Past Events

Here's a selection of some of ESPA's 'recent past' events, stored here for archival & self-reporting purposes.

WOW. What a year. The 2008 North of Nowhere Expo concluded Oct. 31 and marks an end to our 10th Anniversary celebrations. See all of our past feature events below!

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SAT, JUN 27, 2PM
Shell Guilty! Justice for the Ogoni 9
DELTA FORCE Film Screening & MOSOP Speakers
@ #5, 6th Floor, Stanley A. Milner Library, 7 Sir Winston Churchill Square (downtown), Edmonton, AB

On November 10, 1995, Ken Saro-Wiwa, an acclaimed writer and leader of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), was hanged along with eight other Ogoni leaders, after a trial before a military tribunal that was condemned around the world as a sham. Ken Saro-Wiwa's last words were: "Lord take my soul but the struggle continues."

Shell = Guilty!

In June 2009, multinational oil giant Shell will stand trial in United States federal court to answer to charges that it conspired in horrific human rights abuses in Nigeria in the 1990s. The trial was scheduled to start May 26, 2009. On May 26, Chief Judge Kimba Wood ordered the trial postponed; she did not yet set a new trial date but set a hearing date for June 1, 2009. That hearing has now been moved to Wednesday, June 3.

Join ESPA & members of Edmonton's Ogoni community for the documentary DELTA FORCE and a Q&A with MOSOP members. Film starts approx. 2:15pm and Guest Speakers/Q&A expected to start at approx. 3:30pm.

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The lawsuit, Wiwa v. Shell, charges Shell with requesting, financing, and assisting the Nigerian military which used deadly force to repress opposition to Shell's operations in the Ogoni region of the Niger Delta. The lawsuit also charges Shell with conspiring with the Nigerian military dictatorship in the prosecution of the leaders of this movement - the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP). Shell bribed witnesses to give false testimony, ultimately leading to a death sentence for nine men, including acclaimed author, activist, and leader of MOSOP Ken Saro-Wiwa. On November 10th, 1995, Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogoni leaders were hanged.

But Shell's crimes didn't end there.

For over fifty years, Shell's operations in the Niger Delta have caused environmental devastation and human suffering. And for fifty years, the associated gas produced with Nigeria's oil has been burned off in huge roaring flares rather than being either re-injected or used commercially. This gas flaring poisons the land and air with a toxic cocktail of pollutants, including sulphur and nitrogen dioxides, benzene, xylene and dioxins. Devastating to the local environment and to the health of surrounding communities, Shell's gas flaring was one of the abuses that Ken Saro-Wiwa and many other Ogoni people died seeking to end.

Shell's gas flaring in Nigeria is a climate crime too. Gas flaring in Nigeria emits more greenhouse gases in sub-Saharan Africa than all other sources combined. In addition to harming the local environment and human health in Nigeria, Shell's gas flaring is significantly contributing to global warming, adding to the peril the planet faces.

SIGN A PETITION DEMANDING THAT SHELL STOP GAS-FLARING:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/790/t/9288/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27212

FOR MORE INFO & UPDATES ABOUT THE TRIAL:
http://www.wiwavshell.org
http://www.ShellGuilty.com

ON FACEBOOK?  See more articles & RSVP here:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=107991610329&ref=nf

For More Info about June 27's event:

Edmonton Small Press Association (ESPA)
780-434-9236 / contact@edmontonsmallpress.org

 

SAT/SUN, MAY 30-31, 10am-5pm
ROYAL BISON CRAFT & ART FAIR
@ Old Strathcona Performing Arts Building, 8426 Gateway Blvd. (formerly the Cosmopolitan Music Society)

Don't buy stuff made in sweatshops - support local artists & non-profit orgs instead! Over 60 independent artist-vendors selling all manner of high-quality artsy craftsy things! ($2 admission, little kids free). More info at http://www.royalbison.ca

*Note ESPA will be there with a new batch of great, affordable Fair Trade-certified items, including sports balls (volley, basket & soccer), No Sweat sneakers, organic t-shirts... and more!

 

WED, MAY 13, @ 3-8PM
2009 FESTIVAL VOLUNTEER FAIR
@ TransAlta Arts Barns, 10330-84 Ave.

Itching to volunteer at a festival this summer or fall? Check out this fair featuring 30 of Edmonton's cultural festivals (including ESPA's 2009 North of Nowhere Expo in October!) & sign yourself up! Free admission.

 

 

TUE, MAY 12, @ 7:30PM
T.O.F.U. MAGAZINE BOOK LAUNCH & VEGAN CABARET
@ Hydeaway Art Space, 10209 100 Ave.

T.O.F.U. is an impressive emerging vegan magazine based out of Nova Scotia. Join us at their Edmonton stop of their cross-Canada tour to launch issue #3. Live music by Amanda Rogers, the Coffin Ships & Bronze Leaf. Tables & displays by local small press and environmental groups! $5 Admission (kids free)!

 

SAT, APRIL 25 @ 1, 3 & 7PM:
FILM & PERFORMANCE: Slingshot Hip Hop
@ Stanley Milner Library Theatre

PREMIERE SCREENING in Edmonton of Slingshot Hiphop, an official selection at Sundance 2008, with LIVE performances by DAM (Palestine's first hiphop group), the People's Poets, ihuman, and a Q&A with director Jackie Salloum. (Co-sponsored by ESPA.)

 

 

 

SAT, MARCH 7 @ 7PM:
FROM HALF A CHANCE TO THE WHOLE WORLD: CELEBRATING INT'L WOMEN'S DAY
@ The Hydeaway, 10209 100 Ave.*
Admission: By Donation ($10 suggested; sliding-scale; free to low-income)
Info: majeda.fyith[at]gmail[dot]com

Oxfam Canada and Amnesty International host an evening of live music by Bronze Leaf and Stephanie Bosch, local artists, story-telling, speakers & an NGO fair (ESPA will be there!), in celebration of International Women’s Day. Each year, IWD celebrates the social, economic, and political achievements of women past, present, and future. Of the 1.3 billion people who live in extreme poverty worldwide, 70% are women and girls. Systematic gender discrimination – the denial of women’s basic human rights – is a major cause of poverty. Contributing to this poverty is women’s lack of access to basic public services. *The Hydeaway is a licensed & all-ages venue - kids also welcome (free)!

 

SAT, MARCH 7 @ 6PM:
EXPRESSION AGAINST REPRESSION
@ SUB Stage, Student's Union Building, University of Alberta
Admission: Free
More info: psnedmonton[at]gmail[dot]com

Join Hosts the People's Poets for an Open Mic night of cultural resistance to colonialism, oppression, occupation and injustice. Enjoy performances by local artists and take part by sharing poetry, song, spoken word, or any other expression against repression. All welcome!

 

THURS, MARCH 5 @ 7PM:
RESPONSES TO APARTHEID (PANEL DISCUSSION)
@ Tory Building Lecture Theatre #12, , University of Alberta
Admission: Free (Donations Accepted)
More info: psnedmonton[at]gmail[dot]com

Featuring Dr. Baha Abu-Laban (co-founder of the Journal of International Migration and Integration, Co-Director of the Prairie Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration in Edmonton, former professor at Stanford University, the American University of Beirut, and the University of Alberta, where he is currently Professor Emeritus of Sociology), Dr. Anas Muwais (writer, philosopher and activst) and Peggy Morton (former president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees and currently a journalist for The Marxist-Leninist Daily).

 

WED, MARCH 4 @ 7PM:
FROM TURTLE ISLAND TO PALESTINE: INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVES ON COLONIALISM & OCCUPATION (PANEL DISCUSSION)
@ Edmonton Room, Stanley A Milner Library (7 Sir Winston Churchill Square)
Admission: Free (Donations Accepted)
More info: psnedmonton[at]gmail[dot]com

Featuring Dr. Makere Stewart-Harawira (Associate Professor in Indigenous Education and Globalization at the University of Alberta); Dr. Bruce Spencer (Centre for Work and Community Studies at Athabasca University), and Dr. Ibrahim Abu-Rabi (ECMC Chair in Islamic Studies at the University of Alberta, former Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University; and Rockefeller Fellow, Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Texas).

 

TUES, MARCH 3 @ 7PM:
OCCUPATION 101: FILM SCREENING & DISCUSSION
@ CAB #265 (Central Academic Building), University of Alberta
Admission: By Donation (free to low-income)
More info: contact[at]edmontonsmallpress[dot]com

Occupation 101 is a thought-provoking and powerful documentary film on the current and historical root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It presents a comprehensive analysis of the facts and hidden truths surrounding the never ending controversy and dispels many of its long-perceived myths and misconceptions. The film details life under Israeli military rule, the role of the United States in the conflict, and the major obstacles that stand in the way of a lasting and viable peace. The roots of the conflict are explained through first-hand on-the-ground experiences from leading Middle East scholars, peace activists, journalists, religious leaders and humanitarian workers whose voices have too often been suppressed in American media outlets. The film covers a wide range of other topics, including the first wave of Jewish immigration from Europe in the 1880s, the 1920 tensions, the 1948 war, the 1967 war, the first Intifada of 1987, the Oslo Peace Process, Settlement expansion, the role of the United States Government, the second Intifada of 2000, the separation barrier and the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, as well as many heart wrenching testimonials from victims of this tragedy. Moderated by Dr. Tony Simmons, Associate Professor of Sociology at the Center for Global and Social Analysis at the Athabasca University.

 

MON, MARCH 2 @ 7PM:
LAILA EL-HADDAD: A MOTHER FROM GAZA: SURVIVING UNDER SEIGE
@ Telus Building #150, U of A campus (87 ave and 111 Street)
Admission: Free (Donations Accepted)
More info: psnedmonton[at]gmail[dot]com

Laila El-Haddad is a freelance Palestinian journalist, media activist, and mother from Gaza who writes mainly for the Guardian Unlimited and Aljazeera English. She maintains the award-winning blog "Raising Yousuf and Noor: diary of a Palestinian mother" (http://www.a-mother-from-gaza.blogspot.com/) which explores the complex relationships between the personal and political as she raises her children and negotiates displacement and occupation. She is currently based in the United States with her husband, a Palestinian refugee from the ethnically cleansed village of Waarit al-Siris. Laila has also been published in Le Monde Diplmatique, the New Statesmen, the International Herald Tribune and the Washington Post among others. She has made appearances on CNN, NPR, CBC, Democracy Now, Aljazeera International and the BBC.

 

WED, FEB. 26 @ 7PM:
MICHAEL SHUMAN: THE SMALL-MART REVOLUTION
@ Telus Building #150, U of A campus (87 ave and 111 Street)
More Info: maureen[at]e-sage[dot]ca
Admission: Sliding-scale ($10-$20 suggested)

Sure - Walmart's an easy target. So are the rest of the multi-national chain stores. And buying local is important. But why? What do we tell our friends who say, "But Walmart brings in jobs! And it's lower prices mean that the poor can afford things. Are you against the poor?" Come and hear a compelling perspective to address your niggling doubts and wonderings in the whole "global vs. local" debate. Michael Shuman is the author of "Going Local" and "The Smallmart Revolution", and is considered by many as THE go-to person around local, sustainable economics. (For more info about Shuman, scroll down to Oct. 20 in 'Past Events'!)

SAT, FEB. 7, 10am-5pm
4th Royal Bison Craft and Art Fair
@ Old Strathcona Performing Arts Building, 8426 Gateway Blvd.
(formerly the Cosmopolitan Music Society)

Don't buy crap made in sweatshops! Support local artists instead at the 4th Royal Bison Craft and Art Fair: Over 60 independent artist-vendors selling all manner of high-quality artsy craftsy things! ($2 admission, little kids free) More info at http://www.royalbison.ca

* Note ESPA is only tabling Saturday, not Sunday

THURS, FEB 5, 11:30am-3:30pm
U of A INTERNATIONAL WEEK NGO FAIR (coordinated by APIRG)
@ the Tory Atrium, University of Alberta (Tory Building is at the North end of HUB Mall).
See http://www.international.ualberta.ca/globaled/iweek.cfm for more info

* Note this year's fair is ONE day only

 

MON, FEB. 2, 3PM:
FILM: GLOBAL BANQUET: THE POLITICS OF FOOD
@ University of Alberta, Education South Building, Room # 1-22
as part of U of A International Week, Feb. 2-6 “Hungry for Change: Transcending Feast, Famine and Frenzy”
See http://www.international.ualberta.ca/globaled/iweek.cfm for more info

See FILM BIO at http://www.olddogdocumentaries.com/vid_gb.html

FRI, JAN. 30, 6-10PM:
“Food: Today. Tomorrow. Together.” Food Security Conference
@ Barnett House, #401, 11010-142 St. (AB Teacher's Assn Bldg)

See http://www.foodalberta.org for more info.

 

THURS, JAN. 29, 7PM:
2 FILMS: THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN & THE FUTURE OF FOOD
@ Barnett House, #401, 11010-142 St. (AB Teacher's Assn Bldg)
as part of “Food: Today. Tomorrow. Together.” Food Security Conference (Jan. 29-31)

See http://www.foodalberta.org for more info.

VIEW TRAILERS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqP1SC5Tr7U&eurl & http://www.thefutureoffood.com/trailer.htm

* Note: We're not sure if you MUST first be registered (paid) with the Conference to see these films so call them (not ESPA) for more info.

TUES, JAN. 27, 7PM:
FILM: THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN
@ University of Alberta, Civil Engineering Building (CEB), Room # 325
as part of U of A International Week, Feb. 2-6 “Hungry for Change: Transcending Feast, Famine and Frenzy”

See http://www.international.ualberta.ca/globaled/iweek.cfm for more info

VIEW TRAILER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqP1SC5Tr7U&eurl

 

THURS, JAN. 22, Noon-2pm
Dr. Norman Finkelstein presentation "What We Can Learn from Ghandi: Resolving the Palestine-Israel Conflict"
@ DINWOODIE LOUNGE (2nd Floor, Student's Union Building), University of Alberta

For more info email psnedmonton[AT]gmail.com

 

THURS, DEC.4, 7pm & 9pm @ Metro Cinema (Zeidler Hall, Citadel Theatre), 9828-101A Ave.
ESPA is thrilled to invite you to this double-bill in celebration of the holiday season!
What Would Jesus Buy?(Reverend Billy & the Church of Stop Shopping)
introduced by the excellent short film
Workers of the World Relax: The Jevon's Paradox
Scads more info follows...

What Would Jesus Buy?
Reverend Billy & the Church of Stop Shopping
introduced by the excellent short film
Workers of the World Relax: The Jevon's Paradox

DATE/TIMES: Thursday, Dec. 4 @ 7pm & 9pm ~ 2 shows! ~
LOCATION: Metro Cinema, 9828-101A Avenue (Zeidler Hall, Citadel Theatre)
ADMISSION: $8 General Admission*

VIEW WWJB TRAILER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCQEhqZO-gE

Film Synopses:
What Would Jesus Buy? Reverend Billy & the Church of Stop Shopping
Directed by Rob VanAlkemade
USA, 2007, 91 min.

What Would Jesus Buy? follows Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir as they go on a cross-country mission to save Christmas from the Shopocalypse: the end of mankind from consumerism, over-consumption and the fires of eternal debt!
From producer Morgan Spurlock (SUPER SIZE ME) and director Rob VanAlkemade comes a serious docu-comedy about the commercialization of Christmas. Bill Talen (aka Reverend Billy) was a lost idealist who hitchhiked to New York City only to find that Times Square was becoming a mall. Spurred on by the loss of his neighborhood and inspired by the sidewalk preachers around him, Bill bought a collar to match his white caterer's jacket, bleached his hair and became the Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping. Since 1999, Reverend Billy has gone from being a lone preacher with a portable pulpit preaching on subways, to the leader of a congregation and a movement whose numbers are well into the thousands.

Through retail interventions, corporate exorcisms, and some good old-fashioned preaching, Reverend Billy reminds us that we have lost the true meaning of Christmas. What Would Jesus Buy? is a journey into the heart of America – from exorcising the demons at the Wal-Mart headquarters to taking over the center stage at the Mall of America and then ultimately heading to the Promised Land … Disneyland.

Will we be led like Sheeple to the Christmas slaughter, or will we find a new way to give a gift this Christmas? What Would Jesus Buy? may just be the divine intervention we’ve all been searching for. The Shopocalypse is upon us … Who will be $aved?

“Seriously Hilarious.” - Variety
“Brilliant… I truly loved this film.” – Aint It Cool News

"Part horror movie, part agitprop theater, 'What Would Jesus Buy?' is a documentary on a mission."- Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times

"Tremendously entertaining." - Julia Wallace, Village Voice

"It’s a comical cry in the silent night against, as George Burns’ old song put it, the trend towards using people and loving things instead of using things and loving people."- Telly Davidson, FilmStew.com

~ screening with ~

Workers of the World Relax: The Jevon's Paradox
Directed by Conrad Schmidt
Canada, 2008, 18 min.

Can green technology save us? A growing body of evidence suggests that the answer is a resounding 'No' - by increasing energy efficiency, we actually increase energy usage. The principle of continuous growth which rule our economy have brought us here, but is there a different path? What if we used our gains in productivity to slow down? We could work less and produce less, but it would also mean consuming less. Workers of the World Relax is the entertaining & thought-provoking companion short film to the Work Less Party's excellent collection of essays by the same name, and features interviews with acclaimed author George Monbiot, UBC Professors William Rees and John Helliwell, Yves Cochet, former Environment Minister of France, John DeGraaf, Take Back Your Time founder, a host of enlightened Europeans and a cheeky soundtrack. Learn how we can create a better and more sustainable society by simply 'working less'.

SAT, NOV. 29, 10am-5pm @ Old Strathcona Performing Arts Building, 8426 Gateway Blvd.
(formerly the Cosmopolitan Music Society):
Don't buy crap made in sweatshops! Support local artists instead at the 4th Royal Bison Craft and Art Fair: Over 60 independent artist-vendors selling all manner of high-quality artsy craftsy things, just in time for the holiday season
($2 admission, little kids free) More info at http://www.royalbison.ca

SAT, NOV. 15, 11am-5pm @ Maier Learning Centre/ETLC, University of Alberta: Annual Parkland Conference "The Moral of the Story: Art, Culture, Media and Politics"
(Sessions cost but access to marketplace is free admission)
More info at http://parkland.arts.ualberta.ca/index.php/conference08fall/index

The 2008 North of Nowhere (NoN) Expo Programming Schedule:

Exhibit runs until Oct. 30, 2008
ArtsHab Studio Gallery
3rd floor, 10217 106 St.

MEDIAtion: ESPA's 10th Anniversary Retrospective Art Exhibit

If you're on facebook check out the photos section here:
http://www.new.facebook.com/event.php?eid=36829257007

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Please Join ESPA for this exhibit a decade in the making!

MEDIATION: ESPA’s 10th Anniversary Retrospective
Exhibition Celebrating a Decade of AgitProp

Gawk at the hundreds of great originals, prints, posters, mail-art, artistamps, zines & artists' books representing ESPA's favourite (mostly political) pieces from our permanent collection and our first decade of rabble-rousing.

Until Oct. 30, 2008
@ ArtsHab Studio Gallery*
3rd floor, 10217 106 St., Edmonton
* ArtsHab Studio Gallery is open every Thursday from 5-8pm or by appointment.
Phone 780-423-2966 (Tim) or 780-439-9532 (Jeff), or visit http://www.artshab.com

And that's not all...
New Work by ArtsHab Artists in Residence

New works by Jeff Collins, Roger Garcia, Gina Shields, Lynn Malin, Tessa Nunn, Harold Pearse, Tim Rechner, Jenna Stanton, Arlene Wasylynchuk, Darren Woluschuck, Jason Muirhead and Erika Ampudia.

ArtsHab Studio Gallery is a community of contemporary artists living and working in downtown Edmonton. ArtsHab offers a unique opportunity for art lovers to come out and meet these working artists in their homes and studios.

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* ArtsHab is open every Thursday from 5-8pm or by appointment only. Phone 780-423-2966 to make an appointment or visit www.artshab.com

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Friday, October 17
11am - 2pm
Outdoors in the Quad (by the Student's Union Building)
University of Alberta

United Nations Int'l Day for the Eradication of Poverty

Join ESPA & dozens of other groups at this huge NGO Fair as we mark this day and STAND against global poverty.
http://www.standagainstpoverty.org/

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Monday, October 20
7:00 - 9:30 pm
Tory Lecture Bldg, Room TL-B1
University of Alberta

An Evening with Michael Shuman

Sure - Walmart's an easy target.
So are the rest of the multi-national chain stores.
And buying local is important.
But why?

What do we tell our friends who say, "But Walmart brings in jobs! And it's lower prices mean that the poor can afford things. Are you against the poor?"

Come and hear a compelling perspective to address your niggling doubts and wonderings in the whole "global vs. local" debate.

Michael Shuman is the author of "Going Local" and "The Smallmart Revolution".

I'd be willing to bet you haven't heard of him.

But within the movement towards the creation of local living economies - he's like David Suzuki.

He is considered by many as THE go-to person around local, sustainable economics.

He's the vice president for Enterprise Development for the Training and Development Corporation (TDC) of Bucksport, Maine. A noted economist, attorney, author, and entrepreneur, Shuman is widely recognized for his research into the economic advantages of small-scale businesses in an era of globalization as well as the often over-looked benefits of building local economies in an era of big-box chains. He has authored, coauthored, and edited seven books, including The Small Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses are Beating the Global Competition (Berrett-Koehler, 2006) and Going Local: Creating Self-Reliant Communities in the Global Age (Free Press, 1998). The Small-Mart Revolution was just awarded a bronze medal for best business book by the Independent Publishers’ Association.

In recent years Shuman has led community-based economic-development efforts in St. Lawrence County (NY), Hudson Valley (NY), Katahdin Region (ME), Martha’s Vineyard (MA), and Carbondale (CO). He is currently preparing studies on state business subsidies for the Kellogg Foundation and on global models of local food businesses for the Gates Foundation. He served as a senior editor for the recently published Encyclopedia of Community. And he is a cofounder and active participant in the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) and a founder of Bay Friendly Chicken, a community-owned company located in Salisbury, Maryland.

Shuman received an A.B. with distinction in economics and international relations from Stanford University and a J.D. from Stanford Law School. Over the past 25 years Shuman has given an average of more than one invited talk a week – to universities, cities, legislators, economic development groups, and grassroots groups in nearly a dozen countries.

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ADMISSION: $8 Suggested Donation (sliding scale); Free admission to Residential School Survivors & All Their Relations

 

 

******** FILM SYNOPSIS ********

Unrepentant documents Canada's 'dirty secret'—the planned genocide of aboriginal people in church-run Indian Residential Schools—and a clergyman's efforts to document and make public these crimes.

First-hand testimonies from residential school survivors are interwoven with Kevin Annett's own moving story of how he faced firing, "de-frocking", and the loss of his family, reputation and livelihood as a result of his efforts to help survivors and bring out the truth of the residential school atrocities.

Now that Canada and its churches have been forced to acknowledge that thousands of children died in these "schools", the saga is continuing. Kevin Annett persists in a David and Goliath struggle to hold the government and churches of Canada accountable for crimes against humanity, and the continued theft and destruction of aboriginal land.

AWARDS: Louie Lawless for Best Director of an International Documentary, New York Independent Film and Video Festival, New York (2006); Best International Documentary (Feature), NY Independent Film Festival, Los Angeles (2007)

"Kevin is more deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize than many who have received it in the past." - Dr. Noam Chomsky, Professor Emeritus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

VIEW TRAILER: http://www.hiddenfromhistory.org/historyfiles/video/Unrepentant_Trailer.wmv

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The documentary will be followed by a short intermission, with a Panel Discussion starting at approx. 9pm. Edmonton Residential School Survivors Audrey Desvant and Jerry Wood, as well as "Unrepentant" Producer Lori O’Rorke and Kevin Annett will be in attendance.

************************************************

Audience members will learn more about the Residential School System and what you can do to support Survivors.

******** IMPORTANT NOTE ********

This is a non-profit, volunteer-operated event and proceeds from admissions will be used to offset screening costs, with any additional funds raised being donated towards Survivors' groups.

For more info call Jacqueline at 604-8898 or ESPA at 434-9236.

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Headlines Theatre's play Shattering toured into 26 communities throughout BC in 2007 to tremendous critical and audience acclaim. After receiving numerous requests to bring the play to additional communities, Headlines is now bringing the production back, along with the original cast...

<<<< SHATTERING >>>>

Forum Theatre created and performed by people who have struggled with addiction

How can communities use the theatre to unlock the knowledge that resides within them to respond to issues of addiction at a grassroots level?

Shattering begins with the premise that addicts come from somewhere: our communities. It is also within our communities that solutions dwell. By combining the very real issue of addiction with Forum Theatre, Shattering engages our collective creativity. Audience members are invited to stop the action of the play, and replace characters onstage, providing an opportunity to initiate community dialogue in search of grassroots solutions. The play asks difficult questions that dig beneath the symptoms to get at the root causes of addiction, and also provides a safe place to explore approaches to complex situations.

=========================

The trailer for the production can be viewed at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT4xa5DfC10

Shattering is Produced by Headlines Theatre and is co-presented in Edmonton by ihuman Youth Society, the InnerCity Youth Development Association, the University of Alberta Faculty of Education, the Neighbourhood Empowerment Team and the Edmonton Small Press Association.

See SHATTERING on the web: http://www.headlinestheatre.com/shattering/index.htm

<<<< ABOUT THE PROJECT >>>>

• Project Genesis:
In early 2006 Headlines Theatre was invited to a meeting on the Skwah Reserve near Chilliwack, BC. Out of this meeting came a request to create a Forum Theatre piece that would deal with the alarming rise of drug use. Headlines set to work creating a play that dug beneath the symptoms to address the very roots of addiction, the day to day moments and relationships that set the stage for the addictive behaviors. Out of workshops with both Native and non-Native participants, the play now known as Shattering was created.

• About Headlines Theatre:
Twenty-seven years strong, award-winning Headlines Theatre has produced hundreds of performances and workshops around the world including recent mainstage events 'Meth' (2006/2007) 'Here and Now' (2005–gang violence) and 'Practicing Democracy' (2004–poverty issues).

Artistic Director David Diamond documents his unique approach to theatre in his book Theatre For Living (Trafford Publishing, 2007). His technique embraces concepts of systems theory, and approaches communities as living organisms that experience dysfunction as seen through symptoms such as violence, racism, addiction and over-consumption. Diamond synthesizes the perspective that living communities are capable of incredible change by using the primal language of theatre to investigate difficult issues, create dialogue, and rehearse individual and community transformation.

• How Forum Theatre Works and responses to Headlines’ project on addiction:
At Forum Theatre performances, the audience is invited to stop the action of the play, replace characters onstage, and test their ideas for dealing with the issues under consideration. The interactive events provide an opportunity to engage in dialogue, yielding surprising insights and possibilities for action.

See Headlines Theatre's website at: http://www.headlinestheatre.com

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AND ALSO:

Project Porchlight will be setting up table with us in the lobby of Metro Cinema at tonight's films, and giving away free compact fluorescent lightbulbs! See more about the project at http://www.onechange.org

SYNOPSIS:

Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land provides a striking comparison of U.S. and international media coverage of the crisis in the Middle East, zeroing in on how structural distortions in U.S. coverage have reinforced false perceptions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This pivotal documentary exposes how the foreign policy interests of American political elites—oil, and a need to have a secure military base in the region, among others—work in combination with Israeli public relations strategies to exercise a powerful influence over how news from the region is reported.

Through the voices of scholars, media critics, peace activists, religious figures, and Middle East experts, Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land carefully analyzes and explains how—through the use of language, framing and context—the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza remains hidden in the news media, and Israeli colonization of the occupied territories appears to be a defensive move rather than an offensive one. The documentary also explores the ways that U.S. journalists, for reasons ranging from intimidation to a lack of thorough investigation, have become complicit in carrying out Israel's PR campaign. At its core, the documentary raises questions about the ethics and role of journalism, and the relationship between media and politics.

Interviewees include Seth Ackerman (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), Mjr. Stav Adivi (IDF Reserves), Rabbi Arik Ascherman (Rabbis for Human Rights), Noam Chomsky, Robert Fisk, Neve Gordon (Ta'ayush: Jewish-Arab Partnership), Sam Husseini (Institute for Public Accuracy), Rabbi Michael Lerner (Tikkun), Karen Pfeifer (Middle East Research and Information Project (MERIP), Gila Svirsky (Co-founder, Women in Black) and many, many more.

Film will be followed by a 1/2 hour discussion.

“I cannot recommend this documentary too highly. It should be required viewing for every student, for every taxpayer who is subsidizing the Israeli military machine.”
- Robert McChesney, University of Illinois

“Extraordinarily powerful and courageous.”
- Bo Smith, Boston Museum of Fine Arts

“The work is brilliant… touching the heart and stimulating the mind. The script, visuals, and editing are superb—never have I been so moved by a single film.”
- Jack G. Shaheen, Author, Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People

ADMISSION: $8 General Admission
(Free to low-income)

******** NEW INTRO/TRAILER ********
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR0Hio9CbUQ

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Join the ESPA and Council of Canadians as we celebrate the end of ESPA's first decade of rabble-rousing *and* the CoC's National Annual General Meeting ("Boom for Whom? Busting the Myths of Continental Integration") in Edmonton that same weekend!

IT'S HALLOWE'EN, SO DRESS UP!

Fair Trade Hallowe'en treats for the first 100 people through the doors, a mini-small-press/alternative literature fair and featuring live entertainment by SCOTT COOK and the critically-acclaimed Edmonton-based alt-folk band THE KUBASONICS!

DOORS OPEN 8pm, music starts at 8:30pm. Last call 1am. This event is licensed & all ages (I.D. required for bar service), so feel free to bring your kids as well (we'll have crafty things to keep them entertained while they're not dancing!).

(Sound tech'ing courtesy of Mike Tulley & MKT Systems!)

ADMISSION: $8 general admission, free to kids & low-income.

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About the Kubasonics:

The Kubasonics play traditional-style Ukrainian music, strongly informed by rock and alternative rock, as well as zydeco and klezmer. Their repertoire includes original compositions and traditional songs, encompassing humorous songs, polkas, and songs of the Ukrainian kobzar and lirnyk tradition. Their instrumentation includes electric guitar, electric bass, keyboards, drum kit, one or two violins, keyboard, harmonica, accordion and a variety of traditional instruments, including bandura, kobza, tsymbaly (a kind of hammered dulcimer), duda (a simple bagpipe), sopilka (a non-fipple flute), trembita (similar to an alpenhorn), buhai, dzholomiha (a double flute), telenka (a primitive flute without soundholes), drymba (mouth harp), musical saw and circular saw blade. Members are Brian Cherwick, Thom Bennet, Jay Lind, Rod Olstad, and Taras Zakordonski. Also appearing with the Kubasonics are Paul Cherwick, Bill Yacey, Maria Cherwick, Jacob Cherwick and Brian's deceased wife Elizabeth Cherwick (no pun intended, seeing it's Hallowe'en and all)...

Albums:
Miaso (‘meat’)
Giants of the Prairies
Big Beet Music by the Kubasonics

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About Scott Cook:

Scott Cook sings thoughtful, honest roots music with a barefoot feel. After finishing a philosophy degree in Edmonton, he has spent much of the last seven years on the island of Taiwan, tangling with kindergarteners on weekdays and rocking with his roots and reggae band, the Anglers, on weekends. Summers have brought him home to Canada for cross-country tours, either with the Anglers or alone. All that roaming has inspired his latest "love letter to the world", entitled Long Way to Wander, a collection of road stories, existential questions, wry observations and hymns to freedom and independence. Live, he accompanies himself with guitar, banjo, ukulele and a vanload of other instruments run through a loop sampler, tipping his hat to influences as diverse as folk, blues, oldtime country and reggae. In keeping with his 'jack of all trades, master of none' approach, Cook also builds websites, writes poetry, fiction and non-fiction, and co-organizes Taiwan's Peace Festival, a non-profit music and arts festival that raises money for peace work and charitable work on Taiwan and worldwide. He can be found on http://www.scottcook.net. (from sonicbids.com)

CD Review: "Long Way To Wander resonates with a Dylan-esque verve, a Waits-ian post-modernity, Cook baring his soul in public for all to hear. The songs mostly revolve around Cook's strings - guitar, banjo, ukelele - and his low, booming voice... His observations are spot-on and often funny, and places and people come to life vividly, whether Cook is singing about his grandmother in Alabama or about being lost somewhere in the middle of Asia... Long Way To Wander represents a huge leap forward for a singer-songwriter who has many more stories to tell." - Francois Marchand, The Edmonton Journal

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About the Council of Canadians:

Founded in 1985 to oppose the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, the Council of Canadians is a citizens' organization that advocates for progressive policies on behalf of its members across the country. The Council concentrates its advocacy around the core issues of fair trade, public health care and the right to water.

Internationally, the Council is recognized for its role in blocking the Multilateral Agreement on Investment, which would have allowed corporations to challenge national laws, even those related to environmental and labour regulations, if the laws hurt profits. The Council has recently focused on what it calls the 'deep integration' of Canada with the United States (aka the Security & Prosperity Partnership or SPP).

The Council receives no government or corporate funding and relies solely on the support of individual members to carry on their non-profit advocacy work.

For more info about their great work, see http://www.canadians.org

For more info about the National AGM, see http://www.canadians.org/about/AGM/index.html

For info about the Edmonton (Prairies Regional) Chapter contact:

Sheila Muxlow
smuxlow@canadians.org
#34 - 9912, 106 Street
Edmonton, AB T5K 1C5
Toll Free 1.877.729.4500
Office Phone 780.429.4500
Fax 780.429.4501

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Artwork for our mischievous Hallowe'en poster is courtesy of folk artist Brenda Stofft. See more of her work at http://www.brendastofftdesigns.com

Wednesday, October 8, 2008. 7:00pm - 10:00pm - Myer Horowitz Theatre (Students Union Building)

HELEN CALDICOTT
Anti-Nuclear Expert & Nobel Peace Prize Nominee

Free Admission to see Helen Caldicott Live at the U of A and the Sept. 24 film screening of "Helen’s War: A Portrait of a Dissident" (details below).

The single most articulate and passionate advocate of citizen action to remedy the nuclear and environmental crises, Dr. Helen Caldicott has devoted the last 35 years to an international campaign to educate the public about the medical hazards of the nuclear age and the necessary changes in human behavior to stop environmental destruction.

Dr Caldicott has received many prizes and awards for her work, most recently the Lannan Foundation's 2003 Prize for Cultural Freedom, 19 honorary doctoral degrees, and was personally nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Linus Pauling - himself a Nobel Laureate. The Smithsonian Institute has named Dr Caldicott as one of the most influential women of the 20th Century. She has written for numerous publications and has authored seven books, Nuclear Madness, Missile Envy, If You Love This Planet: A Plan to Heal the Earth (1992, W.W. Norton) and A Desperate Passion: An Autobiography (1996, W.W. Norton; published as A Passionate Life in Australia by Random House), The New Nuclear Danger: George Bush’s Military Industrial Complex (2001, The New Press in the US, UK and UK; Scribe Publishing in Australia and New Zealand; Lemniscaat Publishers in The Netherlands; and Hugendubel Verlag in Germany), and Nuclear Power is Not the Answer (2006, The New Press in the US, UK and UK; Melbourne University Press in Australia). Dr. Caldicott’s most recent book is War In Heaven (March 2007).

She also has been the subject of several films, including "Eight Minutes to Midnight", nominated for an Academy Award in 1981, "If You Love This Planet", which won the Academy Award for best documentary in 1982, and "Helen’s War: Portrait of a Dissident"*, recipient of the Australian Film Institute Awards for Best Direction (Documentary) 2004, and the Sydney Film Festival Dendy Award for Best Documentary in 2004.

* NOTE! "Helen’s War: A Portrait of a Dissident" will be presented in Edmonton Sept. 24 @ 6:30pm at the Stanley Milner Library. Also Free Admission!

Dr Caldicott currently divides her time between Australia and the US where she lectures widely. She is also the Founder and President of the Nuclear Policy Research Institute (NPRI),headquartered in Washington DC. NPRI’s mission is to facilitate a far-reaching, effective, ongoing public education campaign in the mainstream media about the often-underestimated dangers of nuclear weapons and power programs and policies.

Widely regarded as one of the great public speakers of the era, Caldicott has demonstrated a consistent ability to engage a variety of audiences - from corporate leaders to university students to her fellow physicians to community groups - galvanizing people from all walks of life to believe in their own capacity to bring about positive change.

Dr. Caldicott's experience over thirty years as a public speaker has included giving key note addresses, commencement addresses and public lectures to symposia, forums, university student groups, medical organizations and hospitals.

Her audiences have included the United States Senate, Fortune Magazine’s Brainstorm 2002 Conference, the Harvard University School of Public Health; the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley, the World Affairs Council, the National Press Club, the World Council of Churches, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and many universities and college commencement ceremonies.

This event is organized by the Sierra Club-Prairie Chapter and co-sponsored by the Environmental Research & Studies Centre (University of Alberta), Project Ploughshares, Mountain Equipment Coop, the Council of Canadians (Prairie), the Alberta Public Interest Research Group (APIRG), the Parkland Institute and the Edmonton Small Press Association.

For more info call ESPA or:
Sierra Club Prairie
780-439-1160
prairiechapter@sierraclub.ca

Council of Canadians Prairie
780-233-2528
smuxlow@canadians.org

 

Sept. 17 from 5 - 7:30, @ CEB #235 (Civil Engineering Building), U of A: "The Devil Came on Horseback", to commemorate the Sept. 17 Int'l Day for Darfur and pressure the UN to take meaningful action on the genocide. Presented as part of the U of A International Centre's Global Education Program "Welcome to the Reel World" film series.
Directed by Annie Sundberg & Ricki Stern
http://www.thedevilcameonhorseback.com/
http://www.breakthrufilms.org

"The Devil Came on Horseback" exposes the tragedy taking place in Darfur as seen through the eyes of an American witness who has since returned to the US to take action to stop it.

Using the exclusive photographs and first hand testimony of former U.S. Marine Captain Brian Steidle, "The Devil Came on Horseback" takes the viewer on an emotionally charged journey into the heart of Darfur, Sudan, where the government is systematically executing a plan to rid the province of it’s black African citizens.

As an official military observer, Steidle had access to parts of the country that no journalist could penetrate. He was unprepared for what he would witness and experience, including being fired upon, taken hostage, and being unable to intervene to save the lives of young children. Ultimately frustrated by the inaction of the international community, Steidle resigned and returned to the US to expose the images and stories of lives systematically destroyed.

"AN OUTSTANDING FILM. IT'S SUPERB, PERIOD."
- Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times

AWARDS: WINNER: SEEDS OF WAR AWARD Full Frame Documentary Film Festival; WINNER: FULL FRAME/WORKING FILM AWARD Full Frame Documentary Film Festival; WINNER: WITNESS Award SilverDocs Film Festival 2007; WINNER: Lena Sharpe / Women in Cinema Persistence of Vision Award / Seattle International Film Festival 2007; WINNER: Adrienne Shelly EXCELLENCE IN FILMMAKING Award /Nantucket Film Festival; OFFICIAL SELECTION: Sundance Film Festival

VIEW TRAILER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UyvoSaocUQ

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* Film will be followed by a discussion facilitated by Darfuri Ameera Abbo, who will speak about recent events in Camp Kamal, Nayala; Barbara Butt of the Darfurian Congress of Calgary; and the U of A chapter of STAND. Everyone is invited to stay for refreshments and the post-film discussion.

The Darfurian Congress of Canada raises funding for people in war-torn countries and distributes funding directly to the people in need. Their objectives are to raise world awareness on security and safety, equal and fair governance of law and political positions, represent inclusiveness of women in the peace process and political arena, wealth and power sharing in the regions and support the re-construction of schools and hospitals in Darfur and throughout Sudan.

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DCOH is co-hosted by U of A International's "Welcome to the Reel World" film series. For more info visit http://www.international.ualberta.ca/globaled/reelworld.cfm

Campus Map: http://www.campusmap.ualberta.ca/index.cfm?campus=1§or=5&feature=44
* Free Admission (donations accepted/encouraged to offset costs; proceeds to Global Grassroots, SaveDarfur.org & Darfuri Congress)

This event is a pre-festival feature of the ESPA’s 2008 North of Nowhere Expo: Festival of Independent Media & Underground Art. For more info call 780-434-9236 or visit http://www.edmontonsmallpress.org

NOTE: Photos posted here will be limited to general promotional stills.

June 30 @ 7pm, Metro Cinema (Citadel Theatre, 9828 101A Ave.):
"You Never Bike Alone", a highly entertaining feature-length documentary about Critical Mass to commemorate Bike Month, plus "Barb's Bike Shorts". More info coming soon!
VIEW TRAILER:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFYnz4JHRwM Also see more about Bikeology at http://www.bikeology.ca

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May 17 noon-6pm: ESPA's 5th Annual Fair Trade Fair & Film Festival as part of National Fair Trade Week.
Location: Strathcona Baptist Church (gymnasium), 8318-104 St. (right across from Gazebo Park/Farmer's Market)
Admission: $5 includes THREE excellent films and a copy of Co-op America's 2008 Guide to Fair Trade.

Our 5th annual event as part of TransFair Canada's National Fair Trade Weeks includes an afternoon marketplace with artists, NGOs, unions and vendors selling Fair Trade-certified, sweatshop-free or otherwise ethically-produced clothing, textiles, fashion accessories; soccer and volleyballs; chocolate, coffee, tea, sugar; plenty of arts & crafts; mouth-watering Eritrean (vegetarian) dishes and salads, good vibes, good karma, short videos, an exhibit "Celebrate People's History" Visual Resistance & "Street Art Workers Collective" Poster Exhibit and...

Feature Films

1:00pm: Banana Split: The banana is the cheapest fruit you can buy in Canada at any time of the year and Canadians eat approximately 3 billion bananas a year. In Canadian supermarkets bananas account for over 10% of total sales in the produce section and 1% of total sales. All this despite the fact that the nearest plantation is 5000 kilometres away and the banana is the most perishable fruit on our store shelves. Banana Split takes the viewer on a journey that begins with the hustle and bustle of a fruit market in Thunder Bay, Ontario and ends up with an examination of the daily challenges of life in Honduras. In addition to being a popular fruit in Canada, bananas are used as a staple food in more than 100 tropical and sub-tropical countries. In the developing world, bananas rank behind rice, wheat and corn as the most important staple food crops. Filmed in Canada, the United States, Honduras and France, Banana Split explores the North/South split between Canadian consumers and the people whose lives revolve around the "curvaceous fruit from the herbaceous plant."
AWARDS: WINNER Best Feature Length Documentary, 2005 Latin America Environmental Media Festival; Canadian International Development Agency's Deborah Fletcher Award of Excellence in Filmmaking on International Development 2004; Official Selection: 2003 omedia - International Environmental Film Festival; Travelling World Community Film Festival.
SEE WEBSITE:http://www.shebafilms.com/films/banana_split.html

2:30pm:"China Blue" takes us inside a blue-jeans factory, where Jasmine and her friends are trying to survive a harsh working environment. But when the factory owner agrees to a deal with his Western client that forces his teenage workers to work around the clock, a confrontation becomes inevitable. Shot clandestinely in China, under difficult conditions, this is a deep-access account of what both China and the international retail companies don't want us to see how the clothes we buy are actually made. "Tacit fury."
*AWARDS: WINNER DOEN/Amnesty International Human Rights Award, IDFA (Amsterdam); Best Documentary, International Independent Film Festival of Mar del Plata (Argentina); NOMINATED: Joris Ivens Award, IDFA (Amsterdam); Best Documentary, Hawaii International Film Festival; Official Selection at 37 film festivals in 24 countries.
SEE WEBSITE: http://www.teddybearfilms.com/chinablue

4:30pm: Global Banquet: The Politics of Food exposes globalization's profoundly damaging effect on our food system in terms that are understandable to the non-specialist. It debunks several underlying myths about global hunger (that hunger results from scarcity; that small countries don?t know how to feed themselves; and that only market-driven, chemically-based, industrial agriculture can feed the world). This film reveals how agribusiness squeezes out small farmers and how trade liberalization undercuts subsistence farming in the U.S. as well as in the developing world. It demonstrates how food security is linked to social development and how women, in particular, are affected by that. It links factory farming and the alteration and patenting of life forms to degradation of the natural environment. Through interviews with farmers, policy analysts, and international activists, The Global Banquet examines the ethical questions at the heart of the globalization debate. Beyond that, it shows how farmers, laborers, environmentalists, animal-rights activists, church groups, and students worldwide are mobilizing to address the situation.
*AWARDS: James Goldstone Award for Excellence in Filmmaking (Vermont International Film Festival), Cine Golden Eagle Award, U.S. International Film & Video Festival Award for Creative Excellence.
SEE WEBSITE: http://www.olddogdocumentaries.com/vid_gb.html

March 1 - April 26: Exhibit: Political Cartoons by Ingrid Rice
New Location: Happy Harbor Comics v.III, 10326-81 Ave. For more info visit the North of Nowhere Expo site (link at left) and click on the 'visual installations' link. See photos of Ingrid's work and the Just Seeds Visual Resistance political print exhibit on our facebook page.

April 19:"5-Ring Circus"
Location: Muddy Waters - 8211-111 Street
Covering the environmental and human rights consequences surrounding the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, and other Made-in-Alberta eco-vids (to commemorate Earth Day): "Five Ring Circus" exposes a dark side to the Vancouver Olympics which has not been revealed before, and shows how this three week event is changing Vancouver forever. In 2003 the citizens of Vancouver were promised that the Olympics would transform their city into a world class city. Instead what they got was rising rents, evictions, an ecological disaster, surveillance cameras, erosion of civil liberties, an illegal cleanup operation and spiraling out of control costs.
Find out what mayors, activists and residents think of the 2010 Olympic games. With two years to go before the games, this documentary examines how the commitments to environmental, social and economic sustainability have not been kept and how the preparations for the games are affecting diverse communities. Is Vancouver getting into the spirit of the Olympics? While many residents are excited to welcome the world, others are loudly resisting the drastic changes happening in their communities. SEE WEBSITE: http://www.thefiveringcircus.com

** PANEL DISCUSSION April 6 @ 4pm: "My Name is Rachel Corrie", following the afternoon matinee. The panel is being represented by Prof. Emeritus Baha Abu-Laban, Vanesa Ali from Palestinian rights group HumanServe, Netta Phillet of the Jewish/Arab Women's Peace Group, Karen Farkas of the Edmonton Jewish Federation, and moderated by Ann McDougall of the U of A Middle Eastern & African Studies Program. Discussion will focus on the controversy surrounding the play, including issues of freedom of expression and criminalization of dissent. Panel members literally represent 'both sides of the fence' in the Gaza/Israeli conflict, and the aim of the panel is to create meaningful dialogue, discussion and conflict resolution. We expect a very eye-opening and intense discussion.

March 31 @ 8PM: "Encounter Point", a remarkable film about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict resolution movement, presented in conjunction with "Rachel Corrie".
LOCATION: Catalyst Theatre, 8529 Gateway Blvd.
Admission: $8 suggested donation (sliding scale)
VIEW LONG TRAILER (7 min):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiZ7vlRf8aI

March 28-April 12*: "My Name is Rachel Corrie" (theatre production)
LOCATION: Catalyst Theatre, 8529 Gateway Blvd.
ADMISSION: See TixOnTheSquare (420-1757 or www.tixonthesquare.ca)
“My Name Is Rachel Corrie” chronicles the human, social, and political evolution in the life and controversial death of the American peace activist crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza. Though she never actually wrote a play, Corrie has been described as “the most talked about playwright in America today.” Since her death, Corrie has become a potent symbol for both sides of the conflict. The battle over the play and its meaning is still causing great uproar in the theater world. Originally produced to great acclaim by the Royal Court Theater and based on Corrie’s prolific writings, diaries, letters and e-mails edited by the acclaimed actor Alan Rickman and the Guardian journalist Katharine Viner, this powerful one-woman play offers a unique perspective into the horrors and humanity of the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Not to be missed!
Produced by Theatre Yes - www.theatre-yes.ca
* All shows 8pm; Sunday Matinees at 2pm March 30 & April 6. No shows Monday.
ESPA is co-organizing a Panel Discussion for April 6

March 22 (New Location: Muddy Waters, 8211 111 St.): "No End in Sight" (to commemorate the 5th Anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq). FYI, "No End" received the 2007 Special Jury Prize at Sundance, was awarded Best Documentary, Los Angeles Film Critics, and also an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary. See the Facebook event page at: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=8926956858
VIEW TRAILER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MdU09oD-OU

March 8: "Who's Counting? Marilyn Waring on Sex, Lies & Global Economics" (to commemorate Int'l Women's Day)
VIEW CLIP: http://www.nfb.ca/collection/films/fiche/?id=32736

Feb. 23 @ 8pm: Un Poquito de Tanta Verdad
(A Little Bit of So Much Truth)
LOCATION: NAKED CYBER CAFE, 10354 Jasper Ave.
ADMISSION: $8 suggested donation (pay what you can)
In the summer of 2006, a broad-based, non-violent, popular uprising exploded in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. Some compared it to the Paris Commune, while others called it the first Latin American revolution of the 21st century. But it was the people’s use of the media that truly made history in Oaxaca. A 90-minute documentary, A Little Bit of So Much Truth captures the unprecedented media phenomenon that emerged when tens of thousands of school teachers, housewives, indigenous communities, health workers, farmers, and students took 14 radio stations and one TV station into their own hands, using them to organize, mobilize, and ultimately defend their grassroots struggle for social, cultural, and economic justice. This is truly a remarkable film. Film will be followed by a discussion about the people of Oaxaca and what you can do to support their struggle. * Produced, Directed, Written, and Edited by Jill Irene Freidberg (2007, USA & Mexico, Spanish with English subtitles).
VIEW CLIP: http://www.corrugate.org/downloads/channel9.mov

The North of Nowhere Expo (Sept. 16-30, 2007)
Click the NoN link on the left to see all of the films and visual exhibitions presented at the 2007 expo. (Check back in spring of 2008 for details about the 2008 Expo!)

2 Films July 12: "SHAMELESS: the ART of Disability" & "Art From the Streets"! (Metro Cinema, Edmonton)
Metro Cinema is pleased to host a pair of screenings presented by the ESPA; proceeds will go to support the Our Voice street newspaper to assist low-income and homeless people in Edmonton.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Times: 7pm: SHAMELESS: the ART of Disability
          9pm: Art From the Streets
         (full synopses below)
Location: Metro Cinema (Zeidler Hall, Citadel Theatre Complex)
          9828-101A Avenue
Admission: $8 General Admission
         (Free to ESPA & Metro members, and to low-income/homeless)
For more info call (780) 434-9236, or visit http://www.metrocinema.org

FILM BIOS:
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SHAMELESS: the ART of Disability
Director Bonnie Sherr Klein
A National Film Board of Canada Production
(Canada, 2006, 72 min)
Visit the film website

Art, activism and disability are the starting point for what unfolds as a funny and intimate portrait of five surprising individuals. Director Bonnie Sherr Klein (Not a Love Story, and Speaking Our Peace) has been a pioneer of women's cinema and an inspiration to a generation of filmmakers around the world. SHAMELESS: the ART of Disability marks Klein's return to a career interrupted by a catastrophic stroke in 1987. Always the activist, she now turns the lens on the world of disability culture, and ultimately, the transformative power of art.

Joining Klein are a group of artists with diverse (dis)abilities. Humourist David Roche is taking his one man show, The Church of 80% Sincerity, to New York's off-Broadway. Poet and scholar Catherine Frazee is navigating a jam-packed schedule of teaching and speaking engagements. Dancer, choreographer and impresario Geoff McMurchy is organizing KickstART, an international festival of disability art. Sculptor and writer Persimmon Blackbridge is creating mixed media portraits from "meaningful junk".

Klein gathers these artists for a pyjama party where they take a subversive look at Hollywood stereotypes of people with disabilities: The Monster, The Saint, The Psycho, the Poor Little Crippled Girl, etc. The artists decide to turn the tables, making a pact to meet a year later at the KicksART Festival with the intent of creating their own images of disability.

The film tracks this motley gang of five from the BC Gulf Islands, to Nova Scotia and south to San Francisco while they create and then present their multi-faceted self-representations. As we get to know each of these remarkable people driven by a passion for art and transformation, the everyday complexities and unexpected richness of life with a disability are exposed. Packed with humour and raw energy, SHAMELESS: the ART of Disability is a revelation.

WINNER: Bronze Plaque - Category: Arts, Columbus International Film and Video Festival

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Art From the Streets
Layton Blaylock
(USA, 2006, 73 min)
Visit the film website

Art from the Streets is a feature length documentary about an innovative Texas-based program for homeless artists by the same name. This all-volunteer program was established in 1991 with the idea of providing a safe and nurturing environment for homeless people to produce art. They accomplish this mission by sponsoring twice weekly art ³classes² and an annual show to sell their work.

The film tells this story by tracking five of the artists over the course of a year. Pat Bailey has been living in her car after losing her accounting job of 11 years. Despite holding a degree in history and serving in the army, John Curran lives in a homeless camp. Howard Cook has been selling his art at the show for 10 years, earning enough to rent his own apartment for months at a time. Penney Hunt has been living on the streets since she was 12. Only in his twenties, John Monbelly sells his art on street corners to scrape by. Though the money helps, the Art From The Streets program rewards these homeless people with a self-confidence that allows them to survive the streets and maybe get off them for good.

Viewers will visit homeless camps, learn the daily challenges of street life, and witness the strengths of human character. You will also experience the 2-day show and sale where the artists¹ work is sold and where they interact with people that they rarely have a chance to encounter in such a positive way.

Blaylock started working as a cinematographer in the 80¹s and has shot a wide variety of projects including work on over 25 films, many corporate films, and hundreds of commercials. In the 90¹s he began work as a director. Art from the Streets is his first feature.

WINNER: Best Documentary Bend Film Festival; Best Documentary Feature South Padre Island Film Festival; People's Choice Award Honorable Mention Bay Street Film Festival

ESPA thanks our sponsors for their support! Metro Cinema, with additional support from the City of Edmonton, the Edmonton Arts Council and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.

The Yes Men are Coming! The Yes Men are Coming!

The ESPA is giddy with pleasure to announce a special LIVE appearance of the "The Yes Men"!

Monday JUNE 18, 2007 @ 7:00pm (doors open 6:30pm, show starts 7pm)
Location: Cosmopolitan Music Society, 8426 Gateway Blvd. (103 St.)
Admission: $15 at the door (sorry, no advance tix)
* Seating is extremely limited.
General Info: 434-9236 / contact@edmontonsmallpress.org

The Yes Men are globe-trotting theatre activists, famous for swapping Barbie/GI Joe voiceboxes and mocking the WTO on global television. The Yes Men have gained worldwide notoriety for impersonating and lampooning the World Trade Organization, the Bush Administration, and other governing bodies. They appear on television, at trade conferences and in other fora around the world. They are honest people hoaxing big time criminals in order to publicly humiliate them.

On their first-ever visit to Edmonton, The Yes Men will give a jaw-dropping two hour performance telling true stories that are stranger than fiction, and show hot-off-the-press video clips from their latest stunts.

Who Are the Yes Men?

The story began in 1999, just before the big protests in Seattle. Mike Bonanno (the BLO mastermind who switched the voice boxes of Barbie and G.I. Joe dolls and returned them to store shelves), and Andy Bichlbaum, (who made a splash by programming smooching, speedo-clad men into 80,000 copies of an action video game) set up a parody of the WTO website at the domain GATT.org. Some people mistook it for the real thing and invited them to speak on CNBC, at conferences, schools, and other forums as the WTO. Andy and Mike donned thrift store suits and set out to shock unwitting audiences with darkly comic satire that highlights the worst aspects of global free trade. Since then the Yes Men have impersonated some of the world's most powerful criminals - including Halliburton and DOW - in order to correct their identities.

The shocking satires they delivered to audiences of so-called ³experts² while representing WTO policy is the subject of the Yes Men¹s live presentation. The Yes Men will explain the bizarre circumstances by which their website was confused for the WTO¹s and how this confusion resulted in invitations to speak as the WTO. The storytelling will be enhanced by multimedia - including previously unreleased footage from their recent exploits as well their classic pranks.

Woven into the story will be a history lesson - an explanation of how the first world, through organizations like the WTO, continues to exploit the third world, maintaining a modern version of the colonial relationships upon which our current economies are based.

See more about the Yes Men at: http://www.theyesmen.org/

Presented by the Edmonton Small Press Association (ESPA) and sponsored in part by the Alberta Public Interest Research Group and On Spec Magazine. ESPA thanks the City of Edmonton, Edmonton Arts Council & the Alberta Foundation for the Arts for operational funding.

ROYAL BISON ARTS & CRAFTS FAIR
May 26-27 from 10am - 5pm
Cosmopolitan Music Society, 8426 Gateway Blvd.
For more info click HERE
 

ESPA'S 4TH ANNUAL FAIR TRADE FAIR & FILM FEST
Saturday, May 19 from 12-6pm
TransAlta Arts Barns (Fringe Theatre Adventures), 10330 84 Ave.

Fair Trade Works! Ten years of Changing Lives: Because Fair Trade does work and gives results - it is a practical tool for decreasing poverty in developing countries, respecting the rights of workers, producers and communities in the South, sustaining the environment, and creating ethical consumers in the North. Find out how Fair Trade is making a difference globally, and join us in "Making Poverty History"...

FEATURING: An all-day Fair Trade & Info-Fair represented by dozens of independent artisans, non-profit organizations and ethical businesses who work towards increasing awareness about the Fair Trade movement and economic equality - see a full list of this year's vendors and our fantastic lunch menu below the film bios!

Plus Three Extraordinary Films:

12:30 pm: BLACK GOLD
2:30 pm: MAQUILAPOLIS (City of Factories)
4:00 pm: WORKINGMAN'S DEATH

Admission: Free admission to Fair; $5-$8 suggested donation for Films (sliding scale); free admission to low-income.

BLACK GOLD asks us "to wake up and smell the coffee," to face the unjust conditions under which our favorite drink is produced and to decide what we can do about it. The film traces the tangled trail from the two billion cups of coffee consumed each day back to the 70,000 Ethiopian coffee farmers who produce the beans. "Black Gold is a moving and eye-opening look into the 80-billion-dollar global coffee industry, where the spoils of overpriced lattes and cappuccinos are sparsely shared with the farmers who make it all possible." - Sundance Film Festival

MAQUILAPOLIS: Workers in Tijuana¹s multinational factories confront labour violations, environmental devastation and urban chaos. Carmen Duran lives with her kids in a house she made of abandoned garage doors. Her town, in the far northwestern corner of Mexico, is called Maquilapolis, or City of Factories. She works for a global corporation like millions of other women < in her case Sanyo < for $68 a week. In a world preying on women, it takes the women themselves to fight back. They use video cameras to document how globalization has transformed their city and to share their hopes for the future. "A portrait of the perils of globalization that admirably seeks new forms of expression... a stirring work that'll provoke genuine outrage." - The New York Times

WORKINGMAN'S DEATH: Today's manual laborers are no longer celebrated with hymns of praise. They must be content with encouraging one another that backbreaking work is better than no work at all... In the Ukraine, a group of men spend long days crawling through cramped shafts of illegal coal mines. Sulfur gatherers in Indonesia brave the smoky heat of an active volcano and the treacherous trip back down. Blood, fire and stench are routine for workers at a crowded open-air slaughterhouse in Nigeria. Pakistani men use little more than their bare hands to dismantle an abandoned oil tanker for scrap metal. Steelworkers in China fear they could be a dying breed... Five portraits of heavy manual labor, increasingly less visible in our technological 21st Century. "It's a blistering examination of the extremes to which honest workers will go to earn their daily bread... Frightening, stomach turning and deeply moving..." - Hollywood Reporter.

* This event is sponsored in part by the Alberta Workers' Health Centre, Steelworkers Local 1-207, the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union Of Canada Local 777 (CEP), On Spec Magazine & VUE Weekly. ESPA thanks the City of Edmonton, the Edmonton Arts Council and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts for operational support.

List of Vendors:
Acorn Studios (geekware from recycled electronic waste) http://www.acornstudios.ca/
Alberta Workers' Health Centre http://www.workershealthcentre.ca/
Casa Corazon http://www.casacorazon.ca/
Cooperativa de Madres Solteras de El Salvador
Earth's General Store http://www.earthsgeneralstore.ca/
Ecuadorian Aymara Nuca Llacta
Edmonton Friends of the North Environmental Society
Edmonton Small Press Association http://www.edmontonsmallpress.org/
Headcase Hats
Indo Home Decor (Indonesian woodcarvings)
Just Shirts Clothing Worker Co-op http://www.justshirts.ca/
Latin Balle Pee/The Child Is Innocent http://www.thechildisinnocent.ca/
Make Poverty History http://www.makepovertyhistory.ca/
On Spec Magazine http://www.onspec.ca/
Oxfam Canada - Edmonton Chapter http://www.oxfam.ca/
Pisa (handcrafted coconut handbags and purses)
Quakers/Religious Society of Friends (FT sports balls) http://www.edmontonquakers.org/
Rainbow Bridge Communications/Made-in-Alberta http://www.madeinalberta.ca/
Raise My Voice (Photography) http://www.raisemyvoice.com/
Students Against Global Apathy www.ualberta.ca/~saga
Ten Thousand Villages http://www.tenthousandvillages.ca/
thoughtcrime ink http://www.thoughtcrimeink.com/
TransFair Canada http://www.transfair.ca/
United Steelworkers Local 1-207 http://www.steel207.ca/
Walk for Darfur http://www.walkfordarfur.ca/
White Brahma Creations (precious stone and crystal jewellery)

Lunch Menu (1-5pm):
Eritrean Vegetarian Plate:
        Ater Kik Wot - spiced lentils & split peas
        Gomen Wot - spiced spinach
        Atekilt Aletcha Wot - spiced cabbage, carrots & potatoes
Samosas
Hummous & Pita
Greek Salad
Fresh Fruit
Fair Trade Certified coffee, tea, hot chocolate
* Please bring your own mug

For more info see:
http://www.transfair.ca/
http://www.makepovertyhistory.ca/

MAY ESPA BOARD/GENERAL MEETING:
Wednesday, MAY 16 at 6:30pm
Location: Room #9, 6th Floor, Stanley A. Milner Library
Please email us or call 434-9236 a week in advance if you'd like to attend.

Check out our 2005 North of Nowhere Expo site HERE

March 17 National Day of Action to End the War
Saturday, March 17
Times & Locations: Gather 12:30 pm @ Corbett Hall, U of A (Whyte Ave. & 112 St. - outdoors so dress warm!)
Admission: FREE

* Bring signage, noisemakers, banners, percussive instruments!

The March will proceed down Whyte Ave. and arrive at the TransAlta Arts Barns (83 Ave. & 104 St.) at approx. 1-1:30pm, followed by an indoor rally, speakers and an info fair with tables representing Oxfam, Amnesty Int'l, Council of Canadians, Edmonton Haiti Solidarity, Edmonton Small Press Association, the War Resisters Support Campaign and more.

* Please bring your own coffee mug for Fair Trade tea, hot chocolate and coffee (fresh-roasted locally by Earth's General Store!)

Organized by the ESPA and the Edmonton Coalition Against War & Racism (ECAWAR) http://www.ecawar.org/.
Also see: Canadian Peace Alliance (National Coordinators): http://www.acp-cpa.ca/

AFTERNOON FILMS:
Let Them Stay: U.S. War Resisters in Canada
~ and ~
A Letter to the Prime Minister (Jo Wilding's Diary from Iraq)
Saturday, March 17 @ approx. 4pm (* note time change!)
Location: TransAlta Arts Barns Lobby (83 Ave. & 104 St.)
Admission: By Donation (pay-what-you-can/free to low-income)
Presented by ESPA with support from ECAWAR, The Fringe and Division 1
More Info: See short Film Synopses below e-poster…

Short Film Synopses:

Let Them Stay: Voices of US War Resisters in Canada
Directed by Alex Lisman, Narrated by Shirley Douglas, Canada (28 min)
"Let Them Stay" features exclusive one-on-one interviews with U.S. war resisters in Canada, documenting their life-changing experiences in Iraq and the hidden realities of U.S. military recruitment and warfare. It also documents the War Resisters Support Campaign, a pan-Canadian coalition of labour, faith and peace groups, Vietnam war resisters, and individuals who are working with these war resisters to put pressure on the current federal government to let them stay. Produced with financial support from Labour Temple and Peacefund Canada. The War Resisters Support Campaign is a broad-based coalition of community, faith, labour and other organizations and individuals that have come together to support U.S. soldiers seeking asylum in Canada because they refuse to fight in the illegal war in Iraq.

~ followed by ~

A Letter to the Prime Minister (Jo Wilding's Diary from Iraq)
Directed by Julia Guest, UK (71 min)
Offering a singular take on the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq, this film follows Jo Wilding on her remarkable journey in solidarity with the people of Iraq, before and during the 2003 Invasion. Narrated as a letter to Tony Blair & using original diary extracts, the film traces the non-violent resistance to foreign policy in the region. Jo serves as witness to the destruction of the lives of ordinary people and their subsequent neglect by Occupation forces, but she also acts, forming the Boomchucka Circus to work with school children and refugees, even travelling to Falluja in April 2004 to stand alongside the civilians trapped and targeted by US forces when even Al Jazeera had pulled out.

Also on March 17:
WAR RESISTERS SUPPORT CAMPAIGN CD RELEASE: HIP-HOP EVENT

Time & Location: 8:00 pm @ TransAlta Arts Barns (83 Ave. & 104 St.)
* This is a licensed event - I.D. required!

Admission: $5 suggested donation (free to low-income)

FEATURING: Evening film screening of "Let Them Stay" (synopsis above)
Mohammad Ali Aumeer aka M.C. Third Word (Toronto)
iD (Edmonton)
Khiry Tafari (Edmonton)
and Spoken Word Poets TBA

This is a CD launch party for Mohammad Ali Aumeer's debut album, "Such A Long Journey", a benefit for the War Resisters Support Campaign. The WRSC is a campaign that has been active since 2004, and calls on the Canadian government to demonstrate its commitment to international law and the treaties to which it is a signatory, by making provision for US war objectors to have sanctuary in this country.

For more info see:
War Resisters Support Campaign
Hear Mohammad Ali Aumeer
Hear iD
Hear Khiry Tafari

* This event is sponsored by the Alberta Public Interest Research Group (APIRG)

We'll also be participating in the International Human Peace Sign project! The internationally recognized symbol of peace which became hugely popular in the 1960s is having an ongoing resurgence. Throughout the world, as part of the ongoing efforts of The Humanist Movement promoting non-violence, the 'Human Peace Sign' has emerged. Beginning in Budapest, Hungary, the symbolic act is being held in cities across the planet. On March 17, 2007 marking the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq, cities will unite, each forming their own human peace signs. Here in Edmonton, marchers meeting at Corbett Hall will form a giant peace sign to mark our participation. For more info see humanpeacesign.org and www.web.net/~humanist/peacesign - thanks to Earth's General Store for coordinating!

Edmonton's March 17 events are organized by the Edmonton Coalition Against War & Racism (ECAWAR), the Edmonton Small Press Association (ESPA) and the Edmonton War Resisters Support Committee. Combined we thank the following for their support: the Fringe for hosting us, MKT Systems and an anonymous donor for tech support, Black Cat Press for print media support, Earth's General Store for fair trade beverages, and the Alberta Federation of Labour and the City of Edmonton for logistical support.

See you on March 17!

FILM SCREENING: Bougainville Sky
Monday, Feb. 5 @ 7pm
Location: Stanley A. Milner Library Theatre (lower level),
7 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Admission: By Donation ($8 suggested or pay-what-you-can; free to low-income)

Short Synopsis: Bougainville Sky
(Directed by Nick Agafonoff, 75 min. Australia, 2006)
When war on the remote Papua New Guinea Island of Bougainville ended, the combatants invited the international community to send in a peace-keeping force on one condition: they come unarmed. The invitation was accepted, and young Australian songwriter Iain Campbell Smith found himself amongst those working for the world's first ever unarmed international peace-keeping operation.
Film screening followed by a Q & A session and live performance
by featured songwriter/peacekeeper Iain Campbell Smith.
Presented by the ESPA in cooperation with the Edmonton Coalition Against War & Racism (ECAWAR) http://www.ecawar.org/. More info: http://www.iaincampbellsmith.com/

UPCOMING TABLING: U of A International Week NGO Fair
Feb. 1 & 2 from 10am to 4pm
Location: Tory Atrium (Tory Building), University of Alberta
Come by and check out ESPA's booth at Iweek!

The ESPA, Earth's General Store & TransFair Canada present:
National Fair Trade Weeks' 2006
Fair Trade Film Fest
Sat., May 6, 2006 · Noon - 6:00pm
Edmonton Room (Lower Level)
Stanley Milner Library, Downtown Edmonton
(7 Sir Winston Churchill Square)
~ feature-length films include ~
"Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price", "Stolen Childhoods", and "Buyer Be Fair".
We'll also be presenting other film shorts, a labour history poster exhibit (up all month in the theatre foyer), and an info-fair and ethical marketplace featuring booths by the ESPA, Students Against Global Apathy (SAGA), Oxfam (Edmonton Chapter), and more. Call us if you'd like to table (space is limited).
Admission by Donation (Free to Low-Income)
(Full Films & Bios Below E-Poster)

Full Films & Bios:

12:00 pm (Noon)
Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price
Producer/Director: Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films
(USA, 2005, 98 min.)
Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price is a feature length documentary that uncovers a retail giant's assault on families and American values. The film dives into the deeply personal stories and everyday lives of families and communities struggling to fight a goliath. A working mother is forced to turn to public assistance to provide healthcare for her two small children. A Missouri family loses its business after Wal-Mart is given over $2 million to open its doors down the road. A mayor struggles to equip his first responders after Wal-Mart pulls out and relocates just outside the city limits. A community in California unites, takes on the giant, and wins! http://www.walmartmovie.com

1:45 pm
Fair Trade Labelling Organizations International
Max Havelaar Foundation
(Swiss, 2002, 14 min. - English language & subtitles)
A great introduction to fair trade and the Max Havelaar Foundation, named after the 1860 novel character who inspired the concept of global fair trade labeling and certification initiatives. Profiles consumers in Belgium and banana producers in the Dominican Republic, Recipient of the King Baudouin International Development Prize 2002.

2:00 pm
Stolen Childhoods
Directed by Len Morris (USA, 2003, 85 min.)
Stolen Childhoods is the first feature documentary on global child labor ever produced. The film features stories of child laborers around the world, told in their own words. Children are shown working in dumps, quarries, brick kilns. One boy has been pressed into forced labor on a fishing platform in the Sea of Sumatra, a fifteen-year-old runaway describes being forced into prostitution on the streets of Mexico City, while a nine-year-old girl picks coffee in Kenya to help her family survive.

The film places these children's stories in the broader context of the worldwide struggle against child labor. Stolen Childhoods provides an understanding of the causes of child labor, what it costs the global community, how it contributes to global insecurity and what it will take to eliminate it.

Shot in eight countries (Brazil, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal and the United States), the film includes slave and bonded labor footage never seen before. It has framing interviews with U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (the leading legislative advocate for global action to eliminate child labor) and human rights advocates for children: Bruce Harris, Pharis Harvey, Inderjit Khurana, Wangari Maathai and Kailash Satyarthi.

The film shows best practice programs that remove children from work and put them in school, so that they have a chance to develop as children and also have a chance of making a reasonable living when they grow up. Stolen Childhoods challenges the viewer to help break the cycle of poverty for the 246 million children laboring at the bottom of the global economy. http://www.StolenChildhoods.org

3:30 pm
After Cancun: Free Trade or Fair Trade
Directed by Jeremy Wright (Canada, 2004, 30 min.)
After Cancun features Maude Barlow, Chairperson of the Council of Canadians, giving a full 'behind the scenes' account of why the Trade Talks collapsed at Cancun, and contrasted in the video with the views of Pierre Pettigrew, the then Minister for Trade. The fundamental differences between "Free" Trade" and "Fair Trade" are discussed with examples drawn from the Cancun Fair Trade Fair, and features Chantal Havard, Transfair Canada; Jeff de Jong, Cocoa Camino; and Nicole McGrath, Peridar.

4:00 pm
Buyer Be Fair: The Promise of Product Certification
Directed by John de Graaf (USA, 2005, 60 min.)
The Seattle World Trade Organization meetings and other trade gatherings have st irred powerful sentiment against globalization, but world trade is a juggernaut that will not be stopped. Is there a way to make free trade FAIR? How can retailers and consumers use their purchasing power and market choice to make the world better for people and the environment? What is the promise of product certification and labeling? And how do consumers decide whether the labels can be believed? Taking viewers to Mexico, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Sweden, the United States and Canada, this exquisitely photographed film explores how consumers and businesses can use the market to promote social justice and environmental sustainability through product labeling, with a focus on Fair Trade coffee and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood. Narrated by Scott Simon, National Public Radio.

"Buyer Be Fair will have a huge impact. It's moving, it's gorgeous, it's engaging, and the viewer feels empowered, not preached to." Frances Moore Lappé, author of "Diet for a Small Planet" and "Democracy's Edge".

http://www.buyerbefair.org http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/bbf.html

~ Films completed at 5:00 pm ~
~ InfoFair & Marketplace remains open until 6:00 pm ~
Info: 434-9236

For more info about NFTW & EGS see: www.TransFair.ca and www.EarthsGeneralStore.ca


Fri/Sat, Nov. 4-5
GLOBAL VISIONS FESTIVAL - Marketplace Tabling
(Friday 6 pm - Midnight & Saturday Noon - 9 pm)
@ Telus Centre (111 St. & 87 Ave.)
Find our tables to do some early, interesting & ethical xmas shopping
(& support independent artists while you're at it)!

Wed, Nov. 30
ESPA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM) & 2005/2006 BOARD ELECTIONS
OPEN TO PUBLIC - ALL INVITED TO ATTEND
7:30 pm @ Stanley A. Milner Library, 6th Floor, Room #7
Join us to cap off the past year and discuss projected activities and exhibitions for the new year.
Snacks & refreshments will be provided; kids welcome.
* RSVP by Nov. 21 if you plan on attending, or would like to run for
a position on the Board of Directors (call us for more info - see contact info below)

Fri., Dec. 2 starting @ 7 pm
The ESPA presents 2 great documentaries to commemorate
the National Day of Action Against Climate Change:
BHOPAL: "THE SEARCH FOR JUSTICE" & "SCARED SACRED"
both produced by the National Film Board of Canada
Both @ Stanley A. Milner Library, Centennial Room (Theatre Foyer)
Admission by donation (free to low-income)
Stick around to check out related information booths

SYNOPSES:
7:00 pm: BHOPAL: THE SEARCH FOR JUSTICE
Running time: 53 minutes
This weekend marks the 21st Anniversary of the Union Carbide leak in Bhopal, India
- the greatest industrial disaster in human history. Find out why corporations need to be
held responsible for their environmental actions.

8:15 pm: SCARED SACRED
Running time: 104 minutes
In a world teetering on the edge of self-destruction, award-winning filmmaker Velcrow
Ripper sets out on a unique pilgrimage. Visiting the "Ground Zeros" of the planet,
he asks if it's possible to find hope in the darkest moments of human history.

Ripper travels to the minefields of Cambodia; war-torn Afghanistan; the toxic wasteland of Bhopal;
post-9/11 New York; Bosnia; Hiroshima; Israel and Palestine. This unflinching documentary captures his
five-year odyssey to discover if humanity can transform the "scared" into the "sacred."
Confronting horror and heartbreak around the world, Ripper meets those who
have suffered first-hand. And in each place, he unearths unforgettable stories of survival,
ritual, resilience and recovery.

Deep in the jungles of Cambodia, Ripper meets Aki Ra, a child soldier forced to lay
landmines for the Khmer Rouge. Today Aki wanders his ravaged country with a simple
wooden stick, decommissioning thousands of mines each year. In the shattered land of
Afghanistan, Ripper searches for a Sufi musician who was banned from performing or
even listening to music, by the reign of fundamentalism.
The musician discovered a way out: he filled his house with songbirds.

ScaredSacred brings together these powerful stories and more, deftly weaving together
haunting and luminous footage with words, memories, and an evocative soundscape.
Featuring an engaging, first-person narrative, this film is an exquisite portrait of a search
for meaning in times of turmoil.

For more info about the National Day of Action Against Climate Change see:
Climate Action Network
http://www.climateactionnetwork.ca/

"Small Act, Big Impact!"
Fair Trade Fair
(May 2005)
in Cooperation with
TransFair Canada

TransAwareness Week (May 2005) in Cooperation with Egale Canada

From Left: Day of Action to End the War (March 19, 2005); Sugary Evil Indymedia Extravaganza (Nov. 17, 2004); Bush Go Home Rally & Street Theatre (Nov. 30, 2004) art by Alex Dukal; Bush Watch! (Nov. 2, 2004) art by Chuck Beers, One World Beat Global Music Fest & DOA (March 20, 2004), "Small Change, Big Difference!" Fair Trade Fair (May 12, 2004); Going Postal Mail Art Expo (2003) art by Greg Oakes.

Next year we endeavour to expand our website to include more info on other past exhibitions such as our Going Postal Mail Art Expo (2003), Subtitles: Art of the Underground (2001), and other historical documentation of events/activities of the society.

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