Sunday, May 17, 2020

Baltimore Activist Alert -- May 18 - 19, 2020


21] Edward Snowden and the Modern Surveillance State – May 18
22] Baltimore City Council meeting – May 18
23] Portrait of Toni Morrison – May 18
24] Our Revolution meeting – May 18
25] PORKOPOLIS – May 18
26] Venezuela's Bay of Piglets? – May 18
27] Get Money Out – Maryland call May 18
28] Want Betsy Sweet to Beat Susan Collins – May 18
29] Food Rescue – May 19
30] Fund the Frontlines – May 19
31] Origins of Digital Self-Defense – May 19
32] Amy Goodman in Conversation with Noam Chomsky and Stan Cox – May 19
33] Tell JHU President Ron Daniels to renounce weapons contracts – May 19
34] Baltimore City House Delegation Virtual Town Hall – May 19
35] Mayoral Forum – May 19
36] Beyond Coal Webinar – May 19
37] Coalition Building across Movements – May 19
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21] - Tune In: Edward Snowden and the Modern Surveillance State on Tues., May 19‌ from 4 to 4:45 PM EST, which will be presented online via Zoom. Go to http://darkmirrorbooktalk.theatlantic.com/. In 2013, Edward Snowden became a household name. His revelations of the scope of government surveillance of our digital lives shocked the nation and forever changed the relationship between government and citizens, privacy and security.  Join The Atlantic and The Century Foundation for a live event as Gellman discusses his new book DARK MIRROR: Edward Snowden and the Modern Surveillance State. Gellman will be in conversation with the Atlantic’s Editor in Chief, Jeffrey Goldberg.  Remarks will be made by The Century Foundation president Mark Zuckerman.

22] – On Mon., May 18 from 5 to 6 PM, attend a Virtual Meeting of the Baltimore City Council, hosted by Council President Brandon M. Scott. Members of the public and press can watch the meeting online at charmtvbaltimore.com/watch-live or on CharmTV (Channel 25/1085HD).  Information and an agenda for the City Council meeting can be found here: https://baltimore.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=739231&GUID=2DD74147-5164-4198-A5FA-0046FFEB2A5F&Options=&Search=.  Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/3323347807684734/.

23] – On Mon., May 18 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM, get with Art AfterWords: A Book Discussion, hosted by the DC Public Library and National Portrait Gallery. Join the virtual conversation about portraits and prose by discussing Robert McCurdy’s portrait of Toni Morrison from the Portrait Gallery’s collection alongside the related book, “Paradise” by Toni Morrison.  DCPL Cardholders, you can access Paradise here: https://dclibrary.overdrive.com/media/148285. Participants will receive a link to the event via email on May 17.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/542832216307357/.

24] – Our Revolution meets on the 3rd Monday of each month from 5:30 to 7:30 PM.  On Mon., May 18, there will be a Zoom Meeting about Life during COVID-19: Equity and Building a More Just Society.  The speakers are Stephanie Smith (MD Del. 45th District) and Kristy Fogle (Maryland Progressive Healthcare Coalition Founder).  The economic and health consequences of COVID-19 have been exacerbated by existing racial and wealth disparities and exposed the deep systemic inequities that have always existed. Examine how to build a more just and fair society while rebuilding from the ashes of the pandemic. Registration is required. Zoom information will be sent to registered attendees the day of the meeting.  Visit https://www.mobilize.us/ourrevolution/event/269476/?link_id=4&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-phonebanking-for-local-or-candidates-covid-19&email_referrer=email_797673___subject_1075444&email_subject=covid-19-equity-and-building-a-more-just-world.

25] On Mon., May 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, check out Humanities in the Village: A Virtual Event, hosted by Alexander Grass Humanities Institute. Look at us02web.zoom.us.  This is a look at Industrial Life: A Conversation on Meat, Crisis, and Essential Work. The Ivy Bookshop and Johns Hopkins University's Alexander Grass Humanities Institute are proud to present a virtual edition of our "Humanities in the Village" series, usually hosted on the last Monday of the month at Bird in Hand in Charles Village. This month, hear from Jan Dutkiewicz and Alex Blanchette, moderated by Anand Pandian, to discuss the timely issues of meat production and essential work. This event will take place on Zoom.  Alex Blanchette's new book is “Porkopolis,” available for purchase here: https://www.theivybookshop.com/book/9781478008408.

In the 1990s a small Midwestern town approved the construction of a massive pork complex, where almost 7 million hogs are birthed, raised, and killed every year. In Porkopolis Alex Blanchette explores how this rural community has been reorganized around the life and death cycles of corporate pigs. Drawing on over two years of ethnographic fieldwork, Blanchette immerses readers into the workplaces that underlie modern meat, from slaughterhouses and corporate offices to artificial insemination barns and bone-rendering facilities. He outlines the deep human-hog relationships and intimacies that emerge through intensified industrialization, showing how even the most mundane human action, such as a wayward touch, could have serious physical consequences for animals. Corporations' pursuit of a perfectly uniform, standardized pig—one that can yield materials for over 1000 products—creates social and environmental instabilities that transform human lives and livelihoods. Throughout Porkopolis, which includes dozens of images by award-winning photographer Sean Sprague, Blanchette uses factory farming to rethink the fraught state of industrial capitalism in the United States today.

Dutkiewicz is the Connie Caplan Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University. He has published about the politics of meat production in a range of academic journals, as well as in publications including The Guardian, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Jacobin. Anand Pandian teaches anthropology at Johns Hopkins University.  Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/237173954215745/.

26] – On Mon., May 18 from 7 to 8:30 PM, get with Profs & Pints Online: Venezuela's Bay of Piglets? See www.crowdcast.io. Fulton Armstrong, research fellow at American University’s Center for Latin American Studies and former National Intelligence Officer for Latin America and adviser to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will speak.  The mini-invasion force that landed on the Venezuelan coast on May 3 was wrapped up much quicker than the hapless crew who stormed the “Bay of Pigs” in Cuba 59 years ago. But it failed for mostly the same reasons: bad analysis of the situation in the country, a politicized policy framework, dismal planning, massive security leaks, and feckless execution.  Its impact is also similar. The Venezuela exile force of 60, led by two former U.S. Special Forces troops, has handed an easy propaganda victory to President Nicolás Maduro. It also has badly discredited National Assembly President Juan Guaidó, who the United States and 50 other countries recognize as national president. Although Guaidó reneged on the $220 million contract for the operation, he did indeed sign it, and he allowed top aides to remain involved.  Advance tickets are $12. Go https://www.facebook.com/events/858698281317858/.

27] – Join the Get Money Out of Maryland Teleconference on Mon., May 18 from 8:30 to 9:30 PM.  There are two ways to join the conference: Dial 1 929 205 6099, and then use meeting ID: 512 862 260. Or Click on your device if you have downloaded the app from Zoom. The focus will be on organizational sign-ups, public relations, and logistics for lobbying in Annapolis.

28] -- Progressive Democrats of America Want Betsy Sweet To Beat Susan Collins In Maine. Join a Virtual Town Hall on Mon., May 18 at 9 PM ET.  Susan Collins is a nationally-renowned disappointment.  She tries to promote herself as some kind of moderate, but when push comes to shove she always walks the Trump/Tea Party line.  The good news is there is a tremendous progressive option in Maine: Betsy Sweet.  From Expanded And Improved Medicare For All, the Green New Deal, getting money out of politics, social, economic, and racial justice and peace, Betsy is in step with all of our progressive stances, and most importantly isn't afraid to stand up and fight for what is right.  She's been fighting for almost 40 years for underserved Mainers as an activist, and now's the time to send her to the US Senate to work for us all.  Join the Virtual Town Hall to get to know her better.  Get the log in/phone number details by emailing Mike Fox at mikefox@pdamerica.org.

29] –On Tues., May 19 from noon to 1 PM, go to a Food Rescue at YO! Baltimore West, 1510 Lafayette Ave., Baltimore 21217. Food Rescue partners with Yo! Baltimore West to bring you fresh, delicious, free food. Bring a bag. Bring a friend! Take what you want.  Check outhttps://www.facebook.com/events/118277989485737/?event_time_id=118278006152402.

30] – On Tues., May 19 from 1:30 to 4:30 PM, join a Caravan to Call on the Board of Public Works to Fund the Frontlines!  This is hosted by AFSCME Maryland. AFSCME Council 3 members are calling on the Board of Public Works to prevent cuts to state services and Fund the Frontlines. Maryland public service workers are leading on-the-ground efforts to respond to COVID-19, often at significant risk and hardship to themselves. Come to the AFSCME Office, 190 W. Ostend St., # 101, Baltimore 21230 to get a final map of the route and to decorate your car!  Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/294736038200806/.

31] -- On Tues., May 19 from 3 to 5 PM, the MediaJustice Network, in collaboration with Peopleshub and Tiny Gigantic, will host a series of conversations and workshops, Defend the movements in the time of Covid-19. The series is part of Team #MediaJustice’s Defend Our Movements work, in collaboration with May First Movement Technologies, to assist organizations and organizers to build their analysis and technical know-how, and to make strategic decisions around their digital presence and safety.  The first workshop, Circle: Origins of Digital Self-Defense, will be an intergenerational dialogue on the history and impact of surveillance and harassment of organizers. Explore what is at stake now that most of the organizing has shifted online. The conversation will conclude with a peer strategy clinic to go deeper into the threats, risks, and community care strategies we need to respond to the moment. Register to attend The Circle: https://peopleshub.org/product/defend-our-movements-in-the-time-of-covid-19-circle/.

32] -- COUNTERPUNCH INVITES YOU TO ATTEND Amy Goodman in Conversation with Noam Chomsky and Stan Cox on The Green New Deal and Beyond on Tues., May 19 at 3 PM ET. Also to be discussed is how the pandemic does and does not affect the struggle for climate and economic justice, and more. Stan Cox is the author of the new book “The Green New Deal and Beyond” just published by City Lights. THE EVENT IS FREE, BUT YOU MUST PRE-REGSITER HERE at https://www.crowdcast.io/e/a-virtual-conversation/register.

33] – The Vigil to say "No Drone Research at JHU" at 33rd and N. Charles Sts. on Tuesdays from 5 to 6 PM is postponed until further notice. Contact Max at mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net or 410-323-1607.  You may consider contacting President Ron Daniels and telling him that the university should reject all military contracts, including those for killer drone and nuclear weapons research.  The president’s mailing address is Office of the President, 242 Garland Hall, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, Maryland 21218.  You can also reach his office by Phone: (410) 516-8068, Fax: (410) 516-6097 or email: president@jhu.edu.

34] – On Tues., May 19 from 5 to 6:30 PM, tune in to the Baltimore City House Delegation Virtual Town Hall. YOU MUST REGISTER to participate and receive the meeting link at https://forms.gle/H3dnRdL6u8YvW6wY6. Discuss and receive agency updates on education, economic resources and health. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/546472266014381/.

35] – On Tues., May 19 from 6 to 8 PM, get with a Mayoral Forum on Fair Development, Transportation and Zero Waste, hosted by the Fair Development Roundtable. Hear a debate on the issues that matter: fair development, housing, transportation, and zero waste. This forum will be moderated by Jean Marbella from The Baltimore Sun.  Candidates participating include Shelia Dixon, T.J. Smith, Mary Miller, Brandon Scott, and Thiru Vignarajah. Audience questions will be entered and selected through the Webex chat feature. The Web Link is Bit.ly/fairdevelopmentforum.  Call 415-655-0001.  The Event Access Code and Password is 472 484 895, 2020. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/902652003539695/.

36] – As the COVID-19 pandemic goes on, there is still work to reduce pollution from fossil fuels.  Maryland's coal plants have been polluting our water for years, but this year help make progress to limit water pollution from coal plants.  Join the Sierra Club on Mon., May 18 at 6:30 PM for a Beyond Coal Webinar to learn about the work on coal pollution in our water and what it means for Marylanders -- RSVP https://act.sierraclub.org/events/details?id=7013q000001agk3AAA&formcampaignid=7013q000001aeb7AAA&data=b6e24884ef874d561f720648fa7f24c728d130c0ee61950ee534052d92e2b46bad2d2286ded8e97bd08adac88591a989&utm_medium=email&utm_source=sierraclub&utm_campaign=beyondcoal.  Contact the event organizer Lossa Zenebe at lossa.zenebe@sierraclub.org.  Discuss how coal plants in Maryland have been polluting our water. Toxic coal ash pollution from the GenOn and Talen power Plants are a threat to Maryland families and communities. Coal ash wastewater contains health-harming and ecologically destructive selenium, arsenic, mercury, nitrogen, and other compounds. Join Sierra Club and representatives from the Environmental Integrity Project & Potomac Riverkeepers.

37] – Join CODEPINK and World Beyond War for the last installment of their 5-part Divest from the War Machine webinar series on Tues., May 19 from 6 to 7 PM ET: Coalition Building Across Movements.  Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/divest-from-the-war-machine-webinar-series-registration-102039713530?link_id=6&can_id=4b9d4061aec5469758759317ac0f5285&source=email-take-action-to-end-the-korean-war-and-divest-from-the-war-machine&email_referrer=email_800008&email_subject=take-action-to-end-the-korean-war-and-divest-from-the-war-machine Hear from activists who have successfully built multi-issue coalitions to take on divestment across issue areas, such as combining fossil fuel and weapons divestment in a single campaign.

To be continued.

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Baltimore, MD 21212.  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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