NCAC - National Coalition Against Censorship

[Title Expunged]: A Night of Uncensored Comedy

Join NCAC for an evening of flagrantly free speech on Wednesday, April 16 in New York City. See a raucous performance by the comedians of Laughing Liberally inspired by the First Amendment issues and controversies that NCAC works on each day. Stick around afterward to drink liberally and speak freely with the staff and supporters of NCAC.

When?	Wednesday, April 16th @ 8:00 p.m.
Where?	The Tank, 279 Church Street — between Franklin & White, below Canal
How much?	$5 discounted tickets for NCAC friends: BUY tickets online, or use discount code word "BRUCE" (in honor of the patron saint of free speech & comedy) if you're buying tickets at the door.

The evening's program will feature comedians Harry Terjanian, Katie Halper, Lee Camp, Jamie Kilstein, and Roger Weaver. Watch video online of Laughing Liberally, whose performance The New York Times called "A bruising battle in the take-no-prisoners war for Americans' ideological soul."

The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), founded in 1974, is an alliance of 50 national non-profit organizations, including literary, artistic, religious, educational, professional, labor, and civil liberties groups. United by a conviction that freedom of thought, inquiry, and expression must be defended, we work to educate our own members and the public at large about the dangers of censorship and how to oppose them. NCAC provides support, educational resources, and advocacy to people facing censorship across the country.

Laughing Liberally is part of Living Liberally, the parent organization of such groups as Eating Liberally, Drinking Liberally, and Screening Liberally. Living Liberally clubs create welcoming social spaces around progressive politics and bring together activists, newcomers and everyone in between. One part Moveon.org and one part Tammany, the club brings the energy of online social networks into the face-to-face world of old-style 19th century bar-room politicking.

	(Click the button to the left to purchase tickets securely online - you'll receive a confirmation by email, and we'll have your name on a guest list at the door!)

Third Annual Sunshine Week
"Government Secrecy: Censoring Your Right to Know"

Join Patrice McDermott, Director of OpenTheGovernment.org and two panels of experts in a national dialogue addressing issues of access to government information, including executive branch power and secrecy, congressional rights and responsibilities, and the role of the public and non-profit sector. The event will begin with a lively discussion of the issues and end with ideas for action and new and exciting ways to find and use government information. Two opportunities for questions and answers will be provided.

This dialogue with government openness experts – followed by local programs at sites across the country – is part of Sunshine Week 2008.

Speakers:
Patrice McDermott (moderator), Director of OpenTheGovernment.org
Anne Beeson, Director of U.S. Programs at the Open Society Institute and previously Associate Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union
Mickey Edwards, Director of the Aspen Institute-Rodel Fellowships in Public Leadership and former Republican member of Congress from Oklahoma for 16 years (1977-92)
John Podesta, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for American Progress, Chief of Staff to President William J. Clinton from October 1998 until January 2001, and formerly in senior staff positions in Congress
Greg Elin (moderator), Sunlight Labs and research software developer specializing in databases and interactive technologies
Bill Allison, Sunlight Foundation Sheila Krumholz, Center for Responsive Politics/OpenSecrets.org David Moore, OpenCongress.org Sean Moulton, FedSpending.org Daniel X. O'Neil, EveryBlock
Gary Bass, Executive Director of OMB Watch

WHEN/WHERE: March 19, 2008 1:00pm- 2:30pm EDT, webcast from the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. to sites around the country. Satellite downlink available for a fee.
Visit www.OpenTheGovernment.org for a list of venues, registration information, and more.
The event is being hosted by the American Association of Law Libraries, American Library Association, Association of Research Libraries, League of Women Voters, National Coalition Against Censorship, National Freedom of Information Coalition, National Press Club, OpenTheGovernment.org, Project on Government Oversight, Special Libraries Association, Sunlight Foundation and Sunshine Week.

Contact: Chris Green or Patrice McDermott, (202) 332-6736, info@openthegovernment.org

Exposing the Censor Within at the College Art Association Conference in Dallas, TX, 2008

Wednesday, February 20–Friday, February 22, 8:00 am–7:00 pm
Adam’s Mark Hotel, 2nd Floor
Open and free to the public

Exposing the Censor Within is an interactive public installation conceived by Svetlana Mintcheva, Director of the Arts Program at of the National Coalition Against Censorship and realized in cooperation with Montalvo Arts Center.

By guaranteeing the anonymity of the confessors, who might not want to share their stories publicly, Exposing the Censor Within seeks to expose the extent to which we censor ourselves - in everyday life encounters with family, teachers, friends and colleagues as well as in our creative lives as writers, journalists, curators, painters, filmmakers or musicians.

Were there times you were afraid to speak up? Do you sometimes wish you spoke your mind more? Do you wish you censored yourself more? Have you changed what you've written for fear it would get you into trouble? In your art, music, writing, or filmmaking do you ever stop yourself from doing what you want because you are afraid that people might misunderstand? Have you ever stopped yourself from saying something because you thought it might be rude or insulting? Are you glad you stopped yourself?

The project is simultaneously launched in the Virtual Coalition Against Censorship pavillion in the multiplayer online world Second Life. Click here to be teleported to the pavillion (you will be asked to create an avatar - it is all free and relatively easy).

For further inquiries: contact Svetlana Mintcheva at 212-807-6222 or Svetlana@ncac.org

Also at the College Art Association Conference in Dallas, TX, 2008

Svetlana Mintcheva, Director of NCAC's Art Program is speaking at the CAA Publications Committee session:

Censorship and Publishing in the Arts
Wednesday, February 20, 5:30 PM–7:00 PM
Dallas Ballroom A2, 1st Floor, Adam's Mark Hotel
Chair: Paul B. Jaskot, DePaul University

Join us for the launch of the Virtual Coalition Against Censorship, A Project of the Arts Program at the NCAC

Virtual worlds are becoming a new locus of civic conversation and debate, however they are governed by extremely restrictive speech rules set by the gaming companies. Our project’s goal is to bring free speech advocacy to the virtual world, as well as to open up a discussion within Second Life about who should be regulating free speech in MMPORGs, which are privately owned but function as communally created public spaces, as well as about the reasons game companies are setting speech restrictions and how these restrictions can be relaxed.

Our inaugural discussion, Censorship in Virtual Worlds, will take place on February 5th, 2008 4pm EST
at the Virtual Coalition Against Censorship pavilion in Second Life (Commonwealth 3; coordinates: 112, 83, 32)*.

If the automatic teleport link above does not work, you can instant message Amy Freelunch or Libertad Lane to be teleported to the site. For more information contact Svetlana Mintcheva, Svetlana@ncac.org.

*You will need to download Second Life and create an avatar – all free and quite easy.