Category Archives: ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Related: Etheridge concedes race to Ellmers … Read More

Point/CounterPoint says -this is another bad choice made by Americans? Ellmers is anti mosque people now in a position of power, what is wrong with folks?

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

it’s Saturday but lame duck -Congress in Session

12/18/2010 Nativegrl77

The Senate Convenes: at 9:00amET December 18, 2010

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will resume executive session to resume consideration of the New START Treaty. Following any Leader remarks in Executive session, the Senate will turn to Legislative session and be in a period of morning business until 10:30am with senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each, with the time equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees.At 10:30am, the Senate will proceed to a series of up to 4 roll call votes in relation to the following items:

– Motion to invoke cloture on the motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R.5281, (DREAM Act);
– if cloture is not invoked on the DREAM Act, the Senate would proceed to vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R.2965 (Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell);
– Following the cloture vote/s, the Senate will proceed to vote on confirmation of the nomination of Albert Diaz, of North Carolina, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit; and
– On confirmation of the nomination of Ellen Hollander, of Maryland, to be United States District Judge for the District of Maryland.

The Senate is debating the House message with respect to HR2965, DADT, post-cloture, with the time until 3pm equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees. At 3pm, all post-cloture debate time will be yielded back and the Senate will proceed to vote on the motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to HR2965 (DADT). There will then be 4 minutes for debate equally divided prior to a vote in relation to the McCain amendment #4814 to the New START Treaty.

Votes:
278: Motion to invoke cloture on the motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R.5281, (DREAM Act);
Not Invoked: 55-41279: Motion to invoke cloture on the motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R.2965 (Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal);
Invoked: 63-33

280: Confirmation of the nomination of Ellen Hollander, of Maryland, to be United States District Judge for the District of Maryland;
Confirmed: 95-0

281: Motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R.2965 (Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal);
Agreed To: 65-31

282: McCain amendment #4814: to the New START Treaty (Missile Defense); Not Agreed to: 37-59

Unanimous Consent:
Confirmed the nomination of Albert Diaz, of North Carolina, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fourth CircuitConfirmed the nomination of Edmond E-Min Chang, of Illinois, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois

Confirmed Leslie Kobayashi, of Hawaii, to be United States District Judge for the District of Hawaii

Passed HR6510, To direct the Administrator of General Services to convey a parcel of real property in Houston, Texas, to the Military Museum of Texas, and for other purposes.

Passed HR6473, Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2010, Part IV.

Passed HR6533, Local Community Radio Act of 2010.

Passed HR4915,(Baucus substitute and title amendment), An Act to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make technical corrections to the pension funding provisions of the Preservation of Access to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries and Pension Relief Act of 2010

H.Con.Res.335, a concurrent resolution honoring the exceptional achievements of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke and recognizing the significant contributions he has made to the U.S. national security, humanitarian causes, and peaceful resolutions of international conflict.

Adopted S.Res.703, a resolution recognizing and honoring Bob Feller and expressing the condolences of the Senate to his family on his death.

Adopted S.Res.704, a resolution to
authorize the printing of a revised edition of the Senate Election Law Guidebook.

Passes S.118, (committee substitute and Dodd substitute), the Supportive Housing for the Elderly Act.

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((())))))))))))))))

The next meeting in the House is scheduled for 10:00amET December 21, 2010

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Bankrate.com

12/17/2010 Nativegrl77

Here are stories published today

Home equity loan rates for Dec. 16, 2010 | 2010-12-17

Here are the average home equity rates from Bankrate’s weekly survey of large banks and thrifts.

National mortgage rates for Dec. 16, 2010 | 2010-12-17

See rates from our survey of CDs, mortgages, home equity products, auto loans and credit cards.

Credit card interest rates for Dec. 16, 2010 | 2010-12-17

Here are the average credit card rates from Bankrate’s weekly survey of large banks and thrifts.

CD rates for Dec. 16, 2010 | 2010-12-17

Here are the average CD rates from Bankrate’s weekly survey of large banks and thrifts.

Auto loan rates for Dec. 16, 2010 | 2010-12-17

Here are the average auto loan rates from Bankrate’s weekly survey of large banks and thrifts.

5 ways to cut credit cards from your life | 2010-12-17

It’s not easy to cut the umbilical cord to credit card debt. These tips will help you break away.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Curing lesbianism with rape?

12/17/2010 Nativegrl77

Join the global outcry against “corrective rape” in South Africa

Earlier this year Millicent Gaika, a 30-year-old South African woman, was tied up, beaten, strangled, tortured and raped for five hours by a man as he screamed that he would “cure” Millicent of her lesbianism.

Ndumie Funda, a local community activist whose lesbian partner was murdered in the course of a similar “corrective rape,” reached out to Millicent through a small local charity she set up to rescue and support survivors of “corrective rape.” But last month they both had to go into hiding after the South African government released the perpetrator they had helped to jail on 60 rand (less than $10) bail.

Ndumie, Millicent and others decided to fight back against the rapists and the lack of accountability for their crimes. From a Cape Town safehouse for survivors of ‘corrective rape,’ the women created a petition on Change.org targeting South African Justice Minister Jeffrey Radebe.

Please, they wrote, declare ‘corrective rape’ a hate crime, which would both empower and require South African police to take a harder line on the vicious crime.

Click here to add your name to the petition.

More than 500 “corrective rapes” are reported in South Africa each year, and more than 30 South African lesbians have been murdered because of their sexuality over the past decade. Worse, for every 100 men charged with rape in South Africa, 96 of them walk free.

We can help here. Last year, South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority went on record refusing to formally declare ‘corrective rape’ a hate crime, saying “It is not something that the South African government has prioritized as a specific project.”

But with enough international pressure on the South African government, such heinous crimes might finally be taken seriously. More than 2,000 Change.org members have added their name to the petition created by Ndumie and Millicent. Click here to add yours:

http://www.change.org/petitions/view/south_africa_declare_corrective_rape_a_hate-crime?alert_id=SlPqUMmEGV_YugBiDLRru&me=aa

Thank you for taking action,

– The Change.org Team

P.S. Every time a new person signs the petition, the Justice Minister’s office automatically gets an email. So once you join, will you forward this to friends and family, and post on Facebook, so that they hear a global outcry?

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Baby Whale Bacon

12/17/2010 Nativegrl77

Please make your most generous gift right now to support this work.

“Baby whales are more tender, so the crew keeps that meat for themselves. They are perfect for unesu (whale bacon).”

This shocking witness testimony came from an ex-whaler at the trial of two Greenpeace Japan activists who were recently prosecuted in Tokyo for exposing corruption within Japan’s supposedly “scientific” whaling program.

Despite the overwhelming evidence brought forward at the trial, the Japanese whaling fleet is now steaming toward the Southern Ocean with plans to kill more baby whales for whale bacon.

Please rush Greenpeace your most generous support as we continue our work to shut down the Japanese whaling industry—once and for all!

The key to ending Japan’s taxpayer-funded whale hunt lies with the Japanese people, 95% of whom never or rarely eat whale meat and 69% of whom do NOT support whaling in the Southern Ocean.

That’s why Greenpeace is rallying public support within Japan to stop the slaughter, in addition to pressuring President Obama to fulfill his campaign promise of “strengthening the international moratorium on commercial whaling.”

Although Greenpeace fought tirelessly to pass the international whaling moratorium in 1986, the Japanese government continues to take advantage of a loophole in ban, which allows for “lethal scientific research.”

However, what the Greenpeace Japan activists exposed during their Tokyo trial is the fact that Japan’s “science” is nothing more than a whale meat embezzlement scandal in disguise.

Now, as we’ve seen reported in news outlets around the world, Japan is buying votes at the International Whaling Commission to have the whaling moratorium overturned so that they no longer have to hide behind the veil of “science.”

Please rush Greenpeace your most generous donation NOW.

We need your help to rally support within Japan and pressure President Obama to use his international influence to strengthen the whaling moratorium. Together, we can ensure that baby whale bacon is no longer on the menu.

For the whales,

John Hocevar
Ocean Campaigns Director

PS: Greenpeace cannot save the lives of these whales—or continue our campaigns to defend the oceans, stop global warming, and protect the forests—without your support. Please send your emergency contribution today!!