NewCityMovement

The Factory Meat Trix

Clever use of B movie The Matrix to reveal the true conditions of factory farmed meat, milk and poultry. The goal is to get people to eat healthier, locally-grown food.

You'll be proud to live in Utah after you wander through the comments section of the latest Salt Lake Tribune article on Salt Lake's proposed domestic partner registry, which is being stonewalled by Republicans for fear of the dreaded 'Gay Agenda'. Something about Rep. Chris Buttars face (see the pictures in the article) speaks of a man who has no joy or happiness in this life accept when denying it to others.

In a historic vote Tuesday, the City Council unanimously approved Mayor Ralph Becker's domestic-partnership registry - the first of its kind in the Beehive State - drawing a whoop and applause from a modest crowd at City Hall. [Salt Lake Tribune] also [Equality Utah]

Vote

Ya'll better be votin' today. Find your polling place here.

Spiral Jetty Threatened by Energy Development

An urgent email to Tyler Green of Modern Art Notes from the Director of Friends of the Great Salt Lake, tells of plans for drilling oil in the Salt Lake near Spiral Jetty. This action would require some kind of industrial complex of pipes and pumps beneath the water and on the shore and would require roads for oil tank trucks, cranes, pumps etc. which produce noise and will severely alter the natural environment.

If you want to send a letter of protest to save the beautiful, natural Utah environment around the Spiral Jetty from oil drilling, the emails or calls of protest go to Jonathan Jemming 801-537-9023 jjemming@utah.gov. Please refer to Application # 8853. Every letter makes a big difference.

UPDATE: The comment period about the Spiral Jetty-impacting energy development has been extended to Feb. 13. For more information from the state of Utah, click here. For more information on how to comment, click here.

The Seattle P-I's Regina Hackett says that the state of Utah has already received 1,000 comments, and that those comments have begun to alert them to the importance of the Jetty. "I think they were impressed to be taking calls from Europe and Japan about an artwork in Utah," the acting director of the Salt Lake City Art Center, Leslie Peterson, told Hackett. [Via: Modern Art Notes]

Utah Rally For Obama Saturday

Come support Barrack Obama with friends and neighbors who believe in a better America.

Senator Obama does not rely on corporate lobbyists and special interest groups to fund his campaign. He relies on us. Our support will help spread his message of HOPE. Together, we can create real change in this country.

Get fired up with gospel singers, community leaders, and Barack’s vision for a new century.

Be a part of history and celebrate with us:
Saturday, February 2, 7:00 p.m.
Bryant Intermediate School
40 South 800 East, Salt Lake City

For more information and to purchase tickets click here.
Email us with any questions at dollarsforanewdirection@gmail.com

$20 Adults / Students $10 – advance
$25 Adults / Students $15 – at the door
kids accompanied by an adult FREE

Peter Garrett, the former lead singer of rock band Midnight Oil was named Australia's environment minister a few months ago.

Birdmen

Humans can fly (sort of) now. [Thanks Brian]

Twisted

I had no idea maps of the earth could come in so many shapes and equations until today. More at hypermaths.org – an academic community for the furtherance of knowledge.

Be A Micro Lender With Kiva.org

You've probably heard of "micro loans" by now but Kiva.org is the first website/organization of it's kind by helping everyday people provide a "micro loan" to unique small businesses in the developing world. By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can "sponsor a business" and help the world's working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you receive email journal updates from the business you've sponsored and the repayment rate is currently 100%.

Kiva's new service is currently experiencing record traffic from the incredible press attention it's received (Oprah, The Today Show, and President Clinton's book "Giving" and Frontline World). On average, loans fundraising on the Kiva website receive full funding within a day. To give everyone a chance to lend, they have temporarily limited loan contributions to $25 per business. Kiva hopes to remove the limit soon, as they work with Field Partners to post more loans on the site.

Watch this 15 minute segment from Frontline World to see how truly revolutionary personal micro loans can be.

(Shown above is Allen Byaruhanga's group, one of the four people NCM is supporting using Kiva. She is in clothing sales and requesting a loan to buy a baby lock sewing/embroidery machine in order to improve the services that she proves to customers.)

Bad product names.

Cloned kitties glow in Korea.

Is bottle service killing NY nightlife?

Scientists & Surfers Say Univers Is A Giant Dreamcatcher

Surfer dude figures the pattern of the universe is really a giant dreamcatcher. Scientists agree.

Confronting Climate Change

New data suggesting potential amounts of climate change for agricultural production around the world from the Washington Post. By the way, has anyone seen our Winter? [Via Americablog]