Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving, Hard News, Great News too.

First, before any political stuff, I wish each of you a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving!  May you each have what you need and at least a bit of what you want.



WalkFree.org
***Campaign update: We have just found out that Publix’ server is BLOCKING delivery
of 347,551 Walk Free activists’ emails asking them to sign the Fair Food Agreement
to help end modern slavery in the U.S. tomato industry.
To ensure all messages are received, we are planning an in-person delivery tomorrow
to the company's Florida headquarters.
Will you help us reach 400,000 signatures and get the message through to Publix?

Florida’s tomato farms supply 50% of all U.S. fresh tomatoes
1
 but have also been called America’s ‘ground zero for slavery’.
 Countless workers have been found held against their will, threatened with violence
and forced to haul hundreds of heavy tomato buckets a day for little to no pay.
A new solution called the Fair Food Program has proven successful in the fight against
modern slavery in Florida’s tomato fields. But major U.S. supermarket chain,
Publix Super Markets
, is refusing to support the Program
. Publix continues to buy tomatoes from growers that are not partners of the Fair
Food Program and where workers still toil beyond the reach of its proven protection
from modern slavery.
Tell Publix Super Markets' CEO William Crenshaw to join the fight against slavery in the U.S. tomato industry.
After decades of abuse, Florida’s farmworkers finally have a chance in the fight
against exploitation with the Fair Food Program,
demanding a policy of zero tolerance for human rights abuses, including slavery,
on tomato farms.
The White House recently called the exciting new initiative "one of the most successful
and innovative programs" in the world today in the fight to uncover – and prevent
-- modern slavery, and United Nations investigators have called it “impressive” and
praised its “independent and robust enforcement mechanism."
Leading brands including Subway, Whole Foods Market, McDonald’s and Trader Joe’s
have already joined the fight against forced labour
 and now only buy tomatoes from growers who comply with the following Fair Food Principles:
A code of conduct for tomato growers;
Complaint mechanisms for farmworkers;
Education sessions to help workers understand their rights; and
Regular auditing of farm operations.
It’s been four long years of public pressure but Publix, one of the largest purchasers
of local tomatoes, still refuses to take responsibility for its supply chain.
ea-campaign/broadcast.response.do?ea.url.id=183505&ea.campaigner.email=WEA8kEBa8YiD33%2B75rquq9rfETNni0nM&ea_broadcast_target_id=0
ea-campaign/broadcast.response.do?ea.url.id=183504&ea.campaigner.email=WEA8kEBa8YiD33%2B75rquq9rfETNni0nM&ea_broadcast_target_id=0
Tell Publix to make the right decision to join the Fair Food Program and ensure our tomatoes meet the highest human rights standards in the food industry today.
Will Publix Super Markets, which prides itself on making Fortune’s “Best Companies
to Work For” list, continue to give excuses, or will it leverage its vast market
influence and lead the way in cleaning up slavery in the tomato supply chain once
and for all?
We think Publix will make the right choice, but it won’t happen without broad public
support.
Please forward this email on to your friends and family
, urging them to join the fight that is ending slavery in the U.S. tomato industry.
Thank you for your support,
Debra, Kate, Ryan, Mich, Olly, Jess, Kamini, Sarah and the Walk Free team.
1
http://www.floridatomatoes.org/Tomato-101.aspx
Walk Free is a movement of people everywhere, fighting to end one of the world's
greatest evils: Modern slavery.
Follow on Twitter
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View this email in your browser

© 2013 WalkFree.org | All rights reserved |


Together, We Did Make a Difference, at least in One Life

Thank you for taking the time to support my daughter, Sarah Murnaghan. More than
373,000 people, including you, took action to help my daughter receive a lung transplant,
which she received a few months ago.
She is continuing to get stronger every day, with great progress since we have gotten
home. She no longer is on oxygen support and sprints off of the ventilator every
day with her lungs and muscles doing all of the work.
The big part of rehabilitation now is building back the muscles, which takes time.
She does physical therapy every day and is now walking with a walker to support as
needed. She loves to take walks in the neighborhood after dinner with the family
and is so proud of her progress.
She is also back in school at home, with teachers coming in house four days a week.
Her classmates and friends have been visiting and she is excited to going back to
school, which will be next year.
Thank you again for the support as Sarah would not be with us today without what
everyone did with us to make a change.
To read more on the difference we all made, please reference the recent New England
Journal of Medicine article about Sarah.
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1307792
Many have also asked if they can donate, which can be done here:
http://www.gofundme.com/Sarah-Murnaghan
Gratefully,
Janet, Fran, Sarah, Ella, Sean and Finn Murnaghan
This message was sent by Family and Friends of Sarah Murnaghan using the Change.org
system.: Change Policy to Allow Pediatric
 Change.org does not endorse
contents of this message.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Why I Support SumOfUs Instead of Politics

I vote and if there is a Specific candidate I want elected I might donate a few of my dollars to That Candidate.  But in general I think politics is a bust, bought and paid for.  Of course there are exceptions. But for me the point is they Are Exceptions.


Push Pepsi

Great news!
 After more than 100,000 SumOfUs members demanded that Coca-Cola stop its suppliers
from driving rural communities off their ancestral land to plant sugar,
 Coke is announcing a new zero-tolerance policy for land grabs.
But there’s one big problem -- Pepsi is refusing to do the same.
Coke and Pepsi are locked in a cut-throat, never-ending public relations battle,
so we know that each is extremely vulnerable to being compared unfavorably to its
rival.
Pepsi will be furious if it sees this story spreading across social media
, and our partners at Oxfam will have a better chance of getting them to come around.
Can you share this image so your friends know what Pepsi’s doing? Make sure to tag the company by adding @Pepsi in your comment so Pepsi sees too!
Pepsi: Rise to the challenge!
From now on, Coke will be policing its supply chain to ensure that sugar growers
and other suppliers are respecting small farmers’ land rights. This won’t solve the
problem of land grabs overnight --
 but it does mean that producers who might once have used fraud or armed gangs to
force rural and indigenous people from their land will have to think twice about
doing it again
. Now they know that if they do, they’ll risk losing their business with Coke, the
world’s largest buyer of sugar.
We know we can get under Pepsi’s skin
. After all, it was just last year that we managed to convince the company to speak
out against Uganda’s “kill the gays” laws by challenging it in a major beverage industry
trade publication. The SumOfUs community has already done amazing work to fight back
against land grabs -- and the stakes of this campaign couldn't be higher for rural
communites around the world.
Thanks for all you do,
Rob, Paul, and the team at SumOfUs.org
 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 support our work by
donating here.
Was this email forwarded to you?
Click here
 to add yourself to SumOfUs.


Why I Believe in SumOfUs Instead of Politics

SumOfUs is now 2 million members strong.
 We couldn't have got this far without you.
We have a small team and operate on a shoestring but look at what we've achieved
together in 2013.
Can you help us to keep winning in 2014 by chipping in just $10 a month?
Donate now

Telecom corporations like AT&T or Vodafone can secretly tack on an administrative
fee
 on its customers' monthly bill and reap hundreds of millions a month to lobby and
scheme.
Global retailers like
Walmart can squeeze its workers’ pay so low that stores have to have donation buckets
 where customers can donate canned food to for employees’ meals.
Financial institutions like Bank of America can, with the stroke of a pen, illegally
foreclose on the houses of millions of Americans who it drove into debt with its
reckless greed.
That’s where the corporations that the SumOfUs community is taking on get their money.
So where do we get our support?
You.
The only way this movement to fight corporate power works is if every single SumOfUs
member chips in every way that we can.
 We sign petitions. We go to rallies. We make phone calls. And together, since SumOfUs
doesn’t take any cash from corporations or governments, we chip in what we can to
help cover the costs of our campaigns.
Can you chip in just $10 a month – or whatever you can afford – and become a SumOfUs Sustainer? If just 2000 of us join as Sustainers, we’ll be able to tackle dozens more corporations around the world in 2014.
SumOfUs is turning two years old next week. Together,
we’ve built a community of consumers, shareholders, workers, and citizens around
the world, coming together to fight back against corporate power.
 And here’s the thing – together, we own these corporations. Together, we’ve already
recruited over 2 million people in just two years – and we’re growing exponentially.
But we’re up against corporations with literally hundreds of billions of dollars.
Together, the two million of us are taking on the big boys – Walmart, Monsanto, Exxon
– you name it.
We’re doing it on a shoestring budget – but we’re winning
. Last month, with just a few thousand dollars, we mobilized 300,000 people to demand
that Coca-cola to fight for gay rights in Russia. Our Canadian community pitched
in tens of thousands of dollars and helped kill a treaty with China that would have
given Chinese corporations control over the climate-destroying tar sands for decades.
With the support of only one full-time campaigner, our community has helped get more
than 90 companies around the world to sign the Bangladesh Safety Accord.
Unlike the corporations we’re fighting, we don’t raise money through trickery or
exploitation. Together,
SumOfUs members like you and me chip in and we fight strategically.
 And here’s the thing: We have to be in it for the long haul. Chevron isn’t going
away tomorrow. Bank of America knows it has the money to fight back against us for
years.
SumOfUs will be vastly stronger if we come together and commit to building the backbone
of a movement for the years ahead.
Can you chip in now and become a SumOfUs Sustainer – and help us expand our work into new countries like Germany and Brazil – where key multinational corporations are headquartered?
And just remember:
SumOfUs can't pollute to get extra money.
SumOfUs can't outsource its way out of paying its bills.
SumOfUs relies on YOU, above all.
Thanks for everything that you do,
Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman
Founder, SumOfUs.org
 SumOfUs is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations
accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.
Please help keep SumOfUs strong by chipping in $3.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Pick One, ANY One

Sometimes I get Very Sick of receiving messages like these, below.  I get tired of being told what to do, how I should think, (believe it or not, I DO erase some of this stuff Without passing it on, especially when some organization calls for the firing of an individual for saying something I violently Disagree with.) Everyone, including me, has to stand up to opinions which make us sick, it's part of living in a Republic.  When someone takes unfair Action against another or advocates violence, that's a different matter.  But where would those of us belonging to minority religions or no religion be if speech which revolted others were muzzled even more than it is?  Where would people with differing sexual orientations be, so we have to insist on our right to speak and let comments not advocating violence which make us sick pass by also. 

 I Really get tired of being told I should feel surprise and shock when I think it's just business as usual, sadly.  Did I know our "justice system is unequal and that None of the CEO's running big banks responsible for the country's financial melt-down went to prison?  Well, Yah.  I Did know that.  Republican And Democratic Presidents cut deals and so do Congressmen and Senators.  Do I think it's right?  Of course not.  But after a while these damned emails all begin to sound the same!

Rant over.  I still care about my country and Our Planet.  So try to pick One of the below you can care about, please.  It's been a crazy week and I know some of these are late reaching you.

Tell lawmakers to support pregnant workers
site/R?i=hXcZISHoiyn4spA2JJKBTA

Want to know the outrageous reason why these women were fired? Display all images.
Take action now and tell your lawmakers — We need the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
Thanks for keeping it personal,
Thao Nguyen
Campaign Director
This Is Personal

Privacy Policy
All content © 2013 National Women's Law Center
11 Dupont Circle NW, #800
Washington, DC 20036


Right-wing groups are trying to block an amazing, pro-woman lawyer from becoming
a judge on an important court.
Tell the Senate: confirm Nina Pillard!
click here
Click Here

This week is our last chance to get a pro-woman, pro-choice judge confirmed to one
of the most important and influential courts in the country.
President Obama nominated a superhero--Nina Pillard--to be a judge on the DC Circuit
Court. No really,
she truly is a superhero, with a history of fighting injustices against women--and
winning.
 She argued before the Supreme Court nine times, including upholding the Family and
Medical Leave Act and ending the Virginia Military Institute’s exclusion of women.
She’s been a lawyer for the Justice Department, ACLU, and NAACP.
1
But right-wing groups like the Family Research Council are raising a ruckus, trying
to get the Senate to block Pillard's nomination because they don't like her positions
on abortion and abstinence-only sex ed.
2
If their voices are the only ones senators hear, Pillard might not become a judge.
Senator Harry Reid is expected to call for a vote on Pillard’s nomination as early
as Tuesday and some moderate Republican senators are on the fence about how they'll
vote.
3
 We have to show our support right away if we want her to be confirmed.
Will you sign the petition asking the Senate to confirm Nina Pillard and put a great
judge on an important court bench?
Sign the petition.
In the fight for women’s rights, judges have a HUGE influence. Most recently, 3 female
judges appointed by George W. Bush reinstated Texas’s sweeping abortion ban that’s
closing clinics across the state.
4
Judges who are more concerned with pushing an ideological agenda than good law are
hurting women.
But it’s not just Texans who have to worry. Another George W. Bush-appointed judge
on the DC Circuit Court--the very court Pillard is nominated for--authored an opinion
saying religious employers can ignore federal birth control coverage rules. The judge
has also called the New Deal a “socialist revolution” and likened Social Security
to intergenerational cannibalism.
5
Pillard’s nomination won’t just bring balance to the DC Circuit Court, it’s also
critical for the court to function. There are currently 3 vacancies on the court
which only has 11 seats.
6
 The DC Circuit hears cases on federal regulations--everything from environmental
rules to labor policy. That’s why
the DC Circuit Court is considered second in power only to the Supreme Court.
 Four of the current nine Supreme Court justices served on the DC Circuit Court.
7
We can’t let ultra-conservative voices like the Family Research Council be the only
ones senators hear from about Nina Pillard. It’s critical that we get such an amazing
pro-woman, pro-choice superhero appointed as a judge if we want women’s rights to
keep progressing.
Will you sign the petition asking the Senate to stop the filibuster and confirm Pillard?
Add your name.
Thanks for all you do.
--Nita, Shaunna, Kat, Karin, Malinda, Adam, and Gabriela, the UltraViolet team
Sources:
1.
Nina Pillard Nomination for D.C. Circuit Advances
, Legal Times, September 19, 2013
Cry of the Republican Male Senator
, Slate, July 25, 2013
2.
Scary Feminist Nominated for Federal Judgeship; Conservatives Flip Out
, Jezebel, July 24, 2013
3.
Can You Be Openly Pro-Choice And A Federal Judge? We’ll Find Out Next Week
, Think Progress, November 7, 2013
4.
BREAKING: Three Bush-Appointed Judges Reinstate Texas’ Anti-Abortion Law
, Think Progress, October 31, 2013
5.
What You Need To Know About The Severely Conservative Judge Who Just Ruled Against Birth Control
, Think Progress, November 1, 2013
6.
Republicans Push Back On Obama's D.C. Court Nominees
, NPR, September 19, 2013
7. Ibid.

Personal Note:  I just read an interesting book called:  "Oil and Honey: the Education of an Unlikely Activist" by Bill McKiban.  You will need to double check the spelling of his last name, as I cannot.  Check out his "Do The Math" section and find that the fosil fuel companies already have a Surplus of coal, oil, and natural gas for years.  That makes this next issue more pressing for me.  Also, Arkansas, generally an Extremely conservative state, has banned the extraction of natural gas via the technique known as "fracking" because it caused earthquakes.  Some of us in the Mo. Zarks felt them.

Dear Teresa,
In case you missed my last message, we urgently need you to
tell President Obama
 to impose a fracking moratorium on our public lands, which are under assault by
Big Oil & Gas. Please
make your voice heard
 at the White House right away -- and help save our last wild places from destruction.
Frances Beinecke
NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council)
Dear Teresa,
President Obama promised to protect us from the ravages of fracking.
fracking flame
But his Administration is stepping aside as the oil and gas industry targets our
public lands and clean drinking water supplies.
Tell President Obama
 to impose a fracking moratorium on
all
 federal lands!
Take action
The fracking boom has already taken a devastating toll on communities across America,
leaving toxic pollution and plummeting property values in its wake.
Now, the oil and gas industry has set its sights on our national forests, wildlife
refuges -- even lands within view of national parks.
Instead of protecting our natural heritage and its clean water supplies, the Obama
Administration is preparing to step aside and let fracking run roughshod over them.
Tell President Obama
 to rein in Big Oil & Gas by imposing a fracking moratorium on
all federal lands
 -- one that will last until he keeps his promise to protect us from the excesses
of the oil and gas industry.
Here’s what’s at stake:
 wild places from Virginia to California ... clean drinking water for millions of
Americans ... and backyards across the country where the government controls the
oil and gas rights beneath
private
 property.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) -- charged with safeguarding our public lands
from the worst abuses of fracking -- has just proposed a shocking set of rules that
reads like an industry wish list.
Those rules would not stop energy companies from fracking next to national parks,
 inside national forests, and across millions more acres of treasured lands. Nor
would they stop the frackers from drilling alongside drinking water supplies on public
lands.
Here are just a few of the places where the BLM is essentially preparing to hang
out a sign that says “Open for Drilling:” Virginia’s George Washington National Forest
... Ohio’s Wayne National Forest ... Colorado’s White River National Forest ... California’s
Los Padres National Forest.
Not to mention lands outside Glacier and Grand Teton National Parks!
Plus: the BLM controls the drilling rights to some 57 million acres of
private property -- a vast area as big as Georgia.
So for many Americans,
BLM has the power to green light fracking operations literally in their own backyards.
 Do you think an agency that has cozied up to the oil and gas lobby should decide
the fate of vulnerable citizens from coast to coast?
Please help us hold President Obama to his word and protect the American people from
an oil and gas industry that is running amok.
Urge the President
 to impose a fracking moratorium on our public lands right now.
 With one stroke of his pen he can safeguard our natural heritage, protect our drinking
water and shield communities from California to Virginia that sit near public oil
and gas reserves.
And call on him to move America beyond all
 fossil fuels as rapidly as possible
, toward a future powered by 100% clean energy. We must do no less if we want to
stave off catastrophic climate change.
Thank you for standing with us against the onslaught of fracking.
Sincerely,
Frances
Frances Beinecke
President
Natural Resources Defense Council
We appreciate the opportunity to communicate with you and other NRDC BioGems Defenders.
We are committed to protecting your privacy and will never sell, exchange or rent your email address.

Dear MoveOn member,
The historic typhoon that hit the Philippines over the weekend has left nearly 2,000
people dead—and officials fear that the death toll could rise to 10,000.
1
It's unlikely that this is just some crazy fluke of the weather.
Scientists overwhelmingly say that climate change is fueling more and more extreme
weather events like Super Typhoon Haiyan.
2
 But world governments, including the United States, seem paralyzed to do anything
about it. Maybe that's why an incredible speech is being shared widely on Facebook
and other social media sites right now, featuring the Philippines' chief climate
negotiator, Naderev "Yeb" Saño.
Saño addressed the United Nations climate change conference in Warsaw two days ago,
and holding back tears, declared:
"
We cannot solve climate change when we seek to spew more emissions.
 I express this with all due sincerity. In solidarity with my countrymen who are
struggling to find food back home and with my brother who has not had food for the
last 3 days...
I will now commence a voluntary fasting for the climate... until a meaningful outcome
is in sight.
"3
Stand with Philippines climate chief Naderev
Here are two actions you can take now—to both support people in the Philippines who
face a long and difficult recovery, and to push for real action to prevent more devastating
superstorms:
1)
Sign the petition to support the Philippines' climate chief Yeb as he calls for real action to curb climate change
 at the UN climate negotiations happening right now in Warsaw. This petition was
written by Christina M. Samala, a Filipina American woman and director of the organization
18MillionRising—and we'll make sure the signatures get to Yeb while he's in Warsaw
in a way that makes an impact on his mission to win meaningful climate action.
2)
Consider making a donation to Oxfam's relief efforts.
 Oxfam teams are aiming to reach 500,000 people with drinking water, sanitation and
shelter, focused on the hardest-hit islands of Samar, Leyte, and Cebu. Oxfam has
set up a donation page for MoveOn members, and your donation is tax deductible.
Two weeks ago, MoveOn members marked the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy.
Now the people of the Philippines are reeling. We're all in this together, and the
best news is that we have each other's backs.
Thanks for all you do.
Anna, Victoria, Maria, Alejandro, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Anger Takes Hold in City Ravaged by Typhoon,"
The New York Times
, November 12, 2013
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=294998&id=77694-9089709-lGXAlGx&t=3
2. "Climate Change Exacerbates Some Extreme Weather,"
Scientific American, September 6, 2013
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=295000&id=&id=77694-9089709-lGXAlGx&t=4
3. "Stop this climate crisis madness," Rappler, November 11, 2013
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=294999&id=77694-9089709-lGXAlGx&t=5
Want to support our work?
 MoveOn Civic Action is entirely funded by our 8 million members—no corporate contributions,
no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a
long way.
Chip in here.

If you want to donate to a faith-based organization, there is Convoy of Hope, where 90% of cash donated goes into direct services and supplies, (the standard for excellence is 80
%) there is World Vision, and as many Fillipino people are Catholic, I'm sure the Church is also on the ground trying to help.


Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Stand Up for Women Soldiers, Too!

Tell your Senators to stand up for service members

Today, we honor our service men and women by celebrating Veterans Day. We fly the
flag, we thank them for their service, and take a little extra time to appreciate
the sacrifices they’ve made so that we can be free and safe.
And while all of that is nice — it’s just not enough. Sexual assault in the military
is a glaring issue, and we are failing our service men and women every day the current
broken military justice system remains in place.
But guess what? This is the moment to change that. The National Defense Authorization
Act for fiscal year 2014 is currently scheduled to come to the Senate floor next
week and we need your help to ensure that the Military Justice Improvement Act is
included as an amendment.
This is a critical moment — write your Senators right now.
The Military Justice Improvement Act would reform the military justice system by
moving the decision-making on whether and how to prosecute serious offenses, like
sexual assault, out of the chain of command and give these decisions to trained,
experienced military prosecutors.
Commanders who don’t have legal training should not have the power to dismiss a case,
set aside a guilty verdict, or return an attacker to the ranks.
Until perpetrators see that they will be held accountable for their acts, the number
of sexual assaults is not likely to go down. And until survivors of sexual assault
have confidence in the military justice system, the number of reports of such assaults
is not likely to increase. This legislation works to instill that confidence.
We are just about 10 Senators away from passage — make sure your Senators do the right thing.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has fought for months to put the Military Justice Improvement
Act to a vote, and she’s rallied a bipartisan group of Senators who believe our servicemen
and women deserve better.
But there are too many who want to preserve the status quo. Senator Gillibrand needs
every vote possible for this act to become a law.
It’s time for us to take a stand for every service member, because the status quo is not okay.
Thanks for keeping it personal,
Thao Nguyen
Campaign Director

Privacy Policy
All content © 2013 National Women's Law Center
11 Dupont Circle NW, #800
Washington, DC 20036

Veterans Health Care

It appears that my name has been given to Yet Another organization.  But this is important to me because:  1.  My father fought in Korea and it effected him painfully all of his life.  2.  An uncle who was only 9 years older than me fought in Vietnam.  He died at age 62, partly as a result of the exposure to "agent orange" and other chemicals used there.  Without VA. surgeries he would have been blind before death.  3.  Poor people and people of color are the ones who most often fight in our volunteer army as a way of escaping poverty.  They took a terrible risk and fought, it is only Right and Humane that we take care of them when they return to us.

Take a stand for veterans health care today

Our veterans have fought to protect this country, now Congress needs to protect their
health care -
TAKE ACTION
!
America's military personnel, military retirees and their dependents receive health
care through a program called "TRICARE."  And because TRICARE funding is controlled
by Medicare's sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula, which threatens drastic cuts
to the program every year, we are playing a dangerous game with the health care of
those who have sacrificed so much for our great nation.
Applying temporary patches each year to keep the SGR from taking effect has only
created uncertainty for TRICARE patients and their physicians.  Our military families
deserve a sense of security over their access to health care.
Let's come together today - Veteran's Day - and send a powerful message to Congress
that it is time put an end to short-term fixes and find a permanent solution for
the SGR problem to protect health care for military patients, veterans and their
families.
Click here
 to send an urgent message to your U.S. Representative and Senators and use our toll-free
grassroots hotline - (888) 434-6200 - to be connected to their offices.
Military veterans have fought for our country, now it's time for Congress to fight
for their health care.
P.S. Want to help us take a stand on behalf of America's Military families this Veteran's
Day?  Please forward this email to five family members or friends and urge them to
contact Congress today
!
Click the link below to log in and send your message:
https://www.votervoice.net/link/target/pan/J6BBqcz2M.aspx
Take Action
Want to contact Congress?
Send an email
 or call toll-free at (888) 434-6200.
Connect with us
Learn about the issues
Medicare
Liability Reform
Truth in Advertising.

American Medical Association Patients' Action Network
25 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Ste 600, Washington, DC 20001
VoterVoice

Monday, November 11, 2013

Canary Song, Amazing!

I don't know how long it will last, but this felt like a small Miracle!
This morning when I heard the voice of a bird named Rafi who had died I knew I wasn't
hallucinating.  The first time it happened I wondered, a year or more ago.
But I Did doubt my ears.  It isn't uncommon for me to misunderstand a noise I hear.
I stood up from the breakfast table and listened, then listened again.  My canary
had learned to imitate Rafi during their long time sharing a cage, but could that
really be him?
Then he sang out a very distinctive canary song, Amazement!
He's supposed to be at death's door from "Canary Pox" a bird disease he caught from
A girlfriend (Fuzhead) who came from the pet store.  I've been caring for him as the vet instructed, and
he didn't sing all Summer.  I figured some morning I'd go in to feed him and he would
be gone.  Was he just saying "good-bye" or something this morning?
But no, I began playing the canary tape that used to set him singing and he's belting
out canary challenges to those unseen rivals for girlfriends!
It is canary breeding season, but it's cloudy today and canaries Love to sing in
the sunshine of Summer.
My cat, to whom I had become very allergic was adopted out to a good home last Friday.
Was That it?  No one skulking by the baby gate into his room, no one ocasionally
sneaking in and having to be retrieved by me through tricks?  I used to have to worry
terribly, go in and sit on the floor until my cat got curious about what I was doing.
Then I'd scoop him up fast, pet him until he was calm, and carry him out.  It could
take half an hour.  He would wander around the canary's cage, while the poor bird
laid flat against the floor, before he came over to check me out.
Was the canary singing because the cat was gone and he felt safe?

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Personal Life Changes

Life Changes

I am finally becoming me again after dropping some meds.  But I've discovered that those meds. Were just sitting on some old issues I had only partially dealt with.  So against my Own better judgment, I may have found a psychologist with whom I can work. It's too early to tell.

The problem is that I have a limited number of people who can help with rides and limited financial resources to pay for transportation.  So, in order not to ask too much of any one person I need to drop out of ASL. Class because I will need those same resources, should I decide to work with this psychologist.  ASL Class helped me fight the isolation which pleagues all Deaf-Blind people I have met and many Deaf people as well.  It provided me with an opportunity to get Out of This House into a friendly environment of others learning a language I also need to learn.  This is a complicated decision.  I hope therapy is worth it.

The good thing is that the ASL Class, at least for the moment, is open and if I cannot make progress in therapy I can come back.  But whether the same people will be there is uncertain.  Whether the class will continue is also uncertain.

I have decided to let go of some of the objects which Ann loved, (a piece of furniture, an indoor fountain maybe) in order to allow all of the parts of my personality which were submerged by the medications to exist.  This means bringing in an old doll house from the garage and setting it up in the living room, either covered or facing the wall.  It is an easy thing to turn around and should allow kid parts a comfortable place to play.  At present they have no such place and have been wanting one, ever since I became able to function better after withdrawing from meds., most meds.  

So, my income won't be going up, but my interest in dolls and action figures will.

Isolation is a problem.  My main helpers  for transportation are "early birds" going to bed by nine PM.  Sometimes Deaf Chat doesn't start until 7:00 PM.  This means my helpers want to leave by 8:00 or 8:30 at the latest, to get home and crash.  Many deaf people are so isolated that even if they hold full time jobs they Make time to talk with other deaf people.  I myself am a Night Owl, Not an Early Bird.  I love the quiet of night, no phone, no people around, I can do what I want unobserved and unjudged.  There are a number of Fine people in my life but I must Limit my dealings with them severely!  This means, watching my mouth around the devout Christians, not talking politics around the devout Republicans who don't like people on "welfare" What am I? etc.  This is a problem which is much more severe for people with disabilities who are forced through lack of income to depend upon others. 

I am interested in: art, (nonvisual as well as descriptions of visual art) music, politics, dolls,  books, spicy food, good coffee, Fair Trade,  spirituality, gardening organically, multiplicity and of course, ASL and Deaf Culture.  There is maybe One person I can speak to about all of these things, a truck driver I see for a day or two every couple of months.  

It's an Expensive way to do things, but If this psychologist can cope, maybe at Least I'll have Someone to talk to!  Not sure that's a good enough reason to go to therapy.  I want to work on issues which have come up for me since I've dropped some meds.

I've been invited to a deaf-blind Christmas Party where everyone brings a dish.  One problem I have as a result of dropping meds. Is fear.  Fear of people, mostly, not logical, given that these are people I know.  Fear adds to already existing isolation and the more isolated a person gets, the more fearful or depressed they can become, a vicious cycle.  This was one of the things ASL. Class was helping to break.  Will working with a psychologist do the same or be so difficult that it doesn't?  I don't know.




Real Virus Threat, Not a Hoax.

This message comes from my brother-inlaw, a college instructor who sent it out to relatives and all of his students who participate in online course work.  I am sorry I didn't get it to you sooner.

Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 17:47:15 -0500
Subject: Real virus threat. Not an internet hoax.
There is a new ransomware virus called Cryptolocker that is spreading throughout
the internet.  Cryptolocker, when executed, encrypts a wide variety of files on your
computer in such a way that you are unable to access your information unless you
pay a "ransom" of $300.  There is a wealth of information about this virus on various
websites such as ComputerWorld, Sophos, and Malwarebytes if you wish to know more
specifics.
METHOD OF INFECTION-
Cryptolocker is spread primarily via Email links and attachments.  *I cannot stress
enough how important it is to never open link or attachments unless you can confirm
with the sender that they are 100% legitimate.*
KNOWN CASES-
While I have not become aware of any cases of Cryptolocker on OTC's network, I have
had confirmed reports of individuals outside the OTC network getting this virus via
their personal email accounts.  In one specific case, a gentleman opened an attachment
out of habit without looking closely at the sender and was immediately infected.
MITIGATION-
* Do not open any attachment or click on any link without being 100% sure it is legitimate.
* It is always best practice to backup any personal files or pictures that you do
not want to lose to an external drive or secure remote location.


Thank You

CEO vs. Worker Pay, Disclose It!

If Blogger will allow an exclamation mark in the title of this post I'm All For this Rule Change by the Securities and Exchange Commission!  There is a growing gap between rich and poor which Must be exposed and this is one day when it Might become a reality.
Corporations will have to start disclosing how much CEOs are paid compared to the
typical worker
if the SEC implements a new rule. But corporate lobbyists are fighting like mad to
stop it.
Tell the SEC to resist corporate pressure
 and stick to its plan to require disclosure.
Sign the petition

After years of delays,
the SEC has just voted to enact a potentially game-changing provision of the Dodd-Frank
Act on CEO compensation
, and corporate America is fighting like mad to stop it.
The new provision requires corporations to disclose the amount their CEOs make compared
to the salary of the median worker. Corporate actors are shocked because the rule
is surprisingly strong --
it doesn't allow many of the usual gimmicks that corporations use to skew data.
 This new rule could set off a revolution at Walmart and other companies that are
getting rich off of underpaid staff.
The US Chamber of Commerce and other big business organizations are frightened, and
are fighting back
, pressuring the SEC to change its mind during a sixty-day comment period going on
now. Sign our petition to the SEC today to ensure that your voice is heard, and the
SEC makes the right call on corporate disclosure.
Tell the SEC to resist corporate pressure and get corporations to publish information on their CEO pay!
This data is valuable for investors, as it helps them determine which companies are
dangerously overloaded at the top. The new disclosure will create downward pressure
in the industry by rewarding companies with more reasonable salary hierarchies. It
will also get workers talking, and put overpaid executives in the spotlight.
This could be a game-changer for out-of-control inequality
. Help us ensure that the provision stays in place, to stop the wild greed at the
top of the largest companies in the US.
Unsurprisingly, corporate lobbyists are doing everything they can to stop these new
rules, and
if it looks like the public isn't paying attention, the SEC might just give in and
water down its disclosure requirements
. We can't let them get away with that. Let's flood the SEC with comments demanding
the strongest possible rules for holding CEOs accountable to their investors and
the public. We know regulatory agencies speak up when the SumOfUs community speaks
-- the Federal Communications Commission just cited our comments in its decision
making it cheaper for incarcerated people to call their families.
What are you waiting for? Click here to submit a comment to the SEC demanding more disclosure on CEO pay.
Thanks for all you do,
Claiborne, Taren, and the team at SumOfUs.org
**********
More Information:
TruthOut:
Federal Regulators Finally "Mind the Gap"
, 22 September, 2013
 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 support our work by
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