Monthly Archives: August 2013

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ACA


Calvin Goings, Regional Administrator Regional Administrator Calvin Goings

Affordable Care Act, Part 2

America’s 28 million small businesses are the backbone of our economy, creating two out of every three net new jobs and employing half of America’s workforce. From mom-and-pop stores and restaurants, to high-tech startups and productive manufacturers, small businesses are helping to drive our economy and create jobs in our local communities.

Many small business owners consider their employees to be part of their family, and providing benefits such as health care is one important tool they have to help retain their talented workforce and compete for skilled employees.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is committed to giving small business owners the resources they need to start and grow a business– including access to critical information about how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) works.

Under the Affordable Care Act, small employers will have more options.

First, starting January 1st, 2014, small businesses with generally up to 50 full-time equivalent employees will be able to purchase health insurance through the online health insurance marketplace for small businesses, known as SHOP.

The SHOP Marketplace will offer employers a choice of qualified health plans from different private health insurers and make it easier for employers to make side-by-side comparisons between these plans, based on price and benefits.

SHOP also offers employers and their employees access to health insurance plans that must include a package of “Essential Health Benefits” like coverage for doctor visits, preventive care, hospitalization and prescriptions.  Any many small employers may be eligible for tax credits of up to 50% of their premium costs if they choose to purchase coverage through SHOP.

Enrollment starts on October 1st for coverage beginning January 1, 2014.

The Affordable Care Act allows small employers to offer health coverage in a way that makes sense for their business and works for their bottom line. And the SBA is committed to leveraging our resources and federal partnerships to connect you with the facts and resources you need to understand the law.

I hope you have found this information useful.  Please feel free to forward this to your friends and colleagues. If you have comments or questions for me, please contact Connie Marshall in my office at connie.marshall@sba.gov.      Sincerely, Calvin CALVIN W. GOINGS

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Bring Back the Voices of the Xingu!


Amazon WatchHelio Alves da Silva, a fisherman who until recently made his living from the Xingu River.
Bring Back the Voices of the Xingu!Yesterday we sent you Voices of the Xingu, a powerful video collage of voices uniting to stop the Belo Monte dam in the Brazilian Amazon. Did you watch it yet?If you haven’t, stop right now and click here. I’ll wait.

These are the voices, the faces, the people who you are supporting through your support of Amazon Watch. These are the people who have been suffering as the Brazilian government and dam builders Norte Energia have pushed forward the Belo Monte dam project. These are also the people who have been fighting for their rights and for justice in this struggle. We must continue to support and stand with them.

Over 3,000 people joined demonstrations in Altamira calling for Justice Now! and a halt to construction of the Belo Monte dam. But their voices continue to be silenced and ignored. We can help change this!

The dam builders are up against the ropes – they’re facing fines and possible construction delays for violating social and environmental conditions. They’re under investigation for corruption, for harboring an illegal brothel holding underage sex slaves, and they recently admitted that the dam project has gone over budget by $1 billion dollars.

Add your voice to the chorus for justice and help continue to bring support to the frontlines through advocacy, organizing and activism. Amazon Watch is bringing allies together across river basins, proposing viable alternative energy pathways and bringing the world’s attention to issues that the Brazilian government has the responsibility and the power to change now.

So skip the latté or lunch out today, or simply invest in this great effort to bring hope to the people of the Xingu, to people like Helio. Help nurture this active resource that grows as we all chip in together. Give today for a free-flowing Xingu River and the people who depend on it.

For the people of Xingu,

Branden Barber
Branden Barber
Director of Engagement

P.S. I promise you that every dollar you give is going make a difference, add strength to these voices, and help the people of the Xingu stay strong in the face of such challenges.
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did you know … ewg.org


Sick of not knowing what’s in your personal care products?With almost 72,000 products, EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database is the go-to online resource for personal care product ingredient safety information. Check our what’s in your shampoo, lotion or lip balm today. EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
EWG Logo
EWG's Meat Eater's Guide to Climate Change + Health Want to eat greener?The truth is that most Americans – especially kids – consume much more meat than vegetables. So EWG examined the impact of Americans’ eating habits on health and the environment. Check out EWG’s Meat Eater’s Guide to Climate Change + Health to see our findings and find out which foods are the best – and worst – for us and the planet.
What’s the truth about bottled water?The labels on those expensive bottles may lead us to think the water inside comes from pristine springs or has amazing healing powers. But bottled water companies don’t have to tell us what’s actually in those bottles. EWG’s 2011 Bottled Water Scorecard grades more than 170 bottled water labels. EWG's Bottled Water Score Card
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We cannot deny it …


The Climate Reality Project

You’ve heard it before.

“Climate change isn’t happening at all.” “You can’t prove that the world is getting warmer.”

Big Oil and Big Coal love these myths. But that’s exactly what they are: myths.

This month, The Climate Reality Project plans to destroy myths like these once and for all. And we need your help to do it. We’re turning the heat up on anti-science deniers in the fossil fuel industry and beyond with our Put the Heat on Denial campaign.

And we’re starting by debunking the myth that climate change isn’t happening.

It’s August and summer is coming to an end, but do you know what? Temperatures keep rising around the world – and there’s no denying it. But Big Oil and Big Coal are doing their best, spending big money to spread big doubt about climate change.

So this week, we need your help to destroy the myth that climate change isn’t happening – because you and I both know it is. Make the deniers feel the heat with some cold, hard facts. We’ve put the key science at your fingertips at RealityDrop.org, so you can set things straight whenever you see online articles repeating denier myths.

So please join Reality Drop and debunk the “It’s not happening” myth. Your voice is so important to spread truth and put the heat on denial.

Thanks for all your hard work,
The Climate Reality Project Team

P.S. Use Twitter to help spread the word about our Put the Heat on Denial campaign – and use the hash tag #HeatOnDenial. Thanks again.