Short Bits

Short Bits
January 1998

Fla. NOW Conference in Gainesville Jan. 23-25
The Florida National Organization for Women will hold its 1998 state conference in Gainesville Friday January 23 through Sunday January 25 at the Holiday Inn at University and 13th St.

Florida NOW is highlighting 25 years of NOW in Gainesville, and the 25th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. The first NOW chapter in Gainesville was founded in 1973.

Advance registration for NOW members is $40, for non-members $50, and there is a sliding scale if you can't afford the full amount. Send your registration to Lauren Penny, Florida NOW Conference, 9209 Seminole Blvd. Unit 177, Seminole, FL 33772. If you're registering as a member, send proof of NOW membership--label from National NOW Times, copy of membership card or cancelled check--your address and the name of the chapter you belong to, if any. You can also register at the conference.

NOW's Women of Color & Allies Summit
The National Organization for Women is hosting a national Women of Color and Allies Summit, "Linking Arms in Dangerous Times," Feb. 20-22 in Arlington, VA. Speakers include Dr. Johnetta Cole, former president of Spelman College. Registration is on a sliding scale, $35-$75. For more details and to register, call Vanessa Salinas, 202 - 331-0066 ext.771.

Public Interest Env. Conference March 5-7
Clif Gavin

Environmental law students and faculty from the University of Florida College of Law are working on the Fourth Annual Public Interest Environmental Conference (PIEC) scheduled for March 5 - 7,1998 at the University of Florida, Reitz Union.

The PIEC is organized by law students from the Environmental Law Society in close collaboration with the environmental law faculty. The 1998 conference will be co-sponsored by the Univeristy of Florida Center for Latin American Studies. The conference's theme, "CONNECTIONS", will feature the participation of public interest environmental attorneys from Latin America and will emphasize Florida's shared hemispheric, cultural and conservation connections to Latin America.

For registration materials or additional information, please contact: Public Interest Environmental Conference Committee, P.O. BOX 117629, 230 Bruton-Geer Hall, University of Florida College of Law, Gainesville, FL 32611 (352) 392-2237 http://grove.ufl.edu/~els

No to NATO expansion
On Monday, January 26th at 7:30pm, the Civic Media Center will host a discussion on NATO expansion into Eastern Europe and its possible destabilizing role in international relations.

Sir Hugh Beach, 74, a retired general who put in a lifetime of service in the British military and who later in life became a strong proponent on nuclear disarmament will be the guest speaker. His talk is sponsored by the Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice and Gainesville Veterans for Peace and is part of a speakers tour co-sponsored by the Peace Action Education Fund, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Womens Action for New Directions and the Center for Defense Information.

New cold war rivalries could spell a new arms race, fine for weapons merchants but bad for the economic priorities of the countries swept up in the race and counter to the disarmament initiative. A vast amount of nuclear weapons still exist - do we really want to shuffle the deck and come up with a new arms race? The CMC is at l021 W. Univ. Ave.

Cabinet to decide on Lake Alice Jan. 21
The issue of a housing development on the shore of Lake Alice will be decided on January 21st, 1998, following months of protests, letter writing, phone calls, petitions and meetings culminating in a visit to Lake Alice by representatives of the Governor and cabinet.

The Governor and Cabinet will meet at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 21 in Tallahassee (Cabinet Meeting Room, LL-03) to hear arguments about the best use of this site vis a vis the UF Master Plan. Carpools are being organized by local activists, and letters and email are also needed. According to protest organizers, more than 6,000 people have requested that the Cabinet remove the housing designation from Bat House Field (Site 4-22, also known as 2-22) and replace it with a Conservation designation in the UF Master plan.

For more information call Christine Housel 371-2342 or Valerie True 335-6327.

Joseph Judge: First-Hand History
The Civic Media Center will present another in its series of First-Hand Histories on Wednesday, January 28th with a presentation by Mr. Joseph Judge. Mr Judge, who is 84 years old, has been a Gainesville resident since 1970. He was bom in Trinidad and moved to the U.S. in 1966 and Gainesville in 1970. He has been involved in labor, social justice and civil rights since he was 15.

In Gainesville he was involved in the NAACP and headed the organization from 1984-1994. Come hear about the life, motivation and ideals of one of this community's elders. 373-0010 for more information.