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Monday, December 27
Call to Action: U.S. Cutting Food Aid Aimed at Self-Sufficiency
by
Linda Thieman
on Mon 27 Dec 2004 12:59 PM CST
 Call to Action: U.S. Cutting Food Aid Aimed at Self-Sufficiency
True Majority
It is disheartening at this time when the spirit of the holiday season is in the air that we open the newspaper to find: "U.S. Cutting Food Aid Aimed at Self-Sufficiency."
While the number of the world's people who go hungry is rising
for the first time in years, the Bush administration can find no better
way to reduce spending than to cut $600 million from global food aid
programs aimed at helping millions of people climb out of poverty.
That
belt-tightening of $600 million doesn't make much of a dent in a
federal discretionary budget of $965 BILLION (it's 0.0001 percent), but
in the developing world, it's emergency food to prevent the starvation
of millions, and long-term agricultural development to help people feed
even more people themselves.
Or put
another way, it's 1/60th of the $35 BILLION that remains in the budget
to maintain America's Cold War nuclear weapons equivalent to 150,000 of
the bombs that destroyed Hiroshima.
This is
so outrageous that there's now a BIPARTISAN effort in Congress led by
Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Missouri) to convince the administration that
global food aid should not be cut.
Let's
make our voices really count this holiday season and give the most important
gift we can, the gift of life for millions of our hungry brothers and
sisters around the world.
And we
can make it happen. Flood
your members of Congress with faxes. Click here to send a message.
Be sure to select the "fax" button, as sending a fax always gets
through to members of Congress. Emails are too often
deleted. This is a free service. No fax machine required.
Sunday, December 26
Future IOWA Weather
by
Molly Regan
on Sun 26 Dec 2004 02:11 PM CST
 Future IOWA Weather
So, now that we IOWANS have endured our first wave of 4-degree F
temperatures and less this winter, what is all the hubbub about global
temperature change?
Let us put it in terms we can understand. Humans put thousands of
pounds per day of carbon dioxide and other nasty items into our air
from our activities. More and more of us have become aware that
these behaviors are not good for our health or for the status of our
weather. According to the Sierra Club, the last four years have
been the warmest since 1861 records were kept. If you happen to
look at the forecast for the end of this week, at least here in eastern
IOWA, we will be close to 60 degrees F by Thursday or Friday.
This is not necessarily a good thing. Let's look at what the
Sierra Club says about this because the consequences of global climate
change will be felt locally by IOWANS and our economy.
The world's leading scientists project that during our children's
lifetimes, global warming will raise the average temperature of the
planet by 2.7 to 11 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Earth is only 5 to 9 degrees warmer today than it was 10,000 years
ago during the last ice age. Throughout history, major shifts in
temperature occurred at a rate of a few degrees over thousands of
years. They were accompanied by radical ecological changes, including
the extinction of many species. Manmade global warming is occurring
much faster - faster, in fact, than at any time in the past 10,000
years. Unless we slow and ultimately reverse the buildup of greenhouse
gases, we will have decades, not millennia, to try to adapt to radical
changes in weather patterns, sea levels and serious threats to human
health. Increased flooding, storms and agricultural losses could
devastate our economy. Plants and animals that cannot adapt to new
conditions will become extinct.
But How Much of a Difference Can a Few Degrees Make?
Plenty.
The human race is engaged in the largest and most dangerous experiment
in history - an experiment to see what will happen to our health and
the health of our planet when we change our atmosphere and our climate.
This is not some deliberate scientific inquiry. It is an uncontrolled
experiment on the environment of the Earth, and we're gambling our
children's future on its outcome. The results of this pollution are
already significant. We have increased levels of carbon dioxide (CO2),
the primary global warming gas, in our atmosphere by 30 percent in the
past 100 years. Some regions of the world have already warmed by as
much as 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Physicians at Harvard University and
Johns Hopkins medical schools and other medical institutions have
issued grim assessments that global warming may already be causing the
spread of infectious diseases and increasing heat-wave deaths. Extreme
weather events have become more common. Plants and animals around the
world are shifting their ranges in an effort to escape a changing
climate.
The rapid buildup of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere is the source
of the problem. By burning ever-increasing quantities of coal, oil and
gas, we are choking our planet in a cloud of this pollution. If we
don't begin to act now to curb global warming, our children will live
in a world where the climate will be far less hospitable than it is
today.
The current Washington, D.C. administration has a Clogged Skies Policy
that does nothing more than give a pass to energy industries and other
corporations that spew killing toxins into our atmosphere. Current
administrators have given their plan a different name, but I choose to
call it EXACTLY what it is: THE CLOGGED SKIES POLICY. For you
see, this current administration is WEAK when it comes to keeping
cancer-causing, asthma-inducing products out of our lives. The
businesses that choose to slide under the radar and not be progressive
and benevolent enough to do the right thing, are going to continue to
contribute to the ill health of us all.
So, are you asking yourself what you can do? Look around your
town, your county, your state, and nearby states to see where the
pollution in your area is coming from. Then take action. It
is as close as looking in your own backyard.
For more information and to see what you can do to alleviate this problem, go to: www.sierraclub.org/globalwarming/overview/
See also the September 2004 issue of National Geographic or go to their site: www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine
Friday, December 24
Happy Holidays, and Have a Green Christmas!
by
Linda Thieman
on Fri 24 Dec 2004 11:10 AM CST
 Happy Holidays, and Have a Green Christmas!
The Associated Press
So,
the AP actually DOES have more on its mind than stumping for the
wasteful, sinful, slothful GOP agenda. Happy Holidays!
Careful
planning during the holidays can reduce the amount of waste that ends
up in landfills. The following are a few environmentally friendly
suggestions:
• Buy
toys that don't use batteries or buy rechargeable batteries to go with
new electronic toys. Information on disposing of batteries is available
on www.rbrc.org.
• Buy living gifts, like houseplants, garden seeds or potted trees that can be transplanted in the spring.
• Reuse
holiday wrapping, or use old maps or comic pages from the Sunday paper
for wrapping gifts. Put gifts in decorative tins or boxes instead of
throwaway wrapping materials. Use and reuse decorative gift bags.
• Use
your imagination in trimming the tree or yard for the holidays. Take
time to recondition strings of lights that may only need a few bulbs.
Create ornaments out of items that can be painted or decorated for a
new look.
• To
compensate for the harvest of your Christmas tree, arrange to plant a
new tree next spring. Or, consider using a durable artificial tree. Try
reusing old artificial trees in outdoor holiday displays.
•
Recycle cardboard boxes or better yet, save boxes and bows for reuse
next year. It can be a surprise to find that the gift inside is not
what is pictured on the box.
And DFIA Environmentalist Molly Regan
reminds us that gift-wrap, holiday cards, envelopes with foil linings,
and gift bows are not recyclable. Some of these items contain metallic
inks and excessive tape, which prevent them from being recycled.
Rather than throwing these items in the trash, why not avoid using them
altogether? It's never to late to change old habits!
Happy Holidays!
Thursday, December 23
Socially Responsible Investing
by
Linda Thieman
on Thu 23 Dec 2004 12:32 PM CST
 Socially Responsible Investing
Union of Concerned Scientists
Many
people do their part for the environment by driving a fuel-efficient
car, buying organic foods, or using energy-efficient appliances. You
can also promote environmental values through socially responsible
investing (SRI), also known as “green” investing. SRI gives
corporations an incentive to improve their environmental stewardship
and can also provide investors with a more secure financial future — a
“double bottom line.”
Though
socially responsible stocks have a reputation for poor performance,
recent data from Lipper, a fund tracking and research firm, show that
returns from SRI funds are now competitive with — and, in some cases,
have even outperformed — the overall stock market.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re preparing to become a socially responsible investor:
Mutual Funds
Mutual
funds pool the money of multiple shareholders and invest it in the
stocks of corporations that meet certain criteria; investors then share
the fund’s gains and losses. In the case of green investing, the
companies chosen to make up the fund have been screened according to
environmental, social, and/or political criteria.
The
success of mutual funds is measured against an index — a collection of
stocks meant to represent the overall stock market or a specific
segment of the market (SRI in this case). Mutual funds known as index
funds simply attempt to duplicate the performance of a particular
index; the Calvert Social Index, for example, is a socially responsible
index fund.
Screening Criteria
When
selecting a socially responsible mutual fund, it is important to know
the business sectors in which the fund invests and the method it uses
to screen corporations. Negative screens, for example, exclude
companies that behave in an unacceptable manner or develop products
that investors do not wish to support, such as tobacco, casinos,
alcohol, weapons, or nuclear energy. Positive screens give recognition
to companies that engage in issues such as conservation, civil rights,
labor relations, or animal rights.
One fund
might choose to invest in renewable energy corporations exclusively,
while another might invest in any company except those that produce
weapons. The Pax World Balanced Fund uses both positive and negative
screens to invest in businesses that provide life-supporting goods and
services such as health care, pollution control, and education.
Comparing Funds
Several
websites can help you compare mutual funds and choose which ones are
right for you. Calvert’s “Know What You Own” service lets you run the
holdings of various funds through the screens used by its Calvert
Social Index. The nonprofit Social Investment Forum lets you compare
the screens used by different funds and presents the distinctions in an
easy-to-follow chart.
Please note: The
fund names and services mentioned in this article are used for
identification purposes only and do not imply endorsement. UCS is not
responsible for any investments made as a result of the information
provided in this article.
(For further information on socially-responsible investing, click here.)
Wednesday, December 22
One Senator Needed for January 6th Challenge
by
Trish Nelson
on Wed 22 Dec 2004 06:51 AM CST
 One Senator Needed for January 6th Challenge
pdamerica.org
We all
remember that early scene in Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, where
one African American after another stands up in the well of the House
of Representatives to challenge the 2000 Florida vote, only to be ruled out of order
due to the lack of a single signature from a single Senator.
Not this time.
On
January 6, 2005, the House and Senate will once again meet to consider
the electoral vote count. And once again, that vote count is likely to
be challenged by a group of progressive House members, who will make
the case that the misallocation of voting machines (especially in
Ohio), the abuse of provisional balloting in numerous states, and the
refusal and/or inability to conduct the recount in an open and
auditable manner in Ohio, in Florida, and in so many other key states,
mean that the certified electors should not be seated.
This
time, we want several U.S. Senators to join with them, to make a
serious voting rights challenge that the entire world will hear. This
time, we want so much polite-but-firm grassroots contact from
progressive voters beforehand that a whole group of Senators will
choose to stand up and fight for the voting rights of
African-Americans, Latinos, and youth voters that the Republican Party
targeted for disruption and disenfranchisement in the 2004 election.
Some who
need to hear from us are new, such as Barak Obama of Illinois and Ken
Salazar of Colorado. These new Senators could use cover from the new
leadership of the Senate, especially Dick Durbin, who also hails from
Obama's home state.
Some
Senators depend on African American and Latino votes to be elected, and
thus could be expected to stand up tall when voting rights issues are
on the line, including Joe Biden of Delaware, Carl Levin of Michigan,
Bill Nelson of Florida, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Jeff Bingaman of
New Mexico, Barbara Mikulski and Paul Sarbanes of Maryland, Jon Corzine
and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey.
Senator
Byrd of West Virginia was once a Klansman; but his eloquent leadership
against the Iraq War has inspired us all, and he has the courage and
fortitude to cap his career with an outspoken battle on behalf of
abused African American voters. Senator Lieberman of Connecticut
rightfully brags about his youthful efforts to register voters in the
Old South in the 1960s; on 1/6/05, he will have the chance to
demonstrate that his youthful idealism still survives.
There
are Senators who are safe, and could do the right thing - like Chris
Dodd of Connecticut, Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, Charles Schumer of New
York, Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, and Herb Kohl of Wisconsin.
There is
Jim Jeffords of Vermont, an Independent who was brave enough to stand
up to the Bush White House once before. There is Senator Lincoln
Chafee, a Republican in a solid Democratic state, the namesake of
Lincoln, a moderate caught in a far right party.
And, of course, there is John Kerry.
To
remind them why they're in Washington, click here. Ask them to stand
for every American's right to vote (and have it counted.)
Go to pdamerica.org to take action.
Thank you for forwarding this action alert to your networks.
Standing tall in solidarity,
Tim Carpenter
Progressive Democrats of America
email: info@pdamerica.org
phone: (877) 368-9221
web: www.pdamerica.org
 Join your fellow Iowans in the fight to take back the media for ordinary citizens. Click here to join RapidResponse - Iowa.
Monday, December 20
Bush Propaganda Machine Takes Aim at Social Security
by
Trish Nelson
on Mon 20 Dec 2004 09:26 AM CST
 Bush Propaganda Machine Takes Aim at Social Security
Brace yourself for more Orwellian doublespeak, sleight of hand, smoke
and mirrors and bald-faced lies, as the Bushies launch their public
relations campaign to drum up popular support for dismantling…er, I
mean privatizing, Social Security. Progressives have
another opportunity to watch helplessly as the Bushies continue
getting away with saying down is up and black is white. If all
goes according to plan, and with help from the compliant media, no one will notice what is being taken from
them in broad daylight.
Groups with friendly, politically-correct
sounding names such as For our Grandchildren, Alliance for Worker
Retirement Security, Women for Social Security Choice [get
it? women…choice…oh, they are shameless!] are all part of the
strategy to convince the country that we need to rid ourselves of that
dastardly program, Social Security. And to add insult to injury,
they call themselves grassroots organizations while receiving
funding from such groups as right-wing zealots, Club for Growth (the one
they’re willing to name)…Read on. Then write a letter to your
local newspaper.
Help reframe this issue for the asleep-at-the-wheel media by calling it
what it is. This is not about reform, updating, reshaping or overhaul:
this is an attempt to dismantle, undo, take down, rob, destroy, Social
Security, a government program that works.
New York Times
By Edmund L. Andrews
WASHINGTON, Dec. 16
- Introduced as a "single mom" from Iowa, Sandra Jaques was cool and
confident as she praised Bush's plan to partly replace Social
Security with private savings accounts.
But Ms.
Jaques is not any random single mother. She is the Iowa state director
of a conservative advocacy group, FreedomWorks, whose founders are Jack
F. Kemp, the former vice-presidential nominee, and Dick Armey, the
former House Republican leader.
[Another
advocate for private accounts] Leanne Abdnor said she had raised
start-up money from friends, whom she would not identify. She said the
group would wage a publicity campaign to counter groups that oppose
private accounts.
Support
for overhauling Social Security also comes from numerous self-described
grass-roots organizations: For Our Grandchildren, which employed Ms.
Jaques as a director in Iowa; SocialSecurityChoice.org, backed by
pro-business political groups like Club for Growth; and USANext, a
Virginia-based group run by Charles Jarvis, a former Reagan
administration official.
(click here to read the entire article)
Join your fellow Iowans in the fight to take back the media for ordinary citizens. Click here to join RapidResponse - Iowa.
Sunday, December 19
Recycle 'Til You Drop!
by
Molly Regan
on Sun 19 Dec 2004 02:08 PM CST
 Recycle 'Til You Drop!
Waste Commissions In Your Area
There
once was a girl name' of
ANN
Who'd recycle every jar, every
can
'cycling cartons and
boxes
And papers and
watches
Such a good little example this girl name' of Ann
Did you know the recycled cardboard that your cereal comes in used only
1/4 the energy to make and also only created 1/2 the pollution as a
newly made box?
Besides decreased
energy use and pollution reduction, another advantage is the resultant
pride knowing you are contributing to the welfare of your community and
state. It can also be a chance to create a family project at home or
with your friends. See who can recycle the most as well as
purchase recycled items. List items that you find are made by recycling
means. This can be something we ALL can work on every day of our
lives.
From a recycled garden in Davenport on North
Carey Avenue above 53rd Street, to a Davenport resident winning a car
for her years of recycling, IOWANS are doing their part to make our
state a cleaner state.
So what can recycling do for you and what can you do for
recycling? Park benches, rugs, goggles and fiber for filling ski
jackets are just a few items that can be made from recycled
plastics. Used aluminum and steel have each found a second life
as bikes, cookware, and cars.
Every county in IOWA should have a WASTE COMMISSION. Check out your
government listings. Here in SCOTT COUNTY you can go to
www.wastecom.com to find more
information. Or you can contact them at
WASTE COMMISSION OF SCOTT COUNTY/PO BOX 563 BUFFALO, IOWA 52728/(563)
381-1300/ or FAX 381-1301...Love, Peace, Happy Holidays.... Please,
remember to CPR: CONSERVE, PARTICIPATE, &
RECYCLE.
Saturday, December 18
Keep Corporate Bias off Local News: Take Back the Media from Sinclair Broadcasting
by
Trish Nelson
on Sat 18 Dec 2004 11:40 AM CST
Keep Corporate Bias off Local News: Take Back the Media from Sinclair Broadcasting
MoveOn.Org, MediaMatters, Iowa Rapid Response
Please join us in the fight to take back our public airwaves from corporate special interests!
Before the election, we stopped Sinclair Broadcasting from
airing an anti-Kerry hit piece. Sinclair continues to interject partisan bias into local
evening news reaching 1 in 4 homes.
Every night, Sinclair vice president Mark Hyman broadcasts a
conservative rant - called "The Point" - which most of Sinclair's
62 stations are required to air during their local news. "The Point"
predictably attacks Democrats and progressives while praising George Bush. No
counterpoint is offered. This is an abuse of the public airwaves.
Our friends at Media Matters for America
are spearheading a campaign to demand balance on Sinclair's evening news by
telling Sinclair's advertisers about the partisanship they're supporting.
Can you contact Sinclair's local and national advertisers?
Click here to visit the new website, SinclairAction.com: You can tell advertisers how Sinclair's "The
Point" interjects partisan commentary into the evening news program they
sponsor, reflecting poorly on their product. We are not suggesting a boycott of
these advertisers. Rather, we are hoping these advertisers, as good corporate
citizens, will persuade Sinclair to include a counterpoint.
Sinclair's partisan bias is not new. In April, Sinclair
forbade its stations from airing an ABC Nightline special [The Fallen] honoring the 700
American soldiers killed in Iraq.
Explaining its decision, Sinclair declared: "We do not believe political
statements should be disguised as news content."
DEC 16th, 2004
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Iowa Rapid Response: You can help in Iowa by contacting the following Iowa Sinclair Affiliates:
Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Dubuque: KGAN Channel 2
e-mail address: kgan@kgan.com
Ph. 800-642-6140 toll free or 319-395-9060
Ames, Des Moines: KDSM Fox 17
e-mail address: comments@kdsm17.com
Ph: 515-287-1717 or FAX: 515-287-0064
NOTE: Sinclair also has outsourcing agreements with stations that
aren’t on the list referenced below (e.g., KFXA and KFXB in Dubuque and
Cedar Rapids, Iowa). These stations also carry Sinclair
newscasts. You can e-mail KFXA/KFXB: fox2840@fox2840.com or
call 319-393-2800
If
you live in these broadcast areas, watch Mark Hyman tonight at the end
of the 10:00 news. We guarantee you will be moved to action!
Resources:
KGAN Advertisers
There are no KDSM advertisers up on the site yet. If you can identify some, click here to post.
For a complete list of Iowa newspapers, click here .
For a list of Sinclair owned and/or operated stations click here.
If you’re looking for some ideas for responding to “The Point,” visit "The Counterpoint"
Join your fellow Iowans in the fight to take back the media for ordinary citizens. Click here to join RapidResponse - Iowa.
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