Dreamer Easy

You must now go and bid many munnies on deleeeecious Dutch chocolates and things at tencrush's charity auction at help_haiti. Go.

Help the RSPCA ban the use of sow stalls and farrowing crates in the pork industry by signing an online petition.

Belated news: that provision to expand Medicare coverage for contraceptives in the US got passed.

Netanyahu's 'secret plans' for expansion. Peachy.

US offered Guantánamo prisoner deal in return for silence about torture

RSPCA Victoria is caring for wildlife, livestock, and pets affected by the bushfires: they can use donations of cash, pet supplies, and other help. They can also provide emergency accomodation for pets.

Meanwhile, Californians get to vote on whether to ban gay marriage.

ETA: Say No To Proposition 8 could use a few bucks.

Victoria's abortion reform bill will be debated in the upper house this week. The Catholic Church objects to a clause requiring doctors who choose not to perform abortions to refer patients to another doctor, arguing that this breaches that doctor's freedom of religion. A senior Catholic doctor disagrees: "The clause is there to stop the random fanatic sabotaging a woman's access to abortion. Most doctors are decent and honourable, and work around (a conscientious objection) to find a way that patients' needs are met. But some allow their consciences to trample over the rights of women, and it can lead to horrible outcomes." More info can be found at Women's Health Victoria.

Via alryssa: Planned Parenthood gains from Palin email campaign: "Instead of (actually, in addition to) all of us all sending more e-mails about how absolutely horrible she is, let's all make a donation to Planned Parenthood in Sarah Palin's name." The best part: Palin gets a thank you card for each donation in her name. That's more than just amusing - it's a genuine protest from voters.

93% of parents in Washington DC want comprehensive sex education for their kids.

New South African president fires ‘Dr. Beetroot’: Quoth the erstwhile health minister: "Raw garlic and a skin of the lemon - not only do they give you a beautiful face and skin, but they also protect you from disease. All I am bombarded about is anti-retrovirals, anti-retrovirals."

Guys - go check out the amazing variety of goodies on auction right now at artscaresyou. There's SF and horror stuff and original art and it's all for a jolly good cause.

The "next Kyoto agreement" will be finalised by December 2009. Send a message to Kevin Rudd urging him to protect Australia's native forests. This will combat global warming in two ways: deforestation contributes a fifth of greenhouse emissions; and forests soak up CO2 from the atmosphere. You can also make a donation to help the Wilderness Society's campaign, and get more info on forests and global warming at their site.

Normally I eschew the humble VGift, but this month LJ is donating the proceeds from their Emerging Sun VGift to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. So, y'know, give 'em to each other and stuff.

My brother irritant01 and team are walking again this year - help sponsor them and give cancer a kick in the unmentionables!

Oh gods, here we go again... the rule: if you hear the name of a country and you couldn't find it on a map, post three facts about it. (You can blame this one on Oxfam News.)

1. Malawi lies east of Zambia, north of Mozambique, and south of Tanzania, in the southeast of Africa. It became an independent Commonwealth country in 1964.

2. According to Oxfam Australia, about 14% of the population are HIV positive; infant mortality is almost 2 in 5; and the average life expectancy is only 39.8 years, one of the world's lowest. Add that to cash cropping and drought and there's a serious food problem. Plus tens of thousands of new cases of TB are being diagnosed each year.

3. You can listen online to Daybreak Malawi from Capital FM!