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The President wants you to see this:

11/11/2014 Nativegrl77

President Obama asked the FCC to put in place strong rules to protect the Internet.

Every day, the Internet unlocks countless possibilities for creation and innovation. And one reason it’s been so successful is a level playing field: Most service providers have traditionally treated all Internet traffic equally.

That’s the principle of “net neutrality.” It’s an idea that says an entrepreneur’s fledgling company should have the same chance to succeed as established corporations, and access to a high school student’s blog shouldn’t be unfairly slowed down to make way for advertisers with more money.

As the FCC considers new rules, we simply can’t take that principle for granted.

Hear directly from President Obama why he supports net neutrality, and what that means for you. Then pass this message on to anyone who cares about the future of the Internet.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/net-neutrality

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My aunt’s dying wish

11/11/2014 Nativegrl77

Help my dying Aunt Gregoria meet with her imprisoned son one final time

Aetzaly Gonzalez
Salida, California

Sign Aetzaly’s petition

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The doors are open for veterans at Google

11/11/2014 Nativegrl77

Posted: 11 Nov 2014 06:00 AM PST

My father was a Tuskegee Airman, one of the first African-American military aviators in the U.S. military. He got his wings in 1944 and stayed in the Army for 30 years. When I think of him—and all the other veterans I grew up knowing—I’m reminded of the unique characteristics they shared: their innate courage, sense of purpose, and their ability to lead under pressure. Most remarkable to me, though, is their belief in the power of sacrificing and fighting for something bigger than yourself.For everyone who has served our country, I join 1,000+ members of the Google Veterans Network in celebrating Veterans Day today. And I am incredibly proud of what Google has done to honor veterans, including two initiatives new this year.

Veterans make great Googlers
We hire leaders, team builders and problem solvers and many veterans are already doing amazing things at the company. But we also know that not all veterans have the same skills and interests; there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution and it can be hard to understand how you might fit into a corporate environment. So we’ve created a new Veterans Careers website to help servicemembers and veterans find the right role to apply for at Google. The site breaks down some of the ways our own veterans are succeeding in both technical and general roles. In their own words, they explain how their skills translated and how they are continuing to serve through their work at Google.

And for those who have other career goals in mind, we’ve included a few resources—like mentoring programs and virtual classes—to help veterans and their families as they transition to civilian life.

Sharing veterans’ stories
In addition to making Google a great place to work for veterans, we want to use our technology to build greater awareness and understanding of their achievements and sacrifices. Last Friday, the 9/11 Memorial opened a new exhibit that explores the immediate and heroic actions of U.S. servicemembers, alongside those of the emergency workers who responded on and after September 11, 2001. “The Call to Serve,” an interactive installation powered by Google Tour Builder, follows the stories of nine veterans and military personnel to honor their service and that of all who followed in their footsteps. You can visit the exhibit in person at the 9/11 Museum during Veterans Week or online at 911memorial.org/calltoserve.

This effort also builds on other historical preservation projects we announced earlier this year, including bringing Arlington National Cemetery, including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and The Eternal Flame, to Street View; and commemorating the 70th anniversary of the landings at Normandy in partnership with museums and archives in the U.S., U.K. and France.

We’re proud to pay tribute to veterans’ service and and to support them in their careers. Veterans have unique skills and experience, and arrive with a devotion to teamwork that goes a long way around here. They’re among our greatest assets, both as a company and as a nation. And after all they’ve given us, we need to give them every opportunity to succeed.

Posted by David Drummond, SVP, Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer; Founding Executive Sponsor, Google Veterans Network

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BREAKING: (more good news!)

11/10/2014 Nativegrl77

In case you missed Meet the Press , here’s what YOU made possible:

That’s right — despite the Republican wave, Democrats are 4-for-4 in deep-red Arizona.

And that fifth too-close to call race?

That’s gun violence prevention advocate and former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords’ old seat.

We were down on Election Night, but we just some great news: Former Giffords aide Ron Barber has closed the gap to 341 votes.

If this trend holds, Barber can still pull into the lead and win!

We wouldn’t have this opportunity to win without you:

Your donations and volunteer hours allowed to us reach out to key voters in this race over 133,000 times.
133,000 Door Knocks and Phone Calls

And the current margin?

341 votes

We just can’t say it enough: Your grassroots support is literally making the difference between victory and defeat in these close races.

We can’t say thank you enough for all you’ve done.

All of us at the DCCC

P.S. The single most important thing we can do right now is ensure that every vote is counted fairly and accurately. Unfortunately the Republicans are already trying to throw out ballots:

Tucson Weekly:
In what remains one of the tightest congressional races in the country, Republican candidate Martha McSally’s legal team is taking steps to toss out the ballots of voters in Pima County

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Tonight’s Deadline

11/10/2014 Nativegrl77

Here’s what’s happened since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made history by proposing to slash carbon pollution from power plants:

Senate opponents of the EPA rule released a report calling for the Union of Concerned Scientists to be investigated for supporting the EPA.¹
There are multiple bills on the floor of Congress to strip the EPA of its regulatory power and slash the agency’s budget.²
A front group ran full-page ads in USA Today comparing the scientists behind these rules to terrorists and anarchists.³
And politicians who will make it their mission to stall progress on global warming will control both houses of Congress come January.

They don’t have the science on their side, so they’re going after the messengers. And we only have a few short weeks to make sure these rules receive as much public support as possible, and are even strengthened.

Carmen, we’ve set a goal to raise $20,000 in the next 24 hours to fund an all-out, three-week effort to mobilize more supporters, scientists, and hard data before the comment period on these new rules closes on December 1.

Help fight back and push the EPA to stay firm on cleaning up carbon pollution.

Power plants account for over 40 percent of all U.S. global warming emissions.⁴ Cutting those emissions by one-third, as the EPA has proposed, would be the most significant step the U.S. has ever taken in the fight against global warming. And we haven’t even started talking about the thousands of lives that will be saved thanks to reduced pollution, and billions of dollars in health and environmental benefits that will result from adopting the new rules.

We have 21 days to show a groundswell of public pressure and scientific evidence for these rules—and stop politicians, polluters, and industry groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce from undermining them.

Here’s our strategy:

Strengthen the rules. As important as the rules are, they are too modest to halt the worst effects of global warming. UCS scientists will be submitting an alternative proposal to the EPA this month that pushes for more reliance on renewable energy sources like solar and wind, which are now competing with coal and gas. If adopted, our proposal would ensure more ambitious cuts in heat trapping gases.

Show support for the measure in unexpected states. We’re rallying supporters in places where coal companies and their friends in government tend to drown out voices for change—coal states like Kentucky and West Virginia. The truth is 70 percent of Americans, people in all 50 states, support this commonsense change.⁵

Counter misinformation from fossil-fuel interests. Our top energy experts and in-house data analysts are constantly fact checking claims from coal companies, calling out the pseudoscience that sneaks into the mainstream media.

Connect experts with leaders at the EPA. We’ve been providing input to the EPA on these rules for months (it’s standard practice for government agencies to consult outside experts, and policymakers trust our independent analysis). We’re also getting EPA officials on the phone with hundreds of experts and activists directly.

Be part of this incredibly important campaign. Donate now to win on carbon.

I wouldn’t ask for your gift today if it wasn’t a make-or-break moment. Over the next few weeks, we can help the EPA begin to cut carbon pollution from coal and gas-fired power plants by more than the reduction proposed by EPA. Or we can leave the outcome to the climate-deniers and the fossil fuel industry.

It’s up to you and me, Carmen. Thanks for being part of this.