Resources for October 10, 2015

Jeff Jeffries comedic bit on "guns in America":



"After Oregon." On the Media (October 3, 2015) ["Searching for answers after a tragedy like the shooting at Umpqua Community College can be difficult. But some laws have made searching for even the most basic answers - such as how many concealed weapons owners live in a state - just as difficult to find. In 2011, Michael Luo of The New York Times was writing a series of articles about gun laws across the country. He requested data from Oregon officials about the state's gun license holders, but when pro-gun rights groups learned he was trying to get the information they lobbied the state legislature to shield the data. Within months a new law had passed: all of the records, formerly in the public domain, were now private. Bob talks with Luo about why the data is important and why shielding it can making searching for answers after a tragedy so difficult. Bob also revisits his conversation with Tom Teves, whose son Alex was killed in the shooting rampage in Aurora, Colorado, about his efforts to keep the press from turning mass killers into media icons with his group, NoNotoriety."]

"Quotes From Grace Lee Boggs (1915-2015) on Detroit, Rebellion and Revolutionary Strategy." Democracy Now (October 5, 2015) ["Longtime Detroit activist and philosopher Grace Lee Boggs died this morning at the age of 100. Grace was involved with the civil rights, Black Power, labor, environmental justice, and feminist movements over the past seven decades. She appeared many times on Democracy Now! over the years in wide-ranging interviews. Here are some excerpts from our conversations."]

Hanh, Thich Nhat, Cheri Maples and Larry Ward. "Mindfulness, Suffering, and Engaged Buddhism." On Being (January 22, 2015) ["The Vietnamese Zen master, whom Martin Luther King nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, is a voice of power and wisdom in this time of tumult in the world. We visited Thich Nhat Hanh at a retreat attended by police officers and other members of the criminal justice system; they offer stark gentle wisdom for finding buoyancy and “being peace” in a world of conflict, anger, and violence."]

Lewis, John. "The Art & Discipline of Nonviolence." On Being (January 15, 2015) ["We take in the extraordinary wisdom of Congressman John Lewis, on what happened in Selma on Bloody Sunday and beyond — and how it might inform our common life today. A rare look inside the civil rights leaders’ spiritual confrontation with themselves — and their intricate art of nonviolence."]

Major, Aaron. "Media Spin on Violence Against Police." Sociological Images (September 14, 2015)





Borenstein, Seth. "Those Who Reject Mainstream Climate Science." On the Media (September 25, 2015) ["This week, the Associated Press announced a change to their Stylebook entry on global warming: journalists should avoid the use of the terms "climate change denier" or "climate change skeptic." Instead, use "doubter" or "those who reject mainstream climate science." Bob speaks with AP science reporter Seth Borenstein about where the change comes from and what it says about the state of climate change consensus."]

Keene, John. "Every Story Has a Twin." On the Media (September 25, 2015) ["John Keene's new book, Counternarratives, conjures the voices of people at the margins of history and puts them at the center. His stories cover sprawling historical and geographical ground, from an 18th century Parisian circus to early 20th century Harlem. Brooke talks with Keene about his collection, and we bring a few of his stories to life."]

Fernandes, Ricky. "200 Greatest Horror Films: 31 Days of Horror." Poptiq (October 2015)