Al Gore Issues Call for Zero-Carbon by 2019

On July 17, Al Gore challenged Americans to take action to fight Global Warming by setting the goal of Zero Carbon Emissions by the year 2019. (The full speech can be seen here) This ambitious yet attainable goal is no simple feat. It will require sacrifice on the part of the American people, and courage on the part of American businesses to take the risk by investing in alternative energy sources.

The organization Gore founded to promote this message is called “we“. On their website, you can find a number of different educational resources, and also learn about how you can become more involved.

Here are a few simple ways you can help move America towards a carbon emissions-free energy in the next ten years:

Contact your local Power Company and ask them to use more alternative energy

Contact your elected officials to ask them to write legislation promoting 100% carbon-free electricity

Ask major Banks to think twice before funding the building of new coal burning plants

Minimize your own carbon impact at home, school or work

Together, we can accomplish great things. It won’t happen overnight, but if we were able to put a man on the moon in 1969, we can create viable alternative energy sources by 2019.

Get Involved in the Democratic Process

A few months ago, I wrote a post about how those who are under 18 can get involved in the the political discourse that is going on right now in this country. Today it is easier than ever to affect the outcome of November’s election without even stepping into a voting box.

It’s already old news that spreading the word through facebook, myspace, twitter and a dozen other social networking sites can help the effort. Posting about news and policy statements made by the candidates can really get people excited about a candidate.

But if you are a supporter of either of the major party candidates, there is a whole new level of involvement out there.

John McCain has launched McCainSpace which is an online forum that allows you to create your own MySpace-like page, recruit friends and family to the cause, and track upcoming events featuring Senator McCain. There is also a feature on the site that identifies key blogs (both liberal and conservative) that the McCain campaign wants supports to post comments to. (So far the EimaTimes hasn’t made the cut)

Barack Obama has a feature on his site very similar to facebook. My.barackobama.com is a place for supporters to connect with other Obama supporters, find local events they can become involved in, and setup fundraising challenges for friends and family.

The Obama campaign went one step further, however, with regards to letting any American help the campaign. Supporters are asked and encouraged to volunteer for the Obama campaign phone bank by making calls to people across the country from their home phone. A script is provided, along with contact information for a fellow citizen. (Cynthia McKinney, the Green Party Presidential nominee, has a similar option on her site)

The bottom line is that there are many ways to get involved in the political process. The key thing is always going to come down to education and awareness. To learn more about the nominees, check out some of these sites:

Project Vote Smart - Research voting records of political candidates, and see which candidates are supported by which lobby groups.

YouTube Face the Candidates - To see where the candidates stand on various issues, check out their pages on YouTube which feature videos of John McCain and Barack Obama speaking about the issues they care about. Hear it in their own words!

Indecision 2008 - If you take your politics a little less seriously, check out this site which is Comedy Central’s coverage of the election mostly featuring John Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

Yom Ha’atzmaut Sameach!

Happy Israel Independence Day!

For some great shiurim and activities about Yom Ha’atzmaut, check out the Yeshiva University Yom Ha’atzmaut To Go packet available for download here.

Israel@60: A Time to Celebrate?

That seems like a stupid question, right? Isn’t this 60th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel worth an extravagant celebration? There should be dozens of fireworks shows to light up the sky across the country! There should be parades with war heroes, politicians, movie stars and television personalities! Men, women and children of all ages should pour into the streets in a flood of excitement and national pride!

In fact, the Israeli government has set aside $28 million for this year’s festivities. It’s not quite the $70 million from the celebration of Israel’s Jubilee year back in 1998, but it’s a serious chunk of change. What better way to unite a country that has gone through so much in the last few years than a day full of natioanlistic festivities?

Apparently the Israel@60 campaign has united the people, but not in the way it was intended. To date, over 90,000 Israelis have signed a petition to request that the government not spend any more money on this year’s Yom Ha’atzmaut than it would in any other year. Buy why?

Petitioners argue that this is no time to spend valuable resources on a celebration that is mainly used for  political grandstanding. The irony, they claim, is that the theme of this year’s celebration is “Strengthening Israel’s Children” - yet statistics show that 1/3 of Israeli children are living in poverty, and school teachers held a two-month strike at the beginning of the academic year because of inadequate pay and poor classroom conditions.

The organizers of the celebration have responded to this public demand. They currently plan for only 20% of the $28 million to be spent on Yom Ha’atzmaut itself for the festivities. The rest is going to be spent on educational programs, infrastructure projects, and remembrance projects. School children are going to hike into Jerusalem on the path that was used by Israeli soldiers in 1948. A walking path is going to be built around the Kinneret, along with a bike path that will cross the country. Over 60 picnics are going to be held across the country, and beach parties will be happening along the coast. And yes, there will be fireworks shows in seven different cities from Teveriah to Eilat.

So what are we to make of this? Does this signal a lagging in nationalism by Israelis, or a practicality in spending money where it’s most needed? How would you want the festivities to be?

Under 18 for Election ‘08? Get in your two cents.

If you have been thinking a lot about who the next president is going to be, but are not going to be able to vote in the upcoming election, you might be really frustrated. You have an opinion that is valuable, and your voice should be heard just like anyone else’s!

Well now there’s a place for you to share your thoughts on the upcoming election with friends, family, and teens under 18 from across the country. My Two Cents for Change is a great website that gives teens the opportunity to share their thoughts on the issues that are relevant to the upcoming presidential election.  You can even have your comments automatically send to the Presidential candidates themselves!

So what do you think about the war in Iraq? What do you think about Universal Healthcare? What do you think about what’s happening in Darfur? How would you like the next president to address poverty in this country? Get your thoughts out, and get yourself educated on the facts.

If you are going to be 18 for the upcoming election, make sure you register to vote here, here or here. Voting is your way of showing the leaders of this country that you care, and that you matter.

What is happening in Tibet?

It seems like every day a new report is out about Tibetans protesting the 2008 Summer Olympics, and the Chinese government that is hosting the games. Where did this whole thing come from? It seems like it started all of a sudden one day, and now it’s everywhere. What is it all about?

This will require a quick history lesson: In 1971, The Qing Dynasty that ruled China established the Dalai Lama and his regents as the spiritual and political leaders of Tibet. They continued in their rule through 1951. In 1911, Tibet proclaimed its independence from China, and although no other country recognized Tibet, it continued as a de-facto independent state until 1950.

In 1950, the Chinese army invaded Tibet, and easily overran the small Tibetan army.  Since then the Tibetan government led by the Dalai Lama has been in exile, and the Chinese government has been in control of the region. Chinese citizens were moved in to populate the area, and many Tibetans feel that their culture is being threatened.

March 2008 saw a flare-up in anti-China protests by Buddhist Monks living in Tibet, and has spread in advance of the China-hosted Olympics.

Whether or not China should relinquish some or all of its control of Tibet is one question, but the real issue is the way China has responded to the Tibetan protesters. Hundreds of peaceful protesters have been arrested, and journalists and diplomats have been barred from the region.

The US and the EU are pressuring China to change its ways, but this only highlights the question the world must be asking itself about choosing China to host the Summer Olympics. Will China clean up its human rights record? Will China stop persecuting members of the Falun Gong groups? Will China put pressure on the Sudanese government to stop the massacres in Darfur? Will China stop its ruthless crackdown of Tibetan dissent?

This is what the Tibet protests are all about. This is what we can all be thinking as we head towards the Summer Olympics that are only 129 days away.