Posts by nc

(SOURCE:  The New York Times) House Republicans narrowly pushed through a bill on Thursday that slashes billions of dollars from the food stamp program, over the objections of Democrats and a veto threat from President Obama. The vote set up what promised to be a major clash with the Senate and dashed hopes for passage…

Can you eat on just $4.50 a day? Make the SNAP Challenge pledge now, then invite your friends! What is the SNAP Challenge? The SNAP Challenge encourages participants to get a sense of what life is like for millions of low-income Americans facing hunger. By accepting the SNAP Challenge, you’ll commit to eating all of…

Four coyote siblings are back in their natural habitat in Southern California. But, it’s a homecoming that almost didn’t happen. When they were just young, defenseless pups, their mother was trapped and killed after she and other coyotes began living within an unwelcoming community. The coyotes were lured there by the presence of plentiful swimming…

Providing the first national data on youth use of electronic cigarettes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today reported that the percentage of U.S. middle and high school students who used e-cigarette more than doubled from 2011 to 2012. According to results from the National Youth Tobacco Survey, the percentage of high school…

In 2005, Vicky Gunderson’s 17-year-old son, Kirk (pictured above), committed suicide while in solitary confinement in a Wisconsin jail. Here’s her story: “As a mother, not being able to hug and comfort my son when he was alone in a concrete box was like the worst form of hell. Knowing our son Kirk ended his…

Getting a colonoscopy is not something most people look forward to — but a new analysis suggests that it’s worth it to follow screening recommendations and have the test done every 10 years (or every five for those at high risk.) Writing in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, Harvard researcher Reiko Nishihara…

Junior Achievement USA® (JA) and the ING U.S. Foundation’s 2013 Teens & Careers survey reveals a substantial year-over-year decline in teens’ interest in science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) and medical-related fields. This is the 12th year the survey has been conducted. An executive summary of the 2013 Junior Achievement USA Teens & Career Survey is…

Activist and fundraiser Dan Pallotta calls out the double standard that drives our broken relationship to charities. Too many nonprofits, he says, are rewarded for how little they spend — not for what they get done. Instead of equating frugality with morality, he asks us to start rewarding charities for their big goals and big…

Right now in 29 states, there is no state law protecting a gay, lesbian or bisexual person from being fired just because of who they are – and the same is true in 33 states for transgender people. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) would provide basic protections against workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual…

What:    The Roo Run 5k When:   Saturday, October 12, 2013 Where:  Jacksonville Zoo
370 Zoo Parkway
Jacksonville, FL 32218 Designed to promote an active lifestyle, all while supporting the happiness that inspires hope at Give Kids The World, register now for the Roo Run 5k.  All proceeds benefit GKTW, a 70-acre, non-profit resort in Central Florida that…

Hunger is sometimes hidden, even as it affects 1 in 6 people in our community (that’s over 50 million people), it affects children, elderly, the unemployed, and likely someone you know. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 16.7 million children under 18 in the United States live in this condition – unable…