Issue #145, January 8 – 28, 2010 THE INDYPENDENT A FREE PAPER FOR FREE PEOPLE Prophet and Loss Stanley Aronowitz, Nicholas Powers and Arun Gupta on Obama’s First Year. Page 8 TIM DURNING Left Behind: Bloomberg to Close Schools, p3 Gitmo Meets NYC, p6 Flower Power to Nuclear Power, p14 indypendent.org community calendar P LEASE SEND EVENT ANNOuNCEMENTS TO [email protected]. JAN–FEB TUE JAN 12 6-7pm • Free JOIN US: NEW VOLUNTEER MEETING. Come learn more about getting involved with The Indypendent . Email volunteer@ TEH Indypendent indypendent.org for information. P.O. BOX 1417 NEW YORK, NY 10276 WED JAN 13 7pm • Free, Donations encouraged PEHON : 212-904-1282 DISCUSSION: NAOMI KLEIN & RAJ PATEL. Democracy Now! host Amy GENERAL InQUIRIES AND SUBMISSIONS: Goodman will moderate a discussion [email protected] with Naomi Klein and Raj Patel on how to READER COMMENTS: work for change in the current political [email protected] and economic climate. Co-sponsored SUBSCRIPTIONS: by Picador Books, New York Society indypendent.org VOLUNTEER: for Ethical Culture, The Nation and The [email protected] Indypendent. DONATE OnlINE: New York Society for Ethical Culture indypendent.org/donate 2 W 64th St NEWS TIPS: 212-874-5210 • nysec.org [email protected] INDYPENDENT FundRAISER AND GAZA REPORT BACK. SUN, JAN 17 BRECHT FORUM: Participants in the December ADVERTISING and PROMOTION: 2009 Gaza Freedom March protest in Cairo, Egypt, for the right to enter the Gaza Strip. The majority of Arun Gupta: [email protected] FRI JAN 15 GENERAL COORDINATORS: All Day • Free solidarity activists were not allowed to cross the border. PHOTO: ELLEN DAVIDSON Jessica Lee, Elizabeth Henderson DEADLINE: recipe contest. Submit ILLUSTRATIONS COORDINATOR: plant-based recipes for NYC schools to 5-7M P • $10/$20 door THU JAN 21 LECTuRE: THE MIDDLE EAST IN A Frank Reynoso: [email protected] the NY Coalition for Healthy School Food. INDYPENDENT FuNDRAISER. Meet 4-6:30M P • FREE MULTI-POLAR WORLD. The Middle East DESIGNERS: Ryan Dunsmuir, Anna Gold 607-272-1154 • healthyschoolfood.org Remi Kanazi, editor of Poets for Palestine, RALLY: PROTEST BLOOMBERG’S Institute will present this lecture by Dilip INDYKIDS: and Indypendent journalists returning EDuCATION POLICY. Come join and sup- Hiro on the relationships between the [email protected] SAT JAN 16 from Gaza, who will discuss the current port the students, parents and teachers Middle East and the emerging world INDYVIDEO: 10am-4pm • Free situation in Palestine. Hors d’oeuvres of the 22 school communities affected powers of China, the European union [email protected] RECYCLING: E-WASTE RECYCLING DAY. and cash bar. by the proposed closings and charter and Russia. P HUBLIS YOUR NEWS: The Lower East Side Ecology Center will Brecht Forum, 451 West St takeovers. Rally located in front of Mayor Columbia university, Knox Hall, Rm 208 nyc.indymedia.org hold an electronics recycling day. Drop 212-904-1282 • indypendent.org Michael Bloomberg’s home. 606 W 122 St off computers, printers, televisions, cell 17 East 79th St sipa.columbia.edu The Indypendent is a New York-based free phones and more. MO N JAN 18 718-601-4901 • [email protected] newspaper published 17 times a year on Fridays Tekserve, 119 W 23rd St 7pm • Free grassrootseducationmovement. FRI JAN 29 to our print and online readership of more than 212-477-4022 • lesecologycenter.org READING: KAHLIL ALMuSTAFA FROM blogspot.com 7:30 pm • $15 adv/$20 door 200,000. It is produced by a network of vol- AUCTION BLOCK TO OVAL OFFICE. CONCERT: IN HONOR OF THE PEOPLES’ unteers who report, write, edit, draw, design, 3-7pm • $40 adv/$45 door On the one-year anniversary of Obama’s FRI JAN 22 VOICE CAFÉ. Lavender Light Gospel take photos, distribute, fundraise and provide FuNDRAISER: TRIBuTE TO THE inauguration, Kahlil Almustafa reads appLICATION DEADLINE: SPRING Choir and emma’s revolution will head- website management. Since 2000, more than FAMILIES OF POLITICAL PRISONERS poetry and provides a critical dialogue REPORTING INTERNSHIP PROGRAM. line a concert to celebrate the 30th an- 650 citizen journalists, artists and media ac- AND PRISONERS OF WAR. The Malcolm exploring the hopes, fears, and contra- The Indypendent is accepting applica- niversary of the Peoples’ Voice Café and tivists have participated in this project. Win- X Commemoration Committee and 1199 dictions attendant to the election of an tions for its Spring Reporting Internship to benefit the People’s Music Network. ner of more than 50 New York Community SEIu Activists will host this commemora- African-American president. that starts Feb. 1. For more information, For tickets and a full lineup, visit pmnnyc. Media Alliance awards, The Indypendent is tive dinner. Bluestockings, 172 Allen St visit indypendent.org. home.att.net/concert.html. dedicated to empowering people to create a Martin Luther King Jr. Labor Center 212-777-6028 • bluestockings.com New York Society for Ethical Culture true alternative to the corporate press by en- 310 W 43rd St SUN JAN 24 2 W 64th St couraging people to produce their own media. 718-512-5008 • [email protected] WED JAN 20 7pm • Free 212-874-5210 • nysec.org The Indypendent is funded by subscriptions, 10-11:30am • Free READING: VENEZUELA SPEAKS! The ed- donations, grants, merchandise sales, benefits SUN JAN 17 BRIEFING: RESIDENT PARTICIPATION itors of this collection of interviews with SAT FEB 6 and advertising from organizations with simi- 2pm • $6/$10/$15 IN PuBLIC HOuSING. Organizers, resi- Venezuelan activists, land reformers and 1-5:30pm • $10-$30 Sliding Scale lar missions. We accept submissions that look MEMORIAL: DENNIS BRuTuS (1924- dent leaders and policy experts will offer organizers will discuss grassroots move- WORKSHOP: INTRODuCTION TO at news and culture through a critical lens, 2009). Join us to honor the South African their perspectives on resident participa- ments in Venezuela. JOURNALISM. Indypendent editors exploring how systems of power — economic, poet, anti-apartheid fighter and human tion in public housing. RSVP by Jan. 14. Bluestockings, 172 Allen St will cover the basics of media criticism, political and social — affect the lives of people rights activist. Sponsored by Haymarket North Star Fund 212-777-6028 • bluestockings.com news writing, interviewing, research and locally and globally. The Indypendent reserves Books, Activist Poets’s Roundtable, War 520 8th St, 22nd Fl, Ste 2203 ethics. RSVP required. For more informa- the right to edit articles for length, content and Resisters League and the Brecht Forum. 212-860-6001 x22 • [email protected] THU JAN 28 tion and to get an application, email us at clarity. Brecht Forum, 451 West St 12:30-2pm • Free [email protected]. 212-242-4201 • brechtforum.org 212-904-1282 • indypendent.org The Indypendent is the newspaper project of the New York City Independent Media Center, reader comments which is affiliated with the global Indymedia Post your own comments online at the end of each article at indypendent.org or email [email protected]. movement (indymedia.org), an international network that is dedicated to fostering grass- F AILING TO SHELTER taining products such as food his butt off to make sure poor roots media production. NYC IMC sponsors Response to “Message to Home- stuff, fuel, medicine and needed kids get a chance at a good edu- three other volunteer projects: the children’s less: Pay to Stay,” Dec. 11: medical equipment, water pu- cation and these protesters are newspaper IndyKids, the IndyVideo news team rification equipment and many slamming him for doing that and the NYC IMC open publishing website “Shame” is all one can say. The city building materials. This is a and calling his reforms racist. (nyc.indymedia.org). should have a little bit of honesty, genocidal crime using hunger That’s crazy! and not call it a “homeless shelter,” and thirst as weapons —A Proud Liberal VO LUNTEER CONTRIBUTORS: while it is a rental accommodation. —Peter Hindrup NT Sam Alcoff, Steven Arnerich, Pat Aulisio, —Harbans Singh Mayor Bloomberg and New DE N Mark Bailey, Bennett Baumer, Mike Burke, SNAPSHOT York City School Chancellor E YP Ellen Davidson, Tim Durning, Renée Feltz, A CRY FOR HELP “Gaza Freedom March: Decla- Joe Klein set up schools to fail D N Seth Fisher, Leo Garcia, Alan Good, Samantha Response to “One Student’s ration from Cairo,” IndyBlog, and then proclaim themselves Gorelick, Mary Heglar, Andrew Hinderaker, Question to the World: ‘Why Jan. 1: to be saviors when they finish THE I Alex Kane, Ruth Kelton, Amy Kraft, Jaisal the Palestinians? Why Are We off these schools and hand over Noor, Judith Mahoney Pasternak, Brian Ponto, the Only Ones Suffering?’” Thanks for the detailed update the buildings to their charter Nicholas Powers, Keren Sadan, Ann Schneider, IndyBlog Jan. 1: and the great photos! After hear- school cronies. It’s the classic RY 28, 2010 RY Sarah Secunda, John Tarleton, Eric Volpe, ing that a number of Freedom right-wing strategy of defund- A Steven Wishnia and Amy Wolf. For almost the last three years, Marchers had their cameras ing the public sector as a pre- NU A Israel has subjected Gaza to an smashed, I’m happy to see that EDUCATION CRISIS lude to privatization. It’s amaz- JOIN US ON FACEBOOK, MYSPACE & TWITTER, illegal economic siege, which The Indypendent’s Ellen David- Responses to “NYC School ing how many people fall for AND FOLLOW OUR BLOGGERS ONLINE EVERY in itself constitutes a crime son is still around documenting Closings Draw Heated Protests this bait-and-switch. Ry 8 – J Ry A DAY AT INDYPENDENT.ORG! against humanity. Israel had, events and taking action shots. on a Bitterly Cold Day,” Indy- —Not So NU A and still is, preventing the entry —Ray Korona Blog, Dec.