Mother's Day And State Department Leave Policy For New Parents
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the proud parents of the State Department. We honor and thank each of you for the sacrifices you have made in order to serve our country while raising your family.
Hillary Rodham Clinton message to all Mothers
I know how challenging it can be to balance the demands of work and family. Whether you're welcoming a new baby, juggling soccer practice and piano lessons, or even helping plan your daughter's wedding - parenting can be more than a full time job.
So today I’m recommitting the State Department to do all we can to support parents, especially new mothers and fathers. We will continue to do all we can to advance paid sick leave to new mothers recuperating from childbirth, family members caring for the mother, as well as those caring for a newborn with a serious ailment or disability, and the employees that are in the process of the adoption efforts that I know can be so difficult.
We will do all we can to support requests for advanced annual leave to care for and bond with a newborn or newly adopted child. Many of you have been taking these steps for years on your own, but I want to encourage all of you to ask for and grant this time - time that I hope will help make you and your families healthier and happier.
We can and should do more to provide public servants with the same maternity and paternity leave benefits that many private sector employers already offer. They’re standard for many other governments around the world. It’s not enough to just talk about the importance of family - our policies must reflect our commitment and our values.
This is something I have worked for over my entire career and I am proud that President Obama shares this goal. And while we work with Congress to take additional steps - steps that are overdue - the State Department will do what we can for you and your families.
Together we are working all over the globe to ensure that children have the health, support and the chance to live up to their God-given potential. Well of course we want the same thing for all the children in the State Department family as well, from Washington to our posts around the world. We say it all the time, but boy we sure do believe it and are reminded of it every day - they are our most precious resource and responsibility.
So once again, thank you to all the parents and I wish all of you a safe and happy Mother’s Day.
###
I know how challenging it can be to balance the demands of work and family. Whether you're welcoming a new baby, juggling soccer practice and piano lessons, or even helping plan your daughter's wedding - parenting can be more than a full time job.
So today I’m recommitting the State Department to do all we can to support parents, especially new mothers and fathers. We will continue to do all we can to advance paid sick leave to new mothers recuperating from childbirth, family members caring for the mother, as well as those caring for a newborn with a serious ailment or disability, and the employees that are in the process of the adoption efforts that I know can be so difficult.
We will do all we can to support requests for advanced annual leave to care for and bond with a newborn or newly adopted child. Many of you have been taking these steps for years on your own, but I want to encourage all of you to ask for and grant this time - time that I hope will help make you and your families healthier and happier.
We can and should do more to provide public servants with the same maternity and paternity leave benefits that many private sector employers already offer. They’re standard for many other governments around the world. It’s not enough to just talk about the importance of family - our policies must reflect our commitment and our values.
This is something I have worked for over my entire career and I am proud that President Obama shares this goal. And while we work with Congress to take additional steps - steps that are overdue - the State Department will do what we can for you and your families.
Together we are working all over the globe to ensure that children have the health, support and the chance to live up to their God-given potential. Well of course we want the same thing for all the children in the State Department family as well, from Washington to our posts around the world. We say it all the time, but boy we sure do believe it and are reminded of it every day - they are our most precious resource and responsibility.
So once again, thank you to all the parents and I wish all of you a safe and happy Mother’s Day.
###
Friday, May 7, 2010
What is National Women's Health Week?
NWHW starts in 2 days!
find events find events
National Women’s Health Week is a weeklong health observance coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health (OWH). National Women’s Health Week empowers women to make their health a top priority. With the theme “It’s Your Time,” the nationwide initiative encourages women to take simple steps for a longer, healthier, and happier life. During National Women’s Health Week, communities, businesses, government, health organizations, and other groups work together to educate women about steps they can take to improve their physical and mental health and lower their risks of certain diseases. Important steps include:
- Getting at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous physical activity, or a combination of both each week
- Eating a nutritious diet
- Visiting a health care professional to receive regular checkups and preventive screenings
- Avoiding risky behaviors, such as smoking and not wearing a seatbelt
- Paying attention to mental health, including getting enough sleep and managing stress
- Send a free e-card.
- Find events in your area.
- Take the National Women's Checkup Day Pledge!
- Join the Woman Challenge!
- View all proclamations.
- Use our interactive screening chart and immunization tool to learn about the tests and vaccines you may need!
Republican Derivatives Amendment Would Not Bring Transparency To The Market
One of the more contentious parts of the financial regulatory reform debate currently occurring on the Senate floor is over derivatives regulation, after Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) surprised many people by offering legislation that not only brings derivatives out of the dark, but would force commercial banks to place their derivatives trading operations under a separate roof that is independently capitalized.
Currently, a lot of derivatives trading occurs “over-the counter,” meaning it’s between two parties, without public information. Lincoln’s bill would place all standardized derivatives trades onto public exchanges (like the stock exchange), so that both investors and regulators can see what is going on in the market. It would also employ clearinghouses to act as the middlemen between trades, ensuring that both parties have sufficient collateral on hand should the deal go bust.
This approach would help to avoid another AIG-type situation, in which a party is making derivatives trades with nothing to back them up. Republicans, however, are not happy with Lincoln’s legislation. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), along with Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Richard Shelby (R-AL), have crafted an amendment that not only gets rid of the exchange trading mandate entirely, but gives regulators vast discretion to exempt trades from going through clearinghouses:
The 218-page Republican amendment differs from the Democratic bill by exempting more end users from requirements to send trades through clearinghouses. It would let regulators decide which derivatives would need to pass through clearinghouses…Unlike the Democratic bill, it would not mandate exchange trading for swaps.According to Shelby, the bill will simply stipulate that “transactions will be ‘made known’ to regulators,” whatever that means.
At its core, the amendment is an attempt to leave the derivatives market as is: opaque, with a lack of information for investors looking for fair prices and regulators looking to enforce the rules. As the Roosevelt Institute’s Mike Konczal wrote, “the first axis by which to judge the financial reform of derivatives is to what degee derivatives are required to trade in clearinghouses…The second axis measures to what degree derivatives are required to trade in exchanges.” The GOP plan fails on both measures.
When it comes to complex financial instruments, the more information that investors and regulators have, the better the market is. The wide use of exchanges and clearinghouses will drive down prices, increase competition, and prevent the huge derivatives market from building up systemic risk.
Even former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson feels this way, telling the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission today that derivatives should be standardized and put on exchanges, and anything that is not standardized should have onerous capital requirements. “Such regulations will encourage standardization, promote transparency, and penalize excessive complexity with capital charges, thereby restoring these products to their proper function — mitigating, not enhancing, risk,” he said.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
There are a dozen videos on the 2008 Banking, Mortgage and Financial Downfall of Wall Street
2008 financial crisis and banksFormer Bear Stearns executives testified about the 2008 collapse of Bear Stearns, financial markets, and the "shadow banking system." They contended that media reports and rumors in financial markets played a large role in the company's demise, but also said that the company had taken on too much risk to handle severe market disruptions. Hearing was joined in progress approximately 7 minutes into the start of the panel.
Programs
Former Bear Stearns executives testified about the 2008 collapse of Bear Stearns, financial markets, and the "shadow banking system." They contended that media reports and rumors in financial .. Read More
233 views2 hours, 38 minutes
Former Bear Stearns executives testified about the 2008 collapse of Bear Stearns, financial markets, and the "shadow banking system." They contended that media reports and rumors in financial .. Read More
33 views
2 hours, 9 minutes
2 hours, 9 minutes
Former federal financial regulators testified about the 2008 collapse of Bear Stearns, financial markets, and the "shadow banking system." Among the topics they addressed were the types of .. Read More
142 views
2 hours, 51 minutes
2 hours, 51 minutes
Criminal Prosecutions for Financial Fraud
Legal experts testified about potential legal means to prosecute Wall Street brokers for fraud when they act against the interests of clients. Following their testimony, Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer testified about Justice Department operations and current Wall Street fraud cases.
County Health rating check out your county in your state
Video: Introducing the 2010 County Health Rankings
Image:
How healthy is your county? What do the Rankings mean? How can you use the Rankings to improve health in your community? Join County Health Rankings researchers and RWJF President and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey for a video spotlight answering these questions and telling the story of how one county used the Rankings to inspire action and improve health.
Snapshot 2010: Lancaster
| Lancaster County | Error Margin | Target Value* | Pennsylvania | Rank (of 67) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health Outcomes | 8 | ||||
| Mortality | 15 | ||||
| Premature death | 6,360 | 6,102-6,618 | 5,962 | 7,465 | |
| Morbidity | 4 | ||||
| Poor or fair health | 11% | 10-13% | 11% | 14% | |
| Poor physical health days | 2.9 | 2.5-3.3 | 2.7 | 3.5 | |
| Poor mental health days | 3.3 | 2.8-3.9 | 2.7 | 3.6 | |
| Low birthweight | 6.2% | 5.9-6.4% | 6.6% | 8.1% | |
| Health Factors | 9 | ||||
| Health Behaviors | 13 | ||||
| Adult smoking | 20% | 17-23% | 18% | 23% | |
| Adult obesity | 27% | 24-31% | 25% | 28% | |
| Binge drinking | 15% | 12-17% | 12% | 17% | |
| Motor vehicle crash death rate | 13 | 12-15 | 12 | 13 | |
| Chlamydia rate | 289 | 80 | 341 | ||
| Teen birth rate | 31 | 30-32 | 17 | 31 | |
| Clinical Care | 4 | ||||
| Uninsured adults | 14% | 12-15% | 10% | 12% | |
| Primary care provider rate | 114 | 148 | 119 | ||
| Preventable hospital stays | 54 | 53-56 | 60 | 81 | |
| Diabetic screening | 87% | 86-88% | 88% | 82% | |
| Hospice use | 48% | 46-51% | 36% | 30% | |
| Social & Economic Factors | 8 | ||||
| High school graduation | 82% | 94% | 83% | ||
| College degrees | 23% | 22-24% | 32% | 26% | |
| Unemployment | 4% | 4-4% | 5% | 5% | |
| Children in poverty | 13% | 11-15% | 11% | 16% | |
| Income inequality | 41 | 39 | 46 | ||
| Inadequate social support | 17% | 14-20% | 16% | 21% | |
| Single-parent households | 7% | 7-8% | 6% | 9% | |
| Violent crime rate | 189 | 110 | 427 | ||
| Physical Environment | 53 | ||||
| Air pollution-particulate matter days | 13 | 0 | 5 | ||
| Air pollution-ozone days | 18 | 2 | 9 | ||
| Access to healthy foods | 43% | 55% | 36% | ||
| Liquor store density | 0.9 | 1.4 | |||
Note: Blank values reflect unreliable or missing data
Snapshot 2010: Polk
| Polk County | Error Margin | Target Value* | Florida | Rank (of 67) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health Outcomes | 34 | ||||
| Mortality | 37 | ||||
| Premature death | 9,204 | 8,911-9,496 | 6,978 | 7,933 | |
| Morbidity | 27 | ||||
| Poor or fair health | 19% | 16-22% | 13% | 16% | |
| Poor physical health days | 3.5 | 2.9-4.2 | 3.0 | 3.5 | |
| Poor mental health days | 3.6 | 3.0-4.2 | 2.8 | 3.5 | |
| Low birthweight | 8.2% | 7.9-8.4% | 7.3% | 8.4% | |
| Health Factors | 46 | ||||
| Health Behaviors | 45 | ||||
| Adult smoking | 22% | 19-26% | 18% | 21% | |
| Adult obesity | 30% | 27-34% | 21% | 24% | |
| Binge drinking | 10% | 8-13% | 8% | 14% | |
| Motor vehicle crash death rate | 28 | 26-29 | 16 | 19 | |
| Chlamydia rate | 344 | 149 | 318 | ||
| Teen birth rate | 72 | 71-74 | 35 | 46 | |
| Clinical Care | 42 | ||||
| Uninsured adults | 24% | 22-26% | 18% | 24% | |
| Primary care provider rate | 66 | 119 | 100 | ||
| Preventable hospital stays | 82 | 80-83 | 52 | 69 | |
| Diabetic screening | 82% | 81-83% | 83% | 80% | |
| Hospice use | 36% | 34-38% | 50% | 44% | |
| Social & Economic Factors | 45 | ||||
| High school graduation | 63% | 75% | 64% | ||
| College degrees | 17% | 17-18% | 30% | 25% | |
| Unemployment | 7% | 7-7% | 4% | 6% | |
| Children in poverty | 19% | 17-21% | 14% | 17% | |
| Income inequality | 42 | 41 | 47 | ||
| Inadequate social support | 24% | 21-28% | 16% | 21% | |
| Single-parent households | 10% | 9-11% | 7% | 9% | |
| Violent crime rate | 519 | 293 | 714 | ||
| Physical Environment | 43 | ||||
| Air pollution-particulate matter days | 4 | 3 | 4 | ||
| Air pollution-ozone days | 4 | 0 | 2 | ||
| Access to healthy foods | 42% | 60% | 50% | ||
| Liquor store density | 0.5 | 0.7 | |||
Note: Blank values reflect unreliable or missing data
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
SenatorMenendezNJ — May 04, 2010 — Senator Robert Menendez discusses his new legislation the Big Oil Bailout Prevention Act which would help ensure that oil companies are not off the hook for economic damages from spills.
DailyPuglet — April 16, 2010 — http://dailypuglet.com : Pug sorts paper from plastic, rides mass transit, swaps carrots for cows and a whole bunch of other stuff that proves being green is totally easy!
** Song is Ray Charles' rendition of Kermit's 'It's Not Easy Being Green' **
Obama Supreme Court pick could come this week
By Patricia Zengerle
Reuters
updated 3:28 p.m. ET, Tues., May 4, 2010
U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens poses for an official photograph with the other Justices at the Supreme Court in Washington, September 29, 2009 file photo. REUTERS/Jim Young
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama could announce his second nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court as soon as this week, administration officials said, although they declined on Tuesday to say how many names were left on his short list of candidates.
Obama has been expected to decide quickly on who he would like to fill the seat being vacated by retiring Justice John Paul Stevens, with critical congressional elections looming in November.
Elena Kagan, the U.S. solicitor general; Diane Wood, a U.S. appeals court judge in Chicago; Merrick Garland, an appeals court judge in Washington, D.C.; and Sidney Thomas, an appeals court judge in San Francisco, are the four names most generally considered as favorites for the pick.
Administration officials have confirmed that all are on Obama's short list of candidates, and that Obama has interviewed at least some of them in person. They had said the short list included about 10 names.
Stevens is the Supreme Court's leading liberal. The Democratic president's pick is not expected to shift the ideological balance of the closely divided court, which now has five conservatives and four liberals.
Republicans have had little to say about any of Obama's potential picks since Stevens announced his retirement last month, which could be a sign that there will not be an intense confirmation battle on Capitol Hill.
White House officials had said they expected a tough confirmation fight with Republicans in Congress, no matter whom Obama nominates.
Stevens is known as a consensus builder whose intellect and persuasiveness have in some cases helped move the conservative-leaning court toward his opinions.
Administration officials say Obama is seeking a liberal of intellectual heft who also possesses consensus-building skills.
Obama has said he wants to announce his pick by the end of May, so the confirmation process can be finished in time for the new justice. He announced his first Supreme Court nominee, then-appeals court Judge Sonia Sotomayor, on May 26, 2009, and she was confirmed in early August.
Other names on Obama's short list are: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano; Martha Minow, the dean of Harvard Law School; Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm; Ann Claire Williams, a judge on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals; and Leah Ward Sears, who retired last year as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia.
Copyright 2010 Reuters. Click for restrictions.
Ex-con Traficant to run for old Ohio House seat
Former congressman served 7 years in jail for racketeering, bribery
DANGER DANGER DOES ANYONE BELIEVE THAT THIS CONVICTED EX CONGRESS PERSON SHOULD BE RE-ELECTED TO HIS HOME REGION. I DO NOT THINK THAT ANY PERSON CONVICTED WHILE IN CONGRESS SHOULD EVER BE ALLOWED TO RUN AGAIN. THAT IS LIKE TELLING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THAT IT IS OKAY TO DO WRONG BECAUSE THEY WILL LET YOU BACK IN. I DO NOT THINK THIS IS THE WAY OUR COUNTRY SHOULD BE RUN.......
Former Rep. James Traficant was convicted of racketeering, bribery and other crimes.
The Associated Press
updated 12:18 p.m. ET, Mon., May 3, 2010
WARREN, Ohio - James A. Traficant Jr., who served nearly two decades in Congress and seven years in prison for corruption, filed petitions Monday to run as an independent in his northeast Ohio home turf.
Trumbull County elections board director Kelly Pallante said Traficant came to the board's offices around 9:30 a.m. to file the paperwork, which will be reviewed by a July 15 deadline.
The seat is currently held by Democrat Tim Ryan, who once worked for Traficant and beat Traficant when the incumbent ran for re-election from prison. There was no immediate comment from Ryan, whose campaign said it was preparing a response.
The 68-year-old Traficant was elected to nine terms in Congress as a Democrat from Youngstown before serving time for racketeering, bribery, obstruction of justice and tax evasion. He left federal prison in September. His conviction does not bar him from running for Congress.
The 17th Congressional District borders were redrawn before Traficant's loss to Ryan. It is now split in two, represented by Ryan and Rep. Charlie Wilson.
Traficant was one of Congress' most colorful members. He was known for a distinctive toupee and hairstyle — Jay Leno called it Washington's worst haircut — and a penchant for Star Trek references, including brief floor speeches typically punctuated with the phrase, "Beam me up."
He routinely railed against America's rivals, imported goods and the Internal Revenue Service, an agency that Traficant wants to eliminate.
He was convicted in 2002 of accepting bribes from businessmen and taking kickbacks from staff members. He then was expelled from Congress, only the second House member since the Civil War to be ousted for unethical conduct.
The trial marked the third time Traficant had represented himself in court. He won acquittal on mob payoff charges in 1983 but lost a U.S. Tax Court case on similar issues in 1987.
He was convicted in 2002 of accepting bribes from businessmen and taking kickbacks from staff members. He then was expelled from Congress, only the second House member since the Civil War to be ousted for unethical conduct.
The trial marked the third time Traficant had represented himself in court. He won acquittal on mob payoff charges in 1983 but lost a U.S. Tax Court case on similar issues in 1987.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Obama wrestles with growing stack of crises
Oil spill, attempted NYC bombing, and court pick add to president's plate
"Safe to say, there is a lot on the president's plate," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday.
By TOM RAUM
The Associated Press
updated 12:34 p.m. ET, Tues., May 4, 2010
WASHINGTON - Unpredictable and tough to solve, the stack of problems on President Barack Obama's desk is growing unwieldy. It's presenting him with a tough juggling act.
Two wars, a financial crisis, lingering high unemployment and an exhausting battle over health care. And that was just the start.
Now throw in an environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and an attempted car bombing in Times Square.
And there are other pressing matters, such as dealing with the increasing menace of Iran's nuclear program, trying to get the Middle East peace process back on track, searching for a new Supreme Court justice and trying to persuade Congress to approve the most sweeping rewrite of financial rules in 70 years.
And there are other pressing matters, such as dealing with the increasing menace of Iran's nuclear program, trying to get the Middle East peace process back on track, searching for a new Supreme Court justice and trying to persuade Congress to approve the most sweeping rewrite of financial rules in 70 years.
And Obama is striving to juggle these problems while he and his party brace for potentially big midterm election losses in November.
"Safe to say, there is a lot on the president's plate," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said at his daily briefing on Monday when pressed by a reporter on Obama's timetable for interviewing and selecting a new Supreme Court justice.
He was stating the obvious.
Obama underscored his multiple challenges in a speech Tuesday designed to be about the economy. In addition, he wound up addressing the Times Square scare, telling his audience of business leaders: "This incident is another sobering reminder of the times in which we live." He also spoke about the oil spill and his push for financial regulation overhaul, and he defended health care.
All modern presidents get bombarded with multiple problems and have to learn to multitask. But Obama seems to be getting more than his share.
"These are coming at him fast. And many are things where it's very hard for him to act. They're not win-win propositions," said Stephen Hess, a presidential scholar at the Brookings Institution who worked in the Eisenhower and Nixon administrations and was an adviser to Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.
"Obama, in a sense, didn't create any of these situations. But the public, as they do with all presidents, holds him responsible for all of them," Hess said.
An oil spill, spewing 200,000 gallons a day into the Gulf of Mexico and threatening major environmental damage as the slick drifts toward a fragile shoreline, comes just weeks after Obama called for expanding oil drilling in the eastern Gulf and for opening drilling areas off the southeast Atlantic seaboard and in Alaska.
The disaster raises serious questions about that initiative.
Obama acted quickly to make a show of federal involvement — a lesson no doubt learned from the Bush administration's sluggish and at times tone-deaf reaction to Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf in 2005.
Still, some of Obama's critics, including some on the political left, have suggested Obama's concern wasn't registered quickly enough.
A public grown highly skeptical of government's capabilities is bound to judge Obama's performance in a harsher light because of President George W. Bush's stumbling.
The challenges have been piling up quickly.
The weekend before last, Obama was in West Virginia at a memorial service for 29 miners killed in a coal mine explosion that is now at the center of an FBI criminal investigation. Suddenly, there was another major explosion to deal with, this one on a deepwater oil rig in the Gulf owned by Transocean LTD and operated by BP PLC. Eleven workers died in that explosion.
Even as Obama talked with reporters about the catastrophe on Sunday during a quickly arranged visit to the Gulf, he found he also had to offer calming words over Saturday's failed car bombing in New York's Times Square.
"What we have here is a situation in which the president of the United States is dealing with a wide variety of problems," said pollster Andrew Kohut, president of the nonpartisan Pew Research Center. "Economic discontent is now being augmented by concerns about what happened in the Gulf and whether we're safe from truck and car bombs.
"I think it adds to a sense of his burden. But I don't think it's going to deal a devastating blow to his image at this point," Kohut said.
The multiple crises weigh on Obama's political calculus as he decides how hard to push his remaining agenda while Democrats still control Congress.
The outlook isn't all gloomy. The elections are still six months off and a lot can happen between now and then.
The economy does seem to be improving, if slowly.
Obama does face a likely confirmation fight in the Senate over his Supreme Court choice. But at least he has a chance to place a second justice on the court. Carter, for instance, never had a single opening on the high court during his one-term presidency.
Some recent events, such as the government's civil fraud suit against giant investment bank Goldman Sachs, could work in Obama's favor on the financial regulation front by helping Democrats to harness voter anger against Wall Street.
The would-be Times Square bombing could have had devastating consequences. But the device failed to detonate. Within days, federal authorities had in custody a Pakistan-born, naturalized U.S. citizen, Faisal Shahzad, 30, on charges that he drove a bomb-laden SUV to mid-Manhattan.
It's still not clear how much environmental damage will result from the Gulf oil spill. But various government agencies appear to be working the problem and BP PLC has given some assurances to shrimpers, oil workers and scores of others that they will be paid for damage and injuries.
Either way, the multiple crises will leave an indelible mark on Obama's presidency, suggested Thomas E. Cronin, a presidential scholar at Colorado College in Colorado Springs.
Many successful presidential candidates like Obama "go to Washington to change the way Washington does business," Cronin said. "The fact is, once you're there, your agenda gets changed and shaped more than you are the shaper. This once again shows that events shape leaders more than leaders shape events."
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|
 | Video: White House |
 Obama: 'We will not be terrorized' President Barack Obama says an investigation into an attempted car bombing at Times Square will seek to determine if a suspect in the case had links to foreign extremist groups. The president also remarked in light of Saturday's failed bombing attempt that the nation "will not be terrorized." |
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