Events

Takeover: The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy; 10/4, 6:30-8 pm, Lecture by Charlie Savage, Boston Globe reporter and winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting, joins us tonight to address the Bush administration's expanding executive powers and what it means for the future of our country. Old South Meeting House, part of the Partners in Public Dialogue Series, Ford Hall Forum, www.fordhallforum.org [4]

Agape Community's 25th Anniversary annual St. Francis Day Celebration, 10/6, 10 am, featuring Arun Gandhi, Grandchild of Mohandas Gandhi: Looking Forward and Looking Back: Our Great Nonviolent Lineage; interfaith liturgy and prayer; bring brown bag lunch and pot luck dish for dinner; Community features a straw bale house, compost toilet, solar energy, and vegetable-oil car; Info: Suzanne , 413/967-9369, peace@agapecommunity.org [5], www.agapecommunity.org [6]

National Mobilizations to End the War in Iraq, 10/27; Ten regional actions: Boston, NYC, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and four other cities TBD., www.unitedforpeace.org [7]

Gatherings

Faslane365 Big Blockade Against Trident Nuclear Missile Submarines in Scotland; 10/1, strategy session on 9/29 and 9/30 in Glasgow. Evening of 9/29, celebration including music, poems and films. www.faslane365.org [8]

New England Annual Gathering of War Tax Resisters, 12/7-9; Woolman Hill, Conference Center, Deerfield, MA. Theme: "Taking Control of Change- Embracing Simplicity." Gathering for all WTR's and those who are just testing the water. $60/wkend. For info, brochure, regis, contact: Erik Schickedanz, 270 Bullock Rd, Guilford, VT 05301. 802/257-5725. E-mail: andbefree@yahoo.com [9].

Campaigns

Iraq Moratorium, 9/21; demanding an end to the war through an escalating series of actions on the 3rd Friday of every month; www.iraqmoratorium.org [10]

Promote Fair Trade Fruit: Fair Trade certification for bananas, and other fruits such as mangoes, pineapples, and grapes, ensures that farmers receive a fair price for their fruit, and that farmworkers have good working conditions and receive fair wages. Tell the manager at your favorite store that you want to see Fair Trade Certified™ fresh fruit, as well as other certified products, on the shelves. Get your church, school, or community organization involved in promoting Fair Trade. www.coopamerica.org/programs/fairtrade/products/bananas.cfm [11]

The Declaration of Peace Days of Decision; 9/14-21; Working together to Defund the War & Establish A Comprehensive Peace Plan for Iraq, "We The People Declare Peace!" A Week of Nationwide Coordinated Nonviolent Actions to End the U.S. Occupation of Iraq; "Creating the conditions for the impossible to become the PROBABLE; the PROBABLE to become the DOABLE; and the DOABLE to become the INEVITABLE." www.declarationofpeace.org [12]

Keep Space for Peace Week, 10/4-13; Is this the world we want? Satellites, giant radomes, radar installations watching for military targets everywhere? Cruise missiles, weapons in space, global strike capability & "Full Spectrum Dominance" from US bases around the globe? The Bush administration is now moving forward with plans to deploy "missile defense" interceptors in Poland & space warfare radar in the Czech Republic. Join us in an international week of protest to stop the militarization of space, by organizing a local event in your community during October 4-13. Help us prevent the next arms race. Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space, POB 652, Brunswick ME 04011; 207/443-9502; www.space4peace.orgOpportunities [13]

No War, No Warming; 10/21-23; Fight Climate Change, Not Wars For Oil! Massive intervention in Washington DC, including nonviolent civil disobedience at the US Capitol, or your own community. Take immediate action to: STOP the war in Iraq and future resource wars by ending our addiction to fossil fuels; SHIFT government funding to rebuild New Orleans and all communities suffering from racism and corporate greed; GO green and promote environmental justice with new jobs in a clean energy economy; www.nowarnowarming.org [14]

Rape=War, You=Change, Stop Violence Against Women; Sign a petition to the US Congress to: Fund programs that prevent violence and respond to incidents of rape against women and girls; Support efforts to help women and girls recover their dignity, health, livelihood, and families; Include anti-sexual violence initiatives in relevant international assistance programs; International Rescue Committee; http://ga3.org/campaign/stopviolence [15]

Support Deb Mayer, a teacher for 22 years, who was fired for saying to her middle school class that she believes "we should seek peaceful solutions before going to war." The Federal judge in her initial trial ruled against her, maintaining that teachers do not have the right to free speech when acting in their roles as employees of a school system; Deb Mayer now needs help with legal fees as she attempts to have this important case heard by the Supreme Court. Contributions to Deb Mayer's legal fund can be made to Teach Peace, 302 Walnut Street B, Madison, WI 53726

Opportunities

Executive Director/City of Cambridge Peace Commission; for unique one-person city dept. connecting local & global issues of violence, peace & justice. Commitment & exp w/ diversity, peace & justice issues; leadership, vision & collaboration in policy, advocacy, training, & prgm implementation. Represent Commission locally, nationally & internationally. two copies of résumé & cover letter by 10/11 to Personnel Dept., City Hall Room 309, 795 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139. Position begins March 15, 2008. www.cambridgema.gov/dept/peace.html [16].

Non-Denominational Social Justice Sunday School; Community Church of Boston; free for youth (ages 7-14) & their families, every Sunday starting 9/9; the Justice School will encourage youth & children to search for their own truths through games, art, skits, books, music; many social justice activist guests; 565 Boylston Street, Boston, MA in Copley Square; Info: 617/266-6710, jooyoung@commchurch.org [17], www.thejusticeschool.org [18]

Transform your Classroom; Facing History & Ourselves offers programs to help you renew your commitment to growing & learning, & bring content & methodology into your classroom that will engage & transform your students; with the online seminar Holocaust & Human Behavior, gain full access to our in-depth professional development services, curricular resources, & ongoing support to educators in the areas of history, social studies, & English language arts. By using the Holocaust as a case study, we raise profound moral questions about the consequences of our actions & our beliefs, & Facing History teachers help their students make connections between history & the moral choices they make every day. www.facinghistory.org/onlineseminar [19]

Resources

Rethinking Our Classrooms: Teaching for Equity and Justice, edited by Wayne Au, Bill Bigelow, and Stan Karp, revised and expanded edition; includes new essays on science and environmental education, immigration, military recruitment abuse, and more; "A treasure trove.... Inspired stories of real-life classrooms make this edition better than ever." -- Sonia Nieto, $16.95, 800/669-4192, www.rethinkingschools.org [20]

C.H.I.L.L. Health Guide; Community Health Information Living and Learning Health Guide by the Health Careers Ambassadors Program Youth Team of the Hyde Square Task Force, Inc. a group of 16 low-income and minority youth, ages 14-21; Info: Guy Armand or Jaime Lederer, 617/524-8303, jaime.lederer@gmail.com [21], www.hydesquare.org [22]

People Power: Fifty Peacemakers & Their Communities by Michael True; Brief portraits of peacemakers around the world, including Tolstoy, Addams, Gandhi, Day, Parks, Romero, and the Berrigans; "Every home should have one!" -- Howard Zinn; Distributed in the US by South Asia Books, 866/513-4700, sabooks@juno.com [23]

Caravan/Prague: Bicyclists for a New World DVD; A bicycle caravan -- with the theme, "Money or Life" -- travels 500 miles across Europe in 2000 to join protests in Prague against the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. The goal: create a mobile utopian community which will be a living counter-example to the values of these powerful financial institutions. Filmmaker Zack Winestine rode the entire trip with the caravan, filming from his bicycle as events unfolded. Stills and trailer for the film can be found at www.caravanprague.com [24], Cinema Libre Studio, Andy Schreiber, aschreiber@cinemalibrestudio.com [25], 818-349-8822, www.cinemalibrestudio.com [26].

War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death DVD; featuring Norman Solomon, featuring narration by Sean Penn, "Solomon is one of the sharpest media-watchers in the business." -- Barbara Ehrenreich, www.warmadeeasythemovie.org [27]

Welcome to the Terrordome: The Pain, Politics, & Promise of Sports by Dave Zirin; $16; Zirin examines the role of politicians, big business and the media in shaping sports, and profiles the athletes striving to make change. www.haymarketbooks.org [28]