Sunday, April 10, 2005

Houston Activism and Events for April

There's some really special items on this latest mark-your-calendar edition:

Sen. John Edwards will speak at the South Texas College of Law, 1303 San Jacinto, on Wednesday, April 27th at 5 pm. The event is free and open to the public, but you must reserve space by sending an e-mail (one ticket per e-address) to events@txdemocrats.org .

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Tom DeLay will give the keynote address at an NRA banquet being held at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston this Saturday, April 16 at 8 pm. BAND (Bay Area New Democrats) is leading the charge to plan a peaceful protest aimed at DeLay (NOT the NRA). They want to be sure to give Delay the big welcome he deserves. Protestors will gather at 6:00 pm at the Hilton Americas, 1600 Lamar (adjacent to the GRB), to be in place by 6:30, and protest until 8:30 pm or so, then go out to celebrate. Most local media will be present. For more see the DU Meetup board.

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The Harris County Democratic Party's Brown Bag Lunch is Tuesday, April 12 from noon to 1 pm at party HQ, 1445 North Loop West, #110 (exit Ella Blvd). The topic is "TRAFFIC!" Ned Levine, PhD., safety coordinator for the Houston-Galveston Area Council will discuss red-light cameras, Safe Clear and regional transportation issues. Bring your lunch; HCDP provides the soft drinks.

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The Progressive Action Alliance (PAA) will hold its monthly meeting at Leisure Learning Unlimited bldg., 2990 Richmond, 6th floor on Thursday, April 14 from 7 to 9 pm. PAA promotes progressive candidates, ideas, and issues through action, advocacy, education, and networking. Come early -- 6:30 to 7 -- to socialize and network; bring something to eat if you wish.

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Tariq Ali and Laura Flanders will appear at Rice University on Tuesday April 19th at 7:30 PM in the Grand Hall in the Student Center. Ali, radical icon and charismatic polemicist, is the author of Street Fighting Years: An Autobiography of the Sixties and Speaking of Empire and Resistance. His startlingly prescient observations turn a sharp eye on the American and British invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. His provocative ideas explain not only Anglo-American motivations, but the sense of betrayal and powerlessness that has led to the international surge of terrorism that Americans now claim to fight.

"In order to justify infinite war, they have invented this enemy, which -- I'm almost tired of pointing this out -- they created themselves at the height of the Cold War..."


Flanders is the host of "The Laura Flanders Show", heard weekends, 7-10 pm on the Air America Radio network. Bushwomen, her new book, is an investigation into the women in George W. Bush's Cabinet. Publisher's Weekly called Flanders' best-selling book "fierce, funny and intelligent." Flanders writes regularly for TomPaine.com, the Nation, Ms. Magazine and Znet.

A small donation is appreciated. Funds raised by this event will go to support Houston Indy Media, KPFT Pacifica Radio, Houston Global Awareness, Houston Peace and Justice Center, and the University of Houston’s Young Democrats.

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Alison and Chris Bell will host a Happy Hour and Update on his exploratory gubernatorial campaign on Thursday, April 28, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the State Bar (on the balcony), 909 Texas Avenue at Travis. Valet parking is available at the adjacent Rice Hotel. RSVP at the Chris Bell for Governor website.

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And the Houston Democratic Forum will host a reception and discussion with candidates Chris Bell and Barbara Radnofsky on Thursday, April 21 from 6:30 to 8 pm at the Houston City Club, One City Club Drive in Greenway Plaza. There will be a cash bar and validated parking. For more information, contact Mark Yzaguirre: yzaguirre@hotmail.com

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oil Patch Democrats Meeting
Date: Thursday April 21, 2005
Time: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Type: Appointment (Public)
Location:
Mykonos Island Restaurant, 2881 Richmond Avenue
Speaker - Michael Economides, author of "The Color of Oil" and other books and articles. Currently, he is a Professor at Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston and Chief Technology Officer of the Texas Energy Center. Previously, at Texas A&M University and served as Chief Scientist of the Global Petroleum Institute (GPI). He has professional activities in over 70 countries. He appears regularly as a guest and expert commentator on national and international television programs. Contact John Preston johnwmp@hal-pc.org

PDiddie said...

Thanks, Mary!

I also got notification of two other events today:

Princeton University's Cornel West brings his observations on race, justice and democracy to the University of Houston's Graduate School of Social Works' 10th Annual David M. Underwood Lecture on Thursday, April 28, 6:30 pm, in the Cullen Performance Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

(West, probably the most prominent voice today on the topic of race relations and social justice, placed himself at odds with Harvard President Lawrence Summers in 2002 when West was serving as professor of African-American studies. He drew criticism for his post 9-11 comments about an 'imperial America', for his participation in a hip-hop CD which he called "danceable education" and for serving on the presidential exploratory committee for activist Al Sharpton. West also contributed as an actor -- as well as his thoughts on religion -- to the recent Matrix movie trilogy. Controversy surrounded his involvement with these projects, playing a role in West's decision to leave his position at Harvard to join the faculty at rival Princeton.)

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The Houston Chapter of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State will hold its 10th Anniversay Dinner at the Warwick Hotel on Thursday April 21. Cash bar at 6 pm, dinner at 7 pm. The Rev. Barry Lynn, AU's executive director, will be featured speaker. Tickets and sponsorships are available at HoustonAU@flash.net