~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

on this day … 1/15/2017 Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.


World1624 Riots flare in Mexico when it is announced that all churches are to be closed.
1811 In a secret session, Congress plans to annex Spanish East Florida.
1865 Union troops capture Fort Fisher, North Carolina.
1913 The first telephone line between Berlin and New York is inaugurated.
1919 Peasants in Central Russia rise against the Bolsheviks.
1920 The Dry Law goes into effect in the United States. Selling liquor and beer becomes illegal.
1920 The United States approves a $150 million loan to Poland, Austria and Armenia to aid in their war with the Russian communists.
1927 The Dumbarton Bridge opens in San Francisco carrying the first auto traffic across the bay.
1929 The U.S. Senate ratifies the Kellogg-Briand anti-war pact.
1930 Amelia Earhart sets an aviation record for women at 171 mph in a Lockheed Vega.
1936 In London, Japan quits all naval disarmament talks after being denied equality.
1944 The U.S. Fifth Army successfully breaks the German Winter Line in Italy with the capture of Mount Trocchio.
1949 Chinese Communists occupy Tientsin after a 27-hour battle with Nationalist forces.
1965 Sir Winston Churchill suffers a severe stroke.
1967 Some 462 Yale faculty members call for an end to the bombing in North Vietnam.
1973 US President Richard Nixon announces the suspension of offensive action by US troops in Vietnam.
1973 Four of six remaining Watergate defendants plead guilty.
1975 The Alvor Agreement is signed, ending the Angolan War of independence and granting the country independence from Portugal.
1976 Sara Jane Moore sentenced to life in prison for her failed attempt to assassinate US President Gerald Ford.
1991 UN deadline for Iraq to withdraw its forces from occupied Kuwait passes, setting the stage for Operation Desert Storm.
1991 Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II approves Australia instituting its own Victoria Cross honors system, the first county in the British Commonwealth permitted to do so.
1992 Slovenia and Croatia’s independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is recognized by the international community.
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Active, vigilant, and strong: Our future depends on us.


We wrote to you in November about the uncertain future. In the coming weeks, we will witness that future begin to unfold.  Although it is easy to feel helpless in the face of such tremendous change, we know that we must stay active, vigilant, and strong in defense of all the progress we have achieved.  Our future depends on us. 
On January 21, ABB staff will be marching with tens of thousands of men and women in Washington, DC, New York City, Philadelphia, and Nashville, Tennessee, for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families.  We hope many of you will join us to send a strong message to our national leaders of unity and diversity in support of human rights.

We are also voicing our concern about cabinet nominees picked to lead federal agencies tasked with enforcing key protections for millions of working Americans. We are extremely troubled about the nomination of Andrew Puzder as U.S. Secretary of Labor. Mr. Puzder has opposed efforts to achieve equal pay, argued against raising the minimum wage and guaranteeing paid sick days and paid family and medical leave. His opposition to the programs that benefit workers, especially women and families like the ones we serve every day, is an affront to the position for which he is nominated.

A Better Balance
Active, vigilant, and strong: Our future depends on us.
We are also deeply alarmed about the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions to lead the U.S. Department of Justice.
He has consistently opposed legislation designed to help women succeed in the workplace, including the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act, and has shown disdain for civil rights, describing the Voting Rights Act as a “piece of intrusive legislation.”
A Better Balance is speaking out about these appointments as an organization and we urge those of you who share our concerns to call your Senators to make your voices heard as well.
Call your Senators
We will continue to forge ahead to expand support for workers and their families at the state and local level, where enthusiasm remains as vibrant as ever.  And we will continue to defend the rights of workers, particularly low-wage workers, who need allies to stand up for them when the federal government will not.
Thank you for standing with us.  Onward.
In solidarity,
Dina and Sherry
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Companies sourcing Conflict (Palm Oil) – Ashley Schaeffer Yildiz, Rainforest Action Network


RAN
Dear Friends

Do you know the origin of the ingredients in your favorite chips? How about your favorite instant noodles or candy bar? Chances are fairly likely that one of the ingredients is coming from rainforest destruction: Conflict Palm Oil. Companies sourcing Conflict Palm Oil, like PepsiCo, are decimating Indonesian rainforests in order to make these cheap snacks.

And this corporate greed is pushing the sun bear to extinction in the process.

Donate now to help us end the destruction and exploitation.

Donate Now!

Sun bears are the smallest species of bear on the planet, and very few people have ever heard of this little bear. Known for their love of honey and sweet fruits (perhaps you can relate), they are recognizable by the white patch of fur on their chests. Unfortunately, while you may have never heard of a sun bear before this email, it’s likely you’ve eaten many products produced by destroying their home.

Donate to fight the companies driving critically endangered animals to extinction.

The sun bear’s habitat is quickly disappearing. RAN has been incredibly successful in shifting the policies and purchasing practices of major industries — but if sun bears hope to have a future in the wild, we urgently need your support today. On one end of the supply chain, we have successfully moved snack food giants into ethical sourcing policies and practices. And on the other end, we’ve also convinced giant corporations to stop buying from suppliers that destroy rainforests for their products. But we need your help to continue this work and ensure corporate promises are kept.

Today, you can make a difference for the sun bear’s future (and constant search for honey) by making a generous tax-deductible donation.

Never give up on the sun bear,

Ashley

AshleyAshley Schaeffer Yildiz
Senior Responsible Food Campaigner
Rainforest Action Network
http://www.ran.org/

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