Sunday, May 4th at 2:00 pm at the Santa Cruz Public library, 224 Church St., Santa Cruz, the Santa Cruz Public Libraries and the Resource Center for Nonviolence will host the FREE documentary Outfoxed, the 8th in a series shown the first Sunday of each month through June 2008.

Outfoxed provides an in-depth look at Fox News and the dangers of ever-enlarging corporations taking control of the public’s right to know. It also reveals the secrets of former Fox news producers, reporters, bookers and writers who expose what it’s like to work for Fox News.

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.

Update 2/12/08: You can now listen to the whole program, available for free download from Indybay.org/santacruz. Please Click Here to visit the Indybay article which contains the evening divided into 9 MP3’s of all the speakers numbered and presented in order of how they spoke.

Special West Coast Speaking tour appearance in Santa Cruz!
Wednesday Jan. 30th, reception at 5:30 pm in the basement of the Vets Hall, 846 Front Street, main program at 7:30 pm upstairs in the meetng room of the Vets Hall.

Combatants for Peace was founded by former Israeli and Palestinian fighters who no longer see each other as enemies. They forswear violence and advocate an end to the Israeli Occupation of the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza Strip. Bassam Aramin, formerly a Fatah fighter who spent 7 years in an Israeli prison, now heads the Al Quds Association for Democracy and Dialogue. Bassam received the Bremen Peace Award for reconciliation work and the Eliav-Sartawi Award for Middle Eastern Journalism. Elik Elhanan, served as a soldier in an Israeli Defense Forces combat unit from 1995-98 and is now a military refuser. In 1997 a Palestinian suicide bomber killed his sister in Jerusalem.

In January, 2007, Palestinian girls were walking home from school in East Jerusalem. Israeli Border Police firing rubber bullets wounded and killed 10-year old Abir Aramin, Bassam’s daughter. Combatants for Peace has joined other Palestinian, Israeli and International peace and human rights organizations in an effort to memorialize Abir to build ABIR’S GARDEN on the grounds of her school for her classmates to gather, play, and heal.

Elhanan and Aramin are part of a national speaking tour, one year after Abir was fatally wounded. Bassam’s wife Salwa and daughter Areen will be present. Suggested donation $5-$10 sliding-scale (no one turned away for lack of funds). Proceeds benefit Abir’s Garden & Combatants for Peace.

Combatants for Peace is hosted in Santa Cruz by the Middle East Program of the Resource Center for Nonviolence . The Combatants for Peace national tour is organized by The Rebuilding Alliance and Women of a Certain Age. For more information and to and support the Abir’s Garden Project go to www.rebuildingalliance.org/

Check out Bassam’s appearance on Democracy Now recently.

Sunday, Feb. 24, 2 p.m., at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 420 Melrose, Santa Cruz

George Baldwin is author of “A Political Reading of the Life of Jesus.” Baldwin was a local pastor for twelve years and a seminary professor for fourteen years. He felt called to live in voluntary poverty and lived in Nicaragua from 1984 to 1996.

Bill Moyers called George “…one of the memorable people I have met in my work and one for whom I have the utmost admiration.”

Baldwin says, “Don’t ask, what would Jesus Do? Read what Jesus did Do!” Baldwin examines Jesus as the leader of a political insurrection, in relation to Christology, the Trinity, theories of atonement, love of neighbor, and the role of the Church.

This event is part of a series, “Jesus and Justice: Journeying Towards Repentance and Reconciliation” organized by local churches, Quaker Meeting, and RCNV.

Call 251-4833 for more information.

Wednesdays, 7:30p.m.: Jan. 16, 23, Feb. 6. Please join Scott Kennedy, RCNV Middle East Program Coordinator on Wednesday evenings in January and the first Wednesday in February for a series of reading and discussions focusing on Nonviolence. Topics will include Gandhi’s Truth – The power of Active Nonviolence; Ends and Means; hating the sin, not the sinner; nonviolence as truth speaking. The groups will be held at 404 King Street in SC. Advanced registration is requested at 831 423 – 1626 ext 107 or by emailing kenncruz {at} pacbell.net Call for more details or with any questions.

Note: The study group will not meet January 30th as we’ll have another RCNV sponsored special event the same evening. We will be hosting Bassam Aramin and Elik Elhanan, two members of Combatants for Peace, a group made up of Palestinian and Israeli individuals who were former fighters and soldiers in the conflict. Check back soon, more details TBA. Click Here to check out Bassam on Democracy Now with another member of Combatants for Peace.