I used to do a weekly newsletter that had quite a following. But it got too much for me to juggle, so I let it slip. But now, as possibly a step towards re-establishing it, I want to start a Cool News Roundup, highlighting stuff from the past week or so and/or relevant older articles that may be of interest, as well as action alerts. My personal biases will of course come into play: science, Jewish issues, history, etc. will often be part of what I highlight.
Let me know what you think!
So, below the dingleberry thingie, let's begin.
We are approaching the season where mold and mildew become a problem for many homeowners, I think it is worth posting this again: Dealing with Mold and Mildew in Your Home
CONSUMER ALERT: 1800Flowers Ripoff Report
As Mother's Day approaches, I want to bring this to people's attention. Apparently 1800flowers is NOT the place to go for flowers. Poor quality and outright scams seem their habit. Find out more at Ripoff Report and at Consumerist.
It is worth also noting that according to the Better Business Bureau, ProFlowers also gets low marks for customer service, but I don't specifically know about outright scams being carried out by ProFlowers like the scams 1800Flowers has done.
POLITICAL NEWS:
While the right wing worship a law breaker who thinks blacks were better off as slaves, President Obama continues to push for increasing the minimum wage:
Sometimes the Good Guys Win: Unmasking “Company Doe”
Another Republican Congressman indicted: Republican Rep. Michael Grimm indicted
The predictable result of the Republican "drown America in Norquist's bathtub" policy: Scary and sad: There are 63,000 structurally deficient bridges in the U.S.
Prospects for Senate Democrats starting to look MUCH better: New York Times poll shows close Senate races in four southern states
For those who want to help Democrats win in November, please donate through my 2014 ACT BLUE SITE. I am hoping to see more than $1000 raised soon!
I wonder if someone lost their job over this miscalculation: Be careful what you wish for: NYPD asks for our opinion and gets more than they bargained for
Oklahoma City bombing anniversary a reminder of the radical right’s rage
Right wing racism goes on and on: Cliven Bundy: "want to tell you one more thing I know about the negro..."
And Bundy isn't the only right wing racist: Former Con. Black Caucus Chair Cleaver blasts Paul Ryan for quoting Charles Murray's "racist sewage"
Count on us TV's documentary on Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, who I know and like personally:
HEALTH, SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS:
Did leaded gasoline drive a spike in crime? I am skeptical, but we do know that leaded gasoline was criminally irresponsible. This might be another aspect of the irresponsibility.
No matter how much the right wing want to wish evolution away, evolution still happens. Superbug: An Epidemic Begins
Activist workshop: How to respond to attacks on science education
FOR ASD AWARENESS MONTH:
For those of us who live with someone with ASD, EVERY month is Autism Awareness Month. I wish I could share my son's eloquent "coming out" as diagnosed with ASD to his class, but since it is filmed in a classroom, it can only be shared privately. But it was a wonderful moment for him and for his class. And it was all thanks to my giving my son the The Survival Guide For Kids With Autism Spectrum Disorders (And Their Parents), which my son LOVES.
But others can also be eloquent about ASD. This from Daily Kos: If you have ever loved or known someone with Autism please read this diary
And let me also plug this WONDERFUL website done by two kids with ASD: Aspberger's Experts
CLIMATE ACTION ALERT:
Stand Up For A Cleaner Environment!
Our future depends on switching to cleaner, better, more local energy sources. There is no one single solution, but combinations of solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric and biogas production, coupled with increased energy efficiency, could go a long way not only to reduce America's carbon footprint, but also to create local jobs. AND reduce our dependence on oil producing nations like Saudi Arabia, Iran and Venezuela.
Pear Energy is a way you can switch to clean energy easily. Your energy bill will start to support the creation of new clean energy sources. From Pear Energy:
The United States needs to reduce its carbon footprint by about 40 percent over the next 20 years and by 80 percent by 2050 in order to control climate change. This is what we need to achieve to stop playing Russian Roulette with our global environment. Learn more
Electricity generated by coal produces 40 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. Electricity from natural gas increasingly involves fracking technology, which is poisoning our groundwater.
Pear wants to make it easy and affordable for you to buy clean wind and solar-powered electricity, so that we can, together, defend the environment, fight climate change, and generate millions of good jobs in the process. We can all help build a green economy by our own decisions on what we buy, starting today.
My wife and I have been buying all wind power for about 10 years now (through another program). When we made the switch we also switched to CFL light bulbs. The savings from the CFLs more than outweighed the small increase from the switch to clean energy.
This is really a critical action. Combining switching to CFL bulbs (or now LEDs are an even better option) and buying all clean energy will together save you money and greatly reduce your carbon foot print. Join my family and switch now.