January 13, 2011

It has been widely reported that in July 2010, Arizona stripped away its concealed carry permitting system. Arizona is one of only three states to allow carrying concealed guns with no permit whatsoever (the other two states are Alaska and Vermont). The question arises: how do Arizona's other gun safety laws compare to those in the other 49 states? In September 2010, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a bi-partisan coalition of more than 550 mayors from across America, released Trace the Guns, a report that analyzes Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) crime gun trace data to show how state laws affect how different states supply guns that are used in crime. The coalition's report examined the relationship between state gun laws designed to deter illegal firearms trafficking and a state's crime gun export rate, along with guns with a short time-to-crime. Full release

Hungary faces EU sanctions over its controversial new media law, following action by the main progressive group in the European Parliament in defense of values set out in the Treaty of Lisbon. Martin Schulz, leader of the Parliament's Socialists and Democrats, formally asked the all-party Parliamentary Committee on Civil Liberties to investigate provisions in the new law. The outcome could lead the Parliament to use treaty powers to open a sanctions procedure. Full release

The results of a national telephone survey, conducted by Precision Opinion, of adults 18 and older found very high levels of personal happiness at the end of 2010, despite all the news and rhetoric and somewhat higher levels of optimism going into 2011. "Americans proved themselves to be a resilient lot especially given the state of the economy, the nature of politics, levels of unemployment and the costs of wars, the citizenry clings to happiness and optimism in spite of it all," said James T. Medick, Founder and CEO of Precision Opinion, a prominent market research services firm. Here's the breakdown... Full release

Thousands of Americans will pay tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. this year by using their day off as a day on by volunteering in their communities on Monday, January 17. In celebration of the 25th anniversary of Martin Luther King Day, HandsOn Network, the volunteer arm of Points of Light Institute, and the largest volunteer organization in the nation, is engaging communities across the country in dialogue and service events designed to bridge social, economic and cultural differences. On the eve of MLK Day, Sunday, January 16, 2011, national civic leaders and celebrities will host America's Sunday Supper in Washington, DC at 6:00 p.m. EST. This event will be broadcast live via Livestream at www.HandsOnNetwork.org to millions of homes across the world. Full release

Monster, a world leader in the manufacturing of high-performance headphones and consumer electronics accessories, announced a major Youth Empowerment Initiative for 2011 at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show. The multi-tiered initiative will include a partnership with Nick Cannon and his company Ncredible Entertainment, as well as a new relationship with Dean Kamen in support of the FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics programs. As part of the endeavor with Nick Cannon, Monster will create a unique line of products geared towards empowering young people. A portion of all proceeds from the sales of these products (to be introduced later this year) will go to support the TeenNick™ HALO Awards (Helping And Leading Others). Full release

www.t3motion.com -- T3 Motion, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: TMMM) -- T3 Motion's CEO announced today that the T3 Series' electric, clean-energy vehicle has saved customers over $9 million and reduced CO2 emissions by 12,000 tons since hitting the market in 2007. The T3 Series is currently in use by major police agencies, security companies, college campus safety departments, airport security companies, USPS, and military agencies in 17 countries and is the single most efficient way to transport individuals. Known as an agile, rapid-response vehicle with the ability to turn on a dime, the T3 is an effective force-multiplier, providing a unique omni-presence for patrol officers. Full release

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today its veto of a properly issued, valid Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404 permit for Mingo Logan's Spruce No. 1 surface mine located in West Virginia. This is the first time in history EPA has revoked a previously issued, valid CWA Section 404 permit. The Spruce permit was issued in 2007 after an in-depth 10-year review, including a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement. FACES of Coal notes that the CWA Section 404 regulatory program annually authorizes approximately $220 billion in economic activity. "Today's unprecedented action by the EPA offers more proof that this administration and EPA are paying lip service to the employment and economic challenges this state and our country are facing," said Bryan Brown, West Virginia Executive Director of FACES of Coal. Full release

LIVE from New York City tonight, January 13, 2011 at 6 pm, 106 & PARK in conjunction with BET News will devote an entire episode to "Teen Bullying". 106 & PARK will gather a panel of experts, celebrities, industry insiders and victims to carefully examine the impact of teen bullying among our youth and provide useful, helpful and realistic tips on confronting this issue and becoming empowered. The special will include testimonials from young people from across the country who share their testimonies on how bullying has impacted their lives. There will also be special video testimonies from Jamie Foxx, Keri Hilson, Chrisette Michelle, Lance Gross and many others on the topic of bullying. Full release

Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue: Green Packaging. US demand for recycled content, reusable and biodegradable packaging is projected to exceed $42 billion in 2014. Growth will outpace overall packaging but will be moderated by the maturity of many products and the already-high prevalence of recycled content in paperboard and metal packaging. Advances for green packaging will be driven by the increased prominence of environmental issues as a result of elevated raw material and fuel costs. This has resulted in heightened activity among product manufacturers and packaging companies to offer product lines that reduce costs and that are more environmentally friendly. Full release

ear-over-year wage gains for private sector workers are likely to improve in the coming months, according to the final fourth quarter Wage Trend Indicator™ (WTI) released today by BNA, a leading publisher of specialized news and information. The WTI rose to 97.29 (second quarter 1976 = 100) from 97.00 in the third quarter, marking the second straight gain. Previously, the forward-looking index fell steadily for more than two years. "The labor market continues to improve incrementally, bit by bit," said economist Kathryn Kobe, a consultant who maintains and helped develop BNA's WTI database. "However, there is a large pool of unemployed workers, and overall hiring demand remains far below pre-recession levels," Kobe said. Full release

Christians for Fair Witness on the Middle East is concerned about the demolition of the Shepherd's Hotel to build residential units for Jewish families in an Arab neighborhood in East Jerusalem and once again urges both parties to return to the negotiating table to work out the parameters of a just two-state solution. According to Rev. Dr. Peter A. Pettit of Muhlenberg College, "Cool heads need to prevail. The regrettable action of a notoriously provocative private land owner cannot be allowed to erode further the official relations of Israel and the Palestinian Authority." Dr. Bruce Chilton, Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Religion at Bard College, adds, "Shepherd's Hotel was built in the 1930s by the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. In 1937 the British used it as a military outpost. Jordan occupied and annexed East Jerusalem from 1948 through 1967, during which time the Mufti's proxy took control of the property." Full release

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