St. Louis Activist Events for June 30 - July 6

Tuesday, June 30, Smoke-Free St. Louis is holding a rally for Smoke-Free Air in the city at City Hall (1200 Market) at 11 AM.

Also Tuesday, there's a fundraiser for Alderman Kacie Starr Triplet at Smoking Joe's BBQ, 1901 Washington, from 5:30 to 8 PM.

Also Tuesday, the Worker's International League is hosting a discussion on "The Iranian Revolution: Which Way Forward" at Legacy Books, 5429 Delmar, from 6 to 8 PM.

Also Tuesday, the Bonhomme Democrats are having a Summer Picnic Potluck at 7 PM in the Scouts Pavilion at Kirkwood Park, 111 S. Geyer Rd in Kirkwood. There will be poker, bocci, and celebration of Obama's big win in Bonhomme, as well as a regular meeting.

Also Tuesday, the St. Louis County Library Foundation hosts John Hess, author of The Galapagos:Exploring Darwin's Tapestry at 7 PM at in the Auditorium at 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd.

Wednesday, July 1, is the first day that the Citygarden, a new sculpture park in downtown St. Louis, is open. It looks like a great addition to the downtown!

Also Wednesday, the YWCA Phyllis Wheatley Heritage Center is hosting a lecture on "Race and the Black Athlete-Exploitation?" by author Sean R. Muhammad. The talks will be from 5:30 to 7 PM at 2711 Locus Street (around the corner from the Loft).

Also Wednesday, "Black Flag/Black Tie" is a five course vegetarian and vegan meal to benefit a new squatted social center in North St. Louis. The event, whose motto is "fine dining: not just for the bourgeoisie" will be at Black Bear Bakery (2639 Cherokee) at 7 PM. The cost is $15-25 with reservations (771-2236) or $20-30 at the door. BYOB & Dress to Impress!

Also Wednesday, the Royale (3132 S. Kingshighway) is holding a "Cool Stuff Drop Off" to support the Animal House Fund. The St. Louis City Animal Care and Control Facility urgently needs newspapers, sprinklers, garden and industrial hoses, and cat and dog treats, as well as other supplies, so bring your donations to the Royale and check here for the full list of stuff you can donate.

Thursday, July 2 is a good day to shop at Whole Foods Market in St. Louis, as 5% of the days sales will go to Missouri River Relief.
-Note: a fellow activist writes: "I would, as a union retail clerk, argue that it is NEVER a good time to shop at Whole Foods!" It's a good point. Whole Foods is notorious for their anti-union activities.-


Also Thursday, Metropolis St. Louis, whose mission is to "create and promote an environment in the City of St. Louis that attracts and retains young people," is holding a social bar hop in the Central West End from 6 to 11:30 PM.

Also Thursday, Trailnet is holding a couple different evening bike rides, which you can see at their July Calendar.

Friday, July 3, I don't see many activist events, but you can always volunteer at City Seed's Urban Farm from 7:30 to 11:30 AM!

Saturday, July 4, Join Greenpeace in the 4th of July parade in Webster Groves.  They will be meeting at 9:15 AM at the parade barricades on the corner of Plymouth Ave. and Big Bend and marching to the corner of Elm and Glendale.

Sunday, July 5, Urban Breath Yoga is offering free yoga classes at Forest Park outside the Forest Park Visitor Center at 10 AM on Sundays all summer long. They ask that you bring a mat and a bottle of water.

Also Sunday will be a BBQ and Open House for Cervantes Free University and Learning Cooperative at the Cervantes House (6036 Pershing Avenue) from 4:30 to midnight.

Also this Sunday, and every Sunday, people gather for a vigil at College Church (Grand and Lindell) to remember the human costs of war.

Have a fun and meaningful week,

Adam

My account is back

Thanks so much to everyone who sent emails of support! I am absolutely positive that this would not have happened without you!

What facebook thinks of its users

An amazing exchange between Facebook and a friend of mine regarding my recently disabled account:

My friend wrote:

If Facebook cannot prove to be an independent, uncensored, and trustworthy mode of communication I will have to delete my account.

And Facebook responds by...GIVING INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO DELETE AN ACCOUNT!!?!

Facebook users have the option to either deactivate or delete their accounts. The differences between the two options are described below.

If you deactivate your account, your profile and all information associated with it are immediately made inaccessible to other Facebook users. What this means is that you effectively disappear from the Facebook service. However, we do save your profile information (friends, photos, interests, etc.), so if you want to reactivate at some point, your account will look just the way it did when you deactivated. Many users deactivate their accounts for temporary reasons and expect their information to be there when they return to the service. You can deactivate your account through the "Deactivate Account" link on the Account page.

If you do not think you will use Facebook again and you would like to delete your account, you can do this yourself by taking the following steps:

1. Log in to your Facebook account.
2. Visit the Security section of the Help Center by following this link:

http://www.facebook.com/help.php?topic=delete

3. Click the “I want to permanently delete my account” link toward the bottom of the page.

Please keep in mind that once your account is deleted, you will not be able to reactivate the account or retrieve any of the content or information you have added.

If you are currently unable to access your account, you will need to reset your password in order to log in. In order to do so, click the "Forgot your password?" link that appears above the field where you would normally enter your password. Entering your login email address on the next page will cause a new password to be sent to that email address. Once you receive your new password and can log in, you can deactivate or delete your account using the steps outlined above. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Thanks for contacting Facebook,

So if he says he'll delete his account if facebook isn't, "independent, uncensored, and trustworthy' and facebook responds with instructions to delete his account, does that imply what I think it implies? Wow, they have more disdain for their users than even I would have imagined!

Rally in support of Iranian citizens this Saturday!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Bahar Bastani
Date: Mon, Jun 22, 2009 at 6:11 PM
Subject: A peaceful rally in Saint Louis this Saturday
To:

Dear all
Salaam
There will be a peaceful rally in Saint Louis in support of the brave
people of Iran this Saturday.
The purpose of the rally is to express our sympathy with the people of
Iran who are risking their lives coming to the streets of the major
cities in Iran objecting the fraudulent recent election results.
There will be no disrespect to any particular person or authority.
Our common purpose is to peacefully express our support for the people
of Iran while we can maintain our personal political views, which may
differ among us.
Date and time: Saturday June, 27th. 5 pm - 8 pm.
Place: Saint Louis Old Court House. 11 North Fourth Street and Market.

St. Louis Activist Events for June 21-28

First of all, please tell facebook to stop blocking the St. Louis Activist Hub! And now back to the regularly scheduled programming.

This Week's Events:

Monday, June 22, is the last chance to save the San Luis!

Also Monday, the Community Arts and Media Project (CAMP) is hosting Dirty Fist, a duo from Gainesville, at their space at 3022A Cherokee St from 8 to 11 PM. .

Tuesday, June 23, Many Metro East Social Service agencies have received letters informing them of cuts ranging from 25% to 75%. This suggests that as soon as July 1, support for a wide range of people in need will disappear. There will be a rally for preserving services at 11:30 AM at the ChestNut Health Systems Madison Recovery Facility in Madison, IL. Contact Chris Cox at 618-493-7382 ext. 322 for more information.

Also Tuesday, Amnesty International St. Louis City will be holding their monthly letter-writing meeting from 7 to 8:30 PM at the Hartford Coffee Company located at 2974 Hartford Street.

Also Tuesday, The Interfaith Committee on Latin America (IFCLA) will be holding a "Brazil Dinner," with Webster Professor Dan Hellinger who just returned from Brazil. The dinner will be at Yemanja Brasil, 2908 Missouri Ave, starting at 7 PM. RSVP by calling 721-2977 or emailing ifcla@ifcla.net.

Also Tuesday, Vital Voice Magazine and Pride St. Louis are holding a "U"nity Party to kick off Pride Week at the Mandarin Lounge, 44 Maryland Plaza from 7 to 11 PM.

Wednesday, June 24, Russell Howze will be in town to discuss his book "Stencil Nation," at the Mad Art Gallery, 2727 S. 12th Street at 7 PM. The event will include a brief video presentation as well as a cash bar.

Thursday, June 25, Citizens for Modern Transit, who helped lead the fight to get some Metro funding restored, is hosting a "St. Louis Streetcar Economic Development Forum" at the Missouri History Museum from 8 AM to 10 AM. The event will feature an expert on the Portland Streetcar, John Carrol. They are asking people to RSVP by calling Kim Cella at 314-231-7272.

Also Thursday, City Affair and the Partnership for Downtown St. Louis are holding an open house on "Downtown Next: Stepping Up to a New Vision" at the Old Post Office, 815 Olive Street, from 5 to 7:30 PM.

Also Thursday, Matthew Alexander, who was awarded a Bronze Star for his achievements in Iraq, including finding Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, will be speaking at the downtown location of Left Bank Books (321 North 10th Street) on his book "How to Break a Terrorist: The U.S. Interrogators who Used Brains, Not Brutality, to Take Down the Deadliest Man in Iraq" from 7 to 9 PM. The event is co-sponosored by Amnesty International St. Louis and you can RSVP here.

Friday, June 26, from Eric, "Friday is an important opportunity to be involved in the National Park Service's planning process for the Ozark National Riverways. The rivers (Current and Jacks Fork) have been plagued with problems brought on by lax enforcement and downright illegal activities on the part of the Park Service. Please visit moenviron.org and click Save the Current River to watch a video and read about what is going on."

Also Friday, the Carondelet Community Betterment Foundation is having a "Bunco Night Fundraiser" at Sisters of St. Joseph Motherhouse (6400 Minnesota) from 7 to 10 PM. $10 admission.

Also Friday, Udi and His Fellow Villagers, a guerilla funk bank who kicked ass at the Alberto Gonzales protests and as such will always occupy a special place in my heart, will be playing at The Gramophone at 4243 Manchester from 10 PM to 1:30 AM.

Saturday and Sunday, the 27th and 28th, is the long-anticipated St. Louis Pride Festival 2009! Check out the schedule at this link and RSVP via facebook here.

Saturday, June 27, 5-8 PM, at the Old Court House (11 North 4th Street), "There will be a peaceful rally in Saint Louis in support of the brave people of Iran this Saturday. The purpose of the rally is to express our sympathy with the people of Iran who are risking their lives coming to the streets of the major cities in Iran objecting the fraudulent recent election results. There will be no disrespect to any particular person or authority. Our common purpose is to peacefully express our support for the people of Iran while we can maintain our personal political views, which may differ among us."

Also Saturday, check out "Blues in the Night," a benefit for the Institute for Peace and Justice at the Black Rep Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square at 8 PM.

Sunday, June 28, Growing American Youth is shooting for "200 Youth Strong in the St. Louis PRIDE Parade" this year! Meet up at South Grand and McDonald in front of the Carpenter Branch Library at 11 AM.

Have a fun and meaningful week!

Adam

My emails to facebook

Here are the emails I sent to facebook over the past several weeks. I sent them to the email address Facebook provided. So far I have received no response from Facebook.

(click on any of the pictures for a larger view)


Note: Even though sending a certain number of friend requests is not in their Terms of Use, I initially thought my account might have been disabled because I sent a lot of friend requests. Previously, if I had sent a lot of friend requests, would occasionally see a warning on the screen saying I was approaching my limit. When I saw such a warning, I quit sending friend requests and there was never a problem. However, there was never any warning to that effect this time.

Compliments on facebook activism

Hi, as I mentioned before, my facebook account has been disabled without any explanation. I have sent five emails over the course of the last three weeks to the email address facebook provided, and they still have yet to provide any explanation whatsoever. Facebook has also blocked messages and event invitations from going out from St. Louis Activist Hub, a group with over 2,200 members that helps to connect progressive people and activists across St. Louis.

In order to show why I think this inexplicable censorship is an important loss for the St. Louis region, I am posting below just a small sampling of the compliments I and St. Louis Activist Hub have recieved since the group was formed less than a year ago:

(click on any of the images for a larger view)






Most of the compliments were actually sent to me as direct messages, rather than posted on the wall. Of course, it is somewhat hard to track all these down since my account was disabled. However, here is just a small sampling that I retrieved via my email account (keep in mind that these are just from the past three months and the group has been in existence for almost a year now):

St. Louis Activist Events for June 8-14

Last week, without warning or explanation, facebook disabled my account. I have sent them several emails and have yet to hear any response as to why they did this. I learned about many of the events listed on the Activist Hub through facebook invitations, so this will make it harder for me to catch all of the amazing events that are going on around St. Louis. Hopefully, this problem will be taken care of soon.

This week's events:

Monday, June 8, Triumph Grill at 3419 Olive is hosting a fundraiser for Springboard, an organization that supports academic, cultural, and enrichment programs in local schools. Call 314-446-1801 to reserve a spot and make sure to mention the name Springboard. The event goes from 5 to 9 PM.

Monday through Friday, UMSL is hosting a Fundraising Institute as part of their nonprofile managment and leadership program. Get the full details here.

Tuesday, June 9, NARAL is asking for help stuffing their summer newsletter. RSVP to help out here.

Also Tuesday, from 4 PM to close, McAlister's Deli will be donating 15% of sales to United Way.

Also Tuesday, Amnesty International will be holding their monthly meeting from 7 to 8:30 PM at Bethel Lutheran Church, 7001 Forsyth.

Wednesday, June 10, Metropolis St. Louis is hosting a discussion of the economic and social implications of a "Global Midwest Megaregion" with participation from several prominent speakers. The event is at the Old Post Office at 815 Olive from 6 to 7:30. Refreshments will be served starting at 5 PM.

Thursday, June 11, author Nancy Kehoe discusses her book "Wrestling with Our Inner Angels" a story about her application of spirituality in her work with mentally ill patients. The discussion is hosted by Left Bank Books, 299 N. Euclid Ave, and runs from 7 to 9 PM.

Thursday is also the last chance to catch "Throw Down Your Heart" at the Webster University Film series. This film follows Bela Fleck as he travels through Africa exploring the local music and culture. The movie is at 8 PM in the Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster Campus.

Friday through Sunday, the fascinating-looking film "Examined Life", featuring interviews with Peter Singer, Cornell West, and others, will be screening at the Webster Film Series at 8 PM. The movie will be showing in the Winifred Moore Auditorium on the Webster Campus.

Friday, June 12, Ansel Adam's photographs of Yosimite National Park go on display at the St. Louis Art Museum.

Also Friday, listen to the stories of LGBT African Christians as Christ Church Cathedral screens "Voices of Witness Africa" in Schuyler Hall, 1210 Locust from 7 to 9 PM.

Also Friday, Robin Carnahan will be the featured speaker at the 27th Annual First Capitol Dinner at the Trigg Banquet Center (300 O'Fallon Plz, O'Fallon, MO) from 7 to 11 PM. Make sure to get your tickets in advance.

Also Friday is the opening reception for the "Women Are Goddesses" exhibit at the Soulard Art Market, 2029 S. 12 Street. Check out the great artwork and grab some refreshments from 7 to 10 PM.

Also Friday, there will be a fundraiser for Whats Up Magazine at Off Broadway, 3511 Lemp Ave, from 9 PM to 1:30 AM.

Saturday, June 13 is the St. Louis Komen breast cancer race/fun walk. The event runs from 7 AM to 4 PM and you can find more out here.

Also Saturday is the 2nd Annual Progressives Picnic, for progressive bloggers and friends, held in Tower Grove Park at the Cypress South Pavilion from noon to 5 PM. There's only one rule: No Glass Bottles! A map to help find the event location is posted on the facebook page.

Also Saturday is the one year anniversary celebration of SAGE Metro St. Louis! The event is from 2 to 4 PM at the Kerr Building, 21 O'Fallon Street in St. Louis.

Sunday, June 14 is Pride Day at Six Flags, a day where the amusement park recognizes the GLBTQ community. Ticket information can be found on the facebook page.

Also Sunday, Justice and Peace Shares, a local organization that supports the work of several important progressive St. Louis institutions, is having a fundraiser at McGurk's from 4:30 to 6:30. Music, drinks and appetizers will all be on hand. McGurk's is located at 12th and Russell.

Have a fun and meaningful week!

Adam

St. Louis Activist Events for June 1 - 7

This week's events:

Monday, June 1 .  St. Louis is one of many cities hosting a vigil in Memory of Dr. George Tiller, a doctor murdered in cold blood at a church because he performs abortions.  The vigil will be from 6:30 to 7:30 at St. John's Episcopal Church, 3664 Arsenal St.  

Tuesday, June 2.  Greenpeace St. Louis will be carpooling to St. Charles from 4 to 7 PM to speak with people about Global Warming outside of a propagdanda fest of global-warming deniers.  If you're interested, send an email to Hannah Allison at hannah.allison@greenpeace.org .

Also Tuesday, A great new project called "Summer of Solutions" that works on community-based climate change solutions is having a potluck meeting at 6015 Waterman from 7 to 10 PM.

Wednesday, June 3, the St. Louis MoveOn Council will be meeting to discuss the next steps of the "Power Up America" Campaign to develop a sustainable economy with stable jobs.  They'll be meeting at Bradford's Pub at 720 Westport Plaza at 7 PM.

Also Wednesday, Danny Glover is returning to St. Louis in support of efforts to save Reggie Clemons' life.  He will be speaking with Reggie over the phone, and the documentary "Borrowed Time" will also be shown.  The event starts at 7 PM at Kennerly Temple COGIC, 4307 Kennerly Avenue.  Find out more here.

Thursday, June 4-CANCELLED- UFCW is holding rallies across the country in an effort to organize Wal-Mart employees.  Current Wal-Mart employees will be on hand asking the public and co-workers to join the effort to unionize the country's largest employer.  The local rally will be at 10741 West Florissant in Ferguson, MO at noon.  For more info, contact Cynthia Blackmon at 636-736-2769. -CANCELLED-

Also Thursday, join the Interfaith Partnership and Faith Beyond Walls for an educational forum on the role of Interfaith Communities in healthcare reform.  The will be several excellent speakers presenting followed by a question and answer session. The Forum will be held at Central Reform Congregation (5020 Waterman Ave.) from 5:45 to 8 PM.  Please RSVP to rkuziez@faithbeyondwalls.org or 314-531-4787.

Also Thursday, there will be a prayer vigil for Reggie Clemons, slated to be executed on June 17, at the St. James AME Church, 4301 St. Ferdinand sponsored by the Metropolitan Clergy Coalition, at 7 PM.

Also Thursday is the June meeting for City Affair, a group working to restore the greatness of St. Louis via the preservation of its built environment and advocacy of urbanist planning.  This month they will be discussing the controversial "Northside" proposal by developer Paul McKee.  The meeting will be at the Stl-Style Headquarters (2400 S. Jefferson) from 7:30 to 9 PM.

Also Thursday, Greater St. Louis NORML and Legalize St. Louis are having a meeting for people interested in volunteering this summer for the Sensible Sentencing Initiative petition.  They'll be meeting at volunteer coordinator Mike Hathaway's place at 2011 Blendon at 7:30 PM.  

Saturday, June 8.  Area F Council is holding the 7th Annual HIV/AIDS Awareness Walk and Health Expo at Dwight Davis Park (on the corner of Riverview and Lillian) from 8 AM to 4 PM.

Also Saturday, The National Kidney Foundation and St. Louis University are hosting a Kidney Walk to help raise awareness of the need for early detection of kidney disease.  They'll be meeting at the corner of Grand and Lindell and the event goes from 8:30 AM to 2 PM.  

Also Saturday, a group of people who think the city needs to change the fact that Interstate 70 cuts off the downtown from the riverfront and creates dead space in downtown are holding a picnic under the highway.  The event is at the Intersection of Washington Ave and Memorial Drive from 1 to 3 PM.  From the comments on the wall, everyone is advised to "dress as preppy as possible" to avoid suspicion.  

Sunday, June 7, the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis is hosting a book fair to benefit the Rabbi Robert P. Jacobs Jewish Fund for Human Needs.  The event is from 10 AM to 9 PM at the Borders book stores in Creve Coeur (11745 Olive) and Brentwood (1519 S. Brentwood). Make sure to download coupons at www.jfhn.org in advance.

Also Sunday, the Missouri Rural Crisis Center will be showing a documentary about factory farming titled "Farming Was My Life: The Hidden Costs of CAFOs" at the Central Reform Congregation (5020 Waterman Blvd) from 4 to 6 PM.