From: http://www.picturethehomeless.org

Dear Friends and Members,

Please join Picture the Homeless for an Interfaith Memorial Service
dedicated to our Homeless Brothers and Sisters who have passed away this year. This powerful event is held annually on the longest night of the year (December 21st).

This year's theme: HONORING OUR ANCESTORS: STANDING UP FOR OUR COMMUNITY!

With presentations from Pastor Katrina Foster of Fordham Evangelical
Lutheran Church, Imam Talib Abdur-Rashid of the Mosque of the Islamic Brotherhood, Rabbi Michael Feinberg of the Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition, New York City Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, and community ministers from Judson Memorial Church.

Friday, December 21, 2007
Hosted by Judson Memorial Church,
55 Washington Square So.read more »

Save the date!
LEFT FORUM 2008 will take place March 14-16 at The Cooper Union, New York City.

This year we are excited to present many speakers who are new to Left Forum audiences, from around the world and right here in New York City, as well as many who are joining us again: Naomi Klein, Grace Lee Boggs, Tariq Ali, Staughton Lynd, Billionaires for Bush, Mahmood Mamdani, Adam Hochschild, Jeremy Scahill, David Harvey, Max Elbaum, Stanley Aronowitz, Frances Fox Piven, Bill Fletcher, Jr., Patricia McFadden, Patrick Bond, John Bellamy Foster, Michael Albert, Carlos Vilas, Dennis Brutus, Deepa Fernandes, and many more will participate.

The theme of Left Forum 2008 is Cracks in the Edifice. What is the nature of the emerging crises in global political economy? How can the Left confront its current challenges to build stronger anti-capitalist movements? If another world is possible, what will it look like? We will be adding several movement-building workshops to our program, and plan to examine1968 after 40 years.read more »

SOCIALIST PARTY USA STATEMENT OF SUPPORT FOR THE SCREENWRITERS STRIKE

Labor Commission of the SP-USA

When the irreverent early 20th century comedian W.C. Fields was once caught reading the bible he explained that he was “looking for some loopholes.” On Monday November 5th, 12,000 members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) took a bold strike action to sew up some of the loopholes which have allowed the entertainment industry to make exorbitant profits from their labor. The Socialist Party USA (SP-USA) stands with the WGA and calls upon the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to concede to the WGA’s demands for a just contract.

Unlike the often inebriated actor Fields, the AMPTP has found many profitable loopholes. While screenwriters are paid industry rates for work aired in traditional media venues such as television and movies, they receive only a small fraction of the profits generated in the “new” media outlets of DVD sales and internet based programming. Writers currently receive only 5 cents per unit for the sale of a DVD. For entertainment delivered via internet streaming video WGA members receive only 1.2% of gross revenue. There is also currently no language in the contract regarding the producer’s right to insert product placements into WGA member created scripts.read more »

Comrades,

The next meeting of the SP Discussion Club will be held this Tuesday night 13 November at 7:00p in the SP office. All these details are also posted on the Local's website:

http://spnyc. org

The readings for this week will include some classic writings on class and the role of consciousness. This will be our last scheduled week of readings in method. Subsequent meetings will focus on particular themes and topics.

So, once again please brings ideas, criticisms and questions. Also some food (vegan friendly is popular) and/or drink to share.

Details...

CLASS AND CONSCIOUSNESS

Karl Marx, Preface to the Critique of Political Economy read more »