THIS WEEK'S EVENTS
SUNDAY, APR 12, 2009
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Program Speakers: Jerry Rubin & Carol Steinberg,
members of Kahal B' Raira, a Humanistic Jewish
Congregation with a strong tradition of community
building through formal meetings, Sunday School,
holidays, rituals, and a network of support. Jerry &
Carol will discuss how the community has been built
and how it fits with their humanistic Jewish
traditions.
---------- Sunday----------
In the Christian tradition, Good Friday often presents
itself as an anti-Jewish celebration blaming "the
Jews" for the crucifixion of Jesus. Verses from the
Book of John are taken out of context and spewed like
hatred into religious services. We will re-read the
Biblical story, challenge the anti-Jewish language,
and hold those who collaborate with empire accountable
for their choices.
Jason Lydon is our Congregational Director.
---------- Sunday----------
For SIX SUNDAYs, Apr. 12, 19, 26 & May 3, 10, 17th, there will be
a festival in recognition of Iranian Women's Struggle for
Justice, Equality, and Freedom during past 3 decades.
For details, updated info, and flier please see:
shirin.mit.edu/blog/?p=971
*** 1st Movie ***
"Dayereh" (The Circle)
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Director/Year: Jafar Panahi/2000
A detailed and realistic portray of the life of women
who are abandoned by the society. It shows the
underlying reasons for their misfortunes and
commonalities of social challenges with ordinary
people.
Trailer:
videodetective.com/titledetails.aspx?PublishedID=451608
Review/poster:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Circle_(film)
Please send your suggestions, questions and comments
to: taalebi@mit.edu
With many thanks to "Kodoom.com" for promoting this
event at (join the 2 lines):
events.kodoom.com/en/31927113/Iranian-Women-Movie-Cambridge
---------- Sunday----------
MONDAY, APR 13, 2009
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Bill McKibben will kick off two busy weeks of celebrating
Earth Day in Boston and Cambridge!
Bill will speak about the 350.org campaign and how you
can get to work organizing an action in your community
for the global day of action on October 24.
Free and open to the public.
Boston Climate Action Network
617-278-1885
Upcoming Events:
- Paul Endrenkamp, Wed. 4-15, 7pm, at Harvard Sq
- Food and Fuel, Wed. 4-15, 6pm, Allston-Brighton CDC
- Boston Green Business, Residential, and Bicycle
Award Ceremony, Thurs the 16th, Boston Children's
Museum
- Charlestown Climate Cafe, Tues 4-21, 6pm,
Charlestown Navy Yard
- Film: The Appalachians, Tues. 4-21, 6pm, at Suffolk
Univ
- Codman Climate Cafe, Thurs 4-23, 5:30pm, Codman
Square Health Center
---------- Monday ----------
TUESDAY, APR 14, 2009
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7:15-9PM: A Lost Levant: A Reporter's Reflections on Lebanon,
Palestine and Iraq.
Anthony Shadid, Pulitzer Prize winner and Washington Post Journalist
Austin West, Harvard Law School
Pizza and cold drinks will be provided prior to the
talk at 6:45pm.
Shadid is a reporter based in the Middle East for the
Washington Post, winner of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for
International Reporting for his coverage of the Iraq
war, and author of Night Draws Near: Iraq's People in
the Shadow of America's War.
This talk is part of the Evelyn Abdalah Menconi
Memorial Cultural Series and is co-sponsored by the
Middle East Law Students Association.
Open to the Public free of charge. For further
information, contact Elaine Hagopian.
---------- Tuesday ----------
WEDNESDAY, APR 14, 2009
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UJP's response to TAX DAY April 15, 2009
Post offices: Tabling at post offices in communities.
Where Do Your Tax Dollars Go? Reduce the US Military
Budget/Fund Our Communities. End U.S. Military Aid to
Israel. United for Justice with Peace.
UJP will send out materials to community groups for
tabling - respond to amyh@texnology.com to receive
that info.
Central Square post office: The Boston Coalition for
Palestinian Rights is organizing a tax day event in
opposition to US Military Aid to Israel. Central
Square post office, starting after work. They will
have 1040s that are filled out with budget and
destruction statistics; large banner.
Medford/Congressman Markey's office. 5 High Street,
9am-6pm
A day long presence in Congressman Markey's office
between the hours of 9am-6pm, organized by peace and
justice activists in MA 7th Congressional District.
This will be an opportunity to remind him that we want
him to work to open the borders between Gaza and
Israel for humanitarian and reconstruction aid and
that we oppose our tax dollars of $3 billion year
going to Israel while there is mounting evidence of
violations of US and international law and world wide
calls for an independent investigation into the
invasion of Gaza.
Join the presence in his office for at least a portion
of the day, if you are a 7th Congressional District
voter. All MA voters, join protest outside his office
all day, and esp. from 4-6 pm with signs, banners,
leaf-letting the area about our tax dollars.
nailajirmanus@aol.com
Boston South Postal Annex: Meet at 8:30 PM outside the
Boston South Postal Annex (take Red Line to South
Station). Join New England War Tax Resistance for
awareness, flyering. Don't Pay for War! They will be
putting out press release, leafleting. Look for their
banner!
--
United for Justice with Peace is a coalition of peace
and justice organizations and community peace groups
in the Greater Boston region. The UJP Coalition,
formed after September 11th, seeks global peace
through social and economic justice.
United for Justice with Peace
617-491-4UJP
P.O. Box 390449, Central Square, Cambridge, 02139
---------- Wednesday ----------
9:30AM & 5PM: Two important Stop the BU Biolab events on Tax Day.
Status Conference is at 9:30 at the Federal Court
House, Judge Saris presiding.
5PM: City Council Hearing, City Hall Chambers
Get your taxes out early and join us! Let Vicky know if
you can attend.
Judge Saris likes to see the room packed with
residents. Let's not disappoint her!
The City Council hearing will focus on the RDNA research procedures that are
banned and proposed to be used by BU.
Participating in the debate will be; Marc Pelletier
and Daniel Goodenough, Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Executive
Director, Boston Public Health Commission, and Dr.
Mark S. Klempner.
To get a gist of the turn-out can you email back if
you can attend or send someone to attend both or one
of the events. Spead the word.
Vicky's email address: vicky.steinitz@umb.edu
---------- Wednesday ----------
10:30AM: Political Action: Our Prescription for Power
1199 SEIU Advocacy Day - Wed 4-15-09
Healthcare Workers Unite to Put Patients First!
Quality care counts and health care programs and jobs
need to be protected, especially in these difficult
economic times.
Join together on April 15 to protect healthcare jobs
and your future.
Make your voice heard to ensure federal health care
funding is used the way it should be- to protect and
restore health care services and jobs.
10:30am Registration
11:00am Training
2:00pm Lobbying
4:00pm Rally
Registration and training will be held at the 1199
SEIU Boston office:
150 Mt. Vernon Street, Dorchester, MA.
For more information, contact Jenny Bauer at
877-409-1199, ext. 151.
---------- Wednesday ----------
UNDERSTANDING PALESTINE AND ISRAEL
GRIEF BORN OF INJUSTICE
The Ongoing Nakba and the Palestinian Experience
Hilary Rantisi
Community Change Library on Racism
14 Beacon Street, Room 605
Boston MA 02108
SPACE IS LIMITED: RESERVATIONS REQUIRED!!!
RSVP 617-523-0555 or email us.
Please bring your lunch. Beverages will be provided.
$5 contribution requested.
The second in our series UNDERSTANDING PALESTINE AND
ISRAEL, this presentation humanizes the Palestinian
experience of dispossession and military occupation
through a personal narrative. The Palestinian
narrative of life both dispossessed and occupied is
rarely heard in the US and when it is demonstrated, it
is routinely marginalized and silenced. This
presentation will give a historical overview of the
roots of Palestinian dispossession and occupation as
well as a snapshot of present day realities for
Palestinians in and around Israel/Palestine.
Nakba is an Arabic word meaning "catastrophe." It
refers to Palestinian dispossession form their homes
and land in 1948, a dispossession that continues
today.
Presenter: Hilary Rantisi: A Palestinian who grew up
in the West Bank, she currently lives in Somerville
and works as the Director of the Middle East
Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). She
received her Masters degree in Middle East Studies
from the U of Chicago. Prior to joining HKS, Ms
Rantisi worked with civil society organizations in
Israel-Palestine and focused on religion, politics,
and grassroots mobilization efforts in Jerusalem. She
has co-edited a book Our Story: The Palestinians
(1999) with Naim Ateek and is an active public speaker
on human rights and justice issues in
Israel/Palestine.
---------- Wednesday ----------
4:30-6PM: Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights Tax Day Demo
Central Square, Cambridge
Main Post Office across from City Hall
Our tax dollars fund Israeli war crimes in Palestine.
Nancy Murray, ACLU of MA
---------- Wednesday ----------
---------- Wednesday ----------
6-8PM: Consulate General of Venezuela
"The Role of Human Rights, Gender Equality,
and Race in Venezuelan Law"
Harvard Law School, Ames Courtroom, Austin Hall
1515 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138
Sponsor: Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race
and Justice
Free and open to the general public. Please send RSVP
to houstonevents@law.harvard.edu
Additional information at:
WWW.CHARLESHAMILTONHOUSTON.ORG
The Consulate General of the Bolivarian Republic of
Venezuela in Boston has the pleasure of inviting you
to a series of lectures by Venezuelan Supreme Court
Justice, Fernando Vegas Torrealba, who is an expert in
constitutional law, commercial relations and conflict
resolution.
Justice Vegas was appointed to the Supreme Tribunal of
Justice (TSJ) in August 2004, where he sits in the
Electoral Chamber of the Supreme Court. He is also a
published novelist and writes regular columns for
newspapers and journals.
Justice Vegas was appointed to the Supreme Tribunal of
Justice (TSJ) in August 2004, where he sits in the
Electoral Chamber of the Supreme Court. He is also a
published novelist and writes regular columns for
newspapers and journals.
Justice Vegas will be lecturing about Venezuelan
politics and International Law, the evolution of the
Venezuelan legal system, the autonomy of the Judiciary
System, Participatory Democracy, and the role of Human
Rights, Gender Equality, and Race in Venezuelan Law.
Justice Vegas will be lecturing about Venezuelan
politics and International Law, the evolution of the
Venezuelan legal system, the autonomy of the Judiciary
System, Participatory Democracy, and the role of Human
Rights, Gender Equality, and Race in Venezuelan Law.
For more information or to endorse these events please
send e-mail to: info.venezuela.event@gmail.com
bostonbolivarianos.org
---------- Wednesday ----------
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 ----------
7PM: THE ETHICS OF EATING:
THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL CONNECTIONS OF THE FOOD THAT WE EAT
Ethical Society of Boston
Workmen's Circle
1762 Beacon St.
Brookline, MA 02445
Email or 617.566.6281
The School of Ethics will be presenting a series of
programs on three Wednesday nights in April, the
15th,22nd and 29th from 7-9pm. The fee for the entire
program is $30.
Over the past hundred years there has been a dramatic
change in the way that we grow, package, market and
prepare our food. Today we hear of issues of such as
genetically engineered foods, declining seed
diversity, the obesity epidemic, famine, the labeling
of organic foods, food safety and more. The discussion
will focus on the ecology of food, the ethics of food
production and the food revolution of tomorrow.
The series will be presented by Julie Vallimont, an
educator at the Harvard Museum of Natural History and
a graduate student in Environmental Management at
Harvard University.
The Ethical Society of Boston is part of the
humanistic movement inspired by the ideal that the
highest aim of human life is working to create a more
humane society. We believe in the capacity and
responsibility of human beings to act in their
personal relationships and in the larger community to
help create a better world. Our commitment is to the
worth and dignity of the individual, and to treating
each human being so as to bring out the best in him or
her, and thereby to bring out the best in ourselves.
ESB is affiliated with the American Ethical Union
(AEU).
---------- Wednesday ----------
Paul will discuss practical aspects of
minimizing energy use in existing buildings.
Free and open to the general public.
For More Information: www.basea.org.
---------- Wednesday ----------
The award-winning film documentary "The Big
Question" will be screened here in the chapel on
April 15 at 7:00 PM.
The film features Desmond Tutu, Deepak Chopra, Helen
Prejean, Thich Nhat Hanh, Ravi Shankar and elders of
the Hopi community and explores astonishing acts of
forgiveness, courage and will.
The film's executive producer, Frank Desiderio,
C.S.P., will be here.
---------- Wednesday ----------
THURSDAY, APR 15, 2009
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Consulate General of Venezuela
"The Role of Human Rights, Gender Equality,
and Race in Venezuelan Law"
Noon to 1:30PM:
Venue: Northeastern University School of Law, Room
250, Dockser Hall 400 Huntington Avenue, Boston,
Massachusetts 02115
6:30 to 8:30PM:
Venue: Encuentro 5, 33 Harrison Av. 5th floor, Boston
The Consulate General of the Bolivarian Republic of
Venezuela in Boston has the pleasure of inviting you
to a series of lectures by Venezuelan Supreme Court
Justice, Fernando Vegas Torrealba, who is an expert in
constitutional law, commercial relations and conflict
resolution.
Justice Vegas was appointed to the Supreme Tribunal of
Justice (TSJ) in August 2004, where he sits in the
Electoral Chamber of the Supreme Court. He is also a
published novelist and writes regular columns for
newspapers and journals.
Justice Vegas was appointed to the Supreme Tribunal of
Justice (TSJ) in August 2004, where he sits in the
Electoral Chamber of the Supreme Court. He is also a
published novelist and writes regular columns for
newspapers and journals.
Justice Vegas will be lecturing about Venezuelan
politics and International Law, the evolution of the
Venezuelan legal system, the autonomy of the Judiciary
System, Participatory Democracy, and the role of Human
Rights, Gender Equality, and Race in Venezuelan Law.
Justice Vegas will be lecturing about Venezuelan
politics and International Law, the evolution of the
Venezuelan legal system, the autonomy of the Judiciary
System, Participatory Democracy, and the role of Human
Rights, Gender Equality, and Race in Venezuelan Law.
For more information or to endorse these events please
send e-mail to: info.venezuela.event@gmail.com
bostonbolivarianos.org
For the Northeastern Event:
Sponsors: Northeastern Chapter of the National Lawyers
Guild
Free and open to the general public. Additional
information: Liza Hirsch
Speakers at Enceuntro 5 Event: Justice Fernando Vegas Torrealba; J.
Soffiyah Elijah, Deputy Director of the Criminal
Justice Institute at Harvard Law School; Barbara J.
Dougan, Civil Rights lawyer and NLG member.
Sponsors: MLK Bolivarian Circle of Boston, National
Lawyers Guild and Encuentro 5.
Free and open to the general public. Additional
information at: www.encuentro5.org
---------- Thursday ----------
Jointly sponsored by the Weatherhead Center for
International Affairs and the Center for Middle
Eastern Studies, Harvard University
---------- Thursday ----------
7-9PM: Occupied Voices: HKS Palestinian Student Perspectives
Kennedy School of Government
Starr Auditorium, Belfer Building, Second Floor, Harvard University
15 Eliot Street, Cambridge, MA
On behalf of the Palestine Awareness Committee, we
would like to invite you to attend a student panel on
Palestine and recent events in the Gaza strip. This
is a great opportunity to learn about Palestine from
current and former students in the MPP, MPA, and
MPA/ID programs.
What is life like for Palestinians today? What are the
obstacles to peace? What are the different realities
of life in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem?
Come learn the answers to these questions and ask your
own.
Panelists include:
Saleh Aboukamil (MPA '10)
Palestinian resident of the Gaza Strip
Laila Kassis (MPA/ID '11/MBA '11)
Palestinian citizen of Israel & USA
Sa-ed Atshan (MPP '08/PhD '13)
Palestinian resident of the
West Bank
Moderated by
Sara Barclay (MPP '10)
President, Palestine Awareness Committee
Committee
Refreshments will be served!
If you arrive after 7 pm, you need an I.D. and you
must use the back entrance
---------- Thursday ----------
FRIDAY, APR 17, 2009
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5:30AM: Get on the Bus to NYC Demonstration
Leaves Alewife Station, Cambridge
Amnesty International Local Group 133 of Somerville
14th Annual Get on the Bus for Human Rights!
Friday, April 17, 2009
All Day Event (Leave Boston at 530am, return by 11pm)
New York City (Registration at St. Bart's Church: 109
E. 50th St., NY, NY)
Cost: $40 bus/event registration; $8 event-only pre-
registration; $10 on-site event registration
Contact: Email: gotb@amnesty133..org, Web:
Why:
Get on the Bus for Human Rights (GOTB) is an annual
day of human rights education and activism organized
by Amnesty International USA Group 133 of Somerville,
MA.
Now in its fourteenth year, GOTB draws more than 1,000
students and activists from all over the Northeast to
NYC. Join us for a powerful day of human rights
education and peaceful action in front of embassies,
consulates and corporate headquarters in support of
human rights.
This year raise your voice in the streets or write
letters from home to help free political prisoners in
Burma, protect civilians in Sri Lanka, stand up
against human rights violations by mining companies in
Guatemala and protect free speech in Tibet.
Travel info:
Traveling to and from NYC with us? The morning begins
in Boston at the Red Line Alewife Station; buses leave
at 530am and return by 11pm. Traveling to and from NYC
on your own? Be sure to pre-register for the event.
Schedule of the Day:
Registration on-site in NYC begins at 10am, speakers
panel begins at 11am and rallies run throughout the
day until 5pm.
Registration Deadlines:
Sign up by Friday, April 1 for bus transport for $40
(includes event-registration).
Sign up by Monday, April 13 for event-only pre-
registration for $8.
Sign up on-site on Friday, April 17 for $10.
To register visit http://www.gotbregister.org
or email.
---------- Friday ----------
SATURDAY, APR 18, 2009
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No events to post at this time.
---------- Saturday ----------
FUTURE EVENTS
SUNDAY, APR 19, 2009
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0419 Sun 1600pm (film "Meat the Truth", Allston)
From the Boston Vegetarian Society:
SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2009
4 PM - Speaker/Seminar (FREE)
5:30 PM - Vegan Buffet Dinner ($$)
4 PM SEMINAR (Free) --
"Meat the Truth"
The massive impact of livestock farming on climate
change (the documentary is in English). Introduction
and Q & A led by Wim de Kok.
No RSVP needed. Just turnip!
It's Earth Month and global warming is on our minds
more than ever. We are so pleased to present a new
Dutch-produced documentary, "Meat the Truth," which is
done in the style of Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth"
and presents the case for meat production's impact on
climate change. It is a must-see companion film to An
Inconvenient Truth, presenting the critical
information omitted from the earlier film and
contributing to societal discussion about movement
towards plant-based diets and thus also a more humane
society.
Dutch activist Wim de Kok will be with us to introduce
the film and address questions at the end. Wim de Kok
is Executive Director of World Animal Net and founder
of several Dutch animal rights organizations. He is a
close colleague of the film's producer Karen Soeters
and the presenter Marianne Thieme, a member of the
Dutch Parliament. A Dutch newspaper proclaimed Thieme
"A worthy successor to the Nobel prize winner."
Two years ago a member of the Dutch Parliament joined
BVS at a Dining Out while in Boston for a conference,
and shared with us a bit about the work she and
Marianne Thieme are doing in Parliament for animal
protection.
ALL WELCOME
5:15 PM - SOCIAL DINNER (optional) - let us get to
know you!
Stay and enjoy Grasshopper's delicious unlimited vegan
buffet for only $9.50+ tax + tip Includes appetizers,
soups, salad, numerous entrees, and fresh melons.
LOCATION for seminar and dinner:
Grasshopper (an all-vegan restaurant)
1 North Beacon St.
Union Square, Allston (Boston)
617-254-8883
See directions below.
Evelyn Kimber
Boston Vegetarian Society
www.BostonVeg.org
Info: 617-424-8846 BVS
---------------------
DIRECTIONS:
---------------------
Grasshopper is located in Union Square Allston (the
intersection of Cambridge St., Brighton Ave, and North
Beacon St.) The Jackson Mann School is on one side of
Union Square, Grasshopper is on the opposite side, and
Twin Donuts is on another side.
BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION (Green Line or buses) --
The closest subway stop is Allston St. on the Green
Line B car (Commonwealth Ave. line). Get off there;
facing outbound, take a right on Allston St. Follow
Allston St. 4/10 mile to where it ends at Brighton
Ave. Turn left (at Burger King) and walk 50 yards to
Union Sq. Grasshopper is on the opposite side of the
square.
The #66 bus (Dudley Station - Harvard St. - Union
Square - Harvard Square)
The #57 bus (Kenmore Station - Union Square -
Watertown Square)
The #64 Bus (Oak Square - Union Square - University
Park or Kendall Sq.- Central Square)
BY CAR --
Parking: Free street parking. Allow time to find a
space. There is a big Super Stop & Shop parking lot
two blocks away. It is posted as customer parking
only, so if you need groceries or to shop... Pass
Grasshopper and continue west on N. Beacon St. Go
straight through the light at Everett St. Turn right
on Arthur St. (between Volvo and Wolfers Lighting.)
Turn right into the Super Stop & Shop lot. Park at the
far end, in front of A.J. Wright. On foot, turn right
out of the driveway, one block up Everett St., then
left on N. Beacon.
>From Kenmore Square in Boston: stay right at the fork
and get onto Commonwealth Avenue. Continue on Comm.
Ave. and when it bends to the left (trolley tracks
will bend to the left) you go *straight* onto Brighton
Ave. Continue several blocks into Union Square. You
will see Twin Donuts ahead. Grasshopper is on the
right side of the intersection.
>From Storrow Drive: turn onto Cambridge Street
(opposite the River Street Bridge) and follow it
straight into Union Square. Grasshopper is on your
right.
>From Mass Pike: take Exit 18 toward Allston/Brighton.
Get on Cambridge St. and follow it straight into Union
Square. Grasshopper is on your right.
bostonveg.org
---------- Sunday ----------
0419 Sun 1730pm (white training, CCB)
Sundays 5:30 - 8:30pm (5pm prayer/reflection service)
April 19 - May 10 at the Community Church of Boston
(565 Boylston Street - Copley Square)
$25.00 per person to cover costs
Jason Lydon will be offering this training geared
towards White people wishing to engage in challenging
the systems of White supremacy that impact our
communities, organizations, and world. We will ask
and answer questions about what Whiteness is, how
white culture shapes our society, and what we can do
to develop strategies that challenge racism.
Attendance at all workshops is expected as we will be
using a progressive curriculum that builds on the
ideas from the previous week.
Please register in advance for the workshop. Find
registration information at:
communitychurchofboston.org/home/?p=41
Jason is the Congregational Director of the Community
Church of Boston and a member of Groundwork - a Youth
and Young Adult Unitarian Universalist Anti-
Racism/Anti-Oppression Trainer/Organizer Collective.
Jason Lydon
Congregational Director
Community Church of Boston
565 Boylston St
Boston, MA 02116
office: 617.266.6710
cell: 617.519.4387
www.communitychurchofboston.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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