March 03, 2010

Women are key to rebuilding Afghanistan and Haiti and putting both nations on the path to secure and sustainable development, according to two prominent women leaders from those nations. Suraya Pakzad, Director of Voice of Women in Herat, Afghanistan, who was named by TIME magazine as one of the world's 100 Most Influential People in 2009, and Kathy Mangones, Haiti country program director for UNIFEM, the UN Women's Fund, will issue a call on Capitol Hill for policymakers to put women front and center in two of the most high-profile U.S. and international assistance efforts underway in the developing world. Full release.

Scholastic Inc. and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today released Primary Sources: America's Teachers on America's Schools, a landmark report presenting the results of a national survey of more than 40,000 public school teachers in grades pre-K to 12. The survey reveals that, while teachers have high expectations for their students, they overwhelmingly agree that too many students are leaving unprepared for success beyond high school. Primary Sources reveals teachers' thoughtful, nuanced views on issues at the heart of education reform -- from performance pay and standardized tests to academic standards and teacher evaluation. Teacher responses reveal five powerful solutions to raise student achievement. Full release.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on President Obama's remarks at the White House on health insurance reform legislation, which combines the best ideas of Democrats and Republicans: "The President's announcement is a call to action. We will now move forward to pass health insurance reform that includes the best ideas of both Democrats and Republicans, and address one of the most pressing challenges facing our families and small businesses." Full release.

Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Tim Kaine today echoed the President's call for Congress to take swift action to finish the job and deliver hard-working Americans the health insurance reforms they so desperately need. "Today, the President outlined the way forward on health insurance reform and called on Congress to act with dispatch to pass historic and long overdue reforms to our country's health insurance system," said Kaine. Full release.

The nation's largest long term care advocacy organization praised the Senate today for recognizing the need to reinstate the exceptions process for Medicare Part B outpatient therapy services in the short term, but urged Congress to take swift action on enacting a longer term fix for the onerous financial caps on therapy services. "We thank the Congress for passing a short term fix to these arbitrary caps, and for recognizing that capping therapy services is based on cost but not based on care considerations," stated Bruce Yarwood, President and CEO of AHCA. Full release.

Chilean earthquake relief donations may be made by calling (877) 572-4484 toll-free in the United States, which will be used to support on-the-ground activities organized by the non-profit Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) and the Organization of American States (OAS). "The massive 8.8 earthquake has caused considerable damage and suffering, and we need your help in order to meet these pressing challenges," says John Sanbrailo, PADF's Executive Director. "We opened this toll-free number as a safe and easy way to donate 24/7." Full release.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has notified 17 food manufacturers that the labeling for 22 of their food products violates the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The action follows an October 2009 statement by Commissioner of Food and Drugs Margaret Hamburg, M.D., encouraging companies to review their labeling to ensure that they were in compliance with FDA regulations, and were truthful and not misleading. Full release.

The once-predictable business cycle has become highly disrupted. Could any business have anticipated Y2K, 9/11, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Asian Financial Crises (and Bird Flu), Hurricane Katrina, tsunamis, Mad Cow, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the U.S. liquidity crisis, and triple-digit fluctuations in energy and raw materials prices? What other disasters (natural or otherwise) loom ahead? Full release.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement this morning on Chairman Charles B. Rangel: "Chairman Charlie Rangel has informed me of his request for a leave of absence from his duties and responsibilities as Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means. I will honor his request. "I commend Chairman Rangel for his decades of leadership on jobs, health care, and the most significant economic issues of the day." Full release.

Younger people are more than twice as likely as older age groups to have been turned down for loans, mortgages and credit cards within the last year, according to a new national survey by FindLaw.com (http://www.findlaw.com), the most popular legal information Web site. The FindLaw.com survey found that more than one in five (22%) people between the ages of 18 and 34 say that they have been refused a mortgage, loan or credit card within the last year. That's more than twice the percentage of any other age group, and they are four times more likely to say they've been turned down than people age 55 and up. Full release.

Sermo (http://www.sermo.com), the world's largest online community for physicians, today announced physician reaction to the Medicare cuts effective March 1st, 2010. Nearly 1,500 physicians participated in an online poll and discussion measuring how they will respond to the reimbursements cuts. Of the respondents, 84% said they will have to stop seeing new Medicare patients, stop seeing all Medicare patients or consider closing their practices altogether. This cut in reimbursements will dramatically impact both the physicians providing care and the patients. As one Oncologist noted, "Ultimately, it's the patients who will suffer." Full release.

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