all would find captivating Photo-journalist Peter Menzel and writer Faith D’Aluzio have brought us another visually stunning and thought-provoking book. Hungry Planet/ What the world eats looks like a gorgeous coffee table book yet is so much more. As their website says, it covers 30 families, 24 countries, 600 meals into one extraordinary book. The ultimate foodie and chef, Madeleine Kennefick, joined me as did Eric Klein. Eric wowed our well-traveled guests with his keen and novel observations. You will have to listen to find out more. Or go to www.menzelphoto.com Namasté!

Iraq & Islam

2006-01-17T11:39:00.000-08:00

My first guest yesterday was the highly respected Dr. Imad Khadduri, a nuclear scientist who worked for the Iraqi Nuclear Program from 1968 to 1998. He then moved to Canada with his family. As soon as the Bush & Co. administration began to make noise about Iraq and WMDs, Dr. Khadduri had to speak out to explain that Iraq's nuclear program was defunct since the bombing of their factories during the Gulf War. He quickly found out that not everyone wanted to hear what he had to say. It was a privilege to have him on our airwaves.

My next guest, a Davis resident and authority on Islam was highly recommended by several people I respect. Maimul Khan is now the authority on Afghani human rights for Amnesty International and wanted us to see that, like many religions, the Muslim holy text can be interpreted in many ways, including a stress on forgiveness.

I hope you were able to tune in and thanks for listening. Namasté.

Corporate Crimes Against Humanity

2006-01-09T11:15:00.000-08:00

Andrea Buffa, world-reknown activist and peace advocate, joined us on the phone to tell us about the list published by global exchange titled Most Wanted Corporate Human Rights Violators. You can view it here: http://www.globalexchange.org/getInvolved/corporateHRviolators.html

She gave such important information that we all need to know as we make our way through this new year. I wish you hope and fulfillment, compassion and integrity, and, always, love. Namasté.

Counting our Blessings!

2005-12-26T21:15:00.000-08:00

What a moving show we had this morning. While Dave Brubek played so sweetly between each comment, and we have the impeccable good taste of Bones to thank for this wonderful choice, Bob Jensen's energetic reminder of things that matter set the pace for an hour of very different insights on what previous guests of It's About You! count as blessings. When the brilliant and much maligned editorial cartoonist for the Sacramento Bee said that it all was about love, Bones and I nearly lost it. When Fadhil Al-Kazily broke into sobs recounting how his brothers and sisters say their final goodbyes whenever one leaves the house for errands in Baghdad, I had to bury my face in my hands. And what about the ever eloquent Autumn L'Abbé-Hayes? Free media has a fighting chance with people like her on our hands. Professors Howard Zinn and Lewis Gould also reminded us of the many positives in our country. Stephen and Virginia Pearcy and Eileen Samitz also showed how a simple decision to DO something will inspire others to action. And Natalie Wormeli spoke directly to you who may have been moved to make your first move as an activist by perhaps just signing a petition at moveon.org And then Father G. Simon Harak reminded us that we all have God within us and that we then give voice to the divine. In other words, dear listeners, NAMASTÉ!

Si Kahn!

2005-12-19T10:57:00.000-08:00

Hope you caught this lively show filled with useful insights shared by this veteran activist and folk composer and musician. We both enjoyed ourselves and this interview brought a ray of sunshine in this grey and damp weather day! Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it. Namasté!

Haiti Insights

2005-12-12T11:59:00.000-08:00

How humbling it was to read Michael Deibert's book, Notes from the Last Testament! Like many other progressives, I too readily believed that the US had victimised the poor slum priest turned president in Haiti. I hadn't looked further to find that most progressive groups in Haiti had been clamoring for the resignation and criminal prosecution of Jean-Bertrand Aristide weeks prior to his so-called kidnapping. Or that he had phoned several colleagues and friends that morning to announce he was leaving. If you really want to know more, I strongly suggest you read Michael's book. If you are pressed for time, please consider listening to this thoughtful man carefully and succinctly describe very little known facts about the beautiful and ravaged country of Haiti.

The Senate

2005-12-06T08:04:00.000-08:00

It was a privilege to interview Professor Lewis Gould yesterday. He is the Eugene C. Barker Centennial Professor Emeritus in American History at the University of Texas at Austin. A winner of awards for outstanding teaching and writing, he is the author of numerous works of political history. His latest book is about the U.S. Senate: The Most Exclusive Club: A History of the Modern United States Senate (Basic Books, 2005) He briskly took us through the past 100 years of the Senate and reminded us of how much it has changed from the original intent of the principles upon which it was founded.

FOOLED AGAIN!

2005-11-23T14:27:00.000-08:00

It seems that we insist on attacking people who point out signs that the present administration stole the last elections. Again. And look at people attacking Murtha now? Although it was based on dissent, this country has a remarkably low tolerance for it. And that holds true for people at nearly every point of our political spectrum.

In this spirit, I am so proud to welcome Mark Crispin Miller back to the show. He has put together a comprehensive set of "coincidences" and plain hard facts which support the idea that, again, the Republicans stole the 2004 elections. The reason he wrote the book is that he fears and says he knows, that the Republicans will steal the elections again. Please tune in on Monday 11/28 with your questions at 530-752-2777. As usual, this is on KDVS 90.3 fm and at www.kdvs.org Namasté!

A reminder

2005-11-03T10:55:00.000-08:00

the purpose of this blog is merely to store the archives of past shows and podcasts of current shows. Two weeks ago, it was a privilege to interview James Loewen on Sundown Towns. It was chilling to hear how present day all-white suburbs were created and how many are actively maintaining their ban on people who look differently than they do. It is the October 24 show. Last week, we had a discussion on Proposition 74 and how we should look at the education problem in California. This coming week, on November 7, I will be airing an interview which was recorded two weeks ago with Sir Alistair Horne, a celebrated historian, on the history of France. It will perhaps put into perspective the horrific riots going on in that country right now. The shows are booked through the end of the year so pleace check back for more announcements. May saner heads eventually prevail! Namasté!

We're back!

2005-10-17T11:12:00.000-07:00

The brilliant Eric Klein has us podcasting again, and today's show about how the North supported and profited from slavery covered a lot of important facts. It is a reminder to view more than what we know and of how truly interconnected we all are. Welcome all! France

Show archive for October 10th

2005-10-17T08:03:00.000-07:00

Finally! The archives are back (again) for the show. The fault with the long lapse lies entirely with me (Eric) and not with France.

Vacation!

2005-09-08T13:33:00.000-07:00

I will be on vacation for the next week, the first real vacation in a few years. If you wish to send help to a group which follows your ideologies and has a proven track record of feeding the poor, email katrina@foodnotbombs.org ! My next live show will be on 9/26 with Professor Jack Fruchtman on the Constitution and Terrorism. Namasté!

Show archive for August 29th

2005-09-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

And again with the archives!

Show archive for August 22nd

2005-09-03T21:17:00.000-07:00

The show archiver is a little behind the times, but the archive from 8/22 is finally online. Cheers!

Tariq Ali

2005-08-29T10:33:00.000-07:00

The archives worked! Both Erik and Amir were enthusiastic about the great opportunity of interviewing the brilliant writer and philosopher. Tariq was simply an inspiring delight. Check it out!

Jill Nelson - Award Winning Journalist

2005-08-21T18:09:00.000-07:00

Many times, I cringe at the thought of reading some of the books I must in order to bring you an informative show relevant to your life. This time, I delighted in reading Finding Martha's Vineyard, African-Americans on an Island. Jill Nelson is brilliant, informed, eloquent, and possesses a wickedly funny sense of humor! Please consider tuning in.

Our archivesare down

2005-08-15T18:32:00.000-07:00

Sadly, the wonderful interview Jane Lotter gave, along with Kathy Kelly's brief visit, is lost forever or wherever those sound bytes go. The KDVS archives chose to malfunction this morning.

Hope amid despair

2005-08-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

While Voices in the Wilderness just lost their case fighting the fines imposed against them for taking medication to Iraq under sanctions, and Kevin Benderman is serving 15 months in prison for laying down his gun, we can use a reminder of the great and wonderful people who work at making this world a better place. The delightful Jane Lotter will be on the show tomorrow to discuss how she and her four little boys packed everything up to fly across the globe to Malawi, Africa, in 1964. There, they spent the next two years with her husband Will who had taken the position of Regional Director for the Peace Corps. Giant spiders and bees and lizards and treacherous roads and culture shock awaited them. Also, dear new friends and life-affirming and enriching experiences which would inform the rest of their future choices. The Lotters are legendary here in Davis for their loving kindness and dedication to the belief that we can all make a difference in this world. Rich in everything but money, the Lotters support a school in Guatemala where they visit several times a year (they are both 80 years old), a clinic in Malawi, and other great projects across the world. Kathy Kelly of Voices in the Wilderness might also come on the show briefly tomorrow. You know our message is getting out. Cindy Sheehan was photographed and interviewed by Vanity Fair this morning. We are no longer on the fringe of politics. And we always knew this, didn't we? Oh, and Eric rocks.

Show archive for August 8th

2005-08-14T19:27:00.000-07:00

Two weeks in a row for the Podcast! Yeah!!!!

Show archive for August 1st

2005-08-08T01:20:00.000-07:00

Finally, the return of the podcast!

Norman Solomon!

2005-08-05T10:50:00.000-07:00

"How do you get those amazing guests?" The answer to this oft-asked question used to be "The Institute for Public Accuracy." That is how I first contacted the great Howard Zinn, who went on to give 7 interviews, and counting... Norman Solomon is the founder and executive director of the Center for Public Accuracy. Norman himself has been on the show a few times. The last time was to discuss his book Target Iraq, which he co-wrote with journalist Reese Erlich. He will join me this Monday to discuss his latest book War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death. It effectively dispels any delusion we may still cling to when it comes to the intents and sincerity of the leaders we are supposed to trust. Do visit his website, and, if you can, tune in this Monday. You will surely find him interesting!

Leisa Faulkner

2005-07-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

When Fadhil Al-Kazily, a well-respected resident of Davis who left his home in Iraq decades ago, told me how the US devalued the dinar, I was shocked. Immediately after the so-called end of the Gulf War, our planes dropped bales of dinar over the country. We effectively devalued everyone's savings and earnings in the country. While we are prosecuting executives from WorldCom for doing the equivalent to their employees pension funds, we robbed hard working civilians, teachers, store clerks, doctors and engineers, of their livelihoods and retirement. People in their seventies and eighties had to try to find work. Now, after destroying their infrastructure, poisoining their water and land, and creating a haven for terrorists, our country is leading the UN in pressing for repayment of loans made to Saddam after the Gulf War. It is enough to make you sick. Well, it was enough to make my guest tomorrow fast for 15 days. Hope you can tune in. More about Leisa follows this rant. Namasté.

A Sacramento, California mother of five, Leisa Faulkner of Progressive Democrats of America, recently joined Voices in the Wilderness in Geneva to protest the United Nations program exacting compensation from Iraq for its 1990 invasion of Kuwait and the Gulf War. In Geneva, she completed a 15 day fast which successfully brought attention to the injustice of this program. . Working to reduce US military involvement internationally, she is known for her humanitarian work in Haiti, as well as for her work to close the School of the Americas. Last year she spent three months in Federal Prison for a nonviolent line crossing at the School of the Americas. In 2004 she was awarded the Dolores Huerta Award for humanitarian service.

The Future of Media!

2005-07-10T14:10:00.000-07:00

One of the nation's leading advocate of media freedom, Robert McChesney will discuss his most recent book, The Future of Media, on It's About You! at 8:30 am tomorrow, Monday July 11, 2005. It is a remarkable and very informative presentation by several respected leaders in their fields, ranging from wireless media to journalism law. It is published by the highly respected Seven Stories Press. It was edited by three members of FreePress.org & FreePress.net, of which Professor McChesney is Founder, President, and Board Chairman. The book includes an empassioned foreword by Bill Moyers.

The most refreshing and uplifting aspect of the book is the possible solutions presented at the end of each essay. It leaves no room for despair and plenty of avenues for action. There is a way for us to ensure we regain objective press and airwaves. This book, and what Bob McChesney has to say, as well as the www.freepress.net website, infuse us with a much needed sense of purpose and power!

There is also a workbook at the end which should be part of every local library across the country, though the whole book should be. Let's make sure it doesn't become just a quaint history lesson of what could have been!

Jack Dalton returns!

2005-06-26T11:36:00.000-07:00

While many in his position would choose to shrink from public life and society in general, Jack uses his prodigious mind to read up on news and our government's actions here and abroad. He is 80% homebound because his body is slowly disintegrating due to exposure to Agent Orange while in Vietnam in the Sixties. He is in daily pain and comfort is something he said goodbye to a long time ago. And yet, comfort is what he provides to countless military families and servicemen and women who contact him with questions and difficulties dealing with the absurdities and horrors of military life and red tape, not to mention the hell of war.

I hope you can join us on Monday, June 27, at 8:30 am PDT when Jack tells it like it is in his own inimitable style! Of course, you can call at 530 297-1635.

Dahr Jamail

2005-06-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

The courageous journalist who braved bullets and bombs to bring the world an unimbedded reports from Iraq spent 45 minutes on our airwaves this past Monday. Stay tuned for the podcast of this interview which will be posted here by Saturday, June 25, 2005. Until then, you can always go to the KDVS website for this information. Please consider visiting his website and subscribing to his dispatches. Truth is power!

Acadian ahow archive online

2005-06-13T20:15:00.000-07:00

This week's archive archive is now live, and available for the podcast crowd. Also, next week is the last week that there should be any lag with posting the show online. We've ironed out a bug on our end that required manual intervention, so from now on, the archives should be up very soon after the show is over.

Cheers!

The Acadians!

2005-06-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

hope you were able to hear Professor John Mack Faragher this morning. You can find out a little bit more about him further below on this page. The podcast from the show should be available soon (thank you Eric!) It was really interesting for me to read this book and find out who were the people behind all the street and town names I knew as a child.

Monday's show archive

2005-06-07T12:07:00.000-07:00

The archiver (me) is running a little behind this week. Finally online is the latest edited and spiff-ified archive of It's About You.

Delight!

2005-06-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

Dear friends, I hope you were able to listen to Marc Ian Barasch this morning. This insightful and very knowledgeable man should definitely have his own nationally syndicated show! Again, my apologies for the disappeared copy of his book. Because there is so much going on at the station, I am certain it will resurface and I will give it away to a lucky listener as soon as it does. Again, thanks to everyone at Rodale and Eric and all who made this morning's show possible. Namasté!

A little compassion

2005-06-01T11:30:00.000-07:00

While we are told that having compassion for illegally detained prisoners is absurd and the commercial media urges us to consume more goods than we can afford (do you have your "outdoor kitchen" yet?), let's take a deep breath and enjoy the keen observations of Marc Ian Barasch. He has written a beautiful book entitled "Field Notes on the Compassionate Life." I've quoted from it several times and have recommended it to friends and strangers alike. By the end of the book, or even by the end of the first chapter, you will feel like Marc is a friend, or you will wish he was one. He is funny and sceptical and very humble. So, I hope you tune in on Monday. Again, my apologies for not being able to make it on Monday. One day, I will tell you all about it!

Oh, I will also be giving away a copy of the book to the first person that I can answer the question I will ask at the end of the show. In other words, yes, there will be a test!

Namasté!

A Great and Noble Scheme

2005-05-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

What do you know of the Acadian people? It is a little known part of our history that we helped Great Britain's ethnic cleansing of these inconvenient francophones who lived in what is now the Maritimes. Why were they inconvenient? Primarily, of course, because they were thriving and reaping the abundant treasures brought by this region: fur and fishing. What made them especially pesky was their chosen neutrality. They refused to swear allegiance to France or England. They were friendly, and frequently married the Mikmaqs. Their diet and dress looked different than most people. So what is a superpower to do? Round them up, move them to far corners, and kill them if they won't move. Then, of course, steal their lands and all the possessions you haven't destroyed. And, as the colony we used to be, several Americans states were to facilitate this genocide.

Yale professor John Mack Faragher joins me on Monday morning, 5/30/05, at 8:30 am PDT, to tell us more about this less publicized crime which nearly destroyed a people. He has written the book A Great and Noble Scheme: The tragic story of the expulsion of the French Acadians from their American Homeland. It reads like a great epic and is very vivid and moving in its details and loving portrayal of a people who could have shown us the way to a better world. One where goodwill comes first and we are a creative instead of acquisitive people.

Hope you can join us!

Kathy Kellly from Voices in the Wilderness

2005-05-23T14:22:00.000-07:00

Today on It's About You we interviewed Kathy Kelly from Voices in the Wilderness. It was a very good interview, and well worth catching. We covered topics ranging from the current war in Iraq, to US prison policy, with a wide range of topics in between. Kathy Kelly has lived a hard life, and both France and myself were a bit shell shocked at the end of the interview. Parts of the interview are intense, but we highly reccommend catching this show if you can.

Just in case you didn't catch the interview on the air (or live online), It's About You now supports podcasting (as well as our more traditional RSS feed). If your browser doesn't automatically offer you a way to subscribe to our feed, just click the XML link below. Additionally, if you have podcasting software, such as iPodder, it should also be able to use our RSS feed to grab the audio from our recent shows.

Insurgents

2005-05-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

Remember when the Russian invaded Afghanistan decades ago? People here were saying...oh, those Afghan rebels sure are tough. They are standing up against these bullies. Good for them!

The news today blares that we killed 100 so-called insurgents and, oh shock, they are defending themselves. Meanwhile, just so the people back home don't get too concerned about the actual cost to us of this operation, the US Military refuses to release the actual casualty report, let alone the number of injured troops.

While the New York Times is running an opinion piece by John Tierney which states that the reports of casualties and injuries be toned down or stopped. You see, Tierney claims that these reports are helping the insurgents gain an upper hand by swaying public opinion.

Yes, facts will do that.

Jack Fruchtman, II - Atlantic Cousins

2005-05-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

I often wish I could attend classes by some of the guests on It's About You! Jack Fruchtman is such a professor. His descriptions are so lively as he accompanies us on a journey through the mid-1800's that you almost feel the cobblestones beneath your feet. I hope you tune in. If not, I recommend you read Atlantic Cousins: Benjamin Franklin and His Visionary Friends. Will post more after the show...

Freedom (Whole Earth Festival Show Closing)

2005-05-08T13:59:00.000-07:00

And so, we come to the end of another show. Freedom. Somehow, we have grown, or fallen, to a place where we equate freedom with the ability to spend or consume like there is, effectively, no tomorrow. Many Americans are realizing, too late, that their failure to plan for the future will leave them stranded in their old age. Somehow, we haven’t faced that wall when it comes to fossil fuel or global warming. At a time where we should all be driving smaller, more fuel-efficient or hybrid cars, we have actually increased our use of petrol by purchasing larger and large vehicles. As we delude ourselves in thinking that enriching mega-corporations will bring us happiness, and that our overweight kids deserve a break today, we can learn a beautiful lesson from the gentle souls at the Whole Earth Festival. Here are a few suggestions: Suspend your instant dismissal of that long haired guy in the tie-dye shirt and listen to what he has to say. Learn from the many activism groups featured there this weekend. Listen to the soulful music played there today. And keep your heart open. The happiness and passion which have eluded you in spite of all your acquisitions surely resides in what you can do for others. And the freedom that you will feel as you find this will simply elate you. May this weekend find you celebrating the freedom to care for others. Namasté.

Opinions (Rex Babin - Show close)

2005-05-08T13:56:00.000-07:00

And so, we come to the end of another show. Opinions. One of the best way to expand your perception of a topic is by considering other people’s opinions. Yet this society seems set on trying to repress those opinions whenever they differ. As if disagreements are a bad thing. Many people write to the Sacramento Bee to attack Rex Babin’s right to say what he so eloquently does in his editorial cartoons. They even use the word sacrilegious! So if his opinions, or mine or anyone else’s, fall outside your area of belief, those opinions are sinful? Enough to doom us to eternal damnation? Certainly, no one truly believes that. But, if you want to, that’s your opinion. May the next week find you seeking the opinions of others and brave enough to voice yours as well. Namasté!

The Show

2005-05-03T14:52:00.000-07:00

It's About You is a public affairs show which airs live on KDVS 90.3 FM. It features, as regular listeners know very well by now, expert guests who discuss issues and events in order to assist you in defining your personal ethics and opinions. Previous guests have included, in no particular order, Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, Amy Goodman, Barbara Ehrenreich, Norman Solomon, Jill Nelson, Rick Perlstein, Michael Albert and many, many more brilliant and compassionate writers and activists.

You can call in and, on this blog, you can write your comments! I hope to invite future guests to also post a comment or two on this blog. We shall see, won't we?

Guest: Rex Babin

2005-05-02T19:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been a fan of his work for years now. He skewers issues with his pen and captures his message in a snapshot. He always brings his sketchpad with him which is a real treat since I get to see the initial sketch of the pieces he presents in the Sacramento Bee. Today, he spoke about everything from his disbelief at the impunity with which Bush & Co. have misled the country into war and have committed countless other impeachable offenses. We also spoke of torture, our governor, the school system, Lexus, the Sacramento Kings and Chris Webber, Bill Mahre, childishness, opinions, and independent thought. He also spoke about the upcoming political cartoonist conference which he has organized. He made an intriguing invitation that people find the cartoonists in Old Town Sacramento and share a beer with them at a bar whose name I've forgotten. Perhaps he can post more details on this blog? My, how I wish I could be a fly on the wall of that convention. Can you imagine the discussions? Oh my.
Hopefully, you could also hear what immense compassion Rex possesses. It really informs his work beautifully. You can hear the archive of the show by going to www.kdvs.org

Welcome!

2005-05-02T19:18:00.000-07:00

This blog will serve as an extention to the show It's About You! which airs on KDVS 90.3 FM every Monday mornings at 8:30 Pacific Time. Here you will find announcements of upcoming guests and topics. You will also find some of the facts mentioned on previous shows and perhaps some links as well. Aren't the guests who have been on this show simply amazing? I'm just learning along with you and it is an absolute privilege. For example, I wouldn't know about this blogspot from Google without the brilliant Eric Klein's referral. Merci, Eric! You are encouraged to add your comments and suggestions. This show is done for your benefit. Thanks again to all who pledged on our fundraiser! Namasté, France