HUDSON VALLEY ACTIVIST NEWSLETTER/CALENDAR
Oct. 19, 2010, Issue #649, http://activistnewsletter.blogspot.com/
Send event announcements to jacdon@earthlink.net
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Editor's Note:
• We have organized an important meeting that will take place in New Paltz Wednesday, Oct. 27. It's titled "The Perfect Storm: Environmental Crisis plus Endless Wars and Global Poverty." Full details are in the last item below, including a listing of the speakers and the Hudson Valley groups endorsing the event. Check out the details and join us at the meeting.
• Our November Calendar will be emailed in a week, including information about a Nov. 10 meeting we have organized in New Paltz on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
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ACTIVIST CALENDAR:
Tuesday, Oct. 19, NEW PALTZ: Green Party gubernatorial candidate Howie Hawkins will make a campaign appearance 12 noon-1:30 p.m. at the Slash Root Cafe, 60 Main St. The long time political and antiwar activist and a co-founder of the Green Party will discuss his political program and why it is important to challenge the candidates of the two ruling parties.
Thursday, Oct. 21, BEACON: "Bioscapes: A Bioregional Approach to Sustainability" is the topic of a free public talk by Fred W. Koontz, director of the 834-acre nature preserve in Ossining known as the Teatown Lake Reservation. One aspect the discussion will be to encourage regional residents to practice "nature-friendly living" in their own back yards. The event will be held at the Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries Center for Environmental Innovation and Education, 199 Dennings Ave. Attendees are asked to pre-register at http://www.bire.org/events.
Thursday, Oct. 21, NEW PALTZ (SUNY campus): "The Push to Revive Nuclear Power" will be explored by SUNY Old Westbury journalism Prof. Karl Grossman, an author and investigative reporter. His free public talk will begin at 7 p.m. at the Coykendall Science Building auditorium. We're told he will discuss "a number of myths about nuclear power prominent in the mainstream media, among them that nuclear power doesn’t contribute to global warming." Grossman will also present a workshop, “Energy We Can Live With,” that "will provide an interactive venue for participants to learn about and discuss new, safe, clean energy technologies." The meeting is sponsored by the Progressive Academic Network and Environmental Task Force, among others. Campus map: http://www.newpaltz.edu/map/.
Friday, Oct. 22, MILLBROOK: A free public talk on genetically modified crops and environmental health will begin at 7 p.m. at the auditorium of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, 2801 Sharon Turnpike (Route 44). The speaker will be aquatic ecologist Dr. Emma Rosi-Marshall, who will "discuss the adoption of modified crops in the U.S., evidence that the insecticides and herbicides in these plants can escape into natural areas, and potential threats to biodiversity and freshwater supplies." According to the organizers: "The next time you go grocery shopping, survey your cart. If it contains products that list corn, soybeans, canola oil, cottonseed oil, or papaya as ingredients — chances are good that they can be traced back to genetically modified crops. These crops, which have been altered to repel pests and/or resist herbicide exposure, are now a mainstay of U.S. agriculture." Information, (845) 677-7600, ext. 121, freemanp@caryinstitute.org.
Friday, Oct. 22, NEW PALTZ: A free public showing of the documentary "Under Our Skin" — a tale of "microbes, medicine and money" — will begin at 8:15 p.m. at the Elting Library, 93 Main St. at North Front St. We're told the film "exposes the hidden story of Lyme disease, one of the most controversial and fastest growing epidemics of our time. Each year, thousands go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed." Sponsored by New Paltz Neighbors for Peace. Information, Tellall45@yahoo.com.
Saturday, Oct. 23, GREENWICH, Conn.: A peace march demanding "War Profiteer: Stop the Wars," will kick off at 12:30 p.m. from the Post Office at Arch St. and Greenwich Ave. The march will wend its way through the downtown area and then proceed to the neighborhood containing the residence of ITT Corporation Chairman, President and CEO Stephen R. Loranger. We're told: "ITT makes bomb and missile releases for drones used in Afghanistan and Pakistan, among other military hardware. ITT is among the top 10 Pentagon contractors and spent $ 2.5 million lobbying the current Congress. The event is endorsed by WESPAC and World Can't Wait. Greenwich is only a few miles from Westchester, which is convenient for our Lower Hudson Valley readers. Information, nickmottern@earthlink.net, benweiss@aol.com.
Sunday, Oct. 23, ALBANY: "The Great Depression: Mean Things Happening" is an important 53-minute documentary about worker uprisings during the 1930s — particularly the struggle of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union to organize sharecroppers, and of the new Congress of Industrial Organizations to organize steel workers. A free public showing of this 1993 film starts at 7:30 p.m. at the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany, 405 Washington Ave. (between Robin and Lake Sts.). It's said that "this film tells the dramatic story of two workers' uprisings of that era through interviews with participants and their descendants, as well as through rarely-seen film footage." The filming is sponsored by the Solidarity Committee of the Capital District, Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace, and Upper Hudson Peace Action. Information, (518) 426-0883, dbull4@verizon.net, http://www.jflan.net/solidarity.
Sunday, Oct. 24, NEW PALTZ: There will be a Memorial Bench Dedication at this town's African-American Burial Ground "to commemorate the slaves who helped build our community and nation." The ceremonies begin at 3 p.m. at 174 Huguenot Street. At 4 p.m. gospel music and refreshments will be available at nearby Deyo Hall, 6 Broadhead St. Information, (845) 255-1660 or (845) 255-8560.
Wednesday, Oct. 27, NEW PALTZ (SUNY campus): A major meeting, titled "The Perfect Storm: Environmental Crisis plus Endless Wars and Global Poverty," will take place at 7 p.m. tonight at the Coykendall Science building auditorium on the SUNY campus.
Speaking at this free public meeting will be four SUNY professors, two students and four Mid-Hudson community activists. They will largely discuss climate change, but war and poverty will also be noted in two talks since together they "combine to create the perfect storm of impending global devastation," according to the organizers.
The event is sponsored by the Hudson Valley Activist Newsletter/Calendar and the local group Peace and Social Progress Now (PSPN). The Campus sponsor is Environmental Task Force. The event is endorsed by Climate Action Coalition, SUNY Progressive Academic Network, New Paltz Students for Sustainable Agriculture, Students for Fresh Water, SUNY NP Recycling Club, Ulster County Move-On Council, Women in Black New Paltz, Hudson Valley Single Payer, Caribbean & Latin America Support Project, Arts for Peace, New Paltz Greens, Dutchess Greens, Dutchess Peace Coalition, and Mid-Hudson ANSWER.
The speakers include Sociology Professors Brian Obach and Irwin Sperber, Education Professor Kate McCoy, and Geography Professor Salvatore Engel-DiMauro, and student activists Claire Papell and Nick DePalma.
The community activist speakers include Donna Goodman, a co-chair of PSPN who is also an elected statewide delegate from the New Paltz chapter of United University Professions; Ariana Basco, a recent SUNY graduate, member of the New Paltz town Police Commission, and a local environmental organizer; Ann Guenther an anti-fracking campaigner with Climate Action Coalition; and Jack A. Smith, editor of the Hudson Valley Activist Newsletter/Calendar and the other co-chair of PSPN.
The Coykendall auditorium is directly opposite the Lecture Center on campus. If you are not familiar with the campus, check out http://www.newpaltz.edu/map/. Scope out the nearest parking lots and leave yourself a bit of extra time. Information, jacdon@earthlink.net, (845) 255-5779, http://activistnewsletter.blogspot.com/.
