Public Policy
News releases, reports, statements and associated documents from public policy organizations whose goal it is to influence the debate Washington.
Featured Stories
The Cleveland Museum of Art Receives 62 Works From the Collection of Mark Schwartz + Bettina Katz
CLEVELAND, Ohio, Feb. 21 -- The Cleveland Museum of Art issued the following news release:
The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) announced the gift of 59 important contact sheets and three related individual prints from the collection of Clevelanders Mark Schwartz + Bettina Katz. The group of 62 works includes contact sheets from famous portrait sittings by Irving Penn, a selection of sheets featuring Marilyn Monroe and a work by Schwartz himself. Having access to a photographer's contact sheets is akin to viewing a painter's preparatory studies: both reveal the artist's thoughts and working processes
... Show Full Article
CLEVELAND, Ohio, Feb. 21 -- The Cleveland Museum of Art issued the following news release:
The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) announced the gift of 59 important contact sheets and three related individual prints from the collection of Clevelanders Mark Schwartz + Bettina Katz. The group of 62 works includes contact sheets from famous portrait sittings by Irving Penn, a selection of sheets featuring Marilyn Monroe and a work by Schwartz himself. Having access to a photographer's contact sheets is akin to viewing a painter's preparatory studies: both reveal the artist's thoughts and working processesand illustrate integral steps in the creation of his or her finished works. This generous donation will allow the CMA to offer visitors a unique point of access into an important, now bygone period in the history of photography--that of the 20th century.
Thirty-seven of these works are on view now in the museum's special exhibition PROOF: Photography in the Era of the Contact Sheet, which runs through April 12, 2020. When combined with future promised gifts from the same collection, this donation will give the Cleveland Museum of Art one of the broadest, most comprehensive collections of contact sheets in any art museum.
"We are tremendously grateful to have received this generous gift of works from Mark and Tina's collection," said William Griswold, director of the Cleveland Museum of Art. "These works greatly enhance the museum's collection of photography and will give our visitors a rare glimpse of the working process of several different photographers."
Master portraitist Irving Penn is represented in depth with 48 contact sheets and one individual print, Woody Allen as Charlie Chaplin. Film star Marilyn Monroe is the subject of one individual print and 11 contact sheets by five artists, including celebrated portraitist Philippe Halsman, one unidentified artist and three photographers new to the museum's collection: Milton Greene, Earl Leaf and Allan Grant. The five Halsman contact sheets of Monroe establish the context for his chosen image, represented in the gift by a print of an iconic depiction of the actress, an image that helped make her a star.
Mark Schwartz, a groundbreaking, resourceful collector of contact sheets, had a long-standing interest in their serial nature and grid format. Included in the gift is a work of art that Schwartz created using the form of a contact sheet, Muybridge in Motion 2 (1979). It is an homage both to 19th-century photographer Eadweard Muybridge, whose motion studies pioneered that format, and to the painters, sculptors and conceptual artists who explored serial imagery in the 1960s and 1970s.
About Mark Schwartz
Mark Schwartz held a Master of Fine Arts in photography and was an avid, perceptive collector. He was the founding principal and owner of Nesnadny + Schwartz, an innovative, internationally acclaimed graphic design firm that was the first to incorporate fine art into its groundbreaking work.
Schwartz was a visionary. Beginning in the early 2000s, his deep appreciation for the fine arts and the artistic process eventually led him to expand his already extensive collection of photography to include contact sheets. The works that he and Katz assembled compose a unique record of artistic accomplishment and include countless unfamiliar variants of celebrated images by famous makers that serve as evidence of the creative process.
Schwartz was a philanthropist, most notably giving his time and resources in support of the arts in Cleveland. He was a trustee of the Cleveland Museum of Art, and he and Katz are the naming donors of the first committed photography gallery at the museum.
A native of Massachusetts, Schwartz grew up in New Jersey and studied political science at Rutgers University before pursuing the fine arts and photography at Princeton University and Ohio University.
About PROOF: Photography in the Era of the Contact Sheet
Contact proofs were vital to the practice of photography until digital technology made them obsolete. Photographers who used roll film first saw positive images on the contact sheet, chose which frames to enlarge and kept the sheet as a record. PROOF: Photography in the Era of the Contact Sheet features approximately 180 works from the collection of Mark Schwartz + Bettina Katz that highlight the aims and methods of a broad range of photographers from the second half of the 20th century. The free exhibition presents key works by leading figures, including Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Harry Benson, Harry Callahan, Robert Frank, Philippe Halsman, Irving Penn and Albert Watson, as well as Schwartz's friends Arnold Newman, Larry Fink and Emmet Gowin. Rare photographs of iconic celebrities, including Marilyn Monroe, the Beatles and Groucho Marx, are on view.
About the Cleveland Museum of Art's Photography Collection
Since 1983 the museum has assembled a small, carefully selected collection of fine art photography covering the history of the medium that began in 1839. It represents many of the major movements and inventive practitioners. Strengths of the collection are its early 19th-century images by many pioneering figures, especially French, English and American photographers; pictorial photography with complete sets of The North American Indian by Edward S. Curtis and Camera Work; surrealist photography created primarily between the two world wars; and Cleveland-specific subject matter produced by regional and national photographers. The collection also includes extensive examples of post-1970 photography.
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About the Cleveland Museum of Art
The Cleveland Museum of Art is renowned for the quality and breadth of its collection, which includes more than 61,000 objects and spans 6,000 years of achievement in the arts. The museum is a significant international forum for exhibitions, scholarship, and performing arts. One of the top comprehensive art museums in the nation and free of charge to all, the Cleveland Museum of Art is located in the dynamic University Circle neighborhood.
The Cleveland Museum of Art is supported by a broad range of individuals, foundations and businesses in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. The museum is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. Additional support comes from the Ohio Arts Council, which helps fund the museum with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. For more information about the museum, its holdings, programs and events, call 888-CMA-0033 or visit ClevelandArt.org.
[Category: Arts/Cultural]
PATH: 'Forecasting Healthy Futures,' Will Harness Weather Data to Help Defeat Mosquito-Borne Disease
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Feb. 21 -- PATH issued the following news release:
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- Malaria No More, Reaching the Last Mile Global Health Initiative, PATH, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Tableau Foundation and IBM's The Weather Company combine expertise, data and technology to improve timing and targeting of life-saving health interventions
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A unique group of global health, technology and public sector organizations launched Forecasting Healthy Futures to improve health outcomes and accelerate progress against deadly mosquito-borne diseases. The new initiative--convened
... Show Full Article
SAN FRANCISCO, California, Feb. 21 -- PATH issued the following news release:
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- Malaria No More, Reaching the Last Mile Global Health Initiative, PATH, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Tableau Foundation and IBM's The Weather Company combine expertise, data and technology to improve timing and targeting of life-saving health interventions
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A unique group of global health, technology and public sector organizations launched Forecasting Healthy Futures to improve health outcomes and accelerate progress against deadly mosquito-borne diseases. The new initiative--convenedby Malaria No More--will develop weather data-informed strategies and policies to help governments and partners better time and target effective health interventions in the face of changing weather patterns and an increase in the frequency of extreme weather events.
Mosquito-borne diseases, including malaria, dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever and Zika, are a major global health challenge affecting 340 million people annually, with the world's most marginalized populations disproportionately impacted. These diseases are climate-sensitive: changing weather patterns are introducing new challenges in efforts to effectively prevent, control and eliminate them.
"Harnessing weather data to better fight mosquito-borne disease could be revolutionary in protecting the world's most vulnerable, especially pregnant women and children, from deadly diseases like malaria and dengue," said Mona Hammami, Senior Director, Office of Strategic Affairs to the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court. "To tackle disease eradication faster, we need to focus on innovations that take a multi-disciplinary approach, leveraging the intersections between health and areas like technology and climate change to bring fresh voices into the conversation."
Announced at the Devex "Prescription for Progress: Bringing Health Solutions To Scale," conference, Forecasting Healthy Futures launched with US$1.5 million in seed funding from Reaching the Last Mile, an initiative of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court, which also will provide technical expertise from across its networks. Malaria No More, PATH and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) will add their health expertise as well as programmatic and policy guidance. The Tableau Foundation is providing financial support, software licenses and training to boost data analytics and data visualization capabilities. IBM's The Weather Company will provide data sets on weather conditions related to mosquito activity and proliferation, and well as analytical support.
"As we look to end malaria within a generation, we need to turn weather-related obstacles into opportunities," said Martin Edlund, CEO of Malaria No More. "This means going beyond mitigating the effects climate change has on mosquito-borne disease prevalence to harnessing weather-related data and strategies to accelerate progress against malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases."
To help improve public health, Forecasting Healthy Futures will create new data systems and strategies by integrating weather and mosquito population data sets with existing disease risk, intervention coverage, supply chain and epidemiological data sets.
"We believe leveraging weather and climate data from IBM's The Weather Company along with advanced analytics can help create deeper insights, lead to better-informed decisions, and even help accelerate progress against mosquito-borne disease associated with rising temperatures and extreme weather events around the world," said Natalie Dawe, global health leader for IBM Corporate Social Responsibility.
Across the inititiave, partners will work closely with national and state vector-borne disease control programs in malaria-affected countries, as well as donor governments and global policymakers, to identify research needs around the impact of changing weather patterns. They also will use the data sets to develop evidence-based systems that strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of mosquito-borne disease management programs.
"Building capacity in data analysis, data visualization and data for decision making at all levels of the health system greatly improves the ability to optimally time and target disease interventions. Incorporating weather data has the potential to sharpen these approaches," said Kammerle Schneider, director of Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases at PATH.
Based on initial outcomes, the initiative will seek the support of donor governments and global health agencies to rapidly scale weather data integration into mosquito-borne disease management programs and heath education efforts that cover hundreds of millions of people in malaria-affected countries around the world.
Forecasting Healthy Futures builds on learnings from programs supported by partners involved in the new initiative--one in Odisha State, India, and others in sub-Saharan Africa. In Odisha State, in 2017-2018, the government dramatically scaled up efforts before the monsoon season to proactively diagnose and treat malaria at the village level, thereby substantially reducing parasite levels. The state recorded an 84% drop in malaria cases over a two-year period. Visualize No Malaria, co-led by PATH and Tableau Foundation in close partnership with National Malaria Elimination Programs across Africa, has used real-time data and provided thousands of health workers with data literacy trainings and new tools to develop a comprehensive malaria surveillance system. The platform has helped local health personnel understand where, when and how to intervene to have the greatest impact.
"Just as we've done with our Visualize No Malaria programs with PATH in Senegal and Zambia, Tableau Foundation's software and data analytics capabilities will enable people on the frontlines to make more-informed decisions about how to prevent and protect some of the world's most vulnerable people from mosquito-borne disease," said Neal Myrick, Global Head, Tableau Foundation.
In addition, Forecasting Healthy Futures will learn from responses to extreme weather events, such as Cyclone Idai in Mozambique, and from mass seasonal malaria chemoprevention campaigns that typically coincide with a country's rainy season.
"Weather data is critical to PMI efforts," said Dr. Kenneth Staley, Global Malaria Coordinator with the U.S. President's Malaria Initiative (PMI). "We look forward to following the development of the Forecasting Healthy Futures initiative, sharing best practices, and working with PMI partner countries to use weather data to accelerate progress against malaria."
The initiative also will document and share best practices to inform global policy, political and funding decisions and to foster information-sharing and collaboration among data, weather and health professionals in the public and private sectors. Another initiative goal is to inform policy dialogues around addressing the intersection of infectious disease, changing weather patterns and climate change.
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About Malaria No More
Malaria no More envisions a world where no one dies from a mosquito bite. More than a decade into our mission, our work has contributed to historic progress toward this goal. Now, we're mobilizing the political commitment, funding, and innovation required to achieve what would be one of the greatest humanitarian accomplishments - ending malaria within our generation. For more information, visit http://www.malarianomore.org.
About Reaching the Last Mile Global Health Initiative
The Reaching the Last Mile Global Health Initiative is a portfolio of global health commitments managed by the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court. The Initiative focuses on programs which provide treatment and preventative care in communities that lack access to quality health services, with a specific focus on reaching the last mile of disease elimination. Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, is committed to ending preventable diseases that affect the world's poorest and most vulnerable communities and helping millions of children and adults live healthy, dignified lives. https://www.reachingthelastmile.com/, @RLMGlobalHealth
About PATH
PATH is a global team of innovators working to accelerate health equity so all people and communities can thrive. PATH advises and partners with institutions, investors, and businesses of all sizes to solve the world's most pressing health challenges. Because better health moves humanity forward. Learn more at http://www.PATH.org.
About Tableau Foundation
The Tableau Foundation is a philanthropic initiative arm of Tableau Software that encourages the use of facts and analytical reasoning to solve the world's problems. Tableau Foundation grants combine Tableau's two most valuable resources - its people and its products - with financial support to nonprofits that are using data to reshape communities around the globe. To learn more, please visit http://www.tableaufoundation.org.
About IHME
Established in 2007, The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) is an independent global health research organization at the University of Washington's School of Medicine that provides rigorous and comparable measurement of the world's most important health problems and evaluates the strategies used to address them. IHME is committed to transparency and makes this information widely available so that policymakers have the evidence they need to make informed decisions on allocating resources to improve population health. Visit: http://www.healthdata.org.
[Category: Health Care]
National Safety Council: Motor Vehicle Deaths Estimated to Have Dropped 2% in 2019
ITASCA, Illinois, Feb. 21 -- The National Safety Council issued the following news release on Feb. 20:
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- National Safety Council calculations signal a decline after several years of spikes.
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For the second consecutive year, the U.S. experienced a small decline in roadway deaths, according to preliminary estimates released today from the National Safety Council. In 2019, an estimated 38,800 people lost their lives to car crashes - a 2% decline from 2018 (39,404 deaths) and a 4% decline from 2017 (40,231 deaths). About 4.4 million people were injured seriously enough to require medical
... Show Full Article
ITASCA, Illinois, Feb. 21 -- The National Safety Council issued the following news release on Feb. 20:
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- National Safety Council calculations signal a decline after several years of spikes.
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For the second consecutive year, the U.S. experienced a small decline in roadway deaths, according to preliminary estimates released today from the National Safety Council. In 2019, an estimated 38,800 people lost their lives to car crashes - a 2% decline from 2018 (39,404 deaths) and a 4% decline from 2017 (40,231 deaths). About 4.4 million people were injured seriously enough to require medicalattention in crashes last year - also a 2% decrease over 2018 figures.
At the state level, fatalities are estimated to have dropped more than 13% since 2018 in seven states - Alaska (-16%), Connecticut (-14%), District of Columbia (-21%), Nevada (-14%), New Hampshire (-30%), South Dakota (-21%) and Vermont (-31%). Six states experienced estimated increases in fatalities by more than 5% - Delaware (20%), Maine (35%), Nebraska (8%), Ohio (8%), Tennessee (10%) and Wyoming (32%).
Research to definitively determine why fatalities have decreased for the last two years is likely to lag several years. However, the NSC preliminary estimate signals that the country may be experiencing the benefits of several risk mitigation actions implemented in the last few years. For example, 10 cities have embraced Vision Zero models, which make streets safer by taking actions that include redesigning high-crash areas to reduce crash risk. Other proven measures include lowering the legal alcohol concentration limit. Utah's implementation of a .05 legal limit has prompted other states to consider similar laws. Coalitions such as Road to Zero have raised the national dialogue.
And today, the majority of newly manufactured vehicles include advanced driver assistance systems, such as automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning systems, backup cameras and adaptive headlights, all of which are proven to reduce the severity of crashes or prevent them altogether.
"Thirty-eight thousand deaths is still unacceptable, even if it is fewer than in years past," said Lorraine M. Martin, NSC president and CEO. "We are encouraged by the actions so many organizations are taking to reduce deaths, and we applaud legislation that curtails common crash causes such as impairment, distraction and speed. But as a nation, we still need to demonstrate better commitment to saving lives. Roadway deaths can be prevented by doubling down on what works, embracing technology advancements and creating a culture of safer driving."
The Council's estimates do not reveal causation; however, 2018 final data show continued spikes in deaths among pedestrians, while distraction continues to be involved in 8% of crashes, and drowsy driving in an additional 2%.
NSC has tracked fatality trends and issued estimates for nearly 100 years. All estimates are subject to slight increases and decreases as the data mature. NSC collects fatality data every month from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and uses data from the National Center for Health Statistics, so that deaths occurring within one year of the crash and on both public and private roadways - such as parking lots and driveways - are included in the estimates.
To help ensure safer roads, NSC urges motorists to:
* Practice defensive driving; buckle up, designate a sober driver or arrange alternative transportation, get plenty of sleep to avoid fatigue, and drive attentively, avoiding distractions
* Recognize the dangers of drugged driving, including impairment from opioids; visit nsc.org/rxpainkillers to understand the impact of the nation's opioid crisis
* Stay engaged in teens' driving habits; visit nsc.org/DriveitHOME for resources
* Learn about your vehicle's safety systems and how to use them; visit MyCarDoesWhat.org for information
* Fix recalls immediately; visit ChecktoProtect.org to ensure your vehicle does not have an open recall
* Join Road to Zero to understand how safety professionals are addressing motor vehicle fatalities; visit nsc.org/roadtozero to get involved
The National Safety Council has issued traffic fatality estimates since 1921. Supplemental estimate information, including estimates for each state, can be found here (https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/overview/preliminary-estimates).
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About the National Safety Council
Founded in 1913 and chartered by Congress, the National Safety Council is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to eliminate preventable deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy. NSC advances this mission by partnering with businesses, government agencies, elected officials and the public in areas where we can make the most impact - distracted driving, teen driving, workplace safety, prescription drug overdoses and Safe Communities.
[Category: Transportation]
Key Provisions of SECURE Act Projected to Reduce Retirement Deficit by More Than $100 Billion for Households Currently Ages 35-64
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The Employee Benefit Research Institute issued the following news release:
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- Deficit Reductions Greater for Younger Workers and Employees Working for Small Employers
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A new study conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) finds that key provisions of the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (SECURE Act) could reduce the U.S. retirement deficit by 3% or $115 billion for households between 35-64. For workers currently age 35-39, the percentage reduction increases to 5.3 percent, and further increases to 10.7 percent
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The Employee Benefit Research Institute issued the following news release:
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- Deficit Reductions Greater for Younger Workers and Employees Working for Small Employers
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A new study conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) finds that key provisions of the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (SECURE Act) could reduce the U.S. retirement deficit by 3% or $115 billion for households between 35-64. For workers currently age 35-39, the percentage reduction increases to 5.3 percent, and further increases to 10.7 percentif they work for small employers (less than 100 employees).
The Issue Brief, "Impact of the SECURE Act on Retirement Income Adequacy," uses EBRI's Retirement Security Projection Model(R) (RSPM) to evaluate the impact of provisions in the SECURE Act on retirement income adequacy on a national basis, including greater access by allowing providers to offer multiple employee plans (MEPs), raising the cap under which plan sponsors can automatically enroll workers in "safe harbor" 401(k) plans from 10% to 15% of wages, and required coverage of long-term part-time employees.
The impact of these provisions, by themselves and in combination with others, is analyzed to provide a quantitative estimate on the impact on retirement income adequacy. This effect is measured by changes in the average simulated retirement savings deficits and surpluses./1
EBRI's RSPM(R) simulates retirement income adequacy for all U.S. households between the ages of 35 and 64. The model reflects the real-world behavior of 27 million 401(k) participants, as well as 20 million individuals with individual retirement accounts (IRAs).
The percent reductions in retirement savings deficits aggregated across all age groups would be greater for employees working for smaller employers: 5.6 percent for employers with less than 100 employees and 5.2 percent for those with 100 to 500 employees. The households of young workers, currently ages 35-39, will have more time to benefit from these new provisions and their retirement savings deficit reductions are significantly greater -- 5.3 percent for all employer sizes combined, 10.7 percent for those with less than 100 employees and 8.6 percent for those with 100-500 employees.
"It is important to note that any analysis focusing exclusively on retirement savings deficits is limited to households who are expected to run short of money in retirement. Therefore, we also look at retirement savings surplus to better understand the full impact of the new legislation," said Jack VanDerhei, Director of Research, EBRI, and author of the report.
Overall, EBRI finds that when all three SECURE provisions are included with baseline assumptions on Open MEP take-up rates and participation rates, the retirement savings surplus would have an overall increase of 5.9 percent. As expected, the percent increases in retirement savings surplus (aggregated across all age cohorts) would be larger for employees working for smaller employers: 8.9 percent for employers with less than 100 employees and 7.8 percent for those with between 100 and 500 employees. The youngest cohort (those currently ages 35-39) will have more time to benefit from these new provisions and their retirement savings surplus increases are significantly greater: 14.4 percent for all employer sizes combined, 20.5 percent for those with less than 100 employees and 16.3 percent for those with 100-500 employees."
EBRI plans to publish at least two additional Issue Briefs on the impact of the SECURE act. The next one will look at the impact of these provisions on assets under management for the next ten years under a series of sensitivity analyses. A third Issue Brief will be published on the likely take-up of in-plan annuity options by employers and employees.
"Impact of the SECURE Act on Retirement Income Adequacy" is available at ebri.org.
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About EBRI:
The Employee Benefit Research Institute is a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit research institute based in Washington, DC, that focuses on health, savings, retirement, and financial security issues. EBRI does not lobby and does not take policy positions. The work of EBRI is made possible by funding from its members and sponsors, who include a broad range of public, private, for-profit, and nonprofit organizations. For more information go to http://www.ebri.org
Footnote:
1/ RSPM(R) produces two important metrics for evaluating retirement income adequacy. Retirement Savings Shortfalls give the present value of the simulated retirement deficits at retirement age in 2019 dollars. Retirement Savings Surpluses give the present value of simulated retirement surpluses at retirement age in 2019 dollars.
[Category: Human Resources/Personnel]
Council on American-Islamic Relations-Philadelphia, Coalition Partners Protest U.S. Army War College Hosting Anti-Muslim Speaker
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations issued the following news release:
The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philadelphia), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, joined coalition partners in protesting the decision of the U.S. Army War College to invite anti-Muslim speaker Raymond Ibrahim for a Feb. 26 lecture.
Last year, the college postponed a similar speaking engagement with Ibrahim in response to widespread criticism. In response to postponement of his 2019 lecture, Ibrahim restated his bigoted
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations issued the following news release:
The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philadelphia), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, joined coalition partners in protesting the decision of the U.S. Army War College to invite anti-Muslim speaker Raymond Ibrahim for a Feb. 26 lecture.
Last year, the college postponed a similar speaking engagement with Ibrahim in response to widespread criticism. In response to postponement of his 2019 lecture, Ibrahim restated his bigotedclaim that "Islamic terrorism and 'extremism' are intrinsic to Islam, and have been from its first contact with Western civilization in the seventh century."
SEE: CAIR-Philadelphia Welcomes US Army War College's Postponement of Lecture by Islamophobic Speaker
This year, Ibrahim is being hosted by the college's U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center (USAHEC).
Ibrahim's writings advance a discredited theory known as the "Clash of Civilizations" and argues that "Islam and the West" have been engaged in a centuries-long war. The lecture is based on Ibrahim's 2018 book "Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West." That book promotes the unsubstantiated thesis that Islam, since its beginning, has "terrorized the West."
When Ibrahim was asked, "Is there any chance of an accommodation between Islam and Western societies or this is just wishful thinking?," he replied, "Can water and oil mix?"
He also stated: "[Islam] is entirely built on the purported teachings of a seventh century Arab--who for all accounts acted like a seventh century Arab, meaning tribal and uncivilized. Obviously, if this man was a false prophet -- a liar -- which is the default, non-Muslim position, then it should be unsurprising that the entire worldview his followers follow, which is tribal and uncivilized, is creating a constant clash with other civilizations."
Also: "[T]he hate for Christians and other non-Muslims, including secularists/atheists in the West, did not begin with ISIS, al-Qaeda, Ansar al-Sharia, Boko Haram, or Al Shabaab. It began with Muhammad and his companions, 1,400 years ago."
In a statement, CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Director Jacob Bender said:
"Just as no educational institution should ever invite a racist to teach African-American history or an anti-Semite to teach Jewish history, the U.S. Army War College should not have -- twice -- invited an anti-Muslim bigot to teach Islamic history.
"By endorsing hypocritical, ahistorical and hateful teachings about Islam, the college has declared that the thousands of American Muslims who serve in the U.S. military are not welcome at the school. We hope the college administration will reconsider its decision and disinvite Ibrahim."
CAIR-Philadelphia is inviting all veterans and concerned citizens to call the U.S. Army War College at 717-245-3972 to register their concerns.
In 2019, CAIR-Philadelphia sent a letter to the U.S. Army War College requesting the removal of Ibrahim's lecture from the college's prestigious 50th Annual Lecture Series.
The letter said: "Mr. Ibrahim's analysis is based on poor research and carries a high potential to instigate hatred against Muslims. We are deeply concerned that his troubling views would skew our servicemen and servicewomen's perceptions of Islam and Muslims."
SEE: CAIR-Philadelphia Letter to US Army War College
Army War College postpones appearance of controversial Islamic historian
Last summer, CAIR and its allies launched an online campaign highlighting Ibrahim's Islamophobic views and their negative impact.
Led by CAIR-Philadelphia and MPower Change, and supported by Community Responders Network, About Face, and Common Defense, the campaign drew more than 1800 signatures and received widespread support from its interfaith allies.
SEE: CAIR-Philadelphia, Partners Call on US Army War College to Drop Islamophobic Speaker
CAIR has reported an unprecedented spike in bigotry targeting American Muslims and members of other minority groups since the election of Donald Trump as president.
Also last year, The Washington-based civil rights organization released a groundbreaking report, called "Hijacked by Hate: American Philanthropy and the Islamophobia Network," listing the philanthropic foundations, many of them mainstream, that were used by anonymous special interest donors to funnel almost $125 million to anti-Muslim hate groups between 2014 and 2016.
The report's authors noted that one outcome of the funding and promotion of anti-Muslim hate and conspiracy theories has been the measurable nationwide increase in anti-Muslim hate violence, bullying of children and discrimination. The period covered by the report showed a marked increase in anti-Muslim hate violence and discrimination.
CAIR Report: Anonymous Donors Use Mainstream Philanthropic Groups to Funnel Millions to Anti-Muslim Hate Groups
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La mision de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprension del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
[Category: International]
Center for Biological Diversity: Legal Petition Urges EPA to End Abuse of 'Emergency' Pesticide Exemptions
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The Center for Biological Diversity issued the following news release on Feb. 20:
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- Chronic Exemptions for Unapproved Pesticides Imperil People, Pollinators
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The Center for Biological Diversity filed a legal petition calling for the Environmental Protection Agency to limit to two years the use of so-called "emergency" exemptions for pesticides otherwise unapproved as safe.
The petition asks the EPA to establish a rule restricting specific pesticide exemptions to no more than two years within any 10-year period. It was spurred by the agency's habit of routinely
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The Center for Biological Diversity issued the following news release on Feb. 20:
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- Chronic Exemptions for Unapproved Pesticides Imperil People, Pollinators
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The Center for Biological Diversity filed a legal petition calling for the Environmental Protection Agency to limit to two years the use of so-called "emergency" exemptions for pesticides otherwise unapproved as safe.
The petition asks the EPA to establish a rule restricting specific pesticide exemptions to no more than two years within any 10-year period. It was spurred by the agency's habit of routinelyapproving "emergency" uses of unapproved pesticides -- some for up to nine consecutive years.
"We have to end this backdoor pesticide-approval process that compromises the health of farmworkers, children and imperiled pollinators," said Stephanie Parent, an attorney at the Center. "Limiting emergency approvals to two years will prevent the EPA from routinely sidestepping the health and safety reviews that determine whether a pesticide's risks to people and wildlife are acceptable."
A 2017 Center analysis of the EPA's chronic abuse of emergency exemptions revealed the extent of the problem. Between 2011 and 2017, at least 78 emergency exemptions were granted for use of the dangerous, bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticide sulfoxaflor on millions of acres of cotton and sorghum crops.
The exemptions for sulfoxaflor are notable because previous approval of the pesticide's use on cotton had been cancelled in 2015 due to its potential harm to pollinators.
Today's petition seeks to end the EPA's ongoing abuses of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, which requires the agency to conduct safety reviews of pesticides before use.
In order to help farmers deal with unforeseeable problems such as an unusual pest infestation of crops, FIFRA contains an emergency exemption provision that allows the EPA to temporarily approve emergency use of a pesticide.
But the EPA has routinely abused the exemption provision by allowing emergency exemptions for predictable and chronic situations that occur over many consecutive years. In addition the agency often fails to provide any public notice or opportunity for input before approving the exemptions and routinely relies on the applicants as the primary -- and sometimes only -- source of information about the pesticide's risks.
In 2019 the EPA's Office of the Inspector General released a report finding that the agency's practice of routinely granting "emergency" approval for pesticides across millions of acres does not effectively measure risks to human health or the environment.
Over the past year, the Trump EPA has quietly approved "emergency" use of the medically important antibiotic streptomycin on citrus crops like oranges, tangerines and grapefruits in Florida and California.
Those approvals ignore the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others that call for dramatic reductions in nonessential uses of antibiotics in order to reduce the escalating public health threat of antibiotic resistant bacteria.
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The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.7 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
[Category: Biology]
Animal Welfare Institute: New Rules Would Protect Farm Animals Transported By Sea in Hawaii
HONOLULU, Hawaii, Feb. 21 -- The Animal Welfare Institute issued the following news release:
Following the recent deaths of 21 pregnant cows on a barge traveling from Oahu to Kauai, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) formally committed last week to adopting regulations to better protect farm animals on sea vessels traveling to, from, and between the Hawaiian Islands. The HDOA's commitment comes on the heels of the state legislature introducing companion bills SB2715 and HB1898, which would have required the department to promulgate regulations for the care of animals shipped by sea.
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HONOLULU, Hawaii, Feb. 21 -- The Animal Welfare Institute issued the following news release:
Following the recent deaths of 21 pregnant cows on a barge traveling from Oahu to Kauai, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) formally committed last week to adopting regulations to better protect farm animals on sea vessels traveling to, from, and between the Hawaiian Islands. The HDOA's commitment comes on the heels of the state legislature introducing companion bills SB2715 and HB1898, which would have required the department to promulgate regulations for the care of animals shipped by sea.
TheHDOA, working with local carriers Matson and Young Brothers, representatives from the Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, veterinarians, and other industry experts, plans to enact administrative rules within two years that include care and transport provisions mirroring federal animal export standards. The proposed regulations - slated to go into effect following a period of public comment and statewide hearings - would prevent noncompliant shippers from shipping their animals.
"The 21 cattle trapped on that barge deserved to be treated humanely," said Erin Sutherland, farm animal welfare attorney for the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI). "This tragedy could have easily been prevented had Young Brothers abided by proper care, training, and handling requirements. We commend the Hawaii Department of Agriculture for moving to set care and transport standards for the thousands of farm animals - primarily cattle - who are shipped to the mainland and between islands each year."
"I'm pleased that the Department of Agriculture made a commitment to updating their administrative rules to ensure better care of livestock who are transported on ships," said state Sen. Mike Gabbard (D-Kapolei-Makakilo), who introduced the measure. "This is the right thing to do!"
Young Brothers, which transports animals between the islands, told Hawaii News Now that it takes its responsibility as a livestock carrier seriously, and works with the Hawaii Cattlemen's Council to develop protocols for the shipment of animals. Matson, which transports animals between the mainland and Hawaii, told AWI representatives that it complies with federal regulations governing the export of animals. Nevertheless, AWI encourages both shippers to improve the care of animals in transit while the HDOA works to develop new regulations.
Animals shipped from Hawaii to the mainland face journeys of more than 2,000 miles, and they deserve higher standards of care. Even animals involved in shorter trips often endure needless suffering. The HDOA's new rules aim to ensure that these animals do not suffer or die from preventable causes.
[Category: Animals]
