Baltimore Activist Alert - Part 5

64] First Thursday Antiwar protest – Apr. 5

65] Bill Barry's teaching a course on the 30s – Apr. 5

66] Sanctions on Iran? – Apr. 5

67] Peace Action meeting – Apr. 5

68] Path to Victory – Apr. 5

69] Ayaan Hirsi Ali at Goucher – Apr. 5

70] Hunger Foodraiser – Apr. 5

71] Volunteers needed for MUPJ Conference – Apr. 20-21

72] Sponsors needed for Theater of the Oppressed – May 12

73] Sign up with Washington Peace Center

74] Join Fund Our Communities 

75] Submit articles to Indypendent Reader 

76] Donate books, videos, DVDs and records

77] Do you need a television and/or a computer?

78] Join Global Zero campaign

79] War Is Not the Answer signs for sale

83] Click on The Hunger Site 

84] Fire & Faith  

85] Seeking students for a peacemaking summit

86] Join Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil

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64] – The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore will host an End the Wars vigil on Thurs., Mar. 1 from 5 to 6:30 PM in Mount Vernon at Centre & Charles Sts.  The Pledge gathers in Mount Vernon on the first Thursday of the month to protest U.S. wars.  Call Max at 410-366-1637.

 

65] – Bill Barry is teaching a 3-credit course on the 1930s, covering Black Thursday to Pearl Harbor at CCBC-Essex. It continues on Thurs., Apr. 4 from 5:45 to 8:40 PM.  He sees a lot of comparisons between That Depression and This Depression, and how people and the government responded. See great videos and listen to guest speakers on this period of our history. This is a 3-credit college course but you can audit or just--in the spirit of the 30s--sit in. Anyone over 60 gets free tuition. Email wbarrymd@hotmail.com.

 

66] – Foreign Policy Series Program: Sanctions on Iran & the Prospect of a Military Confrontation is on  Thurs., Apr. 5 from 6:30 to 8 PM at the UC-Washington Center, 1608 Rhode Island Ave. NW, WDC 20036. Admissions are as follows: members $10; non-members $15; students, interns and teachers – free.

 

As tensions rise over Iran's presumed nuclear weapons development ambitions, how effective have sanctions been in shaping Iran's foreign policy and nuclear development program?  Is a pre-emptive strike by either Israel or the United States imminent - or justified?  Please join the World Affairs Council-Washington, DC as it hosts a debate.   Dr. Colin Kahl will argue that a military strike against Iran is premature, may not be effective, and would prove costly in terms of the regional and global repercussions. Dr. Matthew Kroenig will argue in favor of a military attack on Iran's most important nuclear facilities, claiming that the West is running out of time to halt Iran's nuclear program and that the risk of a strike is less grave than the risks of a nuclear-armed Iran. Register at https://www.worldaffairsdc.org/wac/events/register/278.

 

67] – On Thurs., Apr. 5 from 7 to 9 PM, there will be a Peace Action Montgomery steering committee meeting at the home of a member.  All are welcome.  RSVP to Jean Athey at jeanathey@verizon.net.  Go to www.PeaceActionMC.org.

 

68] – On Thurs., Apr. 5 from 7 to 9 PM at the Josephine Butler Parks Center, 2437 15th St. NW, WDC 20009 [Green or Yellow Line to U St. Metro], there will be a public discussion hosted by Move to Amend about corporate personhood and the effects of the Citizens United decision. The Path to Victory: Roundtable on the Move to Amend after Citizens United v. FEC will include these speakers: Ben Manski, Esq., Liberty Tree Foundation for the Democratic Revolution; Dr. Margaret Flowers, National Occupation of Washington D.C. (NOW DC); Daniel Wayne Lee, Move to Amend Executive Committee; and Steve Cobble, associate fellow, Institute for Policy Studies.  Call Joan Stallard at 202-248-2093.

 

69] – Ayaan Hirsi Ali — a former member of the Dutch Parliament, women's rights advocate, and Islamic reformist — will give the Spring 2012 President's Forum talk titled "Clash of Civilizations: Islam and the West" on Thurs., Apr. 5 at 8 PM in Hyman Forum of the Athenaeum. This event is free and open to the public, but all attendees must reserve tickets in advance by logging on to www.goucher.edu/tickets or by calling 410-337-6333.

 

Hirsi Ali was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1969. The daughter of a political opponent of the Somali dictatorship, she grew up in exile, moving from Saudi Arabia to Ethiopia then Kenya. In 1992, Hirsi Ali was married off by her father to a distant cousin who lived in Canada. But she had begun to question aspects of the Islamic faith, which she had adopted in her youth, and decided to escape the marriage. She fled to the Netherlands, where she was given asylum and, in time, citizenship.

 

She campaigned to raise awareness of violence against women, including honor killings and female genital mutilation, which she had been subjected to as a young child. In her three years in government, she found her voice as an advocate for an "enlightened Islam." In 2004, Hirsi Ali gained international attention following the murder of Theo van Gogh, who had directed her short film Submission about the oppression of women under Islam. The assassin, a radical Muslim, left a death threat for her pinned to Van Gogh's chest.

 

A resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a public-policy nonprofit in Washington, DC, Hirsi Ali is researching the relationship between the West and Islam. Contact Kristen Keener at kristen.keener@goucher.edu or 410-337-6316.

 

70] – LiveFeed Baltimore hosts a foodraiser to support local child hunger relief efforts at Midtown BBQ and Brew with karaoke every first Thursday. Bring a canned good donation. All donations go to local food banks and the Maryland chapters of Blessings in a Backpack, which feeds local children. On Thurs., Apr. 5 at 9 PM be at Midtown BBQ and Brew, 15 E. Centre St. Call 443-880-8879 or visit http://midtownbbqandbrew.com.

 

71] – Volunteers are needed to help with the 27th Annual Maryland Peace and Justice Conference to be held on Friday and Saturday, April 20 & 21 at the Episcopal Cathedral Church of the Incarnation, 4 E. University Parkway, Baltimore, 21218. The theme is: "Peacemaking in the 21st century; 25 years of working for peace and justice in Maryland."  Contact Paulette Hammond, secretary, MUPJ, at 410-747-3811 or phamm001@earthlink.net or paulette.d.hammond@questdiagnostics.com.

 

72] – On May 12, there will be a free community event held at Latin Palace--a showing of a Theater of the Oppressed play by El Taller's traveling theater group out of Puebla, Mexico.  This Spanish language interactive play will address issues of social justice and feminism.  The organizers of the event are looking for ways to promote community organizations in Baltimore serving Latino audiences.  If you are interested in sponsoring, helping spread the word or holding an information table at our event please contact Laura at lgudgelgriffin@gmail.com.

 

73] – The Marc Steiner Show, a production of the Center for Emerging Media, is seeking a full-time producer.  If you want to work for a dynamic public affairs show, booking and producing shows, recording interviews and editing documentary stories, please send your resume and cover letter to producersearch@steinershow.org. Salary is commensurate with experience.  Listen to The Marc Steiner Show from 5-7 PM on WEAA 88.9-FM, Monday-Thursday, or online at www.weaa.org.  

 

74] – Communities United is hiring an organizer for Baltimore. To get a job description email Steve Dooley, executive director, dooley@communitiesunite.org.

 

75] – Randa Collins is a junior at Salisbury Univ., majoring in Conflict Analysis and Dispute Resolution, with a minor in Spanish. She is seeking an internship for the summer in the field of conflict resolution.  She has completed mediation training at the Center for Conflict Resolution at Salisbury, and would like to use her skills in the real world. If you know of any such internships, contact her at  rc65615 at gulls.salisbury.edu or by snail mail--Randa Collins, Trio Mentoring, Peer Mentor, Volunteer Mediator, Center for Conflict Resolution, Salisbury University, 1101 Camden Ave., Salisbury, Maryland 21801.

 

76] – HELP MAKE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST! Since a civil war in 1974 the island of Cyprus has been divided in two with a United Nations patrolled border.  Turkish/Muslim Cypriots are in the north; Greek/Christian Cypriots are in the south.  Animosities and prejudices run deep. Children throw rocks at each other across the border.  Experts believe that Cyprus is at a crossroads between renewed conflict or becoming an example in the Middle East of how two such cultures can live in peace.

 

The Cyprus Friendship Program, based on the successful model that helped build peace in Northern Ireland, brings over a Muslim and Christian teen to stay with an American host family for the month of July (or ½ month if paired with another host family). This bonding experience in a neutral environment almost always results in a strong friendship. Programming here and after their return to Cyprus turns them into peace builders who are trained in how to influence their peers.  The teens are chosen for their maturity, leadership potential, and English speaking ability. You choose the gender and age (from 15 to 17). To learn more contact Tom McCarthy at 301-774-7069 or Thomas.McCarthy@RaymondJames.com.

 

This video is only 3 minutes long but gives a good overview of the program. It was made by the US State Department

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8rSmOKgY_4. This video is about 8 minutes, gives more info on some of their activities while here, and was made in part by the teens: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egcM0Fnj2YA.  

                                                                                                      

77] – The Washington Peace Center has a progressive calendar & activist alert! Consider signing up to receive its weekly email: info@washingtonpeacecenter.org.

78] – Fund Our Communities campaign – is a grass roots movement to get support from local organizations and communities to work together with their local and state elected officials to pressure Congresspersons and senators to join with Congresspersons Barney Frank and Ron Paul, who have endorsed a 25% cut to the federal military budget.  Bring home the savings to state and county governments to meet the local needs which are under tremendous budget pressures.  Go to www.OurFunds.org.      

 

79] – The new Indypendent Reader is seeking articles for its web site at http://www.indyreader.org.  Submit an article. 

 

80] – If you would like to get rid of books, videos, DVDs or records, contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.net. 

 

81] – Can you use a television set and/or a computer, monitor etc.? Contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon.net. 

 

82] – Join an extraordinary global campaign for the elimination of nuclear weapons: http://www.globalzero.org/sign-declaration. A growing group of leaders around the world is calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons and a majority of the global public agrees.  This is an historic window of opportunity.  With momentum already building in favor of Zero, a major show of support from people around the world could tip the balance. When it comes to nuclear weapons, one is one too many.  

 

83] – WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER signs from Friends Committee on National Legislation are again for sale at $5.  To purchase a sign, call Max at 410-366-1637.

 

84] – The Hunger Site was initiated by Mercy Corps and Second Harvest, and is funded entirely by advertisers.  You can go there every day and click the big yellow "Give Food for Free" button near the top of the page; you do not have to look at the ads. Each click generates funding for about 1.1 cups of food.  So consider clicking.  

 

85] – Go online for FIRE AND FAITH: The Catonsville Nine File. On May 17, 1968, nine people entered the Selective Service Offices in Catonsville, Maryland, and burned draft records in protest against the war in Vietnam. View http://www.prattlibrary.org/digital/.

 

86] – Peace Park Antinuclear Vigil takes place every day in Lafayette Park, 1601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 24 hours a day, since June 3, 1981.  Go to http://prop1.org; call 202-682-4282.

 

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.

 

"One is called to live nonviolently, even if the change one works for seems impossible. It may or may not be possible to turn the US around through nonviolent revolution. But one thing favors such an attempt: the total inability of violence to change anything for the better" - Daniel Berrigan