Ladywriter

Phelps planned to protest at play about murder of gay U.S. man LONDON - An anti-gay U.S. Christian preacher and his daughter have been barred from entering Britain as they could spread "extremism and hatred," the British government said Thursday.The Rev. Fred Phelps, founder of the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas, had been due in Britain to protest at a play about the murder of a gay man. But British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said she had decided to prevent Phelps and his daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper from entering the country. "Both these individuals have engaged in unacceptable behavior by inciting hatred against a number of communities," a Home Office spokeswoman said."We will continue to stop those who want to spread extremism, hatred and violent messages in our communities from coming to our country." Phelps believes the United States is doomed for tolerating homosexuals and that military deaths in conflicts such as Iraq are god's punishment. He organizes regular protests at events around the country. His church achieved notoriety for picketing the funerals of U.S. servicemen. Church plans protest On its Web site, the church said it planned to picket a performance of "The Laramie Project" on Friday at Queen Mary's College in Basingstoke, southwest of London. The play recounts the death of gay university student Matthew Shepard, who was killed in Laramie, Wyoming, in October 1998. Phelps and members of his church, mainly made up of his extended family, staged a protest at Shepard's funeral. "God hates the Queen Mary's College, and the fag-infested UK, England, and all having to do with spreading sodomite lies via The Laramie Project, this tacky bit of cheap fag propaganda masquerading as legitimate theater," the church's web site said. British campaigner Peter Tatchell, founder of gay rights group Outrage!, said Phelps and his family should not be banned. "With their extremist views, they discredit themselves and also bring great shame to the Christian religion," he said. fucktards like this nut have destroyed christianity

no really look ......

Posted by Cara, Feministe at 3:04 PM on February 19, 2009. For those who have not already read elsewhere, North Dakota's legislative House today passed a bill that would grant personhood, and the rights that go with it, to fertilized eggs. A measure approved by the North Dakota House gives a fertilized human egg the legal rights of a human being, a step that would essentially ban abortion in the state. The bill is a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that extended abortion rights nationwide, supporters of the legislation said. Representatives voted 51-41 to approve the measure Tuesday. It now moves to the North Dakota Senate for its review. The bill declares that "any organism with the genome of homo sapiens" is a person protected by rights granted by the North Dakota Constitution and state laws. The bill's sponsor, Dan Ruby, is clearly talking out both sides of his mouth. Because while in the article linked above he takes pains to note that the bill does not explicitly and directly outlaw abortion, he notes in this article that outlawing abortion and directly challenging Roe is precisely the point of the bill's chosen language. For arguments about why granting full rights to fertilized eggs is not only a really bad idea on the basis of pro-choice and feminist beliefs, but also really stupid in a general sense too, see this post by Jill. I would, however, just like to add that the language of this bill is also a direct challenge to contraception as well as abortion, since non-barrier methods of contraception are believed to maybe cause fertilized eggs to fail in attaching themselves the uterine wall. I'd also like to add that since that attachment to the uterine wall is the only real way that we are currently able to identify pregnancy, and therefore how we define it, this bill would also give these fertilized eggs rights from before the moment at which we are currently able to scientifically prove that they even exist. Just wrap your head around that one. I haven't found any information yet on specific actions that you can take if you're in North Dakota to help to stop this bill before it gets any further. Once/if I do, I'll post it at the time. man, the list of ppl I need to write letters to today just keeps on growing

bcI0FC0NCFU D. Chris Buttars ® Email feel free to send him a love note

Mileage Tax Considered By Obama Transportation Secretary LaHood WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he wants to consider taxing motorists based on how many miles they drive rather than how much gasoline they burn _ an idea that has angered drivers in some states where it has been proposed. Gasoline that for nearly half a century have paid for the federal share of highway and bridge construction can no longer be counted on to raise enough money to keep the nation's transportation system moving, LaHood said in an interview with The Associated Press. "We should look at the vehicular miles program where people are actually clocked on the number of miles that they traveled," the former Illinois Republican lawmaker said. Most transportation experts see a vehicle miles traveled tax as a long-term solution, but Congress is being urged to move in that direction now by funding pilot projects. The idea also is gaining ground in several states. Governors in Idaho and Rhode Island are talking about such programs, and a North Carolina panel suggested in December the state start charging motorists a quarter-cent for every mile as a substitute for the gas A tentative plan in Massachusetts to use GPS chips in vehicles to charge motorists by the mile has drawn complaints from drivers who say it's an Orwellian intrusion by government into the lives of citizens. Other motorists say it eliminates an incentive to drive more fuel-efficient cars since gas guzzlers will be taxed at the same rate as fuel sippers. Besides a VMT tax, more tolls for highways and bridges and more government partnerships with business to finance transportation projects are other funding options, LaHood, one of two Republicans in President Barack Obama's Cabinet, said in the interview Thursday. "What I see this administration doing is this _ thinking outside the box on how we fund our infrastructure in America," he said. LaHood said he firmly opposes raising the federal gasoline tax in the current recession. The program that funds the federal share of highway projects is part of a surface transportation law that expires Sept. 30. Last fall, Congress made an emergency infusion of $8 billion to make up for a shortfall between gas tax revenues and the amount of money promised to states for their projects. The gap between money raised by the gas tax and the cost of maintaining the nation's highway system and expanding it to accommodate population growth is forecast to continue to widen. Among the reasons for the gap is a switch to more fuel-efficient cars and a decrease in driving that many transportation experts believe is related to the economic downturn. Electric cars and alternative-fuel vehicles that don't use gasoline are expected to start penetrating the market in greater numbers. "One of the things I think everyone agrees with around reauthorization of the highway bill is that the highway trust fund is an antiquated system for funding our highways," LaHood said. "It did work to build the interstate system and it was very effective, there's no question about that. But the big question now is, We're into the 21st century and how are we going to take care of our infrastructure needs ... with a highway trust fund that had to be plused up by $8 billion by Congress last year?" A blue-ribbon national transportation commission is expected to release a report next week recommending a VMT. The system would require all cars and trucks be equipped with global satellite positioning technology, a transponder, a clock and other equipment to record how many miles a vehicle was driven, whether it was driven on highways or secondary roads, and even whether it was driven during peak traffic periods or off-peak hours. The device would tally how much tax motorists owed depending upon their road use. Motorists would pay the amount owed when it was downloaded, probably at gas stations at first, but an alternative eventually would be needed. Rob Atkinson, president of the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission, the agency that is developing future transportation funding options, said moving to a national VMT would take about a decade. Privacy concerns are based more on perception than any actual risk, Atkinson said. The satellite information would be beamed one way to the car and driving information would be contained within the device on the car, with the amount of the tax due the only information that's downloaded, he said. The devices also could be programmed to charge higher rates to vehicles that are heavier, like trucks that put more stress on roadways, Atkinson said. totally not down with this crappy idea too many people commute to work, they shouldn't be taxed or punished for it and yes it reeks of Orwellian intrusion

I want my hometown I'll take New England and most of the mid Atlantic states, all of the Great Lakes are minez! The world will bow to me for clean drinking water! I also want Colombia for medicinal purposes and the Bahamas and Caribbean Islands so I have a nice place to vaca for the winter naturally you're all invited to visit anytime I'll send a private jet for ya

Rolling Stone It may not have the cachet of the Oval Office, but there is no more commanding view in Washington than the one enjoyed by the speaker of the House. The picture windows in Nancy Pelosi's office frame the National Mall, where, only three weeks earlier, 2 million Americans gathered to celebrate Barack Obama's inauguration. In the distance, centered in the windows, rises the pinnacle of the Washington Monument. Unfortunately, rescuing the nation's economy won't include sprucing up the Mall — a $200 million project to renovate America's most visited national park was stripped from Obama's economic stimulus bill to prevent Republicans from derailing the recovery package. While such efforts weakened the measure, they didn't keep it from moving forward. On the morning in February when Rolling Stone sat down with Pelosi in her office, the Senate was conducting the roll-call vote on its version of the $800 billion bill. In person, Pelosi is warmer than the sharp-edged patrician familiar from the nightly news. Despite the pending vote, she seems relaxed in a gray pinstriped suit accented with a necklace of gray and white pearls the size of jawbreakers. The legislation she has steered through the House during Obama's first few weeks in office — including measures to revive the economy, extend government health insurance to 4 million children and help America's working women secure equal pay — may stand as an unparalleled record of accomplishment in the opening days of a new administration. For the moment, Pelosi is cloaking her instincts as an experienced street fighter in the soothing tones of bipartisanship. Though her eyes flash green when she puts a sharp point on an argument, she seems reticent to take shots at the House Republicans who voted en masse against the recovery package. For the first time since she rose to the speakership two years ago, Pelosi can at last brush aside the GOP's obstructionism and get on with the work of undoing the damage done by eight years of Republican misrule. Previous Next Page 1 2 3 4 5

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#29289778

c7FfPrf-X_Q February 17th, 2009 5:36 pm Bowling for Whistleblowers By Natsuko Waki / Reuters Attention Wall Street whistleblowers: your banking job might be at risk, but here’s your shot at Hollywood stardom. The Academy Award-winning filmmaker is looking for “brave” financial industry insiders to help him make his next film which will focus on the financial crisis – or what Moore calls “the biggest swindle in American history.” “Based on those who have already contacted me, I believe there are a number of you who know “the real deal” about the abuses that have been happening. You have information that the American people need to hear, “ Moore said on his website. He called on those working for banks, brokerage firms or insurance companies to “participate in the telling the greatest crime story ever told” by contacting him. The director, who took on the gun lobby in Bowling for Columbine in 2002, the Bush administration in his controversial 2004 documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 and the U.S. healthcare system in his 2007 polemic Sicko, pledged to protect the identities of those who step forward. Moore says the unnamed film – currently in production – will shed light on the “abuses” that have led to crisis, which has claimed Wall Street giants Lehman Brothers and Bear Sterns and prompted a government bailout worth hundreds of billions of dollars. “I just can’t say much right now. I’m sure you can understand why. One thing I can tell you is that you’re gonna like this movie when I’m done with it,” he says.

Watch more at http://www.theyoungturks.com Here's The TVNewser Poll http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/m... And The Other Poll Is Here http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlLA... lfbe2cRoOJs

Orbiting Carbon Observatory will circle Earth every 99 minutes By Debra Werner updated 5:39 p.m. ET, Wed., Feb. 18, 2009 As NASA's new Orbiting Carbon Observatory moves closer to its planned launch next week, the team responsible for the spacecraft faces enormous challenges to fly the first-ever probe to map carbon dioxide levels across. "OCO will be making one of the most challenging measurements of any atmospheric trace gas that has ever been made," said Charles Miller, OCO deputy principle investigator at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena Calif. OCO is poised to launch from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base atop a Taurus XL rocket on Feb. 24 to begin its carbon dioxide-hunting mission. The spacecraft will use three high-resolution spectrometers built by Hamilton Sundstrand Sensor Systems of Pomona, Calif., to measure carbon dioxide and oxygen molecules in the Earth's atmosphere based on the way those molecules absorb sunlight. That data will then be used to show the specific regions where natural and man-made sources are producing carbon dioxide as well as highlighting areas, called sinks, where oceans and plants are removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. OCO will circle the Earth every 99 minutes, mapping the globe every 16 days from its near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit.Hunting Earth's carbon Through various activities including forest fires and the burning of fossil fuels, sources on Earth emit approximately 8 billion tons of carbon every year. But only half of that carbon remains in the atmosphere. The other half is hidden — absorbed by Earth's oceans, plants and soils, said Anna Michalak, OCO science team member from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. "The relative fraction of carbon that is staying in the atmosphere versus going into plants and oceans varies dramatically from year to year," Michalak said. "We want to understand why plants and oceans are taking up as much carbon as they are ... so we can predict how they will behave in the future." Once the spacecraft is in orbit, the OCO management team will spend up to 13 weeks confirming that the spacecraft and its subsystems are functioning properly, said Ralph Oscillo, OCO deputy project manager at JPL. Once OCO is found to be in good working order, the spacecraft will be maneuvered into position as the lead spacecraft in the A-Train, a constellation of five Earth observing satellitesflying in formation around the globe. After that, OCO scientists will spend months evaluating the initial data being returned by the onboard instrument to ensure the spectrometers are fully calibrated. Oscillo said science operations would begin in October or November when the OCO team plans to begin providing data showing the regional distribution of carbon dioxide. Big challenges in tiny changes The enormous challenges inherent in the mission are due to the small variations in the amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Those levels range from a maximum of 362 carbon dioxide molecules in 1 million molecules of air, to a minimum of 351 carbon dioxide molecules in 1 million air molecules - a 0.3 percent difference, said David Crisp, principle investigator for the OCO at JPL. The variation, while small, has big implications for scientists studying climate change. For OCO to do its job, it must accurately measure the minuscule changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide. To verify that OCO's measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations are accurate, data gathered from the spacecraft will be compared with measurements obtained by ground stations, tall towers and airborne instruments as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's carbon dioxide research program, Michalak said.OCO instrument data also will be compared with observations made by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite — or GOSAT — which was renamed Ibuki following its Jan. 23 launch. Ibuki is designed to measure carbon dioxide levels around the world. However, the two spacecraft carry very different instruments. Ibuki carries an interferometer designed to detect atmospheric methane and carbon dioxide. OCO employs a gradient spectrometer designed specifically to measure carbon dioxide, Crisp said. "The objectives of the two missions are different," Crisp said. "GOSAT [ibuki] is looking for carbon dioxide sources for treaty monitoring purposes. Those sources are a little easier to see than sinks, because sources are fairly intense and localized. We are looking for sinks which are much weaker, more distributed and harder to find." The two satellites will cross orbit paths several times a day. "That gives us an opportunity to take nearly simultaneous measurements at a few points on the globe every day so the teams can compare the results," Crisp said. The NASA budget includes $278 million for the entire OCO mission, which is scheduled to last two years. If the primary mission is successful, NASA officials could extend OCO's science operations well beyond 2011. The spacecraft carries enough fuel to remain in orbit for five to 10 years, Crisp said. all that and methane is being ignored

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As agents of change, comet and asteroid impacts may be losing their impact By Michael Reilly updated 2:31 p.m. ET, Tues., Feb. 17, 2009 As agents of extinction, comet and asteroid impacts may be losing their punch. According to a new theory about how mass dyings work, cosmic collisions generally aren't enough to cause a major extinction event. To be truly devastating, they must be accompanied by another event that inflicts long-term suffering, like runaway climate change due to massive volcanic eruptions. In other words, a comet couldn't have killed the dinosaurs by itself -- unless they were already endangered species. This kind of one-two punch could explain more than the extinction of dinosaurs, Nan Arens of Hobart and William Smith Colleges said. In a recent paper in the journal Paleobiology, she and colleague Ian West argue that there are two types of events that can cause extinctions -- "pulses" (quick, deadly shocks, like comets) and "presses" (drawn-out stresses that push ecosystems to the brink but may not kill outright, like million-year-long volcanic eruptions). The chances of mass dyings go way up when both happen together, argues Arens. But are all mass extinctions created equal? Can researchers come up with a "Grand Unified Theory" of ancient apocalypse? West and Arens think so. They combed the last 300 million years of geologic record, noting impact craters, massive eruptions, periods of ancient climate change, and then comparing them to extinctions. The rate at which species die off spiked dramatically, they found, when a "pulse"-type event occurred within a million years or so of a "press." The theory fits well for the dinosaurs. Around the time of their demise 65 million years ago, a comet slammed into the Yucatan Peninsula and a huge volcano, the Deccan Traps, was erupting in what is today India. But other extinctions are problematic. The greatest dying in geologic history, the Permian-Triassic extinction, killed 90 percent of all life on Earth, but there is no record of an impact. Instead, all signs point to a 200,000-year-long volcanic eruption in Siberia as the murder weapon. Arens' theory argues that impacts are weaker in effect than is generally thought. But a growing consensus of researchers believes that doesn't go far enough. They believe eruptions, not cosmic impacts, are the real killers. "I'm not so sure craters really have anything to do with it," Gregory Retallack of the University of Oregon said, adding: "I don't like the 'press' term very much. If you look closely at the isotope record, you can see that flood basalts [large-scale eruptions] are a series of pulses, paving the golden path toward annihilation." "I'm not saying it's impossible to have an extinction with just a 'press' or a 'pulse' event," Arens admitted. The study states only that it's more likely when the two combine. Humanity is creating exactly that scenario today, she said. Over the last 6,000 years, subsistence farming began changing the climate and clearing wilderness slowly enough to constitute 'press'-type stresses on the environment. But people began burning fossil fuels in earnest during the Industrial Revolution, and carbon concentrations have skyrocketed while growing population numbers have led to widespread habitat loss around the globe. Arens argued this constitutes a 'pulse' event, and the sixth great mass extinction may already be underway.

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as good as she can get ne ?

Opponents say move puts conservative ideology ahead of constituents BATON ROUGE, La. - A handful of Republican governors are considering turning down some money from the federal stimulus package, a move opponents say puts conservative ideology ahead of the needs of constituents struggling with record foreclosures and soaring unemployment.Though none has outright rejected the money available for education, health care and infrastructure, the governors of Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alaska, South Carolina and Idaho have all questioned whether the $787 billion bill signed into law this week will even help the economy. "My concern is there's going to be commitments attached to it that are a mile long," said Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who considered rejecting some of the money but decided Wednesday to accept it. "We need the freedom to pick and choose. And we need the freedom to say 'No thanks.'" Possible motive: 2012 elections U.S. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., the No. 3 House Democrat, said the governors — some of whom are said to be eyeing White House bids in 2012 — are putting their own interests first. "No community or constituent should be denied recovery assistance due to their governor's political ideology or political aspirations," Clyburn said Wednesday. can your state afford to say no because of your gov's political ambitions

link The Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday that it will consider whether to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from coal plants, in a potential reversal of Bush administration policy. According to the Sierra Club, Lisa Jackson, the new E.P.A. administrator, has granted its petition that the agency reconsider a controversial decision in December by Stephen Johnson, the Bush administration’s E.P.A. administrator, stating that officials weighing federal applications by utilities to build new coal-fired power plants cannot consider their greenhouse gas output. “Today’s announcement should cast significant further doubt on the approximately 100 coal-fired power plants that the industry is trying to rush through the permitting process without any limits on carbon dioxide,” said David Bookbinder, the chief climate counsel for the Sierra Club, in a statement. But coal industry representatives played down the E.P.A. move. “This development was really expected, but our friends in the environmental community are making much of it nonetheless,” said Frank Maisano, an energy specialist with Bracewell & Giuliani and a spokesman for Desert Rock, a large proposed coal plant in New Mexico, in an e-mailed message to the news media. Mr. Maisano quoted a Bracewell colleague, Jeffrey Holmstead, a former assistant E.P.A. administrator who now also represents Desert Rock, as saying, “It’s a clever procedural move that allows the new administration to distance itself from the Bush administration without actually changing anything about how CO2 is regulated. As a legal matter, the Johnson memo will remain in place until the Obama E.P.A. does its homework and goes through a public process to create a new framework for dealing with CO2 under the Clean Air Act.” Nonetheless, for the battered coal industry, today’s announcement is yet another dose of bad news, and environmentalists see it as the latest sign that a long-running battle over carbon dioxide regulation could be turning in their favor. The matter now goes to public comment. Mr. Bookbinder estimated that it would be five to six months before a final rule was in place.

okay then

you don't want yer hometown?

Aww how cute you think I'm not genocidal *starts dividing up the states* X'D

and because I feel like killing time in a fun way today.... Takamura vs Bear WoTct40HZoU The Champion Song xfcbuFu49eA tributa a miyata -yFwfw8jJyQ Hajime no Ippo / Spirit Never Die zRmLuHSuBE4

Good news! Earlier today, President Obama signed the economic stimulus bill into law with the majority of the funding for clean energy and other key green initiatives intact. This is truly good news for both our economy and our environment. I want to thank you again for helping to make this possible. The SaveOurEnvironment.org community barraged its members of Congress with tens of thousands of emails in support of the green investments. The donations we received also enabled us to keep the pressure on Congress to protect the crucial green investments until the bitter end. Here are a few more details on how the final economic stimulus bill will help bolster our economy while protecting our environment, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and cutting global warming pollution. * The $26.86 billion investment in energy efficiency will help to kick-start the economy by creating more than half a million jobs and saving hundreds of billion of dollars in wasted energy costs; * The $18.95 billion it includes for green transportation, including public transit and high-speed rail projects, will put more than 300,000 people to work building the transportation solutions we need to cut greenhouse gas pollution; and * The $32.80 billion the bill includes for clean energy projects will help significantly reduce global warming pollution and cut down on pollution to rivers, lakes, and coastal waters, making them safe for drinking water, swimming, and fishing. This is an important first step towards rebuilding our economy while protecting our planet. You've been an incredible ally in this struggle. Thank you again for helping to ensure that our country makes the right investments in our future when we need them most. Feel free to share the good news! Sincerely, Michael Town Campaign Director, SaveOurEnvironment.org info@saveourenvironment.org

wABI2dwbQMQ What would you do with an extra $18,000 in your pocket? That's the amount of extra cash each and every Burger King employee in America would have received last year if Goldman Sachs (one of the fast-food chain's largest owners) had shared its bailout billions with rank-and-file workers. Instead, Goldman Sachs squandered 6.5 billion of our taxpayer dollars on bonuses for their financial staff. These were some of the highest bonuses on Wall Street! Meanwhile, Burger King workers earn wages averaging just $14,000 a year -- well below the federal poverty line for a family of three. Goldman Sachs has been having it their way with Burger King workers for too long. It's high time you had it your way with Goldman Sachs. Tell the Wall Street giant how they could have used the $6.5 billion blown on bonuses. We're looking for the most creative, constructive, or comical ideas to curb corporate greed and help fix the financial crisis. We will send all ideas to Goldman Sachs as a reprimand for their wastefulness. The winner of the Have It Your Way with Goldman Sachs contest will have their idea featured in our next video. The contest ends March 3. Enter the contest: http://warongreed.org Pass this video and contest to your friends and family. Tell them working people all over the country are pushing back against Wall Street excess. We're joining with SEIU and others to stage demonstrations and hold Goldman Sachs accountable! And tell them it's time to end this era of corporate greed and impunity.

First the horrific coal ash spill in Tennessee and now this - pollution has been linked to a surge in birth defect rates in China. These birth defects are highest in coal-producing regions such as Shanxi and Inner Mongolia. Coal is certainly NOT clean. Tell President Obama to adopt a clean slate agenda. >> http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/Af5xb/zCqR/ANR12 Everything about coal - from the extraction to the waste - is dirty. Even so-called "clean coal" does not exist in the U.S. today. It's all an elaborate public relations campaign perpetrated by the coal companies. The truth is, coal is the leading contributor to global warming emissions, and the dirtiest way to produce electricity. And now we know, it can be severely damaging to your health. Tell Obama to adopt a clean slate agenda with the EPA, end mountaintop removal coal mining and the building of new coal plants. >> http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/Af5xb/zCqR/ANR12 Thank you for speaking out when it truly counts. Sincerely, Emily Care2 and ThePetitionSite Team Forward to a friend >> http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/Af5xA/zCqR/ANR12 Read the petition >> http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/Af5xb/zCqR/ANR12

You can help protect coral reefs and tropical forests -- two of the most valuable and threatened ecosystems on the planet -- by urging your members of Congress to cosponsor the Tropical Forest and Coral Conservation Act: http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=wbUOuL8Kd9lzRRDwvSFyDw.. After WWF supporters like you spoke out in huge numbers in support of the bill during the last Congress, it passed the full House and a key senate committee. But the measure needs to start its journey over again now that a new Congress is in place. Our hope is that the tremendous progress made in 2008 will help the bill move quickly in 2009. Help jumpstart the Tropical Forest and Coral Conservation Act by showing your support for these beneficial habitats: http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=Bb_bm763cBGSNqRU8OIfcQ.. The bill would provide funding for debt-for-nature swaps that contribute to the protection of forests and coral reefs in qualified developing countries. Debt-for-nature swaps, which WWF helped pioneer in the 1980s, involve purchasing foreign debt at a discount, converting the debt into local currency, and using the proceeds to finance local conservation activities. It's an innovative technique that allows cash-strapped countries to protect globally important natural resources. An earlier version of the bill, aimed just at tropical forests, was enacted in 1998 and has been tremendously successful. Tens of millions of dollars have been channeled into these high biodiversity landscapes, protecting millions of acres and countless tropical forest species. WWF strongly supports expanding the legislation to include the protection of coral reefs. Reefs host a wide variety of vital sea species and are key to the health of the world's oceans, yet they face some of the world's most pressing environmental challenges -- from climate change to destructive fishing practices. Tell your congressional delegation that protecting tropical forests and coral reefs is important to you: http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=_ZgM3ArTR67Cs-oWieJ50A.. Please forward this message to others who are concerned about tropical forests and coral reefs: http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/R?i=zJH2lqWALfgQbIaSOPwngg.. Thank you for your help. Sincerely, Jessica McGlyn Senior Program Officer, Terrestrial Policy World Wildlife Fund Washington, D.C.