Monday, May 21, 2012

Indian Women Protest Nuclear Power Project



Thousands of Indians oppose Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP). Here dozens of women lie on the railroad tracks to oppose movement of any materials in and out of the dangerous plant.


Indefinite hunger strike against Kudankulam N-plant called off

Chennai, May 15, 2012, (IANS):

The People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) leading the protest against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project Tuesday announced its decision of call off its indefinite hunger strike while continuing with the relay fasting.

PMANE's Struggle Committee in a statement said it was calling off the hunger strike, as requested by former chief justice of Madras and Delhi high courts A.P. Shah and others.

"Although 25 men and 302 women were on indefinite hunger strike from May 1 and May 4, respectively, neither the Government of Tamil Nadu nor the Government of India invited us for talks or any kind of negotiations on our 11 demands," the statement said.

It said the "central and state governments rushed to talk to Maoists who kidnap and kill officials and politicians. They even grant their demands".

"But these governments completely dismiss the legitimate demands of our fishermen and farmers who have been waging a peaceful, non-violent and democratic struggle for the past nine months. This is definitely not a healthy trend and it could send wrong messages to our youth and children," the statement added.

It said that with the termination of the hunger strike, its relay fast protest had resumed.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

May Day in NYC-- from Rude Mechanical Orchestra to Bread & Puppet



http://youtu.be/n6_iY69P2jU
at the end of this tape are shots of the Bread and Puppet boat.


When i first saw Peter Schumann at Union Square on May Day, he was all alone with some small plastic bag rolls and some splintery sticks and the banged up fatso head and it looked so desolate. I thought, wow it has happened-- the new world is here--all the sparkly new OWS creativity,etc and Bread and Puppet is, well, just a bunch of sticks and paper--- UNTIL-- an hour later, I was astounded to see the theater's resurrection boat come around the bend at Union Square.

What a super glorious site-specific totally brilliant work!   Bread and Puppet's use of interactive, visual spectacle scattered the  Occupy bits and pieces, crepe paper flowers, and plastic chains like confetti!

This is what political art can be! Fantastic dancing sail, simple blue band of prescient images of climate changed drowning victims, all those lovely hopeful faces of the marchers inside the boat, gathering more as they sailed down Broadway, a band of defiant Noahs, sailing to glory.

And behind marched Uncle Fatso, in his pathetic pursuit of the revolutionary sailors.
still fotos by Solveig Schumann

As Grace Paley said about Bread and Puppet, "AH!".

Amen.