Women Lead The Fight Against Climate Change

Posted by on September 21, 2011 Comments Off

NEW YORK: — Women are leading the fight against climate change and other urgent environmental issues that confront the planet, according to Dr. Sarah Otterstrom, Executive Director of Paso Pacifico, at the Clinton Global Initiative.

In Nicaragua, women are leading reforestation efforts and have planted over 100,000 native trees.  Their work has offset more than 150,000 tons of greenhouse
gases and help protect watersheds that are crucial to the health of their communities.  Paso Pacifico provides job training in entrepreneurship and forestry which enable women to build businesses and become leaders in their communities.  ”They are strengthened by our program,” Otterstrom says, “but ultimately they are the ones who are making Paso Pacifico projects a success.”

Paso Pacifico also uses this training model to help women protect their beaches from turtle egg poachers.  Local campesinas learn about the endangered turtle species and are trained to patrol their local beaches.  For each hatchling successfully protected they receive an incentive payment.  Their monthly income equals a rural laborer’s salary, but the job is flexible because women can coordinate their schedules.  More than 10,000 turtles have been hatched due to the efforts of these women over the past two years.  For the first time in 25 years ,endangered turtle eggs are hatching along the beaches in Southern Nicaragua.

As women in Nicaragua find their traditional roles expanding, they embrace new ideas and technologies to support themselves.  For example, when the Portable Light Project and Paso Pacifico brought solar lamps to the communities, the women started to use the lights to patrol beaches, help their children with homework at night and cook for their families in predawn hours.  ”One woman told me how excited she was the first time she got up to feed her baby and make tortillas at four a.m.” Otterstrom said.  ”She could do so in light instead of darkness.  Something so inexpensive improves their lives dramatically.”

Having caught the entrepreneurial bug, women are now opening their own businesses with Paso Pacifico’s support.  In one coastal community, women have opened a sea kayaking business, in another an eco-tourism guiding company and in a third an eco-lodge.  All of these endeavors are successfully bringing tourism dollars into their local communities.

“This is what happens when you invest in women,” says Dr. Otterstrom.  ”They are smart.  We teach them how to use their skills to run a business and care for their natural resources, just as they care for their families and neighbors. Only now, they are earning money, empowering themselves, improving their community and helping the environment.  It is win, win, win and we want to do more of it.”

Paso Pacifico is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Ventura, California that works to protect Central America’s Pacific slope ecosystems.  The non-profit implements projects in environmental education, forest restoration and wildlife conservation.  For more information, visit
www.pasopacifico.org

SOURCE Paso Pacifico

Segregated Spaces and Risky Places

Posted by on September 7, 2011 Comments Off

WASHINGTON: After a decade-long rise in concentrated poverty, one in 11 residents of metropolitan areas now live in communities where at least 30 percent of their neighbors are poor, according to a pair of studies unveiled today by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.

The reports, A Lost Decade: Neighborhood Poverty and the Urban Crisis of the 2000s, produced in collaboration with the Poverty & Race Research Action Council, and Segregated Spaces, Risky Places: The Effects of Racial Segregation on Health Inequalities, underscore the links between poverty and racial segregation in metropolitan neighborhoods and the health of the people who live in them.

They were released as the Joint Center convened a Place Matters National Conference that is focusing on the relationship between place and health, especially as it pertains to racial and ethnic health inequality.

According to the Joint Center, the quality of education, health care, available food, public infrastructure and exercise options are powerful factors in shaping opportunities to achieve good health.    

Results from the Segregated Spaces, Risky Places study show that “segregation continues to be an important determinant of health inequalities…the more segregated the city, the higher the incidence of negative health outcomes.”

It also found that while residential segregation diminished slightly over the past decade, “the health disadvantages resulting from racial segregation appear to have intensified.”  Using infant mortality as a measure of health, the authors found that “the effects of segregation on infant mortality disparities intensified between 2000 and 2010.”

“Community conditions can overwhelm even the most persistent and determined efforts of individuals to take steps to improve their health,” said Brian Smedley, Ph.D., Vice President and Director of the Joint Center  Health Policy Institute.

The Lost Decade study noted that “the rise in concentrated poverty since 2000 is a significant setback compared with progress in the 1990s,” with 22.3 million people now living in a neighborhood where 30 percent or more of their neighbors are in poverty.  The study found that, in metropolitan areas, one in four African Americans, one in six Hispanics, and one in eight American Indians are living in neighborhoods where poverty is concentrated, compared with an estimated one in 25 non-Hispanic whites who live in one of these tracts.
Even middle- and higher-income minorities are disproportionately in neighborhoods with high poverty, according to the report.

“What these reports tell us is that racial inequalities in health status and outcomes are closely connected to place.  In effect, race helps to determine place, and in turn, place influences health,” said Smedley.  ”Given the demographic growth of communities of color, these health inequities can have far-reaching negative impact on the nation’s economic performance and quality of life, so we need to address them now.”

“These reports provide further evidence that policies aimed at investing in vulnerable communities should be at the very core of a strategy to close the health gap and improve the health of the nation,” said Ralph B. Everett, President and CEO of the Joint Center.

Both studies (A Lost Decade: Neighborhood Poverty and the Urban Crisis of the 2000s by Rolf Pendall, Ph.D., Elizabeth Davies, Lesley Freiman and Rob Pitingolo and Segregated Spaces, Risky Places: The Effects of Racial Segregation on Health Inequalities by Thomas A. LaVeist, Ph.D., Darrell Gaskin, Ph.D., and Antonio J. Trujillo, Ph.D.) are available on the Joint Center’s website, www.jointcenter.org.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is one of the nation’s leading research and public policy institutions and the only one whose work focuses primarily on issues of particular concern to African Americans and other people of color. To learn more, please visit www.jointcenter.org.

SOURCE Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

USA TODAY Gallup Poll Looks at Americans’ Thoughts on Terrorism Over the Last 10 Years

Posted by on September 2, 2011 Comments Off

Mclean, Va: In the final week leading up to the tenth anniversary of 9/11 and the events that changed America ten years ago, USA TODAY and Gallup have conducted an exclusive poll looking at Americans’ thoughts on terrorism and how they’ve changed over the last decade.

USA TODAY/Gallup poll results show:

  • The proportion of Americans who say the government should take steps to protect its citizens against terrorism, even if it means violating civil liberties, has dropped almost in half since the days after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. In January 2002, 47% of Americans said they were willing to have the government violate some of their basic civil liberties in order to prevent more acts of terrorism. Asked the same question last month, only 25% answered the same way.
  • In a striking contrast with the national mood 10 years ago, fewer Americans now think that “the Muslim world considers itself at war with the U.S.” In March 2002, 71% agreed with that statement. Nine months later that number had dropped to 60%, and today it’s down to 51%.
  • Faith in the government’s anti-terrorism capacity has dropped. Asked less than a week after 9/11 how much confidence they had in the government to protect citizens from terrorist attacks, 41% of respondents said “a great deal.” By March 2002, 24% agreed with that assessment. Now, only 22% do.
  • Who’s winning the war on terrorism? Not much has changed in how Americans answer that question. A month after the 9/11 attacks, 42% said the U.S. and its allies were winning, and by the following January that rose to 66%. By April 2002, the percentage of Americans who felt their nation was winning the terror war fell into the minority. They have constituted a majority only three times since — twice immediately after the Iraq invasion in early 2003 and once in January 2004, after Saddam Hussein’s capture. In June 2007, the last time until this year that USA TODAY and Gallup asked who was winning, only 29% said the U.S. was winning. Asked the same question last month, respondents agreeing that the U.S. and its allies were winning the terror war had climbed back to 42% — the same as 10 years ago.
  • People seem less worried about the imminent likelihood of a terrorist attack today. Only 38% consider one somewhat or very likely “over the next several weeks,” compared to 66% ten days after 9/11. A series of mysterious anthrax attacks, which eventually killed five people, drove that up to 85% the following month. In the 18 times the question has been asked since late 2003, the highest “likely” response was May 2 this year, one day after Bin Laden was killed. The highest ever was the 85% in the anthrax attack period.

The USA TODAY/Gallup poll was taken a month before the 10th anniversary of the attacks. Full poll results are in the September 2nd edition of USA TODAY.

USA TODAY is a multi-platform news and information media company. Founded in 1982, USA TODAY’s mission is to serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation. Today, through its newspaper, website and mobile platforms, USA TODAY connects readers and engages the national conversation. USA TODAY, the nation’s number one newspaper in print circulation with an average of more than 1.8 million daily, and USATODAY.com, an award-winning newspaper website launched in 1995, reach a combined 5.4 million readers daily. USA TODAY is a leader in mobile applications with more than nine million downloads on mobile devices. The USA TODAY brand also includes USA TODAY Education and USA TODAY Sports Weekly. USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI).

SOURCE USA TODAY

Seventy-One Percent of Employers Say They Value Emotional Intelligence Over IQ

Posted by on August 25, 2011 Comments Off

CHICAGO: With smaller staffs, higher stress levels and uncertainties around the economy, are employers changing what they look for in prospective employees? Thirty-four percent of hiring managers said they are placing greater emphasis on emotional intelligence when hiring and promoting employees post-recession, according to a new CareerBuilder survey. Seventy-one percent said they value emotional intelligence in an employee more than IQ.

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is a general assessment of a person’s abilities to control emotions, to sense, understand and react to others’ emotions, and manage relationships. The national survey –conducted May 19 to June 8, 2011, with more than 2600 hiring managers and human resource professionals – reveals that EI is a critical characteristic for landing a job and advancing one’s career.

Fifty-nine percent of employers would not hire someone who has a high IQ but low EI. For workers being considered for a promotion, the high EI candidate will beat out the high IQ candidate in most cases – 75 percent said they’re more likely to promote the high EI worker.

“The competitive job market allows employers to look more closely at the intangible qualities that pay dividends down the road – like skilled communicators and perceptive team players,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. “Technical competency and intelligence are important assets for every worker, but when it’s down to you and another candidate for a promotion or new job, dynamic interpersonal skills will set you apart. In a recovering economy, employers want people who can effectively make decisions in stressful situations and can empathize with the needs of their colleagues and clients to deliver the best results.”

When asked why emotional intelligence is more important than high IQ, employers said (in order of importance):

  • Employees [with high EI] are more likely to stay calm under pressure
  • Employees know how to resolve conflict effectively
  • Employees are empathetic to their team members and react accordingly
  • Employees lead by example
  • Employees tend to make more thoughtful business decisions

Human resource managers and hiring managers assess their candidates’ and employees’ EI by observing a variety of behaviors and qualities. The top responses from the survey were:

  • They admit and learn from their mistakes
  • They can keep emotions in check and have thoughtful discussions on tough issues
  • They listen as much or more than they talk
  • They take criticism well
  • They show grace under pressure

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder among 2,662 U.S. hiring managers (non-government) between May 19, 2010 and June 8, 2011(percentages for some questions are based on a subset, based on their responses to certain questions). With pure probability samples of 2,662 one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 1.90 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.

About CareerBuilder

CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract their most important asset – their people. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com®, is the largest in the United States with more than 24 million unique visitors, 1 million jobs and 40 million resumes. CareerBuilder works with the world’s top employers, providing resources for everything from employment branding and data analysis to recruitment support. More than 9,000 websites, including 140 newspapers and broadband portals such as MSN and AOL, feature CareerBuilder’s proprietary job search technology on their career sites. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), Tribune Company and The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com.

East Coast Rumbles From 5.8 Quake

Posted by on August 24, 2011 Comments Off

So today there was an Earth Quake in Virginia. No really, and earth quake in the commonwealth, and it was strong enough to be felt from New York to North Carolina. Sadly, I was only 30 miles from the epicenter. Sad as I would have rather have been anywhere that the earth wasn’t making me do interpretive dances. Some people live with the earth moving under their feet and like it. I think some people are damn fools.

Here is the official data from the USGS:

  • Magnitude 5.8
  • Date/Time: Tuesday, August 23, 2011 01:51:04 PM (17:51:04 UTC) at epicenter
  • Location: 37.936 degree North, 77.933 degrees West (mineral, VA)
  • Depth: 6 km (3.7 miles) 

Our local NBC affiliate, NBC 12, reported that mother earth hasn’t farted so hard in our state since 1897 when we also reach 5.9 on the Richter scale. As amazing as it sounds, very few people were harmed during nature’s brief gastrointestinal display, with the sad exception of a few elderly individuals who were displaced due to minor structural damage.

About 250 residents of Fay Towers, an 11-story high-rise building for the elderly on the edge of Gilpin Court in downtown Richmond, were evacuated this afternoon after reports of buckling bricks and a damaged stairwell.

The facility at 1201 N. 1st St. is owned and managed by the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority. About 400 people were evacuated, including residents, staff and visitors. (The Richmond Times Dispatch)

Luckily the older individuals were allowed to return to their homes, and the safe environment they knew and loved.

Big props go out to @NBC12 and @CBS6 along with the @RichmondPolice for keeping the public informed, and for reducing panic. Without the awesome coverage and rapid response, the good citizens of Richmond would have been frightened out of our collective wits. Now if only the department of public works would show up to help me clean the poop stains out of my drawers. I mean yikes, that quake was a bit scary.