Community Resource Directory
Attention Readers: AGENDA created this COMMUNITY RESOURCE DIRECTORY (CRD) in order to give local community organizations a format in which to publicize their activities and resources. The information contained herein is written by the organizations (with minor editing). The views expressed are not necessarily those of the editors or publishers.
Agenda Publications P. O. Box 3624 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 (313)996-8018. Purpose: AGENDA s a monthly newspaper that focuses on the concerns and activities of grassroots organizations in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area. The largest section of the paper, the "Community Resource Directory" (CRD), provides local community action organizations the opportunity to give basic information on their background and current work. The "Calendar" emphasizes meetings and community events and "Readers Write" is a forum in which individuals or groups can write in depth about a concern issue or topic. AGENDA'S news and feature articles provide coverage of events that do not find their way into the local media on a regular basis.
We welcome students, activists, and community residents to help us with this enormous effort and are especially in need of: advertising representatives (commission paid), typists, distributors to take half-hour to one-hour routes every month, writers, proofreaders, photographers, business experts, and fundraisers. If you are a student, you can receive credit through an independent study or a field work assignment. Current News: We want to thank all of the people who have supported AGENDA throughout the year by volunteering time, buying subscriptions, and making donations. When we started the paper last March, we had no idea what a challenge was ahead of us. Without volunteer help and community support we would have been out of commission before we had a chance to establish ourselves.
This past month Jim Burchell and Jim Kirk took on the enormous effort of running a subscription drive. We appreciate the work they did and want to thank those people who took the time to make phone calls and get out the mailings with them. We are also grateful to Dave DeVarti for giving us free use of his phones.
We are still in dire need of help. Every month we need typing, artwork, editing, writing, ad sales, distribution and more. Groups can help us by handing their listings in on diskette if they have access to Macintosh computers and by helping us defray costs with donations determined by the character count which can be found in parentheses at the end of their listing (12 cent per character).
Furthermore, we need improved Communications with our organization contacts. If AGENDA is to continue to exist as a grassroots community voice, we must have two-way communication. AGENDA mailings to contacts MUST be shared with the organizations. Ideally, a group contact would have a responsibility to make a report to their group each month on their listing, and on any Communications they've had with our staff. In turn the contact would make sure that our staff is informed of events the group wants covered and to keep us up to date on decisions the group makes in regard to our Communications. We sent a very detailed copy of our guidelines and standardizations to all contacts in late September and hope you continue to keep them on hand and utilize them. Computer formatting: We encourage the use of diskettes and will take them any day over hard copy. We like Microsoft Word and highly recommend its use as a word processing program. We convert MacWrite documents into MS Word before feeding them into our layout program, so you could save us a step by using it. If you only feel comfortable with MacWrite and will use that program or nothing at all, by all means use MacWrite! Formatting: Under Paragraph, select Justified, Single Space, and set a 14 inch tab. Please do not select anything in Formats. We like to have flexibility in our line spacing. Please set tabs and use the tab key when indenting as opposed to using the spacebar. Also remember that the type wraps around, so you need not use the return key unless you are starting a new paragraph. Under Character, select Formats and select the Helvetica font if your program has it (any other if not) and a 12 point type size. To center a title, select that title and under Paragraph select Centered as opposed to using the space bar.
If you really want to get fancy, study your previous month's listing and try to copy the style you see in the paper. For instance, you may notice that headings are 10 point bold and text is 9 point plain, that there is 4 point leading between paragraphs and that dates are bold with a colon and events are plain. Deadlines for February Issue Jan. 13: Deadline for Feature News drafts. Jan. 15: Deadline for ad space reservations. Jan. 19: Deadline for CRD for February issue. Deadline for photos and graphics. Deadline for Calendar listings. If hand delivered, bring to 1 Jefferson Court. Jan. 21: Camera-ready ads due.
ARTS & CULTURE
Performance Network 408 W. Washington Ann Arbor, MI 48103 (313)663-0681. Purpose: The Performance Network of Ann Arbor is a collectively-run intimate theatre including additional shop, storage, and workshop space. It is designed to promote the development, production, and presentation of politically-committed, experimental, and original work in all the performance arts. The Performance Network is available to other organizations or individuals for rent at a nominal fee as a performance, workshop, or shop space.
We provide resources to the community in the form of space and equipment, outreach, and educational programs and promote creative work in various media. We exist to provide an arena for artists to do work they love and to present the arts as a means of developing progressive and humanistic values and promoting social change. Ultimately, we hope - as our name implies - to function as a liaison for artists, political organizations, and the community. Recent News: In early Nov., The Performance Network received an Annie Merit Award in recognition for its development as an outstanding emerging arts institution and its meaningful contribution to the local arts community. Additionally, David Hunsburger, one of The Performance Network's resident directors, received a merit award for excellence in an artistic discipline for his body of work as a director including annual productions of Samuel Beckett's plays as well as American Buffalo and True West.
January is a busy month at The Network with a number of theater performances scheduled and a special weekend of films by award-winning experimental filmmaker Richard Myers (Jan. 23-24). See the CALENDAR for details... (1698)
ENVIRONMENT
Ecology Center of Ann Arbor 417 Detroit Street Ann Arbor, MI 48I04 (313)761-3186. Purpose: The mission of the Ecology Center is to channel community resources Into meaningful action on environmental issues. The Center does this through advocacy, education, and service on both local and statewide levels. Toxics Curriculum Now Available: The Ecology Center is working to get activities about the safe use and disposal of household toxics and alternatives included in K-12 school education. Thanks to a grant from the C.F. Mott Foundation, we have been able to adapt a 7th-8th grade curriculum, "Toxics In My Home? You Bet!" for use in Michigan.
The curriculum comes in a binder and includes background information, a directory of Michigan resources and a bibliography. It is available FREE if it's picked up at the Center or received at a workshop, and can be ordered from the Center for $1.50 in postage. Current Activities: The Ecology Center provides Ann Arbor with the opportunity to recycle. All houses in Ann Arbor receive curbside pickup of recyclable newspapers, glass, and cans. Call 665-6398 to find out your recycling day. You can also brings materials by our drop-off station at 2050 S. Industrial. The drop-off station is open 9:30-4:30 every Friday and Saturday.
The Ecology Center also has a Home Energy Visit program. If your income is low enough, these visits, which provide education about weatherization and free weatherization materials, are free. If you do not qualify under the income guidelines, you can get a Home Energy Visit on a fee basis. Call 761-3186 for more information about them. (1630)
Meeman Archive 1535 Dana Building Ann Arbor, Ml 48109 763-5327. Purpose: Established by U-M's School of Natural Resources and the Scripps-Howard Foundation in 1982, the Meeman Archive preserves and makes available to the public outstanding newspaper journalism concerning the environment, conservation, and natural resources.
lts computerized database, using over a hundred subject and geographical keywords covering a wide variety of topics and articles from many different newspapers, is available to anyone. It is of particular value to natural resource professionals, environmental groups, teachers, students, journalists, and the public at large.
The Archive receives articles from a variety of sources. The principal source is the national Meeman Awards sponsored by the Scripps-Howard Foundation, which honors outstanding coverage of environmental topics. Articles are selected from other sources as well.
New articles on subjects such as hazardous waste, endangered species, energy conservation, water policy, soil erosion, Native Americans, occupational health, transportation, among others, are constantly being added to the Archive, thus expanding the available collection of environmental information. Community Services: As a nonprofit information service, the Archive responds to information inquiries from all across the country. To find out if the information you need may be found within the Archive, phone, write, or visit. The database allows us to search for articles, abstracts, or copies of the articles in our files. The only charge for the service is for postage and reproduction costs. Current News: The Meeman Archive has been selected as one of the sources for information for the Governor's Environmental Youth Awards. This year's topic s Solid Waste Management; students from grade to high school will be developing projects that will address possible solutions and alternatives to problems that continue to grow in magnitude. The Archive has developed a package that students may obtain by contacting us. New series added this month include: 1 ) A detailed account of "natural" disasters that actually are significantly influenced by acts of Man. 2) How clean up of toxic waste dumps could be funded. 3) The effects of industrial agriculture on National Wildlife Refuges in California. 4) The development of housing codes in Florida. 5) Groundwater pollution on Long Island. 6) Incineration of municipal solid waste. 7) Pollution in the St. Clair River. (2544)
GAY RIGHTS
Gay Liberation 4117 Michigan Union Ann Arbor, Ml 48109 INFO: 763-4816 HOTLINE: 662-1977. Purpose: To provide Information, counseling, and related social services for people concerned about sexual orientation : (1) maintain Hotline for crisis intervention, peer counseling, referral; (2) help provide tactual information to offset prejudice and misinformation about lesbians and gay men; (3) work to obtain human and civil rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation; (4) help lesbian and gay men's groups organize; (5) link to other community groups. Meetings & Membership: Our meetings vary according to purpose; we do most of our work in subcommittees (counseling, group work, education, civil rights). Call for time and place.
Our group includes U-M students, staff, and faculty, and people from the larger community. We have a President, Vice-president, Secretary and Treasurer. At present we have approximately 50 members. We're a registered nonprofit organization. Community Services Hotline: Crisis intervention, peer counseling, referral. Education: Workshops and conferences on lesbian and gay male concerns, with an emphasis on how people in the helping professors and teaching professions can work positively with lesbian and gay male clients, patients, students. Speakers Bureau: Call for information. Human and Civil Rights: Information and referral to help people who are being discriminated against because of their actual or presumed sexual orientation or their presumed "cross-gender" characteristics; lobbying for human and civil rights. Community Organization: Information and help on organizing groups, setting goals and objectives, addressing conflict, linking to other groups and resources.
Current News: "Coming Out" groups for lesbians and for gay men will be organizing early in 1987, as will general support groups for gay men.
"Coming Out" groups are facilitated by trained gay male and lesbian group workers. The groups help their members address concerns about identity and self-esteem; how to link up with other members of the lesbian-gay male community; and how to address concerns about sharing one's sexual orientation with non-gay persons such as family members, roommates, or peers at work.
The general support groups for gay men are organized to provide a place where gay men may share their concerns and receive support from other group members. These groups are not formally facilitated by trained workers, but operate on a "self-help" model. "Coming Out" groups are time-limited; most meet for ten to twelve weeks. Men's support groups are open-ended, with no fixed time frame. A gay men's support group will have an organizational meeting on the evening on Wednesday, January 14. Call 763-4186 for time and place.
"Coming Out" groups will be organized as soon as enough applicants for them have informed the Lesbian-Gay Male Programs Office of their interest. Please cali 763-41 86 or 662-1977.
Membership in these groups is entirely confidential. The groups provide a safe place for self-exploration and sharing. The future of all lesbians and gay men in this country depends, in large part, on the efforts of those who are willing to affirm their identity.
We would welcome hearing from all those interested in joining these groups. Please call the numbers above or write to Lesbian-Gay Male Programs Office, 3116-3118 Michigan Union, Ann Arbor Ml 481091349.
To all, we wish a year of happiness and liberation. (3480)
HEALTH ISSUES
Wellness Networks, Inc.-Huron Valley P. 0. Box 3242 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 662-6134. Purpose: WNI-HV aims to educate the general public about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) as well as to provide support and direct care to people with AIDS (PWA's), people with AIDS-Related Complex (ARC), and individuals concerned about AIDS. Our service area encompasses the greater Huron Valley area. Membership and Meetings: Any individual is welcome to work with the organization as a volunteer and/or board member. Current membership includes men and women from all walks of life: health care professionals, educators, therapists, members/representatives of high risk groups, and individuals from the general public. General meetings are held the second Sunday of every month and are open to all. The next meeting is January 11, 3:30 to 5:30 pm at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Education Center, Ann Arbor (enter through outpatient entrance). Current News: Ad writers are often quicker to assimilate the news than the journalists who produce it. Thus it's no surprise that the ad agency hired by Carter-Wallace, Inc., the makers of Trojans, have gotten the message: AIDS is a matter of risk behaviors, not risk groups.
The way the message is being put across is, unfortunately, repulsive. The current Trojans as proclaims in 60-point type, "Men could use some protection from women," adding in smaller type: "(And vice versa)." The need for regulating mutual activities is distorted by the language of war. AIDS is no more another chapter in the Battle of the Sexes than it is a Gay Plague. The ad is targeted at men, though nearly as many women as men buy rubbers in this country.
Replete with sexism, the ad is at least free of anti-gay bias, which in connection with AIDS is more objectionable because it is so dangerously misleading. U.S. News and World Report, commenting on "heterosexual conduct" in the age of AIDS, claims that "most Americans . . . don't need to change. All along, a majority of adults have endorsed monogamy and the idea that sex should be accompanied by commitment" (2 June 1986).
This kind of false hetero-homo split is groundless. Teenagers can't be written off, as they are here, nor has prostitution disappeared. In the same article, U.S. News refers to twenty million cases of genital herpes and three million new cases every year of chlamydia and trichomoniases. None of these diseases is casually associated with monogamy or commitment.
On a higher journalistic level, it is disappointing to find The Atlantic Monthly still bemused by AIDS statistics. Under the heading "Health and Strategy" in the "December Almanac" for 1986, that Journal observes: "The end of the year is when most new cases of AIDS, and the most deaths from AIDS, tends to occur. This is because the number of new AIDS cases and the number of deaths from AIDS are rising steadily, and therefore are always higher at the end of any year than at the beginning.
From 1981, when the syndrome was discovered, through 1985, AIDS killed some 9,000 people. According to [U.S.] government projections another 9,000 will have died by the end of 1986. Well, yes, but aren't these rather flat observations? Is AIDS no more immediately relevant to Atlantic readers than that?
Some recent changes in terminology are showing up in the press. The causative agent associated with AIDS is now called HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus); this term replaces the names given it by the three laboratories which first isolated the virus (HTLV-III, LAV, ARV). The group of diseases associated with this virus will eventually be called HID (Human Immunodeficiency Diseases). The most serious is called AIDS. Other, less severe forms are called ARC (AIDS-Related Complex), a category which is very large. It is also possible for a person to be asymptomatically infected with the virus; such a person is called a "positive tester." Seropositivity, ARC, and AIDS are not stages of a single disease: many people who are seropositive will not "go on to develop" ARC or AIDS. Though they be able to pass the virus on, their health will remain more or less intact. (4160)
HUMAN RIGHTS
Amnesty International (Al) US Group 61 Ann Arbor, Ml 761-1628 or 761-3639. Current News: In recent months and years, Amnesty International (Al) and other groups have expressed deep concern over documented human rights abuses in Sri Lanka. The focus of the attention has been on the "disappearances" of more than 300 citizens.
It is believed that government forces are involved in many of these disappearances, and there is evidence that many of those who have disappeared have been shot or have died after torture and been buried in secret graves or burned. The group that has been the target of these abuses is the Tamil minority which is mainly Hindu. (The large majority in Sri Lanka is Sinhalese Buddhist.)
The tense situation between the Tamil population and the government is aggravated by the small fraction of Tamils who engage in terrorist activity. Al condemns all violence and neither denies nor condones violence by Tamil terrorist groups.
AI's Ann Arbor adoption group, AIUSA Group 61, is presently conducting a Sri Lankan campaign, which is intended to help prevent further human rights abuses while both sides work toward a negotiated settlement to this serious conflict. At Group 61's January meeting, for example, an Al film on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka will be shown (15-20 minutes; this film and its accompanying literature may be borrowed by interested individuals and groups).
In addition, Group 61 is working on the case of a Sri Lankan man who the Al International Secretariat believes may be a prisoner of conscience and whose case is still under investigation. Purpose: Al is a strictly nonpartisan worldwide movement of people working for the release of prisoners of conscience, for fair and prompt trials for all political prisoners, and for an end to torture and the death penalty in all cases. Al defines prisoners of conscience as men, women, and children who are detained anywhere because of their beliefs, color, sex, ethnic origin, language or religion provided they have neither used nor advocated violence. Al is independent of all governments, political factions, ideologies, economic interests, and religious creeds. For its work, Al was awarded the 1977 Nobel Peace Prize.
One of several ways in which individuals become involved in AI's activities is to join an adoption group. Among its other activities, an adoption group writes letters and does other work on behalf of individual prisoners whose cases have been researched by AI's International Secretariat. Group 61 is currently working on the cases of a Soviet woman, Tatyana Velikanova, and a Turkish man, Ahmet Isvan, as well as the provisional Sri Lankan case mentioned above. Meetings and Membership: Group 61 holds its meetings at the U-M's Student Union on the second Tuesday of every month at 7:30 pm. For further information on Ann Arbor's Group 61 cali 761-1628 or 761-3639. To learn more about AIUSA programs, contact the national headquarters at AIUSA, 322 8th Ave., New York, NY 10001, (212) 807-8400. To join the US Urgent Action Network, contact AIUSA, Urgent Action Office, P.O. Box 1270, Nederland, CO 80466,(303)440-0913. There is an urgent action group in Ann Arbor which works on Latin American cases; call 668-0249 for more information. (3274)
November 29th Committee for Palestine (N29) 4203 Michigan Union Ann Arbor, Ml 48109 764-6958,764-5011. Purpose: N29 s a national activist organization which works for the human and political rights of the Palestinian people. Following the outrage generated by the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon and the attempted Israeli destruction of the Palestinian people and their social, political and economic institutions, many Americans are ready to question the role of the United States in the Middle East, including its interventionist links with the Israeli government.
The November 29th Committee originally formed as a coalition of more than 100 organizations in 1981 to celebrate Nov. 29th, the United Nations International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. We now have about 30 local chapters spread throughout the US. We have a national newspaper, Palestine Focus (available from us or at local bookstores), reaching more than 30,000 readers per issue; a national structure; and well-developed links with other organizations in North America and with solidarity groups around the world which work for Palestinian human rights. Meetings and Memberships: N29 meets every Friday at 5 pm in the Michigan Union. Specific locations for the meetings are available at the information desk. Members must agree with N29's bylaws and principles of unity. We do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, or religion. We now have an office at 4203 Michigan Union and we will be starting an archive of books and articles concerning the Middle East and the Palestinian people. Come and visit us during our soon-to-be-posted office hours. News from Palestine: In what was described as "the worst incident of army brutality in university history," two Bir Zeit students were shot and killed on December 4th, when hundreds of Israeli soldiers raided the famous West Bank campus. At least 11 others were wounded, two of them critically. The raid followed a week of military harassment of Palestinian universities in the West Bank, in response to anticipated demonstrations marking the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people, Nov. 29th. When news of the killings spread throughout the occupied territories and inside the "green line," more demonstrations and strikes erupted. Two more Palestinians were killed by Israelis and hundreds were wounded and arrested. In addition, several universities were closed curfews were enforced in towns and villages for extended periods of time. From our sources inside the occupied territories, we learned that large numbers of Israeli soldiers were on patrol and arresting anyone who they deemed suspicious. As a result, tensions were on the rise prompting more demonstrations, which finally reached the Gaza Strip, the most densely populated area in the world, where hundreds of high school students defied Israeli bullets and tear gas. The general mood among Palestinians there was that the demonstrations would go on as long as the Israeli occupation forces continued with their indiscriminate brutality and harassment.
N29 urges people of conscience to express their outrage and continuing solidarity for Palestinian human rights, by writing to Bir Zeit University, P.O. Box 14, Bir Zeit, West Bank, (via Israel), or send them to our office address above and we will send them together. (3398)
INTERGENERATIONAL ISSUES
Ozone House 608 N. Main Ann Arbor, Ml 48104 662-2222. Ozone House is a volunteer-staffed collective which provides crisis intervention services to youths and families free of charge. We advocate for youth and recognize the need to support parents, families and larger systems, all of which influence the lives of young people. Our confidentiality policy creates an environment in which clients can be comfortable seeking the help and support they need to help themselves. Announcements: New worker training: Interviewing begins in January for prospective volunteers willing to make a 6 month commitment to a 4 hour shift per week and attendance at 2 meetings per month. Training spans three full weekends and covers empathy, suicide prevention, family and individual counseling and much more. Help teens and families, improve your skills, and meet lots of friendly people! Call 662-2265 for details.
Board openings exist on Ozone's advisory Board of Directors. We seek people interested in serving the community who come from diverse backgrounds and occupations. Interested people should call 662-2265. Ask for Jeff or Terry. Emergency housing is available. The weather is cold and many runaway and homeless young people need a safe place to spend a night or few as they work toward resolving their situations. If you have a couch or bed to spare for 1 or 3 nights per month give Karen a call at 662-2265. Community Services: Ozone House offers the following services free of charge: Crisis counseling: 24-hour counseling by phone and walk-in 11 am to 11 pm. Short-term ongoing counseling available for young people, families, adults concerned about adolescent(s), runaway and homeless youth. Foster care: Short-term emergency placements. Independent Living Program: Helps homeless youth find jobs, housing, and acquire skills for independent living. Community Education: Presentations to schools and community-at-large about issues related to adolescence and families. Lesbian and Gay Youth Support Group: Only group devoted to teenage gays in southeast Michigan. Emergency food and clothing for youth. Call for information. Volunteer training: Offers 60 hours of training for new volunteers three times a year. (2242)
LABOR
Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) 802 Monroe #3 Ann Arbor, MI 48104 (313)995-0221. Purpose: To represent all Graduate Student Assistants in collective bargaining with the University of Michigan, thus protecting staff and Teaching Assistants (TAs) against deterioration in economic compensation, real wages, working conditions; and to address graduate employees' common concerns, such as: excessive class size, teacher training, reallocation of University funds from administration overhead lo actual teaching, and the deals of non-discrimination and affirmative action. Meetings: Regular membership meetings are held monthly. Times and places will be announced ten days in advance and posted on GEO bulletin boards and published in the University Record. The next membership meeting will be Jan. 1 4, 7:30 pm in the Kuenzel Room of the Michigan Union. Current News: The Bargaining Team has been formed, but they need your input. A questionnaire will be sent in early January asking the membership to make their concerns known. Please fill it out and return it to GEO.
Five positions on the Steering Committee will be open Winter Term. The important decisions which guide the GEO are often made by this body. People interested must be nominated, make a brief statement of purpose, and be elected at a membership meeting.
A Steward's workshop is being scheduled for February. Stewards are a vital communication link between the leadership and the membership. Each department is entitled to one Steward for every 25 members. Constitutionally, they must be elected. For details on the process contact the GEO office. For Your Info: Rutgers University TAs, who are unionized, just received a 6.6% pay increase. A full-time TA (15 hours per week) earns approximately $3924 per term (UM equivalent pay to a .50 to .55 FTE) and pays no tuition. American Federation of Teachers Michigan Federation of Teachers Local #3550 Office Hours: MF:12:30 pm-4:30 pm, TW: 9:30 am-1:30 pm, Th: 10:30 am-12:30 pm, 2:30-4:30 pm. (2032)
Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) Southeastern Michigan General Membership Branch 42 S. Summit Ypsilanti, Ml 48197 483-3478. Purpose: To promote the ownership and control of all means of production and distribution by the working class which creates all social wealth through its labor. In the short run, the IWW helps workers organize for increased democracy in the workplace, as well as for increased wages and benefits. The Union promotes its purposes through workplace organizing and education with an emphasis on direct action as the most effective means for workers to achieve their goals. Meetings and Membership: Every Monday (except holidays) 6 pm, Room 4304, Michigan Union, 530 S. State, Ann Arbor. Observers are welcome.
Area membership includes the majority of the employees at: Ann Arbor Tenants Union, People's Wherehouse, University Cellar, and several other employees, both employed and unemployed, homemakers and students who are in agreement with the Union's principles. The IWW has approximately 110 members in this area. The initiation fee is $5. Dues are $5 per month for workers making more than $300 per month, $2 per month for anyone making less than $300 per month. Labor-organizing: Members of the IWW are available to advise and assist anyone engaged in organizing which will promote worker control, regardless of whether the organizers ultimately desire affiliation with the IWW. We also participate in efforts to support workers struggling for justice from their employers and their Unions by joining in picketing, promoting boycotts, fundraising and other direct actions. (1634)
Maoist Internationalist Movement (MIM) P.O. Box 3576 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106. MIM is currently working among prisoners in the United States to prepare the political conditions for revolution. Mostly MIM organizing among prisoners entails distribution of theoretical literature, correspondence and the distribution of the MIM newsletter on current events.
In the experience of MIM as a communist organization, it is the prisoners, who more than any other single group, desire thoroughgoing social change in the United States. Indeed, the class, race and age backgrounds of the prisoners and the experience of so-called justice at the hands of the imperialist state leave many prisoners with few illusions about the "American Dream."
The forthcoming issue of MIM Notes will contain eye-opening correspondence from prisoners across the country. Send 30 cents. Also, keep an eye open for a study group on the "Contemporary Relevance of Mao." Free literature available upon request. (992)
Socialist Labor Party (SLP) P.O. Box 7505 Ann Arbor, Ml 48107 747-8210. The Socialist Labor Party (SLP) works for the establishment of a socialist society in which the economic machinery and process as well as the services will be owned by everyone in common and operated democratically for the benefit of all. All vestiges of capitalism will be abolished. Southeast Michigan members and sympathizers of the SLP distribute socialist literature in the area promoting class-consciousness and providing the information necessary for a successful socialist revolution. You are welcome to become a member or sympathizer and join us in our activities. National Office: SLP, 914 Industrial Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94303. (718)
LATIN AMERICA
AMISTAD Construction Brigade 802 Monroe Ann Arbor, Ml 48104 761-7960. The AMISTAD Construction Brigade's acronym stands for the Ann Arbor-Managua Initiative for Soil Testing and Development. The brigade is a group of local people who will be traveling to Nicaragua in January in order to construct a soil and water testing laboratory on the campus of the Institute for Advanced Agricultural Sciences (ISCA) in AMISTAD in Nicaragua. The facility will be used to test soil and water so that farmers may better determine how much to fertilize and irrigate their land. The facility will also be used to train technicians.
AMISTAD is as project of HAP-NICA (the Humanitarian Assistance Project for Independent Agricultural Development in Nicaragua), which is part of an international effort to construct a soils analysis facility in Managua. The Italian government is providing the laboratory with $2,000,000 worth of soil and water testing equipment while the Dutch government is providing $20,000 to help build the facility. AMISTAD is responsible for $30,000 to buy and ship the tools and materials necessary to construct the building.
The AMISTAD project is conducted in a spirit of solidarity with the Nicaraguan people and their revolution which is currently being threatened by the contra war waged against them by the U.S. government. The group hopes that lasting ties between the people of Nicaragua and the United States can be made through projects such as this one. Meetings: A2MISTAD's meetings are open to all, Sundays at 7:30 pm in the Michigan Union. Ask for the room at the information desk. AMISTAD is a group of about 30 Ann Arbor community residents and students. The group is still recruiting people who would like to work on the construction in Nicaragua for at least four weeks between March and July. Skilled persons including plumbers, masons and health care workers are especially encouraged to join us. Current News: On January 12 the first, 20-person contingent of the Construction Brigade will leave Michigan for Nicaragua. Additional brigadistas will join the group in Nicaragua over the next six months, as others return home to share their experiences of Nicaragua and the construction project with Ann Arbor and the surrounding communities. The brigade will be sending press releases from Nicaragua to local and state newspapers, radio television stations to keep people updated on the brigade and events in Nicaragua. Keep your eyes on another group traveling to Central America this month: The Michigan Army Reserve Corp will be sending several units to Honduran-Nicaraguan border area on maneuvers as part of the U.S. policy of intimidation of Nicaragua.
A send-off party for the AMISTAD Construction Brigade will be held on Saturday, January 10 at 7 pm at the Old Second Ward Building at 310 S. Ashley. Old and new supporters are invited to join in a Salvadoran dinner with speakers and folk music to be followed by live entertainment by the Bluegrass band, Footloose, and The Fugue beginning at 10 pm. Suggested donation is $10 for the entire evening or $4 for music only. Your cooperation in helping us accommodate everyone would be appreciated. Please cali the AMISTAD office and leave your name and the number in your party to reserve a place at the dinner table! (3334)
HAP-NICA 802 Monroe St. Ann Arbor, Ml 48104 769-1442. Purpose: Humanitarian Assistance Project for Independent Agricultural Development in Nicaragua (HAP-NICA) is a nonprofit organization conducting a national campaign of aid for Nicaraguan agriculture. Our goal is to help the Nicaraguan people achieve economic development and self-sufficiency. Toward that goal, we work with the Nicaraguan Union of Small and Mid-sized Farmers and Ranchers (UNAG), the Farmworkers Union (ATC) and the Higher Institute of Agricultural Science (ISCA), through our full-time coordinator in Managua. When we accept a development project proposed to us by one of these organizations we work to raise funds for it or to arrange for other groups across the country to take responsibility for raising all or part of the necessary money.
We are a project of the Guild House Campus Ministry of Ann Arbor (an ecumenical ministry devoted to principles of human justice) and the New World Agriculture Group (NWAG). Meetings: General meetings are scheduled for Jan. 8 and Jan. 22, 5:30 pm, in the Michigan Union. At these meetings we will discuss upcoming fundraising activities and the continuing needs of the soil lab construction brigade project. We will also split up the tasks associated with the layout and publishing of the next issue of the HAP-NICA newsletter. Newcomers are welcome. Current News: In their struggle to become self-sufficient in food production agriculturalists in Nicaragua are restructuring their priorities. Greater emphasis is being placed on growing food for domestic consumption, reducing the need to import expensive commodities from other countries.
Part of the effort to become agriculturally independent includes reducing the consumption of fertilizers and pesticides which must be purchased from technologically advanced countries. This requires that new production technologies be developed. Chemical pest controls can be replaced with natural controls. Alternative planting and cultivation strategies can be employed. In turn, these will cali for new financing and marketing arrangements.
U.S. ecologists working in Nicaragua are excited about the young, ambitious agriculturalists currently being trained in Nicaragua's universities and vocational institutes. Many feel Nicaraguan agricultural technicians will soon be among the world's most experienced in establishing and applying socially and environmentally sustainable production techniques.
HAP-NICA exists to assist Nicaraguans with their important agricultural pursuits. It is a project of the New World Agriculture Group (NWAG) and the Guild House Campus Ministry in Ann Arbor. We receive proposals for agricultural development projects from the Union of Small and Mid-sized Farmers and Ranchers (UNAG), the Farmworkers Union (ATC), and the Higher Institute of Agricultural Science (ISCA) in Nicaragua. So that more individuals in the U.S. can be directly involved with the development process in Nicaragua, proposals are matched with groups around the country who are interested in fundraising for specific projects.
Assisting Nicaraguan farmers therefore is not the only function of HAP-NICA. The organization also provides an avenue through which concerned U.S. citizens can participate in peaceful cultural exchanges with the people of Nicaragua. Our organization includes teachers, ministers, farmers, students, bus drivers, and other members of the community, all interested in peaceful and just approaches to third world development.
Tasks carried out by HAP-NICA members in Ann Arbor are related to establishing and coordinating a network of support groups across the country. We also arrange for the exchange of information, money, and materials through our full-time coordinator located in Managua. (3796)
Latin American Solidarity Committee (LASC) 4120 Michigan Union Ann Arbor MI 48109 665-8438. Purpose: LASC s a nonprofit group dedicated to supporting the legitimate aspirations of Latin American peoples to self-determination. lts goals are to increase awareness here about contemporary realities in Latin America and the U.S. role in perpetuating these, and to pressure our government to change its military, political, and economic policies toward Latin America. Meetings: Meetings are every Wed. at 8 pm in the Michigan Union. Stop at the information desk for the room number or call the LASC office. The office is normally staffed from 12 to 2 pm on weekdays, and messages can be left on the answering machine at all other times. Community Services: LASC sponsors educational events such as films and speakers. The outreach committee also sends people to University or high school classes or any place else they're invited to talk about the issues. The LASC newsletter La Palabra is sent to about 800 subscribers, summarizes our activities both recent and upcoming, and also contains updates on the news from Latin America. To get on our mailing list, sign in at any LASC meeting or leave your name and address on the phone answering machine. Bulletin: The Latin American Solidarity Committee and members of several other solidarity organizations are planning a winter offensive against U.S. policy in Central America. Current plans cali for protests every Thursday afternoon, beginning January 8th at 3:30 pm, at the national guard armory on Ann Street. The protests may involve civil disobedience. The national guard has been selected as a target due to the fact that it has been directly involved in the Administration's war against Nicaragua. The Michigan National Guard was sent down tor exercises in Honduras last winter. Other national guard units have built roads and airstrips that are being used by the Contras, and which would facilitate any direct invasion by the United States.
At this time when it seems possible that aid to the Contras may actually be cut off, it is essential that we maintain as much pressure on the Administration and Congress as possible. If we make it clear that there is a mass base of active opposition to Reagan's war, then it will be impossible for it to continue. By selecting a highly visible target in the middle of town, we hope that the protests can grow week by week, continually calling attention to the administration's policies.
The idea behind this cali for continuous actions beginning in January arose in discussions among activists from diverse sectors of the solidarity community. It was agreed that past actions were often too reactive and undertaken at the last minute in response to a particular action by the North/Reagan Administration or Congress.
While past protests and civil disobedience nonetheless achieved some successes, it was felt that we could accomplish a great deal more by planning an ongoing action that could potentially draw increasing numbers of people into committing civil disobedience in order to stop the war. The mass arrests that occurred at the South African Embassy in Washington, D.C. over a period of more than a year, were seen as an example of the kind of movement that eventually resulted in a major change in the way the U.S. media portrayed the struggle in South Africa.
Further discussion and planning of the actions will take place at the general meeting of the Latin American Solidarity Committee on Wednesday, January 7th, at 8 pm at the Michigan Union. Interested persons should come to the meeting or call 665-8438 for further information. (3672)
PEACE AND DISARMAMENT
Ann Arbor War Tax Dissidents/U.S. Peace Tax Fund co Mary Lou Kerwin 1427 Broadway Ann Arbor, Ml 48105 662-2838. Purpose: Ann Arbor War Tax Dissidents (AAWTD) works for passage of the U.S. Peace Tax Fund bill (a law permitting people morally opposed to war to have the military portion of their taxes allocated to peacemaking), and provides counseling and information resources for persons conscientiously opposed to payment of war taxes.
AAWTD is affiliated with the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee (NWTRCC) and with the National Campaign For a Peace Tax Fund (NCPTF). AAWTD is of an informal nature with a diverse membership and a volunteer coordinator. Meetings: AAWTD generally meets the third Saturday of each month in the Pine Room, Wesley Foundation, 602 E. Huron, Ann Arbor. No regular meeting in December or January. Planning and working meetings are being held. If interested, please cali Mary Lou Kerwin. Community Services: AAWTD provides the community with a speakers bureau, workshops, forums, information hotlines (contact appropriate number listed below), and "Taxes for Peace" (a slide show). For information, contact: Mary Lou Kerwin at 662-2838 for general information about AAWTD. David Bassett at 662-1373 about the U.S. Peace Tax Fund bill. Fran Eliot at 663-2655 about war tax resistance. Upcoming Events: Tax time approaches. A series of three (free and open to the public) workshops on "Conscience & Military Taxes: The Role of the Individual Taxpayer in Supporting Military Taxes" will start on Jan. 15 to discuss legal and alternative uses for our tax money. The topic January 15th is "National and International Efforts to Create Legal "Alternative Service' for Our Tax Dollars," 7:30 to 9:30 pm in the Ann Arbor Public Library Meeting Room. See the Calendar for further details (January 1 5, 22, and 29). (1870)
Washtenaw County Women's Action for Nuclear Disarmament, Inc. (WAND) P.O. Box 1815 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 761-1718. Purpose: WAND's goals are to educate ourselves and the public about the dangers of continued nuclear arms buildup, to influence our congressional representatives by informed lobbying, and to empower women personally and politically.
Washtenaw County WAND s affiliated with the national WAND organization which was founded in 1980 by Dr. Helen Caldicott. The local group currently has around 400 members and affiliates; there are more than 25,000 national members in 125 chapters. Membership: Membership is open to anyone interested in stopping the arms race. Membership fees are $25 per year with scholarships available for those unable to pay the entire amount. Contact Barb Carson at 662-7851 for more information. Ongoing Activities: In the past, WAND has sponsored the Mother's Day Festival of Peace in West Park, participated n commemorations of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, sponsored several speaker-training workshops, and helped found the Second Congressional District Coalition for Peace. Call our Information Hotline at 761-1718 for a message announcing important lobbying information, meeting times, and upcoming community events.
Our Speaker's Bureau provides trained speakers who will address groups, classes, and public forums and rallies on a variety of issues. Interested persons including non-WAND members may particípate in Speaker Training workshops. Contact Jean Carlson at 426-2232. Current News: WAND's January meeting will feature a talk on the Nuclear Arms Race and the Third World. Janice Michael of Michigan Alliance for Disarmament (MAD) will speak about U.S. nuclear policy and militarism and the relationship which the United States has with third world countries. It is one of several meetings WAND has planned which will examine the "deadly connections" between the nuclear arms buildup, military spending, economic exploitation in third world countries, and multinational corporations.
The meeting will be held on Sunday, January 11 at St. Aidan's Northside Church, 1679 Broadway. Doors open at 7 pm, the meeting begins at 7:30 with the speaker at 8:30.
In December, WAND had a holiday dinner and fascinating perspective on Nicaragua with a discussion and slides by Joyce Chesborough, a former Republican city councilwoman who was a member of the Ann Arbor Sister City Delegation. She found the Nicaraguan people very courageous as they are affected daily by our government's support of the Contras, a policy she finds misguided and indefensible.
Mark your calendars for Valentine's Day, Saturday, February 14! WAND will be sponsoring a major fundraising event at the Union Ballroom from 8 pm to 1 am called "Give Peace a Dance" with the Urbations and another big-name local band. If you like to dance (or just listen) to great rock 'n' roll be sure to be there! It will be a Danceathon with pledges, chance for free admission, and prizes. Tickets will be available January 23 at Schoolkids and CTC Outlets for $8 or later at the door for $10. Details soon at 761-1718. (3622)
POVERTY & HUNGER
Bread for the World (BFW) 706 Dwight Street Ypsilanti, MI 48198 487-9058. Purpose: Bread for the World (BFW) is a citizens lobbying organization that deals with hunger and health related legislation. Although BFW does not send any direct aid itself, the organization has given crucial support to domestic and international hunger programs since it's founding in 1971. Members are encouraged to contact their legislators on hunger issues and are kept informed through newsletters, background papers, and informational meetings about pertinent legislation. Meetings: Bread for the World is organized by Congressional Districts. In the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area there are two groups with the Ann Arbor group meeting the 2nd Thursday of the month (Jan. 8) at the First Presbyterian Church at 7:30 pm. For more information contact Jim Rutz (Ann Arbor area) at 668-4064 or Robert Krzewinski (Ypsilanti area) at 487-9058. Current Events: During 1987, BFW has set a legislative agenda that includes many diverse issues. On a domestic front, BFW is concentrating on full funding for the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). The WIC program is one of the most cost-effective programs the government has to stop hunger, malnutrition and birth defects (due to inadequate nutrition of the mother), yet is only funded at a very low level, serving only 40 to 50% of those eligible.
Internationally, BFW will be seeking long term development aid to Africa, continued funding for programs designed to help immunize children and in general see that the needs of people are not forgotten due to dramatic increases in foreign military aid.
For more information about these issues and how to help (which can be as simple as writing a letter) please contact BFW by writing or calling the local contact persons. (1850)
World Hunger Education-Action Committee (WHE-AC) 4202 Michigan Union Ann Arbor, MI 48109 663-3560. Purpose: WHE-AC s a campus-based organization whose focus is on educating the community on the causes of - and solutions to - world hunger. Our goal is to understand the complex social, political, economie, and environmental forces that both create and promote world hunger. We recognize that true development can only be achieved by empowering people on a grass roots level. We organize projects with this perspective in mind. Consequently, we work with Oxfam America and the Institute for Food and Development Policy. Meetings: All are welcome to come and be a part of WHE-AC. General meetings are on Tuesdays at 6 pm in the Michigan Union (check at the front desk for room). Current News: Member Sandra Stiengraber is leaving Ann Arbor for Sudan in February to continue interviewing Ethiopian refugees. WHE-AC wishes her a safe and productive trip.
Hunger Watch, a study documenting the hungry in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Lansing and Detroit moves forward. We are in the process of verifying data and will begin writing soon. Events: A volunteer training session for the Shelter Association of Ann Arbor is on Sunday, Jan. 18, 4 to 6 pm, at 520 W. Huron.
Call WHE-AC for the date of the mass meeting for Winter Term. We will be discussing projects for the term. We are planning to volunteer as a group at one of the meal programs in Ann Arbor. (1452)
PROGRESSIVE RELIGION
B'nai Brith Hillel Foundation 1429 Hill Street Ann Arbor, Ml 48104 663-3336. Purpose: Hillel is a central cultural and educational resource for both the Jewish and non-Jewish communities of Ann Arbor. Programs range from cultural arts series to political series to a Jewish Learning Center. Counseling is provided for anyone on an appointment basis. Call Hillel at 663-3336 for more information. (400) See the CALENDAR for Hill Street Cinema's January offerings and special Hillel events.
New Jewish Agenda (NJA) 2208 Packard Ann Arbor, Ml 48104 662-9217. Purpose: New Jewish Agenda (NJA) is comprised of Jews from a variety of backgrounds and affiliations who are interested in working for social and political justice within the framework of Jewish tradition. We are committed to building an inclusive Jewish community and therefore place particular importance on addressing issues which traditionally exclude many Jews. Activities: We are creating a songbook which will include songs that promote both progressive and Jewish values, and which will have a special section on new songs for Jewish children. Contributions of song ideas and/or original material are welcome and can be sent to Gwynne Sigel, 328 S. Seventh St. (48103).
NJA is working with progressive Zionist groups to support a progressive list for the fall 1987 World Zionist Congress (WZC). To vote you must join a Zionist organization this month (NJA won't do). For more info. cali Benjy Ben Baruch at 662-921 7.
In the coming few months, we hope to bring in two speaking tours. The first will feature a South African rabbi who is active in the anti-apartheid movement and a black trade union leader. The second will bring in an American and an Israeli scientist to discuss the problem of Star Wars research contráete in Israel.
Our Feminist Interest Group has been discussing traditional and alternative forms of family structure. Our Middle East Interest Group is continuing to sponsor speakers and pursue efforts related to Arab-Jewish dialogue. Please join any or all of our activities!!
See the CALENDAR for January events (general membership meeting 15 Thursday). (1674)
SENIOR CITIZENS
Housing Bureau For Seniors 1010 Wall St. Ann Arbor, Ml 48109 763-0970. The Housing Bureau for Seniors s a housing-referral and information agency serving senior citizens and their families who have senior housing-related questions. Primarily staffed by volunteer counselors, the Housing Bureau is open weekdays from 9 to 5 pm. You may make an appointment lo speak with a housing counselor by calling the Bureau at 763-0970. Though donations are accepted, Bureau services are free. Current News: The Housing Bureau has recently received a $5,000 grant from Washtenaw County government to fund an "Out-County Housing Education Program." Effective December 1, 1986, the county funding will allow the Housing Bureau to continue and expand activities begun as a result of a 1985 Administration on Aging grant due to expire in January, 1987.
A primary component of the Out-County Housing Education Program will be monthly educational presentations at three nutrition sites in Washtenaw County. Carole Lapidos, Community Outreach worker at the Housing Bureau, will present new information each month about specific housing choices appropriate for seniors who live in the participating community. Ms. Lapidos will also be available to assist individual senior clients who come in for housing counseling at the time of the monthly program.
The Out-County Housing Education Program will, in addition, provide support for Housing Bureau volunteers who are currently serving seniors at outreach locations in Saline and Chelsea. These volunteers were recruited and trained as a result of the Administration on Aging grant and might otherwise be prevented from continuing with the Agency without the county's assistance.
Education programs for clubs and church groups as well as presentations coordinated through the Washtenaw County Co-operative Extension Program have also been planned. They will begin implementation by mid-January. Interested organizations who would like to feature a presentation on senior housing in this community should contact the Housing Bureau for Seniors. All community programs can include the Bureau's recently completed slideshow, "Home is Where: A Look at Housing for Senior Citizens." Adult Children of Senior Citizens Continuing concerns of adult children of senior citizens who have questions about their parents' housing are always listened to at the Housing Bureau.
Often the holidays provide a chance for families to get together. When that happens, the adult children of seniors sometimes begin to feel that their aging relatives can or should no longer live alone. If this is happening in your family and you want to talk it over, contact the Housing Bureau for Seniors.
"The week after Christmas last year, our phone rang off the hook," explained Carole Lapidos, volunteer coordinator at the Housing Bureau for Seniors. "Families really tend to see their parents more clearly at this time of year. And they worry."
Housing Bureau counselors can help adult children of seniors through the process of sorting out this problem. Counselors can help bring both the adult children and the affected seniors into the discussion, allowing families a chance to plan early and thereby avoid some of the anxieties associated with this situation. (3280)
SOUTH AFRICA
Adopt a Political Prisoner of Apartheid (APPA) 906 South University Ann Arbor, Ml 48109. Purpose: Formed in the fall of '86, APPA s a new organization on the University of Michigan campus which is working in conjunction with the national APPA movement. This nationwide project, started by two members of the House of Representatives, Congressman Conyers and Congressman Gedjenson of Michigan and Connecticut, is modeled after Amnesty International's Prisoner of Conscience Campaign for Soviet Jewry .
This humanitarian project seeks to achieve two goals. It will create a human link between the people of South África and the U.S. by writing the prisoner's family. APPA will also strive to prevent the torture of political prisoners by lobbying in the United States and abroad. Meetings: APPA meets 6:30 to 7:15 pm every Thurs. night in Room 111, West Engineering Bldg. Meetings are organizational: Our immediate goal is to gain the endorsements of as many faculty and student organizations as possible. (1030)
Free South Africa Coordinating Committee (FSACC) 8309 Michigan Union Ann Arbor, Ml 48109 971-7994 or 769-8549. Purpose: Formed in the spring of 1985, FSACC is a multi-racial based group which is committed to opposing the brutal system of Apartheid n South África as well as racism in this country. FSACC produces literature and organizes educational events which examine Apartheid and expose ways in which U.S. institutions (including the University of Michigan), underwrite that system.
FSACC is also involved in grassroots efforts to change the poücies and practices of our government and university which provide direct support to the Apartheid mini regime or reflect insensitivity to the aspirations of the majority of the country's disenfranchised Black population. Meetings: Regular Monday meetings will start January 12 at 6:30 pm in Room 11 1 of the West Engineering Bldg. All are welcome. Current News: The anti-Apartheid shanty has been destroyed and rebuilt more than 5 times this school term. Three vandals have been arrested for attacking it. In Nov., FSACC joined the Black Student Union, Black Law Student Alliance and others in urging the University Regents to take the problem of Minority Recruitment and Retention more seriously by providing adequate financial aid packages for low-income minority students. We also held a 100 person picket outside the Regents Meeting to stress our concerns. Also, the Regents once again declined to honor Nelson Mandela with an honorary degree at winter commencement, despite the fact that his name was resubmitted by Prof. Holt for consideration again this year. (1655)
WOMEN'S ISSUES
Women's Crisis Center (WCC) P.O. Box 7413 Ann Arbor, Ml 48107 Business line: 761-9475 CRISIS LINE: 994-9100. Purpose: The purpose of the Women's Crisis Center is to help women help themselves gain control and dignity in their lives by providing non-judgemental support, education, and resources. WCC volunteers provide free peer counseling and crisis intervention for all women in the Washtenaw County area. We also organize educational and supportive groups, workshops, and activities.
WCC is a not-for-profit, collectively run organization made up of community women concerned with the needs of all women. Our funding is primarily from private donations. We depend on community support to be able to continue providing the services we have been for the past 14 years. We strongly encourage all women who want to work to change society to get involved in active, empowering work with other women. Community Services: The Crisis Line: 994-9100, operates everyday, 10 am to 10 pm. Callers are guaranteed anonymity and can talk with a peer counselor who is there to provide non-judgemental support. Referrals: WCC offers over 500 referrals to agencies and individuals in and around Washtenaw County. WCC also sells low-cost do-it-yourself divorce kits. January Events: We will be having our next peer counselor training at the end of January. See the CALENDAR for times of orientation meetings as well as other women's events and meetings in the community. Call us if you would like to be involved in any way. (1548)
OTHER
Free University Network 1402 Hill Ann Arbor, Ml 48104 994-4937. Purpose: The purpose of the Free U Network is to encourage and support liberating education - free education that works to free people. Through program content, style, and practice, the Free U promotes social change for human liberation. Program: Free U courses can range from discussions of Himalayan Anthropology, to Anarchism; or learning how to make soap or dip candles to practicing music or knitting together with others who want to do the same . . . theatre crafts, political theory and practical, social change, recycling, spirituality, feminism, earth-nature caretaking and appreciation, arts-culture-films-poetry, what's it like inside prison, children telling stories and performing them for the world, breadmaking . . . anything and everything we want it to be at times and places accessible to those interested in participating ... in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Dexter, or anyplace in between.
Courses are free and open to anyone. Resource people and class conveners volunteer their time. There are no grades, credits, or other restrictions. Participants shape what happens n free learning environments.
Plans are in the initial stages now. There are many things to do before publicizing a calendar of events with information. We would like to make such a publication next month for program start-up in mid-February or early March. Research into existing learning opportunities in the community; volunteering to be or find resource people to help coordínate topic areas for discussion and activities; finding free, accessible locations for gathering; helping coordínate publicity; and information gathering are all things that need doing. If you can help with any one or all of these, please contact Andrea or Gaia as soon as possible! Meeting: We would like to invite everyone who is interested in helping to join us in a planning meeting to be held on Monday, January 12 at 7:30 p.m. at 1402 Hill Street. (Children are welcome.) Please call anytime if you have any ideas, suggestions, or questions. We look forward to learning with you! (2132)
New Dimensions Study Group P.O. Box 2664 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 971-0881. The New Dimensions Study Group is a cooperative, informal community forum which hosts speakers, videos, and mini-workshops focusing on the development of human consciousness and the many expressions of human spirituality. It espouses no creed; it follows no master; it is open to all who are open to it. Meetings: The group meets at the Yoga Center of Ann Arbor at 205 E. Ann, Ann Arbor every other Wednesday night (Jan.14 and 28). The building becomes available at 8:05 pm and programs start by 8:30 pm. Meetings are open to all interested parties and are free, although small donations are welcome to help defray the nominal cost of the meeting space.
Pursell Watch Network 662-1523 . In order to try to build on the momentum of the Baker campaign, several people who took part in the campaign will try to keep some of the campaign's infrastructure together in the Pursell Watch Network. This organization will have two main functions.
First, it will try to facilítate Communications between organizations in Ann Arbor and groups and individuals working on similar issues elsewhere in the district. Over the course of the campaign we made many contacts throughout the district, both with the media and political activists, and we also learned a great deal about local political conditions. We would like to be able to make this information available to other activists in Ann Arbor.
The Network's second function will be to attempt to monitor Pursell's performance in congress. We will attempt to keep track of what he is, or is not doing on major national issues, and try to publicize this information as widely as possible. If we can keep people aware of what he is doing all the time, it will be far less difficult to foment opposition then if we rely only on a short election campaign. This was one of the greatest obstacles we faced this year, since Pursell found that he could very easily just lie about what he had done, and that few people would know it. If we keep his actions in the news constantly, it will be far more difficult for him to simply disavow his record in future elections.
The Network's work can also be instrumental in laying the basis for another challenge in 1988. It is extremely likely that we will make a second attempt to beat Pursell that year. Given our success in a race begun just a few months before the election, it is very likely that a campaign begun earlier and more carefully planned, can build on our past work and actually unseat Pursell. In any case, we have clearly established ourselves as a powerful electoral force in the 2nd district and we intend to remain an active force for the foreseeable future. Call for meeting times and places. (2044)
Washtenaw County ACLU 277 E. Liberty Ann Arbor, Ml 48104. Purpose: The American system of government rests on two principles. The first, widely understood and accepted, is that the majority of people, through elected representatives, govern the country. That is the democratic principle. The second, less understood and often abused, is that the power of even a democratic majority must be limited to insure individual rights. That is the libertarían principle.
The concept of limiting the majority is part of the genius of the traditional American system, invented nearly 200 years ago. While the rest of the U.S. Constitution authorizes the government to act, the Bill of Rights sets limits. It describes what the government may not do. Even a democratically elected government is not permitted to take away from the people their inherent rights to freedom of expression, belief and association, to procedural fairness, to equal treatment before the law, to privacy. To protect these rights, to enforce these limits on government, is the sole purpose of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Without legal guarantees of individual liberty, even American democracy can revert to acts of tyranny, to a despotism of the majority. The ACLU believes that any infraction of liberties weakens all liberties. The ACLU exists to make sure this does not happen, and to fight it when it does. Meetings: The 16 member Executive Committee of the Washtenaw County Branch of the ACLU of Michigan meets monthly (except in December and the summer) on the third Sunday of the month at 7:30 pm at the First Unitarian Universalist Church, 1917 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor. The meetings of the Executive Committee are open to the public and visitors are welcome. January's meeting will be held on Sunday, January 18, at 7:30 pm. For other meetings, visitors should call Jean Ledwith King, Chair of the Branch at 662-1334 during business hours to confirm time, place and date of meeting. Current News: The Branch and the student chapter celebrated the 195th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights by honoring Washtenaw County residents who had made particular contributions to keeping the state of Michigan death-penalty free. Besides the First Annual Bill of Rights Award, presented to attorney Tom Downs of Lansing, Awards of Merit were presented by Reverend Donald Coleman, local Board member, to Don Faber of the Ann Arbor News, to Deborah Strong of Ypsilanti, to Joe Stroud of the Detroit Free Press, and to Mare Mauer, Joseph Dragun, Alice Roelofs, Steve Hillder, Wendy Hiller, Tom Daniels, Robert Krzewinski, Lois Leonard, Hanley Kanar, Ernestine McGlynn, Donna Karvonen, Phemie Brown, and Lloyd Powell.(2712)
Ypsilanti Food Co-op 312 N. River St. Ypsilanti, Ml 48198 483-1520. Purpose: The Ypsilanti Food Co-op is a not-for-profit organization. We provide wholesome, nutritious food at the lowest possible prices. You can buy in small quantities or order in bulk. Although the Co-op is set up like a store and open to the public, members and shoppers have input to choose the food items and products that are sold in the store. The Co-op is based on a one-member-one vote democratic system for successful management of the store. Membership: The Ypsilanti Food Co-op can be whatever the members want it to be. The Co-op serves the entire community, however membership is easily obtainable and entitles you to several benefits. Upon membership you become part owner of the Co-op, enabling you to vote on issues of concern within the Co-op as well as a discount.
A newsletter is published monthly to keep the community informed of the happenings of the Co-op. New members are always welcome. See the CALENDAR for details about the Co-op's soup preparation demonstration Jan. 1 7. (1080)