Thursday, May 29, 2008

Independence Day Prep + Films

Noble Peace Prize Nominations!

Thank you to those who have signed up for the Selection Team and who have sent in nominations! We could still use a couple more Team members and we could certainly use more nominations, so keep 'em comin'!

For Team members, i envision a live meeting sometime in early August to review the nominations, make a selection, and plan the ceremony. The celebration is being planned again on the weekend of International Peace Day, September 21.
The Noble Peace Prize is awarded each year to an individual or entity that is working primarily within the Ojai Valley to create and promote cultural Peace.
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Action Teams Still Need Members!

We have plenty of space for more members on our new Action Teams...please review
the list below and let me know which one(s) you'd like to be on!

Noble Peace Prize Selection Team
Independence Day Parade Team
Phone Contact Team
Peacenic Team
Voices Of Peace Book Team
Cooperative Toy and Game Fair Team

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Independence Day Parade Theme

It's official: this year's Independence Day parade theme is....
"Fourth of July Memories"
...frankly i'm far less than impressed and quite uninspired by this theme.  i've
had one suggestion that we make local eating - specifically, the 2009 locavore
project - our theme, with all of its connections to peace, environmentalism, independence,
security, etc. however, it has been my own challenge and desire to incorporate
the official theme in SOME way, even though we often add to and reframe it.
SO, i'm open to suggestions (and I-Day Team Members!) as to how we can represent
the official theme, choose one of our own, or incorporate the two.
Please send feedback HERE.
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FILM: Soldiers Speak Out

The Ventura County Committee to Stop the War presents a 28-minute film on Friday
May 30 at 7pm at the Sunset iCafé, 2096 East Main Street in Ventura.

Soldiers Speak Out is a powerful, first-hand testament to the reality of the military
experience, told entirely in the words of American veterans who have been ot war
and are now opposing it. We hear how they came to join the military, about their
experiences in training and in war, and what let to the turning point when they
decided they could no longer, in good conscience, participate in the war, or keep
silent.
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FILM: Body of War

presented as a fundraiser for the Congressional campaign of Mary Pallant, who is
running for the seat currently held by Elton Gallgely!
at 4:30 pm on Saturday May 31 at the Ojai Playhouse

$10 dontation at the door

Body of War is an intimate and transformational feature documentary about the true
face of war today. Meet Tomas Young, 25 years old, paralyzed from a bullet to his
spine - wounded after serving in Iraq for less than a week.
Body of War is Tomas' coming home story as he evolves into a new person, coming
to terms with his disability and finding his own unique and passionate voice against
the war. The film is produced and directed by Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro, and
features two original songs by Eddie Vedder. Body of War is a naked and honest portrayal
of what it's like inside the body, heart and soul of this extraordinary and heroic
young man.
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CPR: Men As Peacemakers

WHAT: "Men As Peacemakers ~ Through the Ages." In the month of Fathers Day, a
five-member, male panel ranging in age from 14 to 99 will discuss aspects of the male
experience in making peace, followed by general discussion. We will also celebrate Camarillo
peacemaker Bill Hammaker's 100th birthday!

WHEN: Sunday, June 1st, 2008, 3:00-5:00 p.m.

WHERE: Foster Library's Topping Room, 651 E. Main St., Ventura, CA


BACKGROUND
: Fathers Day was created as a compliment to Mothers Day, and was initiated
by the daughter of a Civil War veteran who raised his six children alone after their
mother's death. As we recognize the heavy hand that men have in our society and
world in operating governments and perpetrating wars, CPR honors men who use their
power to create a safer, healthier and more peaceful world.
Bill Hammaker, recipient of CPR's 2006 Earth Charter award for Respect and Care
for the Community of Life, has been in the service of Peace for most of his nearly
100 years on the planet. Most recently as a champion of the Fellowship of Reconciliation,
Bill's personal goal has been to secure 100 new members by his 100th birthday (in
addition to the 99 new members he committed to gathering last year before his 99th
birthday!).

Learn more about CPR and find out how you can get involved at www.c-p-r.net
PHONE: 805-850-5849
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Integrity Now meets June 1

The local movement that grew out of Dennis Kucinich's presidential campaign continues
to meet on the first Sunday of each month from 10am to 12pm at 207 North Ventura St.
(former site of Ojai Creates!)
The next meeting is on Sunday June 1, 2008 and is open to all!

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

New Action Teams!

This message concerns growing our group and crafting it into an organization. We have a wonderful spirit of volunteerism here, but it's mostly reactionary in my experience: i post an action or event, and you show up, help, etc. i'd like to spread the wealth a little, both to invest us all more in the shared responsibility of Peace and to make this effort sustainable by taking some of the joyful burden off of a single point (me). Thank you in advance for your support!
in Peace,
-evan

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Noble Peace Prize Nominations!

The Ojai Post has graciously agreed to host the nomination form for this year's Noble Peace Prize! Last year the Ojai Peace Coalition awarded our first-ever prize to Clive and Marion Leeman of the Ojai Peace Vigil (still happening each and every Friday evening at 6pm under the Pergola downtown!) during the opening ceremonies of Living Peace in Ojai. The celebration is being planned again for this year - again on the weekend of International Peace Day, September 21 - and we're looking for your nominations for the award!
The Noble Peace Prize is awarded each year to an individual or entity that is working primarily within the Ojai Valley to create and promote cultural Peace.


...which leads to the first Action Team opportunity:
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Noble Peace Prize Selection Team

To make the awarding of the Noble Peace Prize an official, valid, and fair process, i'd like to create an odd-numbered panel (prefereably 5, but as few as 3 persons) to review submitted NPP nominations and choose the awaredee based on a rubric we will create. The deadline for submissions is August 15, and i would like for us to have selected the recipient(s) by August 31. This team is also responsible for helping to create the ceremony/presentation of the award.
This team activates once per year, during August and September.
if you can donate your energy to this task, please LET ME KNOW.
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Independence Day Parade Team

The annual parade is our defining event...it's what we were organized around originally, and has become a great tradition. it is a fantastic opportunity to make Peace visible and to claim it publicly as a patriotic endeavor! This team can be of any size, and is responsible for finding out the parade theme as early as possible (it is usually decided in April, though i have had no luck
finding it yet this year), helping to craft an entry based on the theme, and making community contacts to support creation of and participation in parade entry. This Team is active from April to July.
if you can donate your energy to this Team, please LET ME KNOW.
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Phone Contact Team

Two-person team acts as stewards of the OPC telephone contact list, makes calls twice monthly to inform telephone contacts of upcoming actions and events per the regular OPC emails.
This Team is active twice monthly and is currently responsible for just 30-40 contacts.
if you can donate your energy to this Team, please LET ME KNOW.
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Peacenic Team

This Team plans two annual social gatherings for local peace activists: secures location, coordinates food and music, publicizes gathering. This Team is active for two months in the Spring and two months in the Fall.
If you can donate your energy to this Team, please LET ME KNOW.
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Voices of Peace Book Team

This is a new project that i'm VERY excited about, which will probably span a nice long time. Inspired by the local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter's two publications, Ojai Valley Veterans' Stories and Veterans' Stories of Ventura County, i have decided to try publishing a book of our own to reflect the rich living history of peace work that we have here in our own
community! the tentative title of this book is Voices of Peace: Ventura County, and phase one is to begin collecting interviews to comprise the text. my first interview will be with Bill Hammaker, who will turn 100 years old next month and is still active with the Fellowship of Reconciliation.

This Team requires some specialized skills, including doing research for publication of a book, exploring funding if necessary, suggesting peacemakers for interview, doing editing and formatting of book, and making marketing/retail connections. This Team activates now and will remain so until the book is published.
if you can donate your energy to this Team, please LET ME KNOW.
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Cooperative Toy & Game Fair Team

The marketing of violent toys and games to parents and children is of great concern to me, and in terms of nipping militaristic and violent play in the proverbial bud, it seems critically important to encourage other choices. i have long been enamored of the concept of "toy exchanges" and fairs that collect violent toys, distribute cooperative ones, and provide a cooperative (non-competitive) play space to practice being children and parents in a culture of Peace. This Team plans an end-of-year fair by soliciting advertisers, participants, donors, and staff, creating a program, securing venue/location, and putting on the event. This Team is active for one year, from December to December.
if you can donate your energy to this Team, please LET ME KNOW.