Thursday, May 24, 2007

The Network of Spiritual Progressives in Maryland - June 2007

War is wrong, repentence is necessary.
Generosity is our strategy, not domination and control.
JOIN US

Sat, June 9 - Baltimore NSP Meeting
Arrive at 9:45 to socialize--meeting to start at 10AM
In a home. For info, contact Jerry, 410-404-8535 or email: jraitzyk@hotmail.com

Mon, June 18, 7:30 pm - Prince Georges/Montgomery NSP Meeting
Paint Branch UU Church, 3215 Powder Mill Road
Adelphi, Maryland 20783-1097
Phone: (301) 937-3666
For info email: nsp.maryland.pgmc@earthlink.net

Thurs, June 21 - NSP house parties to discuss the Strategy of Generosity.
All over the country. For more info click here.
Locally at 7 pm in a home in Savage (N.Laurel), MD (near of Rt 95 and Rt 32.)
Do you struggle to be generous in a culture that says that you better watch out for your own interests or you'll never have enough? Here's your opportunity to discuss with others how this same prevailing ideology of scarcity has shaped a foreign policy of extreme national self-interest. Scarcity should not shape our foreign policy. Explore the NSP Generosity Strategy: world security through generosity, kindness, and concern for other people. We'll start with socializing, then hold a simple ceremony acknowledging the summer solstice.
Then we'll watch a short NSP video, talk and eat and party a bit more, until 8:30 pm, when we'll participate in a conference call with NSP founder Rabbi Michael Lerner.
Bring light snacks to share. Join us!
Space is limited: RSVP with your name, city, email and phone number to: nspmaryland@gmail.com or 443-803-8546 and we'll send you the address and directions.
For more info on the NSP generosity strategy click here.

NSP Alternative 4th of July Celebrations Nationwide and in Columbia MD at Centenniel Park, Pavilion A
  • Celebrating what is good about the United States
  • Affirming our interdependence with all of the other peoples of the world
  • Affirm our visons for world peace, and our care and concern for our ecosystem.
Join us for a mid-day July 4, 2007 picnic and alternative 4th celebration at Centennial Park in Columbia MD, Pavilion A.
To RSVP and get additional details and directions: email: nspmaryland@gmail.com
See map of the park here and park details here.

RESOURCES:

"An Ethical Way to End the War With Iraq"
See this NSP AD in the New York Times Thurs, May 17. Click here and here.
War is wrong, repentence is necessary. Send in an international peace force acceptable to the Iraquis. Rebuild Iraq and launch the Global Marshall Plan.

The Global Marshall Plan - The key alternative to war/domination/control "our alternative, what we call the Strategy of Generosity, is our commitment to reestablish trust and hope among the peoples of the world so that we might begin to reflect and act coherently on ending world poverty in our lifetimes." To read more click here.

We have an 8 point Spiritual Covenant with America.

Ecological sensitivity and a commitment to reduce global warming are key parts of our covenant. For related local events click here.

Peace among and between all are also key. For related local events click here.

OTHER CALENDARS OF NOTE:

For ongoing area climate activism and updates see the Chesapeake Climate Action Network site.

Info on ongoing Nonviolent Communication Classes is here . See great NVC article "Connecting Across the Political Divide" here.

Simplicity Matters Earth Institute (SMEI) calendar is here . SMEI offers discussion and action circles in the MD from Balti to Frederick to Annapolis and DC on voluntary simplicity, globalization, global warming etc.
ANNUAL STATEWIDE SMEI SIMPLE PICNIC!
Simplicity Matters Earth Institute
Sunday June 24, 1-5 pm
Paint Branch Unitarian Universalist Congregation
3215 Powder Mill Road, Adelphi , MD
Directions: http://www.pbuuc.org/info/directions/index.html

OTHER

Sojourners Hosts Presidential Candidates Forum on Faith, Values, and Poverty
Mon, June 4, 7 to 8 pm on CNN
With Jim Wallis and Senator Hillary Clinton, former Senator John Edwards and Senator Barack Obama
For info click here. To find a local TV watch party click here and here.

Peace Events - May/June 2007

Sunday, May 27, 2007 6:00 - 8:00 PM Love Thy Neighbor (LTN) Fundraiser
BusBoys&Poets, (Langston Room)
2021 14th St. NW, Washington DC 20009
There is a story rarely told about Palestine/Israel, a story of hope. Quietly and in small but growing numbers, people committed to justice and nonviolence are meeting, teaching and taking action in both Israel and Palestine. These crucial efforts need to be shared widely, and they need to be supported and expanded if there is to be lasting change at the grassroots level in the region. Love Thy Neighbor (LTN), a young organization, is dedicated to educating citizens in this country (primarily and currently those in Metro Washington, DC) about the work of people committed to nonviolence in Palestine and Israel. In consultation with Palestinian educators, LTN members have planned "Living Nonviolence," a two- week nonviolence camp to be held in Ramallah (West Bank) in July of 2007. You can join these Palestinian and Israeli nonviolence efforts right here inWashington DC. <www.ltneighbor.com> Suggested Donation: $20.00 - (No one will be turned away).
What to expect: Appetizers will be provided, music will be played, and you will get a chance to practice some nonviolence principles.

Wednesday, May 30th, 2007 at 7:00 pm, Screening of The Imam and the Pastor.
Church of the Reformation, 212 E. Capitol St., Washington, DC (behind the Supreme Court and across from the Folger Shakespeare Library)
This is a documentary from the heart of Nigeria is about inspiring grassroots peace-making between Muslims and Christians.
Open to the public with a free-will offering.
Sponsored by the Capitol Hill Faith Forum in cooperation with The Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding, the Washington Office on Africa, the Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington DC, the Luther Institute, and others.
For more information, contact the Church of the Reformation at 202 543-4200.

May 30 (Wednesday), 7 pm: Presentation: "Why the Occupation of Palestine Must End,
"
At the Howard County Central Library, 10375 Little
Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Maryland 21044
Speaker: Rami El-Amine. He is the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation’s D.C. Metro Area Organizer for the June 10 Demonstration Against the Israeli Occupation, and Member of the Coalition for Justice and Accountability. He will discuss recent developments in the Middle East related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and explain the significance of the June 10-11 events in Washington D.C.. No admission charge. Free parking.
Sponsored by: Howard County Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
For more information: HCCEIO@yahoo.com

May 30 (Wednesday), 7:30 pm: Video and Discussion: “Palestine Peace Not Apartheid.”
Church of the Resurrection Multi-Purpose Room under the Gym
3175 Paulskirk Dr, Ellicott City, MD 21042.
Baltimore Archdiocese Bishop Denis Madden will answer questions after participants watch a 15-minute video of Jimmy Carter’s presentation at Brandeis University on his book by this title.
Sponsored by Resurrection’s Social Justice Committee. Ellicott City. Information: 410-461-2040

Friday, June 1, 2007 7pm - Noted Author Speaks on Little Known History and Race Relations
Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis.
Fascinating evening with noted author Jim Loewen, critic of American History Texts, sociologist and educator on race relations. Sponsored by the Antiracism Transformation Team, Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis. Doors open at 6:30; light refreshments served until 7 pm. The program will start at 7 sharp.
For directions, see http://www.uuca-md.org/htm/directions.htm

Saturday, June 2nd, 9 AM - 4 PM - Active Nonviolence - from personal conflict to nonviolent social movements
St. Alban's Church, 3001 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
"Active Nonviolence - from personal conflict to nonviolent social movements for change": A workshop by the Episcopal Peace Fellowship Cost is $25. incl. lunch. Scholarships available. Please note that this workshop is non-denominational and open to all. The material is based on Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Desmond Tutu. Please register at VBKos@aol.com or 703-931-1423.
http://www.washingtonpeacecenter.org/thisweek.htm#3472
http://www.washingtonpeacecenter.org/
http://www.st-albans-parish.org/

Saturday, June 2nd, 2-6 PM, meet your Muslim Neighbors at Dar Al Taqwa
Open House at Dar Al Taqwa Mosque
10740 Route 108
Ellicott City, MD 21042
www.taqwa.net


Tues June 5 , 1 PM, 1967: Israel, the War, & the Year that Transformed the Middle East
Busboys & Poets, 2021 14th St. NW, Washington DC 20009
Foundation for Middle East Peace & Middle East Institute
The Foundation for Middle East Peace and the Middle East Institute, in partnership with Busboys and Poets, are pleased to host Israeli intellectual, journalist, and historian Tom Segev for a discussion on his recently published book, 1967: Israel, the War, and the Year that Transformed the Middle East. Mr. Segev currently writes for Ha'aretz, publishing a weekly column dealing mainly with the politics of culture and with human rights. One of the best-known and most frequently quoted journalists in Israeli media, he has published numerous books on a wide range of topics. His works including The Other Israel: Voices of Refusal and Dissent (2004). Mr. Segev grew up in Jerusalem, and did his military service at the National Defense College. He received his BA in History and Political Science from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, and his Ph.D. in History from Boston University. RSVP is required for this event. A light lunch will be served. Please RSVP by contacting the Middle East Institute at rsvp@mideasti.org

Tues, June 5 - 8pm The June 5th Initiative - Events marking 40 years since the June 1967 war
The Kay Spiritual Life Center at American University
4400 Massachusetts Avenue, Washington, D.C.
(Parking free in lot across Nebraska Ave. from campus
Speakers include:
Yuval Rabin - Son of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, The Rabin Center, Tel Aviv
Amjad Atallah - President of Strategic Assessments Initiative (SAI), Former legal advisor to the Palestinian Negotiating Team
Aaron David Miller - Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington, D.C., Adviser on Arab-Israeli negotiations to six Secretaries of State, 1985-2003
Dr. Ziad Asali (Chair) - President of the American Task Force on Palestine
see: www.june5.org/

Sat, June 6, 2007, 7pm - TIKKUN Program
Speakers: Rabbi Jeremy Milgrom - jerusalem peace activist, and Mr. Husam El Nounou - Gaza peace activist
Roland Park Place, 830 W. 40th Street, Baltimore, MD
Park in the Rotunda parking Lot
Rebuilding Alliance Fundraiser to help rebuild shattered palestinian communities in Gaza and Jerusalem, offering immediate ways to make peace, starting with tangibly supporting a family's right to a home.
Questions, 410-486-6307

Sun/Mon June 10 and 11 - US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation and United for Peace and Justice event marking 40 years since the June 1967 War
see DC area events here and here

Sat, June 16 2-6 pm Democracy for Maryland Training and Fundraiser
Speakers will include:
State Senator Jamie Raskin, District 20
Dr. Jeffrey Feldman of www.frameshopisopen.com
Cindy Boersma, Legislative Director, MD-ACLU
Topics include moving legislation through the Maryland General Assembly, likely 2008 MD progressives initiatives. and the use of 'framing' in persuasive language and message development. Learn the use of linguistic techniques that will help create a positive cognitive backdrop to help accommodate progressive themes.
See: www.democracyformd.org/event_070616.html
$35 or $40 at the door.


Sun, June 17, from 11:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m
PBS Film Showing "The Ghosts of Abu Ghraib"
Seekers Church, 276 Carroll St. N.W. in Washington, D.C.
A light lunch will be provided.
The film showing and discussion is part of a nationwide premier of congregational and community use of this film organized by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. www.nrcat.org Participants will have an opportunity to write to public officials about the issue of torture as the last part of the discussion
(You can also come early at 9:30 a.m. for worship with Seekers. The Rev. Dr. Pat Conover,
Head of the Washington,DC Office for Justice and Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ, who will later lead the film discussion, will be preaching).

Sun, June 17, 2007 9:30-11:00am - Film showing " Searching for Peace in the Middle East" and live discussion with film's creator, Landrum Bolling
Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009
Free copies of the film will be available.

This 30-minute film, sponsored by the Foundation for Middle East Peace, is a vivid, compassionate portrayal of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Through the voices of Israeli and Palestinian citizens of diverse backgrounds, it reveals their hopes and fears and explores the issues that divide them. It also describes in a compelling way a broad common ground of yearning for peace, pointing the way toward a resolution of this tragic conflict that would meet the deepest needs of both societies. For more info see: www.fmep.org/searching_for_peace_in_the_middle_east.html

Directions: Busboys and Poets is located next to the Metro's Green Line station, U Street-Cardoza/African American Civil War Memorial. When exiting the station, walk west on U Street, then make a right onto 14th Street. Walk a short distance north, ending at 2021 14th Street (corner of 14th and V St., NW). www.busboysandpoets.com/

Fri, June 22, 7:30 pm - Interfaith Israel-Palestine Peace Services
Church of the Redemption, 1401 Towson Avenue, Locust Point, Baltimore, MD
http://www.redemption.ang-md.org/
Info: frcharles@verizon.net

Environmental Events

Saturday: 5/26/2007 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM - Speaker on Peak Oil
Location: Enviro Center
7761 Waterloo Rd (Route 175)
Jessup, MD

Tom Whipple will be the speaker at the the Potomac Region Solar Energy Association (www.prsea.org). Tom is a leading local authority on the subject of Peak Oil, and writes a regular column on Peak Oil for the Falls Church News Press. Peak Oil is the principle that, with time, the rate of oil production from a single field, a country, or the entire world reaches a peak and then inexorably declines as the supply is depleted.
A tour of the Enviro Center (www.enviro-center.com) will follow.
The public is invited. No registration is required; however, if you plan to attend, please send a message to meeting@prsea.org so we will have an idea of how many people will be there."

Yes Magazine and You Tube offer a free video with lively, optimistic solutions for Peak Oil and climate crisis that are do-able here and now. See: http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=1653

Saturday. June 2nd , 7:30-9:30 pm
Film Screening: The End of Suburbia
The Well in Ellicott City
3711 Old Columbia Pike, 21043
An insightful yet lighthearted film examining the future social changes that must be made to end our dependency on gas and oil fossil fuels. Through interviews with scientists and policy makers, The End of Suburbia explores the premise that North American suburbs, built on the easy availability of fossil fuels, may become untenable. How sustainable is the dream of "Living in the Suburbs" as the planet approaches a critical era and global demand for fossil fuels begins to outstrip supply. Discussion will follow the Screening. See flyer here.
Reservations call: 410-418-8944 $5 Suggested Donation

June 5, 2007 Noon-1:30 p.m. - CAN TAX POLICY SLOW GLOBAL WARMING?
Urban Institute, 2100 M Street N.W., 5th Floor, Washington, D.C.
Lunch will be provided at 11:45 a.m. The forum begins promptly at noon.
To register online, visit http://www.urban.org/pressroom/firsttuesdays/rsvp.cfm.
For info click here.

Sept 14 -16, 2007 - Confronting the Triple Crisis - Climate Change, Peak Oil, and Global Resource Depletion - IFG Teach-in at Lisner Auditorium, Washington DC
Tickets and Info: 415-561-7650 www.ifg.org
Sponsored by the International Forum on Globalization
60 SPEAKERS INCLUDING: Vandana Shiva, Bill McKibben, Michael Klare, Martin Khor, Richard Heinberg, Winona LaDuke, David Korten, John Cavanagh, Jerry Mander, Maude Barlow, Tony Clarke, Wolfgang Sachs, Sara Larrain, Meena Raman, Ross Gelbspan, Q'Orianka Kilcher, Frances Moore- Lappe, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Helena Norberg-Hodge, Daphne Wysham, Victor Menotti, Atossa Soltani, David Suzuki, Simon Retallack, Jeremy Leggett, Arjun Makhijani, David Pimentel, John Passacantando, Rob Hopkins, Steve Kretzmann, Antony Froggatt, Randy Hayes, Anne Leonard, Megan Quinn, Thomas Princen and 25 more
See flyer here and here.

Plan to attend the Green Festival in DC - October 6 & 7, 2007
And sign up for a Mini-Conference at the Green Festival "What's the Economy For, Anyway?"
Co-Sponsored by the Simplicity Forum, Co-op America, Take Back Your Time, Center for a New American Dream, Forum on Social Wealth, and MomsRising.org. For details as they become available see: http://www.simplicityforum.org/events.html