Social Safety Nets – An Evaluation of World Bank Support, 20002010 “Recent crisesfuel, food, and financialhave underscored the urgency of developing social safety nets (SSNs) in all countries. These crises have pushed millions of additional people into extreme poverty, reversing previous gains in poverty reduction. Even before they were hit by the crises, many countries… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: July 2011
NRDC: Finding a clean beach
News release: “NRDC’s annual survey of water quality and public notification at U.S. beaches finds that the number of beach closings and advisories in 2010 reached 24,091 the second-highest level since NRDC began tracking these events 21 years ago, confirming that our nation’s beaches continue to suffer from bacterial pollution that puts swimmers at… Continue Reading
EPIC: European Parliament Takes Stance Against Airport Body Scanners
Follow up to previous postings on whole body scanning at airports, via EPIC: The European Parliament has adopted a resolution that sets out strict safeguards for airport body scanners. The resolution requires that Member States only “deploy technology which is the least harmful for human health” and establish substantial privacy protection. The resolution prohibits the… Continue Reading
NY: Updated Study of High Volume Facturing in Marcellus Shale
Horizontal Drilling and High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing in the Marcellus Shale and Other Low-Permeability Gas Reservoirs, July 2011: “High-volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF) is a gas well stimulation technique that has greatly increased the ability to extract natural gas from very tight rock. HVHF, which is often used in conjunction with horizontal drilling and multi-well pad development,… Continue Reading
Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Policies
Follow up to previous postings on obesity, via the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, a new report – Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Policies: “Even the youngest children in the United States are at risk of becoming obese. Today, almost 10 percent of infants and toddlers carry excess weight for their length, and slightly… Continue Reading
Relieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education, and Research
Relieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education, and Research “Chronic pain affects an estimated 116 million American adultsmore than the total affected by heart disease, cancer, and diabetes combined. Pain also costs the nation up to $635 billion each year in medical treatment and lost productivity. The 2010 Patient Protection and… Continue Reading
NPR: The Cost Of Owning 150,000 Foreclosed Homes
NPR: “When you are the nation’s largest owner of foreclosed homes, even little things can get expensive fast. Such is the case for mortgage giant Fannie Mae, which as of March 31 had a mind-boggling 153,000 foreclosed homes on its books…In just the first quarter of this year, Fannie racked up $488 million in foreclosure-related… Continue Reading
America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2011
News release: “The adolescent birth rate declined for the second consecutive year, preterm births declined for the third consecutive year, adolescent injury deaths declined, and fewer 12th graders binge drank, according to the federal government’s annual statistical report on the well-being of the nation’s children and youth. However, a higher proportion of 8th graders used… Continue Reading
A National First: Maryland Students Must Be 'Green' to Graduate'
Education Week: “Maryland has become the first state in the country to require students to be “environmentally literate” in order to graduate from high school. The June 2011 vote by the Maryland board of education requires that students get a “comprehensive, multi-disciplinary environmental education” before receiving a diploma. Districts will have to develop plans for… Continue Reading
EFF: Prosecutors Demand Laptop Password in Violation of Fifth Amendment
“The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) urged a federal court in Colorado today to block the government’s attempt to force a woman to enter a password into an encrypted laptop, arguing in an amicus brief that it would violate her Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. A defendant in this case, Ramona Fricosu, is accused of fraudulent… Continue Reading
Reconstituting the Submerged State: The Challenges of Social Policy Reform in the Obama Era
Reconstituting the Submerged State: The Challenges of Social Policy Reform in the Obama Era, Suzanne Mettler. Perspectives on Politics, September 2010 | Vol. 8/No. 3 “President Barack Obama came into office with a social welfare policy agenda that aimed to reconstitute what can be understood as the submerged state: a conglomeration of existing federal policies… Continue Reading
F as in Fat – How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2011
News release: “Adult obesity rates increased in 16 states in the past year and did not decline in any state, according to F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2011, a report from the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Twelve states now have obesity rates above… Continue Reading
