A 34-year old stock clerk at a Long Island Wal-mart was rushed to a local hospital and pronounced dead this morning at 6:03 am. A crowd of over 200 people rushed through the doors just after the store opened and knocked the worker down. Witnesses say they heard him gasping for air as shoppers trampled him. Even after emergency workers arrived on the scene, shoppers continued to stream in. A 28 year-old pregnant woman was knocked to the ground as well and is the in hospital for observation.  Police have shut down the store in the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream for the day.

Photo credit 2-dog-farm on flickr CC-BY-SA-NC

Adbusters, the self-proclaimed journal of the mental environment, is providing non-consumers many ways to resist rampant consumerism today, also known as Black Friday.  The beginnings of Buy Nothing Day are attributed to Vancouver artist Ted Dave in 1992.  Dave sought to illuminate the obsession with hyper-consumption.  This year, amidst the economic meltdown, Adbusters is emphasizing the role of consumer culture in creating the crisis.  Continue Reading

Dan Piper and Marissa Blaszko discuss Connecticut-wide organizing against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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It is a deep thing that people still celebrate the survival of the early colonists at Plymouth — by giving thanks to the Christian God who supposedly protected and championed the European invasion. The real meaning of all that, then and now, needs to be continually excavated. The myths and lies that surround the past are constantly draped over the horrors and tortures of our present. (full article)

Tue Dec 2, 7:30pm, Hoffman Auditorium, Saint Joseph College, 1678 Asylum Ave., West Hartford. Just him and a piano. There’s no better arrangement for George Winston: A Solo Piano Concert. The Grammy Award-winning pianist performs a winter concert of seasonal recordings including Vince Guaraldi’s Peanuts pieces, New Orleans R&B piano, stride piano and more. Winston’s music is synonymous with melodic, rural folk style, heavily influenced by the great New Orleans R&B pianists. $32. 231-5555, tickets.sjc.edu

Tue Dec 2, 12:35-1pm, Christ Church Cathedral, 45 Church St., Downtown Hartford. Escape the monotony of the day with a refreshing performance over lunch with a Midday Organ Recital. Organist Kevin Jones performs “Dupré – The World Awaiting the Savior & Variations sur un Noël” on the magnificent, powerful Austin organ in the grandeur of Hartford’s oldest brownstone building. Free. 527-7231 x112, cccathedral.org/choir_concerts.html