Over the last 11 years, the Open Society Institute-Baltimore has worked hand-in-hand with the city to build a comprehensive public drug addiction treatment system. Since opening our doors in 1998, we knew that addiction treatment had to be one of our chief concerns if we were to help revitalize Baltimore and improve the health and […]
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Social networking for social change
Monday, April 06, 2009With his first address to Congress, President Obama called for “a renewed spirit of national service for this and future generations.” Across the country his remarks were met with rousing applause. Since then, Congress passed a bill that is likely to have the largest effect on volunteerism since JFK called for the creation of a […]
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Moving from change to transformation
Monday, March 30, 2009There are few times in life when a people can factually recall where they were and what they were doing when a significant event occurred. The election of Barack Obama to the office of President of the United States was such a seminal moment. His electrifying campaign resonated with voters seeking to cast a ballot […]
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Who wants to be a philanthropist?
Monday, March 23, 2009As someone who has raised funds for over 30 years for causes I care about deeply, I am often curious what people do with the money they win on games shows like “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” Of course, as I think to myself, someone needs to help them figure out how to give […]
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Stop defending the indefensible
Monday, March 16, 2009Why is the Baltimore City Council more willing to spend taxpayer dollars to defend illegal laws that keep its citizens out of drug treatment than to invest in their recovery? They should stop defending a fifty-year old zoning law that shuts out the very health care services that so many citizens want and need. The […]
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Encourage young women to run for office
Monday, March 09, 2009The typical woman who runs for office is over the age of 40. Any earlier, and it seems too difficult to pencil in a campaign while new relationships, student loans and a wealth of opportunities beckon. But starting later puts women at a disadvantage. Men don’t shy away from running as early as 25, and […]
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What are we waiting for?
Monday, March 02, 2009A few weeks ago, OSI announced the Public Safety Compact, a new initiative that will help 250 prisoners overcome their addictions. This is certainly a welcome step forward, but what has taken everyone so long? Everyone knows that it’s stupid and unreasonable to do the same thing over and over and expect different results, yet […]
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A fund for Baltimore
Monday, February 23, 2009Most suburban residents live in a metropolitan district in order to share the good things the city can offer. Sadly, we enjoy those benefits without paying a proportional share of their costs. Whether we use the urban setting for employment, or as a cultural, commercial, educational or recreational base, we rely on the city for […]
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What if we made campaign finance reform a new civil rights movement?
Monday, February 16, 2009We need a new Voting Rights Act that makes private financing of public electoral campaigns illegal. Period. And we need to make it a civil rights issue. Consider: We do not allow private donors, each with his or her own desires regarding police protection, to finance the Baltimore Police Department. We disallow such a system […]
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Summer on my mind
Monday, February 09, 2009Baltimore winters are typically snowed under ice storms and blisteringly cold winds from the west. I’m not a fan. Instead, winter has become my motivation to plan summer vacations. During these times of fiscal austerity however, I’ve postponed the summer tropical get-away. Even still, I look forward to visiting family and friends spread across the […]
