Victoria's got a dirty secret! No, it's not crabs or the fact that she has a body rarely found in Nature. The company, Victoria's Secret, mails out over 395 million catalogs a year -- more than 1million a day -- on paper that comes from virgin timber, much of it from Canada's Great Boreal Forest.

Come on over to Capitola Mall on November 5th, from 3 - 5pm and show your forest love in an international day of action!

See Also: Victoria's Dirty Secret Website

The Foothill Anti-Capitalist Action Committee spread the word of a protest on November 1, 2005 against the military recruiters who table in the quad every Tuesday at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California. However on this Tuesday, the military recruiters failed to show up. It looks like the military learned about the protest and thought it would be a better idea to stay away from it, rather than be the focus of the demonstration.

About 15 people marched from the Smithwick Theater plaza to the quad where people eat lunch and take breaks between classes. A lot of people were very supportive of the demonstration, which included a mobile sound system.

Audio (mp3s): [ Who's In Charge? Nobody's In Charge || Interview with a student at Foothill College || Shut Em Down! Why Military Recruiters are Opposed || Interview with a worker at Foothill College || Interview with James, Greg and Megan ]

Last week, Rosa Parks, the legendary figure from the Civil Rights Movement, passed away at the age of 92.

Moved by her death, students held a somber vigil last night in honor of her life and legacy. Organized by UC Santa Cruz's African/Black Student Alliance (A/BSA), the late-night vigil featured song, prayer, a moment of silence, and speeches on Parks' life.

See Also: Rosa Parks, Misremembered (Portland IMC)

The 3rd Annual Practical Activism Conference, Tools for Local and Global Change, was a day-long conference which took place on October 29, 2005 at the University of California at Santa Cruz. It offered a series of workshops addressing activism and change in the local and global context, as well as keynote speeches from Daniel "Nane" Alejandrez and Nzingha Dugas.

Daniel "Nane" Alejandrez is recognized for his commitment to developing alternatives to youth violence, his work in the End the Barrio Warfare Movement and building family and community responses to violence in urban city streets. He co-founded the Kansas City Peace Summit, where urban gangs have met to discuss peace proposals, and is co-founder of the National Coalition of Barrios Unidos.

Audio: Nane - Download the mp3 (22:54 minutes / 10.5 MB)

Nzingha Dugas is a 13 year staff member of UC Berkeley in the area of student leadership and development, outreach, rercruitment, retention, and cross cultural student coalition building. She has been active in supporting the student voice for 20 years and has been the keynote for student leadership programs as well as doing trainings, seminars and workshops focusing on leadership development.

Audio: Nzingha Dugas - Download the mp3 (24:22 minutes / 11.2 MB)

Activists, including the Watsonville Brown Berets, disrupt Minutemen rally on the steps of the Capital

On October 29, 2005, about one hundred Minutemen, a racist vigilante group, staged a rally on the steps of the State Capitol in Sacramento in order to gain support for an initiative that would create a state police force specifically responsible for enforcing federal immigration law. More than one thousand organizers, immigrant rights groups, students and families staged a spirited and emotionally energized counter protest on the length of the sidewalk in front of the Capitol steps where the Vigilantes held their program. Protecting the vigilante group were various police agencies, including the CHP and Sacramento police, who stood between the dissenting factions.

Protesters carried signs demanding an end to terrorism on immigrants and that no human is illegal. Several politicians, including Peter Camejo, Green Party candidate, addressed the crowd of protesters and denounced the proposed measure and the Minutemen. The police, utilizing excessivly brutal force, arrested one demonstrator for standing on the street. Arnold Schwarzenegger has publicly supported the Minutemen. Jim Gilchrist, a founder of the Minutemen and the Save Our State Initiative, is planning on a run for Congress in 2006.

sacprisonersupport@riseup.net writes: there were actually 4 arrests (if not more). 2 were released, one is pending release (resisting arrest), and one santa cruz resident is still in jail on two felony counts.

Fernando Suarez del Solar escribe: Mi mas sincero reconocimiento a todos y cada uno de los hereos que se enfrentaron a esos ilegales llamados "Minutenmen", es un orgullo para nuestra raza que personas como ustedes hagan valer nuetro legado historico y nuestro derecho. En nombre de Guerrero Azteca por la Paz, les agradesco de corazon su esfuerzo tan significativo y valeroso, a los muchachos de mi ciudad hermana Watsonville, gracias, muchas gracias y reciban mi cariño. Paz y justicia hoy y siempre!!!

more coverage: The No Border Movement Goes to Sacramento || radioactive sandiego - reports from sacramento anti-minutemen protest || Anti-Racist Groups Hold Counter-Protest Opposing Minuteman Rally at Capitol || Press Release on Arrrests at Minuteman Rally Saturday

see also: deleteTheBorder.org || I Heart Gilchrist.com || The ORGANIC Collective || Anarchist Action

Critical Mass bike rides are unorganized coincidences taking place in many small and large communities throughout the world, usually on the last Friday of the month. Critical Mass in October is especially fun because it is a Hallowen Ride where people dress and act in a freakish fashion.

On October 28, about 50 cyclists took to the streets of Santa Cruz for this year's Halloween Critical Mass at around 5:30pm. The Critical Mass has been growing in the last few months and this mass would have been larger if there was not a confusion (see: "unorganized coincidence") about what time people were meeting at and leaving from the clock tower. Still, numerous riders were able to find the mass in streets and join in the fun!

see also: Halloween Midnight Mystery Ride

George interviews Cynthia Mathews of Planned Parenthood Santa Cruz and Vice Mayor about prop 73 Termination of Minor's Pregnancy. Waiting Period and Parental Notification.

Ca. Prop 73 Amends California Constitution to bar abortion on unemancipated minor until 48 hours after physician notifies minor's parent/legal guardian, except in medical emergency or with parental waiver. Permits judicial waiver of notice based on clear and convincing evidence of minor's maturity or minor's best interests. Physician must report abortions performed on minors and State shall compile statistics.

Audio: Download the mp3 (24:55 minutes / 11.5 MB)

[ No On Prop 73: Campaign for Teen Safety ]

Read more about the November 8th Special Election on Indybay's Government page

Public Hearing on the Lompico Headwaters Timber Harvest Plan

The Lompico Watershed Conservancy needs your help to stop a potentially devastating Timber Harvest Plan. The plan would involve cutting old growth trees on the lands in and around the watershed. This would not only cause disruption of the environment and habitat destruction, it would also signficantly destabilize the land, creating erosion and potential landslide risks.

The Public Hearing for this logging plan is tentatively scheduled for November 2nd, 7:00 PM at the Zayante Fire House on 7700 E. Zayante Rd. across from the Trout Farm Inn in the Zayante area of Felton.

Please attend this hearing. The hearing in 2001 was attended by over 200 area residents and was a remarkable event. Having a strong presence at this meeting can have a considerable effect on the outcome. We stopped the last Headwaters THP. Now we will have to do it again.

Resources: Earth First! Santa Cruz || Lompico Watershed Conservancy

Related Stories: Feb. 2005, Big Basin Logging || July 2004, History of EF! (includes info. on Redwood Empire Company) || Sept. 2002, Tree Sitters Threatened By Redwood Empire Co.

"Not one more death, not one more dollar for war!"

Join concerned citizens in cities across the US in a public candlelight vigil to mark the loss of the 2,000th US soldier in Iraq. Two thousand is too many, and we call upon the Bush Administration and all our elected officials to pull our men and women immediately out of this needless war. We call for an end to all death and injury, American and Iraqi alike. We call for an end to the occupation now! And we call for a return of the resources of Iraq to the Iraqi people.

On the evening after the 2,000th death, come together at 7:00 PM at the Town Clock Park in the city of Santa Cruz (at the corner of Mission/Water Streets and Pacific Ave). Bring candles to hold shielded from the wind - and bring flowers, ribbons, shells, feathers, photos, poems, votive candles, and.... to create an altar in honor and in memory of those slain and injured. If you can, wear Black or White.

After the vigil we will march in a "trail of tears" down Pacific Avenue and up to Mission Park (by Holy Cross Church), the site of the original occupation and genocide on the land that we, here in Santa Cruz County, now inhabit, a thread that pervades our nation and lives on exponentially into Afghanistan and Iraq.

Information about community vigils and more can be found on the AFSC's list of over 604 local vigils all over the US.

Read more on Indybay's Anti-War News Page

Photos: VIGIL - Two Thousand Too Many

After 7 years on Walnut Avenue, The Hub for Sustainable Transportation is moving to a new location. Our primary projects are the Bicycle Church, a self-service community bike shop and tool co-op open 6 days per week, and People Power!, a local advocate and educator for cycling and non-auto-dependant transportation and planning issues. We share space with and are supported by Pedaler's Express, the human-powered delivery collective.

As of January 1st, 2006, we will be opening our doors at 703 B Pacific Avenue, just south of Laurel St. The Bicycle Church is expanding from roughly 200 to 1000 square feet! This means more tools, more stands, better service and a better shop environment. We are also building a new community meeting room available to local groups, and improving our office facilities. All of this requires an extensive remodel to the new building.