Friday, May 11, 2012

Cherokee Nation elects new leader - How much Cherokee is he? !

Please watch this first:


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#47381174


[ I am 1/32nd Chippewa and have the same Indian blood as Mr. Baker. Could I qualify like he does? Just curious! ]


After a bitter campaign in which the candidates attacked each other on everything from job creation to use of a private plane, one of the nation's largest American Indian tribes chose a new leader in an election decided by 11 votes.


http://newsok.com/cherokee-nation-elects-new-leader/article/3580753

After a bitter campaign in which the candidates attacked each other on everything from job creation to use of a private plane, one of the nation's largest American Indian tribes chose a new leader in an election decided by 11 votes.

photo - FILE - In this June 6, 2011 file photo, challenger Bill John Baker, a candidate for Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, answers a question during a televised debate in Claremore, Okla. In a close election that ran overnight, the Cherokee Nation elected a new principal chief Sunday, June 26, 2011, with final results posted on the tribe's website showing longtime councilman Baker defeating three-term incumbent Chad Smith by 11 votes. (AP Photo/David Crenshaw, File) ORG XMIT: NY113
FILE - In this June 6, 2011 file photo, challenger Bill John Baker, a candidate for Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, answers a question during a televised debate in Claremore, Okla. In a close election that ran overnight, the Cherokee Nation elected a new principal chief Sunday, June 26, 2011, with final results posted on the tribe's website showing longtime councilman Baker defeating three-term incumbent Chad Smith by 11 votes. (AP Photo/David Crenshaw, File) ORG XMIT: NY113

MULTIMEDIA

Longtime councilman Bill John Baker unseated three-term incumbent Chad Smith and will be sworn in as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation on Aug. 14.


The tribe has nearly 300,000 members, making it one of the biggest in the nation and the largest in Oklahoma, where it has a 14-county jurisdiction. Many of its members live elsewhere, and the biggest different between the tribal election and a typical U.S. congressional campaign is the percentage of people who vote by absentee ballot. In 2007, it was nearly 20 percent.

More than 15,000 votes were cast this year, and the margin between Baker and Smith had been fewer than 30 since late Saturday. Tribal election officials spent the night behind closed doors, scrutinizing so-called “challenge” ballots, which are similar to provisional ballots, before determining the winner early Sunday.


Baker, who has served 12 years as a tribal councilman, will take the oath of office on Aug. 14.


“I'm humbled and honored to be the new Chief of the Cherokee Nation,” he said in a statement. “I want to thank everyone who supported me. … I think it's fair to say that every vote counted. We've come far, but we have far to go.


“Every day on the campaign trail I have said `we all come from one fire.' Now that the election is over, I hope we can all join together to keep our fire burning brighter than ever before. “


A noticeably fatigued Smith expressed appreciation to his supporters and staff “who accomplished great things in the last decade. We'll take action to review and affirm the ballot and the election.


“When you have 11 votes out of 15,000, you want to ensure that the count is affirmed,” he told The Associated Press in a phone interview.


Smith rose to power in 1999 after another tough campaign that ended with him unseating Joe Byrd, who replaced legendary tribal chief Wilma Mankiller when she retired. He campaigned largely on the tribe's business success, touting the creation of more than 5,000 “stable jobs” during the past decade, in fields as varied as hospitality, gaming, health services, education, security, information technology and tourism.


Smith claimed most of those jobs went to American Indians, largely Cherokees but some members of other tribes.

Baker disputed Smith's figures, claiming 1,000 Cherokee jobs were lost during his time in office and more needed to be done to employ the tribe's members. He accused the tribe of announcing a jobs initiative only in response to his stump speeches — a charge Smith denied, saying it had long been in the works.


Baker also criticized Smith for using a tribal airplane for travel and called for the tribe to spend more of its gaming revenues on health care. Smith said he followed a budget approved by the tribal council in using the tribe's twin-engine airplane. He also noted tribe went from spending $18 million per year health care in 1999 to more than $300 million a year now.


The campaign was as expensive as it was contentious, with the men combining to spend nearly a half-million dollars. Smith outdid Baker in fundraising and donations, but Baker, a Tahlequah businessman, loaned his campaign more than $115,000.


The turnout for this year's election was considerably higher than in 2007, when Smith won a third term as 13,903 voters cast ballots.


Tribal voters rejected measures that would have eliminated term limits for the principal and deputy chiefs and for seats on the tribal council. The term limits were put in place eight years ago. Smith had supported repealing them, even though he said during the campaign he didn't intend to run again. Baker supported keeping them.


Mankiller's stepson Chris Soap will face a runoff election next month in the race for deputy chief. He received almost 47 percent of the vote in a four-way race. His opponent will be Joe Crittenden, who finished second with a little more than 36 percent.


Soap was Smith's running mate, while Baker opted not to ally himself with any of the four deputy chief candidates, saying he would try to work with whoever won the election.


Read more: http://newsok.com/cherokee-nation-elects-new-leader/article/3580753#ixzz1uYs1yeA8

=========

http://www.cherokeephoenix.org/Article/Index/4922


The older Cherokee lady named as Tribal Councilor Bill John Baker’s great-grandmother on his (campaign) brochure is my great-grandmother, too. Ebben, my grandfather; Nancy Osage; Phillip Osage; and Mary Osage are all listed on the Dawes Rolls. Nancy was less than a full blood. She was married approximately five times. One gentleman was a Frenchman by the name of Dubois. Out of that union came Audey Baker, who was less than half Cherokee. Audey married a white man, out of which came Tim Baker, who was then less than a fourth Cherokee. Tim married a white woman and had children, so John must be less than an eighth Cherokee. My mother is Mary Osage Helton. She’s 96 and still living. She still talks about how difficult her life was with Audey Baker and John Carey as an aunt and uncle. How little they helped her and her family when they went through difficult times. Nancy Walker was married to men with the following last names: Osage, Dubois, Carey, Leathers and Tiner. I may have misspelled a name; something might be slightly incorrect, but if it is, it’s not out of trying to tell something that’s not true. I am telling my story from things that I learned from my mother. I am writing out of concern for the Cherokee people’s having the best person to lead them into an unsure future. Rather than being from a family known for self-promotion, I feel that I want someone who has demonstrated a real concern for the Cherokee people to lead the tribe. This information was unsolicited. I want the Cherokee people to have the opportunity to know how little Cherokee Mr. Baker really is. In my opinion John Baker needs to make his Certificate Degree of Indian Blood card information public. Linda Helton Mannford, Okla. Editor’s Note: Tribal Councilor Bill John Baker is listed in the Cherokee Nation Registration as having one-thirty second degree of Cherokee blood. Former Principal Chief John Ross was listed at one-eighth Cherokee, while Principal Chief W.W. Keeler was also one-thirty second. Former Principal Chief Ross Swimmer is listed as one-quarter, while Wilma Mankiller was half Cherokee. Current Principal Chief Chad Smith is listed at half Cherokee, too. The Cherokee Nation does not have a blood quantum for citizenship or for holding office. Citizens only need to have a Cherokee blood ancestor listed on the Final Dawes Rolls.

============

Principal Chief Bill John BakerPrincipal Chief Bill John Baker

Meet Principal Chief Bill John Baker
Bill John Baker is a fourth generation of Cherokee, born and raised in Cherokee County and the great-grandson of Nancy Walker Osage, an early Tahlequah business owner and Cherokee Healer. Nancy’s mother, Sarah Tackett was brought to Tahlequah Indian Territory by friends after her parents died on the “Trail of Tears”. He and his wife Sherry have six children and nine grandchildren. He is a Graduate of Tahlequah High School. He graduated from Northeastern State University in 1972 with degrees in Political Science and History in Education with minor in Psychology and Sociology. Bill John has served on every standing committee for 12 years on the Tribal Council and was re-elected to a new 6 year term in June of 2007 before being elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation in 2011.
General Contact

communications@cherokee.org
918-453-5000

Drift [ new book by Rachel Maddow ]

US-bound Chinese activist says relatives suffer police revenge !

http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/11/11643537-us-bound-chinese-act...

Chen Guangcheng, while in protective custody of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on May 2 after escaping house arrest in Shandong province.

Chen Guangcheng, the blind Chinese lawyer who escaped house arrest and now is expected to leave his country for the United States, says that police have detained his sister-in-law and a nephew in retaliation against his high-profile case, The Guardian reported on Thursday.

Chen’s escape in May from his home village in Shandong province, only to resurface in U.S. protective custody at the American Embassy in Beijing exposed the harsh tactics of local officials, embarrassed China’s security apparatus, and forced the start of awkward diplomatic wrangling over his pursuit of refuge

According to the Guardian, Chen is no longer concerned about his own safety, but worried about relatives left behind.

"The crazy retaliation against my family has started," he told the Guardian by phone. "My sister-in-law was arrested and is now released on bail. They have accused her of harboring a fugitive, but they didn't say who."

Chen’s nephew is under investigation over the stabbing of village security agents who entered his home in search of the fugitive.

Chen is expected to travel to the United States after China’s foreign ministry said it would accept his bid to study abroad. He has been offered fellowships at New York University and the University of Washington.

A network of human rights activists in China said the retribution against Chen is extensive, the Associated Press reported.

Chinese Human Rights Defenders told AP that about a dozen of Chen's relatives in his home village of Dongshigu are under some form of house arrest, including Chen's cousin and the cousin's son.

"Even when the international spotlight is on Chen, his extended family has been cut off from communicating with the outside world, and his nephew is in police custody," said Wang Songlian, a researcher with the group, AP reported. "What is going to happen once the spotlight shifts? It is extremely worrying."

Chen is a self-taught legal activist who gained recognition overseas for battling forced abortion in his province and championing the rights of the disabled. He has served four years in prison on what many observers believe were trumped up charges. After his prison release, local officials kept Chen and his wife and young daughter under house arrest during which time both of the adults say they suffered physical abuse.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Dr.Pauline Yang - Tai Chi 24 !!

Hand movements:

“Hot Coffee: Is Justice Being Served?”

“Hot Coffee” Documentary Exposes Corporate Attacks on Consumer Rights, Features Expert Insights from Public Citizen

Learn the True Story Behind the Infamous McDonald’s Coffee Case

“Hot Coffee: Is Justice Being Served?” Premieres on HBO, Monday, June 27 at 9 p.m. (Eastern/Pacific) and 8 p.m. (Central). It will be available on-demand later this month. For more information about the documentary, follow this link.

What Really Happened?

Stella Liebeck, 79-years-old, was sitting in the passenger seat of her grandson’s car having purchased a cup of McDonald’s coffee. After the car stopped, she tried to hold the cup securely between her knees while removing the lid. However, the cup tipped over, pouring scalding hot coffee onto her lap. She received third-degree burns over 16 percent of her body, necessitating hospitalization for eight days, whirlpool treatment for debridement of her wounds, skin grafting, scarring, and disability for more than two years.

Despite these extensive injuries, she offered to settle with McDonald’s for $20,000. However, McDonald’s refused to settle for this small amount and, in fact, never offered more than $800.

The jury awarded Liebeck $200,000 in compensatory damages — reduced to $160,000 because the jury found her 20 percent at fault — and $2.7 million in punitive damages for McDonald’s callous conduct. (To put this in perspective, McDonald’s revenue from coffee sales alone was in excess of $1.3 million a day.) The trial judge reduced the punitive damages to $480,000, but did state that McDonald’s had engaged in “willful, wanton, and reckless” behavior. Mrs. Liebeck and McDonald’s eventually settled for a confidential amount. The jury heard the following evidence in the case:

  • McDonald’s Operations Manual required the franchisee to hold its coffee at 180 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit;
  • Coffee at that temperature, if spilled, causes third-degree burns (the worst kind of burn) in three to seven seconds;
  • Third-degree burns do not heal without skin grafting, debridement and whirlpool treatments that cost tens of thousands of dollars and result in permanent disfigurement, extreme pain and disability of the victim for many months, and in some cases, years;
  • The chairman of the department of mechanical engineering and bio-mechanical engineering at the University of Texas testified that this risk of harm is unacceptable, as did a widely recognized expert on burns, the editor in chief of the leading scholarly publication in the specialty, the Journal of Burn Care and Rehabilitation;
  • McDonald’s admitted that it has known about the risk of serious burns from its scalding hot coffee for more than 10 years — the risk was brought to its attention through numerous other claims and suits, to no avail;
  • From 1982 to 1992, McDonald’s coffee burned more than 700 people, many receiving severe burns to the genital area, perineum, inner thighs, and buttocks;
  • Not only men and women, but also children and infants, have been burned by McDonald’s scalding hot coffee, in some instances due to inadvertent spillage by McDonald’s employees;
  • McDonald’s admitted at trial that its coffee is “not fit for consumption” when sold because it causes severe scalds if spilled or drunk;
  • McDonald’s admitted at trial that consumers are unaware of the extent of the risk of serious burns from spilled coffee served at McDonald’s then required temperature;
  • McDonald’s admitted that it did not warn customers of the nature and extent of this risk and could offer no explanation as to why it did not;
  • Liebeck’s treating physician testified that her injury was one of the worst scald burns he had ever seen.
  • McDonald’s did a survey of other coffee establishments in the area, and found that coffee at other places was between 30-40 degrees cooler.

Moreover, the Shriner’s Burn Institute in Cincinnati had published warnings to the franchise food industry that its members were unnecessarily causing serious scald burns by serving beverages above 130 degrees Fahrenheit. In refusing to grant a new trial in the case, Judge Robert Scott called McDonald’s behavior “callous.”

Vermont first state in nation to ban fracking for oil and gas

Vermont first state in nation to ban fracking for oil and gas 04 May 2012 With a 103-36 vote in the House of Representatives, Vermont on Friday became the first state to ban hydraulic fracturing to extract oil or natural gas. The bill passed the Senate earlier this week. The House debate was short.


U.S. to resume on-the-ground military training in Yemen 09 May 2012 The United States has resumed on-the-ground military training aimed at bolstering Yemen's fight against 'al Qaeda,' the Pentagon said on Tuesday, following a suspension during a period of intense political upheaval [created by the US]. "We have begun to reintroduce small numbers of trainers into Yemen," Pentagon spokesman Captain John Kirby told reporters. Kirby said the trainers had begun to be sent back to Yemen "recently" but declined to give further details on when that occurred - or on the number or location of those trainers.


AP: Feds investigate leak in terrorism case --Federal investigation is latest move in aggressive campaign by Obama administration to crack down on leaks 09 May 2012 Federal investigators are conducting a probe into who leaked information about an al-Qaida [al-CIAduh] plot in which an explosive device was to have been detonated on a U.S.-bound airline flight, a law enforcement official said Wednesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity about the leak investigation, which is just getting under way.


Mole who helped CIA foil al-Qa'ida underwear bomb 'was British national' --Officials said it was an upgrade on a bomb [CIA's earlier version] which failed to detonate on a flight over Detroit on Christmas Day 2009. 10 May 2012 An undercover agent who foiled an 'al-Qa'ida' plot to blow up a airliner with an underwear bomb is a British national, it was reported tonight. UK intelligence were said to have been "heavily involved" in recruiting the spy who infiltrated a terror group in Yemen in a rare coup for Western agencies. Quoting sources briefed by Saudi counter-terrorism officials, US television networks said the individual grew up in Europe where he was apparently radicalised. He was subsequently "turned" and recruited by Saudi agents last year, they said.


'Underwear bomber' was working for the CIA [as usual] 08 May 2012 A would-be "underwear bomber" involved in a plot to attack a US-based jet was in fact working as an undercover informer with Saudi intelligence and the CIA, it has emerged. The revelation is the latest twist in an increasingly bizarre story about the disruption of an apparent attempt by al-Qaida [al-CIAduh] to strike at a high-profile American target using a sophisticated device hidden in the clothing of an attacker. The plot, which the White House said on Monday had involved the seizing of an underwear bomb by authorities in the Middle East sometime in the last 10 days, had caused alarm throughout the US.


False flag rehearsal: Fort Campbell exercise tests radiation scenario involving 'dirty bomb' --County agencies also take part 10 May 2012 (KY) Fort Campbell first-responders and security officials, as well as off-post agencies from Montgomery County and Hopkinsville, were tested on Thursday with a scenario involving a radioactive "dirty bomb" incident. A number of Fort Campbell soldiers also took part playing the role of casualties, using make-up simulating burns, cuts and abrasions that added to the realism of the exercise. The annual Emergency Management and Antiterrorism event simulated the detonation of a remote-controlled device involving approximately 20 immediate area casualties.


3 Southwest planes searched in bomb scare 09 May 2012 Authorities searched three different Southwest Airlines jets for explosives late Tuesday evening, but nothing suspicious was found. One jet, Flight 811, returned to the gate at Orange County's John Wayne Airport after officials learned of an unspecified threat around 8:30 p.m. They isolated the plane and a bomb squad then determined the jet was safe. A Spokeswoman for Southwest Airlines said that one threat was made, but it was non-specific.


Heads up! Here come the false flags fast and furious, because the Sociopaths in Congress don't want to cut the Fatherland Security or Pentagon budgets: Possible threat grounds Southwest plane at Phoenix Sky Harbor 08 May 2012 Authorities are continuing to investigate possible threats involving three different Southwest Airlines 737s. One plane involved in the investigation landed Tuesday night at Sky Harbor International Airport. A Federal Bureau of Investigation spokesman confirms the Southwest plane in question was taken to an isolation pad away from the terminal where dozens of passengers were removed from the plane one by one to be screened. The plane, Southwest flight 1184, arrived in Phoenix at 7:30 p.m. after departing from Orange County, California. The plane was bound for Tulsa, Oklahoma.


FBI chief urges US Congress to renew wide-ranging surveillance power in counterterror probes 09 May 2012 FBI Director Robert Mueller urged Congress on Wednesday to renew wide-ranging surveillance authority to 'thwart' terrorism plots like the latest one in which an 'al-Qaida'-engineered explosive device was to have been detonated on a U.S.-bound airline flight. Mueller told the House Judiciary Committee the FBI is examining the device and said the scheme hatched in Yemen demonstrates that it's essential for Congress to reauthorize counterterrorism tools enacted in 2008. Some of these programs expire at year-end.


Twitter fights request for Occupy protester's data 08 May 2012 Twitter Inc filed a motion in a New York criminal court on Tuesday seeking to quash a subpoena for Tweets and account records associated with Malcolm Harris, a Twitter user who was arrested last fall on the Brooklyn Bridge during an Occupy protest. Prosecutors in Manhattan have sought to build a case around Harris's Tweets by arguing that they show Harris was "well aware of the police instructions, and acted with the intent of obstructing traffic on the bridge," according to court filings. Harris lost a bid to squash the subpoena in April, after a judge ruled that Twitter holds a license to its users' Tweets.


US spy drone crashes in eastern Afghanistan 10 May 2012 An American reconnaissance drone has crashed in Logar Province in the east of war-ravaged Afghanistan, Press TV reports. Din Mohammad Darvish, a spokesman for the provincial governor, confirmed on Tuesday that the surveillance plane went down in suburbs of Pul-e-Alam the capital of Logar Province. Afghan government officials and NATO sources say that a technical failure caused the aircraft to crash. The Taliban militant group has not commented on the incident.


Rocket attack injures three US soldiers in Afghanistan 10 May 2012 At least three US soldiers have been wounded in a rocket attack in Afghanistan's eastern province of Logar, Press TV reports. Din Mohammad Darvish, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said on Thursday that the soldiers were injured after militants targeted a US-run base in the region. The Taliban has not commented on the incident, but such attacks have been carried out by the militant group in the past.


12.6 Billion-Dollar Bailout for Fukushima Operator TEPCO 10 May 2012 Japan is set to nationalize Tokyo Electric Power, the operator of the ravaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, under a ¥1 trillion bailout plan approved Wednesday. The $12.6 billion bailout comes at a time when the government itself is reeling under a debt burden that has mushroomed to more than twice the size of its economy. The government has separately committed ¥2.4 trillion in taxpayer money to meet compensation payments arising from the accident. But estimates of the payments that Tepco might have to pay out have reached many tens of billions of dollars, making further government support likely.


Over 1,300 Tubes Damaged at Calif. Nuclear Plant 08 May 2012 More than 1,300 tubes that carry radioactive water inside the San Onofre nuclear plant in Southern California are so damaged that they will be taken out of service, the utility that runs the plant said Tuesday. The figures released by Southern California Edison are the latest disclosure in a probe of equipment problems that have kept the coastal plant sidelined for more than three months. At issue has been the integrity of tubing that snakes through the plant's four steam generators, which were installed in a multimillion-dollar makeover in 2009 and 2010.


Gay rights campaigners around the world hail Obama's message of support --From Russia, to India and Kenya, campaigners welcomed US President Barack Obama's support for same-sex marriage 10 May 2012 President Barack Obama's support for same-sex marriage in the US has been hailed by campaigners as a significant boost for gay rights around the world – but they warned there was much work to be done. "President Obama joins the British prime minister and the new French president in backing same-sex marriage," said Peter Tatchell, veteran campaigner and national coordinator of the UK's Equal Love campaign, which is seeking to overturn the twin legal bans on gay civil marriages and heterosexual civil partnerships.


Obama says he supports same-sex marriage, first president to take that position 09 May 2012 President Barack Obama told ABC News he supports gay marriage, becoming the first U.S. president to take the position. Obama told ABC reporter Robin Roberts that he had initially opposed the idea of gay marriage, that he felt civil unions may have sufficed in granting gay couples equal rights. "I had hesitated on gay marriage in part because I thought that civil unions would be sufficient," he said. "I was sensitive to the fact that for a lot of people, the word marriage was something that invokes very powerful traditions and religious beliefs." The president said he had a change of heart after long talks with friends and family.


Prep School Bully: Mitt Romney Carried Out 'Vicious Attack' on Gay Student 10 May 2012 Mitt Romney returned from a three-week spring break in 1965 to resume his studies as a high school senior at the prestigious Cranbrook School... John Lauber, a soft-spoken new student one year behind Romney, was perpetually teased for his nonconformity and presumed homosexuality. Now he was walking around the all-boys school with bleached-blond hair that draped over one eye, and Romney wasn't having it. "He can't look like that. That's wrong. Just look at him!" an incensed Romney told Matthew Friedemann, his close friend in the Stevens Hall dorm, according to Friedemann's recollection... A few days later, Friedemann entered Stevens Hall off the school's collegiate quad to find Romney marching out of his own room ahead of a prep school posse shouting about their plan to cut Lauber’s hair. Friedemann followed them to a nearby room where they came upon Lauber, tackled him and pinned him to the ground. As Lauber, his eyes filling with tears, screamed for help, Romney repeatedly clipped his hair with a pair of scissors. The incident was recalled similarly by five students, who gave their accounts independently of one another.


Arizona: Sheriff to Face Civil Rights Suit Over Claims That Include Profiling 10 May 2012 The federal authorities said Wednesday that they planned to sue Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County and his office over claims of civil rights violations, including the racial profiling of Latinos. The Justice Department has been seeking an agreement requiring the sheriff's office to train officers in how to make constitutional traffic stops, collect data on people arrested in traffic stops and reach out to Latinos to assure them that the department is there also to protect them. A "notice of intent to file civil action" came Wednesday from Thomas Perez, an assistant attorney general, in a letter to a lawyer for the sheriff.


Pharma-terrorists are pushing phony epidemics to pimp their mercury-laden, squalene-filled vaccines again: Washington state health officials declare whooping cough epidemic, seek CDC 'help' as cases soar 10 May 2012 Washington state's worst outbreak of whooping cough in decades has prompted health officials to declare an epidemic, seek help from federal experts and urge residents to get vaccinated [That's how the 'epidemic' likely started in the first place.] amid worry that cases of the highly contagious disease could spike much higher. It's the first state to declare a whooping cough, or pertussis, epidemic since 2010, when California had more than 9,000 cases, including 10 deaths. Washington has had 10 times the cases reported in 2011, and so has Wisconsin with nearly 2,000 cases this year, though that state has not declared an epidemic.


Smallest seahorse in US waters might get endangered protection --Dwarf seahorse threatened by loss of Florida seagrass, aquarium trade, 2010 BP oil spill 03 May 2012 A species of seahorse that's just an inch tall, the smallest in U.S. waters, appears to warrant endangered protection, the U.S. said Thursday in kicking off a year-long review process. Found in seagrass beds in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as in the Atlantic off Florida and the Caribbean, the dwarf seahorse caught the attention of the Center for Biological Diversity, a conservation group that petitioned for protection a year ago.


US Bank Hit By 'Embarrassing' £1.2bn Loss 11 May 2012 JP Morgan Chase, the largest bank in the US, has admitted losing $2bn (£1.2bn) in a trading portfolio designed to protect the company against risks it took with its own money. Chief executive Jamie Dimon blamed "errors, sloppiness and bad judgement" for the embarrassing loss. "The portfolio has proved to be riskier, more volatile and less effective as an economic hedge than we thought," he said. the bank acknowledged the latest developments could hit its reputation. "This puts egg on our face," Mr Dimon admitted.

First Nations to Enbridge: 'The war is on,' decry pipeline 'time bomb' !

http://www.causes.com/causes/2181-first-nations-aboriginal-rights/actions/1650943?causes_ref=email&template=activity_mailer%2Fnew_activity&utm_campaign=action_email&utm_medium=email&utm_source=causes


http://www.canadianbusiness.com/article/83395--fi


TORONTO - Scores of West Coast First Nations and supporters ended a colourful and noisy protest against a proposed Enbridge oil pipeline Wednesday with a declaration of war from one of their chiefs. 

The Yinka-Dene Alliance argues the Northern Gateway project poses a threat to aboriginals' way of life by threatening waterways and ecosystems but Enbridge insists the project will proceed. 

"The war is on," said Nadleh Whut'en Chief Martin Louie after the shareholder meeting.

"Enbridge and the government are going to go on fighting us. How far are they willing to go to kill off the human beings of this country?" 

Project opponents had travelled from the West Coast aboard a "Freedom Train" to the country's financial heartland to make their point to Enbridge's shareholders. 

After a "mingling of the waters" ceremony and speeches, protesters marched several blocks east to the downtown hotel where the shareholders were meeting. 

Demonstrators braved rain to drum, sing and chant under the watchful eye of security and police officers. They carried signs that read "No pipelines on our lands" and chanted "We can't drink oil." 

"It's a ticking time bomb," said Terry Teegee, vice tribal chief of the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council. 

"This company has a lot of breaks in their pipelines; it's not a matter of if, it's just a matter of when." 

The $5.5-billion project would see crude from Alberta's oilsands moved through a twin pipeline more than 1,100 kilometres to the B.C. coast. From there, supertankers would ship the crude to Asia. 

Calgary-based Enbridge (TSX:ENB) maintains the project would create jobs, stimulate economic development and be safe. 

"We wouldn't be proposing this project if we didn't have utmost confidence that we could both construct and operate the project with utmost safety and environmental protection," spokesman Todd Nogier said from Calgary. 

Protesters also denounced Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government for proposed legislative changes they say would weaken environmental protections. 

Among the changes would be limits on the ability of environmental groups to intervene in project-assessment hearings. 

"The Harper government is doing everything in its power to get this project approved, including changing laws and changing policies," Teegee said. 

"This project is not only a threat to our lands, but it is a threat to the democratic system of Canada." 

Enbridge filed its application for Northern Gateway, which would run from Bruderheim, Alta., to Kitimat, B.C., almost two years ago. Environmental hearings began in January of this year, and a decision is not expected until late next year. 

Critics argue the pipeline would endanger the habitats of the hundreds of rivers and streams it must cross, and would have a drastic impact on First Nations communities if a spill occurred. 

There are also concerns about a dramatic increase in supertanker traffic along the pristine coastline in waterways that can be treacherous. 

Mutual fund company NEI Investments and two co-filers called on Enbridge to report within a year about the risks posed by the opposition to Northern Gateway, and how it intends to mitigate them. 

"The opposition appears to be significant, widespread and hardening daily," Jamie Bonham of NEI, which owns 148,000 Enbridge shares in its ethical funds portfolio, told the shareholder meeting. 

"It seems likely that this will result in extended litigation." 

At the urging of Enbridge management, investors voted the motion down. 

CEO Pat Daniel said the company was committed to finding common ground with First Nations opponents but insisted the project should go ahead. 

"That very train that got you here, it was an infrastructure project that was strongly opposed by a lot of people — strongly opposed — that enabled society and Canada," Daniel said. 

"Can I stand here and say that if we have one person opposed that we will not proceed? I can't, because that's not the way a democracy works." 

"Our Climate, Our Future"

Support renewable energy and energy efficiency, energy access for all, and end fossil-fuel subsidies

To be delivered to the world leaders at the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development

Dear World Leaders:

We, the youngest generation, raise our voices in unity with Earth Day Network’s “Global Energy Petition.” Our generation has been, and will be, the most affected by the impacts of climate change. Yet, without the ability to vote, and without the money to pay powerful lobbyists in Congress, we lack the influence required to make our future a priority to lawmakers. This petition allows our voice to count. 

We demand the following: 
a. A safe future-- We demand that our governments adopt renewable energy and energy efficiency targets that will reduce global carbon emissions.
b. Equitable distribution of energy-- We demand that all people, in all regions, have access to renewable energy and energy efficiency technology.
c. An end to subsidy money for fossil fuel corporations-- Oil and coal companies are among the richest corporations on the planet, richer than certain countries combined. They do NOT need government money and it makes it unfair for solar and wind and other renewable energy companies to compete.

The window for action is narrowing while the impacts of a changing climate are only intensifying. We, the youth, hereby call upon you, our world leaders, to “lead as if our future matters” by setting us on the path to sustainability, a path built by green jobs, and a path filled with clean air, clean water, and intact ecosystems for generations to come. We have been relying on fossil fuels for over a century and now is the time to change. 

For every year that we wait, for every hour that we stall, the future and survival of the youngest generation--and that of generations to come—is jeopardized. Now is not the time for incremental action. At this defining juncture in human history, we ask you--our world leaders—to commit to providing the security and opportunity for our generation that you were given by your predecessors. 

We call on you to accept the responsibility you have to protect the people you lead and the planet we share. 
----------------

With Trust,

The youngest generation who represents your children and grandchildren

http://www.iMatter-Movement.org

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Rally Image

Bailout future generations!

2012 iMatter Legislative Action

It’s time to lift the veil on the “invisible empire” of bank bail-outs, corporate personhood, and big oil buy-outs of Congress that seems to control the legislative process in the US. The United States government stands in the way of international treaties and progress on renewable energies. So, it’s important for the global youth movement to support not only international policies but also to unite with US youth as they work to resist the corporate stranglehold on climate change legislation.

We can no longer stand by as our futures are being auctioned off to the highest bidder. We need the US Congress to bail out future generations, not banks and car companies. We may not be able to vote or pay for lobbyists but we do have the constitutional right to petition to be heard, demand accountability, and even introduce bills that protect our planet and our future. .

3 ways to get involved. Insist on a real democracy. Your future Matters.

Marching Orders

To mobilize legislative action.

SLACKTIVISTS

Sign this global petition to demand that world leaders agree to provide a safe future, equitable distribution of energy, and an end to subsidies for fossil fuel. Your Signature Matters!

Sign the Petition

ACTIVISTS

After the Rally to Celebrate Global Warming on Earth Day 2012, sign up for a lobby day in DC, if you’re close by or in your community! Demand a change in politics as usual! Lift the veil on climate change.

Visit our Earth Day Page

KICKACTIVIST

If you’re young, want to take your activism to the next level, and enjoy public speaking, sign up for the Kickactivist Council! You will be on the front lines, lobbying in D.C. or in your own state. If you have an interest in legislation and want to be part of creating a bill, this is your destination.

iMatter Youth Council Facebook Page

The Girl who silenced the World for Five minutes

At the UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, twenty years ago, a 13-year-old girl named Severn Suzuki made this statement that brought the world leaders to tears.  And yet, in the twenty years since then...during our entire lives... nothing has changed.  In fact, the planet is even worse off, and in more need for our protection than ever. We need our world leaders to unite and stand up for us.

Take action now

With Trust,
The youngest generation, your children and grandchildren