Water Front Movie "Remix" Competition

Among the many community gems in The Water Front film is Joe L. Carter's song, "Mr. Waterman." Set in the background of the Highland Park residents' fight against water shut-offs and high water bills, this little ditty captures the essence of troubled times in Michigan.

Filmmaker Liz Miller is hoping to reinvigorate this classic song by inviting songwriters, DJs, rappers, and other artists to take part in The Water Front Remix Competition. Using online software at RelabMusic.com, "you can add your own drums, a new bassline and even edit the vocals as you like."

The winner will receive $400 and international acclaim for his or her work. A runner-up chosen by Facebook and MySpace voters will receive $100. Check out The Water Front Remix Competition site for more information!

Listen to "Mr. Waterman" by clicking on the link's blue play button.

Nestle Theatens Florida Water Dept For Praising Tap Water As Better Than Bottled Water

Following legal threats from Nestle, the Miami-Dade County Water and Sewer Department in Florida has pulled radio ads off the air that asserted the quality of its tap water as being better than bottled water. Reported by the Miami Herald, Nestle threatened legal action because the ad declared 'Miami-Dade's tap water as cheaper, purer and safer than bottled water.' A Nestle spokesperson responded that, ``It's an attack on the product we produce -- and it's blatantly wrong.'' An attack on a product they produce?

Food & Water Watch has blasted this claim and so should we! ''Nestle should be ashamed for harassing Miami for promoting its own water,'' said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Washington-based Food & Water Watch. ``This is just outrageous. It's just a way to scare off other utilities." Interestingly, these legal threats also seem to follow declining sales in the $11.7 billion bottled water industry.

Michigan residents have their own horror stories about the effect of Nestle's water depleting practices across the state. In Mecosta County, local residents and environmentalists sued Nestle (who bottles Ice Mountain water locally) for depleting and damaging aquifers and watersheds. In Detroit, private groups have long-sought to control one of the oldest and largest municipal water departments near the vast Great Lakes.

Read more about the Take Back the Tap Campaign from Food & Water Watch, and Take the Pledge to Take Back the Tap to promote and preserve public water! And see The Water Front film trailer for a snapshot of one Michigan community's effort to preserve its local water department and protect its residents against high costs and shutoffs.

"Can anyone really own water?"

That's the premise behind, FLOW--an award-winning documentary that interviews scientists and activists alike about the growing water privatization crisis and the world's dwindling fresh water supply. FLOW investigates the insidious $425 billion a year private water industry, and the short-sighted decisions by local governments and nations to sell their most basic and precious resource.

Like many others, Michigan Welfare Rights Organization believes water is a human right that no one has the right to profit from or own. In a region with nearly 20% of the world's fresh surface water supply, we know the irony of what it means to be without water in Michigan. In Detroit and Highland Park alone, thousands of families have had their water shut off for days, months, and even years (see The Water Front film on Highland Park, and Detroit Water Dept Pickets). The conditions that these persons have lived under mirror those found in third world nations--yet politicians don't want to tackle the tough questions of human rights, affordability, and infrastructure.

See FLOW's website for a list of cities where the film is screening along with more info on what you can do to protect this precious resource. Here's the FLOW trailer:

"The Water Front" Film Great Lakes Tour

Water bills costing several thousand dollars...low-income people without water in their homes...a city taken over by the state...and all of this taking place in the U.S.!

"The Water Front" documents the story of residents in Highland Park, Michigan--a neighboring Detroit town once envied for its beautiful homes and streets, and heralded as the birthplace of Henry Ford's automotive assembly line. Now it is a city on the verge of bankruptcy after the exodus of Ford Motor Company and Chrysler, and with a population unable to meet the costs of maintaining local services and needs.

This award-winning film by Liz Miller is touring the Great Lake states--30 cities (including east coast) and 40 universities--to bring attention to the plight of one community's struggle with economic collapse and aging infrastructures, and the remarkable resolve of its residents.

For the tour schedule and more see Food and Water Watch or The Water Front website. The Water Front trailer: