HPJC - Major Local Events



Local Events To post an event that promotes non-violence, human rights, or economic, social, or economic justice on this calendar, submit relevant information to hpjc-calendar-owner@yahoogroups.com. Be sure to include a contact name or number. FREEWAY BLOGGING Every Tuesday evening from 4:15 - 5:30 p.m. anti-war and impeachment activists are holding up signs on the Dunlavy Bridge and Woodhead Bridge over Highway 59 in Houston. There’s a huge amount of slow-moving rush hour traffic then. People are welcome to bring the issues and signs they wish. EVENTS "Art and Environment" - Thursday, May 1 Lucy Lippard, an internationally known author, activist, and curator, will speak on this relationship. Lippard has written 18 books on art, championed feminist artists, and done performances, comics, and guerilla theater. She has curated over 50 exhibitions, most recently one in Denver dealing with the environment. 7:30 p.m. at a location TBA. For more information, call the Chapel, 713/524-9839 or visit www.rothkochapel.org. Immigrants' Rights march and rally - Thursday, May 1 Organized to stand up for the respect, dignity, and human rights of all immigrants. Over 200 cities nationwide are holding similar marches; others are being held internationally in solidarity. Sponsored by CRECEN and America Para Todas. March begins at 2 p.m. at Mickey Leland Federal Bldg., 1900 Louisiana. It ends with a rally at Antioch Park, corner Smith and Andrews. For more information, call Cesar Espinosa at CRECEN, 713/271-9703. Reconciling communities divided by the immigration issue - Friday, May 2 Rev. Juan Molina with Catholic Relief Services will speak on "Bridge-building Through Faithful Citizenship." He'll draw from recent documents of Catholic social teaching, such as "Welcoming the Stranger" (2000) and "Strangers No Longer" (2003). This is the May First Friday Forum. 8 p.m. in the Crooker Center at University of St. Thomas, Council of Clubs Room on second floor. Parking in the Moran Center garage on Garustark between Alabama and Richmond. Monthly vigil for Darfur re-starts - Friday, May 2 Two months ago HPD officers told vigillers they couldn't stand at Mecom Fountain. Once again Houston's activists had to teach HPD the meaning of the First Amendment. So the First Friday vigil is re-commencing. 5–6:30 p.m. at Mecom Fountain, where Montrose ends at S. Main St. near Hermann Park. Bayou City Barter Fair - Saturday, May 3 The Barter Fair provides an opportunity to trade objects and services without using common currency. It encourages people to think in a new way about the way they place value on objects and services, to practice simplicity, and escape a media-driven consumerism. Bring a table, shelf, rug, or blanket to display your goods or a sign that describes your service(s). Children are welcome. Hosted by Houston Simplicity Network, Live Oak Friends Meeting, and Emile Community Farm. 1-4 p.m. at the farm, 700 North Emile in Houston. To learn more about how barter fairs work, visit Houston Simplicity Network’s website, http://www.simplicity.tripod.com. The importance of teaching evolution - Sunday, May 4 David Hillis, Alfred W. Roak Centennial Professor, University of Texas and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellow, will discuss why Fundamental Christians must not be allowed to keep the truth of evolution from being taught in our public schools. This is Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church's 2008 Kilgore Lecture, which is being held in collaboration with the Texas Freedom Network. A reception will follow the talk. 3 p.m. at Emerson, 1900 Bering Dr. Peace Education in the Schools meeting - Tuesday, May 6 The Decade of Nonviolence-Houston invites all educators, including parents of school-age children, to help guide its work over the coming year. Committee chair Judy Hoffhien would like to have two or three doable projects emerge from the meeting. 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Houston Mennonite Church, 1231 Wirt Rd. For more information, contact Judy, 713/863-8708, judithhoffhien@sbcglobal.net. For more information on the Decade and its Peace Education in the Schools program, visit www.decadeofnonviolencehouston.org. "The Election Files— the theft of 2008" - Thursday, May 8 This BBC documentary film reports on how the U.S. elections of 2000 and 2004 were stolen and Greg Palast's investigation into how the same things are being planned for 2008. This is the Houston Peace Forum's May offering. Refreshments first, discussion after. 7:15 p.m. in Room 203 at First Unitarian Universalist Church, 5200 Fannin corner Southmore. For more information contact Pat Nichols, 713/681-6267, nicholspat@awesomenet.net. "Stolen Labor, Stolen Promises" - Thursday, May 8 Heather White will speak about the high price paid by China's workers and the undocumented poor under China's "economic miracle." The talk will include sweatshops, forced labor practices, destruction of both the environment and China's food security because of poor regulatory oversight and corruption, as well as efforts to improve conditions. White is president of New Standards. 7:30 p.m. at the Rothko Chapel, 1409 Sul Ross. For more information, call the Chapel, 713/524-9839 or visit www.rothkochapel.org. Human Rights in Zimbabwe - Thursday, May 15 The Houston Chapter of the United Nations Association is bringing Methodist Bishop Abel Tendekayi Muzorewa to Houston to describe the developing crisis situation in Zimbabwe. Bishop Muzorewa's liberation theology and nonviolent method have made him a national leader in the ongoing effort to advocate peace and better economic conditions for the people of Zimbabwe. The event will be more an informal conversation than a lecture. 7:30 p.m. in the Archives House (next to the office building) of The Rothko Chapel, 1415 Sul Ross. "Preserving the American Dream" conference - Friday, May 16 - Sunday, May 18 This conference will provide critiques of city planning, zoning, large-scale mass transit projects, and other public interventions in urban life. While most of this calendar's readers (including its editor) are probably not ideological supporters of an unfettered free market for developers, the critiques of current practices promise to be intelligent and well informed, and thus worth hearing. Included, among others, will be Bob Nelson on Privatizing the Neighborhood; Rémy Prud'homme on Transport, Mobility, and Growth; Steven Greenhut on Abuse of Power: How the Government Misuses Eminent Domain; and Randal O'Toole on The Best-Laid Plans (based on his recent book of that name). Sponsors include the American Dream Coalition, Cato Institute, and Heritage Foundation (for a complete list, see americandreamcoalition.org.). Omni Hotel near the Galleria. For more information, contact Barry Klein, bjklein@swbell.net. Oratorio about Houston's refugees - Friday, May 16 - Saturday, May 17 Houston Grand Opera is giving an encore presentation of "The Refuge," an acclaimed oratorio that chronicles the stories of immigrants from seven different communities who made the journey to Houston in search of a new home and better life. It's free. If you wish covered seats rather than on the hillside, you must call in advance to 281/373.3386. 8:30 p.m. at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park. Climate change: Is it overhyped? - Friday, May 16 Andre Droxler, professor in the Department of Earth Studies at Rice University, will talk about past climate changes and the current high levels of carbon dioxide and methane in our atmosphere. Dr. Droxler is a nationally recognized researcher in this area. He has studied past climate fluctuations as they have left their record in marine deposits. Sponsored by Foundation for Contemporary Theology. 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 5501 S. Main, second floor of the gym. For more information, contact Dick Whanger, 713/723-0858. Mountain Justice Summer Training Camp in Kentucky - Saturday, May 17 - Friday, May 23 This will be the fourth annual camp. It's intended for activists fighting the coal industry and especially its practice of stripping away earth from the top of mountains down to open coal seams. Called "mountain top removal," this mining practice is enormously destructive. There will be comprehensive workshops covering the impacts and politics behind mountain top removal mining and the hands-on tactical training required to take to the mountains and do something about it. The camp location is Camp Blanton at Blanton Forest, Harlan County, Kentucky, in the heart of the eastern Kentucky coalfields. Camp Blanton features a comfortable newly remodeled meeting and dining lodge, a beautiful lake, a wooded amphitheater, and rustic cabins with bunk beds, but outdoor camping is also available. Folks attending training camp are asked to contribute a minimum of $20 plus $10/night at time of registration ($100 for the week). For more information and to register on-line, visit www.mountainjusticesummer.org. HPJC's annual Peace Potluck - Sunday, May 18 Since 1998 Houston's activists have been coming together yearly to enjoy each other's company, celebrate our victories, renew our dedication, and eat well. For the first time it will be held at Bering United Methodist Church, 1440 Harold St. (that's five blocks west of Montrose Blvd. and two blocks south of Westheimer). Bring a covered dish. Come as early as 5 p.m., but be aware that most of the food will be gone by 6:30 p.m. For more information, contact Judy Hoffhien, 713/863-8708, judithhoffhien@sbcglobal.net. Elizabeth Edwards at the Progressive Forum - Monday, May 19 Edwards is the wife of Sen. John Edwards. A cancer survivor, she talks openly about overcoming life obstacles. She's an accomplished attorney, law school professor, and an advocate for children. Tickets are $14 to $54. A limited number of patron tickets from $109 to $149 entitle holders to preferred seating location, a private patron reception with the speaker, and a free autographed book. Discounts are available for students, seniors 65 and over, groups of 10 or more, and educators including teachers and administrators at all levels. Discounts are 10% off all price levels except patron. Valid ID required at the door. Tickets are available on-line (https://tix.extremetix.com/tix/SilverStream/Pages/pgIndex.html?siteID=1169) or by phone (832/251-0706, 9 to 9 seven days a week). For complete information, visit www.progressiveforumhouston.org. Film: "Life in Occupied Palestine" - Saturday, May 24 In 2003, Anna Baltzer, a young Jewish American, visited the West Bank to discover for herself the realities of daily life for Palestinians under the Occupation by Israel. For eight months over the following four years, Baltzer lived and worked with farmers, Palestinian and Israeli activists, and the families of political prisoners, traveling with them across endless checkpoints and roadblocks to reach hospitals, universities, and olive groves. What emerges from her journal is not a sensationalist tale of conspiracies and suicide bombers, but a compelling, trying, and inspiring description of daily life under the Occupation. 7 p.m. at the Havens Center, 1827 W. Alabama just west of Woodhead. For more information, contact Bob Carter, 713/771 9439. Remembering the victims of Iraq War on Memorial Day - Sunday, May 25 - Tuesday, May 27 The Houston chapters of Veterans for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, and CodePINK are sponsoring a Memorial Day weekend observance to honor both military and civilian casualties from the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Volunteers are needed to place flags and read names on Sunday beginning at 10 a.m. and lasting until the >4500 labeled-flags are placed. The memorial, which includes a section devoted to veterans who have committed suicide since returning from the ongoing wars, will be on display at Hermann Park along Fannin St. just west of the Sam Houston statue and Hermann Circle Drive. For more information, contact Jim Rine, 281/414 1386, jmrine@hotmail.com