Diana Bray@Diana4Colorado Special to The Colorado Sun See more Sometimes you just have to take a leap into the unknown when you see that the status quo is simply not working. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt did just that when he signed Social Security into law. In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson did the same with Medicare, which provides health …
Democratic Candidates Flake on Detroit Environmental Justice Forum
Seats sit empty for candidates who cancelled on a July 31 educational forum about Detroit’s most polluted ZIP code, convened by Frontline Detroit, Climate Justice Alliance and other environmental justice activists. (Still courtesy of Climate Justice Alliance) In These Times, Aug 9 2019 Most candidates tout a just transition for “frontline communities” like Detroit, but only Jay Inslee showed up …
Study finds that e-bike riders get as much exercise as riders of regular bikes
E-bikers use their bikes more, go longer distances, and often substitute it for driving or transit. Fans of electric bikes often say they are riding further than they used to on “analog” bikes, to use a retronym coined by Andrea Learned. I have written about my own Gazelle: “I am using it more often than I used my regular bike, and …
Lots of coal ash and impacts from dependence on coal and fossil fuels
PBS, Aug 2019 Coal ash is a particularly dangerous byproduct of our dependence on fossil fuels. In communities that have dealt with coal ash spills, the incidents sparked concerns about toxins potentially seeping into water. Utilities have been pushed to adopt tougher safety standards — but activists say the companies are resisting rules necessary for public health. Science correspondent Miles …
Stress and physical and psychological well-being
Are we really more stressed than ever before? In an essay based on her recent book Stress-Proof, Mithu Storoni explains how modern life may have amplified our anxiety, and the best ways to reduce its impact on our bodies and minds. By Mithu Storoni, 14 August 2019 In November 2017, two eye surgeons from a hospital in Beirut reported an …
Getting facts right on M4All
August 02, 2019 in the Washington Post The Medicare-for-all movement has overwhelming public support, unprecedented grass-roots organization, and a serious plan that is ready to change our health-care system right now. by Pramila Jayapal A sign supporting Medicare-for-all legislation on Capitol Hill in April. (Photo: Susan Walsh/AP) In the wake of the second Democratic presidential debate, it is clear that Medicare-for-all has …
How can cities consider mental health in green space planning?
By Jason Plautz@Jason_Plautz in Smart Cities Dive, July 25, 2019 A new paper from an international team of researchers says that cities should consider mental health benefits as they plan nature spaces in cities. The paper, published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, offers a framework for cities to incorporate and measure mental health benefits from parks, tree plantings and other green spaces. “In …
African Americans Are Disproportionately Exposed to Extreme Heat. July 2019 heatwave news
Union of Concerned Scientists Jul. 23, 2019, By Adrienne Hollis Climate change is a threat multiplier. This is a fact I know to be true. I also know that our most vulnerable populations, particularly environmental justice communities — people of color and/or low socioeconomic status — are suffering and will continue to suffer first and worst from the adverse effects of …
GABA in addiction: a landmark study on alcoholism and why 15% who become addicted
A Landmark Study on the Origins of Alcoholism: By studying rats in a smarter way, scientists are finally learning something useful about why some drinkers become addicted and others don’t. In The Atlantic| Ed Yong, July 2019 Only 15% of regular drinkers become dependent on alcohol.Photo by Only 15% of regular drinkers become dependent on alcohol. Photo by Axel Bueckert / …
Biden’s healthcare plan would lead to the deaths of 125,000 people in the first decade by leaving millions uninsured
Local politicians and hospital workers protest the imminent closure of Hahnemann University Hospital at a rally outside the Center City facilities in Philadelphia on July 11, 2019. (Photo: Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images) As Joe Biden continued his misleading attacks on single-payer during an AARP forum in Iowa on Monday, Sen. Bernie Sanders’s 2020 presidential campaign circulated a chart highlighting the sharp …