Sunday, May 10, 2009

Activist Calendar May 8, 2009

ACTIVIST CALENDAR, May 8, 2009, Issue #146
Of the Hudson Valley Activist Newsletter

Current and back copies of the Activist Newsletter as well as the Activist Calendar are at http://activistnewsletter.blogspot.com. Send event announcements to jacdon@earthlink.net.

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Saturday, May 9, ROSENDALE: "Rosendale Earthfest and Expo" will occupy the Community Center on Rt. 32 (just south of the bridge) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The theme for this year's festival is "Many Backyards, One World." Features include exhibitors and speakers on backyard diversity, local food production, water resources, alternative energy, energy efficiency and green building. Entertainment includes Arm-of-the-Sea Puppet Theater, and Dog on Fleas. Food, crafts, and hands-on activities for everyone. Free (donations accepted). Information call (845) 658-8967.

Saturday, May 9, POUGHKEEPSIE: The film "Body of War," an intimate human drama wrapped in a political documentary, will be shown 7-9 p.m. at the Friends Meeting, 249 Hooker Ave. As the paralyzed veteran Tomas deals with his disability, he evolves into a new person, finding his own passionate voice against the war. Sponsored by Dutchess Peace Coalition and Poughkeepsie Friends Meeting. Information, http://www.dutchesspeace.org, http://www.poughkeepsiequakers.org, (845) 454-6431, (845) 454-2870.

Sunday May 10, NEW YORK CITY: The "Third Annual Mothers' Day Peace Stroll" will began at 11:30 a.m. from the statue at West 59th St. and Broadway in Manhattan. Participants will march to 81st and Central Park West. You are invited to observe Mothers' Day with Code Pink "in a celebration of the legacy of Julia Ward Howe, author of The Mothers' Day Proclamation." Dress in pink and festive attire. Bring banners, signs of peace, noise makers, but not whistles. Information, Jenny at (917) 697-7602 or Joan at (718) 855-2581, http://www.codepinknyc.org.

Tuesday, May 12, POUGHKEEPSIE (Vassar Campus): A public lecture on "Conservation and Protection of the Natural Environment of the Catskill Mountains" will begin at 7 p.m. in Rockefeller Hall. Ramsay Adams and Wes Gilligham will outline the current preservation efforts and provide information on the plan by big oil companies to drill for natural gas in the Southwestern Catskill Marcellus Shale, and outline potential damage to the environment. Enter the campus at 124 Raymond Ave. Rockefeller Hall is visible at the left. Information, contact Jean-Claude Fouere, jcfouere@optonline.net, (845) 462-1909. Campus map: http://www.vassar.edu/visitors/map.html

Tuesday, May 12, ALBANY: Hudson Valley residents are invited to join demonstrators from around the state for a march on behalf of farmworker rights (they are excluded from labor law protections), followed by meetings with members of the state legislature. A free bus will convey participants to the action from Monticello, Newburgh, New Paltz and Kingston in the morning. The event is sponsored by the Justice for Farmworkers Coalition. In Albany, demonstrators will register at 10:30 a.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 262 State St. After orientation and lunch (provided) a march to the State Capitol begins at 12:30 p.m. for a 1 p.m. rally. Legislative visits begin at 2 pm. There will also be street theater and a concert at Capitol Park before returning home. Contact Linda Gluck for more information or to reserve a seat on the bus. Reach her at (845) 255-8869, and treehouse@netstep.net. You may also reserve by calling Rural & Migrant Ministry, (845) 485-8627, http://www.justiceforfarmworkers.org.

Tuesday, May 12, ALBANY: The labor movement is active in the State Capital today. In addition to the above, union members and supporters will take part in today's Unemployment Lobby Day at the Capitol building. It begins with an 11 a.m. briefing at the AFL-CIO, 100 South Swan St., followed by lobbying key legislators. According to the Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation, this event is to advance the AFL-CIO's proposals to improving unemployment insurance in New York State, which is lower than in most surrounding states. Information, (845) 567-7760. Carpools will be available.

Wednesday, May 13, LATHAM: The film "10,000 Black Men Named George" — a docudrama about A. Philip Randolph, and the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters — will be shown at 7 p.m. at NYSUT, 800 Troy-Schenectady Rd. The event is public and free and sponsored by NYSUT, the NYS AFL-CIO, HVALF, CDALF, Capital District Council for the Social Studies, Greater Capital Region Teacher Center and the NYS Labor History Association.

Thursday, May 14, GREENBURGH: A public meeting on health care reform is set for 7:30 p.m. at Greenburgh Town Hall Auditorium, 117 Hillside Ave. It is sponsored by Westchester Health Care Reform Task Force. Information, healthcareforall09@gmail.com, (914) 834-8482.

Thursday, May 14, WOODSTOCK: The Middle East Crisis Response group of Hudson Valley residents opposed to Israeli and U.S. policies toward the Palestinians meets 7-8:30 p.m. at the Public Library, 5 Library Lane. All welcome. Information, (845) 876-7906, gale@mideastcrisis.org, http://www.mideastcrisis.org.

Friday, May 15, NEW PALTZ: The documentary, "Raoul Wallenberg: Buried Alive," will be shown at Elting Library, 93 Main St., 8-9:45 p.m. The film is about a Swedish humanitarian who worked to free tens of thousands of Jews from the Holocaust of WW II. Free and public, discussion to follow. Information contact Teresa Dixon, (845) 255-4815, tellall45@yahoo.com.

Friday, May 15, ALBANY: Peace activist Louis Vitale, a Franciscan priest, will discuss "Love Your Enemies, Even if They Have Nukes," from 7-8:30 p.m. at Pastoral Center of the Albany (Roman Catholic) Diocese, 40 N. Main Ave. From the organizers: "Vitale will discuss the importance of dialoguing with enemies instead of warring with them. Recently back from a trip to Iran, he will discuss his experiences there and the developments around the forging of new relationships with the Iranian people and government. His suggested next steps include continuing to build people-to-people ties with Iranians, as well as advocating with the U.S. government to dialog with the Iranian government." Friar Louis has engaged in civil disobedience for nearly four decades in pursuit of peace and justice, and has been arrested more than 200 times. Potluck dinner at 5:30 p.m. Cost: $10 "Free will offering." Sponsored by Saratoga Peace Alliance, Unitarian Society, Peace Works, and Pace e Bene. Information, (518) 584-0902, linda@scolex.org.

Saturday, May 16, PHILLIPSTOWN: Mike Daly, the program director of Inter-Faith Peacebuilders, will discuss "Building Peace Through Dialogue," at Desmond-Fish Library Meeting room, on Rts. 403 and 9D, at 2 p.m. We're told, "Interfaith Peace-Builders seeks to empower people to educate their local communities and the media, counter unfair or inaccurate stereotypes, and advocate for a more just U.S. foreign policy." The meeting will feature reports from members who have traveled to Israel/Palestine. Free, donations accepted. Information, (917) 273-0808.

Sunday May 17, GARRISON: "Renewal," a feature-length documentary focusing on America’s religious-environmental movement," will be shown at 4 p.m. at the Garrison Institute, Route 9D and Mary's Way. We're informed: "Made up of eight individual stories, 'Renewal' captures the efforts of men, women and children who from within their Christian, Jewish, Buddhist and Muslim traditions, are finding ways to become caretakers of the Earth." Garrison Institute is a non-sectarian, non-profit organization "exploring the intersection of contemplation and engaged action in the world." Information, http://www.garrisoninstitute.org, (845) 424-4800.

Sunday, May 17, BEACON: Harvey Wasserman, of freepress.org, will speak on "Stopping Nuke Power and Winning Solartopia" at the Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries, 199 Main St. at 3 p.m. It is sponsored by Mid Hudson Progressive Alliance, Philipstown for Democracy and Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition. Information, Vane Lashua, 95 Liberty St., Beacon. (845) 440-7345, http://midhudsonprogressive.blogspot.com.

Sunday, May 17, NEW YORK CITY: Today will feature the Second Annual Veggie Pride Parade in Manhattan, celebrating the health, environmental and ethical benefits of a vegetarian or vegan diet. Participants who are so inclined are encouraged to wear costumes and sign boards announcing their pride in being vegetarians, though regular clothes are fine. Marchers will meet at the complex sounding intersection of 9th Ave. and Gansevoort St, Greenwich St. and Little W. 12th St. at 12 noon and march to Union Square West at 14th St., where there will be a public meeting with speakers, music and exhibits. Sponsored by Viva Veggie Society. Information (212) 242-0011, info@vivavegie.org, http://www.veggieprideparade.org.

Sunday, May 17, NEW YORK CITY: A rally and march to commemorate "Al-Nakba," an event known to Palestinians as "The Catastrophe," will begin at Times Square in Manhattan, W 42 St. and Broadway, starting at 12 noon. Al-Nakba was the day in 1948 when Palestinians were dispossessed of their homes. This year's event is titled "61 Years of Nakba, 61 Years of Resistance to Israeli Occupation." The sponsors include Palestine Right to Return Coalition and the Break the Siege on Gaza Coalition. Information, info@al-awdany.org, info@bsg-ny.org, http://www.bsg-ny.org, http://www.al-awdany.org

Sunday, May 17 NEW PALTZ: The work of the "Palestinian House of Friendship in the West Bank" is the topic of a 7:30 p.m. discussion at The Reformed Church of New Paltz, 92 Huguenot St. The speaker will be Mohammed Sawalha, founder/director of the project, and professor of linguistics at An-Najah University. He will be introduced by Dr. Cynthia Cohen, executive director of Coexistence Research and International Collaborations at Brandeis University. The sponsors are by Arts for Peace, Middle East Crisis Response, and New Paltz Women in Black. Information, http://www.the-icsee.org/projects/middleeast/palestine.htm.

Wednesday May 20, LATHAM: Mary Harris "Mother" Jones is one of America's great heroes of labor. Find out more about this extraordinary women by attending "Mother Jones: America's Most Dangerous Woman" — a documentary about her travels around the U.S., her organizing of workers and fight for justice. It will be shown free at 7 p.m. at NYSUT, 800 Troy-Schenectady Rd. Sponsored by NYSUT, the NYS AFL-CIO, HVALF, CDALF, Capital District Council for the Social Studies, Greater Capital Region Teacher Center and the NYS Labor History Association.

Wednesday, May 20, POUGHKEEPSIE: Tonight's Sierra Club Speaker Social will discuss "Wild Utah," at the Hudson River Rowing Club Boat House, 270 N. Water St. at 7:30 p.m. The presentation will focus on environmental issues facing Utah's wilderness, and the history of its Citizen Wilderness proposal. Sponsored by Mid-Hudson Sierra Club. Information, Bibi Sandstrom, bibis@juno.com, (845) 255-5528, http://newyork.sierraclub.org/midhudson/.

Thursday, May 21, NEW PALTZ: A free film showing of "War Made Easy — How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death," will begin promptly at 7 p.m. at the Elting Memorial Library, 93 Main St. and North Front St. Based on the book of the same title by Norman Solomon, who is featured in the film, and narrated by actor Sean Penn, this important documentary is described as follows: "War Made Easy reaches into the Orwellian memory hole to expose a 50-year pattern of government deception and media spin that has dragged the United States into one war after another from Vietnam to Iraq…. The film presents disturbing examples of propaganda and media complicity from the present alongside rare footage of political leaders and leading journalists from the past." This event is sponsored by CLASP. There's free parking in the lot just behind the library. Information, (845) 255-5779 or jacdon@earthlink.net.

Saturday, May 23, NEW YORK CITY: "Billionaires, Your time is Up — We need Socialism!" That's the title of an afternoon-long public conference beginning at 12:30 p.m. in the YMCA at 180 W. 135th Street, sponsored by the Party for Liberation and Socialism. They say, "The bankers and billionaires have given us the biggest economic crisis in decades. Now they want us to pay for it. For poor and working people, capitalism today means unemployment, racism, cutbacks and war. It doesn't have to be this way. Be part of the solution!" Conference topics include: Understanding the capitalist crisis; The impact of Obama; Fighting racism and police repression; Cuba and Venezuela; and The road to socialism. Suggested admission is $10. Information, (212) 694-8762, http://pslweb.org. To pre-register: http://www.pslweb.org/site/Survey?SURVEY_ID=1760&ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_ACTION_USER_REQUESTS.

Wednesday, May 27, ALBANY: Lobby for single-payer health care in New York State, starting at 9:30 a.m. with a briefing at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, 85 Chestnut St. Meet with legislators from 11 a.m. to noon, and again from 1 to 4 p.m. Sponsored by Single Payer New York, Capital District Alliance for Universal Health Care, PNHP CD, and others. Information: http://www.singlepayernewyork.org.

Wednesday, May 27, LATHAM: "Organizing and Teaching with Labor Songs" — a musical presentation and discussion with labor activist and singer-songwriter Tom Juravich — begins at 7 p.m. at NYSUT, 800 Troy-Schenectady Rd. Sponsored by NYSUT, the NYS AFL-CIO, HVALF, CDALF, Capital District Council for the Social Studies, Greater Capital Region Teacher Center and the NYS Labor History Association.