>> hello and welcome to global 3000. your weekly check on the global issues that support the world. tens of thousands of people had to abandon their homes in nicaragua. here is what is coming up. blessing or curse? nicaragua's plans for a strategic waterway. power or water? kenya looks for ways to make efficient use of its river. how japan is sailing its women in the world place.

canals are a vital component of today's tightly connected transport groups. those who control them wield a fair amount of economic and geo-specific power. no surprise that egypt is planning a second suez and the panama canal is expanding capacity. it might have sounded like a dream come true when a chinese billionaire told nicaragua's president he would like to build one there. the new waterway would be wider, longer, and deeper than the panama canal and would run for the rain forest and the region's freshwater reservoir. environmental and other risks have yet to be assessed. so what is going on there? is nicaragua trying to become a political heavyweight or is it being played in a global monopoly? we went there to try to find out. >> emotions run high when the talk turns to the canal in lake

nicaragua. octavio ortega runs an mission against the opponent. he explains what they can expect the chinese start building the canal and they will all have to leave. the reactions are clear. >> we don't have weapons. we take up gloves against the government that is selling off our homeland. >> the 278 kilometer long canal is to cut through nicaragua's hilly countryside. critics say it is a threat to those who live here but more so to lake nicaragua, central america's against freshwater reservoir. cargo ships four times as heavy of those passing through the panama canal art across the

lake. they will need a channel 500 meters wide and 30 meters deep. right now the point of the projected channel is just 10 meters deep. octavio ortega is concerned about the freshwater because the ocean and saltwater affluent to the lake -- will flow into the lake. >> we want to know how they are going to prevent the contamination by flood water. no one can tell us that. there will not be any lock on the lake. sonly on the entrance and exits to the canal. >> most of the villagers have gathered for a birthday party on the lakeshore. the families are poor but they stick together. they had been living here for generations. chinese, get out read the banners. if people are outraged over a new law.

it would give the investor the right to build an autonomous chinese economic zone extending 10 kilometers on either side of the canal. ortega explains that they will have to be relocated. >> we live from the fish and have more than enough water. elsewhere there is hardly any water. we would have to buy it, but we can't afford it. >> octavio ortega calls ahead to the next village. when we arrived, a crowd has already gathered. their homes lie in the zone that nicaragua's government has sold to the chinese. the people here don't know how much was paid nor where the money went. they live here on nicaragua's most fertile soil, farming and raising lifestyle. the cattle breeding business is doing well, but she has had

visitors who, against her will, once to take her land and force her to move. nobody can tell her what kind of compensation she will get, nor where she and her family are supposed to go. >> monday, cars drove out with i don't know how many men, police, military, and they said i should let them in. they had surveys to conduct. but i am not stupid. i say if you let these people in, it is your own fault. many nicaraguans >> feel they are being trampled on by their government. tens of thousands have protested against the canal. they criticized the lack of transparency in fear damage to nature. they don't think that the canal will create new jobs and fear china's dominant role in nicaragua's future. president daniel ortega signed

it in record time. >> now we have a chance to completely rid the country of extreme poverty. >> the groundbreaking ceremony was held last december. at the last minute, foreign journalists were prohibited from attending. the event was just for show. construction has not started on the canal. experts say that is most of ize. necessary prerequisites for such a project have not been completed. >> there have been no technical surveys, no environmental studies, nothing on the financial feasibility or the profit outlook. not even the minimum on what needs to be done before they start. there is a lot of doubt about the seriousness of the investor, whose presentation was very unprofessional and in

transparent. >> the chinese investor does not give interviews and the president of the canal authority has said little to alleviate doubt about the canal. >> when you look at this enormous project, you can have doubts. but if you look at it realistically, you have to say that everything will work out fine. and we'll be right on schedule. >> octavio ortega says critics are systematically intimidated. he has received death threats and says a paint bomb thrown at his window was a little reminder from the government's and spend. they want to fill their pockets by selling nicaragua. nobody else would benefit from the canal. >> no one is capable of operating the machines they are going to need.

the canal will be dug with picks and shovels. >> a few days after this interview, octavio ortega was badly beaten and seriously injured. he does not know who did it. his opponents are powerful. it is about a lot of money and china's geopolitical interest in latin america, but not about the rain forest, water, or rare animals. the president said is good for the people -- unless the people get in the way. >> the reasons will make little difference to those who are forced from their homes. human interference with nature always produces side effects. kenya's longest river provides electric power for many. finding the right balances tricky. it may cause waters to dry out somewhere else.

they're trying to provide a smart solution on how to use this valuable resource. >> the water still sparkle on the tana, kenya's longest river. it is a thousand miles long and provides the basis for life for animals and humans alike. some spots along the tana have dried up, leaving rocks and sands. the operator of a hydroelectric power plant has diverted several miles of river through an underground tunnel. she wants to it -- walks two hours every day to fetch drinking water for her and her family of 10. she is outraged.

water used to floor -- flow along her. after the second dam was built, it disappeared altogether. >> it is 33 degrees celsius in the shade. only the water provides relief from the heat. the locals cool off, wash, and get their drinking water here all in the one place. the water is almost lukewarm, providing perfect conditions for waterborne pathogens to thrive. >> we had stomach problems. at the hospital, they said it was caused by amoeba and side effects from the water. i don't have any alternative because there is no other water around. we have to use what is here.

>> the scientist works for the university of nairobi's y subproject. the goal is to defuse the conflict between the different groups who use the water. her data is meant to help sensible ways of using the little water available. >> water is life. there are two issues. the quantity of water, a lot or too little, and the other is the quality issue. these of the two extremes in kenya. it depends on where you are. >> where there is no water, conflicts are escalating. further down the river, fights over grazing lands and water have resulted in death. some residents believe climate change is the main culprit. others believe the dam.

nearly half of keya's electricity is produced here, making the dams crucial for the country's industrial development. the power company has little interest in cooperating with the research project, but that is not the touring the scientists. -- not deterring the scientists. >> electricity is important because one of the components to wise up is looking at the front -- infrastructure and the effect of the dam. this is one of the big components because it will affect the natural flow of the river and everything. >> all data is to be analyzed by 2016. so far progress on the project has been sluggish. redundant structures, bureaucracy, and hierarchies are just some of the issues hindering communication between project partners and each partner has its own interests.

>> winds up is important in trying to look at all the worker demands and the distribution, to have the environmental needs, the needs of the people, and also the development of the country. >> managing the tana river is complex, just like the system. we travel to one of its tributaries. the interest of the locals here are different from what she had seen before. the people don't want to use the river for industrial purposes, but to preserve nature. >> this is one of the best. it is a big shed. it also has no soil erosion. it protects the erosion.

>> for the past few years, they have been planting forests along the river. it is a long-term project supported by the government. shade from the trees should help prevent evaporation from the river water. >> this will be completed right. completely. you can see that the water is now flowing. we can see what we have done. people are seeing what we have done. we are very proud. >> the locals shared their knowledge and experience with the locals. they are glad to talk about the project because the forest station benefits everyone along the river. >> this is a dream. to have it clean, clear, like what we have seen here. if you compare this to

downstream, it collects a ton of things as a goes down. we'll hope all of the stakeholders involved in this process can really see the benefits of reclaiming a river and this will produce clean water. >> that is something marianna can only dream about. the dry season has just started. she doesn't benefit from the hydroelectric power plant. she does not have electricity. she doesn't care about that. she just wants clean water to get through the day. >> we are always interested in how you perceive the rapid changes around us. today we hear from juan in peru. >> my name is juan. i'm 23 years old and live in lima, peru.

at the moment, i'm still a student. i'm studying cinematography and would like to work in the film industry. i just love to tell stories. i like music. i play the peruvian drum. there are so many things you can eat when you are in peru. i love ceviche.

rice with seafood, loma saltado, stirfry, i can talk about it until the tape runs out. just living in peru is a wonderful thing. you can come here to miraflores or go to barranco to enjoy the beautiful landscape. i have few worries. not having a job, not

completing what i have set out to achieve, like having a family, and finishing my studies. i'd like to travel to europe sometime, to england. i think that country has a mystical aura. to me, globalization means to experience everything from around the world. torrents from all over the world come here to -- tourists from all over the world come to miraflores. you can learn about their cultures, get a glimpse into their lives. the tourists are a great enrichment. >> any halfway decent management training these days will mention the fact that gender balance in the workforce is a factor for success. the world's third-largest

economy, japan, as a blind spot when it comes to women in the workplace. only 5% of top managers are female, but that has changed. the government wants to see women in 1/3 of the country's top positions by 2020. this is still a rather lofty goal. >> a new workday begins. for a lot of men, but not many women. japan, the world's third largest economy is 104 in terms of gender equality. 40 spots behind bangladesh. >> after having a child, women in japan almost never return to their job. her husband goes back to work. >> household and children are

not just the domain of women. the men have to do their share so the women can go back to work. >> whether boys or girls, my kids know that later on they will have to help in the household. it is not just men who go to work, but women, too. the suzuki's work at the same coveted. it is something that companies like to see. one job, two couples, three children. they often learn a third less than men. there is a shortage of childcare spots. endless overtime adheres to the model of nobody leaves before the boss and heavy drinking afterwards is incompatible with kids. the suzuki's are lucky.

their employer realizes that productivity is not just a matter of putting in time. >> i tried for a long time to organize everything because i take care of the children too. colleagues sometimes jump in or my boss takes adjustments. >>hiroki suzuki appreciates that. there's not even a word in japanese for men like that, or men that think like that. a new term had to be invented. during this interview, a man still monitored everything that hiromi was saying. >> you can take a long break after birth. i hear from other companies that they return to work quickly because they are afraid of the time not spent at work. >> there is also a fear of mothers and chicanery. that means after having a baby, they don't get their old job

back, or are given less play, or artfully out of their job. postnatal gymnastics. japanese women are still having children, after all. the course and structure -- course instructor as to it home. when her husband moved abroad a job, she agreed she would stay with the children and a job. >> a woman can't put all of her ! energy into the house and the household. she can do something for society . is important to think she can achieve someone. >> the children do not get to see their mom much but help is available. an agency sends over an experienced students like miku, and that is intentional. the two can only guess what a salt shaker looks like and only guess at how a peppermill works, but they want to learn something. they want to know what it is

like in the home of a working mother. many japanese are without role models. >> i used to think that when something big happens in life, marriage or a child, then you have to quit working, but now i see you can continue working. >> i want to play with my mom. i can hardly remember her ever playing with me. >> he would like to play with dead, too, but dad is far away in moscow. a son who misses his father and a father who misses his daughter. yurika died of cancer, but it was she who turned her father into a good father, as he says himself. >> through yurika i became a dad. until then, i only new work. i never stood in the kitchen or helped around the house. we ate out a lot.

i did not start cooking until after she was born and it tasted good. >> that is why he now gives a cooking course for fathers before they can forget they have families. it is a sort of first aid for the women, who can only get a foothold in japan's labor market when their husbands help out. takimura says spend times with your family before does too late. and all together now -- delicious. it is already 5:30 in the afternoon. the early quitting frog says it is time to go home. suzuki leaves. the other stay, bowing to your pressure. -- peer pressure. japan, where 80% of companies say advancing women is problematic. but it can work. the family can eat dinner together.

the course instructor gets home late. her kids are in bed and she is lonely. but she does have a short chat with her husband. japan. just 5% of top jobs are filled by women. if the pace does not pick up, things will not change in the 80 years. real men drink to that. or maybe just one the boss tells them to. >> absolutely no comment from me on that. this is all we have time for on global 3000. you can see our program online and join our global debate. we are back next week at the same time, same place. until then, thanks for watching and bye-bye.

>> garrison keillor: toi derricotte grew up outside detroit.

with the poet cornelius eady, she cofounded cave canem, an organization committed to cultivating and supporting the work of african american poets. she says, "truth telling in my art is also a way to separate myself from what i have been taught to believe about myself-- the degrading stereotypes about black women." >> blackbottom. when relatives came from out of town, we would drive down to blackbottom. drive slowly down the congested main streets-- beaubien and hastings-- trapped in the mesh of saturday night. we were freshly escaped, black middle class. we snickered and were proud; the louder the streets, the prouder. we laughed at the bright clothes of a prostitute; a man sitting

on a curb with a bottle in his hand. we smelled barbecue cooking in dented washtubs and our mouths watered. as much as we wanted it, we couldn't take the chance. rhythm and blues came from the windows, the throaty voice of a woman lost in the bass, in the drums, in the dirty down and out-- the grind. ♪"i love to see a funeral, then i know it ain't mine." ♪ we rolled our windows down so that the waves rolled over us like blood. we hoped to pass invisibly, knowing on monday we would return safely to our jobs, the post office, and classroom. we wanted our sufferings to be offered up as tender meat, and

our triumphs to be belted out in raucous song. we had lost our voice in the suburbs, in conant gardens, where each brick house delineated a fence of silence; we had lost the right to sing in the street and damn creation. we returned to wash our hands of them; to smell them whose very existence tore us down to the human. ( applause ) thanks so much.

♪ >> memphis, tennessee. it has been written, if music were religion, then memphis would are jerusalem and sun studio its most sacred shrine. and you are here. with patrick sweany. ♪ got miles to drive before i see ♪ ♪ three people in a rumbled suit ♪ >> i'm patrick sweany. i'm a singer, guitar writer, currently residing in nashville, tennessee. i'm joined by my awesome, awesome band, dillon napier on the drums and seth on