OMNI NEWSLETTER: EVENTS, ACTIONS, COMMENT


BUILDING A CULTURE OF PEACE

May 13, 2005

OMNI is a process committed, open, patient, drawing people from all walks of life, freeing them from their stasis and mobilizing them. Every day we must take ownership of ourselves and our relationships; no one is better than another; we are critical thinkers, finding our own truths while cooperating with others; education is our best investment and information our most important resource--for peace, justice, and the environment.

May 14, Cleanup of Spout Spring Creek from Yvonne Richardson Center south through Walker Park to 15th. Registration 9.am. at Richardson, 240 E. Rock St. Lunch provided at noon following cleanup. Sponsored by City, Audubon, Neighborhood Assoc.


MAY 15, SUNDAY, 12:30 TO 4:00, PEACE POLE PAINTING

Potluck at 12:30, followed by painting. If your present pole is fading bring it down for a touch-up!



MAY 15, 7pm, 2 FILMS: 1) PROMISE KEEPERS, 2) AMY GOODMAN ON RELIGIOUS RIGHT.

At OMNI.



MAY 15, 2005, Kid's Bicycle Safety Rodeo, 9-11am, Location is parking lot on Mountain St. just west of Loafin' Joe's near the Fayetteville Square. (from Laura, contact 2006)



MAY 16, MONDAY, 6:30, INTERWEAVE POTLUCK

UUA affiliate for GLBT. Every 3rd Monday at UUFF annex.



MAY 18, 7pm, PROMISE KEEPERS COMMITTEE MEETING

OMNI/UCM Sanctuary. If you support justice for women, you should support this effort, led by NOW, to inform people about Promise Keepers, which is holding its national meeting in Razorback Stadium June 10-11. “Promise Us Equality” will be held in the Greek Amphitheater June 11. Mark your calendar now. Watch for details.



MAY 19, THURSDAY, OMNI STEERING COMMITTEE

5:30 Potluck, business begins 6:00.



MAY 21, 4TH annual LULAC Arkansas State Convention

Saturday, Student Union, UofA, 8AM to 4PM. Contact Alejandro Aviles, 530-8380



JUNE 2-3, THURSDAY-Friday, AGAINST THE WAL MARCH

From Brad Bowen: here's the plan for the Walmart shareholders convention. Assemble at 5:00pm on Thursday, June 2 @ the Walton Art Center parking lot. Begin march up Dickson St. at 5:30pm to Block St. to the Square. Press Conference at 6:00pm on the square. A social function with music & food will be provided afterward at the tent on Markham Hill. (Take Markham rd. all the way to the top, pass the dead end sign, first
gravel road to the right, it's marked Evangeline Dr. (private rd.)) Some folks will gather at 5am on Friday,June 3 to greet the shareholders as they enter the Bud Walton arena. For more info: www.againstthewal.net



JUNE 3, 6:30, Fire Mountain Restaurant, ANTHONY MARR LECTURES

Fire Mountain (formerly Ryan’s, south of the Mall, south of Dixie Café).

Anthony Marr is a world-renowned wildlife preservationist, who will present a double program for us! First, a slide talk on his work to prevent the extinction of the Bengal tiger, called "Tigers Forever." Next, as part of his major national tour to explain his concept of Omniscientific Cosmology, he will give us a lecture on this unique and original concept. Anthony Marr's Omniscientific Cosmology is a new and ground-breaking model of the Universe that embraces all the sciences-- physical, biological and sociological. It has been hailed by respected scientists and philosophers as "formidable", "fascinating", "a beautiful synthesis", "an immensely logical construct", "an extraordinary intellectual undertaking", "the philosophical system of the 21st Century", "important ideas with great potential for lessening the conflicts in a troubled world", and "should be of interest not only to experts but to all thinking people of the world.” For more on Anthony Marr and his Omniscientific Cosmology, see www.Omni-Science.org.

See the website about his event in Phoenix by the Humanist Society of Greater Phoenix - www.HSGP.org.

His book on the subject is currently available through Amazon.com. It can also be ordered through the www.Omni-Science.org, via email.


JULY 22, PEACE & JUSTICE HEROES BANQUET
2005 Peace & Justice Heroes Awards Banquet has been scheduled for July 22 at the Clarion Inn on South Shiloh Dr., Fayetteville, at 6:00 pm. Last year's banquet was a blast, where 90 people showed up. Heroes medallions were awarded to 4 people and groups doing outstanding work for peace and justice in Arkansas. OMNI Center was proud to be able to recognize them. Nominations for the award are being accepted right now. Email Gladys Tiffany at gladystiffany@yahoo.com to suggest names for this award. Send phone numbers and email addresses, and the nominations committee will contact them for a bio. Plan to attend yourself. You'll be glad you did.

LOOKING WAY AHEAD: SEPTEMBER 25, 2007, 50TH Anniversary of effort to integrate LR’s Central High School



VIDEO AND PHOTOS OF EARTH DAY STUDENT POSTERS?

Karen Kimrey told me someone had made a video of all of the posters, and others took photos. Please give a copy to Anne Prichard for OMNI’s archives. And any other photos you took of OMNI’s SpringFest. Thanks!



MEDIA WATCH: PBS

John Brummett, “Media Fairness Debated” (TMN 5-9-05) tackles the continued rightward move of PBS.



NUCLEAR WATCH (AND MEDIA/NYT WATCH)

TNYT (5-8) editorialized, “Missing Nuclear Leadership,” against Bush. Admin. failures regarding nuclear proliferation, “the pre-eminent national security issue of our times,” and in a news report, “Who Scares the Rest?” gave graphic information about the national nuclear arsenals. Robert McNamara wrote in a recent essay: “ I would characterize current US nuclear weapons policy as immoral, illegal, militarily unnecessary, and dreadfully dangerous.” Contact your representatives!


BUILDING A CULTURE OF PEACE GARDENS

Fayetteville now has two private peace gardens. Dick Bennett’s “Peace Rock Garden” and Marie Riley’s “Julia Ward Howe Peace Garden.” Dick’s contains Hank Kaminsky’s sculpture “Peace Rock,” with the names of 30 U. S. women and men in raised letters and a large, sculpted PEACE on top, surrounded by a small garden. Marie has an elaborate, beautiful rock garden, with a piazza under construction. Those of you with gardens (even a small one like Dick's), please name them for Peace and tell Dick about it, and when we have a dozen, we’ll have a Peace Garden Tour!



BUSH UNILATERALIST OPPOSITION TO TREATIES

“In the Bush Administration, Treaties Ain’t Sweeties,” Washington Spectator, summarizes Bush’s selective repudiation of at least 7 major treaties: Kyoto Protocol, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Verification Protocol under the Convention on Biological Weapons, etc. Contact your representatives.



BOOZMAN WATCH

Rep. Boozman recently gave free glaucoma screenings to residents who lacked health insurance, while expressing his concern for low income and uninsured Arkansans, yet voting with an Admin. systematically hostile to the well-being of poor people. Study the issues and facts and contact your Rep.



PERSUADING OPPONENTS
George Lakoff, “Don’t Think of an Elephant,” about reframing arguments, www.rockridgeinstitue.org

PROGRESSIVE RELIGIONS
The Rockridge Institute has partnered with a coalition of progressive religious organizations to host an online conference on the Rockridge Forums. This event will bring together progressives, Rockridge framing researchers, and religious leaders from across America to discuss the role of progressive religious values in public discourse.
When: May 9th-20th, 2005 Who's invited: Anyone with an interest in exploring progressive values and the progressive religious perspective Where: The Rockridge Forums How: If you're a member of the forums, you're all set! If not, sign up now!
OMNI has been doing this for 2 years. We have presented four roundtables or forums on Religious Peace Traditions, bringing representatives of diverse religions together to discuss their commitments to peace and justice, and we intend to continue them in the fall. Will you HELP?



CONGRESS WATCH: WRITING TO OUR REPRESENTATIVES

Progressive Secretary sends out progressive email letters to Congress, the President, and other officials about peace, ecology, civil rights, and other issues. The letters are chosen by a cooperative of organizations and emailed to you as a proposal, which you can send if you agree. It is free and very easy to do. To enroll, go to website:
www.progressivesecretary.com



VIDEO UNDERGROUND SUNDAY MAY 8

Excellent film on Berkeley in 1960s: Free Speech Movement at Ucal, anti-war movment, counter-culture, feminist movement and more. Brilliantly evoked and reminded us of the roots of present-day peace and justice movement. Contact Pippin Lowe to borrow. Some of the attending: Nancy Owens, Wanda Stephens, Darla and John Newman, Steven Skattebo, Greg Moore, Pippin Lowe, Jessica Nolan, Brad Bowen, Path Walker, Dianna Rivers.



RADIO DOCUMENTARIES: PEACE-TALKS

“Hiroshima and Its Legacy Today,” 30 minutes, domestic violence in Bosnia, etc. Peace-Talks is a public radio venture that focuses on alternatives to violence. www.peacetalksonline.org



SHORT TAKES AT CAT. We need people to discuss the Patriot Act, OMNI’s Steering Committee agenda, the next Underground Video, Patterson’s powerpoint lecture on global warming, or speak on any peace, justice, environment subject. Start your film career here.

OMNI SEEKS A WORLD FREE OF WAR AND THE THREAT OF WAR, A SOCIETY WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL, A COMMUNITY WHERE EVERY PERSON’S POTENTIAL MAY BE FULFILLED, AN EARTH RESTORED. WORLD PEACE, HUMAN RIGHTS, SOCIAL JUSTICE, ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP. Thanks to FCNL and AFSC.