Lately, the infamous Tea Party has taken the mass media by storm.  Despite this recent mobilization against long-awaited “liberal” reforms, we can’t help but remember how grassroots movements organized coalitions to paint red states blue and elect Barack Obama. Is it possible to remobilize progressive discontent and organize a party that crosses race, class, and labor lines to get progressive politicians elected?

Jon Liss, Executive Director of Tenants and Workers United, joins us in the studio to describe organizing in Virginia –primarily how to recycle coalition-forming tactics that made history by turning a red state blue during the last election.

Branch Brook Park roller rink, located in Newark, NJ, is one of the few remaining urban rinks of its kind. Serving extremely diverse subcultures within Newark, this space is a microcosm of the city that surrounds it. This film will follow three characters from distinct groups that use the space; a Skate Dancer, a Gospel Skater, and a Roller Derby Girl. Despite their differences in race, class, religion, and sexuality, these skaters are united by the rink, which serves as a refuge from the stress of their lives.

Newark is currently experiencing a 'renaissance', but it is unclear who this renaissance is actually meant to benefit. The rink stands in symbolic and visual opposition to the pervasive, inflexible and false notions attached to the city of Newark.

The Rink is directed and produced by GRITtv's own Sarah Friedland and Ryan Joseph, and you can contribute to finishing the film at Kickstarter.

Those poor oil executives have just been working themselves to death trying to maintain their public image after that completely unfair blame they're facing for those oil spills--not just in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska, but around the world. Our friends at Greenpeace came up with a product just for them, a handy way to cover-I mean clean up the spill in record time and keep people buying those oil products! Check it out.

Finally, this week, Harvey Pekar, revolutionary comics author and subject of the award-winning film American Splendor (based on his comics by that name) passed away at age 70.  Anne Elizabeth Moore worked with Pekar on The Best American Comics and shares what he and his work meant to her.