Cultivating a Just and Enduring Peace for the People of Palestine and Israel

South Puget Sound Community College, Olympia, Washington

April 22-23, 2006

For more information, go here.

Read about pre-conference activities...

By Remi Kanazi

Each Palestinian has a special place in their heart for Rachel Corrie. She symbolized strength, perseverance, and self assuredness. Conversely, she was labeled an enemy of Israel, a nuisance of the American government and a target of ridicule by pro-Israeli propagandists. 58 years ago, my grandparents were dispossessed from their land in Palestine and this energetic little white girl from Olympia, Washington traveled half the world to try to fulfill their dream: the fruition of justice in Palestine.

Read more at Znet.

Billy Bragg
Tuesday March 28, 2006
The Guardian

Rachel Corrie went to Gaza to draw attention to the plight of the Palestinians, whose voice is seldom heard in her country, the US. That she herself should be silenced - first by an Israeli bulldozer, next by a New York theatre cancelling a play created from her words - is a testimony to the power of her message. This song was written on a plane on March 20 and recorded at Big Sky Recordings, Ann Arbor, Michigan on March 22. The tune is borrowed from Bob Dylan.

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Nationally-known history and family studies professor Stephanie Coontz is the keynote speaker for the ‘Women Now’ symposium sponsored by The Evergreen State College’s graduate program in public administration, the American Society for Public Administration and Evergreen’s Extended Education program.

The event is Wednesday, April 5 from 5 to 9 p.m. at Saint Martin’s Worthington Center in Lacey.

Coontz will speak about the realities of balancing life in her talk entitled “Half the Workforce Doesn’t Have a Wife: Getting Real About Work and Family Balance.

Dear Jim Szymanski (an excellent writer at the Daily Olympian);

Could you forward this question to Mr. Gary Pruitt to see if he “would consider clarifying a possible communication error

So I figured out how to open the thing and how to change size and location. I think I've also figured out that there isn't a close button, you have to actually close the browser.

As a former mIRC addict, I'm leery of any type of chat or instant message, but this actually looks okay. I can do this

We can hold chat events here, we can use it as a hang out place for idle and creative conversation. Information sharing and emergency caiman sightings. (I have to include caimans somehow, I'm contractually obliged.)

Give it a whirl. 

As Neo-Nazis rally across the nation on their way to us in July, I think it is helpful to see what other communities are doing. This call to action just came out from Lansing Coalition Against Nazis.

Call to Action Against National Neo-Nazi Rally In Lansing, Michigan!

The National Socialist Movement (NSM) is planning a public demonstration on April 22nd on the steps of the State Capital in Lansing, Michigan. The NSM,  who refer to themselves as "America's Nazi Party" have chosen to come to Lansing following their visits to Toledo, Ohio in October and December of this past year.

We, the Lansing Coalition Against Nazis (LCAN), feel that their message should not go unopposed. We are planning a visible and vocal counter-demonstration to combat their message of hate. We are inviting all those who believe in freedom and equality to join us in sending the NSM a strong message that fascists and racists are not welcome in Lansing!

More...

From The Olympian:

In a short address to many of The Olympian’s 220 employees, Pruitt likened McClatchy’s commitment to “public service journalism and high performance” to that of Knight Ridder’s. But unlike Knight Ridder’s structure, with one class of stock that leaves it vulnerable to a shareholder revolt, McClatchy has two classes of stock that make a sale of the company far less likely because voting stock is controlled by the McClatchy family.

“We have two classes of stock,” Pruitt said. “I’m here to tell you it’s over, it’s done. No more sales.”

From Relocate-America.com:

HOWELL, Mich., March 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Relocate-America.com, a website that assists consumers in finding communities that best fit their needs, has just released "America's Top 100 Places to Live in 2006." The full list can be found at http://www.Relocate-America.com , which offers consumers an abundance of community information and links to knowledgeable real estate agents.

"It's a challenge every year to create this list because residents are so passionate about their communities," said Steve Nickerson, president and CEO. "In addition to schools, people are looking to their communities for more amenities, and these top places provide those benefits."

"America's Top 100 Places to Live" are chosen based upon a variety of criteria. A community must first be nominated by a current or past resident, or other individuals familiar with the community's benefits. Relocate- America's editorial team reviews the nominations for compelling reasons regarding what makes the community a special place to live. Such descriptions often include references to a community's:

• People and neighbors
• Beauty of area
• Great schools
• Low crime rates
• Activities, such as museums, theaters and sports
• Economic health, with employment opportunities and affordable housing

For verification and ranking, the nominated towns are also reviewed for education, crime, employment and housing data for the past year by Relocate- America.

From the Top 100, the Top 10 communities are ranked and the remaining 90 are compiled alphabetically to equally recognize those top communities on the list. Each year, thousands of communities across the U.S. are nominated and considered for the list.