Chatting Up A Storm - Claudia Cragg

Jonathan Cappelli is a true champion for affordable housing in the Denver metro area. An experienced urban planning, real estate, and community development professional, Cappelli is focused on finding ways to bring equitable and sustainable development to communities across Colorado.  N.B. In this interview, Mr. Cappelli focused on Denver and, he says, neglected to mention "". People living in Boulder, they can call them too.  The  is a coalition of 16 Metro-Denver nonprofits that build homes for middle- and low-income residents and who seek to strengthen neighborhoods with community-oriented businesses and innovative human services. In addition, NDC works to educate metro-area stakeholders and municipalities about the importance of affordable housing and decrease the percentage of metro-area residents who are housing-cost burdened by facilitating strategic collaboration between members. Launched in 2009, NDC initially worked to coordinate the efforts of metro-area nonprofits in the implementation of the Neig

Claudia Cragg speaks with Denver Post columnist,  on the difficulties of trying to rent .

Claudia Cragg speaks here with Mother Jones' senior editor @MichaelMechanic (Michael Mechanic) who offers a harsh wake-up call for the millions of American  dreamers who still believe that winning the lottery—or just simply having obscene wealth—will change their lives for the better. The author ushers readers past the velvet rope to reveal the lifestyles of the ultrawealthy and the ever more expensive ventures they have to indulge in to not only keep themselves amused, but to outdo their wealthy peers. One of the most interesting factoids in this well-researched book is that, according to one study, a person’s “self-reported positive emotions improved with rising earnings up to a satiation point at about $65,000 per year. Negative emotions…declined as earnings increased, reaching an inverse satiation point at $95,000.” As Mechanic demonstrates throughout this eye-opening book, once the contentment with one’s finances ends, the addiction to “extrinsic” goals—e.g., buying mansions, cars, and other luxury goods

Claudia Cragg (@claudiacragg - all comments, reviews, suggestions welcome) speaks here for @KGNU #ItsTheEconomy with Guyana-born Donnel Baird, founder of BlocPower, This is a startup that markets, finances and installs solar and #green #energyefficiency technology to help houses of worship, non-profits, small businesses and multifamily projects to slash their energy costs. Baird spent three years as a community organizer in Brooklyn and one year as a voter contact director for Obama For America. He managed a national Change to Win/LIUNA campaign to leverage Dept. of Energy energy efficiency financing to create green construction jobs for out of work populations. He partnered with the Washington Interfaith Network to generate a $100m government investment in underserved communities in the District of Columbia. Baird has a B.A. from Duke University and an M.B.A from Columbia Business School. 

If you watched Sunday evening's 2021 Oscars and learned of British actor, 's, stunning and accolade-winning performance and have not gone on to watch '', maybe you should ask yourself why? If you have, you will have learned that it is an American biographical drama about the betrayal of Fred Hampton (played by Daniel Kaluuya), chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party in late-1960s Chicago, at the hands of William O'Neal (played by Lakeith Stanfield), an FBI informant. Watching it may have left you trying to find out more context and so in this podcast we revisit our #KGNU interview with Mary Williams.  Mary Luana Williams, author of '', is s adopted daughter. She speaks here for  with Claudia Cragg. Williams grew up with the  movement in Oakland, CA. In her early teens, she was raped by a pseudo 'theatrical agent' and subsequently adopted by Fonda taking her out of Oakland and the Panther community.   She now works extensively with foundations for ' in Morocco, the Sudan and Tanzania, which

is to declare the under the Ottoman Empire a "genocide", risking a potential fracture with Turkey but fulfilling a campaign pledge. This pledge was to, at long last, use the word to describe the horrendous mass killings after a series of his predecessors stopped short. Two sources have today, Thursday 22nd April, 2020, said that President Biden will make the declaration as part of an official statement this Saturday.   There are many people all over the world who have worked solidly towards this moment, towards this recognition of a historical horror.  One such is Lou Ureneck, formerly of The Philadelphia Inquirer, who we revisit here with our @KGNU interview. Ureneck was a prime mover behind the movie '', set against the background of World War I dealing with the program by  to exterminate the  This was a cinematic project dear to the late , perhaps best known for his Las Vegas hotel and casino connections and his ownership of MGM, but himself an Armenian for whom the massacre was not just some tale of hi

Claudia Cragg @claudiacragg speaks here for @KGNU with . A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, Yessne’s parents were active in the Progressive movement of the 1940s and 50s, earning them the enmity of their neighbors during the "" hysteria and causing them to remove both her and her brother from the St. Paul public school system, never to return.  Twelve years later, she emerged from the University of Minnesota’s law school politically primed by classmates whose parents included the mayor of Minneapolis, the governor of Minnesota, and the son of a president of the United States.   '', Yessne's memoir, examines her binary development in the political hotbed that was the University of Wisconsin in the mid-1960s, where she learned the basics of electoral politics while at the same time demonstrating against the war in Vietnam and capping her political education with tours of Harlem, Milwaukee’s freedom schools, and an angrily divided South. From there, her journey continued through six states and the siege of Chicago

Claudia Cragg @claudiacragg speaks here for @KGNU (Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, ) for #ItsTheEconomy with , senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies. There, he directs the Program on . Collins latest book is He has written a number of other books including '99 to 1: How Wealth Inequality is Wrecking the World and What We Can Do About It', and 'Born on Third Base: A One Percenter Makes the Case for Tackling Inequality', 'Bringing Wealth Home', and 'Committing to the Common Good'. He has also written numerous reports about billionaire wealth during the pandemic. Discussion in this latest interview for @KGNU focuses on getting the Biden Infrastructure Bill paid for in a way that is also combined with tackling the egregious crisis of inequality in the United States. This is is so serious now, says Collins, that President Joe Biden is declaiming that, “It’s time to build our economy from the bottom up and from the middle out, not the top down.” In recent speeches promoting his Infrastructure Bill and

Claudia Cragg @claudiacragg speaks here with @ErikJClarke about the implications for Denver, Colorado and the nation from President Biden's new infrastructure plan to fulfill his campaign promise to “rebuild the backbone of America”. The expansive proposal, called the American Jobs Plan, intends to build 20,000 miles of roads and highways and to repair the 10 most economically significant bridges in the country among a sprawling list of other projects that Biden said would confront the climate crisis, curb wealth inequality and strengthen US competitiveness. The measure includes hundreds of billions of dollars to expand access to high-speed broadband; replace lead water pipes, ensuring access to clean drinking water; and upgrade the electric grid, making it more reliable while shifting to new, cleaner energy sources.It also seeks to improve community care facilities for seniors and people with disabilities, modernize schools and retrofit homes and office buildings while dedicating funding to training millions

If COVID19 has shown us anything at all, it must be that growth at any price is not an option going forward. '' is an opportunity to ensure that growth is of the most productive and valuable kind to ALL members of our society, not just for the all too many CEOs who prize above all the growth of their stock price and their pay packet. This has to change.  Claudia Cragg (@claudiacragg on Twitter, comments/suggestions welcome) speaks here with Rob Dietz who brings a fresh perspective to the discussion of economics and environmental sustainability and the His diverse background in economics, environmental science and engineering, and conservation biology (plus his work in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors) has given him an unusual ability to connect the dots when it comes to the topic of sustainability.  Rob is the author, with Dan O’Neill, of . As past editor of the Daly News, Rob is a devoted advocate for revamping the economy to fit within biophysical limits.  He writes with humor, clarity, and a per

Claudia Cragg @claudiacragg speaks here for #ItsTheEconomy @KGNU with Sheen Kadi of #Metro Caring Denver. As Colorado's leading frontline anti-hunger organization, works with the community to meet people’s immediate need for nutritious food while building a movement to address the root causes of hunger. The organization offers innovative programming in Healthy Foods Access, Nutrition Education and Cooking Classes, ID Procurement, Urban Gardening and Agriculture, and Community Organizing and Activation.  

Claudia Cragg @claudiacragg speaks here for @KGNU #ItsTheEconomy with President of the  in Colorado The last 6 months have been an unprecedented challenge to the health of all, to our economy, and to our concepts of racial equity. This makes the work for the more important now than ever, says Campbell.  Despite very tough conditions, the ACC continues to provide culturally competent economic development and business opportunities for its Members.  The ACC also advocates a strong understanding of the Asian American Pacific Islander communities that conduct business in a manner that is unique to their heritage..

(Reprise from 2014, but very sadly the US - and indeed the world's - financial system has not been reformed to offset inbuilt disadvantages against the economically underserved or deprived. Here at #ItsTheEconomy there is hope that perhaps #COVID19 might offer an opportunity for a much needed rethink.) Popular anger against the financial system has never been higher, yet the practical workings of the system remain opaque to many people.  aims to bridge the gap between protest slogans and practical proposals for reform. Claudia Cragg (comments and suggestions warmly welcomed at @claudiaragg) speaks here for @KGNU #ItsTheEconomy broadcast show with @Suitpossum. Brett is a campaigner and former s broker who has a unique understanding of life inside and outside the financial sector. He builds up a framework for approaching it based on the three principles of 'Exploring', 'Jamming' and 'Building', offering a practical guide for those who wish to deepen their understanding of, and access to, the inner workings of

Claudia Cragg speaks here for @KGNU with Dr. Jennie C. Stephens, @jenniecstephens, the Director of the and the Dean’s Professor of Sustainability Science & Policy  at  in Boston, Massachusetts.  She is also the Director for Strategic Research Collaborations at Northeastern University’s  and is affiliated with the , the department of  and the department of . Her research, teaching, and community engagement focus on integrating social justice, feminist, and anti-racist perspectives into climate and energy resilience, social and political aspects of the renewable energy transition, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, energy democracy, gender in energy and climate, and climate and energy justice. Her unique trans-disciplinary approach integrates innovations in social science and public policy with science and engineering to promote social justice, reduce inequalities and redistribute power (electric power, economic power and political power). Diversifying Power: Why We Need Antiracist, Feminist Leadership on

Claudia Cragg @KGNU (@claudiacragg) addresses the business operational adjustments everyone is having to make in what we hope will soon be a post-COVID world. At Zenreach, where he is CEO, John Kelly (@zenreach) is addressing entrepreneurs and operators, both small and large, to let them know that as a company they do recognize the unique challenges that have presented themselves during these unprecedented times.  in this wide-ranging conversation,  a number of issues are explored. Listeners might also want to know that ZenReach has started a weekly webinar series  showcasing merchants and industry experts who have found creative ways to adapt—and in some cases thrive—in this environment where most have had to shut our doors. Second, they have compiled a very useful dedicated section of our website with some best practices that we have learned from our merchant partners. You can find that here: .  

Claudia Cragg @claudiacragg speaks here with Laura Levitt @llevitttemple about her book, n. On a November evening in 1989, Laura Levitt was raped in her own bed. Her landlord heard the assault taking place and called 911, but the police arrived too late to apprehend Laura’s attacker. When they left, investigators took items with them—a pair of sweatpants, the bedclothes—and a rape exam was performed at the hospital. However, this evidence was never processed. Decades later, Laura returns to these objects, viewing them not as clues that will lead to the identification of her assailant but rather as a means of engaging traumatic legacies writ large. The Objects That Remain is equal parts personal memoir and fascinating examination of the ways in which the material remains of violent crimes inform our experience of, and thinking about, trauma and loss. Considering artifacts in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and evidence in police storage facilities across the country, Laura’s story moves between int

Many Americans have been distraught for the last four years as tightly held economic and political power drowned out their voices and values. But now, with a new administration and the Biden-Harris partnership, there is hope that building on small past successes real success could be found.  Claudia Cragg @KGNU speaks here (2017) with legendary Diet for a Small Planet author Frances Moore Lappé @fmlappe who together with co-writer and organizer-scholar Adam Eichen offers a fresh, surprising response to this core crisis. This intergenerational duo opens with an essential truth: It’s not the magnitude of a challenge that crushes the human spirit. It’s feeling powerless—in this case, fearing that to stand up for democracy is futile. It’s not, Lappé and Eichen argue. With riveting stories and little-known evidence, they demystify how we got here, exposing the well-orchestrated effort that has robbed Americans of their rightful power. But at the heart of this unique conversation are solutions. Even in this divisiv

Claudia Cragg speaks here for @KGNU with Caitlin Stronell, for an update about the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, an 11 March 2011 nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Ōkuma, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The event was caused by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. It was the most severe nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. Stronell of @CNICJapan, is Editor of Nuke Info Tokyo. She explains here that plans remain in place by the Japanese government and TEPCO to dump massive volumes of contaminated water stored at Fukushima Daiichi into the Pacific Ocean which thus far have been stalled by strong domestic and international opposition and the official announcement that the dumping has again been postponed. International pressure to save the world's oceans from radioactive contamination, Stronell says, is very important, and which they will hand to the government at a hearing to take place soon. Please see their website linked above in this paragraph for deta

Claudia Cragg @claudiacragg speaks here with an essential mental health worker on the Colorado front lines in the age of the COVID19 pandemic. 

Claudia Cragg @claudiacragg speaks here with Christa Parravani about her harrowing account, , the story of one woman's reckoning with life, death and "choice". It is, she says, a memoir of 'Choice, Children and Womanhood.' In 2017 Christa Parravani had recently moved her family from California to West Virginia and was surviving on a teacher's salary and raising two young children with her husband, screenwriter Anthony Swofford. Another pregnancy, a year after giving birth to her second child, came as a shock. Christa had a history of ectopic pregnancies, and worried that she wouldn't be able to find adequate medical care. She immediately requested a termination, but her doctor refused to help. The only doctor who would perform an abortion made it clear that this would be illicit, not condoned by her colleagues or their community. Christa Parravani has crafted, through her own harrowing experiences with healthcare in contemporary America, a brilliant and moving exploration of the choices women have. Christa