12:00 PM Pacific Time: Mondays - Wednesdays
Acclaimed program of ideas, in-depth analysis, and commentary on a variety of matters—political, economic, social, and cultural—important to progressive and radical thinking and activism. Against the Grain is co-produced and co-hosted by Sasha Lilley and C. S. Soong.
Is a socialist alternative to capitalism just a utopian dream discredited by the experience of the Soviet Union? John Bellamy Foster, editor of Monthly Review, talks about the legacy and viability of radical socialism and the need to renew its promise.
Two takes on unmasking and confronting the system. Susan Choi is author of American Woman, a novel based on the abduction of Patty Hearst. David Lester has written a Harper’s Index-style book entitled The Gruesome Acts of Capitalism.
Hungry for more originality in what you read and see? Worried that creativity and rebellion are on the decline? In The Middle Mind, Curtis White criticizes dominant narratives for their banality and in some cases destructiveness, and calls for a revitalization of the imagination. (This is the full-length taped conversation, aired for the first time.)
Writer Francine Prose, who’s been called one of America’s sharpest cultural satirists, discusses her latest novel A Changed Man, about a former neo-Nazi skinhead who signs on with a human rights foundation.
A look at water privatization around the planet with speeches from the World Social Forum. And a discussion of the appointment of Paul Wolfowitz as head of the World Bank, with Manish Bapna from the Bank Information Center and Morrigan Phillips from Mobilize for Global Justice.
Can the environmental crisis be solved by orthodox economics? Michael Perelman, author of The Perverse Economy: The Impact of Markets on People and the Environment, talks about market solutions versus economic planning.
One Big Lie Why do we hand over power to those who mislead and abuse us? In what ways can real individual freedom be achieved? Playwright Liz Duffy Adams invites us to consider these and other big-picture questions in her new play One Big Lie. Rebecca Novick and Paul Lancour of Crowded Fire Theater Company … Continued
Poverty & Labor in the North Bay A recent report takes a close look at issues of income inequality and poverty in Marin, Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino counties, and turns up with some quite alarming trends — including the fact that during the high growth period of the late 1990s, many working families became poorer. … Continued
Camus on Resistance & Revolution The world is absurd — so what do we as individuals do about it? Albert Camus had a lot to say on this subject. The French writer’s thoughts on revolution and its methods, as expressed in his play The Just, are currently on stage courtesy of the Shotgun Players. Camus … Continued
Reforming the Media, Round II Last year a large up swell of media activism put the kibosh on the FCC’s plan to further relax the rules on media ownership. Sydney Levy of Media Alliance, Pete Tridish with Prometheus Radio Project, and Craig Aaron from Free Press take a look at the state of the media, … Continued
