Due to an office move, the calendar will not be published next week. Contents: FOR National Peace Calendar: http://forusa.org/calendar [Weekly Vigils are at the bottom.] 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 9/28 - The 47th Annual Harvest Festival, Palo Alto 9/28 - SSF Weed Warriors, South S.F. 9/28 - World Veg Festival, S.F. 9/28 - Freeing Land for Food: Urban Greening Projects and Gentrification, Oakland 9/28 - Non-GMO Corn Day Celebration, S.F. 9/28 - RALLY AND CONCERT WITH BERKELEY POST OFFICE DEFENDERS AND SPEAKER PETER BRYNE, AUTHOR OF GOING POSTAL, Berkeley 9/28 - Chai and Samosas Yes on C Fundraiser, Sunnyvale 9/28 - Strike Debt Bay Area Meeting: Ideas Into Action!, Oakland 9/28 - Symphony of the Soil Playing at The Roxie, S.F. 9/28 - Capitalism And Health, Oakland 9/28 - World Week for Peace in Palestine, Alameda 9/28 - An Evening with DIANE RAVITCH: "Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger for America's Public Schools," Berkeley 9/29 - World Veg Festival, S.F. 9/29 - Non-GMO Corn Day Celebration, S.F. 9/29 - Prison Abolition Community Discussion, Oakland 9/29 - Climate Forum: Event and Fundraiser for Midwest Anti-Extraction Activists, S.F. 17. 9/30 - Achieving Political Stability in the Middle East, S.F. 18. 9/30 - Attend the Pleasant Hill City Council Public Hearing and speak up in SUPPORT of a proposed gun safety ordinance: 19. 9/30 - Heidi Boghosian discusses her book, Spying on Democracy, Berkeley 20. 10/1 - Take Action Against the TPP Tuesday in San Francisco 21. 10/1 - Oakland City Council meeting - Urban Shield 22. 10/1 - Richmond Labor/Community Rally For BART Workers And All Public Workers and The Community, Richmond 23. 10/1 - Stories from China's Great Urban Migration, S.F. 24. 10/1 - Heidi Boghosian discusses her book, Spying on Democracy, S.F. 25. 10/2, 9, 16 & 30 - Walk For Peace - City Hall, S.F. 26. 10/2 - Food to Change the World, S.F. 27. 10/3 - Twitter Rally-Stop Union Busting/Hands Off BART Workers At Twitter HQ, S.F. 28. 10/3 - Northern California 9/11 Truth Alliance Meeting, Berkeley 29. 10/3 - CUAV presents annual event: “Color of My Spirit,” S.F. 30. 10/3 - Film & Update: Moving Beyond Cars - Making Our Streets Livable, Berkeley 31. 10/3 - Screening the Green, Berkeley 32. 10/3 - Palestinian Dancers at Dinkelspiel Auditorium, Stanford University 33. 10/4 - Support Mexican Teachers, S.F. 34. 10/4 - Ann Lucas Lecture Series: "Invisible Men: Mass Incarceration & the Myth of Black Progress," San Jose 35. 10/4 – Hunger Strikers: 5 @ 5 (5 Demands @ 5 PM), Oakland 36. 10/4 - Viet Nam Report Back from Veterans For Peace Tour, San Jose 37. 10/5 - Gaza Solidarity 5K Walk/Run in San Francisco 38. 10/5 - No Keystone XL Resistance Training, S.F. 39. 10/5 - GANDHI DAY - Non Violence & Peace Day, Milpitas 40. 10/5 - You Are Not A Loan: Strike Debt Bay Area, Berkeley 41. 10/6 - Chess-In on SF Market Street, S.F. 42. 10/6 - Ecumenical Peace Institute Autumn Gathering: Focus on the Pacific - Pacific Pivot and the TPP, Berkeley 43. 10/8 - Demand Compassionate Release for People’s Lawyer Lynne Stewart, S.F. 44. 10/8 - National Book Award Winner JESMYN WARD on The Men We Reaped, Berkeley 45. 10/9 - Gentrification, Harassment, Evictions: South-of-Market Walk of Shame, S.F. 46. 10/9 - Jack Spade in the Mission District Hearing #3, S.F. 47. 10/10 - Occupy Oakland 2nd Anniversary Get-Together! 48. 10/10 - Compassionate Release For Lynn Stewart Now, San Jose 49. 10/10 - Jobs with Justice Fall Celebration & Fundraiser, S.F. 50. 10/10 - Syria: What is Necessary to Bring Peace without U.S Military Intervention?, Hayward 51. 10/10 - Freedom According to the Zapatistas: A Report from the Escuelitas, Berkeley 52. 10/11 – Listening for a Change - On the Eleventh of Every Month, Palo Alto 53. 10/11 - San Francisco Truth Action 54. 10/11 - Ecuador Rainforest VS. Globalization, San Jose 55. 10/12 – 13 - Ohlone Big Time cultural event in San Francisco 56. 10/12 - Documentary Screening: "Chasing Ice," Fremont 57. 10/13 - Day in Solidarity with African Peoples, Oakland 58. 10/13 – Screening: “The United States Of ALEC,” San Jose 59. 10/13 - Thousand Poets for Change: the Berkeley Blast, Berkeley 60. 10/15 - Syria: What is Necessary to Bring Peace without U.S Military Intervention?, San Jose 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 10/17 - Northern California 9/11 Truth Alliance Meeting, Berkeley 10/17 - Children's Rights in Palestine & The US as a Dishonest Broker, Berkeley 10/17 - ALAN WEISMAN / Countdown: Our Last Best Hope for a Future on Earth, Berkeley 10/17 - AFGHANISTAN'S MALALAI JOYA Speaking Tour, Berkeley 10/18 - Panel Discussion: Imagined Borders, Deadly Threats: Where the South and East China Sea Crisis is Heading, U.C. Berkeley 10/18 - Malalai Joya: A Woman Among Warlords, Palo Alto 10/19 - Be a UN Member for a Day and celebrate the UNA-USA 70th Anniversary, S.F. 10/19 - GLOBAL FRACKDOWN!, Oakland 10/19 - 2 Films: The Battle for Oscar Grant Plaza & Manufacturing Guilt, Oakland 10/19 - Josh Ruebner " Shattered Hopes: Obama’s Failure to Broker Israeli-Palestinian Peace 10/19 - Operation Terror Screening with filmmaker, Art Olivier, plus Richard Gage, Ken Jenkins, Berkeley 10/20 - I-80 Overpass South of University in Berkeley (Addison St.) 10/20 - The Abolition of Prison, San Jose 74. 10/21 - Living Graveyard and vigil Oakland Federal Building 75. 10/23 - John Nichols & Robert McChesney: Dollarocracy: The Money and Media Election Complex, Berkeley 76. 10/25 - DEMOCRACY IN ACTION Communities Organizing for Change Locally, Palo Alto 77. 11/7 - Northern California 9/11 Truth Alliance Meeting, Berkeley 78. 11/8 - Robert Scheer: The National Surveillance State, Palo Alto 79. 11/9 - Women's Voices of the Civil Rights Movement: 50 Years Later, Oakland Weekly Vigils URL ==================================================================== #1 The 47th Annual Harvest Festival Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013 9am to 4pm Palo Alto Friends Meeting House WHEN: Saturday, September 28, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. WHERE:Palo Alto Friends Meetinghouse, 957 Colorado Ave. (between Louis and Greer), Palo Alto, CA 94303. Directions: Take 101 to Oregon Expressway, go Left on Greer, and Right on Colorado Ave. COST: Admission is free. Entertainment is free. Parking is free. WHAT: Live music, food, a huge used book sale, treasures, and a large rummage sale for adults and children! FOOD, FUN & FREE ENTERTAINMENT: •Live Jazz, Folk, Blues, Classical, and World Music all day plus Storytelling, on the main stage •Children's activities •Fabulous selection of homemade cookies, cakes, pies, and brownies •Fresh-squeezed lemonade; Popcorn •Lunch for sale, and more STUFF TO TAKE HOME: •Handicrafts from El Salvador and elsewhere from the International section •Jewelry, fine crystal, art, and unpredictable discoveries from the Attic Treasures section •Plant sale with herbs, succulents, indoor and outdoor potted plants •Homemade jams, chutneys, and pies •Housewares, tools, toys & more from our Rummage Extravaganza •Children's clothes, games, books and costumes •Books from a huge, well-organized used-book sale, including books-by-the-inch http://friendsharvestfestival.org/ === #2 SSF Weed Warriors Saturday September 28 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Meets behind the Montessori School at 1400 Hillside Blvd, South San Francisco. Join the SSF Weed Warriors on the 4th Friday and the next Saturday of each month. Help restore habitat on the beautiful slopes of San Bruno Mountain, the South San Francisco side. Learn about native plants as we weed out exotic species that invade endangered butterfly habitat. Bring gloves if you have them; wear long pants and sturdy shoes; SSF weather demands dressing in layers; bring water. For more information, email the leaders Chuck and Loretta at lorettaandchuck [at] sbcglobal.net or call the SBMW office at 415-467-6631. http://www.mountainwatch.org === #3 World Veg Festival Saturday September 28 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM San Francisco County Fair Building Lincoln & 9th Ave. inside Golden Gate Park San Francisco 14th Annual World Veg Festival Sponsored by SF Vegetarian Society, Varnashram & Friends of Animals $10 suggested donation, no one turned away for lack of funds FREE to everyone before 10:30 am, children under 12, students with ID, seniors over age 65 Enjoy delicious vegetarian cuisine, healthy food demos & tastings, international speakers, live entertainment, eco-fashion show, Grow Our Own Veggies (GrOOVe), veg-friendly vendors. http://worldvegfestival.com/ === #4 Freeing Land for Food: Urban Greening Projects and Gentrification Saturday September 28 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM Phat Beets North Oakland Farmers' Market 942 Stanford Ave. Oakland, CA, 94608 Why are urban soils so toxic in communities that have the least access to healthy foods? Is a community garden in your neighborhood always good for the community and does it meet the needs of the community? How does gentrification impact people’s ability to access healthy food? Come hear perspectives from the food justice movement in this panel discussion and primer on urban farming. This event is part of the Ecology Centers "Soil in the City Series" as well as part of the "Food N' Justice Series," taking place at the Saturday Phat Beets Farmers Market in North Oakland. Phat Beets Produce aims to create a healthier, more equitable food system in North Oakland through providing affordable access to fresh produce, facilitating youth leadership in health and nutrition education, and connecting small farmers to urban communities via the creation of farm stands, farmers’ markets, and urban youth market gardens. http://www.phatbeetsproduce.org http://www.ecologycenter.org === #5 “Non-GMO Corn Day Celebration” on September 29th at 24th Street at Mission BART station in San Francisco from 11:00 AM -3:00 PM. The Biosafety Alliance Also ask Non-GMO advocate individuals and organizations to support the Latino community by participating and attending the Non-GMO Corn Day Celebration is to bring awareness about the importance to protect native corn from biotech genetic contamination. We are in solidarity with the grassroots movement in Mexico: to protect Mexico as the CENTER OF ORIGIN of native corn therefor not allowing companies like Monsanto to plant GMO corn in Mexico because it will inevitably contaminate native corn through cross pollination. Corn has been planted by the indigenous people through the Americas for 10,000 years. Corn is their staple food, good for the body and spirit. It is also an intricate part of their cultural and Identity. Corn is a gift to humanity not a patent for profit. We must keep our seeds pure and untainted for future generations. The event will also mark the start of a Latina/o campaign demanding the following: 1. Latina/o elected officials and politicians must advocate for Non-GMO corn to be available in food markets serving communities of color. 2. GMO Foods, and in particular GMO ingredients in corn tortillas, must be labeled. 3. Democracy in our food system: As consumers we have the right to know what is in the food we buy and feed to our families. Over the next 6 months we intend to gather 1,000,000 (one million) signatures in support of GMO Tortilla labeling in California. This will lead to a massive mobilization in Sacramento. We need your help! Come celebrate the food movement as we enjoy Non-GMO food including organic purple tortillas, music, art, speakers, and ceremony. There will be music, poetry and information. This is a family event and everyone is welcomed. The event will also take place in Los Angeles, Stockton, East Palo Alto and San Luis Obispo. For more info contact: justicebeginswithseeds@gmail.com Facebook event in San Francisco: Join us! If you would like to sponsor or be part of the logistics for the San Francisco event please contact us! justicebeginswithseeds@gmail.com 4153681891: September 29th. Non-GMO Corn Day https://www.facebook.com/events/649965428360717/?ref=br_tf https://www.facebook.com/events/461920680582277/ https://www.facebook.com/events/382450485215341/ Miguel Robles 415 3681891 http://biosafetyalliance.org/ Find us in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/biosafetyalliance?ref=ts&fref=ts The California Biosafety Alliance is a cross sector, multilevel and inter-ethnic alliance of individuals and organizations working together to engage in broader outreach around genetically modified (GMO) food issues and to bring together strategic coalitions of diverse stakeholders to advocate for a GMO free food supply as a means of pushing for a shift from an industrial food model, to a model of local resilience.GMOs are a symbol that represent the industrial food system and a key point that needs to be addressed in order to address and shift the industrial food model. Our vision is to get the multi-faceted number of issues with GMOs, from health, to social justice, to environmental issues, to corporate consolidation, to enter the framework of various groups who have not traditionally focused on the issue of GMOs as a central theme and point that needs to be addressed to push for a systemic shift in the current corporate food regime. a Shiva invites you to act for Seed and Food Freedom/ On behalf of the Global Alliance for Seed Freedom, we would like to invite you to Act for Seed and Food Freedom from 2nd October - 16th October 2013. Video of Vandana Shiva's call to action for Seed and Food Freedom - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ_bEOmM-3Y&feature=youtu.be Key Days and Ideas for Actions - 2nd Oct-16th October 2013 2nd October - Worldwide Civil Disobedience against unjust Seed Laws Declare GMO Free Seed Freedom Zones Create Gardens of Hope, Organize Seed Swaps & Seed Bomb Actions 12th October - March Against Monsanto (http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/) 16th October - Honor Real Food Heroes and World Food Day Celebrations Please add actions to the Seed Freedom Map - http://seedfreedom.in/seed-freedom-map/ For more details visit - www.seedfreedom.in How to Participate - http://seedfreedom.in/fortnight-of-action-2013-how-to-participate/ Ruchi Shroff Navdanya Co-ordinator - Seed Freedom === #6 RALLY AND CONCERT WITH BERKELEY POST OFFICE DEFENDERS AND SPEAKER PETER BRYNE, AUTHOR OF GOING POSTAL On Saturday, September 28, 2013 at 12:00 noon, Berkeley Post Office Defenders will hold a rally and concert to save the Historic Downtown Berkeley Post Office from sale, to protest against the sale of historic Post Offices around the country, and to raise awareness of the ongoing privatization of our common heritage. The event will take place on the steps of the Post Office at 2000 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA. Peter Bryne, the keynote speaker, is an investigative reporter and author of the ebook Going Postal: U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein's husband sells post offices to his friends, cheap. An article by Byrne based on his book was the front cover piece of last week’s East Bay Express. Music by the Funky Nixons, Hali Hammer, Rude Boy, Redd Welsh and possibly other performers will round out the afternoon. For more information, contact www.bpod.us, www.savethebpo.com or sub@sonic.net Contact: David Welsh, 510 847 8657, sub@sonic.net === #7 Chai and Samosas Yes on C Fundraiser Sept 28 Join us for an afternoon reception with chai and samosas in support of Yes on Measure C, the only gun safety measure on the November 5th ballot in California. September 28, 2013 at 2pm - 4pm Congregational Community Church of Sunnyvale 1112 S Bernardo Ave Sunnyvale, CA 94087 Requested contribution: Friend: $50 Supporter: $100 Partner: $250 Host: $500 Can't attend? Please contribute here via PayPal/credit card to help our campaign reach more voters and win a safer Sunnyvale. https://yesonc-dcs.nationbuilder.com/donate CONTACT Nandini · nandini@sv4sgm.org · 408-638-9372 (408-638-YESC) http://dcs.nationbuilder.com/chai_and_samosas_fundraiser_yes_on_c_sept_28 === #8 Strike Debt Bay Area Meeting: Ideas Into Action! Saturday September 28 3:00 PM - 5:30 PM Public School Space 2141 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94607, USA Contact Name Hannah Appel Email Address hannah.appel [at] berkeley.edu Join Strike Debt Bay Area in working on some exciting projects locally and nationally. - We are still working jointly to Save The Berkeley Post Office and defend against privatization in general. An announcement of a sale of the downtown Berkeley Post Office by the Postal Service could come and at any time and we need to be ready to mobilize. - We are actively engaging in the fight by Richmond, CA to save its citizens' houses from foreclosures using a novel tactic employing the taking by eminent domain of mortgages (not houses) from banks (not homeowners). Richmond, CA, ACCE, and the Richmond Progressive Alliance are taking on the entirely of Wall Street as it does everything it can to prevent anything of the sort from happening, and could use all the help that can be mustered. In addition, we are exploring the use of a public bank to help Richmond, CA and other communities escape the thrall of Wall Street. – Other projects include efforts to fight against student debt in conjunction with peeps at UC Cal, support for tenants’ rights in Oakland, a Debtors’ Union, a book group with semi-weekly discussions, and more. THE ENTRANCE TO THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SPACE IS ON 22nd ST. (SOUTH SIDE). YOU MAY NEED TO BE BUZZED IN. THE BEST WAY TO GET THERE IS VIA THE 19th ST. BART, AS PARKING IN THE IMMEDIATE NEIGHBORHOOD IS LIMITED IN AVAILABILITY AND DURATION. Here's a neat map. http://thepublicschool.org/node/35534 === #9 Symphony of the Soil Playing at The Roxie Saturday September 28 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Roxie Theater 3117 16th St San Francisco, CA 94103 The latest film by Deborah Koons Garcia (The Future of Food) explores the complexity and mystery of soil. Filmed on four continents and sharing the voices of some of the world's most highly esteemed soil scientists, farmers and activists, it reveals soil as a living organism, the foundation of life on earth. This beautifully photographed film begins with an exploration of soil science, then moves on to focus on our human relationship with soil, especially our use of soil as an agricultural medium. Ultimately it considers the "big picture" ideas, such as soil and climate change, water use, health and several topics supporting the case for treating the soil with care. Onscreen guides include Dr. Ignacio Chapela, Dr. Kate Scow, Dr. Fred Kirschenmann, Dr. Vandana Shiva, Dr. John Reganold and Dr. David R. Montgomery, among many others. Writer/Producer/Director: Deborah Koons Garcia. (US 2012) 104 min. *Producer/Director Deborah Koons Garcia will be in attendance for a Q & A For more information about Symphony of the Soil and to watch the trailer visit: http://www.symphonyofthesoil.com === #10 Saturday, September 28, 7:00 - 9:00 PM Capitalism And Health Niebyl Proctor Library 6501 Telegraph Avenue Oakland SPEAK OUT NOW! Presents: Capitalism and Health: A Talk by Dr. Susan Rosenthal The purpose of health care should be to provide for the well-being of every person - not for companies to make profit. Health care workers face this conflict on the job every day. Every day, they are immersed in human suffering yet denied the means to alleviate that suffering. The rest of us struggle to pay the rising costs of health care for ourselves and our families. Meanwhile the health care companies grow richer and richer every year as our access to decent care grows further out of reach. Susan Rosenthal, physician, author, and socialist activist will discuss the terrible cost of sacrificing human health to profit and argue that we can do more than manage the damage that capitalism creates. Rosenthal writes articles on social health and is the author of two books: SICK and SICKER: Essays on Class,Health, and Health Care, and POWER and Powerlessness. $3 suggested donation http://www.speakout-now.org === #11 World Week for Peace in Palestine To close World Week for Peace in Palestine, Buena Vista United Methodist Church is hosting a prayer service to spotlight the urgent situation in Wadi Foquin this Saturday, September 28th at 7:30 pm 2311 Buena Vista Ave., Alameda The event will include an update on their upcoming briefing in Washington D.C. "…We invite you to join this gathering to center our hearts in the spirit that connects us and keeps us grounded. For those unable to join us in person please take 5 minutes during the day to share your prayers for the people of Wadi Foquin. You might want to organize a short prayer group at your church or location. Please e-mail or send any written messages you would like forwarded to the village at friendsofwadifoquin@gmail.com." World Week for Peace is an initiative of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF) of the World Council of Churches inviting member churches, faith-based communities, and civil society organizations to join together in 2013 for a week of advocacy and action (September 22nd - 28th) in support of an end to the illegal occupation of Palestine and a just peace for all in Palestine and Israel. Congregations and individuals around the globe who share the hope of justice shall unite during the week to take peaceful actions, together, to create a common international public witness. For more information check out www.worldweekforpeace.org. American Friends Service Committee Regional Office Address: 65 Ninth Street San Francisco, CA 94103 === #12 Saturday, September 28, 7:30 - 9:30 PM An Evening with DIANE RAVITCH: "Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger for America's Public Schools" King Middle School 1781 Rose Street, Berkeley, CA Presented by KPFA Radio with Oakland Education Association and the Berkeley Federation of Teachers Hosted by Philip Maldari and Introduced by Dr. Bernard R. Gifford $12 advance tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com :: 800-838-3006 or Pegasus Books (3 locations), Marcus Books, Mrs. Dalloway's, Moe's, Walden Pond, DIESEL a Bookstore, and Modern Times ($15 door) $5 for public school teachers, public school workers & students with ID: call (510) 549-2307 or 510-763-4020 === #13 World Veg Festival Sunday September 29 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM SF County Fair Building Lincoln & 9th Ave. inside Golden Gate Park San Francisco 14th Annual World Veg Festival Sponsored by SF Vegetarian Society, Varnashram & Friends of Animals $10 suggested donation, no one turned away for lack of funds FREE to everyone before 10:30 am, children under 12, students with ID, seniors over age 65 Enjoy delicious vegetarian cuisine, healthy food demos & tastings, international speakers, live entertainment, eco-fashion show, Grow Our Own Veggies (GrOOVe), veg-friendly vendors. http://worldvegfestival.com/ === #14 Non-GMO Corn Day Celebration Sunday September 29 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM 24th St. BART station plaza Launching date of Non-GMO Tortilla Campaign Dear Allies, Supporters and Friends, Biosafety Alliance ask Non-GMO advocate individuals and organizations to support the Latino community by participating and attending the “Non-GMO Corn Day Celebration” on September 29th at 24th Street at Mission BART station in San Francisco from 11:00 AM -3:00 PM. Non-GMO Corn Day Celebration is to bring awareness about the importance to protect native corn from biotech genetic contamination. We are in solidarity with the grassroots movement in Mexico: to protect Mexico as the CENTER OF ORIGIN of native corn therefor not allowing companies like Monsanto to plant GMO corn in Mexico because it will inevitably contaminate native corn through cross pollination. Corn has been planted by the indigenous people through the Americas for 10,000 years. Corn is their staple food, good for the body and spirit. It is also an intricate part of their cultural and Identity. Corn is a gift to humanity not a patent for profit. We must keep our seeds pure and untainted for future generations. The event will also be the beginning of a Latino campaign demanding the following: ·Demand to Latin Politicians to advocate for Non-GMO corn to be available in food markets in communities of color. ·Demand GMO Foods, in particular GMO Tortillas, to be labeled. ·Demand democracy in our food system, we have the right to know what is in the food we buy and feed our families. We intend to gather during next 6 months 1000 000 signatures in support of GMO Tortilla labeling in California that we will bring to Sacramento in a massive mobilization, we need your help! Come celebrate the food movement as we enjoy Non-GMO food including organic purple tortillas, music, art, speakers, and ceremony. There will be music, poetry and information. This is a family event and everyone is welcomed. The event will also take place in Los Angeles, Stockton, East Palo Alto and San Luis Obispo. Facebook event in San Francisco: Join us! If you would like to sponsor or be part of the logistics for the San Francisco event please contact us! https://www.facebook.com/events/6499654283... === #15 Prison Abolition Community Discussion Sunday September 29 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM First Congregational Church of Oakland 2501 Harrison Street (corner of 27th & Harrison) Oakand Contact Name Nichola Torbett Email Address ntorbett [at] seminaryofthestreet.org Phone Number 510-225-8561 This is a community discussion circle on the ethical argument to abolish prisons. The foundational presentation will be given by Steve Martinot, author of an extensive essay, The Need to Abolish the Prison System: An Ethical Indictment. Other presenters include Marie Levin, sister of a man held in solitary confinement over 29 years; Nuri Nusrat, member of the Bay Area Transformative Justice Collaborative; Judge Gail Bereola of the Alameda County Superior Court and Convener of the Alameda County Restorative Juvenile Justice Task Force; and Elder Rev. Betty Williams of the Alameda Race Violence Task Force. All are invited to bring your questions, concerns and insight to this discussion circle; this event is free. === #16 Climate Forum: Event and Fundraiser for Midwest Anti-Extraction Activists Sunday September 29 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM 518 Valencia San Francisco, CA (near 16th St & Mission BART. ) Contact Name RTNA Email Address escobar.jack [at] gmail.com Big Oil is building a web of oil pipelines and railways throughout the Midwest. Keystone XL, Enbridge and other transportation infrastructure is springing up throughout the region along with a patchwork of refineries. This infrastructure will have a devastating impact on communities, eco-systems and the climate. Exxon’s Pegasus pipeline spilled thousands of gallons of tar sands crude in a Northern Arkansas community in March. The tragic oil train derailment and explosion, carrying Bakken oil shale, in Lac-Megantic, Quebec destroyed the center of the small Canadian town and killed an estimated 47 people. A recent report suggests that Keystone XL will expand the growth of Canada's oil sands by 36% leading to a boost in carbon emissions. Climatologist James Hanson has called the Keystone XL pipeline "game over" for the climate. Since 2012, a fierce resistance to the development of oil pipelines and other infrastructure has sprung up in the Midwest and Texas. Texas' Tar Sands Blockade fought TransCanada's Keystone XL project in the woods and trees of East Texas. The Great Plains Tar Sands Resistance continued the work in Oklahoma. Further north, members of the Lakota nation have prepared for action in South Dakota, while groups in Kansas and Nebraska also organize to resist Enbridge and Keystone XL's northern leg. In Michigan, even more action has taken place against tar sands development. The frontlines against these pipelines are being held by frontline communities, Indigenous communities and informal networks for direct action activists. Rising Tide North America invites you to join us on Sept. 29th for a solidarity event and fundraiser for direct action campaigns in the Midwest against Keystone XL, Enbridge and other extraction related projects. Event to include: -Reportback and panel on campaigns to stop the construction of tar sands pipelines in the Midwest. -Amazing videos of resistance in the Midwest -Video call-in with folks from Oklahoma and other parts of the Midwest -Snacks, booze. WHAT: Solidarity event & fundraiser for Great Plains Tar Sands Resistance WHERE: 518 Valencia; San Francisco, CA; near 16th St & Mission BART. WHEN: Sunday, Sept. 29, 6pm-9pm CONTACT: RTNA at escobar.jack [at] gmail [dot] com DONATE: $5-50 sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds All proceeds from this event will go to Great Plains Tar Sands Resistance. This event is a Rising Tide North America production. http://risingtidenorthamerica.org === #17 Achieving Political Stability in the Middle East Monday September 30 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM The Commonwealth Club San Francisco office, right at the Montgomery Street BART station 595 Market Street, 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94105 How do entrepreneurship, innovation and a sustainable private sector thrive in a stateless nation largely defined by conflict? Can they provide a stable solution to a perpetually unstable region? As Palestine continues to strive for full statehood, there are strong signs of growth in economic development throughout the region; change-makers in the private sector, entrepreneurs, innovators and philanthropists are all playing major roles in this unprecedented evolution. Join us as prominent development leaders share their experiences, perspectives and visions for the promising yet uncertain future of their troubled region. Panelists: Sabri Saidam, Ph.D., Advisor to the Palestinian President on Telecommunications, Information Technology and Technical Education; Deputy Secretary, Fateh Council Nafez Husseini, Vice President, ICT & Digital Business, Consolidated Contractors Company Zahi W. Khouri, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Palestinian National Beverage Company Ammar Aker, CEO, Palestine Telecom Group Jonathan Curiel, Journalist; Author, Al'America: Travel Through America's Arab and Islamic Roots Moderator Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program Cost: $20 non-members, MEMBERS FREE, $7 students (with valid ID) Also know: In association with the Middle East Member-Led Forum Tickets: http://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2013-09-30/achieving-political-stability-middle-eastpalestinian-view http://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/201... === #18 Monday, September 30, 7:30 p.m. Pleasant Hill City Hall 100 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill Attend the Pleasant Hill City Council Public Hearing and speak up in SUPPORT of a proposed gun safety ordinance: Since 2011, the Contra Costa Brady Campaign has been requesting that the Pleasant Hill City Council adopt an ordinance regulating the sale of firearms and ammunition, and banning home occupation gun dealers. We commend Mayor Michael Harris and Councilman David Durant for bringing this issue back to the full Council for consideration. It is important that we get a strong turnout at the September 30th public hearing to show support for their effort! === #19 Heidi Boghosian discusses her book, Spying on Democracy Monday September 30 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM Berkeley Arts and Letters is held at The Hillside Club 2286 Cedar Street (between Spruce and Arch Streets) Berkeley. Contact Name Melissa Mytinger Email Address events [at] booksmith.com Berkeley Arts and Letters, City Lights, and the National Lawyers Guild Bay Area present Heidi Boghosian discussing Spying on Democracy with writer and journalist Robert Scheer at her only Berkeley appearance. http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/436269 === #20 Fight the TTP, NAFTA-on-Steroids, Being Fast-Tracked in Congress Tuesday October 01 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM New Federal Building Mission & 7th Streets, SF (Pelosi's Office) Fight the TTP, NAFTA-on-Steroids, Being Fast-Tracked in Congress Tuesday, October 1, 12-1:30 PM New Federal Building, Mission & 7th Streets, SF (Pelosi’s Office) Flyer: http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2013/09/25/13-10-01-ttp_action.jpg === #21 Oakland City Council meeting - Urban Shield Event for Facing Urban Shield Action Network · By Noura Khouri. Tuesday, October 1, 2013. 5:30am. COME VOICE YOUR OPPOSITION TO URBAN SHIELD BY SHOWING UP AT TUESDAY'S OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL MEETING. FUNDING FOR URBAN SHIELD IS ON THE LIST OF ITEMS: 1) Try to come with 2-5 other people. 2) Go to website link and sign up. If you are willing: http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/CityCouncil/s/SpeakCouncilMeeting/index.htm 3. Bring a sign that says: NO TO MILITARIZATION OF POLICING - NO TO PUBLIC SURVEILLANCE AND SHADY CONTRACTORS!!! SEE YOU TOMORROW AT OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL by 6:00 PM You can sign up there as well. There are two times to speak, once during open public comment, and again when the specific item is raised. Join us in telling City Council to stop funding Urban Shield! *The proposal is to reimburse $200,000 to the Fire Dept, for funds that have already been spent. But we know there's been up to $7.5 million spent by Alameda County on the police, SWAT teams etc., that's completely omitted from the resolution! https://www.facebook.com/groups/562813703777281/permalink/576888485703136/#!/events/304069289 731738/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular === #22 Richmond Labor/Community Rally For BART Workers And All Public Workers and The Community Tuesday October 01 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM Richmond City Hall 450 Civic Center Plaza Richmond, California 10/1 Labor/Community Rally/Speakout For BART Workers And All Public Workers and The Community On Tuesday October 1 at Richmond City Hall at 5:00 PM, there will be a solidarity rally for the BART workers and against the attack on all public workers. Richmond city workers will also speak about the workplace bullying by Richmond City managers which continues unabated despite the removal of the Human Resources Director Leslie Knight. There is also an attack on public education through privatization and charters to bust up public education in Richmond. The rally will held before the Richmond City Council meeting which is at 6:00 PM. Labor/union and community activists attend and speak out for the BART workers and against union busting. It is endorsed by United Public Workers For Action http://www.upwa.info Solidarity Rally For BART Workers And All Public Workers and the Community Tuesday October 1, 2013 5:00 PM Richmond City Hall 450 Civic Center Plaza Richmond, California http://www.upwa.info === #23 Stories from China's Great Urban Migration Michelle Dammon Loyalka, Journalist and Author Tuesday, October 1 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM USF Main Campus, Fromm Hall, Berman Room University of San Francisco Every year well over 200 million farmers flock to China's urban centers, providing a profusion of cheap labor that helps fuel the country's staggering economic growth. In Eating Bitterness: Stories from the Front Lines of China's Great Urban Migration, award-winning journalist Michelle Dammon Loyalka follows the trials and triumphs of eight such migrants. Stories from China's Great Urban Migration Contact: Elbers, Krysten Cogswell elbers@usfca.edu 422-6357 === #24 Heidi Boghosian discusses her book, Spying on Democracy Tuesday October 01 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM The Commonwealth Club is located at 595 Market St., between 1st and 2nd Streets in San Francisco. Email Address club [at] commonwealthclub.org Phone Number (415) 597-6700 The National Lawyers Guild Bay Area, City Lights, and the Commonwealth Club present Heidi Boghosian discussing Spying on Democracy with George Hammond at the Commonwealth Club. Networking reception begins at 5:30pm. Program at 6pm, with booksigning to follow at 7pm. Cost: $20 non-members, $8 members, $7 students (with valid ID) http://bit.ly/1dMizhT === #25 Walk For Peace City Hall San Francisco Wednesdays, October 2, 9,16 and 30 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. We will have a "Walk For Peace", in front of the State Office Building, 455 Golden Gate Street, between Polk and Larkin San Francisco We will prayerfully walk around the Civic Center Plaza twice and then come to the base of the State Office Building and celebrate the Eucharist and vigil for an hour protesting the death penalty. This will be a meditative walk. Fr. River Sims Temenos Catholic Worker P.O. Box 642656 San Francisco, California 94164-2656 415-305-2124 www.temenos.org === #26 Food to Change the World Wednesday October 02 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Commonwealth Club of California 595 Market St San Francisco, CA 94105 Nick Saul, President and CEO, Community Food Centres Canada; Author, The Stop: How the Fight for Good Food Transformed a Community and Inspired a Movement Raj Patel, Activist; Academic; Author, Stuffed and Starved and The Value of Nothing Nikki Henderson, Executive Director, People's Grocery Jason Mark, Editor, Earth Island Journal; Co-manager, Alemany Farms - Moderator It began as a food bank. It turned into a movement. In 1998, when Nick Saul became executive director of The Stop, the little urban food bank was like thousands of others – cramped and dreary, a last-hope refuge for the area's impoverished. Since then, The Stop has undergone a radical reinvention and is now a thriving, internationally respected Community Food Centre with gardens, kitchens, a greenhouse, farmers markets and a mission to revolutionize the food system. Chef Jamie Oliver has called the story of The Stop "a great lesson for us all," one that argues for a new politics of food, one in which everyone has a dignified, healthy place at the table. Join us as Raj Patel and other voices in the world of food justice talk with Saul about how we can use good food to take charge of our communities, and forward-thinking models can change the way we combat hunger and poverty worldwide. Location: SF Office ime: 6 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 reception and book signing Cost: FREE - See more at: http://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2013-10-02/transforming-community-throughfood-one-man%E2%80%99s-story#sthash.RQNnfSRz.dpuf http://bit.ly/FoodandCommunity === #27 Twitter Rally-Stop Union Busting/Hands Off BART Workers At Twitter HQ Thursday October 03 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM Twitter World HQ 1355 Market St. San Francisco 10/3 Twitter Rally-Stop Union Busting/Hands Off BART Workers At Twitter HQ How Many More Billionaires Do We Need In San Francisco? Twitter And Tech Billionaires Get Tax Subsidies And BART Transit And Public Workers Get Wage Cuts And Austerity What Is Wrong With This Picture? Twitter & Rally Stop Union Busting/Hands Off BART Workers! Speak Out & March Thursday October 3, 2013 5:00 PM Twitter HQ 1355 Market St. San Francisco While SF Mayor Ed Lee and the corporate controlled politicians give multi-million dollar subsidies to corporations like Twitter and other tech companies, Mayor Ed Lee and the BART Board of Directors are telling BART workers they have to take pay cuts and austerity. http://www.sfbg.com/politics/2013/09/16/corporate-welfare-boom-sfs-business-tax-breaks-jump-142million-annually Its time to make the corporations, millionaires and billionaires in San Francisco pay for public transit and public services. We demand an end to the tax subsidies for Twitter, the corporations and developers in downtown San Francisco. We demand a transit tax to fund BART, MUNI and to lower the fare for working people and the poor and paid for by these twitter and vulture capitalist speculators. The Hearst owned SF Chronicle wanta anti-strike legislation while making tens of millions on property speculation and driving working people and the poor out of San Francisco. Sponsored by United Public Workers For Action http://www.upwa.info Gray Panthers http://graypantherssf.igc.org/ For More Info From the Union http://www.wemakebartwork.com For endorsement and info call (415)282-1908 http://www.upwa.info === #28 Northern California 9/11 Truth Alliance Meeting Thursday, 3 October 2013 - 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Fireside Room, BFUU, 1606 Bonita Street, Berkeley Our first Thursday meeting. "Our mission is to seek and disseminate truths about the terrible crimes committed on September 11, 2001, exposing gaps and deceptions in the official story, and to thus inspire more eyewitness revelations, truthful media coverage, and a movement that will bring the responsible criminals to justice and eliminate governmental and corporate policies that enable criminal elements to commit such acts." The room is part of the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalist complex that has held many outstanding social justice forums. Entrance is on Bonita, go through the gate and up the stairs. It is not wheelchair accessible. === #29 Color of My Spirit Thursday October 03 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Mission Cultual Center for Latino Arts 2868 Mission Street, @24th San Francisco Contact Name Dylan Cooke Email Address dylan [at] cuav.org Phone Number 415 777 5500 CUAV presents our annual event, Color of My Spirit, a performance night of queer and trans artists celebrating our survival and resilience. Seamlessly combining ferocity and tenderness, our line-up of fabulous artists will inspire you and remind you of why we fight for each other. Let's paint the night with the colors of resistance, the Color of My Spirit. When: October 3rd, doors at 7, show at 7:30 Tickets: $10-20, no one turned away. Spanish and ASL interpretation provided Fully wheelchair accessible Help us keep this event accessible by not wearing scents or perfumes. http://cuav.org/upcoming-events === #30 Thursday, October 3, 7:00 - 9:00 PM Film & Update: Moving Beyond Cars - Making Our Streets Livable Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalist 1924 Cedar Street Berkeley Come enjoy a series of short films celebrating transportation solutions from around the world and share ideas to create more livable streets here in the Bay Area. We'll be inspired by films from places near and far, where biking, pedestrian and transit systems have made cities healthier and more enjoyable, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Following the films, we'll brainstorm ways to encourage Berkeley to move beyond cars - to walk, bike and take transit. We'll learn about plans for upcoming car-free events: Walk & Roll Day on October 9th and Sunday Streets celebration on October 13th. Timothy Burroughs, Climate Action Coordinator for the City of Berkeley, will give a short update on progress and plans for transportation in Berkeley. Bring your ideas for a campaign to encourage car-free living, and suggestions for practical plans Berkeley can adopt to create more livable streets. Light and local refreshments will be served. Suggested donation $5-$10. No one turned away for lack of funds. This event is wheelchair accessible. Transition Berkeley, information@transitionberkeley.com, 510 841 4824 === #31 Screening the Green Thursday October 03 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists’ Hall 1924 Cedar (@Bonita), Berkeley http://www.bfuu.org Transition Berkeley launches an environmental film series on the 1st Thursday of every month titled “Screening the Green”. Show time 7 pm, Light refreshments at 6:30. The first event will screen several films that celebrate green transportation solutions from around the world and here in the Bay Area. Timothy Burroughs, Coordinator of the City of Berkeley’s Climate Action Plan, will give a short update on progress and future plans for green transportation in Berkeley. The event is also sponsored by SJC and the Berkeley Climate Action Coalition Transportation Working Group. For more info: info [at] transitionberkeley.com website: http://www.transitionberkeley.com Suggested donation $5-$10. No one turned away. Wheelchair accessible. http://www.transitionberkeley.com === #32 Palestinian Dancers at Dinkelspiel Auditorium Thu, October 3, 7:00pm – 8:30pm Dinkelspiel Auditorium at Stanford Bright Stars of Bethlehem and the Episcopal Lutheran Campus Ministry at Stanford invite you to a presentation of the Diyar Dance Theatre on October 3 at Dinkelspiel Auditorium. The Diyar Dance Theatre, a program of Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, Palestine, represents its rich history and heritage. The captivating performance combines Debka, modern theater and contemporary dance as teenage performers act out their life under occupation in dance and visual images. Opening the program will be virtuoso qanunist, Ali Amr. Originally from Ramallah, he is a recent graduate of Berklee School of Music. This August, Ali introduced the Qanun in its own debut at the Newport Jazz Festival. “Unrivaled unique artist” were the words of Quincy Jones when he invited Ali to be part of a documentary made to showcase cultural music around the globe. Both the dancers and the qanunist are rays of hope for the Middle East. Sponsored by Episcopal Lutheran Campus Ministry at Stanford http://www.peaceandjustice.org/additional-event-details/ === #33 Support Mexican Teachers Friday October 04 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Mexican Consulate at 532 Folsom St. San Francisco Mexican teachers have gone on strike, occupied plazas, and marched in the streets in the face of police repression to protest President Enrique Peña Nieto’s education “reform” – that mandates testing for students and evaluations for teachers to “standardize” education. This will lead to teaching to pass tests, not to learn to think, not to teach and learn indigenous languages and culture, and not to teach differently according to the unique needs of their students. The purpose is to fire union teachers and turn education over to businesses for profit. We demand that the Mexican government – 1. Stop the repression against the teachers and their supporters immediately. 2. Respect the labor rights and human rights of the teachers and all other Mexican workers. 3. Bargain in good faith to resolve the current crisis. Join teachers, community and union supporters in a picket at the Consulate. For more information, call Allan at 415-954-2763. === #34 Ann Lucas Lecture Series: "Invisible Men: Mass Incarceration & the Myth of Black Progress" Friday October 04 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM San Jose State University campus, Engineering Building Room ENG189 The Department of Justice Studies at San Jose State University presents the 12th Ann Lucas Lecture in Law & Justice. The symposium will feature a debate with Becky Pettit (University of Washington) on her book "Invisible Men: Mass Incarceration and the Myth of Black Progress" (Russell Sage Foundation, 2012). Confirmed panelists: Michael K. Brown, UC Santa Cruz Wilda L. White, Thelton Henderson Center for Social Justice Dorsey Nunn, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children http://justicestudies.sjsu.edu/our-departm... === #35 5 @ 5 (5 Demands @ 5 PM) Friday October 04 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM 27th St. and Telegraph Ave. Oakland, CA / Gov. Jerry Brown's condo EVERY FRIDAY!! On July 8th 30,000 prisoners went on a hunger strike to bring attention to the inhumane conditions & torture of people locked up for 5, 10, 15 and in one person's case 42 years in solitary confinement for 23 hours per day in a 11' x 7' cell. The cells are concrete coffins with only enough room to pace for 3 steps. The only human contact for most in these special housing units (SHU) is when they are being handcuffed by CDCR guards. After a Federal judge ruled that CDCR can force feed prisoners the Prisoners decided to suspend the strike, Not end it. The Prisoners have 5 demands: 1) Eliminate group punishment & administrative abuse. 2) Abolish the debriefing policy & modify active/inactive gang status criteria. 3) Comply with the recommendations of the US Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons recommendations and END LONG-TERM SOLITARY CONFINEMENT. 4) Provide adequate and nutritious food. 5) Create and expand constructive programming. THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES.....Pick Up The Baton! === #36 Viet Nam Report Back from Veterans For Peace Tour Friday October 04 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM San Jose Peace and Justice Center 48 South 7th Street San Jose, CA 95112 Contact Name Shelby Minister Email Address coordinator [at] sanjosepeace.org Phone Number 408-297-2299 Veterans for Peace member Greg Miller will report on his recent trip to Viet Nam as a participant in the VFP Spring 2013 Tour. He will discuss the ongoing effects of Agent Orange and unexploded ordnance on the people of Viet Nam and describe VFP efforts to heal the injuries and repair the damage. Sponsored by Veterans for Peace Ch.101 and San Jose Peace and Justice Center http://www.sanjosepeace.org/calendar_event... === #37 Gaza Solidarity 5K Walk/Run in San Francisco Saturday October 05 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM Lake Merced, San Francisco, Register: http://www.firstgiving.com/27379/gaza5k-bayarea On October 5th American Friends of UNRWA and the Ramallah Club are hosting the first ever Gaza Solidarity 5K walk/run in San Francisco! The proceeds from this event will benefit UNRWA’s psycho-social support program for children in Gaza suffering from psychological trauma and PTSD due to the devastating November 2012 violence and the prolonged blockade. Since November, reported cases of PTSD have risen by more than 100%. 42% of those cases are children under the age of nine. These children need our help, and that’s why your participation is so critical. Whether you participate as a sponsor, runner, walker, or cheerleader, we want to see you there! By participating, you will directly support UNRWA’s psycho-social support program to provide these children with critically needed counseling services, offering them a safe space to express their emotions and fears, and the opportunity to work with trained counselors to learn valuable coping skills. Lace up your running or walking shoes, bring your friends, your family, and even your pets and we’ll see you October 5th! On June 8th we held our 2nd annual Gaza Solidarity 5K in Washington DC, where we’re based. Nearly 400 people came out, and altogether we raised over $92,000, providing 3,000 kids with UNRWA’s counseling services. https://www.facebook.com/events/4859352314... === #38 No Keystone XL Resistance Training Saturday October 05 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Noe Valley Public Library 451 Jersey St. San Francisco Please come! This workshop is an abbreviated version that eliminates some of the material that everyone can view on their own time. The material link is below. The workshop will primarily focus on familiarizing ourselves with each other, organizing the necessary roles for the action, and civil disobedience rehearsal ie. activities that build some muscle memory for the action. Also, please come with a hard copy of the 'participant guide' or simply review it thoroughly beforehand. The document covers the nuts n' bolts of the KXL resistance campaign and pertinent legal information. There is also a placard that you can print off which we will use for our dress rehearsal at the workshop. Disregard the other drop-box files for they are not necessary for everyone. http://www.dropbox.com/sh/jbralrflp3w3qao/FC4JE_-0-b?n=25783688 RSVP: 1. im-fighting-for2.pdf (KXL resistance placard) 2. Markup - Participant User Guide FINAL.doc Please review the following and come with any questions or concerns. Legal Information regarding civil disobedience ( http://vimeo.com/69355330 Password: stopthePipeline) The following links are videos that show a mock KXL action and a legitimate one that happened earlier this summer in Chicago. Our action will look very similar, hopefully with larger numbers. Mock Action Video http://www.dropbox.com/s/zb3nz3u54caitpq/NOXL-TrainingVideo01.mov?n=113767727 Chicago Action Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZByln_HuP68&feature=youtu.be REMEMBER. The workshop is at the Noe Valley SF library branch. It is scheduled from 10am - 1pm. Arrive promptly! Please add your name to the google document below if you are certain to attend the workshop. This will help me anticipate space usage and preparation of materials. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wj0NojroFbu8_WAgLC8PKABol4X5VsCwAOtWuwdwyvw/edit?usp =sharing http://act.credoaction.com/sign/kxl_pledge === #39 GANDHI DAY - Non Violence & Peace Day Sat. OCT 5 2013 11:00 am - 2:00 pm MILPITAS LIBRARY 158 N. Main St, Milpitas, CA 95035 (Cross Street Weller x Main Call 510-789-6182 or 510-221-6175 GandhiDay@samrao.com Free Program Volunteers Appreciated Info-Displays * Cultural Program- Music Arts Crafts Kids Corner * Non Profit & Community Organizations Call 510-789-6182 510-221-6175 http://www.indian-american.org/ === #40 You Are Not A Loan: Strike Debt Bay Area Saturday October 05 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM Starry Plough Pub 3101 Shattuck Avenue at Prince Street 2 blocks from Ashby BART in Berkeley Suds, Snacks, & Socialism at the Starry Plough 3101 Shattuck Avenue at Prince Street 2 blocks from Ashby BART in Berkeley The Alameda County Peace and Freedom Party and Movement presents You Are Not A Loan Strike Debt Bay Area As individuals, families, and communities, most of us are drowning in debt for the basic things we need to live, including housing, education, and health care. All of us are affected by predatory lending and the effects of speculative Wall Street gambling. Our essential public services are cut because our cities and towns are held hostage by the same big banks that have been bailed out by our government. All of us are outraged that big banks don’t have to pay their debts, but we do. Strike Debt is building a movement to challenge this system while creating alternatives and supporting each other. Debt resistance is just the beginning. Join us as we imagine and create a new world based on the common good, not Wall Street profits. Join members of Strike Debt Bay Area to talk about debt, contemporary capitalism, and emerging tactics of resistance and solidarity. Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013 • 2pm-4:30pm At the Starry Plough Pub, 3101 Shattuck Ave, at Prince St in Berkeley FREE! (But please buy food & drink at the Pub.) FREE! This is part of our on-going Socialist Forum Series on the first Saturday of every month from 2-4:30 pm. The featured panel will start promptly at 2:30 pm and the forum will end by 4:30 pm, but folks can stay and talk as long as you like. For info, contact: Gene Ruyle at 510-428-1578 or cuyleruyle [at] mac.com The Peace and Freedom Party is committed to socialism, democracy, ecology, feminism and racial equality. http://www.peaceandfreedom.org === #41 Chess-In on SF Market Street Sunday October 06 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM Market Street Between 5th and 6th street San Francisco Market between 5th & 6th, San Francisco (you know--where the chess goes) Come play chess on a public sidewalk. Invite friends and passers-by. Bring a chessboard, chess pieces, a table, and chairs if you have them. Bring a sign telling everyone why you're here. Bring your weird. Human chess pieces with a board drawn in chalk & non-chess board games are totally allowed. Why? Because of this: http://sfist.com/2013/09/18/sfpd_shuts_down_sidewalk_chess_game.php. Because it is not a crime to play chess in public or private space; because the commons and the spirit of the city we love are both diminishing; because we can't let people with money and power stop us from having a good time on the sidewalks and streets we own. What do we do if chess is already happening? We are stoked and join in! This is being (dis)organized in an impromptu and fluid manner - feel free to make suggestions or do whatever you like to contribute. All supporters should consider themselves equal co-organizers of this event and act accordingly, as there will be no formal organization or directions given on 10/6. Just come with friends, play some games, and do whatever else you want! === #42 Ecumenical Peace Institute Autumn Gathering Sunday, October 6, 2013 St. John’s Presbyterian Church 2727 College Avenue, Berkeley Focus on the Pacific Pacific Pivot and the TPP (Trans Pacific “Partnership”) What are they and what shall we do about them? Presenters: Victor Menotti & Christine Hong Speakers will address the expansion of the U.S. military into many countries bordering the Pacific Ocean and planned economic “trade deals” being pushed through Congress, their impact in the U.S. and elsewhere. Victor Menotti was International Forum on Globalization’s first employee upon its founding in 1994 and in 2009 became its Executive Director. Victor has written and spoken extensively about the impact of globalization on ecosystems, and he has helped build international networks among the traditional farming, forest, fishing, and indigenous communities whose survival depends on them. See www.ifg.org/*victor for his writings and other work. Christine Hong is an Executive Board member of the Korea Policy Institute and is assistant professor of literature at UC Santa Cruz. The UC Humanities Research Institute posts reference to Professor Hong’s “Legal Fictions: Afro-Asian Human Rights Cultural Production and the Pax Americana in the Pacific Rim” which examines the historic relation of post-1945 human rights literature to the Pax Americana, the U.S. military “peace” that restructured the Asia pacific following World War II. Both were speakers at the recent Moana Nui 2013 Conference in Berkeley. Directions: St. John’s Presbyterian is at 2727 College Ave. between Garber St. and Forest Ave., three blocks north of Ashby. RSVP: (510) 655-1162 Directions: St. John’s Presbyterian is at 2727 College Ave. between Garber St. and Forest Ave., three blocks north of Ashby. AS Transit: 51B bus runs on College between Rockridge BART and downtown Berkeley Suggested donation $15-$50 (by mail, through Paypal or at the door). No one turned away for lack of funds. === #43 Demand Compassionate Release for People’s Lawyer Lynne Stewart Tuesday October 08 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM Market & Montgomery Streets (site of Dianne Feinstein’s office) Montgomery BART/Metro, Market Street surface transportation San Francisco Contact Name Jeff Mackler Email Address jmackler [at] imi.net Phone Number Compassionate Release for People’s Lawyer Lynne Stewart Tuesday, October 8 (Lynne’s 74th Birthday), 5:30 PM Market & Montgomery Streets (site of Dianne Feinstein’s office) Montgomery BART/Metro, Market Street surface transportation Sign and Circulate the Petition: http://tinyurl.com/cmbyu3g The Lynne Stewart Defense Committee and the SF Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild are sponsoring a demonstration demanding compassionate release for People’s Lawyer Lynne Stewart. An outpouring of support is required once again to free renowned attorney Lynne Stewart. She has submitted a new application for compassionate release and received word on September 6 that FMC Carswell Warden Jody R. Upton had forwarded her papers to the Bureau of Prisons headquarters in Washington, D.C. We must urge Bureau of Prisons Director Charles E. Samuels, Jr. to act expeditiously to review Lynne Stewart’s new application and to instruct the federal attorney to file a motion with the Bureau of Prisons’ recommendation of compassionate release. Judge John G. Koeltl has stated that he would consider the motion as soon as he receives it. In July 2013, Lynne Stewart was given a conservative prognosis of 18 months by the oncologist contracted by the prison, meeting the new guidelines for compassionate release established by the Bureau of Prisons. Two months have passed since then and Lynne Stewart’s health is deteriorating rapidly. Every day counts. Please sign and distribute the new petition so that a letter from you is sent by email to Director Samuels and to Attorney General Holder. The petition is at http://tinyurl.com/cmbyu3g . Over 30,000 people in the United States and internationally signed the first petition. Numbers are even greater if we include the support from prominent organizations. We must send a strong message again that Lynne Stewart should be free. On October 8, Lynne Stewart will be 74 years old. She has devoted her life to the impoverished and oppressed, first as a school librarian in Harlem, New York and then for 30 years as an unwavering criminal defense attorney who always put her client’s interests above her own. We do not want Lynne Stewart to celebrate her 74th birthday on October 8th in prison, but should that be the case, she has asked us all to raise our voices in protest with vigils outside U.S. Court Houses and other public centers. http://lynnestewart.org/ === #44 National Book Award Winner JESMYN WARD on The Men We Reaped Tuesday October 08 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM Hillside Club 2286 Cedar Street Berkeley CA 94709 The "supremely gifted novelist" of Salvage the Bones on place, race, and poverty “We saw the lightning and that was the guns; and then we heard the thunder and that was the big guns; and then we heard the rain falling and that was the blood falling; and when we came to get in the crops, it was dead men that we reaped.” —Harriet Tubman In five years, Jesmyn Ward lost five young men in her life -- to drugs, accidents, suicide, and the bad luck that can follow people who live in poverty, particularly black men. Dealing with these losses, one after another, made Jesmyn ask the question: Why? And as she began to write about the experience of living through all the dying, she realized the truth -- and it took her breath away. Her brother and her friends all died because of who they were and where they were from, because they lived with a history of racism and economic struggle that fostered drug addiction and the dissolution of family and relationships. Jesmyn says the answer was so obvious she felt stupid for not seeing it. But it nagged at her until she knew she had to write about her community, to write their stories and her own. Jesmyn grew up in poverty in rural Mississippi. She writes powerfully about the pressures this brings, on the men who can do no right and the women who stand in for family in a society where the men are often absent. She bravely tells her story, revisiting the agonizing losses of her only brother and her friends. As the sole member of her family to leave home and pursue higher education, she writes about this parallel American universe with the objectivity distance provides and the intimacy of utter familiarity. A brutal world rendered beautifully, Jesmyn Ward’s memoir will sit comfortably alongside Edwidge Danticat’s Brother, I'm Dying, Tobias Wolff's This Boy’s Life, and Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. "Jesmyn Ward left her Gulf Coast home for education and experience, but it called her back. It called on her in most painful ways, to mourn. In Men We Reaped, Jesmyn unburies her dead, that they may live again. And through this emotional excavation, she forces us to see the problems of place and race that led these men to their early graves. Full of beauty, love, and dignity, Men We Reaped is a haunting and essential read." –Natasha Trethewey, US Poet Laureate, Pulitzer Prize winner "Jesmyn Ward is simply sui generis. I am reminded of Miles Davis’ quote: ‘Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there,’ after reading her memoir, Men We Reaped.This is one mighty virtuosic, bluesy hymn. Beautiful." -- Oscar Hijuelos, author of Thoughts without Cigarettes Los Angeles Times Book Review http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-ca-jc-0908-jesmyn-ward-20130908,0,926641.story?track=rss Colorlines http://colorlines.com/archives/2013/09/jesmyn_ward_on_love_and_loss_of_black_men.html Times Picayune http://www.nola.com/books/index.ssf/2013/09/jesymn_ward_talks_about_racism.html Jesmyn Ward grew up in DeLisle, Mississippi. She received her MFA from the University of Michigan and has been a Stegner Fellow at Stanford and a Grisham Visiting Writer in Residence at the Univ. of Mississippi. She is currently an assistant professor of creative writing at the University of South Alabama. She is the author of the novels Where the Line Bleeds and Salvage the Bones, for which she won the 2011 National Book Award, and was a finalist for the NYPL Young Lions Literary Award and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, as well as a nominee for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. 7:30 PM at the Hillside Club (2286 Cedar Street, Berkeley) Tickets: $12 general, $8 students; $15 at the door Brown Paper Tickets online or 800-838-3006 === #45 Gentrification, Harassment, Evictions: South-of-Market Walk of Shame Wednesday October 09 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM Meet at Bayanihan Center, 6th and Mission, then Procession through Natoma & Clementina Streets Map of Area at http://goo.gl/maps/4J5ZE San Francisco Senior & Disability Action Phone Number 415-546-1333 or 415-374-534 “SOMA TIME, AND THE LIVIN’ AIN’T EASY” is a WALK OF SHAME, calling attention to South-of-Market alleyways’ out-of-sight rents, eviction of elders and long-term SOMA residents, and abusive landlords gentrifying and driving out tenants for higher profits. Join Senior and Disability Action, and make a loud noise for affordable housing for all! http://sdaction.org/ http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/09/25/18743761.php === #46 Jack Spade in the Mission District Hearing #3 Wednesday October 09 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM San Francisco City Hall Room 416 Background: http://bit.ly/jackspadesf The Board of Appeals, on August 21st, voted 3-2 in favor of revoking Jack Spade's building permits. But because procedural rules require four votes, the appeal fell short. See: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Jack-Spade-keeps-permits-in-odd-play-by-Board-of4758851.php We're not stopping. We have one final shot--to request that the case be reheard, which we can do if together we convince the board that allowing Jack Spade to move in would be "manifest injustice." Our argument: http://www.scribd.com/doc/167780173/VCMA-Rehearing-Brief-9-3-13-FINAL In the previous hearing, one Commissioner reasoned that separating Kate Spade and Jack Spade would be to "throw common sense out the door." We need this We need the community out in full force to help convince the entire board that they should honor the intent of the law, and require Jack Spade to submit to a public approval process. https://www.facebook.com/events/6935214073... === #47 Occupy Oakland 2nd Anniversary Get-Together! Thursday October 10 2:00 PM - 10:00 PM Oscar Grant Plaza 14th & Broadway Oakland, CA The encampment began on October 10th, 2011 at Oscar Grant Plaza (renamed from Frank Ogawa Plaza a few days later). Two years hence we're going to start two hours earlier, at 2:00 PM; otherwise these posters (scroll down) from back then seem an appropriate decoration. Come join comrades for its 2nd anniversary. Talk. Reflect. Enjoy. Music. Speakers. Food will be served, and a movie will be shown as soon as it gets dark. Theme: Solidarity with the 60 day California Prisoners' Hunger Strike and the 60 hour Solidarity Fast by two OO participants, opposition to solitary confinement, privatization of prisons and the rest of our commons. The continuing struggle against the economic destruction of the 99%. Schedule: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM. Music & Speakers. Keynote speakers: Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd, kidnapped and in solitary confinement in Iran before Occupy began, and who spoke to Occupy Oakland days after the encampment started. Possible additional speaker: Fred Hampton Jr., anti-police violence activist. Music: Rocker T, JuJu, Street Black and TMac so far. 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM. Food, camaraderie, other activities. Presentations: We might have some short presentations by some active area groups that have current or former Occupy Oakland members: Berkeley Post Office Defenders, Oakland Domain Awareness, Richmond Eminent Domain Working Group, Strike Debt Bay Area, Justice 4 Alan Blueford, Occupy Oakland Foreclosure Defense Group, Campaign to replace the District Attorney and Sheriff of Alameda County, Occupy 4 Prisoners, AntiRepression Committee, Hunger Strike Solidarity, Biblioteca Popular, Countintelligence Awareness and Seminar Group, Occupy the Farm, Interfaith Tent, Fight For Fifteen Oakland. 7:30 PM. Movie! (Title to be announced) Planning: Come to the Occupy Oakland GA on Sundays at 2:00 PM at OGP (14th & Broadway) on the City Hall steps or in the amphitheatre to plan, pick up flyers and help organize. The next one is on September 29th. We are also planning a more sobering event for October 25th. Stay tuned. Calendar event for the October 10th, 2nd Anniversary event. Memorabilia: View archived images of our original occupation flyers on IndyBay! http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/09/22/18743645.php === #48 Compassionate Release For Lynn Stewart Now! Thursday October 10 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM Carpenter and Mayfield Law Offices 730 N. FIRST STREET San Jose Contact Name Shelby Minister Email Address coordinator [at] sanjosepeace.org Phone Number 4082972299 COMMUNITY MEETING WITH REFRESHMENTS RECEPTION: 5:30 P.M. TALK: 6:00 P.M. Lynne Stewart is a former attorney now in Federal Prison. On 10/8 she will be 74 years old. Due to her terminal cancer diagnosis, she has applied to the Bureau of Prisons for compassionate release. The warden recommends this and the judge indicates he would view it sympathetically. Find out how you can help Lynne win her release from prison so that she can spend her last months with her family. For more information: http://www.lynnestewart.org; (408) 287-1916 Sponsored by: National Lawyers Guild, San Jose Peace and Justice Center, South Bay Committee Against Political Repression, and Justice for Palestinians http://www.sanjosepeace.org/calendar_event... === #49 Jobs with Justice Fall Celebration & Fundraiser Thursday, October 10th, 2013 6:00 - 8:00 pm JwJ San Francisco's 3rd Anniversary Celebration JwJ San Francisco's 3rd Anniversary Celebration Bridging Solidarity and Power Together Thursday, October 10th, 2013 6:00pm Reception 6:30pm Program ILWU Local 34, 801 2nd Street, San Francisco (at King/The Embarcadero, next to AT&T Park) Honorees: Ai-jen Poo & the California Domestic Workers Coalition Assemblyman Tom Ammiano & the struggle to Save St. Luke's Hospital Low Wage Workers Rising movement Tickets: $25 - $100 sliding scale Click here to RSVP and purchase tickets online. https://afl.salsalabs.com/o/4023/c/810/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=11259 For more info, email event@jwjsf.org or call (415) 994-2496. === #50 Syria: What is Necessary to Bring Peace without U.S Military Intervention? Thursday October 10 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM All Saints Catholic Church, Senior Center 2nd and D Streets Hayward, CA (parking in back of the church with access from High Street off D Street) Dr. Paul Larudee was one of 18 delegates who went to Syria in May 2013 to join the Mussalaha Peace Delegation, led by Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire of Northern Ireland. He will discuss the findings of the delegation, the current situation in Syria, and its impact on the Middle East. Dr. Larudee has visited Lebanon and Palestine during periods of conflict with Israel. Free and open to the public (donations welcomed) Sponsored by the South Alameda County Peace & Justice Coalition, All Saints Justice and Peace Ministry, and Hayward Demos Democratic Club === #51 Freedom According to the Zapatistas: A Report from the Escuelitas Thursday October 10 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM BFUU Church 1924 Cedar St. (corner Bonita), Berkeley, CA Contact Name MARYANN Email Address cezmat [at] igc.org Phone Number (510) 654-9587 Bay Area Students that attended the Little Zapatista Schools will show a video and talk about their experiences and what they learned in Chiapas. Discussion follows. Also food, music and new arts & crafts. Join us. Suggested donation: $5-$10 (sliding scale, no one turned away). All proceeds benefit the Zapatista communities. http://compamanuel.wordpress.com/2013/09/1... === #52 Listening for a Change - On the Eleventh of Every Month Friday, 11 October 2013 - 11:00 am - 1:00 pm Lytton Plaza, University & Emerson, Downtown Palo Alto From October 2001 through October 2007 every week, except when it was raining; I set up tables, banners, chairs, food, educational material, and created a space for public dialogue on key issues. In November 2007 (when my weekly radio shows began), I began doing this on a monthly basis, on the 11th of every month, in solidarity with other activists worldwide (See http://www.truthaction.org.) We ask the public three questions and write down their responsesWhat do you think/feel about the events of September 11th and the U.S. government's response? How could we defuse terrorism?" How could we create a safer/better world for our children and all children? Sponsored by Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and Northern California 9-11 Truth Alliance All welcome. For more information call Carol Brouillet 650-857-0927 === #53 San Francisco Truth Action Friday, 11 October 2013 - 12:00 pm Powell & Market, San Francisco We have flyers, pamphlets, DVD's, banners. Just bring your energy and your knowledge. Hope to see you all out there. (We will meet in front of The Gap store. http://www.meetup.com/sftruthaction/events/106193932/ === #54 Ecuador Rainforest VS. Globalization Friday October 11 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM San Jose Peace & Justice Center 48 South 7th Street San Jose CA, 95112 Contact Name Shelby Minister Email Address coordinator [at] sanjosepeace.org Phone Number 4082972299 Latin Film Night Presents "Ecuador: Rainforest Vs Globalization" When Rafael Correa, an established economist, entered politics, he was a man on a mission. Elected as Ecuador's President in 2006, he quickly transformed a country with archaic structures into a social, independent, ecological and participative democracy. Ecuadoreans now have genuine reason to believe that the rigid structures of the past are no longer acceptable and that they have a voice. From the Yasuni Initiative, by which the country would no longer rely upon the exploitation of its natural oil resources, to the analyzing of the IMF debt structure, hear from Correa and other Ecuadorean leaders as they present alternatives regarding their political, ecological and economic status in the global marketplace and how they will put their people and the planet before profits. Suggested Donation $10 for food 6:30 PM Food & Gathering 7:00 PM Presentation by Michelle Cordova, President of SJPJC and Writer for La Oferta 7:15 PM Film Sponsored by Spanish For Activists at San Jose Peace & Justice Center http://www.sanjosepeace.org/calendar_event... === #55 Ohlone Big Time cultural event in San Francisco Saturday October 12 - 13 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM Crissy Field, area surrounding Crissy Field Center San Francisco Contact Name Neil Maclean Email Address neil [at] ohloneprofiles.org Phone Number 415-515-8430 The Ohlone Profiles Project is pleased to announce the upcoming Ohlone Big Time Gathering in San Francisco. The Big Time, which is a traditional California Indian festival, will include a dance arena, vendor booths, camping, and talking circles, followed by a sunrise ceremony on Alcatraz Island. The Ohlone Big Time will be held on October 12 and 13, 2013 at Crissy Field in San Francisco, in the area surrounding the Crissy Field Center, from 12-6pm Saturday and 12-5pm Sunday. This is an opportunity for Ohlone people, who are the original inhabitants of the San Francisco Bay Area, to share their culture with the public in San Francisco. The Big Time will showcase over a hundred dancers and singers from several different Ohlone and native California tribes, and feature demonstrations of traditional skills such as basket weaving. These events are free and open to the public. The event dates correspond with Indigenous People’s Weekend and Fleet Week. The Parks Conservancy predicts that Crissy Field will see more than 10,000 visitors that weekend. With this event, Ohlone Profiles Project hopes to establish an annual Ohlone presence in San Francisco. Ann Marie Sayers, Chair of Indian Canyon Nation, explains, "If we do not appear in San Francisco, we will remain invisible." On October 14th, the following Monday morning, the Ohlone people are collaborating with the International Indian Treaty Council to host the Indigenous People's Day Sunrise Ceremony on Alcatraz Island. Event organizers are currently accepting applications for arts and crafts booths, food vendors, and nonprofit groups. The Big Time Gathering will be co-hosted by a council of Ohlone grandmothers and the Costanoan Rumsen Carmel Tribe of Ohlone. The Ohlone Profiles Project in San Francisco is producing the event. "The history books say we no longer exist. But now that you have seen us dancing, you can tell them it isn't true," says Chief Tony Cerda of the Costanoan Rumsen Carmel Tribe of Ohlone. The goal of the Ohlone Profiles Project is to document the ongoing lives of Ohlone leaders and organizations. Most people in San Francisco believe the Ohlone no longer exist. Very few realize that there are nine Ohlone organizations applying for tribal recognition, several with more than 500 members. The Ohlone Profiles Project exists to give as many Ohlone groups as possible visibility and support. http://ohloneprofiles.org/ === #56 Documentary Screening: "Chasing Ice" Saturday, October 12 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM Niles Discovery Church 255 H St. Fremont, CA 94536 The Second Saturday Documentary Series presents “Chasing Ice” on October 12, at 1:30 p.m. at Niles Discovery Church, 255 H St., Fremont. The screening will be followed by a discussion led by Jeff Spencer, a local pastor and climate activist. With stunning photography and creative use of state-of-the-art time-lapse cameras, “Chasing Ice” exposes the evidence that our planet’s climates are changing. The screening is free, though donations are accepted. http://www.tricityperspectives.org/ === #57 Day in Solidarity with African Peoples Sunday October 13 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Kehilla Community Synagogue 1300 Grand Ave. Oakland The Day in Solidarity with African People salutes the African-led movement for self-determination to end the police violence, mass imprisonment, poverty and unemployment faced by African people everywhere in a system built on slavery and genocide. Uniting African people on four continents, the Uhuru Movement builds self-reliance programs including infant and maternal wellness clinics, a fitness gym, community organizations and African media. Speakers include Cephus Johnson, the uncle Oscar Grant; Umi Hagatani of the Japan Resource Center. Featuring Omali Yeshitela, Chairman of the African People’s Socialist Party, along with local activists and spoken word artists. Sponsored by the Uhuru Solidarity Movement. 510-542-9740; Oakland [at] uhurusolidarity.org; http://www.uhurusolidarity.org === #58 The United States Of ALEC Sunday October 13 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM San Jose Peace & Justice Center 48 South 7th Street San Jose Contact Name Shelby Minister Email Address coordinator [at] sanjosepeace.org Phone Number 4082972299 A Bill Moyers film... ALEC, the innocent-sounding American Legislative Exchange Council, is behind ultra right-wing laws which have been passed by GOP state legislators all over America - laws to execute the GOP's war on women, "stand your ground," suppress voters' rights, bust the public-employee unions, and privatize schools, prisons, and other vital government services! The film explores ALEC’s machine at work, detailing what one Wisconsin politician describes as “a corporate dating service for lonely legislators and corporate special interests.” Helen Grieco, Northern California organizer for Common Cause, will lead a discussion afterwards about issues raised by the film. This event is sponsored by Green Party of Santa Clara County, Common Cause, and Dream Menders http://www.sanjosepeace.org/calendar_event... === #59 Thousand Poets for Change: the Berkeley Blast Sunday October 13 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists’ Hall 1924 Cedar (@Bonita) Berkeley http://www.bfuu.org The mission of 100TPC is to elevate and celebrate shared poetry that focuses on positively evolutionary social, environmental, economic and political change. In honor of the many revolutionary changes happening all over the omniverse and here on sacred Mother Earth, we will celebrate being alive in the present and being part of this magnificent shift! There is so much to be proud of, honor and celebrate in this great community of poets, as many of the greats have soaked in the Berkeley vibes having had profound, transformative, transcendental experiences in this special part of the bay. Includes community potluck, so please bring healthy, conscious food to share. Featuring many great poets and musicians, including David Magdalene, Terri Carrion, Vic Sadot, Kirk Lumpkin, Valerie Ibarra, Marvin R. Hiemstra, Dan Brady, Holly Harwood, Paul Matzner, James Johnson, Michael Rothenberg, Terry Adams,Kayla Sussell, Boundless Gratitude, David James Randolph, + special guests. Open mic as time and space allows. Eulogy for H.D. Moe, classic Berkeley poet. Also, a costume party: dress up as your favorite revolutionary (optional)! Sponsored by New Way Media Fest Contact : ompoem [at] hotmail.com website: http:// http://www.100TPC.org Sponsored by the BFUU Social Justice Ctee 510-275-4272 Suggested donation $5-$10. No one turned away. Wheelchair accessible. http:// www.100TPC.org === #60 Syria: What is Necessary to Bring Peace without U.S Military Intervention? Tuesday October 15 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM San Jose Peace and Justice Center 48 South 7th Street, Suite 101 San Jose, CA 95112 A talk by Dr. Paul Larudee Dr. Paul Larudee was one of 18 delegates who went to syria in may 2013 to join the Mussalaha Peace Delegation, led by Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire of Northern Ireland. He will discuss the findings of the delegation, the current sistuation in Syria, and its impact on the middle east. Dr. Larudee has visited Lebanon and Palestine during periods of conflict with Israel. Presenters: Dr. Paul Larudee Open to All and Free of Charge donations appreciated Sponsored by San Jose Peace & Justice Center === #61 Northern California 9/11 Truth Alliance Meeting Thursday, 17 October 2013 - 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Fireside Room, BFUU, 1606 Bonita Street, Berkeley Our third Thursday Meeting. "Our mission is to seek and disseminate truths about the terrible crimes committed on September 11, 2001, exposing gaps and deceptions in the official story, and to thus inspire more eyewitness revelations, truthful media coverage, and a movement that will bring the responsible criminals to justice and eliminate governmental and corporate policies that enable criminal elements to commit such acts." The room is part of the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalist complex that has held many outstanding social justice forums. Entrance is on Bonita, go through the gate and up the stairs. It is not wheelchair accessible. === #62 Children's Rights in Palestine & The US as a Dishonest Broker Thursday October 17 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM UC Berkeley, Boalt Law School, Room 110 215 Boalt Hall Berkeley, CA 94720 Contact Name Penny Rosenwasser Email Address meca [at] mecaforpeace.org Phone Number 510-548-0542 Come hear two inspiring presentations! * Leaders of DEFENSE OF CHILDREN INTERNATIONAL - PALESTINE, the leading international children's rights organization in Palestine, will discuss their work. * JOSH RUEBNER, Advocacy Director for the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, will speak about his new book "Shattered Hopes: Obama's Failure to Broker Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies call's Ruebner's book "a tour de force analysis of Obama's failed Middle East Policy" Wheelchair accessible, ASL interpreted. Cosponsored by Law Students for Justice in Palestine Benefit for Middle East Children's Alliance http://www.mecaforpeace.org === #63 ALAN WEISMAN / Countdown: Our Last Best Hope for a Future on Earth Thursday October 17 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM Hillside Club 2286 Cedar Street Berkeley CA 94709 In his bestselling book The World without Us, Alan Weisman considered how the Earth could heal and even refill empty niches if relieved of humanity’s constant pressures. Behind that groundbreaking thought experiment was his hope that we would be inspired to find a way to add humans back to his vision of a restored healthy planet -- only in harmony, not mortal combat, with the rest of nature. But with a million more of us every 4 ½ days on a planet that’s not getting any bigger, and with our exhaust overheating the atmosphere and altering the chemistry of the oceans, prospects for a sustainable human future seem ever more in doubt. For this long awaited follow-up book, Weisman traveled to 21 countries to ask four questions that experts agreed were probably the most important on Earth -- and also the hardest. Yet, he figured, we must try to answer them, if we want to have a world with us. In Countdown, Weisman explores the complexity of calculating how many humans this planet can hold without capsizing. He visits an extraordinary range of the world’s cultures, religions, nationalities, tribes, and political systems to learn what in their beliefs, histories, liturgies, or current circumstances might suggest that sometimes it’s in their own best interest to limit their growth. He asks if we can determine how robust the Earth’s ecosystem must be to assure our continued existence, and whether we can know which other species are essential to our survival. And, he inquires how we might design an economy for a shrinking and finally stable population, to have genuine prosperity without endless growth. The result is a landmark work of reporting: devastating, urgent, and, ultimately, deeply hopeful. By vividly detailing the burgeoning effects of our cumulative presence, Countdown reveals what may be the fastest, most acceptable, practical, and affordable way of returning our planet and our presence on it to balance. Alan Weisman again shows that he is one of the most provocative journalists at work today, with a book whose message is so compelling that it will change how we see our lives and our destiny. Alan Weisman is an award-winning journalist whose reports from around the world have appeared in Harper’s, New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, Mother Jones, Discover, and on NPR. 7:30 PM at the Hillside Club (2286 Cedar Street, Berkeley) Tickets: $15 general, $8 students; $20 at the door Brown Paper Tickets online or 800-838-3006 === #64 AFGHANISTAN'S MALALAI JOYA Speaking Tour Thursday October 17 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM Berkeley City College - Auditorium 21 2050 Center Street between Milvia and Shattuck, very near the downtown Berkeley BART station. Malalai Joya: A Woman Among Warlords, Prospects for Afghan Women and Non-intervention in my Country. On the 12th anniversary of the US invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, UNAC, in conjunction with the Afghan Women's Mission is sponsoring a national tour of former Afghanistan legislator, women’s rights and antiwar leader, Malalai Joya in October. Please see the Schedule below. For more information on the itinerary in each city, please contact the local organizer for the city listed below or email UNAC's Malalai Joya National Tour Coordinator, Jeff Mackler at jmackler [at] lmi.net or UNACpeace [at] gmail.com Malalai Joya: A Brief Biography Malalai Joya, 35, first gained international attention in 2003 when she spoke out publicly against the domination of warlords in Afghanistan. She was at that time serving as an elected delegate to the Loya Jirga that was convened to ratify the Constitution of Afghanistan. In 2005 she became one of 68 women elected to the 249-seat National Assembly, or Wolesi Jirga, and was the youngest member of the Afghan parliament. An extraordinary young woman raised in the refugee camps of Iran and Pakistan, Joya became a teacher in secret girls’ schools, hiding her books under her burqa so the Taliban couldn’t find them; she helped establish a free medical clinic and orphanage in her impoverished home province of Farah. In 2007 she spoke out against former warlords and war criminals in the Afghan parliament and was thereupon suspended from the parliament. Since then she has survived six assassination attempts. She travels in Afghanistan with armed guards and has worked tirelessly on behalf of Afghan women and to end the occupation of her country. In 2010, Time Magazine placed Malalai Joya on their annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Foreign Policy Magazine listed her in its annual list of the Top 100 Global Thinkers. In March, 2011, The Guardian listed her among the "Top 100 women activists and campaigners." Her widely praised book, “A Woman Among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story of an Afghan Who Dared to Raise Her Voice,” was published 2009 by Scribner in the U.S. The ebook version was published by Simon and Schuster. === #65 Friday, October 18, 3:00 pm Panel Discussion: Imagined Borders, Deadly Threats: Where the South and East China Sea Crisis is Heading Speakers: Ralf Emmers, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Kuan-Hsiung (Dustin) Wang, Political Science, National Taiwan Normal University Tara Davenport, School of Law, Yale University Greg Poling, Research Associate, Southeast Asia Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies T.J. Pempel, Political Science, UC Berkeley Lowell Dittmer, Political Science, UC Berkeley Daniel Sargent, History, UC Berkeley http://events.berkeley.edu/index.php/calendar/sn/ieas.html?event_ID=69246 The South and East China seas continue to be a site of at best negotiation and at worst belligerence. Since 2010 territorial disputes over such areas as the the Senkaku/Diaoyu island group have intensified, raising anxieties over destabilized international relations across the region in both Asia and the US. A panel of experts revisit the crisis in the region, followed by discussions with UC Berkeley faculty analyzing the evolving situation and the role of the US in the wake of its “pivot to Asia.” Sponsored by: Institute of East Asian Studies, Center for Korean Studies, Center for Japanese Studies, Center for Chinese Studies, Asia Society of Northern California === #66 Malalai Joya: A Woman Among Warlords MALALAI JOYA A Woman Among Warlords Prospects for Afghan Women and Non-Intervention In My Country Friday, October 18, 7:30 PM Palo Alto Friends Meeting House 957 Colorado Avenue Palo Alto Contributions requested at the door. Donations to Afghan Women’s Mission will also be requested. Malalai Joya, 35, first gained international attention in 2003 when she spoke out publicly against the domination of warlords in Afghanistan. In 2005 she became one of 68 women elected to the 249-seat National Assembly and was the youngest member of the Afghan parliament. An extraordinary young woman raised in the refugee camps of Iran and Pakistan, Joya became a teacher in secret girls’ schools, hiding her books under her burqa so the Taliban couldn’t find them; she helped establish a free medical clinic and orphanage in her impoverished home province of Farah. In 2010, Time Magazine placed Malalai Joya on their annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Foreign Policy Magazine listed her in its annual list of the Top 100 Global Thinkers. In March, 2011, The Guardian listed her among the “Top 100 women activists and campaigners.” Her widely praised book, “A Woman Among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story of an Afghan Who Dared to Raise Her Voice,” was published 2009 by Scribner in the U.S. The ebook version was published by Simon and Schuster. This entry was posted in Events by PPJC Admin2. Bookmark the permalink. http://www.peaceandjustice.org/malalai/ === #67 HOW DOES THE UNITED NATIONS WORK? Be a UN Member for a Day and celebrate the UNA-USA 70th Anniversary San Francisco, the birthplace of the United Nations, is where the Northern California Division of the United Nations Association-USA (12 Chapters) is celebrating UN Day, Saturday, October 19, 2013. The Inter-Generational Model United Nations Conference (IGMUN) will be at Cesar Chavez Center on San Francisco State University campus, 1600 Halloway Ave from 9:00am - 5:30pm.. The 70th UNA Anniversary Reception is from 5:30-7:30 at the Seven Hills Center on SFSU campus, 400 Font Blvd (corner of Merced Blvd). The Model United Nations Conference IGMUN 2013 is from 9:00am-5:30pm. Delegates of all ages debate as representatives of UN Member States, aiming to collaborate and agree on international issues, hoping to resolve global problems through a simulation of the United Nations. Participants can join committees deliberating Instability in Syria, LGBT Rights, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Economic Development and Social Justice, Chemicals in Food, Nuclear Proliferation, Torture and Punishment of Prisoners, Security and Use of Force, Child Marriage, and Climate Refugees. A gala reception celebrating the United Nations Association 70 year anniversary follows at 5:30. The United Nation Association-USA seeks to inform, inspire and mobilize Americans to support the ideals and vital work of the United Nations. Working through a network of some 125 Chapters, youth engagement, advocacy efforts, education programs and public events, the UNA-USA and its partners in the United Nations Foundation and Better World Campaign represent the single largest network of advocates and supporters of the United Nations in the world. Registration fee includes Conference Materials, Lunch and Reception. Register now at www.IGMUN.weebly.com for $25 until September 30. The registration fee from October 1 -19 is $30. On October 19, site registration and distribution of materials will be from 8:30 to 9:00 am. Participants will be assigned their Country and Committee preference in the order that they register. For information, registration, parking/directions, please visit http://www.ibmun.weebly.com/ or email herb@behrstock.com. CONTACT: Herb Behrstock President NA-USA East Bay Chapter Tel: 510-864-9005 herb@behrstock.com === #68 GLOBAL FRACKDOWN! Saturday October 19 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM Frank Ogawa Plaza Oakland Contact Name Rose Braz Email Address rbraz [at] biologicaldiversity.org Phone Number 415.632.5319 Center for Biological Diversity Join Californians Against Fracking for the 2nd Annual Frackdown! This year its gonna be even bigger and better, with speakers, actions, art, music, food, and all the inspiration you need to join the movement to protect California from fracking. https://www.facebook.com/events/1379655812... === #69 2 Films: The Battle for Oscar Grant Plaza & Manufacturing Guilt Saturday, October 19, 3 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. The New Parkway Theater 474 24th Street in Oakland https://www.facebook.com/events/305163706290890 The National Lawyers Guild and Prison Radio present two films on repression and resistance: THE BATTLE FOR OSCAR GRANT PLAZA is a short documentary by Jacob Crawford about how the City of Oakland and its Police tried to shut down the budding "Occupy Wall Street" movement, turning downtown Oakland into a teargas filled war zone and injuring numerous people. Police video obtained in discovery in the National Lawyers Guild's successful lawsuit and interviews with activists and journalists about their experiences, tell the real story of the disastrous Fall, 2011, police actions that pushed the troubled OPD to the brink of federal receivership. Co-produced by Dave Id, Indybay.org. MANUFACTURING GUILT is a short film that appears as a Bonus Feature on our dvd MUMIA: LONG DISTANCE REVOLUTIONARY (www.firstrunfeatures.com/mumiadvd.html). The short takes on the colossus of Abu-Jamal's contentious case, distilling a mountain of evidence and years of oft-repeated falsehoods to the most fundamental elements of police and prosecutorial misconduct that illustrate a clear and conscious effort to frame Mumia Abu-Jamal for the murder of patrolman Daniel Faulkner. Based on the actual record of investigations and court filings from 1995 to 2003 - evidence denied by the courts and ignored in the press - MANUFACTURING GUILT cuts through the years of absurdities and overt racism to produce a clear picture of how Abu-Jamal's guilt was manufactured and his innocence suppressed beginning only moments after he and Faulkner were found shot in the early morning hours of December 9th, 1981. This historic and courageous film is the perfect companion to Long Distance Revolutionary - a film that is unequivocal in its force regarding Abu-Jamal's innocence. "A chilling and vital inside view."--Jamal Hart (Mumia's eldest son) "Terrific! Focuses on the actual crime, with lots of specific information, going point by point over everything that is known, including a journalist's photos of the crime scene (those are amazing, by the way)... all of the questions I had (about the case) are answered in the short. So be sure to watch."--Pop Culture Beast THE FILMS WILL BE FOLLOWED BY DISCUSSION WITH ADAM & JERALYNN BLUEFORD, PARENTS OF ALAN BLUEFORD, AND OTHERS. TICKETS $10 at the door or at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/475501. Film showing benefits the National Lawyers Guild, S.F. Bay Area Chapter, and Prison Radio. THE NEW PARKWAY THEATER is a community-centered cinema and pub located in Oakland's Uptown district. Sit back and relax in our cozy couches while watching our new releases, cult classics, and fabulous special programming. Plus, enjoy yummy food and local beer and wine in our café or even delivered right to your theater seat all at affordable prices! === #70 Josh Ruebner " Shattered Hopes: Obama’s Failure to Broker Israeli-Palestinian Peace Saturday October 19 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM San Jose Peace and Justice Center On just the second day of his first term, Barack Obama appointed former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell as his special envoy for Middle East peace and boldly asserted that his administration would “actively and aggressively seek a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians.” Though Obama possessed both good intentions and an understanding of the Israel-Palestine conflict more nuanced than any of his predecessors’, his once-coherent strategy quickly veered off-course. Far from being an “honest broker” for a just peace, the Obama administration has only enabled Israel’s oppression of the Palestinians. At the outset of Obama’s second term, here is the first hard-hitting analysis of why the administration has entirely failed on this issue—in part because of Obama’s wrongheaded obeisance to Israeli policy and its US advocates. Though Obama had expressed sympathy for the Palestinians’ plight early in his career, the 2012 US Presidential election saw the two candidates crassly vying to outdo one another in expressing unconditional support for Israel. Yet despite the strength of the Israel lobby, Ruebner argues that the growing numbers of Americans who are dissatisfied with their government’s policies towards Israel-Palestine can exert pressure and create real change. Josh Ruebner is the National Advocacy Director of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. He founded and directed Jews for Peace in Palestine and Israel, which merged with Jewish Voice for Peace. Sponsored by San Jose Peace & Justice Center === #71 Operation Terror Screening with filmmaker, Art Olivier, plus Richard Gage, Ken Jenkins Saturday, 19 October 2013 - 7:15pm Fellowship Hall, BFUU, 1924 Cedar (at Bonita) Berkeley ‘Operation Terror’ the 9/11 Hollywood thriller full length movie is coming to Berkeley — Saturday, October 19th — and will be simultaneously streamed on the Web You can attend this event in person on Saturday, October 19th or watch the web-stream anytime from October 19 to November 30th. The web-stream is world-wide and will cover the whole event including the movies, the speakers, and the question and answer period. OPERATION TERROR The 90 Minute Hollywood 9/11 Fictional Thriller will be followed by a Question and Answer Period with an expert panel including the movie producer, Art Olivier. Also included is Richard Gage AIA of Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth. The MC is Ken Jenkins of 9/11 TV. Plus: bonus short ‘Solving the Mystery of WTC7‘, a 15 minute factual documentary about the 3rd tower not hit by a plane that collapsed just like a controlled demolition that same day, narrated by Ed Asner. Doors open at 6:45 pm Pacific (show starts at 7:15 pm) 1924 Cedar Street (at Bonita Ave)Berkeley is one block east of MLK Way / Three blocks west of Shattuck Wheelchair Accessible? Yes! The Ramp is on Bonita Street! No one turned away for lack of funds. This is a benefit event for our nonprofit No Lies Radio/No Lies Foundation Co-Sponsored by the BFUU SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE Info: 510-256-5858 http://noliesradio.org/archives/68362 === #72 Sunday, 20 October 2013 - 12:00 pm I-80 Overpass South of University in Berkeley (Addison St.) This is a great way to get the word out to massive numbers - and to remind yourself and others that we are not alone. We meet on the Berkeley pedestrian overpass and display banners of peace, truth, justice, and accountability to all the traffic passing underneath. We have a few huge banners ("9/11 Truth for Peace", and "Expose the 9/11 Cover-Up" for example), so all you need to do is come out with your positive attitudes and mingle with fellow activists. http://www.meetup.com/sftruthaction/events/ctddwyrnbbc/ === #73 The Abolition of Prison Sunday October 20 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM St. Paul's United Methodist Church 405 South 10 Street San Jose We will host a community discussion, during which informational presentations will be given on -the ethical argument for abolishing prison - aspects of today's mass incarceration processes that can/should be dismantled - the hope of restorative justice programs - what those incarcerated have to tell ( or even teach ) us about who we all become in a society that condones imprisonment Presenters: Steve Martinot, author of The Need to Abolish the Prison System: An Ethical Indictment Dianne Durham, Prisoner Writing Publishing Group Open to All and Free of Charge donations appreciated Sponsored by St. Paul's United Methodist Church and co-sponsored by San Jose Peace & Justice Center === #74 10/21 - Living Graveyard and vigil Living Graveyard Oakland Federal Building 1301 Clay Street two blocks from 12th Street BART Covered with sheets to represent the dead of the war of occupation on Iraq, people lie down on the city sidewalk in front of the Federal Building, This is legal, non-violent witness. People stop, look and think. Participants lie at least three feet apart and do not block entry to the building.The names of some of the Californians who have died in Iraq and the names of some of the Iraqi dead will be read. A gong is sounded after each name. People will hand out flyers, as we do each week at the Tuesday noon vigil. Please bring a white sheet to cover yourself with. A pad to lie on is recommended. sponsors include: Berkeley Women in Black • East Bay Coalition to Support Self-Rule for Iraqis Bay Area Labor Committee for Peace and Justice • Peace & Freedom Party BFUU Social Justice Committee • Gray Panthers • Mustardseed Affinity Group Father Bill Social Justice Committee, St Joseph Church • Middle East Children’s Alliance Trinity United Methodist Church • East Bay Peace Action Southern Alameda County Peace & Justice Coalition • Ecumenical Peace Institute, www.epicalc.org, (510) 655-1162 === #75 John Nichols & Robert McChesney: Dollarocracy: The Money and Media Election Complex Wednesday October 23 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM First Congregational Church of Berkeley 2345 Channing Way Berkeley KPFA Radio presents: An Evening with John Nichols & Robert McChesney “DOLLAROCRACY: How the MONEY and MEDIA ELECTION COMPLEX is DESTROYING AMERICA Hosted by KRIS WELCH $12 advance tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/461977 :: 800-838-3006 or Pegasus Books (3 locations), Marcus Books, Mrs. Dalloway’s, Moe’s, Walden Pond, DIESEL a Bookstore, and Modern Times ($15 door) KPFA benefit Information: http://www.kpfa.org/events ………………………………………………………………………………… “… no two people are more dedicated to the transformative, democratizing power of journalism not as it is, but as it should be.”—Naomi Klein In their new book, Dollarocracy: How the Money and Media Election Complex is Destroying America, Nichols and McChesney - two leading media experts – examine the forces that have sapped elections of their meaning and stolen America’s democratic potential. The 2012 election was a quantum leap: it was America’s first $10 billion election campaign. While U.S. elections have never been perfect, the country is now hurtling toward a point where the electoral process itself ceases to function as a means for citizens to effectively control leaders and to guide government policies. Nichols and McChesney make a powerful case for amending the constitution to address the wildly undue influence corporate money is having on our elections. They describe pay-to-play billionaires and the crass politicians who do their bidding, corporations that have been free to buy elections and activist judges who merely advance their agenda, and the media conglomerates that blow off journalism while raking in billions airing intellectually repugnant, morally reprehensible political advertising. This poses a terrifying challenge to the DNA of American democracy itself. John Nichols is the Nation magazine’s Washington, D.C. correspondent. A pioneering political blogger, he has written the magazine’s “Online Beat” column since 1999. A contributing writer for The Progressive and In These Times he is also the associate editor of The Capital Times, the daily newspaper in Madison, Wisconsin. He is a frequent commentator on radio and television shows. Gore Vidal said, “Of all the giant slayers now afoot in the great American desert, John Nichols’ sword is the sharpest.” Robert McChesney is the Gutgsell Endowed Professor in the Dept of Communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne, and the author or editor of 23 books. His work has been translated into 30 languages. He is the co-founder of Free Press, a national media reform organization. Utne Reader listed him as among their “50 visionaries who are changing the world.” http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/461977 === #76 DEMOCRACY IN ACTION Communities Organizing for Change Locally Friday October 25 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Lucie Stern Community Center, Stern Ballroom, 1305 Middlefield Rd Palo Alto, CA 94301 Contact Name Concentric Media Email Address info [at] concentricmedia.org Award-winning filmmaker Dorothy Fadiman will premiere World Peace is a Local Issue, at a celebration of local, community-based projects. Activists from East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Redwood City will participate by presenting currently important local issues. The evening will include a Memorial Tribute in which former Palo Alto Mayor Peter Drekmeier will honor two former Palo Alto Council Members Gary Fazzino and Ellen Fletcher who are featured in the film. DEMOCRACY IN ACTION Communities Organizing for Change Locally DATE/TIME: Friday, October 25, 7:00 pm til 10:00 pm LOCATION: Lucie Stern Community Center, Stern Ballroom, 1305 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94301 COST: No Admission Fee OSCAR-nominated, EMMY-winning local filmmaker Dorothy Fadiman PREMIERES a NEW FILM WORLD PEACE is a Local Issue A digitally remastered, re-edited production Award-winning filmmaker Dorothy Fadiman will premiere World Peace is a Local Issue, at a celebration of local, community-based projects. Activists from East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Redwood City will participate by presenting currently important local issues. The evening will include a Memorial Tribute in which former Palo Alto Mayor Peter Drekmeier will honor two former Palo Alto Council Members Gary Fazzino and Ellen Fletcher who are featured in the film. Fadiman’s film documents a memorable event in mid-Peninsula history: the efforts of Palo Alto residents (in 1983) to convince their City Council to adopt a resolution endorsing a Nuclear Weapons Freeze. This drama takes place against a backdrop of worldwide grassroots efforts to rein in the alarming nuclear arms race during the Cold War era. The film focuses on the tension of the council meeting where impassioned pleas of residents result in two council members changing their positions, ensuring passage of the controversial Resolution. The evening’s program will also feature presentations by activists from East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Redwood City and Palo Alto, who are hard at work on local issues and who’ve been involved in past successful efforts. Guests will be welcomed by a local jazz trio. HOST: Paul George - Director of Peninsula Peace and Justice Center PRESENTERS Isaiah Phillips: a young East Palo Alto activist (In The Name of Art), who will present three short video clips detailing a variety of citizen-based efforts in his town. The videos are YUCA vs Romic, The Weeks Neighborhood Plan, and Cultivating the Vision. John Rinaldi: a Mountain View current community advocate and former Board Member for the Day Worker Center. Mr. Rinaldi will recall the history of the arduous, eventually successful struggle to establish the Day Worker Center. Erika Escalante: a Palo Alto activist who is President of the Buena Vista Home Owners Association. She is also President of the newly formed Save Buena Vista organizing committee. Ms. Escalante will discuss the effort to save nearly 200 low income residents from losing their mobile homes. James Lee: a Redwood City Organizer and Secretary of Save Pete’s Harbor, active in current efforts to save the Bay shoreline from commercial development, while fending off the displacement of dozens of low income residents. MEMORIAL DEDICATION During the program, Peter Drekmeier will honor the memories of Gary Fazzino and Ellen Fletcher.. Fletcher introduced the Nuclear Freeze Resolution; Fazzino was one of the Council members after hearing from local residents, switched his vote to support the Freeze Resolution RECEPTION: Following the formal program, presenters and attendees from local communities are invited to meet, share ideas and get to know each other. CONTACT: Dorothy Fadiman, Paul George and all of the presenters are available for interviews. Dorothy Fadiman (650) 568-4340 Paul George 650) 326-8837 cell (650) 575-8207 FREE EVENT http://www.concentric.org/films/world_peac... === #77 Northern California 9/11 Truth Alliance Meeting Thursday, 7 November 2013 - 7:00 pm Fireside Room, BFUU, 1606 Bonita Street, Berkeley Our first Thursday Meeting. "Our mission is to seek and disseminate truths about the terrible crimes committed on September 11, 2001, exposing gaps and deceptions in the official story, and to thus inspire more eyewitness revelations, truthful media coverage, and a movement that will bring the responsible criminals to justice and eliminate governmental and corporate policies that enable criminal elements to commit such acts." The room is part of the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalist complex that has held many outstanding social justice forums. Entrance is on Bonita, go through the gate and up the stairs. It is not wheelchair accessible. === #78 Robert Scheer: The National Surveillance State ROBERT SCHEER Journalist, Columnist, Author, Editor in Chief of Truthdig.com THE NATIONAL SURVEILLANCE STATE Friday, November 8, 7:30 PM Lucie Stern Community Center, Stern Ballroom 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto $10 to $20 suggested donation / Wheelchair accessible Legendary journalist Robert Scheer returns to Palo Alto to turn his critical eye – and sharp wit – upon our national surveillance state. “What a disgrace. The U.S. government, cheered on by much of the media, launches an international manhunt to capture a young American whose crime is that he dared challenge the excess of state power. Read the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and tell me that Edward Snowden is not a hero in the mold of those who founded this republic. Check out the Nuremberg war crime trials and ponder our current contempt for the importance of individual conscience as a civic obligation.” ~ Robert Scheer, The Good Germans in Government “For defense contractors, the government officials who write them mega checks, and the hawks in the media who cheer them on, the name of the game is threat inflation. Just when the good times for war profiteers seemed to be forever in the past, there came 9/11 and the terrorist enemy, the gift that keeps on giving, for acts of terror always will occur in a less than perfect world, serving as an ideal excuse for squandering resources, as well as our freedoms.” ~ Robert Scheer, The Terror Con Robert Scheer, editor in chief of Truthdig, has built a reputation for strong social and political writing over his 30 years as a journalist. His columns appear in newspapers across the country, and his in-depth interviews have made headlines. He conducted the famous Playboy magazine interview in which Jimmy Carter confessed to the lust in his heart and he went on to do many interviews for the Los Angeles Times with Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and many other prominent political and cultural figures. Between 1964 and 1969 he was Vietnam correspondent, managing editor and editor in chief of Ramparts magazine. From 1976 to 1993 he served as a national correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, writing on diverse topics such as the Soviet Union, arms control, national politics and the military. In 1993 he launched a nationally syndicated column based at the Los Angeles Times, where he was named a contributing editor. That column ran weekly for the next 12 years and is now based at Truthdig. (Complete bio at Truthdig.com). This entry was posted in Events by PPJC Admin2. Bookmark the permalink. http://www.peaceandjustice.org/robert-scheer/ === #79 Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series presents Women's Voices of the Civil Rights Movement: 50 Years Later Saturday, November 9th 7:30 p.m. Daughters of SCLC Leader Ralph Abernathy, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Segregationist Governor George Wallace Donzaleigh Abernathy, Kerry Kennedy, Peggy Wallace Kennedy Oakland City Center Marriott 12th & Broadway Oakland, CA. Call 510 434 3988, Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center to RSVP today! Produced by the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center in collaboration with Merritt College === Weekly Vigils: WEEKLY VIGILS: LMNOP Weekly Peace Walk 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM Location Details: Starts at the colonnade between Grand & Lakeshore Avenues at the northeast end of Lake Merritt in Oakland. (Near the Grand Lake Theater). Event Type: Protest Contact Name Beth Email Address lmnop [at] riseup.net Phone Number 510-763-8712 Address Box 10491, Oakland, CA 94610-0491 Join Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace on their weekly antiwar walk around Lake Merritt in Oakland. Every Sunday at 3, starting at the colonnade between Grand and Lakeshore Avenues at the northeast end of the Lake. For more information, directions, and public transportation routes, see http://lmno4p.org/where_when.htm or call 510-763-8712. Every Monday Tax the Rich, Repeal Prop.13 Demonstration and Music Top of Solano Ave, Berkeley Wednesdays, 5:00--6:00 PM,Hayward: Peace Corner Vigil, corner of Redwood Road and Castro Valley Blvd. For info: oceankayak@aol.com. Thursdays, Noon - 1:00 p.m. - Burton Federal Building, Golden Gate and Larkin, San Francisco. Fridays, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Berkeley Women in Black weekly vigil Bancroft and Telegraph on the South Side of campus Contact Name Jane Welford Email Address wibberkeley [at] yahoo.com Phone Number 510 548-6310 Come and stand with us to protest the ongoing brutal occupation of Palestine. Fridays, 3:30 – 4:30. Rossmoor Grandparents for Peace. Corner of Rossmoor Parkway and Tice Valley Bl. in Walnut Creek. Sponsored by Grandparents For Peace, Everyone welcome. Friday Peace Vigil MLK Library (4th & San Fernando), Downtown San Jose 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. every Friday Saturdays: Silent Vigil 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Grand and Lake Park Avenues, Oakland, in front of the Grand Lake Theater Event Type: Vigil/Ritual Weekly silent vigil to protest US support of military occupation of Palestine and other countries http://www.bayareawomeninblack.org CODEPINK Vigils: http://www.bayareacodepink.org/vigils.htm Every Sunday Calling All Occupy SF Action Council Activists To Join Us Sundays, 2PM at 215 Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco .... For Unity..... Decentralized Our Agenda is Confrontation with the 1%, with the government that represents them, with Banks that rob the people with Wall Street's calls for endless war. Our Defense of Mother Earth, Our Schools of Nonviolent Direct Action Our Community of Resistance Please join us again in the spirit of October 2011 We have always been a local coalition, We have not evaporated..... we have multiplied. Please send your spokesperson/s. We are local. We are national, and we are global. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupy_San_Francisco LMNOP Weekly Peace Walk, 3PM TIME: 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM Starts at the colonnade between Grand & Lakeshore Avenues at the northeast end of Lake Merritt in Oakland. (Near the Grand Lake Theater). Contact Name Beth Email Address lmnop [at] riseup.net Phone Number 510-763-8712 Address Box 10491, Oakland, CA 94610-0491 Join Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace on their weekly antiwar walk around the lake in Oakland. Every Sunday at 3, starting at the colonnade between Grand and Lakeshore Avenues at the northeast end of the lake. For more information, directions, and public transportation routes, see http://lmno4p.org/where_when.htm or call 510-763-8712.