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News, Events, & Opportunities
April 20 , 2009
Eudora Jones
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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/
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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Psychological
& Relationship Tests and Quizzes - by John M. Grohol, Psy.D
All
of the quizzes offered below are free and most have been scientifically
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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.
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