UK: The People Vs. Fracking

Frack Free Zone (via Greenwire)

The following is an email from Greenpeace I've received this afternoon...  and it's definitely worth a read.

As usual  when I share those kind of emails, all I ask is that you guys feel free to have a look and act accordingly.

Thanks in advance

Stay safe!

Loup Dargent

No To Fracking (via Greenwire)

The Email:

Loup,

Next week, ten people just like you and me are heading to court. Their crime? Saying "No!" to fracking in Lancashire.

Abi, Barrie, Gillian, Hamish, Helen, James, Jane, Jeff, Liz and Peter weren't being listened to by Theresa May's government. Just like thousands of others who don't want fracking on their doorsteps.

So they took part in a peaceful protest. Now trial awaits.

Loup, will you help tell their story? 
 

Share on Facebook

• Not on Facebook? Watch it here on YouTube.

It's been a long road for the people of Lancashire and friends of the anti-fracking community. Back in 2015, after years of campaigning by local people, the council voted against plans submitted by fracking company, Cuadrilla, to frack at the site at Preston New Road.

But this victory for the people was turned into a bitter miscarriage of justice. Theresa May's government overturned the ruling of Lancashire County Council and put fracking back on the map.

The government chose to align itself with a polluting, uneconomic and unnecessary industry – and against the people, planet and local democracy.

If you think that's unacceptable, share the story of fracking at Preston New Road:
 

Share on Facebook

• Not on Facebook? Watch it here on YouTube.

The defendants heading to trial next week are ordinary people like you and me. After exhausting every possible route to get Theresa May and her friends to listen, they were left with no choice but to participate in a peaceful protest.

They stood up to fracking. Let's stand with them.

Thanks,
Nick 'Dikson' Monro

P.S: Want to get active in your area? Or just participate in conversations around our campaigns online? If the answer is yes, then join Greenwire – a community where people come together around the issues that will shape the future of our planet.

#WeSaidNoToFracking (via Greenwire)

The Video:

Bonus Video:

Pew Applauds Agreement to Protect Migratory Sharks

Shark (PRNewsfoto/The Pew Charitable Trusts)

The Pew Charitable Trusts today praised the 124 governments of the U.N. Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) for taking action toward protecting six shark species. The decision came at the end of the weeklong 12th Conference of the Parties (CoP12) in Manila.

The governments of Honduras, Israel, Mauritania, Monaco, the Philippines, Samoa, Senegal, Sri Lanka, and Togo proposed six species—whale sharks, angel sharks, white-spotted wedgefish, common guitarfish, dusky sharks, and blue sharks – for protection through addition to the CMS lists, known as appendices. Appendix I prohibits the catch of any of these endangered species from any place they migrate, and Appendix II identifies the shark species most in need of conservation action, encouraging cooperation to properly manage and protect the species throughout their migratory range.

Today's actions placed whale sharks, angel sharks, and common guitarfish in the Mediterranean on Appendix I and dusky, angel and blue sharks, white-spotted wedgefish, and common guitarfish globally on Appendix II.

KerriLynn Miller, a conservation expert on Pew's shark conservation project, issued the following statement:

"The momentum for protecting sharks continues to build, thanks to the significant step CMS members have taken toward better management of six at-risk shark species.

These species, like many others, are migratory, even those that spend part of their lives in protected waters, leaving them vulnerable to various types of fishing gear. In some regions, the newly protected shark species have experienced population declines of 50 percent or more. The commitment that CMS parties will work together to offer these sharks the help they need to recover is critical to their depleted populations, and is important for making the entire ocean safer for the species that migrate.

The CMS Appendix II listings allow for the sustainable fishing of sharks, but if management measures are not effectively implemented, species listed in Appendix II could qualify for the stricter protections of Appendix I. To ensure that these Appendix II listings have the needed impact, governments must follow through on their commitments to cooperate by developing stronger domestic shark protections, while considering international management through regional fisheries bodies and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

As for the species that were protected today, the CMS parties have shown that proper management for imperiled sharks and rays continues to be a global priority. We applaud governments for offering the highest level of protection for the whale and angel sharks and the common guitarfish in the Mediterranean, where urgent action is needed, and are encouraged to see additional species—blue and dusky sharks, white-spotted wedgefish, and common guitarfish globally—afforded an opportunity to recover before their populations require full protection. This is an important step toward safeguarding shark populations for generations to come."

• More information on Pew's global shark conservation campaign is available at www.pewsharks.org.

SOURCE: The Pew Charitable Trusts

Bonus Video:

Bonus Infographic:

How Illegal Fishing Threatens the Safety of Crews

Royal Canadian Mint Launches Justice League Coin Collection at 2017 Central Canada Comic Con

2018 25-Cent Lenticular Coin - The Justice League

The Royal Canadian Mint is celebrating pop culture with comic book fans from all over the country attending Central Canada Comic Con (C4) by introducing its new Justice League series of coloured coins, crafted in cupro-nickel, gold and silver, which feature artwork specially conceived by Canadians Justice League artists Jason Fabok and Brad Anderson. 

• Comic book super hero fans attending C4 from October 27 to 29, 2017 can be among the first to get their hands on these finely crafted collectibles.

2018 $20 Fine Silver Coin - The Justice League - Complete packaging -
The Flash and Wonder Woman

This 2018-dated Justice League collection consists of the following:

• a 25-cent cupro-nickel lenticular coin animating all six members of the Justice League
• a trio of 1oz. fine silver coins with a $20 face value, each featuring a pairing of super heroes (Cyborg and Superman; Batman and Aquaman; The Flash and Wonder Woman)
• a $30 fine silver coin celebrating "The World's Greatest Super Heroes"
• a $100 14-Karat gold coin entitled "United We Stand".

2018 $20 Fine Silver Coin - The Justice League - Complete packaging -
Batman and Aquaman

• Mintages, pricing and full background information on each coin can be found on the "Shop" tab of www.mint.ca.

2018 $20 Fine Silver Coin - The Justice League - Complete packaging -
Cyborg and Superman

Comic book super hero fans will be able to meet the artists at the Mint booth during the following times:

• Friday October 27, from 3 pm to 6 pm
• Saturday, October 28, from 10 am to noon
• Sunday October 29, from 10 am to noon

2018 $30 Fine Silver Coin - The Justice League - The World's Greatest Super Heroes

2018 $100 14-Karat Gold Coin - The Justice League - United We Stand

The Cards:

Cyborg, Superman and Aquaman

The Flash, Batman and Wonder Woman

SOURCE: Royal Canadian Mint

The National Organization for Women (NOW-NYC) Launches First-Ever Campaign Focused on Women and PTSD: #HealMeToo

Image via the #HealMeToo video (HealMeToo.com)

At a time when so many sexual assaults survivors are coming forward to be heard with #MeToo, the National Organization for Women (NOW-NYC) wants to ensure they have the resources to be healed.

The #HealMeToo campaign is intended to raise awareness about the alarming fact that women who are raped or assaulted have a 94% chance of developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms, according to RAINN, the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization.

To highlight the fact that a high percentage of sexual violence survivors experience PTSD symptoms, NOW's campaign will launch on the opening day of Thank You for Your Service, a Dreamworks feature length film which features the story of a soldier's journey struggling with PTSD upon his return home from the war in Iraq.

The #HealMeToo video will air in 7,000 theaters nationwide this Friday, October 27th and will tell a "war story" unlike any that we're used to hearing.

"The aftermath of what sexual assault survivors experience is not well enough understood by the public. Survivors, women and men, often suffer in silence and shame," said Sonia Ossorio, president of NOW-NYC. "The purpose of this campaign is to make the connection that PTSD goes unrecognized and untreated for far too many sexual violence survivors."

• As part of the campaign, NOW is launching www.healmetoo.com, a microsite with information and resources for sexual assault survivors and members of their support network who may be suffering from PTSD.

Jodi Omear, Vice President of Communications for RAINN, underscores the importance of this campaign; "Each year thousands of survivors are faced with PTSD as a result of sexual violence. The effects of these crimes are long lasting, and it's important that we all support survivors at all stages of recovery."

"We hope that by educating the public about the long-term effects of sexual violence on individuals, their families and communities, we as a society will see the urgency in addressing and preventing sexual assault and healing its victims," Ossorio said.

Image via HealMeToo.com

About NOW-NYC:

NOW-NYC works to promote reproductive rights, secure women's economic empowerment, and end discrimination and violence against women. Through our Take Rape Seriously NOW Initiative, we work to help survivors of drug-facilitated sexual assault, to strengthen policy that impacts survivors, to defend the Violence Against Women Act, and to challenge rape culture.

The Video:

SOURCE: National Organization for Women (NOW-NYC)

Long Out-Of-Print Collection "All Day Thumbsucker Revisited", Documenting The History Of Blue Thumb Records, Revived On Eve Of Legendary Label's 50th Anniversary Next Year

Long out-of-print collection "All Day Thumbsucker Revisited," documenting the history of Tommy LiPuma and Bob Krasnow's legendary Blue Thumb Records, is now available as a 2CD set

From 1968 to 1978, Blue Thumb Records was one of music's most adventurous and imaginative record labels, with a far-ranging roster of cutting-edge acts and an unconventional visual sensibility. Nurturing an eclectic assortment of artists from a wide variety of genres, Blue Thumb embodied the restless creative spirit of the era in which it was born, reflecting the emerging attitude that albums were worthy of being taken seriously as artistic statements.

Blue Thumb's expansive musical vision was anthologized on the 1995 label retrospective All Day Thumbsucker Revisited. Today, October 27, Verve Records/UMe is releasing the long-out-of-print collection, originally compiled by Gary Katz, known for his work with Steely Dan, in an updated two-CD edition on the eve of next year's 50th anniversary of Blue Thumb's founding. The first in a projected series of releases to celebrate the revered label, the CD set offers 32 vintage tracks spread across two discs, while the digital edition, due November 10, marks the first time this collection will be available as a digital download and for streaming. In showcasing Blue Thumb's influential artist roster, the album also honors the iconoclastic musical vision of late label founders Bob Krasnow, who died on December 11, 2016, and Tommy LiPuma, who passed away on March 13, 2017. 

• The album is available for purchase here

Danny Bennett, President & CEO of Verve Label Group comments, "With the release of All Day Thumbsucker Revisited, we are so proud to honor Tommy LiPuma and Bob Krasnow by celebrating their Blue Thumb Records legacy and the incredible music they curated, all of which is well represented on this must-have collection."

Blue Thumb Records' diverse artist roster included avant-garde hero Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band (whose rejected band name provided Blue Thumb's handle), Marc Bolan's Tyrannosaurus Rex, soul icons Ike and Tina Turner, hitmakers the Pointer Sisters, retro-swing hipsters Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks, venerable rockers Dave Mason and Leon Russell, psychedelic savants Love, boundary-pushing future star Sylvester, avant-jazz icon Sun Ra, rap progenitors the Last Poets, Gypsy jazz guitarist Gábor Szabó, spoken-word innovator Ken Nordine, British imports Mark-Almond and the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation, jazz greats the Crusaders, Luis Gasca and Philip Upchurch, and blues legends Albert Collins, John Mayall, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and Junior Mance—all of whom are featured on All Day Thumbsucker Revisited.

Along with 30 tracks from the original album, the 2017 edition of All Day Thumbsucker Revisited features two additional tracks by Buddy Guy and the Pointer Sisters. In addition to the above-mentioned artists, the album also includes a track by veteran pianist-journalist Ben Sidran, who also provided the original album's liner notes, which are reproduced here in their entirety.

The first Blue Thumb label was black with white print. The Blue Thumb logo was in blue inside an arched window above the center hole. (Via bsnpubs.com)

Bob Krasnow had already been president of the King and Buddah/Kama Sutra labels when he formed Blue Thumb Records in 1968. Recruiting like-minded A&M Records producer Tommy LiPuma and A&M marketing executive Don Graham, Krasnow set out to build a record label that would reflect his own freewheeling sensibility as well as the increasing influence of album-oriented radio.

As Joe Sample of the Crusaders observed, "LiPuma and Krasnow were young and vibrant men with a tremendous love of music. And they also had the expertise to back up that love. And they started signing all kinds of bands. It was the new image in music, and I think it was the best kind of image that we ever had in the music business.

There was a sense in the air of a lot of adventure," Sample notes. "The music business was making big, major changes; the newfound FM airwaves meant there was suddenly a whole new branch of radio stations that played music that would never be played on an AM station. Blue Thumb was one of the first companies that realized this new set of airwaves was important for music."

Commenting on Blue Thumb's early days, Sidran recalled, "They were running it, literally, out of three rooms. And they were making records that were consciously counter to what was going on. And nobody had done that... Krasnow was going out of his way to do something different."

That "something different" can be heard throughout All Day Thumbsucker Revisited, whose vintage grooves affirm the timeless brilliance of Blue Thumb's enduring musical vision.

Blue Thumb Records Logo

ALL DAY THUMBSUCKER REVISITED TRACK LISTING
Disc One
1. Only You Know and I Know - Dave Mason
2. The City - Mark-Almond
3. Put It Where You Want It - The Crusaders
4. A Song For You - Leon Russell
5. Stimela (Coaltrain) - Hugh Masekela
6. By The Light Of Magical Moon - Tyrannosaurus Rex
7. Yes We Can Can - The Pointer Sisters
8. Darkness Darkness - Philip Upchurch
9. Son Of Mirror Man – Mere Man - Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band
10. Sugar on the Line - The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation
11. Little Mama - Luis Gasca
12. Canned Music - Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks
13. Riffin' (A.K.A. A Motif Is Just A Riff) – Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and Junior Mance
14. I've Been Loving You Too Long - Ike & Tina Turner
15. Fat Jam - Ben Sidran
16. Southern Man - Sylvester and the Hot Band

Disc Two
1. Delta Lady - Leon Russell
2. Shiver 'n Shake - Albert Collins
3. Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave - Dave Mason
4. Blackbird - Bossa Rio
5. Ride A White Swan - Tyrannosaurus Rex
6. I Scare Myself - Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks
7. The Everlasting First - Love
8. The Frog - Joao Donato
9. Safe As Milk - Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band
10. Breezin' - Gabor Szabo
11. Sitting on the Outside - John Mayall
12. Images - Sun Ra
13. Bird's Word - The Last Poets
14. Roger - Ken Nordine
15. How Long (Betcha' Got A Chick On The Side) – The Pointer Sisters
16. So Far Away - The Crusaders

SOURCE: Verve/UMe