~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

An excellent article in the New York Times

05/31/2013 Nativegrl77

Carolyn Tamler …

www.moveon.org and www.whidbey.net

The article and link below is from a 2007 New York Times, but it still seems very relevant and timely.

The Price of Free Airwaves By MICHAEL J. COPPS

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/02/opinion/02copps.html?pagewanted=print

~ FDA/USDA ~~ Alerts & Safety

U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

05/30/2013 Nativegrl77

Ebproduce SA de RL Recalls Fresh Thai Peppers Due to Possible Health Risk

05/29/2013 03:06 PM EDT

FRUIT TREASURE of CHULA VISTA, CA is recalling 43 boxes (25lb) of fresh THAI PEPPERS, 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.

Lowlite Investments, Inc. d/b/a Olympia Pharmacy Announces a Voluntary Multi-State Recall of All Sterile Compounded Products Compounded Between December 17, 2012, and March 27, 2013, Due to Concerns About Sterility Assurance

05/29/2013 06:17 PM EDT

Lowlite Investments d/b/a Olympia Pharmacy (“Lowlite”) today announced a voluntary multi-state recall of all sterile drug products compounded by the pharmacy that have not reached the expiration date listed on the product. The recall is being initiated due to concerns associated with prior quality control procedures that impacted sterility assurance.

Limited Number Of Lightlife Farmer’s Market Veggie Burgers Recalled Due To Undeclared Milk Allergen

05/29/2013 06:54 PM EDT

Today, Lightlife Foods in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is voluntarily recalling a limited number of packages of its Lightlife Farmer’s Market Veggie Burgers that may contain an undeclared allergen, milk. Certain packages of the Farmer’s Market Veggie Burgers may have inadvertently been filled with Lightlife Kick Black Bean Burgers, which contain an allergen, milk. The milk allergen is not declared on the Farmer’s Market Veggie Burger product label. This product was shipped to food stores and distributors nationwide.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Stay out of Syria

05/30/2013 Nativegrl77

VoteVets.org

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 15-3 in favor of arming and training the Syrian rebels.

This is a misguided and dangerous idea.

I helped to train the Iraqi Army during my second tour, and their concern is that many of the anti-Assad forces are the same terrorists they’ve fought before and who continue to target them.

Plus, as Senator Tom Udall noted, once we introduce weapons, we have zero control over them. The United States “could turn over the weapons we’re talking about and next day they end up in the hands of al-Qaida.”

Three Senators voted against the bill in committee, but we need you to send a strong message to the other 97 that you oppose intervention in Syria’s civil war. You can do that here:

http://action.votevets.org/syria

Moreover, there is no winning scenario when we get involved in other nations’ civil wars and proxy wars.

On this point, Senator Chris Murphy said it best: “We have failed over and over again in our attempts to pull the strings of Middle Eastern politics.”

Let’s not make the same mistake again.

Jon Soltz
@jonsoltz
Iraq War Veteran and Chairman
VoteVets.org

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

67 Million tons of global warming pollution

05/30/2013 Nativegrl77

The Department of the Interior is about to let a coal company dig up 67 million tons of global warming pollution on public lands. Coal train

There are just two days before the first public comment period closes. Submit a comment today.

There are only two days left in the first public comment period on a decision that determines whether 67 million tons of global warming pollution stays in the ground.
The Department of the Interior (DOI) is about to let an Australian company called Ambre Energy dig up hundreds of acres of public lands to expand its West Decker Coal Mine. All for more of the dirtiest, most carbon-intensive fossil fuel on the planet.
The impact of this one mine is astonishing. Coal produced from the mine’s expansion would release as much carbon pollution as 14 million cars do in a year.
Ambre wants to keep these processes with the DOI quick, quiet and out of the public eye. But if we flood the DOI with public comments, we can shine a spotlight on this climate disaster to stop it from moving forward.
With only two days remaining before the first public comment period deadline, every comment counts. Make a comment now to keep millions of tons of coal in the ground where it belongs.
This coal mine isn’t just bad news for the climate. It’s also an exploitation of our public lands for corporate profits.
The federal coal leasing program run by the DOI has already given coal companies $29 billion in subsidies by selling the rights to publicly-owned coal for a fraction of what it’s worth.
Ambre Energy wants to mine more publicly-owned coal at low costs, and then sell that coal overseas at inflated prices for bigger returns. Coal companies like Ambre win, people and the climate lose.
It’s time to stop the exploitation of our public lands and the climate for the benefit of Ambre Energy’s bottom line. There are just two days left to add your voice.
Thanks to supporters like you, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell has heard from the public about the problems with the DOI’s coal leasing program since day one of her term. But our campaign won’t stop until she takes action to end it permanently.
The West Decker Coal Mine expansion – like the entire DOI coal leasing program – is undermining the Obama administration’s commitment to reduce global warming pollution.
If we’re going to be serious about fighting climate change, then we have to get serious about the biggest sources of global warming pollution. We can’t be drilling for oil in the Arctic or building the Keystone XL pipeline. And we certainly can’t be opening up new federal lands to coal mining.
New fossil fuel projects like the West Decker Coal Mine threaten to send our climate past a point of no return. Together we have to stop them.
Thanks for taking action and for all that you do.
For the planet,
Kelly Mitchell Greenpeace Climate and Energy Campaigner

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Bills & Hearings in the House : May 2013

05/30/2013 Nativegrl77

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Field Hearing: How Southern California Freight Transportation Challenges Impact the Nation

1:30 PM | 1170 West 3rd Street San Bernardino, CA 92410
Host: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure | Full Committee

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Field Hearing: Oversight of California High Speed Rail

7:00 AM | Auditorium Room AM120, Madera Community College Center, Madera, CA Host: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure | Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Hearing: The Call for Economic Liberty in the Arab World

9:30 AM | 2172 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Foreign Affairs | Full Committee

Hearing: Joint Hearing – The Current and Future Applications of Biometric Technologies

10:00 AM | 2318 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Science, Space, and Technology | Subcommittee on Research

Hearing: Maritime Transportation: The Role of U.S. Ships and Mariners

10:00 AM | 2167 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure |

Hearing: Legislative Hearing on Draft Legislation, ‘The Veterans Integrated Mental Health Care Act of 2013;’ Draft Legislation, ‘the Demanding Accountability for Veterans Act of 2013;’ H.R. 241; H.R. 288; H.R. 984; and H.R. 1284

10:00 AM | 334 Cannon HOB Washington DC Host: Committee on Veterans’ Affairs | Subcommittee on Health

Markup: H.R. 982, the Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency FACT Act of 2013

10:00 AM | 2141 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on the Judiciary | Full Committee

Hearing: Chairman Brady Announces Hearing on the President’s and Other Bipartisan Proposals to Reform Medicare

10:00 AM Host: Committee on Ways and Means | Subcommittee on Health

Hearing: Cyber Threats and Security Solutions

10:00 AM | 2123 Rayburn HOB Host: Committee on Energy and Commerce | Subcommittee on Energy and Power

Hearing: Visa Security and Overstays: How Secure is America?

10:00 AM | 311 Cannon HOB Host: Committee on Homeland Security | Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security

Hearing: The Future of the CFTC: Market Perspectives

10:00 AM | 1300 Longworth HOB Host: Committee on Agriculture | Full Committee

Hearing: “Reviewing the President’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Proposal for the U.S. Department of Education”

10:00 AM Host: Committee on Education and the Workforce | Full Committee

Hearing: Oversight Hearing on “Perspectives on the Management of Federal and State Land: Testimony by Governor Gary Herbert (R-UT), Chairman of the Western Governors’ Association”

10:30 AM | 1324 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 Host: Committee on Natural Resources | Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation