As many as 14,000 children in Colombia are fighting in a deadly, cocaine-fueled conflict. Most of them come from rural areas, where poverty is a way of life, education is limited and opportunities are few.
Hundreds of youth are rescued or escape each year. Learn why they leave home, how they survive, and the steps they take to rejoin society.
| See the facts in our infographic, “I was a child soldier in Colombia.” ▸ |
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Posted: 15 Jun 2011 06:00 AM PDT
my source … the Official Google blog
(Cross-posted on the YouTube and Lat Long blogs)
We’re always fascinated by the unique wonders of space and the world—what can we say, it’s the geek in us! Naturally, when we learned that part of the world will be treated to a rare 100-minute long total lunar eclipse starting at 11:20am PDT today, we were both excited and disappointed that this rare occasion wouldn’t be visible from our Mountain View campus like last year’s eclipse. We suspect we aren’t alone, so you’ll be glad to know that we’ve worked with Slooh Space Camera to let you experience the spectacle wherever you are in the world, in real time.
Slooh will host a live mission interface using Google App Engine that lets anyone not lucky enough to live in certain areas (South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia) take part in this rare astronomical event. It’s equipped with audio narrations from real-life astronomers so you can hear a firsthand, expert account of the event. You can also watch the live stream on the Google YouTube Channel or from the Sky layer in Google Earth (download this kml), while exploring the fascinating world that exists in our galaxy. Finally, those of you on the go can download the Slooh Space Camera Android app to view the images right on your phone.
If you’re fortunate enough to be able to view this event in the sky, we hope you’ll get the chance to step outside and indulge in the spectacle. For everyone else, we hope our moon madness helps brighten your day.
Posted by Noel Gorelick, Chief Extraterrestrial Observer and Technical Lead in Special Projects
Climbers are hanging from the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge right now, calling on Chevron to take responsibility for its oil pollution in the Ecuadorean Amazon.
The 30,000 Ecuadoreans affected by Chevron’s oil pollution in the Amazon issued a moving “Open Letter to the United States” last week, calling on Americans to stand with them in demanding justice. Today, a group of Rainforest Action Network activists heeded their call by unfurling a banner reading “Chevron Guilty-Clean Up Amazon” from the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, which lies in the shadow of Chevron’s Richmond refinery:
Wednesday is Chevron’s annual shareholder meeting, and I’ll be joining a delegation of Ecuadoreans who will be in attendance in order to take their calls for justice directly to the company’s management, shareholders, and board members.
We’re trying to get 30,000 Americans to sign the solidarity petition, one for each of the Ecuadoreans affected by Chevron’s reckless pursuit of profits. The petition will be delivered to Chevron by me and the Ecuadorean delegation. Sign it now.
But hurry! There are only 48 hours left for you to sign. Chevron’s shareholder meeting is this Wednesday, May 25th. Stand with the Ecuadoreans by signing the petition now.
For a cleaner future,
Ginger Cassady
Yesterday marked a historic day for corporate accountability. A judge in Ecuador found Chevron guilty of massive oil contamination in the Amazon rainforest and ordered the company to pay over $8 billion to clean it up.
The verdict is the culmination of an 18-year struggle by the Indigenous and rural Ecuadoreans — the real heroes of this epic fight — who first sued Chevron to force the company to clean up its oily mess back in 1993. The battle is won, but the war for corporate accountability is far from over.
Chevron has vowed to appeal the decision, and it’s all too clear that the company intends to never pay for its oil pollution in the Amazon. Tell Chevron CEO John Watson that enough is enough – Chevron needs to clean up Ecuador NOW.http://act.ran.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=3347
For 18 years the Ecuadorean plaintiffs have withstood the impacts of Chevron’s pollution in the Amazon, as well as an unprecedented PR and legal campaign aimed at discrediting them and minimizing the extent of the damage that’s been done to their health and livelihoods. The evidence of the company’s guilt is overwhelming. It’s time for Chevron to take responsibility for its mess.
John Watson needs to do the right thing and pledge to clean up the Ecuadorean Amazon by complying with the judgment in Ecuador. Some 1,400 people have already died as a result of Chevron refusing to take responsibility, and 30,000 more are at risk. The people living with Chevron’s pollution can’t wait while the company launches another PR campaign and attempts even more dirty tricks and shady legal maneuvers to try and evade its responsibility.
Stand up for the people of Ecuador, for human rights, and for corporate accountability: Tell Chevron CEO John Watson to stop stalling and clean up Ecuador NOW.http://act.ran.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=3347
Are you an employee who wants to Change Chevron?
We don’t pretend to know everything about working at Chevron. We do know many communities are suffering because of the way Chevron does business around the world. As an employee of Chevron you can literally save peoples’ lives by working inside the company to change it.
We want to hear from you. The call’s confidential and on us: 1-877-844-4114
Employees can change Chevron.
For a cleaner future,
Ginger, Maria, Linda, and Mike
Change Chevron
Be a Seed for Change 
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