Black History

Congress: Tell the Republican led House -Americans need #theAmericansJOBsACT – the Senate in pro forma session

01/19/2012 Nativegrl77

Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at 11:00am

Friday, December 23, 2011 at 9:30am

Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at 12:00pm

Friday, December 30, 2011 at 11:00am

Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 12:00pm, during which the 2^nd Session of the 112^th Congress will convene

Friday, January 6, 2012 at 11:00am

Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 11:00am

Friday, January 13, 2012 at 12:00pm

Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 10:15am

Friday, January 20, 2012 at 2:00pm

When the Senate adjourns on Friday, January 20^th, it will adjourn until Monday, January 23^rd at 2:00pm. Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business until 4:00pm with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Following morning business, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider Calendar #438, John M. Gerrard, of Nebraska, to be United States District Judge for the District of Nebraska with up to 90 minutes of debate, 60 minutes equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Grassley, or their designees and 30 minutes under the control of Senator Sessions or his designee.

Upon the use or yielding back of time (at approximately 5:30pm), the Senate will conduct a roll call vote on confirmation of the Gerrard nomination.

As a reminder to all Senators, cloture was filed on the Reid motion to proceed to Calendar #70, S.968, a bill to prevent online threats to economic creativity and theft of intellectual property and for other purposes on Saturday, December 17^th. By unanimous consent, this roll call vote will be at 2:15pm on Tuesday, January 24, 2012.

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CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS

LEGISLATIVE DAY OF JANUARY 19, 2012

112TH CONGRESS – SECOND SESSION

-The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to a previous special order. The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on January 23, 2012.10:04:03 A.M. -UNITED STATES ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION BOARD OF ADVISORS – Pursuant to Section 214(a) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 15344), the Minority Leader appointed Mr. Gregory T. Moore of Washington, D.C., to the United States Election Assistance Commission Board of Advisors .10:03:23 A.M. -PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair led the House in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.10:03:18 A.M. -The Speaker announced approval of the Journal. Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.10:01:57 A.M. -Today’s prayer was offered by the House Chaplain, Rev. Patrick J. Conroy.10:01:39 A.M. -The Speaker designated the Honorable Tom Reed to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.10:00:15 A.M. -The House convened, starting a new legislative day.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Victory for Sumatran Tigers: Kroger Pulls APP Products

01/19/2012 Nativegrl77

Great news. We’ve won another huge victory for Sumatran tigers and the Indonesian rainforest they call home.

Thanks to your hard work, Kroger — which was previously the largest seller of Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) consumer tissue products in the US — has put out a public statement saying it will stop sourcing from APP. We only launched this campaign in October and within five days over 50,000 people like you took action. It’s clear that Kroger got the message.

The bad news is that APP still wants to sell tissue linked to rainforest destruction here in the US. Even after losing its largest US customer, APP is still refusing to take the simple steps needed to solve this problem. And, there are still major retailers in this country selling APP products. Kmart is one of the largest.

Our campaign is clearly working. Help us keep up the momentum and tell Kmart to follow Kroger’s lead by removing APP’s tissue products from its shelves until APP cleans up its act.

Rainforest destruction wrapped up in the form of throw-away tissue products is starting to pop up all over the US. Often stores selling the products don’t even know it. Together we can change that, harnessing the power of the marketplace to save forests in Indonesia.

Now is the time to keep the pressure up. That is why it is so important that you take a minute now to tell Kmart that there shouldn’t be any space for rainforest-destroying toilet paper on its store shelves.

With only 400 Sumatran tigers left, we can’t stop now. Now is the time to re-double our efforts, stand tall, and tell retailers not to buy APP tissue products until it ends its deforestation habit for good.

For the forests,

Rolf Skar
Greenpeace Senior Forest Campaigner

P.S. If we want to get Kmart to do the right thing, we need to spread the word far and wide. After you take action, please be sure to forward this email to friends and family who you think would also like to help out. The last 400 Sumatran tigers — and their rainforest home — are depending on us.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Bankrate.com

01/19/2012 Nativegrl77

Credit card rate cut request hurts score?

Asking for a rate reduction on a credit card might lower a credit score. Find out when it does.

5 tips on safely selling your gift cards

You don’t have to dump gift cards you can’t use. Some websites will pay for your plastic.

Is it smart to transfer a credit card balance?

Moving a large credit card balance to a low-interest card might sound good — but is it?

Video: Cut debt with balance transfer

Can a zero percent balance transfer credit card help cut high-interest debt?

Prepaid student ID cards making the grade?

A hybrid payment product lets student IDs double as prepaid cards. Here’s what to know.

Video: Interest rate predictions in 2012

Interest rates hit rock bottom in 2011. Where are they headed in 2012?

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Corporations are people, my friend …Rainforest Action Network

01/19/2012 Nativegrl77

“Corporations are people, my friend.”

Take a guess. Is this:

A. a line from eerie new sci-fi flick starring Christopher Walken
B. a statement by Republican presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney
C. a typical morning self-affirmation by oil & gas industry CEOs

The answer is B. Mitt Romney made this statement with a straight face in front of both public and press at the Iowa State Fair last year. And if you’ve heard about the infamous Citizens United ruling, then you know that the U.S. Supreme Court agrees.

Do you think that “corporate personhood” is best kept in the world of science fiction? Ready to fight back? Good. So are we! Join us this week on the anniversary of Citizen’s United in letting corporations and their political allies know that democracy is for the people. Real people. We The People.

Understanding Citizen’s United

Trying to understand the many frustrating complexities of “corporate personhood” and its role in the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling could drive some people to want to just crack a beer and watch Simpsons reruns all night long. Do not fear. We’ve got a cartoon here (from the brilliant people who brought you The Story of Stuff) that makes understanding Citizens United a snap.

Take Action on the Anniversary of Citizen’s United

This Friday and Saturday, you will have a historic opportunity to challenge corporate power on the anniversary of Citizen’s United. Join us in the streets at events in San Francisco and Minneapolis or find an action in your town!

January 20 Join RAN at Occupy Wall Street West in San Francisco
January 21 Join RAN in the Twin Cities
Find an Action in Your Town

President Obama Rejects Keystone XL Pipeline

Great news! President Obama has just rejected the Keystone XL pipeline. Thanks to all of you who were part of the grassroots opposition to this massive pipeline. Against huge threats from Big Oil, President Obama stepped up to defend the health of the American people and our climate. Join us in thanking the president and encouraging him to continue the fight for our green energy future.

Levi’s Takes a Stand for Rainforests

RAN is pleased to announce that denim giant Levi Strauss & Co. has implemented a new paper policy in its operations around the globe. This makes Levi’s the latest company in an ever-growing list of major corporate customers to exclude supplier Asia Pulp & Paper for its human rights abuses and blatant rainforest destruction. Kudos to Levi’s for taking a strong stand to protect forests in Indonesia and around the world.

Bankrupting America on Tumblr

From fees to foreclosures to coal financing, Bank of America has got zero love these days. In fact, we thought BoA deserved its own shiny new website to track the vast amounts of ire it’s garnering from people across the country, so RAN and The New Bottom Line are bringing you Bankrupting America on Tumblr. This blog features BoA’s foibles, follies, and clever pushback from people who’ve had enough (like the activists who modified every BoA ATM screen in San Francisco in a single night). If you’ve got a juicy video, photo, news story or personal account about Bank of America, we want to hear about it. Submit your story today!

Great Moments in Stupid Chevron PR

Now that Chevron has been found guilty—again —for intentionally dumping a massive amount of toxic oil waste in the Ecuadorean Amazon, the company has become particularly desperate to explain why it refuses to take responsibility. We’ve remixed some of the most ridiculous excuses Chevron spokespeople have made over the years into a magnum opus of Great Moments in Stupid Chevron PR. Check out the video, then submit your own brilliant ideas for Chevron’s next stupid excuse!

Field Report: The High Stakes of Palm Oil

To understand how palm oil—an ingredient in more than 50% of household products in the U.S.—really affects the people, ecosystems, and animals on the ground in Indonesia, read this latest field report from RAN forest campaigners Lafcadio Cortesi and Ashley Schaeffer. These two traveled deep into the jungles of Borneo to document the tragic impacts of palm oil plantation expansion on some of the most beautiful primary rainforests in the world.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Update on Keystone XL … James Kvaal – Policy Director, BarackObama.com

01/19/2012 Nativegrl77

I wanted to make sure you heard the news: Earlier today, the State Department denied the permit to build the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

President Obama had made clear that a project of this magnitude — with high stakes for public health, the environment, and our country’s energy supply — needed a thorough review. But Republicans in Congress demanded an up-or-down decision in just 60 days, cutting short a process that was already under way with an unreasonable deadline.