Keep Fracked Gas out of WA

Washington State is being flooded with proposals for new and expanded fracked gas infrastructure that will lock us into decades of climate pollution and undermine our healthy future (there’s nothing “natural” about gas). Even worse, the local agencies that are supposed to protect us have consistently failed to consider the full climate, health, and social justice impacts of these toxic fracked gas projects.

Thankfully, Gov. Inslee has the power to make sure these agencies do take these concerns into account. In the next few days, a group of powerful organizations are submitting a letter to Gov. Inslee. The letter, appreciating his climate leadership, asks him to take the next step and him to protect us from these projects. If thousands of us join in, Gov. Inslee will have no choice but to make sure our concerns are addressed.

Here in Washington, the Kalama methanol refinery is poised to be our state’s largest source of climate pollution by 2025. It comes with staggering health, safety, and environmental risks, and an equally staggering rate of fracked gas consumption — roughly one-third of the state’s total gas use. Similarly, the Tacoma Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) facility, currently being built without all its permits on Medicine Creek Treaty Territory land without the Puyallup Tribe’s consent, presents serious climate and public safety concerns which haven’t been fully addressed by local review agencies.

We’re pulling out all the stops to push back on both of these toxic fracked gas projects, and with Gov. Inslee’s support and thousands of us behind him, we’ll be able to protect our communities from decades of climate pollution. Please sign and share this letter to ask Gov. Inslee to protect us from these toxic fracked gas projects!

sierraclub.org

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Reinstate SBSK comment sections on YouTube – Sign the Petition

05/07/2019 Nativegrl77

Video explanation here: https://youtu.be/Wy7Tvo-q63o
YouTube has taken discriminatory action against SBSK (YouTube.com/specialbooksbyspecialkids) and other channels that feature minors as part of an over-reaching effort to combat child predation on their platform. They have chosen channels at random and disabled all of their comments without any sort of transparency or real communication with creators. Their actions were not all-encompassing, rather many channels (especially those tied to large corporations and advertisers) have been left unaffected. They have no information for creators/communities on how long the comments will be disabled or if the action is permanent.

We at SBSK are fighting this blatant discrimination and censorship of the disability community. Our impact as a channel and a nonprofit is greatly limited without our comment section. We are heartbroken and angry for all that we have lost due to YouTube’s actions. Chris and I have advocated since receiving the initial notice last week, but our pleas and outrage have been ignored. We are asking you, our community across the globe, to rally around us and to fight this discrimination.

Please sign our petition and include a message demanding the immediate reinstatement of comments on SBSK’s channel.
You can read our full open letter to YouTube below:
Dear YouTube,
On our channel, comments aren’t just “an important way for our team to engage with our community”… they are as paramount to the work we are doing and the positive global change we are trying to promote as the videos themselves.
Our comment section is where the individuals we feature often hear and experience societal acceptance for the first time. They are a place where information and tips are shared; where myths are dispelled and stigma challenged. They are a place, (one of the only public forums) where someone can be acknowledged as more than their diagnosis.

Our comment section is where dialogue happens. Where perspectives are challenged and widened. It is where empathy is found, fostered, and made commonplace.

To have lost our comment section is devastating for our team and our community. It is devastating to our mission and the neurodiversity movement that had found it’s voice on YouTube.
I appreciate your response, and while I believe there is a need to further protect minors on your platform, there has to be another way. Half of our mission is to show those we feature that society will accept them if they have the courage to put themselves out there. So far, every person I have interviewed has been met with an abundance of loving and supportive comments.

I am incredibly proud of SBSK’s followers and the empowerment and ownership they feel towards our channel. We have one of those most positive comment sections on the internet; one that is monitored by us and policed by our community who will accept nothing less than respect in those forums.

By choosing to move forward this way, YouTube will severely minimize our impact as a non-profit. In trying to do the right thing with an emphasis to protect your advertisers, you have genuinely hurt people and censored them. These individuals are not the pedophiles you were targeting, just collateral damage.

The disability community has fought too hard and long for it’s voice. I know there has to be a way that we can work together to support the protection of minors on YouTube without isolating and silencing the disability community once more. We ask that you consider us for the group of channels who will be allowed comments while working with you to moderate them.

Sincerely,
Chris Ulmer and Alyssa Porter
Team SBSK

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

The Truth About Coconut Water

05/06/2019 Nativegrl77 3 Comments

By Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD
WebMD Expert Column

Low in calories, naturally fat- and cholesterol free, more potassium than four bananas, and super hydrating – these are just a few of the many benefits ascribed to America’s latest health craze: coconut water.

Dubbed “Mother Nature’s sports drink” by marketers, the demand is skyrocketing, propelled by celebrity and athlete endorsements and promises to hydrate the body and help with a whole host of conditions, from hangovers to cancer and kidney stones.

But is coconut water capable of delivering on all the promises or is it hype?

What Is Coconut Water?

Naturally refreshing, coconut water has a sweet, nutty taste. It contains easily digested carbohydrate in the form of sugar and electrolytes. Not to be confused with high-fat coconut milk or oil, coconut water is a clear liquid in the fruit’s center that is tapped from young, green coconuts.

It has fewer calories, less sodium, and more potassium than a sports drink. Ounce per ounce, most unflavored coconut water contains 5.45 calories, 1.3 grams sugar, 61 milligrams (mg) of potassium, and 5.45 mg of sodium compared to Gatorade, which has 6.25 calories, 1.75 grams of sugar, 3.75 mg of potassium, and 13.75 mg of sodium.

Better Than Some Sugary Drinks

Coconut water has less sugar than many sports drinks and much less sugar than sodas and some fruit juices. Plain coconut water could be a better choice for adults and kids looking for a beverage that is less sweet. But don’t overdo it, says Lillian Cheung, DSc, RD, of Harvard School of Public Health. “One 11-ounce container has 60 calories and if you drink several in one day, the calories can add up quickly,” Cheung says.

Cheung, co-author of Savor Mindful Eating, Mindful Life, suggests being mindful about beverage choices and reading labels to choose plain coconut water and avoid those with added sugar or juices, which are no different from other sugary beverages.

~ my 2cents ...

We the People V Politics Party and Profit in 2019? ~ it’s a repost

05/06/2019 Nativegrl77

In memory of all victims and or survivors at the hands of guns… Ask your member of Congress – What will it take?

Another day another School shooting! Our hearts are broken and we all still keep offering prayers for all the students, teachers and thank staff for saving lives …and YES we should but as we all know thoughts and prayers are no longer enough! we need action on laws that are quite simple to implement and while the right keeps saying so … no one’s gun is likely to be taken away unless of course it should be… due to a failed background check,domestic violence, mental illness, documentation stating so

Now, after the umpteenth tragic incident I find out that the rant below and the infographic above done in 2013 is now out dated, which is beyond sad beyond my understanding considering the number of deaths, injuries and life changing experiences from folks who are, were and continue to purchase guns. The new reports taken in June of 2015 were that about 52% of Americans want gun reform. Now, in this year of 2018 at least 83% support criminal background checks. Sadly, we have Republicans who still take in a whole lot of money from the NRA and don’t seem to care or listen to “WeThePeople” and that motto; One person One vote either no longer exists or is considered a joke to those leaning far right and while no one is trying to take guns away from anyone, maybe those who have mental health issues or violent tendencies should be not be allowed to obtain a weapon of any kind that can harm kill them or any one else. The GOP has used fear mongering for what seems like decades which obviously allows the killings and or massacres to continue … Honestly, are these the kind of people we want in Congress – what happened to Public Servants

Reports are that at least 90% of our population agrees that it is about time we have some #gunsafety laws.

Additionally, most of us lefties are sticking together ,even some members of the NRA are for background checks, but we need a few Republican members of Congress to put people ahead of the NRA, the mighty $$ as well as their NRA ratings and until folks do, I am reserving judgment on how republicans keep saying they need to change seriously. We all know the NRA is in it to win it for gun manufacturers while lefties are not just in this for victims and survivors but for common sense laws … the NRA is not too big to fail and the assault weapons ban could have stopped some massacres.

There are approximately 310 Million people in America about 5 Million of those are pro-gun folks… so, why can’t we do the reforms needed?

We all know illegal guns on the streets kill someone everyday though we must thank Wayne lapierre for going on camera and showing Americans just why …

I am against handguns … period. There are enough incidents my family and friends have experienced that have molded my attitude toward guns over the years, lest a narrow escape or two of my own. The thought of a teacher having or being forced to keep a handgun in the classroom just does not make sense. I am without a doubt completely against military style weapons because I do not think we civilians need to have them at all and I definitely understand how folks interpret the 2nd Amendment while disagreeing on attaching it to states’ rights. The fact is that Gabby Gifford’s attack and all attacks since should have made us all sit up, move into genuine outrage and take immediate action. We need to use the sadness with a determination to at least ban assault weapons, retrofit K-12 School buildings and act rationally about creating registries, better permit process, close the gun show loophole and in my opinion every state should be required to impose a state of the art background check. While not an expert on the NRA, ALEC or gun safety, I do have a strong opinion and need to share information, newsletters and interesting articles that are meant to start a dialogue. I will admit cringing anytime members of Congress use states’ rights as their solution to what are clearly American issues and scream for Federal intervention. We need Mayors, Governors and voters to stand up and speak out more in this era of trump

Most of us believe that Gun Safety laws impact all Americans, clearly what we have now not only needs to be reformed, but should reflect our 21st Century living, formed around the notion of common sense solutions like universal background checks.