News Unfiltered

NSF International Survey Finds U.S. Consumers Practice Inconsistent Food Safety Behaviors

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:15:28 -0500

Americans are uncertain about some basic food safety practices in the home, according to a recent survey from NSF International, a not-for-profit public health and safety organization. A phone survey of 1,000 American consumers found that people are in fact doing either too much or too little when it comes to the safe handling and preparation of meals. For example, consumers are taking great caution in the initial food preparation stages, as 78% of respondents knew the right way to defrost meat and poultry safely (such as defrosting in a refrigerator), but only 20% of them bother to use a meat thermometer to ensure food is properly cooked. Similarly, consumers are overly cautious when it comes to discarding leftover food too soon and relying perhaps too heavily on expiration dates on food packages. Full release.

HCD Research and Muhlenberg College Will Measure Voter Sentiment for Key Races This Fall

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:03:26 -0500

HCD Research and Muhlenberg College announced today that they will conduct on-going social media research to track and measure voter sentiment for some of the most highly contested political races in the upcoming fall elections. The two organizations will focus on several key races including the Pennsylvania senatorial and gubernatorial races featuring Toomey vs. Sestak and Corbett vs. Onorato respectively; the Nevada senatorial race with Reid vs. Angle; the Florida senatorial race with Rubio, Crist, Greene and Meek; the Missouri senatorial race with Blunt vs. Carnahan; and the California senatorial race with Boxer vs. Fiorina. Full release.

New CDC Reports Show Too Many Americans Still Smoke and Are Exposed to Secondhand Smoke; Elected Officials Must Step Up Fight Against Tobacco

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:09:38 -0500

The following is a statement of Matthew L. Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids: Two new reports released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that while the United States has made dramatic progress in the fight against tobacco, too many Americans still smoke and too many non-smokers-including more than half of all young children-are still exposed to secondhand smoke. Along with recent surveys showing that youth smoking declines have slowed, these reports sound loud and clear warnings that the battle against tobacco use-the nation's number one cause of preventable death-is far from over. Rather than declaring premature victory, elected officials at all levels must resist complacency and step up efforts to implement proven measures to reduce tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. Full release.

Scholastic Makes Continued Progress toward Industry-Leading Goals for FSC-Certified and Recycled Paper Use

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:33:31 -0500

Scholastic, the global children's publishing, education and media company, today announced that continued progress has been made toward the company-wide goal of strengthening its sustainable paper procurement practices and increasing the percentage of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified and post-consumer waste (PCW) recycled paper purchased. In January of 2008, Scholastic announced goals for 2012 to increase its purchase of FSC-certified paper for its publications to 30% and its use of recycled paper to 25%, of which 75% would be post-consumer waste. Due to a reduction in the amount of paper purchased in 2009, combined with the loss of an FSC supplier, the amount of FSC-certified paper was slightly reduced from 2008. Scholastic found tonnage to replace the lost source in 2010, and anticipates a steady improvement in the coming year. Full release.

Study: Preventive Services Can Saves Lives, Billions of Dollars, at Little or No Cost

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:08:45 -0500

Preventive health services such as daily aspirin use, tobacco cessation screening and alcohol abuse screening can potentially save 2 million lives and nearly $4 billion annually, according to a new paper produced by the National Commission on Prevention Priorities (NCPP). The NCPP is convened by the Partnership for Prevention. Four of the five lead authors perform research with HealthPartners Research Foundation. The paper, "Greater Use Of Preventive Services In U.S. Health Care Could Save Lives At Little Or No Cost," is published in the September issue of Health Affairs. Its authors analyzed the estimated cost of adopting a package of 20 proven preventive services against the savings that could be generated. They also estimated how much in health care costs would have been saved in a given year if 90 percent of the population had used those services. For 2006, the year selected, the savings were estimated at $3.7 billion. Full release.

'America at Risk' to Premiere on September 11th

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:30:46 -0500

Gingrich Productions, in partnership with Citizens United Productions and Peace River Company, will premiere their new documentary, America At Risk: The War With No Name, on Saturday, September 11 at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. America At Risk, hosted by Newt and Callista Gingrich, vividly demonstrates the dangers facing America one decade after the attacks on 9/11. According to experts, we are at war with radical Islamists-and it is a war we are losing. Today, Washington refuses to tell the truth about the war we are fighting. The Global War on Terror has been renamed the "Overseas Contingency Operation" by the Obama Administration. They have removed "Islamic extremism" and "jihad" from national security strategy documents, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has suggested we replace the word "terrorism" with "man-caused disasters." Full release.

States Stand Ready to Respond to President Obama's Transportation Investments With $80 Billion in Ready-to-Go Projects

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:00:39 -0500

Transportation agencies reacted positively to news that President Barack Obama plans to include immediate transportation investment in his recipe for economic recovery. "We are highly supportive of President Obama's proposal to immediately invest $50 billion to rebuild roads, expand high speed rail, and rehabilitate airport runways," said John Horsley, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. "We have demonstrated that investing in transportation infrastructure is one of the fastest ways to create and sustain jobs. An AASHTO January 2010 survey of states showed 9,800 ready-to-go projects valued at nearly $80 billion. If Congress wants to pass legislation investing in our transportation infrastructure, the states stand ready to put those dollars to work." Full release.

US Department of Labor launches Web portal to help job seekers

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:04:54 -0500

The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration has launched a Web portal to help job seekers match their current skills to new careers and find out what training is needed to transition from one job to another. This new online tool is called "mySkills myFuture" and can be accessed at http://www.myskillsmyfuture.org. Users will be able to view local job postings and locate training and education providers. They also will be able to find descriptions, salary information and common job tasks associated with a new occupation. Full release.

Leading Civil Rights Organizations Unite to Fight Childhood Obesity

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 09:30:41 -0500

A $2 million initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is bringing together five civil rights organizations with the prominence and strength to help reverse childhood obesity, especially in African-American and Latino communities where the epidemic continues to hit hardest. Over the next 16 months, the groups will aim individually and collaboratively to advance the public advocacy and policy changes critical to creating healthier communities. The initiative recognizes the power of their work to solve systemic issues of racial and social injustice, which underlie many neighborhoods' limited access to affordable, nutritious food or safe places for children to be physically active. Full release.

U.S. Provides Clean Water to Flood-Affected Citizens of Pakistan

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:00:45 -0500

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided 13 mobile water treatment units to support the Government of Pakistan's flood relief effort. These water treatment units are stationed on some of the most flood-affected districts and have produced over 7.5 million liters of clean water. In addition, USAID has provided ten 10,000-liter water bladder kits to help facilitate the efficient distribution of clean water by minimizing waiting time at and distance traveled for water collection points. Water bladders allow for improved security for vulnerable individuals by providing accessible water distribution centers. USAID has also provided nearly 113,000 5-liter water containers for families to collect, transport and maintain household water. Full release.

STU, Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen to Host Forum on The Fourth 'P': Combating Human Trafficking through Public-Private Partnerships

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:02:55 -0500

Ambassador at large CdeBaca, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State and Director, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking In Persons, U.S. Department of State, will join Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Monday, September 13, 2010 at Miami's St. Thomas University School of Law for a unique dialogue on the important role of the public/private partnership in combating human trafficking. Reverend Monsignor Franklyn M. Casale, President of St. Thomas University, as well as Dr. Roza Pati, Professor and Executive Director of STU School of Law's Graduate Program in Intercultural Human Rights, have been actively involved for the past few years with efforts combating human trafficking. Monsignor Casale testified before the Congressional Foreign Relations Committee during the process of the enactment of the Wilberforce Act. Professor Pati has been working on human trafficking issues in various capacities since the mid 1990s. Full release.

CAIR Urges Responsible Media Coverage of Fla. 'Burn a Koran Day'

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:03:45 -0500

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling on media professionals and commentators to be responsible in reporting on a planned Quran burning by a tiny extremist Christian congregation in Florida. On September 11, the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., a church with fewer than 100 members, plans to hold an "International Burn a Koran Day." Church leaders are encouraging others to follow their example in burning the holy text. This is the same controversial church that has been in the news for claiming that "Islam is of the devil." "Just as all Muslims should not be blamed for the actions of a few extremists, neither should all Christians or all Americans be blamed for the intentionally offensive actions of the Dove World Outreach Center," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. "Pastor Terry Jones represents nothing but an extremist fringe." Full release.

Pelosi on Labor Day: 'America's Workers Have Long Stood as the Backbone of Our Prosperity as a Nation'

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:30:59 -0500

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement in recognition of Labor Day, which falls on Monday: "On Labor Day, we renew our commitment to strengthening America's workforce, expanding job opportunities, and fulfilling the goals at the heart of our economic success: a full day's pay for an honest day's work, fair treatment in the workplace, and equal opportunity for all. In the last year, we have worked to move America forward, rebuild and revitalize our economy, and keep American jobs here at home. We've made progress and will continue to promote our 'Make it in America' agenda; our businesses and private sector are moving in the right direction. But there are still too many families struggling to get by and too many workers without a regular paycheck." Full release.

Red Cross Responds to Hurricane Earl Along the Atlantic Coast

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:00:54 -0500

The American Red Cross is responding with help to people affected by the winds, rains and flooding of Hurricane Earl in North Carolina and is ready as the storm moves up the Atlantic Coast. A dozen Red Cross shelters were opened in North Carolina, giving more than 260 a safe place to ride out the storm last night as heavy rain and strong winds passed through the area. Today, after Earl moves out of the area, the Red Cross will be assessing damage left by the storm and helping people as they begin to cleanup. More than 183 Red Cross disaster workers have been deployed to North Carolina to support efforts there, along with 37 emergency response vehicles and two trailers of additional disaster relief supplies. Full release.

Pelosi Statement on August Jobs Report

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:01:08 -0500

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on the report that while there were job losses due to the temporary Census jobs, the private sector added 67,000 jobs in August, marking the eighth consecutive month of gains for America's workers: "Today's jobs report shows America's private sector leading the way with the eighth consecutive month of private sector job creation. Yet, as Labor Day approaches, too many families are still struggling to make ends meet and we will continue to work to expand job opportunities and extend support for small businesses. To change course from the Bush Recession-the worst since the Great Depression-Democrats enacted tax cuts for 95 percent of working Americans, eight small business tax cuts, and job-creating investments nationwide. And our efforts are moving us in the right direction, despite solid opposition from Republicans." Full release.