Arbor Update

Regional

Michigan's prisons to go coffeeless

Posted by Murph on 15. February 2005

From the Freep, Michigan prisoners’ free coffee on the chopping block:

In an effort to save $250,000 this year, inmates in state prisons and people in boot camps and correctional centers won’t be able to get free coffee after March 1, Corrections Department spokesman Russ Marlan said Monday.

Marlan said inmates still will be able to buy instant coffee at prison stores, but he didn’t know how much they will charge for it.

“We’re looking at everything that can reduce costs without jeopardizing public safety,” Marlan said. “There is no nutritional value to coffee.”

The state pays $2.50 to feed an inmate three meals a day, or a little more than $120,000 for the state’s 48,600 inmates, Marlan said.

Critics stop short of calling this cruel and unusual punishment:

Barbara Levine is the executive director of the prison advocacy group Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Safety. She said eliminating free coffee in state prisons shows that state officials are looking in the wrong places to reduce spending.

Levine said the state could save more money by cutting down on the number of inmates behind bars after serving minimum sentences and reducing sentences for people who violate conditions of parole.

“When you start saving money on prisoner meals, you’re really setting a precedent of looking at the small things,” she said. “It is a little thing, but it’s also the wrong sort of thing. It’s a patchwork kind of thing.”

Events

Oil Addicts Anonymous Roadshow, Wednesday

Posted by Murph on 15. February 2005

Organizers from the Rainforest Action Network are touring the midwest to set up chapters of Oil Addicts Anonymous,

Organizers say, “The first step on the road to recovery is simple: admitting we have a problem. Join hundreds of patriotic citizens by taking the first step together.”

The first chapter was founded in Madison, Wisconsin on Wednesday by citizens who said they came together to admit that “we as Americans are addicted to oil” and are “ready to take responsibility for this harmful addiction.”

“My name is Austin King and I’m an oil addict,â€? declared Madison, Wisconsin Alderman Austin King. “Having recognized that we all have a problem here, we must work vigilantly to kick the habit. At the national level, we must hold corporations like Bank One and Ford accountable for keeping us hooked and enabling our oil addiction. At the local level we need to must work to stop suburban sprawl, support walkable infill development, and invest in public transportation, bicycle accommodations, and pedestrian safety.”

The OAA Roadshow is coming to Ann Arbor tomorrow, Wednesday, 16 February, and will be holding a presentation and workshop in the Michigan Union, Room 2105B, from 6:30-8:00 pm.

Campus

Vagina Week events listing

Posted by Murph on 14. February 2005

AU writer Matt Hollerbach is responsible for the following e-mail, but too modest to use this space for promotion of the events:

Welcome to V-Week!

Today marks the beginning of V-Week, a furious lead-up to the Vagina Monologues on Sunday, February 20 (tickets still on sale:
www.mutotix.com).

The V-Day e-board (myself included) has planned a week of fantastic events exploring a wide range of issues dealing with the present, past, and future of women’s rights. I encourage all of you to consider coming to a few of these events, if not all:

Feb 14 Mon

• “Under One Sky: Arab Women in North America Talk About the Hijab”, Pond Room, Union, 6:30pm

Feb 15 Tues

• “Behind Bars: Women’s Experiences in Prison”, Room C, League, 7pm

Feb 16 Wed

• “What Makes a Man? What Makes A Woman?” A guided discussion on gender in our society, Room 124, East Quad 8pm

Feb 17 Thurs

• Playtime for Women and Men: Performances & Open Mic, League Basement 730pm

Feb 18 Fri

• Rally on the Diag, noon
• Molly Secours speaks on privilege and gender, East Quad Auditorium, 3pm

Feb 20 Sun

• THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES, 2pm & 7:30pm, TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT MICHIGAN UNION TICKET OFFICE

Politics

Walmart event today

Posted by MarkDilley on 13. February 2005

“Sunday February 13, 2005 THEOLOGY ON TAP: IS WAL-MART GOOD FOR AMERICA?

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Culture

Don't Tarnish Your Love With Dirty Gold

Posted by MarkDilley on 12. February 2005

“Gold mining is one of the dirtiest industry in the world today. It’s responsible for contaminating drinking water supplies, displacing local communities, and destroying traditional livelihoods in many parts of the world. In the two week period leading up to Valentine’s Day, gold sales in the US will leave 34 million metric tons of waste in their wake.”

via Oxfam

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Politics

Max & Erma's rejects AIDS event

Posted by MarkDilley on 12. February 2005

via The Courier-Journal and an email I received:

“SUMMARY: Another sign of the times. This story concerns a local restaurant, Max & Erma’s, that’s part of a chain throughout the Midwest. It has a program where non-profit charitable groups can hold fundraisers at a particular restaurant and collect 20% of the profits. But last week, when a Louisville AIDS group asked to participate, it was turned down. Last night on WHAS-TV’s 11 pm newscast, Linda Underwood, spokesperson for the group, alleged that the restaurant told her it does not allow AIDS fundraisers on its premises because of the “negative political fallout” such a fundraiser might cause.

I don’t think Max & Erma’s has seen anything like the negative political fallout it’s about to experience.—David Williams, The Letter, Louisville

Corporate headquarters is 4849 Evanswood Dr., Columbus, OH 43229; phone: 614/431-5800: ask to speak to Mr. Robin Yocum. Their web site is at maxandermas.com . They have a button, “Contact us,” that’s designed mainly for customers of the chain to leave comments about the food, but I figured it might be an easy way for people to lodge their protests. I left my comments there.”

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International

Your help is urgently needed.

Posted by MarkDilley on 11. February 2005

Take Action: Hold Wal-Mart Accountable

“Wal-Mart announced Feb. 9 it will shut down the Canadian store where workers had formed a union six months earlier to have a voice on the job.”

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Arts

Arthur Miller, 1915-2005

Posted by Matt Hollerbach on 11. February 2005

Miller was a U-M Alum and easily one of the best playwrights America has seen.

BBC News: American playwright Miller dies

National

From MoveOn:

Posted by MarkDilley on 11. February 2005

Three weeks ago, we launched MoveOn’s campaign to save Social Security and announced a goal of 200,000 petition signers. We’ve blown past that goal—more than 360,000 Americans have joined the effort so far. They’re rejecting the Bush-led effort to privatize Social Security and cut benefits.

It’s a great start, but together, we can get to 500,000 signers on the petition before MoveOn members deliver it to Congress in just ten days. If you haven’t had a chance to sign our petition, please take just one minute right now to do so by clicking on the link below.

http://www.moveon.org/socialsecurity/

Congress must protect Social Security. It should not be phased out through a risky privatization scheme.

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Campus

U Hears Voices

Posted by Scott Trudeau on 10. February 2005

In my mailbox today landed a postcard about the U-M administration’s new project: VOICES of the Staff.

So, what exactly is VOICES?

VOICES of the Staff, also called VOICES, is a new volunteer-based initiative to give all staff, at all University campuses and the Health System, a stronger voice in addressing campus community issues.

In the near future, about 100 staff members from all areas of the University community will be selected from staff nominations to become the VOICES team. A subset of that group will have a direct dialog with the University’s executive officers and serve in an advisory capacity to President Mary Sue Coleman and Chief Human Resource Officer Laurita Thomas.

I can think of a few initiatives, old and new, that seek to give staff “a stronger voice in addressing campus community issues.” They’re called unions.
> Union of Professional Office Workers
> Graduate Employees’ Organization
> Lecturers’ Employee Organization

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