Category Archives: ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

When 19 firefighters died in Arizona

08/09/2013 Nativegrl77

Our fallen hero Andrew Ashcraft: get the family Andrew’s benefit package that they were promised

By Tom Ashcraft

Change.org https://www.change.org/petitions/ Prescott Valley, Arizona

My name is Tom Ashcraft, father of Andrew Ashcraft and fallen Granite Mountain Hot Shot. He was a full time employee working for the City Of Prescott, Az. on June 30th, when the fire overcame him and 18 of his brothers. 19 firefighters were killed in the fire. We are all heartbroken beyond words can say. Just as all the families are doing we too must press on to help secure the future of Andrew’s wife Juliann and his four children and help them endure the difficult times ahead.

In addition to this tragedy, the city of Prescott has officially denied paying out his benefits claiming he was not full time. This is not accurate at all. He had been working his scheduled 40 hour weeks, he had obtained their goals required of full time status and had been given a raise above that of a seasonal employee. Because of that, his employee file had been forwarded onto the city managers‘ office with the endorsement of his supervisors. Unfortunately, they too perished in that fire and cannot confirm this. The delay in the process is the primary reason for their not approving his status. Nonetheless, he was verbally assured of his status, he was working his required schedule as a full time employee, being paid as a full time employee therefore is due full time benefits.

It is not only our family’s belief, but our community, as well as many around this great nation that the City of Prescott, specifically the Mayor and City Council, should immediately approve Andrew Ashcraft’s benefits that will provide a secure future for his wife Juliann, Ryder (6), Shiloh (4), Tate (3), and Choice (18 mo).

Please stand with us, our family, our community by signing this petition to enforce the prompt processing of his benefits. With your help, together we can make this change.

Mayor and City Council, agreeing with the words on his bracelet that Andrew wore until he perished – you too now have the opportunity to “Be Better”.

Thank you,

Tom Ashcraft

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

His father was dragged off

08/09/2013 Nativegrl77

Dear friends,

The images of 5-year-old Khaled screaming out for his father as the Israeli security forces dragged him off are hard to look at. This is daily life for Palestinians living in the segregated, military-controlled West Bank. But a nonviolent movement for freedom is growing. And it needs our help. Pledge just $4 now to get them lawyers, cameras, training, and campaigners to take this local resistance movement global:

It was the hottest week of the year.

All Fadel Jaber wanted was some water for his family.

But Fadel lives in the occupied West Bank, where the Israeli government has redirected water pipes to provide swimming pools for Jewish settlers and empty faucets for Palestinians like Fadel.
When the Israeli forces dragged Fadel off for taking water, his heartbroken five-year-old son Khaled could be heard screaming “baba, baba!” as his dad was torn away. This is daily life for Palestinians living under the brutal fist of martial law where their land and water has been stolen by settlers and they have no basic human rights. But after years of violence and hopelessness, a movement is growing in Palestine — a nonviolent resistance seeking the same thing that all Israelis already have: freedom, dignity and a state of their own.
For years, the media has focused on Palestinian militants, and to this day, extremists on both sides are pushing peace further out of reach. But what’s lost in all that vitriol are the loving families like Fadel’s that just want a normal life. Now, those families are stepping forward, leading peaceful marches, organizing sit-ins, and working with Israeli activists to seek justice and freedom. In response, the Israeli military has thrown them in jail, beaten up organisers, and ripped children from their beds.
Days ago, I went to the West Bank to meet with these brave, peaceful people. When I proposed that our community could come to their aid, their eyes lit up. They need funds for lawyers when they are jailed on spurious charges, cameras to document abuses, training in media skills and nonviolent tactics, and campaigners to take this local protest global. These families are the real hope. If enough of us pledge $4 now, we can boost the peaceful movement over the extremist ones and give Khaled a future worthy of his father’s dreams. Avaaz will only process the pledges if we get enough to make a real difference:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/palestine_rpr_enndl/?biEWLbb&v=27710
This occupation has gone on for too long and for too long the resolution of this conflict has been controlled by extremists on both sides. But today, there are a few things most people agree on: first, both the Israelis and the Palestinians should each be entitled to a state; and second, the treatment of the Palestinians in the occupied territories violates every sense of justice we have, from international law to basic common sense. Even hard-line retired Israeli national security officials agree.
But the current Israeli government is only making things worse. While they pay lip service to peace talks and a two-state solution, they expand more settlements in the West Bank, making a two-state solution permanently impossible. And the Israeli military subjects Palestinians in the occupied territories to a whole different set of laws than the Jewish settlers who occupy those lands, even throwing children into prison for months at a time.
The best hope for ending this injustice and finally reaching peace is this peaceful resistance movement. Here are a few of the ways we can support them:

Support life-saving legal aid to help nonviolent leaders defend themselves from trumped up charges and kangaroo military courts;
Bring in civil disobedience experts from other movements to share strategies and tactics with communities across the West Bank;
Provide media equipment and trainings to leaders so they can both document abuses and get the word out to the world about this hopeful, inspiring movement;
Hire top-notch campaigners on the ground to provide ongoing support to this movement, scale actions across the West Bank, and engage our global community to take this movement from local to global;
Livestream their nonviolent actions on our site and organise a global day of action across the world.

In our history we have seen how nonviolent movements have freed peoples across the world — Gandhi’s movement in India, Dr. King’s movement in the US, and Mandela’s movement in South Africa. We know that it can work, and indeed in this case it’s our only hope. Let’s give this inspiring movement the global solidarity it needs to succeed. Pledge just $4 now and let’s help change history:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/palestine_rpr_enndl/?biEWLbb&v=27710
The Avaaz community has been unwavering in its support for freedom, justice and conflict resolution across the world. Today, one of the most virulent bastions of injustice on the planet is the Israeli government’s occupation of Palestinian lands. But even there, hope springs. And together, we can be a part of the generation that brings freedom and peace to two peoples, betrayed so often by governments, both of whom so desperately need it. Let’s show what our community can do.
With hope and determination,
Alice and the rest of the Avaaz team
MORE INFORMATION
Video / Palestinian boy upset by father’s arrest garners international media attention (Haaretz) http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/video-palestinian-boy-upset-by-father-s-arrest-garners-international-media-attention-1.306155
When Montgomery comes to Nabi Saleh (Foreign Policy) http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/04/26/when_montgomery_comes_to_nabi_saleh
The Rise of Palestinian Non-Violence: A Conversation with Mustafa Barghouti (Daily Beast) http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/03/07/the-rise-of-palestinian-non-violent-resistance-a-conversation-with-mustafa-barghouti.html
Israel in Peril (New York Review of Books) http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/jun/07/israel-in-peril/
‘Drip, Jordan’: Water supply as a focal point of occupation (Harper’s Magazine) http://harpers.org/archive/2011/12/drip-jordan/
Is this where the third intifada will start? (New York Times) http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/magazine/is-this-where-the-third-intifada-will-start.html?ref=magazine&pagewanted=all&_r=0
For West Bank protesters, legal knowledge is power (+972 Magazine) http://972mag.com/for-west-bank-protesters-legal-knowledge-is-power/71412/
The West Bank’s 2012: The Year of the Israeli Settlement (TIME) http://world.time.com/2012/12/31/the-west-banks-2012-the-year-of-the-israeli-settlement/

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Congress … Bee a Champ!

08/09/2013 Nativegrl77

A new bill in Congress would ban pesticides responsible for poisoning millions of honeybees.

Tell your representative to support the Save America’s Pollinators Act today!

Bees are dying by the millions all across America.
According to leading scientists, they’re being poisoned by a group of pesticides called neonicotinoids (also known as “neonics”). If we don’t stop using these chemicals soon, the bee population could be done for – and so could all the fruits and vegetables that rely on bees for pollination.
But there’s hope. A bill was just introduced in Congress that would impose a ban on neonics until a scientific review and field studies prove no harm will come to bee populations from their use.
Passing this bill won’t be easy. Big Agriculture and chemical companies like Bayer are already lobbying hard to defeat it. Massive public support is the only chance the bees have. Over 100,000 Greenpeace supporters helped raise the profile of this issue last month. Together we now have a chance to save the bees before it is too late.
Write your congressperson today and urge them to support the Save America’s Pollinators Act and save the bees!
The stories are shocking. Some 50,000 bees dropped dead a few weeks ago in Oregon after being exposed to the deadly pesticides. And last winter alone, 31% of beehives in the United States collapsed. Sobering stuff.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) have been dragging their feet on this issue for too long. EPA is currently conducting a study on neonics that they don’t expect to finish until sometime in 2018! At this rate, there may not be any bees left by that time.
By allowing toxic chemicals like neonics to weaken and kill bees, we threaten our food and our environment. Every day these chemicals are allowed to be used is one day closer to disaster.
Now’s the time to act. Tell your congressperson to support the Save America’s Pollinators Act today.
The world is stepping up to take action and it’s time for the US to do the same.
Policymakers in Europe pulled three commonly used neonics off the market earlier this year, citing the growing body science showing their harms to pollinators. Just a few weeks ago, the EU added another bee-harming pesticide to their restricted list.
However, the Industrial Agriculture lobby has no intention of backing down and Congress is going to need all the support it can get.
Write your Representative now and tell them to support this critical bill and save the bees.
Without immediate action to save bees, many of our favorite fruits, vegetables, and nuts could vanish from our shelves. Avocados, almonds, apples…the list goes on. A world without bees.
A win for the bees here in the US is possible, but only if we keep the pressure up on Congress to do the right thing.
Thanks,
Mark Floegel Greenpeace Senior Investigator and Beekeeper
P.S. America’s bees are being poisoned. There’s a bill in Congress that would help save them. Write your representative today and tell them to support the Save America’s Pollinators Act today! Then forward this message to your friend and family.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Is pregnancy a fireable offense? …

08/08/2013 Nativegrl77

A pregnant fast-food worker in Washington, D.C., was fired after her employer refused to let her drink water on the job, but permitted other workers to do so.
A pregnant cashier at a Dollar Tree store on Long Island wasn’t allowed to sit on a stool, even though workers in other Dollar Tree stores did. Instead, she was required to stand for 8 to 10 hours at a stretch — landing her in the emergency room. The stories keep coming. Women who want to keep working — or need to keep working — but who wind up forced to choose between their jobs and the health of their pregnancies.
We’re only $1,035 away from our $10,000 goal — and our deadline is midnight tonight.
Your gift of $10 or more will help us fight for women facing challenges in the workplace and beyond.

Employers may not know they’re breaking the law when they refuse to make the types of on-the-job adjustments for pregnant women that they make for other workers. But they are. And it’s up to all of us to fight for the pregnant workers who are on the front lines, just trying to do their jobs in the face of employers who treat them unfairly — and illegally.
Anything you can contribute will help. Please help us meet our $10,000 goal by midnight tonight.
Your support means so much to us. Thank you, as always, for everything you do for women and families.
Sincerely,
Emily J. Martin Vice President and General Counsel National Women’s Law Center
P.S. We depend on your support to help us fight for women and their families. Please help us reach our $10,000 goal before midnight tonight.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Kenaf

08/08/2013 Nativegrl77 1 Comment

Kenaf – A 21st century crop

Posted on 21. Mar, 2010 by admin in crop

[Translate]

a repost

Kenaf, should be the fibre crop of the 21st century, and hopefully explode into the market place for industrial products made from sustainable natural materials. Several multinational companies already use kenaf fibre in small, but growing quantities, in newly-marketed green products such as the Toyota Lexus and NEC mobile phones to replace environmentally-damaging materials.

Crucially, the green tag attached to kenaf is gaining more importance as people, companies and governments realize that the kenaf crop removes substantial amounts of CO2 and NO2 from the atmosphere and three to five times faster than forests with its deep roots improving the soil. Trees take many years to reach a harvestable size, however kenaf grown as an annual crop will reach a mature size in just 120 to 150 days after the seeds are sown, producing the largest biomass of any agricultural crop – far more than trees.

It can clean the environment efficiently and in some Japanese cities, kenaf is planted by the Government to improve the air quality. Kenaf will also greatly reduce our reliance on wood pulp and petroleum-based products. From construction board and concrete to plastic composites for mobile phones, from paper and light-weight, high-strength surfaces in aircraft to non woven industrial fabrics, from newspaper to absorbents for the oil industry. Commerce is waiting for the sustainable kenaf fibre in large quantities.

The kenaf plant is composed of multiple useful components (e.g. stalks, leaves, and seeds) and within each of these plant components there are various usable portions (e.g. fibres and fibre strands, proteins, oils, and allelopathic chemicals). What can’t be harvested can be used as Biomass fuel and fertilizer

Exciting New Technologies

In the past kenaf fibre production has been limited by the manual processing required to extract the fibres once the kenaf crop has been grown and harvested and the non-sustainable method of retting the fibres in rivers. New methods are now becoming available to process kenaf in volume providing a distinct advantage over existing processes, taking them to a new economical viability.

Green Planets and our partners intention is not to compete with other existing kenaf producers or processors, but to enlarge the industry and provide new opportunities for kenaf fibres. In most of the countries chosen, there are existing kenaf customers, we aim to enhance those relationships and the export routes for kenaf to developed nations. While at the same time create locally-owned hubs of agricultural excellence, kenaf business and community social support for the growers.

To find out more and how you can assist us, please contact us at www.kenaf@greenplanet.com

Kenaf is a crop of importance – to a world in need of it