For Tuesday

The Power of Public Unions

Regardless of where you stand on any issue, watching two people formally argue either side in a civil and educated debate is one of the best ways to become better informed yourself.

The issue on the table at this forthcoming debate is public unions. Longtime union member Daniel DiSalvo thinks public unions risk crippling government services. In the other corner, University of Washington professor Michael McCann thinks public unions have many positive effects on workers and the surrounding community.

The debate is moderated by KUOW’s Ross Reynolds.

The Power of Public Unions, Tue, Jan 13, 7:30pm, Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, $5

This Bright Light of Ours: Stories from the Voting Rights Fight

Longtime activist Maria Gitin was there in 1965, working with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Alabama to help rally voters. She would later return Wilcox County to further help establish foundations for the civil rights movement.

Gitin speaks to these experiences in her book This Bright Light of Ours: Stories from the Voting Rights Fight. She will be introduced by Ruby Smith Love, founding board member of the Northwest African American history museum.

Energy expert Marin Katusa says America's role as the leading global energy authority is beginning to slip. As the second largest oil exporter in the world, Russia has come to challenge the United States in terms of power over the oil sector. 

In his book, The Colder War, Katusa suggests this shift in power is not likely to change, and forecasts possibilities of a Russia-dependent EU and America.