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Mother Earth Project’s ‘Parachutes for the Planet’ comes to Georgetown

WASHINGTON — On the heels of a United Nations report this week sounding warnings about the impact of global climate change, the Mother Earth Project will bring its Parachutes for the Planet display to Georgetown this weekend.

Hoping to repeat the success the HIV/AIDS Quilts project had in drawing attention to a cause during the 1990s, the Mother Earth Project will display 200 parachutes from 30 countries and 28 U.S. states Oct. 13 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Georgetown Waterfront Park.

The event will also include politicians, organizations and heads of schools, a 100-foot parachute dance, live music from five bands and a march in the park with the Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Drum line.

“Saving the environment is vital to our health, safety and future, and ‘parachutes’ are a metaphor for this process,” Mother Earth Project said.

“Parachutes can be seen as safety nets and when help by groups during demonstrations of collectively displayed in large numbers, they transform into powerful messages of strength, hope and communal determination.”

The group has collected more than 250 nonfunctioning parachutes from individuals and organizations, each painted with their specific artwork and message.

Mother Earth Project has been displaying its Project Parachutes display at large venues worldwide.

In July, 100 parachutes were displayed at the National Mall as part of the Zero Hour Youth Climate march, and were carried to the offices of more than 40 U.S. senators.

The nonprofit has also been installing permanently displayed sculptures, including one on the Potomac River in Georgetown, as well as in Guilin, China; Yaounde, Cameroon, and Jerusalem.

Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging Meta designed apps to be addictive to kids

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts' highest court heard oral arguments Friday in the state's lawsuit arguing that Meta designed features on Facebook and Instagram to make them addictive to young users. The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alleges that Meta did this to make a profit and that its actions affected hundreds of thousands of teenagers in Massachusetts who use the social media platforms. “We are making claims based only on the tools that Meta has developed because its own research shows they encourage addiction to the platform in a variety of ways,” said State Solicitor David Kravitz, adding that the state's claim has nothing to do the company's algorithms or failure to moderate content. Meta said Friday that it strongly disagrees with the allegations and is “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.” Its attorney, Mark Mosier, argued in court that the lawsuit “would impose liabilities for performing traditional publishing functions” and that its actions are protected by the First Amendment.
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