GIRLS OF COLOR VOICING THEIR CHOICE

Thursday September 13, 2007
Produced by Ann Alquist and the Youth News reporters of KFAI in Minneapolis, MN

On this week's edition of Sprouts, young women of color report on the issues that matter to them. These youth producers are graduates of KFAI's Youth News Initiative program, now in it's third year. From HIV/AIDS in the Ethiopian diaspora to suburban school busing to how a family responds to a terrible accident, "Girls of Color Voicing Their Choice" showcases the emerging diverse talent of community broadcasting.

HARD TIMES COME AGAIN NO MORE
A TRIBUTE TO RUSSELL COMPTON

Thursday September 6, 2007
Produced by Kevin Howley of DePauw Free Radio in Greencastle, IN

Russell J. Compton, retired professor of philosophy at DePauw University, has spent a lifetime working for peace and justice. This program features interviews with the 98 year-old Dr. Compton in which he discusses his personal history, his teaching philosophy and his unwavering commitment to progressive social change.

KATRINA 2-YEAR ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

Thursday August 30, 2007
Hosted by Mitch Jeserich of WBAI in New York City
Production assistance from Deepa Fernandes, Abdulai Bah, Saki Hall and Kat Aaron

Community-based organizing groups have produced their own radio documentaries about stories not being reported on the 2nd anniversary of Katrina. In this week's Sprouts we travel from Biloxi, Mississippi all the way to Baton Rouge, Louisiana as we show the scope that the devastation and lack of assistance has had on traditional African American communities.

VALDIVIA, CHILE: STORIES OF SURVIVAL

Thursday August 23, 2007
Produced by Terrascope Radio at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

A group of MIT freshmen travel to Valdivia, Chile, a city that in 1960 experienced the most powerful earthquake in recorded history -- 9.5 on the Richter Scale -- followed by a devastating tsunami. While there, the students explore three stories of survival: The ecological survival of a unique wetland created by the earthquake/tsunami; the cultural survival of the Mapuche, the local indigenous people; and the personal survival of those who lived through the disasters of 1960.

Also featured in this program: two MIT students get a close-up look at animals and birds of the Galapagos Islands. This is an excerpt of a documentary that explores ecological pressures in the Galapagos created by the fishing and tourism industries. Look for the entire program in a future edition of Sprouts.

IS KENNETH FOSTER THE WORST OF THE WORST?
Texas Pre-Meditates the Murder of a Man Who Killed No One

Update: Kenneth Foster's death sentence has been commuted.

Thursday August 16, 2007
Produced by Renee Feltz of KPFT in Houston, Texas

On this week's Sprouts: The state of Texas plans to execute Kenneth Foster on August 30th for the crime of driving a car away from a murder he had no part in planning or carrying out. As his death date approaches a nationwide campaign may generate enough pressure to save his life.

Kenneth Foster killed no one, but was sentenced to die under the Law of Parties. This statue is in place nationwide, but Texas is the only state to apply it in capital punishment cases.

INDUSTRIAL SOURCES OF DIOXIN POISONING IN MOSSVILLE, LA

Thursday August 9, 2007
Produced by Dori Smith of WHUS at Storrs, University of Connecticut

On this week's Sprouts: why didn't the EPA and other U.S. government agencies prevent industries near Mossville Lousiana from steadily increasing the levels of poison Dioxin they were emitting?

Residents of the tiny Southwest Louisiana town of Mossville, are finally able to prove which industrial plants operating near their homes emitted the Dioxin and other chemicals found in blood of residents. A July report from environmental human rights activists and scientists in Louisiana and Washington D.C. ties together blood sample results with U.S. government research reports on pollution from petroleum processing and vinyl manufacturing plants.

KEN WALDMAN - ALASKAN FIDDLING POET

Thursday August 2, 2007
Produced by Doug George and Ursula Ruedenberg at Pacifica National Office in New York City
Production assistance from Jon Almeleh

On this week's Sprouts, we meet Ken Waldman, the Alaskan fiddling poet. Waldman has drawn on his 20 years in Alaska to produce poems, stories and fiddle tunes that combine into a performance uniquely his own. He talks about life on the road and performs selections from his albums "Fiddling Poets on Parade" and "All Originals, All Traditionals."

CLOSING THE SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS

Thursday July 19, 2007
Produced by Blase Bonpane of World Focus on KPFK in Los Angeles

On this week's Sprouts, host Blase Bonpane speaks with Father Roy Bourgeois, founder of The School of the Americas Watch. Roy explains his efforts to close the School of the Americas, a combat training school in Fort Benning, Georgia that has for almost 60 years trained over 60,000 Latin American soldiers. Father Bourgeois dubs the SOA "School of Assassins," referring to its notorious role in producing assassins, dictators and death squad leaders for the "dirty work" in Latin America.

Also discussed is how School of the Americas Watch has successfully petitioned various Latin American heads of state to discontinue sending their troops to the SOA.

PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATORS SHOT BY LEBANESE ARMY

Produced by Dori Smith of WHUS in Storrs, Connecticut

Peaceful protests held over three days inside of the Baddawi refugee camp came to a violent end Friday June 29, 2007 when Lebanese soldiers opened fire on the crowd killing 2 and wounding 35. Seven of the most seriously wounded were children below the age of 15 and one of them was only three years old.  We hear eye witness accounts from demonstrators who were there and from organizers at Nahr el Bared Relief Campaign  who have described the event as tragic for all concern.

We go over information provided by Dr. Marcy Newman, General Coordinator, at Nahr el Bared Relief Campaign, then hear from eye witnesses, Caoimhe Butterly, an Irish human rights activist in Lebanon to aid Palestinian refugees, and Rasha Najdeh, a Lebanese woman who says she does not believe the Palestinian refugees are treated fairly, and Mohamed Haleme, a Palestinian from Shatilla camp who has recently graduated from university and is working as an aid to non governmental organizations in the refugee camps.

BLUE-GREEN ALLIANCE
LABOR & ENVIRONMENTALISM

Thursday June 28, 2007
Produced by Ken Gale of Eco-Logic on WBAI in New York City

On this week's Sprouts, we look at the connection between the environmental and labor movements with two organizers of the fourth union and environmental conference in North America: Kate Pfordresher of the NYC Apollo Alliance* and Sean Sweeney of Cornell University's Global Labor Institute.**

For two days in May, environmentalists and union leaders from around the world came together in New York City to work towards solutions to the global climate crisis -- which just happens to have increased the number of jobs in countries that have reduced their carbon "footprints." Following the interview with Kate and Sean, host Ken Gale gives a detailed report on the conference.