from: William Hughes

On April 20, 2010, author and political gadfly Ralph Nader gave a lecture at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), in Baltimore, MD. He spoke before a near capacity audience for over an hour. During the Q&A, he was asked his opinion of President Barack Obama. Mr. Nader labeled Obama as “conflict-averse,” and criticized both his foreign and domestic polices. In response to a question about Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), Mr. Nader said Rep. Paul was a “fresh voice,” and that he was “right” about ending the current privately owned Federal Reserve System, (“The Fed”), and that it should be a public agency and held “accountable” to the U.S. Congress. Mr. Nader also praised Rep. Paul’s opposition to “the wars of aggression” and to “empires,” but disagreed with him on other social justice issues. Professor Fimin DeBrabander of MICA introduced Mr. Nader. For more information on Mr. Nader, go to: http://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=183

By Vanunu

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'I am Anna Baltzer.

My first reaction when I heard these things by the way was complete disbelief.

I thought there is no way, there is no way that Israel is anything different from what I believe it to be, and what I know it to be.

When I met people who told me anything different, I thought well these are perfectly nice people, but they have been brain washed. They have been told propaganda. And I set out to sort of try and prove them wrong. To show them that I knew what I was talking about.

And as soon as I began to do some research, I realized very quickly that I was the one who is missing a lot of information on this issue.

Full story »

from: William Hughes

On Saturday, April 17, 2010, poet John Murillo read excerpts from his first book of poetry, “Up Jump the Boogie.” The event took place at Baltimore’s celebrated Central Pratt Library, as part of the annual “CityLit Festival.” It was held in the Edgar Allan Poe room. Reviewer Kimiko Hahn wrote of Mr. Murillo’s debut book, “Dear reader, hold this book in your hands like a steering wheel and keep your eyes on the road.”

from: William Hughes

On Saturday, April 17, 2010, poet January Gill O’Neil read excerpts from her first book of poetry, “Underlife,” and from other material. The event took place at Baltimore’s celebrated Central Pratt Library, as part of the annual “CityLit Festival.” It was held in the Edgar Allan Poe room. Reviewer Afaa Michael Weaver has labeled Ms. O’Neil’s debut book, as “an exact eloquence, an excellent beginning.”

from: William Hughes

On Saturday, April 17, 2010, poet Shelley Puhak read excerpts from her first book of poetry, “Stalin in Aruba.” The event took place at Baltimore’s celebrated Central Pratt Library, as part of the annual “CityLit Festival.” It was held in the Edgar Allan Poe room. Reviewer Julianna Baggott has labeled Ms. Puhak’s book “deeply political and deeply personal,” and as a “startling debut.”

from: William Hughes

Jennifer Sullivan was one of the speakers at a National Press Club event, Murrow Room, on April 13, 2010, in Washington, D.C. The forum dealt with the influence of coporate lobbies on U.S. Elections. Ms. Sullivan said that as a result of the recent controversial, election-funding, related decision of the SCOTUS recognzing a corporation as a person, that she wants to “downsize the elections..we say enough.” We want “money out of the [public] elections--100 percent.” She labeled “money morality” as the key issue of the 2010 election. The affair was sponsored by the Green Party of Florida and the People’s Lobby Coalition for Public Funding Only for All Elections. Ms. Sullivan, who is the coordinator of the People’s Lobby and the regional representative for the Green Party of Florida, also served as the moderator at the forum.

from: William Hughes

At a press conference in Annapolis, Maryland, on Tax Day, April 15, 2010, social justice activists charged: “Fully one-third of the biggest corporations in Maryland paid absolutely nothing in state income taxes in 2007!” Matthew Weinstein, Fiscal Policy Director for “Progressive Maryland,” added: “The Maryland Chamber of Commerce (MCC) has played our state legislators for suckers for years...Maryland families are subsidizing business to the tune of $2 billion a year.” The event was held in front of the MCC’s office on West Street. It was sponsored by “The Heart of Maryland Coalition,” which is an ad hoc group comprising “non-profits, labor and progressive” organizations. See: http://www.progressivemaryland.org/page.php?id=268

from: William Hughes

On April 14, 2010, in Eastside District Court, in Baltimore, MD., criminal charges against Single Payer champions, Dr. Carol A. Paris and Margaret Flowers, were dropped by the prosecutor. Attorney Kevin Zeese explained what happened inside the court room. Then, Doctors Paris and Flowers shared their feelings about the outcome of the case. Background: On Jan. 29, 2010, Doctors Paris and Flowers were arrested outside a hotel, at the inner harbor, where President Barack Obama was slated to give a speech. They were on a sidewalk holding a banner. The doctors had a letter that they wanted to give to the President and/or one of his aides, re: "Medicare for All". They were arrested for trespassing and for refusing to obey a police order. Check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53RbYauyv_8
For information on Single Payer, go to: http://www.pnhp.org/ and http://www.prosperityagenda.us/ and http://www.healthcare-now.org/

from: William Hughes

Dr. Margaret Flowers is a Maryland pediatrician and Congressional Fellow for Physicians for a National Health Program, a single payer advocate and a musician. See: http://www.pnhp.org/ She was one of the speakers at a National Press Club event, Murrow Room, on April 13, 2010, in Washington, D.C. The forum dealt with the influence of coporate lobbies on U.S. elections. Dr. Flowers called for unity within the progressive movement in the struggle to “shift the power away from the corporations back into the hands of the people.” The affair was sponsored by the Green Party of Florida and the People’s Lobby Coalition for Public Funding Only for All Elections. Ms. Jennifer Sullivan, who is the coordinator of the People’s Lobby and the regional representative for the Green Party of Florida, served as the moderator.