Systematic

Dagny Taggart (Taylor Schilling) runs Taggart Transcontinental, the largest remaining railroad company in America, with intelligence, courage and integrity, despite the systematic disappearance of her best and most competent workers.

In reaction to the 2008 acquittal of three police officers in the killing of Sean Bell in 2006, a group of New York City community artists, poets and activists organized an event called '50 Artists, 50 Shots: We Are All Sean Bell.' The event featured poets, spoken word performers, musicians, painters, dancers, photographers etc., who each agreed to take one bullet for the 50 that were fired at Sean Bell and his friends, and transform each bullet into their art in order to honor his memory, and to express rage and grief for the decision to let the officers free. The intention of this event was to have an open and safe space for New Yorkers to fully express themselves about the outcome of the Sean Bell case- to educate, to learn, to mourn, to grow, and to have honest dialogues. But most of all, to give inspiration for everyone to take action that would result in a real change in how police officers are trained, so that they can learn to respond to certain situations in a less aggressive and careless manner. This video has been uploaded three weeks after Oscar Grant was unjustly killed in Oakland by a police officer who shot him at point blank range early on New Year's Day, 2009. Police brutality continues to plague our communities. How can we, as civilians, organize to help make fundamental, systematic changes to stop these tragedies from happening?

POLITICS OF U.S. OCCUPATION (rconcep1.blogspot.com) To request free DVD copy, contact: politics.of.us.occupation@gmail.com Politics of U.S. Occupation features Professors Noam Chomsky (MIT), Neferti Tadiar (Barnard College), Nerissa Balce (Stony Brook University) and Kenneth Bauzon (St. Joseph s College) who analyze the 1899 Philippine-American War in order to rediscover its historical continuities to post-9/11 America. This 30-minute documentary was submitted during the summer of 2010 in fulfillment of the thesis film graduation requirement of the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Film and Electronic Media at American University School of Communication-Washington DC. It was submitted in the Master s Portfolio Seminar class of Prof. John Douglass. The thesis film adviser was Prof. Russell Williams. The thesis committee members were Professors Maggie Stogner, Maria Floro and Robin Broad. The use of third party audio-visual images and excerpts in POLITICS OF U.S. OCCUPATION was guided by the Documentary Filmmakers' Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use published by American University-Center for Social Media website: http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/fair-use SYNOPSIS The purpose of the half-hour documentary, Politics of U.S. Occupation, was to challenge the historical awareness of the audience as it explores the following: Part 1 argues the idea that the Philippine-American war of 1899 (and not World War II) is the foundation of Philippine-U.S. relations. The Part 1 also visually shows footage of World War II combat and deaths that were just as traumatic as the images of the Philippine American war. Part 2 describes the idea that the Philippine-American war of 1899 was characterized by systematic use of torture (despite official U.S. denials). One of the torture techniques used in the Philippines was the water cure - better known now as water boarding. Part 3 explains the idea that the brutality of the Philippine-American war was not much different fr

Profile of Diana Lopez, 20, San Antonio, TX http://www.swunion.org Diana Lopez organizes with the Southwest Workers Union for worker rights, environmental justice and community empowerment in San Antonio, Texas. She has fought to clean up military base contamination, organized for energy policies, and in February 2007, along with community members and fellow organizers, started the Roots of Change community garden. Diana attends school and works in the Eastside of San Antonio, Texas an area lacking large grocery stores and places to get fresh, organic, or local produce. The new garden provides healthy organic food at no cost to community members, serves as an educational center, and creates a positive space for community involvement. Since 2007, hundreds of youth and adults have created a native plant garden, an arbor and raised garden beds. The garden hosts educational sessions, student work days, and Texas-style barbeques where community members can come together to enjoy a meal and take home locally-grown produce. Diana says of her time spent working on the garden and other environmental justice issues in San Antonio, I feel everyone deserves the right to a clean, healthy environment and your color or economic status. You work with other people who are fighting for the same thing: justice for people who, by systematic design, have more obstacles to overcome in their everyday life. I have learned that through sharing our stories and history we become united in one struggle for justice. The annual Brower Youth Awards honor six young people across North America for their outstanding activism and achievements in the fields of environmental and social justice advocacy. Earth Island Institute established the Brower Youth Awards in 2000 to honor our founder and legendary environmental activist, David R. Brower. www.broweryouthawards.org