Stacie E Hebert, Graduate Student of Social Work

Slow Down Week: A New Way of Being | Adbusters Culturejammer Headquarters

2011-11-08T21:15:00.000-08:00

Make every week a Slow Down Week

A New Way of Being | Adbusters Culturejammer Headquarters

Occupy Boston Reading List (Crowdsourced!) - Google Docs

2011-11-06T01:20:00.000-07:00

Occupy Boston Crowdsourced Reading List - Google Docs:

Occupy Boston Crowdsourced Reading List
Anyone Can Edit!

Please add articles, blog posts, videos, any linkable media that offer evidence for our discontent, articulate our “demands” and frustrations in useful ways, and help us form our personal talking points.

The goal is a growing list of links that people can easily read through, get informed, and share with others (including other Occupy movements). So please keep your annotations brief, and take your longer comments to the source websites/blogs.

The short link for this page is http://tinyurl.com/occupyboston. It’s also posted here: http://wiki.occupyboston.org/wiki/Main_Page and http://occupywiki.info

Document Sections (so far)

Websites and Social Networking
Backgrounders and News on Economy, Politics, Corruption, Corporations, Housing, (Un)Employment
Books
Economic Possibility, Here and Now
The Occupy Movement: Formation and Ideologies
Occupy: News, Criticism, Commentary
Legal + Media + Organizing Resources

WEBSITES AND SOCIAL NETWORKING
Not meant to be an exhaustive list; find more at the official site: http://occupyboston.com/

Occupies everywhere
http://occupationalist.org

Occupy Boston on Reddit
http://www.reddit.com/r/OccupyBoston/

Occupy Boston on Foursquare
Check-in, leave tips and upload photos.
https://foursquare.com/v/occupyboston/4e864b86469035fb8bfcc92f

Ask Metafilter Questions
Basic information and links to detailed articles, documentaries, etc from users
http://ask.metafilter.com/197543/Help-me-help-occupywallstreet

Notable Twitter Accounts
- @Occupy_Boston
- @OccupyBOS_Media
- @StudentsOccupy
- @OccupyBosReddit
- #OccupyBoston (hashtag, not account)

Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/OccupyBoston
http://www.facebook.com/classwarfareexists?sk=wall (good reading list)

Occupy Boston in a few other places
http://occupyboston.tumblr.com/
http://www.occupybostonvoices.com/
http://occupygeorge.com/ Dollar hacking for the 99%

BACKGROUNDERS AND NEWS ON ECONOMY, POLITICS, CORRUPTION, CORPORATIONS, HOUSING, (UN)EMPLOYMENT

The Koch Brothers
People & Power asks if the tycoon duo's fortune could put the radical right into the White House.
Al Jazeera, 11/1/11
http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/peopleandpower/2011/10/2011102683719370179.html

It’s Time for Debt Forgiveness, American-Style
by William Greidner, Nov. 2011 ed. of The Nation
http://www.thenation.com/article/164216/its-time-debt-forgiveness-american-style#comment-895061
A serious treatment of a big idea

From Occupy Wall Street to Occupy Earth
by Chip Ward, 10/27/2011
http://www.grist.org/pollution/2011-10-27-from-occupy-wall-street-to-occupy-earth
Lucidly highlights the connection btwn corporate power, ecological degradation, and social injustice.

What does the Bonus Army tell us About Occupy Wall Street?
The Awl, 10/25/2011
http://www.theawl.com/2011/10/what-does-the-bonus-army-tell-us-about-occupy-wall-street
Really interesting comparisons about the occupation of DC in 1932.

Now, Let Me Tell You What They’re Talking About
fmr. Rep. Alan Grayson takes on PJ O’Rourke
http://openmobile.tumblr.com/post/11316915307/this-is-off-topic-from-mobile-politics-but-holy

Prosecuting Financial Titans
On Point, 10/18/2011
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2011/10/18/prosecuting-wall-street
Excellent, clear discussion that starts on the premise, ‘Ok, they’re guilty, why aren’t they in prison yet?’

Chart of the Day: These are the 47 Percent
by Brian Beutler 10/14/11
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/10/chart-of-the-day-these-are-the-47-percent.php

Could This Time Have Been Different?
Ezra Klein, Washington Post, 10/8/2011
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/could-this-time-have-been-different/2011/08/25/gIQAiJo0VL_blog.html

SWAT Teams in St. Louis Protecting Bank of America; Refusing Customer Withdrawals
10/4/11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Db_P0wHsSz0#

Group Pushes for Corporate Tax Holiday
NPR, 10/4/11
http://www.npr.org/2011/10/04/141054578/group-pushes-for-corporate-tax-holiday

5 Facts You Should Know About the Wealthiest One Percent of Americans
by ThinkProgress / Zaid Jilani, 10/4/11
http://www.alternet.org/economy/152601/5_facts_you_should_know_about_the_wealthiest_one_percent_of_americans

The Reign of the One Percenters
Orion Magazine 9-10/2011
http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/6470
Author’s postscript/response to Occupy Wall Street: http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/newsfrom187/entry/6518

Good capitalism does exist. And it's more crucial now than ever
Will Hutton, The Guardian Observer, 10/1/2011
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/oct/02/will-hutton-ed-miliband-new-capitalism

The Truth About “Class War” in America
Richard D. Wolff, September 28, 2011
http://www.zcommunications.org/the-truth-about-class-war-in-america-by-richard-d-wolff

The Curse of Tina
Adam Curtis, September 13th, 2011
Blog post on the creation and proliferation of neoliberal think tanks
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/adamcurtis/2011/09/the_curse_of_tina.html

Obama Goes All Out For Dirty Banker Deal
Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone, 8/24/11
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/obama-goes-all-out-for-dirty-banker-deal-20110824

Wall Street Aristocracy Got $1.2 Trillion in Secret Loans
Bloomberg, 8/21/11
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-21/wall-street-aristocracy-got-1-2-trillion-in-fed-s-secret-loans.html

Dylan Ratigan’s Mad As Hell Moment
MSNBC, 8/2011
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2011/08/dylan-ratigans-mad-as-hell-moment.html

This is the face of the 99%:
http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/post/11123158326/im-fortunate-to-be-working-this-year-but-in

Fareed's Take: How to fix America's jobs crisis
Fareed Zakaria, CNN, 6/5/2011
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/05/fareeds-take-how-to-fix-americas-jobs-crisis
Zakaria is trying to support the 99% but he can do more - reference the Global Public Square Blog. I would like to see the OccupyBoston movement influence the media and stop the blackout -- compel CNN to talk about what the bloggers are actually saying. People, the 99% are blogging about these issues and not being heard. CNN must expose all corporations laying off massive numbers of Americans while CEOs still get their bonuses.
CALL TO ACTION - click CNN blog (link above) to express your support

Debt Crisis Hangs Over Washington Politics
NPR’s Mara Liasson reports on a gathering of just 40 “Tea Party patriots”, 4/29/11
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/29/135829375/debt-crisis-hangs-over-washington-politics

Biggest Fish Face Little Risk of Being Caught
New York Times, 2/25/11
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/26/business/economy/26nocera.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

Inside Job
http://www.sonyclassics.com/insidejob/
Academy Award winning documentary about the financial crisis.

Michael Lewis Drops Some Wisdom on Wall Street
Columbia Journalism Review 3/15/2010
http://www.cjr.org/the_audit/michael_lewis_drops_some_wisdo.php

The Quiet Coup
The Atlantic 5/2009
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/05/the-quiet-coup/7364/
“A whole generation of policy makers has been mesmerized by Wall Street, always and utterly convinced that whatever the banks said was true.”

How Washington's Bailout Will Boost Wall Street Bonuses
Time, 10/27/08
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1853846,00.html#ixzz1ZgCSAOVZ

The Giant Pool of Money, and Return to the Giant Pool of Money
This American Life and NPR’s Planet Money, 5/9/2008 and 9/25/2009
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/355/the-giant-pool-of-money
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/390/return-to-the-giant-pool-of-money
Additionally, Planet Money’s blog - this podcast, begun in September of 2008, offers a comprehensive explanation of how our economic system works.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/

A global assessment of wealth and wellbeing
http://www.prosperity.com/country.aspx?id=US
As if we didn’t already know that our financial institutions don’t exude confidence and are making us the 99% unhappy...now there is quantitative research to prove it - see this article and the next few below. “US Economy Ranked 14th: The US economy is strong with high living standards, but confidence in American financial institutions remains low.”

The World's Happiest Countries
http://www.forbes.com/2011/01/19/norway-denmark-finland-business-washington-world-happiest-countries.html
Christopher Helman, 01.19.11
“Most of the nations atop our list are democratic, business-friendly and boast strong social safety nets.”

Do Americans Work Hard? Yes, they do...
http://www.forbes.com/2011/01/19/norway-denmark-finland-business-washington-world-happiest-countries_4.html
“Lacking: the U.S. scored just 62nd in feeling "well rested." Compare that with China, which ranked 12th in being well rested.”

Tax Justice Network Blog
Why tax havens cause poverty.
http://taxjustice.blogspot.com/
“With 25 million Americans looking for fulltime work, and nearly one in six Americans relying on federal food assistance, some of America's most flush corporations are demanding a "one-time" corporate tax holiday on their more than $1.4 trillion in profits now sitting offshore.”

Tax Havens: How Globalization Really Works
Palan, Ronen; Murphy, Richard; Chavagneaux, Christian
Widely acclaimed report on tax havens, banking secrecy jurisdictions, etc.
http://www.amazon.com/Tax-Havens-Globalization-Cornell-Studies/dp/0801476127/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317858538&sr=1-5

1) Comparison of the Reported Tax Liabilities of Foreign- and U.S.-Controlled Corporations, 1996-2000
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B8ZwU8P4sgUSMGNlOWMxMzItMjIzNy00MDA1LWJjZTYtMTExNDMxMTBhYjhj&hl=en_US
2) Comparison of the Reported Tax Liabilities of Foreign- and U.S.-Controlled Corporations, 1998-2005
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B8ZwU8P4sgUSMGJjMTU3NDAtOTI1OS00YjlmLTg0OTYtOTZiYTIwMjRhN2Mw&hl=en_US
A pair of GAO reports detailing a survey of the effective rates of corporate taxation and found that 60% of corporations reported NO taxable income. These are not S-corporations (pass through entities), but C corporations, like those listed on the Wall Street exchanges. Think GE and Exxon/Mobil.

The L-Curve: Tour of the US Income Distribution Graphs and numbers describing income and wealth distribution across America’s population. A lot of the data is now out of date (from the late 90’s early 2000’s), but that’s because the wealth gap is even more extreme than it was only 10 years ago.

The Crisis of Credit, Visualized, an 11 minutes video describing the mechanism of the crash.

Golden Rule: The Investment Theory of Politics "Documentary featuring Tom Ferguson, Noam Chomsky and other prominent thinkers, on how money rules politics."

Legal Personhood and the Nonhuman Rights Project (pdf) Steven M. Wise, 2010. Provides a decent overview of what exactly legal personhood is and why it matters.

Citizens United v. FEC Full text of the 2010 SCOTUS opinion

BOOKS

Real Leadership: Helping People and Organizations Face Their Toughest Challenges (2005), by Dean Williams

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies (1999), by Jared Diamond

The Ecology of Commerce (revised 2010), and Blessed Unrest (2008), by Paul Hawken

Ishmael (1995), by Daniel Quinn

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America (2001), by Barbara Ehrenreich
New afterword by Ehrenreich, 10 years later: http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175428/

Methland by Nick Reding. Review.

Do It Anyway by Courtney Martin. Review.

The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore. Review.

On Dialogue and Thought as a System by David Bohm

Winner Take All Politics (2010) by Jacob Hacker & Paul Pierson

The Divine Right of Capital (2003) by Marjorie Kelly

The Shock Doctrine (2007) by Naomi Klein

Economic Justice for All (1986, 10th anniversary ed. 1997) by US Catholic Council of Bishops

The Theory of Moral Sentiments, The full text of Adam Smith’s work

An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Another Adam Smith full text

ECONOMIC POSSIBILITY HERE AND NOW

"I decided I didn't want to wake up in the morning fighting capitalism anymore. I wanted to wake up thinking about how to create something new."
-Julie Graham

Gibson-Graham, J.K. 2006. A Post-Capitalist Politics. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Miller, Ethan. Oct. 2011. Occupy. Connect. Create: Imagining Life Beyond “The Economy.” Pamphlet

www.communityeconomies.org

“The Take.” 2004. A documentary film by Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein. Argentine workers take over factories and make them into co-operatives after an economic crisis.

Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative -in Dorchester, Massachusetts

Valley Alliance for Worker Co-ops -in Western Massachusetts

THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT: FORMATION, IDEOLOGIES
Direct press coverage of Occupy Boston is already tracked here: http://occupyboston.com/press

Occupy Bucharest Manifesto
http://occupybucharest.com/
Don’t be put off by the anti-capitalist tone in the beginning. Keep reading, it’s wonderful, even if you don’t agree with all of it.
“The full framework of understanding required for inter-disciplinary action is never given – the mere existence of people completely segregated into disciplines suggests that even the framework for wanting to solve problems rarely exists.”
“There are no clean-cut demands to be made, because there isn’t a system currently capable of enacting them.”
“While broadscale economic reform needs to happen, it’s much more important to simply stop the massive destruction of value, immediately – with no more bailouts followed by seizing of property, both on a personal scale, with home foreclosures and massive job loss, and on a national scale, with sale of historical and social assets, as is happening in Greece.”

Occupy Wall Street Is Starting To Alter The Media Narrative
Huffington Post, 10/19/11
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/19/occupy-wall-street-media-coverage_n_1019836.html

Ambiguous UpSparkles From the Heart of the Park (Mic Check/Occupy Wall Street) Eve Ensler, Huffington Post, 10/10/2011
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eve-ensler/ambiguous-upsparkles-from_b_1003908.html
“In a culture obsessed with product, the process of creation is almost unbearable. Nothing is more threatening than the moment, the living breathing ambiguity of now. We have been trained to name things, own things, brand things and in doing so control and consume them. Well, the genius of Occupy Wall Street is that so far it is not brandable and that's what makes its potential so daunting, so far reaching, so inclusive, and so dangerous. It cannot be defined and so it cannot be sold, as a sound bite or a political party or even a thing. It can't be summed up and dismissed.”

God Dissolves into the Occupy Movement
By ANTHEA BUTLER, ELIZABETH DRESCHER, PETER LAARMAN, SARAH POSNERAND NATHAN SCHNEIDER 10/16/11
http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/politics/5268/god_dissolves_into_the_occupy_movement

America’s Primal Scream
Nicholas Kristof, 10/15/2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/16/opinion/sunday/kristof-americas-primal-scream.html
“Inequality is also a cancer on our national well-being.”

Interviews with people at Occupy Boston
http://www.occupybostonvoices.com/

‘Occupy Wall Street,’ a primer
Ezra Klein 10/03/2011
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/occupy-wall-street-a-primer/2011/08/25/gIQAbX7oHL_blog.html

Meet Four Middle-Class Americans Who've Been Politicized by #OccupyWallStreet
Josh Harkinson, Mother Jones 10/9/11
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/10/occupy-wall-street-middle-class

What #OccupyMiami learned from #OccupyBoston learned from #OccupyWallStreet
by Chris Faraone, Boston Phoenix, 10/2/11
http://thephoenix.com/Blogs/phlog/archive/2011/10/02/what-occupymiami-learned-from-occupyboston-learned-from-occupywallstreet.aspx#ixzz1ZgOe47O3

#OccupyBoston is Coming. Expect Us.
Jason Pramas for Open Media Boston
http://openmediaboston.org/node/2004

We are the 99 Percent
Lots of people, telling their own stories of financial struggle
http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/

The Metamovement
Umair Haque, 10/1/2011
http://www.umairhaque.com/2011/10/metamovement.html
“it's not just about inequality--but the deeper failure of institutions.” Follow @umairh on Twitter - he’s got great thinking about what a good capitalism and good society could be.

#OccupyWallStreet Is a Church of Dissent, Not a Protest
Matt Stoller, Naked Capitalism
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2011/09/matt-stoller-occupywallstreet-is-a-church-of-dissent-not-a-protest.html

#OccupyWallStreet: There's Something Happening Here, Mr. Jones
Micah Sifry, TechPresident
http://techpresident.com/blog-entry/occupywallstreet-theres-something-happening-here-mr-jones

#OccupyWallSt, Then #OccupyKSt, Then #OccupyMainSt
Larry Lessig
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lawrence-lessig/occupywallst-then-occupyk_b_995547.html

#OCCUPY: NEWS, CRITICISM, COMMENTARY

Occupy Writers
Impressive list of writers who support the Occupy movements
http://occupywriters.com
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2011/10/25/neil_gaiman_gloria_steinem_and_other_writers_on_occupy_wall_stre.html

Wealth, Income, and Power

http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html

by Sociology Professor G. William Domhoff, University of Santa Cruz

This document presents details on the wealth and income distributions in the United States, with tables and charts containing wealth statistics on the 1%, 9%, 80% of wealth owners. It also explains how we use these two distributions as power indicators and provides links that study power, describe Theories of Power, power at the local level, social cohesion and social change.

Brilliant: US marine takes on NYPD #OWS
http://liberalconspiracy.org/2011/10/18/amazing-video-of-us-marine-taking-on-nypd/
Here are our talking points vs. amped up cops. Except you probably should be huge, and a Marine, to try it.

In Private, Wall St. Bankers Dismiss Protesters as Unsophisticated
New York Times, 10/14/2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/15/business/in-private-conversation-wall-street-is-more-critical-of-protesters.html

My Advice to the Occupy Wall Street Protesters: Hit bankers where it hurts
Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone, 10/12/11
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/my-advice-to-the-occupy-wall-street-protesters-20111012
“The time is rapidly approaching when the movement is going to have to offer concrete solutions to the problems posed by Wall Street. To do that, it will need a short but powerful list of demands. There are thousands one could make, but I'd suggest focusing on five:” (Read on)

Bill McKibben Links Climate Change to Corruption in Stirring Occupy Wall Street Speech (Video)
Treehugger, 10/9/11
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/10/bill-mckibben-climate-coruption-corporation-occupy-wall-street-washington-square-park-speech.php

Who Really Owns The NYPD? Turns Out It's Not Such A Rhetorical Question
Susie Madrak, Crooks and Liars
http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/who-really-owns-nypd-turns-out-its-no

Quote and Comment - Jay Rosen
http://jayrosen.tumblr.com/
NYU professor Jay Rosen’s insights into media coverage and other happenings in the Occupy movements

Listen to the Occupy Wall Street Movement
Mohamed El-Erian, CEO of PIMCO, for Huffington Post, 10/10/2011
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mohamed-a-elerian/occupy-wall-street-_b_1004222.html

Panic of the Plutocrats
Paul Krugman, NY Times, 10/10/2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/10/opinion/panic-of-the-plutocrats.html

'Occupy Wall Street': A media blackout?
Al Jazeera’s Listening Post blog, 10/8/2011
http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/listeningpost/2011/10/201110875949746728.html

Confronting the Malefactors
Thomas Friedman, NY Times, 10/7/2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/07/opinion/krugman-confronting-the-malefactors.html
Three clear points: “In the first act, bankers took advantage of deregulation to run wild (and pay themselves princely sums), inflating huge bubbles through reckless lending. In the second act, the bubbles burst — but bankers were bailed out by taxpayers, with remarkably few strings attached, even as ordinary workers continued to suffer the consequences of the bankers’ sins. And, in the third act, bankers showed their gratitude by turning on the people who had saved them, throwing their support — and the wealth they still possessed thanks to the bailouts — behind politicians who promised to keep their taxes low and dismantle the mild regulations erected in the aftermath of the crisis.
Given this history, how can you not applaud the protesters for finally taking a stand?”

Parks and Demonstration
Jon Stewart, The Daily Show, 10/5/2011
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-october-5-2011/parks-and-demonstration

Think Occupy Wall St. is a phase? You don't get it
Douglas Rushkoff, 10/5/2011
http://www.rushkoff.com/blog/2011/10/5/think-occupy-wall-st-is-a-phase-you-dont-get-it.html

Thanks to students and unions, #OccupyBoston is growing. It's also dividing.
by Carly Carioli 10/5/11 http://thephoenix.com/Blogs/phlog/archive/2011/10/05/thanks-to-students-and-unions-occupyboston-is-growing-it-s-also-dividing.aspx#ixzz1a0PD7TOb

Erin Burnett is Vapid; Occupy Wall Street matters
by Eric Jackson 10/6/11
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericjackson/2011/10/05/erin-burnett-is-vapid-occupy-wall-street-matters/

Can the #Occupy Movement Be a Turning Point?
Doyle Canning - Yes! Magazine (October 3, 2011)
http://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/can-the-occupy-movement-be-a-turning-point
“As the Wall Street occupation continues, Boston residents are sitting in to save their homes—and providing a lesson in how to sustain the powerful spark of the #Occupy movement.”

The Bankers and The Revolutionaries
Nicholas Kristoff, 10/2/2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/02/opinion/sunday/kristof-the-bankers-and-the-revolutionaries.html

#OccupyWallStreet and the Failure of Institutions
BuzzMachine by Jeff Jarvis, 10/3/2011
http://www.buzzmachine.com/2011/10/03/occupywallstreet-the-failure-of-institutions/

The Wall Street Take on Occupy Wall St.
WNYC 10/4/11
http://www.wnyc.org/articles/its-free-country/2011/oct/04/wall-street-take-occupy-wall-street/

What Arab Bloggers Make of the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ Protest
by PRI’s The World 10/3/11
http://www.theworld.org/2011/10/arab-bloggers-occupy-wall-street/

Moving in on Boston
by Patrick Tracey, 10/1/11
http://politics.salon.com/2011/10/01/occupyboston/singleton/

Global Revolution? The Occupy Movement Spreads around the World
By Jo Harrington, 10/1/11
http://www.suite101.com/news/global-revolution-the-occupy-movement-spreads-around-the-world-a391043

Video: Cornel West at OccupyWallSt GA
http://youtu.be/H31XN8zgXlI

What’s behind the scorn for the Wall Street protests?
Glenn Greenwald, Salon 9/28/11
http://politics.salon.com/2011/09/28/protests_21/singleton/
“Does anyone really not know what the basic message is of this protest: that Wall Street is oozing corruption and criminality and its unrestrained political power — in the form of crony capitalism and ownership of political institutions — is destroying financial security for everyone else?”

Occupy Wall Street rediscovers the radical imagination
The Guardian, 9/25/2011
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/sep/25/occupy-wall-street-protest

Why NPR won’t give air time to the Occupy Wall Street protests in lower Manhattan.
Jay Rosen, 9/27/2011
http://jayrosen.tumblr.com/post/10727380765/why-npr-wont-give-air-time-to-the-occupy-wall

LEGAL + MEDIA + ORGANIZING RESOURCES

Occupy Design
http://occupydesign.org/
http://twitter.com/#!/OccupyDesign
Graphics for signs and other graphic needs that anyone can print and use

Legal Resources for Journalists Covering Protests
notebook by JC Stearns
http://jcstearns.posterous.com/legal-resources-for-journalists-covering-prot

A Citizen's Guide to Reporting on #OccupyWallStreet
Citizen Media Law Project at Harvard
http://bit.ly/r410KC

ACLU Pocket Guide for what to do if you’re stopped by police/arrested
http://t.co/W02zu2s9 (pdf)

Education

From wiki.occupyboston.org

Jump to: navigation, search

This is for GENERAL READING AND EDUCATION...to both help folks get up to speed on the issues, or to store reference writings/data/documentation for the issues/visioning/policy groups to refer to in their posts. Also refer (and contribute!) to the Occupy Boston Crowdsourced Reading List.

Back to main [Issues] page.

[edit] Info and News about Money, Politics, Corruption, Corporations, Housing, (Un)employment, and the Economy

[edit] Revealed – the capitalist network that runs the world

An analysis of the relationships between 43,000 transnational corporations has identified a relatively small group of companies, mainly banks, with disproportionate power over the global economy. - by Andy Coghlan and Debora MacKenzie New Scientist: http://bit.ly/qWB5sm Updated 13:15 24 October 2011,

"Anonymous" Inspiration
The plan

Charts/Numbers Framing "the Issue"
what-wall-street-protesters-are-so-angry-about

This is the face of the 99%
http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.comn wearethe99percent

Why Occupy Communities Have Libraries
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/892578-264/why_the_occupy_wall_street.html.csp

Chart of the Day: These are the 47 Percent
Brian Beutler
Talking Points Memo
10/14/11
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/10/chart-of-the-day-these-are-the-47-percent.php

Could This Time Have Been Different?
Ezra Klein
Washington Post
10/8/2011
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/could-this-time-have-been-different/2011/08/25/gIQAiJo0VL_blog.html

SWAT Teams in St. Louis Protecting Bank of America; Refusing Customer Withdrawals
10/4/11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Db_P0wHsSz0#

Group Pushes for Corporate Tax Holiday
NPR
10/4/11
http://www.npr.org/2011/10/04/141054578/group-pushes-for-corporate-tax-holiday

5 Facts You Should Know About the Wealthiest One Percent of Americans
Zaid Jilani
ThinkProgress
10/4/11
http://www.alternet.org/economy/152601/5_facts_you_should_know_about_the_wealthiest_one_percent_of_americans

The Reign of the One Percenters
Orion Magazine
9/10/2011
http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/6470
Author’s postscript/response to Occupy Wall Street:http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/newsfrom187/entry/6518

Good capitalism does exist. And it's more crucial now than ever
Will Hutton
The Guardian Observer
10/1/2011
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/oct/02/will-hutton-ed-miliband-new-capitalism

The Truth About “Class War” in America
Richard D. Wolff
9/28/2011
http://www.zcommunications.org/the-truth-about-class-war-in-america-by-richard-d-wolff

The Curse of Tina
Adam Curtis
BBC's Adam Curtis Blog
9/13/2011
Blog post on the creation and proliferation of neoliberal think tanks
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/adamcurtis/2011/09/the_curse_of_tina.html

Obama Goes All Out For Dirty Banker Deal
Matt Taibbi
Rolling Stone
8/24/11
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/obama-goes-all-out-for-dirty-banker-deal-20110824

Wall Street Aristocracy Got $1.2 Trillion in Secret Loans
Bloomberg
8/21/11
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-21/wall-street-aristocracy-got-1-2-trillion-in-fed-s-secret-loans.html

Dylan Ratigan’s Mad As Hell Moment
MSNBC
8/2011
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2011/08/dylan-ratigans-mad-as-hell-moment.html

How to fix America's jobs crisis
Fareed Zakaria
CNN
6/5/2011
http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/05/fareeds-take-how-to-fix-americas-jobs-crisis

Debt Crisis Hangs Over Washington Politics
Mara Liasson
NPR
4/29/11
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/29/135829375/debt-crisis-hangs-over-washington-politics

Michael Lewis Drops Some Wisdom on Wall Street
Michael Lewis
Columbia Journalism Review
3/15/2010
http://www.cjr.org/the_audit/michael_lewis_drops_some_wisdo.php

The Quiet Coup
Simon Johnson
The Atlantic
5/2009
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/05/the-quiet-coup/7364/

How Washington's Bailout Will Boost Wall Street Bonuses
Stephen Gandel
Time
10/27/2008
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1853846,00.html#ixzz1ZgCSAOVZ

The Giant Pool of Money
This American Life and NPR's Planet Money
5/9/2008
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/355/the-giant-pool-of-money

Return to the Giant Pool of Money
This American Life and NPR’s Planet Money
9/25/2009
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/390/return-to-the-giant-pool-of-money

Planet Money’s blog
NPR
September 2008 - present
Comprehensive explanation of how our economic system works.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/

Thinking About Empowered Participatory Democracy
Erik Olin Wright and Archon Fung
2003
http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/~wright/Published%20writing/DD-1.pdf

Envisioning Real Utopias
Erik Olin Wright
2009
http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/~wright/ERU.htm

A global assessment of wealth and wellbeing
http://www.prosperity.com/country.aspx?id=US

Why tax havens cause poverty
http://taxjustice.blogspot.com/

Widely acclaimed report on tax havens, banking secrecy jurisdictions, etc.
http://www.amazon.com/Tax-Havens-Globalization-Cornell-Studies/dp/0801476127/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317858538&sr=1-5

Comparison of the Reported Tax Liabilities of Foreign- and U.S.-Controlled Corporations, 1996-2000
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B8ZwU8P4sgUSMGNlOWMxMzItMjIzNy00MDA1LWJjZTYtMTExNDMxMTBhYjhj&hl=en_US

Comparison of the Reported Tax Liabilities of Foreign- and U.S.-Controlled Corporations, 1998-2005
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B8ZwU8P4sgUSMGJjMTU3NDAtOTI1OS00YjlmLTg0OTYtOTZiYTIwMjRhN2Mw&hl=en_US

Based on: Education at wikispaces

Retrieved from "http://wiki.occupyboston.org/wiki/Education"

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My Local OccupySalemMA interests:Tagxedo - Art

2011-11-03T16:33:00.000-07:00

I took notes at the first General Assembly of Occupy Salem MA . I created a word cloud of the first part of our general assembly was dedicated to introducing ourselves and telling why we want to congregate as OccupySalemMA

These are our concerns: Tagxedo - Art:

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Ever More Homeless Families - NYTimes.com

2011-10-31T08:51:00.000-07:00

Ever More Homeless Families - NYTimes.com:
An increase in poverty and rising rents produced a spike in homelessness among families in recent years. With the economy still weak and 14 million people out of work, the situation is bound to get worse.
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Oppression Review : What is Oppression?

2011-10-29T20:25:00.000-07:00

Definitions of Oppression
Diversity and Oppression readings
Defining White Privilege (@udayton.edu)
Intersectionality & Matrix of Domination (@wikipedia.org)
Oppressors–oppressed distinction (@Wikipedia)
Feminism (@Wikipedia)
Feminist Perspectives on Power (@ Stanford.edu)
Oppression.org website
Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Definitions of Oppression (@umich.edu)

The Social Work Dictionary, ed. Robert L. Barker defines oppression as: "The social act of

placing severe restrictions on an individual, group or institution. Typically, a government or

political organization that is in power places these restrictions formally or covertly on oppressed

groups so that they may be exploited and less able to compete with other social groups. The

oppressed individual or group is devalued, exploited and deprived of privileges by the individual

or group which has more power." (Barker, 2003)

The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology has an excellent definition of social oppression: "Social

oppression is a concept that describes a relationship between groups or categories of between

groups or categories of people in which a dominant group benefits from the systematic abuse,

exploitation, and injustice directed toward a subordinate group. The relationship between whites

and blacks in the United States and South Africa, between social classes in many industrial

societies, between men and women in most societies, between Protestants and Catholics in

Northern Ireland - all have elements of social oppression in that the organization of social life

enables those who dominate to oppress others. Relationships between groups and relationships

between groups and social categories, it should not be confused with the oppressive behavior of

individuals. A white man may not himself actively participate in oppressive behavior directed at

blacks or women, for example, but he nonetheless benefits from the general oppression of blacks

and women simply because he is a white man. In this sense, all members of dominant and

subordinate categories participate in social oppression regardless of their individual attitudes or

behavior. Social oppression becomes institutionalized when its enforcement is so of social life

that it is not easily identified as oppression and does not require conscious prejudice or overt acts

of discrimination." One of the purposes of the exercise we'll do is to help use better identify the

feelings that oppression produces in us and in our clients. (Johnson, 2000b)

Diversity and Oppression readings (syllabus) @ wayne.edu

Ground Rules. (Adapted from those by Margaret Andersen, University of Delaware).

1. Acknowledge that racial and ethnic oppression exists in our society.

2. Acknowledge that one of the key elements of oppression is that we are all systematically

taught misinformation about race and ethnicity. This is true for both majority and

minority group members.

3. While we cannot be blamed for the misinformation that we have learned, we can and will

be held responsible for repeating misinformation after we have learned otherwise.

4. We will actively pursue information about racial and ethnic groups. However, the basis

for this information will not be on societal learned myths or stereotypes about these

groups.

5. We will share information and ideas with members of the class and we will never

demean, devalue, or “put down” people for their experiences.

6. We each have an obligation to combat actively the myths and stereotypes about race and

ethnicity so that we can break down the barriers which impede group cooperation.

7. We will assume that all of us, regardless of our racial identity, nationality, sex,

class or cultural background, have been influenced by the racism of our society

and that individuals can actively change.

8. We will create a safe atmosphere for open discussion. At times, members of the

class may wish to make comments that they do not want repeated outside of the

classroom. If so, the student will preface his or her remarks with a request and the

class will agree not to repeat the remarks.

9. We will try to see the world through the experiences of people who have different

perspectives than our own. This will mean not assuming that one’s own

perspective is the only or the best way to see and think.

Feminism (@Wikipedia)

Feminism
Part of a series on

History[show]
Variants [show]
Concepts[show]
Theories [show]
By country[show]
Lists & indexes[show]

Feminism portal

Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women.^[1]^[2]^[3] Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights. Feminism is mainly focused on women's issues, but because feminism seeks gender equality, some feminists argue that men's liberation is therefore a necessary part of feminism, and that men are also harmed by sexism and gender roles.Feminists are "person[s] whose beliefs and behavior[s] are based on feminism."^[4]Feminist theory exists in a variety of disciplines, emerging from these feminist movements^[5]^[6] and including general theories^[specify] and theories about the origins of inequality, and, in some cases, about the social construction of sex and gender. Feminist activists have campaigned for women's rights—such as in contract, property, and voting — while also promoting women's rights to bodily integrity and autonomy and reproductive rights. They have opposeddomestic violence, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. In economics, they have advocated for workplace rights, including equal pay and opportunities for careers and to start businesses.
Some of the earlier forms of feminism have been criticized for being geared towards white, middle-class, educated perspectives. This led to the creation of ethnically-specific or multiculturalist forms of feminism.

Feminist Perspectives on Power (@Stanford.edu)

Although any general definition of feminism would no doubt be controversial, it seems undeniable that much work in feminist theory is devoted to the tasks of critiquing women's subordination, analyzing the intersections between sexism and other forms of subordination such as racism, heterosexism, and class oppression, and envisioning the possibilities for both individual and collective resistance to such subordination. Insofar as the concept of power is central to each of these theoretical tasks, power is clearly a central concept for feminist theory as well.

Institutionalized Oppression Definition (@pcc.edu)

Institutional Oppression is the systematic mistreatment of people within a social

identity group, supported and enforced by the society and its institutions, solely based on

the person’s membership in the social identity group.

Institutional Oppression occurs when established laws, customs, and practices systematically reflect and produce inequities based on one’s membership in targeted social identity groups. If oppressive consequences accrue to institutional laws, customs, or practices, the institution is oppressive whether or not the individuals maintaining those practices have oppressive intentions.

Institutional Oppression creates a system of invisible barriers limiting people based on their

membership in unfavored social identity groups. The barriers are only invisible to those

“seemingly” unaffected by it.

The practice of institutionalized oppression is based on the belief in inherent superiority or

inferiority. Institutionalized oppression is a matter of result regardless of intent.

Defining White Privilege (@udayton.edu)

white privilege, a social relation
1. a. A right, advantage, or immunity granted to or enjoyed by white persons beyond the common advantage of all others; an exemption in many particular cases from certain burdens or liabilities.
b. A special advantage or benefit of white persons; with reference to divine dispensations, natural advantages, gifts of fortune, genetic endowments, social relations, etc.
2. A privileged position; the possession of an advantage white persons enjoy over non–white persons.
3. a. The special right or immunity attaching to white persons as a social relation; prerogative.
b. display of white privilege, a social expression of a white person or persons demanding to be treated as a member or members of the socially privileged class.
4. a. To invest white persons with a privilege or privileges; to grant to white persons a particular right or immunity; to benefit or favor specially white persons; to invest white persons with special honorable distinctions.
b. To avail oneself of a privilege owing to one as a white person.
5. To authorize or license of white person or persons what is forbidden or wrong for non–whites; to justify, excuse.
6. To give to white persons special freedom or immunityfrom some liability or burden to which non–white persons are subject; to exempt.

Oppression.org website

All of us have heard and probably even used that statement whose gist is that being a silent witness to a crime is comparable to being the actual criminal, but how many of us actually apply this to our lives? If we take a moment to seriously ponder this thought, it becomes blazingly obvious that we are a society composed mostly of educated criminals. I say educated in order to include those that do take the time to inform themselves, for what good is knowledge or awareness if it is merely passive? It only allows you to proclaim, "I was fully aware that this heinous act occurred". What is necessary is for this to evolve into, "I was aware and took the time to care".

Oppression.org has been designed as a means of directing desperately needed attention to a variety of stories. Our goal is to raise awareness on issues that are often times ignored because they concern a people and place that, to some, seem so foreign. This is necessary because to limit sympathy to only those who share a common language or culture only breathes life into the cycle of oppression. With this thought in mind, Oppression.org gives voice to people across the world that must fear daily for both their lives and those of their families. For the sake of humanity, we have a duty to make their suffering known.

Intersectionality (@wikipedia.org)

Intersectionality is a feminist sociological theory first highlighted by Kimberlé Crenshaw (1989). Intersectionality is a methodology of studying "the relationships among multiple dimensions and modalities of social relationships and subject formations" (McCall 2005). The theory suggests—and seeks to examine how—various socially and culturally constructed categories such as gender, race,class, disability, and other axes of identity interact on multiple and often simultaneous levels, contributing to systematic social inequality. Intersectionality holds that the classical conceptualizations of oppression within society, such as racism, sexism, homophobia, and religion-based bigotry, do not act independently of one another; instead, these forms of oppression interrelate, creating a system of oppression that reflects the "intersection" of multiple forms ofdiscrimination.^[1]'

Matrix of Domination (@wikipedia.org)

The Matrix of Domination is a sociological theory that explains issues of oppression that deal withrace, class, and gender, which, though recognized as different social classifications, are all interconnected. Other forms of classification, such as sexual orientation, religion, or age, apply to this theory as well. Patricia Hill Collins is credited with introducing the theory in her work entitledBlack Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment.

As the term implies, there are many different ways one might experience domination, facing many different challenges in which one obstacle, such as race, may overlap with other sociological features. Such things as race, age, and sex, may affect an individual in extremely different ways, in such simple cases as varying geography, socioeconomic status, or simply throughout time. Manyfeminist authors have contributed a great deal of research toward the understanding and application of domination models in many realms of society.

Oppressors–oppressed distinction (@Wikipedia)

Oppressors-oppressed distinction or dominant-dominated opposition, is an influentialpolitical argument. One of its first uses was by Hegel in his 1802 The German Constitution, in which he said that "The Catholics had been in the position of oppressors, and the Protestants of the oppressed."^[1] Its use by Karl Marx made it very influential, and it is often considered a fundamental element of Marxist analysis.^[2]^[3] The applications of it to some contexts, have led some to consider their simplicity suspicious or dubious.^[3] Many authors have reprised it and readapted it to other contexts, including Engels, Marx, Lenin, Gramsci, Simone Weil, Paulo Freire and others. It has been used in a variety of contexts, including bourgeoisie versus proletariat, imperialism versus self-determination, the Israeli–Palestinian conflict,^[4]^[5] and others.

Derrida (1994) Specters of Marx

Halabi, R., Sonnenschein, N., & Friedman, A. (2004) Liberate the oppressed and their oppressors: Encounters between university students. In R. Halabi (Ed.) Israeli and Palestinian identities in dialogue: The School for Peace approach. Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press.

Hegel (1802) The German Constitution, chapter II, section 1 The Armed Forces. Original titleDie Verfassung Deutschlands, included Werke volume 1 Early Writings (Frühe Schriften). English translation collected in Political writings

Kauppi, Niilo (1996) French intellectual nobility

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (10 December 1948 at Palais de Chaillot, Paris). The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled. It consists of 30 articles which have been elaborated in subsequent international treaties, regional human rights instruments, national constitutions and laws. The International Bill of Human Rightsconsists of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its two Optional Protocols. In 1966 the General Assembly adopted the two detailed Covenants, which complete the International Bill of Human Rights; and in 1976, after the Covenants had been ratified by a sufficient number of individual nations, the Bill took on the force of international law.^[1]

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The Social Work Wiki Project

2011-10-29T20:17:00.000-07:00

Social Work WikiProject

Social work and related concepts

Primary concepts	Social work · Qualifications for professional social work ·Role of the professional social worker ·Social work knowledge building

Education	Bachelor of Social Work (BA, BSc or BSW) degree · Socionom ·Master of Social Work degree (MA, MSc or MSW) ·Doctor of Social Work degree (Ph.D or DSW) ·International Association of Schools of Social Work ·Council on Social Work Education · Schools of social work

Social workers	American social workers · British social workers ·Canadian social work academics · Unclassified social workers

Professional associations	International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) ·National Association of Social Workers ·British Association of Social Workers ·Australian Association of Social Workers ·Professional Social Workers' Association

Types of social work	Medical social work · Social work with groups · Social planning ·School social worker · Barefoot social work · Forensic social work ·Caseworker · Child protection · Social work in the military

Other terms of interest	Community practice · Community organizing · Settlement movement ·Charity Organization Society · Jane Addams · Social justice ·Child savers

These articles are supported by the Social Work WikiProject

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Palm Card: Know Your Rights: Demonstrating in New York City (2011) | New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) - American Civil Liberties Union of New York State

2011-10-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

Palm Card: Know Your Rights: Demonstrating in New York City (2011) |

New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) - American Civil Liberties Union of New York State:

New Yorkers have the right to engage in peaceful, protest activity on public sidewalks, in public parks and on public streets in New York City. This includes the right to distribute handbills or leaflets; the right to hold press conferences, demonstrations and rallies; and the right to march on public sidewalks and in public streets. The city can and does impose certain restrictions on these activities, and in some instances one must obtain a permit before engaging in certain activity. This brochure is intended to inform New Yorkers of the basic rules governing demonstration activity.

Demonstrating in New York City (text version)

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Reference Card: Child Health Plus And Reproductive Health Benefits (2000) | New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) - American Civil Liberties Union of New York State

2011-10-27T20:32:00.000-07:00

Reference Card: Child Health Plus And Reproductive Health Benefits (2000) |

New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) - American Civil Liberties Union of New York State:

Reproductive Health Services Covered by CHP
CHP covers a full range of reproductive health care including abortion.1

Covered reproductive health services include (but are not limited to):

Contraception -- including (but not limited to): IUDs, diaphragms, birth control pills, condoms, Depo Provera, and Norplant.
Emergency Contraception -- “Morning-After Pill”
Abortion -- CHP covers “medically necessary” abortions,2 the same standard that applies to Medicaid.The determination of “medical necessity” is left entirely to the professional judgment of the provider.3 A provider can reasonably conclude that virtually every medically appropriate abortion meets this standard. 4
STD diagnosis and treatment
HIV testing and treatment
Screening for pregnancy, cervical cancer, breast disease, anemia, pelvic problems, hypertension, etc.
Prenatal care, labor, and delivery -- CHP members who are pregnant may continue to receive services under CHP. They may also be eligible for PCAP/Medicaid for prenatal, delivery, and postpartum care.

No Gatekeeper: Direct Access to Reproductive Health Services
Adolescents enrolled in CHP have DIRECT ACCESS to reproductive health services, without regard to age.

This means that CHP members CAN obtain services directly from any provider in their plan. They do not need a referral or authorization from their primary care provider (PCP).
CHP patients CANNOT access these services from providers who are outside their plan network as they can under Medicaid. CHP members can only obtain covered services from providers in their own plan.

If a plan does not offer comprehensive reproductive health services, its members are still entitled to obtain these services.

In New York State, for example Fidelis Care does not provide comprehensive reproductive health services. Fidelis Care is required to advise plan members who seek these services that they can obtain reproductive health care by contacting the following plans:

In NYC, call HealthFirst at 1-800-905-5445 (English), 1-800-761-5445 (Spanish), 1-800-422-5608 (Russian); in Long Island, Westchester, and Rockland, call Genesis at 1-800-599-2920 Ext. 81; in the rest of New York State, call GHI at 1-800-223-9870.

Consent
A minor – an individual under 18 – can give informed consent for family planning services, including (but not limited to): abortion, contraception, STD testing and treatment, HIV testing, prenatal care, and labor and delivery. Parental consent is not required for such services.

Confidentiality
Under New York State law, minors are entitled to confidentiality when they obtain reproductive health care. With few exceptions, unless the patient consents, a provider may not disclose a minor’s medical records regarding family planning services – including (but not limited to) abortion, contraception, STD testing and treatment, HIV testing, prenatal care, labor, and delivery. This means that a provider may not discuss these services with a minor’s parent without the patient’s consent.

Practical Note: In meeting the needs of adolescent patients, many providers find it helpful to anticipate the confidentiality problems that may arise. For example, bills, laboratory results, and other communications with the patient at home may cause unintended breaches of confidentiality. Administrative safeguards, such as obtaining special contact phone numbers or other addresses for minor patients, can minimize these problems.

See Minors' Rights to Confidential Reproductive Health Care in New York State -- A Summary for Card Professionals

In 1997, the State of New York enacted legislation to expand health insurance for children and adolescents up to the age of 19 under the state’s Child Health Plus (CHP) insurance program. Among the benefits provided by this plan are comprehensive reproductive health services.

Developed by:

New York Forum For Child Health
To order additional copies please call (212) 822-7393

New York Civil Liberties Union
Reproductive Rights Project
125 Broad Street, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10004
(212) 344-3005 www.nyclu.org

Planned Parenthood Of New York City, Inc.
26 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012
(212) 274-7200 www.ppnyc.org

Footnotes:

1 CHP provides comprehensive benefits including (but not limited to): “pediatric health promotion visits, …professional services for diagnosis and treatment of sickness and injury and other conditions, …and outpatient surgery.” NYS Department of Health, “Child Health Plus Benefits Package,” revised January, 2000.

2 Abortion is covered as a medically necessary service under inpatient or outpatient care.

3 The Department of Social Services has clarified the requirement of medical necessity with regard to abortion as follows: “the decision to recommend or perform an abortion involves the clinical judgment and personal concern of each physician involved. If in his judgment there is need for the operation, no question is raised and no justification is required after the procedure has been completed.” Letter from C.C. Nukols, Jr., Deputy Commissioner for Medical Program Development, Department of Social Services, to Nancy Brown, February 17, 1972. This policy of leaving the determination of medical necessity to the professional judgment of the provider was upheld in Donovan v. Cuomo, 513 N.Y.S.2d 878 (3d Dept. 1987), app. Denied 523 N.Y.S. 2d 495.

4 The Medicaid program has two relevant definitions. Section 365-a(2) of the Social Services Law defines “medically necessary” as:
Necessary to prevent, diagnose, correct or cure conditions in the person that cause acute suffering, endanger life, result in illness or infirmity, interfere with such person’s capacity for normal activity, or threaten some significant handicap. (emphasis added)

In addition, Section 365-a(5)(b) of the Social Services Law provides for “surgical benefits…where delay in surgical intervention would substantially increase the medical risk associated with such surgical intervention.” It is well documented that, while the risks associated with abortion are extremely low, delay in obtaining an abortion dramatically increases those risks. R. Gold, 'Abortion and Women’s Health' 31. The Alan Guttmacher Institute, New York, 1990.

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Palm Card: What to Do If You're Stopped by the Police (English and Spanish) (2011) | New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) - American Civil Liberties Union of New York State

2011-10-27T20:25:00.000-07:00

Palm Card: What to Do If You're Stopped by the Police (English and Spanish) (2011) |

New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) - American Civil Liberties Union of New York State:

This card tells you what to do if you are stopped, arrested, or injured in your encounter with the police, and how to file a complaint.

Keep the card handy! If you have a police encounter, you can protect yourself.

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Palm Card: Know Your Rights: LGBTQ Rights in Schools (2011) | New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) - American Civil Liberties Union of New York State

2011-10-27T20:24:00.000-07:00

Palm Card: Know Your Rights: LGBTQ Rights in Schools (2011) |

New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) - American Civil Liberties Union of New York State:

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) youth often face harassment and discrimination simply for being who they are. Just the thought of entering the school doors can be a nightmare for many students.

But the law requires school administrators and teachers to:

Protect LGBTQ students from bullying and harassment.
Treat LGBTQ students fairly and equally.
Respect LGBTQ students’ free speech and free expression rights.
Respect LGBTQ students’ privacy rights.

Unfortunately, many school officials don’t know enough about how the law requires them to protect LGBTQ students. That’s why it’s so important for you to educate yourself about your legal rights and what you can do if your school isn’t treating you or other students fairly.

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Reference Card: Minors And Mental Health Care (2004) | New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) - American Civil Liberties Union of New York State

2011-10-27T20:23:00.000-07:00

Reference Card: Minors And Mental Health Care (2004) |

New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU)

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NASW-MA Chapter's Statement in Support of Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Boston

2011-10-26T13:12:00.000-07:00

NASW MA Chapter's Statement in Support of Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Boston

As an organization that is committed to social and economic justice and unimpeded access to services for all, NASW-MA Chapter supports the Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Boston protests. These protests are shining a light on the exacerbated income and social inequality that has gripped the nation in recent years. America’s “new economy” is a tale of skewed wealth and income. The new economy generates extraordinary riches for the few, but creates declining wages, rising debt, and the risk of deep and persistent poverty for many.
Social Workers know that joblessness and economic insecurity contribute to the incidence of mental illness, family violence, suicide, substance abuse, crime, and diminished capacity for healthy family and community functioning. It is this knowledge and experience that gives the social work profession a special responsibility to advocate for income, employment, and social support policies that promote the economic justice and social well-being of all members of society and why NASW-MA Chapter has always been on the forefront of progressive taxation campaigns in the commonwealth. NASW-MA Chapter supports social, economic, and political actions to end poverty and the vast inequalities in wealth and income, to which protestors at “Occupy” events are so effectively drawing the country’s attention.

NASW-MA Chapter urges its membership to raise awareness about and take part in the Occupy Boston peaceful protests, as social workers see fit.
Betty Morningstar,PhD, LICSW, President, andCarol J. Trust, LICSW, Executive Director

SOCIAL JUSTICE: I resolve to become an active participant in the Occupy Wall Street movement, through Occupy Boston

2011-10-26T13:11:00.000-07:00

Has it occurred to anyone else who isn't actively participating in OccupyWallStreet, OccupyBoston, Occupy Chicago, Occupy New Orleans, et al., how we're all trapped in this dehumanizing, oppressive capitalistic system by the long, long hours at our jobs for which we receive economically-depressed and gendered wages, the exhausting commutes with the impending gas guzzling, the second jobs we DON'T want but need and that we're afraid of losing because of v. high unemployment rates, caused by housing crisis caused by greedy banks....

While many of the rest of us, like me, are students following conventional wisdom that says "Invest in yourself, educate yourself," sitting here with not enough time to read the news, do all I need to do to finish school, and participate in the social justice and economically-aimed protests, so that I can get out of school finally only to be trapped into a lifetime of student loans payments at a rate of at least 25% of my salary and be fearful of losing an exhausting job with depressed wages that leaves me no time to participate?

Doesn't this obviously transparent and oppressive cycle of gendered, capitalistic greed that we're trapped in make you duped and angry enough to prioritize getting down there to be at the protests? Maybe put down the beer on the weekend, turn off the TV or movie, and take a trip down to the rally on the weekend to gather with others who need this societal change just as badly as you do?

I have gotten really sick of this and of seeing the police brutalize people (who I'm not there with) who ONLY want to be seen and heard to make a change. I am done with being a bystander and being cowed into feeling as if I just don't have enough time or the energy. I am done with bending like the reeds in the river, while someone else makes the decisions for me.

And, it's time that I put away all the excuses of why I just can't do it, how I don't have time, and I can't make any difference. I resolve to SHOW UP in-person for my future and for yours. I WILL BE THERE at the rally this weekend in Boston, I WILL walk out of school one day this week with other students. I WILL sit out there with my sign that says: "Never forget the role of $$$ in Hurricane Katrina."

I WILL do my homework and readings, and write the damn papers so I can make sure to stay in the Social Work school - which is strangely silent about this political movement by ordinary citizens to affect social and economic justice.

SILENCE = DEATH. I will no longer be silent, I will no longer sit out on the sidelines in something that determines my future and yours.

Occupy Movement Solidarity: Where are the Professors? | Dissident Voice

2011-10-26T00:09:00.000-07:00

Occupy Movement Solidarity: Where are the Professors? | Dissident Voice:

Absent from the occupy protests throughout this country, as with most meaningful movements in recent memory, are faculty of our major universities. Aside from the symbolic arrest of Cornel West and passive words of support from Noam Chomsky, the academic profession has been notably absent from this exhilarating movement.
This is particularly bothersome because one of the primary grievances of the protestors is the cost of higher education, and the larger role of indebtedness in informing the present precariousness of young people. Education debt, even more than housing debt, plays a repugnant role in this society, insofar as it preys on the young and ambitious, ultimately leaving citizens shackled to the financial industry for the bulk of their adult lives. Before anyone is capable of making sound fiscal decisions in life, they find themselves five-figures in the red, just for doing what they grew up believing to be the “right thing.”

Occupy Atlanta | Police arrest protesters | ajc.com

2011-10-25T23:51:00.000-07:00

Occupy Atlanta | Police arrest protesters | ajc.com:

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Occupy Update: Police fire tear gas at protesters | Video | abc7news.com

2011-10-25T22:23:00.000-07:00

OAKLAND, CA:

Police fire tear gas at peaceful protesters | Video | abc7news.com:

Exploding gas bombs, sounds of war, causing panic and stampeding

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bytMNoKNeRA

President to Ease Student-Loan Burden for Low-Income Graduates - NYTimes.com

2011-10-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

President to Ease Student-Loan Burden for Low-Income Graduates - NYTimes.com:

President to Ease Student Loan Burden for Low-Income Graduates
By TAMAR LEWIN
Published: October 25, 2011
President Obama will announce new programs Wednesday to lower monthly loan payments for some students graduating next year and thereafter and to let borrowers who have a mix of direct federal loans and loans under the old Federal Family Education Loan Program consolidate them at a slightly lower interest rate.
Multimedia
Graphic
New Increases in Tuition
Related
Times Topics: Student Loans | Occupy Wall Street

years, and have the rest of their federalstudent loan debt forgiven. That plan would start next year.
At a press briefing Tuesday afternoon, Melody Barnes, director of the Domestic Policy Council, said the president would use his executive authority to expand the existing income-based repayment program with a “Pay as You Earn” option that would allow graduates to pay 10 percent of their discretionary income for 20

Thank you, Pres. Obama. I mean that sincerely, as we need all the help we might possibly get. Our economic system is seriously out-of-sync with any notion of what's right, makes sense, or is fair.

Notwithstanding, I would like to point out the expectations that new working professionals are expected to pay -- what I claim is the quite unreasonable burden:

- 15% of income --> Federal income taxes (at least)
- 10% of income --> Federal student loan repayments
- 10% of income --> new Health Reform Act health insurance plans
-------------------------
65% of income left
- 33% of income should go to housing/home ownership.
-------------------------
This leaves....? What you have left to support your families' needs on:
= 32% of your income, after working 40-60 hours a week, for 20 years?
-------------------------

Here's an example with numbers of how the average salary earner fares:

The national average wage index for 2010 is $41,673.83 (according to SSA.GOV) :

$41,673.83 x .32
$13,335 LEFT $1,111/month!
for ALL other expenses beyond barely-there bare basics, not including food or transportation!

FOR SOME PERSPECTIVE, $674 is the basic amount of SSI (given to people unable to work and/or support themselves)

This is what new working professionals have to look forward to for at least 20 years.
This is the consequence of your choice to become educated.
How is this possible in our country??

99% Repeats for You: Top Earners Doubled Share of Nation’s Income, C.B.O. Says - NYTimes.com

2011-10-25T20:19:00.000-07:00

Top Earners Doubled Share of Nation’s Income, C.B.O. Says - NYTimes.com:

Top Earners Doubled Share of Nation’s Income, Study Finds

By ROBERT PEAR

Published: October 25, 2011

REPRINTS

WASHINGTON — The top 1 percent of earners more than doubled their share of the nation’s income over the last three decades, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday, in a new report likely to figure prominently in the escalating political fight over how to revive the economy, create jobs and lower the federal debt.

Enlarge This Image

Hans Pennink/Associated Press

Charmaine Marriott was a long way from Wall Street, but sympathy for the protesters there led her to make her own statement in Albany last week. A new report may spur the protests.

New Poll Finds a Deep Distrust of Government (October 26, 2011)
As the Data Show, There’s a Reason the Wall Street Protesters Chose New York(October 26, 2011)
Times Topic: Occupy Wall Street

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In addition, the report said, government policy has become less redistributive since the late 1970s, doing less to reduce the concentration of income.

The Free Press -- Independent News Media from Columbus, Ohio

2011-10-23T19:48:00.000-07:00

The Free Press -- Independent News

The abandoned class: Will Occupy Wall Street hold together long enough to cut to the deep chase?
by Robert C. Koehler
October 22, 2011
Will it find a voice to articulate not merely the pain of the struggling middle class but the endemic unfairness and racism of inescapable poverty? “Everyone is important,” read the sign of an elderly protester. My God, what if it were true? What if we could see, in the desperate thrashing of the abandoned class, everyone’s future, that of the 99 percent and that of the 1 percent?

Let the Occupy movement become such a merging of voices that it reaches and changes the rigged game of American democracy and puts the collective failure of the system, in all its manifestations — from environmental collapse to our doomed wars and the hubris of empire to the violence in our streets — at the forefront of our media and our consciousness. Let the movement be the first tremor of a new awareness that dehumanizes no one.

This awareness has been under construction for a long time. My guess is that I’m not the only one who keeps coming across ideas and idealists who seem to be part of the movement even if their focus is solely on a small, particular corner of the world they have devoted their lives to changing, and ostensibly has nothing to do with Wall Street or politics. Could it be that our solutions are converging?

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Interracial Marriage: The Changing Face Of Seeing Race : NPR

2011-10-15T15:43:00.000-07:00

Interracial Marriage: The Changing Face Of Seeing Race : NPR:
Today, African-Americans and white Americans both widely accept marriages between blacks and whites. According to a recently released Gallup Poll, 96 percent of African-Americans and 84 percent of whites accept the idea.

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The sad effects of gender socialization

2011-10-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

Single Ladies Devastation - YouTube:

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Women's Health Resources

2011-10-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

(21) Women's Health Resources: "Women's Health Resources
Poorer Women More Likely to Die from #BreastCancer

http://ow.ly/6P9lU #breastcancer"

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Occupy Wall Street: More popular than you think - Political Hotsheet - CBS News

2011-10-13T20:19:00.000-07:00

Occupy Wall Street: More popular than you think - Political Hotsheet - CBS News:

(Credit: AP Photo/Andrew Burton)

The conservative criticism of the Occupy Wall Street movement is that it is a "growing mob" (House majority leader Eric Cantor) of "shiftless protestors" (The Tea Party Express) engaged in "class warfare" (GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain) whose grievances - whatever they are - are far outside the political mainstream.

The polls don't back that up.

A new survey out from Time Magazine found that 54 percent of Americans have a favorable impression of the protests, while just 23 percent have a negative impression. An NBC/Wall Street Journal survey, meanwhile, found that 37 percent of respondents "tend to support" the movement, while only 18 percent "tend to oppose" it.

The findings suggest that the right's portrait of the movement as a collection of lazy hippies who need to stop whining - to "take a shower and get a job" (Bill O'Reilly) - isn't resonating with most Americans.

That's because while the protesters' aims are vague - Bill Clinton said Wednesday that they need to start advocating specific political goals - their frustrations are easily identifiable and widely shared. The Occupy movement may be a big tent (one with room for opposition to fracking, calls for campaign finance reform, and a host of other positions), but nearly everyone involved says they are angry that a small group of wealthy Americans have grown increasingly rich while "the other 99 percent" have been left behind.

That's a belief that seems to be shared by Americans across the political spectrum. In 2010, as CBSNews.com reported in a story on the income and wealth divide last month, researchers and Harvard and Duke asked Americans how they thought wealth is spread among income groups, as well as how they thought itshould be spread. Overwhelmingly, Americans said they wanted a more equitable distribution of wealth; they also underestimated just how large the wealth divide has grown.

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Who Rules America: Wealth, Income, and Power

2011-10-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

Who Rules America: Wealth, Income, and Power:

Do Americans know their country's wealth distribution?

A remarkable study (Norton & Ariely, 2010) reveals that Americans have no idea that the wealth distribution (defined for them in terms of "net worth") is as concentrated as it is. When shown three pie charts representing possible wealth distributions, 90% or more of the 5,522 respondents -- whatever their gender, age, income level, or party affiliation -- thought that the American wealth distribution most resembled one in which the top 20% has about 60% of the wealth. In fact, of course, the top 20% control about 85% of the wealth (refer back to Table 1 and Figure 1 in this document for a more detailed breakdown of the numbers).

Even more striking, they did not come close on the amount of wealth held by the bottom 40% of the population. It's a number I haven't even mentioned so far, and it's shocking: the lowest two quintiles hold just 0.3% of the wealth in the United States. Most people in the survey guessed the figure to be between 8% and 10%, and two dozen academic economists got it wrong too, by guessing about 2% -- seven times too high. Those surveyed did have it about right for what the 20% in the middle have; it's at the top and the bottom that they don't have any idea of what's going on.

Americans from all walks of life were also united in their vision of what the "ideal" wealth distribution would be, which may come as an even bigger surprise than their shared misinformation on the actual wealth distribution. They said that the ideal wealth distribution would be one in which the top 20% owned between 30 and 40 percent of the privately held wealth, which is a far cry from the 85 percent that the top 20% actually own. They also said that the bottom 40% -- that's 120 million Americans -- should have between 25% and 30%, not the mere 8% to 10% they thought this group had, and far above the 0.3% they actually had. In fact, there's no country in the world that has a wealth distribution close to what Americans think is ideal when it comes to fairness. So maybe Americans are much more egalitarian than most of them realize about each other, at least in principle and before the rat race begins.

Figure 4, reproduced with permission from Norton & Ariely's article in Perspectives on Psychological Science, shows the actual wealth distribution, along with the survey respondents' estimated and ideal distributions, in graphic form.

Figure 4: The actual United States wealth distribution plotted against theestimated and ideal distributions.

Note: In the "Actual" line, the bottom two quintiles are not visible because the lowest quintile owns just 0.1% of all wealth, and the second-lowest quintile owns 0.2%.

Source: Norton & Ariely, 2010.

David Cay Johnston, a retired tax reporter for the New York Times, published an excellent summary of Norton & Ariely's findings (Johnston, 2010b; you can download the article from Johnston's Web site).

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We all are the other 99%: Occupy Wall Street, Boston, America

2011-10-06T17:23:00.000-07:00

Occupy Boston: Everyone is Invited to Dewey Square (video)

Occupy Boston shared a link.

A short film on inquality in America from the Institute for Policy Studies
www.youtube.com

Unnecessary Austerity, Unnecessary Shutdown By Chuck Collins, Alison Goldberg, Scott Klinger, Sam Pizzigati Reversing tax giveaways to the super-rich

One Third of Americans One Paycheck Away From Homelessness

www.nakedcapitalism.com

A mid-September survey ascertained that a full one third of Americans were living paycheck to paycheck, and if they lost their job, they would not be able to make their next rent or mortgage payment. And the article stresses this was not a function of being in or near the poverty line

Cornel West addresses Dewey Park rally today

www.youtube.com

‎"Don't let anyone tell you that this occupation is anti-America," said West. "Our dear brother Howard Zinn said dissent is the highest form of patriotism ... That has what has made America free and democratic and to the degree to which we all come together and keep it free and democratic we keep ali...

College students, nurses join Occupy Boston protests

www.boston.com

Local college students and registered nurses joined protests today for Occupy Boston, a movement drawing attention to social inequities in the nation’s financial system that began in New York and has spread to other cities.

Students Occupy Boston, Will March in Solidarity
occupyboston.com
A nation-wide student walk-out is planned for today, Oct. 5, at noon. From New York to Los Angeles, students will march in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement.

‘Occupy Boston’ protestors march through downtown Boston
www.boston.com
About 100 people are marching through downtown Boston this morning as part of the ‘Occupy Boston’ protest. Accompanied by Boston Police officers who stopped traffic at key intersections, the protestors first gathered in the city’s Financial District this morning and then marched to the Statehouse

Stacie E Hebert, Graduate Student of Social Work

Slow Down Week: A New Way of Being | Adbusters Culturejammer Headquarters

Occupy Boston Reading List (Crowdsourced!) - Google Docs

Wealth, Income, and Power

http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html

by Sociology Professor G. William Domhoff, University of Santa Cruz

Education

[edit] Info and News about Money, Politics, Corruption, Corporations, Housing, (Un)employment, and the Economy

[edit] Revealed – the capitalist network that runs the world

My Local OccupySalemMA interests:Tagxedo - Art

Ever More Homeless Families - NYTimes.com

Oppression Review : What is Oppression?

Feminism (@Wikipedia)

Feminist Perspectives on Power (@Stanford.edu)

Matrix of Domination (@wikipedia.org)

Oppressors–oppressed distinction (@Wikipedia)

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Social Work Wiki Project

Palm Card: Know Your Rights: Demonstrating in New York City (2011) | New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) - American Civil Liberties Union of New York State

Reference Card: Child Health Plus And Reproductive Health Benefits (2000) | New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) - American Civil Liberties Union of New York State

Palm Card: What to Do If You're Stopped by the Police (English and Spanish) (2011) | New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) - American Civil Liberties Union of New York State

Palm Card: Know Your Rights: LGBTQ Rights in Schools (2011) | New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) - American Civil Liberties Union of New York State

Reference Card: Minors And Mental Health Care (2004) | New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) - American Civil Liberties Union of New York State

NASW-MA Chapter's Statement in Support of Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Boston

SOCIAL JUSTICE: I resolve to become an active participant in the Occupy Wall Street movement, through Occupy Boston

Occupy Movement Solidarity: Where are the Professors? | Dissident Voice

Occupy Atlanta | Police arrest protesters | ajc.com

Occupy Update: Police fire tear gas at protesters | Video | abc7news.com

President to Ease Student-Loan Burden for Low-Income Graduates - NYTimes.com

President to Ease Student Loan Burden for Low-Income Graduates

By TAMAR LEWIN

Published: October 25, 2011

Multimedia

New Increases in Tuition

Related

Times Topics: Student Loans | Occupy Wall Street

99% Repeats for You: Top Earners Doubled Share of Nation’s Income, C.B.O. Says - NYTimes.com

Top Earners Doubled Share of Nation’s Income, Study Finds

By ROBERT PEAR

Published: October 25, 2011

Hans Pennink/Associated Press

Related

New Poll Finds a Deep Distrust of Government (October 26, 2011)

As the Data Show, There’s a Reason the Wall Street Protesters Chose New York(October 26, 2011)

Times Topic: Occupy Wall Street

Blogs

The Caucus

The Free Press -- Independent News Media from Columbus, Ohio

Interracial Marriage: The Changing Face Of Seeing Race : NPR

The sad effects of gender socialization

Women's Health Resources

Occupy Wall Street: More popular than you think - Political Hotsheet - CBS News

Who Rules America: Wealth, Income, and Power

Do Americans know their country's wealth distribution?

We all are the other 99%: Occupy Wall Street, Boston, America

Occupy Boston shared a link.