US Senators to Betsy DeVos: Stop Violating Workers' Rights

The union representing nearly 4,000 Department of Education employees nationwide, the American Federation of Government Employees, is echoing a call from three U.S. Senators for the department to return to the bargaining table and negotiate a fair, just, and legal contract

Three U.S. Senators are calling on Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to stop denying workplace rights and protections to nearly 4,000 Department of Education employees who are represented by the American Federation of Government Employees.

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, joined with Sen. Kamala Harris of California and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts in sending the Sept. 20 letter to Secretary DeVos.

They urge Education to comply with a July finding of a Federal Labor Relations Authority investigation that the department violated federal labor law by failing to bargain in good faith with AFGE and unilaterally imposing its own proposal on 3,900 federal employees represented by AFGE.

"It is in the best interest of the U.S. Department of Education to have a positive and constructive working relationship with its workforce," the senators wrote. "Therefore, we urge you to return to the negotiating table to work in good faith with the employees' union to reach a fair and equitable contract, and to adhere to the 2013 collective bargaining agreement until negotiations are complete."

After months of anti-union proposals and hostile behavior at the bargaining table, Department of Education management told AFGE in March that it would not negotiate and would instead implement its own terms. The so-called "collective bargaining agreement" imposed by management is an illegal management edict that guts employee rights, including those addressing workplace health and safety, telework, and alternative work schedules.

President Trump issued three executive orders in May that largely aimed to expand Education's anti-union proposals governmentwide. In August, however, a federal judge ruled in a lawsuit first brought by AFGE that the administration's actions violated the U.S. Constitution and laws providing checks and balances in the federal government by attempting to deny more than 2 million federal workers their legal right to representation.

"It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that this Administration as a whole does not take seriously its bargaining obligations under the Statute, evidenced by the issuance of the illegal, anti-bargaining Executive Orders together with the growing prevalence of bad faith bargaining behavior across federal agencies," the senators wrote.

AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr. thanked the senators for their leadership and echoed their call for Education to return to the bargaining table.

"Secretary DeVos' anti-worker crusade has not slowed down one bit since the FLRA's ruling and the judge's decision – if anything the department is more resolved than ever to keep denying workers their rights," Cox said. "I urge Secretary DeVos to order her management team back to the table so we can negotiate a fair, just, and legal contract, which all employees deserve."

AFGE logo. (PRNewsFoto/American Federation of Government Employees)

⏩ The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 700,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.

SOURCE:  American Federation of Government Employees

Amazon Biopic Of Legendary Argentine Soccer Great Maradona Begins Production

Amazon Biopic Of Legendary Argentine Soccer Great Maradona Begins Production 

Amazon Prime Video will soon share the story of the world's most famous soccer star, Diego Armando Maradona. 

The biopic series will look back at his life from infancy through to his present life and his journey playing for Barcelona, Napoli, Boca and leading his national team as captain for Argentina. 

Co-produced by Dhana Media, BTF Media and Raze, the companies behind the biopic, have announced the actors will each play a different stage in Maradona's life, accounting his adolescence in Villa Fiorito throughout his turbulent time in and off the field. Nicolas Goldschmidt (Farsantes) will interpret Maradona's early years as a footballer; Nazareno Casero (Stories of a Clan) during his rise to fame and Juan Palomino (Truth Consequence) in his darkest days.

"Collaborating with Dhana Media and BTF Media, to tell a story of global interest in a completely international production, represents both an enormous challenge and a great pleasure," said Mari Urdaneta, Chief Content Officer of RAZE, the Latino Digital Media Company backed by Sofia Vergara. "Diego is considered to be the best player in the history of soccer and is world renowned from his many controversies and high-profile life."

The series will begin filming in Argentina, continuing its journey to Uruguay, Mexico, Spain and it will end production in Italy; making this the largest international production about the world's greatest soccer star.  

⏩ The series will be available in more than 200 territories on Amazon Prime Video, and later distributed on linear platforms through Disney Distribution. 

SOURCE:: BTF Media

Canada Signs On To Global Initiative To Protect Marine Wildlife

A humpback whale breaching. (Photo: World Animal Protection)

Marine animals in Canada will soon be getting more protection as Canada has signed on to the Global Ghost Gear Initiative or GGGI. 

This initiative was founded in 2015 by World Animal Protection, an organization working to end the suffering of animals worldwide. The GGGI is an alliance of governments, NGOs, academics and fishing industry leaders that aims to reduce the amount of ghost gear (lost or abandoned fishing gear) in the oceans.

The announcement was made by the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, during the G7 meeting of Environment, Energy and Oceans Ministers in Halifax, Nova Scotia. World Animal Protection was invited to participate in the aligned Ocean Partnership Summit, on a panel covering sustainable fisheries and including reduction strategies for ghost gear. 

Ghost gear is found in every sea and ocean on the planet, along all three of Canada's coast lines and is a major contributor to ocean plastics. A whopping 640,000 tons of ghost gear is left in our oceans each year. It traps, injures, mutilates and kills hundreds of thousands of whales, dolphins, seals, sharks, turtles and birds annually.

Signing on to the GGGI is an important next step in Canada's commitment to reduce ocean plastics. It means they will be addressing one of the deadliest forms of plastic debris for marine animals like whales and turtles.

World Animal Protection's Executive Director Josey Kitson says: "Canada's agreement to sign on to this initiative is a game changer. Our country has the longest total coastline in the world and Canada is sending a clear message that it is a leader in tackling ghost gear, protecting vulnerable species, improving the health of marine ecosystems, as well as safeguarding fishing industry livelihoods."

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard adds, "lost and abandoned fishing gear kills and injures marine life and has a significant damaging environmental impact. Not only does it negatively affect marine life and fish stocks globally, it also has a significant economic impact that is felt most acutely by the coastal communities and industries that depend on fisheries for their livelihoods. Our Government knows the time to act is now. We are proud to be a signatory to the Global Ghost Gear Initiative and we are committed to improving the health of marine ecosystems, safeguarding human health and livelihoods and protecting marine life from harm."

Among the outcomes of the previous G7 Leaders' Summit, held from June 8-9 in Charlevoix, Quebec, was the Charlevoix Blueprint for Healthy Oceans, Seas and Resilient Coastal Communities and The Plastics Charter. With ghost gear accounting for an estimated 70% of ocean macro-plastic by weight, this commitment will go further in promoting sustainable oceans and fisheries, supporting coastal communities and tackling marine litter.

"Canada's commitment today also means that Canada will work alongside other key players in the GGGI to create solutions to reduce lost fishing gear and its harmful impacts on a global scale. It is a positive step knowing that our message has been heard and we look forward to working with Canada further on this," says Kitson.

⏩ Canadians from coast to coast can learn more about the impacts of ghost gear and how the members of the Global Ghost Gear Initiative are tackling it, at worldanimalprotection.ca.

SOURCE: World Animal Protection

Facetune2 Taps Into NYFW Game With Artistic Sponsorship

Photographer: Travis Gumbs. Artist: Fletcher Nightwine using Facetune2

On Wednesday, September 12, Raul Lopez presented the LUAR Spring/Summer 2019 Runway Show at the Old National Bank in New York City and Facetune 2 sponsored the show with a series of interactive activations as well as an artistic collaboration with artist Fletcher Nightwine. 

Featuring over thirty white looks, the SS19 Collection, El Infinitum Purgatorio, is about purgatory and rebirth, as well as blurring the lines as to what is real versus what is fake. 

Photographer: Travis Gumbs. Artist: Fletcher Nightwine using Facetune2

For the lookbook, the designer partnered with Facetune2 and commissioned artist Fletcher Nightwine to create a set of imagery that breaks preconceived standards of beauty: exaggerated shoulders, shrunken accessories, elongated hems - creating a heightened sense of reality.

The imagery plays with the understanding of Facetune2 being a widely used app and advances the conversation around "perfect" body standards, reflecting back to that fact that audiences are inevitably trained to know these are not real.

"At Lightricks, our apps are a part of the creative process of aspiring artists everywhere, including fashion designers. NYFW is the most prestigious event in the fashion world, and it was amazing to collaborate with the top professionals in this industry, Christian Cowan, LaQuan Smith and LUAR. Building Facetune back in 2013, we definitely did not imagine we'd be attending the hottest fashion shows in NY. This is really only the beginning for us at Lightricks and we're excited to see what other fun & exciting places else our success will lead us," says Zeev Farbman, Lightricks co-founder & CEO.

Front row guests were treated to Factune2 giftboxes with lifetime VIP status, unlocking premium features of the app. The VIP status was provided via an illuminated acrylic QR code that had guests buzzing.

Photographer: Travis Gumbs. Artist: Fletcher Nightwine using Facetune2

About Facetune2:

"Facetune2 is the next generation of Facetune, released four years later in November 2016. It promotes confidence and breaks the illusion of "perfect" body ideals. With millions of users worldwide it levels the playing field: because everyone knows everyone is using it, society is less and less likely to believe that "perfect" body standards are real or attainable. For most, social media is a highlight reel of your life, putting yourself out there the way you want to be seen. Facetune2 gives you the power to do that on your own."

Photographer: Travis Gumbs. Artist: Fletcher Nightwine using Facetune2

SOURCE: Lightricks

Bonus Pictures:

(Via DropBox)

National Geographic Chief Scientist: 'Extinction Crisis Unavoidable Unless We Protect Half of Earth by 2050'

Seen from above the ocean surface, the tiny island of Roca Partida appears as two small peaks jutting out from the water. Underwater, however, this remote island of the Revillagigedo Archipelago hosts a rich marine habitat. Here, whitetip reef sharks, Pacific creolefish, barberfish, and Moorish idols populate the reef.

With the planet facing an exploding population and unprecedented levels of biodiversity loss, National Geographic Society Executive Vice President and Chief Scientist Dr. Jonathan Baillie and Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Dr. Ya-Ping Zhang urged the world's governments to dramatically scale up global conservation targets. They detailed their opinions in an editorial published in the latest issue of Science.

"Current levels of protection do not even come close to the required levels," wrote Baillie and Zhang, who encouraged governments to set minimum targets to protect 30 percent of the Earth's oceans and lands by 2030, and 50 percent by 2050, with a particular focus on areas of high biodiversity. "This will be extremely challenging, but it is possible, and anything less will likely result in a major extinction crisis and jeopardize the health and well-being of future generations."

The targets are significantly higher than the Aichi Biodiversity Targets set at the 2010 Nagoya Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, where governments agreed to protect 10 percent of oceans and 17 percent of land by 2020.

"The trends are going in the right direction, and we applaud the countries that have made significant strides," said Baillie. "But we must accelerate the pace of protection in order to achieve a planet in balance — one that provides for humanity and the multitude of species with which we share the Earth."

Distinguished scientists support the call to increase global biodiversity targets. They include Dr. E.O. Wilson, one of the world's preeminent evolutionary biologists and the leading advocate of the Half-Earth Project — an initiative devoted to setting aside half of the Earth for conservation; and Dr. Thomas Lovejoy, an internationally renowned conservation biologist, widely known as the "godfather of biodiversity," and a National Geographic Fellow.

Wilson said, "It is true that if we turn our backs on the current species extinction crisis, the consequences for the planet will be dire. It is also true that it is within our powers, as humans and nations, to direct our own salvation. If we follow the Half-Earth call to action and protect 50 percent of our lands and seas, we'll safeguard at least 85 percent of species and reverse this crisis. We must work together to learn more about Earth's species and move quickly to protect them before they disappear forever. I encourage the world's governments to commit to conserving at least half the Earth. To strive against the odds on behalf of all life would be humanity at its most noble."

Spix's macaw, native to Brazil, is critically endangered. (Image via National Geographic)

The Aichi Targets are a 10-year framework to save biodiversity and enhance its benefits for all people. The strategy includes halting species extinction, halving habitat loss and reducing pollution and overfishing by 2020. Baillie and Zhang want governments to set the higher targets at the Convention on Biological Diversity in Beijing, China, in 2020.

"This is the level of ambition we need because this is the last chance to secure a functional living planet for people and other forms of life," Lovejoy said.

SOURCE: National Geographic Society