Humanities
Meet Charlie
Posted by Chad Orzel on October 30, 2017 
It’s been a couple of years since we lost the Queen of Niskayuna, and we’ve held off getting a dog until now because we were planning a big home renovation– adding on to the mud room, creating a new bedroom on the second floor, and gutting and replacing the kitchen. This was quite the undertaking,…
We’re moving!!!!
Posted by Dr. Dolittle on October 30, 2017 You may be wondering why I have been so sentimental even though the year is not over yet. I am happy to inform you that it is not because I am retiring. On the contrary, I am packing up my virtual bags and moving this blog to a new site! Pardon the dust while we get…
Worth reading: Segregation, sexual harassment, and silencing scientists
Posted by Liz Borkowski on October 27, 2017 Recent pieces address school segregation, sexual harassment, the abrupt removal of EPA scientists from a conference program, and more.
CDC: Vaccination rates among kindergartners remain stable
Posted by Kim Krisberg on October 17, 2017 In more encouraging public health news, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that vaccination rates among kindergarteners have remained stable, with the median vaccine exemption rate at 2 percent. Some states even reported an increase in immunization rates.
Occupational Health News Roundup
Posted by Kim Krisberg on October 11, 2017 Reporters investigate a court-ordered rehab center that funnels unpaid labor to a poultry processor; Ben & Jerry’s commits to improving conditions for workers on dairy farms; Massachusetts is one step closer to providing all public-sector workers with OSHA protections; and the Trump administration rolls back protections for transgender workers.
Gun control laws can impact death rates. But we need more research to find what works.
Posted by Kim Krisberg on October 5, 2017 Guns are the third leading cause of injury-related death in the country. Every year, nearly 12,000 gun homicides happen in the U.S., and for every person killed, two more are injured. Whether Congress will do anything about this violence is a whole other (depressing) article. But there is evidence that change is possible.
It’s October. What’s Congress doing about healthcare?
Posted by Liz Borkowski on October 4, 2017 The ACA is still here, but funding for CHIP and community health centers has expired.
Why Donald Trump Is Being So Bad To Puerto Rico
Posted by Greg Laden on October 3, 2017 
Visiting Arkansas, hanging around briefly with some people in the Real Estate business, I found a lot of hatred of Mexicans, whom they unimaginatively referred to as “spics” but making it clear they were talking about Mexicans, not some other spics. Sitting with a group of people talking about racism in an urban neighborhood in…
Occupational Health News Roundup
Posted by Kim Krisberg on September 27, 2017 A reporter goes undercover to expose the conditions facing temp workers; West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin comes out against Trump’s MSHA pick; carpenters union confronts Industrial Commission of Arizona on leniency toward violators; and a Philadelphia union joins an opioid lawsuit against drug companies.
Graham-Cassidy isn’t a health care solution. It’s a blueprint for less access, less value and less coverage.
Posted by Kim Krisberg on September 25, 2017 In yet another attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, much of the GOP justification boils down to one argument: that the ACA isn’t working. Never mind that we don’t really know what constitutes a “working” health care system for Republicans.
