In this piece from the Old Mole Variety Hour, Clayton Morgareidge argues that capitalism organizes our lives around the narcissism of the powerful.

This program, hosted by Frann Michel, features a round table discussion about transportation issues in the Portland area with Bill Resnick and local transportation activists. Denise Morris reviews the movies about organic farming "The Real Dirt on Farmer John." Jay Thiemeyer reviews "Children of War" by P.W. Singer. The Movie Moles JanHaaken and Frann Michel review the documentary "War Made Easy."

We continue the round table discussion of transportation alternatives in Portland. Mike Snedeker discusses the consolidation of executive power going back to the 1970s. Larry Bowlden reviews "Midnight at the Dragon Cafe" by Judy Bates Fong, and Clayton Morgareidge reports on “The World at Our Service: Cruise Ships and the Global Division of Labor.”

How the cruise ship industry is a microcosm of the global economy.

In this Labor Day show, Bill Resnick and Bill Smalldone discuss the power of the German working class since World War II; Tom Becker reviews the history of Labor Day; Luz Maria Gordillo reads a short story about Mexican family whose father has crossed the border to work; and the Movie Moles Fran Michel and Jan Haaken take on "The Invasion".

Historian Marilyn Young and the Old Mole's Laurie Mercier analyze how the neo-cons have misused the history of the Viet Nam war and what we should have learned from that disaster. Brooke Jacobson reviews two forthcoming documentaries to be shown on public television. John Cameron of the Institute for Policy Studies talks with Bill Resnick about the three crises facing the global environment and how they can be confronted by popular movements. Laurie Mercier concludes with some reflections on the anniversary of 9/11 and demonstrations for peace.

Phyllis Bennis talks with Bill Resnick about the Petraeus report and Iraq; Tom Becker reads a piece on Bush as jihadist; Frann Michel's Well-read Red revisits Jack London's "The Iron Heel"; Bill Resnick reads from the Guardian about Israel and Iran; and Jay Thiemeyer reviews "The Price of Fire: Resource Wars and Social Movements in Bolivia".

Stephanie Woolhandler talks with Bill Resnick about the advantages of single-payer health plans over other proposals for "universal" coverage. Tami Dean discusses the Elysian trumpet and its place in the life of New Orleans after Katrina. Clayton Morgareidge considers the saying "It's all about choice." And we ask you to participate in our Pledge Drive. Go to the "Join Now" button at the top of this page!

Hosted by Luz Maria Gordillo. The Movie Moles Jan Haaken and Fran Michel analyze "Eastern Promises." Economist and global warming activist Eban Goodstein talkes with Bill Resnick about the prospects for action on reducing green house gases; and Larry Bowlden reviews Nancy Kincaid's novel "As Hot As It Was You Should Thank Me." And of course we ask for your support during our pledge drive.

Bill Resnick talks with Laura Fingerson about her book "Girls in Power: Gender, Body, And Menstruation in Adolescence"--has the "curse" been lifted? Denise Morris and Jerry Tucker of the Conference for Labor Renewal discuss the loss to labor in the auto workers' contracts. Laurie King tells Bill Resnick why Earl Blumenhauer should not have supported the latest Latin American bilateral trade deals. And Clayton Morgareidge gives the Mole's Good News.

The criminalization of political demonstrators is analyzed by Heidi Bagosian of the National Lawyers Guild, talking with Bill Resnick. Well-read Red Frann Michel satirizes the official cover story that anarchists in police custody leap out of high windows. Tom Becker reviews the medical uses of marijuana down through the ages and its latter-day criminalization. And Mike Snedeker talks with Bill Resnick about steroids and atheletes.

Stephen Zunes who writes for Foreign Policy in Focus (www.fpif.org) talks with Bill Resnick about the impact of US foreign policy in the Middle East and what lies ahead. The Well-read Red presents revisits the class structure of capitalist society. The Movie Moles comment on "Reel Bad Arabs", a documentary about the demeaning depiction of Arabs in movies. Larry Bowlden reviews "Making it Up" by Penelope Lively. And there are two light, satirical pieces about recent political actions.
Thanks for your support during the Pledge Drive! If you missed that opportunity, there's always the "Join Now!" button at the top of this page.

Bill Resnick talks with Mark Weisbrot about the state of the economy, especially the debt crisis; with local activist Deborah Schwartz about making the City of Portland sweat-free; and with Norman Solomon about the politics of progressivism and his new book "Made Love, Got War." Tom Becker recalls the 1919 Centralia massacred, and Larry Bowlden reviews Ian McEwan's latest novel "On Chesil Beach."

Hosted by Tom Becker, today's Old Mole features a conversation between Bill Resnick and anthropologist Kamran Asdar Ali about the recent history and current situation in Pakistan. Jan Haaken interviews Portland State Psychology student David Hall about his work on Native American concepts of sustainability. Thabiti Lewis shows us how little we learn about American gangsters from the film "American Gangster." Tom Becker reads what Bob Dylan's retelling of the story of Joe Hill. And Bill Resnick interviews members of the Custodians and Food Service Workers Union who are fighting for a just wage and benefits with the Portland Schools.

Bill Resnick talks with Prof. Ismael Hossein-Zadeh about the administration's charges against Iran. Frann Michel reflects on religion, sexuality and social control--and the movie "The Bible Tells Me So." Host Clayton Morgareidge comments on arguments that maternity leave is unfair to non-parents. "Iceberg Lettuce, Anyone," is Luz Maria Gordillo's latest short story about Mexican immigrants. Clayton comments on "Wishing for God." And local activist Jamie Partridge talks with Bill Resnick about challenging Congressman Earl Blumenhauer on his vote for the Peru Free Trade Pact.

Today's show, hosted by Frann Michel, opens  with Bill Resnick talking with Portland attorney Steven Goldberg about the government's use of the "State Secrets" defense to prevent prisoners in the "war on terror" from getting a hearing.  Movie Moles Jan Haaken and Frann Michel review the parody film "Romance and Cigarettes."  Thabiti Lewis comments on Heroes and Sports in light of the Mitchell report on steroids  in baseball.  And Karl Rohde of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) talks with Bill Resnick about promoting bicycling in Portland.  

 Hosted by Denise Morris, this Christmas Eve  show begins with Bill Resnick interviewing Jocelyne Cesari, author of When Islam and Democracy Meet: Muslims in Europe and the US.  They discuss similarities and differences between Muslim immigrants in the US and Europe and debunk notions that link Islam with terrorism.  Jay Thiemeyer reviews  The Missing Class: Portraits of the Near Poor in America, by Katherine Newman and Victor Tan Chen.

 Hosted by Clayton Morgareidge, this program opens with some reflections on why the presidential campaign is treated as a horserace, not as a debate on the future of the nation.  Bill Resnick talks with local bicycling activists Tim Calvert and Elinor Blue about how bicycling can change our cities and our lives.  Luz María Gordillo reads her short story "Hot  Señorita", one of her  series on the Mexican immigrant experience.  Carolyn Jessop talks with Bill Resnick  about her  experience  in a polygamous, fundamentalist  Mormon community.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) has a long history of  struggling for justice and workers' rights.  Bill Resnick talks with two of its  representatives.  Craig  Merrilees, director of communications reviews  the history of this important union.  Peter Parks is chief  organizer  of ILWU May Day activities planned for May 1 here in Portland, including a ceremony at noon protesting the war in Iraq on the Eastside Esplanade between the Burnside Bridge and the Steel Bridge.  For more information, click here.  

 Pier Paolo Pasolini  was legendary Italian film director, novelist, and political  activist highly regarded by the European and American left.  He  is best known in the US for his naturalistic portrayal of Jesus in his 1964 film "The Gospel According to St. Matthew."  Old  Mole Jan Haaken talks with Professor  Angela Porcarelli about  his  work and his political philosophy. 

 Paraguay, long ruled by a single repressive party machine, has just elected a new left-wing president.  Justin Mog, an independent journalist living in Paraguay, talks with Old Mole Dan Jaffee about what this means for Paraguay's future.  

 Jared Bernstein is the author of Crunch: Why Do I Feel So Squeezed? (And Other Unsolved Economic Mysteries).  An economist at the Economic Policy Institute, he explains to Bill Resnick and to you why we're all feeling poorer these days--especially those who were poor to begin with.  Bernstein will be  speaking at Powell's  on Wednesday at 7:30.   

 Hosted by Tom Becker, this program has pieces  on the International Longshoreman Workers Union and May Day, the Italian radical film-maker Pier Paolo Pasolini, the left turn in Paraguay, and the impact of the economic crunch on the poor.  You can hear the whole show by clicking on the arrow above, or  individual segments by clicking on their links below:

1.  Bill Resnick talks with Craig  Merrilees and Peter Parks about the history and the  activism of the ILWU.

 2. Italian scholar Angela Porcarelli talks with Jan Haaken about the work and philosophy of Pier Paolo Pasolini.

 The human sciences, going back to Darwin, have accumulated evidence that our most  hard-wired emotions are not greed and selfishness, but gratitude, awe and compassion.  In this conversation, Dacher Keltner, author of Born to Be Good, talks with Bill Resnick about why we are not fundamentally evil but quite the opposite.  You can catch a brief video of Keltner explaining his views here.

 Book Mole Larry Bowlden reviews The Laws  of Harmony, a novel by Judith Ryan Hendricks about the hazards of growing up on a 1970s hippie commune.  

 How has industrial farming produced the conditions for new diseases like the current  outbreak swine flu?  Rob Wallace writes the blog Farming Pathogens, and in this conversation with the Old Mole's Jan Haaken, he explains how cities of pigs and cities of poultry create breeding grounds for new pathogens.

 Is human nature good or evil? Can you move beyond your past if you were raised on a commune?  Does industrial livestock farming of pigs and poultry lead to  new diseases?  These are the questions raised on this program, hosted by the Old Mole's Denise Morris.  

This program happens during the Spring Pledge Drive.  Support this program with your donation: it really makes a difference.  Please click the "Join Now" button at the top of this page!

You can hear this show in its entirety by using the arrow at the top of the page.  Or you can hear the separate segments by following the links below:

 Pediatrician Margaret Flowers was among those arrested for protesting the exclusion of single payer advocates at the recent Senate hearings on health reform.  Here she talks with Bill Resnick about how for-profit health insurance led her to quit her practice and start organizing for a national health care program.

Women's Studies Professor Brooke Campbell talks with the Old Mole's Jan Haaken about recent controversies over erotic services offered on Craig's List. What's the difference between lining up a "date" on Craig's List and arranging a tryst through a "reputable" dating service?

 What is the role of economic and racial justice when we consider a sustainable world?  Jill Fuglister talks with Laurie Mercier about her work with the Coalition for a Livable Future and the Livability Summit held at Portland State University this week.  

 Elizabeth Fehr, recently fired as she was trying to organize a union at Laurelhurst Village Nursing Home, and her co-worker Henry Olivera, discuss conditions there and why a union is needed.  

First, a big Thanks from the Mole to all of you who contributed to KBOO during the just concluded membership drive.  If you forgot to do it, look for the JOIN NOW link at the top of this page.  KBOO and the Mole need your support.

Mark Brenner reviews the last fifty years of the US auto industry and the reasons for its current crisis, putting it all in the context of US labor history and industrial policy.  Brenner is the director of Labor Notes.   He talks here with the Old Mole's Bill Resnick.  

 Well-read Red Frann Michel reminds us of many things President Obama forgot to remember in the traditional Memorial Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and concludes with an anti-war poem by Adrienne Rich.  You can read her comments, with links to her sources, here.  

 Book Mole Larry Bowlden explains why he thinks Richard Russo's latest novel Bridge of Sighs is his best.  
 

 The Old Mole's Denise Morris talks with David Weissman, co-director of QDoc -- the Portland Queer Documentary Film Festival, coming to Portland's Clinton Street Theater this weekend (May 28-31).  Weissman directed the award winning feature documentary, THE COCKETTES (2002).  This is the only queer documentary film festival in the US!

 Hosted by Frann Michel, this show explores the state of the US auto industry and how it got there, what the President forgot on Memorial Day, Richard Russo's best, and latest, book (according to our reviewer), and Q Doc -- the Portland Queer Documentary Film Festival coming this weekend.  

Hear the whole show by clicking on the play button above.  For individual segments, plus links to more information, follow the links below:

1.  Mark Brenner of Labor Notes and Bill Resnick of the Old Mole discuss the auto industry.

2.  Frann Michel (today's Well-read Red) on what Obama left out on Memorial Day.

Today's show, hosted by Laurie Mercier, focuses on the challenges to organized labor; the need for and possibility of a new, cooperative world order; and a special piece that asks the question "does the ruling class really want to commit suicide?" There are also two brief musical interludes: Casey Neill's "Dancing on the Ruins (of multi-national corporations" and David Kearney's "Please Mr. President."