Brown pelican recovery is often heralded as a success story for the Endangered Species Act. California declared the brown pelicans recovered in the state as of June of 2009, and the federal de-listing came in November 2009. Yet organizations like International Bird Rescue Research Center believe the act came too soon for the California population of brown pelicans.
Even though the population size grew enough to consider the species recovered, many of the factors that led to brown pelican endangerment are still prevalent today. Which is why Change.org community member, Dagmar Jesensky, is petitioning California to return brown pelicans to the state’s endangered species list.
Poisoning from the pesticide DDT caused the brown pelican population crash back in the 1960s, along with a number of other bird species, including bald eagles and peregrine falcons. Despite an EPA ban in 1972, DDT is still having effects on bird populations today, such as the federally endangered California condor.
Having just been declared recovered last year, IBRRC worries that, while the number of pelicans in California has “recovered,” the population has not stabilized.
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Photo courtesy of tonrulkens on flickr
With the release of and subsequent media frenzy surrounding Pope Benedict XVI’s published comments on condom use has come a renewed debate about religion, sexuality and public health. And it’s not just about “male prostitutes.” While the Pope’s original declaration referred to the fact that condom use may be a moral act for male prostitutes wishing to prevent against sexually transmitted infections, the Vatican later clarified that — oh, wait a minute — women, men and transsexuals also may use condoms to protect themselves against transmission of disease, thank you very much.
Many progressive Catholics and organizations say these statements have opened the door to the potential to have a more realistic conversation about the role condoms play in protecting the health and lives of women, men and young people globally.
But, of course, the conversation has been happening for years between public health experts, advocates and those who use condoms. We already know that condoms are the only sure-fire contraceptive method for women who want to prevent both pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. However, Catholics for Choice say that many Catholic health providers working for Catholic aid agencies in developing nations are secretly handing out condoms while fearing for their jobs since condom use is still unacceptable as a tenet of the Church. Catholic groups like the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in the United States have stood in the way of ensuring access to condoms, as well as to the funding of other HIV/AIDS prevention strategies that work — like comprehensive sex education in developing nations — for too long.
The best way we can “use” the Pope’s comments on condoms, in this country, is to put pressure on Catholic health agencies working on the ground in these poor nations to formally integrate condoms into their prevention strategies.
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This is a petition to end Water-Fluoridation on a National level; of all fluorine compounds not found Organically in water supplies.? We will no longer tolerate the forced, mass-medicinal implementation of these compounds into our water supplies, that have up to this moment in time, been allowed without our consent, and by many, their knowledge.?This is the unethical, unconstitutional and unmonitored usury of a system that profits off of the unawareness of those it is hindering the health of. We the people have spoken against this practice for years to no avail.?We the people affirm this petition as our last regarding this issue and will understand it so that if our voices are not heard, our lives have been infringed upon as well as our Constitutional right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We will understand this further that are rights, rather than being upheld and protected by our Government, are in fact being oppressed, purposefully at that.
Petition to end Water Fluoridation in the United States of America -
Most people would rather have a cold or flu than a nasty bacterial infection that’s incurable. Unfortunately, this is kind of the choice we’re forced to make these days, as more and more research shows our overuse of antibacterial agents — in consumer products, it’s most commonly the ingredient triclosan — contributes to the development of new “super bugs” that are resistant to antibiotics and antibacterials.
Triclosan is found in everything from Clearasil face wash and Colgate toothpaste to Playskool children’s toys. Do we really need that much sterility? It makes sense to keep everything germ-free in a hospital setting where patients have compromised immune systems, but in our daily lives, according to the CDC, antibacterial products can lead to drug resistance, lower immunity and allergies. A recent study by the CDC detected triclosan in the urine of 75 percent of the people they tested.
In April, the FDA issued a stating regarding triclosan’s health effects. In it, they note that triclosan alters hormone regulation in laboratory animals and may contribute antibiotic resistant bacteria. Although they state that the chemical does not currently present a health hazard, it does merit “further review” and they are currently reviewing the scientific evidence to determine its safety in consumer products. Some countries have already banned or limited the use of the chemical.
Perhaps most perplexing is why we use the chemical in the first place. Although it’s been found to be useful to prevent gingivitis, overall, the FDA statement concludes that it “does not have evidence that triclosan in antibacterial soaps and body washes provides any benefit over washing with regular soap and water.”
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Potential presidential contenders Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee will all make appearances in Iowa this month, throwing more speculative fuel on the already fiery debate over the Republican party’s pick for the 2012 election.
Their visits are also turning the state into a culture war battle ground, and Huckabee launched a fresh attack this weekend by celebrating the national “significance” of Iowa’s decision to oust three state Supreme Court justices who approved same-sex marriage.
“The significance and historic nature of the judicial elections here in Iowa were far bigger than the borders of Iowa,” said Huckabee in a speech at an evangelical gathering Sunday. “It was a very important statement that voters made, a statement that resonated across the country and one that I think will give legs to a larger movement over the next few years.”
The Iowa justice recalls were a rallying cry for social conservatives this overwhelmingly money-minded election year, and Huckabee made sure to stay on top of the waning tide: he stoked the flames in June by refusing popular Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels’ calls for a “truce” on social issues.
“The issue of life and traditional marriage are not bargaining chips nor are they political issues. They are moral issues,” Huckabee insisted at the time. Though certainly heartfelt, Huckabee’s latest outburst also reveals insight into his 2012 strategy.
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The ACLU and Southern Poverty Law Center filed a class action lawsuit in federal court this week alleging that GEO Group, the nation’s second-largest private prison operator, was subjecting young prisoners to “barbaric, unconstitutional conditions” at a Mississippi facility.
The lawsuit presents a laundry list of abuse at the 1,400-bed Walnut Grove Correctional Facility in north Mississippi. And it goes straight after GEO for allowing assaults and denying medical care and education while racking up healthy profits at the prison. The facility was built with $41 million in taxpayer dollars, while GEO has now earned more than $100 million in profit from its management, the suit estimates. The 1,400 boys and young men held there were all sentenced as adults, but two-thirds of them were convicted of non-violent crimes.
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It is widely accepted that 9.6 million animals are euthanized annually in the United States.
‘Euthanization’ is an inaccurate term since it is defined as ‘mercy-killing’, to be administered only to terminally ill or injured animals.? Most cats and dogs being put to sleep in shelters are healthy, loving, adoptable animals, and? what is happening would be more aptly described as a ‘cull’ or ’slaughter’.? The situation has become catastrophic and begs investigation, oversight and compassionate solutions.? 33,000 animals being killed every day is not acceptable in a country that calls itself humane.? Humans are not being responsible and animals are paying the price.?
Create Senate Committee for Animal Welfare
Two University of Guadalajara academic centers (Health Sciences along with Biological and Agricultural Sciences) have been criticized for still receiving live animals from the animal control centers and for sweeping up animals off the street to use them as part of its medical and scientific practices in the areas of Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Nursing, Odontology and Psychology. Apart from being a clear violation of the Mexican Official Standard (NOM 042 SSA) the practice is ethically wrong. Furthermore, the University of Guadalajara has a Center for Alternative Use of Animal in Education (CAAE) that has not been exploit to the fullest. ?
Dogs to be used for dissection and for practicing surgical procedures are either being captured in the street by trucks owned by the University or are being provided by third parties hired for the same purpose. In some cases, dogs are wearing tagged collars, showing they have owners. Other dogs are taken from the Animal Control Center in the nearby municipality of Tonala, Jalisco. The captured animals suffer from tremendous stress due to the conditions they are put through, even prior the %u201Ceducational%u201D practice. All the animals, including sometimes puppies and pregnant dogs are forced to live in cages, often going for days without any food, shade or water.
It has been through the evidence of photos, videos and the complaints of neighbors and some of the students deeply worried about the situation, the methods or torture and extreme cruelty these animals have to go through, as well as the poor health conditions the practices take place putting at risk the health itself of the students. Their testimonies describe the use of expired anesthetics and drugs that are employed in lower doses than required, before cutting open the animals. The result is that animals aren%u2019t properly sedated and frequently gain consciousness in the middle of the surgery when they have been already cut wide open, suffering from indescribable pain. In many cases their screams and moans are silent by beating them, and those in charge of the practices do not take into consideration the provisions applicable by law. Crying means the same in every language. Let%u2019s help to stop this disgraceful treatment towards animals. Sign the petition to stop these archaic methods of using live animals in educational practices and make a difference. They need our help.
Stop the use of live animals in the University of Guadalajara
Triclosan and Triclocarbon are killers are anti-microbial chemicals that are added to thousands of consumer products %u2013 from soap to toothpaste, public changing tables and even shoes. When the soap and other products wash down our drains or products break down, Triclosan and Triclocarbon end up in our environment or farms around the country where they disrupt the natural ecosystem and pose a risk to human health.? (Learn More)
Sign the petition to ban Triclosan and Triclocarbon for non-medical purposes.
Get Toxic Anti-microbial Chemicals Out of My Soap and Body
Earlier this week, UrbanDaddy.com offered this idea for a fun San Francisco Bay outing: Why not spend the day in a chartered boat, baiting and hooking sharks? The story noted that while it’s unlikely you’d enjoy a Jaws-like encounter with any thrashing great whites, “there’s a slew of other prehistoric, big-jawed fish — leopard sharks, giant seven-gills, threshers and soupfins — ready and waiting.”
It also advised that “a bat comes in handy” for the more powerful sharks, once you manage to get them on board.
Change.org member Patricia Terry was shocked when she read the article. A scientific diver, oceanography professor at Humboldt University, and engineer who has worked for the Department of Fish and Game and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Patricia started a petition demanding that UrbanDaddy.com stop the promotion of shark fishing as sport.
Patricia wants to spread the word that despite what the article implies, there is hardly an abundance of sharks in the San Francisco Bay. Apparently UrbanDaddy.com’s fact checker, if it has one, was asleep at the helm.
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