Big Business vs. Clean, Alternative Energy

“Scottish government approves offshore wind farm bitterly opposed by Donald Trump“
Which of the following makes more sense: A Luxury Hotel to increase traffic, and profits, to Donald Trumps holdings, or a Wind Farm consisting of 11 turbines which could supply energy  for almost half...
Big Business vs. Clean, Alternative Energy

The Most Free State: North Dakota?

When you think of freedom it’s obvious that one of the first places that should come into your mind is North Dakota. Well the Mercatus Institute thinks so too in their ranking of U.S. states by levels of freedom. This ranking is based on one particular freedom, economic, given that this is an...
The Most Free State: North Dakota?

Complimenting Others: Can we go Beyond Looks?

Something I have never been good at is starting conversations with, or speaking to strangers, oddly something you would think as a researcher, social worker and a blogger that I wouldn’t have difficult with but oh do I have this issue outside of the professional context. It’s...
Complimenting Others: Can we go Beyond Looks?

Your Gene Sequence Might Not be Secure

Stonybrook University had a mandatory class about Social Work’s role in Health Care. In this class we were asked to read a book about ethical dilemma’s in health care. No book seemed more appropriate to me, as a researcher, than The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, written by...
Your Gene Sequence Might Not be Secure

UN says Lack of Access to Abortion is Torture

The Human Right’s Counsel of the United Nations has released it’s 2013 “Report of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” written by  Juan E. Méndez. Standing out in this report among many other discussed forms...
UN says Lack of Access to Abortion is Torture

Girls Can be Whatever They Want or Can They?

Girls Action Foundation is a Canadian non-profit that has been advancing girls’ empowerment since 1995. According to a brief put out by Girls Action and Status of Women Canada, significant challenges remain especially for girls who are marginalized. In addition to those related to...
Girls Can be Whatever They Want or Can They?

Youth and Sensitivity Training with Seniors

I came across this story online and had to share it as the focus is both youth and seniors. A grade 5 class in Summit, New Jersey visited Sage Eldercare to participate in a sensitivity training. This is the fourth year this elementary school has visited Sage Eldercare as part of their...
Youth and Sensitivity Training with Seniors

The Bill Appreciating Social Workers

It seems Congress hasn’t entirely sequestered. S. Res. 78 was introduced on March 18, 2013, “Supporting the goals and ideals of Professional Social Work Month and World Social Work Day.” The bill calls for the American people to recognize social workers and encourages “the people...
The Bill Appreciating Social Workers

Gay Marriage Legality Goes Before Supreme Court

The Supreme Court will hear two days of arguments for support and opposition of proposition 8, California’s ban on same sex marriage, as well as the Defense of Marriage Act starting today. Also on trial is the separation between church and state, which seems to...
Gay Marriage Legality Goes Before Supreme Court

Could Child Abuse Be Causing Autism?

Written by, Courtney Kidd, LMSW, SJS Staff Writer
 
Childhood abuse as a predictive variable in who will have an autistic child. A study put on by JAMA Psychiatry studied 50,000 women, looking at medical records, answered questions relating to childhood abuse(physical, sexual or emotional)...
Could Child Abuse Be Causing Autism?

Social Work Month Series: Social Workers Advocating for Change

I find it very disheartening to know there are so many social workers voicing dissatisfaction with the profession. We have all chosen social work for a reason and have worked hard along with spending significant amounts of money to become a social worker. Whether we have a BSW, MSW, are...
Social Work Month Series: Social Workers Advocating for Change

The Best Way to Get Help is to Give It

Now in all honestly, who better than a social worker to know the importance of gratitude? I could not resist sharing two links to articles on INC. titled: The Stuff Strong Relationships are Made Of  and The Power of Gratitude, both written by Jeff Haden.
There are wonderful messages of...
The Best Way to Get Help is to Give It

How Does Your County"s Health Rank?

We all know that health, and mental health, are not aspects of our life solely connected to the doctor’s or therapist’s office. Now, for the health and systems theory conscious social workers, there happens to be a resource available to help look at the health ranking and factors...
How Does Your County"s Health Rank?

Ten Things to Say Everyday for A Better You and Yours

Whether they are typed or spoken, we all use thousands of words every day. When put together these words make sentences that can be everything from informative to down right confusing, and often times we don’t think before we say them. We just talk, to fill silence, to make a statement, to...
Ten Things to Say Everyday for A Better You and Yours

Wealth Inequality, a Poverty Mindset and Long Term Consequences

Most people in the United States stay within one economic class of that which they were born into. It is the rare person who advances further, and given the increasingly fast growing divide between the wealthy and the poor the downward trend for the middle class and widening divide seems likely...
Wealth Inequality, a Poverty Mindset and Long Term Consequences

Smith College Denies Female Transgender Student

According to Advocate.com and a few other sources Smith College recently denied a female transgender student admittance to the college and returned her application and application fee. According to the article:
“Calliope Wong’s application and fee were returned to her earlier this...
Smith College Denies Female Transgender Student

Music Linked To Enhanced Cognitive Functioning

Have you ever found that listening to music, when doing chores or working, makes the task significantly more pleasant? A new study suggests that engaging music can help overall cognitive functioning as a indirect result of increased contentment. The study introduced The “Spring”...
Music Linked To Enhanced Cognitive Functioning

Ode to Social Work Part III

Without Commitment,
Without Passion,
Without Love,
True Social Work,
Would not Survive.
Written by Audrey Haven-Roman, LMSW
SJS Staff Writer

Ode to Social Work Part III

Westboro Baptist Church Seeing Rainbow

If your social media friends are anything like mine, you’ve probably seen a picture of a house being painted in rainbow colors floating around over the past few days. The photos come with captions explaining how the house is directly across the street from the Westboro Baptist Church, who...
Westboro Baptist Church Seeing Rainbow

The Shrinking Middle Class

As I have written frequently on this blog, I really do live in two worlds. One world is the world of “business books,” books that show up on the Amazon “Business and Investing” lists, and the New York Times list of Business Best Sellers. Each month, my colleague Karl Krayer and I...
The Shrinking Middle Class

Crisis Centers for Autistic Kids Needed

I came across an article in The Star that focuses on youth with autism. Imagine having a child with autism who as a toddler had tantrums, but as a 13-year-old boy-these tantrums have accelerated into what one Canadian family describes as an ‘explosion.’
Laura Kirby-McIntosh describes...
Crisis Centers for Autistic Kids Needed

Recipe for a Happy Day

A client gave me this ‘recipe’ for happiness in life. I wanted to share it with others as I consider the ‘recipe’ words of wisdom to live by.
Ingredients:
1 cup of friendly words
2 heaping cups of understanding
4 heaping teaspoons time and patience
A pinch of warm personality
Dash of...
Recipe for a Happy Day

Cardinal Napier and Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church

Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier, the Archbishop of Durban, and one of the 115 Cardinals who selected Pope Francis I, discussed the child sex abuse scandal with Stephen Nolan for BBC Radio 5.
According to BBC, Napier stated the church took proper actions by giving accused pedophile priests therapy...
Cardinal Napier and Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church

Things They Don"t Tell You In Social Work School

I love what I do, but I get a kick out of learning things on the fly that would have been so much more useful before that moment. Here’s my first attempt at listing some of these trends that you never knew we didn’t know. Feel free to comment and add your own
1) You can’t save...
Things They Don"t Tell You In Social Work School

The Steubenville Rape Case: What Everyone Seems To Be Missing

**Warning: The content of this article deals with rape, and may be a trigger for those who have experienced, or know someone who has experienced sexual assault. Please continue with caution, and always be aware that treatment is available.**
There has been a lot of backlash for the media’s...
The Steubenville Rape Case: What Everyone Seems To Be Missing

What Is The State of Woman"s Rights As Feminine Mystique Turns 50?

In many ways the civility of a society can be measured by the way in which it ensures the rights of woman. 50 years ago, Betty Friedan’s “The Feminine Mystique” was published, ushering a new era of woman’s rights that would last throughout the 60′s. This...
What Is The State of Woman"s Rights As Feminine Mystique Turns 50?

Social Work Month Series: Happy World Social Work Day

Social Justice Solutions would like to wish all of our readers, followers, and facebook friends a happy World Social Work Day! According to the International Federation of Social Workers:
“World Social Work Day is the annual opportunity to advocate a social work perspective in political...
Social Work Month Series: Happy World Social Work Day

The Stigma Of Mental Illness And The Power Of Words

In my early 20s, I was in a relationship that ended with my significant other in a psychiatric facility. The relationship, albeit brief, was fraught with dishonesty that put me in danger. Because of the ways in which I suffered, and the imagined possibilities given his behavior, it has taken me...
The Stigma Of Mental Illness And The Power Of Words

Growing Elder Care Crisis: Another Death

I had been informed by a colleague that another senior had died from an attack by a fellow senior resident earlier this week, but was only able to read a full article in the National Post yesterday. A tragedy in Toronto has illustrated a growing and ignored problem in the senior community. Two...
Growing Elder Care Crisis: Another Death

Promising Study Supports Basis for SEL Inclusion in Cirriculum

Over the course of the last decade plus, the United States has become a nation of over-tested students and over taxed school districts. As a product, students are forced to meet nationalized standards which link teacher ratings and student test scores. Besides the obvious, and well-documented,...
Promising Study Supports Basis for SEL Inclusion in Cirriculum

Aging at Home: A Unique Project in Boston

I came across a wonderful story in the NY Times on a unique community project taking place in Boston, Massachusetts. Beacon Hill Village, an innovative non-profit organization, was created by and for local residents who want to grow old in their familiar surroundings. Members pay dues and must...
Aging at Home: A Unique Project in Boston

1,000 Rally For Prison Reform In Wisconsin

According to Nationmaster.com, the United States imprisons about 715 individuals out of 100,000; the highest ratio in the world. In Madison, Wisconsin 1,000 faith-based social justice advocates gathered on Thursday for a day of action that is concerned about reducing the State’s...
1,000 Rally For Prison Reform In Wisconsin

You Can’t Handle The Truth…Serum: A Legal Application

Technology and science may be getting more advance in our society, but the use of truth serum in court proceedings is still something of sci-fi fanfare. The use of sodium amobarbital, also known as “truth serum” is being considered to use on James Holmes, the shooter from Aurora, CO who open...
You Can’t Handle The Truth…Serum: A Legal Application

Social Work Month Series: Interview with Eleanor Silverberg, MSW, RSW

March is NASW’s Social Work Month. SJS is participating  by promoting social work month and by interviewing professionals who identify themselves as social workers which is one of the 100 ideas in the Social Work Month Toolkit. Below is a written interview I conducted with social worker...
Social Work Month Series: Interview with Eleanor Silverberg, MSW, RSW

NYS License Exemption Killed By Legislature

As per New York State Society for Clinical Social Work:
STATE AGENCY PERMANENT EXEMPTION FROM LICENSING LAWS KNOCKED DOWN BY LEGISLATURE
At this writing, both houses of the New York State Legislature have agreed to kill permanent exemption from the 2002 social work licensing statute for state...
NYS License Exemption Killed By Legislature

Is Honesty The Best Policy?

We have all heard the phrase “the truth shall set you free,” however, most of us have probably been on both ends of the discomfort honesty can bring.  Moreover, our culture, thick with anxiety and depression, prizes appearance over substance, success over contentment and peace, and fame or...
Is Honesty The Best Policy?

Happy Birthday SJS!

Social Justice Solutions turns 1 today. It is truly amazing to see a plan, concocted as a masters project, come to life in almost exactly the way in which it was conceptualized.
I want to thank the staff of SJS, who have dedicated themselves to creating a powerful and professional foundation for...
Happy Birthday SJS!

Waitlists in Canadian Healthcare

Perhaps because I work in social services with seniors, I am drawn to any information that focuses on Canadian healthcare. The most recent article I read focuses on the cost of wait lists.
Imagine you have a ‘non-urgent’ health condition, would you want to wait months to see a...
Waitlists in Canadian Healthcare

New York City Adopts Jobless Anti-Discrimination Law

On Wednesday  New York City voted to approve a bill which would prohibit employers from discriminating against those job seekers and applicants who are unemployed. In three months New York City will join three other cities across the United States making such Jobless Anti-Discrimination Laws....
New York City Adopts Jobless Anti-Discrimination Law

Grants Awarded Yesterday for the Domestic Violence Homicide Prevention Demonstration Initiative

The Domestic Violence Homicide Prevention Demonstration Initiative is a Department of Justice project aimed at monitoring high-risk domestic violence offenders and identifying potential victims and was modeled after several state wide and local projects including the Maryland Lethality...
Grants Awarded Yesterday for the Domestic Violence Homicide Prevention Demonstration Initiative

Voting Rights Act Challenged In Supreme Court

Last week the Supreme Court heard arguments challenging the Voting Rights Act brought to the court by Shelby County, Alabama. Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act requires states to get approval from the Department of Justice before making changes in voting laws. For example, such a change could...
Voting Rights Act Challenged In Supreme Court

Let"s Meet the Congressional Social Work Caucus of the 113th Congress

In 2011 the Congressional Social Work Caucus (CSWC) was founded by Congressman Edolphus Towns, representative of New York’s 10th District. The Caucus originally had 34 members, including both social workers and individuals interested in social welfare and social justice issues. The...
Let"s Meet the Congressional Social Work Caucus of the 113th Congress

In Defense Of Being An English Major

As we celebrate social work month, I would like to highlight another profession that also spends a lot of time defending themselves. The following was first published @ http://Www.milehighthoughts.wordpress.com and has been submitted by the author, Nick Bente.
I recently read that English Lit...
In Defense Of Being An English Major

Social Work Month Series: Leadership Qualities To Focus On

Leadership is very important no matter what the profession. Good leadership equals a good business and happy employees. What makes a leader likeable and successful? Are leadership skills limited to the business domain? I do not think so. This is an area for the profession of social work to...
Social Work Month Series: Leadership Qualities To Focus On

Cardinal Bergoglio of Argentina Elected Pope of the Catholic Church

Today, Cardinal Bergoglio of Argentina has been elected as the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church. He is the first Jesuit and Latin American elected into one of the most powerful positions, secular or religious, in the entire world. In addition, he is the first Pope to take the name Francis, who...
Cardinal Bergoglio of Argentina Elected Pope of the Catholic Church

South Korea Braces Themselves For The Unknown

Is the next cold war going to get hot? South Korea is gearing up as the North continues cutting off ties and threatening war. In the latest of bizarre and fairly hostile moves, North Korea cut off the only communication it has with the South, a red cross telephone that’s tested twice a day....
South Korea Braces Themselves For The Unknown

Can Facebook "Likes" Predict Personal Traits?

Cambridge University recently conducted research which suggests that what you ‘like’ on Facebook could be a good indicator of personality. A recent BBC article on the research says :
The study used 58,000 volunteers who alongside their Facebook ‘likes’ and demographic...
Can Facebook "Likes" Predict Personal Traits?

The Marriage Of Yoga and Psychology

In many ways the West has been invaded by the East. Spiritual disciplines such as Yoga, Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism have become common influences on Western culture. Understanding how these traditions will merge with typically Western disciplines, such as philosophy and psychology, will help...
The Marriage Of Yoga and Psychology

"Kony 2012", The Film That Stirred A Cause, Perhaps

The following was first published @ http://news.harvard.edu/ga ette/story/2013/03/the-clip-that-stirred-a-cause-perhaps/ and has been submitted by the author:
A Ugandan boy speaking almost perfect English struggles to maintain his composure as he discusses his brother, who was kidnapped and...
"Kony 2012", The Film That Stirred A Cause, Perhaps

Is Mother Teresa"s Image a Myth?

A recent study conducted by Canadian researchers suggests that Mother Teresa’s image as we know it may have been the product of hype.
“The research paper claims that the celebrated nun had 517 missions in 100 countries at the time of her death, but that the majority of patients were...
Is Mother Teresa"s Image a Myth?

A Semester Abroad Should Not Include Being Subjected to Unfair Labor Practices

An article in the Wall Street Journal, Guest Worker Visa Troubles Visit McDonald’s, highlights a growing, well known issue regarding immigration reform, especially as it relates to work visas. The events described in the article border on Labor Trafficking which is a growing worldwide...
A Semester Abroad Should Not Include Being Subjected to Unfair Labor Practices

Are Children Going Hungry in America?

BBC Reporter, Duncan Walker, reports child poverty in the United States of America has reached “record levels.” Walker reports that nearly 17 million children are now affected in America and that number is growing on a daily basis.
Walker interviews the Haywood family: Kaylie, 10 years old,...
Are Children Going Hungry in America?

Compassion in the Medical Field: Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) at Stamford

Stamford University offers a course right up the alley of social workers looking to find more compassion, Compassion Cultivation Training (CTT).  This course:
“is an 8-week program designed to help you improve your resilience and feel more connected to others—ultimately providing an...
Compassion in the Medical Field: Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) at Stamford

No More Tuition Assistance For Soldiers

Another impact of the sequestration hits our country right in the heart of higher education for our service members. The Army announced they are joining the Marines in suspending their tuition assistance program for those attempting to get a degree or certification. Those already enrolled will...
No More Tuition Assistance For Soldiers

International Women"s Day

As a female, how can I not honor International Women’s Day? This year the date is March 8th. As Gloria Steinem said,
“The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organi ation, but to the collective efforts of all who care about human...
International Women"s Day

American Extremist Groups Reach All-Time High

Extremist group activity in America is on the rise. Given the weak economy, this should not come as much of a surprise. The Southern Poverty Law Center, as reported by CNN, is reporting that there is a 7 percent increase in the number of extremist groups. The count is a startling 1,360, and...
American Extremist Groups Reach All-Time High

International Year of Quinoa: How this Ancient Grain Could help Eradicate Hunger

The below is a post recently written for my private blog, Celtic Celiac: A Modern Guide to Staying Sane Without Grain, which focuses on gluten free living, food allergies, and food advocacy issues. Many of my posts are related to social welfare issues within restricted dieting, or nutrition in...
International Year of Quinoa: How this Ancient Grain Could help Eradicate Hunger

Is there a Genetic Link Between Five Major Psychiatric Conditions?

A recent study suggests that Autism, Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Attention Deficit-Hyperactive Disorder, and Schi ophrenia share several major genetic factors.
“The international study compared the genetic codes of 33,000 people with a psychiatric disorder with 28,000...
Is there a Genetic Link Between Five Major Psychiatric Conditions?

The Relationship Between Social Work & Human Resources Part I

Social work is the profession of communicating with other people. This might invoke the perception that as strong communicators social workers do not make communication mistakes. I believe this perception is false. Everyone, even social workers, are prone to making communication mistakes. It is...
The Relationship Between Social Work & Human Resources Part I

Bill 14 and the Province of Quebec-Part II

Every day I open the local paper, open emails with a link to the petition re: Bill 14, or hear it being discussed among the public I am glad to know there are local officials who oppose the bill and are speaking out along with residents of Quebec.  Mayor Anthony Housefather of Cote Saint Luc,...
Bill 14 and the Province of Quebec-Part II

New York State Budget Cuts to OPWDD Proposed for Friday Vote

New York State continues to try and dig its way out of a fiscal mess, in doing so the State Legislature continues to indiscriminately take advantage of vulnerable populations. In February there was a push to have a permanent license exemption passed that would allow non-licensed mental health...
New York State Budget Cuts to OPWDD Proposed for Friday Vote

Suicide Prevention: How Do We Stop The Epidemic?

Suicide has become a leading cause of death and a world-wide epidemic. There are over a 100 death by suicides per day within the United States, and a recent study links a rise in unemployment rates to a rise in suicides almost 1:1. Suicidal thoughts, also known as ideations, are estimated to...
Suicide Prevention: How Do We Stop The Epidemic?

Commision Claims Medicare Fee For Service Should Be Eliminated

A report from the National Commission On Physician Payment Reform is calling for the end of “fee-for-service” for Medicare within seven years.
“The way we pay doctors is profoundly flawed,” commission co-chairman Steven Schroeder, a professor of health and health care at the...
Commision Claims Medicare Fee For Service Should Be Eliminated

Life and Death by Neighborhood

I came across an article in Maclean’s this past weekend which focused on Canadian healthcare, and how where you live may influence when you die. As I read further into the article,  investigative reporter Steve Buist collaborated with Neil Johnston, an epidemiologist and faculty member...
Life and Death by Neighborhood

When to Expect Sequester Cut Effects

As you should know, the sequester cuts went into effect yesterday, March 1st, and include 85 Million Dollars worth of across the board cuts. These cuts will obviously have effects, and could result in many influences on our daily lives including: furloughed work schedules at government agencies,...
When to Expect Sequester Cut Effects

Tramadol: Is it a Controlled Substance or Not?

Recently, I found out that Tramadol (also know as Tramadol hydrochloride and Ultram in the USA) is now considered a controlled substance in New York State. Tramadol is “a centrally acting synthetic analgesic used to treat moderate to moderately severe pain” for conditions such...
Tramadol: Is it a Controlled Substance or Not?

Social Work Month Series: Social Media & Social Work

When I began graduate school for my Masters of Social Work (MSW) degree, email was available as text only. The internet did not exist yet. Times have changed and technology has grown in leaps and bounds and opened doors for many. The benefit to this is bringing people together around the world...
Social Work Month Series: Social Media & Social Work

The Supreme Court Might Consider Public Opinion On Gay Marriage

It is temping to view morality as some absolute fixed code, but it is important to understand that it stems from the beliefs and traditions of people as much as it shapes them. As a result, morality shifts with each generation. As such, law is mostly derived from a morally relative code...
The Supreme Court Might Consider Public Opinion On Gay Marriage

Video: Top 1% Earn 380x The Average Middle Class Worker

The title is a statistic from the vide and brings the theme of wealth inequality down to an easy understandable equation  The CEO, one human being, makes 380x more then the average middle class worker. As it was put in the video is that person working 380x harder then his or her employees?...
Video: Top 1% Earn 380x The Average Middle Class Worker

Canada"s Two-Tier Health System-Part I

Canada’s Health System is a bit different than that of the United States or other countries, and contains many levels of coverage. Canada has sociali ed medicine which is available to all permanent residents and citi ens, and which provides basic coverage of medical and health needs....
Canada"s Two-Tier Health System-Part I

Was The Prosecution of Aaron Schwartz A Political Move?

Aaron Shwart pioneer of Reddit, Creative Commons, and RSS among other things, was a political activist fighting for the reality of  information sharing in the digital age. He was arrested in 2011 for breaking into the JSTOR system and downloading copies of Academic Journals. He was...
Was The Prosecution of Aaron Schwart A Political Move?

Ode to a Social Worker-Part IV

When asked what I want to be,
A social worker is what I dream.
To help the world with Word,
Sometimes having to separate from the Herd.
Social Justice is not a crime,
But simply a state of mind. 

Ode to a Social Worker-Part IV

NYS Social Work License Exemption : The Slippery Slope

NYS Social Work License Exemption : The Slippery Slope

New Trend in Items Reflects the Hard Times Americans are Facing

According to a MSN Money article written by Kim Peterson, thieves are expanding to items that Peterson describes as “strange things thieves steal.” Peterson reports that nine everyday items now have become popular items to steal. Tide detergent is one of the popular items, and is known as...
New Trend in Items Reflects the Hard Times Americans are Facing

Let"s Celebrate Social Worker Month!

Each March since 1966, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) has celebrated National Professional Social Work Month. The original purpose of  Social Work  month was to:
” …spread public awareness and knowledge of the profession. And nearly half a century later, the...
Let"s Celebrate Social Worker Month!

Advocacy Day 2013

Welcome! Social Justice Solutions Inc is proud to be a part of Stony Brook University’s Advocacy Day 2013. Please feel free to leave questions, comments, or a quick hello on our official comment thread below.  
And don’t forget to tweet throughout the day on our live feed:...
Advocacy Day 2013