Prospective adoptive families will have an opportunity to meet approximately 20 children, each with the hope of finding a permanent family, at an adoption gathering on Saturday, August 22, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at Macon State College in Macon.
Sponsored by the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS), this event will give prospective adoptive parents a unique opportunity to meet the children in a comfortable, fun-filled environment. Families who are unable to attend the gathering in Macon may still interact with this same group of children via video on Saturday, August 22, from 10 a.m. to noon. Videoconference sites will be set up at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Esquire Solutions in Atlanta and Augusta and Valdosta State University.
“This is the time of year when kids are getting geared up to go back to school, make some new friends and see some old ones. But, for children who need a permanent family it just marks more time without a family of their own as having passed,” said Mark Washington, assistant commissioner of DHS. “We want these kids to start the next school year knowing they have a permanent family to come home to everyday.”
There are approximately 2,200 children in Georgia who need adoptive families. They are typically 8 years old and older, African American and/or a member of a sibling group being placed together.
Families interested in adopting older children or learning more about the program are encouraged to attend either the event in Macon or one of the videoconference sites. To avoid confusion, only children in need of adoptive families should attend the adoption gathering. Families who plan to attend one of the videoconference sites are more than welcome to bring their children.
For more information, call toll-free 877- 242-5774 or visit the DHS website at www.dfcs.dhs.georgia.gov/adoptions.
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Monday, July 27, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
U.S. Virgin Islands’ Economy Tops $19 Billion in Sales in 2007
The 2,583 businesses in the U.S. Virgin Islands’ economy generated $19.5 billion in sales and employed 35,300 people, with $1.1 billion in annual payroll, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2007 Economic Census of Island Areas: Geographic Area Series for the U.S. Virgin Islands. Retail trade sales increased 15 percent to $1.4 billion between 2002 and 2007.
The U.S. Virgin Islands is a U.S. territory in the Caribbean. The economic census ― conducted every five years ― profiles the territory as a whole, and the three islands (St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas) and towns individually for businesses with paid employees. The 2007 Economic Census included the petroleum refinery industry, which was excluded in the 2002 Economic Census.
Other findings:
-- Retail trade employment over the same period increased 2 percent to 6,773 in 2007. Payroll increased 14 percent to $146.1 million in 2007.
-- In 2007, the largest share of retail sales was found in clothing and clothing accessories stores (30 percent of total retail sales), and in food and beverage stores (18 percent of total retail sales).
-- Clothing and clothing accessories store sales increased 3 percent, from $403.5 million in 2002 to $414.0 million in 2007.
-- Food and beverage store sales increased 14 percent, from $217.3 million in 2002 to $246.8 million in 2007.
-- Businesses in St. Croix reported $16.1 billion in total sales — 83 percent of U.S. Virgin Islands total sales in 2007 — while St. Thomas reported $3.1 billion in total sales.
-- The U.S. Virgin Islands had 109 businesses with 50 or more employees, representing 4 percent of all businesses. These businesses accounted for 84 percent ($16.3 billion) of total sales.
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The U.S. Virgin Islands is a U.S. territory in the Caribbean. The economic census ― conducted every five years ― profiles the territory as a whole, and the three islands (St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas) and towns individually for businesses with paid employees. The 2007 Economic Census included the petroleum refinery industry, which was excluded in the 2002 Economic Census.
Other findings:
-- Retail trade employment over the same period increased 2 percent to 6,773 in 2007. Payroll increased 14 percent to $146.1 million in 2007.
-- In 2007, the largest share of retail sales was found in clothing and clothing accessories stores (30 percent of total retail sales), and in food and beverage stores (18 percent of total retail sales).
-- Clothing and clothing accessories store sales increased 3 percent, from $403.5 million in 2002 to $414.0 million in 2007.
-- Food and beverage store sales increased 14 percent, from $217.3 million in 2002 to $246.8 million in 2007.
-- Businesses in St. Croix reported $16.1 billion in total sales — 83 percent of U.S. Virgin Islands total sales in 2007 — while St. Thomas reported $3.1 billion in total sales.
-- The U.S. Virgin Islands had 109 businesses with 50 or more employees, representing 4 percent of all businesses. These businesses accounted for 84 percent ($16.3 billion) of total sales.
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Friday, July 17, 2009
Georgia Department of Community Health Reminds Georgia Parents, Never Leave a Child Unsupervised in a Car
As temperatures increase and family schedules change, parents and caregivers should avoid leaving children unsupervised in or near vehicles.
“Even with the windows partly open temperatures in a vehicle can spike to 160 degrees Fahrenheit within a matter of minutes on a hot and humid day, and a young child can suffer from heat stroke,” said Dr. Patrick O’Neal, director of the Division of Emergency Preparedness and Response with the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH). “Most of these cases are preventable.”
Children in vehicles under extreme heat conditions are vulnerable. Heat stroke, a life-threatening emergency, can occur in temperatures as low as 80 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on humidity levels. Body temperatures higher than 105 degrees Fahrenheit can cause permanent brain damage or even death, especially among children.
Other serious injuries occur when children get entrapped in trunks or when they set a vehicle in motion leading to crashes. DCH is working alongside Safe Kids coalitions across the state to increase awareness about child safety.
“Injuries and deaths can be prevented through awareness, supervision and adult intervention such as locking doors and teaching children that vehicles are not playgrounds,” said Lisa Dawson, director of the Injury Prevention program.
Parents and caregivers can assess and revisit these recommendations:
- Make your car safer. Always keep car doors and trunks locked, even in the garage or driveway, to keep kids out. Treat it as the multi-ton, fast-moving enclosure and piece of machinery that it is. Keep the rear fold-down seats closed to prevent kids from getting into the trunk from inside the car
- Supervision is key. Even if the windows are down, never leave your child unattended in a car. Never leave your car keys where children can get them. Teach children not to play in or around cars. If a child is missing at home, check the car first, including the trunk
- Adopt safety-focused behaviors. Consider placing your purse or briefcase in the back seat as a reminder that you have your child in the car. Be sure everyone leaves the vehicle when you reach your destination
- Notification plan. Consider having your child’s teacher or childcare provider call you if your child does not arrive when expected
- Get involved if you see a child alone in a vehicle. If they are hot or seem sick, get them out as quickly as possible and call 911 or your local emergency number immediately
For more information visit:
http://www.safekidsgeorgia.org/
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“Even with the windows partly open temperatures in a vehicle can spike to 160 degrees Fahrenheit within a matter of minutes on a hot and humid day, and a young child can suffer from heat stroke,” said Dr. Patrick O’Neal, director of the Division of Emergency Preparedness and Response with the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH). “Most of these cases are preventable.”
Children in vehicles under extreme heat conditions are vulnerable. Heat stroke, a life-threatening emergency, can occur in temperatures as low as 80 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on humidity levels. Body temperatures higher than 105 degrees Fahrenheit can cause permanent brain damage or even death, especially among children.
Other serious injuries occur when children get entrapped in trunks or when they set a vehicle in motion leading to crashes. DCH is working alongside Safe Kids coalitions across the state to increase awareness about child safety.
“Injuries and deaths can be prevented through awareness, supervision and adult intervention such as locking doors and teaching children that vehicles are not playgrounds,” said Lisa Dawson, director of the Injury Prevention program.
Parents and caregivers can assess and revisit these recommendations:
- Make your car safer. Always keep car doors and trunks locked, even in the garage or driveway, to keep kids out. Treat it as the multi-ton, fast-moving enclosure and piece of machinery that it is. Keep the rear fold-down seats closed to prevent kids from getting into the trunk from inside the car
- Supervision is key. Even if the windows are down, never leave your child unattended in a car. Never leave your car keys where children can get them. Teach children not to play in or around cars. If a child is missing at home, check the car first, including the trunk
- Adopt safety-focused behaviors. Consider placing your purse or briefcase in the back seat as a reminder that you have your child in the car. Be sure everyone leaves the vehicle when you reach your destination
- Notification plan. Consider having your child’s teacher or childcare provider call you if your child does not arrive when expected
- Get involved if you see a child alone in a vehicle. If they are hot or seem sick, get them out as quickly as possible and call 911 or your local emergency number immediately
For more information visit:
http://www.safekidsgeorgia.org/
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Thursday, July 9, 2009
50,000 Letter's Strong: CFIF Activists Urge EPA Not to Open Liability "Floodgates" on Small Business
We received this on June 22nd, so we're a bit late in posting. We've been revamping our sites and lost track of the news for a while...
Last Friday, the Center for Individual Freedom ("CFIF") submitted a public comment to the Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") urging it to reconsider its proposal to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act, and requesting that the agency extend the period for public comment on the issue.
CFIF's comment reinforces the voices of its activists, who, over the past two weeks, have sent more than 50,000 letters to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, President Obama and Congress objecting to the proposed regulation. A version of the letter they sent, along with the names of each person who sent letters, was attached to CFIF’s official comment.
If enacted, the proposed ruling by the EPA would classify greenhouse gas emissions as an endangerment to public health and welfare. Using such a precedent-shattering finding, Administrator Jackson could regulate emissions of carbon dioxide and other so called "greenhouse gasses" using the same strict standards EPA currently applies to lead, mercury and other poisonous substances.
"If unelected bureaucrats at the EPA get their way, every sector of the U.S. economy could be blamed for a wide range of health problems," said Timothy Lee, CFIF's Director of Legal and Public Affairs. "The new regulation would open a floodgate of unfair and costly litigation aimed at small businesses, farmers, public utilities, and nearly every other sector of our economy. Opportunistic plaintiffs' lawyers would come out of the woodwork and pounce on the opportunity to pad their already deep pockets."
With only a few days left before the scheduled close of public comments on EPA's proposed ruling, CFIF is also urging Administrator Jackson to allow the American people to be heard on this important issue. Specifically, it is requesting that the comment period be extended to 120 days - the typical time allotted for public comment on EPA's work – rather than the shortened period of 60 days the Agency is allowing for this issue.
"Extending the public comment period an additional 60 days will ensure that the concerns of tens of thousands of average citizens from across the country are given the careful consideration they deserve," said Lee.
"Our leaders in Washington need to understand that EPA's public health ruling will only further the economic hardship small businesses and hard working American's are currently facing," Lee concluded.
Last Friday, the Center for Individual Freedom ("CFIF") submitted a public comment to the Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") urging it to reconsider its proposal to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act, and requesting that the agency extend the period for public comment on the issue.
CFIF's comment reinforces the voices of its activists, who, over the past two weeks, have sent more than 50,000 letters to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, President Obama and Congress objecting to the proposed regulation. A version of the letter they sent, along with the names of each person who sent letters, was attached to CFIF’s official comment.
If enacted, the proposed ruling by the EPA would classify greenhouse gas emissions as an endangerment to public health and welfare. Using such a precedent-shattering finding, Administrator Jackson could regulate emissions of carbon dioxide and other so called "greenhouse gasses" using the same strict standards EPA currently applies to lead, mercury and other poisonous substances.
"If unelected bureaucrats at the EPA get their way, every sector of the U.S. economy could be blamed for a wide range of health problems," said Timothy Lee, CFIF's Director of Legal and Public Affairs. "The new regulation would open a floodgate of unfair and costly litigation aimed at small businesses, farmers, public utilities, and nearly every other sector of our economy. Opportunistic plaintiffs' lawyers would come out of the woodwork and pounce on the opportunity to pad their already deep pockets."
With only a few days left before the scheduled close of public comments on EPA's proposed ruling, CFIF is also urging Administrator Jackson to allow the American people to be heard on this important issue. Specifically, it is requesting that the comment period be extended to 120 days - the typical time allotted for public comment on EPA's work – rather than the shortened period of 60 days the Agency is allowing for this issue.
"Extending the public comment period an additional 60 days will ensure that the concerns of tens of thousands of average citizens from across the country are given the careful consideration they deserve," said Lee.
"Our leaders in Washington need to understand that EPA's public health ruling will only further the economic hardship small businesses and hard working American's are currently facing," Lee concluded.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Welfare Watch - July 07, 2009 - Budget Shortfalls Threaten Services
While Georgia is faring better in this economic crisis than most other states, we still face significant budgetary issues as we move forward into FY10 and FY11. The Governor has called for more cuts last month of more than $274 million for the 2009 fiscal year or 25% for the month of June in order to complete fiscal year without a deficit. He did not want to pull money from the reserve fund in order to balance the budget. This still may be a possibility because the shortfall in FY2009 may be greater than projected.
We enter a new fiscal year with not much hope for an improving picture for the economy or the State's budget. According to an estimate by Georgia State University, the 2010 budget shortfall may be as great as $800 million. If reserve funds from the State are not used, revenue estimates may be needed to be lowered by $1 billion. This picture gets even bleaker in FY2011. According to a report by the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, as Georgia enters FY2011(which begins June 30, 2010), it may have to use the State Fiscal Stabilization Funds that have been set aside for FY 2011 to help close the FY 2010 deficit. If this happens, we could face a deficit of more than $1.5 billion.
The GBPI warns that to avoid crippling cuts over the next two years to state services, which include education, healthcare, public safety and social services (85% of the State's budget), the Legislature and Governor will need to take a hard look at not only expenses but revenue. Georgia is 49th in per capita spending by state governments and according to a recent study, the 8th best managed state in the county. Georgia is neither wasteful nor excessive in its spending. We have a revenue problem. Georgia just does not have enough money to cover the legitimate expenses of state government.
These are hard decisions that the Legislature and Governor will have to take up in the next session. They have been here before, made some very good decisions about enhanced revenue sources, tax cuts and elimination of tax breaks and incentives that mitigated some of the pain that all Georgians are experiencing today.
Welfare Watch, an email newsletter of the Georgia Association of Homes and Services for Childrenas a public service.
http://www.gahsc.org
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We enter a new fiscal year with not much hope for an improving picture for the economy or the State's budget. According to an estimate by Georgia State University, the 2010 budget shortfall may be as great as $800 million. If reserve funds from the State are not used, revenue estimates may be needed to be lowered by $1 billion. This picture gets even bleaker in FY2011. According to a report by the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, as Georgia enters FY2011(which begins June 30, 2010), it may have to use the State Fiscal Stabilization Funds that have been set aside for FY 2011 to help close the FY 2010 deficit. If this happens, we could face a deficit of more than $1.5 billion.
The GBPI warns that to avoid crippling cuts over the next two years to state services, which include education, healthcare, public safety and social services (85% of the State's budget), the Legislature and Governor will need to take a hard look at not only expenses but revenue. Georgia is 49th in per capita spending by state governments and according to a recent study, the 8th best managed state in the county. Georgia is neither wasteful nor excessive in its spending. We have a revenue problem. Georgia just does not have enough money to cover the legitimate expenses of state government.
These are hard decisions that the Legislature and Governor will have to take up in the next session. They have been here before, made some very good decisions about enhanced revenue sources, tax cuts and elimination of tax breaks and incentives that mitigated some of the pain that all Georgians are experiencing today.
Welfare Watch, an email newsletter of the Georgia Association of Homes and Services for Childrenas a public service.
http://www.gahsc.org
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Monday, June 22, 2009
Recent Poll by Progressives for Immigration Reform Shows Concern Among Liberals and Progressives Over Current Immigration Levels
/PRNewswire/ -- A nationwide poll of 600 self-indentified liberals and progressives shows that liberals are concerned about the current levels of immigration into the United States and the harmful effect that current immigration policies are having on U.S. population growth, the environment, and the availability of jobs. The poll was conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC in April 2009.
Key findings of the poll revealed:
-- Sixty seven percent of liberals and progressives felt the level of
population growth caused by immigration negatively impacts the quality
of life in the United States.
-- Fifty eight percent felt that the current levels of immigration are
harmful to the environment.
-- Sixty three percent said that current levels of immigration hurts job
prospects for American workers.
-- With regard to undocumented workers already here, the poll revealed
that self-identified liberals are split over whether illegal
immigrants should be offered an amnesty. Fifty three percent were in
support of a pathway to citizenship and forty five percent were
opposed.
"The results of this poll demonstrate what many on the political left have known for some time. Immigration is not a partisan issue. There are many progressives and liberals that are concerned about the unintended consequences that large scale immigration has on the environment, economy, and other issues that many liberals are concerned about," says Leah Durant, Executive Director of Progressives for Immigration Reform. "It is time to take this issue off the back burner. We need to talk frankly about the effects of immigration and find solutions that benefit both Americans and the global community."
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Key findings of the poll revealed:
-- Sixty seven percent of liberals and progressives felt the level of
population growth caused by immigration negatively impacts the quality
of life in the United States.
-- Fifty eight percent felt that the current levels of immigration are
harmful to the environment.
-- Sixty three percent said that current levels of immigration hurts job
prospects for American workers.
-- With regard to undocumented workers already here, the poll revealed
that self-identified liberals are split over whether illegal
immigrants should be offered an amnesty. Fifty three percent were in
support of a pathway to citizenship and forty five percent were
opposed.
"The results of this poll demonstrate what many on the political left have known for some time. Immigration is not a partisan issue. There are many progressives and liberals that are concerned about the unintended consequences that large scale immigration has on the environment, economy, and other issues that many liberals are concerned about," says Leah Durant, Executive Director of Progressives for Immigration Reform. "It is time to take this issue off the back burner. We need to talk frankly about the effects of immigration and find solutions that benefit both Americans and the global community."
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Thursday, June 18, 2009
Milk or Water Still Best Thirst Quenchers
With so many sports drinks, vitamin waters, energy drinks and specialty teas on the market, consumers may wonder which is best for them. An expert with University of Georgia says to be wary of them all and that milk and water are still the best thirst quenchers.
“These special drinks are loaded with calories, and we don’t need it,” said Connie Crawley, a nutrition expert with UGA Cooperative Extension. “There is a time and place for some of these drinks, and having one as a lunch beverage is not appropriate.”
Sports drinks
Athletes and exercisers who spend more than an hour working out and sweating profusely may need a boost of electrolytes from a sports drink.
“A teenage boy practicing football for three hours a day may need a sports drink, but a child riding a bike for an hour does not,” Crawley said. “It is not uncommon for an athlete to lose one to two pounds of sweat at practice. This is water weight, and they need to replenish what they’ve lost. But, they shouldn’t continue drinking these salted and sugary beverages for several hours after practice.”
Even juice is not the best choice. It is easy to consume several hundred calories from juice if you drink more than a small glass. Instead, eat the fruit during practice or exercise.
Vitamin water
Vitamin waters and enhanced teas offer extra doses of vitamins and minerals. Drinking a bottle of water with added vitamin C will not ward off a cold, Crawley said. These marketing ploys aren’t based on science.
“There is a misconception that the more vitamins you get the better,” she said. “You need vitamins, but for the most part you can get all you need from what you eat if you eat a balanced diet. For a few nutrients, you can actually get too much.”
Fluoridated water is the only mineral water needed. Fluoride helps to build strong teeth and bones. Most bottled water lacks fluoride, so drink water from the tap if your city water is fluoridated. Fluoride supplements are also available from your child’s doctor.
Energy boosters
Store shelves offer an array of energy-boosting beverages loaded with caffeine. Once you start drinking these regurlarly, more is needed overtime to feel the boost.
“To increase the effect of these beverages, limit them,” Crawley said. “Caffeine is more effective if you drink it only occasionally.”
When we take in extra calories through drinks, our brains don’t process them like calories from foods, she said. So we don’t feel full. We still want to eat the same amount of food, or calories, at our meals and snacks.
“Our bodies are programmed not to metabolize fluid calories the same way as food,” Crawley said. “As a method of self preservation, we continue to drink so we don’t get dehydrated and die. If fluid calories made us feel full, we might not drink enough to keep us hydrated.”
Milk and water
Milk and water are still the best drinks. Adults need about eight 8-ounce glasses of liquid a day. If those come from water and two or three cups of milk, you limit the empty calories going into your body.
In 1994, the average teenager consumed 64.5 gallons of soft drink per year. In 2002, consumption had decreased slightly, but teenagers were still drinking 21 ounces of soda each day and only 11 ounces of milk. Teenage girls were drinking even less milk, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
Children, especially girls, need to drink at least 16 ounces to 24 ounces of milk a day. Once a person reaches adulthood, bones store less calcium. So, kids need to build strong bones during their childhood and teenage years, Crawley said.
Set a good example for your kids and give up sodas and specialty drinks.
“Cut out 100 calories a day of empty calories from sweet drinks and you will lose 10 pounds a year, as long as you don’t add the calories somewhere else,” she said.
Also look at the nutrition labels. Be aware that some cans and bottles actually hold two to three servings inside. If you drink the whole can or bottle, you will be getting double or triple the calories and sugar listed.
(Author April Sorrow is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)
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---
“These special drinks are loaded with calories, and we don’t need it,” said Connie Crawley, a nutrition expert with UGA Cooperative Extension. “There is a time and place for some of these drinks, and having one as a lunch beverage is not appropriate.”
Sports drinks
Athletes and exercisers who spend more than an hour working out and sweating profusely may need a boost of electrolytes from a sports drink.
“A teenage boy practicing football for three hours a day may need a sports drink, but a child riding a bike for an hour does not,” Crawley said. “It is not uncommon for an athlete to lose one to two pounds of sweat at practice. This is water weight, and they need to replenish what they’ve lost. But, they shouldn’t continue drinking these salted and sugary beverages for several hours after practice.”
Even juice is not the best choice. It is easy to consume several hundred calories from juice if you drink more than a small glass. Instead, eat the fruit during practice or exercise.
Vitamin water
Vitamin waters and enhanced teas offer extra doses of vitamins and minerals. Drinking a bottle of water with added vitamin C will not ward off a cold, Crawley said. These marketing ploys aren’t based on science.
“There is a misconception that the more vitamins you get the better,” she said. “You need vitamins, but for the most part you can get all you need from what you eat if you eat a balanced diet. For a few nutrients, you can actually get too much.”
Fluoridated water is the only mineral water needed. Fluoride helps to build strong teeth and bones. Most bottled water lacks fluoride, so drink water from the tap if your city water is fluoridated. Fluoride supplements are also available from your child’s doctor.
Energy boosters
Store shelves offer an array of energy-boosting beverages loaded with caffeine. Once you start drinking these regurlarly, more is needed overtime to feel the boost.
“To increase the effect of these beverages, limit them,” Crawley said. “Caffeine is more effective if you drink it only occasionally.”
When we take in extra calories through drinks, our brains don’t process them like calories from foods, she said. So we don’t feel full. We still want to eat the same amount of food, or calories, at our meals and snacks.
“Our bodies are programmed not to metabolize fluid calories the same way as food,” Crawley said. “As a method of self preservation, we continue to drink so we don’t get dehydrated and die. If fluid calories made us feel full, we might not drink enough to keep us hydrated.”
Milk and water
Milk and water are still the best drinks. Adults need about eight 8-ounce glasses of liquid a day. If those come from water and two or three cups of milk, you limit the empty calories going into your body.
In 1994, the average teenager consumed 64.5 gallons of soft drink per year. In 2002, consumption had decreased slightly, but teenagers were still drinking 21 ounces of soda each day and only 11 ounces of milk. Teenage girls were drinking even less milk, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
Children, especially girls, need to drink at least 16 ounces to 24 ounces of milk a day. Once a person reaches adulthood, bones store less calcium. So, kids need to build strong bones during their childhood and teenage years, Crawley said.
Set a good example for your kids and give up sodas and specialty drinks.
“Cut out 100 calories a day of empty calories from sweet drinks and you will lose 10 pounds a year, as long as you don’t add the calories somewhere else,” she said.
Also look at the nutrition labels. Be aware that some cans and bottles actually hold two to three servings inside. If you drink the whole can or bottle, you will be getting double or triple the calories and sugar listed.
(Author April Sorrow is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)
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Saturday, May 30, 2009
Avoiding Calling Card Scams
(NAPSI)-Following a few tips could help consumers steer clear of prepaid calling card scams.
Prepaid phone cards represent telephone calling time you buy in advance. You pay from $2 to $20 or so to buy local or long-distance calling time.
The cards can be convenient, but the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, says that some prepaid phone cards can have hidden costs and may not deliver the number of calling minutes they advertise. Because you pay in advance, you may be out of cash-and out of luck-if you discover a problem trying to use the card.
Fortunately, you might avoid problems by following a few tips from the FTC:
• Ask any retailer if it will stand behind the card if it doesn't deliver the number of minutes advertised.
• Check the card's package or in-store advertising for domestic and international rates. If you can't find the rate, consider buying a different card.
• Look for disclosures about surcharges, "maintenance" fees, and fees for making calls from a pay phone, to a cell phone, or using a toll-free access number.
• Compare rates. Very low rates, particularly for international calls, may be a warning sign that the card won't deliver the number of advertised minutes.
• Look for expiration dates.
• Look for a toll-free customer service number. If the customer service number isn't toll-free or displayed, it may be difficult to contact the company if you have a problem with the card.
• Make sure you can understand the instructions on the card.
• Make sure the card comes in a sealed envelope or that the PIN is not visible. Otherwise, anyone can copy the PIN and use the phone time you're paying for.
For more information, visit www.ftc.gov.
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Prepaid phone cards represent telephone calling time you buy in advance. You pay from $2 to $20 or so to buy local or long-distance calling time.
The cards can be convenient, but the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, says that some prepaid phone cards can have hidden costs and may not deliver the number of calling minutes they advertise. Because you pay in advance, you may be out of cash-and out of luck-if you discover a problem trying to use the card.
Fortunately, you might avoid problems by following a few tips from the FTC:
• Ask any retailer if it will stand behind the card if it doesn't deliver the number of minutes advertised.
• Check the card's package or in-store advertising for domestic and international rates. If you can't find the rate, consider buying a different card.
• Look for disclosures about surcharges, "maintenance" fees, and fees for making calls from a pay phone, to a cell phone, or using a toll-free access number.
• Compare rates. Very low rates, particularly for international calls, may be a warning sign that the card won't deliver the number of advertised minutes.
• Look for expiration dates.
• Look for a toll-free customer service number. If the customer service number isn't toll-free or displayed, it may be difficult to contact the company if you have a problem with the card.
• Make sure you can understand the instructions on the card.
• Make sure the card comes in a sealed envelope or that the PIN is not visible. Otherwise, anyone can copy the PIN and use the phone time you're paying for.
For more information, visit www.ftc.gov.
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Thursday, May 28, 2009
Magnetic Tremors Pinpoint the Impact Epicenter of Earthbound Space Storms
/PRNewswire/ -- Using data from NASA's THEMIS mission, a team of University of Alberta researchers has pinpointed the impact epicenter of an earthbound space storm as it crashes into the atmosphere, and given an advance warning of its arrival.
The team's study reveals that magnetic blast waves can be used to pinpoint and predict the location where space storms dissipate their massive amounts of energy. These storms can dump the equivalent of 50 gigawatts of power, or the output of 10 of the world's largest power stations, into Earth's atmosphere.
The energy that drives space storms originates on the sun. The stream of electrically charged particles in the solar wind carries this energy toward Earth. The solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetic field. Scientists call the process that begins with Earth's magnetic field capturing energy and ends with its release into the atmosphere a geomagnetic substorm.
"Substorm onset occurs when Earth's magnetic field suddenly and dramatically releases energy previously captured by the solar wind," said David Sibeck, project scientist for the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions During Substorms (THEMIS) mission at NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Physicists Jonathan Rae and Ian Mann lead the University of Alberta research team that recently located a substorm's epicenter of the impact. The team uses ground-based observatories spread across northern Canada and the five satellites of the THEMIS mission to detect magnetic disturbances as storms crash into the atmosphere. Using a technique the researchers call "space seismology," they look for the eye of the storm hundreds of thousands of miles above Earth.
"We see the benevolent side of space storms in the form of the Northern Lights," said Mann. "When electrically charged particles speed toward Earth and buffet the atmosphere, the result is often a dancing, shimmering light over the polar region." But there is also a hazardous side. Earth's atmosphere protects us from the damaging direct effects of the radiation from space storms, but in space there is nowhere to hide. High-energy, electrically charged particles released by space storms can damage spacecraft. On Earth, disturbances caused by the particles and the electrical currents they carry can interrupt radio communications and global positioning system (GPS) navigation, and damage electric power grids.
Rae and Mann's team has also determined that the magnetic tremors show that the space storm impact into the atmosphere has a unique epicenter, with the eye of the storm located in space beyond the low-Earth orbits of most communication satellites.
Guided by Earth's magnetic field, the magnetic tremors rocket through space toward Earth. These geomagnetic substorms trigger magnetic sensors on the ground as they impact the atmosphere. The effects of these storms, and the most spectacular displays of the Northern Lights, follow a few minutes later.
The objective of NASA's pioneering multi-spacecraft THEMIS mission is to determine what causes geomagnetic substorms. In addition to a well-instrumented fleet of five spacecraft, THEMIS operates a network of ground observatories stretching across Canada and the United States to place the spacecraft observations in their global context. All night long, every night, the observatories take 3-second time resolution snapshots of the aurora and measure corresponding variations in Earth's magnetic field strength and direction every half second.
An analysis of the auroral movies and magnetic variations by Dr. Jonathan Rae from the University of Alberta pinpointed just when and where one substorm explosively released its magnetic energy. "Undulating auroral features and ripples in Earth's magnetic field began at the same time and propagated away from Sanikulaq, Nunavut, Canada at speeds on the order of 60,000 miles per hour, much like the blast wave from a gigantic explosion," said Sibeck. Dr. Rae and his team presented the results on May 25 at the American Geophysical Union meeting in Toronto.
Probing the eye of a space storm and recognizing the advance warning signs are crucial for researchers trying to understand and predict space weather. Key questions about when and how space storms start are still challenging researchers on the THEMIS team. Like forecasters on Earth who predict severe weather, the University of Alberta researchers are using their "space seismology" technique to investigate methods to forecast space storms.
THEMIS is a NASA-funded mission and involves scientists from Canada, the United States, and Europe. Current Canadian activity is funded by the Canadian Space Agency.
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The team's study reveals that magnetic blast waves can be used to pinpoint and predict the location where space storms dissipate their massive amounts of energy. These storms can dump the equivalent of 50 gigawatts of power, or the output of 10 of the world's largest power stations, into Earth's atmosphere.
The energy that drives space storms originates on the sun. The stream of electrically charged particles in the solar wind carries this energy toward Earth. The solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetic field. Scientists call the process that begins with Earth's magnetic field capturing energy and ends with its release into the atmosphere a geomagnetic substorm.
"Substorm onset occurs when Earth's magnetic field suddenly and dramatically releases energy previously captured by the solar wind," said David Sibeck, project scientist for the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions During Substorms (THEMIS) mission at NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Physicists Jonathan Rae and Ian Mann lead the University of Alberta research team that recently located a substorm's epicenter of the impact. The team uses ground-based observatories spread across northern Canada and the five satellites of the THEMIS mission to detect magnetic disturbances as storms crash into the atmosphere. Using a technique the researchers call "space seismology," they look for the eye of the storm hundreds of thousands of miles above Earth.
"We see the benevolent side of space storms in the form of the Northern Lights," said Mann. "When electrically charged particles speed toward Earth and buffet the atmosphere, the result is often a dancing, shimmering light over the polar region." But there is also a hazardous side. Earth's atmosphere protects us from the damaging direct effects of the radiation from space storms, but in space there is nowhere to hide. High-energy, electrically charged particles released by space storms can damage spacecraft. On Earth, disturbances caused by the particles and the electrical currents they carry can interrupt radio communications and global positioning system (GPS) navigation, and damage electric power grids.
Rae and Mann's team has also determined that the magnetic tremors show that the space storm impact into the atmosphere has a unique epicenter, with the eye of the storm located in space beyond the low-Earth orbits of most communication satellites.
Guided by Earth's magnetic field, the magnetic tremors rocket through space toward Earth. These geomagnetic substorms trigger magnetic sensors on the ground as they impact the atmosphere. The effects of these storms, and the most spectacular displays of the Northern Lights, follow a few minutes later.
The objective of NASA's pioneering multi-spacecraft THEMIS mission is to determine what causes geomagnetic substorms. In addition to a well-instrumented fleet of five spacecraft, THEMIS operates a network of ground observatories stretching across Canada and the United States to place the spacecraft observations in their global context. All night long, every night, the observatories take 3-second time resolution snapshots of the aurora and measure corresponding variations in Earth's magnetic field strength and direction every half second.
An analysis of the auroral movies and magnetic variations by Dr. Jonathan Rae from the University of Alberta pinpointed just when and where one substorm explosively released its magnetic energy. "Undulating auroral features and ripples in Earth's magnetic field began at the same time and propagated away from Sanikulaq, Nunavut, Canada at speeds on the order of 60,000 miles per hour, much like the blast wave from a gigantic explosion," said Sibeck. Dr. Rae and his team presented the results on May 25 at the American Geophysical Union meeting in Toronto.
Probing the eye of a space storm and recognizing the advance warning signs are crucial for researchers trying to understand and predict space weather. Key questions about when and how space storms start are still challenging researchers on the THEMIS team. Like forecasters on Earth who predict severe weather, the University of Alberta researchers are using their "space seismology" technique to investigate methods to forecast space storms.
THEMIS is a NASA-funded mission and involves scientists from Canada, the United States, and Europe. Current Canadian activity is funded by the Canadian Space Agency.
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Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Key Victory for Cell Phone Users; Nationwide Lawsuit Against Cingular/AT&T for Overcharges and Poor Cell Phone Service May Proceed, Federal Court Rule
/PRNewswire / -- A class action lawsuit charging that millions of cell phone users were misled and overcharged when Cingular merged with AT&T Wireless in 2004 may go forward, a federal court ruled on Tuesday.
In a victory for consumers nationwide, the U.S. District Court for the District of Washington in Coneff v. AT&T struck down a clause in AT&T's contract that the company argued allowed it to force its customers to bring their claims individually in arbitration proceedings, rather than in a class action in court. The District Court held that without a class action, the vast majority of AT&T's customers would never obtain justice -- and for that reason refused to enforce the contract provision.
Cingular bought AT&T's cell phone system in October 2004, after assuring federal regulators that the merger would be "seamless." But, the lawsuit contends, instead of providing the new and improved services it promised AT&T customers, Cingular immediately began dismantling and degrading the AT&T network, forcing AT&T customers to move to Cingular's network. That meant buying new phone equipment, moving to higher cost plans, and, in some cases, an $18 "transfer" or "upgrade fee." Some customers who tried to go to another company were hit with "early termination fees" of $175. Others who didn't want to pay or couldn't afford the termination fees were stuck with riding out their contract with AT&T Wireless while suffering poor to no reception -- and paying an extra monthly fee of $4.99. Cingular ultimately shut down the former AT&T network. Cingular later changed its corporate name to AT&T.
AT&T: Fine Print Bars the Lawsuit
The case was filed in Seattle, Washington in July 2006 on behalf of all original AT&T Wireless customers who were deceived or overcharged as a result of the merger. AT&T responded by asking the court to dismiss the case on the grounds that under a term buried in the fine print of its service contracts, customers are barred from bringing class actions and instead must fight the company one-on-one through arbitration. The customers argued that because their claims are individually small but complex, the class action ban would prevent them from holding the company accountable at all -- a result not permitted in Washington, where AT&T was based at the time.
U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo Martinez agreed, striking down the arbitration clause as "unconscionable" under Washington law. He explained that the contract term would "effectively exculpate" the corporation from "any potential liability for unfair or deceptive acts or practices in commerce." "The Court will not condone such a broad and exculpatory practice," he added, emphasizing that the central purpose of class actions is to curb fraudulent business practices such as those alleged in this case.
The court also emphatically rejected AT&T's argument that the court should apply the laws of other states chosen by AT&T in its contract, even if those states' laws are less protective of consumers than Washington's and would permit AT&T to bar their residents from participating in the class action.
Decision a Victory for Consumers
"It stands to reason that if a company chooses to do business from the state of Washington, it can't use the fine print of its contract to give itself carte blanche when it violates Washington's strong consumer protection laws," said Leslie Bailey, a staff attorney with the national public interest law firm Public Justice. "Judge Martinez saw through AT&T's legal arguments to the injustice of what the corporation was trying to do here. This is an extremely well-reasoned decision, and is likely to be influential with other courts around the nation." Bailey and Public Justice staff attorney Paul Bland led the customers' fight to keep their case in court, and Bland argued the case before Judge Martinez.
"This is a major victory for AT&T customers all over the nation," said Harvey Rosenfield, a lawyer for the non-profit Consumer Watchdog, a California-based crusader for consumer rights. "The company broke its promise to its customers, making them pay millions of dollars more than they should have. Now we can move forward to get people their money back."
"It's been a long battle and there is still much work to be done," said Kevin Coluccio of the law firm of Stritmatter, Kessler, Whelan and Coluccio, based in Seattle. "But today's decision confirms that AT&T does not have the unlimited right to immunize itself from accountability under the law."
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In a victory for consumers nationwide, the U.S. District Court for the District of Washington in Coneff v. AT&T struck down a clause in AT&T's contract that the company argued allowed it to force its customers to bring their claims individually in arbitration proceedings, rather than in a class action in court. The District Court held that without a class action, the vast majority of AT&T's customers would never obtain justice -- and for that reason refused to enforce the contract provision.
Cingular bought AT&T's cell phone system in October 2004, after assuring federal regulators that the merger would be "seamless." But, the lawsuit contends, instead of providing the new and improved services it promised AT&T customers, Cingular immediately began dismantling and degrading the AT&T network, forcing AT&T customers to move to Cingular's network. That meant buying new phone equipment, moving to higher cost plans, and, in some cases, an $18 "transfer" or "upgrade fee." Some customers who tried to go to another company were hit with "early termination fees" of $175. Others who didn't want to pay or couldn't afford the termination fees were stuck with riding out their contract with AT&T Wireless while suffering poor to no reception -- and paying an extra monthly fee of $4.99. Cingular ultimately shut down the former AT&T network. Cingular later changed its corporate name to AT&T.
AT&T: Fine Print Bars the Lawsuit
The case was filed in Seattle, Washington in July 2006 on behalf of all original AT&T Wireless customers who were deceived or overcharged as a result of the merger. AT&T responded by asking the court to dismiss the case on the grounds that under a term buried in the fine print of its service contracts, customers are barred from bringing class actions and instead must fight the company one-on-one through arbitration. The customers argued that because their claims are individually small but complex, the class action ban would prevent them from holding the company accountable at all -- a result not permitted in Washington, where AT&T was based at the time.
U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo Martinez agreed, striking down the arbitration clause as "unconscionable" under Washington law. He explained that the contract term would "effectively exculpate" the corporation from "any potential liability for unfair or deceptive acts or practices in commerce." "The Court will not condone such a broad and exculpatory practice," he added, emphasizing that the central purpose of class actions is to curb fraudulent business practices such as those alleged in this case.
The court also emphatically rejected AT&T's argument that the court should apply the laws of other states chosen by AT&T in its contract, even if those states' laws are less protective of consumers than Washington's and would permit AT&T to bar their residents from participating in the class action.
Decision a Victory for Consumers
"It stands to reason that if a company chooses to do business from the state of Washington, it can't use the fine print of its contract to give itself carte blanche when it violates Washington's strong consumer protection laws," said Leslie Bailey, a staff attorney with the national public interest law firm Public Justice. "Judge Martinez saw through AT&T's legal arguments to the injustice of what the corporation was trying to do here. This is an extremely well-reasoned decision, and is likely to be influential with other courts around the nation." Bailey and Public Justice staff attorney Paul Bland led the customers' fight to keep their case in court, and Bland argued the case before Judge Martinez.
"This is a major victory for AT&T customers all over the nation," said Harvey Rosenfield, a lawyer for the non-profit Consumer Watchdog, a California-based crusader for consumer rights. "The company broke its promise to its customers, making them pay millions of dollars more than they should have. Now we can move forward to get people their money back."
"It's been a long battle and there is still much work to be done," said Kevin Coluccio of the law firm of Stritmatter, Kessler, Whelan and Coluccio, based in Seattle. "But today's decision confirms that AT&T does not have the unlimited right to immunize itself from accountability under the law."
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Saturday, May 23, 2009
Record Number of Consumers Call FCC's Help Line for Assistance in Response to DTV "Soft Test"
Atlanta Media Market Ranked 8th in the Top 10
A coordinated nationwide “soft test” designed to encourage consumers to take immediate action to prepare for the June 12 digital television (DTV) transition prompted a record number of calls to the Federal Communications Commission’s national help line Thursday, including 389 calls from consumers in the Atlanta media market and 1,571 from the State of Georgia.
More than 125 of the nation’s broadcast markets participated in the soft test, including at least one station in each of the top 30 broadcast markets. As a result, the Commission’s toll-free help line, 1-888-CALL-FCC, received 55,374 calls from consumers Thursday, a dramatic increase from the average of 15,000 per day the Commission had been receiving since May 1.
Calls from the Atlanta media market focused primarily on the following:
1. Seeking information about the government’s program providing $40 coupons for the purchase of DTV converter boxes (53% compared to 51% nationally);
2. Expressing concern about general reception issues in their area (15% compared to 15% nationally); and
3. Expressing concern about receiving a specific station (13% compared to 8% nationally).
“This soft test did exactly what it was supposed to do,” said Acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps. “It was a wake-up call for consumers who are unprepared, alerting them to the fact that they need to take the necessary steps before the June 12 DTV transition.”
The FCC’s help line provides consumers with a wide range of services, including instructions on how to install converter boxes and information on local DTV education events and the availability of in-home installation services. In addition to calling the FCC’s toll-free help line, consumers can find help at the FCC’s web site, http://www.dtv.gov/, and by visiting walk-in help centers being set up across the country or attending a DTV transition event. Information about local events also can be found on the web site.
A “soft test” simulates to a degree what unprepared viewers will experience when the DTV transition occurs. Instead of completely cutting off the analog signal, during a soft test broadcasters interrupt the regular programming of viewers receiving analog signals to warn them the interruption indicates they are not prepared for the transition. Such viewers – other than those connected to a subscription TV service such as cable or satellite (which in some cases still utilize a broadcaster’s analog signal) – must take immediate action to avoid a complete loss of service on June 12. Digital broadcasts are available now and are not interrupted by soft tests.
Nationwide, Nielsen estimates that about 3.3 million households – 2.9 percent of U.S. households with TVs – remained unready for the transition as of May 10. In the few weeks remaining before the transition, the FCC is gearing up its ongoing consumer assistance efforts to ensure consumers are prepared for the end of analog broadcast service for full-power television stations.
The switch to digital will reward most viewers with better sound, a better picture, more channels and more programs and will make room for the future by clearing airwaves for advanced mobile Internet services. The transition will also help save lives by freeing up airwaves for better first-responder radio service.
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A coordinated nationwide “soft test” designed to encourage consumers to take immediate action to prepare for the June 12 digital television (DTV) transition prompted a record number of calls to the Federal Communications Commission’s national help line Thursday, including 389 calls from consumers in the Atlanta media market and 1,571 from the State of Georgia.
More than 125 of the nation’s broadcast markets participated in the soft test, including at least one station in each of the top 30 broadcast markets. As a result, the Commission’s toll-free help line, 1-888-CALL-FCC, received 55,374 calls from consumers Thursday, a dramatic increase from the average of 15,000 per day the Commission had been receiving since May 1.
Calls from the Atlanta media market focused primarily on the following:
1. Seeking information about the government’s program providing $40 coupons for the purchase of DTV converter boxes (53% compared to 51% nationally);
2. Expressing concern about general reception issues in their area (15% compared to 15% nationally); and
3. Expressing concern about receiving a specific station (13% compared to 8% nationally).
“This soft test did exactly what it was supposed to do,” said Acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps. “It was a wake-up call for consumers who are unprepared, alerting them to the fact that they need to take the necessary steps before the June 12 DTV transition.”
The FCC’s help line provides consumers with a wide range of services, including instructions on how to install converter boxes and information on local DTV education events and the availability of in-home installation services. In addition to calling the FCC’s toll-free help line, consumers can find help at the FCC’s web site, http://www.dtv.gov/, and by visiting walk-in help centers being set up across the country or attending a DTV transition event. Information about local events also can be found on the web site.
A “soft test” simulates to a degree what unprepared viewers will experience when the DTV transition occurs. Instead of completely cutting off the analog signal, during a soft test broadcasters interrupt the regular programming of viewers receiving analog signals to warn them the interruption indicates they are not prepared for the transition. Such viewers – other than those connected to a subscription TV service such as cable or satellite (which in some cases still utilize a broadcaster’s analog signal) – must take immediate action to avoid a complete loss of service on June 12. Digital broadcasts are available now and are not interrupted by soft tests.
Nationwide, Nielsen estimates that about 3.3 million households – 2.9 percent of U.S. households with TVs – remained unready for the transition as of May 10. In the few weeks remaining before the transition, the FCC is gearing up its ongoing consumer assistance efforts to ensure consumers are prepared for the end of analog broadcast service for full-power television stations.
The switch to digital will reward most viewers with better sound, a better picture, more channels and more programs and will make room for the future by clearing airwaves for advanced mobile Internet services. The transition will also help save lives by freeing up airwaves for better first-responder radio service.
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Wednesday, May 20, 2009
CSI:Mayo Clinic
Researchers Find Two Popular Television Shows Inaccurately Portray Realities of Violent Crime
Researchers at Mayo Clinic compared two popular television shows, CSI and CSI: Miami, to actual U.S. homicide data, and discovered clear differences between media portrayals of violent deaths versus actual murders. This study complements previous research regarding media influences on public health perception. Mayo Clinic researchers present their findings today at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting in San Francisco.
Previous studies have indicated television influences individual health behaviors and public health perceptions. Timothy Lineberry, M.D., a psychiatrist at Mayo Clinic, says "We make a lot of our decisions as a society based on information that we have, and television has been used to provide public health messages."
Researchers chose to compare the crimes on CSI and CSI: Miami to real homicides because of the shows' combined audiences of more than 43 million viewers annually. They sought to determine how representative the portrayal of violent death crimes on the two series compared with data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) National Violent Death Reporting System.
When researchers compared the shows to the CDC data, they discovered the strongest misrepresentations were related to alcohol use, relationships, and race among perpetrators and victims. Previous studies of actual statistics have shown that both perpetrator and victim were often under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs when the crime occurred, differing from what the shows portrayed.
Also, CSI and CSI: Miami were more likely to have described the victim and the attacker as Caucasian, which is misrepresentative. Finally, according to the CDC data, homicide victims typically knew their assailant; however, the television series were more likely to have portrayed the perpetrator as a stranger. All of these findings were significantly different when compared to the data.
Dr. Lineberry says, "If we believe that there is a lack of association with alcohol, that strangers are more likely to attack, and that homicide doesn't represent particular groups of people, it's difficult to create public health interventions that the general public supports."
Other authors contributing to this study included Christopher Janish and Melanie Buskirk, both from Mayo Medical School.
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Adolescents who think that they are overweight are at increased risk of suicide attempts
Multiple social factors, including discrimination and harassment, may contribute to an increased risk of suicidal feelings among adolescents who feel that they are overweight, a Georgia State University researcher says.
Monica Swahn, associate professor in the institute of public health, and her students found that adolescents who perceive that they overweight -- even though they are not, according to their body mass index -- are at increased risk for suicide attempt, according to a recently published study in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
"We were surprised to find that any combination of perception of being overweight, or actually being overweight, increased the risk of suicidality," Swahn said.
Swahn and students in her social determinants of health class analyzed data from the National Youth Risk Behavior Study from the Centers from Disease Control and Prevention. Further studies are needed to look at multiple factors related to suicidal feelings, but social structures including discrimination, harassment, income, housing, food and nutrition, and media messages likely play a role in the increased risk for suicide attempts among youth who feel that they are overweight.
"There is an ideal about what a body should look like, which we're all inundated with constantly," Swahn said. "And children and youth are very vulnerable to these messages as they transition into adulthood."
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Monica Swahn, associate professor in the institute of public health, and her students found that adolescents who perceive that they overweight -- even though they are not, according to their body mass index -- are at increased risk for suicide attempt, according to a recently published study in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
"We were surprised to find that any combination of perception of being overweight, or actually being overweight, increased the risk of suicidality," Swahn said.
Swahn and students in her social determinants of health class analyzed data from the National Youth Risk Behavior Study from the Centers from Disease Control and Prevention. Further studies are needed to look at multiple factors related to suicidal feelings, but social structures including discrimination, harassment, income, housing, food and nutrition, and media messages likely play a role in the increased risk for suicide attempts among youth who feel that they are overweight.
"There is an ideal about what a body should look like, which we're all inundated with constantly," Swahn said. "And children and youth are very vulnerable to these messages as they transition into adulthood."
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Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Increase in Unmarried Childbearing Also Seen in Other Countries
The proportion of births to unmarried mothers in the United States has risen steeply over the past few decades, consistent with patterns in other countries, a report from CDC's National Center for Health Statistics shows.
In March, CDC reported that about 4 in 10 births in the United States in 2007 were to unmarried mothers. While a great deal of focus has been placed on births to unmarried teens, 6 out of 10 births to women between the ages of 20 and 24 were among unmarried women in 2007.
The trend in unmarried childbearing was fairly stable from the mid-1990s to 2002, but has shown a steep increase between 2002 and 2007. Between 1980 and 2007, the proportion of births to unmarried women in the United States has more than doubled, from 18 percent to 40 percent.
The report, "Data Brief #18: Changing Patterns of Nonmarital Childbearing in the U.S.," includes a section on international comparisons. The section shows the U.S. percentage of out-of-wedlock births falls into the middle range among the countries studied (data for Iceland, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, and Canada are for 2006).
* Iceland (66 percent), Sweden (55 percent), Norway (54 percent), France (50 percent), Denmark (46 percent) and the United Kingdom (44 percent) all have higher proportions of births to unmarried mothers than the United States
* Ireland (33 percent), Germany and Canada (30 percent), Spain (28 percent), Italy (21 percent) and Japan (2 percent) have lower percentages than the United States.
* The Netherlands (40 percent) has the same percentage of out-of-wedlock births as the United States but its percentage is 10 times higher than in 1980, when only 4 percent of Netherlands' births were to unmarried mothers.
* All countries examined showed substantial increases in the proportion of births to unmarried mothers between 1980 and 2007. The countries with the biggest increases, after the Netherlands, are Spain (4 percent to 28 percent), Ireland (5 percent to 33 percent), and Italy (4 percent to 21 percent).
The report also looks in depth at U.S. birth rates among unmarried women by age, race and ethnicity.
* Birth rates among unmarried U.S. mothers are highest for women in their early 20s (80 births per 1,000 unmarried women aged 20-24), and lowest for teens under 18 and for women over age 35.
* Birth rates among unmarried mothers are highest for Hispanic women (106 births per 1,000 unmarried Hispanic women), followed by non-Hispanic black women (72 per 1,000) and non-Hispanic white women (32 per 1,000).
* The overwhelming majority of births to teenagers are nonmarital. Among teens aged 15-17, 93 percent of births were nonmarital in 2007, while among teens aged 18-19, 84 percent of births were nonmarital.
* In 2007, 45 percent of births to women in their 20s were to unmarried women. Sixty percent of births to women aged 20-24 were nonmarital in 2007, up from 52 percent in 2002. Nearly one third of births to women aged 25-29 were nonmarital in 2007, up from one fourth in 2002.
The full report is available at www.cdc.gov/nchs.
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In March, CDC reported that about 4 in 10 births in the United States in 2007 were to unmarried mothers. While a great deal of focus has been placed on births to unmarried teens, 6 out of 10 births to women between the ages of 20 and 24 were among unmarried women in 2007.
The trend in unmarried childbearing was fairly stable from the mid-1990s to 2002, but has shown a steep increase between 2002 and 2007. Between 1980 and 2007, the proportion of births to unmarried women in the United States has more than doubled, from 18 percent to 40 percent.
The report, "Data Brief #18: Changing Patterns of Nonmarital Childbearing in the U.S.," includes a section on international comparisons. The section shows the U.S. percentage of out-of-wedlock births falls into the middle range among the countries studied (data for Iceland, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, and Canada are for 2006).
* Iceland (66 percent), Sweden (55 percent), Norway (54 percent), France (50 percent), Denmark (46 percent) and the United Kingdom (44 percent) all have higher proportions of births to unmarried mothers than the United States
* Ireland (33 percent), Germany and Canada (30 percent), Spain (28 percent), Italy (21 percent) and Japan (2 percent) have lower percentages than the United States.
* The Netherlands (40 percent) has the same percentage of out-of-wedlock births as the United States but its percentage is 10 times higher than in 1980, when only 4 percent of Netherlands' births were to unmarried mothers.
* All countries examined showed substantial increases in the proportion of births to unmarried mothers between 1980 and 2007. The countries with the biggest increases, after the Netherlands, are Spain (4 percent to 28 percent), Ireland (5 percent to 33 percent), and Italy (4 percent to 21 percent).
The report also looks in depth at U.S. birth rates among unmarried women by age, race and ethnicity.
* Birth rates among unmarried U.S. mothers are highest for women in their early 20s (80 births per 1,000 unmarried women aged 20-24), and lowest for teens under 18 and for women over age 35.
* Birth rates among unmarried mothers are highest for Hispanic women (106 births per 1,000 unmarried Hispanic women), followed by non-Hispanic black women (72 per 1,000) and non-Hispanic white women (32 per 1,000).
* The overwhelming majority of births to teenagers are nonmarital. Among teens aged 15-17, 93 percent of births were nonmarital in 2007, while among teens aged 18-19, 84 percent of births were nonmarital.
* In 2007, 45 percent of births to women in their 20s were to unmarried women. Sixty percent of births to women aged 20-24 were nonmarital in 2007, up from 52 percent in 2002. Nearly one third of births to women aged 25-29 were nonmarital in 2007, up from one fourth in 2002.
The full report is available at www.cdc.gov/nchs.
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Saturday, May 9, 2009
Military Office Director Resigns in Wake of New York Fly-by
The director of the White House Military Office has submitted his resignation in the wake of an April 27 aerial photo shoot with a presidential aircraft over New York City.
Louis Caldera, who served as secretary of the Army during the Clinton administration, resigned his office effective May 22.
"I have concluded that the controversy surrounding the Presidential Airlift Group's aerial photo shoot over New York City has made it impossible to effectively lead the White House Military Office," Caldera wrote in his letter of resignation.
President Barack Obama has accepted the resignation, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
"The president has asked his deputy chief of staff, Jim Messina, and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates or his designee to jointly review the organizational structure of the White House Military Office and the reporting relationship of its components to the White House and the Air Force, and to make recommendations to him to ensure that such an incident never occurs again," Gibbs said in a written release.
On April 27, a 747-200 aircraft that often carries the president flew over lower New York. An F-16 fighter followed and took photos of the aircraft with iconic structures such as the Statue of Liberty in the background. The aircraft flew as low as 1,000 feet, and many New Yorkers believed they were seeing a repeat of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that killed 3,000 people at the World Trade Center.
The flyover caused much consternation on the ground, with many people in Lower Manhattan and across the river in New Jersey evacuating their buildings.
A review of the incident by the White House counsel's office found "structural and organizational ambiguities" within the White House Military Office and urged a comprehensive study of the organization.
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Related article:
Air Force One Flight Causes New York City Confusion http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=54097
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Louis Caldera, who served as secretary of the Army during the Clinton administration, resigned his office effective May 22.
"I have concluded that the controversy surrounding the Presidential Airlift Group's aerial photo shoot over New York City has made it impossible to effectively lead the White House Military Office," Caldera wrote in his letter of resignation.
President Barack Obama has accepted the resignation, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
"The president has asked his deputy chief of staff, Jim Messina, and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates or his designee to jointly review the organizational structure of the White House Military Office and the reporting relationship of its components to the White House and the Air Force, and to make recommendations to him to ensure that such an incident never occurs again," Gibbs said in a written release.
On April 27, a 747-200 aircraft that often carries the president flew over lower New York. An F-16 fighter followed and took photos of the aircraft with iconic structures such as the Statue of Liberty in the background. The aircraft flew as low as 1,000 feet, and many New Yorkers believed they were seeing a repeat of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that killed 3,000 people at the World Trade Center.
The flyover caused much consternation on the ground, with many people in Lower Manhattan and across the river in New Jersey evacuating their buildings.
A review of the incident by the White House counsel's office found "structural and organizational ambiguities" within the White House Military Office and urged a comprehensive study of the organization.
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Related article:
Air Force One Flight Causes New York City Confusion http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=54097
---
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Follow us on Twitter: @gafrontpage
www.FayetteFrontPage.com
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
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