US President Barack Obama speaks at memorial for Arizona shooting victims

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US President Barack Obama speaks at memorial for Arizona shooting victims

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US President Barack Obama speaks at memorial for Arizona shooting victims

United States President Barack Obama spoke at a memorial in Tucson, Arizona Wednesday night, in the wake of last Saturday's mass shooting. Earlier in the day, Obama visited five people injured in the attack, including Gabrielle Giffords, a Democratic Congresswoman from Arizona.

Obama spoke to almost 14,000 people in the University of Arizona's McKale Center, as well as 13,000 others outside. During a 33-minute-long speech, he attempted to begin the "healing process," urging the nation "to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds." He recognized the victims of the incident as well as those who helped the wounded immediately after the shooting.

Jared Lee Loughner, aged 22, is accused of opening fire on a "Congress on Your Corner" event on January 8, killing six people and injuring thirteen others. The incident has sparked a fiery political debate on whether intense political campaigns could incite violence.

During his speech, Obama said of Giffords' condition, "Gabby opened her eyes so I can tell you know she knows we are here, she knows that we love her and she knows that we are rooting for her through what will undoubtedly be a difficult journey." Peter Rhee, a trauma surgeon at Tuscon's University Medical Center, said Giffords is making progress and is able to move more.

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US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords shot at Arizona supermarket

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US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords shot at Arizona supermarket

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US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords shot at Arizona supermarket

US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot at a public event in Tucson, Arizona on Saturday. At least five were killed and several others were wounded in the shooting, including at least one of Giffords' staff. The shooting occurred at a SafewayDemocratic Party supermarket where Giffords, a member who represented Arizona's 8th congressional district, had scheduled a public "Congress on Your Corner" event.

Giffords was widely reported as having died after the attack, but her public relations personnel later said she was undergoing surgery. Giffords was shot in the head at close range, and according to the Pima County sheriff, Giffords, aged 40, died from the attack. National Public Radio, however, reported that there were conflicting reports about her death.

Giffords was airlifted to a nearby hospital and underwent emergency surgery. A spokesperson for University Medical Center said, "She is currently in surgery. She's alive," adding that nine other shooting victims had been taken to the hospital. After the surgery, the hospital announced Giffords was alive with a single gunshot wound to the head and that she was responsive.

The hospital also said that a nine-year-old was among those killed in the shooting. David Gonzales, a US Marshal, said that federal judge John Roll also died from his wounds. President Barack Obama said the shooter killed a total of five people.

Peter Michaels, of Arizona Public Media, said Giffords had been speaking to several people when someone began firing randomly from around 4 feet (1.2 metres) away. The gunman attempted to flee but was tackled by an onlooker and taken into police custody. Described as in his late teens to early twenties, he was later identified as 22-year-old Jared Loughner, who used a handgun in the attack.

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Prof. Erantha De Mel receives the US President's Service Award

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Prof. Erantha De Mel receives the US President's Service Award

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Prof. Erantha De Mel receives the US President's Service Award

Sri Lankan born Psychologist / Cognitive Neuroscientist Prof. Erantha De Mel received the President’s Call to Service Award at a ceremony held in Washington DC recently. This distinguished service award by President Barack Obama was presented to him for his outstanding services to the American community in the fields of Psychology and Psychotherapy.

This lifetime achievement award was established in 2003 after President George W. Bush created the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. It is given annually to individuals who have dedicated over 4,000 hours of voluntary service over the course of their lifetime.

As a practicing Clinical Psychologist and a Cognitive Neuroscientist, Prof. Erantha De Mel was instrumental in formulating many psychological treatment protocols for treating trauma and PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). He is the founder of the Psychological therapeutic modality – the “Neural Optimization Technique”. Prof. De Mel currently functions as the Director (Research and Academic Programs) of the American Research Institute of Neurosciences, and is the President of the Institute of Professional Psychologists.

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House to vote on health repeal next week

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House to vote on health repeal next week

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House to vote on health repeal next week

The House will vote next week to repeal the new health care law, making good on a top-tier GOP campaign promise and setting up a showdown with President Barack Obama over his signature domestic policy achievement.

Majority Leader-elect Eric Cantor (R-Va.) announced Monday the timeline for considering the repeal legislation: The bill posted Monday, the Rules Committee will meet Thursday, and the rule for the debate will be considered on the House floor Friday. The repeal vote will follow on Wednesday, Jan 12.

The GOP repeal bill is only two pages long – a stark contrast to the 2,000-plus pages in the final health care legislation, a number that was cited repeatedly by Republicans as evidence the bill amounted to a massive government overreach.

Aiming to link the rollback effort to job creation, Republicans named the bill "Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act."

The Republican legislation states that it would restore statutes to what they were before the health care law passed. It would also repeal the health care provisions in a companion piece of legislation, known as the reconciliation act, that fixed elements of the main health care law. The repeal bill would leave intact an overhaul of the student loan industry that was passed as part of the reconciliation measure.

The House will vote on a separate resolution that would, in effect, take steps toward creating an alternative Republican health care plan. The resolution would call on four key committees to create health care legislation that addresses 12 different goals, to "lower health care premiums through increased competition and choice," "increase the number of insured Americans," "protect the doctor-patient relationship," and "prohibit taxpayer funding of abortions and provide conscience protections of health care providers," for example.

The resolution appears aimed at blunting Democratic criticism that Republicans aren’t serious about enacting solutions to expand health care coverage to millions of uninsured Americans.

"Obamacare is a job killer for businesses small and large, and the top priority for House Republicans is going to be to cut spending and grow the economy and jobs,” Cantor spokesman Brad Dayspring said in a statement. "Further, Obamacare failed to lower costs as the president promised that it would and does not allow people to keep the care they currently have if they like it. That is why the House will repeal it next week."

The repeal effort is not expected to succeed, given that Democrats maintain control of the Senate and the president can veto the legislation. But Republicans could embarrass the White House if they persuade a number of Democrats to vote with them and, over the long term, plan to try to chip away at pieces of the law.

"We have 242 Republicans," said Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), incoming chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, on "Fox News Sunday." "There will be a significant number of Democrats, I think, that will join us. You will remember when that vote passed in the House last March, it only passed by seven votes."

Only 13 of the 34 Democrats who opposed the bill in March won reelection, narrowing the pool from which Republicans can pick up crossover votes.

The White House declined to comment on Cantor's announcement.

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Obama signs healthcare bill for 9/11 emergency workers

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Obama signs healthcare bill for 9/11 emergency workers

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Obama signs healthcare bill for 9/11 emergency workers

On Sunday, January 2, United States President Barack Obama signed into law a five-year benefit package to provide healthcare treatment for emergency workers including police, firefighters, and rescue workers affected by illness and respiratory problems contracted while working at the site of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks in New York City on September 11, 2001.

The bill—the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which is named after a police officer who died of a respiratory illness he got during a rescue operation at the World Trade Center — will provide $4.2 billion over the next five years. This money will be raised by increasing a levy on foreign companies that win procurement contracts from the United States government.

The new legislation also provides new funding for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, a federal program for victims of the terrorist attacks.

President Obama signed the bill in Kailua, Hawaii, where he is staying on vacation. In a statement, Obama said: "We will never forget the selfless courage demonstrated by the firefighters, police officers and first responders who risked their lives to save others. I believe this is a critical step for those who continue to bear the physical scars of those attacks."

The law was the only one that passed through Congress during the lame-duck session in December, with some Republican opposition. New York Senators and Congressmen have praised the passage of the measures.

"The heroes who rushed to Ground Zero in the hours and days after the attacks will not be forgotten. These first responders were like veterans, and this law keeps with a time-honored tradition of standing by our veterans when they get harmed answering the call." said Charles Schumer, Democratic Senator from New York. He also vowed to "begin work immediately to make sure this law gets renewed for another five years".

New York Republican congressman Peter T. King said that "Justice is finally being served", and that the passing of the law marked "A great day for America."

Democratic congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney said that "The Zadroga law will save lives and fulfills our moral obligation to care for those who rose to the defense of America in a time of war."

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