Category Archives: General

New Report Reveals Food, Water Disparities along U.S.-Mexico Border

By Guest PostSeptember 4, 2012Economy, General, Politicsagricultural field, american corporations, arizona, boundary, california, canning kitchen, change, colorado, daylights, disparity, food, foodshed, gary nabhan, globalized economy, human survival, hungry, jeffrey m banister, Mexico, mexico border, minnesota, multi cultural, new mexico, nicaragua, nogales, oregon, ranchlands, republic, risk, skilled labor, sonora, taco wagons, texas, united states, university, US, water

A UA study has found poverty, water scarcity, food insecurity and interdependence between the United States and Mexico along the border.

The U.S.-Mexico border is the border in the world with the greatest disparity in access to food and water needed for human survival, according to a report commissioned and published by the Southwest Center at the University of Arizona.

An endowment from the Kellogg Foundation and a UA Confluencenter for Creative Inquiry grant supported the study and its focus on assessing transborder food systems to understand water scarcity and food insecurity within the borderlands region.

The report underscores how in the globalized economy, Arizona and the rest of the United States rely on the skilled labor, water, fresh produce, fish, shellfish and livestock originating in northern Mexico; while in Mexico, the population is increasingly dependent upon frozen and processed foods originating in the United States. (more…)

African-American Males Most Likely to Lose Academic Scholarships, MU Study Finds

By Guest PostSeptember 3, 2012Culture, Education, Generalacademic success, african american, charles menifield, culture, dormitories, Environment, holistic approach, hope scholarships, male, missouri, retention rate, scholarship, tennessee residents, university

MU researcher recommends a “holistic” approach to student scholarship retention

COLUMBIA, Mo. — College student retention and low graduation rates are the most significant problems associated with state-provided financial aid. Now, a University of Missouri researcher has found that African-American males are the most likely to lose state lottery-funded scholarships with academic stipulations. Charles Menifield, a professor in the Truman School of Public Affairs at MU, found that more than 50 percent of African-American males lost state-funded scholarships over the course of a four-year academic career.

“Race turns out to be one of the best predictors of scholarship retention rates,” Menifield said. “This research strongly suggests that colleges and universities that desire to maintain diversity should at minimum target minority students, particularly African-American males, and determine how best to improve academic success.” (more…)

Haitians Struggle with the Costs Associated with Crime

By Guest PostSeptember 1, 2012General, Politics2010 earthquake, athena kolbe, bribe, burial cost, daniel barker, economic cost, funeral, gonaives, haiti, haitian national police, igarape institute, les cayes, marie puccio, michigan, murder rate, political science, port au prince, property crime, robert muggah, sexual assault, trauma, university, urban community, violent crime

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— As violent crime continues to rise in Haiti, more households are helping their children cope with the trauma as well as deal with burdensome funeral and burial costs, a new University of Michigan report indicated.

Violent crimes were more common in densely packed zones in Haiti’s largest urban communities, including Port-au-Prince, Les Cayes and Gonaives.

Researchers released the new survey that looks at the economic costs of violent crime in Haiti. The report is the second in a monthly series that features longitudinal surveys of 3,000 households from August 2011 and July 2012. (more…)

How to Become James Bond: Online Deals on Electronics

By Guest PostAugust 30, 2012General, Technology4g smartphone, Amazon, auction format, best buy, computer revolution, ebay, ebook readers, electronic device, electronics, favi a3, fujifilm xpro1, james bond, motorola, movie projector, omnibus company, online deals, online publication, online storefront, pc magazine, reinisha goldfarb, Samsung, samsung galaxy nexus, smartphone, sony ericsson, tablet computer, technology market, ubid, verizon wireless, vintage look, wifi pico projector

Today’s technology market is saturated with electronic devices from smartphones and e-book readers to sleek tablet computers and digital media players. The consumer challenge is knowing what these devices do, where they can be purchased, and which storefronts afford the optimal blend of affordability and marquee products. Oftentimes the best prices can be found online because digital sellers are competing with one another, which leads to competition and lower cost to the consumer. That said, this article will look at some online storefronts as well as online publications that critique the products sold at those online storefronts. The goal is to help the consumer find the best deals on cutting-edge technologies.

uBid.com

This company has been around since 1997 and its auction format, layout, and customer satisfaction measures are very similar to eBay. At any rate, uBid.com states in its credo that it functions as a top auction site that caters to new, overstock, rectified, and closeout products. This means that the customer is receiving a well cared for product at an extremely low cost! uBid showcases twenty five categories and one of which is electronics. uBid carries the latest computers, tablets, phones and cameras. Unlike eBay, uBid’s products are usually sold in bulk and there are many available – perhaps this accounts for the bargain basement deals! Many of the items and auctions on uBid, including electronics, start at only one dollar! (more…)

Parents and Readers Beware of Stereotypes in Young Adult Literature Says MU Researcher

By Guest PostAugust 28, 2012Culture, Generalabnormal, adolescents, breaking bad, emotional development, friday night lights, gender roles, genre, glee, harry potter, heterosexual relationship, homophobia, hunger games, infection, julie passanante elman, literature, medical dramas, negative stereotype, racism, realm, romantic relationship, sexual attractiveness, sexuality, taboo, teen, teen sick lit, twilight, university of missouri

Newly described teen literature genre propagates negative portrayals of the sick and disabled

COLUMBIA, Mo. — A newly defined genre of literature, “teen sick-lit,” features tear-jerking stories of ill adolescents developing romantic relationships. Although “teen sick-lit” tends to adhere to negative stereotypes of the ill and traditional gender roles, it also explores the taboo realm of sexuality, sickness and youth, says the University of Missouri researcher who named the genre in a recent study. Readers and their parents should be aware of how the presentation of disease and disability in these stories can instill prejudices and enforce societal norms in young adults, notes the researcher.

“Teen sick-lit depicts its chronically ill protagonists, who are usually white middle-class females, merely as vehicles for well people’s emotional development rather than as self-actualized women with their own experiences, perspectives, and emotional needs,” said Julie Passanante Elman, assistant professor in women’s and gender studies in the College of Arts and Science. “As the popularity of fiction aimed at young adults, such as the Twilight, Harry Potter and Hunger Games series, continues to grow, it is important for readers and parents to note the ethical subtexts of the books. Similarly, the proliferation of sick or disabled characters on such television shows as “Glee,” “Friday Night Lights” and “Breaking Bad” doesn’t always equate to positive portrayals of those characters.” (more…)

Model Shows Dramatic Global Decline in Ratio of Workers to Retired People

By Guest PostAugust 26, 2012Economy, General, Politicsadrian raftery, aids epidemics, bayesian statistical approach, China, developed countries, elderly adults, fertility rate, gerhard heilig, hana sevcikova, hiv, India, nan li, Netherlands, patrick gerland, population prediction, prediction, statistical method, statistical model, united kingdom, united nations, united states, university of washington, working age adult, worldwide phenomenon

A new statistical model predicts that by 2100 the number of people older than 85 worldwide will increase more than previously estimated, and there will be fewer working-age adults to support them than previously expected.

The findings, reported by researchers at the University of Washington and the United Nations, suggest an even greater decrease in the coming decades in support for social security programs for elderly adults.

Lead author Adrian Raftery, UW professor of statistics and sociology, was surprised by how dramatically the proportion of the world’s “oldest old” will increase by the end of the century. (more…)

God as a Drug: The Rise of American Megachurches

By Guest PostAugust 25, 2012Culture, Generalamerican christians, american megachurche, atmosphere, charismatic leadership, charismatic pastor, christianity, denver, drug, emotional energy, evangelical revivalism, god, holy spirit, hybrid, james wellman, kate stockly meyerdirk, katie e corcoran, message, multisensory mélange, rise, ritual chains, rob bell, rock music, san diego megachurch, sense, sensory pageantry, spiritual growth, spirituality, stagecraft, stereotyped, university of washington, vision

American megachurches use stagecraft, sensory pageantry, charismatic leadership and an upbeat, unchallenging vision of Christianity to provide their congregants with a powerful emotional religious experience, according to research from the University of Washington.

“The megachurches movement is one of the leading indicators of how American Christians exercise their faith these days, so therefore they should be understood,” said James Wellman, associate professor of American religion at the University of Washington. “And our study shows they’re doing a pretty effective job for their members, based on self-reports, contrary to public opinion that tends to pass them off as a type of consumerist religion. In fact, their members speak eloquently of their spiritual growth.” (more…)

Chain of Violence: Study Shows Impact on Palestinian and Israeli Children

By Guest PostAugust 23, 2012Culture, General, Politicsactual violence, aggressive behaviour, chain of violence, children, eric dubow, israeli, israeli arab, israeli jewish, khalil shikaki, l rowell huesmann, middle east, neighborhood, palestinian, palestinian children, paul boxer, shira gvirsman, simha landau

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— Children exposed to ethnic and political violence in the Middle East are more aggressive than other children, a new study shows. And the younger children are, the more strongly they are affected, in a “chain of violence” that goes from political and ethnic strife, to violence in communities, schools, and families, and ends with their own aggressive behavior.

“Our results have important implications for understanding how political struggles spill over into the everyday lives of families and children,” says psychologist Paul Boxer, lead author of the study.

The study, forthcoming in the peer-reviewed journal Child Development, was conducted by a consortium of researchers from the U.S., Palestine, and Israel, and funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, part of the National Institutes of Health. (more…)