Why Did the US Media Not Report this Article?

A woman was allowed to die in an Irish hospital because the doctors were not allowed by Irish law to perform an abortion. I did not know this story until I heard one of my favorite comedians report about it in one of his podcast monologues. First the story excerpted from the Guardian, here it is in stark terms: "The abortion ban came into international focus last month after an Indian woman, Savita Halappanavar, died in Galway university hospital during a miscarriage after she and her husband had repeatedly asked for a termination of her 19-week-old pregnancy. Her husband, Praveen, alleged that medical staff told them "this is a Catholic country" and that they would not carry out the termination." The only good thing to come out of this mess is that due to pressure from the European court there is a hope that a new law will be passed that will allow abortions to be allowed in "limited circumstances"to include where the life of the mother is threatened. Why is the US corporate controlled media not reporting this story?

Peace and Justice Message as We Close 2012

Landfill Harmonic film teaser from Landfill Harmonic on Vimeo.

My daughters' music teacher showed this to the kids. It made a great impression on my daughter so much so that she wanted to share it with me. There are some remarkable stories that never get told in our western media that would make our lives and worries about things like the fiscal cliff pale into insignificance. It is human nature not to pay much attention to the world beyond us except when it threatens us directly but we should all try harder in the coming new year to do just that. Pay attention to the small under reported stories. Now with the world wide web we can do that. We all know the sites that cover these stories and we should try harder to include them in our browsing and reading in the coming year. But we should not just stick to articles, this video shows more about the power of individual spirit to overcome even the most depressing of circumstances than any journalist can at least in the space of the few minutes it takes to view this footage. Clearly without stating as much it reminds us of our responsibilities here in the affluent west to help work for a more just and peaceful world. How is that for a great holiday message!

Adam Hochschild

I have been reading author and journalist Adam Hochschild recently and have been particularly  impressed with his story of the struggle for human rights in Britain, Bury the Chains: Prophets and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire's Slaves. The book impressed me so much that I wanted to interview the author and find out more about what attracted him to his subjects and the way he constructs the stories he tells. The result is a podcast I did with Kate Winchmann that I hope to turn into a series.