<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>October Calendar events</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<FONT SIZE="2"><FONT FACE="New York">Dear Newsletter editors,<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">Here are some calendar items for October and later. FEEL FREE TO PICK AND CHOOSE AND NOT USE EVERY ITEM.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">Larry Dansinger<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">September 25-27: Common Ground Country Fair, Crosby Brook Rd., Unity. MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association), 568-4142 or mofga@mofga.org or www.mofga.org.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">September 28-October 3: Banned Books Week to end literary censorship. Thesil Morlan, Amnesty International, 832-6863 or thesil@midcoast.com for an information packet.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">October 2-3: "Celebrating the Family" conference and 25th anniversary celebration of Maine Parent Federation, Wyndham Portland Airport Hotel, S. Portland. Maine Parent Federation, 1-800-870-7746 or parentconnect@mpf.org or www.mpf.org.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">October 2-4: Creating a Culture of Peace: Bringing Nonviolence Training to Your Community weekend workshop and preparation for working in Maine prisons and jails and outside, Friday evening and all day Saturday-Sunday, Midcoast Friends Meeting, 77 Belvedere Rd., Damariscotta. Linda Cote-Small, 563-6712 or chezcote@roadrunner.com.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">October 2-4: "Food for Thought, Time for Action" conference on sustainable food systems w/speakers on food politics. College of the Atlantic, 288-5015 or www.coa.edu/foodforthought/.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">October 3: Annual Harvest Supper featuring great potluck food, entertainment, and awards, 6-8 PM, Unitarian-Universalist Church, 120 Park St., Bangor. Peace and Justice Center, 170 Park St., Bangor. Call 942-9343 or info@peacectr.org or www.peacectr.org.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">October 3: Midcoast Maine Slow Foods Picnic. MOFGA, 568-4142 or lolalea@lslea.com or www.mofga.org.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">October 3-10: Annual Keep Space for Peace week of events and protests, in Maine and thruout the world, to stop the militarization of space. Call the Global Network, 443-9502 or www.space4peace.org.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">October 4: Peninsula Peace and Justice celebrates its tenth anniversay with readings, songs, and food, 4-6 PM, Library, Blue Hill. Call 326-4405 or judy@robbinsandrobbins.com.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">October 7: Champions for Children and Giraffe Awards (appreciating those who stick their necks out for kids), 5-8 PM, Freeport Hilton Garden Inn, Freeport. Maine Children's Alliance, 623-1868 or MaineKids@mekids.org or www.mekids.org.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">October 9-11: New England Gathering of War Tax Resisters and Supporters, Amazing Planet Farm, Brattleboro, VT. Larry Dansinger, Maine WTR Resource Center, 525-7776 or rosc@psouth.net for ridesharing.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">October 10: Vigil in honor of Keep Space for Peace Week to call for an end to building Aegis Cruise Missile Destroyers, 11:30 AM-12:30 PM, in front of Bath Iron Works, Washington Street, Bath. Smilin' Trees Disarmament Farm, 763-4062.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">October 14-15: "Awakening the Dreamer" annual Pax Christi retreat (environment, spirit, and social justice), Living Water Spiritual Center, Winslow. Mary Ellen Quinn, 223-4992 or memquinn@peoplepc.com.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">October 17: End the War in Afghanistan Rally and Demonstration, Copley Square, Boston. For carpooling from Maine to the demo, contact Lisa Savage, Code Pink Maine, 643-2356 or lsavage3@gmail.com. From New Hampshire, Alex Freid, xpunkdrummer444x@hotmail.com. <BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">October 19: Speaker from Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA), 7 PM, Public Library, Parrott Ave., Portsmouth, NH. Rachel Williams, Seacoast Peace Response, rachfit@mindspring.com or 781-504-5800.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">October 24: 350 Movement events around the state, highlighting climate change threats and opportunities. Look for something in your area.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">October 24: Great Maine Apple Day to celebrate apples in Maine, all day, MOFGA Educational Center, Unity. MOFGA, 568-4142 or mofga@mofga.org or www.mofga.org.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">October 25: "Capitalism Hits the Fan" film (understanding root causes of economic problems) shown with panel discussion to follow, 7 PM, Peace and Justice Center, 170 Park St., Bangor. Call 942-9343 or info@peacectr.org or www.peacectr.org. <BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">October 29: Sanford Horwitt speaks on "Community Organizer-in-Chief: Barack Obama and the Legacy of Saul Alinsky," 10 AM, Hutchinson Center, Belfast. Call 338-8033.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">October 31: Join Seacoast Peace Response and be in the Portsmouth Holiday Parade. To join the SPR contingent: Doug, dbogen@cleanwater.org or Wes, wesflierl1@netzero.net.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">November 3: Election Day--votes on Tabor II, Marriage Equality, school consolidation, excise taxes, and medical marijuana. <BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">November 6: "Whose House, OUR House" conference on getting involved in legislation supporting low income people, 9 AM-4 PM, State Capitol, Augusta. MAIN, 1-866-626-7059 x204 (Chris Rusnov).<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">November 6-8: Farmer to Farmer conference for farmers to learn new ideas and techniques, Point Lookout, Northport. MOFGA, 568-4142 or mofga@mofga.org or www.mofga.org.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">Notices:<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">A lot of attention in October will be going to a number of election issues on the November 3 ballot. Question 1 is a people's veto question. The No on 1 campaign to preserve marriage equality will be holding fundraising and voter calling parties thruout Maine. For more on how to get involved or attend a local organizing meeting, contact the campaign at www.ProtectMaineEquality.org. They are also looking for letter writers to local newspapers and people to call in to local radio stations. For more on that or for a phone/email contact, try EqualityMaine at 761-3732 or info@equalitymaine.org.<BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">Question 4 on the ballot is TABOR II (another attempt at a "Taxpayer's Bill of Rights) that many groups are opposing because it will cut state support for services for those who need those services. Question 2, on cutting local excise taxes on many cars, will also cause a loss of state services and benefits. These are both being pushed by conservative groups. Opponents of these measures include Engage Maine, 553-7157 or engagemaine@engagemaine.org or, I assume, www.engagemaine.org. The Maine Center for Economic Policy, 622-7381, also has some arguments on why cutting taxes and services will hurt and who they will hurt. <BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">Question 3 asks voters whether they want to repeal the school district consolidation law. Question 5 asks voters if they want to adjust medical marijuana laws so they allow treatment of more medical conditions and create a regulated distribution system. There is also a bond issue (#6) for $71 million and a constitutional amendment giving local officials more time to certify initiative petition signatures. <BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="New York">Health care and coverage reform is another hot topic, and the Maine Center for Economic Policy, 622-7381, www.mecep.org, has both a fact sheet on health care reform and a report, "National Health Reform: Lessons from Maine." Check out both of these for factual info. There's also Midcoast Health Care Reform, which continues to promote a single payer system and is urging rallies and vigils locally and statewide to counter the opposition to government-supported health care programs. Midcoast HCR, 596-7784 or info@midcoasthealthcarereform.org. <BR>
</FONT><FONT FACE="Times"><BR>
</FONT></FONT>
</BODY>
</HTML>