[GreenNotes] GreenNotes - August 5, 2007
Tom Brown
tbrown at michiana.org
Sun Aug 5 15:46:14 PDT 2007
Please circulate widely. Contact us to include your announcement in
GreenNotes.
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PROGRESSIVE EVENT CALENDAR
* Aug. 8 - Progressive discussion group resumes
* Aug 9 - St. Joe Valley Greens monthly meeting
* Aug 9 - Televised Presidential forum about GLBT issues
* Aug 12 - Portage Avenue Salon begins
* Aug 21 - Community Forum on Economic Development panel
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* MPJC peace vigil - every Monday and Saturday afternoon
* Progressive discussion group - every Wednesday evening
* Portage Avenue salon - every Sunday evening
* GreenTV every Wednesday evening
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PROGRESSIVE DISCUSSION GROUP EVOLVES
The Michiana Progressive Discussion Group participants have decided to
evolve our group into two new forms.
1. Portage Avenue Salon
We're planning to hold weekly potluck salon-style gatherings as an
informal time to hang out, meet people, and talk about whatever people
feel like in a relaxed setting.
The idea is to call this the "Portage Avenue Salon" and hold it at the
home of Lily Hoang and Karl Hardy (611 Portage Ave) on Sunday evenings,
beginning August 12 at 7 PM.
Everyone is welcome to stop by- we're hoping that people will BYOB and
or a small snack/dish to share but it's optional and we won't be keeping
score on who is or isn't able to contribute food/drink.
2. Discussion Group Cycles
Also, we are organizing a study group which will also meet on a weekly
basis beginning Wednesday, August 8, 7-9 PM, at the main branch of the
public library.
The plan is for each participant in the study group to select an
article, essay, book passage, etc. to use as a basis for discussion.
We'll rotate each week so that a single selection will form the basis of
our discussion, but with the idea that our conversation can take off and
go in whatever direction as it happens.
The discussions will be held in cycles. A cycle is the number of weeks
it takes to complete the individual discussions. In fact, the length of
each cycle equals the number of participants in the study group. If
there are six participants, the cycle is six weeks. Then we decide
whether to start another cycle of focused discussion.
Each participant will be responsible for making copies of text for the
rest of the group, and we are asking that interested people be willing
to commit to attending most if not all of the cycle.
Several of us have already selected pieces for discussion on topics
ranging from the life of green social thinker Murray Bookchin to
implications of recent scandals in professional sports for society as a
whole.
The discussion group has been meeting monthly since September 2006,
providing a setting for free and open dialog between progressive-minded
citizens in the spirit of building community and inspiring participatory
democracy.
For more information, please contact Karl Hardy at (574) 8-7-1349 or
karl_j_hardy at yahoo.com
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ST. JOE VALLEY GREENS MEETING
The Greens are back on schedule. We meet next on Thursday, August
9, 7:00 PM, at the GLBT Center in 100 Center in Mishawaka. Please join us.
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FIRST EVER PRESIDENTIAL FORUM ON GLBT ISSUES
MTV Logo and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation are about to make history.
On August 9, we'll be co-hosting the first ever televised presidential
forum dedicated solely to questions about GLBT issues - and I'm thrilled
to announce that I will join singer Melissa Etheridge and esteemed
journalist Jonathan Capehart as panelists!
This forum is really exciting for me because you and I will have the
opportunity to ask the leading Democratic presidential candidates their
stance on issues most important to our community.
Want to know what Senator Clinton really thinks of "Don't Ask, Don't
Tell?" Want to hear Senator Obama's thoughts on Hate Crimes legislation,
or what Senator Edwards would do to address GLBT workplace
discrimination? This is your chance.
This historic two-hour forum, moderated by Margaret Carlson, will be
broadcast live on the Logo network and online at the Logo website on
Thursday, Aug. 9, starting at 9 p.m. EST.
Confirmed candidates now include:
* Hillary Clinton,
* Christopher Dodd,
* John Edwards,
* Mike Gravel,
* Dennis Kucinich,
* Barack Obama, and
* Bill Richardson.
This is our best chance to hear where these candidates stand on GLBT
issues.
This forum is a testament to the hard work we've done together to keep
GLBT issues at the forefront of American politics. Be sure to tune in on
August 9.
To find out how to get Logo, click here or watch the forum live on
Logo's website.
http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/ct/T7srpOY1PXFO/
Joe Solomese, President
Human Rights Campaign Foundation
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COMMUNITY FORUM FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PANEL: TAX ABATEMENTS AND
COMMUNITY BENEFITS
"Tax Abatements and Community Benefits" will be the focus of the next
meeting of the Community Forum for Economic Development -- scheduled for
Tuesday, August 21, from 7-9 PM, at the Minority Health Coalition
office, 915 N. Bendix Drive, in LaSalle Square.
In 2006, businesses in South Bend were awarded tax abatements worth $4.3
million in reduced property tax payments. When some businesses get tax
breaks, residential property owners and other businesses must pay more.
When are tax abatements for businesses justified? How can we use tax
abatements to benefit our communities?
The Community Forum for Economic Development will host a public meeting
on the use of tax abatements in South Bend, Mishawaka, and St. Joseph
County. A panel of community leaders will discuss how tax abatements
could be used to encourage important community benefits, such as
-- Self-sufficiency wages for employees
Dawn Chapla, Director of Labor and Community Services for the United Way
-- Prevailing wages for construction workers
Mike Compton, Business Manager of Electrical Workers Local 153 and
Mishawaka City Councilman
-- Energy-efficient building standards
Christine Fiordalis, President of the Sierra Club
- Addressing the needs of economically distressed areas
Charlotte Pfeifer, SB Common Council, District 2
- Equal employment opportunities through affirmative action programs
Trina Robinson, President of the NAACP.
-- A critique of the current South Bend Tax Abatement Ordinance and
how the Community Forum for Economic Development proposes to strengthen it.
Marty Wolfson, Economist at the University of Notre Dame, Citizen
Representative on Community & Econ. Dev. Committee, SB Common Council
Rafael Morton, President of the St. Joseph County Council, will serve as
the moderator of the program.
For more information, contact developmentforum at sjvp.org or call 287-3834.
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INDIANA INFRASTRUCTURE REPORT CARD
The American Society of Civil Engineers rate the condition of
infrastructure in each state in the union every two years. Here is the
brief on Indiana as of 2005.
* 22% of Indiana's bridges are structurally deficient or functionally
obsolete.
* Indiana's drinking water infrastructure needs $1.7 billion over the
next 20 years.
* Indiana has $7.22 billion in wastewater infrastructure needs.
* Indiana generates 1.55 tons of solid waste per capita.
* Indiana recycles 35% of the state's solid waste.
* 56% of Indiana's schools have at least one inadequate building feature.
* 67% of Indiana's schools have at least one unsatisfactory
environmental feature.
* 32% of Indiana's major roads are in poor or mediocre condition
* Vehicle travel on Indiana's highways increased 35% from 1990 to 2003.
Indiana's population
grew 12% between 1990 and 2003.
* Driving on roads in need of repair costs Indiana motorists $1.2
billion a year in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs $258 per
motorist.
* Indiana has 238 high hazard dams. A high hazard dam is defined as a
dam whose failure would cause a loss of life and significant property
damage.
* The rehabilitation cost for Indiana's most critical dams is estimated
at $199.2 million.
http://www.asce.org/reportcard/2005/states.cfm
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HENGES AND BECK RESIGN FROM GLBT CENTER
The Greens will miss Robin Beck and Patty Henges at our meetings. Our
chapter meets at the GLBT Center every month. The pair, who organized
and ran the Center, have been accommodating to us and fun.
Robin and Patty recently announced their resignation to concentrate on
studies. They are preparing for new professions in law (Robin) and
library science (Patty).
The South Bend Tribune published an interview with the two organizers.
It may still be available.
http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20070730&Category=News01&ArtNo=707300312&SectionCat=&Template=printart
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SJVGREENS WEB SITE
* Bush's Newest Executive Order
http://www.sjvgreens.org/current/bushExecOrder.shtml
On July 17 President Bush issued an Executive Order which some believe
could be interpreted as providing the authority to confiscate the assets
of any citizen or organization opposing US led actions and initiatives
in Iraq.
* Dump Environmental Commissioner, Not Toxins
http://www.sjvgreens.org/current/dumpEasterly.shtml
Thomas Healy has a very important, informative and wide-ranging article
in the online edition of the Bloomington Alternative this week. The
article, "Dump Environmental Commissioner, Not Toxins", describes the
outrage regionally and nationally over the Indiana Department of
Environmental Management's (IDEM) decision -- in violation of both
federal Clean Water Act and Indiana law -- to give the BP oil refinery
in Whiting, Indiana permission to discharge 54 percent more ammonia and
35 percent more sludge into the lake each day.
* A Factory Farm Near You
http://www.sjvgreens.org/current/cafoMap.shtml
Factory farms are spreading so rapidly that its been hard to get an
accurate, up to date picture of where they all are. A research and
advocacy group called Food and Water Watch has released an interactive
map that allows users to track the proliferation of factory farms by
state and county, number of farms, type of operation and even number of
animals.
* Community Forum for Economic Development Adopts New Structure
http://www.sjvgreens.org/current/newStructure.shtml
The Community Forum for Economic Development announces a new structure
and begins a membership recruiting drive. The CFED has recently been
involved in the CAFO public health ordinance and hearings on the Eddy
Street Commons. CFED sponsors an annual conference on economic
development in St. Joseph County (see GreenTV schedule).
* Conyers: Three More Reps. and I'll Impeach
http://www.alternet.org/bloggers/guest/57584/
House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers has said that if three
more Congress Members get behind impeachment he will start the
impeachment proceedings.
* Four Really Bad Environmental-Health Regulatory Decisions; One
Additional Major Reason to Farm Organically
http://www.sjvgreens.org/current/enviroHealthNews.shtml
The environmental and health related decisions of our regulatory
agencies just keep getting worse and worse. There is, however, one very
positive and uplifting finding to report: organic farming combats global
warming...big time!
* Bill Moyers Supports Impeachment
http://www.sjvgreens.org/current/impeachmentToughTalk.shtml
Bill Moyers has released a series of exemplary shows on impeachment. He
discusses impeachment with both liberal and conservative scholars and
journalists. The arguments are clear and compelling. You'll need a
browser plugin to view the online videos. If you don't have the correct
plugins, edited transcripts are available to read online.
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GREEN TV
* Aug 1: Community Forum on Economic Development 2007 - Part 3 of 3.
2nd annual Community Forum on Economic Development in St. Joseph County,
Indiana. Economist Marty Wolfson summarizes old and new views on
economic development and recounts community economic development
victories achieved since the last Forum in 2006.
* Aug 8: Opening of Riverside Trail.
The grassroots effort to build a recreational bike/pedestrian trail
alongside the St. Joseph River on Riverside Drive bears fruit. Speakers
and interviews. The show finishes with a replay of Bike to Work Day 2007.
* Aug 15: BioJustice 2007 Panel on Bioengineering and Health - Part 1 of 4.
Health researchers, practitioners and teachers discuss genetically
modified plants, food and drugs. Health and social policies are
analyzed, and alternative policies suggested. Industry economics and
lobbying, as always, figures prominently in the mix. Video recorded at
BioJustice 2007 in Boston, MA, USA, this past spring.
* Aug 22: BioJustice 2007 Panel on Bioengineering and Health - Part 2 of 4.
Health researchers, practitioners and teachers discuss genetically
modified plants, food and drugs. Health and social policies are
analyzed, and alternative policies suggested. Industry economics and
lobbying, as always, figures prominently in the mix. Video recorded at
BioJustice 2007 in Boston, MA, USA, this past spring.
* Aug 29: BioJustice 2007 Panel on Bioengineering and Health - Part 3 of 4.
Health researchers, practitioners and teachers discuss genetically
modified plants, food and drugs. Health and social policies are
analyzed, and alternative policies suggested. Industry economics and
lobbying, as always, figures prominently in the mix. Video recorded at
BioJustice 2007 in Boston, MA, USA, this past spring.
GreenTV airs every Wednesday evening, 10 PM, Comcast channel 99.
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KEY VALUES OF THE GREENS
1. Ecological wisdom
2. Social justice
3. Grassroots democracy
4. Nonviolence
5. Decentralization
6. Community-based economics
7. Feminism
8. Respect for diversity
9. Personal and global responsibility
10. Future focus
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St. Joe Valley Greens, South Bend, IN
http://www.sjvgreens.org/
mailto: tbrown at sjvgreens.org or khardy at sjvgreens.org
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