PLUS:
Saturday, May 6

10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.   Town Meeting--the Crisis in Health Care
Church of the Advocate, 18th & Diamond Sts., Philadelphia, PA
Donations accepted   For info, see www.phillyhealth.org or call 215-280-3776.

10:00 a.m.   Reading by Suzanne Povse: Stories from the Shop Floor
Philadelphia Folklore Project, 734 S. 50th St., Philadelphia, PA
Ms. Povse writes from her 28 years of experience working up to be a top skilled tool-and-dye maker. Women in the trades or those interested in women workers' experiences encouraged to come with stories.
Free, sponsored by Philadelphia Folklore Project   For info, call 215-726-1106 or www.folkloreproject.org.

1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.   Workshop on Medicare Part D & Social Security
Church of Faith, 772  N. 38th St., Philadelphia, PA
Sponsored by the National Peoples' Economic Committee   For info, call 215-747-4122 ask for Robert.

Sunday, May 7

3:00-5:00 p.m.   Book Launch: Lorene Cary's "Great Escapes from Slavery on the Underground Railroad"
Memorial Church of the Good Shepard, 3820 The Oak Rd., Philadelphia, PA   For info, call Nicole at 215-204-7347.

7:30 p.m.   Folk Factory Concert: Tom Gala & Professor Louie
Unitarian Universalist Church, 6900 Stenton Ave., Philadelphia, PA   For info, see www.folkfactory.org, or cal 215-848-6246.

8:00 p.m.   CD Release Concert: Klingon Klez (klezmer band)
World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA
$18 per person (under 13 free)   For info, see www.klingonklezmer.com.

Tuesday, May 9

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Housing and You...Perfect Together (symposium for professionals who work with older adults)
Drexelbrook Conference Center, Drexel Hill, PA
Sponsored by Delaware County Office of Services for the Aging For info, call Theresa at 610-872-1215.

6:00-9:00 p.m. Generations of Activist: A Dialogue
1199C Training Fund, 100 South Broad St., 10th floor, Philadelphia, PA   For info, call 215-731-1007 x.202.

7:00 p.m. "The Morning After: The Politics of Emergency Contraception"
First Baptist Church, 19 W. Main St., Moorestown, NJ Sponsored by SJ NOW   For info, call 856-778-8320.

Thursday, May 11

9:00 a.m. to noon   Immigrant Providers' Forum (hosted by Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations)
PA Convention Center, Rm. 105AB, 1101 Arch St., Philadelphia, PA
To testify, ,call Jack Fingerman at 215-686-4675--limit remarks to 5 minutes & bring written testimony

7:00-9:00 p.m. "Who Makes the News?" a panel discussion with local news directors & newspaper editors
Temple University Center City, 1515 Market St., Rm. 222, Philadelphia, PA For info, call 215-563-1100.

Wednesday, May 17
12:00-2:00 p.m. Workshop: "Building Successful Coalitions" with Steve Honeyman (EPOP)
1199C Training Fund, 100 South Broad St., Philadelphia, PA
Cost is $5 pp, sponsored by Bread & Roses Barbara Smith Community School For info, call 215-731-1107 x. 202

Thursday, May 18

6:00-8:30 p.m.   Urban Sustainability Forum: "Redeveloping Healthy Neighborhoods"
Academy of Natural Sciences auditorium, 1900 Ben Franklin Pkwy., Philadelphia, PAFor info, call Roland at 215-299-1108.

7:30-10:30 p.m. Folk Factory Open Stage/Open Circle
Unitarian Church, 6900 Stenton Ave., Philadelphia, PA For info, see www.folkfactory.org or call 215-848-6246.

Friday, May 19
5:00-6:00 p.m.   Vigil to Stop Cuba Blockade
Old Courthouse, Broad & Delaware Sts., Woodbury, NJ   For info, email greatercamdenunitycoalition@yahoo.com


Saturday, May 20
11:00 a.m. to noon   Rally for Peace, Justice & Democracy
Bucks County Courthouse, Doylestown, PA   Sponsored by TurnAroundAmerica.org   For info, email tomulrich@mybluelight.com.

7:00-10:00 p.m.   "Mardi Gras Night" fundraiser for Camden United, Inc.
Christus Lutheran Church, N. 26th St. & Hayes Ave., Camden, NJ
$20, includes live zydeco, refreshments (no alcohol permitted)   For info, call 856-607-3600.

8:00 p.m. Fundraiser for Philadelphia FIGHT featuring River Huston
Allens Lane Art Center, Allens Lane at McCallum, Philadelphia, PA
$30 in advance, $35 at the door For info, call 215-985-4448 x.104.

EVENTS OCCURING EVERY WEEK:
Thursdays

6:00-8:00 p.m    Workshop: "Build Your Own Computer"
Nonprofit Technology Resources, 1524 Brandywine St., Philadelphia, Pa   $25 per session   To register, 215-564-6686.

7:00-9:00 p.m.   International Concerned Friends & Family of Mumia Weekly Meeting
4601 Market St., 5th floor, Philadelphia, PA   For info, call 215-476-5416.

Fridays

12 noon - 1PM   Vigil Against the Israeli Occupation
15th St between Walnut & Locust.

4:30 p.m.   Anti-war leafleting and picket
Market & 11th Sts., Philadelphia, PA   For info, email pawf@critpath.org

5:00 p.m.   Vigil--Women in Black
Swarthmore Train Station, Park Ave. & Chester Rd., Swarthmore, PAFor info, email wibswarthmore@hotmail.com.

Saturdays

10:00 a.m. to noon
"Talking Union" weekly call-in radio show, 1340 AM

noon-1:00 p.m.   Peace Vigil
Rte. 38 & Cherry Hill Mall Dr., Cherry Hill, NJ   For info, email greatercamdenunitycoalition@yahoo.com

1:00-2:00 p.m.   Protest at Ferber Furs
1708 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA   For info, email phillyar@yahoogroups.com.

Mondays

5:00-7:00 p.m.   Radio Show: "Labor to Neighbor" with hosts Janet Ryder, Pat Eiding &   Pete Matthews
900 AM WURD--215-634-8065.

6:00-9:00 p.m.   Weekly ACT UP Meeting
St. Luke's Church, 330 S. 13th St., Philadelphia, PA   For info, email actupphilly@critpath.org

Tuesdays  7:30 p.m.   Books Through Bars Packing Cafe   The A Space, 4722 Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, PA
Help pack books to send to prisoners.   Email info@booksthroughbars.org

Wednesdays

4:30-5:30 p.m.   Peace Vigil   Federal Building, 601 Market St., Philadelphia, PA
Sponsored by House of Grace Catholic Worker   For info, email brandywine@juno.com .

5:00 p.m.   Vigil for Peace
Outside Unitarian Society of Germantown, 6511 Lincoln Dr., Philadelphia, PA   For info, see www.northwestpeacecoalition.org.

6:00 p.m.   Movement Class taught by Sophia Hoffer-Perkins
A-space, 4722 Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, PA   Sliding scale donations   For info, 215-727-0882.

7:00 p.m.   Peace Vigil   Germantown Ave. & Bethlehem Pike, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, PA
For info, see www.northwestpeacecoalition.org.

7:30 p.m.   International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement Weekly Meeting
Uhuru House, 1021 S. 49th St., Philadelphia, Pa   For info, see www.inpdum.org.
_______________________________________________________________________________


Invitation to the 3rd annual INTERFAITH WALK for PEACE and RECONCILIATION

        Sunday, June 4, 12:30 PM (gathering and salat prayers), 1:00 PM (program start),
        Al-Aqsa Center, 1501 Germantown Avenue (at 3rd & Jefferson Sts.)
Starting with a gathering at 12:30 PM and program at 1:00 PM at Al-Aqsa Center.  We will be walking from the mosque to two churches (Catholic and Protestant), past the Liberty Bell at Independence Mall and concluding at a synagogue.  Please save the date and walk with us if you can.  An accompanying bus also will be available for anyone without the stamina to walk the entire distance (less than four miles).
        The Peace Walk occurs not simply on one afternoon of the year, but as a continuing spiritual journey-an exciting        celebration of peacemaking in the midst of a world where our government and others are often promoting war.
- PLEASE WEAR WHITE (OR AT LEAST WHITE SHIRTS). Bring water or snacks.
- Banners/signs are limited to say the words:  "Salaam, Shalom, Peace."
-------------------
Summer Film Series -
Sponsored by the Network of Arab-American Professionals, The Philadelphia Java Company and the UofP. Middle East Center
        Every other Sunday evening at 7:45 PM at the Philadelphia Java Company,
        518 South 4th Street, Philadelphia, PA:
Sunday, May 7, 2006     Another Road Home
Sunday, May 21, 2006    Battle for Algiers
Sunday, June 4, 2006    Rana's Wedding
Sunday, June 18, 2006   About Baghdad
For more information and to confirm shows, dates and times:  www.phillyjewishpeace.org - 215.928.1811

==============

NATIONAL ACTION:

Operation Refuse War: A Week of Action Uniting Resisters In Celebration of International Conscientious Objectors Day

May 11-16 2006 New York City and Washington DC www.operationrefusewar.org, <http://www.operationrefusewar.org/>
        Through workshops, actions, and an international conference, Operation
Refuse War will highlight the difficulties that current conscientious
objectors face as well as help build relationships and connections
between the various communities within the anti-war movement.
- For more information and to register, check out operationrefusewar.org 212.228.0450 x102/ youth@warresisters.org
______________________________________________________________________________________


UFPJ's 2006 plan of action to Organize, Mobilize and Empower the Peace Majority began with the April 29th mobilization.

In the coming months we plan to:
- Expand the pressure on Congress and the White House to end the war on Iraq and bring all of the troops home now. We will work to prevent a pre-emptive war on Iran or any other country. We will continue to put people into the streets in marches and rallies and vigils; we will strengthen our legislative action and we will support non-violent civil resistance.
- Convene organizing conferences for UFPJ member groups, which will include skill-building workshops and training in building stronger, broader coalitions.
- Organize to make peace and justice issues the focal point of the election-year agenda, and to mobilize voters for peace.

One way you can be part of this dynamic program of work is to become a UFPJ Sustainer by making a monthly donation. If each one of you gave $10 or $15 a month, or a quarterly donation of $25, we would have the resources we need to move forward.
Or you could make a personally significant one-time contribution -- whether that is $50, $500 or $5,000, please know that however much, or however frequently, you can give, your donations are immediately put to work by United for Peace and Justice. Your gift of dollars today will help us give the gift of peace tomorrow.
        Thank you for your support, Yours, for Peace and Justice,
        The UFPJ National Staff
        Mail all checks to UFPJ at P.O. Box 607, Times Square Station, New York, NY 10108.
ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
To subscribe, visit www.unitedforpeace.org/email
________________________________________________________________________________________


Fellowship of Reconciliation Interfaith Peace Builders Delegations to Palestine & Israel
July 15-29, 2006
Cost:  The cost of $1,850 includes: 15 days, hotel and home stay accommodations, breakfasts and dinners, local transportation, guides, speaker/event fees, basic tips and gratuities.  The cost does not include domestic and international airfares.  Limited scholarships may be available for students and low-income participants.  Please inquire.
To learn more about the program visit our website: www.forusa.org/programs/ipb/default.html
_______________________________________________________________________________________________


 Mexico Election Observation Invite from Global Exchange

Requirements:
We are looking to field small groups of observers with high levels of
expertise in election observation, good writing skills, background in
Mexican politics and/or election issues, and a willingness to work long
hours to document and report on a complex situation. Good Spanish skills ­
speaking, reading, and writing ­ are essential. You need not be a citizen of
the United States to apply.

Application Deadlines:
May 15 is the deadline for the June 27-July 5, observation delegation.    
The size limit of this delegation will be larger than the first delegation.
We hope to be able to accept as many highly qualified applicants as possible.

To apply, mexico@globalexchange.org with subject line ³Electoral Observation Application²

Ted Lewis,Founding Director, Mexico Program, Global Exchange
______________________________________________________________________


- A Call to Action St. Augustine Justice Peace - Action on Darfur Now

Right now a campaign of rape, slaughter and displacement is currently being carried out in the western region of Sudan, the largest country in Africa. Government-supported troops have displaced 2.5 million people in the past two years, hundreds of thousands have died due to attacks, disease and starvation, and it is estimated that 500 men, women and children continue to die every day.

You can make a difference today by sending a postcard to President Bush at http://www.MillionVoicesForDarfur.org!
For more information visit http://www.SaveDarfur.org
---
 Urgent Action: Women in Sudan (incl, Darfur) Need Our Help

"If we don't get to work on it today, there's a few thousand people who will be dead by the end of the week." - George Clooney
"If people are aware of the facts, I believe many will be driven to action." -Angelina Jolie

People in Sudan need our help-the situation is urgent.  The UN World Food Program reported today that it is cutting food rations to Darfur  by 50 percent due to a lack of funding.  Our partner in Sudan, Zenab, a Sudanese women's organization, works in these camps.  Zenab knows the women and children directly affected by the crisis, and is ready to respond. 
They will:
provide programs to prevent gender-based sexual violence (including rape); create spaces where women can have privacy-for example when they use the toilet; and provide counseling and play therapy to traumatized children who find themselves in refugee camps, many of them without their grown-ups.
They will bring food, clothing, toys, and more.
We know you care, please send your contribution today.
Send your contribution to MADRE by mail or over the phone to:
MADRE
121 West 27th Street, Room 301, 
New York, NY 10001
Tel. (212) 627-0444  Contribute online by visiting http://madre.kintera.org/darfur
_____________________________________________________________________________


"NO" to Sacrificing the Arctic and Sending each of us a $100 rebate, Robert Redford, NRDC Action Fund

The Senate front men for Big Oil are doing their best to convince
Americans that sacrificing the Arctic and sending each of us a $100 rebate
check will solve all our problems at the pump.
    Please drop what you're doing because here we go again. Senate leaders are
again exploiting rising gas prices to rush a bill to the floor that would
destroy the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and boost oil industry profits. The
vote could come as early as Tuesday.
    There's only one way to expose these lies and prevent the sacrifice of
America's greatest wildlife refuge: Help light up the Senate switchboard today!

Please call your two Senators right now:
        In PA: Senator Arlen Specter: (202) 224-4254
        Senator Richard Santorum: (202) 224-6324

Tell them to vote NO on the Gas Price Relief and Rebate Act. Tell them you will
not trade the Arctic Refuge for $100 or be fooled by policies that do nothing
to solve the real problem of America's dangerous dependence on oil. Urge them
to get to work on cutting oil consumption by improving the mileage of our cars
and promoting clean and renewable energy.
From: Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).[alerts@nrdcactionfund.org]
_____________________________________________________________________________


 Release Etaf 'Alyan from Prison in Tel Aviv, Women`s Organization for Political Prisoners (WOFPP)
                      P.O. Box 31811, Tel Aviv Tel. and Fax  +972-3-5227124  E-mail: trn1@zahav.net.il

  The administrative detention of Etaf 'Alyan has been extended for six months
Etaf 'Alyan, 42 years old, administrative detainee, from Ramallah, mother of an 18 months old  baby.
>
 On 22 December 2005 she was taken from her house in
> Ramallah by the Israeli army to Hasharon Prison (Tel
> Mond). Following an appeal, her six months'
> administrative detention order was reduced to four
> months. On 23 February she was transferred to Neve
> Tirza Prison (Ramallah). On 26 April 2006, the day Etaf
> 'Alyan was supposed to be released, the Defense
> Ministry issued an order to extend her
> administrative detention for another 6 months.
>
> Administrative detention means that the detainee is
> being held without charge or trial, and the
> detention can be extended arbitrarily.

 â?~Etaf, a previous longtime prisoner, had been held
> in Israeli prisons over 10 years at different times.
> After her release and between her arrests, she
> established several social projects in Bethlehem: a
> center for women, and a kindergarten that developed
> into a primary school. After her marriage she moved
> to Ramallah and opened an Internet Café for women
> and girls who can surf and study Internet there.

 Please write urgent letters asking to release Etaf 'Alyan. Send your letters to the following:

 Minister of Defence, Mr Shaul Mofaz  Fax: +972-3-6976218     E-mail:  sar@mod.gov.il
 Acting Prime Minister, Mr  Ehud Olmert Fax: +972-2-6513955   E-mail  pm_eng@it.gov.il
 Minister of Justice, Mrs. Tzipi Livni  Fax: +972-26287757    E-mail  sar@justice.gov.il
_______________________________________________________________________________________


TELL CONGRESS: RESTORE WORKERS' FREEDOM TO FORM UNIONS

Some 57 million U.S. workers say they would join a union if they could.  But when workers try to gain a union voice on the job, employers respond with intimidation, harassment and retaliation.  And our labor laws are too weak to stop them.

The Employee Free Choice Act would ensure that when a majority of employees in a workplace decide to form a union, they can do so without the debilitating obstacles employers now use to block their free choice.

Specifically, the Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 1696 and S. 842) would strengthen protections for workers' freedom to form unions by requiring employers to recognize a union once a majority of workers signed cards authorizing union representation. It also would provide for mediation and arbitration of first-contract disputes and authorize stronger penalties for employers that violate the legal rights of workers seeking to form unions or negotiate first contracts. Please send a message to your U.S. senators and representative urging them to co-sponsor the Employee Free Choice Act.
ACTION PAGE: http://www.clearwaterforcongress.com/petitions/pnum212.php
_______________________________________________________________________________________


Equal Rights - Si Se Puede!

In a country built by the labor of those of us that came here
and those of us that were brought here, some of us in search of
the supposed U.S. dream and some of us in bondage, some of us
with documents and some of us without, some of us with family
and some of us without, we must remember the struggles of our
past and the promise of our future.

That is why USAS supported the "Great American Boycott: Day
without an Immigrant" and follow the Points of Unity:
 No Work, No School, Buy Nothing, Sell Nothing.

May 1st 2006, as in the rest of the world, celebrated
working people. Today, May 1st 2006, will also demand an end to
scape-goating and xenophobia that is promoted by corporate
globalization and its institutions and governments.

" We are not terrorists, we are America. America does not mean the
United States: America is a continent! And each day, change for
social justice is again taking hold in "our" America."

We demand that the U.S. Senate stop the passage of the racist,
anti-immigration House resolution HR4437, and stop the
criminalization of immigrant communities and those that provide
services to them. We demand comprehensive immigration reform,
including a path to citizenship (not just a temporary guest
worker program), family reunification measures, worker
protection and full rights for all immigrants.
                                        * For a growing list of actions visit
http://www.infoshop.org/wiki/index.php/May_Day_2006 and http://www.actionla.org/Campaigns/NoHR4437/events.html

Please send us pictures and stories of your participation - as well questions you may have.
                        "El pueblo unido...jamas sera vencido!"
If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for United Students Against Sweatshops at:
http://www.unionvoice.org/studentsagainstsweat/join.html?r=hdzhItM1RuIaE
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Summer With CODEPINK!

Summer is around the corner and the peace movement is heating up. This past weekend over 300,000 marched in the streets of New York City (http://www.codepinkalert.org//article.php?list=type&type=139) calling for an end to the Iraq war. On Monday, millions of people participated in a general strike to demand rights for immigrants. Thousands of mothers and their children are making plans to join us in DC for our Mother's Day vigil (http://www.codepinkalert.org//article.php?list=type&type=123). Keep the momentum going and step up your activism to stop the war by joining us this summer (http://www.codepinkalert.org/article.php?list=type&type=124) as we work to create peace from Wisconsin to Texas to Syria!

Travel, work, learn and renew this summer with CODEPINK's exciting peace building opportunities:

- Peace Delegation to Jordan and Syria (http://www.codepinkalert.org//article.php?id=908)
June 12 - 21
Journey to Jordan and Syria, Iraq's western neighbors, where you'll meet with Iraqis to hear their first-hand accounts of conditions in Iraq, how they view American occupation, their views how to end it, and what they think of the prospects for reconciliation in post-occupation Iraq.

- Vancouver World Peace Forum (http://www.codepinkalert.org//article.php?id=922)
June 23 - 28 - Join Cindy Sheehan, Jodie Evans, Medea Benjamin, the Vancouver peace community and peace-makers from around the world for a week of dialogue and workshops on building peace in the world.

- Cycle for Peace & Justice (http://www.codepinkalert.org/article.php?id=954)
June 5 - August 15- Experience the ride of a lifetime, promote peace, and counter military recruitment on Global Exchange's bike trip across the country from Seattle to DC. Come for the entire ride or join Medea Benjamin and Fernando Suarez del Solar for a special CODEPINK route from Madison to Chicago, July 21-25.

- Camp Casey 2006: Back to the Bush Ranch (http://codepinkalert.org/article.php?list=type&type=70)
August 16 - August 24- This August rejoin Cindy Sheehan and CODEPINK as we head back to Crawford, Texas to confront an ever-vacationing president with a growing majority of anti-war voices.

- Retreat at the Crossings in Austin (http://www.codepinkalert.org//article.php?id=882)
August 24 - 27- Unburden, inspire and renew your heart at this activist retreat with the cofounders of CODEPINK; Medea Benjamin, Jodie Evans, Gael Murphy. Special guests and speakers include Cindy Sheehan, Ann Wright, Diane Wilson and over 100 other peace-loving women from around the country.

- CODEPINK Intern (http://codepinkalert.org/article.php?id=444?)
June - August- Spend your summer working for peace by interning for CODEPINK's Los Angeles & San Francisco offices. Help develop campaigns, plan actions, and build the global women's peace movement! Click here to apply (http://www.codepinkalert.org/downloads/LA_INTERNSHIP_APPLICATION.doc).

- Youth Summer of Resistance in DC (http://www.summerofresistance.org/)
June - August- the Summer of Nonviolent Resistance will bring an energetic presence of youth to the Nation's capital to manifest "arts in action" and nonviolent resistance to the Iraq war.

Whatever you plan to do this summer, we hope that you'll turn up the heat on your activism and challenge yourself to be as creative and effective as possible in making a personal contribution to the global peace movement! Sign up or ask for more information now, summer@codepinkalert.org.-
        In Pink Protest, Allison, Dana, Farida, Gael, Jodie, Medea, Nancy, Rae and Tiffany

P.S. Don't forget to join us for Mother's Day in DC, and sign up so we can keep you informed about the exciting daily additions to the plans (http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/codepink/signUp.jsp?key=1148). If you can't come to DC, please consider honoring the Mothers of the Fallen by sending a Mother's Day rose to Washington, DC to let them know you stand with them -- and against the war. Organic roses will be presented to the mothers and then tied to the fence outside the White House as a memorial to the dead and a call for peace. Click here to send your rose now! (http://www.workingforchange.com/Order/index.cfm?OrderFormID=8).

============

HEALTHY HINTS / Daily Tip Healthy Cabinets, Dr Weil

Most pantries hold a mix of unhealthy food items, but cleaning out the questionable ones and restocking your cabinets with healthful choices isn't difficult - start with the following guidelines:

* Toss out any cereals and breads that are refined, presweetened or made with white flour, and replace them with organic,       high-fiber cereals, steel-cut oats or organic, natural instant varieties of hot cereals, and whole-grain breads.
* Replace instant soups (which can very high in sodium), rice or noodle mixes (often high in sodium and undesirable fats)
        and instant drink mixes (such as iced tea, instant coffee and sugary hot chocolate mixes), with cooked whole grains,    dried beans, peas and lentils, and high quality green, white or oolong tea.
* Add some spices - an important part of the anti-inflammatory kitchen and diet. Herbs are best when used fresh, but dried      herbs, such as basil, sage, thyme, and rosemary, can keep their healthful characteristics and aroma very well.

==========


COMMENTARY:

===Plan to pay Palestinian wages faces US objections, 01 May 2006  By Adam Entous
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L01694173.htm

JERUSALEM, May 1 (Reuters) - The United States is trying to block
Arab and European proposals to pay salaries directly to Palestinian
Authority workers to ease the Hamas-led government's funding crisis,
Western diplomats said on Monday.
        The Authority is $1.3 billion in debt and has no income to pay long
overdue salaries to 165,000 government employees.
It has been unable to receive funds from abroad because local,
regional and international banks fear sanctions by the United States,
which regards Hamas as a terrorist organisation.
        Diplomats said U.S. pressure on banks could scuttle plans by the
Cairo-based Arab League to sidestep U.S. restrictions by making
direct deposits into the accounts of Authority workers.
        The United States could also use its clout in the Quartet of Middle
East mediators to block a proposal by France to set up a trust that
would pay salaries and be overseen by the World Bank.
The Quartet -- the United States, the European Union, Russia and the
United Nations -- operates by consensus.
_________________________________________________________________________


===Settlers attack IDF jeep driving Palestinian children from school By Eli Ashkenazi, Haaretz  20:38 29/04/2006
      Residents of the West Bank settlement of Maon, located in the southern Hebron Hills, renewed their efforts on Saturday to prevent Palestinian children from traveling to and from school.

      The settlers threw stones and eggs at an Israel Defense Forces jeep accompanying Palestinian children from school to their village of Hirbat Al-Tuwani. Despite the fact that a large police and military force was called to the scene, no arrests were made. The settlers, along with residents of the nearby outpost of Havat Maon, are involved in an ongoing effort to prevent the passage of children to and from school through settlement property.

      The IDF and police provide security jeeps to accompany and protect the children. However, the children's parents have been attacked on four separate occasions in the past week while trying to facilitate the travel. On Saturday afternoon, IDF soldiers drove five children home for fear of their being attacked. Next to Maon's chicken coops, dozens of settler adults and youth ambushed the armored vehicle, surrounding it and pounding it with stones and eggs. Large police and army forces were called to the scene, but it took close to an hour to clear a path to allow the jeep, with the children, to continue on its way. None of the passengers of the jeep were injured. While no arrests were made, nine Israeli peace activists, called on by Palestinians for help, were removed from the scene.

===The 1953 Iran Coup
Some experts see this as the biggest blunder by the US and UK. Iran today could have beed the beacon of a democratically elected government in the Middle East - and who knows, the other nations around them may have followed their example. But the greed of free oil always overcomes reason.

Here are some excerpts:
After nationalizing the oil industry Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh was overthrown in a coup orchestrated by the CIA and British intelligence. The crushing of Iran's first democratic government ushered in more than two decades of dictatorship under the Shah, who relied heavily on US aid and arms. The anti-American backlash that toppled the Shah in 1979 shook the whole region and helped spread Islamic militancy. The U. S. involvement in the fall of Mossadegh was not publicly acknowledged until three years ago. In a New York Times article in March 2000, then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright admitted that "the coup was clearly a setback for Iran's political development. And it is easy to see now why many Iranians continue to resent this intervention by America in their internal affairs." 
        Read it all at:  http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=03/08/25/1534210#transcript

        There is about 32 minutes of video program (very interesting) to view at:
        http://play.rbn.com/?url=demnow/demnow/demand/2003/aug/256/dnB20030825a.rm&proto=rtsp&start=26:42.0


=== Number Of Iraqi Civilians Slaughtered In America's War? As Many As 250,000
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11674.htm

===Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In Bush's War 2400
http://icasualties.org/oif/

The War in Iraq Costs $277,429,060,471
See the cost in your community http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182

===Why Shouldn't Iran Have Nuclear Weapons? Israel has American warheads ready to fire By James C Moore
As international political powers seek Iran's capitulation on nuclear weapons development, little notice is given to what the Americans and the British have done to create this crisis nor what steps the Israelis might eventually take to make it profoundly more complicated.  http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12894.htm

===Take Back the Oil Companies By Mike Whitney
2,400 American servicemen and 100,000 Iraqis have now sacrificed their lives on the altar of corporate profiteering. Bush has spread his energy war from Central Asia to the Middle East; increasing the incidents of terrorism by 4 fold. At the same time, the American middle class has been crushed by government malfeasance and diminishing civil liberties even though well-heeled oil moguls are raking in the largest profits in history.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12898.htm

===Destroying to Save- The Not so Hidden Agenda in Administration Policies  By Daniel Jordan and Neil Wollman
The Neo-Con's vision of a "New American Century" has dragged us into an Anti-American Century in which our children will pay dearly for our mistakes. Destroying our country and others is not a form of salvation, but of mass suicide.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12895.htm

===Mission Accomplished Day  By Cindy Sheehan
The Mission Accomplished Day (or, Operation Codpiece) public relations' dream for the presidential pelvic zone has turned into a frighteningly real nightmare for so many people around the world who have had sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and oftentimes entire families wiped out and devastated by the strutting and smirking terrorist who was feeling mighty "chipper" last night at the Washington Correspondent's annual dinner as the 2400 th soldier was being killed.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12904.htm

===Iraq: On the Verge of Collapse:
The British and the Americans are guarding Iraq's Persian Gulf oil platforms -- the troubled country's only real sources of revenue -- like crown jewels. But Iraqi oil is flowing sluggishly at best, while hoped-for investments haven't materialized and the Iraqi oil industry is on the verge of collapse -- both technical and political.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12899.htm

===War pimp alert: We may have to bomb Iran:
There doesn't seem to be much doubt that their intention is to produce nuclear weapons; a handful every year, perhaps.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2088-2157918,00.html

=== US deceiving world on Iran nuclear program: official:
The US is trying to deceive the world on Iran's nuclear program by making it appear that the program has objectives beyond civilian ones, said Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Mohammad-Javad Zarif today.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/060429/2006042904.html

=== Rice: U.S. may press Iran not only via UN on nuclear issue :
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned on Sunday the United States might take steps outside the UN Security Council to pressure Iran to stop its nuclear program.  http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/711267.html

== In case you missed it:  Video: Israel's Secret Weapon :
This film is the story of the bomb, Vanunu and Israel's wall of silence.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article6558.htm

==Hamas warns of new intifada if Palestinian rule fails:
A senior Hamas official has warned that attempts to bring down the Palestinian government could provoke the dissolution of the Palestinian Authority and lead to a new, more violent uprising.
http://tinyurl.com/kplsc

===US Imperialism Will Die This Century, Hugo Chavez Predicts :
This century will see the end of the US empire, said Hugo Chavez on Saturday during a rally in Havana, where he highlighted the progress of Latin American integration efforts.  http://tinyurl.com/k7ffh

===Depleted Uranium - Far Worse Than 9/11:
Depleated Uranium Dust - Public Health Disaster For The People Of Iraq and Afghanistan
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12903.htm

=== Bush challenges hundreds of laws :
President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/04/30/america/web.0430bush.php

===Cheney exempts his own office from reporting on classified material:
As the Bush administration has dramatically accelerated the classification of information as "top secret" or "confidential," one office is refusing to report on its annual activity in classifying documents: the office of Vice President Dick Cheney.
http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/politics/14462039.htm

===Video: Must Watch: Colbert Roasts Bush:
Stephen Colbert at the White House Correspondent Dinner
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12900.htm

===Cuba, Bolivia, Venezuela Reject U.S. Trade:
Bolivia's president signed a pact with Cuba and Venezuela on Saturday rejecting U.S.-backed free trade and promising a socialist version of regional commerce and cooperation. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1905711

===Open Letter to the Anti-War Movement
World Can't Wait addresses the need to confront the full scope of the Bush regime's fascist remaking of society and unending war on the world without tailoring our opposition to what's deemed "electable" by the Democratic Party leadership.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_world_ca_060428_open_letter_to_the_a.htm



*             *            *            *            *            *
Julia Ward Howe's Mother's Day Proclamation - 1870

Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons (and daughters) to be trained to injure theirs."