ARGENTINA: ONE YEAR INTO THE CRISIS

Why should Americans be concerned about the economic meltdown that has occurred in Argentina? Prof. Claudia Kaiser-Lenoir will provide a background to what has been happening in Argentina, examine the most visible factors involved in the crisis, show how the crisis is related to the global economy, and comment on some of the projections for the immediate future.

Claudia Kaiser-Lenoir is from Argentina and has been living in Boston for many years. She teaches Latin American Literature and Culture at Tufts University. She has remained in active contact with Argentine and Latin American politics.

Date: Tuesday, January 28
Time: 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Place: Cambridge Public Library, 45 Pearl Street in Central Square, Cambridge, MA. Free Admission, Wheelchair Accessible, Food Provided.
Information Phone: 617-497-5273 (Paul Shannon, American Friends Service Committee)

Monday, Feb. 10, 6 p.m.: FTAA Education/Presentation Committee meeting at the Church of the Covenant, 67 Newbury Street, Boston

Monday, Feb. 17, 6:00 p.m.: Meeting of the BGAN-FTAA Legislative Committee, American Friends Service Committee, 2161 Mass. Ave., Cambridge

Monday, Feb. 24: BGAN-FTAA Task Force general meeting, Community Church of Boston, 565 Boylston Street, Copley Square. 6:00 p.m. new member orientation; 6:30 p.m. general meeting

Tuesday, Feb. 25, 6:30-8:30 p.m.: BGAN Community Forum: Latin America is Not For Sale, featuring speakers from the BGAN-FTAA Task Force. See the "Community Forum" listing below for more information.

LATIN AMERICA IS NOT FOR SALE: the struggle for an alternative to free trade in the Americas. Tuesday, February 25, 6:30-8:30 pm

An eyewitness report back from the Second Hemispheric Meeting against the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) in Havana, Cuba with panelists Gabriel Camacho, Zela Menard, Margaret Witham, Walid Ibn Yazid and David Amdur.

In November of 2002, over 1,000 activists from nearly every country in the western hemisphere gathered in Havana to develop alternatives to corporate globalization of the Americas. Our panelists will talk about the grassroots resistance and organizing now occurring all over Latin America against the free trade model; alternative social and economic proposals being developed in the Americas; and the role of people in the U.S. who seek economic justice.

Date: Tuesday, February 25
Time: 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Place: Cambridge Public Library, 45 Pearl Street in Central Square, Cambridge, MA. Free Admission, Wheelchair Accessible, Food Provided.
Information Phone: 617-497-5273 (Paul Shannon, American Friends Service Committee)

GLOBALIZATION IS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH!

Wednesday, March 12, 2003, 7:00 PM, Boston English High School, 144 McBride Street, Jamaica Plain, MA (Green St T stop on Orange Line).

Come and participate in a forum with two Indian activists from the People's Health Movement (PHM), a world-wide network of community activists whose motto is "Health for All, Now"!These leaders have spent decades promoting a vision that health requires communities to work together with health professionals, health and labor activists, and representatives of civil societies.

Dr. Ravi Narayan and Dr. Thelma Narayan will speak on the world wide grassroots movement to reclaim health as a human right and not a commodity.

The Community Forum partners include: Massachusetts Jobs with Justice, Doctors for Global Health, the Hesperian Foundation and the People's Health Movement

For more information: contact Denise Zwahlen at 617-983-5383 or [email protected] or Karen Leiter at [email protected].

Other events at which Dr. Ravi and Thelma Narayan will speak: The GlobalChat at Harvard School of Public Health, on Wednesday March 12 from 12:30-1:30 PM

MASSACHUSETTS JOBS WITH JUSTICE 2003 ANNUAL DINNER: Challenging Times, Encouraging Signs

Thursday, March 13, 2003 at Suffolk Downs, 111 Waldemar Ave., East Boston. 6:00 PM: Reception, Cash bar. 7:00 PM: Dinner, Program.

Jobs With Justice honors:
The janitors of SEIU Local 254 who went on strike for justice & community supporters: Centro Presente, Black Ministerial Alliance, Greater Boston Interfaith Organization, and the Northeastern University Progressive Student Alliance.

Your attendance will support the work that Mass. Jobs With Justice has done and will continue to do. The dinner is a major fundraiser for Massachusetts Jobs With Justice and we hope we can count on your continued participation. Join our honorees, their supporters, and many others for an evening of music, fun, solidarity, and very short speeches. All tickets will be held at the door. You may also purchase tickets at the door. Make checks payable to Jobs with Justice. Please RSVP if you haven't already! Call 617-524-8778 for more information.

The North Korea - U.S. Crisis: What we need to know to prevent nuclear war

Tuesday, March 18, 2003, 6:30 - 8:30 pm.

Our speakers will provide virtually unknown historical background and up to date analysis of the economic, political and military roots of the confrontation between the U.S. and North Korea so that participants can competently join the millions of people in South Korea, Japan and other Asian countries calling for a peaceful resolution.

Dr. Joseph Gerson is an Asia-Pacific Scholar and Director of Programs of the New England Region for the American Friends Service Committee.
Paul Atwood is a Founding Member of the William Joiner Center at UMASS-Boston and also a Professor at the university, teaching courses on war and its consequences. He is a member of Veterans for Peace.

Date: Tuesday, March 18
Time: 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Place: Cambridge Public Library, 45 Pearl Street in Central Square, Cambridge, MA. Free Admission, Wheelchair Accessible, Food Provided.
Information Phone: 617-497-5273 (Paul Shannon, American Friends Service Committee)

GLOBALIZATION AND RESISTANCE
Double feature film showing and dinner!
Boston-area event in preparation for DC mobilization

Saturday April 5, 6 p.m., College Ave. Methodist Church, Davis Square, Somerville.

$5 suggested donation, additional donation suggested for food.

Two critically acclaimed documentaries:

DEADLY EMBRACE (1997, dir: Liz Canner). The World Bank and IMF enforce Structural Adjustment, increasing poverty in Nicaragua.

THE WATER IS OURS, DAMN IT! (2000, dir; Sheila Franklin). The people of Bolivia rise up to fight privatization of their water supply.

Sponsored by the Latin America Action Coalition, including American Friends Service Committee, BankBusters, Boston Global Action Network FTAA Task Force, Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES), and others.

For more information on the film showing in Somerville, contact BankBusters at 617-755-0795 or [email protected]

This film showing leads up to a...

Mobilization Against U.S. Military and Economic Intervention in Latin America and the Caribbean
April 10-15, 2003 - Converge on Washington, DC for a March and Rally on Sunday April 13, plus lobbying, training, skill shares, the Latin America Solidarity Conference III, and more...

Schedule of events:
Thursday, April 10: Close the SOA lobby day, lobby trainings will take place on Capitol Hill. More info at http://www.soaw.org/new/article.php?id=96.

Friday and Saturday April 11-12th:
Latin America Solidarity Conference III (LASC III)
The Third Latin America Solidarity Conference will include trainings, educational workshops, skill shares and strategy sessions, as well as important speakers from Latin America and the US. For more information or to register online visit: http://www.lasolidarity.org

Sunday, April 13, 2003:
We are organizing a massive protest rally in Washington DC on Sunday, April 13, 2003, followed by a march to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund buildings where their annual Spring meetings are taking place. We are coordinating with movements throughout Latin America and the Caribbean to make this an International Day of Action. Now is the time for us to stand together and voice our opposition to US intervention in Latin America and across the globe!

For more information on the mobilization, contact CISPES at 617-576-1709, or [email protected]

BOFTA EVENTS

Note: The Boston Global Action Network FTAA Task Force has officially changed its name to Boston Fair Trade Action (BOFTA).

Monday, April 21 (Marathon Day), 6:00 p.m.: BOFTA Legislative committee meeting, Someday Cafe, Davis Square, Somerville.

Tuesday, April 22, 6:00 p.m.: BOFTA Education committee meeting at the Church of the Covenant, 67 Newbury Street, Boston.

Thursday, May 1 (May Day), 3:00 p.m.: May Day Rally for legalization and immigrants' rights, Government Center, sponsored by the Massachusetts Legalization Coalition, ACLU, New England Immigrant & Detainee Response Network, and United for Justice with Peace.

War and the Economy: A workshop that examines the relationship between recession, state budget cuts, the military budget and the war in Iraq.
Tuesday, April 29, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Will war stimulate the economy? Does military spending take money away from social programs? Is there a relationship between large military budgets and social equality? You can get answers to these and other key questions facing all of us in this new workshop produced by United for a Fair Economy (UFE). UFE's staff are presenting this workshop to unions, students and single moms. Now you experience this unique event that combines short presentations, economic charts and participatory exercises.

Workshop presenter Mike Prokosch is a staff member at United for a Fair Economy.

Date: Tuesday, April 29
Time: 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Place: Cambridge Public Library, 45 Pearl Street in Central Square, Cambridge, MA. Free Admission, Wheelchair Accessible, Food Provided.
Information Phone: 617-497-5273 (Paul Shannon, American Friends Service Committee)

PEOPLE OVER PROFIT: An Interfaith Conference on Fair Trade and the Global Economy.

Saturday, May 10, 2003, at McGuinn Auditorium, Boston College.

The goals of this conference are:

• To provide an educational opportunity for people from diverse faith traditions to understand the impact of Free Trade policy on communities everywhere.
• To facilitate connections between people of faith on a local, regional, and national level.
• To develop strategies and plans so that people of faith can have a voice in shaping our world.

For more information about Conference speakers, workshops, programs, and sponsors, visit the Conference Web site at http://www.forsdick.com/pop.

Date: Saturday, May 10
Time: 8:30 am - 6:00 pm
Place: McGuinn Auditorium, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Newton, MA.
For More Information: Call 617-876-5038 or send e-mail to [email protected]

What Now? New Directions for the Global Justice Movement and the Peace Movement in our Brave New World
Tuesday, May 20, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Tim Costello will present his analysis of how the peace movement that opposed war with Iraq and the Global Justice Movement can come together at this critical time in U.S. history.

Tim Costello is Director of the Campaign on Contingent Work, a labor organizer and co-author with Jeremy Brecher of the book Global Village or Global Pillage.

Date: Tuesday, May 20
Time: 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Place: Cambridge Public Library, 45 Pearl Street in Central Square, Cambridge, MA. Free Admission, Wheelchair Accessible, Food Provided.
Information Phone: 617-497-5273 (Paul Shannon, American Friends Service Committee)

"Everything You Wanted to Know About the Global Economy"
Tuesday, June 17, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Have there been significant changes in the Global Economy over the past year? How does the war with Iraq affect things? Whatever happened to Enron and WorldCom? How is all of this affecting the U.S. economy? Is the stock market important?

Ellen Frank, Professor of Economics at Emmanuel College and staff member of the Center for Popular Economics, will conduct her annual question and answer session on what's happening in the Global Economy. So come with your questions on anything to do with the Global Economy, and enjoy an interesting, educational session.

Date: Tuesday, June 17
Time: 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Place: Cambridge Public Library, 45 Pearl Street in Central Square, Cambridge, MA. Free Admission, Wheelchair Accessible, Food Provided.
Information Phone: 617-497-5273 (Paul Shannon, American Friends Service Committee)

BOFTA EVENTS

Friday, May 30, 6:30-8:00 p.m.: BOFTA Legislative committee meeting/BBQ, 2 Rice Circle (off Rice Street) in Cambridge.

Monday, June 2, 6:30-8:00 p.m.: BOFTA Education committee meeting at the American Friends Service Committee, 2161 Mass. Ave, Cambridge (near the corner of Rindge Ave.).

Monday, June 16, 6:00 p.m.: BOFTA general meeting at the American Friends Service Committee, 2161 Mass. Ave, Cambridge (near the corner of Rindge Ave.). New member orientation at 6:00, general meeting starts at 6:30.

Event on Confronting Globalization in Mexico
Sunday, June 22, 5:00 pm
Join Howard Zinn and Grassroots International at a celebration of the important new book co-edited by former GRI Executive Director, Tim Wise.

Howard Zinn will introduce Tim Wise, former director of Grassroots International, now with Tufts' Global Development and Environment Institute (GDAE), and Hilda Salazar of the Mexican Free Trade Action Network (RMALC). They are co-editors (with Laura Carlsen) of the new book: Confronting Globalization: Economic Integration and Popular Resistance in Mexico. The book is a groundbreaking collection of case studies—including one of Grassroots International's partners, CEPCO—documenting how globalization has affected people's lives and how those people have organized to confront it.

Refreshments and hors d'ouevres will be served.

To RSVP and get directions, please contact David Jaeger at [email protected] or call 617-524-1400.

Books will be available for purchase at the event, which will raise funds for Grassroots International's 20th anniversary Global Justice Fund.

Date: Sunday, June 22
Time: 5:00 pm
Place: The home of Jim and Julia Wallace
141 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA
Information Phone: 617-524-1400
Cosponsored by: Grassroots International (GRI) and Tufts' Global Development and Environment Institute (GDAE), Boston Globalization Action Network (BGAN), Bankbusters, and Boston Fair Trade Action (BOFTA).

BOFTA EVENTS

Thursday, July 3, 6:00-8:00 p.m.: BOFTA Legislative committee meeting, American Friends Service Committee, 2161 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge (near the corner of Rindge Ave.).

Monday, July 7: The BOFTA Education Committee meeting scheduled for Monday, July 7 was postponed.

Tuesday, July 22, 6:00 p.m.: BOFTA general meeting at Catherine's house, 42 Boston Ave., Somerville (between Kidder and Morrison). New member orientation at 6:00, general meeting starts at 6:30.

BOFTA EVENTS

Note: The Boston Global Action Network FTAA Task Force has officially changed its name to Boston Fair Trade Action (BOFTA).

Tuesday, August 5, 6:30-8:00 p.m.: BOFTA Education/Outreach Committee meeting, Anna's house at 2 Rice Circle, Cambridge (near the corner of Rice Street and Mass Ave.)

Tuesday, September 9, 6:00 p.m.: BOFTA general meeting (rescheduled from Tuesday, August 19), location TBA. New member orientation at 6:00, general meeting starts at 6:30.

September 13: Say No to the WTO!

9:30am-1:30pm Teach-in, UNITE Building, 33 Harrison Ave. in Chinatown
2:00pm Creative Action, nearby location TBA

Be part of the World-wide Day of Action Against Corporate Globalization and War, as the WTO holds its 5th Ministerial Meeting in Mexico. The teach-in will link globalization with war, race, immigration and issues of local concern. Bring a bag lunch or $5 for an optional Chinese lunch. The teach-in will be followed by a creative action, including street theatre, music and more!

Directions to 33 Harrison Ave.:
Orange Line to Chinatown; 1 block east on Boylston/Essex. 1 block south on Harrison. Green Line to Boylston; East on Boylston to Harrison.

Both events are sponsored by United for Justice with Peace, Bankbusters and the FTAA Coalition (BOFTA, Jobs with Justice, United for a Fair Economy, Union of Minority Neighborhoods, Brazilian Immigrant Center, Alliance for Democracy, Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community, and more - see Boston Anti-FTAA events announcement below for complete list).

BankBusters presents:
The Third Annual GLOBAL ECONOMIC JUSTICE VIDEO FESTIVAL

Friday, September 26 through Sunday, September 28. Coolidge Corner Theater, 290 Harvard St., Brookline (Coolidge Corner stop on the Green C Line).

The festival coincides with the annual meeting of the IMF and World Bank in Dubai!

A fundraiser to support organizing against the IMF and World Bank in the Boston area. All shows $8. Co-sponsored by Jobs with Justice.

For more info on the festival, contact BankBusters: Call 617-755-0795, visit www.bankbusters.org, or write to [email protected].

Schedule:

Friday, September 26
7 pm: Lifting the Veil
8:30 pm: New Rulers of the World

Saturday, September 27
7 pm: New Rulers of the World
8:30 pm: Lifting the Veil

Sunday, September 28
6:00: Triple Feature: Guns and Greed, Uprooted, Trade Secrets
8:00: Triple Feature: Guns and Greed, Uprooted, Trade Secrets

Extending Rights/Building Security
A community education program developed by Grassroots International and facilitated by members of The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.

This participant-centered, highly interactive workshop explores the connections between personal safety, human rights, and our national priorities. Since 9/11, "security" has become one of the most ubiquitous buzzwords justifying government actions and spending. But are the policies being shaped in the name of security addressing our personal concerns and furthering our values? This workshop offers participants a supportive social context in which to express their thoughts and feelings while gaining a deeper understanding of how their individual concerns fit into the larger picture of community and national and international interests.

The workshop presenters are Laura Roskos, Visiting Scholar at Suffolk University's Center for Women's Health and Human Rights, and Elisabeth Leonard a steering committee member of United for Justice with Peace, the coalition of anti-war groups in eastern Massachusetts.

Date: September 30
Time: 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Place: Cambridge Public Library, 45 Pearl Street in Central Square, Cambridge, MA. Free Admission, Wheelchair Accessible, Food Provided.
Sponsored by: The American Friends Service Committee
Information Phone: 617-497-5273 (Paul Shannon, American Friends Service Committee)

IMMIGRANT WORKERS' FREEDOM RIDE

Nationwide Rally for Immigrant Rights!
Saturday, October 4, New York City

Inspired by the Freedom Riders of the Civil Rights Movement, immigrant workers and their allies will set out from nine major U.S. cities and cross the country in buses this fall to demand justice for immigrants. Join us as we travel from Boston to NYC to meet them for a rally & festival on Oct 4th.

We Demand:

• Legalization and a "road to citizenship" for all immigrant workers in this country
• The right of immigrant workers to re-unite their families
• Protection of the rights of immigrants in the workplace
• Full protection of the civil rights & civil liberties of all people, regardless of immigration status

For more info, please contact the Boston Co-Chairs:
Lizz Matos of MIRA (617-350-5480 x205)
Brian Lang of HERE (617-423- 3335)
Or visit the Immigrant Workers' Freedom Ride website: http://www.iwfr.org

There will be buses from Boston going down for the rally. Detailed arrival and departure times TBA.
Ticket price: $60
There are a limited number of discounted seats available for low-income persons. Please contact the Boston Co-Chairs (see contact numbers above) if you need a discount.

Reserve your seat on the bus now! Download, print, and fill out the Reservation Form (PDF file - Adobe Acrobat Reader required), then send it to the address at the bottom of the form. If you cannot go to New York yourself, please consider making a generous donation to help a low-income immigrant worker to go!

BOFTA Events

Monday, October 20: NEW TIME AND LOCATION FOR THE BOFTA MEETING!
The BOFTA meeting will be at 7:00 pm at Shilla Restaurant in Harvard Square. Shilla is a Sushi/Korean/Japanese restaurant in the lower level of the Galleria at 57 JFK Street, corner of Winthrop. We have a reservation under the name Catherine.

The time and location were changed so that those who want to can go confront John Kerry before the meeting. Kerry will be giving a televised interview at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. CISPES is organizing an action which will start at 6:00 pm outside the Kennedy School (on JFK street). Join us! Tell John Kerry to vote NO on CAFTA and the FTAA!

Grassroots International Celebrates its Twentieth Anniversary
November 15, 2003, 9 AM to 5 PM at the Episcopal Divinity School, 99 Brattle Street in Harvard Square, Cambridge, near Harvard Square T-stop.

A daylong conference, "Sow Justice, Reap Security", brings together activists from Brazil, Eritrea, Haiti, Mexico and Palestine with local activists and citizens. From 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM, join Grassroots International for a Gala Reception with Keynote Speaker Maude Barlow and more.

Tickets cost $50 for the conference, $75 for the reception, $100 for both. To buy tickets or for more information visit www.grassrootsonline.org or call (617) 524-1400.

CONFRONT THE FTAA MINISTERIAL MEETING IN MIAMI! November 20-21

On Nov. 20-21, trade ministers from throughout the hemisphere will meet in Miami to negotiate the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). A massive protest is planned in response. If you are interested in going to Miami, contact BOFTA at 617-576-1709 or [email protected].

Monday, November 10, 5:00-7:00pm
RECEPTION AT BOSTON CITY HALL
Join us to highlight a proposed Boston City Council resolution supporting the FTAA ballot campaign. Speakers will discuss the ways in which the FTAA would affect the city of Boston, and what we need to do to stop it. The reception will be held in the Curley Room, on the 5th floor of City Hall.

Thursday, November 13, 7:00pm
INTERFAITH RALLY/KICK-OFF EVENT
Arlington Street Church, 351 Boylston Street, Boston
Come help us send off the Unitarian Universalist caravan and others as they head down to Miami to protest the FTAA ministerial meeting. Reception to follow inside the church. You do not need to be a member of a faith community to attend this event - everyone is encouraged to come!

Friday, November 21, 4:00-6:00pm
BOSTON MARCH AND RALLY TO PROTEST THE FTAA
Join us as we take to the streets of Boston in solidarity with the protests in Miami! Bring your signs and voices, and help us say NO to the FTAA! The march begins at 4:00pm at the Boylston T stop (corner of Boylston and Tremont). It will visit some key sites and will finish at Copley Square, where the rally will take place at approximately 5:00. Music, theater, speakers and more!

This event is being planned by the Coalition to Stop the FTAA. If your group is interested in joining the coalition, contact BOFTA at 617-576-1709 or [email protected]. If you are an individual who would like to get involved, contact us or come to a BOFTA meeting (see dates and times in the BOFTA section on this page).

Sunday, November 23, 7:30pm
TELL US THE TRUTH TOUR
Billy Bragg, Steve Earle, The Nightwatchman, Lester Chambers and Janeane Garofalo will appear in Boston as part of a nationwide tour to raise awareness on current media reform and trade issues. This tour will be the loudest, angriest, funniest and most effective challenge to corporate domination of the public discourse in recent history. Let's pack the theater!
Berklee Performance Center, tickets are $35.50 and $30, reserved seating. Order tickets from www.ticketmaster.com or through the box office: 617-747-2261.

"Free Trade at a Crossroads: Report from Cancun and Miami"
Tuesday, November 25, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Arnie Alpert was a credentialed representative of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) at the recent Fifth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Cancun, Mexico. The AFSC was one of about one thousand NGOs (Non-governmental organizations) with an official presence at the meetings. Arnie participated in the official daily briefings inside the convention center (presented by WTO officials) and took part in the unofficial demonstrations and workshops organized outside the official meetings. He will report on both this Cancun conference of the WTO and on the November meetings of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) being held in Miami.

Arnie Alpert is the coordinator of the AFSC New Hampshire Program, and was part of the large anti-corporate globalization protests in Seattle 4 years ago.

Date: Tuesday, November 25
Time: 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Place: Cambridge Public Library, 45 Pearl Street in Central Square, Cambridge, MA. Free Admission, Wheelchair Accessible, Food Provided.
Information Phone: 617-497-5273 (Paul Shannon, American Friends Service Committee)

Vigil at John Kerry's house
Sunday, December 7, 12 noon-2:00 pm

Meet at Kerry's house in Louisburg Sq. on Beacon Hill, Boston. Sponsored by Boston Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (Boston CISPES). For more information and event confirmation (due to the weather this weekend), contact CISPES at [email protected]

"The Catastrophe of the War on Drugs at Home and Abroad: Police Officers Call for Drug Legalization"
Tuesday, December 9, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Retired detective lieutenant Jack Cole is a 26-year veteran of the New Jersey State Police who worked 14 years as an undercover narcotics officer. His investigations spanned the spectrum of possible drug cases, from street users to international "billion dollar" trafficking organizations. Mr. Cole's presentations give his audience an alternative perspective on the U.S. war on drugs from the view of a veteran drug-warrior turned against the war. He has spoken hundreds of times to a variety of audiences in the U.S., Central America and Canada, and has taught courses to police officers on ethics, moral decision-making and the detrimental effects of racial profiling. His belief is that the drug war is steeped in racism, that it is needlessly destroying the lives of young people, and that it is being used as an excuse to destabilize countries around the world.

Mr. Cole speaks on behalf of L.E.A.P. (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition), an international nonprofit organization created to give voice to current and former members of law enforcement who seek alternative policies to the war on drugs in order to lower the incidence of death, disease, crime and addiction. They call for legalizing drugs so they can be controlled and regulated and kept out of the hands of children.

Date: Tuesday, December 9
Time: 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Place: Cambridge Public Library, 45 Pearl Street in Central Square, Cambridge, MA. Free Admission, Wheelchair Accessible, Food Provided.
Information Phone: 617-497-5273 (Paul Shannon, American Friends Service Committee)

Call John Kerry's office to demand a NO vote on CAFTA!
Thursday, December 10 and Friday, December 11

There will be an all-day call-in on December 10th and 11th to Senator Kerry's office. Call 617-565-8519 to voice public opposition to the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and urge the Senator to vote NO on CAFTA. Sponsored by Boston Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (Boston CISPES). For more information about this event, contact [email protected]. For more information about CAFTA, see http://www.cispes.org/english/Campaign_Against_CAFTA_FTAA/ and http://www.stopcafta.org/

BOFTA EVENTS

Note: The Boston Global Action Network FTAA Task Force has officially changed its name to Boston Fair Trade Action (BOFTA).

Monday, December 15, 6:00 p.m.: BOFTA general meeting, location TBA. New member orientation at 6:00, general meeting starts at 6:30.

Mumbai (Bombay): Report back on the World Social Forum and its Implications for the Boston Social Forum
Tuesday, March 9, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

The latest meeting of the World Social Forum took place at the end of January in Mumbai (Bombay), India. It drew tens of thousands of people from around the globe who oppose domination by huge corporations of every dimension of human life and who believe that "another world is possible". Suren Moodliar and Joseph Gerson participated in this historic event. They will give us their "take" on the social forum and provide us with their ideas on how the Boston Social Forum at UMASS-Boston this July (just before the Democratic National Convention) can be a successful and inspiring event for all New England.

Suren Moodliar is a coordinator of the North American Alliance for Fair Employment (NAFFE), a U.S.-Canadian network concerned about the rise of contingent work and its impact on the welfare of all workers. In the 1980s and 1990s he was active on anti-apartheid issues in both South Africa and the U.S. as a member of the African National Congress. In addition with his work on contingent employment he has also organized efforts to monitor the political activities of transnational tobacco corporations.

Joseph Gerson is Director of Regional Program for the American Friends Service Committee in New England. He is also staff person for AFSC's Peace and Economic Security Program and speaks regularly at conferences and forums around the world. He made presentations on Nuclear Weapons, U.S. foreign bases and the U.S. peace movement at several conferences at the World Social Forum.

Date: Tuesday, March 9
Time: 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Place: Cambridge Public Library, 45 Pearl Street in Central Square, Cambridge, MA. Free Admission, Wheelchair Accessible, Food Provided.
Sponsors:The Boston Social Forum and the American Friends Service Committee
Information Phone: 617-497-5273 (Paul Shannon, American Friends Service Committee)

LOCAL TEACH-IN ON THE WORLD BANK and IMF
Saturday, April 17th, 7-9 pm

Location: Tufts University, Barnum 104, 163 Packard Ave.

Speakers: Virginia Setshedi, Anti-Privatisation Forum, South Africa; Victor Geronimo, COMPA, Dominican Republic; Judith Alexandre, Haitian community activist in greater Boston.

Sponsored by: BankBusters, Somerville-Medford United for Justice with Peace, and Tufts University International Relations and Women's Studies Departments.

See this downloadable flyer for more information about the teach-in.

Please e-mail us at [email protected] or call (617) 755-0795 for directions.

GLOBAL LIBERATION - NOT CORPORATE GREED!
Major Mobilization on Saturday, April 24th in Washington DC

• Drop the debt!
• End structural adjustment!
• Open the meetings!
• No support for environmental destruction and dislocation of people!

Say NO to IMF and World Bank Corporate Rule!

Please stay for the March for Women's Lives on April 25th in Washington, DC.

We are organizing transportation to Washington, DC for the weekend of protest. We will leave on Friday, April 23 at 10 pm and return to Boston by Sunday, April 25 at 11 pm. Vans leave from Charles Street, between the Boston Common and the Public Garden (near the corner of Boylston St.); Boylston and Arlington stops on the Green Line.

Cost: Only $35 for the round trip! Make your check for transportation payable to BankBusters.

The Crisis in Haiti and US Intervention: Eye Witness Reports
Tuesday, June 8, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Please join the American Friends Service Community forum series on the Global Justice, War and Peace issues of our times.

Haiti has gone through 2 coups in recent years, the most recent on Feb 29. There has been a lot of controversy about these staggering developments. Our speakers have recently been in Haiti. They will be trying to shed some light on the current crisis by reviewing the past and sharing recent experiences in Haiti.

Mary Kay Smith Fawzi is an epidemiologist with Partners in Health and an Instructor at Harvard Medical School. She has been working in Haiti since 1999. Dr. Smith Fawzi was in Haiti as the events in February leading to President Aristide's controversial removal from the country by U.S. forces were unfolding.

Susan McLucas is a long-time activist for peace. She is a member of Citizens Action Team, working against U.S. covert operations, and Healthy Tomorrow, which advocates against female genital mutilation in Mali. She was in Haiti during March and April as a member of the Emergency Fact Finding Delegation to Haiti organized by the Quixote Center.

Pat Tortora is a peace activist and Haiti observer for 25 years. He is a founding member of the "Together with Haiti" Committee of Our Lady of the Cape in Brewster. Pat was also in Haiti during March and April as a member of the Quixote Center's Emergency Fact Finding Delegation to Haiti.

Date: Tuesday, June 8
Time: 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Place: Cambridge Public Library, 45 Pearl Street in Central Square, Cambridge, MA. Free Admission, Wheelchair Accessible, Food Provided.
Sponsors:The Boston Social Forum and the American Friends Service Committee
Information Phone: 617-497-5273 (Paul Shannon, American Friends Service Committee)

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Boston Global Action Network
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