Today's picks for civic nerds. 

 For Friday

Olympic Experiences

With "Out of the Mist," a documentary featuring the natural beauty of the Olympic Penninsula, filmmakers Robert and Kathy Chrestensen make the case for new Wilderness and Wild and Scenic River designations and watershed protections on the Olympic Peninsula with breathtaking footage taken over years of backpacking in the Olympics. Check out the trailer and more information about the film on Meaningful Movies' website. 

Meaningful Movies: "Out of the Mist" Olympic Wilderness Stories, Fri, May 24, 7-9:30pm, Keystone Congregational United Church of Christ, 5019 Keystone Place N, free (donations accepted)

Police Cameras

Weigh in on whether the Seattle Police Department should activate a series of police security cameras that were installed along the West Seattle to Ballard waterfront but never turned on. Some residents and civil-liberties advocates worry that the cameras, which are funded by federal port security dollars and ostensibly aimed at improving security at Port of Seattle facilities along the waterfront, could violate resdidents' right to privacy.

Port Security Grant public meeting, Fri, May 24, 7pm, Golden Gardens Bathhouse, 8498 Seaview Pl. NW, free. 

For Tomorrow

Low-Wage Recovery

A new Town Hall series featuring leading economists from around the country, kicks off with a panel on Inequality and the Future of Work. Panelists David Madland, director of the American Worker Project at the Center for American Progress, Annette Bernhardt, co-director of the National Employment Law Project, and Dorian Warren, assistant professor in the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, will discuss the current crisis of income inequality, the slow recovery for low-wage workers, and the economic and financial prospects for working people. 

Reclaiming Prosperity: Inequality and the Future of Work, Thurs, May 23, 7:30-9pm, Town Hall, 1119 8th Ave, $5

A Northgate Transit Hub

Don't miss the public open house to find out more about Sound Transit's plans to extend light rail to Northgate. The elevated station at the Northgate Transit Center will feature pedestrian improvements, public art, and bikeways. More station design details are available online. 

Northgate Station: Design & Access, Thurs, May 23, 6-8pm, Olympic View Elementary School, NE 95^th St, free.

Trivia Around the World

Bring all your brainy, well-traveled friends for a night of transnational trivia, hosted by the World Affairs Council. Compete in teams of 4 to 6 at the Spitfire in Belltown and test your knowledge of world culture, history, current events, and geography. You're sure to learn something interesting about international relations, whether or not you win the top spot. 

Transnational Trivia Night, Thurs, May 23, 6-9pm, Spitfire, 2219 4th Ave, members $5, non-members $10

The Rod and Bob Show

Newly elected King County Council member Rod Demowksi has scheduled a series of Town Hall meetings across District 1. This Thursday, his Town Hall meeting will be in Northgate. He will be accompanied by state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who's council position Dembowski took over after Ferguson was elected AG. Future Town Hall meetings will take place in Kennmore and Woodinville. 

Seattle Town Hall with Attorney General Bob Ferguson, Thurs, May 23, 7-8:30pm, Northgate Community Center, 10510 5th Ave NE, free.

And For Today

Targeted Hiring

Join Seattle City Council members during Wednesday's lunch hour to discuss how "targeting hiring"—essentially, affirmative action for contractors, in which a jurisdiction requires contractors to hire a certain percentage of its employees from disadvantaged populations in the area—has worked around the country and if it should be implemented in Seattle. Panelists include Rhonda Simmons, the director of Workforce Development for the city of San Francisco and Kathleen Mulligan-Hansel, deputy director of the Partnership for Working Families.  

Targeted Hiring Forum at City Hall, Wed, May 22, 12pm-1:30pm, Council Chambers, Seattle City Hall, 2nd Floor, 600 4th Ave, free.  

Prehistoric Puget Sound 

Take a look back into time through the work of two University of Washington researchers. Graduate student Megan F. Gambs details how the ginormous Glacial Lake Missoula (roughly 19 times larger than the Puget Sound) broke across Washington state and affected the landscape we see today, while UW researcher Adam Campbell explains how life on earth adapted some 650 million years ago. Think a science-fiction landscape of frozen oceans and vast deserts, and you have the prehistoric Puget Sound. 

ENGAGE Seminar: Water, Rocks & The Tropics, Wed, May 22, 6-7:30pm, Town Hall, 1119 8th Ave, $5 (or free with UW student ID)

Followed By...

Double feature! Following a look into the Puget Sound's past, get a glimpse our potential apocalyptic future. But have no fear—Annalee Newitz will detail how to dodge the extinction bullet: We've done it multiple times, she assures. Newtiz writes for the science-fiction/science blog io9, and recently wrote the book Scatter, Adapt, and Remember.

Annalee Newitz: How Humans will Survive a Mass Extinction, Wed, May 22, 7:30-9pm, Town Hall, 1119 8th Ave, $5 (or free with purchase of ENGAGE Seminar ticket)

Want to see your nerdy event featured on the PubliCalendar?
Send the details to Carryn at [email protected].