after some very intense moments not enjoying the atmosphere but enjoying an overwhelmingly intimate play at rust belt books, i wandered over to the drama section on the off chance that i'd find what i was looking for and lo and behold there it was, a one volume hard cover copy of angels in america, a gay fantasia on national themes, in all its glory for half the price that id have expected it to be. i only regret that i made megan late and that i was the only one representing the house and that sometimes you never know what to say to people that you really like and care about.

to go or not to go



for those who can't make it there:

ftaa indymedia coverage of miami (http://www.ftaaimc.org/en/index.shtml)

don't place your bets on me just yet, im only half way home

tony kushner's angels in america has been made into a 2 part movie to be shown on hbo in december. (http://www.hbo.com/films/angelsinamerica/) it's directed by mike nichols (who's afraid of virginia woolf) and is sposed to be amazing (http://www.msnbc.com/news/990683.asp)

8 of samuel beckett's plays were filmed for the pbs stage on screen series. (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/stageonscreen/) maybe one day they'll show it again

matthew barney's the cremaster cycle (http://www.cremaster.net/) will be playing at the george eastman house in rochester in december. then it'll play at the market arcade in feb 2004.

check your email

[one]

from united for peace and justice (http://www.unitedforpeace.org/):

"tucked away in Bush's $87 billion dollar spending bill for Iraq is an $8.5 million dollar item for police and security operations against the FTAA protests in Miami!"

[two]

This Thursday, November 13, the Miami City Commission will vote on an ordinance to change current regulations that govern parades, demonstrations, rallies and assemblies with the purpose of stifling the voices of the thousands of people - students, union members, activists, farmers and many other individuals - from around the Americas and the world who will be coming to South Florida to engage in peaceful, permitted protests at the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) ministerial to be held next week in Miami.

An earlier version of the ordinance was thwarted by strong public opposition. While some of the most outrageous provisions have been eliminated since the original ordinance was first introduced, serious restrictions on First Amendment rights remain. The ordinance interferes with people’s constitutionally guaranteed rights of association and expression by providing extremely broad, but vague definitions of "public assembly" and "parade" and then subjecting such gatherings to an array of new prohibitions. The end result: if the ordinance is passed, police will have enormous discretion in their application of the law, which will give them free reign to discriminate against those who are visibly voicing their opposition to the FTAA.

The undemocratic nature of this ordinance is in keeping with the undemocratic nature of the FTAA itself. Under the rules that would be imposed by the FTAA, decision-making power on economic, social and cultural policies, as well as national development plans will be transferred to transnational corporations and investors and away from local communities.

Send a fax:(http://www.citizen.org/fax/background.cfm?ID=239&source=31)

What -- Anti-FTAA Rally
Where -- Niagara Square, Downtown Buffalo
When -- Saturday November 22nd Noon

The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) is the
expansion of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to every country in in Central America, South America and the Caribbean, except Cuba. . NAFTA has devestated communities throughout North America, including Buffalo. If you think NAFTA has been a disaster for working families and the environment in the US, Canada, and Mexico, the FTAA will be far worse.

On November 22nd, labor, environmental, human rights, and peace groups will rally together in solidarity with thousands of people who will be protesting the FTAA in Miami and the School of the Americas (SOA) in Georgia to stop this "Race to the Bottom" and to affirm that Another World Is Possible!

for more on the FTAA see
www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/ftaa/

for more on the SOA, see www.soawatch.org

McDonald's McAngry with dictionary word "McJob"



CHICAGO (Reuters) - Dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster has hit a McSore Spot with McDonald's over the inclusion of the word "McJob" in its latest Collegiate Dictionary.

The latest edition of the dictionary defines "McJob" as "a low paying job that requires little skill and provides little opportunity for advancement."

In an open letter sent to the media on Friday, Jim Cantalupo, chairman and chief executive of the world's largest fast-food chain, took issue with the inclusion of the word and definition.

The definition "is not only an inaccurate description of restaurant employment, it's also a slap in the face to the 12 million men and women who work hard every day in America's 900,000 restaurants," Cantalupo said.

More than 1,000 people who own McDonald's restaurants got their training serving customers behind the counter, he said, taking issue with the notion that work in the fast-food outlets is a dead-end job. Cantalupo also pointed to members of McDonald's top management, including President and Chief Operating Officer Charlie Bell, who began their careers working as crew members at McDonald's restaurants.

"In fact, McDonald's trains more young people than America's armed forces," Cantalupo said.

He also said the company has a trademark on the word "McJOBS," which refers to its program for training and placing people with disabilities.

Cantalupo called for Merriam-Webster to eliminate the definition in its next edition and on its Internet site.

In a statement, Merriam-Webster stood by the definition.

"For more than 17 years, 'McJob' has been used as we are defining it in a broad range of publications, including The New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, Publishers Weekly, Rolling Stone, The Times (London), The Boston Globe, Ms., Harper's, The New Republic, Utne Reader, The Vancouver Sun," the statement said.

It said "words qualify for inclusion in the dictionary because they are widely and commonly used in a broad range of carefully edited sources."

have you ever noticed things looking the same wherever you go? does the homoginization of culture disturb you?

so what about biotechnology? they say it will save the world.

but is this the kind of world we want? corporate control of life itself is going too far... biodiversity is not for sale.

let them know you dream of a different future

resist the commodification of life






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