Thursday, October 1: 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. fundraiser for Jody Wagner at the home of Anne and Tony Vanderwarker, 175 Chopping Bottom Farm, Keswick, VA. Co-Host - $2,500, Sponsor - $1,000, Friend - $500, Guest - $250. Please RSVP to Andrew Garrahan at Andrew@jodyforva.com or 757-512-6519 You can also contribute at www.jodyforva.com .

Friday, October 2 & Saturday, October 3: Who Decides About War? Conference at Georgetown Law School, Washington, DC. Who decides about war and peace? Congress? The President? The Courts? The People? What kind of national defense should the U.S. have? What type of military? The National Conference on War Powers, Law, and Democracy will confront essential questions raised by the U.S. invasions and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. For more information visit http://www.WhoDecidesAboutWar.org

Saturday, October 3: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Fluvanna County Old Farm Day at Pleasant Grove. $4 and more than worth it. http://oldfarmday.org/

Saturday, October 3: 6:30 p.m. Benefit for the Charlottesville Albemarle SPCA "Critter Ball" at the UVa Memorial Gym. Info http://www.caspca.org

Sunday, October 4: 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. .Pride in the Park Picnic. Everybody is welcome, young and old, to our first annual GLBT community-wide picnic! Bring a light dish or dessert to share in this informal and fun gathering. Join in a game or just chat with new and old friends. Spread the word! We'll be in the two shelters next to the volleyball courts at Pen Park. Look for the rainbow signs!

Monday, October 5: 11:00 a.m. Strategic Challenges in the Middle East John P. Abizaid is a retired General in the U.S. Army and former Commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), covering much of the Middle East. This Forum is part of a series on military preparedness. More information on the series is available at http://www.millercenter.org/public/forum/series/military

Tuesday, October 6: Noon. VOCAL, On Our Own and Mental Health America-Charlottesville Albemarle will lead a short non-denominational prayer service to honor those who struggle with mental illness and to promote recovery and understanding about mental illness. At the Free Speech Monument on the downtown mall.

Tuesday, October 6: 6:00 p.m. The annual Rivanna Trail Friends' picnic at Greenbrier Elementary School. Food will be served. It will be followed by a meeting hosted by the City of Charlottesville to seek community input on ideas for trails/paths along the length of Meadow Creek.

Tuesday, October 6: 5:30.- 7:00 p.m. House of Delegates Happy Hour with John Grisham and Delegate Ward Armstrong, Virginia House Minority Leader, in honor of Delegate David Toscano at Siips on the Downtown Mall 212 E. Main Street. Tickets: $25 and more. RSVP to Sarah Buckley: 434-220-1671 or sarahabuckley@gmail.com or online at www.actblue.com/page/toscanohappyhour

Wednesday, October 7: 7:00 p.m. Jerusalem Women Speaking Tour at the University of Virginia, Gilmer Hall Room 130. Mc Cormick Road (Psychology building). The "Jerusalem Women Speak: Three Women, Three Faiths, One Shared Vision" tour will bring 3 extraordinary "ordinary" women, one from each of the Abrahamic faiths. We allow ample time for questions and answers. For more information contact Sasha at sja3a@virginia.edu or 434-242-4668.

Thursday, October 8: 6:30 p.m. Celebrate Black History at Monticello 2009 “Racial Change in America: Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Barack Obama” with Roger Wilkins. At the Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center Theater on Rte 20 just south of I-64.

Mr. Wilkins, a civil rights leader, emeritus history professor at George Mason University, attorney, and journalist, is also the author of Jefferson's Pillow: The Founding Fathers and the Dilemma of Black Patriotism. A book signing follows Mr. Wilkins' talk.

Thursday, October 8: 7:30 p.m. Monticello Bird Club October program “Wildlife vs. Urbanization” As human settlement spreads, the encroachment on habitats has the predictable negative effects on wildlife. But there’s hope, as there are positive steps that individuals and municipalities can take to benefit both people and wildlife. Urban wildlife biologist Lou Verner’s show will focus on the problems and how we can begin to solve them.

Always free. Beginners always welcome. Education Building, Ivy Creek Natural Area, Earlysville Road, Charlottesville. Contact: Ellen Dudley: 244-2688 / Patricia Wilczek: 985-4444 / Stauffer Miller: 296-5505 www.monticellobirdclub.org

Friday, October 9: 11:00 a.m. Israel in the World Martin S. Indyk served two terms as U.S. Ambassador to Israel and is currently acting Vice Presdine tand Director of Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution. Further info, schedule of other events, directions on the website http://www.millercenter.org

Monday, October 12: 11:00 a.m. The Globalization of Crime Patrick Radden Keefe writes for The New Yorker and Slate. His current book is The Snake Head: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream. A book signing will follow the presentation. Further info, schedule of other events, directions on the website http://www.millercenter.org

Tuesday, October 13: 8:00 p.m. Virginians Against the Death Penalty are sponsoring the Statewide Innocence Tour, The University of Virginia, Minor Hall Rm. 125. Speakers include Shabaka WaQlimi.

In October 1983, Shabaka WaQlimi (Joseph Green Brown) came within 13 hours of being killed in Florida’s electric chair. He had been convicted of rape and murder, but the case had hinged on the testimony of a man who later admitted he lied. Charges in his case were finally dropped after the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the prosecution had knowingly allowed false testimony to be introduced at trial. Brown was released in 1987, having spent 13 years on death row.

These events are free and open to the public. Information ~ please contact Beth Panilaitis at (434) 960-7779 or beth@vadp.org

Wednesday, October 14: 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Senior Statesmen of Virginia Forum "Candidates for Albemarle County Supervisor" featuring Samuel Miller District candidates Madison Cummings, John Lowry, and Duane Snow; Rio District candidates incumbent David Slutzky and Rodney Thomas; and Jack Jouett District unopposed incumbent Dennis Rooker. At the Senior Center, Inc., 1180 Pepsi Place. Free and the public is welcome.

Saturday, October 17: 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. Regular monthly Albemarle/Charlottesville Democratic Breakfast. Isaac Wood, Editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball from UVA's Center for Politics, will prognosticate this year's races, and give us a peek at 2010! At JABA, 674 Hillsdale Drive. The public is warmly invited, a light breakfast is offered and the event is free (modest donations to cover costs are invited).

Saturday, October 17: 9:30 a.m. - all day. A New Energy Future: Conservation, Efficiency and Renewables in the Physics Building, University of Virginia (McCormick Road, west of bridge, entrance faces Emmet Street). Registration contribution $10 (includes lunch). Pre-registration strongly encouraged. Send to PACE, c/o E. Day, 151 Buckingham Circle, Charlottesville, VA 22903. For more information contact John Cruickshank 434-973-0373 jcruickshank4@gmail.com Elena Day 434-296-2494 elena.day@gmail.com Stratton Salidis 434-882-1069 strattonis@yahoo.com

Sunday, October 18: 3:00 p.m. The Rev. Dr. James Forbes will be the speaker for the local United Nations Association Chapter Meeting in the sanctuary of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church - Unitarian Universalist, 717 Rugby Road, Charlottesville. The title of his presentation is "Healing the Nations." James Forbes is internationally renowned for his long ministry at Riverside Church in New York City. Following his recent retirement from Riverside, he founded the Healing of the Nations Foundation of New York.

Monday, October 19: 11:00 a.m. Miller Center Forum: The Hawk and the Dove: Paul Nitze, George Kennan, and the History of the Cold War. Nicholas Thompson, a senior editor at Wired magazine, will discuss his current book on American foreign policy. He is a fellow at the New America Foundation and a regular contributor to CNN and NBC. A book signing will follow his Forum. Further info, schedule of other events, directions on the website http://www.millercenter.org

Thursday, October 22: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. reception with Jody Wagner, candidate for Lt. Governor of Virginia, at the home of Joan Fenton and Dr. Albert Tabackman, 214 East Main Street Charlottesville, VA Contributions $50 and up. Please RSVP to Andrew Garrahan at Andrew@jodyforva.com or 757-512-6519

Thursday, October 22: 7:15 p.m. A Forum on Growth and Environmental Issues for 2009 Candidates for the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors in the library of Westminster Presbyterian Church, 190 Rugby Rd., Charlottesville. Bob Gibson, Executive Director of UVA's Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership, will serve as moderator. Free and open to the public. Contact 434-974-4582.

Friday, October 23: 11:00 a.m. Miller Center Forum: State of Freedom in the World: Challenges & Opportunities Jennifer L. Windsor, Executive Director of Freedom House, will discuss the state of freedom around the world. Prior to her current role, she served as the Deputy Assistant Administrator and Director of the Center for Democracy and Governance at USAID. She has written numerous articles on democracy and has regularly appears on NPR, BBC, Voice of America, and other news outlets. Further info, schedule of other events, directions on the website http://www.millercenter.org

Thursday, October 29 and Friday, October 30: The Carter G. Woodson Institute for African-American and African Studies at the University of Virginia invites you to attend: NAACP 100 A Symposium Celebrating the Advancement of Civil Rights and Social Justice for a Century. At the University of Virginia in the Auditorium of the Harrison Institute/Small Special Collections Library. Keynote address by Julian Bond and an interview with current NAACP President, Benjamin Todd Jealous.

The following scholars and NAACP officials are scheduled to participate: Syd Dorsey, Franklin Dukes, Emma Edmunds, Daylanne English, Robert Fatton Jr., Larissa Fergeson, Raymond Gavins, Risa Goluboff, Ian Grandison, Patrice Grimes, Claudrena Harold, Ervin Jordan, Herbert Lovelace, Deborah E. McDowell, Kenneth Mack, Dianne Pinderhughes, Robert Pratt, Mildred Robinson, Marlon Ross, Daryl Scott, Patricia Sullivan, M. Rick Turner, Ronald Walters, Lacy Ward Jr., and Francille Wilson.

This event is free and open to the public. For the complete symposium schedule, please visit: www.virginia.edu/woodson

Friday, October 30: 11:00 a.m. Miller Center Forum: NATO's Role in an Uncertain World Stephen Flanagan is Senior vice President and Henry A. Kissinger Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Flanagan will assess NATO's enduring purpose, the progress made over the past two decades to adapt it to post-Cold War realities, and the steps member governments must still take to ensure its vitality and effectiveness in its 7th decade and beyond. Further info, schedule of other events, directions on the website http://www.millercenter.org