Ten Valley residents were arrested for non-violent civil disobedience at a protest against fossil fuels in Boston October 22. “It went really well,” Gabriel Shapiro told the Valley Post in a telephone interview. He lives in Amherst and was one of the people who were arrested.

On September 19 in Springfield and Amherst, there will be marches against mass incarceration. The marches are being organized by local chapters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which has a web site at www.naacp.org.

The Springfield event starts with a rally at 11 a.m. at Mason Square Green. The protesters will then march to City Hall.

The Amherst march starts at 10 a.m. from two locations: Haigis Mall at UMass and Hampshire College's Groff Park. Both Amherst marches will end at Sweetser Park in Amherst, across from the police station.

There will be a march for peace from Amherst to Northampton on August 9 at 1 p.m. There will be rallies to protest an unjust employer in Springfield and nearby towns August 11 and August 12 from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m.

On August 5, President Obama said, “The choice we face is ultimately between diplomacy and some form of war — maybe not tomorrow, maybe not three months from now, but soon.” In Congress, Republicans say they want war with Iran. Obama and most of the Democrats in Congress say they want peace.

On May 1, there will be marches for immigrant rights and for raising taxes on the rich to help the poor. The marches will be in Amherst, Massachusetts and Montpelier, Vermont. People will be carpooling to the Montpelier event from Brattleboro. To join the carpool, e-mail spoonagave@yahoo.com or call the phone number at the rally organizers' web site: www.WorkersCenter.org.

The Amherst event is being promoted by the western Massachusetts chapter of the group Jobs With Justice: www.jwj.org. At the event's Facebook page, more than 250 people had RSVP'd by the morning of April 30:

On average, people who live in Manhattan are much better for the environment than people who live in the Valley. That's according to an article in the New Yorker magazine. “Eighty-two per cent of Manhattan residents travel to work by public transit, by bicycle, or on foot,” David Owen wrote in the October 18, 2004 issue. Most New York City people live in apartment buildings which are inherently more energy efficient than the single family houses that most Valley residents live in. The number one lesson for the Valley? Protect open space.

At a dairy and beef farm in Hadley, Massachusetts, 123 acres of farmland has been permanently protected from development. Hadley borders Amherst. A photo of the farm is below. The farm is at 172 Hockanum Road and has a store that is open to the public. This environmental victory was made possible by www.KestrelTrust.org.

Most people who live in the Valley need a car to get to work or school, and to go shopping or visit friends.

In Amherst, workers at the University of Massachusetts are organizing a union. If they succeed, about 80 workers will be members of the union. They teach at UMass. On January 24 at 11 a.m., the workers will hold a rally. The public is invited. The rally will be outside the Whitmore building at Umass Amherst.

“It's a matter of solidarity and self respect,” said Priscilla Murolo. She has taught history at Umass Amherst for 12 years.

Gordon Lafer has taught sociology at Umass Amherst for eight years. “A union will help guarantee fair conditions for faculty,” he said.

This photo was taken on October 17 in Amherst. It shows activists holding a giant banner at the University of Massachusetts. The banner calls on the president of UMass to stop supporting climate change. Hundreds of pedestrians gathered to watch the banner drop, said organizer Sam King. For more information, contact King at sfking@student.umass.edu or by phone at (413) 325-7011. The group's web page is: www.facebook.com/divestUmass

To enlarge the photo, click on it, then scroll down and click "see full size image."

photo by Sam King

Three famous activists will give free or low-cost public speeches, with question-and-answer sessions, in the Valley. In a profile published last month, the Los Angeles Times newspaper called Cindy Sheehan an “anti-war activist who rose to national prominence after her son was killed in the Iraq war in 2005.” She lives in California and is a war tax resistor. More information about war tax resistance is at www.nwtrcc.org.

Workers at the Amherst Department of Public Works voted last week to sign a two year contract with the town. They maintain Amherst’s sewer and drinking water systems, run the garbage dump and recycling center, fix the town’s roads and traffic lights, and take care of the parks and trees. They belong to the AFSCME union www.afscme.org local 1725. They will get 1.3 percent annual raises.