Arizona was the last state to sign the Martin Luther King Day bill into law. I took note of that then and I take note with parts of their anti-ethnic education bill.
Why is it that the people of Arizona feel the way they do about minorities? What are they going through every day that makes them not accepting of minorities and why can't they handle their frustrations any better than they have been doing?
Granted, if a politician runs for office and is elected by the people for the people he or she should serve the people completely. More qualified people should have run for office if the people wanted a smarter legislature. However, why stop the African American education curriculum in public schools? Really.
Every ethnic race, Eastern European, African, Hispanic, Dominican, Italian etc. deserves to be highlighted for their race's achievements in American history. The culmination is that we have all contributed in making this country great, so why cull those parts out? It is not a good solution to the problems in Arizona. Students in Arizona won't know or understand who they are or where they come from when they are not taught about European immigrants and what they did to establish their place in American history and culture. Damn shame. There are a lot of European immigrants in this country.
Read more: http://ping.fm/zLtKu
http://ping.fm/ouq0W
Pay attention: The Earth is Changing and we are the last generation positioned to do anything about it. “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
I Watched "Deliver Me" Last Night...
I watched it on Discovery Health. I love that channel. It showed high risk births and the tribulations the moms-to-be had to go through to deliver. One woman had to be on bed rest for 50 days in the hospital. She had an incompetent cervix. The doctors had to put a stitch in it to keep it shut so the baby wouldn't come out early. Gosh, those women were strong. Even one of the OBGYN's had a high-risk pregnancy and was ordered to bed rest. She cried but went home but then didn't exactly comply with the bed rest order. Her colleagues got on her about that! Good show.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Housewives of New York, New Jersey and Basketball Wives: I Am So Late to the Party!
I am so late to the party with these fabulous shows. Now I see that Bethany of HONY will have her own spin off show about her getting married. However, I watched both shows on Bravo last night and I could not stop watching! Granted, I had seen the HONY but last night was my first time watching Housewives of New Jersey and I just don't know how Danielle puts herself through all of that. It is clear that certain women cannot be involved with her but she is still open to to them, fueling the gossip about her. Danielle's daughter is gorgeous but she should listen to her about who to let into her life. Some folks are like oil and water and just don't mix–no matter what.
Now, I know all of the shows I am watching are probably last season old but like I said, I am so late to the party.
I saw Basketball Wives on BET last weekend and I didn't even know a woman can be a size negative! I am not familiar with all of the names but the tiny girl who is cute went shopping with the tall one who wants separate wings for her and her spouse(?) and the transformation was magnificent. All of the women featured on these shows offer a glimpse into their fabulous lives and how they handle adversity. I also watch Tiny & Toya on BET. I like that show because the women are doing things like opening businesses and helping their family achieve goals. Tiny & Toya also offer that glimpse behind otherwise closed doors. I really am anxious to see how the nail shop develops the story line. Really great television watching.
BlipFM Song of the Day: http://ping.fm/zYKGE
Now, I know all of the shows I am watching are probably last season old but like I said, I am so late to the party.
I saw Basketball Wives on BET last weekend and I didn't even know a woman can be a size negative! I am not familiar with all of the names but the tiny girl who is cute went shopping with the tall one who wants separate wings for her and her spouse(?) and the transformation was magnificent. All of the women featured on these shows offer a glimpse into their fabulous lives and how they handle adversity. I also watch Tiny & Toya on BET. I like that show because the women are doing things like opening businesses and helping their family achieve goals. Tiny & Toya also offer that glimpse behind otherwise closed doors. I really am anxious to see how the nail shop develops the story line. Really great television watching.
BlipFM Song of the Day: http://ping.fm/zYKGE
Monday, May 10, 2010
Horders: Buried Alive
Well, I watched Horders on TLC last night and again, I do not understand how the Horders also have filth involved. Some of the Horders are rather neat and orderly in their effort to collect and save items for their personal enjoyment. (yes, I have hording tendencies) And, then some have dead cats, dirty, stained carpets, spoiled food in plates everywhere. To me, that is not hording but nastiness. There is a distinct difference between throwing a half-eaten plate of food on the floor–fork and all–and saving decorative plates to display later.
Another thing I noticed is that most of the Horders have money to burn on unnecessary items.
I understand the hording mind, I do.
Granted, when I first saw the show Horders, I saw a lot of myself in the ones who like to save things thinking it will be useful later or hate to throw things away only to find its use later and not have it. However, I cleaned up my act straightaway! I didn't even know hording existed. I called it "saving things."
http://ping.fm/t08V3
Another thing I noticed is that most of the Horders have money to burn on unnecessary items.
I understand the hording mind, I do.
Granted, when I first saw the show Horders, I saw a lot of myself in the ones who like to save things thinking it will be useful later or hate to throw things away only to find its use later and not have it. However, I cleaned up my act straightaway! I didn't even know hording existed. I called it "saving things."
http://ping.fm/t08V3
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
My Personal Get Fit Initiative
Well the daily walks continue and they are getting easier for my daughter. It is especially nice when the weather is nice. Walking backward and sideways is more helpful to me and also keeping moving even when my daughter stops. I can tell that my mood has improved too. It's amazing what a little walk can do.
My goal is to continue my walking with my daughter and increase my own. My ultimate goal is to run distance. It looks so cool when everyone else does it.
My goal is to continue my walking with my daughter and increase my own. My ultimate goal is to run distance. It looks so cool when everyone else does it.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Get Moving America
Well, we've taken the plunge.
All of us in the house walked around the block for exercise. My son is on the cross country track team at school so he went for the fun more than the exercise. My daughter and I went for health. We decided to take a page from First Lady Michelle Obama's plan for a healthier America. She promotes getting teens in shape to prevent or combat teen obesity so I modified it to include myself. Here is the video:
All of us in the house walked around the block for exercise. My son is on the cross country track team at school so he went for the fun more than the exercise. My daughter and I went for health. We decided to take a page from First Lady Michelle Obama's plan for a healthier America. She promotes getting teens in shape to prevent or combat teen obesity so I modified it to include myself. Here is the video:
Friday, March 12, 2010
Amnesty International Report Finds Appalling U.S. Death Rate for Women Having Babies
Systemic Failures and Shocking Disparities in Maternal Health Care System
New York Is 47th Among All States in Maternal Mortality; 40 Percent of Women Live in a Medically Underserved Areas
NEW YORK, March 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Amnesty International calls today on President Obama to establish an office of maternal health to lead government effort to reduce appalling U.S. death rate for women having babies. This announcement follows the release of a new report on maternal health nationwide.
Amnesty International revealed that flaws and shocking disparities in maternal health care that the government is ignoring lead to two to three women dying daily in the United States from pregnancy-related complications, with half of these deaths believed preventable, according to the Centers for Disease Control. A state-by-state examination shows that New York is 47th on a maternal mortality ranking, with 16 deaths per 100,000 live births. National Women's Law Center, National Report Card on Women's Health, Maternal Mortality Rate Table; available at http://hrc.nwlc.org/Status-Indicators/Key-Conditions/Maternal-Mortality-Rate.a spx.
The new Amnesty International report, Deadly Delivery: The Maternal Health Care Crisis in the USA, also reveals that severe pregnancy-related complications that nearly cause death -- known as "near misses" -- are rising at an alarming rate, increasing by 25 percent since 1998; currently nearly 34,000 women annually experience a "near miss" during delivery. With a lifetime risk of maternal deaths that is greater than in 40 other countries, including virtually all of the industrialized countries, the United States has failed to reverse the two-decade upward trend in preventable maternal deaths, despite pledges to do so.
The report cited numerous causes for the crisis and offers lengthy recommendations on improving maternal health care.
Inadequate prenatal care is cited as a contributing factor in the crisis; women who do not get prenatal care are three to four times more likely to die than women who do. In New York, one in six women (15 percent) receive delayed or no prenatal care. The number rises to one in five women (19.1 percent) among women of color.
Obstacles to care are widespread: the most obvious being that across the United States nearly 13 million women of reproductive age (15 to 44), or one in five, have no health insurance. In New York, nearly 15.1 percent are uninsured; among women of color the number of uninsured climbs to 21.2 percent. The state's Medicaid eligibility level for working parents is also low, $26,400. Lack of access to health care centers and providers is a problem nationwide, the report found; in New York 40 percent of women live in medically underserved areas.
"It is inexcusable that the United States is facing a crisis in maternal health care," said Josh Rubenstein, Northeast Regional Director for Amnesty International USA. "Pregnancy and childbirth are not new or rare diseases; they are exceedingly common medical events that impact every family in the nation. The maternal health crisis should be addressed as a matter of national urgency and political unity to better the health and dignity of all Americans."
Maternal health is a human right for every woman in the United States, regardless of race or income. Yet, the United States lacks a systematic, robust government response to this critical problem. Amnesty International is urging President Obama to work with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to establish, and seek Congressional funding, for a single office responsible for ensuring that all women receive quality maternal health care. An Office of Maternal Health would lead government action to reduce the soaring pregnancy-related complications and maternal deaths nationwide.
Additionally, Amnesty International calls for vigorous enforcement of federal non-discrimination laws and an increase in support for Federally Qualified Health Centers by 2011 to expand the number of women who can access affordable maternal health care.
"This country's extraordinary record of medical advancement makes its haphazard approach to maternal care all the more scandalous and disgraceful," said Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA. "Mothers die not because the United States can't provide good care, but because it lacks the political will to make sure good care is available to all women."
Amnesty International's analysis shows that health care reform before Congress does not address the crisis of maternal health care.
"Reform is primarily focused on health care coverage and reducing health care costs, and even optimistic estimates predict that any proposal on the table will still leave millions without access to affordable care," said Rachel Ward, one of the authors of the Deadly Delivery report. "Furthermore, it does not address discrimination, systemic failures and government accountability documented in Amnesty International's report."
Rapid and comprehensive federal leadership is required, as the report found numerous systemic failures, including the following:
-- Burdensome bureaucratic procedures in Medicaid enrollment
substantially delay access to vital prenatal care for pregnant women
seeking government-funded care. Twenty-one states do not offer
"presumptive eligibility" which allows pregnant women to temporarily
access medical care while their permanent application for Medicaid is
pending. Women who do not receive any prenatal care are three to four
times more likely to die than women who do.
-- The number of deaths is significantly understated because there are no
federal requirements to report maternal deaths or complications and
data collection at the state level is insufficient.
-- Oversight and accountability is lacking. 29 states and the District of
Columbia have no maternal death review process at all.
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.
For more information or to take action, please visit: www.amnestyusa.org\deadlydelivery
New York Is 47th Among All States in Maternal Mortality; 40 Percent of Women Live in a Medically Underserved Areas
NEW YORK, March 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Amnesty International calls today on President Obama to establish an office of maternal health to lead government effort to reduce appalling U.S. death rate for women having babies. This announcement follows the release of a new report on maternal health nationwide.
Amnesty International revealed that flaws and shocking disparities in maternal health care that the government is ignoring lead to two to three women dying daily in the United States from pregnancy-related complications, with half of these deaths believed preventable, according to the Centers for Disease Control. A state-by-state examination shows that New York is 47th on a maternal mortality ranking, with 16 deaths per 100,000 live births. National Women's Law Center, National Report Card on Women's Health, Maternal Mortality Rate Table; available at http://hrc.nwlc.org/Status-Indicators/Key-Conditions/Maternal-Mortality-Rate.a spx.
The new Amnesty International report, Deadly Delivery: The Maternal Health Care Crisis in the USA, also reveals that severe pregnancy-related complications that nearly cause death -- known as "near misses" -- are rising at an alarming rate, increasing by 25 percent since 1998; currently nearly 34,000 women annually experience a "near miss" during delivery. With a lifetime risk of maternal deaths that is greater than in 40 other countries, including virtually all of the industrialized countries, the United States has failed to reverse the two-decade upward trend in preventable maternal deaths, despite pledges to do so.
The report cited numerous causes for the crisis and offers lengthy recommendations on improving maternal health care.
Inadequate prenatal care is cited as a contributing factor in the crisis; women who do not get prenatal care are three to four times more likely to die than women who do. In New York, one in six women (15 percent) receive delayed or no prenatal care. The number rises to one in five women (19.1 percent) among women of color.
Obstacles to care are widespread: the most obvious being that across the United States nearly 13 million women of reproductive age (15 to 44), or one in five, have no health insurance. In New York, nearly 15.1 percent are uninsured; among women of color the number of uninsured climbs to 21.2 percent. The state's Medicaid eligibility level for working parents is also low, $26,400. Lack of access to health care centers and providers is a problem nationwide, the report found; in New York 40 percent of women live in medically underserved areas.
"It is inexcusable that the United States is facing a crisis in maternal health care," said Josh Rubenstein, Northeast Regional Director for Amnesty International USA. "Pregnancy and childbirth are not new or rare diseases; they are exceedingly common medical events that impact every family in the nation. The maternal health crisis should be addressed as a matter of national urgency and political unity to better the health and dignity of all Americans."
Maternal health is a human right for every woman in the United States, regardless of race or income. Yet, the United States lacks a systematic, robust government response to this critical problem. Amnesty International is urging President Obama to work with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to establish, and seek Congressional funding, for a single office responsible for ensuring that all women receive quality maternal health care. An Office of Maternal Health would lead government action to reduce the soaring pregnancy-related complications and maternal deaths nationwide.
Additionally, Amnesty International calls for vigorous enforcement of federal non-discrimination laws and an increase in support for Federally Qualified Health Centers by 2011 to expand the number of women who can access affordable maternal health care.
"This country's extraordinary record of medical advancement makes its haphazard approach to maternal care all the more scandalous and disgraceful," said Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA. "Mothers die not because the United States can't provide good care, but because it lacks the political will to make sure good care is available to all women."
Amnesty International's analysis shows that health care reform before Congress does not address the crisis of maternal health care.
"Reform is primarily focused on health care coverage and reducing health care costs, and even optimistic estimates predict that any proposal on the table will still leave millions without access to affordable care," said Rachel Ward, one of the authors of the Deadly Delivery report. "Furthermore, it does not address discrimination, systemic failures and government accountability documented in Amnesty International's report."
Rapid and comprehensive federal leadership is required, as the report found numerous systemic failures, including the following:
-- Burdensome bureaucratic procedures in Medicaid enrollment
substantially delay access to vital prenatal care for pregnant women
seeking government-funded care. Twenty-one states do not offer
"presumptive eligibility" which allows pregnant women to temporarily
access medical care while their permanent application for Medicaid is
pending. Women who do not receive any prenatal care are three to four
times more likely to die than women who do.
-- The number of deaths is significantly understated because there are no
federal requirements to report maternal deaths or complications and
data collection at the state level is insufficient.
-- Oversight and accountability is lacking. 29 states and the District of
Columbia have no maternal death review process at all.
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.
For more information or to take action, please visit: www.amnestyusa.org\deadlydelivery
Thursday, February 18, 2010
An "ugly" win but a(n) Olympic) win nonetheless: Shani Davis Medals Gold Again
I said something really dumb to a friend the other day.
I was describing the young woman, Hannah Kearney, who won the freestyle moguls--the one where they jump twice and hockey stop style ski down the hilly slope--and how much air she got and how great I felt just watching her go so high. It was very graceful.Anyway, my friend asked were there any blacks in the winter olympics games and I said no. We both remembered there was a black speed skater but I, full of puffery, demanded she believe that he was no longer competing. I was wrong.
Of course my friend gave up on the argument because I am incorrigible and also because she was right.
Not only is Shani Davis competing but he has metaled gold already!
Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports writes that Davis repeated his Turin win in the 1,000 meter. Wetzel sorta kinda indicated that Davis barely won and really worked to get there. However, the last time I checked, an Olympic gold medal was still an Olympic gold medal. Why diminish that earning? Also, Wetzel didn't write very much about Davis except that he won ugly. Well, the rest of America congratulates you, Shani Davis and enjoy the winner's circle. Please continue to win gold.
Uh Oh! This just in courtesy of Google Search...
Well, it seems Adam Thompson, of the Wall Street Journal cares a little bit more about our gold metal Olympic athletes. (Thanks Google Search Engine)
Thompson writes that Davis is the first Olympic speed skater to win the event twice and the first U.S. speed skater to defend a gold medal title. Hmmmm. Newsworthy stuff.
Also, note that Davis hails from the Chicagoland area and since his Turin win, is the first Black to ever to earn a Winter Olympic gold medal in an individual sport. Double Hmmmmm.
I was describing the young woman, Hannah Kearney, who won the freestyle moguls--the one where they jump twice and hockey stop style ski down the hilly slope--and how much air she got and how great I felt just watching her go so high. It was very graceful.Anyway, my friend asked were there any blacks in the winter olympics games and I said no. We both remembered there was a black speed skater but I, full of puffery, demanded she believe that he was no longer competing. I was wrong.
Of course my friend gave up on the argument because I am incorrigible and also because she was right.
Not only is Shani Davis competing but he has metaled gold already!
Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports writes that Davis repeated his Turin win in the 1,000 meter. Wetzel sorta kinda indicated that Davis barely won and really worked to get there. However, the last time I checked, an Olympic gold medal was still an Olympic gold medal. Why diminish that earning? Also, Wetzel didn't write very much about Davis except that he won ugly. Well, the rest of America congratulates you, Shani Davis and enjoy the winner's circle. Please continue to win gold.
Uh Oh! This just in courtesy of Google Search...
Well, it seems Adam Thompson, of the Wall Street Journal cares a little bit more about our gold metal Olympic athletes. (Thanks Google Search Engine)
Thompson writes that Davis is the first Olympic speed skater to win the event twice and the first U.S. speed skater to defend a gold medal title. Hmmmm. Newsworthy stuff.
Also, note that Davis hails from the Chicagoland area and since his Turin win, is the first Black to ever to earn a Winter Olympic gold medal in an individual sport. Double Hmmmmm.
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