CONTENTS:
PHILLY AREA ACTION:
NATIONAL
& INTERNATIONAL ACTION:
HEALTH RELATED:
Job
Opportunities:
COMMENTARY:
===========
PHILLY AREA
ACTION:
Voice your Outrage over the Federal Abortion
Ban
On Wednesday April 25th, two visibility events will be held
to
call attention to the Supreme Courts recent ruling. One will be
held at
12:00 pm in Center City Philadelphia. The other will be
held in St. Davids,
Pennsylvania in Delaware County at 5:30 pm.
Come out and show your dismay
over this recent ruling.
If this recent Court ruling has outraged you and
you are ready
to step up and get seriously involved in the fight to
protect
Reproductive Choice come out to our Activist Training. We will
be
holding a training in Swarthmore, PA on Saturday April 28th
from 10:30 am -
2:30 pm. This training will be held again in
Center City Philadelphia on May
22nd. Use these training to put
your outrage over this ruling to good use. We
will be leading
workshops on letter writing, lobbying, canvassing,
phonebanking,
our street squad and an update on the happenings in
the
legislature.
If you are interested in any of these events and want
more
information or to RSVP, e-mail
publicaffairs@ppsp.org
________________________________
Justice
Month Continues
To follow up on the success of Justice Month 2007 that
featured over thirty events by twenty-eight organizations during March 2007,
involved thousands of people, and was launched with a resolution by city
council. Please join us for a meeting to recap this year's events and to plan
for Justice Year and next year's
activities.
Wednesday April
25th at 6:00 pm
Breslin Training
Center of 1199C Hospital Workers Union
Auditorium
The Land Title Bldg.,
100 S. Broad St., 10th floor.
We are in the process of putting together a
Delaware Valley Criminal Justice Resource Guide and would like to include your
organization.
* Delaware Valley Criminal Justice Resource Guide
Information Form
Name of
Organization:
Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
Phone:
Fax:
Email:
Website:
Contact Person:
Political information - What district are you in
for the Following:
U.S.
House:
State
Senate:
State
House:
City
Council:
Organization's Mission Statement:
Who Do You
Serve:
What Category Do You Want To Be Listed In (Circle all that apply):
Prisoner Advocacy - Transportation - Death Penalty - Resources for Lifers -
Prisoner Organizations - Pen Pals - Political Prisoners - Innocence Projects -
Queer - Women- Parents and Children - Helath - Websites - restorative justice
Programs - Religion - Newsletters - Education on the Inside - Books - Resource
Guide - Art - Re-entry - Job Help
Return to & Coordinated by Locked Up,
108 S. 13th Street, Philadelphia PA 19107, fax 215-735-2670
For Further
Information: Judith Trustone, 610-328-6101, Judith@sagewriters.org
______________________________________________________________________________
Celebrate
May Day & Cinco de
Mayo
Friday, May
4, 2007
4515 Baltimore Avenue
Philadelphia, PA
at a book signing and presentation by Professor Walter
Howard (Professor of Labor History at Bloomsburg University) on his book "B.D.
Amis, African American Radical"
Hosted by the E. PA & DE District of the
Communist Party USA - Suggested donation $5, Students & unemployed $2. For
more information call 215-222-8895 or email
cpepa@snip.net
_____________________________________________________________________________
4th INTERFAITH WALK for PEACE and
RECONCILIATION
Sunday,
June 3, 2007, 1 - 5 p.m.
Northwest
Philadelphia (Germantown & Mount Airy)
Join us on this spiritual journey
walking, praying and singing for Peace
in the community, Peace in the streets
of Philadelphia and Peace
everywhere.
People from downtown and South Philadelphia will have a send off
ceremony at 11.45 a.m. at Al Aqsa
Masjid:
1501 Germantown Ave. and board the buses to Germantown at 12 p.m.
People from
the Northwest and northern suburbs will start at the first
stop at 1
p.m. Masjid Muhammad: 411 East Penn St. (off of Belfield
St.)
Parking available
2 p.m. St. Vincent's Church: 109 East
Price St. (near Chelten Ave.)
3 p.m. Germantown Mennonite Church:
21 West Washington Lane (west of Germantown Ave.)
4 p.m.
Germantown Jewish Centre: 400 W. Ellet St. (near Lincoln Drive)
During
the Peace Walk, buses will drive people who are physically unable
to walk.
The buses also will shuttle people to their cars between
Al-Aqsa Mosque,
Masjid Muhammad & Germantown Jewish Centre before and
after the
walk.
PLEASE WEAR WHITE (OR AT LEAST WHITE SHIRTS), NO POLITICAL BANNERS
-
For more information: www .interfaithpeacewalk.org
(215)
854-8038 & (215) 393-4748 Co-sponsored by: NIM.....Renate
Woessner
"I prayed for freedom for twenty years, but received no answer
until I
prayed with my legs" -- Frederick Douglas
===============================
NATIONAL &
INTERNATIONAL ACTION:
Save the Date: Global Day for
Darfur
Join Human Rights First and others in a Global Day for
Darfur on
April 29 and surrounding days. We need to send as strong
a
message as possible: Time is up. Protect Darfur.
Click here for a
list of 300 events in cities across the U.S.
http://action.humanrightsfirst.org/ct/7pMIInK1MQ6w/usevents
To
find an event closest to you in the U.S., click here.
http://action.humanrightsfirst.org/ct/7pMIInK1MQ6w/usevents
For
international events, click here.
http://action.humanrightsfirst.org/ct/77MIInK1MQ62/global
________________________________________
OPPOSE THE WAR- How to be effective
Handwritten
letters sent to local offices are effective. Paper mail
to the Washington
offices is very slow. Letters from children and
grandchildren are
valuable.
Phoning is always an option. It's particularly effective when
large
numbers of people call. Use this toll-free number 888-851-1879,
or
the regular Capitol Switchboard number, 202-224-3121, to make your
call(s).
And a good message any way we send it as long as the
supplemental
military appropriations bill is in conference is
"Stop the
war by stopping the funding."
In
Peace,
Legislative Committee, Granny Peace Brigade NYC &
Philadelphia
WE WILL NOT BE
SILENT!
______________________________________________________________
Is your food irradiated?
Hi everybody, This is Lela, and I'm just so angry right now
that the FDA is proposing
to take away the requirement that irradiated food must be labeled as
such.
Who the hell is running our country? Because I have so many
food
sensitivities, and an unexplained illness, I want to know what has
been done
to my food!
Please go to the
website below and take 30 secs to send an email. If
you would, please
add that people like me (and other illnesses that we
can't explain- like
cancer) are especially interested in knowing what has been
irradiated.
* Learn more and take action: http://www.organicconsumers.org/rd/irrad-label.cfm
Thanks!
Lela
_________________________________________________________________________________
May 1 Immigrant Rights Actions
UFPJ Stands with Immigrant
Communities to Challenge Bush's Policies at Home and Abroad
On May
1, immigrant communities and rights groups across the country will vigil, march,
boycott and rally for justice. Last year, more than a million marched on May 1
for immigration law reform.
In solidarity, United for Peace and Justice
urges our member groups to join the May 1 activities in communities near you. We
join the call for justice for immigrant communities as we challenge the Bush
administration's policies both at home and abroad. http://www.fairimmigration.org/events/
===
The
Congress will be discussing immigration law reform legislation in the next days.
What's at stake is whether laws will be passed that provide opportunities for
millions of hard-working immigrants who are already in the U.S. to apply for a
change of status and a path to eventual citizenship, or will the assault on the
rights of immigrants continue.
At
a time when Bush is escalating the war in Iraq, the administration and the right
wing are escalating a campaign of fear and intimidation in immigrant
communities. The Bush administration is launching raids, round ups and
deportations that split up families. Workers are being rounded up at work sites
while children are left behind at day care centers and schools. http://fairimmigration.org/learn/immigration-reform-and-immigrants/national-level/immigration-raids/
The
Bush administration's foreign and domestic policies are closely intertwined.
Both are premised on aggression, intolerance and manipulation of peoples' fears.
Ending foreign policies premised on control of resources - both human and
natural - will dramatically affect the conditions which compel people to migrate
from their home countries. Embracing those who have immigrated here under
difficult conditions will strengthen the democratic traditions of our
country
We know that peace abroad
is impossible without fighting for justice at home. As the peace movement stands
strong for justice and against the targeting of immigrant families who live and
work in our communities, we are strengthening the movement to end the immoral
war in Iraq and prevent a new war in Iran.
Resources: http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org , http://fairimmigration.org/
Judith Le Blanc , UFPJ
National Co
chair
____________________________________________________
For Earth & Every Day, Pledge to Live a One Planet
Life!
Earth Day is not just about buying "green." We need to think
more about how our lifestyle affects the planet and what we can do to reduce our
negative impact.
Watch the video about living a One Planet Life - http://go.care2.com/e/R8oR/h.zT/LQpK
After you watch
the video, take our pledge, begin living a One Planet Life by reducing your
environmental impact at home, at work, when you travel, and in your everyday
activities. It could be as easy as buying a few less clothes or taking public
transportation to work a few times a week.
When you sign the pledge, you will
receive free Care2 resources via email to help you get started.
http://www.care2.com
_____________________________________________________
Tell your Senator to vote FOR real drug safety
reform
Vioxx, Paxil, Zyprexa..drug companies knew their risks, but
failed to
tell the public. As a result, tens of thousands of Americans
suffered
or died from these
medications.
But thanks to help
from thousands of you, we can now pass real drug
safety reform this spring. A
"must pass" bill will give you and your
doctor critical information about
hazardous drug side effects--but the
drug industry is lobbying to strip off
hard won safety provisions.
Take a
moment right now to ask your Senator to vote
"Yes!" for strong reforms.
http://cu.convio.net/site/R?i=8Md2n24UbIA1qwtxid2Ptg..
_____________________________________________________
On the anniversary of Cesar's passing: Take action to help farm
workers
The Senate Labor Committee will vote on SB180,
the
"Fair Treatment of Farm Workers Act." This bill will allow
farm
workers to choose a union by either a secret ballot election or
a
"majority sign-up" process. Both processes will be
administered by the
Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB),
appointed by the
Governor.
Don't delay. This bill is crucial for farm workers who
face
tremendous pressure during a union election campaign.
Companies
threaten to close down if the union wins; threaten to fire
or
blacklist pro-union workers; threaten to close down company
housing.
These threats have a tremendous impact on these
workers. Workers deserve a
system which will allow them to vote
without grower intimidation and
coercion.
Please send your e-mail
today.
http://www.ufwaction.org/campaign/sb180cec/5gggwsrptiidk5?
____________________________________________________________
MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR MOTHER'S DAY: Celebrate Mother's Day
by getting together with family and friends to watch the Motherhood Manifesto
documentary film (it will be aired on PBS in much of the country-see the link to
find out when and where in the text below). *Just click here to register
your gathering: http://www.party2win.com/momsrising/hostparty/index.cfm
==============
HEALTH RELATED:
Three Foods for a Healthy
Mind - THANKS to Dr Weil
As you get older, you may
experience some difficulty in remembering the details of recent events, as well
as a diminished capacity to learn. To help keep your memory strong as you age,
consider supporting it through your diet.
Antioxidant-rich fruits and
vegetables. Antioxidants help counter oxidative stress, a process which can
damage cells and may accelerate aging. Fresh, organic vegetables and fruits (see
blueberries and the foods rich in vitamins C and E, below) are the best dietary
sources of antioxidants, although tea (in particular green tea) and dark
chocolate can contribute as well.
Blueberries. These gems deserve special
mention: In animal studies, researchers have found that blueberries appear to
improve coordinated muscle functioning and reverse age-related short-term memory
loss, and may also protect the brain from stroke damage. The active components
in blueberries are anthocyanin pigments - the protective compounds that make the
berries blue and are responsible for their antioxidant potency. Add them to your
cereal, salads, or eat as a snack!
Foods rich in vitamins C and E. These
two vitamins have been shown to have protective effects against inflammation,
which is linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. Good sources of
vitamin C include beans, oatmeal, citrus fruits, enriched pastas, fresh peas,
rice bran and wheat germ. For vitamin E, increase your intake of spinach,
sunflower seeds, wheat germ and whole grains.
=================
Job Opportunities:
A. Health Education Instructor, Pennsylvania Horticultural
Society
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is seeking a Health
Education Instructor responsible for teaching youth between the ages of 14 and
18yrs old the importance of healthy eating and living. Instructor would be
required to carry out a six week health curriculum for 5-7 hours a week.
Instructor could be asked to accompany students on field trips and other out
door activities. Instructor will utilize their health expertise to ensure that
students learn the basics of personal health and healthy eating and exercise.
Health education background and experience teaching young students along with
excellent interpersonal and problem solving skills is a
plus.
All cover letters and
resumes can be e-mail or faxed to Takkeem Morgan tmorgan@pennhort.org
fax:215.988.8810
=
B.
Professional Development Coordinator, Need Inn Deed
Since its
founding in 1987, Need in Deed's mission has been to work with students,
teachers and community partners to prepare youth for civic responsibility and
service to others. Our goal is to enable young people to become agents for
change - capable, contributing members of their community. We provide
professional development services for teachers, giving them the skills and tools
necessary for integrating service-learning with the academic curriculum. Our
primary mechanism of delivery for this is the My Voice Teacher Network, a
professional learning community comprised of current Network members and
graduates ("Teacher Consultants").
Job Description
Position: Professional Development Coordinator
Reports to:
Professional Development Director
Overall responsibility: Support Teacher Consultants in implementing NID's
service-learning framework in their classrooms. Work with program staff to
develop expanded professional development offerings and identify new
fee-for-service opportunities.
Salary: high 40s (w/benefits), DOE.
Email
resume to: kim@needindeed.org/ No calls, please.
C. Academic Coordinator, Philadelphia
Futures
Philadelphia Futures is seeking an Academic Coordinator
for its centerpiece program, Sponsor-a-Scholar (SAS), which assists students
attending Philadelphia¢s neighborhood high schools to prepare for and succeed in
college. The Academic Coordinator is responsible for designing and overseeing
the academic enrichment program for the 200+ high school students participating
in the SAS Program.
Major
responsibilities include: managing a program of after-school enrichment classes
and three campus-based summer programs for students in grades nine through 12;
assisting in coordinating major academic events including an annual conference
for 350+ students, parents and mentors; and assisting with grant and report
writing.
The successful candidate
will have substantial experience in teaching and/or training and in developing
educational programs along with a demonstrated ability to work effectively in a
collaborative decision-making environment. A demonstrated commitment to the
academic success of underrepresented students is required. Experience in a
college prep or comparable education program is a plus. The SAS Academic
Coordinator reports to the Sponsor-A-Scholar Director and works closely with a
staff of six Coordinators. This is a full-time position.
Please send
resumes and salary requirements to Joan Mazzotti, Executive Director,
Philadelphia Futures, 230 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 or e-mail
joanmazzotti@philadelphiafutures.org.
D. Summer
Green Corps, UC Green / Summer Employment
It's time to apply! UC
Green is seeking hard-working individuals looking for a rewarding outdoors job
caring for the young trees of our urban forest.
If you think you are
interested, please be sure to try out a volunteer event. Application form and
program overview available for download.
http://www.ucgreen.org/corps.pdf
E. AmeriCorps*VISTA Project Manager, PA Campus
CCompact
PACC is searching for a full-time AmeriCorps*VISTA
Project Manager to lead, guide and support our 28 PACC-VISTA projects led by
VISTA members. These VISTA members are based at higher education institutions
around Pennsylvania with a focus on building capacity of their host institutions
to address poverty in their communities.
The Project Manager will provide
leadership to the PACC-VISTA program through the following
tasks:
I. Administer and develop
the PACC-VISTA project by:
¨ Guiding and supporting PACC-VISTA members
¨
Supporting PACC-VISTA host sites and
supervisors
II. Serve as a liaison
between PACC and its national service
partners
III. Increase capacity of
PACC to serve its members E. Salary/Benefits: Starting salary mid- 40's
(negotiable based upon experience! and tra ining), health care benefit coverage
with contribution to TIAA-CREF retirement
The best candidate for this
position will be someone who has a passion for public service, enjoys working in
an environment that values collegiality, humor, and reflection, and works
equally as well independently and as a member of a team. Ideally, the project
manager will be an independent worker, capable of taking initiative and seeing
projects through to their completion. The project manager will be required to
conduct site visits throughout the state. This position requires occasional
overnight travel, weekend, and evening
work.
To apply for this position,
please mail a cover letter addressing your qualifications for the position, a
resume, and the names and phone numbers of three references by May 21, 2007
to:
Char Gray, Ph.D. , Executive
Director , Pennsylvania Campus Compact, One College Avenue, Box 4508 , Grantham,
PA 17027 , cgray@paccompact.org, 717-796-5076 x 2
* For More Info on above Job Opportunities contact: PHENNDUpdate
Discussion List [PHENNDUPDATE@LISTSERV.CRITPATH.ORG]; Hillary Aisenstein
[hillarya@pobox.upenn.edu]
===========
COMMENTARY:
At 8:41 A.M. the Vermont
State Senate, in its first order of business, passed a resolution calling for
the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick
Cheney.
Senate Resolution 16, sponsored by Windham County
Democratic Senators Peter Shumlin (who was presiding officer with Lt. Gov. Dubie
away), and Jeanette White, was adopted on a 16-9 roll call vote. Liza Earle, the
Richmond, Vermont nanny/activist who was one of the organizers of the grassroots
Vermont impeachment effort, was ecstatic. "It's really an incredible day for
democracy!" she told "Freyne Land" minutes ago.
Here's the text of S.R.
16:
Vermont's state senators do support a resolution requiring the United
States House Judiciary Committee to initiate impeachment proceedings against the
president and the vice president of the United States.
WHEREAS, President
George W. Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney have exercised the duties of
their respective offices with respect to both domestic and foreign affairs in
ways that raise serious questions of constitutionality, statutory legality and
abuse of the public trust;
WHEREAS, the president's conduct in his role
as commander-in-chief leading our nation into the military conflict in
Iraq and the vice president's continual advocacy for American troops remaining
in Iraq have cost the United States much of the good will that was extended in
the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United
States;
WHEREAS, the president and the vice president's domestic
leadership on issues relating to individual privacy and personal liberty under
law has raised constitutional issues of the greatest concern to the nation's
citizenry;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, that the
Senate of the State of Vermont urges Vermont's representatives in the United
States House of Representatives to introduce, and Vermont's United States
senators to support, a resolution requiring the United States House Judiciary
Committee to initiate impeachment proceedings against the President and the Vice
President of the United States, and be it further resolved that the secretary of
the Senate be directed to send a copy of this resolution to United States
Represenative Peter Welch, United States Senator Patrick J. Leahy, and United
States Senator Bernard Sanders.
===
*
Reid: Congress Will Endorse Iraq Pullout :
Defying a fresh veto
threat, the Democratic - controlled Congress will pass legislation within days
requiring the start of a troop withdrawal from Iraq by Oct. 1, Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid said Monday. http://snipurl.com/1hqt4
* Cuban
Militant Posada Carriles Released From New Mexico Jail *
A new phase
has opened in a case that highlights a major gap in how the U.S.
and many
others view international terrorism. Luis Posada Carriles walked
out of a New
Mexico jail last week, free on bail. Posada was being held on
immigration
charges but many want to see him tried for terrorism in
connection with the
1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner that killed 73 people.
Listen/Watch/Read http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/23/1350205
* Rev. John Fife Continues Immigrant Humanitarian Work 25+ Years
After
Launching Sanctuary Movement *
A new movement is growing
across the country to provide sanctuary to
immigrants in response to the rise
in deportations and work raids by the
federal government. The growing network
is being spearheaded by the Reverend
John Fife, the founder of the Sanctuary
Movement of the 1980s.
Listen/Watch/Read http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/23/1350219
* Irish Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire Shot With Rubber
Bullet by
Israeli Military at Nonviolent Protest *
Israeli troops
fired rubber bullets and tear gas at a non-violent protest
against the
separation wall near the West Bank village of Bilin. Several
protesters were
injured including the Nobel Peace laureate Mairead Maguire
who was shot with
a rubber bullet. She joins us on the line from Ireland.
Listen/Watch/Read http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/04/23/1350224
* Venezuela's Chavez: US Harboring 'Terrorist' Jet Bomber
*
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/04/23/702/
* FOCUS | Key Part of Bush's "No Child" Law Under Federal
Probe
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042207Y.shtml
The Justice
Department is conducting a probe of a $6 billion reading initiative at the
center of President Bush's No Child Left Behind law, another blow to a program
besieged by allegations of financial conflicts of interest and cronyism, people
familiar with the matter said Friday.
* VIDEO |
Depleted Uranium: Poisoning Our Planet
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042007B.shtml
On
April 14, an event was held at Portland State University that was titled, "Our
Poison Planet." One of the main focuses of the event was the effects of depleted
uranium. Truthout's Geoffrey Millard and Lance Page were there and filed this
story.
* Ellen Goodman | Governing The
Womb
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/04/19/626/
* Harvey Wasserman | Is "Green" Tom Friedman The New Eco-Orwell of
Solartopia?
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/04/19/618/
* Seventh Generation: Convenient Answers to an Inconvenient
Truth
http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/0419-03.htm