America is setting up children to fail, organization says
The United States is in a “generational emergency,” with more and more children facing obstacles related to their health and education, according to Too Small To Fail.
The campaign, launched in November, focuses of on issues that “undermine the well being of children.”
For example, in the U.S., “black and brown kids” are three times more likely to be impoverished, according to the organization. That means their educational attainment is likely to be lower, and health outcomes are likely to be worse.
“You think, ‘Well, that’s too bad for them,’” Van Jones, president of Rebuild the Dream, said in the video posted below. “No, too bad for all of us, because we’re on our way to being a country by 2050 where the majority of Americans are black and brown. If we let all these kids slip through the cracks, we’re letting the country slip through the cracks.”
Too Small campaign leaders argue that health impacts education, and family income affects both a child’s education and health. But, according to this infographic from the campaign, money and race alone do not account for many challenges that children face:
Roe v. Wade: 40 years later
Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision on Roe v. Wade.
This past weekend, Carla Hinton and I finished our project about the anniversary.
In one of Carla’s stories, she wrote about a large group of young people who will participate in the March for Life on Friday. A total of 220 high school and college-age Oklahomans will participate in the march.
These young people are apparently in the minority of people younger than 30 who even know what Roe v. Wade is about.
The Pew Research Center recently found that there seems to be an age gap in who knows what the case was about:
Decades after the Supreme Court rendered its decision, on Jan. 22, 1973, most Americans (62%) know that Roe v. Wade dealt with abortion rather than school desegregation or some other issue. But the rest either guess incorrectly (17%) or do not know what the case was about (20%). And there are substantial age differences in awareness: Among those ages 50 to 64, 74% know that Roe v. Wade dealt with abortion, the highest percentage of any age group. Among those younger than 30, just 44% know this.
I’m not sure how surprising those numbers are. The poll also revealed that:
Most Americans remain opposed to overturning the controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, which 40 years ago legalized abortion at least in the first three months of pregnancy, according to a poll released Wednesday.
For the anniversary, The Daily Beast created a map of the 724 remaining abortion clinics and the closest clinic in every part of the country. The map also provides information about state laws regarding wait times, medication restrictions, ultrasound provisions and insurance restrictions.
There’s a white stripe through the middle of the U.S. where no clinic is within between 200 and 300 miles. The map becomes even more interesting when you choose “Show female population, ages 15-44″ on the map and see where most women in that age group live.
The Oklahoma Legislature regularly sees bills regarding abortion, and this session will be no different. For example, this session, another “personhood” bill has been filed:
One of the most divisive issues of the 2012 legislative session apparently will be revisited this spring, with at least one “personhood” bill already filed.
State Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, is author of House Bill 1029, the Personhood Act of 2013. As written, the bill appears to be virtually identical to one that led to a bitter fight in the House before failing to get a vote on the floor.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court struck down a similar bill last year.
Vegan for 30 Days: Day No. 4
Four days ago, my household began its attempt at 30 days of veganism. If after 30 days, we like our vegan life, we’ll keep on keepin’ on.
But first, I’m going to have to stop craving everything. When I say, “I’m craving everything,” I mean everything, and nothing at the same time.
Let’s back up for a moment, and I’ll explain how I became OK with the concept of not eating cheese or ice cream for 30 days.
I’ve thought about trying to be a vegetarian or vegan for a while. No, I’m not going to go on a spiel about animal cruelty. I would rather discuss health and what led me to my decision.
I heard Dan Buettner speak in November at the Oklahoma Hospital Association convention about Blue Zones. What he said kind of blew my mind:
Buettner discussed Blue Zones, places where a high percentage of people are living to 100 and not suffering from several chronic diseases.
In the U.S., we spend most of our health care dollars in the last years of our lives, trying to make the best of those final years.
Patients with chronic illness in their last two years of life account for about 32% of total Medicare spending, with much of it going toward physician and hospital fees (Medicare Part A and Part B) associated with repeated hospitalizations.
Meanwhile, in Blue Zone cultures, many people die of old age. In his talk, Buettner outlined how people in Blue Zones live longer:
People in the Blue Zones nurture strong social networks, consume a plant-based diet, eat in moderation and incorporate daily, natural physical activity into their lives.
Buettner wasn’t advocating becoming a vegetarian or vegan, but his talk made me think a lot about the types of food I consume. So many of my meals consist of some sort of meat with a bit of vegetables on the side.
Thus far, being vegan has forced me to really think about what I’m going to eat. That might sound silly, but it’s so easy to not think about the foods we’re buying or ordering at restaurants. It’s easy to just look at something, think “That sounds good,” and then eat it.
Over the past four days, I have enjoyed what we’ve eaten. We ate at Matthew Kenney on Friday night and enjoyed the lasagna and tacos.
But I do find myself craving things. It’s not like the typical “I want ice cream” or “I want pizza” cravings. These are like, “I want to eat something that I cannot describe, but I want it right now.” I’m not sure when these cravings subside, but I’m just keeping fruits and vegetables handy for whenever I get hungry at my desk.
Regardless of whether we stick to our vegan diet, I want to continue being more conscience of the things I eat. I joke about living to 100, but the idea does sound pleasant, especially if I can skip the heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s.
We’ve got about a month to go, so if you know of any simple and quick vegan recipes, please share them. And feel free to share your thoughts on whether you would ever want to become vegetarian or vegan.
Calling in sick not an option for many U.S. workers
Knock on wood, I didn’t take any sick days last year and currently have two weeks of sick leave built up.
But for a good chunk of U.S. workers, sick days aren’t an option:
An estimated 41.7 million workers can not take sick days — that’s nearly a third of the nation’s employees and a problem that raises health risks on everyone.
… Most employees with full-time jobs get paid sick days, while only a fraction of part-time workers get them, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The estimates don’t include the millions of workers who are self-employed, for whom staying home can often mean being out of business for the day.
I started my job at The Oklahoman at the end of February last year, which meant I didn’t have health insurance for the month of March. Of course, that was the month I developed a sinus infection.
I called a clinic in Oklahoma City and was told I needed to first set up an appointment to prove that I live in Oklahoma City. The first opening for an appointment was in two weeks. I was told I wouldn’t see a doctor then. No, instead, I would wait another two weeks for a doctor’s appointment. So, after four weeks with a sinus infection, I would be able to get a doctor’s appointment. Awesome. Very practical.
I went a month without health insurance, and I’m complaining. I can’t imagine what it’s like to not only lack health insurance but also not have any sick days.
We all know someone who takes sick days like they’re going out of style. On the flip side, I know several people who won’t take sick days unless they’re truly immobile.
Does your job allow you sick days? And what’s your “sick day” personal policy? How sick do you have to be before you’re ready to call in sick?
I look forward to your commentary.
Infographic: Health care jobs move fast online
Looking for a job in health care? It might not be that easy to find one online. According to an infographic from CompHealth, health care jobs move fast and might be duplicated throughout several websites.
Thousands of people in Oklahoma work in a health care-related field. The Oklahoma Hospital Association reports that hospitals in Oklahoma employ 70,929 people. Oklahoma’s health care industry provided 198,636 jobs
in 2004, or 14 percent of the state’s total employment, according to this report.
Here’s the infographic:
There is an abundance of jobs all over the web, especially healthcare related opportunities. However, not all of the jobs on various job websites are unique. You might find a CompHealth job on dozens of different websites. How does that work? Take a look at the graphic below to see how one job can end up all over the internet.
