The Citizens Co-op grocery store is finally opening its doors after years of hard work and dedications from its members and volunteers. The co-op will open on July 12, and the Grand Opening Celebration will be held July 15, complete with live music (Coffee Project, Lindsey Mills, Dikembe, & Sleeping Spiders) and special giveaways.
The co-op is located at 435 S. Main St., next to the Civic Media Center. For more information, check out the co-op’s website at www.citizensco-op.com.
Posted in July-August 2011
The following is the acceptance speech given by Thomas Drake, former National Security Agency senior official and whistleblower, upon the receipt of the 2011 Ridenhour Truth-Telling Prize on April 13.
Thank you, Jesselyn, for your introduction. What a tribute to receive the Ridenhour Truth-Telling Prize as a whistleblower. Continue reading
Posted in July-August 2011
By Joe Courter
I had the experience of sitting in a New Jersey living room with my 60-something sister-in-law and her 30-something daughter on May 28, the day the news broke about the death of Gil Scott-Heron. Neither of them had heard of him, they commented. I said he was a very important figure in my life. If you have not heard of him, or need a refresher course, use the web’s great resources and spend some time with this troubled genius. Continue reading
Posted in July-August 2011
by Lauren Byers and Sean Larson
The St. Francis House, a soup kitchen and homeless shelter in Gainesville, has been forced to turn away hungry children, men and women every day. Years ago, the city imposed an ordinance affecting the St. Francis House (SFH), limiting them to serving 130 meals a day. However, the City Commission did not enforce this ordinance until 2009. Continue reading
Posted in July-August 2011
By Arupa Freeman
The Home Van is a mobile soup kitchen and free store that goes out to homeless areas around downtown Gainesville twice a week and also helps out with individual crises going on in the homeless community between the two visits every week. Continue reading
Posted in July-August 2011
The following was taken from an interview on Democracy Now! on June 8 with Bill Moyers. You can find the audio version and the full interview at www.democracynow.org. Continue reading
Posted in July-August 2011
by Joe Courter
When Geronimo Pratt spoke in Gainesville in 1998, I asked him if it would be okay if I taped and transcribed his talk for the Gainesville Iguana. He smiled, and with a twinkle in his eye, said, “Of course, we’re all revolutionaries.” It is a cherished moment in my life, and I was really sorry to read of his passing. Continue reading
Posted in July-August 2011
by Pierre Tristam
There’s really been only one story in Flagler County in the past few weeks: The wildfires.
I’ve had a chance to see the disaster up close a few times, and to see firefighters in action at several of the fires. These men and women’s valor can’t be understated. Continue reading
Posted in July-August 2011
On April 8, Gainesville Women’s Liberation, a chapter of National Women’s Liberation, and members of the community education class, “Women’s Liberation: Where Do I Fit In?”, organized a speakout on abortion. Continue reading
Posted in May-June 2011
Access to higher education for all people, regardless of economic background, is a fundamental principle of fairness. Changes to scholarship/grants on the federal and state levels, Continue reading
Posted in May-June 2011
For many years Gainesville has been involved with a unique three-way Sister City program (Gainesville-Kfar Saba-Qalqilia – the latter are towns in Israel and the Palestinian National Authority, respectively). Continue reading
Posted in May-June 2011
WGOT 94.7 Low Power FM (LP FM) is happy to have been serving the Gainesville community through quality alternative program for over three years. Continue reading
Posted in May-June 2011
Every day we are bombarded with gruesome details about the unjust wars our country wages in Iraq and Afghanistan. We hear stories about rising death tolls, both American and civilian, and cases of torture in American prisons. Continue reading
Posted in May-June 2011
David Barsamian’s Alternative Radio (AR) has been a regular presence on WUFT-FM for more than 20 years, but not any more. The writing was kinda on the wall, as it had been in the far-from-prime spot of Saturday night at 11pm for the last few months. Continue reading
Posted in May-June 2011
This story was originally published on Al Jazeera’s website on April 22.
Reading the chronicle of the violence and death that have blanketed the western Libyan port city of Misurata during the last week, I couldn’t help thinking of a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1967 classic, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?
Posted in May-June 2011
In the middle of the 1982 recession, with the worst unemployment since the Depression, Ronald Reagan gravely looked into the camera and told us that prosperity was right around the corner. Continue reading
Posted in May-June 2011
For the last several months, the 130-meal limit on St. Francis House (SFH) has been a contentious issue in the press, in the elections and in the Gainesville community. The most active advocate for the repeal of the meal limit, the Coalition to End the Meal Limit NOW, has been consistently struggling to bring an end to this unjust ordinance.
Posted in May-June 2011
This is the second in a continuing series of excerpts from transcripts in the collection of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program at the University of Florida.
Posted in May-June 2011
An interview with Tom Burke, a Michigan activist subpoenaed to appear before a Grand Jury for his solidarity work in Colombia and also labor organizing.
Posted in May-June 2011
2011 will be the fifth year of the Veterans for Peace Memorial Day project known as Memorial Mile. The display consists of tombstones bearing the name, date of death, age, rank and hometown of the American service men and women who have died due to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.