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U.S. and Major Powers Urged to Join Cluster Munitions Pact

Syndicated News — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:27:59 +0000

by Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA - Activists called on the United States and other major powers on Thursday to join a global treaty banning cluster munitions that goes into force on August 1.

Dropped from aircraft or fired from artillery or rockets, the weapons scatter bomblets over a wide area, but have limited military impact today as they were designed to attack tanks on an open battlefield, an increasingly rare scenario, they said.

Article from CommonDreams.org Headlines read more here

Today in Congress

Syndicated News — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:49:35 +0000

In the House, courtesy of the Office of the Majority Leader:

FLOOR SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY, JULY 20, 2010

House Meets At... 10:30 a.m.: Morning Hour
12:00 p.m.: Legislative Business
First Vote Predicted... 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Last Vote Predicted... 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.

"One Minutes"

Suspensions (18 Bills)

H.R. 5266 - National Commission on Children and Disasters Reauthorization Act of 2010 (Rep. Brown (FL) - Transportation and Infrastructure)

H.R. 5545 - To deauthorize a portion of the project for navigation, Potomac River, Washington Channel, District of Columbia, under the jurisdiction of the Corps of Engineers (Rep. Norton - Transportation and Infrastructure)

H.R. 5301 - To extend the period during which the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and States are prohibited from requiring a permit under section 402 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act for certain discharges that are incidental to normal operation of vessels (Rep. LoBiondo - Transportation and Infrastructure)

H.Res. 1463 - Supporting the goals and ideals of Railroad Retirement Day (Rep. Perriello - Transportation and Infrastructure)

H.R. 5604 - Surface Transportation Savings Act of 2010 (Rep. Perriello - Transportation and Infrastructure)

H.Res. 1516 - Recognizing the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II, honoring the service members who fought in World War II and their families, and honoring the service members who are currently serving in combat operations (Rep. Skelton - Armed Services)

H.Res. 1411 - Honoring the service and commitment of the 111th Fighter Wing, Pennsylvania Air National Guard. (Rep. Schwartz - Armed Services)

H.Res. 1483 - Recognizing the exemplary service and sacrifice of the soldiers of the 14th Armored Division of the United States Army, known as the Liberators, during World War II (Rep. Gingrey - Armed Services)

H.R. 4842 - Homeland Security Science and Technology Authorization Act of 2010 (Rep. Clarke - Homeland Security)

H.R. 4684 - National September 11 Memorial & Museum Commemorative Medal Act (Rep. Nadler - Financial Services)

H.R. 5341 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 100 Orndorf Drive in Brighton, Michigan, as the "Joyce Rogers Post Office Building" (Rep. Dingell - Oversight and Government Reform)

H.Res. 1513 - Congratulating the Saratoga Race Course as it celebrates its 142nd season (Rep. Murphy (NY) - Oversight and Government Reform)

H.R. 5283 - Help HAITI Act of 2010 (Rep. Fortenberry - Judiciary)

H.R. 5532 - International Adoption Harmonization Act of 2010 (Rep. Lofgren - Judiciary)

H.Res. 1470 - Honoring the life, achievements, and distinguished career of Chief Justice William S. Richardson (Rep. Djou - Judiciary)

H.R. 5566 - Prevention of Interstate Commerce in Animal Crush Videos Act of 2010 (Rep. Gallegly - Judiciary)

S. 1749 - Cell Phone Contraband Act of 2010 (Sen. Feinstein - Judiciary)

H.R. 1469 - Child Protection Improvements Act of 2009 (Rep. Schiff - Judiciary)

Conference Reports may be brought up at any time.

Motions to go to Conference should they become available.

Possible Motions to Instruct Conferees.

In the Senate, courtesy of the Office of the Majority Leader:

Following any Leader remarks, there will be a period of morning business with the time until 12:30pm equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees. The Majority will control the first 30 minutes and the Republicans will control the next 30 minutes. Senators are permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

The Senate will recess from 12:30 until 2:15pm to allow for the weekly caucus meetings.

At 2:15pm, Carte Goodwin, of West Virginia, will be sworn as senator.

Following the swearing in, the Senate will resume consideration of the House Message on H.R.4213, Unemployment Insurance Extension, with the time until 2:30pm equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees.

At 2:30pm, the Senate will proceed to a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R.4213, a bill to extend Unemployment benefits through November 2010.

Votes:
2:30pm roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture with respect to H.R.4213, which extends Unemployment benefits through November.

Busy work for the House, but don't tell the sponsors of the suspensions on today's schedule that I said so. Besides, I really shouldn't complain about the fact that they're moving so many items without acrimony or division, should I? Anyway, the House needs something to do while they wait for the supplemental to come back. It's a real patchwork quilt of suspensions, in terms of the committees they're coming from today. I guess most of the backlog is getting cleared out in these suspension marathons, and stringing together 18 of them for today required tapping the reserves of half a dozen different committees.

In the interest of giving us something to talk about, I'll note that H. Res. 1470 (Honoring the life, achievements, and distinguished career of Chief Justice William S. Richardson) marks the first measure accidental Rep. Charles Djou (R-HI-01) has been able to bring to the floor. So congratulations there. Also, we have a mild BANANAS Alert: I'll give the Help HAITI Act a 3 on the Scale. In full, it's the "Help Haitian Adoptees Immediately to Integrate Act." Not awful. Plus it's got Haitian Adoptees in it, so you can't be too harsh in your judgments.

On the Senate side, though, we have a little excitement. The new Senator from West Virgina, who is not Carlton, your doorman, but rather Carte Goodwin, will be sworn in at 2:15, and then called upon to vote on cloture on the tax extenders/unemployment extension bill at 2:30. And at 10 this morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee meets for an executive business meeting during which we'll expect to see a vote on the nomination of Elana Kagan to the Supreme Court.

Today's full committee schedule appears below the fold.

Kashmir: A Month Of Melancholy

Syndicated News — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:29:43 +0000

By Naveed Qazi
About nineteen natives have been killed since the past month. It included young children and youth. It also included women and men, who were the lynchpins of their family. For us, life would move on, but for their sorrowing families, the struggle has just started. Kashmiri mornings are full of causerie, but think about their mornings, will they be peaceful? It would start with a suffocating silence which wouldnt end till the night. Pain. Misery. Melancholy. Suffering ; would be ruling their minds and hearts, and it wont cleanse away easily

Article from Countercurrents.org read more here

Villagers Rebuild Razed Bedouin Village

Syndicated News — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:29:11 +0000

By Providence Knolls & Tania Kepler
One day after Israeli authorities razed the Bedouin village of el Araqib, village residents joined with Palestinian, Israeli and international volunteers to rebuild the village

Article from Countercurrents.org read more here

The End of Capitalism?: Part 2B. Social Limits And The Crisis

Syndicated News — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:27:48 +0000

By Alex Knight
Considering the ecological limits and social limits to growth side-by-side, the only conclusion I can make is that the end of capitalism is not only a possibility, but an inevitability. Neither the planet nor the worlds population appear able to support this system much longer, and somethings got to give. It may be years or even a couple decades before we can look back and say for sure that a paradigm shift has occurred and that we are living in a different, non-capitalist era

Article from Countercurrents.org read more here

Is There Anything Lower….

Syndicated News — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:48:45 +0000

Article from CommonDreams.org Further... read more here

Congress Reforms Cocaine Convictions

Syndicated News — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:18:04 +0000

by Alex Spillius in Washington

The US House of Representatives approved a bill reducing the disparities between mandatory crack and powder cocaine sentences, which will now be sent for President Barack Obama's signature.

During his presidential campaign, Mr Obama said that the wide gap in sentencing "cannot be justified and should be eliminated".

More than eight in 10 of those convicted for crack offences in 1987 are black, according to Senator Pat Leahy, a top supporter of the bill when it passed earlier in the Senate.

Article from CommonDreams.org Headlines read more here

Congress Reforms Cocaine Convictions

Syndicated News — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:18:04 +0000

by Alex Spillius in Washington

The US House of Representatives approved a bill reducing the disparities between mandatory crack and powder cocaine sentences, which will now be sent for President Barack Obama's signature.

Article from CommonDreams.org Headlines read more here

Sarahi Uribe: Is Arizona to Blame?

newsreader89 — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:00:33 +0000

In recent months, many have blamed, boycotted, and blasphemed Arizona for SB 1070. However, it is not all state law that is to blame. A few years ago, the United States Justice Department passed 287 G, a statute that puts immigration control in the hands of local police. Would SB 1070 be possible without these deeper, more established roots?

Nevertheless, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton put controversial sections of the law, such as police officers checking immigration status, on hold, handing a legal victory to the bill's opponents. Though the law will still go into effect this Thursday, this ruling could criminalize otherwise legal aspects of the crackdown.

Sarahi Uribe from the National Day Laborer's Organizing Network joined us from Arizona to elaborate on this law, and describe the local, national, and international reaction as SB 1070 goes into effect this week.

Article from GRITtv read more here

Greenpeace: Making BP Disappear

newsreader89 — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:00:08 +0000

The headline of the New York Times today says "On the surface, Gulf oil spill is vanishing fast," but as we all know, that's just the surface. Wouldn't it be nice if the spill really was disappearing--and with it the company that caused it? Greenpeace activists in England are doing just that--or at least, doing their best. Check it out.

Article from GRITtv read more here