...but now, I really must humble myself in a craven desire to help finance one of the greatest television channels in existence, LinkTV.
The Al Jezeera feed from Cairo and Alexanderia have been spectacular, even after their Egyptian offices were trashed, and their reporters beaten by Pro-Mubarak thugs.
The series they present, such as the one linked below, offer real adult discussion on very complex issues, with pointed questions and sophisticated answers. A genuine shock on any television channel.
WHO SPEAKS FOR ISLAM hosted by Ray Suarez, a series exploring Islam in an age when Muslim extremists are laying claim to the religion. As Suarez interviews an elite panel of researchers, scholars, Hollywood producers and actors, they debate — and often debunk – preconceived notions about Islamic law, the status of women in predominantly Muslim countries, attitudes about free speech and democracy, and portrayals of Muslims in Hollywood.
But there is so much more to LinkTV.
Randy comedy (Arab Labor) that is so politically incorrect as to be hilarious, and bound to give you more insight into the middle east than any documentary. It will remind you of Monty Python...
There is art, and music, and economic discussions of, and by, people around the world.
It provides a window of understanding for "The Other Half".
And, unlike PBS, and NPR, it accepts limited corporate sponsorship. It thus does not have to shape its coverage to avoid offending anyone. Consider this:
Only Link TV, the same channel that has brought you hard-hitting and controversial documentaries like The Corporation, Who Killed the Electric Car, and The Future of Food, could turn the idea of corporate sponsorship on its head. What if, instead of being bound by just any sponsor’s dollars, we would accept financial support only from those corporations who have pledged to do good in the world? And then we’d present these stories of corporate philanthropy to our viewers, who could judge for themselves whether or not the company’s vision of social responsibility was genuine, or just a matter of "greenwashing"?
We at Link believe that in order to address the challenges we face as a society, we need to work TOGETHER with businesses to create lasting, workable solutions to our world’s problems. But not just any corporate sponsor is going to cut it at Link TV – our sponsors have to pass a rigorous test for ethics, customer focus, environment, fair workplace, and social responsibility. And we’re not looking to censor dialogue on our website around these corporations – we want to hear exactly what our viewers think about our sponsors, good AND bad, and what they care about as conscious consumers.
LinkTV works cooperatively with several organizations to provide access to people all around the world, who can share their experiences, videos, and opinions freely, for all to see.
We daily decry the vast wasteland that is American television, and moan endlessly at the lack of real information available on US news broadcasts.
Well, this is your chance to fight back!
This is your chance to put your money (How about $5, or $10 bucks?) where your heart is. You know of course that if every one who sees this diary drops $5 in the kitty, we could deliver $10k, or $20k or $30,000 dollars to fight the forces of corporate evil?
To donate by mail, please send check or money order to:
Link TV
P.O. Box 2008
San Francisco, CA 94126
To donate by phone, please call 1-866-485-8848.
Note: They will accept credit cards but I actively discourage anyone from using a credit card, for any reason. Fees are at an all time high, and you don't need the interest payments. Better to make that check a bit larger.
Please recommend this diary to get as many eyeballs as possible.
Beggin' Switch, Off
