mothernaturenetwork:

In a Q&A with MNN, the famed animal researcher talks about her latest efforts to battle the biggest threats to the species.

If you see the film during the first week, thru April 26, 20 cents of proceeds go to the Jane Goodall Institute for work at Gombe, Tanzania.

John Stewart’s interview with Goodall is great. See link at mothernaturenetwork.

A study of more than 200,000 Australians adds to the growing body of evidence that people who sit the most die the soonest. It also found that you can’t exercise this effect away, though exercise does help reduce it greatly.

The study’s simple message is that spending more time standing and less time sitting prolongs life…..

Its most striking finding was that people who sat more than 11 hours a day had a 40% higher risk of dying in the next three years than people who sat less than four hours a day. This was after adjusting for factors such as age, weight, physical activity and general health status, all of which affect the death risk. It also found a clear dose-response effect: the more people sat, the higher their risk of death.

The Atlantic,  Neil Wagner, author

Amazon and others have “stand up desks.”  The tall ones — tall enough to stand — tend to have a small working surface.  I think I’ll design and make my own. 

pantslessprogressive:

Winning peace in Iraq, according to Michele Bachmann. [Infographic: RT]

My husband John and I Occupied the Magnificent Mile in Chicago today, while most were Holiday Shopping in this exclusive shopping area.  In 2 hours a dozen people came up to speak with and share support.  Many people smiled or gave us thumbs up.  Most people either avoided eye contact like the plague or looked puzzled.    Our thoughts are that we’ve spreading the word and getting folks in the ole’ USA used to protesting.  Unless this country turns around I think they’ll be seeing a lot more protests and signs.  We think that between 5 and 10 thousand people saw our signs.  Those sidewalks were crowded!

pantslessprogressive:

sarahlee310:

Lobbying Firm’s Memo Spells Out Plan to Undermine Occupy Wall Street

A well-known Washington lobbying firm with links to the financial industry has proposed an $850,000 plan to take on Occupy Wall Street and politicians who might express sympathy for the protests, according to a memo obtained by the MSNBC program “Up w/ Chris Hayes.”

The proposal was written on the letterhead of the lobbying firm Clark Lytle Geduldig & Cranford and addressed to one of CLGC’s clients, the American Bankers Association.

CLGC’s memo proposes that the ABA pay CLGC $850,000 to conduct “opposition research” on Occupy Wall Street in order to construct “negative narratives” about the protests and allied politicians. The memo also asserts that Democratic victories in 2012 would be detrimental for Wall Street and targets specific races in which it says Wall Street would benefit by electing Republicans instead.

According to the memo, if Democrats embrace OWS, “This would mean more than just short-term political discomfort for Wall Street. … It has the potential to have very long-lasting political, policy and financial impacts on the companies in the center of the bullseye.”

The memo also suggests that Democratic victories in 2012 should not be the ABA’s biggest concern. “… (T)he bigger concern,” the memo says, “should be that Republicans will no longer defend Wall Street companies.”

Two of the memo’s authors, partners Sam Geduldig and Jay Cranford, previously worked for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. Geduldig joined CLGC before Boehner became speaker;  Cranford joined CLGC this year after serving as the speaker’s assistant for policy. A third partner, Steve Clark, is reportedly “tight” with Boehner, according to a story by Roll Call that CLGC features on its website. 

Jeff Sigmund, an ABA spokesperson, confirmed that the association got the memo. “Our Government Relations staff did receive the proposal – it was unsolicited and we chose not to act on it in any way,” he said in a statement to “Up.”

CLGC did not return calls seeking comment.

Boehner spokesman Michael Steel declined to comment on the memo. But he responded to its characterization of Republicans as defenders of Wall Street by saying, “My understanding is that President Obama is the single largest recipient of donations from Wall Street.”

The CLGC memo raises another issue that it says should be of concern to the financial industry — that OWS might find common cause with the Tea Party. “Well-known Wall Street companies stand at the nexus of where OWS protestors and the Tea Party overlap on angered populism,” the memo says. “…This combination has the potential to be explosive later in the year when media reports cover the next round of bonuses and contrast it with stories of millions of Americans making do with less this holiday season.”

The memo outlines a 60-day plan to conduct surveys and research on OWS and its supporters so that Wall Street companies will be prepared to conduct a media campaign in response to OWS. Wall Street companies “likely will not be the best spokespeople for their own cause,” according to the memo.  “A big challenge is to demonstrate that these companies still have political strength and that making them a political target will carry a severe political cost.”  

Part of the plan CLGC proposes is to do “statewide surveys in at least eight states that are shaping up to be the most important of the 2012 cycle.”

Specific races listed in the memo are U.S. Senate races in Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, Ohio, New Mexico and Nevada as well as the gubernatorial race in North Carolina.

The memo indicates that CLGC would research who has contributed financial backing to OWS, noting that, “Media reports have speculated about associations with George Soros and others.”

“It will be vital,” the memo says, “to understand who is funding it and what their backgrounds and motives are. If we can show that they have the same cynical motivation as a political opponent it will undermine their credibility in a profound way.”

(via Up with Chris Hayes)

Fighting activism with money…. not surprising in the least, yet still terrifying.

I’ve felt powerless for many years, watching my country move towards 3rd World nation status.  The Occupy movement has given me and many others a voice!   Finally!  Together, let’s change the politics of this country!

Had Wall Street been properly regulated and big corporations both taxed and encouraged to keep jobs in the USA, most people in this country would be doing well today. The rich would still be rich, just not quite so much.  There would have been NO Recession/Depression. 

My financial situation would be vastly different, as most of my savings were in real estate that is now worth less than when purchased.  Combine that with loss of union job due to injury and a divorce, it was a triple whammy.   The lack of single payer health care hit me first, when I left my union job.  Then the housing boom turned my “on paper” winnings in real estate into losses.   College costs for my daughter were over $130,000; shared with her Dad and my parents.  I dropped out out of the middle class in 2006, the year my daughter entered college.

Ten years ago I thought I’d be in semi-retirement at this age.  I had planned and worked hard— often 6 or 7 days/week.  Now I’ll be lucky to survive financially and stay healthy til Medicare kicks in.  And I have been lucky.

Today I feel empowered because I switched from Bank of America to a  local bank.  Let’s change the politics of this country!  Find a local bank or credit union and join.  Attend a local Occupy protest group.  Support a candidate that supports the 99% and not corporations.

Occupytogether.org