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<font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=5><b>AFSC COMMUNITY ACTION
CALENDAR<br>
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</font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=4>Greetings Friends!</b>
<br>
<br>
Tonight! Chris Chandler at the Amherst UU (see the calendar)<br>
<br>
There is a breathtaking amount going on, thanks to the remarkable
community of organizers at work in our Valley.<br>
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Please take a moment to read through the CALENDAR (scroll down) and
action items. If you have any questions, call us at AFSC,
413.584.8975.<br>
<br>
In the months ahead, the student-age folks at AFSC invite any young
people in our area to a three-part discussion series....read on for more
information.<br>
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Beginning on Monday, January 30, student-age community members will begin
a three-part reading/discussion series. Discussions will be held at AFSC,
140 Pine Street, Rm. 10, Florence.<br>
<br>
The three texts drawn from will be:<br>
<br>
Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Chapters 1 and 2) - Jan/Feb
discussions Jan. 30, 9am and Feb. 15, 3:30pm<br>
<br>
Paulo Freire and Myles Horton's We Make the Road by Walking - Feb/March
discussions<br>
<br>
Audre Lorde's Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches (focus on dismantling
the master's house) - March/April discussions<br>
<br>
The first scheduled discussion of Pedagogy of the Oppressed is on Monday,
January 30, at 9am. Bagels, coffee and discussion. RSVP, please, to
Elena, Kjerstin or Emily at 413.584.8975. Please come having read
Chapters 1 and 2. Texts are available to borrow from AFSC.<br>
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Lest we think that this all has to happen in one day...we should keep in
mind that Audre Lorde taught us that "revolution is not a onetime
event."<br>
<br>
With love in our common struggle,<br>
<br>
Jo <br>
<br>
<b><u>Help Increase the Peace (HIPP) newsletter attached</u> <br>
</b>AFSC Organizing Fellow Raul Matta has finished his latest HIPP
newsletter, which is dedicated to youth-centered news. November and
December newsletters are available on line at
<a href="http://www.westernmassafsc.org/" eudora="autourl">www.WesternMassAFSC.org</a><br>
<br>
<b><u>Valley War Bulletin -- Latin America Left</u>!</b> <br>
The latest issue of the War Bulletin is in -- It focuses on the Left-wing
people's movements in Latin America! It's available on line thanks to
Paul Eagle and Roger Conant at
<a href="http://www.westernmassafsc.org/vwb" eudora="autourl">www.WesternMassAFSC.org/vwb</a>
<br>
<br>
<b><u>Planning meeting for coordinated anti-war actions</u> <br>
</b>Planning meeting for coordinated actions on the third anniversary of the US war in Iraq (noting that this existing nightmare is an extension of the war that the US has waged on Iraq since 1991 -- so really 15 years, not three -- thanks to Jen Cannon)<br>
<br>
Thursday 1/26, 7pm, NorthStar Learning Center<br>
104 Russell Street (Route 9) in Hadley<br>
in the Sylvan Learning Center plaza<br>
on the same side of the street as Carmelinas<br>
<br>
<b><u>Walk for a New Spring 2006 <br>
</u></b>The monks and nuns of the Peace Pagoda are beginning their annual Walk for a New Spring. Thanks to the many of you who have come forward in years past to host or support the walkers. To get involved this year, call Sister Clare at 413.367.2202 or AFSC, 413.584.8975. Last year's walk initiatived the Mayors for Peace campaign, which resulted in 9 WMA Mayors for Peace and the historic resolutions in the MA House and Senate! This year, we will continue Mayors for Peace in our push for a state-wide community meeting with Senator Kennedy, which will focus on nuclear abolition.<br>
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The following is the schedule for the walk's first days (it begins on 2/19). You will notice that the anchors we're using are our regional mayor's offices.<br>
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More information will be available soon! All help needed and welcome.<br>
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Tuesday 2/21 <br>
North Adams Mayor, early morning<br>
Pittsfield Mayor, 10 am<br>
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Wednesday 2/22 <br>
Westfield Mayor, 3 pm<br>
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Thursday 2/23 <br>
Agawam Mayor, 10 am<br>
Springfield Mayor, late morning<br>
West Springfield Mayor, afternoon<br>
<br>
Friday 2/24 <br>
Chicopee Mayor, early morning<br>
Holyoke Mayor, late morning<br>
Easthampton Mayor, stop by between 1 pm and 2 pm<br>
Northampton Mayor, 2pm<br>
<br>
Monday 2/25 <br>
Greenfield Mayor, stop by in morning <br>
<br>
<br>
<b><u>Community Calendar<br>
</u></b>Wednesday 1/25, 8pm, Amherst<br>
Chris Chandler and David Roe live performance AMHERST UNITARIAN MEETINGHOUSE <br>
121 North Pleasant Street<br>
doors open at 7:30pm<br>
admission: $8<br>
<br>
Thursday 1/26<br>
Invest in Democracy Day: Mass Voters for Fair Elections kicks off 2006 with a series of house meetings. MVFE members in different parts of the Commonwealth will host small get-togethers to view "Investing in Democracy" about the success story of public financing in New York City, and to plan local activities for the year ahead.<br>
<br>
Thursday 1/26, 4-6, Amherst<br>
Youth Action Coalition and GirlsEyeView Amherst present: Works-In-Progress: Photographs, creative writing, darkroom demos, food, and presentations by the artists<br>
<br>
Thursday 1/26, 7pm, Hadley<br>
Planning meeting for coordinated actions on the third anniversary of the US war in Iraq <br>
<br>
Friday 1/27, 7pm, Northampton<br>
film: EDSA 2: People Power in 2001. The Popular Philippine movement takes on President Estrada. Free<br>
<br>
Friday 1/27-29, Amherst College<br>
"</font><a href="http://www.peoplesmusic.org/" eudora="autourl"><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=4 color="#0000FF"><u>http://www.peoplesmusic.org/</a>"<br>
</u></font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=4>People's Music Network for songs of freedom and struggle holds its Winter Gathering, for musicians, music-lovers, activists, and others (see </font><a href="http://www.westernmassafsc.org/calendar/PMNflyer%20small.jpg" eudora="autourl"><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=4 color="#0000FF"><u>http://www.westernmassafsc.org/calendar/PMNflyer%20small.jpg</a><br>
<br>
</u></font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=4>Saturday 1/28, 9:30-4:30, Springfield<br>
Communicating with Compassion workshop The mission of IPC's Communicating with Compassion project is to spread the tools and consciousness of NVC throughout the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts and beyond.<br>
<br>
Saturday 1/28, 6-9pm, Springfield<br>
PVP MICAH Award Dinner: Pioneer Valley Project/Proyecto del Valle Pionero (PVP) presents it annual awards for community activism. MICAH stands for Ministry in Community Action Honorees who are nominated by members of PVP. Buffet dinner- $30 per person, $250 per<br>
table. Info, RSVP (by January 24)<br>
<br>
Sunday 1/29, noon, Northampton<br>
Enoch Page, Professor of Anthropology-UMass, will be giving a lecture on Disaster Racism and the threats we face. The talk will be supplemented with slides on power point, pictures, and charts.<br>
<br>
Sunday 1/29, 3pm, Northampton<br>
"A Report from Israel/Palestine: The Faculty for Israel-Palestine Peace Delegation," A presentation by Peter Titelman, Katherine Baker, and Yoav Elinevsky.<br>
<br>
Monday 1/30, 9am, AFSC, Florence student-age community members will begin a three-part reading/discussion series. First discussion will be of Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Chapters 1 and 2) <br>
<br>
Monday 1/30, 6:30pm, Amherst<br>
film: Bonhoeffer by Martin Doblmeier. Why did the German Church embrace Hitler and the Nazi party? And what was a good German, a deeply religious and pacifist man to do about it?<br>
<br>
Tuesday 1/31, 8:30, Greenfield<br>
You are invited to participate in a "State of our Values Watch" on Tues. Jan 31 when President Bush gives his State of the Union address.<br>
<br>
Friday 2/3, 7pm, Northampton<br>
film: Paul Robeson, Here I Stand<br>
<br>
Saturday 2/4, 3pm-5pm, Montague<br>
Zen Peacemakers cordially invite you to An Open House to Celebrate the Opening of the new Maezumi Institute. This is an excellent opportunity to explore the rich heritage of Zen and its most contemporary application to 21st century social issues. All are welcome!<br>
<br>
Sunday 2/5, 12:30pm, Hadley and South Hadley <br>
WAL-MART SWEATSHOP WORKERS TOUR<br>
Join workers from the Philippines, Nicaragua, and Colombia as they<br>
tour the US and talk about conditions in factories that produce products<br>
for Wal-Mart, Gap, and many others.<br>
<br>
Monday 2/6, 5:30pm-6:30pm <br>
Undercurrents<br>
91.1FM, WMUA<br>
Professor Jean Grossholtz gives an update on her trip to the World Trade <br>
Organization meeting in Hong Kong and the people's organized resistance to <br>
free/liberalized trade. She will begin by offering a brief global economy 101 <br>
talk at the top of the show.<br>
<br>
Monday 2/6, 6:30pm, Old Chatham NY<br>
"Doing Time, Doing Vipassana" recently the Indian Government decided to apply Vipassana, an ancient meditation technique which shows people how to take control of their lives and channel them toward their own good, in all the country's prisons. The filmmakers spent about two weeks inside Tihar Central Prison in New Delhi and Baroda Jail in the Indian state of Gujarat.<br>
<br>
Monday 2/6, 6:30pm, Amherst<br>
film: The Peace Patriots by Robbie Leppzer. The people living in western Massachusetts who opposed the war in Iraq. The film follows a diverse group of individuals, ranging in age from 13 to 74, including teenagers, college students, war veterans, clergy and community activists<br>
<br>
Tuesday, 2/7<br>
Monthly meeting of the Military Recruitment Education Network (MREN). All welcome. NorthStar Learning Center, Sylvan Learning Center Plaza in Hadley. Call AFSC, 413.584.8975<br>
<br>
Wednesday 2/8, 7pm, Mount Holyoke College<br>
Kate Michelman, President Emeritus, NARAL Pro-Choice America has been described as "one of the most powerful women in Washington." Her political memoir, With Liberty and Justice for All, is an urgent wake-up call to American women to defend their freedom in its hour of greatest danger.<br>
<br>
Thursday 2/9, Amherst<br>
What’s the Connection: Globalization, Wal-Mart, the Iraq War, Healthcare crisis, Privatization? This interactive presentation by the Center for Popular Economics (sponsored by SAGE) will show how these destructive trends are driven by a particular economic ideology and model - that of neoliberalism which gained prominence in the 1980s. <br>
<br>
Friday 2/10, South Hadley<br>
Kathy Kelly, international peace activist and author, will speak about human rights work in Iraq on Friday, February 10, at 7:30 p.m. at Gamble Auditorium, Mt. Holyoke College. This event is organized by Traprock Peace Center and The Odyssey Bookshop. <br>
<br>
Fri-Sun 2/10-12, Montague<br>
Zen Peacemaker Circle, Training Intensive: Spirituality, Community, Action. <br>
A workshop for people from diverse spiritual backgrounds (including no spiritual background at all) who are interested in investigating how to integrate social action and spirituality.<br>
<br>
Saturday 2/11, 9-5, Springfield<br>
Exploring Class What class did you grow up in? What strengths and limitations came out of your class background? How has your class background affected your relationships with people of the same and different classes? Join a diverse group to explore these questions and more!<br>
<br>
Saturday 2/11, 3pm, Plainfield<br>
Raven Wood Freedom Farm and Learning Center Fundraising Concert featuring Radio Free Earth, Stephen Bushway, Marc Fromm and Beth Sperry, Heather Cupo and Sean Kimball, Malachite, Plainfield Town Hall, All Welcome, $5 at the door, kids under 6 come free.<br>
<br>
Wednesday, 2/15, UMass<br>
Platanos and Collard Greens<br>
<a href="http://www.platanosandcollardgreens.com/" eudora="autourl">www.platanosandcollardgreens.com</a><br>
8pm, Bowker Auditorium @ UMass-Amherst<br>
Free and Open to the Public<br>
<br>
Thursday 2/16, 7pm, Hampshire College<br>
Peak Oil - Fact or Fiction? Michael Lynch, an internationally-renowned oil economist based in Amherst, says that the "Peak Oil" crowd is wrong or lying about the data.<br>
<br>
Friday 2/17, 7pm, Northampton<br>
film: Winter Soldier with Professor Chris Appy, UMass Prof. Asian Studies<br>
<br>
Saturday 2/18<br>
Memorial for Gregory Levey<br>
& Community Gathering to end the US war in Iraq<br>
15 years ago on February 18, 1991 (President’s Day), Gregory Levey took his life in a public act against the Gulf War.<br>
Schedule for February 18, 2006<br>
Location: Amherst Town Common (across from Peter Pan)<br>
1:45pm: gather for prayers and drumming led by the Nipponzan Myohogi Peace Pagoda<br>
1:53pm to 1:58pm: silence to remember Greg at the time of his death<br>
1:58pm to 3:00pm: prayers and drumming led by the Nipponzan Myohogi Peace Pagoda<br>
3:00pm to 4:00pm: community circle with memorial and speak out against the war<br>
4:00pm to 4:30pm: candlelight vigil<br>
<br>
Friday 2/24, 7pm, Northampton<br>
film: Weather Underground with Carl Olgesby author of the Port Huron statement of Students for A Democratic Society<br>
<br>
Monday 2/27, 4pm, UMass<br>
Responding to Hurricane Katrina: Disaster and Politics at Ground Level. Ronald Speakes, Executive Director, Hampshire County Chapter, American Red Cross and Mississippi Coordinator after Katrina<br>
<br>
Monday, 2/27<br>
Monthly meeting of the Statewide Harm Reduction Coalition. Arise, 94 Rifle Street, Springfield. Email Holly, </font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=4 color="#0000FF"><u>outnow@rcn.com<br>
<br>
</u></font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=4>March 4, 7, 14, 21, 28 and April l, Northampton<br>
Basic Mediation Training: Interactive training teaching skills for helping others deal with conflict whether through formal mediation or in other work settings.<br>
<br>
Sunday 3/5, 6:30pm, Amherst film: Romero: Twenty Five Years by Luis Alvarenga An exploration of the life and legacy of Archbishop Oscar Romero and his impact on the people of El Salvador today and in particular the life of one exiled former news reporter and activist.<br>
<br>
Monday 3/13, 4pm, UMass<br>
Natural Disasters and the Environment: The Outlook for the 21st Century William Hooke, Chair, Disasters Roundtable/National Academies<br>
<br>
Tue 3/14, Wed 3/22, Northampton<br>
Two-part military recruitment education training (counter recruitment training) led by Tracey Levy and Jo Comerford<br>
<br>
Sat-Sun 3/25-26, Montague<br>
weekend training: Council Process: Speaking and Listening from the Heart The Council process encourages community building, conflict exploration and resolution, the sharing of personal and cultural stories, and collective decision-making in a supportive and compassionate environment.<br>
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Saturday 3/25<br>
The Imagine conference, with theme: "Strengthening Our Connections" Choose your favorite from 12 workshops on Communication Skills and Conflict Transformation<br>
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Monday 4/10, 4pm, UMass<br>
Human Dimensions of Disasters: The Role of Social Science Research Kathleen Tierney, Director, Natural Hazards Center and Professor of Sociology, University of Colorado Boulder<br>
<br>
Monday 5/2, 4pm, UMass<br>
Learning from Disasters: The Synergy of Geography and Public Policy Dr. Rutherford Platt, Professor of Geography, Department of Geosciences and Director, Ecological Cities Project, University of Massachusetts Amherst<br>
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