Legislative Issues

Join our ASL Brunch on Sundays in Greenbelt! All ASL users and learners are welcome. Brunches are alternately held at two restaurants in Greenbelt, both in the same town plaza. ODD WEEKS: 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sundays, we meet at Cedars of Lebanon, 103 Centerway. EVEN WEEKS: 2nd and 4th Sundays, we meet at New Deal Café,113 Centerway. We are the Greenbelt ASL Community, a group of both Deaf and hearing people who hang out, chat about everyday goings on, trade stories, get to know each other better, and of course, enjoy food together. Many members use ASL as their primary language, several are interpreters or other fluent ASL users, while others are ASL learners who wish to improve their skills while making new friends. Before or after brunch, you can visit the farmer's market and small coop grocery store in the plaza. Please RSVP so we can contact you via email if needed. Our group is on Facebook as Greenbelt ASL Community. Some long-time group members don't mark their attendance here, so feel free to stop by even if you don't see others who have RSVP'd on Meet-up.

(Trailhead hike) Brookside Gardens is one of the hidden gems of the DC metro area. It is perhaps at its most colorful during the spring. Both hikes start at the Brookside Gardens Visitor Center and proceed through the Gardens to the Wheaton Park Nature Center. From there the moderate hikers take the Equestrian Loop Trail to the intersection of the Northwest Branch Trail. They will follow the west side of the Branch downstream to Route 29 (Colesville Rd.), turn left on the Road and then left onto the Rachel Carson Trail following the east bank of Northwest Branch upstream, joining the Wheaton Park Equestrian Trail and route back to the Brookside Nature Center. Long hikers follow the moderate route except at the Nature Center they take 3.5 miles of assorted wooded trails through Wheaton Park before joining the Northwest Branch Trail. Est.: 11 miles, <300' elevation and 8 miles, <300' elevation. Park map. Start Time: 9 AM Fare: $5 Note: Resulting in strictly enforced park 'no alcohol' rules, this year there will be an after hike picnic/pool party at co-leader Lars Larson's Silver Spring MD home 10 minutes drive from the Park. Complimentary hamburgers, veggie burgers, appropriate toppings, usual munchies, cola, and beer will be provided. What to bring? A bathing suit is recommended for a cool after hike dip. Also, there is plenty of room to park on nearby neighborhood streets. **FIRST-TIME HIKERS** If you're a first-time hiker with us, please notify the leaders in advance so they can make sure you have the info you need. Hikers must be able to keep a 2-mph pace. New hikers are required to first complete a moderate hike. **Liability Waiver:** Many of our hikes take place in remote wilderness areas where cell phone service is not available. Any person participating in any Club activity is responsible for their own safety, health and welfare, and must assume all risks and liabilities related to all Club activities. The Club, its hike leaders, hike sweeps, officers, and other representatives are not liable for any injuries, losses, or damage to persons, children, pets, and/or property, arising from any trips or activities of the Club. You are responsible for bringing enough water, food, and first aid supplies, including those for your personal medical conditions. **CANCELLATION POLICY** To cancel and receive a full bus hike refund, less a $5 processing fee, you must change your RSVP to "No" on Meetup **before NOON on the Friday** before the hike. If you change your RSVP after noon on the Friday before the hike, no refunds will be issued. Cancellations to Metro/carpool/trailhead hikes will not issue a financial refund, but hiker must change their Meetup RSVP to NO so that leaders do not wait for them at the trailhead. COVID PRECAUTIONS Anyone experiencing symptoms of upper respiratory illness should not attend the event. MORE DETAILS -- [SEE THE FAQS ON OUR WEBSITE](http://www.wanderbirds.org/faq.html)

**Info below: Welcome! Download Songbook, Seating** *** \*\* WEATHER: Please check the your email before heading to the jam. I will send out an email if it will be cancelled due to rain. \*\* \*\* SAFETY: Please note by participating in this event you agree to the Health and Safety Waiver/Release below \*\* *** **ALL Jammers! All Instruments! All Skill Levels Welcome!** JOIN US FOR A JAM - IT IS A GREAT WAY TO: * Get in some practice time * Learn new songs * Socialize with other musicians * Build your confidence Come join us make music together! Anyone who can play any instrument at any skill level is welcome to stay and play for some or all of the Jam. We all play and sing songs from our song books of lyrics and chords. Everyone gets a chance to pick a song or pass. No pressure! *** **a. BRING SONGBOOKS: Please DOWNLOAD our TWO song books.** Download our TWO song books: at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mhpjam/files/ b. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Safety is our number one priority! We want to be sure everybody attending the jam understands personal responsibilities to keep themselves and others safe. By attending this event you agree to the terms of the HEALTH AND SAFETY WAIVER which can be found in any one of the following: 1. At this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mhpjam/permalink/2276132525918969 2. At this link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/gzfqo4fnw0a2268zr95nx/MITCHELL-PARK-JAM-HEALTH-AND-SAFETY-WAIVER-RELEASE.pdf?rlkey=gztmv5k1shtxunjkc40hj5ij6&st=rek95rkg&dl=0 Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Only people who are fully vaccinated can attend. Local laws allow for some exceptions to this rule. Please contact me if you fall under these exceptions so we can make the appropriate arrangements. All members should follow CDC and Washington, D.C. guidelines. In addition, please respect other members needs for space. *** c. FACEBOOK: Join the Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mhpjam/ *** d. SEATING: You may want to bring a chair as seating may be limited. *** e. LOCATION: The jam will be held at Mitchell Park in Washington, DC. You can find our exact location on this map: https://bit.ly/mhpjamloc1 *** d. DONATIONS: Suggested donations: $2 per jam -OR- $5 per month -OR- $20 per 6 months. You can Venmo @Eric-Cohen-114 Meetup costs money. Eric pays for most of the costs out of his own pocket, but he asks you to help defray some of the costs with a small donation. Thank you. [Illustration](https://unsplash.com/illustrations/a-cartoon-boy-playing-an-acoustic-guitar-with-eyes-closed-LfhVZAAzemc?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) by [Beehaya Cartoon Studio](https://unsplash.com/@beehaya/illustrations?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/illustrations?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText)

**THE POWER OF THE SUBCONSCIOUS OVER YOU** You are welcome to arrive 15 minutes early for refreshments! At the lecture "The Power of the Subconscious", the speaker will clearly and understandably explain topics such as: * What is the exact definition of the Subconscious Mind? * How does it inflict unwanted feelings and anxiety in you? * What determines how much pressure it exerts on a person? * What exactly is the goal of the subconscious? This is not just a lecture where you sit quietly and listen. It's interactive and LIVE, so you can ask questions at any time. And the most important topic: **HOW DO YOU TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR SUBCOUNSCIOUS!** This group is sponsored by the Dianetics Life Improvement Center.

Join us for a morning Sunday Walk - the perfect way to ease into your Sunday with fresh air, great company, and relaxed vibes. We’ll take on a 2–3 mile walk along the beautiful Capital Crescent Trail, enjoying nature, conversation, and that signature SSB energy. And because we know how to reward ourselves… There might be an ice cream stop after. (Okay, there probably will be.) Come walk, connect, and start your Sunday right. Let’s make this a new favorite tradition. Montgomery County parking garages in the area are free on Sunday. Metro: Bethesda Metro (0.5 miles from meeting point)

Top level Backgammon Tournament play. Have fun and improve your game. Free lessons to new and inexperienced players. Club been active over 40 years, posting on Meetup is new. Contact Director Larry Brown with any questions. 571-214-8298 or LuckyLarry1001@gmail.com

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“Lafayette’s Long Fight for Liberty,”** a look at the life, struggles, and legacy of America’s favorite fighting Frenchman, with Richard Bell, professor of history at the University of Maryland and author of *The American Revolution and the Fate of the World.* [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-lafayette](https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-lafayette) .] When the Marquis de Lafayette returned to the United States in 1824, Americans greeted him with a frenzy of affection unmatched by anything the nation had ever shown a single individual. Crowds filled streets, towns held ceremonies in his honor, Congress showered him with gifts, and parents named children for the French aristocrat who had helped win the American Revolution. Explore the extraordinary life behind that adulation with historian Richard Bell, whose excellent past talks have earned him a big following among Profs and Pints fans. Professor Bell will take Lafayette far beyond his familiar role as George Washington’s young protégé and the hero of Yorktown. You’ll learn how Lafayette became one of the Atlantic world’s most persistent champions of liberty—fighting for constitutional government, religious freedom, prison reform, press freedom, antislavery, and independence movements from Greece to Poland. You’ll also hear how Lafayette’s ideals repeatedly put him in danger, making him a target of kings, radicals, imperial powers, and revolutionaries who regarded him as “the most dangerous man of all.” Professor Bell will show how Lafayette’s life was full of contradictions: a nobleman who challenged aristocratic privilege, a centrist caught between monarchy and mob rule, an antislavery advocate whose efforts fell short, and a dreamer whose causes often failed in his lifetime. Yet Lafayette never stopped trying to make liberty universal. Come learn why Lafayette’s name still graces hundreds of American towns, parks, counties, schools, rivers, and lakes—and why his most important monument might be not any statue or place name, but the freedoms he helped generations of people imagine, demand, and defend. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: From an 1834 portrait of Lieutenant General Lafayette painted by Joseph-Désiré Court (Palace of Versailles / Wikimedia).

Please be sure to RSVP here! https://stampede.proanimal.org/events Join your fellow animal lovers and DC Animal Protection to discuss what’s happening in the animal advocacy scene in DC! This series is a weekly meetup, with guest speakers from all of the major animals rights orgs. We’ll host non-profits such as Pro-Animal Future, International Council for Animal Welfare, DC Voters for Animals, The Humane League, Mercy for Animals and Direct Action Everywhere as well as local grassroots groups like the DC Coalition Against Foie Gras and sanctuaries. We’ll also have special sessions related to health, nutrition and mindfulness! We encourage anyone who is interested in helping animals to attend- no need to be vegan! Come learn about our rich variety of local activism. With protests, outreach, wheat-pasting, signature collecting, leafletting, lobbying, tabling etc. there’s something to match everyone’s comfort level and skill set. Coffee, bagels and community will be provided! Feel free to bring any extra treats to share (no animal products please.) Hope to see you soon! :) Note: Unfortunately, animals are not allowed at our venue. Please leave your furry friends at home.

Come to the Silver Spring library to play games some chronically ill friends! Members are adults who suffer from conditions including POTS, ME/CFS, long covid, MCAS, rheumatoid arthritis, Ehlers Danlos, multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, autoimmune kidney disease, and more. We usually play a couple casual games, and we also have coloring books. Feel free to bring your own favorite games too! We'll in SMALL ROOM 1 on the third floor of the Silver Spring library, just outside the elevator. We ask that everyone wears a mask. There is free parking across the street in the Wayne Avenue Garage.

Hello members, • If you RSVP for an event, you will need to attend that event or cancel at least two hours before the event starts. Members that no-show will receive one warning then will be benched (suspended) from events for two weeks. Three no-shows can result in a permanent ban. (No-shows create uneven numbers and prevent folks on the waitlist from playing. Please do your part to un-RSVP as soon as you know that you cannot attend an event.) • Members must have a way to communicate with organizers and hosts. This can be through the Meetup app messages or by providing other contact info. • Any member can ask a host or organizer to have their skill rated for event attendance purposes. You will not be allowed to participate in events higher than your NTRP rating. (We may try to limit numbers or have multiple events on a given day to accommodate players of different skill levels and also to help alleviate the court availability problem). • All members shall conduct good sportsmanship and be courteous to other members at all times. • Sexual harassment, racism, sexism or any kind of intolerance will not be tolerated and will result in the permanent ban from the group. • If member receives three warning infractions, the member will be suspended from the Meetup for a period of one month. If a member is suspended twice (six warnings), that member will be permanently banned and any membership dues will then be forfeited. • If you are scheduling to play with others outside of a MoCo Topspinners event, and you know that there is a MoCo Topspinners event scheduled for that day at that time, please try to use courts other than the courts where the event is scheduled, or move your time so that it does not conflict with the Topspinners event. For a list of complete rules and definitions you can see the MoCo Topspinners front page. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact us. We are hoping for a fun season but we may have to wait for courts and leave earlier than we are used to. Please be patient as we adjust to this new normal and try a few different things that will hopefully help the situation. Happy playing!

Come the whole time or if you just spend 30 minutes. All are welcome. You are welcome and encouraged to bring your own coloring supplies but, if you don't have any, I will have plenty and am happy to share! (coloring books, colored pencils, and markers). Part of the mission of this group is to provide us an opportunity to check out AND SUPPORT local businesses. So, please don't bring any outside food/drinks and, while purchasing something isn't at all a REQUIREMENT to participate in the event, I do strongly encourage you to try something from the vendor :) I look forward to seeing and meeting you there! ***\*\*DISCLAIMER*\*\*** Photos may be taken during the event to be shared here on Meetup so feel free to let me know if you'd like to be excluded from them.

𝐅𝐨𝐚𝐦 & 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝐀 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐬 🦆 We’re kicking off Pride with a cause. Sunday Love partners with Pro-Animal DC, a grassroots movement working to ban the force-feeding of birds and end foie gras in Washington D.C. Join us on the rooftop for the return of the foam party 🧼 with soap provide by Dr. Bronner. Bring your swimsuit 👙🩲 bring your friends, and dance for the ducks. RSVP here: https://www.flashdc.com/e/UWeX9WeceW

Sign up to help with customer service at our Del Ray shop! **If this is your first time doing customer service at our shop**, **please direct message Elizabeth here via MeetUp** so she can ensure someone can be there to orient you. **What you'll do:** * greet customers * manage customer traffic * help customers find basic bike parts in our store * direct customers to the mechanics if they need a bike repair * help customers find a bike that fits them * set customers up to test ride bikes * work the register to conduct customer payments **Qualities of a good volunteer for this role:** * customer service oriented * willing to work outside most of the shift * able to work on their feet most of the shift * comfortable working in a faced-paced environment * open to a steep learning curve with a rewarding experience the more times you volunteer * excited to learn about Velocity Bicycle Cooperative and become part of our volunteer team that keeps our wheels turning! **What to Bring/Attire** * A water bottle & snack * Wear comfortable shoes and clothes appropriate for the day's weather * Sunscreen and a baseball hat if it is sunny **Age Requirements:** If you are under 18, you must bring a parent/guardian with you to the orientation to sign the waiver.

Sign up to help with customer service at our Del Ray shop! **If this is your first time doing customer service at our shop**, **please direct message Elizabeth here via MeetUp** so she can ensure someone can be there to orient you. **What you'll do:** * greet customers * manage customer traffic * help customers find basic bike parts in our store * direct customers to the mechanics if they need a bike repair * help customers find a bike that fits them * set customers up to test ride bikes * work the register to conduct customer payments **Qualities of a good volunteer for this role:** * customer service oriented * willing to work outside most of the shift * able to work on their feet most of the shift * comfortable working in a faced-paced environment * open to a steep learning curve with a rewarding experience the more times you volunteer * excited to learn about Velocity Bicycle Cooperative and become part of our volunteer team that keeps our wheels turning! **What to Bring/Attire** * A water bottle & snack * Wear comfortable shoes and clothes appropriate for the day's weather * Sunscreen and a baseball hat if it is sunny **Age Requirements:** If you are under 18, you must bring a parent/guardian with you to the orientation to sign the waiver.

Join us for our Summer Session of Peer To Peer Class dates June 16 - Aug. 4, 2026 Register today at: https://namifranklincounty.org/peer-to-peer/

We meet to learn and practice American Sign Language and to grow our familiarity with Deaf culture. Facilitated by hearing folks (with a connection to a professional interpreter) using Deaf-created content. People of all ASL skill levels are welcome! As we learn, we hope to connect more with the Deaf community in Central Ohio. Join us as you're able! Come regularly or just once - whatever you're looking for! Each meetup will explore different topics related to ASL/Deaf culture, and will feature time to practice conversation with one another. Just bring yourself and a willingness to learn!

Let’s meet and wander the galleries! General admission on Sundays is free.

Over a billion documents processed. Millions of Veterans impacted. Hundreds of thousands of employee hours saved. Faster decisions. Greater accuracy. More benefits in the hands of our disabled Veterans. We created Smart Search, the world’s largest consumer of Amazon Textract, right when GenAI began reshaping what’s possible. Since then, we’ve built a suite of AI‑driven solutions that transform this data into real, measurable outcomes—accelerating benefits decisions for our Nation’s Veterans. Join us for a focused conversation on how an outcome‑driven approach to AI is helping us boost accuracy, streamline workflows, and deliver faster results for those who have served. This is a follow up to the AWS re:Invent 2023 "Intelligent Document Processing with Gen AI for Public Sector" presentation. About Speaker: Cameron Williams is a Senior Technical Project Manager and cross-functional technical leader at Booz Allen Hamilton with 15+ years of experience architecting and evolving scalable, cloud-native systems, from greenfield development to complex enterprise modernization. https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronw711/ **THANK YOU** *Franklin University* for hosting our meetup! To learn more about *Franklin University*, please visit their website: https://www.franklin.edu/ **DIRECTIONS** Franklin University Fisher Hall 300 E. Main St, Columbus, OH 43215 Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jxjBA2hUmS5qrvhq8 Parking is FREE! Please park in Lot C in front of Fisher Hall. See attached map. NOTE: Map the address only. When mapping with Google Maps it may use the Fisher Hall at OSU, which is NOT correct. **Want to sponsor the pizza and/or bar tab?** Please contact me if you would like to sponsor this meetup's pizza and/or bar tab: angelo@mandato.com

In the year 2044, in the age of AI, a woman named Gabrielle (Seydoux) tries to purify her DNA by purging the inherited memories of her past lives. She (re)lives her life in 1910 Paris and 2014 Los Angeles, and as the procedure goes on, the lines between her worlds become blurred. These three timelines have a lot of connective tissue holding them together; certain symbols and motifs appear repeatedly, not to mention Mackay’s Louis, a figure whom Gabrielle seems drawn to in each lifetime. *The Beast / La Bête* can be streamed for free on Kanopy or the Criterion Channel. It's also available for rent on Amazon Prime, AppleTV and YouTube.

The restaurant’s website doesn’t have the dinner menu listed. I took a picture of the dinner menu.