Category: Moving America Forward

A Software Program Yelps About NYC Restaurants That Violate Health Code

Posted on by robbie

The five boroughs of New York City boast a wide range of food options — from halal street food to world famous culinary cuisine. With help of online review sites like Yelp, residents can navigate the overwhelming number of dining options.

And as it turns out, these user-generated commentary sites can be used for more than figuring out where to book a table on a Saturday night.

As New York’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene figured out, these online reviews are an important source in discovering restaurants violating health code.

Using a software program created by experts at Columbia University, the city mined 300,000 Yelp restaurant reviews (between July 2012 and March 2013) where patrons complained of vomiting, diarrhea, or other details following a meal that could signal food-borne illness, according to the New York Times.

Their findings? Out of 893 possible cases that needed further investigating,  56 percent illustrated an incident akin to food-borne illness, according to a recent federal Center for Disease Control’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

MORE: Will Philly Be Known for Healthy Produce Instead of Cheesesteaks? 

Though the method is not entirely accurate — there’s no way to tell if the food poisoning came from somewhere else — health inspectors were able to find three restaurants in violation of code.

One eatery was discovered to have bare-handed contact with ready-to-eat food, while another failed to properly clean work surfaces and was found to have cross-contamination of ingredients in the refrigerator. Health inspectors found evidence of cockroaches and mice at a third restaurant as well.

“With food-borne illnesses, it’s much better to reach people sooner,” medical epidemiologist Dr. Sharon Balter told the New York Times. “When investigating an outbreak, we want to know what people who got sick ate, who else was with them and what items they all ate together. If you wait, people forget.”

During the pilot program, officials culled potential cases using a week’s worth of Yelp data at a time, but now experts are combing through the data daily in attempt to prevent future outbreaks. Officials are encouraging other online review sites to contribute to the project to benefit public health.

And while the innovative, cost-effective experiment is fair from perfect, it goes to show that social media can be used for far more than just to #humblebrag or #tbt.

Poverty Doesn’t Prevent These Kids From Having Fabulous Feet

Posted on by robbie

While harried middle-class parents might worry about finding the time to chauffeur their kids to all their different after-school activities, low-income families have a different problem: They can’t afford these activities at all.
Dance lover Catherine Oppenheimer didn’t want to let money stand between kids and the chance to dance (which, with costumes, costumes, classes, contest entry fees, and shoes, is one of the most expensive pastimes).
Oppenheimer began her career as a professional dancer with the New York City Ballet. Her mentor there, Jacques d’Amboise, not only led the company in performing, but he also established the National Dance Institute in New York to give inner-city kids a chance to dance. When Oppenheimer retired from performing, d’Ambroise encouraged her to bring such a program to another group of needy kids in New Mexico.
So two decades ago, Oppenheimer went and founded the National Dance Institute of New Mexico (NDI). Last year, the program taught dance to 8,000 kids in 80 public schools in the southwest state, according to the PBS NewsHour. It costs $5 million to run the organization, but fundraising covers the bulk of that so the majority classes are free, including in-school instruction for fourth and fifth graders and after school classes for preschoolers and older dancers.
The program culminates in a big show that gives the kids a chance to shine, such as one that recently featured 500 dancers in the Santa Fe school district, as well as some of their parents and a group of local firefighters.
In a 2013 study that measured the health and well-being of American students, New Mexico ranked last among all states. But an independent study found that kids participating in NDI raised their grades in science and math and improved their physical fitness.
Sixteen-year-old Emery Chacon, who has been dancing with NDI since fourth grade, believes dance has made a difference in his life. “Yes, my grades before, they were moderate, from C’s to — like C’s and D’s, but now, actually, with NDI, it’s actually improved to B’s and A’s in most of my classes,” he told Kathleen McCleery of the PBS NewsHour.
Through the years, NDI New Mexico has produced a few professional dancers. But more importantly, it’s created many more dedicated students who continue to perform the right steps toward a promising future.
MORE: Music Can Change A Troubled Kids’ Life. Here’s The Proof.
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Playing with Purpose: Toys That Encourage Girl Power

Posted on by robbie

If you want children to change the world, it makes good sense to plant inspiration in something they’re already familiar with: toys.
That’s the strategy new company IAmElemental is taking with a series of action figure toys for girls. Their debut set, which just completed a successful Kickstarter fundraising round, is centered around courage. Each of the action figures within the collection embraces a different aspect of courage, such as bravery, industry and persistence, among others. IAmElemental takes it a step further by assigning each toy an “element” logo from a courage-themed periodic table.
“Our mission is to create toys for play experiences that allow girls to envision themselves as strong, powerful and connected beings at the center of a story of their own making,” write co-founders Julie Kerwin and Dawn Nadeau on their site. “We believe that when we tap into the power that exists inside us all, the extraordinary is always possible.”
The two mothers decided to launch IAmElemental after years of being disappointed by the toy options that lined store shelves, where action heroes and trucks are often reserved for boys, while girls can choose from Barbies and miniature kitchen sets. And they’re certainly not alone: both critics and parents alike have spoken out against sexism in toys, and the manner in which toys are marketed to boys and girls. And while each toy has a character trait assigned to it, Kerwin and Nadeau hope that kids will ultimately create their own superhero storyline to go with each product, and that the toys serve as a launching pad for young children to create their own change in the world.
Kerwin and Nadeau created IAmElemental to fill a void of inspirational action figure toys for girls, but they don’t want their toys to be exclusive to young women. The company is encouraging young girls and boys to submit pictures of themselves holding signs of their own elemental power as a way to spread heroic stories and foster a sense of community around like-minded young children.
Young superheroes can share their pictures and stories here.

These Jailed Journalists Provide a Glimpse of Life Behind Bars

Posted on by robbie

What if you had a chance to hear an inmate’s perspective on some of the country’s most controversial debates in the criminal justice system? Would you want to know how they feel about overcrowding in prisons or transgender relations behind bars?
In an effort to provide those incarcerated with a positive outlet, as well as giving the world well-reported journalism (held to the same standards as other established publications), the San Quentin News is fielding reporters from an unlikely place: California’s San Quentin Prison.
The staff of 15 — which is comprised of male felons serving time for crimes ranging from burglary and home invasion to murder and a Ponzi scheme — publishes a monthly newspaper with a circulation of 11,500 readers. The paper was founded in 1940, but six years ago, it was revived as a serious journalistic publication, according to the New York Times.
In a trailer next to the prison yard, reporters and editors pour over stories on topical issues including the availability of bras for transgender inmates and a federal court order regarding mental health care for death row prisoners.
Managing editor Juan Haines, 56, mandates his reporters use “boots on the ground” journalism in tackling tough issues.

“It’s about being heard in a place that’s literally shut off from the world,” said Haines, who is serving a sentence of 55 years to life for a bank robbery. “We can go right into the yard and get a quote about how inmates are affected by policy decisions.”

“The Pulse of San Quentin,” as the paper calls itself, is distributed to 17 prisons as well as the 3,855 people at San Quentin. Other topics covered include sports stories on the San Quentin Giants and the A’s as well as entertainment, baby announcements, man-on-the-street interviews and holiday greetings. For members of the public, an annual subscription costs $40.

MORE: Cooking Up Change at an Illinois Prison

The subscriptions, along with donations and grants, fund the printing and distribution. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations does not contribute any funding, but prison authorities approve all content. Earlier this year, the news operation was suspended for 45 days for swapping a photo without approval.

But the paper is not alone in its enterprise. Volunteers and students from the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkley offer editorial and research support. Richard Lindsey, a former staff member who received parole last year, also maintains his connection to the paper by pouring over studies from the Vera Institute of Justice, the Pew Research Center and other scholarly sources to assist reporters. Students from the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership at UC Berkley have advised the staff on developing a 12-year business plan that includes increasing the number of paid subscribers to subsidize the paper for free copies for inmates.

“When they [prisoners] get involved and see they’re accomplishing something, that could be the one positive tick mark in the ‘good’ column for them,” said former San Quentin warden Robert L. Ayers, Jr.

With writing, he said, “they start expressing themselves in ways other than physical or violent means.”

Ayers revived the publication from the “inmate rant rag” it was into journalistic enterprise that it now is. Though he received pushback, he believes it’s an important outlet for San Quentin’s inmates.

“I’m just trying to give back, to deal with the rips and tears I’ve made in the universe,” said one of the staff members and inmate Glenn Padgett. The 50-year-old, known as Luke, stabbed a man to death and set fire to his home to conceal the crime at the age of 33.

But the work is more than a means of redemption. In fact, more recently the Northern California chapter of Society of Professional Journalists recognized the San Quentin News with one of its James Madison Freedom of Information Awards.

Perhaps it’s just an exercise of the mind for some reporters, but this newspaper is setting out to prove that sometimes the best form of journalism comes from giving a voice to the unheard.

This Army Dad’s Mission? To Attend His Daughter’s Graduation

Posted on by robbie

Kids who have a parent serving in the military must grow up knowing that their mom or dad faces the very difficult challenge of balancing their responsibilities in the Armed Forces with their family life.
That was the bittersweet reality facing Ruby Robinson as she celebrated receiving her degree from Columbia University’s engineering program. Ruby’s father, U.S. Army Reserve Captain Keith Robinson, had been stationed in northern Afghanistan for the last six months, and she understood that he would not be able to make it to her commencement ceremony.
However, in an amazing stroke of luck, the Captain was given approval to leave his unit. To make it to the ceremony in New York City, he embarked on a journey that lasted more than 14 hours — leaving Kuwait and making stops in Washington, D.C., and Denver along the way. Miraculously, he made it just in time for the ceremony.
With a bouquet of flowers in hand, the proud father greeted and gave a warm embrace to the new Ivy League grad. Tears of joy immediately flow from Ruby’s eyes and the crowd goes wild with applause and cheers.
“Congratulations, young lady,” he tells her in the clip. “I’m so proud of you.”

As Today.com reports, the army captain will remain in the U.S. for two weeks before returning to Afghanistan, where he will remain until the fall. As for his daughter, Ruby will be moving to California in the summer to start a job at Amazon.
Despite being apart, it sounds like they’re both fulfilling the duties that they trained for.
MORE: You Won’t Believe What This Veteran Received Upon His Homecoming

The Talk Around Town: This New Orleans Project Gives Residents A Voice

Posted on by robbie

In the wake of the National Security Administration leaks, Americans have become a bit more wary about the issue of privacy. Which makes what New Orleans is doing with recording devices even more interesting.

The Big Easy is using them to spark conversation about local news. How so, you may be asking?

Local NPR affiliate WWNO teamed up with nonprofit Internews to create a few digital recording sculptures scattered throughout the city. These “Listening Posts” are a community media project that encourages residents to share thoughts, commentary, and ideas on anything from health care and coastal erosion to football and city tourism.

Each week, the radio station asks a group of questions on a topic and invites locals to speak up, using the microphones or a text messaging response system that sends out a survey. WWNO then selects the best responses to share on the air, online, and with community groups and city departments, according to Ozy.

Local artist Jacques Duffourc was tapped to design the four sculptures, which are made from earth-friendly recycled cardboard. The sculptures shaped like a lamppost, a tree, a fish and a totem pole with a bird sitting atop it, and the microphones are hidden within each structure.

“We wanted to take the scariness away from the microphone,” says Duffourc.

Internews journalist Jesse Hardman came up with the idea with WWNO news director Eve Troeh in an effort to include more positive coverage aside from shootings and crime that typically dominate news coverage. Hardman said he wanted to create a “citywide conversation” while Troeh posed the idea of dropping a mic into a neighborhood. From there, the “Listening Post” was born.

The result has led to a more engaged community on important issues, with some using the media project to voice what they would like to see covered in the news. Residents are asked to spend time with the public art devices, which are located at two libraries, a barbershop, and a mobile unit that appears at various events citywide. The radio station also enlists interns to help people with the devices.

While online comments sections and social media enable news organizations to gain more local insight, the “Listening Post” aims to more directly strike up a conversation with its listeners. If residents know that someone is listening, that just might be the solution in developing a more active and engaged audience.

Ask the Experts: How to Bring Fresh, Healthy Food to the Neediest Families

Posted on by robbie

We are a nation where rolling plains are covered in fields of wheat and corn, where rivers are filled with tumbling salmon, where orchards abound and valleys are filled with row upon row of vegetables. And yet millions of families live within our borders with empty cupboards and hungry children. In 2011, about 18 million households in the United States were described as “food insecure” — having limited or uncertain access to safe, nutritious foods — according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “More importantly, households with children are nearly twice as likely to be food insecure,” according to a recent analysis by the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Share Our Strength, which noted that about 4 million American families have children who lack access to adequate nutritious food. For children, food insecurity heralds a lifetime of future problems, including deficits in health and academic achievement.
Simply providing government assistance isn’t enough. A 2012 study at the Harvard School of Public Health found that people participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), often referred to as food stamps, eat less healthy diets — with fewer whole-grain products and more potatoes, red meat and sugary soft drinks — than people who didn’t receive SNAP benefits. The study didn’t make clear exactly why this is so, but part of the problem has to do with access. Many residents of low-income neighborhoods, urban or rural, don’t have easy access to grocery stores or other fresh-food options — the so-called food desert problem.
It’s an issue that’s received a lot of attention, but so far, few scalable solutions. So NationSwell asked the experts to weigh in on this question: How can we bring healthy food to our neediest neighborhoods? Read below for their hopeful responses, and then leave your thoughts in the comments box below.
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Internet Week NY: The Rise of Mission-Driven Media

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“If you want to stand out, you have to stand for something,” Upworthy Co-Founder Peter Koechley said minutes before five members of the new mission-driven media took the stage on Thursday at Internet Week NY. Founder and CEO of NationSwell Greg Behrman joined representatives from four other outlets that aspire to fulfill both halves of that mantra.
Together, the group parsed the notion that the content they most want to produce, that seems most worthwhile or newsworthy, could also drive traffic and generate a sustainable revenue model.
The panel included Neil Barsky, Founder and CEO of The Marshall Project, a nonprofit that covers the criminal justice system; Melissa Bell, Executive Editor of VOX Media, a digital media company that consists of seven websites; David Kirkpatrick, Co-Founder and CEO of Techonomy, a website that covers the intersection of technology and the economy; and Yvette Alberdingk Thijm, Executive Director of Witness.org, a nonprofit that uses video to divulge human rights abuse.
See what these influencers had to say below.
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What’s The Best Way to Convince Parents to Vaccinate Their Kids?

Posted on by robbie

Fewer parents are following the recommended vaccination schedule for their kids, and as a result, outbreaks of measles, mumps, and whooping cough are on the rise in America.
In order to protect people who are too young or too sick to receive vaccinations, 90 percent of a community must be vaccinated. But when these like-minded anti-vaccine parents cluster in certain areas of the country, it’s a recipe for disaster, and preventable outbreaks result.
In 2011, 15 states saw their vaccination rates slip below the 90 percent threshold, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And last year brought the worst measles outbreak in America since the 1990s — with hundreds of cases across the country, including 58 cases in a non-vaccinating community in New York, with each costing an average of $10,000 to treat.
What has caused parents’ refusal to vaccinate their kids? The authors of a recent Academy of American Sciences report say, “Over the past two decades, a combination of fraudulent scientific studies, irresponsible reporting, and well-meaning but misinformed citizen activists has led to a steady increase in the proportion of parents who have concerns about the recommended childhood vaccine schedule. While overall vaccine uptake rates in the United States remain high, these concerns have resulted in a significant expansion in the number of parents who are delaying, and in extreme cases even refusing, vaccines for their children.”
So what can public health officials do to educate parents on the importance of vaccinating their kids?
A study published this year in Pediatrics (the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics) suggests that trying to scare parents into vaccinating by using pictures of kids suffering from measles, stories about kids almost dying, or literature about the lack of evidence that the MMR vaccine causes autism are not effective. (These findings are contrary to other public health campaigns in which disturbing images have been successful.) In fact, the pictures of sick kids and dramatic stories actually increased misperceptions about the MMR vaccine.
The authors of the study conclude that more research should be done to find an effective way to convince parents that vaccines are safe and necessary, including relying on trusted people to deliver information about vaccines. “Given that parents rate their children’s doctor as their most trusted source of vaccine safety information,” they write, “future research should explore whether pediatricians would be an especially persuasive source.”
MORE: Can Comic Books Help Spread Public Safety Messages?
 

Could More Education Increase the Number of Organ Donations in America?

Posted on by robbie

Each year, about 400,000 Americans with kidney disorders undergo regular dialysis — a costly and time-consuming procedure — to remain alive.
Ideally, these people would receive kidney transplants so they wouldn’t have to spend hours each week tethered to a dialysis machine, but the demand for donated organs in the United States far outweighs the supply. (According to the PBS NewsHour, the wait for a kidney in America averages three to five years.)
Why, you might ask? In part, because many Americans just aren’t aware of how important it is to register as a potential organ donor. Add that to the fact that the topic of organ donation makes some people squeamish and unwilling to discuss it with loved ones.
But a series of new programs in Australia might provide a model for how to promote organ donation in the United States. Australia’s recent interventions have increased the rate of donation to the highest it’s been in 25 years. What’s the secret from Down Under?
Yael Cass, the CEO of the Organ and Tissue Authority told Sara James of the PBS NewsHour, “The key thing that we’ve done is that we’ve picked best practice from around the globe.”
Those include raising public awareness of the problem through media campaigns and offering paid leave from work from living donors. Additionally, the Australian government reimburses employers for the time donors take off to recuperate.
Australia also trained 600 health professionals in important techniques related to organ donation — such as how to broach the topic of donation with grieving families. They also created a kidney donation database that registers and compares the stats of the chronically ill waiting for kidneys with those of potential donors.
These efforts have increased the rates of donation in Australia by 60 percent over the last four years, Cass said.
The policies made the difference in Rosemary Wehbe deciding to become a donor for her brother. She didn’t want to lose income from her work as a photography teacher in Sydney, but because of the reimbursement program, she didn’t have to worry about that. Her brother, Simon, told James, “What is it like to feel like someone saved your life? I owe her my life, really.”
Let’s hope that the U.S. considers adopting some of these pro-donation policies and that more lives are saved as a result.
 
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