Tag Archives: Non-governmental organization

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

They’re smuggling pregnant women


 Dear friends,

Thousands of East Africans have been kidnapped by sadistic gangs, and tortured in Egypt’s Sinai until their families pay huge ransoms for their freedom. If we show Egypt’s leaders that this dirty secret is out and damaging the Sinai’s tourism reputation, we can force them to end the horror. Sign now:

SIGN THE PETITION

Nine months pregnant and in chains, Haben’s* torturers beat her ruthlessly demanding a $35,000 ransom from her husband. She gave birth in shackles, beside other terrified captives, with only rusty metal to cut the umbilical cord. It’s unbelievable that this is happening in 2014!
Amazingly Haben survived — but she is one of thousands of East Africans who have been abducted by criminal trafficking rings, and tortured in Egypt’s Sinai until their desperate families pay huge ransoms for their freedom. If we can show Egypt’s leaders that this dirty secret is out and damaging the Sinai’s tourism reputation as the ‘Red Sea Riviera’, they could break the trafficking rings, and free these slaves.
Every hour these men, women and children are in captivity is an hour too long. Sign the urgent petition now and forward it to everyone. When we reach 1 million signers, Avaaz will raise a massive media storm to pressure Egypt to act:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Interim_Egyptian_President_Adly_Mansour_Torture_camps_in_the_desert_stop_the_horror_2/?biEWLbb&v=35815
If we can stop human smuggling in the Sinai — one of the most notorious routes for human trafficking in the world — we can strike a blow against a trade that imprisons nearly one million people a year.
And it’s possible. The Egyptian government has the power and the local resources already deployed to shut the traffickers down for good. Here are a few of the ways we could help:

  • Join with elected officials from Egypt’s major donor countries to press Egypt to act;
  • Run hard-hitting ads targeting Egypt’s prized tourism industry;
  • Expose the names of the key traffickers in a series of national Avaaz campaigns in the region;
  • Help journalists get access to torture camps to investigate which officials are complicit.

Let’s start it all with a million person movement to end this horrific trade in human suffering. Sign now and share with others:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Interim_Egyptian_President_Adly_Mansour_Torture_camps_in_the_desert_stop_the_horror_2/?biEWLbb&v=35815
Our community has stepped in repeatedly to help those trapped in terrible conditions. Last year, we helped rescue migrant Indian labourers trapped in Bahrain. And we’ve helped provide food and medicine to those trapped in Syria. Now let’s help liberate those being tortured in Egypt.
With hope and determination, Ian, Nick, Ari, Bissan, Alice, Wissam, Ricken and the entire Avaaz team
*Haben is a pseudonym, but her story is real.
SOURCES
Egypt/Sudan: Traffickers Who Torture (Human Rights Watch)  http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/02/11/egyptsudan-traffickers-who-torture
Extortionists, smugglers preying on Eritrean refugees, report says (Globe and Mail) http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/extortionists-smugglers-preying-on-eritrean-refugees-report-…
Egypt/Sudan: Refugees face kidnapping for ransom, brutal treatment and human trafficking (Amnesty International) http://www.amnestyusa.org/research/reports/egyptsudan-refugees-face-kidnapping-for-ransom-brutal-tre…
The Human Trafficking Cycle: Sinai and Beyond (EEPA Report) http://www.eepa.be/wcm/dmdocuments/Small_HumanTrafficking-Sinai2-web-3.pdf
Thousands of Eritreans ‘abducted to Sinai for ransom’ (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25222336
Egypt’s Sinai: Trafficking, torture and fear (Al Jazeera) http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/12/egypt-sinai-trafficking-torture-fear-201312682516380563.html
Human Trafficking Statistics (Polaris Project) http://www.cicatelli.org/titlex/downloadable/human%20trafficking%20statistics.pdf

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Charlie Birnbaum with Institute for Justice via Change.org ~~ Stop New Jersey


New Jersey is trying to bulldoze my family’s Atlantic City home as part of a development plan for an already bankrupt casino. I’m fighting back.
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Ali Lapp, House Majority PAC


Tuesday night was hard for Democrats to stomach. there were some big successes. Thanks to you were were able to win some of the closest races around. Of the races we invested in, we won sixteen races — two of those were pick-ups for Democrats. The Cook Political Report said it best when they talked about why Democrats were able to win these tight races:“As bad as Election Night seemed, it really could have been worse, and the DCCC and House Majority PAC deserve plenty of credit for shifting their resources to defense early and saving those who could be saved.” Bottom line iswecouldn’t of done it without you. So THANK YOU!!

Now we’re turning our focus to 2016. We’ve got a historic opportunity to roll back these giant Republican gains – and put an end to the GOP’s majority.

We can only keep making history with your support.

Can you click here to say you are in for 2016?

Thank you so much for all you did for us in 2014. Now let’s focus on the future and ensuring that all Americans have representatives that fight for them not the ultra-wealthy.

Ali

Ali Lapp | Executive Director
House Majority PAC

House Majority PAC is the only super PAC dedicated to electing a Democratic Majority. We’re fueled by you, and we’re the people’s PAC. Click here to chip in and help fuel our efforts.
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Overtime


By

The Right To Overtime Pay No Longer Exists For The Middle Class

Here’s a story we all know: Americans are working hard but earning less. But there’s a policy we don’t often talk about that has had a substantial effect on this trend: overtime pay. In 1975, more than 65 percent of salaried workers earned time-and-a-half pay for every hour worked over 40 hours per week. Today, just 11 percent do.

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Overtime is still the law, but it has been allowed to erode for decades. Now, by definition, it no longer covers the middle class. Only workers earning less than $23,660 per year — below the poverty line for a family of four — qualify for mandatory overtime pay.

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We would describe why that hurts middle class families and hurts the economy overall, but we think billionaire venture capitalist and champion for middle-out economic policies Nick Hanauer says it better in a new piece for Politico Magazine:

In the absence of a law requiring me to pay you overtime if you earn under a certain amount, you end up working harder—and the harder you work, the fewer employees I need. The fewer employees I need, the higher the unemployment rate. The higher the unemployment rate, the more leverage I have to “encourage” you to “do what it takes” to keep your job. And so you work even more hours, pushing unemployment up and wages down. And that, my friends, is one of the little tricks that keeps you poor and me rich.

There’s a solution to this problem — and it’s something that President Obama can do with or without help from Republicans in Congress. The President has the power to raise the income threshold for overtime on his own. If he restored federal overtime standards to where they were at their 1975 peak, that would cover workers earning up to $69,000. That comes out to 10.4 million more working Americans who would have more money in their pockets or more time to spend with friends and family.

BOTTOM LINE: Americans are working harder and longer to stretch their earnings just to keep up with the cost of living. Meanwhile, overtime pay has been allowed to erode to the point where it no longer covers anyone in the middle class. President Obama has the power to change that by strengthening overtime protections and giving the middle class and our economy a boost it needs and deserves.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

This is for anyone who uses the internet


Organizing for Action

What President Obama did is a big deal for anyone who uses the internet. (Hi!)

He’s urging the Federal Communications Commission to protect net neutrality — the principle that all web traffic should be treated the same, and not controlled by providers.

If you think a free and open internet is a good thing, sign our petition to tell the FCC you stand with President Obama’s plan to protect net neutrality.

The concept of a free and open internet has been part of the whole deal from the beginning.

It’s common sense: Your cable or phone company shouldn’t get to be a gatekeeper to the internet. They shouldn’t get to slow down or block access to sites you love, or be able to charge you extra if you use a service like Facebook or Netflix.

Consumers like that about the internet — and our economy depends on it. Net neutrality encourages innovation, and puts entrepreneurs on a level playing field.

But if some internet service providers get their way, that could all change forever. They want to have a say in how you use the internet, or how fast your favorite sites load.

The FCC will get to decide which way this goes — that’s why it’s so important that President Obama spoke up yesterday, calling for the “strongest possible rules” to protect net neutrality.

His plan is simple: No blocking websites, no slowing down content, no “fast lane” deals, and more transparency.

That’s something worth fighting for — especially in the face of an absurdly well-funded opposition. The groups trying hard to end net neutrality have plenty of allies in Washington. One of them, Senator Ted Cruz, wasted no time yesterday criticizing the President’s plan, calling it “Obamacare for the internet”… which, as far as I can tell, makes sense to exactly no one.

The President is out there, fighting for net neutrality, because none of us can afford to take it for granted.

Add your name to tell the FCC you support a free and open internet:

http://my.barackobama.com/Defend-Net-Neutrality

Thanks,

Toby

Toby Fallsgraff
Digital Director
Organizing for Action