Physicians Call for a More Progressive State Tax

Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility are getting involved in advocating for a more progressive state tax structure. The organization is kicking off a campaign this week on the responsible and just recovery from COVID 19. (more…)

WTO Protests 20th Anniversary Special

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the World Trade Organization or WTO ministerial conference in Seattle. The WTO is an international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. Decisions made by unelected trade delegates at this conference impact the worldwide economy, working conditions and the environment. Leading up to the WTO ministerial, hundreds of organizers, farmer, workers, students, and artists from throughout the world planned a massive demonstration to disrupt the negotiations. The protesters opposed what they interpreted as the unregulated power of multinational corporations through free trade agreements Tens of thousands of people used a diversity of tactics in the streets of Seattle throughout the last week of November, 1999, shutting down the event for the week, and sending a message worldwide of their presence.

Listen in on this one-hour KBCS WTO 20th anniversary special.

Producers: Yuko Kodama and Jesse Callahan

Thanks to story contributors, Gol Hoghooghi and Sam Britt.  Special thanks to Jill Friedberg for assistance with the special

Photo: Steve Kaiser

Finding Hillywood

The Rwandan genocide began claiming up to a million lives in April 20 years ago. Today, we highlight a documentary film based in Rwanda called Finding Hillywood. It’s created by a local director, Leah Warshawski and the film focuses on the vibrant Rwandan film industry today.  We talk about this film and take a look at how Rwanda’s government and economy fare today.

Guests:

• Leah Warshawski – Director of the documentary film, Finding Hillywood
• Marie Berry – PhD Candidate at UCLA in Sociology. She’s been researching Rwanda since 2007. She’s also the President of the Board of Directors for Global Youth Connect, a cross cultural human rights training program for youth in post-genocide countries.
• Kevin Henry – Cultural Diversity Communications Coordinator at the City of Bellevue.

Upcoming screenings:

April 15th noon at South Seattle Community College
April 16th 4 pm at Seattle University
April 22nd 6 pm at the Bellevue Downtown Library
April 23rd 6:30 pm at University of Washington (Seattle) Ethnic Cultural Center  (screened along with other footage and films about Rwanda)