Voice Matters Blog

Daily News Clips for Monday, January 3, 2011   HEADLINES   The Washington Post Arizona plan for largest U.S. copper mine spurs economic, environmental debate Kari Lydersen When former miner Roy Chavez heard about plans to develop the nation's largest copper mine near Superior, Ariz., he thought it might be the salvation of the economically struggling... Read More

Daily News Clips for Tuesday, January 4, 2011    HEADLINES   The Washington Post   Members of public speak out against Metro bag inspections Ann Scott Tyson Members of the public spoke out against Metro's decision to start random bag inspections, with speaker after speaker condemning the initiative at a meeting held by the Metro Riders' Advisory... Read More

  A Picture Worth a Thousand Words   Graphic Warning Labels Aim to Prevent Youth Smoking & Help Smokers Quit    By: Shawntay Warren   Would you purchase a product wrapped in a label that showed a man with a hole in his throat? How about one that showed an infant struggling to breathe through a thick... Read More

  Daily News Clips for Wednesday, January 5, 2011    HEADLINES   The Washington Post Census Bureau releases alternative measures of poverty Carol Morello The Census Bureau took a baby step toward redefining what is considered poor in America on Tuesday when it released several alternative measurements of poverty, fundamentally revising a one-size-fits-all formula developed in the... Read More

Daily News Clips for Thursday, January 6, 2010    HEADLINES   *** Your guide to the 112th Congress***   The Washington Post   A changing of the gavel as 112th Congress is sworn in Shailagh Murray and Paul Kane The House and the Senate have a split personality by design, but Wednesday's debut of the 112th Congress revealed a... Read More

Daily News Clips for Friday, January 7, 2011    HEADLINES   The Washington Post Pentagon to cut spending by billion, reduce troop strength Craig Whitlock For the first time since the end of the Cold War, the Pentagon is confronting the reality that inexorable increases in defense spending are no longer a sure thing and... Read More

A Horrible Tragedy, A Moment of Silence and Reflection We join our President and First Lady, in a moment of silence for the victims of the Tucson, Arizona shooting. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who was targeted in the attack. We hope this tragedy can be used as... Read More

  New Year, A New Law, & A New Hope!   It’s never easy sifting through new legislation, and especially those laws like the soon to be year-old Affordable Care Act  that phases in programs and reforms over a number of years.  Coverage for the millions of Americans with “pre-existing conditions” does not... Read More

  Tips of the Trade: Some Help Getting Organized in the New Year!   By: Tamara Braunstein ’Tis the season for resolutions: for making them, and for breaking them. There are plenty of ideas out there for what you might strive to improve in your life this year, and even advice and encouragement on... Read More

De-integrating schools: A sign of the times? Or a dangerous step back?   In this modern day and age, a new majority-Republican school board backed by national tea party conservatives, is abolishing a school policy that has kept integration alive in a district that was last in the nation to embrace it.... Read More

What’s Old Is New; What’s New Is Old—Again! Tom Vanderbilt’s thoughtful piece—“Streetcars vs. Monorails:  The future of urban transportation looks a lot like the past”—certainly reflects what’s happening today in Washington, DC; some want them, others don’t. The streetcar, once considered antiquated, is back in vogue, he writes.  Although monorail... Read More

Fighting Back Against Childhood Obesity   Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, proposed Thursday to overhaul nutrition guidelines that will reduce sodium, sugar and caloric consumption in public schools.  This is good news, since nearly one-third of today’s children are either obese or at-risk for being obese – a problem that will cost the... Read More

First-Aid Course for the Mentally Ill?  Just a First Step! A January 17 Washington Post article, “Shooting in Tucson sparks interest in 'mental health first aid' courses,” by Rachel Saslow, cites the Washington-based National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare’s (NCCBH) position that “learning how to identify and help people with mental... Read More

Repeal “Obamacare”. . .  So What’s the Plan B?   Today, the Republican-led House will vote on the fate of President Obama’s health care bill. If the bill is repealed, Republican leaders will have stripped health coverage from 30 million uninsured Americans, including those already benefitting from the legislation.  From Medicare recipients... Read More

  Tips of the Trade: Some Help Keeping Focused in the New Year!   By: Tamara Braunstein   Parts three and four of my series on time-management highlight the need to create a balance between work and rest to optimize efficiency. Focus Keep your mind trained on results Don’t worry about how much you still need to... Read More

Smoke and mirrors...  Or is Wal-Mart serious about a new corporate image?   One can only hope that first lady Michelle Obama’s praise of Wal-Mart’s healthy foods campaign, announced yesterday at a Washington, DC-based community center, is not misconstrued nor lets the retail giant off the hook for past transgressions.  The Arkansas-based... Read More

Your Good Health Begins Today, No Matter Your Age: Remembering Jack LaLanne   Highlighted Clip for Monday, January 24, 2011: Nicknamed "The Father of Fitness," longtime exercise guru Jack LaLanne who inspired health and wellness in American households since the 1950s, passed away Sunday at 96. Admitting in his younger days he consumed too much junk food, LaLanne... Read More

Science, Technology and Humanities Will Lead Us to a Brighter Tomorrow   In his State of the Union address last night, President Obama talked about winning America’s future through technological innovation and education. As a parent of two children enrolled in public schools in D.C., I wondered what impact the president’s prescription... Read More

Race & Gender in Pop Culture   By: Donna Lewis Johnson  If you are the mother of a teenage girl, as I am, you know the name Justin Bieber and the intense effect the mere mention of the name has on girls. Justin Bieber is to my daughter’s generation what Michael Jackson was... Read More

King’s Dream of ‘Equality’ Still Unrealized   Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed in something far greater when he delivered his August 28, 1963, “I Have a Dream Speech” from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. King sought equality of life for all men and women as he spoke from our nation’s... Read More

New U.S. Dietary Guidelines Focus on Salt Reduction - Targets African Americans   Today, the Federal Government provided new and improved dietary guidelines for all Americans, and are the first new guidelines since 2005. The new guidelines focus mostly on salt intake, recommending that Americans limit their daily sodium intake to less... Read More