To be delivered to: The United States House of Representatives, The United States Senate and President Barack Obama
Forgiving the student loan debt of all Americans will have an immediate stimulative effect on our economy. With the stroke of the President's pen, millions of Americans would suddenly have hundreds, or in some cases, thousands of extra dollars in their pockets each and every month with which to spend on ailing sectors of the economy. As consumer spending increases, businesses will begin to hire, jobs will be created and a new era of innovation, entrepreneurship and prosperity will be ushered in for all. A rising tide does, in fact, lift all boats - forgiving student loan debt, rather than tax cuts for corporations, millionaires and billionaires, has a MUCH greater chance of helping to rise that tide in a MUCH shorter time-frame. The future economic success of this country is wholly dependent upon a well-educated, prosperous middle class. Instead of saddling entire generations with debt from which there is no escape, let's empower the American people to grow this economy on their own!
Therefore, we, the undersigned, strongly encourage Congress and the President to support H. Res 365, introduced by Rep. Hansen Clarke (D-MI), seeking student loan forgiveness as a means of economic stimulus.
For over 30 years, the rich have gotten richer, the poor have gotten poorer, and the middle class is slowly but surely being squeezed out of existence. Instead of more of the same corporate welfare/"trickle-down" economics that have been an abysmal failure for the middle class, why not try a trickle-up approach to rebuilding our economy by targeting relief at those most likely to actually help grow the economy?
Source: ECORAZZI - Hugh Jackman and his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, have released a special video message in support of World Vision’s relief efforts in East Africa. The couple is urging people to give up one meal a day and donate the sum of $10 to FamineNoMore by texting “FAMINE” to “20222”
Source: ARCHPAPER - Despite recently losing out to Downtown LA for Eli Broad’s new museum, Santa Monica still has a very high profile design project moving forward: the Palisades Garden Walk and Town Square. Located on seven acres of land between Santa Monica City Hall and the Santa Monica Pier, the $25 million project, which is being designed by James Corner Field Operations, was shared at its sixth and final workshop with the Santa Monica community on February 26.
As AN reported, Field Operations—the architects of New York’s High Line, among other high profile parks across the country—won the commission over a year ago, beating out teams like Gehry Partners and Peter Walker and Partners. Their highly ambitious, layered proposal will be broken up into a number of “systems,” a collection of colorful and topographically diverse zones, each meant for a different use and experience. That will include view-centric hills, sheltered bays, and meandering pathways surrounded by plants, fountains, and small creeks. The Grand Bluff will afford the best views of the ocean and neighboring vicinity; the Garden Hill will include the widest variety of plant life on the site; the Gathering Hill is meant for congregation and relaxation; and the Discovery Bay will be a play area for both children and adults and will feature an area shaded by large trees that will contain extra large steel slides, forts, and other activities. A community focal point will be the Town Square, a flat area with a large reflecting pool meant to defer to the art deco architecture (and landmark status) of Santa Monica’s City Hall.
Source: LA Times - A secret oasis for the world's most endangered turtles The Turtle Conservancy, tucked in the foothills of Ventura County, cares for species ravaged by habitat loss, wildfires, hunting and black markets. Its latest project: breeding the rare ploughshare tortoise.
Reporting from Ventura, Calif.— When it comes to caring for the world's rarest cold-blooded animals, few places match the pampering and security provided to hundreds of critically endangered turtles and tortoises at a secret compound in the foothills of Los Padres National Forest.
In paddocks and aquariums protected by surveillance cameras and electric wire, Okinawa leaf turtles feast on silkworms and mulberries in a temperature-controlled greenhouse. Nest-building Burmese black mountain tortoises relax in piles of freshly cut oak, sycamore and bamboo. Forest-dwelling impressed tortoises dine exclusively on organically grown oyster mushrooms. Philippine pond turtles spend the night in snug tunnels made of cork bark.
But Saturday's VIPs were eight ploughshare tortoises flown in from Hong Kong in padded crates. Among them is a female of breeding age, which Eric Goode and his associates at the nonprofit Turtle Conservency's Behler Chelonian Center hope to mate with the only male ploughshare tortoise of breeding age in North America... Read More at LA Times
[A horse is a horse, of course, of course... unless it is part of Cavalia, a breathtaking spectacle of equestrian arts performed under a 100-foot-high big top. Often called the "Cirque du Soliel of horses," this lavish multimedia spectacle was founded by one of Cirque's founders, Normand Latourelle, yet the unique combination of horse and human feats makes this show unlike any other. Fifty horses comprise the animal team, who perform with graceful human counterparts in dressage, trick riding, flying sequences, ball balancing , bungee jumping and intricate, ballet-like choreography. What really takes your breath away --- aside from musical score, lighting and sounds effects, costumes and setting --- is the human-equestrian connection. If you never cared for horses before, this will certainly change your mind.] excerpt via LAWeekly
"If you've been fortunate enough to attend this display of freeform horsemanship, you'll second this glowing review: The horses thunder around and across the stage, they line dance their brand of dressage as well as the Lipizzaners do, and they display their near-immaculate moves with hands-free commands. All this with an impressive 1:1 ratio of stallions to geldings. (no mares to fight over.)
Best of all, the 60-plus horses travel in luxury, are attended to with the same precision that obviously attends their training, and generally get treated like family.
But that hasn't kept some of the more off-center animal rightists from offering their opinion on the subject. Some apparently hold that it's disrespectful to force animals to perform. How do I know?
Below is a Q I received via email last week. Following it, I've printed the answer I included in last weekend's Miami Herald article on the subject. Enjoy and feel free to offer your opinions in the comments section...
Q: Could you spend some time explaining that people should not spend their money on circuses? I’m sick of seeing the animals treated so poorly at these venues. I used to think Cirque de Soleil had it right until this Cavalia thing. Please tell people not to support the inhumane treatment of animals at shows like this.
A: Agreed. From a veterinarian’s point of view, I would hasten to support your contention that a wild animal’s welfare is not best served in a circus setting. Even if these outfits treated animals in the most humane manner possible, the less-than-serene atmosphere of a circus environment, along with its typical transience, is not suited to animals whose natures are not conducive to excitement and whose basic health is undermined each time they travel. Moreover, I believe it humiliates wild animals to force them into this kind of human servitude. It’s disrespectful. And let’s not forget that circuses offer the wrong impression when it comes to teaching children that wild animals should be respected and protected. Though it may entertain them, it can’t possibly do kids any good to see wild animals treated as nothing more than objects of amusement. Was that what you wanted me to write? It wasn’t hard. I buy all these arguments and more. Though I consider myself a moderate animal welfarist, you might actually count me on PETA’s side of things on the subject of wild animal shows as part of circuses.
But here’s the catch: You won’t catch me dissing Cavalia in the process. Though I haven’t yet attended the horse-themed, circus-like spectacle my intrepid veterinary sources inform me that the treatment of these horses is beyond compare. It’s also my take that the recruitment of horses for shows such as Cavalia’s cannot compare to the use of wild animals (such as elephants and tigers) in circuses. Horses have been domesticated by humans for thousands of years and, as such, their longstanding relationship to humans as both workers and companions means they train well, travel well, bond with humans and––in most cases––clearly enjoy their work.Though the most militant animal rights groups may disagree with me (and so might you), I’ve got no beef with Cavalia. The horses are pampered and out of harm’s way. What’s more, the show is all about the bond we share with our fellow animals. Can’t argue with that, either.
Cavalia Live in Burbank every week Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday from Wed., January 19 until Sun., February 6
Source: Tonic - A new partnership enables any runner to raise money for any cause. And they're off! On your mark, get set, start fund-raising!
Running on behalf of a favorite cause just got a lot easier for participants in the upcoming Honda LA Marathon, thanks to a new partnership between the race and the techie fund-raising site Crowdrise.
The newly-announced partnership aims to involve runners, who will hear the gun go off on March 20, in completing the race for something more than fitness and fun. Here's how it works: Any runner can set up a fund-raising page for any charity on Crowdrise, which was founded in 2010 by Edward Norton. They don't have to align themselves with, or train with any team. If diabetes affects their family, they can make a one-time donation to, or declare that they're raising money for the American Diabetes Foundation, for example. Then they can use social media to spread the word to their family and friends. (Crowdrise has had success in the past working with the ING New York City Marathon.)
Last year, about 1,500 of the 25,000 runners in the race raised money for a partner charity, according to Ginger Williams, the director of community relations for the Marathon. The race continues its work with those 65 official partner charities, including AIDS Project Los Angeles, World Vision and Train 4 Autism, but officials hope that expanding the opportunities to fund-raise will turn more runners into philanthropists. Last year, marathoners in Los Angeles raised $2 million; the goal this year is $4 million. "There are a lot of people who want to run a marathon in their lifetime," Williams says. "Running for a cause gives people a way to get through the training and it gives them a support system. Training for six months becomes more meaningful."
Adopting Crowdrise's popular incentive program (wherein a donor can win an iPhone or other prizes), the LA Marathon is rewarding those who use Crowdrise to add value to their runs. The first 25 people who donated after an email blast announcing the partnership went out last week won a VIP Fast Pass, enabling them to skip the long lines to get their numbers before the race.
Future prizes will be similar things that can't be purchased, but can really improve the racing experience, Willians says. Charities can even provide their own incentives, like two opening day tickets to a Los Angeles Dodgers game from ThinkCure!, the team's favorite cancer-fighting cause.
Runner Michelle Levesque was quick to utilize Crowdrise and she was rewarded with a VIP Fast Pass. A 28-year-old Google software engineer who lives in San Francisco, Levesque used the site to donate to Girls on the Run and to invite her family and friends to contribute in honor of her first marathon.
She jumped at the chance to contribute to the organization, which works on developing self-respect in pre-teens, because she thought highly of it but didn't have time to volunteer. Her fund-raising page took just minutes to set up, and proved accessible even to relatives who aren't tech savvy, she said.
In an interaction like this, everyone wins: Crowdrise gets another person giving, Girls on the Run gets some new donors (over $100 has been pledged in Levesque's name so far) and Levesque gets another reason to keep going when she hits the 20-mile mark.
"It was one of those things where it wouldn't have really occurred to me to do it if it wasn't presented to me," she says. "The fact that it was there and it was so easy was the reason I did it."
Registration for the race is still open and Crowdrise will collect Marathon-inspired donations until March 31. Edward Norton will tell you more in the video below:
Source: TED - Which came first, epicure or eco-warrior? For 23 years, Arthur Potts Dawson has worked alongside Britain's most respected chefs, including Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Jamie Oliver. But his interest in food began during childhood, on a Dorset farm.
"There was never much money around when I was growing up," he says. "We learned to turn lights off, put a jumper on instead of the heating."
This thrifty sensibility found expression in his acclaimed London restaurants Acorn House and Water House, opened in 2006. From rooftop gardens to low-energy refrigerators and wormeries that turn food waste into compost, these restaurants prove the profitability of an eco-friendly approach -- and serve as training grounds for the next generation of green chefs. Potts Dawson is now taking his crusade to kitchen tables, launching The People's Supermarket, a member-run cooperative supporting British farms, and cooking for Mrs Paisley's Lashings, a supper club whose profits fund urban gardens in London schools.
"Doesn't he sometimes envy those of his contemporaries who went for the fame and the cash, and don't worry about sourcing recyclable microfibre table tops? He says: 'I just want to serve food that people want to eat, and show a way forward for the restaurant industry, for all industries. One day, everything I've done will be worthwhile.'" - Nick Curtis, Evening Standard
