January 2011

Former White House National Drug Policy Spokesman, Robert Weiner, and National Security Analyst, James Lewis, in the Honolulu Star Advertiser, assert that the media in the U.S. and around the world have misinterpreted the "release" of Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi. Weiner and Lewis contend that she is not "free" because she cannot run for or win office despite her earlier election (which the junta blocked) as the country's national leader -- and that real change in Burma is only possible if the drug-funded junta is ousted and drug transportation, with Hawaii as a main port, is eliminated. Weiner and Lewis ask, "How free is Suu Kyi? Full release

See video from U.S. Department of State at:

http://www.thenewsmarket.com/Releases/StoryDetailPage.aspx?GUID=d693542a-b71c-4d79-888f-ffd73046ba31&lr=ls

Janice Jacobs, Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs updates on U.S. Citizen Evacuation in Egypt

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The national discussion on civility, borne out of the terrible events in Tucson, demonstrates that many believe the current overheated rhetoric is not working as a means to solve the nation's problems. Policy debates are increasingly fraught with name calling, electioneering, posturing and worse. In action guide, Beyond Civility: From Public Engagement to Problem Solving, to assist local elected officials in creating a framework for civility and democratic governance that encourages governing a community in a participatory, deliberative, inclusive and collaborative way.

For a copy of the guide, go to: http://nlc.staging.10floor.com/ASSETS/B5FAD9F7F4B84A2E93D8DB388FA8C700/RI_CivilityGuide2010_FINAL.pdf (pdf)

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Less sodium, added sugar, and solid fat, and fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables; the government's recommendations about what we should eat have been updated with a few key changes. Every five years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) examine the latest developments in nutritional science and release a new version of their Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This is done to keep them current with new developments in nutritional science. The guidelines serve as the basis for federal food and nutrition programs like the USDA school breakfast and lunch programs. Full release

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced the results of a New York City undercover investigation of gun sales at the Crossroads of the West Gun Show in Phoenix, Arizona. The investigation proves on video how easy it is to obtain firearms with high capacity magazines at gun shows, even for those who tell sellers that they probably couldn't pass a background check. A Glock pistol with a 33-round extended magazine, like the weapon used in Tucson, was legally purchased with no background check - exposing a dangerous gap in our existing federal gun laws. Two other semi-automatic pistols were purchased with no checks even after sellers were told by undercover buyers that they probably could not pass a background check; under federal law the sellers should have stopped the sale. The videos are available at: www.gunshowundercover.org. Full release

Get content from The US European Media Hub, US Department of State at:

http://www.thenewsmarket.com/Releases/StoryDetailPage.aspx?GUID=67ea50f9-f06a-44b9-a550-c9ca36dd555e

The U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Philo Dibble visited Brussels to discuss how to end suppression of opposition voices in Iran. Currently American hikers are being detained in the country without reason. The U.S. sees the human rights situation in Iran deteriorating and is working closely with European counterparts on ways to address human rights situation in the country. Available material includes soundbites. Full release

A new year often brings resolutions and hopes for a new beginning. This year for many Americans the new year seems to have also brought a renewed sense of optimism towards the President, the direction of the country and, to a lesser degree, even Congress. When asked to rate the overall job President Obama is doing, over two in five Americans (44%) give him positive ratings and just over half (56%) give him negative marks. This is better than in December when just 36% gave the President positive marks and 64% gave him negative ratings. These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,566 adults surveyed online between January 17 and 24, 2011 by Harris Interactive. Please note this survey was conducted before President Obama delivered his State of the Union address. Full release

How have race relations in America evolved since the civil rights movement of the 1960's? Was the election of President Barack Obama a milestone in this regard? Did it truly serve as a turning point in America's history of racial inequality? In the newly released issue of Daedalus (http://www.amacad.org/publications/daedalus.aspx), the Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, guest editor Gerald Early and 14 leading humanists examine "Race in the Age of Obama." Through the lens of literature, politics and popular culture, their essays consider both recent progress and setbacks in American race relations. Early, the Merle Kling Professor of Modern Letters and Director of the Center for the Humanities at Washington University in St. Louis, suggests that the national conversation about race today is as significant as it was in the 1960s, "when America seemed on the edge of a brave new world, poised for redefinition and ready to see itself anew." Full release

Get content from U.S. Department of State at:

http://www.thenewsmarket.com/Releases/StoryDetailPage.aspx?GUID=e4f22b82-5651-4af8-bf26-c63aacf00ec6

PSA by Janice Jacobs, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, to help U.S. citizens obtain information on the situation in Egypt. Full release

On Saturday, February 26, more than one hundred bottled waters from around the globe will compete at the award-winning Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting competition. Held in the historic spa town of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, it is the largest water tasting competition in the world. This year six of the entries will be bottled rainwater sponsored by the 501(c)(3) nonprofit American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA - www.arcsa.org). The mission of ARCSA is to promote sustainable rainwater harvesting practices to help solve potable, nonpotable, stormwater and energy challenges throughout the world. Full release

The following is being issued by Mayors Against Illegal Guns: "In December 2005, Seung-Hui Cho was found to present "an imminent danger to himself as a result of mental illness" by a special judge. This should have barred him from owning a gun under federal law, 18 U.S.C. section 922(g)(4), but, because his mental health records were never sent to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System ("NICS"), in March 2007 Cho was able to purchase the guns he used the following month to shoot and kill 32 people at Virginia Tech. Similarly, the Tucson shooter, Jared Loughner, should have been barred from purchasing his shotgun less than a year after he was rejected from enlisting in the army due to drug abuse, but his record was not forwarded to NICS." Full release

The Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs' (OJP) newly created Science Advisory Board will convene its first meeting today in Washington. Created last year, the Board is charged with providing OJP with guidance and recommendations for research, statistics and grant programs, ensuring the programs and activities are scientifically sound and pertinent to policymakers and practitioners. Today's meeting will provide the Board's newly appointed members with information about OJP's mission and goals, and how their participation will enhance the overall impact and performance of OJP's activities in criminal and juvenile justice. In Fiscal Year 2010, OJP, which administers grants on behalf of DOJ, awarded nearly 5,000 grants totaling $2.6 billion to the criminal and juvenile justice field. This funding will be used for research and evaluation programs designed to encourage innovative approaches to prevent and control crime, to assist victims, and to increase the capacity of state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies. Full release

Following is a comment of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Protests in Egypt and Global Internet Freedom: "I join President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton in voicing strong support for the fundamental right of freedom of expression and assembly for the Egyptian people, and in urging the Egyptian Government not to block access to internet communications, including online social media. As the situation in Egypt continues to unfold, I urge all parties to refrain from using violence. The internet - a product of American innovation - is a vital tool for communicating and sharing information and for ensuring the rights and basic freedoms of people everywhere. A free and open internet is essential to ensuring the universal rights of the people of Egypt, and of all peoples, to freedom of expression, confidence in the rule of law, and government that is transparent and accountable to the citizens." Full release

Overstock.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: OSTK) (short cut: O.CO) today applauded the decision by a Federal Court in Colorado enjoining the enforcement of Colorado's new "internet tax notice" law. The controversial law, enacted in 2010, required out-of-state retailers to publish to Colorado purchasers a notice telling them of their obligation to pay Colorado "use" taxes on their purchases. The law also required retailers to report these transactions to the Colorado Department of Revenue at year's end, and to tell Colorado purchases at year's end of their obligations to pay and that the retailers were providing purchase information to the Colorado tax authorities. Full release

In 2010, major Churches of Scientology opened across Europe, North America and Africa. These new Churches are the realization of Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard's vision, where he prescribed the standard and model for all Churches of Scientology to aspire to in becoming what he called an Ideal Organization (Org). Ideal Orgs are built to provide all services of the Scientology religion while also serving as a home for the community at large for the cooperative advancement of the underprivileged and forsaken of every ethnic and denomination. Ideal Orgs are made possible by the contributions of Scientology parishioners dedicated to uplifting their communities and helping their fellow man. Full release

The United States Commission on Civil Rights announces that it has released its report, including statements by Commissioners, on the implications of the Justice Department's actions in the New Black Panther Party (NBPP) case: Race Neutral Enforcement of the Law? DOJ and the New Black Panther Party Litigation: An Interim Report. The interim report has been transmitted to the President and Congress pursuant to the Commission's statute which provides that the Commission "shall submit to the President and Congress at least one report annually that monitors Federal civil rights enforcement efforts in the United States." The report is posted at http://www.usccr.gov/NBPH/USCCR_NBPP_report.pdf. The NBPP case arose when two members of the Party wearing paramilitary uniforms, one of whom was carrying a billy club and yelling racial epithets, stood outside a Philadelphia polling place on the day of the general election in November 2008. The incident was caught on video, posted on YouTube, and played on news stations. Full release

Following are the comments of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) on USDA's announcement Thursday that the agency will completely remove current regulations that limit use of genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa, a key commodity in dairy farming, including organic dairy farming, making alfalfa the first perennial GE crop approved for widespread planting. Leahy and DeFazio have led congressional efforts to limit the threat to organic farmers of widely introducing "Roundup Ready" genetically engineered alfalfa. The two lawmakers last June headed a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, asking that alfalfa's regulated status be retained in USDA's pending rulemaking on GE alfalfa. Leahy and DeFazio also are the co-authors of the 1990 legislation that created the national organic standards and labeling program and continue to champion the growth and success of the U.S. organic industry. Full release

For the first time ever, the SPIEF website, www.forumspb.com, streamed a live broadcast from Davos, Switzerland, of a Plenary Session featuring Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, and a special session organized by the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and the World Economic Forum, which included Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev addressed the participants of the World Economic Forum (WEF) at the opening plenary of its Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on 26 January 2011. President Medvedev's address focused on those issues that are reshaping and redefining the global community. It also highlighted how Russia is responding to these challenges - with a special emphasis on the importance of cooperation with international partners. Full release

Lisa A. Rickard, president of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, issued the following statement regarding Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's signing of comprehensive legal reform legislation earlier today: "All across the United States, governors and state legislatures are considering important civil justice reforms that will help promote job creation and rein in excessive litigation. Today in Wisconsin, the first of those 2011 reforms was signed into law. We commend Governor Walker and the Wisconsin Legislature for their leadership in advancing legal reform. We strongly encourage other states to follow Wisconsin's lead and we stand ready and willing to work with governors and state legislatures to advance commonsense, pro-jobs legal reform measures." Full release

Independent eye tracking research reveals that while advertisers benefit from the top three paid positions on both Google and Microsoft's Bing, Google attracts more visual attention to these links than Bing. This research follows an initial study conducted just days after Bing was launched in 2009. User Centric, Inc., a user research and design firm based in Chicago, captured participants' eye movements using eye tracking technology during informational and transactional searches to compare the amount and distribution of attention on Bing and Google search result pages. Full release

Starting this year, more than 10,000 baby boomers a day will turn 65. As these baby boomers age, one of out of eight of them will develop Alzheimer's - a devastating, costly, heartbreaking disease. Increasingly for these Baby Boomers, it will no longer be their grandparents and parents who have Alzheimer's - it will be them. "Alzheimer's is a tragic epidemic that has no survivors. Not a single one," said Harry Johns, President and CEO of the Alzheimer's Association. "It is as much a thief as a killer. Alzheimer's will darken the long-awaited retirement years of the one out of eight baby boomers who will develop it. Those who will care for these loved ones will witness, day by day, the progressive and relentless realities of this fatal disease. But we can still change that if we act now." Full release

To coincide with World Cancer Day 2011, on 4 February, the Africa Oxford Cancer Foundation (AfrOx) and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) are working together to raise international awareness of the growing problem of cancer in Africa. AfrOx and ESMO are launching the 'Cancer in Africa: the Runaway Train' video, seeking to galvanise the global community to stop the train and prevent as many cancer deaths as possible ( http://www.afrox.org/cancerprevention4africa). In addition to the video, AfrOx and ESMO are launching a series of cancer prevention awareness posters for African countries (free to download at http://www.afrox.org/cancerposters or http://www.esmo.org) with the aim of developing a template for low-cost cancer awareness and prevention programmes that can be replicated in other developing countries. Full release

The chairman of the Black Alliance for Educational Options, Kevin P. Chavous, today joined with BAEO's president, Kenneth Campbell, in denouncing the conviction of Akron mother Kelley Williams-Bolar. Ms. Williams-Bolar was convicted and sentenced to prison for sending her children to a better public school. Mr. Chavous and Mr. Campbell today issued the following statement: "We are outraged at the circumstances that led to the prosecution and conviction of Kelley Williams-Bolar. As reported in the Akron Beacon Journal, Williams-Bolar was found guilty and sentenced severely for an act that defied the strict letter of the law but does not defy reason. She sent her daughters to schools outside her district of residence." Full release

Gray Area Foundation for the Arts (GAFFTA), a civic-minded nonprofit focused on building an appreciation for and participation in digital culture, has launched Gray Area’s Seaquence - an online "social artwork" experiment that allows anyone to explore and build an ecosystem of musical lifeforms while simultaneously making a donation to support the burgeoning digital arts community. Gray Area's Seaquence is a browser-based sequencer - a device designed to play back musical notation - that allows donors to create music-making "seaquences" through individual compositions. Each "seaquence" is given a unique visual and musical DNA (affecting "waveform, octave, scale, melody, envelope, and volume," as this demo explains), and is then added to a constellation view that serves as a global "donor wall." Full release

House Republicans are misrepresenting California's experience with medical liability limits to argue for legislation, HR 5, that would take away the rights of patients injured by medical negligence. Consumer Watchdog sent a letter to the bill's author, House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith, today and called on him to set the record straight. "California is the only state in the nation where the impact on medical malpractice insurance premiums of both strong insurance rate regulation and strict medical liability limits can be directly compared. Legislation you introduced this week that would severely limit the rights of patients who are victims of medical negligence relies on incontrovertible errors in your understanding of California's experience," wrote Carmen Balber, Washington DC director for Consumer Watchdog. Full release

An internal report obtained by the Associated Press reveals that soon-to-be proposed rules affecting surface and underground coal mining nationwide will cost thousands of jobs across the country. The job and production losses are outlined in an Office of Surface Mining (OSM) Reclamation and Enforcement document. The rules are supposed to replace Bush-era regulations, which the agency never implemented. The OSM has submitted the proposal to coal producing states for their feedback before it finalizes any new regulations. The proposal - part of a draft environmental impact statement - would affect coal mines from Appalachia to Alaska. Full release

Apps42, Ltd. announces the release of CongressVotes 112, the 2.0 version of its Government Transparency Series. CongressVotes is designed as the go-to resource for involved citizens as well as legislators, legislative staff, and lobbyists on Capitol Hill. Updated throughout the day, this feature-rich app combines lawmakers, all legislation, and voting records with title keyword searches for the 112th U.S. Congress. Apps42 has also just released CongressVotes 111, a free app which provides a historical perspective to the 111th Congress. It's a great way to test drive the shared features of the current CongressVotes 112 app. Full release

Founder of Public Transportation Safety International Corporation (PTS), Mark B. Barron is introducing an affordable new solution to eliminate the danger zone gap surrounding the rear dual wheels of school buses: The Minimize Danger Zone Shield (MDZ SHIELD). The "danger zone" refers to the area extending 10 feet to the front, rear, and side of the school bus, where children are at most risk of being hit by passing vehicles--or even being run over by their own bus. There have been over 55 tragic child fatalities (not including serious or catastrophic injury) due to the right, rear danger zone over the past 10 years, an area in which the U.S. Department of Transportation notes the highest number of fatalities. Barron was stunned that there had not yet been a resolution. Full release

In the aftermath of the Tunisian revolution, and the beginning of a popular uprising in Egypt, more than 2,200 Arab scholars, politicians, and activists — from over 20 Arab countries — issued today an "URGENT APPEAL" for the defense and consolidation of human rights and democracy in the Arab World. "The Casablanca Call has been endorsed by leading thinkers and politicians from the Arab World, from all political leanings and persuasions, from the leftists and secularists to moderate Islamists and the Muslim Brotherhood, agreeing that democracy and human rights are an 'absolute necessity' for the Arab world today," sais Radwan Masmoudi, President of the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID), and convener of the Casablanca Conference on Human Rights and Democracy. Full release

International leaders attending the World Economic Forum in snow-covered Davos, Switzerland, are embracing the new perspective of the Global Adaptation Institute (www.globalai.org) that puts "adaptation" at the center of world climate policy. Institute CEO, Dr. Juan Jose Daboub, former Managing Director of the World Bank, speaking to journalists at the conference said: "Some of the world's most prominent private sector leaders have told me privately - and all conversations at Davos are private - that they are 'stunned' by the speed with which a change is taking place on the climate issue, toward adaptation, and they are rushing to re-examine how their businesses will approach climate change, both in terms of corporate social responsibility efforts and as a bottom-line, profit and loss factor for their enterprises. At the Institute, we predicted the new reality, then we saw it unfolding on the ground at the Cancun summit: that adaptation to climate change was about to shift to center stage." Full release

The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute applauds President Obama for announcing during his State of the Union speech Tuesday night that he is committed to investing in American education, biomedical research, and clean energy. "This tells us that the president understands the basic political, social, and economic importance of having healthy people on a healthy planet," says Henning Bloech, GREENGUARD's executive director. "Healthy people are better equipped to learn, excel, and innovate, which gives us a competitive edge in the growing global marketplace. The problem, of course, is that we can't have healthy people on a healthy planet when we and our children are constantly exposed to hazardous chemicals." Full release

Taken together, the fiscal policies President Obama outlined in his State of the Union (SOTU) address would increase federal expenditures by more than $20 billion, but a lack of detail in many parts of the speech significantly obscures the actual price tag. That's the conclusion of the National Taxpayers Union Foundation's (NTUF) line-by-line SOTU analysis. President Obama's speech hinted at tax reform and spending restraint, but also opened the door to tax increases and major spending initiatives," said NTUF Senior Policy Analyst Demian Brady. "This leaves taxpayers wondering not only whether the federal budget deficit is headed upward or downward, but also by how much." Full release

If Congress and the White House intend to move forward with a "clean energy standard" (CES), it will be a huge contradiction to include nuclear reactors and coal-fired power plants, according to three experts. In the wake of President Obama's State of the Union address embracing CES, the experts pointed to a long list of unresolved waste, water and proliferation risks associated with nuclear power, and unresolved problems with commercially untested "carbon capture & storage" (CCS) for coal-fired power production. Dr. Alan Lockwood, professor of nuclear medicine and neurology, University of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, and past president of Physicians for Social Responsibility, said: "We must guarantee that policy decisions we make are based on the full range of health and environmental impacts of our decisions as we devote scarce private and public resources to meeting our needs for electric power." Full release

The Health Coalition on Liability and Access today commended President Obama for his support of medical liability reform and his willingness to work with Republicans and Democrats in the Congress to fix our nation's broken medical liability system. The group now calls on Congress to enact comprehensive medical liability reform laws that have a proven track record of success. Last night, in his State of the Union address, President Obama said, "Still, I'm willing to look at other ideas to bring down [health care] costs, including one that Republicans suggested last year: medical malpractice reform to rein in frivolous lawsuits. The HCLA applauds the president for his leadership and support of medical liability reform, and stands ready to work with Congress and the Administration to pass federal legislation to stop medical lawsuit abuse," said HCLA Chair Mike Stinson. Full release

In reaction to President Obama's Jan. 25 State of the Union address, Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today issued the following statement on his proposal to review and repair government regulations that place an unnecessary burden on businesses: "Mr. President, the nation's construction industry is prepared to hold you to your word," said 2011 ABC National Chairman Michael J. Uremovich, president of Great Lakes Energy Consultants, LLC, Manhattan, Ill. The construction industry has been hard hit by the economic downturn with an unemployment rate of 20.7 percent - more than twice the national average," said Uremovich. "Unnecessary and burdensome regulations have stifled the industry's recovery and its ability to grow. The president must now make the necessary changes to federal regulations and the rulemaking process to get construction workers back to work." Full release

This Black History Month BET and CENTRIC will pay tribute to the range and richness of the African American experience with a lineup of programming celebrating the cultural contributions of black America. The carefully curated lineup of thought-provoking black films, BET News specials and compelling original programming include: the 4th Annual BET HONORS; the Network movie premiere of Tyler Perry's "Daddy's Little Girls," "Cadillac Records," "Mr. 3000" and "Sounder"; and, new 106 & PARK and BET NEWS joint project MODERN BLACK HISTORY HEROES. Full release

Indicative of the growing movement toward digital textbooks, Florida has approved the Discovery Education Science Elementary Techbook for Florida for classroom use. Florida joins Indiana, Louisiana and Oregon in adopting Discovery Education's digital science service as the core instructional resource for elementary science instruction. These approvals, through state textbook adoption processes, empower educators with dynamic digital resources that meet the evolving learning styles of today's students. Supporting the creation of 21st Century learning environments, the Discovery Education Techbook leverages children's natural interest in technology to ignite a love of science. Full release

Astronaut and former NASA Langley Research Center engineer Leland Melvin will celebrate Black History Month at Hampton's Virginia Air & Space Center, Feb. 12, along with two other athletes, members of an historic air squadron and a robot. Melvin, a Lynchburg native and University of Richmond graduate who started his career as a wide receiver in the National Football League, is currently NASA's Associate Administrator for Education. Joining him will be major league and Old Dominion University baseball legend and Hampton native Wayne Gomes; former York County resident and Virginia Tech and pro football player Bryan Randall; World War II pilots from the Tidewater Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen; and Sprockit the Robot. Full release

Ongoing macroeconomic and sovereign-related issues still have a lot of room to run in 2011, according to the sixth annual North American Distressed Debt Market Outlook Survey released today by Debtwire, Bingham McCutchen LLP and Macquarie Capital. While equity markets are offering attractive opportunities, distressed plays still exist if you look in the right places. Nonetheless, 78% of respondents to this survey are cautious and do not plan to increase their distressed debt allocation in 2011. "Despite the moderate economic recovery anticipated by most economists, investors will continue to stress the downside when evaluating investment opportunities," said David Miller, a managing director at Macquarie Capital. "Lingering concerns about unemployment, housing, and the European sovereign debt crisis will cause investors to remain cautious and focus on the ability of companies to withstand additional economic shock." Full release

In anticipation of today's Senate and House hearings over the final report by President Obama's National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, oilfield operations expert Phil Rae warns that fundamental mistakes made in the panel's findings threaten to undermine efforts to ensure such a tragedy never occurs again: "After $6 million dollars, 6 hearings, and seven months, the cause of the April 20th blowout laid out in the commission's report varies little from the one initially proposed by BP. It's a theory that still fails to explain all documented observations and known facts. More troubling though, the commission's 398-page report contains several claims that are factually incorrect." Full release

Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN), world leader in innovative workforce solutions, today announced at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, the dawn of a new world era; the Human Age. Manpower Inc. Chairman & CEO, Jeffrey A. Joerres kicked off the WEF with the announcement, followed by a panel discussion with CNBC, "Entering the Human Age - unleashing and leveraging human potential in the new reality" with moderator Frank Brown, Dean of INSEAD and co-panelists Don Tapscott, Chairman of Moxie Insight and best-selling author of Macrowikinomics, Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Confederation of Trade Unions, Kris Gopalakrishnan, CEO and Managing Director of Infosys, and Jim Quigley, CEO of Deloitte. Full release

These 2011 awards highlight the top ten most Dubious Polls of 2010 which could reasonably be called the Year of Polling Dangerously. Or, more to the point, the Year of Polling Ridiculously. By either name, the media ethics project, sponsored by the Art Science Research Laboratory in New York—and its resident expert on polling, David W. Moore—has released the Third Annual Top Ten "Dubious Polling" Awards. The ten results are not pretty. But they are pretty funny. (Better to laugh than cry at the polling inaccuracies). Take, for example, the 10th-place finisher, Pew Research's Social and Demographic Trends Project, which received the "Sour On Romance" Award. Pew would have us think that marriage is so over in America because their polling found that the numbers of American adults saying "marriage is obsolete" has increased by 11 percentage points since 1978. Full release

The Michigan Alliance for the National Children's Study (MANCS) today announced the launch of the National Children's Study (NCS) in Wayne County. Wayne County is the first of five Michigan counties to participate in what is the largest long-term study of children's health in the U.S. The study will document the effects of the social and physical environment on children's health from pregnancy to age 21. 100,000 families nationwide will participate in the study. Wayne County is one of 30 national vanguard sites selected to test various recruitment methods to enroll women who are pregnant, or considering becoming pregnant in the near future. Full release

Accents are a funny thing. Certain ones prompt stereotypical thought, which might be why people often deny having an accent. Yet, when asked about various attributes, Americans living in the East, Midwest and South all give more flattering responses about the accents from their areas than do adults from elsewhere. These are some of the results of The Harris Poll® of 2,331 adults surveyed online between December 6 and 13, 2010 by Harris Interactive®. When asked to think about hearing various accents half of adults say they think speakers with a Southern accent are nice (49%), two in five say the same for speakers with a Midwest accent (40%), one in five say those with a British accent or New England accent are nice (19% and 18%, respectively) while less than one in ten say so for speakers with a New York City accent (7%). Full release

American Humane Association, the nation's voice for the protection of children and animals, tonight commended President Obama for his continued commitment to addressing Americans' basic needs -- even in a time of budget cutting and deficit reduction -- and urged lawmakers to put vulnerable children and families first when setting legislative and budget priorities in the 112th Congress. "The economic crisis has pushed millions of children and families to the brink," said Sonia Velazquez, Senior Vice President, Child Welfare for American Humane Association. "Nothing will do more to brighten our long-term economic outlook than making sure that the programs, policies and tools are in place for those families to return to stability and move on to success. Full release

Coinciding with President Obama's State of the Union Address, two key health leaders reinforced the fact that adequate federal Medicare funding in the face of a historic and ongoing state Medicaid funding crisis is crucial for long term and postacute care providers, the nation's second largest health care employers. "Stable, adequate Medicaid and Medicare funding are the twin pillars upon which quality seniors' care and a strong U.S. jobs and economic base rest -- and we are ready, willing and able to work with Congress and the President to do our part in helping revitalize America's economy," stated Governor Mark Parkinson, President and CEO of the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), and Alan G. Rosenbloom, President of the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care. Full release

Teamsters Joint Council 25 endorsed Rahm Emanuel today for Chicago mayor, citing extensive polling that indicates majority support from union members and city residents. "After extensive outreach to our members who live and work in Chicago, it's clear Rahm Emanuel is the choice for Teamsters in Chicago," said John T. Coli, President of Joint Council 25. "We're ready to support his candidacy at all costs and ensure Chicago gets the mayor we urgently need." Just one day prior to the Teamsters' endorsement, Emanuel's candidacy faced a significant challenge when Illinois' appellate court ruled he did not meet residency requirements to remain on the ballot. Emanuel had previously won two rulings on the matter—before the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners and a Cook County judge. Full release

On January 23rd, in Sacramento, California the most critical component of the new Aegis and Aegis Ashore Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block 1B missile was successfully tested from end to end. The SM-3 Block 1B is the key interceptor missile for President Obama's Missile Defense of Europe and the PAA. Ellison offers his comments and observations on the significance of that test and those achievements. Ellison is one of the top experts in the country in the field of missile defense. His comments are the following:"On the outskirts of Sacramento, California late on Sunday night, January 23rd, the most critical component of the new Aegis and Aegis Ashore Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IB missile, the Throttle Divert and Attitude Control System (TDACS), was successfully tested end to end." Full release

Today Texans For A Sound Energy Policy (TSEP) filed formal legal contentions with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) urging denial of Exelon's application for an Early Site Permit (ESP) for a proposed nuclear power plant site south of Victoria, Texas. The filing of these contentions will set the stage for a formal legal hearing on TSEP's contentions regarding the site. The voluminous contentions filed by TSEP provide an unprecedented level of detailed scientific analysis of the serious water, environmental, endangered species and site safety concerns surrounding the proposed Victoria County site that render it unsuitable for a nuclear power plant. Full release

Mayors Against Illegal Guns today announced that Daniel Hernandez, the hero intern who first cared for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords after she was shot, supports the mayors' proposal to fix the national gun background check system. Mr. Hernandez will visit City Hall in New York and be congratulated by Mayor Bloomberg for his heroism. The coalition of over 550 mayors published an open letter to President Obama and Congress about the proposal in today's Washington Post, on page A16. The open letter is available here: www.FixGunChecks.org/printad and the full plan is available at www.FixGunChecks.org. Full release

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