WEST CHESTER, PA — On May 25, 2013, protests against Monsanto were held throughout the nation including several locations in the Delaware Valley. Consumers are concerned about the company responsible for making Agent Orange continuing to expose citizens to the harmful effects of their experiments on humans. The pesticide Round Up is speculated to be behind the bee colony collapse. The company’s attempt to create a monopoly over seeds through GMO patents was one of the crowds gravest concerns.

IMAGES FROM THE MONSANTO PROTEST IN WEST CHESTER, PA

A song written at the protest: Can You Hear The Alarm?

PHILADELPHIA, PA — On May 18, 2013 two speakers at the NORML protest rally were arrested and placed in the Federal Detention Center. The rally was being held at the Liberty Bell on Federal Park land. The leader of the demonstration, N.A. Poe, was charged with felony offenses.

N.A. Poe Being Released From Federal Detention in Philly

ANNUAL SAILING REGATTA AT GLEN FOERD

Come celebrate almost two decades of dining and sailing as the Racing Fleet of the Delaware River Yacht Club opens the 20th Annual Glen Foerd Regatta on Tuesday, June 18, 2013, at 5:30 PM. Guests will dine riverside on a picnic style summer buffet. Iced tea, lemonade, and assorted soft drinks are included with buffet and a cash bar will be available so that you can raise your glass to your favorite sailboat! Musical entertainment will be courtesy of maritime music specialist and Glen Foerd favorite Charlie Zahm. Tickets are priced at $30.00 for our members and $35.00 for non-members. Reservations are confirmed with advance cash, check (payable to Glen Foerd on the Delaware), or credit card payment. Payment must be received in advance. Call, 215-632-5330 to purchase tickets. This event sells out fast, so don’t delay!

Glen Foerd on the Delaware
5001 Grant Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19114
215 632 5330

Voting is one of the most critical rights granted to us as U.S. citizens and I wanted to remind you that Primary Election Day is May 21st.

Below is information you may find useful concerning voting in Pennsylvania.

Identification

If you are voting for the first time in a polling place, Pennsylvania law requires voters present approved identification.
Acceptable photo identification includes, PA driver’s license or ID card issued by PennDOT, ID issued by any other Commonwealth agency, ID issued by the U.S. Government, U.S. Passport, U.S. Armed Forces ID, Student ID, or an employee ID.
Acceptable non-photo identification forms includes voter’s identification card issued by the voter registration commission, non-photo ID issued by the Commonwealth, non-photo ID issued by the U.S. Government, firearm permit, current utility bill, current bank statement, current paycheck, or a government check. Non-photo ID must include your name and address.
If you don’t have any of these items at the polls, you can still request a provisional ballot.
If you are not voting for the first time in a polling place, you may be asked to present identification, but it is not required.

Election Day Hours: Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you are in line at 8 p.m., you can vote!

How to Vote: Voting systems vary county by county in Pennsylvania. For more information on the system used in your county or city visit the Pennsylvania Department of State’s web page on county voting systems.

Polling Place Locations: The location of your polling place is listed on your voter identification card. If you are unsure of your polling place location contact your local board of elections or visit: http://guide.seventy.org/.

Look for information: Polling stations are required to provide public notice of voting rights, information on how to use the voting machines, and information on how to file a complaint if you believe your rights have been violated.

Ask questions: Polling workers are on hand to answer questions you may have concerning your right to vote and the voting process. If you have questions about how to use a voting machine or would like to request a provisional ballot, ask a polling worker for help. Polling workers can also direct you to the correct polling place if you are at the wrong voting precinct.

Provisional voting: If your name doesn’t appear on the voter registration list or you have forgotten to bring an ID to the polls, under Pennsylvania law you can still vote by asking for a provisional ballot. After you have completed the provisional ballot, you will be provided with a provisional ballot receipt that will include information on how you can check to see if your vote counted. Within three days after the election, Pennsylvania county or city election officials will review the ballot to determine whether or not it counted. You should contact the phone number listed on the provisional ballot receipt to check if your ballot was counted or disqualified. You will be asked for the identification number listed on your provisional ballot, so remember to keep your provisional ballot receipt.

Useful phone numbers and Web sites for additional information:

Montgomery County Board of Elections
Phone: 610-278-3275

Philadelphia City Commissioners
Phone: 215-686-3460

Pennsylvania Department of State
Phone: 1-877-868-3772

Election Assistance Commission
Phone: 1-866-747-1471

U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Voting Section
Phone: 1-800-253-3931

Tuesday, June 25 – PSQ: Philadelphia String Quartet

Tuesday, July 16 – Sounds of Swing

Tuesday, August 20 – Hot Taters: Dixieland/New Orleans Mardi Gras

ALL CONCERTS BEGIN AT 7:00PM
New Policy for Admissions: Premium seats in the air-conditioned tent are $3.00 for non-members, FREE for members. Only 160 premium seats are available and will be sold at the door on a first come, first served basis. Lawn seating is free for all.

Corbett Supports Landmark Legislation for Pension Reform

Harrisburg –Governor Tom Corbett today joined Senator Mike Brubaker (R-Lancaster) and Representative Chris Ross (R-Chester) as they introduced a comprehensive pension reform plan that stems skyrocketing pension costs and provides significant taxpayer and budgetary relief for Pennsylvanians, now and well into the future.

The legislation mirrors the governor’s proposal introduced during his February budget address.

“I commend Senator Brubaker and Representative Ross for their leadership in supporting Pennsylvania taxpayers through pension reform and I strongly encourage the legislature to follow suit,” Corbett said. “New calculations show that our unfunded liability has risen to a staggering $47 billion; we can no longer ignore our debt to Pennsylvania. We must take action now.”

Without reform, the governor’s budget office has calculated that pension costs will consume approximately 60 percent of all new general fund revenues in the 2013-14 fiscal year.

“This legislation ensures the pension system is sustainable for the future and implements critically-needed reforms in both the short term and long term,” Brubaker said.

Due to rising pension costs, more than one-third of Pennsylvania’s school districts have applied for exceptions to increase property taxes above the school district’s established index.
“Pennsylvania’s pension funding situation is quickly reaching a crisis,” Ross said. “Something must be done soon to bring these costs into line. Failure to do so would not only be irresponsible, but would threaten our schools and the state’s ability to meet its obligations.”

With reform, school districts and local education agencies would realize savings of more than $1 billion over five years, nearly $140 million in 2013-14 alone.

The legislation rebalances the state’s obligations to both pension funds and the general fund. It also provides short-term budgetary relief to avoid deep cuts in core services and programs offset by long-term reforms that produce an overall savings to the pension systems.

The legislation:
• Contains no changes to current retiree pensions.

• Keeps current employees and retirees in the same type of retirement plan, a defined benefit plan.

• Respects current employees by protecting retirement benefits already accrued and allowing contribution flexibility to opt out of future benefit recalculations.

• Automatically enrolls new employees in a defined contribution plan, starting in 2015.

o State Employees’ Retirement System, or SERS, employees hired after Jan. 1, 2015
and Public School Employees’ Retirement System, or PSERS, employees hired after
July 1, 2015 will be enrolled in a 401(a) defined contribution plan, similar to a
401(k) plan. Consistent with the plans today, state employees will be required to
contribute 6.25 percent of their salary to the plan, while public school employees
will contribute at least 7.5 percent.

• Recalculates future benefits only for current employees through:

o Capping how much of current employees’ future wages and overtime can be used
to calculate their pensionable income, helping to prevent excessive retirements,
and ensuring that the pension reflects an employee’s entire career and not just a
few years where he or she may have earned more overtime or higher pay; and

o Fixing the formula to adjust the way that monthly pension benefits are paid out if
an employee takes a lump sum payment when leaving employment, preventing
employees from getting more money than their pension earned when they retire.

• Limits the amount by which the state’s employer contributions can be increased to provide short-term budgetary relief.

Corbett, Brubaker and Ross were joined for the announcement by Sen. Scott Hutchinson (R-Clarion), Sen. Pat Browne (R-Lehigh), Rep. Brad Roae (R-Crawford), Rep. John McGinnis (R-Blair) and Rep. Fred Keller (R-Snyder) as well as stakeholder organizations representing local school districts, small and large businesses, and policy and financial industry leaders.

For more information about the pension crisis in Pennsylvania, visit www.pa.gov.

Legislation will be available on www.legis.state.pa.us.

Children’s Art Classes
Begins June 1st 10:00 – 11:00am; Five Saturday Classes for Ages 6 – 10 years.
Registration required. $85.00 for members, $90.00 for non-members

Join this class for colorful fun at Glen Foerd on the Delaware; paint, collage, sculpture and more. Abrakadoodle’s award-winning program will have students exploring exciting artists from around the world as they experiment with a variety of cool art materials in a creative and fun environment, a new masterpiece will be created each class.

Glen Foerd on the Delaware
5001 Grant Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19114
215 632 5330

3rd Annual Lehigh Baptist Church Family Flea Market
Sept 14th, 2013 9AM – 2 PM
934 Alburger Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19115
Vendors wanted. $20.00 per space or 2 for $30.00
Contact Lynn 215-495-9684