Concrete Umbrella Records Blog

Video from the Mon., Nov 30, 2009 episode of Keith Olbermann on MSNBC’s Countdown, where he reports on Amy Goodman’s Canadian border detention, in his program’s “Best Persons” segment–where he berates the Canadian authorities. Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News , World News , and News about the Economy [...]

While traveling to Vancouver, BC, Canada on Weds., Nov. 25th, to speak at the Vancouver Public Library at a benefit for community radio stations, Amy Goodman and her two colleagues were detained by Canadian authorities. Amy was questioned extensively about the speech she intended to give; their car was gone through by armed border guards, and their papers and laptop computers were scoured. They were detained for well over an hour, and were made an hour late for her speech. The armed interrogators were particularly interested in whether she would be speaking about the upcoming Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Press Coverage: CBC: U.S. Journalist Grilled at Canada Border Crossing (w/ video) Toronto Globe & Mail: U.S. Journalist Says She Was Delayed At Border, Questioned About Speech Toronto Star: What Olympics? Baffled U.S. Radio Host Interrogated at Border Rabble.ca: Amy Goodman Detained at Border Services Before going to Canada, Amy signed books at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport–the largest airport Borders Bookstore–there was no trouble at that Borders, as opposed to the Canadian border. See the coverage from Mediabistro [...]

California campuses have been rocked by protests this past week, provoked by massive student fee increases voted on by the University of California Board of Regents. After a year of sequential budget cuts, faculty and staff dismissals and furloughs, and the elimination of entire academic departments, the 32 percent fee increase proved to be the trigger for statewide actions of an unprecedented scale. With President Barack Obama’s Afghanistan war strategy—which, according to one leak, will include a surge of 35,000 troops—soon to be announced, the juxtaposition of education cuts and military increases is incensing many, and helping to build a movement. Read More [...]

The Mail Tribune newspaper of Southern Oregon published a story on Amy Goodman’s tour stop in Ashland, Oregon. Reporter Paris Achen wrote, "Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now! , told a crowd of about 300 people at Ashland’s Southern Oregon University Sunday night that print and TV media have failed to provide balanced and contextual coverage of the most critical issues facing Americans, including health care reform and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Click here for full article. [...]

“In the next 60 seconds, 10 children will die of hunger,” says a United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) online video. It continues, “For the first time in humanity, over 1 billion people are chronically hungry.” The WFP launched the Billion for a Billion campaign this week, urging the 1 billion people who use the Internet to help the billion who are hungry. But if you think that hunger is far from our shores, here is some food for thought … and action: The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a report Monday stating that in 2008 one in six households in the U.S. was “food insecure,” the highest number since the figures were first gathered in 1995. Read More [...]