When admission prices or times are not listed below, use the contact information provided to find out more.

Please tell folks at these events that you heard about them from This is Hell.

If you have an event you would like us to list, just email us.

Remember, all times are local time. All events take place in Chicago unless otherwise noted.

Scroll down past this box to get to more Upcoming Stuff to Do.

Through Sunday July 19th, the National Counter Recruitment and Demilitarization Conference is at Chicago's Roosevelt University.
According to their announcement, "This conference will bring together a broad spectrum of people to share skills and form the relationships needed to build a permanent resistance to militarism. Youth, parents, educators, veterans, artists, members of social justice organizations and more will come together for practical training on counter recruitment, legislative challenges and public pressure to promote nonmilitary alternatives."
For more information, call 312-427-2533 or send an email.
To register, visit http://www.nnomy.org.

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The public access TV show Labor Beat (http://www.laborbeat.org) airs on Chicago Community Access TV's Channel 19 on Thursdays at 9:30 PM and re-airs Fridays at 4:30 PM. Labor Beat is also broadcast on Evanston Community TV channel 6 on Fridays at 12:30 AM and re-airs Mondays at 5:30 PM.

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Working Bikes Co-op (http://www.workingbikes.org), 1125 South Western, is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from Noon till 7 PM and Sundays from Noon till 5 PM.
Recycled bikes are sold to fund shipments of bicycles to developing countries.
If you have a bike to donate to the sale, or are looking for a bike and want to give your dough to a good cause, check out their web site, email workingbikes@yahoo.com call 708-466-6054.

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The Chicago Fight Big Media Meetup happens every Friday in Cosi Cafe, 116 South Michigan, at 6:30 PM.
For more information, visit http://fightbigmedia.meetup.com/134/?gj=sj10

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This is Hell! irregular correspondent Jeff Dorchen's new play, "Strauss at Midnight," will be performed by Theater Oobleck through July 19.
'Strauss' will be performed Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 PM, and Sundays at 3 PM at the Chicago DCA Theater, 66 East Randolph.
There are no performances July 3rd or July 4th.
Here's how Oobleck describes 'Strauss':

• Theater Oobleck visits Oscar Madison's apartment in order to explore such "Odd Couples" as liberty and tyranny, love and hate, man and superman.
  When a time-traveling tourist on a prehistoric safari accidentally kills a butterfly, Oscar and Felix's poker table becomes the battleground for human civilization.
  Incorporating Saul Bellow, Niccolo Machiavelli, and University of Chicago Neo-Con godfathers Leo Strauss and Allan Bloom, this world premiere takes Neil Simon's most famous play into Tom Stoppard territory and considers a society where the super-privileged can redesign the fabric of time and space.

There's a $15 suggested donation, more if you've got it, free if you're broke. The pay-what-you-can rate is available by calling or visiting the DCA Box Office, or calling the DCA at 312-742-8497.
For more information, send an email, or visit http://www.theateroobleck.com. or http://www.dcatheater.org/shows/show/strauss_at_midnight/

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On the third Friday of every month, the Historic DANK-HAUS, 4740 North Western, hosts Stammtisch the Monthly Open Haus on the sixth floor in the Skyline Lounge.
German food, drink, and gemütlichkeit. Meet old friends and make new ones.
There's no cover and doors open at 7:30 PM.

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Every Friday evening, the College of Complexes has a stimulating roundtable for discussion on a myriad of topics. It's one of those artifacts from the old Bughouse Square days. Once forced inside, these freespeech-aholics started the College. It was originally in the St. Regis downtown, but they tore down the Regis so it's Friday evening location is at the FutureWorld Café, 1744 E. 55th in Chicago's Hyde Park. Tuition is around five bucks and the chaos starts at 8 PM.

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Wanna go see a movie?
Before you go rushing off to some big Hollywood blockbuster, make sure you check out these five Chicago area venues to find the best in alternative cinema.
Northwestern University's Block Cinema is in the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, 40 Arts Circle Drive, on Northwestern University's Evanston campus.
Facets, 1517 West Fullerton, shows films every night. Admission is $9, but it's only $5 for members.
The Music Box, 3733 North Southport, has two screens, shows Friday and Saturday midnight features and Saturday and Sunday morning matinees. Admission is $9.25, but first showings Monday through Thursday are $8.25, while weekend matinees are just $7.25.
The Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 North State, is affiliated with the Art Institute of Chicago. Admission is $9, members get in for $5, while students and faculty of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago get in for $4. Films are shown daily.
DocFilms are shown at the Max Palevsky Cinema in the University of Chicago's Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 East 59th.
Andersonville's Chicago Filmmakers, 5243 North Clark Street, also features some bizarre filmic shit you need to check out.

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The SaveAccess.org coalition wants you to help save public access TV.
To learn more about the issue, please visit http://www.keepusconnected.org.

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You can help out Chicago's Congress Hotel strikers at 520 South Michigan in their ongoing 24-7 picket.
For more information visit http://www.congresshotelstrike.info

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It's the weekend. You have plenty of things to do that are better than watching TV, right? If so, at least TiVo or DVR the amazing weekend C-SPAN2 series, "Book TV." For those of you not so technologically inclined, they repeat some of the shows on Monday.
For the complete schedule, visit http://www.booktv.org/schedule.aspx.

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There's a benefit/film screening and party to raise money for the lawsuit filed on behalf of the over 850 people detained and arrested March 20, 2003 while protesting the US invasion of Iraq. Money raised goes to the march 20 Case on behalf of the National Lawyers Guild.
They'll be showing "Where We Stood: Chicago's Resistance to the US War in Iraq," which is the story of March 20, 2003.
The film will be Followed by spoken word artists and live music, and refreshments will be available.
The whole thing goes from 5 PM to 8 PM at the Kimball Avenue Church, 2324 North Kimball.
It's $10 in advance, $20 at the door.
Donations being accepted NOW - if you cannot attend or are able to make an immediate donation, please make checks payable to 8th Day Center for Justice/M20 Case and send to:

• 8th Day Center for Justice
  ATTN: Kathleen or Mary Kay
  205 West Monroe #500
  Chicago, IL 60606

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Every Saturday evening, the College of Complexes is a free speech forum. It's one of those artifacts from the old Bughouse Square days and it's been going strong since 1951. It was originally in the St. Regis downtown, but they tore down the Regis so the Saturday evening College is in the banquet room of the Lincoln Restaurant at 4008 North Lincoln Avenue in Chicago's North Center neighborhood. Tuition is around three bucks and the chaos starts at 8 PM.

Every Sunday, from Noon until 4 PM, there is a Humanitarian Bike Sale (http://www.workingbikes.org) at 927 South Western just north of Chicago's Douglas Park.
If you have a bike to donate to the sale, or are looking for a bike and want to give your dough to a good cause, check out their web site.
For more information, call 708-466-6054.
Also, the new location for the Working Bikes Co-op (http://www.workingbikes.org) is 1125 South Western, and is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from Noon till 7 PM and Sundays from Noon till 5 PM.
Recycled bikes are sold to fund shipments of bicycles to developing countries.
If you have a bike to donate to the sale, or are looking for a bike and want to give your dough to a good cause, check out their web site, email workingbikes@yahoo.com or call 708-466-6054.

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Every Sunday beginning at 1:30 PM activists from various groups join together to protest against war in front of the Chicago Art Institute on Michigan Avenue.
For more information send an email.

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Labor Express Radio, the radio counterpart to the Labor Beat television show, is broadcast every Sunday at 7 PM on Loyola's WLUW 88.7 FM.
For more information, visit http://www.laborexpress.org

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The DANK-HAUS, 4740 North Western, hosts "German Cinema Now" featuring contemporary film screenings (in German with English subtitles) every third Sunday of the month.
It's at 7 PM on the second floor in the Brandenburg Room.
For more information visit, http://www.dankhaus.com

The public access TV show Labor Beat (http://www.laborbeat.org) airs on Chicago Community Access TV's Channel 19 on Thursdays at 9:30 PM and re-airs Fridays at 4:30 PM. Labor Beat is also broadcast on Evanston Community TV channel 6 on Fridays at 12:30 AM and re-airs Mondays at 5:30 PM.

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Every Monday night, the Funky Buddha Lounge, 728 West Grand, becomes the Leftist Lounge.
For more information, send an email.

Working Bikes Co-op (http://www.workingbikes.org), 1125 South Western, is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from Noon till 7 PM and Sundays from Noon till 5 PM.
Recycled bikes are sold to fund shipments of bicycles to developing countries.
If you have a bike to donate to the sale, or are looking for a bike and want to give your dough to a good cause, check out their web site, email workingbikes@yahoo.com call 708-466-6054.

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Every Tuesday at 7:30 PM, South Siders for Peace hold their weekly meeting at the Beverly Unitarian Church, 103rd and Longwood

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Every Tuesday at 8:30 PM, the Nervous Center at Hotti Biscotti, 3545 West Fullerton, features two free sets of improvised jazz, by the Baker Hunt Sandstrom group featuring Jim Baker on arp and keyboards, Brian Sandstrom on bass and guitar, Steve Hunt on drums percussion, and Mars Williams on reeds.
For more information, call 773-772-9970.
There's no cover but it is a 21 and over venue.

Every Wednesday, Counterspin airs at 10 AM on WLUW 88.7 FM.

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Every Wednesday at 5 PM, there is a 'Women in Black Silent Vigil' at Evanston's Fountain Square.
For more information, send an email.

Working Bikes Co-op (http://www.workingbikes.org), 1125 South Western, is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from Noon till 7 PM and Sundays from Noon till 5 PM.
Recycled bikes are sold to fund shipments of bicycles to developing countries.
If you have a bike to donate to the sale, or are looking for a bike and want to give your dough to a good cause, check out their web site, email workingbikes@yahoo.com call 708-466-6054.

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Every Thursday, from 5 PM till 6 PM, in front of Blue line El stop at Milwaukee, North and Damen, artist C Drew gives away free hand-printed peace patches and passes out his 'Peace Personified' series of fliers with news of coming peace protests and other peace related events. Often he prints peace patches right on the spot.
For more information, call 773-561-7676, send an email or visit http://www.c-drew.com

Chicago's Critical Mass, featured in the past on This is Hell!, happens on the last Friday of every month no matter the weather ...
For more information, visit http://chicagocriticalmass.org/ccmx.

The first Thursday of every month, at about 8 PM, past This is Hell! guest Taki Pantos plays music for free - but throw a couple of bucks in the jar - at Simon's Tavern in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood, 5210 North Clark Street.
Make sure you call Simon's first at 773-878-0894 to see if Taki is keeping to his schedule.

Evanston has their own Critical Mass.
It happens on the first Friday of every month at 6:30 PM. Gather at Fountain Square on the corner of Davis, Sherman and Orrington.

Aaron Sarver, of This is Hell! featured In These Times, hosts 'Fire on the Prairie' on WLUW 88.7 FM here in Chicago on the second Monday of every month at 10 AM.

On the second Wednesday of every month, the Pomegranate Radical Health Collective gets together at the Association House, 1116 North Kedzie, from 6 PM to 8 PM.
For more information, visit http://www.pomegranatecollective.org or call 312-924-1820.

The Chicago Underground Film Festival opens tonight and runs through Sunday, September 13th.
For more information, visit http://cuff.org/

The Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 East Chicago, presents "Jeremy Deller: It Is What It Is: Conversations About Iraq," through Sunday, November 15th.
Here's how the MCA describes it:

• Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller encourages public discussion about Iraqi issues by inviting guest experts to engage with museum visitors in a free-form, unscripted dialogue. A revolving group of veterans, journalists, scholars, and Iraqi nationals with expertise in a particular aspect of the region and/or first-hand experience of Iraq take residence in the MCA gallery every day (except Monday), from 11 AM to 4:30 PM, to exchange information and views with museum visitors.
  To further stimulate discussions about Iraq, the gallery contains the remains of a car which was exploded on Al-Mutanabbi, a street in Baghdad which contained numerous cafés and book markets. The car has meaning to Deller, as it was from an area considered the nexus of Baghdadi cultural and intellectual life and is meant to ground conversation in the facts, figures, and eyewitness descriptions that may have been lacking in information about Iraq. Also included in the gallery are a large banner, maps that show the sister cities of Iraq, and photographs documenting the site of the car explosion.

For more information, visit http://www.mcachicago.org

The 28th Chicago Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival runs through Sunday, November 14.

A conference called, “East Timor in the 21st Century: Global Rights and Responsibilities” runs through Sunday, November 15th in Seattle, Washington.
This event is hosted by the This is Hell! featured East Timor and Indonesia Action Network.
This is a solidarity conference for activists, advocates and scholars interested in East Timor.
Right now, there's a call for proposals. If you are interested in sharing what you know about East Timor or have a topic you want to learn more about, ETAN is seeking proposals and ideas for workshops, panels, speakers, art presentations, films and other ideas.
Please submit your suggestions and proposals by June 30, 2009.
If you have suggestions for funding, please contact ETAN by visiting, http://us.mc532.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=conference@etan.org, sending an email or calling 718-596-7668.
To donate, visit http://www.etan.org/etan/donate.htm or send your check to ETAN, PO Box 21873, Brooklyn, NY 11202.
Make checks payable to East Timor Action Network. Tax-deductible donations can be made out to AJ Muste Memorial Institute/ETAN. Please note “for conference” in your donation.