[Peace] AWARE meeting minutes for August 15th, 2010

[Karen Medina]

AWARE minutes for Sunday, August 15, 2010
McKinley Foundation, Dean Clark room

Six people in attendance: Charles, Doug, Karen, Rohn, Ron, Stuart.

In the News this Week:
* Dispute over New York Islamic Center (Ron)
* Russia agrees to supply Iran; U.S. disliked, but now likes. (Doug)
* Floods in Pakistan; U.S. military is not helping the people
suffering from an incredibly horrible natural disaster. Not much help
is coming from anywhere. (Stuart)
* Because of Russia's crop failure, it stopped exporting wheat this
week. This is the kind of disruption, changing where food grows
reliably, that is expected as climate change goes on. (Stuart)
* U.S. secret war in Yemen (Carl via Ron)
* Real ID as a thing that started in the 1940’s and included probable
cause. (Charles)
* AT&T, GSM, hackers and government can intercept cell phone
conversations. (Charles)
* Google Earth used to help identify homes that built pools without
permits ; Aerial images being used to enforce laws; 4th amendment
(guards against unreasonable searches and seizures) (Karen)
[If the gist of comment was incorrectly represented here, I apologize. –kem]

Working Group Reports:
Treasurer’s Report: We've spent about $600 recently on Farmer's Market
swag, and a couple hundred for use of McKinley through the end of the
year. Our balance is under a thousand but we're in OK shape. (Stuart)

AWARE on the Air:  We need more diversity! Tuesday, 1pm, UPTV. (Ron)

AWARE Films: September 26th, 2010; possibly going to show “Rethink
Afghanistan”; 2pm at the Champaign Public Library.

Illinois Coalition for Justice, Peace and the Environment (Stuart):
recent face-to-face meeting in Chicago of the ICJPE representatives.
Stuart went (August 14th).  Topics discussed included :
* October 16, 2010: Midwest Regional Action day in Chicago (Obama’s
town).  A large antiwar demonstration right in Obama’s home town,
preceded by a teach-in, to make it mean more to the public than just
coming together and going home. Organizing committees are assembling.
Interested? Contact person: Andy Thayer (ccawr at aol dot com).
* November 6, 2010: Media Democracy Day: big meeting in Chicago, with
panels and a People’s Assembly.
* February 2011: proposed date for the next annual meeting of ICJPE:
Currently proposed is a smaller event with just a single good keynote
speaker. Suggestions for speakers are welcome. Two ideas: Glen Ford
(of Black Agenda Report), on activism in the era of Obama; or, finding
someone who is working on changing power relations – like the work of
ACORN that made it such a target for the Right to bring down.
* November 2011 meeting; panels at this meeting.
* Monthly conference call meetings continue these discussions. Stuart
is “attending” these as well.

Farmer’s Market: Comments from purchasers:
* Coexist bumper stickers are the wrong ones.  The ones we have do not
have the yin yang or the peace symbol on them.
* A certain county politician who frequents the table bought a yard sign.
* Stuart mentioned that we need to keep track of the “War is not the
answer” yard sign sales so we can reimburse Friends Committee for
National Legislation (FCNL).
* A rough schedule for this coming Saturday was sketched out.
* The swag is at Stuart’s house.

Events of the Past Week:

Upcoming Events:
CUPrideFest 2010 (the first gay pride festival in Champaign Urbana!)
August 20th, 2010, Friday; 4pm-2am
Lincoln Square Mall (downtown Urbana)
Family friendly events!
Food, kids’ games and activities, performances by Amasong and loads of
bands and much more.

Farmer’s Market / AWARE’s table at the Farmer’s Market
August 21st, 2010, Saturday; 8am-noon
Corner of Illinois and Vine Streets, Urbana, Illinois
Bumper stickers, buttons, literature, conversation, yard signs, peace
flags, tee-shirts.

Iftar* Dinner funder raiser for Flood Victims in Pakistan:
August 21st, 2010, Saturday; 6pm
Research Park Gateway Building, 1800 S. Oak St., Champaign, Illinois
Hosted by PGSA – UIUC (Pakistan Graduate Students Association at the
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
Tickets are $30 for one, $50 for a couple, $65 for a family of three,
$75 for a family of four
Tickets can be purchased from Barbara Kessel, barkes at gmail.com
Also: Osman Sarood (217-819-9492) or Qazi Aurangzeb (217-417-9821) to
purchase tickets or ask further questions or to make a donation.
https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/ro/www/PakistaniGraduateStudentsAssociation/
Moneys go to Islamic Relief** – a NGO with a good reputation.

Quad Day,
August 22nd, 2010, Sunday; Noon to 4pm
AWARE will be giving out peace buttons and AWARE “business” cards.
The Quadrangle is between Green Street and Gregory Drive, and between
Wright Street and Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801

AWARE weekly meeting
August 22rd, 2010, Sunday; 5pm-6:30pm
McKinley Foundation's Dean Clark room, 5th and Daniel, Champaign, Illinois
News of the week discussion, work group reports, upcoming events.

University of Illinois Fall Semester begins (first day of instruction)
August 23rd, 2010, Monday.

Meeting of the CU Immigrant Rights Group,
August 23rd, 2010, Monday; 7pm at the Champaign Public Library in the
[Library] Friends Meeting Room (room 215, on 2nd floor)
200 W. Green St., Champaign, Illinois

Sweet Corn Festival / AWARE’s booth at the festival
Friday August 27 and Saturday August 28, 2010
Friday, 5pm-11pm; Saturday, 11am-11pm.

Join the peace listserv! It is a great way to know about upcoming peace events!
http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace

--   Notes of explanation
* Iftar (Arabic: إفطار‎), refers to the evening meal when Muslims
break their fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan. Iftar is one of
the religious observances of Ramadan and is often done as a community,
with people gathering to break their fast together. Iftar is done
right after Maghrib (sunset) time.
** Islamic Relief is an independent NGO founded in the UK in 1984 and
is an international relief and development organization comprised of a
family of 15 Aid Agencies that, as a whole, aims to alleviate the
suffering of the world’s poorest people. They are inspired by their
Islamic values and envisage a world where communities are empowered,
social obligations are fulfilled and people respond as one to the
suffering of others. Islamic Relief is a member of the UN's Economic
and Social Council and it is a signatory to the Code of Conduct for
the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in
Disaster Relief. IR is also a member of Bond (British Overseas NGOs
for Development) and is part of the global Make Poverty History
coalition which is campaigning to end extreme poverty.
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