Mar 06 2014
Conversation with Acclaimed Indian Activist, Medha Patkar – Part 1
India, the largest democracy in the world, is facing a challenge similar to what the American system faces: a highly polarized landscape dominated by only two major parties. Now, an independent third party, called the Aam Aadmi Party (which means the Party of the Common Man), is making waves for its uncompromising stand against corruption, which plagues …
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Seeing a play about a 15th century poet might not be at the top of your to-do list this weekend but once you hear about the life of Francois Villon you may very well change your mind. The play, simply titled, Villon, written by award winning playwright and director, Murray Mednick, and is being performed at the …
Uprising’s guest expert Rahul Mahajan, sociologist and news analyst and author of Full Spectrum Dominance: US Power in Iraq and Beyond, analyzes today’s news headlines: 
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine remain high this week. Just this morning, crowds waving Russian flags stormed government headquarters in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk. There were conflicting reports yesterday of a Russian deadline for Crimean armed forces to surrender or face retaliation. Sixteen thousand Russian forces have occupied the south eastern peninsula …
Although the conflict in Ukraine seems intractable, we turn next to one person who has deep hope that through dialogue and art, people rather than politicians can resolve their differences. That person is Hector Aristizabal, a Los Angeles based activist and a member of the Program for Torture Victims. 
President Obama sent a $3.9 trillion dollar budget proposal to Congress yesterday. Most analysts are doubtful that the budget will actually be approved, instead seeing it as a reflection of election year politics which highlights the policy differences between the Republicans and Democrats. 
Hector Aristizabal is a therapist, psychologist, actor, artist and activist and is the founder and Artistic Director of Imaginaction, a non-profit theater arts organization. Hector was just in Ukraine from February 12 through the 20th, as clashes between protesters and the government were escalating. 
