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This week on Uprising:

* Bush Announces War Will Continue
* Empire Notes: Reflections on the Surge
* How the World Bank Profits From Global Warming
* Black Agenda Report on Inequality and Life Expectancy
* Immokalee Workers Organize New Campaign to End Slavery

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Bush Announces War Will Continue

GUEST: Antonia Juhasz, author of “The Bush Agenda” and the forthcoming, “The Oil Tyranny: The World’s Most Powerful Industry and What we must do to stop it”

President Bush on Thursday reinforced his commitment to continue the Iraq war in a speech saying that General Petraeus would “have all the time he needs” before further troop reductions. Earlier in the week in two days of testimonies before the House and Senate, General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker reported that they were making significant progress in Iraq (KPFK aired those hearings live, in their entirety). The surge in troops announced over a year ago has been credited with lowering violence in Iraq. Those extra troops will begin returning home at the end of the summer. But, Petraeus recommended a 45 day pause in returning anymore troops after this July. President Bush accepted that recommendation on Thursday April 10th. Bush has also committed to lowering the troop deployment length from 15 to 12 months but refused to consider any additional form of withdrawal despite sharp criticism from members of Congress. As he has done before, Bush’s speech also included strong remarks about Iran that many see as provocative and laying the ground work for a future war.

For more information, visit www.thebushagenda.net.

Empire Notes: Reflections on the Surge

GUEST: Rahul Mahajan, author of Full Spectrum Dominance and The New Crusade

Empire Notes are weekly commentaries filed by Rahul Mahajan, author of Full Spectrum Dominance and The New Crusade. Today’s commentary reflects on the troop surge in Iraq.

Empire Notes is online at www.empirenotes.org.

How the World Bank Profits From Global Warming

GUEST: Janet Redman, Researcher at Sustainable Energy and Economy Network, author of the report on the World Bank

The threat of global warming is being underestimated by the European Union and its international partners according to one of the world’s leading climatologists. Dr. James Hansen alongside other climate scientists suggested that carbon dioxide emission targets set by the EU are too conservative and guarantee a future disaster. Meanwhile, as the need to reduce carbon emissions becomes more urgent, a new report released today by the Institute for Policy Studies states that the World Bank is “a climate profiteer.” By analyzing the international banking institution’s role in the carbon finance market, the report argues that the World Bank is counter-productive. At least three-quarters of the bank’s two billion dollar carbon finance trust funds portfolio is channeled into coal, steel, iron and chemical industries while renewable energy resources receive less than ten percent. Due to a lack of transparency, whatever data is available fails to show neither significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions nor any benefits to poor communities in the global south due to the bank’s carbon funds. The report concludes that the World Bank should stop financing fossil fuel industries and implement accountability measures for donors.

For more information and to download the report, visit www.seen.org and www.ips-dc.org.

Black Agenda Report on Inequality and Life Expectancy

GUEST: Glen Ford is a writer and radio commentator and the Executive Editor of The Black Agenda Report

This week’s commentary is about Inequality and Life Expentancy. Visit www.blackagendareport.com for more information.

Immokalee Workers Organize New Campaign to End Slavery

GUESTS: Melody Gonzalez, Student/Farmworker Alliance (SFA), Romeo Ramirez, Farmworker and CIW member

Farmworkers in Florida are launching a new national campaign to end what they call “modern-day slavery” in tomato fields. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers, or CIW, has a history of successful and creative organizing efforts for worker rights. CIW has embarked on a petition drive, calling on major fast food chains like Burger King and others, to improve wages and working conditions, and eliminate human rights abuses. The workers plan to deliver the petitions in a mass procession at Burger King headquarters in Miami later this spring. The campaign was timed to coincide with the the 200th Anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in the US. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers are best known for their inspiring and successful four year fight against Taco Bell’s parent company, Yum! Brands.

For more information, and to download the petition, visit www.ciw-online.org.

Sonali’s Subversive Thought for the Day

“Slavery can only be abolished by raising the character of the people who compose the nation; and that can be done only by showing them a higher one.” – abolitionist, Maria W. Chapman