HUDSON VALLEY ACTIVIST CALENDAR
Jan. 4, 2012, Issue #674
Send event announcements to jacdon@earthlink.net
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Dedicated to Helping Build Activist
Movements in the Hudson Valley
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Thursday, Jan. 5, DELMAR: Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace will host a discussion, "Occupy... The Future," at 7 p.m. at the Bethlehem Public Library, 451 Delaware Ave. Shanna Goldman, Dan Morrissey, Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace member Joe Lombardo, and other participants in Occupy Albany will discuss the Occupy movement in general and issues specific to Albany. They will tell where the movement originated, the methods used for making decisions, and some of the results of Occupy actions. Information: (518) 466-1192.
Thursday, Jan. 5, NEW PALTZ: Occupy New Paltz and supporters will demonstrate at the Chase Bank Main St. and Plattekill Ave. (across from the library), 4-5 p.m. They say: "Let's chase out Chase! They are one of the biggest crook banks in the world." Bring your own sign, if possible.
Thursday, Jan. 5, SAUGERTIES: Esopus Creek Conservancy and Frack Free Catskills will screen the Academy Award winning documentary "Gasland" at 6 p.m. at the Senior Citizen Center, 207 Market St. This film shows the environmental impacts of an industry gone wild, with total disregard for the environment. Gas companies have touted hydraulic fracturing (fracking) as an environmentally safe method to extract natural gas from shale formations. The film shows that this is not the case. Many cases of groundwater pollution, disease, and now earthquakes plague this industry. A Q&A with Kathy Nolan from Catskill Mountainkeeper, and a public comment writing session will follow. Light refreshments will be served at this free and public event. Information, (845) 246-0664.
Thursday, Jan. 5, POUGHKEEPSIE: Dutchess County Peace Coalition will show the documentary "The One Percent" at the Crafted Kup, 44 Raymond Ave. at 7 p.m. This documentary explores the enormous wealth of 1% of the U.S. population, who in 2004 owned 42% of the nation's assets. Interviews with Nicole Buffet, daughter of Warren Buffet, Steve Forbes, Milton Friedman, Bill Gates Sr., Robert Reich, Ralph Nader, and many others, as director Jamie Johnson manages to butt heads with the elite, showing his knowledge and humor. He also takes a tour of a dilapidated housing project in Chicago, rides around with an enlightened taxi driver, and sees the human toll of the unfair economics of the Florida sugar industry. Johnson's film is at its most powerful when it reveals how the super-rich work to preserve their economic and political dominance. As a member of the "Johnson & Johnson" family, he gets rare access to an exclusive wealth conference at which the rich learn strategies for preserving their fortunes, and learns the personal management styles of some of the country's wealthiest employers. This free and public event is part of Dutchess Peace Coalition's "Give Peace a Film" series. A collection will be taken for Occupy Poughkeepsie. Information (845) 876-7906.
Saturday, Jan. 7, ALBANY: Occupy Albany — which was evicted by city officials from its two-month presence in Academy Park — has called for a regional rally starting at 3 p.m. today "to respond with one voice of protest to the city’s unjust actions." It will take place, naturally enough, at Academy Park, near the State Capitol building. The sponsors say: "Occupy Albany's encampment stood strong for two months as a platform for economic justice and political equality. We implore our allies from labor, faith, progressive organizations and community groups to join us for a rally, speak-out, and candle light vigil. Please spread the word among your networks. We want the size of this event to match the amazing level of community support we've felt for months.." Information, jlombard@nycap.rr.com.
Monday, Jan. 9, OLD CHATHAM: Old Chatham Quaker Meeting will host a screening of "Not Just a Game" at the Powell House Quaker Conference and Retreat Center, 524 Pitt Hall Rd., off County Rt. 13, at 8:45 p.m. This film looks at the confluence of sports, politics, racism, militarism, and an unrealistic standard of masculinity, which result in rampant homophobia and sexism both on and off the field. Free and public event, with refreshments and a moderated discussion after the film. Information, (518) 766-2992, for directions, http://www.oldchathamquakers.org.
Wednesday, Jan. 11, WASHINGTON: A demonstration deploring the 10th anniversary of the U.S. prison camp in Guantánamo will take place here today from noon to 2 p.m., beginning with a rally at Lafayette Square, across from the White House, followed by the formation of a human chain along Pennsylvania Ave. toward the Capitol. The event is sponsored by a large coalition of human rights organizations. They say, "Our goal is to have at least 2,771 people — representing those still held outside the law at Guantanamo and Bagram [another prison in Afghanistan] — in the human chain. We need your support." Participants are encouraged to wear orange or black and bring signs that say “No Guantánamo. No Torture. No Excuses!” There will be a charter bus from New York City and back at a cost of $30. (Reservations will be taken by Amnesty International until the end of Jan. 5. For a seat contact (212) 633-4215 or tmcharris@aiusa.org.
Thursday, Jan. 12 and 26, WOODSTOCK: Middle East Crisis Response, a group of Hudson Valley residents joined in protest against policies of Israel and the United States, will hold its twice monthly meeting these evenings at the Woodstock Public Library, 5 Library Lane. Information, (845) 876-7906. http://www.mideastcrisis.org.
Thursday, Jan. 12, NEW YORK CITY: The State Assembly Standing Committee on Energy will conduct a public hearing regarding the potential closure of the Indian Point Energy Center at 10 a.m., in the Assembly Hearing Room at 250 Broadway (Manhattan), room 1923. The two active nuclear reactors at Indian Point Energy Center in Buchanan, N.Y. (next to Peekskill and close to New York City) are licensed until 2013 and 2015 by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Entergy Corporation, which operates these facilities, seeks permission from the NRC to continue for 20 more years.
Friday, Jan. 13, TROY: Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace will host a discussion, "The Meaning of Occupy Wall Street for the Left," featuring political science professor Jodi Dean at Oakwood Community Center (formerly Presbyterian Church), 313 10th St. Author of many books, Dean is currently teaching at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva N.Y. Information, (518) 505-0948. Sponsored by Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace, The Media Alliance, and Verso Books.
Saturday, Jan. 14, WASHINGTON D.C. and elsewhere: "Jobs, Not Jails!" is the slogan of demonstrations today in opposition to the prison/industrial complex, the "War on Drugs," prison conditions, and the racist disproportion of African Americans incarcerated in the U.S. From the organizers: "We are calling on people throughout the country to stand up Jan. 14 on the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend against the brutal, profit-driven prison-industrial complex. In Washington D.C., we will be holding a march and rally against mass incarceration starting at 11 a.m. at 7th and P St. NW., and we are asking you to join us with events in your city." Sponsored by the ANSWER. Coalition, Ceasefire: Don't Smoke the Brothers and Sisters, Political Education and Action Committee-Howard University, New Jim Crow Movement, Party for Socialism and Liberation, and more. Information, jobsnotjails@gmail.com, http://www.answercoalition.org/national/events/march-rally-jobs-not-jails-01-14-2012.html.
Sunday, Jan. 15, WOODSTOCK: The theme of this town's 22nd Annual Birthday Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is "If There Is No Struggle, There Is No Progress." This free public event begins at 2 p.m. at the Woodstock Community Center on Rock City Rd. Speaking will be Rev. Dr. Modele Clarke, New Progressive Baptist Church, Kingston; Pam Africa, of Family and Concerned Friends of Mumia Abu Jamal; Albert Cook, New Paltz High School teacher of Black history; Norm, Occupy Poughkeepsie; and the Woodstock Town Supervisor. There will be performances by the Redwing Blackbird Theater lead by artist/puppeteer Amy Trompetter; Afro-Caribbean, reggae, rock and hip hop singer Taina Asili (also representing Occupy Albany); protest singer Debra Burger; and Kevin of Philadelphia MOVE with a new song dedicated to political prisoner Mumia-Abu Jamal. The sponsors are Martin Luther King Jr. Planning Committee, Haitian People's Support Project and the Town of Woodstock. Information, (845) 679-5884, (845) 679-7320.
Monday, Jan. 16, POUGHKEEPSIE: The Real Majority Project's 17th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. March for Social and Economic Justice begins with a 10 a.m. rally at Smith Metropolitan AME Zion Church at 124 Smith St. At 11 a.m. participants will march to the Dutchess County Office Building, 22 Market St., followed by a walk to Holy Light Pentecostal Church at 33 Clover St. for refreshments and discussion. Among the speakers will be Councilwoman Ann Perry, community activist Mae Parker-Harris, and county legislator Joel Tyner. Information, http://www.facebook.com/events/219856948093858/.
Monday, Jan. 16, BEACON: The Rivertown Kids invite you to their Fifth Annual Martin Luther King Day Celebration for Social Justice, which starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Howland Cultural Center, 477 Main St. There will be many singers and entertainers including The Rivertown Kids (Chris Ruhe, Pete Seeger and Sarah Underhill). The event will benefit the Cultural Center and there is a $10 minimum donation. Information, (845) 831-4988.
Friday, Jan. 20, MILLBROOK: The dangers and politics of climate change is the topic of a 7 p.m. lecture by Duke Univ. Professor Emeritus of Geology Orrin H. Pilkey and environmental artist Mary Edna Fraser, who collaborated on the new book "Global Climate Change: A Primer." A book signing will follow the talks. The free public event takes place in the Cary Institute auditorium, 2801 Sharon Turnpike (Rte. 44). Information, call (845) 677-7600, ext. 121, freemanp@caryinstitute.org.
Saturday, Jan. 21, ALBANY: A documentary about the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, "Freedom Riders," will be screened at 7:30 p.m. at First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany, 405 Washington Ave. This film shows the actions of the multiracial movements of activists who challenged racist segregation in the interstate transportation system. They went together in small mixed race groups, and sat where they chose on buses and trains, while demanding equal access to restaurants and waiting rooms. Based on the book, "Freedom Riders: 1961, and the Struggle for Racial Justice" by historian Raymond Arsenault. Honest Weight Food Co-op will provide free refreshments. Sponsored by the Solidarity Committee of the Capital District, Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace, and Upper Hudson Peace Action. Information (518) 466-1192, tquaif@yahoo.com, http://www.bethlehemforpeace.org.
