State lacks four essential safety standards for kids, Save the Children reports

Washington, D.C., August 30, 2012?Iowa is no stranger to emergencies, frequently facing severe storms, tornados and flooding. But a new report from Save the Children finds that Iowa has not established four basic preparedness standards that all states should be required to meet.

"Most parents assume that when they drop their kids off for the day, their children will be safe if disaster strikes," said Mark Shriver, Senior Vice President, Save the Children's U.S. Programs. "But our new survey shows that only 17 states require the basic emergency preparedness regulations for both child care facilities and schools."

The fifth annual National Report Card on Protecting Children During Disasters assesses all 50 states and the District of Columbia on four basic disaster preparedness and safety standards for child care facilities and schools. To meet these critical benchmarks, states must require all regulated childcare settings to have written plans for evacuation and relocation, and for family reunification following an emergency, as well as a specific plan to assist children with disabilities and those children with access and functional needs. States must also require all K-12 schools to have a written multi-hazard plan accounting for a variety of different disasters and emergencies.

Iowa has failed to meet any of the four standards, putting it behind 46 states and the District of Columbia in emergency preparedness for children.  Although, overall, there are critical gaps in mid-western states disaster plans, Iowa's neighbors have made considerable progress for kids. Missouri meets three of the four standards, Colorado meets two. Wisconsin is one of 17 states that meet all for standards for schools and child care facilities.

One of the standards Iowa still lacks requires all regulated child care facilities to have a specific plan to help children with disabilities and those with access and functional needs in emergencies. Save the Children found that, currently, an alarming 27 states fail to meet crucial standard, making it the focus of this year's Report Card.

"The failure by states to establish basic emergency preparedness regulations for the nation's youngest and most vulnerable children in school and child care puts many of these children at great risk should a disaster strike," said Mark Shriver.

"These are infants and toddlers just learning to walk, as well as children with physical, emotional, behavior and mental health challenges - kids in wheelchairs, kids with autism, children with supplemental oxygen or feeding tubes. All of these children obviously are at great risk in an emergency," added Shriver. "While states have made some progress in protecting the most vulnerable, it is unacceptable that 27 states do not require child care facilities to have a specific disaster plan to help ensure the safety and well-being of at-risk children."

During the past five years, the report noted that the number of states that meet all four standards has increased from four in 2008 to 17 in 2012. The report also found that:

• Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia still fail to meet all four standards.
• Twenty-seven states do not require all regulated child care facilities to have a written plan that accounts for kids with disabilities and those with access or functional needs.
• Twenty states do not require all regulated child care facilities to have an evacuation and relocation plan.
• Eighteen states still do not require all regulated child care facilities to have a family reunification plan.
• Nine states still do not require K-12 schools to have a multi-hazard disaster plan that accounts for multiple types of disasters.
• Five states?Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan and Montana?fail to meet any of the preparedness standards for regulated child care facilities or schools, putting many children at risk.

"As a nation we have a moral obligation to protect the most vulnerable during disasters," said Shriver.

To see how each state stacks up on protecting kids, and to read the full report, visit www.savethechildren.org/disaster-report.

About Save the Children

Save the Children works to break the cycle of poverty and improve the lives of children by ensuring they have the resources they need?access to quality education, healthy foods, and opportunities to grow and develop in a nurturing environment. When disasters strike, like hurricanes and wildfires, Save the Children is among the first on the ground, ensuring the needs of children are being met.

Slavery not only still exists - it's a thriving big business throughout the world, says Lucia Mann, author of "Rented Silence" (www.luciamann.com), which explores slavery and institutional brutality.

She lists the following facts that have global citizens concerned:

• There are more human slaves in the world today than ever before in history, roughly 27 million people.

• Children make up nearly half; each year, 2 million children are forced into prostitution.

• Approximately 75 to 80 percent of human trafficking is for sex.

• Sex trafficking plays a major role in the spread of HIV, researchers say.

• Human trafficking not only involves sex and labor, people are also trafficked for organ harvesting.

• A human trafficker can earn 20 times the amount paid for a girl - at least $250,000.

"As terrible as the transatlantic slave trade was throughout four centuries, there is now more than twice the amount of slaves today being trafficked than those who were shipped to America," says Mann, whose Sicilian mother was a sex slave in South Africa and a World War II concentration camp survivor. As a child, Mann was abducted from her mother by her biological father -- her mother's master.

Young people are joining the effort to fight the tidal wave of human trafficking, including Emily Fulker, a freshman at Shippensburg University. She became inspired to act after learning about the Underground Railroad in the 1800s, as well as today's slavery, in school and in her church.

Fulker and her friends decided to find a way to contribute to International Justice Mission, an organization that rescues victims of human trafficking, by selling stylish T-shirts featuring facts about today's slavery problem. Find the shirts by typing "Buy Shirts to Free Modern-Day Slaves" into a search engine online.

Mann offers additional suggestions:

• Scholarship credits: Overachieving high school students frequently participate in charitable events and organizations to earn credits for scholarships. Students can speak with their guidance counselor to see if they can get credit for a car wash, bake sale or other event to earn money for organizations that help today's slaves.

• Host city watches: Any city hosting major events, such as a political or business convention or the Super Bowl, among others, is at higher risk to experience prostitution and human trafficking abuses. The Catholic Sisters congregations have recently taken measures to fight slavery-based prostitution in American cities; Mann says other charity groups should consider doing the same.

• Tax-deductible events: Successful businesses frequently contribute to charity for at least three reasons - to help those in need; donations can be written off  come tax season; and it is great PR in any given community. Though there are many worthy charities, more businesses might consider tackling this relatively new and growing problem, Mann says.

About Lucia Mann

Lucia Mann was born in British colonial South Africa in the wake of World War II and lives in West Covina, Calif., and British Columbia, Canada. She retired from freelance journalism in 1998 and is the founder of the Modern-Day Slavery Reporting Centre, www.mdsrc.org, the first hotline for victims and concerned citizens. To report suspected trafficking, visit the site or call (800) 610-7035, ext. 227.

Prophets and philosophers throughout history have spoken of the potential calamities embedded within lies.

"Relationships are ruined every day because of lies," says former IBM executive Cathy Holloway Hill, a life improvement consultant and author of "Lies, Love & Life," (www.chollowayhill.com). "Think about the collapse of our economy starting in 2008 - it didn't happen because bankers and other key players were honest and acted with integrity. It happened because of lies. But the most damaging lies are the ones we tell ourselves."

"Self lies" cause us to perpetuate a cycle of failure, she says, and the first step in reversing the pattern is recognizing them.

Hill has developed three questions - a Lie-Q test - for people who can't seem to find success, whether it's in romance, weight loss, finances or just general contentment.

• Have you ever told yourself, "I'm too old for that"? That's just one of the many common self lies. Others include, "I will never find true love;" "I'll never get out of debt;" "I can't change who I am." While the briefest of analyses demonstrates how illogical these lies are - people find true love, get out of debt and change every day - we persist in believing them. If you tell yourself you can't, you won't make the real effort required to succeed.

• Do you pretend to be happy when you're not? Many of us have pretended to be happy on the job or at home when, in truth, we're very unhappy. Sometimes we pretend for the sake of others; sometimes because we worry about the consequences of expressing our true feelings. And sometimes, we do it to convince ourselves that we're happy. Are you happy? If you're not sure, or if you're sure you're unhappy, Hill recommends getting into "self-discovery" mode. Take a close look at the hobbies, relationships, activities and work you enjoy. Determining what they are and working them into your life starts the process of feeling more content, she says.

• Do you think you can't find a more satisfying job? It's important to find satisfaction and gratification in our work lives, Hill says. "We spend most of our waking hours on the job so if yours feels tedious, meaningless and dead end, you will be happier if you're at least working on a Plan B," she says. Since the economic downturn and soaring jobless rates, the mantra has been, "Be grateful if you have any job at all." That's the wrong attitude. "If you have an exceptional skill and are willing to work hard, chances are you can find something that makes you happier. If it's not a paying job, perhaps some volunteer work on the side," Hill says. Make a list of your skills and the things you enjoy. Do any of these match job descriptions in the real world? You may be surprised to find that your dream job - or something close to it --is out there. "Why wouldn't you go for it?" she asks.

About Cathy Holloway Hill

Cathy Holloway Hill is founder of C. Holloway Hill Enterprises, an international consulting, training and professional speaking firm focusing on personal and professional growth and effectiveness. Her guidance is sought by Fortune 100 companies, youth organizations and individuals who want to transform their lives. Hill has a bachelor's in computer science, a master's in psychology and numerous life coaching certifications. After 25 years in the corporate world, she walked away from her successful career at IBM in order to pursue her passion - helping people live happier lives. She is a winner of Indiana's Torchbearer Award for contributions to her state.

Growing numbers of Americans are changing their relationship with religion, recent Pew Research Center polls indicate.

Consider the stats:

• Forty-four percent of U.S. adults have either switched religious affiliation, or report "no affiliation"

• More than 16 percent report they are unaffiliated with a religion; that includes those who are spiritual but not religious, and agnostics and atheists

• Twenty-eight percent have switched from the religion in which they were raised

"A full-bodied understanding of the truth does not necessarily come neatly packaged in the form of a church or a scientific theory," says Eli Just, former physics teacher and author of Manny Jones and the Place (www.elijustsupernaturalwriter.com), which links quantum theory, biblical stories and the Mayan precession.

With science developing new concepts about the nature of reality; changing attitudes in institutional religions, and widespread sharing on the internet, more believers are creating their own spiritual narrative -- one that makes more sense to them, he says. Scandals involving sex and money in Christian denominations, which account for more than 78 percent of the faithful in America, have contributed to religious shifting, Just adds.

A recent Pew poll on religion reveals that nearly 40 percent of Americans say there is "too much" religious talk in politics. Many respondents think politicians use religion as a tool for their own benefit, which may serve to increase alienation to religion for the average American, Just says.

Despite wariness on some religious issues, most respondents polled say spirituality plays a significant role in their lives.

"Type in 'new religious movements' in Wikipedia and you'll see the hundreds of religions that have popped up since the 1800s, and those are just the registered ones," Just says. "As a man of science and faith, and I don't think the truths of these two traditions are mutually exclusive. After all, Newton was a fervent Christian."

One of the more recent registered religions was created in 2000 and is called Jediism - a movement based on the philosophical and spiritual ideas posited by Jedi characters in the "Star Wars" movies. Jedi churches often incorporate beliefs from mainstream spiritual traditions including Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism and Stoicism.

"Everything is connected, which is probably why so many people come up with such a variety of spiritual perspectives," Just says. "Personally, however, I don't think the interconnectivity of everything gives license to the notion that all religions are the same."

In addition to the new and fascinating data coming from sources like the Large Hadron Collider in Europe, it's important to remember ideas that are still alive after thousands of years, he says.

"Old religions like Christianity have withstood the test of time," Just says. "That's why the majority of Americans remain spiritual and religious in a traditional sense."

About Eli Just

Eli Just is the author of several books including the popular "Manny Jones" series and "The Eddy." He has a master's in history from Southeastern Louisiana University and is a self-taught student of physics, which he taught at the high school level. As a Christian, Just enjoys exploring themes involving physics and its relationship to religion. He lives in northern Georgia.