Baltimore Activist Alert - July 7 - 9, 2015

25] Voices from the Middle East – July 7 26] Greek Financial Crisis – July 7 27] India’s Nuclear Force – July 8 28] Iran Negotiations – July 8 29] Spur job creation – July 8 30] Russia’s Nuclear Threats – July 8 31] Hoops Not Dreams – July 8 32] Salsa Not Sanctions – July 8 33] Hearing on oil transportation – July 8 34] Supreme Court Injustices – July 8 35] Projects for Change – July 9 36] Iran Deal – July 9 37] Reclaim the Dream – July 9 ----- 25] – On Tues., July 7 from 9 AM to noon, join New Story Leadership at the Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Studies, 1740 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC, for its academic conference.  After a successful EnCourage conference in Jerusalem this year, New Story Leadership (NSL) returns to Washington with the 2015 Team of five Israeli and five Palestinian students aged 20 - 32 to host EnCourage Pt. II: Voices from the Middle East in partnership with the Johns Hopkins University Conflict Management Program.     This second EnCourage conference comes at a time when the conversation about Israel and Palestine has been dominated by hopelessness. In the face of stalemate, NSL has reached out to young activists in Israel and Palestine to tell stories of courage and hope for the Middle East. The conference will include keynote speeches by four NSL Team members, a panel discussion, and a question-and-answer session between the Team, academic panel, and the audience.  Visit https://newstoryleadership.givezooks.com/events/encourage-pt-ii-voices-from-the-middle-east.   26] –  Catch a talk about the Greek Financial Crisis and Referendum at UCDC, 1608 Rhode Island Ave. NW, WDC on Tues., July 7 from 6:30 to 8 PM.  Join the World Affairs Council for this panel discussion on Greece's financial situation. On July 5, Greece held a referendum on the proposals to provide further debt relief in exchange for Greece implementing extensive austerity measures. Greece missed the June 30 deadline for a new agreement, and a loan payment to the IMF, so it is unclear how the result of the referendum will impact further negotiations. While Angela Merkel and other European leaders are adamant that Greece maintain its Eurozone membership, many are unsure what the Greco-European relationship will look like. Is this the conclusion to the Greek financial saga which has drawn on since the first bailout in 2010? What does this mean for the Eurozone, the European Union, and the global economy? Go to https://www.worldaffairsdc.org/EventDetails.aspx?enc=HTtcoo0rzP5v9715Dtq1U2hQIoSvQcKm1PJPI0jBZaU=.   27] – On Wed., July 8 from 9:30 to 11 AM, hear Frank O'Donnell, King's College, London, Jogesh Joshi, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and George Perkovich, Carnegie Endowment, take on India’s Evolving Nuclear Force and Doctrine" at the Carnegie Endowment, 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC. RSVP at http://carnegieendowment.org/2015/07/08/india-s-evolving-nuclear-force-and-doctrine/ib1q.   28] – On Wed., July 8 from 11 AM to 12:15 PM,    Robert Litwick, Wilson Center, Aaron Miller, Wilson Center, Danielle Pletka, American Enterprise Institute, Henri Barkey, Wilson Center, and Robin Wright, Wilson Center, will address "The Iran Negotiations: Is this Really the End Game?" at the Wilson Center, Sixth Floor, Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC. RSVP at http://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/the-iran-negotiations-really-the-end-game.   29] – How can the country spur job creation in the U.S., particularly for part time workers? For older workers and some with child-care obligations, a part-time schedule can be an advantage. For others, there is need for full-time work and benefits. Millions of Americans are working fewer hours than they would like or need. Too many people are forced to take up part-time jobs because they are unable to find full-time work and many are too discouraged to even look for the work they and their families need.   Paving the Way for Work: Part Time Workers and Policies to Help Them will be discussed at 1899 L St. NW, Suite 400, WDC 20036 on Wed., July 8 from 12:15 to 1:45 PM.  Join New America for a discussion on part-time jobs, social mobility, and the changing American workforce. Visit https://www.newamerica.org/new-america/paving-the-way-for-work/.   30] – On Wed., July 8 from 2:30 to 4 PM, Pavel Baev, Brookings Institution, Steven Pifer, Brookings Institution, and Hans Kristensen, Federation of American Scientists, take on "The Meaning of Russia's Nuclear Threats" at Brookings Institution, Saul/Zilkha Rooms, 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC. RSVP at http://connect.brookings.edu/register-to-attend-russia-nuclear-threats.   31] – Hoops Not Bombs ~ No War on Iran! is happening in front of the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW on Wed., July 8 at 5:30 PM.  Join CODEPINK for the second annual hula hooping jam session.  Who doesn't remember hula hooping when you were a kid? Come relive your childhood fun and meet some *professional* hoopers while being an essential part in the movement for peace! People will be jamming out in support of President Obama's nuclear negotiations with Iran because we can't afford the alternative- war.  Bring hoops if you have them, but there will be plenty of extras. Go to http://www.hooping.org/2015/02/hoops-not-bombs-codepink-at-the-white-house/ or https://www.facebook.com/events/476637275820633/.   32] – Salsa not Sanctions at the Venezuelan Embassy’s Bolivarian Hall, 2443 Massachusetts Ave. NW, WDC on Wed., July 8 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM.  In the beginning of March of this year, President Obama ominously called Venezuela a “threat to US national security” and imposed sanctions on Venezuelan government officials, creating a new wedge between Washington and Latin America.  CODEPINK and the Venezuelan embassy are hosting this party. Come show your determination to have positive relations with these South American neighbors. There will be live music presented by the Latino Caribeña Orchestra and dance teachers who will teach how to salsa! And if you don’t like to dance, just come to meet new friends, have fun and talk about how to build a stronger US movement for positive ties with Latin America.  Venezuela is in no way a threat to the United States, and the Obama administration has backed down on this and is making overtures to improve ties. RSVP to lia@codepink.org.   33] – On Wed., July 8 at 6 PM, there is an informational hearing on crude oil transportation.   Maryland League of Conservation Voters has partnered with Clean Water Action, and Baltimore Councilperson Ed Reisinger has agreed to hold a formal public hearing in Baltimore City Council Chambers, 100 Holliday St., Baltimore, 21202, to discuss the dangers of shipping crude oil-by-rail through our backyards. RSVP at http://org.salsalabs.com/o/2155/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=84549. There have been six derailments and subsequent explosions since January.     We need to ensure our communities are protected and emergency responders are prepared to handle a derailment and subsequent explosion. Similar accidents over the past few years released crude oil into an Alabama swamp, hung railcars from a bridge in Philadelphia, crashed trains through a building near Pittsburgh, set the James River on fire for hours, evacuated over 1,000 people from their homes in North Dakota, and killed 47 people in Quebec. Don’t let Baltimore suffer the same fate as other places affected by oil train derailments and explosions. Tell your elected officials to protect us from the dangers of shipping crude oil-by-rail in Baltimore! The real danger of accidents and environmental impacts greatly outweigh the benefits of shipping crude oil through Baltimore.   34] – As part of Writers LIVE, Ian Millhiser will discuss his book “Injustices: The Supreme Court's History of Comforting the Comfortable and Afflicting the Afflicted” on Wed., July 8 at 6:30 PM at the Central Library, Poe Room, 400 Cathedral St., Baltimore 21201. Constitutional law expert Millhiser argues that the Supreme Court routinely bent the arc of American history away from justice. He explains how the Court seized power for itself that rightfully belongs to the people's elected representatives and ignored rights that are explicitly protected by the Constitution. Millhiser tells the history of the Court through the eyes of the everyday people who have suffered the most, from Reconstruction to the present day. He is a senior constitutional policy analyst at the Center for American Progress and the editor of ThinkProgress Justice. The Ivy Bookshop will have copies of the author's book for sale at a book signing following the program.   35] – Come meet young Israelis and Palestinians with New Story Leadership on Wed., July 8 from 7 to 9 PM at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Capitol Hill, 301 A St. SE, WDC 20003 (near the Capitol South Metro).  Tired of hearing the “same old story” from leaders in the Middle East?  Come be inspired and invigorated by ten gutsy young people (ages 20-32), who have pushed past physical, societal, and psychological barriers to meet, live, work, and learn together this summer. For the 6th year, New Story Leadership, a local non-profit, is giving young Israelis and Palestinians a “safe space” in which to live together with host families, develop skills in non-violent communication, shape “Projects for Change” to implement back home and speak their truth about the conflict to American audiences.   Go to www.newstoryleadership.org.   36] – On Thurs., July 9 from 2 to 3:30 PM, Kelsey Davenport, Arms Control Association, Kenneth Katzman, Congressional Research Service, Clifford Kupcham, Eurasia Group, and John Limbert, U.S. Naval Academy, will examine "The Iran Deal and its Consequences" at the Atlantic Council, 12th Floor, 1030 15th St. NW, WDC. RSVP at http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/events/upcoming-events/registration/a08i000001POMUqAAP.   37] – At the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), 4301 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA on Thurs., July 9 at 7 PM through Fri., July 10 at 9 PM, there will be a Public Policy Forum Rebooting Our Policy Agenda To Reclaim The American Dream featuring members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.  Sen. Bernie Sanders has represented Vermont in the Senate since 2007 after serving 16 years as the state’s sole Congressperson in the House of Representatives. In 1991, Congressman Sanders co-founded the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Throughout his career Senator Sanders has championed for working families, focusing on the shrinking middle class and the growing gap between the rich and poor, and he is continuing his advocacy as a 2016 Democratic presidential candidate. The Congressional Progressive Caucus is dedicated to promoting a fair, progressive policy agenda for all Americans, and with 71 members is the largest membership organization in the US Congress Democratic Caucus.  Go to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1xmIwNoNqMKcHHjNMoN0Jn2LihL0qSM_yMmOUmr_yFkM/viewform.   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