By LINDSEY TANNER l AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner, Ap Medical Writer

Monday, June 29, 2009

The Associated Press

CHICAGO – A surprising number of teenagers — nearly 15 percent — think they're going to die young, leading many to drug use, suicide attempts and other unsafe behavior, new research suggests.

The study, based on a survey of more than 20,000 kids, challenges conventional wisdom that says teens engage in risky behavior because they think they're invulnerable to harm. Instead, a sizable number of teens may take chances "because they feel hopeless and figure that not much is at stake," said study author Dr. Iris Borowsky, a researcher at the University of Minnesota.

That behavior threatens to turn their fatalism into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Over seven years, kids who thought they would die early were seven time more likely than optimistic kids to be subsequently diagnosed with AIDS. They also were more likely to attempt suicide and get in fights resulting in serious injuries.

Borowsky said the magnitude of kids with a negative outlook was eye-opening.

Adolescence is "a time of great opportunity and for such a large minority of youth to feel like they don't have a long life ahead of them was surprising," she said.

The study suggests a new way doctors could detect kids likely to engage in unsafe behavior and potentially help prevent it, said Dr. Jonathan Klein, a University of Rochester adolescent health expert who was not involved in the research.

"Asking about this sense of fatalism is probably a pretty important component of one of the ways we can figure out who those kids at greater risk are," he said.

The study appears in the July issue of Pediatrics, released Monday.

Scientists once widely believed that teenagers take risks because they underestimate bad consequences and figure "it can't happen to me," the study authors say. The new research bolsters evidence refuting that thinking.

Cornell University professor Valerie Reyna said the new study presents "an even stronger case against the invulnerability idea."

"It's extremely important to talk about how perception of risk influences risk-taking behavior," said Reyna, who has done similar research.

Fatalistic kids weren't more likely than others to die during the seven-year study; there were relatively few deaths, 94 out of more than 20,000 teens.

The researchers analyzed data from a nationally representative survey of kids in grades 7 to 12 who were interviewed three times between 1995 and 2002. Of 20,594 teens interviewed in the first round, 14.7 percent said they thought they had a good chance of dying before age 35. Subsequent interviews found these fatalistic kids engaged in more risky behavior than more optimistic kids.

The study suggests some kids overestimate their risks for harm; however, it also provides evidence that some kids may have good reason for being fatalistic.

Native Americans, blacks and low-income teens — kids who are disproportionately exposed to violence and hardship — were much more likely than whites to believe they'd die young.

>>Click here for article link<<

>>Visit SERVE.GOV<<

THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary

Friday, June 19, 2009

On this day in 1865, more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, those who found themselves still enslaved in Galveston, Texas had their hopes realized and their prayers answered. Contrary to what others had told them, the rumors they had heard were indeed true. The Civil War had ended, and they were now free.

General Gordon Granger issued the call with “General Order No. 3” saying “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. “ June 19, or Juneteenth, is now observed in 31 states. Nearly a century and a half later, the descendants of slaves and slave owners can commemorate the day together and celebrate the rights and freedoms we all share in this great nation that we all love.

This moment also serves as a time for reflection and appreciation, and an opportunity for many people to trace their family’s lineage. African Americans helped to build our nation brick by brick and have contributed to her growth in every way, even when rights and liberties were denied to them. In light of the historic unanimous vote in the United States Senate this week supporting the call for an apology for slavery and segregation, the occasion carries even more significance.

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THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary

Tuesday, June 17, 2009

Since taking office, my administration has mounted an extraordinary response to an historic economic crisis. But even as we take decisive action to repair the damage to our economy, we are working hard to build a new foundation for sustained and lasting growth. This will not be easy. We know that this recession is not the result of one failure, but many. And many of the toughest challenges we face are the product of a cascade of mistakes and missed opportunities which took place over the course of decades.

That is why, as part of this new foundation, we are seeking to build an energy economy that creates new jobs and new businesses to free us from our dependence on foreign oil; to foster an education system that instills in each generation the capacity to turn ideas into innovations, and innovations into industries; and, as I discussed on Monday at the American Medical Association, to reform our health care system so that we can remain healthy and competitive.

This new foundation also requires strong, vibrant financial markets, operating under transparent, fairly-administered rules of the road that protect America’s consumers and our economy from the devastating breakdown we’ve witnessed in recent years. It is an indisputable fact that one of the most significant contributors to our economic downturn was an unraveling of major financial institutions and the lack of adequate regulatory structures to prevent abuse and excess. A culture of irresponsibility took root from Wall Street to Washington to Main Street. And a regulatory regime basically crafted in the wake of a 20th century economic crisis – the Great Depression – was overwhelmed by the speed, scope, and sophistication of a 21st century global economy.

>>Click here to read the Full Statement and Regulatory factsheets<<

President Obama announces >>SERVE.GOV<< and the Summer of Service initiative.

Greg Sargent's blog from The Plum Line

Tuesday, June 17, 2009

The Republican National Committee, furious with ABC News for granting the Obama administration airtime to discuss health care, is planning to use its in-house TV studio to air a counter-attack starring GOP members of Congress, according to an internal RNC memo I’ve obtained.

Yesterday, after ABC announced that they would be broadcasting wall-to-wall coverage next Wednesday from the White House featuring Obama answering audience questions about health care, the RNC slammed ABC for planning to air “a glorified infomercial to promote the Democrat agenda.” ABC dismissed the criticism.

Now, however, the RNC is planning to respond — on the air. In a memo sent to GOP press secretaries on the Hill that a source sent over, the RNC wrote:

Next Wednesday, the RNC will make our television studio available, for the entire day, for House and Senate Republicans to conduct satellite interviews with local network affiliates in their home states or congressional districts, including the 211 ABC affiliates nationwide. The RNC will absorb the cost of the satellite time and offer assistance in setting up the satellite interviews with the local affiliates. Republican Members of Congress can use this opportunity to discuss his or her views on health care reform as well as to respond to President Obama’s health care plan.

The RNC TV studio will be available the entire day of June 24th. Please RSVP at your earliest convenience as space is limited.

>>Read the Full Memo Here<<

By Reid Wilson, Staff Writer for The Hill

Monday, June 16, 2009

The Hill

GOP congressional candidates in the notoriously libertarian Mountain West believe they have an issue that could reap electoral gains in 2010 — government spending

Republicans have traditionally portrayed Democrats as big spenders, but with the $700 billion rescue package, a $787 billion stimulus package, rising healthcare costs and a growing tax bill, the GOP thinks, for the first time, that it will be able to make the connection in voters’ minds between spending and taxes that come later.

The 2008 bailout legislation and February’s economic stimulus package stoked a rage among many voters, an anger that showed up on April 15 in the form of hundreds of rallies around the country against what protesters said would be too much taxation.

“It is anger. There is an outright hostility toward the spending taking place in Washington, D.C.,” said Cory Gardner (R), the Colorado state House minority whip who is challenging freshman Rep. Betsy Markey (D-Colo).

>>Click here to read the full article<<

>>Listen to Van Jones talk about Green Jobs for our Commuities<<

Van Jones has been on a crusade to, in his words, "green the ghetto" by killing two birds with one stone: reducing poverty and saving the environment.

Recently appointed as President Obama's special adviser for green jobs, enterprise and innovation, Jones now has an opportunity to implement his vision.

"I've been accused of being the green jobs czar — I consider myself to be the green jobs handyman," Jones tells NPR's Renee Montagne. "We've got about $40 billion in the recovery package that is targeted toward renewable energy, green-job training, energy efficiency, and part of my job is to help to coordinate getting all that money out into the economy, making jobs for people."

>>Read the Full Article<<

Check out this factsheet on Historically Black Colleges and where government dollars are flowing>>HBCU Factsheet<<

The nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) hold a 130-year record of significantly increasing the percentage of black Americans who are able to attend college, effectively creating cohorts of black leadership, and helping achieve economic mobilization of African- American communities.

HBCUs play the critical role of awarding more than 19 percent of bachelor’s degrees earned by African-Americans; graduating 40 percent or more of all African-Americans who receive degrees in physics, chemistry, astronomy, environmental sciences, mathematics and biology; and producing nearly 50 percent of the African-American public school teaching force. Many HBCUs specialize in teaching students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Ensuring their continued success will play an important part in reaching the president’s goal of becoming first in the world in college completion.

>>HBCU Factsheet<<

THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary

Friday, June 12, 2009

THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. I just wanted to give a quick statement about the kids tobacco legislation that passed the Senate yesterday

This bill has obviously been a long time coming. We've known for years, even decades, about the harmful, addictive, and often deadly effects of tobacco products. Each year Americans pay nearly $100 billion in added health care costs due to smoking. Each day about a thousand young people under the age of 18 become regular smokers.

For over a decade, leaders of both parties have fought to prevent tobacco companies from marketing their products to children, and provide the public with the information they need to understand what a dangerous habit this is. And after a decade of opposition, all of us are finally about to achieve the victory with this bill, a bill that truly defines change in Washington.

I'm proud that the House and the Senate have acted swiftly and in an overwhelmingly bipartisan fashion to pass this legislation that will protect our kids and improve our public health. Along with legislation to protect credit card owners from unfair rate hikes, homeowners from mortgage fraud and abuse, and taxpayers from wasteful defense spending, this kids tobacco bill would be the fourth piece of bipartisan legislation that I've signed into law over the last month that protects the American consumer, and changes the way Washington works and who Washington works for.

So I look forward to signing it. I want to thank all the people in the House and the Senate for working so hard to pass this bill in a bipartisan way. And I want to give a special shout-out to my legislative director, Phil Schiliro. He and his team have just done an outstanding job. They've been working on this for a long time, even before they joined the administration. I'm really proud of them.

By Margaret Talev | McClatchy Newspapers

Friday, June 12, 2009

Republicans may have a window of opportunity to turn public opinion against President Barack Obama's first Supreme Court nominee, but a new poll finds that such a campaign could hurt their party's already weak standing with Americans, especially Hispanics, the nation's fastest-growing voter group.

Fully 55 percent of Americans said they hadn't yet heard enough about Sonia Sotomayor to have an opinion of her, according to a new McClatchy-Ipsos poll. That could be the opportunity that Republicans can exploit by attacking her. Even so, 54 percent said the Senate should confirm her, while only 21 percent said it should not, and one in four Americans isn't yet sure.

However, the poll revealed a danger for Republicans: 37 percent of the general population and 42 percent of Hispanics said they'd feel less favorably toward the Republican Party if Senate Republicans "overwhelmingly oppose" Sotomayor, 54, a Latina federal appellate judge from New York.

>>Click here to read the full article<<

James Rankin l NBC

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Health-care reform is obviously a hot topic these days -- and not just on Pennsylvania Avenue. As legislation begins to emerge from Capitol Hill, advocacy groups across the spectrum have turned up the heat in an attempt to sway public and Congressional opinion.

Per the New York Times, the American Medical Association threw down the gauntlet this week with a statement opposing a public-government insurance option. The statement, in the form of comments submitted to the Senate Finance Committee, says such an option “threatens to restrict patient choice by driving out private insurers.”

But the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank, wants you to know that the AMA doesn’t speak for all physicians. Doctors for America, a left-leaning organization of approximately 12,000 doctors, joined CAP today in telling reporters it fully supports a public/government option.

>>Full Article<<

Earlier this week Royal Dutch Shell finally settled the Wiwa v Shell case in a New York court for $15.5 million.

Ken Saro-Wiwa Sr.'s famous last words from the gallows were "lord take my soul but the struggle continues". In this moment, perhaps more than ever before,

we need to heed that call to action.

The settlement in this case brings satisfaction to the families of the executed men for an event that happened 14 years ago. It in no way, shape or form excuses or absolves Shell of their ongoing destruction of the Niger Delta environment.

Shell says they settled the case as a "humanitarian gesture" to the Ogoni. Does anyone really believe that after fighting for more than a decade to keep this out of court, Shell suddenly woke up and felt great compassion for the Ogoni? Please.

The reality is Shell settled because they were scared, and they knew the evidence against them was overwhelming. Read my recent piece on the Huffington Post for more details about and links to the documents Shell didn't want you to see.

One of the central complaints of Ken Saro-Wiwa and Niger Delta communities for forty years has been gas flaring, which sends plumes of toxic pollutants into the air and water of the Niger Delta. Gas flaring endangers human health, harms local ecosystems, emits huge amounts of greenhouse gases, wastes vast quantities of natural gas, and is against Nigerian law.

OIl Change International

By ROBERT PEAR, New York Times Staff Writer

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

WASHINGTON — As the health care debate heats up, the American Medical Association is letting Congress know that it will oppose creation of a government-sponsored insurance plan, which President Obama and many other Democrats see as an essential element of legislation to remake the health care system.

The opposition, which comes as Mr. Obama prepares to address the powerful doctors’ group on Monday in Chicago, could be a major hurdle for advocates of a public insurance plan. The A.M.A., with about 250,000 members, is America’s largest physician organization.

While committed to the goal of affordable health insurance for all, the association had said in a general statement of principles that health services should be “provided through private markets, as they are currently.” It is now reacting, for the first time, to specific legislative proposals being drafted by Congress.

NY Times: Doctors’ Group Opposes Public Insurance Plan

New York, June 10, 2009 – With President Obama’s push for health care reform stirring debate about the costs of a plan, the Diageo/Hotline Poll of 800 registered voters conducted by FD from June 4 – 7, 2009, finds that the majority of voters support a major overhaul of health care.

High Public Support & A Sense of Urgency for Health Care Reform

The Diageo/Hotline Poll finds that 62% of voters support “the President enacting a major overhaul of the U.S. health care system,” with 38% of voters strongly supporting a major overhaul.

High Public Support for Major Overhaul of Health Care--Poll Results

For the most part, support for major reform is strong across the board, though there are differences in support based on partisan affiliation, age, and income levels.

Specifically, one-third (35%) of Republican voters, 64% of Independent voters, and 87% of Democratic voters support a major overhaul of health care.

Among age groups, while a majority all age groups support reforming health care, senior citizens age 65+ are the least supportive, with 56% of them supporting reform.

Likewise, a majority of income categories support reform, but those earning $100K+ in annual income are the least supportive, with 58% supporting reform.

Ryna Grim| HuffPost Reporting

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told the Huffington Post Thursday that a health care overhaul that did not include a public option wouldn't make it through the House because it "wouldn't have the votes."

At a press conference earlier in the morning, Pelosi had been asked if including a public plan that would compete with private insurance was "essential" to health care reform.

"Can you have effective health care reform without a public option?" a reporter asked.

The goal, she responded, was affordability and accessibility. "If you have another way to do that, put it on the table. And that's where we are. Everything should be on the table," she said.

The open-ended answer led some reporters after the press conference to wonder if she was backing off her statement to MSNBC Wednesday that a bill without a public option wouldn't get out of the House.

Not at all, she said. Asked by HuffPost if she would allow a reform package without a public option out of the House, she responded: "It's not a question of allow. It wouldn't have the votes."

The bill would lack the votes because the GOP generally opposes Democratic reform proposals, and the 77 member Congressional Progressive Caucus -- rarely heard from on the Hill -- has been particularly vocal in its commitment to oppose any reform that doesn't include a public option. The public plan's popularity extends beyond progressives and is broadly popular with the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus and even two-fifths of Blue Dogs, the conservative Democratic coalition.

Pelosi, during the press conference, also rejected a compromise proposal by Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) to create private, nonprofit, regional health care cooperatives instead of a national public option.

Pelosi wasn't having it: "Not instead of a public option, no," she said.

Pelosi: Health Care Reform Can't Pass Without Public Option

JUNE 25 --Torture Accountability: Take Action to Stop Torture --

June 25th in Washington, DC, and across the USA !

Salt Lake City, Seattle, Portland, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Anchorage, Pasadena, San Francisco, Washington DC, and Charlotte

Details for Washington DC Rally:

Meet at: John Marshall Park - 501 Pennsylvania Ave NW - Washington, DC Directions: Google Maps ( To View the layout of the Park in 3-D go to : http://www.johnmarshallpark.org/index.html )

When: There will be tabling from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and continuing after rally. To reserve a table please contact us at http://tortureaccountability.web.com/contactus.htm

Rally: Speakers from 11 a.m. to Noon

March: Departs from Rally site at High Noon to the Department of Justice. Some participants may engage in nonviolent civil resistance, risking arrest, if the Attorney General refuses to appoint a Special Prosecutor.

If you wish to sponsor this event or any of the others, or add one to the list of cities participating, please contact us at: http://tortureaccountability.web.com/contactus.htm

Sponsored by: After Downing Street, Code Pink: Women for Peace, Democrats.com, Indict Bush Now, National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance, Progressive Democrats of America, Torture Abolition & Survivor Support Coalition, Veterans for Peace, Washington Peace Center, Witness Against Torture, World Can’t Wait, Amnesty International, US Labor Against the War, Historians Against the War, NJ Peace Action, NJ People’s Organization for Progress, National Accountability Network, We Are Change LA, Action Center for Justice, Peace Action, Consumers for Peace, High Road for Human Rights, BuzzFlash, Individuals for Justice.

NEW YORK (CNN) — President Barack Obama will address the NAACP's centennial convention this summer, the organization announced Tuesday

Obama, the country's first black president, will address the convention on its final day. Attorney General Eric Holder, New York Gov. David Paterson, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Sen. Charles Schumer, Rep. Charles Rangel, retired Gen. Colin Powell and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele will also speak at the convention.

Obama's predecessor, President George W. Bush, faced criticism for refusing to address the organization until his sixth year in office.

The event will take place in July in New York City, where the civil rights organization was founded 100 years ago.

President Obama to address NAACP convention in July

By Rosalind S. Helderman

Washington Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

When they last ran against each other four years ago, Democrat R. Creigh Deeds and Republican Robert F. McDonnell were little-known local politicians who battled to within 323 votes of each other out of 2 million cast in a race for attorney general.

This time, the two men with deep roots in the state will not only battle for Virginia's highest office, but will do so in an election that is expected to draw intense national attention and be viewed as a bellwether for the Democratic Party.

Their 2005 race for attorney general was dominated by law-and-order issues. Now, the campaign will emphasize the serious pocketbook concerns facing Virginia voters and will trace the themes that dominated the primary: jobs, the environment, energy.

Washington Post: Contest Will Play Out on a National Stage in the Fall

Trends in Political Values and Core Attitudes: 1987-2009

Centrism has emerged as a dominant factor in public opinion as the Obama era begins. The political values and core attitudes that the Pew Research Center has monitored since 1987 show little overall ideological movement. Republicans and Democrats are even more divided than in the past, while the growing political middle is steadfastly mixed in its beliefs about government, the free market and other values that underlie views on contemporary issues and policies. Nor are there indications of a continuation of the partisan realignment that began in the Bush years. Both political parties have lost adherents since the election and an increasing number of Americans identify as independents.

The proportion of independents now equals its highest level in 70 years. Owing to defections from the Republican Party, independents are more conservative on several key issues than in the past. While they like and approve of Barack Obama, as a group independents are more skittish than they were two years ago about expanding the social safety net and are reluctant backers of greater government involvement in the private sector. Yet at the same time, they continue to more closely parallel the views of Democrats rather than Republicans on the most divisive core beliefs on social values, religion and national security.

PewResearch: Independents Take Center Stage in the Obama Era

On June 12 – the nation’s full-power television stations will switch to all-digital programming. The transition to digital will free up airwaves for broadband and enhanced emergency communications for our police officers, firefighters, and other first responders.

In February, I worked with Congress to postpone the deadline television broadcasters had to end their analog signals, because it was clear that millions of Americans would have been left in the dark if the conversion had gone on as planned. I directed key members of my Administration to reach out and help Americans, especially those in our most vulnerable communities, to make the switch to digital television.

In the months since then, we have worked hand in hand with state and local officials, broadcasters, and community groups to educate and assist millions of Americans with the transition. The number of households unprepared for digital television has been cut in half. Still, some people are not ready. I want to be clear: there will not be another delay. I urge everyone who is not yet prepared to act today, so you don’t lose important news and emergency information on June 12. And I encourage all Americans who are prepared, to talk to their friends, family, and neighbors to make sure they get ready before it’s too late.

THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary

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Washington, D.C.— Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Whip James Clyburn, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, and Marc Morial, Chairman of the Black Leadership Forum, held a brief press availability at the top of the Speaker’s meeting with the Black Leadership Forum in the Capitol this afternoon. Below are their remarks:

Speaker Pelosi. Good afternoon, thank you all for coming. I’m pleased to welcome the members of the Black Leadership Forum to the Speaker’s office. We’re heading into a period of intense legislative activity as it relates to education, health care, and energy. And we’re here to hear the views of the Black Leadership Forum as this legislation moves forward.

It is an honor for me to welcome so many distinguished guests, and I’m going to yield to Marc Morial, former mayor of New Orleans and the head of the National Urban League.

Click Here to Read the Full Release

The legacy of African-American composers, singers, songwriters, and musicians is an indelible piece of our Nation's culture. Generations of African Americans have carried forward the musical traditions of their forebears, blending old styles with innovative rhythms and sounds. They have enriched American music and captured the diversity of our Nation. During African-American Music Appreciation Month, we honor this rich heritage.

This legacy tells a story of ingenuity and faith. Amidst the injustice of slavery, African Americans lifted their voices to the heavens through spirituals. This religious music united African Americans and helped sustain them through one of the darkest periods in our Nation's history. Years later, spirituals contributed to the advent of a new form of music: gospel. Both styles incorporated elements of African music and were rooted in faith.

The African-American music tradition also reflects creativity and individualism. Blues, jazz, soul, and rock and roll synthesize various musical traditions to create altogether new sounds. Their novel chord progressions, improvisation, and mood showcase individual musicians while also creating a cohesive musical unit. In addition, African-American composers have thrived in traditional genres such as musical theater, opera, classical symphony, and choral music, providing their unique imprint and creatively growing these forms of music. All of these contributions are treasured across America and the world.

Offical Proclamation from the President declaring June African American Music Appreciation Month