NC Green Party close to being a recognized political party
Recent legislation reduced the number of signatures required for a party to appear on ballots in NC and for people to be able to register as Greens from a nearly prohibitive 94,000 to 11,700. This is a more manageable number, but money is still required to run a signature gathering campaign. You can donate to the NC Green Party at: ncgreenparty.nationbuilder.com/matchingfunds1 The US Green Party donated $5000 to the effort and you can donate to the Ballot Access Committee here. The national party is also helping efforts in Vermont, Montana, and Nebraska, and Greens in Utah just gained ballot access. Occasionally left parties have gained access to the ballot in NC, but for many years the only parties on the ballot have been the Democrats, Republicans, and sometimes the Libertarians, and to my knowledge no NC party left of the Greens is in a position to gain official recognition soon, though it will be easier now.
The NC Greens and other organizations, such as the NC Native Plant Society and peace groups, have tables at the State Fair.
Don't cut ash trees!
I recently noticed that the large ash tree next to the University Baptist Church, at the southwest corner of Franklin and Columbia streets in downtown Chapel Hill, is suddenly gone, even the stump. I don't know who did this or why, but I hope it wasn't because I informed some people concerned about the emerald ash borer's arrival in Orange County. As I said before, research shows that pre-emptively cutting ash trees costs more than waiting, and it is possible the ash could have been resistant to this non-native beetle, or biological controls being released would have worked a miracle, and the old tree would have survived, but now we will never know.
Durham's Southwest Regional Library is collecting intact eclipse glasses for Astronomers Without Borders (see www.facebook.com/SouthwestRegionalLibrary/posts/2044988178860325 )
Student Action with Farmworkers 25th anniversary
Student Action with Farmworkers, based in Durham, was organized in 1992 and is hosting anniversary exhibits and events throughout NC and in Washington, DC this year. There will be an exhibit at FLOC's office in Dudley, Wayne County May 26th to December 31st. There will be an event August 5th 6-9:30pm at the Power Plant in Durham's American Tobacco complex. Duke's Center for Documentary Studies will host an exhibit June 22nd to November 11th, with a reception September 10th 2-4pm. For details, see: saf-unite.org/content/saf-2017-exhibits-events
More than one story / Mas de una historia: 25 years of farmworker voices from SAF
There will be an exhibit of photos from Wilson Library's SAF archive in the Davis Library Gallery (first floor) until February 2018 (see: library.unc.edu/2017/08/more-than-one-story-mas-de-una-historia/ )
NC anti-BDS bill is now law
Apparently Governor Cooper did not veto House Bill 161, requiring that the state and its subdivisions divest from and not contract with companies that boycott Israel; the text of the bill is online at: www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2017&BillID=H161
Supposedly progressive Durham senators Mike Woodard and Floyd McKissick voted for it, along with several other Democrats in both houses (including local senators Valerie Foushee and Jay Chaudhuri) and almost but not all of the Republicans (one senator opposed it, while a few other Republicans were absent for whatever reasons). Among local House Democrats, Representative Marcia Morey (who replaced the deceased Paul Luebke), Graig Meyer, Henry Michaux, MaryAnn Black (replaced Larry Hall after he resigned in January), Verla Insko, Grier Martin, Rosa Gill, and Robert Reives voted against the bill.
The People's Republic of China was declared October 1st, 1949 after the Chinese Communist Party defeated the Kuomintang in mainland China.
From an activist calendar in Chapel Hill:
"THE GATHERING: A TIME FOR REFLECTION, REVIVAL, & RESISTANCE Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove co-host a monthly program to equip communities with resources for faithful reflection and public action on moral issues. October's issue is Ecological Devastation. 6 p.m. -7:30 pm., Sunday, October 1, Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, 1801 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh. Livestream at www.breachrepairers.org/livest ream . Information: National Social Justice Organizer Rev. Erica Williams at ewilliams [at breachrepairers period org] .
The 20th Friends of the Chatham Community Library book sale will be October 5-7 ( friendsccl.org/ ) .
There will be a regular three-day Friends of the Durham Library book sale November 10-12 and a one-day sale December 2nd. They will be at Books Among Friends in Northgate Mall (1058 West Club Boulevard, Suite 252, near Sears).
The Friends of the Chapel Hill Public Library will have a book sale December 1-3 (friendschpl.org/wp/book-sales/ ) .
The big Wake County Public Libraries book sale at the State Fairgrounds will be in spring 2018 (watch www.wakegov.com/libraries/events/Pages/booksale.aspx
for an announcement).
The Lee County Libraries had an annual fall book sale September 21-23rd.
National Hispanic Heritage Month
This celebration of Hispanic/Latino culture is September 15th - October 15th, according to Wikipedia. The City of Durham hosted two events in September and one is left:
for an announcement).
The Lee County Libraries had an annual fall book sale September 21-23rd.
National Hispanic Heritage Month
This celebration of Hispanic/Latino culture is September 15th - October 15th, according to Wikipedia. The City of Durham hosted two events in September and one is left:
Annual Hispanic Heritage Month City Employee Celebration, October 6th 11am-12:30pm at the City Hall Committee Room, 101 City Hall Plaza, Second Floor.
Chapel Hill's 45th annual Festifall Arts Festival will be October 1st, 12-6:30 along West Franklin Street. Stop Torture Now and the Orange County Bill of Rights Defense Committee tabled at previous Festifalls.
Big Sweep trash cleanups
There will be trash cleanups across the state this fall as part of the annual Big Sweep; Big Sweep in Durham will be October 7th, though the City/County will collect trash picked up at other times as well (see keepdurhambeautiful.org/our-events/big-sweep/ for Durham events; so far only a cleanup in Northgate Park is listed).
Jordan Lake Heritage Day
Jordan Lake State Recreation Area's 18th annual Heritage Day was going to be held October 4th, but has been cancelled: www.ncparks.gov/jordan-lake-state-recreation-area/events-and-programs I've heard that it will be replaced by a fishing festival in April 2018
The annual Shakkori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance is coming up in October 5-8th ( shakorihillsgrassroots.org/ ).
The dubious Afghanistan War began October 7, 2001 and continues to this day, fighting the Taliban and groups that didn't even exist in 2001.
Charlotte Monarch Festival
This celebration of the famous and threatened monarch butterfly will be Saturday, October 7th 9am-12pm in Charlotte's First Ward Park (301 East 7th Street, Uptown) with activities for all ages. For more information see: www.facebook.com/events/175966316309448/ and www.butterflyhighway.org
Indigenous People's Day is October 9th.
Revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara, from Argentina, but a leader in the Cuban Revolution, was executed in Bolivia October 9, 1967.
Local elections coming up
There will be a primary election in Durham and an election in Raleigh October 10th and elections in [Durham,] Chapel Hill and Morrisville November 7th. The Durham Board of Elections website is: dconc.gov/government/departments-a-e/board-of-elections and the State Board is at: www.ncsbe.gov/
Big Sweep trash cleanups
There will be trash cleanups across the state this fall as part of the annual Big Sweep; Big Sweep in Durham will be October 7th, though the City/County will collect trash picked up at other times as well (see keepdurhambeautiful.org/our-events/big-sweep/ for Durham events; so far only a cleanup in Northgate Park is listed).
Jordan Lake Heritage Day
Jordan Lake State Recreation Area's 18th annual Heritage Day was going to be held October 4th, but has been cancelled: www.ncparks.gov/jordan-lake-state-recreation-area/events-and-programs I've heard that it will be replaced by a fishing festival in April 2018
The annual Shakkori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance is coming up in October 5-8th ( shakorihillsgrassroots.org/ ).
The dubious Afghanistan War began October 7, 2001 and continues to this day, fighting the Taliban and groups that didn't even exist in 2001.
Charlotte Monarch Festival
This celebration of the famous and threatened monarch butterfly will be Saturday, October 7th 9am-12pm in Charlotte's First Ward Park (301 East 7th Street, Uptown) with activities for all ages. For more information see: www.facebook.com/events/175966316309448/ and www.butterflyhighway.org
Indigenous People's Day is October 9th.
Revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara, from Argentina, but a leader in the Cuban Revolution, was executed in Bolivia October 9, 1967.
Local elections coming up
There will be a primary election in Durham and an election in Raleigh October 10th and elections in [Durham,] Chapel Hill and Morrisville November 7th. The Durham Board of Elections website is: dconc.gov/government/departments-a-e/board-of-elections and the State Board is at: www.ncsbe.gov/
Pollinator Garden Tours in Pittsboro
There will be tours of the Chatham County Extension Service's Pollinator Paradise Demonstration Gardens (480 Hillsboro Street Pittsboro, growingsmallfarms.ces.ncsu.edu/growingsmallfarms-pollinatorgarden/ ) Wednesday, October 11th at 5pm and Saturday, October 14th at 2pm. The tours are free and will start from the lawn in front of Chatham Marketplace, lasting about an hour.
Cold War militarism's inadvertent contributions to conservation
Dr Lisa Brady, an environmental historian at Boise State University, will give the Forest History Society's 2017 Lynn W Day Distinguished Lectureship in Forest and Conservation History Thursday, October 12th at 5pm on Duke's West Campus. Despite the environmental outrages associated with the Cold War, large areas of land became off-limits to people and in some ways returned to a wild state, such as the border between north and south Korea. The lecture will be in Environment Hall's Field Auditorium. For more information, see: foresthistory.org/education/distinguished-lectureship-forest-conservation-history/2017-lecture/
Cold War militarism's inadvertent contributions to conservation
Dr Lisa Brady, an environmental historian at Boise State University, will give the Forest History Society's 2017 Lynn W Day Distinguished Lectureship in Forest and Conservation History Thursday, October 12th at 5pm on Duke's West Campus. Despite the environmental outrages associated with the Cold War, large areas of land became off-limits to people and in some ways returned to a wild state, such as the border between north and south Korea. The lecture will be in Environment Hall's Field Auditorium. For more information, see: foresthistory.org/education/distinguished-lectureship-forest-conservation-history/2017-lecture/
The UNC General Alumni Association's annual Tar Heel Service Day will be October 12-15 this year ( alumni.unc.edu/things-to-do/volunteer/tar-heel-service-day/ ).
The NC State Fair in Raleigh will be October 12-22, and this is its 150th anniversary ( www.ncstatefair.org/ )
A Century of Movement: Russian Culture and Global Community Since 1917
There will be speakers, discussions, performances, and exhibits October 12-13th in various venues at UNC, looking at Russian and Soviet culture and relations with the wider world, especially in music; for more information see: centuryofmovement.unc.edu/
Durham Monarch Festival
This annual festival celebrates the orange, black, and white monarch butterflies migrating through the state towards a few groves in the mountains Mexico where they spend the winter (I think those on the West Coast go to different locations). Monarchs are also having problems, apparently because current farming practices have reduced the population of milkweed species, which monarchs eat as caterpillars, and probably illegal logging is harming them in Mexico. This year the festival will be Saturday, October 14th from 10am to 4pm at Sandy Creek Park (3510 Sandy Creek Drive). For more information, see: keepdurhambeautiful.org/our-events/monarchfestival/
Annual Jordan Lake Fall Cleanup
This year the cleanup will focus on Stinking Creek (downstream from Robeson Creek along the flooded Haw River part of the Lake), last cleaned in 2015, and floods since then have no doubt deposited more trash. The Cleanup will be October 14th, 9am-1pm, and there will be a light lunch. Volunteers on foot will meet near 455 Ryan Road, Pittsboro and those with watercraft will meet at the Robeson Creek boat ramp. This is part of National Public Lands Day, and volunteers will get a one-day pass for any national park. There will also be a Trash Treasure Hunt with prizes. The Meetup page for the event is at: www.meetup.com/helpcleanjordanlake/ and it is organized by: cleanjordanlake.org/
Albanian revolutionary and leader in national liberation Enver Hoxha was born October 16, 1908 in Gjirokaster, in what is now southern Albania, at the time part of the Ottoman Empire (see durhamspark.blogspot.com/2010/10/long-live-enver-hoxha.html ).
Improving water quality, one yard at a time
The Durham Garden Forum (durhamgardenforum [at gmail period com]) will discuss ways to manage stormwater on a household basis, reducing problems with erosion, polluted runoff, etc. and ultimately improving water quality in local waterways and reservoirs if enough people taken them up. The meeting will be Tuesday, October 17th 6:30-8pm at Duke Gardens' Doris Duke Center (420 Anderson Street; it is free to park after 5). The class is free for members, but costs $10 dollars for non-members. From the group's Facebook page ( www.facebook.com/DurhamGardenForum/ ):
"Mitch Woodward, Area Specialized Agent, Watersheds and Water Quality, Wake County Extension Center North Carolina places a top priority on protecting and enhancing our abundant water supply. Mitch will outline the innovative programs and research he is pursuing to meet this goal and review how home gardeners can improve water quality in their own backyards."
October 18th is the 45th anniversary of the Clean Water Act.
Libyan leader Gaddafi was killed brutally and without trial October 20, 2011, and Hillary Clinton laughed.
32nd annual International Festival of Raleigh, October 20-22 ( www.internationalfocusnc.org/ ).
October 21st is the 45th anniversary of the Marine Mammals Protection Act.
Look & See - A Portrait of Wendell Berry
This film on writer Wendell Berry and the changes caused by industrial agriculture will be shown Thursday, October 19th 7-8:30pm at NCSU's James B Hunt Jr Library (1070 Partners Way). This is being organized by the Center for Environmental Farming Systems and NCSU Libraries. The showing is free, but a ticket is required. For registration and to see a trailer, visit: cefs.ncsu.edu/event/film-screening-look-see-a-portrait-of-wendell-berry/
NC Native Plants Week and native garden dedication
Governor Cooper proclaimed October 22-28 Native Plant Week (the proclamation is online at:
First Lady Kristin Cooper recently joined with the NC Audubon Society in adding over 1000 native plants to the Executive Mansion's Victorian garden, creating a new Bird and Pollinator Garden to benefit wildlife, to be dedicated Thursday, October 26th, 11:30am-1:30pm. This being the Executive Mansion, anyone who wants to attend must register at:
Defcon 919 - Fighting Back Against DRM
This Electronic Frontier Foundation event at UNC will discuss the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which gave legal protection to digital rights management technologies, something now even built into cars and medical devices, and how DRM has impacted innovation, as well as other ways companies fight against secondary markets. There will be a social hour later for questions and networking with local groups working on these issues. The event will be Monday, October 23rd 7-8pm in Sitterson Hall, Room 014. For more information, see dc919.net/ or contact unc [at dc919 period net].
LGBTQ+ History: Queer Activism talk
As part of the UNC-CH LGBTQ Center's catered LGBTQ Leadership Lunch Series (the fourth Tuesday each month) there will be a discussion of the history of the community and activism up to current events October 24th 12:30-1:30pm in FPG Union Room 2518A (the building is at the corner of Raleigh Street and South Road, between tall Davis Library and the Student Store). The November topic hasn't been announced yet. For more information see: lgbtq.unc.edu/programs-services/lgbtq-leadership-lunches
The Palestine Exception to Free Speech: A Movement Under Attack
[The speaker's flight was cancelled, so this event has been rescheduled to November ~7th.] This UNC Students for Justice in Palestine event will be Tuesday, October 24th in Bingham Hall Room 103 at 7pm. Bingham is opposite the Undergraduate Library and near Wilson Library, and many of the parking areas at UNC are free after 5pm.
From their Facebook event page:
"UNC Students for Justice in Palestine is proudly hosting a talk with Palestine Legal, an independent organization dedicated to protecting the civil and constitutional rights of people in the US who speak out for Palestinian freedom. As the movement for Palestinian liberation continues to gain traction (especially following prominent BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) wins), several groups have sought to silence and harass activists fighting for Palestinian human rights, including local and state governments [see above for NC's recent anti-BDS legislation]. In fact, several bills in the U.S. have already been passed forbidding state-contracted companies from boycotting Israel. The implications this has on the First Amendement's right to boycott are pressing and important; come hear a talk about how this is being challenged."
October 18th is the 45th anniversary of the Clean Water Act.
Libyan leader Gaddafi was killed brutally and without trial October 20, 2011, and Hillary Clinton laughed.
32nd annual International Festival of Raleigh, October 20-22 ( www.internationalfocusnc.org/ ).
October 21st is the 45th anniversary of the Marine Mammals Protection Act.
Look & See - A Portrait of Wendell Berry
This film on writer Wendell Berry and the changes caused by industrial agriculture will be shown Thursday, October 19th 7-8:30pm at NCSU's James B Hunt Jr Library (1070 Partners Way). This is being organized by the Center for Environmental Farming Systems and NCSU Libraries. The showing is free, but a ticket is required. For registration and to see a trailer, visit: cefs.ncsu.edu/event/film-screening-look-see-a-portrait-of-wendell-berry/
NC Native Plants Week and native garden dedication
Governor Cooper proclaimed October 22-28 Native Plant Week (the proclamation is online at:
First Lady Kristin Cooper recently joined with the NC Audubon Society in adding over 1000 native plants to the Executive Mansion's Victorian garden, creating a new Bird and Pollinator Garden to benefit wildlife, to be dedicated Thursday, October 26th, 11:30am-1:30pm. This being the Executive Mansion, anyone who wants to attend must register at:
https://act.audubon.org/onlineactions/YC8os19WbkOQRZGdlP9taw2 by 5pm Tuesday, October 24th. Here is an announcement from the NC Native Plants Society: http://ncwildflower.org/ncnps/event_details/calendar-native-plant-week-in-nc
Divest the Globe
There are days of action October 23-25 against banks funding fossil fuel projects and the attacks on indigenous peoples and human rights that often come with these projects. This is sponsored by the fossil fuels divestment campaign group Mazaska (Money) Talks. For more information see: mazaskatalks.org/
Defcon 919 - Fighting Back Against DRM
This Electronic Frontier Foundation event at UNC will discuss the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which gave legal protection to digital rights management technologies, something now even built into cars and medical devices, and how DRM has impacted innovation, as well as other ways companies fight against secondary markets. There will be a social hour later for questions and networking with local groups working on these issues. The event will be Monday, October 23rd 7-8pm in Sitterson Hall, Room 014. For more information, see dc919.net/ or contact unc [at dc919 period net].
LGBTQ+ History: Queer Activism talk
As part of the UNC-CH LGBTQ Center's catered LGBTQ Leadership Lunch Series (the fourth Tuesday each month) there will be a discussion of the history of the community and activism up to current events October 24th 12:30-1:30pm in FPG Union Room 2518A (the building is at the corner of Raleigh Street and South Road, between tall Davis Library and the Student Store). The November topic hasn't been announced yet. For more information see: lgbtq.unc.edu/programs-services/lgbtq-leadership-lunches
The Palestine Exception to Free Speech: A Movement Under Attack
[The speaker's flight was cancelled, so this event has been rescheduled to November ~7th.] This UNC Students for Justice in Palestine event will be Tuesday, October 24th in Bingham Hall Room 103 at 7pm. Bingham is opposite the Undergraduate Library and near Wilson Library, and many of the parking areas at UNC are free after 5pm.
From their Facebook event page:
"UNC Students for Justice in Palestine is proudly hosting a talk with Palestine Legal, an independent organization dedicated to protecting the civil and constitutional rights of people in the US who speak out for Palestinian freedom. As the movement for Palestinian liberation continues to gain traction (especially following prominent BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) wins), several groups have sought to silence and harass activists fighting for Palestinian human rights, including local and state governments [see above for NC's recent anti-BDS legislation]. In fact, several bills in the U.S. have already been passed forbidding state-contracted companies from boycotting Israel. The implications this has on the First Amendement's right to boycott are pressing and important; come hear a talk about how this is being challenged."
Apex City Council Candidates Meet and Greet
This will be Thursday, October 26that 6:30pm at the Apex Community Center (53 Hunter Street, Apex, 27502).
Comment on the Durham Sustainability Plan
The City of Durham has released a Sustainability Plan( durhamnc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/16104 ) and seeks public input. There is an online survey and there will be public information sessions (there will probably be more, but the first four were/are October 20, 21, 24, and 26th at various venues in central Durham). For details see: www.durhamsustainabilityplan.com/
Water Conservation Breakfast-n-Learn
This is part of Bull City Workplace Challenge and Durham Saves Water will discuss ways to save water at work. It will be October 26th, 9-10am at The Emily Krzyzewski Family Life Center (904 West Chapel Hill Street, Durham). There will be coffee and pastries. For more information and registration see: www.eventbrite.com/e/water-efficiency-breakfast-n-learn-tickets-38543703254 Water quality will be the topic in November.
Town Hall meeting on NC's Environment and the Risks of Regulatory Reform
There will be a town hall meeting for Cynthia Ball's NC District 49 (but others are welcome), hosted by Meredith College's departments of Political Science and Environmental Sustainability, October 26th 6:30-8:30pm at the College's Jones Auditorium (3800 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh). NC Sierra Club Government Relations staffperson Cassie Gavin and representatives of the NC Department of Environmental Quality and the NC Manufacturers Alliance will speak. To register, see here.
Shining a Light on Torture
Reverend Bill Boswell, one of the 11 commissioners of the NC Commission on Inquiry on Torture (see below for NCCIT meetings this winter), will speak about continuing effects of the US torture program that followed 9/11 and ethical considerations October 26 7-9pm at the New Garden Friends Meeting in Greensboro (801 New Garden Road). This is sponsored by NC Stop Torture Now (next meeting October 29th, 3-5pm at UUF Raleigh) and New Garden Friends Meeting. Rev Boswell is the Senior Minister of Myers Park Baptist Church, Charlotte, a veteran of the NC National Guard, and has degrees from Marion Military Institute, Campbell University, and Duke Divinity School. There is a Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/events/146539099418989/ For more information call 919 637 7678 or 336 253 1319.
Distorting the Truth: "Faked News" and Free Speech
UNC's First Amendment Law Review is having its annual symposium at Chapel Hill's Carolina Club Friday, October 27th 8:30am-3:30pm, with the topic of "fake news." There is a ticket cost (which includes lunch), but UNC students, faculty, and staff have get free tickets (see: www.eventbrite.com/e/distorting-the-truth-fake-news-free-speech-2017-falr-symposium-tickets-36524924031 ). "Fake news" was used to attack people, often on the left (such as www.counterpunch.org and other well-known leftist media), who dissented from one elite neoliberal faction's campaign for a new cold war with Russia and neo-McCarthyism and censorship at home, etc., but depending on the symposium's tone, it might be of interest to progressive people.
Coffee Unites the World - How Your Morning Cup of Coffee Affects Birds, Economics, and the Land
Ornithologist John Gerwin and Carrboro Coffee Roasters President Scott Conary will talk about how coffee production affects birds and other wildlife, the land, and the human population, and how the environment and other factors affect the final taste of a cup of coffee. There will also be a tasting of coffee from Carrboro Coffee Roasters' Farmer Direct Relationship sustainability program. This event will be at the NC Botanical Garden October Saturday, October 28th 10am-12, and there is a fee of $10 dollars ($9 for NCBG members). For more information and registration, see: ncbg.unc.edu/calendar/
Comment on the Durham Sustainability Plan
The City of Durham has released a Sustainability Plan( durhamnc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/16104 ) and seeks public input. There is an online survey and there will be public information sessions (there will probably be more, but the first four were/are October 20, 21, 24, and 26th at various venues in central Durham). For details see: www.durhamsustainabilityplan.com/
Water Conservation Breakfast-n-Learn
This is part of Bull City Workplace Challenge and Durham Saves Water will discuss ways to save water at work. It will be October 26th, 9-10am at The Emily Krzyzewski Family Life Center (904 West Chapel Hill Street, Durham). There will be coffee and pastries. For more information and registration see: www.eventbrite.com/e/water-efficiency-breakfast-n-learn-tickets-38543703254 Water quality will be the topic in November.
Town Hall meeting on NC's Environment and the Risks of Regulatory Reform
There will be a town hall meeting for Cynthia Ball's NC District 49 (but others are welcome), hosted by Meredith College's departments of Political Science and Environmental Sustainability, October 26th 6:30-8:30pm at the College's Jones Auditorium (3800 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh). NC Sierra Club Government Relations staffperson Cassie Gavin and representatives of the NC Department of Environmental Quality and the NC Manufacturers Alliance will speak. To register, see here.
Shining a Light on Torture
Reverend Bill Boswell, one of the 11 commissioners of the NC Commission on Inquiry on Torture (see below for NCCIT meetings this winter), will speak about continuing effects of the US torture program that followed 9/11 and ethical considerations October 26 7-9pm at the New Garden Friends Meeting in Greensboro (801 New Garden Road). This is sponsored by NC Stop Torture Now (next meeting October 29th, 3-5pm at UUF Raleigh) and New Garden Friends Meeting. Rev Boswell is the Senior Minister of Myers Park Baptist Church, Charlotte, a veteran of the NC National Guard, and has degrees from Marion Military Institute, Campbell University, and Duke Divinity School. There is a Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/events/146539099418989/ For more information call 919 637 7678 or 336 253 1319.
Distorting the Truth: "Faked News" and Free Speech
UNC's First Amendment Law Review is having its annual symposium at Chapel Hill's Carolina Club Friday, October 27th 8:30am-3:30pm, with the topic of "fake news." There is a ticket cost (which includes lunch), but UNC students, faculty, and staff have get free tickets (see: www.eventbrite.com/e/distorting-the-truth-fake-news-free-speech-2017-falr-symposium-tickets-36524924031 ). "Fake news" was used to attack people, often on the left (such as www.counterpunch.org and other well-known leftist media), who dissented from one elite neoliberal faction's campaign for a new cold war with Russia and neo-McCarthyism and censorship at home, etc., but depending on the symposium's tone, it might be of interest to progressive people.
Coffee Unites the World - How Your Morning Cup of Coffee Affects Birds, Economics, and the Land
Ornithologist John Gerwin and Carrboro Coffee Roasters President Scott Conary will talk about how coffee production affects birds and other wildlife, the land, and the human population, and how the environment and other factors affect the final taste of a cup of coffee. There will also be a tasting of coffee from Carrboro Coffee Roasters' Farmer Direct Relationship sustainability program. This event will be at the NC Botanical Garden October Saturday, October 28th 10am-12, and there is a fee of $10 dollars ($9 for NCBG members). For more information and registration, see: ncbg.unc.edu/calendar/
Durham City-County Planning Department Open House October 30th
As part of National Community Planning Month ( www.planning.org/ncpm/ ), Durham's Planning Department is holding an Open House Monday, October 30th 4-6pm at City Hall (101 City Hall Plaza), on the ground floor. This is an opportunity to meet planners and hear about their work, which goes on at a deeper level than what gets voted on by the appointed Planning Commission and elected City or County officials. For more information contact Policy and Urban Design Supervisor Scott Whiteman at Scott [period] Whiteman [at Durham period NC period gov] or 919 560 4137 extension 28253.
This year's Community Planning Month has the theme Innovation in Planning, which brings to mind climate change and other environmental issues, but such things aren't mentioned. There is an apartment complex with a dumping problem, and people might not dump their trash over a steep slope if the apartments were just a few feet further away from the edge (though there is still the issue of the company's landscaping contractors dumping piles of leaves, branches, etc.), but apparently no one foresaw this problem and NRP Group LLC, the owner of the apartments, obviously doesn't care much how trash-filled their holdings get. I will probably write more about this in a future post, as one of the worst examples of a general problem.
Reducing Waste in Durham Schools
There will be a meeting about a campaign to reduce food waste in Durham Public Schools, Monday, October 30th 6:30-7:30pm at Don't Waste Durham's office (119 Orange Street, Suite 303). For more information, see: www.dontwastedurham.org/calendar/2017/10/8/reducing-waste-in-durham-schools
Reducing Waste in Durham Schools
There will be a meeting about a campaign to reduce food waste in Durham Public Schools, Monday, October 30th 6:30-7:30pm at Don't Waste Durham's office (119 Orange Street, Suite 303). For more information, see: www.dontwastedurham.org/calendar/2017/10/8/reducing-waste-in-durham-schools
"The Sixth Great Extinction: An Unnatural History" discussion
This is part of the Friends of the Chapel Hill Public Library's Books Sandwiched In discussion series, and will be November 1st 11:30am-12:30pm in the Library's Room C. For more information, see: friendschpl.org/wp/event/bsi-the-sixth-extinction-an-unnatural-history-by-elizabeth-kolbert/?instance_id=240
The Greensboro Massacre was November 3, 1979. The KKK and American Nazi Party fired on a Death to the Klan March organized by the now disbanded Communist Workers' Party, killing 5 people and wounding others. Some police were present and the police and Federal agencies had infiltrated the KKK and neo-Nazi groups.
'Occupy 2.0'
Protests are planned for November 4th, about a year after Trump was elected, and round the clock occupation will follow, like Occupy Wall Street (but I don't think it has anything relation to the original Occupy movement). I'm not sure yet if anything is planned in this area or who is organizing this campaign. There is a criticism about using this tactic in the winter: www.counterpunch.org/2017/08/30/why-are-progressives-stupid-its-not-too-late-to-get-smart/
Sierra Club Capital Group's Autumn Jordan Lake Cleanup
The group pledged to remove trash around part of Jordan Lake through Clean Jordan Lake and the next cleanup will be Sunday, November 5th 10-11:45am. The location will be around the area southeast of the causeway where NC 751 crosses Northeast Creek/Jordan Lake, north of New Hope Church Road.
There will be elections in [some] locations November 7th.
Russia's October Socialist Revolution was November 7, 1917 (but October 25th by the calendar the Russian Empire used). It was the first socialist revolution in a large country and helped inspire and support movements against capitalism and colonialism around the world. For more, see two previous posts: durhamspark.blogspot.com/2009/11/anniversaries-of-two-revolutions-and.html and durhamspark.blogspot.com/2008/11/two-red-anniversaries.html
There will be a commemoration in New York City Tuesday, November 7 6-9pm at the Center for Worker Education (25 Broadway, 7th floor auditorium). This is a free event and will have food and refreshments. See: www.usfriendsofthesovietpeople.org/nyc-celebrates-october-100/ and www.facebook.com/Bolshevikrevolutioncommittee/
Vyacheslav Molotov, an Old Bolshevik who served in many roles in the USSR, died November 8, 1986 ( durhamspark.blogspot.com/2007/11/anniversary-of-vm-molotovs-death-nov-8.html ).
The Party of Labor of Albania, at the time called the Communist Party of Albania, was founded November 8, 1941.
Haw River Assembly annual meeting and 35th anniversary celebration and fundraiser
There will be free events and the annual meeting the afternoon of Sunday, November 12th, and a ticketed party in the evening with refreshments and music, at the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw, Alamance County.
3rd Annual UNC Tarheel Ducks Unlimited Oyster Roast
This fundraiser at He's Not Here (112 West Franklin Street in Chapel Hill) will benefit the waterfowl and wetlands conservation group Ducks Unlimited. It will be November 16th, 5:30-10pm. For more information or tickets, see: www.ducks.org/north-carolina/events/46993/unc-fall-oyster-roast or call 919 820 1871. Many other Ducks Unlimited events are also listed, including an NCSU dinner November 2nd, a raffle in Raleigh November 10th, and a fall banquet in Durham November 17th.
Albania was officially liberated November 29, 1944, following fascist Italian and then German occupation. Albania's Partisans also fought in parts of Yugoslavia.
Albania was officially liberated November 29, 1944, following fascist Italian and then German occupation. Albania's Partisans also fought in parts of Yugoslavia.
NC Commission of Inquiry on Torture hearings
There will be hearings investigating North Carolina's role in extraordinary rendition and torture November 30th and December 1st in the Raleigh Convention Center (for more information about the NCCIT, see www.nccit.org/ ). The hearings are free and public, but registration is encouraged (email info (at nccit dot org). June 26th was the UN's annual International Day in Support of Victims of
Torture.
US Foreign Military Bases Must Be Closed!
There will be a national conference to discuss the problems caused by the expansive American military presence abroad, January 12-14, 2018 at Maryland's University of Baltimore. The conference is being organized by 13 national peace and justice organizations, including WILPF. For more information, see: noforeignbases.org/
Durham Creek Week 2018 will be March 17-24th.
UNC Sonder Market
This is a student operated food coop, open every Monday and Thursday at the Edible Campus Garden.
CompostNow
If you can't have a compost pile, CompostNow provides a bin for food waste and replaces it weekly (and they can take pizza boxes, meat, and bones, which are usually left out by backyard composters), and you get compost for your yard and reduce landfill use and pollution in exchange. There is a two week free trial, and the regular cost is $25 dollars a month. For information, see: compostnow.org/offer/eventleads1/
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