BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//The Sanctuary For Independent Media - ECPv6.17.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:The Sanctuary For Independent Media
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for The Sanctuary For Independent Media
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20070311T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20071104T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20080309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20081102T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20090308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20091101T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20100314T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20101107T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20110313T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20111106T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20120311T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20121104T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20130310T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20131103T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20140309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20141102T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20150308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20151101T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20160313T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20161106T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20170312T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20171105T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20180311T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20181104T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170527T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170527T200000
DTSTAMP:20210419T124547Z
CREATED:20210419T124546Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210419T124547Z
UID:10001208-1495904400-1495915200@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:Collard City Growers Annual Plant Sale
DESCRIPTION:Help support Collard City Growers through purchase of a variety of annuals and perennials at very affordable prices. We also welcome barters (annual for annual or perennial for perennial) if you have plants to trade. Let us know if you have any requests and we will start the seeds for you now! We also welcome plant donations if you have extras you would like to donate to the cause!
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/collard-city-growers-annual-plant-sale/
CATEGORIES:Community Event,Fundraiser
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081219T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081219T200000
DTSTAMP:20230705T163619Z
CREATED:20081219T164500Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230705T163619Z
UID:10000869-1229709600-1229716800@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:"Crime Against Humanity" with Poet and Activist Michael Anthony Reyes Benavides
DESCRIPTION:A play by poet and activist Michael Anthony Reyes Benavides and former Puerto Rican Political Prisoner Luis Rosa\, directed by Michael Anthony Reyes Benavides. Imagine 27 years of your life living in a space 6 feet by 9 feet. Imagine being confined in isolation with no human contact. Imagine the shakedowns\, the strip searches\, and the complete disregard for your humanity. Crime Against Humanity is a play based on the real-life experiences of fourteen Puerto Rican political prisoners who spent more than two decades in prisons for seditious conspiracy—two of whom are still incarcerated. Crime Against Humanity brings us into the U.S. prison system in a way no other play has\, focusing on the politically motivated use of isolation\, selective punishment\, sensory deprivation\, and disproportionate sentences. Crime Against Humanity is produced by the National Boricua Human Rights Network and Batey Urbano. These two organizations hope to use this performance piece to raise consciousness and gain support for the campaign to free the remaining Puerto Rican political prisoners. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nImagine 27 years of your life living in a space 6 feet by 9 feet. Imagine being confined in isolation with no human contact. Imagine the shakedowns\, the strip searches and the complete disregard for your humanity. Crime Against Humanity is a play based on the real life experiences of fourteen Puerto Rican political prisoners who spent more than two decades in prisons for seditious conspiracy—two of whom are still incarcerated. Crime Against Humanity brings us into the U.S. prison system in a way no other play has\, focusing on the politically motivated use of isolation\, selective punishment\, sensory deprivation and disproportionate sentences. \n\n\n\nWritten by poet and activist Michael Anthony Reyes Benavides and former Puerto Rican political prisoner Luis Rosa\, the play confronts the physical and mental torture these prisoners endured for more than 27 years. We gaze into their cell and experience the loss of parents\, the transition of children into adulthood and feel the physical brutality and torture of a government out to make an example of them. We see them as they refuse to be victimized and objectified\, confronting their hardships and adversities while maintaining their dignity\, and upholding their humanity. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nReyes Benavides spent hours interviewing the former Puerto Rican political prisoners\, and through extensive written correspondence\, the two remaining political prisoners Oscar López Rivera and Carlos Alberto Torres. Through the play\, we hear from their own mouths\, their own words\, exactly what it means to be a political prisoner in the United States. \n\n\n\nCrime Against Humanity is produced by the National Boricua Human Rights Network and Batey Urbano. These two organizations hope to use this performance piece to raise consciousness and gain support for the campaign to free the remaining Puerto Rican political prisoners. \n\n\n\n“By using theater as a tool of resistance\, we hope to reach out to those sectors that are often ignored by traditional activist outreach. We want our families\, our brothers and sisters and our community to come out and see what these prisoners endured\, many of them for almost 20 years\, two of them for more than 27″ (author and director Reyes Benavides). \n\n\n\nCrime Against Humanity will make stops in numerous other U.S. cities\, including New York\, Philadelphia\, Cleveland\, Hartford\, Washington D.C.\, Boston\, San Francisco\, and Los Angeles. The production has plans to tour throughout Puerto Rico in the future as well.
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/crime-against-humanity-with-poet-and-activist-michael-anthony-reyes-benavides/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:Performance
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081214T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081214T160000
DTSTAMP:20230705T162736Z
CREATED:20081214T164000Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230705T162736Z
UID:10000866-1229256000-1229270400@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:Be The Media! Workshop: Holiday Animation
DESCRIPTION:The Sanctuary Youth Media Team hosts yet another animation whirlwind! Geared specifically for youth (18 & under)\, this workshop teaches the skills and techniques behind stop motion animation while encouraging spontaneous creativity and fun. Participants will work in groups to brainstorm and create short animated pieces that will be uploaded to the web for the world to see. Led by the Sanctuary Youth Media Team.
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/be-the-media-workshop-holiday-animation/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshop
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081213T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081213T220000
DTSTAMP:20230705T161952Z
CREATED:20081213T163600Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230705T161952Z
UID:10000865-1229198400-1229205600@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:Ted Daniel’s International Brass & Membrane Corps
DESCRIPTION:The International Brass & Membrane Corps features Newman Taylor-Baker on drums\, Charles Burham on violin\, Joe Daly on tuba\, and Ted Daniel on assorted brass. Ted began his professional career playing local gigs with his childhood friend\, the legendary guitarist Sonny Sharrock. Since then he has played and recorded with Archie Shepp\, Dewey Redman\, Andrew Cyrille\, Sam Rivers\, Billy Bang\, Henry Threadgill\, and many other jazz greats.  His latest recording\, “Golden Atoms\,” has just been released on Soul Note.
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/ted-daniels-international-brass-membrane-corps/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:Jazz Music,Performance
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081207T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081207T160000
DTSTAMP:20230705T161552Z
CREATED:20081207T163100Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230705T161552Z
UID:10000862-1228651200-1228665600@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:Be The Media! Workshop with Andrew Lynn and Special Guests: Digital Media Labs
DESCRIPTION:Digital Media Labs (DML) are all ages (14+) monthly workshops introduced by popular demand. Whether you are working on a documentary\, making a music video\, or learning to blog and post videos on the Internet\, these sessions will benefit you. Bring your own digital media projects and ideas\, or just commune and share skills with other makers. DML will focus on media production\, web publishing (HTML & blogging)\, digital imaging\, and video editing. Each session will highlight certain skills\, but will not be limited by any specific assignments or software applications. Participants will have access to Sanctuary computers and camcorders during lab hours.
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/be-the-media-workshop-with-andrew-lynn-and-special-guests-digital-media-labs-3/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshop
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081206T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081206T200000
DTSTAMP:20230705T161324Z
CREATED:20081206T162800Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230705T161324Z
UID:10000861-1228586400-1228593600@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:"I Need That Record" with Filmmaker Brendan Toller
DESCRIPTION:I Need that Record (2008)  is a documentary feature examining why more than 3\,000 independent record stores have closed across the U.S. in the past decade. Greedy record labels\, media consolidation\, homogenized radio\, big box stores\, e-commerce\, shoddy “stars” pushed by big money\, and the digital revolution all pose threats to the very well-being of our favorite record stores. Will these stores die? Will they survive? The filmmaker will lead a discussion following the screening. \n\n\n\nToller\, who researched the film for two years and traveled all over the U.S. talking to record store owners\, musicians and music lovers\, comments that “[r]ecord stores serve as important community spaces providing foundations for new musical and artistic scenes and movements\,” noting also the role of record stores as seedbeds for independent thought and meeting places for people of all kinds. I Need That Record! is a compelling tribute to this endangered phenomenon. \n\n\n\nI Need That Record! features interviews with Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth)\, Ian Mackaye (Dischord Records Fugazi/Minor Threat). activist/author Noam Chomsky\, Mike Watt (The Minutemen)\, Lenny Kaye (the Patti Smith Group)\, Chris Frantz (Talking Heads/Tom Tom Club)\, guitar composer Glenn Branca\, Patterson Hood (Drive-By Truckers)\, Pat Carney (Black Keys)\, punk author Legs McNeil\, rock photographer Bob Gruen\, BP Helium (Of Montreal)\, and the owners and employees of record stores in NYC\, Boston\, DC\, Cleveland\, Detroit\, Ann Arbor\, Chicago\, Minneapolis\, Memphis\, Nashville\, and Los Angeles. \n\n\n\nGreedy record labels\, media consolidation\, homogenized radio\, big box stores\, e-commerce\, shoddy “stars” pushed by big money\, and the digital revolution are all real challenges to independent record stores. I Need That Record! asks: Will these stores die? Will they survive? \n\n\n\nThe film has attracted buzz on Pitchfork\, The Onion A/V Club\, PunkNews\, Wiretap Magazine\, Brooklyn Vegan\, The Stranger and more.
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/i-need-that-record-with-filmmaker-brendan-toller/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:Panel Discussion,Screening
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081203T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081203T200000
DTSTAMP:20230705T161046Z
CREATED:20081203T162300Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230705T161046Z
UID:10000859-1228327200-1228334400@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:Frank Lopez Presents Submedia and Lost Film Festival: Guerilla Media Screening with "Ground Noise and Static"
DESCRIPTION:Video and web artist and all-around culture jammer Frank Lopez of subMedia.TV visits us from Vancouver\, BC!  His work includes the post- Katrina music video George Bush Don’t Like Black People (downloaded over one million times and counting) and the vlog It’s the End of the World as We Know It and I Feel Fine (which highlighted the Wafaa Bilal incident last spring).  He’ll be presenting Ground Noise & Static\, a powerful documentary filmed in the midst of the protests at last summer’s 2008 political conventions.  \n\n\n\nGround Noise & Static is a joint effort of Franklin López of subMedia.TV andPepperSpray Productions. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbout Ground Noise & Static \n\n\n\nIn November\, one or the other of the corporate candidates willwin\, and then\, as always\, it will be what the people do\, not thepoliticians\, that counts. \n\n\n\nGround Noise & Static is a video report on the protests that occurred in connection with the Democrat and Republican National Conventions\, Ground Noise & Static is a manifesto. We went to Denver and St. Paul to take the pulse of the movement. Corporate media would cover the platitudes and posturing of the politicians\, we were interested in something else\, a story hidden in plain sight\, captured in the now-classic street chant\, “This is what democracy looks like.”
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/frank-lopez-presents-submedia-and-lost-film-festival-guerilla-media-screening-with-ground-noise-and-static/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:Panel Discussion,Workshop
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081130T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081130T160000
DTSTAMP:20230705T160418Z
CREATED:20081130T155100Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230705T160418Z
UID:10000858-1228046400-1228060800@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:Be The Media! Workshop with Jim de Seve: Digital Media Labs- Beyond the Talking Head
DESCRIPTION:Digital Media Labs (DML) are all ages (14+) monthly workshops introduced by popular demand. Whether you are working on a documentary\, making a music video\, or learning to blog and post video to the Internet\, these sessions will benefit you. Bring your own digital media projects and ideas\, or just commune and share skills with other makers. DML will focus on media production\, web publishing (html & blogging)\, digital imaging\, and video editing. Each session will highlight certain skills\, but will not be limited by any specific assignments or software applications. Participants will have access to Sanctuary computers and camcorders during lab hours.
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/be-the-media-workshop-with-jim-de-seve-digital-media-labs-beyond-the-talking-head/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshop
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081123T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081123T160000
DTSTAMP:20230705T160241Z
CREATED:20081123T154900Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230705T160241Z
UID:10000857-1227441600-1227456000@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:Be The Media! Workshop: Beyond the Talking Head
DESCRIPTION:For this workshop\, the Sanctuary teams up with SACC TV Channel 16 – Schenectady’s public access television stations. Learn the skills and tricks of creating dynamic video pieces for television that go beyond “talking head” interviews. Learn about collecting b-roll\, covering edits\, and adding meaning and illustration to your interviews and documentary works. Get in touch with your creative side\, as the instructor helps you explore other genres and techniques to drive your message home. \n\n\n\nInstructor: Jim De SeveJim De Seve is a local documentary maker and media producer. In addition to his own acclaimed documentary work\, he has shot and produced videos for Nickelodeon\, MTV\, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the American Museum of Natural History. Jim currently teaches documentary production at Union College.
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/be-the-media-workshop-beyond-the-talking-head/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshop
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081122T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081122T210000
DTSTAMP:20230705T160010Z
CREATED:20081122T154400Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230705T160010Z
UID:10001028-1227380400-1227387600@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:Free Jazz from the Sanctuary presents   The Ras Ensemble
DESCRIPTION:Ras Moshe has been playing in various groups throughout New York City for almost 20 years\, with William Hooker\, Sabir Mateen\, Steve Swell\, Marc Edwards and others. His style has been compared to post-1965 John Coltrane and Frank Wright\, among others. Born and raised in New York\, and with a family history rich in the jazz tradition\, Ras has uniquely positioned himself to bring the lineage of free jazz into the present day.  \n\n\n\nLocal presentation of Ras Moshe is co-sponsored by the Arts Department at RPI and supported by the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York State Music Fund. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPress Release\n\n\n\nSaxophonist Ras Moshe is on the forefront of musicians keeping avant garde jazz urgent and vital. Moshe comes blessed with a jazz pedigree: his grandfather played with Lucky Millinder\, Earl Bostic\, Ella Fitzgerald\, and many others\, and his father worked with Carlos Garnett\, Stanley Cowell\, and other musicians in the new music scene in Brooklyn. As a result Moshe is well versed in jazz’s past\, but he uses his knowledge to envision the future. And he’s bringing as many musicians with him as he can: Moshe is founder of Music Now!\, a roving festival that regularly produces some of New York City’s most exciting concerts. \n\n\n\nRas Moshe has been playing in various groups throughout New York City for almost twenty years. He is a veteran of the groups of such leaders as William Hooker\, Sabir Mateen\, Steve Swell and Marc Edwards. His style has been compared to post-1965 John Coltrane and Frank Wright\, among others. Born and raised in New York\, and with a family history rich in the jazz tradition\, Moshe has uniquely positioned himself to bring the lineage of free jazz into the present day. \n\n\n\nRas has been writing and reciting poetry since childhood. He believes in the positive effect the new music will have on social and personal change. His new release is “Transcendence” on KMB Jazz.
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/ras-moshe/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:Jazz Music,Performance
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081116T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081116T210000
DTSTAMP:20230705T155128Z
CREATED:20221011T195316Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230705T155128Z
UID:10001635-1226858400-1226869200@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:Eliza Gilkyson and Robert Jensen
DESCRIPTION:Eliza Gilkyson has built a reputation as one of the most original and influential folk artists of our time over the course of 13 albums (most recently\, Beautiful World on Red House Records). Robert Jensen\, whose book All My Bones Shake: Radical Politics in the Prophetic Voice is forthcoming on Soft Skull Press\, is a professor of journalism at the University of Texas at Austin who has written extensively about foreign policy and U.S. power\, as well as race and gender. After a successful series of community events in Austin to raise these crucial issues\, the two are performing and speaking in a few cities this year.  \n\n\n\nCo-sponsored by Women Against War and supported by the New York State Council on the Arts. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPress Release\n\n\n\nEliza Gilkyson is a third-generation musician whose sociopolitical album “Land of Milk and Honey” was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2004. Daughter of successful songwriter Terry Gilkyson\, Eliza recently appeared on National Public Radio\, Austin City Limits\, and Air America Radio\, and has recorded with folk greats such as Patty Griffin\, Mary Chapin Carpenter\, and Iris DeMent. Eliza was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame\, placing her next to Willie Nelson\, Townes Van Zandt\, Nanci Griffith\, and many others. Recently\, she was awarded three Austin Music Awards and four Folk Alliance Music Awards. \n\n\n\nGilkyson’s new CD “Beautiful World” has received rave reviews (“lush and passionate…edgy lyrics with piercing imagery\,” according to the NY Times). The first studio album since her award-winning 2005 release “Paradise Hotel\,” it is a radio-friendly collection of songs\, celebrating the beauty that shines amidst these dark days of war and corruption. \n\n\n\nOver the course of 13 albums\, Eliza Gilkyson has built a reputation as one of the most original and influential folk artists of our time. Robert Jensen is an activist and professor of journalism at the University of Texas at Austin who has written extensively about foreign policy and U.S. power\, as well as race and gender. In their most recent work\, both are confronting difficult questions about justice and sustainability. After a successful series of community events in Austin to raise these crucial issues\, the two are performing and speaking in a few cities this year–including Troy\, NY! \n\n\n\nThe seeds for “Beautiful World” sprang from a monthly gathering that Eliza and Robert hosted in 2007 with Presbyterian minister Jim Rigby called “Last Sunday.” Held at various venues around Austin\, these community forums covered a broad range of topics\, including politics\, art\, spirituality and the environment. \n\n\n\n“We wanted to provide a place to discuss\, grieve and mull over our future without having a need for an immediate solution other than the comfort of each other’s presence\,” Eliza says. “The first song I wrote for it was ‘Great Correction\,’ which I wrote as a way to console myself as I grieve the devastation of the human and natural world.” \n\n\n\nThis anthemic song spurred a whole cycle of tunes about perseverance and hope for a more beautiful world. \n\n\n\nRobert Jensen’s forthcoming book is “All My Bones Shake: Radical Politics in the Prophetic Voice.” He is an associate professor in the School of Journalism and director of the Senior Fellows Honors Program of the College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin. Jensen joined the UT faculty in 1992 after completing his Ph.D. in media ethics and law in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota. Prior to his academic career\, he worked as a professional journalist for a decade. \n\n\n\nAt UT\, Jensen teaches courses in media law\, ethics\, and politics. In his research\, Jensen draws on a variety of critical approaches to media and power. Much of his work has focused on pornography and the radical feminist critique of sexuality and men’s violence\, and he also has addressed questions of race through a critique of white privilege and institutionalized racism. In addition to teaching and research\, Jensen writes for popular media\, both alternative and mainstream. His opinion and analytic pieces on such subjects as foreign policy\, politics\, and race have appeared in papers around the country. \n\n\n\nJensen’s latest book\, “All My Bones Shake: Radical Politics in the Prophetic Voice\,” will be published in 2009 by Soft Skull Press. \n\n\n\nHe also is the author of “Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity” (South End Press\, 2007); “The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race\, Racism and White Privilege” (City Lights\, 2005); “Citizens of the Empire: The Struggle to Claim Our Humanity” (City Lights\, 2004); and “Writing Dissent: Taking Radical Ideas from the Margins to the Mainstream” (Peter Lang\, 2001); co-author with Gail Dines and Ann Russo of “Pornography: The Production and Consumption of Inequality” (Routledge\, 1998); and co-editor with David S. Allen of “Freeing the First Amendment: Critical Perspectives on Freedom of Expression” (New York University Press\, 1995).
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/eliza-gilkyson-and-robert-jensen/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:Folk Music,Performance
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081115T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081115T210000
DTSTAMP:20220415T184804Z
CREATED:20081114T150700Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220415T184804Z
UID:10001025-1226768400-1226782800@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:2nd Annual Buy Local Bash!
DESCRIPTION:Buy Local Movement Important to Turning Economy Positive: Noted Entrepreneur and Author Laury Hammel Headlines and Talented Local Musicians Ben Karis-Nix and Ashley Pond to Perform at 2nd Annual Buy Local Bash! Shop ‘til you drop at your local\, independently owned businesses\, then join Capital District Local First to celebrate being local from 6-9pm. Local musicians\, local food and local independent businesses come together to show off all the fabulous things the Capital District has to offer. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbout the Event:\n\n\n\nThe public is invited to sample local foods\, enjoy local music and shop for the holidays at the Buy Local Bash from 5 to 9 PM on Saturday\, November 15th. The event will take place at the Sanctuary for Independent Media\, 3361 6th Avenue\, Troy. Special guest speaker will be Laury Hammel\, noted entrepreneur and author\, who will discuss the linkage between building a strong local economy and the area’s ability to do business in a down economy. Hammel’s talk will take place at 6 PM. \n\n\n\nParticipating local\, independent businesses include the Honest Weight Food Co-op\, Brown’s Brewing Company\, The Bookhouse of Stuyvesant Plaza\, Roots and Wisdom\, Defazio’s Imports\, Le Marche Vert\, Tosca\, The Spinning Seed\, The Flower Girl\, Alabu Soaps\, The Placid Baker\, Java Jazz Cafe\, and more than a dozen other businesses from around the Capital District. In addition to samples of local products\, attendees are eligible to win gift certificates\, gift baskets\, movie tickets\, locally brewed beer\, and other door prizes. \n\n\n\nAccording to Karisa Centanni\, Honest Weight’s Education Coordinator\, “Laury Hammel’s talk will focus on the many advantages that accrue to communities when business is conducted between neighbors. When money stays in a local economy\, it is a strong bulwark against the ravages of a global economy gone badly. Given the current recession\, Hammel’s talk will provide important insights about how each of us by our personal buying decisions can help assure that our little corner of the world stays as healthy as possible.” \n\n\n\nAbout Laury Hammel\n\n\n\nThe evening’s highlight will be a talk by Laury Hammel\, author of “Growing Local Value – How to Build Business Partnerships that Strengthen Your Community.” Hammel founded and grew The Longfellow Clubs\, currently the 54th largest health club business in the US\, with $16 million in revenues. He is a recognized industry leader in innovative business practices\, social responsibility and community service. Among his other accomplishments\, Hammel is a founder of New England Businesses for Social Responsibility (NEBSR); Business for Social Responsibility (BSR)\, a national organization; the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Boston (SBN); and the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE). Hammel has also been very active in the areas of energy conservation and environmentalism\, with a particular interest in the sustainability of businesses. \n\n\n\nParticipating Local Musicians\n\n\n\nLocal musicians at the Buy Local Bash will include Ashley Pond\, Ben Karis-Nix and Amanda Rogers. Pond\, who released her debut album\, Dala\, in 2007\, is a gifted singer/songwriter/guitarist who has taken the capital region of New York by storm. Metroland Magazine named Ashley Pond “Best New Solo Artist” in their Best of 2007 issue and followed up with a cover story. In addition\, The Times Union\, interviewed Pond and gave her a spot in their top 10 local records of 2007. Ben Karis-Nix recently released his new solo EP\, We Are Giants Now. Ben’s recordings\, performances\, and songwriting have earned him features on the CW show “One Tree Hill\,” MTV’s “Road Rules” and “Real World\, “NPR’s “Weekend Edition\,” and MySpace Compilation Vol. 1. Similarly talented\, Amanda Rogers has opened for some of the most acclaimed rock\, emo\, and jam bands in the industry. She recently released an EP containing new songs and covers of songs by Radiohead and At The Drive-In\, played numerous shows in the States and two more tours in Europe. In 2008\, she headlined another European tour with friends “The Sketchy Indians” backing her up in support of her highly anticipated album Heartwood. \n\n\n\nAbout Capital District Local First:\n\n\n\nCapital District Local First is a nonprofit organization located in New York State’s Capital District. We work to promote the locally owned\, independent business community of the area. We believe that the locally owned\, independent business community plays a vital role in enhancing the diversity\, social fairness\, community spirit\, financial vitality\, and environmental health of the region.
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/2nd-annual-buy-local-bash/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:Community Event,Performance,Speaker
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081114T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081114T200000
DTSTAMP:20230705T154534Z
CREATED:20081114T161600Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230705T154534Z
UID:10000856-1226685600-1226692800@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:"Phantom of the Opera" with Alloy Orchestra
DESCRIPTION:An unusual combination of found percussion and state-of-the-art electronics gives the Alloy Orchestra the ability to create any sound imaginable as they perform live accompaniment to classic silent films. Working with an outrageous assemblage of peculiar objects\, they thrash and grind soulful music from unlikely sources. They’ll be performing the soundtrack to Rupert Jillian’s 1925 classic Phantom of the Opera\, one of the scariest and most influential horror films of all time- featuring Lon Chaney as the mysterious Phantom.  \n\n\n\nLocal presentation of the Alloy Orchestra and “Phantom of the Opera” is made possible by the support from New York State Council on the Arts and the Central New York Programmers Group. \n\n\n\nPress Release\n\n\n\nThe Alloy Orchestra is a three-man musical ensemble\, writing and performing live accompaniment to classic silent films. Working with an outrageous assemblage of peculiar objects\, they thrash and grind soulful music from unlikely sources. The members are TERRY DONAHUE (junk\, accordion\, musical saw\, vocals)\, KEN WINOKUR (director\, junk percussion and clarinet) and ROGER MILLER (keyboards). \n\n\n\nAccording to Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert\, Alloy Orchestra is “the best in the world at accompanying silent films.” \n\n\n\n“Phantom of the Opera” is a 1925 silent film directed by Rupert Julian adaptation of the Gaston Leroux novel of the same title. The film featured Lon Chaney in the title role as the masked and facially deformed Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House\, causing murder and mayhem in an attempt to force the management to make the woman he loves a star. It is most famous for Lon Chaney’s intentionally horrific\, self-applied make-up\, which was kept a studio secret until the film’s premiere. \n\n\n\nThe film also features Mary Philbin\, Norman Kerry\, Arthur Edmund Carewe\, Gibson Gowland\, John St. Polis and Snitz Edwards. \n\n\n\nNow in its 18th year\, the Alloy Orchestra began its aural onslaught with an original score for “Metropolis” in 1991. In the intervening years\, the group has written scores for 28 feature length film presentations\, typically premiering their new scores at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado. \n\n\n\nPerforming at prestigious film festivals and cultural centers in the U.S. and abroad The Louvre\, Lincoln Center\, The Academy of Motion Pictures\, the National Gallery of Art and others)\, Alloy has helped revive some of the great masterpieces of the silent era. \n\n\n\nAn unusual combination of found percussion and state-of-the-art electronics gives the Orchestra the ability to create any sound imaginable. Utilizing their famous “rack of junk” and electronic synthesizers\, the group generates beautiful music in a spectacular variety of styles. They can conjure up a French symphony or a simple German bar band of the 20’s. The group can make the audience think it is being attacked by tigers\, contacted by radio signals from Mars or swept up in the Russian Revolution. \n\n\n\nAlloy collaborates with some of the world’s best archives and collectors (such as the George Eastman House\, the British Film Institute\, Paramount pictures\, Film Preservation Associates and the Douris Corporation) to present audiences with the very best available prints of some of history’s greatest film. \n\n\n\nThe gorgeous new print of “Phantom of the Opera\,” recently restored by Alloy’s sister company\, Box 5\, reproduces the extremely intricate color scheme of the original release with elaborate tinting\, the experimental 2 strip Technicolor sequence at the masked ball\, and luscious hand tinting. Combined with Alloy’s new score\, this astounding film is as creepy today as it was 75 years ago.
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/phantom-of-the-opera-with-alloy-orchestra/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:Performance,Screening
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081113T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081113T210000
DTSTAMP:20230705T153953Z
CREATED:20081113T160900Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230705T153953Z
UID:10000855-1226599200-1226610000@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:Abel Raises Cain with Media Prankster Alan Abel
DESCRIPTION:A roller coaster ride through the myriad of elaborate hoaxes and schemes pulled off over the years by the infamous underground media prankster\, provocateur and trickster par excellence Alan Abel\, offering and unprecedented glimpse into a life and bizarre career designed to provoke and amuse – while at the same time making people question everything that they see\, hear and read. Alan will be on hand to discuss the film.  \n\n\n\nThis event is made possible by the Experimental Television Center’s Presentation Funds. The Experimental Television Center’s Presentation Funds program is supported by the New York State Council on the Arts. \n\n\n\nAbel Raises Cain (trailer) is an unprecedented glimpse into the bizarre career of Alan Abel\, the infamous media hoaxer. Like a reverse Jon Stewart\, Abel has been producing fake news for the masses for over 50 years. He has made a name for himself several times over with stunts that are just ridiculous enough to be believed\, especially to a media that feeds on salacious\, lurid and wacky stories. \n\n\n\nAbel’s hoaxing career began in the late 1950s with S.I.N.A.\, the Society for Indecency to Naked Animals. This tongue-in-cheek moral crusade\, whose purpose was to clothe all animals for modesty’s sake\, was actually a commentary on censorship. After launching the campaign\, however\, Alan soon found himself in the midst of a national craze. Newspaper\, radio and television reporters couldn’t seem to get the story fast enough. Abel realized that\, with very little funds and very few props\, with a straight face\, he could convince America\, and the media\, that an absurd idea like S.I.N.A. truly existed. \n\n\n\nOver the years\, Alan continued masterminding scores of other allegorical satires and outlandish stunts\, all with the purpose to amuse and provoke. Ultimately\, with his hoaxes\, Alan’s goal has always been to give people\, what he calls “a kick in the intellect.” Abel continues to taunt the media and the masses with his nutty ideas\, imaginary organizations and seemingly nonsensical campaigns. In 2000\, Life Magazine recognized Alan as a cultural icon during the 20th century in their volume edition\, Century of Change. \n\n\n\nIn this loving documentary portrait of an eccentric father\, Alan’s daughter\, Jenny\, tells her firsthand account of what it was like growing up with a prankster dad. Abel Raises Cain takes the audience on a roller coaster ride through the myriad of elaborate hoaxes and schemes that Abel pulled off over the years\, all of which were designed to provoke and amuse… while at the same time\, make people question everything that they see\, hear and read. \n\n\n\nThe UTNE Reader praised the film for showing us that “long before the Yes Men satirized Exxon and Halliburton\, and before Ashton Kutcher was born\, Alan Abel was the undisputed king of media hoaxers.” Reviewers at slate.com called Abel Raises Cain “an invigorating and often hysterical look at a gifted comic and the nation of dupes he continues to use as his medium.” Abel Raises Cain has won numerous awards\, including Best Documentary (Slamdance\, Newport)\, Top Ten Audience Favorites (Hot Docs)\, and Best Feature (Brooklyn Underground).
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/abel-raises-cain-with-media-prankster-alan-abel/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:Panel Discussion,Screening
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081108T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081108T203000
DTSTAMP:20230705T153508Z
CREATED:20081108T160400Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230705T153508Z
UID:10000854-1226167200-1226176200@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:A Night Out with "The Narcotic Farm"
DESCRIPTION:The U.S. Narcotic Farm just outside Lexington\, KY\, was a legendary meeting place for America’s drug addicts. This performance interweaves verbal\, visual\, and musical memories of a place that was a crossroads for drug addicts from 1935-1975. Authors Nancy Campbell and JP Olsen will read and screen portions of their works on this historic place\, mixed with jazz from musicians incarcerated at Narcotic Farm. \n\n\n\nThe list of Lexington Narcotic Farm musician alums reads like a who’s who of jazz: Chet Baker\, Tadd Dameron\, Joe Guy (Billie Holliday’s husband—she wasn’t at the farm but rather at Alderson\, the women’s prison in WV)\, Elvin Jones\, Stan Levey\, Jackie McLean\, Red Rodney (Charlie Parker’s sideman)\, Sonny Stitt\, Sonny Rollins. And there’s an interesting connection to MC5 (Wayne Kramer is the narrator of the film and part of the seminal pre-punk band\,); he spent time at Lexington in the 1970s). \n\n\n\nYou might find this month’s Jazz Times interesting; it has a photo feature on The Narcotic Farm. They also excerpted the chapter\, “The Greatest Band You Never Heard.” \n\n\n\nThere was a story about the project on NPR called “Americas First Drug-Treatment Prison Revisited” this weekend. \n\n\n\nPress Release\n\n\n\nThe author and the filmmaker of a new book and a video documentary airing on PBS called “The Narcotic Farm: The Rise and Fall of America’s First Prison for Drug Addicts” are presenting a multi-media performance/premiere with live jazz music at The Sanctuary for Independent Media on Saturday\, November 8\, 2008 at 7 PM. Admission is by donation ($10 suggested\, $5 student/low income). The Sanctuary for Independent Media is located at 3361 6th Avenue in north Troy (at 101st Street). Call (518) 272-2390\, email info@MediaSanctuary.org\, or visit www.MediaSanctuary.org for directions and more information. \n\n\n\nThe U.S. Narcotic Farm just outside Lexington\, KY\, was a legendary meeting place for America’s drug addicts. This performance interweaves verbal\, visual\, and musical memories of a place that was a crossroads for drug addicts from 1935-1975. Author Nancy Campbell and filmmaker JP Olsen will read and screen portions of their works on this historic place\, mixed with jazz from musicians incarcerated at Narcotic Farm–performed by a live band! \n\n\n\nA federal prison in Kentucky was a temporary home for thousands\, including Sonny Rollins\, Peter Lorre and William S. Burroughs as well as a lab for addiction treatments such as LSD. \n\n\n\nFrom 1935 to 1975\, just about everyone busted for drugs in the U.S. was sent to the United States Narcotic Farm outside Lexington\, Ky. Equal parts federal prison\, treatment center\, research laboratory and farm\, this controversial institution was designed not only to rehabilitate addicts\, but to discover a cure for drug addiction. \n\n\n\nNow a new documentary\, “The Narcotic Farm\,” reveals the lost world of this institution\, based on rare film footage\, numerous documents\, dozens of interviews of former staff\, inmates and volunteer patients\, and more than 2\,000 photographs unearthed from archives across the country. The film will appear on public television stations across the country throughout November. A book accompanying the documentary includes rare and previously unpublished pictures of “Narco\,” as the institution was called locally. \n\n\n\nAccording to the book\, the institution became a premier center for research into drug addiction and treatment\, advancing everything from the use of methadone to treat heroin withdrawal to drugs that blocked the action of opiates. Along the way\, Narco was frequented by legendary jazz musicians such as Chet Baker and Sonny Rollins\, as well as actor Peter Lorre and beat generation writer William S. Burroughs\, who recounted his experience in his first novel\, “Junkie.” \n\n\n\nThe documentary also chronicles how the Farm was shut down when Congress discovered that researchers there were using patients as human guinea pigs in CIA-funded experiments into LSD. Drug research on federal prisoners is now illegal. \n\n\n\nStill\, the filmmakers note accomplishments at the institution remain milestones in addiction science and treatment. Its most important contribution might be how it transformed the way society views addicts—”as people suffering from a chronic\, relapsing disorder that affects public health\,” says book co-author Nancy Campbell. \n\n\n\nNancy D. Campbell is an associate professor in the Department of Science and technology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute who studies the history of drug addiction research. She lives in Troy NY. \n\n\n\nJP Olsen is a filmmaker whose work has appeared on The Discovery Channel and many other stations. He lives in New York City. \n\n\n\nThe Sanctuary for Independent Media is a community media arts and production center located in an historic former church in Troy\, NY. The venue is an intimate and acoustically excellent space which seats about 150. The Sanctuary hosts screening\, production and performance facilities\, training in media production and a meeting space for artists\, activists and independent media makers of all kinds.
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/a-night-out-with-the-narcotic-farm/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:Jazz Music,Panel Discussion,Performance,Screening
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081105T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081105T200000
DTSTAMP:20230705T153158Z
CREATED:20081105T155700Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230705T153158Z
UID:10000853-1225908000-1225915200@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:Filmmaker Matt McCormick
DESCRIPTION:A renowned artist and filmmaker whose success spans both the art and independent film worlds\, Matt is touring New York State with classic works like The Problem with Machines that Communicate and Light Tiger Eye as well as brand-spanking-new music videos\, absurdist narratives\, and random miscellaneous tidbits and surprises. Matt is also the founder of Peripheral Produce\, an internationally recognized video distribution label specializing in short experimental work\, and the director of the Portland Documentary and eXperimental Film Festival\, Portland’s premiere event for experimental\, documentary\, and otherwise obscure contemporary cinema. \n\n\n\nThis event is made possible by the Experimental Television Center’s Presentation Funds. The Experimental Television Center’s Presentation Funds program is supported by the New York State Council on the Arts. \n\n\n\nMore About Matt\n\n\n\nMatt McCormick is an artist\, filmmaker\, photographer\, and musician who has produced several well-received projects in recent years. His films defy genre distinctions and fashion witty\, abstract observations of contemporary culture and the urban landscape. His project Future So Bright maps and catalogs the abandoned spaces in the American West\, while American Nutria examines the plight of an imported species while chastising capitalism’s tendency to create its own disasters. The Subconscious Art of Graffiti Removal makes the observation that the process of destroying one art form unwittingly creates another\, while his installation piece Ride a Wave To Tomorrow’s Sunset reflects on society’s need for ‘synthetic meditation’. \n\n\n\nMatt’s work has been exhibited in film festivals\, art museums\, and microcinemas around the globe\, appeared on MTV and the Sundance Channel\, and received positive reviews from Art Forum\, The New York Times\, and Film Comment magazine. Matt has worked and collaborated with many artists and musicians\, including The Shins\, Miranda July\, Sleater-Kinney\, The Postal Service\, YACHT\, Patton Oswalt\, and Calvin Johnson. Matt has had three films screen at the Sundance Film Festival\, and been included in the traveling group exhibitions “Uncertain States of America” and “Baja to Vancouver.” He has received awards including Best Short Film from the San Francisco International Film Fest\, Best Experimental from the New York Underground Film Fest\, and Best Short from the Ann Arbor Film Fest\, and his film The Subconscious Art of Graffiti Removal was named in ‘Top 10 / Best of 2002’ lists in both The Village Voice and Art Forum magazine. Matt also won a 2007 Rosey Award for a series of global warming public service announcements he directed for MTV.
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/filmmaker-matt-mccormick/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:Panel Discussion,Screening
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081028T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081028T220000
DTSTAMP:20230705T152738Z
CREATED:20081028T145200Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230705T152738Z
UID:10000852-1225220400-1225231200@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:Camilo Mejia: The Private Rebellion of a Staff Sergeant
DESCRIPTION:After serving in the Army for nearly nine years\, Camilo Mejia was the first known Iraq veteran to refuse to fight when he applied for discharge from the army as a conscientious objector\, citing moral concerns about the war and occupation. The principled stand described in his memoir\, Road From ar Ramadi: The Private Rebellion of Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia (just published by Haymarket Books)\, helped rally the growing opposition and embolden other soldiers. He was eventually convicted of desertion by a military court and sentenced to a year in prison\, prompting Amnesty International to declare him a prisoner of conscience. Camilo will speak about his experiences.  \n\n\n\nCo-sponsored by Women Against War and Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace. \n\n\n\nRegaining My Humanity \n\n\n\nBy Camilo MejiaCodePink.org \n\n\n\nThursday 17 February 2005 \n\n\n\nI was deployed to Iraq in April 2003 and returned home for a two-week leave in October. Going home gave me the opportunity to put my thoughts in order and to listen to what my conscience had to say. People would ask me about my war experiences and answering them took me back to all the horrors-the firefights\, the ambushes\, the time I saw a young Iraqi dragged by his shoulders through a pool of his own blood or an innocent man was decapitated by our machine gun fire. The time I saw a soldier broken down inside because he killed a child\, or an old man on his knees\, crying with his arms raised to the sky\, perhaps asking God why we had taken the lifeless body of his son. \n\n\n\nI thought of the suffering of a people whose country was in ruins and who were further humiliated by the raids\, patrols and curfews of an occupying army. \n\n\n\nAnd I realized that none of the reasons we were told about why we were in Iraq turned out to be true. There were no weapons of mass destruction. There was no link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda. We weren’t helping the Iraqi people and the Iraqi people didn’t want us there. We weren’t preventing terrorism or making Americans safer. I couldn’t find a single good reason for having been there\, for having shot at people and been shot at. \n\n\n\nComing home gave me the clarity to see the line between military duty and moral obligation. I realized that I was part of a war that I believed was immoral and criminal\, a war of aggression\, a war of imperial domination. I realized that acting upon my principles became incompatible with my role in the military\, and I decided that I could not return to Iraq. \n\n\n\nBy putting my weapon down\, I chose to reassert myself as a human being. I have not deserted the military or been disloyal to the men and women of the military. I have not been disloyal to a country. I have only been loyal to my principles. \n\n\n\nWhen I turned myself in\, with all my fears and doubts\, it did it not only for myself. I did it for the people of Iraq\, even for those who fired upon me-they were just on the other side of a battleground where war itself was the only enemy. I did it for the Iraqi children\, who are victims of mines and depleted uranium. I did it for the thousands of unknown civilians killed in war. My time in prison is a small price compared to the price Iraqis and Americans have paid with their lives. Mine is a small price compared to the price Humanity has paid for war. \n\n\n\nMany have called me a coward\, others have called me a hero. I believe I can be found somewhere in the middle. To those who have called me a hero\, I say that I don’t believe in heroes\, but I believe that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. \n\n\n\nTo those who have called me a coward I say that they are wrong\, and that without knowing it\, they are also right. They are wrong when they think that I left the war for fear of being killed. I admit that fear was there\, but there was also the fear of killing innocent people\, the fear of putting myself in a position where to survive means to kill\, there was the fear of losing my soul in the process of saving my body\, the fear of losing myself to my daughter\, to the people who love me\, to the man I used to be\, the man I wanted to be. I was afraid of waking up one morning to realize my humanity had abandoned me. \n\n\n\nI say without any pride that I did my job as a soldier. I commanded an infantry squad in combat and we never failed to accomplish our mission. But those who called me a coward\, without knowing it\, are also right. I was a coward not for leaving the war\, but for having been a part of it in the first place. Refusing and resisting this war was my moral duty\, a moral duty that called me to take a principled action. I failed to fulfill my moral duty as a human being and instead I chose to fulfill my duty as a soldier. All because I was afraid. I was terrified\, I did not want to stand up to the government and the army\, I was afraid of punishment and humiliation. I went to war because at the moment I was a coward\, and for that I apologize to my soldiers for not being the type of leader I should have been. \n\n\n\nI also apologize to the Iraqi people. To them I say I am sorry for the curfews\, for the raids\, for the killings. May they find it in their hearts to forgive me. \n\n\n\nOne of the reasons I did not refuse the war from the beginning was that I was afraid of losing my freedom. Today\, as I sit behind bars I realize that there are many types of freedom\, and that in spite of my confinement I remain free in many important ways. What good is freedom if we are afraid to follow our conscience? What good is freedom if we are not able to live with our own actions? I am confined to a prison but I feel\, today more than ever\, connected to all humanity. Behind these bars I sit a free man because I listened to a higher power\, the voice of my conscience. \n\n\n\nWhile I was confined in total segregation\, I came across a poem written by a man who refused and resisted the government of Nazi Germany. For doing so he was executed. His name is Albrecht Hanshofer\, and he wrote this poem as he awaited execution. \n\n\n\nGuilt \n\n\n\nThe burden of my guilt before the lawweighs light upon my shoulders; to plotand to conspire was my duty to the people;I would have been a criminal had I not. \n\n\n\nI am guilty\, though not the way you think\,I should have done my duty sooner\, I was wrong\,I should have called evil more clearly by its nameI hesitated to condemn it for far too long. \n\n\n\nI now accuse myself within my heart:I have betrayed my conscience far too longI have deceived myself and fellow man. \n\n\n\nI knew the course of evil from the startMy warning was not loud nor clear enough!Today I know what I was guilty of… \n\n\n\nTo those who are still quiet\, to those who continue to betray their conscience\, to those who are not calling evil more clearly by its name\, to those of us who are still not doing enough to refuse and resist\, I say “come forward.” I say “free your minds.” Let us\, collectively\, free our minds\, soften our hearts\, comfort the wounded\, put down our weapons\, and reassert ourselves as human beings by putting an end to war. \n\n\n\n–Camilo Mejia \n\n\n\nPress Release\n\n\n\nAuthor\, anti-war activist\, prisoner of conscience and chairman of the board of Iraq Veterans Against the War\, Camilo Mejia will speak about his experiences and his book “Road from Ar Ramadi: The Private Rebellion of Staff Sergeant Mejía” at The Sanctuary for Independent Media on Tuesday\, October 28\, 2008 at 7 PM. Admission is by donation ($10 suggested\, $5 student/low income). The Sanctuary for Independent Media is located at 3361 6th Avenue in north Troy (at 101st Street). Call (518) 272-2390\, email info@MediaSanctuary.org\, or visit www.MediaSanctuary.org for directions and more information. \n\n\n\nCamilo Mejia joined the military at the age of nineteen\, serving as an infantryman in the active-duty army for three years before transferring to the Florida National Guard. After fighting in Iraq\, Mejia became the first known Iraq veteran to refuse to fight the war in Iraq\, citing moral concerns about the war and occupation. He was eventually convicted of desertion by a military court and sentenced to a year in prison\, prompting Amnesty International to declare him a prisoner of conscience. \n\n\n\nMejía is a former student of the University of Miami in Coral Gables\, Florida\, where he intended to major in psychology and Spanish on a military-funded scholarship. Mejía spent six months in Iraq (his first combat tour after enlisting)\, then returned for a 2-week furlough to the US after which he did not return for duty. He was charged with desertion and sentenced to one year in prison for refusing to return to fight in Iraq. In March 2004 he turned himself in to the US military and filed an application for conscientious objector status. \n\n\n\nMejía was court-martialed\, and claimed that he left his post in order to avoid duties that could be considered war crimes: more specifically\, the abuse and torture of prisoners. One of his attorneys\, former United States Attorney General Ramsey Clark\, claimed that he was thus protected from desertion charges by international law. \n\n\n\nOn May 21\, 2004 Mejía was convicted of desertion by a military jury and sentenced to a year in jail and a bad conduct discharge. Under Article 85 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice\, conviction on the charge of desertion during time of war can result in a sentence of death. \n\n\n\nMejía served his time at the Fort Sill military prison in Lawton\, Oklahoma. During his time in custody he was recognized by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience and was awarded by Refuse and Resist with its Courageous Resister Award. \n\n\n\nCamilo was also recognized by the Detroit City Council with a commendation for his stand. Detroit was the first city where Mejía spoke at an anti-war rally. While confined\, local and national activists organized a series of vigils outside the gates of Ft. Sill\, including one attended by Kathy Kelly and other members of Voices in the Wilderness. \n\n\n\nCamilo Mejía was released from prison on February 15\, 2005. Since his release\, he has spoken at many peace protests and to the press about his experiences and his opposition to the war in Iraq. \n\n\n\nMejía has recently written a book entitled “Road from Ar Ramadi: The Private Rebellion of Staff Sergeant Mejía” (Haymarket Books\, 2008) which recounts his journey of conscience in Iraq: \n\n\n\n“I say without any pride that I did my job as a soldier. I commanded an infantry squad in combat and we never failed to accomplish our mission. But those who called me a coward\, without knowing it\, are also right. I was a coward not for leaving the war\, but for having been a part of it in the first place. Refusing and resisting this war was my moral duty\, a moral duty that called me to take a principled action. I failed to fulfill my moral duty as a human being and instead I chose to fulfill my duty as a soldier. All because I was afraid. I was terrified\, I did not want to stand up to the government and the army\, I was afraid of punishment and humiliation. I went to war because at the moment I was a coward\, and for that I apologize to my soldiers for not being the type of leader I should have been.” \n\n\n\nIn August 2007 Mejía was named the chair of the board of directors of Iraq Veterans Against the War.
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/camilo-mejia-the-private-rebellion-of-a-staff-sergeant/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:Panel Discussion,Speaker
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081026T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081026T170000
DTSTAMP:20230705T152422Z
CREATED:20081026T144800Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230705T152422Z
UID:10000851-1225026000-1225040400@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:Be The Media! Workshop with Andrew Lynn and Special Guests: Digital Media Labs
DESCRIPTION:Digital Media Labs (DML) are all ages (14+) monthly workshops introduced by popular demand. Whether you are working on a documentary\, making a music video\, or learning to blog and post video to the Internet\, these sessions will benefit you. Bring your own digital media projects and ideas\, or just commune and share skills with other makers. DML will focus on media production\, web publishing (html & blogging)\, digital imaging\, and video editing. Each session will highlight certain skills\, but will not be limited by any specific assignments or software applications. Participants will have access to Sanctuary computers and camcorders during lab hours. \n\n\n\nInstructor: Andrew Lynn & special guestsAndrew Lynn is an adjunct professor of electronic media at RPI and HVCC and has taught video and animation workshops to people of all ages up and down the Hudson for the last 7 years. He was the youth education coordinator at Manhattan Neighborhood Network from 2004-2007 and is currently the Media Alliance’s director of Education.
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/be-the-media-workshop-with-andrew-lynn-and-special-guests-digital-media-labs-2/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshop
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081025T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081025T220000
DTSTAMP:20220722T160847Z
CREATED:20081025T193800Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220722T160847Z
UID:10001024-1224964800-1224972000@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:Morley
DESCRIPTION:Singer-songwriter Morley is a breath of fresh air in the current climate of political and social crisis. Her voice as a singer and as a lyricist is rich with honesty\, vulnerability\, introspection and compassion\, simultaneously gentle and urgent- a force that compels even the most cynical or apathetic to listen and be moved. Her newest recording\, Seen (2008)\, has just been released by Wrasse.  \n\n\n\nLocal presentation of Morley is made possible with the support from the New York State Council on the Arts. \n\n\n\n\n\n* More documentation below\n\n\n\nMore About Morely:\n\n\n\nIn the current social and political climate\, singer-songwriter Morley is a breath of fresh air. Her voice as a singer and as a lyricist is rich with honesty\, vulnerability\, introspection and compassion\, simultaneously gentle and urgent – a force that compels even the most cynical or apathetic to listen and be moved. Her newest album\, “Seen\,” is as reflective as it is generous. If music can be a mirror\, then this release is “a patient look into myself and a not-so-patient look into my country at this time\,” Morley explains. “To be looked at is one thing\, but to be seen is an experience.” \n\n\n\nSeen means “understood” in Jamaican patois. Its many meanings are explored and contextualized in different ways throughout the album. In “Bird Over The Ocean” Morley writes\, “All that is seen cannot be shown\,” while in “No Evidence” she discusses that which is “Sight unseen\, sound unheard\,” calling attention to the atrocities happening right in front of us to people whose voices are stifled or silenced behind a veil of false patriotism. “Temporary Lighthouses” (inspired by the Daniel Lanois album “Shine”) pays tribute to Morley’s musical heroes and heroines\, and you can hear echoes of Sade and Billie Holiday in her singing. Sure\, there are unabashed love songs\, like “Somebody New” and “Call On Me\,” but Morley’s political convictions unfold slowly\, surely\, with subtlety. By “No Evidence” we’re hearing about rape in the US military\, and “Crimes in the Garden” was inspired by the anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan. “Say What I Know” is an indictment of George W. Bush’s America\, and if there’s a “title track\,” it’s “Hearts Horn\,” which ties many themes together\, touching on the approaching environmental Armageddon. And of course\, there’s “Women of Hope\,” an homage to the many named and unnamed extraordinary women in war-torn countries who rise above and help others transcend circumstances to find hope. “A lot of the music that I’m drawn to is about growth and transformation\,” Morley says. “I believe in people’s capacity to change.” \n\n\n\nA former dance and yoga teacher in New York City’s public school system\, shelters and community centers\, Morley was born in Jamaica Queens\, New York. She spent her formative years absorbing the sights\, scents and sounds of this multi-ethnic community – an experience that clearly informs her worldview and the diversity of influences in her music. Morley’s artistic journey began not with music\, but with dance and poetry. She attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington\, DC and won a full scholarship to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Centre. After a knee injury derailed her career as a dancer\, Morley briefly worked as a fashion model in England\, but she soon returned to NYC and took up choreography and formed her own company\, Undercurrents Dance Theater. With her new company up and running\, she had the opportunity to work with jazz legend and civil rights activist Max Roach\, an experience that brought her face to face with the power of music as a vehicle for change. Although she was profoundly inspired\, music wasn’t yet the vehicle for Morley to express her ideas. It was in the late ’90s\, when Morley was spending time with great musicians like Amp Fiddler\, Toshi Reagon\, Hod David (Maxwell) and Joan Wasser (Joan as Policewoman)\, that her musical voice began to emerge. “They’re heroes to me\, music just pours from them\,” she says. “Hod David gave me a track to write to just for fun\, and said ‘don’t write a protest song\, write a love song’ because everything I was writing was very political.” These experiments and explorations expanded her artistic expressions from dance and poetry into music\, and ultimately became the foundation for her first album\, Sun Machine (1998)\, produced by David with Chris Dowd (Fishbone)\, and featuring Jeff Buckley on guitar for one track and contributions from Nigerian percussionist Babatunde Olatunji. Unfortunately\, the label folded at the time of release and Morley continued teaching and doing choreography before music called her back in 2001\, when she resumed her writing and picked up the guitar for the first time. \n\n\n\nBy the next year\, she had started performing in earnest and establishing her presence as a musician. Her urban-folk sophomore album\, “Days Like These” (2006)\, was the culmination of the years that ensued\, performing and writing mainly in New York City. Self-released and self-produced with co-producer Ken Rich and licensed to Universal France\, Days Like These brought Morley together with her current production team of Jay Newland and Jean-Philippe Allard\, and was a hit in France. Joining them on Seen are a stellar cast of great musicians\, including pedal steel maestro Larry Campbell (Bob Dylan\, Levon Helm\, Liz Wright)\, whose tasty licks lend a widescreen Americana feel. \n\n\n\nOn Seen\, Morley writes songs of love as opposed to love songs. And like the heroines in “Women of Hope\,” Morley is a woman with hope. But wishful thinking isn’t where she’s at: “It’s not hoping and wishing for the best\, it’s finding the confidence to do what you can\,” she explains. In this tender tribute\, she quotes Burmese human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi: “If you’re feeling helpless\, help someone.” It evokes the power to heal ourselves and each other at the same time\, and generates global change through our individual journey. As Morley says\, “If we allow ourselves to have hope\, while everything around screams\, ‘you’re only one\, you’re helpless\,’ then we give energy to real change instead of fear and complacency.” \n\n\n\nMorley’s music is the energizing elixir to create that change. “Music changes the feeling of a room\, I see and feel it happen all the time. When I collaborate with musicians from other countries\, we merge. We don’t have to speak the same language\, share the same religion\, or even philosophies\, but we can make music together! That for me is evidence that we can live together in harmony. But a lot of us are cut off from our sensuality – the music within – and find it too difficult to find our reflection in another\, so it makes it easier to be intimidated by\, dismiss\, or even cause harm. Music is a great teacher for me in that respect. It’s real and sensual.”
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/morley/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:Performance
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081024T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081024T210000
DTSTAMP:20230626T165926Z
CREATED:20081024T143700Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230626T165926Z
UID:10000850-1224874800-1224882000@www.mediasanctuary.org
SUMMARY:"A Summer in the Cage" with Filmmaker Ben Selkow
DESCRIPTION:A Summer in the Cage (2007) is a stunning portrait of a battle with manic-depressive (bipolar) disorder that puts a human face on an illness that affects millions of American families. As this dramatic story unfolds\, it also becomes a unique tale about friendship and the ethical responsibilities of a documentary filmmaker. The intent was to make a film about successfully living with\, and managing\, a mental illness- but when the Hollywood ending proves too elusive\, the filmmaker and the subject are forced to ask themselves\, “When do you turn off the camera?”  \n\n\n\nThis event is co-sponsored by The Independent Living Center of the Hudson Valley. \n\n\n\nPress Release:\n\n\n\n“A Summer in the Cage” follows Selkow’s friend Sam for seven years ashe suffers delusional manic episodes\, battles paralyzing depressions\,and tries to escape the legacy of his father. By showing the difficultemotional impact of being bipolar on Sam\, his family\, and thefilmmaker\, “A Summer in the Cage” hopes to put a human face on anillness that affects millions of American families. But as thisdramatic story unfolds\, it also becomes a unique tale about friendshipand the ethical responsibilities of a documentary filmmaker. Theintent was to make a film about successfully living with\, andmanaging\, a mental illness. When the “Hollywood ending” proved tooelusive\, the filmmaker and the subject are forced to ask themselves\,“When do you turn off the camera?” \n\n\n\n“I saw this film earlier this year at a film festival\,” says Sanctuaryprogrammer Penny Lane\, “and I had never seen anything like it. Thevideo diaries made by Sam during his manias are some of the most rawand powerful images I have ever encountered.” Lane was compelled tobring the film and its maker to her community after witnessing thedialogue the film provoked in the audience. \n\n\n\n“Quite frankly\, one of the most powerful documentaries I have seen\,”says author Peter Earley (CRAZY: A Father’s Search Through America’sMental Health Madness)\, “I do not know of any other filmmaker who hascaptured the frantic highs of mania\, the devastation of depression androller coaster of ordinary life that a person with a diagnosis ofbipolar disorder experiences.” \n\n\n\nDr. Kay Redfield Jamison\, well known professor\, author and psychiatrist\, highly recommended the film\, calling it “powerful\, affecting and honest.” \n\n\n\nBen Selkow is the director/producer/director of photography/writer of “A Summer in the Cage\,” which premiered on the Sundance Channel in October 2007 and is being distributed for home video by Indiepix. The film was nominated for a 2008 Prism Bipolar Disorder Depiction Award.In 2003\, Ben was a participant in the annual Sundance Producer’sConference at the Sundance Institute in Utah.
URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/a-summer-in-the-cage-with-filmmaker-ben-selkow/
LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States
CATEGORIES:Panel Discussion,Screening
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR