Tomato workers in Florida are treated badly - wage theft, wages less than minimum wage, harassment up to and including unprosecuted rape, and working conditions so bad that in extreme cases growers were prosecuted for slavery as recently as 2010. You can find out more from "The coalition of Immokalee Workers" (CIW) [link] . The CIW has successfully pressured many tomato buyers to join a program where they pay a penny more per pound for tomatoes but buy only on condition that workers get treated with minimal decency and dignity. Some of the largest fast food giants including McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell and Subway. Wendy's is the largest fast food holdout, saving itself less than a penny per meal.

So, at a local Olympia festival, a group of us filmed passers by donating pennies as a charitable gift to Wendy's so that they could afford such costly change in policy, and then brought the hat load of pennies to a local Wendy's to pass on to corporate headquarters. (We made sure to be as non-disruptive as possible since none of this is the fault of the local workers.) Here is the link to youtube: [link]

I'm excited to warn you that I have a new occasional writing gig over at geekmom.com. My first post went live this morning about Portland's App Camp For Girls: [link]

If you're an Apex Publications blog reader, I'll have a post there tomorrow about the 5 essential things 10 genre folks consider must-pack int their con survival bags. I don't want to spam the list, though.

So I failed to do this at the top of the tour, but I would really love it if any of these stops were near Buffistas and you could come out to my shows. The lead guy we're playing for is a Christian, but although he speaks during the show it's not a particularly preachy deal, and I think you'd enjoy the goofiness anyway (he plays everything from banjo to plastic lawn flamingo).

August
2 Springfield IL
3 Broken Arrow OK
4 Andover KS
5 Denison TX
6 Louisburg KS
7 Nowata OK
8 Dallas TX
9 Lubbock TX
10 Las Cruces NM
11 Show Low AZ
14 Abilene KS
15 South Bend IN
16 Middleburg Hts OH
17 Broadalbin NY
18 Verona NY
19 Powell OH
20 Troy OH
21 Windsor IL
22 Michigan City IN

All,

A journalist for Prospect is interested in getting stories about families who are struggling to refi their mortgages.

You can contact her on twitter (@MonicaBPotts) or email: mpotts@prospect.org

Plus One Press let me put up the excerpt of the day here. [link]

A wee Diana Wynne Jones / Cooking the Books giveaway - [link]

I wrote a tribute to Elmore Leonard as my favorite author a while ago. [link]

It's time to help Ginger kick some cancer ass. And also some mice ass. And get a new dishwasher if she wants it. And also treats for Mr. Peabody. Let's spread it all over the internet and help one of our own who has never asked for help. Even if you can't help right now, could you please share the page on your own Facebook? Thank you!

(I asked and received Ginger's permission to set this up. I have co-conspirators who can out themselves if they wanna.)

[link]