 January means rebajas in Spain. Resist the temptation to buy clothes we don’t need, no matter how cheap! Today's Climate Update The High Price We’re All Paying for Those Cheap Clothes It´s January, and that means rebajas! Clothes are on sale, and at these prices, who can resist grabbing a few bargains? But deep discounts come with a steep cost. Textile production is the second “dirtiest” industry after oil, and C02 emissions from fast fashion are expected to increase 60% by the year 2030, amounting to 2.8 billion tons per year. The industry is water intensive, diverting clean water from people who need it, and relies on harsh chemicals and dyes, which are major polluters of groundwater. Fast fashion refers to clothes that are mass produced and cheaply made by outsourced workers, usually young women, who are exploited, underpaid, and working in hazardous conditions to cut corners. These clothes are cheap, easy to buy without thinking, and don’t last long. They’re not supposed to. The poor quality is intended to make the item easy to discard, without being reused, resold, or repurposed. In the US we send 13 million tons of our clothing to landfills every year. And then we’re ready to buy more. What can we do? Resist the temptation to buy clothes we don’t need, no matter how cheap! Buy second-hand clothes when we can, and when we must buy new, look for items that are made from recycled materials, and invest in items that will last many years. Second-Hand Shops in Seville: Humana, Ropero, Nostalgia. Documentary Recommendation: The True Cost (Available on Netflix. Don’t have Netflix? Watch with a friend who does.) Article by Natalie Snow Purinton STOP, LOOK, LISTEN! by Kathy Sherretts Well, THAT was pointless. Although it’s interpreted differently in FoxWorld, the end of the government shutdown is generally seen as a win for Nancy Pelosi and a loss for Trump. The deadlock over a border wall ended more or less where it started, with the president accepting a deal he previously rejected (after having originally agreed to it.) However, let us not forget to blame Mitch McConnell for his part in the whole long stupid ordeal. —Kathy Sherretts Video: CNN: You’re calling it a wall? (2 min) What makes you think I didn’t know that? (2 min) An interview with legal counsel for the oil industry. Article: The New Yorker: Halfway Through the Trump Presidency, the Resistance Is Winning by John Cassidy At the halfway point in this Presidential cycle, Trump has undoubtedly disrupted the American system of government, but he hasn’t upended it. . Article: Slate: The Trump Administration Quietly Changed the Definition of Domestic Violence and We Have No Idea What For by Natalie Nanasi A domestic violence relationship rarely begins with physical violence, much less violence that rises to the level of a crime. Cartoon: This Modern World: Life in the Stupidverse by Tom Tomorrow  On Jan. 17th, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez started the hashtag #whereismitch after looking for Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — whose priority, rather than reopening the government, was an anti-abortion bill that would disproportionately affect lower-income women. For now, his efforts were defeated.  Ready to do more? Read the Indivisible Guide 2.0, a new strategy for a new congress. Check out the weekly action plan from Progressive Action, Global Exchange (PAGE) which mobilizes progressive Americans living overseas. Sign up for the Americans of Conscience Checklist, a weekly action list that also provides encouragement and good news. Learn more at ClimateRecovery.org, a new group organized by members of American Resistance Sevilla and other community activists. Have questions or want to volunteer? ClimateRecoverySevilla@gmail.com. 
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What happened last week? People took the streets in Sevilla to support women’s rights! (Learn about the link between women’s rights & climate change)   Last Tuesday at noon, people gathered in front of the Andalusian Parliament and later at 7 pm, they marched between Plaza Nueva and San Telmo Palaceprotesting against "Vox, a far-right party whose support will today usher in a new conservative government in Andalusia. Marching under the slogan “No step back in equality,” crowds demonstrated in Seville, the seat of the Andalusian parliament, but also in Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona, Málaga and Santiago de Compostela. Around 100 municipalities in total held some form of protest against a party that has made scrapping gender violence laws a signature issue." (El Pais in English)  At the end of last Saturday march, a group of the ReSisters pose in front of Queen Isabel's monument in Los Jardines de Murillo. Saturday, January 19 The Global Women’s March in Seville Jardines de Murillo Seville joined millions around the world marching for gender equality and climate recovery.  ClimateRecovery.org marched in solidarity with the Women's March in Seville on January 19, 2019. Women are disproportionally affected by climate change (read more about this here). STOP, LOOK, LISTEN! by Kathy Sherretts Martin Luther King Jr. Day “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”--Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. There was a lot of protesting going on in the weekend before the MLK holiday. The Women’s March returned to Washington and points all over the country and the world—including Sevilla!—as we keep on pushing back against the Trump administration’s efforts to restrict rights and protections for women and minorities of all kinds. We have recommended these before, but here are some useful tools to help you speak out: 5 Calls: 5 Calls researches the issues, determines which representatives are most influential for which topic, collects phone numbers, and clearly articulates a progressive position. FaxZero: Fax your congressional reps and senators for free. FaxZero provides this guide to contacting your representatives. Ballotpedia: In addition to clear listings of candidates and ballot measures by state and district, Ballotpedia includes a rundown of the Trump administration’s stated policies and the actions that have been taken so far to implement them. By the way, two states still celebrate Robert E. Lee’s birthday on MLK day. Can you guess which ones? —Kathy Sherretts Article: Grist: 8 percent of Americans recently changed their minds on climate. What gives? by Kate Yoder There are some clear trends: 11 percent of adults 65 or older reported that they’d recently shifted their views, more than any other age group. Making a case: The Atlantic: Impeachment: An Argument by Jeffrey Goldberg Impeachment, writes the Atlantic’s editor, seemed like a formula for chaos, the sort of chaos no fractured nation needs. But impeachment is actually an antidote to chaos. Yoni Applebaum’s piece argues that the Constitution provides an orderly, evidence-based process that allows the American people, through their elected representatives, to determine whether a president has displayed the character and moral fitness to continue in office. Video: CNN/Reliable Source: Buzzfeed Editor and Publisher defend scoop (20 min) After the special prosecutor's office characterized the Buzzfeed story as "not accurate," Ben Smith and Anthony Cormier say they are confident in their report about President Trump telling Michael Cohen to lie to Congress. Infographic: New York Times: 78 Environmental Rules on the Way Out Under Trump by Nadja Popovich, Livia Albeck-Ripka And Kendra Pierre-Louis Some rules were officially reversed, other rollbacks are still in progress, and some were rolled back and then later reinstated following legal challenges.  At the Women's March on Saturday, January 19, 2019 Ready to do more? Read the Indivisible Guide 2.0, a new strategy for a new congress. Check out the weekly action plan from Progressive Action, Global Exchange (PAGE) which mobilizes progressive Americans living overseas. Sign up for the Americans of Conscience Checklist, a weekly action list that also provides encouragement and good news. Learn more at ClimateRecovery.org, a new group organized by members of American Resistance Sevilla and other community activists. Have questions or want to volunteer? ClimateRecoverySevilla@gmail.com.  What Can You Do to Support Climate Recovery? Put these three events on your calendar: 1. Join us on Thursday, January 10, 8:00 PM for a discussion with scientists & community organizers CLIMATE CHANGE The science is clear. The future is not. What can we do? Centro Norteamericano, Calle Harinas, 18 Event Details  2. Join us this Tuesday, January 8, 8:30 PM to Make Posters for The Women’s March (Click here to learn more about the link between climate & women's rights.) Ready for an evening of fellowship, cerveza, and poster-making? Bring your own supplies or use ours. Merchant Pub, Calle Canalejas, 12  3. Join us Saturday, January 19, at noon, for The Global Women’s March in Seville On January 20, 2018, Seville joined millions around the world marching for gender equality. And we're ready to rise up again. “The #WomensWave is coming,” say this year's US organizers, “and we’re sweeping the world forward with us.” Jardines de Murillo  STOP, LOOK, LISTEN! by Kathy Sherretts Read something different! It’s important to keep reading and stay informed, but please! Don’t get suffocated by another load from the Trump crapwagon. According to Wikipedia, olfactory fatigue is the temporary, normal inability to distinguish an odor after prolonged exposure. I used to work at a sewage treatment plant, and I can attest that this adjustment happens quickly. It is not only normal, it’s vital. (Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to keep my job). But prolonged exposure can blunt your sensitivity. Time for a breath of fresh air! Website: A little something for everyone: The Utne Reader can offer some new topics and perspectives from outside our normal news sources. Classics: More books entering the public domain this year will start showing up on this audiobook website for free: Librivox.org Low-tech: Check out an actual book store! Seville’s book shops have a better selection than ever of English-language books; also, look in a public library, or borrow a book from a friend. Sit in a café, and read for an hour. (Bonus: "smelling coffee ... can limit or reverse olfactory fatigue.") --Kathy Sherretts Interactive: Aljazeera: Who are the new leaders of the American people? This graphic examines the leadership at different levels of US government to show the makeup of the Senate, House of Representatives, state leaderships, and the president’s cabinet. Article: The Detroit News: Snyder veto spree takes down GOP power play proposal, 40 other bills by Jonathan Oosting This Republican governor isn’t a sore loser. (This Republican congressman is).. Podcast: Slate/The Gist: Impeachment Is a Real Crapshoot (31 min) Impeachment has never removed a president from office; the attempt weakened Andrew Johnson and bolstered Bill Clinton. How would impeachment play out against Trump? Article: The Hill: Trump administration presses ahead with Alaskan drilling plan despite shutdown by Timothy Cama Because of the government shutdown, the Interior Department has locked public buildings and stopped plowing snow-covered roads in national parks, and shut down the BLM Alaska office. However, it is going ahead with meetings to open areas in northern Alaska to oil and natural gas drilling.  Ready to do more? Read the Indivisible Guide 2.0, a new strategy for a new congress. Check out the weekly action plan from Progressive Action, Global Exchange (PAGE) which mobilizes progressive Americans living overseas. Sign up for the Americans of Conscience Checklist, a weekly action list that also provides encouragement and good news. Learn more at ClimateRecovery.org, a new group organized by members of American Resistance Sevilla and other community activists. Have questions or want to volunteer? Contact ClimateRecoverySevilla@gmail.com.  What Can You Do to Support Climate Recovery? Here’s a Three-Part Strategy: 1. Avoid Driving to the Store Next time you’re thinking of jumping in your car to shop at a retail outlet such as Costco or Ikea, consider the impact of transportation on the environment. “E-commerce is the less energy-consumptive option approximately 80% of the time,” according to a study from Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University. Although it's a complex issue depending on purchases, packaging, and other factors, in general buying online means you will likely use about 30% less energy than if you drive to a shopping mall or big box store. Of course, walking or cycling to a local retailer is the best alternative for the environment, your budget, and your waistline, to say nothing of supporting the local economy.  2. Join us for the global Women’s March, Saturday, January 19, noon, Jardines de Murillo, Seville. January 2018, Seville joined millions around the world marching for gender equality. “The #WomensWave is coming,” say the US organizers, “and we’re sweeping the world forward with us.” Here in Seville, we’re gathering in the Jardines de Murillo at noon on January 19. (Click here to see the link between climate and women's rights.)  American Resistance Sevilla led the Women’s March in Seville on January 20, 2018, and is leading the 2019 Women's March. 3. Join us at Merchant Pub to make posters for the Women’s March, Tuesday, January 8, 8:30 PM. Ready for an evening of fellowship, cerveza, and poster-making? We’re gathering at 8 PM at Merchant Pub (calle Calle Canalejas, 12). Bring your own supplies or use ours. Mark your calendar! We’ll be sending out reminders for these events and for the Climate Talk on January 10 (8 PM in Centro Norteamericano, calle Harinas, 11). ______________________________________________________________________ STOP, LOOK, LISTEN! by Kathy Sherretts Welcome to town! The new Congress will convene on January 3rd—do you have a new senator or representative this year? Maybe your congressperson doesn't have an official website yet, but you can check house.gov or senate.gov to look up contact information and check in. (We’ll be in touch, Jared Golden!) Let them know you’re out there, what your concerns are, and that you are paying attention to their work in Congress. Kathy Sherretts Better New Year: The Atlantic: The Bipartisan Group That’s Not Afraid of Partisanship by David A. Graham Better Angels is a group that seeks to promote understanding across the country’s yawning partisan divide. In one exercise, they ask liberals to explain why they think progressive policies are best for the country—without referring to or blaming conservatives. Article: Grist: Waste of Energy by Greta Jochem When most people think of “renewables,” they picture sources like solar and wind. But the term can also include “dirty” sources such as mill residue, wood, waste incineration, and waste-methane burning—processes that can emit large amounts of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. Just for fun: Dave Barry’s Year in Review Quiz: Slate: News Quiz 2018 Eyes on your own papers, please.  Brighter prospects for 2019! Happy New Year from American Resistance Sevilla! Ready to do more? Read the Indivisible Guide 2.0, a new strategy for a new congress. Check out the weekly action plan from Progressive Action, Global Exchange (PAGE) which mobilizes progressive Americans living overseas. Sign up for the Americans of Conscience Checklist, a weekly action list that also provides encouragement and good news. Learn more at ClimateRecovery.org, a new group organized by members of American Resistance Sevilla and other community activists. Have questions or want to volunteer? Contact ClimateRecoverySevilla@gmail.com. |
resist the madness!American Resistance Sevilla is a non-partisan community mobilizing Americans living abroad to take peaceful action defending our lawful rights and freedoms. Learn more Archives
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