Bordering on ridiculous
IMMIGRATION
The US Congress has approved a plan to build a 1,100-kilometre-long, two-layer fence along the US-Mexico border in an attempt to keep out illegal immigrants. This has elicited an overwhelmingly negative reaction from environmentalists.
‘The fence is a knee-jerk reaction by Congress. No one really studied the economic impacts, the environmental impacts’, says Eddie Aldrete of the Laredo, Texas-based International Bank of Commerce. Conservationists say the fence would disrupt the fragile desert ecosystem, as well as migration routes for scores of species, from snakes to jaguars. Others worry that it will affect local peoples’ water rights. The Mexican Government is furious: outgoing President Vicente Fox has condemned it as ‘shameful’. Mexicans who share a strong social bond with south Texans and significantly boost the economies of Texas border towns find the plan insulting. Oh, and it doesn’t look like it will actually stem illegal immigration either...
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Voices from the margins:
Multimedia: video, podcasts, and more.
- Poetry Slam in Zimbabwe
- The House of Hunger poetry slam held in Zimbabwe in 2006, and organised by the Pamberi Trust, showcased young artists performing inspirational work on issues from corporate power to child soldiers. The video features four of the poets.
Published by Pambazuka News.
- Iranian women speak out
- 3 March 2007, London. Women's rights activists marched through the English capital last week to celebrate International Women's Day with a protest against the misogyny of the Islamic regime in Iran and the threat of invasion by the US. Hear the voices of Iranian feminists Azar and Leila Parnian and the sounds of the demonstration as it passed through the heart of the city. Click here to learn more about the campaign.
Produced by Heidi Bachram.
- Raised Voices audio:
- Benny from West Papua on Corporate Power
- Vinayan from India on agriculture
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