Saturday 5/12
The Lifelong AIDS Alliance presents Come As Your Mother Gay Bingo. Win cash and prizes, help raise money to fight HIV and AIDS, and have a blast. Tickets $20. 6 p.m., South Lake Union Park, Naval Reserve Building, 860 Terry Ave. N. Info: www.lifelongaidsalliance.org
Narrated by Keanu Reeves and Alanis Morissette, The Great Warming examines the lack of leadership in the impending environmental crisis. Trekking across the world to show how global warming is affecting lives everywhere, the film gives us a glimpse of the Earth our children will inherit. 7 p.m., Queen Anne Manor, 100 Crockett St.
Residents of the city and camp of Jenin witnessed horrific violence as their homes were flattened and loved ones killed by the Israeli army’s Defensive Wall operation. Many human rights groups accused Israel of war crimes in the 2002 attack. The film Jenin Jenin shows the Palestinian’s bitterness and grief caused by years of prolonged oppression and terror. 7 p.m., 1423 10th Ave.
Saturday 5/12 and Sunday 5/13
“The Myth of Global Democracy and the Pursuit of Happiness” is an open dialogue fostering a deeper awareness of social justice in the world today. The eminent Michael Parenti will speak on empire in the context of global policies. David Korten, who has written The Great Turning, will employ evolutionary theory in his discussion of the “Earth Community.” 7 p.m., Antioch University, 2326 Sixth Ave. Tickets $10-20. Info: (206)268-4716.
Monday 5/14
Julia Whitty reads from her book of stories, A Tortoise for the Queen of Tonga, which is both a memoir of her travels and an introduction to the ecology of coral reefs and the Polynesian peoples. 7:30 p.m., Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 S. Main St.
Wednesday 5/16
Starting at age 20, Paul Hawken dedicated his life to changing the relationship between business and the environment. He comes to town to discuss his manifesto of hope for the 21st century, Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming. While some people see a wounded world, Hawken points to the scores of people working for justice, community, diversity, and health. Tickets $5. Wed., May 16, 7 p.m., Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave.
Thursday 5/17
The National Geographic film Whales in Crisis documents the widespread threats against and the battle to save the world’s gentle giants. It features interviews with those who know whales most intimately: the scientists in the Florida Keys struggling to save a pod of pilot whales and, in the Arctic, the people risking life and limb to understand the real effects of military sonar. 7 p.m., NW Environment Education Council, 650 S Orcas St., Suite 220.
The U.S. is the only developed nation that does not guarantee access to medical care as a right of citizenship. Jonathan Cohn, author of Sick: the Untold Story of America’s Health Care Crisis, delivers a passionate analysis of our ailing medical system. He uses anecdotes and hard facts to reveal the catastrophic affects on our well being and pocket books, and he argues that universal health care, while not perfect, is far superior. Tickets $5. 7:30 p.m., Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave.
The community panel “The Time is Now! End the War on Drugs” features King County Councilmember Larry Gosset and former Seattle Chief of Police Norm Stamper. The U.S. has 260,000 people in state prisons on nonviolent drug charges, and more than 70 percent of them are Black and Latino. 6:30 p.m., Rainier Valley Cultural Center, 3515 S. Alaska St.
Friday 5/18
In response to the critical lack of reliable and affordable transportation for millions of Africans, David Peckham formed the grassroots organization Village Bicycle Project. The film Ayamye shows the people of rural Ghana walking miles through heat and spending 50 percent of their income on car fare for the crippled. Peckham’s shipments of used bikes from the U.S. to Africa offer a path to improving the quality of life by fostering easier access to education, health care, and jobs. Peckham will lead a group discussion following the screening. 7 p.m., Keystone Church, 5019 Keystone Pl. N.
Calendar compiled by Dena Burke. Have a suggestion for an event? Email it to calendar@realchangenews.