En Marcha on the anniversaries of the defeat of Axis imperialism in '45 and US imperialism in '75

[Commentaries on the shooting of four diplomatic staff from the Israel's embassy in DC, two fatally:

A Maoist news organization:  theworker.news/2025/05/22/a-just-act-just-not-a-correct-act/  (I wondered that evening if this event could be used to advance the repressive agenda of Trump-Vance and the supportive Democrats, similar to Bush-Cheney and 9/11, on a smaller scale, or Nazi Germany and the 1933 Reichstag Fire, and according to the article, the PSL is being blamed, though the alleged shooter was only a member briefly, in 2017, and not connected to the party since then, according to Wikipedia.  Federal hate crime and terrorism charges might be applied, in addition to murder.  An alleged manifesto from X/Twitter is online above and at:  www.kenklippenstein.com/p/the-israel-embassy-shooter-manifesto )

On individual violent actions in general, posted before May 21st:  redphoenixnews.com/2025/05/12/urban-guerilla-theory-the-role-of-violence-in-capitalist-crises/

[ caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2025/05/23/thoughts-on-the-israeli-embassy-staff-killings/ ]

[ www.algora.com/Algora_blog/2025/05/22/stinking-to-the-high-heavens-of-a-false-flag  [The shooting has covered up the news that Israel shot at diplomats from several "Western" countries near Jenin (?) in the West Bank, Palestine and Israel was been threatened with consequences for starving Gaza.  Netanyahu is talking about "babykillers," etc. the evening o the 22nd and there was something from him or someone about "incitement" and "bloodlibels," by the EU (?) for daring to criticize Israel's war crimes and atrocities.  In the morning on the 22nd NPR had a headline, something about someone condemning Netanyahu's promise to 'end' the war in Gaza if the prisoners are released, Hamas surrenders (and ...?), and if Trump's "brilliant," revolutionary" plan to depopulate Gaza is followed, "tantamount to ethnic cleansing" someone said -- why add "tantamount?"  The liberal Town of Chapel Hill probably stands with the US, EU, UK, Canadian, Israeli, and other war criminals, to a greater extent than the City of Durham.]

[I'm sure there is interesting discussion on www.nakedcapitalism.com under the daily Links, etc.]

On the right:

envisioningtheamericandream.com/2025/05/22/murder-in-the-name-of-palestine/  (A supporter of the Democratic Party?)

www.counterextremism.com/press/counter-extremism-project-condemns-murders-israeli-embassy-workers-capital-jewish-museum 

For background:  

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_killing_of_Israeli_embassy_workers_in_Washington,_D.C.  ]

There are also articles such as (machine translated):  

World Biological Diversity Day [May 22nd in Ecuador;  pcmle.org/EM/spip.php?article13778 ]

Joseph Stalin, leader of the Great Patriotic War 

Battle of Stalingrad 

Brecht, revolutionary poet and playwright

THE MOTHER, by Maxim Gorky

Dimitrov and the defense of communism in the Leipzig trial

The Fifth Congress of the Communist International 

Engels, thinker 

Dien Bien Phu, an example in the people's liberation struggle 

The PCMLE fights and denounces Chinese revisionism 

The 1970s and the development of the PCMLE 

The PCMLE disputes the political leadership of the masses 

6th Congress of the Tunisian Workers' Party 

Popular First Aid Brigade

May 29 [1969]: Student's Day 

Adolescence 

I received these two translated articles and added introductory parts that are machine translated: 

En Marcha #2136, May 7 to 13, 2025  [ www.pcmle.org/EM/spip.php?article13762 ]

Central Organ of the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of Ecuador

80 years since the victory of the epic struggles of the peoples against fascist barbarism

Commemorating the 1945 Victory from a realistic and objective perspective implies understanding that the fight against fascism is part of the broader struggle against the capitalist system that gave rise to it. It implies recognizing that the working class and oppressed peoples were the driving force of resistance and victory, and that we must strive to reclaim their emancipatory role.

[Photo]

On May 9, 1945, Nazi Germany signed its surrender in Berlin, after having provoked the bloody war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. Eighty years have passed since the roar of arms of the armies contending in Europe during the Second World War ceased and the red flag with the hammer and sickle flew over the Reichstag (Parliament) in Berlin. Eighty years since humanity, represented in the heroic struggle of the Soviet Union and the allied coalition, dealt a mortal blow to the bloodiest and most reactionary regime that history had known: Nazi Germany.

Commemorating this historic victory is not a mere exercise in memory, but a political and ethical necessity, especially at times like the present, when the ghosts of the past are trying to return. Analyzing this victory objectively allows us to go beyond the superficial and often distorted narrative, to understand the deep forces, class contradictions and material interests that clashed in the Second World War, revealing its true meaning and the defeat of Nazi-fascism as a victory of working and oppressed humanity against the most brutal expression of capital in crisis.

The Second World War did not come out of nowhere, its roots were sunk in the contradictions inherent in the capitalist system in its imperialist phase, as analyzed by Lenin, Stalin and other Marxist theoreticians. The Great Depression of 1929 exacerbated inter-imperialist tensions, leading to a bitter struggle for markets, resources, and spheres of influence. In this context of structural crisis, the bourgeoisie of some countries, especially in Germany and Italy, resorted to fascism as an extreme form of open terrorist dictatorship of monopoly capital. Fascism was not simply a crazy ideology, as some call it; it was the response of big capital to the revolutionary threat of the organized labor movement and to the very existence of the Soviet Union, the first socialist state in history. Hitler's National Socialism, with its racist delirium, its expansionist pan-Germanism, and rabid anti-communism, represented the culmination of this reactionary degeneration, seeking to annihilate the "inferior race" (Jews, Gypsies, Slavs) and crush any vestige of workers' organization or dissident thought. Its manifest goal was world domination and the enslavement of vast territories and populations for the benefit of German capital.

In the face of this onslaught of barbarism, the Soviet Union emerged as the main bulwark of resistance. Since its birth, the USSR had faced the hostility of the capitalist powers, but the fascist aggression of 1941 placed it at the epicenter of the global struggle. The Great Patriotic War, as this period is known in the countries of the former USSR and progressive sectors, was a feat of epic proportions, a life-and-death struggle for the defense of the first experience of socialist construction. The Soviet people, under the leadership of the Communist Party, led by Stalin, mobilized all their forces and resources to repel the invader. Soviet industry, massively moved eastwards in the face of the enemy advance, showed an astonishing capacity for resilience and war production, surpassing German in many respects, despite the enormous initial territorial losses.

The Red Army, composed of millions of workers, peasants and intellectuals conscious of what they were defending, fought battles of unprecedented courage and ferocity. The defense of Leningrad, subjected to a siege of almost 900 days that cost the lives of more than a million civilians; the bitter and courageous battle of Stalingrad, which marked a strategic and moral turning point in the war, destroying a large part of the German army; the gigantic tank battle at Kursk; and the unstoppable final offensive that culminated in the capture of Berlin, are milestones that testify to the supreme sacrifice of the Soviet people. It was not just a military struggle; It was an all-out war in which the civilian population, the partisans (guerrillas) in the occupied territories, the women who took up the work in the factories and the countryside, all contributed decisively to the victory. It is estimated that the Soviet Union suffered more than 27 million casualties, both military and civilian, a figure that shows the magnitude of its contribution and the price paid for victory. Without Soviet sacrifice, the defeat of Nazism would have been unthinkable or would have required an infinitely greater cost to the rest of the world.

But the victory was the result of a combined effort. The anti-fascist coalition integrated capitalist powers such as the United Kingdom and the United States, despite their contradictions with the USSR and their own imperialist interests. The United Kingdom bravely resisted Nazi bombing during the Battle of Britain and contributed on fronts such as North Africa and the Atlantic. The United States, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, deployed immense industrial and military power that was crucial, especially on the Pacific front against Japan and in the Normandy landings, which opened a second front long desired by the USSR.

It is also essential to recognize the heroism of the resistance movements in the occupied countries. Communist partisans, socialists, democrats, and patriots fought clandestinely against the invader, sabotaged its operations, rescued victims of persecution, and kept the flame of hope alive. The resistance, more often than not led by the communists, played a vital role in weakening the enemy and preparing the ground for liberation. This dimension of popular struggle and resistance from below, often downplayed in official histories, is crucial to a full understanding of victory.

From a Marxist perspective, the anti-fascist alliance was a classic example of a united front, a tactical union of diverse and even contradictory forces in the face of a common enemy. While the USSR was fighting for the survival of its socialist system and the liberation of the peoples, the allied capitalist powers were also defending their own interests: to stop an aggressive imperialist competitor that threatened their possessions and trade routes. The tensions and differences in objectives between the USSR and its capitalist allies were palpable during the war and would become evident immediately afterwards, giving way to the so-called Cold War. However, at the crucial moment of the struggle against fascism, the need for unity prevailed.

The victory of 1945 had consequences of historic scope for the development of the 20th century. Fascism, as a state ideology, was discredited and defeated militarily. A period of decolonization began, as the European imperialist powers, weakened by the war, could no longer maintain their vast colonial empires in the face of the rise of national liberation movements, many of them inspired by the Soviet example and socialist ideas. The world political map changed radically with the formation of the socialist bloc in Eastern Europe and Asia, expanding the field of countries seeking to build alternatives to capitalism. The prestige of socialism and the international communist movement reached very high historical levels.

In addition, awareness of the magnitude of Nazi atrocities, in particular the Holocaust, created an impetus for the development of international humanitarian law and the creation of multilateral bodies such as the United Nations, aimed at preventing future wars and protecting human rights. While these institutions have often been limited and exploited by the interests of the great powers, their creation was, in part, a response to the need to establish safeguards against the barbarism that fascism represented.

Eighty years later, we cannot rest on the laurels of victory. The reactionary winds are blowing again. Capitalism in global crisis creates growing inequalities, social polarization and despair, a breeding ground for the resurgence of ultra-right ideologies, exclusionary nationalism, racism and xenophobia. The denial or minimization of the crimes of fascism, the attempts to equate communism with Nazism, and the glorification of fascist collaborators in some countries are red flags that demand our utmost attention and firm opposition.

Commemorating the 1945 Victory from a real and objective approach implies understanding that the struggle against fascism is part of the broader struggle against the capitalist system that engendered it. It implies recognizing that the working class and oppressed peoples were the driving force of the resistance and victory and that we must strive to salvage their emancipatory role. It reminds us of the importance of organization, unity of action and international solidarity to face the threats of the present. The struggle for historical memory is a political struggle; combating the unconsciousness and distortion of the past is essential to defend the rights and achievements of the present and to build a different future.

The victory over fascism showed humanity's ability to overcome barbarism when united around a common goal. The immense sacrifice made by the Soviet Union and all those who fought against the Fascist Axis, imposes on us the responsibility of not allowing history to repeat itself. The struggle for a world without exploitation, oppression, racism and war, a world of peace, social justice and labor, remains the fundamental task of our time. It is the best way to honor those who gave their lives for freedom.

80 years of the Great Victory over fascism! Honor and eternal glory to the heroes of the Red Army, to the communists, partisans, to the resisters, to all workers and to the peoples who fought and gave their lives! for freedom! Fighting fascism in all its forms is an obligation for the present! For a world without imperialist wars, or capitalist oppression!

[An added photo?]

En Marcha #2136, May 7 to 13, 2025 [ www.pcmle.org/EM/spip.php?article13768 ]

Central Organ of the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of Ecuador

Vietnam: 50 Years of the Vietnamese People's Victory over U.S. Imperialism

Since the Tet Offensive, launched by the Vietnamese Liberation Front in 1969, the initiative rested with the Vietnamese people. The liberation of Saigon in April 1975 marked the end of a political-military process that defeated US imperialism and its minions.

[Photo]

April 30 marked the 50th anniversary of the defeat of U.S. imperialism in Vietnam. This historic event is of great importance for the anti-imperialist and Marxist-Leninist communist movement internationally; seen in the heroic struggle of the Vietnamese workers and people; it affirmed the solidarity, brotherhood of peoples and the internationalist struggle; it meant the reunification of the country, the victory of its self-determination and independence.

Between March and April 1975, U.S. diplomats and military began fleeing Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. It was clear that the advance of the National Front for the Liberation of Vietnam was unstoppable. The withdrawal of most U.S. troops during the previous months evidenced the political-military defeat that the Vietnamese people had already inflicted on the U.S.

The victory was made possible by massive popular support for the troops of the Liberation Front and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnamese Army). "We had to use the small against the big, antiquated weapons against modern weapons", "In the end, it is the human factor that determines the victory" the revolutionary and head of the Vietnamese People's Army Vo Nguyen Giap would say. The fundamental element for the victory was the people in arms, the same one that allowed for the annihilation of the military forces of imperialism, thus allowing all its political and military maneuvers to be undone. In this process, the revolutionary forces combined guerrilla warfare, insurrection in the towns and cities, workers' strikes and boycott actions by the masses. The period of simultaneous offensives and insurrections, which began with Tet in 1968 and ended with the liberation of Saigon in 1975, was the result of the coordination of the military and political struggle.

How did this victory come about?

The workers led by the Viet Minh, the League for the Independence of Vietnam founded in 1941, by Ho Chi Minh and by the Communist Party, raised armed resistance to the Japanese and later the French invader. The latter, financed and supplied by the United States, were defeated at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in May 1954.

In that same year, negotiators from France and the Viet Minh signed the Geneva Agreement to temporarily establish a territorial demarcation line that would divide Vietnam between French military forces and troops led by Ho Chi Minh.

In 1957, guerrilla forces fighting in South Vietnam and North Vietnamese troops took up arms to reunify the country. By 1963, reunification seemed imminent, so U.S. imperialism organized a provocation in the Gulf of Tonkin in 1964 to justify sending massive troops to Vietnam in 1965.

Nearly 600,000 U.S. troops were sent to Vietnam during the conflict to confront Liberation Front guerrillas, while the U.S. Air Force bombed Vietnam in a bloody and disproportionate way. According to some records, the United States dropped 7.5 million tons of bombs on Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, a far greater amount than that used during World War II by all sides.

Vietnamese guerrilla tactics, supply routes, tunnels, traps, lightning attacks, etc., proved to be deeply resistant to the enormous technological power of the United States. During nine years of subjugation of the local population, the U.S. military never managed to break the will of the Vietnamese workers and people.

The My Lai massacres, in which U.S. troops murdered more than 700 men, children, and women (who were raped before being massacred), or the agonizing images of children with their skin melted by chemical bombs (white phosphorus, napalm, and Agent Orange), are examples of the criminal U.S. invasion. These actions of the Yankee army led to the indignation of the youth, workers and peoples of the world. Marches, rallies, festivals and other actions for Peace and in solidarity with the Vietnamese people, were generalized world-wide. To cite three examples, in 1968, millions of university and high school students in the United States staged a massive boycott in their schools as a show of opposition to the war; in 1969, thousands of U.S. citizens took the day off from work to participate in local demonstrations across the nation; in 1971, several groups of Vietnam veterans threw more than 700 medals down the steps of the Capitol. This movement in rejection of the Vietnam War was repeated all over the world.

Since the offensive carried out by the Liberation Front in 1969, called the Tet Offensive, the Vietnamese people took the initiative. The liberation of Saigon in April 1975 was the end of a political-military process that defeated US imperialism and its lackeys. This heroic deed of the Vietnamese people headed by their Communist Party shows the certain possibility of the defeat of imperialism.

The heroic struggle of the Vietnamese people had a profound impact on popular culture, with music, film and literature reflecting opposition to the war. "The black eagles break their claws / against the heroic people in Vietnam" Quilapayun sang, and there were the great concerts for peace that would star figures such as Jimmy Hendrix, The Who, the Rolling Stones and John Lennon.

Vietnam was an encouragement for struggles for social and national liberation in the dependent countries. Algeria, Angola, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala were several of the places where the guerrilla struggle would have a great influence of the tactics and strategy of the Vietnamese workers. This victory strengthened the anti-imperialist and anti-colonial movement, which spread throughout the world, promoting the struggle of the peoples for self-determination and independence.

Anti-war news update for week 19 of 2025

The current calendar post, listing some spring-summer events and anniversaries, is at:  durhamspark.blogspot.com/2025/03/unac-stop-attacks-on-palestinian-rights.html 

See also:  durhamspark.blogspot.com/2025/04/class-struggle-4-april-2025-published.html

durhamspark.blogspot.com/2025/03/update-for-week-12-in-2025.html

 

durhamspark.blogspot.com/2024/04/some-additional-events-and.html

durhamspark.blogspot.com/2024/04/appeal-for-28th-international-camp-of.html 

durhamspark.blogspot.com/2024/05/a-few-more-spring-fall-2024-events-and.html , etc.

[Writer and revolutionary Roque Dalton (Roque Antonio Dalton García) or Julio Delfos Marín was killed May 10, 1975 in El Salvador:  diario-octubre.com/2025/05/10/un-dolor-de-cabeza-y-un-amor-subversivo/ ] [And:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roque_Dalton ]

[The originally anti-war commemoration Mother's Day is tomorrow, May 11th. 

Israeli occupation forces killed/assassinated Palestinian-American Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh ( شيرين أبو عاقلة, Šīrīn Abū ʿĀqila) May 11, 2022 in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank.  Zeteo claimed that Alon Scagio (himself killed in a bombing June 27, 2024) from the Duvdevan Unit, shot Abu Akleh, and that a US investigation had concluded that the killing was not accidental, but the Biden-Harris administration of course protected Israel in this case too.  Her funeral was attacked by Israeli police, including the use of stun grenades and gunfire.  Abu Akleh was born April 3, 1971 in East Jerusalem.  Her family is Melkite Catholic, hailing from Bethlehem.  Her memorial in Jenin was destroyed and desecrated by the Israeli military October 26, 2023:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shireen_Abu_Akleh , en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Shireen_Abu_Akleh , and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duvdevan_Unit

Part of Soviet spacecraft Kosmos 482, meant to go to Venus but orbiting the Earth since March 31, 1972, came down earlier today, May 10th, probably sinking, unseen, in the Indian Ocean at about 0624 UTC; it had been detected from Germany at 604 UTC:  spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=10&month=05&year=2025 , sattrackcam.blogspot.com/2025/04/kosmos-842-descent-craft-reentry.html , and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosmos_482 

Wikipedia's "On this day" currently (May 10th) lists Iraq's attack on the USS Stark May 17, 1987, during the Iran-Iraq War, but doesn't currently mention Israel's attack on the USS Liberty June 8, 1967, during the 1967 war,  though the July 3, 1988 shooting down of an Iranian airliner by the USS Vincennes is to be mentioned:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/May and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Stark_incident  In the Vietnam War Battle of Đồng Hới, April 19, 1972, the Vietnam People's Air Force and ground forces attacked US Navy vessels near Đồng Hới in Quảng Bình Province, at the time in the northern Democratic Republic of Vietnam; noted as the second post-WWII airborne attack on US Navy ships, the first being Israel's attack on the USS Liberty:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_%C4%90%E1%BB%93ng_H%E1%BB%9Bi ]

[Nakba Day is of course May 15th (after Israel's declaration of May 14, 1948) and Naksa Day is June 5th (from the June 5-10, 1967 war):  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakba_Day and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naksa_Day ]  [The 6th Annual Joint Nakba Ceremony and Voices of Conscience Remembrance was held online on the 15th.]  

[From the CPC(M-L) – "On the 77th anniversary of the Nakba" – cpcml.ca/Tmlm2025/TS5510.HTM#1 ]

[International Conscientious Objection Day is also on May 15th?]

[Two diplomatic staff from Israel's US embassy were assassinated and two injured outside an American Jewish Committee event for young diplomatic staff at the Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC around 9:08pm on the 21st.  The alleged shooter is Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago, in police custody after the shooting.  Allegedly, according to Wikipedia, the event was about both the Jewish community and helping the Palestinians in some way:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_killing_of_Israeli_embassy_workers_in_Washington,_D.C.  An alleged manifesto from X/Twitter is online at:  www.kenklippenstein.com/p/the-israel-embassy-shooter-manifesto ]

From BAJ; slightly edited:

7:30 pm Tue May 13

   at the Community Church of Chapel Hill

                  106 Purefoy Road

       Balance and Accuracy in Journalism

                        presents

            KISS THE GROUND

This month’s screening of the film, Kiss The Ground, urges 

a dramatic shift in agriculture practices to sequester carbon, 

protect water supplies, and hopefully meet the climate crisis, 

all while boosting soil fertility and human health!   84 minutes

  The following links include an invitation to Memorial Day event:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

      What will YOU be Doing This Memorial Day?

Shopping at the Mall? Grilling hot dogs? Waving the Stars and Stripes? 
Or observing the day to mourn ALL victims of wars and to pledge "Never Again!"?

As in years past, we invite the Triangle Community to come together 

for a Memorial Day observance as it was meant to be observed:

  MONDAY, MAY 26 ~ 2-3:30 P.M.  

  BLUE HILL EVENT CENTER (200 S. Elliott Rd., Chapel Hill)

  FREE and open to all

Keynote Speaker: MEDEA BENJAMIN (live stream w Q/A)
Special Presentation: DR. MARK PERLMUTTER

Master of Ceremonies: REV. J. MARK DAVIDSON 

Also: Music by the Raging Grannies and Bella Nova; Poetry; and more  

This year's observance is jointly sponsored by 

Eisenhower Chapter 157 Veterans For Peace; 

Voices for Justice in Palestine; and the 

Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Triangle Branch.  

         BAJ material will be on the literature  table 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

      Medea Benjamin recent interview 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da6ffT-Px-4&ab_channel=JudgeNapolitano-JudgingFreedom
Those who have discovered former Fox News legal analyst Andrew Napolitano’s interviews
would enjoy this comment on his enthusiastic interview:

"His former colleagues at Fox News must be having a heart attack seeing his interview with Medea Benjamin!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

https://www.democracynow.org/2025/5/5/naomi_klein_trump_silicon_valley

Shock Doctrine author Naomi Klein is interviewed by Amy Goodman.

  DN intro: 

An alliance between the far right and Silicon Valley oligarchs

has given rise to a form of “end times fascism,” says journalist Naomi Klein, 

who details - in a recent essay co-authored with Astra Taylor -

how many wealthy elites are preparing for the end of the world 

even as they contribute to growing inequality, political instability 

and the climate crisis. 

“There’s always an apocalyptic quality to fascism, 

but fascism of the 1930s and ’40s had a horizon” for a utopian future, 

says Klein. Today, by contrast, “we’re up against people who are 

actively betting against the future — not just actively betting against it, 

but fueling the fires that are burning this world.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ta Nehisi Coates’ visit to Palestine animates the longest of three essays in his book The Message.  

For a delightful conversation between Coates and Britain’s Ash Sarkar, see 

              Is America More Racist Than Britain?   98 min.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq9I14EoM04&ab_channel=NovaraMedia

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our BAJ audiences have, for several years, heard directly from deeply experienced,

former White House briefer Ray McGovern who now lives nearby in Raleigh. 

Ray and former CIA analyst Larry Johnson have shared ethical and informed reviews 

of US policies on Judge Andrew Napolitano’s Judging Freedom Youtube series.

Having led the CIA Soviet bureau, Ray spoke this month to Moscow’s youth forum, 

in a series also featuring current president Vladimir Putin. The judge hosts Ray and Larry 

for history and insights on this week's Intel Roundup.  

This year’s commemoration in Moscow celebrated the defeat of Nazi forces…in battles 

that cost the lives of 20% of the Russian population and millions of Chinese people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da6ffT-Px-4&ab_channel=JudgeNapolitano-JudgingFreedom

      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Articles from WUNC about the anti-war protests at UNC-Chapel Hill a year ago: 

www.wunc.org/show/due-south/2025-05-06/one-year-later-two-israel-palestine-protestors-lives-are-changed 

www.wunc.org/education/2025-04-30/unc-student-activist-lost-scholarship-pro-palestinian-protest

www.wunc.org/education/2025-04-30/unc-student-pro-israel-palestinian-protest

[From the Haw River Assembly – see also:  www.hawriver.org/news/5-things-you-can-do-to-help-the-haw-river-this-month –

Against NC Senate Bill 472, regarding natural gas pipelines and infrastructure, etc. –

"⚠️ URGENT: PROTECT NC WATERS! (Letter link below!) Senate Bill 472 is now in the House - this bill would silence YOUR voice on projects threatening our drinking water! WHY THIS MATTERS: SB 472 could result in waived water permits for massive infrastructure projects (like fracked gas pipelines) if the DEQ doesn't review them within just *FIVE DAYS*! Environmental agencies are already understaffed; this effectively hands control of NC waterways to federal agencies which DON'T prioritize water quality.

🚨 WHAT'S AT STAKE: Your drinking water safety and your right to have a say about projects in YOUR neighborhood. TAKE ACTION NOW: Write your letter! https://actionnetwork.org/letters/a14b7ccd60e12d22fa53ae32f1d20c9219929a91 Call and write your NC House representative TODAY Join the Call In Party on May 15 at 1:00pm - Register for the Zoom Meetup HERE! Tell them to VOTE NO on Senate Bill 472 Ask them to speak out AGAINST this bill on the floor and social media Remind them: This is an unworkable solution to a non-existent problem! Make it personal - tell your rep why and how clean water matters to YOU and your family. 📱 FIND YOUR REP: https://www.ncleg.gov/findyourlegislators

Urgent Pittsboro Climate Action Alert: Make YOUR voice heard at the meeting this Monday, May 12

Pittsboro faces a 1,000% population increase from approved developments. Without proper planning, this means more sprawl, more traffic, more pollution and greater climate impacts. 🙌 We need YOUR voice at the Town Board meeting THIS MONDAY (May 12) at 6pm at the Chatham County Agricultural Center.

TWO CRITICAL ACTIONS:

1️⃣ Support a strong Climate Action Plan with policies that combat sprawl.

2️⃣ Oppose Chatham Park's "Big Area Plan" for South Village - we need smaller, more thoughtful planning areas."]

[HRA anti-SB 472 toolkit and communication strategy:  www.hawriver.org/news/say-no-to-sb472

Contact the NC General Assembly at:  actionnetwork.org/letters/a14b7ccd60e12d22fa53ae32f1d20c9219929a91

In support of the 2025 Water Safety Act / NC Senate Bill 666 (as is the HRA):  terribuckner.substack.com/p/support-the-2025-water-safety-act

NC Asian Americans Together's Common Roots Fest: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) Celebration 2025 is May 17th 11am-4pm at the Durham Historic Athletic Park (500 West Corporation Street downtown):  www.ncaat.org/commonroots and www.facebook.com/events/576416371555132/  From the organizers:

"May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) -- come celebrate with us at the 4th annual Common Roots Fest! We'll have Asian artists, a vendor market, performances, food, and more. This event is FREE and welcomes all ages. It will be held outdoors at Durham Historic Athletic Park from 11am - 4pm. RSVP for event updates by filling out this form; more details to come.

Our theme, Common Roots, calls to mind the unique journeys and contributions of the many diverse communities across Asian and Pacific Islander diasporas, while highlighting the beauty we create together as we forge connections across backgrounds and generations – just as every individual root of a plant shares in nourishing each leaf and branch, so the entire being thrives.

[ ... ]

We're celebrating APAHM all May long, so be on the lookout for a list of programming from us throughout the month!"

[May is also Bike Month every year.]

Durham's 55th annual Bimbe Cultural Arts Festival is May 17th 1-7pm at Rock Quarry Park (701 Stadium Drive):  www.dprplaymore.org/281/Bimbe-Cultural-Arts-Festival 

Forwarded by Will Cook from Duke:

Dear Will,

I'm a producer on Ian Cheney's latest documentary film, OBSERVER. We're fortunate to be partnering with the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh for a unique event this Saturday, May 17th at 1 PM. They'll screen the movie and then invite people to head outside for observation.

I'm reaching out to you because I'm quite amazed by your website, Carolina Nature, and I'm hopeful that this film might resonate with your deeply committed practice as a photographer. OBSERVER is an exploration and celebration of the power of observation. Here's the trailer [ www.observerfilm.org/ ]!

In addition to the film, we are providing several Observer kits assembled by the filmmaking team and given away to audience members. Each kit contains a hand-painted red square, a notepad, a pencil, two dice, a hand lens, a sand timer, a watercolor kit, a Foldscope, and a booklet of observation games inspired by the film. Perhaps these kits might help to extend the universe of the film into everyday lives.

I hope this piques your interest. Let me know if you end up checking out the film!

Thank you so much for your consideration.

[ ... ]"

May 17th 1-3pm at the North Carolina Museum Natural Sciences' SECU Daily Planet Theater in Raleigh:  naturalsciences.org/calendar/event/observer-screening-and-exploration/

\

And:

Learn about a native minnow of lotic, flowing waters (Nocomis leptocephalus), in Spanish:  naturalsciences.org/calendar/news/learn-about-bluehead-chubs-in-spanish/  Males build pebble nests in clear water around now, with one piled up by a bluehead chub or a related species weighing about 235 pounds and containing 7,000 pebbles.  A Nocomis minnow might be common in Meeting of the Waters Creek at UNC and schools can be observed from the nature trails at the NC Botanical Garden.  I don't see such minnows in the usually turbid and more impaired and slow-flowing creeks at  the south end of Durham County, though maybe there are some around, and there are clearer waters near downtown and north.  Schools of cute new catfish will be out in sheltered shallows in ponds and in a few weeks.

The Museum's giant ocean sunfish / Mola mola was found washed up on or near the NC Outer Banks May 31, 1926:  naturalsciences.org/calendar/news/on-exhibit-ocean-sunfish/ and see:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_sunfish  At an aquarium in Japan I think a sunfish was thought to be unhappy without the visitors during the pandemic lockdowns, so cutout figures were put up – in a recent issue (May?) of Fortean Times. 

The Museum's new Blue Whales special exhibit will be open June 21, 2025–January 11, 2026:  naturalsciences.org/exhibits/special-exhibitions/whales

An ongoing exhibit:  duelingdinosaurs.org/

A new dinosaur license plate in NC, benefitting the NCMNS:  naturalsciences.org/calendar/dino-plate/

The first sea turtle nest of the year for NC was found recently.  Many cold-stunned sea turtles had to be picked up and rehabilitated a few months ago.  

A headless dolphin was found washed up on the coast recently, apparently a suspicious act, and there is a large reward for more information.  Several larger whales are thought to have been killed by ship collisions off the coast so far in 2025.

A 16-spot ladybug pupated on my door and hatched out early May 16th and was initially orange-red and spotless.  The lizardlike, dark-colored larvae had a yellow outline of a rectangle on its back.  [A ladybug with 14 spots was attracted to a door by lights early on the 22nd.]  Summer fireflies, also beetles, should begin emerging within a few days, and periodic cicadas might be up in parts of North Carolina.  I heard a report of a red-spotted purple butterfly out in northern Chatham County (see:  roadsendnaturalist.com/2025/04/30/walking-the-woods/ ), but I haven't seen any myself yet, and few butterflies overall.   I saw a question mark (?) and a crescent of some kind weeks ago, and last year's many black swallowtails have mostly or all hatched out already.  Various gray and brown Hypagyrtis inchworm moths were common at lights and I found a large gray inchworm out at night.  Imported roaches are being frisky and the native (?) ones have appeared at night.  Late-blooming white azaleas here are flowering a lot this year; blue-eyed grass species, golden ragwort (?), dogbane, Japanese and Chinese privets, white clover, yellow hop clover, hawkweed, 'daisy fleabane,' only a few lyre-leaved sages, etc. have been or are flowering.  It might have been a bad year for growing persimmons last year.  I must have missed the flowering of the East Asian kiri / royal Paulownias / princess trees / foxglove trees by now.  Similar but white and native Southern Catalpas bloom around now, and the Northern Catalpas at UNC are probably just finished or are finishing now.  I wanted to check on the yellow stargrass.  Elderberries bloom in May, around now, and then (?) buttonbushes, very attractive to butterflies and other insects.  Manhattan Euonymus also bloom around early summer, but they are most attractive to many unusual wasp and fly species and soldier beetles, as well as a few red-spotted purples and hairstreaks if I remember correctly.  It was humid, mild, and wet for about a week before May 17th, and will be hotter this weekend (?).  Hot summer weather usually begins around mid-May here, though there can be cool and damp spells even in June.  Gray treefrogs down the road were pleased.  The gray catbirds, towhees, brown thrashers, cardinals, flycatchers (?), Carolina wrens, red-shouldered hawks, barred owls, various woodpeckers, mourning doves, one or two crow species, etc. have been around in the neighborhood.  [An owl perched on a streetlight pole here one evening, around the 19th.]  Rabbits and deer have been around; maybe the deer are checking for flower buds on the daylilies.  The wind suddenly picked up a lot just after 6am and then quickly died down; I think it will clear later, maybe in time for dawn (No).  The waning Moon was visible a few times this week, and might be low in Sagittarius again the morning of the 17th but it is overcast and dawning now.

[Chainsaws and heavy mowers nearby on the 16th, after a wet week, and a chainsaw sounds even closer this morning.  A nearby house got a potted tree recently, after letting yellow daffodils planted by a previous owner in what is now lawn flower for once this spring?]  [A relatively large Spanish oak/Southern red oak was cut on the 22nd.] 

The spring Kermes Community Fiesta in El Futuro's central greenspace in Durham mentioned in an earlier calendar post was re-scheduled to Sunday, May 18th 4-7pm:  www.facebook.com/elfuturoNC/posts/pfbid0vo3Lu1GoMRfWkQHztbyYwrn6ruP476W35fmvZy1pfRJHmYfA8Mruc9wUXsnTCjjWl and elfuturo-nc.org  An old announcement that defines "La Kermes" – elfuturo-nc.org/hispanic-heritage-kermes-fiesta/ ]

[Around May 16th or 15th Morning Edition on NPR discussed whether the Biden-Harris administration covered up problems with Biden's neurological functioning in light of revelations contained in the soon to be published book Original Sin – it seems to me that NPR's staff need to answer what they knew and when did they knoe it, since their coverage denied that Biden had a problem and at one point a few years ago even seemed to be suggesting that the vice president was the one with a neurological problem.  At one point a program, maybe Morning Edition, had a guest on who said that age in general isn't a problem and he might have argued that it was ageist to think that Biden shouldn't run again in 2024.  The Democratic Party as a whole engineered the primary process to make sure Biden won the nomination (I wonder of they will change the primary calendar for 2028?) and they defended him in 2024.  In NC the primary options were something like Biden, uncommitted (what would I have been voting for?), and the unstated option of abstaining, while in Florida they didn't even have a primary.  The Democratic Party took strong measures against opponents and NPR ignored or disparaged Biden's opponents.  Strangely they did talk about challenger Cornel West, who coincidentally seemed to fade away by November.  Now anti-democratic lawyer Marc Elias is held up as a hero against Trump.  NPR did ask about Biden's age leading up to the election, but I don't recall any stories suggesting that Biden was having neurological difficulties potentially making him unfit for office.  They don't want to talk about what Congress has been doing, Hunter Biden, or the Democratic Party leaks either (I heard that there have been new claims or revelations about the leaks by Seymour Hersh, but not on the radio).  Earlier this year and maybe in 2024 I think NPR briefly questioned Trump's neurological functioning and age.  I think Trump has bad ideas and temperament [and likewise with Biden] rather than an obvious neurological problem, though, as NPR pointed out before the election, Trump is old and will be even older by the end of his term.  George W Bush was also pathologized and mocked rather than argued against.  Some supposed 'centrists' think that the Democratic Party needs to advocate for neoliberal "common sense," after going so far to the supposed 'left' in recent years, they say.  Just now Scott Simon slipped up with Ron Elving and said Trump when he meant Biden.

Trump is backing the Ukrainian war effort, but the vapors of Russiagate continue.  The BBC has much more coverage of the starvation siege and assault on Gaza than NPR, and the BBC, NPR, Dissent magazine, Portside, etc. laud HTS rule in Syria and no doubt would do likewise if Venezuela falls to the US.  The coverage of Trump's roll back of the economic warfare against Syria has been reminiscent of the post-coup period – everyone is deliriously happy and the streets will soon be paved with gold.  The BBC brought in rightists praising the business opportunities for the "West" in Syria.  Around May 12th or later it started again – Trump or the administration is "frustrated" with Israel  but they don't do anything about it, apart from unilaterally negotiating with Ansar Allah, etc.  I read today that Ansar Allah allegedly chased off even the F-35 stealth wonderweapons and older but still very expensive fighter jets and unmanned aircraft, some of which fell into the Red Sea.  Qatar is now an important enemy for  Israel?  Russia is allegedly doing xyz to poor western Ukraine, but little is said about what Israel is doing to its neighbors, such as the great 'new Syria.'  I think I even heard something in May about how bad China allegedly treats the Uighurs.  An Afrikaner "refugee" in the US allegedly once sent out an "antisemitic" tweet over something like how Christians are treated in Israel, a state beloved by "Western" Christian fundamentalists.  There has been silence about the wars in Sudan (called the world's greatest humanitarian crisis, I assume based on the number of people at risk) and Myanmar.   

A snake caused a power outage in Wayne County recently, and before that in Durham and Rolesville (Wake County)?]  [I think a snake, deceased, recently caused a train or subway shutdown in a Japanese city.]

[Praise for Radio Free Asia against the Cambodian "dictatorship" of Hun Sen and the "military dictatorship" in Myanmar.  Radio Free Asia might lean to the "left," they say – the way reforms could be carried out in Japanese-occupied Manchuria that weren't allowed in militarist Japan itself?

There was an issue with the liberal Town of Chapel Hill hiding LGBT content earlier in 2025? – triangleblogblog.com/2025/03/19/town-of-chapel-hill-scrubs-lgbt-related-websites/ 

[October 7, 2023 propaganda for Israel from their act at Eurovision 2025?  

Technically I think Israel is a West Asian country, though now inhabited by many Europeans and Americans colonists, while Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine are on the continent of Europe and inhabited by ethnic Europeans.  Parts of Central Asia might even be in Europe, and they have an ancient history of immigration from both Asia and Europe (Afghanistan is an example). The BBC talked about the 'Eastern' song contest, attended by Finland back when it was a neutral country, etc. one day this week.  Never a mention of Japan's winter song contest (red and white?), which has also been going on for many decades.  

The Islamic Resistance/Hamas released an Israeli-American POW this week, without the release of any of the hostages and POWs being held and mistreated in Israel.] 

[According to the Town of Pittsboro, Public Works Week is May 18-24th and Police Week was May 11-17th.]

[April 15, 2025 the Bynum Historic District on the Haw River in Chatham County, between Pittsboro and Chapel Hill, was added to the the National Historic Register:  hpo.nc.gov/survey-and-national-register/national-register-historic-places/nc-listings-national-register-historic-places and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bynum,_North_Carolina ]

[May 22nd:  The last blanks for US pennies have been ordered or received, prior to the coin's abolition?  Other countries have tried to abolish their lowest denomination coins, I think with mixed results.  Could it be inflationary?]

From the NCCC:

Dear Friend,   You're invited to join us for an event on Guantanamo’s Future: Detention, Expansion, and Resistance to learn from policy experts, faith leaders, and advocates at this in-person lunch and panel event. Sunday, May 18, 12:15 PM Benson Memorial United Methodist Church 4706 Creedmoor Rd, Raleigh

It has been 23 years since the U.S. opened an offshore prison for Muslim men at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The U.S. government chose this location to escape the rule of law—allowing it to detain men secretly and torture with impunity. Hundreds of Muslim men have passed through Guantanamo, and today, 15 remain. Three of them are slated to be held forever, without charge or trial. Now, in 2025, the Trump Administration is expanding Guantanamo once again—this time to imprison immigrants. The President has suggested as many as 30,000 immigrants could be detained there. What can we do to push back?   The event will begin with lunch, followed by a panel discussion moderated by the Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director of the North Carolina Council of Churches. Panelists include:  Yumna Rizvi, Senior Policy Analyst at the Center for Victims of Torture, who will speak on the ongoing use of Guantanamo in the U.S. "War on Terror" Rev. Dr. Ben Boswell, who previously served as an Infantry Officer in the North Carolina Army National Guard and as an Adjunct Professor of Political Theology and Ethics at the John Leland Center for Theological Studies in Arlington, VA, and was a member of the NC Commission of Inquiry on Torture Joe Furtick, a paralegal with the Immigration Office of Church World Service Durham, who will address the threats facing immigrants and how we can help Following the panel we will take action together to mobilize against this expansion of injustice. Register now!

DONATE

[A webinar, "The fight against fascism, then & now: 80 years after the defeat of Nazism" will be held May 18th 11am-1pm EDT; organized by the International Manifesto Group or Friends of Socialist China:  www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-fight-against-fascism-then-now-80-years-after-the-defeat-of-nazism-tickets-1354882613369 ]

[With diplomatic historian, emeritus Anthony D’Agostino of San Francisco State University:  icssmarx.org/what-is-economic-nationalism-some-historians-notes-on-the-present-antagonisms-among-the-great-powers-anthony-dagostino-may-18-2025-1030-am-pacific-time/ ]

[Meet CovertAction Editors & Writers May 19th at 7pm, with John Kiriakou, Louis Wolf, Dan Kovalic, Chris Agee, and Jeremy Kuzmarov; ticket cost $25 dollars and benefit the organization:  www.eventbrite.com/e/meet-greet-wthe-writers-and-editors-tickets-1362366989339 ]

[From Friends of Bolin Creek: 

[

"Defend the Maple View Farm Legacy Attend the Community Meeting Wednesday, May 28, 2025 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm Whitted Building - Donna S. Baker Meeting Room 300 West Tryon St., Hillsborough *** Attend the County Board of Adjustment Hearing Wednesday, June 11, 2025 7:00 pm Whitted Building, 300 West Tryon St., Hillsborough

When you think of the Maple View Farm area in southern Orange County, you might picture rolling pastures, dairy cows, an agricultural center, locals enjoying ice cream on hot summer days, and quiet open space — as pictured above. For decades, Maple View Farm was a cornerstone of our rural community. In 2022, that changed. Bob Nutter died and the family sold the working dairy that had served its neighbors and cared for the land. The Nutter family sold the land to Union Grove Farm (UGF), which has since set in motion a development plan that threatens the very purpose of the Rural Buffer. What is Proposed? The new owner is requesting to build a 2,500-seat amphitheater, a 40-person hotel with a restaurant, a distillery, a regenerative agriculture education center, ten casitas (small homes), and a garden with a 2000 square foot pavilion — all under the claim of being an “agritourism” operation exempt from county zoning laws. While the hotel must go through normal approval, the rest has already been greenlit as “agritourism” by Orange County Planning staff. Why Does the Outcome Matter? What appeared at first to be a zoning loophole has the potential to become a precedent-setting attempt to bring commercial businesses into the Rural Buffer, a protected area designed to preserve low-density, agricultural, and natural uses. This development would open the door to more commercial incursions, undermining one of the most important land conservation tools in the region. It also violates a conservation easement held by the Triangle Land Conservancy, which was put in place to permanently protect the land’s agricultural, scenic, and ecological value. The amphitheater, distillery, and education center are proposed on land specifically protected under that easement that was once home to rare bird species and biodiverse habitats. What Is the Rural Buffer? Established in 1987 under the Joint Planning Agreement (JPA) between Orange County, Carrboro, and Chapel Hill, the Rural Buffer was created to limit urban sprawl, preserve farmland, and protect open space. It allows dense development inside towns while ensuring the surrounding countryside remains rural in character with no urban services like sewer or water expansion. In exchange, farms enjoy an exemption from county zoning, including protections for public safety, sanitation, traffic, and more. Under the JPA, the Rural Buffer is intended for single-family homes on large lots, bona fide farms, and low-intensity agricultural support uses. Commercial venues like hotels and amphitheaters are not permitted. Through wise land use policies, Orange County leaders have continued our farming traditions. What Is the Purpose of a Conservation Easement? A conservation easement is a legal agreement that permanently limits how land can be used in order to protect wildlife habitats, water quality, and the natural rural environment. These agreements are foundational to long-term land and watershed protection. Bob Nutter, the family patriarch, worked with the Triangle Land Conservancy (TLC [ triangleland.org/ ]) to place an easement on portions of Maple View’s farmland to safeguard it in perpetuity. Now, that easement is under threat as the new owner seeks to repurpose that land for private entertainment and tourism. TLC and neighbors are appealing the county’s decision on the proposed amphitheater to the Board of Adjustment. A Disappearing Landscape…And Its Birds Maple View Farm was once one of the top birding areas in Orange County. Over 180 species had been recorded there. In recent years, as the dairy was replaced with vineyards and sheep pastures, bird counts have dropped with only half as many birds and species observed last year compared to previous years. According to its permit application, UGF has applied to install lasers to keep birds away, which is a stark and disturbing contradiction to its marketing of “regenerative agriculture” and “enhancing biodiversity.” What You Can Do: Attend the Community Meeting Wednesday, May 28 @ 6:30 PM Whitted Building, 300 W. Tryon St., Hillsborough Attend the Board of Adjustment Hearing Wednesday, June 11 @ 7 PM Whitted Building, 300 W. Tryon St., Hillsborough (Public comment is not allowed, but your presence matters.) Donate to the Legal Fund defendmapleviewcommunity.com If you would like to receive updates, send your email to this address. info[at bolincreek org] Your Voice Matters The outcome of this permit request will potentially affect the integrity of the Rural Buffer, the future of land conservation in Orange County, and what kind of development we allow in our rural communities. Let’s make sure that a loophole does not take away farmland meant to be protected for future generations."]

[Re-posting:

When you think of the Maple View Farm area in southern Orange County, you might picture rolling pastures, dairy cows, an agricultural center, locals enjoying ice cream on hot summer days, and quiet open space — as pictured above. For decades, Maple View Farm was a cornerstone of our rural community.

In 2022, that changed. Bob Nutter died and the family sold the working dairy that had served its neighbors and cared for the land. The Nutter family sold the land to Union Grove Farm (UGF), which has since set in motion a development plan that threatens the very purpose of the Rural Buffer.

What is Proposed?

The new owner is requesting to build a 2,500-seat amphitheater, a 40-person hotel with a restaurant, a distillery, a regenerative agriculture education center, ten casitas (small homes), and a garden with a 2000 square foot pavilion — all under the claim of being an “agritourism” operation exempt from county zoning laws. While the hotel must go through normal approval, the rest has already been greenlit as “agritourism” by Orange County Planning staff.

Why Does the Outcome Matter?

What appeared at first to be a zoning loophole has the potential to become a precedent-setting attempt to bring commercial businesses into the Rural Buffer, a protected area designed to preserve low-density, agricultural, and natural uses. This development would open the door to more commercial incursions, undermining one of the most important land conservation tools in the region.

It also violates a conservation easement held by the Triangle Land Conservancy, which was put in place to permanently protect the land’s agricultural, scenic, and ecological value. The amphitheater, distillery, and education center are proposed on land specifically protected under that easement that was once home to rare bird species and biodiverse habitats.

What Is the Rural Buffer?

Established in 1987 under the Joint Planning Agreement (JPA) between Orange County, Carrboro, and Chapel Hill, the Rural Buffer was created to limit urban sprawl, preserve farmland, and protect open space. It allows dense development inside towns while ensuring the surrounding countryside remains rural in character with no urban services like sewer or water expansion. In exchange, farms enjoy an exemption from county zoning, including protections for public safety, sanitation, traffic, and more.

Under the JPA, the Rural Buffer is intended for single-family homes on large lots, bona fide farms, and low-intensity agricultural support uses. Commercial venues like hotels and amphitheaters are not permitted. Through wise land use policies, Orange County leaders have continued our farming traditions.

What Is the Purpose of a Conservation Easement?

A conservation easement is a legal agreement that permanently limits how land can be used in order to protect wildlife habitats, water quality, and the natural rural environment. These agreements are foundational to long-term land and watershed protection.

Bob Nutter, the family patriarch, worked with the Triangle Land Conservancy (TLC [ triangleland.org/ ]) to place an easement on portions of Maple View’s farmland to safeguard it in perpetuity. Now, that easement is under threat as the new owner seeks to repurpose that land for private entertainment and tourism. TLC and neighbors are appealing the county’s decision on the proposed amphitheater to the Board of Adjustment.

A Disappearing Landscape…And Its Birds

Maple View Farm was once one of the top birding areas in Orange County. Over 180 species had been recorded there. In recent years, as the dairy was replaced with vineyards and sheep pastures, bird counts have dropped with only half as many birds and species observed last year compared to previous years.

According to its permit application, UGF has applied to install lasers to keep birds away, which is a stark and disturbing contradiction to its marketing of “regenerative agriculture” and “enhancing biodiversity.”

What You Can Do:

Attend the Community Meeting

Wednesday, May 28 @ 6:30 PM

Whitted Building, 300 W. Tryon St., Hillsborough

Attend the Board of Adjustment Hearing

Wednesday, June 11 @ 7 PM

Whitted Building, 300 W. Tryon St., Hillsborough

(Public comment is not allowed, but your presence matters.)

Donate to the Legal Fund

defendmapleviewcommunity.com

If you would like to receive updates, send your email to this address.

info[at bolincreek org]

Your Voice Matters

The outcome of this permit request will potentially affect the integrity of the Rural Buffer, the future of land conservation in Orange County, and what kind of development we allow in our rural communities. Let’s make sure that a loophole does not take away farmland meant to be protected for future generations."]

["Inside the Belly of a Volcano – A Geologic Hike Around Bolin Creek," with Phil Bradley, PG, Senior Piedmont Geologist at the NC Geological Survey, will be May 18th 2-4pm, meeting at Wilson Park in Carrboro; RSVP was required, but the event is now full:  bolincreek.org/blog/events/  I heard something about why there is a great hill of granite (?) in Chapel Hill, and why East Franklin Street has its incline, in an introductory geology class at UNC.  Granite might explain downtown Chapel Hill's soft, probably nutrient-rich soil, compared to the poorer, acidic soil in the clayey Triassic Basin to the east, some of it inside Chapel Hill's town limits and UNC owns some of this land.]

[From Keep Durham Beautiful:

• May 15 - Summer Garden Maintenance Workshop
• May 16 - Booker T. Spicely Opening Reception & Program
• May 16 - Durham Third Friday Art Walk
• May 17 - Beaver Queen Pageant Kickoff Party
• May 17 - 55th Annual Bimbé Cultural Arts Festival
• May 17 - Circular Triangle Clothing & Art Swap
• May 17 - Common Roots Fest: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration
• May 17 - Carpenter Rd and Ferrell Rd Cleanup
• May 20 - Plant & Book Swap at Ment Beverage Co
• May 22 - Durham Cooperative Extension Report to the Community
• May 22 - Webinar: Learn about Ground-Nesting Bees
• May 24 - Durham Cultural Roadmap Town Hall
• May 25 - Museum of Life & Science Party for the Planet
• May 27 - Moths Program at Durham County Main Library
• May 30-31 - Invasive Plant Removal at Orchard Park
• May 31 - Haw River Assembly Trash Trap Cleanouts
• June 6 - Circular Triangle's 2025 Sustainability Summit
• June 7 - Beaver Queen Pageant ]

[Preservation Durham's Golden Anniversary Home Tour is May 17-18th, 12-4pm:  www.preservationdurham.org/hometour ]

[Green Burials and DIY Funerals May 24th at 12pm at the Main Library:  durhamcountylibrary.libcal.com/event/14099550 ]

[There will be an Arts Town Hall on "the future of arts and culture in Durham" May 24th 2-4pm at the Hayti Heritage Center (804 Old Fayetteville Street) https:  www.durhamnc.gov/451/Durham-Cultural-Roadmap ]

[Through May 30th, apply to join the Durham Next Community Advisory Council (CAC):  www.discoverdurham.com/ ]

[The Durham County Library Garden Club will host a tour of the Main Library grounds with Tree Specialist Jesse Breden May 31st at 10am:  durhamcountylibrary.libcal.com/event/12770891 ]

Circular Triangle's second annual Sustainability Summit will be Friday, June 6th 9am-1pm at SEEDS Durham.]

 

[Durham Bee Day 2025 will be June 21st 9am-12pm at the Farmers' Market at the Durham Central Park; part of Pollinator Week 2025.]  [There will be a related Food Truck Rodeo there June 1st from 12 to 4pm.]

[The Pittsboro Farmers Market meets on Thursdays, 3pm-6pm, at 220 Lorax Lane in Pittsboro (at The Plant?):  pittsborofarmersmarket.org ]

[International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) was May 4-10th.] 

[Learn about the New Durham Unified Development Ordinance (slightly edited):

"Attend a Meeting Virtual Meeting Thursday, May 22, 6PM-7:30PM Zoom registration link: bit.ly/MayVirtualUDO In-Person Meeting Thursday, May 29, 6PM-7:30PM Location: W.G. Pearson Auditorium, 600 E Umstead St Registration link: bit.ly/InPersonUDO Virtual Q&A with Project Consultants Code Studio Tuesday, June 3, 6PM-7PM Zoom registration link: bit.ly/CodeConnect4 Drop by and Chat at Open Office Hours with Planning staff at Durham County Libraries MAY 2025 Tuesday, May 27 @ 3pm-6pm South Regional Library 4505 S Alston Ave NEW JUNE 2025 Thursday, June 5 @ 3pm-6pm Main Library 300 N Roxboro St  Tuesday, June 10 @ 3pm-6pm East Regional Library 211 Lick Creek Ln NEW Thursday, June 19 @ 10am-1pm Main Library 300 N Roxboro St  Thursday, June 26 @ 3pm-5:30pm North Regional Library 221 Milton Rd NEW  JULY 2025 Thursday, July 3 @ 3pm-6pm Main Library 300 N Roxboro St  *After July, office hours will continue on the first and third Thursdays at the Main Library These engagement sessions will focus on drafts of proposed “development standards” that will work in conjunction with these new zoning districts, including standards for lighting, landscaping, parking, bicycle and mobility, mass grading, transitions and buffers, and signs. The technical consultant for the project, Code Studio, has recorded a presentation introducing residents to this new draft content. Watch the video to learn more! (This video is also available in Spanish) For the latest updates and more information, please visit our website at engagedurham.com/35/New-UDO.

Nueva Actualización del Proyecto UDO    ¡RESERVE LA FECHA! ¡Únase a nosotros en una próxima oportunidad de brindarnos su opinión sobre borradores adicionales de la nueva Ordenanza Unificada de Desarrollo (UDO)!" [ ... ]

["Chatham Diversion & Advocacy Programs will be hosting the Reentry Simulation where you can experience the challenges that individuals reintegrating into society after incarceration face. The event will take place at the Siler City Center for Active Living 112 Village Lake Road, Siler City, NC 27344 [date?] where people can engage in interactive activities that help increase awareness and empathy. Please see flyer for more information.

If you have any questions or would like assistance signing up please reach out to

 

Kimberly Jones, Reentry Coordinator.

 

Call: 919-545-1990

kimberly.jones[at chathamcountync gov]

 

Thank you,

Briana Avalos

Deputy Town Clerk

[ ... ]"

[A webinar, "How can Veterans For Peace and Labor Work Together?," with Mark Dimondstein, president of the APWU; Rose Roach, National Coordinator for the Labor Campaign for Single Payer and Chair of Healthcare for All Minnesota and former executive director of the Minnesota Nurses Association; Mark Smith, president of National Federation of Federal Employees Local 1 and a member of the steering committee of the Federal Unionists Network (FUN); and ant-war and labor activist John Braxton, will be a held on Zoom Tuesday, May 20th at 7:30pm EDT:  us02web.zoom.us/j/83840337260#success ]  [Mark Dimondstein began working for the USPS in Greensboro, NC in 1983, according to:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Dimondstein ]

[A War Industry Resisters Network (WIRN) webinar, "The Liberation of Palestine Is the Liberation of the United States," with Dr Rania Masri (an author and active in the anti-war movement here about 20 years ago?) will be Thursday, May 22nd 8-9:30pm EDT:  secure.everyaction.com/0CGu15ERAk-3kwhF17FQ6g2 –

"This talk explores why the liberation of Palestine—and the struggle against Zionism—is central to movements for justice, democracy, and equity within the United States. Drawing connections between the U.S. military-industrial complex, the erosion of First and Fourth Amendment rights, and the intertwined forces of capitalism, militarism, and settler-colonialism, the talk will argue that Palestine serves as a canary in the coal mine for domestic repression. It will also address the escalating crimes of Zionism against Palestinians, Syrians, and Lebanese communities, and call for solidarity rooted in shared liberation.

Dr. Rania Masri is from the artificially divided land of Greater Syria. Since 1993, she has organized for justice and against systems of oppression and wars—through protests, teach-ins, and conferences; political organizing; writings and media work; and nearly two decades of teaching holistic environmental sciences (including environmental justice) at the university level. She recognizes the intersectionality of struggles and the need to stand in solidarity, not in charity."

There will be a People's Assembly for Peace and Justice May 25th in Dayton, Ohio, against NATO's “2025 NATO Parliamentary Assembly;” there will be a rally 12pm-2pm at Deed's Point Metropark and an assembly 3pm-6pm at The Brightside Venue; organized by the ANSWER Coalition, The People's Forum, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation:  donorbox.org/events/766563/steps/choose_tickets  Charter buses have been announced from Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Louisville, and Pittsburgh. 

[There will be a People's Arms Embargo: Flash Mob Crosswalk Dance at the Main Gate of Travis Air Force Base (at Air Base Parkway and Parker Road) in Fairfield, California, disrupting [?] "commissary traffic" [May 31st at 10am] – peoplesarmsembargo.org/ ]

I heard about this from woodsmokeblog.wordpress.com , though I knew about the YouTube channel –  From GETchan's Internet Archive page, at:  archive.org/details/@getchan_public_archive – 

GETchan Communist Music Archive

Archive of communist/socialist/revolutionary songs and music compilations uploaded to YouTube, primarily focusing on the GETchan YouTube channel. Also includes some compilations from similar channels.

https://www.youtube.com/c/GETchan

коммунистические музыкальные коллекции и редкие социалистические песни.

https://vk.com/getchan_ru

红色音乐合集和罕见的红歌。

https://space.bilibili.com/299067484/

clickable world map for these compilations: https://gpawm.neocities.org/ 

[Veterans for Peace's national convention and 40th anniversary will be July 25-27th at the University of Nevada, in Las Vegas.

Their Stu Naismith Chapter 90 in Binghamton, New York will meet at the graves of 19th century anti-imperialist Mark Twain and abolitionist John W Jones on Memorial Day.]

[A celebration of the 10th anniversary of the re-launch of the sailing ship Golden Rule (rebuilt at this location starting in 2010 and re-launched June 20, 2015) will be held June 14th 2-5pm, with a launch at 4pm, at Leroy Zerlang's boatyard (1492 Fay) in Samoa, California.  For more information contact Veterans for Peace.]

[The Presbyterian Peace Network for Korea is organizing a Korea Peace Journey October 21-30, but it might be too late to sign-up now:  ppnk.net/ ]

[Originally posted May 7th at:  www.veteransforpeace.org/pressroom/news/2025/05/07/veterans-peace-condemns-israels-drone-attack-freedom-flotill  

Veterans For Peace Condemns Israel's Drone Attack on Freedom Flotilla

Veterans For Peace has issued the following statement in response to Israel's drone attack on the Freedom Flotilla [May 3rd, in the Mediterranean Sea, 13 nautical miles from Malta]:

 

Veterans For Peace joins in the international condemnation of Israel's outrageous drone attack on the Conscience, an unarmed ship attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinian men, women - and especially children - who are being deliberately starved by Israel, with active collusion by the U.S.

 

We demand accountability for this attack on the Freedom Flotilla in international waters.

 

We demand that food, water, tents, fuel and all necessary aid be allowed to enter Gaza.

 

We demand an end to US/Israeli genocide and ethnic cleansing in Palestine.

 

We will continue to protest and resist US weapons shipments to Israel, and all forms of US support for genocide.

 

We will defend the Constitutionally protected right of freedom of speech and assembly.]

[Originally posted May 13th at:  www.veteransforpeace.org/pressroom/news/2025/05/13/conscientious-objectors-day

Conscientious Objectors' Day

Conscientious Objection:  Your Right and Your Duty

By Joy Metzler

There are lots of different ways to interpret the term “conscientious objector.” When I first learned about conscientious objection, it was in the context of Desmond Doss, who used conscientious objection to fight for his right to practice his religion while serving in the military during WWII. While the story resonated with me, I never dreamed that conscientious objection could ever apply to me.

Come April 2024, encampments meant to pressure universities to divest from Israel popped up – and were subsequently and violently dismantled by police forces – across the country. One such encampment popped up at Emory University, a mere half an hour from me, and I went to some of their protests to offer my help. I didn’t know how; I just knew that what the US was doing to Gaza by providing funds to their genocidal oppressor went against everything I valued and had learned growing up. Here, I met VFP members from the Atlanta chapter, and they suggested conscientious objection to me. This chance occurrence began my journey of self-discovery and foray into the world of conscientious objection.

The process was long and difficult, and at many times, it was a lonely one. I derived as much strength from the people around me as I could – physically and virtually – but many times I encountered people who supported me but didn’t understand what I was doing. Some of them were my military leadership, some were my friends, and others were members of my own family. For some people, conscientious objection is reminiscent of “draft dodgers” from Vietnam. Others have never even heard of it. As strict as the definition of it is, the people I knew who had applied for it varied widely in ideology, character, and belief systems. So I had to decide for myself what being a conscientious objector meant.

As I reflect on it now, I believe conscientious objection goes beyond the textbook definition that the military sets for it. I am a conscientious objector because I reject war, sure. I reject war as a means of oppression, greed, and imperialism. But I also reject the notion that service members have no choice but to follow orders, and I reject any right that the government feels it has over service members to force them to betray their conscience. This conscientious objector’s day, let it serve as a reminder that a soldier’s right to answer to their own morals is a higher calling than any the US might ask of its people. Join me in rejecting the violence that the US perpetrates – today in Gaza and the Middle East, tomorrow in China or Russia or another country the US has labeled as its enemy – and stand with conscientious objectors who have found a way to individually stand against the endless cycle of war.]

[A Resist NATO CounterSummit and Protest will take place June 21-22 in the Netherlands, at The Hague:  internationalsolidarity.org/resist-nato/ and www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ci_zwNgd_E ]

[The People’s Summit for Korea will be held in New York City July 25-27th:  peoplessummitforkorea.org ]

The 29th International Seminar: Problems of the Revolution in Latin America will be July 31st-August 2nd in Quito, Ecuador [see:  www.pcmle.org/EM/spip.php?article13780 ]

 

"Dear comrades,

Receive an affectionate revolutionary greeting from the PCMLE and the JRE, organizations of the revolutionary left of Ecuador. We wish you every success politically and personally.

We extend to you the cordial invitation to the 29th International Seminar: Problems of the Revolution in Latin America, to be held in Quito, on July 31 and August 1 and 2 of this year. The theme we propose is "Changes In International Geopolitics".

At the conclusion of the Seminar, the Celebration of the 61st Anniversary of the founding of the PCMLE will be held.

On behalf of the convening organizations, we request that the Delegation of the Political or Social Organization provide in due time the information of the Delegate or Delegates who will participate in the Seminar.

Participants can submit a paper that addresses the central theme, with a maximum length of 5 pages, and prepare a fifteen-minute talk to present during the event. We request that the presentations be sent by July 6.

The organizers assume the costs of accommodation, but not the arrival and return tickets."

A statement from European members of the ICMLPO has been printed in Scintilla (re-posted on DS at:  durhamspark.blogspot.com/2025/04/scintilla-against-militarization.html ) and in the current, May 6th, issue of En Marcha:  www.pcmle.org/EM/spip.php?article13766 

En Marcha #2135 from April 30 to May 6, 2025 [ www.pcmle.org/EM/spip.php?article13753 ; in English, Spanish, and Turkish at:  www.cipoml.net/ ]

Central Organ of the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of Ecuador

Strengthen the unity of the working class and peoples,
fight to end the regime of exploitation

[ICMLPO logo image]

In a world characterized by the sharpening of inter-imperialist contradictions, and the increase of the struggle of the working class and peoples against the domination of the bourgeoisie and imperialism, workers all over the planet are preparing to commemorate May 1, the day that upholds the struggle of the international proletariat for its demands and rights, to win their social emancipation.

U.S. imperialism has thrown the first darts in a new trade war, which will cause serious negative consequences in the growth of the world economy. There is agreement of opinions that the tariff policy applied by Donald Trump will lead to a recessionary process, international organizations such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have made downward updates to the growth forecasts of the global economy in this year 2025. The world was scandalized – and rightly so – by the fall in the stock markets in the US, Europe, Asia and Latin America in the days following April 2, the date on which Trump announced the new tariffs; large international monopolies "lost" millions of dollars due to the fall in their shares, quantities that by the way were recovered later. However, the most serious thing is that in times of recession and economic crisis it is the workers who are the most affected, because companies are closed, jobs are eliminated, inflation increases and the purchasing power of wages deteriorates, state budgets are cut and redirected, mechanisms are sought to intensify the exploitation of workers and maximize the profits of the bourgeoisie, to which incentives are also granted and taxes are reduced: in short, the people are the ones who bear the effects of the crisis. That is the logic of capitalism.

The international policy of the head of US imperialism seeks to recover the steps lost in recent years in its condition as a hegemonic power; this is why China is its main target of attack, as it is the only capitalist-imperialist power that, at this time, has proposed to contest that hegemony, which it is successfully doing. Trump's threatening speech to those who "rebel" against his tariff policy is now also used by Xi Jinping against countries that sign trade agreements with the US that harm China.

Tensions are growing on the international stage and the risk that the trade war will lead to confrontations of another kind, including in the military sphere, is present. Trump's interest in closing the chapter of the war in Ukraine is not due to any interest in promoting peace. The militarist vocation of Trump and the ruling circle in the White House is seen in the threats to send troops to the Panama Canal to gain control of it, in the announcement of taking Greenland, in the economic and military support for the Israeli Zionist regime that is murdering the Palestinian people, in the bombings launched on Yemen, to cite a few cases.

We are currently witnessing the growth of conservative, reactionary, fascist and pro-fascist right-wing political forces. Trump's presence in the US presidency encourages these sectors in the international arena. They are not the only enemies of the workers and peoples, the international bourgeoisie also has other instruments for deception: social democracy, progressivism and opportunism. We must confront all of them, as an indispensable condition for advancing in the organization of our forces with class independence.

From the International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations, ICMLPO, we call on the workers of the world, the youth and women of the popular sectors, the oppressed peoples and nationalities to work for the strengthening of the unity of the exploited and oppressed, to strengthen their social and political organizations in order to confront the bourgeoisie and imperialism, to raise the struggle for their particular demands and rights, to lead our struggles to the victory of the social revolution of the proletariat and to the construction of socialism and communism.

Long live May 1st, the International Day of Unity, Solidarity and
the Struggle of the Working Class!

Solidarity with the Palestinian people who are confronting genocidal Israeli Zionism!

With Marxism-Leninism, for the revolution and socialism!

International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations – ICMLPO

April, 2025

[Events from mid-February, but some are still upcoming, May 23rd though September:

NSOTA's Statement on the war in Gaza, etc.:  www.nsota.org/statement  (NSOTA is a new university-type institution, operating in-person in the UK and online; a new term begins in September.

On immigration:  wefightback2025.org/action-listings

The Anti-War Action Network Founding Conference was in Saint Paul, Minnesota in February 2025:  www.eventbrite.com/e/anti-war-action-network-founding-conference-tickets-1126416474999?aff=oddtdtcreator 

The Durham Environmental Committee met February 10th; it meets on second Mondays, 11am-12pm over Zoom:  www.keepdurhambeautiful.org/dec

From the HRA January 24th:

A step back in our fight against the Southeastern Supply Enhancement Project (SSEP) Pipeline:

 FERC staff on Tuesday issued a notice that it will prepare a comparatively less rigorous environmental assessment — rather than an environmental impact statement — for the Southeast Supply Enhancement project, a gas infrastructure expansion opposed by environmental groups.

The project will include over 54 miles of new pipeline across North Carolina and Virginia, additional compressor units and upgrades to existing infrastructure. If completed, the project would add an additional 1,596,900 dekatherms per day of fuel capacity in the Southeast. Staff wrote that all substantive comments related to the project, including concerns about fossil fuel expansion, climate change and impacts on low-income communities and communities of color already burdened by pollution, will be addressed in the EA.

The Sierra Club blasted the decision to undergo a “truncated review of the project” in a statement released Wednesday. "This massive methane gas project cuts a dangerous swath across state lines, seriously impacting communities and our environment,” said Caroline Hansley, a campaign organizing strategist at the environmental group said in a statement. There are three upcoming community organizing meetings to fight this project: Oak Ridge Town Hall, Jan 30 6-8pm Greensboro Church of the Covenant, Feb 11 6:15-8pm Winston Salem Parkway UCC, Feb 13 6:30-8pm The Guilford County Commissioners are meeting Thursday February 6, from 5:30-7pm. Click HERE to RSVP and learn more. You can also sign this Sierra Club petition. Here at the NoSSEP site, you can find many petitions as well. Write to a letter to the editor for the Greensboro News and Record. Follow the No SSEP Facebook page here!

Thursday, February 6th: State of the Haw Presentation, 6-7pm, 1420 Price Park Dr, Greensboro, NC 27410

? Join us at Kathleen Clay Edwards Library in Greensboro for a State of The Haw Presentation. We will address sediment issues to industrial contaminants and how they affect YOU! We will provide you with action items to help keep our river clean and healthy. This report and these presentations are meant to allow community members to learn about water quality and pollution issues. We also provide an open forum for the public to ask questions about issues of most concern. Please email events[at hawriver org] for more information! Please RSVP using this link!

*The next presentation will be February 20 in Graham! ]

The Annual Symposium of the NC Invasive Plant Council and the SC Invasive Pest Council was held February 11-13th in Wilmington, NC:  nc-ipc.weebly.com/2025-annual-symposium.html 

February 12th -- Darwin Day events  at the NCBG, etc.

From BAJ: 

 

       "SPACE ALLOCATIONS SHIFTED 

   OUR MEETING TO THIS WEDNESDAY    

     7:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY, February 12, 

   at the Community Church of Chapel Hill

                   106 Purefoy Road

   Balance and Accuracy in Journalism presents

     SOLIDARITY AND RESISTANCE

Widespread struggles resist the chaotic start of the new administration. 

Will the courts succeed in blocking unconstitutional interference 

against congressionally approved funding? 

      First they came for the immigrants….

A week ago, area workshops helping defend against

massive deportation had so many volunteers that some 

200 people were turned away.  We will share a list of local groups 

and churches mobilized.  This Spanish language guide is thorough:

 https://elpueblo.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Guia-de-Emergencia-web.pdf?emci=a60f3194-2de3-ef11-88f8-0022482a97e9&emdi=842a3c20-62e5-ef11-90cb-0022482a94f4&ceid=887832

While billionaires surrounded the president at his inauguration, labor unions 

strive for recognition. A  landmark union vote occurs Feb.10-15 

at an Amazon warehouse near Raleigh.  Ryan Brown, 

president of Carolina Amazonians United leads a 4PM Feb 9 rally

at the Amazon RDU1 warehouse. 

     

We will hear from Triangle Free Press editor Carl Hintz and others 

helping us connect with local and national action.

 

Uncertainty threatens Medicaid and Social Security funding,

and firings and layoffs now impact Triangle area researchers.

Are many of us, like the people of Palestine, now deemed disposable?   

President Trump claims Palestinians will be “cleaned out” of Gaza, and

Democracy Now interviews Jewish Currents editor Peter Beinart

about the powerful insights in his book, “Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza.”

https://www.democracynow.org/2025/2/6/peter_beinart_being_jewish_gaza_book

Beinart is professor of journalism and political science at the City University of New York.

                        People are rallying!

          Bring your ideas and information to share."

From the Woman's Club of Raleigh, on their 2025 Great Decisions series; registration:  pcwitt43 [at gmail]

      "WHEN:  Thursday morning 10:00 am to N00N

     SCHEDULE:  10:00 am Great Decisions video, 10:25ish speaker presents, 11:15 discussion and Q&A

     DATES:  March [January?] 30, February 6, 13,20,27, March 6, 13, 20

     VENUE:  3300 Woman's Club Drive, Raleigh, NC 27612

Free and ample parking in lot and on the street.

List of topics, in presentation order:

January 30   After Gaza: American Policy in the Middle East

Feb 6           American Foreign Policy at a Crossroads

Feb 13         U.S.-China Relations

Feb 20         International Cooperation on Climate Change

Feb 27         U.S. Changing Leadership of the World Economy

March 6       AI and American National Security

March 13     India: Between China, the West, and the Global South
March 30     The Future of NATO and European Security"

"DeepChat:  a  briefing on AI" -- "Join us for a Hedgehog Noontime Discussion tomorrow, Thursday, February 13, at 12:00 pm (EST) on Zoom with contributing editor and Wheaton College English professor Richard Hughes Gibson, who will give a presentation that will help us understand this moment in AI research and development." -- virginia.zoom.us/meeting/register/2Xa-9vh7RWao4GcP2dFkag#/registration

The Carolina Center for Jewish Studies' Margolis Lecture:  Antisemitism and Free Speech in Modern America was February 13th at 5:30pm at UNC's Stone Center; organized with the Department of Religious Studies -- jewishstudies.unc.edu/event/loeffler/  The announcement says "In 1949 a five-day pogrom rocked Chicago and led to a revolutionary First Amendment ruling by the US Supreme Court."  These could be right-dominated academic departments. 

I hadn't heard about this; the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies claims that students, presumably Jewish, said (not alleged) that they had been harassed at a Muslim Students Association meeting at UNC's Frank Porter Graham Student Union on January 29th, and the statement refers to "intimidation based on religious identity."  I don't know how credible this allegation is:  jewishstudies.unc.edu/2025/01/statement-january-31-2025 

A webinar, "The Other Side of the Wall: West Bank Stories of Colonization and Sumud," was 7-8:30pm February 13th; from Voices for Justice in Palestine -- "While the world has rightly been riveted to the 470-day genocide in Gaza, settler attacks, ethnic cleansing, and looming annexation in the West Bank have been 'under the radar.' Beth Brockman and Ron Shive will share eye opening stories and insights to move us, focus our attention, and ignite our activism."  Register at:    lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/rdgd2ag/lp/bd595f54-5425-4dbb-8d0c-8900ebc5da6d

An online talk by the author of The Light Eaters February 13th at 7pm CST (8pm EST?); organized by the Aldo Leopold Foundation:  www.crowdcast.io/c/the-light-eaters0213

The 10-day 33rd Havana International Book Fair began February 13th or 14th -- Diario Octubre. 

There were events for the 160th anniversary of the fall of Fort Anderson, near Wilmington and Fort Fisher, February 15th 10am-3pm and 6-7pm; "The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass" at the President James K Polk State Historic Site in Pineville was February 22nd 11am-12pm; an 18th-century linen "Wallet Workshop" was at the Alamance Battleground State Historic Site in Burlington February 22nd 10am-3pm; "Family Night at the CSS Neuse Museum" in Kinston was February 22nd-23rd; there was a reenactment of a March 5, 1781 Revolutionary War skirmish at the Alamance Battleground March 1st; there was another reenactment March 1st, commemorating a February 27, 1760 Cherokee attack on Fort Dobbs, in Statesville; etc. – historicsites.nc.gov/events 

From the OGS ( organicgrowersschool.org ?; note that their 2025 Spring Conference was Friday, March 14th-Sunday, March 16th, with the theme:  "Resilience, Recovery, and Renewal"): 

Plants for Everyone Sale at Smith Mill Works

Affordable Bare-Root Edible & Ornamental Plant Sale in Asheville, NC

After Hurricane Helene, our region needs stream bank stabilization in a big way! Smith Mill Works donates native plants suited for stream banks and erosion control to the community.

Sunday, February 16, noon PRE-ORDER DEADLINE

Thursday, February 27 (12pm – 6pm) Pre-order pickup

Friday, February 28 (12pm – 6pm) Pre-order pickup

Saturday, Mar 1 (12pm – 6pm) General Plant Sale ]

NCSTN will [meet]over Zoom "Friday, February 14th (Valentine's Day!) at 3:00 pm."

Very bright Venus, in the southwest or western sky, at the west end of Pisces, was brightest the evening of Valentine's Day, Friday, February 14th, at 6pm. 

Katsucon 2025 was February 14-16th in National Harbor, Maryland, near Washington, DC:  www.katsucon.org   

There was a Freedom for Palestine march from Whitehall to the US embassy in London, UK February 15th at 12pm; organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

Organized by Friends of Socialist China and the International Manifesto Group:

Register at:  www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/deepseek-and-the-challenge-to-us-technological-hegemony-tickets-1236045197459

"A quick reminder that our next webinar takes place this coming Sunday 16 February, at 4pm (Britain), 11am (US Eastern), 8am (US Pacific): DeepSeek and the challenge to US technological hegemony. Register free for the Zoom on Eventbrite or catch the live stream on YouTube!
 

Speakers

• Ben Norton (China-based broadcaster and geopolitical analyst)
• Li Jingjing (Journalist and broadcaster, CGTN)
• KJ Noh (Journalist, political analyst and peace activist)
• Michael Roberts (Marxist economist and blogger)
• Alan Freeman (Economist, co-director of the Geopolitical Economy Research Group)
• Gary Wilson (Author, War and Lenin in the 21st Century)
• Ali Al-Assam (Managing Director of the NewsSocial Cooperative)
• Radhika Desai (Convenor, International Manifesto Group)"

The mayor of Durham's annual State of the City address, etc. was downtown (but not in City Hall?) Tuesday, February 18th 6-8pm and broadcast online and on TV;  see the City's website for more information.

Durham-to-Roxboro Rail Trail drop-in workshops with the Durham Planning Department:

"February 19th, 6:30-8:00 PM at Club Boulevard Elementary School (400 W. Club Blvd.) This workshop will be held in Spanish and English. 

February 20th, 6:30-8:00 PM at Lakeview Secondary School (3507 Dearborn Dr.)

Learn more & take the survey: https://durham2roxborotrailplan.com/ "

"19 de febrero, de 6:30-8:00 p.m. en la Escuela Elemental Club Boulevard (400 W. Club Blvd.) Este taller se llevará a cabo en español e inglés.

20 de febrero, de 6:30-8:00 p.m. en la Escuela Secundaria Lakeview (3507 Dearborn Dr.)

Obtenga más información y responda la encuesta: https://durham2roxborotrailplan.com/ "

Red Books Day is February 21st.

The grand opening of Carrboro's new Drakeford Library Complex (the 203 Project; at 203 S. Greensboro Street) was Friday, February 21st at 11am [or post-poned??] "and featured speakers, a ribbon cutting and light refreshments. Tours were offered following the event throughout the day until 6 p.m."  For more information see:  www.carrboronc.gov/1151/Drakeford-Library-Complex-formerly-The-2 

The Global Day of Action to #CloseBases was February 23rd:   worldbeyondwar.org/closebases/

Mars, in Gemini in mid-February, quite bright at the time, and visible over much of the night, ended its retrograde motion February 24th ("stationary" at 5am) and again moved east, in direct motion, for about two years.  

National Invasive Species Awareness Week 2025 was February 24-28th:  naisma.org/programs/nisaw/ 

There was an author talk over Zoom, "'On the Swamp' with indigenous hydrologist Ryan Emanuel" February 24th at 7pm, organized by the Orange-Chatham Sierra Club: 

"Ryan Emanuel made his relationship with his tribe and its Lumbee river habitat into his profession at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment. He paddled the river, mapped it, analyzed it, and tried to protect it from gas pipelines and global warming. On Feb. 24 at 7 p.m., he will introduce us to his book On the Swamp about the fight for indigenous environmental justice. Join the Sierra Club by Zoom to hear him discuss his personal and scientific experience."

RSVP was requested at:  act.sierraclub.org/events/details?formcampaignid=701Po00000gIubUIAS

Zoom link:  us02web.zoom.us/j/86855218027?pwd=vDGd4zcV1kY5Xmcrox5CXYPxQzeeq8.1#success

Durham's annual Restaurant Week already went by for 2025; from the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation in Tennessee:  " Dine Nashville: The Music City Way's Restaurant Week was February 24 through March 2"

Some events in Mexico and Spain for the Year of the Indigenous Woman in 2025: 

Lengu Abuelas: Ancestry – February 21st at Mexico City's National Museum of Anthropology – from a Google translation – "a tribute to native languages ​​with music and poetry out loud." 

Mesoamerican Huastec Women: Goddesses, Warriors and Governors – through June 27th at the Regional Museum of La Laguna, in Coahuila. 

Interpretive Stations Dedicated to Them in April at the Museum of Anthropology

Mesoamerican Women: Mexican Governors was exhibited in September at the Casa de México in Spain.

There was a National Meeting of Women Writers in Indigenous Languages ​​March 15th.

The first Black Dance Festival will be August 9th to 31st.

Recorders of Stories: Women in the Graphic Arts of the Villages of Mexico will be exhibited November 2025 to March 2026.

There will be or was a concert and a showing of 15 films at the National Film Library.

For more see:  diario-octubre.com/2025/02/10/mexico-busca-reivindicar-a-mujeres-indigenas-su-lengua-e-historia/

An Urizen webinar from the British Blake Society February 26th 19:30-21:00 -- blakesociety.org/product/urizen-cycle/ 

There was an Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) Hour with Zainab Bahrani, “Towards an Archaeology of Preservation” at 8pm ET/7pm CT/6pm MT/5pm PT February 26th:   us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/5017392176382/WN_RfYR4UTdTDO5SvAH-Uw1kg --

"The history of archaeology as a scientific discipline has received a great deal of attention in recent years. As a result of extensive archival research and the reading of archives against the grain, alternative or indigenous archaeologies and earlier forms of relationships to the past—such as antiquarianism—have also begun to receive more serious scholarly attention. Since the 1990s, Zainab Bahrani’s scholarship has contributed to these historical directions in archaeology. She now augments archival and theoretical work with fieldwork, presenting some of the archaeological evidence of millennia of preservation and conservation practices in the landscape of Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan." 

From 7DirectionsofService.com – The Southeastern Indigenous Coalition Environmental Conference 2025 was March 7-8th on Occaneechi Saponi territory in North Carolina (in or near Mebane?):  app.swapcard.com/login/event/southeastern-indigenous-coalition-environmental-conference-2025/registration

The WNC Organic Growers School 2025 Spring Conference was Friday, March 14th-Sunday, March 16th, with the theme:  "Resilience, Recovery, and Renewal":  organicgrowersschool.org

The US National Cherry Blossom Festival, in Washington, DC, was March 20-April 13th in 2025:  nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/  

Seeing the cherries blooming at Duke Gardens this year:  indyweek.com/culture/how-to-navigate-duke-gardens-cherry-blossom-season-during-construction/

Israeli Apartheid Week 2025 was March 21-30 and the anniversary of BDS is coming up:  docs.google.com/forms/d/1hkPprrGcvbVBrF15JR4Q6B1XL3TRSs0wIHC_0HPj7kk/viewform?edit_requested=true

National Farmworker Awareness Week was March 25-31:  saf-unite.org/national-farmworker-awareness-week/

NC Pilgrimage for Peace and Justice should have been in mid-April?  See Witness for Peace SE?

International Dark Sky Week was April 21-28 in 2025:  idsw.darksky.org/

The Parkwood Spring Flea Market was 8am-12pm May 3rd, at the corner of Revere and Seaton roads in southern Durham. 

Animazement 2025 will be May 22nd-25th at the downtown Raleigh Convention Center:  www.animazement.com 

MomoCon 2025 will also be May 22nd-25th at the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta, Georgia:  www.momocon.com

An art exhibition, The Art of Manga, with more than 700 works by 8 manga authors/artists (or mangaka), a first for the US (?), will open at San Francisco's de Young Museum September 27th; the exhibition was put together by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco in California and will include work by Hirohiko Araki, Eiichiro Oda, Rumiko Takahashi, Gengoroh Tagame, Jiro Taniguchi, Mari Yamazaki, Kazumi Yamashita, Fumi Yoshinaga:  ... [Can't link to the January 29th post on SK?] and www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2025-02-05/san-francisco-fine-arts-museum-to-open-1st-major-manga-exhibit-in-u.s-in-september/.220559 

At the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh:  The Venice and Ottoman empires exhibition ended at the beginning of January; "Samurai: The Making of a Warrior" ended February 2nd, with some side events:  ncartmuseum.org/three-empires/ For the current exhibitions see:  ncartmuseum.org/events-and-exhibitions/exhibitions/exhibitions-current/ ]

LIBRARY BOOKSALES

There was an in-person Friends of the Durham Library book sale at Books Among Friends March 7-8th:  fodlnc.org/events/ 

There was a Friends of the Chatham Community Library book sale March 20-22 at the Chatham Community Library in Pittsboro (197 NC Hwy 87 North):  friendsccl.org/Spring-2025-Book-Sale

The next Friends of the Chapel Hill Public Library book sale was in early April? -- friendschpl.org/

CREEK WEEKS

PLANT / GARDEN  SALES 

Brunswick County?

SEED LIBRARIES