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Make a Difference Today

BloggersUnite is a site that runs no ads, collects no fees, charges no non profits or social cause organizations. In fact we have no revenues. The team behind BloggersUnite started it to rally bloggers behind important causes for the same reason that you blog about these causes. We care and so do you. I know this or you would never have joined BloggersUnite. So, thank you.

The Future is Bright

You've touched the live's of millions of people at the level of their souls and hearts. These are people you will never know. However you can be certain that their lives have changed for the better. Yet, we are just beginning. Over the next few months BloggersUnite will launch a new set of features and in fact an entirely new site, that will provide you with the tools and resources to make a much larger difference.

Blog Action Days 2010!

International Literacy Day September 08, 2010 On International Literacy Day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally.

World Suicide Prevention Day September 10, 2010
To promote worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicides.

Make Noise to End Poverty Worldwide and for the 8 MDGs October 17, 2010
To provide an opportunity for Bloggers to MAKE NOISE to impact the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)  and end global poverty.

World Animal Day October 04, 2010

A special opportunity for anyone who loves animals to acknowledge the diverse roles that they play in our lives.

STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

International Day for the Elimination of
Violence against Women

Hey! Climate Change is Happening Now!

Extreme weather is putting hundreds of thousands of lives and livelihoods at risk all around the world. In order to avoid the worst and most devastating impacts of the severe weather events that are consistent with climate change, we must begin to significantly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Extreme Weather and Global Climate Change

• Pollution from human activities is warming our climate. The 10 warmest years on record all occurred since 1990, and the last decade was the hottest recorded since worldwide record keeping began more than 100 years ago. The period between January and June of 2010 was the warmest six months on record.
• A warming climate increases the chance that we will experience extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and intense storms, and ramps up the risk that severe weather events will cause catastrophic damage.
• The floods, fires and droughts we're seeing in places like Pakistan and Russia are consistent with the effects of global warming, including temperature increases, increased precipitation in some parts of the world, and droughts in others.
• In early August, a 97-square mile chunk of ice--the largest since 1962--broke away from the northwest coast of Greenland.¹ Canadian officials fear the massive "ice island" could pose a risk to ships and oil platforms.²
• Unless we significantly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, we are likely to see even more extreme weather events and the consequences they bring. 

References:
1. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Earth Observatory, "Ice Island Calves off Petermann Glacier," August 13, 2010.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=45112
2. Randy Boswell, "Giant iceberg drifting toward Canada could threaten ships, oil platforms," Montreal Gazette, August 10, 2010.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Giant+iceberg+drifting+toward+Canada+could+threaten+ships+platforms/3382103/story.html

Many thanks to Repower America for facts and references. Visit their website for more information: RePower America

Fun in the Texas Sun with E. coli

On June 30, the TCEQ weakened the standards for water quality in Texas. Rather than cracking down on the factory farms, oil companies and other polluters that contaminate our waters, the TCEQ is sending staff around the state to decide which creeks and streams are worthy of clean water.

Now, some waterways will be allowed to have 16 times more E. coli -- bacteria that can be life-threatening to children -- than is currently allowed.

Some other waterways, used primarily for fishing and boating rather than swimming, can now contain three times as much E. coli. According to a risk assessment by the commission, such pollution levels could lead to 14 or 15 of every 1,000 swimmers becoming ill.

The Clean Water Act demands that all waterways should be safe for swimming and fishing -- it doesn't allow for some waters to remain dumping grounds. The good news is that the EPA gets the final word. They need to hear from you today.

Click the link below to e-mail the EPA and urge them to reject these weaker water quality standards.
 
http://www.environmenttexas.org/action/ecoli-water-epa?id4=ES

Huge Oil Plumes Remain in the Gulf

Tracking Hydrocarbon Plume Transport and Biodegradation at Deepwater Horizon -- Camilli et al., 10.1126/science.1195223 -- Science

Our findings indicate the presence of a continuous plume over 35 km in length, at approximately 1100 m depth that persisted for months without substantial biodegradation. Samples collected from within the plume reveal monoaromatic¹ petroleum hydrocarbon concentrations in excess of 50 µg L^–1.These data indicate that monoaromatic input to this plume was at least 5500 kg day^–1, which is more than double the total source rate of all natural seeps of the monoaromatic petroleum hydrocarbons in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Dissolved oxygen concentrations suggest that microbial respiration rates within the plume were not appreciably more than 1 µM O₂ day^–1

¹Having a closed ring of alternate single and double bonds; derivatives of the hydrocarbon benzene.

The existence of underwater plumes of oil has been posited by Jean-Michel Cousteau and a team of Woods Hole research scientists. Meanwhile, federal officials have downplayed the idea of underwater oil plumes.

Major study proves oil plume that's not going away - Yahoo! News

Using instruments like the underwater mass spectrometer to detect the unique signature from the BP oil spill, the Woods Hole scientists mapped a plume that was more than a mile wide and more than 650 feet from top to bottom. The plume is probably more than 22 miles long, but scientists had to stop measuring because of Hurricane Alex.

Recently, federal officials have admitted that as much as 42 million gallons of oil may be lurking below the surface. NOAA, the federal agency, redirected much of its sampling for underwater oil after consulting with Woods Hole researchers.

High concentrations of oil are acutely toxic, but low concentrations have more subtle, widespread effects. As oil percolates through food webs, it retards plant and animal growth, leaving them vulnerable to predation and disease, and less fit to reproduce.

Why are their plumes of oil? Three reasons: the massive amount of oil leaked from the bottom of the Gulf, the cold of the deep water in the Gulf inhibiting oil degradation and the use of dispersants at the well head keep oil from rising to the surface.

Tags: hydrocarbon plume, underwater plume, gulf of mexico, bp oil spill, woods hole researchers, jean-michel cousteau

Join Greenpeace on Virtual Ship

• The Esperanza confronts reckless oil exploration
  
  
• The Arctic Sunrise bears witness to the costs of deepwater drilling in the Gulf
  
  
• The virtual ship the Energy [R]evolution demands a clean energy future

In the Gulf of Mexico, our ship the Arctic Sunrise will expose the drastic long-term impacts of the worst oil spill in US history. BP might have finally plugged its leaking well, but the ecological and economic crises does not end there: many effects of this disaster will only become clear over time. Our ship hosts a team of independent scientists, ready to examine everything from the plankton on the surface to subsurface oil plumes.

The Esperanza, meanwhile, is going to confront the oil industry as it seeks to drill in some of the most fragile places on Earth. The ship's exact destination has not yet been disclosed, and there are so many dangerous drilling sites in the world, we're going to need your help to confront them all.

That's why we are preparing a virtual ship to sail alongside the Arctic Sunrise and the Esperanza. You will soon be able to join the crew of the Energy [R]evolution and take action with us to stop fossil fuel madness.

You can act today by joining the 10/10/10 global day of action - let's all use this day to show our support for a clean energy future. Let's go beyond dirty, deadly oil!

Tags: greenpeace, the esperanza, the artic sunrise, take action, 10/10/10 global day of action

BlogBlast for Peace November 4, 2010

Click Banner for More Information

What started with one blogger and one blog in 2006 has traveled from blog to blog across the globe until it has reached 50 countries. BlogBlast for Peace is an annual blog event and is expanding each year. Join us this year.

As long as there is hope in the world and bloggers who long for peace, BlogBlast for Peace will be held November 4. If you wish to join the peace bloggers, please visit Mimi's site.

It is quite simple. Visit Mimi's blog between now and November. download a Peace Globe and personalize it with your message of peace. Then forward it to Mimi when requested, post it on your blog and promote both the event and your post as November 4 creeps in after Halloween.

Tags: blogblast, peace bloggers, bloggers for peace, peace globes, mimilenox.com, blog event

Stop Poisoning Our Babies

My Grandchild--Take Action for Her

In the next few weeks, the U.S. Senate will decide on critical legislation that will affect the safety of the food supply in our nation. The Breast Cancer Fund and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) are working hard to ensure that the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010 includes protections from bisphenol A (BPA), a hormone-disrupting chemical linked to breast cancer that's used in food packaging.

Some of our Senators still need to be convinced that getting BPA out of baby food and infant formula is an urgent food safety issue that MUST be addressed in this bill. Toxic chemicals just don't belong in infant formula cans, baby food jars, baby bottles or sippy cups.

BPA leaches from food packaging into food and then into babies. It's used in some plastic and most of the epoxy resins that line formula cans and baby food jar lids. The scientific literature points to food as a major route of exposure to BPA, which is found in nearly all Americans.

BPA is so toxic that parts per billion or even parts per trillion have been shown to cross the placenta and disrupt normal prenatal development. More than 200 studies have linked BPA exposures at very low levels to breast cancer and other serious health problems.

Americans expect and believe that our government is safeguarding our health—and the health of our families—from dangerous chemical exposures. Including BPA protections in the Food Safety Modernization Act is an important step in that direction.

Ask your Senators to include safe packaging in the food safety bill

After you've sent your letter, please forward this message to your friends and neighbors and ask them to send letters, too. We need support from all over the country to get this BPA provision into the food safety bill!

What Is BPA?

• A synthetic estrogen
• Found in 93% of Americans
• Linked to breast and prostate cancer, cardiac disease, obesity, diabetes, altered development of the brain and immune systems, lowered sperm counts and early puberty—even at low doses
• 2 billions pounds produced annually in the U.S.
• Used in polycarbonate (#7) plastic and epoxy resins, for a range of consumer products, including water bottles, food cans, CDs, receipts, dental sealants and more

For more information, please see post on Endangered Spaces B is for Bisphenol A (BPA)

Tags: bpa, hormone-disrupting, poison in formula, bpa in sippy cups, poison bottles, take action