THIS WEEK'S EVENTS
SUNDAY, MAR 29, 2009
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Runs through April 12th: "Oppression and Pleasure"
exhibition featuring visual art by Kate Millett
curated by Heide Hatry
[suggested donation $10]
Pierre Menard Gallery
10 Arrow St., Cambridge
Regular gallery hours, which are free and open to the
public: open daily, 12-8 pm.
Pierre Menard Gallery is proud to announce an
exhibition of selected visual art works by Kate
Millett, including drawings, print and sculptures.
Although Millett is best known as a pioneer of the
modern feminist movement, author of the groundbreaking
classic Sexual Politics, she has lived and practiced
as an artist throughout her life and has been the
subject of a number of shows in both museums and
private galleries. Like her nuanced, articulate,
diverse and provocative writings, Millett's visual art
spans a broad range of interests, media, styles and
tones, from elegant minimalist nudes to thoughtful
fluxoid constructions and neo-dada whimsy to austere,
impersonal and often quite large-scale constructions,
in which her insight into the politics of the human
condition and the inhumanity of politics are ever in
evidence.
Millett's artistic vision is as distinctive and humane
as her literary voice, ranging over betrayal, loss,
injustice and even murder without abandoning love,
honor, hope and joy.
Background information:
Visual artist, feminist writer, and activist Kate
Millett runs an art colony for women in Poughkeepsie,
NY. Some of her visual art work can be viewed at
www.katemillett.com.
Catharine MacKinnon specializes in sex equality issues
under international and constitutional law. She
pioneered the legal claim for sexual harassment and,
with Andrea Dworkin, created ordinances recognizing
pornography as a civil rights violation. She is
currently on the faculty at University of Michigan Law
School.
Heide Hatry is a visual artist and curator.
More info: www.heidehatry.com.
The Pierre Menard Gallery was founded in 2006 by John
Wronoski, proprietor of the well-known international
rare book firm, Lame Duck Books (founded 1984).
For more information, 617-868-2033
or www.pierremenardgallery.com
---------- Sunday----------
Program Speaker: Mr. Gary Kaplan, of JFY Networks,
offers training related to jobs in the "Green"
economy. Van Jones, leader in the "green jobs"
movement, recently visited the program and cited it as
a leader in the field. Gary Kaplan, executive director
of the agency and developer of its "green jobs"
initiative, will discuss the opportunities and
challenges in this new field.
Mr. Gary Kaplan, Executive Director, JFY Networks,
call (617) 923-8550, or visit BostonEthical.Org
---------- Sunday----------
The United States has more than 700 military bases in 180 countries. Is it
worth the cost in dollars and lives? Could we lead in other ways? What
would "soft power" look like?
Jerry Grossman is a writer, radio commentator, teacher, arbitrator and
retired business executive. He was founder notably of the Council for a
Livable World, its longtime president/chair and director of its Education
Fund. He has lectured at Tufts University and Palm Beach Community College.
Jerry has been involved his entire adult life in peace and arms control
activism, served the Mass Civil Liberties Union Foundation for decades and
held many local, state and national positions within the Democratic Party.
---------- Sunday----------
2PM: "Oppression and Pleasure", an exhibition
Public Conversation/Book Signing
With Kate Millett & Catharine MacKinnon
[suggested donation $10]
Pierre Menard Gallery
10 Arrow St., Cambridge
Pierre Menard Gallery is proud to announce an
exhibition of selected visual art works by Kate
Millett, including drawings, print and sculptures.
Although Millett is best known as a pioneer of the
modern feminist movement, author of the groundbreaking
classic Sexual Politics, she has lived and practiced
as an artist throughout her life and has been the
subject of a number of shows in both museums and
private galleries. Like her nuanced, articulate,
diverse and provocative writings, Millett's visual art
spans a broad range of interests, media, styles and
tones, from elegant minimalist nudes to thoughtful
fluxoid constructions and neo-dada whimsy to austere,
impersonal and often quite large-scale constructions,
in which her insight into the politics of the human
condition and the inhumanity of politics are ever in
evidence.
Millett's artistic vision is as distinctive and humane
as her literary voice, ranging over betrayal, loss,
injustice and even murder without abandoning love,
honor, hope and joy.
---------- Sunday----------
MONDAY, MAR 30, 2009
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0330 Mon 1230pm (rally for global BDS, DowntownCrsng)
Date: Monday March 30
Time: 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM
Place: Downtown Crossing, Boston
Meet on Washington Street outside Macy's Department
Store.
The World Social Forum and Palestinian civil society
groups have issued a call for March 30 (Land Day) to
be observed as Global BDS Action Day.
To answer this call, the Boston Coalition for
Palestinian Rights and other groups will be outside
several stores that sell Motorola cell phones. We
will ask customers to "Hang Up on Motorola" for its
sales of communication devices and fuses to the
Israeli military and products that support the
Apartheid Wall and Israeli settlements.
Please join us with signs saying:
Hang Up on Motorola
Motorola supports Israel's war crimes
Motorola supports Israel's land grab
And spread the word!
Join March 30, the Global BDS Action Day, and endorse
the Palestinian Call for Boycott, Divestment and
Sanctions
With one week to go, the Palestinian BDS National
Committee calls upon all social movements,
organizations, networks and parties around the globe
to join us in stepping up efforts to make March 30 a
milestone in the growing BDS movement.
After the massacre in Gaza, worldwide civil society
and some progressive governments have reacted with
diverse forms of boycotts, divestment and sanctions to
show Israel that the era of its impunity has to end.
The BDS movement is in the headlines, and Israeli
government, businesses and other complicit
institutions are starting to feel the effects. Now is
the time to escalate mobilization and to endorse BDS
to end Israeli apartheid, occupation, and human rights
violations against the indigenous people of Palestine.
ORGANIZE:
Palestine - Many demonstrations and actions are
planned to commemorate March 30 as the Palestinian
Land Day with a special focus on the national BDS
campaign. (Comprehensive list to follow in the coming
days.)
Worldwide - Activities are already planned in over a
dozen countries around the globe. Please see an
initial list of global actions below. (If your event
is not listed, send the details to
campaign@bdsmovement.net.. We will include it in the
next update of the list.)
bdsmovement.net
bcpr.org
---------- Monday ----------
0330 Mon 1330pm (Gaza Symposium day 1 of 2, MIT)
0331 Tue 1330pm (Gaza Symposium day 2 of 2, Harvard)
You are cordially invited to attend...
MIT/Harvard Gaza Symposium
March 30 - 31, 2009
The second annual Gaza symposium, this year jointly
organized by MIT and Harvard, will host a series of
panels on the role of US and international actors, as
well as human rights and international humanitarian
law in the wake of recent events in Gaza. Bringing
together experts in the fields of human rights,
history, political science, US foreign policy and law,
the two-day symposium will include a range of views
from US, Israeli, Palestinian and UN/NGO perspectives.
Speakers include:
Richard Falk, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in
the Occupied Palestinian Territories; John Ging
(invited), Director of UNRWA operations in Gaza; Meron
Benvenisti, former Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem; Henry
Siegman, Director of the U.S./Middle East Project;
Congressman Brian Baird, Representative, Washington
State (D-03); Mustafa Barghouti, Former Palestinian
Presidential candidate and physician; Rami Khouri,
Director of the Issam Fares Center at the American
University of Beirut; William Corcoran, President of
ANERA; Karma Nabulsi, Lecturer in International
Relations at Oxford University and former PLO
representative; Gabriel Piterburg, Professor of
History at UCLA; Irene Gendzier, Political Science
Professor at Boston University; George Bisharat,
Professor of Law at UC Hastings College of Law; Barry
Posen, Director of the MIT Security Studies Program;
Sara Roy, Senior Research Scholar at the Center for
Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard; Husam Zomlot,
Visiting Scholar at the Center for Middle Eastern
Studies at Harvard; Anat Biletzki, Former chairperson
of B'tselem and Professor of Philosophy at Tel Aviv
University; Sami Abdel Shafi, Writer and co-founder of
the Emerge Consulting Group in Gaza; Andrew Whitley,
Director of the Representative Office of UNRWA.
Monday, March 30, 1:30 - 6:00 pm
Wong Auditorium, MIT Bldg E51, 70 Memorial Drive,
Cambridge
Tuesday, March 31, 1:30 - 6:00 pm
Austin Hall, Harvard Law School, 1515 Massachusetts
Ave, Cambridge
The symposium is free and open to the public; please
come in advance as seating is limited.
Sponsors at MIT:
The Center for International Studies; The Program for
Human Rights and Justice
Sponsors at Harvard:
The Middle East Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy
School; The Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Faculty
of Arts and Sciences; University Committee on Human
Rights Studies; Human Rights Program at the Harvard
Law School
For more details on the symposium, visit:
hks.harvard.edu/middleeast/MEIevents/gaza09.html
web.mit.edu/cis/eventposter_033009_gaza.html
The Middle East Initiative
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Harvard University
To view our full events calendar, visit our website at
http://www.hks.harvard.edu/middleeast
For directions to the Kennedy School campus, please go
to http://www.hks..harvard.edu/about/contact
---------- Monday ----------
0330 Mon 1400pm (Brown v Roberts remembrance, Tubman)
JWJ Week of Action
Monday, March 30th
160th Anniversary of Brown vs. Roberts
2pm, The Harriet Tubman Building, 566 Columbus Ave,
Boston
A day to mark the anniversary of the segregation
lawsuit that anticipated Brown vs. Board of Education
by almost 100 years, the Union of Minority Communities
invites you to attend an event in remembrance of the
struggle of Black Communities here in Boston, and to
witness the start of Black People for Better Public
Schools, a new community group demanding quality
education for all people.
For more information please call (617) 524-8778 or
email jennifer@massjwj.net
---------- Monday ----------
0330 Mon 1700pm (Dershowitz protest org mtg, UMassB)
ORGANIZING Meeting against Alan Dershowitz
and to ORGANIZE a Forum on Palestine at UMB
Monday March 30, 5pm
Umass Boston, Campus Center, 3rd Floor, Campus
Activity Center
(Dershowitz is scheduled to speak
at UMASS Boston Wednesday April 1, 3pm
Lipke Auditorium, 2nd floor, Science Building)
Why Should We Protest Alan Dershowitz?
*Dershowitz has led the opposition against a recent
divestment-from-Israel campaign at Hampshire College.
*In 2002, Dershowitz published an editorial in the
Jerusalem Post saying that, as a tactic to stop
Palestinian resistance, the Zionist regime should
destroy entire Palestinian villages.
*After left-Zionist author/professor Norman
Finkelstein pointed out that Dershowitz's book "The
Case for Israel" is plagiarized as well as being wrong
about the history of Palestine, Dershowitz retaliated
against Finkelstein by getting Finkelstein's
appearance at the Harvard Book Store cancelled, and
eventually by using his influence to get DePaul
University to deny tenure to Finkelstein.
*Dershowitz is also notorious for calling for
government agencies in the United States to be allowed
to torture suspects. He suggested that sticking
needles under people's fingernails would be a good
method.
Come Organize and Build a Strong Movement for
Palestine at UMASS Boston and Boston-at-Large
This meeting is about continuing to organize against
Israel's atrocious occupation against Palestinians. We
need to organize a strong and broad campaign that
forces our schools and community to boycott and divest
from Israel. Lets stop US aid to Israel and stop the
Israeli occupation. And, lets start by organizing to
protest Alan Dershowitz in order to publicly put
forward a vision for a FREE PALESTINE.
For more information contact:
ateacherteacher@gmail.com
---------- Monday ----------
0330 Mon 1900pm (film "Becoming The Media", LPC)
Lucy Parsons Center free film showing:
Becoming The Media: A Critical History Of Clamor
(Mon Mar 30, 7pm)
Lucy Parsons Center
549 Columbus Avenue
Boston's South End
Clamor Magazine was a movement publication that
existed between 2000 and 2006, covering radical
politics, culture, and activism. Clamor published 38
issues and featured over 1,000 different writers and
artists. The mission statement was: Clamor is a
quarterly print magazine and online community of
radical thought, art, and action. An iconoclast among
its peers, Clamor is an unabashed celebration of self-
determination, creativity, and shit-stirring. Clamor
publishes content of, by, for, and with marginalized
communities. From the kitchen table to shop floor,
the barrio to the playground, the barbershop to the
student center, it's old school meets new school in a
battle for a better tomorrow. Clamor is a do-it-
yourself guide to everyday revolution.
This analysis is presented as a case study on how
movement projects and organizations deal with vital
but rarely discussed issues such as management,
sustainability, ownership, structure, finance,
decision making, power, diversity, and vision.
Reviews:
"An excellent piece. I learned a great deal from
reading it. I think it's a great contribution that
lots of folks will find very useful in future
projects, and not just media projects." -- Max Elbaum,
author, Revolution in the Air
"An extremely valuable resource, and very well done." -
- Jordan Flaherty, Left Turn Magazine
About the Author:
Jen Angel has been a writer and media activist for
over 15 years. Jen's publishing history includes
Clamor, publishing the Zine Yearbook, and editing
MaximumRockNRoll. She is a founding board member of
Allied Media Projects, a non-profit independent media
advocacy organization and a contributing editor to
Yes! Magazine. Since leaving Clamor, she has worked as
a producer for KPFA Radio, and a publicist and tour
manager through the cooperative booking agency, Aid &
Abet.
http://aidandabet.org/
She blogs on media and activism at
http://jenangel.wordpress.com/
All LPC events are free and open to the public (though
donations are greatly appreciated).
Telephone: (617) 267-6272
Email: lucyparsons@tao.ca
web: http://lucyparsons.org/
---------- Monday ----------
0330 Mon 1930pm (Ilan Pappe & Ghada Karmi, BC Devlin)
Part of Israeli Apartheid Week at Boston College
Monday, March 30th, 2009- "Israel-Palestine: What
future for peace now?" A lecture by Ilan Pappe and Ghada Karmi
7:30pm in Devlin Hall, Room 008
Ilan Pappe is Chair of the Department of History at
University of Exeter and the co-director of the Exeter
Center for Ethno-Political Studies. He was the
academic head and founder of the Institute for Peace
studies in Givat Haviva Israel (1992-2000) and the
Chair of the Emil Touma Institute for Palestinian
Studies in Haifa (2000-2008). Pappe has also written
on the Modern Middle East, multiculturalism and
historiography and is the author of The Ethnic
Cleansing of Palestine, among various other
publications.
Ghada Karmi is a Research Fellow at the Institute of
Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter,
where she lectures on peacemaking in Israel and
Palestine. Her books include a widely acclaimed
memoir, In Search of Fatima: a Palestinian story, and
most recent book, Married to another man: Israel's
dilemma in Palestine.
College maps at http://www.bc.edu/about/maps.html
More information at http://boston.apartheidweek.org/
---------- Monday ----------
0331 Tue 1800pm (economic workshop, JWJ in JP)
JWJ Week of Action
Economic Education Workshop
6pm, MA JWJ offices, 3353 Washington Street, #3,
Jamaica Plain
The Jobs With Justice Education Committee and United
for a Fair Economy are joining together to present a
free workshop on Economic Crisis: Cause and Recovery.
The workshop will provide answers to the confusing
questions this financial turmoil has raised, and also
introduce strategies that individuals and communities
can use to fight back and protect themselves during
this difficult time.
For more information please call (617) 524-8778 or
email jennifer@massjwj.net
---------- Monday ----------
TUESDAY, MAR 31, 2009
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0331 Tue 1900pm (Leila Farsakh on Apartheid, BC)
Part of Israeli Apartheid Week at Boston College
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 at 7pm
"Israel and Apartheid: a futile, or a necessary,
analogy?"
A lecture by Leila Farsakh, at McGuinn Hall, Room 121
Leila Farsakh is assistant professor in political
science at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
She has worked with a number of international
organizations, including the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris (1993-
1996) and the Palestine Economic Policy Research
Institute in Ramallah (1998-1999). Dr. Farsakh has
published on questions related to the political
economy of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Oslo
Process, and international migration in a wide range
of journals, including the Middle East Journal, the
European Journal of Development Research, Journal of
Palestine Studies and Le Monde Diplomatique. Her book,
Palestinian Labor Migration to Israel: Labour, Land
and Occupation, has been published by Routledge Press
in fall 2005.
College maps at http://www.bc.edu/about/maps.html
More information at http://boston.apartheidweek.org/
-------------------------------
0401 Wed 1700pm (action at Home Depot, SouthBayPlaza)
JWJ Week of Action
Wednesday, April 1st
April Fool's Day Rally at Home Depot
5pm, South Bay Plaza Home Depot
The Home Depot, alongside Bank of America and other
Enemies of Change, is contributing millions of dollars
to the anti-union smear campaign against the Employee
Free Choice Act. Help JWJ tell Home Depot to get
serious, and stop fooling around with workers rights.
For more information please call (617) 524-8778 or
email jennifer@massjwj.net
---------- Tuesday ----------
WEDNESDAY, APR 1, 2009
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7PM: Radical Film Night at the Lucy Parsons Center
Lucy Parsons Center
549 Columbus Avenue
Boston's South End
Telephone: 617.267.6272
Always Free
---------- Wednesday ----------
THURSDAY, APR 2, 2009
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0402 Thu 1200noon (two actions, Lawrence, Boston)
0402 Thu 1200noon (sick day action, PolartechLawrence)
0402 Thu 1200noon (CVS action, DowntownCrossingBoston)
JWJ Week of Action
Thursday, April 2nd
TWO ACTIONS, ONE IN LAWRENCE, ONE IN BOSTON
Sick of No Sick Days!
Noon, Polartech Factory, 46 Stafford St, Lawrence
Sick of no sick days? So are we! Help JWJ as we rally
alongside Polartech workers in support of paid sick
day legislation. The Paid Sick Day Act would help
workers here and across the state. Workers shouldn't
have to choose between being sick and being paid.
That's no choice at all!
Tell CVS to Clean Up Its Act!
Noon, CVS at Downtown Crossing, Boston
Stand up to corporate greed. CVS is an $80 billion
corporate giant that continues to profit even in this
tough economy. It can afford to provide customers with
safe, equitable service. Let CVS know it needs to
clean up its act!
For more information please call (617) 524-8778 or
email jennifer@massjwj.net
---------- Thursday ----------
0402 Thu 1600pm (Afghanistan spkr, 1737CambStCamb)
WCFIA/CMES
Middle East Seminar (Lenore G. Martin, Sara Roy, and
Herbert C. Kelman, Co-chairs)
Presents
RORY STEWART
Ryan Family Professor of the Practice of Human Rights,
and Director, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy,
Harvard University
On
Afghanistan: Rhetoric and Reality
Thursday, April 2, 2009
4:00-6:00 p.m.
The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs
1737 Cambridge Street
Bowie-Vernon Room (K-262)
Jointly sponsored by the Weatherhead Center for
International Affairs and the Center for Middle
Eastern Studies, Harvard University
The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs is
located at 1737 Cambridge Street, 2nd Floor,
Cambridge, MA 02138. For more information about this
event, please contact Elizabeth Lawler at 617-495-3816
or elawler@wcfia.harvard.edu
Information on upcoming sessions is available on our
website: wcfia.harvard.edu/seminars/middle_east
---------- Thursday ----------
0402 Thu 1830pm ($CF Amy Goodman et al, 3ChurchStCamb)
Thursday, April 2
Cambridge Forum "Celebration of Independent Media."
6:30pm Reception with Amy Goodman and Jordan Weinstein
7:30pm Forum
3 Church Street (Harvard Sq)
Cambridge, MA 02138
The featured speaker is Amy Goodman, host of Democracy
Now! and an award winning journalist who has a written
a new book, Standing Up to the Madness: Ordinary
Heroes in Extraordinary Times.
When media outlets are owned by an ever tightening
media monopoly, what is the importance of independent
media like public, non-commercial radio and
television? With the declining big city newspapers
cutting staff, who will do investigative reporting?
Who got right the story about our current financial
crisis: CNBC or Democracy Now!? Remember the
deliberate media manipulation by the Bush
administration in the run up to the Iraq War: what
mainline media can citizens trust? What is the role
of independent public forums, such as Cambridge Forum,
in providing public education on progressive ideas?
Here's your chance to stand up and support
independent media, Cambridge Forum, and interact with
two outstanding public media professionals, Amy
Goodman and Jordan Weinstein.
Advance tickets: $10 for students and Cambridge Forum
members; $15 general admission. At the door: $15.
All proceeds benefit Cambridge Forum. Purchase tickets
by calling 617-495-2727 or use the secure Paypal
option at www.cambridgeforum.org
Book signing, courtesy of Harvard Book Store, follows
the program.
Cambridge Forum is taped and edited for public radio
broadcast. Edited CDs are available to the public by
contacting 617-495-2727. Select forums can be viewed
in their entirety on demand by visiting our website at
www.cambridgeforum.org and clicking on the WGBH icon
in the right hand corner.
Cambridge Forum
3 Church Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: 617-495-2727
director@cambridgeforum.org
cambridgeforum.org
---------- Thursday ----------
0402 Thu 1900pm (Chiapas spkr on alts to cap, E5)
Thursday, April 2, 2009, at 7:00 p.m.
Mass Global Action is hosting Jorge Santiago speaking
to the topic: "Indigenous Alternatives to Capitalism"
based on his experience in Chiapas.
Encuentro 5
33 Harrison Ave, 5th floor
Boston, MA - Chinatown
617-482-6300
As the Wall Street financial crisis sparks urgent
discussion of shortcomings in the US economy, the
Mexico-US Solidarity Network invites you to join us in
examining lessons from economic projects in the
indigenous communities of southern Mexico .
Jorge Santiago is the former Director of Desarrollo
Económico y Social de los Mexicanos Indígenas (DESMI;
Indigenous Mexican Social & Economic Development)
where he has worked since the 1970s developing
economic alternatives in over 200 indigenous
communities in Chiapas , the southernmost state of
Mexico.
Jorge's work suddenly gained a high profile after the
1994 Zapatista uprising, an indigenous movement
supported by many of the communities where he worked.
DESMI was founded by Father Samuel Ruiz, former Bishop
of the Diocese of San Cristóbal, and was one of the
first NGOs in the state. Jorge is co-author of Si Uno
Come, Que Coman Todos: Economía Solidaria (If One
Eats, May Everyone Eat: Solidarity Economy; published
by DESMI), and has traveled extensively in Latin
America and Europe discussing alternative indigenous
development in Chiapas. He is one of the foremost
experts on the struggles indigenous communities in
Chiapas , and is a leader in the "solidarity economy"
movement that advocates an alternative to the
neoliberal model of economic development. He was born
in San Cristobal and has lived in Chiapas most of his
life. Jorge will be joined by Stuart Schussler from
the Mexico Solidarity Network and both will discuss:
* Alternative economic development initiatives in
Chiapas indigenous communities, and
* The broad historical context of indigenous
resistance in Southern Mexico.
Fifteen years after the North American Free Trade
Agreement went into effect, Jorge reflects on the
alternative economic projects of indigenous
communities that prioritize self-sufficiency,
sustainability, community and human needs. Despite
persistent human rights abuses against indigenous
communities, and especially against the Zapatista
sympathizers, these communities have not only
sustained themselves but have become an inspiring
example of resistance to the dominant neoliberal model
of economic development and globalization.
For more info contact:
Brian @ 617-947-8983 / vinniechops@hotmail.com
encuentro5.org
---------- Thursday ----------
FRIDAY, APR 3, 2009
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0403 Fri 0900am (foreclosure conference, Worcester)
Foreclosure and Community Stabilization
Regional Half-Day Conference
Join us for a unique opportunity to learn and share
the most cutting edge activities to reverse the
foreclosure crisis in Massachusetts!
Friday, April 3, 2009
9am-1pm
First Baptist Church
111 Park Avenue
Worcester, MA 01609
Featuring: Amaad Rivera of United for a Fair Economy,
Organizers, Municipal and State leaders and legal
experts
There is no charge to attend this conference
Lunch and Light Breakfast are provided
Pickups from train station available
To register contact
Meira at meira@actionma.org
Co-Sponsored by
Action For Regional Equity
Mass Alliance Against Predatory Lending
The Foreclosure and Community Stabilization regional
conference is an effort to provide a forum for
municipal, housing, legal and organizing professionals
and volunteers to identify opportunities to
collaborate with on another so as to expedite
processes, reduce confusion, and coordinate efforts to
move more swiftly to preserving neighborhoods. The
conference opens with a plenary which contextualizes
the current crisis and overviews the strengths of
organizing policy efforts, municipal efforts and
litigation efforts. The subsequent workshop options
are:
Track 1: Strategies for Organizing and Preventing
Foreclosure
Techniques in collaborating with unusual suspects to
enhance outreach tactics, explain pre-default
programs, legislative models, advocacy and organizing
tools to keep homeowners in their homes.
Track 2: Strategies for Post-Foreclosure Displacement
Prevention
Exciting and effective models of community groups,
legal services, municipal leader collaborations, that
successfully reduce displacement of tenants and
homeowners from foreclosed properties.
Track 3: Strategies to Stabilize Communities through
Properties Acquisition
We want to keep our neighborhoods together. What are
the challenges and liabilities of buying occupied
foreclosed properties and financing and purchasing
options such as non-profit ownership, land banking and
receivership.
Track 4: Strategies for Keeping Neighborhoods
Permanently Affordable
Exploring the benefits and challenges within different
sale options while exploring ways to build long term
stock to keep tenants and owners from being displaced.
The conference closes with lunch and discussion
focusing on regional issues.
Action for Regional Equity
10 Malcolm X Blvd. Suite 2-2, Roxbury, MA, 02119
(617) 427-1251
www.actionma. org
---------- Friday ----------
0403 Fri 1300pm (2day BailOutPeople march, WallStNYC)
Bail Out the People - Not the Banks!
Fri., April 3
National March On Wall St.
When Wall St. is open for business
Continued on Sat. April 4
Assemble at 1 pm Friday, April 3
at the Intersection of Wall & Broad Streets
(The Stock Exchange)
Reserve your seat(s) on the Boston buses today!
Tickets are $30 + $5 suggested donation for the
Transportation Subsidy Fund
Buses will depart from the Roxbury Community College
Parking Lot
(on street parking only - Cedar at Center St.)
(Roxbury Crossing Orange Line T)
at 6 A.M. Friday April 3 and Saturday, April 4
and will return late evening, April 3 and 4 (the T may
not be running)
(Please indicate on the form if you are interested in
participating in both days)
March on Wall Street on the Anniversary on the day
Martin Luther King gave his life fighting for social
and economic justice.
Why? Because we must demand that the needs of the
people come before the greed of the super rich.
Millions are jobless and homeless, and millions more
will be living on the streets if the government
continues to waste trillions of dollars on saving
wealthy bankers instead of saving people.
Dr. King would have been appalled and opposed to the
terrible siege of Gaza as well as the continuing
occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.
And just as King knew that the struggle for civil
rights at home had to also be part of the struggle
against war abroad, he understood that no one,
regardless of their race would be free until everyone
had the right to a decent paying job or an income for
those unable to work. Most importantly, King also
understood that "Freedom is never voluntarily given by
the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed."
The time for suffering in silence has come to an end.
Nothing will change unless our desperation and anger
is channeled into a mighty movement that unites and
fights. It's time to march on Wall St. Come to the
march, and tell everyone you know to come with you.
--
Bail Out The People Movement
Boston
617-522-6626
bopmboston@gmail.com
http://bopm-boston.blogspot.com
National Office
212-633-6646
bailoutpeople@safewebmail.com
http://www.BailOutPeople.org
---------- Friday ----------
0403 Fri 1600pm (Rite Aid action, Rite Aid locns)
JWJ Week of Action
Friday, April 3rd
Take Action Against Rite Aid!
4-6pm, Rite Aid Locations Across Greater Boston
In solidarity with Rite Aid workers struggling to
organize and facing employer abuse, Jobs With Justice
coalitions are showing up to encourage Rite Aid
management to listen to their workers, and support
their rights. Join us at locations around Boston to
help give workers a voice.
Visit www.massjwj.net for a full list of locations.
For more information please call (617) 524-8778 or
email jennifer@massjwj.net
---------- Friday ----------
SATURDAY, APR 4, 2009
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0404 Sat 0000 (env action conference, WentworthInst)
Environmental Action 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009 (all day)
Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA
New England's largest conference for citizen activists
protecting public health and the environment
MEET THE EXPERTS - LEARN NEW SKILLS - NETWORK - AND BE
INSPIRED
Hosted by Toxics Action Center, Environment
Massachusetts, Massachusetts Climate Action Network,
and the New England Grassroots Environment Fund
The conference will offer over 25 workshops to help
you prevent pollution, tackle climate change, ensure
clean drinking water, protect open spaces and develop
skills and strategies to create healthy and safe
communities.
Environmental Action 2009 will be a day to share
strategies, recognize victories, and be inspired to go
back to our communities and continue work to further
efforts to protect the environment.
Visit www.toxicsaction.org for more details, or
contact Sam at sam@toxicsaction.org or by phone at
(617) 747-4362
---------- Saturday ----------
0404 Sat 1400pm (Single Payer gala, InmanSqCamb)
MASS-CARE AND UHCEF'S ANNUAL SINGLE PAYER GALA
In memory of Ben Gill
Sat. April 4th 2-5pm
Ryles Jazz Club, Inman Square, 212 Hampshire St.,
Cambridge
Parking: available in Ryles Parking lots
Central Square T Red Line is 15 minute walk to Ryles
Jazz Club
Keynote Speaker: DR. GORDON SCHIFF, Associate
Director of the Center for Patient Safety Research and
Practice at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and past
president of Physicians for a National Health Program
Comedian JIMMY TINGLE: The best stand up local
comedian; he has appeared on the Tonight Show, Conan
O'Brian, Larry King, HBO NPR, PBS, and Comedy Central.
Honorees:
Berkshire Mass-Care/PNHP, the most politically
successful local single payer group in MA
Cape Care Coalition: for developing an ambitious
single payer plan for Cape Cod, and winning
unprecedented grassroots county support
Franklin/Hampshire Health Care Coalition: for years of
successful organizing in Western MA
Food: Great selections from the S & S DELI with Cash
Bar
Music: THE JOSEPH LILLYMAN JAZZ BAND
Tickets: $35 and $10 for students (no one turned away)
Send checks for tickets or to be a sponsor to:
Mass-Care, 33 Harrison Ave - 5th floor, Boston MA
02111
PLEASE JOIN US: LAUGH, LEARN, LOBBY FOR SINGLE PAYER
For more information, visit Mass-Care's website:
masscare.org
---------- Saturday ----------
0404 Sat 1830pm (Land Day spkr, PCCP Allston)
Please join the Palestinian House of New England in
commemorating "Land Day" with guest speaker
Dr. Ghada Talhami
(D. K. Pearsons Professor of Politics, emerita,
Lake Forest College)
Saturday April 4, 2009 , at 6:30 PM
The Palestinian Cultural Center for Peace,
41 Quint Ave, Allston.
bcpr.org
FUTURE EVENTS
SUNDAY, APR 5, 2009
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0405 Sun 1030am (ethics in govt spkr, Longy School)
Sunday morning, April 5 at 10:30AM
the ETHICAL SOCIETY OF BOSTON will have a program
titled:
ETHICS IN GOVERNMENT: DO THEY EXIST AND CAN THEY BE
LEGISLATED?
Longy School of Music, 33 Garden St., Cambridge (near
Harvard Sq.)
Program Speaker: Pam Wilmot, Executive Director of
Common Cause Massachusetts, accepts the Ethical
Society of Boston "Humanist of the Year" Award.
The public is very cynical about the ethics of
Government officials, and with good reason - the
newspapers are full of headlines of political
corruption. But do these headlines represent common
behaviors or exceptionally bad ones? Can better laws
create better ethics?
Info: goodmanjl@comcast.net
---------- Sunday ----------
0405 Sun 1630pm (HipHop + Celebs, KendallSqCinema)
Back by popular demand: "Slingshot Hip Hop"
Sunday April 5th 4:30pm
Kendall Sq. Cinema, One Kendall Sq. Cambridge
Director Jackie Salloum will be present. The Hip Hop
group DAM from Palestine will also be present at the
film. A short performance will follow the film and
Q&A.
DAM & Suheir Hammad
bostonpalestinefilmfest.org
---------- Sunday ----------
0405 Sun 1915pm (El Salvador panel/slides, PaulistCtr)
¡Sí se pudo! Yes we did!
El Salvador's 2009 Democratic Revolution
On March 15th the Salvadoran people elected Mauricio
Funes as the first leftist president in the nation's
130-year history, triumphantly breaking the bondage of
brutal conservative party rule and defying the sordid
tradition of US domination.
Join us for eye-witness accounts and analysis of this
incredible democratic victory for the Salvadoran
people!
Speakers Panel & Slide Show
Sun. April 5th @ 7:15pm (following Mass)
Paulist Center 3rd Floor Library
5 Park Street Boston 02108 (near Park St. T)
Panel: FMLN Boston & election observers from Boston
CISPES, MLK Bolivarian
Circle, Cambridge
Sister City, Independent Media Community
Slide show: National Lawyers Guild
Sponsored by the Paulist Center Sister Community
Committee
Panel: FMLN Boston & election observers from Boston
CISPES, MLK Bolivarian Circle, Cambridge Sister City,
Independent Media Community
Slide show: National Lawyers Guild
Sponsored by the Paulist Center Sister Community
Committee
For event info, contact:
Boston CISPES
Tel. (617) 576-1709
boscispes@speakeasy.net
---------- Sunday ----------
0405 Sun 2030pm (GazaMHF benefit show, RylesCambridge)
You can now purchase tickets on line for the DAM and
Suheir Hammad show: a benefit for the Gaza Mental
Health Foundation and the BPFF.
Sunday April 5th 8:30-11:30pm
Ryles Jazz Club 212 Hampshire St. Cambridge
Please do as soon as you can!
SPACE IS LIMITED
We urge you to make additional donations towards this
benefit.
Thank you for your continued support and we look
forward to seeing you at our upcoming events!
BPFF Organizing Commmittee
bostonpalestinefilmfest.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Boycott of Israeli Products and Services
(1) IDENTIFYING RETAIL PRODUCTS MADE IN ISRAEL
Examine the UPC ("Universal Product Code") section of the product's label. (This is a bar code with 10-12 numeric digits at bottom.) If the FIRST THREE DIGITS are 729, the product is made in Israel. (The "7" will appear to left of the leftmost bar in the bar code.)
HTTP://www.inminds.co.uk/boycott-israel.php
(2) LIST OF COMPANIES WITH CONNECTIONS TO ISRAEL:
26 prominent companies with links to info
http://www.inminds.co.uk/boycott-israel.html#list
(3) BRANDS & LABELS TO BOYCOTT:
123 prominent brands and labels with links to info
http://www.inminds.co.uk/boycott-brands.html
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Resist Frame Up of Councilor Chuck Turner
Tell the Obama Administration and Congress: End the
Bush Administration's Frame Ups Designed to
Politically Assassinate Boston City Councilor Chuck
Turner and Other Progressive elected Leaders
Sign online petition at
www.iacboston.org/chuckturnerpetition.html
View youtube video of Ramsey Clark press conference
defending Chuck Turner at:
www.youtube.com/user/IACBoston
For more info and to donate to Chuck's defense, go to
www.supportchuckturner.com
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US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
How You Can Sustain the US Campaign
To generate more momentum and bring us closer to our
goal, we need sustained support. That's why we're
asking you to join our Olive Branch Club and make a
regular monthly tax-deductible contribution of $5-$200
per month.
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IMEMC (Internal Middle East Media Center) seeks urgent
funding and/or logistical support to maintain its
operations.
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One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If
we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject
any evidence of the bamboozle. We're no longer
interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has
captured us. it is simply too painful to acknowledge ~
even to ourselves ~ that we've been so credulous: Carl
Sagan
Here is a must see hour-long BBC film that effectively
makes the case that the "war on terror" is a blatant
scam to keep people fearful, politicians powerful and
provide an effective smokescreen for the
implementation of the New World Order. A must see
video.
After watching this film you will always cringe when
you hear the phrase "The War on Terror " and recognize
it as both a bamboozle and scam perpetrated by the
prince of darkness himself, Richard Perle, as well as
Tony Blair and the Cheney/Bush crime syndicate in
order to accomplish their global neocon objectives.
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Stop Modern Day Slavery in Florida
If you could help end modern-day slavery in Florida's
fields with an email, would you?
Click here to take action today!
Even as we continue putting the pieces together for a
major campaign calling on food service providers to
take responsibility for farmworker exploitation, the
latest case of slavery in Florida's fields - and
Florida Governor Charlie Crist's deafening silence in
response - compels us to take action in a different
way today.
Please visit the SFA site (sfalliance.org) today and
read the below message from the Coalition of Immokalee
Workers to find out more about this important action
alert and to take action now.
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Oppose nomination of Raytheon lobbyist, William Lynn as Secetary of DOD
Obama's nominee for Deputy Secretary of Defense, the
chief operating officer of the Pentagon, is a lobbyist
for Raytheon.
William Lynn, is due $1.5 million in payouts for his
work lobbying for the defense industry.
This revolving door has to stop. We need to break the
military-industrial complex and stop having defense
contractors and their lobbyists working on the inside
of the Pentagon.
Please take two steps:
Write the Armed Services Committee and tell them to
reject the nomination. The message - no defense
contractor lobbyists inside the Pentagon.
Write President Obama and urge him to withdraw the
nomination and replace it with an independent voice
who will look critically on the bloated military
budget.
Our task is bigger than ending the Iraq and
Afghanistan wars - it is to challenge the military-
industrial complex that has resulted in a military
budget as big as the whole world combined. The
nomination of William Lynn is an opportunity to say no
to lobbyists inside the Pentagon.
Kevin B. Zeese, Executive Director
Voters For Peace
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Support Single Payer Healthcare, HR 676 and S703
From Progressive Democrats of America:
"Healthcare, NOT Warfare"
And from Truth & Justice Radio:
"Single Payer, NOT extending Medicare"
Conversion to Single Payer should be included in the
"stimulus" package as it would increase health care
jobs, lower costs for employers, and cost a tiny
fraction of the $700-900 billion stimulus package.
It is estimated that 60% of home foreclosures are due
to a health care crisis on the part of a home owner.
[COMMENT FROM STAN: One person at PDA has bought
somebody's claim that the best way to do this is to
incrementally extend Medicare to all ages (i.e.,
descend the age requirement slowly). It comforts him
that this idea is showing some support in Congress and
the Executive branch. This is frightening. We know
that extending Medicare is NOT the best way. For many
reasons, we need 100% Single Payer, NOT more Medicare.
Medicare, with its thicket of substantial exclusions,
deductibles, copays, gaps, limits, provider
writedowns, privatization scams, and regressive
financing scheme, would be the WRONG way to go.
Congressmembers supporting Medicare extension should
be regarded as dangerous.]
PDA asks that we read the article
linked here.
PDA board member Norman Solomon points out in another
article (), "nearly one in six Americans has no
health insurance, and tens of millions of others are
woefully under-insured--while the war in Iraq
continues to further skew the U.S. government's budget
priorities."
We say "Healthcare NOT Warfare" and ask you to join
our campaign. The time has come to redirect
unnecessary and wasteful military spending to meeting
human needs.
PDA's suggested petition
asks to prioritize "Healthcare NOT Warfare."
In 2008, dozens of local and state parties passed
resolutions supporting single-payer healthcare, and
rejecting the occupation of Iraq. With our allies,
PDA successfully amended the 2008 Democratic Party
Platform to include "guaranteed health care for every
man, woman, and child" and "everybody in, nobody left
out." We hope to pass more resolutions to support
"Healthcare NOT Warfare" at the local and state
Democratic conventions, and in cities, counties, and
states across the country.
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Ask Your State Senator to Support Fusion Center Oversight Bill
Do you know about the Fusion Center?
It knows about you.
Please take a moment to ask your state legislators to
co-sponsor Senator Harriette Chandler's new bill -- An
Act Regarding the Commonwealth Fusion Center and Other
Intelligence Data Centers -- filed on behalf of the
ACLU of Massachusetts.
So what is the Fusion Center anyway?
In the aftermath of 9/11, then-Governor Mitt Romney
enlisted Massachusetts in a national plan to
centralize and expand the government's ability to
collect and retain detailed information on ordinary
Americans, for the professed purpose of preventing
terrorism.
Without public debate, Romney established the
Commonwealth Fusion Center, a multi-agency data-mining
hub which enables federal, state, and local law
enforcement agencies to comb through information about
Massachusetts residents and engage in domestic
intelligence collection beyond the bounds of ordinary
criminal investigations.
Take action now! Find and contact your legislators.
Urge them to support Senator Chandler's bill to
provide oversight of the Commonwealth Fusion Center.
Historically, unregulated database-driven policing has
led to broad surveillance of completely lawful
activities, including protected First Amendment
activity -- and it's happening again in Massachusetts
in 2009.
The Fusion Center operates today with virtually no
independent oversight, without adequate privacy
protections, and without necessary protections for
constitutional rights. With your help, we can -- and
must -- shine a light on the Fusion Center's
operations and insist that any intelligence operations
in Massachusetts be conducted in keeping with
established civil liberties principles.
The ACLU of Massachusetts Legislative Team
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The Employee Free Choice Act is critical to our
economic recovery. Good union jobs helped build
America's middle class. This legislation will rekindle
the American Dream by leveling the playing field and
empowering workers to form unions and bargain for a
better life.
That's why greedy CEOs are terrified of this bill. One
top executive has called it "the demise of a
civilization." And they're fighting with underhanded
tactics, misleading ads, shady front groups and, of
course, big budgets.
But we can win if enough of us get involved. Members
of Congress have a weeklong break this month, and
we've planned hundreds of lobby meetings at their home
offices. Imagine those workers handing over our
petition and being able to say, "Two million people
support the Employee Free Choice Act."
a href=http://freechoiceact.org>Move us closer to 2 million signatures--it just takes
one minute.
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Disgrace for Democracy, Israel is detaining right now
40% of the Palestinian MPs who represent the people
Disgrace for Democracy: 51 Palestinian MPs and
Ministers are Detained in Israeli prisons along with
11.870 Palestinian citizens
A serious crime and new political slap in the face for
democracy is committed by the Zionist system against
representatives of the Palestinian people by the
abduction of the Palestinian ministers and MPs.
The latest of which was the arrest of MP Ahmed al-Haj
from the city of Nablus on 16/12/2007. Al-Haj is over
Seventy-years old.
Earlier on the 10th MP Dr. Maryiam Saleh Minister for
Women in the Palestinian government has been abducted
too. Dr Mariyam is a member in the Legislative Council
from Ramallah governorate.
The Minister of Palestinian Prisoner is in prison
since many years... for the fifth time.
There are more than 11,870 Palestinian prisoners in
Israeli prisons, 117 of them are mothers. Some give
birth while chained, and their children are forced to
live in the cells where they do not live their
childhood or play or go out.
I don't have to tell you about lack of healthy
conditions, or medical negligence. Some prisoners are
denied warm clothes sent to them by their families.
They are held in 30 different prisons, and detention
centers. 1189 prisoners are schools, collage, and
universities students of both genders, 330 of the
detained are children. Not only the students were
detained, but their teachers too, there are 107
Palestinian teachers in Israeli prisons. 1150
Palestinian prisoners suffer acute illnesses.
A large number of the detained are denied visits by
family members.
Thousands of Palestinian detainees in the Negev desert
prison and other detention camps such as Ofer prison
near the town of Ramallah, Hawara, Qadumim, Megiddo,
Nafha, Beer Sheva, Ashkelon and other prisons are
shivering from the cold under waves of rain and
snowfall coming from northern regions of the world
especially that some are detained inside tents made of
cloth surrounded by walls open to the cruel cold of
the desert, living in wet tents caused by snow falls
and rain, sleeping on boards made of wood which gets
soaked wet.
Soon, April 17th is the International day of
prisoners. I hope you can join in denouncing what the
Israeli government is doing to those prisoners, and
demand their release to join their families.
Do not rely on journalism to get the news, journalists
were the first to be attacked and harassed so that you
do not know what was going on.
The records documented 1147 aggressive attacks on
journalists by the Israelis. Only between 28th of
September 2000, and 31st of March 2007.
Please sign the petition and buy those prisoners some
happiness.
We are hoping to get at least 11.000 signitures, one
for each prisoner, and present this petition to
International Human Rights bodies like Amnesty
International, and United Nations. Please Circulate
this petition to all the people you can get the
message through to them. It is about time we show
solidarity for each other on human level.
Sponsored by:
Iqbal Tamimi Creator of Palestinian Mothers Network
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Contact local District Attorneys to prosecute Bush/Cheney
The Best Way To Light A Fire For Federal Prosecutions
of Bush And Cheney Is To Get Collateral State Actions
Going.
We have completed compiling a database of the current
contact information for every state district attorney,
for EVERY county in the country. And we have put it
all together into an easy one click lookup function to
help organize contacting your nearest state
prosecutor, to call on THEM to step up to the plate,
to stand up for justice and accountability, by
prosecuting George Bush and Dick Cheney for their
crimes.
In particular, renowned former prosecutor Vincent
Bugliosi has laid out a compelling case for charging
both Bush and Cheney with the premediated murder of
American service men and women, for starting a war
with Iraq on patently false pretenses. By using this
new lookup page you can instantly get the mailing
address, phone, fax, and in many cases also the email
of your local prosecutor. This action is SO critical
we have dedicated our entire main site homepage to it.
IMPORTANT NOTE: We are not asking anyone to file a
formal criminal complaint yourself. Common sense tells
us that state prosecutors will only act, in the
exercise of their OWN discretion, if they believe
there is a non-frivolous case to bring. But by
speaking out, we can let them know there is community
support for them to do so.
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Israel's recent war on the occupied Gaza Strip brought
death and destruction to Palestinians, and a windfall
for war profiteers. Around the world, people are
standing up and saying "No more" by boycotting and
divesting from corporations that profit from Israel's
human rights abuses. The people of Stockholm have
severed their contract with the transit/waste removal
corporation Veolia due to Veolia's involvement with
Israel's settlements, and British Telecom company
FreedomCall has ceased their cooperation with Israeli
counterpart MobileMax due to the war on Gaza.
Join this growing global movement for boycotting,
divesting from and sanctioning (BDS) those who support
Israel's military occupation of Palestinian
territories by becoming an organizer for our Hang Up
On Motorola campaign. Motorola makes a lot more than
cell phones - they also make at least four products
that directly support Israel's occupation of and
assaults on Palestinians. This is why we've created a
tool-kit for boycotting Motorola until its products
are no longer used by Israel to abuse Palestinian
human rights.
Why Motorola?.
Bomb Fuses: Motorola Israel sells fuses
that the Israeli Air Force uses in its MK-80
series of bombs. On July 30, 2006, during
its war on Lebanon, the Israeli Air Force
dropped an MK-84 bomb on an apartment
building in Qana, Lebanon, killing at least
28 civilians.
Communication Devices for Occupation:
Motorola's $100 million "Mountain Rose"
communication system enhances the
efficiency of Israeli occupying forces.
Patterns of human rights violations in the
Occupied Palestinian Territories include,
but are not limited to, the killing and
injuring of civilians, torture, extra-judicial
assassinations, deliberate destruction of
civilian infrastructure, acts of collective
punishment, and economic warfare.
Surveillance Devices for Israel's Illegal Wall:
Motorola supplies the "Wide Area
Surveillance System" (WAAS) to monitor
and maintain Israel's illegal wall,
constructed in violation of the July 2004
International Court of Justice (ICJ)
advisory opinion. This wall is perhaps the
strongest symbol of Israeli Apartheid,
carving the West Bank into Bantustans.
Surveillance Devices for Israel's Illegal
Settlements: Motorola has made $93
million providing radar detection devices
and thermal cameras for 47 illegal Israeli
settlements on Palestinian land.
Israel's confiscation of Palestinian land, its
illegal settlements, illegal wall, and
continued occupation would not be
possible without Motorola's compliance.
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Film: "Occupation 101"
A "Must See" That Untangles the Web of Lies
The truth is buried about Israel's occupation of
Palestine through sophisticated repetition of
irrelevant rhetoric, distorted shuffling of time and
placement of people's histories and other devious ways
of keeping many afraid to form an opinion or act on
outrage.
Well, here's a good cure for that - pick up a copy of
Occupation 101 and you won't have to worry about being
on any fences in regards to this issue. This highly
informative video documentary will keep your mind
attentive and clear all cobwebs in the brain by
getting to the root cause of violence from the
occupier and resistance from the occupied, all
embellished with current examples and very pertinent
comparisons to Apartheid South Africa.
A thought-provoking and powerful documentary film on
the current and historical root causes of the Israeli
occupation of Palestine. Unlike any other film ever
produced on the conflict - 'Occupation 101' presents a
comprehensive analysis of the facts and hidden truths
surrounding the never ending controversy and dispels
many of its long-perceived myths and misconceptions.
The film also details life under Israeli military
rule, the role of the United States in the conflict,
and the major obstacles that stand in the way of a
lasting and viable peace. The roots of the conflict
are explained through first-hand on-the-ground
experiences from leading Middle East scholars, peace
activists, journalists, religious leaders and
humanitarian workers whose voices have too often been
suppressed in American media outlets.
The film covers a wide range of topics -- which
include -- the first wave of Jewish immigration from
Europe in the 1880's, the 1920 tensions, the 1948 war,
the 1967 war, the first Intifada of 1987, the Oslo
Peace Process, Settlement expansion, the role of the
United States Government, the second Intifada of 2000,
the separation barrier and the Israeli withdrawal from
Gaza, as well as many heart wrenching testimonials
from victims of this tragedy.
Tripoli Productions, DVD, NTSC all regions, 1.5 hour
plus bonus features.
leftbooks.com
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From our activist friend Sandy Coy, who runs a weekly
vigil Thursday afternoons in Wayland:
I am writing to ask activists, as well as my family
and others who are not political activists, to join me
in a simple action to launch what the whole world
hopes will be a fresh start in a better direction. I
feel I must write after reading a book today that one
of my children gave me for Christmas, "Poems from
Guantanamo: The Detainees Speak."
Most of the detainees do not know these poems were
saved, declassified (much of their writing still has
not been), translated and published. But it has
happened, through the persistent work of many
volunteer legal advocates. In these poems, the
goodness of many souls and their hope in God and their
fellow men for justice comes through. Some of the
poems moved me to tears of both sorrow and shame.
But tears for them or anyone unjustly imprisoned will
do no good. Doing something as simple as writing a
brief card can actually help people who are being
unjustly imprisoned.
How? When prisoners receive volumes of international
mail, their jailers know they have lost the cover of
anonymity. This leads to better treatment for the
prisoner and ultimately their release, just to get the
public spotlight to go away.
So, here's what I am asking of myself, my family and
of you, which shouldn't take more than a few minutes:
Write out one or more cards for selected prisoners of
conscience from any of 12 countries (one is a
Guantanamo detainee) identified by Amnesty
International.
This card to a prisoner of conscience is probably
going to mean more than any other card we sent this
year.
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From the Palestinian Center for Rapprochement Between
People (via our correspondent Mazin Qumsiyeh):
So far hundreds of civilians have been killed in Gaza.
Five sisters in one family, four other children in
another home, two children on a cart drawn by a
donkey. Universities, colleges, police stations,
roads, apartment buildings were all targeted. The UN
Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied
Palestinian areas issued a statement that "The Israeli
airstrikes on the Gaza Strip represent s evere and
massive violations of international humanitarian law
as defined in the Geneva Conventions, both in regard
to the obligations of an Occupying Power and in the
requirements of the laws of war."
Twenty-five things to do to bring peace with justice:
1) First get the facts and then disseminate them.
Here are some basic background information
2) Contact local media. Write letters to editors
(usually 100-150 words) and longer op-eds (usually 600-
800 words) for local newspapers. But also write to
news departments in both print, audio, and visual
media about their coverage.
In the US you can find
media listings in your country using search engines
like google.
3) Contact elected and other political leaders in your
country to urge them to apply pressure to end the
attacks. In the US, Contact the State Department at
202.647.5291, the White House 202-456-1111 the
Egyptian Embassy 202.895.5400,
embassy@egyptembassy.net and the Obama Transition
Team 202-540-3000 (then press 2 to speak with a staff
member).
4) Organize and join demonstrations in front of
Israeli and Egyptian embassies or when not doable in
front of your parliament, office of elected officials,
and any other visible place (and do media work for
it).
5) Hold a teach-in, seminar, public dialogue,
documentary film viewing etc. this is
straightforward: you need to decide venue, nature, if
any speakers, and do some publicity (the internet
helps).
6) Pass out fliers with facts and figures about
Palestine and Gaza in your community (make sure also
to mention its relevance to the audience: e.g, US
taxpayers paying for the carnage, increase in world
instability and economic uncertainty).
7) Put a Palestinian flag at your window.
8) Wear a Palestinian head scarf (Koufiya).
9) Wear Black arm bands (this helps start conversations with people).
10) Send direct aid to Gaza through the United Nations
Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
11) Initiate boycotts, divestments and sanctions at
all levels and including asking leaders to expel the
Israeli ambassadors (an ambassador of an apartheid and
rogue state).
See Palestinian call.
12) Work towards bringing Israeli leaders before war
crime courts (actions along those lines in courts have
stopped Israeli leaders from traveling abroad to some
countries like Britain where they may face charges).
13) Calling upon all Israelis to demonstrate in front
of their war ministry and to more directly challenge
their government.
14) Do outreach: to neighbors and friends directly.
Via Internet to a lot of others (you can join and post
information to various listservs/groups).
15) Start your own activist group or join other local
groups (simple search in your city with the word
Palestine could identify candidate groups that have
previously worked on issues of Palestine). Many have
also been successful in at bringing coalitions from
different constituencies in their local areas to work
together (human rights group, social and civil
activists, religious activists, etc).
16) Develop a campaign of sit-ins at government
offices or other places where decision makers
aggregate.
17) Do a group fast for peace one day and hold it in a
public place.
18) Visit Palestine (e.g. with Siraj Center for Holy Land Studies).
19) Support human rights and other groups working on
the ground in Palestine.
20) Make large signs and display them at street
corners and wherever people congregate.
21) Contact local churches, mosques, synagogues, and
other houses of worship and ask them to take a moral
stand and act. Call on your mosque to dedicate this
Friday for Gaza actions.
22) Sign petitions for Gaza, e.g.
Gaza: Stop the Bloodshed Petition.
23) Write and call people in Gaza.
24) Work with other groups that do not share your
political views (factionalism and excessive divisions
within activist communities allowed those who advocate
war to succeed).
25) Dedicate a certain time for activism for peace
every day (1 hour) and think of more actions than what
is listed above.
For support and contacts of people in Gaza or to
volunteer, please contact the Palestinian Center for
Rapprochement Between People, via gaza@imemc.org, or
call 989-607-9480 (from the US and Canada) or 972 2277
2018 (from other places).
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The Lucy Parsons Center is proud to demonstrate that
an all-volunteer, collectively-run radical bookstore
and community center can survive in the capitalist
United States, but the majority of our income comes
from book sales and most of that goes straight to pay
our landlord and bills.
That's why we need you! Without support from our
community, we could not continue to function.
As the year draws to a close we are asking you to
pledge to support the Lucy Parsons Center in 2009. We
want 100 new monthly supporters kicking in $5 a month
to help ensure our ability to offer radical books,
talks, workshops, movies, meeting spaces, and whatever
else you want to see happen as we work to build the
better world.
100 supporters sounds like a lot and we are
challenging ourselves to meet this goal. On the other
hand, $5 a month isn't that much. It's the price of a
beer with tip, less than a falafel, and come January
less than the priority mail postage you'd have to pay
to order the books you can ONLY find at the LPC over
the internet.
Lucy Parsons Center
549 Columbus Avenue
Boston's South End
Telephone: (617) 267-6272
Email: lucyparsons@tao.ca
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From Lexington Global Warming Action Coailtion LGWAC
In an 11th hour, blatant, political move that is
similar to the one Ted Stevens tried to pull in 2005,
on December 12, Congressman James Oberstar (D-MN)
launched an effort to derail Cape Wind (proposed
windfarm of 130 turbines in Nantucket Sound off
Massachusetts).
Oberstar sent a letter to Commandant Thad Allen of the
Coast Guard "requesting" an extraordinary and
unprecedented review of the Coast Guard's OK as
regards navigation hazards.
Oberstar's letter comes at the request of the Alliance
to Protect Nantucket Sound, a group backed and fronted
by Bill Koch, CEO of Oxbow. Oxbow's primary businesses
are the mining and marketing of energy and commodities
such as coal, petroleum coke, oil production, and
composite pipe manufacturing. The Alliance's central
mission is to stop Cape Wind, no matter what it takes,
and has spent well over $15 million dollars, primarily
on lawsuits, lobbying efforts and deliberate public
relations campaigns promoting fearmongering and
misinformation.
So we need you to help resist this maneuvering, and
here's how.
ACTIONS:
1. Call Chairman Oberstar's offices
Washington DC: (202) 225-6211
Duluth, MN: (218) 727-7474
Tell him he should withdraw his request to the Coast
Guard Commandant.
2. Call the Coast Guard's public affairs office:
Telephone: (202) 372-4620
Tell them you support their efforts and to stand up to
Oberstar's bullying and that the American people
support Cape Wind and clean renewable energy.
3. Hit up Commandant
Thad Allen on his Facebook page
Tell him you support him and will join him in standing
up to Oberstar's bullying and that the American people
support Cape Wind and clean renewable energy.
Please call right away.
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Opportunities to Assist Cuba!
The damage from Hurricanes Gustav and Ike persist in Cuba.
Tens of thousands homes need to be rebuilt, while building
supplies remain limited due to the US Embargo. The following
contacts can be used to assist Cuba in its continued reconstruction.
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The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions
(ICAHD) in Jerusalem has been informed that its
request for re-funding has been rejected, in high
probability because of pressure brought to bear by
right-wing Israeli neo-cons who have campaigned
obsessively against our funding while threatening
publicly to close us down.
Tax-deductible donations needed.
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We have quietly been working away at TecsChange in Roxbury to refurbish computers. We recently sent one of our bigger shipments
of 15 computers to a series of radio stations in
Oaxaca, Mexico.
We work most Thurday evenings and Saturday afternoons
(1pm to at least 4 PM, usually longer)
We have one day a week where daytime volunteers come
in. Presently it's Mondays but it might change soon.
Please call if you are interested.
TecsChange Office
617-442-4456
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Help Support Pro Bono Attorneys for Guantanamo Prisoners
Doris Tennant and Ellen Lubell (of Newton) are
representing a Guantanamo prisoner pro bono, so they
are providing their time at no charge. However, their
costs, including their own travel and that of a
translator, translator fees, and Freedom of
Information Act requests, are running at least $20,000
for this year, and will likely continue at that same
pace or more. Most of the other attorneys who are
representing Guantanamo detainees are members of large
law firms that can cover these types of expenses, but
in their case the two of them are the firm.
If you would like to make a contribution to help them
defray costs, it would be much appreciated. Please
make your check payable to "Tennant Lubell Detainee
Fund." Your contribution will NOT be tax-deductible,
but they promise to put it to good use to help provide
fundamental legal rights to a man who remains in
indefinite detention.
Doris Tennant, Esq.
Tennant Lubell, LLC
288 Walnut Street, Suite 500
Newton, MA 02460
617-969-9610, X 101
Fax: 617-969-9611
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Just a friendly reminder that the holidays are coming
and what better gift to give than a bottle of fairly
traded extra-virgin olive oil from Palestine. We have
plenty of oil available and should be able to fill all
orders for the holidays. Think about buying a case of
oil and instead of bringing a bottle of wine to your
next dinner party, bring a bottle of olive oil
instead!
We now ship anywhere in the continental US; please see
our website for details . Olive Branch Olive Oil
comes directly from the Palestinian Agricultural
Relief Committees (PARC) , a non-profit,
non-governmental organization in the West Bank. PARC
is a member of the International Fair Trade
Association, and is the only Palestinian organization
that has received the Palestine Standards Institution
certification for its olive oil.
Olive oil is the
backbone of the Palestinian agricultural economy.
Eighty percent of cultivated land in Palestine is
planted with olive trees, and the olive harvest
provides between 25 to 50 percent of a farming
family's annual income. As the political and economic
situation in Palestine worsens, olive oil has become a
matter of basic survival for many Palestinian
families. Buying this oil is a constructive and
tangible way to help alleviate poverty and build
peace.
Olive Branch Olive Oil is extra-virgin and
comes in 750 ml (25 ounce) green glass bottles.
Produced from the first pressing of the olives, extra-
virgin olive oil contains no more than 0.8% acidity,
and is judged to have a superior taste. There can be
no refined oil in extra-virgin olive oil. Unopened
bottles of olive oil are generally good for up to two
years, and should be kept in a cool, dry place, away
from direct sunlight. Palestinian farmers
traditionally care for their trees without the use of
pesticides or sprays.
Olive Branch Olive Oil is an
outgrowth of a 2003 effort by Middle East peace
activists in the Boston area to support Palestinian
farmers. Since then, it has evolved into an ongoing
volunteer project to create a U.S. market for
Palestinian olive oil. Our goal is to make a tangible
difference in the lives of the farmers and their
families.
Any funds that are raised above and beyond the cost of
the oil, importing fees and administrative and
marketing costs are re-invested in purchasing more
oil. Out of that amount, 15% is donated directly to
worthy projects in Palestine. Past donation
recipients include:
Gush Shalom Emergency Relief Convoy
Badil
Palestinian Children's Relief Fund
Gaza Community Mental Health Program
Zochrot
Palestinian Medical Relief Committees
Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions
Birthright Unplugged
American Friends Svc. Comm. Middle East Crisis Fund
American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA)
Olive Harvest Coalition
Union of Palestinian Women's Committees
Ibdaa Cultural Center
Grassroots International
Taayoush
How to Order
On our website with PAYPAL
or send a check to P.O. Box 1064, Arlington, MA 02474.
Each case contains twelve (12) 750ml bottles.
Prices for local pick-up in Arlington or Cambridge:
Case price $170/case
Bulk price for 7+ cases: $150/case
Bulk price for 10+ cases: $145/case
Case price shipped within continental US: $195/case
3 Bottles shipped within continental US: $65/3 bottles
For more information.
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EVERY SUNDAY
---------- Every Sunday----------
12-1pm Amherst Peace Vigil
Town Common, Amherst
For more, contact Mark Watkins
---------- Every Sunday----------
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1:30pm Cambridge Peace Vigil
Mass. Ave., and Garden St., next to Cambridge Common.
---------- Every Monday ----------
11:45AM-12:15PM: Vigil for Gaza
Memorial Church in Harvard Yard
Harvard's Palestine Solidarity Committee will
be holding a vigil for Gaza from 11:45 am to 12:15 pm on the
steps of Memorial Church in Harvard Yard. All who care for
Palestine are invited to attend. Please wear black and spread
the word widely.
---------- Every Monday ----------
These are the meetings where we decide on events and
discuss strategies to end the war. Anyone is welcome --
from seasoned activists to beginners and we look
forward to building a dialogue with anyone opposed to
the war. Our main tenent is that we are independent of
both the Democratic and the Republican Party, such
that we can build an anti-war movement that survives
elections and continues to oppose the war, regardless
of which candidate is in
office.
---------- Every Tuesday----------
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Tuesday Weekly Anti-War Vigil 5:30-6:30pm Copley Square
---------- Every Wednesday----------
NOON-12:30 PM: Harvard-Cambridge Walk for Peace
Starts at John Harvard Statue, Harvard Yard.
Every Wednesday. All are welcome.
Meet briefly at the statue to exchange thoughts,
then walk silently around the Yard and nearby streets,
returning to the statue by 12:30pm.
---------- Every Thursday----------
5-6 PM: Antiwar Vigil in Newton
Corner of Beacon and Center Streets, Newton Center
Organizer: Newton Dialogues on Peace and War
---------- Every Thursday----------
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5:30-6PM: Wayland Anti-War Vigil (weekly)
Southeast corner of Rt 27 and 30 (nearest to Brooks Pharmacy).
Come for all or part. Bring a candle, lantern, or flashlight.
Organizer: Sandy Coy.
---------- Every Thursday----------
5-6 PM: Veterans for Peace vigil
West Side Rotary, Augusta, Maine
---------- Every Thursday ----------
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9 PM: 911 Researchers Conference Call
Join the Boston Tea Party Conference call,
Participant call in: 402-756-9100; Access code: 680903#
---------- Every Friday----------
7-9 AM: Socialist Alternative Radio in Boston
Socialist Alternative Radio, 91.5 FM Boston
listen anytime on the Web at WMFO.org. A democratic socialist, working-class view of politics and culture, including solidarity announcements, interviews, music, and more.
Write to us at BostonSAradio@aol.com.
---------- Every Friday----------
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Noon-1PM in front of JFK Federal Building, Boston.
Join a Friday fast and/or protest in solidarity with illegal detentions. The fast began in 2005 when Nobel Peace Laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Adolpho Esquivel, (Argentina), along with others around the world, chose this method to seek the release of our unjustly detained and tortured brothers and sisters.
In Boston, local activists Susan McLucas and Phoebe Knopf have joined the Friday fast and will protest every Friday in front of the JFK Building from noon to one. The action, which is rooted in nonviolence, includes speakers, music, hand-outs and petitions to create public pressure to stop all illegal detentions and to try those responsible for the illegal treatment of thousands of detainees, most of whom are Arab and Muslim men. Susan and Phoebe will be wearing orange jumpsuits.
---------- Every Friday----------
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12:30 PM: Women in Black Vigil
Lithgow Library, Augusta, Maine
---------- Every Friday----------
4:30-6 PM: Protest AIPAC - every Friday
Kennedy Sch of Govnt
79 JFK St, Harvard Sq, Cambridge
Organized by AntiWar League
---------- Every Friday----------
6-8PM: *Chillin Against the Villins*
DeMilitarized Zone*
Corner of Mass ave and Boylston st!!!
On this day, Friday and from there on!, we hereby declare the
establishment of a new DeMilitarized Zone where all those who wish can
congregate to denigrate and repudiate the war machine and celebrate the
growth of the new movement from coast to coast willing to oppose the war and opression in
this country and around the world. Bring your signs, and minds, let's
chalk, talk, play music, paint art with caring and sharing and declaring
that we are "chilling *against* the villins" in this zone to show our
independence!!!!!
We declare our solidarity with the people of the Middle East who share
the misfortune of living on top of the largest oil reserves on the
planet which is the reason behind the current war on Iraq. We declare
our condemnation of those who support this criminal war commanded by
criminals who promote a criminal ideology with criminal intent and
crimes against humanity. We repudiate with prejudice the general assault
on our rights: abuses, excuses, jailings, raids, lies, spies,
xenophobia, torture, extraordinary rendition, and the general police
state system that says we must stand together and support this
generalized oppression. We are no longer the silent generation but are
now willing to Stand Apart and against the mass murdering villins who
are doin the real killin. Join us in the DMZ!!
Chillin against the villin's!!!
Our *DMZ* and our Independence.
---------- Every Saturday----------
Saturday Anti-War Vigils
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- 11-11:30am Weston, Old Boston Post Rd at School St
Traffic island with flowerpot, Contact person: Mary Shaw
- 11-11:45am Quincy City Hall
- Noon-1pm Natick Center (Rt 27 & 135)
- Noon-1pm Sudbury Town Hall
- Noon-1pm Coolidge Corner, Brookline Peace Works
- 12:30 PM Needham Center on the Green
- 1-2pm Park Street T station
---------- 1st & 3rd Saturday----------
11A-NOON:
1st Saturday of Month
Corner of Main & Moody Streets, by the Common.
Parking: On-street or the lot on Center St.
3rd Saturday of Month
Corner of Moody and Pine Streets, by Watch City Brewery.
Parking: On-street or Embassy Theatre lot on Pine Street
Useful Links (alphabetized)
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