Mexico's Food War

Lately, Mexico has been in the news because of the violent drug wars. But there is another war going on south of the border not getting the same attention, and that is the war on food. IPS News recently did this great video on Mexico's food security problem. In the 16 years since NAFTA has been in effect, have the lives of Mexicans and Americans really improved?

Mexico: Food Emergency from IPS Inter Press Service on Vimeo.

"I Know" Targets US Young Adults on HIV

According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), over 33 million people worldwide are living with HIV. In the United States most aid for preventing and treating the virus tends to go towards those living in the developing world. However, there has been criticism by many American advocates that the U.S. government has neglected to provide the same aid to a group in its own country which has been the most affected by the virus - African Americans. While African Americans represent over 12 percent of the U.S. population, they account for over half of all those being infected yearly and living in the United States with HIV. As the Obama administration starts to put together a national HIV/AIDS strategy - the first one in 20 years, other HIV activists are taking their message directly to the people via digital activism.

The "i know" effort is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Act Against AIDS campaign, which uses multiple social media platforms to reach out to African American youth with facts about HIV/AIDS with the aim to engage them in open conversation.

"By supporting frank conversations through social media, 'i know' creates an opportunity for young people to talk directly with each other about the issues that fuel this still-deadly disease," said Kevin Fenton, director of CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention. "Their ideas and involvement will be a critical part of the solution."

The campaign uses a mix of both old and new media. Followers have a choice of using Twitter, Facebook and texting to get alerts and status updates on HIV knowledge and attitudes, as well as links to information about HIV testing and prevention. The campaign's website allows users to identify local HIV testing sites and campaign events and video stories of those living with HIV. There are also radio and online video public service announcements that has actor Jamie Foxx calling for a new discussion on HIV.

Since the campaign's launch on March 4, hundreds of users have become followers of the various platforms and it seems that the campaign has initially succeeded in engaging users, as can be seen with the many status re-tweets and discussion. While it is good that social media is being used in this campaign, it should also be highlighted that the campaign's radio use is just as important, as many African-Americans still see the significance of this medium for getting out information within their community. However, it will take a longer amount of time to actually determine if both the online and radio efforts turn into offline actions.

Kenyan farmers use mobiles to secure crops

Whether it is a new home or a television, having good insurance is a pretty important thing to have to maintain a sound mind and prevent future problems for the many investments in our lives. So, it is no surprise that farmland should also be given the same consideration for insurance. A new protection policy in Africa is using technology to insure some of the world's most vulnerable farmers.

Last year's droughts throughout Africa were some of the worst in decades, causing higher food prices, illness among both people and animals and destroyed crops that took months to repair. To address these problems, the Agricultural Index Insurance Initiative at the Syngenta Foundation launched last week Kilimo Salama, Swahili for "safe farming", to provide insurance plans for Kenyan farmers.

Here is how it works: When purchasing seeds from an retailer, farmers register to insure their seeds by filling in the insurance card. The registration process is completed when the farmer sends a text message on their mobile phone, and a record is created in a database. A local weather station records the rainfall and sends the data to the insurance company, which then calculates a payout according to an agronomic model. At the end of the season the farmer receives a text message if there is a payout and can pick up their payout at the original retailer where the insurance was purchased.

Kilimo Salama actually began as a small pilot project last year with a group of 200 farmers in the central region of Laikipia. Most of the farmers were highly impressed with the program, as many of them received a payout of up to 80 percent. This year the insurance program will cover at least 5,000 maize and wheat farmers in Central, Rift Valley and Western provinces, which is at high risk of drought. This program shows that even a simple tool like a mobile phone can make a big difference in the lives of many.

Resolve to Eat Healthy in 2010

Food justice activist and journalist Michael Pollan was on the Daily Show last night, keeping it real about the war on Big Food. By the way, Jon Stewart on "Terror 2.0" and religious advice for Tiger Woods is funny and on point.

Hating Your Own Race

A friend of mine just forwarded me this, and I think it speaks for itself. SMH!

The White Beauty Myth (Documentary About Minorities In U.K. Wanting To Be White)

You are what you eat: Callaloo!

And for my last trick...for now, I will show you how to eat green.

My favorite dish is callaloo, a leafy vegetable originating from the Caribbean, cooked with onions, garlic and tomatoes. All of these items can be purchased at a farmers' market (Go Local!). Some people like to also add saltfish, pork or more vegetables, like carrots, okra and red peppers.

So here is my version.

Ingredients for 4 servings

*4 plum tomatoes
*1 large onion
*1 clove of garlic
*bunch of callaloo (approx. 15-20 stems with full leaves)
*extra virgin olive oil
*salt and pepper for taste

1. chop up all ingredients separately

2. saute tomatoes, onions, garlic, salt and pepper in a large frying pan with a tablespoon of olive oil for 5-7 minutes on a low fire.

3. mix in callaloo and let simmer on low fire for 10 minutes

4. turn off the heat and let it cool down, but eat it while it is still warm

Voila! I am master of the eco-kitchen!

Health Reform and Preventive Care?

I have been following the health care debate for the last few weeks. As I type this, I am watching White House press secretary Robert Gibbs defend President Obama's position on the public plan. For all the riots breaking out at health care town halls around the country, arguing about everything from death panels to socialism, when do we begin to have a discussion on preventive care and wellness?

Before we can truthfully have a real discussion about health reform in this country, we need to look at what's causes most health problems. The truth of the matter here is that most of these problems are related to lifestyle choices, namely cigarette smoking and obesity.

A recent survey from Health Affairs shows that $147 billion is spent annually on obesity-related problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, hypertension and certain cancers.

From WebMD:

If nobody in the U.S. were obese, we'd spend 9% less on health care. But more than a third of us are obese -- and another third of us are overweight.

That's a scary statistic. Here's a scarier one: 17% of U.S. children and teens are so overweight they're in the top 5% of body size for their age on growth charts. A less nice way to put it: these kids already are obese.

The health-related costs of obesity are rising. That's because more and more people are becoming obese, Finkelstein and colleagues calculate.

We have to have more discussions about making healthier food options available to everyone, which includes reexamining the persistent problem of "food deserts" and overhauling how Big Food has destroyed the food system (I will write about high fructose corn syrup later).

Also, regular exercise is important. Think about it: at the end of the day, a gym membership can be cheaper than a hospital bill.

John Mackey, I ain't mad at you.

From Wall Street Journal:

Recent scientific and medical evidence shows that a diet consisting of foods that are plant-based, nutrient dense and low-fat will help prevent and often reverse most degenerative diseases that kill us and are expensive to treat. We should be able to live largely disease-free lives until we are well into our 90s and even past 100 years of age.

Health-care reform is very important. Whatever reforms are enacted it is essential that they be financially responsible, and that we have the freedom to choose doctors and the health-care services that best suit our own unique set of lifestyle choices. We are all responsible for our own lives and our own health. We should take that responsibility very seriously and use our freedom to make wise lifestyle choices that will protect our health. Doing so will enrich our lives and will help create a vibrant and sustainable American society.

Check out this video I found on preventive care.

Brits use Twitter in support of NHS

Relations between Americans and the British have not always been the greatest. From the American Revolutionary War to the disagreement over the military campaign in Iraq, sometimes it might have seem like a good idea by Mother Nature that the Atlantic Ocean separates the two warring factions.

The latest battle has been taking place online. Currently, Americans are debating the future of its health care system. President Barack Obama has stated that he would like all Americans to have access to quality health care within the next decade. However, not only are Americans fighting each other over this issue in town hall meetings, Republican politicians have also accused Obama's plan to be a reflection of the UK's National Health Service (NHS), which has been viewed by some as being "socialist" at best and similar to a "death panel" at worst.

Of course, the Brits are not taking this laying down.

Over the last couple of days British and some Canadian folks have gotten onto Twitter, using the hashtag #welovetheNHS to campaign in support of their health care system against verbal attacks from their American counterparts. Here are a just few of the millions of tweets that have come up on this topic:

lollaloves: NHS free? You gotta be kidding me. You're all taxed through your nose for a health care with Third World standards. #welovethenhs

dontgetfooled: My grandmother had a major heart op on the NHS, for free, in her 80s. "Death panels" are a big fat lie... #welovethenhs

jetersfan: #welovethenhs NOT IF UR DEALING W/ A TERMINAL DISEASE AND NEVER SEE THE SAME DOCTOR TWICE!!!

editoriale: My son was premature, couldn't swallow, underweight and yellow. He'd have died without the NHS. Didn't cost me a f**king dime #WeLoveTheNHS

girlonasoapbox: #welovethenhs I wouldn't be typing this if it wasn't for free prescriptions and good care I have received from the NHS. Leave off you prats.

Pro-NHS campaigners are also adding "Twibbons" to their avatars to show their support. Last night, even British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his Sarah got into the debate with his own tweets.

@DowningStreet PM:NHS often makes the difference between pain and comfort, despair and hope, life and death. Thanks for always being there #welovetheNHS

@SarahBrown10 #welovetheNHS - more than words can say

The White House has put out generic rebuttals on their Twitter account about the attacks.

@whitehouse Don't believe everything you see on the web about health insurance reform. Pls share: http://bit.ly/maVkF #healthreform #hc09

U.S. Congress is expected to vote on health reform in the next few weeks, and many analysts say that Obama's plan might have an uphill battle to face, despite having a Democratic majority in both the House and Senate. Nonetheless, this Twitter face-off might be the first of many examples where people with disagreeing views might engage each other in civil debate.

Phil Wilson on black homophobia, HIV/AIDS

Black AIDS Institute CEO Phil Wilson recently attended the annual convention for the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the largest organization for black newspapers in the United States. For many years, there has been a reluctance to discuss HIV/AIDS, homosexuality and homophobia in the black community. Wilson, who is openly gay and HIV positive, tells it like it is.

From Seattle Medium:

“We started in a bad place,” Wilson said in an interview before addressing the annual convention of the National Newspapers Publishers Association (NNPA). “We started with the conventional wisdom that AIDS was about White gay men. So we got a free get out of jail card – it was about White people. If I am honest, I was included in that group.

“Secondly, it was about gay people and for most African-Americans, that means that it was not about us. Thirdly, we already had a full plate. AIDS really hit in 1980 to 1982 and we were dealing with unemployment, we were dealing with poverty, we were about to deal with welfare reform. There were all these issues that we were busy with. So this was an issue that we didn’t want to be a part of and we could make the excuse that all these other issues were more important.”

In the early 1980s, there were no Hollywood celebrities adopting HIV/AIDS as their pet project. For Blacks, confronting the issue of HIV/AIDS, there were also other considerations.

“There is an increased reluctance to take on any other possibility to be further stigmatized,” Wilson explained. “So, ‘I’m not willing to take on the banner of homosexuality and I’m not willing to take on the banner of drug use and I’m not willing to take on the banner of having a deadly disease.’”

Wilson began taking up those banners when he helped organize a candlelight vigil for AIDS victims in Los Angeles during the early stages of the epidemic. The issue became personal when Wilson, who is openly gay, learned in 1980 that he was HIV positive. His partner died of AIDS nine years later.

Unlike many Blacks, Wilson does not believe that homophia is any worse among African-Americans than Whites. However, he says, the rejection is much more painful.

“For Black and gay lesbians, we need our community to protect us against the bias of racism. Where do I go when I am called a nigger? I go to our church. I go to my mama and pappa – that’s where I go.

“But when I’m called a faggot, I don’t got anywhere else to go,” Wilson said, intentionally selecting his words for impact. “And particularly if the people who are calling me a faggot are my mommy, my daddy and my church.”

Wilson said White gay men have a different reality.

“When you are a White gay man, you’re still a White man and all of the privileges that go with being a White man are delivered to you,” he explained. “When I am a Black gay man, at the end of the day, I still have to be a Black man in America.”

As you all know, I have worked in the black press for a while now, and I have written articles here and there about these issues. Much of this discussion of battling stigma needs to be taking place in the black media, and I hope Wilson's attendence at the convention is a step forward.

Homelessness highlighted in video

The current economic downturn continues to take its toll in both industrialized and developing countries. According to a report from UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing Miloon Kothari, nearly one billion people around the world lack adequate housing, and approximately 100 million people have no housing of any kind. Recently, there have been efforts to spotlight the plight of society's most vulnerable members.

TakePart.com is a cause-related site designed to help explore today's pressing issues using video, images and audio, and added actions to make a difference such as signing a petition or educating the community. Their latest video is called Beth's Story, which looks at homelessness.

"Beth's Story, was created to shine a light on the millions of people living on the street who are often times overlooked, said TakePart.com organizer KC Webster. "She is a composite of their many complicated, often heartbreaking realities and of the issues and challenges lead to homelessness."

It is too early to tell the ultimate impact of the campaign, but so far, success has been made. Beth's Story has also been promoted on TakePart's blog, Twitter feed, text messaging and YouTube account, each tool has a few hundred followers supporting the cause.

"We are trying to get the word out about Beth's Story, to get as many
eyeballs to recognize the homeless issue as possible (On You Tube it is
already 21,555 views strong!) and to realize that even though most of us are
only exposed to numbing statistics, each individual number has a story," Webster said.

Michael Pollan on the swine flu

“Don’t Buy Any Food You’ve Ever Seen Advertised”
- Foodie Michael Pollan dropping knowledge

Blogger gives Obama food for thought

Since Barack Obama's ascension to the White House, there has been a spur of interest online to follow the light-hearted sides of his historic presidency, while providing serious commentary on the administration's policy decisions. Jounrnalist and self-described “ag policy wonkette” Eddie Gehman Kohan founded her popular blog Obama Foodorama to discuss all things related to the president and food, "one bipartisan byte at a time." In a previous interview, she said she does the blog because "everyone eats," and "if you can't find something to personally relate to in the panopoly of continents, races, time zones and family situations that created Barack, there's always food," she said. "[Obama's] competing reputations as both a comfort food lover, a junk food addict and a gourmet make him highly accessible no matter what the entry point."

But don't expect to just read posts about last weekend's White House Correspondents' Dinner or what the Obamas eat on their night on the town, Obama Foodorama has become one of the leading blogs on food justice and advocacy.

In addition to blogging about the finer side of dining, Gehman Kohan has also created a following on her blog and her tweets because of her funny yet indepth discussions about the administration's agriculture policy, food safety and food-related health problems. Some recent posts have been on first lady Michelle Obama's ground-breaking organic garden, Green jobs advisor Van Jones' plans for a greenroof garden on top of the White House and the recent protest by African American farmers calling on the president to redress years of racial discrimination. According to Gehman Kohan, Obama has inherited a global food crisis.

More from Gehman Kohan:

"Immediate changes are needed in the way CDC, FDA and USDA work together during disease outbreaks, as well as the need for appointing not so much a food safety "czar" as a food safety "mentor" to coordinate the activities of the three agencies. We're in the middle of a period of terrible economic downturn, which leads to both hunger issues and grocery bill issues, and we're trying to figure out a new energy policy, which is directly related to the use of varying kinds of ethanol...which is directly related to food crops.

Also, sadly, the US is the biggest importer of Chinese food products in the world, and the Chinese make the most dangerous food products in the world. The issues on the blog affect everyone whether they're an official "foodie" or not. Eventually the blog may turn back into what the tagline claims -- a daily diary, one byte at a time -- a historic, electronic document of Barack and food. Right now, we have all kinds of interviews scheduled with foodie thinkers and food/farm activists, chefs and restaurateurs, as well as guest posts from other bloggers, in addition to the usual fun Chowbama gossip..."

The real story behind the swine flu?

Bob Gottlieb, professor of urban and environmental policy and director of the Urban & Environmental Policy Institute (UEPI) at Occidental College, spoke to the fellows yesterday about food as an environmental justice issue. He alluded to the recent discussion in the food justice community about the possibly origin of swine flu, and the reluctance to discuss it public. Below might give some insight into this issue.

From Food and Water Watch:

Today, amid increasing international concern about the global swine flu outbreak, Food & Water Watch urged leaders of the U.S. Senate and House agriculture and health committees to investigate the serious human health problems caused by industrialized pork production. The national consumer advocacy organization submitted a letter to Chairman Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN), asking their respective committees to hold hearings examining the source of the swine flu virus, the pathway for transmission between hogs and humans, and the conditions inside factory farms that could foster the growth and mutation of the influenza virus into more virulent strains.

“Factory farms have a long track record of maximizing volume and profit at the cost of human health and safe food,” said Wenonah Hauter, Food & Water Watch executive director. “The swine flu outbreak is unfortunately just the latest example of the negative public health impacts from intensive pork production.”

Food & Water Watch warned of other potential threats to human health, including the discovery at U.S. hog facilities of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) – the difficult to treat staph infection – and antibiotic-resistant E. coli on operations using non-therapeutic antibiotics.

“The public health issues of disease transmission, antibiotic resistant bacteria and worker health are critically important to rural communities, workers, and consumers and any research into these issues must be done in a way that is independent of any industry pressure,” said Hauter in the letter. “Congress needs to prioritize these topics for credible research that is funded and performed by public entities, not the pork industry or its trade associations.”

Swine flu and tech life

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last two days, you should know that the world is being invaded by yet another health emergency - swine flu.

From CDC:

How common is swine flu infection in humans?
In the past, CDC received reports of approximately one human swine influenza virus infection every one to two years in the U.S., but from December 2005 through February 2009, 12 cases of human infection with swine influenza have been reported.
What are the symptoms of swine flu in humans?

The symptoms of swine flu in people are expected to be similar to the symptoms of regular human seasonal influenza and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Can people catch swine flu from eating pork?
No. Swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food. You can not get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork and pork products is safe. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160°F kills the swine flu virus as it does other bacteria and viruses.

Nonetheless, most people these days are not going to go to the CDC website to find information on this crisis.

From CNN:

Of the swine flu news on Twitter, Tompkins said, "Bad news always travels faster than good news. I'm sure that was true in smoke signal days."

Unofficial swine flu information on Twitter may lead people to unwise decisions, said Evgeny Morozov, a fellow at the Open Society Institute and a blogger on ForeignPolicy.com.

For example, some Twitter users told their followers to stop eating pork, he said. Health officials have not advised that precaution. Read about how the virus is transmitted

Morozov said there's incentive for Twitter users to post whatever is on their mind because it helps them grow their online audiences.

But in an emergency, that tendency means people write about their own fears of symptoms and widespread deaths, which can create an uninformed hysteria, he said.

Coincidentally, I was having a conversation with someone here at the 2009 Nonprofit Technology Conference about whether or not cities around the United States will become ghost towns, just like Mexico City in light of the illness. We happen to be leaving a workshop on cloud computing, and if a declared national emergency would require Americans to stay home, they would still be able to work virtually.

While cloud computing is the hot thing for employees who like telecommuting, are virtual offices a good thing for public health?

It has been proven that telecommuters are less likely to take sick days and be more productive due to good health, but there are also other benefits of cloud computing I learn about in the workshop that are also good for the employer.

What is good about Cloud Computing:

• No infrastructure: any web browser get you access
• Open: Internet standards and web services allow you to "mash" up clouds
• Quick Start: autonomic provisioning…try before your buy
• It costs less
• Flexibility: scale up and down to your organization’s needs; spend more time working on the mission of the organization
• Choice: you choose what apps and services you need as opposed to a vender deciding
• Capacity: skills and capacity needed are close to your mission
• Security: higher investment in state of the art security
• Upgrade: not a project, but rather automated behind the scenes
• Ongoing investment

What is bad (perceived) about Cloud Computing

• Worries about what happens to information after a vendor goes out of business
• Security of business information online
• No personal interaction with coworkers; no social interaction

If President Obama is serious about tech innovation while dealing with the growing number of health outbreaks, there would be no surprise if he were to ask Americans to think more seriously about working in the "clouds."

Can the new FDA head deliver?

President Obama has selected Dr. Margerat Hamburg as the new FDA czar.

From Time:

Dr. Hamburg, 53, known as Peggy, would be the latest in a string of high-achievers to join the Obama administration, with double degrees from Harvard and a successful run as New York City's youngest health commissioner under her belt.

Hamburg's career has focused on public health, bio-defense and disease control, and New Yorkers credit her with a substantial reduction in tuberculosis rates and increase in childhood immunizations during her tenure. She later served as an assistant health secretary in the Clinton administration, and she's currently a top scientist at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a group founded by Ted Turner to reduce the danger posed by "loose nukes" and other weapons of mass destruction.

Importantly, Hamburg is believed to be an acceptable choice to both the pharmaceutical industry and consumer advocates, a narrow tightrope any nominee must walk to win Senate confirmation.

Sounds good, but what is she going to do about the peanuts?

Peanuts for Obama

About President Barack Obama's first press conference...

From Washington Post:

Rather than engage in a spirited dialogue with members of the press corps, Obama filibustered. After an eight-minute opening statement, he got through only 13 questions in an hour -- and allowed no follow-up questions. His answers were an oddly unexciting combination of familiar talking points and wonky dissertations. It wasn't particularly good TV, and it wasn't necessarily what Obama needed, either...

I would give the president a "B+" for at least answering some hard questions on the economy. Maybe I would also give his press secretary, Robert Gibbs, extra credit for making the rounds on the morning cable shows today to peddle the White House's upcoming website, http://www.recovery.gov, which will be "part of an unprecedented effort to root out waste, inefficiency, and unnecessary spending in our government." But I digress for now...

If I had a chance to ask President Obama a question last night, it would certainly not have anything to do with Alex Rodriquez and steroids (why did you ask that question????).

My question: Mr President, do you promise that the next FDA commissioner will hold companies accountable for the safety of their products being sold to the American people?

Because of the "surprising" departure of Tom Daschle, the search for the new head of the Food and Drug Administration is being put on hold.

From Reuters:

..."In general, the Daschle mess slows everything down ... it has frankly really made a mess of all the appointments," said Capital Alpha Partners health care analyst Kim Monk.

On Friday, the White House said it planned to announce a new FDA commissioner in the next few days. But many FDA watchers have said a nominee is not likely until an HHS secretary is confirmed.

Many are eager for new leadership at the FDA, which regulates products that make up roughly a quarter of the nation's economy and has been hammered by a string of safety issues, from the withdrawal of Merck & Co Inc's Vioxx painkiller to the current salmonella outbreak from tainted peanuts...

While some people are concerned about dumb athletes and the choices they make in their personal lives, our food system is silently killing Americans, unbeknownst to them. Is it me, or does there seem to be more salmonella outbreaks that usual in recent years? Well, I say there is no coincidence to this issue. The latest outbreak - peanuts - started in a Georgia factory, where workers knew that their product was tainted and didn't bother to tell anyone.

Did you know that this is just business as usual in the corporate food world and the FDA? Food producers are not necessarily required (in practice) to tell the FDA that their products are crap. You did know that, right?

At least someone in Washington is keeping it real...

From Hartford Courant:

...While innocent people continued to get sick from contaminated peanut butter, the case lingered in jurisdictional limbo between the FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, causing critical delays. And when the salmonella's source was finally identified, FDA officials had to wait for industry approval before they could go live with the recall. That is not how a fully functioning regulatory agency is supposed to operate.

To truly fix inherent problems in our food safety system, we must fundamentally restructure the food safety bureaucracy at the FDA. Today, food safety is divided among multiple, separately managed units at the FDA — the Office of the Commissioner, the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, the Center for Veterinary Medicine, the field force (Office of Regulatory Affairs) and the National Center for Toxicological Research. As a result, there is no one single individual to be held accountable for food safety at the FDA or anywhere else at the federal level.

Separating food safety regulation from drug and device approvals would go a long way toward restoring the balance that has long been missing at the federal Department of Health and Human Services, and give food safety the attention it deserves. By establishing a Food Safety Administration within Health and Human Services, headed by its own commissioner, we can give food safety experts and researchers the room and the resources to do their jobs...

The New American Apartheid

Yesterday the U.S. Senate passed the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which will provide four million children with health insurance. It is estimated that 47 million Americans don't have health insurance; nine million of which are children.

From Washington Post:

...Lawmakers voted 66 to 32, largely along party lines, to renew the joint state-federal program and spend an additional $32.8 billion to expand coverage to 4 million more children. The expansion would be paid for by raising the cigarette tax from 39 cents a pack to $1.

The House approved similar legislation on Jan. 14, and President Obama is expected to sign a final version as early as next week...

But according to Marian Wright-Edelman, this is not enough, and more needs to be done for all of America's children.

During a speaking engagment on health disparities this morning at Morehouse College School of Medicine, the founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund said that another five million children will still not receive health coverage.

“We want every child, regardless of where they live, to be guaranteed health care, and [sic] CHIP doesn’t do that," she said.

Wright-Edelman proposed three steps to creating comprehensive health coverage for all children.

1. Coverage Must Be Affordable

2. Benefits Must Be Comprehensive

3. The System Must Be Simple and Seamless

She also said that while many believe the Obama administration has brought in a new era in U.S. race relations, Wright-Edelman isn't convinced that America is a "post-racial" society and that "disparities begins before birth."

According to the Children's Defense Fund, "relative to white children, Latino children are 28 percent less likely, and black children are 20 percent less likely, to be in excellent health. In total, fewer than half of all black and Latino children today are in excellent health."

Wright-Edelman said that the growing racial and economic disparities go beyond health care; disparities also have an effect on education, home life and the justice system, which she calls the "New American Apartheid."

Simply quoting German philosopher Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

"The test of morality in a society is based on how they treat their children," she said.

Human trafficking Continues Worldwide

Human trafficking is a global phenomenon that, unfortunately, continues to thrive today and claim many victims. It is believed that 27 million people - men, women and children - are enslaved in almost every country in the world. However, it is widely believed that slavery doesn't exist anymore. Today there are organizations using cyberspace to not only dispel the myth, but also motivate action on the cause.

The International Justice Mission has created a Facebook group to highlight this ever-present issue, with posted videos, newspaper articles and other resources to educate the public. The organization also urges group members to demand their local public officials to enact "harsher punishments for these offenders, and more comprehensive services in place to rescue and restore victims of human trafficking."

"A human life is not for sale," according to the group.

Health Disparities continue in America

I am always reading about new studies that I already knew about without having to be researcher. But seeing a study on paper can solidify your beliefs. Well, this "new" study is one of those moments for me.

From Kaiser Health Disparities Report:

People who live in poorer neighborhoods are less likely to have access to supermarkets that sell a variety of fresh produce and other healthy foods, according to the analysis. Researchers noted that supermarkets are more likely to sell a wide variety of healthy foods at lower prices, while convenience stores usually sell less healthy food at higher prices. Studies included in the analysis found that:

1. The likelihood that blacks would meet guidelines for fruit and vegetable consumption increased by 32% with every additional supermarket located near their home;

2. People who have a supermarket in their neighborhood have a reduced risk for obesity, while easy access to convenience stores increased obesity risk;

3. Predominately black neighborhoods had half as many supermarket chains as predominantly white neighborhoods, while Hispanic neighborhoods had one-third as many supermarket chains as white neighborhoods;

4. Healthy foods such as fresh produce, low fat dairy foods, high fiber breads and lean meats were more accessible and of higher quality in white neighborhoods than in non-white neighborhoods; and

5. Rural communities tend to have worse access to supermarkets.

Okay, so what else is new? I grew up in a predominately black community, and I can tell you first hand that I still see more liquor stores and fast food joints than legit supermarkets in that same community. Now that I am older, wiser and appreciative of good health and wellness, I see the lacking access to healthy foods in the community as detrimental problem. So much so that I really want to learn more about how to better report on health disparities. I just so happen to be attending a conference this week on this very issue. I plan on blogging about what is being said and done about this from the experts.

Stay tuned.

President Obama Achieves First Victories

No, silly rabbit, I am not talking about him being allowed to keep his Blackberry (although I am happy for him.)

I am talking about two good policy decisions President Obama has made since taking office. One is regarding closing down Guantanamo Bay.

From CNN Wire

In one of his first acts in office, President Obama has ordered the U.S. government to suspend prosecutions and review all cases of suspected terrorists at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, military officials announced late Tuesday.

Papers filed at the U.S. prison camp said the request is made “in the interest of justice and at the direction of the president of the United States.” It seeks a 120-day continuance in all cases to carry out a “thorough review of both pending cases and the military commission process generally.”

“The judges will receive the requests and review them, and we anticipate a ruling soon,” said Cmdr. Jeffrey Gordon, a Defense Department spokesman.

Also, on the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, President Obama is expected to overturn the Mexico City Policy.

From New York Times

There was also speculation about whether President Obama would use today’s anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision to reverse the so-called “Mexico City policy,” which forbids the flow of federal money to international family planning organizations that provide abortions or related services and counseling.

The policy, which President Ronald Reagan put in place in 1984, was repealed by President Clinton early in his term. President Bush’s reinstated the ban in his first executive order on Jan. 22, 2001.

Inspite of these positive agenda items, I guess my overall beliefs of Obama's long term vision is on the same line of thinking as Aaron MacGruder's, who understands the reality of American Empire.

But you know, I have pledged to make sure I will hold the Obama administration accountable whenever necessary and possible.

It was a good thing I looked at my email a few minutes because I got a notice about a really cool project the National Black Programming Consortium is doing these days.

The Virtual Open Letter project was conceived and produced as part of the New Media Institute 2008. The project was conceived as community record of voices to the new President Barack Obama and his administration. Here are the voices of all Americans eager to give the president their honest opinions on what he should prioritize as his administration deals with a tall order of crises.

To write a letter to President Obama: http://tothepresident.com/

Or give him a call at 866-927-1216

Who knows? Maybe Obama will see some of these comments on his Blackberry!