NEW YORK STATE FOCUS: Blogs, 2009 Candidates, Groups and Events

DARWIN DAY 2009 EVENTS: Feb. 12, 2009 (not all events on the same day)

Darwin's 200th birthday, to be celebrated by the GLOBAL community as a toast to the common good of all humanity. We will all want to develop events to Celebrate Darwin, Science and Humanity and come together as one human family in appreciation of verifiable knowledge that has been acquired solely through human curiosity and ingenuity. Scientific knowledge has been of great value to all of us.

150 Years Since Darwin: What Next?
Date and Time: 2009-11-05 15:00:00
Address:
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook/NY 11776, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/ee/

Activities:
One day of outreach at the American Museum of Natural History, three days of technical talks and discussion at Stony Brook University.

Sponsor: Department of Ecology & Evolution, SBU

Contact: Massimo Pigliucci
Email: massimo.pigliucci_at_gmail.com
Phone: 631-632-1097

Darwin Day at Stony Brook University

Date and Time: 2009-02-13 10:00:00
Address:
Students Activities Center
Stony Brook University West Campus
Stony Brook/NY 11794, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://www.darwinsbu.org/

Activities:
Exhibits, videos, discussions and a keynote address by Yale University's Steve Stearns.

Sponsor: Department of Ecology & Evolution

Contact: Massimo Pigliucci
Email: massimo.pigliucci@stonybrook.edu
Phone: 631-632-1097

Darwin's Reach: Celebrating Darwin's Legacy Across Disciplines
Date and Time: 2009-03-12 20:30:00
Address:
Hofstra University
Hempstead/NY , UNITED STATES

Activities:
Interdisciplinary conference on the life and legacy of Chas. Darwin. Topics to include: Darwin as a Scientist; Reception of Darwinian Evolution in the 19th Century; Darwinian Evolution in the 21st Century; Evolution in the Courts; Evolution and Religion; Evolution and Morality; Evolution and Sex/Gender; Evolution and Medicine; Evolution and Language; Evolution and Global Climate Change
Also special sessions on evolution education (for K-12 teachers), cultural events (music, theater), keynote speakers.

Sponsor: Hofstra University

Contact: Daniel Rubey
Email: Daniel.R.Rubey_at_hofstra.edu

Darwin Day Family Festival NY Metro Area Ethical Culture Societies
Date and Time: 2009-02-07 14:00:00
Address:
New York Metro Area Ethical Culture Societies
2 West 64th Street

Event Website: http://aeu.org

Activities:
speakers, intergenerational activities and FOOD!!

Sponsor: New York Metro Area Ethical Culture Societies

Contact: Sharon Stanley
Email: lihumanist_at_gmail.com
New York/NY, UNITED STATES

Darwin's Birthday Celebration
Date and Time: 2009-01-25 11:00:00
Address:
38 Old Country Road
Garden City/NY 11530, UNITED STATES

Activities:
The Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island is hosting an intergenerational event in honor of Darwin's 200th birthday. There will be refreshments and activities for adults and children of all ages.

Sponsor: The Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island

Contact: Sharon Stanley
Email: lihumanist_at_gmail.com
Phone: 516-741-7304

A Day for Darwin
Date and Time: 2009-02-13 09:00:00
Address:
Lefrak Concert Hall
65-30 Kissena Blvd.
Flushing /NY 11367, UNITED STATES

Event Website: http://dennehylab.bio.qc.cuny.edu/dd.html

Activities:
Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Origin of Species and the 200th Birthday of the Man with a Dangerous Idea

Symposium and Panel Discussion
at the Lefrak Concert Hall
Queens College

Confirmed Speakers
Susan Foster (Clark University)
Jeffrey Schwartz (University of Pittsburgh)
Paul Turner (Yale University)
Patricia Wittkopp (University of Michigan)

Dedication of Colgate's "Darwin Thinking Path"
Date and Time: 2009-02-12 16:00:00
Address:
Colgate University
13 Oak Drive
Hamilton/NY 13346, UNITED STATES

Activities:
Colgate University in Hamilton, NY, will be dedicating one of its cross-country running & ski trails as a "Darwin Thinking Path" - similar to the sand-walk Darwin strolled daily - so that students, faculty, and the general public can contemplate many exciting or imponderable problems.

Sponsor: Department of Geology

Contact: Dr. Constance M. Soja
Email: csoja_at_mail.colgate.edu
Phone: 315.228.7200

State University of New York at New Paltz Darwin Week
Date and Time: 2009-02-09 17:30:00
Address:
State University of New York at New Paltz
CSB Auditorium

Event Website: http://www.newpaltz.edu/evos

Activities:
Public lecture by Gordon Gallup (University of Albany)

"The Science of Sex Appeal: An Evolutionary Perspective"

Sponsor: Evolutionary Studies Program

Contact: Glenn Geher
Email: geherg_at_newpaltz.edu
New Paltz/NY 12561, UNITED STATES


Here are some articles worth reading:

The Miracle On The Hudson Was Brought To You By America's Unions

Brennan Center Memo to Senate Dems

Another reason to pass "Clean Elections" in NYC

Bloggers Get to be Treated Like Journalists

Hiram Monserrate's Domestic Violence Rampage

Supreme Court to Hear Testimony for Padavan-Gennaro Election

Congressman Maffei Appointed To House Judiciary Committee

Christine Quinn: Pettiness Personified

Thoughts on NYC City Council Races for 2009

"45 x 2015" - NY State's Renewables Push

Brennan Center to Senate: This is Your First Test

The Latest Poll Results On The Term Limits Extension Issue Is Now Available

Educators Running for City Council and NYC City Council Candidates from Law Enforcement

City Island fire prompts protest of planned FDNY ladder closing: Why does Bloomberg hate New York firefighters?...and on a related issue: Norm Siegel Opposes Closing of Firehouses at Staten Island Rally

Lying About Obama's Healthcare Plan: The Latest Insurance Company Robocall Scam?

From True News from ChangeNYC: Preview of Three Special Elections:

Borough Voters SI - District 49 (McMahon elected to the U. S. Congress) North Shore City Council Race Special Update

City Hall News - District 21 (Monserrate elected to the State Senate) Two Young Latino Activists Already Trading Barbs

Queens Chronicle - 32 District (Addabbo elected to the State Senate) Three Local Leaders Prepare for Coming Special Election

Surprise! The Empire Zone Is A Scam We Can No Longer Afford


NEW YORK BLOGGING:

The Albany Project gives excellent coverage of New York State politics.

The Daily Gotham covers both New York City (with a slight emphasis on Brooklyn) and New York State politics.

Reform NY is the blog of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law

No Land Grab: News from the point of view of Brooklyn opposition to overdevelopment

On NY Turf is run by someone I know. Long overdue that I add his blog here. Contains political info, good map resources for NYC and discussions of development issues.

True News from ChangeNYC.Org: ChangeNYC.Org is an organization unifying our City’s Democratic Party by welcoming all New Yorkers back into the political process. We are a coalition of real, everyday New Yorkers – young voters, progressives, neighborhood leaders, community bloggers, good government groups, and even conservatives – who believe that in cooperation we can bring the change to our City that together we have begun to bring to our nation.


Let me highlight some excellent candidates running in New York in 2009:

Norm Siegel for Public Advocate
For those of you who live in NYC, let me introduce you to Norman Siegel, one of America's top Civil Rights Lawyers, is running for New York Public Advocate.

Here's a link to Norm Siegel on NY1.

And here is Youtube footage of Norm Siegel and the NYC Coalition To Preserve Term Limits Press Conference:




Josh Skaller for City Council. Josh is a good friend of ours, a solid progressive, and about as honest as you can get. Here is Josh's statement on his campaign website:

I love Brooklyn—our neighborhoods and our people, the incredible warmth I feel walking around our vibrant and diverse communities. Like you, I know that Brooklyn is a terrific place to live and raise our families. But everywhere we look these days, the things that make our borough great are under assault. Developers and out of touch politicians seem determined to transform our community into an endless series of high-rise condos and strip malls. I believe that unchecked development threatens the beauty and integrity of our neighborhoods, overtaxes public services, and places an incalculable burden on our fragile ecology. I’m willing to stand up to the developers, and I hope you’ll stand with me.

As President of Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats (CBID) for the past two years, and as an executive member of Democracy for New York City, I've had the honor and pleasure of working with fellow concerned citizens to help change Brooklyn for the better: Local government that doesn't fear its constituents, but embraces them. A political ecosystem that nourishes and amplifies our core values rather than suppresses them. Transparency, honesty, community empowerment, and more than just lip service for the progressive values our neighborhoods share. I will continue to work on behalf of schools and teachers for our children, an environmental policy brave enough to protect the planet for future generations, and I will stand strong and defend our neighborhoods from the out of control, out of context development that seems to be everywhere, and advocate for smart growth and community based planning.

I look forward to bringing the enthusiasm I've shared with so many of you to city council.

Marquez Claxton for City Council: A former NYC Police Officer and co-founder of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, Marq Claxton is running for the City Council District 31 seat in Queens. He is currently the chair of the Public Safety Committee for Community Board 13. He has been endorsed by Eric Adams (who I know and respect) and is being considered by the Working Families Party as a candidate. Here is Eric Adam's endorsement statement:



Here is Marq Claxton opposing Bloomberg's term limits coup:




Daniel Dromm for City Council: a public school teacher running for the City Council District 25 seat in Queens. He was a founder of the Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club of Queens and chapter leader of United Federation of Teachers, PS 199Q. He has been endorsed by the United Federation of Teachers, Mark Green, and others. WFP seem to be considering him as well. Dromm received the "Community Service Impact Award" from the Times Ledger Newspapers (2006), the "Outstanding Teacher of the Year" PS 199Q Principal's Award (2006), and the "Citation of Honor" from the Queens Borough President (1995). Seems like exactly the experience we need on the City Council.


More Races: Here is a Facebook Site highlighting some good primary challenges against those City Council members who voted themselves a pay raise then voted themselves a third term in the council over the vote and objections of the voters. In the future I will be highlighting some of these challengers, though for now electing Norm Siegel and Josh Skaller are my main efforts. I am particularly watching the following people to see if they are running for City Council. If they run, I am likely to support them:

David Galarza, Council District 38 (I hear he IS indeed running!)

Rocky Chin, Council District 1
Rodrick Daley, Council District 45


Here are a handful of Organizations worth checking out:

The Environmental Business Association is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to supporting the growth of the environmental industry in New York State. Specifically, we help to promote and serve serving the industry sectors of Climate Change, Greening Communities, Energy and WALCE (Water-Agriculture-Land Use-Conservation-Environmental). News here. Events list here (not recently updated).

NY Citizens for Clean Elections: We are committed to passage of Clean Money Clean Election legislation in NYS that provides a non-partisan approach for full public funding of campaigns for all qualified candidates who refuse private money and abide by spending limits. We want to ensure that all Americans, regardless of wealth, have an equal voice in the political system and that qualified candidates are not discouraged from running because they do not have access to the money needed for a competitive campaign.

The Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats is a community-based Democratic club. CBID has fought for reform and progressive causes since 1968. As a Brooklyn-based Club, we have been instrumental in the election of many candidates for public office. Much of this success was a result of our question-and-answer forums with prospective candidates as well as our extensive on-the-street contact with our constituents.

Staunchly opposed to political corruption, we are proud of our independence and our commitment to progressive reform in city, state and national politics. We are a vehicle for citizen empowerment and making government more accountable to our neighborhoods.

We meet monthly, usually the fourth Thursday evening of the month in the basement of the Park Slope United Methodist Church, on the corner of 6th ave and 8th street, at 7:30pm. All are welcome.

New Kings Democrats (”NKD”) is a new, grassroots organization in Kings County (Brooklyn), New York whose primary mission is to recruit and prepare individuals to run for Kings County Democratic Committee. NKD hopes to achieve the goal of an inclusionary and participatory democracy by making it easy for individuals to run for local, elected office. NKD will serve as a training ground for individuals seeking higher office, and hopes to build and nurture a new group of Brooklyn Democratic leaders.

Stonewall Democrats of Western New York is the GLBT Democratic voice in WNY. Our mission is to advocate for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community within the Democratic Party and to encourage GLBT participation within the Democratic Party. Our membership includes representatives from State, County, and City government, and several Democratic committee members amongst the various County Committees in WNY.

Drop the Rock: Enacted in 1973, the Rockefeller Drug Laws require lengthy prison terms for the possession or sale of a relatively small amount of drugs. There are over 13,000 people in New York’s prisons incarcerated under the drug laws, most of them minor offenders with no history of violent behavior. It costs New York $500 million a year to imprison drug offenders. 90% of the people locked up in New York for drug offenses are African American or Latino, despite research showing that the majority of people who use and sell drugs are white. Research shows that drug treatment is less expensive than imprisonment and more successful in reducing drug-related crime. Repealing the Rockefeller Drug Laws would save the fiscally strapped state over $220 million per year. Get involved here.


DEMOCRACY FOR AMERICA MEETINGS IN NY STATE:

Capital District of NY/GenDFA

Democracy for the Hudson-Mohawk Region

Democracy for the Hudson Valley

Mid-Hudson Progressive Alliance

dfaROCHESTER

Democracy For Westchester

Democracy for Long Island

Democracy For The Greater Glens Falls Area

North Country Democracy for America

Central New York DFA

Eastern Long Island Democracy for America

Democracy For Saratoga Springs

Kingston Democracy for America

Democracy For The Southern Adirondack/Tricounty Area

Democracy for Otsego and Delaware Counties

Philipstown for Democracy

DFA: Greene County

Livingston County for Democracy


DEMOCRACY FOR NYC MEETINGS:
First Wednesday of every month

Staten Island, Muddy Cup, 388 Van Duzer Street with hosts Al Dykes and Tracey Denton at 7pm

Upper West Side, The Parlour, 250 West 86th(btwn Broadway & West End), with host Merle McEldowney,7pm

West Village, Kettle of Fish, 59 Christopher St. (near 7thAve.) with host Abhishek Mistry, 7pm

Astoria, Queens, at Sanford Diner, 30-13 Broadway, with hosts Costa Constantinides and Jeremiah Frei-Pearson. Note: this Linkup will begin at 7:30.

Sunnyside, Queens, at The Grind, 39-24 Queens Blvd. in the back room, with host Dan Jacoby. Note: this Linkup will begin at 7:30.

Bayside, Queens, The First Edition, 41-08 Bell Blvd, right near the LIRR stop, with host Steve Behar of Democrats for New Politics, 7pm

Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, Wycoff Bennett Homestead, 1669East 22nd Street, 7pm with host Annette Mont


DRINKING LIBERALLY MEETINGS IN NY STATE:

Clifton Park, New York
* First Wednesday of each month, 7:00 pm onward
* Old Dublin Inn, 130 Meyer Rd (Google maps is wrong, please contact me for directions.)
* Hosted by Chris Selkirk, cliftonpark (at) drinkingliberally.org

Ithaca, New York
* Every Wednesday, 6:30 pm onward
* Felicia's Atomic Lounge, 508 W State St
* Hosted by Joseph Cannon Murtagh, ithaca (at) drinkingliberally.org


New York City, New York:

The Original Drinking Liberally
* Every Thursday, 7:30 pm onward
* Rudy's, 627 9th Ave (between 44th and 45th)
* In the backyard, weather permitting
* Hosted by Justin Krebs, Matthew O'Neill and Katrina Baker, nyc (at) drinkingliberally.org

Drinking Liberally Steps Out
* Third Tuesday of each month, 7:00-9:00 pm
* XES Lounge, 157 W 24th St (@ 7th Avenue)
* In conjunction with the Stonewall Democrats of New York City www.sdnyc.org.
* Hosted by Matthew Carlin and Greg Rae, outnyc (at) drinkingliberally.org

Harlem
* Second Wednesday of each month), 6:30 pm onward
* Soundz Lounge, 3155 Broadway (between 123rd and 124th)
* Hosted by Yolanda (Shoshi) Shoshana, harlem (at) drinkingliberally.org

Park Slope
* Second Wednesday of each month, 7:30-10:00 pm
* Commonwealth, 497 5th Ave (at 12th Street)
* Hosted by Anthony Accurso, Emilie Harkin and Emily Farris, parkslope (at) drinkingliberally.org

Queens
* Fourth Wednesday of each month, 7:30 pm onward
* Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden, 29-19 24th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11102 (group of young liberals taking up one lane)
* Hosted by Donald Graff, queens (at) drinkingliberally.org

Upper East Side
* Last Tuesday of each month, 7:30 pm onward
* Doc Watson's, 1490 2nd Ave (at 77th)
* Hosted by Matthew Bachiochi, ues (at) drinkingliberally.org

West Bronx
* First and third Friday of each month, 7:30 pm onward
* An Beal Bocht, 445 W 238th St (between Waldo and Greystone)
* 1 to 238th, turn left, straight on 238th, just past the top of the stairs
* Hosted by Jamin Sewell and Scott Kennedy, westbronx (at) drinkingliberally.org

Rochester, New York
* Every Thursday, 8:00-10:00 pm
* Monty's Korner, 355 East Ave
* Hosted by Tom Tucker and Tracy Logan, rochester (at) drinkingliberally.org

And then we have: Shooting Liberally
Tuesday, Feb 19
From your friends at Drinking Liberally comes the debut of SHOOTING LIBERALLY...

For the First Amendment enthusiast ready to move on to the Second. A social evening at the gun range including training & weapon rental.

For more info and to reserve your spot, contact: Stanley Sherman - maskarts (at) worldnet.att.net