Reserve a seat on the bus from Columbus to D.C. on March 20^th  for the National Day of Action to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – for more information, contact:  Mark D. Stansbery, 1192 1/2 Neil Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43201, questions call 614-252-9255. 

Highlights this week:

Monday, Feb. 8,  7:00 pm:   Central Ohioans for Peace - Program:  Health Care, Not Warfare.   

Tuesday, February 9th, 7:00 PM. Permaculture Meeting at the Spore.

Wed., Feb. 10, 7:30 PM.  Sierra Club - “First-Hand Report from the Copenhagen Climate Conference.”  Thursday, February 11, 2010, 6:00-9:00 PM.  Peace Time Benefit at Rumba Café.

Saturday, February 13^th, 2010, 6:30 PM – Midnight.  Free Press Second Saturday Salon.  

Sunday, February 14^th, 2010, 12:30 PM.  “Will terrorist violence ever go away?” with Dr. John Mueller.  

See Details Below under Events/Meetings Below

Events/Meetings

Monday, February 8, 2010, 12:00 Noon – 1:15 PM. Thirst for Power:  The Global Nexus of Energy and Water.  Dr. Michael Webber.  Location:  Nationwide/Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center.  For more information on cost and to register, see Columbus Council on World Affairs.  

Monday, February 8, 2010, at 7:00 pm:   Central Ohioans for Peace - Program:  Health Care, Not Warfare.   Discussion of the costs of healthcare.  Comparisons of private and public insurance.  Kurt Bateman, Director, Ohio Single Payer Action Network (SPAN) and Bob Krasen will talk about the cost of war compared to the cost of health care.  All meetings (unless noted) at Columbus Mennonite Church, 35 Oakland Park Avenue, Columbus, Ohio.  Directions can be found at http://www.ColumbusMennonite.org/streetmap.htm  For more information, see www.centralohioansforpeace.org

Monday, February 8^th, 2010, 11:30 AM Registration/Program: 12:00 noon – 1:15 PM. Power:  The Global Nexus of Energy & Water.  Dr. Michael Webber (University of Texas) will explore the intricate relationship between energy and water, and the sustainability implications of supplying both to a growing world population. 
Webber joined the mechanical engineering faculty of The University of Texas after studying innovation and energy at the RAND Corporation and working as a Senior Scientist at Pranalytica. He serves as associate director of the Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy, informing the energy and environmental policy-making process with scientific and engineering expertise. Webber is a prolific author and researcher; and has been featured in national media such as the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.  Location:  Bob Evans Memorial Auditorium, Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, 2201 Fred Taylor Dr. (near Lane Ave and 315).  Students:  $15; CCWA members $25 lunch/free-lecture only; Non-members $30/lecture only $5.00.   Sponsored by the Columbus Council on World Affairs.  RSVP by February 4th at Columbus Council on World Affairs.  

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010, 7:00 PM. Permaculture Meeting at the Spore.  Come to meet your permaculture buddies! Come to get involved in a permaculture project in the Columbus area!  Spring is coming so there's going to be lot's that we can do!  Do you want to build a rain garden, a permaculture food garden?  Do you want to install a rain barrel or a greywater system?  Do you want to give a talk or workshop to pass on your skills?  These are the people to talk to.  If we don't have the skills yet, then we're going to get them!  Location: Spore Infoshop, 172 E. 5th Ave. Contact: Geoffrey Tolle <Gtolle0709@wowway.com>. Don't forget to spread the word if you'd like to carpool.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010, 6:30 – 7:30 PM.  Meet Simply Living!  A one-hour introduction to Simply Living and our programs. Learn more about our activities and learning opportunities and how you might participate. Refreshments provided. Please RSVP to Missy at 447-0296. Location: 2929 N. High St. (above Aladdin's Restaurant). 

Tuesday, February 9, 2010,  7:00 PM.  Free Composting Workshop.  Attendees will learn safe, simple and effective methods to start their own home composting program in this FREE workshop.  All are welcome! Please invite others you think might be interested. This workshop is sponsored by Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District, Worthington Department of Public Service and Sustainable Worthington.  Backyard composting can be the most economical and environmental way to manage organic materials produced at home. Composting is one of the oldest, easiest and greenest methods of recycling!  While saving landfill space, you can use one of Mother Nature’s best ways to reduce and reuse.  Material that would normally go into your garbage can go into the compost bin producing nutrient rich soil amendments for use in your garden, and all for free!  Using compost helps improve any soil type, and produces healthier plants requiring less water, fertilizer and thus helps keep harmful pollutants out of our local waterways.
Location:  Old Worthington Library (820 High Street) Meeting Room.  Note: the library generously makes its meeting room available to community groups like ours free of charge but asks that we do NOT park in the library parking lots.

 

Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 7:00-9:00 PM.  Starting Plants from Seed.  This class will teach you how to grow your vegetable plants from seed - good habits for direct sowing into the garden and how to grow plants inside.  Some plants, such as tomatoes, must be started inside and with other, such as leeks, you'll get a head start on the growing season.  How to save seed for use in future years will also be covered.  Age: 16 and up. Location:  Worthington Community Center Register with Worthington Parks & Rec (online or in person).  Catalog: http://www.worthington.org/uploads/File/Winter_2010_Pages_2-51.pdf  Look at
page 4 for registration information and page 34 for gardening class information.

 

Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 7:30 PM.  Sierra Club Program “First-Hand Report from the Copenhagen Climate Conference.”  Melanie Braithwaite will speak about her experience as a representative of the Sierra Club at the UN Climate Change conference. Melanie met with delegates from non-governmental organizations and from the Obama administration.  She also attended the UN International Labor Organization’s Conference, “World of Work” and legal seminars at the University of Copenhagen dealing with Kyoto Treaty compliance and enforcement and exploring similar provisions for a new climate agreement.  Location: Northwood High Building, 2231 N. High St. Room 100.    

Wednesday, February 10^th, 2010, 12:00 noon – 1:15 PM.  "Progress or Promised Land? 50 Years of Civil Rights in Ohio" featuring Eddie Harrell Jr., Chairman, Ohio Civil Rights Commission, President & CEO of the Columbus Urban League.  Ohio Civil Rights Commission Chairman Eddie Harrell, Jr. will speak on the topic of civil rights and discuss the notion whether we’ve made progress or truly “reached the promised land” that Dr. King spoke of.  What progress has been made as reflected in actual cases that come before the OCRC, and in society in light of the election of our nation’s first African-American President?  Harrell will also touch on current and pending civil rights legislation and its significance as well as recent events including displays and occurrences of hatred, bigotry and overt prejudice.   Location:  Athletic Club of Columbus, 136 E. Broad Street.  For more information on cost and to register see:  Columbus Metropolitan Club.

February 11th - May 1^st, 2010. International Peace Walk Towards a Nuclear Free Future. Y12 to the UN.  Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey & New York USA.  This is an opportunity for all people to come together in a non-violent, spiritually motivated action to end the nuclear industry and reclaim the future.   More information at http://footprintsforpeace.tripod.com/,  local contact woolson.2@osu.edu. 

Thursday, February 11, 2010, 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM.  An Evening with Angela Davis.  This year the Multicultural Center, along with many departmental offices and student organizations across campus will celebrate and discuss African American empowerment.  The national theme this year for Black History Month is The History of Black Economic Empowerment. Please join in this campus-wide initiative to create and develop programming around this theme.  United Black World Month, also known as Black History Month, is a month-long celebration of the diasporic experience.  The month begins with a featured speaker and continues with panels, lectures, socials and other types of programs.  This year, we are excited to host Dr. Angela Davis on campus as the featured 40th Annual United Black World Month speaker.

Location: OSU Recreation & Physical Activity Center, Tom Davis Special Events Gym   - 337 W 17th Ave., Columbus, OH 43210.  Admission: Free   No tickets required.  Open to all.

Thursday, February 11, 2010, 6:00-9:00 PM.  Peace Time Benefit.   Happy Hour.  Live music. Cash bar. Donations at the door.  Proceeds to go to helping arrange bus transportation locally to Washington DC for national antiwar march and demonstrations.   Location:  Rumba Cafe',  2507 Summit St. @ Hudson, Columbus.  For more information or to volunteer, contact lithag@aol.com

Thursday, February 11, 2010, 7:00-9:00 PM. Ravines of the Olentangy.  A panel presentation.  Location:  Northwood High Building, 2231 N. High St. Co-Sponsored by FLOW and Friends of the Ravines.

February 12^th, 2010, Noon – 7:00 PM.  Valentine Bake Sale Benefit for Haiti.  The New Creation Metropolitan Community Church wants to build at least one house in Haiti. To do that they need to earn $600.  So, they are having a big bake sale.  Please come and buy some Valentine goodies!  The church is location in the south end of Columbus - 116 E. Williams Road, 43207.  Come experience a cookie walk and buy some of the great home baked goods. There will be some really great Valentine goodies as well as other things to treat yourself or your sweetie.

Saturday/Sunday, February 13/14, 2010. Ohio Ecological Food & Farm Assn. Conference in Granville, OH KEYNOTE SPEAKER IS JOEL SALATIN! Featured in this summer's release, Food, Inc., and in Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, Salatin is one of the best-known farmers of the sustainable food movement. The conference features a trade show, 50 workshops, locally-sourced organic food, a Kids' Conference, child care, Sat. night film screening, and more! Cost is $130/$80 student/$17 child 6-12, discounts and day rates available.  Pre-Conference Event Fri., Feb. 12, 10 am–4 pm features training by Salatin, cost is $100. For info and to register visit www.oeffa.org or phone 614-421-2022.

Saturday, February 13, 2010, 10:00 AM. Wild Ones Program.   An Introduction to Soil and its Effects on Native Plants.  Dr. David Barker, Associate Professor in the Dept. of Horticulture and Crop Science at OSU will speak. He will also answer questions on soil issues for native plants.  Several types of soil samples will be provided but feel free to bring a sample of your own soil.  Location:  Innis House at Inniswood Metro Park, 940 S. Hempstead Rd. in Westerville. 

Saturday, February 13^th, 2010, 6:30 PM – Midnight.  Free Press Second Saturday Salon.  The band Miller-Kelton will play "on the stairs" at 8pm. Hear and read about the origins of the Free Press in honor of our 40th anniversary year.  Art, refreshments and progressive political networking.  Meet new friends.  Sponsored by the Free Press and the Central Ohio Green Education Fund.  Location: 1021 E. Broad St., parking in front or rear, come to the side door.  Info: 253-2295, truth@freepress.

Sunday, February 14^th, 2010, 12:30 PM.  Sunday Forum:  “Will terrorist violence ever go away?” with Dr. John Mueller.  Dr. John Mueller is the author of three very popular, and well  respected, book titles on national security:  The Remnants of War, 2004; Overblown, 2006; and Atomic Obsession, 2009.
Dr. Mueller holds the Woody Hayes Chair in National and Strategic Policy Studies at the Mershon National and  Strategic Policy Studies Center at The Ohio State University.  Location:  First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus, 93 West Weisheimer Road, Columbus, OH 43214-2544.  For additional information, contact Earl Wurdlow at (614) 296-6304 or earlword@yahoo.com

Saturday, February 13, 2010, 7:00-9:00 PM.  Free Concert "Love’s Many Faces" Valentine's Day Eve with Bill Cohen.  Playing guitar and piano, Bill Cohen will sing love songs from the past several decades.  Songs made famous by folks like John Denver, Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot, Bette Midler, Jimmy Buffet, Tom Paxton, and Peter Paul and Mary. Songs about all the things love can bring -- laughter, tears, joy, pain, betrayal, longing, and ecstasy.   Plus... Fun and laughs with trivia questions about famous and infamous couples and love songs.  AND light refreshments.  AND a couple surprises.  It’s a FREE and informal concert.  Bill will accept tips and forward them to the Central Ohio Folk Music Festival for its next annual event in May.  Location: Areopagitica Book Store, 3510 N. High. Columbus 43214 (1 block N of North Broadway)  For more info, call Bill  263-3851

Thursday, February 14, 2010, 7:00 – 10:00 PM.  Peace Time Benefit:  Get on the Bus!  Lehman, a jazz, folk, pop musician will play songs inspired by three wars: the Indian Wars, Vietnam, and Iraq. He will also play at Victorian’s Midnight Café (aka, Vic’s), along with critical sensation singer/songwriter/author/performance artist/12 string guitarist Leah-Carly Gordone.  Details available soon.  Location:  Victoria’s Midnight Café,  251 W. 5^th Ave., Columbus.  For more information, contact:  lithag@aol.com

Tuesday,  February  16, 2010, 1:30-3:30PM.   Herbal Study Group at Stratford Ecological Center.  Come together in a sharing circle to explore the many uses of wild and cultivated plants.  Each month the group examines a different herbal topic and works together in the herb garden, tending, harvesting, and learning from the plants.  Herbal Study Group meets the 3rd Tuesday of every month from 1:30-3:30pm. All skill levels welcome!  $10/year.  (Your first time is free.) Contact Christa at 740-363-2548 or treebeing@aol.com  Location: 3083 Liberty Rd. outside Delaware. More info and directions: www.stratfordecologicalcenter.org

Wednesday, February 17, 2010, 7:00 – 9:00 PM.  Special Film Event Featuring Ohio's Only National Forest and the Man Who Made it Happen. 
        A Love Letter to all Ohioans... Join us for this inspirational evening celebrating our forest treasures of Southeastern Ohio. Jean Andrews, co-producer of both films and resident of Athens County, will introduce them and share conversation afterwards. (Total viewing time - 55 min.)
        A Forest Returns: The Success Story of Ohio's Only National Forest...  Ora Anderson was a journalist living in Southeastern Ohio during the Great Depression. In this oral history, he recalls the environmental and social conditions that led to the establishment of the Wayne National Forest and our evolving relationship with the land. Along with historical photographs and emotionally evocative music by Bruce Dalzell, Ora Anderson's first-hand account gives life to a significant chapter of American history with clarity, hope, and a uniquely Appalachian perspective.
        Ora E. Anderson: The Soul of The Woods.. Ora E. "Andy" Anderson, age 93, is a legend in Ohio, but it is his beloved old farm that takes center stage in Soul of the Woods, just as it did in Anderson's life. This film gives us rare insight into this remarkable man and how (and why) he transformed a worn-out hill farm into a wooded nature preserve teeming with life. We walk with Anderson over his land, listen to his story, and find our own lives enriched.
        This event is co-sponsored with Buckeye Forest Council. Donations will be gratefully accepted. DVD copies of the films will be available for sale.  Location: First Unitarian Universalist Church, 93 W. Weisheimer Rd., 43214. 

Wednesday, February 17, 2010, 7:00 – 9:00 PM.  Clintonville for Change Meeting.  Securing Ohio’s Future: Organizing for Election Day 2010.  Guest Speaker:  Steve Chafin from Working Families Win.  Ohio for Change (formerly Obama for Change), the Ohio Democratic Party, and the Franklin County Democratic Party will share their plan for Election Day 2010 to win races vital to accomplishing the national agenda we worked for in 2008!  Seats in Congress, the State House, the Governor’s Office, and other vital statewide and local positions will be on the ballot in November.  Learn the plan and how you can help! It is never too early to get involved!  Candidates will already be on the campaign trail and OHIO remains vital to the national agenda—we are in the heart of it all!  Meetings are held at the Clintonville Community Resource Center, 14 W. Lakeview Ave. 7 to 9 PM with special events quarterly.  For more information, see www.clintonvilleforchange.org

Thursday, February 18^th, 2010, 7:00 PM.  Democratic Socialists of Central Ohio (DSCO) Meeting.  One of the most exciting efforts in this time of rampant unemployment and declining industries is the effort developed by the Ohio Employee Ownership Center at Kent State University to advance employee-owned businesses.  While ESOPs (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) are not new, their expansion offers a real alternative to an economic system that seems to discard experienced workers without regard to effect on the community.  Supported by the Cleveland Foundation, Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and Western Reserve, the Evergreen Cooperatives offer employment in a poor neighborhoods with few options.  Industries currently operating include a green industrial laundry contracting with nursing homes and health care businesses, a solar panel installation business and a nursery expected to provide produce to area businesses.  For further information, visit http://www.oeockent.org.  Democratic Socialists of Central Ohio is happy to host Jim Anderson, Program Coordinator of this effort, who will explain the operation of this effort.  The meeting on February 18 will start at 7 p.m. with a short business meeting, followed by the presentation at approximately 7:30 p.m.  We meet at the Northwood High Building, located at 2311 North High Street (corner of Northwood and High Streets) in Room 100.  Ample parking is available in the back.  For more information, contact smorgen@juno.com or see www.dsco.org

Thursday Feb 18, 2010, 7:00 - 9:00 PM.  Introduction & Support Evening for Your Money or Your Life. 
For those interested in learning more about Your Money or Your Life (YMOYL) & those already using or desiring more clarity with the program.   Location:  The Oasis Center/YWCA 65 S. 4th. St. 43215. Parking
is Free at meters.  No charge but free will donations accepted.  Contact: Randall Loop, Facilitator erloop@yahoo.com  614-496-4595

Wednesday, February 19th, 2010, 7:00 PM.  Sr. Helen Prejean will be speaking on this topic at Ohio Wesleyan University.  The cost is free. The event will be at the Gray Chapel, 61 South Sandusky Street, Delaware, OH 43015.  Her life story is the basis for the movie Dead Man Walking, and she is probably the premier figure on this issue.  There will be folks going from the Catholic Worker, so if you want to carpool, please contact:  franklesko@yahoo.com

Sunday, February 21, 2010, beginning at 12:00 noon.  Buckeye Forest Council Winter Gathering.  Members and friends of Buckeye Forest Council will gather for a hike, warm drinks and fun.  Refresh yourself, join our planning for the future and learn about actions to protect Ohio’s forests. Come out and bring a friend!  Location:  John Bryan State Park and Clifton Gorge,  3790 State Route 370, Yellow Springs, OH 45387, 937-767-1274.  

Map link: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/parks/jhnbryan/tabid/750/Default.aspx

Join us at 12:00 noon.  Follow the directional signs to the BFC Gathering at the John Bryan State Park.  A group hike will begin at 12:30 p.m. This is an easy to moderate hike.  Please dress appropriately and bring winter hiking fare to share. We will provide hot drinks.

John Bryan is the most scenic state park in western Ohio. The Park contains a remarkable limestone gorge cut by the Little Miami River that is designated as a state and national scenic river. A portion of the gorge itself is designated as a national natural landmark

Call 1-866-OH-TREES or email david@buckeyeforestcouncil.org for more information.

The Buckeye Forest Council is a non-profit, grassroots organization dedicated to protecting Ohio’s native forests and their inhabitants through education, advocacy and organizing.

Sunday, February 21^st, 2010, 7:00 PM. Big History: The Big Bang, Life on Earth, and the Rise of Humanity. Join Wanda Hambrick and Pat Marida as we watch an ongoing series of lectures by Dr. David Christian, professor at San Diego State University.  A Grand Synthesis of Knowledge  Have you ever wondered: How do various scholarly discourses—cosmology, geology, anthropology, biology, history—fit together?   Big History answers that question by weaving a single story from a variety of scholarly disciplines. This is a story scholars have been able to tell only since the middle of the last century, thanks to the development of new dating techniques in the mid-1900s. Big History traverses the sweeping expanse of cosmic history—13.7 billion years of it—starting with the big bang and traveling through time and space to the present moment and beyond. Professor Christian has made big history his personal project for more than two decades.  Ongoing Dates—Come to any or all! March 14 and 28 at the First Unitarian-Universalist Church, 93 W. Weisheimer Rd.

Monday, February 22, 2010, 7:00 PM.  Winter Gardening Close-to-Home.  Sustainable Clintonville will host the first in our series of Educational Presentations during our next meeting.  Our hosts will share what gardening and food production efforts they are making on-site even during the winter months. Also presenting will be local producers and residents practicing some of the many ways we might produce food for ourselves and our neighbors even during the cold winter months here in Columbus.  Members and non-members are welcome to attend. RSVP is not necessary but will be appreciated. Please contact Suzie Watkins-Martinez, watkinsmartinez@hotmail.com, regarding your plans to attend or questions. Cafe Bella, 2593 N. High Street Columbus. 

Monday, February 22, 2010, at 7:00 pm:  Central Ohioans for Peace Meeting.  Program:  Health Care, Not Warfare.  Alice Faryna, MD, Executive Board Member of SPAN Ohio discuss national legislation and what states plan to do fix the flaws.  Learn more about what you can do!  All meetings (unless noted) at Columbus Mennonite Church, 35 Oakland Park Avenue, Columbus, Ohio.  Directions can be found at http://www.ColumbusMennonite.org/streetmap.htm  For more information, see www.centralohioansforpeace.org

Monday, February 22, 2010, 7:00 PM.  Sustainable Clintonville Presents Winter Gardening Close-to-Home.  Sustainable Clintonville will host the first in our series of Educational Presentations during our next meeting, "Winter Gardening Close-to-Home" at Cafe Bela, located at 2593 N. High Street Columbus, OH 43202. Our hosts will share with us what gardening and food production efforts they are making on-site even during the winter months.  Also presenting will be local producers and residents practicing some of the many ways we might produce food for ourselves and our neighbors even during the cold winter months here in Columbus.  Members and non-members are welcome to attend. RSVP is not necessary but will be appreciated.  Please contact Suzie Watkins-Martinez, watkinsmartinez@hotmail.com, regarding your plans to attend or questions.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010, 7:30 PM.  Screening: The New Metropolis.  America’s “first” suburbs, those suburban communities built next to America’s urban centers, were once the birthplace of the American Dream. What are they now?  Ohio’s First Suburbs are highlighted in “The New Metropolis," a groundbreaking two-part documentary on the rise, fall and revitalization of America’s first suburbs. Produced by award-winning filmmaker Andrea Torrice, this is the first public examination devoted to
the issues facing many suburban towns.
Considered embodiments of the American dream, the first suburbs blossomed after World War II, bolstered by economic prosperity and government support. Now, many struggle with the same challenges as urban centers -- growing poverty, white flight, crumbling infrastructure, abandonment and the continual lure of newer communities further from the cities.
Admission is FREE, donations accepted.  This screening is co sponsored by the Free Press.
thenewmetropolis.com/
www.youtube.com/watch

Location:  Drexel Theater, 2254 E Main St., Bexley. Ohio.

Saturday, February 27, 2010, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.  Columbus Winter Farmers Market at UU Church .  Shop local central Ohio farmers for homegrown, homemade, handmade and value added products. Location: First Unitarian Universalist Church, 93 W. Weisheimer Rd., Columbus Ohio 43214. Contact Cathy Krist <cathy@columbuswinterfarmersmarket.com>.  Additonal Dates: March 6 & 20 April 3 & 17. For more info, visit www.columbuswinterfarmersmarket.com.

March 6, 2010, 10:30 AM – 4:00 PM.  Discover the unique world of vernal pools!   Ohio Environmental Council and the Ohio Vernal Pool Partnership invite you to experience the lush world of vernal pools through two hands-on workshops.
Vernal pools - dynamic, seasonal wetlands - are vital to improving local water quality and holding flood waters. They are also home to an array of characters in the web of life such as amphibians, insects, and crustaceans, such as fairy shrimp that can only be found in vernal pools.
During the workshops, you will: learn the threats facing these special places; understand how and why to collect vernal pool data; enjoy a field trip to a vernal pool, accompanied by several experts; identify salamanders and different frog calls

be invited to join a monitoring team to document vernal pool data throughout Ohio. 

March 6, Reynoldsburg, Franklin County

April 17, Richland, Summit County

The cost is $10 per person per workshop for members of the Ohio Environmental Council and $15 for non-members, which includes a one-year OEC membership.
Space is limited for each workshop so register now!

Monday, March 8^th, 2010, 7:00 PM.  Central Ohioans for Peace Meeting.  Program:  Standards for Secondary Social Studies – John Jordan.   In 2003 the state of Ohio implemented the Ohio Academic Content Standards for Social Studies.  These became the basis for the Ohio Graduation Test and Ohio Achievement Tests that all Ohio students must take.  Now, Ohio is revising the Content Standards and the OGT and OATs may disappear.  Gain insight on the development and evolution of the standards -- and their implications for students, teachers, and schools from Worthington Kilbourne High School history teacher John Jordan.   Location:  Columbus Mennonite Church, 35 Oakland Park Avenue, Columbus, Ohio.  Directions can be found at http://www.ColumbusMennonite.org/streetmap.htm  For more information, see www.centralohioansforpeace.org

Monday, March 8^th, 2010.  Momentum 2010: Ohio Women's Summit.  Columbus, Ohio. Ohio on International Women's Day, March 8, 2010. Momentum 2010 is being coordinated by the Governor's Office for Women's Initiatives and Outreach and First Lady Frances Strickland.  The Summit will focus on strengthening our families and communities by promoting the advancement of women through education,
economics, and health.  In addition to the Ohio Women's Summit, there will also be a Young Women's Summit on Sunday March 7, 2010!
Visit http://www.ohiowomen2010.org/ for registration and additional information.
The summit will bring diverse Ohioans together to network, energize, celebrate International Women's Day and establish an Ohio women's policy agenda. The day will consist of plenary sessions featuring high profile speakers, networking opportunities, and break out workshops that allow for interactive small group discussions.

Sunday, March 14, 2010, 7:00 PM. Big History: The Big Bang, Life on Earth, and the Rise of Humanity. Join Wanda Hambrick and Pat Marida as we watch an ongoing series of lectures by Dr. David Christian, professor at San Diego State University.  A Grand Synthesis of Knowledge  Have you ever wondered: How do various scholarly discourses—cosmology, geology, anthropology, biology, history—fit together?   Big History answers that question by weaving a single story from a variety of scholarly disciplines. This is a story scholars have been able to tell only since the middle of the last century, thanks to the development of new dating techniques in the mid-1900s. Big History traverses the sweeping expanse of cosmic history—13.7 billion years of it—starting with the big bang and traveling through time and space to the present moment and beyond. Professor Christian has made big history his personal project for more than two decades.  Ongoing Dates - (March 28th) - Come to any or all!  Location:  the First Unitarian-Universalist Church, 93 W. Weisheimer Rd.

Sunday, March 14^th, 2010, 5:00 PM.  Annual Synchronicity Benefit Concert for Faith Mission.   “Happy Birthday…with strings attached.”  The program will be a mixture of classical and light classical music by Dvorak, Massenet, Francoeur, Handel/Halvorsen, Ravel, Kreisler, Denes Agay, John Williams and Scott Joplin.  Synchronicity musicians include Sharon Walton, piano; Bruce Posey, cello; Dick Reuning, violin and with guest artist Denise Spires, clarinet.  Freewill Donation Accepted for Faith Mission Homeless Shelters.  Matching Funds from Thrivent Financial - To maximize funds, write CHECKS to West Franklin Co. Chapter, Thrivent.  Reception afterward donated in part by Mozart’s Bakery and Café.  (Last year 137 attendees donated $5,000 for the homeless!)  Location:  Gethsemane Lutheran Church, 35 East Stanton Avenue, Columbus 43214 (614-885-4319) – one building east of High St and ½ mile north of Graceland Shopping Center.

March 16-20, 2010.  Civil Rights Historic Heritage Tour.  MLK Civil Rights Heritage Tour 2010.  The Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission in collaboration with The City of Columbus Community Relations Commission, the Asheville, Durham and Raleigh MLK Committees, N.C., Martin Luther King Resource Center and Creative Interchange Consulting of Charlotte, Ohio Civil Rights Commission and King Arts Complex are pleased to sponsor a bus trip to retrace the steps of Dr. King and other civil rights heroes. The tour will be traveling to Cincinnati, Ohio; Atlanta, Georgia; Selma, Tuskegee, Montgomery and Birmingham, Alabama; and to Memphis, Tennessee to retrace the steps of Dr. King and other civil rights heroes. The whole purpose of the tour reinforces that more of us should better understand, appreciate and acknowledge how all of this relates to the present and future.

Interested individuals and groups are asked to contact: Bobbi Bell, Executive Secretary, Ohio Equal Opportunity Division, 30 East Broad Street, 18th Floor, Columbus, Ohio 43215, (614) 466-8380.
Columbus Community Relations Commission, Napoleon Bell, 1111 East Broad St., Columbus, Ohio 43205, (614) 645-1993.   Citizens from any state or location may take the tour. Those who confirm first

will be guaranteed seats.  Only 50 seats available.

http://community.ci.columbus.oh.us/MLK-2010-tour.pdf

Friday, March 19^th, 2010.  National Day of Action and Outreach in D.C. and Saturday, March 20^th, 2010, National March on Washington D.C.  People from all over the country are organizing to converge on Washington, D.C., to demand the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan and Iraq.  On Saturday, March 20, 2010, there will be a massive National March & Rally in D.C. A day of action and outreach in Washington, D.C., will take place on Friday, March 19, preceding the Saturday march.  The initiators of the March 20 National March on Washington (preceded by the March 19 Day of Action and Outreach in D.C.) include: the ANSWER Coalition; Muslim American Society Freedom; National Council of Arab Americans; Cynthia McKinney; Malik Rahim, co-founder of Common Ground Collective; Ramsey Clark; Cindy Sheehan; Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK; Deborah Sweet, Director, World Can’t Wait; Mike Ferner, President, Veterans for Peace; Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition; Heidi Boghosian, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild; Ron Kovic, author of “Born on the 4th of July”; Juan Jose Gutierrez, Director, Latino Movement USA; Col. Ann Wright (ret.); March Forward!; Partnership for Civil Justice; Palestinian American Women Association; Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines; Alliance for Global Justice; Claudia de la Cruz, Pastor, Iglesia San Romero de Las Americas-UCC; Phil Portluck, Social Justice Ministry, Covenant Baptist Church, D.C.; Michael Berg; Blase & Theresa Bonpane, Office of the Americas; Coalition for Peace and Democracy in Honduras; Comite Pro-Democracia en Mexico; Frente Unido de los Pueblos Americanos; Comites de Base FMLN, Los Angeles; Free Palestine Alliance; GABRIELA Network; Justice for Filipino American Veterans; KmB Pro-People Youth; Students Fight Back; Jim Lafferty, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild - LA Chapter; LEF Foundation; National Coalition to Free the Angola 3; Community Futures Collective; Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival; Companeros del Barrio; Barrio Unido for Full and Unconditional Amnesty.
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Sunday, March 21st, 2010, 2:00 - 6:00 PM.  Practices for Peace: Deep Listening, Storytelling, and Dialogue.  Lisa Kreischer, Community Coordinator, Institute of Noetic Science of Central Ohio will lead this workshop on how to create a safe place to express our selves and learn to speak with intention and listen with attention.  We will discover how deep listening can be empowering to the listener and the speaker.  We will establish connection via storytelling and through that connection find a way to peace and presence.  We will finally engage our new skills in a dialogue process, sometimes called sitting in circle, where we will seek out our assumptions, observe our judgments and trust what emerges as a result.

Location: Indianola Presbyterian Church, 1970 Waldeck Avenue, Columbus.   Cost: $15/person or $10 for Partners for Peace members, students, and those with financial need.  For more information, contact Audra Teague, Interfaith Center for Peace,  Audra_Teague_Interfaith_Center_f@mail.vresp.com

Immigration Reform / Hold the Dates

Reform Immigration for America, a bipartisan organization with organized groups in all 50 states, is planning several major events in March in support of legislation to be introduced to Congress.  (SAVE THE DATES:  details will be posted in late February)

Saturday, March 21^st – RALLY FOR REFORM IN COLUMBUS

Sunday, March 22^nd – RALLY FOR REFORM IN WASHINGTON D.C.

Monday, March 22, 2010, 7:00 PM.  Central Ohioans for Peace Meeting.  Program:  Living Under Israeli Military Occupation: Trauma Coping and Resilience Among Palestinian Refugee Women – Dr. Lori Rudolph.  Palestinians are the longest-standing refugees in modern history. The special needs of and challenges faced by Palestinian refugee women in particular are varied and complex. Since the onset of the second Intifada or uprising, the political, economic and social situation in Palestine has drastically deteriorated due to an escalation in the Israeli occupation and the resulting collapse of the Palestinian economy. The capacity of Palestinian women to cope with this new situation has been declining, and the number of women dependent on emergency assistance, particularly food assistance, has risen.

Women are subjected to increasing violence and additional responsibilities within their households due to the death, imprisonment or unemployment of male members. The occupation has a particularly strong impact on women residing in Refugee Camps.  With many men jailed or restricted in ability to travel, women are increasingly the sole providers for and caretakers of their families.

Dr. Lori Rudolph has been active in promoting a just peace in Israel/Palestine for more than 20 years.  Her presentation will explore the ways in which Palestinian women at a  refugee camp experience conflict, and the types of survival mechanisms and  strategies of resistance they developed. Special consideration will be given  to the relationship between armed conflict, trauma coping and resilience from a gendered lens.

She travels to Palestine frequently where she serves as a consultant, trainer, and fundraiser for the Ibdaa Cultural Center’s Women’s Mental Health Project at Dheisheh Refugee Camp and the Union for Social Workers and Psychologists in Hebron and Bethlehem.  Lori also taught at Al Quds University, which is in the Palestinian West Bank,  as a Visiting Professor in the Community Mental Health Program.  She received a fellowship  from the Palestinian American Research Center and a grant  from New Mexico Highlands University  to conduct research on the impact of the Israeli Military Occupation on Palestinian Refugee women. 

Dr. Rudolph is an assistant professor in Counseling and Guidance at New Mexico Highlands University. She is a member of the Middle East Peace and Justice Alliance and a founding member of New Mexico Boycott Divestment and Sanctions Committee.  Directions can be found at http://www.ColumbusMennonite.org/streetmap.htm  For more information, see www.centralohioansforpeace.org

Monday, March 22nd, 2010, 7:00 PM.  SPAN Meeting.  Single Payer Action Network Chapter meeting.  Open to all.  Location:   Northwood Building, 2231 North High St. (at the corner of Northwood and High) in room 100 on the first floor.   There is visitor parking behind the building and you can take an elevator to first floor.  Room 100 is in the front of the building across from the clinic entrance.  For more information, please contact chammon@columbus.rr.com. 

Sunday, March 28^th, 2010, 7:00 PM. Big History: The Big Bang, Life on Earth, and the Rise of Humanity. Join Wanda Hambrick and Pat Marida as we watch an ongoing series of lectures by Dr. David Christian, professor at San Diego State University.  A Grand Synthesis of Knowledge  Have you ever wondered: How do various scholarly discourses—cosmology, geology, anthropology, biology, history—fit together?   Big History answers that question by weaving a single story from a variety of scholarly disciplines. This is a story scholars have been able to tell only since the middle of the last century, thanks to the development of new dating techniques in the mid-1900s. Big History traverses the sweeping expanse of cosmic history—13.7 billion years of it—starting with the big bang and traveling through time and space to the present moment and beyond. Professor Christian has made big history his personal project for more than two decades.   Location:  the First Unitarian-Universalist Church, 93 W. Weisheimer Rd.

Saturday, April 17^th, 2010, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM.  SPAN Ohio 7^th Annual State Conference.  Location:  The Ramada Plaza Hotel & Conference Center, 4900 Sinclair Road, Columbus, Ohio 43229.  Contact:  vseawell@cmrjb.org for more information. 

Wednesday, April 21, 2010, 7:00 PM.  Public Lecture: Faith in the Public Square.  Rabbi David Fox Sandmel, Crown-Ryan Professor of Jewish Studies at the Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, will present the Sixth Annual Lecture on World Religions and Interreligious Dialogue of the Theological Consortium of Greater Columbus, titled “Faith in the Public Square.” Location:  The Jessing Center on the campus of the Pontifical College Josephinum, 7625 North High Street, Columbus, Ohio. It is free and open to the public but RSVPs are requested. Please contact Sandy Antes by April 15 at 614-985-2497 or santes@pcj.edu.

For more information about the Theological Consortium of Greater Columbus or the Annual Lecture on World Religions and Interreligious Dialogue, contact Dr. Paul Numrich at 740-362-3443 or pnumrich@mtso.edu.