John Bostrom on Tue, 29 Jan 2002 18:04:01 +0100 (CET)


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[Nettime-bold] FW: Religion Protest and Hunger - Free Trade Solutions After September 11th..htm


Title: Religion Protest and Hunger - Free Trade Solutions After September 11th.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Yes, Men, this Thursday night "WTO" event is more likely to turn hilarious than violent.
Press: Link to 1.28.2002 Staten Island Advance article:
 http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/news/10122273072680827.xml"
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RELIGION, PROTEST, AND HUNGER:
FREE TRADE SOLUTIONS AFTER SEPTEMBER 11
Thursday January 31 2002, 7:00 PM
at the Unitarian Church of Staten Island
Very Special Evening with the
World Trade Organization*
Herri Baatasuna, LL.D.
Agriculture, International Relations, & Public Relations Counselor*
Percival Fress, M.D.
Agriculture, Pharmaceutics, & Public Relations Counselor*
    The spectre of violent confrontation haunts Manhattan. New York's Finest have been gearing up with special training and crowd-control equipment in anticipation of anti-globalization protests near the Waldorf Astoria, the site of this year's World Economic Forum, beginning this Thursday, January 31.
    Meanwhile, on the other side of New York Bay, a milder, more civilized confrontration between the forces of globalization and their opponents has been scheduled. No helmets, batons, mace, water cannons or arrests - this battle will be fought with ideas amd humor.
     The Unitarian Church of Staten Island has arranged for two special speakers connected with the World Trade Organization,* who will hold forth on the merits of globalization as a solution to world hunger, making the case, with economic logic and visual aids, that "faith-based opposition to free trade" is - well, misguided.
    The speakers' main qualifications, and the foundation of their connection with the WTO, is based on their membership in the internationally renowned political prank and satire group, the Yes Men. As well as operating the web site www.gatt.org, the Yes Men have delighted audiences across the globe with their unique ability to explain visually the economic and cultural essence of globalization, leading to recent coverage in Harpers and Fortune and on CNBC Europe and National Public Radio.
    Following the slide presentation by the speakers, a session of questions and discussion from the audience will be moderated by Professor Richard Currie of the College of Staten Island, Chairman of the Church's Social Concerns Committee, which is sponsoring the event. The debate is expected to be lively though civilized, and probably hilarious.
    Admission is free. Coffee and sandwiches will be served in the Parish Hall after the event (about 8:00 PM.)
    This event kicks off in the Church's Publc Forum Series titled In the Aftermath of 9/11. Future events will be held on Sundays at 1;00 PM beginning February 10 and continuing through March. Future speakers include Rev. Daniel Berrigan, Phyllis Bennis, Stanley Aronowitz, Norman Siegel, and others.
 
    Herri Baatasuna has served as a Yes Man and legal counsel to the World Trade Organization* for the past five years, where he has been directing a new program which aims to understand and address faith-based opposition to free trade. He holds an LL.D. from Stanford Law School, and he previously worked for the AS Agency for International Development in Nepal and in Washington, DC.
    Percival Fress is a specialist in the relationship of international trade to human health. As a Yes Man, he has been with the press office of the World Trade Organization* for the past three years, fulfilling a mandate from the WTO* to address the relationships of social needs to global trade. Dr. Fress has an M.D. from Columbia University, and has held previous posts with Novartis, Cargill-Dow, and Monsanto.
 
* This representation of the "World Trade Organization" is a work of political theatre and satire.
For further information on The Yes Men, visit http://www.theyesmen.org

Seating limited to 200. Admission free. Please RSVP.
 
    Directions to the Church: http://members.aol.com/uucsi/Forum/directions.htm
    Church Statement on 9/11 and its Aftermath: http://members.aol.com/uucsi/Forum/UUposition.htm
    RSVP to Event: (718) 447-2004 or uucsi@aol.com with "RSVP WTO" as subject and # attending in the body.
    Article from Monday's Staten Island Advance: Unitarian Programs to Examine Issues Related to Sept. 11
    Further information: jbostrom@si.rr.com
IN THE AFTERMATH OF 9/11:
A Public Forum Series
Unitarian Church of Staten Island
312 Fillmore Street, Staten Island NY