Mn-prog-events Mailing List: Progressive Calendar 11.17.05

[David Shove (shove001]

             P R O G R E S S I V E   C A L E N D A R    11.17.05

1. Homeless art         11.17 2pm
2. Class action v MAC   11.17 7pm
3. Arab Film Fest/end   11.17 7:30pm

4. Haiti justice com    11.19 9am
5. Chiapas art          11.19 10am
6. Northtown vigil      11.19 1pm
7. Vote fraud/film      11.19 1pm
8. All cultures fest    11.19 1pm StCloud MN
9. Turkey-free feast    11.19 2pm
10. Homeless/haircut    11.19/20 6pm
11. Results/hunger      11.19 6pm
12. Women/prison/books  11.19 6pm
13. WalMart/film        11.19 7pm
14. Independent Am/film 11.19 7pm
15. Peaceforce/music    11.19 7pm
16. Stevens square arts 11.19 7pm

17. Hakeem/Smart/SOS    11.20 9:30am
18. Sensible vigil      11.20 12noon
19. MnSOAWatch vigil    11.20 1pm
20. Amnesty Intl        11.20 3pm
21. WalMart/film        11.20 3pm
22. KFAI/Indian         11.20 4pm
23. Song/drum/Africa    11.20 5:30pm
24. Veggie thanks       11.20 6pm
25. Peace lights        11.20 6:30pm

26. AMIBA        - America unchained day 11.19
27. Ray Richmond - A love of labor docu puts Wal-Mart on spot
28. Jesse Mortenson (GP) announces for MN House 64A
29. ed           - Booby trap trope (poem)

--------1 of 29--------

Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 11:25:59 -0600
From: Renee Jenson <faarjenson [at] qwest.net>
Subject: Homeless art 11.17 2pm

Home Sweet Home Again:  An Exhibition of Art and Poetry

An exhibit created by nearly 75 local artists and poets who have created
artwork or poetry around the issues of affordable housing, homelessness,
or the meaning of home. The Family Housing Fund is a nonprofit
organization whose mission is to preserve and expand affordable housing
for families with low and moderate incomes in the seven county
metropolitan area of Minneapolis and Saint Paul.  The Fund sponsored "Home
Sweet Home" to help strengthen its public education efforts and evoke
positive social change.  Learn more at www.fhfund.org

Open House - Thursday November 17
2-4:30pm (program at 2:30pm)
Saint Paul City Hall - Lower Level Gallery
15 Kellogg Boulevard, Saint Paul.

Please RSVP or call Gayle Ober at 651-266-8524
The exhibit will be on display in City Hall though December 31, 2005.


--------2 of 29--------

Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 20:25:20 -0600
From: Dick Saunders <dicksaun [at] covad.net>
Subject: Class action v MAC 11.17 7pm

FROM: South Metro Airport Action Council
CLASS ACTION SUIT TO BE DISCUSSED

Two attorneys for a group of Minneapolis and Richfield citizens seeking a
class action lawsuit against the Metropolitan Airports Commission will
report on the status of the litigation at SMAAC's annual Fall Forum at 7pm
Thursday, Nov. 17 in the Washburn High School cafeteria, 201 W. 49th St.,
Minneapolis.

Robert C. Moilanen and Carolyn G. Anderson, attorneys with the Zimmerman
Reed law firm, will also answer questions about how class action suits
work and how members of the class join in awards or settlements of damage
claims as well as attaining home sound insulation if the action is
successful.

The suit is based on claims that the MAC has failed to properly limit or
mitigate aircraft noise as promised in the 1996 MAC Noise Agreement with
communities surrounding Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

More information can be found at Zimmerman Reed's website at
www.zimmreed.com, or www.quietheskies.org.  Or call Jim Spensley,
president of SMAAC, at 612/824-9988.


--------3 of 29--------

Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 06:40:51 -0800
From: mizna-announce <mizna-announce [at] mizna.org>
Subject: Arab Film Fest/end 11.17 7:30pm

Join Mizna for the closing of the Arab Film Festival.  We will screen
Rabih Mroe's short film, "Face A Face B", and the feature length
"controversial" (see article below) award winning film "Private".  Live
Arabic music on Heights Theater's classic organ before the show and
closing reception following the screenings. See details below...

7:30pm
Thursday, November 17

Private (Palestine/Italy, 2004, 90 minutes)
Director: Saverio Costanzo
Synopsis

Inspired by real events, documentary filmmaker Saverio Costanzo's feature
debut is a minimalist psychological drama about a Palestinian family of
seven suddenly confronted with a volatile situation when the Israeli army
decides to seize their house for use as a strategic look-out point,
confining the family to a few rooms in daytime and a single room at night.
Mohammad refuses to leave his home and, reinforced by his principles
against violence, decides to find a way to keep his family together in the
house until the Israeli soldiers move on. Living in a state of constant
confrontation and fear fragments the family's relationships as every
member reacts in different ways to the soldiers' presence in the house.
Tensions between the family members and the soldiers nearly reach the
breaking point just as the troops are ordered to move to a new post. The
family's relief is short-lived, however, as a new group of soldiers moves
into the house and the cycle of disruption and occupation continues.

In English, Arabic, and Hebrew with English subtitles

Heights Theater 3951 Central Avenue NE Minneapolis, Minnesota

Tickets:
$5 students/low income; $8 general public
$50 festival pass; $40 festival pass students/Mizna subscribers

See our website for complete details:  http://www.mizna.org


--------4 of 29--------

From: Rebecca Cramer <biego001 [at] umn.edu>
Subject: Haiti justice com 11.19 9am

The Haiti Justice Committee meets monthly, at 9am on the third Saturday,
at the Resource Center of the Americas (27th Ave. S. and E. Lake St.), in
the Ben Linder room.  Join our committee, learn the facts and be a part of
the growing international outrage against the murderous political
repression occurring in Haiti since the ouster, in Feb. 2004, of the
democratically-elected President of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.


--------5 of 29--------

From: Mary Turck <mturck [at] americas.org>
Subject: Chiapas art 11.19 10am

November 19 --- Chiapas Artists in Resistance Ten local artists have
recently returned from an international solidarity exchange, sponsored by
the Babylon Art Collective. They spent a month in Mexico, first meeting
with Mexican artists at a conference entitled "Artists in Resistance,"
then traveling to communities in the South of Mexico. There they painted
murals representing the Zapatista struggle for autonomy and preservation
of the lifestyle of indigenous Mexicans.

Coffeehour: A weekly talk and discussion with a featured speaker.
Saturdays, 10-11:30am. $4 ($3 for members).  Resource Center of the
Americas, 3019 Minnehaha Ave., Minneapolis.


--------6 of 29--------

From: Lennie <major18 [at] comcast.net>
Subject: Northtown peace vigil 11.19 1pm

The Mounds View peace vigil group has changed its weekly time and place.
We will now be peace vigiling EVERY SATURDAY from 1:00 to 2:00 pm at the
at the southeast corner of the intersection of Co. Hwy 10 and University
Ave NE in Blaine, which is the northwest most corner of the Northtown Mall
area. This is a MUCH better location.

We'll have extra signs.  Communities situated near the Northtown Mall
include: Blaine, Mounds View, New Brighton, Roseville, Shoreview, Arden
Hills, Spring Lake Park, Fridley, and Coon Rapids. For further
information, email major18 [at] comcast.net or call Lennie at 763-717-9168



--------7 of 29--------

From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com>
Subject: Vote fraud/film 11.19 1pm

Saturday, 11/19, 1-2:30pm, free film "Invisible Ballots" (about electronic
vote fraud) and discussion, First Unitarian Society, 900 Mount Curve Ave,
Mpls.www.electionintegritymn.org


--------8 of 29--------

From: humanrts [at] umn.edu
Subject: All cultures fest 11.19 1pm StCloud MN

November 19 - Celebration of All Cultures in Central Minnesota: A
Gathering Place For All. 1-4pm.  Cost: Free and open to the public.

Food, music, dance, mini language sessions, games, genealogy, and much more!

Agenda:
1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.: Cultural Performances
1:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.: Welcome/Kickoff
1:45 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.: Expo
3:30 p.m. - 3:55 p.m.: More Cultural Performances
3:55 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.: Sendoff

Free sample appetizers will be available and some food items for sale.
Multicultural Center cookbook will be for sale.  You are welcome to wear
traditional dress.

FFI: Kim Behnen at 320-252-0227, ext. 22
Location: Whitney Senior Center, 1527 Northway Drive, St. Cloud, MN


--------9 of 29--------

From: Gilbert Schwartz <gil [at] ca4a.org>
Subject: Turkey-free feast 11.19 2pm

The location for Compassionate Action for Animal's 3rd Annual Thanksgiving
Feast has changed to the UTech Center at 1313 SE 5th St. in Dinkytown,
right off of the University of Minnesota - Minneapolis campus. Free street
parking is available nearby. Please update your calendars!

Come to the feast to enjoy delicious animal-friendly food with fun people.
Last year's potluck was a smashing success, so mark your calendars and
invite your friends and family! Tofurky Roasts will be provided, but
please bring six to eight servings of a side dish, dessert, or drink to
share.

2pm on Saturday, November 19
Location: UTech Center at 1313 SE 5th St. in Dinkytown, right off of the
University of Minnesota--Minneapolis campus
Cost: FREE! Please bring food to share, however

For more info on the feast and Compassionate Action for Animals, please
visit www.ExploreVeg.org or email us at info [at] ExploreVeg.org


--------10 of 29--------

From: Brian Joyce <gasman1960 [at] msn.com>
Subject: Homeless/haircut 11.19/20 6pm

Another way to help the homeless is happening in St. Paul and Minneapolis
at MOXIE Hair Salons. They will be doing a sleep out in Minneapolis and a
cut-a-thon at both their locations on the 19th and the 20th.

The St.  Paul MOXIE on the corner of Snelling and Minnehaha will have an 8
hour cut a thon on Sunday Nov 20 from 10am to 6 pm.

The Minneapolis store at 2649 Lyndale Ave. So. will have the sleep out and
cut a thon from 6pm Saturday Nov. 19th to 6pm Sunday Nov. 20th. Visit
their web site at moxiesalon.com.


--------11 of 29--------

From: humanrts [at] umn.edu
Subject: Results/hunger 11.19 6pm

November 19 - A Celebration of 25 years of RESULTS. 6-8pm.

RESULTS is a national citizens lobby for alleviation of hunger and
poverty.  Hors d oeuvres and refreshments.  Speakers Jim Koppel of Mn
office of Children s Defense Fund, Gwen Garcelon, outreach director at
RESULTS; Patricia Jurewicz, senior associate in trade and global
governance at Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Minneapolis.

RSVP: 612-250-9008
Location: Plymouth Congregational Church, 1900 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis


--------12 of 29--------

From: Lydia Howell <lhowell [at] visi.com>
Subject: Women/prison/books 11.19 6pm

1. Special Requests/Books Needed
Here is a list of the Special Request books we are currently seeking.
These are books we normally don't have in stock, but a woman in prison has
specifically requested. If you have one of these books, mail it to us or
bring it to our drop box at Arise Bookstore. Please attach a note
indicating the book is for a "special request." Our address is 2441
Lyndale Ave S, Mpls, MN 55405.

Special Requests for November:
furniture refinishing
accounting
electrical wiring/repair
books on pirates
Tagalog dictionary
Hunter S Thompson books

Here's a list of some of topics that have been frequently requested
over the last month. We are low on these subjects and need to
restock our shelves:
how to draw
books about animals
gardening
astronomy
soul food cookbooks
scrabble dictionaries

2. WPBP Silent Auction

The 5th Annual WPBP Silent Auction and Cabaret will be held on Saturday,
November 19 at the Loft Literary Center in downtown Minneapolis.

This annual event combines a cabaret with our wonderful silent auction.
The auction features great deals on tons of cool stuff. We have craft
items by local artists, theater tickets, gift certificates for local
restaurants and health and wellness practitioners and much more!

This year's cabaret features Mary Jo Pehl, Kimberly Morgan, Ben Connelly,
Ed Bok Lee, and Tatiana Ormaza!

The auction begins at 6 pm, and the cabaret will begin at 8 pm.  We will
be serving refreshments in the lobby prior to the cabaret.

Women's Prison Book Project Cabaret and Silent Auction Saturday, November
19 The Loft Literary Center at the Open Book 1011 Washington Ave S,
downtown Minneapolis Auction starts at 6pm, Cabaret begins at 8pm. $10
suggested donation for the cabaret


--------13 of 29--------

From: Paul Busch <pobusch [at] msn.com>
Subject: WalMart/film 11.19 7pm

I'm hosting a screening of "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price" on
Saturday, Nov 19 at 7pm.
1523 Laurel Avenue, St. Paul
FFI: 651-646-4656 or pobusch [at] msn.com

You can find out more about Robert Greenwald's documentary, "Wal-Mart: The
High Cost of Low Price", and other showings here:
http://www.walmartmovie.com/


--------14 of 29--------

From: Craig and Merritt <cdsmith [at] alum.mit.edu>
Subject: Independent Am/film 11.19 7pm

MetroIBA November Newsletter
Twin Cities Unchained! - Sat Nov 19

November 19th is our national event - America Unchained!, sponsored by
AMIBA with participating IBAs around the country. Check out
[http://www.amiba.net/Unchained.html] to learn more about the event and
what others are doing to celebrate.

Locally we are celebrating Twin Cities Unchained! Below are our planned
activities...

Film Showing - Sat 11/19 at 7 pm
Independent America: The Two Lane Search for Mom & Pop
Saturday November 19
Macalester College, St. Paul, 1600 Grand Ave (corner of Snelling)
Ruth Stricker Dayton Campus Center in the John B Davis Hall
Seating begins at 7pm, film at 7:30pm. (seating capacity 260)
Refreshments Provided
$5 donation encouraged

This 80-minute documentary feature follows Emmy Award-winning journalist
Hanson Hosein and his partner Heather Hughes, as they hit the road and
travel 21,000 kilometers through 32 states in search of "Independent
America." It's a place populated by hardy souls fighting for the right to
remain independent in a land smothered by Big Box stores and fast food
chains.

PLEASE JOIN US and invite your friends -- this event is open to the
public. To print movie flyer off website, go to
[http://www.metroiba.org/node/252]

The main focus of the Unchained event is calling attention to the economic
benefits of locally-owned, independent businesses.

In the Twin Cities 7 county metro area in 2003, retail and food/beverage
sales averaged $80 million for a day. If people shop only at independents
for one day versus only at national chains, $20 million more stays in the
regional economy. A 10% shift from shopping at chains to independents
would bring $730 million more into the Twin Cities economy over a year.

Merritt Clapp-Smith Executive Director Metro IBA 785 Goodrich Ave St Paul,
MN 55105 651.222.6533 merritt [at] metroiba.org


--------15 of 29--------

From: Nonviolent Peaceforce <MelDuncan [at] NonviolentPeaceforce.org>
Subject: Peaceforce/music 11.19 7pm

Nov 19-20, 7-10 pm
CD Release Party at Coffee Grounds
Shade Grown: Best of the Coffee Grounds, vol.1

Coffee Grounds 1579 Hamline Av StPaul
3 blocks south of Larpenteur on Hamline Ave.
www.thecoffeegrounds.net {http://www.thecoffeegrounds.net}

Come and hear some of the best local artists in Upper Midwest and hear the
latest about Nonviolent Peaceforce. Buy a CD: All proceeds go to
Nonviolent Peaceforce


--------16 of 29--------

From: lisa fink <lisafink [at] hotmail.com>
Subject: Stevens square arts 11.19 7pm

CURIOSITIES:
Stevens Square Center for the Arts to Host Fundraiser on November 19

Stevens Square Center for the Arts (SSCA) announces "Curiosities,"  its
first annual fundraiser, which will be held at Stevens Square Center for
the Arts on Saturday November 19 from 7pm to 12am (midnight).

As usual, Stevens Square Center for the Arts serves up a unique line-up of
performances that will satisfy all your senses: improv theatre, local
avant-garde music, tap dancing, storytelling, audience-directed art-making
and more; a fashion show with live mannequins; silent auction;  art
exhibit and interactive art activities. Meanwhile, you can savor curious
food and a cash bar. Be prepared to experience something you've never
encountered before!

Stevens Square Center for the Arts is located on the second floor at 1905
Third Avenue South in Minneapolis. Admission to the fundraiser is $20 at
the door. Parking is available on the street and in the lot, accessible
from 19th Street, next to the building. For more information, call
612-879-0200 or visit www.stevensarts.org. Funds raised at this event will
go to support SSCA's community arts programming, such as the Youth Arts
Studio, adult art workshops and At Land, a new series featuring
experimental art acts.

Stevens Square Center for the Arts
1905 Third Avenue S, Second Floor, Minneapolis

ABOUT STEVENS SQUARE CENTER FOR THE ARTS:
The mission of Stevens Square Center for the Arts (SSCA) is to provide
resources and support to artists at all levels of development living and
working in the Stevens Square neighborhood of Minneapolis. We provide a
forum for member artists to share ideas and work. SSCA also works to
attract artists to the Stevens Square neighborhood and develop a
reputation as a place where art is created.

Stevens Square Center for the Arts was initiated and organized by a
co-operative made up entirely of local artists. SSCA works to provide
affordable studio space, as well as, a gallery and community art space for
neighborhood and cultural events, workshops, and open forums.

CONTACT: Gina Jarvi 651-269-1454 ginajarvi [at] earthlink.net


--------17 of 29--------

From: Samantha Smart <speakoutsisters [at] earthlink.net>
Subject: Hakeem/Smart/SOS 11.20 9:30am

Please join Speak Out Sisters! as we continue our Whistle Stop Coffee Shop
series!

Sunday, November 20 9:30am
Nokomis Beach Coffee East 50th St. and 28th Ave. S. in Minneapolis
Farheen Hakeem and Samantha Smart:  Report from Radical Women Engaged in
the Electoral Political Process


--------18 of 29--------

From: skarx001 <skarx001 [at] umn.edu>
Subject: Sensible vigil 11.20 12noon

The sensible people for peace hold weekly peace vigils at the intersection
of Snelling and Summit in StPaul, Sunday between noon and 1pm. (This is
across from the Mac campus.) We provide signs protesting current gov.
foreign and domestic policy. We would appreciate others joining our
vigil/protest.


--------19 of 29--------

From: Lydia Howell <lhowell [at] visi.com>
Subject: MnSOAWatch vigil 11.20 1pm

For those who might not know: The SOA/School of the Americas is a US Army
base in Ft Benning, Ga. established in Panama in 1948 and moved back to
the US in 1980. The SOA has been known as the "School of the Assassins" to
people in Latin America throughout its history: torturers and death squads
have been trained their for decades - and their hideous trades practiced
from El Salvador and Guatamala...to now, Guantanamo Bay. Abu Graibe is NOT
new: the SOA is a longtime precedent and since 1989, peace activists ahve
called for its closing with annual protests at the base. Here's info about
the LOCAL vigil happening this year. For more on history and actions of
the SOA, see, www.soawatch.org Lydia Howell

MnSOAWatch Local Vigil
Sunday, November 20  1-2pm
Lake Street/Marshall Ave Bridge
Stand in Solidarity -
As thousands gather at the front gates of Fort Benning to honor and
commemorate the six Jesuit priests, their co-worker and her teenage
daughter, who were massacred in El Salvador on November 16, 1989. You can
stand with them in spirit as a litany of names of those killed or
disappeared by graduates of the School of the Americas is read. Meet on
the St. Paul side of the bridge. www.mnsoaw.org


--------20 of 29--------

From: Gabe Ormsby <gabeo [at] bitstream.net>
Subject: Amnesty International 11.20 3pm

Join Group 37 for our regular meeting on Sunday November 20, from 3-5pm.
Join us as we hear updates from our sub-groups about specific human
rights cases and projects, share actions alerts, and build the
worldwide human rights movement.

All are welcome at the meeting, and refreshments will be provided.

Location: Center for Victims of Torture, 717 E. River Rd. SE, Minneapolis
(corner of E. River Rd. and Oak St.). Park on street or in the small lot
behind the center (the center is a house set back on a large lawn).

A map and directions are available on-line:
http://www.twincitiesamnesty.org/meetings.html.


--------21 of 29--------

From: Eric Angell <eric-angell [at] riseup.net>
Subject: WalMart/film 11.20 3pm

"Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price"
Sunday, Nov 20, 3 pm
Mapps Coffee Shop
1810 Riverside Ave
Minneapolis

See the latest film from director and producer Robert Greenwald
("Unprecedented", "Unconstitutional", "Outfoxed"...).  WAL-MART: THE HIGH
COST OF LOW PRICE is a feature length documentary that uncovers a retail
giant's assault on families and American values.

The film dives into the deeply personal stories and everyday lives of
families and communities struggling to fight a goliath. A working mother
is forced to turn to public assistance to provide healthcare for her two
small children. A Missouri family loses its business after Wal-Mart is
given over $2 million to open its doors down the road. A mayor struggles
to equip his first responders after Wal-Mart pulls out and relocates just
outside the city limits. A community in California unites, takes on the
giant, and wins!

Following the film, there will be a group discussion about the film.
Also, we will offer an update on the status of "The Big Box Ordinance"
proposal for Minneapolis and St. Paul.

For questions, contact Eric: eric-angell [at] riseup.net, (651)644-1173.
Sponsored by IMPACT, Ideas to Mobilize People Against Corporate Tyranny.


--------22 of 29--------

From: Chris Spotted Eagle <chris [at] spottedeagle.org>
Subject: KFAI/Indian 11.20 4pm

KFAI's Indian Uprising for Nov. 20th, 2005

AUDREY THAYER, COORDINATOR OF THE GREATER MINNESOTA RACIAL JUSTICE PROJECT
OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTY UNION OF MINNESOTA.  She is a member of the
White Earth band of Ojibwe and lives in Bemidji, Minnesota.  Thayer shares
with us her experiences and observations of cultural conflict and white
domination in Northern Minnesota.  She talks about the injustices, racial
profiling and egregious violations of Indian peoplešs civil rights
occurring on and off the reservations.

The GMRJ Project, in addition, is looking for volunteers to participate in
a court-monitoring program in several northwest Minnesota counties.  It
will monitor the criminal justice system to increase public education and
combat racial injustice against American Indians in rural Minnesota
counties, especially in those with high Indian conviction rates, said
Thayer.

Volunteers will be asked to attend courtroom proceedings for four hours
each day and write down their observations.  Thayer said they expect
observers to gain a better understanding of the judicial system, recognize
unfair pattern in sentencing guidelines and share their experience with
other community members.

"It has been proven that the presence of observers in the courtroom can
promote accountability and serve as a reminder that the public has a
vested interest in what happens in the court system and our community,"
Thayer said.

Observers will be identified clearly so judges know they will be taking
notes and recording ruling patterns.  "We want people that have not been
exposed to the judicial system," she said, "because they may see a
perspective we don't see because we are involved in it all the time."

Once a week, observers meet to discuss their findings.  Questionable
sentencing guidelines regarding gender, class, race or income are
forwarded to attorneys working for The Greater Minnesota Racial Justice
Project, Thayer said.  FFI call (218) 444-2285 or e-mail
athayer [at] aclu-mn.org.

The ACLU of Minnesota offices are at 450 Syndicate Street, Suite 230, St.
Paul, MN 55104, 651-645-4097, http://www.aclu-mn.org/.

* * * *
Indian Uprising is a one-half hour Public & Cultural Affairs radio program
for, by, and about Indigenous people & all their relations, broadcast each
Sunday at 4pm over KFAI 90.3 FM Minneapolis and 106.7 FM St. Paul. Current
programs are archived online after broadcast at www.kfai.org, for two
weeks.  Click Program Archives and scroll to Indian Uprising.


--------23 of 29--------

From: Susu Jeffrey <susujeffrey [at] msn.com>
Subject: Song/drum/Africa 11.20 5:30pm

BENEFIT CONCERT for MAGULILWA AREA SECONDARY SCHOOL in TANZANIA (east
Africa)
featuring songs & rhythms from Africa by THE EARTH TONES a 15-member
women's a capella choir & DRUMHEART a dozen women drum ensemble

Sunday, November 20, 5:30pm
Walker Community Church-3104-16th Avenue South, Minneapolis

Our goal is to have a good-time-evening and raise enough money to pay one
teacher's salary for one year, $900. Meet Evaristo Sanga, only student
from his Magulilwa primary school to attend secondary school. The school
is under construction now, including dormitory for girls, some of whom are
AIDS orphans. Donations are tax deductible with checks made out to "St.
Paul Area Synod of the ELCA."

Child Friendly ~ Refreshments after
Info: www.earthtoneschorus.org ~ 651-699-2892
www.womensdrumcenter.org ~ 651-695-1941


--------24 of 29--------

From: Alliance for Sustainability <iasa [at] mtn.org>
Subject: Veggie thanks 11.20 6pm

EarthSave Twin Cities 13th Annual "Turkey-Free/Healthy Harvest"
Thanksgiving Dinner!
A Fun, Free, Delicious Plant-Based Potluck

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 6pm

In addition to fabulous, mouth-watering food, we'll have wonderful musical
entertainment by Annalee and Gloriana Wolf, along with a raffle,
"give-aways" and a silent-auction. Invite your friends and family!

Please bring a plant-based (No meat, fish, eggs, dairy, gelatin, honey or
refined sugar) entree, side dish, appetizer, desert, to share with others.
Enough to serve 4 to 6 people.  Also bring a copy of your
recipe/ingredients to set next to your dish, a serving utensil, your place
setting and your SMILE!

St. John's Lutheran Church, Minneapolis (corner of 49th and Nicollet)
EarthSave is not affiliated with the church, it's just where this event is
held. Directions - 35W to 46th St. exit, West on 46th Street, 2 blocks to
Nicollet Avenue, Left on Nicollet, go 3 blocks, Church is on right corner
of 49th and Nicollet


--------25 of 29--------

From: Connie Beckers <CBECKERS [at] mn.rr.com>
Subject: Peace lights 11.20 6:30pm

On Sunday, November 20, residents of the 3600 block of Xerxes Avenue North
will celebrate the start of winter with its Let There Be Peace Lighting
Ceremony.  The Cleveland Neighborhood Association will provide
refreshments, beginning at 6:30pm.  Lighting will occur at 7pm.  All are
invited to attend.

The 3600 Block Club of Xerxes Avenue North began its tradition of
displaying "Let There Be Peace" lights along Victory Memorial Parkway in
North Minneapolis to share a message of hope for area residents.  The
eight foot high letters are lit each evening and are presented across the
front yards of homes along this block.  These lights help demonstrate that
hope is alive in the community and help inspire others to create a
positive influence in all parts of the City of Minneapolis and especially
North Minneapolis.

Visitors from across the metropolitan area travel to enjoy the holiday
lights that decorate Victory Memorial Parkway. This may be the last year
for the "Let There Be Peace" sign, so please visit and let others know
about the Lighting Ceremony and the nightly presentation through the end
of December.

The 3600 block of Xerxes Avenue North is located just east of Victory
Memorial Parkway in North Minneapolis.


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AMERICA UNCHAINED DAY SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2005
American Independent Business Alliance
www.amiba..net

Sometimes seemingly small acts can make a big impact. Take family
spending.  You may think you're just fulfilling your family's wants or
needs when you shop or dine out. Think again. The choice of where you
spend your money makes a big difference to your community. Spending your
money with locally-owned independent businesses puts your money to work
directly helping your community's economy - just one way your community
benefits from its home town businesses. Those businesses use goods and
services of other locally-owned independent businesses - circulating your
money three to three-and-a-half times longer locally than if you spend it
at a chain*.  This creates greater community health and prosperity.

Now imagine the impact on your community if everyone shopped locally-owned.
You can stop imagining and help make it a reality.

On November 19, communities around the country will be urged to "unchain"
for that one day - [how about every day???  Start preparing now for future
with limited oil and transport of goods - B] to maximize the impact of
their dollars and inject potentially millions more into the local economy
through doing their shopping, dining out and more with only locally-owned
independent businesses.

Just click Sign me up!, above, to involve your community!  You'll join our
IBAs, individual community-based businesses, independent trade
associations, and motivated citizens everywhere in unchaining.  You do not
have to be an AMIBA affiliate to participate.  You'll be added to the
participant list and gain access to the information and materials (logos,
templates for promotional items, press release, and more) you'll need
(Unchained is a public education campaign, so willingness to recruit
others and talk to the media are the only skills necessary).

Join our campaign and show your community what a difference a day can make!

Organizational Partners:
American Booksellers Association
Association of Retail Travel Agents
American Specialty Toy Retail Association
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
Council of Independent Restaurants of America
New Rules Project/Institute for Local Self-Reliance
National Main Streets Center/National Trust for Historic Preservation
Organic Consumers Association

Contact AMIBA for more information or to arrange interviews at 406-582-1255
or info at AMIBA.net

[Contact local AMIBA affiliate Metro IBA - see event #14 above - ed]

*Studies in Maine and Austin, Texas demonstrate that locally-owned
businesses generate 3.5 times the local economic activity as chains.  A
study of 10 independent businesses and 10 chains in retail, restaurant and
service in Andersonville, Illinois demonstrates independent businesses
generate about 70 percent greater local economic activity per square foot
and slightly more sales per square foot as chains.


--------27 of 29--------

A love of labor docu puts Wal-Mart on spot
By Ray Richmond

At a time when movie studios expend an inordinate amount of time and
effort worrying about their screeners getting into the wrong hands, Robert
Greenwald has dedicated most of his free time lately to making sure his
new film is watched by hundreds of thousands of freeloaders.

Here is a filmmaker who's made a comfortable living over the past three
decades as a producer and director of mainstream network television
product, mostly telefilms like the seminal "The Burning Bed" (1984) and
"The Day Lincoln Was Shot" (1998). At age 60, you'd think the guy might be
looking to start taking it easy.

Instead, Greenwald's distinctly left-skewing ideology has sprouted into a
deeply personal cinematic crusade for justice. During the past five years,
he's made documentary features highly critical of the 2000 presidential
election, the war in Iraq and Fox News Channel.

All of the films were distributed via an alternative model that runs
counter to what film execs might call sanity. He sells the DVD either
concurrent with, or in lieu of, any limited theatrical release and
encourages buyers to book a church or union hall and charge no admission.

This uncommonly profit-challenged approach is again on display with this
week's official nationwide rollout of Greenwald's "Wal-Mart: The High Cost
of Low Price," which has been booked into more than 7,000 churches,
schools, homes, union halls, lodges and restaurants from Anchorage,
Alaska, to Kennebunkport, Maine. It's also in a few select theaters in
L.A. and New York.

Greenwald hails the strategy as "the largest grassroots mobilization in
movie history." While he says that his previous two docs, "Uncovered" and
"Outfoxed," turned a modest profit, he may be hard-pressed to earn back
the $1.8 million it cost to make "Wal-Mart" (which has sold more than
30,000 DVD copies to date, mostly off the Web site www.walmartmovie.com).

"Maximizing profit isn't what this is about," Greenwald emphasizes. "I put
a lot of my own money in to get it made and took no salary. It has to be
about a greater purpose or it doesn't mean much."

One place you probably won't be finding the film is the shelves of
Wal-Mart itself, given its assiduously unflattering slant on the retail
behemoth and its cutthroat business practices. Yet Greenwald is careful in
the film not to portray Sam Walton's creation as evil, and he enlists
Wal-Mart's disenchanted workers and their families themselves to paint it
as the Beast That's Devouring America.

Wal-Mart has launched a predictable counterspin campaign against Greenwald
and the film, attacking it as propaganda and even quoting from a negative
review of his 1980 musical "Xanadu" that was once panned with the line,
"In a word, Xana-don't!"

"I'm not out to take down Wal-Mart," Greenwald insists. "What I want is
for them to take a hard look at themselves and change their behavior. They
create havoc and just decimate every community they go into. But they have
the potential to be an amazing force for good given their size and
ubiquity, and the fact the Walton family has a personal worth of $100
billion. I can't believe these people can so blithely walk around with
that scar of pillaging American jobs and families."

Greenwald has a dream that third-generation members of the Walton family
will see "The High Cost of Low Price" and be moved to radically alter
their mindset and commit themselves to harmony rather than acrimony. If
that sounds blindly idealistic, well, then at least Greenwald will know
he's done his part to stoke the fires of debate.

"No matter what ultimately comes out of this, at least people will have
been exposed to the truth," he concludes.

[Shown almost every day in the area; see listings above - ed]


--------28 of 29--------

From: Andy Hamerlinck <iamandy [at] riseup.net>
Subject: Mortenson (GP) announces for MN House 64A

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -
Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Activist and organizer Jesse Mortenson announces
candidacy for State Representative in District 64A

Capitol Building, St. Paul, MN - Wednesday, November 16, 2005 - Activist
and independent business organizer Jesse Mortenson announced today that he
is running for State Representative in House District 64A.  This will be
an open seat, as incumbent Matt Entenza has announced his candidacy for
Minnesota Attorney General.  The event took place in Room 125 of the
Capitol Building, with approximately 25 supporters in attendance.
Mortenson was introduced by Elizabeth Dickinson, who ran an impressive
grassroots campaign for Mayor of St. Paul this year as the Green Party
candidate. Mortenson is seeking Green Party endorsement for this race.

Mortenson grew up in Baytown Township (near Stillwater) and moved into
District 64A 2001 to attend classes at Macalester College. He has a degree
in Sociology from Macalester College.  For over four years Mortenson has
co-owned a web design and programming business - IDC WebDev.

While a student at Macalester College, Mortenson helped to lead a student
coalition (Defend Need Blind At Macalester) that fought to keep the school
at a higher standard of accessibility to students from working class and
middle class backgrounds. Mortenson participated in organizing the Midway
Citizen Consumer Community Coalition, a group that gathered concerned
community members together to demand higher standards of the Wal-Mart that
eventually moved into the Midway neighborhood.  He helped to research and
write the proposal for a citywide retail size cap endorsed by several
community groups that is undergoing study by the city research department.
Mortenson is also a co-founder and continuing supporter of the Metro
Independent Business Alliance.  He is a co-founder and key organizer of
Sustainable St Paul, a coalition of Greens, progressive Democrats, and
independents working to make sure that St. Paul leaders are held
accountable for the sustainability of our environment, local economy and
democracy.

Mortenson focused on four issues in his announcement: supporting small,
local businesses to build a self-reliant economy, addressing the
fundamental problems of health care, investing in renewable energy in
combination with effective conservation, and ending the U.S. occupation of
Iraq. Mortenson also supports the Green Party platform at the state and
local levels.

Said Mortenson, "Our current health care system is ineffective and
inefficient.  I consider health care a basic human right, yet too many
Minnesotans are uninsured or underinsured. For those fortunate enough to
have good medical coverage, the costs are astronomical and continue to
spiral upward. I will fight for health care for all by working to
establish single payer universal health care."

Energy costs, both economic and environmental, are also hurting
Minnesotans. Mortenson issued a call proactive investment in renewable
energy in this state. "I will fight for an aggressive renewable energy
standard, working to make sure a quarter of our energy in this state comes
from renewables in ten years," Mortenson said. In addition, conservation
is critical to establishing the economic and environmental sustainablility
that will make St. Paul stronger and more self-sufficient.

Finally, Mortenson is calling for the return of U.S. troops from Iraq.
Mortenson said, "The costs of this war, both human and economic costs, are
bleeding this country and our state dry. We have so many life-affirming
priorities that are underfunded while the war continues to suck untold
billions from our economy as it destroys and shatters lives." Mortenson
announced that if elected he will introduce a resolution calling on the
state to use all legal means to end the occupation. "Our reliance on oil
was part of the motivation for invading Iraq. Developing sustainable,
renewable energy sources will decrease that dependency is a concrete
contribution we can make towards making peace," said Mortenson..

Mortenson is running for Minnesota House seat 64A because he can't stand
watching St. Paul's critical infrastructure - health, transit, the local
economy, the environment - held hostage to the lowered expectations of
legislative infighting. He believes that St. Paul needs a legislator who
will prioritize building a grassroots movement over studying the byzantine
workings of the legislature. "The problem faced by progressives isn't that
we haven't hired the right lobbyists, but that we haven't created new
politics outside of the capitol," according to Mortenson.

CONTACT
Paul Busch, Campaign Manager 651-646-4656 pobusch [at] msn.com
Jesse Mortenson 651-647-4261 jessemortenson [at] gmail.com

Audio, speech, and hi-resolution photo available at:
http://www.jessemortenson.com
http://www.jessemortenson.com/mediakit

CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCEMENT SPEECH - November 16, 2005
DELIVERED BY JESSE MORTENSON,
CANDIDATE FOR MN HOUSE DISTRICT 64A

Two nights ago I watched Robert Greenwald's film about Wal-Mart, called
the High Cost of Low Price. It's a grim checklist of cases where people -
local business owners, workers, shoppers, community officials - have all
run up against the Wal-Mart business model: profits over people. Low cost
at all cost.

When Wal-Mart was moving into St. Paul, right here on University Avenue, I
was on the committee working to expose Wal-Mart's low standards, and to
convince the managers of the store to sit down with community members to
discuss adopting very basic neighborhood standards for business:  "obey
labor laws," "hire 65% from the neighborhood" and a few more.

We got shut out. OK, at the very least they agreed not to sell guns. But
they refused to meet with us despite a long list of organizations and
elected officials supporting our concerns. When the store opened last
year, there was a big protest. That protest was important - it made
visible the outrage we felt at being ignored by the world's biggest
retailer, and at public policies that protected and enshrined Wal-Mart's
model of business.

But my question today is, what does it take to not just protest, but to
build an alternative that considers the needs of people before the demands
of Wall Street? I think it takes a vision, an incredible amount of energy,
and using our public institutions to push the fundamental issues forward,
not into legislative gridlock, but into new coalitions of people directly
building the world we want to see.

I'm running for Minnesota House District 64A because I think I have part
of that vision, and I know I have the energy. I will be the hardest
working member of the St. Paul legislative delegation.

I came to St. Paul to go to Macalester College, where I fought to hold the
line on making higher education accessible to working class and middle
class students. I made it to Macalester because my dad works in one of the
few blue-collar jobs that still has a union, and because my mother endured
working for the health care industry even while administration cut corners
on workers and patients.

I exclusively rely on my bike, the transit system, and the occasional
borrowed car. My future, and the futures of those who I know and care
about, depend on good jobs for working people, improved transit and
increasing access to higher education.

I'm also a small business owner. In this district, the Midway shopping
center continues to be dominated by big box stores like Wal-Mart.
Another landmark of the district, Grand Avenue, is increasingly embattled
by corporate chains who want to drain the local economy back into
corporate headquarters.

I know we can do better. We need to do two things: bring together and
strengthen local businesses into a force to grow the local economy, the
economy that invests profits back into our community. And we need to
change public policy to put local business owners and workers first. 64A
is a progressive district - we know how the Wal-Mart model of business is
hurting communities across the world. Now we need to get serious about
building a new way of doing business.

My business is web design.  I've worked with a number of other businesses
in the district. I love it. Each time I walk into a client's business,
there's a totally different experience and a different set of people with
all their individual quirks and their commitment to our community. Their
success is bound up in our own.

I'm talking about a richer economic culture, a stronger economy and more
jobs in concrete terms. Small businesses create 70% of new jobs. A square
foot of locally-owned retail space creates 75% more local economic benefit
as compared to a square foot of corporate chain retail.  You spend your
dollar at a local store, it is much more likely to be reinvested in the
local economy to buy goods and services from other local businesses. We
need businesses that work for us, not international corporate
headquarters. This is part of the fundamental values of the Green Party:
community-based economics.

That's why I helped to found the Metro Independent Business Alliance which
now has over 50 member businesses. My web design company proudly donates
time and hosting to keep MetroIBA going. The organization here is young,
but the model been wildly successful in other parts of the country at
turning back chain stores and creating new economic opportunities.

But there is only so much that local businesses can do in an environment
that is tilted in favor of giant corporations. If elected, I'll fight to
solve the public policy problems that plague small business. The first is
healthcare. Our system is far and above more expensive to each of us than
in any other nation. Yet it isn't any better than in, say, Switzerland,
which is the second most expensive and still costs only 64% per person of
what we pay for the US system.

I know what it means when health insurance is this out of control - I
don't have health insurance. For small business owners, too often it makes
sense to roll the dice and just risk it. And for thousands of Minnesotans,
health insurance isn't an option at all. More than a third of a million
Minnesotans are uninsured.

If elected, I will fight for health care for all, without the
administrative waste of insurance companies. I will fight for universal,
single-payer healthcare. For our health, for the health of our local
economy, we need to make that vision a reality.

Another rising cost hurting our local businesses is energy. The Wal-Mart
business model is based on the assumption of cheap transport across
overseas. But we know - even National Geographic knows - that cheap oil
won't last. Wal-Mart can pay rising fuel costs with its billions for a
while longer, but small businesses can't depend on our antiquated energy
system.

What we need is a proactive investment in renewable energy in this state.
If elected, I will fight for an aggressive renewable energy standard.
Mayor elect Chris Coleman has agreed that St. Paul can meet 24% of our
electricity needs from renewable energy sources by the year 2015. Let's
use that as a benchmark and make sure a quarter of our energy in this
state comes from renewables in ten years.

Building a political voice for local businesses and addressing the
fundamental problems with health care and energy will go a long way to
secure a strong economy that works for people here in St. Paul.

But rebuilding a locally self-reliant economy will also make a
contribution towards another problem: this country's ongoing military
occupation of Iraq. After all of the rationalizations for the war fell
away as lies and deceptions, it became plain to see that the President
started this war in pursuit of power in the Middle East, power aimed in
part at protecting US control over oil resources in the region.

In April of 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "The war in Vietnam is
but a symptom of a far deeper malady within the American spirit. We are on
the wrong side of a world revolution because we refuse to give up the
privileges and the pleasures that come from the immense profits of
overseas investment."

I oppose the occupation in Iraq, and if elected I will introduce a
resolution calling on the legislature and state offices to use every legal
means to bring our troops home. Increased independence from oil, increased
reliance on our local economy - these are concrete actions we can take to
make peace. We can build an alternative right here in Minnesota.

Today I'm standing with Greens and other supporters who will make this
race a tough fight for that vision. I couldn't be happier and I look
forward to seeking the Green Party's endorsement and speaking with as many
residents as possible before next year's election.

More info: http://forums.e-democracy.org/stpaul/contacts/andyhamerlinck


--------29 of 29--------

 The Oval Office
 booby trap trips, trapping our
 number one booby.


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