Category: Burcu Karakas
Terra Cotta Warriors Watch over National Geographic
TERRA
New Bedford Standard Times
Burcu Karakas
Boston University Washington News Service
11.18.2009
WASHINGTON—The greatest number of the famous Chinese terra cotta warriors ever to travel to the United States will be on display beginning Thursday at the National Geographic Museum in Washington.
Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor, includes 15 life-size terra cotta figures and 100 sets of objects from the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shihuangdi.
In the media preview of the exhibition, Terry Garcia, National Geographic’s executive vice president for mission programs, said that 96,000 tickets had been sold and that he hopes to reach 100,000 by this weekend.
Garcia said this has been an important week for China-U.S. relations, highlighted by President Obama’s visit to China.
Feng Xie, the deputy chief of mission of the Chinese Embassy, who was at the preview, called Obama’s visit a “great success” and indicated that China-U.S. relations have reached a new historic starting point.
“Obama’s visit to China is historic, and so is the Terra Cotta Warriors” exhibition he said.
The terra cotta warriors have been described as the “eighth wonder of the world.” Discovered after being buried for more than 2,000 years, the warriors are said to reveal secrets of the Qin dynasty.
The exhibition began its U.S. tour in California last year and then visited Atlanta and Houston. Washington, where the warriors will on display through March 31, is the final stop.
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Women More Vulnerable to Global Warming, UN Report Says
UNFPA
New Bedford Standard Times
Burcu Karakas
Boston University Washington News Service
11.18.2009
WASHINGTON- Women are likelier to be affected by and to suffer from climate change than men are, according to a United Nations Population Fund report released Wednesday.
Timothy E. Wirth, president of the United Nations Foundation, said bringing women’s issues into the climate change debate is essential since women are already the greatest victims of AIDS, violence and refugee problems. “Climate change is making these problems worse and worse,” Wirth said at a press conference at the National Press Club.
Wirth noted that as the temperature of the Earth’s surface increases, food production will decline across the world, which will add enormously to the pressure on women who are responsible for sustaining their families.
The report supports the idea that family planning, reproductive health care and gender relations, particularly in developing countries, have the potential to influence the future of climate change.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., emphasizing the unequal burdens climate change places on women, said women are likelier than men to die from conditions related to climate change.
Robert Engelman, vice president for programs at the Worldwatch Institute, a globally focused environmental research organization based in Washington, said integrating gender considerations into the climate change framework is a new but crucial concept.
He said women who are in charge of their own lives have the power to change global warming by contributing to slower population growth, and their own efforts are “practical, necessary and hopeful.”
Rapid population growth and industrialization affect the levels of gas emissions, he said, and the world is running out of time to reverse this trend. This is a long-term problem, which is not only a governmental commitment but also a “fundamental human issue,” Engleman said.
Jose Miguel Guzman, chief of the population and development branch of the fund, said the way people organize their lives and achieve sustainable life styles is relevant to climate change.
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More H1N1 Vaccine Expected in the Following Weeks
H1N1
New Bedford Standard Times
Burcu Karakas
Boston University Washington News Service
11.17.2009
WASHINGTON—Leaders of a Senate committee expressed disappointment and frustration Tuesday over the slow pace of distribution of the H1N1 vaccine.
Speaking at a committee hearing Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.), the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said there have been “more flu deaths than previously realized and fewer vaccine does than originally promised.” He said this created public frustration and confusion among those with the highest risk.
He cited a report last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that 22 million people have been made ill by the H1N1 virus, with 98,000 people needing hospitalization and about 4,000 people dying from the flu or from complications associated with the virus.
Lieberman noted that the estimated 120 million to 160 million doses promised to be available were not delivered. Instead, he said, there are now 42 million doses, equal to the number of highest-risk individuals.
“Things looked better two weeks ago, when 11 million more doses were delivered, with another 8 million doses projected to be available this week,” he said. “But by last Friday only about 5 million more were available.”
Sen. Susan M. Collins (R-Maine), the committee’s senior minority member, criticized the shortfall and expressed her frustration and anger.
“It is mid-November, and we know that supply production is still lagging behind those repeated assurances,” Collins said. She invited the administration to work more closely with state and local public health officials.
Nicole Lurie, the Health and Human Services assistant secretary for preparedness and response, said an increase in the amount of vaccine is expected in the weeks ahead.
She said increasing the investments in technology and manufacture capacity is vital to preparing for and responding to threats. She added that health care facilities need to be supported during the current pandemic.
Alex Garza, the assistant Homeland Security secretary for health affairs, said the department continues to monitor the pandemic at state, local and tribal levels.
Rear Adm. Anne Schuchat, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said a national campaign to encourage domestic and international travelers to take steps to prevent the spread of flu will be launched. She added that during the holidays, reducing the spread of the H1N1 virus among those who are traveling will be important.
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Early Child Education Discussed in Washinton
CHILDHOOD
New Bedford Standard Times
Burcu Karakas
Boston University Washington News Service
11.13.2009
WASHINGTON – Viewing early childhood education as an economic issue was the focus of a national conference in Washington this week. Partners in Early Childhood and Economic Development, a program funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, convened experts to discuss and share ideas about the future of early childhood education in the country.
Participants said in order to make early care a priority across the nation proponents should come together more systematically at the federal and state levels to help policy makers understand the economic and education importance of early care.
Shannon Rudisill, associate director of the Child Care Bureau, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said they are trying to build a common perception about early child education by bringing a range of ideas together while they are working on the policies. She emphasized that cooperation is vital for quality improvement.
During the “Taking Early Care and Education Policy Forward” panel, participants said they appreciate the Obama administration’s concerns about early child education across the nation.
The economic recovery bill passed by Congress in February created new early care and education jobs and included more than $5 billion for early learning programs, including Head Start, Early Head Start, child care, and programs for children with special needs.
Barbara Gault, executive director of the Washington-based Institute for Women’s Policy Research, said the role of the state and federal governments should be defined and that there should be public and private funding for early child care.
John Williams, a consultant at Development Communications Associates, emphasized the importance of working at the community level for early child care. Williams expressed the need of working together with school districts. “Early care education support is critical,” he said.
Williams also said the policies should be targeted to be “inclusive” for all children, regardless of the family profile.
Danielle Ewen, of the Center for Law and Social Policy, made remarks about the need of a change in the financing aspect of the current system. She said there should be an economic model to make early child care a public good. Ewen said a “revenue based investment” should be constructed in the long term.
In the short term, she said public and private partnerships are important and better data should be constructed about outcome, impact and providers in early child care.
“First, we need to understand and translate it into economic terms,” she said, regarding the significance of political pressures for better results on the issue.
She then pointed out that a new tax policy and a revenue based system is crucial to invest in early childhood education.
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Biometric Information Used in Identifying Criminals
CRIMINAL
New Bedford Standard Times
Burcu Karakas
Boston University Washington News Service
11.12.2009
WASHINGTON – Federal agencies and local law enforcement departments have identified more than 111,000 criminal aliens in the first year of a joint program that checks the digital fingerprints of persons arrested and booked at the local level against immigration and FBI records.
The announcement was made by Janet Napolitano, secretary of Homeland Security, and John Morton, assistant secretary for immigration and customs enforcement, at a press conference Thursday.
“Technology is the heart of this new capability,” Morton said.
The program, known as Secure Communities, is operated jointly by the Homeland Security and Justice Departments and participating law enforcement partners. They automatically check the digital fingerprints of all individuals arrested at the local level against Homeland Security’s biometrics-based immigration records in addition to FBI databases. This allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement to take action to ensure that criminal aliens are not released.
“It has been a remarkable first year for Secure Communities,” Morton said.
He gave an example from Boston: a detainee identified through biometric records had been involved in a rape case in the past. Without Secure Communities, this would not have been known, Morton said.
According to the statistics, there were 1,425 matches in Massachusetts from October 27, 2008 through October 31, 2009.
Since 2008, the program has identified 11,000 aliens charged or convicted with serious crimes such as murder, rape or kidnapping, and 1,900 of those have been removed from the United States.
There are currently 95 jurisdictions across 11 states using Secure Communities. Officials announced that the Washington Metropolitan Police Department will be the next to participate.
Secure Communities will be present in every state by 2011 and be available to every law enforcement agency by 2013, the officials said.
Napolitano said the top priority is to achieve strong and effective law enforcement. According to the secretary, biometrics is a new technological, accurate, cost-effective and efficient development that requires less manpower.
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Coakley Beats Other Democrats on Fundraising
COAKLEY
New Bedford Standard Times
Burcu Karakas
Boston University Washington News Service
October 28, 2009
WASHINGTON – Martha Coakley raised almost $2.2 million in one month in her race to replace the late Edward M. Kennedy in the U.S. Senate, much more than did the two other candidates in the Dec. 8 Democratic primary, according to each candidate’s campaign finance filing.with the Federal Election Commission.
Rep. Michael E. Capuano raised $343,000 last month and transferred $1.2 million from his U.S. House reelection account to his Senate campaign. Contributions to Capuano from individuals totaled $306,536 .96 and political action committees and party committees gave $32,500. He ended September with $1,167,906 in his campaign fund.
Alan Khazei raised $1.1 million in September without receiving any funds from political action committees, according to his report filed with the Federal Election Commission. The Khazei campaign finished the period that ended Sept, 30 with $1,040,297 in his campaign treasury.
Coakley’s campaign raised $2,181,231—with only $41,450 coming from political action committees—and ended September with $1,953,512 in her campaign fund, according to her filing with the commission. Campaign spokesman Mathew Helman said Coakley had a wide range of individual contributors, including 3,707 who gave $100 or less.
“I am humbled by this display of support shown by our contributors and volunteers throughout Massachusetts and across the country,” Coakley said in a press release. “We more than doubled our fundraising goals for the month of September.”
Doug Roscoe, associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, said, “Realistically, the latest numbers show the Coakley, Capuano and Khazei campaigns all about equally armed for battle.”
He noted that none of the candidates came close to the numbers raised by candidates for statewide office in 2006, when Deval Patrick spent $8 million and Kerry Healey spent over $13 million in their campaigns for governor.
Since time is limited for the special election, which will be Jan. 19, it is not likely that the candidates will raise comparable amounts, according to Roscoe. “It means they are all about equally distant from having the resources to run a true statewide campaign,” he said.
Roscoe emphasized that Capuano as a House candidate had the opportunity to transfer money from his House campaign account. “These transfers represent 78 percent of his total receipts,” he said.
Coakley, however, was not legally allowed to transfer campaign funds she raised in her successful race for state attorney general to her U.S. Senate race account.
Roscoe does not consider it surprising that while Capuano was financially in a more advantaged position at the beginning, Coakley has been more successful in raising money for her campaign. She has “greater name recognition and a broader network of prior donors,” he said.
“If both candidates maintain their current pace of fundraising, Coakley’s financial edge will only grow and may become a significant advantage for her in the Dec. 8 primary,” Roscoe said.
Jennifer Duffy, senior editor at the Cook Political Report, also agreed that the Coakley campaign did really well during this short period of fundraising. Although Coakley lacked experience in raising money nationally, the funds she raised and the wise way she spent are “stunning,” Duffy said.
Duffy said that the amount Khazei raised is “pretty impressive” and that he is likely to continue raising more funds than Capuano because of his broader base of donors all around the country.
Duffy said that with only six weeks to the primary, there has not been enough interaction between candidates. “Perhaps it’s a sign of how much work they need to do to build name recognition and define themselves,” she said.
With statewide name recognition and a well-funded campaign, “Coakley is the candidate to beat,” Duffy said.
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Bill Clinton Urges Changes to Current Health-Care System
REFORM
New Bedford Standard Times
Burcu Karakas
Boston University Washington News Service
October 14, 2009
WASHINGTON—Former President Bill Clinton said Wednesday the nation’s health-care delivery system is no longer sustainable.
Speaking at hte AdvaMed 2009, a conference on medical technology, Clinton said he expected Congress to approve health-care overhaul legislation this year that may not please everybody but that is an economic and health-care “necessity.”
He also said low-income people should have access to medical technology improvements.
Clinton pointed out that some European countries, such as Switzerland and France, devote smaller percentages of their gross domestic product to health care than the United States does. Challenging the argument that the country is already spending too much on health care, he said America should spend less.
Amy Hall, director of the federal Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ legislative office, said, “the status quo in America is unacceptable.” She said the Obama administration is trying to bring stability and security to those who don’t have health insurance or affordable coverage.
James C. Capretta, a fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, pointing to possible tax increases as part of health-care legislation, said, “This is not a pain-free exercise.”
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Team Boston Competing in Solar Decathlon
SOLAR
New Bedford Standard Times
Burcu Karakas
Boston University Washington News Service
October 14, 2009
WASHINGTON – Curio House, a project designed and built by students from Boston Architectural College and Tufts University, is competing this week in the Solar Decathlon on the National Mall.
Twenty teams have built solar-powered houses, which are being judged on 10 criteria. The winner will be announced Friday.
Jon Hanson, a 24-year-old Boston Architectural College undergraduate student, said Team Boston wanted to challenge people by asking questions about their lifestyles. The aim, he said, was to create curiosity in order to lead people toward a more sustainable way of living. The project is based on three elements: sustainability, affordability and adaptability.
All teams showcase energy-efficient, marketable, solar-powered homes during the exhibition week, which is open to the public on the Mall.
Hanson said they wanted to come up with the idea of a financially affordable and accessible house. The furniture for the house was designed so that it could be moved and stored when not in use, creating more living space in the Curio House.
An experimental heat glass is used for the windows, serving as a heat source and keeping the house warm. Seventy percent of the heat is coming from the glass, he said.
Hanson said visitors get excited when they see they can actually put all different parts of the energy-efficient technology into their own houses. He said some people even have shown serious interest in building the house.
Colin Booth, the project manager, said the team spent two years on the project. Booth, 28, is a full-time employee in an architecture firm in Watertown. He said his firm was very supportive of him during the whole process.
Roughly 300 students were involved in the project, working in different stages, such as financial control, marketing and the Web site. Booth said there were several classes or studios where the ideas were put together. Students brainstormed and researched the project; then, those who were dedicated stayed till the final step.
Booth said generating as much power as possible is a way to get points in the competition, but they did not completely follow this path. “We are not only trying to impress people, but also educate them,” he said.
The feedback they got from the visitors so far is really good, according to Booth. He said people are very happy to see a “normal house” among the others. He said an accessible house makes “far more sense,” because people get frustrated when they see they can’t adapt the technologies to their own houses.
Booth also said that students from the other teams were coming to Curio House in the evening to hang out and enjoy the free heat from the windows.
The event creates a great job opportunity for the students. They said recruiting is going on during the week. As people from several firms come to visit the houses, they give their business cards to the students.
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Immigration Detention Dystem Changes Announced by Secretary Napolitano
IMMIGRATION REPORTS
New Bedford Standard Times
Burcu Karakas
Boston University Washington News Service
October 06, 2009
WASHINGTON – New initiatives to enhance the security and efficiency of the immigration detention system were introduced by Department of Homeland Security officials Tuesday.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the aim was to “update the entire immigration system.”
John Morton, the assistant secretary for immigration and customs enforcement, said the department wants to create an “efficient and effective detention system.”
The management of all Immigration and Customs Enforcement contracts will be centralized and the department will accelerate efforts to create an online system for families and attorneys to locate detainees, Napolitano said.
She also said medical care in every facility will be enhanced from the time the individual first enters detention. Morton said the changes are not based on individual cases of detainee abuse but rather focused on the entire detention system.
The department plans to submit to Congress this year a plan for alternatives to detention.
Also released Tuesday at a conference at the Brookings Institution was a report on immigration reform, prepared as a joint project of Brookings and the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University.
The report, t “Breaking the Immigration Stalemate: From Deep Disagreements to Constructive Proposals,” proposes to reduce illegal immigration by linking workplace verification and legalization, reorient immigrant admissions criteria, rationalize temporary worker programs, establish an independent standing commission on immigration, engage cooperation with Mexico and promote assimilation and integration of new immigrants.
Noah Pickus, director of the Kenan Institute, focused on the importance of a “more intentional policy” in the integration process of immigrants.
“We don’t have any intentionality behind our policies,” he said. Pickus said values and principles should be used to connect immigrants to American history and create a commitment to American values.
Peter Skerry, a senior fellow at Brookings and a professor of political science at Boston College, emphasized the significance of “employment-based immigration,” which would limit the current family-sponsored immigration. He said 5 million people are waiting now to join their relatives as a result of the current system. This number can be reduced to 6,000, he said, by focusing on “nuclear family unification.”
Skerry said the report suggests changing temporary visas to non-renewable, five-year provisional visas, which would give immigrants the option of achieving permanent status.
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Biden Tells State Insurance Commissioners Health Care System Needs to be Changed
BIDEN SPEECH
New Bedford Standard Times
Burcu Karakas
Boston University Washington News Service
Sept. 22, 2009
WASHINGTON—Vice President Joe Biden told state insurance commissioners Tuesday that the health insurance status quo needed to be changed immediately.
Biden spoke to members of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners at the group’s annual conference in a nearby Maryland suburb, telling them the need to change the system is for everyone and “not only for those who don’t have health insurance.”
Health insurance premiums have gone up 90-150 percent over the past decade, he said, and “the status quo of rising premiums is simply unsustainable for families, for businesses, for state budgets and for our national economy.”
The vice president highlighted the possible economic boost that a health-care overhaul would give to insurers by increasing the number of healthy and young customers. Reform, he said, would not kill competition or diminish profits and would have a positive impact on the economy.
“As many as 45,000 people per year die owing to a lack of health insurance,” he said, referring to a recent Harvard University study.
Biden told of a woman who wanted the federal government to keep its hands out of Medicare, which the vice president noted is federally financed. “People don't understand 46 cents out of every dollar for health care is paid for by the federal government now,” he said.
“If we do nothing, health care costs are going to swallow the entire budget,” Biden said. He expressed the need for “spending money to make money.”
Biden stated his pleasure with the consensus that has formed in the health-care debate. “There is a broad agreement,” he said, among doctors, nurses, drug companies, hospitals and labor unions.
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