Blog roundup
sb admin | September 28, 2007Before this weekâs climate conference began, Climate Progress predicted, âThe Bush Administration will use every opportunity to create the illusion of action without agreeing to meaningful, binding pollution reductions.â Today, that blog reports that Bush followed âthe Frank Luntz playbook on how to seem like you care about the climate when you donât,â while Bill Miller of DeSmogBlog describes it as âanother opportunity lost to histrionics and political posturing.â David Roberts at Gristmill focuses his attention on the media coverage of the event, giving kudos to Washington Post reporters…
sb admin | September 21, 2007The FDA bill wasnât the only thing getting health policy types excited this week. Senator Clinton unveiled her healthcare proposal, and provided fodder for bloggers, including: Ezra Klein (here, too) GoozNews, the Numbers Guy, RH Reality Check, and WSJ Health Blog.
Also focusing on the executive branch, Tom Philpott at Gristmill reports on Chuck Connor, whoâs played key role in advancing the interests of ADM and other members of the Corn Refiners Association â and whoâs now the acting secretary at USDA.
Elsewhere:
Roy M. Poses MD at Health Care Renewal explains whoâs behind a recent…
sb admin | September 14, 2007Journalists and editors were in the spotlight this week. At the Society of Environmental Journalists conference, attendees grappled with journalistsâ role in covering climate change; Robert McClure at Dateline Earth and Richard Littlemore at DeSmogBlog report. Tara C. Smith at Aetiology highlights one cringe-inducing example of a newspaper getting an important statistic wrong, while Revere at Effect Measure criticizes newspapersâ failure to correct factual errors.
Bloggers also pointed out public health-related calendar items: Gloria Feldt at RH Reality Check reminds us to celebrate Margaret…
sb admin | September 13, 2007One of the benefits of blogging at The Pump Handle is connecting with people who have first-hand experience with our nation's inadequate public health protection system. We've heard from parents and wives who appreciate us writing about their loved ones' fatal on-the-job injuries, and federal employees who share their unique experiences with how scientific information is used (or misused) in public health decision-making. Today, I'd like to introduce you to Mrs. Patty Sebok, who I first "met" a few months ago through a blogpost at Gristmill. We've been exchanging emails since then about…
sb admin | September 8, 2007While we here at The Pump Handle have been focusing on popcorn problems (the big story is here, the latest installment here), other bloggers have been keeping tabs on public health issues in Congress:
At RH Reality Check, Anika Rahman and Tod Preston explain the Global Gag Rule and why itâs a good thing that Congress has voted to repeal it.
Lisa Codispodi at Womenstake adds up the numbers behind the State Childrenâs Health Insurance Program, and Merrill Goozner at GoozNews reports on the financial wrangling behind this important legislation.
Joseph Romm at Gristmill prepares us for the…
sb admin | August 31, 2007Coturnix at A Blog Around the Clock alerted me that today is the third annual Blog Day, which âwas created with the belief that bloggers should have one day dedicated to getting to know other bloggers from other countries and areas of interest.â To participate, bloggers link to five new blogs â and Iâm going to interpret ânewâ as meaning âa blog I discovered fairly recently and suspect most readers donât know about yet.â So, here are my five blog links for Blog Day 2007:
The Nata village blog provides an up-close view of the battle to control the spread of HIV/AIDS in one village in Botswana…
sb admin | August 31, 2007In recognition of the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum at The Intersection provide a series of posts about the lessons from this disaster. At Gristmill, Joseph Romm explains why Hurricane Katrina busts the myth that humans can adapt to climate change.
Elsewhere:
Grrl Scientist at Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted) reviews the book Lab 257 and explains why some suspect that Lyme Disease and West Nile virus can be traced to an animal disease research lab.
Tara Smith at Aetiology tells the story of the Marburg virus, which is back in…
sb admin | August 24, 2007There are several issues this week that attracted multiple bloggersâ attention:
It might sound like a good idea for Medicare to stop paying to treat avoidable complications, but Chris Rangel at RangelMD, N=1 at Universal Health, andOrac at Respectful Insolence have some concerns about the this rule change.
Matt Madia at Reg Watch alerts us to a proposed rule that will make it easier for companies to engage in destructive mountaintop-removal mining. Meanwhile, Gristmill is featuring reports from Gabriel Pacyniak and Katherine Chandler, who are traveling throughout southern West Virginia - and…
sb admin | August 17, 2007Apparently, thereâs something about a study involving cats and flame retardants that makes it irresistible blogging fodder. Lisa Stiffler at Dateline Earth was the first to alert us to the study, reporting that it linked catsâ PBDE exposure and hyperthyroidism. (PBDEs, or polybrominated diphenyl ethers, are flame retardants that have been banned in Washington state due to health concerns associated with them.) The Olive Ridley Crawl points out a logical fallacy regarding PBDE and reminds us that correlation is not causation. Eric DePlace at Gristmill and EvilMonkey at Neurotopia combine info…
sb admin | August 10, 2007While weâre all sending our thoughts and hopes to the miners and their families at Crandall Canyon, we also owe it to all coal miners to highlight the conditions that make such mining disasters more likely and to pressure those in charge to correct them.
Tula Connell at Firedoglake delves into the mineâs citation record, mine owner Robert Murrayâs political connections, and recent trends in mine safety. At Daily Kos, Devilstower explains (from experience) the tricky aspects of drilling down to trapped miners, and the mineâs use of retreat mining. David Roberts at Gristmill also criticizes…
sb admin | August 3, 2007Thereâs lots of pre-recess activity in Congress right now, and bloggers provide news and commentary:
Joe at Climate Progress has been following CAFE standards in the House (here, here, and here) and has the latest on Senate climate legislation.
Van Jones at Gristmill highlights the Green Jobs Act of 2007, which the media has largely overlooked.
Ed Silverman at Pharmalot updates us on whatâs happening with prescription drug legislation.
Aimee Witteman at Gristmill and Amanda at Enviroblog urge improvements to the Farm Bill. (The House has already finished with its version, but David…
sb admin | July 27, 2007(Since Iâve actually been away from the computer all week, these links are all to posts from the previous week. Feel free to add some of this weekâs must-read blog posts in the comments.)
Several bloggers are keeping us up to speed on health policy and its implications. Rachel Gold and Elizabeth Nash at RH Reality Check take a midyear look at state reproductive health policies; Heather Won Tesoriero at WSJâs Health Blog looks at state moves to ban mandatory overtime for nurses, which can help slow an exodus from the profession. Also at the Health Blog, Joseph Mantone notes that with Medicaid…
sb admin | July 20, 2007Promoting public health depends on having good information. Much of the information we rely on comes from studies published in journals, but we often learn of these studies from news outlets that present distorted pictures of the findings. Going straight to the source limits that distortion but can be difficult for a number of reasons.
Several blog posts this week offer helpful guides to accessing, understanding, and contextualizing academic research for public health. Iâm going to devote this weekâs blog roundup to these posts (and to a few timely posts linking science and pop culture).…
sb admin | July 13, 2007Bloggers have been focusing much of their attention on the federal government this week. The testimony of former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona about White House pressure to remain silent on stem cell research, sex education, and other topics spurred lots of reactions: Revere at Effect Measure and Cervantes at Stayinâ Alive criticized Carmona for failing to speak out during his four-year tenure, while Roy M Poses MD at Health Care Renewal, Josh Rosenau at Thoughts from Kansas, and Grrl Scientist at Living the Scientific Life direct their comments to at the Bush administration trend…
sb admin | July 6, 2007In honor of the 4th of July, Joseph Romm at Gristmill rounds up news of places that have cancelled fireworks displays due to drought, and Janet Stemwedel at Adventures in Ethics and Science explains the chemistry behind firework colors.
As always, the U.S. Independence Day is an occasion for bringing up the âenergy independenceâ idea; actions in this area often fall far short of the rhetoric, though, and this year was apparently no exception. Matt Madia at Reg Watch deems the Houseâs energy legislation a dud, and Angry Toxicologist reports that Californiaâs governor is not so muscular when it…
sb admin | June 29, 2007Climate change is a big issue in DC these days, and the folks at Gristmill are following the drama. David Roberts updates us on some of the recent developments in Congress, Kate Sheppard tracks efforts to eliminate tax breaks for Hummer purchases, and Van Jones applauds the House Education and Labor Committeeâs passage of the âGreen Jobs Act of 2007.â Theyâre also looking at strategies: Sean Casten advises reframing investment in renewables as leveling the playing field, and David Roberts wonders whether itâs wise to demonize House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair John Dingell.
Over at…
sb admin | June 22, 2007Declan Butler, Reporter updates us on the situation of the six health workers facing death in Libya. The five Bulgarian nurses and Palestinian medic were sentenced to death on the charge of deliberately infecting Libyan children with HIV, despite scientific evidence that the infections resulted from hygiene lapses and contamination of medical material. Butler reports that Libyaâs Supreme Court will rule on the health workersâ appeal on July 11th and that the EU is working towards a settlement with the Libyan childrenâs families. He credits campaigns by scientists and others (in which Butler…
sb admin | June 15, 2007This week, Congress has been wrestling with the reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act; Merrill Goozner at GoozNews reports from Capitol Hill about the questions that FDA Acting Deputy Commissioner for Policy Randall Lutter couldnât answer at a hearing and about the provisions that should be in the bill but arenât. Matt Madia at Reg Watch reports that FDA drafted the bill for Congress after numerous meetings with pharmaceutical industry representatives. (Check out our past posts on PDUFA for background.) Meanwhile, Bill Miller at DeSmogBlog notes that pharmaceutical companies…
sb admin | June 8, 2007Given the lack of encouraging global warming developments coming out of the G8 summit, itâs nice to have good news on other topics:
After a two-year boycott by doctors, authors, and healthcare and peace advocates, Lancet publisher Reed Elsevier has agreed to end its involvement in weapon sales â Grrl Scientist at Living the Scientific Life has the details.
Revere at Effect Measure notes that, in addition to this piece of good news, Chiquita management has agreed to work towards re-hiring workers who were fired for complaining about exposure to a toxic nematicide and to address plantation…
sb admin | June 1, 2007When a man with extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) is told not to board a plane and then does so anyway, you have to expect the public health bloggers to come out in force. Tara C. Smith at Aetiology has been on top of this from the start, first laying out the story, then explaining its implications, and finally letting readers know why indignation is necessary for responding to a case like this. Revere at Effect Measure explores the legal angle of isolation and quarantine, and provides details about air circulation in aircraft cabins; that blog also features a post about XDR-…