A celebration of the life of Diane Thomas will be held on Saturday January 17 at 10:00 a.m. at the Pacific School of Religion, 1796 Scenic Avenue in Berkeley. Thomas, who died peacefully on December 1 of cancer, was a cofounder of the Resource Center for Nonviolence in 1976 and lived in Santa Cruz and served on the staff  during the Resource Center’s formative years. Thomas also helped found the UC Nuclear Weapons Lab Conversion Project, served on the staff of the Ecumenical Peace Institute for more than a decade, and helped found the Iraq Initiatives Project. A highlight of Diane’s work for peace and justice was speaking before a massive rally of more than a million people in June of 1982, after having fasted for disarmament for 30 days, to bring pressure on the Second United Nations Special Session on Disarmament in New York City. One of her proudest achievements was establishing the Dismantling Racism Committee at the Pacific School of Religion where she joined the staff in 2000 and directed the annual fund and alumni relations, organized the annual Earl Lectures church conference, and co-chaired the seminary’s Dismantling Racism Committee until the time of her death.

For photos of Diane and information on her work for peace and justice, www.peacehost.net/EPI-Calc/Diane/  Tax deductible memorial donations to support the Iraq Initiatives Project may be made in Diane’s memory to: EPIC/CALC, PO Box 9344, Berkeley, CA 94709 (write Diane/IIP on memo line).

You are invited to join the:
2008 Resource Center for Nonviolence and Interfaith Peace-Builders
Study Tour to Israel and the Palestinian Territories
August 4-11, 2008

This is a truly exceptional opportunity to visit the region at a critical moment in history and to learn about the ongoing conflict from a variety of perspectives, while meeting with and learning from locals working for a sustainable, just solution. You will visit various points of interest in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Israel, stay with Israeli and Palestinian families and have the opportunity to participate in ongoing nonviolent campaigns as well as witness the daily reality of people in the region.
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FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 7:30P.M., Resource Center for Nonviolence, 515 Broadway, Santa Cruz.  Andrea Licata will speak on The Cost of US Militarism on Civilian Communities Around the World and the potential to convert these implements of war into peaceful civilian usage. The United States maintains over 737 recognized military bases as well as hundreds of secret installations in 137 countries around the world. These bases directly threaten local communities and cause geopolitical destabilization. Hear Andrea Licata (from Italy) who has been fighting a US base expansion in Italy and Sabina Perez (Guam and Bay Area) a key organizer of Famoksaiyan fighting for cultural survival and against US military buildup in Guam.

From our friends at the Ameirican Friends Service Committee:

An Interesting look at our tax dollars:American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) has just released a new 2 min. video to help people understand the outrageous amount of money that is being spent daily on the Iraq war — at the expense of meeting human needs.To reach the widest audience, we need your help. On YouTube, the more views a video gets, the more visibility it gets. So we are asking all our friends and supporters to- watch this video (at least once)- rate it (be honest) and- send it to your whole network of friends and family with the same message.We hope to get at least 1,000 views the first week and maybe much higher.Please take a minute now – click here and watch the video:After you view the video and send it to your friends, if you have a few more moments, please sign our petition to Congress to DEFUND the Iraq War and RE-FUND human needs at home and in Iraq.