pirate's blog

Ainfos Sat, 19 Jul 2008

On the July 15th eviction blockade led by Paula Taylor and the City Life/ Vida
Urbana Bank Tenants Union ---- Today, Paula Taylor of the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, her family, friends, the City Life/ Vida Urbana (CLVU) Bank Tenants Union, and various community allies successfully resisted an eviction attempt by Countrywide Financial in another win for Boston's working class movement! Paula- with the bank tenant union and community allies by her side- is asking Countrywide to accept rent money instead of kicking her out on the street and keeping the property vacant. Paula was attacked by the foreclosure scandals sweeping the country, and is now offering money to rent what she once owned.  read more »

An examination of the effects of power and hierarchy on individuals, society and the world at large NOTE: I forgot to mention that the Indian woman speaking in the 2nd half is Arundhati Roy, author of "The God of Small Things"

Construction begins in '08

July 17, 2008 couragetoresist.org

Robin Long deported from Canada
On July 15th, Robin Long became the first objector since the Vietnam War to be forced to leave Canada. We have made legal representation available to Robin and will be doing everything possible to provide him our full support.  read more »

July 18, 2008

BEIJING - More than a hundred Chinese villagers attacked a police station to protest the death of a man they say was beaten by local Communist Party security guards, police said Friday, the latest in a recent spate of violence triggered by discontent with authorities.

Relatives gathered Thursday after Ouyang Jiusheng, 40, died in a motorcycle accident near Shangnan village in the southern province of Guangdong, according to a police statement sent via e-mail.  read more »

By Jessica Bell; June 23, 2008 - AlterNet

It was below zero degrees Fahrenheit on the night of Dec. 2, 2002, when sisters and young indigenous mothers Chrissy and Bonnie Swain from the Grassy Narrows First Nation drove from their reserve, located in the southern fringe of the vast Boreal Forest in northern Ontario, to the logging road just a few miles from their home.  read more »

by Kyoko Hasegawa Tue July 15,

TOKYO (AFP) - Thousands of Japanese fishermen rallied in Tokyo on Tuesday to protest against soaring fuel costs as boats across the country sat idle for a one-day strike to draw attention to the industry's woes.

Warning that soaring oil prices could put them out of business, about 3,600 fishermen gathered in a park, demanding state subsidies and emergency help, organisers said.  read more »

July 14, 2008

SACRAMENTO (AP) -- As many as 8,500 University of California employees are on the picket lines in a protest over wages.

The strike by housekeeping, cafeteria and security workers comes despite a judge's restraining order. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees says the strike is still legal because the union properly notified university officials.

The union says its workers' wages are lower than those paid by other colleges.  read more »

EDINBURG, Texas, July 13, 2008 (UPI) -- Nearly 200 people gathered in Edinburg, Texas, to protest a proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexican border, activists say.

Activist Jay Johnson Castro said Saturday's protest by Rio Grande Valley residents was in opposition to the proposal aimed at halting the ongoing wave of illegal immigrants from Mexico, the San Antonio (Texas) Express-News said Sunday.

"Texas is the last stand against the border wall," Castro said.

"It's a shame. It's a criminal shame what has happened. It's a criminal regime that is doing this to this country," he added.  read more »

Sun Jul 13, 2008

SYDNEY (AFP) - Thirty-seven people were arrested at a climate change protest in Australia on Sunday when they blocked a railway line delivering coal, police said.

Organisers said as many as 1,000 people attended the protest march from Newcastle to the nearby Carrington coal terminal, where some demonstrators broke through a fence and chained themselves to a stationary coal train.  read more »

Vigil in support of war resisters at the Canadian Consulate in Seattle.

indymedia.org July 8, 2008
features about betancourt

In order to understand the "rescue operation" of Ingrid Betancourt and the Northrop Grumman Corporation mercenaries who were released with her, it is necessary to piece together articles published in the media, filter the content and out of this is formed a true understanding of the facts of what happened here.  read more »

Wed Jul 9,2008

DURBAN, South Africa (AFP) - A protest march by thousands of trade unionists against rising fuel and food costs closed down businesses and disrupted public transport in South Africa's port city of Durban on Wednesday.

While there were no reports of unrest, shops closed their shutters and the roads were largely deserted as the crowds marched on City Hall following earlier threats by activists to torch taxis who continued operating.  read more »

By Gerardo Torres Jul 8, 2008

ATOYAC DE ALVAREZ, Mexico (Reuters) - Forensics experts began digging for secret graves on an army base in southwestern Mexico this week to find proof of government atrocities during the country's 1970s 'dirty war.'

Using high-tech scanners, picks and shovels, they searched for bodies of community leaders who were abducted by soldiers, taken to the isolated base at the Pacific town of Atoyac de Alvarez in Guerrero state and never heard from again.  read more »

July 3, 2008

Pastors for Peace Caravan Threatened With Arrest for Exercising Their Right to Protest

Despite previous agreements, federal agents seized 31 computers from the
Pastors for Peace as they attempted to cross Pharr International Bridge
early this morning at the US-Mexico border.

The U.S. government has forced the issue by turning back on previous
actions and agreements" said Rev. Lucius Walker, Executive Director of
IFCO/Pastors for Peace. " They have intentionally provoked and harass us
he continued.

"We will not be intimidated. We have made every effort to be cooperative
and they have responded with aggression. These computers are the same  read more »