the Senate ~ CONGRESS 2/10 ~ the House

02/10/2015 Nativegrl77

The Senate stands adjourned until 10:00am on Tuesday, February 10, 2015.

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 12:30pm, with the first hour equally divided and with the Democrats controlling the first half and the Republicans controlling the final half.

The Senate will recess from 12:30 until 2:15pm to allow for the weekly caucus meetings.

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Last Floor Action:
12:19:24 P.M. – The Speaker announced that the House do now recess.

The next meeting is scheduled for 2:00 P.M. today.

12:00:18 P.M.		The House convened, starting a new legislative day.
12:00:37 P.M.		The Speaker designated the Honorable Dan Newhouse to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
12:00:53 P.M.		MORNING-HOUR DEBATE – The House proceeded with Morning-Hour Debate. At the conclusion of Morning-Hour, the House will recess until 2:00 p.m. for the start of legislative business.
12:19:24 P.M.		The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for 2:00 P.M. today.

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~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

AAA supporting SeaWorld?

02/09/2015 Nativegrl77

Petitioning Robert T Bouttier

AAA – Stop Supporting SeaWorld’s Cruelty

Petition by Shiri Takacs

Long Beach, California

5,302

Supporters

Sign Shiri’s Petition

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Reflections on the Xingu:

02/09/2015 Nativegrl77

Floating down the Xingu River’s “Big Bend” in the Brazilian Amazon last November I was struck once again by the splendor of this unique environment. Its waters low for the dry season, the Xingu’s magnificent white sand beaches stretched for miles while rock islands emerged from the current, shrouded in verdant shrubs and trees. Mesmerized as always by the raw, primeval beauty of this place, I was shocked awake from my daydream by huge walls of earth, rock, concrete and steel rising imposingly before me. This is the aberration of Brazil’s Belo Monte dam: stagnant waters, leveled forests, shattered communities and the death knell of an Amazonian paradise.

READ THE REST ON EYE ON THE AMAZON

Black History

the Senate ~ CONGRESS 2/9 ~ the House

02/09/2015 Nativegrl77

The Senate stands adjourned until 3:00pm on Monday, February 9, 2015.

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business, equally divided, until 5:00pm. At 5:00pm, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider Calendar #10, the nomination of Michael P. Botticelli to be Director of the National Drug Control Policy, with 30 minutes of debate equally divided. Upon the use or yielding back of time (approximately 5:30pm) the Senate will proceed to vote on the nomination.

5:30pm The Senate began a 15 minute roll call vote on confirmation of Executive Calendar #10, Michael P. Botticelli, of the District of Columbia, to be Director of National Drug Control Policy

Confirmed: 92-0

WRAP UP

Roll Call Votes

Confirmation of Executive Calendar #10, Michael P. Botticelli, of the District of Columbia, to be Director of National Drug Control Policy; confirmed: 92-0.

Legislative Business

Executive Business

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Last Floor Action:
1:05:24 P.M. – The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn.

The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on February 10, 2015.

Last Floor Action:2/5
1:32:41 P.M. – The House adjourned pursuant to a previous special order.

The next meeting is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on February 9, 2015.

1:00:53 P.M.		The House convened, starting a new legislative day.
1:01:08 P.M.		The Speaker designated the Honorable Andy Harris to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
1:01:35 P.M.		Today’s prayer was offered by the House Chaplain, Rev. Patrick J. Conroy.
1:03:11 P.M.		The Speaker announced approval of the Journal. Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.
1:03:21 P.M.		PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair led the House in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
1:03:22 P.M.		The House received a message from the Clerk. Pursuant to the permission granted in Clause 2(h) of Rule II of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Clerk notified the House that she had received a message from the Secretary of the Senate on February 3, 2015, at 11:07 a.m.: Appointment: National Council on Disability.
1:03:46 P.M.		Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi- Pursuant to section 4(a) of H. Res. 5, 114th Congress, and the order of the House of January 6, 2015 the Speaker appointed the following members of the House to the Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi: Mr. Cummings, Mr. Smith of WA, Mr. Schiff, Ms. Linda T. Sanchez of CA and Ms. Duckworth.
1:04:08 P.M.		ADJUSTMENT OF WHOLE HOUSE – Under clause 5(d) of rule 20, the Chair announced to the House that, in light of the passing of the gentleman from the State of Mississippi, Mr. Nunnelee, the whole number of the House is 433.
1:05:24 P.M.		The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn. The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on February 10, 2015.

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~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

It changed my life, it could change yours ~~Thanks for listening, Elana

02/07/2015 Nativegrl77

Fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma.

It’s not a term that any kid typically knows, or should ever have to learn first-hand. But when I turned 12 years old, that was my diagnosis — and it became a defining part of my life.

It’s a specific kind of liver cancer that affects children. It’s rare — you don’t see it in your average patient. So I knew, even then, that it would take something more than a generic treatment to cure this unique disease.

So I got to work. And thanks to incredible technological advances and the help of a community of scientists and fibrolamellar patients like me, I was able to identify the change in the DNA that leads to this kind of cancer. Rather than focusing broadly on all liver cancer, I examined a precise patient group — which allowed for such a precise discovery.

Today, I’m 19 years old, in college, and in remission.

There’s a name for the approach we used. It’s called “Precision Medicine” — an approach that uses data-driven treatments that are unique to your own body. It’s a proven way to treat more difficult diseases. And it’s a field of medicine the President’s 2016 budget is investing in.

Learn more about the President’s Precision Medicine initiative and why these tailored treatments are going to be more successful.

Think about it: If you need glasses, you aren’t assigned a generic pair. You get a prescription customized for your eyes. If you need a blood transfusion, you get one that matches your precise blood type. Treatments for diseases like cancer, cystic fibrosis, and diabetes should be no different.

Thanks to the Precision Medicine approach, my colleagues and I are developing the first diagnostics tests and new clinical trials for fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma. I showed the President our progress when I attended the White House Science Fair last year. And I was proud to stand with the President when he appealed to Congress to help medical professionals translate the success of Precision Medicine to a larger scale.

It will take all of us — patients, hospitals, industry, philanthropies, researchers, privacy experts, and congressional leaders — to take the lead in the future of medicine. The President’s budget investments in Precision Medicine is the first place to start.

Learn more about this exciting initiative and then share the news with your friends and families.

Because this new way of looking at care — and cures — could change your life. It certainly changed mine.

Thanks for listening,

Elana

Elana Simon
Cambridge, Massachusetts