ACTIVIST CALENDAR, Feb. 8, 2010, Issue #155
Of the Hudson Valley Activist Newsletter
Send event announcements to jacdon@earthlink.net
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JOIN THE BIG PEACE MARCH IN WASHINGTON
MARCH 20. WE’LL EVEN GET YOU THERE AND BACK
The Activist Newsletter and Peace and Social Progress Now have chartered several buses to the nation's capital Saturday, March 20, leaving from Kingston, New Paltz, and Poughkeepsie in the early hours and returning at night. We will consider establishing other pickup locations farther down the Valley if groups of a dozen or more people commit to boarding at a particular location convenient to our buses. The roundtrip cost is $60 per person. Some discounts are possible for students and low-income people. To reserve a seat, send us an email at jacdon@earthlink.net with your name, town, email address, phone number, and boarding location of the three listed. When and if other stops are added you can switch to a more suitable boarding location. After emailing, make out your check to Activist Newsletter and promptly mail to Activist Newsletter, PO Box 662, New Paltz, NY 12561. Your check will secure your reservations. Please consider making a contribution to our scholarship fund, which will enable us to offer low income discounts.
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ACTIVIST EVENTS
Tuesday, Feb. 10, NEW PALTZ (SUNY campus): A free showing of the film "Age of Stupid" will be shown at Coykendall Science Building Auditorium at 7 p.m. The film portrays the observations of a single man, living in a devastated future world, looking back at footage from 2008, and asking why climate change was not stopped while there was still a chance. Sponsored by SUNY New Paltz Environmental Task Force and NYPIRG. Campus map is at http://www.newpaltz.edu/map/. Information, (845) 257-3447.
Thursday, Feb. 11, DELMAR: Melanie Trimble, director of the Capital Region Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union, will discuss current U.S. Immigration Policy, various pending proposals, and the position of the American Civil Liberties Union at Bethlehem Public Library, 451 Delaware Ave., 7-9 p.m. Find out what can be done to support immigration reform, and discuss the most important current issues. Sponsored by Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace. Information: (518) 439-1968, jlombard@nycap.rr.com, http://www.bethlehemforpeace.org.
Saturday, Feb. 13, ALBANY: Joyce Ajlouny, the director of the Ramallah Friends School (RFS) in the West Bank/Palestine, will speak 7-9 p.m. about the impact the school has had on the community throughout its 140-year history as an important educational institution in the Middle East. She will also describe her personal challenges, as well as those of the RFS community of students and teachers, which result from living and working under a military occupation. The free public event takes place at the Friends Meeting House, 727 Madison Ave. It’s sponsored by the Old Chatham Quaker Meeting. Information, poetapoetus@taconic.net, (518) 766-2992, http://www.oldchathamquakers.org.
Monday, Feb. 15, ROSENDALE: The documentary “Poto Mitan,” which has been called “a testimony to the courage, resilience and determination of Haitian women,” will be shown at the Rosendale Theater, 408 Main St., starting at 6 p.m. Following the 50-minute film, New Paltz resident and Haiti solidarity activist Mark Schuller will report on his experience participating in grassroots response efforts to the devastating earthquake. Schuller, an assistant professor of African American Studies and Anthropology at York College, CUNY, collected $2,000 cash and 1,000 pounds of humanitarian aid from the New Paltz community, as part of one of the first medical missions to arrive in response to the catastrophe. Suggested donation $10. For more details about Poto Mitan, see http://www.potomitan.net/. Information, Karl Bryant, bryantk@newpaltz.edu.
Saturday, Feb. 20, MOUNT KISCO: The documentary, "The End of Suburbia" will be screened at 7 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Northern Westchester, 236 South Bedford Road. The film examines the "American way of life," and its future as demand exceeds supply for fossil fuels. Part of the Transition Westchester Winter Film Series. Information, http://www.transtionwestchester.org, contact@transitionwestcher.org.
Sunday, Feb. 21, KINGSTON: Dr. Sally Roesch Wagner, a well known lecturer on women’s rights, will discuss the life of Matilda Joslyn Gage (1826-1898). We’re told: “Although she was considered as important as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony (they were called the ‘triumvirate of the movement’), Gage has been all but forgotten by history.” Wagner, an authority on Gage, details how she offered her Fayetteville, N.Y., home as a station on the Underground Railroad, was adopted into the Wolf Clan of the Mohawk Nation, edited a newspaper, encouraged her son-in-law, L. Frank Baum, to write his "Oz" stories, offered civil disobedience when she tried (illegally) to vote, and worked for the separation of church and state. This free public event begins at 2 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Catskills, 320 Sawkill Rd. The sponsor is Hudson Valley Humanists. Information, (845) 247-0098, hvhumans@yahoo.com, http://hudsonvalley.humanisits.net.
Sunday, Feb. 21, WHITE PLAINS: The documentary, "The End of Suburbia" will be screened at 7 p.m. at Community Unitarian Church, 468 Rosedale Ave. The film examines the "American way of life," and its future as the demand for fossil fuels surpasses its supply. Part of the Transition Westchester Winter Film Series. Information, http://www.transtionwestchester.org, contact@transitionwestcher.org.
Sunday, Feb. 21, POUGHKEEPSIE (Vassar Campus): Lecture: "My Life in Immigrant America: Stories of Young Latina Women," will take place at the Blodgett Auditorium at 4 p.m. Joanna and Gabriella tell the stories of their families coming to New York and their crusade to create a more just world. Information, (845) 485-6827.
Sunday, Feb. 21, BEACON: Two speakers will deliver a "Report Back From Copenhagen: What Was Accomplished, What Can We Do Now?" beginning at 2:30 p.m. at the Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries, 199 Main St. They are Professor Richard Ottinger, Dean Emeritus of Pace University School of Law, who attended the Dec. 7-18 UN climate conference as a delegate of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and Rev. Paul Mayer a long time activist who co-founded and serves on the board of the Climate Crisis Coalition. This free public event is sponsored by Mid-Hudson Progressive Alliance, Philipstown for Democracy, River Pool at Beacon, Climate Crisis Coalition, Sustainable Hudson Valley, Beacon Sloop Club, South Dutchess NAACP and Clearwater.
Monday, Feb. 22, ALBANY (SUNY Campus): A show featuring original hip-hop and spoken word from five artists, exploring narratives of conflict and co-existence between Muslims and Jews, will take place 8-10:30 p.m. in the Campus Center Ballroom, 1400 Washington Ave. Public and free, sponsored by University at Albany Hillel, and the University at Albany Muslim Students Association. The event is also made possible with support from Arts on the Move, the Interfaith Alliance of NYS, the Men of Reform Judaism, University Auxiliary Services, U Albany Student Involvement, RUACH and Cornerstone Campus Ministry. Information, Lisa Friedman, lfriedman@uamail.albany.edu, (518) 588-1539, http://www.ualbanyhillel.org.
Thursday, Feb. 25, 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 Library, 5 Library Lane, just off Tinker St. All welcome. Information, (845) 876-7906, http://www.mideastcrisis.org, gale@mideastcrisis.org.
Thursday, Feb. 25, NEW PALTZ (SUNY Campus): The Shawangunk Regional Biodiversity Partnership Lecture, "Bats on the Wane," will be given by Carl Herzog in Lecture Center 100 at 7 p.m. Find out why several species of native bats are experiencing a rapid decline in the Northeast. Information, (845) 255-0752.
Saturday, Feb. 27, ALBANY: A documentary on universal health care — in Cuba and the world — titled "Salud!" will be shown free at 7:30 p.m. at First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany, 405 Washington Ave. This film discusses how Cuba provides universal health care to its citizens and helps other developing nations do the same. We’re told: “The film travels with some of the 28,000 Cuban health professionals who serve in 68 countries, and explores the thoughts of young international medical students in Cuba. These students now number 30,000, including nearly 100 from the U.S.” According to former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, "Salud!" provides a "deeply moving portrayal of a healthcare system designed to keep people healthy rather than the 'sickcare' system that currently exists in the United States." The film is sponsored by Solidarity Committee of the Capital District, Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace, and Upper Hudson Peace Action. Information, dbull4@verizon.net, (518) 426-0883.
Sunday, March 14, ROSENDALE: A Pancake Breakfast to benefit the Rosendale Farmers' Market, will be held at the Rosendale Community Center, Route 32, from 8 a.m. to noon. $7 for adults, $5 for seniors, $4 for kids 5-12, children under 5 eat free. Live music, real maple syrup, etc.
Tuesday, March 16, ELMSFORD: A public meeting on immigration starts at 7 p.m. at Greenburgh Public Library, 300 Tarrytown Rd. The N.Y. Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) discusses its fight for comprehensive immigration reform that respects fundamental civil rights and liberties. Hear personal stories of several immigrants now resident in the Lower Hudson Valley. Sponsors of this free public event include the NYCLU, Hudson Valley Community Coalition, WESPAC Foundation, and others. Information and directions, Nada Khader, (914) 449-6514, http://www.wespac.org, http://www.nyclu.org/immigrationreform.
Friday to Sunday, March 19 to March 21, NEW YORK CITY: The theme of Left Forum 2010 is "The Center Cannot Hold: Rekindling the Radical Imagination." This annual event is a must-attend for many regional left activists (except for those who are traveling to Washington on Saturday for the big peace demonstration). It takes place at Pace University, 1 Pace Plaza, in Manhattan just south of the Brooklyn Bridge. The times are Friday 7-9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. The Left Forum gathers intellectuals and activists from around the world to address the key political, economic and social issues of our times. There will be up to 200 workshops, hundreds of speakers and thousands of attendees. In addition there are two international art shows, a film festival, book sale, and theater arts performances. This year's speakers include, Michael Moore, Jessie Jackson, and Noam Chomsky, to mention a few. Registration, $15-$70, check http://leftforum.org/node/23 for registration details. List of speakers and other information is at http://leftforum.org.
Saturday, March 20, WASHINGTON: Today will determine whether our peace movement is well on its way toward recovery after a couple of iffy years. People from throughout the East Coast are heading to the nation's capital for a noon rally across from the White House, followed by a march through downtown, stopping at targeted locations. The procession will stop in front of selected corporate and government buildings connected to the wars. Flag-draped mock coffins will be deposited at the front entrances of each building, as speakers explain over loudspeakers why the action is taking place. A large coalition of American national and regional peace groups is organizing this event, which is calling for the withdrawal of all U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan and Iraq. To take the peace buses from the Hudson Valley to DC and back that evening, see the first item in this calendar, which contains all the details, and/or email jacdon@earthlink.net.
