Gentle People:
  Today, education boils down to what we desire for our future. Do we desire to continue an industrial society based on Oil pollution and Gas burning cars? How about genetically modified plants tolerant to deadly pesticides but the pesticides kill everything else, including Bees and Birds? How many chemicals do we need to ingest before we decide enough is enough?

 Do we honestly want to condemn our ageing population to spend the rest of their lives aimlessly wandering inside giant mind numbing noisy shopping malls?  How many land grabbing shopping malls do we need? These humongous stores use and abuse the advertising media in order to sell useless products to people they have labelled "consumers" and then lock their doors at night?

  How about giant sky-scraping office buildings that serve no other purpose except as monoliths of industrial greed? They also lock their doors at night!
 How about schools and colleges and universities that promise success to students but never define success and they also lock their doors at night? Does success mean leaving school with the ability to dominate the desperate poor and the lower working class? Is success for graduate students the idea of doing less hard labour and more social manipulation? Will they be hired to work within office buildings and shopping malls? Will they find work within the industrial banking system and learn how to accumulate money and then hide the money in places like Panama for their industrial corporate bosses?

  There are alternative definitions of success! Success is having millions of students working and planting Trees in government sponsored national parks for a few weeks and then later helping farmers work on pesticide free farms for a few more weeks while learning how plants survive and thrive on this planet. Success is graduating millions of Doctors and Nurses and Biologists and Scientists and Ecologists and Artists and Musicians who have the absolute desire to save the planet from environmental destruction. Success is the use of technology for the betterment of life on Earth and not for the current Madison Avenue brain washing that works night and day to create new "consumers" for the industrial "system" and basically steals our freedom one credit card at a time! Success is finding love and raising a family without years of hard labour degrading the planet and accumulating over-whelming interest filled Bank debts!

  Success includes roof-top gardens and Apple and Pear and Plum Trees planted everywhere within a city. Success is when millions of roof-tops hold cheap but powerful Solar Panels and when wind power and Electric cars and Bicycle paths run parallel to streets and high-ways. Success is the creation of clean and quick and inexpensive easily accessible small Electric bus transportation systems for the elderly. Success delivers clean water and clean air free to the people of the world. Success is when millions of people read these words and happily agree to change the current industrial system for a better co-operative quality of life.  Success is the realization that life is great and rare in the universe and we are all alive to enjoy it!
Thanks for reading!
Signed: Joseph Raglione: Executive director. The world humanitarian peace and ecology movement.
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Education is my life's work.

When the President and Vice President were first elected to the White House in 2008, I told my husband Joe that I wanted to continue teaching. Nearly eight years later, here I am - still teaching English full-time at a community college in northern Virginia.

As a lifelong educator, I am proud to be part of an administration that is committed to investing in our students and restoring the promise of the American education system.

From day one, we have made education a priority - from investing in early childhood education to ensuring that more students graduate high school, and from making college more affordable to strengthening partnerships between community colleges and employers to create the next generation of skilled workers.

But we're not stopping there. In the coming weeks, we're going to be highlighting our nation's students, educators -- and the progress we've made over the past seven years.

Today, Joe and I are visiting the Community College of Philadelphia as part of the#HeadsUpAmerica day of action to highlight the progress we've made on free community college programs nationwide and to announce new grants to create and expand tuition-free training at community colleges.

At least 27 new free community college programs have launched in states, communities, and individual community colleges since the President's 2015 State of the Union address. And 17 other states have introduced legislation to make community college free statewide. These programs will help to provide millions of responsible students with access to higher education and the opportunity for a more prosperous life.

We'll also celebrate the strides we've made together to increase the number of college graduates, make college more affordable, and expand college opportunities for all students. Tomorrow, as part of her Reach Higher initiative, the First Lady will be celebrating College Signing Day in New York City, joining in the 1,000 College Signing Day events happening around the country.

To talk about the progress we've made together to make student loans more affordable, like helping more Americans cap monthly loan payments through plans like the President's Pay As You Earn plan, we'll host student reporters from around the nation for our first-ever White House College Reporter Day.

On Friday, as part of my Joining Forces initiative, I'll visit a high school in Florida to announce the completion of a commitment to support military-connected children and improve STEM education in military-connected schools.

And next week, the President will host the National Teacher of the Year and great educators from classrooms across the country to thank them for their hard work and dedication and celebrate their contributions to the progress we've made in improving education over the last seven years. I've also invited the 2016 State Teachers of the Year to the Vice President's Residence at the Naval Observatory for a reception in honor of this accomplished group of teachers.

As a teacher, I believe education is the foundation for building a better life. While our administration has made strides to make education a reality for more Americans, we're going to keep working (and teaching) to make sure all Americans have the opportunity to learn the skills they need to succeed, grow into careers they love, and provide a brighter future for their families.

Thanks,

Jill

Dr. Jill Biden
@DrBiden

This email was sent to human4us@bell.net.
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Please do not reply to this email. Contact the White House
The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111

A Billion pounds of pesticides! Have you eaten your pesticide, today?

 
 
 

 

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Climate Change Is Driving Ocean Oxygen Levels Down, And That's a Big Problem For Marine Ecosystems

These Republican Lawmakers Are Turning To Climate Action To Help Keep Their Seats

Germany Just Announced A Major Push To Increase Electric Car Sales

3 Pesticides Are Putting Nearly All U.S. Endangered Species At Risk

Climate Change Is Taking The Spotlight In Australia's Election

CLIMATE

3 Pesticides Are Putting Nearly All U.S. Endangered Species At Risk

BY KATIE VALENTINE APR 28, 2016 8:00 AM

CREDIT: AP PHOTO/WILFREDO LEE, FILE

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A few widely-used pesticides have the ability to harm nearly all the endangered species in America, a new report from the Environmental Protection Agency has found.

The EPA’s draft report, which was released earlier this month, looked at three widely-used pesticides: chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and malathion. It found that both malathion, which is used in agriculture, for lawn care, and for mosquito control, and chlorpyrifos, which is used on a range of crops including cotton, almonds, and fruit trees, was “likely to adversely affect” 97 percent of the 1,782 species listed under the Endangered Species Act. The other pesticide, diazinon, which is used in orchards and vegetable crops, was found to likely adversely affect 79 percent of these species.

Federal agencies like the EPA are supposed to do consultations like these whenever any action they’re planning on taking — like, in the EPA’s case, approving a pesticide for use — could affect an endangered species. But the EPA has been ignoring that mandate under the Endangered Species Act, said Lori Ann Burd, environmental health director at the Center for Biological Diversity, which began suing the EPA starting in 2004 over its failure to take pesticides’ impact on endangered species into account.

“This is the first time they’ve ever done this,” Burd said. “We’re using a billion pounds of pesticides each year in this country without really figuring out how they’re affecting us or endangered species.”

We’re using a billion pounds of pesticides each year in this country without really figuring out how they’re affecting us or endangered species

This month’s draft report on the three pesticides is the first the EPA is releasing after settling with the CBD — the agency has also agreed to do reports on herbicides glyphosate and atrazine. These first three, Burd said, were priority pesticides. They’re all organophosphates, the most widely-used class of pesticide in the world that’s also one of the most toxic. Organophosphates kill their intended insect targets by inactivating an enzyme that’s crucial to nerve function in insects and other living things. In high enough quantities, it can be deadly to humans: In 2013, at least 25 children in India died after eating food that contained unsafe levels of organophosphates. There’s already a decent amount of data on these pesticides, Burd said, but the EPA hadn’t before issued these formal consultations on them.

“This is huge wake-up call, if nothing else, to get to a number like 97 percent of all endangered species,” she said. “I never imagined it’d be that high. Many species that are listed would probably be doing a lot better and we’d be able to remove them from the Endangered Species List if they weren’t facing these threats.”

Endangered species can come in contact with these pesticides in a number of ways, Burd said. Fish and amphibians can be exposed if runoff washes pesticide residue into streams and ponds. Whooping cranes, which often make pit stops in soybean fields during migration, can be exposed by direct ingestion of soybeans treated with the pesticide. And edge habitats — the region between an agricultural field and a forest, for instance — have been found to contain high levels of pesticides.

The pesticide industry insists these chemicals are safe. Jay Vroom, president and CEO of CropLife America, told Civil Eats in a statement that the products “have been safely used on millions of acres for decades, with no evidence that they have harmed endangered species.”

But Burd said that even if these pesticides aren’t making endangered species “drop dead,” the EPA’s finding that they are “likely to adversely affect” species is nearly as troubling. DDT didn’t make eagles “fall from the sky,” she said, but it did cause their eggshells to thin, which ended up having devastating consequences for reproductive success. And, she said, the EPA’s failure to conduct these endangered species consultations points to broader problems in the federal government’s process of studying and approving what pesticides are used on our farms, gardens, and public spaces.

“There’s this kind of idea that this is traditional agriculture and that this is what [farmers] need to grow food, but this incredibly pesticide-intensive agriculture is pretty new,” she said. “We’re using … more chemicals every day without thinking about how they’re effecting the soil and leading to more pests. It’s my sincere hope is that this will lead to close consideration for how were farming in this country.”

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This Controversial Pesticide Is Harming Honeybees

That point -- that the pesticides we're using could be posing a major risk to our health and environment -- is a common one in the United States. Glyphosate, the most popular weed-killer in the United States and a key ingredient in Monsanto-developed Roundup, is still used liberally even though the World Health Organizationfound last year that it likely causes cancer. The EPA plans to place restrictions on the herbicide due to worries that it's causing weed resistance in crops, but the agency doesn't consider it a carcinogen, citing "inadequate evidence."

And a range of citizens -- including members of Congress, business-owners, and environmental groups -- have called on the EPA to better protect bees and other pollinators from neonicotinoids, a class of pesticides that's been found to affect bees' brains and could be contributing to the large-scale bee losses being felt around the country. Concerned over what these pesticides are doing to bees, many are urging the EPA to restrict their use on bee-friendly crops and take the pesticides' impact on bees into account before registering new neonics.

The EPA, for its part, told ThinkProgress in a statement that it is "committed to complying with the Endangered Species Act," and that the "recently released draft biological evaluations for chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and malathion are pilot cases for new approaches" on looking at pesticides.

Now that the EPA has completed its draft report for these three pesticides, the draft will be available for public comment for 60 days. Then, the EPA will finalize the report, and pass it along to the relevant agency for more analysis -- the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will look at the pesticides' threat to land animals, while the National Marine Fisheries Service will look at threats to marine life. That agency will release its own analysis of threats, and after that, policy decisions can be made. These biological opinions completed by the agencies will include recommendations of "reasonable and prudent measures" that should be taken to protect species, Burd said.

"I hope that this is a significant turning point in pesticide regulation and that we’ll be able to use these findings to really help these endangered species towards path to recovery," she said.

UPDATE APR 28, 2016 9:12 AM

This post has been updated to include a comment by the EPA and to correct a previous reference to the U.S. using a billion tons of pesticides each year. It actually uses a billion pounds.

 Can we use Hydrogen to increase the range of Electric Cars? Yes we can!

 Hydrogen gas can be created within a small unit on board any car rolling today.

The gas can then be sent directly to the air intake valve of any car on the market today and in fact this is what many large trucks are doing to increase their gas mileage. The Hydrogen is not stored on board the car or truck. It is created while the car is moving and I am positive it can be used to increase the range of Electric cars. 

  I am not a physics expert but I do believe it is possible to cheaply create a small amount of Hydrogen gas while an Electric car is moving and then use the Hydrogen to power an electric generator or a fuel cell which converts Hydrogen directly to electricity and then sends the electricity to both the Electric motors and the Batteries. 

THANK YOU PRESIDENT OBAMA! THE LAST EXCUSE INTERNAL COMBUSTION CAR OWNERS ARE GIVING ME IS THAT THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH ELECTRIC CAR CHARGING STATIONS AROUND NORTH AMERICA.

Our responsibility to act

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President Barack Obama <info@mail.whitehouse.gov>	Apr 22 (2 days ago)
to human4us

Today is Earth Day -- the last one I'll celebrate as President. Looking back over the past seven years, I'm hopeful that the work we've done will allow my daughters and all of our children to inherit a cleaner, healthier, and safer planet. But I know there is still work to do. That's why, today, the United States will join about 170 other countries in signing the Paris Agreement, a historic deal to reduce carbon emissions across the globe. When Secretary of State John Kerry stands with other countries to support this agreement, we’ll advance a plan that prioritizes the health of our planet and our people. And we’ll come within striking distance of enacting the Paris Agreement years earlier than anyone expected. This is important because the impact of climate change is real. Last summer, I visited Alaska and stood at the foot of a disappearing glacier. I saw how the rising sea is eating away at shorelines and swallowing small towns. I saw how changes in temperature mean permafrost is thawing and the tundra is burning. So we’ve got to do something about it before it’s too late. As the world's second-largest source of climate pollution, America has a responsibility to act. The stakes are enormous -- our planet, our children, our future. That's true not just here in America, but all over the world. No one is immune. That's why, when I ran for this office, I promised I'd work with anyone -- across the aisle or on the other side of the planet -- to combat this threat. It’s why we brought together scientists, entrepreneurs, businesses, and religious organizations to tackle this challenge together. It's why we set the first-ever national fuel efficiency standards for trucks and set new standards for cars. It’s why we made the biggest investment in clean energy in U.S. history. It’s why we put forward a plan to limit carbon pollution from existing power plants. And it’s why in Paris, we rallied countries all over the world to establish a long-term framework to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions -- the first time so many countries had committed to ambitious, nationally determined climate targets. Now, we're building on that momentum. When all is said and done, today will be the largest one-day signing event in the history of the UN. Thanks to this agreement, we can be more confident that we'll leave our children a planet worthy of their promise. That's what this is all about. And that's why today, America is leading the fight against climate change. President Barack Obama This email was sent to human4us@bell.net. Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy Please do not reply to this email. Contact the White House The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111

Your little Litre bottles are draining the aquafers!

6 of 9

 

 

This water doesn't belong in Nestlé’s bottles Inbox x Michael O'Heaney, Story of Stuff Project Apr 17 (4 days ago) to Joseph Dear Joseph, The Story of Stuff Project wants to fight back against Nestlé's misinformation campaign by placing an informative newspaper ad in the area of Nestlé's illegal water take. Contribute today to make our media placement a reality. Take Action! Nestlé thinks it can buy its way to a positive public image. So the corporation is mounting a major misinformation campaign in Southern California. From billboards to newspaper spots to ads on popular local websites, Nestlé is scrambling to convince the people of California that it’s a good steward of the environment. But with your help, we can fight back with educational ads of our own, ensuring people know the truth: Nestlé needs to be stopped for the public good. Our campaign against Nestlé is already making waves. On April 25th, I’ll be representing the more than one million members of the Story of Stuff Community in a federal courtroom as our lawsuit to hold Nestlé accountable for its unpermitted withdrawal of water from the San Bernardino National Forest goes before a judge. Along with with our partners Courage Campaign and Center for Biological Diversity, we’ll argue that the U.S. Forest Service should turn off the spigot on Nestlé’s continuing, illegal extraction of water from these drought-ravaged public lands. But we know Nestlé won’t go away quietly, which is why we're asking you to help us fund a full-page ad in the San Bernardino Sun newspaper to raise publicity about Nestlé's illegal actions, and help more people get engaged. Help us show Nestlé and the U.S. Forest Service that the public wants our water to stay in the mountains, not in Nestlé’s bottles. Nestlé knows that the public support behind the Story of Stuff Project and our partners has the potential to put an end to its bad behavior, which is why Nestlé spends millions of dollars on vague advertisements claiming it has a strong environmental record. But the facts couldn't be further from the truth. The water level in the stream from which Nestlé is taking water in San Bernardino is at 10% of a 90-year historic average, and similar abuses are occurring worldwide. Nestlé's ability to suppress public debate is powerful. In fact, a billboard company that operates near the San Bernardino National Forest refused to do business with us in part because they fear losing out on Nestlé's advertising dollars. So we're buying a full-page ad in the San Bernardino Sun that will reach tens of thousands of local residents to set the record straight. It's time to show both Nestlé and the public that citizens around the world stand in solidarity with local efforts to protect the forest and its water. Please help us fund our full-page ad.  Donate to help us fight back against Nestlé’s misleading advertisements with a newspaper placement calling out their abuses and explaining how people can join our campaign. Our lawsuit and your pressure have already had a significant impact, persuading the Forest Service to begin reviewing Nestlé’s expired permit for the first time in almost three decades. As the date of our hearing approaches, our opportunity to curtail Nestlé’s illegal water grab in San Bernardino is at an all-time high. We know that millions of people around the world support our efforts, and we want to bring that message directly to San Bernardino, where Nestlé employees AND Forest Service officials charged with protecting this forest will see it. With your help we can deliver our message in the most commonly read newspaper in San Bernardino. With enough funds, we’ll buy more strategic ad space elsewhere in the region. It's time to set the record straight and let local folks how they can get involved in our global campaign to hold Nestlé accountable. Preview the ad text on our donation page, and contribute to make it a reality! Together we can show Nestlé that our planet’s people and ecosystems aren’t for sale. With the water level in the National Forest’s Strawberry Creek now far below historic averages, the plant and animal life that depend on the water don't have time to spare. Thanks to your support our campaign is growing, and we’re starting to see Nestlé react. We know that if we keep the pressure up, amazing change is possible! Are you in? Yes, I'll pledge $10  Yes, I'll pledge $25 Yes, I'll pledge $50 Yes, I'll pledge $100 Yes, I will pledge another amount In Solidarity, Michael O'Heaney Executive Director