U.S. Rejects Mayor’s Plan to Ban Use of Food Stamps to Buy Soda

A recent article in the New York Times discusses how federal officials recently rejected Mayor Bloomberg's plan to bar NYC food stamp recipients from buying sodas and other sugary drinks with the food stamps.

In October, city and state officials proposed a two-year experiment to see if the prohibition would reduce obesity among food stamp recipients. With obesity running rampant in low-income neighborhoods, it was thought that limiting consumption of sodas and other drinks with high sugar content could help reverse that trend. But the city received a letter from Washington stating the proposed experiment would have been “too large and complex” to implement and evaluate.

Friday Roundup

Here are a list of articles/videos published within the last 7-10 days:

Health
1. Home temperature, sleep loss tied to obesity, Reuters/Yahoo News, February 23, 2011
Brief Intro:"When the researchers looked at a number of environmental factors, they found that sleep habits were related to the risk of becoming obese. For each hour of sleep people typically got each day, the odds of their becoming obese declined by 30 percent -- even with other factors like physical activity level and TV watching taken into account. "

Education
1. Say goodbye to textbooks in schools? CNN.com, February 21, 2011 (Video)
Brief Intro: "The iSchool initiative is hoping to spur a digital movement that could revolutionize the American education system."

Poverty
1. Bill seeks to drug test food stamp those receiving food stamps, WMUR9, February 23, 2011
Brief Intro:"A bill under debate in Concord would force recipients of food stamps to be subject to drug testing."

Immigrants
1. Indiana lawmakers pass immigration curbs like Arizona, Reuters/Yahoo News, February 23, 2011
Brief Intro: "The measure, passed on Tuesday night by a vote of 31-18, would allow state and local police to ask a person stopped for infractions like traffic violations for proof of legal residency if the officer has a "reasonable suspicion" they may be in the country illegally.

Another provision would call for, with some exceptions, the use of English only in public meetings, on Web sites and in documents. The bill still needs to be adopted by the state's House of Representatives, where opponents say they will now turn."

More working families getting food stamps

According to a recent Time article, more working families are getting food stamps. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture has shown that 30 states have adopted rules that make it easier to qualify for food stamps since 2007. In all, 38 states have loosened eligibility standards. With more than 1 in 8 Americans on food stamps, participation in the program has jumped about 70% from 26 million in 2007. The nation's economic down turn is credited for helping push up participation numbers.