Teenage Pregnancy and TV

Journal of Pediatrics report that teens watching Sex in the City are twice as likely to get pregnant - or become a father. (Okay, I summarized it poorly but I'm rushing... .)

Link to Article on Teen Pregnancy and Watching Sex in the City


Now all we have to do is go back to all the statistics in the last decade and account for what the kids and teens were watching on TV. Glad I threw mine out decades ago. For the record, I've never watched the show so I really have no idea how "sexual" it is.

I don't have time to write and I'm in the middle of biting off more than I can chew - but it seems to me that studies like these have tremendous power to lessen the impact of other studies.


Back to work...my poor long lost blog...

P.S. Found an old Report to the Kaiser Foundation on TV, Children, Influence, Media, History, and other studies on the effect of TV on teens and children with a lot of citations for further research:

Cached Version of
Report to the Kaiser Foundation Measuring the Effects of Sexual Content in the Media

DOC Version of Same File
Report to the Kaiser Foundation Measuring the Effects of Sexual Content in the Media

Holiday Statistics and Links to More Holiday Statistics

The holiday season is almost over. I hope everyone had some joyous heartwarming moments during the last few busy weeks. My heart was overjoyed when my beautiful twenty-two year old daughter surprised me by coming up for Christmas after previously telling me she couldn't make it. (Everyone knew about it but me and my eight year old!) I hadn't seen her for a year, which was the longest we've ever gone from seeing each other. It was a comforting and teary-eyed reunion. I don't know what I'm going to do when all of the kids are off and on their own! Right now it's 3 down, 3 to go – and the first of the last three is a senior, so she'll be off experiencing life on her own later this year.

Statistics on holidays indicate there are likely heartwarming (or teeth-gritting) family reunions taking place around the nation during the November and December holiday season. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports (with little surprise) that November and December are the most popular months for long distance travel. I did find it a little surprising though that the Bureau's holiday statistics reported that 91% of the holiday travel was done by a “personal vehicle” (typically a car, although I suppose somebody somewhere is flying their own personal jet home for the holidays). The BTS's holiday statistics also stated that people will drive a little farther at Christmas. The average trip for Thanksgiving is around 214 miles, whereas the average trip for Christmas is around 275 miles. My daughter drove from Virginia to New York, so her trip was a wee bit farther than the average.

We had a turkey dinner on Christmas Eve. I should say we had a Thanksgiving dinner on Christmas Eve. We ate one of the 271 million turkeys that are raised in the US, according to the US Census Bureau. It's pretty much picked apart by now, despite my vegetarian seventeen year old daughter passing on her turkey portions. I'm not even sure if I have enough to make turkey soup. At least I'll get some broth out of it.

We also had a couple cans of the 649 million pounds of cranberries that are produced in the nation according to the Census Bureau's Thanksgiving Day Special Feature Report. (Some people watch special features on TV, us statistic junkies read special features from government statistical agencies or Swivel holiday statistics.) I couldn't find any fresh cranberries when I went shopping, so had to settle for canned. And there's one more statistic on cranberries that I bet you didn't know. There were 8 census designated areas (town, city, etc.) with the name Cranberry, or a spelling of the same sound (Cranbury) in 2003 – and only one with the name Pilgrim. What's confusing is the Census Bureau's 2008 reported listed there were only five places with the name Cranberry. What happened to the other three? I bet nobody discussed that at their Christmas Eve dinner. (Except maybe the person that chose to look up that statistics for the holiday report.) If I were living in Cranberry I might be worried about the fact that almost half the towns with my namesake disappearing.

If you just can't wait to hear more on holiday statistics, pay a visit to the Census Bureau website. The Census Bureau has special reports and links to facts and statistics on holidays at their Facts & Features Special Editions Page. If you're into retail or e-commerce, the feature's page includes holiday statistics on retail sales, shopping, e-commerce and other frequently sought statistics. It's convenient to start your holiday statistics research on the Facts and Features page because each item has a direct link to their source, which can provide you with more detailed information.

If you're interested in international holiday statistics, check out the World Tourism Organization website and do a search for “holidays” in their website's search engine. You can also do a search for holidays (or any other search term for statistics) at the search engine on this blog, and it will only search websites that have have statistics.

The Intute website has a tremendous collection of links to statistics on holidays. They have a fantastic search engine that searches reputable journals, websites with statistics, and thousands of resources from major universities. They have links to hundreds of national and international tourism statistics and holiday statistics, including some international holiday statistics on consumer spending and economics from the Euromonitor International Website and Ecoholidaying and the effects of tourism.

The UK's Office of National Statistics also has data and statistics on holidays in the UK as well as international holiday travel statistics. If you're into UK holiday data, check out Seaside History for historical data on UK holiday vacations at the seaside from the 1950s to the early 21st century. You'll find historical data on waterfront vacations, holiday accommodations and holiday travel and transportation in the UK. The Virtual Library of Useful URL's has links in their social sceince category that have statistics on holidays, as well as histories and general knowledge of national and international holidays. There are quite a few links, so just do a Ctrl F (or Edit Find) on the page for "holiday" to see all of the listings on holidays and statistics on holidays.

Along with all these heartwarming holiday reunions are billions of holiday greeting cards traveling from crowded greeting card display units to the hands of friends and families around the world. Hallmark's corporate website has holiday statistics on (what else?) greeting cards which include the statistic that 2.1 billion Christmas Cards are purchased for Christmas. But are they actually mailed out? I couldn't even begin to tell you how many years I bought Christmas cards and never got around to mailing them. And what about e-cards?

The United States Postal Service has a webpage on USPS statistics, facts and trivia. The Census Bureau reports that the USPS reports that about 20 billion pieces of mail go out between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and about one million packages get mailed during the holiday season. Wonder how many letters are addressed to the North Pole? This brings to mind Miracle on 34th Street, my 8 year old's favorite Christmas movie (B&W), and the scene where they dumped all the letters to Santa on the judge's desk. I love that movie. If you really want to know what's going on at the post office, you can take a look at the 2008 Comprehensive Statement of Postal Services. If you really want to. Which, you probably don't. (Link is to cached version, PDF version is available.)

If you want to plan a day to watch movies instead of reviewing post office holiday operations, you can get an idea of when Federal Holidays are scheduled by visiting the US Office of Personnel Management. They have a list of Federal Holidays for 2009 and other upcoming years. If you live in Washington D.C. you'll have off for inauguration day! (Wouldn't they require more staff?) DMOZ has lots of links to Calendars and Holidays, Wikipedia has a list of holidays by country, and the International Bank Holidays website has holidays lists up to the year 2050, and even in a visual map form. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has started putting out a yearly National Compensation Survey, which includes holiday benefit statistics and data from private and public employers.

There is a substantial amount of data in tables that can give you statistics on wages and holiday pay, retirement benefits, sick pay, health benefits, and more by industry, sector, size, and other standard BLS and Census categories. If you want to see if your holiday pay is par for your industry - the Compensation Survey is the place to check. They also have a search engine that searches only compensation data. At the top of my BTS compensation search for holidays was the result that clearly states "Contrary to popular beliefs, employers are not obligated under Federal laws to grant paid holiday benefits to their employees." Bummers. Thankfully, the majority of employers in the US do provide holiday pay - although I do have to say our benefits have a long way to go to catch up with the rest of the civilized world.

So much for a short post on holiday statistics. I hope all my readers can soak up some holiday rest before they head out into the New Year. With a lively new president, we'll be bringing in an exciting new year. Merry Chirstmas and Happy Holidays to all - and to all a good night. (Now I can go find out what happened to the Cranberries!)

Statistic Resources on Children with Aids for World Aids Day

Statistics on Children with Aids are slowly surfacing as the Aids epidemic passes down through the generations. One of the primary locations for research on AIDS with recent statistics and information on Aids is at the United Nations Aids website, UNAIDS.ORG. This website has information on the latest research, statistics, graphs, tables, Excel formatted data, charts and international Aids information. There is a free pdf download of UNAIDS 2008 Global Report on Aids, with a link to a jpg wall chart demonstrating the prevalence of Aids by country on the same page.

UNICEF has produced one of the most notable reports on children with Aids. The Children and AIDS: Third Stocktaking Report, 2008 is a free pdf download available on the UNICEF and UNAIDS websites. UNICEF has a short article on the Children and Aids report which lists some highlights and findings on transmission of AIDS to children, awareness and prevention, and statistics on treatment.

International Aids statisticians and medical experts agree that early treatment of Aids in children significantly increases the chances of survival. The Children and Aids report lists a study on Antiretroviral Therapy which demonstrated that treatment of AIDS in the first 12 weeks of a child's life reduces mortality by around 76%.

The US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) reported on November 19, 2008 a landmark study that further confirmed early treatment can reverse a child's death sentence with AIDS. In this New England Journal reported study, it was discovered that infants with HIV who received Antiretroviral Therapy at an average age of seven weeks increased their chances of living, and the HIV infected infants were "four times less likely to die in the next 48 weeks" when compared to waiting until the symptoms of HIV surfaced.

The NIAID also has an informative page on HIV, Aids and Infants with a summary of treatment and statistics from 2004. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the US has a page with statistics and research on mother to child Aids transmission. Fortunately, it demonstrates that transmission has be reduced with increased treatment of Aids during pregnancy. They also have graphs on the state of HIV/Aids as defined by several categories, and a separate page on graphs with teenage Aids statistics. The National Institute of Health has a branch for Pediatric, Adolescent & Maternal AIDS.

Unfortunately, the majority of women do not get tested for Aids during pregnancy and statistics are showing that 25% of pregnant women who have Aids are unaware that they carry the disease. The Children and Aids report also indicated that children from an AIDS household were often not tested until they were two months old. Awareness and availability of AIDS therapies and medications will determine which child lives and which child dies.

US Aid reports that 90 percent of the 5.1 million people in India with HIV/AIDS don't know about their status until a crisis occur. A Times of India November 2008 article on Aids and Children lists some very grim statistics for children with Aids in India.

Paediatrician Sanjay Lalwani, head of the department of paediatrics, Bharati Hospital and Research Centre, says 10 to 15 per cent of children who get the infection from their mothers die within the first two years. Eighty to 85 per cent of them develop AIDS between the ages of five and seven and die.

The progression from HIV infection to AIDS can be prevented by treating these children with anti-HIV drugs (anti-retroviral therapy) when their immune system starts deteriorating. "The treatment may not be of much help if you start it at late stage of infection. At present, the government of India gives the drugs only to those children in the later stages of HIV infection," said Oswal.

The article lists AIDS statistics from the World Health Organization, and expresses the need for treatment with a listing of Aids Clinics and Aids care facilities that are available for children in India with Aids. The World Health Organization also has a page dedicated to information on children with Aids which has many pdf files, Aids treatment research, tables and graphs with statistics available in a free download.

Children with Aids have many faces. UNICEF has a Voices of Youth page. There is a YouthAids website that has Aids statistics on youth and Aids as well as general Aids statistics. The Global Ministries at The United Methodist Church has personal stories from HIV infected individuals and those suffering from AIDS. The Children with Aids Project seeks to find homes for children with AIDS and raise money for the orphans of Aids. National Public Radio has an audio broadcast from a 14 year old with Aids.

BBC reported in an article on 40 children contracting Aids in a hospital in Uzbekistan that "The United Nations says Central Asia has one of the world's fastest-growing HIV infection rates" and "Unsafe blood supplies and contaminated equipment are often blamed for spreading the infection." CNN did an indepth study on AIDS in the early 21st century, and there are many valuable historical facts on AIDS as well images, graphs and personal stories at their website. A 2006 BBC article examined how AIDS affects the workforce in Africa. This has a link to a BBC bar graph on Aids statistics around the world.

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) has a bar graph on the transmission methods of Aids to children under 13 in the US according to race. The chart is slightly outdated, as it is from 2004. Nationmaster is always good for statistics on just about anything, and they have an easy bar graph to follow which reports children living with AIDS by country.

The Stolen Childhood blog, which lists international issues and global statistics on many health, drug and crime issues that are tragic to the livelihood of children, has a post on Aids and Kenya from 2007. The UC Atlas of Global Inequality from the University of California has a link to charts, graphs and maps on children and Aids. However, be aware that the page on children and Aids has not been updated since 2006. The website however, is rich with information, statistics, whitepapers, information on conferences and links to rich resources of global statistics.

Swivel is great for finding graphs and charts, and if you need more statistics on Aids, a search for AIDS at Swivel will bring a couple pages of results about Aids statistics. Some statistics on Aids in the United States by State can be found at State Health Facts website, which offers links to many statistics on health topics, including demographics and health indicators.

The US Department of Health and Human Services has a Fact Sheet on Aids, The US Government also has an HIV/AIDS website at AIDS.GOV which has links to preventative literature and statistics on some US prevention efforts, location of HIV testing sites, and research on clinical studies. There is also a link to a list of funding agencies and programs for Aids, an Aids Youth Fact Sheet, and a nice list of Aids Agencies and Programs.

Statistics on Aids can be found on millions of websites. However, if you are doing research and are looking for accurate figures on Aids and Youth and Children, keep in mind that "youth" and "children" are often defined by different age groups. The age 15 has been included in children, youth and adult statistics on Aids.

Educating and providing early treatment to women and infants with Aids can drive the mortality statistics on children and Aids on a sharp down curve. Keeping our future generations free from Aids by providing education and early treatment of pregnant women and infants will put a stop to its generational growth. Who knows? One of the lives that are saved could be the life that finds a cure for Aids and ends the deadly disease for all future generations.

Mesothelioma and Cancer Links to Statistics and Clinical Trials

Mesothelioma, which often follows asbestosis, is rare. But since I have a writing assignment on these topics, I thought I’d share some websites. I really wanted to do a post on refugees – and still have it planned for the future – but I’ll need more time. Since I had an electric problem in the house that led to living over a week with no electricity and some overdue deadlines, I had to force myself to skip my blog writing. I found it interesting that while I was gone my blog post on Plane Crash Statistics was the most popular post. Kinda wish the people were searching for ways to stop world poverty instead. And I wish this war in Congo would stop. Every time I read articles on refugee children and orphaned babies I want to cry.

Back in the US, and other areas of the world, some of the older folks are suffering from a cancer called mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is caused from exposure to asbestos, although cases have been reported where asbestos exposure wasn’t evident. Asbestos use has not been eliminated, but it is subject to regulations in the US and many parts of the world. Unfortunately, there are many countries that have not yet regulated its use. The statistics for mesothelioma are grim, and survival is usually estimated to be less than a year after diagnosis. But there are survivors and stories of hope and survivors. Clinical trials, persistent research, and ignoring statistics seem to be the secret to mesothelioma survival. In the hopes of helping someone find treatment, I'm going to end this short post with some links that will help in a search for a clinical trial. Time is short. The faster people can find information for help, the greater the possibility of a cure.

If you're worried about asbestos in your home, You can easily order an Asbestos Test Kit to test for asbestos in your home. This at-home asbestos kit is under $10.00, and only costs $20.00 to get test results that meet (and exceed) EPA standards using the latest polarized light microscopy. A home mold testing kit is available for the same price, as are other home health hazard kits that can notify you of harmful invisible dangers in your home. Each of these test at home kits are far cheaper than the hundreds of dollars it would cost to have an inspector investigate your home (plus their laboratory fees) - yet all testing follows the same EPA standards.

Do you know someone who has had mesothelioma? There might be compensation available through a Mesothelioma trust fund.  You can also help them find clinical trials for treatment.

Please forward these links to anyone who might be suffering from mesothelioma, asbestosis, or any type of cancer. The secret to successful treatment might just be hidden inside one of these links.


Clinical Trials.Gov
Clinical trials in the US and around the world.

CenterWatch
Clinical Trial Listing Service.

National Cancer Institute
Search box for clinical trials all cancers.

Cancer Centers
Link from Asbestos.com to Cancer Centers.

OncoLink.Org Clinical Trial Search
From the Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvannia

Onco Treatment Matching Service
Get some help finding clinical trials.

NCI Resources
Professional Information on Treatment Studies.
Links from OncoLink to Global Services
Find trials around the world.

Cancerguide.org
List of Clinical Trial Websites for Many Cancers. US and Global Links.

EORTC
European Organisation for Treatment of Cancer.

Asbestos Cancer Online
Very nice list of websites for mesothelioma clinical trials.

Mesothelioma Research Institute of America
Many mesothelioma links and clinical trial openings and results.

Statistics and Advice on Mesothelioma
Clinical Trial Link email addresses (from 2005 - may be outdated).

Mesothelioma Information and Research Group
Very nice list of clinical trial contacts and resources.

Mesothelioma on the Web
Current clinical trials, clinical trial information and mesothelioma information and resources.

Flinders University
Australian resources for clinical trials.

Prevent Mesothelioma
List of clinical trial resources with addresses and contacts (no direct links - but still valuable if current).

Mayo Clinic
Mesothelioma clinical trials at the Mayo Clinic.

University of California Clinical Trials
Clinical trials at this university.

University of Texas Medical Library
List of Clinical Trial Websites (some are listed here).

There's going to be a lot of repeats within these lists - but each link leads to more links - and hopefully the links will lead to a cure.

International Relief and International Humanitarian Aid Resources and Statistics

International Relief and International Humanitarian Aid Resources and Statistics

Statistics on world disasters, hunger, health, disease and crime are staggering.   Poverty is the toxic element that is infused into all humanitarian catastrophic misfortunes.   Poverty ignites and is ignited by natural and intentional human indecencies and nature's wrath. Governments of many nations continue to offer financial aid to relief efforts, but politics often put basic human needs such as food and shelter on the back burner, while strategized political gain continues to roast into a succulent greedy feast.   When economies fail, international relief serving those who are far worse off than the statured decision makers is discontinued.  Funding remains to be decided by the face of a dollar sign, rather than the face of a poverty-stricken child, a homeless family, or a disease-ridden village.  Fortunately, all faces of devastation are not dismissed nor forgotten.

The faces of  those struck with the toxic energies of Poverty live constantly  in the minds of  International Relief Workers and Humanitarian Aid Workers around the world that trudge on inspired, exhausted and determined. Where the governments fails, International Relief Workers, Humanitarian Aid Workers and Private Humanitarian Agencies embark on missions for individual and group fundraising to raise money for transportation, medical costs, housing, food, and shelter.  Their funding efforts send them far away to the isles of Affliction, Corruptness, and Desperation that suffer from the epidemics of Poverty.  

Where governments fail, people must not fail.  Those of us not capable of  administering medicines, building houses,  training and educating the uneducated,  traveling to remote areas, and caring for dying babies in their arms, need to support those that are.  A volunteer International Relief Worker or Humanitarian Aid Worker does not receive a pass for a free around-the world trip.  They must pay for their desire to help the devastated.  Even those who receive a small compensation from a private funding source must still fund their own traveling expenses.  

During times of economic crisis, private funding deteriorates, and individuals must raise money on their own to quiet the cries of the helpless that infiltrate their minds at night, while sleeping in the arms of an almost sinfully-wealthy country.  These cries drive them to ask their churches, communities, businesses and educational institutions to help.  It is up to us, the believers, the dreamers, the neighbors, the business owners, and the educators, to support these individuals so that they can be the link on the chain to give to others what we can't give.  Only a strong chain of efforts can drag the toxic-ridden isles of poverty into a decent humanitarian state.  We must all become a part of that chain.  

High school students should be introduced to humanitarian efforts.  Colleges, universities, and even vocational schools should invoke International Relief and Humanitarian Aid training.  International majors that focus on people as well as politics need to grow exponentially.   Educational institutions offering majors for International Relief are far and few between.  Our educational system must step in to promote the end of global poverty and give rise to the efforts to extinguish the events that contribute to poverty's ignition.  

My daughter's continuous desire to become an International Relief Worker throughout her high school years, and our trying search for information on education and careers in International Relief Work over the years, drove me to choose this topic for my blog post on Blog for Poverty Day.  We can do more than contribute money, we can contribute our time.  Train, educate, contribute and build a desire to help others among our young people.  Teach young people the value of life, the value of living and the value of giving.  As parents, educators and humans with a heart - we can all step in to build the chain to pull the toxic elements of poverty out of human existence.  The chain may go on forever, but with every link, poverty's toxic elements are smothered just a little bit more.  

Many websites are available to see first hand the staggering statistics.  And since collecting statistics is a difficult, and almost impossible endeavor in many remote areas, these statistics, as dramatic as they are, often under-represent the realities of humanitarian needs.

One of the most noted resources for data on Global Poverty Issues is the World Bank.  The World Bank Statistics Page has data on international statistics for poverty related issues, current and needed funding, trends on poverty related issues and trends on development programs.  There is also a search engine query page for indepth research and an online poverty computational calculator designated as Povcal Net which can be improvised by countries. The World Bank website is a very comprehensive and reputable source for information and statistics. The World Health Report is one of their most considerable publications. 

The World Food Programme website, the World Health Organization with numerous health statistics on international issues, Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, and
UNICEF, need little introduction and are primary sources for research and statistics on international statistics on poverty and global issues.  On a smaller scale is US Aid, an independent US government website with information on budget for foreign assistance programs funded by the United States and  US Overseas Loans and Grants.  There is also a page on Missions of US Aid.

Disaster areas are often recipients of international funding.  There are many websites available for research on disaster funding, histories, trends, costs, causes and effects.  The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction has detailed data on the impact of natural disasters for many countries throughout the years.  The Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder has a list of links to statistics on natural disasters, including many valuable government resources for information and statistics.  This is a must visit website for substantive research on natural disasters.  If you're looking for some global play-by-play disaster reports by month or year, check out the NCDC (National Climatic Data Center).  NASA is has astronomical amounts of information on disasters and shouldn't be left out of the list of resources.   The Asian Disaster Reduction Center has several pdf downloads on disaster statistics and analysis.

Talking ITGlobal Issues Page is not limited to IT issues, in fact, it is a non-profit website that promotes global issues to youth, and even  includes a page on educational games for global issues.  I haven't tried any of these yet but I'll definitely pay a visit later. Educational games on peace and global issues aren't easy to find!

I haven't compiled a list of universities and colleges that offer International and Humanitarian majors, (not merely courses), but it's on my list of things to do.  But there are some great websites for teenagers and young adults (and their parents and counselors of course!) to examine as they explore their career options.  Many of these also include links to listings to International Jobs, International Relief Jobs, and Humanitarian Aid Jobs around the world.  

The United Nations has a page dedicated to United Nations Volunteer ism, and a Fact Sheet on UN Volunteers and a Poverty Network Web Portal if you're interested in including your website.

The Human Rights Interactive Network has a long list of links from around the world on current news, newspapers, journals and websites related to human rights.  I just took a look at the All Africa website since my daughter is interested in International Relief work in Africa, and it's a wonderful news and research resource information on current events and even statistics. Unfortunately, its "premium search engine" is only available at a price.  However, it does provide many other sources for information. When I was doing research for my daughter I stumbled on the UN's Africa Renewal Online Magazine, formerly called "Africa Recovery." (The new name does sound more optimistic doesn't it?)  I really enjoyed reading it, and it's a wonderful source for current news and renewal efforts in Africa. UNICEF has a pdf file on Central Africa statistics and relief efforts. (1 in 5 die before their fifth birthday is particularly disheartening.)

 Blogspot blogs get in on the action in Africa too.  The Business Action for Africa blog is a blog to subscribe to if you're interested in humanitarian efforts in Africa, or have business connections willing to work for Africa, or are lucky enough to be in a position to recommend business action opportunities.  This is a professional business networking website with many valuable links and references.  There is also a social networking website for Businesses Fight Poverty around the world.

 This group is looking for volunteers to help deaf children in Africa if anyone is interested! The ad is posted in the website Network Learning, which has nothing to do with digital networks, but networking for humanitarian aid.  There are many free pdf files, career advice, and links for humanitarian aid career, learning, and organizational development and fundraising information. Network Learning is non-profit and has a vast array of information for NGO's.  But I still haven't figured out what NGO stands for. I'll have to look it up when I'm done. But if you know what it is - pay a visit to Network Learning.  

The website Aid Workers Network is another non-profit website for Humanitarian Aid Workers with career advice for Humanitarian Careers. I received a wonderful pdf file for my daughter from Dr. Bryan Walker, whose two sons are international humanitarian workers. The 83 page pdf file is entitled "Better Ways to Find Humanitarian Employment" and has too many valuable links and statistics to mention.  Dr. Walker has extensive experience in humanitarian aid. His free pdf book is a fluent read despite being chock full of valuable information, and can be downloaded at this link at the Network Learning Website.  If anyone can upload this document to encourage humanitarian workers, Dr. Bryan Walker can be contacted at this address on the Aidworkers Network.   I would also encourage high schools and guidance offices to promote this career advice to students interested in International Work.  As Dr. Walker stated in his email, "There are many people who struggle to get into humanitarian work so the more opportunities for readership, the better."  This pdf also includes a case history from his son now in the DR Congo with the International Rescue Committee.  I really enjoyed the read, but my daughter has to finish her research paper on the death penalty before she can get around to it.  Maybe her and I with gather up the youngest and head overseas after the rest of the clan are settled...

Career resources also exist at this US Aid page on Careers, and this free pdf on Private Volunteer Agencies and Opportunities for Humanitarian Aid and International Relief.   Relief Net is still my favorite resource after all of my investigations.  It includes interactive maps, professional resources,  International Relief Job and Humanitarian Aid Positions available, (including descriptions), data, statistics, and more.  This is positively one of the best networks to use if you begin a quest for information on international humanitarian relief work.  

I've been lucky my youngest is entranced with Magic School Bus, and I could go on forever with this post, but it's time to make dinner or lunch or whatever it is we're eating now.  (I like to avoid mirrors, calendars and clocks!) And, I think Blog for Poverty Day is almost over! Eeek...I've never been on time for anything.

Enjoy the day, enjoy your life, and build a little link to help end global poverty.

Plane Crash Statistics

Plane crash statistics isn't a very popular topic, but since I've collected some data and posted some of it in Wiki Answers, I might as well throw the links to statistics up here and in my search engine.

What possessed me to start digging for plane crash statistics? My 8 year old daughter has had this fear for the last three weeks that a plane will fall and crash into our house. Her prayers now include "Dear God, please don't let a plane fall on our house - and if it does can me and mom (and sisters, brothers, dogs, cats, guinea pigs) all go to heaven at the same time?" This is my daredevil daughter that has spent her walking years (she skipped crawling) climbing and jumping from anything and everything she could. (No broken legs yet - thank God.)

Personally, I could use a new roof. So if the plane crashes and we're not home and I can get a new roof out of the deal - all the better for me. I suggested that to her but it didn't help make her feel better. I just got the evil eye. I tried to explain statistics and probability - comparing it to the lottery - but failed miserably. So, we went on the web and looked for plane crash statistics (surfing very carefully so I didn't land on any pages with plane crash images).

One of the first statistics I found was that there is a 1 in 34,000,000 chance of dying from a plane while being on the ground. I tried explaining probability again. It still didn't work. I even exaggerated.

Mom: "Well, out of all the people in the US, only one will probably die from a plane while on the ground." (I said I exaggerated.)

Daughter: Gasp! "You mean someone in the US will die from a plane!"

Sigh. We found out that it is safer for her to fly in a plane than it is for her to ride her bike. (And she LOVES riding her bike.) It helped a little. Now she's worried about a propeller falling off the plane or an engine blowing up. But, the bicycle fact keeps nudging her back to rationalization. But they are little tiny nudges that always seem to get pushed back even harder.

Out of sheer helplessness, I've emailed my sister who used to work at Boeing. (But now teaches tenth graders how to make paper airplanes.) Maybe she can tell us the strength of the Krazy Glue they use on the propellers. (Still waiting to hear from her.)

I did learn the best way to search for statistics on plane crashes is to search for statistics on "aviation" rather than plane or airplane.

So how many plane crashes happen every year? The closest figure I got was a US figure of about 36 crashes per year based on the National Transportation and Safety Bureau (NTSB) figures from 1988 - 2007. The NTSB Aviation Page has links to information on investigations and statistics, and their Accident Database has a search engine for detailed accident querys. They also have a link for data and tables on airplane Accidents, Fatalities and Rates. I guess it's no surprise Alaska has some of the highest plane accident rates. Wonder if Sarah flies?

The first statistics I found were from PBS's Nova. PBS has a chart on Commercial Airpcraft Fatalities from 1982-2005. Their article "How Risky is Flying" is where I found the statistics comparing bicyles to planes (and cars and trains - no horses though). Some comparative statistics:

The annual risk of being killed in a plane crash for the average American is about 1 in 11 million.

...the annual risk of being killed in a motor vehicle crash for the average American, which is about 1 in 5,000.

...the likelihood of dying from heart disease is much higher (1 in 400 per year, for the average American.)

Eight year olds don't really think about dying from heart disease though. Of course, most eight year olds don't think about dying from a plane falling into their house either.

Using the search engine on my blog I was also able to find statistics from the Census Department and Bureau of Labor Statistics on fatality statistics from plane crashes per industry.

Wikipedia has an entry on plane crashes, and I also just recently (like a couple seconds ago) found this Wiki on Aircrafts that I'll have to take a look at more thoroughly.

The Horace Mann Reach Every Child website has Lots of Educational Links to Resources on Airplanes for all ages, and I also stumbled on this comprehensive list of links to Aviation Sites that must have taken a great deal of time to put together.

The Airline Pilots Association has their own website, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has a lot to say about airplane safety. Hmmm...maybe she should write them a letter. Great homework assignment. Doesn't seem to be good timing to write the President now anyhow. I don't see anything on their HELP webpage about how to convince an 8 year old a plane isn't going to fall on the house.

Maybe if she's in the air instead of the ground she won't worry about it so much. Maybe she could start training for her pilot's license. Then she'll be in control instead of her imagination.

Links to Federal Statistics on Economics from the US Government

The economy is a hot topic in the US - although for me it's more like the country song that sings "Wall Street fell but we were so poor we couldn't tell..." - so I'm really not stressing over the avalanche of crumbling corporations that are filling the avenues of Wall Street.

I've been involved in some articles and research on Internet Piracy and am now addicted to the topic. This blog post was going to be about Internet Piracy - but time is lacking and the research I've collected is overwhelming me now. (But I can't wait to start ranting on the manipulated statistics that the RIAA is putting out and the international bullying that the US Government has been rightly accused of.) As I was browsing this morning I came across some government links that might help someone looking for some offical data on US Economics, the Federal Reserve and all that fun stuff. So, in the spirit of sharing - I do now share:

The Economic Report of the President

"The Economic Report of the President is an annual report written by the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors. It overviews the nation's economic progress using text and extensive data appendices."


Federal Reserve System Website

From their website: "...provides the nation with a safe, flexible and stable monetary and financial system." That's not what I hear on Wall Street. (Is anyone laughing as hard as I am?)


Federal Reserve Board - 12 Districts

"The Federal Reserve officially identifies Districts by number and Reserve Bank city. In the 12th District, the Seattle Branch serves Alaska, and the San Francisco Bank serves Hawaii. The System serves commonwealths and territories as follows: the New York Bank serves the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; the San Francisco Bank serves American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The Board of Governors revised the branch boundaries of the System in February 1996." Click on the map to enter the website for the individual district.



Department of Energy Price Trends

Includes links to statistics and data on petroleum, gas, diesel, historical energy data and current gas price information.



List of Department of Energy Stakeholders

Includes links to State Energy Websites and Economic Dispatch Reports.


Federal Housing Administration

Mortgage and foreclosure information.


Budget of the United States Government

Ya. Right.


Search Engine Catalog for US Government Publications

You can search by keyword through federal depositories. I did a search for "statistics economics" and there were over 15,000 results.


Search for Economic Indicator Information by Year

"Available from April 1995 forward, this monthly compilation is prepared for the Joint Economic Committee by the Council of Economic Advisors and provides economic information on prices, wages, production, business activity, purchasing power, credit, money and Federal finance." I tested it out and there are plenty of government statistics available in handy dandy data sets.



Energy Information Administration

For official energy statistics from the US Government.


Search Engine and Statistics from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Fransisco

Looks like a decent search engine. Links to economic and banking data and statistics.


Louisiana State University Links on Economic Statistics and Websites

List of links to economic journals and government websites (some of which I've listed in this blog).


Economagic

I don't know where this website came from - but it has links to Federal Reserve, Census and Commerce Statistics. If you need some quick details..this might be worth a look. Some of the data is arranged in timelimes. A little congested, but could be valuable nonetheless.

Which reminds me, can't forget to post the US Department of Commerce Economics link.

Tons of national and international data and statistics on commerce, exporting, importing, employment and all that commerce-y kind of stuff. Links to other US Commerce departments too.

The weather has been in the news as much as government bailouts. How about the Economic and Social Benefits of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).


United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

Okay, it's not a US website - but there are a slew of statistics...


United for a Fair Economy is a non-profit organzation that supplies interesting economic data in their Executive Excess 2008 Report that dried my (absent) tears for Wall Street.

The report also finds that S&P 500 CEOs averaged $10.5 million in pay in 2007, 344 times the pay of typical American workers. Compensation levels for private investment fund managers soared even further. The top 50 hedge and private equity fund managers averaged $588 million each, more than 19,000 times as much as typical U.S. workers earned.

This report was created in collaboration with the Institute for Policy Studies. The IPS has substantial data in pdf report form on their IPA Reports link such as Analysis: U.S. Department of Energy Budget FY 2009, Debt and Trade and Challenging Corporate Investor Rule.

The ten year old website Global Issues is a rich resource for data on poverty, economics, trade, health and thousands of other topics including these (approximately) 67 links on Poverty and Economics. Okay, I admit, I'm not that poor, especially by international standards. And as long as I can pay my internet bill I'll be happy. A steady supply of coffee and chocolate is a luxury/weakness I find hard to do without. (Yes, I do try to buy Fair Trade products - but I'm in the boonies here.)

Back to the rich executives. Need market information? Okay, there's a zillion or more websites with market statistics. The Wall Street Journal has their website Market Watch which pretty much reports everything you're likely to read anywhere else anyhow.

Hope these can be of some assistance to you. These websites (and other references for statistics) are included in this blog's "Search for Statistics" search engine at the top of the page. So if you're looking for some quick statistics, it probably wouldn't hurt to do a search in our search engine first. If you need more links on energy statistics, check out our post on Oil and the Russia Georgia War.

I just read there was a rebound in the stocks. So, while you're having fun letting visions of numbers run through your head, I'll be heading off to check my virtual stocks. (They're much safer.) Have fun with your search! (And always feel free to comment if you need help finding something and maybe I can help.)

Post script September 19th 2008: Just want to add this link I just read from a DIGG submission: Salaries of Today's Wall Street CEOs.

Post script September 27th 2008: Saw this government economic analysis website that is just stuffed with statistics! It's called "Shadow Government Statistics" by John Williams. If you're looking for heavy-duty economic analysis you want to follow John's shadow!

Statistics Fraud

Statistics can be manipulated - and falsified. That's exactly what happened recently in Kenya. Managers at the Department of Statistic in Kenya, Africa, falsified data on a poverty indexing report to gain federal funding. How many people will use these statistics for statistical correlations in future data never realizing that the data was falsified?

Africa isn't the only continent where the intoxication of manipulating statistics became too hard to resist. The Human Rights Statistics in China reported that the National Bureau of Statistics in China has had some of their government employees fiddling with the numbers.

Europe apparently didn't want to be left out of the numbers-playing game. Reports started back in 2003 about fraud at Eurostat, and across the ocean the United States San Francisco Health Department falsified HIV statistics.

How many statistical reports have these falsifications been innocently inoculated into?

It would be interesting to see a visual on flow of data from the reports that were falsified.

Statistics never did depict reality anyway.

Here's some links to National and International Government Statistic Agencies:

United Nations Statistic Division

International Statistical Agencies listing from the US Census Bureau

Department of Labor Statistical Websites Around the World

You can't always trust the government and you can't always believe what you read. As if we didn't already know that.

Can Miss America be President?

Can Miss America Be President?

Beauty pageant camaraderie is similar to the "good 'ol boys" network. Appearances and connections get you ahead. Sarah Palin may well be on her way to giving Miss America pageants some more credibility. Maybe the "good 'ol boys’ network" will realize "beauty" and "intelligence" can exist in one body.

The good 'ol boys might think the country is lowering its standards - but perhaps we are gradually opening our eyes to a new way of thinking. Kennedy, Ferraro, Hillary, Obama - and hopefully Palin - will give credence to the virtue of potential and the value of family.

Beauty and political networks both have their scandals. In 1957 Miss USA was dethroned because the secret-snatchers found out that she was really married and a mother of two. Maybe Palin can let beautiful people know it's okay to be a mom. Beauty and intelligence are rarely seen together. But beauty, intelligence and motherhood? It’s a media rarity. But women of that class are working hard in the hidden corners of the world. Many aren't as fortunate as us in the US and could get killed for their intelligence. Many prefer less prolific jobs than vice-president. But America and other nations are full of beautiful, intelligent mothers. Working mothers can relate to Palin.

Then there are the scandals that beauty pageant contestants and the political boys both face. More than a few have been dethroned for posing nude - although that probably is not considered humiliation these days - just a financial maneuver. The pageants have flip-flopped from swimsuits to no swimsuits and back again a few times. No wonder these beautiful women are confused.

Beauty pageants can handle the media though. In 1948 reporters protested because Miss America was in a gown instead of a swimsuit when she received her crown. The pageant tactfully conceded by allowing them to take photos of the runner-ups in swimsuits.

The most memorable clothing conflict in my time was in 1984 - the same year Sarah Palin was competing in the Miss Alaska pageant and Geraldine Ferraro was chosen as Vice President Nominee. It was also the same year I had my first son, and a year after Vanessa L. Williams was the first black to win Miss USA - and winning racist death threats along with her crown. (Who says racism doesn't exit? Whites?)

Unfortunately, Miss Vanessa Williams, much like politicians, had some secret-chasers. Posing nude for Playboy was discovered and frowned upon, and Vanessa had to step down. The runner-up, Suzzette Charles, another singer and actress, was therefore the second black holding the crown - for a record-short period of seven weeks.

Today, it's easy to witness the Miss Universe and Miss World pageants and see that race is not an issue. (Judging by looks - yes. Race - no.) Vanessa's dethroning didn't hold back her musical and acting talents. She went on the receive Emmy, Grammy and Tony award nominations and currently stars in Ugly Betty.

The first black was allowed in the Miss Universe pageant in 1959 (the year Alaska became a state), and 1960 the first black participated in the Miss USA pageant. It wasn't until 1983 that a black won. They're still far ahead of the "good 'ol boys" network though when it comes to race. Oh - and by the way - Sarah Palin was defeated by Maryline Blackburn, who is black and beautiful and now working as a professional singer.

It appears from Pageantry Magazine that most beauty pageant winners go on to media ventures, such as television, radio and music. But all that omega from fresh Alaskan fish must be working wonders in the Alaskan winners, since Wikipedia suggests that more than a few Alaskan winners went into medical fields.

Beauty pageants are an interesting way of capitalizing on human resources. The fact that the Miss America Pageant (started in 1921) was started by local businessmen to attract tourists to America isn't something I am proud of in my American history. (Oops, did I just say I wasn't proud of America?) But pageant advocates haven't been standing idly by wallowing in beautiful ignorance either. Teen drug abuse, breast and ovarian cancer, and HIV/AIDS charities receive significant help from Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants. Beautiful do-gooders.

Pageant winners are, in fact, national and international ambassadors. And international conflict infiltrates beauty pageants as well as politics. The Pageant Almanac has a beauty pageant timeline of historical events that include:

1970 - Feminist protesters throw flour bombs during Miss World 1970.
1974 - Feminists protest at Miss America.
1993 - Miss USA, Kenya Moore, is booed by the Mexican audience at Miss Universe.
2002 - Miss World is slated to be held in Abuja, Nigeria. Amina Lawal, a Nigerian woman, is sentenced to death by stoning for adultery. Miss World attempted to use the publicity of the event to bring awareness to the issue. After the event's security is threatened by anti-pageant protests and riots, several contestants withdraw and the pageant is moved to London, United Kingdom.
2003 - Vida Samadzai represents Afghanistan at Miss Earth, although she resides in the United States. Her appearance in a bikini causes an uproar in her native country.
2005 - Locals in Thailand protest at Miss Universe 2005 after contestants wearing swimsuits are filmed in front of sacred monuments.
2005 - Pakistan is represented in an international pageant for the first time at Miss Earth. Her participation causes an uproar in her native country.
2007 - Miss USA, Rachel Smith, is booed by the Mexican audience at Miss Universe. Smith also falls during the evening gown competition but recovers with grace and a smile.

(The flour bombs were also referred to as smoke bombs. Women were always less violent than men.)

Are beauty pageant networks gender-biased? It certainly appears so. It wasn't until 2001 that a male participated - sort of. More specifically, it was a transsexual who almost won the honor of being of Miss Universe as a representative of China. Quickly, the rules were revised to declare the contestants must be a "natural-born woman." Similar to the president's "natural born" requirements for U.S. Presidency.

The Miss Universe motto (since 1960) is in fact:

"We, the young women of the universe, believe people everywhere are seeking peace, tolerance and mutual understanding. We pledge to spread this message in every way we can, wherever we go."

Maybe carrying that message in our hearts can make all of us beautiful inside. Carrying that message to the presidency might even make America a country to be proud of.

Statistics on Education and Statistic Websites with Search Engines

The government's census website isn't the only website available to gather statistics on the U.S. and education. I stumbled on some websites today that have search engines for statistics, graphs, and all kinds of educational statistics, employment statistics, economy statistics, lifestyle statistics and more.

Since today's the first day of college for most kids (adults), I thought I'd post some links to websites and journals on education. There's millions of websites that have educational data - but these are just a few that can give someone a head start on their research:

The National Center for Educational Statistics
is a government website with a consortium of statistics on education. Fast facts ($489 billion dollars will be spent on education, enrollment is up for students under 25, over a million children are homeschooled), as well as detailed data tables and graphs are available. You will likely find the statistics you need at this website faster than the US Census website.

Today I stumbled on Statemaster.com which has educational statistics on assessments, race, gender, grade, expenditures, public libraries, and other links to economy, housing, crime, immigration, sports and a few others. (Even the presidential election.) Definitely worth a visit. Just for kicks I tried "homeschool" in their search engine and there were no results. However, the website is chock full of statistics on education and up-to-date information on today's society.

The people at Statemaster also have Nationmaster.com - a very comprehensive and useful website for educational statistics and international statistics on society. They describe themselves as:

"a massive central data source and a handy way to graphically compare nations. NationMaster is a vast compilation of data from such sources as the CIA World Factbook, UN, and OECD. Using the form above, you can generate maps and graphs on all kinds of statistics with ease."

BBC World and New York Times both paid high compliments to Nationmaster.("A statistician's dream.")

The creators of Nationmaster and Statemaster have also created some great search engines for information and statistics at Factbites and a wiki search engine that searches over multiple wikis at Qwika.

The American Educational Research Association Special Interest Group has a Long List of Free Journals on Education. EdInformatics has links to educational journals - all of them are not free access though. Still, there are a good number of quality links.

The Education Resource Information Center (ERIC) has long been one of my favorite websites to visit and is a wonderful source. Good 'ol Wikipedia even has a resource for education statistics within their listing for Free Online Journals, including Australasian Journal of Educational Technology that offers free access to all articles that are over three months old, and Educational Technology which is a free open-access journal.

And since this blog is about statistics - I can't leave out the free open-access journal of The Philosophy of Mathematics Education. Philosophy? Mathematics? Interesting combination. Here you'll find a link to Social Constructivism as a Philosophy of Mathematics: Radical Constructivism Rehabilitated.

Mathematics Teacher has very limited free access, however they do have free previews - which amount to a free download of one or two articles. This month, it's Squaring Matrics: Connecting Mathematics and Science. The articles in Mathematics Teacher are reasonably priced though. The Evolution of the Cartesian Connection by Gail M. Anderson is only $6.00 to download. (Maybe worth it if you know what a Cartesian Connection is. Let me know when you find out!)

Hope these links can help you with your quest for statistics on education. Don't forget the search engine on this blog is set up to search only websites with statistics so give that a try too! It's updated frequently - so make sure to bookmark this blog to help you with your research!

Happy Learning!