Patricia Kullberg hosts today’s show – Environmental Degradation and Covid-19 – which includes these segments:

Environmental Degradation and Covid 19:

In the first of a two part interview, Bill Resnick speaks with microbiologist Dr. Michael Friedman, who teaches at the American International College of Arts and Sciences in Antigua and studies the relationship between environmental degradation and the emergence of human pathogens, like Covid 19. Dr. Friedman will discuss how deforestation and declining biodiversity coupled with live animal markets set the stage for the transfer of the virus from animal to human.

Contagion:

Movie Moles Jan Haaken and Denise Morris talk about “Contagion,” the 2011 film directed by Steven Soderbergh about a deadly worldwide virus outbreak that has generated a huge upsurge in public interest in recent weeks.  The film has been praised for its medical authenticity and its eerie prescience in forecasting some of the pathways of the corona pandemic. Jan and Denise provide their own reading of the film, including how the film portrays group dynamics of the pandemic and the limits of this Hollywood cautionary tale.

The Butterfly Girl:

Book Mole Larry Bowlden reviews Rene Denfeld’s latest novel, The Butterfly Girl. Denfeld displays once again her skills as an author, and her deep understanding of and compassion for street people, especially homeless children. Celia, the butterfly girl, living on the streets with her equally vulnerable child friends, imagines butterflies as her guardians, in all hues and shapes. It’s an enchanting novel that tells the truth about the horrors homeless children face and yet manages to give the reader hope.

Covid 19 and Human Rights:

“Well Read Red” Tom Becker reads from a piece published in Counterpunch by Catherine Rottenberg and Neve Gordon, entitled: The Corono Virus Conundrum and Human Rights. Rottenberg and Gordon write about the coronavirus pandemic’s potential to accelerate the already existent totalitarian drift of governments, both here and abroad, while also arguing for the possibility of a progressive uprising demanding an end to neoliberal and austerity politics. Rottenberg is Associate Professor of American and Canadian Studies at the University of Nottingham and Gordon is Professor of International Law and Human Rights at the School of Law in Queen Mary University of London.

First aired on The Old Mole Variety Hour.

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