A group good enough to get Sen. Liz Warren to let them use her name on a fundraising pitch

It's been six and a half years since Wall Street broke our economy, but the fight for accountability and a level playing field is far from over.   Right now, the big banks and financial institutions – and their armies of lawyers and lobbyists in Washington – are systematically chipping away at the rules on Wall Street. And that's why Americans for Financial Reform is so important. For years, I've worked hand-in-hand with AFR—first to get the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other critical Dodd-Frank reforms passed into law, and then to protect those laws from being gutted by financial industry lobbyists. This is a David vs. Goliath fight, and if we're going to have any chance at fighting back, we need AFR more than ever. Can you join me in supporting AFR's effort to stand up to Wall Street and to fight for tougher rules moving forward?  Your contribution of $25 can make a big difference. If you need proof that Wall Street is working to weaken financial regulations, take a look at what happened in December. Citigroup lobbyists slipped a provision into the must-pass budget package to make it easier for the biggest banks to get bailed out again in the future. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon personally called up members of Congress to lobby for their votes. We fought our hearts out to stop it, but we lost that battle. Even so, the hard work of AFR and its coalition of consumer, labor, civil rights, faith-based, and community organizations helped send a loud and clear message to Wall Street that ripped through Washington: If you try to bring back the sort of reckless gambling that caused the economic crisis, there's going to be a fight. We've seen a real shift in Washington as a result of that fight.  The attacks continue, there is a lot at stake, and we still have a lot of work left to do -- but there is a little less bravado among the Wall Street lobbyists and a little less momentum behind further rollbacks.    We fight for Wall Street accountability so that Congress puts in place strong laws and the government regulators enforce them. We fight to protect consumers from tricks and traps, to end reckless gambling by Wall Street, and to protect taxpayers from bailouts. We fight because it's the right thing to do.    I hope you'll take a moment today and make a donation to AFR. Your support will help them make sure the big banks don't always get the last word in Washington on policies that make a difference to all of us. I appreciate your support for AFR, and I hope you can contribute to its very important work.    Sincerely, Elizabeth Warren U.S. Senator p.s.  Whatever happens or doesn't happen in Congress, there are a lot of important decisions being made all the time at the at the banking oversight agencies.  Many Dodd-Frank rules haven't been implemented or even written yet, and AFR is on the front lines pushing for strong, tough rules – and enforcement of the rules. I hope you can support their work with a $25 contribution. Find us on Facebook and Twitter. Sent by Americans for Financial Reform 1629 K Street NW, 10th Floor, Washington, DC 20006 - (202) 466-1885

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Why Bridgasaurus Boondogglus is just plundering to plan a scheme that will never happen

The era of the total paving moratorium is coming, like it or not.

The only question is whether we will accept it gracefully and use the diminishing (but currently still ample) amount of excess wealth around to plan and prepare for the day when none can deny that the Happy Motoring Era of mass automobility is over - or will we pretend that the laws of physics have exceptions for those who bury their heads in the sand forcefully enough and who chant the mantras of "growth" and electric self-driving cars on "smart" roads faithfully enough.

http://www.resilience.org/stories/2015-05-07/the-whisper-of-the-shutoff-valve

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

If we can't dream of tackling this for everyone, at least why don't we do this for all veterans?

Meet the outsider who accidentally solved chronic homelessness - The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2015/05/06/meet-the-outsider-who-accidentally-solved-chronic-homelessness/?tid=trending_strip_4
----
Shared via my feedly reader

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

FED UP! Thursday, 5/14, 7 pm, a must-see at Salem Progressive Film Series

Please join us on Thursday, May 14th at 7 PM at the Grand Theatre  for the screening of the documentary  Fed Up!   We feel this documentary is so important for young people and families to see, we are lowering the entrance price to $3 for anyone under 18 years of age. Please share this email with parents, teachers, and teens..   The film focuses on the causes of obesity in the US, presenting evidence showing that the large quantities of sugar in processed foods are an overlooked root of the problem, and points to the monied lobbying power of "Big Sugar" in blocking attempts to enact policies to address the issue.     "Fed Up is poised to be the Inconvenient Truth of the health movement".  LA Weekly   See below for more information about the film and guest speakers.

Upcoming Film

May 14th, 2015 * 7 PM   "Fed Up"   Fed Up shows how the first dietary guidelines issued by the U.S. government 30 years ago overlooked the role of dietary sugar in increasing risks of obesity, diabetes, and associated ill-health outcomes, particularly in children. Since these guidelines effectively condoned unlimited addition of sugar to foods consumed by children, sugar consumption has greatly increased, obesity has skyrocketed, and generations of children have grown up far fatter than their parents. These children face impaired health and shorter lifespans as a result. As the relationship between the high-sugar diet and poor health has emerged, entrenched sugar industry interests with almost unlimited financial lobbying resources have beaten back attempts by parents, schools, states, and in Congress to provide a healthier diet for children.   To view trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCUbvOwwfWM     Guest Speakers:     Dr. Jeanette Walker, MDVIDA Integrative Medicine   Jessica Short, RD, LD, CDESalem Hospital

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Sneak Attack by Corporadoes on Local Laws Protecting Farmland

Disgusting sneak attack by corporations who want to win the ability to SUE local governments to demand ransom having to follow the law.

And even more revolting, the Democratic-majority Oregon House passed this offensive, Orwellian attack on democracy (letting corporations sue to make states pay for passing laws to protect the public that the corporations don't like):

Call your State Senator ASAP -- especially Salem folks living in Senate President Peter Courtney's district:

A year ago this month, voters in Jackson County – led by local family farmers trying to protect their crops from GMO contamination – voted overwhelmingly to ban genetically engineered crops from being cultivated within their borders. This landslide win was a victory for grassroots activists and a rebuke for Monsanto and other corporations that spent BIG money to defeat the measure.

But now, a sneaky new bill, HB 3212, is moving through the state legislature that would undermine Jackson County’s trailblazing legislation. It gives the same industrial farm interests that fought GMO labeling the right to sue counties, cities and the state for “compensation” due to important laws that protect the environment and the public.

Groups representing family farmers, such as Friends of Family Farmers and Our Family Farms Coalition, are opposing HB 3212 since it would also undermine laws meant to protect family farmers and organic farmers from being damaged by industrial agricultural practices. Laws protecting family farmers from GMO-contamination or pesticide over-spraying, for example, would be undermined by HB 3212.

The bill has already passed the Oregon House and could soon be considered by the State Senate.

John, we need all hands on deck to fight this damaging legislation. Click here to find the phone number and email of your State Senator. Then, ask them to OPPOSE HB 3212 since it doesn’t protect the public, family farmers, or the environment!

We only have a short time to stop this bill in its tracks. Tell your Senator to oppose HB 3212 today >>

Thank you,

Oregon GMO Right to Know

Hook 'em young: Educating kindergartners about sugary drinks on Pinterest | Sports Dr…

https://www.pinterest.com/colinpurrington/educating-kindergartners-about-sugary-drinks/


"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

ACT FAST to demand that USDA Diet Guidelines Consider Environmental Consequences!

Here’s the full story:

Every 5 years the US dietary guidelines are updated. And what goes into those guidelines informs the $16 billion school lunch program, WIC, and other institutional procurement standards nationally. Every 5 years an independent science panel recommends what should be updated in the guidelines- then there is a short public review period which typically involves industries advocating for their special interests “more sugar!” “more beef!” etc., while citizens remain uninformed and their voices never heard by the government agencies that decide on the final guidelines.

This year, for the first time ever, the science committee recommended considering the sustainability of the dietary patterns promoted by the dietary guidelines, for the sake of food security to feed our country healthfully today and in the future. This is an unprecedented and welcome change!

But Big Ag has pushed back saying there is no place for sustainability language in the dietary guidelines. The livestock industry have been mobilizing their membership to place comments protecting their interests, and working against that of the public, by objecting to the inclusion of sustainability, as recommended by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.

Over the next few months a political process will take place behind closed doors to define what will be in our dietary guidelines. But we as citizens have one last chance to have our voices heard! We can submit a public comment directly to the HHS and USDA by May 8th.

http://cowspiracy.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=773de69b0ae89f48a7271e5e0&id=87dcb3d6c9&e=882dbc0b10

Here's the comment I just submitted:

PLEASE do not overlook the environment when considering dietary guidelines! The earth is our sole storehouse of food -- ignoring that we need to eat tomorrow and for years to come, as well as today, is not just short-sided, it's counterproductive to dietary guidelines.

MAKE SURE TO include dietary advice on health and the environment in the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as recommended in the 2015 Scientific Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. The science is clear, a diet higher in plant-based foods, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and lower in calories and animal-based foods is more health promoting, less resource intensive, and is associated with less environmental impact.

Although we humans like to think of ourselves otherwise, we are part of the planetary ecosystem, and we are overwhelming it with our sheer numbers. To have a secure future, we must start being conscious of how we are degrading the planet's long term ability to provide for our needs, and to curb our appetites and to shift towards more sustainable choices in diet. We cannot afford to wait until the oceans are devoid of life and the climate is radically destabilized to realize that what's on our plates has a huge effect on what goes on with the planet -- and vice versa!

Any homo sapiens sapiens worthy of the title would realize that WE HAVE TO STOP EATING LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW IF WE WANT MORE TOMORROWS!

How Sustainable is Stored Sunlight? [feedly]

A must-read now that media is falling all over Tesla's plan to make money selling batteries for cars without the car . . .

----
How Sustainable is Stored Sunlight?
// Low-tech Magazine

Picture: Tesla's lithium-ion home storage system.

One of the constraints of solar power is that it is not always available: it is dependent on daylight hours and clear skies. In order to fill these gaps, a storage solution or a backup infrastructure of fossil fuel power plants is required -- a factor that is often ignored when scientists investigate the sustainability of PV systems.

Whether or not to include storage is no longer just an academic question. Driven by better battery technology and the disincentivization of grid-connected solar panels, off-grid solar is about to make a comeback. How sustainable is a solar PV system if energy storage is taken into account?

---

 

---

 

In the previous article, we have seen that many life cycle analyses (LCAs) of solar PV systems have a positive bias. Most LCAs base their studies on the manufacturing of solar cells in Europe or the USA. However, most panels are now produced in China, where the electric grid is about twice as carbon-intensive and about 50% less energy efficient. [1] Likewise, most LCAs investigate solar PV systems in regions with a solar insolation typical of the Mediterranean region, while the majority of solar panels have been installed in places with only half as much sunshine.

As a consequence, the embodied greenhouse gas emissions of a kWh of electricity generated by solar PV is two to four times higher than most LCAs indicate. Instead of the oft-cited 30-50 grams of CO2-equivalents per kilowatt-hour of generated electricity (gCO2e/kWh), we calculated that the typical solar PV system installed between 2008 and 2014 produces close to 120 gCO2e/kWh. This makes solar PV only four times less carbon-intensive than conventional grid electricity in most western countries.

However, even this result is overly optimistic. In the previous article, we didn't take into account "one of the potentially largest missing components" [2] of the usual life cycle analysis of PV systems: the embodied energy of the infrastructure that deals with the intermittency of solar power. Solar insolation varies throughout the day and throughout the season, and of course solar energy is not available after sunset. . . .

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Nice: Where is the Love? [feedly]

A small troupe of writers and artists create Salem Is, a worthy site for any reader

Where is the Love?
// Salem Is

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Amtrak Train Days -- in Salem May 16

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

From: "Amtrak" <Amtrak@e-mail.amtrak.com>
Date: May 1, 2015 at 14:01:46 PDT
Subject: Amtrak Train Days arrive in Salem May 16

Learn more about Amtrak Train Days events in Salem's Riverfront Park. View as a web page PLAN YOUR NEXT TRIP » All aboard for Amtrak Train Days Saturday May 16 in Riverfront Park Celebrate your love of trains at Amtrak Train Days—the traveling, community-centric celebration of the history, importance and value of passenger train travel in America. At Riverfront Park you'll be able to climb aboard the Amtrak Exhibit Train and explore the history of Amtrak® and the future of rail travel with an array of interactive exhibits and rare Amtrak memorabilia. Plus, Amtrak will also be showcasing the Reason to Ride train—a dynamic experience that takes viewers on an interactive journey through the benefits of train travel. And the Chuggington Kids Depot will have plenty of toy trains and coloring tables for the kids. Book your ticket to Salem today and see for yourself why Amtrak is America's Railroad. BOOK TODAY Amtrak.com Deals Plan Contact Us Amtrak Guest Rewards® Amtrak and Amtrak Guest Rewards are registered service marks of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation. Our mailing address is: Amtrak, Marketing Department, 10 G Street NE Washington, DC 20002 Stay Connected