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Thursday, May 1: May Day. Mother Jones' birthday (born 1830). Thursday, May 1:George Shulman talks about "Prophecy and Redemption in American Political Culture" on Thursday, May 1, Noon in the Common Room at the Newman Pavilion at the Miller Center. Professor Shulman teaches political theory and American studies at the Gallatin School of Independent Studies at New York University. The paper is available at http://www.americanpoliticaldevelopment.org/ If you plan to attend, please contact: Michael Lynch Thursday, May 1: Monthly meeting, open to all, of Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population (ASAP): "The Role of Local Growth on Affordable Housing: An Introductory Discussion." This Thursday, May 1, at 7:30 pm in the library of Westminster Presbyterian Church (Rugby Road). Moderator: Francis Fife. Past Mayor of Charlottesville, ASAP Board Member Panel members: Stu Armstrong, Executive Director, Piedmont Housing Alliance; Carol Clarke, President of Montague, Miller & Co.; President of Virginia Association of Realtors; Ron White, Chief of Housing, Albemarle County. Discussants: ASAP members and others at the session. Of the 377 newly built detached homes sold in Charlottesville and Albemarle County in 2002, seven were priced less than $175,000. Of the 111 newly built attached units, only six sold for less than $150,000. Why is our community not building new affordable housing? Some have argued that new affordable residential units for sale will be built only in an unfettered free market economy, allowing the expansion of growth area boundaries and the construction of new houses in all price ranges. Others point out that essentially unfettered growth is pretty much what Albemarle County has experienced for the past 30 years, and it has left us a meager stock of affordable houses. Without new incentives and disincentives, why would builders and developers voluntarily sacrifice profits from expensive houses to instead construct affordable homes? ASAP does not yet have answers to these questions, and hopes the discussion at our May 1 meeting will help lead us – and the community – toward the development of a thoughtful and fair policy. Friday, May 2: Bob Woodward, an assistant managing editor of the Washington Post will discuss "Bush at War" at the Miller Center at 11 a.m. Friday, May 2 - Sunday, May 4: The third annual Community Art Fund event is taking place May 2-4 at Nature Gallery -- 110 Water Street and Bullseye Gallery at the entrance of the Jefferson Theatre. The sale of artwork supports Children Youth and Family Services, an over 80-year old local social services organization. We at the Community Art Fund would be most grateful if you could give our event some publicity. Please come--it will be great fun and it's a wonderful cause! Sauturday, May 3: African American Health Festival. The Quality Community Council and the UVa Cancer Center sponsor "Living Your Best Life" at the Bufurd Middle School from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. Food, artists, musicians and health advice from experts. Sauturday, May 3: First Democratic debate for the 2004 Presidential race. Will air on C-SPAN and possibly some ABC affiliates. The 90-minute debate will begin at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and includes a crowded field of candidates: Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, Sen. Richard Gebhardt of Missouri, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, Sen. Bob Graham of Florida, Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun and the Rev. Al Sharpton. Monday, May 5: Ambassador Donald P. Gregg, President of the Korea Society in New York, will discuss "Threats and Opportunities on the Korean Peninsula at the Miller Center at 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 6: Put Virginian's First Rally! A mass application of Virginia workers for the 600 construction jobs needed to build the Tenaska Power Plant in Fluvanna County will begin at 10:00 Tuesday morning, May 6, at the human resources offices of Gilbert Southern Corp. at the Liberty Gas Station on Pantops Mountain. If you've followed the recent publicity or heard the radio ads from "Put Virginians First," you probably have heard that Tenaska's prime construction contractor, Gilbert Southern Corporation, is hiring mostly transient out-of-state workers for the higher paying, skilled jobs needed for the Tenaska - Fluvanna Power Plant project. Yet, according to Richmond Building and Construction Trades Council President, Jim Underwood, there are hundreds of highly skilled workers from the Richmond and Charlottesville areas represented by their association who are ready, willing and able to work for this project. The Virginia Pipe Trades Association, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the many other trades groups who make up the Richmond Building Trades have put out the word to their members who need jobs to come to Charlottesville for the mass application drive Tuesday morning. I will be there to greet them and join members of the Virginia Organizing Project, the Staff Union at UVA, and other local well-wishers in a rally of support and solidarity for Virginia workers. Come to the rally at 10:00 at the Gilbert Southern offices (Liberty Gas Station at Pantops) to welcome the workers and tell the Tenaska Corporation that they should put Virginia workers first. Millions of dollars in wages for Virginians are at stake - up to $35 million per year for the two years of construction on the project! Remember when Tenaska promised Fluvanna County that their power plant would boost the local economy and add millions of dollars of revenue for local schools and other public needs? Well, this is the first chance they've had to make good on their promise, and they are blowing it! Come to the rally and send a message to Tenaska to hire local skilled tradesmen instead of the transient out-of- state workers that dominate their workforce. Check out the "Put Virginians First" website for more information, www.putvirginiansfirst.org. See you at the rally! Meredith Richards Wednesday, May 7: The next Charlottesville Dean 2004 Meetup will be at 7 p.m. at the Mudhouse on the downtown mall. Thursday, May 8: Michael Hoffman, director for International Humanitarian Law and Policy for the American Red Cross, will discuss "International Humanitarian Law and Domestic Decision Making in Times of Crisis: A Case Study from Early America and Its Legacy Today" at the Miller Center at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 8: Special Invitation to Lunch with Frank McCourt When: Thursday, May 8, 12:15-2:00 p.m. As part of the VFH Re-Imagining Ireland conference and festival, May 8, Frank McCourt will speak about his "Life Story" in the context of Irish-American history and relations. A limited number of special admissions to this 12:15 - 2:00 p.m. luncheon event are available for friends of VABook! at $35 per person. To purchase your tickets (by credit card only), call Tori Talbot at 434-243-5522 or visit the VFH in person at 145 Ednam Drive. Tickets must be picked up at the VFH Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm, prior to May 1. Frank McCourt is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Angela's Ashes (1996), 'Tis (2000), and Brotherhood (2002). He has won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Los Angeles Times Award. A teacher for twenty-seven years in various New York City public schools, McCourt was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Irish immigrant parents, and raised in Limerick, Ireland. For tickets, contact: Tori Talbot Thursday, May 8: Rev. Barry Lynn, Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, will be the speaker for the 10th annual meeting of Piedmont Mainstream Citizens, where he will report on "Federal Support of Faith-Based Initiatives" at 7:30 p.m., Thomas Jefferson Universalist-Unitarian Church, 717 Rugby Road, Charlottesville, Virginia. Barry Lynn is executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a leading national organization to safeguard religious freedom. Lynn is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ and also a lawyer and member of the Washington, D.C. and U.S. Supreme Court bar. He has been a frequent spokesman for religious liberty on many of the nation's major TV talk shows and news programs. The presentation will be part of the annual meeting of the Piedmont Mainstream Citizens, a local organization dedicated to preservation of religious freedom and maintaining the separation of church and state. Barry Lynn's topic will be interesting to anyone who is concerned with the religious right's ongoing assault on the separation of church and state. Thursday, May 8: LEWIS AND CLARK REVISITED: THE NATIVE VOICE OF WESTWARD EXPANSION on Thursday, May 8, 7:30 PM at Live Arts Theater, 609 E. Market St. Details: This community forum, moderated by Native American Activist and Professor Ward Churchill, author Derrick Jensen and U.Va. Professor Jennings Wagoner, is intended to compliment and expand upon the events of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Celebration this past January by helping to bridge the distance between known and unknown Native American history and inform our current national perspectives on rights, resources, justice and resolution. While discussing human and tribal rights of Native Americans, the speakers will address the issues of cultural racism, native genocide, educational coercion, abuse, denial, acceptance, resolution and healing as they apply to land and ownership, health and the environment, spirituality and religion, justice and human rights, development and conservation, politics and economics, war and peace, legal remedies and resistance. Sponsored by the Living Education Center for Ecology and the Arts. For more information, call (434)971-1647. Friday, May 9 - Saturday, May 10: Across Virginia, nine community mediation centers are working as catalysts in their respective regions to initiate "Community Solutions" programs. As part of this effort, they are holding two-day workshops for members of their community. The first morning of the workshop is open to people from throughout the community, to learn more about the range of community issues that can be addressed through "community solutions" and the broad range of processes that can be designed to meet different needs. This will help people who are involved with different community issues to envision different collaborative ways that issues can be addressed, and to think of "community solutions" when issues arise. The rest of the two-day workshop is open to people who are interested in helping to convene and/or facilitate "community solutions" processes. Tanya Denckla and Frank Dukes of IEN are conducting the two-day workshop, and the two days are high-energy and fun; in the four that we have conducted thus far, even experienced facilitators and mediators have found it to be a learning experience where they can build on their expertise. If you are interested in attending, please contact the mediation center to find out the location and cost of the workshop, and to let them know of your interest. Charlottesville: The Mediation Center, 434/ 977-2926 Friday, May 9: Blue Sky Bacchanalia Planned Parenthoold Benefit Auction From 6 - 9 pm at dot2dot, 115 South 1st Street, Charlottesville, Virginia. $50 in advance/$55 at the door. Live music by The impossible Trio featuring John Dearth. Snacks and Sweets proviced by Hotcakes. Beer by Starr Hill Brewery. Birdhouses, beekeeps and other garden varieties created by local artists and talents. Planned Parenthood of the Blueridge provides professional, affordable reproductive health care and sexual information in the western half of Virginia. Their medical and education centers are located in Blacksburg, Charlottesville, Lynchburg, and Roanoke. Their mission is to enable women and men to make thoughtful and responsible choices regarding sexuality. They initiate, support, and defend public policy actions consistent with an individual's freedom to make informed and responsible reproductive choices. They promote strong families and planned, wanted children. For more information, call 296-4549. Saturday, May 10: Cathy Zuver's Birthday. Sunday, May 11: Mother's Day. Sunday, May 11: Jane Maddox's Birthday. Sunday, May 11: Agnes White's Birthday. Tuesday, May 13: The Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Club of Charlottesville/Albemarle cordially invites you to their Steak & Burger Dinner .. with Speical guest speaker, Mark Warner. Catered by C & O Restaurant (vegetarian meals available upon request). How often do you see immediate and positive results? At Steak and Burger, the kids are side by side with you ... and other successful adults. You share the meal ... You share the magic ... As they eat steaks while you eat hamburgers, it's a face to face encounter fulfilling for the kids and enriching for you. This is the burger you will never forget. To be held at the Monticello Event & Conference Center at 6 p.m. Individual tickets $100 each (One ticket includes one burger dinner). For more information, please call 977-2001. Tuesday, May 13: On Tuesday, May 13th, Governor Warner will be a guest on "Evening Edition," hosted by Bob Gibson of the Daily Progress. The show will be live starting at 7:30 pm and they will be taking calls from the public. Do you have questions, comments or praise for Democratic Governor (and rumored short-list VP hopeful) Mark Warner? Call the radio station toll free at: (800) 856-8900. The live show will be broadcast on WVTF public radio and on the Web at www.wvtf.org Wednesday, May 14: Michael S. Greve, John G. Searle Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute will discuss "The Founders' Federalism and Ours' at the Miller Center at 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 14: There will be a forum on May 14 at 7:00 PM in the conference room of the Gordon Avenue Library, where both Democratic candidates for the Charlottesville Clerk of Court -- incumbent Paul Garrett and challenger Vanessa Hicks -- will be present. Sheriff Cornelia Johnson will moderate. Thanks are due in particular to Democratic Charlottesville City Councilor Kevin Lynch for setting this up. Friday, May 16: Boyd Tinsley's birthday. Friday, May 16: Jeanne Cummings, White House correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, will discuss "President Bush and the War and the Economy" at the Miller Center at 11 a.m. Friday, May 16: At 6 PM there will be a meeting at Landers Underwriting, 108 5th Street SE, of folks wanting to volunteer for Al Weed's campaign. Beer, Pizza and real jobs (unpaid, of course) will be allocated. Starting now is vital if Virgil is to be defeated in November, 2004. Vote Weed/Dean says Al Weed. Friday, May 16: Building
'Equality Virginia' in Central Virginia (An organization dedicated to advancing
equal rights for the GLBT Community.) Reception from 6:30 PM until 9:00 PM Dance from 10:00 PM until 2:00 AM (cash bar) The Flower Market Suggested donation (join Equality Virginia): $35 for an individual or $60 for a family. A donation is not required to attend. RSVP Mark Usry at 296-5639 or usryml@aol.com. *All State Delegates and Senators that represent Albemarle County have been invited--those listed responded before the invitations went to print. The County and City School Boards, City Council and County Board of Supervisors and candidates for office are also invited. Saturday, May 17: This month's Albemarle/Charlottesville Democratic Breakfast will feature Donovan Webster, author of 'Aftermath: The Remnants of War.' Mr. Webster's topic will be "My Life as an Embed: Closer to the action, farther from objectivity." Webster says, "I haven't been to Iraq (yet; that's late May, I fear), but I was the original (and still only, I believe) embed on Basilan Island in the Philippines last year with the Special Forces and Marines. I shared a hooch with the Sergeant killed by a nail bomb as he walked up the street in Zamboanga."  As part of the discussion, he will also consider the larger questions of the War on Terror, our current administration's gift for alienating the planet after, in the wake of Sept. 11, having gained the world's sympathy, and how, federal domestic policy still has not moved forward in any way beyond "take yourself shopping." The breakfast runs from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Jefferson Area Board for the Aging and is open to the public. Saturday, May 17: The American Armoured Foundation will have the grand opening of its Tank Museum. Danville, 10 am. Call (434) 836-5323 or visit http://www.aaftankmuseum.com Saturday, May 17: MARCH FOR PEACE AND THE EARTH WITH CCPJ IN THE BATESVILLE DAY PARADE Parade begins at 11:00 AM, but be sure to arrive at 10:00 so the CCPJ group can organize beforehand. Food, entertainment and a CCPJ table will be available in the field after the parade. As parade participants you will be directed where to park. After you park, look for the big, blue CCPJ Earth flags. This is a lively, creative, community oriented parade. We had a peace contingent last year for the first time. Help us do it again. For more information or directions call Sue Chase, (434)456-8176. Saturday, May 17 : The National, State and Local NAACP (NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE) officials, and state and local lawmakers, want to "hear" your personal experiences of racial injustice and discrimination in the Charlottesville and University of Virginia communities. "EDUCATIONAL/COMMUNITY EQUITY HEARINGS"/REMEMBERING BROWN VS THE BOARD OF EDUCATION 12 NOON TO 3PM AT QCC (QUALITY COMMUNITY COUNCIL) 327 WEST MAIN STREET - BEHIND AWFUL ARTHURS PLEASE COME AND SPEAK, READ, AND/OR HAVE SOMEONE READ FOR YOU, IN FIVE MINUTES OR LESS, YOUR OWN TESTIMONIES OF RACIAL INJUSTICES AND DISCRIMINATION. YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENTS WILL GIVE THE NAACP THE PROOF IT NEEDS TO APPLY DIRECT ACTION FOR RACIAL CHANGE AND POSITIVE MOVEMENT IN THE CHARLOTTESVILLE AND UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY. PROTECTION AGAINST RETALIATION OFFERED BY THE NAACP: CALL 434-296-8673 Saturday, May 17: An evening of fun and song with Doug Schneider and Friends at Live Arts. All proceeds to benefit the Live Arts Operating Fund. Featured perforners are: Doug Schneider, Rita Dove, Jeff Dreyfus, Kate Lambert, Mary Elizabeth Forbes, and Greg Harris on piano.. Wine and hors d'oeuvres at 7 pm. Show begins at 8 pm. Coffee and light desserts at intermission. Tix $25 Call 977-4177 x. 309 to order. Sunday, May 18: Second UNA-USA meeting Sunday, May 18th, 4 pm to establish a new local chapter of the United Nations Association Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church Unitarian Universalist 717 Rugby Road, Charlottesville. Sunday, May 18: APRIL SHOWERS have brought abundant flowers to Debbie and Buck Pomerantz's terraced back yard garden at 1613 St. Anne's Road. Debbie and Buck are opening their garden for a brunch fundraiser on Sunday, May 18 from 11-2. All Democrats are invited to sign up for this scrumptuous brunch cooked up by Debbie, with assistance from me. Those who attended this event several years ago may remember the awesome garden setting and delicious food that just kept coming, not to mention the Mimosas and Bloody Marys. This event was advertised at last February's political pasta supper. A number of you have already signed up, but there is plenty of room left and still time to sign up. The event is $30 per person and will support the Charlottesville Democrats. Please call Debbie Pomerantz at 971-3894 (leave a message if necessary) to reserve your space. And speaking of reserving space, please come very hungry as this will be a brunch to remember. Best regards, Monday, May 19: Lt. Col. Dale R. Davis will discuss "Seeking Strategic Success After War in Iraq" at the Miller center at 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 20: The League of Women Voters of Charlottesville-Albemarle holds its annual meeting on Tuesday, May 20, at 5:00 p.m., at the Thomas Jefferson Unitarian Universalist Church on Rugby Road (at the intersection of Edgwood Lane/Fendall Avenue). The cost is $20, which includes dinner. Guest speaker will be Lori Gates Schuyler who will discuss "Virginia Women with the Vote" as well as "The Early Years of the Virginia League of Women Voters." For more information or to make a reservation, call the League office at 970-1707 or e-mail lwv@avenue.org Thursday, May 22: Charlottesville Clerk of Court Caucus -- May 22 at 7:00 PM at the Buford Auditorium. This is a "close the doors at 7:00" kind of caucus -- no latecomers will be credentialed. Doors open at 6:30 PM. Friday, May 23: R. Kent Weaver, professor of public policy and government at Georgetown, will discuss "Welfare Reform Revisited" at the Miller Center at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 24 - Sunday, May 25: Mountain Cove Vineyards' 24th Annual Fiesta de Primavera, May 24, 25, 2003. From 11 Am to 5 PM, live music, crafts, food, tasting and tours. Admission only $5.00 for adults, 3 for under 21, free under 12. Sunday, May 25: The Oratorio Society of Charlottesville-Albemarle's performance of Verdi's Requiem will be on Sunday, May 25, at 3:30 PM at Cabell Hall. The Verdi Requiem is one of the truly outstanding works of choral music, and The Oratorio Society has put together an outstanding group of soloists and musicians to accompany our chorus. To give you an idea -- Linda Mabbs -- soprano soloist -- has a national and international reputation in opera and choral music, having sung recently with the New York City Opera, the Washington Opera and the St. Louis Symphony, among other groups. Patricia Miller -- mezzo soprano soloist -- has sung opera and choral music around the world, with (among others) the Vienna Philharmonic, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, to name just a few of the orchestras and opera companies Daniel Snyder -- tenor soloist -- is a Washington, D.C., based singer who has appeared with the Oratorio Society before (the Missa Solemnis last year). His performances have been glowingly reviewed in the Washington Post and the Baltimore Sun Jonathan Deutsch -- bass soloist -- has also appeared with us before; he is also based in Washington, D.C., and has sung with the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center, and just about every choral group in the District. General admission tickets are $15.00; preferred general admission (below the walkway, on the sides) is $17.50. I can sell them to you, or you can buy them at new Dominion Bookshop, Greenberry's at barracks Road, Mincer's, or on our website, http://oratorio-va.com Monday, May 26: Memorial Day The Fabulous Carver Precinct (tm) Democrats invite you to meet your neighbors, eat sweets, discuss the state of the world, and celebrate Memorial Day with them. Delegate Mitch Van Yahres, Senator Creigh Deeds, and a sprinkling of City Councilors will be present for all of your representing needs. All Democrats -- new, old and *potential* -- are welcome. Carver will be providing drinks, desserts and snacks. BYOP (Bring Your Own Picnic), and be sure to bring enough to share with others. The facts: Washington Park This will be held rain or shine. Be sure to bring a friend -- this is a great opportunity for party-building. We'll see you there! Sincerely, Wednesday, May 28: Scheduled execution of Percy Walton Beginning with the scheduled execution of Mr. Walton, VADP is recommending that you not only contact Gov. Warner directly but that you also request that your state legislators http://legis.state.va.us/ do the same on your behalf. If we are to stop executions we will need to show the Governor that we are not the only ones opposing executions. The more we can involve our state senators and delegates, the more governors will come to believe that it is in their political interests to halt state killing. Please send copies of your letters to mail@VADP.org. Percy Walton’s case involves multiple issues that Gov. Warner could rely on to commute this death sentence to life without parole. For information on this case you can go to Percy Walton’s page http://www.vadp.org/cases/walton.htm to see a synopsis of the case and additional information that was recently received from Amnesty International and other sources. The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty has prepared a form letter on Mr. Walton’s case that you can send to Gov. Warner. Go to VADP’s Action Alert page http://www.vadp.org/action.htm and click on NCADP’s underlined name.
RECOMMENDED ACTIONS: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in English or your own language, in your own words: expressing sympathy for the relatives of Elizabeth and Jesse Hendrick
and of Archie Moore, explaining that you are not seeking to minimize the
suffering their deaths will have caused; Please send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper stating your opposition to capital punishment if the execution is carried out. Thursday, May 29: Henry Weinschenk's Birthday. Thursday, May 29: Former Delegate Barnie Day will be the keynote speaker at Mitch Van Yahres' nominating convention (May 29, 5:30 p.m. at Darden Towe Park). Since his retirement from the House in 2001, Day has been writing a hard hitting, witty political column for the Roanoke Times. His most recent column and archives can be found at: http://www.roanoketimes.com/roatimes/pol/day.html This event has been labeled the Unconventional Convention and will also feature the UVa Pep Band. I hope that all 57th District Democrats will attend and then hang around for a picnic immediately following the nomination! For more information call Connie Jorgensen at 293-3733 or e-mail her at conniejor@hotmail.com. Friday, May 30: Douglas M.
Johnston, president of the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy,
will discuss "Faith-Based Diplomacy: Trumping Realpolitik" at
the Miller Center at 11 a.m.
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