October 31, 2016 – This post first appeared on BillMoyers.com. This year sees the implementation of the world’s first agreement to combat climate change. An inadequate but major milestone, the Paris agreement was driven in part by President Barack Obama’s willingness to take some initial action to confront this looming threat to our planet. Yet […]
Life
Celebrate Your Birds and 30 Years of Project FeederWatch
ITHACA, NY, Oct. 27, 2016 – One Northern Cardinal, Carolina Chickadee, or Tufted Titmouse at a time, Project FeederWatch participants are making new scientific discoveries possible. This long-running citizen-science project has amassed decades of information about winter feeder birds across the United States and Canada. The 30th season of FeederWatch kicks off on November 12. […]
Groups to National Park Service: Do Not Partner With Alcohol Companies, Display Alcohol Ads in Parks
Oct. 27, 2016 – Allowing alcohol company logos within America’s national parks disregards public health and puts youth at risk of dangerous drinking behavior, a coalition of 66 health groups said today in a letter (PDF) to the National Park Service (NPS). “As organizations dedicated to protecting public health – especially the health of children […]
Upcoming Movie ‘Loving’ Focuses on Fight for Interracial Marriage and ‘Absolute Commitment,’ Says Virginia Tech Expert
Oct. 26, 2016 – Nearly 50 years after a landmark civil rights case ruled state laws prohibiting interracial marriage were unconstitutional, the movie “Loving,” set for release Nov. 4, will tell the story of the plaintiffs in the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia. Virginia Tech’s Peter Wallenstein is an expert on the […]
How much Halloween candy would kill you? (video)
WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2016 — Halloween is almost here, which means costumes, scary movies and lots of candy. This week, Reactions tackles this spooky hypothetical question: How much Halloween candy would kill you? Find out the answer as we explain the chemistry behind lethal doses, sugar metabolism and candy corn. Trick-or-treaters, beware: The American Chemical […]
Planned Parenthood Celebrates 100 Years of Care, Education, and Activism
NEW YORK, NY, Oct. 20, 2016 – On October 16, Planned Parenthood celebrated its centennial with more than 150 community events worldwide, including an event at City Hall in New York City, where the first birth control clinic in the U.S. was opened by Margaret Sanger 100 year earlier. Planned Parenthood staff, patients, activists, supporters, […]
Dean Baker Publishes Latest Book on How the Economy is Rigged
Washington, D.C. October 19, 2016 – Today, Economist Dean Baker is publishing his new book Rigged: How Globalization and the Rules of the Modern Economy Were Structured to Make the Rich Richer. This book shows that upward redistribution was not the result of globalization and the natural workings of the market. Rather, it was the result of conscious […]
U.S. DOT Bans All Samsung Galaxy Note7 Phones from Airplanes
WASHINGTON, Oct. 14, 2016 – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), today announced it is issuing an emergency order to ban all Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphone devices from air transportation in the United States. Individuals who own or possess a […]
HRC Releases 5th Annual Municipal Equality Index, Scoring Cities’ LGBTQ-Inclusive Laws, Policies and Services
WASHINGTON October 17, 2016 – Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, in partnership with the Equality Federation Institute, released its fifth annual Municipal Equality Index (MEI), the only nationwide rating system of LGBTQ inclusion in municipal law […]
Saturday Night Live: Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton Town Hall Debate Cold Open (VIDEO)
Oct. 16, 2016 – Donald Trump (Alec Baldwin) and Hillary Clinton (Kate McKinnon) take questions from undecided voters (Leslie Jones, Beck Bennett, Michael Che, Bobby Moynihan, Kyle Mooney) in the second presidential debate. Get more SNL on Hulu Plus: http://www.hulu.com/saturday-night-live Get more SNL: http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live Full Episodes: http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-liv… Like SNL: https://www.facebook.com/snl Follow SNL: https://twitter.com/nbcsnl SNL Tumblr: […]
What do Americans fear? Chapman University’s 3rd Annual Survey of American Fears released
Oct. 13, 2016 – Chapman University recently completed its third annual Chapman University Survey of American Fears (2016). The survey asked respondents about 65 fears across a broad range of categories including fears about the government, crime, the environment, the future, technology, health, natural disasters, as well as fears of public speaking, spiders, heights, ghosts […]
HRC Celebrates “National Coming Out Day” With New Video Highlighting Celebrities Advancing Equality by Sharing Their Stories
WASHINGTON October 11, 2016 – Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, celebrated National Coming Out Day by releasing a new video highlighting actors, athletes, musicians, and others who are helping to advance equality by coming out and […]
Secretary Jewell Joins National Park Service and Gill Foundation to Announce Release of First National Study on LGBTQ History
WASHINGTON October 11, 2016 – U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today joined National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis and Tim Gill, philanthropist and founder of the Gill Foundation to announce the release of a new National Park Service theme study identifying places and events associated with the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, […]
CFA’s 12 Ways to Save Energy and Money
WASHINGTON, D.C. Oct. 5, 2016—Saving energy and money go “hand in hand” and today the Consumer Federation of America has identified 12 simple ways consumers can save both as the nation celebrates its first Energy Efficiency Day (October 5, 2016). Today, CFA joins thousands of organizations, companies, and individuals in a nationwide effort to become […]
Master of the Universe: ‘Star Trek’ makeup artist Michael Westmore’s work on exhibit at UC Santa Barbara
Michael Westmore works on a Borg character for “Star Trek: The Next Generation” in the 1990s. October 5, 2016 – If the Borg from “Star Trek: The Next Generation” gave you nightmares, blame Michael Westmore. Ever laugh at the Ferengi? Thank Westmore. In fact, every alien in the “Star Trek” universe from “TNG” to “Voyager” […]
Supermarkets “Rigged” through Secret Deals with Food Manufacturers
WASHINGTON September 28, 2016 – Consumer demand is not the only factor that determines what supermarkets sell. Backroom deals between supermarket chains and food manufacturers help determine which products get placed in high traffic areas—and which products appear at all. The Center for Science in the Public Interest today is releasing a report exposing these […]
How often do smoke alarms need to be replaced? A national survey shows most Americans don’t know
Sept. 28, 2016 – How often should the smoke alarms in your home be replaced? If you don’t know, you’re not alone. A national survey conducted by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) shows that nine out of 10 Americans don’t know how often smoke alarms need to be replaced. The correct answer: every 10 […]
Katharine Hayhoe Talks Climate Change with President Obama and Leonardo DiCaprio (VIDEO)
Sept. 27, 2016 – Katharine Hayhoe, a professor of political science and director of the Texas Tech University Climate Science Center, is having a busy few weeks. As one of the world’s leading climate scientists, Hayhoe is frequently featured in national media discussing climate science and its impacts and solutions. But even she doesn’t get […]
Are You a Jerk?
RIVERSIDE, CA, Sept. 26, 2016 – Are you a jerk? How do you know? Jerk self-knowledge is hard to come by, says Eric Schwitzgebel, a professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside. Schwitzgebel posited a Theory of Jerks in Aeon Magazine in 2014 and has revisited the topic a few times in his […]
Book Review: Maude Barlow’s “Boiling Point: Government Neglect, Corporate Abuse, and Canada’s Water Crisis”
September 26, 2016 – We are complacent. We bask in the idea that Canada holds 20% of the world’s fresh water — water crises face other countries, but not ours. We could not be more wrong. In Boiling Point, bestselling author and activist Maude Barlow lays bare the issues facing Canada’s water reserves, including long-outdated […]