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Showing posts with label Monarch Butterflies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Monarch Butterflies. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Why isn't ROUNDUP labeled? SierraRISE: Roundup is "known to cause cancer"
Thursday, December 25, 2014
This & that ....and Merry Christmas!
Saturday, June 7, 2014
RSN: Report: GMO Crops Fueling Decline of Monarch Butterflies, GOP's Quiet Obamacare Disaster: How This Week's Biggest Story Got Overlooked, et al
The success of Obamacare [the Affordable Care Act] is documented below and noteworthy.
Why would anyone deny Americans Health Care?
(photo: file)
GOP's Quiet Obamacare Disaster: How This Week's Biggest Story Got Overlooked
06 June 14
While everyone obsessed over the Bergdahl flap, the real story was revealed by a nomination hearing and new data
ight around noon on Wednesday, the Senate voted to invoke cloture on Sylvia Mathews Burwell’s nomination to be the next secretary of Health and Human Services. The all-out Obamacare brawl that Republicans had promised when Burwell’s nomination was announced never materialized. Instead, it ended with a quiet, respectful display of bipartisan comity.
Losing the opportunity to grandstand on the Burwell nomination, however, was the least of the Republicans’ troubles this week when it came to the Affordable Care Act. We’re only six days into June, and opponents of the ACA have already had a terrible month.
The big news was the release of new data from the White House indicating that enrollment in Medicaid has surged in states that elected to expand the program under the Affordable Care Act. In April alone more than 1 million people signed up for coverage. Medicaid enrollment in states that rejected the expansion has also gone up as people who didn’t know they were eligible started signing up – the so-called Woodwork Effect. Add all those enrollees to the number of people who were on Medicaid or CHIP prior to the ACA’s implementation, and you come up with just over 65 million Americans enrolled in the program.
As Paul Waldman puts it at the Washington Post, this is game over for Republican critics of the law who insist on repealing and replacing the ACA to get government out of healthcare. To do so, they’d have to find a way to transition tens of millions of people off of their government-provided health coverage. “Even if Republicans took back the White House and both houses of Congress,” Waldman writes, “moving people off their government insurance would be next to impossible.” The fight over Obamacare was always going to be a war of attrition, and it was always stacked against the Republicans.
And it’s not just that people are signing up for Medicaid; they’re using it, and early indicators are that expanding access to healthcare is having the intended effect of reducing instances of uncompensated care. The Colorado Hospital Association released a study this week showing that “hospitals in states that chose to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act saw significantly more Medicaid patients and a related reduction in self-pay and charity care cases.” Hospitals are obligated to treat and stabilize emergency room patients regardless of their insurance status or their ability to pay. If they can’t pay, the hospital gets stuck with the bill. Expanding the Medicaid rolls means that more people can seek out care and hospitals will have to absorb less bad debt, which could lead to lower healthcare costs overall.
The popularity of expanded Medicaid sets it apart from the rest of the ACA, which is still broadly disliked. That niche popularity has opened up a narrow path for Democrats to take the offensive on Obamacare and put pressure on Republicans who oppose the expansion. Senate Democrats sent a letter this week to Republican governors in states that rejected expanded Medicaid urging them to “put politics aside and do the right thing in helping to expand Medicaid coverage to the millions of Americans who desperately need it.” Among the signatories to that letter were Sens. Kay Hagan, Mary Landrieu and Mark Begich, all of whom are facing tough reelection fights this cycle.
But let’s get back to practical news. Gallup’s most recent survey found that the uninsured rate thus far in the second quarter of 2014 is 13.4 percent, which is “down from 17.1% in the fourth quarter of 2013 and from the 15.6% average in the first quarter of 2014.” Overall this means that the roughly 11 million people who gained insurance during the ACA’s implementation contributed to a 22 percent drop in the uninsured rate. The rate does seem to be leveling off, per Gallup’s analysis, but the “rate could drop if more states elect to expand Medicaid.”
And as it turns out, there are states that are working to do exactly that. While there are still 20 states holding firm in their refusal to expand Medicaid, four states are either trying to work out compromise packages (Utah, Pennsylvania and Indiana) or locked in an internal battle over whether to accept the expansion (Virginia). Virginia will be interesting to watch both for the national implications of a purple state struggling to come to grips with Obamacare, but also as a test of how far Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe is willing to go in his support for the expansion.
That’s a big heap of good news for the Affordable Care Act in just one week. Of course, there were some bumps as well – specifically, a report that data discrepancies for about 2 million people who signed up for private coverage during the open enrollment period could affect their eligibility for subsidies (or lock them out from coverage) if the discrepancies aren’t resolved. As Jonathan Cohn notes, the law was written to anticipate and accommodate this exact problem, and systems are in place to make the needed fixes, so there’s no need to panic (yet).
But all-in-all, in terms of policy outcomes and political wrangling, this week was pretty good for proponents of the Affordable Care Act, and pretty rough for the dwindling sect of hardcore repeal devotees.
Robert Reich |
Seattle Is Right
Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog
Reich writes: "Most minimum wage workers aren't teenagers these days. They're major breadwinners who need a higher minimum wage in order to keep their families out of poverty."
READ MORE
Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog
Reich writes: "Most minimum wage workers aren't teenagers these days. They're major breadwinners who need a higher minimum wage in order to keep their families out of poverty."
READ MORE
A Government
Ruled for Net Neutrality. Too Bad It Wasn't Your Government
Dan Gillmor, Guardian UK
Gillmor reports: "The net neutrality debate has focused in America on wired lines - not mobile. But what just happened in Chile is a precursor to the real battle in at least the medium term: the mobile internet."
READ MORE
Dan Gillmor, Guardian UK
Gillmor reports: "The net neutrality debate has focused in America on wired lines - not mobile. But what just happened in Chile is a precursor to the real battle in at least the medium term: the mobile internet."
READ MORE
David Sirota |
Gates Foundation Financed PBS Education Programming Which Promoted Microsoft's
Interests
David Sirota and Nathaniel Mott, PandoDaily
Sirota and Mott write: "In September 2011, a newly-launched nonprofit called the Teaching Channel announced that it would be producing a video series dubbed 'Teaching Channel Presents' for PBS."
READ MORE
David Sirota and Nathaniel Mott, PandoDaily
Sirota and Mott write: "In September 2011, a newly-launched nonprofit called the Teaching Channel announced that it would be producing a video series dubbed 'Teaching Channel Presents' for PBS."
READ MORE
GOP's Quiet
Obamacare Disaster: How This Week's Biggest Story Got Overlooked
Simon Maloy, Salon
Maloy writes: "The all-out Obamacare brawl that Republicans had promised when Burwell's nomination was announced never materialized. Instead, it ended with a quiet, respectful display of bipartisan comity."
READ MORE
Simon Maloy, Salon
Maloy writes: "The all-out Obamacare brawl that Republicans had promised when Burwell's nomination was announced never materialized. Instead, it ended with a quiet, respectful display of bipartisan comity."
READ MORE
Mobile Giant
Vodafone Admits Governments Listen to Phone Calls Via "Secret
Cables"
Matthew Sparkes, The Telegraph
Sparkes reports: "Government agencies are able to listen to phone conversations live and even track the location of citizens without warrants using secret cables connected directly to network equipment, admits Vodafone today."
READ MORE
Matthew Sparkes, The Telegraph
Sparkes reports: "Government agencies are able to listen to phone conversations live and even track the location of citizens without warrants using secret cables connected directly to network equipment, admits Vodafone today."
READ MORE
Study Finds
Watching "Colbert Report" More Informative Than Watching News
Olivia B. Waxman, TIME Magazine
Waxman reports: "Good news for Colbert Nation: People who watched The Colbert Report during the last presidential election are more informed about campaign financing than people who watched other news channels."
READ MORE
Olivia B. Waxman, TIME Magazine
Waxman reports: "Good news for Colbert Nation: People who watched The Colbert Report during the last presidential election are more informed about campaign financing than people who watched other news channels."
READ MORE
Report: GMO
Crops Fueling Decline of Monarch Butterflies
Andrea Germanos, Common Dreams
Germanos reports: "The monarch butterflies' numbers have been plummeting in recent years, and a new study has pointed to the likely main culprit: loss of its summer habitat as a result of genetically modified crops."
READ MORE
Andrea Germanos, Common Dreams
Germanos reports: "The monarch butterflies' numbers have been plummeting in recent years, and a new study has pointed to the likely main culprit: loss of its summer habitat as a result of genetically modified crops."
READ MORE
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
The Monarch Project of Cape Cod
The Monarch Project of Cape Cod
YOU can help save this magnificent creature
YOU can save the Monarchs
Free Milkweed Seed to save the Monarch Butterfly
We will be distributing milkweed seed for free every Saturday thru May 24, 10 AM- 2PM at the Waquoit Congregational Church's Farmer's Market, 15 Parsons Lane, East Falmouth.
The magnificent migration of the Monarch butterfly, and indeed the survival of this iconic species, is in jeopardy.
The Monarch butterfly depends on the existence of the milkweed plant, which is the Monarch caterpillar's only food source. For a variety of reasons, the milkweed plant is vanishing across America, which threatens the Monarch's survival.
In conjunction with other similar efforts, the Monarch Project of Cape Cod will provide and help distribute milkweed seeds across this region to help rejuvenate the Monarch's migration.
Why Milkweed pods?
For starters, the larvae (caterpillars) of monarch butterflies eat ONLY milkweed, this is why the monarch butterfly is dubbed the ‘milkweed butterfly’. The larvae stage is the only stage of the monarch butterfly that feeds on milkweed; there is something in milkweed that allows the caterpillar to grow and keep all of the vitamins needed to transform into a beautiful butterfly.
How you can get involved:
Come to the Farmer's Market at the Waquoit Church and receive free milkweed seeds and growing instructions. If you cannot make it to a Farmer's Market, call me at 508-737-9545 and we will figure out other ways for you to get seeds.
- Spread the word about the project to friends, children, garden clubs, faith-based groups, schools, etc.
- Let us know if you know of open fields or meadows where you might get permission to spread seeds.
- Donate money so that we can continue to purchase seeds to give away. Make check out to Waquoit Congregational Church (please write "Monarch Project" in the subject line.) Bring it to the Farmer's Market or postal mail it to Waquoit Congregational Church, 15 Parsons Lane, East Falmouth, MA 02536.
For further information, please contact: 508-548-5269 or waquoitucc@comcast.net or paulrifkin@comcast.net 508-737-9545
http://www.capecodtoday.com/article/2014/03/31/24753-monarch-project-cape-cod
Sunday, February 16, 2014
This & that....Blackburn and other Republican congresspeople are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Koch Industries and other polluters who put profits ahead of the future of our country and planet
Why would any REASONABLE PERSON deny their fellow Americans HEALTH CARE?
Doesn't that mean that those who deny their fellow Americans HEALTH CARE are unreasonable?
(chs)
As always Paul Krugman nails it.
We need more Bill Nyes so that this can happen more often.
This kind of Horse Manure coming from the Washington Times [The Moonie newspaper, lacking professinal standards, filled with Fairy Tales], exemplifies the problem.
For all the animals being held captive, being factory farmed, being tortured, used as Laboratory Testing, Abused
Native American tribes in Washington state have joined forces with First Nations in British Columbia to fight Kinder Morgan's proposed doubling of capacity on its Trans Mountain tarsands pipeline to the Pacific Ocean.
The result would be a seven-fold increase in oil tanker traffic in a coastal area that is fished for salmon by the tribes, and home to sacred orcas. You're talking about thousands of people who risk losing it all, from one single spill.
"We would hate to see the Coast Salish Seas become strictly an industrial traffic zone for vessels coming and going, all in the name of making a dollar, and forgetting about our way of life," said Glen Gobin, Tulalip tribe board of directors.
The result would be a seven-fold increase in oil tanker traffic in a coastal area that is fished for salmon by the tribes, and home to sacred orcas. You're talking about thousands of people who risk losing it all, from one single spill.
"We would hate to see the Coast Salish Seas become strictly an industrial traffic zone for vessels coming and going, all in the name of making a dollar, and forgetting about our way of life," said Glen Gobin, Tulalip tribe board of directors.
A Shelter Dog asks God.
By Joan C. Fremo
Dear God,...
What is "Time"?
I hear the sadness in the voices of workers here. They say my "Time is up", that they have to make room for yet another dog.
My "Time" is up.
I don't know what that means, God. I only know that my new friends are so sad, and the more I wag my tail---the harder I try to make them feel better-- -the sadder they become.
I know I have heard that word "Time" before, but I don't understand.
When I was younger, my people would say "Time to play!" They would throw the ball, and I would run fast. Sometimes I brought it back to them, but other times we'd end up chasing each other having fun.
I remember "Time to eat". My people would put down a bowl of food, and I would enjoy dinner, wagging my tail in joy.
There was also "Time for your walk". My boy would put my leash on, and we would go walking together, visiting the neighborhood and enjoying each other's company.
When I was younger I thought "Time" meant fun. Or maybe Love?
I don't understand. "Time" must mean something else, but how can it change, God?
Before I came here, I heard my people say, "No time to feed you now, boy. Later, when I get home." Sometimes my family would forget, and there was no food in my bowl.
Does "Time" mean when my belly hurts?
My people said there was no time for walks. I tried to hold it all day long-- but God, I just couldn't anymore. When I finally had to go, it made my family very angry.
Does "Time" means anger?
Or maybe Loneliness? My family said they didn't have "Time". They didn't have time to play, or time to take me to the vet, or time to go for walks. They didn't have "Time", so they brought me here. Maybe I was right... They said they didn't have time, and if "Time" means Love, how did they lose it?
Did I do something wrong?
God, I think my new friends are sending me to you. Do you have "Time"? May I sit on the couch? Am I a good Dog, God?
Is it "Time"?
=========================================
One of the most important things we can give our pets is "Time". The time to love them, care for them, and train them. Animal Shelters and Humane Societies across the country are filled with pets whose families didn't have "Time". Every year, the "Time is up" for 12 million companion pets. Do you have the "Time" to make a difference?__._,_.___
By Joan C. Fremo
Dear God,...
What is "Time"?
I hear the sadness in the voices of workers here. They say my "Time is up", that they have to make room for yet another dog.
My "Time" is up.
I don't know what that means, God. I only know that my new friends are so sad, and the more I wag my tail---the harder I try to make them feel better-- -the sadder they become.
I know I have heard that word "Time" before, but I don't understand.
When I was younger, my people would say "Time to play!" They would throw the ball, and I would run fast. Sometimes I brought it back to them, but other times we'd end up chasing each other having fun.
I remember "Time to eat". My people would put down a bowl of food, and I would enjoy dinner, wagging my tail in joy.
There was also "Time for your walk". My boy would put my leash on, and we would go walking together, visiting the neighborhood and enjoying each other's company.
When I was younger I thought "Time" meant fun. Or maybe Love?
I don't understand. "Time" must mean something else, but how can it change, God?
Before I came here, I heard my people say, "No time to feed you now, boy. Later, when I get home." Sometimes my family would forget, and there was no food in my bowl.
Does "Time" mean when my belly hurts?
My people said there was no time for walks. I tried to hold it all day long-- but God, I just couldn't anymore. When I finally had to go, it made my family very angry.
Does "Time" means anger?
Or maybe Loneliness? My family said they didn't have "Time". They didn't have time to play, or time to take me to the vet, or time to go for walks. They didn't have "Time", so they brought me here. Maybe I was right... They said they didn't have time, and if "Time" means Love, how did they lose it?
Did I do something wrong?
God, I think my new friends are sending me to you. Do you have "Time"? May I sit on the couch? Am I a good Dog, God?
Is it "Time"?
=========================================
One of the most important things we can give our pets is "Time". The time to love them, care for them, and train them. Animal Shelters and Humane Societies across the country are filled with pets whose families didn't have "Time". Every year, the "Time is up" for 12 million companion pets. Do you have the "Time" to make a difference?__._,_.___
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