November - December 2006

RSVP for Madison Committee on Foreign Relations
"The Moral Dilemmas of the War on Terror"
Edgewater Hotel, 666 Wisconsin Ave. 
Thursday, December 7, 6:00 pm
Cost: $40 ($30 members adv., $35 door; $15 speaker only)
Call: RSVP by 12/4: dwinters@northstareconomics.com or 282-1234
http://www.madison.com/communities/mcfr 
Email: dwinters@northstareconomics.com 
On December 7, James M. Olson, Former Chief of Counterintelligence at the CIA will present at a 6:00 dinner meeting on: "The Moral Dilemmas of the War on Terror" at the Edgewater Hotel. Professor Olson is a Senior Lecturer and the CIA officer-in-residence at the George Bush School of Government and Public Service. Sponsored by the Madison Committee on Foreign Affairs. For more information visit http://www.madison.com/communities/mcfr/ or E-mail dwinters@northstareconomics.com 
(New Location – Free underground parking available)
6:00 PM cash bar and light dinner
7:00 PM presentation and discussion

Cost: Members, WAGE affiliates and first time attendees: $30 paid in advance, $35 at the door.
Non members: $40. Speaker only: $15 at the door.

Reservations and advance payments are required by Monday, December 4th.

The Madison Committee on Foreign Relations, Inc. is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to the open discussion of issues facing the United States and other nations.
For more information, including membership information go to http://www.madison.com/communities/mcfr/.

YWCA of Madison - It's Time to Talk Forums
101 E. Mifflin Street Madison, WI 53703 Phone: 257-1436 Fax: 257-1439 
November 2, 2006, 12:00pm - 1:00pm at The Catholic Multicultural Center (1862 Beld Street)
http://www.ywca.org/site/pp.asp?c=lkJZJdO4F&b=739493 or racialjustice@ywcamadison.org 
It's Time to Talk forums provide an informal opportunity for meaningful cross-cultural dialogue about racism. This program brings people together who may be friends or acquaintances, see each other at work, in community groups, or civic organizations, and may have never discussed race issues. Individuals are offered opportunities to participate in an annual large community luncheon with nationally known keynote speakers, to attend smaller open community brown-bag lunches, or to host small dinners in their home.  For more information contact racialjustice@ywcamadison.org.

Winter Solstice Pageant
First Unitarian Society 900 University Bay Dr., Madison
December 22, 7:00pm
http://www.circlesanctuary.org/wintersolstice 
Multicultural/interfaith event, 7-9 pm, 12/22, First Unitarian Meeting House, with storytelling, music by Nancy Vedder-Shults, Ruth Barrett, Celia & others, drumming, sharing of holiday lore, rituals & costumed Yuletide characters. $10 ($5 kids); non-perishable food donations requested. 924-2216

WINTER SOLSTICE PAGEANT. 7 - 9 pm on 12/22 at Meeting House of First Unitarian Society, 900 University Bay Drive, Madison. Evening program includes music by Celia, Nancy Vedder-Shults, Ruth Barrett, and others, storytelling, costumed Yuletide characters, drumming, sharing of holiday lore and customs from various cultures, ritual and meditation for world peace. Bring canned goods for charity food drive. $10/adult; $5/child donation. Sponsored by Circle Sanctuary & Madison CUUPS. More info: www.circlesanctuary.org/wintersolstice; 608-924-2216.

Art By & For People Who are Blind or Visually Impaired
Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired 754 Williamson St. , Madison 255-1166
Exhibit Opens December 1st During Community Open House

The Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired will host an exhibit of art made by and for people who are blind or visually impaired. The opening is set to coincide with the Council’s Community Open House from 4-7pm on Friday, December 1, 2006 at their offices at 754 Williamson St.

The exhibit is free and open to the public from 8am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday from Dec. 1, 2006 to Jan. 15, 2007. Paintings are for sale with 20% of the purchase price going to the Council to help fund programs and services for people who are blind or visually impaired.

Artists Albert Schmeige and Jamie Landolt will be featured. Schmeige is a Mauston artist who has been legally blind since 1992 due to macular degeneration. Despite a lack of central vision, poor depth perception and color blindness, he has been able to capture on canvas his interpretation of the world. Schmeige uses a combination of technique, brush stroke and color to create the illusion of detail and depth. Schmeige’s paintings prove that the art of sight and seeing is not necessarily defined by those of us with 20/20 vision. He believes that blindness does not limit but rather enhances the creative process.

Landolt is a Milwaukee artist who creates “touchable” paintings. She challenges the conventional notion that painted art is only to be visually experienced. Landolt encourages people to touch her work, to feel each brushstroke and encounter the dimensional shapes that the canvas encompasses so that it might heighten the experience as they interact with the piece. In addition, she has incorporated Braille in a few of her pieces.

The Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired is a private, not-for-profit agency. Our mission is to promote the dignity and independence of people who are blind and visually impaired by providing services, advocating legislation and educating the general public.

Wisconsin Union Theatre
University of Wisconsin-Madison Memorial Union 800 Langdon Street, 262-2201
http://www.uniontheater.wisc.edu/season.html 

World Stage

Sunday, November 5, 2006
Acoustic Africa
(Habib Koite, Vusi Mahlasela, Dobet Gnaore)
Tickets: $30/24/18, UW-Madison students $10

47th Annual Travel Adventure Film Series

November 27-28, 2006
Amazing Australia with Grant Foster
Tickets: $10, UW-Madison students $5
Pre-Film Buffet Dinner $14

Community Action on Latin America
731 State Street, Madison, WI (608) 251-3241
http://www.calamadison.org 
CALA hosts speakers from Latin America and speakers from other countries to talk about current conditions in Latin America. CALA also works with other solidarity and advocacy organizations in the Madison area on events and programs.

Saturday, December 2: Fair Trade Holiday Fair. Our tenth annual fair will be held from 9am to 4pm at Madison Area Technical College Downtown Education Center, 1 block north of State Street at Carroll and Dayton streets, Madison, Wisconsin. 

Tuesday, December 12: Special guest Omar Sierra, Vice-Consul at the Venezuela Consulate in Chicago, will be in Madison to discuss the results of the 12/3 national election and the state of democracy in Venezuela. 7pm at Rainbow Bookstore, 426 West Gilman, just off State.

Radical Film Series on the UW campus
CALA is happy to co-sponsor several films this fall in the Radical Film Series on the UW campus. Below is the tentative schedule, subject to change. All films are Mondays Nights at 7pm. Location is TITU (Today In The Union), which means that the location is posted online here and on the bulletin boards in the Memorial Union the DAY OF the film. Films have typically been in the Humanities building, in room 1111, 1650, or 1651, which are AV classrooms. Anyway, plan to attend these challenging films on Monday nights!

11/6: "The Take" about how factory workers have taken over closed factories in Argentina and re-opened them under worker control
 
11/13: Screening either "Fuera!" or "Thirst" about global water politics
 
11/20: A night of Madison Shorts
 
11/27: "The Power of Community" about how Cuba survived the cutoff of Soviet oil and what we can learn about the looming Peak Oil crisis
 
12/4: "Crowd Bites Wolf" on the World Bank protests in Prague, met by 20,000 protesters
 
12/11: "Genoa Libera" Shocking footage of the G8 summit protests in Italy where police murdered a protester.

International Children's Literature Conference
Tripp Commons, Memorial Union, 800 Langdon Street, Madison, WI (608) 262-9224
November 18, 2006 - 9:00 am 
http://www.wioc.wisc.edu/childlit/index.htm or rweiss@wisc.edu 
A workshop for K-12 educators, librarians, and children's literature enthusiasts. Featuring: Yangsook Choi, Cathryn Clinton, Yona Zeldis McDonough, and Suzanne Fisher Staples. Registration deadline: November 6, 2006. See website for details and registration information. Sponsored by the Wisconsin International Outreach Consortium (WIOC).

Max Kade Institute for German American Studies Lectures
http://mki.wisc.edu/News/MainNews.htm

Ausgewanderte deutsche Wörter nach Russland und Amerika Germanismen im Ost-West-Vergleich 
Migrating German Words, From Russia to America Comparing Germanisms East and West
Wednesday, November 1 - 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.
Pyle Center, Room DE232
In this bilingual event, Dr. Luanne von Schneidemesser, Senior Editor for the Dictionary of American Regional English, and Dr. Lutz Kuntzsch from the Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache in Wiesbaden will discuss how German words have been incorporated into languages spoken in Europe and North America. Dr. von Schneidemesser will present "German Words in the Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE)"; Dr. Kuntzsch will present "Von arubaito bis gesundheit – von butterbrot bis kaputti: Was uns ausgewanderte deutsche Wörter sagen können."

Lecture series: In Search of a New World:
Mennonites and Amish in the Americas
Wednesday, November 15 - 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.
Kimberly Miller: "Old Colony Mennonites in Bolivia"
Red Gym, On Wisconsin Room
The name Mennonite is shared by a diverse group of people worldwide, from conservative horse-and-buggy Mennonites to urban assimilated Mennonites. What is the religious tradition that these people share? This presentation will begin with an overview of Mennonite origins, then will focus on the history, beliefs, and lives of the Colony Mennonites in Bolivia.

Lecture series: In Search of a New World:
Mennonites and Amish in the Americas
Wednesday, December 6 - 7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.
Prof. Mark Louden: "Amish in North America"
Memorial Union
One of the most visible religious minority groups in North America is the Old Order Amish. In this presentation we will explore the basic foundations of Amish faith and life, from both historical and modern perspectives, in the broader context of Anabaptism. Along the way we will also clarify a number of common misunderstandings about the Amish.

Jewish Heritage Lecture
UW Memorial Union 800 Langdon St. , Madison

"Discovering the Visual in Jewish Culture," by Duke University Prof. Kalman Bland
Wednesday, November 1 - 7:30pm
Cost: Free 265-4763
http://polyglot.lss.wisc.edu/jewishst Email: allightf@wiscmail.wisc.edu 

"The German Jewish Past in a Local Key: Mapping Historical Memories Between the Provinces & the City," by Univ. of Texas at Dallas Prof. Nils Roemer
Monday, December 11 - 7:30pm
Cost: Free 265-4763
http://polyglot.lss.wisc.edu/jewishst Email: allightf@wiscmail.wisc.edu 

Film: "Until When?"
Escape Java Joint, 916 Williamson St., Madison
Sunday, December 10, 6:30 pm
Sponsored By: Peregrine Forum and Madisoin Area Peace Coalition
Contacts: David, 608-442-8399
http://madpeace.org/?q=node/326&PHPSESSID=ce56aa469cb5a8ed27a3b3e39b5c78a4 
Free Film Screening: "Until When?" - a documentary about the lives of four Palestinian families in Bethlehem

This film made by director Dahna Abourahme in 2004 follows the lives of four Palestinian families living in Dheisheh Refugee Camp in Behtlem portraying a slice of their lives under Israeli occupation, as they discuss the past and future with humor, sorrow, frustration and occasional hope. The film is graciously provided from the collection of Madison-Rafah Sister City Project. For a complete listing of their films write to MRSCP at rafahsistercity@yahoo.com or to Paul Beckett at snkbeckett@yahoo.com.

Donations to cover the cost of room rental are welcome.

Meditation - Two 15-minute sittings with a walking meditation
Sequoya Library 513 S. Midvale Blvd.
Thursday, November 2 - 7:00pm
Cost: Free; instruction provided before sessions begin Call: 446-4042
Meditation-Introduction to meditative practice. Two 15 minute sittings with a walking meditation. Instruction provided before sessions. 7 pm, the 1st Thursday of each month at Sequoya Library. Free. 446-4042.

Border and Transcultural Studies Lecture
Room 4207, Helen C. White Hall, 600 N. Park St. Phone: 286-6861
Thursday, November 2, 3:00 pm
http://www.btcs.wisc.edu/ Email: mniemann@wisc.edu 
Ian Baucom (English, Duke University) will speak on "The Disasters of War: On Inimical Life." Prof. Baucom is the author of "Specters of the Atlantic: Finance Capital, Slavery, and the Philosophy of History" (2005, Duke University Press), and co-editor of "Shades of Black: Assembling Black Arts in 1980s Britain" (2005, Duke University Press).

Tsotsi - UW African Studies Program film screening & discussion
UW Space Place (2300 S. Park St.) Suite LL-100 , Madison
Saturday, November 4 - 1:15pm - 3:30 p.m.
Cost: Free Call: 266-6395
http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org 
UW Madison African Studies Program and the South Madison Branch Library will be showing the film, Tsotsi, 2006 winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Discussion leader: John Stafford Anderson, Outreach Assistant, UW African Studies Program.

Sadira - Raks Sharki, Middle Eastern solo women's dance
Shish Cafe 5510 University Ave.
Saturday, November 4, 6:30 & 7:30 pm 
Saturday, December 2, 6:30 & 7:30 pm 
following a short program of Arabian takht music. Free. 236-9006
Sadira performs raks sharki, the women's solo dance from the Middle East, 6:30 & 7:30 PM. Shish Cafe, 5510 University Ave. A short program of Arab takht music precedes the dance performance. 

Fiesta Guatemala
Atwood Community Center 2425 Atwood Ave.
Saturday, November 4, 8:00pm - 11:00pm
Brazilian concert & dance with Pagee Go Go, plus Fair Trade crafts & refreshments
$10 suggested donation. 233-5566
Email: Lpine@tds.net 
Advance tickets sales for “Fiesta Guatemala!” Brazilian concert and dance benefit are now available at Centro Hispano, 810 W. Badger Rd.; Williamson St. Grocery Co-op, 1221 Williamson St.; and Stony Hill Antiques, 2140 Regent St.  The live, danceable Brazilian/Latin music by the “Pagee Go Go” band will begin at 8 p.m. and go until 11 p.m. on Saturday, November 4, 2006, at the Atwood Community Center, 2425 Atwood Avenue.  Fair trade Guatemalan textiles and crafts, as well as refreshments, will be on sale at the concert and dance benefit. The suggested minimum donation for tickets is $10.

“Fiesta Guatemala!” is a benefit organized by the nonprofit Madison-Guatemala Network for the Guatemalan Refugee Project (Efraín Bámaca Association), to raise money to help post-war Guatemalan refugees obtain water and electricity in their homes and schools in the town of Nuevo Amanecer (New Dawn), Guatemala.

Cosponsors include the Madison-Guatemala Network, Centro Hispano, Colombia Support Network, Communities United, Community Action on Latin America, Latinos United for Change and Advancement (LUChA), the Madison-Arcatao Sister City Project, the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project, Wisconsin Coordinating Council on Nicaragua and WORT-FM. For more information contact Leila at Lpine@tds.net or 233-5566.

Native Americans in Winter - Family Program
Aldo Leopold Nature Center 300 Femrite Dr.
Sunday, November 5 1:00 - 3:00pm
Hike to Indian Mounds, skill demonstrations, games, storytelling & more
Cost: $6 ($20/family) - Call: RSVP by 11/2 suggested: 221-4038
www.naturenet.com/alnc or Email: alnc@naturenet.com 
Preparation for winter survival involved everyone in early Native American families! Join us on a hike to Indian Mounds and learn about plants that would have been used for food and medicine. We’ll see real Native American artifacts up close and learn some essential Native American skills like fire building and grinding corn. We’ll also hear some Native American legends, play some games, and make some Native American toys!

Pre-registration is recommended by 11/2/06. Call (608) 221-4038 or visit our Web site at www.naturenet.com/alnc.

The Aldo Leopold Nature Center is a private, not-for-profit educational organization dedicated to promoting the conservation ethic of Aldo Leopold through environmental education and awareness. Founded in 1994, with sites in Monona and Black Earth, the Center provides hands-on environmental programming for school children and their families, reaching over 28,000 students annually. In addition, the Center sponsors Nature Net: the environmental learning network, which promotes environmental education for children by organizing collaborative networks of Nature Centers throughout Wisconsin (www.naturenet.com).

The American Indian: A National Visual Arts Tribute
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, 211 State St.
Tuesday, November 14 - 7:00pm
Cost: Free, but tickets required Call: 265-2500
Free Academy Evenings program with UW art Prof. Truman Lowe
http://www.wisconsinacademy.org Email: bsanford@wisconsinacademy.org 
How does one do justice to representing the vast riches of Native American art all under one roof? Native American artist Truman Lowe, an art professor at UW-Madison, took on this task by becoming curator of contemporary art at the Smithsonian Institution's recently established National Museum of the American Indian, which holds nearly 800,000 objects. Lowe will share his challenges, his triumphs, and his plans for the museum's future in "The American Indian: A National Visual Arts Tribute," a free presentation on Tuesday, November 14 at 7 pm at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art lecture hall, 227 State St., Madison.

There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion. The program is a presentation of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters as part of its Academy Evening series. Free tickets (suggested donation $2) are recommended to ensure seating. They are available at the James Watrous Gallery in the Overture Center (3rd floor) during open hours. Gallery hours are Tues.-Thurs. 11-5; Fri.-Sat. 11-9; Sun. 1-5, closed Mon. Maps and directions are available at www.wisconsinacademy.org. We apologize that tickets cannot be mailed or reserved by phone.

Belly Dancing
Casbah 119 E. Main St. , Madison
Alternating Mondays (see below) Shows at 9:30 & 10:30 pm
Free (plus free henna tatoos) Call: 220-1036
http://www.ayperibellydance.com Email: ayperi@ayperibellydance.com 

November 20, 2006
December 4, 2006
December 18, 2006
January 1, 2007
January 15, 2007

On Monday nights this summer from 9:00 pm to midnight, the Casbah has been filled with Arabic, Turkish, Rom (gypsy), and Indian music, dance, and cheering during "Bellydancing Mondays," the free weekly Middle Eastern dance and music event that the Casbah hosts in collaboration with Ayperi Bellydance, a Middle Eastern dance organization headed by Monica Muraski. The event, which started May 2006, will be continuing to fill the Casbah with crowds of dancers, musicians, fans, and interested Madisonians into the fall, but rather than weekly, the event will be held on the first and third Mondays of each month. The change will take place in September; the event will be held during that month on Monday, September 4th, and Monday, September 18th.

During the event, two Middle Eastern dancers perform formal dance shows at 9:30 and 10:30 pm. After each of the shows the dancers dance with and teach the audience about and how to Bellydance while Middle Eastern drummers play along with recordings of classical and fusion Middle Eastern music. A henna artist also attends the event and offers attendees the chance to get a free henna tattoo.

The collaboration for the event was born out of America's increasing interest and curiosity about Bellydancing. Bellydancing, growing in popularity as the newest alternative fitness craze, is also growing in acceptance as a legitimate dance form in America. Says Monica Muraski of Ayperi Bellydance, "The purpose of ‘Bellydancing Mondays' is not only to have fun, see some of the incredibly talented dancers that live in this area, and enjoy some great music, but also to educate the public about Bellydancing and what a great dance form it is, and the event has been successfully fulfilling these purposes all summer long."

"During the fall and winter in a town that is ruled by the educational calendar, everyone (audience members and dancers) is much busier. We want to ensure that our Monday night event remains one of the hottest things to do on Mondays, and we feel that the best way to do that is to ensure that we continue to provide the same high quality, family friendly, multicultural entertainment and education in the same fun, busy atmosphere that we did all summer. Since Madison is so affected by the school-year calendar, taking a little extra time between the events will help us do that," says Monica Muraski.
ayperi@ayperibellydance.com  www.ayperibellydance.com 

LACIS Conference
206 Ingraham, 1155 Observatory Dr.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006, 12:00pm - 1:00pm, 262-2811
http://polyglot.lss.wisc.edu/laisp/ Email: lacisoutreach@intl-institute.wisc.edu 
"Judicial Independence and the Rule of Law in Latin America" by Javier Couso, Professor of Law at Diego Portales University, Santiago, Chile.

Cynthia Enloe: Women and Iraq
On Wisconsin Room, Red Gym, 716 Langdon St.
Thursday, November 9, 12:00 pm
http://www.international.wisc.edu/news/events/detail.asp?idEventsNews=1448 
"Where are the Women in the US War in Iraq? Why Does it Matter?" a talk by Cynthia Enloe, Clark University. Enloe’s feminist teaching and research focuses on the interplay of women’s politics in the national and international arenas. She is the author of "Bananas, Beaches and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of International Politics (2001)," "Maneuvers: The International Politics of Militarizing Women's Lives (1999)," and "The Morning After: Sexual Politics at the End of the Cold War(1993)."

Lakota Sioux Dance Theatre
Capitol Theater, Overture Center 201 State St.
Wednesday, November 8, 7:30 PM
Cost: $25/$22 (free "Meet the Artist" program follows) Call: 258-4141
Powerful. Intense. Colorful. This mesmerizing dance troupe interprets the legends and myths of the Lakota Indian with explosive dance, music, singing, and theatre. The Lakota Sioux draw you into their inner circle and invite you to discover the ancient secrets of their tribal rites, dances and ceremonies. Brightly colored costumes and feathered headdresses add to the spectacular and serious tribute to an old, fascinating, once-endangered culture that bravely survives on the Great Plains.

Grassroots Leadership College
"Perceptual Thinking Patterns: Attending to Learning & Communication Differences in Organizations"
Christ Presbyterian Church 944 E. Gorham St. , Madison
Wednesday, November 8 - Thursday, November 9 6:30pm - 9:00pm
$20 (scholarships & childcare available). RSVP by 11/6
http://www.grassrootsleadershipcollege.org  or 441-0085
The Grassroots Leadership College Workshop Series Presents:

PERCEPTUAL THINKING PATTERNS: ATTENDING TO LEARNING AND COMMUNICATION DIFFERENCES IN ORGANIZATIONS ­
November 8th and 9th 6:30-9pm at Christ Presbyterian Church 944 E. Gorham St.
Perceptual Thinking Patterns (PTP) is a concrete model that shows how each of us learns,
organizes, and communicates information. By better understanding our own mind's perceptual
patterns, and the patterns of others, we can learn, communicate, and work more effectively.

In this session, led by Vida Groman and Denise Jess, we will begin to explore auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learning styles and learn to employ tools that incorporate all of these styles of learning into our organizational work, making it possible for the members and volunteers in our organizations to engage more fully and effectively. Applications are due November 6th.  Childcare and snacks are available at all workshops. Transportation assistance is also available on request. All workshop spaces are fully accessible.  Applications are available online at www.grassrootsleadershipcollege.org or by calling 441-0085.

UW East Asian Studies Brown Bag Seminar
Room 336, UW Ingraham Hall. 669-1391
"Are Chinese Local Congress Agents of Democratization?" 
by UW Political Science Department's Melanie Manion
Wednesday, November 8 - 12:00pm -1:15 pm
http://eastasia.wisc.edu/ Email: eas@intl-institute.wisc.edu 

Center for Global Health Seminar
1306 HSLC 750 Highland Ave.
Thursday, November 9 - 5:00pm-6:00pm
http://www.pophealth.wisc.edu/gh Email: teigland@wisc.edu 
"Addressing Issues of Violence against Women in Mexico", a talk by Rachel Rodriguez, Executive Director, UNIDOS Against Domestic Violence, and Yolanda Garza, Assistant Dean of Students, Student Advocacy and Judicial Affairs. The presenters will discuss their work with the faculty from the Universtiy of Guadalajara in developing a response to violence against women both on the campus and in the community.

Wednesday, December 6 5:00pm-6:00pm
Room 1309 HSLC 750 Highland Ave.
"Public Health Responses to Natural and Human Disasters: What We Can Learn from Sri Lanka", a talk by Richard Brooks, Outreach Program Manager and Director of the Health Promotion Project,UW-Madison Division of Continuing Studies. Just as it was beginning to emerge from more than two decades of civil war, Sri Lanka suffered the most devastating natural disaster in its history. More than 36,000 people died and close to a million lost their homes in the tsunami of December 26, 2004. Amidst the rebuilding, civil unrest has now created 200,000 more refugees and public health challenges which cannot be met by international aid alone. From the ground up, what can and should be done?

Margaret Cho
Orpheum Theatre 216 State St.
Thursday, November 9 -  8:00pm
Cost: $37.50/$27.50 Call: 255-4646
www.ticketmaster.com
Comedienne Margaret Cho will be making a very special appearance at the Orpheum Theatre in Madison on Thursday, November 9 at 8:00 PM. Opening for Margaret will be her special guest “Lisp”. Margaret is not currently on a national tour which makes the Madison show even more special. This is one of a limited number of shows where she develops new material in combination with fan favorites from previous shows so Madison fans get a chance to see some material before anyone else. Tickets for this event will be going on sale to the public Saturday, September 16 at 10:00 AM at the Orpheum Box office, Ticketmaster, by phone at (608) 255-4646, or online at www.frankproductions.com. Tickets will also be available Monday – Friday from 10AM – 5 PM at the Madison Ticket Agency in the West Lobby of Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Margaret was recently the recipient of the First Amendment Award from the ACLU of Southern California, and the Intrepid Award from the National Organization for Women (NOW). She has also been honored by GLAAD, American Women in Radio and Television, the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF), the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), and PFLAG for "making a significant difference in promoting equal rights for all, regardless of race, sexual orientation or gender identity."

“I didn't mean to be a role model. I just speak my truth. I guess speaking from your heart really creates a huge impact, and if I can encourage people to do that, then I would love to be a role model. If I could encourage people to use their voices loudly, then that's my reward. I don't care about winning an academy award; I don't care about mainstream acceptance, because it's never going to be what I want it to be. I just want to do my work and love it.” – Margaret Cho

UW Black Music Ensemble
Morphy Hall, UW Humanities Building 455 N. Park St.
Thursday, November 9 - 8:30pm
Cost: Free Call: 263-9485
Richard Davis, conductor
Email: music@music.wisc.edu

Bilingual Storytelling for Kids
South Madison Library 2222 S. Park St., 266-6395
In English & Spanish, with storyteller Jim Winship
Saturday, November 11, 1:30 p.m.
Join in for high energy stories in English and Spanish.

Hanukkah Bash with Yid Vicious
High Noon Saloon 701A E. Washington Ave. , Madison
Sunday, December 17, 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Cost: $3 Call: 268-1122
Free Dreidels! Holiday Shenanigans! It’s Happy High-Nonukkah!
$3 kids & grownups

The World Beyond Our Borders
An International Book Series, Fall 2006
All events are at 7pm- dates subject to change
Borders West, 3750 University Ave, Madison
Contact: Ronnie Hess at rlhess@wisc.edu or (608) 262-5590
http://www.international.wisc.edu/news/events/BordersF06.asp  

Download poster here.

Thursday, November 9
Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney (UW-Madison, Anthropology)
Kamikaze Diaries: Reflections of Japanese Student Soldiers
(University of Chicago Press, 2006)
This moving book presents diaries and correspondence left by members of the kamikaze pilots and other Japanese student soldiers. Outside of Japan, the pilots were considered unbridled fanatics and chauvinists who willingly sacrificed their lives for the emperor, but the interpretation of Professor Ohnuki-Tierney clearly testifies otherwise.

Tuesday, December 5
Scott Straus (UW-Madison, Political Science)
Intimate Enemy: Images and Voices of the Rwandan Genocide (Zone Books, 2006) and The Order of Genocide: Race, Power, and War in Rwanda (Cornell University Press, 2006)
Through interviews with scores of people intimately involved in the 1995 Rwandan genocide, Professor Straus considers one of its most disturbing aspects – that the perpetrators of the mass violence were “everyday people,” neighbors who became killers in an extermination campaign that eliminated 75 percent of the country’s Tutsi population.

Holiday Folk Fair International
Wisconsin State Fair Park 8100 W. Greenfield Ave. Milwaukee
Friday, November 17 through Sunday, November 19
Multi-ethnic indoor festival with food, demonstrations & displays, music, dance & more, 3-10 pm on 11/17, 10 am-10 pm on 11/18 and 10 am-7 pm, 11/19, Wisconsin State Fair Park, West Allis. $8 adv., $10 at gate. 414-225-6220
http://www.folkfair.org 
Holiday Folk Fair International will be held Friday, November 17 through Sunday, November 19, 2006 at the Wisconsin Exposition Center at State Fair Park in West Allis, Wis.

Produced by the International Institute of Wisconsin, Holiday Folk Fair International celebrates the cultural heritage of the people living in southeastern Wisconsin. This year¹s theme, "Carriers of Culture," will allow Fair-goers the opportunity to explore the ways in which music, food, dance, and art serve as a bridge toward racial, cultural, and ethnic understanding.  The three-day event features an assortment of ethnic foods, music and dance performances, and historical displays on ethnic cultures, arts and crafts displays, and educational demonstrations. Holiday Folk Fair International will also host a United States Citizenship Naturalization Ceremony on Saturday morning and a 5K Run/Walk on Sunday morning.

Several special exhibits and performances are planned for 2006, including performers from the Native Alaskan Heritage Center; Icelandic textiles, World Heritage Sites of Japan, and Portraits of Hmong Women exhibits; and a historic folk art display.

Hours on Friday are 3 p.m. ­ 10 p.m.; 10 a.m. ­ 10 p.m. on Saturday; and 10 a.m. ­ 7 p.m. on Sunday. Advance tickets will be sold for $8 each. Admission at the gate will be $10 for adults; $7 for children ages 6 to 12; children under the age of five will be admitted at no charge.

RSVP for Association for Women in Communications
Lunch program "Guiding Light: The Insider's Scoop" 
with Madison's Ronald McDonald House Executive Director Beth Zurbuchen, set for 11:30 am, 12/14, Edgewater Hotel. $22. RSVP by 12/7: 232-1428
Thursday, December 14, Networking & registration 11:30 am; lunch & program 12:00-1:00 pm
http://www.awc-madison.org 
Email: mszczecho@aol.com 
Would you like to get more free publicity for your company, event, or nonprofit organization? Get the inside scoop on how to do just that from newsroom veteran Beth Zurbuchen, as she candidly shares who, what, when, where, and why tips for working with the media.

Zurbuchen currently serves as Executive Director for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Madison. She previously worked at a large health insurance company for four years and in media relations at an HMO for two years. For more than two decades in three markets, her domain was television news; there she progressed from reporter to producer/anchor and finally, news director. In 1999, viewers picked her as top TV personality in the “Best of Madison” poll (Madison magazine). Zurbuchen has also served in a number of leadership positions in local nonprofits as a volunteer. She is a popular speaker as well as emcee, whose audiences call her lively, informative, and fun.

Zurbuchen will share lessons from the multi-faceted case of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Madison in “Lighting the House that Love Built.” Discover how to gain exposure and fundraising dollars. Learn more about working with the media from a public relations perspective.

Please bring a friend or business associate on December 14, to hear Beth Zurbuchen tell us how we can get free publicity. All are welcome to attend this event.

For more information, visit www.awc-madison.org, e-mail mszczecho@aol.com, or call Margo Bida at 232-1428.

Madison Women's Expo 
Alliant Energy Center 1919 Energy Center Way
Saturday, November 18 through Sunday, November 19
Cost: $6 adv., $8 d.o.s. Call: 442-0454
http://www.anewwomensexpo.com 
10 am-4 pm, 11/19-20, Alliant Energy Center, with interactive exhibits on health, food, fashion, fitness, careers, crafts, plus speakers Soledad O'Brien of CNN's American Morning & fashion designer Cynthia Rowley. $6 one-day pass adv., $8 d.o.s. VIP passes also available for receptions with O'Brien & Rowley ($30 each). 442-0454

An annual tradition gets a new twist this year at Exhibition Hall November 18–19 with the 8th Annual Madison Women’s Expo. New this year are interactive classes on belly dancing, yoga, pottery and much more. Featured speakers “Days of Our Lives” soap star Deidre Hall and Grammy winner Rosanne Cash will share empowering stories. Don’t miss this popular women’s expo! www.anewwomensexpo.com

Jewish Heritage Lecture
"Mitzvah vs. Mission: Jewish Women's Welfare Work in Britain & America, 1880-1939," 
by Univ. of Strathclyde-Glasgow Prof. Eileen Janes Yeo
UW School of Human Ecology, 1300 Linden Dr. 265-4763
Tuesday, November 21 - 5:00pm
http://polyglot.lss.wisc.edu/jewishst Email: allightf@wiscmail.wisc.edu

Spanish & English Storytime
Storytimes Ages 4-9
Monona Library 1000 Nichols Rd. , Monona
November 21, 6:30 p.m.  Grrr, animales! with Vanessa Wendt
December 19, 6:30 p.m.  Crazy Loco, All Mixed Up! with Kay Weeden
Call: 222-6127 Email: kmwendt@scls.lib.wi.us
Spanish and English Story Hour! 6:30 p.m. Say Ole! Los martes de las 6:30 p.m. a las 7:15 p.m. La sala para ninos en la biblioteca publica de Monona. Free. Enjoy stories, books, songs, activities, and games! For ages 4 to 9, all welcome. Monona Public Library Story Room. 1000 Nichols Road, Monona 608-222-6127. Este programa es gratis, y es especialmente para familias con ninos de 4 a 9 anos de edad.

Diversity Courses - UW Continuing Education
313 Lowell Center, 610 Langdon St, Madison, WI 53703
608-263-4431 or 800-442-4617, Fax 608-265-2329
Contact: Kristine Bruns, kbruns@dcs.wisc.edu
http://www.dcs.wisc.edu/classes/diversity.htm  

See additional subject information www.dcs.wisc.edu/pda/hhi/diversity.htm.

Unlearning Racism
Join us in a safe forum for self-reflection and dialogue to discover the adaptations we've learned that may unwittingly reinforce racism-and to examine what we can do to promote positive change.

Instructor: Don Coleman, Kathy Germann
RF, Nov 9-10, 8:30 am-4:30 pm, Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St, Limit 25, 1.4 CEU, $285, Program #2004
Registration print form
Registration online

ONLINE Cultural Competency for Human Service Professionals: An Introductory Self-Study Course
Today health and human service care must be culture specific, reflecting the clients' expectations about world view, values, and experience of care. In this self-study course you develop the awareness, knowledge, and skills that allow you and your agency to provide effective cross-cultural care. Enhance your knowledge of and respect for people's history, traditions, values, and social organization including family, community, and political structures.

Instructor: Suzanna Waters-Castillo
Enroll anytime, 0.5 CEU, $75, Program #3018
Registration print form
Registration online

The University of Wisconsin Russian Folk Orchestra
Holiday Concert at Hilldale Mall 702 N. Midvale Blvd
Thursday, December 21, 2006, 7:30 pm
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/vfgorodi/rfo/concerts.html 

A Concert of Turkish Kanun Music by Ruhi Ayangil
Morphy Recital Hall, Mosse Humanities Building 262-9511
December 10, 6:00 pm 
http://www.intlstudies.wisc.edu/news/events/detail.asp?idEventsNews=1556 

Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano
Overture Hall, Overture Center 201 State St.
Friday, December 8 - 8:00 PM
Cost: $26-$18 Call: 258-4141
The eleven-member Mariachi Los Camperos has established a unique reputation for its technical brilliance and musical nuance. To hear their richly operatic voices interwoven with the lush melodies of violins, the complex rhythms of guitar, viheula and harp, and the vivid brilliance of trumpets is to experience mariachi at its best. Nati Cano began his mariachi career at age 8, performing in the streets of Guadelajara. He founded Mariachi Los Camperos in 1961 and opened La Fonda - the Los Angeles venue that still serves as the ensemble's base - in 1969. Cano revolutionized mariachi by blending traditional rhythms with the more complex harmonies of popular music and raising the technical level of performance.

I Have a Dream Banquet & Ball
Monona Terrace 1 John Nolen Dr.
Cost: $65 Call: RSVP: 277-9141
http://www.womeninfocus.net
Women in Focus invite reservations through 12/29 for their black tie scholarship fund-raiser, set for 1/13/07, Monona Terrace, with 6 pm cocktails, 7 pm dinner, 8:30 pm dance with the Davis Family Band. $65. RSVP: 277-9141

Established in 1986 to raise funds for scholarships, the AI Have A Dream Scholarship Ball provides monetary awards to college bound students and honors the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It is the organization’s primary source of income, with all net proceeds awarded as scholarships to high school seniors and college students in amounts ranging from $1,000 to $2,500. Since the inception of the program, we have awarded more than 147 scholarships.

Recipients of scholarships have chosen diverse career paths, including business, medicine, technical and professional careers, music and art. Although the scholarships represent a small portion of total tuition, students report that they highly value the monetary contribution as well as the community recognition of their abilities to succeed. 2006 will represent two decades of supporting education for the youth of this community.

Ongoing Activities...

Salsa Lessons
Palace Latin Club 1401 University Ave.
Saturdays, 8:00pm Free. 239-8686
Email: info@dandomambo.com 
For more information, please contact Dando Mambo Dance Company at (608) 239-8686 or info@dandomambo.com

Madison Scottish Country Dancers - Beginner Instruction 
UW Memorial Union 800 Langdon St. , Madison
Sundays 7:00 pm; intermediate 8:00 pm; request dancing 9:00 pm Sundays
Free. 233-2956

Argentine Tango Practica (Dance Practice)
Madison Center for Creative & Cultural Arts 306 W. Dayton St. , Madison
Tuesdays 6:30 - 8:30pmpm  Free. 236-0198
http://www.madisontango.org Email: info@madisontango.org 

Israeli Folk Dancing
Beth Israel Center 1406 Mound St.
Wednesdays 7:30-9:30 pm
Lessons & requests, Beth Israel Center (enter through back door). $2. 
cmsoref@charter.net or 848-1992
Israeli Folk Dancing at Beth Israel Center, teaching and requests, Wednesday evenings 7:30 to 9:30 pm. $2 per person. Contact Cheryl 608-848-1992 or cmsoref@charter.net for information.

International Folk Dancing
The Crossing 1127 University Ave.
Wednesdays & Sundays 7:30pm-10:30pm 241-3655
International Folk Dancing: Focusing on dances from southeast Europe and western Asia, 7:30-10:30 p.m. (teaching the first hour) Sundays and Wednesdays at The Crossing, 1127 University Ave. at the corner of Charter and University. Beginners welcome, no partners needed, 241-3655.

Nueva Cancion
Free instrument playing & singing in Spanish
Holy Redeemer Catholic Church 120 W. Johnson St.
Wednesdays through 11/29, 6-7:30 pm , Holy Reedeemer Learning Center. 577-4505
Cost: Free Call: 577-4505

Spanish Conversation Group
La Hacienda 515 S. Park St. 255-8227 [MAP]
Free speaking practice, 6 pm Wednesdays, La Hacienda. 438-6791
http://www.prontospanish.com
We will meet there every Wednesday night from 6 - 7:30 pm.