~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Scholastic Lies to 4th Graders …change.org


Let’s say you’re the CEO of McDonald’s. You know kids love to eat your food, but their pesky teachers keep telling them it’s not healthy. Don’t worry! You have options.

Scholastic (the company that publishes tons of children’s books) has a program where companies like McDonald’s, the American Coal Foundation, and SunnyD can pay to have teachers teach kids about their products to create “brand awareness” and “consumer loyalty.”

http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-scholastic-stop-pushing-corporate-pr-in-classrooms?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&alert_id=XjZTygzXWR_JMKqNQJEBS

It’s called Scholastic InSchool Marketing –– and it has nothing to do with education.

Here’s how the program works: A corporation gives Scholastic a pile of money. In turn, Scholastic creates a curriculum designed to further “client interests,” cleverly masked as actual learning opportunities for students. (For example, Scholastic sometimes says these materials will help improve students’ scores on standardized tests.)

According to Scholastic, this program reaches more than 66,000 classrooms.

Some terrific groups (including the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and Rethinking Schools) are fighting hard to end Scholastic InSchool Marketing. This week, they had a big win when Scholastic agreed to stop selling its “United States of Energy” curriculum (paid for by the American Coal Foundation) which teaches 4th graders about the benefits of coal while hiding all the risks to public health.

Momentum is on their side. Now it’s time to stop this practice for good. Sign the petition today to tell Scholastic to end its insidious InSchool Marketing division:

http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-scholastic-stop-pushing-corporate-pr-in-classrooms

Thanks for taking action,

– Patrick and the Change.org team

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Become a member today – UCS …The Union of Concerned Scientists


For years, corporations and politicians have put the public’s health and safety at risk by manipulating government science and censoring scientists in an effort to look after their own best interests.

“The specific suggestions [UCS] has offered have been critical to the overall goal of strengthening science and protecting its integrity, including the use of science by federal agencies”

—Dr. Jane Lubchenco, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Please help UCS lock in much-needed government reforms that will ensure independent science informs key decisions about our health, safety, air, and water.

 The Union of Concerned Scientists blew the whistle on these widespread attacks on science during the Bush administration. Now, we’re pressing the Obama administration to ensure they follow through on their stated commitment to restore scientific integrity to government decision making.

As I write this, government agencies responsible for everything from protecting our food and drugs to our air and water are developing groundbreaking new policies to protect their scientists from political pressure by special interests. But will those policies be strong—or full of loopholes?

We need your help to ensure these agencies adopt policies that truly protect science and scientists. Please become a member of UCS today.

UCS is the only organization watchdogging the entire administration to ensure it follows through on their scientific integrity commitments. And we’re providing agencies with resources to help government scientists do their best work and avoid the abuses of science we’ve documented in the past.

But we can’t do it without you. Please become a member of UCS by making a donation today.

If we have your help we can work with agencies to ensure that independent science informs key decisions about the safety of our food and medicines, the levels of toxic chemicals in our children’s toys, the quality of our air and water, and much more.

Please help UCS lock in much-needed reforms that will keep politics in its rightful and proper place and allow government scientists to do their jobs. Become a member today.

Sincerely,

Kevin Knobloch

President

P.S. When you join UCS, you join more than 79,000 UCS members who also believe that decisions about our health, safety, air, and water should fully consider the best available science. Please join us today and help us keep politics out of science.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Uganda Gay Death Penalty – We Won!! …Avaaz.org


Uganda‘s anti-gay law has failed! It looked sure to pass last week, but after 1.6 million petition signatures delivered to Parliament, tens of thousands of phone calls to our own governments, hundreds of media stories about our campaign and a massive global outcry, Ugandan politicians dropped the bill!

It was down to the wire – religious extremists tried to push the bill through on Wednesday, and then convened an unprecedented emergency session of Parliament on Friday. But each time, within hours, we reacted. A huge congratulations to everyone who signed, called, forwarded and donated to this campaign – with our help, thousands of innocent people in Uganda’s gay community do not wake up this morning facing execution for whom they chose to love.

Frank Mugisha, a courageous leader of the gay community in Uganda sent us this message:

“Brave Ugandan LGBT activists and millions of people around the world have stood together and faced down this horrendous anti-homosexuality bill.The support from the Avaaz global community has tipped the scales to prevent this Bill going forward. Global solidarity has made a huge difference.”

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs’ Office also wrote to Avaaz:

“Many thanks. As you know, thanks to a very large extent to the intensive lobbying and combined effort of you, other civil society representatives, EU and other governments, plus our delegation and embassies on the ground the Bill was not presented to the Parliament this morning.”

This fight is not over. The extremists behind this bill could try again within just 18 months. But this is the second time we’ve helped defeat this bill, and we’ll keep going until the hate-mongers give up.

Transforming the deeper causes of ignorance and hatred behind homophobia is an historic, long term struggle, one of the great causes of our generation. But Uganda has become a front line in that struggle, and a powerful symbol. The victory there echoes across many other places where hope is desperately needed, showing that kindness, love, tolerance and respect can defeat hatred and ignorance. Again, a huge thanks to all who made it happen.

With enormous gratitude and admiration for this amazing community,

Ricken, Emma, Iain, Alice, Giulia, Saloni and the whole Avaaz team.

Media highlights:

Anti-gay bill shelved:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13392723

Avaaz’s response to the outcome in the Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/13/uganda-anti-gay-bill-shelved

Ugandan President did not back bill because of “criticism of human rights groups”:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/05/13/international/i042638D37.DTL

Anti-gay bill delayed amid outcry:

http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Uganda-shelves-anti-gay-bill-20110513

Uganda’s “kill the gays” bill defeated:

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE74C0HP20110513

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Contribute now to Fight Back Against Republican Attacks


Remember that Republican congressman who high-tailed it out of Washington after the shirtless photos he sent to women on Craigslist got splashed all over the Internet?

Well, the special election for his seat is just 8 days away and our Democratic candidate, Kathy Hochul, is down by just 1 point in her latest poll!

Republicans know it would be a disaster to lose this race in the single reddest district in all of New York — even his Royal Highness Speaker John Boehner rushed up there to raise cash for more dishonest Republican attack ads.

With just 24 hours to go until our One Week Out Deadline, let’s show we’ve got what it takes to fight this race to the finish.

http://www.dccc.org/page/m/1d63ca97/1b9dd8ab/4a800264/4e0ce99a/243752719/VEsE/

I’m telling you — the more folks in Western New York hear about the Republicans’ support for that ludicrous budget to end Medicare, the more voters are flocking to support Kathy.

The Republicans’ cynical plan to pay for tax breaks for the ultra rich by ending the Medicare support that our seniors rely on is far more shameful than a few racy photos. Let’s make sure they don’t get away with it.

Thanks,

James Carville

P.S. Back in 2009, Democrats won another special election in upstate New York by just 726 votes. This race is shaping up to be the same sort of nail-biter. Help us hit our $75,000 goal to help put Democratic candidate Kathy Hochul over the top. http://www.dccc.org/page/m/1d63ca97/1b9dd8ab/4a800264/4e0ce99a/243752719/VEsE/

~ Recent Post

Congress: the Repbulican led House back 5/23 -the Senate is in Session today 5/17


The Senate Convenes at 2:00pmET May 17, 2011

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider Executive Calendar #31, the nomination of Susan Carney, of Connecticut, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit. There will be up to 2 hours for debate prior to a vote on confirmation of the nomination. As a result, Senators should expect a roll call vote on confirmation of the Carney nomination to begin shortly after 12:20pm.

Following the vote, the Senate will recess until 2:15pm to allow for the weekly caucus meetings.

At 2:15pm, the Senate will begin consideration of the motion to proceed to S.940, the Close Big Oil Tax Loopholes Act. There will be up to 4 hours for debate, equally divided and controlled in the usual form, prior to a vote on the motion to proceed to S.940. The vote on the motion to proceed is subject to a 60-affirmative vote. Senators should expect the vote on the motion to proceed to S.940 to begin at approximately 6:15pm.

This will be the last roll call vote of the day.

Votes:

71: Confirmation of Executive Calendar #31, the nomination of Susan Carney, of Connecticut, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit;

Confirmed: 71-28

72: The motion to proceed to S.940, the Close Big Oil Tax Loopholes Act (60-vote threshold); Not agreed to: 52-48

Unanimous Consent:

Adopted S.Res.186, honoring the 100th anniversary of the School of Fire for the Field Artillery at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

Adopted S.Res.187, supporting national minority health awareness in order to bring attention to the severe disparities faced by minority populations such as American Indians and Alaska Natives, Asians, Blacks, or Africans, Hispanics or Latinos, and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next meeting in the House is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on May 23, 2011.

politics,pollution,petitions,pop culture & purses