Candlelight Remembrance Ceremony
on Withdrawal of Combat Troops from Iraq
Kansas City: August 31, 2010
Comments by Ira Harritt, KC Program Coordinator

The Eyes Wide Open memorial boots and shoes will be on exhibition
starting at 9 a.m as a focus for reflection and remembrance. U.S.
military personnel from Nevada who were killed in Afghanistan or Iraq
are represented by a pair of boots with a name tag. Civilians are
represented by pairs of shoes with names of a small portion of those
killed. The public is invited for any or all of the activities. Events
at the Goddess Temple are free (though donations are gratefully

TheAFSC's New York Metropolitan Regionalong with Friends fromNew York Yearly Meetinghave released a statement about the proposed Islamic Community Center near the site of the World Trade Towers.

Part 1: Lack of AZ laws allow for-profit prisons to stay quiet about inmates.Caroline Isaacs weighs in.

Part 2: Lobbyists tie AZ Gov. Brewer tofor-profit prisons, immigrant detention.

Events this week and next in Kansas City can help people heal from a culture of war created by the terrorist attack and nine years of fighting in Afghanistan and seven years in Iraq. AFSC's Ira Harritt weighs in.

You are what you eat -- and everything on your plate is corn.

This is the third film in the ?Examining Modern Life? series, sponsored by the AFSC, and concerns the topics of Iowa farming, government subsidies, and nutrition.

Engrossing and eye-opening, King Corn is a fun and crusading journey into the digestive tract of our fast-food nation.  Fueled by curiosity and a dash ofnaiveté, college buddies Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis return to their ancestral home of Greene, Iowa, to find out how the modest corn kernel conquered America.

On August 19, 2010 at the Texas State Employees Union premises in Austin, Ann Lewis, Judith Rosenberg and Josefina Castillo reported on their experiences at the U.S. Social Forum held in Detroit in June. Judith and Josefina are key organizers with Austin Tan Cerca de la Frontera, originally an AFSC program now becoming independent.

This video is a ZGraphix production, produced by Jeff Zavala.

The PA Eyes Wide open exhibit will be at the annual peace fair at Buckingham Friends Meeting House.

The exhibit, consiting of empty boots for each of the US soldiers from Afghanistan and Iraq who have been killed from Eastern PA together with an exhibit of shoes respresenting the civilian losses, will be displayed in the field behind the Meeting House. In the boots are mementos from friends, family, fellow soldiers and others. Visitors are welcome to read the messages and leave their own or sign the message book availabe.

KBOO talk radio station interviews the AFSC"s Mireya Medina about the costs of war at home, in advance of a bi-lingual Peace Tour to examine the daily struggles of communities of color in Portland. 

Free Will donation at the door

All procedes will benefit
Voices for Creative Nonviolence and Francis House
No one will be turned away for lack of funds!

Spanning the genres of gospel, folk, rock and soul, Morrison presents an original evening of rich,
creative melody. Your quest for peace and shared humanity is armed by this deeply authentic artist.

Arlene Kelly, Clerk of the Board of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), will visit four African countries next month, meeting with AFSC staff, partners and communities in Kenya, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Burundi.

A highlight of her visit comes September 18, when AFSC will officially hand over its program in Mozambique to the Manica Community Development Organization (OCODEMA), a national nonprofit organization formed by AFSC. The core of AFSC?s phase-out strategy is to exhibit responsible exit, encourage community ownership and ensure sustainability.

AFSC-Africa staff and AFSC Board Chair, Arlene Kelly will be present at the handover of the AFSC-Mozambique Development Program to a new local organization formed by the AFSC, OCODEMA (Manica Community Development Organization). Community leaders and members from the four main communities will join political, civil society and other leaders in the celebration of  more than 30 years of committed work by the AFSC in Mozambique and the future of this exciting, new local development organization.

The St. Louis Federal Reserve recently reported that after-tax corporate profits are at record levels, hitting an all-time high of $1.37 trillion in the last quarter. Corporate cash reserves are somewhere around $2 trillion.

Scarcity of grazing land has led to conflicts among pastoralist communities living along both sides of the Kenya and Somalia border. In Elwak, Somalia livestock is the main source of livelihood for the residents and the same is true for neighboring communities living on the other side of the border in Kenya. Unfortunately with limited space, violent conflict led to preventable deaths.

Kathy will speak about her recent experiences in Afghanistan and Pakistan

where she interviewed victims of our drone attacks.

This will be an opportunity to learn about how drones

cause increasing retaliation toward our soldiers, making all Americans less secure.

Ten stories by six immigrants and four allies from Denver combine narration, original art, music and images to share their experiences with immigration and creating community.? $9.75 admission.

BUILD A STRONGER LINK AGAINST INJUSTICE

The training will run from 10 AM - 2 PM.

Seth Donovan& Jordan Garcia of AFSC will facilitate.