I just wanted to make sure you saw the heart-breaking news. A young Sumatran tiger was found caught in a wild animal snare on Asia Pulp & Paper concession land in Indonesia. Nearly starved to death and clinging to life, the young tiger didn’t make it. That means we have one less left in the wild. That’s why I’m asking for your help. We can stop APP in their tracks, but to do so takes resources.

For just 33 cents a day you can save the remaining tigers, the forests and our planet.
-Rolf

We’ve lost one more. Tigers are getting closer to extinction every day. trapped tiger.JPG

www.greenpeaceusa.org

Warning, the image below is disturbing.

One more, gone. I just found out that a Sumatran tiger was found on Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) land, clinging to life with its paw caught in a wild animal snare. By the time staff and volunteers on the ground reached the young male, his front leg was mangled from his struggle to free himself from the trap. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he was severely dehydrated and all but starved to death.

I wish we could say we were able to save him, but the tiger died despite rescue efforts. This is heart-breaking news I’d hoped I wouldn’t have to deliver to you.

Making matters worse, while this poor animal struggled and starved in his trap, deforestation was going on nearby. That’s right, while volunteers watched the last life drain from the tiger during rescue efforts, bulldozers were mowing down the forest for APP next door to the tragic scene.

We are losing these tigers. APP isn’t showing any signs of stopping their destruction of forests, the forests the last 400 tigers depend on to survive.

Thanks to your incredible support, we’ve made huge strides toward protecting their forest homes these last few weeks! But this recent death is a sobering reminder of the daily threats to tigers. We need to redouble our efforts to save the lives of Sumatran tiger parents and cubs and make every day count in the difficult fight ahead.

With your help, we’ll fight to protect these last tigers by saving their forest homes, keeping them far from poachers, traps and other human hazards.

How bad is it? Every day, an area of Indonesian rainforest half the size of Manhattan is destroyed.

Paper companies like APP will keep destroying tiger forests every day until they learn that huge companies around the world – like Nestle, Kraft and Staples – will avoid business with them unless they clean up their act. We’re working hard to make sure companies around the world understand that rain forest destruction is bad for business. After releasing a “Barbie Breakup” video viewed well over a million times, unfurling giant banners at Mattel’s headquarters, earning world-wide media attention and sending them more than 60,000 letters – Mattel has said they will take steps towards cleaning up their supply chain. But Indonesia’s rainforests- and the last tigers that call them home- need them to follow up those words with action.

Protecting Sumatran tigers requires reliable resources, and we can’t afford to lose one more now that momentum is on our side. Thanks to support from people like you, we have made great progress. But with just approximately 400 left, survival of every tiger and every tiger cub matters. The Bali tigers went extinct in the 1950s. The Java tigers went extinct in the 1980s. We can and must put an end to devastating extinction crisis.

When we kicked off this campaign, we spoofed the Barbie brand, using humor to expose a very serious problem. This footage brings that seriousness into sharp focus. We need a base of sustained support only you can provide to keep up the pressure up and safeguard tigers in Indonesia.

Thank you for your support. Together, we’ll win this fight.

– Rolf

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Who’s America’s biggest funder of dirty coal?

07/28/2011 Nativegrl77

Over the last few weeks, I’ve told you about toxic aging coal plants in Chicago, mountaintop removal mining threatening Kentucky’s highest peak, and coal export terminals proposed in the Pacific Northwest.

What do you think all these destructive coal projects have in common?

Follow the money—deep into Appalachia’s majestic mountains, through neighborhoods crowned with filthy smokestacks, and into homes of people affected by skyrocketing asthma rates—and you’ll land at the doorstep of America’s largest financier of coal: Bank of America.

No more dollars for dirty energy

Bank of America provided over $3.9 billion in financing to the coal industry in 2010, despite the fact that coal is responsible for polluting our air, damaging our climate, and seriously threatening our health.

Bank of America has a responsibility to end its support for the ultimate subprime investment: coal. BofA wreaked havoc on America’s housing market, and its prolific financing of carbon-heavy coal is a continuation of this reckless, shortsighted behavior.

No more dollars for dirty energy

We cannot grow the clean energy economy essential to healthy communities and climate if the country’s leading financial institutions continue to bankroll the coal sector.

We are going to need your outrage, your voice and your passion. No more dollars for dirty energy

It will take all of us, but this is a fight we can and must win.

		For a clean energy future,
		Amanda Starbuck Energy & Finance Program Director Twitter: @DirtyEnergy

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Disappeared in Syria … S Brancaforte – Avaaz.org

07/28/2011 Nativegrl77

Muntaha’s sixteen year old son was abducted from a peaceful democracy protest by Syrian security forces. She has spent the last eight weeks scouring the country for her child — braving warnings from the Syrian regime that her other son would also be “disappeared” if she continued with her search. Our urgent action now can help her son and the thousands of other disappeared Syrians.

Since March, almost 3000 people have been taken by regime forces and disappeared into secret jails. The international community has spoken out, but done little to stop this attack — but India, Brazil and South Africa have close ties to Syria and could push for an international human rights delegation to find the missing and reunite families with their loved ones.

Our massive global membership can force key leaders to act now, pressuring Syria to allow an international delegation to investigate the thousands of disappeared. Sign the petition — it is being delivered by high profile media outlets around the world including the Times of India, the Guardian, CNN, and Der Spiegel:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/syrias_disappeared/?vl

India, Brazil and South Africa dragged their heels on a Security Council resolution that would have allowed for strong international action on Syria. Still, they remain committed to democracy and peace and have called for an end to the brutality of Assad’s regime. We can hold them to account for their actions and demand they use their close Syrian ties to protect the democracy activists. An international human rights delegation could effectively reunite Syrian families and end the terror of disappearances for good.

The international media has already stepped in to help with our call. Today, major newspapers are launching massive interactive web tools that tell the stories of disappeared people like Muntaha’s son, explain the political crisis in Syria and link to our petition for urgent action. These newspapers not only reach readers around the globe, but also reach opinion makers, world leaders and decision makers directly. Our campaign makes this all possible!

When democracy protests rocked the Arab world, Avaaz sprung into action and, with thousands of donations from around the world, we broke a media blackout in the Middle East — supporting protesters across Syria and Yemen. Since then, our network of citizen journalists has generated almost 20% of all TV coverage out of Syria and our work with the emerging democracy movements has helped build a real alternative to the dictators that refuse to step down. But brutal regimes are still clinging to power and the courageous activists need our help now. Sign the petition to find Syria’s disappeared and forward to everyone:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/syrias_disappeared/?vl

Egypt and Tunisia showed that people power can win against oppression. Our global community has supported these democracy revolutions, helped broadcast the stories of the brave activists and the violence against them, and forced our governments to action. Now if we act together we can help find Yazan and the thousands of other stolen Syrians and see the dawn of a peaceful, democratic nation in Syria.

With hope and determination,

Stephanie, Sam, Wissam, Maria Paz, Rewan, Benjamin, Pascal and the whole Avaaz team

More information:

Syrian protesters seized at rate of one every hour, say activists (Guardian)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/28/syria-protesters-disappeared-avaaz

International activism comes to the rescue to find missing Syrians (Al Arabiya)
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/07/28/159687.html

Almost 3,000 Syrians listed as ‘disappeared’ (Financial Times)
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/bb3055fc-b872-11e0-b62b-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1TO2QmeIX

Protesters killed amid huge Syria protests (Al Jazeera)
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/07/2011722171756722811.html

Videos Appear to Show Violence in Syria (New York Times)
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/21/videos-appear-to-show-violence-in-syria/?scp=4&sq=syria&st=cse

Syria protests to intensify during Ramadan-activists (AlertNet)
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/syria-protests-to-intensify-during-ramadan-activists

In Syria-Qatar rift, a ‘shrewdly calculated divorce’ (France24)
http://www.france24.com/en/20110720-syria-qatar-rift-shrewdly-calculated-divorce-jazeera-assad

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Call Congress: Tell them to do their job

07/28/2011 Nativegrl77

The President spoke Monday night about the need for Congress to come together to meet our financial obligations by raising the so-called “debt ceiling” — that is, to make sure our country can pay the bills Congress has already racked up.

You’d think this would be fairly straightforward. For many years, regardless of party affiliation, presidents have asked Congress to do this when it’s been necessary — and every time, Congress has acted. Just as an example, Congress granted Ronald Reagan’s request to raise the debt ceiling 18 different times.

Here’s what’s happening: President Obama proposed the balanced approach of raising the debt ceiling paired with responsible steps to reduce our country’s long-term debt — asking oil companies, corporations, and the richest Americans to do their part rather than placing the entire burden on seniors and the middle class.

A deal has been close at times, but an ideological faction of House Republicans has been effectively holding our economy hostage — making extreme demands like ending Medicare as we know it, gutting Social Security, and rejecting any compromises that might make millionaires or big corporations pay their fair share to get our debt under control.

So when President Obama spoke to the nation the other night, he made a suggestion to everyone watching: Call Congress and ask them to do their job. Since then, there have been reports that the flood of calls and emails has been slowing down the phone systems and websites on Capitol Hill.

Our records show you have only Democratic representatives in Congress. But House Speaker John Boehner — who is leading the Republicans in negotiations — needs to hear what Americans like you think.

Call Speaker Boehner‘s office now at (202) 225-0600 — and tell him we can’t afford to let politics hold our economy hostage. It’s time to put ideological demands aside and agree to a balanced approach.

Then click here to let us know how it went.

Here’s what the President said on Monday:

“The American people may have voted for divided government, but they didn’t vote for a dysfunctional government. So I’m asking you all to make your voice heard. If you want a balanced approach to reducing the deficit, let your member of Congress know. If you believe we can solve this problem through compromise, send that message.”

The President doesn’t make a direct request of all of us like this very often. Take a minute right now to call Speaker Boehner — then let us know how it went:

http://my.barackobama.com/Debt-Deal-Calls

Thanks,

Messina

P.S. — If you missed it, here’s the full video of the President’s speech. Watch it and spread the word: