A new campaign is urging Latinos to turn out on Election Day and vote for respect. Arizona, birthright citizenship, and other issues are motivating Latinos to participate in November. According to The Washington Post:
“The campaign, which was released Wednesday and will air on Spanish-language media, is a stark black-and-white video with the faces of many Latinos saying they ‘believe in the promise of America.’
“‘We know that Latinos have tended to lag behind other groups, and we are committed to changing that equation,’ said Clarissa Martinez de Castro, director of immigration and national campaigns for the National Council of La Raza, which has brought together a coalition of Hispanic community groups. ‘In our conversations at the community level there's a deep sense of urgency about the anti-immigrant, anti-Latino environment, and that could potentially win out.’
“She and others point to Arizona, where a stringent immigration law passed earlier this year, as a center of what they see as an attack on immigrants. The law, called SB 1070, requires police to check for immigration status in some circumstances. Immigrant rights groups have decried the law as racial profiling, though supporters say it is a necessary measure for curbing illegal immigration.”
Cities continue to struggle amid the difficult economic situation faced by our country, according to a new report. The New York Times explains:
“The nation’s cities are in their worst fiscal shape in at least a quarter of a century and have probably not yet hit the bottom of their slide, according to a report released on Wednesday.
“The report, by the National League of Cities, found that many cities, which are in their fourth straight year of declining revenues, are only now beginning to see lower property values translate into lower property tax collections, which are the backbone of many city budgets.
“It can take several years for city assessors to catch up to real estate market conditions, and this year, for the first time since the housing bubble burst, cities are projecting a 1.8 percent decrease in property tax collections.
“With sales tax collections still down, and unemployment and stagnant salaries taking a toll on cities that rely on income-tax revenues, cities are seeing their revenues drop even faster than many of them have been able to cut spending. They also face the additional burden of paying rising health care and pension costs for their employees.”
This month is breast cancer awareness month, and we urge everyone to talk to their doctor and get checked out. USA Today does a question and answer session with Dr. Susan Love, a leading expert in the field of breast cancer research:
“Cancer care and prevention have changed significantly since the first edition of Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book was published 20 years ago.
“Love, who just published a 734-page fifth edition, recently answered questions during a live chat on Facebook with readers and USA TODAY reporter Liz Szabo. Here are edited highlights of that chat:
Q: I just got the latest edition of your book on breast cancer. What are the most important changes in breast cancer since you wrote the first edition, 20 years ago? — Szabo
A: It is amazing how complicated breast cancer has become. Twenty years ago, the only question was lumpectomy and radiation versus mastectomy. Now, it is partial breast radiation versus total breast; skin-sparing mastectomy versus nipple-sparing mastectomy; immediate reconstruction versus delayed, and then what type. And that does not even include chemotherapy, hormones and targeted therapy. The book, needless to say, is fatter. I can't wait until I can write a pamphlet that says, ‘Here is the answer. The end!’
Q: Never have had a mammogram, never will unless I find a lump. I have done a lot of research on mammograms, and I have my own theory about the cumulative radiation it exposes women to, after years and years of constant mammograms. Never had any cysts either. I'm 58, still have the same opinion. What is your opinion on this? — Cara Swann
A. You are right that cumulative radiation is bad. But the age you get them (mammograms) is important. The younger breast (under 40) is more sensitive to the radiation than the older breast. If you started mammograms at age 30 and had them every year, you would cause more cancers than you cure. Between 40 and 50, it is a wash. And after 50, you cure more cancers than you cause.
Not-so-free public education? Financially squeezed schools in California are asking parents to chip in on their children’s education. According to the Los Angeles Times:
“Like libraries and parks, public education has a special place in civic life as a democratizing institution that offers free and equal access to all. But in recent years, financially squeezed schools have become less democratic, or at least less free, by levying a variety of fees on everything from books to extracurricular uniforms.
“Among the things that various California schools are asking parents to pay for:
Novels assigned for literature classes.
Vocabulary workbooks and even some textbooks.
Gym uniforms that students are required to wear for mandated physical education classes.
Student identification cards that are required by the schools.
Lab fees for science classes.
Art supplies for art classes.
“The American Civil Liberties Union sued the state in September, contending that the expenses deny children the free public education they are guaranteed under the California Constitution.”