Editor’s Note from IIHS website: Home team loss makes crashes go up
Collision claims go up in ZIP codes around NFL stadiums on game days, especially when the home team loses, a new HLDI analysis has found. 
The rate of collision claims from ZIP codes around NFL stadiums is higher on days when the home team loses or ties than when it wins, a new study from the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) shows.
HLDI analysts looked at collision claims for ZIP codes in which the 31 NFL stadiums are located, as well as adjacent ZIP codes. Claim frequency was higher on home game days, compared with other days. The effect was especially pronounced in the ZIP codes where the stadiums are located, though it was also present in the surrounding ZIP codes.
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Status Report, Vol. 49, No. 11 | December 23, 2014
Safety gains ground:
The number of vehicles earning either of the Institute’s two awards has jumped to 71 from 39 this time last year, giving consumers more choices for optimum protection in crashes. The number of winners in the top tier — Top Safety Pick+ — has increased by 11 for 2015, despite a tougher standard for front crash prevention.
“This is the third year in a row that we are giving automakers a tougher challenge to meet,” says IIHS President Adrian Lund. “The quest for Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards is driving improvement in the small overlap front crash test and getting manufacturers to offer automatic braking technology on more and more vehicles.”
While the bar has been raised for Top Safety Pick+, the criteria for Top Safety Pick are unchanged: a good or acceptable rating in the small overlap front test and a good rating in each of the Institute’s four other crashworthiness evaluations — moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints (see “A higher standard: 39 vehicles meet new criteria for TOP SAFETY PICK, TOP SAFETY PICK+,” Dec. 19, 2013). The 2015 Top Safety Pick+ designation is awarded to vehicles that meet those criteria and also have an available front crash prevention system that earns an advanced or superior rating.
For 2014, vehicles could qualify for TOP SAFETY PICK+ with only a basic rating for front crash prevention. Warning systems that meet the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s performance criteria but don’t include autobrake qualify for a basic rating. For an advanced or superior rating, vehicles must stop or slow down without driver intervention before hitting a target in IIHS tests at 12 mph, 25 mph or both (see “First crash avoidance ratings under new test program: 7 midsize vehicles earn top marks,” Sept. 27, 2013).
As a result of the change in criteria for 2015, 15 vehicles that qualified for 2014 TOP SAFETY PICK+ are now simply TOP SAFETY PICK winners. In all, there are 33 TOP SAFETY PICK+ winners and 38 TOP SAFETY PICK winners.
“Although forward collision warning on its own is a valuable feature, we decided to tighten our criteria to encourage manufacturers to offer autobrake. Systems that don’t require a driver response to avoid or mitigate a crash have the most potential for reducing crashes,” Lund says. “Nevertheless, the models that are losing their plus signs are still great choices for safety, as are all the TOP SAFETY PICK winners.”
Meeting the small overlap challenge
Most vehicles produced in recent years have had little trouble with the Institute’s moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests. The small overlap front test, which replicates what happens when the front corner of a vehicle collides with another vehicle or an object such as a tree or a utility pole, represented a new hurdle when it was introduced in 2012 (see “Small overlap crashes: New consumer-test program aims for even safer vehicles,” Aug. 14, 2012). The test is difficult because the crash forces bypass most of a vehicle’s energy-absorbing structure. But small overlap crashes are common in the real world, so the Institute wanted to push manufacturers to look for solutions.
For 2013, IIHS continued to award TOP SAFETY PICK to vehicles that earned good ratings in the four older tests, regardless of their small overlap ratings. Those with good or acceptable small overlap ratings earned TOP SAFETY PICK+. Only 13 vehicles managed it at the beginning of the award year (see “Family cars trump luxury models in rigorous new crash test; top performance earns 13 cars 2013 TOP SAFETY PICK+,” Dec. 20, 2012).
A Break From the Big Game: The Scout Report’s Swipe Radio, Burgess Shale, No More, Codex Mendoza,The Salt, Density Design, Breastfeeding Journal, San Diego Zoo Animal Finder and Others
DensityDesign, a Research Lab at Politecnico de Milano, has mastered the art of visually presenting variegated social and organizational phenomena. As the site suggests, by “rearranging numeric data, reinterpreting qualitative information, locating information geographically, and building visual taxonomies, we can … describe and unveil the hidden connections in complex systems.” From the homepage, readers may explore a host of interesting visualizations, including representations of sonic environments, Wikipedia controversies, and Cesarean sections. The Research tab opens to further fascinating projects, while the Blog examines the various methods Density Designs utilizes in their visualization work. For readers who love eye-popping graphs and models that contribute to the understanding of complex information, this site is sure to inspire.
·http://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/animals
The San Diego Zoo is home to hundreds of different exotic animals, from anacondas and meerkats to dung beetles and giant pandas. With the zoo’s animal finder, located on its website, students can locate and easily research the animals that fascinate them. There are several convenient ways to scout the site. Readers may proceed alphabetically, by scrolling through the photographs of amur leopards and zebras. Readers may also like to search by category, such as Africa Rocks or Australian Outback. In addition, the site hosts an Animal Name Quick Search for locating specific species. Selecting any animal will link to useful information. For instance, at up to 10 feet long and 176 pounds, the Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard species with ancestors dating back more than 100 million years.
The International Breastfeeding Journal
·http://www.internationalbreastfeedingjournal.com
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “If every child was breastfed within an hour of birth, given only breast milk for their first six months of life, and continued breastfeeding up to the age of two years, about 800,000 child lives would be saved every year.” The International Breastfeeding Journal, which is open access and free to anyone, publishes the latest research on breastfeeding and all its health-related, psychological, sociological, and even anthropological impacts. Recent articles have included a qualitative study on the implementation of a new initiative in an Australian hospital, a cross-sectional study of Ethiopian mothers who breastfeed, and a commentary on breastfeeding in public. With hundreds of articles online, the International Breastfeeding Journal is a great resource for anyone interested in this fundamental health practice.
·http://www.loc.gov/rr/record/nrpb/registry/nrpb-2013reg.html
Every year, the National Recording Preservation Board selects 25 recordings that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” They must also be at least 10 years old. With the library’s 2013 selection, the number of items in the registry reached a total of 400. The picks are as diverse as they are fascinating, ranging from the 1915 Broadway musical, “They Didn’t Believe Me,” to U2’s breakthrough rock album, “The Joshua Tree.” Each recording is accompanied by an annotation explaining the cultural and historical significance of the selection. For instance, George Washington Johnson was the first African American to make commercial records. His 1896 recording, “The Laughing Song,” was his best known song, and it is bound to make readers smile.
The School of Open offers free online courses, face-to-face workshops, and training programs on topics that loosely gather around the subject of openness — in education, research, and science. Typical topics include Creative Commons licenses (what they are and how to use them), open educational resources, and how to utilize and share creative works. Interested readers can register for Facilitated courses (Creative Commons for K-12 Educators) or Stand-alone courses (Get CC Savvy) that allow students to work through the material at their own pace. Training Programs are offered in Spanish, English, Chinese, and other languages. Readers may also volunteer to design and run their own courses through the site.
·http://www.teachinghistory100.org
Teaching History with 100 Objects may be funded by the United Kingdom’s Department of Education, but the resources available on the website will be useful to educators the world over. The 100 objects in question consist of historically significant Irish posters, English canons, Chinese tea pots, Viking scales, and many other fascinating objects. The site can be scouted in a number of convenient ways. Readers can search by topics, dates, places, or themes, or simply select an image from the homepage to get started. Each object is accompanied by a brief annotation, as well as additional categories, such as About the object, A bigger picture, Teaching ideas, and For the Classroom. Each category is packed with information, ideas, and suggestions for bringing history to life.
·http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/90272
When Kansas became the 34th state on January 29th, 1861 it was this document, the Wyandotte Constitution, that was implemented as its charter. The document was not without controversy, as proslavery and antislavery movements sparred over provisions in the text. In fact, the Wyandotte Constitution was the fourth constitution written during what became known as the Bleeding Kansas era, a period noted for its fiery political feuds. The constitution can be read in its (somewhat faded) original form on the Kansas Historical Society’s website. It can also be read in a full text version, shared, printed, or “saved to bookbag” if readers have an account.
Things My Grandmothers Taught Me; Maxims for Growing Children
by Julia Sneden
“You mean you still iron?” There were chuckles and gasps of horror from the small group of women.
“I haven’t ironed in twenty years,” said Meg.
Margaret just shook her head. “It’s more like 40 years for me,” she said.
“Well,” said Anna Claire, who at 40 was the baby of the group, “I’ve never even owned an iron.”
Barcelona Part Deux, Kyle Taylor, Wikimedia Commons
There have been many times in my life when I felt out of touch with the modern world. Living through the teenage years of three children left me feeling positively antediluvian. Having to learn, unlearn and relearn four or five different computer systems during the past 20 years hasn’t done much for my self-esteem, either, especially when my kids get it all so swiftly. But ironing? It never occurred to me that ironing was evidence of being out of step with modern times. Apparently the rest of the world sends cotton shirts out to the laundry, these days. Not this old-fashioned (not to say retrograde) woman.
Not only do I iron; I actually enjoy it. Handling the clean clothes, smoothing them on the board, gliding the hot iron as the steam hisses up around it, seeing the pristine, unwrinkled surface one has brought into being, is for me a sensual pleasure. I like the smell of the warm fabric. I like the appearance of the finished product. I like the muffled “clunk” of a well-placed iron. I like the tactile involvement of the smooth strokes. I like the fact that I can iron and listen to music or a news program at the same time. I like the fact that while I’m ironing, I can stand still. (Mind you, I like it best when I don’t have to do it more than once in awhile. If I had to do it every week, as we did in the old days, I might be less enthusiastic).
My grandmothers taught me how to iron. In our multi-generation household, my parents or occasional hired helpers did the physically challenging work like gardening, vacuuming, window washing, carpentry, cooking, and laundry. My grandmothers and great aunt did less active things like polishing silver, ironing, setting the table, dusting, and drying the dishes. (Guess who washed the dishes as soon as she was tall enough to reach the sink.)
Ironing was a joint effort. The two grandmothers took turns, one each washday, while my great aunt read aloud to them. I would hang out nearby, just to hear my Aunt Martha read, usually from The Saturday Evening Post or The Atlantic Monthly. She could have read the telephone book, and I’d have listened. Her voice was light and gentle, and her diction precise without being fussy. Listening to her put me into a kind of trance, and at times my skin would actually tingle.
Our ironing board was affixed to the wall behind a tall, narrow, white door. When the door opened and the board came down, there was another, tiny board behind it which could also be unfolded as needed for small items. My mind’s eye still sees my grandmothers pressing the little puffed sleeves of my 1940’s school dresses on that small board, working them gently around to get the maximum puff without pressing in a wrinkle.
More States Lean Toward Medicaid Expansion; Florida and Texas Are Long Shots
- By Christine Vestal, Stateline
The federal government [this week] approved Indiana’s plan to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, increasing the number of expansion states to 28, plus the District of Columbia. With enrollment starting Feb. 1, Indiana’s plan could add an estimated 350,000 low-income adults to the nearly 5 million expected to enroll in the 27 states that expanded Medicaid last year.
Image of a new vaccine patch that can be self-administered and does not produce biohazardous waste. The microneedles in the patch inject the vaccine into the epidermis layer and then dissolve. Source: Mark Prausnitz, Georgia Tech
In accepting Indiana’s plan, the Obama administration demonstrated its determination to increase the number of expansion states, even if it means waiving traditional Medicaid rules. For example, under Indiana’s plan, people with incomes above the federal poverty level ($11,670 for an individual) must contribute to a health savings account or be locked out of coverage for six months.
The penalty for not paying into a health savings account, which has never before been approved by the US Department of Health and Human Services, reflects an important GOP health care tenet: People who receive Medicaid benefits should take personal responsibility for their care. Republican Gov. Mike Pence called his plan “the first-ever consumer-driven health care plan for a low-income population.”
Judith Solomon, health policy director at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which advocates for low-income people, noted that Indiana’s plan is derived from a successful demonstration project that has been in effect since 2007, so its green light doesn’t necessarily apply to other states.
Under the Medicaid expansion that is part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the federal government pays the full price for covering newly eligible adults with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level ($16,105) through 2016 and then gradually lowers its share to 90 percent in 2020 and beyond.
Since the Supreme Court’s 2012 decision making Medicaid expansion a state option, the issue has become more political than practical. Despite the offer of billions in federal dollars, Republican governors and lawmakers in many states have rejected the deal, fearing they could lose their jobs if they were seen cooperating with the Obama administration on a law most conservatives disagree with. Some states also worry that even the 10 percent share may be too much for them to afford, or that the federal government will scale back its contribution sometime in the future.
Beyond Current TV Programs on Marijuana Farms, the Academy of Pediatrics Issue a Impact On Youth Statement
By Seth Ammerman, M.D., FAAP*
The parents of a 17-year-old ask you to recommend medical marijuana for their daughter, who was injured in an auto accident six months ago and still has back pain. Hydrocodone and acetaminophen initially helped, but the patient stopped taking the medication because of unpleasant side effects. She told her parents she smokes marijuana “for fun” on weekends and believes it improves the pain. Her parents say they also think medical marijuana would be helpful for their daughter’s back pain. They smoke legal marijuana recreationally and feel like it’s a benign drug.
A sign supporting marijuana legalization at the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza in Eugene, Oregon, May 2014. Wikimedia Commons by Visitor7
This scenario is becoming more common. To date, 23 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana, and four states (Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska) and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana for adults 21 years of age and older.
The Academy’s position on the legalization of marijuana is outlined in an updated policy statement (www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi/10.1542/peds.2014-4146) and technical report (www.pediatrics.org/cgi/doi/10.1542/peds.2014-4147), both titled The Impact of Marijuana Policies on Youth: Clinical, Research and Legal Update. The statements, which update 2004 documents, will be published in the March issue of Pediatrics.
The Academy:
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opposes marijuana use by children and adolescents;
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opposes the use of medical marijuana outside the regulatory process of the Food and Drug Administration but recognizes that marijuana may be an option for cannabinoid administration for children with life-limiting or severely debilitating conditions and for whom current therapies are inadequate;
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opposes legalization of marijuana because of the potential harms to children and adolescents;
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discourages the use of marijuana by adults in the presence of minors, even where legal, because of the influence of adult role modeling on child and adolescent behavior;
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supports studying the effects of recent laws legalizing the use of marijuana to better understand the impact and define best policies to reduce adolescent marijuana use;
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recommends changing marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule II drug to facilitate research and development of pharmaceutical cannabinoids; and
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strongly supports the decriminalization of marijuana use and encourages pediatricians to advocate for laws that prevent harsh criminal penalties for possession or use of marijuana. Additionally, a focus on treatment help for adolescents with marijuana use problems should be encouraged.
Additional recommendations focus on issues such as the need for effective bans on marijuana product advertising (the No.1 resolution at the 2014 AAP Annual Leadership Forum) and marketing to youths; strict regulations that prohibit the sale of marijuana products to those under the age of 21; the need for childproof packaging of marijuana products to prevent accidental ingestion; and opposition to smoking of marijuana due to associated lung damage and unknown effects of secondhand smoke.
The technical report provides the evidence base for the policy recommendations, addressing the epidemiology of marijuana use among youths; definitions of cannabinoids, marijuana and related terms; marijuana biology; side effects of marijuana use; impact on adolescent brain development; cannabinoid therapeutics; US and international experiences with legalization and decriminalization of marijuana; comparisons among alcohol, tobacco and marijuana; and social justice issues.
Although there are some good data on the efficacy of medical marijuana (e.g., specific cannabinoids) in adults with identified conditions, such as nausea and vomiting secondary to chemotherapy, spasticity in multiple sclerosis and some chronic neuropathic pain problems, no studies have been done on the use of medical marijuana in children and adolescents. Therefore, the effects of medical marijuana use on the developing brain is unknown. It is known that the younger one starts using the drug, the more likely it is to become addictive.
Another concern is that medical marijuana bought at a dispensary usually is not analyzed for various cannabinoids. Therefore, dosing is based on trial and error.
How to approach the above case? It would be important to counsel the family on the following points:
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Other medical therapies, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and treatments, such as physical therapy and/or a formal stretching and exercise regimen, often are highly effective.
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One in 10 adolescent marijuana users becomes addicted. Marijuana is not a benign substance, and even when used medically, can have adverse side effects.
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There are no research studies on the use of medical marijuana in children and adolescents.
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Since both the purity of medical marijuana and the cannabinoid content may be unknown, proper dosing is a hit-or-miss proposition.
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The parents should not use marijuana around their daughter because their actions directly influence her behavior.
Resources
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State marijuana laws and information for parents,www.aap.org/marijuana
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Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,www.samhsa.gov
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Office of Adolescent Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, http://1.usa.gov/1Ix8WlH
Footnote
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*Dr. Ammerman is co-author of the policy statement and technical report, and a member of the AAP Committee on Substance Abuse.
Flaming June: A Woman As Hard to Look Away From As Is Her Creator’s London House
Frederic Leighton (1830–1896), Flaming June, c.1895, oil on canvas, Museo de Arte de Ponce. The Luis A. Ferré Foundation, Inc.
Next summer, The Frick Collection will present Sir Frederic Leighton’s celebrated painting Flaming June from the Museo de Arte de Ponce in Puerto Rico. This monumental image of a sleeping woman in a brilliant orange gown is a masterpiece of British painting that has never been shown publicly in New York City. Indeed, as a collection highlight of its home institution, the work is seldom lent and is rarely shown in the United States. The work will be installed on a wall in the center of the Oval Room, surrounded by the Frick’s four full-length portraits by James McNeill Whistler, an artist who was part of Leighton’s London circle. Both artists responded in different ways to the Aesthetic movement, a precursor to modernism.
This single-work exhibition will be accompanied by an illustrated booklet with essays by Frick Senior Curator Susan Grace Galassi and by Pablo Perez d’Ors, Associate Curator of European Paintings, Museo de Arte de Ponce. Comments Galassi, “We are very happy to have this opportunity to present a work by Frederic, Lord Leighton and to collaborate with the distinguished Puerto Rican museum — both for the first time. Seeing the British painter’s arresting masterpiece surrounded by the four full-length portraits by the American expatriate — long familiar to a Frick audience — will bring out the distinctive qualities of each of these dominating figures. We also look forward to deepening the experience for visitors through related public programming and other offerings.”
Frederic Leighton (1830–1896) was a prominent painter and sculptor active in London for nearly four decades. An intellectual artist known chiefly for his treatment of literary subjects, he produced a wide-ranging oeuvre that bridges academic classicism and modernism. His interests in the evocation of mood and in the harmonies of color and line in their own right are especially evident in his depictions of women in states of slumber or deep self-reflection. A favored subject of later nineteenth-century artists, the “sleeping beauty” embodied notions of timelessness and remoteness from the mundane and alluded to antique and Renaissance representations of women in repose.
Elaine Soloway’s Rookie Widow Series: Carless in Chicago, Un-couching The Potato & The Sign
Carless in Chicago
I am in a window seat on the Chicago Transit Authority Red Line that is traveling towards Howard. When I reach that stop, I will transfer to the Purple Line that will take me to Main. From there, I will walk about six short blocks to my friend Ruth’s house.
As I look out the window at the high rise buildings and landscapes skimming by, I contemplate my new role as someone without a car. I do not feel deprived. In fact, I am enjoying a new sense of calm, relief.
Being carless is a fresh experience for me, for I have been a licensed driver since the age of 16. With learner’s permit in hand, my dad took me for my first lesson. I don’t remember the exact details, but I can easily see me in the driver’s seat of his Buick, propped up on at least two cushions to have a view over the steering wheel. My dad, Irving, is in the passenger’s seat. A Camel he is smoking is dropping ashes on his shirt, but he is unperturbed. He brushes them to the car’s floor with his left hand, while his right maintains steady drags on the cigarette.
“You’re going too slow!” he is shouting at me. I am cautious, because Dad was the opposite. I had no intention of emulating his speed, or his habit of weaving in and out of cars like a NASCAR competitor.
We both survived those early lessons, and I emerged with his perfect method for parallel parking. It is a skill I taught my daughters, my recently deceased husband, and my grandson.
I’m enjoying this musing as an El train passenger. “It’s my meditation,” I had told my daughter after the first of my carless trips. She worries about my anxiety level, certain it will topple me one day. “I study the view, the people entering and exiting. I eavesdrop on conversations. I can feel my blood pressure dropping.”
“Okay,” she says, mollified for the moment. My child is worried that I gave up my Honda Fit hastily.
“Couldn’t you have held onto it until you moved downtown?” she had asked. “Why now, when you’re still in your house?”
I knew my explanation would just reinforce her picture of me sizzling like someone receiving electroshock therapy. But, I gave it a shot: “I had an entire year left on my car lease,” I said. “If I couldn’t return it to a dealer, I’d owe $3,000. The only way to get a manager to accept it was to be sure it was in perfect condition.”
I revealed how my rides in the Fit had turned into episodes of angst. I was terrified backing out of supermarket lots, certain I would ding a fender. I was convinced my bumper would become a victim at a yellow light when I’ve stopped and the cabbie behind me doesn’t.
“Okay, I understand that,” she said. “But, what about grocery shopping? I don’t see you shlepping paper bags on the bus.”
“Peapod home delivery!” I said. “They shop at Mariano’s, the produce and groceries are terrific, they carry the Intelligentsia coffee I love, and they even have the Alstroemeria flowers I’ve been using to perk up the house for showings.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it covered, Mom.”
“Just think of it,” I went on. “I’m reducing my expenses, getting exercise by walking stairs to the platform, and protecting the environment.” As I recited these benefits, I was heroic, altruistic, deserving of a medal.
“Good for you, Mom,” she said.
My reflection of this mother-daughter conversation was coming to an end as I alighted from the Purple Line at my Evanston stop and walked to Ruth’s house.
“You made it,” my friend said as she stood at her open door. She led me in and waited as I unzipped my boots and removed each layer of my wardrobe.
“No problem.” I said, dropping into the nearest arm chair. “Water, please.”
Ruth looked at me, and from her seat on a facing couch, said, “Marshall will drive you home later.”
Although I’m certain I would’ve rallied and successfully tip-toed the treacherous icy blocks to the Purple Line stop. And, heavily layered, I could have handled waiting on the windy platform for the Red Line. Knowing me, after carefully descending the slippery steps at Sheridan, I would’ve been fine sharing seats or aisles with bulky-coated rush hour passengers. But, I didn’t want to be rude.
“If you insist,” I said.
Congressional Bills Introduced: Abortion, Infant Abduction, Human Trafficking & Child Exploitation, Empowering Relatives, Friends, and Co-workers of Domestic Violence Victims to Create Safety Plans
On January 14, the House approved, 236-191, the FY2015 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act (H.R. 240). On December 11, Congress approved an omnibus spending package (P.L. 113-235) for 11 of the 12 appropriations bills (see The Source, 12/12/14) that also continued funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through February 27.
According to the House Appropriations Committee summary, the legislation would allocate $39.7 billion in discretionary funds for DHS, an increase of $400 million over FY2014. The total includes $1.7 billion for domestic investigations, which includes a $62 million increase for efforts to prevent human trafficking and child exploitation.
During consideration of the bill, the House approved, 278-149, an amendment by Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) to prioritize immigrants convicted of domestic violence, sexual abuse, or child abuse for deportation.
Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)/Judiciary
Bills Introduced
Crime
H.R. 285—-Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO)/Judiciary (1/12/15)—A bill to provide a penalty for knowingly selling advertising that offers certain commercial sex acts.
H.R. 320—-Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI)/Judiciary (1/13/15)—A bill to establish a system for integration of Rapid DNA instruments for use by law enforcement to reduce violent crime and reduce the current DNA analysis backlog.
Foster Care
S. 184—-Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND)/Indian Affairs (1/16/15)—A bill to require background checks before foster care placements are ordered in tribal court proceedings, and for other purposes.
Human Trafficking
S. 166—-Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)/Judiciary (1/13/15)—A bill to stop exploitation through trafficking.
S. 178—-Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)/Judiciary (1/13/15)—A bill to provide justice for the victims of trafficking.
H.R. 296—-Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX)/Judiciary (1/13/15)—A bill to provide justice for the victims of trafficking.
H.R. 345—-Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL)/Judiciary (1/14/15)—A bill to make persons who conspire to commit or benefit from an act of human trafficking ineligible for admission to the United States of America.
H.R. 350—-Rep. Kristi Noem (R-SD)/Judiciary, Foreign Affairs (1/14/15)—A bill to direct the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking to identify strategies to prevent children from becoming victims of trafficking and review trafficking prevention efforts, to protect and assist in the recovery of victims of trafficking, and for other purposes.
H.R. 357—-Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY)/Foreign Relations (1/14/15)—A bill to amend the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-386) to expand the training for federal government personnel related to trafficking in persons, and for other purposes.
H.R. 398—-Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC)/Energy and Commerce (1/16/15)—A bill to provide for the development and dissemination of evidence-based best practices for health care professionals to recognize victims of a severe form of trafficking and respond to such individuals appropriately, and for other purposes.
H.R. 400—-Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA)/Foreign Affairs (1/16/15)—A bill to require the secretary of State and the administrator of the United States Agency for International Development to submit reports on definitions of placement and recruitment fees for purposes of enabling compliance with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-386), and for other purposes.
Gray Divorce: Higher standards, more opportunities, longer lives, women at work help explain the trend
In contrast to the seeming stabilization of divorce rates for the general population over the past two decades, the gray divorce rate has doubled: Married individuals aged 50 and older, including the college-educated, are twice as likely to experience a divorce today as they were in 1990. For married individuals aged 65 and older, the risk of divorce has more than doubled since 1990. Researchers explain why.
Wedding ring, Byzantium, 7th c. AD, nielloed gold, Louvre; Wikimedia Commons
Contrary to the popular notion that divorce is increasing in the United States, the divorce rate has changed relatively little in recent decades. Marriages are not much more likely to end through divorce these days than they were 30 years ago. Yet this overall pattern of stability obscures important variations by class and age.
Generally, education tends to be protective against divorce. In fact, the marriages of college-educated couples seem to be lasting longer than they were 30 years ago. Among couples aged 40-49, the divorce rate for those with a college degree is about 50 percent lower than the rate for those with a high school diploma. This differential holds for younger adults ages 25-39, too.
But in contrast to the seeming stabilization of divorce rates for the general population over the past two decades, the gray divorce rate has doubled: Married individuals aged 50 and older,including the college-educated, are twice as likely to experience a divorce today as they were in 1990. For married individuals aged 65 and older, the risk of divorce has more than doubled since 1990.
One reason for this is what we might call the divorce echo effect. Older individuals are more often in remarriages, not first marriages, and remarriages have long been more likely than first marriages to end through divorce. People who have been divorced in the past are more willing to divorce again in the event a marriage becomes unsatisfying. In contrast, some proportion of those in first marriages are unwilling to divorce even if they have an unsatisfying marriage.
But we are also seeing an increase in the breakup rate of older people in their first marriages. More than half of gray divorces are to couples in first marriages. Long-term marriages are not immune to divorce — more than 55 percent of gray divorces involved a split for couples who had been married more than 20 years. Many of these marriages have not been marked by severe discord. Rather, the partners have simply grown apart. There is no evidence that there are more such “empty shell” marriages than in the past, but fewer older adults seem willing to remain in them.
In part, this reflects the shifting meaning of marriage in contemporary America. Today, most people hold marriage to a higher standard than in the past. Being a good provider or a good homemaker is not enough. Spouses are supposed to be best friends and confidantes. Marriage should be a source of personal happiness and fulfillment. If spouses no longer derive satisfaction from their marriage, divorce is seen as a viable solution and carries far less social stigma then the past.
It may also be that the barriers to divorce at an older age have fallen markedly because Americans are living longer and healthier lives. For one thing, couples in their 60s can expect to live another 20 or more years, which is a long time to spend with someone you don’t have much in common with anymore. For another, disability rates have been declining. Additionally, because of longer life spans and larger numbers of divorced people in the population, the opportunities for people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s to meet new partners are much greater than in earlier eras. Online dating is surging among this demographic.
NIH study reveals many Americans at risk for alcohol-medication interactions
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Such medications are widely used, prescribed for common conditions such as depression, diabetes and high blood pressure.
The research is among the first to estimate the proportion of adult drinkers in the United States who may be mixing alcohol-interactive medications with alcohol. The resulting health effects can range from mild (nausea, headaches, loss of coordination) to severe (internal bleeding, heart problems, difficulty breathing).
“Combining alcohol with medications often carries the potential for serious health risks,” said Dr. George Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of NIH. “Based on this study, many individuals may be mixing alcohol with interactive medications and they should be aware of the possible harms.”
The study, led by Dr. Rosalind Breslow, Ph.D., appears in the February 2015 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, now online at the journal’s website.
“Our findings show that a substantial percentage of people who drink regularly, particularly older adults, could be at risk of harmful alcohol and medication interactions,” said Dr. Breslow, an epidemiologist in NIAAA’s Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research. “We suggest that people talk to their doctor or pharmacist about whether they should avoid alcohol while taking their prescribed medications.”
Older adults are at particular risk of experiencing alcohol-medication interactions. Not only are they more likely to be taking medications in general, but certain alcohol-interactive medications, such as diazepam (Valium), are metabolized more slowly as one ages, creating a larger window for potential interactions.
The researchers analyzed data from more than 26,000 adults ages 20 and older who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2010). The survey asks participants about alcohol use in the past year and prescription drug use in the past month.
Dr. Breslow notes that the results of the study indicate potential (rather than actual) rates, because the researchers could not confirm whether drinking and medication use overlapped based on the available data. However, it is likely that those who drink regularly and take medication regularly are doing so in a similar time frame.
The main types of alcohol-interactive medications reported in the survey were blood pressure medications, sleeping pills, pain medications, muscle relaxers, diabetes and cholesterol medications, antidepressants and antipsychotics.
Based on recent estimates, about 71 percent of U.S. adults drink alcohol.
For more on alcohol-medication interactions, see this NIAAA fact sheet.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health, is the primary US agency for conducting and supporting research on the causes, consequences, prevention, and treatment of alcohol abuse, alcoholism, and alcohol problems. NIAAA also disseminates research findings to general, professional, and academic audiences. Additional alcohol research information and publications are available at http://www.niaaa.nih.gov.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.