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The Sound of Change: Hip Hop in Cuba

We hear about hip-hop and change in Cuban society, and what people on the ground are saying about new phases in the Cuban revolution.

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Whose Water? The Struggle for Public Ownership of Freshwater

We go to Michigan, where from the city of Detroit, to the farmlands and countryside, citizens are battling to gain greater control over the bounty of the great lakes.

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Marching for Change: Street Bands in the U.S.

We look at how political marching bands are stirring up public spaces; from the streets, to supermarkets to your Facebook feed. 

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The Life and Death of the Infernal Noise Brigade

While there are now dozens of street bands around the country and abroad, one from Seattle is known to have been an inspiration. The Infernal Noise Brigade debuted at the Seattle WTO protests in 1999.

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Street Bands Bring Protest to the Internet through Flash Mobs

Some marching bands are getting more creative about making a political spectacle, by becoming the protest themselves, and using the internet to make their message viral. Making Contact’s Pauline Bartolone knows all about it. Her roommates are in a band called the Brass Liberation Orchestra in San Francisco.

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Marching to the Beat of their Own Drums

Marching bands from North Carolina to Portland, Oregon are bringing humor, politics, and a unique sound to the streets – many of them with a message of social justice. Once a year, many of these street bands travel to Massachusettes for the Honk Festival. Sarah Danson has more about the festival, and the historical and political traditions that fuel their music.

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Chile’s 9/11 [Encore]

On September 11th, 1973, a US-backed military junta toppled Chilean president Salvador Allende. We bring you a story about a group of Chilean exiles in the US who transform their experience of terror into artistic expression.

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Working Beyond Unions [Labor Day Special Encore]

It’s been decades since the U.S. has had a powerful labor movement and recent efforts to revive it have mostly fallen flat. But there is hope for a new labor movement that goes beyond the unions.

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Due to Economic Concerns, Gulf Coast Residents Still Support Big Oil

Many of those most closely affected by the devastation of the gulf spill are, in fact, not calling for any change at all.

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Beyond BP: A Future Without Oil

We go to the gulf coast to hear why, despite the dangerous and deadly consequences, locals aren’t ready to turn their backs on the oil industry.  What does that mean for the rest of us, as we pursue a future free of fossil fuels?

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