Robert Reich video

Here is a silly short from Robert Reich. A little outdated, but good for a laugh. Enjoy!

Who's this Economy for? with Robert Reich

Gregg here (Sr. Producer). I'm very much looking forward to the broadcast of our next program, an interview with former Labor Secretary Robert Reich. With the new GDP numbers being so widely discussed in the news, Reich sheds a refreshing light on the topic with plenty of shadows and highlights. After hearing his ideas (during our editing process here) I am really shocked at how shallow and one-dimensional the GDP discussion has been on MSNBC, CNN et al. 'Numbers down = bad.' That's it! Nothing about what useful insights, if any, that GDP numbers really deliver.. My sense is that the GDP is like a measure of calories. Imagine if today's headlines screamed "American caloric intake is down!" Would that mean that we're starving -- or just eliminating empty calories from our diets, like those from high fructose like corn syrup? I'd like to think that our lower GDP numbers indicate a downturn in wasteful spending. Listeners, we look forward to your insights from the Reich broadcast (release date is Tuesday, March 3).

Interview with Almudena Bernabeu

We did another interview with a lawyer who lives in San Francisco, but travels the world doing human rights work.

In today's interview, she mentioned how some of the paramilitary in Colombia view their killing as a game. She said that the Military will often collect villagers into a central location, and then the paramilitary comes in and murders the village. What is destroyed in a few hours can take years to mend.

She went on to mention that the gov't of Colombia has had to Reconciliation and Justice tribunals, but that in 2008, during the middle of testimony, 13 of 18 perpetrators were extradited to the US, effectively stopping their confessions.

Almudena Bernabeu
International Attorney, Center for Justice and Accountability
http://www.cja.org/

Transitional Justice in Colombia and Impunity

We have just started doing work on a new program about Transitional Justice in Colombia. We spoke with Javier Ciurlizza, Director of the Colombia Program at The International Center for Transitional Justice. He spoke so clearly about the social construct in Colombia, and what really perked my ears was when he talked about the sense of impunity that the former thugs have. He said,"I can't say this is a criminal government, but impunity has been the basis of many actors in the country."

This program is set to air Feb 24, 2009. Check our website for for more information.

Welcome to the A World of Possibilities blog. We set this up for you to comment on our programs at A World of Possibilities. Tell us, and each other, what you think.