October 2011
38 posts
WP Op-Ed: How the Patriot Act stripped me of my... →
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Chipotle Boorito - Support Family Farms →
Chipotle, I love you even more now. What a fun way to support a great cause. I look forward to seeing all those who dress up!
A Bigger Celebration for the Smaller Farms This Halloween, we’re celebrating family farms and their dedication to the land they live on and the delicious food they produce. To join in on the party, come into any Chipotle on Halloween from 6 pm to closing...
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UN urges Asian governments to invest in disaster... →
I wholeheartedly agree with the UN’s stance in this article. Instead of reacting to disasters, countries need to invest in disaster risk reduction. Easier said than done, of course. But what does it mean for us, American citizens? Please consider donating to organizations that invest in disaster risk reduction, training, and development—versus just aid (e.g., food distribution after a...
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“At the heart of the protest, I believe what the protesters are calling for is...”
– Sarah Bessey
Occupy Wall Street: A Greater Purpose →
What we can learn from the protest’s demands for accountability.
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Shock image threshold falls under internet... →
Yes, I would agree that the world is a better place without Gaddafi. But I really have to strongly question the journalistic ethics (and human ethics) of publishing gruesome images of Gaddafi’s body, people parading around him, videos, etc. As Americans, are we consuming these types of images and news more and more? Are we viewing them with a critical eye and with discretion or treating them...
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Two-week-old baby girl rescued from Turkish... →
A two-week-old baby girl was rescued alive from the rubble of a collapsed building on Tuesday, 46 hours after an earthquake struck southeast Turkey.
The mother of the infant, who was also buried in the wreckage of their home, has now also been rescued.
The news came as the death toll was revised to at least 366 people with tens of thousands having been made homeless.
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WatchThe Colbert Report Rush Limbaugh’s Christian Killing Accusations
Rush Limbaugh defends the Lord’s Resistance Army against Barack Obama before finding out that they’re responsible for “some really bad stuff.”
The LRA are most certainly not Christians or even mildly benevolent. I’m so glad Obama is sending 100 military advisors to Uganda.
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WatchBrillant piece by Colbert (and staff of course).
According to Herman Cain, the unemployed should be out in front of the White House blaming themselves for not having jobs.
Reports: Moammar Gadhafi Killed in Libya →
Moammar Gadhafi, the former ruler of Libya who has been on the run since August after his regime was overthrown, has been killed today, according to reports from the transitional government currently leading Libya. Gadhafi was apparently killed during a firefight with rebel fighters …
Tell Lisa Jackson and the EPA: We're counting on... →
Dear Friend,
It’s clear by now that there’s simply no hope of the State Department issuing a legitimate evaluation of the Keystone XL pipeline.
Fortunately, there is some hope: The EPA, which is one of nine agencies that gets to weigh in on the process. Sometime in the next week, the EPA will issue its review of the State Department’s Final Environmental Impact Report.
...
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“Make your own damn sandwich!”
It has been three or so months since the following conversation took place (over social media and email). I still cannot get over how absurd it was; so much so, I felt like I was in an absurdist play. I wish.
I wanted to share (the following) conversation with the wider world, for a few reasons. I felt the pressing need to expose the prevailing sentiments, attitudes, and ideologies that...
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24-hour hotline to help immigrants facing... →
Recently, the unjust and punitive immigration law in Alabama was upheld by a Federal judge. Immigration struggles can separate children and families. Below, there is a national resource hotline for those facing these hard times.
Immigration continues to be a hot topic nationwide, with presidential candidates taking up the issue and the worst-in-the-nation law going into effect in Alabama....
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“We should never adjust to one percent of the people controlling 40 percent of...”
– Bernice King, at the dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial in Washington, D.C.
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Occupy Wall Street's Age Divide →
“The reason baby boomers don’t understand the protesters is because we grew up with all advantages now being denied the younger generation—and it’s left us totally clueless.”
A businessman looks at demonstrators marching in the financial district on September 26, 2011 in New York., Spencer Platt / Getty Images
An interesting article. The general sentiment I have been...
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“The freedom to protest is one of the things that has made this country great and...”
– Statement from Jim Wallis on Friday’s “Cleaning” of NYC’s Zuccotti Park
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Here's What The Wall Street Protesters Are So... →
So far, the protests seem fueled by a collective sense that things in our economy are not fair or right. But the protesters have not done a good job of focusing their complaints—and thus have been skewered as malcontents who don’t know what they stand for or want.
So, what are the protesters so upset about, really?
Do they have legitimate gripes?
To answer the latter question first,...
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Fashion Friday: Kantha Blankets →
For this week’s Fashion Friday, learn.think.act. is featuring Kantha blankets by Hand and Cloth.
“What is Kantha? Literally, “quilt of recycled cotton rag” – is traditionally associated with rural women of the Bengal region of India and has a long and distinguished heritage…The term nakshi Kantha, which is popularly used in Bangladesh, is found in medieval literature.
“Made...
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Hershey: Raise the Bar! →
…With Halloween fast approaching, this is the time that Hershey is most likely to bend to consumer pressure. Raise the Bar, Hershey!, a coalition of advocates against child and forced labor in the cocoa industry, started a petition on Change.org calling on Hershey to commit to fair trade chocolate now. Will you sign the petition telling Hershey to commit to buying fair trade certified...
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“The word ‘fair’ is ‘obulingirirania’ in our language....”
– The 75-year old man (from Episode 3) who used his earnings in Fair Trade vanilla to start his own honey business.
I think this grandfather just summed up Fair Trade’s mission quite nicely. It’s about making sure people get a living wage.
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A shocking connection: film-maker uncovers Blood... →
A new film called Blood in the Mobile takes a look at the shocking reality of cell phone production and the procurement of the minerals used to make cell phone parts. The film focuses on the Democratic Republic of Congo, where children mine minerals in abysmal conditions and are charged a “tax” to work by armed guards…
An interesting and eye-opening topic. I will have to...
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WatchA great series from Ben & Jerry’s. Witness how fair trade can really make a tangible impact on producers’ lives.
Fair Trade Uganda - Episode 1
Explore the benefits of Fair Trade on a journey with us through Uganda where we source our Fair Trade Vanilla. See how Fair Trade impacts communities first-hand and what it means to the local farmers. First, learn a little about what...
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The 99% is the People's Antidote to Tea Party... →
This is a great op-ed.
One of many highlights:
We saw right through their [Tea Party] flag code-violating sweaters and realized that these are people that would no doubt lobby against a bill that bans running over children if it were proposed by Obama just because it had his name on it.
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WatchThe Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Herman Cain is slowly rising in the polls. He calls himself the “Black Walnut”
Wow, another person who thinks people who are unemployed, are unemployed by their own choice, doing, or failure.
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WatchWhat’s Occupy Wall Street all about?
learn.think.act. stands with Occupy Wall Street. Although I’m not 100% in agreement, I feel as though we’ve exhausted normal political means/channels. The people (the “99%”) need to stand up and protest. I agree that corporations are NOT people, companies like Bank of America needs to pay their taxes (they’ve paid $0 in the...
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Stand Against Punitive Alabama Immigration Law →
I am deeply concerned by the recent passage of Alabama’s punitive immigration law, which takes Arizona’s SB 1070 one step further and even targets school-age children and their families.
I took a few minutes to take action supporting vulnerable migrants by speaking out against punitive state immigration laws, and encourage you to do the same! Our voices are integral for urging...
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Feds ask appeals court to block Ala. immigration... →
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Fashion Friday: One Mango Tree Giveaway →
We’re pushing the envelope in honor of Fair Trade Month - friends, are you ready for this? Our October giveaway is $150 to buy One Mango Tree products. Our new Fall Collection arrives this month, so that means you’ll get first dibs on all the beautiful new products, including sweet hats from Andean Collection and lots of gorgeous jewelry from 31Bits! Have a sneak peek here, and tell...
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Syria protests: More than 2,900 killed overall,... →
In general, I don’t like to just re-post news stories, but I thought this was too important. I didn’t want Syria to be forgotten among the media news cycle’s fickleness. Please pray and act…
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“I think the most insidious thing about the any systematic form of oppression, be...”
– Thanks to my friend Laura for this.
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Sandblasted jeans: Should we give up distressed... →
Learn. On my relentless quest to be an informed and ethical consumer, (because I wholeheartedly believe we vote with our dollars, more than anything else), I ran across this article and campaign against sandblasted jeans. “Sandblasting, a process that involves workers firing sand under high pressure to give jeans a ‘worn’ look, can cause silicosis, a potentially lethal pulmonary disease....
