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Poll: Many Sick Americans Experience Significant Financial Problems And Report Their Care Is Not Well-Managed
Many Americans who have experienced a serious illness or injury within the past 12 months are concerned about the financial costs of medical care, and struggle to ensure that their care is appropriate, according to a new poll released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), NPR and Harvard School of Public Health. RWJF commissioned the poll to better understand Americans’ experiences and attitudes related to cost and quality of US medical care.

A large majority of the general public (87%) thinks the cost of care is a serious problem for the country. In addition, about two-thirds of the general public (65%) believes the cost of care has gotten worse over the last five years.

In addition to surveying the general public, this poll also examined sick Americans’ experiences with and perceptions of the costs and quality of medical care over the last year. “Sick Americans” (27% of adults surveyed) are defined as those who said they had a serious illness, medical condition, injury, or disability requiring a lot of medical care or who had been hospitalized overnight in the past 12 months.

Many sick Americans reported having problems due to the cost of their own medical care. More than 40 percent say that the cost of their medical care over the last 12 months has caused a “very serious” (20%) or “somewhat serious” (23%) problem for their or their family’s finances. They also reported that high health care costs affected their ability to access care. One in six sick Americans say that there was a time in the past 12 months when they could not get the medical care they needed (17%). Among the sick Americans who could not receive care, 52% report that it was because they could not afford the needed care, and 24% say it was because their insurers would not pay for it. Lastly, about one in ten sick Americans (11%) report being turned away by a doctor or hospital for financial or insurance reasons at some time during the past 12 months when they tried to receive care.

The financial barriers to accessing care were more pronounced for sick people who were uninsured at some point in the last year. Forty percent of sick people who were uninsured at some time in the past 12 months say there was a time when they needed medical care but could not get it. In comparison, only 10 percent of those who were sick and who had health insurance for the entire 12 months said they could not access needed care.

“The rising cost of medical care affects everyone, but people who have been unwell know firsthand that an illness or injury can mean financial hardship or ruin,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “These findings confirm how thinly individuals and families have been stretched. Having access to high-quality, affordable, comprehensive health coverage is crucial, but we know that even with insurance, rising health care costs leave many Americans with the burden of higher out-of-pocket spending.”

The poll also finds nearly three out of five people in the general public believe the quality of health care is a serious problem for the country (57%). About four in five people said not being able to afford to get the tests or drugs they need is a major reason for quality problems (78%). Similarly, 64% of the general public says the influence of health insurance plans on treatment decisions is a major reason for quality problems.

Many of the sick respondents complained of quality of care problems during their treatment. Findings show:
- For instance, about one in eight sick Americans believe they were given the wrong diagnosis, treatment, or test (13%).
- About a quarter of sick Americans say that their condition was not well-managed (26%).
- A quarter of sick Americans report that a doctor, nurse, or other health professional did not provide all the needed information about their treatment or prescriptions (25%) – or they had to see multiple medical professionals, and no single doctor understood or kept track of all the different aspects of their medical issues and treatments (23%).
- Three in 10 hospitalized Americans say there was poor communication among the doctors, nurses and other health care professionals involved in their care (30%).
- About one in six sick Americans believe they did not get the tests they thought they needed (18%), while 15% of sick Americans surveyed were tested or treated for something they believed to be unnecessary.
- Nearly three-quarters of sick Americans say they want their doctor to spend time with them discussing other, broader health issues that might affect their long-term health (72%), as opposed to just talking about their specific medical problem (21%).
The poll, entitled Sick in America, was conducted by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health, led by Robert Blendon, a noted expert in polling consumers on health care issues.

“Listening to the experiences of sick people provides a good barometer of what’s happening in health care in America.” said Blendon. “What is most striking is the significant number of people whose care has not been well-managed, and who have been turned away from care.”

The poll was designed and analyzed by a team of researchers at Harvard School of Public Health under Blendon’s direction. Interviews were conducted via telephone by SSRS, an independent research company, with a representative national sample of 1,508 adults age 18 and over from March 5 to 25, 2012. The margin of error for the total sample is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. The margin of error for the “sick” population is plus or minus 5.3 percentage points..

The complete survey results can be found at www.rwjf.org.
May 23, 2012
Tulips Way Above the Ground

by Ferida Wolff

We have a Tulip Tree in our backyard. I remember being excited when we got it as a young seedling because we were told it would grow fast. At that time our backyard was just starting to fill out with trees, shrubs, and flowers so we were delighted with the rapid growth idea. Well, several years later and forty feet higher, the Tulip Tree is a mainstay of the yard.

And it keeps growing. We learned that it can actually grow to be 150 feet! That’s a little more than we expected.

On a recent weekend we had a visual of the potential of the Tulip Tree. We went to the opening of Duke Farms in Hillsborough, NJ, and in our walk through part of the 2,740-acre property of the Duke family we came upon some Tulip Trees that were three times the thickness of ours and way higher.

The Duke Farms is now open to the public. Its mission “is to be a model of environmental stewardship in the 21st century and to inspire visitors to become informed stewards of the land.”

Despite its size potential, I am glad we planted our Tulip Tree. It is a treat to see the tulip-like flowers each spring. It’s like having an outdoor bouquet. Most of the flowers bloom toward the top of the tree – more sun, I guess – but they eventually drop down to be admired. I learned not to press my face too close, however, as they are a source of pollen, which makes bees happy but can trigger allergic reactions.

Our tree is also a harbinger of Fall. Its leaves flutter to the ground earlier than most in a bittersweet reminder of the cycle of seasons.

American Tulip Tree:

http://www.psu.edu/dept/nkbiology/naturetrail/speciespages/poplar.htm http://www.untamedscience.com/biodiversity/plants/flowering-plants/dicotyledons/magnoliales/magnoliaceae/liriodendron/american-tulip-tree

©2012 Ferida Wolff for SeniorWomen.com

Editor’s Note: The Wood Database comments on this tree:
Poplar, Tulip Poplar, Yellow Poplar; Scientific Name: Liriodendron tulipifera. Poplar is one of the most common utility hardwoods in the United States. Seldom used for its appearance, (except in the case of Rainbow Poplar), Poplar is a utility wood in nearly every sense. It’s used for pallets, crates, upholstered furniture frames, pulpwood, and plywood. Poplar veneer is also used for a variety of applications: either dyed in various colors, or on hidden undersides of veneered panels to counteract the pull of the glue on an exposed side that has been veneered with another, more decorative wood species.

Though the wood is commonly referred to simply as “Poplar,” it is technically not in the Populus genus itself, (the genus also includes many species of Cottonwood and Aspen), but is instead in the Liriodendron genus, which is Latin for “lily tree.”The flowers of this tree look similar to tulips, hence the common alternate name: Tulip Poplar.

May 23, 2012
Julia Sneden

Julia Sneden was a writer, friend, wife, mother, Grandmother, care-giver and Senior Women Web’s Resident Observer. Her career included editorial work for Sunset Magazine, 20th Century Fox and Universal Studios as well as teaching. Julia was a passionate opponent of this country’s educational system, which she felt was floundering. She will be greatly missed as the heart of this website and this editor’s friend of fifty years.

Julia Sneden’s archive of articles.

May 22, 2012
The English Prize at the Ashmolean; Other Oxford Museums to Visit

Robert Dodd, The capture of the Amazone by HMS Santa Margarita, 29 July 1782. Oil on canvas, 77.5 x 120 cm;© National Maritime Museum, Greenwich presented by Eric Miller through The Art Fund.

Editor’s Note: If you travel to the London Olympics, include a side trip to Oxford for the Ashmolean Museum’s treasures. Other museums in the same city are: The Museum of Science and History, Pitt Rivers which cares for the Oxford’s collection of anthropology and world archaeology and Oxford Museum of Natural History featuring the Oxfordshire dinosaurs, the dodo, and the swifts in the tower.

A feature of the Museum of Natural History highlights ‘favourite things’ pointed out by employees of the Museum, such as that of Jennifer Wright of the Museum shop:

“As I look up from the Museum’s shop the arches form a frame to the view of the Touch and Feel tables in the Court, and I am reminded of Alice through the looking glass. Here I can watch the excitement and delight on children’s faces when first encountering a wild animal close up – feeling the fur of the fox for the first time, or the rough scaly texture of the baby Nile Crocodile, and showing amazement at the size and age of fossilised dinosaur eggs. An experience such as this can hold a lasting memory and even be the spark to a lifetime’s interest in the wonders of nature.”

The story of the Westmorland, an armed merchant ship sailing from Livorno to London in January 1779, is one of colourful 18th-century personalities and modern detective work. Consigned to the ship, by a cast of characters that included artists, aristocrats and dealers, was a precious cargo of art and antiquities, books, and luxury goods such as 32 wheels of Parmesan cheese. Captured by two French warships on 7 January 1779 and declared a ‘prize of war’, the Westmorland’s cultural goods were acquired by King Carlos III of Spain who presented many of the works of art to the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Madrid. Other items were eventually scattered across Spanish museums; one painting ended up as far away as St Petersburg.

Reconstructed with archival discoveries and research in Spanish collections, The English Prize exhibition presents over 120 objects including paintings, drawings, sculptures, books and maps from the fateful voyage, in a vivid recreation of the Grand Tour and the high seas.

The exhibition is the result of an extraordinary research project begun in the late 1990s, with gaps in the story filled by discoveries made in recent years. It was found, for instance, that the mysterious marking ‘P. Y’ on books and drawings in the Academia indicated ‘Presa Ynglesa’ (‘The English Prize’). The original inventories of the ship’s crates which survive in the archives in Madrid are remarkably thorough and have allowed the identification of many items which were on the Westmorland when it was captured.

Using these records and studying the notes and marginalia scribbled on books and maps by their owners, it is now possible to link the objects and works of art to the individuals who were sending them home to Britain. Amongst the highlights of the exhibition are portraits of Grand Tourists Francis Bassett and George Legge (Viscount Lewisham), by Pompeo Batoni; a group of amazingly fresh watercolours by John Robert Cozens made on his first trip to Italy; and portrait busts by Irish sculptor Christopher Hewetson who was working in Rome.

Of the tourists, collectors and dealers who had consigned works of art and souvenirs to the Westmorland, we find the Scottish painter Allan Ramsay; the diplomat and dealer John Udny; a Scottish landowner and lawyer, Sir John Henderson of Fordell; and such a high ranking aristocrat as the Duke of Gloucester, brother of George III.

Dr Catherine Whistler, Senior Curator for European Art at the Ashmolean, said, “British tourists in Italy in the 1770s were time-travellers, imagining themselves in the classical past amidst the landscapes and ruins they encountered on their journeys. The maps, books and antiquities that they purchased and works of art they commissioned were imbued with meaning and memories.”

Visitors to The English Prize have the opportunity to step into a time-capsule of this world and experience the fascinating story of the Westmorland, its voyage, and its treasure.”

Portrait: Unknown artist, Portrait of an Unknown Man, c. 1777. Oil on canvas, 50 x 40 cm© Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Museo.

17 May–27 August 2012

Yale Center: The exhibition will be shown at the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven from 4 October 2012 – 13 January 2013

May 22, 2012
Elaine Soloway’s Caregiving Series: Easy Rider

by Elaine Soloway

I’m standing in the kitchen looking out the back window towards the garage. My husband has just removed his Schwinn from where it rests in the corner. He crowns his head with a bicycle helmet and adjusts the strap. Then, he releases the kickstand, mounts, and pedals off. He has left the garage door open.

I’m not upset at this gaffe because he is wearing his helmet and has remembered to take with his cellphone, notepad, and golf-sized pencil. They are gone from the counter where he usually keeps them. A good sign.

I’m vigilant this morning because yesterday, when I was unaware, he rode off, leaving the helmet on a hook in the garage, and the phone, pad, and pencil on the counter. And, instead of protective covering, he was wearing a baseball cap topped with AM/FM radio headphones.

When he returned from that bareback ride, he entered the house and was still adjusting the volume on his headphones when I blocked his path. I stretched my arms to grab his two shoulders. “Take them off and look at me,” I said. “You can’t hear when you have them on.”

I didn’t say this, but I thought, Isn’t it enough you can’t talk, why do you want to squelch another of your senses? I didn’t voice this because we avoid discussing his condition — Primary progressive aphasia, a degeneration of the frontal lobe of the brain that affects speech.

I reached up to remove one of his ear pads. He did the same on the other. “Honey,” I said, looking straight at him so he couldn’t miss my words. “You cannot, must not, wear these earphones when you’re riding your bike. It’s against the law.” I don’t know if this is true. In Tommy’s case, it should be.

“You have to wear your helmet and take your cellphone and notepad.” He nodded yes, and started to put the radio earphones back on his head. “Remember, honey,” I said, “if you should run into any problems on your ride, you need the notepad to tell someone to use your cellphone to call me.” He put two thumbs up. He got it; I think.

Today, with all evidence showing he has heeded my words, I use the remote to close the garage door and head for the couch. I need a break. As I sink into the cushions, I recall the first time I saw Tommy on his bike. He wasn’t wearing a helmet back then, but we were merely neighbors, not yet a couple. If I registered any problem with this risk, I must’ve have kept it to myself.

The year was 1996 and I was separated from my husband of 30 years and had recently moved into a new townhouse on Henderson Street in Chicago. In the mornings, Tommy and I would wave, him on his bike, me walking my dog.

In the evenings, his wave turned into a pause at my gate to pet the dog. We’d chat a bit. Soon, we became a twosome, and then after my divorce, a married couple.

Throughout our 14 year marriage, Tommy continued to ride that old bike, until one day, when the garage door was left open, it was stolen. We replaced it with the Schwinn, and added the helmet, lock, bell, and basket.

I wish I could send Tommy on the road as he was when we first met: a helmet-less, happy-go-lucky, assured rider. But I can’t, and I don’t. I insist on the helmet, the cellphone, the pad, and the pencil.

These days, once he pedals off and clears the driveway — protected in the gear I count on — I make sure I close the garage door. Everything inside remains safe.

©2012 Elaine Soloway for SeniorWomen.com

Elaine Soloway’s new novel is She’s Not The Type:

May 21, 2012
Hepatitis C: Proposed Expansion of Testing Recommendations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released the following new guidelines regarding Hepatitis C regarding ‘baby boomers’. No vaccine against hepatitis C is currently available.

Hepatitis C is an unrecognized health crisis in the United States. This life-threatening infection affects an estimated 3.2 million Americans, most of whom are “baby boomers” (those born from 1945 through 1965). And while newly available treatments can cure the majority of hepatitis C cases, most people do not seek care because they do not know they are infected.

Diagnosing hepatitis C early is key, since the longer the virus goes undetected, the greater a person’s risk of developing serious liver disease, including liver cancer and cirrhosis. Deaths due to hepatitis C are increasing, reaching more than 15,000 in 2007.

CDC’s current public health recommendations focus on testing only individuals with known hepatitis C risk factors. To identify more hidden infections, provide prompt and appropriate care and treatment, and avoid tens of thousands of hepatitis C-related illnesses and deaths, CDC is proposing one-time hepatitis C testing for all baby boomers. The new draft recommendations will be available for public comment from May 22–June 8, 2012, and will be finalized later in the year.

Hepatitis C and Baby Boomers

More than 75 percent of

American adults with

hepatitis C are baby boomers



Baby boomers are five times more likely than other American adults to be infected with the

disease. In fact, more than 75 percent of American adults with hepatitis C are baby boomers.

Many baby boomers were infected with hepatitis C when they were in their teens and twenties.

Some may have become infected through blood transfusions or other health care exposures

before universal precautions and widespread blood screening began in 1992. Others may have

become infected from experimentation with drug use, even if only once decades ago. Because

these exposures were often long ago, many baby boomers may not recall — or may be unwilling to discuss — the events that

could have placed them at risk. As a result, many have never been tested for hepatitis C.

Baby boomers are five times more likely than other American adults to be infected with the disease. In fact, more than 75 percent of American adults with hepatitis C are baby boomers. Many baby boomers were infected with hepatitis C when they were in their teens and twenties. Some may have become infected through blood transfusions or other health care exposures before universal precautions and widespread blood screening began in 1992. Others may have become infected from experimentation with drug use, even if only once decades ago. Because these exposures were often long ago, many baby boomers may not recall — or may be unwilling to discuss — the events that could have placed them at risk. As a result, many have never been tested for hepatitis C.

Hepatitis C Testing: Proposed Expanded Recommendations

A blood test is the only way to identify these silent infections. CDC currently recommends testing for those who have a known risk for hepatitis C (see box, this page). While this is still important, too many infections are being missed — since individuals, and even doctors, may be uncomfortable discussing behaviors related to hepatitis C risk. In addition, standard, routine tests of liver function miss more than half of all cases of hepatitis C infection.

As a result, CDC is proposing an expansion of its current risk-based guidelines to include a simple, one-time blood test for all baby boomers. For those who test positive, the new draft recommendations call for referral to care and treatment and a brief screening for alcohol use, which can accelerate progression of liver disease in those with hepatitis C.

Who Should Be Tested For Hepatitis C? Proposed new recommendation: Anyone born from 1945 through 1965

Existing, risk-based guidelines:

Anyone who has ever injected illegal drugs

Recipients of blood transfusions or solid organ transplants before July 1992, or clotting factor concentrates made before 1987

Patients who have ever received long-term hemodialysis treatment

Persons with known exposures to hepatitis C, such as:

• Health care workers after needlesticks involving blood from a patient with hepatitis C
• Recipients of blood or organs from a donor who later tested positive for hepatitis C

People living with HIV

People with signs or symptoms of liver disease (e.g., abnormal liver enzyme tests)

Children born to mothers who have hepatitis C

CDC Frequently Asked Questions about Hepatitis C: http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/C/cFAQ.htm

May 20, 2012
The Day I Bought an Easy Bake Oven

By Sarah A. Leavitt, PhD, House & Home curator
National Building Museum

Easy Bake Oven

Photo by Museum staff

I never had an Easy Bake Oven as a kid. Maybe that’s why it was a special thrill when I got to buy one as an adult … as part of my job. The only problem is that I never had a chance to play with it. The classic domestic toy went right downstairs into the Museum’s collections department and now sits on a shelf in House & Home, our new exhibition on the history of American residential architecture. The Easy Bake Oven is smaller than I’d imagined it, but I’m sure I could have made a really good brownie with that thing. Maybe I still could.

We gathered almost 200 household objects for House & Home, many of them from historical societies and museums across the country, as well as from private donors. We also bought a lot of things at antique shops, flea markets, on eBay, and one last-minute item at a local hardware store. This was truly a team effort — we solicited items from staff, volunteers, and our Board of Trustees members, one of whom donated what I’m sure was a prized family heirloom: a 1960s princess telephone.

Shopping on eBay is not as easy as you might think. There was a surprising amount of competition for seemingly forgotten items! One afternoon, I got into a bidding war, which I lost, for a paint-by-number kit. I try not to tell that particular story at dinner parties, in case other guests may have had disparaging days at work involving grander matters. Never fear: another paint-by-number kit — this one on velvet, even better —came along the next day and I snapped it up for the exhibition.

Occasionally, I heard from people asking why in the world I wanted their old fondue set or a particular sheet of music. Since they could tell from my address that I was buying their item for a museum, several people wondered if I didn’t know what a Slinky was and suggested that maybe it did not belong in an exhibition in our nation’s capital.

The most fun shopping trip of the year occurred when the exhibitions staff went to Frederick, Maryland. The town’s antique stores are filled with a wide variety of what might, in some circles, not be considered museum-quality objects. We all agreed on the beautiful wicker chair but were less sure when deciding among various sets of kitchen containers and vessels. Was the chrome more interesting? Did the other set have a more unusual pattern? We already had a Hamburglar juice glass, but what about a Kentucky Derby collectible glass? As you can tell, the decision-making process could be agonizing.

Though at times it seemed like an untraditional curatorial process, the wall of domestic objects in House & Home has turned out beautifully. The objects cover a wide range of household activities, regions, and time periods. They inspire visitors to discuss their own experiences with objects they’ve encountered before, while learning about other items for the first time. We hope the dramatic display will get people thinking about how such household objects both shape and are shaped by our daily experiences at home. The stuff that fills our houses can tell many stories — about the industrial revolution, improved water and sewer systems, the use of new materials, increased leisure time, changes over time in gender roles, and much more.

Meanwhile, if the aqua-colored Easy Bake Oven ever goes temporarily missing from the galleries, you’ll know why.

Exhibitions

House & Home
April 28, 2012 -May 1, 2017

May 20, 2012
Harvard School of Public Health Research: Some HDL, or “Good” Cholesterol, May Not Protect Against Heart Disease

A new study by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers has found that a subclass of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the so-called “good” cholesterol, may not protect against coronary heart disease (CHD) and in fact may be harmful.

This is the first study to show that a small protein, apolipoprotein C-III (apoC-III), that sometimes resides on the surface of HDL cholesterol may increase the risk of heart disease and that HDL cholesterol without this protein may be especially heart protective.

The study was published online in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

“This finding, if confirmed in ongoing studies, could lead to better evaluation of risk of heart disease in individuals and to more precise targeting of treatments to raise the protective HDL or lower the unfavorable HDL with apoC-III,” said Frank Sacks, professor of cardiovascular disease prevention at HSPH and senior author of the study.

A high level of HDL cholesterol is strongly predictive of a low incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD). But trials of drugs that increase HDL cholesterol have not consistently shown decreases in CHD, leading to the hypothesis that HDL cholesterol may contain both protective and non-protective components.

ApoC-III, a proinflammatory protein, resides on the surface of some lipoproteins — both HDL and low-density lipoproteins, or LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. The researchers, led by Sacks and Majken Jensen, research associate in the Department of Nutrition at HSPH, examined whether the existence or absence of apoC-III on HDL cholesterol affected the “good” cholesterol’s heart-protective qualities, and whether its existence could differentiate HDL cholesterol into two subclasses — those which protect against the risk of future heart disease and those which do not.

Blood samples collected in 1989 and 1990 from 32,826 women in the Brigham and Women’s Hospital-based Nurses’ Health Study were examined, along with blood samples collected from 1993 to 1995 from 18,225 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. During 10 to 14 years of follow-up, 634 cases of coronary heart disease were documented and matched with controls for age, smoking, and date of blood drawing.

The researchers compared plasma concentrations of total HDL, HDL that has apoC-III, and HDL without apoC-III as predictors of the risk of CHD.

After adjusting for age, smoking status and other dietary and lifestyle cardiovascular risk factors, the researchers found that two different subclasses of HDL have opposite associations with the risk of CHD in apparently healthy men and women. The major HDL type, which lacks apoC-III, had the expected heart-protective association with CHD. But the small fraction (13%) of HDL cholesterol that has apoC-III present on its surface was paradoxically associated with a higher, not lower, risk of future CHD. Those men and women who had HDL apoC-III in the highest 20% of the population had a 60% increased risk of CHD.

The results suggest that measuring HDL apoC-III and HDL without apoC-III rather than the simpler measure of total HDL may be a better gauge of heart disease risk (or of HDL’s protective capacity). “Reduction in HDL-apoC-III by diet or drug treatments may become an indicator of efficacy,” said Jensen.

The study was supported by The National Institutes of Health and the Villum Kann Rasmussen Foundation (Denmark).

“Apolipoprotein C-III as a Potential Modulator of the Association Between HDL-Cholesterol and Incident Coronary Heart Disease,” Majken K. Jensen, Eric B. Rimm, Jeremy D. Furtado, Frank M. Sacks, Journal of the American Heart Association, April 2012.

Illustration from Wikipedia: Reference ranges for blood tests, showing usual, as well as optimal, levels of HDL, LDL and total cholesterol in mass and molar concentrations, is found in orange color at right, that is, among the blood constituents with the highest concentration.

May 18, 2012
Burriana: The Third Vice President Returns to New York:

The 1970s Bicentennial Celebration of independence sparked a renewed interest by historians in the early American republic. Their research has focused a greater understanding of those politically explosive decades, which established the system that governs the United States today. One important result of this intense study by scholars and students of history has been a much-needed reevaluation of the life and career of Aaron Burr, third Vice President of the United States. Thus, a more authentic image of the real Burr has begun to emerge to replace that of the arch-villain, based upon popular prejudice fostered by political animosity that has darkened the pages of history books for many years.

The Grolier Club is presenting an exhibition that explores the legacy of Aaron Burr. Opening to the public on May 15, Aaron Burr Returns to New York: An Exhibition on Burr and His Contemporaries marks the 200th anniversary of Burr’s return to New York, ending a self-imposed exile to Europe following his trial for treason and tragic duel with Alexander Hamilton.

This exhibit of rare items of “Burriana” ranks as the first comprehensive portrayal of the Vice President’s life ever staged. Besides revealing the exciting story of his political disputes, it reminds us, too, of his less publicized, but highly significant, achievements as a daring soldier of the Revolution and of his brilliant rise as a lawyer and politician of the Early Republic.

Included in the exhibit are rare books, pamphlets, newspapers, manuscripts, documents, autograph letters, art and relics related to Burr and his contemporaries including Tapping Reeve, Benedict Arnold, Richard Montgomery, George Washington, Israel Putnam, Alexander Hamilton, Joseph Brandt, Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Swartwout, Harman Blennerhassett, James Wilkinson, Lewis Wetzel, and many more.

Among the items to be displayed are previously unpublished autograph letters of Burr including the passing of revolutionary war intelligence from George Washington; the 1800 report of the first recorded murder trial in the United States; an 1804 share in the trust fund established for Hamilton following the most famous duel in U.S. history; an 1807 subpoena from Burr’s Trial for Treason and Burr’s watch with the only known portrait of his first wife and the earliest known portrait of his daughter Theodosia.

The exhibit also examines Burr’s beliefs, considered progressive during his time, regarding women’s rights, his support of the arts and the beginnings of the anti-slavery movement. At the dawn of the 21stcentury, whether Aaron Burr continues to shed his persona as one of the most misunderstood individuals in American history and assumes the more celebrated stature that he once enjoyed will remain for the patrons of this exhibit to decide.

LOCATION AND TIME: Aaron Burr Returns to New York will be on view at the Grolier Club, 47 East 60thStreet, New York, from May 15 – July 28, 2012. The exhibit will be open to the public free of charge, Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Additional information and directions are available at www.grolierclub.org.

CATALOGUE: A fully-illustrated catalog of Aaron Burr Returns to New York will be available at the Grolier Club.

Painting: English, early 1800s. New York Historical Society.

May 18, 2012
As Facebook Raises a $Billion IPO, A Profile of Its ‘Friends’
By Sara Kehaulani Goo,

For years, the Pew Internet & American Life Project has been polling people who use social media, asking how they use it and what they get out of it. The results paint an interesting picture of what kind of people use sites such as Facebook, who they are connected to and how they manage their privacy.

As Facebook prepares for its IPO, we’ve curated a picture of Facebook ‘friends,’ with some data points, charts and salient facts.

Our surveys have found these behaviors among Facebook users:

• On average, users make 7 new Facebook friends per month; they initiate 3 requests and accept 4.
• Women average 21 updates to their Facebook status per month while men average 6.
• In a month, about half of our sample made a comment on a friend’s content, and about half received a comment.
• Fewer than 5% of users hid content from another user on their Facebook feed.

Facebook, on an Average Day:
- 15% of Facebook users update their own status.
- 22% comment on another’s post or status.
- 20% comment on another user’s photos.
- 26% “Like” another user’s content.
- 10% send another user a private message.
Characteristics of Facebook Users

• Facebook users are more trusting than others. A Facebook user who uses the site multiple times per day is 43% more likely than other internet users and more than three times as likely as non-internet users to feel that most people can be trusted.
• Facebook users have more close relationships. Someone who uses Facebook several times per day averages 9% more close, core ties in their overall social network compared with other internet users.
• Facebook users are much more politically engaged. Compared with other internet users, and users of other social networking platforms, a Facebook user who uses the site multiple times per day is an additional two and half times more likely to attend a political rally or meeting, 57% more likely to persuade someone on their vote, and 43% more likely to have said they would vote.
• Facebook users get more social support. A Facebook user who uses the site multiple times per day receives more emotional support and companionship offline (such as having someone help you when you are sick in bed.)

Facebook, Social Networking and Privacy

Social networking users, including Facebook users, are becoming more active about pruning and managing their accounts. Women and younger users tend to unfriend more than others.
May 17, 2012