Masthead
October 2010
In This Issue
KAAUW Calendar
Donations of Dignity
Potluck & a Film
Address Updates
Branch Officers
Iron Jawed Angels
Oct. Branch Meeting
Delegation to Cuba
Staying In Place
Book Club
AAUW Member Benefits
News




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Kingston AAUW Calendar
Kingston AAUW Calendar

Tuesday, September 28
5:00pm, Public Policy Film/Discussion
 Iron Jawed Angels

Sunday, October 10,
5:00pm, Potluck, film, and discussion

Oct. 19, 1pm, Book Club: Peace Like a River by Lief Enger

Tuesday, October 12
3:00pm, AAUW board meeting

Note date change: Saturday, Oct. 23, 2-4pm
Branch Meeting: Rhinebeck student experience building a school in Nicaragua, Kingston Library

Tues., Oct. 26, 6:30 pm
Public Policy: TBD

Note date change:
Sunday, Nov. 7, 5pm, Potluck & a film

Tuesday, November 9,
3:00pm, AAUW board meeting

Tuesday, Nov. 16
1:00pm, Book Group: see article

Tentative date: Sat., Nov. 13,  10:30 AM
12:00 pm, Nov. Branch Meeting: Diana Chesnell, Latin Quarter showgirl

Tues., Nov. 30, 5:30 pm
Public Policy Book Discussion: Half the Sky & My Sisters' Keeper



Trips for Scholarships

For details on the fall trips, except Barcelona, click here.

Sunday, Oct. 17
Pepsico Gardens & the Neuberger Museum

Nov. 11-18 Barcelona Check out the details!

Sunday, Dec. 5th
BAM: Kafka's Metamorphosis

Saturday, Dec. 18
Museum of Arts & Design, NYC

Make the KAAUW google calendar a favorite and you'll always know what's happening. Integrate it with your own google calendar. Print it.
Public Policy Committee
Donations of Dignity Personal Care Drive
Photo by Helga's Lobster Stew
Sink with personal care items

Ulster County

Donations of Dignity
Personal Care Drive


Thanks for the great start! Many brought personal care items to the September branch meeting to kick off the Donations of Dignity Drive.

As we noted last month, personal care items can't be purchased with food stamps so many low income people often do without.
So, the Public Policy Committee is asking you to contribute personal comfort and hygiene products, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, diapers, cleaning and laundry supplies at all our October branch events. Human service agencies, soup kitchens and food pantries will distribute the collected items to their clients in need.
Potluck and a Film
Bomber


On Sunday, October 10th (Columbus Day weekend), we'll gather at 5 PM for a covered dish supper at my house to watch Bomber, a 2009 film directed by Paul Cotter and starring Shane Taylor, Benjamin Whitrow and Eileen Nicholas.

Bomber
is a bittersweet comedy about love, family and war guilt. An old man goes back to Germany to apologize to a village he accidentally dropped bombs on during the War. When Ross, his lovelorn and useless son agrees to help drive him there, a nightmare of a family road trip begins.
 
Please note also that the November film is scheduled for November 7th--ONE WEEK EARLIER THAN USUAL.  (I'll be away on the 14th.)  

On Sunday, November 7th, we'll watch Intimate Strangers, a 2004 film directed by Patrice Leconte and starring Fabrice Luchini, Beno�t P�tr�, Ludovic Berthillot:

 
A Frenchwoman tells her marital troubles to a man she mistakes for a psychiatrist, and soon they form an unusual relationship.
 
I hope you can join us. Best wishes--ViVi

Branch Member address updates
Branch History

No changes this month

I'm currently preparing the 2010/11 Directory, so anyone who has changed their address, email, or phone, please let me know right away.
Thanks,
Sheila Beall, [email protected]
Quick Web Links
2010-2011 Kingston Branch Officers
Leadership

President - Bette Nitzky
VP, Programming - Beverly Sloane
VP Membership - Ruth Bean
Treasurer - Jane Riley
Recording Secretary
- Carol Leib
Corresponding Secretary - Joan Reis

Committees
Bus Trips - ViVi Hlavsa
Communications - Ruth Wahtera
Directory - Sheila Beall
Diversity - Arlene Bruck
Educational Foundation - Doris Goldberg & Gloria Sender
Historian - Virginia Kohli
Hospitality - Pat Stedge and Ginger Yaple
International - Vacant
Legal Advocacy Fund
- Dolores LaChance
Publicity - Rosalie Zimmerman
Public Policy - Susan Holland
Telephone Tree - Dorothy Henry

See your directory for phone numbers and email addresses.

Click here for links to leadership profiles.

Kingston AAUW Communication Committee
Ruth Bean
ViVi Hlavsa
Susan Holland
Doris Licht
Ruth Wahtera, Editor

If you have something you would like posted on either the Kingston AAUW or the Unofficial Passions site, e-mail the information to a committee member.

About AAUW

AAUW's Value Promise
By joining AAUW, you belong to a community that breaks through educational and economic barriers so that all women have a fair chance.

AAUW's Mission
AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research.

Greetings!
BetteFirst, Iron Jawed Angels will show at 5pm Tuesday instead of 5:30. Hope you'll join us at the Kingston Library.

I hope you are enjoying the start of the Fall season. We always hope for a vibrant color display in our mountains. We have a wonderful slate of new meetings coming up and I hope to see you all there.

Susan Holland and Rokki Carr will be attending the UN Day in October and I look forward to hearing all the international news from them. Please remember to bring personal care items to our meetings as we are collecting them during the month of October.

On a personal note, I will be having arthroscopic surgery on my left ankle and will be out of commission  a few days. So you may see me on crutches during the month of October to early November.

If you have ideas for programs or issues you feel we should investigate, please contact me or Beverly Sloane, our  program chairperson. We are always eager to try new avenues of discovery.

Your President,
Bette Nitzky

This Tuesday! Public Policy Committee
Film and Book Series
Iron Jawed Angels DVD cover
  Iron Jawed Angels screening and discussion Tuesday, 9/28, 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM,
Kingston Area Library Community Room

Reminder: It's election season
and the Public Policy Committee wants to get out the vote. What better way than reminding us all about the mind-boggling struggle to secure women the right to vote. Iron Jawed Angels is the HBO highly acclaimed film featuring Hillary Swank, Julia Ormond, and Angelica Huston -- (munch during the movie or catch dinner with friends after.)

Oct. 26 meeting - program to be determined.
Nov. 30 meeting - Discussion of Half the Sky
 Remember your donation of personal care items!
For more information, contact Public Policy Chair Susan Holland.
Oct. Branch Meeting
Rhinebeck Student Service Project

(C) Rhinebeck Rotary Club
Rhinebeck HS Interact Club

Branch Meeting
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Kingston Library
2:00-4:00 pm



Imagine how your perspective on life might have changed if, as a high school student, you'd traveled to a poor, remote village to build classrooms.  The Rhinebeck chapter of Rotary International teamed with ten students from the Interact Club of Rhinebeck High School for an extraordinary experience.

This year, as part of its commitment to international service, the Interact Club and Rhinebeck Rotary partnered on The Nicaragua Project. The goal of the Project was to raise funds to improve the conditions at an impoverished rural village school in La Ceiba, Nicaragua. The entire Rhinebeck community provided an outpouring of support by donating financial resources, materials, shoes, clothing and school supplies to maximize potential for the Nicaraguan children and families.

The Project culminated with a trip to Nicaragua.
15-year-old Sean Phelan, who participated in the Project and traveled with the group, stated: "The Nicaragua Project opened our eyes to the world. The people we met and the work we did there changed our lives. Hopefully we changed their lives as well."

At our October meeting, several of the students, accompanied by Rotary advisor Mike Frazier, will show slides and tell us about their experience and how local craftsmen advised them to make concrete. School was in session all around them as they labored to build an elementary school  classroom.

And, maybe you did have a similar experience when you were in high school or college. Come share it at the meeting or write an article for Focus.
Remember your donation of personal care items!
AAUW Opportunity
Cuba: a Country in Transition
Bev Sloane, Prog. VP & Libby Ross, September Speaker
Cuba Travel Poster
At the September Branch Meeting, Libby Antarsh Ross shared her impressions of Cuba in Transition, based on her trip there last March. She joined a humanitarian trip to help reestablish Jewish traditions in one of the two synagogues in Havana.

Libby described an economic system on the verge of reinventing itself, along the lines of the Vietnamese hybrid -- a merging of communism and capitalism. And, while Cuba has the second highest literacy rate in the world, and a free higher education system based on meritocracy, a class system is still quite evident.

If you're especially interested in Cuba, you may be interested in joining the upcoming AAUW delegation to Cuba to lead a research program on the role of women in contemporary Cuban society. This is an unprecedented and historic opportunity to research gender equity in Cuba and meet with Cuban citizens to gain first-hand understanding of the role of women in Cuban society. Read more here.

AAUW member Amy Godes Leads Staying In Place
Amy Godes (R) & Victoria Reiss (L)
Godes and Reiss
Although the Staying In Place membership group officially began meeting in February 2009, I had been collecting clippings about the then new concept of "aging in place" since 2007/08.  Another AAUW member, Vicky Reiss, sent me newspaper articles about a "senior village" in Beacon Hill, Boston, and one in New Canaan Conn., which finally inspired me to start organizing a non-profit community membership group in Woodstock.
 
Our goal is to help seniors (50 and older) continue to live independently in their own homes as long as possible.   Remaining in a mixed community and contributing  to it as active citizens  seems like a more appealing life style to many of us.  
To enable seniors to live comfortably, we developed a roster of reliable and discounted providers of services, which include home maintenance and repair, cleaning, outdoor services (both summer and winter) such as lawn and garden care, snow plowing and shoveling, home health care, transportation to various events, and volunteers to assist with many of these needs. 

The social aspect of joining Staying In Place is another positive benefit, as pleasurable activities are frequent;  we enjoy monthly luncheons with interesting speakers, parties, various trips with AAUW (with whom we partner, as well as with other organizations), a knitting group, classes and cultural events, a game day in the planning, and more, to enhance our lives.

With the able and hard-working Board of Directors (and notably, Jane Cane) we obtained a 50l�3, giving us non-profit status; we are most fortunate to have been given a grant by the Buchman Foundation to defray the cost of the membership fee for those requiring it.

On Sunday, September 26th, 2010, Staying In Place was delighted to present the well-known author and weekly New York Times Science Writer, Jane Brody, who spoke at our about her latest book, JANE BRODY'S GUIDE TO THE GREAT BEYOND, and signed her book for purchasers.

Amy Godes, President', Staying In Place

Book Discussion Group
Peace Like a River
Book CoverOct. 19,  Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. A young asthmatic boy named Rueben Land narrates the story of his family after his brother Davy kills two bullies who had targeted him and their family. When  Davy escapes prison Rueben and family follow Davy to the Badlands with many adventures.
Next Up:
Nov. 16, Howard's End by E.M. Foster. This was first published in 1910 and is about class struggle in turn-of-century England. The motto of the book is "only connect".
--Judee Irwin

AAUW member benefit: 10% off thousands of titles at Barnes & Noble AAUW on-line site
Remember your donation of personal care items!
AAUW Member Benefits
Stay Up-To-Date on Legislative Issues
We highlight a benefit in each issue, but you can view them here.  Most benefits are free for you, your family, and friends. And, the companies make a contribution to AAUW funds for scholarships and legal action. This month:

U.S. Capitol Washington Update is AAUW's free, weekly e-bulletin. It offers an insider's view on the legislative process, the latest policy news, resources for advocates, programming ideas, and updates from the Public Policy and Government Relations Department. To stay up-to-date on all issues important to our mission, all AAUW members, including college and university partners, are encouraged to subscribe to Washington Update by filling out the online subscription request form.

News and Celebrations
Have you answered the survey?The deadline for the national AAUW everymember survey that was sent with the last AAUW magazine has been extended to Sept. 30th. If you haven't completed it, you can do it on-line here. This is an opportunity to let national know your feelings about doing away with the degree requirement for membership.
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This is the week to call Schumer and Gillibrand about the Pay Equity Act: Call toll-free at 1-877-667-6650 and ask them to use their influence to get the Paycheck Fairness Act to the floor of the Senate this week! Once the Senate adjourns for election campaigning two years' work will probably go out the window. We'll have to start at step one in January.
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Gold Stars to Ruth Bean and Ginger Yaple. As our new membership VP Ruth has been reaching out to potential new members, following up with those who express an interest, and welcoming people. Be sure to pass on the contact info for any prospects you may have.
Ginger has been squeezing a year's worth of hospitality into the few months before she heads south for the winter -- organizing the food for the coffee and lunch at Deisings last weekend. Much thanks to both of you.

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Fall Trips: Did you get the announcement of our fall trips? If not, you can read about them here. Not on the internet? Call Vivi Hlavsa for information.
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