Baltimore Activist Alert - Oct. 13-15, 2013

Baltimore Activist Alert Oct. 13 – Oct. 19, 2013 "I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop it must be ours." -Martin Luther King Jr. Friends, this list and other email documents which I send out are done under the auspices of the Baltimore Nonviolence Center. Go to www.baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com. If you appreciate this information and would like to make a donation, send contributions to BNC, 325 East 25th Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Max Obuszewski can be reached at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Tune into the Maryland Progressive Blog at http://mdprogblog.org. 1] Books, buttons & stickers 2] Web site for info on federal legislation 3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists 4] Buy coffee through HoCoFoLa 5] Immigration Reform! – through Oct. 18 6] Vietnam Photograph Exhibit – through Feb. 23 7] Penguin Awareness – Oct. 13 8] “The Inherent Worth of Everyone.” – Oct. 13 9] Peace and Pancakes – Oct. 13 10] Idea Slam – Oct. 13 11] Islam: Fact and Fiction – Oct. 13 12] Privilege, Oppression, and Dynamic of Mixed Race – Oct. 13 13] "The Ghosts of Jeju" – Oct. 13 14] Developing a Quaker Vision of U.S. Foreign Policy – Oct. 13 15] IPS 50th Anniversary Gala – Oct. 13 16] Pentagon Vigil – Oct. 14 17] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Oct. 14 – Oct. 18 18] Documentary "Children of the Amazon" – Oct. 14 19] SOAW Strategy Session – Oct. 14 20] Alternative Histories Film Series – Oct. 14 21] Pledge of Resistance/Fund Our Communities meeting – Oct. 14 22] Solving the Distributed Energy Puzzle – Oct. 15-16 23] Philadelphia Peace Vigil – Oct. 15 24] Film "The Law in these Parts" -- Oct. 15 25] Protest JHU’s drone research – Oct. 15 26] SOAW Strategy Session – Oct. 15 1] – Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available. “God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions” stickers are in stock. Donate your books to Max. Call him at 410-366-1637. 2] – To obtain information how your federal legislators voted on particular bills, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/. Congressional toll-free numbers are 888-818-6641, 888-355-3588 or 800-426-8073. The White House Comment Email is accessible at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/. 3] – THE ORGANIZING LIST will be the primary decision-making mechanism of the National Campaign of Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR]. It will be augmented by conference calls and possibly in-person meetings as needed. It will consist of 1 or 2 representatives from each local, regional, or national organization (not coalitions) that wishes to actively work to carry out the NCNR campaign of facilitating and organizing nonviolent resistance to the war in Iraq. To join the ORGANIZING List, please send your name, group affiliation, city and email address to donmuller@msn.com. Different local chapters of a national organization are encouraged to subscribe. THE NOTICES LIST will include only notices of NCNR actions and related information and is open to any interested person to subscribe. It will be moderated to maintain focus & will include periodic notices about getting involved in NCNR national organizing. To join the NOTICES List, send an email message to ncnrnotices-subscribe@lists.riseup.net. You will get a confirmation message once subscribed. If you have problems, please write to the list manager at ncnrnotices-admin@lists.riseup.net. 4] – You can help safeguard human rights and fragile ecosystems through your purchase of HOCOFOLA Café Quetzal. Bags of ground coffee or whole beans can be ordered by mailing in an order form. Also note organic cocoa and sugar are for sale. For more details and to download the order form, go to http://friendsoflatinamerica.typepad.com/hocofola/2010/02/hocofola-cafe-quetzal-order-form-2010.html. The coffee comes in one-pound bags. Fill out the form and mail it with a check made out to HOCOFOLA on or before the second week of the month. Be sure you indicate ground or beans for each type of coffee ordered. Send it to Adela Hirsch, 5358 Eliots Oak Rd., Columbia, MD 21044. Be sure you indicate ground (G) or bean (B) for each type of coffee ordered. The coffee will arrive some time the following week and you will be notified where to pick it up. Contact Adela at 410-997-5662 or via e-mail at adela4peace@verizon.net. 5] – The 40 days of prayer, fasting and advocacy for Immigration Reform continues through Fri., Oct. 18! The Interfaith Immigration Coalition and Conference of Major Superiors of Men invite you to participate. Sign up at http://www.fastaction.us. 6] – An-My Lê's photographs come to the Baltimore Museum of Art's Front Room. 21 Black-and-white and color photographs explore the roles of the military and war, showing tensions between nature and human influence and machinery. The exhibit runs through Feb. 23 at the Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive. Call 443- 573-1700. Go to http://artbma.org. 7] – Get over to Penguin Awareness at the Maryland Zoo on Sun., Oct. 13 from 10 AM to 4 PM at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, 1876 Mansion House Drive. Call 410-366-7102 or visit http://www.marylandzoo.org. 8] – Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 306 W. Franklin St., Suite 102, Baltimore 21201-4517, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and discussion from 10:30 to noon. On Sun., Oct. 13 the platform address will be presented by Hugh Taft-Morales, leader, Baltimore Ethical Society, and he will address “The Inherent Worth of Everyone.” At the heart of Ethical Humanism is a commitment to honor the inherent worth of every person. Of course we are flawed and frail creatures – and won’t always live up to this commitment. But declaring that everyone has worth is important in a world that devalues people left and right: from the one million helpless infants each year that die the day they are born, to prisoners in solitary confinement for years, to many elderly we warehouse in substandard nursing homes, to those without money or power we mistreat. When will we create a society where the worth of every person is protected as precious? Call at 410-581-2322, or contact Kathryn Sloboda at katamui@gmail.com. Go to http://bmorethical.org/. Twitter: @bmorethical Facebook: http://fb.com/bmorethical/. 9] – Join the Kadampa Meditation Center for Peace and Pancakes on Sundays at 10:30 AM at KMC Maryland, 2937 North Charles St. All are invited to participate in guided meditation and chant praying for world peace. There will be a talk based on Buddhist thought followed by brunch. Call 410- 243-3837. Brunch is $5. 10] – Get over to the Idea Slam on Sun., Oct. 13 from noon to 2 PM at the Liaison Hotel, 415 New Jersey Ave. NW. How would you create positive change? Share an idea on inequality, climate change, poverty, education, peace, justice, or any other progressive issue – or an idea that brings them all together. Your idea could win. The Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), a progressive think tank, is celebrating 50 years of turning ideas into action. As part of the fun, get involved in this fast-paced contest on stage during the weekend celebration from Oct. 11-13. Contestants will have a chance to win cash prizes – the top prize is $1000 and a one-year “Ideas Into Action Fellowship” at IPS. Celebrity judges include Amy Goodman and Barbara Ehrenreich. Go to http://ideaslamfest.wordpress.com/. 11] – On Sun., Oct. 13, the Baltimore Jewish Cultural Chavurah will sponsor Dr. Faheem Younus speaking on Islam: Fact and Fiction at 2 PM at the new Owings Mills branch of the Baltimore County Public Library, 10302 Grand Central Ave. He will describe how the Quran promotes peaceful and healthy living, how his Ahmadiyya sect – unjustly treated by the Pakistani government – believes in separation of church and state, cooperation with other peoples, and equality for women. He will dispel erroneous myths about Muslims, such as explaining that less than 0.1% of the world's Muslims have committed acts of terror against the western world. Dr. Younus is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland. In post-9/11 America, Islam is deemed the enemy by many Americans. Working tirelessly to dispel this opinion, he has been a leader in opening a frank dialogue between Muslims and Americans. This dialogue led to the founding of the blog – www.muslimerican.com – where you can connect with him and also find his archived works. He teaches a popular course: Islam: Fact and Fiction at multiple campuses across the nation and had delivered over 50 lectures about Islam to students at Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland, and University of Baltimore, as well as at various community colleges in Maryland. 12] – The Baltimore Racial Justice Action will host a discussion, The Elephant in the Room: Privilege, Oppression, and Dynamic of Mixed Race, which analyzes social, political, and legal issues surrounding multi-racial individuals in American society. The event takes place on Sun., Oct. 13 from 4 to 6 PM at the American Brewery Building, 1100 North Gay St. Go to bmoreantiracist.org. 13] – On Sun., Oct. 13 at 4:30 PM, participate in the Brandywine Peace Community Monthly Potluck Supper/Program at the University Lutheran Church, 3637 Chestnut Street, Phila., PA (37th & Chestnut Streets). As part of Keep Space for Peace Week, see a showing of "The Ghosts of Jeju" (English, Korean with English subtitles). Bring a main dish, salad, or dessert to share. This shocking yet inspiring documentary is about the struggle of the people of Jeju Island, South Korea to stop the construction of a huge U.S. Navy base on their environmentally endangered island. Set against the backdrop of the American imperial presence in Korea after World War II, the film reveals the horrible atrocities at the hands of the U.S. Military Government of Korea. Call 610-544-1818 or go to http://www.brandywinepeace.com/events/. 14] – On Sun., Oct. 13 at 4:30 PM, catch Shared Security: Developing a Quaker Vision of U.S. Foreign Policy A Joint Project of AFSC and FCNL. Join FCNL’s Executive Secretary Diane Randall and AFSC’s General Secretary Shan Cretin for a conversation about a new vision for U.S. foreign policy grounded in our shared security as a global community. The event will be held at Friends Meeting of Washington, 2111 Florida Ave. NW, WDC 20008. The Shared Security project has produced a working paper, study guide and blog discussion. Shan and Diane will speak briefly about the project, followed by responses and open discussion. A reception will follow. Contact Sandy Robson at sandy@fcnl.org or 202-903-2522. An RSVP would be helpful but not required. 15] – The IPS 50th Anniversary Gala is on Sun., Oct. 13 at 8 PM through Mon., Oct. 14 at midnight at the East Hall of Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Ave. NE. This is a weekend of events honoring progressive activists and activism and envisioning a plan for the future. The culmination is an interactive gala at the historic Union Station. Email Rachel Queirolo, IPS Development Associate, at rachel@ips-dc.org or call 202-787-5237. 16] – There is a weekly Pentagon Peace Vigil from 7 to 8 AM on Mondays, since 1987, outside the Pentagon Metro stop. The next vigil is Mon., Oct. 14, and it is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker. Email artlaffin@hotmail.com or call 202-882-9649. 17] – The Marc Steiner Show airs Monday through Friday from 9 to 11 AM on WEAA 88.9 FM, The Voice of the Community, or online at www.weaa.org. The call-in number is 410-319-8888, and comments can also be sent by email to steinershow@gmail.com. All shows are also available as podcasts at www.steinershow.org. 18] – Beyond the Classroom presents the documentary "Children of the Amazon" on Mon., Oct. 14 from 7 to 9 PM at 1102 South Campus Commons, Building 1*, 0200 Calvert Hall, College Park, MD 20742. The film follows Brazilian filmmaker Denise Zmekhol as she travels a modern highway deep into the Amazon in search of the Indigenous Surui and Negarote children she photographed fifteen years ago. Her journey tells the story of what happened to life in the largest forest on Earth when a road was built straight through its heart. For countless generations, the Amazon rainforest provided a home to the Surui and Negarote people who lived in what they called “forest time.” And then . . . everything changed. Footpaths gave way to a road and then a highway cutting through 2,000 miles of forest. With this connection to the rest of Brazil, the world of “forest time” was overrun by farmers, loggers, and cattle ranchers. Lush forest was clear-cut and burned, deadly diseases killed off thousands of Indians, and “forest time” suffered an irreversible transformation. The film’s central characters include Chief Itabira and Chief Almir, Surui who are navigating a risky course between cultural preservation and economic survival; and Chico Mendes, the legendary rubber tapper who organized a non-violent movement to save the forest and was assassinated by cattle ranchers. Zmekhol discovers how the combined efforts of Indigenous people, rubber tappers, and their allies have begun to safeguard the rainforest. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/440681792707347/. 19] – On Mon., Oct. 14 at 7 PM, you are invited to a SOA Watch Strategy Session in Annapolis at the home of two SOA Watch activists. Contact owen@soaw.org for the address. The Session will be exciting, dynamic opportunities to come together to build community and organize to close the SOA! Focus on legislative work (H.R. 2989), the November 22-24 Vigil outreach and preparedness, and fundraising. Email other agenda ideas to owen@soaw.org. 20] – Check out a Film Series: Alternative Histories. Imagine a world in which computers run our lives, food comes only in processed packets, and authoritarian governments pit people against each other in bloody battles. Wait, that sounds too familiar. Towson University professors present films dealing in worlds that are almost real to us, that start from a real point in history and go off on an alternate track. Some of the films are "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Robocop" and "Battle Royale." Each week a different professor introduces the film, and each screening is followed by a discussion. The films will be shown on Mondays at 7:30 PM through Nov. 25 at Towson University, 8000 York Road. See http://www.towson.edu. 21] Pledge of Resistance/Fund Our Communities meeting – Oct. 14 21] – The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore usually meets on Mondays at 7:30 PM, and the meetings take place at Max’s residence. There will be a meeting on Mon., Oct. 14. The proposed agenda will include anti-drone activities, the trial of the CIA Six, a possible meeting with Rep. Elijah Cummings and a visit to Sen. Barbara Mikulski’s office to demand a copy of the “classified” torture report. Call 410-366-1637 or email mobuszewski at verizon.net for directions. 22] – Solving the Distributed Energy Puzzle: Microgrids & Other Smart Solutions is the title of a conference scheduled Starting Tues., Oct. 15 at 12:30 PM through Wed., Oct. 16 at 5:15 PM at the Marriott Inn & Conference Center, 3501 University Blvd., Hyattsville, MD. Energy generation- including clean renewable power, transmission, distribution and resiliency- are all part of the puzzle of coordinating and securing power supply systems. With the application of communications technology to manage this critical infrastructure for cost savings, reliability, security, and greenhouse gas emissions reductions- the “democratization of the grid” is becoming a reality. This two-day forum will address the challenges of identifying, integrating, and assembling the various pieces of the puzzle needed to advance distributed energy solutions. Visit website http://www.mcecsummit.org/. 23] – Each Tuesday from 4:30 - 5:30 PM, the Catholic Peace Fellowship-Philadelphia for peace in Afghanistan and Iraq gathers at the Suburban Station, 16th Street & JFK Blvd., at the entrance to Tracks 3 and 4 on the mezzanine. The next vigil is Oct. 15. Call 215-426-0364. 24] – See the film "The Law in these Parts" by Ra'anan Alexandrowicz on Tues., Oct. 15 from 5 to 7:30 PM at the Jerusalem Fund, 2425 Virginia Ave. NW. The film is an unprecedented exploration of the evolving and little-known legal framework that Israel has employed to administer its 40-year military occupation of the West Bank and, until 2005, the Gaza Strip. Celebrated Israeli filmmaker Ra’anan Alexandrowicz (“The Inner Tour”) elicits this story from the very military judges, prosecutors and legal advisors who helped create the system and who agreed to take the cinematic witness chair to explain their choices. See http://washingtonpeacecenter.net/node/10654. 25] – Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" each Tuesday at 34th & North Charles Sts. Join this ongoing vigil. The next vigil is Oct. 15 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. Call Max at 410-366-1637. 26] – On Tues., Oct. 15 from 7 from 9PM at the Stony Run Friends Meeting, 5116 N. Charles St., Baltimore. SOAW is grateful to Veterans for Peace for hosting the group at its regular meeting. The Session will focus on legislative work (H.R. 2989), November 22-24 Vigil outreach and preparedness, and fundraising. Email your ideas to owen@soaw.org. To be continued. 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/. "The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs