~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Brazil’s Rollbacks Jeopardize the Amazon’s Future

Deforestation in Brazil is at a nine-year high. President Michel Temer’s political horse trading could make it worse.

Brazilian forests are being felled at the fastest rate in nearly a decade, with the rate of deforestation jumping 29 percent since 2015 and 75 percent since 2012, according to satellite monitoring.

Instead of bolstering the protections that helped Brazil reduce deforestation rates last decade, the Temer administration is bartering the forests’ future for political support from the powerful congressional bloc that represent the country’s big farmers, cattle ranchers, land speculators, loggers, and mining companies – the ruralistas.

It’s a dangerous, short-sighted gamble, trading short-term political gain for long-term forest health – and one from which the Amazon may not recover.
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SB5289 ~ Washington State Distracted Driving Law Taking Effect in July


The bill, SB 5289  making use of a mobile phone while driving a primary offense exempts a driver who is using a personal electronic device to contact emergency services and also someone operating an authorized emergency vehicle.

  • May 19, 2017

Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee signed three bills into law on May 16 that aim to reduce distracted driving and impaired driving.

The bills make any use of a mobile phone while driving a primary offense, make an individual driver’s fourth DUI a felony, and implement recommendations from a task force on impaired driving. Inslee’s signature means the distracted driving law goes into effect in July 2017.

“We’re suffering a scourge of death of our loved ones on our roadways, due to two problems: distracted driving and impaired driving,” he said. “Today I’m signing three bills to confront these scourges head on.”

Inslee mentioned at the signing ceremony in Tacoma the case of Sam Thompson, a junior at Lewis and Clark College who was killed one week before his 21st birthday when he crashed while sending a text. Lavera Wade, his grandmother, attended the ceremony; she had worked with other victims’ families to see the law passed, according to Inslee’s news release.

The bill making use of a mobile phone while driving a primary offense is SB 5289. It exempts a driver who is using a personal electronic device to contact emergency services; the use of a system by a transit system employee for time-sensitive relay communication between the transit system employee and the transit system’s dispatch services; an individual employed as a commercial motor vehicle driver who uses a personal electronic device within the scope of his or her employment if such use is permitted under 49 U.S.C. Sec. 31136 as it existed on the effective date of the law; and a person operating an authorized emergency vehicle.

source: ohsonline.com

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climate change! a letter to Angela Merkel ~ Add your Name ~ Avaaz.org


Dear friends,

Trump’s going to try to hijack a meeting of the world’s 20 most powerful nations and turn it into an attack on our planet and the Paris climate deal.

Unless Germany’s Angela Merkel stops him.

She’s one of the great climate leaders of our generation and could push hard to isolate Trump with a plan for 100% clean energy from the remaining 19 countries. But she’ll need to know she has massive support from everywhere to take this unprecedented step. Sign with just one click, then share the open letter to Merkel — we have just days to hit 1 million and Avaaz will print it in major German media ahead of the summit!

Dear Chancellor Merkel,

We reject Trump’s attempts to divide the world on climate change.

And we call on you to lead us to a safe, sustainable future, with or without the USA.

As you welcome the G20 to Germany, we ask you to stand up to Trump by leading the 19 remaining countries to commit to a 100% clean energy future.

As the ‘Climate Chancellor’, your leadership has given us hope that climate catastrophe can be avoided. That hope is precious. Billions across our beautiful planet are now counting on you to protect it.

Recent signers -- Add my name

ADD MY NAME

The global Avaaz movement poured its heart and soul into securing the landmark Paris Agreement. Now we must rise together to defend it, and with it, our people’s future. Join the campaign and forward this email to everyone you know.

With hope and determination,

Christoph, Bert, Patricia, Camille, René & the whole Avaaz team
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

HR3295 … America Vote Act 2002


H.R.3295

One Hundred Seventh Congress

of the

United States of America

AT THE SECOND SESSION

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,

the twenty-third day of January, two thousand and two

An Act

To establish a program to provide funds to States to replace punch card voting systems, to establish the Election Assistance Commission to assist in the administration of Federal elections and to otherwise provide assistance with the administration of certain Federal election laws and programs, to establish minimum election administration standards for States and units of local government with responsibility for the administration of Federal elections, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

for the complete bill click on the link below 

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/107/hr3295/text

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