Today is Transgender Remembrance Day, a day set aside to memorialize the far too many that have been victims of anti-transgender violence. Jos at Feministing has a really excellent post -- you should read the whole thing.

The following video is from 2007, but still seems appropriate two years later:

You heard that right: If you think Twitter is for old people while Facebook is for the young'ns, think again.

A Pew report released last month -- just noticed yesterday by the indispensible @NiemanLab -- found the median age of a Twitter user to be 31, while the median age of a Facebook user is now 33. Back in May 2008, Facebook's median age was 26.

As a youth organization that's always thinking about the best ways to reach our demographic, this shift has big implications for Campus Progress. We use pages and, occasionally, ads to reach young people on Facebook. On Twitter, we've got an account as well as lists that categorize our members by the program and department they're involved in. 

Of course, we've all seen Twitter accounts belonging to users who signed up only to use the service infrequently or abandon it altogether. (Research indicates that a huge proportion of Twitter users are barely active.) When conducting its survey, Pew asked subjects if they ever use Twitter, but not how often they use it. The real question needs to be: What's the median age of active Twitter users compared to to active Facebook users.

I haven't seen anyone try to quantify Facebook users' level of activity -- leave a comment if you know of such a study -- but my totally un-scientific sense is that there tends to be less deviation among Facebook users: Almost everyone I know checks it at least once a day.

So maybe we shouldn't jump to any conclusions just yet about which service is "better" for reaching young people. If age were all that mattered, MySpace, with a median user age of 26, would be the unquestionable choice for reaching our audience.

As my friend and former professor Eszter Hargittai has written, there are substantial differences in the way people use social networking not just based on their age, but also based on their socioeconomic status, ethnicity and religion. Campaigns and organizations like ours that want to attract a broad audience need to utilize a variety of outreach tactics and social media tools, not just one or two.

 
Credit: Pew Research Center Publications

WASHINGTON (Nov. 20, 2009) - Patrick W. Dunne, the Under Secretary for Benefits for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), today announced his resignation for early next year. Dunne, who attained the rank of rear admiral while in the U.S. Navy, has been with VA since 2006.

As Under Secretary for Benefits since October 2008, Admiral Dunne has directed the administration of VA's disability compensation, pension, education, home loan guaranty, vocational rehabilitation and employment, and life insurance programs through a nationwide network of 57 regional offices, other special processing centers, and Veterans Benefits Administration headquarters.

I don't know Dunne's exact reasons for stepping down, but since he's only held the position about a year, and during that time there has been massive trouble with the distribution of the new Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, it seems likely that that may have factored into his departure.

The VA received more than 25,000 applications for updated GI Bill benefits within two weeks of the new program. At the time, Dunne was quoted on PR Newswire as saying, "We are very pleased with the tremendous interest in the Post-9/11 GI Bill. The number of applications submitted in the first two weeks clearly shows the value and importance of this new benefit for Veterans."

But it quickly became clear the VA was worried about being able to process the volume of claims they received. Dunne himself noted, "Our top priority is providing our students and schools with accurate and timely benefit payments so veterans can focus all of their energy on studies," he said in a statement quoted by the Columbus Dispatch in late September.

Although veterans were scheduled to receive living stipends from the VA by Nov. 1, by the end of October, it was clear that wasn't going to happen. The Navy Times reported at the end of October that, "'It is possible, if we have not worked their case by the end of the month, that some may not receive their housing payment on the first,' VA officials said in a statement, referring to Nov. 1."

The VA was supposed to implement a new computer program that would process the new GI Bill benefits faster. But delays in implementing the program put the VA behind in processing claims. Eventually, some emergency checks were distributed to veterans that were written by hand.

In a late September story about the delays in the payments from the GI Bill program, the LA Times quoted Dunne as saying, "The learning curve has been steep for us all." Indeed.

(Flickr/mrmatthew)

Campus Progress is bringing back a renewed version of a feature called Campus Informer, a roundup of cool and interesting stuff happening at campuses around the country. Of course, the feature isn't only limited to campuses, since Campus Progress exists for non-college youth and to make higher education more accessible and affordable. If you think something in your area should be included in Campus Informer, just email us at campusprogresseditors [at] americanprogress [dot] org.

• Students at University of California-Santa Cruz present a 32-point list of demands to UC regents. [Student Activism]
• The University of Minnesota implements blood alcohol tests at football games to try to curb binge drinking on game days. [New York Times]
• Conservative students at the University of Toledo held a "Freedom Week" earlier this month involving members of the university's ROTC program; it got messy. [Independent Collegian]
• Harvard debates allowing all students access to gender-neutral housing. [Harvard Crimson]
• A Howard University student takes a year off to pursue an acting career in L.A. [The Hilltop]
• Some students at Kent State work their way through college at a bakery (Video). [Kent News Net]

Arkansas 10-year-old Will Phillips isn't your average disobedient fifth grader. While other troublemakers his age initiate food fights or fling spitballs, Phillips' rebellion is enough to make Gandhi jump for joy in Nirvana.

Upon last month concluding that a country in which gays can't marry shouldn't be allowed to include the words "liberty and justice for all" in its Pledge of Allegiance, Phillips has taken to remaining seated while his classmates recite the oath every morning. For this, he's been chastised by both his teacher--who he told to "jump off a bridge--and his peers, some of whom have begun calling Phillips a "gaywad."

Unfazed, Phillips says he's not even sure what gaywad means, other than being a "discriminatory name for homosexuals."

Officials with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency have just announced that they will be conducting at least 1,000 new employer audits.

The audits, basically the Obama administration’s version of immigration raids sans massive arrests and armed government agents, are compounded with the White House’s stated determination to target employers that hire undocumented workers.

Just recently in Minnesota, at least 1,200 janitors were fired from a cleaning company after an audit conducted by ICE found they did not have proper documentation.

Because of this action, thousands more may stand to lose their jobs. It is currently unknown where the audits will take place.

The agency is holding a press briefing this afternoon. Developing….

UPDATE 1PM: From ICE press release: "The 1,000 businesses served with audit notices this week were selected for inspection as a result of investigative leads and intelligence and because of the business’ connection to public safety and national security—for example, privately owned critical infrastructure and key resources. The names and locations of the businesses will not be released at this time due to the ongoing, law enforcement sensitive nature of these audits."

UPDATE 4:45PM: ICE chief John Morton just held a telephone briefing with reporters, and here is some new information Campus Progress has learned:

1. The audits affect businesses in every state in the nation.
2. Morton claims that workplaces critical to national security infrastructure have been targeted, including “power plants,” and the “food industry.”
3. The audits are an effort to “change the national enforcement perspective,” and create a “culture of consequences.”

There are two numbers to watch: (1) Can an anti-abortion amendment offered by, say, Utah Republican Orrin Hatch, or pro-life Democrat Bob Casey, get 60 votes? Probably not, but Reid will have to get 60 votes to even proceed with debate on the bill. (2) Getting that 60 could mean putting stronger anti-abortion language in the bill to get those red-state Democrats.

Leave it to the United States Senate to ... restore a program called Title V, which, since the Welfare Reform Act of 1996, has allocated a yearly $50 million in grants to abstinence-only education programs. Obama let the program lapse in June, leaving some abstinence-only groups in dire straits. So in September, Sen. Orrin Hatch offered an amendment to restore Title V via heath-care reform, which (much to the outrage of liberal groups) just squeaked through the Senate Finance Committee with a 12–11 vote. A similar amendment, offered in the House by Rep. Terry Lee from Nebraska, died in committee.

If the Senate language survives reconciliation, the Title V program will be extended through 2014. This will not, however, bring abstinence funding back to the levels of the past decade. In 2008, Title V grants accounted for just under 25 percent of the federal abstinence budget (the rest of the budget came from other abstinence-only funding sources not restored in the Senate bill, including Community Based Abstinence Education Grants and the Adolescent Family Life Act).

On another reproductive health front, abstinence only groups are declaring victory. “It is encouraging that the hard work of grassroots constituencies from across the country have prevailed to ensure these common-sense programs will continue,” said executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association, Valerie Huber to The Americano. But abstinence-only programming has been scientifically proven to be ineffective.

UPDATE: Jodi Jacobson over at RH Reality Check has a more in-depth look at abortion in the Senate health care bill.

(Flickr/Illinois Springfield)

Late last night, the Associated Press reported that the Associated Press released its own report that its graduation rates were higher than ever. The AP reported the story as "dispelling myths" that athletes aren't good students. But it's always a little suspicious when the organization releases a report that analyzes itself.

The NCAA says that "nearly four out of five student-athletes earn their diplomas on time, an all-time high." But when you examine what "on time" means, it looks at six-year graduation rates, not four-year rates. The analysis also excludes transfer students. The federal numbers for college athletes are significantly lower than the 79 percent graduation rate touted by the NCAA. The 2008 federal analysis shows that college athlete graduation rates hover closer to 60 percent for Division I (data that incidentally can be found on the NCAA's own website). They point out that female athletes outperform male athletes on graduation rates, but this is unsurprising, since this is also the case among non-athletes as well.

That's not to say that there aren't student athletes that are also excellent academics, and I understand that the NCAA is often fighting stereotypes about athletes. But the AP got spun here. The NCAA released its own statistics that are significantly different than federal numbers and expanding the definition of "on time" is to make its numbers look better.

A Central American factory that was closed after workers unionized will now be reopened, thanks in part to a campaign students organized against Russell Athletic, a large producer of college uniforms and branded merchandize.

The AFL-CIO blog reports:

In what is being hailed as the biggest victory ever by student anti-sweatshop activists, Russell Athletic, the largest supplier of team uniforms and logo-wear, has agreed to reopen a Honduran factory shut down in January shortly after its workers formed a union and will rehire the 1,200 union members.

When Russell shut the factory and moved production to cheaper nonunion plants, United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) mobilized on college and university campuses across the country. Their actions persuaded nearly 100 schools, including Harvard, Michigan, Miami, North Carolina and Stanford universities, to end their agreements with Russell for violating the workers’ rights.

The campaign only goes to show that an elaborate and persistent strategy of targeting factory operators can go a long way in allowing others to organize their workplaces to address their own concerns. So goes the power of international community organizing

• The University of Montana is trying to help Native Americans fight Type 2 diabetes. [Montana Kaimin]
• MIT's graduate students are pushing for a tax exemption on stipends, more money for federally funded research, and higher caps on H1-B visas for advanced-degree holders. [The Tech]
• George Washington University has received its highest number of early decision applications ever. [GW Hatchet]
• NYU students protest a Forbes.com column that talked of "going Muslim." [Washington Square News]
• Texas A&M memorializes students who died in a bonfire 10 years ago. [USA Today]

Media outlets are reporting that 14 individuals at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) were arrested today at a regents committee meeting debating student fee increases.

The meeting was closed to visitors after repeated outbursts by students and union members.

Protesters chanted outside the building as the university Board of Regents committee voted to boost fees over two years. The full board is scheduled to vote Thursday.

Despite the public outcry, the regents OK’d a 32 percent increase to fees at all university campuses.

The vote comes amid an escalating budget shortfall in the state, totaling $21 billion.

The 2010 census, a decennial survey of momentous proportions that will attempt to count every single person living in the United States, is already being projected to reshape the House of Representatives, thanks to Latinos.

Because House districts in each state are based on census results every ten years, the growing Latino population in the U.S. will be adding at least 7 seats to Congress, according to a report by CQ:

According to the consulting firm Election Data Services Inc., Texas is projected to gain four congressional districts in reapportionment, from 32 to 36, in large part because of burgeoning growth among Hispanics. According to a report from America's Voice, Texas grew its population by nearly 3.5 million since 2000 and by 2.2 million Hispanics, or 63 percent of the total.

…

In Arizona, which is expected to gain two seats (from eight to 10), Hispanics account for nearly half of the 1.4 million residents who have been added to the state population since 2000.

In Florida, which is expected to gain one seat, Hispanics again account for half of the state's population growth of 2.3 million residents since the beginning of the decade. Vargas advocates the creation of a Hispanic-influence district in central Florida, where there is a growing population of Puerto Rican Hispanics.

Whether the additional seats will equal more Latino lawmakers, remains to be seen. As CQ notes, currently only 23 Latinos belong to the 435-member House.

(Flickr/Brian Rendel)

Via TPMDC, a George Washington University School of Public Health study of public health shows that the Stupak-Pitts amendment would eventually eliminate all abortion coverage. "We conclude that treatment exclusions required under the Stupak-Pitts Amendment will have an industry-wide effect, eliminating coverage of medically indicated abortions over time for all women, not only those whose coverage is derived through a health insurance exchange," the study says.

The study also calls out the rider alternative, an add-on women could purchase separately to cover abortion (incidentally, this is how many insurance providers handle coverage for pregnancy now), as bullshit:

In our view, the terms and impact of the Amendment will work to defeat the development of a supplemental coverage market for medically indicated abortions. In any supplemental coverage arrangement, it is essential that the supplemental coverage be administered in conjunction with basic coverage. This intertwined administration approach is barred under Stupak/Pitts because of the prohibition against financial comingling. This bar is in addition to the challenges inherent in administering any supplemental policy. These challenges would be magnified in the case of medically indicated abortions because, given the relatively low number of medically indicated abortions, the coverage supplement would apply to only a handful of procedures for a handful of conditions. Furthermore, the House legislation contains no direct economic incentive to create such a market. Indeed, it is not clear how such a market even would be regulated or whether it would be subject to the requirements that apply to all products offered inside the exchange. Finally, because supplemental coverage must of necessity commingle funds with basic coverage, the impact of Stupak/Pitts on states’ ability to offer supplemental Medicaid coverage to women insured through a subsidized exchange plan is in doubt.

The Young America's Foundation's "Conservative Marketplace" has a FREE poster of Sarah Palin. (Other bargain-basement items include a copy of Wit and Wisdom of Conservatism for 18 cents and a copy of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution for a quarter.)

Apparently they didn't get the message that she's no longer popular, even among conservatives. Yesterday TPM reported that a new CBS poll shows only 41 percent of self-identified conservatives want her to run for President in 2012 and 50 percent said they didn't want her to run.

Robert Erickson, the pseudonym for the young man who became an overnight YouTube sensation after rallying Tea Partiers to shout “Columbus Go Home!” at a Minnesota anti-immigration event last week, will allegedly be holding a press conference to announce that he’s deporting himself.

That’s according to a Twitter page that was supposedly created by Erickson.

If true, the move will only build upon the tongue-in-cheek speech that Erickson gave as an orator at the Tea Party rally, that “European immigrants are responsible for the most violent and heinous crimes in the history of the world!”

Here’s the original video:

The press conference may also be taking place at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, or, so reads a tweet by the individual claiming to be Erickson. Stay tuned.

• SUNY wants to go Division I, but the process has been fraught with problems. [NY Times]
• Graduate teaching assistants went on strike at the University of Illinois over the protection of tuition waivers. [Inside Higher Ed]
• Spellman College has its first ever pride week. [The Maroon Tiger]
• A Vassar dining hall worker serves a little hip hop with the hamburgers. [The Miscellany News]
• University of Minnesota students brewed some beer; now you can buy it in local bars. [The Minnesota Daily]
• The growing number of students taking remedial courses is rising at the University of Maryland, along with skyrocketing costs. Now, regents are beginning to require a fourth year of math to apply. [The Diamondback]
• The University of Mississippi William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation takes its roundtable on race on the road. [The Daily Miss]
• Green idea: The University of Arizona installs solar panels over parking lots. [Arizona Daily Wildcat]
• New York Times journalist David Rohde talks about his time as a prisoner of the Taliban at Brown University [Brown Daily Herald]

A lot of unreadable nonsense in former Washington Times editor Wesley Pruden's Times opinion piece today, so we'll spare you everything but the best (worst?) part: "It's no fault of the president that he has no natural instinct or blood impulse for what the America of 'the 57 states' is about. He was ... born to a mother attracted to men of the Third World..."

How about that unfettered racism/xenophobia/classism? Shame on Barack Obama's mother for falling in love with a man from a poverty-stricken African nation!