CLIMATE DEBATE GOING FORWARD?: An exciting and tumultuous time, fraught with inherent risk if we do not act boldly today, decisively in our Era

Code Pink activist at the Peoples Climate March New York City, September 20, 2014
photo: abhi ahmadadeen/BMLTV©

(BMLTV) NEW YORK CITY, September 24, 2014 - We live, work, and exist in an exciting, tumultuous time which poses many current and future risks and threats to our well-being, ability to thrive and prosper; and thus far we don't seem to have had the political will to mobilize an effective strategy against a great deal of these risks and threats to our society. In particular, most - nearly all - experts agree now that the largest threat to our current and future well-being as a species as well as the stability of the entire biosphere climate is in fact humanity's influence on climate change.

Ebola Outbreak: 6 Nonprofits team up to fill a 737 with 15,000 pounds of medical supplies

Emergency medical supplies from Direct Relief loaded onto 737 charter flight for Liberia. Photo: prnews/Direct Relief

(PRN/USN) FORT WORTH, Texas, August 25, 2014 - In collaboration with Airlink and Fort Worth-based ATX Air Services, LLC, Direct Relief today loaded a charter jet with emergency supplies bound for health workers on the frontlines of the Ebola epidemic in Liberia. This shipment, which includes several thousand pounds of urgently requested gloves, masks, gowns, and other medical resources, follows five others from Direct Relief to the region.

U.S. Postal Service honors groundbreaking singer Janis Joplin on limited-edition Forever Stamp

The U.S. Postal Service unveiled the Limited-Edition Janis Joplin Forever stamp at the Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco on August 8, 2014.

photo:prnewsfoto/u.s. postal service

SAN FRANCISCO, August. 11, 2014 - The U.S. Postal Service on August 8th. added legendary singer Janis Joplin to its Music Icons Forever Stamp series during a first-day-of-issue ceremony at the Outside Lands Music Festival at Golden Gate Park.

Alarm over post-Haiyan evacuation center shortage

Shelter Relief for survivors of Typhoon Haiyan, which struck the Philippines in November 2013, has been limited in some areas. photo: ana p. santos/IRIN©
 
(IRIN) MANILA, June 23, 2014- A shortage of viable evacuation centres in areas hit by Typhoon Haiyan (locally named Yolanda) has humanitarians and officials in the Philippines concerned that survivors will not have alternative accommodation in case of another one. The typhoon season usually lasts from June to November.

Soldiers in schools: The impact of military occupations on education

Female student leaves al-Furadh School at the end of the day in Yemen. Soldiers relax outside the school walls. They lived in third-floor classrooms for several months. priyanka motaparthy/Human Rights Watch©

 
(IRIN) BANGKOK, June14, 2014 - Schools are targeted in conflicts around the world - they might represent ideas viewed as controversial, the destruction of a civilian building that is important to a community inflicts terror, and a school reduced to rubble can rob an entire generation of education. But attacks are only part of the problem, as significant harm can also be done when educational buildings remain intact and armed forces move in.

Displaced CAR youths in Chad desperate for school

A volunteer teacher holds a class under the trees in Doyaba transit camp in Sarh, southern Chad, May 2014. Some 3,200 primary and pre-primary school age children are enrolled in the school, set up by displaced teachers from CAR.

photo: gnata salomon yngamaye/UNICEF©

 
(IRIN) DOYABA/SIDDHO/N’DJAMENA, May 27, 2014 - Some 40,900 children and thousands more youths displaced by the violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) are stuck in transit camps in southern Chad with no formal school to attend, few to no training opportunities, and no jobs, leaving them with no sense of what the future will bring.

IU, Paradigm team up to test genomic sequencing for women with aggressive form of breast cancer

(PRN) INDIANAPOLIS, May 20, 2014 - Indiana University cancer researchers are testing whether therapy incorporating advanced genomic technology will provide better outcomes than current treatments for those with an aggressive form of breast cancer.

Chasing bullets in the DRC

An investigator with the NGO, Conflict Armaments Research, sifts through bullets left behind at an armed group's base, after the DRC national army over ran the position in the Virunga National Park. photo: guy oliver/IRIN©
 
(IRIN) VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, May 13, 2014 - Her job is to track and trace small arms and ammunition in Africa’s conflict zones.

Global sugar demand leaves Cambodian farmers landless

A farmer cuts sugar cane at a plantation of Srei Ambel, Koh Kong, Cambodia. Thousands of people have been forced off their land to make room for sugar production, activists say.
photo: thomas cristofoletti/IRIN©

 
(IRIN) PHNOM PENH, May 12, 2013 - Song Kong, a 56-year-old farmer in Cambodia's southern Koh Kong Province, vividly recalls the day in 2006 when a bulldozer arrived and began clearing his paddy field to make room for a sugar plantation. Since then, life has become much worse for him and 456 other families who also lost their land in Sre Ambel District.

Blacks in U.S. more likely to receive unnecessary and dangerous surgical blood transfusions, UAlbany study finds

Overuse of blood transfusions, a study concluded, may pose serious health risks, specifically in black patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery and total hip replacement surgical procedures. photo: abhi ahmadadeen/BMLTV©

(PRN/USN) ALBANY, N.Y., May 9, 2014 - Black patients in the United States are more likely to receive perioperative red blood cell (RBC) transfusions for two of three frequently performed surgical procedures, posing a risk for favorable outcomes, a study by University at Albany School of Public Health researcher Feng Qian finds.

Drug policy shift no panacea for victims of the war

Mexican woman points gun in light of showing no fear in order to protect herself in the midst of the drug war in her region.  photo: nacho betancourt©
 
(IRIN) NEW YORK, May 9, 2014 - Easing up on drug prohibition will not solve the plight of the thousands of people displaced by the drug wars in Colombia, Mexico and other countries.

Mental health woes for southern Thai women

Two women outside their home in southern Thailand. Many women have been impacted by the conflict and in need of social support. photo: contributor/IRIN© 

(IRIN) PATTANI, April 30, 2014 - Activists and academics in southern Thailand are calling for improved assistance, including mental health services, for women affected by the decade-long armed conflict between government forces and Muslims seeking greater autonomy.

Attempt murder suspect, Alfred Tapia, taken into custody

LACSD press conference regarding the apprehension  Alfred Tapia.
photo: lacsd

(BMLTV) LOS ANGELES, April 18, 2014 - In December 2013, 34-year-old Alfred Tapia, a known gang member from the Whittier area of Los Angeles County had been identified as being responsible for three separate vicious stabbing attacks in the cities of Pico Rivera, Whittier, and Chino.

Women paying the price: Latin America drug wars

Caught between the  Drug War, two women  die from apparent gunshot injuries.  

photo: felix marquez/AP

 
(IRIN) NEW YORK, April 15, 2014 - As growing numbers of women languish in Latin American jails on drug-trafficking charges, their role in organized crime is under the spotlight - as is the prison system that incarcerates them, and the patriarchal society that appears to be failing them.

New US Farm Bill provides hope for food aid reform

Men unload sacks of rice to store in the World Food Program warehouse in Gao, Mali. The rice is used to respond to emergency food and nutritional needs in conflict-affected areas, such as Gao in northern Mali, which fell under occupation of armed groups in 2012.
tanya bindra/IRIN©

(IRIN) NEW YORK, April 14, 2014 - Efforts to improve the way the US government distributes roughly US$2 billion in international food aid each year achieved some successes in the recently enacted Agriculture Act of 2014 - commonly referred to as the Farm Bill - but the food aid mechanism used by the world’s largest donor continues to prioritize the needs of US commercial interests.

Rebuilding in Jakarta: learning what works

Tracks of houses in the slums outside of Jakarta, jammed close together up against a public dumping area. jefri aries/IRIN©
 
(IRIN) DAKAR, April 8, 2014 - A whole industry has emerged to foster humanitarian learning and, in the main, actors are increasingly collaborative and open when it comes to learning lessons from emergencies.

Growing up in war - the DRC's child soldiers

Pictured is a  boy at  the age of 11-years-old when he became a child soldier with an armed group. photo: guy oliver©/IRIN

(IRIN) KIWANJA (NORTH KIVU PROVINCE), April1, 2014  - When he was seven Dikembe Muamba* became a soldier on the orders of his uncle, a chief in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) North Kivu Province.

Leading organizations team up with Avon Foundation Global Ambassador Fergie to launch initiative which addresses gender-based violence

Avon Foundation Global Ambassador Fergie in Washington, D.C. where she announced the new Justice Institute on Gender-Based Violence with the Avon Foundation, Vital Voices, and the U.S. State Department on March 20, 2014. photo: prn

(PRN) WASHINGTON, D.C., March 22, 2014 - The Global Partnership to End Violence Against Women, a collaboration of Vital Voices Global Partnership, the Avon Foundation for Women and the U.S. Department of State, this week presented a new initiative to address gender-based violence: the Gender-Based Violence Emergency Response and Protection Initiative.

Ukraine clouds global food price forecasts

The US Grain Council said in a recent statement that shipments from the Ukraine, which exports to North Africa, the Middle East and China, are “becoming increasingly difficult”.
photo: courtesy of usda nrcs

(IRIN) JOHANNESBURG, March 20, 2014 - The political crisis in Ukraine, the world’s third biggest exporter of maize, could affect global prices of the grain and global reserves in the 2014-2015 season, say experts.

Malaysia Airlines MH370 Flight carrying 239 persons is missing

Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777. photo: malaysia airlines
 
(BMLTV) MALAYSIA, March 8, 2014 - Malaysia Airlines released a statement saying that Subang Traffic Control (ATC) has lost contact with one of their flights MH370.

“We regret to announce that Subang Traffic Control (ATC) lost contact with flight MH370 at 2:40 am today”. " The Airlines went on to say that they are currently working with international authorities on the search and rescue mission and as at 1400 hours, 08 March 2014, we have no information on the location of the aircraft".

Racial Discrimination: How far have we come?

Despite some perceived improvements, 45 years brings little change in perceptions
that Blacks are discriminated against in some key aspects of life in America - and change
for the worse in others. photo: abhi ahmadadeen/BMLTV®

(PRN) NEW YORK, February 27, 2014 In the midst of Black History Month, it is perhaps an appropriate time to examine some of our nation's historical racial divides and reflect on changes that we as a country have seen over time. As far back as 1969 and 1972, The Harris Poll measured perceptions among U.S. adults as to whether blacks were discriminated against in a variety of areas of American life.

Moms Demand Action and Facebook in talks to stop the facilitation of gun sales to minors and dangerous people online

Pictured here is a weapon used to play games online by teens.
photo: Samir Kamble

Moms reveal gun sold via Facebook to 15-year-old who took gun to school
 

(PRN/USN) INDIANAPOLIS, February 24, 2014 - Moms Demand Action for Gun

Sense in America issued a statement today on the latest developments in its campaign to ask Facebook and Instagram to prohibit gun sales and trades on its platforms.

How well do football helmets protect players from concussions?

The Cincinnati Bearcats, UC Bearcats unveil red chrome helmet.

photo: cincinnati bearcats

(PRN/USN) PHILADELPHIA, February 17, 2014 - A new study finds that football helmets currently used on the field may do little to protect against hits to the side of the head, or rotational force, an often dangerous source of brain injury and encephalopathy. The study released today will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, April 26 to May 3, 2014.

Kenya makes bold moves to address climate change risks

Kenya: dead and dying animals in previous drought in Arbajahan, in northern Kenya’s 
Wajir County. photo: brendan cox/oxfam
 
(PRN) TUNIS-BELVEDERE,  February 15, 2014 - Many in East Africa still recall the devastating drought of 2009. In Kenya alone, it left nearly 80% of cattle dead in some parts of the country. Whether linked to the effects of global warming or not, this drought is estimated to have cost the Kenyan economy about US $12 billion. Its impact was most pronounced in the arid and semi-arid areas of the country.

Food desert task force takes aim at hunger in Virginia

According to a new report commissioned by the Virginia General Assembly, more than 1.4 million Virginians — 17.8 percent of the population — live in food deserts. photo: USDA 

(BMLTV) BLACKSBURG, Va., February 11, 2014 -  Agriculture is Virginia's No. 1 industry. But, ironically, for a state that produces an abundance of food, the commonwealth has its share of food deserts — areas where residents have limited access to fresh, healthy foods.

International probe a must in Sri Lanka

SRI LANKA: Relief worker handing out food to those in need. photo: unhcr

PRN/USN) WASHINGTON, February 11, 2014 - United States Tamil Political Action Council (USTPAC) welcomes recent high level visits to Sri Lanka by Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Nisha Biswal and Ambassador-At-Large for Global Criminal Justice, Stephen Rapp, and their steadfast pursuit of accountability to the grave crimes committed against ethnic Tamils.

Breaking the cycle of youth unemployment, poverty

Young unemployed men play cards in an abandoned warehouse in Conakry (Sept 2013).
photo: tommy trenchard/irin©

(IRIN) DAKAR, February 10, 2014 - Youth unemployment and underemployment are among the main barriers to development in West Africa, say experts. Not only does the exclusion of young people from the labour force perpetuate generational cycles of poverty, it also breaks down social cohesion and can be associated with higher levels of crime and violence among idle youth.

The removel of dogs and cats by death at Sochi prior to the Olympics sparks heightened concern

Moscow: it is alledged that a band of intelligent dogs keep viciously attacking people.
courtesy image/becker

It's more than Sochi: Time to end overpopulation of dogs and cats, Becker College expert calls for positive change

(PRN/USN) WORCESTER, Mass., February 7, 2014 - The reported death sentence for thousands of stray dogs in Sochi, Russia, prior to the 2014 Winter Games, is just one example of a common practice worldwide, says Dr. Richard A. French, dean of the School of Animal Studies at Becker College.

Masco: Home Improvement Manufacture gives more than $1 million in support of Military Veterans

U.S. Navy Sailor seen handling flag during Submarine commissioning.
photo: abhi ahmadadeen/BMLTV©

(PRN) TAYLOR, Mich., February 6, 2014 - Masco Corporation (NYSE: MAS), one of the world's leading manufacturers of home improvement and building products, and its Foundation have partnered – through a combination of products and cash grants – to award over $1 million in support of its veteran initiative:  "America's Heroes: A Million Thanks".

Indonesian Volcano eruption displaces people and buries crops

Indonesia's Erupting Mount Sinabung. photo: dana spector

(IRIN) JAKARTA, February 3, 2014 -Thousands of people displaced by steadily falling ash from an active Mount Sinabung thought they would be able to return to their homes and resume their livelihoods, but those hopes have been dashed by a deadly eruption on 1 February.

California Senate approves online Credit Card Privacy Bill

SB 383 addresses a state Supreme Court decision (Apple v. The Superior Court of Los Angeles ) which eliminated long-standing privacy rights for online credit card purchases of downloadable products. photo: wikipedia

(PRN/USN) SACRAMENTO, Calif., February 1, 2014 -Yesterday, California State Senate approved landmark online privacy legislation, SB 383 (Jackson), on a 21-13 vote. The Consumer Federation of California and United Food & Commercial Workers Union sponsored the bill.

‘No progress to speak of’ as first round of UN-sponsored Syrian peace talks ends

Joint Special Representative of the UN and the League of Arab States for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi (second left) arrives for news conference. un photo/jean-marc ferré 

(UN) January 2014 - Syrian Government and opposition delegates today wrapped up what United Nations officials hope will be just the first stage of talks to end the country’s civil war, with the chief mediator reporting no breakthrough to stop the “unspeakable suffering” of the Syrian people, including access for humanitarian aid.

Historic peace deal ends five-decade conflict in the Philippines

Enhancing governance in Mindanao: (from left) U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Gloria Steele, US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg, Zamboanga City Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, and Mindanao Development Authority Chairperson Luwalhati Antonino. photo: minda.gov.ph

Mindanao peace process becomes a reference for peacemaking

(PRN) LONDON and KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, January 27, 2014 - After 16 years of negotiations the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have completed the negotiations for a Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) that settles one of the most protracted armed conflicts in the world. This is the most significant peace agreement since the Nepal agreement in 2006.

Maryland Members Of Moms demand action renew call for change in light of deadly shooting at Columbia Mall

Kevin Baker, a 19-year-old veterinarian student at Harold Washington College in Chicago, was shot and killed last week by gunmen who wanted his cell phone. photo: Maryland Moms Demand Action/MMDA

(PRN/USN) BALTIMORE, January, 26, 2014 - In response to the shooting yesterday at Columbia Mall in Howard County, Maryland, that left three people dead including the shooter, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America members renewed their call for political leaders to take steps to prevent gun violence.

Mayor de Blasio releases preliminary findings on the death of Myls Dobson

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced findings and recommendations on the homicide of 4-year-old Myls Dobson, who was found dead on January 8th in midtown Manhattan. photo: nyc/gov

Preliminary finding recommendations include requirement of end-of-supervision court appearances and expanding ACS access to court databases

(BMLTV) NEW YORK, January 22, 2014 - Mayor Bill de Blasio announced findings and recommendations on the homicide of 4-year-old Myls Dobson, who was found dead on January 8th in midtown Manhattan.

Blue Sun launches the most advanced Biodiesel Plant in the world

Blue Sun's enzymatic processing system at its St. Joseph, Missouri facility. The system relies on a proprietary solution developed by Blue Sun engineers. Photo: steve bond

Technology leader in fuels - first to commercialize enzymatic process at a large scale

(PRN) SAINT JOSEPH, Mo., January 18, 2014 - Blue Sun Energy announced today the implementation of its enzymatic biodiesel processing technology, making the Blue Sun St. Joe Refinery the most advanced biodiesel production facility in the world.

Nation's grade drops to a dismal D+ for failure to support emergency patients

Las Vegas Emergency | Summerlin Hospital Medical Center. photo: LIA community/emergency care

(PRN/USN) WASHINGTON, January 17, 2014  - Emergency physicians this week sounded a warning that the continuing failure of state and national policies is endangering emergency patients, citing as proof a worse grade of D+ in the latest edition of a state-by-state report card on support for emergency care (Report Card).

Refugee arrival in Uganda raise humanitarian security concerns

A South Sudanese refugee boy with his belongings after crossing into Uganda at the Elegu border point. The boy fled fighting in his home village in Bor, Jonglei State’s capital. At least 355,000 people have been displaced and thousands killed in South Sudan since mid-December when inter-ethnic conflict erupted following what the government described as a failed coup attempt. photo: charles akena©

(IRIN) AMURU/ADJUMANI, January 15, 2014 - Weeks of conflict in South Sudan have left thousands of people dead and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes. Thousands of the displaced have been arriving in northern Uganda, where their situation is dire and has elicited security concerns.

The humanitarian crisis in South Sudan deepens as heavy fighting continues: some 395,000 people have fled their homes

Around 352,000 people have been internally displaced. Fighting around Bentiu and Bor is reported to have led to signficiant population movements with people fleeing urban areas. photo: afp

(PRN) JUBA, South Sudan, January 13, 2014 - The humanitarian crisis in South Sudan deepened between 8 and 10 January, with heavy fighting in Jonglei and Unity states and sporadic clashes in Central Equatoria and Upper Nile states.

Major win for the climate: Voluntary Market closes door to HFC-23 projects

Visual of the greenhouse gas effect. photo: live sciences

(PRN/USN) WASHINGTON, January 10, 2014 -  Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA): In a major win for the climate, the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), the world's leading voluntary greenhouse gas program, has announced that it will no longer approve or accept for consideration new methodologies and projects relating to HFC-23, acknowledging progress under the Montreal Protocol, G-20 and other bilateral government discussions on the international regulation of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).

Hagel to visits troops in Texas, New Mexico, Wyoming

Wounded warriors listen as Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel answers their questions during a town hall meeting at the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center on Joint Base San Antonio, Jan. 8, 2014.  photo: DOD/glenn fawcett

(DOD) WASHINGTON, January 9, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is traveling to military facilities in Texas, New Mexico and Wyoming this week to thank wounded warriors, troops and defense workers for their service and dedication, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren said.

Millions of lives are affected by stalking each year

photo: courtesy/national stalking law reform

AWARENESS: Stalking issue is highlighted during month of January

(PRN) LOUISVILLE, Ky., January. 8, 2014 - Every year more than six-and-a-half million people in the U.S. are victims of stalking. That's just one of many sobering facts about stalking in this country, including:

• 1 in 6 women and 1 in 19 men have been stalked during their lifetime
• 66% of female stalking victims are stalked by a current or former intimate partner
• 46% of stalking victims experience at least one unwanted contact per week
• 1 in 8 victims lose time from work

January is National Stalking Awareness Month, an annual push to focus attention on stalking that was launched ten years ago by the National Center for Victims of Crime.

Pennsylvania Governor Corbett calls upon “Oil and Gas Operators” to protect environment, continue to adhere to critical environmental standards

photo: courtesy/gov/Pennsylvania

(PRN/USN) HARRISBURG, Pa., January 7, 2014 - Governor Tom Corbett just a day ago called upon Pennsylvania's oil and gas operators to help protect the commonwealth's rivers, streams and wetlands from impacts during oil and gas development by adhering to critical environmental standards recently struck down by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.