Friday Roundup

Here is a listing of articles published in the last 7-10 days that may be of interest:

Health
1. Hospital drug shortages deadly, costly; Forbes.com, September 24, 2011
Brief introduction: A growing crisis in the availability of drugs for chemotherapy, infections and other serious ailments is endangering patients and forcing hospitals to buy from secondary suppliers at huge markups because they can't get the medications any other way.

2. California leads U.S. in measles cases; Los Angeles Times, September 22, 2011
Brief introduction: As more parents forgo measles vaccinations for their children, the number of Californians contracting the highly contagious disease has reached a 10-year high, outpacing every other state in the nation.

Education
1. Obama turns some powers of education back to the states; The New York Times, September 23, 2011
Brief introduction: Mr. Obama invited states to reclaim the power to design their own school accountability and improvement systems, upending the centerpiece of the Bush-era No Child Left Behind law, a requirement that all students be proficient in math and reading by 2014.

2. 'Parent Trigger' law to reform schools faces challenges; The New York Times, September 23, 2011
Brief introduction: The Compton Unified School District has challenged a group of parents who collected hundred of signatures in order to enact change at one of the schools using the 'parent trigger' law. The parents want the under-performing school shut down and a charter school to take its place.

Race
1. Many black men in cold climates lack vitamin D; US News, September 23, 2011
Brief introduction: A new study suggests black men who live in areas of the United States with low sunlight are more likely to have vitamin D deficiency than whites who live in the same places.

2. Black teachers unfairly targeted by CPS layoffs, union says; Chicago Tribune, September 25, 2011
Brief introduction: The Chicago Teachers Union says that while fewer than 30 percent of teachers in CPS are African-American, they represent more than 40 percent of those getting pink slips this year, either for budgetary reasons or because of enrollment declines. Latino teachers, who represent 15 percent of teachers in CPS, make up about 12 percent of layoffs, union officials said.

What's new in Philanthropy

Articles of interest in philanthropy and nonprofits published in the last 10 days:

1. Increasing transparency to galvanize impact; Huffington Post, September 23,2011
Brief Introduction: Through the efforts of the Global Corporate Citizenship Program, BCLC will be launching a new tool to dramatically change the way we learn from each other and work together across sectors. At the 2011 Adding Value in Emerging Markets and Local Communities Conference, BCLC will be launching the Business for Good Map. This online, interactive map will catalog our members' work in communities based on geography and sector. Whether you're looking for education initiatives in Brazil, HIV programs in South Africa, or water programs in South East Asia, you'll be able to view all of these programs on one application.

2. Melinda Gates goes from 0 to 17,000+ Twitter followers in a day; The Seattle Times, September 22, 2011
Brief Introduction: Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Gates Foundation, joined Twitter Wednesday ("Excited to be joining the conversation on @twitter," she said) and, in some 24 hours, has gained more than 17,000 followers.

3. Health IT key to patient engagement; iHealthBeat.org, September 19,2011
Brief Introduction: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality have teamed up on a new initiative aimed at boosting patient engagement in an effort to improve the quality of health care in the U.S. Health care experts argue that patient empowerment is key to driving health care improvements.

4. White House targets innovative education technologies; Information Week, September 19, 2011
Brief Introduction: The White House has formed a nonprofit organization aimed at creating innovative learning technologies to transform education in the United States. The National Center for Research in Advanced Information and Digital Technologies, aka Digital Promise, will engage exclusively in research and development (R&D) to use the most advanced technology to improve learning at all educational levels.

The Department of Education, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation are providing startup funds and support for the nonprofit, which brings together a coalition of business leaders and educators.

Friday Roundup

Here is a listing of articles published in the last 7-10 days that may be of interest:

Health
1. 4 insurers will supply health data; The New York Times, September 19, 2011
Brief Introduction: Several major health insurers have agreed to provide their claims data on a regular basis to academic researchers, in an unusual agreement that they say will open a window onto the rising costs of health care.

2. Study: Exercise helps teen smokers quit; USA Today, September 19,2011
A program that combines counseling with physical activity may offer teens a more effective way to stop smoking.

Education
1. Kansas City Schools to lose state accreditation; September 20, 2011
Brief Introduction: Missouri education officials revoked the accreditation of the Kansas City School District on Tuesday after it failed for several years to meet most of the state's academic performance standards.

2. Kansas joins national science standard team; September 20, 2011
Brief Introduction: Kansas has been named one of 20 lead states to help write academic science standards that could be used as a national model for public schools and will include requirements for teaching evolution, project leaders announced Tuesday.

Race
1. Higher risk of second breast cancer seen in black women; US News, September 20, 2011
Brief Introduction: Black women who develop breast cancer are more likely than white women to suffer a second cancer in the other breast, and those who are diagnosed under age 45 are more likely to get a primary breast cancer of a more aggressive form, new research indicates.

2. Latinos at risk without new pollution standards; San Francisco Chronicle, September 21, 2011
Brief Introduction: Latinos would have a higher risk of disease and death without tougher standards that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has developed for ozone and toxic emissions, environmental and Latino groups said Tuesday.

3. Risks seen for children of illegal immigrants; The New York Times, September 20, 2011
Brief Introduction: Children whose parents are illegal immigrants or who lack legal status themselves face “uniformly negative” effects on their social development from early childhood until they become adults, according to a study by four researchers published Wednesday in the Harvard Educational Review.

What's new in Philanthropy

Articles of interest in philanthropy and nonprofits published in the last 10 days:

1. Public-Interest lawyer and choral director among MacArthur Genius prize winners ; Chronicle of Philanthropy, September 19,2011
Brief Introduction: The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation today announced the 22 recipients of its annual MacArthur Fellows awards.

2. Map tracks antibiotic-resistant 'superbugs' online; The Washington Post, September 21,2011
Brief Introduction: The "Resistance Map” was launched Wednesday by “Extending the Cure,” a research project that studies the rising problems of antibiotic resistance based at the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy, a Washington-based nonprofit. It is funded in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

3. Social Good Summit 2011; Mashable.com, September 20,2011
Brief Introduction: Mashable, 92Y and the UN Foundation are excited to get day two of the second annual Social Good Summit under way. The event, held in New York City during UN Week, is off to a great start after yesterday’s inspiring sessions with digital philanthropy leaders such as Ted Turner, Nicholas Negroponte and Christy Turlington.

4. Gates Foundation taps Novartis executive; The Wall Street Journal, September 14, 2011
Brief Introduction: A senior executive at the pharmaceutical company Novartis AG will join the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as president of the philanthropy's global health group, a position that can influence the health of millions of people worldwide.

A change to the blog

In order to better focus this blog, I will be making a few changes to the content that is posted on it. One of those changes will be the ceasing of daily news articles. I hope to make one to two posts a week that focus on philanthropy and a briefing of news of interest. In addition, I am also looking for guest bloggers from the field of philanthropy or nonprofit librarianship who would be interested in contributing a post or two.

If interested, please leave a comment on this blog post to indicate your interest and the best method to contact you.

What's new in Philanthropy

Articles of interest in philanthropy and nonprofits published in the last 10 days:

1.The Post-Jobs era: Tim Cook brings philanthropy back to Apple; Wired, September 8, 2011
Brief Introduction: Mr. Cook announced on Thursday morning in a company-wide e-mail that Apple would now honor a charitable matching program.

2. Menino set to coax nonprofits into hiring; Boston.com, September 5, 2011

Brief Introduction: To encourage job growth, Mayor Thomas M. Menino today will propose financial incentives for hospitals, universities, and other nonprofits to hire out-of-work Boston residents.

Institutions that hire jobless Bostonians would receive a $1,000 or $1,500 credit that would be deducted from the money nonprofits are asked to pay each year in lieu of property taxes. Boston’s top five employers - four major hospitals and Boston University - contributed more than $8.6 million to city coffers last year despite their tax-exempt status.

3. Pay for female nonprofit CEOs lag; Orlando Business Journal, September 8, 2011

Brief Introduction: Despite more women holding CEO positions at nonprofits, women CEOs earn 13.4 percent to 24.6 percent less than their male counterparts, according to an annual survey released Sept. 8.

4. Big Boost to African Cassava Project; The Scientist, September 7, 2011

Brief Introduction: The Virus Resistant Cassava for Africa (VIRCA) project recently received $5.5 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, $5.5 million from The Monsanto Fund; and more than $850,000 from the Howard Buffett Foundation.

CFL Podcast: Jacob Harold (Value beyond grant money)

For this podcast, I had the opportunity to speak with Jacob Harold from the Hewlett Foundation. In this podcast, he discusses how grantmakers can go beyond the expected and provide value to their grantees beyond grant money.

WAV
https://s3.amazonaws.com/onlinefiles/Interviews/Jacob_Harold_CFL_Interview_WAV.wav
MP3
https://s3.amazonaws.com/onlinefiles/Interviews/Jacob_Harold_CFL_Interview_MP3.mp3

Friday Roundup

Here is a listing of articles published in the last 7-10 days that may be of interest:

Health
1. Texas and Mass. still at health coverage extremes in U.S., Gallup, September 6, 2011
Brief Introduction: Texas residents continue to be the most likely in the United States to lack health coverage, with 27.2% reporting being uninsured in the first half of 2011. At the other end of the spectrum is Massachusetts, where health insurance is required and 5.3% of residents lack coverage.

Education
1. Census data: Schools have cut thousands of jobs, September 2, 2011
Brief Introduction: Arizona school districts cut more than 10,000 employees – including 6,640 instructors – from March 2009 to March 2010, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

2. New York Times and WNYC launch SchoolBook to foster education community, Mashable.com, September 7, 2011
Brief Introduction: On Wednesday, The New York Times and public radio station WNYC launched SchoolBook, a website to provide news, data and discussion about New York City schools. The site aims to increase communication and understanding among parents, teachers, administrators and students.

Race
1. Report shows young workers, minorities hit hardest by recession job losses, Tribuna, September 7, 2011
Brief Introduction: While Connecticut lost over 11 9,000 jobs during the Great Recession, its impact was not borne evenly as young workers and ethnic minorities suffered disproportionately high unemployment rates, according to a new labor report issued Thursday by a New Haven-based public policy research group.

2. Hispanic Birthrate dips in Arizona, AZ Central.com, September, 1, 2011
Brief Introduction: Hispanic women in Arizona are having children at a significantly lower rate than in past decades, which could slow overall population growth if the trend continues, according to new state and federal data.

Arizona Department of Corrections assessing $25 prison visitor fee

Arizona will assess a $25 fee on adults who want to visit inmates at any of its 15 facilities. Originally the Department of Corrections billed the charge as a background check fee, but now says that the one-time fee which will be assessed to visitors over 18, will be used to keep prison facilities safe for both inmates and visitors. The chief of staff for the Arizona Senate, Wendy Baldo, noted that the fees were intended to assist in bridging a $1.6 billion deficit the state faced at the beginning of the year. She added that the department is in need of about $150 million worth of building renewal and maintenance funds. A lawsuit has already been filed against the Department of Corrections in order to stop the collection of the fee, citing that it is unconstitutional.

Appeals court rules against Arizona's mandatory co-pays for Medicaid recipients

A 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled against Arizona's assessment of mandatory co-pays for some Medicaid recipients. The Arizona state legislature originally began the implementation of mandatory co-pays in 2003 for some patients, with payments that ranged from $4-$30. According to the policy, if the patient could not pay the co-pay, the medical provider could refuse to provide health services to the patient.

In November 2010, the state started to assess co-pays again and a class-action lawsuit was initiated. The lawsuit claimed that the medically needy shouldn't be required to make co-payments for health services, that the co-pays violated the Medicaid Act cost-sharing restrictions and that notices patients received about changes in their health coverage was inadequate.

Arizona's Kids Care program sees enrollment numbers plummet

Arizona's KidsCare program, a state version of the federally sponsored Children's Health Insurance Program, has seen enrollment numbers in August drop to the lowest level since 1999. Enrollment went from a peak of 66,317 in May 2008 to 16,662 in August, while demand for the program is strong. In July, more than 100,000 children were on the waiting list for KidsCare.

More than half of the decline has come since Jan. 1, 2010, when the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System froze enrollment in KidsCare in response to a lack of funding. State lawmakers have repeatedly cut funding for KidsCare in recent years, from more than $100 million in fiscal 2009 to $36 million this year, fiscal 2012. KidsCare is a premium-based health-care program that covers children whose family income is between one and two times the poverty level, currently $22,350 per year for a family of four. Below that level, a family qualifies for Medicaid.

The freeze raised concerns at the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services about Arizona's ability to retain children in the program. Since the freeze was enacted, nearly 30,000 children have been dropped. State officials attribute most of the decline to long-standing factors that would have occurred with or without an enrollment freeze, including some families qualifying for Medicaid and others failing to renew their eligibility or pay their premiums

Wisconsin bar asks DOJ to investigate new voter identifcation law

The Wisconsin state bar has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to review the state's new voter identification law, citing concerns that the law could disenfranchise thousands of voters.
Sally Stix, chair of the Wisconsin state bar, noted that she was concerned that the law could deter votes of the young, the poor and minorities.

She cited a 2005 University of Wisconsin study that found 59% of Hispanic women and 55% of African-American men in the Milwaukee area lacked a valid state-issued photo ID. She also noted that while Wisconsin's motor vehicle department was supposed to issue no-cost IDs to help voters comply with the law, agency employees were not doing enough to make sure prospective voters get the free cards. She also added that the documents required to receive the free IDs included birth certificates which were not free, possibly harming voters who would be unable to pay.

Department of Justice reviewing concerns in the Madison Metropolitan School District

The U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service that mediates racial tension in communities is becoming involved in concerns over the achievement of racial minorities in the Madison Metropolitan School District. DOJ officials will participate in a meeting called by the Urban League to discuss minority achievement, graduation rates and expulsion rates in the district.

When it comes to 2010 statistics, 57.7% of black students in the Madison district scored proficient or better in reading tests compared with 91.7% of white students. In math, 45.3% of black students scored proficient or better compared to 88.9% of white students. When it comes to high school graduation numbers, 48.3% of black students graduated after four years of high school, compared to 87.2% of white students.

Healthy lifestyle changes can cut Type 2 diabetes risk

A new report published in the Annals of Medicine found that a combination of even a few health lifestyle habits can cut the chances of getting Type 2 diabetes substantially. Jarad Reis, one of the researchers associated with the study, noted that the more healthy lifestyle factors one has, the lower the risk with overall risk reduction reaching 80%. The healthy lifestyle factors studied included: physical activity, healthy diet, body weight, alcohol consumption and smoking.

During the study, Reis' team collected data on 114,996 men and 92,483 women 50 to 71 years of age who took part in the National Institutes of Health--AARP Diet and Health Study. None of them had diabetes, cancer or heart disease at the start of the study. Over a period of 10 years, 9.6% of men and 7.5% of women developed diabetes. Researchers found that for each additional healthy lifestyle factor that was adopted by participants, the risk of developing diabetes was reduced 31% for men and 39% for women. Having a normal weight by itself reduced the risk of developing the disease by 60 to 70%

Department of Justice reviewing concerns at Toledo Public Schools

The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio are investigating Toledo Public Schools amid allegations of significant racial disparities in student discipline and issues with how the district provides services to English Language Learner students.

The Justice Department sent a letter to Toledo Public Schools requesting information about each time school officials called law enforcement for an incident on school grounds, details about each time the district received complaints about racial discrimination in student discipline since 2008, and a list of all students disciplined since 2009 for school infractions, listed by race, school, and other categories. They also requested information about how the district provides services to English Language Learners and how it distributes information to parents whose first language isn't English.

The new investigation follows a compliance review started in 2010 by the Education Department after complaints that predominantly black Scott High School offers few college-prep classes when compared to other schools.

Kids who live in homes with smokers miss more days of school

A new study by Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston finds that children who live in homes where at least 1 person smokes inside the house miss more days of school than those who live in non-smoking homes. Researchers found that living with someone who smoked in the home raised a child's likelihood of missing school and living with more than one person who smoked in the home raised that likelihood even higher: Kids living with one adult who smoked in the home had 1.06 more days absent from school per year than kids who lived with none. Kids who lived with two or more adults who smoked in the home missed 1.54 more days than smoke-free kids.

In all, researchers attributed 24% of absences among kids with one smoker in the house to smoking-related illness. For kids living with two or more indoor smokers, that went up to 34% of absences. A child's likelihood of having three or more ear infections in a year went up with the number of people who smoked in the house. Kids with two smokers in the house had more colds.

Houston public school testing charter school techniques

Houston public schools are testing whether techniques proven successful in high-performing urban charters like those in KIPP can also help raise achievement in regular public schools. Working with Roland G. Fryer, a researcher at Harvard who studies the racial achievement gap, Houston officials last year embraced five key tenets of charters at nine district secondary schools; this fall, they are expanding the program to 11 elementary schools. A similar effort is beginning in Denver.

Dr. Fryer identified five policies common to successful charters, including those run by KIPP and the Harlem Children’s Zone: longer days and years; more rigorous and selective hiring of principals and teachers; frequent quizzes whose results determine what needs to be retaught; what he calls “high-dosage tutoring”; and a “no excuses” culture. The experiment, which is known as Apollo 20 and cost $19 million in its first year, has had mixed results.

Detroit's deadliest neighborhood: 48205 zip code

A Detroit News analysis found that the 48205 zip code in Detroit is one of the deadliest in the city. The area includes a population of 44,000 which equals 6% of the city's population, but is responsible for 15% of murders and 13% of shooting victims. From June 21-August 21, at least 38 people were shot and eight died in the area, a 6.5 square mile section of the city. In the same time frame citywide, there was a minimum of 254 shootings involving 303 victims, with at least 52 dying.

In an effort to combat the violence, Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee recently started Operation Inside Out: Night Angels, a program that re-deploys desk officers to patrol one 8-hour shift per week. The program has put an extra 40 to 50 officers on patrol each shift.

Colorado scaling back Medicaid program after understimating cost

The State of Colorado is scaling back its Medicaid program after extending it to cover poor adults without children two years ago. The state has now found that the number of people eligible for coverage is close to three times as high and the cost of insuring them is almost nine times the first estimated numbers. Original projections were for an additional 49,200 to join the program at a cost of $197.4 million per year, with annual cost per person to be $292 per month. New estimates show that the costs may be $900 per month per individual. The Department of Health Care and Financing will plan to cap the number of people served by the program to just 10,000, with an estimated cost of $190 million in two years.

FDA looking to revise nutrition facts label

The Food and Drug Administration is looking to revise the nutrition facts label in order to provide more useful information to the consumer and fight obesity. A new proposal will look at providing more accurate servings sizes and a greater emphasis on calories. The daily percentage section that shows what an average diet should include for fat, sodium and carbohydrates may be scaled back or removed. FDA Deputy Commissioner Michael Taylor notes that the label revision will not be a grand overhaul but will seek to create a more useful nutritional snapshot of foods.

Black children twice as likely to have food allergies than white children

A recent study that involved 1,100 2 year olds in Boston found that black children were twice as likely to have an immune response to foods such as peanuts, milk, eggs and almost four times as likely to have a sensitization to three or more foods in comparison to white children. In addition, if a child's DNA had more African ancestry, the child was more likely to have a food sensitization to any food, especially that of peanuts. The foods tested included eggs, milk, peanuts, soy, shrimp, walnuts, wheat and cod. Many of the children involved in the study were from an urban area and low-income homes.

Idaho's proposed rule requiring students to take classes online

Idaho's State Board of Education will take a vote on a new proposed rule to require high school students to take courses online. It would require students starting with the class of 2016 to take at least two credits online to graduate. One of the two required online classes would be taught remotely, without a teacher present in the classroom. The rule was revised from an overall ban on the teacher being present in the classroom with the students during course time.

Arkansas will target nine areas for Medicaid reform

Arkansas officials have selected nine ares that they want to focus on in changing how Medicaid pays for services. The state was provided approval to move forward with plans to switch from a fee-for-service model that Medicaid uses to paying for partnerships of local providers for episodes of care instead of individual treatment. The areas included: pregnancy and neonatal care, ADHD, type 2 diabetes, back pain, cardiovascular disease, upper respiratory infections, developmental disabilities, long term care and prevention. The Arkansas Medicaid program still faces a shortfall of at least $60 million in the budget that begins July, 2012.

Newborn deaths disproportionately high in developing countries

The World Health Organization released a report that noted death rates for infants under a month old decreased from 4.6 million in 1990 to 3.3 million in 2009. Developing nations were still reporting a disproportionate high number of child deaths, with 99% of all newborn deaths occurring in those areas. Countries such as India, Nigeria, Pakistan, China and the Democratic Republic of Congo accounted for half of the numbers. Newborn deaths now account for 41% of all child deaths before the age of five, up from 37% in 1990.

Unemployed in Michigan taking longer to find work

A new report by the Michigan League for Human Services finds that it takes longer than six months for a majority of those aged 25-54 who are unemployed in Michigan to find work. The number of the state's workers employed in low-paying jobs grew to 26.6% in 2010, up from 20.8% in 2006. 4 of the top 6 jobs in the state have median wages that will not bring a family of four out of poverty.

Half of people in US consume sugary drinks daily

A new report from the CDC found that half of the people in the United States drink a sugary beverage per day, while 1/4 consume at least 200 calories in the form of sugary drinks daily. Males aged 12-19 consume the most sugary drinks, taking in about 273 calories in their drinks daily. People with higher incomes drank fewer sugary drinks than those in lower incomes - Mexican Americans and Blacks drink more sugary beverages than whites. 48% of calories from the drinks are consumed away from home, with most of those purchased at stores.

Pre-chewed food for infants may increase HIV transmission in Africa

A new study from South Africa noted that two-thirds of mothers and other caregivers pre-chew food for infants, which can place the baby at risk for HIV. Of the caregivers interviewed, they said they did it to test the food's taste or temperature or to make it into a consistency that was easier for the baby to eat. Researchers believed that most probably didn't know the possible risks involved.

Illinois' new managed care program for disabled patients

The Chicago Tribune ran an article about the issues with Illinois' new program of HMO-style care for people with serious disabilities. Many doctors and hospitals are refusing to join the new Medicaid program, which will require patients to break current relationships and find new doctors who will take their coverage. Almost 40,000 adults with disabilities and Medicaid coverage living in suburban Cook, DuPage, Kane, Will, Kankakee and Lake counties are being affected. Those in Chicago are curently excluded but may be included if the pilot program succeeds. The two private HMO- style plans available include Aetna Better Health and the IlliniCare Health Plan.

Friday Roundup

Education
1. Grand Rapids Public Schools and Grand Rapids Community College have teamed up to offer an option for high school drop-outs to earn their diploma and college credit. The program will begin in the fall and include up to 148 students. To be eligible, students must be between the ages of 16-19, have enough high school credits to be considered sophomores and have reading ability at the 8th grade level.

2. The New York Times ran an article about a new law in New Jersey regarding bullying that takes effect on September 1st. The Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights is considered the toughest anti-bullying legistlation in the nation, requiring that all public schools adopt comprehensive antibullying policies, increase staff training and follow deadlines for reporting episodes.

Health
1. Michigan State University has developed a low-cost, solar powered device that can perform genetic analysis on microRNAs, which could make it possible to screen for cancer markers in rural areas where there is no easy access to a pathology department. Called the Gene-Z, the device operates with an iPod Touch or Android-based tablet and could possibly be used to test for markers to diagnose and monitor treatments of infectious diseases in the future.

2. The Journal Sentinel in Wisconsin ran an article on one pregnant woman's trouble in seeking dental care in Milwaukee County with Medicaid coverage. The paper surveyed 55 dental clinics listed in the city that accepted the plan and found only 8 that took new adult patients. Low dentist participation rates in Wisconsin's BadgerCare Plus plan severely affects patient access to dental care, as the plan's reimbursement rate is 40% of bill - the 5th lowest in the country.

Race
1. A paper recently published in the Annals of Epidemiology found that white Anglo diabetics had twice the risk of dying than non-diabetics, while Mexican-Americans had three times the risk. Those that lived in Mexico City were four times more likely to die from the disease.

2. The Brookings Institute produced a report that looked at the growth of the minority population within the United States. The report found that Hispanics were 20% of the population of large metropolitan areas, an increase from 15% in 2000. African-Americans made up 14% of the population of large cities in 2010, the rate unchanged from the year 2000. Asians made up 6%.

October Learning Session: Negotiations in the Purchasing Process

Ms. Alicia Biggers will be presenting a 30-minute learning session on negotiations in the purchasing process on October 4th @1:30 PM (EST). She has years of experience with negotiations for content in the corporate environment, but you will be able to gain value from the lessons she will share during this learning session.

Session Description: Negotiations in the Purchasing Process

You are talking cost while your data supplier is talking revenue. How do you come to the middle creating a successful agreement for you and your data supplier? How to measure value yet alone ROI? These topics and more will be discussed giving you the tools and tips for successful negotiations.

Register for this learning session using this form by September 26th.

Excessive weight in youth can lead to an early death

A recent study by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that people who are overweight as young adults had a higher risk of death, even if the weight was lost later in life. The risk of death was 21% higher in young adults with a higher BMI and 28% higher when adjusting for other risk factors such as smoking, physical activity and alcohol consumption.

The study also found that being overweight at age 25 had a larger impact on black women versus white women and a greater impact on men than on women. However, the impact of obesity early in life was negligible in black men when adjusting for weight change throughout adulthood.