Baltimore Activist Alert - April 26 - May 1, 2015

30] March for the Animals – Apr. 26
31] “J. Robert Oppenheimer and Nuclear Agony” – Apr. 26
32] Walk to end genocide – Apr. 26
33] Planting trees, planting hope – Apr. 26
34] Support workers – Apr. 26
35] Green Forum – Apr. 26
36] Tech solutions – Apr. 26
37] Another future possible? – Apr. 26
38] Pentagon Vigil – Apr. 27
39] Marc Steiner on WEAA – Apr. 27 – May. 1

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30] – The big day for the animals is this Sunday at Druid Hill Park, 3001 EAST DRIVE, BALTIMORE, MD 21217 from 10 AM to 2 PM for the 20th Annual March for the Animals. Enjoy an Animal Costume Contest! Games! Demonstrations! And, so much more! It is a 1.5-mile walk around Druid Hill Lake! There's plenty to see and do. If you're an animal-lover, this is the place to be.

It's not too late to raise money for the March. Ask your friends, family members and co-workers to sponsor you and your dog. Bring your donations with you and register at the event. Registration opens at 9 AM. If you can't make it in the morning, drop by in the afternoon. Donate $40 and receive the official 2015 March for the Animals T-shirt, a goody bag and a dog bandana, all while supplies last. The March for the Animals is the Maryland SPCA's largest fundraising event of the year. The group receives no operating funds from the government or the ASPCA. Go to http://marchfortheanimals.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=1129030.

31] – Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 306 W. Franklin St., Suite 102, Baltimore 21201-4661, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and discussion from 10:30 AM to noon. On Apr. 26, hear an address “J. Robert Oppenheimer and Nuclear Agony.” Today, over 16,300 nuclear weapons make Russian, North Korean and terrorist aggression all the more alarming. Despite the end of the cold war, nuclear weapons are still ready for launch around the world. Even a limited nuclear war would cause unimaginable suffering, something known only too well to the father of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer. Raised in Ethical Culture, taught by its founder Felix Adler, Oppenheimer felt impelled to serve his country and do good. His heroic efforts landed him on the covers of Time and Life magazines. Soon, tormented by the horror of his own creation and persecution by his own government, Oppenheimer’s life took a tragic turn. Hugh Taft-Morales explores this story in the context of current efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

Taft-Morales joined the Baltimore Ethical Society as its professional leader in 2010, the same year he was certified by the American Ethical Union as an Ethical Culture Leader. He also serves as Leader of the Ethical Humanist Society of Philadelphia. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org.

32] – On Sun., Apr. 26 from 1:30 to 4 PM participate in the First WASHINGTON, DC WALK TO END GENOCIDE. "Take a stand. Raise your voice. Step in the right direction. WALK to End Genocide!" Start behind the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Raoul Wallenberg Place SW, WDC 20024. For directions, visit http://www.mapquest.com/. "The first Washington D.C. Walk to End Genocide is organized by the Darfur Interfaith Network in partnership with Jewish World Watch.

"The purpose of this event is to educate fellow citizens, to advocate our own government to take an increased leadership position toward actions and policies to end genocide and mass atrocities, and to raise funds to be used for humanitarian aid to improve the lives of surviving victims of this horrific behavior. Also, we'll recall past genocides in order to remember and honor those victims. There will be information booths providing educational information on these topics." See http://dc.walktoendgenocide.org.

33] – On Sun., Apr. 26 from 2 to 4 PM catch Planting Trees, Planting Hope with Aviram Rozin at the Greenbelt Youth Center, 99 Centerway, Greenbelt, hosted by the Greenbelt Climate Action Network. Join us to hear the inspiring story of the establishment and growth of an ecological and humanitarian effort that is protecting animals and improving living conditions for some of the world's poorest people. Aviram Rozin will share innovative techniques for planting trees and conserving water in some of the harshest and most arid corners of the world, as well as pioneering methods for growing sustainable communities.

He is the founder and director of SADHANA FOREST, a vegan volunteer community and non-profit addressing issues of deforestation and climate change in India, Haiti and Kenya. Eleven years after its founding and with the help of thousands of international volunteers, Sadhana Forest teaches vegan Permaculture and sustainable living, increases plant-based food security through ecological transformation, reclaims wasteland to productivity and restores groundwater levels, all of which help to raise local living standards. See https://www.facebook.com/events/426127067561533/.

34] – On Sun., Apr. 26 from 3:30 to 5:30 PM, support the 700,000+ Maryland workers forced to choose between their health and their job. Join for a campaign meeting to spread the message! They need a strong community voice supporting workers' dignity and well-being. Can you come to IMPACT Silver Spring Basement Office, 8807 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring 20910? Visit http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/5483/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=74478.

35] – The BALTIMORE GREEN FORUM, a monthly environmental education and discussion forum, will occur on Sun., Apr. 26 starting at 4 PM at the Maryland Presbyterian Church, 1105 Providence Road, Towson 21286. This month learn about A Unique, Holistic Approach to Sustainability at The Johns Hopkins University: The Environment, Energy, Sustainability & Health Institute. The speaker is Katie Irgrec, Program Coordinator for this Institute.

Addressing environmental challenges requires holistic approaches that cut across fields to understand causes and consequences of environmental change, as well as to develop sustainable solutions. The Environment, Energy, Sustainability and Health Institute (E²SHI) coordinates and encourages innovative, integrative and interdisciplinary research, teaching, policy and practice of environmental sustainability by leveraging the expertise of scholars from across Johns Hopkins University. Katie Irgrec will provide an overview of the Institute’s work and highlight some of the research that aims to contribute to addressing environment challenges, including those in Baltimore. Visit http://e2shi.jhu.edu.


The Forum seeks to educate and stimulate dialogue about what humans can do to make modern civilization more sustainable, including adjusting to finite resource limits and preserving biodiversity and a healthy environment. This is done through 8 monthly meetings a year. The topics are far ranging. They vary from local to planetary and from philosophical to scientific to very practical. The Meeting Format: There is a speaker and Q&A from 4-5:15 PM. Then there are brief announcements by representatives of other organizations that also seek sustainability and environmental protection. The idea is to promote collaboration among these organizations. Next, there is an optional roundtable discussion until 6:30 PM. Finally, there is often a small gathering at a nearby restaurant.

BGF is open to the public and is free of charge, but donations to Maryland Presbyterian Church are collected during the meeting to thank the church for their generous gift of the space to us. Call Sam Hopkins at 410 554 0006 or email baltimoregreenforum@gmail.com. Visit http://www.baltimoregreen forum.org.

36] – Go to Busboys and Poets (Brookland Location), 625 Monroe St. NE, WDC on Sun., Apr. 26 from 6 to 8PM to hear a panel discussion with representatives from Clearly Innovative, Code for Progress, TechChange and others. Collectively their work is revolutionizing the way we envision social justice. Following the panel discussion, attendees will participate in an hour-long workshop where they will learn how to use design-thinking principles to create technologies that solve social problems. Following the event, there will be a networking session where attendees can mix with the panelists as well as representatives from General Assembly. General Assembly is offering a 30-day free trial to their online tech-training platform, Front Row, to all attendees.

DC+Acumen & Social SolutionsThe Social Innovation Lab is a collaborative effort between Busboys & Poets, DC+Acumen, and Social Solutions. The Social Innovation Lab brings together individuals from a variety of backgrounds to build a community that designs innovative solutions to social problems. The Social Innovation Lab covers a variety of topics, and is presented in a variety of form such as: artistic performances, w http://www.busboysandpoets.com/events/event/socent-presents-the-tech-revolution-social-justice-through-tech-design-and-orkshops, panel discussions, and community forums. Social Innovation Lab takes place the fourth Sunday of every month at Busboys & Poets Brookland. See http://www.busboysandpoets.com/events/event/socent-presents-the-tech-revolution-social-justice-through-tech-design-and-.

37] – On Sun., Apr. 26 at 7 PM at Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore 21201 ask the question What is the future of America? Constant war and a bloated defense budget that divert funds from social needs? The proliferation of racist attacks, primarily on young African American males? A further rollback of a woman's right to choose? Growing economic inequality and wage stagnation? Economic cycles that produce national and international recessions or depressions every several years? Growing evidence of human damage to the climate?

Or is another future possible? – A socialist future where the economic motives for war, racism and exploitation are eliminated; not a utopia but a society where people’s needs are more important than corporate profits. Come and meet John Bachtell. Discuss with him how today’s struggles are related to our hopes for a better future. The talk is sponsored by the NE Baltimore Club, Communist Party of Maryland: Call 410-433-3269 or email md@cpusa.org or visit Facebook at CPUSA Maryland.

38] -- 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., Apr. 27, and it is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker. Email artlaffin@hotmail.com or call 202-882-9649. The vigil will be outside the Pentagon's south Metro entrance and in the designated "protest zone" behind bicycle fences across from the entrance to the Metro. By Metro, take Yellow Line and get out at the "Pentagon" stop. Do not go to the Pentagon City stop! Go up south escalators and turn left and walk across to protest area. By car from D.C. area, take 395 South and get off at Exit 8A-Pentagon South Parking. Take slight right onto S. Rotary Rd. at end of ramp and right on S. Fern St. Then take left onto Army Navy Dr. You can "pay to park" on Army Navy Dr., and there is meter parking one block on right on Eads St. Payment for both of these spots begin at 8 AM. No cameras are allowed on Pentagon grounds. Restrooms are located inside Marriott Residence Inn on corner of S. Fern and Army Navy Dr.

39] – The Marc Steiner Show airs Monday through Friday from 10 AM to noon 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.

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