Days into my tenure as mayor of Chicago, with my focus on keeping our city?s streets safe, our schools strong and our finances stabilized, I expected my attention to be in the Midwest, not in the Middle East. But as an American and the son of an Israeli immigrant, I have a deep, abiding commitment to the survival, security and success of the state of Israel.
I am among the many who know that the Israeli people yearn for peace. They have taken risks for peace in spite of dangers. They will again, when they have a viable partner in the process and a region that recognizes a Jewish state of Israel with secure and defensible borders.
AP - Republicans rejoiced in November after picking up a handful of Democratic congressional districts in President Barack Obama's home state. Now Democrats are getting their revenge, proposing a new map of Illinois districts that could erase the GOP gains.
Daily Caller - Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain told The Daily Caller that the biggest threat he expects from former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the most recent entrant into the Republican primary field, is his loads of campaign cash. “We’ve got to beat Mitt Romney’s money, not Mitt Romney,” Cain said.
AP - Casting President Barack Obama as a failure who has tanked the United States' economy, Republican White House hopeful Mitt Romney seized on Friday's jobs report as he pitched himself as an alternative with the experience to turn around the struggling economy.
Making any change to the current Nato-led military campaign in Afghanistan would be "premature", US Defence Secretary Robert Gates warns on a visit to Kabul.
The First Lady just announced that she will travel to Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa and Gaborone, Botswana during an official visit to Africa later this month. The trip, focused on youth leadership, education, health and wellness, is a continuation of Mrs. Obama’s work to engage young people at home and abroad. Stay tuned for updates on the trip and ways to engage on WhiteHouse.gov.
Today was an exciting day at USDA as I was joined by First Lady Michelle Obama and Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin to unveil USDA's new food icon, MyPlate. The icon is a departure from MyPyramid and serves as a quick, simple reminder to all consumers, built off of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for all Americans.
We all know that what we eat matters - MyPlate offers a visual reminder to make healthy food choices when you choose your next meal. MyPlate can help prioritize food choices by reminding us to make half of our plate fruits and vegetables and shows us the other important food groups for a well-balanced meal: whole grains, lean proteins, and low fat dairy.
Today's announcement was a monumental step forward for consumers and partners, as well. It was a pleasure to be joined by leaders from the Food Marketing Institute, United Fresh Produce Association, Mission Readiness representative Lieutenant General Norman R. Seip (Ret.) and Chef Marcus Samuelson, all committed to making a positive change in our nation’s health.
MyPlateis only the first step in a multi-year effort to raise awareness and educate consumers of every age. We’ll continue working closely with First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative and other stakeholders to deliver tips and information necessary to adopt healthier eating habits balanced with physical activity.
Head over to www.ChooseMyPlate.gov for information, tools, “how-to” materials about healthy eating. While you’re there, check out the interactive tools like the customizable Daily Food Plan or Food Tracker. We hope that MyPlate becomes your plate in the months and years ahead. We’d love to see what’s on your plate so snap a photo of your next meal and share with us on Twitter using the hashtag #MyPlate.
If you missed the event today, check out this video announcing the new food icon, MyPlate:
In this study, we investigate which factors moderate the agenda-setting influence of the mass media on the Belgian parliament during the period 1993—2000. Based on elaborate codings of the media, parliamentary questions and interpellations, party manifestos, government agreements and ministerial meetings, we employ a multi-level time-series model. The results indicate that especially party characteristics (party size, incumbent or opposition party, issue ownership) and the government agenda influence the dependency of parliament on media coverage. Furthermore, we find an increase in the extent of media influence through time, suggesting an increasing presence of ‘media logic’ in the behaviour of Belgian MPs. Irrespective of all those contingent factors, the mass media determine the Belgian parliamentary agenda to a considerable degree.