News & Public Affairs

US Internet System Falling Behind Rest of Developed World

03/28/13 Robert Lorei
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Tags: competition, monopoly, internet service, broadband, Captive Audience, Susan Crawford

Good morning, welcome to Radioactivity. I’m Rob Lorei. Coming up --- the US is falling behind other developed nations when it comes to broadband internet. And as our first guest today explains- it means that other countries have a competitive advantage over the US when it comes to transmitting information…..

But before we get to that- one listener comment about yesterday’s show. Yesterday we featured a retired diplomat who now lives in St. Petersburg who is organizing a conference for th...

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Arrested activist claims St. Pete Police harass people without homes in Williams Park listen

03/28/13 Janelle Irwin
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Tags: Bruce Wright, poverty, St. Pete Police, homeless, homelessness, Bill Foster, St. Petersburg, Williams Park

A longtime homeless activist in St. Petersburg is claiming that police officers hurt him while he was trying to defend a homeless man in Williams Park Wednesday. Bruce Wright was arrested and charged with obstruction after another man being arrested got away. According to the St. Petersburg Police Department, officers had an arrest warrant for a man in the park. That report quoted Wright as saying “stop harassing that man” and then asking what he had done wrong.

“You stiffen up a bit...

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Problems in Africa kick off two day conference on international affairs listen

03/28/13 Janelle Irwin
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Tags: Africa, USF, St. Pete, militarization, Nigeria, St. Petersburg, oil, South Africa

Many countries in Africa are facing famine, poverty and civil war. A panel of experts dove into the issues facing African nations during the first day of USF St. Petersburg’s Conference on International Affairs.

Countries like Mali and Libya face fierce fighting between groups in power and opposition forces. The issue has left a divide among people who think the U.S. should provide military intervention and those who think the militarization of nations should be avoided. Bill Felice, is...

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Columnist Joe O'Neill on Buckhorn, Rick Scott & U.S.-Cuba relations

03/28/13 Mitch Perry
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Tags: La Gaceta, Tampa Tribune, Joe O'Neill, Cuba, Pam Iorio

Joe O'Neill writes political news columns for La Gaceta and the Tampa Tribune. On the program he talked about a number of local issues, including how Tampa is doing under Mayor Bob Buckhorn and what might former Mayor Pam Iorio's next move.

Also a discussion of a recent summit on improving relations between Cuba and the U.S.

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Major Conference on International Issues Scheduled this Week at USF St. Pete; Hosted by Former US Ambassador

03/27/13 Robert Lorei
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Tags: Doug McElhaney, diplomacy, St. Petersburg and the World, USF St. Petersburg, WMNF, Rob Lorei

Good morning, welcome to Radioactivity. I’m Rob Lorei.

Tomorrow and Friday on the USF campus in St. Petersburg Diplomats, military leaders, academic experts, journalists and members of the public will gather at USF St. Petersburg for the first World Conference on International Affairs. Among the topics on the agenda---Cuba, Venezueala, the Middle East, energy policy and how to slow the spread of nuclear weapons.

The organizer of the conference is Doug McElhaney- a retired diplomat wi...

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Cleaning up dirty water can create energy listen

03/27/13 Janelle Irwin
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Tags: waste water, water, clean water, USF, sustainability, numeric nutrient standards, EPA

Researchers at the University of South Florida showed off their work with waste water and other testing technologies to officials from the Environmental Protection Agency. During lab tours today, Professor Daniel Yeh demonstrated how the water that gets dumped, flushed or otherwise thrown out can be put to better use.

“If you can just re-route the electrodes that’s built into the waste organic matter, we can actually turn the waste organic matter into methane which is basically natural g...

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Activists in Tampa hold vigil for lesbian, gay, transgender rights listen

03/27/13 Samuel Johnson
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Tags: LGBT, equal rights, supreme court, DOMA

Some 200 advocates of marriage equality endured chilly temperatures Tuesday evening in downtown Tampa. They huddled together in front of the Sam Gibbons US Courthouse to listen to speakers and participate in what they called the Light the Way to Justice in Tampa Bay Vigil.

The Tampa Bay vigil was held in solidarity with numerous other communities around the US to coincide with the US Supreme Court hearings on two historic rights cases. Juan Sousa-Rodriguez, ...

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Tampa activists will hold vigil to support marriage equality listen

03/26/13 Lauren Misa
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Tags: LGBT, Defense of Marriage Act, Get Equal Florida, marriage equality

As the Supreme Court hears a challenge to the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act and California's Prop 8 this week, community activists are planning a vigil in support of LGBT equality Tuesday evening in Tampa. Jarrod Scarbrough heads the group Get Equal Florida.

"There's actually going to be a vigil that we're going to hold in downtown Tampa. It is a way for the local LGBT community and our allies and friends to come together and ...

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US Supreme Court hears arguments on CA Prop 8: audio and transcript listen

03/26/13 Seán Kinane
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Tags: Supreme Court, LGBT, gay marriage, marriage equality

Today the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in a challenge to California's ban on gay marriage.

California voters approved Prop 8 as a constitutional amendment in 2008 but it was struck down by a federal appeals court.

California couples, Kris Perry and Sandy Stier of Berkeley and Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo of Burbank, filed a federal lawsuit in May 2009 to overturn the same-sex marriage ban that voters approved the previous November. The ballot measure halted s...

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Two Nobel Laureates Warn of Complacency About Global Warming

03/26/13 Robert Lorei
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Tags: sea level rise, global warming, Pier Vellinga, Henry Pollack

Good morning, welcome to Radioactivity. I’m Rob Lorei. Two of the world’s leading climate change scientists are in the Bay area this week for a series of public talks. They’ll be discussing climate change and what options we have to deal with rising sea levels. They are my guests today for the next hour. But first- one listener comment about yesterday’s program. Yesterday we heard from Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, former aide to Secretary of State Colin Powell who said that the US policy towar...

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