NOVEMBER CALENDAR
EVENTS:
√√ Wednesday, Nov.5, CANAAN: A
proposed pipeline for the transmission of natural gas in Columbia County by
Kindeer Morgan, the third largest energy company in North America, is the
subject of a public informational meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall on
County Rt. 5. The gas would be obtained through fracking, which is opposed by
many New Yorkers because of its risks to health and the water supply. The meeting
is sponsored by the Town of Canaan and there will be a 20 minute Power Point
presentation by “Stop NY Fracked Gas Pipeline” with a question and answer
period to follow. It is suggested that people arrive early. Information, Bob
Connors, (518) 781-4686, raconnors@yahoo.com.
Friday, Nov. 7, KINGSTON: Films of Palestine Series presents “To See If I’m Smiling” at 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Catskills, 320 Sawkill Road. We’re told this free public film “is the personal account of six women in the Israeli Defense Force who served in the Occupied Territories. The documentary explores the moral challenges female soldiers face in being part of the oppression of the Palestinian people.” This film by writer/director Tamar Yarom is the winner of six festival awards for best documentary. The sponsor is Middle East Crisis Response. Information, Jane.toby7@gmail.com, (518) 291-6808, http://www.mideastcrisis.org, http://www.hudsonvalleybds.org.
√√ Friday Nov. 21, NEW PALTZ (SUNY
campus): Educators, students, parents, and community members are invited to the
20th Anniversity Multicultural Education Conference, 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. in the
Student Union. We're told: “The conference is intended to celebrate past work,
share current initiatives, and gather new perspectives and ideas for taking
action. We will examine the ways inequity in our schools due to race, gender,
class, sexual orientation, language, religion, ability, and more can be
transformed to inspire greater learning and engagement for all. In addition we
will examine ways to overcome the debilitating effects of the current
standardized, data-driven, and privatizing approaches to education to reclaim
the potential and power of both multicultural and public education.” Speakers
include: Enid Lee is a writer, teacher educator and consultant in the area of
antiracist and equity-centered education. Stan Karp, an editor for Rethinking
Schools. Christine E. Sleeter is Professor Emerita at California State
University. Schedule: 8 a.m., Registration. 8:30 a.m. Keynote. 10 a.m., Workshops.
11:15 a.m., Lunch and book signings. 12 Noon-1p.m., Cultural performance. 1:15.-2:30
p.m, Workshops. Her research focuses on anti-racist education and multicultural
teacher education. Registration fee (before Nov. 7 if possible): General $40;
students $8. Sponsors include: SUNY New Paltz, Mid-Hudson Migrant Education
Tutorial and Support Service Program, Mid-Hudson Teacher Center, Ulster County
Boces, New York State Center For School Safety, Mid-Hudson School Study
Council. Information, Nancy Schniedewind schniedn@newpaltz.edu
√√ Thursday, Nov. 27, AMERICA: Happy Thanksgiving. We’d like to talk
turkey about turkeys. All told throughout the year in the U.S., up to 300
million turkeys are raised for slaughter every year, nearly 47 million
for this single day of gluttony. Their lives are short and brutal. Many never
leave the cruel factory “farm” until they are about to be killed. Turkeys
are frequently confined so tightly that each bird has only between 2.5 to 4
square feet of space each. This space only gets tighter as the turkeys grow. “The symbolism
surrounding the Thanksgiving turkey, much like the modern domestic turkey
itself, has been largely manufactured by cynical commercial interests. There is
neither compelling historical precedent nor meaningful rationale for
associating the butchered carcass of a turkey with our national day of
thanksgiving.” This information comes from a brief article titled “The History
of Thanksgiving” on the Farm Sanctuary website, http://www.farmsanctuary.org/giving/adopt-a-turkey/adopt-a-turkey-history-of-thanksgiving/.
Google “Vegetarian and vegan recipes for Thanksgiving” and you will find some
very delicious recipes.
———————————————————
Hudson Valley Activist Calendar, Issue #685
Send event announcements or to subscribe, jacdon@earthlink.net
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Attention Readers: We update each calendar online as new events are announced until the next full calendar is posted. The additional items will begin with this mark: √√. In October we added 15 items in the days after publication .
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Protests Against
Michael Brown
Decision All Across
America
KINGSTON, N.Y. — TUESDAY, NOV. 25, 2:30 p.m., in front of Civil
Hall, 420 Broadway. Info: (914) 388-3092
ALBANY, N.Y. —NOV. 25, 5 p.m., in front of City Hall, 25 Eagle St.
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. — TUESDAY, NOV. 25, 6 p.m. in front of the
Dutchess County Jail, 150 N. Hamilton St.
———————————————————————————————————
 |
| Rachel Corrie, never to be forgotten. |
Sunday, Nov. 2,
POUGHKEEPSIE (Vassar campus): A live stage production of the play “My Name
is Rachel Corrie” begins at 7:30 p.m. in Rockefeller Hall, Room 200, 124
Raymond Ave. Corrie, a 23-year-old American volunteer, was crushed to death by
an Israeli Army bulldozer in Gaza as she tried to prevent the demolition of a
Palestinian home. The play, starring Ashley Malloy, recounts the young woman's
life from journal entries, letters, and emails she left behind. This current
production has been touring colleges across the country to excellent reviews. A
significant portion of funds raised will go to support The Freedom Theatre
located in the Jenin Refugee Camp in the West Bank. A discussion with Malloy
will follow the 90-minute performance. Tickets may be purchased at the door. The
sponsors are Vassar Students for Justice in Palestine, Middle East Crisis
Response and Hudson Valley BDS. Information, sjpvassar@gmail.com, (845) 876-7906.
Monday, Nov. 3, OLD
CHATHAM: A 7 p.m. free public screening of “A Small Act” starts at 7 p.m.
at Old Chatham Quaker Meetinghouse, 539 County Rt.13, across from Pitt Hall
Road and Powell House. Here’s what it is about: “When Hilde Back sponsored a
young, rural Kenyan student in Mukubu primary school, she certainly never
expected to hear from him. However Chris Mburu, now a Harvard graduate and a
Human Rights Lawyer for the United Nations, decides to find the stranger that
changed his life. Inspired by her generosity, he starts a scholarship program
of his own and names it for his former benefactor. The students in Mukubu
primary school are in the exact same situation as Chris once was. They can’t
afford to pay school fees. With the creation of Chris’ fund, these students
have new hope. But the program is small.” A moderated discussion will follow
the film. Information, (518) 392-9686. Directions: www.oldchathamquakers.org.
Tuesday, Nov. 4, USA:
Today is Election Day. The right wing Republican candidate for governor of
New York is out of the running, according to the polls. Gov. Andrew Cuomo,
seeking reelection, behaves more like a Republican than a Democrat. His latest reactionary statement a few days
ago was to undermine the public school system that he dismissed as
“one of the only remaining public monopolies,” which he’d evidently like to
change with the help of the charter schools and non-union teachers he so admires. Cuomo did a few good
things during his first term but his overall record is conservative. The
alternative is Howie Hawkins, the Green Party candidate, who will get our vote. In our New York 19 CD, where we live, the race is between right wing Republican Rep. Chris Gibson, and newcomer centrist Democrat Sean Eldridge. In the absence of a left candidate, center tops the right by default. On Proposition One, the ACLU said vote no because it "just makes a bad system worse."
Tuesday, Nov. 4, NEW
PALTZ (SUNY campus):
Malea Otranto, a representative from UNICEF USA's End Trafficking program, will
deliver a lecture on “Human Trafficking: Locally and Internationally" at
5:30 p.m. in the Coykendall Science Building Auditorium. Sponsored by the
Political Science Dept. with backing from the United Nations Association of the
Hudson Valley. Public and free. Campus map: http://www.newpaltz.edu/map/. Information https://www.facebook.com/events/807478785962416/.
 |
| Wade Rathke. |
√√ Wednesday
Nov. 5, NEW PALTZ (SUNY campus): Wade Rathke, long-time progressive
activist organizer on the regional, national and international level, will
lecture on the topic, “Is Grassroots Organizing Dead Or Just Dying? — There
Won’t Be A Facebook Revolution!” Rathke is the founder of ACORN — America’s
largest community organization of low and moderate-income families seeking
economic and social justice. The group became a prime target of the right wing
that ultimately helped shut down the organization in 2010 — leaving most of its
175,000 member-families across the country without an advocate. This free
public event will begin at 8 p.m. aty the CSB Auditorium on campus. It is
sponsored by the SUNY New Paltz Student Associatiion.
√√ Wednesday, Nov.5, CANAAN: A
proposed pipeline for the transmission of natural gas in Columbia County by
Kindeer Morgan, the third largest energy company in North America, is the
subject of a public informational meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall on
County Rt. 5. The gas would be obtained through fracking, which is opposed by
many New Yorkers because of its risks to health and the water supply. The meeting
is sponsored by the Town of Canaan and there will be a 20 minute Power Point
presentation by “Stop NY Fracked Gas Pipeline” with a question and answer
period to follow. It is suggested that people arrive early. Information, Bob
Connors, (518) 781-4686, raconnors@yahoo.com.
√√ Friday, Nov. 7, NEW PALTZ (SUNY
campus): The Ulster
County Human Rights Commission is holding a forum on the topic “Ending the
School-to-Prison Pipeline.” Speakers and panelists will focus on the role of
restorative justice as an alternative to school suspension, expulsion and prison.
The forum take place from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Student Union Multi-Purpose Room. The keynote speaker is Judith S. Kaye, former chief judge of New York State and chair of the NYS Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children. According to the ACLU: the "school to prison pipeline is a disturbing
national trend wherein children are funneled out of public schools and into the
juvenile and criminal justice systems. Many of these children have learning
disabilities or histories of poverty, abuse or neglect, and would benefit from
additional educational and counseling services. Instead, they are isolated,
punished and pushed out.”
 |
| Young women, drafted at 18, serve in Occupied Territories. |
Friday, Nov. 7, KINGSTON: Films of Palestine Series presents “To See If I’m Smiling” at 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Catskills, 320 Sawkill Road. We’re told this free public film “is the personal account of six women in the Israeli Defense Force who served in the Occupied Territories. The documentary explores the moral challenges female soldiers face in being part of the oppression of the Palestinian people.” This film by writer/director Tamar Yarom is the winner of six festival awards for best documentary. The sponsor is Middle East Crisis Response. Information, Jane.toby7@gmail.com, (518) 291-6808, http://www.mideastcrisis.org, http://www.hudsonvalleybds.org.
 |
| The New Jim Crow. |
Monday, Nov.
10, KINGSTON: The
End the New Jim Crow Action Network! (ENJAN), a Hudson Valley group dedicated
to fighting racist policies of racial profiling, police brutality, and mass
incarceration (the "new Jim Crow"), meets 6-8 p.m. at the New
Progressive Baptist Church, 8 Hone St. (Also meets here Nov. 24.)
Information, (845) 475-8781, http://www.enjan.org.
Wednesday,
Nov. 12, POUGHKEEPSIE: The
End the New Jim Crow Network will meet 6-8 p.m. at the Sadie Peterson Delaney
African Roots Library, Family Partnership Center, 29 N Hamilton St. (Also meets
here Nov. 26.) Information, (845) 475-8781, http://www.enjan.org.
√√
Wednesday, Nov. 12, NEW PALTZ: Local activists inform us that the “Village of New Paltz may vote to
convert to fracked gas (which includes methane), though it has banned
fracking.” Please come to the large meeting room, Village Hall, 25 Plattekill
Rd. at 7:30-9:30 p.m. to advocate for geothermal energy or the renewable
solution of your choice to keep the lights on at the Village Hall.”
Information, AnahataSun@aol.com.
√√ Thursday, Nov. 13, NEW PALTZ: Income inequality in the United States
is the topic of a talk by Pavlina Tcherneva, an Assistant Professor at Bard
College and Senior Scholar at the college’s. Expanding inequality is perhaps
America’s biggest economic and social
problem, but it was hardly mentioned at all by either of the right wing
Republicans or the center right Democrats during the recent election. The
Department of Economics invites students, faculty and the community to attend this discussion. It will take
p[lace 5-6:15 p.m. in LC100.
Thursday,
Nov. 13, WOODSTOCK: Middle East
Crisis Response, a group of Hudson Valley residents joined together to promote
peace and human rights in Palestine and the Middle East, will hold its
regular meeting tonight, 7-8:30 p.m. at Woodstock Public Library, 5 Library
Lane. (Next meeting Nov. 27). Information, (845) 876-7906, http://www.mideastcrisis.org.
Friday, Nov. 14, USA:
All four postal unions and their members are calling a National Day of
Action today in opposition to plans to cut back on mail delivery and other
postal services. They urge the public to “Tell the Postmaster General and Board
of Governors: Stop Delaying America’s Mail." The unions point out that on Jan 5,
the U.S. Postal Service is slated to lower ‘service standards’ to virtually
eliminate overnight deliveries – including first-class mail from one address to
another within the same city or town. All mail throughout the country — letters,
publications, and packages —will be delayed. On the same day, 84 mail
processing and distributions centers are scheduled to close. Six-day delivery
is also being threatened. More details are to come. Mid-Hudson information from
organization and legislative director Diana S. Cline (APWU, local 3722), skatergurl96diana@aol.com. The
Activist Calendar strongly supports the cause of the postal workers.
√√ Friday, Nov. 14, MILLBROOK: A
lectcure by by Dr. Stephen Kellert, a
research scholar at Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental
Studies, will tcake place at 7 p.m. in the Cary Institute auditorium, located
at 2801 Sharon Turnpike (Rte. 44).
Kellert has spent his career
investigating the connection people have with the natural world, writing
extensively about the value of exposing children to nature, the relationship we
have with animals, and sustainable design.
His newest book, “Birthright: People and
Nature in the Modern World,” explores how contact with nature shapes our
capacity to think, create, communicate, and find meaning in life. Doors open at
6:30 p.m. Books will be available for purchase at the event. Pubclic and frsee.
Information, (845) 677-7600, ext. 121, freemanp@caryinstitute.org.
√√ Friday, Nov. 14, NEW PALTZ: New Paltz
Neighbors For Peace is sponsoring a free screening of tdhe movie “Happy,” which
it describes at “An inspiring up-lifting documentary about the various
factors that add up to human Joy. It covers the U.S., Japan, Okinawa,
India, Bhutan, Sweden, Latin America in a cross-cultural investigation on the
purpose of life in terms of happiness.”
√√ Sunday Nov. 16 to Sunday, Nov. 23, NEW
PALTZ: Events connected
with the One Book One New Paltz reading project will take place every one of
the eight days, often two and three different events a day. This year’s book
is Philip Roth’s “Nemesis.” For all the
information you want about what it is all about, the dramatic presentations,
community discussions, roundtables, films, lectures, academic gatherings,
dramatic presentations, the Hudson River Playback Theater and much more, go to https://sites.google.com/site/onebookonenewpaltz/one-book-one-new-paltz-2014/nemesis-events-2014.
POSTPONED Monday, Nov. 17, NEW PALTZ
(SUNY campus): “The Problem with
Carceral Feminism: Race, Gender and Mass Criminalization” is the topic of a free public lecture by Dr. Beth E. Richie, Professor
of African American Studies, Gender and Women's Studies, Criminology, Law and
Justice, and Sociology at University of Illinois Chicago. It takes place at
3:30 p.m. in Lecture Center 100. The emphasis of Richie's scholarly and
activist work has been on the ways that race/ethnicity and social position
affect women's experience of violence and incarceration, focusing on the
experiences of African American battered women and sexual assault survivors. This
event is supported by CAS, the Office of the Provost, the Departments of Black
Studies, and History, the Scholar's Mentorship Program, the Honors Program,
and Residence Life. Co-sponsors include the Native American Studies Program and
the Humanistic and Multicultural Education Program. Information, (845) 257-3756.
√√ Monday, Nov. 17, NEW PALTZ (SUNY
campus): A public forum
takes place at 7 p.m. to discuss a proposed oil pipeline from Albany, NY, to
Linden, NJ, that is encountering criticism from residentcs of both states in
proximity to the project. Pipeline construction by Pilgrim Pipeline LLC could
have negative effects on the environment and public health and safety, passing
through highlands, open spaces and
densely populated communities. Tonight’s meeting, in Lecture Center 104, will
critically explain the issues.The sponsors are Citizens
for Local Power, Catskill Mountainkeeper, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Hudson
Valley Smart Growth Alliance, NYPIRG, Riverkeeper and others.
√√ Tuesday, Nov. 18, ALBANY: “Growing a Green Economy” is the topic
of a talk by Dr. Robert Pollin of UMass Amherst, a nationally known
expert on clean, green energy issues. This free public 7-8:30 p.m. event
will b e held at Albany Unitarian Church , 405 Washington Ave. The sponsor is
PAUSE, “a grassroots group of individuals who have come together to promote
safe, sustainable energy and fight for environmental justice.” Information, ssteub@gmail.com., http://www.Pausenergy.org.
Tuesday, Nov. 18, HYDE PARK: There
will be a talk and book signing by Richard Norton Smith, author of “On
His Own Terms:
A Life of Nelson Rockefeller” at 7 p.m. in the Henry A. Wallace Center
of the FDR Presidential Library and
Home on Rt. 9. Map and directions, http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/map.html.
Information, (845) 486-1142.
Wednesday, Nov. 19,
ALBANY: Women Against War is holding its Annual Meeting — Pot Luck Dinner,
Honor Women of Peace 2014, and a live performance of the play, "Grounded."
It begins at 5:30 p.m. at Academy of the Holy Names School, Upper School
Cafeteria, 1074 New Scotland Rd. For potluck bring a dish to share and a
donation, $5-20 suggested. This year’s Woman for Peace award goes to Maureen
Aumand, honored as “a moving force for peace in the Capital District.” A
reviewer wrote “Grounded is a heartbreaking, beautiful, necessary, and
perfectly-structured solo drama…an essential story for our times.” There will
also be a silent auction. Wheelchair Accessible. Please RSVP by Nov.17 to
Maud Easter, easter@nycap.rr.com.
 |
| Vijay Prashad. |
Thursday, Nov. 20,
NEW PALTZ (SUNY campus): Renowned Indian historian Vijay Prashad will
appear in a panel discussion titled "U.S. Foreign Policy in Regard to
ISIL/ISIS/IS" at 7 p.m. in Lecture Center 102. Joining him will be James
Ketterer (Bard College), and Lewis Brownstein (SUNY New Paltz). Prashad is Chair
in South Asian History and Professor of International Studies at Trinity
College in Hartford, and the Edward Said Chair at the American University of
Beirut. He has authored 15 books, including his most recent (2013), “The Poorer
Nations: A Possible History of the Global South.” Information for this free
public event: schiffej@newpaltz.edu.
√√ Friday Nov. 21, NEW PALTZ (SUNY
campus): Educators, students, parents, and community members are invited to the
20th Anniversity Multicultural Education Conference, 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. in the
Student Union. We're told: “The conference is intended to celebrate past work,
share current initiatives, and gather new perspectives and ideas for taking
action. We will examine the ways inequity in our schools due to race, gender,
class, sexual orientation, language, religion, ability, and more can be
transformed to inspire greater learning and engagement for all. In addition we
will examine ways to overcome the debilitating effects of the current
standardized, data-driven, and privatizing approaches to education to reclaim
the potential and power of both multicultural and public education.” Speakers
include: Enid Lee is a writer, teacher educator and consultant in the area of
antiracist and equity-centered education. Stan Karp, an editor for Rethinking
Schools. Christine E. Sleeter is Professor Emerita at California State
University. Schedule: 8 a.m., Registration. 8:30 a.m. Keynote. 10 a.m., Workshops.
11:15 a.m., Lunch and book signings. 12 Noon-1p.m., Cultural performance. 1:15.-2:30
p.m, Workshops. Her research focuses on anti-racist education and multicultural
teacher education. Registration fee (before Nov. 7 if possible): General $40;
students $8. Sponsors include: SUNY New Paltz, Mid-Hudson Migrant Education
Tutorial and Support Service Program, Mid-Hudson Teacher Center, Ulster County
Boces, New York State Center For School Safety, Mid-Hudson School Study
Council. Information, Nancy Schniedewind schniedn@newpaltz.edu
√√ Friday, Nov. 21, ROCK TAVERN: “Mothers of Bedford," an award
winning documentary, will be shown at 7 p.m. in the Unitarian Universalist
Meeting House, 9 Vance Rd. (off Rt 207). This film takes us inside the
Bedford Hills (NY) Correctional Facility for Women and follows five women of
diverse backgrounds and imprisoned for various reasons as they strive
to engage in their children's lives and become their better selves.
Donation $5-10 welcomed; no one turned away. Discussion afterwards.
Information, (845) 569-8965.
√√ Saturday Nov.22, ALBANY: The new movie,“Cesar Chavez,” will be
screened at 7:30 p.m. in Channing Hall of the First Unitarian Universalist
Society of Albany, located at 405 Washington Ave. (across the street from the
downtown SUNY campus). This dramatization of the life of the famed American
labor leader focuses on the organizing of the United Farm Workers, especially
the UFW’s struggles in the 1960s and early 1970s for union recognition and,
more broadly, social justice. This free showing is part of the film series
of the Solidarity Committee of the Capital District. The sponsers are Bethlehem
Neighbors for Peace, the Social Justice Center, and Upper Hudson Peace Action.
The trailer is at http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/cesarchavez/.
 |
| Short, brutal lives in factory "farm." |
———————————————————
PUBLIC IGNORED IN
MIDTERM ELECTIONS
27 October 2014, Truthout
By Michael
Meurer,
Ritual national elections now offer a choice between heavily
marketed neoliberal political brands rather than competing aspirational
visions. Both parties are dependent on massive special interest funding
that ensures they represent the financial class over the working class. Faced
with a choice between straight neoliberalism (Republicans) and neoliberalism
with a human face (Democrats), voters are simply opting out, with 51 million
people who are eligible to
vote not registering, and 42% of registered voters declaring
themselves independents.
Yet the public is clearly open to an agenda of real, and
possibly radical, change. In January 2014, Pew Research published a State of the
Union poll that showed:
a) 67% of Americans
are dissatisfied with the way wealth and income are distributed in the United
States.
b) 73% support
raising the minimum wage.
c) 71% support a path
to legalization for immigrants.
d) 67% say there is
solid evidence of climate change due to human activity.
e) 78% say it is more
important for the president and Congress to focus on domestic rather than
foreign policy.
Pew also reported in March 2014
that much-coveted younger voters between the ages of 18 and 29 are the only age
bloc in which self-described "liberals" outnumber conservatives. They
vote over 60% Democratic in national elections.
Demographics notwithstanding, neither Democrats nor
Republicans are speaking to public aspirations for change because their
campaigns are paid for by a flood of untraceable "dark money." The New York
Times reports that 55% of 2014 advertising by outside groups for
both parties is funded by super PACs that do not fully disclose their donors.
The Times reports that at least 80% of Republican ads by outside groups have
been paid for by "secret money," while 75% of Democratic ads by
non-party groups have been paid for by super PACs. It should not be a surprise
when the national post-election political agenda continues to be tailored to
the interests of the ultra-wealthy
who fund the elections irrespective of the outcome for either party.
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