Journalist Ruud Elmendorp just returned from Somalia where he observed and reported on the state of things in that country. This complicated journey involved getting protection from the African Union force which handles security for the airport, the presidential vila, and the port. Ruud visited each of this places and also had a chance to interview the president, a leader who controls very little of the country.  

Is this program Ruud explains how, as a journalist, he organizes such a trip, and what he learned while there.  From the streets of Mogadishu to the port where once hijacked ships unload vital food aid, he explains what is going on.

Hugh Timmerman has been gathering facts based on his own memory of living under occupation in world war II Holland. The events that took place before his eyes and in his family home would forever be burned into his memory and remain something he wanted to better understand. More than 60 years later his research and his travels have helped him piece together the story of the allied plane that crashed on his property, as well as the stories of all the soldiers that died on his family farm.  

This month Hugh returned to the Netherlands from his home in Canada, to celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary. Together we sat down to do this podcast, part 1 of 2, on what he remembers from his childhood during the war, and how he went about putting together this book.

http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/bombers-in-the-night-sky/1230633

Music of Utah Phillips used throughout this program.

Rounding out the pair of interviews I recorded at Republica'09, a former guest of this show and an outspoken digital activist- Mary Joyce is my guest. Through her work at digi active, which includes her role in the Obama Campaign last year, Mary is concerned about how organizations are using digital activism; asking the question are organizations using these strategies well? We cover: * Acting, planning and reflecting, organizations and their use of digital activism * Some recent cases around the world * Future focus * The failures of digital activism Music: * K'Naan - Somalia * Ani DiFranco - Present Infant

In all the excitement of my trip to Istanbul last month, I failed to post 2 podcasts I recording during my time at the Re:publica conference in Berlin.
So at long last I'm starting with this first interview with my friend Geraldine who has worked in a development corporation for the past 5 years. Since last year she has been involved with open source and digital culture project in subsaharan Africa.
Together we get into blogs and the role they play in Africa. Different and unorthodox ways content is diffused throughout the continent, broadband penetration and the building of new deep sea broadband links for the continent, the OLPC, and much much more.

Links Geraldine recommends:

• Mental Acrobatics
• Afrigator

Music:

• Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Bloodless Coup
• Steve Earl - Someday

Can a government be effective in deterring terrorism while still being completely transparent? Glenn Strachan has been asking this very question on twitter, and several weeks ago, I noticed. As someone who has worked in development for many years and travelled to almost every corner of the globe, Glenn is both interested in transparency as well as reducing the amount of terrorism in the world... yet he wonders if the two are mutually exclusive?

Music:
Metric - Gimme Sympathy
Constantines - TIme Can Be Overcome

20 years ago Warwick Fry was in El Salvador covering the guerilla offensive at the height of a civil war.  This year he returned, this time to observe elections, the results of which mean the first change in leadership for El Salvador in 20 years. He joins me on this podcast to explain what he saw and what it all means.

Read his work on NimFM

Music:

John Scofield - Never Turn Back
Constantines - New King

In 2004 I heard my first podcast, it was called Tokyo Calling, hosted by Scott Lockman who brought the audience along with him during his monring commute through Tokyo. The program inspired me to start my own, using simple equipment and limited technical knowledge, it was the beginning of this podcast. In honor of episode 300, Im glad to have Scott Lockman as my guest to talk about those days and why he started and how podcast and his life evolved and changed since then (note its a special 1 hour long program, and there is lots of looking back at how things used to be and where we are today in terms of personal publishing and social media) Music: * Talib Kweli - Rush * Clash - English Civil War

The first edition of sanat vehayat was removed from the news stands by the Turkish government because it contained the word "Kurdistan".  But the political magazine was not discouraged, later re-releasing that edition with the word Kurdistan crossed out with black marker. 

During my visit to the Asia side of Istanbul I had a chance to visit the modest headquarters/social club of the radical magazine. A representative took the time to answer my questions and explain why and how they do what they do, and just what the situation is for the publishers of a magazine that is politically on the opposite side of the spectrum from a conservative government that has little concern for press freedom.

Music:

Vinícius Cantuária -Galope

Yeah Yeah Yeah's - Hysteric

 Tucked away somewhere in the labyrinth of streets on the Asia side of Istanbul, you'd think you were walking into someone's house until you notice that each room in this apartment is part of this modest radio station. Sitting in a sun room with windows overlooking this section of the city, sipping tea, I asked this producer from Özgür Radyo about how this radio station is alternative.  "Alternative to the government.." she began..

This interview is the 3rd in a series of podcasts focusing on alternative media in Turkey, this time focusing on radio and the struggle to bring forward minority voices.

Music

• The Clash - Remote Control
• The Roots - Rising Up

Please Note - Once again I'm experimenting with translation, this time I've left all the original audio in the recording, this means lots of Turkish - enjoy!

250 kilometers east of St. Petersburg lies the city of Pikaljovo, population just over 25,000. Until very recently, Pikaljovo was an industrial powerhouse, where people had steady jobs for good wages, and lived a quality of life accordingly. Yet in a relatively short amount of time the main sources of work in Pikaljovo suddenly closed down, leaving behind a city with little hope, lots of car payments, and shops that no one can afford to frequent. My friend Olaf Koens, an occasional correspondant on citizenreporter.org, joins me to explain what he learned while in Pikaljovo. We also get into the situation overall in Russia and even a little on how Moscow has changed with the financial crisis. Music: * Final Fantasy - Ultimatum * Tom Brosseau - Instructions to Meet the Devil