Astroturf + Manipulation of Media Messages | Sharyl Attkisson | TEDxUn...

Published on Feb 6, 2015

In this eye-opening talk, veteran investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson shows how astroturf, or fake grassroots movements funded by political, corporate, or other special interests very effectively manipulate and distort media messages.

Sharyl Attkisson is an investigative journalist based in Washington D.C. She is currently writing a book entitled Stonewalled (Harper Collins), which addresses the unseen influences of corporations and special interests on the information and images the public receives every day in the news and elsewhere. For twenty years (through March 2014), Attkisson was a correspondent for CBS News. In 2013, she received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Investigative Journalism for her reporting on “The Business of Congress,” which included an undercover investigation into fundraising by Republican freshmen. She also received Emmy nominations in 2013 for Benghazi: Dying for Security and Green Energy Going Red. Additionally, Attkisson received a 2013 Daytime Emmy Award as part of the CBS Sunday Morning team’s entry for Outstanding Morning Program for her report: “Washington Lobbying: K-Street Behind Closed Doors.” In September 2012, Attkisson also received an Emmy for Oustanding Investigative Journalism for the “Gunwalker: Fast and Furious” story. She received the RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Investigative Reporting for the same story. Attkisson received an Investigative Emmy Award in 2009 for her exclusive investigations into TARP and the bank bailout. She received an Investigative Emmy Award in 2002 for her series of exclusive reports about mismanagement at the Red Cross.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

The City of Mesa Spends Over $54 Million for 4,000 Employees' Healthcare Benefits > Is This Better?

For Healthier People, We Need Healthier Neighborhoods

09/02/2016 05:04 pm ET | Updated Sep 02, 2016

By Amy Gillman

National program director for community health and early childhood at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation

Source: Huffington Post

"If you were to stop a dozen people on the street and ask them about the health of their communities, you would likely get wildly different answers. Some might come at it from a medical perspective, like access to doctors, hospitals or pharmacies. Others might think about pollution or water quality, or perhaps consider the neighborhood’s economic health and whether residents have good jobs.

Very few, I suspect, would recognize that all of these factors, and more, play a role. Despite mounting data showing the linkages between place and physical wellbeing, most of us don’t think of our personal health and our neighborhoods as being part of the same equation.

LISC’s own research touches on some of this, finding that significant community investments—from jobs to safety to housing to businesses—help low-income residents live better and make neighborhoods more resilient. But our random sampling might reasonably ask: do those kinds of investments really make people “healthier”?

In fact, they do.
The well-being of our communities has a much greater influence on how long we live and how healthy we are than our health care system does.
The latest release of the County Health Rankings offers some critical insight on the question. The Rankings—a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute— measures the health of nearly every county in the country based on more than 30 different factors.

I think the backstory of those numbers is telling. If you take a look at the model, you’ll see that clinical care measures account for just 20 percent of a county’s overall health. The other 80 percent? Social and economic measures like education and employment; the quality of the physical environment, like housing and air/water quality; and individual health and lifestyle considerations, like smoking and obesity.

Think about that for a minute.
Isolated investments aren’t our endgame; stronger, healthier communities are.

That requires us to tackle the social determinants of health all in the same place, all at the same time. We are finding that new partnerships are powerful drivers in this regard. Neighborhood leaders are joining forces with universities, hospitals, philanthropy, law enforcement, businesses and policymakers to assess local needs, leverage community assets, ramp up community engagement and measure what works

Read more by hitting the above link
 

Maps Mania: America's - and Arizona's - Contaminated Drinking Water Map

Maps Mania: America's Contaminated Drinking Water Map: In 1993 Erin Brockovich brought litigation against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company for the contamination of drinking water with hexavalent chromium, Chromium-6
Use the interactive map accessed in the link to get the testing results for Maricopa County

NOT JUST A ONE-DAY EVENT National Voter Registration Day > More Than One Day To Exercise Your Right

Do you get it, dear readers?
Is it a strange paradox that here in the United States democracy hardly works well anymore?
Complain all you want about "them" vs "us' but hey! We are all in this together where every vote counts.
Sounds good, huh? But like a lot of things you are best off (1) registering to vote and that's the easy part to do (2) getting informed on who and what's on the election ballot so you can make a choice, and (3) voting.
Fortunately there are a number of ways to register to vote and cast your ballots either by
"early voting" ahead of the General Day on November 8, 2016 or showing up in-person.
What works for you for 2016 election?  - How to register to vote

• Online by Oct 10
• Mail by Oct 8
• In person by Oct 10

More voting info here in Mesa:

http://www.mesaaz.gov/city-hall/city-clerk/election-information

Mesa participates in National Voter Registration Day
Post Date: 09/21/2016 1:29 PM

On Sept. 27, 2016, Americans will celebrate National Voter Registration Day (NVRD) with a massive 50-state effort to register voters and provide voters with election information before Election Day on Nov. 8.
The Office of the City Clerk is proud to be a National Voter Registration Day partner. On Tuesday, Sept. 27, the City Clerk’s Office will be registering voters at the following location:

Mesa Public Library
64 E. 1st St.
Mesa, AZ 85201
10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

The NVRD website, www.nationalvoterregistrationday.org, provides a listing of National Voter Registration Day events across the country. For questions about NVRD, please contact info@nationalvoterregistrationday.org or contact the Mesa City Clerk’s Office at (480) 644-4868.
 
Public Information and Communications
Contact: Kevin Christopher
Tel. 480-644-4699 kevin.christopher@mesaaz.gov  

The PolitiFact Process

Published on August 26, 2016
Views: 674
PolitiFact is a fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics. PolitiFact is run by editors and reporters from the Tampa Bay Times, an independent newspaper in Florida, as is PunditFact, a site devoted to fact-checking pundits. The PolitiFact state sites are run by news organizations that have partnered with the Times. The state sites and PunditFact follow the same principles as the national site.

City of Mesa Planning & Zoning Board Meeting

Starts off with some confusion about blue cards before the chairman asks member Jennifer Duff to read the items on the Consent. She proceeds with some caution in a halting recital, coached by the chairman and having repeatedly to ask questions
Readers might want to note that agendas for the meetings are published and accessible in a.PDF format on the city's calendar. 
It is a requirement of all members on the board to at least read the items on the consent agenda before the start of the meeting
Study sessions are usually held to review items up for consideration and approval by vote in the regular meeting.
Action on Item 4e for a SMART GROWTH COMMUNITY in the 1800 block of W Main Street was talked about briefly - apparently no staff report was available nor did any of the principals engage in any discussion with the board. The item was continued to next month 
Uploaded 3 hours ago and published on Wed Sept 21, 2016

Final Agenda for Mesa City Council Study Tomorrow - Published Yesterday

Meeting Agenda - Final
[Retrieve a.PDF version >> http://mesa.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx
Mesa Council Chambers 57 East First Street
Lower Level @ 7:30 a.m.[or watch live on Mesa Channeln11]
Thu, September 22, 2016


Mayor John Giles
Vice Mayor Dennis Kavanaugh - District 3
Councilmember Dave Richins - District 1
Councilmember Alex Finter - District 2
Councilmember Chris Glover - District 4
Councilmember David Luna - District 5
Councilmember Kevin Thompson - District 6


Roll Call (Members of the Mesa City Council will attend either in person or by telephone conference call)

1 Review items on the agenda for the September 26, 2016 regular Council meeting.
Retrieve a PDF version >> http://mesa.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx 

2 Approval of minutes from an Executive Session held on August 18, 2016. 
16-1007 Appointment to the Design Review Board.

3 16-1015 Information pertaining to the current Job Order Contracting projects.4

5 Acknowledge receipt of minutes of various boards and committees.
16-0975 Historic Preservation Board meeting held on August 2, 2016.5-a
16-1024 Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meeting held on May 11, 2016.
5-b
6 Hear reports on meetings and/or conferences attended.

 7 Scheduling of meetings and general information.

8 Convene an Executive Session.

City of MesaPage 1 Printed on 9/20/2016
September 22, 2016City Council Study Session Meeting Agenda - Final

ES-007-16Discussion or consultation for legal advice with the City Attorney.  (A.R.S. §38-431.03A (3))  Discussion or consideration of employment, assignment, appointment, promotion, demotion, salaries, discipline, dismissal, or resignation of a public officer, appointee or employee of the City. (A.R.S. §38-431.03A (1))

1. City Auditor Review
2. City Manager Review
8-a
9 Adjournment. Any citizen wishing to speak on an agenda item should complete and turn in a blue card to the City Clerk before that item is presented. The Council may vote to hold an executive session for the purposes of obtaining legal advice from the City Attorney (A.R.S. §38-431.03A(3)) or to discuss and instruct the City Attorney regarding the City’s position regarding contracts that are the subject of negotiations, in pending or contemplated litigation or in settlement discussions conducted in order to avoid or resolve litigation. (A.R.S. §38-431.03A(4)) The City of Mesa is committed to making its public meetings accessible to persons with disabilities.  For special accommodations, please contact the City Manager's Office at (480) 644-3333 or AzRelay 7-1-1 at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting.  Si necesita asistencia o traducción en español, favor de llamar al menos 48 horas antes de la reunión al 480-644-2767.