Baltimore Activist Alert - Oct. 31 - Nov. 2, 2013

37] Opportunities and Threats in the Peruvian Amazon – Oct. 31 38] Arabian Sights Film Festival – Oct. 31 – Nov. 3 39] Protest Keith Alexander in Baltimore – Oct. 31 40] Trick or Sneeze: Canvass for Paid Sick Days – Oct. 31 41] Support Gitmo prisoners – Nov. 1 42] Justice in Palestine/Israel – Nov. 1 43] "Portraits of Denial & Desire" – Nov. 1 44] SOA Watch demonstration – Nov. 1 45] Silent peace vigil – Nov. 1 46] Potluck dinner and film THE MESSENGER – Nov. 1 47] Reclaiming Africa's Destiny – Nov. 1 48] Film CHASING ICE – Nov. 1 49] Film SCARRED LANDS & WOUNDED LIVES: THE ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT OF WAR – Nov. 1 50] Ballroom dancing – Nov. 1 51] Apply for RAF grant – Nov. 1 52] Fairfax Bike Summit – Nov. 2 -- 37] – Amazon Watch Invites You for a "Green-Bag Lunch" Presentation on Thurs., Oct. 31 at 12:30 PM at Amazon Watch / CIEL conference room, 1350 Connecticut Ave. NW #1100 (south of DuPont, above the Panera / Cosi). The topic of discussion is "Indigenous REDD: Opportunities and Threats in the Peruvian Amazon" with Daysi Zapata, Inter-Ethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Amazon – AIDESEP. RSVP to dcevents@amazonwatch.org. 38] – The 18th Annual Arabian Sights Film Festival continues through Sun., Nov. 3, in Washington, D.C. It presents a diverse selection of the most captivating and vibrant films from today’s Arab world. The festival showcases films that demonstrate the range and commitment of directors who invariably manage to tell moving stories while exploring issues facing their region. All have English subtitles. Visit http://www.filmfestdc.org. 39] – The Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs is hosting the director of the National Security Agency Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander on Thurs., Oct. 31 at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore, 300 Light St., Baltimore 21201, from 5:30 to 7 PM. According to a promotional note, "The dilemma of balancing vigorous efforts to meet security needs while constraining possible abuse of government power is especially challenging in our contemporary technological environment. We are indeed extraordinarily fortunate and privileged to have General Keith Alexander, Director of the NSA and Commander of the United States Cyber Command discuss cyber challenges and attendant issues with us." "Possible abuse?" The NSA is shredding the U.S. Constitution. Join the Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore is protesting Alexander and his agency on Thurs., Oct. 31 from 5 to 7 PM outside the Hyatt Hotel. RSVP to Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at verizon dot net. 40] – Trick or Sneeze: Canvass for Paid Sick Days on Thurs., Oct. 31 at 6 PM at 618 T St. NW. Care about paid sick days? Miss trick or treating? Want to look like a zombie? Then join them on Halloween for some "trick or sneeze" canvassing in Shaw and surrounding neighborhoods! Help spread the word about the campaign and have some fun - only on Halloween it is possible to get good cheer and candy at every door! At 6 PM, meet at the Shaw restaurant, Flava at Wazobia, to transform into zombie waiters (costumes and makeup provided) and prepare for the canvass. At 7 PM trick-or-treat canvassing around Bloomingdale, Shaw, and LeDroit Park. At 9 PM, meet at Boundary Stone DC (Rhode Island and 1st NW) to celebrate and encourage them to provide paid sick days! Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/632213480162105/. 41] – On Fri., Nov. 1 at noon, participate in the White House Vigil To Save Guantanamo Hunger Strikers--NO MORE TORTURE! NO MORE WAR! The vigil is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker and Witness Against Torture. See www.witnesstorture.org and www.closegitmo.net. Friday will be Day 4312 since first detainees were brought to Guantanamo and Day 264 of the Hunger-Strike. Fourteen detainees are still on Hunger-Strike. On Oct. 8 President Obama appointed Paul Lewis as special envoy at the Defense Department for the closure of the Guantánamo prison. 42] – A vigil for Justice in Palestine/Israel takes place every Friday from noon to 1 PM at 19th & JFK Blvd., Philadelphia (across from Israeli Consulate. It is sponsored by Bubbies & Zaydes (Grandparents) for Peace in the Middle East. Email cswartz@pil.net. Go to http://phillyjewishpeace.org/. 43] – "Portraits of Denial & Desire" with artist John Halaka is happening Fri., Nov. 1 from 12:30 to 2 PM at the Jerusalem Fund, 2425 Virginia Ave., NW. He will discuss his multi-disciplinary project that preserves and presents the stories of indigenous Palestinians who were displaced from their homeland in an ongoing cultural genocide that began 65 years ago. Each of the four components of the project highlight complex and compelling individuals whose personal stories address massive and ongoing human rights violations, cycles of violent political manipulations, patterns of self-defeating strategies, as well as inspiring narratives of resilience and resistance. Those experiences, along with many others, represent the dynamic tensions between the oppressive political denial and the liberating personal desires that have defined the lives of Palestinian refugees since their expulsion. The recorded narratives, photographs, drawings and film highlight seldom-heard stories from three generations of Palestinian refugees and uncover parts of their experiences in the aftermath of displacement. RSVP is required--http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/ht/d/EventDetails/i/42568/pid/187. 44] – On Fri., Nov. 1 from 4:30 to 7:30 PM, SOA Watch will have a public demonstration at the Capitol South Metro Station. Join it to commemorate the victims of the U.S. policies that have caused untold death and suffering for the peoples of Latin America. There will be street theater, including the construction of a mobile altar for a procession, face-painting, and music to honor the ancestors, friends, and families and to denounce the School of Assassins, the illogical War on Drugs without end, neoliberal economic policies, the militarization of the border, and other issues that have harmed Latin America in the past, continue to harm Latin America in the present, and that will continue to harm Latin America in the future - unless we do something about it. Contact arturo@soaw.org. 45] – There is a silent peace vigil on Fri., Nov. 1 from 5 to 6 PM outside the Cathedral of the Incarnation, University Parkway and St. Paul St. The vigil is sponsored by Homewood Friends and Stony Run Meetings, and was recently moved because of the construction on Charles St. War Is Not the Answer. Stop bullying. 46] – Since this is a First Friday, on Nov. 1 there will be a potluck dinner at Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, 3107 N. Charles St., Baltimore 21218 after the vigil. Then there will be a film screening. The Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee and others are continuing the FILM & SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS DVD SERIES. The DVDs will be shown at Homewood Friends Meetinghouse on the First Friday. After the peace vigil, there will be a potluck dinner. At 7: 15 PM, a DVD will be shown with a discussion to follow. There is no charge, and refreshments will be available. The series theme is WHAT TO DO WHEN GOVERNMENTS VIOLATE THE LAW. The third film in the series, THE MESSENGER [USA, 2009], is the directorial debut of Oren Moverman, who also wrote the screenplay with Alessandro Camon. The cast includes Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Steve Buscemi, Jena Malone and Samantha Morton. Foster has returned home from Iraq with both physical and psychic wounds, and is assigned as a Casualty Notification officer. He is partnered with a recovering alcoholic played by Harrelson, and they must go into volatile situations to give notice to the families of fallen soldiers. Contact Max at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski@verizon.net. 47] – The Fifth Annual Dyer Lecture: Reclaiming Africa's Destiny is taking place on Fri., Nov. 1 at 5:30 PM at Busboys and Poets, 1025 5th St. NW, WDC 20001. Africa Faith & Justice Network presents the fifth annual lecture with Remigius Kintu, author, speaker, and trade and development consultant. Who owns Africa? Who formulates the policies that affect African life, and what can we do to refine and reclaim Africa's destiny? This event is free (donations are welcome), but space is limited. Refreshments will be served. AFJN educates and advocates for a transformation of U.S. policies toward Africa. Grounded by a commitment to social justice, AFJN brings the most important issues affecting the people of Africa to our lawmakers in Washington, DC. Register at http://org.salsalabs.com/o/1552/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=80703. 48] – See a screening of CHASING ICE on Fri., Nov. 1 at 7 PM at the Peace Center of Delaware County. The First-Friday Large Screen Film Series takes place at 1001 Old Springfield Road, Springfield, PA 19064. Acclaimed National Geographic photographer, James Balog, captures the haunting reality of polar meltdown and global warming in a documentary feature film that is exciting, awe inspiring, and a wake-up call for immediate action to save the planet from ourselves. You will not believe what you see, but we all must! See the movie trailer--http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIZTMVNBjc4. Doors open at 6:30 PM for light refreshments. Participate in the after-film discussion. Visit www.delcopeacecenter.org or call 610-544-1818. The film is co-sponsored by the Brandywine Peace Community. 49] – On Fri., Nov. 1 at 7:30 PM, Meaningful Movies Olney presents SCARRED LANDS & WOUNDED LIVES: THE ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT OF WAR at the Buffington Building Community Room, 3300 Olney Sandy Spring Rd., Olney, MD 20832. The scale of environmental damage over the last half century is unprecedented. Falling water tables, shrinking forest cover, declining species diversity - all presage ecosystems in distress. These trends are now widely acknowledged as emanating from forces of humanity's own making: massive population increases, unsustainable demands on natural resources, species loss, and ruinous environmental practices. Ironically however, war, that most destructive of human behaviors, is commonly bypassed. In all its stages, from the production of weapons through combat to cleanup and restoration, war entails actions that pollute land, air, and water, destroy biodiversity, and drain natural resources. Yet the environmental damage occasioned by war and preparation for war is routinely underestimated, underreported, even ignored. The environment remains war's "silent casualty." Contact Jean Athey at 301-570-0923 or jeanathey@verizon.net. 50] – There is an opportunity to participate in ballroom dancing, usually every Friday of the month, in the JHU ROTC Bldg. at 8 PM. Turn south on San Martin Dr. from the intersection of Univ. Parkway and 39th St. Drive on campus by taking the third left turn. The next dance will be Nov. 1. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725. 51] – The deadline for Research Associates Foundation Grant submissions is Fri., Nov. 1. Both individuals and organizations can get up to $2500 to fund transformative social change projects. Go to www.rafbaltimore.org to see the guidelines and download applications. 52] – The 2013 Fairfax Bike Summit is getting together on Sat., Nov. 2 from 10 AM to 3:30 PM at George Mason University. The 2013 Fairfax Bike Summit will bring together interested citizens, community leaders, bicycle organizations, bike shops, and transportation professionals to discuss making Tysons and other transit-oriented, mixed-use developments more bicycle-friendly. The registration fee is $25 and includes lunch and other refreshments. A limited number of slots are available for the pre-summit workshop, Infrastructure Advocacy 101, that will be held from 9-9:45 AM. If you are interested in volunteering or exhibiting at the summit, email bikesummit@fabb-bikes.org. Buy tickets at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/8022492491?ref=ebtnebtckt. 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