On Monday, December 31, 2007, you’re invited to play a creative role in transforming downtown Austin. The stage will be the city’s plazas, parks, streets, storefronts, and building facades. Indoor venues will be settings for a palette of performing and visual arts. First Night Austin is a public celebration of the arts that revives the ancient tradition of marking the passage of time with art, ritual, and festivity. It is a family-friendly, affordable, and alcohol free New Year’s Eve festival. … Continue reading →

Sunday, December 30, 6:30 pm, Ruta Maya Coffee House, 3601 South Congress The “Last Sunday” event in December with host Sean Tate will focus on poverty in America — of the soul and the body. In addition to the speakers and music, we’ll discuss the future of Last Sunday. Should the gathering continue in the new year? Come and contribute to the conversation. Tate will be joined by Last Sunday co-founders Eliza Gilkyson, Jim Rigby, and Robert Jensen to discuss … Continue reading →

12 Noon Sunday Dec 30, Camp Casey in Crawford, TX President Bush is relaxing at his ranch in Crawford, Texas as Pakistan seethes with violence. Camp Casey in Crawford is calling folks to gather in Crawford to protest yet another foreign policy debacle. Ending the Iraq War and bringing the troops home is still on our minds. So bring your signs and banners for the last protest of the year in Crawford, Texas.

Saturday, Dec. 22, 8:45-9:10 p.m., Zilker Park Trail of Lights SEU Ballet Folklorico Performs at Zilker Park Trail of Lights Everyone is invited to watch the St. Edward’s University Ballet Folklorico perform at one of Austin’s holiday traditions, the Zilker Park Trail of Lights. Join the group for an evening of holiday fun. Details: www.ci.austin.tx.us/tol/

FRIDAY Dec. 21st, 7:30 to 9:30 PM at EL SOL Y LA LUNA, on S. Congress. Daniel Llanes will be performing music and some dances (as space permits) with his band, FOR THE LOVE OF IT: (Saffron Parten, Carmen Llanes, MelanieRose Maxwell, Iku Nisaimura, & James Fenner) Free, good eats, goods spirits & music

In conjunction with the Iraq Moritorium campaign www.iraqmoratorium.org CodePink and MDS will join the regular vigil at the capitol this Friday (Dec. 21) at 5pm. All are invited to join us for the vigil and alternative caroling under the tree at 11th and congress.

Thursday, 20 Dec. Where: Federal Courthouse, 655 E. Durango (the round building downtown) in Judge Xavier Rodriguez’s courtroom. There will also be a contingent of activists holding signs outside the courthouse. When: Courthouse doors open at 7:45; the case scheduled to be heard at 9:30, could last a few hours or all day. It’s recommended that you arrive early to ensure you get a seat. You do not have to stay for the entire hearing. Special instructions: They will not … Continue reading →

Critical Incident Meeting December 18, 2007 City Hall Room 1034 301 W. Second Street,1st Floor Austin, Texas 78701 6pm-8pm Public Input Agenda 1. 07-363 –Discharge of weapon in a domestic disturbance call 2. Community Policing Issues If you wish to address the Citizen Review Panel please sign up 30 minutes in advance of the Public session. For additional information on any agenda item, please contact Office of the Police Monitor, City of Austin 512-974-9090. The City of Austin is committed … Continue reading →

Monday, December 17, 7 p.m. MonkeyWrench Books, 110 E. North Loop David Kobierowski on beating developers at Northcastle This will be the inaugural presentation for a new monthly series at Monkeywrench Books — Community and Labor Organizing — featuring local leaders and organizations involved in community and workplace organizing in the Austin area. David Kobierowski recently spearheaded an effort to save his apartment complex, Northcastle Apartment Homes, from being bulldozed by developers and replaced with luxury condos. They were successful … Continue reading →

Monday, December 17, 7 p.m. Alamo Drafthouse Downtown, at the newly renovated Ritz Theater location, 320 E. 6th Street another Third Coast Film Night Journalist John Pilger’s first film for cinema – The War on Democracy – compares U.S. rhetoric on democracy to its practice and “tells a universal story,” says Pilger, “analysing and revealing, through vivid testimony, the story of great power behind its venerable myths. It allows us to understand the true nature of the so-called war on … Continue reading →

Sunday Dec. 16th, 6-9pm @ The Old School (An historic 1800′s German-American Ladies College) 1604 E. 11th St. www.theoldschool-austin.com A Festive Feminist Soiree Hosted By Trevor N Deavor,KelStar,& MissDD Gathering in celebration and support of our Austin women’s community. Benefiting BookWoman, The only feminist bookstore in TX! www.savebookwoman.com www.myspace.com/ebookwoman Tickets are $40 ($20 for Under 21 & children under 12 are free) Purchase in advance at BookWoman or online @ www.savebookwoman.com. Advanced tickets are not required & sliding scale rates … Continue reading →

Candlelight Vigil for Families in Detention T. Don Hutto prison in Taylor, Texas Sunday, December 16 pre-vigil walk, 2pm speakers and vigil, 4-6pm The T. Don Hutto detention center in Taylor, Texas, is a for-profit prison operated by Corrections Corporation of America, through an Inter-Governmental Service Agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Williamson County. Since May 2006, immigrant families, about half of them children, have been jailed in the facility while they await asylum or immigration hearings. The prison … Continue reading →

Saturday, December 15th, Doors 8:00pm, Music starts at 9:00pm, The Rhizome Collective 300 Allen Street (Just East of Pleasant Valley) Come and join us at a party in solidarity with the struggle for autonomy in Mexico! All proceeds will benefit a project to set up a community bike workshop in Mexico. Featuring: Amanda’s Kitchen (Bluegrass) Wino Vino (Vaudeville) Son Armado (Son Jarocho) Buscando el Monte (Afrocuban rythms) and Las Krudas (cuban hip-hop) $5 Donation FIVE AMAZING BANDS ***BEER*** DANCING FIRE … Continue reading →

12/14/2007-12/ 24/2007 – Armadillo Christmas Bazaar Shop at the Bazaar, and pick up unique holiday gifts while supporting independent artisans. 130 artists will be exhibiting and selling their jewelry, apparel and artwork, while live music provides a soundtrack for a great shopping experience. Friday, December 14 to Monday, December 24, 11am-11pm. At the Austin Convention Center, Exhibit Hall 2. Admission is $3.00 before 7pm on weekdays, and $6.00 evenings and weekends. *Music Lineup Friday Dec. 14 8:00–11:00 PM Jimmy LaFave … Continue reading →

Thurs. Dec. 13, 6-8pm, Scholz’s Garten, 1607 San Jacinto Progressive Holiday Party with music by the Bad Precedents get cheery with likable suspects from Austin’s progressive orgs Free Admission

Dec 13 2007 – 5:00pm – 9:00pm (a great fair-trade store to buy your xmas presents from rt beside the Continental Club) * Appetizers [297] * Charity [298] * Educational [299] * Free [300] * Pet Friendly [301] Phone: Lynn Johnson lynn@vsatx.org 512-454-9912 Directions: Ten Thousand Villages [303] 1317 S. Congress 512-440-0440 www.villagesofaustin.org [304] Cross Congress bridge, head south. Next to Continental Club. Free Ten Thousand Villages hosts Holiday Benefit that features live music, delicious treats, and holiday gift shopping. … Continue reading →

Dear Friends: Below is a letter from my husband, Ramsey. He will turn 65 on December 13, and I feel so blessed that God has helped him to overcome intense suffering with strength, courage, love, and conviction. Those who wish to write can send correspondence to the address below: Ramiro R. Muniz 40288-115 El Reno FCI Federal Correctional Institution P.O. Box 1500 El Reno, OK 73036 –Irma Muniz ********************** The Spirituality of Love “Weeping may linger for the night, but … Continue reading →

Wednesday, December 12, 2007, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., Mexican American Cultural Center 600 River Street, Austin, Texas From the Sacred to Popular Culture: Representations of La Virgen de Guadalupe Art Exhibition (Works from the private collection of Gilberto Cárdenas) and a Marian Choral Concert by the St. Mary’s Cathedral Schola Cantorum. Free and open to the public. Sponsors: UT-Austin Center for Mexican American Studies UT-Austin Mexican Center, Teresa Lozano Long Institute for Latin American Studies Mexican American Cultural Center … Continue reading →

Tuesday, Dec. 11, Omni Austin Hilton Downtown, 8th & San Jacinto Subject: REMINDER: US Election Assistance Commission Public Meetings *VoteRescue Members and Texans for REAL Elections Coalition Leaders:* We learned late last week that the U.S. Election Assistance Commission – the EAC – is holding an event here in Austin TOMORROW, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2007 that will consist of both a “Public” Meeting and an EAC Academics Roundtable, which is also open to the public. However, according to the agendas, … Continue reading →

Monday, December 10, 7 p.m. St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, 14311 Wells Port Drive, west of I-35 off Wells Branch Parkway. St. Andrews Presbyterian Church will be hosting a screening of Hutto: America’s Family Prison , a short documentary film about the T. Don Hutto family detention center in Taylor, Texas. T. Don Hutto is a converted medium-security prison that was reopened in May 2006 to hold immigrant families, including children as young as newborns, in detention while awaiting immigration hearings. … Continue reading →

Saturday, December 8th, 2007m 2:30 pm – 5:30 pm, Ruta Maya World Headquarters, 3601 S. Congress, Austin, Texas Austin City Wide Under 21 Poetry Slam #2, Presented by the Texas Youth Word Collective $5 cover, free for slammers and under 5 CONTACTS: Ron Horne (512) 632-5033 Dr. Sheila Siobhan (512) 422-6653 Co-Directors E-Mail: u21slam@yahoo.com Website: www.txywc.org The new season of the Austin City Wide Under 21 Poetry Slam got off to an exciting start last month! If the first slam … Continue reading →

Thursday, December 6th, 8:00pm, MonkeyWrench Books, 110 E. North Loop The Murder Of Fred Hampton ( 1971, 91 min.) An unprecedented documentary on the slain leader of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party, Fred Hampton, killed on December 4th, 1969 by Chicago police while he slept in his apartment. Filmmakers Mike Gray and Howard Alk were filming a documentary portrait of this charismatic speaker and community organizer when his murder occurred. Arriving at the crime scene only a … Continue reading →

Tuesday 12/4 @ 6PM-7PM, UTC 4.112 [map ] 21st & Speedway The Texas Maverick, an independent monthly student publication at The University of Texas at Austin, is hosting an event. If you’d like, please pass this message along on your respective listservs. James C. Harrington, UT School of Law professor and the director of the Texas Civil Rights Project, will be presenting his argument against giving up privacy and liberty for security. His comments come at an interesting time, especially … Continue reading →

December 2 (Sun), 4-7 p.m. Lyons Gardens, 2720 Lyons Road, just off Pleasant Valley Road. Activists, community leaders, and UT folks will join together to honor and support the work of NOKOA, a long time Austin progressive newspaper, edited by Akwasi Evans. There will be wine, beer, soft drinks, salty and sweet snacks, and other goodies. It will be an opportunity to network with old friends and new in the East Austin community, the UT community, the Progressive community, and … Continue reading →

…will be singing & dancing again at La Tazza Fresca (35th @ Guadalupe) Saturday December 1st, 9 PM to 11 PM Joining Daniel will be singers Saffron Parten, Carmen Llanes and percussionist Seth Houdeshell. We may have a guitar player and trumpet players show up too. It’s free, hope to see you all there.