To start the day …. “Climate Change: Open Letter to World Leaders”!!

~~December 7, 2015~~ 

OPEN LETTER TO WORLD LEADERS

2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference

The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 21 or CMP 11 is being held in Le Bourget, Paris, from November 30 to December 11.

It is the 21st yearly session of the Conference of the Parties to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 11th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The conference objective is to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, from all the nations of the world.

“As it appears in … full read/full credit”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_United_Nations_Climate_Change_Conference

2498 academics from 75 countries signed this Open Letter calling for world leaders meeting in Paris to do what is necessary to prevent catastrophic climate change.

Prominent signatories include Noam Chomsky, Naomi Oreskes, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Michael E. Mann, Ursula Oswald Spring, Bill McKibben, David Suzuki, and Peter Singer.

Open Letter from Academics to World Leaders ahead of the Paris Climate Conference 2015

Some issues are of such ethical magnitude that being on the correct side of history becomes a signifier of moral character for generations to come. Global warming is such an issue.

Indigenous peoples and the developing world are least responsible for climate change, least able to adapt to it, and most vulnerable to its impacts. As the United Nations Climate Conference in Paris approaches, the leaders of the industrialized world shoulder a grave responsibility for the consequences of our current and past carbon emissions.

Yet it looks unlikely that the international community will mandate even the greenhouse gas reductions necessary to give us a two thirds chance of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. At the moment, even if countries meet their current non-binding pledges to reduce carbon emissions, we will still be on course to reach 3 degrees Celsius by the end of this century.

This is profoundly shocking, given that any sacrifice involved in making those reductions is far overshadowed by the catastrophes we are likely to face if we do not: more extinctions of species and loss of ecosystems; increasing vulnerability to storm surges; more heatwaves; more intense precipitation; more climate related deaths and disease; more climate refugees; slower poverty reduction; less food security; and more conflicts worsened by these factors.

Given such high stakes, our leaders ought to be mustering planet-wide mobilization, at all societal levels, to limit global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

~~GRAPHICS SOURCE~~ 

Google Images

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We undersigned concerned academics, researchers and scientists from around the world recognize the seriousness of our environmental situation and the special responsibility we owe our communities, future generations, and our fellow species.

We will strive to meet that responsibility in our educational and communicative endeavors.

We call upon our leaders to do what is necessary to prevent catastrophic climate change. With just as much urgency, we call upon our fellow citizens to hold their leaders responsible for vigorously addressing global warming.

For the full list of signatories please see below.

“As it appears in …. full read/full credit”

http://globalclimatechangeweek.com/open-letter/

~~SOURCES~~ 

https://www.climaterealityproject.org/

https://twitter.com/ClimateReality

https://www.facebook.com/ClimateReality?_rdr=p

https://www.instagram.com/ClimateReality/

#ToStartTheDay #ClimateChange #OpenLetter #WorldLeaders #UnitedNationsClimateChangeConference #COP21 #CMP11 #UnitedNationsFrameworkConvention #EthicalMagnitude #CorrectSideHistory #MoralCharacter #GenerationsToCome #GlobalWarming #PlanetWideMobilization

#WeAllAreOne #ItIsWhatItIs #DrRex #hrexachwordpress

~Open Letter to World Leaders~

~Published on Sep 24, 2015~

Around the world, people from all walks of life are standing together to demand a strong climate agreement in Paris and a healthy future for the planet. When the world speaks with one voice, our leaders have to listen.

So we’ve put together this Open Letter with one very clear message: DEAR WORLD LEADERS: TAKE CLIMATE ACTION NOW.

People from around the world are affected by climate change today – right now. And they’re calling out to world leaders to demand real action this year at the UN climate talks in Paris.

We ALL are ONE!! 

 

At the end of the day …. “GMA: P!nk’s big announcement”!!

~~November 30, 2015~~ 

UNICEF AMBASSADOR

‘The fire was lit because I’m a mama!’

Pink reveals her new role as a UNICEF ambassador on Good Morning America

Pink has been appointed a UNICEF ambassador.

And the proud pop star appeared on Good Morning America on Monday to share her big news.

The 36-year-old singer – who shares three-year-old daughter, Willow with husband Carey Hart – will focus on children’s health initiatives, including fighting global malnutrition, which impacts 159 million children.

~~GRAPHICS SOURCE~~ 

Google Images

Getty Images

Facebook Timelime 

https://www.facebook.com/TroyPinkJunkies/?pnref=story

~~GALLERY~~ 

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She will also join in the campaign to inspire youngsters to lead healthier lives in the US, saying: ‘The fire was lit, obviously, because I’m a mama.

‘Statistically, one in four kids in the U.S. are inactive. And I’m all about fitness and health and positivity.’

The proud star took to Twitter to share the news with her 27.3 million followers saying:

‘I’m on @GMA today and officially a @UNICEFUSA Ambassador! Proud to put #childrenfirst & be part of the #UNICEFKidPower Team’

“As it appears in …. full read/full credit”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3339723/Pink-reveals-new-role-UNICEF-ambassador-Good-Morning-America.html#ixzz3t1bgYSSi

#AtTheEndOfTheDay #GoodMorningAmerica #GMA #PknksBigAnnouncement #UNICEFAmbassador #UNICEF #Ambassador #ThreeYearOldDaughter #Willow #HusbandCareyHart #ChildrensHealthInitiatives #FightingGlobalMalnutrition #ImpactsMillionsChildren #UNICEFKidPowerTeam #ChildrenFirst

#WeAlllAreOne #ItIsWhatItIs #DrRex #HortyRex #hrexachwordpress

~P!nk’s big announcement on Good Morning America~

~Published on Nov 30, 2015~

Good Morning America: Robin Roberts and P!NK

We ALL are connected through HUMANITY!! 

Generated by IJG JPEG Library

We ALL are ONE!! 

At the end of the day …. “Black Friday 2015 …. “!!

~~November 26, 2015~~

BLACK FRIDAY 2015

Black Friday used to be a one-day shopping event for many retailers, but over time, with Cyber Monday and Small Business Saturday coming into the mix, it’s become a big weekend-long shopping event.

With so much buzz around this shopping extravaganza, it’s not hard to buy into the circus of it all. You’ll make impulse purchases and fall into every retailers’ trap to get you to spend your small fortune in their stores. They’ll pull out all the stops to get you in their stores and then, well, I’m sure you know the rest. 

Don’t be tempted by all the bold colors in the ads that draw you in and especially the low prices that get your attention. During this year’s biggest shopping event, be a smarter shopper by following some of these rules:

“As it appears in … full read/full credit”

http://money.usnews.com/money/the-frugal-shopper/2014/11/18/10-rules-for-black-friday

~~GRAPHICS SOURCE~~ 

Google Images

~~GALLERY~~ 

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~~RELATED~~ 

https://hrexach.wordpress.com/2013/11/29/black-friday-day-after-thanksgiving-happenings/

#AtTheEndOfTheDay #BlackFriday #Thanksgiving #OneDayShoppingEvent #Retailers #CyberMonday #SmallBusinessSaturday #WeekendLongShoppingEvent #FearMissingOut #ShoppingExtravaganza

#WeAlllAreOne #ItIsWhatItIs #DrRex #HortyRex #hrexachwordpress

~Falling Into the Black Friday Trap~

~Published on Nov 26, 2015~

Each year, Americans are spending billions in a matter of days: Black Friday weekend. And while the discounts can be pretty great — how much money are shoppers ultimately saving at the end of the day?

We ALL are ONE!! 

Something to think about …. “Where does IT go?”!!

~~November 25, 2015~~ 

THE LIFE CYCLE OF TRASH

Once we have taken out the trash, we often forget that it all has to go somewhere. But not many of us know exactly where it goes, nor do we usually think about it.

The Life Cycle of Garbage shows what happens to your trash once it leaves your home, to give you an idea of where it ends up and how much of it there really is.

The Life Cycle of Garbage begins in your home

Your kitchen trash can fills up …

So you take the garbage bag out to your curbside trash container …

And the garbage man comes to empty it …

What happens to all your trash once the garbage man takes it away?

Typically it goes to a Transfer Station …

 A transfer station is where local trash is taken and dumped before it is transferred to its final destination. The final destination could be:

A Landfill … 

where the waste is buried and left to decompose, a process which takes hundreds of years even for biodegradable materials …

An Incinerator …

 where the garbage is burned and turns into ash and heat, sometimes used to generate energy (called waste-to-energy) …

Or a Recycling Center … 

where it will be transferred to a manufacturing plant so these materials can be used to make new products!

Or In the Ocean …

If waste is not correctly managed, it can end up harming the environment and polluting our air and water.

Illegally dumped trash and litter can end up:

Littering our Communities …

 This is why it is so important that we put our trash into the proper containers and recycle as much as we can. Garbage does not simply disappear once it leaves our homes, it all ends up somewhere and has an impact on every single person in some way.

Small actions can have a huge impact.

“As it appears in … full read/full credit/more pictures”

http://www.lawrencecountysolidwaste.org/index.php/kids-corner/where-does-our-trash-go

~~GRAPHIC SOURCE~~

Facebook Timeline

#SomethingToThinkAbout #WhereDoesItGo #ThrowAway #LifeCycleOfTrash #LifeCycleOfGarbage #KitchenTrashCan #CurbsideTrashContainer #GarbageMan #TransferStation #Landfill #Incinerator #RecyclingCenter #InTheOcean #LitteringCommunities #SmallActions #HugeImpact

#WeAllAreOne #ItIsWhatItIs #DrRex #HortyRex #hrexachwordpress

We ALL are ONE!!

Thoughts for today, #289 .… “Freedom Fries …. Remember when?”!!

~~November 19, 2015~~ 

FREEDOM FRIES

Freedom fries is a political euphemism for French fries in the United States. The term came to prominence in 2003 when the then Republican Chairman of the Committee on House Administration, Bob Ney, renamed the menu item in three Congressional cafeterias in response to France’s opposition to the proposed invasion of Iraq.

Although originally supported with several restaurants changing their menus as well, the term fell out of use due to declining support for the Iraq War.

Following Ney’s resignation as Chairman, it was quietly reverted.

“As it appears in … full read/full credit”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_fries

~~GRAPHIC SOURCE~~ 

Mark Edge

Host Of Free Talk Live

#ThoughtsForToday #289 #RememberWhen #FreedomFries #PoliticalEuphemism #FrenchFries #UnitedStates #Prominence2003  #RepublicanChairman #CommitteeHouseAdministration #BobNey #DecliningSupport #IraqWar #StupidIs #StupidGoes #MarkEdge #HostOfFreeTalkLive #MiddleEast #FranceAttacks

#WeAllAreOne #ItIsWhatItIs #DrRex #hrexachwordpress

We ALL are ONE!! 

To start the day …. “World Peace Day 2015”!!

Something to think about …. “Rich people and fair taxes”!!

~~August 7, 2015~~ 

RICH PEOPLE SHOULD PAY MORE TAXES

Since we are all living in modern nation states, the question of paying taxes is relevant for all of us. One of the fundamental roles of state is its re-distributive function. In order to redistribute the wealth, people have to pay taxes which generate the revenue of state. The problem arises when we start to discuss how much every citizen will pay.

Basically, there are three types of tax systems.

First, progressive system of taxes means that the more you earn, the more you contribute on taxes. Second, proportional tax system means that the state imposes the same rate of taxation regardless of income. Third, regressive tax system is the opposite of progressive system. That means the more you earn the less you contribute to running of the state.

The question of paying taxes touches upon the value of fairness.

Fairness itself is a value. It is not measurable object. Therefore it is more abstract concept of our personal values. I am very glad that both speakers in the debate discuss the question of fairness in their papers. You can evaluate their arguments in discussion forum below the text.

AEGEE DEBATE

The second problem which is situated in both papers is the issue of state spending. Marine, affirmative speaker, claims that the state spends its money in useful areas of public. On the other hand, Michele, opposition speaker, claims that state spending is inefficient and corrupt. Well again, it is up to you to evaluate the arguments.

“As it appears in …. full read/full credit”

http://www.zeus.aegee.org/debate/rich-people-should-pay-more-taxes/

~~GRAPHIC SOURCE~~ 

9Gag.org

#SomethingToThinkAbout #RichPeople #FairTaxes #RichPeopleShouldPayMore #ThreeTypesTaxSystems #ProgressiveSystem #ProportionalTaxSystem #RegressiveTaxSystem #FairnessValue #AegeeDebate #ZeusAegeeOrg #9GagOrg

#WeAllAreOne #ItIsWhatItIs #DrRex #HortyRex #hrexachwordpress

We ALL are ONE!! 

LAB ProLib: Crisis in Puerto Rico …. here are some facts!!

~~June 23, 2015~~ 

13 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE CRISIS IN PUERTO RICO

Any Latino on social media knows one thing:

There’s a crisis in Puerto Rico.

Headlines about the island’s almost decade-long recession, credit rating cuts and its residents’ mass migration into the U.S. mainland, fill Facebook newsfeeds, Tumblr dashboards and Twitter timelines alike.

It can be difficult to keep up, especially when this news involves complicated issues like taxes and investments. To help keep you in the loop, here’s 13 things on the critical matters happening right now on that tropical island just 1,150 miles from Florida’s waters.

FACTS

1. Puerto Rico is struggling to emerge from its recession. While the rest of the U.S. is experiencing economic growth, La Isla del Encanto has not been able to draw itself out of a 9-year recession. The U.S. territory has a 15.4 percent unemployment rate, with per capita income around $15,200 (that’s half of Mississippi’s, the poorest state in the U.S.).

2. This harsh economy is pushing thousands off of the island every year. Puerto Rico is experiencing the largest migration wave since the 1950’s. Rampant crime and a dwindling economy have pushed so many people out of the island that, for the first time in history, there are more Puerto Ricans living in the U.S. mainland than there are on the island.

3. Economists fear that this mass migration leaves little hope for the island’s economic recovery. Orlando Sotomayor, an economist at the University of Puerto Rico, told the New York Times that “the phenomenon is highly uncommon and underscores the lack of hope that the ship can or will be righted.”

4. The Caribbean island is more than $72 billion in debt. To put that in perspective, this is the U.S.’ third-largest municipal debtor, behind California’s and New York’s, though the island is both significantly smaller and poorer than both states.

5. Another major difference: Puerto Rico, unlike U.S. cities, cannot file for bankruptcy. To restructure debts, Puerto Rico must negotiate with investors.

6. Standard & Poor’s, a U.S. financial services company, slashed Puerto Rico’s rating to B, a non-investment grade. This has essentially frozen Puerto Rico out of the bond market. Over the last few years, investment companies like AllianceBernstein have sold their Puerto Rico holdings, with others hesitant to invest without a signpost of increased revenue.

7. The recent passing of a sales-tax bill can be that sign. Unfortunately, while the 4.5 percent hike in sales tax is expected to bring in $1.2 billion in new revenue, and generate more investments for the island, it’s bad news for the people of Puerto Rico, especially the poor, who will now have to pay a whopping 11.5 percent sales tax.

8. In an effort to pay the island’s utility investors, Puerto Rico is negotiating a restructuring of its public power company. The plan, which is likely to be approved by the end of the month, would definitely increase the electric rate for the island’s residents. Critics of the overhaul, like Puerto Rico’s delegate to Congress, Pedro Pierluisi, believe the increase “will not benefit anyone.”

9. Puerto Rico’s Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla also planned to implement a $166 million cut to public university budgets, but the decision was later reversed after thousands of Puerto Rican students protested the proposal. Go, millennials!

10. However, there still remains a healthcare crisis on the island. The Center for Medicaid and Medicare services will soon execute an 11 percent cut in Medicare Advantage reimbursements, which will cost Puerto Rico’s health-care system nearly $500 million. About 60 percent of the island’s population relies on Medicare, Medicare Advantage or Medicaid to pay for their health care. Last month, the Washington Post reported that doctors practicing in Puerto Rico are forced to get by with much smaller Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates than those received by others on the continental U.S.

11. Puerto Rico’s recession has also injured the island’s housing market. According to Fox News Latino, call for sales are expected to be just 15 percent of what they were a decade ago. President of the Puerto Rico Home Builders Association (ACH), Roberto Trapaga, said “when the time comes to buy a house, people don’t have the money,” adding that banks, which have also been hit by the crisis, have tightened the requirement to obtain a mortgage loan.

12. Whether Puerto Ricans own a home or not, water-rationing measures in San Juan have left thousands of islanders without water. The measures, imposed because of an ongoing drought that has lowered Puerto Rico’s main reservoirs, have limited access to water to just every other day for more than 160,000 people living in and near the capital.

13. Good news (kinda): Puerto Rico’s tax hikes and budget cuts are expected to assuage the island’s economic woes. Writing for NPR, economic reporter Greg Allen reminds us that both New York City and Washington, D.C. saw similar fiscal problems and eventually found stability. Unfortunately, fiscal recovery for both cities also brought along with it the process of gentrification, which has displaced much of the areas’ impoverished communities of color, a fate we are already seeing in Puerto Rican barrios like Santurce.

“As it appears in …. full and total credit of information and main graphic”

https://www.facebook.com/LABPROLIB/

~~GALLERY~~

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#LAB ProLib #CrisisInPuertoRico  #SomeFacts #DecadeLongRecession #LaIslaDelEncanto #HarshEconomy #LargestMigrationWave #RampantCrime #DwindlingEconomy #MassMigration #CaribbeanIsland #CannotFileBankruptcy #Puerto RicosDelegateCongress #PedroPierluisi #GovAlejandroGarciaPadilla #HealthcareCrisis #HousingMarket #WaterRationingMeasures #Gentrification

#WeAllAreOne #ItIsWhatItIs #DrRex #HortyRex #hrexachwordpress 

~Puerto Rico’s Financial Crisis: Is The Island The New Greece?~

~Published on Mar 12, 2014~

The island is in dire financial conditions and it is thousands of U.S. mom-and-pop investors that might lose a big part of their savings if the small territory goes bankrupt.

We ALL are ONE!! 

Down on the farm …. “What we don’t see”!!

~~May 24, 2015~~ 

FACTORY FARMS

On today’s factory farms, animals are crammed by the thousands into filthy, windowless sheds and confined to wire cages, gestation crates, barren dirt lots, and other cruel confinement systems.

These animals will never raise their families, root around in the soil, build nests, or do anything that is natural and important to them. Most won’t even feel the sun on their backs or breathe fresh air until the day they are loaded onto trucks bound for slaughter. The green pastures and idyllic barnyard scenes of years past are now distant memories.

The factory farming industry strives to maximize output while minimizing costs — always at the animals’ expense. The giant corporations that run most factory farms have found that they can make more money by cramming animals into tiny spaces, even though many of the animals get sick and some die.

~~RELATED~~ 

https://hrexach.wordpress.com/2013/11/25/factory-farms-where-they-intended-for-this/

~~GALLERY~~ 

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~~Down on the Farm~~

PETA

~~Published on May 22, 2015~~

Wait until you see what today’s farms ACTUALLY look like.

Modern farms are factories intent on maximizing their output without any regard for the welfare of the cows, chickens, pigs, and other animals used for food.

Animals are crammed by the thousands into filthy, windowless sheds and stuffed into wire cages, metal crates, and other torturous devices.

Most of them won’t even breathe fresh air until the day they’re loaded onto trucks headed for slaughterhouses.

When they’ve grown large enough to slaughter or their bodies are worn out from producing milk or eggs, animals raised for food are crowded onto trucks and transported for miles through all weather extremes, typically without food or water.

At the slaughterhouse, those who survived the transport will have their throats slit, often while they’re still conscious.

Many remain conscious when they’re plunged into the scalding-hot water of the defeathering or hair-removal tanks or while their bodies are being skinned or hacked apart.

Does this sound terrible?

Here’s how you can help stop it:

http://features.peta.org/how-to-go-vegan/

#DownOnTheFarm #WhatWeDontSee #FactoryFarms #CrammedAnimals #FilthyWindowlessSheds #Confined #WireCages #GestationCrates #BarrenDirtLots #CruelConfinementSystems #FactoryFarmingIndustry #MaximizeOutput #MinimizingCosts #AnimalsExpense #TorturousDevices #Slaughterhouses #Weather#xtremes #WithoutFoodWater #PETA

#WeAllAreOne #ItIsWhatItIs #DrRex #HortyRex #hrexachwordpress

We ALL are ONE!! 

Something to think about ….. “FACT: Disparity and Inequality”

~~May 21, 2015~~ 

RICHEST 250 PEOPLE IN THE WORLD

This list is billionaire guaranteed!!!

Not narrowed to one category, this list contains the richest people of the entire world. This list is purely based off of net worth and only contains individuals with a net worth that exceeds $1 billion. From business tycoons to the entertainment industry, anyone is eligible to make it as long as they have the cash.

FIND THE LIST HERE

http://www.therichest.com/top-lists/top-250-richest-people-in-the-world/

The world’s wealthiest people aren’t known for travelling by bus, but if they fancied a change of scene then the richest 85 people on the globe – who between them control as much wealth as the poorest half of the global population put together – could squeeze onto a single double-decker.

The extent to which so much global wealth has become corralled by a virtual handful of the so-called ‘global elite’ is exposed in a new report from Oxfam.

It warned that those richest 85 people across the globe share a combined wealth of £1tn, as much as the poorest 3.5 billion of the world’s population.

“As it appears in … full read/full credit”

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jan/20/oxfam-85-richest-people-half-of-the-world

~SOURCE~

F. Alvaredo, A. B. Atkinson, T. Piketty and E. Saez, (2013) ‘The World Top Incomes Database’, http://topincomes.g-mond.parisschoolofeconomics.eu/ Only includes countries with data in 1980 and later than 2008. Photograph: Oxfam

#SomethingToThinkAbout #Fact #Disparity #Inequality #RichestPeopleWorld #ListBillionaireGuaranteed #BusinessTycoons #EntertainmentIndustry #GlobalPopulation #SqueezeSingleDoubleDecker #WorldTopIncomesDatabase #Handful #Global#lite #Exposed #NewReport #Oxfam

#WeAllAreOne #ItIsWhatItIs #DrRex #HortyRex #hrexachwordpress

We ALL are ONE