CUCC Weekly eNews

Come and celebrate the blessings and wonders of Christmas! On Dec. 21, Maria Riemann will read from a selection of Christmas Stories.

Lena Gallitano has informed us of the following publicity given to the work of Mike Schafale. This is an excerpt from the newsletter of One NC Naturally : 25 Year Milestone for Michael Schafale Many of us have relied on the Classification of the Natural Communities of North Carolina as an invaluable reference, but we may not be as familiar with its lead author, Michael Schafale, who just celebrated 25 years with the Natural Heritage Program. Mike is the main expert behind this publication, having worked with Alan Weakly and a host of other experts to create the first edition and subsequent revisions. This guide, which describes more than 100 natural community types across our state, has been widely adopted by environmental professionals who need to assess the natural environment and identify rare plant species, often as part of environmental impact assessments or preservation projects. Congratulations! The full article may be found at http://www.onencnaturally.org/pages/ne

The video of the Christmas Pageant (December 13, 2008) is now available online. Christmas Pageant Video (28 minutes) The video is also available on disk for use with a DVD-player or computer. The (free) disk version combines a standard DVD-video version packaged with a high definition Quicktime video version for high resolution computer viewing. (If you have a computer and an HDTV, you can show a high resolution version of the video by connecting your computer to your TV.) If you'd like a copy of the disk, contact Lavon Page.

For those who requested a link for the Joe Cocker video shown at the Christmas party on Dec. 13, here it is ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4_MsrsKzMM

Briar Little, who was baptized at CUCC last year, returns for a visit.

Southern Human Rights' Organizers' Conference Dec. 12-14 Radisson Hotel RTP Luncheon Speaker: Dr. Julianne Malveaux, President of Bennett College Workshops, Plenaries, Films... www.shroc.org/index1.htm

Are you wondering how the elections turned out the way they did in NC? Come to Forum this Sunday and hear Brad Thompson share insights on "How NC Turned Blue."

January 11, 18, and February 1, 8, and 15 noon - 1:30, Bradow room We’ll share what we're doing to decrease the size of our carbon footprint at home in our day to day lives and we’ll inspire each other to possibilities. Absolutely no guilt trips allowed. We may be taking giant steps; we may be taking baby steps; but all steps forward are allowed and encouraged. It's a great time for some to take the "sustainable household challenge" to decrease carbon consumption at home and use the time to develop supported positive habits in 2009. You may wish to add participation in the group to your New Year's resolutions for 2009. Commitment is good, and you can develop a group of persons close to home who can support you in your efforts through the group. You might wish to order for yourself or for friends for Christmas "Discussion Course on Choices for Sustainable Living" which can be ordered from the Northwest Earth Institute at www.nwei.org , which we shall be