Join Chuck Schumer and Diane Benson (candidate for Congress) and a whole slew of NYC progressive activists for a fundraiser for Mark Begich for Senate. Check out this really cool invitation: RSVP TO: Ruth_Benedict_at_comcast.net Mark Begich is running against Republican Ted Stevens, perhaps the most corrupt politician in America today. More on Mark from his website:

Mark Begich, 46, is in his fifth year as mayor of Alaska's largest city... Under Mayor Begich, Anchorage's bond ratings have improved to among the top 5 percent in the country, some 9,200 new jobs have been created, the city enjoyed the second highest construction value in city history and property taxes dropped for the majority of Anchorage property owners between 2006-07.

This one's long overdue, a NYC Kossack-Eating Liberally meetup -- post-primary and pre-Netroots Nation. Eating Liberally will be providing tasty treats, and we're inviting Kossacks to bring dishes if they wish to. If you are bringing something, please coordinate with Kerry and Matt at Eating Liberally (email Kerry: kerry at urbaneden dot net). And we will have a special guest!! Miss Laura will be in town and wants to see everyone! (Exact location and start and end times to be determined, but probably from 7 PM to 10 PM at Prey, as per the usual)

British Folksinger Laura Marling will perform an early show at The Mercury Lounge on Houston Street. You can listen to her on her site as well as hear her debut album. She appears with a British Afro-beat-bluegrass group (is there such a combo?) Mumford & Sons which starts at 6:30. $12 in advance $14 at the door. Beer extra. There are very few seats at the Mercury Lounge. If not standing is urgent, get there early early. New Yorker snippet review is here.

The annual ritual of the raising the rents (of stabilized tenants) in NYC will occur on June 19 at the Great Hall of Cooper Union, 7 East 7th Street, at the corner of 3rd Ave. A tenant press event will occur at 4:30 and the drama itself begins at 5:30 PM. If you've never gone, you'll get an interesting and important piece of NYC culture. I suspect that the NYC Rent Guidelines Board will, as usual, raise rents, impose hardships, on low and moderate income tenants and go home. Can you remember a day when the Board tried to raise Mr. Bloomberg's rent? Oh yes, he's an owner! He gets a tax rebate. Look for screaming tenants waving signs. That's the place.

Sustainable South Bronx Presents: 2nd ANNUAL HUNTS POINT HUSTLE 5K RACE SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 2008 9:00AM Hunts Point Riverside Park Lafayette Ave and Edgewater Rd. Bronx SUPPORT THE SOUTH BRONX GREENWAY!! Proceeds from this race go to urban forestry efforts along the route including: tree planting, tree maintenance, green walls, planted medians and other vegetated surfaces. For more information click here or contact Erin Jarvis at 718.617.4668 X 21 Sustainable South Bronx 890 Garrison Avenue, 4th Fl. Bronx, NY 10474 718.617.4668 Fax: 718.617.5228 ssbinfo_at_gmail.com

This came from Norman Siegel's campaign Saturday, June 21st March and rally for fallen firefighters with Norman Siegel The march will begin at 10 a.m. outside the Old Deutsche Building on Liberty Street and head to City Hall for a rally at 11:30 a.m. Civil Rights Attorney and Public Advocate candidate Norman Siegel will be speaking and is expected to take the stage around noon. Union members and elected officials will also be there.

Join us the morning of Monday, June 23 for a breakfast discussion with Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney that will feature a lively conversation on the status of women in society and the policies necessary to close the gender gap. Guest speakers include:* Kim Gandy President, National Organization for Women Hon. Christine Quinn Speaker, New York City Council Congresswoman Pat Schroeder President and CEO, American Association of Publishers, Inc. *list in formation Moderated By: Andrea Batista Schlesinger Executive Director, Drum Major Institute for Public Policy MONDAY, JUNE 23 8:00am-9:30am Kimmel Center at New York University Shorin Performance Studio 60 Washington Square South, 8th Floor New York, NY 10012 Space is limited. RSVP and registration are required. Admission is free. Please RSVP by email to: dmi@drummajorinstitute.org or by phone to 646.274.5700.

This comes from the Harrison campaign. And let me just add that Steve Harrison's very consistent stand against Bush's Iraq Quagmire is one contrast with Mike McMahon's more ambiguous position (see here, here, and here for McMahon's shifting or unclear position). Please Join Us for a Reception Supporting Democratic Congressional Candidate Steve Harrison FEATURING AUTHOR AND SYNDICATED COLUMNIST NORMAN SOLOMON as he talks about the current state of politics and formally endorses Democrat Steve Harrison in New York's 13th District. Monday June 23, 2008 6:00pm to 8:00pm The LGBT Community Center 208 West 13th Street | New York, NY 10011 General Admission: $50 per person

A Special Evening to Support State Senate Candidate Don Barber Tuesday, June 24, 2008 7:30-10:00PM Hill Country 30 West 26th Street New York, NY 10010 RSVP: www.actblue.com/page/barbeynyc624 Minimum: $50 per person / Suggested: $100 per person Hosted by: Jake Abraham & Katie Sammis, Megan Barber, Steven Anthony Behar, Steve Buscemi, Patrick Canavan, Pearl Collings, Brian Keeler, John McBride & Nance Shatzkin, Cara Nichols, Jenna Rosenberg With musical appearances by Dan Zweben (of Obama TV fame) and other guests Don Barber is running for New York's 51st State Senate District (central New York State) as the Democratic nominee. Don is a true public servant, currently serving as the Town Supervisor of Caroline, in Tompkins County (Ithaca is the county seat.) As both a farmer and contractor, he is intimately aware of the needs of many New Yorkers, from the working class to small business owners. Don is a life-long environmentalist, has testified before US Congress to protect the Finger Lakes, and has been working on environmental initiatives in government since 1983.

Join the premiere Progressive event of the year at Austin's Netroots Nation conference, July 17th to 20th. It's a freaking blast, so be there. If you work in politics, attendance is mandatory, not optional.