Saturday, December 1: :9:00 a.m. Binocular Day at Ivy Creek. Come try out all sorts of binoculars and scopes. Find the perfect pair of binoculars to really enjoy the wonderful world of nature—and also find out how to choose the perfect gifts for those nature lovers on your shopping list. Ivy Creek Natural Area Education Building. Further information Betty Mooney 293-6710 or Jenny Gaden 293-6275. www.monticellobirdclub.org

Saturday, December 1: :7:00 - 10:00 p.m. Tinsley Scholarship Fund Gala at Saxx Jazz & Blues Lounge (for deserving high school graduates continuing their education). Tickets are $30. Further information, Russ Linden, 242-8586; russlinden@earthlink.net.

Saxx is at 407 Monticello Rd, Charlottesville (From downtown, go across the Belmont Bridge. Take a left on Hinton Ave. SAXX is on your left, one block after the stop sign at Rialto. Next to La Taza Restaurant.)

Monday, December 3: 11:00 a.m. Miller Center Forum: Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran and the United States. Dr. Trita Parsi is the founder and president of the National Iranian American Council. Parsi, who earned his Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University under the direction of Francis Fukuyama, has written and lectured widely on Middle East politics, and has served as a congressional foreign policy advisor. In his book, Parsi argues that the most important sources of tension in the Middle East are not the conflicting world views of Iranian and Israeli leaders but are strategic and geopolitical; each seeks hegemony in the region. A book signing will follow the Forum. 2201 Old Ivy Road, Charlotttesville; for info: 434-924-0921.

Tuesday, December 4: 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Left of Center sponsors a discussion at Maya, 633 West Main. House Minority Leader Ward Armstrong (D-Martinsville) and Delegate David Toscano (D-Charlottesville) will share their perspectives on how the new composition of the House and Senate will affect the priorities of the House Democratic Caucus, and their thoughts on how the new Democratic majority in the Senate will influence the shrinking Republican majority in the House. Plus, you will have a chance to learn about legislative initiatives that each Delegate is considering and suggest ideas that you might have.

Wednesday, December 5: 7:00 pm Albemarle County Reorganization meeting. No time limits and no problems. Just come on in. We start at 6:00 with the registration and that will go until 7:00. You need to be there before 7:00, as the meeting will start at 7:00.

Friday, December 7: 11:00 am. Miller Center Forum: Understanding Afghanistan. Minister Ali A. Jalali, who served as the Interior Minister of Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005, is Distinguished Professor in the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense Institute and a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies. His work focuses on Afghanistan, Central and South Asia regional issues including reconstruction and stabilization, and peace-keeping operations. He has been a frequent commentator on American television about Afghan issues, and his articles and comments have appeared in the New York Times and other major newspapers. 2201 Old Ivy Road, Charlotttesville; for info: 434-924-0921.

Friday, December 7: 7:45 p.m. Dennis Kucinich fundraiser Lane Auditorium in the (old) Albemarle County Office Building, McIntire Road and Preston Ave, Charlottesville.

Contribution pay on line-click above-or at the door, by cash or preferably by check made out to "Kucinich for President." Students: $10, general admission $20, admission plus your photo taken with Dennis $50, admission plus photo plus priority front-of-the-room seating $100.

Intimate face-to-face meeting with Dennis Kucinich in Room 235 (Totier Room) at 7:15 p.m. You must contribute or bring with you enough people (or checks) to collectively contribute $500. Based on the total you give or organize, you will be listed as follows: Friends $500 Hosts $1,000 Sponsors $2,300.

Saturday, December 8: Noon. Fluvanna County Democratic Committee Reorganization meeting. Old BOS Room, County Administration building, Palmyra (entrance to the left of the new courthouse). Doors open at 11:00, close 11:55 am. Sign up to become a member of the Committee and help move Fluvanna forward! Further info Co-chair Dick Koepsell, koepsell@embarqmail.com

Sunday, December 9 and Monday, December 10: Sunday, December 9 at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Monday, December 10 at 7:30 p.m.C’ville USO Show at the Elks Lodge on Elks Lane, just off Rte 20 near Darden Towe Park. Come dance to the live music of a twelve-piece swing band, hear great vocal renderings from the era of the Andrews Sisters and Frank Sinatra, see attractive dancers who will delight the eye, and get some laughs at the comedy routines.

The proceeds from these shows will go to a fund administered by American Legion Post 74 in Charlottesville to benefit the members of the local National Guard Units that have recently been activated for service in Iraq and the spouses and dependents they have left behind in our communities.

Tickets are $20.00 and are available through www.cvilleusoshow.com and select Tickets in the top left corner. Tickets also available at Plan 9 stores. Further information about performances and ticket sales 434-964-1116.

Monday, December 10: Governor's Cabinet Community Day in the Charlottesville area.

9:00 am VDOT Dedication of the replacement Pembroke Pettit Bridge in Palmyra.

10:30 am MOD/SEAM House Ribbon Cutting, 223 4th St SW, Charlottesville

1:30 p.m. Grand Opening of the Charlottesville One-Stop Career Center, 2211 Hydraulic Road, Charlottesville

3:30 pm Tour of Greene Meadows Farm, 487 Crow Mountain Road, Stanardsville.

5:30 p.m. Reception at the Montpelier Visitor's Center 11407 Constitution Highway (Rte 20), Montpelier Station.

Wednesday, December 12: 11:00 am. Miller Center Forum: The 2008 Elections: A Preview. Todd Purdum, national editor and political correspondent for Vanity Fair, is the author of A Time of Our Choosing, a history of the run-up to the Iraq invasion in 2003. After graduating from Princeton University, Purdum joined the staff of the New York Times, where he remained for 23 years, serving as Los Angeles Bureau Chief and White House correspondent. Since joining Vanity Fair in early 2006, he has written major articles on Karl Rove, among others, and on the seizure of control of Congress by the Democrats. 2201 Old Ivy Road, Charlotttesville; for info: 434-924-0921.

Thursday, December 13: 10:00 am - Noon JABA, the Area Agency on Aging, will hold its 2007 Legislative Forum at Park View on South Pantops Drive. Area legislators will meet with their constituents to discuss issues regarding long-term care, health care, and many other aging-related issues of concern to the elderly, their families, and caregivers.

The Legislative Forum is free and all are invited to attend and participate. Further info contact: Sue Drumm, 434-817-5241 sdrumm@jabacares.org

Thursday, December 13: 7:30 p.m. They don’t just gobble…they cluck, putt, purr, kee, and yelp. Nature writer Bruce Ingram will imitate a wide variety of turkey sounds and offer a mix of facts, biology, and turkey trivia in his presentation on the “Life Cycle of the Wild Turkey.” Education Building, Ivy Creek Natural Area, Earlysville Road, Charlottesville

Also hear members’ reports of unusual bird sightings and learn about upcoming bird walks and field trips. Contact: Patricia Wilczek: 985-4444 or Jenny Gaden: 293-6275 www.monticellobirdclub.org

Friday, December 14: 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. Fluvanna County Democrats' Annual Holiday Get-together. At historic Glen Burnie in Palmyra. Pot luck, candidates, fellowship, anticipation of a momentous 2008. Info, map www.fluvannademocrats.org or Dave Sagarin, dave@sagarinphotography.com

Saturday, December 15: No Democratic Breakfast in December. See you next month.

Sunday, December 23: 2:51 a.m. The Full Cold Moon; among some tribes, the Full Long Nights Moon. In this month the winter cold fastens its grip, and the nights are at their longest and darkest. Also sometimes called the “Moon before Yule” (Yule is Christmas, and this time the Moon is only just before it). The term Long Night Moon is a doubly appropriate name because the midwinter night is indeed long and the Moon is above the horizon a long time. The midwinter full Moon takes a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite to the low Sun.