New Media We Recommend

Below is a list of new materials that we have read/watched in recent weeks. The comments are not a “review” of the material, instead sort of an endorsement of ideas and investigations that can provide solid analysis and even inspiration in the struggle for change. All these books are available at The Bloom Collective, so check them out and stimulate your mind.

Food Justice, by Robert Gottlieb and Anupama Joshi – The issue of local food is quickly becoming an issue that has entered the mainstream of American society. However, as the authors of Food Justice correctly observe, local food doesn’t necessarily translate into just food. In this new book the authors not only provide readers with an overview of US food policy since the Civil War, it grapples with the complexities of how we create a food system that is based on justice and not on profits. Their exploration of this issue is timely since agribusiness and food brokers like Wal-Mart are attempting to undermine the grassroots evolution of what can be called the food justice movement. The book provides local examples of what is working across the country and is an invaluable resource for anyone who believes good food is a right.

Crude reflections/Cruda realidad: Oil, Ruin and Resistance in the Amazon Rainforest, by Lou Dematteis and Kayana Szymczak – Crude reflections is part picture book and part inspiration. The authors have created a fabulous visual resource that captures both the beauty of the Amazon and the harsh realities of oil extraction. Add to this the fact that the book is in both English and Spanish and you have a wonderful resource about one of the most important human, environmental and political battles in recent years. The indigenous people living in Ecuadorian part of the Amazon have been involved in a life and death battle with the oil giant Chevron for years. Crude reflections documents this battle and demonstrates in text and with photography the courage of people committed to protecting the land they love.

Crossing Zero: The AfPak War at the Turning Point of American Empire, by Elizabeth Gould and Paul Fitzgerald – In the 10^th year of the US occupation of Afghanistan there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight for the disastrous military campaign. Veteran Afghanistan experts Elizabeth Gould and Paul Fitzgerald provide a fresh analysis, with some historical background on why the US policy is doomed to fail. The authors particularly have timely analysis of the Obama administration’s counter-insurgency strategy, the expansion of the war into Pakistan, the Karazi government, the Talilban and a regional outlook on the conflict. For anyone looking for a sharp counter-argument to the White House on Afghanistan, Crossing Zero is an excellent resource.

Gasland (DVD) – Nominated for the 2011 Oscars for best documentary, Gasland is both an informative and moving film by Josh Fox. Fox, who grew up in a small, rural home in Pennsylvania is one day confronted by a large energy company who wants to buy his land to extract natural gas. Fox then discovers that his home sits on top of one of the largest natural gas deposits in the US. In addition, the filmmaker learns that the way that these energy companies extract the gas is through a process called fracking, whereby they drill holes and detonate explosives underground to create cracks that will allow the companies to easily extract the natural gas. However, the process also involves sending a chemical/water mix in the holes, which have created devastating results for anyone who lives nearby. Gasland is a superb film in that in both humanizes the victims of this practice and unwraps the devious web of politicians and corporations that have conspired to make this happen.