Every day is a new day and with that, a new opportunity.
EVERYONE is welcome and please join us each morning at 7:30 AM PACIFIC
to tell us what you're working on, share your show & tell, vent, whatever you want...
...this is an open thread. Nothing is off topic.
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Boujou!
Today's edition will be a bit abbreviated. The biggest reason is that two or three of the stories I had originally intended to include today have proven to need much greater research and analysis. There are a number of stories that I've resisted including here yet, simply because they require a greater depth of investigation and explanation, and I have not yet found a way to distill them sufficiently for this format (examples include stories about charter schools and new land grabs, to name just a couple). In some cases, they may simply require full length, independent diaries.
This is a roundabout way of noting that even if something's not covered here on a given Monday, it's a safe assumption that it's already on my radar. But I take seriously the duty 1) to ensure that it's actually Indian news, and 2) to handle it in a way that's both contextually responsible and culturally accurate.
Now, on to a selection of this week's Indian news:
"¡JUSTICIA! ¡JUSTICIA!" NAMING IT GENOCIDE
We begin today with Central American Indians, and a measure of justice. A very small measure, it's true, and one that comes too late to help too many, but it matters nonetheless.
"¡Justicia! ¡Justicia!" was the poignant cry that filled the courtroom last Friday as Judge Yasmín Barrios of the three-judge Guatemalan court read the verdict and pronounced the sentence. Former Guatemalan dictator José Efraín Ríos Montt had been convicted of genocide against the country's indigenous Maya Ixil population.
This is a very big deal. Genocide convictions are notoriously difficult to obtain; societal establishments and their institutional structures shy away from using the term, even where the conduct clearly meets the definition. When it's been committed against indigenous peoples? Harder still.
And Guatemalan conservatives are already issuing dire warnings that the verdict may "embolden" other indigenous populations to seek legal redress.
But Ríos Montt has the distinction of being the first [former] head of state ever to be indicted in and convicted by his home country on charges of genocide.
A long-time player in Guatemalan military and political circles, General José Efraín Ríos Montt abandoned the Catholic Church, choosing to be trained in the U.S. as a fundamentalist evangelical minister in 1978 before returning to his military position in Guatemala. In 1982, Ríos Montt and his military allies overthrew Guatemala's government in a violent coup. His tenure as dictator lasted less than a year and a half, yet in that short period of time he managed to inflict bloody terror on the Ixil in his crusade to exterminate "Communists." Guerrilla defenders of their villages, homes, and people were no match for the military's sophisticated firepower provided by the Reagan administration. And since the government had officially labeled all Ixil "guerrilla supporters" (code for "Communists"), all Ixil were marked for elimination. Analysts estimate that while 0.7% of the Guatemalan population as a whole perished at the hands of Ríos Montt's forces over a 16-month period, the Ixil lost 5.5% of their numbers. Despite the fact that his State Department was well aware of the ongoing genocide, Reagan further sullied the U.S.'s record, praising Ríos Montt on the world stage as "a man of great personal integrity and commitment" who was working to "reduce violence."
The survivors who filled the courtroom on Friday had watched soldiers rape their mothers, torture their fathers, slaughter entire families (and in some cases, they were raped and brutalized themselves) - all on the orders of Ríos Montt. They had the satisfaction of hearing Judge Barrios confirm publicly what had happened to their loved ones. "We are completely convinced of the intent to destroy the Ixil ethnic group," she declared, naming it for what it was: "The defendant is responsible for masterminding the crime of genocide." They also had the satisfaction of watching their families' murderer, now 86, attempt to flee the courtroom before the judge ordered security to escort him back to his seat to hear the full verdict, ending with a sentence of 80 years. He was ordered to begin serving his sentence immediately, and was transferred to prison.
Late Friday, while the news was still breaking, Meteor Blades wrote a diary covering the story. If you haven't yet read it, do so: We are fortunate that one of our number was at that time on the ground in Guatemala, and was generous enough to share some terrible memories of first-hand experiences.
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HISTORY: "ADENA PIPE" NOW OHIO'S OFFICIAL STATE ARTIFACT
In 2009. a fourth-grade class at the Columbus (Ohio) School for Girls learned about the so-called "Adena Pipe," a 2,000-year-old Indian pipe excavated from the Adena Mound near Chillicothe, Ohio in 1901. The students decided that Ohio needed an official state artifact, and that the best candidate was the famous pipe. In the intervening three-plus years, the same students have shepherded the project through the law-making process, from proposing the bill to legislators to final passage on April 30th by the Ohio State Legislature. Governor John Kasich (R) has already publicly committed to signing the bill.
The pipe itself is about eight inches tall, carved from Ohio pipestone in the shape of a man clad in traditional dress and jewelry. It was apparently recovered from a burial site, where it had been placed with the body of a man who had walked on. It also apparently shows evidence of actual use in smoking tobacco.
"The Adena Effigy Pipe is the earliest representation we have of a human in all of Ohio history or prehistory," said Bradley T. Lepper, curator of archaeology at the Ohio Historical Society, in a press release. "Listing the Adena Effigy Pipe as Ohio’s state artifact would honor our indigenous heritage by giving a face to the too often forgotten American Indian people who were the first Ohioans."
The linked article from Indian Country Today [ICTMN] ventures into commentators' differing opinions on the meaning of the pipe's name (although I hope Lepper's is intended to be humorous, not a serious attempt to suggest that early local Indian inhabitants chose a Hebrew word rather than one from their own tongue). ICTMN cites speculation by one of its correspondents that the word "Adena" is actually "the Anishinabe word for village."
Well, sort of. Anishinaabe is actually our word for our people (or Anishinaabeg, plural); our word for the language is technically Anishinaabemowin. Our word for village is, with regional variation, something along the lines of oodenaa, oodenaw, oodenaang - you get the idea. I think it's probably more likely that the word comes from one of Ohio's own early peoples, who were likely related ethnically and linguistically to the Anishinaabeg; Algonquin languages often have nearly identical words, but with variations in finer meanings and pronunciation.
Regardless, one hopes that the pipe is being handled in accordance with the wishes of the living successors of those "first Ohioans" - and that other items excavated from the mound are being repatriated as appropriate.
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ARTS AND CULTURE: "I'M NOT YOUR INDIAN ANYMORE"
I wrote a few weeks ago about the "Make It Pop" exhibit at the All My Relations Gallery in Minneapolis, in which Native artists took on the persistent problem of cultural theft by non-Indians.
Well, the gallery has done it again: It's staging a new Native art exhibit that is bold, tough, and sure to be controversial - this time in collaboration with the American Indian Movement Interpretive Center. "I'm Not Your Indian Anymore", which opened Friday, is being billed as "a photographic history of the American Indian Movement" and features images by Dick Bancroft and Roger Woo, including photographs taken during the AIM-led occupation of Wounded in Knee in 1973.
Bancroft has put together color photographs and slides from his association with AIM into a book, "We Are Still Here: A History of the American Indian Movement in Photographs," co-authored by this writer [linked article author Laura Waterman Wittstock], which chronicles the sweeping history of the Movement from 1970 to 1981, including some of the most well-known events in the organization’s history. The book, published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press will be released in May.
In addition to the primary photographers' work, several photographs by Kevin McKiernan, the only working journalist to issue reports from inside Wounded Knee in 1973, and other photographers will be on exhibit. An AIM patrol jacket, buttons, booklets, school literature, other documents and objects will be on display.
The exhibit will feature traditional foods on May 10th and spiritual elder Edward Benton Banai will officiate at the exhibit opening. Renowned educator Elaine Salinas will present a lecture on the survival schools on June 15th and other lecturers will be scheduled for June 8, 22nd, and 29th. Dick Bancroft and this writer will autograph copies of their book on May 25 and June 1.
More information about the American Indian Movement Interpretive Center, including events, programs, and other resources, is available here.
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UPDATE ON SOUTH DAKOTA TRIBES' "STOLEN CHILDREN" SUMMIT
The Lakota People's Law Project has asked for help in disseminating the latest update on this week's scheduled summit between South Dakota tribes and the BIA.
Two weeks ago, I noted concerns that the summit might not even occur. The whole point of the event was to address the fact that Indian children in the Dakotas are being stolen from their families and placed with white families - in continual violation of the ICWA, and for profit. Unfortunately, BIA officials released an agenda that even I described as a whitewash, and when challenged repeatedly, finally protested that there was "not enough time" to make any substantive changes. Tribal officials, rightly furious, threatened to withdraw from the summit entirely. Standing Rock and Pine Ridge Oglala leaders both communicated their concerns to the BIA in very strong, very clear terms; ultimately, Standing Rock tribal officials announced their intention to offer supplemental evening sessions during the three-day summit that would address the issues the BIA agenda avoided.
In this video released by lastrealindians.com, Lakota attorney Chase Iron Eyes explains what's at stake:
The accompanying release on the Web site discusses changes that have since occurred:
The Standing Rock Tribe sent representatives last week to Washington D.C. to meet with lawmakers, press, and BIA officials concerning its worries over the Summit agenda. According to the tribal delegation, the deputy assistant director of Indian affairs for the Department of Interior, Larry Roberts, gave assurances to the group that their dominant concerns about the summit agenda would be addressed.
Among those who traveled to D.C. was Standing Rock Attorney Chase Iron Eyes, founder of the blog Last Real Indians and leader of the successful Pe' Sla sacred Lakota land movement in 2012. "As of several days ago, the agenda appeared to be based on the premise that what is needed is some fine tuning of the relationship between the Department of Social Services and the tribes on ICWA placements. This is not the approach wanted by many tribal leaders and by the Lakota People’s Law Project, who are working to re-route federal money from the state to the tribes so that the tribes can have their own Child and Family Service Agencies. We are happy that Larry Roberts of the BIA has promised to make changes to the summit agenda, including inviting Senator James Abourezk to speak, the author and sponsor of the Indian Child Welfare Act. The Senator will be definitive about the intention of the Act."
The summit remains scheduled for May 15-17 in Rapid City, South Dakota. It will be available online via live streaming; for times and links, click here.
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Chi miigwech.
Latest Updates on Kossack Regional Meet-Up News Below the Frybead Thingey
:: COMMUNITY BUILDING UPDATES ::
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Let's build communities!
Every region needs a meatspace community like SFKossacks.
We take care of each other in real life.
I urge YOU to take the lead and organize one in your region.
Please tell us about it if you do and we're here for advice.
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THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
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Click >>>HERE to see a list of all the regional Kossack groups that have organized for social and activism events. There are handy links to contact each organizer to join.
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>>>Instructions on HOW TO FORM A NEW DAILY KOS GROUP
:: Events Currently on the Books for ALL Kossacks ::
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Thursday, May 16th
Chicago Kossacks Celebrate the 101st Anniversary of Studs Terkel's Birth
TIME: 6:00 PM (drinks & apps) 7:00 PM (dinner, optional)
LOCATION: Pegasus Restaurant
130 South Halsted St. • Chicago (Greek Town!)
figbash will be dressing like Studs and others can do the same. There will be SWAG for all attendees. Plus door prizes!
ORGANIZER: Send figbash a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. figbash
2. broths
3. Mr. broths
4. NormAl1792
5. winifred
6. Empower Ink
7. BobboSphere
8. Marzook
9. ipmurphy
10. MillieNeon
11. Tim Delaney
12. Marzook
13. Hotsie Horsie (figgy's pal)
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Maybees:
freshwater dan
bsmechanic
Railfan
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Latest diary: Chicago Kossacks Say...Winter's Over. Let's get together.
Saturday, May 18th
LAKossacks Meet-up
TIME: 12:30 PM
LOCATION: PitFire Pizza
5211 Lankershim Blvd. • North Hollywood
ORGANIZER: Send Dave in Northridge a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. Dave in Northridge
2. poopdogcomedy
3. Zack from the SFV
4. susans
5. jaysunb
6. Gay CA Democrat
7. gmats
8. SanFernandoValleyMom
9. Lisa
10. Lisa's husband
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Maybees:
A Proud Progressive
otoelbc
Brecht
gmats's friend
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Latest diary: LA Kossacks - May 18 Meetup, PitFire Pizza, NoHo Arts District
Saturday, May 18th
Houston Area Kossacks: Meet-Up
TIME: 5:00 PM
LOCATION: Mai's Restaurant
3403 Milam Street • Houston
ORGANIZER: Send Chrislove a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. Chrislove
2. nomandates
3. suesue
4. Mr. suesue
5. cosette
6. krwheaton
2.
3.
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Maybees: |
Latest diary: Houston Area Kossacks: Meet-Up Scheduled for Saturday, May 18!
Saturday, May 25th
Koscadia Kossacks Meet-up for Ojibwa
TIME: Noon
LOCATION: Sara R's house
Address to be given to RSVP'ers • Portland, OR
ORGANIZER: Send Sara R a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. Ojibwa
2. state of confusion
3. Sara R
4. winglion
5. Horace Boothroyd III
6. llbear
7. loggersbrat
8. Liz
9. also mom of 5
10. watercarrier4diogenes
11.
12.
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Maybees:
Blue Jessamine
Lute
Mortifyd
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Latest diary: Portland, OR Meetup - Sat. May 25
Saturday, June 1st
Atlanta Area Kossacks Kick-off Meet-up
TIME: 2:30 PM
LOCATION: Manuel's Tavern
602 N Highland Avenue Northeast • Atlanta
ORGANIZER: Send racheltracks a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. One Pissed Off Liberal
2. racheltracks
3. annrose
4. nawlinscate
5. Burned
6. treesrock
7. Grapes
8. jobird
9. prose and thorn
10.
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Maybees:
pragmaticidealist
xxdr zombiexx
eeff
Ashaman
lam2b2g
foresterbob
Lily O Lady
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Latest diary: Atlanta Meet-Up
New York Hudson Valley Kossacks
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boran2
DATE TBD
NY Hudson Valley Kossacks' First Meet-up
TIME: TBD
LOCATION: Hudson House
2 Main Street • Cold Spring, NY
ORGANIZER: Send boran2 a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. boran2
2. thankgodforairamerica
3. betson08 (if event is in April)
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Maybees: |
Latest diary: [Waiting for linked diary]
June 20th - 23rd • REGISTER HERE • BOOK YOUR HOTEL!
These tables have been organized for our groups to connect during NN13 in the plenary sessions. This is where the opening and closing keynotes take place along with many noon-time-speaking events. Box lunches are sometimes provided and it's great to have a place reserved with familiar faces. If you're attending you're invited to start a table or sit at any of the established ones. Just let me know in the comments or send me a Kosmail. Please note: This is not assigned seating. You may sit at any of the reserved tables at any time. I plan to move around and mingle. There will be over 2500 people there so being able to find each other is nice.
Netroots Nation 2013 in San Jose: Plenary Session Table Reservations
SFKossacks:
1. side pocket √
2. mrs. side pocket √
3. kimoconnor √
4. citisven
5. lineatus √
6. Cali Scribe
7. Glen the Plumber √
8. remembrance √
9. jotter √
10. aha aha √
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SFKossacks:
1. Lusty √
2. RainyDay √
3. norm √
4. catilinus √
5. Lorikeet √
6. madhaus
7. boatsie
8. maggiejean √
9. paradise50 √
10. smileycreek √
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SFKossacks:
1. Kamakhya
2. dharmasyd √
3. Ebby
4. Bustergirl
5. BeninSC (Honorary)
6. sfbaytransplant
7. Senor Unoball
8. paradox
9. slouching √
10. shanikka
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SFKossacks:
1. edrie √
2. Jeff in CA
3. Mrs. Jeff in CA
4. mber √
5. Susie Raye √
6. vcmvo2 (Honorary)
7. N in Seattle (Honorary)
8. dangoch √
9. timethief
10. ceebee7 √
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SFKossacks:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
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Central Valley Kossacks:
1. tgypsy
2. Kestrel √
3. Caddis Fly √
4. Sychotic1
5. peregrine kate (honorary)
6. ProvokingMeaning (honorary)
7. mrsgoo √ (mrgoo √)
8. ToKnowWhy √
9. MaKettle √
10.
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Texas Kossacks:
1. nomandates √
2. texasmom √
3. texasdad √
4. doraphasia
5. krwheaton
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
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Los Angeles Kossacks:
1. Shockwave
2. jakedog42 √
3. susans √
4. murphy
5. gmats
6. Susan
7.
8.
9.
10.
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NYC and beyond:
1. sidnora √
2. belinda ridgewood √
3. hayden
4. Todd Beeton
5. theroaringgirl
6. thankgodforairamerica √
7. devtob √
8. LuLu √
9. chicklet √
10.
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Community Quilt Project:
1. Sara R
2. winglion
3. loggersbrat √
4. ramara (Arizona) √
5. Horace Boothroyd III
6. linkage √
7.
8.
9.
10.
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Military Community Members:
1. DaNang65
2. drnatrl
3. angelajean (Maybe)
4. exlrrp (Maybe)
5. ccasas
6. llbear (Maybe)
7.
8.
9.
10.
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Cheers & Jeers Readers:
1. vicki √
2. Sharoney √
3. Spousal Unit √
4. brillig √
5. mik √
6. K1 √
7. cskendrick
8. Arenosa √
9.
10.
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Gay Men of ANY Certain Age:
1. gizmo59
2. gizmo59's partner?
3. Dave in Northridge √
4. Steveningen
5. scaboni?
6. cooper888
7. gotmooned
8. FogCityJohn √
9. slksfca
10. sfbob √
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Native American Netroots:
1. navajo √
2. Meteor Blades
3. 4Freedom √ (maybe)
4. no way lack of brain
5. translatorpro √
6. Kitsap River √
7. Charles Curtis Stanley √
8. TheFatLadySings
9. TFLS's guest
10. TFLS's guest
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raines √
Those with the √ have RSVP'd for the dinner below, you can join us also.
Just say in the comments or Kosmail me.
Wednesday, June 19th
Cheers & Jeers - * New Day * Dinner
TIME: 5:30 PM
LOCATION: The Brit (Britannia Arms)
173 W. Santa Clara St. (walking distance from Conv. Center) • Downtown San Jose
Every year since 2007, Common Sense Mainer has organized a dinner for the readers of Cheers & Jeers who attend Netroots Nation. It has grown every year. Last year we had over 100 Kossacks attend. CSM always chooses a restaurant willing to handle a large crowd WITH SEPARATE CHECKS. (!?!) Yes, I know, hard to believe but it's worked the last several years. This year CSM has negotiated with The Brit for a special menu and separate checks are secured. If you'd like to join us please leave a comment in this diary and you'll be put on the RSVP list below. This year * New Day * and SFKossacks are co-hosting. All regional groups are invited to attend in addition to the loyal C&J following that Bill and Michael have.
ORGANIZER: Send navajo a kosmail to attend or leave a comment.
And the above event is followed by the official opening event featuring Howard Dean:
Wednesday, June 19th
Liquid Courage party to open NN13
Our friends at the Courage Campaign have announced that they’re throwing a party to open Netroots Nation 2013. Gov. Howard Dean will be there!
TIME: 7:30 - 9:30 PM
LOCATION: The Tech Museum
201 South Market St. (walking distance from Conv. Center) • Downtown San Jose
Arrive early on Wednesday to pick up your credentials at the Convention Center which will get you into the Liquid Courage event.
TheFatLadySings is working with Eric at Netroots Nation to try to assemble a fleet of power scooters and power chairs that can be reserved and rented by those who need them at a discount. We need to assess how many people will make use of this service. Please Kosmail TheFatLadySings with your needs for NN13.
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Community Quilt Project NN13 Flash Mob Photo
smileycreek is organizing and asking all Community Quilt recipients to bring their quilts to NN13. We'll assemble at a pre-designated location and time for a group photo with one of the NN13 professional photographers. It will be a group hug celebrating one of the most beloved community building projects we have here at Daily Kos with Sara R and winglion at the center of it. navajo and Glen the Plumber are going to scout out and select a location in advance for all to meet with their quilts for a memorable photo opportunity. Stay tuned.
Date: TBD Time: TBD
1. paradise50
2. Dave in Northridge
3. remembrance
4. BeninSC
5. mimi
6. cskendrick
7. DaNang65
8. llbear (not attending, quilt only)
9. Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (may not attend)
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10. Smoh (not attending, quilt only)
11. slksfca
12. belinda ridgewood
13. Ebby
14. Bustergirl
15. Kitsap River
16. Charles Curtis Stanley
17. Dr. Lori (not attending, quilt only)
18. MsSpentYouth
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Sunday, June 23rd
Post NN13 Birding Event
TIME: TBD
LOCATION: TBD
TBD • TBD
ORGANIZER: Send lineatus a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. lineatus
2. Senor Unoball
3. peregrine kate
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Maybees: |
Latest diary: http://www.dailykos.com/...
Okay, let's plan to wander around Sunday after the convention is over. This can be the official wandering. We will meet up at the convention center and have a nice half-day trip in the area. Out-of-area birders will probably get to see a few new things; I'll figure out someplace that will be of interest to non-birders or casual birders as well (i.e., someplace cool to wander around in general).
Additionally, I'm probably going to do some short trip (for my own happiness) early morning or at lunch, just to take advantage of being in the South Bay with all of its wonderful spots nearby. Anyone who wants to join in, kosmail me. What I might do is send emails or texts to say where to meet up for an impromptu short trip.
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June 27- June 30th
Glacier National Park Kossack EPIC Meetup!
TIME: 24/7
LOCATION: Glacier National Park
402 9th St W • Columbia Falls, Montana
ORGANIZER: Send arizonablue a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. BlueJessamine
2. arizonablue
3. Mr.arizonablue
4. Truman
5. Ojibwa - arriving for the weekend
6. MTmofo
7. figbash!
8. spottedbear
9. jakedog42
10. Oke
11. cooltraveler
12. Mr.cooltraveler
13. state of confusion
14. Lute the Norwegian
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15. Josh Blue
16. Thinking Fella
17. Blu Gal in DE
18. NormAl1792
19. winifred3
Maybees:
Joan McCarter
slksfca
Ed in Montana
BoiseBlue
BoiseBlue GF
Dave in Northridge
Timmethy
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Latest diary: Glacier National Park Check In! Glacier National Park Meetup - Part II w/ lodging and campground info!
Saturday, July 20th
Dkos Asheville, North Carolina Kossacks Meet-up
TIME: TBD
LOCATION: TBD
[Address] • [City]
ORGANIZER: Send randallt a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. Randallt
2. Otteray Scribe
3. davehouck
4. Joieau
5. SteelerGrrl
6. SteelerGuy
7. Captain Sham
8. Smiley7
9. Burns Lass
10. DawnN
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Maybees:
eeff
Audri
gulfgal98
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Latest diary: [Waiting for linked diary]
Send
navajo a kosmail if you post a diary about an event so we can update our round-up.
Okay. Floor's open.
Tell us what you are doing on this NEW DAY?
tags: community, Navajo's New Day, NEW DAY team, SFKossacks,