Haydenville Congregational Church

Occupy Northampton Spring 2012 Action

PandJ — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 11:06:04 +0000

This spring, every corner of our movement is working together to pave the way for a huge wave of direct action—the 99% Spring.

That’s why right now we’re organizing a massive effort to train 100,000 people—in the course of just one week—on how to take nonviolent direct action in spirit of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. We’ll be preparing ourselves to join an unprecedented series of actions planned nationwide to confront corporate power holders, end tax giveaways to the 1%, fight the influence of money in politics, and more. If you’ve never taken action before, now’s the time—the stakes are so high.

It’s a bold vision, but it can work if huge numbers of us join in.

The first step is to go to a 99% Spring action training. There’s one in Northampton on Monday, Apr. 9, 2012, at 4:00 PM. Can you join in?

Yes, count me in!

Occupy Northampton

PandJ — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 15:58:01 +0000

A Community Conversation With City Councilors and Occupy Northampton Monday, March 19, 2012 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm JFK Community Room JFK Middle School 100 Bridge Road, Florence, MA 01062 Agenda: Workshop to Discuss Concerns of Citizens* *No votes will … Continue reading →

Occupy Movement

PandJ — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:35:41 +0000

We are the 99%! Banks got baled out and we got sold out! I wish I could afford to buy my own
politician! Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho corporate greed has got to go! Why are they wiggling their fingers like
that? Got a minute to talk about why this country is heading in the wrong direction? And how do
you feel about the inequality of income and wealth in this country? We have the best democracy
that money can buy! People in tents. Tear gas. Pepper spray. 700 arrested on Brooklyn Bridge. No
bankers or brokers arrested. What is going on?

Such a swirl of images, sounds and sound bites. The Peace and Justice Steering Committee hosted
a conversation about the occupy movement on December 1st at our beloved Bread Euphoria.
Seven of us shared our perceptions, our questions and our hopes for this movement. This
conversation was summarized well by the prayer written by Lisa Hall on behalf of the group and
included in the following Sunday’s Prayers of the People.

“Prayers for the Occupy movement across the country and the world -- for its inclusive, non-violent,
awakening spirit. For the way it is getting conversations going between people of all kinds, and
helping the 99% find their connection and their voice. Bless those who have committed their lives to it,
and those who are just curious. And bless the positive changes it could bring to our world.”

Those who met want to keep the conversation about the movement and the movement’s issues
(our issues) alive at Haydenville Congregational. Watch for coffee hour conversations and other
opportunities to talk about this. Also watch for opportunities to act—our own actions and actions
supporting Occupy Northampton when possible.

Here’s a report on a previous occupation that relates to our series on poverty: “With the Poor People’s
Campaign, Martin is talking about taking these poor people to Washington, build tents, and live on the
[Washington] mall until this country does something about poverty… Can you imagine what would
happen if all these black and white and brown people go to Washington and build tents and live in
tents in Washington?” - Reverend Samuel Kyles.

If you want more information here are some sources:
Google “Occupy Northampton” to connect with our local group and find
out when and where they are holding their general assemblies. Go to a general assembly to see who’s
involved and what local and national issues they are discussing. Stay tuned.

Submitted by Doug Renick for P&JSC

Climate Events – September 14-15, 24, 25

PandJ — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 22:57:53 +0000

Concerned about extreme weather?

Join others and get involved

The P&JSC invites you to participate in:

September 14, 2011

Online

What is 24 Hours of Reality?

24 Presenters. 24 Time Zones. 13 Languages. 1 Message. 24 Hours of Reality is a worldwide event to broadcast the reality of the climate crisis. It will consist of a new multimedia presentation created by Al Gore and delivered once per hour for 24 hours, representing every time zone around the globe. Each hour people living with the reality of climate change will connect the dots between recent extreme weather events — including floods, droughts and storms — and the manmade pollution that is changing our climate. We will offer a round-the-clock, round-the-globe snapshot of the climate crisis in real time. The deniers may have millions of dollars to spend, but we have a powerful advantage. We have reality.

Visit http://climaterealityproject.org/the-event/ for more information and the link to tune in.

Saturday, Sept. 24^th.

Pulaski Park, Northampton

11:30a.m.

“Northampton Moving Planet Big Freeze and Fossil Fuel Funeral.”

This is an event organized under the 350.org umbrella. Gather in Pulaski Part at 11:30 for instructions on how to “freeze” for 5 minutes in downtown Northampton. To see what freezing is about go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwMj3PJDxuo . This is a video about a freeze in Grand Central. Very exciting! After the freeze return to Pulaski Park for a short march to the plaza behind Thornes for a fossil fuel funeral.

Sunday, Sept. 25th.

Bridge Street School Park, Northampton

1:00p.m.

“Chill-out-the-Climate Rally!” Another 350.org event!

The committee is co-sponsoring this event. Gather at 1:00 p.m. at the Bridge Street School park for a parade and picture on Coolidge Bridge. Return to Bridge Street School for a rally from 3:30-5:00—poetry, songs, hip-hop rhymes, brief statements by young people about climate change.

Resources regarding Nuclear Power

PandJ — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 21:37:19 +0000

“And cancer is not the worst of it, Alice Stewart warns. Even more dangerous than cancer is the threat to future generations. That’s what you really need to be afraid of. It’s the genetic damage, …”
from Gayle Greene’s 1999 book,
The Woman Who Knew Too Much

Resources: (thanks to Hattie Nestel)

www.beyondnuclear.org

Nuclear Information Resource Service – www.nirs.org

Institute for Energy & Environmental Research – www.ieer.org

Citizens Awareness Network – www.nukebusters.org

Google Alerts for Vermont Yankee

www.fairewinds.com

The Green Zone

PandJ — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 18:58:12 +0000

The Green Zone:

The Environmental Costs of Militarism


	Globe and Soldiers

Lecture by Author

Barry Sanders

Thursday, April 21, 7:30 PM

Weinstein Auditorium, Wright Hall

Smith College Campus

An examination of the relationship between

U.S. militarism and ecological destruction

Sponsored by Smith Environmental Science & Policy Program; Smith Department of Anthropology;

Smith Spirituality in Action; Five College Peace & World Security Studies; Five College Sustainability Studies Program; Mt Holyoke Miller Worley Center for the Environment; Smith College Lecture Committee;

Alliance for Peace & Justice; Arise for Social Justice; Clean Water Action; Collective Copies; Flyby News; GREEN Northampton; International Socialist Organization; Karuna Center for Peace Building;

Leverett Peace Committee; Mass Bike/Pioneer Valley; Massachusetts Peace Action;

Northampton Committee to Stop the Wars in Iraq & Afghanistan; Northampton Democratic City Committee;

Peace & Social Concerns, Mt. Toby Friends; Physicians for Social Responsibility/Pioneer Valley;

Peace, Justice & Environmental Studies @ Greenfield Community College;

Progressive Democrats of America; Western Mass AFSC; & Western Mass Code Pink.

Voices in Chernobyl

PandJ — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:38:16 +0000

Valley clergy will be among readers in back-to-back staged presentations of Voices from Chernobyl, adapted for performance by Vermont’s Spencer Smith from the book of interviews compiled by Svetlana Alexievich. The play dramatizes the immediate aftermath of the Chernobyl, Ukraine, nuclear power plant disaster that occurred 25 years ago, beginning on April 26.
“Especially in light of the Fukushima meltdowns, identified by the Japanese government as disasters as serious as the Chernobyl accident, this performance is riveting and full of insight about the dangers of nuclear power,” said Hattie Nestel, organizer of the event.

Amherst: A reading of Voices from Chernobyl in Amherst will begin at 7 pm Monday, April 25 in the Grace Episcopal Church Parish Hall at the corner of Boltwood and Spring streets.
Northampton: The Northampton reading will begin at 7 pm Tuesday, April 26, in the Unitarian Society of Northampton / Florence at 220 Main Street.

Both readings are open to the public, and a donation jar will be provided.
Amherst performers include the Revs. Steven Wilco, Randy Wilburn, and Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, Rabbi Benjamin Weiner, and Alice Swift, Gerry Weiss, and Ruth Hooke. Court Dorsey will direct.

Northampton performers include the Revs. Cindy Stahler, Peter Kakos, Peter Ives, Janet Bush, and Andrea Ayvazian with Michael Ryan and Nancy First. Jeannine Haas will direct.

The Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear power plant disasters have been rated the worst in history. At Chernobyl, a 250-square-mile area around the power plant is officially uninhabitable, an exclusion zone still set aside by officials as off limits because of continually high levels of radiation. It is likely to be off limits for thousands of years.
Sponsors of the Amherst and Northampton readings are the Nuclear Free Future Committee of the American Friends’ Service Committee, Traprock Peace Center, Grace Episcopal Church, and the Citizens Awareness Network.

Reduced Cost CSA Shares

PandJ — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:48:33 +0000

GFN is pleased to be able to offer 18 affordable (reduced cost) CSA shares for low and moderate-income households this first season at Crimson & Clover Farm. We hope to have a big response to this offer so that we can demonstrate the need, which will help us raise sufficient additional funds to double the number we can offer next year.

(FYI GFN is also providing 9 smaller CSA shares for low-income senior citizens through a different program).

English and Spanish versions of the application form are available.

If you have any questions about this offer, please give me a call at 413-320-9418.

Thanks for your help in spreading the word!
Best-
Adele

P.S. Anyone interested in making a tax deductible donation to the Affordable CSA Share Fund may do so online or by mailing a check to:
Grow Food Northampton, P.O. Box 849, Northampton MA 01060. Please note Affordable CSA Share Fund in the memo line.

Grow Food Northampton
Dedicated to promoting food security by advancing local sustainable agriculture
http://growfoodnorthampton.com

Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast 2011 Day 1

PandJ — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 15:27:50 +0000

What you can do today
Day 1 – Ash Wednesday

Commit to this carbon fast. Prayerfully consider what other actions you might undertake to lessen the impact of Global Warming. Make this pledge or another that you write:

For the sake of myself, others alive today and yet to be born, and God’s creation, I pledge to learn about the impact my life choices have on the lives of future generations, and what I can do to ensure a sustainable and healthy future for generations to come.

This week’s theme for your church: Energy Use

“From dust you have come and to dust you shall return.” Ash Wednesday reminds us of our mortality. Lent allows us to enter into a prayerful discipline in the hope of turning our lives toward God. Discuss ways we can be more mindful that all our energy comes from God. Our bodily energy, the light and heat we depend on, whether from fossil fuel or solar or tides or flowing water or wind — it’s all a gift.

Terracycle

PandJ — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 21:26:32 +0000

updated on 8/9/11

We’ve been introduced to it. Now we need to discuss what we want to do with it.

Missed the event – to learn more about Teracycling visit:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?play=1&video=1612831657

To check out the list of items that can be terracycled visit:

http://www.terracycle.net/brigades

If you are interested, let us know what you could terracycle and consider volunteering to take charge of collecting and shipping one item.