Live-Blog: Dismantling the Cradle to Prison Pipeline

Reported live on Wednesday, February 11, 2009

The Children’s Defense Fund’s New York chapter is holding a one-day summit in Central Brooklyn called “Connecting the Neighborhood Dots: Promoting Solutions to Dismantle the Pipeline to Prison.” Hosted by CUNY’s Medgar Evers College in partnership with the Casey Family Programs, the day has been scheduled full of panel discussions and presentations by leaders in the children’s advocacy and juvenile justice organizations.

I will be chronicling the start of the conference and the back-to-back morning sessions that focus on the disproportionate impact of prison and the criminal justice system on specific communities in New York City, mainly in the Bronx and Central Brooklyn, and how community-based strategies can promote healthy children, families and neighborhoods.

Read and watch the full coverage here.

COMMENTARY: Link between HRT and breast cancer rates?

After reading this news article about research touting a link between hormone-replacement therapy and increased breast cancer rates, I can't help but doubt the veracity of this study (not uncommon with research studies. Always read with caution.) Before jumping on the blame-HRT bandwagon, why don't the researchers account for the possibility that the severe menopause symptoms could be linked to the increased risk and rates of breast cancer? This, rather than HRT being the cause of the cancer? The two issues - severe menopause symptoms and breast cancer rates - may not have separate factors.

Thank Goodness It's [Black] Friday

In honor of Black Friday 2008, I created an audio slideshow of part of the day's happenings and customer response at Brooklyn's Kings Plaza Shopping Center.
You can find the soundslides project here.

The Flu: Senior's Vaccination Day and Beyond

By Heather J. Chin
NY City News Service

Sunset Park, NY – With flu season here and January/February peak times just around the corner, health providers at Brooklyn’s Lutheran Medical Center and in hospitals and clinics throughout the city are trying to get both children and adults – including those over 65 years of age – to get their flu shot.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) named last week National Influenza Vaccination Week. Tuesday, December 9, was Children’s Vaccination Day. Thursday, December 11, was Senior’s Vaccination Day.

“[Parents and grandparents] may bring in a child for immunization, but they won’t for themselves,” said Norma Villanueva, M.D., M.P.H., the Network Chief of Child and Adolescent Health at Lutheran Medical Center.

Read the rest of the article here...

COMMENTARY: Bush unharmed by tossed shoes; Will the same fate await the tosser?

So President Bush was the target of two shoes thrown at him - quite haphazardly - by an Iraqi television journalist whose employer, Al Baghdadia, is based in Cairo, Egypt. In the video clip viewed ’round the world, Mr. Bush tells a security agent that he is fine after the incident, later joking about the incident and telling the assembled press that he didn’t feel the least bit threatened by the attack. The journalist, however, may not be so fortunate.

While an attack on any world leader, however innocuous the weapon and bland response from the attacked, is cause for alarm and legal consequence, I have serious doubts about the existence and stability of any current Iraqi justice system. They didn’t have a fair one before the U.S.’ 2003 invasion and they haven’t had a chance to build one now, and with a history of lack of due process in the region, regardless of professional standing and international attention, it seems a very real possibility that Muntadar al-Zaidi, the journalist apprehended, faces either a violent fate or an untimely demise.

The words that al-Zaidi shouted in Arabic while throwing his shoes have been widely translated to have been: “This is the farewell kiss, you dog!” However, an unaccredited blogger at The False Oswalds expands the translated quote to “This is a gift from the Iraqis; this is the farewell kiss, you dog. … This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq.”
Whether this is accurate or not, I don’t know, but CNN expands the translation to: “You killed the Iraqis!” These add another layer of context to al-Zaidi’s motivation for the assault.

In that CNN article, it is also noted that al-Zaidi is the same journalist who was kidnapped in November 2007 on his way to work and then released three days later. I do not know if there are reports of what happened to him during his captivity, whether he was tortured or not. But I imagine that after the initial impulse to throw his shoes at President Bush wore off and he was surrounded and restrained by security agents, his mind flashed to those three days from one year ago and he came into a panic about his current situation. That is the only thing I can think to explain the blood trail on the carpet and the cries from an adjacent room while other Iraqi journalists apologized to the President and Mr. Bush made light of the situation.

I would love for someone to brief the U.S. president on the final translation so that after the jokes have subsided, he will no longer lack understanding of al-Zaidi’s cause. And hopefully, he will actually reinforce his claim that this show of protest - which is more than just an empty ploy for attention - is proof of democracy in Iraq by ensuring that Mr. al-Zaidi is not executed or tortured for his form of expression.

Big Pharma Under Fire for Reverse Plagiarism

The pharmaceutical industry is coming under fire for allegedly hiring ghostwriters (writers who work for pay, but not a byline) to write positive reports/analysis of clinical tests on drugs with possible efficacy issues - and then recruiting notable doctors to stick their names on it. This issue has been bandied about for months and suspected for longer, but now U.S. Senator Charles Grassley from Iowa is renewing the fight.

Is the fact that this possibility has surfaced doesn’t surprise me troubling? Even before I declared my concentration in health/medicine reporting, I was aware of the corruption and rampant abuse of power by what is referred to as Big Pharma. Government deregulation and regulation on a slew of business and healthcare policy issues end up benefiting these corporate entites, whether allowing unapproved drugs and drugs with possible side effects to go on the market before they are fully vetted by the FDA or removing/weakening price caps on prescription drugs so that Pharma can charge more for less and profit from donations of life-saving drugs to Third World countries. And of course there are the deceptive drug ads that have had varying levels of regulation over the last two decades.

Journal articles are an important “first draft” introducing new developments in medicine to the public and are among the sources used by health professionals and medical reporters in their story research. Doctors and reporters already look at journal articles with a wary eye, and the likely possibility of journal articles being fabricated can be even more detrimental to the trust people place in such written work.

And that doctors would sign on to put their names on these works they haven’t written - even if they agree with what is being written - is egregious and says they condone this deceptive practice. Like the regulations placed on drug advertisements, all that would be needed is for the doctors to acknowledge that this IS NOT their work. It would be better if it were, but if this is the way they want to roll, then disclose your affiliations.

It is tantamount to plagiarism.

A Season of Hope: Holidays on Wall St.

By Heather J. Chin

The Christmas melodies of Gavin deGraw and Aretha Franklin were two of the main attractions at the New York Stock Exchange’s annual tree lighting ceremony this year. Beyond the glitz of Rockefeller Plaza, Wall Street’s celebration has the distinction of being organized by New Yorkers for New Yorkers, with plenty of holiday cheer permeating the gloom that become a familiar part of our days.

Hundreds of New Yorkers past and present gathered downtown for an evening of celebration, rumination and time with family before facing a new year and uncertain economic times.

Larry Lampiasi came downtown to watch his granddaughter sing with her schoolmates in Brick, New Jersey’s Monsignor Donovan Choir. As a self-employed salesman, he says he’s felt the economic pinch, but thinks the holiday season will help.

Jack Ruppenthar, also present to support his grandson in the choir, agreed, noting that the current economic recession would hurt those with financial investments and retirement savings and 401Ks. But with the holiday season upon us, he thinks it “will make people think more, being a little more frugal … putting more thought into the quality of gifts over the quantity of gifts.”

The ceremony outside the NYSE building on Broad Street between Wall Street and Exchange Place is quite possibly the most personal, meaningful and even oldest of all the high-profile holiday events in New York City, as it takes place in the heart of old New York and has been a tradition since 1923.

This year, while Mr. DeGraw and Ms. Franklin’s drew audience members who recognize their music and name, the evening’s entertainment and festive atmosphere also catered to the younger generation. Performances from local teen musicians were featured: Long Island rock band Push Play and 14-year-old Tiffany Giardina – her music is included in an upcoming movie, “Another Cinderella Story” – who grew up in New York.

Also on hand was 25-year-old jazz pianist and singer Peter Cincotti, whose blend of traditional jazz and classic styles with rock and pop made his song “December Boys” and his Christmas-themed melodies transfix crowd members of all ages.

Alceste, a New Jersey native and former retirement center COO who moved to Florida several years ago, noted the impact of the current economic crisis on both the younger and older generations.

"Where did the prostitutes go, Mommy?"

By Heather J. Chin

Sunset Park – Prostitutes have long plied their trade along the Gowanus Expressway’s southern end in Brooklyn, coexisting quietly with their working class neighbors and largely ignored by police. But when residents began complaining in late September that men had begun soliciting sex from young girls and teachers at a nearby elementary school, the cops took fast action.

A series of morning crackdowns over three weeks resulted in 39 arrests along 56th and 57th streets between Second and Third Avenues, according to Deputy Inspector Jesus R. Pintos, of the 72nd Precinct. But the prostitution busts were only part of a larger effort that shows how local law enforcement can involve community organizations to find long-term solutions for neighborhood crimes.

The campaign began with getting the offenders off the streets. In what Inspector Pintos described as “precinct-based enforcement,” officers arrested 21 johns – the term used to describe the predominantly male clientele of prostitutes – and eight prostitutes. They also arrested nine others for related crimes of car theft (cars used by those arrested) and drug use or sales. Five vehicles were also confiscated at the scene.

Within days, the only signs that illegal activity had taken place were used condoms and other debris scattered on the sidewalk. The Brooklyn D.A.’s office lent several hands to deal with that. Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes assigned individuals sentenced to community service hours in the neighborhood to assist the precinct in sidewalk clean-up.

To maintain the quality of life in the area and prevent the problem from simply relocating, police increased surveillance. First they installed Sky Watch – a surveillance tower that extends via mini-crane atop an NYPD car, traveling between high crime areas in the city – along the main intersection on Third Avenue and 56th Street during the two weeks following the arrests. Precinct officers were also assigned to conduct regular sweeps of the problem corridor, making arrests when necessary.

For residents and schoolchildren, the effect of the changes was immediate. “Where did the prostitutes go, Mommy?” one grade-schooler asked her mother on the way to school a week following the first arrests. The grateful mother shared the story with Deputy Inspector Pintos at the monthly Community Council meeting. Says Pintos, “We’re making headway, but we’ll continue to monitor the problem.”

Others are trying to help those arrested in the busts. The Red Hook Justice Center, in collaboration with the 72nd precinct, is offering first-time offenders an alternative to trials and jail. Instead they have to attend “Project Respect,” often called the Brooklyn John School. The six-year-old program puts offenders face-to-face with former prostitutes, videos of sexually abused children and images of the diseases inflicted on them.

EPIC (Ending Prostitution In our Communities) and “Saving Teens at Risk” are two programs targeting prostitutes above age 21 and younger girls, respectively. They offer educational and rehabilitative services to help these women find other options and to deal with the issues that originally caused them to turn to the streets. Kings County DA statistics note that 80 to 90 percent of the women prostituting themselves have been sexually abused. The U.S. Dept. of Justice says that girls enter prostitution at an average age of 13.

According to Gerianne Abriano, Bureau Chief at the Brooklyn D.A.’s office, “the vast majority [of offenders] that come to Red Hook go through these programs. Anyone with a prior record, we try to get them drug [or other] treatment. [And as for] the prostitutes, they tend to be the most accessible. We have good results with them.”

Yay Frogs!

So Pine Magazine issued a challenge to its readers a couple of weeks ago: take the Frog Leap Test (an exercise they say is used to test spatial reasoning, it seems), pass it, take a screenshot, and send it to them. I did it on the second try.

Now, this program may be used with Chinese students, but I doubt that their ability to solve it at a young age means “smarter than” compared to at least the Pine Mag. editors. It’s probably just a matter of how much training you have in spatial reasoning. Perhaps the students get a focus on this earlier than students with other nation’s curricula.

Still, I cringe at the thought of someone to suggest that my being able to solve the puzzle (see below) is due to my being Chinese American. Paranoia? Perhaps. But this twisted logic is hardly absent from discussion in an American society that seems to be experiencing an upswing in xenophobic thought. As usual, I’ll slough off this thought, though.

In my case, years of learning according to the NYC specialized math and science curriculum probably helped condition me to find this a rather straightforward exercise.

Whatever the case, I’m pleased! Woohoo!

Here's my screenshot:


S
O
L
U
T
I
O
N
S

The solution is:
Y (yellow)1 - R (red) 1 - R2 - Y1 - Y2 - Y3 - R1 - R2 - R3 - Y1 - Y2 - Y3 - R2 - R3 - Y3

New York Times Hoax Fit To Prank

article by NYCity News Service Staff
video reported by Heather Chin

In this piece, a team of reporters from the NY City News Service canvassed New York subway stations hit by volunteers distributing a faux special edition of The New York Times, declaring the Iraq War over, among other liberal utopian headlines.
I shot the accompanying video piece.

For the original article and video, go here.

Election Night Festivities Unite New Yorkers

(previously published here at www.nycitynewsservice.com)

In the evening hours before results of the 2008 Presidential Election were announced, people around the country gathered outside to wait for news and celebrate whatever outcome resulted. In New York, the main gatherings were in Harlem and Times Square, each area filling up with hundreds and even thousands of revelers.

In Manhattan’s Times Square, a festive atmosphere reigned as poll results trickled in on the outdoor jumbo screens. And amidst the neon lights, crowds erupted into cheers, whoops, car honks and all-around exuberance when Barack Obama was announced as the President-Elect of the United States of America.

In a city where strangers can go entire rides on the subway without acknowledging one another, people of all ages, backgrounds and histories blended together in a jubilant mass, posing for photos with each other and hugging and smiling at one another. The atmosphere was akin to a New Year’s party, but with a uniting theme: hope, change and a new future.

Click on the image above for a slideshow of the night's festivities.

The "Mayor" of Midwood: Educating Leaders of ALL Kinds

By Heather Chin

Some residents in Brooklyn’s Midwood neighborhood have already chosen their president: Daniel Dory, a local 23-year-old who previously served as unofficial “mayor” of their street.

Danny, as everyone calls him, has trisomy 21 Down Syndrome, where each gene has an extra chromosome. But his outgoing and independent personality, combined with a love of life and all the people in it, make him a natural friend and leader. They also challenge commonly held public preconceptions about what someone with this most common of genetic conditions is capable of achieving in life.

Sarah Palin’s nomination as the Republican vice presidential candidate promised to broaden that awareness. As Americans met the Alaska Governor and her family, including her newborn son Trig, who has Down Syndrome, Gov. Palin declared that if she and John McCain were elected, families of special needs children would have “a friend in the White House.” In that large and tight-knit community whose voices often go unheeded, such promises have sparked contrasting feelings of hope and circumspection.

Read the rest of the article here...

Young Voters Speak: "I Want Change"

by Heather Chin, Igor Kossov, Lindsay Lazarski, Nicholas Martinez, Xiaomara Martinez-White, Rachel Senatore and Jeanmarie Evelly

(previously published at www.nycitynewsservice.com)

Young New Yorkers responded to Obama’s calls for hope and change by trooping to the polls to cast their first votes. We asked some of them to tell us their stories and what they expect from the new administration.

Cleo Crooks

• Eighteen-year-old Cleo Crooks had a lot to do on Election Day. After G.E.D. and job-training classes, she had to pick up her niece from school, possibly take a shift as a cashier at the staffing agency where she works, and still find the time to vote.

Ecofest 2008: It's Easy Being Green

By Heather J. Chin

Kermit the Frog said it, now average New York-area residents are, too.

As the green movement gains momentum in cities and small towns across the country, citizens are becoming more aware of both the issues being discussed and the ease with which they can live a greener lifestyle. Especially now that fuel prices have shot through the roof and oil and gas are such hot commodities, people - and governments - are more willing to embrace everything from recycling and reusing water bottles to shutting of light-switches and faucets.

Helping support green education this year was New York City’s 20th annual Ecofest celebration at Lincoln Center. Held on the alternately rainy and sunny last Saturday of the month, the festival was full of clothing and food vendors, school parents, community organizers, dancers, tourists and volunteers, this event serves both as a reinforcement and a new introduction to environmental living.

Read more and listen to interviews here.

NATIONAL: School Seeks To Connect Health Policy With Care

(previously published here at www.thebulletin.us)

By Heather J. Chin, The Bulletin

10/06/2008

After a spiritual retreat to Rome in which he met with Vatican leaders in healthcare from around the world, David B. Nash, M.D., M.B.A. returned to Philadelphia, and to Thomas Jefferson University, where he has been named inaugural dean of a new graduate school of health policy.

The establishment of the Jefferson School of Health Policy and Population Health (JSHPPH) was announced last week by University President Robert L. Barchi, M.D., Ph.D., who described it as building on Jefferson's expertise in health-care quality improvement and chronic care management and providing "a venue for this expertise that is recognized nationally and internationally."

The school, which will be housed in existing facilities, is an expansion of the Jefferson Medical College's Department of Health Policy (DHP). It will feature an interdisciplinary curriculum where medical, nursing and allied health students, as well as recent undergraduates and mid-career professionals, take classes together, both online and in traditional classrooms.

According to Dr. Nash, currently the Dr. Raymond C. and Doris N. Grandon Professor of Health Policy and chair of the DHP, this school was months in the making and its purpose is to "address the health-care crisis in the United States - its quality, safety, affordability and accessibility."

"One of the things we're going to teach in our new school is how important it is to take care of the underserved," said Dr. Nash, also a board member of Catholic Healthcare Partners, the non-profit health system that sponsored the Rome retreat. "We're going to pay a lot of attention to the meaning of the word 'mission' in health care."

JSHPPH's stated mission is "to prepare leaders with global vision to develop, implement and evaluate health policies and systems that improve the health of populations and thereby enhance the quality of life."

In Sept. 2009, the school will open for individuals interested in Master's degrees in Public Health and Health Policy, or Chronic Care Management and Healthcare Quality and Safety - two unique programs that are the first of their kind in the nation and region.

The range of programs are aimed at attracting individuals with a variety of interests and career goals. So while the Quality and Safety program may attract mid-career professionals and undergraduates with an interest in social organization and improvement, the Chronic Care program may appeal to people who interact with families - existing nurses, case managers and diabetes educators - and the health policy program students aiming for academia or the governmental process.

As the new school develops further, dual degree programs and two doctoral programs in Health Policy and Population Health Sciences will also be added.

In addition to Philadelphia's resources, JSHPPH is building partnerships with Widener Law School, the University of Delaware and other business schools in the area.

Cooperation will also come from Catholic Healthcare Partners, the American College of Physician Executives, and the American College of Medical Quality.

Key collaborators in the creation of JSHPPH include the Department of Family and Community Medicine, Kimmel Cancer Center and its Division of Population Science in the Department of Medical Oncology, the Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health, and the Jefferson School of Pharmacy.

For Dr. Nash, the opportunity to continue almost two decades of work at Jefferson, developing his interest in health policy and health care, has been rewarding.

"I'm waking up very, very early every day and thinking about the things I have to do," he said.

Heather J. Chin can be reached at hchin@thebulletin.us

©The Evening Bulletin 2008

NYC HEALTH: Health Department Targets Deadly Cosmetics

By Heather J. Chin
September 25, 2008
(originally published at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism blogs)

New York – City health officials stepped up their efforts to alert residents that some imported cosmetics threaten them with lead and mercury poisoning.

While federal and state standards already prohibit lethal cosmetics from entering the country, consumer demand keeps the supply steady, according to officials at the Board of Health during their quarterly meeting on Wednesday.

“The problem with global … products [is] that they are falling through the cracks,” said Dr. Nancy Clark, Assistant Commissioner of the department’s Bureau of Environmental Disease Prevention.

Specific deodorants, skin creams, aphrodisiacs and herbal remedies used by residents of Dominican, Indian and Chinese communities are on the list of products with poisonous ingredients. These cosmetics are imported from Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.

Tests done by NYC’s health department and by others around the country have shown these products to have lead and mercury levels as much as 6,000 times higher than limits recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA limit for lead levels is 10 parts per million; for mercury, it is 1 part per million.

At last month’s meeting, the board authorized the health department to find and remove dangerous cosmetics from store shelves, just as tainted food or drugs are.

These tools will come in the form of signs and fact sheets in the languages spoken by consumers, explained Ms. Paromita Hore, a risk assessment coordinator. “They’re often not aware” of the danger, she said, adding that use of the unhealthy products “is longstanding in their culture.”

At least in the Chinese community, such awareness efforts are welcome, says Gary Lee, the owner of a pharmacy in Chinatown that offers both U.S. name brands and popular Chinese medicines and herbs.

“[Officials] usually want to put pressure on the importer, not putting pressure on the shop,” he said. He notes that if a store has non-FDA approved drugs in stock, it is because they sell. “What [the consumer] wants, they make a request.”

For Indian Americans, kohl and surma – two skin products listed by the Health Department as being laced with high levels of lead – pose a great threat because they are so embedded in the culture.

“Loving kohl is one of the commandments for being desi,” writes Anu, an Indian American freelance writer on her blog, The Indian Make-Up Diva.

When ingested or absorbed through the skin, high levels of lead and mercury can pose a danger to brain function, as well as to blood and renal system function. These effects are particularly dangerous in children and pregnant women.

LOCAL NYC: Unionized Drivers Protest Union And DOE Bus Cuts

By Heather J. Chin
September 10, 2008

Long Island City – Hundreds of school bus drivers, transportation aides and parents rallied together on September 10th to protest new cuts to the number of routes and service quality to the city’s special needs students.

“We are highly trained professionals [and] highly motivated individuals,” stated Caravan Transportation bus driver Miqueal Vestres, who has driven special needs students to and from school for 28 years. “We do these jobs not for the money; we love what we do [and] care about the kids.”

Read the rest of this story and listen to audio of the rally here.

A Journalist's Direction: Divining Rod or Diversion?

(previously published here on September 25, 2008)

Like musicians and strains of melody, reporters generally have an “ear” for newsworthy events and reporting opportunities. Whether it’s being at the scene of a car accident and interviewing witnesses (after pulling people out of the wrecking, per Journalistic Ethics discussions) or chasing a tornado, or pursuing a hesitant, but important, source for a story, journalists tend toward a knack of blending curiosity and intuition. We’re reporters and we’re hungry for stories!

But sometimes reporting needs to take a backburner to our humanity, as well as to practicality.

This week, an elderly woman had a heart attack on the city bus I was taking home. Two teenaged girls sitting across from her immediately told the driver to stop and proceeded to call 911. Since the woman kept saying she lives just a few blocks away, I went over and, loathing standing by helplessly and wanting to do something for her but having 911 already taken, asked her if anyone was home to call. She said yes and I called her husband, Alex. Within 10 minutes, one set of EMTs, two fire trucks, the ambulance and Alex arrived. I watched them take her off the bus in a wheelchair, then got off the bus, made sure the EMTs didn’t need me to fill out a statement, and went home.

Pretty simple and straightforward.

But what kept bothering me for hours after was that my internal monologue/reaction to the woman having a heart attack was - at least in my mind - seflish: I wanted not just to help her, but to be a part of the action. The human side of me wanted to do all I could to help and the inquisitive side didn’t want to be left behind, not knowing and engaging in the details. So while this was not newsworthy material, but there was still a part of me that wanted to question passengers and EMTs to get into their heads, too. And now I felt somewhat ashamed.

But why be ashamed?

So my questions are: is this story an example of simply normal inquisitiveness and desire to help or could a journalist be so entrenched in a desire for answers and context that they get drawn to stories that aren’t stories?

LOCAL HEALTH NEWS: Jefferson Offers Free Screenings For Prostate Cancer

(previously published here at www.thebulletin.us)

By: Heather J. Chin, The Bulletin

09/17/2008

Philadelphia - Philadelphia area residents can get free prostate cancer screenings today at the Bodine Center for Cancer Treatment at 111 South 11th Street at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. The service will be provided between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to all men who come and request it.

The free screenings are part of a research program and include a rectal exam as well as a blood test for levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA), testosterone and cholesterol.

"The blood test right now should be done once a year over the age of 50," recommended Dr. Leonard Gomella, chairman of the department of urology at Thomas Jefferson University's Kimmel Cancer Center.

Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in the United States, affecting one in six American men. It is the second-leading cancer killer, after lung tumors, among men.

Screening is generally recommended for men aged 40 to 75, and beginning at age 35 if there is family history of prostate cancer or you are of African American or Hispanic background.

The benefits of screening for older men above age 75 has been questioned in recent studies, but discussing your options and risks with your doctor is still best, said Dr. Gomella. "More men die with prostate cancer than of prostate cancer."

Although the government does not endorse PSA screenings and there is currently no cure for the disease, discovering the cancer earlier allows for possible treatment of symptoms and monitoring for continued progression.

The American Cancer Society notes that the year 2007 saw 218,890 men diagnosed in the U.S. and about 27,050 deaths. Worldwide, approximately 780,000 men are diagnosed with it each year, 250,000 of whom die.

The event is in its 19th year and is sponsored by Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center and the Foundation for Breast and Prostate Health. The month of September is the country's newly designated Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.


Heather J. Chin can be reached at hchin@thebulletin.us

©The Evening Bulletin 2008

COMMENT: "Children's Locks..."

Added: Saturday September 13, 2008 at 02:57 AM EST

Locks of Love Sells the Hair for Profit, too

The reporter did not research adequately, By the Locks of Love own report on their federal tax filing, they make a profit as much as $500,000 a year from the sale of hair. They do not give the wigs for free either...the families pay something on a sliding scale. By their own admission that provided 2000 wigs over ten year span...that's a paltry 200 wigs per year on average. Compare that with the tons of ponytails sent to them every year. If your child knew that her donated hair was being sold to the hair extensions vendors, how would she feel about this organization then?

Paula, Providence, Rhode Island