WCRS 102.1 and 98.3 FM presents

Amy Goodman on a speaking tour of her new book:
Standing Up to the Madness: Ordinary heroes in extraordinary times

Join us in welcoming Amy Goodman, internationally acclaimed journalist and host of the daily grassroots global news hour, Democracy Now!, airing on more than 700 radio and TV stations around the world. WCRS, Columbus' community radio station and a broadcast service of Simply Living, will be hosting Goodman, who will speak about her new book, Standing Up to the Madness: Ordinary heroes in extraordinary times.

The event will be held Friday, April 10th at 12 noon at the First Unitarian Universalist Church, 93 W Weisheimer Rd., Columbus, Ohio.

Suggested donation: $10.

For more information contact Jayme Richards at 614-447-0296 or jayme@simplyliving.org.

Standing Up to the Madness, co-authored with investigative journalist David Goodman, tells the stories of everyday citizens who have challenged the government and prevailed. And, in the process of defending the core values of America, they are changing the way that politics is done, both now and in the future.

Standing Up to the Madness is a timely and even revolutionary look at who wields the greatest power in America—ordinary citizens who take a chance and stand up for what they believe in. It is the authors' hope that the examples they chronicle in their book will inspire readers to become active in preserving their country’s values.

My name is Kimberly Keplar. I'm a 25 year-old mother presently living on welfare and I desperately need the media's help. My son was born in November of last year. At the time I had been working at Starbucks for almost two years. Through them, I carried insurance sold by Aetna and Unum. After my son was born, the financial outlook for my family changed. The problem was that I was working without pay, in as much as my paychecks were going directly to the insurance contract. Due to this, I was concerned that I'd be unable to provide my family with food and shelter. Understandably, I didn't want to lose my job, so I tried to speak with Starbucks and Aetna about the situation. The moment that I started asking questions I was "encouraged" to shut up, in such a way as that I couldn't get a straight answer from either of them and was blocked at every turn.

So, all of my earnings were going directly to Aetna, I had no choice but to quit my job. There's no sense in paying Starbucks, or anyone else, for me to work. This is crazy. This is the kind of madness which is all too common in corporate circles, it's how they get you. How does this continue? Fear. People are terrified of taking on the corporate mindset. These large corporations isolate us from each other, to the extent that we feel powerless to effectively handle our affairs. All I wanted was an honest day's pay for an honest day's work. Instead I get hustled by Starbucks, Aetna, and Unum. I'm now having to spend the peoples' tax dollars to eat, see a doctor, and pay my rent, all on account of a set of standards and practices which we feel entirely unable to confront on our own.

What are people supposed to do about this, when there is seemingly no legal recourse to fight it? This is why I make efforts now to report such abuses of power. If we don't stand up together against these giants then how are we ever going to see any change? If we remain discouraged from communicating, in person, with one another, we won't find common cause with our fellows - the time to stay isolated is over. We must recognize the need for community. Until we admit that we need one another, we'll continue to play into our own demise.

Bob Fitrakis discusses the latest developments concerning the case of Antioch College, in Yellow Springs, Ohio, where citizens are fighting hard to re-open the school once again.

Saturday, March 28th, 2009
Join in the National Day of Solidarity with the RNC8!

On the 19th of January 2009, daytime in the centre of Moscow Stanislav (Stas) Markelov and Anastasiya (Nastya Skat) Baburova were shot dead to head by an assassin. Apparently the killer was after the lawyer Stanislav but she shot Nastya to head as well, either to eliminate a witness or in order to escape - some witnesses have stated that Nastya attempted to arrest assassin.