The Latino vote in this year's election will be huge

The 2012 US Presidential election is quickly approaching. As the campaign intensifies, the two nominees will be forced to address the needs of the diverse constituencies within the United States. Among the most critical demographic groups lies the Hispanic population. The influx of Hispanic people into the US has increased tremendously in the past decade; according to the US Census, there were 50.5 million Hispanics in the country, accounting for 16% of the total population. States that are considered most important in the electoral voting system—California, Texas, New York, and Florida, the largest states by population—all contain a heavy percentage of Hispanics. The Hispanic vote in each of these states will be paramount in the upcoming election.

Baton Rouge paper is moving into New Orleans to fill the Times-Picayune's hole

With The Times-Picayune refusing to heed the widespread outrage from New Orleanians who aren't ready to lose their beloved daily paper, it seems another newspaper will swoop in to fill the void. The Advocate, which has been Baton Rouge's daily newspaper since 1842, recently announced its plans to expand its coverage into New Orleans.

Be advised of the dangers of swimming

Drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional deaths among children, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Recently, a Times-Picayune article documented one such case, in which Zaven Spears of Kenner perished as a result of his unfamiliarity with swimming. Every day, children are placed in a similarly dangerous situation due to the lack of supervision from parents and to the inaccessibility of swimming pools. This is especially true among underprivileged children. According to USA Swimming, 70% of African-American children and 60% of Latino children do not know how to swim.

Guest Blog: Healthy Cookie

A Calorie Is a Calorie?

In a recent article from the Los Angeles Times called "Types of calories count," writer Eryn Brown explains how specific studies have been conducted to test the idea of whether a calorie is a calorie. It seems that, when trying to keep the weight off, a traditional low-fat diet makes the metabolism more stagnant than a high-protein one. Scientists conducted a study in which 13 men and 8 women took part in a five-year controlled feeding study. Participants followed a 12-week weight-loss regimen, then a four-week weight-stabilization plan, followed by three different diets for four weeks at a time. These diets include a low-fat diet (60% carbs, 20% fat, and 30% protein), a low glycemic index diet (40% carbs, 10% fat, and 20% protein), and a very low carbohydrate diet (10% carbs, 60% fat, and 30% protein). The subjects burned more than 300 additional calories on average when on the low-carb diet, compared to the low-fat diet.