Nonogirl Radio

Obama/Terrorist

Is it just me or does mainstream media often confuse Barack Obama with Osama Bin Laden?

I mean, there's this great image of Obama on the cover, but then in bold, it says "Terror's New Face" without any context.

A mistake? Or innuendo?

Medical Leave

It's baby season in the East Bay and on Thursday, I woke to the cries from baby Milo, Dennis and Vivian's new son. Sarah Varney interviewed Dennis (you could hear the sleep deprivation in his raspy voice) for a segment on the anniversary of paid family leave.

Now all three of them have been on KQED! (Vivian shared a commentary for us while I worked at Pacific Time).

News and Notes

I’ve been a fan of Farai Chideya even before she took over as host of News and Notes. She embraces popculture and started Pop and Politics with my friend as the editor before Farai and the project moved down to  In fact, I contributed an article on podcasting, which only exists on Alternet, now.

I saw her work her hosting magic at a P&P fundraiser as she moderated an audience Q&A with DJ Spooky and Lawrence Lessig. She was as smart and graceful live as she is on the radio.

Lately, I’ve been trying to pay attention to what News and Notes is trying to accomplish. They cover the presidential race, do-it-yourself fertility kit for men, and summer travel—topics that aren’t inherently Black issues—put with the perspectives from Black political commentators, doctors, and economists.

They do cover , but the majority is on African American issues. And they bring in a range of perspectives from right to left to progressive, embracing the blogosphere along the way.

Although I generally prefer produced pieces over round tables and interviews that N&N likes to do, these conversational components paint a diverse face of African American views and voices.

Originally posted on nonogirl.vox.com

David Zirin

                   

The last minute BART across the Bay, the frantic peering for a cab in west Oakland and Lake Merritt, the white knuckled ride over the 980 to the 80 to Fourth Street were all worth it to catch the last few minutes of David Zirin.

I’m a fan of Zirin’s political writings about sports, but it was a whole ‘nother thing to see him live. Now I want him for an uncle. I want to see him at Thanksgiving with our plates piled high while the men gather around the tv for one football game after another. I want him for my future child’s little league coach. I want him for SF Supervisor. Shit, I want him for Mayor!

He has a sharp mind for sports history that is more impressive with his progressive analysis, all couched in a narrative more compelling than a This American Life show. AND a master understanding of sexism to the point of prioritizing questions from women in the audience.

It is rare for me to care about autographs, but last night, I had to have my two minutes with the man. Should I ask him about his tour schedule and if he planned to catch the All Star Game? Should I tell him how much effort it took to catch the last 20 minutes of Q&A given that he mis-publicized the location of his reading? I now wish I was more practical and asked the following:

I’m totally impressed with his firm grasp of his historical facts and his sharp analysis. As a fellow journalist, what are the concrete ways that you keep up with the news and do your research?

Go out and buy his new book for as he says, he’s got a three year old and “baby needs a new everything!”

Originally posted on nonogirl.vox.com

Radio Liberacion

When I went to Guatemala I was lucky enough to sit in on a lecture about La Voz Popular, a radio station run by the guerrillas during the country's civil war. They were able to update indigenous people about the war, offer medical advice for people living in rural areas, and play nuevas canciones (protest music) to keep up the spirits of the soldiers.

But recently, I learned about another way that radio was used in Guatemala in the form of Radio Liberacion, a radio station created by the CIA. This broadcast in the 1950s during Guatemala's "Democratic Spring" when President Arbenz initiated land reforms that pissed off US businessmen (the United Fruit Company).

Nancy Updike does a great job in piecing this story together with a powerful ending, reminding us the role that the US played in the hundreds of thousands of people murdered and the thousands of people disappeared.

Radio Liberacion

When I went to Guatemala I was lucky enough to sit in on a lecture about La Voz Popular, a radio station run by the guerrillas during the country's civil war. They were able to update indigenous people about the war, offer medical advice for people living in rural areas, and play nuevas canciones (protest music) to keep up the spirits of the soldiers.

But recently, I learned about another way that radio was used in Guatemala in the form of Radio Liberacion, a radio station created by the CIA. This broadcast in the 1950s during Guatemala's "Democratic Spring" when President Arbenz initiated land reforms that pissed off US businessmen (the United Fruit Company).

Nancy Updike does a great job in piecing this story together with a powerful ending, reminding us the role that the US played in the hundreds of thousands of people murdered and the thousands of people disappeared.