For Love of Country or Corporations?
Posted by: eileenlambert on: June 18, 2010
A letter to Congressman Joe Barton, representing (apparently) the 6th District of Texas, regarding his comments during the BP CEO Tony Hayward congressional testimony on June 17, 2010.
Watch Video
June 18, 2010
Mr. Barton,
I am appalled by your apology to BP yesterday, saying that they have been fleeced and shook down. You said you didn’t want to live in a country “where any time a citizen or a corporation does something that is legitimately wrong, is subject to some sort of political pressure that is, again, in my words — amounts to a shakedown.”
That’s atrocious. You don’t want to hold people and corporations accountable? You aren’t the least bit worried about your Texas constituency (and those in neighboring states) whose lives have been affected by the oil spill of a company without a plan for the worst case scenario? You don’t want to pin them down and say “NEVER DO THIS TO MY COUNTRY AGAIN”?
Who do you love Mr. Barton? Your country or corporations? Too bad for you that corporations can’t vote. They can certainly line your pocket though. Enjoy your pricey oysters from France before you’re voted out and of no more use to the big people of the world.
Sincerely,
Eileen Lambert
Send Congressman Joe Barton your own email: http://joebarton.house.gov/ContactJoe.aspx?Type=Email
Featuring a Facebook Cause on a Facebook Page
Posted by: eileenlambert on: December 21, 2009
- In: facebook | Media | non-profit | nonprofit | Social Media | Social Networking
- 8 Comments
A lot of people have met challenges when trying to feature a Facebook Cause (nonprofit) on a Facebook page. Which is unfortunate because Pages are much better avenues for daily news than Causes, since Causes doesn’t put content into news feeds.
So if you’re one of the people who can’t seem to make it work, here’s the how-to that so far seems to work — until the next Facebook update of course! (I have heard a rumor that the Boxes tab is going away, and that’ll certainly affect things, so do this now before they change things again!)
I correlate the steps below with screenshots at the bottom of this entry.
To feature a Facebook Cause on your Facebook Page:
- You need to be the admin for your Facebook page.
- It appears that you need to use Internet Explorer to do this. In Firefox, the blue pencil doesn’t appear when necessary for step #9 below. (Get on the ball Facebook and Causes, Firefox has surpassed Internet Explorer in popularity!)
- Click “Edit Page” under your Facebook Page profile photo.
- Scroll to the bottom where it says “More Applications – Applications you may find useful” and click the link for Causes.
- If Causes isn’t listed, then click “Browse more” and then you can get to Causes that way. Then top left, click “Add to my Page.” Choose your Page.
- Now the Causes Application will be listed when you click “Edit Page.”
- Scroll down to Causes under the Applications heading. Choose “Application Setting.” Where is says “Boxes” (if it says available) click ADD.
- On the Causes Application box, click “Edit.” Type in the name of your cause in the search box, find it, and then “Join Cause.” It will place the Causes box in your “Boxes” tab.
- Go to the Boxes tab in your page profile.
- In the Causes Box, click the pencil to “move to Wall”.
Let me know if this does/doesn’t work for you.
Screenshots:
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- Edit your page
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- Add Causes to your Page, if it’s not there when you edit page
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- Add more Apps, choose Causes
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- Edit the Causes App on your page
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- Cause Application – Add Boxes
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- Click the blue pencil, move to Wall
Where’s the Poop?
Posted by: eileenlambert on: November 20, 2008
Yesterday was World Toilet Day. I’m sure Hallmark has a card but this is one holiday they didn’t create. In America, we might acquaint the recognition of this day by remembering a filthy bathroom or thinking of the time you had to share with dorm mates in college. But in India, no funds, no space, and no education on the importance of hygiene equals no toilet. And of course no sink.
I met a family this week with a mother, father, grandparents and a 16 year old son. Until one month ago, this family didn’t have a toilet. The government sold the family a squatting plate (imagine a port-o-potty toilet seat that you squat on) but didn’t give them any resources or education to dig a proper pit, built a shelter, or provide handwashing. So the family set the squatting plate by the lake without a hole and did their business there. Feces went directly into the same water that other neighbors used for dish cleaning. No problem right?
A month ago it was determined that the grandparents no longer had the ability to walk to the pond several times a day and instead they were openly defecating by their home. So the parents got in touch with Water For People and our partner Rural Aid and requested a loan for $50 to build one of the first 17 latrines in the village of 256 families. The family now reports health benefits associated with their very clean latrine. Not to mention they are the talk of the village.
This is one example of the 2.5 billion people without a toilet.
Two Days Away from Authentic Indian Food
Posted by: eileenlambert on: November 13, 2008
- Photo by Nancy Haws.
Tomorrow I begin the 24 hour flight to India, starting in Kolkata with others from Water For People. We’ll travel to Sagar Island to see water projects and the real impact the organization and its supporters have on the communities. Can’t wait! Then next Thursday I’ll go t see an arsenic program. Arsenic is heavily concentrated in the water in many parts of India, but people don’t often recognize the effects until many years later. But the organization is helping to make the water safe and educate the communities about the problems that arsenic-ridden water will bring in the future.
Water Crisis: Lack Of Proper Sanitation Choking World (VIDEO)
Posted by: eileenlambert on: September 11, 2008
A video about Water For People was posted on the Huffington Post yesterday. It talks about the impact that the lack of sanitation has on developing countries. Girls literally drop out of school due to lack of privacy. Couple that with the disease and death caused by poor sanitation facilities, and you can imagine how it is hard for families, let alone a region as a whole, to succeed economically. We take sanitation (bathrooms, sewers, the fact that we can flush anything away and it NEVER enters our drinking water) for granted in first-world countries. Take away your sink and toilet, and the inherent hygiene education to know the devastating affects of mixing sanitation facilities and drinking water facilities, and imagine how different your life would be. Please watch the video.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/10/water-crisis-lack-of-prop_n_125438.html
Please help Water For People spread the message by “Digg”ing this video. Click on the this image: 
And/Or post it to your Facebook page: 
More details
The lack of adequate sanitation facilities affects 2.5 billion people throughout the world. This global crisis greatly contributes to disease and death in developing countries, as well as economic development challenges and low school retention among girls. It’s a topic that many consider taboo, but it is being brought to the surface by ITT during its three-part video series, “Tap into ITT Watermark.” The series was created to educate viewers on ITT’s philanthropy program ITT Watermark and the issues it was designed to address.
The second event of the series, focused on sanitation, was filmed Sept. 9, 2008 during the World Water Congress hosted by the International Water Association in Vienna, Austria, where 3,000 water professionals gathered to advance a common goal of a sustainable future for water. Panelists included Steve Loranger, CEO, ITT Corp.; Ned Breslin, director of international programs, Water For People; and Dr. Darren Saywell, development director, IWA.
We hope you’ll take some time over the next week to watch this important panel discussion on sanitation. You’ll hear more in-depth about the extent of the crisis, as well as how ITT and Water For People are coming together to address the issue. Breslin specifically addresses how ITT’s commitment will allow Water For People to extend its work in schools in India, Honduras and Guatemala, as well as the innovative strategies in place to dramatically increase sanitation in these areas.
The first part of the video series which introduces the philanthropic program is also available to watch on-demand. The third segment will be filmed in October during the water industry event, WEFTEC.
