Last Friday morning, the bound and beaten body of Jairo Mora Sandoval, a 26-year-old sea turtleactivist in Costa Rica, was found onMoín Beach on the… read more
Just as Monsanto announces that it has given up trying to spread genetically modified seeds and plants throughout Europe (which is a huge win for… read more
Seven rhinos, their heads bloodied and their horns cut off, were found dead in the last week of May in five wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in… read more
When oil spills, responders rush to the scene with a huge toolbox and try to contain, clean up and disperse the oil so it will break down as quickly as… read more
President Obama describes the incredible opportunities to create middle-class jobs in America by deepening our economic ties and expanding trade in Latin America and discusses recent Senate bill that takes commonsense steps to fix our broken immigration system.
Yesterday, the President had a bilateral meeting with Mexican President Peña Nieto at Palacio National in Mexico City. The bulk of his discussions in Mexico will cover the economy, and in Costa Rica, the President will meet with Central American leaders, who are important partners in improving foreign policy and the economy.
Transportation Secretary Nominated: On Tuesday, the President nominated the Mayor of Charlotte, Anthony Foxx, for Transportation Secretary. As mayor, Foxx modernized the electric train service to Charlotte’s downtown area, expanded the international airport, and extended the city’s light rail system. The President hopes cities can mimic the work done in Charlotte to attract more business, create more jobs, and stay competitive in the global economy.
Our top priority as a nation right now is doing everything we can to grow our economy and create good jobs and rebuild opportunity for the middle class. And one of the best ways we can do that is to put more Americans back to work rebuilding our infrastructure.
Watt served for 20 years as a member of the congressional committee that oversees housing policy and will be responsible for looking over mortgage financiers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The President will look for Wheeler to head the FCC to ensure American businesses and workers have “the tools they need to compete in the 21st century economy.”
Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative Tapped: On Thursday, the President announced his nominations of Penny Pritzker as Secretary of Commerce and Mike Froman as U.S. Trade Representative.
Pritzker is one of “our country’s most distinguished business leaders” with more than 25 years of management experience in real estate, finance, and hospitality.
If confirmed as U.S. Trade Representative, Froman, will bring with him over two decades in both the public and private sectors. The President described him as “one of the world’s foremost experts on our global economy” who pushes until “he’s delivered the best possible deal for American businesses and American works.”
At the event, the First Lady continued the call to action and said American companies have committed to hire or train 435,000 veterans or military spouses over the next five years.
For 150 years, you’ve strived to answer big questions, solve tough problems, not for yourselves but for the benefit of the nation. And that legacy has endured from the Academy’s founding days. And when you look at our history, you’ve stepped up at times of enormous need and, in some cases, great peril.
The bad news: Global warming is threatening premium coffee crops in places like Ethiopia, India, and Costa Rica. Higher temperatures, drought and intense rainfall, and more resilient pests and plant diseases—all associated with global warming—have contributed to dramatically reduced coffee supplies and played a role in increasing coffee prices.
The good news?The Obama administration has the opportunity to protect our coffee from the effects of climate change! The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is on the verge of releasing draft standards that will limit global warming emissions from new power plants. These historic new standards will not only help save your cup of coffee, they will help us avoid the most dangerous consequences of climate change and move us toward a cleaner, more modern electricity system.
But the Obama administration is under enormous pressure from dirty energy companies to release weak standards that will do little to nothing to protect our health and environment. Fortunately, people are standing up to these tactics and calling for climate action. Activists like you sent us their “mug shots,” and we’ve compiled a video demonstrating that global warming is already affecting our everyday lives and people are demanding climate action.
The Obama administration needs to hear that dirty energy companies don’t represent your interests. By posting this video on the White House Facebook page, you’ll make a public statement to the White House and your friends and family that the president should ensure that the EPA finalizes strong global warming standards this year.
The pod was swimming peacefully in Samoa when nets closed in from behind — trapping 25 wild dolphins for a luxury resort’s latest exhibit. They are now locked in tiny pens, starved of food — but we can free them.
For wild dolphins captivity is torture, their powerful sonar bounces off the walls back at them — as if they are trapped in an endless house of mirrors. Most die young from stress induced illness, but some even commit suicide. If the wealthy Resorts World Sentosa succeeds in keeping them captive then half the dolphins will die in the first 2 years — and it will legitimise the widely banned practice of capturing dolphins in the wild. We can’t let that happen — let’s use our voices to set them free.
Resorts World was forced to abandon plans for a whale shark exhibit two years ago because of the huge outcry that threatened their reputation. Let’s build a massive call now to free these intelligent, beautiful creatures — and make this a turning point in the fight to end the global wild-dolphin trade. When we reach 500,000 our petition will be delivered to Resorts World and the media. Sign now and forward this to everyone:
The appallingly cruel wild-dolphin industry has been banned in nations from the UK to Costa Rica. The terrifying capture process involves driving the dolphins to shallow water, where up to half drown or die of their injuries before they are even caught. If we force Resorts World to free these wild dolphins now it will send a powerful message to all other resorts, and help break the back of the capture industry. We can also give these dolphins a second chance in life — renowned dolphin expert Ric O’Barry has offered to rehabilitate them back into the wild.
Resorts World argues that their “interactive spa program” will help heal sick and disabled children – but there is no scientific evidence to support this technique, which sees desperate parents pay thousands in pursuit of an imaginary cure. They also claim their programs aid conservation – but dolphin capture drives are also hunting expeditions. The “display-worthy” dolphins are spared, while the others are butchered. By ordering wild-caught dolphins, Resorts World is driving up demand for these barbaric hunts.
The trade of wild-captured dolphins must end. The world is moving slowly but surely in this direction, and our intervention could set a valuable precedent. Resorts World has buckled under pressure before, and it can’t afford another hit to its image. Let’s join our voices urgently to free the world’s saddest dolphins, and win a crucial battle in the fight to save all wild dolphins from short, miserable lives in captivity. Sign now and send this to family and friends:
Wild dolphins are incredibly playful, social and caring, as well as extremely intelligent — they are utterly captivating creatures. In the world we all wish for, dolphins are not hunted, trapped and broken — they are treated with the respect that all life deserves. Today, as we work for their freedom, we are taking a small but important step towards making that world a reality.
With hope,
Ricken, Ben, Morgan, Alice, Shibayan and the whole Avaaz team
Be a Seed for Change 