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August 26, 2009
For 1.5 billion Muslims around the world, including 2.5 million Americans, last Friday was the start of Ramadan, a month-long period of fasting, spirituality and patience. For the rest of us, late August is a time of backyard barbeques, trips to the beach, and lemonade stands. It feels like we have all entered a time of patient waiting. Even the First Family is on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard But those of us who are active in the anti-war movement don’t have time for patient waiting. For us, late August is a time of opportunity, rather than a time of rest. Congress is out of session, which means that all 29 of New York’s Congress members, as well as our two Senators, are at home. They'll spend a few weeks catching up on what’s happening in the district, working with their local staffs and meeting with donors and constituents. In your five minutes for peace this week, please contact the local office of your Member of Congress. Either thank him (or her) for his work, or make sure he knows that you do not approve of his previous votes. Set up a meeting and invite several of your neighbors, particularly those that are also constituents, to attend. For many Americans, late August is down time, but those of us in the peace movement don’t have that luxury. The Congressional recess is giving us an opportunity. Let’s make sure we take full advantage of it. For more information on your individual Congress Member or tips on how to be an effective grassroots lobbyist, call the Peace Action NY State office at 646-723-1749. Thanks for all you do, especially now.
Cheryl Wertz, E.D.
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Wednesday, August 26, 7:00 p.m. BROOKLYN. Brooklyn Friends Meeting House, 110 Schermerhorn Street. ELIZABETH DEWAN AND RAED JARRAR OF AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE 
SPEAK ON THE IRAQ REFUGEE CRISIS. The Iraqi Refugee Crisis presentation covers basic issues concerning Iraqi civilians who have been made refugees from the 2003 invasion and occupation, including the number of refugees and where they are, what their living conditions are like, and the challenges they are facing. The presentation also includes information about Iraqi refugees in the U.S., specifically those living in New York and New Jersey, and will be followed by a Q&A and details on how communities can become involved with Iraqi refugee work. 
Thursday, August 27, 7:00 p.m.MANHASSET. Unitarian Universalist Church, 48 Shelter Rock Road PRESENTATION BY TYLER BOUDREAU, IRAQ COMBAT VETERAN AND AUTHOR OF “PACKING INFERNO: THE UNMAKING OF A MARINE.” Veterans For Peace Long Long Island is pleased to host Tyler Boudreau, former Marine Corps Captain, Iraq combat veteran, and author of the highly acclaimed memoir and commentary Packing Inferno: The Unmaking of a Marine during his stay in New York (www.tylerboudreau.com.) Tyler is on the final leg of his 77 day cycling trek across America in an effort to re-acquaint himself with the land, to reintegrate with his community and family, and to positively re-invest his strength in America. Please join us on August 27 at 7PM at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock in Manhassat to meet and listen to this remarkable young man. Friday, August 28, 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. TIMES SQUARE Start 42nd St./Seventh Ave., march to the Honduran Embassy at 48th St./First Ave. NATIONAL SOLIDARITY MARCH AGAINST THE COUP D’ETAT IN HONDURAS! Hosted by the Answer Coalition. The group demands and end to the killings & repression of the Honduran people, no to human rights violations in Honduras, support the non-violent resistance of the Honduran People and the National Front for Resistance Against the Coup d’état, immediate return of Constitutional law and restore Constitutional President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales, no to an electoral process as product of the de facto regime, no to the militarization of Honduras, or U.S. military bases in Honduras. Contacts for more information: 917.841.3643, celcas2000@gmail.com; 212.633.6646, iacenter@action-mail.org. Saturday, August 29th, 12 noon GREENWICH VILLAGE/TIMES SQUARE Meet at 12th Street and 7th Avenue (adjacent to St. Vincent’s Hospital), walk to Times Square HEALTH CARE RALLY WITH ORANIZING FOR AMERICA Brooklyn for Barack joins Downtown East, Tribeca for Change, Asian Pacific Americans for Progress NY, South Asians for Opportunity. We will begin walking from St. Vincent's at 12:30 pm. We will walk straight up Seventh Avenue to the rally in Times Square. If you can't make the walk, please hop on the subway and join us at the rally. If possible, please bring a hand-made sign (no sticks please). We will also have some to distribute. Health reform is finally within our grasp. Opponents are spending millions every day to destroy it. We cannot let this happen. We voted for change in '08 and we must see it through, which includes a robust public option in any bill sent to the President. On Saturday, August 29, 2009, New Yorkers will walk from various parts of the city for the first ever "United We Walk for Reform" rally in support of the historic health reform legislation before Congress. It's our health care. It's our time. Make your voice heard. For more details or to rsvp, please visit: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/gpfcrc. September 16 – October 11 
MIDTOWN. Signature Theatre’s Peter Norton Space, 555 West 42nd StreetWORLD PREMIERE OF “MAHIDA’S EXTRA KEY TO HEAVEN” BY RUSSELL DAVIS. Presented by Epic Theatre Ensemble. Directed by Will Pomerantz. Featuring Roxanna Hope, Arian Moayed, Tony Award Winner Michele Pawk, Epic co-founder James Wallert. Mahida’s Extra Key To Heaven is a poetic and haunting love story about crossing human and political borders in this time of unyielding violence. It begins when a young American painter visiting his mother on an island in the Northwest encounters a frightened Iranian college student abandoned by her brother and waiting alone for a ferry that will never come. It ends in a way that is horrific, beautiful, and unforgettable. ALL PERFORMANCES will be followed by a POST-SHOW DISCUSSION. For discount tickets call 212-352-3101 and 866-811-4111. Saturday, September 19, 5:00 p.m. CENTRAL PARK. Bandshell, enter at 72nd Street and 5th Avenue VIGIL FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE With Rev. Susana Bastarrica. Produced by the United Nations. 
Wednesday, October 7, 7:00 p.m.UNION SQUARE EAST Friends Meeting House, 14 Rutherford Place, between 15th and 16th Streets, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. AN EVENING WITH CHRIS HEDGES Join CHRIS HEDGES, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author of “Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and The Triumph of Spectacle” (Nation Books), as he charts the dramatic and disturbing rise of a post-literate America that craves fantasy, ecstasy and illusion. Audience questions will be taken, and following the event there will be a book signing. Free of charge. First come, first seated. Doors open at 6.30 p.m. For more information please go to www.nationbooks.org orcall 212-822-0269. Sunday, October 11, 12 noon – 2:00 p.m. HUDSON RIVER. Depart from Bateaux New York, Pier 62, West 23rd Street at 12th St. FELLOWSHIP OF RECONCILIATION FIRST PEACE BANQUET AND BOAT CRUISE. Three annual FOR Peace Prizes will be awarded during the luncheon banquet. The recipients include an extraordinary network of Iraqis using nonviolence in the midst of war and occupation, and two outstanding individuals working on the front lines for peace and social justice. (A fourth prize, the Youth & Militarism Resistance Award will be presented later this year.) FOR's 2009 honorees are La’Onf, Cynthia Brown and Frances Pratt. Our keynote speaker is Rev. Michael Lapsley, the Director of the Institute for the Healing of Memories in Cape Town, South Africa. Thursday, October 23, through Saturday, October 24. CHELSEA. SVA Theatre, 333 West 23rd Street. SVA'S "VISIONS OF WAR" CONFERENCE: PLAY, FILMS, PANELS The Humanities and Sciences Program at the School of Visual Arts is presenting a four-day conference, "Visions of War: the arts represent conflict" at the Algonquin Hotel from Thursday October 21 through Saturday October 23. Part of the conference this year are the following events, free and open to the public, held at the brand new SVA Theatre: 
Thursday, October 23, 7:00 p.m.PLAY: THE WARRIOR by Jack Gilhooley, with Talk Back session The Warrior is a play about a veteran of the Persian Gulf War and two tours in Iraq, the damage her absence has done to her family, and to her mental health. After the performance there will be a Talk Back session which includes questions from the audience and answers. Preview for The Warrior. Friday, October 24, 7:00 p.m. PANEL DISCUSSION Sponsored by Stephen Frailey, Chair, BFA Photography. More information to come. Saturday, October 23, 2:00 - 6:00 p.m. FILM SERIES: AFTER THE WARS Film series hosted by Reeves Lehamna, Chair, Film Video and Animation Department. More information to come. Saturday, October 23, 6:30 8:30 p.m. PANEL: THE SCARS OF WAR: HEALING THROUGH THE ARTS. Moderated by screenwriter/playwright/Vietnam combat veteran David Berry, a member of the SVA Film Department faculty. Panelists include film artists/combat veterans (screenwriters and directors), a psychologist with over three decades of experience treating Vietnam veterans, and a retired Army Colonel who has become a major spokesperson for those demanding official recognition and treatment of female victims of violence in the military. Sunday, November 8, 1:30 – 5:00 p.m. UPPER EAST SIDE. Hunter College/CUNY, 68th Street at Lexington Avenue END US MILITARIZATION OF THE PACIFIC The Granny Peace Brigade’s Fourth Teach-in will focus on U. S. military bases in Japan/Okinawa, the Philippines and South Korea, and their deplorable effects on the host countries’ populace and the environment. The event will be free and open to the public. Details on program and speakers will be forthcoming. For more details, please see www.grannypeacebrigade.org/. Friday, August 28, 2009, 8:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. WHITE PLAINS. Westchester Jewish Community Services, 845 N. Broadway UNDOING RACIAL DISPARITIES IN CHILD WELFARE 
Westchester Child Welfare advocates are invited to a breakfast! Learn
how the "Undoing Racism" Workshop helped achieve dramatic results in
reducing racial disparities in child welfare in Texas and Kentucky!
Margery Freeman and David Billings
of The People's Institute will join us to share the success of Texas
and Kentucky in reducing racial disparities and disproportionately in
foster care placement after they trained their workforce and began to
address the issues of structural racism. We will watch a video of Texas
workers describe their work (DVD), which is an amazing example of the
work of institutional change. Discussion how we can mobilize others
in the field of child welfare to learn more about what can be done for
Westchester Children. REGISTRATION REQUIRED - RSVP 914-723-3222
Friday, August 28, 6:30 PM – 9:00 p.m. ROCHESTER. The Little Theatre, 240 East Avenue, ROCHESTER PREMIERE OF “IN THE LOOP” WITH MIMI KENNEDY Please join PDAGV for the Rochester premiere of the critically-acclaimed political comedy, “In the Loop.” The screening will be followed by a discussion with Rochester native and PDA Advisory Board Co-chair, Mimi Kennedy, who co-stars in the film. [The film also stars Tom Hollander and James Gandolfini.] Please help us welcome Mimi home with this special event. Admission: $10.00 To RSVP visit http://tinyurl.com/n35ppz. (Advance sale tickets are available to the progressive community until August 24th at noon) For more information contact Liz Guthrie at 585-872-6296 or lizguth1@frontiernet.net. 
Tuesday, September 1, 6:00 p.m.ALBANY. Albany Law School, 80 New Scotland Avenue KRISTELE YOUNES ON “THE IRAQI REFUGEE CRISIS: AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE” Talk followed by a reception which will include a light meal to break the fast for those fasting for the month of Ramadan. Organized by the Iraqi Refugee Project. For information: contact Susan Davies, daviesmason@fairpoint.net . 
Wednesday, September 2, 7:00 PMROCHESTER. Downtown Presbyterian Church, 121 N. Fitzhugh St., SCREENING OF THE AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY “TOCAR Y LUCHAR” Hosted by the Rochester Committee on Latin America (ROCLA). The remarkable story about the Venezuela Youth Orchestra System and their “incredible network of hundreds of orchestras formed within most of Venezuela’s towns and villages.” Come and be transported by The Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel (currently Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic)! Learn about the Venezuela Youth Orchestra System and the "incredible network of hundreds of orchestras formed within most of Venezuela's towns and villages. Once a modest program designed to expose rural children to the wonders of music, the system has become one of the most important and beautiful social phenomena in modern history." Best Documentary Award - Albuquerque International Film Festival, Audience Award - Miami International Film Festival, Best Documentary - Cine Las Americas, Houston. The meeting is free and open to the public. DPC is wheelchair-accessible and looped for those with hearing loss. Free parking is available in the City Hall parking lot across from the church. Wednesday, September 2, 12 noon – 2:00 p.m ALBANY. Friends Meeting House, 727 Madison Avenue KRISTELE YOUNES ON “WARS’ REFUGEES – THE HUMAN IMPACT OF US POLICY ON THE PEOPLE OF AFHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN: A FIRSTHAND REPORT.” Hosted by Upper Hudson Peace Action. Bring a brown bag lunch. Organized by Women Against War’s Afghanistan Project. For information: contact Sybil Stock, simaada@yahoo.com.
Kristele Younes has traveled widely
to conduct humanitarian assessments for Refugees International. She was in Pakistan in June 2009 and Afghanistan
in July 2008. She has seen the human impact of US military policy. As the US continues to escalate the fighting
in Afghanistan and continues to urge the Pakistan government to escalate its military campaigns, we have a unique
opportunity to learn from Kristele Younes about the human impact of these wars and the high human costs of
postponing negotiations, diplomacy and development. Please come and invite a friend to join you! Kristele has
also has traveled to Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt to survey the situation of the estimated 4-5 million
displaced Iraqis. In April 2008, she co-authored an in-depth report, Uprooted and Unstable: Meeting Urgent
Humanitarian Needs in Iraq, available at http://refugeesinternational.org/policy.
Friday, September 4th, 7 p.m. PLEASANTVILLE. 17 Marble Avenue, 2nd Floor WESPAC’S FIRST POETRY CAFE An Evening with Lynn Beville, Mirene Ghossein and Geoff Smith. Come enjoy listening to inspired spoken word and music. Poetry of the Universal Human Condition. Poetry of Resistance. And Poetry of Love. Discussion to follow each 30 minute segment. Bring your own poem to share. $20 and $10 contributions for the work of WESPAC accepted at the door. No one turned away. Sunday, September 20th, 1:00 p.m. (Lunch), 1:30 p.m. (Meeting) GENESEO. Omega Restaurant, 4182 Lakeville Rd (Route 20A) GENESEE VALLEY CITIZENS FOR PEACE MONTHLY MEETING [Note: no regular August meeting.] GVCP member Victoria Farmer will lead a discussion on India and Pakistan and their outlook for a peaceful future. Thursday, October 9, 6:00 p.m., Host Committee Reception; 7:00 p.m., Lecture PURCHASE. Reid Castle, Manhattanville College MEMORIAL LECTURE ON THE DEATH PENALTY The Annual Henry Schwarzschild Memorial Lecture, sponsored by the Lower Hudson Valley Civil Liberties Union and the Connie Hogarth Center for Social Action. Guest speaker: Thomas Cahill, author of “A Saint on Death Row - the Story of Dominique Green.” This book was published this spring and was introduced by Archbishop Desmond Tutu at a public launch event at Riverside Church. Dominique Green was executed in Texas in 2004 at the age of 30, after spending 12 years on death row. The book raises many questions about the trial and tells the story of his family background and his 12 years of efforts to defend himself once he was placed on death row. For more information about the lecture, call (914) 997-7479. 
Thursday, October 22 - Saturday, October 24ROCKLAND. Rockland Community College PRESENTATION OF THE AIDS MEMORIAL QUILT. TOUCH (Together Our Unity Can Heal), a local HIV/AIDS advocacy and support organization, is bringing The AIDS Memorial Quilt to Rockland Community College. This will be the largest display of The AIDS Memorial Quilt in the Northeast in the past eleven years. We are looking to notify as many people as possible about the quilt’s arrival so that individuals can request panels, dedicate panels, and view the quilt. If your organization is interested in sponsoring a panel of The AIDS Memorial Quilt please contact Robert Maher at RMaher@touch-ny.org or call us at 845-268-8023 for more information. Many local peace groups hold regular events, vigils, "Honk for Peace" actions, etc. See our list: www.panys.org/ongoing.htm Monday, October 5 WASHINGTON DC MARCH OF THE DEAD, A CALL TO ACTION October 2009 marks the beginning of the ninth year of war and occupation in Afghanistan. A coalition is forming to demand an immediate end to atrocities committed by our government. On October 5, 2009, we will bring our demands to the White House: An immediate withdrawal of ALL U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as an immediate end to the illegal expansion of war into Pakistan. Accountability for those who have committed war crimes, torture, and other illegal acts, both past and present. An end to U.S. complicity in aiding the Israeli governments’ occupation of Palestine. We ask that you join in the developing coalition to plan the events of the day, and consider adding your organization as an endorser. In August there will be coalition meetings held in New York City and Washington D.C. If you would like to attend these meetings, endorse the day of action, or get more information, please call Laurie Arbeiter 917 915-6115, Sarah Wellington 201 446-2984 and/or write to wewillnotbesilent@gmail.com Thursday, Oct. 15, 5:30 – 9:00 p.m. WASHINGTON DC. National Press Club, 529 14th Street. 33RD ANNUAL LETELIER-MOFFITT HUMAN RIGHTS AWARDS. The 2009 Domestic Award will go to Domestic Workers United, a grassroots organization of Caribbean, Latina and African nannies, housekeepers, and elderly caregivers working together to end exploitation and injustice against vulnerable workers in New York. The International Award will go to La Mesa Nacional Frente a la Mineria Metalica, which has struggled against huge odds to press El Salvador to become the first country in the world to ban gold mining – their efforts will help preserve the environment and rural communities. Going out of state? Check UFPJ's national Events Calendar: http://www.unitedforpeace.org/calendar.php. |