Events
Reports From the Office of the Americas
+"World Focus" with Blase Bonpane
World Focus is heard Sunday mornings from 10:00am to 11:00am. Listen to the live broadcast at 90.7 FM Los Angeles and 98.7 FM Santa Barbara. World Focus is automatically archived on the KPFK website, under "audio archives".+To The editor of the LA Times re: South of the Border
To The editor:
Steven Zeitchik’s review of SOUTH OF THE BORDER belongs in the latest textbook of Journalism as a classic hit piece.
There is literally nothing of substance in the article. It is malicious gossip as defined in text books of ethics as “psychic murder.”
1. Stone’s film is not agitprop.
2. The U.S. has acted militarily to destabilize Latin American countries over 50 times.
3. Venezuela’s media is controlled by the Venezuelan oligarchy.
4. Our military adventures are destroying the United States of America.
5. Whose views of history would you have him pass off? Zeitchik’s?
6. Bolivia has been cultivating coca for 5,000 years. It is as harmless as coffee.
7. To imply that coca is cocaine is a cheap shot.
8. The article is a messy farrago of false statements. I would suggest that Zeitchik collect his paycheck and go home.
9. This is not journalism.
Blase Bonpane, Ph.D. 310-450-1185
Professor of Latin American History, California State University Los Angeles
+Blase Bonpane's Article In New America Media
Please click on the link to view Blase Bonpane's latest article on New America Media
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=84f1474bca9c008689ad9c93e33901a7+RAC Food Program, Every Sunday
The RAC Food Program's Inner City Harvest
Every Sunday at 1:30 pm
Corner of Wilshire and Parkview in MacArthur Park
Since November of 2007, RAC has sponsored its Food Program which distributes wholesome fruits, vegetables and staples to 200 people with members of the neighboring community unloading the trucks, sorting, bagging and distributing the produce to each other. It is an inspirational example of people helping people and, in doing so, helping themselves. Donations to the food banks that have assisted RAC have grown smaller and we are seeking new sources. A most neglected possible source is the large number of fruit bearing trees located in our neighborhoods. Trees bearing delicious, healthy and nutritious food. Food that, for the most part, goes to waste and litters your yard. The fruit from YOUR trees can help those in need. RAC members can pick the amount of fruit YOU wish to donate. Don't let YOUR fruit go to waste. To arrange pick-up Email RAC: rac@lists.riseup.net To donate to the RAC Food Program: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=3639082+Coffee Party Meetings Every Monday night at 7:00 PM
What: Coffee Party USA Meeting
Where: Infuzion Cafe located at 1149 Third Street in Santa Monica ( just north of Wilshire Blvd. at the Third Street Promenade ).
When: Monday nights at 7:00 PM
It's certainly not the Tea Party. It doesn't make government the enemy. But it does call for personal and governmental responsibility and accountability. And, Coffee Party USA supporters are invited to attend the new Santa Monica Coffee
Party weekly meetings.
Contact: Anjuli Kronheim - 484-213-4811 akronhe@gmail.com or Jerry Rubin -310-399-1000 www.coffeepartyusa.com+Community Film Screenings, First Fridays
Independent Community Films To Screen in Topanga Canyon
The first Friday of every Month
Yoga Desa in Pinetree Center, 120 Topanga Canyon Blvd, 90290, located 4 miles north of Pacific Coast Hwy, on the right and 8 miles south of the 101 on the left.
The Topanga Peace Alliance will screen CARACOL and EDUCATION IN RESISTANCE . Yehuda Maayan will introduce the films and participate in a Q&A. Please bring wine, cheese, dip, fruit or crackers. Film starts at 8 PM. Requested Donation $10.00 (No one turned away for lack of funds) Please do not disturb the yoga class in session before the movie.
The Topanga Peace Alliance is a secular, nonpartisan organization dedicated to promoting peace and justice on a local and global level. We are committed to seeking peaceful means of dispute resolution throughout the world; preserving life and defending basic human rights at home and abroad; and advocating practical, nonviolent alternatives to war.
For more information: Contact Julie Levine, The Topanga Peace Alliance, (310) 455-9389, juliemagic@aol.com www.TopangaPeaceAlliance.org+Actors' Gang Presents: "All Cake, No File: The Johnny Cash Prison Tribute Comedy Cooking/Show Concert, Until July 31st
What: All Cake, No File: The Johnny Cash Prison Tribute Comedy Cooking Show/Concert
Who: Written and Performed by Donna Jo Thorndale
When: June 11th through July 31st
Where: The Actors' Gang, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232 (corner of Culver & Venice Blvds; two hours free parking available across the street in Ince Parking Lot, corner of Culver & Ince)
In ALL CAKE, NO FILE, Jewell Rae offers up her incomparable tasty mix of cooking, politics and rock 'n' roll - laced with a spiritual message of optimism and redemption.
"We have to hold onto our hope and our sense of humor," says Thorndale, who performed an earlier version of the show both in the maximum security California Rehabilitation Center in Norco, CA and as part of The Actors' Gang's WTF?! Festival last fall. "If there's breath in your body, then there's a way to move forward, there's a way to use your time and life positively. Short of that, there's at least time to eat some cake and listen to Johnny Cash."
To that end, a portion of the ticket sales from ALL CAKE, NO FILE will be used to support The Actors' Gang's Prison Project, which has been helping to reduce recidivism through in-prison theatrical training since 2007.
For more information: 310-838-GANG (310-838-4264) or www.theactorsgang.com Tickets: $25+Oliver Stone's New Documentary, "South Of The Border, Opens June 25th
What: Oliver Stone's "South Of The Border"
When: Opens June 25th
There's a revolution underway in South America, but most of the world doesn't know it. In South of the Border, Oliver Stone sets out on a road trip across five countries to explore the social and political movements as well as the mainstream media's misperception of South America while interviewing seven of its elected presidents. In casual conversations with Presidents Hugo Chávez (Venezuela), Evo Morales (Bolivia), Lula da Silva (Brazil), Cristina Kirchner (Argentina), as well as her husband and ex-President Néstor Kirchner, Fernando Lugo (Paraguay), Rafael Correa (Ecuador), and Raúl Castro (Cuba), Stone gains unprecedented access and sheds new light upon the exciting transformations in the region. "...a VALUABLE and INTERESTING CORRECTIVE to the mainstream media's often-atrocious coverage of Latin America, and a fascinating account of the rise of a new generation of political leaders." - Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com "LOVED THE MOVIE! Great perspective that people here in the US should see and hopefully it (will) make them understand what is going on in South America and with US foreign policy." -Jason Smith, IMPACTO Latin News
Following are some quick updates: The new theatrical trailer http://www.youtube.com/southoftheborderdoc#p/u/0/76IxxapAHQo
New theatre information and group ticket sale information has been added to the website for bookings in NYC (6/25), Los Angeles and Pasadena (7/2), Chicago (7/9), San Francisco and Berkeley (7/16), Dallas and Houston (7/23), Minneapolis and Seattle (7/30) with more to come! Look for Border in a theatre near you http://southoftheborderdoc.com/in-theatres/ Organize a group! If you missed the Dispatches from South America on Huffington Post read them here:
Oliver Stone's may 28th Dispatch from Caracas http://www.huffingtonpost.com/oliver-stone/dispatch-from-caracas_b_590741.html
Producer Fernando Sulichin's June 2nd Dispatch from South of the Border http://www.huffingtonpost.com/fernando-sulichin/dispatch-from-south-of-th_b_596740.html and, Dispatch from Cochabamba http://www.huffingtonpost.com/fernando-sulichin/dispatch-from-cochabamba_b_602736.html on June 8th.
Make sure to follow our blog http://southoftheborderdoc.com/border-blog/ to find out more about South of the Border's and to follow the debate!
Follow us on Twitter! http://twitter.com/southborderdoc | Like us on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/southoftheborder%20+Peace Caravan To Cuba, July
Who: IFCO / Pastors for Peace
What: Peace Caravan to Cuba this July! Join us on a Cuban voyage of discovery! Spend 9 full days in Havana and a neighboring province, and learn how a relatively poor country provides free healthcare for all its citizens, has become a pioneer in organic agriculture and sustainable development is training thousands of young people from poor communities around the world (including 122 from the US!) to be doctors, completely free of charge, at the internationally acclaimed Latin American School of Medicine, offers protection to all its people when natural or man-made disasters (hurricanes or international economic crises) hit the island has sent hundreds of doctors to save lives in Haiti -- not just since the earthquake, but for 10 years prior, has one of the most artistically talented societies in the world
Caravan participants with skills in construction, organic gardening or mural painting will be able to work alongside Cuban counterparts for a couple of days, interchanging knowledge, skills and perspectives
For an application form and more details - Email cucaravan@igc.org or call 212-926-5757 www.ifconews.org+CSPG-Posters of LGBTQ Struggles & Celebrations, July 3rd-Sept.26th
What: Out of the Closet & Into the Street: Posters of LGBTQ Struggles & Celebrations
When: July 3 - September 26, 2010 -Opening Reception: July 3, 5-8 pm
Where:ONE Archives Gallery & Museum, 626 N. Robertson Blvd. , West Hollywood, CA 90069 (entrance on El Tovar)
Despite decades of affirmation and positive role models engendered by the LGBTQ liberation movements, discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation continues. Hospitals still refuse to allow lesbians and gays to be with their sick or dying partners by restricting visitation to "family" only. Same-sex couples are denied equal inheritance rights, pensions and health-care benefits, and lesbian and gay parents are often denied custody of their children. Violent attacks and homicides against members of the LGBTQ community continue and recent legal gains are tentative and subject to reversal-Californian's right to marriage equality was taken away; open lesbians and gays continue to be excluded from the military; and as recently as February 2010, the Governor of Virginia signed an executive order deliberately removing gays and lesbians as a protected class in state-wide hiring procedures.
For more than 40 years, political posters have been one of the primary art forms to challenge the oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals and communities. Whether institutionalized through legislation or conducted culturally through physical violence or psychological negativity, this exhibition focuses on homophobia as a violation of human rights and uses the power of graphics to expose injustice, defend rights and celebrate victories.
For more information contact CSPG, 323.653.4662 or cspg@politicalgraphics.org+Blase Bonpane and Jim Lafferty To Be Part Of Peace Conference, July 23rd-July 25th
What: United National Peace Conference
When: July 23rd to July 25th, 2010
Where: Albany, NY
Twenty co-sponsoring national organizations urge you to attend this conference. The purpose of the conference is to plan united actions in the months ahead in support of demands for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. military forces and contractors from Afghanistan and Iraq, and money for human needs, not for wars, occupations, and bail-outs. Keynoters will be NOAM CHOMSKY, internationally renowned political activist, author, and critic of U.S. foreign and domestic policies, MIT Professor Emeritus of Linguistics; and DONNA DEWITT, President, South Carolina AFL-CIO; Co-Chair, South Carolina Progressive Network; Steering Committee, U.S. Labor Against the War; Administrative Body, National Assembly to End the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupations.
The conference's website is www.nationalpeaceconference.org and you will find there details regarding other speakers, workshops, registration, hotel and travel information, and how to submit amendments, demands, and resolutions. The action proposal has also been published on the website.
Please write us at UNAC2010@aol.com for further information or call 518-227-6947. We can fill orders for copies of the conference brochure. Tables for display and sale of materials can be reserved.+First Congregational Church Events, August 1st, 5th & 15th
What: Peace Cranes, Interfaith Remembrance and Paul Chappell to Speak
When: August 1st, August 5th and August 15th
Where: First Congregational Church of Long Beach, 241 Cedar Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90802
First Congregational Church will do remembrance services for Hiroshima/Nagasaki. 2000 paper origami cranes will fly for one month in the sanctuary beginning August 1st . There will also be a remembrance service for Hiroshima/Nagasaki on August 5th at 7PM and Paul K Chappell will lead a disarmament forum at 2PM on August 15th. For more information: 562-436-2256, office@firstchurchlb.org or Bob Kalayjian, MD robkal@me.com+Sadako Peace Day, August 6th
Who: Rick Wayman, Poetry, Music and Reflections
Where: Sadako Peace Day
When: Friday, August 6th between 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm
Where: Sadako Peace Garden, La Casa De Maria, 800 El Bosque Road, Montecito, CA
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Director of Programs Rick Wayman will be the featured speaker at the 16th Annual Sadako Peace Day ceremony. Admission is free and open to the public.His theme will be "Persistence and Dedication." He will discuss the importance of working for a world free of nuclear weapons in spite of opposition - and why the support of many people is required for progress to be made towards nuclear weapons abolition.Wayman guides all programs at the Foundation - including worldwide efforts to educate and motivate people to work for nuclear disarmament.The August 6th Sadako Peace Day ceremony will also feature poetry from several local poets, including Santa Barbara's Poets Laureate Emeriti, Perie Longo and Barry Spacks and Glenna Luschei, Poet Laureate Emerita of San Luis Obispo,Bob Sedivy will provide beautiful, evocative music on the shakuhachi or traditional bamboo flute. And Janice Freeman-Bell will sing accompanied by Chris O'Connell on Native American flute.
Contact: Steven Crandell, 805 965-3443, scrandell@napf.org+Would You Like to Donate Your Car?
With a simple phone call, Office of the Americas will take your unwanted car off your hands! You can take a tax deduction. We will see that the car is picked up and take care of all the details. Give us a call at the OOA office at 323-852-9808 and we will get you on your way!
+Office of the Americas' 25 Anniversary Memento Photo Book
If you would like to purchase a memento book of photographs of OOA's 25th Anniversary Event honoring Sean Penn, Mike Farrell and Veterans for Peace, please contact the OOA office at 323-852-9808. The cost of the book is $20 plus tax.
+The Closet Liberal - Recycle for Peace Estate and Fine Arts Sales held quarterly!
Donate your treasures to Office of the Americas' Peace and Justice struggle.
To donate, to schedule a pick-up, or for a schedule of future sales call Beverly at 323.295.2306
We need: sculptures, jewelry, rugs, paintings, art books, toys and games, prints, silver, linens, special fabrics, pottery & dishes, small furniture, household items, etc.
OOA is grateful to the Closet Liberal and its volunteers: Muriel, Beverly, Norma, Nahid, Maria, Lorene, Raul, Kyle, and Tangie
We Do Estate Disposal Assistance.
Tax Deductible All proceeds support the Office of the Americas.
Call To Action
Concerned about issues of international justice and peace? Get involved, make a difference and change lives.