Your Call 070609 How do we declare our independence from consumerism?

In a consumer culture, is making something or fixing it yourself a revolutionary act? For the July 4th weekend Your Call we'll declare our independence from the consumer culture and replay our interview with Dale Daugherty, editor and publisher of Make Magazine and Matthew Crawford, author of Shop Class as Soulcraft. Will making and fixing more of our own stuff, and honoring the people who do it, bring us a healthier economy and happier lives? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Dale Dougherty in San Francisco
Editor and publisher of MAKE magazine, and general manager of the Maker Media division of O'Reilly Media. He was the developer and publisher of Global Network Navigator (GNN), the first commercial Web site which launched in 1993. Dale developed the Hacks series of books for O'Reillly and was a Lecturer in the School of Information Management and Systems (SIMS) at the University of California at Berkeley from 1996 to 2000.

Matthew B. Crawford in Richmond, Virginia
Is a philosopher / mechanic. Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia and a contributing editor of The New Atlantis. He would like to thank Joe Davis and David Franz, both of the Institute, for their contributions to this article.

Click to Listen: How do we declare our independence from consumerism?

Your Call 070309 Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call it's our Friday media roundtable where we look behind the headlines with a panel of journalists from across the media landscape. We'll discuss the Stonewall anniversary, the coup in Honduras and the American withdrawal from Iraq's cities. We'll be joined by Matthew Bajko of the Bay Area Reporter, David Barsamian of Alternative Radio and Alan Maas of the Socialist Worker. Send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org or join us live at 11 a.m. Where did you see the best reporting this week? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Alan Maas in San Francisco
Staff writer for the Socialist Worker, the weekly paper published by the International Socialist Organization. Alan is in town for this weekend's Socialism 2009 conference at The Women's Building on 18th St. in the mission.

Matthew Bajko in San Francisco
Staff writer for the Bay Area Reporter, San Francisco's oldest and largest local newspaper of record serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.

David Barsamian in San Francisco
Host and Director of Alternative Radio, heard on KALW Mondays at 1 p.m.

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

Your Call 070209 What changed in Iraq this week?

What has changed now that American troops have redeployed out of urban centers in Iraq? What still hangs in the balance? On the next Your Call we'll talk about who withdrew and where they went and what it all means. President Maliki declared it National Sovereignty Day, but how much will Iraqi police and military control? Send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org or join us live at 11 a.m. A majority of Americans and Iraqis want the troops out of Iraq. Is this a step in the right direction? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Vijay Prashad in Hartford, Connecticut
George and Martha Kellner Chair in South Asian History and professor of International Studies at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. He is the author of eleven books, most recently The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World.

Nabil Al-Tikriti in Fredericksburg, Virginia
Assistant professor of History of the University of Mary Washington. From 1992-2003, Dr. Al-Tikriti was a context and liaison officer, administrator and logistician for Mdecins Sans Frontires. Al-Tikriti was a member of the team that operated the Catholic Relief Services humanitarian assistance project in Iraq in 1991-1992.

Basma AlKhateeb in Baghdad
Gender and Youth Project manager for the Iraqi AlAmal Association in Baghdad.

Click to Listen: What changed in Iraq this week?

Your Call 070109 What happens when rural and urban collide?

What happens when rural and urban collide? On the next Your Call we'll speak with Novella Carpenter, author of Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer. Carpenter bought a dilapidated house next to a vacant lot in West Oakland and converted the open space into an urban homestead with chickens, goats, rabbits, pigs, two turkeys named Harold and Maude and a vegetable garden, all in a neighborhood without a supermarket. We'll take your emails at feedback@yourcallradio.org and your questions live at 11 a.m. Could a city really feed itself? It's Your Call with Sandip Roy and you.

Guest:
Novella Carpenter in San Francisco
Author of Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer and proprietor of Ghost Town Farm, an urban farm in West Oakland

Click to Listen: What happens when rural and urban collide?

Your Call 063009 How has the LGBT movement changed America?

How has the movement for LGBT liberation and equality changed America? On the next Your Call, we'll have an intergenerational conversation with LGBT activists about the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and the future of the movement. How much progress has been made? Send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org or join us live at 11 a.m. What challenges does the gay community face today? What's the best strategy to go about fighting for rights like gay marriage? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Kate Raphael, a member of LAGAI-Queer Insurrection, which is one of the oldest radical queer groups in the country. She is a former San Francisco LGBT Pride Parade grand marshal.

Boyce Hinman, California Communities United Institute

Danielle Askini, works with Gay Straight Alliance Network

Tommi Avicolli Mecca, a former member of GLF/Temple University, is editor of Smash the Church, Smash the State: The Early Years of Gay Liberation.

Click to Listen: How has the LGBT movement changed America?

Your Call 062909 What is the best kind of tax?

What is the best kind of tax? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about the convoluted U.S. tax system. It's also incredibly controversial with many Republicans signing the "no new taxes" pledge. We pay taxes on just about everything we buy. There's income tax. Property tax. Gasoline tax. Is there a tax you'd actually like to pay? Do you think certain taxes should be raised? Send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org or join us live at 11 am. What should our tax system look like? It's Your Call with me, Rose Aguilar, and you.

Guests:
Robert S. McIntyre, director of Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ). CTJ is a nonpartisan research and advocacy group that fights for tax fairness at the federal, state and local levels.

Chuck Marr, director of Federal Tax Policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Click to Listen: What is the best kind of tax?

Your Call 062609 Media RoundTable

On the next Your Call it's our Friday media roundtable where we bring in reporters from the mainstream, alternative and international press to discuss the week in American media. This week the Iranian government violently quelled protests, President Obama held a news conference and the Washington Post fired columnist Dan Froomkin. We'll be joined by Glen Greenwald of Salon and Dave Roberts of Grist. Send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org or join us live at 11 a.m. Where did you see the best reporting this week and where did it fall short? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Dave Roberts in Seattle
Staff writer for the environmental online magazine Grist

Glenn Greenwald in Brazil
Columnist for Salon

Click to Listen: Media RoundTable

Your Call 062509 What has changed in Iran?

What has changed in Iran? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about the disputed presidential election in Iran and how protesters have used social media in their protests. What are the protesters' demands? Send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org or join us live at 11 am. How should organizers and citizens use social media? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Janet Afary, a professor of Religious Studies and Feminist Studies at UC Santa Barbara.

Kaveh Ehsani, an assistant professor of International Studies at DePaul University and a member of the editorial boards of Middle East Report and the Tehran-based Goft-o-gu (Dialogue).

Shahram Aghamir, Bay Area based activist and producer of Voices of the Middle East and North Africa on KPFA

Click to Listen: What has changed in Iran?

Your Call 062409 Can good principles create bad economic policies?

What are the most widespread misconceptions about how our economy works? On the next Your Call we speak with New York Times columnist Robert H. Frank about his new book The Economic Naturalist's Field Guide: Common Sense Principles for Troubled Times. We all know the tax cuts for the wealthiest were good for rich people and bad for everyone else, right? Frank says they were pretty bad for the rich too. Would allowing companies to pay to pollute simply push environmental problems into the future? Frank says otherwise. Send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org or join us live at 11 am. Would economic policies based on empirical research work better than basing policy on ideology, left or right? It's Your Call with Sandip Roy and you.

Guest:
Robert H. Frank in San Francisco
Professor of economics at the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. He is the author of several books including Falling Behind: How Rising Inequality Harms the Middle Class and most recently The Economic Naturalist's Field Guide: Common Sense Principles for Troubled Times.

Click to Listen: Can good principles create bad economic policies?

Your Call 062309 Who is Running the Health Care Reform Debate?

Who are the major players in the health care debate? On the next Your Call we start the first of a series of programs on health care reform. News coverage about the legislative process covers the ins and outs of the national debate with nearly microscopic detail, but often missing is a sense of how the process works, who the major players are and where the real work is getting done. We'll speak with Mary Agnes Carey, senior correspondent with Kaiser Health News, and take your questions. Send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org or join us live at 11 am. Who has the biggest megaphone in the health care reform debate and whose voice needs to be heard? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Mary Agnes Carey in Washington DC
Senior correspondent with Kaiser Health News (no relation to Kaiser Permanente). Ms. Carey has covered health policy for more than decade. Before joining Kaiser Health News, she reported for Congressional Quarterly and Dow Jones Newswires.

Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access

Click to Listen: Who is Running the Health Care Reform Debate?

Your Call 062209 Are smaller banks an option?

On the next Your Call we discuss an agenda for a new economy: As the big banks implode, can community banks provide a real alternative? How have smaller banks and credit unions managed to survive the wave of consolidation in the banking industry? Have they managed to escape the current banking crisis? If you're thinking about moving your account to a smaller financial institution, what questions should you ask?

We'll be joined by Josh Silver of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, Lynn Athens, CEO of Spectrum Federal Credit Union and Steve Andrews, president of the Bank of Alameda and former chairman of California Independent Banks.

Send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org or join us live at 11 am. What can community banks and credit unions offer during this financial crisis? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Join the conversation at 866-798-TALK, that's 866-798-8255. Or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org.

Guests:
Lynn Athens in Studio
CEO of Spectrum Federal Credit Union.

Steve Andrews in Alameda
President of the Bank of Alameda, former president of California Independent Bankers, board member of Independent Community Bankers of America.

Josh Silver in Washington DC
Vice President of Research and Policy at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition.

Click to Listen: Are smaller banks an option?

Your Call 061909 Media RoundTable

On the next Your Call it's our Friday media roundtable, where we discuss how the news of the week was covered. This week we ask what's left of the news media in California that informs and engages the people of the state? What are the new initiatives that should give us hope? How is California's ongoing budget crisis being covered? And how do we support real journalism in California? Who's got it wrong, and who's getting it right?

We'll be joined by Louis Freedberg, Director of the Center for Investigative Reporting's California Project, Jerry Roberts of CalBuzz-dot-com and Steve Harmon of the Contra Costa Times.

It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Louis Freedberg Director of The Center for Investigative Reporting's California Project

Jerry Roberts, former managing editor for the San Francisco Chronicle and co-founder of Calbuzz.com

Steve Harmon, Sacramento Reporter for the Contra Costa Times and Media News

Click to Listen: Media RoundTable

Your Call 061809 Is it time for a California Constitutional Convention?

Time for a California Constitutional Convention? On the Next Your Call, we'll continue our week-long series on California's economic crisis. What would it take to call a constitutional convention in California, and what could be achieved? Send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org or join us live at 11 am. If a convention comes to pass, what would you want on the table? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Jean Ross, executive director of California Budget Project

John Grubb, spokesperson for the Bay Area Council

Click to Listen: Is it time for a California Constitutional Convention?

Your Call 061709 What state services can we live without?

What state services can we live without? On the next Your Call, we continue our week-long series about California's economic crisis. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed billions of dollars of cuts in social services affecting everyone from poor children to college students. What does the budget say about the state's priorities? Send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org or join us live at 11 am. If cuts are inevitable, where should they happen? It's Your Call with Sandip Roy and you.

Guests:
Brian Leubitz in San Francisco, publisher & editor of Calitics.com, a news and commentary site about California politics from a progressive perspective.

Jerry Nickelsburg, a senior economist with the UCLA Anderson Forecast. Among his responsibilities are the economic forecast for California and authorship of the associated quarterly California Report.

Click to Listen: What state services can we live without?

Your Call 061609 How did California's budget crisis happen?

How did California's budget crisis happen? On the next Your Call, we continue our week long series about California's economic crisis by focusing on how we got here in the first place. The State has a 24 billion dollar budget deficit. What caused it? Overspending? The state's tax system? Prop 13? The 2/3 majority requirement? Send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org or join us live at 11 am. What can we learn from the current mess as we look toward fundamental reform? It's Your Call with me, Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Lenny Goldberg, executive director of the California Tax Reform Association

Mark Paul, senior scholar at the New America Foundation, was formerly deputy treasurer of California and deputy editorial page editor of the Sacramento Bee.

Click to Listen: How did California's budget crisis happen?

Your Call 061509 How does the world's 7th largest economy actually work?

How does the world's 7th largest economy actually work? On the next Your Call, we're kicking off a weeklong series focusing on California's economic crisis. We'll kick it off by discussing how the state's economy functions. Which parts of the California economy are most productive and dynamic? Who's paying the taxes that fund public services? Send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org or join us live at 11 am. Does the recession look any different in California than it does in the rest of the country? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Terry Connelly, dean of the Ageno School of Business at Golden Gate University

William Shughart, a senior fellow at The Independent Institute and Frederick A. P. Barnard Distinguished Professor of Economics at the University of Mississippi.

Click to Listen: How does the world's 7th largest economy actually work?

Your Call 061209 Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call it's our Friday media roundtable where we bring in reporters from the mainstream, alternative and international press to discuss the week in American media. This week Laura Ling and Euna Lee of San Francisco-based CurrentTV were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor in North Korean prisons, a black man was shot dead by a white supremacist at the Holocaust museum and the Iranian people went to the polls to elect a new president. We'll be joined by the San Francisco Chronicle's Jason Rezaian in Tehran, David Neiwert, author of The Eliminationists: How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right, and Olga Pierce of ProPublica who just finished a state-by-state look at unemployment insurance. Send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org or join us live at 11 am. Where did you see the best reporting this week and where did it fall short? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Jason Rezaian in Tehran
Writes Inside Iran for the San Francisco Chronicle. He is also the writer, executive producer and narrator of a feature length documentary film on Iran called A World Between.

Olga Pierce in New York
Staff Reporter for ProPublica. She covered health policy for United Press International in Washington before attending the Stabile Investigative Journalism Seminar at Columbia University, where she won a Horton Prize for health reporting.

David Neiwert in Seattle
Freelance journalist and author of several books including the newly released The Eliminationists: How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right from Polipoint Press. Dave is a freelance journalist based in Seattle. His reportage for MSNBC.com on domestic terrorism won the National Press Club Award for Distinguished Online Journalism in 2000. Neiwert is also the managing editor of the video blog Crooks and Liars.

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

Your Call 061109 How can we best care for the ground beneath our feet?

How can we best care for the ground beneath our feet? On the next Your Call, we'll continue our series on the commons by focusing on dirt, an invaluable substance we mostly take for granted. We'll speak with Gene Rosow, producer & director of Dirt! The Movie. The film tells the little known story of the relationship between dirt and humans. What can we do to preserve one of our most precious natural resources? Send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org or join us live at 11 am. What are you doing to enrich your soil? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Gene Rosow in Los Angeles
Director of Dirt! The Movie, an official selection in the Documentary Competition at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Gene wrote, produced and directed more than 20 documentaries including Doctora for Channel 4 England, Routes of Rhythm with Harry Belafonte for PBS, and Knights for Canal+ France. His feature film credits include the lovable family film Zeus and Roxanne for MGM, among others. On top of a Ph.D in History, Gene relishes his year of post-graduate work in Ecology, Biochemistry, Cellular Physiology, and Parisitology.

Click to Listen: How can we best care for the ground beneath our feet?

Your Call 061009 Do Arabs and Muslims feel a change under Obama?

Do the people targeted after 9/11 feel a change under Obama? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about the Arab and Muslim communities' responses to President Obama's address in Cairo. Can that make a difference for Muslims here? Send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org or join us live at 11 am. What about the non-Muslims who became the targets of the "war on terror"? And what could we do to combat the prejudice and distrust that remains? It's Your Call, with Sandip Roy and you.

Guests:
Veena B. Dubal, an attorney at the Asian Law Caucus
Khalil Bendib, an Algerian-American fine artist and political cartoonist
Beshara Doumani, history professor at UC Berkeley

Click to Listen: Do Arabs and Muslims feel a change under Obama?

Your Call 060909 Can we think beyond corporations?

Can the dominance of corporate ideology in our lives and in our thinking be reversed? On the next Your Call we'll speak with Douglas Rushkoff, author of Life Inc: How The World Became A Corporation And How To Take It Back. Rushkoff, a novelist and professor of Media Studies at NYU, traces how the logic of markets came to dominate our sense of ourselves and lays out a plan to rehabilitate community power. Send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org or join us live at 11 am. How are you nurturing community? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guest:
Douglas Rushkoff in San Francisco
Best-selling author of Life Incorporated: How the World Became A Corporation and How To Take It Back and nine others about new media and popular culture including, Cyberia, Media Virus, Playing the Future, Nothing Sacred: The Truth about Judaism, and Coercion, winner of the Marshall McLuhan Award for best media book. He is the host of The Media Squat, on WFMU in New York and a correspondent for Frontline's ongoing examination of the future of media, DigitalNation.

Rushkoff will be at:
Tuesday, June 9
7:30pm
BOOKSMITH
1644 Haight St. in San Francisco

Wednesday, June 10
6:30pm to 8:00pm
MECHANICS INSTITUTE LIBRARY
57 Post Street at Montgomery (right above the Montgomery BART station)

Click to Listen: Can we think beyond corporations?