TakePart Social Action Network™

Crush Global Warming: Declare Your Independence From Fossil Fuels

blair@takepart.com — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:17:51 +0000

Music videos don’t typically address climate change, nor do the musicians usually give you a shout-out in the video, but the Alliance for Climate Education (A.C.E.) is giving you the chance to declare your independence from fossil fuels by creating your own personalized Crush Global Warming video.

The clever trick places your name throughout the video on newspapers and signs, and aims to get young people excited about going green and combating the climate crisis.

The video is part of A.C.E.’s larger plan to educating high school students about the science behind climate change and inspiring them to take action and have fun at the same time. The program sounds like an amazing way to mobilize teens about a vitally important issue and makes getting involved with the climate fight the cool choice. So, go create your own video and check out the behind the scenes of the Crush Global Warming shoot below:

Help Improve Water Access In Nicaragua

blair@takepart.com — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:15:59 +0000

laszlo-photo's Flickr photostream/Creative Commons

Access to safe and clean water is a right that should be afforded to everyone, but unfortunately pollution, climate change and privatization, among other obstacles, prevent one billion people obtaining this vital necessity.

This upcoming Thanksgiving week, SYRV, a non-profit that connects travelers with volunteer opportunities in developing countries, will be traveling to Jiquilillo, Nicaragua, one of the many places that lacks access to clean water. There they will help build desperately needed water-purifiers as well as other community support projects.

And if you happen to be in Los Angeles this evening, you should head down to Venice to attend the SYRV fundraiser where you can learn more and help support the amazing work they do.

The evening will include live music as well as a screening of the documentary Flow, which examines the growing water crisis that the world faces. All of the proceeds will go towards helping SYRV and Proyecto Laguna build the Jiquilillo Community Center in Nicaragua that will hold a community water purifier station, library, computer lab, sewing stations and organic garden. Even if you can’t make the event tonight you can still donate to help support their efforts to bring clean water and other necessities to the people of Jiquilillio.

Watch the trailer for Flow below, read more about water rights here on TakePart and use the action link to find out what you can do to improve access to clean water to those in need.

Social Action Roundup: Week of Nov. 20th

blair@takepart.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:57:47 +0000

Participant Media presents entertainment that inspires and compels social change. Behind these films and issues, there are thousands of people nationwide who work tirelessly on campaigns that use the films as inspiration to make a difference. As a member of the company’s Social Action team, which develops initiatives that are inspired by the films, I’m excited to announce the first posting of a weekly blog of Sarah’s Social Action Snapshot, which will offer the latest updates on our campaigns and offer specific actions and tools, from our campaigns, for people to get involved in issues in the news.

Food, Inc.
Do you want to know about rGBH dairy, issues facing small farmers or organic yogurt? If so, check out our recent online chats with some of the leading food advocacy organizations from our campaign and Stonyfield Yogurt.

We learned this week that obesity rates continue to climb with an expected 103 million Americans to be obese by 2018. Scary? Yes. Preventable? Yes. Take action by supporting menu labeling and check out our campaign’s 10 tips for healthy eating.

The Cove
Residents of Taiji, Japan were tested recently for mercury after the release of The Cove led to widespread public concern about mercury-poisoning from the consumption of dolphin meat. While the results showed high levels of mercury amongst residents, the Japanese government downplayed the results. Citizens around the world continue to keep the pressure on the Japanese government to stop the capture and slaughter of dolphins for human consumption.

The Soloist
The Soloist is the story of Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, a Juillard-trained musician who developed schizophrenia and was living on Los Angeles’ skid row. During National Homeless and Hunger-Awareness this week, the government-issued report found that 49 million people and 17 million children lacked regular access to food. Help to address this problem by donating and volunteering with Feeding America.

The New York Times is reporting on a creative Philadelphia program to help prevent more foreclosures. Despite this creative effort, the number of people losing their homes continues to climb nationwide. Learn how you can get involved to help homeless people in your community with our special Soloist-inspired Volunteer Match map.

An Inconvenient Truth
A critical important climate change summit will be occurring in Copenhagen starting December 7th. World leaders and activists will join together for two weeks to hammer out an international treaty that will hopefully reduce greenhouse gas emissions drastically. Our digital team at Takepart is powering Hopenhagen, an online community offering solutions and inspiring generations to get involved in Copenhagen and beyond.

Jimmy Carter Man From Plains
In the latest news about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Israeli government announced plans to build homes in contested-East Jerusalem. We took a cue from international peace leader Jimmy Carter and developed conflict-resolution lesson plans for kids of all ages.

Standard Operating Procedure
The Obama Administration is trying to fulfill its pledge to close Guantanamo prison. Get involved with some of the organizations we’ve worked with on Errol Morris’ Standard Operating Procedure who are continuing to fight to close Guantanamo, stop torture and hold accountable those who’ve engaged in torture of prisoners.

The Kite Runner
President Obama is deciding whether to send more troops to Afghanistan. New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote recently about the importance of investing in the country’s educational infrastructure, rather than increasing troops, as an important tool to helping to stabilize and develop this fragile country. Get involved today to support the training of teachers and building of schools with Afghan Relief Organization, whom we worked with on our Social Action campaign for The Kite Runner.

My Last Post

blair@takepart.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:51:01 +0000

Hi Readers! I’ve really enjoyed writing for this wonderful site over the past few years but, the time has come for me to leave the TakePart family. Although I will not longer be a Takepart.com blogger, I will continue to be a reader and supporter. And now here’s a oldie but goodie video I’d like to share in honor of my last post.

Feel free to keep up with me on the web at giuliarozzi.com.

New Guidelines for Cervical Cancer Screening, Too

blair@takepart.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:39:45 +0000

Well, it’s been an interesting week for women’s health issues: earlier this week Giulia noted that a panel is recommending fewer mammograms and starting later, and now, new guidelines are suggesting that women start getting screened for cervical cancer later in life, and that Pap smears are not needed every year.

One of the reasons for the change is that overtesting can actually lead to very serious risks. Says Reuters:

The recommendations are based on scientific evidence that suggests more frequent testing leads to overtreatment, which can harm a young woman’s chances of carrying a child full term.

“Overtreatment of minor abnormal pap tests in young women and adolescents can lead to consequences such as preterm labor in some cases. It increases the risk,” said Dr. Thomas Herzog of Columbia University in New York, who is chairman of an ACOG [American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists] subcommittee on gynecologic cancers.

So now, women, you’re supposed to start getting Pap smears at 21, and every two years. Once you turn 30, every three years. That way, precancerous growths that usually will just go away on their own won’t be removed, which is what is causing the cervical abnormalities that then cause the preterm labor mentioned earlier. As well, cervical cancer grows so slowly, it can be caught in time even with these revised results.

Of course, like with the breast cancer screening changes, many women are unwilling to agree to the new guidelines just yet. The “better safe than sorry” mantra is a big one, even when, in this instance, the “safe” method actually does have its dangers. And, we’re Americans, and if some is good, more is better, and when we apply that to medicine, sometimes we see overtreatment.

It’s hard to think about some of this objectively sometimes, because, well, it seems a lot like a matter of life and death. But think about it this way: one professor of bioethics I was speaking with Wednesday said that you’re more likely to die in a car crash on your way to a mammogram than you are by accepting the new guidelines.

Happy Friday!

Project Cuddle

blair@takepart.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:37:29 +0000

I will never understand how anyone could abandon a baby. Luckily there are folks like Debbe Magnusen around to help care for those children left behind. In 1996 after reading a newspaper article about the discovery of a dead baby in a file cabinet in Yorba Linda, Calif., in 1996, Magnusen started a hotline called Project Cuddle and announced on TV that women unable to care for their newborns could drop them off on her porch in Costa Mesa, California. Over the past 13 years Magnusen has rescued 661 babies finding most adoptive homes.

And now her life will be the topic of a made-for-TV movie. Tonic.com reports that John Stamos, National Spokesperson for Project Cuddle (best known as Uncle Jesse from Full House) is producing the film about Magnusen and her wonderful work.

Project Cuddle doesn’t just help house unwanted infant, it also offers needed resources such as job and other assistance to allow a mother to keep her baby and shelter and medical aid. You can help Project Cuddle by contributing to their organization wish list or you can volunteer to be a rescue family anywhere in the country. Learn more by clicking here.

Convention on the Rights of the Child, 20 Years Later

blair@takepart.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:21:36 +0000

Today, November 20 marks the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the most widely ratified international human rights treaty. The UNCRC laid out the civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights for children all over the world. The documented has been ratified by 193 countries including every U.N. Member State but the United States and Somalia.

I was surprised to learn that the U.S. was not included in the 193 supporting nations. VOA News reports: Despite the success of the Convention in raising awareness of children’s rights worldwide, one of the largest and most influential countries in the world has not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The United States has not approved the Convention because it fears government interference in family life and the possible loss of its sovereign rights.

But ratifying a treaty doesn’t always promise results as many are acknowledging that 20 years later, children’s rights are still being violated. Many nations that ratified the Convention have not taken all the steps to protect children leaving many children victim to preventable diseases, malnutrition, violence and exploitation. Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, Saad Houry, calls the Convention a milestone, but notes the reality does not always live up to the document’s vision of a world made safe for all children. He says millions of children remain excluded from that dream saying “despite remarkable economic growth in scores of countries over the past 20 years, shocking disparities are also growing, with the poorest children left further behind.”

However many are hopeful that the anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child will serve as a reminder to countries to keep their promise and take action to protect our littlest citizens. Click here for a list of worldwide UNCRC anniversary events.

Me Gusta Broken Embraces

blair@takepart.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:36:06 +0000

One of the things about language that fascinates me most is that so much of translation is really just a science of digesting a saying comfortably into another tongue. For instance, the phrase me gusta– delineating one liking a person, place, or thing and often translated to mean I like–actually translates literally to mean gives me pleasure. So when I falter on my attempts at vegetarianism and proclaim “Pero [but] me gusta tacos de al pastor,” what I’m saying isn’t “But I like al pastor tacos.” No, more accurately what I doth protest is really: “Al pastor tacos give me pleasure.” (My inner foodie is in agreement on this one.) As most things do, this brings me to cinema–I’m a lover of food and film, what can I say? As such, I was recently blessed with the experience that is Broken Embraces or Los Abrazos Rotos by acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar.

The picture, which had its US premiere at the NY Film Festival (covered by our own talented and lovely Gina Telaroli) stars an astonishing Penelope Cruz (and I mean astonishing by sheer demonstration of her increasingly recognized acting abilities) mows over its audience with plot twists, welcomed melodrama, and an attention to the dramatic cues that every day life offers but few of us have the guts to grasp. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Almodovar is such a resonating filmmaker: His stories are well rooted in the details of life, but he allows his characters to take that extra step many of us would only dream of attempting.

The film tells a story within a story, spiraling upon itself–a practice which Almodovar has become accustomed to. The narrative follows a blind screenwriter who is visited by a young director seeking to create a masterwork of familial intrigue. Upon hearing the director’s pitch, the screenwriter instantly recognizes the story and is guided down a path that recalls a tragic romance involving a starlet, played by Cruz . The story is engulfed in jealousy, and for good reason. As our screenwriter and his love fall deeper and deeper into their passionate affair, so does her live-in-lover’s (and the film’s financier) patience and thus his ability to control his need to control her, by all means necessary. Neo-Film Noir intrigue ensues.

Lensing by celebrated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto is a new addition to Almodovar’s tool box and his behind-camera presence can be felt, but never overshadows the recurring vision of the Spanish auteur–a compliment to the work of both. Acting notices are all on point. I was much more taken with Cruz’s performance in her last film with Almodovar–Volver–though she still shines. The woman is magic. Her attention to the smallest of details in her performance is simply thrilling to experience.

Almodovar has had quite a stretch of brilliance, starting with 1999’s All About My Mother, followed byTalk to Her, Bad Education, and finally Volver. Though not his best work, I can easily proclaim: Me gusta Broken Embraces–that is to say, it gives me pleasure.

Broken Embraces opens in NYC today and expands to Los Angeles on December 11.

TakePart: The Braille institute is dedicated to easing the suffering of those who live with blindness. Visit the Act tab below to find out more about the institute and how you can help.

Why Going Green—and the Climate Negotiations in Copenhagen—Matter Now More than Ever

blair@takepart.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:49:10 +0000

Editor’s Note: This post is written by Andrew Winston, a globally recognized expert on how businesses can profit from thinking green and the co-author of the best-seller Green to Gold.

For the past few years, the business world has been swept up in a green wave—a rising tide of interest and concern about environmental issues. The Great Recession has not stopped the pressure pushing this wave. Environmental crises such as climate change and water shortages continue to evolve. Mega-forces such as technology-driven transparency and the rise of the consumer in India and China—which will force the price of oil and other resources up over time—continue to advance. Closer to home, key stakeholders are demanding more of companies than ever, especially corporate customers greening their supply chains. For business, going green is ultimately unavoidable.

Through this long, hard recession, while many have put their environmental initiatives to the side (a big strategic mistake given the pressures), the leading companies—giants such as Wal-Mart, GE, and IBM—have actually accelerated their green efforts. Using the environmental lens, they’ve found new growth opportunities and significant cost-savings. They, and many of their peers, are aggressively cutting back on carbon emissions—over half the largest 500 companies in the world now have specific greenhouse gas reduction targets.

But no matter how great the benefits of going green, the private sector can, and will, only go so far without a strong policy framework. And this is why the global climate negotiations in “Hopenhagen” are so critical, for the world and for the United States.

With the right policies in place, the most innovative companies and countries will help solve this great challenge and grab a chunk of what HSBC estimates will be a $2 trillion market by 2020. But the U.S. is not positioned well in this competition.

Recently, two of America’s most prominent capitalists, John Doerr from Kleiner Perkins and Jeff Immelt, CEO of General Electric, wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post. They told us that we’re falling behind other countries in the race to a multi-trillion dollar market for environmental solutions. Only one in ten of the largest solar and wind producers are in the U.S. We’re losing to China, Germany, and other countries. Doerr and Immelt’s conclusion was this: we need a cap and price on carbon so we can compete and innovate. And whether or not you want the U.S. to “win” doesn’t really matter—it helps everyone innovate if they have the right economic signals.

Without a cost on carbon and some restrictions on total emissions, the “externality” that is climate change won’t be priced into our investment decisions. On top of the environmental and moral imperatives of tackling our multi-generational existential threat, this somewhat wonky, economic externality argument is at the core of what’s at stake in Copenhagen.

The beginning of perhaps the most important global conversation in history begins in a just a few weeks. Is your company a part of the discussion and ready for what’s to come?

Hangers Are Headed To Congress

blair@takepart.com — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:48:54 +0000

CREDO Mobile, a cell phone provider that donates 1% of your charges goes to progressive nonprofits, is mailing coat hangers to all the democratic members of the House of Representatives who voted in support of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment in Obama’s health care reform bill.

The Credo site is asking people to sign their petition saying: “We know what happens when women are denied access to reproductive health care including abortion. And we can’t go back to an era of coat hangers and back alley abortions. Reconsider your vote on the Stupak amendment. Tell House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that the final health care bill that emerges from the conference committee can’t turn the clock back on women’s rights.” When you sign the petition they’ll send a coat hanger to the 20 formerly pro-choice Democrats who voted to take away women’s rights.

It’s a harsh action, but it definitely sends a message. To learn more about how the healthcare reform bill is affecting reproductive rights, check out this article on the Frisky.

CREDO is also the company I wrote about earlier this year that offers those great free stickers in support of gay marriage, click here to get yours.