Author: Brett

CDC-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health-LGBTQ Youth Programs at a Glance

Brett

http://www.cdc.gov/lgbthealth/youth-programs.htm

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth are at elevated risk for many health risk behaviors, bullying, violence, discrimination, and associated health and mental health outcomes. Recognizing these serious health risks, CDC works with national, state, and local partners to address the health, education, and safety needs of LGBTQ youth.

CDC provides funding for state, territorial, and local education agencies; state health agencies; and tribal governments to conduct the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), which monitors health risk behaviors among U.S. high school students. CDC encourages its sites to add optional questions about same-sex sexual contact and sexual identity to their state, territorial, or local YRBS questionnaires. Collecting such data enables sites to better understand the health and safety risks among sexual minority youth and then adjust prevention priorities accordingly.

During the 2011 YRBS—

  • Five sites asked only about the sex of students’ sexual contacts
  • One site asked only about students’ sexual identity
  • Twenty-one sites asked about both the sex of students’ sexual contacts and about students’ sexual identity

In 2011, CDC analyzed data from YRBS to identify associations between sexual minority status and health risk behaviors. The findings of this analysis are described in a CDC report, “Sexual Identity, Sex of Sexual Contacts, and Health-Risk Behaviors Among Students in Grades 9–12 in Selected Sites—Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance, United States, 2001–2009.” The report documents the disproportionate rates at which sexual minority students experience many health risks, including tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use; sexual risk behaviors; and violence.

 

The Real Meaning of Santorum

Brett

http://news.advocate.com/post/20756386609/the-real-meaning-of-santorum

For months before the Iowa caucus in early January, MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow had dismissed former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum as the one GOP presidential candidate who would never experience 15 minutes of glory as the front-runner. The leader status had already been conferred upon every passing non-Romney fad from Donald Trump to Michele Bachmann to Rick Perry to Herman Cain. But “front-runner Rick Santorum” was too absurd a notion to contemplate. Then the Iowa result was a virtual tie. Two weeks after the caucus, Santorum was declared the winner in that state by 34 votes.

In a wave of spending that led to Romney accounting for 61% of all ads during the primary season’s first eight contests, according to a count by Kantar Media, his campaign regained the lead after back-to-back wins in Florida and Nevada. Once again the former Massachusetts governor appeared to be a lock for the nomination until Santorum shocked the political establishment by winning all three races February 7 in Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri. MSNBC hadn’t even staffed the night with live coverage.

“Shhh! Don’t interrupt the Republicans. Don’t make a sound,” Maddow joked days later in a mocking whisper. “They’re about to nominate Rick Santorum! Don’t move a muscle!”

Maddow, like many on the left, saw Santorum as a weak opponent against President Obama. In theory, Santorum has so remote a chance of even winning the Republican nomination for president that Markos Moulitsas called on the millions of liberals who read his influential website, Daily Kos, to vote for the antigay ex-senator. He declared the campaign to cause mayhem in open primaries “Operation Hilarity.” A vote for Santorum, Moulitsas calculated, actually meant more time for Republican infighting, and for the candidates to beat up Mitt Romney, the presumed real front runner. “I mean, Rick Santorum? Really? The Republicans have offered up this big, slow, juicy softball,” Moulitsas wrote gleefully. “Let’s have fun whacking the heck out of it.”

How Brands Can Get the Most From Facebook Timeline

Brett

http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2012/04/05/adapting-to-facebook-timeline-is-a-huge-challenge-for-brands-here-are-some-tips-on-where-to-focus/?awesm=tnw.to_1Dvlp&utm_campaign=social%20media&utm_medium=Spreadus&utm_source=Facebook&utm_content=Adapting%20to%20Facebook%20Timeline%20is%20a%20huge%20challenge%20for%20brands,%20here%20are%20some%20tips%20on%20where%20to%20focus

With all Facebook pages now upgraded to the new Timeline whether they like it or not, many brands have found themselves struggling with the challenge of adapting their content and marketing approach to the new layout.

A new Simple Usability study, which uses the firm’s eyetracking technology, is giving companies an interesting insight into how effectively Facebook Timeline is working as a marketing tool. The company has also provided a series of tips for areas to focus on to make the best of the new layout.

To draw its conclusions, Simple Usability monitored the Facebook pages of six brands American Express, Pizza Hut, Manchester United, Gap, Coldplay and Coca-Cola, assessing how fans are interacting with the new features.

Low Ratings Could End Cable Deal For Gore’s Current TV

Brett

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/05/us-currenttv-timewarnercable-idUSBRE83404P20120405

According to three sources with knowledge of the situation, Time Warner Cable Inc’s carriage agreement with Current TV stipulates that, if the left-leaning political news network fails to meet a minimum threshold for overall viewers in a given quarter, financial penalties such as Current TV being required to increase marketing and promotion spending on the cable operator’s systems are triggered.

If Current TV misses the audience benchmark in two consecutive quarters, another clause is triggered that would allow Time Warner Cable to drop the channel. The condition was built into the most recent distribution pact between the two parties, which was signed in 2010.

“Time Warner Cable has been flirting with the idea of pulling Current off its systems for some time now,” said one of the sources, who all spoke on condition of anonymity.

All of the sources interviewed for this story declined to provide the precise threshold for overall viewers.

California State Colleges Weigh Asking Students About Sexual Orientation

Brett

http://www.latimes.com/health/la-me-uc-gay-20120330,0,303195.story

California’s state colleges and universities are laying plans to ask students about their sexual orientation next year on application or enrollment forms, becoming the largest group of schools in the country to do so. The move has raised the hopes of gay activists for recognition but the concerns of others about privacy.

The questions, which students could answer voluntarily, would be posed because of a little-known state law aimed at gauging the size of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) populations on the campuses. The law encourages UC, Cal State and community colleges to explore whether they are offering enough services, such as counseling, for those students.

“It would be useful to know if we are underserving the population,” said Jesse Bernal, the UC system’s interim diversity coordinator. In addition, giving students the opportunity to answer such questions, he added, “sends a positive message of inclusiveness to LGBT students and creates an environment that is inclusive and welcoming of diverse populations.”

Experts said it is rare for a college to ask about sexual identity on an application or registration form, although a growing number of schools are studying the possibility. Last fall, Elmhurst College, a private school in Illinois, reportedly became the first in the nation to ask applicants about that part of their lives; the school reports that 85% have volunteered answers, with 3% reporting to be homosexual, bisexual or transgender.

E(nstitute), School for Entrepreneurs, Emerges From New York Startup Scene

Brett

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/04/enstitute-a-school-for-entrepreneurs_n_1403036.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

Kane Sarhan first realized there was a gap between college and the real world as an undergraduate working part-time for the owner of a large bar and restaurant chain. He recalls going back and forth between courses and corporate meetings, wondering when the skills he learned in the classroom would apply to the boardroom. They rarely, if ever, did.

After graduation, Sarhan took a job under the founder and CEO of a New York technology startup, and within two years, became the leading salesperson at the firm. His rise within the company prompted the CEO’s fiancé to one day ask Sarhan why more Millenials didn’t eschew traditional higher education and dive right into apprenticeships at startups.

The question festered inside Sarhan’s head for months. Eventually, it led to his departure from the company earlier this year, along with one of his co-workers, Shaila Ittycheria, to start E[nstitute], a two-year school that inserts college-aged entrepreneurs into New York’s hottest startups.

Already, some of the city’s most high-profile startup CEOs have agreed to take E[nstitute] students under their wings, including Ben Lerer of Thrillist, Neil Blumenthal of Warby Parker and Hilary Mason of Bit.ly. Their participation comes as Silicon Valley sets its sights on alternatives to college, including a venture capital firm’s recent $25 million bet on a new startup that aims to deliver an Ivy League education over the web.

Is Out Gay Swedish Footballer Anton Hysen About to Join Major League Soccer

Brett

http://www.towleroad.com/2011/12/anton-hysen.html

Rumors are bubbling up around the internet that Anton Hysén, the Swedish footballer who came out of the closet earlier this year, may be joining Major League Soccer and the announcement could be made as early as today.

MLS rumors has written about a recent interview by Hysen with Sportbladet in which he talked about being “in negotiations with two clubs in the American professional league.” Here’s the article.

According to Sportbladets the clubs Hysén has spoken with are Vancouver Whitecaps and  Sporting Kansas City.

Kansas City CEO Robb Heineman tweeted yesterday, “Subject to one approval, another good player for US tomorrow” although he appeared to shoot down interest in Hysén in a later tweet.

Jared Max made last-minute decision to come out on ESPN Radio

Brett

http://www.outsports.com/os/index.php/component/content/article/54-coming-out-stories-that-have-appeared-on-outsports/378-jared-max-made-last-minute-decision-to-come-out-on-espn-radio

When Jared Max woke up at 1am Thursday morning, nothing was out of the ordinary. It was raining again as it had all week. With prep work for his 5am ESPN 1050 show in New York, he was usually waking up just as many were filing into the bars in Chelsea. Everything was as it was every weekday…except for a computer document waiting to be opened. Max wondered if today would be the day.

Just before leaving for the studio he turned to one of his cats, the only living thing awake within a block at that hour other than himself.

“Things might be a little different when I get home,” he said.

When he walked into the ESPN offices Thursday morning, a picture of him stared back. He’s new to the station, having left CBS Radio a few weeks ago, and ESPN had just put a new photo of their recent hire on the wide-screen TV in the lobby. In addition to his own morning show, he was the voice of sports updates on the popular Mike & Mike Show during morning drive. While he hated the picture, it hit him that he was one of the new faces of ESPN in New York. And still he wondered if today would be the day.

Playing With Books is Important Step in Path to Early Literacy

Brett

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/early_years/2012/04/playing_with_books_is_important_key_to_early_literacy.html

I can remember reading picture books to my kids when they were babies and noticing how they were more interested in flipping the thick cardboard pages than in paying attention to the simple stories.

That behavior—and the occasional gnawing of a page—is one of several associated with babies’ development of early literacy skills. That’s according to the website of Zero to Three, a national, nonprofit organization promoting the health and development of infants and toddlers.

“Looking at early literacy development as a dynamic developmental process, we can see the connection (and meaning) between an infant mouthing a book, the book handling behavior of a 2-year-old, and the page turning of a 5-year-old,” says the website’s page on early literacy. “We can see that the first three years of exploring and playing with books, singing nursery rhymes, listening to stories, recognizing words, and scribbling are truly the building blocks for language and literacy development.”

The NYSE Big StartUp(SM), a Nationwide Jobs Growth Initiative, Connects Startups and Entrepreneurs with Corporate America to Accelerate New Business, Funding and Success

Brett

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-nyse-big-startupsm-a-nationwide-jobs-growth-initiative-connects-startups-and-entrepreneurs-with-corporate-america-to-accelerate-new-business-funding-and-success-2012-03-21

NEW YORK, Mar 21, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — The NYSE Big StartUp(SM), a nationwide jobs-growth initiative designed to connect young companies and entrepreneurs with corporate America, was launched today by NYSE Euronext (NYX) in collaboration with Accion, Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) and The Startup America Partnership. The program calls on the nation’s corporate community to lend support, experience and resources to startups and small companies to improve procurement, networking, business development, training, marketing and information sharing. Yelp YELP -1.55% , LinkedIn LNKD +0.13% and Microsoft MSFT -1.08% are among the first corporations to participate in this endeavor. In addition to information and events to be provided as part of the initiative, a microfinance program called the Accion NYSE Job Growth Fund, started with a $1.5 million commitment by NYSE Euronext, will provide small businesses and startups with the capital and support they need to grow.

The NYSE Big StartUp is unique in its comprehensive approach to promoting job growth through small businesses, startups and entrepreneurs. The program helps to promote the increased demand for goods and services that these growing companies need, while also mobilizing the corporate sector to contribute knowledge, expertise and funding where it can be critical to job creation.

“America is looking for ways to create jobs and we believe part of the answer lies in nurturing the small business community,” said Duncan L. Niederauer, Chief Executive Officer, NYSE Euronext. “Business leaders cannot wait for Washington to have all the answers, so our idea, The NYSE Big StartUp, is aimed at encouraging bigger companies to help small companies. NYSE Euronext is uniquely positioned at the center of capital markets to bring our community and partners together to fuel job growth. We are calling on established companies to direct their purchasing power to small companies. In addition, we are launching new training, mentoring and education programs for entrepreneurs, as well as the Accion NYSE Job Growth Fund to help ensure that capital is available to those least able to access it from traditional sources.”