Monday September 10, 2001
Whites Kids Have More Access to Computers than Minorities
In what is the largest national survey of computer use, the U.S. Commerce Department released statistics that show African-American and Hispanic children are far less likely to have a computer at home than white children. Consequently, computer access at schools and public libraries is particularly important to these youngsters as computers increasingly become life tools in the 21st century.
Clearly, public libraries and schools are key to narrowing the access gap.
The St. Petersburg Times reports: “about 77 percent of white children who are not Hispanic have a computer at home, as do 72 percent of Asian and Pacific Islander children. However, only 43 percent of African-American children and 37 percent of Hispanic children have a computer at home. The statistics come from a survey of 50,000, which is weighted to reflect the nation’s population. It has been conducted every few years by the Census Bureau but should not be confused with Census 2000, which does not ask questions about computer use.”
When Should Priests, Rabbis or Ministers Tell?
The St. Petersburg Times reported: “In July, a Catholic priest in New York made national headlines when he told a judge that two men imprisoned for murder were innocent. The Rev. Joseph Towle had known this for years because he had heard the confession of a teenager who said he did it. But the priest remained silent. Ruben Montalvo and Jose Morales spent nearly 13 years behind bars before Towle stepped forward with testimony to help free them two months ago. In religious circles across the nation, there was little applause for Towle. Some criticized him for not stepping forward sooner. Others questioned whether he should have told at all. The case inspired rabbis, ministers and priests to examine the dilemma that comes with being the ultimate keepers of secrets.
What an interesting set of questions this raises. “How does a clergyperson with a love for people conceal information that causes harm to others? And how does the same trusted man or woman of God betray the sacred confidence of one who confessed?”
Talk with local religious leaders, as the St. Pete Times did, and try to find out about their confidentiality policies.
Screen Strain
Surveys show that upwards of 70 percent of computer workers suffer from vision woes, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA), which has dubbed the condition computer vision syndrome. This problem has come up as large numbers of people have become chained to their desks, says Chris Barry, an optometrist in Bellevue, Wash., who specializes in computer vision syndrome, or CVS. It’s an unnatural task to stare at a box for hours on end. Burning eyes, blurred vision and headaches are among the most common symptoms of CVS, which is also characterized by eyestrain, dry eyes, slowness in changing focus, contact-lens discomfort, neck aches and back pain.
Do you need special glasses for working on the computer?
Your regular glasses might not cut the mustard; bifocals, for example, don’t correct intermediate vision, so you end up craning your neck to read from your monitor. Or, you might need computer glasses for a vision disorder that would not otherwise require correction if you weren’t performing a demanding visual job like using the computer.
MSNBC reports: “Studies have shown that when people are working on a computer, their rate of blinking goes down by two-thirds, which can result in dry, stinging eyes. This is especially a problem for contact-lens wearers, who already are at risk for dry eyes, so doctors recommend they use lubrication drops.
Permanent damage? Most doctors agree that too much screen time can result in temporary aching eyes. But while some contend that’s the full extent of the problem, others suggest there may be more serious consequences, such as myopia — or nearsightedness –that may go beyond a couple hours of accommodative spasm.
