Transcripts For KCSM Democracy Now 20141020

From bringing guns to the event. We will speak with Anita Sarkeesian about her campaign to expose misogyny in video games come despite repeatedly being physically threatened by gamers. Then, to the media enabled musketeers. I dont want to tell anyone what to do or what to think or how to feel. But instead, what it will do is i will ask. I will ask that the neck time you see someone whos different than you, think about what is life . Dave daily like ink about what part of their day you want to be. A group of russians in america have banned together to raise awareness about disability issues through films. We will speak to four people, including jonathan novick, and play his film, dont look down on me. And we will speak with a russian woman with cerebral palsy. All of that and more coming up. Welcome to democracy now, democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. The United Nations Childrens Fund says the Ebola Outbreak is creating vast numbers of orphans in west africa. At least 3700 children are said to of lost at least one or both errands. At the United Nations, sarah crowe of unicef expressed shock at the inadequate Global Response so far. There were 45 doctors in liberia for a population of 4. 5 million. You can get a sense of the scale of what is needed. Health officials are needed. Medical professionals are needed. Of course, finances. Im quite stunned to come back and see that we are still with this really sense of a global concern, there it is still so poorly funded, the ebola efforts. The ly real way to stop ebola spreading is to support the efforts on the ground. The u. N. Has been providing emergency food aid to some 260,000 people in an ebolastricken Community Near the liberia capital. In an open letter to the world, the library arne liberian president said because of the ebola crisis nigeria, meanwhile, has been declared ebolafree after 42 days with no new cases. Here in the United States, most of those who had contact with the late ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan have included the disease. The 21 day monitoring period ended sunday for the around 50 people who had direct or indirect contact with duncan. Duncan was diagnosed in texas after arriving from his native liberia. In his weekly address, president obama said he continues to oppose a travel ban on passengers from west africa. We cant just cut ourselves off from west africa where this disease is raging. Our medical experts tell us the best way to stop this disease is to stop it at its source before it spreads even wider and becomes even more difficult to contain. Trying to seal off an entire region of the world, if that were even possible, could actually make the situation worse. It would make it harder to remove Health Care Workers and supplies back and forth. Experience shows that could cause people in the affected region to change their travel, to evade screening, to make the disease in harder to track. The Obama Administration has tapped former white house official ron claim as its new ebola czar. Toward knitting the u. S. Response. He has previously served as chief of staff to joe biden. Unveiled the appointment. His areas of expertise is in implementation and that is what is needed. Somebody who can courtney this. Road interagency response we want to make sure this tenacious responses up to the standards of the American People and the high standards the president has said and were confident that somebody with his Management Essentials both inside government and outside government. Klain is in the position in part because the u. S. Has no surgeon general. President obamas nominee has been held up for months after opposition from the nra over his support for gun control. The syrian town of kobani is seeing its worst violence in days amidst the continue to advance of fighters with the islamic state. Isis has launched fierce attacks on kurdish fighters defending the town with the help of u. S. Led airstrikes. , theo major developments u. S. Has begun dropping air aid tos of weapons and the syrian kurds while turkey is now allowinge their forces to cross over into syria. Turkeys move reportedly came under heavy u. S. Pressure. The turkish government has been opposed to aiding the pyd, which it considers an extension of long time foe, or the pkk. At least 21 people have been killed and 35 wounded in a suicide bombing in the iraqi capital of baghdad. It was the latest in a string of attacks blamed on islamic state. It comes as the Iraqi Government has launched an offensive to retake the city. A new round of violence has broken out in the ongoing conflict for control of the libyan city of benghazi. At least 75 people have been killed and five days of clashes between progovernment militias and rival forces. It has been roiled by militia fighting following the u. S. Backed ouster of muammar qaddafi in 2011. Tens of thousands have been displaced since the violence escalated in july. The nigerian militant group boko her from has launched a series of attacks killing dozens of people threatening the ceasefire announced friday. Hopes were raised after a spokesperson said the deal would include the release of the 200 schoolgirls kidnapped for over six months. That theird willingness for peace and to discuss issues. The girlsassured that are alive and well. Already, they have announced the. Easefire in this regard, the government of nigeria has come in a similar vein, declared the boko haram never confirmed the truce and some of the parents of the schoolgirls believe their roles hopes have been falsely raised. Details have emerged of testimony given by darren wilson, the Ferguson Police officer who fatally shot the unarmed teenager michael brown. According to the new york times, wilson has told authorities he feared for his life in the confrontation that followed him stopping brown and a friend for jaywalking. That is walking across the street or in the street. Wilson claims brown reached for his gun during a physical altercation as wilson was still inside his vehicle. Ballistic tests confirm two shots were fired inside the car, one of them hitting browns arm. Its unclear why wilson then fired the fatal shots at brown after he emerged from his vehicle. Witness accounts say brown had his hands up and was trying to surrender when he was shot dead. According to federal officials, there is not enough evidence to indict wilson on civil rights charges in the justice departments probe of the shooting. The florida man convicted of killing 17yearold africanamerican jordan davis in an argument over loud music has been sentenced to life in prison without parole. Dunn, who is white, shot at a vehicle carrying davis, and his friends 10 times after confronting them about the volume of their stereo. They were in a car at a gas station, he was in a car nearby. He then fled the scene, went to a hotel with his fiancee and ordered pizza. He never called the police. Dunn has said he saw a weapon, but none was ever found. At his sentencing, dunn claimed that he feared for his life, while judge Russell Healey told him had senselessly and deliberately taken a life. The Supreme Court is allowing texas to enforce a controversial voter id law that was briefly struck down earlier this month. The federal judge initially overturned the law, calling it an unconstitutional poll tax that discriminates against voters of color. A threejudge panel said texas can force the id law in the november election because trotting it would cause confusion. On saturday, the Supreme Court agreed to did not rule on whether the law should permanently be banned. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said the decision risk denying the vote to write the right to vote to hundreds of thousands of eligible voters in texas. The Obama Administration reportedly is considering a move that would continue the bushera policy ignoring the United Nations torture treaty overseas. In 2005, the Bush Administration disclosed it had secretly interpreted a u. N. Ban on cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment as not applying to any cia or military prison outside of the United States. President obama, then a senator, opposed bushs policy and proposed legislation to undermine it. The u. S. Now faces a hearing before the committee against torture at the u. N. Next month. And according to the new york times, president obamas legal team is debating whether to back away from his earlier view, and [reaffirm] the Bush Administrations position that the treaty imposes no legal obligation to bar cruelty outside u. S. Borders. Two United Nations officials are in detroit for a Factfinding Mission over the city shutting off of water to thousands of residents. The city began cutting off water taps to thousands of households earlier this year, prompting protests in an appeal to the u. N. For help. Detroit activist said the visit by doing special rapid tours could help bring the issue before an international court. Fact there were able to come here is not only a miraculous thing, but something that were surprised that. The goal is to have them look further at the practice of shutting off water, to help us determine whether or not these are violations of international law, and then move this five forward into perhaps international court. The tw and rapid tours are expected to meet with city officials today. Two thirds of those impacted by the water shutoffs involve families with children. A group of colombian farmers are suing the oil giant bp over environmental damage from their countrys largest pipeline. The farmers are seeking 29 million for what they say is bps negligent handling of the project. The renowned kenyan scholar ali ofrui has died at the age 81. For nearly half a century, he was considered an intellectual giant in african studies. In 2005, Foreign Policy and prospect magazines named him among the top 100 public intellectuals in the world. Ali mazrui was the author or coauthor of more than 20 books on african politics, International Political culture, and political islam including islam between globalization and counterterrorism. In 2009, i interviewed professor ali mazrui on democracy now about the election of president barack obama, the first black president in the western world. He talked about his hopes for obamas presidency. At the moment, im not kill necessarily just be a peacemaking president with the conflicts that are on. So my dream was he will be the first president not to start a conflict, not that he would be the first president not to preside over a war, because hes inheriting two wars, anyhow. Them, thewith one of afghanistan, hes not planning to end it, really. Hes planning to escalate it for a while, so that is disappointing. So my prayer was slightly different, that i dont want him to start a war with iran. I hope he wouldnt start a war with syria. He would be mad if he started a war with north korea, you see . So in general, i hope he will start any war and break this idea that a commanderinchief has to be engaged in an actual war to be a credible president of the United States. That is the late kenyan scholar ali mazrui, speaking on democracy now in 2009, just after president obama was elected. You can go to our website at democracynow. Org to see the full interview. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now, democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We begin todays show by looking at the violent threats faced by a feminist critic for pointing out the sexism in video games. Last week, Anita Sarkeesian was forced to cancel a planned lecture in utah after threats of a shooting massacre. She was scheduled to speak at Utah State University when the university received an email threatening to carry out the deadliest shooting in American History at the event. The email sender wrote feminists have ruined my life and i will have my revenge. He used the moniker mark lepine, the name of a man who killed 14 women in a mass shooting in montreal in 1989. Sarkeesian canled the talk after being told that under utah law, Utah State Police could not prevent people from bringing guns. A University Spokesperson told the standardexaminer newspaper the school had determined it was safe for sarkeesian to speak because the threat we received is not out of the norm for this woman . Sarkeesian has long faced bomb, rape and Death Threats from online harassers opposed to her criticism of the ways in which women are depicted in video game culture. In august, she was forced to leave her home after an online harassers posted her address and threatened to kill her parents and rape her to death. Another created a video game called beat up Anita Sarkeesian. Wl viral web series on vide as extreme violence against women. I design the women as background decoration as the subs that of insignificant, not playable sexualitye ors whose or victimhood is exploited as a way to infuse the edgy, gritty, or racy flavoring in the game world. These sexually objectified female bodies are designed to function as an terminal texture want to the layman presumes straight now players. No less video, we discussed the concept of subject to vacation and looked at a subset of nonessential female characters which i classified as nonplayable sex objects. In this episode, we will expand our discussion of the women in background decoration to examine how sexualized female bodies often occupy the dual role as both sexual playthings and a perpetual victims of male violence. Are you here for the whore . I have your money. Let her go. No1 the use of sexual or Domestic Violence is the form of scaffolding for dark energy mormons has become a pervasive pattern in monitored in gaming. I thought you forgot. Im so glad you didnt. Im sorry, i did not know. What are you doing . No1 please, no that was a clip from Anita Sarkeesians series, tropes vs women in video games. Some in the community have launched a Relentless Campaign of threats and harassment against her. To find out more, we go to San Francisco where were joined by Anita Sarkeesian, a media critic and executive director of feminist frequency, a video webseries that explores representations of women in pop culture. Welcome to democracy now let start by what happened or did not happen last week at utah state. Explain the threats and what you are going to utah state for. Sure. The School Received some threats against my life and other students monday night. The threats, as you described, very much reminiscent of these copycat killers of these big misogynist school massacres. I did not actually find out about the threats until i landed at Salt Lake City airport on tuesday afternoon. I found out with everyone else through twitter and the media. Organizerse to the of the event and the police, i wanted to know what security precautions they were taking. I hadnt the first time been threatened at an event, but the language was very it was much more intense in terms of that sort of misogynist antifeminist attack. The school said they were going to take not allow backpacks and have extra security. When asked about the concealed gun laws, they said they could not screen for firearms. I if they could have metal detectors work pat downs, and they said, no. That was just too big of a risk for me to take in terms of my life and that of the students when the threat was specifically about firearms. The person signed 13 mill threat mark lepine. I went to go back to canadians report about what became as the montreal massacre. This is an excerpt from the tv show 100 huntley street. December 6, 1989 started off like any other day and ended in horror, forever being labeled in canadian history as the montreal massacre. A young man identified later as fire inine opened montreal, killing 14 female engineering students before turning the 22 caliber gun on himself. This was the first School Shooting of its kind in canada. That report from 100 huntley street. Anita sarkeesian, for those who did not know what that name meant in the email that was sent to the utah state officials, if you could take it from there. It was very much specifically referencing mark lepine as this hero, using his name, referencing this montreal massacre about this mass shooting that was very specifically antifeminist. I was going to kill, and should did kill, these women because he consider them ruinedt and feminists his life, apparently. The threat we received last week was exactly the same as that. There was another threat that came in that mentioned Elliott Rodger, which was a young man who committed another School Shooting at Uc Santa Barbara earlier this year in his manifesto was very much the same language of antiwomen, antifeminist, very deeply such a nest. Misogynist. Talks in that what youre referring to, Elliott Rodger, killing seven people, including himself. In a video posted hours before his rampage at a Sorority House at the university of california, santa barbara, rodger said he planned to attack you girls for what he called the crime of not being attracted to him. On the day of retribution, i am going to enter the hottest ucsb. Ordy house of and i will slaughter every single spoiled, stuck up blonde that i see there. That was Elliott Rodger right before he killed. This decision that you made, your response, Anita Sarkeesian, to the university saying, you get threats like this all the time, that they had no reason to up the security . Was mentally frustrating. The school did take some security measures, but i did not think what they did was adequate for this type of threat. To say i received threats in the inconsequential. I think we need to take all of these threats seriously. Theres a sort of sentiment that Online Harassment is not real, that we should not take it seriously. As you just showed, Elliott Rogers had his manifesto online and his videos online before he actually took action. This is a larger culture of women. One, not being believed about their expenses with Online Harassment, and when it is seen actually are being attacked in really vicious ways, it is just brushed off as, al qaeda is just the internet, or it is just boys being boys, when that is really not what is happening. He threats are real, whether they are committed or not. Were going to take a break and then go to your larger critique in the gaming industry. Anita sarkeesian committee to critic, executive director of feminist frequency, a web series that explores representation of women in pop culture. The students at utah state did not get to hear what she had to say after she canceled her speech because of an email , thed to the school shooter, named for the montreal massacre shooter, would make this the worst massacre in American History. Stay with us. [music break] this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Is our guest. An i want to start asking about your whole critique about video games. By talking about gamergate controversy, how it emerged. This is video game developer brianna wu speaking to cnn over the weekend about socalled gamergaters threatening her. Making fun. A meme one of my fans a gentle fun of gamergaters and i posted it. As a response, progamergater people and a website ended up making thousands of emmemes targeting be commended that being Death Threats. Anita sarkeesian is with us today, a media critic and executive director of feminist frequency, a video web series that explores representations of women in pop culture. Last week, she withdrew from a speaking engagement at Utah State University after a threat that a School Shooting would occur if she spoke. Can you talk about what brianna said and talk about these videogames, your overall criticism . Sure. One of the things that shes referencing is, we have this larger culture in gaming and we gamersset most female have been viciously going after women and attacking them. It is mostly women who speak up up int actually, speak terms of creating more diversity in games. Right now, this reference of gamergate, this culmination of these toxic Harassment Campaign that has been happening to me, for years, and to many other women. There is this lashing out and going after women in these horrible, vicious ways. Sort of trying to preserve gaming as a maledominated space, as the status quo. But theyre doing it under the ethics. Journalism but really, what is happening is they are attacking women. Explain what happened to xoe quinn. She is an independent game developer and index of hers wrote a big diatribe saying awful things about her, which were not true. He claimed she had slept with a journalist to get coverage for her game, which was also not true. Free game. A theres no need for her to try to get any press for it. It was another example of going after women in trying to discredit us in silence us, and some very personal ways. Wadded up become so extreme and that became what is known as gamergate . I think it became accommodated at the time because they sort of latched on to this idea of journalism ethics and that is if became something that sounded good. It was a way for them to mask their sexes temperature interim sexist temper tantrum. How many people theyre going after them just the sheer toxicity of their behavior, a lot of people in the Games Industry and in the community and the industry have started to really take note of the fact that we have a problem. We have a problem with sexism and misogyny and we need to do something about it. I want to play too short clips. Let go of me. Stop, please. Its a party, isnt it . Whore saber the hunt, boys. Brwell, that is one less elf ee in the world. Der shame. That is from dragon age origins. Big or moste important pieces of what i do is talking about how we can love a piece of media also critique at the same time. A series like dragon age has a lot of great things about it. But there are some examples of violence against women a sort of exploiting womens bodies are andoiting the vulnerability is really awful ways. That is just one of many examples of games that do that, that sort of take advantage of this vulnerability to try to make players for more intense, to make the world more gritty. I just want to say, it is not just one game. In my series, i look at hundreds and hundreds of games. I dont want to just sort of pick out dragon age as this big comparable example when there are so many other examples. Give us a sense of this world of video games. How many people use them . Who develops them . How many are men . Comedy are women . Is a multibillion dollar industry that is bigger than hollywood, this point, terms of revenue. Onhas a huge Cultural Impact our society. Ie last statistics i saw, believe about 27 of developers are women. We still have a huge problem with gender equity within the development community. To 46 of gamers are actually women. This idea that gamers are all men is actually not true. Women are almost half of the gaming players. You about thesk isments that, come on, this just online stuff, it is pretty harmless. Why you take it so seriously, anita. Online harassment, especially gender Online Harassment, is an epidemic. Women are being driven out, driven offline. This is an just in gaming. This is happening across the especially those who participate in or work in maledominated industries. The harassment has a real effect on us as a society. In terms of making the space unwelcoming for women. But it also has a chilling effect. Women who are watching this happen, watching me get terrorized for two years, are going to question whether they actually want to be involved, whether they want to speak up, and whether they want to participate. Talk more about what you feel needs to be done at this point. In terms of the immediacy of the harassment against women in gaming, i think developers and publishers and key figures in the gaming industry need to vocally step up and say, we do not accept this harassing behavior. We support women, and further outline steps theyre going to take to try to make the Gaming Community more inclusive and more diverse. Both within their hiring practices and also within the games they are making. Anita sarkeesian, i want to thank you for being with us, media critic, executive director of feminist frequency, a video web series that explores representations of women in pop culture. Final question, the response that you have gotten after canceling your speaking engagement at Utah State University . I received an enormous amount of support. That is one thing im really thankful for. Throughout doing this project, so many people have been incredibly supportive that really value and like what i do, and that just means the world to me. Anita sarkeesian, thanks so much. When we come back, we will talk with people who are representing their own lives, phil makers from the United States and from russia, who banded together to raise awareness about disability issues through film. Stay with us. [music break] this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We turn now to media enabled musketeers. Thats the name of a group of russians and americans who have banned together to raise awareness about disability issues through films. Theyve created a dozen short films that delve into the everyday issues faced by people with disabilities issues of accessibility, love, dreams, and prejudice. On friday, the group held its premiere screening at the hbo theater in new york city. One of the films, dont look down on me, has become a youtube sensation, viewed over 2. 6 million times. The film chronicles a day in the life of jonathan novick, a new yorker, with achondroplasia, the most common type of dwarfism. Jonathan uses a hidden camera to expose the prejudice and insensitivity he encounters on a daily basis. It begins with him as a child. I dont think is a certain point in anyones life with a grow up. I think were growing up all the time, and always will be. My name is jonathan novick. Im 22 years old and im a dwarf with achondroplasia. Before a was born, my mother studied genetics and graduate school, specifically, should an interest in achondroplasia forces him. It is the kind of dwarfism that i have. When i was born, she had a lot of extra information to help her parenting. Is definition for dwarfism the Abnormal Development of body characterized predominately by extreme shortness of stature. There are many different kinds of forces him. The most common kind is what i have, achondroplasia, which is characterized by just proportionately short limbs, a normal sized torso, large head, and depressed nasal bridge, small face and stubby hands as well as the curvature of the spine. The term is wharf or the person. Little person. A lot of times midget is used to describe someone who must work for some. Not only is that incorrect, it is incredibly offensive. I moved to the city about a year ago. Although i consider it ultimately a good expense, it was made more difficult by my tour for some. Dwarfism. I grip in a small town and i would have negative encounters every now and then, but for the most part had friends and family to support me. I was able to have a pretty average childhood. A year ago when i moved to the city, i noticed that there were a lot of people, a lot of people. Because of that, i would have people take pictures of me on the subway, people who would harassment, and just all of these things, all of these honest daily occurrences that will continue to happen. It got to point where i just got fed up with it. I wanted to stop telling people what happened to meet and start showing. I wanted to show everyone what a day in my life was like. I was fortunate enough to be able to use this camera, which is actually known as a button camera, because the lens im going to use that will be flipping through a shirt that will be completely unnoticeable. So we are packed up and the cameras ready and going to turn it on right now. Its rolling. Were going to go see what we can capture. Wha the . Do you know who you look who . [indiscernible] do you see a lot of Little People . Man, im from oklahoma. Wow. I hope i did not offend you. No, no, its ok. I appreciate it. Can i get your picture . Uh, nah. I dont want to tell anyone what to do or what to think or how to feel, but instead, what i will do is i will ask. I will ask that the next time you see someone whos different than you, think about what their day is like. Events of all of the their life leading up to the point and think about their day and what part of their day do you want to be . Was jonathan novicks, dont look down on me. Its one of the doz films part of the media enabled musketeers, a project that brought together russians and americans with disabilities to produce films that provide a deeper understanding of their lives, and to bridge the divide between eir o countries. Well, for more, were joined now by four guests including jonathan novick. Hes a graduate student at Hunter College in the integrated media arts department. Were also joined by Maryam Magomedova, a Law School Student in russia who made the short film, maryams victory. And were joined by the codirectors of the media enabled musketeers project, Olga Kravtsova and jon alpert. Jon is a 16timenational Emmy Award Winner and 2timeacademy award nominee. We welcome you all to democracy now i have to followup up on this film. Givesso both moving and such understanding, jon, about what you are going through on a daily basis, how people see you and how you want to be seen, how you want to be treated. Talk to little more about that and why you made the film itself, why you are part of this project. Well, i made the film itself personally out of frustration. As i mentioned, it was basically i had moved to new york city and have been living here for about a year. It was just the encounters i would experience, it is not new to me, but what was new was the frequency. It would happen almost on a daily basis. It would get to a point where i would leave my apartment knowing i was different because no one would really let me forget. It culminated into one moment when i was coming out of work michelman physically jumped over me while a bunch of people looked on, which was probably one of the worst expenses of my life. In that moment, i could not do anything. I could not yell because that would make them laugh. I coulnot fight them, because that isnt going to happen. Realizing that i wanted to create something new. It was a, what can i do you go do what i do, which is undergrad student had been studying film and passionate, so i decided to create this work. That only express myself but show other people exactly what i go through and joining this program would be absolute perfect. Now lets turn to Maryam Magomedova hot story, called victory. I was born with cerebral palsy. I am about to get my College Diploma with honors. We came here because i could not recite my phone at the competition. There you have maryams victory. Maryam magomedova is with us today, who is come all the way over from moscow . Yes. Can you talk about why you made this film . First of all, i wanted to show that the matter if a person has a disability or not, he should be judged by talent, which exists in every person. Person can be talented, he can be the best. So this was the message. I also wanted to show that education is one of the tools, you know, how to lighten that spark of talent in a person. Not only about my talent, but about my everyday struggle for education. Which has been . Which has been like for seven years of my life. I got a degree in linguistics. That is why i recited in turkish, which you can see in my film. I am studying law. I am a law student. I am a student in law school, so i want to advocate for people with disabilities in the future. I plan to go to Harvard Law School so that people with disabilities will have more rights. This project is a very good beginning for me, so i can expose the problems that we face every day. Maryam magomedova, one of the russian students who was joined with American Students like jonathan novick, to portray their lives, to speak for themselves. And the people who are coordinating this project, our old colleague jon alpert from dctv, the multiple Emmy Awardwinning film maker, and Olga Kravtsova, who has come over from moscow. Jon will talk about how you conceived of this. Were talking a lot about ebola, ebola, ebola. Two people in the United States have ebola. 80 Million People in both countries have disabilities. The media could do a better job of portraying the needs and talents of those with disabilities. We thought this was a good place to start. Our countries could do a better job of being friends with each other. Every country could do a better job looking for peace, and this is a good program that helps that. It helps give people with disabilities a voice. Olga kravtsova, how did you get involved . Ideathink we can to the together, maybe, and will so had a u. N. Expert on disability and she has a disability herself. She trains reporters. She has a background in journalism will stop she trained reporters how to be sensitive and covered disabilities with good education and attitude. We just decided it would be a great project of bringing professional and nonprofessional journalist together in bringing russians and americans together. Lets turn to a clip from the film i want, therefore, i can. She explains her dream to be a paralympic archery champion. When i was 13, a was volts. Cuted by 27,000 i had both legs amputated. It was very difficult at first. Then i realized it didnt change everything. I had to continue with my life. Life isnt less interesting that is i want, therefore i can. I want to turn right now to another clip that is part of this series. This is a clip of a video called midlife disability no crystal ball. Hi, my name is donna. I want to do my own narration, but i hope i dont mess it up like i messed up that joke. I want to tell you about my brain surgery, but i really dont want to go backwards. You see, when i speak, people dont listen to my words. They think, what happened to her . In 2005, i had a catastrophic stroke. Called avm. Is and i want to turn to a clip of a video made by Benjamin Ross lough called, can i call you . A name is benjamin and im 22 and i am autistic. I want to be a filmmaker and have a lot of my own ideas. I see films in my mind and know exactly what i want. I know who i would cast. I hear the music and i see the scenes. Some things are hard for me like writing, explaining things to others, and making changes. I do know i want to get married someday and have a family and a normal life. Have you ever dated someone with autism . No, i have not. That was benjamin rosloff. Jon come a you were his roommate, jon alpert, in russia. Another group has come from russia to the United States. It was one of the most profound running expenses of my life. I did not know that much about autism. Ben is really intelligent. I grew to appreciate his intelligence, kindness, and values he can bring to society. Jonathan novick, what has this project meant for you . You went to russia . What was that like for you . It was amazing. Being a part of the project in general has been fantastic because you encounter so many different people from different walks of life. Media is it called enabled musketeers . Were all for 1, 1 for all. We support each other with what we do, not only alive, but as film makers, as hopeful future, i dont know, journalists or documentarians of the world. Were in it together. Whether we are all going to russia or come to america, and what is your sense of people who are disabled, their treatment in russia as you come here . Well, one of the biggest for most discussed topics while we were in russia was education. It was looking at the separation of people who are physically or cognitively disabled into separate schools, these separate project schools as opposed to staying a public education. Schools,d one of these visited the office for excess ability issues , you havemagomedova been on a major journey. You have into the empire state building, to the beach. Were you sing the ocean for the first time . Yes, for the first time. And i touched my feet there. And walking across the brooklyn bridge. It was actually my dream for four years. I finally fulfilled it yesterday. With this musketeers team. What will you do when you go back to russia . I hope to tell about this project. Right now, we cant fully comprehend the positive impact it will have. I hope that i will bring the knowledge comes the things that i learned here you and i will share them with my friends, with people i know and i hope this will change things for the better in my country. I want to thank you all for being with us. Jon for the website for where people can go to see these videos . Dctvny. Org but if any fans of democracy now , which im the biggest one, would like these you are not that big. I am. Look at this. All they need to do is contact democracy now and they can get the entire set of these films and make sure use and in your contribution to democracy now when you do that. And to your local station, Public Television or radio. It is been wonderful to be with you all. I want to thank jonathan novick, Maryam Magomedova and also want to thank the coordinators of this project, our colleague right here, jon alpert, and Olga Kravtsova from russia. That does it for our broadcast. Democracy now is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. Email your comments to outreach democracynow. Org or mail them to democracy now p. O. Box 693 new york, new york 10013. [captioning made possible by democracy now ] i think im home i think im home how nice to look at you again along the road along that road anytime you want me you can find me living right between your eyes, yeah oh, i think im home oh, i think im home. Today on cooks country, julia shows chris how to make the best honey Fried Chicken at