WomenHeart Educational Programs and Support Services Benefit from $1.1 Million Donation from the Second Annual Burlington Coat Factory Red Dress Event

WASHINGTON, May 13, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease announced today a generous donation of $1,110,928 from the national off-price retailer, Burlington. These funds were generated as a result of the retailer's 2^nd Annual Red Dress Event. For the second consecutive year, from February through Easter, customers in all Burlington locations had the opportunity to purchase a red dress icon for $1 or more at check-out, as well as shop for a dress and Burlington would donate $1 for every dress purchased to show their support for the cause.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130513/DC13164)

Burlington's significant donation will advance WomenHeart's free support services and educational programs for women living with heart disease in communities throughout the country. It will also enable the organization to continue to support and educate Hispanic women – a high risk population for heart disease – through its new Para la Mujer Hispana initiative, made possible by funds raised during Burlington's first Red Dress Event in 2012.

"WomenHeart is so grateful to Burlington and its customers for the outpouring of support for women living with heart disease! Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in women, but with this generous support we will be able to expand our reach and save more lives!" said Lisa M. Tate, Chief Executive Officer of WomenHeart.

"Burlington and our generous customers have risen to the occasion once again in support of our second annual women's heart health initiative in partnership with WomenHeart," said Thomas Kingsbury, president and chief executive officer. "Once again, we set out to raise funds to further educate women on the importance of their heart health and to increase awareness that heart disease is the leading cause of death in women, and I am so proud to have accomplished our goals."

WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease is the nation's only patient centered organization serving the 43 million American women living with or at risk for heart disease – the leading cause of death for women. WomenHeart is solely devoted to advancing women's heart health through advocacy, community education, and the nation's only patient support network for women living with heart disease. WomenHeart is both a coalition and a community of thousands of members nationwide, including women heart patients and their families, healthcare professionals, and health advocates, all committed to helping women live longer, healthier lives. To join or donate, visit www.womenheart.org.

Burlington is a national off price retailer offering brand name merchandise for the entire family and the home with up to 65 percent off department store prices every day. Departments include ladies' dresses, suits, sportswear, juniors, accessories, menswear, family footwear and children's clothing. It also includes an assortment of furniture and accessories for baby at Baby Depot, home decor and gifts, along with the largest selection of coats in the nation for the entire family. Burlington was founded in 1972 and has expanded from a single store selling coats, to a multi-department retail chain with more than 500 stores in 44 States and Puerto Rico.  For more, visit www.BurlingtonCoatFactory.com

SOURCE WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women With Heart Disease

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Aliquippa Mayor Dwan Walker To Host Community Event In Support Of Background Checks For Every Gun Sale

ALIQUIPPA, Pa., May 2, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Aliquippa Mayor Dwan Walker will host a community event with Police Chief Andre Davis, Rob Conroy of CeaseFirePA and community members to demand action from Pennsylvania lawmakers to reduce gun violence. In April, Senators Pat Toomey and Robert Casey stood with 88 percent of Pennsylvania voters and voted to expand background checks to private gun sales at gun shows and online. Pennsylvania Representatives Mike Fitzpatrick, Pat Meehan, Matt Cartwright, Robert Brady and Chaka Fattah have co-sponsored identical legislation in the House.

WHAT: Community event in support of expanded background checks

WHO: Aliquippa Mayor Dwan Walker
Aliquippa Police Chief Andre Davis
Rob Conroy, Western PA Coordinator, CeaseFirePA
Antonio Pitts, Funeral Director, Pitts Funeral Home

WHEN: TOMORROW, Friday, May 3, 2013, 1:00 PM

WHERE: Aliquippa City Hall
581 Franklin Ave.
Aliquippa, PA 15001

RSVP: Dave Scholnick, Dave@MAIG.org

About Mayors Against Illegal Guns
Since its creation in April 2006, Mayors Against Illegal Guns has grown from 15 members to more than 900 mayors from across the country. We have more than 1.5 million grassroots supporters, making us the largest gun violence prevention advocacy organization in the country.  The bipartisan coalition, co-chaired by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, has united the nation's mayors around these common goals: protecting communities by holding gun offenders accountable; demanding access to crime gun trace data that is critical to law enforcement efforts to combat gun trafficking; and working with legislators to fix weaknesses and loopholes in the law that make it far too easy for criminals and other dangerous people to get guns.  Learn more at www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org

CONTACT
Dave Scholnick, dscholnick@maig.org or 717-723-8864
Kate Downen at kdownen@maig.org or 406-224-5056

SOURCE Mayors Against Illegal Guns

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The 6 ways senators say 'I now support gay marriage' (interactive)

Since Joe Biden blurted out his support for same-sex marriage nearly a year ago, 23 U.S. Senators have formally endorsed it in statements or interviews.

These "I now support same-sex marriage" statements have a certain mechanical poetry. The speaker is admitting that at some previous point, he or she did not. I think the penal implications of flip-flopping have been sufficiently lamented, but let's at least acknowledge the point: These are politicians going out of their way to emphasize that they have changed their minds.

Some go further than others. Claire McCaskill wrote a four-paragraph blog post that meditated on the difficulties of the decision and called on Corinthians for an assist. When South Dakota Democrat Tim Johnson issued his reversal on Monday, he did so in 37 words that begin: "After lengthy consideration, my views have evolved sufficiently to support marriage equality legislation."

It's easy to find common themes running through these messages. McCaskill, Kay Hagan, D-N.C., and Tom Carper, D-Del., all cite the influence of conversations with their families and friends. Hagan and a few others cite their religion.

I found six themes in reading through all the statements. They are as follows, with examples:

Love is all you need. See Tom Udall, D-N.M.:

"Two people, who are committed to one another, who love one another, should not be denied the fundamental right of marriage, or the legal rights that marriage includes."

Marriage is a civil right. See Biden:

"I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women marrying another are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties."

I've evolved. See Mark Warner, D-Va.:

"Like many Virginians and Americans, my views on gay marriage have evolved, and this is the inevitable extension of my efforts to promote equality and opportunity for everyone."

My faith supports it. See Hagan:

"But after much thought and prayer on my part, this is   where I am today."

It's right for Democracy. Udall again:

"Our Constitution enshrines the principle of equality – equal rights for all."

Some of my best friends… Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.:

"In talking with my children and grandchildren, it has become clear to me they take marriage equality as a given."

What follows is a list of every statement made since Biden's, including President Barack Obama's and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's, coded by which of the six major themes I found. This list does not include the 34 current senators who had already confirmed their support by the time Biden did, since they typically did so with less fanfare.

 

The "I've evolved" category is interesting not only because of the flip-flop implications. Many people are changing their minds on this subject, as pollsters discover again and again. It is not only the handful of Democratic senators who voted for the Defense of Marriage Act who seem to feel the need to emphasize that this is a phase shift. The implication, I think, is that—unlike war, health care, abortion, deficit reduction, tax hikes, a chained-CPI model of social security, Gitmo, immigration reform, assault weapon bans and climate change—unlike virtually everything else, gay marriage is one topic on which it's politically acceptable to change your mind.

View the original article here

The 6 ways senators say 'I now support gay marriage' (interactive)

Since Joe Biden blurted out his support for same-sex marriage last May, 23 U.S. Senators have formally endorsed it in statements or interviews.

These "I now support same-sex marriage" statements have a certain mechanical poetry. The speaker is admitting that at some previous point, he or she did not. I think the penal implications of flip-flopping have been sufficiently lamented, but let's at least acknowledge the point: These are politicians going out of their way to emphasize that they have changed their minds.

Some go further than others. Claire McCaskill wrote a four-paragraph blog post that meditated on the difficulties of the decision and called on Corinthians for an assist. When South Dakota Democrat Tim Johnson issued his reversal on Monday, he did so in 37 words that begin: "After lengthy consideration, my views have evolved sufficiently to support marriage equality legislation."

It's easy to find common themes running through these messages. McCaskill, Kay Hagan, D-N.C., and Tom Carper, D-Del., all cite the influence of conversations with their families and friends. Hagan and a few others cite their religion.

I found six themes in reading through all the statements. They are as follows, with examples:

Love is all you need. See Tom Udall, D-N.M.:

"Two people, who are committed to one another, who love one another, should not be denied the fundamental right of marriage, or the legal rights that marriage includes."

Marriage is a civil right. See Biden:

"I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women marrying another are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties."

I've evolved. See Mark Warner, D-Va.:

"Like many Virginians and Americans, my views on gay marriage have evolved, and this is the inevitable extension of my efforts to promote equality and opportunity for everyone."

My faith supports it. See Hagan:

"But after much thought and prayer on my part, this is   where I am today."

It's right for Democracy. Udall again:

"Our Constitution enshrines the principle of equality – equal rights for all."

Some of my best friends… Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV):

"In talking with my children and grandchildren, it has become clear to me they take marriage equality as a given."

What follows is a list of every statement made since Biden's, including President Barack Obama's and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's, coded by which of the six major themes I found. This list does not include the 34 current senators who had already confirmed their support by the time Biden did, since they typically did so with less fanfare.

 

The "I've evolved" category is interesting not only because of the flip-flop implications. Many people are changing their minds on this subject, as pollsters discover again and again. It is not only those handful of Democratic senators who voted for the Defense of Marriage Act who seem to feel the need to emphasize that this is a phase shift. The implication, I think, is that—unlike war, health care, abortion, deficit reduction, tax hikes, a chained-CPI model of social security, Gitmo, immigration reform, assault weapon bans and climate change—unlike virtually everything else, gay marriage is one topic on which it's politically acceptable to change your mind.

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In Denver, Obama tries to rally support for gun buyer background checks

By Jeff Mason

DENVER (Reuters) - Stricter gun laws passed by Colorado's state government show it is possible to require background checks for all gun buyers without infringing on gun ownership rights, President Barack Obama will argue in a speech in the state on Wednesday.

Obama is trying to shore up flagging support in Congress for gun-control legislation, speaking on the topic at events in Colorado on Wednesday and next week in Connecticut, two states that have worked on tougher gun laws in the wake of shocking mass shootings.

Obama proposed a series of new measures, including universal background checks and new penalties for gun trafficking, after 20 children and six adults were killed in a school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut in December.

The Senate has delayed debate on the proposals because lawmakers have not been able to reach agreement on expanding background checks, a centerpiece of the package which is opposed by the National Rifle Association, the powerful U.S. gun lobby.

"I think that Colorado has shown that practical progress is possible by enacting tougher background checks that won't infringe on the rights of responsible gun owners, but will help keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people," Obama said in excerpts from his prepared remarks.

The excerpts were released by the White House ahead of the speech in Denver, slated to begin at 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT).

Last month, Colorado's state government mandated universal background checks for all gun buyers. The new law came after the state experienced two mass shootings, a July 2012 shooting at a movie theater in the Denver suburb of Aurora, and the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School.

In his remarks, Obama emphasized that the state is also a home to hunters and sportsmen who value gun ownership rights.

"I'm here because I believe there's no conflict between reconciling these realities," said Obama, noting that he has received "stacks of letters" from gun owners who also want gun violence curbed.

(Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton and Thomas Ferraro; Editng by Todd Eastham)

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