More items will be added over coming weeks.
McDougald Terrace carbon monoxide crisis
According to the Durham People's Alliance, supplies can be donated at 51B Ridgeway Avenue Monday through Saturday between 10am and 5pm. They are seeking healthy foods for families, bottled water, paper products, hygiene items, and items for babies, including blankets, mittens, hats, socks, and cleaning products.
People are asked to write to the Durham Housing Authority, City Council, and County Commissioners demanding progress in fixing the problems (which go far beyond the current carbon monoxide leaks), transparency, and clarity about when the problems will be fixed.
McDougald Terrace and Burton Park Community Cleanup
There will be a trash and debris cleanup Saturday, February 8th 11am - 2pm (meet at 1501 Sima Avenue). From the Facebook announcement (
www.facebook.com/events/1530534757112026/ ):
"Volunteers are invited to join Keep Durham Beautiful, City of Durham Police Department, Public Works [and] Stormwater, and other partners and community members to clean up litter in Burton Park and around McDougald Terrace.
Snacks, water, and litter cleanup supplies will be provided. City of Durham information tables will be set up from 11 am to 12:30 pm."
Register Here:
https://keepdurhambeautiful.org/events/2020/1/29/mcdougald-terrace-cleanup "
L is for Library
Through February 29th, people and businesses can have their names (25 characters) printed in vinyl on a big L at the entrance to the newly renovated Main Library, for $50 dollars. This is a Durham Library Foundation fundraiser to benefit all of the Durham County libraries:
durhamlibraryfoundation.org/support/l-is-for-library/
Petition to "Save Chapel Hill's Natural Heritage Basic Oak - Hickory Forest" [from UNC Health Care]:
www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-chapel-hills-natural-heritage-basic-oak-hickory-forest.html
NC DOT seeks input on 2023 - 2032 projects (comments close after Friday, February 28th):
www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2020/Public-Comment-Opportunity-for-Future-NCDOT-Projects.aspx
Durham comprehensive planning input
Provide input to shape Durham's new comprehensive plan and transit plan:
engagedurham.com/ComprehensivePlan/
2020 is the last year of the UN's International Decade on Biodiversity ( www.cbd.int/2011-2020/ ) among other international decades ( www.un.org/en/sections/observances/international-decades/index.html ), the International Year of Plant Health and the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife ( www.un.org/en/sections/observances/international-years/index.html ), and the 75th anniversary of the United Nations.
February is Black / African-American History Month in the USA and apparently also in the UK and Canada, while Ireland and the Netherlands have similar commemorations every October.
Library booksales
The first Friends of the Durham Library book sale of the year will be February 8 - 9th (Saturday 10am - 12pm is members only, while 12 - 4pm is open to all; Sunday is a $10 dollar grocery bag sale open to all from 1 - 4pm) at the usual Northgate Mall location ( durhamcountylibrary.org/friends/ ). The sales are at a space next to the former location of Sears, but that entrance is closed. There are small satellite sales inside the various branches daily.
Possibly there will be a book sale somewhere near the Pit area at UNC, such as outside or at Wilson Library, in March or April. I'm not sure if this is an annual event.
The next Friends of the Chapel Hill Public Library sale will be April 17 - 19th: friendschpl.org/
The Wake County Public Libraries' Annual Book Sale will be April 30th - May 3rd in the Expo Center at the NC State Fairgrounds in Raleigh ( www.wakegov.com/libraries/events/Pages/booksale.aspx ). Around 12,000 people came last year, buying more than 202,000 books, and other books went to more than 500 Wake County Public Schools teachers for academic use. This could be the biggest annual booksale in the state.
The Friends of the Chatham County Community Library will have a sale April 2 - 4 (9am - 7pm Thursday and Friday and 9am - 2pm Saturday). There will be a 20% discount for purchases of $200 dollars or more on Thursday, April 2nd, half-price sale on Friday, and a $5 dollar bag sale on Saturday: friendsccl.org/
The Friends of the Lee County Library have ongoing sales and occasionally special sales, announced on their website and Facebook: library.leecountync.gov/friends and www.facebook.com/foleelibrary/
Creek Weeks this spring
Durham Creek Week - March 14 - 21: keepdurhambeautiful.org/creek-week
Alamance Creek Week - March 28 - April 4: alamancecreekweek.wordpress.com/
Guilford Creek Week - March 28 - April 4: www.guilfordcreekweek.org/
Forsyth Creek Week - March 21 - 29: forsythcreekweek.squarespace.com/
Mecklenburg Creek Week - March 21 - 28: charlottenc.gov/StormWater/Pages/default.aspx
The Haw River Assembly will have a Haw River Watch Monitoring Weekend March 21 - 22 (contact 919 542 5790 or Emily[at]hawriver[periodorg]
Rowan County has its 2nd annual creek week August 22 - 29: www.rowancountync.gov/1464/Creek-Week
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 on Wednesdays or Saturdays (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
Continuing biodiversity losses in China's Yangtze River
A new study published in Science of the Total Environment (volume 210, March 25, 2020) finds that the Chinese paddlefish probably went extinct by 2005, or no later than 2010, due to overfishing and habitat loss due to Gezhouba Dam and others, etc., mainly since the late 70's. The population may have become unable to reproduce itself by 1993 and the last confirmed capture was in 2003. They were last seen in the Yellow River (Huang He) basin in the 60's. These ancient, sharklike fish might have grown up to 23 feet long and used their very elongated snouts to detect crustaceans and fish in turbid river and estuarine waters. There is an American paddlefish, a filter feeder growing up to 6 feet long and having a more paddlelike snout, living historically across the Mississippi basin and in the Great Lakes region. They were once found in the French Broad River close to Asheville. American paddlefish are also threatened, due to dams, poaching for caviar, etc., but are raised commercially or were introduced in the former USSR and Eastern Europe, China, and Cuba. A survey in 2017-2018 found 332 species of fish in the Yangtze River basin, but 140 species that had been reported historically were absent, and most of them are consider very at risk of extinction. The Yangtze river dolphin or baiji is also thought to be extinct due to human activity and very few Yangtze giant softshell turtles (one of the largest living freshwater turtles) are left, among other Yangtze fauna at risk of extinction.
See also: www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/01/chinese-paddlefish-one-of-largest-fish-extinct/
The Jordan Lake reservoir first filled to its designed level or "normal pool" in February 1982: www.saw.usace.army.mil/Locations/District-Lakes-and-Dams/B-Everett-Jordan/History/ Studies leading to the dam project began in 1946 following a 1945 hurricane and building started in 1963, but the brief Army Corps history above doesn't mention public opposition that delayed the project but eventually failed. The reservoir sits mainly in the lower New Hope valley, along with a smaller area along the Haw River. New Hope Creek is still a prominent waterway in the Triangle, part of the Cape Fear River basin, but where the Lake is today it became the New Hope River and included whitewater rapids. The area was agricultural and many people lived there, but many acres of more wild bottomland habitat along the meandering river, possibly home to black bears, must have been destroyed for the reservoir. Jordan Lake controls flooding downstream on the Cape Fear River; it is a (polluted) drinking water source for several towns and cities, including Durham, to an increasing degree and large mudflats are often exposed at the upper end during summer droughts; at some point a small hydroelectric powerplant was installed; and protected public lands surround the Lake. Many species of birds are attracted by this unnatural lake (North Carolina's large natural lakes are in the Coastal Plain) and there are of course fish (at times vast numbers of non-native carp congregate at the shoreline, but few want to catch those), but I doubt this makes up for what was lost.
Witness for Peace Southeast is organizing a Delegation to Colombia: Confronting Climate Change February 28 - March 8th: www.facebook.com/events/337575433674747/
The first US national marine sanctuary was established January 30, 1975, to protect the wreck of the ironclad USS Monitor 16 miles off Cape Hatteras.
The UK 'Brexited' from the EU January 31st, seemingly without much media coverage over the preceding weeks, after frequent coverage in 2019.
There is an eye-opening list of military nuclear accidents at:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_military_nuclear_accidents , in some instances potentially risking WWIII. Among other accidents around this time of year, February 13, 1950 a USAF B-36 Peacemaker bomber jettisoned a simulated but still radioactive bomb (a dirty bomb) in British Columbia, Canada; January 31, 1958 a USAF B-47 carrying an armed nuclear bomb crashed and burned in Morocco; February 5, 1958 a nuclear bomb was jettisoned and lost in the ocean off Georgia; February 28, 1958 at a USAF base in the UK a B-47 ejected its external fuel tanks, setting a parked and manned B-47 carrying a nuclear bomb on fire for 16 hours, and the incident was kept secret for decades; January 18, 1959 a parked F-100 Super Sabre fighter carrying a nuclear bomb burned at an undisclosed US base in the Pacific; January 13, 1964 a B-52 carrying nuclear weapons broke up over Pennsylvania; January 17, 1966 a collision during midair refueling in Spain released four nuclear bombs, and the conventional explosives in two of the bombs went off, scattering plutonium over the countryside; January 21, 1968 a B-52 carrying four bombs crashed near the Thule Air Base in Greenland, where an explosion could have been confused with a nuclear attack, and the crash caused a nuclear weapons scandal in Denmark.
January 24, 1978 Kosmos 954, a malfunctioning nuclear-powered Soviet naval surveillance satellite disintegrated over Canada, requiring clean up of radioactive debris and the USSR paid restitution, though only half of what Canada asked for. Another malfunctioning nuclear-powered satellite, Kosmos 1402 burned up over the Indian Ocean January 23, 1983 and no debris were found, while its ejected nuclear reactor vaporized over the South Atlantic February 7th.
Astronauts Day (the last Friday in January) and International Zebra Day are supposed to be January 31st.
The
Southern Workers School will be January 31 - February 1st in Durham (contact the NC AFL-CIO for more information).
There was a battle around
New Bern February 1 - 3, 1864.
The
Greensboro Sit-In at a Woolworth store began February 1, 1960.
Nguyễn Văn Lém or Bảy Lốp, an officer of the National Liberation Front, was captured during the Tet Offensive February 1, 1968 in Saigon and summarily executed by Nguyễn Ngọc Loan, leader of the South Vietnamese National Police, a famous image captured by the Associated Press and NBC News. Loan later took refuge in the US and lived near Washington, DC.
Space Shuttle Columbia was destroyed during reentry February 1, 2003, due to damage from insulating foam that came off of the large brown external tank during launch. The seven-member crew was killed. The shuttle's remains landed in East Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana. NASA management might have been able to prevent the loss, but did not allow a search for damage while Columbia was in space.
NCSSM Powwow - The Pathway to Our Future
The NC School of Science and Math in Durham will host its 23rd annual American Indian powwow Saturday, February 1st, with dance performances (possibly with some audience participation), music, arts and crafts vendors, and food. Earlier in the day NCSSM will have an open house. Tickets cost $5 dollars, while admission is free for children 5 and under. For more information see: www.ncssm.edu/news/ncssm-celebrates-native-american-culture-23rd-annual-powwow-e2-80-a8 and www.ncssm.edu/news/ncssm-celebrates-native-american-culture-23rd-annual-powwow-e2-80-a8
Tree Planting at Durham School of the Arts
Join Keep Durham Beautiful and TreesDurham Saturday, February 1st 1:30 - 4:30pm to plant 25 mostly native tree species for shade and flowers at DSA: keepdurhambeautiful.org/creek-week
Medicare for All Rally at Congressman Butterfield's Durham office!
This is being organized by the Southern Workers Assembly Saturday, February 1 4:30 - 5:30pm at 2741 Campus Walk Avenue, Durham: www.facebook.com/events/821670331681150/
From the Facebook event page:
"Adding to the numbers of working people who see Medicare for All as the way to comprehensively insure themselves and families and to contain skyrocketing healthcare costs, the Southern Workers Assembly will “picket for health,” to continue their campaign to convince Congressman G.K. Butterfield to become a co-sponsor of the Medicare for All Act of 2019 (HR 1384).
Butterfield is the only remaining Congressional Democrat from North Carolina who has not yet co-sponsored HR 1384. The Durham City Council passed a Resolution to endorse the federal Medicare for All Act (HR 1384) legislation now before Congress. Similar resolutions are being introduced by workers’ committees throughout the South.
This is part of the Southern Workers Medicare for All campaign launched by the Southern Workers Assembly to challenge employers all across the South to speak-out in favor or Medicare for All.
This weekend Southern workers from Texas, Florida, Georgia, West Virginia and North Carolina including the National Nurses United, the Fight for $15, the National Domestic Workers-We Dream in Black, the United Electrical (UE) workers Local 150 and Local 170 (from N.C. and West Virginia), Black Workers for Justice the Durham Workers Assembly and others, including Carl Rosen, UE General President and Libby Devlin NNU National Bargaining Director will be in town for a Workers School hosted by the Southern Workers Assembly. The school will be training workers to organize at their workplaces for passage of the federal Medicare for All Act, and to make plans to host workplace pickets in the days prior to the primary elections in early March.
“We are being gouged by insurance companies collecting enormous premiums. Let’s join the rest of the industrial world and support a universal healthcare program which for us is Medicare for All,” Dominic Harris, Water Department, City of Charlotte, President of Charlotte City Workers Union.
“As a hospital RN in one of the largest hospitals in Corpus Christi Texas we find patients arriving at our facility who are sicker and sicker. That’s because the insurance system does not fully insure them and they don’t get care when they need it. Enough is enough. We support the North Carolina workers’ efforts and will continue our efforts in Texas, Florida and other states. Let’s put in place a system that cares for all US residents. That’s Medicare for All,” said Kathy Gossett, Registered Nurse.
Recent Commonwealth Fund data shows that in successive years one in three US residents with insurance foregoes a doctor visit or filling a prescription because they cannot afford them. Forty-two percent of US residents with a first time cancer diagnosis spend all their savings within two years. Premiums continue to go up well beyond inflation. That’s underinsurance at expensive rates."
Taíno leader
Hatuey fought the Spanish conquistadores in Hispaniola and Cuba, but was burned at the stake February 2, 1512 near what is now Bayamo, Cuba (also near where one of Cuba's 19th century wars for independence began). Before he was killed, a priest is supposed to have asked Hatuey if he would become a Christian and go to heaven, and he asked if the Spanish went to heaven. Hearing the answer he said he would rather go to hell where there wouldn't be any Spanish people and their cruelty. He is a Hero of the Republic of Cuba.
The Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo was signed February 2, 1848, ending the Mexican-American War and ceding a large part of Mexico to the USA (though I imagine much of this territory was still controlled by Indian groups, who might have been living there for hundreds or thousands of years, and was only claimed by the Mexican government or controlled to a limited extent).
Mongolian revolutionary
Damdinii Sükhbaatar was born February 2, 1893 in what is now Ulaanbaatar, and was a founder of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party; a leader of the Mongolian People's Partisans, which liberated Mongolia from Chinese control; and minister of the army. He is called the "Father of Mongolia's Revolution." He died February 20, 1923. His wife Sükhbaataryn Yanjmaa, married in 1913, is supposed to be the second woman to be a non-hereditary head of state in history (preceded by Khertek Amyrbitovna Anchimaa-Toka of the neighboring Tuvan People's Republic). The modern name of Mongolia's capital, Ulaanbaatar (Red Hero), honors him, and his portrait still appears on Mongolian bank notes.
Germany's 6th Army, occupying Stalingrad, surrendered February 2, 1943.
World Wetlands Day is February 2nd, marking the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands February 2, 1971 in Ramsar, Iran, and this year's theme is "Wetlands and Biodiversity" - www.worldwetlandsday.org/
Tulsi Gabbard's 2020 presidential campaign officially began February 2, 2019: www.tulsi2020.com/
Join Up for José Monthly Meeting - Únete Por José Reunión Mensual
This month's meeting will be Saturday, February 2nd at 5pm. From the Facebook announcement (
www.facebook.com/events/836670723442517/ ):
"Come out to support Pastor José Chicas, who has been living in sanctuary at the School for Conversion at St. John's Missionary Baptist Church [923 Onslow Street in Durham] for over 2 years. This is a monthly meeting with José to organize concrete community support and solidarity. Potluck treats and snacks are welcome but not required! :)
If you can't come but still want to support, please make a donation to the Chicas family at:
https://www.pastorjosechicas.org/
--
Ven a apoyar al Pastor José Chicas, quien ha estado viviendo en santuario en la School for Conversion en la iglesia St. John's Missionary Baptist Church por más de 2 años. Esta es una reunión mensual con José para organizar apoyo comunitario y solidaridad concretos. Comida y bocadillos para compartir están bienvenidos pero no requeridos! :)
Si quieres apoyar a la familia Chicas pero no puedes venir, haga tu donación aquí:
https://www.pastorjosechicas.org/ "
A Conversation with the Candidates
The Durham Council of PTAs will host this event with local and state candidates running in the March 3rd primary election, Monday, February 3rd and the Carolina Theatre (309 West Morgan Street, Durham). People will be able to mingle with the candidates 6 - 6:45pm in the foyer of Cinema One and there will be hors d'oeuvres. The main event will be at 7pm, moderated by Stormie Forte and Dr Deitrich Danner, and the audience will be able to submit questions for the candidates. This is a free event, but registration is encouraged, at: www.eventbrite.com/e/durham-council-of-ptas-presents-a-conversation-with-the-candidates-tickets-85500896483 ; also: www.facebook.com/events/1489139847917409/
The Iowa caucuses are the evening of February 3rd and will give data about people's initial and final choices in the presidential primaries.
"Big Bill" Haywood, a founder of the Industrial Workers of the World and at one time a leader of the Socialist Party of America, was born February 4, 1869 in Salt Lake City. He was charged under the Espionage Act of 1917 and in 1921 sought refuge in the USSR, where he died May 18, 1928. Half of his ashes are in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis and the other half in the Haymarket Martyr's Monument in Chicago.
The bloody and little-known
Philippine-American War began February 4, 1899 and lasted until July 2, 1902, but fighting continued in some areas. The US military killed thousands of Moro people in the Battle of Bud Bagsak in the summer 1913 (see this article for details and a comparison to the Afghanistan War:
www.counterpunch.org/2019/12/19/remembering-americas-first-and-longest-forgotten-war-on-tribal-islamists/ ). There is still fighting and terrorism going on in the Philippines.
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was born February 4, 1913 in Tuskgee, Alabama.
The Yalta Conference between Churchill, FDR, and Stalin met February 4 - 11, 1945 in Yalta, Crimea.
World Cancer Day is February 4th.
Kashmir Solidarity Day is held annually in Pakistan February 5th in support of the secession of the part of Kashmir held by India.
February 5, 2003 Colin Powell spoke before the UN Security Council, claiming that Iraq had mobile biological weapon labs and was developing nuclear weapons, helping pave the way for the war the US and UK launched in late March. During press conferences by Powell and John Negroponte a tapestry copy of Pablo Picasso's Guernica hanging in the UN headquarters was covered with a blue curtain, allegedly only for TV news aesthetics.
A Date with the Candidates
This will be February 5th at 6:30pm at the Robert and Pearl Seymour Center in Chapel Hill (2551 Homestead Road). From the Facebook event ( www.facebook.com/events/308188370119218/ ):
"Meet the candidates for Orange County Board of County Commissioners and District Court Judge in a “speed dating” environment.
Small groups will sit with the candidates to discuss issues and the candidates will rotate group every 10 minutes to give constituents a chance to talk with everyone.
March 3 is Election Day! Early voting starts Feb 13. Spread the word!"
This is being organized by the Democratic Women of Orange County NC.
American revolutionary Harry Haywood was born February 6, 1898 in South Omaha, Nebraska. He was a leader of the CPUSA, but clashed with the revisionist leadership during the Khrushchev era. He was a leader in the Comintern during the 20's and wrote
Negro Liberation (1948), arguing that the Black Belt was an oppressed nation with the right to self-determination. After leaving the CPUSA, he was a leader of the Provisional Organizing Committee for a Communist Party and later the Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist). His known for
Black Bolshevik: Autobiography of an Afro-American Communist (1978). He fought in WWI, the Spanish Civil War, and WWII, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery after his death January 4, 1985.
The
Seattle General Strike began February 6th and ended February 11th in 1919:
www.counterpunch.org/2019/02/08/the-seattle-general-strike-a-100-year-legacy/
Wikipedia dates the
First Red Scare as January 21, 1919 to April 1, 1920, and the
Palmer Raids took place November 1919 and January 1920, under President Woodrow Wilson.
Cuban revolutionary Camilo Cienfuegos, the Hero of Yaguajay, was born February 6, 1932 and is thought to have died in plane crash over the ocean October 28, 1959. Cuba's Order of Cienfuegos award is named for him.
Novelist Charles Dickens was born February 7, 1812.
The Civil War
Battle of Roanoke Island was February 7, 1862:
www.ncpedia.org/anchor/battle-roanoke-island
Mongolian revolutionary and statesman
Khorloogiin Choibalsan was born February 8, 1895 and died January 26, 1952. He was a founder of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, chairman of the council of ministers, marshal of the Mongolian People's Army during the war with Japan, etc. Despite being called the "Stalin of Mongolia," in a negative sense [at least on
Wikipedia], statues and place names honoring him remain.
Albanian revolutionary Nexhmije Xhuglini Hoxha was born February 8, 1921 in Bitolj, today part of Macedonia. She fought in the war to liberate Albania from Italian and German occupation during WWII and held leading positions in the Party of Labor of Albania, the Democratic Front, the Institute of Marxist-Leninist Studies, the Albanian Women's League, the National Assembly of Albania, and other bodies. She was imprisoned for 5 years after the counterrevolution. She is supposed to be the oldest living member of the PLA leadership. [Some of her memoirs are available at:
ml-review.ca/aml/index/subject.html She passed away February 26th, aged 99:
ml-today.com/ ;
theredphoenixapl.org/2020/02/26/a-bright-red-star-has-joined-the-heavens/ ; announcement from son Ilir Hoxha (in Albanian):
www.facebook.com/groups/312850322214080/ ; obligatory scathing
New York Times and
Reuters obituaries:
www.nytimes.com/2020/03/04/world/europe/nexhmije-hoxha-dead.html ;
www.reuters.com/article/us-albania-hoxha-idUSKCN20K30K ; less scathing
France24 obituary:
www.france24.com/en/20200226-nexhmije-hoxha-widow-of-albania-s-communist-tyrant-dies-aged-99 ]
Translation of War Veterans Association of the NLA statement [from the For a People's Democracy Facebook linked group above]:
"WAR VETERANS ASSOCIATION OF THE NATIONAL LIBERATION ARMY
Died comrade Nexhmije Hoxha
A young girl born in Saint Naum (Bitola), raised in Dibra, married in Gjirokastra, with a more sensational life in Tirana, where she supported the Gervalla family, left behind one [major] Nationwide Works, testament to be realized from generations of dedication for National Unity ...
Glory!
War Veterans Association of the National Liberation Army
Fazli Veliu, Chairman
Tetova, February, 2020"
In the
Charonne Metro Station Massacre in Paris, France February 8, 1962 the police trapped people protesting the Algerian War and the paramilitary Organisation armée secrete in a metro station and killed nine. Hundreds of thousands participated in a funeral march.
The Orangeburg Massacre was February 8, 1968 at South Carolina State University, killing 3 and injuring 27.
The 14th annual HKonJ People's Assembly and Moral March (Historic Thousands on Jones Street) will be in downtown Raleigh Saturday, February 8th: naacpnc.org/hkonj-peoples-assembly-coalition/ [People can arrive at 8:30am, there will be a rally at 9, the march will start at 10, and there will be another people's assembly afterward.]
The Triangle Russian Festival 2020 will be February 8th 11am - 8pm at the Halle Cultural Arts Center in Apex: www.facebook.com/events/632614080876274/
According to Wikipedia, the first and only time a submarine has sunk another submarine while both were underwater was February 9, 1945, when HMS Venturer intercepted and sank U-864 off Norway. U-864 was carrying jet engine and missile guidance system components, as well as mercury, to aid German ally Japan.
A prototype Boeing 747 first flew February 9, 1969.
The Battle of Elizabeth City was February 10, 1862.
Playwright Bertolt Brecht was born February 10, 1898 in Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany.
World Pulses Day, devoted to important food plants such as kidney beans, lima beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, broad beans, and lentils, is February 10th. The UN General Assembly declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses: www.un.org/en/events/pulsesday/ and www.fao.org/world-pulses-day/en/
February 10th is informally NEET Day in Japan, based on the sounds of Japanese words for 2 and 10 ( soranews24.com/2020/02/11/after-eight-years-as-a-neet-our-reporter-shares-the-one-thing-that-helped-him-escape-that-life/ ). NEET, Not in Education, Employment, or Training, is an acronym originally coined in the UK, apparently covering ages 16 - 24. According to Wikipedia in Japan the classification covers those aged 15 - 34 who are not employed or looking for work, not in school or other training, and not doing housework. Japan also has terms like freeter (covering underemployed and unemployed people, other than students and housewives) and hikikomori, people who rarely leave their home or even a single room, similar to a shut-in, recluse, or hermit (though during an epidemic, being reclusive could be good for one's health). NEET Day probably isn't a political occasion, but it still relates to problems caused by neoliberal capitalism in many countries.
Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha were shot to death in their home in Chapel Hill (but in Durham County) by neighbor Craig Stephen Hicks February 10, 2015.
The Tuscarora War began September 22, 1711 and ended February 11, 1715 ( www.ncpedia.org/anchor/tuscarora-war ). At the beginning of the war John Lawson, author of A New Voyage to Carolina, was captured, tortured, and executed, while others in his party were let go. There was an important battle March 20 - 23, 1713 at Fort Neoheroka near Snow Hill ( blog.ecu.edu/sites/nooherooka/ ). The Tuscaroras were internally divided and several native groups fought on each side. Over many years following the war most Tuscarora moved north to join the related Haudenosaunee or Iroquois confederacy, but there are groups in North Carolina seeking official recognition today.
Many of the tribes that had fought the Tuscaroras decided soon afterward to ally against the colonists themselves and launched the Yamasee War, centered in South Carolina, the night of April 14, 1715. The war lasted into 1717 or longer and is supposed to have been one of the bloodiest in US history.
The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is February 11th: www.un.org/en/events/women-and-girls-in-science-day/index.shtml
Very similar to Tarek el-Tayeb Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia, 27-year-old Moroccan street vendor
Nourredine Adnane set himself on fire February 11, 2011, following threats of suicide, protesting the seizure of his goods and humiliation in Palmero, Sicily. Earlier on January 21st an unnamed 65-year-old man died a few days after setting himself on fire in Samtah, Jizan, Saudi Arabia, reportedly a first in Saudi Arabia (according to
Wikipedia), and possibly over the barriers to becoming a Saudi national.
New Hampshire's primary will be Tuesday, February 11th.
The Biodiversity in Palestine Conference and Workshop will be held in Bethlehem, Palestine February 11 - 12th. For information about registering, contact info[at]palestinenature[periodorg] or call +970 2 2773553; the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability of Bethlehem University's website is: www.palestinenature.org/
Charles Darwin was born February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, UK.
Teach-ins - Student Rights Under Attack: The 26th Amendment and You
Announcement:
"What? A Teach-In
Student Rights Under Attack: The 26th Amendment and You.”
"The 26th Amendment guarantees voting rights to Americans over the age of 18. However, even as young people still face many barriers to voting, the last decade has seen a profusion of attempts to keep students from exercising that right, from new strict voter identification laws, to confusion about the right to vote at campus addresses, to gerrymandering of campus precincts, to efforts to close down campus polling places. Why is this happening? Who doesn’t want students to vote—and why? What can we do to protect our voices and use our power, particularly when the youth vote is on the rise?
Join the NCCU Master of Public Administration program, the Hart Leadership Program, the Duke Human Rights Center at FHI, and DemocracyNC on Feb. 12th from 5:30 to 6:30 for a conversation with legal scholar and attorney Yael Bromberg about the history, present, and future of the struggle to secure young people’s democratic rights. Bromberg is the leading authority on the hard-won 26th Amendment, which has rarely been used as a legal tool to fight back. Should it be?
Yael Bromberg is a constitutional rights attorney with over fifteen years of experience in community organizing, advocacy, and campaigns. She is currently Chief Counsel for Voting Rights for The Andrew Goodman Foundation, and Principal of Bromberg Law LLC. She previously worked at Georgetown University Law Center’s Civil Rights Clinic and Voting Rights Institute as a supervising attorney and teaching fellow, where she also received an L.L.M. in Advocacy with distinction. Ms. Bromberg's pathbreaking article and legal call to arms, "Youth Voting Rights & The Unfulfilled Promise of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment," was recently published in the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law.
Pizza and refreshments will be provided. This event is free and open to the public.
Contact cpaul5 [atnccuperiodedu] for further information. The same program will run at Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy the following evening.
When?
Wednesday, February 12th, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Where?
NCCU Whiting Criminal Justice Building
Auditorium (Room 201)
2201 Lincoln Street
Durham, NC 27707
[At Duke Thursday, February 13th 5:30 - 6:30pm at the Sanford School of Public Policy 04 at 201 Science Drive Durham, NC 27708]"
Chinese revolutionary
Yang Jingyu (Ma Shangde) was born February 13, 1905 in Henan province. He led the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, under which Kim Il-Sung fought. By January 1940 an enemy force 40,000 strong encircled Yang's command, so he had his soldiers divide into smaller groups and try to escape. Yang was the last survivor of his group and is supposed to have fought without food for 6 days before dying in battle in Mengjiang County, since renamed Jingyu.
See:
www.china.org.cn/english/features/126090.htm www.china.org.cn/english/features/126092.htm
British and American bombers targeted
Dresden, capital of the German state of Saxony, February 13 - 15, 1945 with high-explosive and incendiary bombs, causing a firestorm and killing up to 25,000 people. Author Kurt Vonnegut witnessed the bombing as a POW.
The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) began the
Nepalese Civil War to overthrow the royal government February 13, 1996. King Gyanendra seized absolute power February 1, 2005. The war ended with a peace agreement in November 2006 and Nepal is now a secular republic, the monarchy was abolished, the CPN(M) became a major electoral party, and leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) became prime minister twice. On the other hand the CPN(M) no longer exists (some groups split off and a 2018 merger established the Nepal Communist Party) and a people's republic wasn't created.
World Radio Day is February 13th: www.un.org/en/events/radioday/
$15 for NC: A People's Hearing
From the Facebook announcement ( www.facebook.com/events/1473214782841683/ ):
"Join workers and allies demanding a $15/hr minimum wage! On Feb. 13 at 6pm [6 - 8pm in Raleigh], workers, clergy, small business owners, and other community leaders will testify about what it's like to be a working person in NC and call for a $15/hr minimum wage statewide. Candidates will attend, listen, briefly respond to testimonies, and give their position on wages. In January 2020, 21 states (blue, purple, and red) raised their minimum wage. North Carolina was not one of them. Southern workers keep being left behind. We can’t live on $7.25/hr-- it's past time to raise the NC minimum wage. Groups like Raising Wages NC made those wage increases happen in other states. We can do it here. 2020 is an election year-- join us on 2/13 to demand our candidates support a $15/hr minimum wage in NC!
Follow our page to get updates on location, accessibility, and parking!
Raising Wages NC is a statewide coalition of working people, unions, religious leaders, community organizations, and policy advocates united to raise wages in North Carolina [hosted by Raising Wages NC, United for a Fair Economy, Just Economics of WNC, and the NC AFL-CIO]."
Valentine's Day is Friday, February 14th, and is controversial from a left or nationalist point of view in some countries (and a right or religious point of view elsewhere), according to Wikipedia. Apparently the 14th day of each month has romantic allusions in the ROK, and April 14th is Black Day, for people who didn't have a valentine.
Maurice Audin, a French member of the Algerian Communist Party and a mathematics assistant at the University of Algiers, was born February 14, 1932. The French Army seized him at his apartment June 11, 1957, during Algeria's war for independence, and then used his home as a trap for others. He was taken elsewhere and tortured to death, first acknowledged by French President Macron. This was not an isolated case.
Allegedly to prevent the potential of injuries from a toxic hydrazine leak on a malfunctioning surveillance satellite, the US Navy was ordered to destroy it with an anti-ballistic missile on February 14, 2008. This also conveniently allowed the military to test a space weapon.
Mongolian revolutionary
Sükhbaataryn (Nemedeyen) Yanjmaa was born February 15, 1893 near modern Ulaanbaatar. She married Damdinii Sükhbaatar
in 1913. She joined the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party in 1924. At various times she held high-ranking offices in the party and the Mongolian legislature and was Mongolia's acting president 1953-54, reportedly becoming the second woman to become head of state other than by inheritance (she was preceded 1940 - 1944 by Khertek Amyrbitovna Anchimaa-Toka of the neighboring Tuvan People's Republic).
Following an explosion, the USS Maine sank in Havana Harbor, Cuba February 15, 1898, killing 260 crew. The explosion was probably accidental, helped ignite the Spanish-American War later that spring. In 1962 the US military proposed various terrorist acts to justify war with Cuba (Operation Northwoods), including blowing up a US ship in Guantánamo Bay.
Military construction on Great Gull Island, New York for the Spanish-American War was a factor in the extinction of the Gull Island vole, discovered by science and then exterminated over a few months. Wikipedia says the Gull Island vole was a subspecies of the much more widespread meadow vole, but says that another subspecies, the Florida salt marsh meadow vole, is currently endangered.
World Pangolin Day is February 15th (the third Saturday of the month): www.pangolins.org/world-pangolin-day/
Whack-Attack! Invasive Plant Species Removal Workday in Bynum on February 15th
From the email announcement:
"Friends of Lower Haw is holding another Whack-Attack volunteer workday to remove invasive plant species on Saturday morning, February 15th from 9:00 to 11:30 am in the Bynum Mill area of the Lower Haw River State Natural Area. Sign up to volunteer by contacting lowerhawevents [atgmailperiodcom] with "Invasives" in the subject line. Learn more about Friends of Lower Haw at www.lowerhaw.org.
State Parks biologists will supervise the volunteer workday. Invasive species workdays typically involve identifying and removing non-native plant species using clippers, pruners, saws, or any other non-motorized hand tool. Park staff will be able to use motorized equipment like chainsaws and brush saws for larger plants. Learn about invasive plant species and removal techniques. All tools will be provided. Bring work gloves, insect repellent and water. Wear closed-toe shoes, long pants and long sleeve shirt. Meet at 9:00 am in the Bynum Mill parking lot off Bynum Church Road. Please note there are no restroom facilities at this location. Directions: The Bynum Mill Access parking lot is located at the Haw River between Chapel Hill and Pittsboro. From US 15-501, turn on Durham-Eubanks Road and follow it to the stop sign. At the stop sign, cross over Bynum Road and continue uphill on Bynum Church Road. After passing the church, continue downhill on Bynum Church Road and the large State Parks parking lot will be on the right."
The Report will be shown somewhere in Asheville February 16th, hosted by the Western NC ACLU.
February 17, 1864 Confederate submarine Hunley sank the USS Housatonic outside of Charleston Harbor using a spar torpedo (a pole tipped with an explosive), becoming the first submarine to sink an enemy ship, though the Hunley wasn't underwater during the attack. It was not meant to be a suicide mission, but the eight volunteers operating the Hunley were killed, possibly instantaneously. Five crew members were killed on the USS Housatonic. The Hunley was raised in 2000 and can be seen at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center in Charleston and there was a movie about it on TNT. Apparently there were other Confederate submarines, a Union submarine lost off Cape Hatteras, and a submarine was even deployed in the Revolutionary War, but it was unsuccessful.
China invaded Vietnam February 17, 1979 in retaliation for Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia (called Democratic Kampuchea) to topple the Khmer Rouge government. China, the USA, Thailand, and other countries supported the Khmer Rouge against Vietnam, which was an ally of the USSR.
President Ford signed Executive Order 11905 February 18, 1976, among other things banning "political assassination." Similar executive orders were signed by Carter on January 24, 1978 and Reagan on December 4, 1981.
The Polish-Soviet War began February 14, 1919 and ended in October 1920. The March 18, 1921 Peace of Riga agreement established the Soviet-Polish border that held during the interwar period.
Clyde W Tombaugh discovered
Pluto February 18, 1930. Pluto was considered the 9th planet, but the International Astronomical Union now classifies it as a dwarf planet (the largest yet discovered) and the first member of the Kuiper Belt to be discovered.
FDR signed
Executive Order 9906, allowing the internment of Japanese-Americans and others during World War II, on February 19, 1942.
Plowshares Number 12
February 19, 1985 Martin Holladay entered Whiteman Air Force Base, close to Odessa, Missouri, and used a hammer and chisel to damage the lid on a Minuteman II nuclear missile silo and electrical boxes. He also spraypainted "No More Hiroshimas" and put blood on the silo and left a statement condemning the government's preparations for nuclear war on religious and international law grounds. He was arrested and held without bond, and not allowed to give a necessity defense during a four-day trial before a jury. Later that spring he was found guilty of destroying government property and national defense material and sentenced to jail for eight years, probation for five years, and a $1000 dollar fine and restitution of $2242. An appeal was denied, but his prison time was reduced to time served after 19 months. This account comes from the book
Swords into Plowshares: Nonviolent Direct Action for Disarmament, edited by Arthur J Laffin and Anne Montgomery, published 1987, so it leaves out more recent actions.
Construction of the Soviet space station Mir (meaning peace) began February 19, 1986. Until October 2010 the record for the longest continuous human presence in space was the habitation of Mir. Cosmonaut Valeri Vladimirovich Polyakov lived there for 437 days during the mid-90's. Due to lack of funding Russia de-orbited it into the South Pacific March 23, 2001.
Hungarian revolutionary Béla Kun (Béla Kohn) was born February 20, 1886 in a Transylvanian village that was part of Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time and is now in Romania. Some of his writings are online at: www.marxists.org/archive/kun-bela/index.htm and otheraspect.org/bela-kun-and-hungarian-soviet-republic/
The World Day of Social Justice is February 20th: www.un.org/en/events/socialjusticeday/
The last known Carolina parakeet died February 21, 1918 at the Cincinnati Zoo, apparently in the same place where the last captive passenger pigeon, Martha, died September 1, 1914. He was named Incas and died shortly after his mate Lady Jane. The last known wild bird was killed in Florida in 1904, though there were reported sightings in swamps near the Santee River in South Carolina, but of course the habitat was later destroyed.
A chapter of the Deacons for Defense and Justice was founded February 21, 1965 in Bogalusa, Louisiana.
Malcolm X was assassinated February 21, 1965 in New York City.
Bob Sheldon, founder of Internationalist Books, a Chapel Hill/Carrboro leftist bookstore that closed a few years ago, was killed the evening of February 21, 1991, and the case remains unsolved. The police concluded that this happened during a robbery, but others think it was a political murder.
Red Books Day is February 21st, celebrating "the return of left book publishing" and highlighting violence and threats directed against left book authors, publishers, and bookstores, as well as defense against this. February 21st is also the date of the first publishing of the
Communist Manifesto, in 1848. To mark Red Book Day, read the
Manifesto in your language, hold a public event, or read it on social media. English translations can be found online at:
www.marx2mao.com/M&E/Index.html ,
www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/index.htm , etc.
About Red Books Day:
peoplesdispatch.org/2020/02/20/standing-up-for-left-literature-in-india-it-can-cost-you-your-life/
www.redbooksday.org/
George Washington was born February 22, 1732 (but the official commemoration is Monday, February 17th this year) in Westmoreland County, Virginia.
Wilmington was captured February 22, 1865:
www.ncpedia.org/anchor/wilmington-fort-fisher-and
The Nevada caucuses will be Saturday, February 22nd.
Sociologist W.E.B. Du Bois was born February 23, 1868 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.
Food service workers at UNC-Chapel Hill's Lenoir Hall went on strike from February 23rd to December 9, 1969, with support from student and community groups. The strike was successful, but today, or as of a few years ago, UNC has a privatized, non-unionized dining service (run by Aramark) and worker complaints continue. State law prohibits collective bargaining with public workers but a government institution would still have a problem if its workers went on strike, and there has been informal communication between UNC and its public workers in the past. There is or was a similar situation at Duke University, but the dining service is run by Sodexo and Duke, being a private institution, can't use state law to deny collective bargaining.
UNAC 2020 National Conference
The United National AntiWar Coalition's 2020 Conference: Rise Against Militarism, Racism, and the Climate Crisis - Building Power Together will be February 21 - 23 at The People's Forum in New York City. For more information see: www.unacconference2020.org and www.facebook.com/events/1031747913836142/
Sunrise Durham Orientation Day!
This will be Saturday, February 22nd 10:30am - 5pm in Durham: www.facebook.com/events/479587406320652/
According to Wikipedia, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the first agreement to lease Guantánamo Bay from Cuba February 23, 1903. This was one of the demands of the Platt Amendment giving the US control of Cuba in exchange for ending the direct military occupation following the Spanish-American War. The Platt Amendment was added to Cuba's constitution verbatim December 25, 1901 and the same demands were included in a treaty signed May 22, 1903. Today the US government attempts to hide some of its crimes, such as extrajudicial detention and torture, by carrying them out on Cuban territory.
National Invasive Species Awareness Week is being divided into two parts this year. The first part, February 24-28th, is being devoted to legislative advocacy and part two, May 16-23, is for promoting local awareness: www.nisaw.org/
February 25, 2019 the International Court of Justice made a non-binding determination that the UK illegally separated the
Chagos Archipelago from what was then its colony of Mauritius in the western Indian Ocean:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Garcia and
www.bbc.com/news/uk-47358602 May 22, 2019 the UN General Assembly passed a resolution requiring the UK to return the islands to Mauritius within 6 months, which the UK refused to do. The Chagossians were driven from their homes, through tactics such as by killing their pets, not allowing people who left for medical treatment to return, limiting vital imports, etc. The UK gave the islands to the US for military use, such as the base on
Diego Garcia, from which the US can carry out its adventures in the Middle East and possibly torture and rendition as well; the US also dumped waste. In 2010 the UK tried to maintain its control by declaring the ocean around the islands a marine reserve. Supposedly the UK will return the islands someday, when they are no longer needed by imperialism, similar to the declaration that the nuclear powers will disarm, at some undetermined time in the future.
William Z Foster, the CPUSA's General Secretary between 1945 and 1957, was born February 25, 1881.
Bolshevik
Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya was born February 26, 1869. She held various positions in the CPSU, was a member of the Supreme Soviet, and was deputy minister of education.
Robert Franklin Williams, born February 26, 1925 in Monroe, North Carolina, was president of the local NAACP chapter and formed the NRA-affiliated Black Armed Guard. He wrote
Negroes with Guns (1962). He spent some time in Cuba, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and China. He died October 15, 1996 in Baldwin, Michigan.
The
Falls Lake dam on the Neuse River north of Raleigh was finished February 26, 1981.
The night of February 26 - 27, 1991 the US, British, Canadian, and French forces intercepted Iraqi forces retreating from Kuwait, creating the famous Highway of Death. Last year the game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was condemned for having a Highway of Death created by a Russian attack on fleeing civilians in fictional Urzikstan. Wikipedia also mentions that players can use white phosphorus as a weapon.
International Polar Bear Day is Thursday, February 27th ( polarbearsinternational.org/get-involved/international-polar-bear-day ).
A sit-in at Chapel Hill's
Colonial Drug Store began February 28, 1960.
The siege of the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas began February 28, 1993 and came to a fiery end April 19th.
The elected government of Haiti was toppled February 28, 2004, with the involvement of the USA, Canada, and France. Haitian president Jean Bertrand Aristide says US special forces forcible flew him to exile in the Central African Republic as paramilitaries approached the capital. This was the second coup to overthrow Aristide and there were several assassination attempts.
The 4th annual Korea Fest will be February 29th 10am - 8pm at the NC State Fairgrounds (Governor Kerr Scott Building):
nckoreafest.org and
www.facebook.com/events/3092061867527236/
South Carolina's primary will be Saturday, February 29th. Supposedly even US elections with very low voter turnout still reflect the popular will, but holding elections on weekends or a mandatory holiday would probably increase turnout [to clarify, I'm not saying that voting should be mandatory]. On the other hand the choice of candidates is often poor or candidates betray their voters once elected.
March 2nd is Tree Planting Day in DPR Korea. This is similar to Arbor Day and Earth Day and was instituted by Kim Jong Il. For more information see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbor_Day#Korea nsnbc.me/2013/03/02/tree-planting-day-in-the-dpr-korea-embodies-socialist-and-traditional-asian-cultural-values/
March 2, 1978 Vladimír Remek became the first person in space not from the USSR or USA, he is the only cosmonaut from Czechoslovakia (and he represented his country ethnically, having a Czech mother and a Slovak father), and he is considered the first astronaut from the EU. Through the Interkosmos program, he was part of the Soyuz 28 mission March 2 - 10, 1978 to the USSR's Salyut 6 space station. He represented the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia in the European Parliament 2004 - 2013 and was appointed Czech ambassador to Russia in January 2014. Asteroid 2552 Remek is named after him.
Bernie Saunders' first 2020 campaign rally was March 2nd at Brooklyn College.
World Wildlife Day is March 3rd: www.un.org/en/events/wildlifeday/
Super Tuesday 2020 Primary Election
Presidential primary elections for various parties will be on Super Tuesday, March 3, 2020 in North Carolina and other states, so NC will have much more influence than usual in the presidential primaries and candidates are actually visiting the state. IDs are not required.
The NC Board of Elections now certifies voting machines that could steal the vote electronically, but Durham is still using machines that collect a paper ballot marked by the voter, leaving a voter-marked paper trail for manual recounting.
The NC AFL-CIO endorsed Jessica Holmes for NC Commissioner of Labor and 15 other candidates:
aflcionc.org/
Information from a State Board of Elections postcard that came about January 31st:
"Voters will not be required to show photo ID for the March 2020 primary election.
No se les exigira, a los votantes que muestren una identificacion can foto durante las elecciones primarias de marzo de 2020."
A Federal district court barred the voter ID requirement on December 31st until further notice.
The deadline for regular voter registration is 5pm Friday, February 7th. On March 3rd the polls will be open from 6:30am to 7:30pm as usual (and usually if someone is in line by 7:30 they will still be able to vote after the polls close). For locations see:
vt.ncsbe.gov/PPLkup One-stop early voting will be February 13th - 29th; see your county board of elections for locations and hours:
vt.ncsbe.gov/ossite People can vote at any location in their county during early voting and eligible people can register. The deadline to request an absentee ballot by mail is 5pm Tuesday, February 25th (they have to be requested in person or by mail). The form is online at:
ncsbe.gov/voting-options I think it is very easy to request a ballot, but witnesses are required when filling it out. For more information, see the state and/or county board of elections. Absentee ballots must be returned by 5pm March 3rd and can't be returned by email or fax.
The first woman in space, cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, was born March 6, 1937, and went into space June 16, 1963.
The 34th annual International Festival of Raleigh will be 10am March 6th to 6pm March 8th at the NC State Fairgrounds: internationalfocus.org/festival/ and
www.facebook.com/events/293540454874247/
The 3rd
Bull City International Film Festival will be March 7 - 8th:
bull-city-film-festival.mozello.com/ and
www.facebook.com/Bull-City-International-Film-Festival-945329445855458/
International Women's Day is Sunday, March 8th.
Russian revolutionary and Soviet statesman Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov was born March 9, 1890.
The first human in space, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, was born March 9, 1934 and went into space April 12, 1961.
March 10th North Carolina declared a state of emergency due to the new coronavirus, lasting until March 31st: www.ncdhhs.gov/news/press-releases/governor-cooper-declares-state-emergency-respond-coronavirus-covid-19
The Great Touhoku or Sendai Earthquake in northeastern Japan was March 11, 2011, leading to the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
In the decisive Battle of Dien Bien Phu, March 13 to May 7, 1954, the Viet Minh, under General Võ Nguyên Giáp, defeated the US-backed French military. The First Indochina War ended soon after, as did the government of French prime minister Joseph Laniel. France agreed to withdraw from Indochina, which became divided Vietnam, with an election on re-unification to be held in July 1956; Laos; and Cambodia.
International Days of Action Against Sanctions and Economic War
The UNAC is calling for actions March 13 - 15th against the economic warfare being conducted by the USA and its allies to dominate the world, most effecting the poorer and weaker parts of a sanctioned country's population. UNAC says 39 countries are being targeted, equaling a third of the world's population: sanctionskill.org
The NC Museum of Natural History's 25th annual Reptile and Amphibian Day will be Saturday, March 14th: naturalsciences.org/calendar/reptile-and-amphibian-day/
US soldiers carried out the My Lai Massacre in Vietnam March 16th, 1968.
The
Advanced Carolina Labor School will be March 17 - 20th in Raleigh (details at:
aflcionc.org/ ).
Cosmonaut Alexey Leonov stepped outside of his spacecraft, the first ever extravehicular activity (EVA) in space, March 18, 1965.
Chinese revolutionary Jiang Qing/Chiang Ching, also known as Madame Mao, was born March 19, 1914.
The Spring Equinox is March 19th this year.
The Iraq War began around March 20, 2003, though the US carried out economic and "kinetic" warfare against Iraq throughout the period between 1991 and 2003.
World Sparrow Day is March 20th: www.worldsparrowday.org Specifically this day refers to house or English sparrows, which are not native to the US, but are or were common in places like strip malls. Now house finches, native to the West and Mexico, seem to be replacing house sparrows here. House sparrows are also in decline in places where they are native, such as in India. American sparrow species aren't closely related to house sparrows.
Arbor Day is Friday, March 20th in North Carolina ( www.arborday.org/celebrate/dates.cfm ). There is usually a Durham Arbor Day celebration.
The Hungarian Soviet Republic was declared March 21, 1919, but was overthrown by outside military intervention in August 1919. It was led by Béla Kun, born February 20, 1886.
The Haw River Assembly's annual Clean-Up-A-Thon will be Saturday, March 21st. For information on volunteering or sponsorship call 919 542 5790 or contact krooks[at]hawriver[periodorg].
World Water Day is Sunday, March 22nd: www.un.org/en/events/waterday/
The 21st annual National Farmer Worker Awareness Week is March 25-31: www.saf-unite.org/content/national-farmworker-awareness-week
SOAW will hold a Training Day and Action Convergence March 27 - 29th in Tucson, Arizona.
Earth Hour 2020 is Saturday, March 28th 8:30 - 9:30pm, when people are encouraged to turn off unnecessary lights as a symbol of commitment to dealing with climate change and other environmental problems (and it could reduce light pollution for a short time). National Dark-Sky Week is supposed to be held annually the week of the New Moon in April, which is the week of April 20th this year, coinciding with Earth Day on the 22nd, and highlights light pollution and stargazing.
Witness for Peace Southeast's
annual Pilgrimage for Peace and Justice walk across North Carolina will probably be in early April.
The Sacred Stone Camp, a center of resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline, was established April 1, 2016.
Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated April 4, 1968 while organizing in support of black public workers in Memphis.
BW Wells Heritage Day is usually in April at Falls Lake State Recreation Area ( www.ncparks.gov/falls-lake-state-recreation-area/home ).
April 9, 1948 a neutral Palestinian village near Jerusalem, Deir Yassin, was attacked by Zionist terror groups, which later became part of the Israeli military. The residents were killed during and after the fighting. The Kfar Shaul Mental Health Center was built over the remains of the village.
April 12th is the UN International Human Space Flight Day/Cosmonautics Day/Yuri's Night in honor of the first human space flight and orbit of the Earth, by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in the Vostok 1 spacecraft, in 1961. Apparently the first orbital flight by a space shuttle happened to be on this day in 1981. US Astronauts Day is supposed to be every year on the last Friday in January.
The Jordan Lake Festival will probably be in April at Jordan Lake State Recreation Area ( www.ncparks.gov/jordan-lake-state-recreation-area/home ).
Greensboro will celebrate Earth Day April 18th 11am - 4pm at Greensboro County Park.
The annual Party for the Pine at Weymouth Woods - Sandhills Nature Preserve will be April 18th: www.partyforthepine.org/ and www.facebook.com/friendsofweymouthwoods/
The 2020 National Cannabis Festival will be Saturday, April 18th 12 - 8pm at the RFK Stadium in Washington, DC (
www.facebook.com/events/604500546690963/ ).
Russian revolutionary and Soviet statesman Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov Lenin was born April 22, 1870.
Earth Day turns 70 this year, Wednesday, April 22nd [Earth Day began in 1970, so this is of course the 50th anniversary].
Easter Rising for Irish independence began April 24, 1916.
2020 North Carolina Statewide Star Party
There will be stargazing events across the State April 24 - 25, part of the NC Science Festival throughout April. This year's theme is "Seeing the Universe" This is the 8th year for this annual event. For more, see: www.ncsciencefestival.org/starparty
Save the Frogs Day is the last Saturday in April, the 25th this year ( www.savethefrogs.com/d/day/index.html ).
The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan launched the Saur Revolution April 27, 1978, followed by US support for Islamist terrorists, prior to the Soviet intervention in December 1979 that overthrew the more radical faction of the PDPA.
The last French soldiers withdrew from Vietnam April 28, 1956, but US intervention increased and turned into the Vietnam War.
Workers' Memorial Day is Tuesday, April 28th, and there is usually an NC AFL-CIO commemoration in Raleigh.
International Workers' Day / May Day (May 1st) is on a Friday this year. There will probably be events around the 1st, but I haven't come across any announcements yet.
The annual Haw River Festival will be May 2nd 4 - 8pm in Saxapahaw ( hawriver.org/events/haw-river-festival/ ).
Alan Shepard became the first American to reach space May 5, 1961, in a suborbital trajectory, and his spacecraft, Mercury-Redstone 3/Freedom 7, allowed for some manual control, unlike Yuri Gagarin's Vostok 1. According to Wikipedia, National Astronaut Day celebrates this anniversary.
International Migratory Bird Day is May 9th (the second Saturday in May)
Mother's Day in the US is Sunday, May 10th and has pacifist and social welfare roots.
I've heard that this is also the time to see mountain laurels blooming at Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area, south of Hillsborough, and probably elsewhere along the Eno (www.ncparks.gov/occoneechee-mountain-state-natural-area ). The end of the ice ages left brown elfin butterflies stranded on Occoneechee, white pines at the White Pines Nature Preserve south of Pittsboro, and Eastern hemlocks at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve in Cary. In many cases species that live on mountains are very at risk from climate change, because they can only retreat up, and at some point there may be nowhere left to go (see the extinction of the golden toad below). In these examples the species are also found elsewhere, so local extinction wouldn't be complete extinction. Hemlocks also face a threat from a non-native insect, but it has been gotten rid of locally.
May 13, 1985 police surrounded the MOVE house in Philadelphia and a few hours later bombed it by helicopter. In all, 11 members of MOVE, including 5 children, were killed, with 2 survivors (1 adult and 1 child), and around 61 houses in the neighborhood burned to the ground.
Nakba Day is May 15th.
The last known sighting of a Costa Rican golden toad was May 15, 1989 and they are thought to be extinct. The species was first described scientifically in 1966. There is still debate about the cause, but this might be an early example of anthropogenic climate change killing a species. Possibly the cause was a chytrid fungus epidemic, potentially assisted by climate change, and a major threat to frog species in many countries.
Endangered Species Day is May 15th (the third Friday in May): www.endangered.org/campaigns/endangered-species-day/
National Invasive Species Awareness Part II is May 16-23: www.nisaw.org/
The 11th annual Longleaf Festival will be May 16th at Harris Lake County Park in Wake County ( www.wakegov.com/parks/harrislake/Pages/Longleaf-Festival.aspx ).
Jackie Cochran became the first woman to break the sound barrier May 18, 1953 flying a Canadair Sabre fighter, borrowed from the Royal Canadian Air Force, over Rogers Dry Lake, California. She made several aviation records as a female pilot and Wikipedia says she has the most speed and distance records of any pilot in history.
World Turtle Day is Wednesday, May 23rd: www.worldturtleday.org/
During the Tulsa Race Riot May 31 - June 1, 1921 in Oklahoma there was fighting on the ground and private airplanes dropped incendiaries.
June 3, 1844 a breeding pair of
great auks (
Pinguinus impennis), the original penguin, though they aren't related to the Antarctic penguins, and their egg were killed by Jón Brandsson, Sigurður Ísleifsson, and Ketill Ketilsson, collecting for a merchant, on the island of Eldey, Iceland, eliminating the last known breeding pair. The UK's last known auk was killed in Scotland in July 1840, suspected of being a malevolent witch.
Wikipedia says one auk was seen in 1852 off Newfoundland, Canada. There were conservation laws starting in 1553, but auks were hunted to extinction on both sides of the Atlantic, and specimens became more in demand as their numbers dwindled. During the winter these large penguinlike birds, related to puffins, ranged as far south as the coast of South Carolina and possibly further. Fossils have been found in southern France and Italy. There has been discussion of attempting to bring the auk 'back to life,' which would be good, though cloning isn't the same as resurrecting a species exactly as it once was and a resurrected species would need habitat.
The
Carolina Labor School will be held July 19 - 24th in Wilmington (see the NC AFL-CIO for more information.
The
NC AFL-CIO's 63rd Annual Convention will be September 24 - 25th in Raleigh.
Posts
