Tim Chng's Blog

Baltimore city youth begin hunger strike today!

Tim Chng — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:53:46 EDT

Peer-to-Peer Youth Enterprises
Helping the City…One Peer at a Time

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT:
Chris Goodman 443-957-5346
Daimen Poole 443-642-1333

Peer to Peer HUNGER STRIKE Begins TODAY

Students will HUNGER STRIKE starting May 30th, 2008 if the Mayor does not add $3million into the Budget for Peer-to-Peer Youth Enterprises.

The Starting location is the Amphitheater 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 30th. Demonstrators will then march to the base of the Legg Mason building 100 Light St. (on the corner of Light St. and Pratt St.) where the hunger strikers will be stationed.

Day 1: Demonstrators will gather at the Amphitheater at 5:30pm and March to Legg Mason. *MOST IMPORTANT DAY
Day 2: Demonstrators will gather at 3:30pm (rally, speak, and perform until 9pm)
Day 3: Demonstrators will gather at 3:30pm (carnival until 7pm.)
Day 4: Demonstrators will gather at 5:00pm (rally into Mayor’s Night In.) *MOST IMPORTANT DAY
Day 5:………….

We no longer accept officials denying responsibility for the well-being of Baltimore’s youth. All responsible officials should come together until funding is found for youth jobs in the knowledge-based economy.

We demand that 3 million dollars be added to the City’s budget to fund Peer-to-Peer Youth Enterprises.

We demand a meeting with Mayor Shelia Dixon, CEO of Baltimore City Schools Dr. Alonso, The President of City Council Stephanie Rawlings- Blake, Governor Martin O’Malley, the Family League, the Baltimore Community Foundation, and the peer-to-peer representatives to discuss how the 3 million dollars will be financed in the City’s Budget.

Please note that we will only accept money from the Rainy Day Fund or sources not previously designated to youth.

Groups like Baltimore Urban Debate League, Kids on the Hill, Youth as Resources, Wide Angle Youth Media, Youth Dreamers, Algebra Project, Hip Hop Congress, Liberty Learning Center, Chesapeake Center for Youth Development and more are all a part of this Peer to Peer movement.

About Peer-to Peer-Youth Enterprises:
1. In Peer-to-Peer Youth Enterprises, young people are paid to share knowledge and skills with other peers. This means peers teaching/training peers and using their knowledge to help peers reach goals.

2. Peer-to-Peer Youth Enterprises can be community based, and school based. Peers can be paid to teach/share skills regarding academics, art, and a variety of other skills.

3. Peer-to-Peer Youth Enterprises are youth led. Adults are there to teach specific skills, and guide the work – but the young people participating in these enterprises lead each group.

4. Paid peers learn time management, responsibility, problem solving, while they gain expertise about the knowledge they impart to other youth.

5. Paid peers transfer knowledge or teach their technical or academic skill, and are also role models and mentors to other youth.

6. Paid peers earn up to $10-$15 per hour. Paid peers range from ages 10-13 (who earn stipends) and 14-24 (who earn stipends or formal wages). Peers served are anyone under 24 years old

7. This money will be leveraged with other investments from foundations, corporations, individuals, and the school system into the Peer-to-Peer Youth Enterprises Investment Fund

The Peer-to-Peer Youth Enterprise groups have come together to form this Peer-to-Peer Movement to accomplish four (4) main things:
1. Change the way Baltimore thinks of youth, from trouble makers to part of the knowledge based economy and positive contributors.

2. Work to build an Investment Fund that will ensure a steady stream of funding in order to pay the young people involved.

3. Design a fair and unique process for distribution of these funds and reporting success

4. Bring the young people in these groups together to learn from each other, publicize the Peer-to-Peer efforts to their respective audiences, and be involved in the Peer-to-Peer Youth Enterprises Movement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAvqS9M8VKg

Mass Mobilization in Denver

Tim Chng — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:22:46 EST

It looks like it will be to us, the grassroots to put pressure on the Democratic party to listen to the will of the people. Let us start preparations to mobilize ourselves, our families, our friends and anyone we know in our neighborhood to go to Denver from August 25-28 to let them know that WE THE PEOPLE, want Barack Obama as the democratic nominee for president.

If we mobilize millions of us Barack supporters in Denver for the democratic convention, we can make sure the Democratic power brokers will hear us!

YES WE CAN!!!

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4rd93

January 21 - Baltimore for Barack meeting minutes

Tim Chng — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 21:49:44 EST

Everyone was happy to find out that Shiela Dixon has endorsed Obama as president of the United States. Sharon Bartolet was interviewed by the television cameras and our group was featured in the Channel 13 events news as we marched and made our presence felt at the Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday parade. Congrats to Sharon and everyone who made the Martin Luther King Jr parade such a success!

Monday, January 22 – Irene Dandridge organized the Baltimore City High school voter registration drive for the last day of voter registration.

Wednesday, January 23
Thursday, January 24
Friday, January 25
Joyce Wheeler will canvass York road. Anyone interested in joining her, please contact her
Tel: 410-433-4023
e-mail: wheeler.joyce@gmail.com

SOUTH CAROLINA TRIP!
Last chance – contact: Madeleine Ryan
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/organizing/4rm3d

Thursday, January 24
Janet Hostetler is planning a stay at home phone banking event to encourage all of us to do a little phone banking.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/organizing/4rm52

Saturday January 26
Sharon Bartolet will plan a visibility event at Inner Harbor from 1PM to 4PM holding banners and signs for traffic driving along the road.
Tel:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/organizing/4rhpg

Car Caravan Jan 26
Meet at Poly Western High School
Contact: Jim & Margaret Baldridge
tel: 410-433-3269
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/organizing/4rh4h

Car Caravan Feb 2 12 noon – 2 pm
Meet at Poly Western High School
Contact: Margaret Vaughn
Tel: 410-547-1969
Email: mevaughn12@peoplepc.com
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/organizing/4rhgp

Sunday, Juanary 27
John Kucskar is organizing a Phone banking event at the MD Law school from 2PM to 4PM.
e-mail: kucskar@yahoo.com
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/organizing/4rhtv

Tuesday, January 29
Tim Wheeler is planning a visibility event from 7AM to 9 AM at the corner of Loch Raven and Alameda
Tel: 410-433-4923
Email: greenerpastures21212@yahoo.com
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/organizing/4rmxm

Reminder – We NEED POLL WORKERS on February 12

Saturday, February 2nd
Next meeting for the final push before Super Tuesday and planning events for the weekend of February 8 and 9 to get the vote out for Baltimore for the MD primaries on Feb 12.
http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/organizing/4rcyq

January 12 - Meeting Minutes

Tim Chng — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:00:14 EST

Hello everyone!

    Many thanks to those who were able to attend the Baltimore Organizing meeting Saturday. Here are the minutes:

    1. The meeting started with a brief introduction on the history of the group followed by several members of the group sharing their Iowa caucusing experience and New Hampshire canvassing experience.

    2. The agenda was set up to plan the timeline of activities leading up until the MD primary in February.

    3. The Maryland Field team has a website where they summarize Maryland actions and events going on for Barack Obama.
    http://marylandforobama.us/
    The Field team is encouraging people to phone bank the early voting states. To phone bank, the easiest means is via the website on
    http://www.barackobama.com
    After logging in, go to the "making calls from home" and you will find instructions and a telephone script. With some practice one can use this new found comfort to help you in door to door canvassing.

    4. The following are the actions and the contact information for the individuals who are organizing events for this upcoming week. Please contact the individuals directly if you are interested in participating in the various canvassing initiatives.

    South Carolina trips:
    Contact: Linda Clarke
    781-962-7984
    lyclarke@earthlink.net

    Contact: Jordan Bradshaw
    410-442-4410
    Itsachuck87@yahoo.com

    Baltimore area activites:
    Monday, January 14 – Canvass York road
    Contact: Joyce and Tim Wheeler
    410-433-4923
    Greenerpastures21212@yahoo.com

    Saturday, January 19 – Canvass Fells Point at 10:00 AM
    Contact: Mike Mitchell
    443-928-8867
    mitchellhq@gmail.com

    Saturday, January 19 – Canvass Waverly (possibly the Farmer's Market)
    Contact: Ben Larson
    410-404-8796
    benbrorlarson@yahoo.com

    Sunday, January 20 – Canvass Govans
    Contact: Joyce and Tim Wheeler
    410-433-4923
    Greenerpastures21212@yahoo.com

    Monday, January 21 – Martin Luther King Parade
    Contact: Sharon Barolet
    410-882-0840
    thebarolets@comcast.net

    Contact: Craig Newton
    410-367-2920
    cwn61@juno.com
    Voter Registration Project – Targeting Baltimore City High Schools
    Contact: Irene Dandridge
    443-660-8661
    idandridge@hotmail.com

    5. $155.00 was collected in donations that will be used for purchasing the following campaign materials:
    - buttons
    - lapel stickers
    - signs
    As we are not getting any materials from the campaign, volunteers were also encouraged to go online and make additional purchases of campaign merchandise for use in our local canvassing efforts. Please notify the following materials & logistics coordinators of your purchase so that we can manage inventory.
    Materials and logistics
    Contact: Alyson Rice
    434-466-4845
    amrice66@earthlink.net

    Contact: Tim or Valerie Chng
    410-534-9228
    valandtim@yahoo.com

    6. Future meetings:
    Monday, January 21 – After the Martin Luther King Parade, we expect to have another meeting at 1724 Eastern Avenue (Fells Point) to plan for activities for the weekend of January 26-27.
    Saturday, February 2 – Next Baltimore organizing meeting
    This will be an important planning meeting to organize our actions for the weekend before the Maryland Primaries. Some ideas:
    February 11 – Street Corner visibility – Plan to go to key street corners in Baltimore and display signs for Barack.
    February 12 – Election day poll watching.

    7. Thanks to Craig Newton for setting up the window display

    The task to get Barack Obama as the next president of America seems like a monumental task, but with all our collective efforts participating in as many of these actions as we can, we know we will have contributed to the message which so many of us are inspired by.
    YES WE CAN !!!

Kucinich Asks for New Hampshire Recount in the Interest of Election Integrity

Tim Chng — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 20:38:48 EST

http://www.newsobserver.com/1566/story/873929.html

DETROIT - Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, the most outspoken advocate in the Presidential field and in Congress for election integrity, paper-ballot elections, and campaign finance reform, has sent a letter to the New Hampshire Secretary of State asking for a recount of Tuesday's election because of "unexplained disparities between hand-counted ballots and machine-counted ballots."

"I am not making this request in the expectation that a recount will significantly affect the number of votes that were cast on my behalf," Kucinich stressed in a letter to Secretary of State William M. Gardner. But, "Serious and credible reports, allegations, and rumors have surfaced in the past few days...It is imperative that these questions be addressed in the interest of public confidence in the integrity of the election process and the election machinery - not just in New Hampshire, but in every other state that conducts a primary election."

He added, "Ever since the 2000 election - and even before - the American people have been losing faith in the belief that their votes were actually counted. This recount isn't about who won 39% of 36% or even 1%. It's about establishing whether 100% of the voters had 100% of their votes counted exactly the way they cast them."

Kucinich, who drew about 1.4% of the New Hampshire Democratic primary vote, wrote, "This is not about my candidacy or any other individual candidacy. It is about the integrity of the election process." No other Democratic candidate, he noted, has stepped forward to question or pursue the claims being made.

"New Hampshire is in the unique position to address - and, if so determined, rectify - these issues before they escalate into a massive, nationwide suspicion of the process by which Americans elect their President. Based on the controversies surrounding the Presidential elections in 2004 and 2000, New Hampshire is in a prime position to investigate possible irregularities and to issue findings for the benefit of the entire nation," Kucinich wrote in his letter.

"Without an official recount, the voters of New Hampshire and the rest of the nation will never know whether there are flaws in our electoral system that need to be identified and addressed at this relatively early point in the Presidential nominating process," said Kucinich, who is campaigning in Michigan this week in advance of next Tuesday's Presidential primary in that state.

Kucinich for President 2008, Inc. National Campaign HQ: Andy Juniewicz, 216-409-8992 ajuniewicz@aol.com or Washington, D.C.: Sharon Manitta, 202-506-6683 Sharon.manitta@kucinich.us or National Press Officer: Tom Staudter, 914-419-5221 staudter@verizon.net

Watch out South Carolina - ES&S voting systems ALERT

Tim Chng — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 13:05:27 EST

For those of you who are concerned about the Diebold election systems in New Hampshire and wish to be aware of potential problems with the electronic voting machines, remember that in South Carolina, they use ES&S voting machines.

ES&S systems actually have similar problems to the Diebold systems. They are also based on using PCMCIA cards. South Carolina will be using the ES&S systems and they have been banned from use in Ohio and Colorado:

"Last month, top election officials in Ohio and Colorado declared that Election Systems and Software's iVotronic is unfit for elections."

http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/jan/07/s_c_use_voting_machines_banned_other_sta26854/

The issue is not the company that produced the e-voting system. The questions that must be asked are more along the lines of who maintains these systems? How do recounts happen? How may a voter verify his/her ballot? How are the votes counted?

The technologies of ES&S, Diebold and Sequoia systems have all been criticized by several computer science professors across the United States. If you want to go in to technical detail (being a computer scientist myself) I could share with you the concerns, but suffice it to say that if you think that just clicking on a touch screen and hoping your vote will be recorded in a machine or even writing a ballot and not knowing how that ballot will be counted electronically, your votes can now be rigged.

Diebold favors Hillary, hand count for Obama

Tim Chng — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 05:56:14 EST

<a href="http://presscue.com/node/38034" target="_new">http://presscue.com/node/38034</a>

<a href="http://www.blackboxvoting.org/" target="_new">http://www.blackboxvoting.org/</a>

Using the Comma delimited database: NH municipalities hand count vs use Diebold machines from BlackBoxVoting.org to see if there was a deviation between the results from precincts which used hand counts and those which relied on Diebold machines. The results were astonishing. :

Updated: 5:05 AM (EST) - Results tallied for 209 out of 236 of the municipalities.

By Percentage
Method    Hillary Clinton    Barack Obama
Diebold Machines    53.23%    46.77%
Hand Count    47.47%    52.53%

By Votes
Method    Hillary Clinton    Barack Obama
Diebold Machines    82860    72807
Hand Count    18898    20912

By Number of Municipalities Won
Method    Hillary Clinton    Barack Obama
Diebold Machines    54    33
Hand Count    43    77

About 81% of the votes will be "counted" by the Diebold machines.

Legislative Strategy

Tim Chng — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 13:26:32 EST

Greetings all!

I was wondering what all of you thought with regards to getting Senator Obama's legislation passed in the Senate as a means to raise his profile. If all of us in his grassroots network pressured our own senators to support every resolution he either sponsors or co-sponsors in the Senate, than more changes will happen with his name and his reputation as a "get things done" person can be uplifted.

Is it possible that we can get a listing of all the legislation that he is proposing and have some talking points so we can all call our senators. If 70,000 phone calls come in for particular legislation, than I am sure our senators will listen!

peace and blessings!

Tim Chng

http://www.stepitup2007.org/

Tim Chng — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 11:57:17 EST

Hello Environmentalists!

I am not sure if any of you are going to be involved with stepitup activities, but if you are, this may be a good opportunity to not only develop a very good environmental awareness grassroots action, but also highlight Barack's stance on environmental stewardship.

If you haven't heard of stepitup feel free to check out this link:

Link

Maybe we can come up with a flyer or a set of talking points on what Obama plans to do about environmental policy if we do go to a step it up action. Maybe we can also bring Obama signs, stickers, and wear t-shirts if any of us make it to one of those activities!

peace and blessings!

Tim

How do we get our immigrant communities involved?

Tim Chng — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 15:41:48 EST

Greetings!

It is exciting to see such powerful internet tools being used to mobilize grassroots support for a US presidential candidate trying to raise the spirits of all Americans with good will. I was wondering if we could brainstorm on how we as Asian/Asian Pacific/Asian American individuals who come from Asian immigrant communities can network with our individual ethnic immigrant communities to get them involved with his presidential campaign.

Many of our ethnic communities still only think in terms of home country politics. This may be a common thread among all immigrant communities. Does anybody have success stories or strategies to share? Beyond getting Barack involved with home country politics which could create more problems for him than benefit him at this stage, I am not sure what would galvanize our immigrant communities in to action.

Peace and blessings to all!

Tim Chng