Monthly Archives: February 2013

Black History

CONGRESS: the Republican led House :::::: Do the People’s Business :::::: the Senate led by Democrats


WethePeople

The Senate stands in adjournment until 10:00am on Tuesday, February 26, 2013.

  • Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider Executive Calendar #10, the nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel with the time until 12:00pm equally divided and controlled.
  • At 12:00pm, there will be a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the Hagel nomination, upon reconsideration.  (Cloture was not invoked on February 14, 2013 and Senator Reid entered a motion to reconsider.)
  • Following the vote, the Senate will recess until 2:15pm to allow for the weekly caucus meetings.
  • If cloture is invoked on the Hagel nomination, all time during recess, morning business and adjournment will count post-cloture on the Hagel nomination.
  • 12:00 noon The Senate began a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on
    Executive Calendar #10, the nomination of Charles Timothy
    Hagel, of Nebraska, to be Secretary of Defense;
  • Upon reconsideration, cloture on the Hagel nomination was invoked by a vote of 71-27.The Senate then reached an agreement to yield back remaining post-cloture debate time and at 4:30pm today vote on confirmation of Executive Calendar #10, the nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel, of Nebraska, to be Secretary of Defense.
  • 4:31pm The Senate began a roll call vote on confirmation of Executive Calendar #10, the nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel, of Nebraska, to be Secretary of Defense;
  • Hagel confirmed 58 – 41
  • The Senate is now in a period of morning business with senators permitted to
    speak therein for up to 10 minutes each. There will be no further roll call
    votes during today’s session of the Senate.
  • WRAP UP
  • ROLL CALL VOTES1)      Motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar #10, the nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel, of Nebraska, to be Secretary of Defense, upon reconsideration; Invoked: 71-272)      Confirmation of Executive Calendar #10, the nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel, of Nebraska, to be Secretary of Defense; Confirmed: 58-41

    LEGISLATIVE ITEMS

    Adopted S.Res.56, recognizing the significance of the 100th anniversary of the death of Harriet Ross Tubman.

    Adopted S.Res.57, designating February 28, 2013, as “Rare Disease Day”.

    No EXECUTIVE ITEMS

  • This evening Senator Reid moved to proceed to Calendar #18, S.388, American Family Economic Protection Act of 2013 and filed cloture on the motion. Senators should expect the cloture vote to occur on Thursday.The Senate also reached an agreement that the order with respect to the sequester legislation be modified to permit the Republican Leader to introduce a bill on Wednesday, February 27th, consistent with the language that is at the desk and that all other provisions of the previous order remain in effect

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Watch Most Recent House Floor Activity

Last Floor Action: 2/25
9:18:53 P.M. – The House adjourned.

The next meeting is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on February 26, 2013.

10:00:00 A.M. The House convened, starting a new legislative day.
10:01:38 A.M. The Speaker designated the Honorable Kevin Yoder to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
10:02:04 A.M. The House received a message from the Senate. The Senate passed S. 298.
10:02:10 A.M. MORNING-HOUR DEBATE – The House proceeded with Morning-Hour debate. At the conclusion of Morning-Hour, the House will recess until 12:00 p.m. for the start of legislative business.
11:09:52 A.M. The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 P.M. today.
11:59:59 A.M. The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of February 26.
12:00:32 P.M. Today’s prayer was offered by the House Chaplain, Rev. Patrick J. Conroy.
12:01:14 P.M. POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS ON APPROVAL OF THE JOURNAL – The Chair announced that he had examined the Journal of the last day’s proceedings and had approved it. Mr. Rogers (AL) demanded that the question be put on agreeing to the Speaker’s approval of the Journal and by voice vote, the Chair announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Rogers (AL) demanded the yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of agreeing to the Speaker’s approval of the Journal until later in the legislative day.
12:01:54 P.M. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair designated Mr. Higgins to lead the Members in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
12:02:15 P.M. ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with one minute speeches which by direction of the Chair, would be limited to 15 per side of the aisle.
12:29:47 P.M. The Speaker announced that votes on suspensions, if ordered, will be postponed until a time to be announced.
12:29:58 P.M. H. Res. 77 Mrs. Miller (MI) moved to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution. H. Res. 77 — “Establishing an academic competition in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics among students in Congressional districts.”
12:30:17 P.M. H. Res. 77 Considered under suspension of the rules.
12:30:19 P.M. H. Res. 77 DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H. Res. 77.
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Weekly Address: Congress Must Act Now to Stop the Sequester.
President Obama urges Congress to stop the sequester — the harmful automatic cuts that threaten thousands of jobs and affect our national security from taking effect on March 1.
~ FDA/USDA ~~ Alerts & Safety, ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)


02/22/2013 10:46 AM EST
Bruce Foods Corporation of New Iberia, LA is recalling mislabeled cans of 10 oz Food Club Red Enchilada Sauce with code GES 462449, Best Before Date: 12/3/2016 that could contain Green Enchilada Sauce instead of Red Enchilada Sauce. Only the Food Club Green Enchilada contains wheat and soy.
 
02/22/2013 10:19 AM EST
Heartland® Brands is voluntarily recalling two varieties of its granola cereals in the United States, Bahamas, Bermuda, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Israel and Trinidad, as a precaution due to the possible presence of fragments of flexible metal mesh in an ingredient. The ingredient is a grain blend, and the problem was discovered and reported by the ingredient supplier, Dakota Specialty Milling.
 
02/21/2013 07:31 PM EST
GoldCoast Salads, a Naples Florida firm, is voluntarily recalling Blue Crab Spread, Maine Lobster Spread, Lobster and Shrimp Spread, and Smoked Salmon Spread that may be contaminated with Listeria. The Blue Crab Spread being recalled is coded EXP 2/14/13 B
 
 
02/21/2013 04:30 PM EST
February 19, 2013 – Kaytee Products is recalling several bird treats and greens items due to possible contamination of Salmonella from parsley flake ingredients supplied to Kaytee by Specialty Commodities, Inc., an outside supplier to Kaytee. No human or pet illnesses have been reported to-date.
 
02/21/2013 08:49 PM EST
The Honest Kitchen today announced that it is voluntarily recalling five lots of its Verve, Zeal and Thrive pet food products produced between August and November 2012 and sold nationwide in the US and Canada via retail stores, mail order and online after August 2012 because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. No other Honest Kitchen batches, production dates or products are affected.
 
 
02/21/2013 05:32 PM EST
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that Kasel Associates Industries Inc. is recalling all pet treats it manufactured from April 20 through Sept. 19, 2012 due to potential contamination with Salmonella. Kasel has issued three previous recall notices for specific products manufactured during this time period.
 
 
02/21/2013 09:33 PM EST
Mondelēz Global LLC announced today a nationwide voluntary recall in the United States, including Puerto Rico, of the belVita Breakfast Biscuit product, Apple Cinnamon and Chocolate varieties, following notification from a third-party supplier, due to the possible presence of fragments of flexible metal mesh caused by a faulty screen at their facility.
 
 
 
 
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Official Google Blog: Journalism Fellowship winners !


GOOGLeOur first-ever Google Journalism Fellowship winners

Our first-ever Google Journalism Fellowship winnersPosted: 21 Feb 2013 01:55 PM PST

More than 2,300 students from across the globe applied for the first Google Journalism Fellowship. The interest the Fellowship attracted clearly demonstrates the need for these types of opportunities, especially as the worlds of journalism and technology increasingly become one.The students who have been picked for the 10-week program will get the chance to work with organizations focused on exciting projects ranging from those steeped in investigative journalism to those working for press freedom around the world and to those that are helping the industry figure out its future in the digital age. They will also spend a week with the Knight Foundation and a week with Google.We had so many applications—on the last day they poured in at a rate of roughly one every two minutes—that we extended our review period by a week to make selections. Our host organizations had the unenviable task of choosing just one Fellow out of the mass of talented students who applied; the Nieman Journalism Lab is taking two Fellows.

The Fellows who will take part in the program are:

Thank you to everyone who made the effort to apply and to the host organizations for their hard work.

Posted by Maggie Shiels, Google Communications and former BBC journalist

The Chromebook Pixel, for what’s nextPosted: 21 Feb 2013 11:22 AM PST

Chromebooks were designed to make computing speedy, simple and secure. For many of you, they have become the perfect, additional (and yes, affordable) computer: ideal for catching up on emails, sharing documents and chatting via Hangouts. We’re tremendously grateful to our partners—Samsung, Acer, Lenovo and HP—for their commitment. The momentum has been remarkable: the Samsung Chromebook has been #1 on Amazon’s bestseller list for laptops every day since it launched 125 days ago in the U.S., and Chromebooks now represent more than 10 percent of notebook sales at Currys PC World, the largest electronics retailer in the U.K.So what’s next? Today we’re excited to announce our newest laptop—the Chromebook Pixel—which brings together the best in hardware, software and design to inspire the next generation of Chromebooks. With the Pixel, we set out to rethink all elements of a computer in order to design the best laptop possible, especially for power users who have fully embraced the cloud. The philosophy of Chrome has always been to minimize the “chrome” of the browser. In much the same way, the goal of the Pixel is to make the pixels disappear, giving people the best web experience.

Let’s start with the screen. This Chromebook has the highest pixel density (239 pixels per inch) of any laptop screen on the market today. Packed with 4.3 million pixels, the display offers sharp text, vivid colors and extra-wide viewing angles. With a screen this rich and engaging, you want to reach out and touch it—so we added touch for a more immersive experience. Touch makes it simple and intuitive to do things like organize tabs, swipe through apps and edit photos with the tip of your finger.

The Pixel has been engineered with the highest quality components to ensure it’s comfortable to use all day long and meets the needs of demanding power users. The body of the Pixel is made from an anodized aluminum alloy to create a smooth and durable surface; vents are hidden, screws are invisible and the stereo speakers are seamlessly tucked away beneath the backlit keyboard. The touchpad is made from etched glass, analyzed and honed using a laser microscope to ensure precise navigation. The Pixel also has powerful, full-range speakers for crisp sound, a 720p webcam for clear video, and a total of three microphones designed to cancel out surrounding noise.

Other aspects of the Pixel include:

  • Speed: Speed has been a core tenet of Chrome and Chromebooks since the beginning. For Pixel, it’s critical that the overall experience, everything from loading webpages to switching between apps, is near instant. Powered by an Intel® Core™ i5 Processor and a solid state Flash memory architecture, the Pixel performs remarkably fast.
  • Connectivity: The Pixel has an industry-leading WiFi range thanks to carefully positioned antennas and dual-band support. Long-term evolution (LTE) is engineered directly into the machine, delivering fast connectivity across Verizon’s network, the largest, fastest 4G LTE network in the U.S. (LTE model optional). It also comes with 12 free GoGo® Inflight Internet passes for those times you need to connect while in the air.
  • Storage: Since this Chromebook is for people who live in the cloud, one terabyte of Google Drive cloud storage* is included with the Pixel. This enables you to save, access and share photos, videos, documents, and all of your stuff from all of your devices, from anywhere.

Finally, as you’ve come to expect from all Chromebooks, all of your favorite Google products like Search, Gmail, YouTube, Maps and Google+ Hangouts are integrated and just a click away. And since it’s based on Chrome OS, the Pixel boots up in seconds and never slows down, requires almost zero setup or maintenance, and comes with built-in virus protection. Best of all, it stays up to date with automatic updates every few weeks.

If you want to be part of the next step in the Chromebook journey, the Pixel will be available for purchase starting today on Google Play in the U.S. and U.K., and soon on BestBuy.com. The WiFi version ($1,299 U.S. and £1,049 U.K.) will start shipping next week and the LTE version ($1,449) will ship in the U.S. in April. If you’re interested in a hands-on experience, you can visit select Best Buy (U.S.) and Currys PC World (U.K.) store locations.

It’s one of the most exciting times in the history of personal computing, thanks to a rapid pace of change, innovation and consumer adoption of devices. Our goal is to continue to push the experience forward for everyone, working with the entire ecosystem to build the next generation of Chrome OS devices. We hope you enjoy what’s next.

Posted by Linus Upson, Vice President of Engineering

*You will have 1TB of free storage for 3 years, starting on the date you redeem the offer on eligible Chrome devices.
Doodle 4 Google: A stately competition Posted: 21 Feb 2013 10:09 AM PST

Are you a young artist from California? Alabama? Or Indiana (like me!)? Well, get doodling with the topic “My Best Day Ever…” for a chance to see your very own artwork on the Google homepage—and help represent your piece of the union.Today marks the 30-day countdown to the March 22 submission deadline for the U.S. Doodle 4 Google competition. And in the spirit of friendly competition, we’re inviting you to rally fellow students and teachers in your state to take part in Doodle 4 Google’s 30-day Race to the Finish with an interactive map that shows the top submitting states. States are ranked in order of submissions relative to student population size.

Whether your state tops the submissions race or not, you still have the chance to become the individual state winner. The 50 state winners will win an all-expenses paid trip to New York City in May for the final awards ceremony, where we’ll reveal the winning doodle. The national winner will see his or her doodle on the Google homepage, win a $30,000 college scholarship and a $50,000 technology grant for his or her school. Download an entry form today to get doodling!

Fun fact for those of you who can’t get enough doodles: we run Doodle 4 Google competitions in many countries worldwide, year-round. Vote for your Irish favorites now—the winner will appear on www.google.ie on April 16.

As always, happy doodling!

Posted by Ryan Germick, Doodle Team Lead
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WATCH VIDEO: We couldn’t believe they were saying this, so we confronted them…


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Nativist, racist and fear-mongering hate groups are working hard to drive their narrative on immigration. We couldn’t just stand idly on the sidelines. So…

We confronted them directly and this is what they had to say!

We know very well that if we don’t speak up, they will speak for us!

The worst part of it is that our politicians are using the narrative as anti-immigration reform arguments, sometimes even word for word! For years now, these groups have successfully infused their message into the national immigration debate. They have co-opted local politicians and national figures which then turn the absurd into acceptable talking points:”More punishment”, “Militarize the border”, “Massive deportations”, “More Enforcement.” This has resulted in dangerous policies that have led to flagrant violation of human rights. We need to spread the word and counter this absurdity.

Share this with your friends and family; let them know where the anti-immigrant rhetoric is born!

Once again and thanks to you, together we are making an impact.

Yours,
Axel Caballero and the Cuéntame team

PS – Please help support our work. Cuéntame depends on your support to continue investigating issues and producing content. We are a non-profit and we take no money from the government, lobbyists, or corporations. You can contribute any amount here so we can continue to uncover stories that are important to you. Every dollar helps. Thanks!