Old Mole Variety Hour
The Old Mole burrows down to the roots of the great issues of our time – the struggles of ordinary people for democratic and sustainable ways of life. The Mole goes where corporate media fear to tread, supporting grassroots challenges to top-down authority and giving voice to movements that shake the foundations of an unjust society. The Moles' perspective is democratic, broadly socialist, and feminist. (We count Karl Marx as a friend).
Here is why we call this show "The Old Mole"
Our theme "Mole in the Ground" is by Bascom Lamar Lunsford (1924), somtimes blended with a newer versions, like the one by dj/rupture, sung by Sindhu Zagoren. It's on the album Special Gunpowder.
Our graphic lettering is by Charlie Ertola.
You can leave comments for the Moles at oldmolevarietyhour@gmail.com or by clicking on the comment section for any of our audio pieces.
Audio
Primary Pains
Thabiti Lewis shines a light on several varieties of implicit racism in the Presidential campaign, coming from some of the candidates and all of the mass media.
- Title: 04 Primary Pains
- Album: May 26, 2008
- Length: 7:17 minutes (3.34 MB)
- Format: MP3 Mono 44kHz 64Kbps (CBR)
War Resistance in Kalamazoo
Laurie Mercier talks with Olga Bonfiglio, from Kalamazoo, MI, about how ordinary citizens in Kalamazoo have persisted in their resistance to war. Bonfiglio is the author of Heroes of a Different Stripe: How One Town Responded to the War in Iraq.
- Title: 05 Kalamazoo War Resistance
- Album: May 26, 2008
- Length: 11:12 minutes (5.13 MB)
- Format: MP3 Mono 44kHz 64Kbps (CBR)
The Phil Ochs Story
Throughout this show there are selections from songs by the late great Phil Ochs, born in 1940, and who died in 1976 still youthful but leaving an incredible legacy of music protesting war and promoting social justice. Bill Resnick talks about his life and music. Phil Och was witty, poetic, and a humanist and activist, with deep thoughtful lyrics and a haunting voice.
- Title: 06 The Phil Ochs Story
- Album: May 26, 2008
- Length: 6:33 minutes (3 MB)
- Format: MP3 Mono 44kHz 64Kbps (CBR)
Villages in Cities
The Village Building Convergence is a project for creating new public spaces in our cities through neighbors working together to create urban villages, some of which can be found in many Portland neighborhoods. Bill Resnick talks with two members of this movement, Kat Steele and Matt Philllips, who will be speaking at the VBC conference coming up in Portland May 23 - June 1. Read all about it here.
- Title: 02 Village Building Convergence
- Album: May 26, 2008
- Length: 13:58 minutes (6.4 MB)
- Format: MP3 Mono 44kHz 64Kbps (CBR)
Old Mole Variety Hour for May 26, 2008
Hosted by Laurie Mercier, this show features the music of Phil Ochs. We hear a conversation about Village Building Convergence, the movement to create community spaces in cities; a review of the Erol Morris documentary about the Abu Ghraib photos "Standard Operating Procedure;" a commentary about racism in the primaries; an interview about peace activists in Kalamazoo, Michigan; and a discussion of the life and music of Phil Ochs.
You can hear the whole show by clicking on the arrow on this page. Or hear individual pieces by clicking on their links below:
2. Movie Review by Brooke Jacobson: "Standard Operating Procedure"
3. Thabiti Lewis exposes the racism rampant in the Presidential primaries.
5. The life and music of Phil Ochs remembered by Bill Resnick.
- Title: OMV 5_26_08
- Album: May 26, 2008
- Length: 55:34 minutes (25.44 MB)
- Format: MP3 Mono 44kHz 64Kbps (CBR)
Buena Vista Social Club: history and politics
Commenting on the music heard throughout today's show, Bill Resnick mixes music and history in his account of the Buena Vista Social Club's political context.
- Title: 09 Politics of the BV Social Club
- Album: May 19, 2008
- Length: 8:53 minutes (4.07 MB)
- Format: MP3 Mono 44kHz 64Kbps (CBR)
Food Crisis: Causes and Cures
What are the underlying reasons for the upsurge in food prices around the world? What can be done about it? The Executive Director of Food First, Eric Holt-Gimenez, lays it out for us in this conversation with the Old Mole's Bill Resnick. Holt-Gimenez is also the author of Campesino a Campesino: Voices from Latin America’s Farmer to Farmer Movement for Sustainable Agriculture, published by Food First.
- Title: 02 Rising Costs of Food
- Album: May 19, 2008
- Length: 13:47 minutes (6.32 MB)
- Format: MP3 Mono 44kHz 64Kbps (CBR)
Movie Moles: "Iron Man"
Movie Moles Frann Michel and Jan Haaken review the action/comic book movie "Iron Man" and give it thumbs down for its repetition of stereotypes about about race, gender, militarism and capitalism.
- Title: 04 Movie Moles- Iron Man
- Album: May 19, 2008
- Length: 10:16 minutes (4.7 MB)
- Format: MP3 Mono 44kHz 64Kbps (CBR)
Racism in the Presidential Campaign
The racism that the Obama campaign is revealing among voters and in the media demands a strong reaction. Clayton Morgareidge comments, drawing in part on an article by David Sirota on the In These Times Website.
- Title: 06 Racism in Presidential Politics
- Album: May 19, 2008
- Length: 7:51 minutes (3.6 MB)
- Format: MP3 Mono 44kHz 64Kbps (CBR)
Cuba in May
The Old Mole's Luz María Gordillo was in Havana's Revolution Plaza for the May Day march. Here are her impressions and her reflections on what Cuba means in this colorful report.
- Title: 08 Cuba in May
- Album: May 19, 2008
- Length: 9:28 minutes (4.34 MB)
- Format: MP3 Mono 44kHz 64Kbps (CBR)
Comments
Avatar's Jake Sully is ---- Tarzan - - -
A great review I've seen on Avatar (and how the soldier will save the people):
http://www.progressive.org/mp/danto010510.html
There is a link from there that exposes Cameron's plot as a mirror of Pocahontas, amazing parallel! http://failblog.org/2010/01/10/avatar-plot-fail/
Since watching Avatar, I have viewed older videos on DVD and would rate that ahead of Avatar.
mel
commentary transcripts
It's convenient to have the Old Mole audio files available.
Even more useful for some of us would be transcripts of the commentaries (Clayton Morgareidge). Written material allows a person a chance to review, consider, digest and refer to mentioned references & thinkers. The "Well Read Red" commentary from 4 Aug 08 is a good example of a piece I'd like to read at my own pace.
These folks are so profound
These folks are so profound and fascinating, especially the Resnick guy. Wow!
good post
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