Making Contact

Dr. Joanna Macy is a long-time peace, justice, and ecology activist. A celebrated Buddhist teacher, Dr. Macy’s wide-ranging work spans Eastern and Western thought. She spoke at the 2009 Bioneers Conference held in San Rafael, CA.

We continue our series, How We Survive. This week? It’s a time of crisis in higher education. And as administrators cast an eye toward privatization, students are mobilizing for change…and a voice in the system.

Are food, housing, and health care human rights? A round table discussion about the right to healthy food, the right to housing, and the right to healthcare. Do Americans have these, and if not, what’s standing in the way?

It's a time of economic transition, and systems that may have seemed stable over the past few decades are proving to be far from it. But how did we get here? This week, we hear from three people who've been sounding the alarm about capitalism's house of cards for years.

In the aftermath of one of the worst natural disasters in recent history, we look at Haiti’s history with the United States, the militarization of American relief efforts, and the economic policies that have contributed to the devastation.

We go to two communities sorting through the aftermath of Bush-era federal immigration raids, and to Los Angeles, where American Apparel became the first test case of the Obama administration's new approach to workplace hiring violations.

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We profile two government leaders tackling the monumental problem of war –– Gambia's Fatou Bensouda, Deputy Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court and retired Colonel Ann Wright, a former United States military leader and diplomat for the State Department.

A look into how struggling communities around the U.S. are meeting each others needs, without charity, or even exchanging a dollar.

Two wars continued, the economy remained in freefall, and as hardship ensued, people crafted creative solutions. We look back at some of the most compelling stories we brought you during 2009, and find out where things are headed for 2010.