Sunday, May 15, 2011

Third month of Wisconsin Capitol protests: Unions smell blood in recalls

The Defend Wisconsin website reports on the May 14th protests at the Capitol in Wisconsin, where tens of thousands gathered, as the recall battle heats up. There are several links on the page with additional information of the populist movement to recall GOP state senators who supported legislation that promotes the wealthy and business agenda at the expense of ordinary citizens. 
http://www.defendwisconsin.org/2011/05/14/third-month-of-wisconsin-capitol-protests-unions-smell-blood-in-recalls/

Currently only 19 states states have recall laws and this page gives the details. I think recalls are one of the most powerful tools the public can use to shape policy and I'd like to see more states add these provisions to their constitutions.
http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=16581

Eli Pariser: Beware online "filter bubbles"

In this short TED Talk, the Executive Director of MoveOn.org reveals how website filters on sites like Facebook, Google and Yahoo News function to invisibly customize the information we see on the Internet.  Google, for example, uses 57 different algorithms to tailor your search results according to their pre-conceived notion of what you want to see. This means that two people who Google "Egypt" will receive entirely different results to a query, and not necessarily receive important critical information if they have not shown an interest in such content previously. And so, the Internet is already not as free and open as we are led to believe.
http://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles.html

Desperation is the Father of Invention

The Fukushima Plate would enable you meter radiation levels in your food. Food & Water Watch then riffs on other potential products the the future may hold.
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/blogs/desperation-is-the-father-of-invention/

Hundreds of thousands of young people insured because of Affordable Care Act

It's good to see a tangible effect from healthcare reform. Though the bill did not go anywhere near far enough in failing to adopt a single payer system, this is something positive.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/05/14/973087/-Hundreds-of-thousands-of-young-people-insured-because-of-Affordable-Care-Act?utm

This week in the War on Women

A roundup of all the legislation restricting abortion access and health care options for women across the land. It's pretty scary stuff. The post also considers compensation discrimination against women and the impact that has on social security down the road.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/05/14/976094/-This-week-in-the-War-on-Women?utm

It's the Inequality, Stupid

Eleven devastating and revealing charts that 'explain everything that's wrong with America,' from Mother Jones. These are worth a good look...
http://beta.motherjones.com/politics/2011/02/income-inequality-in-america-chart-graph

Ten CEOs Who Got Rich by Squeezing Workers
http://beta.motherjones.com/mojo/2011/05/ceo-executive-pay-layoffs