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The following writeup is from Pax Christi Tampa Bay

Pax Christi Tampa Bay E-mail Newsletter

SINGLE EVENTS IN MARCH
1. Pro-Nica speakers
2. Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Symposium
3. Peace Flower Festival in Atlanta
4. Peace Should Not Be This Fragile: A Portrait of Panzi
 
SINGLE EVENTS IN APRIL
5. The First Amendment and the Republican National Convention forum
6. Global Transition Movement lecture at Eckerd College
7. Professor Fa​it Muedini on the Arab Spring
8. Forum: It’s Always the Economy, Stupid
9. Execution scheduled; actions to take
10. Pax Christi, FL retreat: Restoring the Earth and Inner Peace
11.  Jessica Valenti: Why Feminism Matters at Eckerd
12. Know Your Rights: Changes in Florida Voting Laws
13. Jesus, Moses, the Buddha and Mohammed Walk into a Bar
14. Nonviolent Communication weekend: Street Nonviolence and Stepping into Power
15. Feminist Chauvinist Pigs
 
 Good folks,
 
As usual, the Pax Christi Tampa Bay newsletter this month is a mixture of actions, workshops, lectures and seminars concerning outward and inward actions for peace and justice.  A few highlights:
 
-Pax Christi Florida’s retreat, Restoring the Earth and Inner Peace, combines ecology and the spiritual life in a weekend of renewal (#10);
 
-Governor Scott has scheduled another execution; information and actions are at #9; and
 
-the ACLU is holding a seminar on your rights and the Republican National Convention (#6).
 
Also below are lectures in the free Eckerd College Program lecture series, covering topics such as contemporary feminism, voting rights in Florida, the Arab Spring, and Christianity in a multi-faith world.
 
Pax Christi Tampa Bay


CALENDAR OF WEEKLY EVENTS
 
PEACE FIRST: Peace First will gather from 5:00-6:00 PM (note time change) at the intersection of 34th St/US 19 and 5th Ave. N. in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, March 28 to oppose U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Participants gather afterward at a nearby restaurant for a meal. For more information (FMI): SMcCown@tampabay.rr.com

DUNEDIN PEACE CORNERING: The Dunedin peace cornering is Wednesdays from: 4:30 to 6:00 PM, Edgewater Drive in front of the Marina Park (map).  FMI: sergei@stpeteforpeace.org or kim@stpeteforpeace.org.

WEEKLY PEACE DEMONSTRATION: The Pasco County Peace Vigil is held at US 19 and Ridge Rd. in Port Richey every Friday from 7:30-8:30 AM. Participants meet at Denny’s afterward for breakfast. FMI: www.flpan.org or bettejo@flpan.org

SILENT PEACE VIGIL IN SARASOTA: Join the Southwest Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice for a silent vigil for peace on Fridays from 4:00-5:00 PM at the Sarasota Bayfront (near Marina Jack's) off Route 41, just after the Ringling cutoff.  FMI: http://www.swfcpj.org/

FRIDAY PICNIC AND SHARING IN ST. PETE: At 7:00 PM each Friday, the St. Petersburg Friends sponsor a picnic that provides food for between 50 and 125 people.  The picnic is at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 719 Arlington Avenue N. on Mirror Lake Drive in downtown St. Petersburg.  Volunteers, supplies and food are needed, especially food that is easy to carry and slow to spoil, such as peanut butter sandwiches, cheese and crackers, etc.  Toiletries, jeans or work pants, and clean t-shirts are needed.
 
One organizer has requested gently-used, clean men's clothing for the picnic; contact her at lreeves4@tampabay.rr.com .FMI and to help: Ed at (727) 327-1954 or Dottie at (727) 647-6929.

PEACE DEMONSTRATION: Join the Nature Coast Coalition for Peace and Justice at the corner of U.S. 19/Commercial Way and State Road 50/Cortez Boulevard from 10:00 AM-12:00 noon every other Saturday in Spring Hill.  FMI: brianmor@tampabay.rr.com or (352) 686-9936.

BRADENTON PEACE GATHERING: Join the Green Bridge Patriots to protest the war every Sunday at the base of the Green Bridge beginning at 11:00 AM in Palmetto.  FMI: alvinlevie@hotmail.com or (941) 747-0941.

SINGLE EVENTS

1. PRO-NICA SPEAKERS: Lillian Hall, ProNica’s Nicaragua Coordinator and Maria Elena Bonilla, Director of the Acahualinca Women’s Center, will visit St. Petersburg to speak about their work in Nicaragua. Bonilla trained as a community organizer as a mother in her early twenties and organized a neighborhood library and the Acahualinca Women's Center in the Managua slum of Acahualinca.  Hall has spent her life working in Nicaragua and has been the Program Coordinator for the Quaker organization ProNica for 14 years. Since the 1990s, ProNica has assisted Nicaraguan project partners, including providing funds for the Acahualinca Women's Center’s library, preschool, job re-training, legal-aid and health clinic services.

Below is a schedule of their speaking engagements.  All locations are in St. Petersburg.  FMI, go to www.pronica.org, e-mail stateside@pronica.org or call (727) 821-2428.

•  Thursday, March 29th, St. Pete Main Branch Library Auditorium, 3745 9th Ave. North at 6:30 PM.
•  Sunday, April 1st, St. Pete Friends Meetinghouse, 3745 9th Ave. North  at 12:30 PM
•  Monday, April 2nd, Café Bohemia, 937 Central Avenue at 7:00 PM

2. AWAKENING THE DREAMER, CHANGING THE DREAM: On Saturday, March 31, the Pachamama Alliance will once again offer its Awakening the Dreamer Symposium, which uses trained facilitators, videos and group interaction to support environmental sustainability, spiritual fulfillment, and social justice on our planet. This event will be from 9:00 AM-3:30 PM at Our Saviour Lutheran Church, 8401 W. Hillsborough Ave. in Tampa. Participants should bring a $15 donation and sack lunch; beverages and a snack will be provided.  FMI and to register: www.awakeningthedreamer.org  The workshop is limited to 25 participants, so pre-registration is strongly suggested.

3. PEACE FLOWER FESTIVAL: Nipponzan Myohoji-Atlanta Dojo is holding its Flower Festival Ceremony, celebrating the birth of Lord Buddha and the coming of spring, on Saturday, March 31 at 11:00 AM at the Nipponzan Myohoji-Atlanta Dojo, 1127 Glenwood Ave. in Atlanta.  The ceremony will include interfaith prayer and conclude with the 8th presentation of the Lil and Bill Corrigan Peacemakers Award to Mike Vosburg-Casey.   FMI:  http://atlantadojo.org or (404) 627-8948


4. PEACE SHOULD NOT BE THIS FRAGILE: Peace Should Not Be This Fragile – A Portrait of Panzi is an exhibition of artwork of local students and Philadelphia-based sculptor Peter Frantz about the humanitarian crisis and the culture imperiled by violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  The opening reception will be Saturday, March 31 at 6:30 PM at the Florida Holocaust Museum, 55 Fifth Street South in St. Petersburg.  The reception will feature writer, lecturer, and teacher Michael Berenbaum, Ph.D., professor and director of the Sigi Ziering Institute at American Jewish University.  The exhibit is affiliated with the Panzi Foundation, which raises awareness about the challenges in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and partners with the Panzi Hospital, located in Bukavu, Kivu, to heal women and restore lives. FMI: www.panzifoundation.org

 

The event is free but seating is limited; RSVPs are required by calling (727) 820-0100, ext. 236.
 

5. THE FIRST AMENDMENT AND THE 2012 RNC IN TAMPA: This August, Republican National Convention (RNC) is coming to Tampa, along with thousands of journalists, delegates, public officials, demonstrators and protestors.  The city will have spent millions ramping up surveillance and law enforcement capacities.  To help the citizens of the Tampa Bay area prepare for the convention and understand what it means for their rights, American Civil Liberties Union of Florida presents the First Amendment Rights Forum: Focus on the 2012 RNC.

This forum will address what the RNC will mean for the city of Tampa, for the First Amendment rights of protestors and journalists, and what the city and the police will do to protect those rights. These issues and others will be addressed by a panel of experts that includes Hon. Julianne Holt, Hillsborough County Public Defender; Mickey H. Osterreicher, General Counsel, National Press Photographers Association; James H. Shimberg Jr., Tampa City Attorney; Louis Virelli, Professor of Constitutional Law, Stetson University College of Law and Ellyn Angelotti, The Poynter Institute

The panel will be preceded by a reception with free food and drinks. The reception and panel are free and open to the public.  It will be Tuesday, April 3 at the Stetson University College of Law Tampa Law Center, 1700 N. Tampa St. in Tampa.  A reception with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks begins at 5:00 PM; the program begins at 6:30 PM; closing remarks begin at 8:00 PM.

Submit your questions in advance to forum moderator John Dingfelder, Senior Staff Attorney for the ACLU of Florida.  RSVP by clicking here or sending an e-mail to jhamiltonhenry@aclufl.org

This event is co-sponsored by the ACLU of Florida, the Stetson University College of Law Chapter of the American Constitution Society, the National Press Photographer's Association, and the Poynter Institute.

6. THE GLOBAL TRANSITION MOVEMENT: Join Steven Chase, the founding director of the Advocacy for Social Justice and Sustainability at Antioch University New England for "The Global Transition Movement: Innovative Local Responses to Peak Oil and Climate Disruption" on Tuesday, April 3 from 7:30– 9:00 PM in Miller Auditorium at Eckerd College (map )  The international Transition Movement is a grassroots movement to build community resilience in the face of such challenges as peak oil, climate change, and the economic crisis. The movement engages local communities to use collective creativity for transition to a future beyond fossil fuels and to a resilient local economy which includes expanding local, sustainable agriculture. Part of the College Program Series and 2011-12 Presidential Events Series, "Environmental Challenges, Sustainable Solutions."  This lecture is free and open to the public.  FMI: http://www.eckerd.edu/news/events.php  
 
7. THE ARAB SPRING: Join Eckerd College Assistant Professor of Political Science Fa​it Muedini for “The 2011 Arab Spring in Retrospect," examining the events that led to the protests (and revolutions) throughout a range of states in North Africa and the Middle East (with primary attention on Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria); the role of outside states (including but not limited to ‘Western’ states) in relation to overall politics of the region; and a discussion of the post-revolution elections in Egypt and Tunisia as well as the current political situations in the respective states. The talk will be on Wednesday, April 4, from 6:30–8:30 PM in Miller Auditorium at Eckerd College (map ) This lecture is free and open to the public.  FMI: http://www.eckerd.edu/news/events.php  
 
8. IT’S ALWAYS THE ECONOMY, STUPID: Join Ayse Somersan, Emeritus Professor and Dean, University of Wisconsin for It’s Always the Economy, Stupid: A Forum Discussion on the U.S. Economy on Monday, April 9, at the Golden Apple Dinner Theater, 25 N. Pineapple Avenue in Sarasota.  Panelists include Rick Edmonds, research and writer on business and journalism issues for the Poynter Institute, and Lauren Rudd,  CEO/CIO of Savannah Capital Management.  Moderators will be Rob Lorei, Director of News and Public Affairs for WMNF Radio and Managing Director of WEDU TV’s Florida This Week, and Augi Schmitz, online moderator of The Edge.
 
The forum will be Monday, April 9.  Doors open at 6:00 PM; the forum begins at 7:30 PM.  A light menu and cash bar will be available.  Cost is $20.00 for one and $35.00 for two. For more information and telephone purchases: Augi Schmitz at (941) 586-6839 or JoAnne DeVries at (941) 320-8825.  Checks made payable to SWFCPJ should be mailed to 5318 Calle Florida Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34242

9. DEATH WARRANT SIGNED: Florida Gov. Rick Scott has signed a death warrant for David Gore for the killing of Lynn Elliot 28 years ago. The State of Florida is planning to execute Gore Thursday, April 12th at 6:00 PM. Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (FADP) will be updating their website (http://www.fadp.org/).

This is the second execution Governor Scott has scheduled within two months. 
Take action now! Vigils and protests will be held throughout Florida at the time of execution. Please see the FADP Vigil/Protest page for more info as it becomes available.

Demonstration During the Executions: Join Pax Christi Tampa Bay, Peace First, Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and other death penalty opponents at an anti-death penalty vigil from 5:00-6:00 PM on Thursday April 12th at the intersection of Ulmerton Road and 49th Street N. in mid-Pinellas County.  This is the site of past vigils.  Park in the lot behind the Checkers and the bank on the northwest corner of the intersection.  Signs will be provided.  FMI: arichter58@msn.com or (727) 573-2935.  Since execution dates often change, please check the media for updates and changes.  The vigil occurs during the actual execution; if the execution is re-scheduled, the vigil will be rescheduled.

Take Action Now:  Contact Gov. Scott:
ADDRESS:
Gov. Rick Scott
The Capitol
400 S. Monroe St.
Tallahassee, FL 32399

PHONE: (850) 488-7146
FAX: (850) 487-0801 

EMAIL: Rick.Scott@eog.myflorida.com

FMI:  Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (FADP)   For a downloadable death penalty fact sheet with talking points: http://www.fadp.org/FL_factsheet.pdf

10. RESTORING THE EARTH AND INNER PEACE: A restorative retreat for peacemakers in need of renewal, Awaken to the Earth as Sacrament: Restoring Your Inner Peace will include presentations on the sacredness of nature, periods of silence, time for recollection/reflection, and meditative walks in the natural beauty of DaySpring Conference Center. Join Pax Christi Florida for this weekend designed to restore peacemakers’ inner peace, to foster their authentic spirituality to confront difficulties, and to sustain them for the long haul in work for peace through justice. The retreat will be from Saturday, April 14-Sunday, April 15 at DaySpring, located on the Manatee River just east of Ellenton (information and photos here).
 
Retreat leader and biology professor Sr. Paula Gonzalez PhD has worked since1972 as a futurist and environmentalist to promote sustainable living. She been president of the Alternative Energy Association of Southwestern Ohio; developed audiotape courses in Earth-healing; written articles and book chapters on ecospirituality, conservation, renewable energy, and spiritual ecology; and has informed and inspired many thousands through more than 2800 presentations.  For Sr. Paula, recycling is a spiritual practice.  She has been called “the Patron Saint of Scavengingâ€� (article here).
 
More information on the retreat, including schedule, cost, registration information and a downloadable brochure, are at http://paxchristiflorida.org/events/
 
11. WHY FEMINISM MATTERS: In her lecture “Why Feminism Matters,â€� Jessica Valenti, journalist, author of Full Frontal Feminism and The Purity Myth, and founder of the blog feministing.com/, offers a fourth-wave feminist look at American pop culture, women’s health and reproductive rights, and violence against women. She will reveal the ways a woman’s worth is still tied up with her sexuality rather than her intelligence or character, and will challenge young women to consider why feminism still matters to them. Part of the College Program Series, the lecture will be Tuesday, April 17 from 7:00–8:30 PM in Fox Hall at Eckerd College (map )  It is free and open to the public. FMI: http://www.eckerd.edu/news/events.php  
 
12. VOTING CHANGES IN FLORIDA: The year 2011 saw an array of changes to Florida election laws regarding early voting, voter registration, and voter mobility. At the same time, Governor Rick Scott and the Florida State Legislature did not implement a popular state referendum passed by Florida voters in the November of 2010 to outlaw gerrymandering. These new laws directly affect voters' rights in the state of Florida. Know Your Rights: Changes in Florida Voting Laws will feature a representative from the Pinellas County Office of the Supervisor of Elections to discuss these changes in Florida election procedures and what they mean for the 2012 Presidential Election. Sponsored by Pi Sigma Alpha. Part of the College Program Series.  The lecture will be in Miller Auditorium at Eckerd College (map ) on Wednesday, April 18 from 7:30–9:00 PM and is free and open to the public. FMI: http://www.eckerd.edu/news/events.php  
 
13. JESUS, MOSES, THE BUDDHA AND MOHAMMED WALK INTO A BAR: In “Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Walk Into a Bar: Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith Worldâ€� activist and bestselling author Brian McLaren will present a diagnosis of the problem of interreligious conflict – not the differences among faiths, but a common characteristic they share. He will outline a plan by which Christian leaders can move beyond both hostile religious absolutism and weak religious relativism, embodying a new kind of strong and benevolent Christian identity. The lecture should also be of interest to people of other faiths and people interested in the role of religion in society. A former teacher and college English teacher, McLaren’s dozen-plus books include A New Kind of Christianity, A Generous Orthodoxy, and most recently, Naked Spirituality. This lecture is free and open to the public.  Part of the Center for Spiritual Life Burchenal Lecture Series and College Program Series, the lecture will be Thursday, April 19 from 7:00-8:30 PM in Fox Hall at Eckerd College (map )  FMI: http://www.eckerd.edu/news/events.php  

 

14. NONVIOLENT COMMUNICATION WEEKEND: Join Dian Killian, Ph.D., a Certified Trainer with the international Center for Nonviolent Communication, for two different Nonviolent Communication (NVC) workshops in April.  Both of Dr. Killian’s workshops will be at the Center Montessori School, 6024 26th Street in Bradenton.

 

Street NVC: Learn to live NVC with ease and fluency, creating communication, trust and understanding every day.  The workshop will be Saturday, April 21 from 9:30 AM-5:30 PM.  Registration is at http://www.regonline.com/StreetNVC_FL12

Stepping Into Power: Adults are the "keepers" of basic needs such as food, shelter, comfort and warmth, but they often give the power to meet those needs away to circumstances or others in their lives.  This workshop will focus on making powerful requests, dreaming big and being positively grounded.  The workshop will be Sunday, April 22 from 9:30 AM-4:30 PM.  Those attending should have completed four hours of NVC training, such as the Saturday workshop, and/or have read one of the books listed in Dr. Killian’s biography, below.  Registration is at http://www.regonline.com/NVCStepping_FL12

 

Dr. Dian Killian is the founder and director of The Center for Collaborative Communication and co-author of two books, Connecting Across Differences: A Guide to Compassionate, Nonviolent Communication and Urban Empathy: True Life Adventures of Compassion on the Streets of NY. These workshops are co-produced by the Suncoast Network for Compassionate Communication and NYC's Center for Collaborative Communication (www.collaborative-communication.org)

 
Cost is $95 for each workshop or $140 for both events.  FMI and to register: Mercedes Frace at (941) 492-9279 or compassionflower @ gmail.com

 
15. FEMINIST CHAUVINIST PIGS: Ariel Levy, author of Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture and a contributing editor to The New Yorker, will critique “raunch cultureâ€� and the commercialization​on of women’s bodies and sexuality in American society. From Brittany Spears to Girls Gone Wild, Levy shows how women participate in their own sexual objectification and challenges listeners to think more deeply about what true liberation for women means today. Sponsored by the Women’s Resources Committee, Student Affairs, the Center for Spiritual Life and the Office of the President. This lecture is free and open to the public.  Part of the College Program Series, the lecture will be Tuesday, April 24 from 7:00–8:30 PM in Fox Hall at Eckerd College (map )FMI: http://www.eckerd.edu/news/events.php

Good folks,
 
     Below is an item that was not included in yesterday’s Pax Christi Tampa Bay e-mail newsletter.
 
Conference leader Brian McLaren is presenting  “Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Walk Into a Bar: Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith World” at 7:30 PM on Thursday, April 19, the day before the conference, at Eckerd College (information here)

 
Pax Christi Tampa Bay
 
A SUSTAINABLE FAITH CONFERENCE: Members of A Sustainable Faith believe that ecology is a crucial issue for Christians, and that it is deeply rooted in the Judeo-Christian narrative, not simply the latest fad for the church.  Yet many Christian communities find it difficult to understand the importance of making ecology a part of their faith.  A Sustainable Faith is about the importance of ecological concerns.

Join Brian McLaren, Doug Pagitt, Tripp Fuller and Bernice Powell Jackson as they explore the connection of ecology, incarnation and the interconnectedness of all. They will discuss how Christians can be sustainably committed to ecological concerns over the long haul and not become overwhelmed by the enormity of the problem.
 
A Sustainable Faith Conference will take place on Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21 at Christ United Methodist Church, 467 First Avenue North in  St. Petersburg.  The conference is curated by the Missio Dei Community. Cost is $49.00 until April 8.  FMI: http://asustainablefaith.snappages.com/; the schedule is here; biographies of the conference leaders, including national and local activists, spiritual directors, theologians, justice pastors, gardeners and victim advocates, are here 


Contact Pax Christi:

sjstew@gte.net
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