Showing posts with label Michigan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michigan. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Living on right side of county line means more life, better health
-Gladwin County has the highest percentage of smoking adults (31 percent); the lowest rate of smokers is in Ottawa County (11 percent)
-Saginaw County has the highest rate of obesity (40 percent), but even in the skinniest counties (Ottawa and Washtenaw), a quarter of adults are considered obese.
-Lake County has the highest teen birth rate, at 64 births per 1,000 females ages 15-19; that’s more than four times the teen birth rate in Livingston and Washtenaw counties (13 per 1,000).
Despite being the home to five of the state’s top-10-ranked hospitals, Wayne County ranks last in health outcomes such as poor physical and mental health, low birth rate and premature death.
By contrast, Washtenaw, with the state’s top-ranked medical facility (University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers), is ranked fifth. (Leelanau County is tops in health outcomes.)
“This is about changing economic opportunity,” Udow-Phillips said. “Health is about poverty. And the best way to get people out of poverty is education.
“If we invest in early childhood education, health issues (will improve)” eventually, she said, because education is positively correlated with better jobs and better health.
“This is a long-term issue,” Udow-Phillips said. “It’s not going to be solved by hiring more doctors.”
http://bridgemi.com/2013/04/living-on-right-side-of-county-line-means-more-life-better-health/
-Saginaw County has the highest rate of obesity (40 percent), but even in the skinniest counties (Ottawa and Washtenaw), a quarter of adults are considered obese.
-Lake County has the highest teen birth rate, at 64 births per 1,000 females ages 15-19; that’s more than four times the teen birth rate in Livingston and Washtenaw counties (13 per 1,000).
Despite being the home to five of the state’s top-10-ranked hospitals, Wayne County ranks last in health outcomes such as poor physical and mental health, low birth rate and premature death.
By contrast, Washtenaw, with the state’s top-ranked medical facility (University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers), is ranked fifth. (Leelanau County is tops in health outcomes.)
“This is about changing economic opportunity,” Udow-Phillips said. “Health is about poverty. And the best way to get people out of poverty is education.
“If we invest in early childhood education, health issues (will improve)” eventually, she said, because education is positively correlated with better jobs and better health.
“This is a long-term issue,” Udow-Phillips said. “It’s not going to be solved by hiring more doctors.”
http://bridgemi.com/2013/04/living-on-right-side-of-county-line-means-more-life-better-health/
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
From Prison to Paycheck: Grand Rapids' 30-2-2 Initiative
"Our experience is that people with criminal backgrounds make great employees,'' says Mark Peters, CEO of Butterball. "They found an employer willing to take a chance on them, so they're eager to prove themselves and grow with the company."
Cascade Engineering, a global manufacturer, has about 60 formerly incarcerated people among its 500 Grand Rapids employees. The company has an explicit anti-racism statement and a felony convictions policy that removes prior convictions as a bar to employment. It also supported a "Ban the Box" campaign to eliminate the standard question on job applications regarding prior convictions. At Butterball, nearly 30 of its 170 employees are former prisoners. Peters initially championed hiring them on grounds of fairness, but now he also recognizes their significant contribution to the company.
http://www.policylink.org/site/c.lkIXLbMNJrE/b.8526303/k.E5C6/Americas_Tomorrow__January_23_2013.htm?section=story1&msource=ESGM20130123#.UQBxAyfAfJY
Anti-Racism Statement
At Cascade Engineering, we believe in the values of diversity and inclusion. More specifically, we believe in the diversity of thoughts, ideas, beliefs, experiences, and the inclusion of people regardless of their race, color, sex, language, national origin, religion, orientation or age. In addition to supporting the principles of diversity and inclusion, Cascade Engineering is on a journey to be an anti-racism organization. Our statement defining our journey is as follows:
Cascade Engineering is an anti-racism organization. Cascade Engineering defines being an anti-racism organization as creating an environment where all employees regardless of race or the color of their skin know they are valued. We acknowledge that racism can be unconscious or unintentional and identifying racism as an issue does not automatically mean those involved in the act are racist or intended the negative impact. As an anti-racism organization we will purposefully identify, discuss and challenge issues of race and color and the impact(s) they have on the organization, its systems, and its people. We will also challenge ourselves to understand and correct any inequities we may discover within Cascade Engineering and gain a better understanding of ourselves during this purposeful process. Being an anti-racism organization is a journey and it is the learning along the way that makes this work worth all of our efforts.
Our goal is to create and maintain an environment where employees feel safe to discuss race and the importance it has on our organization and our lives outside of work. Cascade Engineering will continue to purposefully discuss and deepen our understanding of race and racism. As part of this journey, Cascade Engineering was audited by the Partners for a Racism Free Community (PRFC), non-profit organization whose purpose is “to achieve a standard of excellence in racial equality, choosing to become identified with others of a like mind in order to create the critical mass necessary for community transformation.” Cascade Engineering has been certified as a Full Partner by the PRFC, and is the only manufacturer certified in the State of Michigan. The next and highest level of certification is Credential Partner and we hope to be the first business certified in the state.
We are deeply committed to purposefully studying the impacts of race and racism throughout the organization. This work can be uncomfortable and even painful to some, but we have found that the greatest challenges bear the greatest rewards. By embracing the principles of diversity and inclusion our culture is strengthened and our workplace is more dynamic. We would like to recognize and thank our employees, suppliers and stakeholders for supporting our 2012 Diversity Calendar.
http://www.cascadeng.com/about/antiracism.htm
Cascade Engineering, a global manufacturer, has about 60 formerly incarcerated people among its 500 Grand Rapids employees. The company has an explicit anti-racism statement and a felony convictions policy that removes prior convictions as a bar to employment. It also supported a "Ban the Box" campaign to eliminate the standard question on job applications regarding prior convictions. At Butterball, nearly 30 of its 170 employees are former prisoners. Peters initially championed hiring them on grounds of fairness, but now he also recognizes their significant contribution to the company.
http://www.policylink.org/site/c.lkIXLbMNJrE/b.8526303/k.E5C6/Americas_Tomorrow__January_23_2013.htm?section=story1&msource=ESGM20130123#.UQBxAyfAfJY
Anti-Racism Statement
At Cascade Engineering, we believe in the values of diversity and inclusion. More specifically, we believe in the diversity of thoughts, ideas, beliefs, experiences, and the inclusion of people regardless of their race, color, sex, language, national origin, religion, orientation or age. In addition to supporting the principles of diversity and inclusion, Cascade Engineering is on a journey to be an anti-racism organization. Our statement defining our journey is as follows:
Cascade Engineering is an anti-racism organization. Cascade Engineering defines being an anti-racism organization as creating an environment where all employees regardless of race or the color of their skin know they are valued. We acknowledge that racism can be unconscious or unintentional and identifying racism as an issue does not automatically mean those involved in the act are racist or intended the negative impact. As an anti-racism organization we will purposefully identify, discuss and challenge issues of race and color and the impact(s) they have on the organization, its systems, and its people. We will also challenge ourselves to understand and correct any inequities we may discover within Cascade Engineering and gain a better understanding of ourselves during this purposeful process. Being an anti-racism organization is a journey and it is the learning along the way that makes this work worth all of our efforts.
Our goal is to create and maintain an environment where employees feel safe to discuss race and the importance it has on our organization and our lives outside of work. Cascade Engineering will continue to purposefully discuss and deepen our understanding of race and racism. As part of this journey, Cascade Engineering was audited by the Partners for a Racism Free Community (PRFC), non-profit organization whose purpose is “to achieve a standard of excellence in racial equality, choosing to become identified with others of a like mind in order to create the critical mass necessary for community transformation.” Cascade Engineering has been certified as a Full Partner by the PRFC, and is the only manufacturer certified in the State of Michigan. The next and highest level of certification is Credential Partner and we hope to be the first business certified in the state.
We are deeply committed to purposefully studying the impacts of race and racism throughout the organization. This work can be uncomfortable and even painful to some, but we have found that the greatest challenges bear the greatest rewards. By embracing the principles of diversity and inclusion our culture is strengthened and our workplace is more dynamic. We would like to recognize and thank our employees, suppliers and stakeholders for supporting our 2012 Diversity Calendar.
http://www.cascadeng.com/about/antiracism.htm
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Detroit Tops The 2012 List Of America's Most Dangerous Cities
“If you want to change crime at a place you have to change the nature of the place.”
Roman said urban homicides tend to come in four forms: Women killing their children, family members killing each other, people killing other people they know, and “stranger crimes,” such as killings committed during a robbery or a drug deal gone bad. This last category is dwarfed by the other three, he said, and getting smaller all the time. Better policing has a lot to do with it, plus inventions like the cellphone, which has reduced the number of affluent customers wandering into dangerous parts of town to buy drugs
Detroit, where mobsters brought in Canadian whiskey by the boatload in the 1920s, is now a major transit point for foreign-sourced Ecstasy and other drugs, Hakala said.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/danielfisher/2012/10/18/detroit-tops-the-2012-list-of-americas-most-dangerous-cities/2/
Roman said urban homicides tend to come in four forms: Women killing their children, family members killing each other, people killing other people they know, and “stranger crimes,” such as killings committed during a robbery or a drug deal gone bad. This last category is dwarfed by the other three, he said, and getting smaller all the time. Better policing has a lot to do with it, plus inventions like the cellphone, which has reduced the number of affluent customers wandering into dangerous parts of town to buy drugs
Detroit, where mobsters brought in Canadian whiskey by the boatload in the 1920s, is now a major transit point for foreign-sourced Ecstasy and other drugs, Hakala said.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/danielfisher/2012/10/18/detroit-tops-the-2012-list-of-americas-most-dangerous-cities/2/
Hip-hop Artists from Detroit
Esham
J Dilla
Big Sean
Black Milk
Danny Brown
Bei Maejor
The Cool Kids (based in Chicago and Detroit)
J Dilla
Big Sean
Black Milk
Danny Brown
Bei Maejor
The Cool Kids (based in Chicago and Detroit)
Rollin Detroit: Gangs, drug dealers, decline of the economy
Once upon a time, Detroit was the heart of the American Dream. Good jobs, big cars, and the world's most profitable companies placed the city at the heart of the global economy. But as this empire of cars began to crumble and the jobs evaporated, Detroit became the crime capital of America, and a new business, illegal drugs, took over the economy. Now the city lies in shambles: Detroit is the poorest and most violent major city in America. The heart of the American Dream has been shattered. From corrupt narcotics cop Henry Marzett to the infamous Young Boys Inc, White Boy Rick, and the Best Friends Murder for Hire gang: see the Kingpins and Killers that called Detroit home and became the Henry Fords and Lee Iacoccas of a new generation. What happens when the Ceo's and Politicians fail in their plans? It's called DETROIT.
Lose purpose, focus, no engagement in an institution, high school, college, unemployed.
Change your culture. Change your neighborhood. Because when you go back, you go back to the same dirt. Morale in the city is very low.
"Everyone is desperate."
Snowball effect of there not being a real economy in the city. By the time they're 19, they've already ruined their lives.
People need to build Detroit, not tear it down anymore.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
The Detroit Black Community Food Security network is a coalition of organizations and individuals working together to build food security in Detroit’s Black community. Our mission is to build self-reliance, food security and food justice in Detroit’s Black community by influencing public policy, engaging in urban agriculture, promoting healthy eating, encouraging co-operative buying, and directing youth towards careers in food-related fields. D-Town Farm is a seven acre farm on Detroit’s west side that features organic vegetable plots, mushroom beds, four bee hives, four hoop houses for year-round food production, and a composting operation.
Malik Yakini
Malik Yakini
Osborn Promise Neighborhood Zone (Detroit, MI )
Osborn Promise Neighborhood Zone (Detroit, MI )
About:
Our PN Revitalization Plan will address cradle to career pipeline gaps to achieving outcomes in these categories: early childhood education; school readiness; before-, after-, and summer school programs; dropout prevention; college/career readiness programs; jobs/economic development. The applicant, Black Family Development, Inc. (BFDI) is a 501©3 non-profit that has delivered highly effective social services and educational programs for Detroit. Since its founding in 1978, BFDI has significantly increased community and parent partnerships with area schools, increased neighborhood safety, and mobilized evidence-based systems for family and community support.
About:
Our PN Revitalization Plan will address cradle to career pipeline gaps to achieving outcomes in these categories: early childhood education; school readiness; before-, after-, and summer school programs; dropout prevention; college/career readiness programs; jobs/economic development. The applicant, Black Family Development, Inc. (BFDI) is a 501©3 non-profit that has delivered highly effective social services and educational programs for Detroit. Since its founding in 1978, BFDI has significantly increased community and parent partnerships with area schools, increased neighborhood safety, and mobilized evidence-based systems for family and community support.
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