The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has been called ?NAFTA on steroids?.? Negotiated behind closed doors by the governments of a dozen countries (including ours), this secret “trade” deal would eliminate several levels of
regulations that protect consumers, workers, and the environment. The first stage in the plan to pass the TPP is a big push for Congress to pass fast-track trade authority, which would short-circuit the typical legislative process when trade deals like the TPP come up for a vote.? Fast-track trade authority would allow the president to sign a trade deal before Congress has an opportunity to review or approve it. Then the president could send it to Congress for an up-or-down vote. Fast track, would mean there would be no meaningful hearings, limited debate, and absolutely no amendments to the deal. You might think such a far-reaching proposal would be subject to intense public debate. But the text of the proposed deal is considered classified by our government and even members of Congress have been given extremely limited access to it. The little we do know about the deal, is because drafts of some of its chapters were leaked last year. Yet, while the government has kept the public and Congress largely in the dark about the TPP, it has given 600 corporate advisers access to the full text of the proposal.? Pressured by giant corporate interests that stand to make huge amounts of money on the deal, and faced with a public that has purposefully been kept in the dark about this deal, it?s not hard to see how the TPP could be pushed through Congress, if fast-track trade authority were in place. In fact, the reason the corporate lobby is pushing fast track, is that they know the TPP could not get through Congress without this extraordinary power grab. So the first thing we need to do to fight back is to ensure Congress does not tie its own hands by passing fast-track trade authority. Tell Congress: Say NO to fast-track trade authority.
In the next couple weeks, a new app will be released which can be used to help you find a local home for the rest of your takeout. The app will be
free and here?s how it?ll work:
Snap a picture of food you no longer want, post it onto the app?s database listing, and wait for someone to place dibs on your meal. It?s basically digital dumpster diving. Creators, Dan Newman and Bryan Summersett, are excited to see how people will use it to reduce food waste by diverting leftovers in the direction of someone hungry rather than a garbage or compost bin. If Leftover Swap proves successful, Newman and Summersett hope to bring their idea online on a food-swapping website, thus reaching beyond the narrow swath of people who are both in need of a meal, and have smartphones. Beta testing will begin in Seattle, where Newman and Summersett are based, along with other dense foodie-centric cities. With an overwhelming amount of food being wasted around the world, this could very well be the way of the future.
The USDA is about to further reduce regulations for poultry processing plants,?saving big corporations millions at the expense of public health and workers? safety.?Instead of trained USDA inspectors,?companies will police themselves. Meanwhile, plants will be allowed to speed up 
production dramatically. Chickens will spend more time soaking in contaminants (including pus and feces!), and poultry plants are compensating by washing them in with chlorine. Independent experts like Food and Water Watch, have shown that?the new system is likely to miss serious contamination, including diseases like salmonella.?Now the only person who can reverse these regulations is President Obama. We need to send a clear message that these disgusting rules are unacceptable before the USDA tries to expand them to the pork and beef industries. Click here to sign the petition.
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