Category Archives: ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture
5/1 The American Equal Rights Association (AERA) was formed in 1866 in the United States.
In 1866, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony joined forces to establish the American Equal Rights Association (AERA). This organization aimed to secure equal rights for all American citizens, particularly focusing on the right to suffrage, regardless of race, color, or sex12. The AERA emerged during the Eleventh National Woman’s Rights Convention held on May 10, 1866. Its mission was to advocate for universal suffrage, uniting both white and black women and men in this cause2.
However, the AERA faced challenges. In 1867, during the Kansas campaign, the state voted against separate referenda granting suffrage to both blacks and women. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony had accepted the help of a known racist during this campaign, which led to tensions within the organization. AERA president Lucretia Mott was also alienated by this decision. Later, in 1870, Stanton and Anthony expressed their dissatisfaction with the wording and passage of the Fifteenth Amendment, which focused on black men’s suffrage but ignored women’s rights. They urged the AERA to support a 16th amendment that would grant women the right to vote. However, more cautious leaders within the AERA declined this proposal. Consequently, Stanton and Anthony left the AERA in May 1869 to form the exclusively female National Woman Suffrage Association. Meanwhile, other conservative feminists, including Lucy Stone and Julia Ward Howe, established the American Woman Suffrage Association from the remnants of the AERA in November 1869. Eventually, these two groups merged into the National American Woman Suffrage Association in 18901.
Caroline Maria Seymour Severance, another prominent reformer and clubwoman, played an active role in woman suffrage and other women’s issues during this period1.
Source: AIBing
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In the Library: “Einstein on Race and Racism” by Jerome and Taylor
Did Einstein speak about racism at Lincoln University?
Here is the text of the email: Here’s something you probably don’t know about Albert Einstein.
In 1946, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist traveled to Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, the alma mater of Langston Hughes and Thurgood Marshall and the first school in America to grant college degrees to blacks.
At Lincoln, Einstein gave a speech in which he called racism “a disease of white people,” and added, “I do not intend to be quiet about it.” He also received an honorary degree and gave a lecture on relativity to Lincoln students.
In fact, many significant details are missing from the numerous studies of Einstein’s life and work, most of them having to do with Einstein’s opposition to racism and his relationships with African Americans.
Einstein continued to support progressive causes through the 1950s, when the pressure of anti-Communist witch hunts made it dangerous to do so. Another example of Einstein using his prestige to help a prominent African American occurred in 1951, when the 83-year-old W.E.B. Du Bois, a founder of the NAACP, was indicted by the federal government for failing to register as a “foreign agent” as a consequence of circulating the pro-Soviet Stockholm Peace Petition. Einstein offered to appear as a character witness for Du Bois, which convinced the judge to drop the case.
In the wake of the monumental effort to digitize Einstein’s life and genius for the masses, let’s hope that more of us will acknowledge Einstein’s greatness as a champion of human and civil rights for African-Americans as one of his greatest contributions to the world.
Origins: The e-mail reproduced above is an excerpt from a 2007 Harvard University Gazette article about a talk given by Fred Jerome and Rodger Taylor, authors of the 2006 book Einstein on Race and Racism. As related in that article, Jerome and Taylor undertook their effort in order to “recognize and correct many significant details missing from the numerous studies of Einstein’s life and work, most of them having to do with Einstein’s opposition to racism and his relationships with African Americans:
Nearly fifty years after his death, Albert Einstein remains one of America’s foremost cultural icons. A thicket of materials, ranging from scholarly to popular, have been written, compiled, produced, and published about his life and his teachings. Among the ocean of Einsteinia — scientific monographs, biographies, anthologies, bibliographies, calendars, postcards, posters, and Hollywood films — however, there is a peculiar void when it comes to the connection that the brilliant scientist had with the African American community. Virtually nowhere is there any mention of his relationship with Paul Robeson, despite Einstein’s close friendship with him, or W.E.B. Du Bois, despite Einstein’s support for him.
This unique book is the first to bring together a wealth of writings by Einstein on the topic of race. Although his activism in this area is less well known than his efforts on behalf of international peace and scientific cooperation, he spoke out vigorously against racism both in the United States and around the world.
In May 1946, Einstein made a rare public appearance outside of Princeton, New Jersey (where he lived and worked in the latter part of his life), when he traveled to the campus of Pennsylvania’s Lincoln University, the United States’ first degree-granting black university, to take part in a ceremony conferring upon him the honorary degree of doctor of laws. Prior to accepting that degree, he delivered a ten-minute speech to the assembled audience in which he called upon the United States to take a leading role in preventing another world war and denounced the practice of segregation. Because mainstream U.S. newspapers reported little or nothing about the event, a full transcript of Einstein’s speech that day does not exist — the only existing record of his words is a few excerpts pieced together from quotes reproduced in coverage by the black press:
The only possibility of preventing war is to prevent the possibility of war. International peace can be achieved only if every individual uses all of his power to exert pressure on the United States to see that it takes the leading part in world government.
The United Nations has no power to prevent war, but it can try to avoid another war. The U.N. will be effective only if no one neglects his duty in his private environment. If he does, he is responsible for the death of our children in a future war.
My trip to this institution was in behalf of a worthwhile cause.
There is a separation of colored people from white people in the United States. That separation is not a disease of colored people. It is a disease of white people. I do not intend to be quiet about it.
The situation of mankind today is like that of a little child who has a sharp knife and plays with it. There is no effective defense against the atomic bomb … It can not only destroy a city but it can destroy the very earth on which that city stood.
As the authors of “Einstein on Race and Racism” noted, Einstein’s comments about segregation at Lincoln University reflected his own experiences in both his native Germany and his adopted home in the United States and were part of a pattern of his attempting to ameliorate the effects of discrimination:
According to Jerome and Taylor, Einstein’s statements at Lincoln were by no means an isolated case. Einstein, who was Jewish, was sensitized to racism by the years of Nazi-inspired threats and harassment he suffered during his tenure at the University of Berlin. Einstein was in the United States when the Nazis came to power in 1933, and, fearful that a return to Germany would place him in mortal danger, he decided to stay, accepting a position at the recently founded Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J. He became an American citizen in 1940.
But while Einstein may have been grateful to have found a safe haven, his gratitude did not prevent him from criticizing the ethical shortcomings of his new home.
“Einstein realized that African Americans in Princeton were treated like Jews in Germany,” said Taylor. “The town was strictly segregated. There was no high school that blacks could go to until the 1940s.”
Einstein’s response to the racism and segregation he found in Princeton (Paul Robeson, who was born in Princeton, called it “the northernmost town in the South”) was to cultivate relationships in the town’s African-American community. Jerome and Taylor interviewed members of that community who still remember the white-haired, disheveled figure of Einstein strolling through their streets, stopping to chat with the inhabitants, and handing out candy to local children.
One woman remembered that Einstein paid the college tuition of a young man from the community. Another said that he invited Marian Anderson to stay at his home when the singer was refused a room at the Nassau Inn.
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USDA&FSN – April – 2024 Recalls – Food Safety Alerts – Previous Month & last day of prior month updates
** Officials confirm planned closure of Quaker Oats plant behind recall of dozens of products
By News Desk on April 5, 2024
The mayor of an Illinois city has confirmed that PepsiCo will close a Quaker Oats plant that was temporarily shuttered during a recall of granola products in December 2023.
Mayor Ricky Williams Jr. said the… Continue Reading
On 04/26/2024, Gibson Farms recalled Organic Light Halves and Pieces shelled walnuts because Gibson Farms received information that they may have the potential to be contaminated with E. Coli 0157:H7. E. coli O157:H7 causes a diarrheal illness often with bloody stools. Although most healthy adults can recover completely within a week, some people can develop a form of kidney failure called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). HUS is most likely to occur in young children and the elderly. The condition can lead to serious kidney damage and even death. The Organic Light Halves and Pieces shelled walnuts were sold to distributors located in CA and WA. Gibsons Farms Organic Light Halves and Pieces shelled walnuts were sold in bulk boxes in Net Wt. 25 lbs quantities and can be identified by lot 3325-043 & 3341-501 with expiration dates 5/21/25 & 6/7/25
- Juewei meat and vegetable products recalled in Canada because of Listeria contamination
- Prosciutto produced in Germany and distributed in the U.S. recalled over lack of inspection
** Sammy’s Milk Providing a Warning Against the Use of Goat Milk Toddler Formula as Infant Formula
Newport Beach, California – Sammy’s Milk, a local company, has been asked by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide a warning against the use of its Goat Milk Toddler Formula as an infant formula because the FDA is concerned that the formula may not meet all FDA requirements for infant formula and may be unsafe and not provide sufficient nutrition when used as an infant formula. These concerns were provided to Sammy’s Milk in a meeting with FDA this week that identified representations on the Sammy’s Milk website and social media platforms that could be interpreted to indicate the product is safe for infants to consume. Sammy’s Milk wants to emphasize that its product is specifically formulated for children between the ages of 12 and 36 months, as clearly indicated on its packaging and website. The product at issue was only available online, and included lot code SD348, with a “Best by” date of August of 2025.
** Soft white cheese recalled after testing finds Listeria contamination
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 18, 2024—Infinite Herbs LLC of Miami, Florida, is voluntarily recalling 2.5-ounce packages of Infinite Herbs fresh organic basil sold between February 1 and April 6, 2024, and bearing the UPC 8 18042 02147 7 (see photos below) because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.Salmonella is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis, and arthritis.
** Recalls down but still more than 2,000 in France for 2023
By Joe Whitworth on April 29, 2024
More than 2,000 consumer product recalls were issued in France in 2023, according to official figures.
Data from RappelConso shows 2,023 recalls in 2023 compared to 2,441 in 2022.
The category with the most recalls – 601 – was meats, followed by 371 milk and dairy product recalls and 189 fishery product recalls.
Overall, the top cause of alerts was potential Listeria contamination with almost 700 recalls due to this problem.
Products with most recalls
In the meats category, 312 recalls mentioned Listeria, and 160 were because of Salmonella. Other reasons included foreign bodies, Clostridium botulinum, labeling errors, E. coli…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 19, 2024—Infinite Herbs LLC of Miami, Florida, is expanding its April 18th recall to include Melissa’s brand fresh organic basil in 2.0 oz ( 96 packages, UPC 0 45255 14142 9) and 4.0 oz packages (24 packages, UPC 0 45255 14439 0) available for sale at Dierberg’s stores in Illinois and Missouri between February 10th and 20th (see photos below). This product is part of the lot that was previously recalled and, therefore, has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Please note that this recalled product is outdated and no longer available for sale. Still, consumers are urged to check their refrigerators and freezers and not consume the recalled organic basil if they have it. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 305-599-9255 x 148 or email customer_service@infiniteherbs.com, Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT.
** March 13, 2024 – Taylor Farms Pacific, a Tracy, Calif. establishment, is recalling approximately 19,976 pounds of ready-to-eat (RTE) apple walnut with chicken salad bowl products due to misbranding and undeclared wheat allergen, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)…
IMPACTED PRODUCTS
5.5-OZ. CLEAR PLASTIC BOWL CONTAINERS WITH “KROGER APPLE WALNUT WITH CHICKEN SALAD KIT FOR ONE” WITH USE BY DATES OF 03/12/24 THROUGH 03/22/24, LOT CODES TFPM059B41, TFPM060B41, TFPM061A41, TFPM062A41, TFPM063B41, TFPM064A41, TFPM064B41, TFPM065A41, TFP
** USDA warning consumers about E. coli in some ground beef products
By News Desk on Apr 21, 2024 07:23 pm
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing a public health alert for ground beef products from Greater Omaha Packing Co. Inc. that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. FSIS is issuing this public health alert to ensure that consumers are aware that these products should not be consumed. … Continue Reading
Primal Kitchen is announcing a voluntary recall of approximately 2,060 cases of three code dates of Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil (750mL) because the glass may be prone to breakage, causing the product to spill.
This is a voluntary recall that comes after we discovered the issue through monitoring of the Primal Kitchen warehouse. It was noticed that avocado oil had leaked in shipping containers. No consumer injuries or illnesses have been reported to date.
The affected products were sold in the eastern United States, California and online nationally. Consumers who purchased these affected items should dispose of the product and contact Primal Kitchen from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday, at +1 (888) 774-6259.
** Infiniteherbs April 19, 2024—Infinite Herbs LLC of Miami, Florida, is expanding its April 18th recall to include Melissa’s brand fresh organic basil in 2.0 oz ( 96 packages, UPC 0 45255 14142 9) and 4.0 oz packages (24 packages, UPC 0 45255 14439 0) available for sale at Dierberg’s stores in Illinois and Missouri between February 10th and 20th (see photos below). This product is part of the lot that was previously recalled and, therefore, has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.
Please note that this recalled product is outdated and no longer available for sale. Still, consumers are urged to check their refrigerators and freezers and not consume the recalled organic basil if they have it. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 305-599-9255 x 148 or email customer_service@infiniteherbs.com, Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT.
** Roland Foods, LLC (“Roland Foods”) of New York, New York is recalling a specific production code of Roland® Tahini (100% Ground Sesame Seeds) 16 oz. because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
Roland® Tahini (100% Ground Sesame Seeds) 16 oz. was distributed to many states through retail stores and foodservice outlets. The product was distributed by Roland Foods from September 2023 through January 2024.
This recall ONLY APPLIES to Roland® Tahini (100% Ground Sesame Seeds) 16 oz. with a Best By Date of October 19, 2024. The product can be identified by the Best Buy Date printed in black ink on the label near the top of the bottle. Please note: this is not an expansion of the recall, just a clarification to support identification of the product by consumers.
To date, Roland Foods has received no reports of illness related to the recalled products.
Roland Foods, LLC (“Roland Foods”) of New York, New York is recalling a specific production code of Roland® Tahini (100% Ground Sesame Seeds) 16 oz. because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
Roland® Tahini (100% Ground Sesame Seeds) 16 oz. was distributed to many states through retail stores and foodservice outlets. The product was distributed by Roland Foods from September 2023 through January 2024.
This recall ONLY APPLIES to Roland® Tahini (100% Ground Sesame Seeds) 16 oz. with a Best By Date of October 19, 2024. The product can be identified by the Best Buy Date printed in black ink on the label near the top of the bottle. Please note: this is not an expansion of the recall, just a clarification to support the identification of the product by consumers.
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** Food Recalls
- Tequesquite recalled in New York and New Jersey because of elevated levels of lead
- Salmon recalled in Canada over potential dangerous bacteria contamination
- Cinnamon recalled over elevated lead levels
- Pea protein recalled over possible Salmonella contamination
** California company recalls ice cream bars because tests show positive for Salmonella
By News Desk on April 2, 2024
Tropicale Foods of Modesto, CA, is voluntarily recalling 5,224 units of Helados Mexico Mini Cream Variety Pack with best by date of “MO Best By 10/11/2025”, because the mango bars in the variety pack have… Continue Reading
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 3/29/2024 –AvKARE, LLC. is voluntarily recalling lot # AW0221A of Atovaquone Oral Suspension, USP 750mg/5mL to the Consumer/User level, due to the potential Bacillus cereus contamination in the product found during stability testing at a 3rd party lab.
Risk Statement: In the population most at risk, immunocompromised population, there is a reasonable probability that microbial contamination of Atovaquone Oral Suspension can result in disseminated, life threatening infections such as endocarditis and necrotizing soft tissue infections. To date, AvKARE has not received any reports of adverse events related to this recall. Atovaquone Oral Suspension, USP is indicated for prevention and treatment of Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PCP) in adults and children 13 years of age and older who cannot tolerate other medicines, such as trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.
** Jasmine rice recalled over glass in product
By News Desk on Apr 01, 2024 07:22 am
Otis McAllister, a food firm located in Orinda, CA, is recalling Emerald River Premium Thai Jasmine Rice because of pieces of glass in the product. According to the details posted online by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), the recall was initiated on March 6, 2024, and is ongoing. The recalled products were distributed in… Continue Reading
** Ice cream bars recalled after testing finds Salmonella
By News Desk on Apr 01, 2024 07:21 am
Tropicale Foods of Modesto, CA is recalling Helados Mexico Mini Cream Variety Pack because the mango bars in the variety pack are potentially contaminated with Salmonella. Testing on the mango bars revealed that the finished product may contain Salmonella. According to the company’s recall, the product was distributed at retail locations in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana,… Continue Reading
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1945 – Truman and the Manhattan Project – impacts on Washington State
On April 25, 1945, President Harry S. Truman learns the full details of the Manhattan Project, in which scientists are attempting to create the first atomic bomb. The information thrust upon Truman a momentous decision: whether or not to use the world’s first weapon of mass destruction.
America’s secret development of the atomic bomb began in 1939 with then-President Franklin Roosevelt’s support. The project was so secret that FDR did not even inform his fourth-term vice president, Truman, that it existed. (In fact, when Truman’s 1943 senatorial investigations into war-production expenditures led him to ask questions about a suspicious plant in Minneapolis, which was secretly connected with the Manhattan Project, Truman received a stern phone call from FDR’s secretary of war, Harry Stimson, warning him not to inquire further.)
When President Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945, Truman was immediately sworn in and, soon after, was informed by Stimson of a new and terrible weapon being developed by physicists in New Mexico. In his diary that night, Truman noted that he had been informed that the U.S. was perfecting an explosive great enough to destroy the whole world.
On April 25, Stimson and the army general in charge of the project, Leslie Groves, brought Truman a file full of reports and details on the Manhattan Project. They told Truman that although the U.S. was the only country with the resources to develop the bomb–eliminating fears that Germany was close to developing the weapon–the Russians could possibly have atomic weapons within four years. They discussed if, and with which allies, they should share the information and how the new weapon would affect U.S. foreign-policy decisions. Truman authorized the continuation of the project and agreed to form an interim committee that would advise the president on using the weapon.
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