1. The Ordovician-Silurian Extinction, which occurred about 439 million years ago, wiped out 86% of life on Earth at the time. Most scientists believe that this mass extinction was precipitated by glaciation and falling sea levels (possibly a result of the Appalachian mountain range forming), catastrophically impacting animal life which lived largely in the ocean at the time.
2. The Late Devonian Extinction happened about 364 million years ago and destroyed 75% of species on Earth. Possibly spread over hundreds of thousands of years, a sequence of events that depleted the oceans of oxygen and volcanic ash that cooled the Earth’s surface are believed to have driven the extinctions. It was to be 10 million years before vertebrates again appeared on land. ‘If the late Devonian extinction had not occurred, humans might not exist today.’
It is time we acknowledge the political realities before us, and align on the candidate who will not only win, but build the kind of multicultural, multiracial and working class movement that will enable the next President to take on corporate power and deliver justice for all.
As the executive director of Rights & Democracy (RAD) in Vermont and an organizer based in our state for more than two decades, I have had many opportunities to work closely with U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
Wednesday, December 4, 2019, 7:00 – 8:30 PM
David Shutkin is a founding member of the Center for Jewish Nonviolence (CJNV). He has been to Palestine on four occasions since 2015 and will be in Palestine with a fifth delegation this winter. He has been an anti-occupation activist since 1982. The CJNV engages in nonviolent direct action in opposition to the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Their work is a form of solidarity activism as we support and collaborate with many Palestinian partner organizations such as Youth Against Settlements and theGood Shepard Coalition. We also partner with numerous Palestinian village counsels including Susya, Umm Al-Khair, and Al-Tawani, in the South Hebron Hillas and Issawiya and Batan Al-Hawa in East Jerusalem. The CJNV brings together members of organizations such as JVP, If Not Now and J Street U. David will share an overview of the CJNV, some of my back story, and discuss the successes of our most recent collaborative action in the South Hebron Hills where we encountered the violence of the IDF and seventeen people were arrested. Website:
In yesterday’s Duluth News-Tribune’s editorial page, the DNT’s regular ultra-conservative Sunday editorialist and reliable Trump administration defender Marc Thiessen made an interesting comment about his hero’s impeachment threat.
Before discussing the comment, I think that it is important to point out a few things about Thiessen that the DNT hasn’t mentioned.
Thiessen grew up on New York City’s East Side, the over-privileged son of two physicians. He went to an elite private high school, attended the equally elite Vassar College and then attended the Naval War College. Interestingly, he then worked for 5 years for Paul Manafort’s lobbying firm. After serving as a staffer for the notorious racist Senator from North Carolina, Jesse Helms, he worked in George W. Bush’s administration and then became a speechwriter for both Donald Rumsfeld and Bush. Thiessen is now a regular FOX News commentator anda “resident fellow” at both the conservative Hoover Institution and the American Enterprise Institute.
Tuesday, November 26, 2019, 7:00 PM
Aireen Aguilar was born in Manila, Philippines, the daughter of a awyer/municipal judge and a provincial nurse supervisor. Though she and her two brothers were raised in Philippines, Aireen chose to follow the footsteps of her aunts, uncles, and cousins by coming to the United States. As a registered nurse, Aireen worked in a variety of settings. Though she is now retired, since 1998 she has been involved in medical mission work in Philippines, Mexico, Ethiopia and Cambodia. Aireen states that, “To be a nurse is my passport to improve myself and experience other cultures and traditions and to see this beautiful world.” All are welcome. There is no charge for this program. Location: Old Worthington Library, 820 High Street. Facebook.
