May 28th
Rain is heading our way. So much for the sunshine of yesterday.
After all of the chores were completed we went for a walk at one of our local park like areas. It was a nice walk in which we got immersed into nature.
After returning I sat down and did a bit of knitting. Periodically, Dearest would appear and tell me science related jokes. One made me giggle and the rest gave me smiles. When I counted my stitches after reaching a certain point I was right on track. After reaching a second point, I counted again and found I had one more repeat than the pattern called for. Now how did that happen? I blame it on the science jokes. This is what it looks like at the moment unblocked.
And stretched out
All in all, it was a nice quiet weekend. Until a few moments ago I believed I had gotten everything on the list done. I forgot to plant my celery. Hrumph! I think I will try to get it into the ground before it starts to rain. When I looked at the garden yesterday was surprised to see that the tomatoes had more than double in size even with all of the cold weather and contain multiple blooms already.
The house still smells like last night’s dinner. I am of two minds about this. It was a good dinner but do I still want the aroma hanging around the next day?
On other things the ants are back and the peppermint spray has come out of the closet.
I have to get moving so have a great day!
Petitions
Tell you Senators to repeal the Monsanto Protection Act
http://act.credoaction.com/sign/monsanto_protection_act
This week, House Republicans are putting forward a bill called the "Northern Route Approval Act." This bill overrides the President's authority to make decisions on the Keystone XL Pipeline.
Whatever you think about the Keystone Pipeline, this bill is blatantly unconstitutional. The Constitution provides for a legislative branch, which creates legislation -- laws of general application. It also provides for an executive branch, which executes the laws. This is known as the separation of powers. The bill that the Republicans are putting forward is a clear violation of this principle.
The bill does one more thing: it bestows special favors on a foreign oil company, TransCanada. It lets the corporation build the Keystone XL pipeline without going through normal government approval processes, and even gives TransCanada a free right-of-way worth millions of dollars. House Republicans have said they want to get rid of Congressional earmarks. Yet here they are, bestowing an earmark anyway.
Read Grayson’s letter:
http://graysonforcongress.com/sites/default/files/LettertoSpeaker5-21-13.pdf
The Wounded Knee site has been held sacred by the Lakota Sioux since the horrific massacre that happened there in 1890. Now, it's in danger of being sold to the highest bidder, including someone who would build a horse slaughterhouse on the plot.
The current owner has offered to sell the site to its rightful owners, the nearby Oglala tribe, for the cool price of $3.9 million. But The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, just a few miles from where Wounded Knee is located, is one of the poorest places in the country. To build a horse slaughterhouse on their sacred site after everything the tribe has already suffered would be unthinkable.
http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AhnMh/zNI6/3R2f
Recommended Reading
***How Government Cover-Up on Fish Farming Affects Your Health - Canada has a problem. It’s lengthy but worth the watch.
These Self-Assembling Nanoflowers Are As Beautiful As They Are Tiny
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-05/these-self-assembling-nanoflowers-are-as-beautiful-as-they-are-tiny
Ohio School District May Add Glenn Beck Conspiracy Theories To Curriculum - WTF?
http://www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/ohio-school-district-may-add-glenn-beck-conspiracy-theories-curriculum?akid=10489.308485.1_DKXV&rd=1&src=newsletter846370&t=9
Centuries-old frozen plants revived - kinda makes you wonder what else may pop out from underneath the ice.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22656239
In pictures: Global flight paths
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-22657086
Coronavirus death reported in France
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22691699
Facebook sexism campaign attracts thousands online
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22689522
Thick Sydney fog causes travel disruption
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22687267
Showcasing creative coffin designs in UK
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22685405
New York launches bike share scheme 10 months late
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22683267
Renewable energy: Why burn US trees in UK power stations?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22630816
Webscape: Video editing software for Hollywood movies
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-radio-and-tv-22647070
Hidden Shakespeare haunts in the capital
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22690120
Petitions that need your signature
And now a word about Monsanto and others like them. These profit-hungry biotech companies have found a way to exclusively ‘own’ something that freely belongs to us all -- our food! They’re trying to patent away our everyday vegetables and fruits like cucumber, broccoli and melons, forcing growers to pay them and risk being sued if they don’t.
Companies like Monsanto have found loopholes in European law to get away with this, so we just need to close them shut before they set a dangerous global precedent. And to do that, we need key countries like Germany, France and the Netherlands -- where opposition is already growing -- to call for a vote to stop Monsanto’s plans. Go sign the petition.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/monsanto_vs_mother_earth_loc/?bjeIjab&v=23911
Tell Nestlé: Stop trying to patent a natural cure
In a paper published last year, Nestlé scientists claimed to “discover” what much of the world has known for millennia: that nigella sativa extract could be used for “nutritional interventions in humans with food allergy”.
But instead of creating an artificial substitute, or fighting to make sure the remedy was widely available, Nestlé is attempting to create a nigella sativa monopoly and gain the ability to sue anyone using it without Nestlé’s permission. Nestlé has filed patent applications -- which are currently pending -- around the world.
Sing the petition: http://action.sumofus.org/a/nestle-nigella-sativa/11/2/?akid=1601.65932.w0DNPx&rd=1&sub=fwd3&t=4
Maddow features PCCC activism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7LANHts78c
Tell Congress Social Security is non-negotiable.
http://act.couragecampaign.org/sign/standwithbernie
Amazon is at it again! Please go sign this petition. It is not fair for those of us who make our living by writing. Authors are not libraries and while most of us enjoy the social side of writing we do this to pay our bills. If some one returns an ebook after reading it our royalties get reduced.
I just signed the petition "Amazon Kindle e-Book Return Policy: Stop allowing refunds on e-Books after e-Books have been read." on Change.org. It's important. Here's the link: http://www.change.org/petitions/amazon-kindle-e-book-return-policy-stop-allowing-refunds-on-e-books-after-e-books-have-been-read
North Dakota just passed the most extreme abortion ban in the country. It's just one of some 300 bills across the country designed to take away women's rights and access to health care -- and ultimately to overturn Roe vs. Wade. Don't let lawmakers get away with it, take action today:
http://ppaction.org/WakeUpCall
Click here to tell Obama to veto CISPA:
http://act.demandprogress.org/letter/veto_cispa/?referring_akid=a8234599.655732.Af5Ve3&source=auto-taf
AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon have all agreed to start spying on their users.
The US's largest Internet Service Providers are implementing a new "online infringement" plan to identify and punish, with virtually no due process, users suspected of downloading copyrighted content.
https://act.demandprogress.org/letter/six_strikes_2013/?rd=1&t=1&referring_akid=undefined
Remember CISPA? Well, it’s back - sign the petition
http://www.cispaisback.com/
Oppose Seismic Surveys in the Atlantic - sign it please
http://action.surfrider.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=6937
Tell Congress to Dump Monsanto's Riders!
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=8644
Bury Power Lines in Cities and Towns, Prevent Long-Lasting Outages, Improve National Security
http://signon.org/sign/bury-power-lines-in-cities?mailing_id=7341&source=s.icn.em.cr&r_by=913515
Protect Global Internet Freedom - go sign the petition
http://protectinternetfreedom.net/
The Sierra Club has a variety of actions to be taken. Just follow the link.
Send the congress a letter here: http://action.sierraclub.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=9962
Do you really own the smartphone or computer you’re using to read this email?
If you sold your computer, would you be breaking the law? A federal court in New York says you would be.
It's unbelievable, but trademark and copyright holders really are trying to take away your right to sell things that you own. Please click here to fight back:
http://www.youvebeenowned.org/
The First-Sale Doctrine gives us the right to sell most property we own. But if the Supreme Court supports the lower court’s decision, we won't really “own” anything if it's from a different country. We expect them to issue a ruling later this year.
The President can urge the Court to side with consumers; then Congress will probably weigh in on the issue, no matter how the Court rules.
If we lose this fight, anybody who wants to resell foreign products, from Macbooks and iPhones to our clothing and textbooks, will have to ask copyright holders for permission first. And they'll have the right to deny it!
It's bad for so many reasons: It'll undermine Craigslist and Ebay, hurt the environment, increase incentives for manufacturers to move jobs off-shore, and effectively ban the traditional American yard sale. Just click here to email your lawmakers right away:
http://www.youvebeenowned.org/
There are two very bad internet bills that you need to be aware of. The first concerns making streaming content a felony. Read about it here:
http://act.demandprogress.org/letter/ten_strikes?akid=700.450896.5hVZPC&rd=1&t=1
and the second is the Protect-IP Act that gives the government power to censor search engines and browsers. Read more about it here:
http://act.demandprogress.org/sign/protectip_docs
Both of the above pages have a petition to sign so please do so.
The non-existent tags
weather, knitting, gardening, global warming, environment, politics, Repugs, scumbags, quilting, petitions, CISPA, health, Exxon, oil spills, Monsanto, evil, people, oops!, tar sands, privacy, fish, nanoflowers, photography, design, transport, technology, fun stuff
Change the world one loan at a time - visit http://www.Kiva.org to find out how
After all of the chores were completed we went for a walk at one of our local park like areas. It was a nice walk in which we got immersed into nature.
After returning I sat down and did a bit of knitting. Periodically, Dearest would appear and tell me science related jokes. One made me giggle and the rest gave me smiles. When I counted my stitches after reaching a certain point I was right on track. After reaching a second point, I counted again and found I had one more repeat than the pattern called for. Now how did that happen? I blame it on the science jokes. This is what it looks like at the moment unblocked.
And stretched out
All in all, it was a nice quiet weekend. Until a few moments ago I believed I had gotten everything on the list done. I forgot to plant my celery. Hrumph! I think I will try to get it into the ground before it starts to rain. When I looked at the garden yesterday was surprised to see that the tomatoes had more than double in size even with all of the cold weather and contain multiple blooms already.
The house still smells like last night’s dinner. I am of two minds about this. It was a good dinner but do I still want the aroma hanging around the next day?
On other things the ants are back and the peppermint spray has come out of the closet.
I have to get moving so have a great day!
Petitions
Tell you Senators to repeal the Monsanto Protection Act
http://act.credoaction.com/sign/monsanto_protection_act
This week, House Republicans are putting forward a bill called the "Northern Route Approval Act." This bill overrides the President's authority to make decisions on the Keystone XL Pipeline.
Whatever you think about the Keystone Pipeline, this bill is blatantly unconstitutional. The Constitution provides for a legislative branch, which creates legislation -- laws of general application. It also provides for an executive branch, which executes the laws. This is known as the separation of powers. The bill that the Republicans are putting forward is a clear violation of this principle.
The bill does one more thing: it bestows special favors on a foreign oil company, TransCanada. It lets the corporation build the Keystone XL pipeline without going through normal government approval processes, and even gives TransCanada a free right-of-way worth millions of dollars. House Republicans have said they want to get rid of Congressional earmarks. Yet here they are, bestowing an earmark anyway.
Read Grayson’s letter:
http://graysonforcongress.com/sites/default/files/LettertoSpeaker5-21-13.pdf
The Wounded Knee site has been held sacred by the Lakota Sioux since the horrific massacre that happened there in 1890. Now, it's in danger of being sold to the highest bidder, including someone who would build a horse slaughterhouse on the plot.
The current owner has offered to sell the site to its rightful owners, the nearby Oglala tribe, for the cool price of $3.9 million. But The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, just a few miles from where Wounded Knee is located, is one of the poorest places in the country. To build a horse slaughterhouse on their sacred site after everything the tribe has already suffered would be unthinkable.
http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AhnMh/zNI6/3R2f
Recommended Reading
***How Government Cover-Up on Fish Farming Affects Your Health - Canada has a problem. It’s lengthy but worth the watch.
These Self-Assembling Nanoflowers Are As Beautiful As They Are Tiny
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-05/these-self-assembling-nanoflowers-are-as-beautiful-as-they-are-tiny
Ohio School District May Add Glenn Beck Conspiracy Theories To Curriculum - WTF?
http://www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/ohio-school-district-may-add-glenn-beck-conspiracy-theories-curriculum?akid=10489.308485.1_DKXV&rd=1&src=newsletter846370&t=9
Centuries-old frozen plants revived - kinda makes you wonder what else may pop out from underneath the ice.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22656239
In pictures: Global flight paths
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-22657086
Coronavirus death reported in France
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22691699
Facebook sexism campaign attracts thousands online
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22689522
Thick Sydney fog causes travel disruption
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22687267
Showcasing creative coffin designs in UK
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22685405
New York launches bike share scheme 10 months late
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22683267
Renewable energy: Why burn US trees in UK power stations?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22630816
Webscape: Video editing software for Hollywood movies
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-radio-and-tv-22647070
Hidden Shakespeare haunts in the capital
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22690120
Petitions that need your signature
And now a word about Monsanto and others like them. These profit-hungry biotech companies have found a way to exclusively ‘own’ something that freely belongs to us all -- our food! They’re trying to patent away our everyday vegetables and fruits like cucumber, broccoli and melons, forcing growers to pay them and risk being sued if they don’t.
Companies like Monsanto have found loopholes in European law to get away with this, so we just need to close them shut before they set a dangerous global precedent. And to do that, we need key countries like Germany, France and the Netherlands -- where opposition is already growing -- to call for a vote to stop Monsanto’s plans. Go sign the petition.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/monsanto_vs_mother_earth_loc/?bjeIjab&v=23911
Tell Nestlé: Stop trying to patent a natural cure
In a paper published last year, Nestlé scientists claimed to “discover” what much of the world has known for millennia: that nigella sativa extract could be used for “nutritional interventions in humans with food allergy”.
But instead of creating an artificial substitute, or fighting to make sure the remedy was widely available, Nestlé is attempting to create a nigella sativa monopoly and gain the ability to sue anyone using it without Nestlé’s permission. Nestlé has filed patent applications -- which are currently pending -- around the world.
Sing the petition: http://action.sumofus.org/a/nestle-nigella-sativa/11/2/?akid=1601.65932.w0DNPx&rd=1&sub=fwd3&t=4
Maddow features PCCC activism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7LANHts78c
Tell Congress Social Security is non-negotiable.
http://act.couragecampaign.org/sign/standwithbernie
Amazon is at it again! Please go sign this petition. It is not fair for those of us who make our living by writing. Authors are not libraries and while most of us enjoy the social side of writing we do this to pay our bills. If some one returns an ebook after reading it our royalties get reduced.
I just signed the petition "Amazon Kindle e-Book Return Policy: Stop allowing refunds on e-Books after e-Books have been read." on Change.org. It's important. Here's the link: http://www.change.org/petitions/amazon-kindle-e-book-return-policy-stop-allowing-refunds-on-e-books-after-e-books-have-been-read
North Dakota just passed the most extreme abortion ban in the country. It's just one of some 300 bills across the country designed to take away women's rights and access to health care -- and ultimately to overturn Roe vs. Wade. Don't let lawmakers get away with it, take action today:
http://ppaction.org/WakeUpCall
Click here to tell Obama to veto CISPA:
http://act.demandprogress.org/letter/veto_cispa/?referring_akid=a8234599.655732.Af5Ve3&source=auto-taf
AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon have all agreed to start spying on their users.
The US's largest Internet Service Providers are implementing a new "online infringement" plan to identify and punish, with virtually no due process, users suspected of downloading copyrighted content.
https://act.demandprogress.org/letter/six_strikes_2013/?rd=1&t=1&referring_akid=undefined
Remember CISPA? Well, it’s back - sign the petition
http://www.cispaisback.com/
Oppose Seismic Surveys in the Atlantic - sign it please
http://action.surfrider.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=6937
Tell Congress to Dump Monsanto's Riders!
http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=8644
Bury Power Lines in Cities and Towns, Prevent Long-Lasting Outages, Improve National Security
http://signon.org/sign/bury-power-lines-in-cities?mailing_id=7341&source=s.icn.em.cr&r_by=913515
Protect Global Internet Freedom - go sign the petition
http://protectinternetfreedom.net/
The Sierra Club has a variety of actions to be taken. Just follow the link.
Send the congress a letter here: http://action.sierraclub.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=9962
Do you really own the smartphone or computer you’re using to read this email?
If you sold your computer, would you be breaking the law? A federal court in New York says you would be.
It's unbelievable, but trademark and copyright holders really are trying to take away your right to sell things that you own. Please click here to fight back:
http://www.youvebeenowned.org/
The First-Sale Doctrine gives us the right to sell most property we own. But if the Supreme Court supports the lower court’s decision, we won't really “own” anything if it's from a different country. We expect them to issue a ruling later this year.
The President can urge the Court to side with consumers; then Congress will probably weigh in on the issue, no matter how the Court rules.
If we lose this fight, anybody who wants to resell foreign products, from Macbooks and iPhones to our clothing and textbooks, will have to ask copyright holders for permission first. And they'll have the right to deny it!
It's bad for so many reasons: It'll undermine Craigslist and Ebay, hurt the environment, increase incentives for manufacturers to move jobs off-shore, and effectively ban the traditional American yard sale. Just click here to email your lawmakers right away:
http://www.youvebeenowned.org/
There are two very bad internet bills that you need to be aware of. The first concerns making streaming content a felony. Read about it here:
http://act.demandprogress.org/letter/ten_strikes?akid=700.450896.5hVZPC&rd=1&t=1
and the second is the Protect-IP Act that gives the government power to censor search engines and browsers. Read more about it here:
http://act.demandprogress.org/sign/protectip_docs
Both of the above pages have a petition to sign so please do so.
The non-existent tags
weather, knitting, gardening, global warming, environment, politics, Repugs, scumbags, quilting, petitions, CISPA, health, Exxon, oil spills, Monsanto, evil, people, oops!, tar sands, privacy, fish, nanoflowers, photography, design, transport, technology, fun stuff
Change the world one loan at a time - visit http://www.Kiva.org to find out how