Special Interests

Support Natural Resources Defense Council

Submitted by ub on

We shouldn’t have to worry if the water sources we rely on for drinking, fishing, and swimming are polluted. But for 117 million Americans, a legal loophole has undermined the Clean Water Act safeguards that are supposed to prevent big polluters from dumping unsafe amounts of dangerous pollutants in our waters.

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers are ready to make important changes to close this loophole—and you can step up to support these changes.

ARE YOU FEELING SAD?

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The winter blues seems to get inside some people affecting their moods as well as their days. Known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), this form of depression affects about 1% to 2% of the population. Although it strikes all genders and ages, women are more likely to develop SAD than men, and young people are more likely to develop it than older people.

SAD seems to be triggered by decreased exposure to daylight. Typically, it arrives during the fall or winter months and subsides in the spring. Symptoms are similar to general depression and include lethargy, loss of interest in once-pleasurable activities, interpersonal problems, irritability, inability to concentrate, and changes in sleeping patterns, appetite, or both.

Experts don’t fully understand the cause of SAD, but leading theories place the blame on an out-of-sync body clock or on improper levels of either the hormone melatonin or the neurotransmitter serotonin.

Depression is more than a passing bout of sadness or dejection, or feeling down in the dumps. It can leave you feeling continuously burdened and can sap the joy out of once-pleasurable activities. Effective treatment can lighten your mood, strengthen your connections with loved ones, allow you to find satisfaction in interests and hobbies, and make you feel more like yourself again.

Hydraulic Fracturing or FRACKING?

Submitted by ub on

The energy industry wants you to know that they are responsible operations and that natural gas is found throughout the world in underground formations, such as sandstone, carbonates, coal and shale. Gaining access to this gas involves drilling vertical, horizontal or multi-lateral wells to the target formation.

Various completion techniques, such as hydraulic fracturing, are then used to create an effective connection between the well and the targeted hydrocarbon-containing formation, thereby providing a pathway for the gas to be produced.

WORTHWHILE INFORMATION

Event: Introduction to Tumblr
When: April 3, 2013, 9:30 – 11:00am
Where: National Press Club Journalism Institute, Washington D.C., Bloomberg Room
If you've been wondering just what Tumblr is and why everyone seems have one but you, sign up for this session. Tumblr is a blogging platform that lets you quickly and easily posts everything from photos, to text to video. Come find out more about its applications and create your very own Tumblr site. Registration is free for NPC members; $15 for non-members. Registration is required at http://www.press.org/events/introduction-tumblr

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OIL SPILL ALERT

Submitted by ub on
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Oil spills are dangerous because of the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, and is a severe form of pollution.

Oil spill contractors working for National Gird Corporation and under the direction of the US Coast Guard and the NYS DEC, are working to clean up a spill of oil and hazardous materials in Paerdergat Basin, Brooklyn.

The public is advised to avoid fishing and recreational activity in this area until further notice. An odor may also be present in the area.

WE MUST STOP USING PLASTIC BAGS NOW

Submitted by ub on

Most anyone who decides to enjoy a long walk through an area park, or perhaps walks barefoot on the sand at a nearby beach will undoubtedly find a few plastic bags before too long. This is a growing problem which has to be addressed on a global level.

Why can't shoppers stop using plastic bags? But the problem does not stop if everyone begins using other kinds of bags. Stronger, heavier bags, whether made of fabric or plastic, have a bigger environmental impact than standard supermarket shopping bags.

Single-use bags, both paper and plastic, represent a huge threat to the environment. This threat is not only related to the sheer volume of them ending up in landfill, but also to the resources needed to produce, transport and (occasionally) recycle them, and the emissions resulting from these processes. Single-use plastic bags are also well known for their interference in ecosystems and the part they play in flood events, where they clog pipes and drains.

According to published statistics, about 380 billion plastic bags are used in the United States every year alone. That’s more than 1,200 bags per US resident every year. An estimated 12 million barrels of oil is required to make that many plastic bags and only 1 to 2% of plastic bags in the USA end up getting recycled. Thousands of marine animals and more than 1 million birds die each year as a result of plastic pollution.

Congressman Crowley Cares about City Islanders

Submitted by ub on

US Representative Joseph Crowley, D NY tells City Island Images that with negotiations over the debt ceiling and deficit in the news, he wanted to let us all know that protecting Social Security and Medicare is his top priority. The congressman is proud to continue the fight to preserve these essential programs for today's seniors and future generations.