August 29th
It rained and then rained again yesterday. We had so much thunder and lightening at one point that I just shut down the computer and found other things to do around the house until it eased off.
This weather certainly screwed up the tennis schedule and I was still watching at 12 AM but decided to put myself to bed. Still don’t know who won the women’s match.
It is overcast today but it doesn’t look like we will be revisited by rain, at least not yet. :)
While I was on rain delay yesterday I made a large bowl of potato salad to go with what ever we decided to have for dinner. It worked out well and I must confess that I over indulged a bit. Yum!
Clara Parkes has a new book out, The Yarn Whisperer. Want to hear Clara read a bit?
http://www.knittersreview.com/clarabooks/The_Yarn_Whisperer_Excerpt.mp3
Knitting continues on the Foxtrot Veil of Shadows shawl and One diamond is just about complete.
I am slow to get moving today which I am going to blame on the weather related headache. Dearest is lagging a bit too so I am not alone in this. Ok, I’m off to get a few things done. Have a good one!
A Very Good Idea!
Go sign the petition:
http://climatenamechange.org/
The Commerce Dept's Internet Policy Task Force proposed making it a felony to stream copyrighted content (aka SOPA Section 201).
Interpreted broadly, this proposal would apply to anyone who uploads a YouTube video of themselves covering a song without permission, a video with copyrighted music playing in the background, even your friend's embarassing karoake performance or your family singing "Happy Birthday To You."
The federal government wants to make streaming -- including material which falls under the "public performance" category -- punishable by years in prison.
As was pointed out last time they tried this, many artists depend on uploading YouTube covers to jumpstart their careers (including the young Justin Beiber...), and many others enjoy streaming creative interpretations of existing songs on their own websites or blogs. This proposal would make both subject to felony prosecution.
Click here to tell Obama NO to making streaming a felony, and NO new SOPA-style censorship: http://act.demandprogress.org/sign/streaming/?referring_akid=2268.655732.bYRpA8&source=taf
Recommended Reading
Remember this from an earlier post?
Well, here is an example of what is happening.
Mummies burn as Egyptian museum latest casualty of turmoil
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/4039332-mummies-burn-as-egyptian-museum-latest-casualty-of-turmoil/
Minister said "Threats to vandalise Luxor & Karnak temples, Armoured vehicles stationed for security." Really?! - apparently not
http://luxortimesmagazine.blogspot.nl/2013/08/minister-said-threats-to-vandalise.html
Egypt is in a state of turmoil. Life is lost while the people of Egypt continue to fight for democracy and freedom. But while the safety of human life is our first priority, there is another aspect of humanity that we must not forget: Egypt’s cultural heritage. Why? Because “wars end, and shattered lives, communities and societies must be rebuilt.” (Nature, Vol 423, 29 May 2003). In the last few days, the situation has drastically worsened: the Mallawi Museum has been looted, churches are being burned, archaeological sites and museums have been closed indefinitely and the lands surrounding the pyramids at Giza and Dahshur remains peppered with holes dug by looters.
http://www.savingantiquities.org/say-yes-to-egypts-heritage/
Miniature 'human brain' grown in lab
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23863544
Ant Hunting in a Rare Illinois Sand Prairie
http://myrmecos.net/2013/08/23/ant-hunting-in-a-rare-illinois-sand-prairie/
This 1,600-Year-Old Goblet Shows that the Romans Were Nanotechnology Pioneers
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/This-1600-Year-Old-Goblet-Shows-that-the-Romans-Were-Nanotechnology-Pioneers-220563661.html
African American Amputee Assaulted and Mocked by Cops in Nebraska
http://www.alternet.org/investigations/african-american-amputee-assaulted-and-mocked-cops-nebraska?akid=10857.204376.POihMx&rd=1&src=newsletter888821&t=7
Nutrition Labels Aimed to Dupe Consumers-And How to Tell What You're Really Eating
http://www.alternet.org/food/nutrition-labels-dupe-consumers?akid=10856.204376.mik73u&rd=1&src=newsletter888467&t=5
Will NSA Metadata Be Used to Blackmail You?
http://truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/item/18166-will-nsa-metadata-be-used-to-blackmail-you
NYPD DESIGNATES MOSQUES AS TERRORISM ORGANIZATIONS
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/nypd-designates-mosques-terrorism-organizations
The Shocking Tales of 11 of the Most Over the Top US Police Paramilitary Raids and the Innocent People They Victimized
http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/shocking-tales-12-most-over-top-us-police-paramilitary-raids-and-innocent-people?akid=10859.204376.blHhLm&rd=1&src=newsletter889047&t=6
Annie Leonard: We Should Not Buy Artifacts of Indulgence and Disposability: How About Well-Made, and Doesn't Trash the Planet?
http://www.alternet.org/environment/annie-leonard-we-should-not-buy-artifacts-indulgence-and-disposability-how-about-well?akid=10859.204376.blHhLm&rd=1&src=newsletter889047&t=9
East Antarctic ice sheet 'vulnerable' to temperature changes
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23868841
Earth life 'may have come from Mars'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23872765
Ancient artefacts found in melting snow
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23849332
Pearl Witherington: British spy who fought the Nazis
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23845199
Glimpse at unseen museum exhibits
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23876275
Huge waterspout spotted off Croatian coast
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23881424
Are local dialects dying out?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23876422
It is best that you watch this:
'We're building a domestic army' -Marine Corps colonel speaks out
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/08/15/1231397/--We-re-building-a-domestic-army-Marine-Corps-Colonel-speaks-out?detail=email
***How Government Cover-Up on Fish Farming Affects Your Health - Canada has a problem. It’s lengthy but worth the watch.
Petitions that need your signature
The USDA is about to slash regulations for poultry plants, saving big corporations millions at the expense of public health and workers’ safety.
If new rules are allowed to go into effect, poultry plants will be able to follow less stringent health and safety rules, speed up their production lines, and police themselves for any violations. That means that chicken will come doused with feces and bleach and that workers will be at greater risk of serious injury.
Now the only person who can reverse these regulations is President Obama. Will you join me in saying that these that these disgusting rules are unacceptable? http://action.sumofus.org/a/usda-chicken/2/?sub=taf
Rep. Darrell Issa is trying to pass a bill that would not only end Saturday delivery by the postal service, but also door-to-door mail service for millions. We must stop this outrageous attempt to kill the USPS and hand its business to FedEx and UPS. Go sign the petition:
http://act.credoaction.com/sign/issa_usps?akid=8606.952925.D3Dc4S&rd=1&t=2
They are at it again
The Texas Taliban - also known as the rightwing majority on the Texas State Board of Education - want to revise the state's standards for science textbooks to require the addition of religious pseudoscience when teaching subjects like biology. And this isn't just bad news for Texas school children because the Texas standards will impact the textbooks used by millions of students nationwide.
Texas may want to dumb-down their children by teaching them pseudoscience but I don’t want the children of my state to be taught this way. Tell textbook publishers to stand up to the Texas Taliban and only publish books that are based on sound, peer-reviewed science scholarship. Click the link below to sign the petition automatically:
http://act.credoaction.com/sign/texas_taliban/?sp_ref=7570952.4.422.e.0.2&referring_akid=8622.952925.lJjLf7&source=mailto_sp
The Mind Your Own Business Act
http://mindyourownbusinessact.com/?source=Jun13Email
America's top grocers are selling fake honey containing carcinogens, heavy metals, and banned antibiotics.
Get grocers to make sure they're selling us the real thing.
http://action.sumofus.org/a/honey-fake-walgreens/4/2/?akid=1806.65932.QE7P4I&rd=1&sub=fwd&t=3
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
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, tar sands, harassment, privacy, GMOs, fish, fracking, food, animals, WTF?, silliness, people, cultural heritage, media, stupids, tennis, technology, ants, police, archaeology, museums, exhibits, speech
Change the world one loan at a time - visit http://www.Kiva.org to find out how
This weather certainly screwed up the tennis schedule and I was still watching at 12 AM but decided to put myself to bed. Still don’t know who won the women’s match.
It is overcast today but it doesn’t look like we will be revisited by rain, at least not yet. :)
While I was on rain delay yesterday I made a large bowl of potato salad to go with what ever we decided to have for dinner. It worked out well and I must confess that I over indulged a bit. Yum!
Clara Parkes has a new book out, The Yarn Whisperer. Want to hear Clara read a bit?
http://www.knittersreview.com/clarabooks/The_Yarn_Whisperer_Excerpt.mp3
Knitting continues on the Foxtrot Veil of Shadows shawl and One diamond is just about complete.
I am slow to get moving today which I am going to blame on the weather related headache. Dearest is lagging a bit too so I am not alone in this. Ok, I’m off to get a few things done. Have a good one!
A Very Good Idea!
Click to viewGo sign the petition:
http://climatenamechange.org/
The Commerce Dept's Internet Policy Task Force proposed making it a felony to stream copyrighted content (aka SOPA Section 201).
Interpreted broadly, this proposal would apply to anyone who uploads a YouTube video of themselves covering a song without permission, a video with copyrighted music playing in the background, even your friend's embarassing karoake performance or your family singing "Happy Birthday To You."
The federal government wants to make streaming -- including material which falls under the "public performance" category -- punishable by years in prison.
As was pointed out last time they tried this, many artists depend on uploading YouTube covers to jumpstart their careers (including the young Justin Beiber...), and many others enjoy streaming creative interpretations of existing songs on their own websites or blogs. This proposal would make both subject to felony prosecution.
Click here to tell Obama NO to making streaming a felony, and NO new SOPA-style censorship: http://act.demandprogress.org/sign/streaming/?referring_akid=2268.655732.bYRpA8&source=taf
Recommended Reading
Remember this from an earlier post?
Well, here is an example of what is happening.
Mummies burn as Egyptian museum latest casualty of turmoil
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/4039332-mummies-burn-as-egyptian-museum-latest-casualty-of-turmoil/
Minister said "Threats to vandalise Luxor & Karnak temples, Armoured vehicles stationed for security." Really?! - apparently not
http://luxortimesmagazine.blogspot.nl/2013/08/minister-said-threats-to-vandalise.html
Egypt is in a state of turmoil. Life is lost while the people of Egypt continue to fight for democracy and freedom. But while the safety of human life is our first priority, there is another aspect of humanity that we must not forget: Egypt’s cultural heritage. Why? Because “wars end, and shattered lives, communities and societies must be rebuilt.” (Nature, Vol 423, 29 May 2003). In the last few days, the situation has drastically worsened: the Mallawi Museum has been looted, churches are being burned, archaeological sites and museums have been closed indefinitely and the lands surrounding the pyramids at Giza and Dahshur remains peppered with holes dug by looters.
http://www.savingantiquities.org/say-yes-to-egypts-heritage/
Miniature 'human brain' grown in lab
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23863544
Ant Hunting in a Rare Illinois Sand Prairie
http://myrmecos.net/2013/08/23/ant-hunting-in-a-rare-illinois-sand-prairie/
This 1,600-Year-Old Goblet Shows that the Romans Were Nanotechnology Pioneers
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/This-1600-Year-Old-Goblet-Shows-that-the-Romans-Were-Nanotechnology-Pioneers-220563661.html
African American Amputee Assaulted and Mocked by Cops in Nebraska
http://www.alternet.org/investigations/african-american-amputee-assaulted-and-mocked-cops-nebraska?akid=10857.204376.POihMx&rd=1&src=newsletter888821&t=7
Nutrition Labels Aimed to Dupe Consumers-And How to Tell What You're Really Eating
http://www.alternet.org/food/nutrition-labels-dupe-consumers?akid=10856.204376.mik73u&rd=1&src=newsletter888467&t=5
Will NSA Metadata Be Used to Blackmail You?
http://truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/item/18166-will-nsa-metadata-be-used-to-blackmail-you
NYPD DESIGNATES MOSQUES AS TERRORISM ORGANIZATIONS
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/nypd-designates-mosques-terrorism-organizations
The Shocking Tales of 11 of the Most Over the Top US Police Paramilitary Raids and the Innocent People They Victimized
http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/shocking-tales-12-most-over-top-us-police-paramilitary-raids-and-innocent-people?akid=10859.204376.blHhLm&rd=1&src=newsletter889047&t=6
Annie Leonard: We Should Not Buy Artifacts of Indulgence and Disposability: How About Well-Made, and Doesn't Trash the Planet?
http://www.alternet.org/environment/annie-leonard-we-should-not-buy-artifacts-indulgence-and-disposability-how-about-well?akid=10859.204376.blHhLm&rd=1&src=newsletter889047&t=9
East Antarctic ice sheet 'vulnerable' to temperature changes
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23868841
Earth life 'may have come from Mars'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23872765
Ancient artefacts found in melting snow
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23849332
Pearl Witherington: British spy who fought the Nazis
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23845199
Glimpse at unseen museum exhibits
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23876275
Huge waterspout spotted off Croatian coast
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23881424
Are local dialects dying out?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23876422
It is best that you watch this:
'We're building a domestic army' -Marine Corps colonel speaks out
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/08/15/1231397/--We-re-building-a-domestic-army-Marine-Corps-Colonel-speaks-out?detail=email
***How Government Cover-Up on Fish Farming Affects Your Health - Canada has a problem. It’s lengthy but worth the watch.
Petitions that need your signature
The USDA is about to slash regulations for poultry plants, saving big corporations millions at the expense of public health and workers’ safety.
If new rules are allowed to go into effect, poultry plants will be able to follow less stringent health and safety rules, speed up their production lines, and police themselves for any violations. That means that chicken will come doused with feces and bleach and that workers will be at greater risk of serious injury.
Now the only person who can reverse these regulations is President Obama. Will you join me in saying that these that these disgusting rules are unacceptable? http://action.sumofus.org/a/usda-chicken/2/?sub=taf
Rep. Darrell Issa is trying to pass a bill that would not only end Saturday delivery by the postal service, but also door-to-door mail service for millions. We must stop this outrageous attempt to kill the USPS and hand its business to FedEx and UPS. Go sign the petition:
http://act.credoaction.com/sign/issa_usps?akid=8606.952925.D3Dc4S&rd=1&t=2
They are at it again
The Texas Taliban - also known as the rightwing majority on the Texas State Board of Education - want to revise the state's standards for science textbooks to require the addition of religious pseudoscience when teaching subjects like biology. And this isn't just bad news for Texas school children because the Texas standards will impact the textbooks used by millions of students nationwide.
Texas may want to dumb-down their children by teaching them pseudoscience but I don’t want the children of my state to be taught this way. Tell textbook publishers to stand up to the Texas Taliban and only publish books that are based on sound, peer-reviewed science scholarship. Click the link below to sign the petition automatically:
http://act.credoaction.com/sign/texas_taliban/?sp_ref=7570952.4.422.e.0.2&referring_akid=8622.952925.lJjLf7&source=mailto_sp
The Mind Your Own Business Act
http://mindyourownbusinessact.com/?source=Jun13Email
America's top grocers are selling fake honey containing carcinogens, heavy metals, and banned antibiotics.
Get grocers to make sure they're selling us the real thing.
http://action.sumofus.org/a/honey-fake-walgreens/4/2/?akid=1806.65932.QE7P4I&rd=1&sub=fwd&t=3
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
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.
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