Epidemics and cutbacks grip NYC
Community health epidemics are now facing almost every big city in the country and some rural areas also.
Real estate market explosion gone bust
Open up the classified section in your local newspaper and you, unlike the most esteemed economic minds in the country, might notice two things. Number one, though I will not dwell on it here, is that there are not enough jobs to go around. Number two is that the amount of real estate in the market has reached gargantuan proportions.
National Clips
GREENVILLE, N.C.: Residents fight for holiday The Rev. Jesse Jackson was back in his hometown in February, marching with 500 residents to County Council chambers to declare Jan. 20 a holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In their hands were petitions signed by 10,000 registered voters in this rural county demanding that Pitt County join the rest of the country in celebrating King Day.
Professor protests arrest
A Florida university professor arrested last week said on Feb. 25 he was being “crucified” by U.S. authorities and vowed to continue a protest hunger strike, Dr. Sami Al-Arian, a Palestinian born in Kuwait was arrested with three other men on Feb. 20.
Hate-talk host hired by MSNBC
The latest hire by the cable news network MSNBC – co-owned by General Electric/NBC and Microsoft – is Michael Savage, a radio talkshow host noted for his unabashed bigotry. Savage is scheduled to have his own weekly one-hour show on MSNBC beginning in March.
Coalition cites Bush tax cut
The Fair Taxes for All Coalition (FTFAC), uniting over 500 grassroots organizations, has launched a petition and direct action campaign demanding that the House and Senate block George W. Bush’s $674 billion tax cut for the rich, which they warn will cost $2 trillion in lost revenues over the coming decade.
Rock the Vote awards honor activist artists
NEW YORK – British superstar Robbie Williams, revolutionary rap group Public Enemy and 2003 Grammy nominees Vanessa Carlton and The Flaming Lips will perform live Saturday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m., when Rock the Vote and MTV present the 10th Annual Rock the Vote Awards at the Roseland Ballroom here.
Songs of Protest: The Vietnam Songbook
NEW YORK – Joe’s Pub plays host on Saturday, March 1, to a unique event celebrating the protest-song tradition through performances of songs drawn from the definitive source, The Vietnam Songbook. The evening will feature performances by artists who experienced the ’60s anti-war movement including legendary protest/blues singer Barbara Dane, Tuli Kupferberg (Fugs), activist singer/songwriter Bev Grant, noted Vietnam vets/musicians Watermelon Slim and Joe Bangert, and younger musicians such as Thurston Moore, Jenni Muldaur, Barry Reynolds, Jim O’Rourke, Stephan Smith, Dean Wareham. David Licht, Lenny Kaye and Curtis Eller.
Remember the Columbia 7: keep the peace in space
It is a sign of the times that we are so focused on stopping George W. Bush’s rush to war in Iraq that most of us didn’t even know that seven astronauts were in space until the Shuttle Columbia’s tragic end. The media reports the space program on the back pages nowadays until disaster strikes. But every warmongering phrase of the Commander in Chief appears on page one.
Black history is Americas history
In February every year, Black History Month is celebrated across the nation. Or perhaps it would be more truthful to say it is celebrated in places across the nation. Every year I am amazed at the number of communities who opt out of this opportunity to learn some of their history, which has been neglected and forgotten because they feel it doesn’t concern them, it only matters to African Americans. The truth is that Black history is every American’s history, and the sooner we recognize that, the sooner we will begin to understand that African Americans have made significant contributions to the building of this nation and have every right to be here and to enjoy the same rights and privileges as other Americans.
