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Monthly Archives: May 2018

MEMORIAL DAY NOTES

Poor People's Campaign Memorial Day 2018 protest on Boston Common. Courtesy of the Poor People's Campaign.
Poor People’s Campaign Memorial Day 2018 protest on Boston Common. Courtesy of the Poor People’s Campaign.

 

Peace actions, Harvest Co-op needs help

 

May 31, 2018

BY JASON PRAMAS @JASONPRAMAS

 

So I’m writing on a holiday weekend that began with my joining DigBoston and Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism colleague Chris Faraone in having some fairly nasty dental work. What better excuse, then, for doing some brief dispatches this time out instead of the single topic I typically focus on with an Apparent Horizon column?

 

Peace activists arrested at Hanscom AFB

After allowing the planet to breathe a collective sigh of relief for a few weeks on the Armageddon front, President Donald Trump just tossed away his Nobel prize prospects by cancelling a planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un over some nonsense or other. [No wait, maybe it’s back on now! Or not. Whatever. Moving on to my point …] But it turns out Bostonians had little reason to relax anyway. Because nearby Hanscom Air Force Base is now the home to the Program Executive Office for Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3).

 

According to the Hanscom website, the NC3 unit “executes a portfolio of 17 programs valued at $1.2B over the FYDP that provide survivable and endurable communications for the nuclear enterprise. Additionally, the directorate is responsible for integrating over 60 individual nuclear command and control communications systems that underpin and enable nuclear deterrent operations.”

 

Clever though it may be that the military can develop communications systems that can survive nuclear attacks, humanity cannot. Since there are very few plausible scenarios in which “limited” nuclear strikes of the type that the Trump administration has spoken casually about will not escalate into an all-out conflagration. And with NC3 in such close proximity to Boston, we can now expect at least one more nuclear warhead to be added to the several with which our city will be hit in the event of World War III.

 

Which is why six peace activists got arrested protesting it over the weekend, according to the Lowell Sun. John Back, of Arlington and the Cambridge Friends Meeting; Laura Evans, of Unitarian Universalist Society of Rockport; Pat Ferrone, of St. Susanna Parish in Dedham;  and Dan McLaughlin, of Cambridge; Jerald Ross of Chelmsford, and Massachusetts Peace Action; John Schuchardt, of the House of Peace in Ipswich, and Veterans for Peace were busted for attempting to deliver a critical letter to the Hanscom base commander.

 

In an op-ed in the Metrowest Daily News, Mass Peace Action leader Cole Harrison points out that “the Massachusetts Congressional delegation, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, and Hanscom area Congressional Reps. Seth Moulton, Katherine Clark, and Niki Tsongas, have expressed support for the DoD’s decision to house the NC3 program in the heart of residential Massachusetts.”

 

Not cool.

 

To join Mass Peace Action and affiliated organizations in putting heat on such feckless congresspeople, and the military-industrial complex that convinces them to support the suicidal expansion of America’s nuclear “warfighting” capability, plug in at masspeaceaction.org/act/.

 

Protest links war economy and homeless vets

In a related action, the Poor People’s Campaign took to the Boston Common on Monday to protest a federal government that increases spending for war while cutting money for social programs—resulting in, ironically, more veterans becoming homeless.

 

The event featured 30 red tents that symbolized the situation, and speakers addressing topics ranging from gun violence to racism, according to the Boston Globe.

 

A full slate of oppositional activities is underway. To get involved, go to the campaign’s national website at poorpeoplescampaign.org or connect to its eastern Massachusetts chapter at facebook.com/pg/emappc.

 

Member-run markets in trouble

The Harvest Co-op grocery stores have been losing money for years and are now in danger of closing, according to the Cambridge Day and the Jamaica Plain News. Like other cooperative markets, members pay with investment and sweat equity to provide groceries for themselves at a discount. Shoppers who are not members pay full freight. But membership in Harvest, which was founded in 1974, has been trending downward for some time—from 4,000 in 2012 to 3,200 this spring.

 

In a recent email, Harvest leadership urged members “to take some obvious steps such as using the co-op for more shopping, especially by buying more bulk items, prepared foods, supplements and body care items; urging more people to switch to Co-op shopping; and paying cash.” They also asked them to buy a $200 gift card and not use it for two years.

 

It remains to be seen if such measures can help close a $300,000 funding gap before the cooperative is expected to start closing its stores in August. But now would be a good time for new folks interested in helping out to consider becoming members. Interested readers can join Harvest at harvestcoop.com/membership.

 

Apparent Horizon is syndicated by the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism. Jason Pramas is BINJ’s network director, and executive editor and associate publisher of DigBoston. Copyright 2018 Jason Pramas. Licensed for use by the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism and media outlets in its network.

 

DigBoston has gone on record joining the movement to abolish nuclear weapons.

 

Editorial Note: Op-eds wanted. A quick reminder to DigBoston fans. We’re always looking for 500-700 word opinion articles from those of you who work with local organizations trying to make life better for Bostonians in tangible ways. Either politically, socially, artistically, or culturally. If there’s some important doing that you think the Dig audience should know about, then send finished drafts to editorial@digboston.com. Hate groups, naturally, need not apply. And fair warning that public relations and marketing hacks who think this is an invitation to send us more bullshit than they already do daily will be mercilessly mocked. And bottom feeders who try to get us to run “articles” that are really ads will be invited to to pay us $10,000 for each “placement”—and informed that we’ll surround their copy with “THIS IS A FUCKING AD” legends in some giant ugly font should they ever be stupid enough to pony up that much lucre.

—Jason

Just Say AI, Blockchain, Crypto, IOT, AR, VR, Big Data, Analytics And Cybersecurity To Get Hired #tech #employment #lulz https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveandriole/2018/05/28/just-say-ai-blockchain-crypto-iot-ar-vr-big-data-analytics-and-cybersecurity-to-get-hired/ …

Just Say AI, Blockchain, Crypto, IOT, AR, VR, Big Data, Analytics And Cybersecurity To Get Hired https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveandriole/2018/05/28/just-say-ai-blockchain-crypto-iot-ar-vr-big-data-analytics-and-cybersecurity-to-get-hired/ …


Source: @jasonpramas Twitter account feed
Just Say AI, Blockchain, Crypto, IOT, AR, VR, Big Data, Analytics And Cybersecurity To Get Hired #tech #employment #lulz https://www.forbes.com/sites/steveandriole/2018/05/28/just-say-ai-blockchain-crypto-iot-ar-vr-big-data-analytics-and-cybersecurity-to-get-hired/ …

Report: Uber Couldn’t Even Leave Southeast Asia Without Pissing Everyone the Heck Off #ridesharing #jerktech #labor #scum #777 https://gizmodo.com/report-uber-couldnt-even-leave-southeast-asia-without-1826376545 …

Report: Uber Couldn’t Even Leave Southeast Asia Without Pissing Everyone the Heck Off #777 https://gizmodo.com/report-uber-couldnt-even-leave-southeast-asia-without-1826376545 …


Source: @jasonpramas Twitter account feed
Report: Uber Couldn’t Even Leave Southeast Asia Without Pissing Everyone the Heck Off #ridesharing #jerktech #labor #scum #777 https://gizmodo.com/report-uber-couldnt-even-leave-southeast-asia-without-1826376545 …

Lifting the women’s driving ban in #SaudiArabia did not come out of a vacuum. It came from years and years of brilliant activism led by brave #Saudi women. Many of them have been among those arrested in the latest crackdown. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/05/the-driving-ban-and-rights-in-saudi-arabia/ …

Lifting the women’s driving ban in did not come out of a vacuum.

It came from years and years of brilliant activism led by brave women.

Many of them have been among those arrested in the latest crackdown. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/05/the-driving-ban-and-rights-in-saudi-arabia/ …


Source: @jasonpramas Twitter account feed
Lifting the women’s driving ban in #SaudiArabia did not come out of a vacuum.

It came from years and years of brilliant activism led by brave #Saudi women.

Many of them have been among those arrested in the latest crackdown. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/05/the-driving-ban-and-rights-in-saudi-arabia/ …

Debunking the 6 Biggest Lies About ‘Technology Addiction’ https://theconversation.com/debunking-the-6-biggest-myths-about-technology-addiction-95850 … #tech #psychology #777

Debunking the 6 Biggest Lies About ‘Technology Addiction’ https://theconversation.com/debunking-the-6-biggest-myths-about-technology-addiction-95850 … #777


Source: @jasonpramas Twitter account feed
Debunking the 6 Biggest Lies About ‘Technology Addiction’ https://theconversation.com/debunking-the-6-biggest-myths-about-technology-addiction-95850 … #tech #psychology #777

Recently released Homeland Security reports downplay threat from white supremacist groups while identifying #Antifa as the “principal driver” of violence at #protests https://buff.ly/2IMNFOO pic.twitter.com/F01cLdI5yo

Recently released Homeland Security reports downplay threat from white supremacist groups while identifying as the “principal driver” of violence at https://buff.ly/2IMNFOO 


Source: @jasonpramas Twitter account feed
Recently released Homeland Security reports downplay threat from white supremacist groups while identifying #Antifa as the “principal driver” of violence at #protests https://buff.ly/2IMNFOO pic.twitter.com/F01cLdI5yo

“If black people chose another way to protest, I would be right there with them.” — People who have never ever supported a black protest ever in their whole lives ever.

“If black people chose another way to protest, I would be right there with them.”
— People who have never ever supported a black protest ever in their whole lives ever.


Source: @jasonpramas Twitter account feed
“If black people chose another way to protest, I would be right there with them.”
— People who have never ever supported a black protest ever in their whole lives ever.

Alexa recorded a woman’s private conversation and sent it to a random contact #tech #spyware #surveillance #doh https://venturebeat.com/2018/05/24/alexa-recorded-a-womans-private-conversation-and-sent-it-to-a-random-contact/ …

Alexa recorded a woman’s private conversation and sent it to a random contact https://venturebeat.com/2018/05/24/alexa-recorded-a-womans-private-conversation-and-sent-it-to-a-random-contact/ …


Source: @jasonpramas Twitter account feed
Alexa recorded a woman’s private conversation and sent it to a random contact #tech #spyware #surveillance #doh https://venturebeat.com/2018/05/24/alexa-recorded-a-womans-private-conversation-and-sent-it-to-a-random-contact/ …

Here are 10 Things I Learned About the World from Ayn Rand’s Insane ‘Atlas Shrugged’ https://www.alternet.org/here-are-10-things-i-learned-about-world-ayn-rands-insane-atlas-shrugged?src=newsletter1092554 … #lulz

Here are 10 Things I Learned About the World from Ayn Rand’s Insane ‘Atlas Shrugged’ https://www.alternet.org/here-are-10-things-i-learned-about-world-ayn-rands-insane-atlas-shrugged?src=newsletter1092554 …


Source: @jasonpramas Twitter account feed
Here are 10 Things I Learned About the World from Ayn Rand’s Insane ‘Atlas Shrugged’ https://www.alternet.org/here-are-10-things-i-learned-about-world-ayn-rands-insane-atlas-shrugged?src=newsletter1092554 … #lulz