Upcoming events in Gainesville FL November/December 1998

Upcoming ...
November/December 1998

Hempfest set for downtown plaza on Saturday, November 14. Judging by the last election, the cause of freeing up marijuana for medical use is on the move towards acceptance, as all five states with medical marijuana referendums saw passage by clear margins. There is a campaign to put medical marijuana on the ballot in Florida in 2000, and a series of hempfests is going on across Florida this fall. Gainesville's Hempfest is Saturday, November 14 at the Downtown Plaza from noon to 8 p.m. There will be music by the Chairs, Kitchens of Soul, the Cygnet Committee, Lifeblood and One Day Lost as well as speakers, information booths, a big crowd and probably dozens of plainclothed and uniformed police all there to enjoy the day in their varied ways. Cannabis Action Network is hosting the local rally, and Floridians for Medical Rights is heading up the petition drive. For more information, see the article in the Nov. 4,1998 Moon Magazine, also available at their website: www.moonmag.com.

The Gator Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will hold a fundraising car wash on Sunday, November 15 at the Arbys on 13th St. from 10 am - 2 p.m. They will also be washing cars at the McDonalds on 13th Street on Saturday, Nov. 21. For more information call Shakelia at 376-1472.

Ritalin, the drug prescribed to supposedly hyperactive schoolchildren, is the subject of the Humanist Society of Gainesville meeting on Monday, November 16. The speaker is Dr. Yana Banks, a pediatrician with the Alachua County Health Department. Dr. Banks is called upon to prescribe Ritalin in her work, and she has first hand knowledge of its use and the questions surrounding it. Is ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) a situation requiring psychoactive drugs? Is it therapeutic for the child or just a convenient way to mask the problems of large class sizes and boring content? The meeting will be held Monday, November 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the Santa Fe Community College downtown boardroom. For more information, call 336-6343.

Gainesville Area National Organization for Women (NOW) meets Thursday November 19 about the United Nations Convention to End Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The convention was written in 1975 in Mexico City, but the U.S. has never signed on to the law. Find out more about CEDAW and why the U.S. won't agree to end discrimination against women at the meeting which will be held Thursday, November 19 at the Civic Media Center, 1021 W. University Ave.. Brown bag dinner (or local take-out) at 6:30 and program starts at 7 p.m. For more info, call 376-7479.

"Mobilizing Community Support for Welfare Moms and Children" is the topic of a talk by attorney Daniella Levine, executive director of the Human Services Coalition of Dade County. She will speak Saturday, Nov. 21 at Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church, 620 NW 2nd St. The event, which is hosted by the League of Women Voters Social Policy Committee, will be from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m Tom Bames, Management Review Specialist for District 3 Department of Children and Families will speak on the most effective ways to lobby legislators. The luncheon is $6. Reservations are necessary. Call Harriet Ludwig at 378-1138 before November 19.