Seven Hills Neighborhood Houses

News, Events, & Opportunities

April 20 , 2009

Eudora Jones

· Latinos, blacks losing jobs at a faster rate 3-23-09

Much of the disparity is due to a concentration of Latinos and blacks in construction, blue-collar or service-industry jobs that have been decimated by the economic meltdown. And black unemployment has been about double the rate for whites since the government began tracking those categories in the early 1970s.

But this recession is cutting a swath through the professional classes as well, which can be devastating to people who recently arrived there.

Since the recession began in December 2007, Latino unemployment has risen 4.7 percentage points, to 10.9 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Black unemployment has risen 4.5 points, to 13.4 percent. White unemployment has risen 2.9 points, to 7.3 percent… William Darity, a professor of economics and African-American studies at Duke University , said that "blacks and Latinos are relative latecomers to the professional world ... so they are necessarily the most vulnerable."

The less wealth you have, the harder unemployment hits. Darity cited 2002 data that showed black households with a median net worth of $6,000, Latino households with a median of $8,000, and white households with a median of $90,000…

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29843053/

· Antibiotic-resistant infections among children on the rise 3-2-09

Two-year-old Talan Williamson was battling a painful staph infection. It's not just any infection, but the kind that most parents dread: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA… Doctors claim they are seeing more & more cases of MRSA in children. The bacteria are resistant to most common antibiotics, so they have to turn to a small handful of stronger ones. But doctors want to use the stronger antibiotics as a last resort, fearing that they, too, will become ineffective over time. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, an estimated 95,000 people in the US developed serious MRSA infections in 2005. While the CDC cannot say how many children were infected, the agency reported the greatest increase in hospital visits were among those under 18 during an 8-year period ending in 2005…

MRSA is contracted through skin-to-skin contact or by coming in contact with a contaminated surface. For that reason, he and other experts recommend good hygiene to prevent the spread of infection: Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, Cuts and scrapes should be cleaned and covered with a bandage until they heal, Avoid contact with other people's wounds, Avoid sharing personal items such as towels or, for older teens and adults, razors. Belson cautioned parents to resist the urge to demand antibiotics unless they are really necessary.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/02/hm.mrsa.kids/index.html

· Fears of impostors increase on Facebook 2-6-09

While reports of extortion and false impersonation have been common in phony phone calls & fake e-mails, similar fraud hasn't been reported on Facebook until recently. Now a no. of complaints are surfacing. In response to the trend, the Better Business Bureau in late January issued a warning on its Web site, intended for Facebook's 150 million users: know who your friends are and keep your sensitive information private.

In the Seattle case, a hacker appeared to steal Rutberg's identity to get money from his friends by toying with their emotions. In Wisconsin , police accuse an 18-year-old man of posing as a woman on Facebook to get high school boys to send him naked photos of themselves. Anthony Stancl, of Wisconsin , allegedly used the naked photos he had solicited to force the young men into sex acts with him, according to a criminal complaint. Stancl was arrested on 12 felony complaints, including sexual assault of a child younger than 16 & possession of child pornography, the complaint says…

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/02/05/facebook.impostors/index.html

· Must See – ‘ Britain ’s Got Talent’ Video Clip of Contestant Susan Boyle

If you haven’t seen this yet, it is a must see. It is ~ 7 min long & worth every second.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

· Demand has local food banks struggling 4-13-09

COVINGTON - For the 1st time in a decade, the Be Concerned Inc. social service agency has stopped letting new families sign up for its food pantry. “We saw 270 new families since the 1st of the year before we suspended new signups the end of March, said Paul Gottbrath, director of Be Concerned (http://www.beconcerned.org/home/donations.html), where families from Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties sign up to receive free groceries monthly.…"Normally, our cupboards would be bare by August or September, but now we're looking at June," said Karen Yates, executive director of the Hosea House (http://www.henryhoseahouse.com/you_can_help.html) soup kitchen in Newport…

At Newport-based Brighton Center (http://www.brightoncenter.com/give.htm), a primary provider of safety net services for Northern Kentucky, the agency's food pantry served 5,939 individuals from July 1, 2008 to March 31 of this year, up 1,024 people over the same period last year, said Denise Govan, Family Center director… "Some of the non-perishable donations, things like cleaning supplies and personal hygiene products, are not coming in on a consistent basis like they used to," Govan said…

At Welcome House of Northern Kentucky (http://www.welcomehouseky.org/donations.shtml), which shelters homeless women and children, executive director Linda Young predicts the worst is yet to come. “Many of the folks that we work with are on the edge of homelessness all the time," Young said…

http://nky.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20090413/NEWS0103/904130347

· Mayor's youth fair offers 640 city jobs 4-14-09

Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory & Council Member Laketa Cole announced Tuesday that 640 city jobs would be available at the 4th Annual Mayor’s Youth Job Fair. The initiative employs youth ages 16 to 24 in 6 different programs through the Cinci Parks Department, the Cinci Recreation Commission, ArtWorks, & the Cinci Hamilton Cty Community Action Agency. The agencies will begin accepting applications for those jobs at the Youth Job Fair on Thursday, April 23, at the Duke Energy Convention Center from 2 to 6 pm. Contact: Jason Barron, 513-352-5356, or 614-554-5952 (cell)

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090414/NEWS0108/304140081/1055/NEWS

· Bethany House Services – 513-921-1131

Collaborates with others to provide a full range of housing, education, & assistance programs to homeless & disadvantaged women and children. Consists of 30 employees & a dedicated group of approximately 200 volunteers. To learn more, you can send an email to lborsky@bhsinc.org or call 513-921-1131 ext 123.

http://www.bethanyhouseservices.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=4566BB8B-967B-ECC5-DD0478734102B0D5

· The Gift of Sight (Wellness Program) / Santa Maria - 513-557-2700 x200

Santa Maria Community Services partners with the Gift of Sight foundation to provide this service. The purpose of this program is to provide free prescription eyeglasses. Individuals eligible to receive this service must be an Ohio resident, 19 yrs or older (school age children have a Gift of Sight Program available through their public school), low income (less than 200% of Poverty Level), have no vision health care insurance coverage, have an Rx for eye glasses less than 2-yrs old, has not received eye glasses through Gift of Sight within the last year & has a current photo ID. Must bring legal documentation of income when applying. Call 513-557-2700 x200 for more info.

· Psychological & Relationship Tests and Quizzes - by John M. Grohol, Psy.D

All of the quizzes offered below are free and most have been scientifically reviewed. They are instantly and automatically scored once completed, giving you immediate results. You can also store your scores, to help you track your progress over time.

http://psychcentral.com/quizzes/

If you would like to keep up with issues affecting disadvantaged populations in Cincinnati & elsewhere, please send Franco Wantsala an email at franco.wantsala@7hillsnh.org if you are not already on his weekly distribution list. Feel free to pass along to students, friends, & family members who may be interested.