Join us on Saturday, September 15th for a full day of fun for the entire family. Come to enjoy live music and dance performances, interactive workshops, children's activities, food, vendors of exotic merchandise, chair massages, readings, Reiki, henna and.....people of like minds who want peace on earth, personal freedom and goodwill towards all. Date(s): Saturday, September 15, 2007 Doors Open: 1:00 PM to 10 PM Prayer for Peace at: 7:00 pm Saturday, September 15, 2007 Venue: Hunt Club Farm Address: 2388 London Bridge Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23456 Directions: For directions please visit the Hunt Club Farm website. The link can be found below located under sponsors. When you get to the Hunt Club Farm site you will find a menu to the left and click on directions. Price: Suggested Donation $20 and Children 12 and under donation of non-perishable food item per child Artist Line-Up: Wynne Paris Band The InChantors Suzy-Ray-Vaughn Band Mystic Fire Drummers Drums of Tuatha* See Drum Circle Information below Elbert Watson- Modern Dance Isis Rising Dance Company Desert Jewels Kaliki's Klan- Polynesian Dance Troupe Desert Wind Dance Company Gobekli Tepe A Touch of Irish Tap Halau Kahealani - Polynesian Dance Company Virgina Fire- Fire Dancing Group Dorje- Tribal Folk Fusion Sha-Awit Raqis Dance Troupe The Young Filipino American Modern Dancers of Virginia Attitudz Performing Arts Studio INFORMATION BOOTHS INCLUDE: Peace Bridge Heifer International Food Not Bombs Sahaja Yoga iF Journal VENDORS Eye Kandy Kindred Spirits/Mystical Attic Face Painting by Lynn Whitemare Adi Jewelry What to Bring: Folding chair or blanket, drums, tamborines, zils or other percussion instruments for the drum circle, dancing feet and a smile. Contact: savanegas@yahoo.com Telephone: 757-754-0892

The North East Anarchist Network is calling for two anarchist contingents during the upcoming IMF-World Bank meeting protests in Washington DC. In February of this year, scores of anti-authoritarians representing diverse tendencies and collectives within the Northeast, met in Boston to form the now active North East Anarchist Network (NEAN). Take the offensive, kick the capitalists out of town! The North East Anarchist Network is calling for two anarchist contingents during the upcoming IMF()-World Bank() meeting protests in Washington DC. In February of this year, scores of anti-authoritarians representing diverse tendencies and collectives within the Northeast, met in Boston to form the now active North East Anarchist Network (NEAN). At the fourth network gathering, recently held in NYC, NEAN agreed to endorse the Oct. 19-21 protests against the IMF and World Bank and to call for an anarchist contingent within the framework being planned by DC activists. This call to action represents the fulfillment of those two decisions 1) to endorse the IMF-WB protests, and 2) to have anarchist contingents within the framework being planned by DC activists. This is the first street mobilization of this network. Look for our banners and flags, check out the literature. SEE YOU IN THE STREETS!!! ---- Anarchist Contingent Assembly Details: Friday, Oct. 19: Disrupt Georgetown! Un-permitted Nighttime March Anarchist Contingent will assemble 8:45pm at TBA, March leaves at 9pm Saturday Oct 20: Permitted March and Rally against the IMF and World Bank Anarchist Contingent will assemble 12:45pm at TBA, March leaves at 1pm ---- For the past several months, a coalition of organizations, under the banner of "October Rebellion," have been meeting in Washington, DC to plan for the upcoming October 2007 demonstrations and actions against neoliberalism, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. Two main actions are beginning to take shape. On Friday night, an unpermitted march and autonomous actions will disrupt Georgetown; an enclave of privilege amidst a city of poverty and injustice, a playground for the rich and the elites, and the location where many IMF-World Bank officials and delegates will wine and dine the night away. On Saturday afternoon, a mass march and rally will go to the gates of the meetings and provide an inclusive vehicle for resistance movements to unite. Discussions on incorporating more disruptive actions into Saturday's events are currently underway. We concur with October Rebellion, the coordinating body of the protests, that "the misery forced on millions by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank is unacceptable and renders them illegitimate. The IMF and World Bank, controlled by the G8 countries in corrupt complacency with national elites all over the world, claim to lead the fight against poverty but their role as global loan sharks; their cruel imposition of privatization, cuts to social services, and free trade policies; their funding for environmentally disastrous projects; their secrecy and undemocratic decision making processes, make them an enemy of the people worldwide." These meetings represent an intersection of the various destructive forces of global capitalism. The only logical response for anti-authoritarians is complete refusal and determined resistance. Global capitalism, and the multinational institutions it works through, wage and reinforce the war on the workers of the world, on the environment, on the global commons. Participants in these institutions derive power and privilege and are culpable for the injustices occurring. For power, profit and the proliferation of capitalism, they continue to exploit, coerce, violate, oppress, commodify, extract and eventually decimate every violable resource, leaving in their wake poisoned landscapes littered with the bodies of those who are no longer profitable. The anarchist movement is broad and our causes are many. We all have individual and group priorities; the abolition of militarism, the prison-industrial complex, racism, misogyny, wage slavery, environmental disregard, capitalism, the state, corporate greed, heteronormativity, the exploitation of non-human animals, and so forth. Yet, regardless of our particular focuses commonality exists between us in our underlying values: justice and dignity, respect and inclusion, the demand for direct participation in the decisions which impact our lives, consideration of how our decisions affect others, refusal to obey that which is unjust or to gain personally at the expense of others, and recognition that our possibility for freedom is inextricably tied to the freedom of others. A personal resistance leads us to band together with others to form the collective resistance that is at the root of all struggles for liberation. These values form the basis of the solidarity that we intend to manifest on the streets of DC. In order to effect change, it is essential that we recognize the interconnectedness of oppressions and band together to realize the awesome power that exists in joint action. Now is our chance! From the D.C. meetings, through the RNC next year and on through the 2008 Inauguration, our movements are entering a period rife with possibilities for building momentum, striking blows against capital, and learning to act collectively. A successful mobilization in DC would set the stage for future actions. D.C. organizers are taking the initiative in openly calling for disruptive protests and they've laid the groundwork with solid logistical work. This offers a unique chance to go on the offensive. We encourage other anarchist groups to endorse this call and the October Rebellion call. See you in the streets! In solidarity, North East Anarchist Network For information on the larger mobilization, as well as housing and ride information check out www.octoberrebellion.org Info about the originators of this call: The Northeast Anarchist Network (NEAN) is a recently formed network of anarchists and anti-authoritarian organizations and individuals that has been meeting and collaborating since February of 2007. Comprising groups and individuals from 7 sub-regions in the northeast our aim is to create a regional, horizontal organizing network in the Northeast, linking those committed to struggles anti-authoritarian, anti-capitalist and anti-oppressive.

Days of Decision: The U.S. War on Iraq Will Be At A Crossroads in September · In September, General Petraeus will deliver his report on the war. · In September, Congress will face a decision on funding another year of war. Republicans and Democrats will consider the future of U.S. operations in Iraq. · We, the people, must set the agenda for a change in U.S. policy in Iraq. · Therefore, The Declaration of Peace is calling upon people across the United States to take nonviolent action in September to end the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Join us! Building to the Days of Decision — Between Now and September 14th: · Lobby your members of Congress to end the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Ask them to pledge not to vote for more war funding and to support a real plan for peace: The Declaration of Peace campaign’s nine point Comprehensive Peace Plan for Iraq. 1.) Phone them during National Call-In Days. 2.) Join or organize a delegation visit or town hall meeting with your Senators and Representative during the August recess. 3.) Videotape your interaction with your Congressperson and their staff, and post it on the DoP website. · Start organizing mid-September nonviolent action in your city. · Host a Nonviolent Action Training. · Start planning local media work for your September action. · Post your September Action announcements on the DoP website. During the Days of Decision — September 14 - 21: Declare Peace! by taking nonviolent action — including nonviolent civil disobedience or other forms of creative, peaceful witness — at Congressional offices or other sites anytime from Friday, September 14 through Friday, September 21, the International Day of Peace. These actions should include two important components: 1.) A Public Declaration of Peace · Exhibit for the public and the media — · Present to Congresspersons and/or their staff — · Publicly sign — The campaign’s nine point framework for a Comprehensive Peace Plan for Iraq. 2.) Nonviolent actions to dramatically highlight the reality of the war. · Local groups are encouraged to organize a nonviolent Die-In — or other forms of creative, peaceful action — as part of this witness. The Declaration of Peace is working with many other anti-war initiatives this summer and fall — to consolidate our actions to end the U.S. occupation of Iraq. These initiatives include Occupation Project II (beginning August 6th); National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance (D.C. action - September 20th); The Iraq Moratorium (a monthly day of action beginning September 21st); No War, No Warming (October 21st -23rd); and Regional Mobilizations being planned by United for Peace and Justice and member groups (October 27th). Make a commitment to work with others to End the War. Organize Locally ~ Coordinate Nationally

This is a posting from a peace delegation to Iran including local activist Tom Palumbo as well as Richmond activists Tyla Mateslon and Phil Waleto: Salam! That's "hello" in Farsi, the national language of Iran , but most people we meet say "'ello!" We're learning, if slowly. Our five members of the People's Peace Delegation to Iran woke up yesterday morning in Shiraz , the south-central city of poets, roses, nightingales and, at one time, wine. Today our main goal was completing a 10-hour van ride through the Zaros Mountains and desert to the oasis city of Yazd , home of the country's largest community of Zoroastrians, followers of the major religion that preceded Islam in Iran . A short while into our journey we stopped at the site of the tomb of Cyrus the Great, who in the fifth century B.C. established the first Persian Empire . Persepolis, where we visited Saturday, was Cyrus' ceremonial seat, where he received tributaries from the various nations in the Empire, but Necropolis was where he maintained his palace, a smaller but still grand greeting hall and the where he was buried. The structures are still impressive, but the depth of history was most profound. Geoff, our Iraq War veteran, was deeply moved by our guide's story of how Alexander the Macedonian (Greek) had burned Persepolis to the ground in retaliation for the Persians' destruction of a major Greek city, but spared Cyrus's tomb. In fact, he wept at the site, out of respect for this towering military a nd political leader. Then we crossed the desert that lies between Shiraz and Yazd . The narrow, two-lane highway runs through a desert plateau between fiercely stark ad seemingly endless mountains. But a hundreds-year old system of wells and underground canals carries water from the mountains to Yazd , and along the way irrigates farms of wheat, rice, pomegranate and sunflowers. This part of our journey was our first brief exposure to rural poverty, which while widespread does not seem to be abject. We are able to make some comparisons, because between us we have traveled to many countries in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia where extreme poverty is rampant -- not to mention parts of Richmond , Milwaukee and Washington , D.C. Iran has been under U.S. - and U.N.-imposed sanctions for 28 years and some 70 percent of the population lives in poverty. But in our first four days here we have only seen two beggars and no homeless people. The reason, as explained by our guide and also confirmed by our own pre-trip research, is that the Iranian government maintains an extensive system of social programs for the impoverished, the people they call "the oppressed." Even the smallest villages we passed have free education through high school. (Colleges and universities are also free, but space is limited and admission is very competitive. Even so, some 60-65 percent of college undergraduates are women.) Every village or industrial site we passed seemed in need of major repairs. Crumbling brick and mud and straw walls are common. But there is also a lot of development. A new highway is being constructed between Shiraz and Yazd , to replace the narrow highway we were traveling on. We could see construction workers toiling in the 108-degree heat. The new highway will reduce the travel time between the two cities, important because as in the U.S. , most goods are moved by truck. Plus, it will make travel safer. This last point came home pretty strongly several times when vehicles coming toward us and trying to pass other vehicles narrowly avoided meeting us head on. After stopping at an oasis truck stop we finally arrived in Yazd . This is a thriving metropolis of half-a-million people northeast of Shiraz . It's an ancient city, one whose population is very devout. (The name " Yazd " means "holy.") One indication of that is that more women here wear chadors. The full-body coverings are not mandated by law -- a woman can instead wear a head scarf and "manteau," or thigh-length coat over slacks or jeans, but many women prefer the chador. As one English-speaking college student in Shiraz told Tyla, "Yes, it's hot, but it makes me feel safe." This is a section that Tyla wrote for this report: "I have been warmly welcomed at least a dozen times in the first three days of our trip by lovely Iranian adults and children. These strangers are now my friends. As I haven't yet mastered even a short phrase in Farsi, I have given them nothing but my smile, and they have said kind words to me and the other four on our trip. I'm carrying with me a sentiment of appreciation to so many kind Iranians and a wish to convey their warmth and hospitality to others in the U.S. who may not have the opportunity to visit Iran ." I don't really want to tell you where we are staying in Yazd . It's almost embarrassing -- a renovated former governor's mansion, with a banquet-like dining area, wood-paneled rooms with arched ceilings and stained glass windows and a garden of narrow, secluded walkways lit by lamplight. Water fountains, crying pet birds and a quarter-moon in the desert sky ... If you're looking for an inexpensive and beautiful visit to a wonderful and almost entirely crime-free land of phenomenally hospitable people, think about visiting Iran, we'd be happy to walk you through the process. Today we visited several historical sites in Yazd , all of which are exquisitely beautiful and all helpful in learning about Iran 's history and culture. But it is the conversations we have along the way that make up the soul of our journey. Many people speak some English, and we are learning a few words of Farsi. Most exchanges start with someone noticing we are speaking English. They shyly approach us and say "'ello." We answer "'ello, or "salam," and go from there. “Where are you from?†“ U.S.A. †“Oh, Am-ri-ka.†Then smiles, laughs, handshakes, and our asking permission to take their pictures… This will be hardest for most folks in the U.S. to accept, but we have been met with nothing but the warmest hospitality and kindness from everyone we have met -- working people, educators, college students, business people, everyone. Our guide says that it's because not many English-speaking foreigners visit Iran , and people are naturally curious. And I know many people at home have told us, "Sure, the people may be nice, but it's the government ..." But children don't lie. And the children have been universally not just friendly, but fascinated, joyful, delightful and warm. I can't believe that anyone, government leader, teacher or parent, is teaching these kids to hate people from the U.S. It just ain't happening. Of more concern to some of us on the delegation is that almost no one seems to be telling the people they are being targeted for a military attack. Just two people we've met so far have said they worry about such an attack from the United States . It's just not an issue here. A few people have explained that, first most people are focused on putting food on the table, not on major political issues. And second, this is a people who fought an eight-year war with Iraq - more than two times longer than U.S. involvement in World War Two. It was a war -- started by Saddam Hussein with backing from the U.S. -- that cost the country 500,000 lives; and was fought entirely on Iranian soil. Plus, they've survived 28 years of economic sanctions, and so don't seem particularly afraid of the thought of an attack. Plus, they are a nation of 70 million people, two thirds of whom are under the age of 35, more than ready to defend their country. So they think Washington would have to be crazy to start another war. Let's hope they are right. On the other and, most people seem aware that Muslims and Iranians in particular are getting a bad rap in the U.S., and so they're very appreciative when we say we are here in part so we can go home and better explain to the U.S. public what Iran is really like. Got to go -Yazd shuts down in mid-afternoon so folks can take a break during the hottest part of the day, but that time is almost up, and we're about to leave for a bazaar. More tomorrow - And, please, to all our friends in the anti-war movement: Every time you raise the demand "U.S Out of Iraq ," please remember to add "And no War on Iran !" If just some of you will do that, our 12-day, 1,750-mile journey through Iran will be a success. (drafted by Phil Wilayto with input from all delegation members.) – end –

The Dominion Derby Girls are hosting a roller derby bout on July 22, 2007 at Haygood Skating Center in Virginia Beach. The Beer'N'Diesel bout is a Trucker's Dream- the first 50 people holding a valid CDL license will get in FREE!

The Beer'N'Diesel bout stars our fabulous home team favorites- the Dirty Diesel Darlins versus our newest home team- those beer brewing babes, the St Brawli Girls. Don't miss all the hard hitting action as we continue to bring real, live roller derby to Hampton Roads!

Haygood Skating Center can be found at 1036 Ferry Plantation Rd, Virginia Beach. Doors will open at 6 and we'll hit the track at 7 pm. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door, and $20 for VIP seating. Tickets can be purchased at Skinnie's Records, Granby North, on our website, or from any derby girl. As always, kids under 12 get in FREE with a parent's admission.

Visit our website for information and tickets: http://www.varollergirls.com

Southeast Convergence for Climate Action August 8-14 near Asheville, North Carolina Day of Action: August 13 With extreme weather, massive species extinctions, and melting ice caps becoming a more dire reality each day, it is high time for us to come together to take direct action against the root causes of climate change. This August, Rising Tide North America, in collaboration with Energy Justice Summer, Southern Energy Network, and the Nuclear Information Resource Service, will host a Southeast Convergence for Climate Action near Asheville, North Carolina. The gathering will create a space for building our skills, strengthening our movements, and bringing together activists from across the region who are fighting mountaintop removal mining and coal and nuclear power plants. Mountaintop removal coal mining is devastating the ecologically diverse southern Appalachian Mountains. The coal companies have literally flattened hundreds of square miles, destroyed thousands of miles of life-giving streams, and terrorized countless communities in the process. Meanwhile, southern utility companies are planning a blitzkrieg of new dirty coal plants, despite our regions already dismal air quality. To add insult to injury, these same utility companies are using climate change as a justification for building a new fleet of dangerous nuclear reactors. The Convergence for Climate action aims to promote a just, rapid transition away from fossil fuels; to promote environmental justice by supporting communities that are fighting dirty energy developments in their backyards; to encourage direct action as a means of challenging corporate power and empowering movements to stop climate change; and to increase networking and strategizing amongst the diverse social justice and environmental movements fighting climate change and the energy industry. With Big Green environmental groups selling out to the nuclear and “clean†coal industries, and large, corporate-led climate initiatives designed to preempt any meaningful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions being pushed in DC, grassroots groups need to join forces with affected communities to fight the fossil fuel empire and create truly sustainable, community-based solutions outside of the capitalist system. The convergence will consist of a week of information and skill-based workshops and strategy sessions aimed at building a no-compromise climate justice movement in the southeast, followed by a collective day of direct action against fossil fuel infrastructure projects. It will be a place for gaining necessary skills for organizing around climate change, networking with a broad range of environmental and social justice activists, engaging in intensive strategy sessions aimed at mapping out effective approaches to fighting climate change on a regional level, confronting oppression in our organizing, implementing community-based solutions to the climate crisis, and taking action. Convergence workshops will include, Direct Action 101, Climb Trainings, Grassroots Disaster Relief, Climate Chaos, Strategic Action Planning, Anti-oppression, Sustainable living skills, Debunking False Solutions, Global Coal Resistance, Blockades, Media, and much more. Stay tuned to the website for an updated list of workshops. The Southeast Convergence for Climate Action, happening simultaneously with a Climate Convergence on the west coast, is loosely modeled after the UK’s successful Climate Camp, which last year saw 600 people come together to share skills and take action against the UK’s largest coal-fired power station. Change will come from communities, not from benign politicians and corporations who hope to profit off the climate crisis with feel-good “solutions†that do nothing to challenge a fundamentally unjust and unsustainable system. The time to act is now – join us for a week of skill-sharing, strategy and action! For more information and to register, go to www.climateconvergence.org or www.risingtidenorthamerica.org. Email: risingtide@mountainrebel.net

Two gay pink flamingos, in a six year relationship, have finally realized their dream. They have adopted an abandoned pink flamingo baby. The couple-Fernando and Carlos- produce milk in their throats to feed the baby.

According to Wildlife and Wetlands trust spokesperson, Jane Waghorn, "Fernando and Carlos are a same sex couple who have been known to steal other flamingos' eggs by chasing them off their nest because they wanted to rear them themselves....They were rather good at sitting on eggs and hatching them so last week, when a nest was abandoned, it seemed like a good idea to make them surrogate parents."

According to Waghorn, gay flamingos are not uncommon, she added. "If there aren't enough females or they don't hit it off with them, they will pair off with other males," she said.

I wonder if the notorious Fred Phelps is planning an action against the gay flamingos and the Wildlife and Wetlands Trust. These gay flamingos are following God's plan in a way that Fred Phelps does not agree with. I wonder if God is too busy to straighten Fred Phelps and his errant ways out....once and for all. But then Phelps has misinterpreted so many of God's messages maybe God has just decided to let him be.

 

 

 

Where: Princess Anne Court House (Virginia Beach) on Nimmo Parkway

When: Monday, March 26 at 12 noon

Why: A rally to support "our" FIRST and Fourteenth Amendment Rights.

 

Following the rally a 2 pm trial will be held to determine if a local peace activist and military veteran--Tom Palumbo-- should be convicted of trespassing for attempting to deliver messages from constituents to their Representative Thelma Drake.

 

If you want more details concerning what occurred you can go find more info at these links:

http://mosquito-blog.blogspot.com has numerous articles among them:

http://mosquito-blog.blogspot.com/2007/02/revere-spirit-of-rosa-parks.html

http://mosquito-blog.blogspot.com/2007/02/keep-drake-on-hot-seat.html

http://mosquito-blog.blogspot.com/2007/02/thelma-drakes-office-private-or-public.html

 

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