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.