Karen Evans

Tweeting about all things national parks, science, space, flight, arts, education, parenthood, & work. All posts my own. #bethechange

[Karen Evans @keva8228]

I am honored to be a part of our #BehindtheScience series featuring #WomeninScience and proud to work for a company where outstanding people can thrive.  Women and girls play a critical role in science and technology. Look for the mentors in your life and in return be one!

[GSK US @GSKUS]

Go #BehindTheScience and learn how the support and guidance of remarkable teachers led Karen to love small molecule research, and find exactly where she belongs: in the labs of #MedicinalChemistry with a thriving team. 🧪🔬

#WomenInScience #WomenInSTEM #IDWGIS23

[Rick Steves @RickSteves]

Dump Thy Neighbor?

As our new president and his favorite broligarch move to dismantle US foreign aid in the name of making America “great again,” consider this:

There are 8 billion people on this planet. About half of them live on less than $7 a day. Around 10% are in what the UN calls “extreme poverty” — trying to live on less than $2 a day. And 4% are Americans who live on an average of about $220 per day.

Before January 21, when Trump froze virtually all foreign aid, the US allocated slightly less than 1% of its wealth to help the world’s poorest people. And for more than 60 years, that work has been done by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), whose goal is both self-serving and compassionate: to “further America's interests while improving lives in the developing world.”

This weekend, Trump declared USAID is run by “liberals and lunatics” — and Elon Musk tweeted it was “time for it to die” as his crew took over the agency’s offices and demanded access to classified material. And today, with Musk crowing, “We spent the weekend feeding USAID into the woodchipper,” we are learning that Marco Rubio is now in control of the agency.

Trump was elected by the most conservative Christians in the USA. But all Christians, whether liberal or conservative, follow the teachings of Jesus Christ — and if you distill Jesus’s message into three words, it’s “love thy neighbor.” As a traveler, I’ve come to understand that if there is a God, then all people are children of their heavenly creator. Therefore, we are all brothers and sisters. And logically, proximity (what country you happen to live in) has nothing to do with “love thy neighbor.”

But let’s just say the typical MAGA American Christian is more of a nationalist than a Christian (a.k.a. a “Christian Nationalist,”) and they care more about being rich and safe than actually loving thy neighbor. The president those Christian Nationalists helped elect, whose slogan is “Make America Great Again,” is in the process of dismantling humanitarian aid in the interest of saving tax dollars. But ironically, pulling out of this work will actually make America less safe and less great. Forgetting about any ethical or Christian-compassion dimension of foreign aid, ending these programs will make the Global South both more desperate and less stable — leaving a huge vacuum for China (which seems to understand the concept of “soft power” much better than MAGA Americans) to fill in these weakened countries. And to top it off, millions of people will no longer be providing a market for us to trade with — and will instead become refugees.

As a traveler who has spent about three months a year overseas for 40 years, who has researched and produced a one-hour TV special called “Hunger and Hope: Lessons from Ethiopia and Guatemala,” and whose primary teaching and philanthropic goals have been to fight poverty at home and abroad, I’ve learned something very fundamental: Even if you’re only motivated by greed, if you know what’s good for you and your loved ones, you don’t want to be filthy rich in a desperately poor world. It’s just not a pretty picture.

And if you really want to make America great, the best possible use of US tax dollars is to continue to dedicate less than 1% of the total federal budget to fighting global poverty — not in the name of Jesus, but in the name of a more stable and prosperous world where the USA is a strong leader. (And talk about a twofer…you get to love thy neighbor as well!)

Concerned? Raise your voice!

[Karen Evans @keva8228]

4/4. I am all for exploring and considering options but please...help save a 🌳. #Optout #collegebound #college #CollegeRecruiting #sat #apexams #collegeboard #reducepapermail #yale #BeBoulder

[Karen Evans @keva8228]

1. PSA to college-bound high school students and parents of college-bound students: Beware of opting in to the @CollegeBoard search to be contacted by prospective colleges by mail. Not knowing what to expect, we opted in - and this was the result by graduation in 2024:

[Karen Evans @keva8228]

3. @Yale was the worst offender by weight with a half pound book. @CUBoulder had the smallest 👏with a petite 5in x 3.5in folded mini-booklet. @Concordia_MN had the largest with an 11in x 11in brochure.

[Karen Evans @keva8228]

@FelixSchlang 🤢

[Karen Evans @keva8228]

@SoudertonAFRL Tell us more!

[Karen Evans @keva8228]

@philorch So many unforgettable moments - Happy Birthday!

[Souderton for Responsible Leadership @SoudertonAFRL]

This is who current school board chose to make decisions about our children's education, and who the other candidates chose to run on their ticket. Is this the kind of leadership you want for Souderton?

[Souderton for Responsible Leadership @SoudertonAFRL]

As you hear about the M4L agenda and policies that are harmful to students and public education in general, keep in mind that they see our opponents as people who will further that agenda in Souderton Area School District. (2/2)
#sasd #responsibleleadership

[Souderton for Responsible Leadership @SoudertonAFRL]

It can be hard to sort through all the news going on locally and around the world, but here is your reminder that the Moms for Liberty organization has endorsed the "Keep Souderton Strong" school board candidates (our opponents). (1/2)

[Souderton for Responsible Leadership @SoudertonAFRL]

Learn about this and other issues on our website at https://t.co/rt3lqiU9z6. We'd like to earn your vote on November 7 - a vote for change, and for vision, character and responsible leadership.

-Team Bertzos, Bowers, Buetikofer, Souchet and Swindells

[Souderton for Responsible Leadership @SoudertonAFRL]

Your vote on November 7 is a vote for change, and for vision, character and responsible leadership.
-Team Bertzos, Bowers, Buetikofer, Souchet and Swindells

[Souderton for Responsible Leadership @SoudertonAFRL]

We support creating an online video library of past meetings, and understandable meeting agendas and minutes.
Learn more: https://t.co/rt3lqiU9z6

[Souderton for Responsible Leadership @SoudertonAFRL]

Many district residents are unable to attend school board meetings and feel disconnected and ignored by the lack of communication and inclusion in district decisions. https://t.co/S5Ov3aegs1

[Souderton for Responsible Leadership @SoudertonAFRL]

... and question spending that does not benefit the students. Both students and taxpayers will benefit from a fresh set of eyes, rather than the status quo.

Vote for us on Tuesday, November 7: Bertzos, Bowers, Buetikofer, Souchet and Swindells

[Souderton for Responsible Leadership @SoudertonAFRL]

🧵We are fortunate to live in a school district that has outstanding teachers and a historically good reputation for academic achievement.

Under our current school board, Souderton's ranking has dropped.

[Karen Evans @keva8228]

@Cirque They were absolutely amazing in Phildelphia. My son's favorite part of the show!

[Karen Evans @keva8228]

@goodreads Hermione

[Karen Evans @keva8228]

@goodreads 18th century America