Press Conference: 1:30pm • 406 Main St., Suite 313 in Watsonville (corner of Beach and Main)

Public Presentation: 5:00 to 7:00pm • Green Valley Grill, 40 Penny Lane, Watsonville

A day of experiential exercises and practices that help us transform our despair about the state of our world into authority to act to save it. Based on the work on Joanna Macy

While we are caught up in our opposition to the Iraq war/occupation and the immense costs of that war ($132 billion so far and counting), very little is written or talked about by the human rights catastrophe happening in Sudan. It is estimated that 1000 people a day die in Sudan while local organizations (WILPF, the IWW, and the RCNV) have yet to even pick up the issue. While many have involved themselves in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict (myself included), the death toll there is 4,200 dead (on both sides) in the past FOUR YEARS!! This pales as a nothing on the scale with actual GENOCIDE being committed in Sudan. Is it significant that the perpetrators in Sudan are Arab/Muslims??? Does the RCNV have an unwritten rule that it will not publicize any injustice done by Arabs? A search of their website today (Sept. 12, '04) shows that the name "Sudan" cannot be found anywhere on the website!! Of course, the anti-homeless issue of the Sleeping Ban cannot not be found there either. The following article can be found on the Human Rights Watch website at www.hrw.org

When Humboldt Sheriff deputies Q-tip swabbed chemical pepper spray into the eyes of forest defenders, the collective vision of people everywhere was blinded with searing pain. People who see the problems caused by corporate logging (Maxxam/Pacific Lumber) are using their bodies to protect the trees. The pepper spray eye swabbing response by the Sheriffs shows their fear of our collective vision, they want people to be blinded to the truth..

The Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) is the only group working in the field, everyday, to stop the slaughter and harassment of Yellowstone's wild buffalo. On September 8, volunteers with the BFC gave a presentation at the Louden Nelson Center in Santa Cruz. Mike, a co-founder of the BFC, along with Josh, a four year volunteer with the campaign, gave personal accounts of monitoring the last wild buffalo and showed videos of buffalo being traped and killed. In addition to evening presentation, the BFC brought a large inflatable buffalo to the Santa Cruz Farmers' Market as a way of interacting with market goers.