community-based, non-corporate, participatory media
community-based, non-corporate, participatory media
Rustbelt Radio for August 13, 2007
by Pittsburgh IMC: Rustbelt Radio collective
Monday, Aug. 13, 2007 at 10:27 PM
radio@indypgh.org (email address validated) 412-923-3000 WRCT 88.3 FM
On this week's show... * Let's Talk About Sex-- interviews and highlights from the 10th annual Sistersong conference * we take a look at the new documentary Good Copy Bad Copy, which examines copyright and culture, featuring Pittsburgh-based mashup artist Girl Talk * An update on the Local Community Radio Act from Media Minutes * We examine why attacks against the homeless are on the rise * plus more in our local and global headlines
audio link: 
MP3 at 27.5 mebibytes
Welcome to this week's edition of Rustbelt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of the news from the grassroots, news overlooked by the corporate media.
On today's show...
Rustbelt Radio airs live every Monday from 6-7 PM on WRCT 88.3 FM in Pittsburgh, PA, and again on Tuesday mornings 9-10 AM. We're also on Pacifica affiliate WVJW Benwood, 94.1 FM in the Wheeling, West Virginia area, on Thursdays from 6-7 PM. And we're on WPTS, 10-11AM on Wednesday mornings at 92.1 FM from the campus of the University of Pittsburgh.
We're also available on the internet, both on WRCT's live webstream at W-R-C-T dot ORG and for download, stream or podcast at radio dot I-N-D-Y-P-G-H dot org.
We turn now to local stories.
This past weekend, 200 cyclists, mechanics, community organizers, and bike-enthusiasts made their way to Pittsburgh for the fourth annual Bike Bike! Conference. Since the conference was first held in New Orleans 4 years ago, it has grown into the annual gathering for community and Non-Profit Bike shops and projects across the country.
Included in the three-day event were dozens of workshops surrounding the logistics and ideals involved with running a recycled bike project. Many workshops also touched on subjects such as gender and class equality, project sustainability, and global solidarity. Scott Gibson of Pittsburgh's very own recycled bike collective, Free Ride, talks about the conference :
* scottbikebike.wav (1:09)
Attendees came to Bike Bike from as far away as Guatemala. The organizations Maya Pedal and AGRAPTO demonstrated their unique bike-machines that are put to use in impoverished rural communities. Some of the machines included bike blenders and bike corn grinders.One of their hopes for attending the conference was to share their unique technologies with people in the US who may be able to bring these ideas to other developing countries.
Another attendee, Claire from Minneapolis, told us about how her collective 'Gear Up' got started:
* clairebikebike.wav (1:33)
Videos, photos, and recordings from the event will be posted to the Bicycle Collective Network website at www. bikecollectives. org
You can also visit Pittsburgh's local recycled bike shop 'Free Ride' on 214 North Lexington Avenue in Point Breeze or online at freeridepgh.org. For more information on this and future Bike Bike conferences see bikebike.org.
Pennsylvania’s Department of Education's annual school safety report for the 2005-2006 school year shows a statewide decrease in the amount of assaults on students and staff, sexual offenses and firearm possession.
State wide the number of assaults on students fell 17% and assaults on teachers fell 18% from the previous year. The Pittsburgh Public Schools show about a 50% decline in reported assaults including aggravated assaults and ethnic intimidation, with assaults against students down to 310 from 674 incidents while assaults on teachers fell to 177 from 371 incidents.
While many of the assaults have decreased, Pittsburgh Public schools showed a large increase in minor safety violations such as cell phone use and the failure to tuck in shirts. Michael Race, spokesman for the Department of Education, feels this substantial increase is due to Pittsburgh’s desire to (quote) go above and beyond in reporting anything that violates their student code of conduct, which includes dress violations (end quote).
Even with the expansion of the definition of sexual offenses to include (quote) lewdness, indecent exposure and possessing obscene materials (end quote), the number of sexual assaults in Pennsylvania schools declined 2%. And for the third year in a row firearm possession declined, with the decrease of reported incidents down 35% in the 2005-2006 school year.
While much of the state and city has been enjoying this decrease in incidents, both Penn Hills and North Allegheny school districts reported rising numbers of assaults by students against teachers. Penn Hills reported no aggravated assaults in the 2004-2005 school safety report but this year they saw 8; while North Allegheny went from zero to four in the same time period.
For more information on the report, please visit www.pde.state.pa.us.
Normally an unusual place for protests, Washington Rd. in Mt. Lebanon now sees anti-war activists gathering at Congressman Tim Murphy’s office twice a week to voice their objection to his support for the war in Iraq. Rustbelt Radio asked Rory Casey about the protests:
* IraqSummer1.wav (1:31)
Rosemary Prosco of Bethel Park talked about why she came out:
* IraqSummer3.wav (1:38)
Another protester, Paula Clotts of Ligoneer, told us exactly how Congressman Murphy claims to be supporting the troops:
* IraqSummer2.wav (54)
For more information on Iraq Summer events in the area call Rory at 202-903-3229.
For more on local news, you can visit pittsburgh dot I-N-D-Y-M-E-D-I-A dot org.
[ HMB BREAK RUSTBELT - 0:20 (fades down 0:10 in to start global intro) ]
You are listening to Rustbelt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of news overlooked by the corporate media. We turn now to news from other independent media sources around the world.
Attacks against the homeless are rising sharply throughout the nation. According to a 2006 report by the National Coalition for the Homeless, entitled, Hate, Violence, and Death on Main Street USA, attacks on homeless persons are up 65% from 2005, and up almost 300% from 2002. Micheal Stoops, executive director of the National Coalition, explains some of the study’s findings:
* MichealStoops.wav (1:03)
Stoops also told us about increased awareness of violence against the homeless and of steps that lawmakers in some states have taken to address it:
* MichealStoops2.wav (1:13)
When asked about the reasons for the sharp increase in these attacks, Stoops offered some explanations:
* MichealStoops3.wav (2:57)
The study, Hate Violence and Death on Main Street USA, is available on the National Coalition for the Homeless website at nationalhomeless.org.
Communities across the country are gaining strides in their campaign for Low Power FM Radio Stations. Media Minutes brings us an update:
For more from media minutes you can visit freepress.net
We now turn to Uprising Radio out of Pacifica Radio in Los Angeles to hear a piece aired on August 3rd about the target of Iran both economically and militarily.
* uprising_iran.mp3: Uprising : Iran [5:15]
That was Sonali Kolhatkar from Uprising Radio's weekly digest. For more information, visit uprisingradio.org
You're listening to Rustbelt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of news from the grassroots.
Let’s Talk About Sex, The 10th Annual Conference of Sistersong: Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective, brought together hundreds of women of color and their allies to the city of Chicago in late May.
Participants at Let's Talk About Sex discussed, analyzed, and strategized around reproductive justice issues over four days of workshops. Among those attending were over 30 women from Pittsburgh. Rustbelt Radio spoke to a few local members of New Voices Pittsburgh before the conference. We asked women what reproductive justice means to them.
Here’s Cinnamon, a local reproductive justice activist and doula: * cinnamon.wav: Cinnamon [0:30]
Regina Harrington, an intern with New Voices Pittsburgh, with another definition of reproductive justice: * reginaharrington1.wav: Regina [0:37]
Maria Graziani shared her thoughts on sex education: * mariasexeducation.wav: Maria [0:21]
La’Tasha Mayes of Pittsburgh, at the Sistersong Conference in Chicago this summer: * LaTashaNVP1.mp3: La'Tasha [4:35]
Let’s Talk About Sex gave participants a way to understand reproductive justice as a framework of intersecting issues. Beyond a narrow discussion only focused on abortion, it takes into account all aspects of the lives of women and their varied communities.
Aimee Thorne-Thomsen, executive director of the Pro-Choice Public Education Project, addressed the importance of creating a movement that engages youth and is accountable to them: * aimee_youngwmn1.mp3: Aimee Thorne Thompson [3:40]
Mia Mingus, director of Georgians for Choice, spoke on the experiences of queer people and people with disabilities: * miamingus1.mp3: Mia Mingus [1:01]
Mia addressed the specifics of a health care system that ignores and marginalizes those it should be accountable to: * disabilityandqueerness.mp3: Mia Mingus: Disability and Queerness [1:32]
More from Mia Mingus on the politics of family: * queer_disability_family.mp3: Mia Mingus: Queerness, Disability and Family [3:20]
Laws and practices that attempt to take away people’s control over their bodies have existed throughout history and persist today. Sujatha Jesudason, director of Gender, Justice and Human Genetics at the Center for Genetics and Society, spoke about how this relates to women’s lives: * sujatha1.mp3: Sujatha Jesudason [1:33]
What are the implications of a quest for a “perfect family.”?; More from Sujatha Jesudason at the 10th annual Sistersong Conference: * sujatha2.mp3: Sujatha 2 [2:11]
Stay tuned for more reproductive justice updates on future editions of Rustbelt Radio. Thanks to National Radio Project and Kai Gurley of Sistersong for audio from the Sistersong Conference used in this piece. To listen to a complete feature on Sistersong produced by the National Radio Project, visit radioproject.org.
Is remixing or sampling copyrighted music a crime, or an act of creativity? Danish filmmakers Andreas Johnsen, Ralf Christensen, and Henrik Moltke analyze that question and more in their recently released hour-long film.
Good Copy Bad Copy is the title of a new documentary about the current state of copyright and culture. The movie examines the line between "fair use" and "piracy" in today's music, and includes many interviews, including DJ Danger Mouse (the creator of the "Grey Album"), Lawerence Lessig (founder of Creative Commons), the Swedish folks behind the file-sharing website "The Pirate Bay", and an official from the Motion Picture Association of America.
The documentary begins with a clip of Pittsburgh congressman Mike Doyle at a hearing in the House of Representatives earlier this year, followed by an interview with Pittsburgh-based remix artist Girl Talk.
That last speaker was DJ Danger Mouse.
In addition to interviews filmed in locations like Pittsburgh's Primanti Brothers, the Danish producers of "Good Copy Bad Copy" also go to Russia, Sweden, Nigeria, and Brazil to document the worldwide changes in how artists interact with (or ignore) an anachronistic copyright system.
Good Copy Bad Copy was first seen on Danish television, but is also available for free download from the bittorrent file-sharing website featured in the movie, the pirate bay dot org. You can also see the trailer and get more info at good copy bad copy dot net.
[ Outro Music ]
Thanks for tuning in to Rustbelt Radio here on WRCT Pittsburgh, WVJW Benwood and WPTS Pittsburgh.
Our hosts this week are Diane Amdor and Ellen Pierson with contributions from Carlin Christy, Ellen Pierson, Vani Natarajan, Lizzie Anderson, and Matt Toups. This week's show was produced by Phill Cresswell. Special thanks to all of our hosts, producers, and contributors.
You can get involved with Rustbelt Radio! To contact us, or to send us your comments, email RADIO at I-N-D-Y-P-G-H dot ORG. All of our shows are available for download or podcast on our website at RADIO dot INDY-P-G-H dot ORG and this show can be heard again Tuesday morning on WRCT at 9 AM after Democracy Now!
Tune in next week at this time for another edition of Rustbelt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of news from the grassroots.
Rustbelt Radio for August 13, 2007 (ogg vorbis)
by Pittsburgh IMC: Rustbelt Radio collective
Monday, Aug. 13, 2007 at 10:27 PM
radio@indypgh.org 412-923-3000 WRCT 88.3 FM
audio: ogg vorbis at 24.9 mebibytesaudio: ogg vorbis at 24.9 mebibytes
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