U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (D—N.C.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee and Chair of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, supported the bipartisan Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Human Rights Act during a markup yesterday in the Senate Banking Committee.
“As the Chair of the Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee, I know that the potential of a nuclear-armed Iran is a clear concern for our country, our ally Israel and the stability of the Middle East,” said Hagan. “It is important that we cut off resources that would allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. The Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Human Rights Act is an important step in choking off funding for Iran's national oil and shipping companies, and in restricting its ability to tap into electronic banking services.”
The bipartisan bill expands and broadens the President’s authority to increase pressure on Iran to comply with its international obligations. The legislation will:
o Broaden the list of available sanctions,
o Require intensified targeting of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps,
o Require firms traded on U.S. stock exchanges to disclose Iran-related activity to the Securities and Exchange Commission,
o Sanction energy and uranium mining joint ventures with Iran’s government outside of Iran,
o Penalize U.S. parent firms for certain Iran-related activities of their foreign subsidiaries,
o Mandate sanctions for those who supply Iran with weapons and other technologies used to commit human rights abuses, and
o Provide other similar measures designed to increase pressure on Iran’s government.
See what ended up on The News of Orange County's cutting room floor.
Showing posts with label global issues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label global issues. Show all posts
Friday, February 10, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Museum hosts prize-winning journalist Andrew Revkin
Most people alive today will witness a momentous juncture in the history of the human species—the point when explosive growth in human numbers and appetites peaks and is followed by…no one knows. Join prize-winning journalist Andrew Revkin to explore the question “Which Comes First: Peak Everything or Peak Us?” at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences on Wednesday, Jan. 18, at 7 p.m. The event is free.
According to Revkin, there are plenty of signs that the planet’s human population will peak within the next couple of generations. There are even signs that resource-sapping activities will soon hit a peak. Are humans capable of influencing which comes first?
“Decisions made today about energy, education, urban design and other matters can help smooth the transition,” Revkin said. “But business as usual will almost assuredly lead to unnecessary losses.”
And there are a host of unanswered questions concerning how all this will play out.
Revkin is a prize-winning journalist, online communicator and author who has spent more than 25 years covering subjects ranging from the assault on the Amazon to the Asian tsunamis, from the troubled relationship of science and politics to climate change at the North Pole. From 1995 through 2009, he covered the environment for The New York Times and still writes his Dot Earth blog for their Op-Ed section. Revkin has produced more than 500 magazine and newspaper stories, two books, a prize-winning Discovery-Times documentary titled “Arctic Rush” and hundreds of posts on his blog. In 2008, he became the first science writer to receive one of journalism’s top honors, the John Chancellor Award, for more than two decades of pioneering coverage of the science and politics of global warming.
Prior to Wednesday's presentation, from 6 to 7 p.m., meet and talk with students from Triangle area universities and learn about their varied research projects. Revkin’s visit to Raleigh is made possible in part by “Earth: The Operators’ Manual” (ETOM), a TV+online+on-site education and outreach project on climate change and renewable energy supported by National Science Foundation.
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, located at 11 West Jones St. in downtown Raleigh, documents and interprets the natural history of the state of through exhibits, research, collections, publications and educational programming. Visit us online at naturalsciences.org. Hours: Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. General admission is free. The Museum is an agency of the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
According to Revkin, there are plenty of signs that the planet’s human population will peak within the next couple of generations. There are even signs that resource-sapping activities will soon hit a peak. Are humans capable of influencing which comes first?
“Decisions made today about energy, education, urban design and other matters can help smooth the transition,” Revkin said. “But business as usual will almost assuredly lead to unnecessary losses.”
And there are a host of unanswered questions concerning how all this will play out.
Revkin is a prize-winning journalist, online communicator and author who has spent more than 25 years covering subjects ranging from the assault on the Amazon to the Asian tsunamis, from the troubled relationship of science and politics to climate change at the North Pole. From 1995 through 2009, he covered the environment for The New York Times and still writes his Dot Earth blog for their Op-Ed section. Revkin has produced more than 500 magazine and newspaper stories, two books, a prize-winning Discovery-Times documentary titled “Arctic Rush” and hundreds of posts on his blog. In 2008, he became the first science writer to receive one of journalism’s top honors, the John Chancellor Award, for more than two decades of pioneering coverage of the science and politics of global warming.
Prior to Wednesday's presentation, from 6 to 7 p.m., meet and talk with students from Triangle area universities and learn about their varied research projects. Revkin’s visit to Raleigh is made possible in part by “Earth: The Operators’ Manual” (ETOM), a TV+online+on-site education and outreach project on climate change and renewable energy supported by National Science Foundation.
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, located at 11 West Jones St. in downtown Raleigh, documents and interprets the natural history of the state of through exhibits, research, collections, publications and educational programming. Visit us online at naturalsciences.org. Hours: Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. General admission is free. The Museum is an agency of the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
UNC professor’s film on grandmothers of ‘the disappeared’ debuts Tuesday, Jan. 17
A faculty member’s documentary about Argentinian grandmothers committed to finding the grandchildren they believe were stolen by their country’s government will premiere at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Tuesday, Jan. 17.
The free, public screening of “Las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo and the Search for Identity,” a film by C.A. Tuggle, a professor in UNC’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, will begin at 7 p.m. in the Carroll Hall auditorium.
At least 10,000—and some estimate as many as 30,000—dissidents of the military dictatorship were kidnapped, tortured and killed during Argentina’s Dirty War from 1976 to 1983. Those kidnapped became known as los desaparecidos or the disappeared. Some of the women were pregnant or new mothers when captured, and infants ended up in homes of people sympathetic to the regime. The babies’ names, birthdates and other identifiers were changed.
“This isn’t something that happened years ago and has no relevance now,” Tuggle said. “The grandmothers continue to find missing grandchildren. This is an ongoing injustice, and it’s ordinary women who are fighting the battle and serving as an example to all of us that we can make a difference.”
The human rights organization Las Abuelas has located more than 100 missing grandchildren, many who had no knowledge of their true identities.
Tuggle’s daughters Brynne Tuggle Miller and Bethany Tuggle Parker, both graduates of the school, served as coordinating producer and writer-editor, respectively, for the documentary.
“Working on this documentary has been a labor of love,” Miller said. “But it’s also been such a rewarding experience to work on telling a story that my family is so passionate about and, in the process, complete a work that we are so proud of.”
Dylan Field, a TV director and producer in the school, served as the film’s audio editor and videographer.
Screenings at universities throughout the United States will follow the premiere.
For more information, visit the website or watch the video clip.
The free, public screening of “Las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo and the Search for Identity,” a film by C.A. Tuggle, a professor in UNC’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, will begin at 7 p.m. in the Carroll Hall auditorium.
At least 10,000—and some estimate as many as 30,000—dissidents of the military dictatorship were kidnapped, tortured and killed during Argentina’s Dirty War from 1976 to 1983. Those kidnapped became known as los desaparecidos or the disappeared. Some of the women were pregnant or new mothers when captured, and infants ended up in homes of people sympathetic to the regime. The babies’ names, birthdates and other identifiers were changed.
“This isn’t something that happened years ago and has no relevance now,” Tuggle said. “The grandmothers continue to find missing grandchildren. This is an ongoing injustice, and it’s ordinary women who are fighting the battle and serving as an example to all of us that we can make a difference.”
The human rights organization Las Abuelas has located more than 100 missing grandchildren, many who had no knowledge of their true identities.
Tuggle’s daughters Brynne Tuggle Miller and Bethany Tuggle Parker, both graduates of the school, served as coordinating producer and writer-editor, respectively, for the documentary.
“Working on this documentary has been a labor of love,” Miller said. “But it’s also been such a rewarding experience to work on telling a story that my family is so passionate about and, in the process, complete a work that we are so proud of.”
Dylan Field, a TV director and producer in the school, served as the film’s audio editor and videographer.
Screenings at universities throughout the United States will follow the premiere.
For more information, visit the website or watch the video clip.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Hagan joins group of senators urging USTR Kirk to fight for U.S. poultry producers in India
U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-NC) on Thursday, Dec. 22, joined a bipartisan group of 19 Senators in urging U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk to fight for the nation’s poultry producers on his upcoming visit to India in mid-January. In a letter sent Wednesday, Dec. 21, the Senators requested that Kirk continue to work with top Indian officials on resolving India’s non-scientifically based trade policies that deny the American poultry industry access to India’s market.
Poultry is North Carolina’s top agricultural commodity. North Carolina ranks second in the country in total turkey production and third in the country in total poultry production.
"North Carolina's hardworking poultry producers are missing out on valuable export opportunities because of India's current trade barriers," Hagan said. “I urge Ambassador Kirk to stand strong on this issue on his upcoming trip to India and to fight for our farmers and our families, not just in North Carolina, but across the country.”
Over the past five years, Indian trade policies on the viral disease avian influenza have prevented the import of poultry from a number of countries, including the United States. This policy, which makes no distinction between low-pathogenic AI and highly-pathogenic AI, is not backed by scientific evidence and is not in line with standards from the World Organization of Animal Health (OIE). The National Chicken Council estimates that U.S. poultry farmers lose out on at least $300 million a year in exports because of this restriction.
“The U.S. has set the gold standard on this issue and has a track record on AI that is unsurpassed around the world,” the Senators said in their letter to Kirk. “Despite the United States’ track record on AI and the very effective measures in place for AI, India continues to use this non-scientifically based position to prohibit U.S. poultry to access the Indian market. With two of the United States’ top poultry markets having been severely disrupted in the past three years, it is especially important that efforts be undertaken to replace them.
“We respectfully request that, during your upcoming discussions with the government of India, you strongly explain the important biosecurity measures that have been implemented in the U.S. and that the continued use of non-scientifically based measures to prevent trade is unacceptable.”
In addition to Senator Hagan, the bipartisan letter was signed by Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Thomas R. Carper (D-Del.), Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.), Daniel Coats (R-Ind.), Joe Manchin, III (D-W.Va.), Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Jim Webb (D-Va.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), John D. Rockefeller, IV (D-W.Va.), James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), and Mark. R. Warner (D-Va.)
Poultry is North Carolina’s top agricultural commodity. North Carolina ranks second in the country in total turkey production and third in the country in total poultry production.
"North Carolina's hardworking poultry producers are missing out on valuable export opportunities because of India's current trade barriers," Hagan said. “I urge Ambassador Kirk to stand strong on this issue on his upcoming trip to India and to fight for our farmers and our families, not just in North Carolina, but across the country.”
Over the past five years, Indian trade policies on the viral disease avian influenza have prevented the import of poultry from a number of countries, including the United States. This policy, which makes no distinction between low-pathogenic AI and highly-pathogenic AI, is not backed by scientific evidence and is not in line with standards from the World Organization of Animal Health (OIE). The National Chicken Council estimates that U.S. poultry farmers lose out on at least $300 million a year in exports because of this restriction.
“The U.S. has set the gold standard on this issue and has a track record on AI that is unsurpassed around the world,” the Senators said in their letter to Kirk. “Despite the United States’ track record on AI and the very effective measures in place for AI, India continues to use this non-scientifically based position to prohibit U.S. poultry to access the Indian market. With two of the United States’ top poultry markets having been severely disrupted in the past three years, it is especially important that efforts be undertaken to replace them.
“We respectfully request that, during your upcoming discussions with the government of India, you strongly explain the important biosecurity measures that have been implemented in the U.S. and that the continued use of non-scientifically based measures to prevent trade is unacceptable.”
In addition to Senator Hagan, the bipartisan letter was signed by Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Thomas R. Carper (D-Del.), Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.), Daniel Coats (R-Ind.), Joe Manchin, III (D-W.Va.), Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Jim Webb (D-Va.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), John D. Rockefeller, IV (D-W.Va.), James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), and Mark. R. Warner (D-Va.)
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