Frank Joseph Smecker, Author at Toward Freedom

As Radical As Reality: An Interview with Mickey Z

Frank Joseph Smecker October 12, 2010 Frank Joseph Smecker

"We're on the brink of economic, social, and environmental collapse. What an extraordinary time to be alive. How lucky are we? We've been trusted with the most vital mission of all time: survival." - Mickey Z

War of the World: An Interview With Dahr Jamail

Frank Joseph Smecker August 10, 2010 Frank Joseph Smecker

Seven years ago, angered over the mainstream media’s flawed portrayal of the Iraq War, independent journalist Dahr Jamail took it upon himself to report from the front lines of the conflict.

The Dangers of Nuclear Energy and the Need to Close Vermont Yankee

Frank Joseph Smecker December 22, 2009 Frank Joseph Smecker

Photo: Andy Duback/Greenpeace

With nuclear energy, uranium atoms split inside a reactor, and radiation heats water to its boiling point creating steam to spin a giant turbine. It all seems like ingenious, efficient, and clean energy production. So where's the mess? Now consider plutonium, a horribly carcinogenic and highly fissionable substance, radioactive for more than half a million years. If exposed to air, it will ignite. Like little pieces of confetti, very fine plutonium particles will disperse after ignition.

From Pittsburgh to Copenhagen: It’s Time to Act in Defense of the Planet

Frank Joseph Smecker September 24, 2009 Frank Joseph Smecker

By the end of this year the world's most influential and powerful individuals will be assembling more than once to discuss the economic and ecological future of the planet. From September 24 through the 25, the G-20 Summit will be taking place in Pittsburgh to address the recent financial collapse and the economic implications of climate change.

Why Food Inc. Fails: Documentary Bites Off More Than It Can Chew

Frank Joseph Smecker August 5, 2009 Frank Joseph Smecker

After six years in the making, Robert Kenner's Food Inc. made it onto the silver screen just in time for this summer's harvest. Directed and produced by Kenner himself, and co-produced by the author who brought us Fast Food Nation, investigative journalist, Eric Schlosser, Food Inc. explores the modern diet alongside the agriculture-industrial-complex responsible for the sugary/salty/fatty provender manufactured to mollify modern dieters.

The Privatization of the Global Freshwater Commons

Frank Joseph Smecker June 11, 2009 Frank Joseph Smecker

Water Rights Protest, Phillipines

Around the world, scarcity of potable water is becoming a portentous matter. Rivers and streams are vanishing, and the desiccation and depletion of entire watersheds and aquifers is increasing the world over. When seeking a reason for the withering away of drinkable water and the silencing of gushing streams, it becomes obvious that there is not one sole factor contributing to this dire situation, but many. Global warming and climate change, industrial modes of production, dam construction, and water privatization all conduce to the problem of water scarcity.