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	activism alerts april 2008

• Burger King Goes Back on Its Pledge
• Green Spring Cleaning
• Tell Nationwide Children's Hospital: No Naming Rights for Abercrombie & Fitch
• Help Soldiers and Mothers: Stop FMLA Rollbacks
• April is Autism Awareness Month

Burger King Goes Back on Its Pledge
As part of Burger King's commitment to the Better Business Bureau's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, the company has promised not to "approve, pay for, or actively seek the placement of Burger King food or beverage products in the program/editorial content of any medium in the United States primarily directed to children under 12 years old."

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) has announced that the company is actively involved in cross-promotions with the new PG-13 movie Iron Man. Burger King products appear in the film, and Burger King will reciprocate by giving away toys based on the movie's characters.

This is troubling for a number of reasons. The film's content is described as both violent and suggestive due to its references to terrorism. By making these toys available to children as young as three, Burger King is undermining the film's PG-13 rating.

This is not the only example of misleading marketing. CCFC reports that on April 22, 2008, Nickelodeon aired Burger King Kids' Meal promotion ads during shows with TV-Y7 ratings (shows appropriate for children over seven).

As CCFC states in its press release, "Even as childhood obesity and youth violence are significant public health problems, a major fast food company and a major motion picture studio are working together to promote junk food and violence to children." You can contact Burger King's corporate headquarters at 305.378.3000 or Consumer Relations at 305.378.3535.

CCFC Press Release: http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/pressreleases/ironman.htm

Green Spring Cleaning
Spring cleaning is a task that almost everyone undertakes this time of year. It's simple enough to switch out your wardrobe and pack away the heavy winter woolens and long sleeves and bring out the lighter spring and summer wear. But the actual cleaning of your home is where you can fall into a myriad of choices, many of which are hazardous to your health and harmful to the environment. According to the Evironmental Protection Agency, fumes from household cleansers, paints, varnishes, etc. in the typical home make the indoor air two to five times more polluted than the air outside. Not exactly what you want filling your home.

Fortunately, there are many different healthy and natural tools and ingredients for green spring cleaning indoors and out. To get started, read the very popular Mothering article Good Housecleaning: Five Non-Toxic, Get-the-Dirt Out Basics by Annie Berthold-Bond. Annie offers great advice and recipes for making your own cleaning solutions, plus a list of resources for products you can trust. Simple Steps to Green Cleaning: Save Time, Money, and the Environment at the same time, presented by New American Dream. It's a great step by step online guide of information and product recommendations for you to spring clean your home safely and responsibly. To understand what makes a product "green" and what the bad ingredients are in commercial products, read their article Be Informed.

Tell Nationwide Children's Hospital: No Naming Rights for Abercrombie & Fitch

Thongs for 10-year-olds that say "eye candy." Shirts with slogans like "Who needs brains when you have these?" and "Do I make you look fat?" Ads touting group sex to sell clothing to teens and preteens. When it comes to sexualizing children, Abercrombie & Fitch is among the worst corporate offenders.

That's why it's so egregious that Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio is planning to rename its emergency room The Abercrombie & Fitch Emergency Department and Trauma Center in exchange for a $10 million donation. These naming rights will entwine an institution of healing with a company whose advertising is notorious for undermining children's wellbeing and will promote the exploitive Abercrombie brand to children in a hospital setting.

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood sent a compelling letter to Nationwide Children's Hospital which can be found at http://commercialfreechildhood.org/actions/childrenshospitalletter.pdf.

Please take a moment to tell Nationwide Children's Hospital not to sell naming rights to Abercrombie and Fitch. CCFC has a form message here which you can edit and send through their website.

Source: Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood

Help Soldiers and Mothers: Stop FMLA Rollbacks

Following on the heels of reports that there are now 4,000 dead and over 30,000 U.S. soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, was the news that essential help to military families could get held up at the Department of Labor. Why? Because help for military families got lumped in with proposed rules which could restrict working families' access to the FMLA. This means that military families could end up waiting for months for their expanded leave while we fight to keep the FMLA intact and widely available for everyone.

Tell the Department of Labor to stop FMLA rollbacks and to protect military families now.

Commenting is easy! When you click the action link above, you'll find a sample comment from MomsRising for you to edit. Personalize your comment as much as possible—and include any stories you have of needing, or taking, family or medical leave to care for yourself, a new baby, or family member.

Many military families are struggling and need immediate help. Denise Bittle in Boston has sacrificed three jobs in order to care for her husband, who was severely injured in a 2003 suicide bombing in Baghdad. Like an estimated 14,000 other families in this country, Denise is struggling to make ends meet while caring for an injured veteran and their five-year-old son.

Denise, like many others, needs time to care for her loved ones without fear of losing her job. Both soldiers and their families are contributing to the U.S. as a whole, and should not bear the cost of their contribution alone. The Department of Labor needs to hear from you that they are going in the wrong direction.

Send your comments now!

Source: Moms Rising

April is Autism Awareness Month

In 1980, autism was a relatively rare disorder, diagnosed in one of every 10,000 U.S. children. Today, according to the Centers for Disease Control, one in 150 may be afflicted.

April is Autism Awareness Month and the United Nations General Assembly in New York is preparing to mark the very first World Autism Awareness Day on Wednesday, April 2, 2008. The event will be observed around the world by individuals and organizations to raise awareness about Autism and to raise funds needed funds. Other events and activities will be held throughout the month of April, including a presentation by Temple Grandin, Ph.D., one of the most accomplished and well-known adults with autism.

Here are some ways you can personally raise autism awareness on April 2 and throughout the month:

• Educate yourself and others about autism and encourage respect for all individuals, regardless of the challenges they face.
• Spend some special time with an autistic loved one.
• Acknowledge the efforts of an autistic child's caregiver(s) through a visit, a card, a lunchdate, or a gift.
• Show your support for one or more of the autism organizations by sending a word of appreciation. Include a donation if you can.
• Wear an autism advocacy ribbon or shirt.
• Listen to Open Every Door, a Nimal Mendis song that is the cry of every parent and carer who has a child with autism.
• Watch Autism: The Musical.