Etcetera

AGENDA is interested in receiving items from you for etcetera. Press clippings, press releases, summaries of local events and any other ideas or suggestions are welcome. Just mail them to: Etcetera Editor, AGENDA, 220 S. Main St., Ann Arbor, Ml 48104

"Love & Money" for AGENDA

Big Dave and the Ultrasonics, on a roll after their recent release of "Love & Money" on the Schoolkids' label, will give a benefit performance for AGENDA on Thurs. Jan. 13 at the Blind Pig. Doors open at 9:30 pm. Admission is $5. Call 996-8018 for more information.

Guatemala Refugee Return Update

The return of a group of 1,347 Guatemalans who had taken refuge in Mexico, originally set to begin on November 22 , has been delayed. What was to have been the town center of a farm cooperative is instead being held by an army garrison, contrary to an agreement between the refugees and the government. Noting a history of military violence which forced civilians to flee the country in the flrst place, refugee spokesperson Carlos Mendoza said, "We cannot allow them to be beside us. The army is the root of terror, the root of poverty. They have brought us much pain. They are the biggest obstacle in our lives."

The obstruction of this group's return bodes ill for some 43,000 other Guatemalans living in UN-recognized camps in Southern Mexico. The refugees and their supporters call for international pressure, including letters to the U.S. Congress, to make the Guatemalan army vacate the co-ops lands.

Scholarship Opportunity

The Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living will award the John R. Weir Scholarship in February. Students with a disability who will graduate from high school in Washtenaw, Livingston, Monroe, Lenawee or Jackson Counties in spring 1994, and who plan to attend college, are encouraged to apply.

Over 40 donors contributed to the John R. Weir Endowment $1,000 scholarship, which includes an opportunity for a paid internship. Scholarship applications must be received by Jan. 10 at AACIL. For more information call 971-0277 or 971-0310 (TDD).

Tax Help for Seniors

The Washtenaw County Council on Aging (WCCOA) helps seniors prepare income tax forms for property tax rebates, home heating credits and prescription drug rebates. Volunteers perform such services through home visits or by appointment at the WCCOA offices. For more info., or to set up an appointment, call 665-3625.

Feds Order Friendshipments to Stop

Pastors for Peace, which organizes "Friendshipments" of humanitarian aid to Cuba, was recently served with a "Cease and Desist" order from the U.S. Treasury Department. The shipments defy U.S. embargo laws against contact with Cuba.

The project which the Clinton administration seeks to stop is the construction of a house for a disabled Havana couple who lost their home to a March 1993 hurricane. Pastors for Peace pledges to defy the order. Other illegal acts of aid, trade and travel are in the works for 1994. To participate, or for more information, call (612) 378-0062.

Holiday Evergreen Tree Collection

The City of Ann Arbor will collect holiday evergreens for mulching or composting. Curbside pick-up will be on normal refuse days between Mon. Jan. 10 and Fri. Jan.21. Trees may also be left at Swift Run Park, at E. Ellsworth and Platt Roads throughout January. After January, take trees to the City of Ann Arbor Compost Center, 4120 Platt Road. To learn more, call 994-2807.

New Program for Problem Drinkers

Moderation Management (MM), a new support group in Ann Arbor, is designed to help certain individuals with drinking problems. MM differs from most programs in that it does not insist that people must entirely stop drinking before the problem can be controlled. Although a controversial approach, and one not recommended for severely dependent persons, supporters argue that the problem is effective with some problem drinkers. The professionally-reviewed MM program provides guidance toward moderation and positive lifestyle changes. Meetings promote self-management, self-discovery, and skills needed for a balanced life. Meetings are Tuesdays from 7 to 8 pm at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Ann Arbor, 1917 Washtenaw. For more Information call 930-6446.

"A Little of the Buchenwald Touch"

This is how an Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) scientist described experiments in which at least 1,000 Americans were exposed to radiation in the '40s and '50s. AEC atrocities included feeding radioactive breakfast cereal to mentally retarded children and injecting Black children with radioactive iron to test their thyroid responses. At Buchenwald, a Nazi concentration camp, hundreds of people were exposed to typhus for the benefit of German military doctors, who took careful notes on their illnesses and deaths. Several Nazi officials were executed for the Buchenwald experiments.

Thousands Caught in Midst of Federal Parole Change

Late in the Reagan administration, federal politicians trying to appear "tough on crime" abolished parole. They attempted to make it retroactive, so that the Parole Board would treat those sentenced under the "old law" according to "new law" guidelines. Consequently, about 15,000 people, mostly non-violent drug offenders, find themselves serving longer sentences based on a law passed after their convictions.

This change also affects most federal prisoners who are doing time for political offenses. Under the "old law," Jonathan Pollard, who spied on the United States for Israel, is eligible for parole, but using "new law" guidelines, the Parole Board set his release date for 2015. Linda Evans, the former Michigan-Ohio organizer for Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), has been imprisoned since 1985 on weapons and conspiracy charges and would be eligible for parole next year. Federal prisoncrats want to keep her in custody for another two decades.

President Clinton and Attorney General Reno, under pressure from pro-Israel groups, are reviewing Pollard's case. Linda Evans' friends urge people to write to Clinton and Reno, demanding that all "old law" prisoners get the parole opportunities that existed when they were sentenced.