A Lesson From a Holocaust Survivor

The Holocaust can teach people to respond to enemies in one of two ways: either with a vow for vengeance or with an act of forgiveness. Holocaust survivor Eva Kor, née Mozes, chose to forgive the Nazis for placing her in the infamous concentration camp Auschwitz and performing experiments on her. Mrs. Kor explained to Times-Picayune reporter John Pope that she reclaimed the power that was taken from her as a victim by forgiving the Nazi’s. She further explained, “You don’t forgive because the perpetrator deserves it. You do it because you, the victim, deserve to be free again.”

Keeping up with power outages with Entergy alerts

Obviously, hurricanes are never easy to go through, but we're lucky to live in a time where information and technology is abundantly available, and many of us don't even realize it's out there.

Civil rights complaint issued against Jefferson Parish school system

Many believe that poor academic performance among children is predominantly correlated with the level of involvement from parents. Sometimes, however, parents who exercise a low level of involvement do so through no fault of their own; there are instances when parents want to participate, but cannot, as is the case in some Jefferson Parish public schools, as reported by The Times-Picayune.

Honoring Those Who Serve and Protect Us

Our mission is to improve the quality of life in our parish. We will protect life and property through partnership with our communities. We respect the rights of all citizens by upholding the U.S. Constitution and the Law of Louisiana. We will perform our duties by adhering to our core beliefs: Integrity, Professionalism, Compassion and Fairness.

-Mission Statement, St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office

As family and friends celebrate the lives of Deputies Brandon Neilsen and Jeremy Triche—the two officers of the St. John Sheriff's Office who were slain in last Thursday's tragedy—we should all be reminded that many of our public servants go to work every day to protect and serve.

The fight over voter identification laws

The two dueling parties in the American political system will do anything to gain an advantage over the other. The most recent example of this is an initiative to require the presentation of voter identification at the ballot, which has been inspired overwhelmingly by Republican lawmakers. Numerous states—primarily located in the South—have enacted such measures, using as justification the need to preserve integrity in our elections. Interestingly enough, however, the referred-to measures may have the opposite effect—that is, it may undermine voter's rights.

Healthy Cookie

Trimming Down the Trans Fat

I recently read an article by Lauran Neergard called "Trans fat ban made fast food a bit healthier in NY." This article caught my eye because I'm often hearing a lot of negativity regarding trans fat, but was not really sure all the details about it. Trans fat is an unsaturated fat with the fatty acid transisomer. When it occurs naturally, in foods such as meat and dairy products, trans fat is not nearly as bad for you, and can even be beneficial. However, it starts to become dangerous when artificially produced via heat and/or pressure, turning liquid oils into solid fat, so it can be used for baking or for having a longer shelf life. The American Heart Association recommends less than two grams of trans fat per day, and urges consumers to eat as little as possible. Why? Because trans fat clogs your arteries and causes high cholesterol.

Salute to Our Olympians

Gabby Douglas

The London Olympics are about half-way completed, and they've already packed about as much action and entertainment as this Olympics fan can recall from summers past.

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.

Reaction to SCOTUS Decision

Whether or not you like President Obama's health care initiative, you have to recognize the significance of today's Supreme Court decision. This is a huge day for our country, and if you are among those who think or hope that the Affordable Care Act will eventually be overturned, then let us please hope for something better and fairer that will help out those most in need.

Let's also keep in mind that there's no need for bombastic rhetoric. When unfiltered opinions are let loose on Twitter and on countless other outlets, nonsense like people comparing President Obama to Hitler and the ACA to Nazism gets thrown out there. This is irresponsible, immature, and simply inaccurate. It points out how ignorant many people are about how health care really works. For example, many people on Twitter claimed they would "move to Canada" because of the Supreme Court's decision... completely unaware that Canada already has government-run health care.

Name-calling and noisy rhetoric doesn't help advance the conversation. We should be having a conversation, instead, about working toward making this the best country we possibly can. If you support Obamacare, then it's a great day for you; and if you don't, you should by all means voice your dissent, but, please, do it responsibly and reasonably.

Kudos to President Obama for his decision to decrease deportations

You've probably heard by now the news that President Obama made the decision to stop deporting large numbers of undocumented workers in the United States for the next two years.

Guest Blog: Healthy Cookie

Disney On a Diet?

No, don't worry, Mickey Mouse isn't going to be slimmer the next time you see him on TV or at one of his parks. But the Walt Disney Company is taking steps toward fighting obesity, recently announcing new standards for food advertising on programming targeting kids and family. First Lady Michelle Obama has launched the "Let's Move" campaign, which is "dedicated to solving the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams" (find out more here).While her campaign has reached children and parents all across the country, Disney's partnership will only expand her success.

Guest Blog: Healthy Cookie

Go Greek!

Sometime in the past year or so, Greek yogurt has become all the rage. It went from just a few brands on shelves to now every big dairy company selling it—Chobani, Fage, Yoplait... the list goes on and on.

Guest Blog: A Peak Inside My Cluttered Mind

Relieve Short-Term Stress With Digital Rage!

Ever wanted to RAGE against the world, against those unknowable forces that cause traffic jams, against that crying baby interrupting your romantic dinner, against the neighbor's dogs that never bark until it's 3AM and you have work in the morning...

The Times-Picayune: End of an Era

The Times-Picayune announced today that it will undergo a massive overhaul in its operations. The organization, which has printed a daily newspaper since 1837, will begin circulating print editions on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays only. The bulk of the Picayune's talents will focus on NOLA.com and online operations, making New Orleans the largest city in the United States without a daily newspaper.

Guest Blog: Healthy Cookie

The Cost of Healthy

I was recently checking out at Wal-Mart and couldn't help but notice the overflowing basket of the woman checking out in front of me. The basket was filled to the brim with unhealthy foods including donuts, Pop Tarts, fried chicken, cookies, and Kool-Aid. There were two young children hanging from the cart, begging to break into the cookies because they were 'starving.' It bothered me to see such terrible food options in the car for these children. According to the government, more than a third of American adults are obese, and it is projected that the number will reach 42% by 2030. 

Guest Blog: A Peak Inside My Cluttered Mind

It's not as clean as you thought...

There is a lot to be said for a clean house. Who could possibly say that they would prefer more bugs and germs in their personal space? By cleaning - and, for some of us, over-cleaning - we are creating toxins that we breathe in every day, creating our own personal bubble of chemical warfare that poisons our bodies.

Kudos to Times-Picayune's Loving Cup Award Winner

The Times-Picayune recently presented its annual Loving Cup Award to local philanthropist William "Bill" Goldring. I want to quickly extend congratulations, both to Mr. Goldring, who is a shining pillar of our community and an example for us all; and to the Times-Picayune for continuing to honor those who are helping to move this city into its bright future.

You can find out the full details by reading the original Times-Picayune article HERE.