I'm the only person reading this.

Fwd: On the Saga of the Sopa Battle: We need your help

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:52:30 PST

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, Jan 30, 2012 at 17:06
Subject: On the Saga of the Sopa Battle: We need your help

The Motion Picture Association of America, through its President, former Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), astonished us all last week. Twice.

The first time was in an interview with Fox News about the successful effort of millions to stop Congress from passing the "Stop Online Piracy Act" (SOPA). As Dodd said:

Those who count on quote 'Hollywood' for support need to understand that this industry is watching very carefully who's going to stand up for them when their job is at stake. Don't ask me to write a check for you when you think your job is at risk and then don't pay any attention to me when my job is at stake.

Then, when the Internet erupted in outrage at this obvious quid-pro-quo threat, the MPAA astonished us again. What's the big deal, the lobbyist organization asked. "Dodd was merely making the obvious point that people support politicians whose views coincide with their own." By which they mean "people $upport politician$ who$e view$ coincide with their own."

Now of course, any one close to DC recognizes that games like this go on all the time. As former super lobbyist (and now, ex con) Jack Abramoff explains in his fantastic book, Capitol Punishment, the games these lobbyists play

are really nothing but bribes. Sure, it's legal ... Sure, everyone in Washington does it. Sure, it's the way the system works. It's one of Washington's dirty little secrets — but it's bribery just the same.

Yet usually, the lobbyists at least have the decency to hide this form of legalized bribery. Usually, they are not so crass. (Or inept, for what politician can now flip his vote back to the MPAA's side?)

Lots of people are now jumping on Dodd, and demanding a response. A petition at the White House's "We, The People" site, for example, calls on the the government to investigate the MPAA for "bribery." And Free Press is sponsoring a petition calling on the top recipients of MPAA money to return the cash. "Congress," the petition says, "must make it clear to the world that it won't be bullied into supporting censorship."

But Rootstrikers recognize that the bullying of Congress won't stop just because one lobbyist gets punished. So long as the tiniest slice of America funds the bulk of congressional campaigns — .26% give more than $200 to a congressional campaign, .05% max out to any candidate, and .01% (that's 1 out of 10,000) give more than $10,000 in an election cycle — Congress will be bullied. And that doesn't even begin to address the new bullies on the block — aka, the SuperPACs.

We need something more than tiny solutions to massive problems. The bullying won't end until elections are publicly funded. And more of us — including the activist organizations that we all support — must begin to say this, loudly and clearly.

So here's what we need you to do: If, as Thoreau wrote, "there are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root," then help us find our 307,000 American "rootstrikers." We need you to share this email with your friends, and recruit them to join us here. You know we're a low burden org. We try to keep costs low, and ask for money really infrequently. But we need the 300 thousand! Help us get to that goal?

And thank you for everything you're doing (or all that you will do!)

Jobs, Jobs and Cars - NYTimes.com

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:55:29 PST

Quotes:

Jobs, Jobs and Cars - NYTimes.com
A big report in The Times last Sunday laid out the facts. Although Apple is now America's biggest U.S. corporation as measured by market value, it employs only 43,000 people in the United States, a tenth as many as General Motors employed when it was the largest American firm.

And Chinese manufacturing isn't the only conspicuous example of these advantages in the modern world. Germany remains a highly successful exporter even with workers who cost, on average, $44 an hour — much more than the average cost of American workers. And this success has a lot to do with the support its small and medium-sized companies — the famed Mittelstand — provide to each other via shared suppliers and the maintenance of a skilled work force.

He got his facts wrong, but he did, unintentionally, manage to highlight an important philosophical difference between the parties. One side believes that economies succeed solely thanks to heroic entrepreneurs; the other has nothing against entrepreneurs, but believes that entrepreneurs need a supportive environment, and that sometimes government has to help create or sustain that supportive environment.

And the view that it takes more than business heroes is the one that fits the facts.

This message was sent to you by Ali Nabavi via Diigo

Fwd: FW: E-Newsletter 01-24-2012

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:50:08 PST

From Eleanor Holmes Norton:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, Jan 25, 2012 at 07:44
Subject: Fwd: FW: E-Newsletter 01-24-2012

Opposing a New Anti-Home-Rule, Anti-Choice, Anti-Federalist Bill. Representative Trent Franks (R-AZ), who chairs the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution, has introduced a bill that would ban all abortions in the District after 20 weeks, with very limited exceptions. Only one week into the second session of the 112th Congress, House Republicans have broadened congressional attacks on the District to include all women who live here with the "District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act." The bill would prohibit such abortions in only one local jurisdiction, the District of Columbia. We do not intend to succumb to the insatiable Republican obsession with interfering with the rights of women in our city. There can be no justification for denying the federal taxpaying residents of the nation's capital the same constitutional rights as other American citizens.

Fwd: An ethical iPhone 5?

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:35:33 PST

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, Jan 27, 2012 at 07:53
Subject: An ethical iPhone 5?
To: SHLONCK

Working conditions in Apple factories in China and other developing countries are abysmal.

Sign the petition to Apple - "The quality of working conditions matters as much as the quality of your products. Make the iPhone 5 and your other products ethically."

Dear SHLONCK,

Every day, tens of millions of people will swipe the screens of their iPhones to unlock them.

On the other side of the world, a young girl is also swiping those screens. In fact, every day, during her 12+ hour shifts, six days a week, she repetitively swipes tens of thousands of them. She spends those hours inhaling n-hexane, a potent neurotoxin used to clean iPhone glass, because it dries a few seconds faster than a safe alternative. After just a few years on the line, she will be fired because the neurological damage from the n-hexane and the repetitive stress injuries to her wrists and hands make her unable to continue performing up to standard.

I love Apple products as much as anyone else. I'm typing this on a Macbook, and I want to buy an iPhone 5 when it comes out. But like many consumers, I don't want my money to support thousands of workers' rights violations like this one that investigative journalists are reporting extend throughout Apple's supply chain.

Click here to sign the petition to Apple's CEO Tim Cook, telling him to make an ethical iPhone 5 and improve working conditions for workers in all Apple factories.

Right now we have a huge opportunity as ethical consumers: The launch of the iPhone 5 later this year will be new Apple CEO Tim Cook's first big product rollout, and he can't afford for anything to go wrong -- including negative publicity around how Apple's suppliers treat their workers. That's why we're launching a campaign this week to get Apple to overhaul the way its suppliers treat their workers in time for the launch of the iPhone 5.

Can Apple do this? Absolutely. Apple is the richest company in the world, posting a profit margin for the last quarter of 42.4% yesterday. They're sitting on $100 billion in the bank. According to an anonymous Apple executive quoted in the New York Times, all Apple has to do is demand it, and it'll happen - "Suppliers would change everything tomorrow if Apple told them they didn't have another choice."

Click here to sign the petition to Apple's CEO, telling him to make the iPhone 5 the first ethically produced iPhone, and improve working conditions for workers in all Apple factories.

- Taren, Kaytee, Claiborne and the rest of the team

For further reading:

New York Times, In China, Human Costs Are Built Into an iPad, 25 January 2012
Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour, Foxconn and Apple Fail to Fulfill Promises: Predicaments of Workers After the Suicides, 6 May 2011
This American Life, Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory, 6 January 2012

SumOfUs is a world-wide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy. You can follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.

time logger

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:22:14 PST

2012-01-26 16:24:26,jill,
2012-01-26 16:24:00,jill,
2012-01-26 16:23:44,jill,
2012-01-26 16:23:02,jill,
2012-01-26 16:22:12,jill,
2012-01-26 16:21:29,jill,
2012-01-26 16:20:44,jill,
2012-01-26 16:20:10,jill,
2012-01-26 16:19:34,jill,
2012-01-26 16:19:18,jill,

Fwd: [MPD-2d] Safety Alert - Serious Injuries Triple for Headphone-Wearing Pedestrians Across US

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 06:18:58 PST

Here's multitasking for you. (See the last paragraph.)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Jan 19, 2012 4:55 AM
Subject: [MPD-2d] Safety Alert - Serious Injuries Triple for Headphone-Wearing Pedestrians Across US
To: "MPD-2d@yahoogroups.com" <MPD-2d@yahoogroups.com>

FOX News … USA

BALTIMORE – Serious injuries involving pedestrians wearing headphones have more than tripled since 2004, a U.S. study showed.

Researchers from the University of Maryland found that people often were hit by vehicles because their music blocked out horns or sirens alerting them to danger.

In 70 percent of cases, the headphone-wearing pedestrians died as a result of the injuries they sustained from being hit by traffic.

The researchers studied the data of 116 accidents involving pedestrians wearing headphones between 2004 and 2011. The number of incidents rose from 16 in 2004 to 47 in 2011.

"Everybody is aware of the risk of cell phones and texting in automobiles, but I see more and more teens distracted with the latest devices and headphones in their ears," lead author Dr. Richard Lichenstein said. "Unfortunately, as we make more and more enticing devices, the risk of injury from distraction and blocking out other sounds increases."

The study, published in the journal Injury Prevention, found that young men were most at risk, with 68 percent of the 116 victims being male and 67 percent under the age of 30.

Lichenstein and his team said that the distraction of the music causes "inattentional blindness," when multiple stimuli fed to the brain divide its mental resource allocation.

Fwd: Why is the Internet on strike today?

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:53:24 PST

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mozilla Firefox <mozilla@awesomeness.mozilla.org>
Date: Wed, Jan 18, 2012 at 08:21
Subject: Why is the Internet on strike today?

	Trouble viewing? Read this in your browser. From Mozilla, a non-profit organization and developer of Firefox

Today, Mozilla is joining the virtual strike against Internet censorship – along with others like Wikipedia and Google – to raise awareness of US Congress legislation that could fundamentally alter the Internet we know and love.

This harmful legislation, called the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate, will be voted on as early as January 24th in the Senate.

If you live in the US, there's still time to help stop these bills from becoming law. Please visit mozilla.org/sopa for information on the bill, and on ways you can reach out to your senators.

What makes this legislation so bad? Here's how it would change the Web:

Communication platforms – from YouTube to Facebook to Amazon – could be shut down if a single rights holder alleges a violation.
It would make the Web less stable and less secure.
Social networking sites, like Twitter or Facebook, could be forced to track and control user behavior, stunting innovation and undermining free expression.
Your Internet provider could be required to inspect all of your traffic and browsing.

Visit mozilla.org/sopa right now for information – and make your voice heard before it's too late.

Please join today's strike, and help protect the Internet.

Sincerely,

Jane & Winston
Editors

Help spread the word

Thanks for Reading!

Fwd: Common Cause December 2011 Newsletter

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 08:09:39 PST

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Common Cause Newsletter" <newsletter@commoncause.org>
Date: Dec 16, 2011 11:02 AM
Subject: Common Cause December 2011 Newsletter
To: "Ali Nabavi" <commoncause@hourback.info>

DECEMBER 2011

ACCOMPLISHING GREAT THINGS TOGETHER

A Washington Post story earlier this year, partially headlined "Uncommonly Foreceful," said this about Common Cause:

"Common Cause has long been something of a nerd among the jocks. While other activists staged loud demonstrations and nervy stunts, the 40-year-old good-government group was more likely to hold a forum on filibuster reform or the vagaries of redistricting. But suddenly Common Cause is manning the barricades, leading a rowdy campaign by liberal groups decrying the outsized role of big money in US politics."

Here's a look at some of our hard-won successes this year.

Common Cause Uncloaked the Kochs, raising the veil of secrecy around Charles and David Koch, billionaire brothers who, while amassing one of America's largest fortunes, built and fund a vast political network that actively undermines the public interest in a cleaner environment, health care reform, energy independence and climate change. Common Cause helped convene national media and 1,500 peaceful activists outside of a Koch secretive political strategy session near Palm Springs, Calif., and continues to highlight the brothers as poster children for the dangers of self-interested corporate money in our democracy.

Common Cause uncovered a Supreme Conflict in the incomplete federal financial disclosure forms of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who failed to report the source of his wife's income for 13 years, from 1997-2009. Thomas blamed misunderstood filing instructions for the lapse, even though he had accurately filed reports for up to seven years before that. During Thomas' lapse in reporting, his wife, Virginia, collected a healthy income from organizations with business before the Supreme Court. Common Cause then launched a campaign to bring the Supreme Court under the same ethics rules followed by all other federal judges. We continue to dedicate significant legal and policy resources to keep the issue in the spotlight.

Common Cause successfully defended and strengthened public financing programs. In North Carolina, Common Cause saved a judicial public financing program from elimination. In Los Angeles, Common Cause worked to win a referendum with 70 percent of the vote that strengthened the city's public finance system. In New Mexico, Common Cause defended state and local public financing systems from attack, developing targeted fixes in response to a recent court decision. Common Cause Connecticut fought back against efforts to defund and consolidate the state's landmark public financing program.

In California, Common Cause succeeded in championing legislation that will allow state voters to register online to vote in the 2012 presidential election.

Common Cause Maryland played a lead role in helping to pass legislation requiring corporations and unions that spend $10,000 or more to elect or defeat a candidate or ballot initiative to report that spending. The same bill also contained a first-in-the-nation provision requiring corporations and unions to let their shareholder or members know about their spending. Both provisions are models for other states seeking to mitigate the influence of corporate money in elections in the wake of the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision. (At left, Common Cause Maryland Executive Director Susan Wichmann--top row, middle--stands with Gov. Martin O'Malley and lawmakers at the bill signing ceremony.)

A grassroots campaign against corporate money in politics that started in Minnesota went all the way to Pennsylvania when Common Cause protested corporations like Target Corp. spending their profits to influence elections. A barrage of questions at Target's annual shareholders' meeting about why profits were spent on politics prompted an exasperated Target CEO to ask: "Are there any questions related to something else?"

In Rhode Island, Common Cause led a successful fight for greater legislative transparency, leading to legislative votes being put online for the first time in history.

In Colorado and California, Common Cause joined coalition partners to pass measures calling for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution stating that corporations are not people. In Boulder, Colorado, a ballot measure passed with 74 percent of the vote. In Los Angeles, the city council passed a similar resolution.

Common Cause fought back efforts to restrict voting access in 2012. In North Carolina, Common Cause beats back attempts to eliminate same-day voter registration, Sunday voting, and reduce the length of early voting. We also convinced the governor to veto a voter ID bill passed earlier in the year by the legislature. In the wake of an intensive misinformation campaign in New Mexico, Common Cause organized a high-profile media campaign to challenge unsubstantiated claims by the secretary of state that undocumented immigrants were voting in state elections.

A proposed bill in Hawaii would have allowed legislators to accept gifts up to $200 each, under circumstances where it might be reasonably inferred that the gift is intended to influence. Common Cause successfully blocked this bill, which also included other major loopholes in ethics laws that would have allowed legislators and state employees to accept lavish gifts from special interests.

Seeking to increase participation and engage new audiences, Common Cause expanded outreach efforts to target younger generations whose voices are integral to national debates. As a sponsor of Power Shift, the nation's largest grassroots training weekend, Common Cause engaged nearly 10,000 activists on issues like the connections between environmental policy and the corrupting influence of money in politics. Common Cause brought its message through educational workshops, group and individual engagement, and in a direct action at the Washington, D.C. headquarters of BP, where details about climate change and corporate political spending created a powerful platform for protest. Common Cause is committed to reaching out to younger people across the country, and through the support of individual donors, we hired our first national youth outreach coordinator.

THANK YOU

We couldn't have done it without you -- members and activists who inspire us every day with your passion for holding power accountable. We're grateful for your support. Please help us achieve even more in 2012 by making a special year-end contribution today.

Common Cause is a national nonpartisan organization with chapters in 35 states. Our mailing address is 1133 19th Street NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20036. Our phone number is (202) 833-1200.

Remove yourself from this mailing.

Democracy Is For People

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 21:11:36 PST

Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its perverse ruling in Citizens United v. FEC. Because of that decision, political spending by corporations like BP, Goldman Sachs, Monsanto and Halliburton is legally the same thing as speech by living, breathing people like you and me.

Corporations are not people. Democracy is for people.

Add your name to the petition for a constitutional amendment to overturn the ruling to prevent a corporate takeover of our democracy.

Go to www.DemocracyIsForPeople.org.

Public Citizen Is Doing Good Work on Our Behalf

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:36:35 PST

Public Citizen is keeping an eye on Washington -- and beyond -- for us.
Sign up to receive their activist newsletter, Citizen Direct, and their regular action updates:
http://action.citizen.org/signUp.jsp. You'll find out how we can take back our democracy.

Fwd: Local Business Alert: District officials woo Microsoft for St. Elizabeths east campus

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:34:10 PST

Sounds hilarious.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "The Washington Post" <newsletters@email.washingtonpost.com>
Date: Dec 13, 2011 1:54 PM
Subject: Local Business Alert: District officials woo Microsoft for St. Elizabeths east campus
To: <washingtonpost@hourback.info>

Tuesday, December 13, 2011 1:53:33 PM

LOCAL BUSINESS ALERT

District officials woo Microsoft for St. Elizabeths east campus

District Mayor Vincent Gray's top economic development priority is to redevelop the east campus of St Elizabeths hospital and he is trying to convince tech giant Microsoft to join the effort.

Gray's economic development team wants Microsoft to commit to opening an "innovation hub" in Southeast D.C. on the 170-acre city-owned property across the street from where the U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to consolidate its headquarters in the Congress Heights neighborhood.

Read more at:
http://wapo.st/szkMhA

Or visit PostBusiness.com or Capital Business.



SEND TO A FRIEND	UNSUBSCRIBE	E-MAIL CENTER	GET HELP

Washington Post Digital E-mail Customer Care 1150 15th Street NW Washington, D.C. 20071		©2011 The Washington Post Privacy Policy

Google being evil?

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:45:36 PST

Hi,

Right now we have a huge opportunity to deal a serious blow to one of
Washington's most powerful lobbies, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. At
Google headquarters, employees are intensely debating whether Google
should quit the Chamber in the next few weeks. Google quitting would be a
huge blow to the Chamber's credibility.

I signed a petition to Google employees to ask them to stand up for us and
our democracy by quitting the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Will you join me?

http://civic.moveon.org/googlechamber1/?r_by=33547-19148747-xF_2Wxx&rc=googlechamber1_letter.email.g0

Thanks!

Fwd: Prevent a Traffic Nightmare - Save Transit Benefits

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:37:07 PST

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, Dec 2, 2011 at 09:00
Subject: Prevent a Traffic Nightmare - Save Transit Benefits

View this Message Online

Dear Ali ,

One year ago we asked you to take action to prevent federal transit benefits from being cut in half -- and we won! Now these benefits -- which defray the daily commute expenses of tens of thousands of area commuters -- are on the chopping block yet again.

Instead of a $230 per month pre-tax benefit for your transit costs, you will be eligible for just $120 per month. Those who drive and park would continue to receive a full $230 -- and might even receive $240. Talk about a recipe for even more traffic! If we are to have these pre-tax benefits at all, then there should at least be a fair and level playing field.

Please email your congressional representatives today, and let them know how important federal transit benefits are to you and our entire region.

If the benefit is allowed to expire, you could be paying a whole lot more out-of-pocket for transit starting in January. Even if you don't use transit, your commute would be affected by thousands who could decide to return to driving each day. Slashing transit benefits would cost us more in the long run as a region and as a country.

Using transit saves you money on commuting costs compared to car ownership at a time when transportation is the second largest expense for many households.
The transit benefit is a cost-effective way to increase transit use and decrease traffic. Since we don't have billions of dollars for new transportation projects, we can at least ensure that we set the right incentives to reduce traffic and congestion.
Our region's ability to compete depends on transit. Adding more traffic to our roads would mean lost worker productivity and would harm our economy.

Again, please take a moment to email your representatives to help save these important commuter benefits.

As always, thanks for your dedication and passion for smart investments that enhance the livability of our region. Have a wonderful and safe holiday season.

Sincerely,

Laura DeSantis
action@smartergrowth.net
Coalition For Smarter Growth

Received this from a friend? Sign up to receive alerts and news from CSG.

Fwd: News Alert: Justice Dept. moves to block AT&T, T-Mobile merger

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 08:31:40 PDT

Holy F'n'S!!!!!! The system sort of barely works sometimes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: The Washington Post <newsletters@email.washingtonpost.com>
Date: Wed, Aug 31, 2011 at 11:22
Subject: News Alert: Justice Dept. moves to block AT&T, T-Mobile merger

----------------------------------------
News Alert: Justice Dept. moves to block AT&T, T-Mobile merger
August 31, 2011 11:21:27 AM
----------------------------------------

The U.S. Department of Justice sued to block AT&T's proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA, saying the deal would "substantially lessen competition" in the wireless market. The complaint was filed today in federal court in Washington.

http://link.email.washingtonpost.com/r/RRHKUP/OJT7FD/QFRUR5/DGVEIT/212MK/9A/h

For more information, visit washingtonpost.com

Fwd: Cheney Makes Me Sick

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 12:13:05 PDT

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: The Progressive Magazine <noreply@progressive.org>
Date: Thu, Aug 25, 2011 at 14:40
Subject: Cheney Makes Me Sick

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may see it online.

Fix the idiotic tax system in the United States

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 10:19:00 PDT

Hi,

Warren Buffett has as simple message for Congress: Stop coddling
the super-rich. I'm standing with Warren for higher taxes on the rich.

If we get 200,000 people to stand with Warren, MoveOn will deliver
Buffett's op-ed, along with all the signatures, to Congress. Will join me
and Warren?

http://civic.moveon.org/standwithwarren/?r_by=29985-4264168-fe2pnQx&rc=standwithwarren_letter.email.g0

Thanks!

Help make sure the "Super Congress" is open and accountable

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 10:18:10 PDT

Hey there!

Did you know that Congress just pushed through the "Debt Ceiling" bill with almost no transparency? Let's make sure the new "Super Congress" committee created by this bill operates in the open. I just signed up to fight for transparency -- will you join me?

http://sunlightfoundation.com/opensupercongress/

Here's more info: The Debt Ceiling bill recently signed into law creates a congressional committee (nicknamed the "Super Congress") that will decide a precise debt reduction package Congress will likely vote on in December. Even as this power is given to 12 members of Congress, the new law says very little about how open it should be. Only the first meeting, the ultimate report and the vote on the final product are required to be public.

As the "Super Congress" decides where the $1.5 trillion dollar axe will fall or how new revenues will be raised, you can bet that a carnival of fundraising and lobbying will accompany the Committee's negotiations. If this Committee isn't transparent about its work and the influence and special interests that are at play behind the scenes, it'll be a failure of public policy, and yet another black eye on Congress.

Thanks!

Fwd: Vegucated, free DVD, veg dining, and bovine friends

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 11:39:54 PDT

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Compassion Over Killing <info@cok.net>
Date: Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 16:22
Subject: Vegucated, free DVD, veg dining, and bovine friends

The E-Newsletter of Compassion Over Killing

July 21, 2011

Vegucated: Interview and Sneak Preview

Marisa Miller Wolfson is the co-founder of the non-profit organization Kind Green Planet—and she's also the director of a new inspirational and entertaining documentary: Vegucated. We talked with her about this film, which follows three meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks, and we're also teaming up with Marisa to host a sneak preview screening at the National Animal Rights Conference in Los Angeles.

Get more details. »

Special Offer: Donate Now & Get Dr. Greger's New Nutrition DVD for Free!

Volume 5 is here! The renowned Michael Greger, M.D., Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at The Humane Society of the United States, shares his expertise and insights about the healthiest food choices in this entertaining and informative DVD, "The Latest in Clinical Nutrition." And we're giving them away for free, along with an adorable COK keychain—all you have to do is donate $15 or more today!

In the News: Fish Use Tools, Cows Have Friends

While animals killed for food may look different from cats and dogs, when we take time to better understand them, we start to notice striking similarities and complexities we may otherwise dismiss. Two recent news stories, however,—one exploring the intelligence of fish who were documented using tools and the other examining the strong bond of bovine friendship—encourage us to re-think exactly what, and whom, we're eating.

New: Summer 2011 DC Veg Dining Guide

As the nation's capital, Washington D.C. may have a reputation for being a city filled with political figureheads, federal monuments, and way too many tourists snapping family photos in front of the White House. But once you get past the politics and historical landmarks, all you need is our new Summer/Fall 2011 Vegetarian Guide to Washington DC and Surrounding Areas to see that the nation's capital is a veritable vegetarian haven.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Thurs., July 21: National Animal Rights Conference 2011 in Los Angeles, CA

Thurs., July 21: Vegucated Sneak Preview Screening in Los Angeles, CA

Sun., July 24: COK Benefit Day at Great Sage in Clarksville, MD

Tues., July 26: Vegan Feed-In at the Nationals Game in Washington, DC

Wed., July 27: Presentation by Nick Cooney (Change of Heart) in Los Angeles, CA

Thurs., July 28: Leafleting at the Redondo Beach Farmer's Market in Los Angeles, CA

Fri., July 29: Leafleting at Sounds on the Square in Baltimore, MD

Sun., Aug. 14: Vegan Ice Cream Giveaway at Oriole's Park in Baltimore, MD

Sat., Aug. 27: Summer Soiree under the Stars in Los Angeles, CA

Thurs., Sept. 1: Bring-a-Friend Vegan BBQ in Los Angeles, CA

Full calendar »

CONNECT TO COK

Working to end animal abuse since 1995. P.O. Box 9773, Washington, DC 20016 ⋅ 301-891-2458 ⋅ info@cok.net

a tale of two videos: one by activists, one by corporate shills

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:17:58 PDT

a tale of two videos: one by activists, one by corporate shills

Please read this, savages. It's not entirely about how you support animal cruelty, but that does have something to do with it.

Fwd: Important rally in D.C. on Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 09:01:01 PDT

They all should really be deported, or thrown in prison, or stripped naked and humiliated -- something somewhat comparable to the great harm they do to the citizenry of the United States.

And citizenry? Way to vote. Good job. You're really doing a good job voting.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Daniel Mintz, MoveOn.org Civic Action <moveon-help@list.moveon.org>
Date: Tue, Jul 26, 2011 at 16:49
Subject: Important rally in D.C. on Thursday

Join MoveOn and American Dream movement allies at noon Thursday on the east side of the Capitol steps to defend the American Dream!

Dear MoveOn member,

It's outrageous—Republicans are willing to put our entire economy at risk over raising the debt-ceiling just so millionaires, billionaires, and oil companies get to keep their tax breaks.¹ And the vote on House Speaker John Boehner's disastrous deal is just two days away.²

We need to send a strong, clear message to Congress: Don't destroy the American Dream.

That's why we're rallying with our American Dream movement allies on the Capitol steps this Thursday at noon—to keep the pressure on Republicans and tell Democrats to stand strong against the GOP's call for cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.

Republicans are holding our economy hostage, but we have the power to rise up and stop this terrible deal. After President Obama's message to the American people last night, so many people flooded Congress demanding that millionaires and corporations pay their fair share that we crashed the House's servers.³

Thursday, we're taking that pressure directly to Congress with an American Dream movement rally in D.C. to deliver this critical message: "Don't destroy the American Dream."

Join us Thursday at noon on the East side of the Capitol steps, and help build the movement to defend the American Dream.

Thanks for all you do.

–Daniel, Elena, Lenore, Adam Q., and the rest of the team

SOURCES:

1. "Obama criticizes Boehner for walking away from talks," NBC News, July 22, 2011  
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=261829&id=29233-4264168-9gz%3DKBx&t=5

2. "Reid Offers Rival Debt Plan," Bloomberg, July 25, 2011  
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=261842&id=29233-4264168-9gz%3DKBx&t=6

3. "Congressional sites crash after Obama's speech" Politico, July 25, 2011
 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=261861&id=29233-4264168-9gz%3DKBx&t=7

Fwd: Act Now to Save Funding for Safe Biking, Walking, and School (trusted: waba.org) Accessibility

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:20:28 PDT

This is disgusting. It is very disheartening when something you see as painfully obviously and severely overdue is completely ignored or even worsened enthusiastically by those with the power to change things. Very, very disheartening. Fine. Go drive, idiots.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: WABA - WABA@WABA.ORG <+waba+concrete_head+05c581e9b0.WABA#WABA.ORG@spamgourmet.com>
Date: Mon, Jul 11, 2011 at 11:00
Subject: Act Now to Save Funding for Safe Biking, Walking, and School (trusted: waba.org) Accessibility

Can't see the images? View this email as a webpage!

WABA Action Alert

Since 2006 the Washington Area Bicyclist Association has educated over 26,000 children in the District of Columbia in safe bicycling and pedestrian habits. In the Washington DC region, we are nearing our 100,000th student reached via our mobile bike rodeo trailers, in-service training sessions for teachers, hands on bike lessons, in class pedestrian and bicycle safety lessons, helmet giveaways, and more.
All of this has been made possible through the federal Safe Routes to School program, which Rep. John Mica's transportation plan eviscerates--along with other key funding mechanisms for bike-friendly projects. Contact your federal representative(s) today asking them to stand up for bike and pedestrian funding.
In the last transportation bill the federal government made it a priority to encourage children to get active every day by walking or bicycling to school. They set up the Safe Routes to School program to provide encouragement, education and infrastructure improvements to eliminate many concerns parents have about walking to school. In addition to the education component exemplified by WABA's efforts, this money pays for in-depth traffic studies around schools, the repair or installation of sidewalks, flashing traffic beacons, traffic calming around schools, raised crosswalks, pedestrian safety signs as well as hundreds of other measures all geared at making it safer and easier for children to walk or bicycle to school, like they used to decades ago.
Unfortunately, a new draft of the federal transportation bill released Thursday by Representative John Mica, Chair of the House Transportation Committee, cuts funding by 30% for all our nation's transportation needs, and it lands a knock-out punch on the Safe Routes to School program by eliminating it entirely. All bike and pedestrian projects are essentially shut down thanks to this draft's focus on auto-centric road projects and a mere suggestion, not a minimum baseline, that transportation dollars be spent on bike and pedestrian projects as set in the previous transportation bill.
So now, in one fell swoop, Safe Routes to School, a successful, popular program, is out and car-centric policies are back.
If you care about safe biking and walking, call or email your representatives in Congress today. And if you live in Maryland or Virginia, call an extra time on behalf of the many District-based WABA members and cyclists who have no voting representative to call.

CLICK HERE TO SEND A DIRECT EMAIL TO YOUR FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVES.

Fwd: Our democracy isn't working

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 20:20:37 PDT

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Justin Ruben, MoveOn.org Civic Action <moveon-help@list.moveon.org>
Date: Fri, Jul 8, 2011 at 13:41
Subject: Our democracy isn't working

We're putting our heads together to choose the best ideas for a plan to create an economy that works for ALL of us—a new "Contract for the American Dream." Today we need as many of us as possible to rate ideas that will help us build a working democracy. Click here to get started:

Rate Ideas

Dear MoveOn member,

66% of Americans think we should cut the deficit by raising taxes on the rich.¹ Less than 4% think we should start by cutting Social Security and Medicare.²

In a working democracy, these would be settled questions. And yet, yesterday, reports broke that President Obama offered up cuts to Social Security and other vital programs as part of a deal on the deficit. All while Republicans refuse to even consider raising taxes on the rich.

It's clear that we'll never make the economy work for regular folks until our democracy does too—until we take the power to make decisions away from corporate lobbyists and the super-rich and put it back in the hands of the the people.

So today, as part of our Contract for the American Dream, we're looking for ideas that will help us build a working democracy. To prime the pump, we made a great, funny video about one of the most important tools regular folks have used over the years to make their voices heard: unions.

Check out the video, then help identify the best ideas for making our democracy work for all of us.

Watch the video and rate ideas!
Corporations and the super-rich are doing everything they can to silence and overwhelm our voices in the workplace, in our communities, and at the ballot box. They're spending huge sums of money to buy elections and hire lobbyists, pushing anti-immigrant legislation in the states, making it harder for minorities to vote, and trying to block the rights of workers and unions to organize nationwide.

Together it all adds up to a broad attack on our right to have our voices heard and ultimately have control over our economy and our democracy.

All week we've been looking for the best ideas to include in the new Contract for the American Dream—ideas for fixing our economy and uniting our movement. The response has been amazing and so far we've collected more than 13,000 ideas for creating good jobs and making sure we all pay our share. Together, we've rated those ideas more than 3 million times!

Today it's time to focus on solutions that will make sure that we, the people, call the shots in the economy—and that no one gets left out.

Can you add your ideas, and then help find the very best ones by rating a few ideas from others?

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=210937&id=28686-4264168-3lvbJEx&t=4

Thanks for all you do.

–Justin, Tate, Robin, Elena, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "More Blame Wars than Domestic Spending or Tax Cuts for Nation's Debt," Pew Research Center, June 7, 2011.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=210934&id=28686-4264168-3lvbJEx&t=5

2. "Poll: To Reduce Deficit, Most Americans say Tax the Rich More," cbsnews.com, January 3, 2011.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=210872&id=28686-4264168-3lvbJEx&t=6

Fwd: Kathy Kelly on the Flotilla, Crazy Veto by Walker

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 19:49:09 PDT

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: The Progressive Magazine <noreply@progressive.org>
Date: Fri, Jul 8, 2011 at 14:30
Subject: Kathy Kelly on the Flotilla, Crazy Veto by Walker

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may see it online .

Join me in getting better food ads for kids

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:33:04 PDT

Join me in telling the Federal Trade Commission and other federal agencies to implement principles that provide commonsense marketing guidelines for food and beverage companies to follow when advertising to our nation's kids. http://bit.ly/lAoUkj

Fwd: DC VegFest, Pita Pit success, summer conferences, and more

noreply@blogger.com (Ali Nabavi) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 09:42:44 PDT

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Compassion Over Killing <info@cok.net>
Date: Thu, Jun 23, 2011 at 13:37
Subject: DC VegFest, Pita Pit success, summer conferences, and more

The E-Newsletter of Compassion Over Killing

June 23, 2011

Save the Date: the DC VegFest is on Sept. 24!

After a tremendously successful 2010 DC VegFest, COK is once again teaming up with the Vegetarian Society of D.C. to host the 2011 DC VegFest! This free outdoor festival highlights the many benefits of leaving animals off our plates and shows just how easy it is to find delicious vegetarian cuisine in the nation's capital. In addition to offering dozens of educational booths, veg-friendly shops, and food vendors, DC VegFest features several special guests, including Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Wayne Pacelle, Colleen Patrick Goudreau, and Jonathan Balcombe. Stay tuned for more updates!

Visit DCVegFest.com for more details »

Nation's Restaurant News Touts Meat-Free Dining

This week's issue of Nation's Restaurant News, considered one of the leading foodservice industry trade publications, features a ground-breaking cover story—"Meatless Menus"—highlighting the increasing popularity and growing success of vegetarian and veg-friendly eateries across the U.S. As author Lisa Jennings explains, a growing number of restaurants and food service providers are "convinced there is a broad audience ready to embrace plant-based dining."

One Month Later: Pita Pit's New Vegan Patty is a Success!

Last month we announced that after working with Compassion Over Killing, Pita Pit, a national quick-service sandwich chain with more than 100 locations, started offering a new vegan black bean patty on all of its menus. We've got even more good news to share: in just four short weeks since the launch of this vegan patty, the company considers it a "huge success." As part of its marketing campaign, several Pita Pit promotional posters boldly declare: "Don't substitute meat. Surpass it. Introducing the spicy black bean pita—a healthy way to get your protein."

Join COK at these Summer Conferences

There are several wonderful opportunities this summer to network with animal advocates from coast to coast! Be sure to register for one or more of these upcoming conferences, where you'll have a chance to hear from dozens of dynamic speakers, including COK's Erica Meier:

Anti-Fur Conference in Washington, DC, June 25-26
Taking Action for Animals in Washington, DC, July 15-18
Animal Rights 2011 in Los Angeles, CA, July 21-25

UPCOMING EVENTS

Thurs., June 23: Leafleting at the Carson Farmer's Market in Los Angeles, CA

Fri., June 24: COK Benefit at Telegraph Station in Alexandria, VA

Sat., June 25: COK speaking at Anti-Fur Society Conference in Alexandria, VA

Wed., June 29: Leafleting at the Gardena Farmer's Market in Los Angeles, CA

Sat., July 2: COK tabling at the Colorado VegFest in Golden, CO

Sat., July 2: Leafleting at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, DC

Thurs., July 7: COK Benefit at Vegetable Garden in Rockville, MD

Thurs., July 7: Leafleting at the El Segundo Farmer's Market in Los Angeles, CA

Tues., July 12: Leafleting at the Torrance Farmer's Market in Los Angeles, CA

Thurs., July 14: Leafleting and Dinner at Sticky Fingers in Washington, DC

Fri., July 15: COK speaking & tabling at Taking Action for Animals in Washington, DC

Thurs., July 21: COK speaking & tabling at Animal Rights 2011 in Los Angeles, CA

Full calendar »

CONNECT TO COK

Working to end animal abuse since 1995. P.O. Box 9773, Washington, DC 20016 ⋅ 301-891-2458 ⋅ info@cok.net