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Petition to end Water Fluoridation in the United States of America -

admin — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 08:00:00 +0000

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 -

Paws for Hunger Provides Pet Food for Needy Families

admin — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 04:14:00 +0000

Imagine you are down on your luck, and you have a pet. It’s a heartbreaking situation: You barely have enough money to feed yourself, much less your companion animal. Do you go without food? Do you give up your beloved pet?

In an effort to help countless people who are now finding themselves in just this sort of situation, a no-kill shelter in Idaho, the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley, has partnered with The Hunger Coalition to help feed the pets of those in need. The program, Paws for Hunger, provides pet food for those who might otherwise have a hard time affording it.

“These are pets that already have loving homes,” said the animal shelter’s director, Dr. Jo-Anne Dixon. “When a family needs help from the food bank, it’s usually a temporary and very stressful situation. Pets are very much a part of the family support system, particularly for the children. We want to make sure that this part of the support system isn’t broken.” About 30 families receive pet food each month, with about 10 also receiving food for themselves. More than 4,000 pounds of pet food were distributed by the animal shelter in 2009. In 2010, that number has nearly doubled.

This program has a benefit beyond letting people keep their pets during difficult times. It also helps needy people get the help they require. “It seems to be easier for people to ask for help for their pets than for themselves,” said Jeanne Liston, executive director of The Hunger Coalition. “We’re finding that it is an incredibly innovative way to reach people who may be reluctant to approach us.” According to Liston, she had never heard of a program such as Paws for Hunger before being approached by Dr. Dixon last year.

Partnerships like these, between human services and animal services, have been cropping up around the U.S. and Canada. There are also national efforts to help pet owners in need. The PETCO Foundation has expanded its “We Are Family Too” program to include a Food Bank Collection Program at PETCO stores nationwide. This program was created to support food banks’ inventory of pet food to help people in financial crisis feed their pets.

To promote the program, the PETCO Foundation has partnered with Best Friends Animal Society to host America’s first National Pet Food Drive from Nov. 5 through Nov. 14. On the weekends of the drive, more than 300 Best Friends volunteers will be working at 198 PETCO stores all over the country to explain the goals of the food drive and help collect donated pet food to be distributed by local food banks.

“I live in Brevard County, Florida, and we don’t have a pet food pantry set up in the county to help pet owners who have lost their jobs or homes,” said Best Friends volunteer, Judy Marshall. “For the past few years, many of these people have had to make the heartbreaking decision to relinquish their pets to the local shelter simply because they couldn’t afford to feed their pets.”

Jackie Roach, a volunteer from Omaha, Nebraska, added, “Families shouldn’t have to choose between feeding their children and feeding their pets. If we can help keep just one pet in his home, if we can prevent just one person from having to give up his furry family member, then I can feel really good about how I’ve chosen to spend my time.”

With more efforts such as these, hopefully we can create an America where neither people nor pets go hungry.

Photo Credit: Elena Chochkova

Paws for Hunger Provides Pet Food for Needy Families

Largest Tomato Grower In Flordia Joins Campaign for Fair Food

admin — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 20:03:00 +0000

After a decade long battle to fight trafficking, exploitation, and abuse in the Florida tomato industry, the largest tomato grower in Florida Six L’s has signed on to the Coalition of Immokalee Worker’s Fair Food Campaign. That means they agree to pay workers a penny more per pound of tomatoes picked and institute a Code of Conduct, which among other things will help prevent abuse and exploitation of workers. This change represents a huge victory for the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and everyone who has fought to end slavery in the tomato industry.

Six L’s has agreed to take all the steps crucial to protecting farm workers, as advocated by the CIW’s Fair Food Campaign. They will increase worker wages which haven’t grown for years, develop a cooperative complaint resolution system, install a participatory health and safety program, and begin worker-to-worker education initiatives to make every employee, including farm workers, part of a company-wide effort to promote social responsibility. Since Six L’s is the largest grower in a state with one of the most significant problems with abuse in the agricultural sector, this victory is a true coup for abolition.

The victory comes on the heels of the launch of the Coalition of Immokalee Worker’s newest initiative aimed at grocery stores who haven’t yet committed to the Campaign for Fair Food. And while Six L’s proactive actions are worth celebrating, grocery chains around the country are still refusing to step up to the plate and protect farm workers from exploitation and slavery.

You can keep the momentum going by asking Trader Joe’s to join the Fair Food campaign and ensure they aren’t selling produce picked by slaves. Or, check out CIW’s supermarket campaign and attend an event near you. Together, we can make all food fair for the people who grow it and the people who eat it.

Photo credit: EikeR

Largest Tomato Grower In Flordia Joins Campaign for Fair Food

Don’t Leave Underserved Populations Out of Higher Ed!

admin — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

In just a couple of months, the Department of Education (DOE) will release a decision about their “gainful employment” (GE) rule. In the 60-day comment period, they received 83,000 comments about the rule — the highest ever for a higher education rulemaking.

Here’s why: This rule is particularly devastating for African American populations and under-served communities. It would limit the amount of federal financial aid given to populations that had slower pay-back rates or were likely to have longer periods of debt – specifically the people that need financial aid.

Millions of people attend career colleges every year, and many need financial assistance to do so. Isn’t the purpose of financial aid to help those who cannot afford to pay for it themselves? Why would we take that opportunity away?

Add your voice to the 83,000 people who have already taken action. Tell the DOE that the GE rule is unfair and will have devastating results for our economy.
Don’t Leave Underserved Populations Out of Higher Ed!

Ex-Research Subject Starts New Life as Family Dog

admin — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 23:58:00 +0000

Stewie the beagle spent the last three years of his life in a cage at Professional Laboratory and Research Services, one of nearly 200 dogs and 54 cats who were the subjects of toxicity testing, abuse and neglect. An undercover PETA investigation revealed that the PLRS staff held a malicious hatred toward their wards — screaming at the terrified animals, manhandling the cats, blasting the dogs with pressure hoses, bleaching kennels with animals still in them, and exposing them to unnecessary, painful procedures.

When the cruelty was exposed, PLRS shut their doors and turned over all the animals. The Animal Welfare Institute and the Humane Society of the United States were able to find more than a dozen shelters and rescues in the area to take in the animals, rehabilitate them and find them homes. One of those shelters was the Guilford County Animal Shelter in Greensboro, North Carolina, which ended up with 15 beagles and 4 cats from the lab.

And now, Stewie is the first of Guilford’s research rescues to graduate to a new life in his own home.

When the animals first arrived, shelter director Marsha Williams said it was clear that they were traumatized. “If you touch them, they flinch or tense up. They’re afraid that there’s going to be something that we’re going to do to them that would hurt.”

Weeks later, the chemical burns on the beagles’ paws had been treated and the animals started to learn that people can be okay, after all. Four of the dogs are still being rehabilitated and three of the cats were sent to an animal sanctuary, but the other cat and 11 dogs went up for adoption. Make that 10 dogs available, because Stewie is settling in with Daniel Wilson and his family.

Wilson didn’t fall in love with Stewie’s fame; in fact, he didn’t find out that his new companion’s previous life had been in a research lab until the end of the adoption process. In Stewie’s new life, he has a backyard to run around in and two kids to play with. He seems to be putting the nightmare of the lab behind him with that characteristic, tail-wagging beagle resilience.

If you’re interested in helping the dogs and cats rescued from PLRS, here’s the list of shelters and rescues that stepped up to save them:

Associated Humane Societies (NJ): 973-824-7080

Beagles to the Rescue (VA): 757-204-4411

Carteret County Humane Society (NC): 252-247-7744

Elizabeth City SPCA (VA): 757-344-3033

Guilford County Animal Shelter (NC): 336-297-5020

In Dogs We Trust (FL): 561-400-7732

Norfolk SPCA (VA): 757-622-3319

Triangle Beagle Rescue (NC): info@tribeagles.org

Virginia Beach SPCA (VA): 757-427-0070

Wake County Animal Control (NC): 919-212-7387

Wake County SPCA (NC): 919-772-2326

Washington Animal Rescue League (DC): 202-726-2556

As these animals learn what it’s like to be dogs and cats — to be loved — the people responsible for putting them through hell need to be held accountable. Add your name to the call for animal cruelty charges to be brought against the PLRS lab and staff.

Photo credit: prudencebrown121

Ex-Research Subject Starts New Life as Family Dog

Stop All Drive Hunts! (Whales and Dolphins)

admin — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

Can’t you see that picture?
Are you proud of your people ?
We aren’t they are discusting murderous evil barbarians!
How can you condone this?
If you were there would you stop the men as they raised their weapons?
How can you let?them bring those?hooks ect?swishing down to rip through those innocent creatures?
Can you not see the evil in their eyes, the enjoyment?
What dont you understand?
It is wrong and everyone knows it!
Shame on your?country!

I would like to say how much distress finding this information and writing it has caused me, and would therefore greatly appreciate it if you could read this and take my plea seriously.

This will be sent to the governments of:
Japan
Faroe Islands
Solomons Islands
And peru

We the undersigned?Want To Stop all drive Hunts!

For all species of Dolphin and Whales.

In Japan,The Solomon Islands, The Faroe Islands.

And we want the law More enforced in Peru.

We are aware that a more humane killing method has been introduced in Japan but this is not good enough!

There is no compromise with life and death!

We want a law where there is no loop holes, we want no Dolphin or whale killed anywhere.

Please read below to see for yourselves why this needs to be stopped, its vicious, if those men are capable of these vicious murderous hunts, then they are murderers just like human murderers! Do you want them walking the streets, i dont want to be on the same planet never mind the same street!

The hunting is done by a select group of fisherman. When a pod of dolphins has been spotted, they are driven into a bay by the fisherman by banging metal rods or stones in the water to scare and confuse the dolphins. When the dolphins are in the bay, it is quickly closed off with nets so that the dolphins can’t escape.?The dolphins are usually not caught and killed immediately, but instead left to calm over night. The following day, the dolphins are caught one by one and killed. Those that have remained too far in the water are dragged onto the beach by driving a steel hook into the blubber of the animal, though they are more often dragged by putting a hook in?their blowhole. When on land, they are killed by cutting down to the major arteries and spinal cord at the neck.?The time it takes for the dolphins to die varies from a few seconds to a few minutes usually, depending on the cut. Though many fisherman stab the dolphins to death with spears in shallow waters. The killing of the animals used to be done by slitting their throats, but the Japanese government banned this method and now dolphins?can only be killed? by driving a metal pin into the neck of the dolphin, which causes them to die within seconds, it is questionable whether this law is being enforced, because many times, since the ban,?have been reported when they where still using the slitting of the throat methods. Also you cannot go to see whether they are abiding by the laws, because it is now common for the final slaughter to take place inside a tent or under a plastic cover, out of sight from the public

DOESN’T THAT TELL YOU IT IS WRONG? THEY EVEN KNOW IT IS WRONG!!
?They are even hiding what they are doing because they even know it is wrong!!

In Peru, even though it is illegal they catch the dolphins, then they are driven together with boats, and encircled with nets, then they are harpooned, dragged to the boat, and then clubbed to death if they are still alive.

DOESN’T THAT TELL YOU IT IS WRONG? OTHER PLACES HAVE BANNED IT!

Different countries kill different species:

In Japan, Striped, Spotted,Rrisso’s and Bottlenose Dolphins are most commonly hunted, but several other species such as the Falsekiller whale are also occasionally caught. A small number of Orcas( Killer Whale)?are murdered too.

Solomon Islands murder Spotted and Spinner Dolphins.

The capture and trade of wild Doplhins is prohibited in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands!

DOESN’T THAT TELL YOU IT WRONG??

On the Faroe Islands mainly Pilot whales are killed by drive hunts. Though officially this is the only species hunted, other species are also slaughtered on rare occasions such as the Northern Bottlenose whale and Atlantic White-sided Dolphins.

Thank you for your time
Jade Owen
Stop All Drive Hunts! (Whales and Dolphins)

10 Tips for Maximizing Your SoCap10 Conference

admin — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 06:06:00 +0000

The Social Capital Markets Conference begins in less than a week. Already social entrepreneurs, angel investors, philanthropists and more are flying in to San Francisco from all parts of the world for meetings, reunions, and hopefully, the start of the next big thing. As the whole field converges on the city, however, it can be overwhelming to figure out what’s actually going on. Here’s ten tips for making the most of it.

1. Don’t try to do everything. SoCap is chock full of content. Like, overflowing. Like, don’t even try to see it all. The number one tip for content at any event that has so much of it is to accept that you can’t see it all.

2. Consider how you fit into the space before you arrive. SoCap is designed to be a crossroads where investors meet entrepreneurs meet philanthropists meet impact analysts meet everyone else. Knowing how you fit into that space, what you have to teach and what you want to learn before you arrive could dramatically increase your enjoyment of the event.

3. Pick a content track. One of the ways to make the large amount of content more manageable at the event is to pick one of the handful of content tracks like “Tactical Philanthropy” and focus on it. Because they’re curated by individuals, it’s likely that many of the panels with work well in the context of one another.

4. Know the 1 or 2 people who you must meet, and make it happen. One of the keys to successful event networking is figuring out who you want to meet. SoCap has made that easier with a community tool that allows you to browse other attendees in advance and discover mutual interest.

5. For everyone else, just let it happen. If making it happen matters a lot in networking, so does letting it happen. It’s extremely hard to know which of our connections are going to step up with the resources we need, but it is clear that the deeper the relationship, the more likely it is that people will have your back when you need it. Cutting off conversations that could be going somewhere fun to rush around like a head-cut-off chicken may not, in the long run, be the right strategy.

6. Engage with the community online in advance. SoCap has set up a community portal that allows attendees of the event to begin the conversations they want to have in advance of actually showing up. It’s a great way to get to know the people you’ll spend the next week with.

7. Go with the flow. Any in-person gathering is ultimately a collection of energy produced by new connections between people. Even when its great, content can get in the way and impose artificial barriers on conversations that feel like they’re only just getting started.

8. Save some for the night. At any event, the real connections happen at night over dinner and drinks. Take the time to get rest in advance in order to enjoy the best the community has to offer.

9. Lay down some roots in San Francisco (such as by visiting the Hub). For my money, the Bay Area is the informal capital of this space, and I believe that connection is going to get deeper as more tech money flows into the sector. SoCap is a great chance to lay down some SF roots in a place that is valuable to have a foot it.

10. Go to the Day 3 Unconference. SoCap veterans know that one of the most intimate, fun, and differentiated parts of the event is day three’s Unconference. Facilitated by the inimitable Jerry Michalski, the sessions are where a lot of the deepest connecting actually happens.

Photo credit: sociate

10 Tips for Maximizing Your SoCap10 Conference

Investigate 9/11

admin — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 07:00:00 +0000

With increasing scientific evidence surfacing of controlled demolitions for WTC 1, 2, & 7, we the People demand that you commission an independent investigation in an earnest attempt to record history accurately.
Investigate 9/11

Levi’s Jeans Try (and Fail) to Be Inclusive

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0000

The days of making clothes for the people who will buy them is long gone or, perhaps, never existed. Case-in-point: Levi’s has launched an ad campaign not-so-cleverly titled, “All Asses Were Not Created Equal,” with the intention of appealing to women whose bodies do not form a straight line. Fellow blogger Sarah Menkedick covered the new line earlier. I can see why she was excited by the premise of a company that doesn’t shy away from different sizes, but I’m calling the company out for its failed attempt at inclusion.

Feministing.com tackled the misguided coding of the Curve ID brand in a recent post, but there’s more than just the limp-wristed high-five to “curvy” women that is bothersome. There’s this idea that a company doesn’t have to really be inclusive to get the credit — they can fake it and get away with it. And because any nod to women who aren’t thin and blond is rare, it’s accepted, even praised, no matter how half-assed (pun intended) it is.

Take Glamour magazine’s laughable attempt to appeal to its readers who are (probably) near plus-sized or already there. They took all those letters to the editors that gasped and sighed at the thought of a woman with a gut appearing nude in their magazine as a sign that they had done something good, instead of what it was: a sign that they had been doing it wrong and stumbled on a bit of okay, not good.

Levi’s “Asses” campaign is definitely faking it. As Feministing pointed out, all of the women in the ads are white and none are particularly curvy. I’m not convinced that curves are a black or Latina thing, but the unabashed embrace of them certainly is, so any butt salute without a Jennifer Lopez or Beyonce look-alike just feels wrong.

What’s really amazing about this Levi’s campaign is that it assumes that the jean company didn’t already have fits for everyone’s ass. They aren’t super high-fashion jeans or even a mid-end department store brand; they’re freaking Levi’s. Yet our culture is so fixated on thinness and shaming people women who aren’t that it’s perfectly acceptable for an all-American, everyday-type company to only make pants for a certain type of body.

Plus, despite the idea that every shape and size can find their perfect fit with Levi’s, the company’s designers seem to have already decided what will look good on your body. The plus sizes offer 13 boot cut, 3 skinny fit and 2 leggings while the “straight size” section offers a near reversal of choices: more skinny, less boot. This is a company that doesn’t have a problem making bigger sizes, just as long as they can ensure that none of those bigger people squeezes into a pair of skinnies.

Photo credit: kevinpoh

Levi’s Jeans Try (and Fail) to Be Inclusive

Let us protect animals from cruelty

admin — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 07:00:00 +0000

With the noise that is the background of our lives, can we no longer hear
a small yelp of pain or a plaintive meow? They are there, you just need to listen. Pledge NOT to look the other way when you see animal abuse, even in your neighbor’s backyard. Report it, then be willing to be cooperative in it’s prosecution. Stop those who find their pleasure in the pain of animals. Support harsher sentences and stiffer fines for animal abusers. Demand that ISP%u2019s be held responsible for the images on their sites. Animal torture should not be considered entertainment and all information should be freely turned over to the police to assist in the arrest of those that engage in it.

We would like to ask all of you to help us, to obtain justice for the dogs that were tortured and killed, by four teenagers in Tepic, Mexico. They showed the world how cruel humans can be to innocent creatures.
They received very light penalties. We would like to ask the Mexican leaders of animal protection to change that. Not only in this case but in all cases of cruelty involving pain toward animals, we would like to see longer punishments, including jail time, and higher fines!

We are sending this petition to the Mexican government. To get these four cruel teens and to ask them not to look the other way when abuse happens again.
Please help us call attention to such a painful subject by adding your voice to ours and signing this petition!

Here is some of the links for more infos on this subject. Animal Cruelty on the Net.

- ???????? American Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/online-cruelty.html

- ???????? Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
http://www.hsus.org/pets/issues_affecting_our_pets/animal_abuse_and_neglect/web_sites_that_promote_animal_cruelty.html

- ???????? People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) WSPA is not affiliated with PETA
http://www.peta.org/actioncenter/onlinecruelty.asp
Let us protect animals from cruelty