Update! Click Here to download Ann Wright’s talk at the Vets Hall or check the whole article from SC Indymedia with additional MP3’s of Neal Coonerty, Diane Rejman, and the Raging Grannies.

“DISSENT: VOICES OF CONSCIENCE” a book-reading and public presentation by COLONEL (Ret.) ANN WRIGHT. Sunday, January 20th 2008 3:00 p.m. Songs by “The Raging Grannies”! Introduction by County Supervisor Neal Coonerty. Veterans Memorial Hall 846 Front Street in Santa Cruz Sponsored by the Resource Center for Nonviolence, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, CODEPINK SC, Veterans for Peace, GI Rights Hotline, Women in Black members of the Corrie-Mizo Chapter 11. VFW Post #5888, MediaWatch, PUP (People United for Peace), Women in Black, the Santa Cruz Peace Coalition, Church and Society Committee of the United Methodist Church of Santa Cruz. For more information, contact (831) 423-1626 or www.rcnv.org.
“Dissent: Voices of Conscience–Government Insiders Speak Out Against the War in Iraq” by Colonel (retired) Ann Wright, (Koa Books, January 2008), profiles government officials whose loyalty to the Constitution and the American people ultimately transcended partisan politics. Originally scheduled for release in 2007, publication has been delayed until now by the State Department’s clearance process. Books will be available for author signing. Author Colonel (ret.) Ann Wright resigned from the U.S. Foreign Service on March 19, 2003, while serving as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Mongolia, in protest of the war in Iraq and unnecessary curtailment of civil liberties. She joined the Foreign Service in 1987 and served in US Embassies in Sierra Leone, Micronesia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Grenada, Micronesia, Nicaragua, and Afghanistan. Before entering the Foreign Service, she served in the Army and Army Reserve for 29 years combined. She has Master’s and Law Degrees from the University of Arkansas and a Master’s Degree in National Security Affairs from the U.S. Naval War College. $5 - $10 suggested sliding-scale donation. No one turned away for lack of funds. The book “Dissent: Voices of Conscience–Government Insiders Speak Out Against the War in Iraq” is also available by mail for a $20 donation to Courage to Resist, 484 Lake Park Ave #41, Oakland CA 94610. Proceeds to benefit Courage to Resist’s “Dear Canada: Let U.S. War Resisters Stay!” campaign underway.

Friday, January 18, 7:30p.m., First Congregational Church, 900 High St., Santa Cruz. Tickets $16-25 sliding scale Advance; $17-25 Door.

Sat. January 19, Children and Family Concert, 10:a.m, First Congregational Church, 900 High St., Santa Cruz. Tickets $8-15 sliding scale Advance; $10-15 Door.

Tickets NOW available at: STREETLIGHT RECORDS, 941 Pacific Av., hours 10-10 daily; **SYLVAN MUSIC, 1521 Mission St., hours, 11-6 daily (**service fee added), and RCNV, 515 Broadway, Santa Cruz. You can also call 831-423-1626 for reservations. You can also make reservations via paypal on this website, but we are charged a fee for each transaction, so we prefer you purchase tickets in person or make reservations via phone. Advance tickets are recommended.

John McCutcheon is a captivating storyteller and truly magical folk musician, who has made over 30 recordings. Master of the hammer dulcimer, John also plays guitar, banjo, piano, and fiddle. His latest CD is “This Fire: Politics, Love and Other Small Miracles.” Join us for these amazing and magical concerts!! John’s website is www.folkmusic.com

For more information, call 423-1626.

Update: You can now download for free a copy of Boatamo’s talk including introductions and the Question and Answer portion of the evening. Please Click Here to visit the Indymedia article and download the separate segments.

Dr. Boatamo Yvonne “Ati” Mosupyoe, African Studies Program Director, California State University, Sacramento, will be the special guest of a dinner hosted by the Resource Center for Nonviolence at El Palomar Restaurant, 1336 Pacific Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz on Thursday January 10th at 5:30 p.m. and a 7:30 p.m. program at the Veterans Hall, 846 Front St.Dr. Mosupyoe is an expert on mediation and interest-based negotiation, conflict resolution and civil society’s role in mitigating and resolving conflicts. Mosupyoe will address Africa’s unique contribution to the growing appreciation of mediation and conflict resolution methodologies and ethics in addressing regional and world problems. Her presentation will include various South Africa case studies.Dr. Mosupyoe also serves on the Advisory Board of Global Majority in Monterey. She is a native of Tshwane, South Africa, received her PhD from UC Berkeley, and has published on a broad range of subjects, including Pan Africanism, ethnic studies, and “Mediation of Patriarchy and Sexism by Women in South Africa.”Dinner reservations are $40-100 sliding-scale and spaces are limited. A $5-10 suggested sliding-scale donation is asked for the 7:30 p.m. program, with no one turned away for lack of funds. For more information, call 423-1626.