bookmark_borderMarch for Science in Philadelphia

Saturday, April 22 at 10 AM – 2 PM / Earth Day April 22, 2017
Penn’s Landing
101 S. Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106

PHILADELPHIA — March For Science is a nationwide protest in support of science and technology. The Trump administration has discredited scientist in many areas. President Trump has said the climate change is a hoax. The acting director of the EPA stated that carbon emissions are not causing global warming.

Join the March for Science Philadelphia on Saturday, April 22, 2017. The March for Science PHL will be held at Penn’s Landing Great Plaza. (March for Science in Philadelphia on Facebook)

They will assemble at 10:00am on the east side of City Hall (Juniper Street). The March will kick-off promptly at 11:00am and will go down Market Street to Front Street, Front Street to Chestnut Street and then over Chestnut Street to Penn’s Landing Great Plaza.

Entertainment will begin at 11:30am and the March for Science speakers will begin at 12.

Similar marches will take place throughout the country including Washington D.C. and 394 satellite marches.

“The Franklin Institute supports the March for Science, and it’s exciting to see the greater Philadelphia community come together to celebrate science. Our mission is to inspire a passion for learning about science and technology, and we provide opportunities for students, families, and adults to do that all year long. We will continue to be a resource for science education for our community, and to stand up for science, as we have done for 193 years.”

ABOUT THE MARCH FOR SCIENCE
The March for Science champions robustly funded and publicly communicated science as a pillar of human freedom and prosperity. We unite as a diverse, nonpartisan group to call for science that upholds the common good and for political leaders and policy makers to enact evidence based policies in the public interest.

The March for Science is a celebration of science. It’s not about scientists or politicians; it is about the very real role that science plays in each of our lives and the need to respect and encourage research that gives us insight into the world. Nevertheless, the march has generated a great deal of conversation around whether or not scientists should involve themselves in politics. In the face of an alarming trend toward discrediting scientific consensus and restricting scientific discovery, we might ask instead: can we afford not to speak out in its defense?

People who value science have remained silent for far too long in the face of policies that ignore scientific evidence and endanger both human life and the future of our world. New policies threaten to further restrict scientists’ ability to research and communicate their findings. We face a possible future where people not only ignore scientific evidence, but seek to eliminate it entirely. Staying silent is a luxury that we can no longer afford. We must stand together and support science.

The application of science to policy is not a partisan issue. Anti-science agendas and policies have been advanced by politicians on both sides of the aisle, and they harm everyone — without exception. Science should neither serve special interests nor be rejected based on personal convictions. At its core, science is a tool for seeking answers. It can and should influence policy and guide our long-term decision-making.

The March for Science champions and defends science and scientific integrity, but it is a small step in the process toward encouraging the application of science in policy. We understand that the most effective way to protect science is to encourage the public to value and invest in it.

The best way to ensure science will influence policy is to encourage people to appreciate and engage with science. That can only happen through education, communication, and ties of mutual respect between scientists and their communities — the paths of communication must go both ways. There has too long been a divide between the scientific community and the public. We encourage scientists to reach out to their communities, sharing their research and its impact on people’s everyday lives. We encourage them, in turn, to listen to communities and consider their research and future plans from the perspective of the people they serve. We must take science out of the labs and journals and share it with the world.

bookmark_borderWomen’s March

by Daniel Brouse
Photo and video credits: Nikka Mae, Vanessa Sundra, Melody Long McWherter, Kara Barber, Elissa Sklaroff, Rick Reinhart and Alan Fenstermaker

Grandmother's Photo of Daughter and Grand Daughter / Elissa Sklaroff, Sara Sklaroff -Carey, Edie Carey
Grandmother’s Photo of Daughter and Grand Daughter / Elissa Sklaroff, Sara Sklaroff -Carey, Edie Carey

On January 22, 2017, a movement known as the Women’s March On Washington turned into a global protest of historical proportions.

1) The Women’s March on Washington was the largest global protest against the inauguration of a ruler in world history.
2) The Women’s March was inclusive of all people that felt compelled to protest and insist we “leave the world a better place.”

What could cause a massive movement like this? It was striking how many multi-generation protesters had boots on the ground. Not only did mothers-daughters march, but many grandmothers-daughters-grandaughters marched. Why? The resounding response — “our children’s children! We want to leave the world a better place.”

As it turns out, mother’s instincts about Donald Trump were correct. Within days of being elected, The Donald dictated actions that will harm more children than any President in history.

Things that kill and maim kids: the Dakota Pipeline, repealing the Affordable Care Act, withdrawing from TPP, withdrawing from the Paris Treaty, refusing children refugees from countries we bombed, de-funding International Planned Parenthood… every executive order the President has signed. In addition, censoring the Department of the Interior, USDA and the EPA, etc.

Boys, perhaps it’s time we listen to what our mother tells us?

Nikka Mae / Washington DC

Vanessa Sundra / NYC

Melody Long McWherter / Philadelphia

Kara Barber / Philadelphia

MORE RESOURCES

Trade War! What Is It Good For?

Death By Ozone
How to Protect Your Children From the Most Dangerous Natural Threats
The Human Induced Climate Change Experiment
Climate Change And Health

bookmark_borderDan Truitt Vs. Carolyn Comitta for PA State Representative

by Daniel Brouse

WEST CHESTER, PA — The office of State Representative is up for election in Chester County. State Representative Dan Truitt is running for re-election against West Chester Mayor Carolyn Comitta. The 156th Pennsylvania House of Representatives District is located in Chester County and includes the following areas:
Birmingham Township
East Goshen Township
Thornbury Township
West Chester
West Goshen Township (PART, District North)
Westtown Township

Truitt and Comitta are on opposite sides of the “West Chester Busking and Street Performance Ordinance.”

Mayor Comitta is behind a proposed ordinance that would limit a citizen’s ability to sing, dance, play music, perform magic, juggle, read aloud or recite. The original ordinance would have required children to have a license to draw with chalk on the sidewalk. So many residents and lovers-of-the-arts showed up to this public hearing that another public hearing was added. Then, so many people showed up to protest the ordinance at the second meeting, yet another public hearing is scheduled. Though the ordinance has been watered down, it is still in violation of the U.S. Constitution.

Mayor Comitta is also embroiled in allegations of police misconduct, police corruption, hate crimes and civil rights violations. Mayor Comitta’s West Chester Police Department arrested and assaulted two street musicians under the guise of the noise ordinance. Without grounds, scores of citations have been issued to other performers. One artist was cited three times, though he was not making noise. The artist won all three court cases but is now forced to sue in Federal Court (to obtain damages and challenge the noise ordinance under the First and Fourteenth Amendments.)

Mayor Comitta has been unresponsive to all requests both written [1, 2, 3] and verbal.

On the other hand, Dan Truitt met with and supported the West Chester artists that perform at Gay and Church Streets in West Chester. Dan’s office provided research on the constitutionality of the proposed ordinance and the existing noise ordinance. Dan said, “The proposed ordinance violates the Constitution.”