by madlittledebbie

Chicago Activists Mark Palestinian Land Day with Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Flash-Mob

On March 30th at 5 pm, a group of social justice activists held a "flash-mob" in downtown Chicago. The demonstration was organized as one of hundreds of demonstrations held around the world to mark the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions Global Day of Action, an annual event designed to call attention to the movement to boycott the apartheid policies of Israel. Demonstrators performed a choreographed dance to an original song called "BDS," a parody of "ABC" by the Jackson Five. Video of the flash mob is available here:

"In the lyrics to our song, we sing 'apartheid and ethnic cleansing go on in Palestine every day, but without the help of you and your money, the occupation will go away.' While the struggle to end Israel's apartheid policies is not an easy one, it's true that we in the United States can support justice and peace by refusing to support companies and institutions that support Israel and its occupation of Palestine," said Joy Ellison, an activist with Palestine Solidarity Group-Chicago (PSG-Chicago). "We hope that this flash mob empowers our community to stand up against apartheid and challenges Chicago businesses and institutions that are actively supporting the oppression of the Palestinian people."

Before this performance at "The Bean," the flash mob was held outside of Chicago Cultural Center, home of the Chicago Sister Cities International office. For the last two years, activists with PSG-Chicago have pressured the city of Chicago to end its relationship with its Israeli sister city, Petach Tikva. Petach Tikva, an officially segregated city, is the first Jewish-only settlement in historic Palestine and the site of the primary detention center where Israeli forces abuse and torture Palestinian political prisoners. Human Rights group Amnesty International dubbed Petach Tikva "Israel's Guantanamo."

"BDS" song available for download: http://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=http%3A%2F%2Fvocalo.org%2Fblogs%2Farchive%2F201103%2Fboycott-divestment-and-sanctions-jackson-5-sytle&session_token=BPEBGq4-YXxQ5L5y97xZhy_VdMd8MTMwMjY3MzkxNg%3D%3D

RTnews

A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Japan, triggering a new tsunami warning. Residents of the North-East of the country have been ordered to evacuate to higher ground - the region is still in tatters following the deadly tsunami of last month. Early reports warn of a wave up to 2 meters high. Japanese authorities say the workers trying to bring the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant under control, have been evacuated.

Russia Today

Susan Lindauer, a journalist and author of Extreme Prejudice: The Terrifying Story of the Patriot Act and the Cover Ups of 9/11 and Iraq, specializes in American interventions, and has never believed the allied forces intervened in Libya out of humanitarian reasons. It is a war for oil which was prepared long ago, Lindauer argues - anyone who cared about the Libyan people would stop immediately.

Russia Today

Tokyo has announced plans to dump nearly 12,000 tonnes of radioactive water from the Fukushima plant into the ocean. A spokesman for the crippled facility said it's necessary to free up storage space for more highly contaminated water, but insisted the waste wouldn't cause serious harm. Japanese officials predict months of leaks from the Fukushima power plant as workers struggle to plug a damaged reactor. Radiation levels in seawater and groundwater surrounding the site have reached many thousand times the legal limit. Last month's massive earthquake and tsunami has now claimed the lives of 12 thousand people, with some 15,000 still missing.

from: Bill Hughes

On Monday, April 4, 2011, a “We Are One” forum was held at BWI-Marshall Airport, just outside of Baltimore City. It purpose was to “express support for the right of workers to organize and to bargain collectively,” and “to honor a champion for all,” MLK, Jr. The event was sponsored by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). Speakers were: Joe McGeeney, AFGE Local 444; John Gage, National President, AFGE; Gerard Stansbury and Elbridge James, with MD NAACP; and Roxie Herbekian, President of Unite Here, Local 7. The forum was chaired by Ms. Amy Lloyd, Political Coordinator for AFGE. To learn more, go to: http://www.aflcio.org/issues/states/ and http://local.we-r-1.org/weareone/events/show/284

RTAmerica

US news media networks were quick to support military intervention in Libya without any questions or explanations. Jeff Cohen, journalism professor and former MSNBC producer says the political spectrum of American TV is very narrow and channels mostly reflect interests of American corporations like GE or GM.

from FAMeade

Author and human rights activist Frederick Alexander Meade provides analysis on the prison industrial complex. An excerpt from the syndicated columnist’s weekly two hour segment – Mondays with Meade - on WMCS 1290 AM, hosted by Earl Ingram Jr. (3:00 – 6:00 p.m. CST) www.frederickmeade.com

from: Bill Hughes

On Monday, at noon, on March 28, 2011, a press conference was held in front of Baltimore’s City Hall. Its purpose was to urge the General Assembly of Maryland, currently in session in Annapolis, to fully fund city schools and not to shift the cost of teacher pensions to the local school systems. Fred Mason is a union official. He charged that citizens should be “mad about the federal government misplacing tax dollars for wars.” He shared his views with me on this issue. Mr. Mason is the President, Maryland State and District of Columbia, AFL-CIO. To learn more about the school funding matter, go to:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=49961242985 To check out how tax dollars are wasted disproportionately on war funding, see: http://nationalpriorities.org/

from: Bill Hughes

On Monday, at noon, on March 28, 2011, a press conference was held in front of Baltimore’s City Hall. It featured Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake; the President of the Baltimore City Council, Jack Young; other elected officials, educators, union and community leaders; and the clergy. They all urged the General Assembly of Maryland, currently in session in Annapolis, to fully fund city schools and not to shift the cost of teacher pensions to the local school systems. Larry Young, a populars radio host, served as the M.C. for the program. To learn more go to:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=49961242985

Allenushkaa

Are you concerned about radiation from Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant reaching the U.S.? A Ukrainian girl who lived just 40 miles from Chernobyl is sharing her insights and observations about the nuclear accident aftermath. Please don't be fooled by any reports stating that radiation levels in the U.S. are not harmful. The girl is explaining the difference between natural background radiation and dangerous human made radiation coming from nuclear power plants, nuclear bombs, x-rays, ct scans, etc. Even minuscule amounts of this dangerous radiation is harmful to humans and eventually leads to cancer, premature aging and other health problems. Radiation emitted from crippled nuclear reactors is not just limited to the vicinity of that reactor. It is distributed for thousands of miles with the wind, and the emissions from Fukushima are not over yet. Protect your health. Be informed about negative health effects caused by ANY level of ionizing radiation.