A Tipping Point in Energy Independence - NYTimes.com

A Tipping Point in Energy Independence - NYTimes.com

Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1% | Society | Vanity Fair

Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1% | Society | Vanity Fair

MoveOn.org Political Action: Stop the Republicans' Brutal Cuts

MoveOn.org Political Action: Stop the Republicans' Brutal Cuts

"The Republicans' budget includes cuts to food aid for hungry pregnant women and children, programs people need during an economic crisis. It's just wrong.

And instead of creating jobs, this budget will destroy them.

With Republicans in control of the House of Representatives, these cuts could become law. Our only hope is a public outcry strong enough to stiffen Democrats' spines and cause Republicans to back down. Can you sign the petition?

A compiled petition with your individual comment will be presented to Democratic senators and representatives."

Keeping Bush tax breaks for the wealthy and letting corporations pay no taxes, while low-income Americans have assistance taken from them and education grants removed WILL BE SEEN AS ONE OF THE WORST TRAVESTIES OF MAKING A FAIR AND PERFECT UNION ALL TIME. WE MUST TAKE FROM THE TOP AS WELL AS THE BOTTOM AND MIDDLE. WE ***HAVE TO***

US Uncut

US Uncut is a grassroots movement taking direct action against corporate tax cheats and unnecessary and unfair public service cuts across the U.S. Washington's proposed budget for the coming year sends a clear message: The wrath of budget cuts will fall upon the shoulders of hard-working Americans. That's unacceptable.

Obama seeks to trim $1.1 trillion from the budget in the next ten years by cutting or eliminating over 200 federal programs, many dedicated to social services and education. For instance, it cuts in half funding to subsidize heating for low-income Americans; limits an expansion of the Pell grant program for students; and decreases Environmental Protection Agency funding by over 12%.

Meanwhile, Republicans are using their new House majority to slash spending even more brutally. The GOP has made it clear that they are bent on raiding funds for Social Security, Medicare, education; determined to kill health care reform; and gut needed investments in infrastructure, climate change and job creation, at a time when America needs it most.

These cuts will come on top of very painful austerity measures made at the state-level across our nation–-worth hundreds of billions--since the recession began.

In short, budget cuts demonstrate that Washington has abandoned ordinary Americans.

But there is an alternative: Make corporate tax avoiders pay.

Enjoying record profits and taxpayer-funded bailouts as the economy slowly recovers from a financial crisis, nearly two-thirds of US corporations don't pay any income taxes, instead opting to abuse tax loopholes and offshore tax havens. According to this study from the non-partisan Government Accountability Office, 83 of the top 100 publicly traded corporations that operate in the US exploit corporate tax havens. Since 2009, America’s most profitable companies such as ExxonMobil, General Electric, Bank of America and Citigroup all paid a grand total of $0 in federal income taxes to Uncle Sam. Tax havens alone account for up to $1 trillion in tax revenue lost every decade, money that could be invested in K-12 education, colleges, public health, job creation and hundreds of other worthy public programs.

If we pay our taxes, why don’t they? If corporations profit here, shouldn't they pay here?

It’s time for ordinary Americans to fight back and demand an end to the corporate tax avoidance. Join US Uncut and together let's make corporate tax avoiders pay.

US Uncut

Tell the EPA: I Support Proposed New Rules to Curb Toxic Air Pollution

Sign petition here: 30 seconds
League of Conservation Voters:

Toxic air pollutants—like mercury from coal- and oil-fired power plants—cause neurological damage in children exposed in the womb and during early development.

Submit a public comment to the EPA. Tell the agency you support the recently proposed standards for mercury and other toxic air pollution for power plants, which will protect American families from dangerous toxins and hold polluters accountable.

Crowdsourcing a Better World - NYTimes.com

Crowdsourcing a Better World - NYTimes.com

This is a paradigm shift... Egypt, cell phones, internet... immediate public saturation and input on key areas and action.

Life changing... we will lead, Democracy alive in everyday people, leading.

Sign petition: Let the EPA Regulate Carbon Pollution

30 Seconds, sign here:
League of Conservation Voters:

Right now, the Senate is considering a number of proposals to block the EPA from reducing harmful carbon pollution under the Clean Air Act. With the House having already passed fiercely anti-environment legislation, we cannot allow Big Oil and Dirty Coal’s allies in the Senate to score a victory.

That’s why we need a committed core group of Senators to draw a line in the sand and protect the EPA.

Sign Petition to Keep Poison Off Strawberries

30 Seconds, sign here: 
Take Action » Food & Water Watch

Sign petition, which will tell Jerry Brown: Methyl iodide is a known carcinogen and neurotoxin and has no place being used on food crops. We need to stop this poison once and for all in California. Please pledge publicly to ban methyl iodide as soon as you take office as governor. 

Greenpeace suggests doubling Fukushima evacuation zone - Yahoo! News

Greenpeace suggests doubling Fukushima evacuation zone - Yahoo! News
'In addition to coming clean on the true dangers of the current nuclear crisis,
the SMARTEST MOVE FOR JAPAN and GOVERNMENTS AROUND THE WORLD is to heavily invest in energy efficiency
and redouble efforts to harness safe and secure RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES,' Jan van de Putte said.

India's tiger count rises to 1,706 - Yahoo! News

India's tiger count rises to 1,706 - Yahoo! News
Good news for species sustainability! What a magnificent animal!
And for each species we preserve, our chances of surviving must increase as well.

Fix the Deficit? We Can Do That

Fix the Deficit? We Can Do That - Time Magazine

Nuclear radiation 'the greatest public health hazard' - CNN

Nuclear radiation 'the greatest public health hazard' - CNN

CNN: Is it possible to have a safe nuclear power plant?

Helen Caldicott: No. They are very complicated machines containing the energy released when an atom is split: Einstein's formula e=mc², the mass of the atom times the speed of light squared. Anything can go wrong: natural disasters, failure of cooling systems, human and computer error, terrorism, sabotage. Radioactive waste must be isolated from the ecosphere for half a million years or longer, a physical and scientific impossibility, and as it leaks it will concentrate in food chains, inducing epidemics of genetic diseases, leukemia and cancer in all future generations, the greatest public health hazard the world will ever see.

Einstein said, "The splitting of the atom changed everything save man's mode of thinking; thus we drift towards unparalleled catastrophe." He also said, "Nuclear power is a hell of a way to boil water."

CNN: Doesn't every form of energy production involve some risk, as we saw with the oil spill in the Gulf?

Helen Caldicott: Well, that was dreadful. But to leave a legacy of huge vats of leaking radioactive waste around the world, inducing epidemics of malignancy and random compulsory genetic engineering, is a legacy for which future generations will be distinctly ungrateful.

CNN: Is there any other aspect of this event that we should be paying attention to and are not?

Helen Caldicott: No, except that the media keep interviewing nuclear engineers and physicists, but in truth this is a medical problem of vast dimensions.

Jeff Pollack: 10 Bands Shaping The Post-Nirvana Era

Jeff Pollack: 10 Bands Shaping The Post-Nirvana Era

Not 'meh,' but close. Unfortunately, the best most original stuff is too quirky for major airplay/pop sales.
Look at Rebecca Black... the LOWEST common denominator mindless schlock with kindergarten melody maybe ever.

Funny how the mind works: quick tangent to corporate profits at an ALL-TIME high while RECOVERY struggles (see other blog post today), and the GOP's hugely rich forming a civil war (see other blog post today "there’s class warfare, all right,” warns Warren Buffett, “But it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning."). The money-wads are smiling to the bank, while trying to deregulate even MORE (GOP, Tea Party - 'down with regulation'), pollute MORE (GOP, 'curtail the EPA!'), lay off more people, make more profits, cut corners and let inferior (cheap) materials blow up like Halliburton's work on the Deepwater Horizon.... and we're left with huge unemployment, whole areas becoming uninhabitable, eating oil-soaked (now radioactive) shrimp (G.E.'s nuclear reactors [at Fukushima] have been cited as design/flawed for awhile, and they're cited as one of the most profitable companies in the post-linked article) while we're left humming "Friday, Friday, I'm so fucking glad it's Friday!! Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!!!"

Oh Jesus. This is right now, not some time in the future. I really hope this makes even one person get more involved in trying to make the world a little better, whatever that means to them.
I wish there was one person I could find to just go punch in the face. But I guess it doesn't work that way.
Corporations need to be reined in by the people. We have to work hard and fast on that.
And get our anger out through rock and roll, or in the gym, or something.

Here's to the rock and roll:
First of all, post-Nirvana rock and roll?
Kurt Cobain charging balls to the wall, strangling his guitar neck through walls of raw distortion, and howling out melodies and sensitivities is something I see nothing of in the list that follows.
Nirvana was Nirvana, and these are all post-Nirvana "rock" bands of some kind, but here are my quick takes because I'm here already:
His list, followed by my takes:

Arcade Fire: interesting, entertaining, overly-dramatic; does push the envelop for "new rock entertainment"

Coldplay: safe, cozy, too-often limp rock and roll, good for driving maybe for a little while. "Fix You" is nice now that I've seen the incredible "Young at Heart" and watched an 80-year-old guy sing it with hard to express emotion, as his friend - with whom he was to sing the song as a duet - died weeks before the performance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_n0zvoHlVk

Dave Matthews Band: groovy, quirky; I have a few CD's

Death Cab For Cutie: I like it, I should buy some CD's/downloads; Soul Meets Body pushed metaphysically and sonically forward I thought as much as anything that year (wow, 2006)

Green Day: yes, great band; rock and roll, with edge mostly alive; American Idiot puts them near the top of this list

Linkin Park: I don't get it

Muse: I don't know about it, it hasn't affected me

Pearl Jam: whatever, probably is a good time if you see/saw them someplace where a beer's less than $5

Radiohead: in the top few of this list; definitely has a forward-thinking sound; I like where Thom Yorke is coming from personally/politically, but don't buy the music for some reason

The White Stripes: finally a band with some of the visceral appeal of Nirvana; I like it; but Jack's spooky/drugged out (is he a Satanist or not? thing) is distracting to me

Funny the writer had a few smaller bands, Fleet Foxes (interesting pop) and Bright Eyes that are interesting. He mentions legacy... ah, ok. I think alot of the promise of 'post-Nirvana' rock is that we get so many flavors from all over, and technology is making it so easy to record music and share things. Technology can help us share things like Black's "Friday," or share things that turned into Egypt's social rebirth. What a breadth of opportunity... of places to spend our energy.

New Civil War erupts, led by super rich, GOP Paul B. Farrell - MarketWatch

New Civil War erupts, led by super rich, GOP Paul B. Farrell - MarketWatch

This says it... it's surfacing quite clearly now, for everyone to see.

"'there’s class warfare, all right,” warns Warren Buffett. “But it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.'"

"'During boom times, it’s profitable to preach laissez faire, because an absentee government allows speculative bubbles to inflate.” But “when those bubbles burst, the ideology becomes a hindrance, and it goes dormant while big government rides to the rescue.'”

“'But rest assured,” continued Klein in September 2008, Reaganomics “ideology will come roaring back when the bailouts are done. The massive debts the public is accumulating to bail out the speculators will then become part of a global budget crisis that will be the rationalization for deep cuts to social programs, and for a renewed push to privatize.”

And yes, America, this war strategy is happening thanks to General Buffett, the new GOP Congress and 16 aggressive anti-democracy GOP governors."

Losing Our Way - NYTimes.com

Losing Our Way - NYTimes.com 

We're not alone... Bob Herbert is leaving the NYT to "...write a book and expand [his] efforts on behalf of working people, the poor and others who are struggling in our society."

After starting his last column, "So here we are pouring shiploads of cash into yet another war, this time in Libya, while simultaneously demolishing school budgets, closing libraries, laying off teachers and police officers, and generally letting the bottom fall out of the quality of life here at home."

And ending it with, "New ideas and new leadership have seldom been more urgently needed."

If we don't change some national priorities soon, I see an "Egypt" coming up from the bottom, maybe from our generation, maybe from the new one.

I for one would be ready to join.

Corporate Profits At All-Time High As Recovery Stumbles

Corporate Profits At All-Time High As Recovery Stumbles 

This is hard to believe, with awful unemployment, the continuing deep recession and continuing housing trough.

Hard to believe (or not, but it's almost surreal and truly infuriating) that the GOP and Tea Party in Congress want KEEP pushing to keep huge tax cuts for the rich and corporations from the Bush era in place, but cut domestic programs like national parks, the EPA (air, water quality), education, and Social Security. It's self-evident, I could go on and on. Better to try to sign petitions and contact senators to save the EPA, to keep Social Security solvent, to make corporations that do not pay a SINGLE DOLLAR in taxes to pay their share - while they're siphoning off money from the country - before our "democracy" becomes some worse corporatocracy Wild West where the rich get richer, the rest can't afford to live a decent life, and America is some beat-up shanty town with pothole streets, decaying bridges, stagnant, radioactive water, mega-mansions with gates and security guards, and the rest are shuffling, rat-like street people scrambling through the rabble in scenes resembling Escape from New York or Mad Max. Maybe it's time to move to Costa Rica (many have, or repatriate to Europe, or?), and re-start the American dream somewhere, because greed and a lack of the sense of fair community has poisoned our futures.

Why No Nukes? The Real Cost of U.S. Nuclear Power - TIME

Why No Nukes? The Real Cost of U.S. Nuclear Power - TIME

Zubin Mehta: Music can heal people after weeks of disaster - Taiwan News Online

Zubin Mehta: Music can heal people after weeks of disaster - Taiwan News Online

A hopeful note during the suffering and fear, the power of music and the human spirit. Prayers and humility added in this overreaching technology gone wrong, so awfully threatening us and our planet.

"All tickets were sold out and Japanese audiences came to attend their concerts despite the disaster, Mehta said, adding that it’s worthwhile doing those performances.

From his past conducting experience in many countries such as Germany, Israel and Lebanon, the maestro deeply believes that music can bring people together.

"Music has the healing power and we musicians should do more,” he said.

The first-half program of Taiwan’s concerts will open with the overtures of Verdi’s operas: “I Vespri Siciliani,” “Luisa Miller,” and “La Forza del Destino.” The second half features the original version of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D major, “Titan.”

To express their sympathy for the earthquake and tsunami-destroyed victims in Japan, the orchestra members under Mehta’s baton will play the Air on the G String – the second movement from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068.

The two concerts will be held at the Tainan Municipal Cultural Center tonight and at the National Concert Hall in Taipei tomorrow night. Tickets are now available at http://www.ticket.com.tw/

Inspired by a teammate, golfer Bubba Watson donates $50K for Japanese relief efforts - ESPN

Inspired by a teammate, golfer Bubba Watson donates $50K for Japanese relief efforts - ESPN
I always liked Bubba Watson - aw shucks, emotional family man, competitor who flat-out stripes the ball, and a good man in a pinch.

Clinton: Gadhafi could end Libya's woes by leaving | ajc.com

Clinton: Gadhafi could end Libya's woes by leaving | ajc.com

Nuclear Preparedness - Thoughts and Three Links

• You should familiarize yourself with the first U.S. map. (Find your house, and nearest nuke plant and historical earthquakes.)
• Check the second independent U.S. Radiation Level map whenever you'd like. (Are radiation levels near normal in my area, is there a reason they may be increasing?)
• What should I do if radiation is expected to increase near my house? (Can I do anything? Yes. Is evacuation an option? Yes.)

Knowing this can give you internet-immediate information and choices, despite a lack of complete information from the government/media, which occurs too often. Be well.

 http://reporting.sunlightfoundation.com/2011/nuclear-power-plants-live-along-fault-lines/

      US Radiation Map    http://radiationnetwork.com/

http://www.naturalnews.com/031731_radiation_preparedness.html

What to Do - Stay at Home or Not

(NaturalNews) The New York Times report that a radiation plume will reach California by Friday has a lot of people asking us for more information about what to do. (See http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/science/17...) Fortunately, the amount of radiation that would actually fall on California (or Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, etc.) is currently very small. Too small to pose a serious health risk for right now.

The time to get really concerned is if -- and only if -- the Fukushima reactors suffer a fuel rod "meltdown" event which would release a massive amount of radiation into the atmosphere. The United Nations has calculated that such an event would send a cloud of very powerful radiation headed eastward, arriving on the shores of the United States and Canada within 2-3 days after the meltdown, depending on wind patterns.

Importantly, this will give you some time to take action should such an event occur. The next 24 - 48 hours are crucial in Japan's effort to stop the nuclear fuel rod meltdown. It is entirely unknown whether Japan can succeed in stopping it. The situation remains dire.

Important action items to take right now

If you live in the western states or provinces of North America, it is extremely important to be prepared by taking the following actions RIGHT NOW:

1) Fuel up your vehicle(s) and be ready to hit the road for a possible evacuation (or hunker down if you're out in the country and feel like you would be safer there).

2) If you plan to stay put, go to the hardware store TODAY and buy large amounts of plastic sheeting and duct tape to seal up your windows and doors. This will help protect you from radioactive fallout. You will also need to store water, food, and all the usual emergency supplies because outside help probably won't be available.

3) If you plan to evacuate, have a "Go Bag" ready to go at a moment's notice. This go bag should include a water filter, emergency radio, flashlight, duct tape, emergency knife, spare cash, whatever medical supplies you might need, extra food and water, spare fuel cans and so on. Have it ready now in case you need it.

4) Significantly increase your intake of iodine-containing foods and superfoods starting right now: Seaweeds are a great source. We've listed our entire inventory of what we have available at our store (https://www.naturalnews.com/031730_iodine_rad...), but I would actually prefer you to go out and get this locally TODAY at your local health food stores, where possible. You may not have time to wait on a UPS delivery. Fortunately, our store ships from Ojai, California, meaning that if you order foods from us today that are in stock, and you're in California, you could receive them very, very quickly (within 1-2 business days).

5) If you have potassium iodide pills (radiation pills), don't take them yet. Keep them ready to take if and only if a meltdown event occurs and a massive dose of radiation has been released into the atmosphere.

6) Have a plan for you and your family. Where will you meet if you need to evacuate? Don't count on cell phones working. Have a plan of where to go, how to get there and how to survive once you get there.

Why you probably won't be told the truth on all this by "official" sources

Hopefully none of this will be necessary. If they can stop the meltdown at Fukushima, there is virtually no real radiation risk in North America. That's the outcome we're all hoping and praying for.

But if a meltdown takes place, it is almost certain that strong winds will push a massive radiation cloud right into North America within a matter of days, potentially dropping an extremely dangerous quantity of radioactive material on California or other regions. That's the scenario that we all need to be prepared to guard against.

Do not rely on your government to tell you the truth about what's happening. Governments are in the business of "preventing panic" by withholding information you need to know. Governments believe that if too many people know the truth, it might start a panic, and even more people could die in the panic than from the event itself. They may actually be correct at some level on that, but I believe that people have a right to know what's really going on. And the sober, shocking truth of the matter is that as of right now, our world is facing an unprecedented nuclear meltdown event that could dwarf the Chernobyl catastrophe of 1986. We're talking about as many as 600,000 spent fuel rods which are now threatened by fires and loss of cooling fluids. This is not a set of circumstances to be taken lightly.

I urge all NaturalNews readers to take this seriously. Get prepared now. Get your go bag ready just in case. Start boosting your natural iodine intake TODAY. Be ready to head out of Dodge if you're in a geographic area that could be impacted. And then watch the news on this to stay informed (and read NaturalNews for an honest analysis of the situation).

The sad realities of the evacuation of large cities

Another thing: If a meltdown does occur and an evacuation is announced for parts of the west coast of North America, you will need to be one of the first to head out if you expect to get out at all. The highways around Los Angeles in particular do not have the capacity to handle a mass evacuation. They barely have the capacity to handle rush hour! Imagine what happens if half the people in L.A. try to leave all at the same time... that will be a week-long traffic jam, and people will run out of gas on the highways, abandon their vehicles, and make the highways impassable.

I don't mean to paint this as a worst-case scenario, but I'm trying to give you an accurate description of what might realistically happen if a radiation cloud is headed toward LA and an evacuation effort is announced. If you aren't out of LA by the time the government announces an evacuation, you're probably too late.

By the way, this is actually a good time to own a Prius because a Prius can idle without the engine running and use virtually no gas. A Prius is a great getaway vehicle for jammed evacuation highways where traffic is barely moving. Of course, if you had a Hummer, you could probably just off-road it and bypass all the stalled traffic, but that's a debate for another time...

Be safe and be smart about all this. Think ahead. Get real about what might unfold if a meltdown occurs. This is a time to interrupt your regularly-scheduled programming and start thinking seriously about what you can do to protect yourself and your family. It's better to be prepared than to be caught by the unexpected.

We are lucky in one sense right now because we have forewarning of all this. There is time right now to take preparedness steps to deal with a meltdown event should one occur. I strongly advise all NaturalNews readers to use this time wisely and get squared away for what might be coming.

Just in case, you see. Most of the time, when I preach preparedness, I do so in the context of just getting prepared for "the unexpected." But today, we have the expected! We know Fukushima is about to melt down. We know the winds will carry the radiation to North America. We know that evacuation of major U.S. cities in 48 hours is virtually impossible. And we also know that the supply inventories of certain preparedness items are strictly limited, meaning that not everybody who wants emergency supplies will be able to get them. These are the sobering realities of emergencies in our modern, high-population-density world.

Watch NaturalNews.com for more updates throughout the day. We'll be posting stories at an increased frequency during this Fukushima catastrophe to help bring people information more rapidly. See more articles like this at: https://www.naturalnews.com/

Poll: Americans: How Dumb Are We? - Yahoo! News

How Dumb Are We? - Yahoo! News
This probably explains a lot of things that have me puzzling and fuming over how to inspire and inform.
“'The problem is ignorance, not stupidity,' Hacker says. 'We suffer from a lack of information rather than a lack of ability.' Whether that’s a treatable affliction or a terminal illness remains to be seen. But now’s the time to start searching for a cure."
The two-fisted blow of selective news reportage (for example, see my blog *comment* at the bottom of the Nuclear Preparedness story above, on a Google story posted and then curiously pulled) as well as American dense self-interest has created the environment for ignorance, and of course non-action, in important times. We keep trudging along, occasionally looking up and seeking the break in the trees, sunlight hitting our faces. Then go back to our narrow, fiercely-defended trudging paths.

Committee Republicans Unanimously Reject Measures Reaffirming Science Behind Global Warming

Committee Republicans Unanimously Reject Measures Reaffirming Science Behind Global Warming
Their names and action are now part of the public record.
Shameless, gutless, greed-driven, short-sighted political shills.

Carol Smaldino: Shifting Our Notions of Nature: Musings on Natural and Manmade Disasters

Carol Smaldino: Shifting Our Notions of Nature: Musings on Natural and Manmade Disasters
Natural and manmade: these are interesting aspects of disaster, and one's we have to consider in our efforts to progress and evolve as humanity.
How much can we invade natural processes and expect our host planet to remain supportive, and allow our incusrions?
Suffering Deepwater Horizon oil catastrophes and Fukushima Nuclear catastrophes help us see how increasingly precarious our tenancy on the face of the Earth is; and perhaps reconsider how smartly we should inhabit the planet, using concepts like sustainability, humility, and smart balance (homeostastis, ecosystem perpetuation, avoiding negative crop cycles, avoiding nuclear mutation and/or annihilation) as guideposts and warning signs that we'll need to inhabit the planet earnestly more consciously and smartly.

Divergent views on U.S. role in revolutionary North Africa - CNN.com

Divergent views on U.S. role in revolutionary North Africa - CNN.com
This is nice, re: Hilary Clinton's visit to seminal Tunisia, where "...freewheeling political debates that now spontaneously take place among small crowds of Tunisians on the tree-lined promenade of Avenue Habib Bourguiba."

Another excerpt: "Just come for diplomatic reasons," Amri said, speaking of Clinton. "But do not tell us what to do or treat us like babies, as if we're not going to make it without America. We can get our democracy without America."

Who's Really Upset With Energy-Efficient Products? - Room for Debate - NYTimes.com

Who's Really Upset With Energy-Efficient Products? - Room for Debate - NYTimes.com
"A January survey by the Consumer Federation of America finds that 95 percent of Americans support more energy-efficient appliances and that 72 percent support federal minimum standards. Ninety-six percent consider the financial savings important, and they’re also motivated by reducing air pollution (92 percent) and cutting greenhouse gas emissions (84 percent)...."
How can a few industry cash-lavished politicians subvert the will and betterment of the majority of Americans? How long will we let this happen?

How To Help Japan: Earthquake Relief Options

How To Help Japan: Earthquake Relief Options

Heroes: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/columnists/mcintosh/2011/03/20/fukushima-50-are-heroes-that-could-save-the-world-from-nuclear-disaster-115875-23000891/ 

Lisa P. Jackson: Removing Mercury and Other Toxics From the Air We Breathe

Lisa P. Jackson: Removing Mercury and Other Toxics From the Air We Breathe
Yes please

Libya Declares Immediate Ceasefire After UN No-Fly Resolution - Bloomberg

Libya Declares Immediate Ceasefire After UN No-Fly Resolution - Bloomberg
Great; some will say 'why wasn't it done sooner, blah blah blah, the U.N. sucks, blah blah.'
But the resolution was passed and now there's a ceasefire; this is great progress here. Now more, towards an Egypt-like resolution, yes?

China Petition Has 1000 Signatures!!

Hi all, nice 1000 signature milestone! Thanks for signing/helping! So as promised the China petition will be sent to China's President Hu Jintao, China's judicial and environmental ministers, selected embassies and media. I will keep you posted! You can still sign it (link at right), and again thank you if you already did!

Remember it is not "NEVER EVER BUY something FROM CHINA"!
Remember that is is "**AVOID** BUYING things FROM CHINA until THEY IMPROVE RIGHTS, etc."

Cases in point: Last week, I had a nasty eye infection (first one since I was a kid), eye weeping, tea bags, anti-bacterial eye drops. It's now getting better (thankfully)!

Good time to update linens: at Bed & Bath bought a comforter MADE IN TURKEY, mattress pad 100% MADE IN THE U.S., and a knee pillow MADE IN THE U.S. Quality items, among the Chinese. IT CAN BE DONE.

Yesterday in Los Angeles, I helped the von Hoffmann's replace some 100 watt incandescent bulbs that are costing them $20 a month a bulb to burn with 23 watt Soft/Warm Yellow-White COMPACT FLOURESCENTS -- they're $2 MADE IN CHINA -- but they will save 75 PERCENT ENERGY and 75 COST: now only $5 a month per bulb for the same lumen (light) output. You can see these energy savings - and money savings - will add up. And they will last (possibly a lot) longer. LED bulbs are great too, if you have the fixture/use for them.

More to come on energy efficiency soon too, but selective conscious purchasing, buying local, buying smart, can help change the world -- and save you money and energy.

Petition: Tell President Jintao: We'll AVOID BUYING China's Products Until Human Rights IMPROVE In China!!! | Change.org

Los Angeles Says Yes on H -- California Clean Money Campaign: California Clean Money Campaign

Voters Resoundingly Say "YES" to Fair Elections in Los Angeles!

Last night, Los Angeles residents sent a message to leaders across the state and across the country: It's time to end corporate and big money special interest control of our political system.

By an overwhelming 3-1 margin, 75% of Los Angeles residents voted "YES!" on Measure H, the Los Angeles Clean Money, Fair Elections measure.

Vote Yes on H -- California Clean Money Campaign: California Clean Money Campaign

Michael Moore: America Is Not Broke

Michael Moore: America Is Not Broke
The saddest shame isn't that many don't care, or don't really want to understand how this happened.
Although that it bone-chillingly sad.
It's more perplexing that so many of the people that do care and could do something, don't.
I hope to blog about this at some length again soon.

Sign Petition: Congress Pass The PEOPLE's Budget - Link to Petition At Right

http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-congress-listen-to-the-will-of-the-people-balance-cut-budget-accordingly-responsibly-2#?opt_new=f&opt_fb=f
American's overwhelming support things, like ending the Bush-era tax breaks for the most wealthy Americans and ending subsidies for the oil and gas industries, and overwhelmingly oppose things, like cutting Social Security and K-12 education. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41876558/ns/politics/ 
But some of the GOP in Congress are not following our desires; sign and tell them to! 
http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-congress-listen-to-the-will-of-the-people-balance-cut-budget-accordingly-responsibly-2#?opt_new=f&opt_fb=f

Sign petition: Companies are not people!

Motion to Amend (sign the petition on that site)
On January 21, 2010, with its ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations are persons;
We, the People of the United States of America, reject the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United, and move to amend our Constitution to:

* Firmly establish that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights.

* Guarantee the right to vote and to participate, and to have our vote and participation count.

* Protect local communities, their economies, and democracies against illegitimate "preemption" actions by global, national, and state governments.

How the rich soaked the rest of us | Richard Wolff | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

How the rich soaked the rest of us | Richard Wolff | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

Blowouts onshore: Fear, pollution, uncertainty - USATODAY.com

Blowouts onshore: Fear, pollution, uncertainty - USATODAY.com
Fossil fuels, pollution, flammability, water quality ruining, ongoing...

Sign Petition ACLU: Facebook's Privacy Policy: Gain Control of Your Information

ACLU: Facebook's Privacy Policy: Gain Control of Your Information

Schwarzenegger: It's Time to Terminate Skepticism on Climate Change (LiveScience.com) | Yahoo! Green

Schwarzenegger: It's Time to Terminate Skepticism on Climate Change (LiveScience.com) | Yahoo! Green

Humans on Verge of Causing 6th Great Mass Extinction - Yahoo! News

Humans on Verge of Causing 6th Great Mass Extinction - Yahoo! News

The most typical face on the planet - Yahoo! News

The most typical face on the planet - Yahoo! News
Notions of sustainability in here for sure; interesting.

Federal researchers declare eastern cougar extinct - Pets. Animals. - Salon.com

Federal researchers declare eastern cougar extinct - Pets. Animals. - Salon.com
What a beautiful cat! Look at that picture, so regal. So sad, sad, sad.
I remind myself to find and type out the description a US Biologist shared after trapping and watching the last wild wolf in (early 1900's Yellowstone?) die, who was incredibly cagey and driven to survive, having to sit and watch 'the green fire dying in her eyes'....

Poll: Voters deficit-worried but wary of cuts - Politics - msnbc.com

Poll: Voters deficit-worried but wary of cuts - Politics - msnbc.com
Count me in this majority, and also against any cuts to the EPA.
Will our government reflect the will of the people?

"Americans adamantly opposed to cuts in Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, K-12 education
Popular and unpopular cuts:
The most popular: placing a surtax on federal income taxes for those who make more than $1 million per year (81 percent said that was acceptable), eliminating spending on earmarks (78 percent), eliminating funding for weapons systems the Defense Department says aren’t necessary (76 percent) and eliminating tax credits for the oil and gas industries (74 percent).
The least popular: cutting funding for Medicaid, the federal government health-care program for the poor (32 percent said that was acceptable); cutting funding for Medicare, the federal government health-care program for seniors (23 percent); cutting funding for K-12 education (22 percent); and cutting funding for Social Security (22 percent)."

Great Comments re: 'budget,' Dem vs Rep the great distractio­n

Darrell Borza: Love the banter here. Dem vs Rep the great distractio­n.
His take says alot... "“Love the banter here. Dem vs Rep the great distractio

n. It is an assumption that one party has been bought and the other not. Those days are long gone. Ask any career lobbyist. This is a take over of the energy industry, with oil leading the wolves at our door, and they are there - big fangs and all. Its the same old same old, but with a new player on the field. The chanting American people coming out of the woods. Us regular folk are connected now to reg folk all over the world now, even with the US media manipulati­on nearing black out. This is showtime for Americans. We have little left to loose, and all leaders know this is a dangerous time for us all. There are solutions, but none that the govt or the billionair­es will allow, but we know they are there. We are NOT uneducated serf's as Walker and co seem to feel we are. Not cattle, not sheep. Those days too are gone. One thing remains clear - we cannot rely on anyone now but ourselves. We the people are just that now and we are essentiall­y government -less and under attack from the corporate sectors strongest and dirtiest players. Keep fighting amongst yourselves­, it is essential to the equation for conquering a people. As far as ' bending over ' both dems and reps have been bent over for a long time. Help your neighbors stand straight again.”"

Congress to Avoid Government Shutdown With Stopgap Budget Plan - Businessweek

Congress to Avoid Government Shutdown With Stopgap Budget Plan - Businessweek
This seems reasonably bipartisan, with President Obama's suggestions being used. I hope they continue in this fashion.
But in two weeks, the financial sector, where the recession began, must be made to pony up HUGE transaction fees after we bailed them out and now we have to cut taxpayer programs.
It is hard work, the price of democracy, and both parties, and special interests, will have to take some of their share of budget cutting.
But the financial sector particularly, and the wealthy, need to make their contributions. Cutting back on policies that help those that have very little must be coupled with cutting back on policies that help those with great surpluses.

Facebook To Share Users' Home Addresses, Phone Numbers With External Sites

Facebook To Share Users' Home Addresses, Phone Numbers With External Sites

This is just wrong - do we have to keep fighting this?
On your phone (and also stuffed into your mailbox, cutting down more trees):
"Hello, this is Some Little Plug-In Software Company You've Never Heard Of, can we talk about your plug-in needs?"
"How is your family? Oh, this is your 4th call today from Some Little Plug-In Software Company You've Never Heard Of?
"How did you enjoy those chats? Can we chat more about your Third-Party Plug-In needs before the next company calls?"

Arab youth want democracy, not theocracy - CNN.com

Arab youth want democracy, not theocracy - CNN.com

"...protesters want to reclaim their dignity, control of their lives and the right to determine their government; they demand government accountability and transparency, rule of law, an end to widespread corruption, and respect for human rights...."

"...professionals and laborers, young and old, women and men, Muslim and Christian, the poor, middle and upper classes...."