Thank you being a friend . . .

It has long been established that George W. Bush was MIA from the National Guard for a about one year, in 1972-1973. Despite his talk about honor and dignity, Bush seems to have a problem meeting his commitments.

Bush says he's released all his military records. If that is true, then why has no one seen:

• Bush's flight log;
• Flight Inquiry Board records from after Bush was suspended as a pilot;
• Any paper on Bush's reclassification after suspension as a pilot; or
• Anything at all from any Alabama unit with Bush's name on it?

Looking for a Special Gift for a Child?

How about a Personalized Christmas Story Book with your child's name, the names of your child's friends and other identifying features written into the story? Can you imagine?

In My Special Christmas Adventure, your child will be whisked into Christmas Eve, when the Christmas Angel takes your child to Santa’s workshop to meets Santa Claus and helpers. Your child travels the world with Santa on his reindeer-drawn sleigh and helps deliver presents to the children as well as learning about the different Christmas traditions in each country.

There are a large number of titles to choose from including popular Disney characters, each with 30 full-color pages. Just some of the books include Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Ratatouille, Disney Fairies, Elmo, Winnie the Pooh, Toy Story 2, Finding Nemo, Disney Princess and Cars! Standard books measure 9 x 6.5 inches and extra large books measure 11 x 8 inches.

Tags: personalized books, christmas books, personalized items

Last Chance for the Wolves!

Instead of protecting wolves, the current administration is going to allow hundreds of wolves to be gunned down in cold blood.Below is the commercial that would bring attention to the awful process that will soon take place. The Grey Wolves only exist in certain areas and they are to be hunted down and cleared out of those remote areas. Make a donation or spread the word so that we can stop this. Do it today, please!

Click here to stop the slaughter
by donating whatever you can toward airing this ad on national TV

Tags: grey wolves, shot from above, cubs killed, stop slaughter

I Stand Before You and Weep . . .

Over what has happened to the
wild things and sacred spaces of the Earth.

You Must Decide Whether to Save:

• the Orcas or the Polar Bears,
• the Gray Wolves or the Spotted Owls,
• the Redwoods or the Boreal Forests,
• the Grasslands or the Wetlands,
• the Ozone or the Permafrost,
  
• the Arctic Ice or the Islands of the World.

All I can do is ask you to take action on the issues on which time remains to do something.

God help me find the words . . .

This post is made in support of
BloggersUnite : Blogging for Hope
9/27/2007

Tags: polar bears, orcas, redwoods, boreal forests, grasslands, permafrost, ozone, wetlands, arctic ice, islands

Tune in Tomorrow for Bloggers Unite Posts

Join the largest group of bloggers to ever blog about important causes of abuse. On September 27th, 2007, blog about some sort of abuse that you would like to see ended, forever.

• Spread the word among all the bloggers you know.
  
• Direct them to the community challenge on BlogCatalog blog.
  
• There are badges that you may post on your blogs on this thread.
• Let other members know of organizations that are involved in putting an end to abuse.

Tags: Bloggers Unite, Bloggers Against Abuse, 9/27/07

Shop Green with Shoplet.com

Recently, I discovered and online shop called Shoplet.com - Discount Office Supplies. What first caught caught my attention was the navigation tab Shop Green (Recycled Office Supplies). Until we become an electronic society, you have to use pen, paper and printer ribbons. Why not go green? They have a great selection of recycled papers, folders, labels and many other items that help the Earth.

All the items at Shoplet.com are deeply discounted, most orders are free of sales tax, and you may qualify for free shipping. Currently, there is a coupon for Take Additional 5% off on Orders Over $75. Not only that, but they offer a 110% pricing guarantee.

Visit Shoplet.com, sponsor of this post, today.

Tags: green office, recycled paper, shop green, shoplet.com

Bush Administration Takes Aim at Wolves

A Bush Administration proposal would allow the slaughter of nearly 600 gray wolves in Greater Yellowstone and Central Idaho – while they're still on the endangered species list.

Both Wyoming and Idaho are planning to use aerial gunning, as well as baiting and trapping, to exterminate wolves as early as this winter.

The comeback of northern Rocky Mountain gray wolves is America's greatest wildlife recovery story. But the Bush Administration's “License to Kill” plan could drive these wolves back to the brink of extinction.

Click Here to Send a Message Now

Tags: grey wolves, aerial shooting, Idaho, Wyoming, endangered species

The Intelligent Community

The intelligent community concept is a good one. We definitely need a business model other than rape and pillage capitalism and the term, intelligent community, brings to mind the concept of a global village.

If you visit The Intelligent Community Initiative Website, you will be impressed by the business/community model as an approach that leads to non-coercive cooperation stimulated by reward and linked through a communications hub.

An Intelligent Community, an answer to prisoners' dilemma in game theory(1), would consist of

• The School For The Intelligent Community;
  
  
• The Intelligent Community web site; and,
  
  
• The Business Incubation and Facilitation Division managed by Intelligent Communities, Inc.

If you are interested, please visit the website. I am going to find out what it takes to become a Contributing Member to The Intelligent Community. I will let you know how it works out.

---------------------
1. The prisoners' dilemma illustrates a conflict between individual and group rationality. A group whose members pursue rational self-interest may all end up worse off than a group whose members act contrary to rational self-interest.

Tags: intelligent community, school for intelligent community, intelligent community website, business incubator

Open the Internet to Everyone!

Free the Internet, Pilgrim!

What if I told you we could use empty TV channels to connect millions of Americans to the Internet? New technology would do just that. But the powerful TV broadcast lobby is standing in the way with a multimillion-dollar misinformation campaign.

The Federal Communications Commission is about to make a critical choice: support a better Internet for everyone or side with the broadcasters and let the United State slide further behind the rest of the world in Web access.

Click Here to Tell the FCC to Open the Internet for Everyone

The fight for universal Internet access is now being waged over "white spaces"-- empty frequencies between television channels on the public airwaves. New devices can use these vacant airwaves to connect millions to the information superhighway, including many people still stuck on dial-up--or without any service at all.

Here's the problem. The National Association of Broadcasters wants to keep white spaces for themselves. This week, they're blitzing Washington with television ads and lobbyists. They're making outright false claims that any new devices will interfere with over-the-air TV broadcasts.

Their scare tactics are aimed at convincing the FCC and Congress to stifle new technologies that can revolutionize our airwaves. Unless we act now, the FCC could side with the broadcasters and deny us one of our last opportunities to deliver a better Internet to more people.

Click Here to Take Action: Open White Spaces for Everyone

It's a familiar story. Big media companies will use any means to squash new ideas that threaten their control. For too long, our policymakers put the narrow interests of a few conglomerates before innovation, competition and the public good.

Last year we sent 1.5 million letters to Congress and halted the phone and cable industry efforts to kill Net Neutrality. This year, we're fighting to make the Internet available and affordable to everyone. Opening up white spaces is key to creating the healthy competition, consumer choices and technological innovation we need to provide an open Internet to all.

We can win this fight. Take action to open white spaces today.

Timothy Karr
Campaign Director
Free Press
www.freepress.net
www.savetheinternet.com

1. Learn more: Visit our "Save Our Spectrum" initiative to learn more about white spaces.

2. Report back: Did you take action on this issue? Join a conversation with other activists at the Free Press Action Network.

3. Become a Free Press Action Fund member: Our team in Washington needs your help to counter Big Media's lobbyists. Your donation of $50 or more will make sure public interest advocates represent our views before the FCC and on Capitol Hill.

Tags: net neutrality, free the white space, take action, FCC

So You Want to Be in Politics?

Have you ever thought of running for office? To run for election as a city council person or a county or precinct commissioner? I live in a small city that swells with the population of a four-year university for nine months each year. We have more candidates for any open office than we have yards in which to put the campaign signs!

It is not difficult to run for office. You declare your candidacy by visiting the city, county or precinct clerk and filling out forms. Then they give you another stack of paper that is basically the job description for the office for which you are running, responsibilities of the office and some other information on campaign contributions and financial reporting.

Now you are ready to roll! First stop will be for campaign signs. CandidateSigns.com, sponsor of this post, makes campaign signs and nothing else. They have handy information about how many signs you will need (1.5 per block, 3 per polling place) and what type of sign you may want, like corrugated plastic, coated paper (cheaper), or poly-bag signs (cheapest).

You call 1-888-744-6717 and talk with a representative about your campaign and decide on the number of signs needed and what type of artwork you want. You may provide the logo, name and tagline in .PDF, .EPS, .JPG, .AI or .CRD form.

Once you proof your sign, they will be printed within five days and shipped to you by your method of choice. There is NO minimum order and they can handle as many signs as you want. there are NO additional fees for setup, ink, design, proof, edit, screen, production, wire fame, wire stakes or cancellation! You only pay sales tax if you are living in Nebraska.

From CandidateSigns.com website:

At CandidateSigns.com, all we do are political yard signs. Why? Because we know more about political campaign yard signs than anyone in the business, and we do what we know. You can be guaranteed that when you’re a CandidateSigns.com customer, you’re dealing with the best advice, the best prices and the best people in the industry.

I was happy to see that the FAQs included the question: Are you a green facility? CandidateSigns.com uses the most environmentally friendly ink available, made without solvents and with near zero emissions.

So what are you waiting for? Announce your candidacy today!

Tags: candidatesigns.com, campaign signs, political signs

Take Action Against Big Oil and Gas

The energy debate continues in Congress, and two very different energy bills passed by the House and Senate must be reconciled. At stake are moderate, common sense energy reforms passed by the House that didn't make it into the Senate-passed bill.

Please help us ensure these reforms are enacted. Click here.

As expected, the oil and gas industry is pulling out all the stops to block these needed reforms, including promoting fake grassroots organizations that have come under fire for false advertising and misleading the public. The health of many of our majestic landscapes and the wildlife they contain could be sacrificed if the oil industry convinces legislators to strike these common sense reforms.

Please tell your senators today that you want the common-sense reforms contained in Title VII of H.R. 3221 (the House-passed energy bill) to be included in the final, "conferenced" energy bill coming out of Congress.

Click here now to take action.

Please do not let them destroy our public lands. Allowing drilling on Western lands has already damaged ecosystems, landscapes, communities, and the overall health of our environment. The moderate reforms included in the House energy bill, H.R. 3221, would help re-establish a balance in the management of our public lands. Let us set a new direction for responsible energy development.

Tags: energy policy, take action, oil and gas, us senate

Environment : It is just a numbers game

Number of cars and light trucks on U.S. roads.

Total vehicle miles traveled in the U.S. in 2006.

Increase in the amount of miles driven since 1970 in the U.S.

Amount spent by local, federal and state governments on U.S. highways in 2005.

U.S. share of the world's population.

U.S. share of world's total global warming pollution from vehicles.

Percent of U.S. global warming pollution coming from transportation.

Number of states that have adopted California's global warming pollution limits on cars.

The Big Three car companies (GM, Ford and Chrysler) that have joined USCAP, a partnership calling for a US national cap on global warming emissions.

Number of federal bills passed to cap and reduce America's global warming pollution from all sources.

Tags: global warming, emission standards, change now

Buy Green Paper Products

Canada’s Boreal Forest is one of the largest unspoiled forests left on earth. It provides breeding grounds for up to 3 billion birds each spring and nearly half of all the bird species in North America depend on the Boreal for survival.

Boreal bird habitat is being destroyed to make toilet paper, facial tissues, paper towels and other disposable paper products. You can help halt this destruction by making smart shopping decisions. This green guide provides a list of tissue paper products to buy – and a few to avoid.

Click to send a message to paper giant Kimberly-Clark, maker of Scott, Cottonelle, Kleenex and Viva, telling the company to stop destroying Boreal bird habitat.

Download a PDF of wallet sized paper buying guide.

Tags: boreal forests, kimberly-clark, trees to toilet paper

Give the Gift of Green This Year

GiftCardLab is holding a design contest for their Visa gift cards. Win up to $5,000 if your design is a winner. Design your own gift card by uploading your own photograph or graphic and invite your friends to vote for your design! The top 20 cards will be featured on the website.



The website will open in November and you will be able to pick out the design for your gift card and have it sent to your loved ones. If you have problems deciding on Gift Ideas for everyone, Visa cards are a very environmentally friendly, green solution.

• No gas is wasted driving around trying to find the perfect gift;
• No paper, tape or ribbon is used to decorate your gift;
• No cardboard box or styrofoam peanuts to protect the gift; and,
  
• No driving to the post office and waiting in line to mail your package.
• The cards may be sent directly to the recipients or sent to you to distribute.
  

These cards may be used anywhere debit cards are used, are available in denominations from $10 to $250 and cost $5.95 each. It is a perfect gift and you may make it more so by designing the card you send. Visit GiftCardLab, sponsor of this post, for more information.

Tags: gift, gift cards, visa, card design, customized Visa cards

Activists Sitting in the Trees to Save Them

Spooner in Humboldt redwoods

A 2,000 year-old Redwood named Spooner in Humboldt County, California is slated for destruction. Only a few activists sitting in the trees is all that stands between the loggers and these trees that were old when Jesus walked the Earth.

If you care, please send whatever you can afford via PayPal to help these folks remain in these trees for however long it takes. They need food, lights, rain gear, you name it. Please see this page for their needs.

If you live in northern California, or can get there soon, please help these people. They are doing what all of us would if we were there.

If you can mail supplies, please do so. If not, please make a donation today.

Tags: Redwood trees, logging the wilderness

Polar Bears Extinct by 2050

The U.S. Geological Survey reported last week that two-thirds of the world's polar bears could vanish by 2050 if melting sea ice predictions prove accurate.

Worse, sea ice in the Arctic might be disappearing faster than the computer models predict due to global warming, making the polar bear more imperiled. It is clear global warming threatens polar bears with extinction and they need to be protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Please take action: Click here to add your voice in support of protecting polar bears and their critical habitat.

Click Here for the NY Times story on the report.

Tags: polar bears extinct, 2050 deadline for polar bears, Arctic melting

Recycle Shoes

Every year, millions of pairs of athletic shoes end up in landfills or are disposed of in some other way.

One solution is Nike's Reuse-a-Shoe program, where worn-out athletic shoes of any brand are collected, processed and recycled into material used in sports surfaces like basketball courts, tennis courts, athletic fields, running tracks and playgrounds for youth around the world.

Since it began, Reuse-A-Shoe has expanded from the USA to include Canada, U.K., Netherlands, Germany, Australia and Japan. Please help turn your old sneakers into places to play.

Drop-Off Locations are available in the USA, Europe, Japan, Australia

Tags: reuse a shoe, recycle shoes

Simple Test for You

Incredibly Good News for our Planet

I found this article in New Scientist and was amazed.

Read it: Giant microwave turns plastic back to oil - earth - 26 June 2007 - New Scientist Environment

I have not heard of Global Resource Corporation (GRC), but they have the technology to allow the USA to become independent of foreign oil by extracting oils from slurry, shale and sands; through the gasification and fractionalizing of capped oil wells; by the rendering of plastics, tires and automobiles!

Global Resource Corp. - Solutions for Alternative Renewable Energy - visit the website

Oil Extraction

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that there are 1.8 trillion barrels of oil in shale in the U.S. GRC’s process can convert up to 70 percent of shale into oil with very little energy consumption.

1.8 Trillion barrels = 400 Years of Fuel

GRC also has the capability to produce 140 billion barrels of oil from capped-off oil wells.

GRC’s unique microwave process is proven and can crack 100 percent of oil slurry, or heavy oil, a waste product of oil refining, and turning it into valuable fuels. These fuels consist of LPG, natural gas, gasoline, kerosene, diesel and jet fuel.

GRC’s specific microwave frequencies have produced clean liquids from domestic coal when condensed.

This company also has the technology to convert tires, plastics, shredded automobiles into basic component parts that are all usable.

Each 20-lb tire will yield 19.9 pounds of resalable materials:

• 7.5 lbs Carbon Black
• 1.2 gallons #4 Oil
• 2.0 lbs Steel
• 50ft3 Gas

View video of process used to convert tires into diesel fuel and carbon black.


Clean Up the Earth

Drill cuttings are soil contaminated with drilling fluids that are the by product of oil drilling operations. GRC has a process that reduces contaminants to .01 percent.

GRC also has the technology to take the contaminated soil, a by-product of dredging harbors and ship channels, and to remove the odor; almost all the water, hydrocarbons and organic pathogens; and some heavy metals. What was once allowed to sit and allow the contaminants leach into groundwater may now be used safely as landfill.

Right-click the following link to download a PowerPoint presentation about the technology discussed above. You will need PowerPoint or the PowerPoint viewer.

---

Imagine what American ingenuity could come up with if this type of research was funded as a priority!

Tags: oil recovery, recycle tires, recycle plastics, reclaim contaminated Earth

Racism in the 21st Century

I swear to the Lord
I still can't see
Why Democracy means
Everybody but me.
~Langston Hughes, The Black Man Speaks

---

I just learned about a case of segregation-era oppression happening today in Jena, Louisiana. I signed onto ColorOfChange.org's campaign for justice in Jena, and wanted to invite you to do the same. You may read about this travesty of justice in Racism is Alive and Well in Jena, La or Bloggers Unite : Stop Racist Injustice in Louisiana.

Last fall in Jena, the day after two Black high school students sat beneath the "white tree" on their campus, nooses were hung from the tree. When the superintendent dismissed the nooses as a "prank," more Black students sat under the tree in protest. The District Attorney then came to the school accompanied by the town's police and demanded that the students end their protest, telling them, "I can be your best friend or your worst enemy... I can take away your lives with a stroke of my pen."

http://www.colorofchange.org/jena/?id=2001-335189

A series of white-on-black incidents of violence followed, and the DA did nothing. But when a white student was beaten up in a schoolyard fight, the DA responded by charging six black students with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

The story gets worse and worse . . .

It's a story that reads like one from the Jim Crow era, when judges, lawyers and all-white juries used the justice system to keep blacks in "their place." But it's happening today. The families of these young men are fighting back, but the story has gotten minimal press. Together, we can make sure their story is told and that the Governor of Louisiana intervenes and provides justice for the Jena 6.

Justice starts now. Please join me:

http://www.colorofchange.org/jena/?id=2001-335189

Sign the Pledge

Take action for better transportation! Pledge to support smart, innovative transportation solutions and take a few steps of your own to decrease congestion and pollution. In addition to helping make commutes easier and the air cleaner, you'll be helping your state earn points in the Transportation Transformation challenge.

Take action today!

Tags: transportation, solutions

The Day the World Changed for USA

September 11, 2001

The Day We Learned . . .
How Most of the World Lives

eMortgage is Earth Friendly

Reducing paper waste streams is good for the Earth. Although paper may be recycled, it is better not to use paper if there is an alternative method. This saves trees, water and energy and takes pollution out of the process entirely.

With eMortgage with electronic closing, the loan documentation is converted to eXtensible Markup Language (XML), which allows the loan information and the forms to be stored separately. This is similar to using HTML and CSS in a blog. The entire mortgage lending and electronic closing process is automated and streamlined. This is good news for lenders and borrowers. This is great news for the Earth! Support eMortgages, from our sponsors at Encomia.com.

Tags: eMortage, waste reduction, conservation of energy, Encomia.com

After the Water Rises, What Remains?

Have you ever wondered what the coastline of your country might be like after the predicted global warming sea level rise? Alex Tingle, from the United Kingdom used Google maps and data from NASA to show you. The maps may be viewed at 0-meter rise up to 14-meter rise. The default setting is 7-meter rise.

Maps of the world after the sea level rise.

Europe N. America S. America Africa SE. Asia China & Japan Australia

Tags: global warming, your country and global warming, sea level rise

Global Warming In Your State

How is global warming affecting your state? Click on your state to download a fact sheet about current and future effects of global warming on the people and wildlife in each of the 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. If you would rather save the PDF to your computer, right click and Save Link As . . .

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawai'i Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana

Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (en espanol) Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

From National Wildlife Federation Global Warming page

Mooncup is an Environmentally Friendly Solution

I saw a great post on Nancy's Crazy Adventures about the mooncup, an alternative to pads and tampons for menstrual flow. I have seen these, but never really knew much about them. Below is part of the post. Please click the link above to visit and find out more.

. . . the mooncup is an alternative sanitary protection product you re-use it's a silicone cup that collects menstrual fluid rather than absorbing it, you remove it empty it wash it and reinsert it. They last for years so you save money and it's also far more environmentally friendly than tampons and towels which take up space on landfill sites, cause pollution being incinerated or float around in the sea, yuck!

Now if they had something to replace disposable diapers! Poopcup? Ewww!

Tags: mooncup, menstrual flow, environmental solution

Argue With Everyone, Political Discussion Forum

I had a good friend, Neil, who could argue with anyone. He would talk to telephone salespeople and let them go through their whole sales spiel and then critique their performance. Then he would argue with them when they got mad.

Neil would have loved this new forum for political debate called Argue With Everyone, Political Discussion Forum. All you have to do is register and then wade in, mouth flaming, insults flying. There are many topics other than politics on the forum; all guaranteed to launch heated discussions.

News and Current Events

• Politics in the News

General Political Debate

• General Political Debate
• Elections,
• The Middle East
• The Courts
• U.S. Foreign Policy Issues
• Foreign and Comparative Politics
• U.S. Domestic Policy
• Economics and the Economy
• Religion and Philosophy

Specific Political Issues

• Abortion
• Education
• Gay Issues
• Global Warming
• Gun Control
• Health Care
• Hurricanes
• Immigration
• September 11th
• Terrorism
• War in Iraq

Non-Political Debates

• Sports

Organized Online Debates

• Head to Head Debate
• Challenges and Rule Discussion

So, if you live to debate, argue and nothing makes you happier than to flame someone on a forum, visit Argue With Everyone, Political Discussion Forum, sponsor of this post.

Tags: argue with everyone, political discussion forum, debate

Renewable Energy Roundup in Texas

8th Annual
Renewable Energy Roundup
& Green Living Fair

September 28-30, 2007
Fredericksburg, Texas

Four different threads for workshops and exhibits:

• Renewable Energy
• Organic/Sustainable Growing
• Green Building and Sustainable Living
• Water Use and Reuse

Included in Entrance Fee:

• Exhibits and demonstrations
• Speakers and workshops (view schedule of speakers)
  
• Fun learning activities for kids
• Musical performances
• Tent talks
• Live music
• New Belgium beer & ales for sale (made in wind-powered facility)
  
• natural, organic food cafe
  

Gate entry fee $10 for Friday or Sunday, $12 for Saturday or $20 for a 3-day pass (children under 12 free)

New! This year for additional fee, you may enjoy the Roundup 2007 Mini Film Festival. Two of the three environmental films premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. Tickets are $6 for matinees and $10 for evening screenings; a three-film pass is available for $25.

Tags: annual renewable energy roundup, green living, green building, sustainable growing, water conservation, Fredericksburg, Texas

Say We Say "So Long" to the Spotted Owl?

The "Draft Northern Spotted Owl Recovery Plan" would push the endangered bird closer to extinction, while increasing the profits of timber companies. The plan failed a scientific peer review, but the administration is trying to circumvent the process. Please do not let them! I immediately took action on this! Won't you take action, too?

Take Action!
Spend a minute sending an email from this website:
http://action.wilderness.org/campaign/spotted_owl_recovery?rk=xp3sEbF1Vr9LE

Tags: spotted owls, endangered species, old growth woods

An Iceberg Floated By . . .

This is a great visual of an iceberg floating past the coast of New Zealand. What a magnificent structure carrying a bounty of freshwater to where it is not needed. The colors of the water and the iceberg are amazing. I watched it with the sound off.

The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one ninth of it being above water (Ernest Hemingway).

Tags: iceberg, New Zealand, fresh water

Take Action to Help Darfur

These poor people in Darfur have waited three years for our help. Take action by quickly sending a message to President Bush. Urge him to show that the USA can lead the world in endeavors other than war.

Please take action today. If you do not know much about Darfur, please read my post Help the People of Darfur on Texas RV Travel blog. Warning! The pictures will make you cry, but think about how they feel.

From an email from Save Darfur Coalition

The UN has authorized a joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission for Darfur. Now we must ensure that President Bush upholds the U.S. commitment to support the peacekeeping mission when the UN General Assembly meets on September 18th.

Our goal is to send 100,000 messages in the next three weeks urging the president to uphold his commitment. Over 50,000 have been sent.

Help us reach our goal! Click the URL below now to send your message.
http://ga6.org/campaign/unga_petition

Although the UN-AU peacekeeping mission will not include U.S. troops, it will require U.S. funding, equipment, and diplomatic support to be effective.

It is crucial that world leaders like President Bush stick to their commitments to Darfur and help ensure the rapid deployment of the peacekeepers.

Then please forward this message to your friends and family and ask them to join you.

If you'd like to make a donation to support the campaign, visit the link below now: http://www.SaveDarfur.org/Donate

Tags: Darfur, president bush, take action

EnergyPolicyTV : Emerging Source for News

The website for EnergyPolicyTV.com (EPTV) launched in April of 2007. EPTV is unique in that they display original source material and do not alter, comment or interpret these sources. EPTV has over 15 web pages dedicated to specific topics of energy and environmental concerns.

There is also a page for the US Energy Association Newsmaker, videos of approximately one hour, which present information on energy and environmental issues by leaders in the energy industry. This is the area of the site that is most populated with content.

I watched the USEA Newsmaker video of Michael Morris, President, Chairman and CEO, of the American Electric Power Company, the largest coal-burning utility in the United States. Mr. Morris discusses the use of coal and clean coal technologies relative to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Morris also discusses the coming legislative session and the future of nuclear energy. Mr. Morris outlines the challenges faced by energy utilities in providing the generation and service needs of a six-state area. This was an eye-opening video for me.

Energy Policy TV Climate Change Channel can become an excellent source for on-demand video pertaining to climate change, just as the other channels would provide information on other environmental concerns and energy issues.

At this time, you must search for videos and click on them or click a headline on the home page to watch videos. If you go to the Climate Change, Biofuels or Solar channels, you will see an advertisement from BeyondPetroleum. The other channels are blank. I am sure this is just a glitch and the different webpages will be populated with relevant content soon.

You may join EPTV.com, sponsor of this post, and submit original content for different channels. Register today.

Tags: EPTV, energy policy TV, climate change channel, USEA

Global Warming and Coastal Areas

Impacts of Global Warming and the Pacific Northwest Coast details the impact of predicted average sea level (20 to 56 inches by 2100) on the Pacific Northwest.

Map of Habitats Affected by Sea Level Rise in Dungeness Bay

The areas most effected 1) tidal flats, ocean and estuarine beaches, 2) salt marshes and transitional salt marshes, 3) brackish marshes and tidal freshwater marshes, 4) tidal swamp, swamp and 5) inland freshwater marshes.

Without bays and estuaries, freshwater marshes and wetlands, we lose the fish, the migratory birds and the ducks that use these areas for breeding. This effect will move right up the food chain to larger mammals, including humans.

View the complete Pacific Northwest Sea Level Rise Report in Adobe Acrobat format.

In a press release dated July 24, 2007, the National Wildlife Federation summarizes what the loss of habitat could mean to the Chinook salmon, which in turn feed the Orca whales.

View the press release: New Report Details Threat to Puget Sound and Pacific Coastal Habitats - National Wildlife Federation

According to the press release, the impacts will be dramatic:

• Beaches where rivers meet open water will be inundated and eroded for a 65 percent loss.
• As much as 44 percent of tidal flat will disappear.
• 13 percent of inland fresh marsh and 25 percent of tidal fresh marsh will be lost.

Puget Sound, home to salmon, orcas and shorebirds, could become a huge graveyard for these species. Donations to the NWF help, but it costs nothing to take action today!

Tags: global warming, coastal areas, loss of habitat, take action, NWF

Morph Me Mania

The Morpheus Photo-Morpher is a cool tool for changing one photograph into another. Morph a child to adult and back again. See if you and your dog truly do look alike! I am no artist, but I completed the video morph above in about 20 minutes.

To begin, you simply download and install the Morpheus Photo-Morpher program. During installation, you have the option of installing the Dealio toolbar and/or the Snap toolbar as well as the morphing application. I chose not to install the toolbars, but this did not effect the operation of the Photo-Morpher.















After launching the software, the first screen you see is the morph layout screen. Until you learn the program, you may want to use the Morpheus Wizard pictured above, which loads the first time you use the program.

The wizard will prompt you to select and upload (to the program) two photographs. The next step is to place dots (points of comparison) on the photographs; matching left eye to left eye, right eye to right eye, nose to nose, mouth to mouth. You may move the dots around or add more dots to make the morphing process smoother.

Then you simply watch the preview window and adjust the options for the morph, such as speed, number of frames, how long to hold the initial picture before beginning the morph and how long to remain on the final photograph.

When you are satisfied with your morph, you may render the morph timeline, which saves the morph into whatever format you wish. Rendering makes the morph non-editable. However, you may save the morph layout, which allows you to edit the morph in the future.

Visit Zombli.com, sponsor of this post, to purchase Morpheus Photo-Morpherfor $29.95. You cannot have this much fun anywhere for that price!

Tags: morph, morpheus photo-morpher, zombli.com

Tesco Inhumane to Turtles

Help persuade Tesco to stop selling live turtles in China Petition - take action by clicking here

This is worse than the clubbing of the baby seals.

Take action.

Tags: turtles, butcher turles, Tesco

Do You Thoof? Do You Want To?

Thoof is a user-generated news source. If it is published on the Internet, you will find it on Thoof. Thoof is similar to Digg, but you do not have to dig or bury items. It is also similar to StumbleUpon, but you do not have to rate items.

Thoof allows you to teach the system how to give you more personalized news. As you read, you favorite items some items, ignore some items and hide some items. The more you read, favorite and hide, the quicker the system learns what types of news you want to read.

You can search for news items that are tagged with keywords and then save the stream with one click. When you visit Thoof.com and click the saved tag stream environment, you will see all news items with the environment tag. You may save your own stream or click others.

Thoof! is just out of beta release, so check the Thoof! blog to learn of new features, which are added often. If you have an idea to improve Thoof!, submit a post on the blog, or just write a post on your blog and Thoof It!

If you are a competitive blogger, you may want to place your ThoofRank Badge in your post. The ThoofRank Badge is used to show how engaging your news is to readers of similar items.

Click this badge to read the post on Thoof.

Tags: Thoof, personalized news, tag streams, ThoofRank Badge

Blog Action Day October 15, 2007

On October 15th, bloggers from around the world will blog about the environment. Many bloggers will donate their earnings for the day to an environmental charity.

The environment encompasses everything from recycling to rainwater harvesting, growing your own food to brewing biodiesel, conserving water to generating electricity, calling your elected representative to forwarding an environmental alert . . .

View Blog Action Day video

We are all as different as stars in the sky,
but all must become environmentalists in the end.

Join Us! Register at BlogActionDay.org

Tags: blogactionday.org, blog action day, october 15, 2007, environmental blog

Two Years After Kartrina . . .

Two years ago, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. In the days following the tragedy, promises rolled in from the administration to help rebuild that great city and get the citizens of New Orleans back on their feet.

The tremendous suffering that persists on the Gulf Coast is a national disgrace and Congress must help hold the president to his word.

I signed a petition urging the Senate to pass the Gulf Coast Recovery Act of 2007. Can you join me at the link below?

Take action.

The bill provides desperately needed funds for affordable housing, guarantees the replacement of public housing units, and ensures that all those who wish to return home can do so. It also continues assistance for evacuees to make sure that they have safe, decent housing until they can return home.

There is progress in the Gulf, thanks to countless acts of courage and resourcefulness by citizens determined to rebuild. And there is still tremendous suffering—its persistence is a national disgrace. We asked MoveOn members on the Gulf Coast how they were doing two years after Katrina—their stories were uplifting and heartbreaking, eloquent and exasperating.

Life in the Big Easy isn't so easy anymore, and it might never be quite the same. As strong and proud as we New Orleanians may be, we still need the help of our fellow Americans.
–Yanna G., Metairie, LA

What helped the people of the Gulf Coast was not the government, not insurance companies, but regular everyday Americans who gave and continue to give of their time, money, moral support, friendship and love to help us here. I am so grateful for that.
–Jessica J., New Orleans, LA

Recovery has been very slow, especially for renters. We lived in government housing and they have been one of the last to rebuild or repair their buildings. Tomorrow is the 2nd anniversary and we are still in a FEMA camper...made to vacation in, NOT live in. We are very thankful for a roof over our heads, however, we need permanent housing.
–Cheryl E., Bay St. Louis, MS

Please, please, please continue to write and call your political representatives, as well as the national media, and tell them that it is unforgivable for them to continue to neglect and forget not only my once amazing city,but the entire Gulf Coast region affected.
–Molly L., New Orleans, LA

Take action.

Tags: Katrina, Gulf Coast Recovery Act, take action