Past roundups have emphasized the many things wrong with veteransâ health and safety, so this week seems like a good time to highlight some of the efforts that the military and the Veterans Administration are making to address the problems. The WSJâs Theo Francis reports that the Defense Department is giving the Brain Trauma Foundation […]
Despite worsening problems with climate disruption and air pollution, politicians and individuals have kept making bad transportation choices for decades. As a result, weâve got an unsustainable transportation system full of single-passenger gas-guzzling vehicles, and the only âsolutionâ that politicians have been able to unite around is ethanol, which worsens global hunger and nutrient runoff […]
The May 12th issue of Newsweek contains Sharon Begleyâs excellent review of Doubt is Their Product (which should now be available in your local bookstore). Naturally, we like it because it says nice things about Davidâs book, but we also think Begley does a terrific job describing the kinds of abuses the book chronicles. Itâs […]
Bloggers had a lot to say about the health, safety, and healthcare of workers: Christine Rampolla at AFL-CIO Weblog explains how 12 years of work by union members culminated in New Jerseyâs paid family leave act, which the governor just signed into law. What if ⦠America Had a Healthcare System That Worked? explores the problems with veteransâ […]
Companies have evidently realized that marketing anti-bacterial products to U.S. consumers is a good way to make money, and are pushing a wide array of products that claim to have bacteria-fighting properties. (I’ve seen socks, computer products, toys … and even a handy hook you can use to avoid touching a potentially germ-ridden door handle.) This might […]
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted 247-165 to approve the Worker Protection Against Combustible Dust Explosion and Fires Act (H.R. 5522), which requires OSHA to issue an interim final combustible dust standard within 90 days and a final standard within 18 months. This legislation wouldnât be necessary if OSHA were doing its job. Combustible […]
The Chicago Tribune has just reported that Mary Gade, the Bush administrationâs top environmental regulator in the Midwest, has been forced to quit her job after months of efforts to get Dow Chemicals to clean up dioxin contamination around its Michigan headquarters. The Tribuneâs Michael Hawthorne explains:
The Washington Post is running a series on the global food crisis, and if you haven’t read it yet, it’s worth a look. In The New Economics of Hunger, Anthony Faiola explains how what started as an apparent blip in wheat prices has mushroomed into widespread hunger and unrest: