March 11, 2010

Following today's 420-1 vote in the House of Representatives to refer to the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (commonly called the Ethics Committee) a resolution calling for an investigation into how Democratic leaders handled the sexual harassment allegations against Congressman Eric Massa (D-NY), Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins released the following statement:"Back in 2006, the sexual overtures of then-Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) toward House pages arguably cost his party its majority status and its Speaker, Dennis Hastert, his leadership role. One of the loudest voices in that fray was then-Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who used the incident to take plenty of political scalps." Full release.

Larry Cox, Amnesty International USA executive director, issued the following statement in response to today's U.S. Department of State's (DOS) release of its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: "Amnesty International welcomes the Obama administration's first full contribution to assess the human rights performance of governments around the world, and in particular, the Country Reports' expanded coverage of press freedoms and discrimination against vulnerable groups. "However, for a thorough assessment of global human rights, the Country Reports should be more comprehensive and include all rights, not only civil and political, but also economic, social and cultural rights." Full release.

When it comes to the documented 40 percent effectiveness of PSA testing in preventing death from prostate cancer, neither the American Cancer Society nor the discoverer of the PSA protein, Richard Ablin, are telling the public the complete story. "The American Cancer Society is a 'false prophet' when it comes to telling the truth about the effectiveness of the PSA test," said ZERO's CEO Skip Lockwood. "Dr. Otis Brawley disregards scientific data about the value of the PSA test in saving lives. In fact, his views at a recent medical conference were vigorously challenged by physicians and researchers in attendance." Full release.

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has obtained documents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) detailing federal investigations into the alleged corrupt activities of Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). The documents reference serious allegations of corruption and voter registration fraud by ACORN as well as the Obama administration's decision to shut down a criminal investigation without filing criminal charges. Full release.

Eight weeks after the catastrophic earthquake that killed more than 230,000 people in Haiti, the Pan American Development Foundation and its partners renewed their call for financial support so they can help Haitians rebuild their homes and take care of their families. www.PanAmericanRelief.org "March 12 marks the eight-week anniversary of the quake. More than a million Haitians are homeless and urgently need our help," says Jimmy Jean-Louis, the actor and spokesperson for PADF's disaster relief and recovery efforts. "Please call toll free (877) 572-4484 to contribute to the relief and recovery efforts." Full release.

Now in its fourth year, the UNICEF Tap Project, a grassroots initiative from the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, returns to cities nationwide during World Water Week 2010 (March 21-27). The UNICEF Tap Project invites individuals to donate $1 or more for tap water at participating restaurants or online at tapproject.org to provide clean water to children around the world. Full release.

Women comprise more than half the population of the nation's cities, are three times as likely as their male counterparts to live alone after the age of 65, and are primary caregivers for their families at all ages and stages of life. The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, with the International Congress of Women's Health Issues, will host "Cities and Women's Health: Global Perspectives," Wednesday, April 7, through Saturday, April 10, on Penn's campus to examine how urban environments affect their health. The Penn-ICOWHI conference will bring experts in city planning, health policy, public policy, education, sociology, and others from across the globe together to address how health issues facing women are exacerbated by city living. Full release.

Onvia, Inc. (Nasdaq: ONVI) is tracking 2,700 energy efficiency, renewable energy, and transmission upgrade projects kicking off in 2010 as a result of funding in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed into law a year ago. Worth billions, these projects will lay the foundation for a green economy that will fuel job and business growth for years to come. Onvia is the leader in gBusiness solutions and the creator of Recovery.org, a private sector initiative to give businesses transparency into recovery project spending. Full release.

The chief foreclosure expert at USHUD.com and its parent company, Heavy Hammer Inc., warned Thursday that a new Obama administration program taking effect April 5 is rife with problems that will adversely impact real estate professionals and consumers alike, actually encouraging homeowners to walk away from mortgages. First announced by the U.S. Treasury Department in May 2009, the plan promotes short sales as alternatives to foreclosures or loan modifications among struggling homeowners unable to participate in the Making Homes Affordable Program. Under the plan, both lenders and homeowners are provided with financial incentives to seek short sale transactions. Full release.

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