March Events & Action Items

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Mar 2, 2010, 2:13:01 PM3/2/10

to Julie kwic

Dear KWIC members and friends,

Please find details below for KWIC and community sponsored events
happening this month, as well action items for your consideration.

1. Neighbourhood Conversations:"Breaking New Ground for Gardening
in Our Community". Tuesday, March 2nd 7-9pm
Peterborough Public Library - Auditorium.
2. International Israeli Apartheid Week 2010, March 1st to 14th
3. WUSC Refugee Program PUTLOCK Dinner March 4th, 5:30-730pm.
4. The Levi Schaeffer Memorial Justice Fund presents an evening of
music with Tom Wilson, the Lee Harvey Osmong Band, and
Peterborough’s own Silver Hearts. At the Red Dog, Fri, March 5th 8:30
pm.
5. G8/G20 Meeting this Sunday March 7th
6. International Women’s Day Celebrations. Mon, March 8th
7. Convergence: KWIC on Trent Radio. Tuesday, March 9th 4 to 5pm,
92.7fm.
8. Join the Peterborough Social Planning Council to discuss the
city’s housing strategy.
Thursday, March 11th, 6-8:30pm.
9. Seedy Saturday: Peterborough’s annual seed exchange! Sat,
March 13th, 1-4pm.
10. Market and Trade Show, Sat. March 13th, 1:00-4:30pm.
11. The YWCA is currently accepting *Hazel Fund Applications*!
Deadline March 12th.
12. Join in on the celebrations for World Water Day! March 22nd,
11am-2:30pm.
13. The Global Youth Action Network and Earth Day celebrations: Sat,
March 27th, 8:30pm
14. Volunteers needed for Camp Outlook this summer
15. Volunteers needed for Kawartha Food Share Spring Food Drive
16. Response to MPP’s Decision to Condemn Israeli Apartheid
Week.
17. From TACSU: Help Bring Gary Freeman Home to Canada

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Neighbourhood Conversations:"Breaking New Ground for Gardening
in Our Community". Tues, March 2nd 7-9pm at the Peterborough Public
Library - Auditorium.
The Peterborough Community Garden Network invites you to join us for an
evening of inspiration, lively discussion and idea germination.
Throughout the evening, we will demonstrate innovative community garden
projects that are flourishing in other regions. These projects will
serve as a spring-board for Neighbourhood Conversations. By coming out
and contributing your voice, you can help plant the seeds to cultivate
ground-breaking gardens here in Peterborough.There will be snacks and
refreshments served free of charge.

2. The 6th International Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) will take
place across the globe, including Peterborough, from the 1st to the 14th
of March 2010.
IAW 2010 takes place following a year of incredible successes for the
Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement on the global level.
Lectures, films, and actions will highlight some of theses successes
along with the many injustices that continue to make BDS so crucial in
the battle to end Israeli Apartheid.

Schedule for Peterborough, March 2-4th 2010
*Tuesday, March 2: FILM SCREENING: The Iron Wall *
GCS 103 (Gzowski College) 7:00-8:00pm

*Wednesday, March 3: BOOK LAUNCH: “Canada and Israel: Building
Apartheid” by
Yves Engler * CCN M2 (Champlain College) 7:00-9:00 pm

*Thursday, March 4: Defining Apartheid in South Africa and Palestine *
Speakers: Professor Marion Boulby, Professor Tim Stapleton
LEC Pit common room (Lady Eaton College) 2:00-4:00 pm
Followed by: *FILM SCREENING: The Easiest Targets: Israel’s Policy of
Strip Searching Women and Children.

3. Student Refugee Program Potluck! Come out this Thursday, March
4th for a delicious POTLUCK being held in the Champlain senior common
room (where the Season Spoon is) from 5:30 to 7:30 pm .*While you nibble
on the eats, there will be a short presentation on WUSC Trent and its
Student Refugee Program (SRP). Refreshments and desserts provided.

4. The Levi Schaeffer Memorial Justice Fund will be hosting a
concert at the Red Dog as A Justice Levi fundraiser. Fri, March 5th.
Doors open at 8:30pm, show starts at 9pm. Must be 19+. Tickets are $20
in advance (from the Red Dog) or $25 at the door. For more info for to
www.justiceforlevi.org

5. G8/G20 Meeting to discuss community ideas for activism
concerning the confrences that will be taking place in Huntsville and
Toronto (respectively) in June. Come out and share ideas or simply drop
by for more information on the issues. Sun, March 7th, 12-2pm at The
Spill, George St. North. More info to come as plans develop.

6. International Women's Day Celebrations, Mon. March 8th. Come out
and celebrate this special day with free workshops, haircuts, arts &
crafts for women from 10 am to 3 pm at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church
Hall (Water & Murray Streets) followed by an evening celebration opening
with the Unity Drummers, a potluck picnic, storytelling with Shirley
Williams, mural painting and dancing. 5:30 to 8:30 pm. Please bring a
food dish to share. Free and family friendly! For more info contact
kw...@trentu.ca or Karen at 705-748-5901.

7. Convergence: KWIC on Trent Radio. Tuesday, March 9th 4 to 5pm
Join the Kawartha World Issues Centre with social justice activist and
Raging Granny, Jo Hayward Haines and special guests as they explore and
analyse issues of vital importance to our world today. This month on
Convergence: Canadian Democracy and Prorogation of Parliament Part 2.
Great music, great conversation...you won't want to miss it! Tune in to
92.7 fm.

8. The Peterborough Social Planning Council invites all residents
to join their community information session titled “A Housing Strategy
for Peterborough City and County”. Meeting to be held at the
Peterborough Pulic Library, downstairs, on Thurs, March 11th from
6-8:30pm.

9. Seedy Saturday: Peterborough’s annual seed exchange! Sat,
March 13th, 1-4pm. Beginner and experienced gardeners welcome! St. James
United Church.

10. Market and Trade Show, Sat. March 13, 1:00-4:30. Everyone is
welcome and admission is Free! Small business owners, individuals and
community organizations - antiques, collectibles, gifts, bake table and
snacks, photography, handcrafted items, pottery, pet services, reiki
services, fundraising for Our Space Community Centre, clothing, artisans
showing their paintings, and much more. Admission is free. There will
be free door prizes donated by local members. A children’s activity
area and refreshment area. Organized by the Peterborough LETS Exchange
Community Association, held at the Peterborough Public Library.

11. Celebrate World Water Day at the Canadian Canoe Museum on March
22nd, from 11am-2:30pm!
The Free Festivities will start the day off with a Nogojiwanong
Children’s Puppet Play. Then at noon the featured speakers will
engage attendees in informative and though provoking discussion. The
topics are “How and Where We Get out Drinking Water” and “Source
Water Protection”. Free light lunch and snacks provided
Also, there will be a free showing of the movie “Waterlife” at the
Gordon Best Theatre at 7pm!

12. The YWCA is currently accepting *Hazel Fund Applications*!
Deadline March 12th.
The Hazel Fund has been established by friends and admirers of a very
special woman named Hazel. She was a consumer, advisor and volunteer of
several community services and she had a dream of finding a way to help
women overcome barriers related to violence and abuse and pursue their
dreams. Hazel died in 1996, after a long struggle with breast cancer.
1. *Education Award*
In keeping with the purpose of this fund, $500 will be awarded as a
one-time
grant to a woman who is engaged in overcoming barriers related to
violence
and abuse, and:
● Is a resident of Peterborough, Victoria and Haliburton counties
(rural
area women will be given special consideration), and
● Is furthering her formal or informal education.

2. *Awareness Award** *
In keeping with the purpose of this fund, up to $100 will be awarded
to
women who take the opportunity to raise awareness of issues related to
violence against women by speaking out and working towards change.
For further details go to:
http://www.ywcapeterborough.org/hazel-fund-2010.html

13. The Global Youth Action Network and millions of others invite
you to join in on the Earth Day celebrations: Sat, March 27th, 8:30pm to
turn off your lights for one hour - Earth Hour - to send a powerful
message that the time to address climate change is now.

14. Volunteer for Camp Outlook this summer! Camp Outlook is a
non-profit, charitable organization run entirely by volunteers. We bring
13 to 17 year old youth from the Kingston area experiencing social,
behavioural, economic or other difficulties on wilderness canoe trips in
Algonquin Park. We are looking for a committed group of trippers for the
2010 Summer season! Room, board, and all training is provided. For more
information please visit our website http://www.campoutlook.ca/ or
contact us at our office at (613)-544-6444, or by email at
scd.o...@gmail.com.

15. Kawartha Food Share is looking for volunteers for our Loblaw's
Spring Food Drive that we are having on Friday, March 19th & Saturday,
March 20th. Since this food drive is sponsored by Loblaw's we will be at
4 locations (Dieters No Frills, Ken's No Frills, Independent &
Superstore). We will be needing volunteers for the following shifts:
9.30am-12pm
12pm-2.30pm
2.30pm-4.30pm
Contact Carlo Gorman if you are able to help for any of these shifts,
either through email at ca...@kawarthatfoodshare.com or call
705.745.5377 ext.2

16. Forwarded from Muna Ali, Recipient of the 2008 Governor General’s
Youth Award for her work on racism: A response to MPP’s decision to
condemn Israeli Apartheid Week.

Members of the Ontario legislature passed a unanimous motion on
February 25
that condemns Israel Apartheid Week (IAW), a series of campus-based
educational events that takes place on university campuses all over the
world (full text
of motion below). Israeli Apartheid Week begins next week on campuses
across Ontario despite
This motion. For city schedules please check: www.apartheidweek.org

This is an unprecedented attack on free speech in Ontario. But it is
also a
clear sign of the strength and exponential growth of the Palestinian
led
solidarity campaign grounded in the 2005 call for Boycott, Divestment
and
Sanctions of Israel.

What is unfortunate about this motion, in addition to blatant attack
on
Freedom of expression, is that it shows lack of understanding of the
concept of
Apartheid and the realities of life in Israel/Palestine. No one knows
what
apartheid looks like more than the people of South Africa, and in
South
Africa, IAW is taking place in at least three cities, under the banner
of "Apartheid
for One is Apartheid for All". It is being co-organized by the Congress
of
South African Trade Unions (COSATU), one of the main bodies which
Significantly contributed to the demise of apartheid in South Africa.
In Quebec, Dr. Jamal
Zahalka, a Palestinian leader who will be the keynote speaker for IAW,
will
Be presented before a full session of the National Assembly of Quebec.
It is
really unfortunate that the Ontario Legislature decided to condemn IAW
without knowing what it is, and without even attempting to hear the
organizers.

Please follow the steps below to let your MPPs know that you oppose
this
Attack on free speech and the Palestine solidarity movement.
E-mailing is the fastest and easiest way to contact MPPs. Just follow
these
steps:

STEP 1:
Cut and paste the e-mail addresses of the entire Ontario legislature
into
Your "To" line (If your e-mail account can't e-mail this many addresses
at once,
Try sending your e-mail to a smaller block of addresses one at a time.
You may
Have to send several e-mails in order to reach all MPPs.). Please note
that this
list includes both Queen's Park and constituency office e-mail
addresses.

NOTE: In addition to e-mail, it is important for MPPs receive phone
calls
And office visits voice your opposition in all possible ways.

STEP 2:
Don't forget to fill out your subject line:
I oppose your decision to condemn IAW. I support free speech in
Ontario.

STEP 3:
Cut and paste the message below. Feel free to personalize it with your
own
words. And don't forget to include your name at the bottom. If you know
the
name of your MPP, address your e-mail to her/him.

Dear Members of the Provincial Parliament:

I am writing in response to your decision to support a motion on
February 25
that condemns Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW), a series of campus-based
educational events that takes place annually on campuses all over the
world.

The motion, which was introduced by Progressive Conservative MPP Peter
Shurman (Thornhill), is an unprecedented attack on free speech in
Ontario. I condemn and oppose your decision to support such a motion.

IAW has grown in size and scope since it was first launched on campuses
in
Toronto in 2005, and now includes dozens of events in over 50 cities
Worldwide including 3 cities in South Africa. IAW is marked by its
inclusive and
diverse nature, its respect for discussion and debate, and its call for
peaceful solutions to the Israel-Palestine conflict. IAW has been
endorsed and supported by dozens of organizations including student
unions, trade unions, faith groups, and Jewish solidarity
organizations.

The term "apartheid" is not a hateful one, nor is it on the "margins"
of
mainstream debate. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter uses the term in
his
best-selling book Palestine: Peace, Not Apartheid. South African
anti-apartheid campaigners, including Nobel Peace Prize winner
Archbishop Desmond Tutu and
President of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)
Willie
Madisha, regularly use the term "apartheid" to describe the conditions
in
Which Palestinians live both inside Israel and in the Occupied
Territories. The
Term is also used widely inside Israel itself: former Israeli Prime
Minister and
current Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak recently used the term in
a
speech about the consequences of stalled peace talks.

The conditions in which Palestinians live clearly meet the definition
of
"apartheid" as described by the United Nations. The increasingly
differential
system of roads, housing, laws, access to resources, basic rights,
living
conditions, and quality of life between Jewish Israelis and
Palestinians all
point to a system of apartheid. Palestinians have the right to
describe
these conditions in the way they experience them.

You may disagree with such an analysis, but you have no right to limit
or
restrict Palestinians and their supporters from expressing a
completely
legitimate perspective. Your decision to condemn IAW represents a
serious
setback for free speech in Ontario, and should be reconsidered. The
Ontario
legislature should not be in the business of censorship.

I urge to rethink your position, to become more informed about this
issue,
And to demonstrate support for free speech in Ontario - including for
those
political perspectives with which you might disagree.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,

STEP 4:
Press send!
If you get a response from you MPPs, please let us know. Forward
e-mail
responses to endapa...@riseup.net

Israeli Apartheid Week begins next week on campuses across Ontario
despite this motion. For city schedules please check:
www.apartheidweek.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Private Members Motion 93 Reads That, in the opinion of this House, the
term Israel Apartheid Week is condemned as it serves to incite hatred
against Israel, a democratic state that respects the rule of law and
human rights, and the use of the word 'apartheid' in this context
diminishes the suffering of those who were victims of a true apartheid
regime in South Africa.

16. From TACSU: Help Bring Gary Freeman Home to Canada. The Canadian
government is trying to prevent Mr. Freeman, who has lived the majority
of his life in Canada, from returning home. In 2004, Mr. Freeman was
sought for extradition to the US to face decades-old charges stemming
from an incident involving a white police officer in the racially and
politically charged Chicago of 1969. According to The Boston Review, "In
the late 1960s, Chicago police led the nation in the slaying of private
citizens, who were euphemistically characterized as 'fleeing felons' to
mask the routine use of excessive force by police against racial
minorities. The police also exploited seemingly benign offense
categories, such as disorderly conduct, vagrancy, and loitering to bully
minority youths and adults who had the audacity to challenge police
authority." Mr. Freeman was released from custody in March 2008 and
successfully completed his probation without incident in February 2010.
Further, the Canadian government has deemed Mr. Freeman
“inadmissible” to Canada on “national security grounds”
due to the false, unsubstantiated allegation that Mr. Freeman had been a
member of the Black Panther Party (BPP), which the government of Canada
alleges, again without supporting evidence, “is an organization which
has engaged in terrorism”. This allegation is based entirely on
incorrect newspaper articles. The Black Panther Party is not listed
anywhere in the world as a terrorist entity, either by the U.S., Canada,
or the United Nations. Before Superior Court of Ontario Justice Ian
Nordheimer in 2004, Canadian government prosecutors essentially conceded
that Mr. Freeman was NOT a threat to society.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Download our petition (at http://www.freemandrum.org), get 25 or
more signatures, and send the petition to us at: Family & Friends of
Gary Freeman, H - 110 Frederick Street, Toronto, Ontario M5A 4A9.

2. Write to Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. Please keep your letter
short, polite, and to the point. you are asking Mr. Kenney to exercise
his ministerial discretion under Section 25 of the Immigration
and Refugee Protection Act in granting a temporary resident permit on
humanitarian and compassionate grounds so that Mr. Gary Freeman (the
former Joseph Pannell) can be re-united with his family.

(no stamp required--handwritten notes are best)
Jason Kenney, MP
325 East Block
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
P. 613-992-2235
F. 613-992-1920
ken...@parl.gc.ca

If you are emailing, please cc Public Safety Minister Vic Toews,
toe...@parl.gc.ca, and also send a copy to freem...@web.ca

3. More info: www.freemandrum.org

Julie Cosgrove, Coordinator Kawartha World Issues Centre
Phone: 705-748-1680
Email: kw...@trentu.ca
Website & Community Calendar: www.kwic.info

Celebrating 20 years of global understanding and local action.

The Kawartha World Issues Centre is a charitable global education and
resource centre which promotes understanding and dialogue of world
issues to enable people to engage in positive social and environmental
change.

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