Friday, March 30, 2012

Today, area farmers are invited to a ‘On-Farm Bioenergy Event ‘ from 1:00 pm to 4 pm at the farm of Jamie Derr, Solarmass, LLC, 1349 Greenway Rd, Marshall, WI. There you will learn how farmers are producing fuel from crops and creating usable energy. Bob Brylski will be available to consult about what bio-energy might be right for your farm. There is a small fee and light refreshments will be served. It is sponsored by Derr Solarmass, Great Lakes Ag Energy, and Wisconsin Biodiesel Association. Please RSVP to Jess Leinberger, 608-606-5375 or jessleinberger@yahoo.com

Madison College’s student org United Common Ground will hold a screening of the film “Precious Knowledge” on Friday March 30th starting at 6:30pm at the MATC downtown educational center room D240.  The film discusses the recent cut of ethnic studies programming in Arizona and is free and open to the public.

Tonight at 7:00 pm at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, 227 State St., there will be a screening of ‘If a Tree Falls’– the acclaimed 2011 documentary about the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) – part of the Tales from Planet Earth Festival. In December 2005, federal agents arrested Daniel McGowan in a nationwide sweep of members of the Earth Liberation Front -- a group the FBI labeled America's "number one domestic terrorism threat." Daniel is a former business major and the son of a cop. The film also includes WI footage from when Daniel attended the Earth First Rendezvous in 1997 and was involved in the anti-Crandon mine fight.  For information, go www.nelson.wisc.edu/tales/WIFilm.

TMI Board Member, Ted Kinnaman, will lead a discussion of John Nichols' book, ‘The "S" Word: A Short History of an American Tradition...Socialism’. In this book, Nichols traces American radicalism from Tom Paine up to the present.  The talk will run 9:30am-11:30am this Saturday at Capitol Lakes Retirement Community, 333 W. Main St. Parking is free in the ramp across the street. Have your ticket stamped at the front desk no more than 30-minutes before you leave. All TMI events are free and open to the public. Hope to see you Saturday! Follow The Madison Institute at www.themadisoninstitute.org.

On Sunday at 5:00 pm at the Cardinal Bar, 418 E. Wilson, a benefit for the ‘Educational and Communication Workers of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)!‘  will feature  Anthony Prince, labor lawyer who lives in Madison and is legal counsel for Teamsters Local 705 in Chicago;   Mike Konopacki, cartoonist on a number of topics, including union organizing, welfare reform, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization;  Nick Nice one of the founders of the mid-west rave scene who remains a staple of the Madison music scene, spinning at almost every music venue in town; and the Forward! Marching Band founded in Madison by visual artist Laurie Rossbach along with a core group of volunteer musicians and which is now dedicated to maintaining the unique fighting spirit of the Wisconsin protest movement.  There is a suggested admission at the door. Call the Cardinal Bar for details.

March 2003 was when the United States launched its attack on Iraq based on false claims about weapons of mass destruction, seven citizens groups in Wisconsin have planned "No War on Iran" vigils for the last week of March. The vigils range from Superior to Racine, and from LaCrosse to Wauwatosa. In Madison, the vigil will be on Monday, March 26th, from 12 noon - 1 pm, at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd & Doty St. in front of U.S Post Office. Contact Mary Beth at 846-7924, or eamail mbspeace1@charter.net.