February 2006

West Queens Independent Democratic Club <wqidc@...>

INDEX:
1 - Feb 26 WQIDC Meeting - Wal-Mart: The high cost of low price; Nominations of
WQIDC officers
2 - Feb 27th - FYI: PDA NY Metro Mtg - Manhattan (Guest: Senate Candidate Jon
Tasini)
3 - Mar 5th -- Queens all-inclusive St Patrick's Parade
4 - May 12 (tentative) -- Candidates Night
5.- Peace Events -- March and April 29th
6 - Volunteers Needed -- what can YOU do?
7 - Contact Pols on the Issues - Reminder
8 - Some Community News Notes
9 - Renew your membership or JOIN WQIDC

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1 - Feb 26 WQIDC Meeting - Wal-Mart: The high cost of low price; and
Nominations of WQIDC officers

February Meeting

Wal-Mart: The high cost of low price
Showing the short version of the movie from the DVD
See http://www.walmartmovie.com


Sunday, February 26, 2006
7:00 pm - Nominations of club officers
7:15 program


At Dorothy Raymond Morehead's Realty Office
45-18 Skillman Avenue, Sunnyside
REFRESHMENTS

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2 - Feb 27th - FYI: PDA NY Metro Mtg - Manhattan (Guest: Senate Candidate Jon
Tasini)

Progressive Democrats of America are forming a metro New York group and several
WQIDC members are involved. Next meeting features US Senate candidate Jon Tasini
(see http://www.tasinifornewyork.org/), and possibly two other candidates. You
do not need to be a member of PDA to attend, but you should be a registered
Democrat who is planning on voting in the party primaries this fall. See
http://www.pdamerica.org

Monday, February 27, 2006
6:30 to 8:30 PM
At SEIU, Local 1199, 310 West 43 St., Auditorium, A Floor, Manhattan

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3 - Mar 5th -- Queens all-inclusive St Patrick's Parade

WQIDC marches, and this year's parade is led by Malachy McCourt and family.
Contact Kate at 718-786-2413 with questions, but we can be found on 43rd Street,
North of Skillman Avenue, at noon. Parade scheduled to begin at 12:30. Let's
march in memory of our dear Amy Bobrow, who can be seen second up from the
bottom right in the photo montage at http://stpatsforall.com/ -- Amy is marching
with Ruth Javna, Joe Conley, Marc Leavitt, and Diane Capasella.

Kudos and thanks to our neighbors Ann Eagan, Patrick Langhenry, and Raisa Wu for
serving on the Parade Committee -- and special thanks to Astorian Brendan Fay
for all his work. Hope to see you there!

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4 - May 12 (tentative) -- Candidates Night

Plans are in the making but we hope to host the Attorney General Candidates
(others?) at a Candidates night to be held Friday, May 12th at All Saints'
Church hall, 43-12 46th St, Sunnyside.

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5.- Peace Events -- March 18 and April 29th

Activities are being held around the 3rd anniversary of the Iraq invasion.
See http://www.troopsoutnow.org for details on March event.
See http://www.unitedforpeace.org, or call them at 212-868-5545 for more details
on April event.

Mass March/Convergence on Times Square Recruiting Station
Saturday, March 18th 2006
New York, NY USA

Location:
Times Square Recruiting Station Broadway, between 43rd and 44th Streets, New
York NY 

and

Major Mobilization - April 29th

A war based on lies
Spying, corruption and attacks on civil liberties
Katrina survivors abandoned by government

MARCH FOR PEACE,
JUSTICE AND DEMOCRACY

End the war in Iraq
Bring all our troops home now!

SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2006
NEW YORK CITY

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6 - Volunteers Needed -- what can YOU do?

WQIDC can only do as much as our members and friends do, be they phone calls,
mailings, or marches. Can you be more involved? Do you have special talents?
Good on the phone? Love to plan programs? Enjoy petitioning? Great at mailings?
This last is especially important as we have snail mail members who we would
like to reach out to more often. Please consider donating some time. And for
heaven's sake, snail mail members, consider signing up to our listserv for the
timely alerts and longer informational pieces. REMINDER: Much of our previously
sent mail (but not attachments) is viewable at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WQIDC/ - check it out.

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7 - Contact Pols on the Issues - Reminder

Please find time to be in touch with National, State and local politicians on
the various issues important to you. YOUR VOICE MATTERS. We are currently
reviewing our Political Contact sheet and it will be sent out. Our last sheet is
downloadable and many addresses are viewable at the Contact Pols page of
http://wqidc.org -- and reached directly at
http://home.earthlink.net/~wqidc/id17.html (good to bookmark). Congressional
switchboard: 202--224-3121
or Toll Free 888-355-3588 (limited time, possibly). Some suggested issues:
Selling US Ports to Dubai / United Arab Emirate
Open and Free Internet - See http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022006O.shtml
No Child Left Behind - http://www.letsgetitright.org/cartoon/
Close Guantanamo -- see http://www.nocrony.com/port_security.php
And of course: Bring the troops home, global warming, women's rights, Darfur,,,,

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8 - Some Community News Notes

Marc Leavitt and Betsy Crawford report their nest is empty: Emily is in her 1st
year at Mills College in Oakland, CA, major undetermined, Josh is a freshman at
Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI majoring in marine bio. Daughter
Allegra and her husband Adam are happy in their Red Hook loft building featured
recently in the Times real estate section. Marc and him mom just got back from
Israel.

Dorothy Morehead's son Bruce and wife Ruth just made her a proud grandmother to
Sophia Alexa Raymond, born Sunday, Jan. 22. Dorothy was there during labor and
delivery and got to cut the umbilical cord: "Sophia is a cutie with lots of dark
hair." Stop by Bliss (46th & Skillman) and ask Dorothy to show her pictures.

Speaking of Bliss, it was one of 3 Queens restaurants in Time Out Magazine's top
100 Restaurants in NYC. We're happy to report Fish & Chips is now a standard on
the menu, along with these terrific pork ribs with sweet potato fries. And its
simple hamburger is grand. Go Tues - Thurs. to take advantage of a prix fix.

Bob Fertik recently was a guest on both Thom Hartmann and Laura Flanders Radio
Nation show on Air America radio, 1190 AM (AAR streams on the web at
http://airamericaradio.com or http://1190wlib.com/). Read Bob's excellent
activist blog at http://www.democrats.com/blog/6

Jimmy Van Bramer was presented with a community award for outstanding community
service at the Queens Winter Pride Dinner Dance by Danny Dromm. We're proud of
YOU, Jimmy!

We're also pleased that Cathy Nolan, Assembly and WQIDC member, was appointed to
the chair of the Assembly's important Education Committee.

Kate and daughter Katerina Brennan checked out Las Vegas and the beautiful Grand
Canyon, when Kat won a trip for her apartment rental sales skills and took mom.

Artist Lynn Friedman's art is being shown through the 26th at the Coffey Gallery
in Kingston.

Jonas and Ruth Javna joined Marc Leavitt for the Kiwanis Valentine's Day Party
Sing-a-long at SCS. And Marc was honored at the SCS Art Auction fundraiser in
December for 18 years of pro bono legal representation. NOTE: Marc emailed us
some News Notes: you can too: wqidc@... or phone Ruth at 718-729-5812 or
Kate at 718-786-2413. Also, email us your blog or website address and/or your
review of a current political book. THANKS!!
 
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9 - RENEW your membership or JOIN WQIDC

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WEST QUEENS INDEPENDENT DEMOCRATIC CLUB

2006 DUES NOW DUE -- PLEASE (Re-)JOIN AND MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE.

Learn the issues, meet candidates and public officials, get involved. Bring your
check to a meeting, or mail it to WQIDC, Box 4252, Sunnyside NY 11104-0252.
Phone (718) 786-2413 or (718) 482-0683; wqidc@...
Regular:  Individual $15_____  Couple $25_____  Sponsor $35_____  Sustainer
$50_____
Limited Income:  Individual $7.50_____ Couple $12.50_____
Newsletter/Updates only $5_____
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Add you to WQIDC ListServ? (Moderated) Circle one: YES  NO ALREADY_ON
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WQIDC - West Queens Independent Democratic Club
PO BOX 4252, Sunnyside NY 11104-0252
Emailing Listserv - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WQIDC/
Website: http://wqidc.org