The City of Durham is celebrating its sesquicentennial in 2019 ( durhamnc.gov/238/Boards-Committees-Commissions ).
Chapel Hill was founded in 1819.
UNC - Chapel Hill apparently opened January 16, 1795, but did not have a students until that February.
January is traditionally National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month in the USA.
The Umstead Coalition is opposing the plan by the RDU Airport Authority (whose Board is appointed by Durham and Wake counties, and the cities of Durham and Raleigh) to sell 105 acres of forested public land originally intended for a runway to Wake Stone, which operates an adjacent rock quarry ( umsteadcoalition.org/StopRDUQuarry/ ) . I have not looked into the issue, but on the positive side when the quarry is eventually closed it could potentially be a source of water, reducing the need to dam waterways.
Black Alliance for Peace is petitioning for US Africa Command (AFRICOM) to be abolished: www.change.org/p/house-armed-services-committee-put-an-end-to-the-u-s-africa-command-africom (in 6 languages).
Solar Panel Leasing in North Carolina
Last year House Bill 589 Competitive Energy Solutions for North Carolina was passed, allowing the leasing of solar panels and making some Duke Energy customers (residential, commercial, and non-profit) eligible for NC Solar Rebates through 2022. October 15th Eagle Solar and Light became the first company licensed by the NC Utilities Commission to do solar leasing in the State.
24 Hours of Reality
This streamed documentary on the impact of climate change on human health around the world is online at: http://www.24hoursofreality.org/
Monthly tours of the South Wake Landfill and Sonoco Recycling Facility
There will be free one hour tours of these facilities near Apex once a month through May on Wednesdays or Saturdays (and private tours for groups with 5 to 14 people can be arranged). For more information and registration see: www.wakegov.com/recycling/outreach/Pages/tours.aspx
Library booksales
The last Friends of the Durham Library book sale of the year will be December 1 - 2 (10am - 12pm is members only on the 1st, and 12 - 4pm is open to all; the 2nd is a bag sale, from 1 - 4pm) at the usual Northgate Mall location ( durhamcountylibrary.org/friends/ ).
The Friends of the Durham Library 2019 booksales will be February 2 - 3, April 6 - 7, June 1 - 2, August 3 - 4, October 5 - 6, and December 7 - 8, and the hours for all of these sales will be 10am - 12pm members only and 12 - 4pm open to all on Saturdays and 1 - 4pm $10 paper grocery bag sales open to all on Sundays. The sales are at a space inside Northgate Mall, next to Sears (enter through Sears or another Mall entrance). There are small satellite sales inside the library branches daily.
The Friends of the Chapel Hill Public Library 2019 sales will be April 5 - 7, September 13 - 15, and December 6 -8 ( friendschpl.org/FCHPLevents ).
The Wake County Public Libraries' Annual Book Sale will be May 2 - 5 in the Expo Center at the NC State Fairgrounds in Raleigh ( www.wakegov.com/libraries/events/Pages/booksale.aspx ). More than 11,000 people attended the 2018 sale, buying more than 210,000 books, and generating about $110,000 dollars for Wake County libraries. This could be the biggest annual booksale in North Carolina.
Tarek el-Tayeb Mohamed Bouazizi setting himself on fire in protest outside a government office in Tunisia December 17, 2010, setting in motion the protest movement that overthrew authoritarian President Ben Ali January 14, 2011 and spread to other countries, becoming the Arab Spring. Bouazizi was left comatose and died January 4, 2011. Many others in Tunisia and a few people in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Europe set themselves on fire in similar acts of protest in early 2011.
Israel attacked Gaza from December 27, 2008 to January 18, 2009 (Operation Cast Lead), killing or displacing thousands of Palestinians, mostly civilians, while 10 Israeli soldiers were killed, four by friendly fire, and rockets fired by various armed resistance groups killed three Israeli civilians and injured or scared hundreds. Israel was accused of using white phosphorus as a weapon, as well as depleted uranium, and birth defects and blood cancer became more common after the war. Palestinian civilians were used as human shields, Israeli soldiers robbed homes, etc. though there was some prosecution in Israel later. Agricultural, fisheries, and humanitarian aid facilities, universities, schools, mosques, hospitals, and civilian shelters were damaged or destroyed, including the UN Relief and Works Agency headquarters in Gaza City where tons of food, medicine, and fuel for refugee relief was stored (hit by white phosphorus munitions, and the chemical fires could not be extinguished). As in Yemen today, much of this was done with American weapons, which supposedly are not to be used to commit war crimes. December 29th a Free Gaza ship carrying relief supplies, doctors, journalists, and others, including former Congresswoman and Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney was intercepted by the Israeli navy. Free Gaza says their ship was in international waters when shots were fired and it was rammed after refusing to turn back. Another Free Gaza ship was intercepted January 15th. The Gaza War was followed by a joint Israeli and Egyptian blockade. At the time, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said "We support Israel, very strongly as a national policy, because it is in our national interest to do so" (and the Democratic Party still has this in its platform, as well as an "undivided" Jerusalem that is the capital of Israel, giving Israel state of the art weapons, and condemnation of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement: democrats.org/about/party-platform/#middle-east ). In June 2010 Chuck Schumer endorsed Israel's policy of collective punishment, saying "...since the Palestinians in Gaza elected Hamas, while certainly there should be humanitarian aid and people not starving to death, to strangle them economically until they see that's not the way to go, makes sense." He also said Hamas was waging "total war." Pelosi and Schumer both have long advocated moving the US embassy in Israel to disputed Jerusalem. In the summer of 2008 and again in 2013 Obama went to southern Israel and said war is justified over rockets fired from Gaza, while doing little to end the suffering of the Palestinian people ( revcom.us/a/574/american-crime-case-30-us-armed-backed-massacre-in-gaza-en.html and Wikipedia).
Ceres was discovered January 1, 1801 by Italian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi. 1 Ceres is the first and largest asteroid yet found by astronomers, the largest member of the Asteroid Belt, and the closest dwarf planet. It is geologically active and potentially could support life or once did, and potentially humans could one day live there.
Cuba's authoritarian president Fulgencio Batista fled the country early on January 1, 1959, following the Battle of Santa Clara (December 31st).
NASA's New Horizons probe did a flyby of the Kuiper Belt object known as Ultima Thule January 1, 2019. New Horizons is expected to continue working into the 2030's or even longer as it heads into the outer reaches of the Solar System.
There is a tradition of New Year's Day hikes at NC State Parks. For example the Haw River Assembly plans a hike January 6th at the Lower Haw River State Natural Area (contact them for details: hawriver.org/about-us/contact-us/ ) and there will be an Eno River Association hike at 2pm at Eno River State Park's Few Ford Access ( www.enoriver.org/events-and-activities/hikes-and-outings/new-years/ ).
Chapel Hill Mega-Recycle Event
Many kinds of trash not accepted in weekly recycling bins can be dropped off at the Community Church of Chapel Hill (106 Purefoy Road) Sunday, January 6th 9am - 2pm. This is sponsored by the Church's ECO group. For more information, see: www.c3huu.org/upcoming-events-at-church.html
Rally for Okinawa in front of the White House
There will be an International Livestream Rally and Press Conference at Lafeyette Square in DC on Monday, January 7th 11am - 1pm, marking the (successful) closing of the online petition against the new US military base construction at Henoko Bay, Okinawa ( petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/stop-landfill-henoko-oura-bay-until-referendum-can-be-held-okinawa ). There will be solidarity events elsewhere around January 7th. For more information see: www.facebook.com/events/355892908539990/ and durhamspark.blogspot.com/2018/12/stop-new-us-military-base-construction.html
Chairman Kim Jong-un was born January 8, 1982 (this is the DPRK's official date while other governments think the year was 1983 or 1984).
Balance and Accuracy in Journalism's January meeting
BAJ's next monthly meeting will be Wednesday, January 9th at 7:30pm at the Community Church of Chapel Hill (106 Purefoy Road, near UNC Hospital). The topic is Mobilizing Against Climate Disaster and the guest speakers include Marc Dreyfors of Greenway Rides and the Forest Foundation and Stephen Hren, who produced Tales from the Sustainable Underground (available at the meeting) and The Carbon Free Home.
Conservationist Aldo Leopold was born January 11, 1887 in Burlington, Iowa. He is best known for his book A Sand County Almanac, published posthumously in 1949. For more information, see: www.aldoleopold.org/about/aldo-leopold/
Among the Iranian scientists probably assassinated by Israel, the USA, or Arab countries during the Bush and Obama years, Ardeshir Hosseinpour might have been murdered or died in an accident January 15, 2007, Masoud Alimohammadi was killed January 12, 2010, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan was killed January 11, 2012, and in January 2015 an assassination attempt was foiled.
"Stop Stonewalling" Vote Theft Investigation March
There will be a march protesting the lack of information from the State Board of Elections about election irregularities in the 9th Congressional District, January 11th 10:45am - 1pm, starting at the State Board of Elections (430 North Salisbury Street, next to Halifax Mall in Raleigh) and marching to the Us Attorney's Office in the Terry Sanford Federal Building (310 New Bern Avenue). Organized by the NC NAACP, Democracy NC, NC Black Alliance, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, and Progress NC. For more information see: www.facebook.com/events/523609891456346/
Rally to Close Guantanamo - Rule of Law, Not Rule of Trump
On the 17th anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantanamo (Cuban territory seized after the Spanish-American War), Friday, January 11th, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture and others will rally at Lafayette Square, north of the White House, 2:30 - 4pm. For more information see: www.facebook.com/events/555453788250936/
The (Successful) Strategy to Save the NCSU Hoffman Forest
NCSU Professor of Forestry Fred Cubbage will give a slide presentation on the campaign that saved this public research forest from being sold and cut down a few years ago. The presentation will be Friday, January 11th at 6:30pm at Durham's EcoLounge (still open, at 2811 Hillsborough Road, parking available behind the building or at the nearby Food Lion). There is a suggested $5 dollar donation, but it is not required.
NC Green Party Statewide Fall/Winter Gathering and Celebration
The NC Green Party's annual meeting will be January 11 - 13th (rescheduled from December 7 - 9th due to the early and heavy snowstorm, wintry weather that is still consistent with climate change predictions) at The Seedbed (6602 Nicks Road, Mebane, just inside Alamance County from Orange County). The meeting is free and open to all supporters, though voting is limited to people who have paid dues and donations are welcome. The Seedbed has some space for people to stay overnight Friday and Saturday. For more information or to RSVP, see:
ncgreenparty.nationbuilder.com/2018_fall_gathering
Sergei Pavlovich Korolev was born January 12, 1907. He led the early Soviet space program to successes such as putting Sputnik I and Yuri Gagarin into orbit, and sending the first spacecraft to the Moon (though it was not intended to be a soft landing). His name was hidden, to avoid assassination attempts by the US government, until after his death on January 14, 1966, and he was honored with the placement of his ashes in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis.
Healthcare for All NC annual meeting
Healthcare for All NC ( www.healthcareforallnc.org/ ), a chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program, will have its annual meeting January 12th 1 - 3pm at the United Church of Chapel Hill ( 1321 MLK Boulevard, Chapel Hill), and it is open to non-members. Healthcare for All NC's mission is to "[work] toward a publicly-financed, sustainable, quality health care system that is open to all people in NC." For more information see: www.facebook.com/events/521193835031837/
The Impact of Invasive Insects on our Native Plants talk and Winter Seed Share and
The Southern Piedmont Chapter of the NC Native Plant Society's Winter Seed Share will be Sunday, January 13th (rescheduled from December 9th) at 2pm at the Reedy Creek Nature Center (2900 Rocky River Road, Charlotte), and is free and open to the public. For the seed share, bring clean seeds of plants native to the Southeast, with labelled their common and scientific names (if you are planning to share some seeds, please let lmellichamp [at] Carolina [period] rr [period] com know what you are bringing by January 7th). Coin envelopes will be offered, up to 10 per person, and each can contain about 1 teaspoon. People can receive seeds even if they don't have any to share. Retired entomologist Dr Don Booth, PhD, will talk about how non-native insects are effecting our native flora and fauna, focusing on the hemlock woolly adelgid, emerald ash borer, and the Southern pine beetle (actually a native beetle). The hemlock woolly adelgid and emerald ash borer have been found in the Triangle region, though not throughout the region (see durhamspark.blogspot.com/2016/04/emerald-ash-borer-unnecessary.html ).
Triangle Friends of Farmworkers events in January
A VUSE picket in support of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee's Reynolds boycott is scheduled for Wednesday, January 16th, location TBA. There will be a Triangle Friends of Farmworkers meeting later in the month ( www.facebook.com/trianglefriendsoffarmworkers/ ).
The January 16th picket will be 5 - 5:45pm at the Circle K at 109 West NC 54 (just west of the intersection with Fayetteville Road, near Southpoint Mall).
There will be a picket in Chapel Hill February 5th 5 - 5:45pm at the Circle K at 201 South Estes Drive (near the intersection of Estes and 15-501).
The January 16th picket will be 5 - 5:45pm at the Circle K at 109 West NC 54 (just west of the intersection with Fayetteville Road, near Southpoint Mall).
There will be a picket in Chapel Hill February 5th 5 - 5:45pm at the Circle K at 201 South Estes Drive (near the intersection of Estes and 15-501).
George HW Bush's Gulf War began January 16, 1991.
The revolution that overthrew Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak began with demonstrations on January 25, 2011 (National Police Day). Like the revolution in Tunisia, several people set themselves on fire in protest, starting January 18th.
Queen Lili'uokalani of Hawaii was overthrown January 17, 1893 with the involvement of the US (though President Grover Cleveland was apparently against the overthrow), creating the Republic of Hawaii, which was annexed as a US territory in 1898. Hawaii did not become a state until 1959, apparently because territorial status benefitted capitalist interests. There was a brief pro-monarchy uprising in January 1895. The US lease of Pearl Harbor as a naval base began January 20, 1887 and that year King Kalakāua was forced to accept a constitution limiting the monarchy and empowering Americans and Europeans over native Hawaiians, Asians, and those with less than a certain amount of income or wealth.
Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of newly independent Democratic Republic of Congo, was executed January 17, 1961, with the involvement of Belgium (which had held the DRC as a colony), the UK, and the USA. November 25, 1965 Mobutu seized power and later renamed the country Zaire; he wasn't deposed until 1997 and was supported by the US and China.
Martin Luther King Jr Day is Monday, January 21st, marking his birth January 15, 1929.
Queen Lili'uokalani of Hawaii was overthrown January 17, 1893 with the involvement of the US (though President Grover Cleveland was apparently against the overthrow), creating the Republic of Hawaii, which was annexed as a US territory in 1898. Hawaii did not become a state until 1959, apparently because territorial status benefitted capitalist interests. There was a brief pro-monarchy uprising in January 1895. The US lease of Pearl Harbor as a naval base began January 20, 1887 and that year King Kalakāua was forced to accept a constitution limiting the monarchy and empowering Americans and Europeans over native Hawaiians, Asians, and those with less than a certain amount of income or wealth.
Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of newly independent Democratic Republic of Congo, was executed January 17, 1961, with the involvement of Belgium (which had held the DRC as a colony), the UK, and the USA. November 25, 1965 Mobutu seized power and later renamed the country Zaire; he wasn't deposed until 1997 and was supported by the US and China.
Durham E-Waste, Paper Shredding, and Live Christmas Tree Drop-Off
This event is organized by the City of Durham and will be Saturday, January 19th, 8am - 2pm at the Durham County Stadium (750 Stadium Drive). For more information about this event and other options for getting rid of live Christmas trees, see the Facebook event page: www.facebook.com/events/1929659627343507/
Martin Luther King Jr Day is Monday, January 21st, marking his birth January 15, 1929.
Italian communist leader Antonio Gramsci was born January 22, 1891. He was a leader of the Communist Party of Italy, founded January 21, 1921 and is well-known for works such as the Prison Notebooks, written while imprisoned by Italy's Fascist government. Prison conditions resulted in his death April 7, 1937.
Astronauts Day
Astronauts Day, January 25th in 2019, commemorates deaths in the US space program, many of which happened in late January and early February, and is on the last Friday of January each year. According to Wikipedia, one way to commemorate is by placing a lit candle in your window and thinking of those who died for the space program and re-committing to achieve a personal goal.
The NC Museum of Natural Sciences is hosting Astronaut Days January 26 - 27th ( www.facebook.com/events/548405712301559/ ).
Chinese New Year Festival
The Triangle Area Chinese American Society is celebrating what they call the Triangle's largest Chinese New Year Festival Saturday, January 26th 10am - 5pm at the NC State Fairgrounds ( www.facebook.com/events/1108477192634699/ ). The NC Chinese Lantern Festival is ongoing in Cary until January 13th ( www.facebook.com/events/342691376480421/ ).
Women's Marches
The Women's March on Raleigh - 2019 will be Saturday, January 26th 10am - 1pm at Halifax Mall ( 6 West Jones Street). For more information, see: www.facebook.com/events/1977975525601394/
The siege of Leningrad by German and allied Finnish forces during WW2 lasted from September 8, 1941 to January 27, 1944, killing well over a million Soviet citizens, civilians and military personnel.
The Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated by the USSR January 27, 1945 and January 27th is International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
January 27, 1973 the Paris Peace Accords were signed between the USA, the Republic of Vietnam, what was then the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and the Provisional Revolutionary Government.
José Martí, one of the leaders of the movement for Cuban independence from Spain and the US, was born January 28, 1853 and died in the Battle of Dos Ríos against the Spanish military, May 19, 1895. The US later entered what became Spanish-American War and gained control of Cuba, the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico. This is often seen as the beginning of US imperialism, though Manifest Destiny and the seizure of Hawaii occurred earlier.
José Martí, one of the leaders of the movement for Cuban independence from Spain and the US, was born January 28, 1853 and died in the Battle of Dos Ríos against the Spanish military, May 19, 1895. The US later entered what became Spanish-American War and gained control of Cuba, the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico. This is often seen as the beginning of US imperialism, though Manifest Destiny and the seizure of Hawaii occurred earlier.
The annual HKonJ (Historic Thousands on Jones Street) march in downtown Raleigh will be February 9, 2019 ( www.hkonj.com/ and www.facebook.com/events/2219808744750422/ ).
UNC is supposed to present a second proposal on what to do with the Silent Sam monument March 15th.
Creek Weeks in 2019
According to the Haw River Assembly, there will be creek weeks in the region:
Durham County (March 16 - 23)
Forsyth County (March 23 - 30)
Guilford County (March 23 - 30)
Alamance County (April 6 - 13)
And I think there is something similar around this time for Swift Creek in Wake County.
The HRA's annual Clean-Up-A-Thon will be March 16th.
The HRA will be doing water testing March 23 - 24th.
There is a tradition of New Year's Day hikes at state parks, and the HRA is organizing a hike at the Lower Haw River State Natural Area on January 1st ( see http://www.hawriver.org/ or email info at hawriver ). I think the Eno River Association is also planning a hike
Support Palestine in DC 2019 will be March 24th in Washington ( www.facebook.com/events/322305558560731/ ).
A Call for a Mass Mobilization to Oppose NATO, War and Racism
Gather in Washington, DC's Lafayette Square, across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, at 1pm Saturday, March 30th and there will be other events Wednesday, April 4th at the start of the NATO summit in DC. For more information or to endorse the United National Antiwar Coalition's call to action, see: nepajac.org/april4rally.html
Pyongyang Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Conference April 18 - 25 (register by February 10th; this is an international conference and Americans and others are welcome to attend): www.korea-dpr.com/dprk-blockchain-conference-2019.html
The 2019 National Cannabis Festival will be Saturday, April 20th 12 - 8pm at the RFK Stadium in Washington, DC ( www.facebook.com/events/143259523190795/ ).
The 2019 National Cannabis Festival will be Saturday, April 20th 12 - 8pm at the RFK Stadium in Washington, DC ( www.facebook.com/events/143259523190795/ ).
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment