North Carolina Moms, Children To Hold Mother's Day Events Friday And Saturday To Raise Gun Violence Awareness

CHARLOTTE, WINSTON-SALEM, and DURHAM, N.C., May 9, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following release is being issued by Mayors Against Illegal Guns:

North Carolina mothers, children and others who have been affected by gun violence will gather for Mother's Day events in Charlotte, Winston-Salem and Durham Friday and Saturday to raise awareness about the effects of gun violence on mothers and children. 

Last month Senator Richard Burr was among those who voted against bipartisan legislation proposed by NRA A-rated Senators Joe Manchin and Pat Toomey that would have closed the loopholes that make it easy for criminals and dangerous people to get guns. Recent independent polls have found that 90 percent of North Carolinians support background checks for all gun buyers.

North Carolinians can sign a Mother's Day card urging Senator Burr to take action on gun violence here.

In addition, to mark Mother's Day, Roxanna Green, whose nine year-old daughter Christina-Taylor Green was killed in the 2011 Tucson mass shooting, released a video message. Link to the video here.

Event details are below.

Charlotte
What:
Mother's Day Rally against Gun Violence
Who:
Susanne Rallis of Moms Demand Action, Mayors Against Illegal Guns and concerned North Carolinians
Where:  
Freedom Park, 1500 Princeton Avenue, Charlotte
When:
Friday, May 10, 3:15 PM

Winston-Salem
What:
Mother's Day Rally against Gun Violence and Petition Delivery
Who: Brandon Dandy, who lost his brother to gun violence; Mayors Against Illegal Guns and concerned North Carolinians
Where:   
Senator Burr's Winston Salem Office: 2000 West First Street, Winston-Salem
When: 
Friday, May 10, 2 PM

Durham
What:   
Mother's Day Rally Against Gun Violence
Who: 
Kaaren Haldeman of Moms Demand Action; Joslin Simms, who lost her son Rayburn eight years ago to gun violence; Yolanda Bagley, who lost her son Jelani four months ago to gun violence; Brenda James, who lost her son Randolph five years ago to gun violence
Where: 
Sister Cities Grove at Durham Central Park, next to the Durham Farmer's Market at 501 Foster St, Durham
When:  
Saturday, May 11, 11:30 AM

About Mayors Against Illegal Guns
Since its creation in April 2006, Mayors Against Illegal Guns has grown from 15 members to more than 950 mayors from across the country. We have more than 1.5 million grassroots supporters, making us the largest gun violence prevention advocacy organization in the country.  The bipartisan coalition, co-chaired by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, has united the nation's mayors around these common goals: protecting communities by holding gun offenders accountable; demanding access to crime gun trace data that is critical to law enforcement efforts to combat gun trafficking; and working with legislators to fix weaknesses and loopholes in the law that make it far too easy for criminals and other dangerous people to get guns.  Learn more at www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org

MEDIA CONTACT
Kate Downen: kdownen@maig.org or 406-224-5056
Erika Soto Lamb: erika@maig.org or 646-580-5281

SOURCE Mayors Against Illegal Guns

View the original article here

Pennsylvania Moms, Children To Hold Pittsburgh Mother's Day Rally On Saturday To Raise Gun Violence Awareness

PITTSBURGH, May 9, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following release is being issued by Mayors Against Illegal Guns:

Mothers, children and others who have been affected by gun violence will gather in Pittsburgh Saturday to raise gun violence awareness.

In April, Senators Pat Toomey and Robert Casey stood with 88 percent of Pennsylvania voters and voted to expand background checks to private gun sales at gun shows and online. Pennsylvania Representatives Mike Fitzpatrick, Pat Meehan, Matt Cartwright, Robert Brady and Chaka Fattah have co-sponsored identical legislation in the House. The Pittsburgh event aims to thank Senator Toomey and Senator Casey for their leadership and to raise awareness to the Pennsylvania delegation about the effects of gun violence on mothers and children.  Recent independent polls have found that 88 percent of Pennsylvanians support background checks for all buyers.  

In addition, to mark Mother's Day, Roxanna Green, whose nine year-old daughter Christina-Taylor Green was killed in the 2011 Tucson mass shooting, released a video message. Link to the video here.

Event details are below.

What:   
Mother's Day Rally Against Gun Violence

Who:
Marsha Grayson, mother of Honor Student Jeron Grayson who was murdered while home on Spring Break; Ms. Sharon Fields of Healing Wounds Family Support Group; Reggie Roberts of Ceasefire-PA, State Rep. Ed Gainey and Mayors Against Illegal Guns

When:   
Saturday, May 11, 11:00  AM

Where:
Rodman Street Baptist Church, 6111 Rodman Street, Pittsburgh

About Mayors Against Illegal Guns
Since its creation in April 2006, Mayors Against Illegal Guns has grown from 15 members to more than 950 mayors from across the country. We have more than 1.5 million grassroots supporters, making us the largest gun violence prevention advocacy organization in the country.  The bipartisan coalition, co-chaired by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, has united the nation's mayors around these common goals: protecting communities by holding gun offenders accountable; demanding access to crime gun trace data that is critical to law enforcement efforts to combat gun trafficking; and working with legislators to fix weaknesses and loopholes in the law that make it far too easy for criminals and other dangerous people to get guns.  Learn more at www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org

MEDIA CONTACT
Dave Scholnick, dscholnick@maig.org or 717-723-8864
Kate Downen: kdownen@maig.org or 406-224-5056

SOURCE Mayors Against Illegal Guns

View the original article here

Step into the shadowy world of Espionage! SPY: The Secret World of Espionage Opens Saturday at The Franklin Institute

PHILADELPHIA, May 2, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Franklin Institute's newest exhibition, SPY: The Secret World of Espionage opens to the public on Saturday, May 4, for a limited time.  Extraordinarily rare treasures drawn from world's leading intelligence agencies -- the CIA, the FBI, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), as well as the immense private collection of intelligence historian H. Keith Melton, will be unlocked and on exhibit – many for the first time ever - in the Mandell Center at The Franklin Institute through October 6.  PECO is the Presenting Sponsor of the SPY exhibition, which grants unprecedented access into the highly-secreted world of the CIA and features over 200 historical artifacts and authentic espionage-related gadgets, including the scripts and studio documents from the real life mission that inspired the Academy Award winning film, Argo. To coincide with the Philadelphia premiere of SPY: The Secret World of Espionage, Melton has just published S py Sites of Philadelphia, which takes readers through two and a half centuries of Espionage in the City of Brotherly Love. 

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100924/TFILOGO)

"Philadelphia has long been a hotbed of spy activity over the years, and even today our fascination with the mysterious world of espionage continues," said Dennis M. Wint, President  & CEO of The Franklin Institute. "The extensive collection of artifacts, documents, tools and interactive displays in SPY so vividly tell the intriguing and important tales of espionage that have shaped our world today."

Drawn from the recently de-classified collection of the CIA are objects ranging from a saddle used by a CIA team member in Afghanistan, following the attacks of 9/11 to the Cockpit of the A-12 Oxcart Spy Plane from 1962, one of only nine remaining in the world.  The exhibit also features highlights from the 10,000-plus personal artifact collection of H. Keith Melton, including the actual Ice Axe used to kill Leon Trotsky, one of the founders of the Russian revolution. Visitors to SPY will discover the real-life evolution of spy technology and experience life as a spy by navigating through an actual laser field, using voice altering technologies to conceal their voice and creating their very own spy disguise. 

Among the extraordinarily rare items are:

From the CIA Museum:

• Insectothopter, the world's first insect-sized unmanned aerial vehicle used to gather intelligence-from the air   
• Charlie the Catfish, one of two CIA Robotic Catfish, used to explore the use of unmanned underwater vehicles for aquatic missions
• Pigeon camera, a camera small and light enough to be carried by a pigeon
• Cockpit of the A-12 Oxcart Spy Plane, one of only nine remaining in the world
• An original Presidential Daily Brief Binder

From the collection of H. Keith Melton:

• Enigma Machine, a cipher machine used to develop nearly unbreakable codes by the German Army during WWII  which led to the development of the world's first super computer
• "Sleeping Beauty" motorized semi-submersible from WWII 
• Wel-Bike-a rapid deployment collapsible motorcycle used by Allied forces during WWII
• Picasso Lithograph of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, 1952
• Dead Drop Rat, used during the Cold War to hold a wad of money or roll of film

Hi-resolution exhibit and artifact images are available for download at: http://www.fi.edu/press/spy/ ?
User: press; Password: espionage

SPY: The Secret World of Espionage at The Franklin Institute
May 4, 2013 – October 6, 2013

TICKET INFORMATION
EXHIBIT HOURS

Sunday - Wednesday: 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
-Last admission 3:30 p.m.

Thursday – Saturday: 9:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.
-Last admission 7:00 p.m.

TICKET PRICES
Daytime Admissions

Adult: $28.00; Children ages 3-11: $19.00
Daytime tickets also include museum general admission.

Evening Admissions
Thursday - Saturday only | 5:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Adult: $18.00; Children ages 3-11: $13.00

Evening tickets include admission to SPY only.

Tickets are timed and dated, and advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended.  For more information on purchasing individual or discounted group tickets please call 215-448-1200 or visit www.fi.edu. 

BASE Entertainment (Producer) BASE develops, produces and manages intellectual properties generated for live entertainment stages in North America, Asia and Brazil. BASE's current production activity in Las Vegas includes the following:  Rock Of Ages at the Venetian,  Peepshow at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Jersey Boys at The Paris, Absinthe at Caesars Palace, Defending the Caveman and Million Dollar Quartet (opening February 2013), at Harrah's.  BASE also presented an exclusive holiday engagement of the all new Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Spectacular production at The Palazzo. Previous production activity in Las Vegas includes: Phantom at The Venetian, Wayne Brady - Making It Up at The Venetian, and Stomp Out Loud at Planet Hollywood.  In addition, BASE operates the Showroom and PH Live at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas.  At Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, BASE programs both the Grand Theater, previously home to both The Lion King and Wicked, and the Sands Theater, where Jersey Boys is currently playing (in partnership with Dodger Properties and Showtime).  In Brazil, BASE, in partnership with Geo Eventos, recently produced Priscilla Queen of the Desert in Sao Paulo in March 2012.  Spy: The Secret World of Espionage represents the premiere museum quality exhibition developed and presented by BASE.  BASE Entertainment's headquarters are in New York, and its founders include industry veterans Brian Becker and Scott Zeiger.  For more information please visit www.BASEentertainment.com.

About the Franklin Institute 
Located in the heart of Philadelphia, The Franklin Institute is a renowned and innovative leader in the field of science and technology learning, as well as a dynamic center of activity. Pennsylvania's most visited museum, it is dedicated to creating a passion for learning about science by offering access to hands-on science education. For more information, visit www.fi.edu.

SOURCE The Franklin Institute

View the original article here