Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Baltimore Activist Alert - July 25, 2018


Book SLAVERY DEFENDED, ed. By Eric L. McKitrick for sale -- $1

33] "The Perfect Weapon: War, Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age" – July 25
34] Measuring Women's and Girls' Empowerment – July 25
35] Day of Service – July 25
36] Peace with North Korea and Russia – July 25
37] Stand up for union rights – July 25
38] Healthy Working Families Act – July 25
39] Creating Peace on the Korean Peninsula July 25
40] Negotiating a Peace Agreement in Syria – July 25
41] FreeState Justice Happy Hour – July 25
42] DSA Happy Hour -- July 25
43] Speak out against Governor Hogan’s destructive highway expansion – July 25
44] 40 Days of Moral Action -- July 25
45] Democracy for Realists – July 25
46] Kick-off Event: People's Platform – July 25
47] Town Hall Meeting: Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs – July 125
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33] – On Wed., July 25 from 8:45 to 10:30 AM, hear from David Sanger, New York Times on "The Perfect Weapon: War, Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age" at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, 1776 Eye Street NW, Suite 600, WDC. RSVP at https://www.tfaforms.com/4686288.

34] – On Wed., July 25 from 9:30 to 11 AM, catch up with Measuring Women's and Girls' Empowerment: A Practical Guide, hosted by Center for Global Development, 2055 L St. NW, 5th floor, WDC 20036. Get tickets at www.cgdev.org.  Many practitioners and researchers are grappling with how to better measure women’s and girls’ empowerment in impact evaluations. Which approaches to measuring a complex social outcome like decision-making power should we use, and can we improve on our existing models? When should we use internationally standardized survey questions and when is it better to develop locally tailored ones? Can non-survey instruments pick up useful information that surveys can’t, and when should we think about using them? 

CGD, in collaboration with Data2X, is delighted to host the launch of J-PAL’s new research resource, A Practical Guide to Measuring Women's and Girls’ Empowerment in Impact Evaluations, which offers practical guidance on these and many other questions and a comprehensive process for measuring empowerment in an impact evaluation. Rachel Glennerster will briefly present the new guide and how it can help practitioners and researchers develop their own strategies for measuring empowerment that are right for their impact evaluations. Afterward, experts will discuss the proposed measurement approaches, promising ways to overcome challenges related to measuring empowerment, and important areas for future measurement research. See https://www.facebook.com/events/199996320686164/.

35] – On Wed., July 25 from noon to 3 PM, participate in the CHRIS Inc. "Day of Service," hosted by Coordinating Holistic Resources Initiatives & Services, Inc. at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 120 N. Front St., Baltimore  21202.  Provide food and resources to the homeless. The event will honor the life of the late Christine Duncan to Continue A Legacy of Goodwill.  Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/434187430389096/.

36] – On Wed., July 25 from noon to 3 PM, get over to Prospects for Peace with North Korea and Russia, hosted by Peace Action at the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law, 4340 Connecticut Ave, NW, WDC 20008. Feeling bewildered about the state of the world? Me too! Let's get together and chat.  Kevin Martin will be speaking at 3PM -- "Nuclear Weapons and Human Rights: Prospects for Peace in Korea and the need to halt the New Cold War with Russia." Get off the Red Line at Van Ness/UDC Metro.  This talk is part of the 17th Annual Human Rights on the Hill conference through July 27, organized by University of Hawai'i Professor Joshua Copper, a former Peace Action board member. See https://www.facebook.com/events/2072625852989233/.

37] – On Wed., July 25 from 12:30 to 2:30 PM, join up with Red for Feds- D.C. Court House Rally, hosted by AFGE at John Marshall Park, 333 Constitution Ave. NW, WDC 20001-2804.  Tickets are at actionnetwork.org.  AFGE will go to court to stand up for our union rights and representation. Together, we can stop the executive orders that threaten to bust our union. Wear something RED and stand in front of the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse for the #RedForFeds Day of Action.  Visit: http://www.afge.org/RedForFedsRSVP.

38] – The Working Matters coalition has been working hard to monitor the implementation of the Maryland Healthy Working Families Act, which now ensures earned sick and safe leave for over 700,000 Marylanders across the state. From a leave accrual calculator, to updated blog posts, to important Train-the-Trainer workshops covering the new law, the group is continually working to make sure workers and employers have the tools they need to better understand Maryland's earned sick and safe leave law. The next Train-the-Trainers workshop will be on Wed., July 25 from 1 to 2:30 PM at Catholic Charities, 228 W Lexington St., Baltimore. To RSVP, email Sulma at Guzmans@publicjustice.org.

39] – On Wed., July 25 from 3 to 4:30 PM, hear from Cho Hyun, Republic of Korea Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who will talk about the "Future of the Korea-US Alliance: Creating Peace on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia" at George Washington University, 1957 E St. NW, WDC 20052. RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdBCEkGCvhsnpLbP74ChMtsqyvQa7X1IH9pH83ALgu26-qE7g/viewform.

40] – On Wed., July 25 from 5:30 to 8:30 PM, participate in Negotiating a Peace Agreement in Syria — Negotiation Simulation, hosted by Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG) at Baker & Mckenzie LLP, 815 Connecticut Ave. NW, WDC 20006.  Tickets are at docs.google.com.  Law students are invited to participate in the upcoming session of the summer peace negotiation simulation series. These simulations are designed to expose summer associates and law students to the skills needed to be the lawyer in a peace process.  Participants are not expected to be experts on the topic. A short background document will be provided in advance of the simulation and no additional research is required. Skills to be developed include creating and applying negotiation strategies, exploring opposing interests, dealing with high-pressure situations, and working as part of a team.

This negotiation simulation will identify the challenges involved in negotiating a comprehensive peace settlement in Syria and explore potential points of agreement or disagreement among the key negotiating parties. PILPG’s negotiation simulations are developed using the methodology employed by the United States Department of State’s National Foreign Affairs Training Institute, which runs similar simulations for U.S. diplomats prior to negotiations.  Contact Neha Bhatia at nbhatia@pilpg.org.   Visit http://publicinternationallawandpolicygroup.org/.

41] – On Wed., July 25 from 6 to 9 PM, get over to the FreeState Justice Happy Hour Fundraiser, hosted by Monument City Brewing Company at the Golden West CafĂ©, 1105 W 36th St, Baltimore 21211.  Stop by with proceeds supporting this awesome organization. If you just want to stop by and show your support you can also donate directly at the bar!  FreeState Justice envisions a Maryland where people across the spectrum of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer identities are free to live authentically, with safety and dignity, in all communities throughout our state. It is Maryland’s only statewide social justice organization working to improve the lives of LGBTQ people and their families.  See https://www.facebook.com/events/1263064723824658/.

42] -- On Wed., July 25 from 6:30 to 9:30 PM,  attend the DSA Happy Hour, hosted by Metro D.C. Democratic Socialists of America at Franklin Hall, 1348 Florida Avenue NW, WDC 20009.  Learn about Metro DC DSA and its work, and make some new acquaintances!   Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/2007177285982577/.

43] – Attend this Workshop on Wed., July 25 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, organized by the Sierra Club at Thomas Pyle Middle School, 6311 Wilson Lane, Bethesda 20817.  Contact Lindsey Mendelson at lindsey.mendelson@mdsierra.org or 240-706-7901. Attend this Workshop to give your feedback on alternatives (including a no-build scenario) to Governor Hogan's proposal to add four express toll lanes to the Capital Beltway (I-495) and to I-270 between the Beltway and Frederick. 

   Governor Hogan’s proposal would be one of the biggest and most expensive highway expansion projects in the country and could cost hundreds of residents their homes. On top of this, the $9 billion price tag for these projects doesn’t include the costs on our environment and our health from increased traffic, air pollution, and climate change emissions or the disproportionate toll this project would have on overburdened and underserved communities.  The Governor's proposal calls for a public-private partnership to design, build, and operate the express toll lanes and recoup the investment via tolls that would fluctuate based on congestion to keep the traffic moving. But before proceeding, the proposal and alternatives to meet the need and purpose must be subjected to an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) mandated by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.  The EIS is scheduled to be completed by fall/winter 2019. 

44] – Thank you to all who made the 40 Days of Moral Action happen. What is Next? Come on Wed., July 25 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM to continue to reorganize ourselves and prepare for an upcoming action. Come and get involved at the Lamond Riggs Library, 5401 South Dakota Ave. NE.  Parking is Available, and the location is close to the Ft. Totten Metro Station. Email washingtondc@poorpeoplescampaign.org.

45] -- On Wed., July 25 from 7 to 8 PM, get involved with the Foreign & Domestic: A Policy Book Club - Democracy for Realists at hosted by Solid State Books, 600 H Street NE, WDC 20002.  Join Solid State bookseller and policy enthusiast Chris Watson for a discussion of “Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government” by Christopher Achen and Larry Bartels. Democracy for Realists assails the romantic folk-theory at the heart of contemporary thinking about democratic politics and government, and offers a provocative alternative view grounded in the actual human nature of democratic citizens.

Achen and Bartels deploy a wealth of social-scientific evidence, including ingenious original analyses of topics ranging from abortion politics and budget deficits to the Great Depression and shark attacks, to show that the familiar ideal of thoughtful citizens steering the ship of state from the voting booth is fundamentally misguided. They demonstrate that voters—even those who are well informed and politically engaged—mostly choose parties and candidates on the basis of social identities and partisan loyalties, not political issues. They also show that voters adjust their policy views and even their perceptions of basic matters of fact to match those loyalties. When parties are roughly evenly matched, elections often turn on irrelevant or misleading considerations such as economic spurts or downturns beyond the incumbents' control; the outcomes are essentially random. Thus, voters do not control the course of public policy, even indirectly. All of the book club picks are 10% off in store for the month. See https://www.facebook.com/events/210689212900362/.

46] – On Wed., July 25 at 7 PM, get over to the Kick-off Event: People's Platform, which is a voter turnout project to increase voter turnout in Delaware's primary election by at least 5%, around issues related to smart justice, educational justice, and economic justice, at Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew, 719 N. Shipley St., Wilmington, DE. Network Delaware, ACLU & Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League are founding members. Pacem in Terris is a co-sponsor of this event and project. Go to http://delawareway.blogspot.com/2018/07/delawares-peoples-platform-kick-off-set.html.

47] – Socialists4Baltimore invite you to a Town Hall Meeting: Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs on Thurs., July 26 from 7 to 9 PM at the Real News Network, 231 Holliday St., Baltimore 21202. Mr. Jorge Arreaza will answer What can the Baltimore community learn from Venezuela? How does the Trump administration and big business’s policy of war and aggression against Venezuela affect the people of Baltimore and the world at large? Go to https://www.meetup.com/Socialists4Baltimore/events/252878843/.

To be continued.

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.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

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