Brooklyn’s annual Mermaid Parade added a new twist to an event known for its costumes and fantasy: politics. Perhaps its just these troubled times we live in or maybe its the looming threat of development looming over the seaside boardwalk section of Coney Island where the event is held. But one thing was for sure, this year’s crop of Mermaid Parade performers had more serious issues on their minds than in years past.

If it wasn’t clear from the banners and costumes dissing development in the historic Astroland Amusement Park, home of the Cyclone Rollercoaster, and and surrounding Boardwalk area, then the choice of this year’s Neptune King of the Parade certainly drove the point up. Wearing the crown of the parade, The Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping (seen above) spearheaded the preservation message of the festival with his soothing message of community preservation that caused at least one or two spectators to start speaking in tongues.

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*U.S. Corn Crop Could Decrease by 10% Further Fueling the Great Ethanol Debate

*Uganda ‘happy’ about food crisis. Why? Because the president hopes the food crisis will prompt the removal of trade barriers, allowing countries like Uganda to profit from food surpluses.

* Tomatoes become scarce among local businesses in the US

* In the UK, Tories argue that Govt making world food price crisis worse “As food shortages take hold across the world we should be looking to optimise domestic production and relieve pressure on world markets,” says agriculture minister Jim Paice.

* The World Bank Group announced today it would support global efforts to overcome the global food crisis with a new $1.2 billion rapid financing facility to address immediate needs, including $200 million in grants targeted at the vulnerable in the world’s poorest countries.

*S. Korea looks to fresh start after beef crisis

*Cyclone-hit Myanmar has enough rice to feed its people, the ruling junta said on Wednesday, accusing foreign aid agencies of presenting a false picture of the devastation in the Irrawaddy delta rice bowl.

*The famine in Ethiopia this year is the worst to hit the country since 2003. Officials estimate Ethiopia needs 300,000 tonnes of food supplies to last until the next harvest, due in September. They are warning that tens of thousands of children could die unless help arrives soon. The World Food Programme says about £73 million is needed to feed children at risk of starvation.

takepart and lean what you can do with Oxfam America.

Related:

Global Food Crisis Update

It’s so easy nowadays to get caught up in “world issues”. By this I mean stories so dynamic they instantaneously traverse the globe through media. Burma is big and surely Cyclone Nargis victims need the world’s help (TakePart), but Myanmar also makes for great copy. An hour ago Associated Press carried its ruling junta lashing out at aid donors over all the chocolate.

But, what about less pithy or vogue causes, ones which do not shake the globe with their very mention? Do juicy/event-driven stories cause us to overlook smaller/more generic, but less urgent causes?

Cue “Sex and the City” moment: at this point I couldn’t help but ponder. Should we also spend time doing good in mundane ways?

How about sending Blind or Autistic children to Summer camp? It’s not life or death, but it sure seemed to matter to the children profiled in two very similar articles published in the L.A. Times California Local section this week. Credit the Times for shamelessly plugging their cause in the guise of newsworthy articles, and I mean that.

Donations to their L.A. Times Family Fund help give low-income children a summer to remember. The McCormick Foundation matches 50% of every dollar donated to the Summer Camp Campaign.

You may also wish to check out the American Camp Association, a non-profit with the mission of “enriching the lives of children, youth and adults through the camp experience”.

Mundane, yes. Good, also yes. Just some food for thought for all who TakePart in this sort of thing.

We’ve been featuring some videos from the Burma Can’t Wait campaign including those from Sarah Silverman and Will Ferrell. Yesterday’s video starred Ellen Page from Juno sharing a powerful message about dictator Than Shwe and how he has terrorized the people of Burma behind closed doors (his most recent crime is denying aid to desperate victims of the Burma cyclone).

 and visit http://www.burmaitcantwait.org/burmaitcantwait/ to join the cause.

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As we shifted our attention from Burma to China in the past week, I think it’s good to focus our attention back on Burma(but not necessarily away from China). Giulia did a great post about “Burma, It Can’t Wait” last week - so I thought I’d go ahead and post another video from the series so folks don’t forget…

Will Ferrell makes a great point (and even mentions my home state…) about the nature of the problem in Burma and how you can help.

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It’s May 16th, I’m Gina Telaroli and this is TakePart.com’s look at the week in social action…

The devastating cyclone that hit Myanmar on Saturday May 3rd has left over 22,000 people dead and over 40,000 missing. Here are 10 places you can donate to support the disaster relief:

1) American Red Cross- The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has also released an initial $189,000 and shipped shelter kits, made up of tarps, ropes and hammers, to support the relief effort in Myanmar. Additionally, the American Red Cross is prepared to respond with financial aid, estimated at $100,000, to aid cyclone survivors.

2) Oxfam International - Oxfam has committed more than $725,000 in aid to the Myanmar delta region.

3) Doctors Without Borders - DWB teams are bringing immediate assistance to Myanmar while additional staff and relief materials are ready to be sent.

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A devastating cyclone in Myanmar killed close to 4,000 people over the weekend with another 3000 missing in its aftermath, the state media reported. The self isolated military junta in power in the Southeast Asian nation has taken the highly unusual step of asking for massive outside assistance in response to the humanitarian crisis there.

Cyclone Nargis, seen in the satellite photo below, wreaked havoc on the Burmese coastline with 150 mph winds on Friday night and Saturday morning, dumping more than 20 inches of rain. Massive flooding has ensued in the region and the risk of disease now threatens to kill thousands more.

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