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Editor's note: The following events around Austin were sent out by the NOWAR Collective. Apologies for not posting them sooner.
Saturday, February 9, 3 p.m.
Coalition of Immokalee Workers Burger King Protest: Serf's Up, Kings Down!The CIW - http://ciw-online.org - is a community-based worker organization in Immokalee, Florida whose members are largely Latino, Haitian, and Mayan Indian immigrants working in low-wage jobs throughout the state. Through its Campaign for Fair Food, the CIW is leading a broad and diverse movement to hold the retail food industry responsible for human rights violations in its tomato supply chain. With support from across the country, this effort has resulted in precedent-setting agreements with Yum Brands (Taco Bell's parent company) and McDonald's to improve wages and working conditions for Florida tomato pickers. The CIW is currently seeking similar accords with Miami-based Burger King, Austin-based Whole Foods, and Denver-based Chipotle. CIW efforts for farm workers recently received a strong editorial endorsement from the Austin American-Statesman. Location: March begins at MLK statue on UT campus (East Mall) and ends at Burger King (2700 Guadalupe St.). Sunday, February 10, 5 - 8 p.m.
Fair Food Dinner with the Coalition of Immokalee WorkersStudent/Farmworker Alliance cordially invites you to join us for dinner, music, and a very special presentation from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. The CIW - http://ciw-online.org/ - is a community-based worker organization whose members are largely Latino, Haitian, and Mayan Indian immigrants working in low-wage jobs throughout the state of Florida. Through its Campaign for Fair Food, the CIW is leading a broad movement to hold the fast-food industry responsible for human rights violations in its tomato supply chain. With support from across the country, this effort has resulted in precedent-setting agreements with Yum Brands (Taco Bell's parent company) and McDonald's to improve wages and working conditions for Florida tomato pickers. The CIW is currently pressing Miami-based Burger King for a similar accord. This event is free and open to the public, however organizers ask that you RSVP by Friday, January 25 so they can ensure adequate dinner options. Location: St. James Episcopal Church, 3707 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Friday, February 15, 12 p.m.
"Immigration and the Foreseeable Future," a talk by Richard Martinez, Professor of Chicano Studies and Urban PlanningWith immigration at the center of contemporary political debates, Professor Richard Martinez will explore the popular reaction to immigration and the economic implications for the coming decades. Martinez, who was born and raised in San Antonio, joined the University of Minnesota faculty after earning a Ph.D. in urban planning (with an emphasis in sociology and Chicana/o & Latina/o studies) from UCLA. He also holds a master's degree in urban planning from the University of Iowa and a B.S. in chemical engineering from Texas A&M University. He spent two years as an engineer with Chevron Chemical at a refinery in Texas before pursuing his interest in urban social problems. Martinez's research has focused on social power, particularly the manufacture of perception, and social movements, in particular the social psychological conditions that influence their emergence. His book, PADRES: The National Chicano Priest Movement, was published in 2005 by the University of Texas Press. Location: UT Campus, Chicano Culture Room, Texas Union (UNB 4.206). Map available online. This event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Center for Mexican American Studies and the Senior Fellows honors program of the College of Communication at the University of Texas. Friday, February 15, 5-6:30 p.m.
Protest of Senator John Cornyn: "Curb Corn Dog Cornyn"Movement for a Democratic Society / Austin (MDS-Austin) is hosting a protest of U.S. Senator John Cornyn's support of Bush administration policy on war, torture, civil liberties, and the veto of affordable health care for children. The protest has a Corn Dog theme (Corn Dog is Bush's nickname for Cornyn) to draw attention to Cornyn's consistent service as a lap dog to this administration. For more information, visit: http://mds-austin.pbwiki.com Location: 221 W. Sixth Street (between Colorado and Lavaca, outside Cornyn's Chase Tower office). Wednesday, February 20, 3 p.m.
"Insurgent Journalism: The Making of Meeting Resistance," a talk by Steve Connors and Molly BinghamSteve Connors and Molly Bingham, two photojournalists turned filmmakers, have explored the motivations and methods of the Iraqi insurgency in their 2007 documentary Meeting Resistance. Called "a remarkable piece of war reporting" by the Washington Post, the film presents the men and women in the insurgency, speaking candidly about their motivations, hopes and goals. (Meeting Resistance will play this same evening at the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz. See below.) Steve Connors has worked for a wide variety of newspapers and magazines -- Time and Newsweek, Der Spiegel and Paris Match, the New York Times and The Guardian. After working for more than a year in Afghanistan starting in November 2001, he went to Iraq during the invasion and spent 14 months there working on the film. Molly Bingham's work as a photojournalist took her to Rwanda in the wake of the genocide, where she covered the regional fallout of that event. After getting some of the only close-up pictures of the Pentagon on 9/11, Bingham followed the story of America's response to the 9/11 attacks to Afghanistan and the Middle East, landing in Iraq shortly before the U.S. invasion in March 2003. Bingham was detained and held in Abu Ghraib prison for eight days by Iraqi security services during the war. Location: UT Campus, CMA 5.136 (LBJ Room), at the corner of Guadalupe and Dean Keeton. Click here for a map. Wednesday, February 20, 7 p.m.
Third Coast Film Night at Alamo Drafthouse - Ritz, Meeting Resistance (Intro and Q&A with the filmmakers)This daring, eye-opening film provides unique insight into the personal narratives of people involved in the Iraqi resistance, exploding myth after myth about the war in Iraq and the Iraqis who participate. Through unprecedented access to these clandestine groups, Meeting Resistance focuses the spotlight on the "other side," leaving the viewer with clarity as to why the violence in Iraq continues to this day. Meeting Resistance raises the veil of anonymity surrounding the Iraqi insurgency by meeting face to face with individuals who are passionately engaged in the struggle, and documenting the sentiments experienced and actions taken by a nation's citizens when their homeland is occupied. Voices that have previously not been heard, male and female, speak candidly about their motivations, hopes and goals, revealing a kaleidoscope of human perspectives. Featuring reflective, yet fervent conversations with active insurgents, Meeting Resistance is the missing puzzle piece in understanding the Iraq war. "A powerful, fascinating documentary!" -- The New Yorker "A remarkable piece of war reporting." -- Washington Post
Filmmakers Steve Connors and Molly Bingham will introduce the film and take questions afterward. Location: Alamo Drafthouse Downtown, at the newly renovated Ritz Theater location, 320 E. 6th Street
Tickets - $8.25 general / $6 student, senior - are available at the door or online. Given the high level of interest in this film and the filmmakers, we're encouraging people to buy tickets in advance online. Parking information available here. Thursday, February 21, 7 p.m.
Dave Zirin on Sports and PoliticsDave Zirin, Press Action's 2005 and 2006 Sportswriter of the Year, has been called "an icon in the world of progressive sports." He is both a columnist for SLAM Magazine, a regular contributor to The Nation magazine, and a regular op-ed writer for the Los Angeles Times. He also has an online column on Sports Illustrated's website, si.com. Zirin's new book, Welcome to the Terrordome: The Pain, Politics, and Promise of Sports (with a foreword by Chuck D), has already been called "the sports primer for our time." Sports Illustrated wrote that Terrordome is "a provocative, sometimes chilling, look at sports and society right now." Zirin is also the author of the wonderfully designed volume The Muhammad Ali Handbook, and What's My Name, Fool? Sports and Resistance in the United States. His informed and engaging blend of sports and radical politics has earned him numerous invitations to television programs including ESPN's Outside the Lines, ESPN Classic, and Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman. Location: Book People, 603 N. Lamar Blvd. Thursday, February 28, 8 p.m.
Austin Project for a Participatory Society, "Beyond Capitalism: Participatory Economics and the Economic Justice Movement"In this talk, members of the Austin Project for a Participatory Society will describe Participatory Economics, an alternative to capitalism, and will look at how this vision for a new economy can help orient and connect existing economic reform campaigns in a process leading to a new society. Location: Monkeywrench Books, 110 E. North Loop. Saturday, March 1
Texas Community Media SummitTexas media makers, advocates, and activists will meet at the Texas Community Media Summit at the University of Texas at Austin on Saturday, March 1. The one day summit bringing together all kinds of community media - art, theater, print, radio, film, TV and Internet - is organized by channelaustin, Dallas iMedia Network, Houston Media Source, and the Texas Media Empowerment Project. More information at: http://www.texascommunitymedia.org Sunday, March 2 and Monday, March 3
"The God Strategy: Faith as a Political Weapon," two talks by David Domke, Professor of Communication, U. of WashingtonReligion has long been a significant part of American politics. For much of this history, the confluence of faith and politics has been a largely symbolic practice, without distinctly partisan motivations. But something has changed in recent decades. On issue after issue, U.S. public debate today includes -- and often is dominated by -- faith-based perspectives espoused by politically adept individuals and organizations. This lecture will examine how and why this occurred and what it means for democracy. David Domke is a professor in the Department of Communication and head of journalism at the University of Washington. His research and teaching focus on how political leaders strategically craft their public communications and also how news media cover these messages. Domke, a former journalist, is the author of God Willing? Political Fundamentalism in the White House, the "War on Terror," and the Echoing Press (London: Pluto Press, 2004). His new book, The God Strategy: How Religion Became a Political Weapon in America, was coauthored with Kevin Coe of the University of Illinois and was published in January 2008 by Oxford University Press. Sunday, March 2, 12:30 p.m.: St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, 14311 Wells Port Drive, west of I-35 off Wells Branch Parkway. Monday, March 3, 7 p.m.: UT campus, Thompson Conference Center auditorium (TCC 1.100). Map available here. TCC is next to the LBJ School at Red River and Dean Keeton. Plenty of free convenient parking in the large lots along Red River. Sunday, March 16, 2 p.m.
Austin Project for a Participatory Society Book Group, "Economic Justice and Democracy"In Economic Justice and Democracy: From Competition to Cooperation, Robin Hahnel argues that progressives need to rethink how they conceive of economic justice and economic democracy. He presents a coherent set of economic institutions and procedures that can deliver economic justice and democracy through a "participatory economy." But this is a long-run goal; he also explores how to promote the economics of equitable cooperation today by emphasizing ways to broaden the base of existing economic reform movements while deepening their commitment to more far reaching change. Location: Monkeywrench Books, 110 E. North Loop. Thursday, March 27, 7 p.m.
"The Politics of Climate Change: A Citizen's Guide" a talk by Justin Podur, York University professor and ZNet editor/contributorNever has it been more urgent for citizens to understand both the science of climate change and the political implications of the ecological crisis. In this talk, Justin Podur will bring together his wide knowledge and experience from science, ecology, and politics to help us make sense of the politics of climate change. Podur began his academic career in physics before completing a Ph.D. in forestry, leading to his current faculty position in environmental studies at York University in Toronto. He teaches landscape ecology and geographic information systems, focusing on managing resources in light of climate change, urban forestry, and ecological restoration.
Podur also is a writer and editor for ZNet, part of Z Communications, an alternative-media organization dedicated to political analysis and support for movements for social change. He has reported from Haiti, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Israel/Palestine, and Mexico, writing for publications around the world. He also maintains a blog, KillingTrain.com. Location: UT campus, Thompson Conference Center auditorium (TCC 1.100), map available online. TCC is next to the LBJ School at Red River and Dean Keeton. Plenty of free convenient parking in the large lots along Red River. The program, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Senior Fellows Honors Program of the College of Communication.
Unless otherwise noted, events are free and open to the public. Please forward where appropriate.
In Solidarity,
the Nowar Collective
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February 2008 
