Please sign the JOBS Not War Petition!!

The petition is now ready and can be accessed on line at the following link:

 http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/jobsnotwarpetition/

Some Highlights for This Week:

Monday, May 23, 2:00 PM.  OSU Students Rally to End Multi-Million Dollar Contract with Controversial Food Service Giant. 

Monday, May 23, 7:00-9:00 PM.  Central Ohioans for Peace Meeting.  From Fukushima to solartopia. 

Tuesday, May 24, 7:00 PM.  Block the Vote: The Return of Vote Suppression.  Join the ACLU of Ohio for a discussion of pending legislation that will leave the ballot box empty.

Tuesday, May 24, 7:30 PM.  Screening of the film “GASLAND.”

Tuesday, May 24, 8:30-9:300 PM.  Free Webinar on the Colombia Free Trade Agreement. 

Thursday, May 26, 2011, 8:30 AM.  PROTEST CHIQUITA’S COMPLICITY WITH COLOMBIAN DEATH SQUADS CHIQUITA ANNUAL STOCKHOLDERS MEETING.

Thursday, May 26^th, 2011, 5:00-11:00 PM.  Live Against 5! 

Friday, May 27^th, 7:00-10:00 PM.  EndCiv Screening & Poetry.

Details and more EVENTS BELOW--------------

Meetings/Events

Monday, May 23, 2011, 7:00-9:00 PM.  Central Ohioans for Peace Meeting.  Program:  From Fukushima to solartopia.  Winning a green powered earth.  Just a few days ago, Harvey Wasserman wrote:

"As Fukushima continues to leak and smolder, what may be the definitive battle over new nukes in America has begun.  The critical first US House vote on a proposed $36 billion loan guarantee package for reactor construction may come in an Appropriations subcommittee as early as June 2."

Harvey will be joining us to tell us how the U.S. can move from fossil fuels and nuclear energy toward a green energy future.  Other countries are doing it.  Visit Berlin, and you'll see solar panels atop most government buildings.  What's holding the U.S. back from a greener future?  How can we help to move America in a new energy direction?  If you'd like to know more about Harvey, follow this link to his website where you'll find a bio:  http://www.harveywasserman.com/

Location:  Columbus Mennonite Church (35 Oakland Park Ave., Columbus OH 43214). The latest information about our upcoming meetings can be found on our website at https://sites.google.com/site/centralohioansforpeace/

Monday, May 23^rd, 2011, 2:00 PM.  OSU Students Rally to End Multi-Million Dollar Contract with Controversial Food Service Giant.  Student, worker and community outcry increases at OSU administration’s consistent refusal to end relationship with human rights violator, Sodexo.  After two years of campaigning, students and community members will rally in protest of Ohio State University administrators’ refusal to end its multi-million dollar contract with controversial human rights violator, Sodexo. Students will demand that the University adopt standards to ensure fair treatment of subcontracted workers on campus.  Students of The Ohio State University, a broad coalition of campus organizations, OSU faculty, other students from across the state and country, including some from as far as Atlanta, GA who have been working on the same campaign, community leaders and speakers.  For the past two years, students at The Ohio State University have been urging Administration to put an end to sweatshop conditions on campus and terminate their estimated $10 million contract with Sodexo to run concessions at the university’s stadiums.  After numerous actions by students and workers and presenting exhausting evidence of Sodexo’s violations, including reports from human rights watchdogs such as TransAfrica and Human Rights Watch, as well as testimonies of workers on campus who suffer from poverty wages, racism, and sexual harassment, students want concrete action before the end of the school year. Monday, students will demand that their Administration stop stalling and immediately cut their contract with the global human rights violator.
Gather at Wexner Plaza (1871 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43210) at 2:00 PM and march to Bricker Hall (W 17th Ave, Columbus, OH 43210) at 2:30 PM.  For more information, contact pasquar122@gmail.com  or 610.955.7388. 
 

Monday, May 23^rd, Wednesday, May 25^th, and Thursday, May 26^th, 2011, 4:30-6:00 PM.  Mehri Dadgar:

Artist, Muslim, Woman, and a Political Prisoner of Iran.  Mehri Dadgar is an artist and speaker who was born and raised in Iran where she first became interested in and studied art.  She was arrested on the streets of Tehran as a young woman for passing out pro-democracy newsletters in 1981.  For this act, she spent 5 years in an Iranian women’s political prison.  Afterward, she attended the Art School of Iran, immigrated to America, and became a U.S. citizen.  She received her MFA in Studio Art from California State University of Long Beach.  Her art has been showcased in Canada, Sweden, England, and the United States. In 2006, she won a Golden "Remi" award for her short film “In the Grave” at the Houston International Film Festival.

 Mehri Dadgar reviews her art through a power point presentation and talks about her research of the origins of Islam and Islamic art that has influenced her work. The Prison Pictures address the harsh reality of the Islamic countries at this crucial time in history and its apparent distance from the scripture of the Quran. These drawings bear witness to the historical violence against humanity committed by the Islamic Republic of Iran that occurred within the political prisons. With these pictures, she has documented images drawn from her memory. In an example, despite the layers of black chador, the long robe that covers women from head-to-toe, and the blindfolds, you can still see that the free souls of these girls persist.  Location:  Wright State University - Monday, Medical Sciences 129 - Wednesday, May 25, Creative Arts Center M252 - Thursday, May 26, Oelman 345. 

Mehri Dadgar’s visit to WSU is sponsored by the WSU Peace Lecture Committee, WSU University Center for International Education, and the Missing Peace Art Gallery in Dayton.

Contact carl.brun@wright.edu with Questions
 

Tuesday, May 24^th, 2011, 7:00 PM.  Block the Vote: The Return of Vote Suppression.  Join the ACLU of Ohio for a discussion of pending legislation that will leave the ballot box empty.

Voting is vital to preserving our democracy. Everyone should have equal access to the ballot box regardless of race, age, or economic status. Ohioans may be kept out of the poll booth by misguided attempts to reform the voting process that will restrict when, where, and how they can vote. These sweeping changes, along with a decrease in voter education programming, will create barriers where we should be building bridges. This is a huge step backward for Ohio.
Panelists will include:

Carrie Davis, staff counsel, ACLU of Ohio;

Hasan Kwame Jeffries, associate professor of history and faculty member of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at The Ohio State University; and,

Dan P. Tokaji, professor of law at The Ohio State University’s Mortiz College of Law and associate director of Election Law @ Mortiz.

This event is free and open to the public. To RSVP, click here (and scroll down) or call (216) 472-2200.

Location:  Delaware County Library, 84 East Winter Street, Delaware 43015

Tuesday, May 24^th, 2011, 7:30 PM.  Screening of the film “GASLAND.”  Learn how “fracking” gas drilling is poisoning our water!   GASLAND was nominated for an academy award for best documentary.   Location:   Drexel Theater, 2254 E. Main St. in Bexley.  Free, donations will be accepted.  Sponsored by the Sierra Club, the Columbus International Film and Video Festival and the Free Press.   

Tuesday, May 24^th, 2011, 8:30-9:300 PM.  Free Webinar on the Colombia Free Trade Agreement.  The poor are about to get poorer and the rich richer ... again. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The Fellowship of Reconciliation and Witness for Peace are asking our supporters to take action now to stop the Colombian free trade agreement.   Please join our online webinar on Tuesday, May 24th at 7:30pm Central Time to hear directly from a Colombian expert about the effects of the free trade agreement.

Guest speaker Laura Rangel Fonseca works with the Colombian Action Network on Free Trade, the largest coalition of Colombian trade unions and human rights groups opposed to the free trade agreement.

Sign up now for the webinar so that you can learn how to take action against the Colombia free trade agreement.  Labor unions and human rights groups succeeded in stalling this trade agreement in the U.S. congress for the last five years. Now, President Obama has gone back on promises made in 2008, and has vowed to submit it to Congress within a month. Labor unions, environmentalists, and human rights organizations, including FOR, are united in our opposition.  As an anti-militarist organization, FOR is concerned about the increased risk this free trade agreement will bring to those communities and organizations we have accompanied for the past nine years. Please help continue the resistance to this free trade agreement.

Tuesday, May 24^th, 2011, 5:30 PM.  University Democrats Meeting.  Location: Room 165, Main Library.  Please tell your friends and co-workers about Unidems.  They can sign up by emailing OSUnidems@gmail.com

Tuesday, May 24^th, 2011, 12-1pm (11:30am networking/lunch served).  U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East.  Featuring a panel of distinguished experts from The Ohio State University:  Richard Herrmann, Director, Mershon Center for International Security Studies; Peter Mansoor, Raymond E. Mason Chair of Military History; Georges Tamer,  M.S. Sofia Chair in Arabic Studies, Sabra Webber, Associate Professor.   The panelists will take a comprehensive political, economic and social look at the Middle East, including the current state of affairs in key countries; the future of the region; and U.S. foreign policy options.

Columbus Council on World Affairs.  Cost:  Council supporters:  $25/Free lecture only.  General Public: $30/$5 lecture only.  Students: $15.   RSVP by May 23^rd or ONLINE: www.columbusworldaffairs.org
EMAIL: rnicholas@columbusworldaffairs.org.  Presented in partnership with the Mershon Center for International Security Studies and the OSU Middle East Studies Center.  Location:  Athletic Club of Columbus, 136 East Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215. 

Wednesday, May 25^th, 2011, 11:00 AM.  OCFT Conference Call on Colombia Free Trade Agreement.  The Ohio Conference on Fair Trade, in conjunction with Citizens Trade Campaign and Public Citizens' Global Trade Watch national organizations, will sponsor a statewide conference call on Wednesday, May 25, at 11 a.m. ET.  The purpose of the call is to inform concerned citizens of Ohio about the recent push to introduce the Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to Congress.  This agreement, originally negotiated in 2007, fails to address the on-going human rights violations occurring in Colombia.  Instead, this FTA grants disproportionate investors' rights to multi-national corporations at the expense of Colombia's farmers, laborers, educators, indigenous populations, the environment and ecosystems.  Corporate abuses in Colombia have resulted in thousands of deaths and millions of displaced persons over the past several decades.  

If you are interested in learning the facts about this ill-conceived legislation, helping to identify and influence the Ohio Congressional Caucus, and supporting events and actions to focus attention on the human rights violations in Colombia, please consider joining this call.

You can join the conference call by calling 219.509-8222 and entering access code 2242968.  Please RSVP to Karen at KLH.Ohio@gmail.com, or 614.280-3631, so that I can ensure adequate phone line access.  There will also be information about the Thursday, May 26th protest of Chiquita's shareholders meeting in Cincinnati for their contributions to murders, displacements, and human rights violations in Colombia.  If you need more information, please feel free to contact  Karen Hansen, Director, Ohio Conference on Fair Trade at 614.280-3631or

KLH.Ohio@gmail.com

Wednesday, May 25^th, 2011, 7:00-11:00 PM.  DIY Bike Light Workshop.  Hands-on workshop in which you build your own custom bike light.  Location:  Wild Goose Creative,2491 Summit St. 

Thursday, May 26, 2011, 8:30 AM.  PROTEST CHIQUITA’S COMPLICITY WITH COLOMBIAN DEATH SQUADS CHIQUITA ANNUAL STOCKHOLDERS MEETING.  Join the demonstration in Cincinnati to hold Chiquita accountable for its human rights crimes. 

In March of 2007 Chiquita pleaded guilty to paying a Colombian terrorist group (AUC) more than $1.7 million from 1997-2004. The money went to terrorize and murder thousands of innocent peasants and workers in the region. An estimated 14,000 innocent civilians were killed while Colombian killers were on the company's payroll. Under the terms of a plea agreement Chiquita agreed to pay a $25 million criminal fine to the Justice Department. No compensation was paid to the families of the victims.          .

Last year at the shareholders’ meeting, Chiquita CEO Fernando Aguirre agreed to consider our demands that Chiquita apologize for this heinous behavior, fire executives responsible for these illegal payments and set up an independent victims’ fund for Colombians. Yet nothing has been done. Now is the time for accountability! Remind the Chiquita shareholders that they are complicit in the crimes committed by the paramilitary troops. Connect with activists working against corporate exploitation and complicity with terrorist organizations in Colombia. Help spread the word. Bring signs and your best protest voice!  Oppose the continuation of oppressive trade policies toward Colombia.

Daniel Kovalik, Senior Associate General Counsel of the United Steelworkers, said that the pending U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement will lead to more corporate abuse in Colombia and the undermining of human and labor rights in Colombia – the most dangerous country in the world for trade unionists, with 52 unionists murdered in 2010 and 7 unionists killed already this year.  “First and foremost,” Kovalik stated, “the passage of the FTA will amount to a reward for Colombia for its unprecedented anti-union violence and will be viewed as a green light for further violence.”   

Speakers:   Dan Kovalik, Senior Associate General Counsel of the United Steelworkers

Co-Sponsors:  Witness for Peace, United Steelworkers Union

 Please call your Congressional Representative through the Congressional Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and urge her (him) to oppose the Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

Location:  Chiquita Headquarters  250 East 5^th Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202.

Contact for Interviews and Information:  Local: Janice Sevre-Dusznska 859-684-4247,  rhythmsofthedance@msn.com;  National: Ken Crowley 202-423-3402, Dan Kovalik 412-335-6442

If you are interested in carpooling Thursday morning from Columbus, contact Karen Hansen at klh.ohio@gmail.com

Thursday, May 26^th, 2011, 5:00-11:00 PM.  Live Against 5!  Fight for your Rights and Party.  Location:  The Ohio Union West Patio (1739 N. High).  Help repeal SB-5 and have an AWESOME time.  Details at

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=222846084394649

Thursday, May 26^th, 2011, 6:30 - 8:30 PM.  Big Walnut Watershed Balanced Growth Public Meeting.
Learn about Watershed Planning Efforts in Central Ohio and share your input.  Find out how communities and stakeholders in the Upper Scioto and Big Walnut watersheds are coming together to plan for the future while protecting valuable water resources. Come and share your input about areas in your community that are valuable for conservation, development, and agriculture. All are welcome to attend a public meeting about Balanced Growth Planning, hosted by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission.  Please visit the website at http://balancedgrowthplanning.morpc.org/  for more information about Balanced Growth Planning and to see which watershed your community is located in. Call Brandi Whetstone at 614-233-4174 or email bwhetstone@morpc.org to RSVP. Refreshments will be provided.  Sunbury Town Hall, 51 E. Cherry St., Sunbury, OH  43074

Friday, May 27^th, 2011, 6:00-8:00 PM.  Care and Share Time Bank Potluck.  Meet your CSTB Community, share a potluck, register (if you haven't already), discuss and add services, brainstorm growing the TB, and earn 2 time credits. Bring your own table service (less to clean up afterward). Invite your friends who might be interested.  Location:  Simply Living Offices - 2350 Indianola Ave.

Friday, May 27, 2011.  I AM - Documentary on THE SHIFT starts at the Drexel.  The SHIFT is about to hit the fan.  Interviews with such luminaries as David Suzuki, Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Lynne McTaggart, Ray Anderson, John Francis, Coleman Barks, Thom Hartmann, and Marc Ian Barasch... Catch the trailer and you will understand the buzz about this film.  Location: 2254 E. Main St. Bexley. More info and details about this film on the Drexel announcement.

Friday, May 27^th, 7:00-10:00 PM.  EndCiv Screening & Poetry.   Set the midwest on fire poetry followed by Franklin Lopez' End: Civ.  The author will read from three self-published zines, Drugs And Daydreams, Here Civilization Ceased, and Bring On The Dancing Horses. There are no actual mentions of drugs (with the sole exception of some weed found while dumpster diving) but rather drugs are used as a metaphor to describe the sensations of the three different long distance bicycle trips.  The new movie END:CIV will be shown by the director, Frank Lopez, following the zine reading.  END:CIV examines our culture’s addiction to systematic violence and environmental exploitation, and probes the resulting epidemic of poisoned landscapes and shell-shocked nations. Based in part on Endgame, the best-selling book by Derrick Jensen, END:CIV asks: “If your homeland was invaded by aliens who cut down the forests, poisoned the water and air, and contaminated the food supply, would you resist?”  Location:  Awarehouse - behind the Sporeprint.  More information:  http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=218749118154083

May 28^th, June 4^th, and June 11^th, 2011, 1:00 – 5:00 PM.  Digital Storytelling Workshop (in three parts). 

Do you have a personal story to tell? Or are you a non profit that does important work and want to spread the word? Learn how to create a short (3 minute or less) video. This 3 part series will teach you how to script, storyboard, shoot, create, and edit a short digital story.

May 28 Session 1:  Preproduction - Learn how to write and storyboard a short digital story. Decide what images to use and how to obtain/create them.
June 4 Session 2:  Production - Learn how to shoot video, scan still photos, record audio v/o for the digital story.
June 11 Session 3: Postproduction- Learn how to use imovie to create and finish your digital stories.
Location:  Film Council Office, 1021 E Broad St, Carriage House the back.  Columbus, OH, USA 43205

Parking is free in the Red Cross parking lot directly behind the carriage house.

This workshop meets on 3 successive Saturday afternoons. The finished works will be screened at ComFest in the Solar tent and posted on youtube. Participants must attend all three sessions. The total cost for all three sessions is $50. Scholarship spots are available to low income/unemployed folks sponsored by a Comfest grant (send requests to info@chrisawards.org ).  Please send a one or two paragraph “story” to info@chrisawards.org that you wish to tell as your workshop project when registering for this workshop series. A maximum of 10 people will be accepted for this series. Also bring any still photos, digital video, or other images that you might want to use on the first workshop day.  http://www.chrisawards.org/films/digital-storytelling-workshop-in-three-parts-052811-film-council-office-columbus-oh/  The Columbus International Film + Video Festival, AKA The Chris Awards

Thursday-Saturday,  June 2-4, 2011, 8:00 PM and Sunda, June 5^th, 2011, 2:00 PM)  See the “Available Light – The Food Play” and Support Simply Living.  A healthy, organic, locally grown evening of spectacular performances in Available Light’s trademark style – described by American Theatre magazine as “songs and scenes, quips and quotations… a brilliantly eclectic anthology.”  We’ll mix in some great food (produced and provided by Local Matters with dessert from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams) and charge hea dlong into the most delicious questions of our time – “What is good food?” and “What does it mean to eat right?”  Matt's and the company's commitment to producing this play has included a trip to Joel Salatin's farm in Virginia and two years' of research. Don't miss it!!!  THESE ARE THE ONLY DATES IN WHICH AVAILABLE LIGHT WILL PARTNER WITH SIMPLY LIVING.

Location:   North Market, 2nd Floor Performance Kitchen
ADMISSION: $35/ticket until May 16, with half ($17.50) donated back to Simply Living
To buy your tickets-- 

1)  Leverage this donation by ordering on their website   http://thefoodplay.eventbrite.com

2)  Click “Enter Discount Code” and type in the word “thoreau” (without quotation marks).
3)  Limit your purchase to no more than 6 tickets. Remember, June 2-5 only, not the second week.
4) Make your reservations soon, as Available Light Theatre has earned consistently positive reviews from local media and theater-goers alike. North Market’s space only seats 100; this will sell out quickly!

Thursday, June 2, 2011, 7:00 PM reception, 8:00 PM Film.  Making the Boys: A Pride Movie Event with Stonewall.  MAKING THE BOYS tells the story of Mart Crowley's groundbreaking play "The Boys in the Band" - from overnight sensation on Broadway, to Hollywood's first gay movie, to cultural landmark and worldwide phenomenon - all the while having a complicated and sometimes controversial relationship with the gay community. No one could have guessed the impact that a small Off-Broadway production would have on the social climate of the 1960s... not to mention how important and monumental it was to gay people at the time, many of whom were still in the closet. MAKING THE BOYS features illuminating and entertaining footage from the period, interwoven with extensive interviews with Crowley, William Friedkin, the Oscar-winning director of the BOYS movie, and a host of luminaries inluding Dominick Dunne, Tony Kushner, Terrence McNally, Edward Albee, Dan Savage, Robert Wagner and many others.  Location: Gateway Film Center, 1550 North High Street, Columbus, Ohio. Light Appetizers and Cash Bar with Drink Specials - Tickets $6.  Benefiting Stonewall Columbus and the Columbus International Film+Video Festival.

Saturday, June 4, 2011, 7:00 PM.  The World In Our Hands:  Choral Festival Concert to Benefit Habitat for Humanity in Haiti.  First Congregational Church will host a joyful concert of drumming, singing, and dancing, by five central Ohio ensembles:  Columbus International Children's Choir (www.cmaacademy.org/columbus-international-childrens-choir.htm) dir. Tatiana Kats; Columbus Women's Chorus (www.cwchorus.org) dir. Jennifer Bell and Sheena Phillips; Columbus Women's Drum Chorus; The Magpie Consort (www.magpieconsort.org) dir. Sheena Phillips, with guests Meghan Western (dance) and Jeff White (percussion); and Otterbein Gospel Choir dir. LaJoyce Daniel-Cain. Admission is free.  A collection will be taken to benefit the work of Habitat for Humanity in Haiti. Location: First Congregational Church, 444 E Broad Street, Columbus OH 43215. Facebook  Inquiries: Sheena Phillips 614.268.6295 / First Congregational Church 614.228.1741.

June 6-24, 2011 Canadian School of Peacebuilding.  Please consider taking one or more 5-day courses at this year’s annual Canadian School of Peacebuilding at Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  Three 5-day sessions, each with three or four courses running concurrently, will be offered for academic credit or for professional training for practitioners. Check out the website for more information (www.cmu.ca/csop ).  Apply on-line today or download a pdf of the application (http://www.cmu.ca/csop/online.html).

Saturday, June 11^th, 2011, 10:00 AM.  Wild Ones Field Trip.   Meet at 10AM at Scioto Gardens Nursery, 3351 S.R. 37, 3 miles west of Grady Hospital in Delaware.  Scioto Gardens offers a wide variety of container grown perennials, shrubs, and trees. Ohio and US native plants are emphasized but a number of non-invasive exotics are also grown.  The tour will focus on native plants for shade. They have 14 species of ferns native to Ohio and an assortment of perennials, grasses, and shrubs that do well in shade.  The nursery sits beneath big trees surrounded by meadows.  Birds and butterflies are abundant thanks to the many native plants.  You may purchase plants for 20% off during this visit!

Friday, June 17^th, 2011, 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM.  Free Dental Care Clinic.  All are welcome at a Free Dental Care Clinic open for adults and children.  If willing to volunteer to help or to donate cash or dental equipment, call Judy at 614.262.9588

Friday – Sunday, June 17^th – 19^th, 2011.   Transition Introduction and Training.  Sponsored by the OSU Center for Public Health; co-sponsored by Transition Central Ohio (an initiative of Simply Living) and OSU Earth Center. 

Friday, June 17 -  Free Presentation: Coming Together in a Time of Challenges and Change  at the OSU Earth Block Education Center, 7 - 9 pm
This is an opportunity for anyone interested in the Transition Town movement to learn from national Transition Trainer Tina Clarke.  Location: Earth Block Education Center on the Ohio State Fairgrounds (at I71 and E. 17th Ave. exit). Get more information at http://simplyliving.org/content/coming-together-time-challenges-and-change. Contact: Mac Crawford <mcrawford@cph.osu.edu> or 614-293-6804.

Sat. - Sun., June 18-19 - TRAINING for TRANSITION, 8 am - 5 pm
We are pleased to bring the first Transition Trainers to Central Ohio for this weekend intensive. The Transition movement in the U.K. ignited a global conversation and sharing about positive, creative actions to build community resilience in the face of economic instability, energy cost increases, worsening social inequality, and environmental crises. This course was developed by the Transition Network (www.TransitionNetwork.org) and has been taught in over 30 countries.

The course is an in-depth experiential introduction to the ideas, processes and practices that have inspired tens of thousands of people in hundreds of communities and catalyzed a rapidly-growing global network. This participatory two-day workshop is for anyone wishing to explore the many dimensions of "transitioning" and "resilience," and to support local action and collaboration in her or his community. Location: 5th Floor, Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, 2201 Fred Taylor Dr. Columbus, Ohio. Instructors: Tina Clarke and Alastair Lough, certified Transition Trainers. Cost: Full tuition is $100 on or before May 31st; $120 on June 1st and after. For those with a limited budget, you may choose $75 tuition when registering on-line; for those with severe budgetary restrictions you may choose to register for $40 work-study tuition. A limited number of scholarships are available to support college students at no charge.

Please contact Mac Crawford at mcrawford@cph.osu.edu for more information. You may register for the program at  https://cphplearn.org. For registration issues contact Shirley Funt at: cphp-registration@cph.osu.edu; Phone: 614-292-1637. Other questions? Contact Training organizer Mac Crawford, mcrawford@cph.osu.edu, 614-293-6804, or visit http://simplyliving.org/content/training-transition. 

Saturday, June 18^th, 2011,  7:00 – 9:00 PM. Musical Tales of Unknown Heroes.  Fred Bailey’s singing voice is not sweet.  Instead, it’s gritty, ragged, and rough.  But that’s good.  Because the 70 year old Clintonville performer sings songs about chemical factory workers stricken by lung disease, Vietnam war veterans plagued by battle demons, sailors lost at sea, skeletons of ramshackle Okie homesteads abandoned during the Dust Bowl years, and park rangers trapped by forest fires.  Many of the songs Bailey has written himself, and they’re based on real-life events from the past 2 centuries.  He makes the characters come to life by evoking the emotions they felt --- heartache, despair, anger, guilt, fear, hope, and hopelessness.  It’s not all depressing, though, since Bailey’s characters are often likeable, deserving, and feisty survivors who command respect and admiration.

 Folk music enthusiasts say they hear in him hints of Tom Paxton, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Utah Philips.  And no wonder – his real life job resume includes stints that conjure up calluses and adventure.  He raised pigs in Fargo Oklahoma, was a gunner on army helicopters in Vietnam, pumped out cesspools in Arizona, and was a flight instructor in Ohio.

Bailey has sung and written songs for five decades.  As a draftee in the mid-1960’s, he dared to sing anti-war songs at an officers club in Vietnam.  Since then, he’s performed at coffeehouses, bars, and festivals from Australia and Ireland to Oklahoma and Colorado. 

 “I have a natural fascination with songs telling stories about those forgotten little footnotes of history, or about the lives of ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances,” Bailey says.

Bailey is well-known among Columbus folk music fans, but now, here’s a chance for others to hear this bearded musical artisan and his well-worn 1948 Martin guitar.

On Saturday June 18^th, Bailey will present a concert for the general community: “Songs and Tales of Struggle, Hope, and Heroes”.  The show will run from 7 to 9 p.m. in the social hall of the Columbus Mennonite Church, 35 E. Oakland Park in Clintonville.

Proceeds from $10 suggested per-person donations at the door will go to the non-profit Central Ohio Folk Festival, which Fred has been active in for 15 years.  Free refreshments will be served.

For more information, call Bill Cohen at 263-3851 or billcohen@columbus.rr.com 

Saturday, June 18^th, 2011, 9:00 AM.  BYOB Alum Creek Cleanup.   Location:   St. Mary of the Springs/Dominican Sisters of Peace, 2320 Airport Dr. in Columbus.  The Sierra Club is partnering with Friends of Alum Creek and Tributaries (FACT) to hold a recreational canoe float/sweep for trash and debris on the Alum Creek. It will begin at 9 am and continue for a leisurely 2.5 river-miles. Be prepared to get wet and dirty; wear sturdy water shoes (no flip-flops) or work boots.  BYOB means bring-your-own-boat (i.e., canoe or kayak). A limited number of canoes will be available, with advanced reservations, by contacting FACT at 614-569-8544 or canoe@friendsofalumcreek.org.  Meet at the St. Mary of the Springs/Dominican Sisters of Peace lower parking lot. We will disembark at Nelson Park, 430 N. Nelson Rd. Contact:  Ben Wickizer ben.wickizer@sierraclub.org or 614.461.0734 ext. 316.

Saturday, June 18, 2011. Pride Parade. Join Franklin County Greens as we march together behind our new Franklin County Green Party banner in the Pride Parade.  We will gather on Front Street between W. Broad Street and Town on Saturday morning with a noon start for the parade which ends at Goodale Park in the Short North.  More information soon.  For more information on Columbus Pride 2011 visit www.columbuspride.org.  Contact FCGreenParty@gmail.com

 

June 18, 2011, 7:00 PM. The State of the City: a report on Bike Paths, trolley cars, recycling, libraries, parks, and other topics of local interest!  Andrew Ginther, City Council President and Clintonville resident. Location:  Clintonville Community Resource Center, 14 W. Lakeview, Columbus.  For more information, contact clintonville4change@gmail.com  and check the website http://www.clintonvilleforchange.org for updates. 

Sunday, June 19^th, 2011, 5:00-7:00 PM.  Father’s Day— Sierra Club Annual Picnic. Not a member?  Come and learn about the Club!  Consider exploring the park and seeing the bison before we meet at the shelter. Bring a potluck style dish. Hear updates from group leaders and staff.  From I-270 take the West Broad Street (U.S. 40) exit west. Go about five miles on Broad Street to Darby Creek Dr. Turn left onto Darby Creek Dr. and proceed three miles. The main park entrance (Cedar Ridge picnic area) will be on the right after a bend in the road. Shagbark Shelter is the picnic area furthest from the entrance.  Location:   Battelle-Darby Creek Metro Park, Shagbark Shelter, 1775 Darby Creek Dr., Galloway, OH. 

Friday, June 24^th throught Sunday, June 26^th, 2011.  ComFest.  Don’t miss this “free party with a purpose” outdoor festival.  Enjoy live music and entertainment on 6 stages throughout the 3-day event.  Attend workshops at the solar stage!  Friday 1:00-11:00 PM, Saturday and Sunday 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM.  Location:  Goodale Parke, just west of High St. in the Short North.  More information at http://www.comfest.com/

June 24-26, 2011.  Labor Fight Back National Conference at Kent State University.  Join us June 24–26, 2011 for a national conference at Kent State University in Ohio to kick off a national campaign for an alternative agenda — an agenda for jobs, peace and justice that says NO to cutting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, education, social services, and workers' rights, and instead would expand all of them at a time when workers and the community are under such duress. To win this agenda we need a fighting mass movement, which the Kent State conference can call for and help to advance.
See attached “Save the Date” announcement. Online registration, including further details, and a full Call are now available. For more information, e-mail emergencylabor@aol.com or call (216) 736-4715.
This conference is open to all who agree with its purpose, as explained in the Call. To register for the conference, please go to our website at www.laborfightback.org/conference_registration.htm. If you prefer to register offline, write emergencylabor@aol.com or call 216-736-4715 for a registration form.
The Call to the Conference:  National Labor-Community Conference to Defeat the Corporate Agenda and Fight for a Working People’s Agenda

Working people across the country — from Wisconsin and Ohio to New York, Oregon, and California — are facing unprecedented attacks by corporations and the rich with the help of the federal, state and local politicians that they fund.
The corporate agenda is clear: It is to bust unions and cut workers’ pay and benefits — both in the private and public sectors. It is to erode and privatize Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. It is to dismantle the public sector and social services by denying funds for job creation, education, health care, environmental protection, and rebuilding the infrastructure. It is to ensure that taxes on the wealthy are constantly lowered while the bite on workers and the poor is constantly increased. It is to perpetuate U.S. wars and occupations whenever it serves the interests of the multinationals. It is to divide the working class by race, gender, national origin, religion, and sexual orientation. It is also to limit and restrict constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties. The list goes on.
In state capitals, communities and workplaces across the country, workers are fighting back. But if we're going to be successful in pushing back the attacks on collective bargaining, stopping the budget cuts and concessions, creating jobs, and defending social services and education, we need to build unity within our movement, including forging stronger ties with labor's allies: communities of color, students and youth, single-payer advocates, environmentalists, antiwar activists, immigrant rights supporters, and other progressive forces.
Relying on politicians to defend us — the so-called “friends of labor” — has proven to be disastrous. During the past three decades, working people have suffered a dramatic decline in their standard of living while the rich have amassed an unprecedented amount of wealth at the top, regardless of which of the major parties was running the government. We have had every combination imaginable: Republicans occupying the White House with a majority in Congress, Democrats occupying the White House with a majority in Congress, or some kind of “divided government.” But in each case the result for working people has been the same: conditions got worse for workers while the corporations prospered even more. Why should we continue this vicious cycle?
The working class has the power to put an end to this situation. And as the debate over the debt and the deficit intensifies, the need has never been greater for an organized campaign to demand “No Cuts, No Concessions!” whether in regard to social programs or workers' wages and benefits. We say place the burden for solving the financial crises squarely where it belongs: on the rich and the corporations. They caused the crisis, let them pay for it!
The Emergency Labor Network (ELN) was initiated earlier this year at a historic meeting of 100 union leaders and activists from around the country. Join us June 24–26, 2011 at Kent State University in Ohio for a national labor-community conference to spur the campaign to build a more militant fight-back movement and to launch a national campaign for an alternative agenda for working people. Together we can move forward on both fronts.
This conference is open to all who agree with its purpose, as explained in this Call. To register for the conference, please go to our website at www.laborfightback.org/conference_registration.htm. If you prefer to register offline, write emergencylabor@aol.com or call 216-736-4715 for a registration form.

 

June 27^th through July 2^nd, 2011.  2011 LULAC National Convention & Exposition – Bridging the Gap:  Expanding the Latino Agenda Into New Frontiers .  Location:  Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202.  More information and registration at   http://www.lulac.net/events/convention11.html

July 16^th, 2011, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM.  Democratic Socialists of Central Ohio Regional Activist Training.  For the first time in many years DSA is scheduling regional activist trainings. DSA local and YDS chapter members are encouraged to attend these activist trainings to meet other democratic socialists in the region, share ideas, and learn how your group can take your work to the next level.  Trainers will be experienced DSA and YDS leaders from around the country.

 Meetings will be tailored to regional conditions, but topics will include:

Running socialist education

Participating in coalitions

Recruiting and retaining new members

Creating a welcoming and fun atmosphere in your group

Attracting media attention

Utilizing social media (such as Facebook and Meetup)

Housing on other members’ couches or floors will be available for Friday and/or Saturday night.

A modest registration fee will cover lunch, materials, and other costs: Sliding scale: $10 low income, $20 regular, $30 solidarity rate. To find out more about these trainings, reserve a spot or find out about free housing please click on the link to send us an email:  Columbus July 16.

July 31 - August 6, 2011.  Camp Atagahi at Wyandot “A Place of Healing and Hope.”  When a child loses someone he or she loves due to death, the experience is heart-wrenching and often traumatic. Loss is universal. But children process and experience grief on a different level than adults and often feel alone. Camp Atagahi is a place of healing and hope - campers in this special camp share the experience of having lost an immediate family member or caregiver.  The program is designed to let the children have fun and enjoy traditional camp activities such as canoeing, swimming, kayaking, nature exploration and much more. In addition, we offer small group sessions led by professional grief counselors. The program consists of 90% regular camping activities and 10% structured group sessions.  If you know a child (ages 7-18) who would benefit from this camp, please call MCamp Fire at 614-481-8227 for an application or download one at our website:

www.centralohiocampfire.org/camp/grief-camp/

August 5-6, 2011.  Ohio Environmental Council's Clean Water Conference.  Join water advocates from across the state for two days of networking, training, and presentations on current and emerging issues facing Ohio's waterways.  Training sessions include capacity building, organizational development, and water quality monitoring.

Maumee Bay Lodge & Conference Center, Oregon, OH

Cost: $55 for OEC members, $75 for non-members (includes one-year membership).  Group rates available. 

Cost includes all meals, materials, and Friday night lodging (double-occupancy). 

 For more information:   Visit the Conference webpage, Call (614) 487-7506, or Email  to EventRegistration@theOEC.org.

Tuesday, August 16th, 2011, 9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon/1:00 – 4:00 PM. CARE Ohio Level I Trainings – “Building Cross-Cultural Competence in Health Care.”   The CARE training session(s) will help you increase your knowledge and understanding about the impact of cultural practices and beliefs on the patient/client - provider relationship, and provide opportunities for developing strategies to strengthen your cross-cultural skills. The training is targeted to behavioral/health care and human services professionals, as well as others who are interested in learning more about how to better serve the needs of our community's diverse populations.    Location:  Columbus Public Health Department, 240 Parsons Avenue, Room 119C, Columbus, Ohio 43215. 

The cost of the CARE training Level I (3 hour session) is $35 for MACC members and $45 for non-members and CARE Level II (8 hours) is $120 and $150 accordingly. CEU’s are available for RNs/LPNs and LSWs/LISWs; application has been made for CEU’s for Counseling and Ohio Chemical Dependency professionals.    Fax the registration brochure to 614-487-9320. For more information about CARE trainings click here.  Sponsored by the Multiethnic Advocates for Cultural Competence. 

September 28-30, 2011.  SAVE-THE-DATE National Training Conference.  “Informing Cultural Competence through Research and Best Practices—Eliminating Disparities across Systems.”  CARE Trainings -- Register Now.  The CARE training session(s) will help you increase your knowledge and understanding about the impact of cultural practices and beliefs on the patient/client - provider relationship, and provide opportunities for developing strategies to strengthen your cross-cultural skills. The training is targeted to behavioral/health care and human services professionals, as well as others who are interested in learning more about how to better serve the needs of our community's diverse populations.  The cost of the CARE training Level I (3 hour session) is $35 for MACC members and $45 for non-members and CARE Level II (8 hours) is $120 and $150 accordingly. CEU’s are available for RNs/LPNs and LSWs/LISWs; application has been made for CEU’s for Counseling and Ohio Chemical Dependency professionals.    Location:  Embassy Suites, Columbus – Airport, 2886 Airport Drive, Columbus, OH 43219.  Fax the registration brochure to 614-487-9320. For more information about CARE trainings click here.  Sponsored by the Multiethnic Advocates for Cultural Competence in partnership with the National Leadership Council on African American Behavioral Health.