https://wkow.com/2020/02/17/thousands-of-ceiling-fans-sold-at-lowes-recalled-because-blades-can-go-flying-off/
Feb. 17, 2020
About 70,000 ceiling fans, sold exclusively at Lowe's, are being recalled amid reports that the fan blades may go flying off.
The recall affects 48-inch Santa Ana Ceiling Fans, sold under the 'Harbor Breeze' brand name.
•••••
Monday, February 17, 2020
'Historic, unprecedented' flooding swamps southern USA; Mississippi and Tennessee hardest hit
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/02/17/mississippi-flooding-swamps-southern-us/4784911002/
These states have chosen to elect politicians who are not acting on climate disruption.
Doyle Rice
Luke Ramseth
Wilton Jackson
USA TODAY
Feb. 17, 2020
Weeks of heavy rain have inundated a large portion of the southern U.S., bringing near-record flooding to portions of Mississippi and Tennessee.
In Jackson, Mississippi, hundreds of residents either watched their homes flood over the weekend or worried their residence would soon be drenched as the Pearl River crested Monday at 36.8 feet, its third-highest level ever recorded – behind only 1979 and 1983.
Calling the Jackson floods "historic" and "unprecedented," Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said in a Sunday press conference that "we do not anticipate this situation to end anytime soon. It will be days before we are out of the woods and the waters recede."
•••••
The flooding is the result of a stubbornly damp weather pattern: February has seen "a constant stream of wet storms rolling across the Deep South," said AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Walker, who called it a "crazy month" for the amount of rain that's fallen across the region.
More wet weather is on the way: Rain showers were forecast to develop Monday night over the Mississippi River Valley, further saturating an already soggy South, the Weather Channel said.
•••••
While the focus now is on the Jackson area, the heavy rains and flooding have affected a much larger swath of the state. State emergency management officials said they had received preliminary damage reports from 11 counties connected with the severe weather that hit the state starting Feb. 10.
In Tennessee, February’s rains have been “400% of normal, and we have more coming in this week," Tennessee Valley Authority spokesman Jim Hopson said. "It’s kind of a never-ending battle.
•••••
The southern flooding could be a precursor to another disastrous year for flooding, especially in the central U.S.
In fact, there are troubling signs spring 2020 could bring a repeat of widespread flooding in the nation's midsection somewhat reminiscent of last year's massive event, the Weather Channel warned.
•••••
Flooding last year in the Missouri, Mississippi and Arkansas River basins were responsible for 12 deaths and an estimated $20 billion in damage, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
tags: severe weather, extreme weather
Federal employee retirement benefits would be cut under Trump’s budget
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal-employee-retirement-benefits-would-be-cut-under-trumps-budget/2020/02/10/879ec19e-4c2d-11ea-9b5c-eac5b16dafaa_story.html?fbclid=IwAR3iCF1aXC_WIiTGwZ-2AQy2Y-CYCyJUz0b4-qvHdPsRNQJWSCMIjPLf8MA&utm_campaign=wp_politics&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook
By Eric Yoder
Feb. 10, 2020 at 1:46 p.m. EST
President Trump has again proposed reducing the value of federal retirement benefits while requiring most federal employees to pay more toward those benefits.
In some cases, the benefits would be reduced only for future retirees, but in other cases, those already retired would face a cut, as well.
•••••
By Eric Yoder
Feb. 10, 2020 at 1:46 p.m. EST
President Trump has again proposed reducing the value of federal retirement benefits while requiring most federal employees to pay more toward those benefits.
In some cases, the benefits would be reduced only for future retirees, but in other cases, those already retired would face a cut, as well.
•••••
Second massive storm in two weeks hits North Atlantic and Western Europe
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/storm-dennis-second-massive-storm-in-two-weeks-hits-north-atlantic-and-western-europe-2020-02-16/
By Jeff Berardelli
February 16, 2020 / 8:43 PM / CBS News
One of the strongest storms in modern history is pummeling the North Atlantic and western Europe with massive waves and hurricane force winds. The system's name is Dennis and it comes less than a week after storm Ciara helped power a British Airways flight to a new trans-Atlantic speed record over 800 mph.
Dennis is massive, spanning more than 3,000 miles in width from eastern Canada to Scandinavia. The behemoth's pressure dropped to 920 millibars near Iceland this weekend, on par with the most intense hurricanes including Hurricane Maria in 2017 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The lower the millibars – a measure of atmospheric pressure – the stronger the storm, and Dennis' barometric pressure is just 7 millibars short of the record-strongest North Atlantic non-tropical storm from 1993.
On Friday and Saturday, wind gusts in Iceland reached well over hurricane force, clocking in at an astounding 256 km/hr, or 159 mph.
•••••
tags: extreme weather, severe weather
By Jeff Berardelli
February 16, 2020 / 8:43 PM / CBS News
One of the strongest storms in modern history is pummeling the North Atlantic and western Europe with massive waves and hurricane force winds. The system's name is Dennis and it comes less than a week after storm Ciara helped power a British Airways flight to a new trans-Atlantic speed record over 800 mph.
Dennis is massive, spanning more than 3,000 miles in width from eastern Canada to Scandinavia. The behemoth's pressure dropped to 920 millibars near Iceland this weekend, on par with the most intense hurricanes including Hurricane Maria in 2017 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The lower the millibars – a measure of atmospheric pressure – the stronger the storm, and Dennis' barometric pressure is just 7 millibars short of the record-strongest North Atlantic non-tropical storm from 1993.
On Friday and Saturday, wind gusts in Iceland reached well over hurricane force, clocking in at an astounding 256 km/hr, or 159 mph.
•••••
tags: extreme weather, severe weather
Sunday, February 16, 2020
Air pollution's tiny particles may trigger nonfatal heart attacks, Yale study finds
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-02/ysop-apt021420.php
News Release 14-Feb-2020
Yale School of Public Health
Yale-affiliated scientist finds that even a few hours' exposure to ambient ultrafine particles common in air pollution may potentially trigger a nonfatal heart attack.
•••••
News Release 14-Feb-2020
Yale School of Public Health
Yale-affiliated scientist finds that even a few hours' exposure to ambient ultrafine particles common in air pollution may potentially trigger a nonfatal heart attack.
•••••
New Dartmouth research: Fast food intake leads to weight gain in preschoolers
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-02/tgso-ndr021420.php
News Release 14-Feb-2020
The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
There is a strong link between the amount of fast food that pre-school age children consume and their likelihood of becoming overweight or obese, according to a new Dartmouth-led study, published in the journal Pediatric Obesity.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 25 percent of children between the ages of 2 and 5 years are overweight or obese in the U.S. These conditions increase the risk of numerous physical and psychosocial problems during childhood, including fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes, and depression.
"We now know from our studies and others, that kids who start on the path of extra weight gain during this really important timeframe tend to carry it forward into adolescence and adulthood, and this sets them up for major health consequences as they get older," says first author Jennifer Emond, PhD, MS, an assistant professor of biomedical data science and of pediatrics at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.
•••••
News Release 14-Feb-2020
The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
There is a strong link between the amount of fast food that pre-school age children consume and their likelihood of becoming overweight or obese, according to a new Dartmouth-led study, published in the journal Pediatric Obesity.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 25 percent of children between the ages of 2 and 5 years are overweight or obese in the U.S. These conditions increase the risk of numerous physical and psychosocial problems during childhood, including fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes, and depression.
"We now know from our studies and others, that kids who start on the path of extra weight gain during this really important timeframe tend to carry it forward into adolescence and adulthood, and this sets them up for major health consequences as they get older," says first author Jennifer Emond, PhD, MS, an assistant professor of biomedical data science and of pediatrics at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.
•••••
Early treatment for PTSD after a disaster has lasting effects
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-02/uoc--etf021320.php
News Release 14-Feb-2020
University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences
In 1988, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck near the northern Armenian city of Spitak. The temblor destroyed cities and is estimated to have killed between 25,000 and 35,000 people, many of whom were schoolchildren.
The latest findings from a long-term, UCLA-led study reveal that children who survived the quake and received psychotherapy soon after have experienced health benefits into adulthood.
•••••
The latest findings, published in the journal Psychological Medicine, also identified factors that contributed to the risk for PTSD and depression among the Spitak quake survivors, including whether their homes were destroyed, the severity of adversity they faced after the earthquake and whether they had chronic medical illnesses after the quake. People who experienced strong social support were less likely to develop PTSD and depression.
•••••
News Release 14-Feb-2020
University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences
In 1988, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck near the northern Armenian city of Spitak. The temblor destroyed cities and is estimated to have killed between 25,000 and 35,000 people, many of whom were schoolchildren.
The latest findings from a long-term, UCLA-led study reveal that children who survived the quake and received psychotherapy soon after have experienced health benefits into adulthood.
•••••
The latest findings, published in the journal Psychological Medicine, also identified factors that contributed to the risk for PTSD and depression among the Spitak quake survivors, including whether their homes were destroyed, the severity of adversity they faced after the earthquake and whether they had chronic medical illnesses after the quake. People who experienced strong social support were less likely to develop PTSD and depression.
•••••
Living in greener neighborhoods may postpone the natural onset of menopause
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-02/bifg-lig021320.php
News Release 13-Feb-2020
Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)
Living near green spaces is associated with a wide variety of benefits, including a lower risk of obesity, improved attention capacity in children and slower physical decline in old age. Now, for the first time, a study led by the University of Bergen and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by "la Caixa", has found that living in a greener neighbourhood is also associated with older age at the onset of menopause.
•••••
The study found that women living in neighbourhoods with little green space became menopausal 1.4 years earlier than those in living in the greenest areas. On average, age at menopause was 51.7 years for women living in the greenest areas, compared with 50.3 years for women living in areas with little green space.
•••••
News Release 13-Feb-2020
Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)
Living near green spaces is associated with a wide variety of benefits, including a lower risk of obesity, improved attention capacity in children and slower physical decline in old age. Now, for the first time, a study led by the University of Bergen and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by "la Caixa", has found that living in a greener neighbourhood is also associated with older age at the onset of menopause.
•••••
The study found that women living in neighbourhoods with little green space became menopausal 1.4 years earlier than those in living in the greenest areas. On average, age at menopause was 51.7 years for women living in the greenest areas, compared with 50.3 years for women living in areas with little green space.
•••••
Reconnecting with nature key for the health of people and the planet
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-02/uop-rwn021220.php
News Release 13-Feb-2020
University of Plymouth
Individuals who visit natural spaces weekly, and feel psychologically connected to them, report better physical and mental wellbeing, new research has shown.
Alongside the benefits to public health, those who make weekly nature visits, or feel connected to nature, are also more likely to behave in ways which promote environmental health, such as recycling and conservation activities.
The findings of the study, published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, indicate that reconnecting with nature could be key to achieving synergistic improvements to human and planetary health.
•••••
News Release 13-Feb-2020
University of Plymouth
Individuals who visit natural spaces weekly, and feel psychologically connected to them, report better physical and mental wellbeing, new research has shown.
Alongside the benefits to public health, those who make weekly nature visits, or feel connected to nature, are also more likely to behave in ways which promote environmental health, such as recycling and conservation activities.
The findings of the study, published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, indicate that reconnecting with nature could be key to achieving synergistic improvements to human and planetary health.
•••••
Stress in small children separated from their parents may alter genes
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-02/s-sis021220.php
News Release 13-Feb-2020
SAGE
Experts in the emotional needs of small children say increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol in babies and small children who are separated from their parents, especially their mothers, could have a long-term genetic impact on future generations. In a commentary published by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, the authors say that several studies show that small children cared for outside the home, especially in poor quality care and for 30 or more hours per week, have higher levels of cortisol than children at home.
•••••
The authors say that raised cortisol levels are a sign of stress and that the time children spend with their parents is biologically more important than is often realised. Stress has been associated with children, particularly boys, acting aggressively. Not all children are affected, but an important minority are. Raised cortisol levels are associated with reduced antibody levels and changes in those parts of the brain which are associated with emotional stability.
"Environmental factors interact with genes, so that genes can be altered, and once altered by adverse childhood experiences, can pass to future generations. Such epigenetic effects need urgent study", say the authors.
•••••
News Release 13-Feb-2020
SAGE
Experts in the emotional needs of small children say increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol in babies and small children who are separated from their parents, especially their mothers, could have a long-term genetic impact on future generations. In a commentary published by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, the authors say that several studies show that small children cared for outside the home, especially in poor quality care and for 30 or more hours per week, have higher levels of cortisol than children at home.
•••••
The authors say that raised cortisol levels are a sign of stress and that the time children spend with their parents is biologically more important than is often realised. Stress has been associated with children, particularly boys, acting aggressively. Not all children are affected, but an important minority are. Raised cortisol levels are associated with reduced antibody levels and changes in those parts of the brain which are associated with emotional stability.
"Environmental factors interact with genes, so that genes can be altered, and once altered by adverse childhood experiences, can pass to future generations. Such epigenetic effects need urgent study", say the authors.
•••••
Investors are pouring billions into US mobile home communities — but residents are feeling trapped by rising rents
https://news.yahoo.com/investors-pouring-billions-us-mobile-140400254.html
The people who are buying up mobile home parks and raising the rents more than inflation, are shameless parasites. They didn't plan or organize the building of the communities.
https://www.businessinsider.com/mobile-home-community-owners-private-equity-investment-2020-2?utm_source=yahoo.com&utm_medium=referral
Sara Silverstein
,Business Insider•February 15, 2020
Private equity firms have invested billions of dollars in US mobile home communities in recent years.
In these communities, residents own their homes but rent the land beneath it, leaving them little power to fight rent increases and poor maintenance.
In one Florida community, residents are considering legal action as conditions deteriorate and evictions increase.
•••••
That's because although she owns the broken floor and torn-up bathroom, the land beneath her house belongs to the owners of her mobile home park, Colony Cove, on Florida's Gulf Coast.
"They'll sue me for the rent until it's demolished," Dahlquist told Business Insider, adding that demolition costs "between $3,000 and $6,000."
Over the past decade, private equity investors have been buying up communities like Colony Cove and turning huge profits, thanks in part to government-backed loans originally meant to help people like Dahlquist.
But while investors have seen profits expand, many of the 22 million Americans living in mobile homes feel they've been left behind.
"The landlords take the benefits of the cheaper financing, put it in their pocket, make more investments, give it to their investors," Patrick Rucker, a correspondent for the research firm The Capitol Forum, told Business Insider.
"But for people on the ground in these aging mobile homes, things have gotten worse."
•••••
if the parking garage you are in starts to fall apart or the fee goes up, you can simply drive to a different garage and find a better spot.
That's not the case for mobile home owners, however. Despite their names, mobile homes are actually difficult to move for most people. Most homes are built in a factory and wheeled to the home site, and after the initial placement, moving the home can be costly.
So if the land rent rises, owners are faced with paying the higher rent or potentially abandoning their homes.
[Most mobile home parks will not accept homes older homes.]
•••••
Half a million mussels cooked to death at a New Zealand beach
https://www.businessinsider.com/video-photos-mussels-cook-to-death-new-zealand-beach-2020-2
Rosie Perper
Feb 15, 2020, 2:15 AM
Hundreds of thousands of mussels cooked to death in New Zealand due to rising temperatures in New Zealand's oceans.
New Zealand resident Brandon Ferguson posted a video on Facebook from Maunganui Bluff Beach, located on the country's North Island, showing hundreds-of-thousands of dead mussels that had washed up on the shore.
•••••
Ferguson said that he had witnessed this type of event on the same beach in the past, with different types of shellfish washing up dead along the shores. He blamed rising temperatures and warming sea waters for the phenomena.
"It has happened in the past due to warm water temperatures, low mid-day tides, and high pressures," he said.
A 2019 report from the New Zealand government supports Ferguson's theory — climate change has been warming sea temperatures, devastating the country's native marine plants, animals and habitats.
According to the report, between 1981 and 2018, overall sea-surface temperatures across New Zealand's four oceanic regions, including Chatham Rise, the Tasman Sea, subtropical, and subantarctic increased between 0.1 and 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade.
•••••
According to the report, between 1981 and 2018, overall sea-surface temperatures across New Zealand's four oceanic regions, including Chatham Rise, the Tasman Sea, subtropical, and subantarctic increased between 0.1 and 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade.
•••••
"It's getting worse and worse every year," he told Business Insider. "At times like this we should wake up and start respecting these places and pay attention to what is happening before we lose our 'taonga' [a Māori word meaning 'treasure'] for good."
•••••
Rosie Perper
Feb 15, 2020, 2:15 AM
Hundreds of thousands of mussels cooked to death in New Zealand due to rising temperatures in New Zealand's oceans.
New Zealand resident Brandon Ferguson posted a video on Facebook from Maunganui Bluff Beach, located on the country's North Island, showing hundreds-of-thousands of dead mussels that had washed up on the shore.
•••••
Ferguson said that he had witnessed this type of event on the same beach in the past, with different types of shellfish washing up dead along the shores. He blamed rising temperatures and warming sea waters for the phenomena.
"It has happened in the past due to warm water temperatures, low mid-day tides, and high pressures," he said.
A 2019 report from the New Zealand government supports Ferguson's theory — climate change has been warming sea temperatures, devastating the country's native marine plants, animals and habitats.
According to the report, between 1981 and 2018, overall sea-surface temperatures across New Zealand's four oceanic regions, including Chatham Rise, the Tasman Sea, subtropical, and subantarctic increased between 0.1 and 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade.
•••••
According to the report, between 1981 and 2018, overall sea-surface temperatures across New Zealand's four oceanic regions, including Chatham Rise, the Tasman Sea, subtropical, and subantarctic increased between 0.1 and 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade.
•••••
"It's getting worse and worse every year," he told Business Insider. "At times like this we should wake up and start respecting these places and pay attention to what is happening before we lose our 'taonga' [a Māori word meaning 'treasure'] for good."
•••••
Relative costs
https://twitter.com/PatrioticMills/status/1228756612589989891
Some Patriotic Millionaires tweets
Feb. 15, 2020
Since 1978, the cost of:
College tuition increased by 1,120%
Medical care increased by 601%
Housing increased by 380%
While pay for:
Average CEO pay increased by 937%
Typical worker increased by 10%
Minimum wage employees increased by 0%
•••••
https://twitter.com/PatrioticMills/status/1216402625500983299
Jan. 12, 2020
One-bedroom apartment:
2009: $998
2019: $1,405
Public college:
2009: $4,740
2019: $9,970
Private college:
2009: $27,520
2019: $34,740
New car:
2009: $28,000
2019: $36,000
Federal minimum wage:
2009: $7.25/hour
2019: $7.25/hour
•••••
https://twitter.com/OxfamEU/status/1227887672250773504
Oxfam EU Feb. 13, 2020
How rich is billionaire rich?
So imagine you saved $10,000 every single day since the building of the pyramids.
Today you'd still only own 20% of the wealth of 1 of the 5 richest billionaires.
•••••
https://twitter.com/RBReich/status/1228014117677518848
Robert Reich Feb. 13, 2020
Jeff Bezos' new $165 million Beverly Hills mansion will have:
— 3 hot houses
— 2 guesthouses
— A nine-hole golf course
— A tennis court
— A "motor court" with gas pumps
Remember when Amazon's Whole Foods cut health benefits for part-time workers to save money?
•••••
‘I Think People Will Starve.’ Experts Are Worried About the Hundreds of Thousands Who Could Lose Food Stamps Come April
https://news.yahoo.com/think-people-starve-experts-worried-215356230.html
Abby Vesoulis
,Time•February 14, 2020
Kate Maehr’s job is about to get a lot harder. Maehr runs a food bank that’s part of a network distributing nearly 200,000 meals around Chicago every day. But last year, official unemployment figures for Cook County, where Chicago is located, improved. As a result, some 50,000 residents are at risk of losing their benefits from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), better known as food stamps.
With so many people getting less help from the government, Maehr knows they will turn to her charity for help. What she doesn’t know is if she’ll be able to feed them. “We don’t have the ability to all of a sudden replace all of those meals that people will lose,” says Maehr, executive director and CEO of the Greater Chicago Food Depository. “I guess in my heart of hearts, the thing that keeps me up at night is that I think people will starve.”
This is not just Chicago’s problem. While Cook County just lost its benefits under existing guidelines, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP, recently finalized a rule that will make it harder for all states to make concessions for able-bodied adult SNAP beneficiaries in struggling areas going forward. Nearly 700,000 people across the country could lose their food stamps once the new rule kicks in in April, according to USDA’s own estimates.
The tightening of the food stamp program is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to reduce government spending on social safety net programs.
•••••
Miranda Fenske, a 35-year-old Oswego County, New York resident with severe hearing loss and glaucoma in both eyes, is one of the people who could lose her SNAP benefits. Though Fenske has disabilities, she does not receive disability payments through Social Security and therefore does not qualify for a personal exemption from the SNAP work requirements. She’d like to work in retail, she says, but has had a hard time finding even part-time work. “My hearing loss is pretty bad, nobody wants to hire me,” she said, having requested to communicate via text message due to her hearing impediment. “It’s not fair… what’s about to happen with SNAP. There are way too many people like myself that have disabilities, but are still able to work, but can’t find work.”
Children will also suffer as a result of the new policy, its critics say. Though adults with dependents don’t have to be working to receive food stamps, parents often provide other types of support for their children even if they don’t live with them or claim them as dependents, Maehr points out. “They may not live in the household, but they might provide critical support and resources. If they all of a sudden lose their SNAP benefits, and now there are fewer resources, that will impact children,” she says. “Make no mistake, it will affect children. It will affect people with disabilities, it will affect older adults.”
•••••
Whether tying social benefits to work requirements is actually effective in pushing people into the workforce is an open question. A recent Georgetown Law study suggested it doesn’t. “Work requirements do not lead to more work,” a fact-sheet of the project’s takeaways says. “Instead, they lead to more people losing coverage or benefits and will deepen or increase poverty.”
In the United Kingdom, researchers also found that harsh restrictions on welfare benefits had negative social effects, leading vulnerable populations to withdraw from benefits programs altogether, “in some cases triggering a move into survival crime.”
“There’s certainly no strong evidence base that harsh conditionality regimes will help move people into work and keep them in work,” says Suzanne Fitzpatrick, one of the lead investigators of the Economic and Social Research Council’s Welfare Conditionality Project. “There is certainly an impact on how many people claim benefits, but that’s not at all the same as saying you’ve moved people into work. Often, what you’ve done is just make them destitute, or dependent on other, more problematic ways of getting by.”
•••••
Abby Vesoulis
,Time•February 14, 2020
Kate Maehr’s job is about to get a lot harder. Maehr runs a food bank that’s part of a network distributing nearly 200,000 meals around Chicago every day. But last year, official unemployment figures for Cook County, where Chicago is located, improved. As a result, some 50,000 residents are at risk of losing their benefits from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), better known as food stamps.
With so many people getting less help from the government, Maehr knows they will turn to her charity for help. What she doesn’t know is if she’ll be able to feed them. “We don’t have the ability to all of a sudden replace all of those meals that people will lose,” says Maehr, executive director and CEO of the Greater Chicago Food Depository. “I guess in my heart of hearts, the thing that keeps me up at night is that I think people will starve.”
This is not just Chicago’s problem. While Cook County just lost its benefits under existing guidelines, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP, recently finalized a rule that will make it harder for all states to make concessions for able-bodied adult SNAP beneficiaries in struggling areas going forward. Nearly 700,000 people across the country could lose their food stamps once the new rule kicks in in April, according to USDA’s own estimates.
The tightening of the food stamp program is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to reduce government spending on social safety net programs.
•••••
Miranda Fenske, a 35-year-old Oswego County, New York resident with severe hearing loss and glaucoma in both eyes, is one of the people who could lose her SNAP benefits. Though Fenske has disabilities, she does not receive disability payments through Social Security and therefore does not qualify for a personal exemption from the SNAP work requirements. She’d like to work in retail, she says, but has had a hard time finding even part-time work. “My hearing loss is pretty bad, nobody wants to hire me,” she said, having requested to communicate via text message due to her hearing impediment. “It’s not fair… what’s about to happen with SNAP. There are way too many people like myself that have disabilities, but are still able to work, but can’t find work.”
Children will also suffer as a result of the new policy, its critics say. Though adults with dependents don’t have to be working to receive food stamps, parents often provide other types of support for their children even if they don’t live with them or claim them as dependents, Maehr points out. “They may not live in the household, but they might provide critical support and resources. If they all of a sudden lose their SNAP benefits, and now there are fewer resources, that will impact children,” she says. “Make no mistake, it will affect children. It will affect people with disabilities, it will affect older adults.”
•••••
Whether tying social benefits to work requirements is actually effective in pushing people into the workforce is an open question. A recent Georgetown Law study suggested it doesn’t. “Work requirements do not lead to more work,” a fact-sheet of the project’s takeaways says. “Instead, they lead to more people losing coverage or benefits and will deepen or increase poverty.”
In the United Kingdom, researchers also found that harsh restrictions on welfare benefits had negative social effects, leading vulnerable populations to withdraw from benefits programs altogether, “in some cases triggering a move into survival crime.”
“There’s certainly no strong evidence base that harsh conditionality regimes will help move people into work and keep them in work,” says Suzanne Fitzpatrick, one of the lead investigators of the Economic and Social Research Council’s Welfare Conditionality Project. “There is certainly an impact on how many people claim benefits, but that’s not at all the same as saying you’ve moved people into work. Often, what you’ve done is just make them destitute, or dependent on other, more problematic ways of getting by.”
•••••
A Texas jury found him guilty of murder. A computer algorithm proved his innocence.
https://news.yahoo.com/prison-murder-computer-algorithm-helped-105609137.html
Erik Ortiz
,NBC News•February 16, 2020
Nearly a decade into his life sentence for murder, Lydell Grant was escorted out of a Texas prison in November with his hands held high, free on bail, all thanks to DNA re-examined by a software program.
•••••
or Grant, to get to here hinged on two necessary prongs: the DNA evidence, which was reanalyzed through an emerging software that has also come under scrutiny, and an unprecedented decision to use the findings to conduct an FBI criminal database search that was initiated by a third party not part of the initial investigation. That ultimately led to the discovery of a new suspect, who has been charged after police say he confessed.
The search process used in Grant's case has enormous potential to solve cold cases or re-evaluate other convictions that could pave the way for more exonerations nationwide, forensic scientists say.
"There's probably 5,000 or 6,000 innocent people in Texas prisons alone," said attorney Mike Ware, executive director of the Innocence Project of Texas, which is representing Grant. "How many of them could benefit from such a reanalysis of DNA that was used to convict them? I don't really know, but this is a historic case that could open the door for those who thought it was shut forever."
•••••
Investigators also interviewed seven witnesses, all but one of whom picked out Grant as the suspect from a photo lineup.
[Witness identification has been shown to be very unreliable.]
•••••
Jurors also heard from Grant's alibi, who said he was with him on the night Scheerhoorn was murdered, but his testimony failed to sway them, court documents show.
•••••
Erik Ortiz
,NBC News•February 16, 2020
Nearly a decade into his life sentence for murder, Lydell Grant was escorted out of a Texas prison in November with his hands held high, free on bail, all thanks to DNA re-examined by a software program.
•••••
or Grant, to get to here hinged on two necessary prongs: the DNA evidence, which was reanalyzed through an emerging software that has also come under scrutiny, and an unprecedented decision to use the findings to conduct an FBI criminal database search that was initiated by a third party not part of the initial investigation. That ultimately led to the discovery of a new suspect, who has been charged after police say he confessed.
The search process used in Grant's case has enormous potential to solve cold cases or re-evaluate other convictions that could pave the way for more exonerations nationwide, forensic scientists say.
"There's probably 5,000 or 6,000 innocent people in Texas prisons alone," said attorney Mike Ware, executive director of the Innocence Project of Texas, which is representing Grant. "How many of them could benefit from such a reanalysis of DNA that was used to convict them? I don't really know, but this is a historic case that could open the door for those who thought it was shut forever."
•••••
Investigators also interviewed seven witnesses, all but one of whom picked out Grant as the suspect from a photo lineup.
[Witness identification has been shown to be very unreliable.]
•••••
Jurors also heard from Grant's alibi, who said he was with him on the night Scheerhoorn was murdered, but his testimony failed to sway them, court documents show.
•••••
Two killed as U.K. hit with strong winds and flooding for a second straight weekend
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/two-killed-after-u-k-faces-strong-winds-flooding-second-n1137481
Feb. 16, 2020, 3:07 AM EST
By Associated Press
Rescuers found a body in rough seas following an extensive search Saturday off the coast of southeast England, as Britain faced a second straight weekend of wild winter weather and flooding from Storm Dennis.
•••••
Hurricane-force winds of up to 98 mph and monster waves that could reach over 100 feet were roaring across the North Atlantic on Saturday, the U.S. National Weather Service's Ocean Prediction Center said.
•••••
The weather is expected to strike all areas of Britain, including parts of northern England still recovering from Storm Ciara last weekend. That storm left at least eight people dead across Europe, including two in the U.K.
•••••
https://www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2020/02/16/storm-dennis-lashes-parts-of-the-uk-with-months-worth-of-rain-and-high-winds/m
•••••
The Environment Agency’s (EA) flood and coastal risk management executive director John Curtin said on Sunday that there were a record 594 flood warnings and alerts in force.
Mr Curtin tweeted: “Breaking: we now have the most flood warnings and alerts in force (594) in England than any other day on record.”
•••••
A total of 156.2mm of rain fell at Crai Reservoir in Powys in the 48 hours from Friday to Sunday morning, it added.
The average monthly rainfall for February in Wales is 111.1mm, the Met Office added.
•••••
tags: extreme weather, severe weather
Feb. 16, 2020, 3:07 AM EST
By Associated Press
Rescuers found a body in rough seas following an extensive search Saturday off the coast of southeast England, as Britain faced a second straight weekend of wild winter weather and flooding from Storm Dennis.
•••••
Hurricane-force winds of up to 98 mph and monster waves that could reach over 100 feet were roaring across the North Atlantic on Saturday, the U.S. National Weather Service's Ocean Prediction Center said.
•••••
The weather is expected to strike all areas of Britain, including parts of northern England still recovering from Storm Ciara last weekend. That storm left at least eight people dead across Europe, including two in the U.K.
•••••
https://www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2020/02/16/storm-dennis-lashes-parts-of-the-uk-with-months-worth-of-rain-and-high-winds/m
•••••
The Environment Agency’s (EA) flood and coastal risk management executive director John Curtin said on Sunday that there were a record 594 flood warnings and alerts in force.
Mr Curtin tweeted: “Breaking: we now have the most flood warnings and alerts in force (594) in England than any other day on record.”
•••••
A total of 156.2mm of rain fell at Crai Reservoir in Powys in the 48 hours from Friday to Sunday morning, it added.
The average monthly rainfall for February in Wales is 111.1mm, the Met Office added.
•••••
tags: extreme weather, severe weather
Floods create 'precarious situation' in Mississippi capital
https://news.yahoo.com/mississippi-braces-near-record-flooding-143405844.html
Of course, Mississipi has been voting for politicians who ignore or deny climate disruption. And global warming has caused any increase in the amount of moisture in the air, leading to an increased number and strength of severe precipitation events. So this flood might have happened w/o global warming, but GW has inevitably made it worse because of the increase amount of moisture in the air.
ROGELIO V. SOLIS and REBECCA SANTANA
,Associated Press•February 16, 2020
Residents of Jackson [Mississippi] braced Sunday for the possibility of catastrophic flooding in and around the Mississippi capital as the Pearl River rose precipitously after days of torrential rain.
Gov. Tate Reeves said the Pearl would continue to rise throughout the day, and he warned that the state faces a “precarious situation that can turn at any moment.”
Officials urged residents to pay attention to evacuation orders, check on road closures before traveling and stay out of floodwaters, warning that even seemingly placid waters could mask quickly moving currents and pollution. Law enforcement officials went door to door in affected areas, telling people to evacuate, Reeves said.
Rescuers performed four assisted evacuations Saturday, although they said none were needed overnight.
•••••
Once the river crests Monday, it will take the water three to four days to go down significantly. Part of the reason is that forecasters expect several inches of rain between midday Tuesday and Wednesday evening.
”It will be days before we are out of the woods and waters start to recede,” the governor said.
tags: severe weather, extreme weather
Women can have heart attacks without chest pain. That leads to dangerous delays.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/women-can-have-heart-attacks-without-chest-pain-that-leads-to-dangerous-delays/2020/02/14/f061c85e-4db6-11ea-9b5c-eac5b16dafaa_story.html
By Ersilia M. DeFilippis
Feb. 16, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. EST
•••••
Chest pain remains the most common symptom of a heart attack in men and women. But women having a heart attack are more likely to have unusual symptoms — such as nausea, dizziness, pain around the belly button, feeling of heart racing, neck or arm pain — when compared with men. They are also more likely than men to have a heart attack without chest pain. Furthermore, the incidence of heart disease and hospitalizations for heart attacks is rising in young women.
•••••
Many women worry about breast cancer, for instance, but more women are more likely to die of cardiovascular causes than all forms of cancer combined.
•••••
By Ersilia M. DeFilippis
Feb. 16, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. EST
•••••
Chest pain remains the most common symptom of a heart attack in men and women. But women having a heart attack are more likely to have unusual symptoms — such as nausea, dizziness, pain around the belly button, feeling of heart racing, neck or arm pain — when compared with men. They are also more likely than men to have a heart attack without chest pain. Furthermore, the incidence of heart disease and hospitalizations for heart attacks is rising in young women.
•••••
Many women worry about breast cancer, for instance, but more women are more likely to die of cardiovascular causes than all forms of cancer combined.
•••••
Saturday, February 15, 2020
Xylitol Toxicity in Dogs: The Peanut Butter Danger
https://cvm.ncsu.edu/xylitol/
September 28, 2015
The artificial sweetener xylitol (ZI-luh-tohl) commonly found in sugarless gum, candy, and some baked goods is toxic to dogs and its consumption can result in undesired symptoms ranging from mild hypoglycemia to liver failure and death.
•••••
While the dangers for dogs of xylitol-containing gum, candy, cookies, and other human treats have been understood by veterinarians and owners, these are not items that are commonly fed to a dog. Several manufacturers, however, have recently begun producing peanut butter brands that contain xylitol. This is disconcerting for pet owners as peanut butter is commonly used to disguise oral medications when pets are reluctant to take pills. The brand names of peanut butter reported to contain xylitol include: Go Nuts, Hank’s Protein Plus Peanut Butter, Krush Nutrition, Nuts ‘n More, and P28.
•••••
“If you suspect your pet has eaten a product containing xylitol, immediately contact your veterinarian or the Pet Poison Helpline [800-213-6680],” says Dr. Saker. “Quick treatment by your veterinarian can save your pet’s life. Do not attempt to treat your pet yourself unless specifically instructed by your veterinarian. Incorrect home treatment may make the outcome more dangerous for your pet.”
•••••
The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center recommends being on the lookout for any ingredient that includes the letters “xyl.” Synonyms for xylitol:
1,4-anhydro-d-xylitol
Anhydroxylitol
birch bark extract
birch sugar
d-xylitol
xylite
xylitylglucoside
Zylatol
•••••
September 28, 2015
The artificial sweetener xylitol (ZI-luh-tohl) commonly found in sugarless gum, candy, and some baked goods is toxic to dogs and its consumption can result in undesired symptoms ranging from mild hypoglycemia to liver failure and death.
•••••
While the dangers for dogs of xylitol-containing gum, candy, cookies, and other human treats have been understood by veterinarians and owners, these are not items that are commonly fed to a dog. Several manufacturers, however, have recently begun producing peanut butter brands that contain xylitol. This is disconcerting for pet owners as peanut butter is commonly used to disguise oral medications when pets are reluctant to take pills. The brand names of peanut butter reported to contain xylitol include: Go Nuts, Hank’s Protein Plus Peanut Butter, Krush Nutrition, Nuts ‘n More, and P28.
•••••
“If you suspect your pet has eaten a product containing xylitol, immediately contact your veterinarian or the Pet Poison Helpline [800-213-6680],” says Dr. Saker. “Quick treatment by your veterinarian can save your pet’s life. Do not attempt to treat your pet yourself unless specifically instructed by your veterinarian. Incorrect home treatment may make the outcome more dangerous for your pet.”
•••••
The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center recommends being on the lookout for any ingredient that includes the letters “xyl.” Synonyms for xylitol:
1,4-anhydro-d-xylitol
Anhydroxylitol
birch bark extract
birch sugar
d-xylitol
xylite
xylitylglucoside
Zylatol
•••••
Never Mind the Internet. Here’s What’s Killing Malls.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/13/business/not-internet-really-killing-malls.html?referringSource=articleShare&fbclid=IwAR1YnhBtk8O3E5IMsTFcM2S3Bnysm-m9_xXIupykgNzRVOZWYQmXNa6FcLs
By Austan Goolsbee
Published Feb. 13, 2020
Updated Feb. 14, 2020
It has been a tough decade for brick-and-mortar retailers, and matters seem only to be getting worse.
Despite a strong consumer economy, physical retailers closed more than 9,000 stores in 2019 — more than the total in 2018, which surpassed the record of 2017. Already this year, retailers have announced more than 1,200 more intended closings, including 125 Macy’s stores.
•••••
And there is no denying that Amazon and other online retailers have changed consumer behavior radically or that big retailers like Walmart and Target have tried to beef up their own online presence.
But this can be overstated.
To begin with, while e-commerce is growing sharply, it may not be nearly as big as you think. The Census Bureau keeps official track. Online sales have grown tremendously in the last 20 years, rising from $5 billion per quarter to almost $155 billion per quarter. But internet shopping still represents only 11 percent of the entire retail sales total.
•••••
Collectively, three major economic forces have had an even bigger impact on brick-and-mortar retail than the internet has.
In no particular order, here they are:
Big Box Stores: In the United States and elsewhere, we have changed where we shop — away from smaller stores like those in malls and toward stand-alone “Big Box” stores.
•••••
Income Inequality: Rising income inequality has left less of the nation’s money in the hands of the middle class, and the traditional retail stores that cater to them have suffered. The Pew Research Center estimates that since 1970, the share of the nation’s income earned by families in the middle class has fallen from almost two-thirds to around 40 percent. Small wonder, then, that retailers aiming at the ends of the income distribution — high-income people and lower-income people — have accounted for virtually all the revenue growth in retail while stores aimed at the middle have barely grown at all, according to a report by Deloitte.
As the concentration of income at the top rises, overall retail suffers simply because high-income people save a much larger share of their money. The government reports spending for different income levels in the official Consumer Expenditure Survey. In the latest data, people in the top 10 percent of income saved almost a third of their income after taxes. People in the middle of the income distribution spent 100 percent of their income. So as the middle class has been squeezed and more has gone to the top, it has meant higher saving rates overall.
•••••
Services Instead of Things: With every passing decade, Americans have spent proportionately less of income on things and more on services. Stores, malls, and even the mightiest online merchants remain the great sellers of things. Since 1960, we went from spending 5 percent of our income on health to almost 18 percent, government statistics show. We spend more on education, entertainment, business services and all sorts of other products that aren’t sold in traditional retail stores.
•••••
By Austan Goolsbee
Published Feb. 13, 2020
Updated Feb. 14, 2020
It has been a tough decade for brick-and-mortar retailers, and matters seem only to be getting worse.
Despite a strong consumer economy, physical retailers closed more than 9,000 stores in 2019 — more than the total in 2018, which surpassed the record of 2017. Already this year, retailers have announced more than 1,200 more intended closings, including 125 Macy’s stores.
•••••
And there is no denying that Amazon and other online retailers have changed consumer behavior radically or that big retailers like Walmart and Target have tried to beef up their own online presence.
But this can be overstated.
To begin with, while e-commerce is growing sharply, it may not be nearly as big as you think. The Census Bureau keeps official track. Online sales have grown tremendously in the last 20 years, rising from $5 billion per quarter to almost $155 billion per quarter. But internet shopping still represents only 11 percent of the entire retail sales total.
•••••
Collectively, three major economic forces have had an even bigger impact on brick-and-mortar retail than the internet has.
In no particular order, here they are:
Big Box Stores: In the United States and elsewhere, we have changed where we shop — away from smaller stores like those in malls and toward stand-alone “Big Box” stores.
•••••
Income Inequality: Rising income inequality has left less of the nation’s money in the hands of the middle class, and the traditional retail stores that cater to them have suffered. The Pew Research Center estimates that since 1970, the share of the nation’s income earned by families in the middle class has fallen from almost two-thirds to around 40 percent. Small wonder, then, that retailers aiming at the ends of the income distribution — high-income people and lower-income people — have accounted for virtually all the revenue growth in retail while stores aimed at the middle have barely grown at all, according to a report by Deloitte.
As the concentration of income at the top rises, overall retail suffers simply because high-income people save a much larger share of their money. The government reports spending for different income levels in the official Consumer Expenditure Survey. In the latest data, people in the top 10 percent of income saved almost a third of their income after taxes. People in the middle of the income distribution spent 100 percent of their income. So as the middle class has been squeezed and more has gone to the top, it has meant higher saving rates overall.
•••••
Services Instead of Things: With every passing decade, Americans have spent proportionately less of income on things and more on services. Stores, malls, and even the mightiest online merchants remain the great sellers of things. Since 1960, we went from spending 5 percent of our income on health to almost 18 percent, government statistics show. We spend more on education, entertainment, business services and all sorts of other products that aren’t sold in traditional retail stores.
•••••
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