csziggy
csziggy's JournalWhy Did More Than 80 Dolphins Die in the Everglades?
Tuesday, January 17, 2017 at 8:56 a.m.
Dozens of dolphins died in the Everglades yesterday after mysteriously stranding themselves.
The herd of false killer whales, a kind of endangered, oversize dolphin, wormed its way into the narrow channels of Everglades National Park sometime over the weekend. The massive creatures, which can grow to 20 feet and 1,500 pounds, were soon trapped in the silty water, thick with mangrove roots. Scientists scrambled to help the stranded animals, but by yesterday, 81 of them were dead.
The die-off was the worst of its kind in Florida history for the mammals. And scientists say, for now, they have no idea why the animals all but committed mass suicide.
"Response teams continue to work trying to assess the scene after 95 false killer whales stranded along Hog Key in the Florida Everglades," according to NOAA Fisheries Service, which has coordinated the response. "The remote location makes it challenging for biologists to get to the scene."
False killer whales, as the name implies, are a close cousin to the more famous — and far better studied — orca. They're the fourth largest kind of dolphin, and they've been spotted in warm waters around the world.
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/why-did-more-than-80-dolphins-die-in-the-everglades-9069874
Trump-Lewis feud could be harbinger of new round of hyper-partisanship
This reporter seems to have missed the hyper-partisan actions that the new Congress is passing every single day! Maybe it took John Lewis' statement and The Donald's crass tweets to bring anything to the attention of dense reporters and the oblivious public - but since November 8 and especially since the new Congress began their session, hyper-partisanship has been the rule of the day.
By Abby Phillip January 14 at 8:39 PM
A public feud between Donald Trump and Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) seemed to jettison any lingering hopes that the inauguration would temporarily ease partisanship in Washington and instead threatened to widen the rift between the two parties.
Lewis’s assertion that Trump is not a “legitimate president” and his announcement that he would skip Friday’s inaugural ceremony prompted the president-elect to sharply criticize the civil rights leader Saturday morning.
“Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results,” Trump wrote in two tweets. “All talk, talk, talk — no action or results. Sad!”
Late Saturday evening, Trump continued to hammer Lewis in a third tweet. “Congressman John Lewis should finally focus on the burning and crime infested inner-cities of the U.S. I can use all the help I can get!” Trump wrote.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-lewis-feud-could-be-harbinger-of-new-round-of-hyper-partisanship/2017/01/14/f72db5a2-da8d-11e6-9a36-1d296534b31e_story.html
Governor assigns state attorney to investigate complaint against Bondi
John Breslin Jan. 8, 2017, 1:47pm
TALLAHASSEE – Florida Gov. Rick Scott has assigned a state attorney to investigate a complaint against Attorney General Pam Bondi over a $25,000 donation made to her PAC by President-elect Donald Trump.
The complaint, that the attorney general may have ditched thoughts of joining an investigation into Trump University’s Florida offshoot, Trump Institute, in return for the contribution, is one of a number Bondi faces at both state and federal level.
Massachusetts-based criminal attorney J. Whitfield Larrabee, who has already filed complaints with the Florida Commission on Ethics, the Florida Elections Commission and Florida Bar, said he wants to know if there is any potential criminal wrongdoing in connection with the donation, which was delivered in September 2013.
Larrabee, based in Boston, appears to be the only complainant against Bondi at the state level. She faces various federal investigations.
http://flarecord.com/stories/511067560-governor-assigns-state-attorney-to-investigate-complaint-against-bondi
Trump campaign staffers who have Russian ties
I have no doubt that the DJT campaign collaborated. (all info from article listed below.)
Paul Manafort was an adviser to Viktor Yanukovych
Michael T. Flynn appeared regularly on RT and gave speeches in Russia often
Carter Page became an adviser to the Russian energy giant Gazprom after Putin reestablished the Russian government’s majority ownership of the private/public conglomerate and made a trip to Russia in July 2016 right after Trump named him as senior foreign-policy consultant to the campaign
Richard Burt is also a member of the senior advisory board of Russia’s Alfa Bank ("On Oct. 31, reporter Franklin Foer broke the story that a group of cybersecurity experts had tracked regular internet communications between Donald Trump’s organization and Alfa Bank."
Michael Caputo was under contract for Gazprom Media. And one goal of Caputo’s contract with Gazprom Media in 2000 was to improve Vladimir Putin’s image in the United States, as he admitted to his hometown paper, The Buffalo News.
Why do so many of Trump’s campaign staffers have dodgy ties to Russian energy companies or Russian state clients?
James Miller
11.07.16 1:00 AM ET
Between the summer of 2015 and the GOP convention a year later, a great many pundits were surprised by the rise of Donald Trump. Although polls consistently placed him ahead of his Republican peers, his style was so vulgar, his policy pronouncements so bizarre, that many pundits dismissed Trump’s chances. And still he kept winning.
Then came the drafting of the Republican Party platform by the Republican National Committee—a solemn 66-page document stating in a succinct 35,000 words the positions of the Grand Old Party. By all indications, Trump, who doesn’t care much for reading, was willing to let virtually all of it pass.
But there was one point in that mass of verbiage where the Trump team fought for a change. It wanted to remove a call for arming Ukraine against Russian-backed militants (and covert Russian troops) and softening language on Russia’s aggressive actions in Eastern Europe.
Despite the fact that multiple news agencies confirmed the original Washington Post story, Trump’s then-campaign manager Paul Manafort repeatedly denied any such thing happened, and witnesses to the change even accused the Republican leadership of trying to cover up the incident.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/11/07/trump-and-russia-all-the-mogul-s-men.html
ETA - this is the fourth in a four part series of articles investigating Trump's ties to Russia. All are worth reading.
I knew Greta Van Susteren was obnoxious but I didn't expect these details about her
Her father, Urban Van Susteren, an elected judge, served as a campaign strategist for McCarthy.
Van Susteren married tort lawyer John P. Coale in 1988. Coale, a self-described "ambulance chaser," became known as "Bhopal Coale" for his solicitation of clients among victims of the Bhopal disaster. He has served as an adviser for Sarah Palin.
Van Susteren and her husband are members of the Church of Scientology.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greta_Van_Susteren
Thank you to the We the People community: from The We The People Team
We the People has proved to be an innovative experiment in a new kind of civic engagement. It is a way for anybody, from anywhere, to send a message directly to the White House -- and, if their petition collects enough signatures, to receive a direct response.
Over the past five years, we've seen petitions on issues ranging from the refugee crisis to gun violence to worker's rights and more. We've watched as your petitions have led to profound engagement between citizens and senior White House staff and served as an outlet for citizens to discuss the issues that resonate most deeply with you.
They've also inspired real change:
In August of 2014, in response to a petition on the subject, President Obama signed a bill allowing consumers to use their mobile devices on the network of their choice.
A petition on puppy mills contributed to the passage of a new ruling to expand protections of animals under the Animal Welfare Act.
After you petitioned us to enact Leelah's Law, which proposed the banning of conversion therapy on minors, the Administration came out in full support of the ban.
See more of the Administration's most memorable petitions and responses here.
Simply put, your signatures helped make our government better. Each time a petition received 100,000 signatures, our team would get to work, collaborating with staff all across the executive branch of government to hunt down answers and draft responses. This wasn't always easy. Most of your petitions weren't to say “Congratulations!” The thorniest ones called on us to take a second look at policies and prompted discussions at the highest echelons of the executive branch. But every response was valuable because it helped to make our government more responsive to the people it serves.
These responses also helped us stay in touch. Often, following an initial response, our team would post ongoing updates on the issue petition signers had raised. We would also invite petition creators to in-person meetings or digital hangouts with Administration officials. Petitions enabled a two-way conversation -- and an opportunity for us to listen.
That's what We the People was meant to be: a way for citizens to have their voices heard and participate in the process of governing. This makes petitions one of the most powerful tools for ensuring that an Administration is not only open about the decisions it makes, but accountable as well.
We're proud of what We the People has become and the communities that you've built. And we're excited to see how they grow and develop. There are many exciting ways to build on this work -- whether it's citizens working with their state and local representatives to build similar tools or adapting other platforms to make government more responsive to you.
As always, thanks for making your voices heard.
-- The We the People Team
P.S. On Tuesday, January 10, President Obama will deliver his Farewell Address in Chicago. He'll talk about how citizens like you have changed the country for the better, and offer his thoughts on the work ahead. You can watch live at wh.gov/farewell.
Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates - Marching On Tallahassee
Dear Supporter,
As the Women’s March on Washington is happening on January 21st, here in Florida we will be simultaneously marching on Tallahassee. We will stand together in solidarity with women and families across the state for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families. We will do this together because we – recognize that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of Florida and our country.
Click here to join the Women’s March on Tallahassee Saturday, January 21, 2017.
The Women’s March on Tallahassee is a grassroots effort culminating in a rally with speakers including civic leaders, advocates, and others at the Florida Capitol. These marches in Tallahassee, in Washington and around the country are a critical first step towards unifying our communities, grounded in new relationships, to create change from the grassroots level up. We will not rest until women have equity at all levels of our society.
These marches will send a bold message to the new administration and Congress in Washington, to Florida Governor Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature, and to the world – that women's rights are human rights. We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.
Join us in solidarity for the Women’s March on Tallahassee Saturday, January 21, 2017.
The Women’s March on Tallahassee is a 100% inclusive event and all genders, races, ages, religions, sexual orientations – everyone! – is invited to participate. We envision a future where each of us will be treated with dignity, respect and compassion. In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, dignity, and justice who have come before us, please join us as we show our presence in numbers too great to ignore.
For justice and equality,
Lillian Tamayo
Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates
(Also posted in the Florida Group.)
Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates - Marching On Tallahassee
Dear Supporter,
As the Women’s March on Washington is happening on January 21st, here in Florida we will be simultaneously marching on Tallahassee. We will stand together in solidarity with women and families across the state for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families. We will do this together because we – recognize that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of Florida and our country.
Click here to join the Women’s March on Tallahassee Saturday, January 21, 2017.
The Women’s March on Tallahassee is a grassroots effort culminating in a rally with speakers including civic leaders, advocates, and others at the Florida Capitol. These marches in Tallahassee, in Washington and around the country are a critical first step towards unifying our communities, grounded in new relationships, to create change from the grassroots level up. We will not rest until women have equity at all levels of our society.
These marches will send a bold message to the new administration and Congress in Washington, to Florida Governor Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature, and to the world – that women's rights are human rights. We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.
Join us in solidarity for the Women’s March on Tallahassee Saturday, January 21, 2017.
The Women’s March on Tallahassee is a 100% inclusive event and all genders, races, ages, religions, sexual orientations – everyone! – is invited to participate. We envision a future where each of us will be treated with dignity, respect and compassion. In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, dignity, and justice who have come before us, please join us as we show our presence in numbers too great to ignore.
For justice and equality,
Lillian Tamayo
Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates
Just called my Representative - and it was not as easy as it should be
Both the Representatives from this area, Al Lawson (D-Florida 5) and Neil Dunn (R-Florida 2) are newly elected. Lawson is my representative.
When I went to the House site yesterday, Lawson was not listed - they still had Corrine Brown (who lost in the primaries last August) as the Rep. for District 5. Today I looked online and Al Lawson is listed but his phone number is NOT on his contact page.
So I called the main House switchboard number. The voice menu asked for my zip code, I put it in and it gave me the option of (1) Neil Dunn or (0) hold for the operator. I had to wait for an operator, wait for her to look up Rep. Lawson and then be connected to his office.
I told his aide about this and how petty this seems. 
It seems to be designed to make it harder for people to contact their Democratic representatives!
If you try to contact your Democratic Representative and run into the same kind of problem, let them know.
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Gender: Do not displayHometown: Leon County, Florida
Member since: Tue Feb 12, 2008, 10:18 PM
Number of posts: 34,135