The Most Hated People In America?

By Jenn Thoman
According to a recent Gallup poll, there is one deviant behavior that Americans are still definitely not on board with. When asked about a list of minority groups, and whether Americans would elect them into public office, who do you think ranked last?

Far below women, African Americans, recent immigrants, Muslims, and homosexuals ranked atheists. Apparently, the American public does not trust non-theists. This lack of trust doesn't just apply to holding office, either. When survey participants were asked who most "shares [your] view of American society", Atheists ranked dead last. When those same people were asked who they would most want their children to marry, atheists ranked last again!

Sociologists define deviance as any behavior or identity that violates commonly held social norms. This country has a long history of religious belief, so the idea that someone can live here and be a productive member of society without religion is foreign. It is often asked of atheists, "Where do you get your sense of right and wrong, if not from a higher power?" There are no statistics that say atheists are more likely to commit crimes, so where does that idea come from?

Our country was founded on the basis of religious freedom. Now that so many behaviors that were considered deviant even twenty years ago are beginning to be accepted (like tattoos in the workplace, or openly LGBT relationships), maybe it's time to accept the idea of freedom from religion as well. 

The High Price of a Gender Binary

Submitted by Jenn Thoman

For many people living in the United States, gender identity resides on a spectrum. The gender binary model that is so common in the West erases that spectrum and makes the people who live their lives in and on it more susceptible to scorn and even violent harm. The concept of "visibility"exists to give a voice to those people who are not adequately represented in our culture.

With more characters in television shows and movies, and more outspoken artists in all media varieties, the queer community hopes to change the minds and hearts of the more conservative American public. The people who may never in their lives meet an LGBT person, and so have formed misguided ideas about the community at large.

But what happens when those characters are not accurate, and instead portray offensive stereotypes? Take, for example, ABC's new show "Work It". The concept is that two men who can't get jobs start to dress up and act like women, in order to get hired. You may think that the show is not overtly aimed at being offensive to transpeople, transwomen especially, but you would be incorrect. The show is overwhelmingly damaging in that it conveys a message to its target audience that this is what all transwomen are. It is okay to call a transwoman a "man in a dress" because look at this! That's why these men are doing!

When media representations of transpeople are so off-base, it paves the way for people to make assumptions about the way they can treat the LGBT community. When transwomen have to struggle every day to fit into a world that has not made room for them, and a show like this comes along and says, "it's super easy to live as another gender!", it nullifies an entire lifetime of conflicting experiences.

When people consume offensive media, it can color their judgement. When someone thinks that a transperson is somehow less than a person, the reactions are violent and harmful. This woman was just trying to use a bathroom, and she was beaten so aggressively that she had seizures while the people around her just watched and did nothing to help. Is that the kind of world you actually want to live in?

You can take steps to change the world around you. Join up with organizations like WAM! and GLSEN, start a letter-writing campaign to networks and news outlets, and make noise on social media websites. Join groups that advocate for gender inclusive media, and call out your friends when they make offensive comments. If enough people make a loud noise, someone has to listen eventually!

Food, Technology, and Other "Necessities"

Christopher DiNicola
Food, Technology, and Other "Necessities"

As our phones get smaller, TV’s get slimmer, and pockets shrink quickly our waists have grown tremendously.  Philadelphia has struggled greatly with a reputation of obesity and has been given the factual title of fourth fattest city in the America, though at a time it was first.  So who or what is to blame for the increasing obesity rates?  Is it the food we eat, the technology we have become a part of, or the wants in our lives that we deem as necessity?

When taking a literal look at obesity, the food we eat is the only thing to blame!  Put aside the medical illnesses and what else is there to point your finger at?  Whether you have taken a nutrition course before or not you know that changing your diet is the key to changing your figure.  The decision for many consumers is in the sizes of their wallets on what foods they will choose to eat which in turn determines the size of their belt.  While wealthy leaders in the food industry such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, and Checkers feed their pockets and convey misleading advertisements, middle class consumers look their way for the cheapest way to stay in shape.  On the other side of the spectrum, food industry giants such as Acme, Shop Rite, and Super Fresh offer consumers a wider range of healthier food choices and discounts at the larger cost of leisure.

Are food and medical illnesses the most accountable culprits of America’s growing obesity problem?  If you are reading this article today then you most likely remember a time in your adolescence when you knocked or called for a friend instead of texted, owned a slingshot you could control in your hand and not through a phone, and asked people for information instead of using Google.  The internet boom took place in the mid 90’s and noticeably took over information sharing within 10 years.  In the mid 90’s the average rate of obesity in America was between 10%-14% and 10 years later doubled to 20%-24%.  In contrast the average weight of a 24” TV has gone from 62lbs in the early 90’s to as low as 13lbs today! We have watched technology grow in power and speed and shrink in size for over 20 years but watched our weight do the opposite.

So, what else can we blame?  The question would be better answered if we looked at who and not what.  The food we eat may depend on the wages we earn but for all classes of society, aside from those in poverty, there are price competitive healthier choices such as Acme.  While on one side it is safe to say that technology plays a big role in obesity it is also safe to say that advances in technology have enhanced just about everything in life, especially productivity and health.  If the main culprits of obesity have just as many positives as negatives and if not more then I ask:  Who is to blame?

The Downward Spiral

Fred Dukes

  The inequality between schools is becoming a problem and its not all based on how they are run. The city schools versus the suburban schools are different in many ways but one way that we all know is the amount of money each school receives. And one reason for this is that a lot of the suburban business are able to be taxed and that's were a lot of the schools money comes from, where as in the city on 30% of the business can taxed which taxes away from the schools money. And this is why we have inequality between schools because with out the money schools are not able to pay teachers and with less teachers you have a smaller curriculum which is what happens a lot of the time in city schools and is the exact opposite from suburban schools.

 

 From attending a suburban school, we had a wide variety of courses and clubs to be a part of that would allow for the student's to be well rounded when applying for colleges. When I talk to kids in the city a lot of the time they tell me that they had a limited choice as far there course selection goes. I was also told that a lot of the time the students behaviors in school are impacted by the  atmosphere of how the school looks, one person said "It was the atmosphere that made me feel like you were going to fail the metal detectors as if we were bad kids the dirty halls and the lack of effort that the students received" , as a suburban student I can say that my school never made me feel that way. In my school we had big, closes thing to a metal detector was a random dog check, well lit classrooms with a  teaching staff that made you feel like you were able to do everything no matter what race you were.

  A major reason why a student from a public high school in the city trying to get into college has a smaller chance compared to what the students in a suburban school has, even though the city kid may have had the same grades worked just as hard if not harder than the suburban student. If all schools were equal I think that it would set a new standard as far as living, criminal activity, and opportunity. 

 For more examples look at the link bellow

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xdfVAPvv9A&feature=related

Hospitals: Are They Carrying Out Their Duty Properly?

Submitted By: Khrystal Rodriguez

Do you trust hospitals or the doctors you see? People put their trust in doctors and their associates why? because they can easily diagnose or cure you of whatever ailment is plaguing you. Hospitals are supposed to be an environment of healing, security, and most of all hope to the patients and their loved ones. However, have you ever wondered if these doctors, hospitals, nurses, etc. are giving their best to the cause. Have you ever pondered are they working in my best interest? What if they are just trying to make their quotas? What if your case is not as important as someone else? What if the color of your skin determines if your worthy of their attention? Just what if they are so busy impartial care will have to do?

Race in Medical Care: Skin Color Matters with Patient Care

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Health/story?id=3401076&page=1#.TuZhYLIk67s
 

Medicare may penalize hospitals that readmit too many patients

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/medicare-may-penalize-hospitals-that-readmit-too-many-patients/2011/10/18/gIQAAMTopO_story.html

Illegal Immigrant in Life Support Battle

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/video/illegal-immigrant-life-support-battle-14620153

As I was researching topics to discuss for this blog I stumbled upon the article "Medicare May Penalize Hospitals That Re-admit Too Many Patients" and it was interesting to find out that medicare wants to charge hospitals for the returning trips of medicare patients. The reason which they stated "A 2009 study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that one in five Medicare patients discharged from the hospital had to be readmitted within 30 days; 34 percent were back within 90 days". Just like me hospitals and health policy experts want to know why so many patients are coming back? In the article they discussed a few different reasons such as the fact that patients are let out before they fully recover. In addition, the discharge process which they saw as a critical failure. A man by the name Brian Jack called it a "Perfect Storm" of errors. The article sheds light to the fact that many patients leave the hospital without a complete understanding of their condition, how to manage it, and the proper medications needed. Another man named Jesse Pines calls it "Poor coordination of care and poor transitions in a fragmented system". Lastly, they discussed a discharge summary and  how it can be difficult to read and understand. Furthermore, they said putting a discharge summary together is not always a doctor’s highest priority. The task often falls to nurses or medical residents who rarely have the time to make sure the patients understand the plan for follow-up care. I find that ridiculous. I understand that something simple as a discharge summary may not seem as important, however, its pretty obvious now that the lack of its proper development is a factor for the return of the patients. In my opinion if your a doctor its your duty to hold everything pertaining to a patients case a high priority and yes even a discharge summary. What does that say about the doctors who's hands we trust our life with?

I continued to search more and I found this article called "Race In Medical Care: Skin Color Matters With Patient Care". In this article and the title is pretty self explanatory discusses racial basis in medical care. They included a study which basically showed that most of the doctors were more likely to prescribe a potentially life-saving, clot-busting treatment for the white patients than for the African-American patient. Although the study was done through computer generated images they included that this study isn't the first to find that whites get better medical care than blacks. After the diagnosis they were given something called an implicit association test, which reveals a person's unconscious views of blacks and whites. So basically they said "the stronger a doctor's hidden anti-black feelings, the less likely he or she would be to give the black patient the clot-busting agent". Something interesting they included at the end was that there were black doctors who also showed bias against black patients, though less than white doctors. Some people say that racism is non-existent in this country, however, this article clearly shows its not. Its amazing that on the basis of a skin color a doctor will not give his all to that patient. That is very appalling and these are the people that we trust what a shame.

The last thing I saw was the video and basically it didn't take long for the hospital to gradually reduce its care for the coma patient mentioned and he was an illegal immigrant who basically lived here his whole life. Seeing the video made me wonder how long do doctors actually wait until they begin to reduce their attentive care. 

To conclude, these articles showed different types of negligence on the part of physicians, hospitals, nurse etc. I would want to know that if i'm severely ill those who I call my doctors are giving their best to make me better again. I am pretty sure not all hospitals and those who practice medicine act, behave, and think this way. For me this little research was very interesting and the saying "you learn something new every day" was very real.   

Are we shooting down the future?

Submitted by: Gregory Fowler

The Occupy Wall Street movement has had one consistent message: there is a severely large economic gap between the top one percent of Americans and the rest of the country.  This gap is so severe, that nothing like it in America has been seen since the Great Depression.  To make matters worse for the next generation, college tuition has been increasing steadily since the mid seventies.  These two things when combined make the chance of parents providing an education for their children almost impossible.  A traditional four year college education now seems more like a fantasy than something remotely attainable in the American Dream.

In addition to this, federal funding for college tuition falls short of providing relief for the majority of American students.  Funding for Pell Grants, money set aside by the federal government to assist students in college tuition, has been remarkably unable to keep up with rising college tuition costs.

Since the government is not funding higher education for the next generation, where is funding going?  Below is a chart provided by ThinkProgress.org that simplifies the 2012 federal budget.  If you had direct control of budget spending, what would you do differently? Or, what kinds of values do you think the government has by looking at this chart?

Can I Have the #2? And Can You Super Size It???

      Submitted by Jamiylah Miller 

      Last Friday my mother was taken to the hospital. She was complaining about having blurred vision and mild headaches. After entering the hospital, her blood was drawn to check her blood glucose level. For the average person the numerical level should be between 70 and 120mg/dL. My mom’s glucose level was over 180mg/dL. That is severely dangerous because my mom has Type 2 Diabetes. She has been diabetic for almost thirty years and this is the first time, since she has been diagnosed, that she has been hospitalized for an unstable glucose level. Diabetes is a major health risk in the African American community. It is normally caused by obesity, unhealthy dieting and heredity.

      Diabetes is developed when insulin is not produced and regulated in the body. Specifically in type 2 diabetes it is when the blood glucose level is too high and the body cannot produce enough insulin to counteract the imbalance. According to the National Diabetes Education Program “a person is at a higher risk if they are of an ethnic group such as African Americans, are obese, and/or have a family history of the condition.” Like most African Americans, my mom could check off all three as being categories that best describe her. I think that out of three of three risks that obesity is the closest linking risk to African Americans. A major part of the community and culture is food and among the foods consumed most are deep fried, from fast food restaurants, or are artificially flavored. In class, there was a movie clip about how inequality affects health. The clip touch bases on how foods that are artificially flavored, processed and just simply unhealthy such as fast foods are targeted towards the poor because it is normally cheap and convenient. Poverty and diabetes are relative because they are both at a high in the African American community. Since fast food is easily accessible and cheap it is consumed the most causing obesity which leads to diabetes.

      Furthermore, the African-Americans community has a higher rate of chronic diseases, mortality, and overall poorer health outcomes including obesity and diabetes. I believe that too many African Americans are not making the connection between the need of maintaining a healthy diet and diseases such as diabetes as a result of both culture and lack of resources. One way to begin to curb the occurrence of such a disease in the African American community is to increase access to healthier options and educate individuals about maintaining their health.

Education and Poverty do not mix in this country!!!

Submitted by Katiria Garcia

The social institutions should achieve five fundamental roles which are to replace the personnel, educate new recruits, provide and distribute goods to other members, keep order between them, and maintain these people encouraged to continue, so a society can survive.  One of the most important social institutions is education.  The main functions of education are to transmit knowledge and “political social and political integration.” That’s why the education is very essential for every human being, especially for children. If the children want to have a better future in the United States, at least, they need to get an associate degree or four-year degree, but not all children have the same income to complete these expectations. What happen when their families have a background on poverty? The children are still having any chance to success educationally, aren’t they? Well, that’s the problem of most Black and Hispanic families have nowadays. Some minority groups more affected are Black and Hispanic students who have challenged by the highest cost of the educational institutions because the education is looked as a financial issue or investment that government has controlled. Why do the students need to pay for education in the United States when the education can be acquired for free in other countries?

First of all, many Black and Hispanic children don’t get preschool programs because there are very limited free preschool programs, so their process of learning has to be slower than whites’. These programs can be very advantageous for students. Some experts analyzed that the dropout rates of children who have attended quality preschool programs are less than children who haven’t.  For example, State test scores have showed that most Black and Hispanic children have failed the exams offered by the state in subjects, such as math and language. On the other hand, the failed exams of whites are less in comparison to Black and Hispanic children’s.

For instance, SAT is an exam in which Black/African Americans and Hispanics have problems to pass. This graph can show the difference in percentages between the group of minorities and White:

Also, we can see on this other graph "status dropout rates of 16- through 24-year-old, by sex and race/ethnicity, October 2007:"

It is very notable that Whites has had the lowest dropout rate of any ethnic group in this country while Hispanics have the highest one.

In addition, these dropout rates can mean more unemployment, poverty and dependence on public assistance in our country because these students have less chance to get a job. That is when credentialism becomes a challenge for them. Credentialism is a term used to define a main credential for purposes of deliberating jobs or social status. Today the society expects people to have at least a four-year degree, but how can Black and Hispanic students get it? If they are "tracked" into general courses in which they just complete high school requirements and not have access to rigorous technical schools. Also, their financial status isn’t the best for getting college education.

 The government separates people into social classes, so the government can maintain social control and guarantee that rich will become richer while poor will become poorer. For example, the government has segregated schools and tried them as formal organizations.

http://youtu.be/HqfK4hzKuhc 

As a result, the isolation and segregation has had several disadvantageous effects on the minorities. However, this situation is a serious problem because our society will have a population of people without education, and we know knowledge is one of the most essential tools that we need to grow as a country. There are many black and Hispanic students who want to advance educationally, but barriers and injustices are making them choose other options, such as dropping classes and getting involved in gangs. Why doesn’t the government of the United States make an educational reform in which minorities have more accessible to study? Is it another strategy of the government to keep White Supremacy?

You Say Fat Like It's a Bad Thing!

Written by Q.Haynes

Everywhere we look, we are bombarded with print and television ads about diets, supplements, and gym clubs encouraging us to lose weight and get rid of body fat. In addition to that, there is this notion that slender people are healthier than fat people. However, articles on weight and health like that of Paul Campos's article Weighting Game refutes that that idea.

In our society, there is this idea that being fat is unhealthy and that we must control our weight. The media portrays losing weight as the means to ultimate health rather than proper eating and exercise. Paul Campos mentions in his article that "while a sedentary lifestyle or a lousy diet...can contribute to weight lose--do pose health risk, there's virtually no evidence that being fat, in of itself, is at all bad for you". He also states that, "there is considerable evidence that even substantially 'obese' people are not less healthy because they're fat".

Most still believe that diseases or medical conditions are sometimes attributed to being overweight. That is not the case. Campos discusses in his article a survey that took place based on the morality rate of groups of people. The results showed that "overweight" people "have equal to lower morality rates than groups supposedly 'ideal-weight' individuals". With that being said, many people of a larger size do in fact live healthy lifestyles. They eat nutritional foods and exercise. Yet, you'll find a thin person who eats whatever their heart desires and is inactive. There are "overweight" people that are healthier than thin people. Sedentary lifestyles and poor eating habits equate to bad health, not the actual size of a person.

Unfortunately we live in a society where fat is not accepted. Such discrimination results in people feeling pressured to be thin. Campos explains that the harm that is occurring amongst Americans in reference to weight  brought on by the eagerness of wanting to lose it, which can actually have negative consequences. Campos says that, "weight loss of this magnitude and even as little as ten pounds leads to an increase risk of premature death". People also suffer from self-hatred because of their size and turn to terrible eating habits that can result in eating disorders. When it comes to the body, the focus should not be on fat or skinny but overall health.

To read the full article click here

Here is a video of Fatima Parker who is size acceptance activist speaking about size acceptance and having good health.

One More Drink Won't Hurt...Or Will It?

"Submitted by Phialy Noun:"

In our society today, we treat certain activities as if it was a social norm. Some of the activities are morally, traditionally wrong and even illegal. We as the people of the society had created bad things to be legal but are constantly abused such as alcohol. One of the major problems that goes uncovered is binge drinking. Binge drinking is defined as drinking an excessive amount of alcohol. In pennsylvania, the legal limit of blood alcohol content is 0.08. Some see binge drinking a right of passage, while others just do it for fun. Our culture makes it a norm to binge drink. Drinking makes people feel curious and older. Alcohol is highly promoted in ads, songs and tv shows such as Jersey Shore. College parties invented games to make binge drinking exciting but encourages more consumption.

Binge drinking can lead to health and financial problems. About 76% of binge drinkers say they do it because its fun, 65% says it makes them more sociable and 41% says it helps them forget their problems. Hangovers and drinking related illness costs about 17 million job days a year. Binge drinking causes about 223 billion dollars in property damage, criminalization, health care and loss of work production. One third of auto accidents and deaths are related to alcohol intoxication.Binge drinking causes neurological, intestinal, cardiovascular, and financial damage. The brain can get highly effected by alcohol and cause a stroke. Alcohol damages the liver and causes metabolism problems or liver cancer. Too much alcohol consumption can cause the body to shut down and become unresponsive. About one in twenty females are sexually assaulted due to alcohol. STDs are a risk factor when binge drinking. Nearly 50,000 cases of intoxication are reported yearly. For example, a 19 year old student name Danny Daniels at California State University died from alcohol poisoning. In 2009, a 20 year old student at Penn State died from his injuries after falling off a balcony and ending up in a stairway.

In conclusion, binge drinking relates to some of the health problems in our society. The pressure from our peers and social norm to drink makes it difficult to fight against at times. Being responsible and socializing with the right people helps prevent alcohol related injuries. Life is too sort so by binge drinking that life span is decreased dramatically. In some cases that one drink too many could be the last drink you'll have.

The double standard that society plays in the health of society.

   Society is constantly having a double standard on the way that they want the rest of society to view health. There is always a ads telling society to workout and eat healthier but sadly soon after they show us something new on the dollar menu from McDonald's. While I was sitting down watching tv I took a poll on how many commercials came on better health and those for fast food. During the afternoon entering evening I only saw two commercials and they were the same one for an ab machine, but from that same period of time I found that there were over 15 different commercials all repeating the same thought of eating a delicious burger from several different fast food places all explaining how much cheaper it is to buy something from them than anywhere else.
        
   Speaking as someone who used to be extremely overweight and in great shape at one time in my life. I know how it is. During at the time when I was overweight I was always telling myself that by eating out it would be a lot cheaper. Honestly it was, I could make ten dollars last an entire days worth of food. But when I was working out and eating in the house and healthy I was spending the most amount of money. Ten dollars was more like the price of one meal or even a percentage of how much I paid a month to go workout. Society always portrays this healthy life but don't understand that people in society can not afford to live that type of life. The sad thing is that eating out is honestly more affordable for people in society now days. In the first ad I have four different items from several different places, and the other show a microwave dinner healthy choice which is healthier than everything in the first ad. But that one healthy choice is more expensive than anyone item from the fast food ad. This just shows us as a society that although society in general rather us eat and live healthier, it is almost impossible with this depression that we are going through with money.
 
     In conclusion I have found that society has a double standard on the health of Americans in society. Eating healthy is harder than people think it really is. Even in commercial or ads you always see fast food more than a  you would for healthy food or even working out. Even speaking as a former person who lived both lives I understand how society shows this double standard. They rather us become healthy and workout instead of eating out and being lazy but don't understand that with the money problems that we are having with society that it is a impossible to live that healthy life.


 By: Dowwitt Denson  

Eating Disorders In Society.

By: Tyeasha Williams

Being Thin In Society…

What role does society play in young girls becoming anorexic, and bulimic? In the world around you today all you see is thin beautiful flawless like models, actresses, and video vixens. The affect it takes on a young girl’s mind that hits puberty and is going through changes with her body can be terribly wrong or wonderful. If the girl transitions from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan, than she fits into what the world believes is beautiful. Society see’s overweight as a girl who wears more than a size 2-4. These images they portray have caused a lot of teen girls to either want to lose weight the wrong way or suffer with self esteem issues.

 In the picture on the bottom left is a girl suffering from anorexia, she has to be at least 76 pounds but continues to see herself as FAT. You the reader can see she has gone too far with her weight lost, but the image she is seeing in the mirror conveys an overweight girl. Most anorexic or bulimic girls suffer from their disease because being fat is not pretty to society. Even though, most anorexic and bulimic girls are not happy with their body even if you can see every bone in their bodies. Some of these girl’s seek treatment and recover but the battling with their eating disorder will remain a constant struggle. It’s said that most eating disorder patients will relapse their first time returning home from treatment. Returning back to the same environment where their disease all began without the right supervision is what really causes the relapse to occur.

It is not surprising that eating disorders are on the increase because of the value society places on being thin. Every time you walk into a store you are surrounded by the images of emaciated models that appear on the front cover of all fashion magazines. Thousands of teenage girls are starving themselves this very minute trying to attain what the fashion industry considers to be the "ideal" figure. The average model weighs 23% less than the average woman. Maintaining a weight that is 15% below your expected body weight fits the criteria for anorexia, so most models, according to medical standards, fit into the category of being anorexic. Teenagers need to realize that society's ideal body image is not achievable. The photos we see in magazines are not real either. Many people don't realize that those photos have gone through many touch ups and have been air-brushed to make the models look perfect. Teenagers striving to attain society's unattainable ideal image will just end up increasing their feelings of inadequacy.

Below is a link to an episode of True Life "I Have An Eating Disorder"

Part 1: http://youtu.be/CvuCdcMOyoo

Part 2: http://youtu.be/Kh7M8yNKQ7M

Part 3: http://youtu.be/tksXL5FQg4k

Part 4: http://youtu.be/JvItWDXmN7U

An Apple a Day...

submitted by: Maria Figueras

Do you remember the old adage that an apple a day keeps the doctor away? It has been common knowledge for ages now that healthy eating promotes healthy living. And for a while the apple a day was an obtainable and reasonable thing for most American families. However, in recent times we have seen a growing number of Americans who have little to no access to healthcare. It seems that the apple has been moved up to the highest branches of a tree where only those with sufficient means can reach it.

In 2010, 50 million Americans did not have access to health insurance while another staggering 25 million were being under-insured. Young adults and low-income families made up a vast majority of this number. Bad economic times have increased the number of those who live in poverty. With the average cost of health insurance per family rising up to $13,000 a year, it makes it nearly impossible for many families who are already struggling to meet these payments. Employers who used to offer good healthcare packages have either cut benefits completely, or their premiums have become too expensive for their employees to afford. As it is, currently 1 in 4 working young adults do not have medical insurance.

Minorities are being affected most by the rising costs of healthcare. As of 2010, 20.7% of African-Americans do not have health insurance. With the leading causes of health-related deaths among blacks being heart disease, cancer, and stroke, this leaves a large number of people at a higher risk. Hispanics have an even higher rate of uninsured patients at 32%. Heart disease and cancer are also leading causes of death in the Latino population. Without check-ups, preventable diseases go unknown until it is too late. And even with a payable doctor's fee, prescription drug prices are are 35-55% higher in the United States than in any other country!

So what are we doing about? Healthcare has become a hot topic in politics recently. It was one of the main focuses of the Obama campaign. It won't be until 2014 that Obama's Affordable Care Act that many more people will be able to have affordable healthcare coverage. While Obama has certainly put in the effort to reform healthcare, and there have been some signs of improvement, it will take a lot of work to pull the United States up from having one of the world's worst health care systems.

Humanity Overpowers HIV/AIDS

Submitted By: Jennifer Tran

In the United States, HIV/AIDS awareness has helped educate individuals about the cause and effects of the HIV/AIDS. It also helped individuals that have been infected to be able to feel comfortable in their skin and not feel ashamed of their status. On December 1 of each year, World AIDS Day is internationally held for people to show their support for people living with HIV and to remember those who have died. In America's society, and many other countries' societies alike, it is deemed shameful to have contracted the virus through sexual activity. But the stories told about how individuals contracted the virus is much deeper than just sexual activity, but the secrecy and shame that goes hand-in-hand with the virus leads many others to contract it as well. It is until we can end the silence on the HIV/AIDs that we can rid shame of it, and bring awareness to the issue.

It is unfortunate for many individuals that contract the virus but it should not be a burden for them to be able to survive with it and live their lives normally every day as each human being deserves to. It is given to human beings to live and live well, despite of their long or short comings. HIV/AIDS should not prevent a person to be able to live their lives in a healthy and joyful way, but it should emphasize on the importance of protection when it comes to sexual activity.

Whether you're HIV positive or negative, you can prevent others from contracting the virus or preventing yourself from contracting it. There are many methods and options for the practice of safe sex, and it should be taken into account, if one wishes to engage in sexual activity. HIV positive individuals should not have to live their lives in secrecy and shame because of the prejudice. We should embrace all human life at the mere fact that life is an extraordinary experience and everyone who is a survivor and is living should be accounted for to deserve to experience it.


A movement that is occurring through a film called "The Lazarus Effect" features many actresses and musicians advocate the awareness of HIVs, is promoting the small cost of .40c for 2 pills that helps HIV positive individuals survive in Africa. This video promotes how inexpensive it can be to provide people living in Africa with HIV, who have no option, 2 pills a day to help them survive. It is alarming that many people die from this virus every day because it is left untreated, but the pills are very inexpensive and can provide this life-restoring change for people to be able to live.

In conclusion, any individuals from many different societies and countries are infected with the virus but what we can do as a community. To embrace humanity and promote awareness to the virus, so that others may learn, understand, and take the options they need to take to be able to live their lives in peace, joy, and laughter.

THE NEW FACE OF POVERTY

Subnitted by: Hoang Nguyen

Does the unequal distribution of income in a society pose an additional hazard to the health of the individuals living in that society?  It is widely acknowledged that individual income is a powerful determinant of individual health. Health is related to both quantitative and qualitative aspects of material and social changes. Poverty is a risk factor for premature mortality and increased morbidity. How does it affect poor people? Why does it affect them?

 When people are poor, they often have a lot of things to worry about because they are lacking money, resources, prestige, education, or family support.  When people are under stress, they tend to make poor food choices.  Unfortunately, these food choices can create more stress in the long run as well as other health problems like obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and depression.  They also have bad habits such as drinking too much coffee or alcohol, excessive smoking, and eating food high in sugar and fat.

 

Poor people being skinny were already unusual twenty years ago.

 

   This is what new poverty look like today.

The tallest bar of the left represents the lowest income group and the highest race of obesity.

 

Logically, that doesn’t make sense and it contrary to our historical experience. How can they be the most likely to overweight with the least money on spending?  There are many reasons. Some focus on the foods. In a New York Times article, author Michael Pollan asks this very question…
“Compared with a bunch of carrots, a package of Twinkies is a highly complicated, high-tech piece of manufacture, involving no fewer than 39 ingredients, many themselves elaborately manufactured, as well as the packaging and a hefty marketing budget. So how can the supermarket possibly sell a pair of these synthetic cream-filled pseudo-cakes for less than a bunch of roots?

Pollan goes on to answer his own question…

“The Twinkie is basically a clever arrangement of carbohydrates and fats teased out of corn, soybeans and wheat — three of the five commodity crops that the farm bill supports, to the tune of some $25 billion a year.”

The most unhealthy foods and fattening  are the most cheapest food. Some reasons focus on the people.  Poor people are often uneducated, or too lazy to exercise, or just too busy working two jobs to have time to exercise. In addition, many poor neighborhoods don't have safe places in which to exercise. Poor neighborhoods have many fast food advertisements and restaurants.  If you are poor and hungry, you will buy the cheapest calories.  If you eat that type of food until you no longer feel hungry, you're eating too many calories.  In many cases, that's why poor people are fat.  Hunger is deeply wired into the human brain.  It doesn't just depend on getting enough calories.  Among other things, it depends on getting all the important nutrients.  It is especially sad because it is impossible to have a good healthy diet cheaply.  You have to take the time, have access to a kitchen, and to fresh fruit and vegetables.  However, most poor people don't have the time, or are not able to afford these fresh foods. 

We are what we eat so food is really an important matter.  "We" are the main factor that plays an important role in our own health.  No matter if we are rich or poor, we have to start educating ourselves and the next generation about living a healthy lifestyle.  It's not easy, and it will take a lot of efforts from the big corporations, the community and the government to create a new healthy and safety environment. We must start now!