Links

I'm resting up from working at the polls yesterday, 15 1/2 hours.


https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/23/well/chemicals-food-children-health.html
July 23, 2018
A major pediatricians’ group is urging families to limit the use of plastic food containers, cut down on processed meat during pregnancy and consume more whole fruits and vegetables rather than processed food. Such measures would lower children’s exposures to chemicals in food and food packaging that are tied to health problems such as obesity, the group says.


https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/u-s-is-unprepared-for-the-health-challenges-of-climate-change-experts-warn/
July 23, 2018
The United States isn’t ready for the public health problems climate change will bring, experts warned Congress last week.
From the spread of insect-borne disease to the risks to public health centers and outpatient facilities from environmental disasters, public health professionals on Capitol Hill told congressional staffers there is much work to be done to prepare for potential health risks to the American public at the federal, state and local levels.


https://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/millions-under-flash-flood-watches-warnings-rain-pounds-east-coast-n894386
July 25, 2018
Flash flood watches and warnings have been issued for approximately 30 million people along the East Coast as heavy rain continues to pelt the region.
Since Saturday, parts of the mid-Atlantic have been hit with more than 10 inches of rain, causing numerous rescues and evacuations, according to the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center.
From eastern North Carolina to central New York, heavy rain was expected to continue on Wednesday, with parts of Pennsylvania and Maryland at risk for as much as eight inches.
[Global warming is causing more and stronger floods, because there is more moisture in the air, and it seems to be leading to more weather stalls.]

tags: severe weather, extreme weather


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/25/greece-wildfires-death-toll-rises-rescue-efforts-intensify
July 25, 2018
The number of deaths from the worst forest fires in Greece for more than a decade has risen to 80 as rescue workers intensified efforts to locate those who had gone missing.


https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/25/swedish-student-plane-protest-stops-mans-deportation-afghanistan
July 25, 2018
A lone student activist on board a plane at Gothenburg airport has prevented the deportation of an Afghan asylum seeker from Sweden by refusing to sit down until the man was removed from the flight.
Her successful protest, footage of which spread rapidly across the internet, shines a spotlight on domestic opposition to Sweden’s tough asylum regime, at a time when immigration and asylum are topping the agenda of a general election campaign in which the far right is polling strongly.
After a tense standoff, during which the airport authorities declined to use force to eject Ersson, passengers broke into applause when the asylum seeker was taken off the plane.