Human Services News

A researcher at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has uncovered mathematics embedded in the designs of various aspects of native and contemporary culture, from traditional beadwork and basket weaving to modern hairstyles and music.

Using the discovery, he's developed a series of interactive, Web-based teaching tools that are capturing the interest -- and imagination -- of students in math classes across the country.

Ron Eglash, associate professor of science and technology studies at Rensselaer, has created a suite of 11 computer software programs that focus on individual facets of African American, Native American, or Latin American culture where math plays a role in design.

New research reported in the June 2006 issue of American Anthropologist suggests that use of CSDTs can raise math achievement and may improve technological career aspirations for ethnic minority students.

Preliminary surveys of students -- 83 percent of which were under-represented minorities -- who used the design tools for two hours per day over a two-week period displayed a statistically significant increase in their attitudes toward computers, compared to 175 randomly selected students who had not used a CSDT.

The Fractal Factor In 1999, Eglash discovered that fractal geometry -- the geometry of similar shapes repeated on ever-shrinking scales -- is apparent in the designs of many cultures on the continent of Africa, revealing that traditional African mathematics may be much more complicated than previously thought.

He documented fractal patterns in cornrow hairstyles, weavings, and the architecture of villages, as well as many forms of African art.

Eglash's research was funded by three federal grants: a U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Outreach Partnership Centers (COPC) grant, a Department of Education Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) grant, and a National Science Foundation (NSF) IT Workforce (ITWF) grant.

Posted by Michael at 10:23 PM

Buffett, Gates Unite on $60 Billion Foundation

From Yahoo! News: Top Stories:

His friend and bridge partner Buffett, 75, became known as the Sage of Omaha as he built the world's second biggest personal fortune running Berkshire Hathaway Inc., an insurance and investment company.

"I am not an enthusiast for dynastic wealth, particularly when the alternative is 6 billion people having much poorer hands in life than we have," Buffett said at a signing ceremony with the Gateses at the New York Public Library.

Gates, 50, this month said he plans in July 2008 to step down from his day-to-day Microsoft role to focus on his foundation, one of the goals of which is to improve access to technology in U.S. public libraries.

Buffett pledged 10 million Berkshire Class B shares to the Gates Foundation.

The total donations of about $37.1 billion amount to 85 percent of Buffett's net worth and constitute the largest single act of U.S. charitable giving ever.

At a news conference, Gates said serious talks about a donation to the Gates Foundation began early this year.

Buffett's gift to that foundation will be in stages and conditioned on money being distributed the year it is donated.

The foundation gave away $1.36 billion in 2005, so Buffett's first gift of $1.5 billion, in July, may double its spending.

Both Buffett and Gates emphasized the importance of keeping philanthropy separate from Berkshire's day-to-day operations.

Berkshire shares fell as much as 2.9 percent on Monday as investors looked toward Buffett's eventual retirement and the possible sale by the foundations of Berkshire stock to fund giving.

Berkshire stock dips as Buffett donates $37 billion Reuters via Yahoo!

Posted by Michael at 10:06 PM

Male Sexual Abuse Survivors Struggle in Relations with Health Care Providers

New research reveals that male survivors of childhood sexual abuse face unique challenges that many health care practitioners do not recognize and understand as well as they should.

Canadian researchers have found that although both male and female childhood sexual survivors have similar anxieties and fears about their encounters with health care professionals, there are gender based differences concerning perceptions of victimhood, guilt, shame, homophobia and vulnerability.

"We found that it's doubly-difficult for males to come forward after they've been sexually abused, because many men have difficulty identifying and expressing their feelings.

There is also a common perception that males should be strong and shouldn't ever admit vulnerability or ask for help," said Gerri Lasiuk, a PhD student in the U of A Faculty of Nursing.

When the abuser was a woman, there was an attitude of, 'So what?

The researchers found that in some cases health care providers--which include nurses, physical therapists, physicians, chiropractors, dentists and massage therapists--harmed more than healed the male survivors due to their lack of knowledge and insensitivity to the male survivors' lot.

"Given that 5 to 10 per cent of men and 20 per cent of women are survivors of childhood sexual abuse, all health professionals encounter survivors every day in their practice no matter what their specialty.

Posted by Michael at 10:03 PM

Study Shows Environment Plays Big Role in Women Starting to Smoke

Researchers have long known that reasons for smoking include social pressure and other environmental factors, as well as genetic factors based on results of previous twin studies.

Now a more comprehensive study of twins by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) has provided a better understanding of these complex influences.

They found that women are far more likely than men to start smoking because of environmental factors, whereas genetic factors appear to play a larger role in influencing men to start smoking.

However, the study, which appears in the current issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, found no differences between the sexes in factors related to continued smoking, which appeared to be strongly influenced by genetics.

With regard to starting smoking, there was a significant difference between men and women, said Ann Hamilton, assistant professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and lead author on the study.

This may indicate that the heritable effect in men could be overestimated or able to be affected by environmental factors."

But when it comes to continuing to smoke, the study found little difference in causal factors between males and females or between those who communicated with each other often and those who did not.

Posted by Michael at 10:02 PM

Secretary Spellings Thanks and Encourages Educators at Teacher-to-Teacher Summer Workshop

"I'm inspired by hard-working teachers who believe every child deserves a quality education.

You can feel the high expectations when you walk into their classrooms."

--- U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings delivered remarks to teachers from Minnesota, 15 neighboring states and Bureau of Indian Affairs schools at the Teacher-to-Teacher Summer Workshop today in St. Paul, Minn.

Secretary Spellings thanked and encouraged teachers, and discussed the importance of sharing best practices, so that teachers can better face the challenges of closing the achievement gap and getting students at or above grade level in reading and math by 2014.

Thank you, Chauncey Veatch, for that kind introduction.

We can make all the right policy moves in Washington, but without great teachers like you instilling a love of learning in our students, nothing else matters.

It's an honor to be here in St. Paul with Alice Seagren, who is the state commissioner of education here in Minnesota.

Let me give a special thanks to all the presenters for giving up their summer breaks to travel around the country as part of this program.

It's no secret that teaching is one of the hardest jobs out there.

As a mom, I've enjoyed meeting my daughters' teachers through the years.

And I appreciate how they've always made time to see me and let me know what's happening in the classroom.

I also tried my hand at substitute teaching for a few months after graduating from college.

When we passed the No Child Left Behind Act over four years ago, we knew the hard work of ensuring every child could read and do math at grade level would fall on your shoulders.

When someone says a child can't learn, you see a child who just needs a chance.

And thanks to this law, we're learning what you've always known: With a great teacher, every child can and will learn---regardless of race, income, or zip code.

As you all know, thousands of students started the school year without a place to live or go to school.

That's a tribute to the power of high expectations.

Everywhere I go, I'm inspired by hard-working teachers who believe every child deserves a quality education.

Because at its heart, it's all about giving teachers the tools to help students achieve their potential.

Thanks to this law, for the first time ever, teachers can track student progress from year to year and analyze which strategies actually work for them in the classroom.

Bob teaches at an urban, low-income junior high school in Sacramento.

Nearly half of our 17-year-olds don't have the necessary math skills to work as a production associate at a modern auto plant.

And our 15-year-olds rank 24th out of 29 developed nations in math literacy and problem solving.

The President and the Congress recently created a new $100 million Teacher Incentive Fund to encourage more experienced teachers to take jobs in high-poverty schools, where a high-quality teacher can make all the difference in the world.

Posted by Michael at 9:35 PM

Education Secretary Announces July 1 Availability of $790 Million in New Grants for Higher Education

Tim Pawlenty held a press conference to discuss the upcoming availability of Academic Competitiveness Grants and the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grants.

Secretary Spellings announced that starting July 1, the Department of Education's Federal Student Aid office will be notifying Pell Grant-eligible students of their potential eligibility through email or regular mail, and students can start applying for up to $1300 in new Academic Competitiveness grants.

Third and fourth year Pell Grant-eligible students who meet requirements, and major in certain designated science, technology, math, and foreign languages, will automatically receive the National SMART Grant during the 2006-07 school year.

Academic Competitiveness Grants will provide additional aid to first- and second-year college students who complete rigorous high school coursework, are enrolled fulltime, and maintain a 3.0 GPA in college (up to an additional $750 for first-year students and up to an additional $1,300 for second-year students).

Nationwide, 1.9 million students are potentially eligible for these grants.

These grants will encourage students to take more challenging courses in high school, and to pursue college majors in high demand in the global economy, such as science, mathematics, technology, engineering and critical foreign languages.

Posted by Michael at 9:32 PM

Books on Health : On Special at Your Local Supermarket: Moral Choices

From NYT > Health:

Two books are describing not just what Americans like to eat but also what we ought to eat, for the sake of body and soul. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 9:30 PM

The greater the number of bars in a neighborhood, the higher the rates of assault

Results indicate the greater the density of alcohol outlets, especially bars, the higher the rates of assault.

Roughly 15 years of research has shown that the availability of alcohol -- as measured by the number and types of alcohol outlets -- is directly related to interpersonal violence.

A longitudinal study spanning six years is the first of its kind to use overnight hospital stays to reexamine the influence of alcohol outlets upon violent assaults.

"Hospital discharges are carefully tracked throughout the state of California and provide accurate assessments of causes of injury," said Paul J. Gruenewald, senior research scientist at the Prevention Research Center.

About one out of 10 assaults recorded by police are severe enough to require hospitalization.

Using hospital-discharge data on violent assaults rather than crime reports from law enforcement officials also helps to control reporting biases, added Richard Scribner, professor of preventive medicine at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center.

"For example, residents of a neighborhood with high levels of police mistrust might be unlikely to report an assault."

Researchers collected six years' worth of data from 581 consistently defined zip-code areas in California.

"For those individuals with some predisposition to violence, such as young males living in impoverished areas, this is enough to increase violence rates.

In addition, high concentrations of off-premise alcohol outlets tend to occur in communities with lower levels of social control, where a variety of other crimes occur -- such as illegal drug sales and prostitution -- that are related to violence."

"These findings are significant from a prevention standpoint because alcohol outlets represent a modifiable characteristic of the community environment," continued Scribner.

Posted by Michael at 9:26 PM

New Publications Examine Citizenship Documentation Requirements for Medicaid

From The Kaiser Family Foundation:

Kaiser's Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured has released a fact sheet on the new citizenship documentation requirements for Medicaid applicants and enrollees that were part of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. A new report examining New York’s thirty year experience with requiring citizenship documentation from their Medicaid applicants provides insight for states that will require documentation for the first time this year. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 9:23 PM

Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Grants: Announcement Overview

From Center for Law and Social Policy:

On May 16, 2006, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announced the availability of funds for healthy marriage programs, specifically Healthy Marriage Demonstration Grants and a National Healthy Marriage Resource Center (NHMRC).

Applicants for these funds must submit their applications by June 30, 2006.

The funding described in the May 16, 2006 announcement is to support the continuation of this work as well and to expand the NHMRC's technical support activities.

Applicants must "describe how the proposed programs ands activities will address, as appropriate, issues of domestic violence; and contain a commitment to consult with experts in domestic violence or relevant community domestic violence coalitions....

These projects will have as their primary target audience low-income unwed expectant or new parents.

Posted by Michael at 9:21 PM

Study Casts Doubt On the 'Boy Crisis'

From washingtonpost.com :

A study to be released today looking at long-term trends in test scores and academic success argues that widespread reports of U.S. boys being in crisis are greatly overstated and that young males in school are in many ways doing better than ever.

Using data compiled from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a federally funded accounting of student achievement since 1971, the Washington-based think tank Education Sector found that, over the past three decades, boys' test scores are mostly up, more boys are going to college and more are getting bachelor's degrees.

Although low-income boys, like low-income girls, are lagging behind middle-class students, boys are scoring significant gains in elementary and middle school and are much better prepared for college, the report says.

"There's no doubt that some groups of boys -- particularly Hispanic and black boys and boys from low-income homes -- are in real trouble," Education Sector senior policy analyst Sara Mead says in the report.

The difference between white and black boys in fourth-grade reading last year was 10 times as great as the improvement for all boys on that test since 1992.

Still, the report notes, the performance of black and Hispanic boys is not getting worse.

The average fourth-grade reading scores for black boys improved more than those of whites and Hispanics of both sexes.

The Detroit News said that "every year, women increase their presence on campuses nationwide, while men do not."

Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site.

National Center for Children in Poverty.

Posted by Michael at 8:58 PM

June 22, 2006

June TV Show Spotlights Child Health and Nutrition, Proper Diet and Fitness Help Make Students Ready to Learn

Education Newsfeed.

This month's U.S. Department of Education TV show will focus on providing children with proper diet and healthy habits that will help fortify their minds and bodies for learning in the classroom.

Tuesday's program, entitled "Child Health and Nutrition," will examine how state and federal agencies are working with schools and families to promote healthy, active lifestyles in students.

The show will highlight national and local programs that encourage students to eat right and exercise; discuss the latest research on the health and fitness of America's youth; spotlight the new federal guidelines for child nutrition; and provide tips for parents on how they can ensure that their children adopt healthy habits that will help them learn and grow.

A profile of the Appleton Area School District's "Education for Healthy Kids" (EHK) initiative in Appleton, Wisconsin.

White Physical Education Program grant-is gaining national acclaim for how it motivates students and promotes an overall culture of wellness through state-of-the-art fitness equipment; school, parent and community involvement; nutritious food offerings; physical education integration across the curriculum; and highly trained PE staff.

Produced by "Connect With Kids"-an integrated content company focused on helping parents and schools improve the social, emotional and physical well being of children-The Biggest Generation is an inspiring program featuring real children and families who are combating the forces of obesity by taking charge of their own health at home and in school.

Posted by Michael at 9:46 PM

Automatically Enrolling Eligible Children and Families Into Medicaid and SCHIP

Commonwealth Fund.

Sixty-two percent of uninsured children and two-thirds of uninsured, poor parents qualify for publicly funded health coverage programs but are not enrolled.

This study assesses the potential impact of automatically enrolling children and parents in Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) based on determinations of other means-tested programs.

Current law permits states to cover some uninsured parents based on information in their children's Medicaid case files.

However, current federal law forbids states from providing Medicaid or SCHIP based on the final income determinations of non-health agencies---the type of auto-enrollment that could reach eligible children.

For such auto-enrollment to succeed, federal policymakers need to provide states with additional flexibility in determining eligibility and new resources for investing in information technology.

Medicare Part B, into which seniors are enrolled automatically unless they decline participation, covers 96 percent of eligible seniors.

By contrast, the Medicare Savings Programs, for which low-income seniors must apply to receive assistance with cost-sharing and premiums, reach no more than 33 percent of the eligible population.

Since 1991, school districts participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) have had the option to provide free meals based on direct certification, through which children receive NSLP based solely on the findings of Food Stamp and cash assistance programs.

Among poor parents who are uninsured, 83 percent either live in a family participating in a means-tested nutrition program or have a child who receives Medicaid.

Under the MMA, subsidies go to certain low-income Medicare beneficiaries, with automatic coverage for seniors who participate in MSP.

Posted by Michael at 8:53 PM

Stabilizing Coverage for Children and Families

Commonwealth Fund.

This report examines the extent, causes, and consequences of instability in public coverage programs for children and families.

It focuses particularly on the phenomenon of "churning," which occurs when individuals lose and regain coverage in a short period of time.

The experiences of these states demonstrate that coverage instability can be averted to a significant degree by adopting key policies and procedures, like limiting the frequency of required renewals; developing easy, seamless transitions among public coverage programs; and setting affordable limits on premium costs.

People covered through employer-based insurance may lose coverage if they change jobs, their employer decides to stop offering insurance, or their share of the cost of the coverage becomes unaffordable.

This report examines the extent, causes, and consequences of instability in public coverage programs for children and families.

It focuses particularly on the phenomenon of "churning," which occurs when individuals lose and regain coverage in a short period of time, suggesting that the loss of coverage is not due to eligibility factors.

Paying attention to the problem of coverage instability within public insurance programs, chiefly Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), makes sense for several reasons.

Medicaid and SCHIP officials, as well as health plans and providers that serve Medicaid and SCHIP enrollees, report significant costs related to churning.

While there is no single source of data on the extent of instability and churning in Medicaid and SCHIP, program administrators, health plan executives, and health providers agree that the problem is substantial.

Premiums in SCHIP and Medicaid may contribute to coverage instability and churning, under certain circumstances, and recent federal law changes might prompt more states to consider imposing premiums.

Posted by Michael at 8:50 PM

The Decline of Middle-Income Neighborhoods in Metropolitan America

Brookings Institution.

Middle-income neighborhoods as a proportion of all metropolitan neighborhoods declined from 58 percent in 1970 to 41 percent in 2000.

This dramatic decline far outpaced the corresponding drop in the proportion of metropolitan families earning middle incomes, from 28 percent in 1970 to 22 percent in 2000.

Between 1970 and 2000, lower-income families became more likely to live in lower-income neighborhoods, and higher-income families in higher-income neighborhoods.

Only 37 percent of lower-income families lived in middle-income neighborhoods in 2000, down from 55 percent in 1970.

The proportion of neighborhoods that were middle-income shrank faster than the proportion of families that were middle-income in each of 12 large metropolitan areas examined.

Among the 12 metro areas, Los Angeles-Long Beach, Baltimore, and Philadelphia experienced much more dramatic declines in middle-income neighborhoods than San Antonio and Louisville.

Only 23 percent of central-city neighborhoods in the 12 large metropolitan areas had a middle-income profile in 2000, down from 45 percent in 1970.

A majority of families (52 percent) and neighborhoods (60 percent) in these cities had low or very low incomes relative to their metropolitan area median in 2000.

A much larger proportion---44 percent---of suburban neighborhoods in the 12 metropolitan areas had a middle-income profile in 2000.

Yet this proportion fell over the 30-year period, too, from 64 percent in 1970, accompanying a smaller decline in suburban middle-income families.

Suburban middle-income neighborhoods were replaced in roughly equal measure by low-income and very high-income neighborhoods.

Although middle-income families have declined considerably as a share of the overall family income distribution, it is noteworthy that middle-class neighborhoods have disappeared even faster in metropolitan areas, especially in cities.

Posted by Michael at 8:36 PM

Full-Time Work Fails to Lift Many Families out of Poverty

As Congress considers whether to increase the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour, data from the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) shows that a full-time job at low wages often does not provide nearly enough to support a family.

NCCP releases a report today, When Work Doesn't Pay: What Every Policymaker Should Know, that reveals that even though the government provides "work support" benefits to help minimum-wage and other low-wage workers provide for their children, the structure of these benefits can result in unintended consequences---families can actually end up worse off when they earn more.

This is because extra income can cause a family to lose a benefit that's of greater value than additional earnings.

"After nearly a decade of inaction, we urge policymakers to increase the minimum wage and to ensure that other supports for working families actually reward work rather than take away from their income."

Work supports such as earned income tax credits, child care subsidies, health care coverage, food stamps, and others are means-tested benefits, so as earnings increase---particularly as they rise above the official poverty level---families begin to lose eligibility even though they are not yet self-sufficient.

For example, a single mother with two small children living in Philadelphia and earning $8.00 an hour---more than the suggested new minimum wage---would still be at the official poverty level, even though this level is widely acknowledged to be an outdated and inadequate standard of need.

Posted by Michael at 8:30 PM

Affordability Problems Escalating Even As Housing Market Cools

Joint Center for Housing Studies.

With interest rates rising and speculative demand cooling, the housing boom is coming under pressure, finds this year's State of the Nation's Housing report.

Major house price declines seldom occur in the absence of severe overbuilding, major job loss, or a combination of heavy overbuilding and modest job loss.

Even with higher interest rates and home prices crimping affordability, the lure of house price appreciation continues to draw homebuyers to the market.

While the national homeownership rate edged down a tenth of a percent in 2005, it increased in the West and Northeast where house price growth was the strongest.

In fact, about 1 million homeowners were added nationally last year.

Mortgage innovations such as low-downpayment, hybrid-adjustable, and interest-only loans helped blunt the impact of higher home prices and interest rates.

Similarly, most interest-only loans extend for at least five years, leaving ample time to move, refinance, or incomes to grow before principal payments start coming due.

New household projections incorporating higher but more realistic immigrant assumptions suggest household growth will accelerate to 14.6 million over the next ten years from 12.6 million over the last ten.

"Slow growth in domestic discretionary spending at the federal level and the reluctance of state and local governments to relieve intense barriers to the production of more affordable housing make the road ahead difficult.

Posted by Michael at 8:26 PM

Thousands of Families Use HUD Housing Vouchers to Buy Homes

HUD .

More than 5,000 low to moderate-income families have become homeowners thanks to an innovative voucher homeownership program instituted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson announced the study findings at City Hall with Mayor Richard Daley and Chicago Housing Authority Executive Director Terry Peterson.

The study shows that the Chicago Housing Authority, under its subsidiary CHAC, Inc., is leading the way in helping low-income families become first-time homeowners using the Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership (HCVH) Program.

CHAC, Inc. is among more than 506 public housing authorities (PHAs) that are participating in the HCVH program since it began in 1999 as a pilot at just a dozen PHAs.

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) commissioned the VHO Study to evaluate the effectiveness of the HCVH Program from September 2004 to March 2006, and reports rapid growth in the program.

In most programs, VHO purchasers have access to additional funding sources to help them buy homes.

VHO purchasers were primarily female heads of household (61 percent) with children (74 percent) were members of minority groups (58 percent).

HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS.

Posted by Michael at 8:22 PM

Medicare Part D Plans Raised Their Prices

Families USA.

Over the past five months, virtually all Medicare (Part D) plans raised their prices for the top drugs prescribed to seniors, according to a report issued today by the health consumer organization Families USA.

The report, based on pricing data submitted by the plans to the federal government, contradicts the Bush Administration's assertions that the new Medicare drug program is effectively moderating rising drug costs.

More than 92 percent of plans raised their prices for Aricept (10 mg), and 89 percent raised their prices for Plavix (75 mg), drugs used for Alzheimer's disease and stroke, respectively.

"At the same time that the Bush Administration and congressional leaders are touting the effectiveness of the Medicare drug plans, those plans are quietly raising the prices that they charge," said Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA. "As a result, seniors will pay more and more---as will America's taxpayers."

During that time, the median price for the top 20 drugs rose by 3.7 percent.

Three of the drugs, Celebrex (200 mg), Lipitor (10 mg), and Aricept (10 mg), rose by 6 percent or more.

"When Congress prohibited Medicare from bargaining for cheaper drug prices, it created a huge windfall for the drug companies and unaffordable prices for America's seniors," said Pollack.

"It is time to correct this and to establish an effective price negotiating system like the VA has achieved."

For a copy of the report and to review the methodology, please visit our Web site at www.familiesusa.org.

Posted by Michael at 8:16 PM

Health Insurance for Children Improved in 2005

CDC.

New estimates of health insurance coverage and other major indicators of health and health care were released today in two new reports by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In addition to health insurance, the reports present the latest data on health habits, such as smoking, preventive health care including immunizations, and prevalence of diabetes, asthma and psychological distress.

In 2005, 41.2 million persons of all ages (14.2 percent) were currently without health insurance, down from 15.4 percent in 1997.

In the same time period, children experienced the greatest increase in coverage with only 8.9 percent without insurance in 2005 compared to 13.9 percent in 1997.

Insurance coverage varied widely among the 20 states for which data are now available, from 6 percent without health insurance in Massachusetts to over 24 percent lacking health insurance in Texas.

Both diagnosed diabetes and asthma are on the rise, up to 7.4 percent and 7.8 percent of the population respectively.

The 2005 estimates of influenza vaccinations reflected the shortage that occurred during the 2004-2005 flu season, but rates for those 65 years of age or older rebounded quicker than for other age groups.

Posted by Michael at 8:10 PM

Street Gangs Moving Into Suburbs

From washingtonpost.com.:

CHICAGO -- Chicago street gangs are increasingly moving into the suburbs, driven by the demolition of housing projects that once hid their illegal activities and by the perception that police in smaller communities lack the experience to deal with them, a city crime commission found.

"People in the suburbs can no longer view gangs as an inner-city problem," said Jim Wagner, the Chicago Crime Commission's president who helped write a 272-page report released this week.

"It's a problem they can no longer ignore."

The study surveyed 81 suburban police departments and found most had come into contact with gangs in their communities.

The report attributed the shift to gang members' perception that suburban police aren't as well-equipped to scrutinize and disrupt drug dealing and other illegal activities.

It also cited the tearing down of high-rise housing projects in Chicago "that were hideouts for gangs, incubators for gang crime and were often impenetrable to law enforcement," Wagner said.

The document, titled "The Gang Book," is meant to serve as a guide for suburban police, parents and businesses who may know little to nothing about gangs.

It includes photographs of gang hand signs and tattoos, as well as block-by-block maps showing which gangs control what parts of the Chicago area.

The Chicago area has many as 100 street gangs with an estimated 125,000 members, according to the report.

Ten to 20 of those gangs, including the powerful Gangster Disciples, Latin Kings and Vice Lords, are well-organized entities.

Posted by Michael at 3:29 AM

Save the Children Receives $2 Million to Expand Rebuilding of Child Care Facilities Along Gulf Coast

From U.S. Newswire Releases:

Humanitarian agency Save the Children today received $2 million from the Chevron Corporation to continue assisting children and parents in hurricane-ravaged southern Mississippi by rebuilding child care facilities.

The donation was part of Chevron's new $18 million "Energy for Learning" initiative, which will assist hurricane-affected public schools and early childhood education centers in 23 school districts throughout Louisiana and Mississippi.

Save the Children, in partnership with Chevron and Mississippi State University, has set the standard in rebuilding child care facilities in our communities.

There is no question that child care and education are the primary needs in rebuilding our economy."

Recognizing the critical role of child care to individual and economic recovery from the disaster, Save the Children, the Chevron Corporation and Mississippi State University partnered just weeks after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast.

"Creating safe spaces for children is critically important after a crisis such as Hurricane Katrina.," said Jeanne-Aimee De Marrais, Team Leader for Save the Children's Katrina Response.

Posted by Michael at 3:27 AM

Safety experts - MySpace Changes Not Enough

From Yahoo! News: Top Stories:

New security measures for young users of MySpace.com won't be enough to stop online child predators, safety experts warned Wednesday.

Starting next week, the popular online social network will restrict adult access to the information teenagers post about themselves.

MySpace users who are 18 or over could no longer request to be on a 14- or 15-year-old's friends' list unless they already know either the youth's e-mail address or full name.

"They're going to lie about their ages," said Monique Nelson, executive vice president of online safety advocate Web Wise Kids.

MySpace security director Hemanshu Nigam said the site, owned by News Corp., is committed to increasing online safety, particularly among 14 and 15 year olds.

The changes come on the heels of a $30 million lawsuit filed by the mother of a Texas teenager who claims she was raped by a man she met through the site.

MySpace has no mechanism for verifying that users submit their true age when registering.

Under the changes announced Wednesday, any user will still be able to get a partial profile of younger users by searching for other details, such as display name.

The difference is that currently, adults can then request to be added to a youth's list to view the full profile; that option will disappear for adults registered as 18 and over.

Without age verification, adults can sign up as teens and request to join a 14-year-old's list of friends, which would enable the full profiles.

Posted by Michael at 3:25 AM

June 19, 2006

Medicare Health and Prescription Drug Plan Tracker

From The Kaiser Family Foundation:

The data and information available on the Medicare Health and Prescription Drug Plan Tracker website are based on analysis by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. of publicly available data files from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Data are available nationally and by state, county, Medicare Advantage region, Prescription Drug Plan region and metropolitan statistical area for select indicators.

Geographic Service Area Report -- This file provides information on the enrollment in each Medicare managed care contract at the county level.

Market Penetration, Quarterly State/County Data File -- This file provides information on the number of Medicare beneficiaries eligible to enroll in a Medicare managed care plan for each county in the United States.

These data use the second payment rates (i.e. the rates that took effect after the legislation occurred) for all calculations in those years.

Each file provides information about Medicare+Choice/Medicare Advantage plans that did not renew their contracts to participate in the program during the contract renewal period in September.

Posted by Michael at 3:18 AM

Hazelden, MADD Collaborate on Child Alcohol Prevention Curriculum

From Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs News:

The Hazelden Foundation and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) are joining forces to promote use of the Protecting You/Protecting Me child alcohol-prevention curriculum, the two groups announced this week.

The adult-led curriculum, aimed at teaching children in grades 1-5 about the impact of alcohol on the brain and the dangers of driving with someone who has used alcohol, consists of 40 lessons on topics like alcohol laws, dealing with peer pressure, and good decision-making.

"We know that students who've received the curriculum have increased knowledge of the effects of alcohol on the developing brain, increased perceptions of the potential harm of alcohol use, and increased intentions not to drink alcohol underage in the future," she said.

Posted by Michael at 2:58 AM

Proposed changes to obesity guidelines may harm children in the US

New guidelines on obesity in the U.S. may end up harming children, says an article in this week's BMJ.

And an accompanying article goes on to question the financial links between the organisation promoting these proposals and the pharmaceutical industry.

The author of the articles is Ray Moynihan, who has previously written about drug companies promoting an increasing reliance on medications to the public.

Mr. Moynihan points out that one of the prime movers behind the proposed changes being considered by the expert committee is Dr. William Dietz, a senior member of the International Obesity Task Force.

In the second article Mr. Moynihan reveals how the high profile and highly influential Task Force, which has close ties to the World Health Organisation, was set up in the mid-1990s with the help of grants from three drug companies and continues to benefit from drug company sponsorship.

Posted by Michael at 1:00 AM

June 18, 2006

Gulf Coast Summer Reading Initiative

--- Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, First Book Senior Vice President Lynda Lancaster and Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Cecil Picard today highlighted the importance of reading and presented free books to students at Belle Chasse Primary School in Plaquemines Parish, Belle Chasse, La.

The donation included some of the 250,000 free books, provided by First Book through the Gulf Coast Summer Reading Initiative, which is designed to help replenish reading materials in schools, community libraries and homes in hurricane-affected communities in the Gulf Coast states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Alabama and Florida.

It's a survival skill," Secretary Spellings said.

"A child who can read is a child who can learn.

The books being donated today through First Book's Book Relief program will ensure that students along the Gulf Coast have the opportunity to read during the summer and have books in their schools when they return in the fall."

Kyle Zimmer, president of First Book, said, "Research has shown that maintaining good reading habits during the summer months will significantly affect a child's performance as a reader.

The initiative is part of First Book's Book Relief program, an unprecedented, publishing industry-wide effort to distribute five million new books to those affected by the 2005 hurricanes via organizations, schools and libraries.

The program will help support the evacuees and replenish books in schools and libraries being rebuilt on the Gulf Coast.

Two more book donation events will be held, one in Texas on Friday, June 16, and one in Mississippi on Monday, June 19.

Posted by Michael at 11:27 PM

Louisiana Awarded $23.9 Million No Child Left Behind Grant to Help Create More Charter Schools

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Louisiana a $23.9 million three-year No Child Left Behind grant to help plan, design, and create new charter schools and increase the school choices that parents have to provide their children, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced today.

Today's grant is in addition to the $20.9 million No Child Left Behind Charter Schools Program grant Louisiana received in September to help reopen charter schools damaged by the hurricanes, create 10 new charter schools, and expand existing charter schools to accommodate displaced students.

The U.S. Department of Education also has made more than $1.6 billion in funds in hurricane recovery aid available to reopen schools in the Gulf Coast region and to help educate students across the country who were displaced or impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Louisiana is one of nine states receiving funding through the department's Charter Schools Program (CSP), designed to increase national understanding of the charter school model and to expand the number of charter schools available to the nation's students.

"Charter schools are empowering parents with new options in public education and as additional educational strategies they're helping to raise achievement in all our public schools," Spellings said.

The department's program is the most prevalent source of start-up funding for charter schools, with nearly two-thirds having received CSP funds during their start-up phase.

Charter schools are independent public schools designed and operated by parents, educators, community leaders, education entrepreneurs and others with a contract, or charter, from a public agency, such as a local or state education agency or an institution of higher education.

Posted by Michael at 11:26 PM

$21.6 Million in Charter Schools Facilities Grants Announced

Three organizations-the KIPP Foundation, the Charter School Development Corporation, and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation-will receive a total of $21.6 million for three grants through the Charter Schools Facilities Grants program, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced today.

On behalf of Secretary Spellings, Valarie Smith, the Secretary's regional representative, visited KIPP Tech Valley Charter School in Albany to award the grants.

The Local Initiatives Support Corporation in New York, N.Y., has been awarded a $8.2 million grant.

Under the department's Credit Enhancement for Charter Schools Facilities Grant program, seven grants totaling $36.6 million are being provided to organizations in New York; California; Arizona; New Jersey; North Carolina; Washington, D.C.; and Texas.

Grantees will place funds in a reserve account, which will then be used to guarantee capital to address the cost of acquiring, constructing, or renovating charter school facilities.

The reserve account funds are not for the direct purchase, lease, renovation, or construction of school buildings.

Posted by Michael at 11:25 PM

SAMHSA Issues Heroin/Fentanyl Alert

From Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs News:

After more than 100 overdose deaths over two months, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has alerted the addiction treatment community about a deadly combination of heroin and fentanyl, USA Today reported June 9.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a warning last month about the heroin-fentanyl mix, a potent blend that has been traced to scores of overdoses and deaths in cities from Chicago to Philadelphia to St. Louis.

A recent raid on a drug lab in Mexico was touted as dealing a blow to the source of the fentanyl, and some city officials say that the crisis appears to have peaked.

Posted by Michael at 11:13 PM

African-American Youth Exposed to More Alcohol Advertising Than Their Peers

From Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs News:

Alcohol advertising on radio, television and magazines reached more African-American youth than their peers in 2003 and 2004 on a per capita basis, according to a report released by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown University. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:58 PM

NIAAA Funds for Comprehensive Alcohol Research Centers

From Funding News:

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is looking for organizations interested in conducting research and support activities with its Comprehensive Alcohol Research Centers program, funded under the National Institute of Health's Comprehensive Research Center funding mechanism. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:47 PM

What's wrong with the economy?

From Economic Policy Institute:

Income and wages are down, debt is way up, and poverty is on the rise to name a few things. Get a full answer to this question in the update of our policy memo, written by EPI's President Lawrence Mishel and Vice President and Policy Director Ross Eisenbrey. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:43 PM

The Power of Work

From MDRC:

The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) serves nearly 2,000 reentering prisoners a year with a structured program of pre-employment training, immediate short-term transitional work, and job placement services. This report, written jointly by CEO and MDRC, describes how the CEO program operates.

In a period of just 15 years, from 1980 to 1995, the number of people incarcerated in federal and state prisons and local jails more than tripled, from about 500,000 to more than 1.5 million.

Since almost all prisoners are eventually released, an incarceration boom necessarily translates into a reentry boom.

With state and local budgets strained by the high cost of incarceration, breaking the cycle of recidivism is one promising way to shrink the prison population --- as well as to increase public safety and to improve the well-being of former prisoners, their families, and their communities.

Ex-prisoners face a daunting set of obstacles to reentry, but securing employment may be the biggest challenge of all.

The unemployment rate of formerly incarcerated people one year after release may be as high as 60 percent, and there is an increasing reluctance among employers to hire people with criminal histories.

Since the late 1970s, New York City's Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) has addressed the relationship between work and crime.

With generous support from the JEHT Foundation, MDRC and CEO have written this overview of the CEO program.

First, it discusses the link between unemployment and recidivism.

Second, it lays out the "what" of the program: CEO's company philosophy and the four phases of the CEO program.

Then it discusses the "how" of the program: how it came to be, how it appeals to key stakeholders (including government agencies and private employers), and how its financial and organizational structures keep it strong.

Posted by Michael at 10:38 PM

Weekend workers are mostly women

More women than men are working weekends new research from the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University shows. Nearly 20 percent of Canadians work weekends, mostly in the service sector and in part-time, temporary or seasonal jobs. Weekend workers are employed at a time when most others, including their family and friends, are resting or socializing. It is an unsocial schedule that is disruptive to people's leisure and family time. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 10:32 PM

Upwardly mobile? Kids from mobile homes face challenges getting ahead

When parents purchase a mobile home near a prosperous small town, they believe they've secured the safety, neighborliness and good schools coveted by all rural residents, says a University of Illinois study published in the April issue of Family Relations.

"Unfortunately, children living in trailer parks have a hard time reaping the benefits of small-town living unless they work exceptionally hard to build bridges to the nearby community," said Katherine MacTavish, now of Oregon State University, and her mentor, U of I professor of community studies Sonya Salamon.

To benefit from supportive small-town resources, a family must be integrated into the town's social networks, they said.

"But townspeople tend to look down on the trailer court kids, calling them 'trailer trash.'

Full-time employment for all adults in these families was the norm, but the jobs offered low wages, few or no benefits, and little job stability or financial security.

Half the mothers experienced the birth of a first child before finishing high school.

Of the 10 teens in the study, two flourished while growing up in the trailer park, following a path that MacTavish and Salamon believed would lead to a better life.

What did it take for the flourishing teenage girls to become upwardly mobile?

To flourish, youth had to become a member of the community outside the trailer park, and both girls developed intense relationships with nearby town friends and mentors.

For Trinity, a straight A student, cheerleader and dance-team member, the shift toward town-centered social ties came in seventh grade.

Trinity too became active in the church and spent a great deal of time with the friend's family, vacationing with them and working summers in the family business.

"Trinity hated riding the school bus," said her mother.

"Trinity's mother knew what it took to get ahead.

Posted by Michael at 10:27 PM

Turning the Tide: Why the United States Must Do Better in the Global Competition for International Students and Scholars

From U.S. Newswire Releases:

In order to compete effectively in the growing global competition for talent, the United States must take more seriously its stake in welcoming the world's best students and scholars, says a new report issued today by NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

"Restoring U.S. Competitiveness for International Students and Scholars" argues that the absence of a national strategy to attract international students and scholars is starting to show its effects, and urges a renewed commitment by the United States to this important asset.

The contributions of international students and scholars to foreign policy and public diplomacy are well known.

In today's global economy, they are also a vital part of the pipeline of talent on which the United States relies to fill jobs at the cutting edge of research and industry.

Numerous countries have implemented proactive recruiting strategies to attract international students and have adjusted their immigration and work laws to create a more welcoming climate for international talent.

At the same time, the United States' capacity to participate in the growing global competition for international students and scholars has been limited by the impact of post-9/11 visa restrictions, by America's diminished image in the world, and -- perhaps most decisively -- by the absence of a national strategy to protect the U.S. interest in this key asset.

The Departments of Homeland Security, State, Commerce and Education need strong policy direction, clear mandates and better synergy in order to coordinate their work related to international students and scholars -- whether related to recruitment, services or monitoring -- and pursue a coherent and positive course of action.

Posted by Michael at 10:10 PM

'Nice job! Now get outta town.'

From Christian Science Monitor | Work/Money:

Some see signs that America's pervasive all-work-and-no-play mentality may be shifting.

Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 9:36 PM

Engaging with Faith Groups

Attempts to get faith groups involved in the wider community can lead to cynicism among members, unless carefully handled, according to a new booklet published by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), called 'Faith-based voluntary action'.

Moves by politicians and officials to encourage greater participation can backfire if, for instance, they are seen as claiming 'grass roots legitimacy' on the basis of a group's involvement, without actually engaging with its values and practices.

The 'Faith-based voluntary action' booklet was produced to accompany the first in a series of special seminars entitled 'Engaging Citizens', organised by the ESRC in collaboration with the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).

It summarises views from two experts - Professor Vivien Lowndes, of De Montfort University, and Greg Smith, until recently senior research fellow at the University of East London, and now with the Salvation Army in Preston.

The first of these seminars will be held at NCVO in London on June 15, when Campbell Robb, Director of Public Policy at NCVO, will respond to the publication's findings.

Campbell Robb said: "There is a lot of interest today in encouraging community involvement.

The booklet says it is widely recognised that there are many positive elements in the desire of government agencies - nationally, regionally and locally - to engage in partnership with faith-based organisations, and work for social cohesion across these communities.

However, Professor Lowndes warns that whilst faith groups' values and principles play a role in the regeneration of communities, sometimes tensions can arise between them and those responsible for making and carrying out policies.

Many Christian churches do not give community involvement or social care a high priority in their mission, and ordinary members of congregations in those that do, generally find it hard to think strategically, relate their spirituality or faith to wider policies, or see beyond the day-to-day needs of people in their immediate neighbourhoods.

In the booklet, she presents a 'diagnostic tool', devised with Rachael Chapman at De Montfort University which identifies the part faith groups can play in achieving the goals of civil renewal at four levels -- communities, organisations, networks and leadership.

It works to support the voluntary sector and to create an environment in which voluntary organisations can flourish.

Posted by Michael at 9:30 PM

I.R.S. Checking Compliance by Tax-Exempt Hospitals

From NYT > National:

The agency could change its standards for what benefits nonprofit hospitals must provide to the community in return for their tax exemptions. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 9:10 PM

Government scheme to improve health and well-being of deprived families called into question

The Government's Sure Start program, set up in 1999 to improve the health and development of socially deprived families with young children, shows some benefit for most poor families but may also be adversely affecting the worst off to some extent, says a paper in this week's BMJ. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 9:01 PM

Physiological markers for cutting, other self-harming behaviors by teenage girls found

Non-fatal, self-inflicted injuries by adolescent and young adult females have become major public health problems and researchers have found physiological evidence that this behavior may lead to a more serious psychological condition called borderline personality disorder. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:57 PM

Helping children handle stress, emotions may help stuttering

Children who stutter often face greater challenges managing their behavior and emotions than other children, researchers have found, offering new insight into how to help these children in a more holistic way. Read more from this post.

Posted by Michael at 8:56 PM

Targeted programs reduced depression in youth better than nontargted programs

Depression among youth is a growing public health concern, affecting one to two percent of elementary school-aged children and three to eight percent of adolescents.

To determine what programs are effective in preventing depressive symptoms, researchers from Vanderbilt University conducted a meta-analysis of the last 20 years of research on interventions aimed at preventing depressive symptoms in youth.

The results of the study appearing in the June issue of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association (APA), showed that targeted interventions for those at risk for depression have greater effect sizes than universal interventions.

According to the findings of the meta-analysis, both selective and indicated prevention programs had greater effect sizes than universal programs in alleviating depressive symptoms at post-intervention and at a six-month follow up.

Moreover, universal programs, which often are conducted in schools in large group formats, do a good job at avoiding the stigma of singling out individuals for intervention, do not require prescreening, and have a relatively low dropout rate.

In contrast, Horowitz and Garber showed that selective programs, which target individuals who are more at risk for depression because of exposure to such factors as parental divorce, deaths, parental depression or alcoholism, or poverty, produced a significantly larger effect size in reducing depressive symptoms compared to universal programs.

Selective programs usually involve a more diverse sample, are more varied in their delivery of information, and target other outcomes besides depression (e.g. academic improvement, parent-child relationship).

Like selective programs, indicated programs typically use small group format, teach cognitive techniques that emphasize reducing negative thinking, increase problem-solving skills and goal setting, and show participants how to look at events from another perspective.