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~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Shelby Knox, Change.org


Change.org
Tell the AIBA: Don’t force female Olympic boxers to compete in miniskirts
Sign the Petition

Women’s boxing will make its debut at this year’s Olympic Games in London — a huge victory for female boxers who have fought for years to be taken seriously. But now it seems their participation will come with an outrageous catch: female boxers might be required to wear miniskirts in the ring.

The Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA) is reportedly considering the new dress code because it thinks skirts will make the female athletes look “elegant” and help “distinguish” them from their male counterparts.

Elizabeth Plank, an amateur boxer based in London, is petitioning the AIBA to abandon the miniskirt regulation. Click here to sign Elizabeth’s petition right now.

Elizabeth says, “The idea that female boxers should be made to wear skirts reduces these skilled athletes to sex objects. It undermines the respect they have long fought for.” Worse, competing in unfamiliar clothing could even negatively impact the boxers’ performances.

And Elizabeth isn’t the only boxer speaking out against the proposed dress code. When asked about the policy, three-time world champion Katie Taylor says, “I don’t even wear miniskirts on a night out, so I definitely won’t be wearing miniskirts in the ring.”

Fortunately, the AIBA will be considering public opinion and feedback from the boxing world before making its final decision next week. That means if enough people sign Elizabeth’s petition, you can force the AIBA to abandon the proposed dress code for good.

Click here to sign Elizabeth’s campaign calling on the AIBA to abandon its sexist plans to require female boxers to wear miniskirts in the ring.

Thanks for being a change-maker,

– Shelby and the Change.org team
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

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Change.org
Ask gaming company Electronic Arts to oppose the Internet censorship bill.
Sign the Petition

 

Congress has a plan to change the Internet forever. A bill they’re debating right now would give the government power to shut down whole websites, and even let corporations say which websites should be shut down.

That means a huge corporation could have any website even suspected of violating a copyright shut down — no questions asked. The government could then completely block all access to sites as big as Facebook or YouTube if one person posts one thing on those websites that corporations don’t want online.

Most major entertainment companies have come out in support of the bill, but despite swirling rumors, the huge video-gaming company Electronic Arts (EA) has yet to take an official stance. However, EA is part of the Entertainment Software Association, one of the big corporate lobbyists for the bill to censor the Internet — meaning that if EA came out against the bill, that would be a serious blow to the people trying to get it passed.

Shashank Kasturirangan is a student at NYU who’s a huge fan of gaming — including EA’s games — but he can’t believe that EA would want to mess with the Internet. Shashank started a petition on Change.org calling on Electronic Arts to stop lobbying for Congress’s plan to censor the Internet and come out against the bill. Click here to add your name to his petition.

The Internet censorship bill is particularly dangerous, according to advocates, because it would enable the government to set up the same type of tools to block online content that are used in repressive regimes around the world, like China, Iran, and Syria. For the first time, corporations and the government would be able to say what’s acceptable to put on the Internet.

While some companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter have come out against the bill, big movie studios, record companies, and their corporate lobbyists like the Entertainment Software Association are pushing Congress hard to pass Internet censorship.

Electronic Arts has millions of customers around the world playing video games like Madden 2012, The Sims, and Scrabble, and they care deeply about what the public thinks about their company. If enough people call on EA to oppose the plan to censor the Internet, they will be forced to come out against the bill. And if EA backs off, other companies that haven’t yet taken a position will certainly think twice before supporting Congress’s plan to censor the Internet.

Sign Shashank’s petition to Electronic Arts to stop lobbying for Internet censorship and oppose the bill in Congress. Click here to sign.

Thanks for being a change-maker,

– Jess and the Change.org team
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

AFL – CIO … Is Newt Gingrich right?


“You have to ask the question: Is capitalism really about the ability of a handful of rich people to manipulate the lives of thousands of people and walk off with the money, or is that in fact a little bit of a flawed system?”
—Newt GingrichHere are words you won’t hear from me very often: I agree with Newt Gingrich.As Mr. Gingrich recently pointed out, presidential hopeful Mitt Romney “looted” companies, leaving behind “broken families and broken neighborhoods.” That’s not the kind of capitalism that built America.If you agree that job creation is a critical part of capitalism—and that unions are a critical voice to stop job-killers like Mitt Romney from taking over our democracy—then sign our petition.

While I agree with Mr. Gingrich’s point about the kind of capitalism that works for working people, it’s unfortunate that both Mr. Gingrich and Mr. Romney are on the wrong side of most issues that matter to working people.

For example, they are both on record in support of so-called “right to work” legislation, like the bill that’s being considered in Indiana. This misnamed bill has nothing to do with “rights”—and it has terrible consequences for people’s work.

If “right to work” passes, Indiana’s unions no longer will stand between corporate raiders like Mitt Romney and many of the workers they like to fire to boost short-term profits. And it will become much harder for everyday workers to improve their wages, benefits and retirement security.

Like leaders who focus on policies that will get people hired into good, family-sustaining jobs? Sign our petition.

America wants to work—and it is politics as usual, not economic obstacles, standing in the way of putting people back to work. With your help, while the federal government is stalled and caught up in an election-year circus, we’ll focus on a job-creating agenda in statehouses around the country. Our priorities include:

  • Making sure state tax dollars are used to keep jobs in that state and in America.
  • Buying state-made and American-made goods—so we create jobs in our communities and in America.
  • Stopping corporate tax loopholes and tax breaks for millionaires—so our states no longer are starved of the revenue they need for critical services.

Please make sure your lawmakers—from your statehouse to the White House—know where you stand. Add your name to our “I like leaders who hire people” petition.

Thank you for all the work you do.

In Solidarity,

Richard L. Trumka
President, AFL-CIO
P.S. Be sure to share this on your Facebook and Twitter pages
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

LEGO says girls don’t like LEGOs … by Shelby Knox, Change.org


Change.org
Tell LEGO: Stop marketing sexist toys to girls
Sign the Petition

Iconic toy brand LEGO recently launched a new line of toys meant just for girls — but two young women, Bailey Shoemaker-Richards and Stephanie Cole, think the products are unfairly “dumbed down” for girls.

The new line is called LadyFigs, and it’s made up of busty, pastel-colored figurines that come with interests like shopping, hair-dressing, and lounging at the beach. The uninspired toys even come with pre-assembled environments — so there is no assembly (or imagination) required.

Bailey and Stephanie say they’re frustrated that LEGO is pushing outdated gender roles on girls and cheating them of the opportunity to build and discover. So they took to the internet, blogging about what they call the new “Barbielicious” LEGOs and petitioning the toy company to lose the sexist LadyFigs line and go back to empowering both boys and girls with its original products. Click here to sign Bailey and Stephanie’s petition today.

LEGO hasn’t always thought its toys were only for boys. In the 1980s, the company was actually celebrated for a major advertising campaign that spotlighted a young girl and her LEGO creation with the tagline “What it is is beautiful.” But since then, LEGO reversed course and decided to market its products only to boys.

The company claims its research shows girls just don’t appreciate the original LEGO line. But Bailey and Stephanie argue that with LEGO’s renewed emphasis on boys — featuring only boys in its ads and stocking products in the boys’ aisles of toy stores — it’s no wonder young girls wouldn’t think LEGOs were meant for them.

Bailey and Stephanie’s fight to get LEGO to return to its gender-neutral toys is already making waves, with the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Time weighing in on the issue. But LEGO is stubbornly holding its ground and told Business Week that the LadyFigs launch is a “strategic” move to “reach the other 50 percent of the world’s children,” as if girls have never been part of LEGO’s focus.

Public pressure can prove LEGO wrong. If enough people sign Bailey and Stephanie’s petition, it could convince LEGO that the new LadyFigs are bad business and the company should return its focus to empowering boys AND girls with toys that inspire creativity and innovation.

Tell LEGO to stop selling out girls — sign Bailey and Stephanie’s petition today.

Thanks for being a change-maker,

– Shelby and the Change.org team