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The School of the Americas (SOA), in 2001 renamed the "Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation," is a combat training school for Latin American soldiers, located at Fort Benning, Georgia. Over its 59 years, the SOA has trained over 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counterinsurgency techniques, sniper training, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. Among those targeted by SOA graduates are educators, union organizers, religious workers, student leaders, and others who work for the rights of the poor. The next organized event to bring attention to the atrocities of the SOA is a National Fast from April 23-25.
National Commission on ICE Misconduct and
Violations of 4th Amendment Rights
P U B L I C H E A R I N G
Monday, April 7, 2008 10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Massachusetts State House Gardner Auditorium
(Public Entrance on Beacon Street)
The Hearing will examine the impact of recent ICE raids in the New England area and its impact on workers, families, communities and local economies. The National Commission is gathering independent information and analysis through a series of regional public hearings that will explore the execution, implications and ramifications of ICE enforcement actions. The Commission will look into claims that ICE has engaged in Constitutional violations of the 4th Amendment. After thorough investigation, the Commission will produce a public report that highlights its findings and make recommendations to ensure Constitutional protection for everyone.
For more information or to submit written testimony
contact:
Esther Lopez, 202-466-1535,
Mauro Reyes (JWJ), 617-524-8778
Colonnade Hotel (Boston) Engineers fight for a Fair and Just Contract
Solidarity Rally
Monday, April 7, 2008 5:00 PM to 7:00PM
Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel
606 Congress Street (at D Street), Boston
These hotel workers formed their union May 17, 2007. They have been at the negotiating table since June, 2007 fighting to get a first union contract. They are united fighting for a contract that will give them a pension plan; control on ever escalating health insurance cost; money for skill improvement training and work rules that give them dignity and respect.
Monday April 7, 2008 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM., the Colonnade Hotel's General Manager, David Colella, was named "Restaurateur of the Year" by the Massachusetts Restaurant Association. They will be honoring him at their annual awards dinner.
We will be there as well to let Mr. Colella know that "Enough is Enough". It is time to settle the contract with his workers. While we congratulate Mr. Colella on his award, at the same time, we need to send him a loud and united message that we will not be satisfied, nor will there be peace at the hotel, until we have a fair and equitable union contract.
The Faculty For Israeli Palestinian Peace (Brandeis) Presents:
Through the Lens of Women Activists:
Images of Justice and Peace in Israel/Palestine
Endless Checkpoints Photo Exhibit by Esti Tsal, Israeli Photographer and Activist
Ashes, exerpts from film by Rima Essa, Palestinian Filmmaker
Monday, April 7th 8:30pm
Perlman lounge (Brandeis)
FMLA and Brandeis Students for Justice in Palestine
Rima Essa lives in East Jerusalem and works in Ramallah. She will speak about Gaza and about recent events in Jerusalem, including the latest upsurge in building of Jewish settlements in occupied Palestinian land in the Jerusalem area and the attack on the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva. She is a director, producer, cinematographer and editor as well as a research coordinator at the UN Development Fund for Women in the occupied Palestinian territories. Incredibly, she also finds the time to work at Sawa, a crisis center for victims of physical and sexual abuse, serving the Palestinian population in the Jerusalem area. Esti Tsal is a long time Israeli peace activist, a member of MachsomWatch, a photographer, and one of the curators of the exhibition, Endless Checkpoints.
Why I Had Myself Water-boarded
Kaj Larsen, Correspondent, Current TV
Tuesday, April 8, 6:30 pm
Tufts University, Cabot Auditorium
170 Packard Ave., Medford, MA 02155
In an effort to increase public awareness and understanding of water-boarding, Kaj Larsen arranged to have himself water-boarded, had it videotaped, and posted on the Internet.
Kaj Larsen personally investigated the practice of waterboarding, an "interrogation practice" used by the U.S. government. Is it a legitimate technique or torture? An award-winning journalist for Current TV, Larsen is a former US Navy SEAL, and an executive board member of the Center for Citizen Leadership, a non-profit dedicated to mentoring wounded veterans into Public Service. He holds a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Our source: Brian Corr
Field Organizer, ACLU of Massachusetts
211 Congress St., Boston, MA 02110
617.482.3170
To sign up or find out more visit our waterboarding site.
The Middle East Initiative Film Series | Spring 2008 Film: "Divine Intervention" (2002, Palestine/Israel)
Wednesday 9 April, 6:15 - 8:30 PM (pizza/soda at 6:00
PM), Starr Auditorium, Belfer Building, Second Floor,
Kennedy School of Government
Description: Two Palestinian lovers are separated by an Israeli checkpoint. The tragedy of their situation is presented through a series of absurdist and comedic vignettes that offer sharp social and political commentary through creative and memorable scenes and characters.
Co-sponsored with the Outreach Center at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies
"Trannychasers: A Skateboard Roadtrip" is edited documentation of two young gender variant queer friends on a roadtrip around the Pacific Northwest and the Southwest desert. Motivated by a passion for skateboarding they drive over 5,000 miles in two weeks sampling some of the most dreamed about skate terrain west of Colorado while documenting their transforming personas from typical 15-year old obnoxious skater boys to thick skinned guarded adult women trying to avoid trouble within homophobic and sexist spaces.
Will also show other shorts by Tam Willey
Directors Tam Willey and Travis Clough will be present to talk about the films.
Ghada Karmi (One-State proponent/author) speaks...
"Married to Another Man: Examining Options for Israeli-
Palestinian Peace"
Thursday 10 April, 4:00-6:00 PM
Rubenstein Groundfloor 20 (Neustadt classroom),
Harvard Kennedy School
79 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square
Ghada Karmi is a research fellow and lecturer at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter. She is the author of several books, including her widely acclaimed memoir In Search of Fatima. She will be discussing her most recent book, Married to Another Man.
Refreshments will be served Co-sponsored by the Middle East Forum at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies
Married to Another Man: Israel’s Dilemma in Palestine details the cost of the Israel-Palestine conflict to the Arab world, explains why the search for a solution has been elusive, and makes a strong argument for a single, democratic, secular state in Palestine.
Email us to be put on the MEI events mailing list.
"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised"
Filmed and directed by Kim Bartley and Donnacha
O'Brian. Ireland, 2003 (74 minutes)
Thursday, April 10th, 7:00pm
MIT, Building 66, room 110
HUGO CHAVEZ, ELECTED PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA IN 1998, IS A COLORFUL, UNPREDICTABLE FOLK HERE, beloved by his nation's working class as a toush-as-nails, quixotic oponent to the power structure that would see him deposed. Two independent filmmakers were insider the presidential palace on April 11, 2002, when he was forcibly removed from office. They were also present 48 hours later when, remarkably, he returned to power amid cheering aides. Their film records what was probably history's shortest-lived coup d'etat. It's a unique document about political muscle and an extraordinary portrait of the man The Wall Street Journal credits with making Venezuela "Washington's biggest Latin American headache after the old standby, Cuba."
Q&A/Discussion after the film
Sponsored by
Western Hemisphere Project and
Bolivarian Circle of Boston
Contact: cbmlkboston@hotmail.com
Two short films:
"Our Synthetic Sea"
and "The Story of Stuff"
Thursday, April 10 at 7:00 pm
Community Room, Ashland Public Library,
66 Front Street, Ashland, MA.
The event is free and open to the public. Viewers are invited to stay for discussion. Refreshments are served.
Our Synthetic Sea (22 min.) is an award-winning documentary about the huge problem of plastic in our lakes and oceans. The plastic is harming marine life and poisoning us with chemicals affecting our endocrine system. The film traces the groundbreaking research conducted by Captain Charles Moorek, through the Algalita Marine Research Foundation (AMRF), who found that the amount of plastic debris in the middle of the Pacific is six times greater than plankton. The implications for human health and the whole web of life are just being faced.
The Story of Stuff (20 min.) is a fast-paced, fact- filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The film exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. The Story of Stuff just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.
Part of the Documentary Film & Discussion Series, sponsored by the Ashland Friends of the Library.
Cynthia Whitty
Phone: 508-881-6297
Fundraiser Party to Benefit...
Boston Palestine Film Festival 2008
Andala Coffee House
286 Franklin St., Central Square, Cambridge
Thursday, April 10th, 8pm - 12am
Tickets: $25 per person includes appetizers and drinks
The Boston Palestine Film Festival (BPFF) in 2007 was a phenomenal success with over 40 films shown at six great venues across the city. It was attended by prominent filmmakers, performers and tremendous audiences. Help us establish BPFF as an annual event in Boston and the premiere international Palestinian film festival.
Come to this party at Andala to enjoy a celebration of Palestinian cinema with live Arabic music by the band Arabian Nightingales and delicious appetizers from renowned Cambridge restaurants -- Casablanca, Oleana, and East Coast Grill.
Learn about the 2nd annual film festival to be held Oct 4-12th 2008, and get a sneak preview of new films and exciting events planned.
If you cannot attend the event, you can still contribute to the film festival. Make checks payable to MECCS/BPFF and mail to:
Boston Palestine Film Festival
955 Massachusetts Ave. #333
Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
All proceeds go towards the festival and are tax deductible. BPFF is a program of the Middle East Cultural and Charitable Society (MECCS), a 501(c)(3) organization.
For the 13th consecutive year, Amnesty International Local Group 133 in Somerville is organizing Get On The Bus (GOTB), a trip to New York City for one full day of human rights action and education. GOTB is the largest volunteer-organized Amnesty event in the US, and brought together over 1,200 participants last year from throughout the northeast.
We will demonstrate for the people of Darfur and Myanmar, to bring to justice those responsible for the murders of journalists in Sri Lanka, for the victims of the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal, and to call for the unconditional release of Libyan Prisoner of Conscience, Fathi el-Jahmi.
Amnesty Group 133 has 5 buses scheduled to leave from Alewife Station in Cambridge for Get On The Bus on April 11. Seats will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Bus fare and event registration is $40.
Please email any questions to Nate Stell, Lead Coordinator for GOTB 2008.
Come shift the power at Massachusetts Power Shift. Check out Pat Keaney's Permaculture Workshop too.
Power Shift will be the largest convergence of climate activists in Massachusetts history. It is organized by college students and will be held at Boston University the weekend of April 11-13. Over a thousand attendees are expected to assemble to hear speakers, attend workshops, and start the power shift needed to save our planet.
The conference's immediate goal is passing the Global Warming Solutions Act, a bill currently before the Massachusetts Legislature. We agree this is an important beginning, and we are already developing additional urgently needed initiatives to stop climate catastrophe and economic disintegration.
Among the various speakers, workshops and strategy break out sessions, look for our MCHC workshop on CODE GREEN: Declaring a state of emergency, mobilizing the Green Economy, and phasing out fossil fuels (w/80% CO2 reduction by 2020).
If you can help staff the MCHC table for one or two hours on Saturday, April 12th, or Sunday, April 13th, or are willing to help in other ways, contact Eli / 617.821.1453).
Mass. Coalition for Healthy Communities
TWO-DAY CONFERENCE IN WASHINGTON DC
ACSIS 2008 Program
"Studying Islam: What Have We Learned?"
American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies
25th Annual Conference
April 11-12, 2008
The College of William & Mary Washington Center
1779 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., 8th Floor
Washington DC
On the 60th Anniversary of the Nakba, the New England
Committee to Defend Palestine presents...
An Education and Strategy Conference on Saturday April 12th and Sunday April 13th.
Confirmed speakers include:
Amer Jubran, Palestinian activist and former political detainee
Saja Raoof, Iraqi anti-war activist
Ward Churchill, American Indian Movement activist and author
Kali Akuno, Executive Director of the People's Hurricane Relief Fund in New Orleans and Malcolm X Grassroots Movement National Organizer
Marta Rodriguez, Puerto Rican independence activist and member of the NECDP
Dara Bayer, Palestine solidarity activist
Jeffrey Blankfort, anti-Zionist journalist and activist, co-plaintiff in a lawsuit against the ADL for spying on left organizations
as well as
Photography Exhibition from Gaza Palestinian political artwork, and art by Brazilian Artist Carlos Latuff
Zionism has played a role not only in defining "foreign policy," but also in the suppression of anti- colonial movements here-not least of all, because these movements have recognized the Palestinian struggle as part of a common global struggle against colonialism. In order to suppress the emergence of a serious pro-Palestinian bloc of oppositional power, Zionists have attacked genuine leaders and organizations, while at the same time cultivating less radical alternatives.
Confronting Zionism is crucial to any movement forward against militarism and internal oppression.
Bringing together representatives of several movements, our conference will focus on two themes: Zionist disruption of anti-colonial movements and land as the basis of struggle and solidarity.
Co-sponsored by Jericho Boston
NECDP, PO Box 681, East Boston, MA 02128
The location for the Sunday portion of the program has not been defined at the time of this posting.
Introduction to Permaculture - Weekend Course
Saturday/Sunday, April 12-13, 2008 – Brighton,
Massachusetts, USA
A 2-day introductory course hosted by Pat Keaney and the GreenGreaseMonkey.com, led by noted Permaculture instructor Dick Pierce and local guests, offering practical training and skills in sustainable living. We will cover design principles, techniques, and mind- sets that can easily be applied to your home, workplace, and community to help you live well and joyously, in the city, suburbs, or country, but with less energy, less consumption, and a smaller/kinder ecological footprint.
Basics for those starting out and new material for experienced hands - homeowners, renters, apartment dwellers; gardeners, organic consumers; land developers, city planners, architects, teachers, activists, etc.
Cost for two-day course = $100. Sessions run from 9a- 5pm both days, and noontime meal is provided.
Space is limited, so reserve a spot now by sending a $50 deposit to:
Patrick Keaney
58 Hobart St.
Brighton, MA 02135
Please put "Intro. to Permaculture" in check memo field.
Clean Water Action is sponsoring free training on
"Using the Internet and Networking to Win Your
Campaigns"
This event is free and open to the public.
Sign-up today to ensure your seat's saved.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Massachusetts Powershift Conference on the Boston
University Charles River Campus,
Martin Kearns of Netcentric Campaigns and the Green
Media.
Tool shed will be offering two sessions on Using the
Internet and Networking to Win Your Campaigns.
Session 1: 10:15-11:45am
Building powerful social networks: The internet as an organizing tool
Session 2: 1:00-2:30pm
What's next? Using networks to win campaigns
This program is presented by Clean Water Action and the Boston University Superfund Basic Research Program
Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow
262 Washington Street, Suite 301
Boston, MA 02108
617-338-8131
To RSVP and get directions or for more information contact: Danielle Connor - Clean Water Action 617.338.8131 ext 205
Who migrates from family and home--and why? What is life in New England like for migrants who come to work here? What is the economic impact of immigrant workers- -and why are immigrants hired? What US policy changes could improve lives on BOTH sides of the border?
A parish priest in Oaxaca City, Mexico, and Coordinator for the Peace and Justice Commission of the Diocese of Oaxaca, Padre Uvi will deepen the discussion of migration by focusing on its root causes. He will also speak about his region's vibrant citizen movement and the struggle for justice and dignity for Oaxaca's peoples.
For more information
Lynette Culverhouse 781-641-3076
Peter Buck at Equal Exchange 775-776-7414
Or WFP Regional coordinator at 802-434-2980
"Beyond the Law" with Gene Baur
SUNDAY, APRIL 13, 2008
4 PM - Seminar (Free to all)
5:15 PM - Vegan Buffet Dinner ($$)
Gene Baur, President and Cofounder of Farm Sanctuary, will present the important topic of how animal agribusiness operates beyond the law in areas of animal welfare, environmental protection, health and labor laws, anti-trust, and obtains billions of dollars in government support.
Grasshopper (an all-vegan restaurant)
1 North Beacon St.
Union Square, Allston (Boston)
617-254-8883
Evelyn Kimber
Boston Vegetarian Society
617-424-8846
THE REACTIONARY SIDE OF FORD HALL FORUM
Herman Badillo
Sunday, April 13
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Old South Meeting House
One Nation, One Standard: An Ex-Liberal on How Hispanics Can Succeed Just Like Other Immigrant Groups
Congressman Herman Badillo, who rose from poverty [sold his soul] to become the first Puerto Rican native elected to the U.S. Congress, says his community's path to prosperity, political unity, and the American mainstream must be through self-reliance. Does liberal social policy do more harm than good? Does success for immigrant communities lie in the restoration of traditional values? Join us tonight as Herman Badillo addresses these questions that impact every American.
Book signing will follow lecture and discussion.
This program is presented in collaboration with the Old South Meeting House as part of the Partners in Public Dialogue Series.
Giving a donation to Jewish Voice for Peace, JVP, right now is a way to take action to support an end to the siege of Gaza.
In late January, a convoy of Israeli peace and human rights organizations, in partnership with Palestinian civil society groups, drove to the entrance of the Gaza Strip to deliver badly needed food and medical supplies. Thousands of you wrote letters to your legislators to ask them to help end the siege. JVP supporters across the country stood on street corners, spoke to the media, and raised funds to support the convoy. On February 18, over 6 tons of supplies from the convoy were finally let through.
But the blockade goes on and JVP is not stopping its work on the Call to End the Siege of Gaza.
A gift of $35, $80 or $100 will bring thousands of people to support our work. The larger we are, the more powerful we are!
Join JVP's Call for an End to the Siege of Gaza. Donating is easy and will raise our voices to end the injustices in Gaza and the needless deaths of Palestinians and Israelis..
Bush's FY2009 budget request for $2.55 billion in military aid for Israel, a proposed increase of 9% over actual spending in 2007, now rests with the Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittees on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs.
This proposed increase in military aid to Israel is the first installment of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the United States and Israel in August 2007 to increase military aid to Israel by 25%, totaling $30 billion over the next decade.
Can you think of a better way to spend $30 billion instead of funding Israel's human rights abuses and illegal military occupation in violation of U.S. laws?
TAKE ACTION
Send a Personal Letter to Members of Congress on the
Appropriations Sub-Committee Challenging Military Aid
to Israel.
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
Mass. House Bill #4477, if passed, would finally make it illegal for drivers of motor vehicles in Massachusetts to use hand-held phones while driving (as in NY and elsewhere). This bill recently passed the House and now is languishing in the Senate and may not come to the floor for a vote unless you phone or send a message to your friends in various towns and cities to have them urge their state senators (617-722- 5551) to vote for this bill.
According to Senate Assistant Majority Leader Marian Walsh, what needs to happen is for senators to get many phone calls from their constituents in favor of this bill. Passing House #4477 is a matter of public safety. Please call your senator and what would make a significant difference is for you to contact your friends throughout Massachusetts so House Bill #4477 becomes law.
Ed O'Reilly (PDA-endorsed candidate who advocates for single-payer health care, impeachment, stopping our current wars, and marriage equality) seeks the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat now occupied by John Kerry.
In addition to making sure that Ed's name appears on the ballot, this is a great opportunity to identify new supporters and expand our network. So we really hope you can participate by gathering signatures from your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors.
To get on September's primary ballot Ed needs 10,000 signatures from registered Democrats and unenrolled (independent) voters. We need to file the signatures with city and town clerks no later than 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, on May 6, 2008.
Call the campaign (866-716-2008) and we will mail nomination signature forms for you to use.
U.S. war provocation against Iran: Another Tonkin
Gulf? Take Action NOW to Stop War on Iran!
The Bush Administration has initiated an extremely dangerous war provocation just off Iran's coast, in the Strait of Hormuz. With Bush on his way to the Middle East to mobilize a collection of oil-rich U.S. client states against Iran, the U.S. government is working overtime to create a phony public-relations incident to heighten tensions in the region and threaten a new war.
An aide to Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) says the Lieberman/Warner climate change bill (S. 2191) “would be the most historic incentive for nuclear in the history of the United States.” (E&E Daily, February 8, 2008)...
S. 2191 is expected to be debated on the Senate floor this Spring. Your help is needed.
For more information visit the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research and the Nuclear Information and Resource Service.
Congressman Robert Wexler's campaign office says that (unlike most of our Democratic Reps) he is pushing hard to force a committee hearing on Rep. Dennis Kucinich's Articles of Impeachment, recently introduced into the House of Representatives and referred to the Judiciary Committee.
This fight is not over. We must continue the pressure on our representatives or else Congress and its fellow lackey media will take no notice. That would be a historic mistake – one we must prevent Congress from making.
We stand at a critical juncture in our efforts. Forget all of those arguments that it is too late or that we have run out of time. You can’t run the clock out on our Constitution. Those of us dedicated to this fight – Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the online community, and millions of patriotic Americans – must keep the pressure on. Please continue to spread the word and help deliver accountability to the corrupt Bush-Cheney administration.Congressman Conyers needs a huge kick in the tail.
Please sign on to Congressman Robert Wexler's petition to help push the issue.
TOLL-FREE PHONE NUMBERS FOR THE U.S. CAPITOL SWITCHBOARD
US House of Representatives Web Sites
Another Day, Another FISA Veto Threat By The Bully In The White House
Yesterday, Bush again put the self interest of himself and his giant telecom criminal co-conspirators above our national security, by threatening to veto the FISA update bill unless we gave them all get out of jail free cards. And if Congress were to bend over yet again, he would still probably veto it to demand even more changes and/or defy other major provisions with a signing statement, as he so outrageously did with the recent defense bill.
We must be just as relentless as the criminals who are working overtime to gut our constitution. We have had two successful filibusters so far, and it looks like we're going to need a third. And we need strong opposition in the House too, for that is our last bulwark.
Tell your Congressional Representative to vote against this awful legislation, which has passed the Senate and returned to the House. The House has stood up to pressure to provide telecom immunity to date, so don't let them buckle to pressure from the White House and Senate.
S 1959 "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007" must be stopped at all costs. (It's already been approved by the House of Representatives by a HUGE majority.)
Pick up your phone and contact our US Senators' offices to instruct them to vote "NO" on S.1959, titled "To establish the National Commission on the Prevention of Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism, and for other purposes".
If this bill is passed, and becomes law, your words and actions could be considered terrorism. S 1959 EVISCERATES FREE SPEECH, and empowers the govt. to declare ANYTHING they deem an "extremist belief system", instantly make you a terrorist, resulting in stripping of US citizenship, torture, and/or execution, with no habeas corpus rights, no ability to challenge even in the US Supreme Court.
What part of exercising power doesn't Harry Reid get? The Washington Post reports him "pleading" with the White House. And yet, it is his decision which version of the FISA bill to have the Senate consider, and by choosing to bring forward the bad one, he is knowingly forcing opponents of yet another "get out of jail free card" for Cheney cronies to get 60 votes to strip it out of the bill. Or filibuster yet again.
And what greater hero do we have than Dennis Kucinich, still standing strong as ever on every issue that matters. Here is his own leadership statement opposing telecom immunity.
And yet, even now, powerful corporations are pouring money into Dennis's district, to try to buy his seat out from under him by threatening him in his own primary. They are running malicious attack ads in heavy rotation. Please consider making a donation to Dennis now, to help him fight back.
At the end of January, thousands of people all over the world will march, speak, celebrate, and dialogue in villages, rural zones, and urban centers, in the context of hundreds of decentralized self-organized actions. They will mobilize over a one-week period in January, culminating in a Global Day of Mobilisation and Action on the 26th to show that another world is possible.
At the same period, the "old" world will meet in Davos for the World Economic Forum, bringing together its economists, experts, ideologies and techniques that produce violence, exploitation, exclusion, poverty, hunger and ecological disaster, depriving people of human rights and our Earth of its resources.
The World Social Forum is an open space where social movements, networks, NGOs and other civil society organisations come together to raise issues, debate ideas, formulate proposals, share experiences, and build networks for effective action. These movements are opposed to a world ruled by capitalism and all forms of imperialism and domination.
Since the first worldwide encounter in 2001, the World Social Forum has become a permanent global process seeking and building alternatives to neo-liberal policies.
World Social Forums have taken place at the end of January at different sites throughout the world every year for the past seven years, and this spirit of diversity will continue to be reflected in the activities planned for the Global Day of Mobilisation and Action in 2008.
Our website is the main connection tool for all participants in the decentralized WSF 2008. Invite your friends to join and contribute through action spaces, present your action, upload your videos, publish news and connect your actions with those of others.
Comcast has given us a glimpse of a world without Net
Neutrality, and it's a chilling sight.
An investigation by the Associated Press caught the
cable giant secretly inspecting online communications
and crippling users' ability to share information with
one another.
On 11-1-07, Free Press filed a legal complaint
demanding that the FCC take action to protect the free
flow of information on the Internet. By joining our
complaint, you can help stop Comcast and other
gatekeepers.
The MBTA on October 10th started broadcasting
continuous [corporate] radio ads and "music" at South
Station, North Station and Airport Station with a plan
to expand the continuous radio broadcast system-wide
after Thanksgiving. This will adversely monopolize
this historic First Amendment public space:
1. Curtail and Interfere with Conversations of all
MBTA patrons
2. Curtail and Interfere with Reading of all MBTA
patrons
3. Target ads to all School Children who use the MBTA
4. Eliminate Subway Musician Performances
We, the undersigned, support the diversity of
expression of patrons and artists in the subway. We
petition Governor Deval Patrick and Massachusetts Bay
Transportation Authority Board of Directors to stop
the T-Radio broadcast.
Congress will be debating war appropriations again, and the Senate - as the Republicans have routinely demonstrated - has the power to filibuster any appropriations it doesn't like. A filibuster in the Senate would effectively force an end to the war. So if each of us does our part in exposing the filibuster option, then we can apply tremendous pressure on our senators, the likes of which they haven't felt in decades!
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
Action Alert: The Alliance for Democracy warns us to oppose Holt bill (HR 811). We call for a ban on the use of Direct Recording Electronic voting equipment (DREs) and to require the use of paper ballots.
AFD urgently calls upon all citizens to call their Representatives to demand amendments to rectify the defects in HR 811, specifically to ban the use of DRE voting machines and require the use of paper ballots in all elections in the United States.
1. DRE systems must be banned.
2. All voting must be by voter marks on a paper ballot.
3. All recounts must be by hand counting of paper ballots.
4. All elections must have a statistically significant verification.
5. All recounts at every level of government must be by hand counting.
6. All software must be subject to public disclosure.
7. No connections to the Internet should be allowed.
8. All election records should be available to the public.
Go to for on-line information and a link to a printable flier.
A call for all people of conscience
to donate to its Lebanon Palestine Emergency Relief Fund.
All donations will be used to help Palestinian and
Lebanese victims of the latest Israeli aggression.
Tel: 760-685-3243
Fax: 360-933-3568
E-mail link
We are happy to report that a new shipment of olive oil has arrived. The most recent harvest was excellent and per case prices are less than they were last year.
As with our previous shipments, this oil comes directly from the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees, PARC, a non-profit, non- governmental organization in the West Bank. PARC works with 15 different small cooperatives. This shipment comes from the Mazare' Al Nubani/ Ramallah and the Kufr Thulth, Jayous and Azzoun cooperatives. The labels are printed in the West Bank and the oil is bottled at the PARC bottling facility in Aram. 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 BRANCH OLIVE OIL DONATIONS
As with past shipments, a percentage of the proceeds of olive oil sales is donated back to organizations working directly with Palestinians. Past recipients include:
Palestinian Medical Relief Society Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions Birthright Unplugged American Friends Service Committee-Middle East Crisis Fund American Near East Refugee Aid Olive Harvest Coalition Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees Ibdaa Cultural Center International Solidarity Movement US OMEN Ta’ayush
THE IMPORTANCE OF OLIVE OIL TO THE PALESTINIAN ECONOMY
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. Olive trees, many of which are hundreds of years old, hold a deep significance in the culture and economy of the Holy Land. As the political and economic situation in Palestine continues to deteriorate, with increased restrictions on the mobility of people, goods and services, 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.
PARC assists at every stage of the olive oil production process, from helping farmers to reclaim rocky land, conserve water and implement sensible environmental practices (like re-cropping, dry-land farming and recycling of waste materials) to setting up regional labs for farmers to test their olive oil. PARC strictly monitors the quality of the oil, testing and re-testing it at its main laboratory to ensure that it meets all specifications. Extra-virgin olive oil comes from the first pressing of the olives, 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.
Palestinian farmers traditionally care for their trees without the use of pesticides or sprays. PARC is currently working with international agricultural organizations to obtain organic certification for its olive oil, which should be finalized in the next few months. Because both light and heat are known enemies of olive oil, Olive Branch Olive Oil comes in a dark green glass bottle that is optimal for storage.
Available in 750ml bottles, by the case (12 bottles, $145), or more.
For ordering and other info, please email us at palestinebostonoliveoil@yahoo.com or call Susie at 781-648-6307.
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.
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.
Meet briefly at the statue to exchange thoughts,
then walk silently around the Yard and nearby streets,
returning to the statue by 12:30pm.
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.
Join the Boston Tea Party Conference call,
Participant call in: 402-756-9100; Access code: 680903#
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.
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.