Originally posted on May 16, 2012 by Grist. The Weight of the Nation — a four-part mini-series that ran this week on HBO (and online) — has received a lot of attention. Produced in coordination with several federal government agencies … Continued
Health
Ecopolitics
Cross-Post:Two Years Later, BP’s Oil Still Wreaks Havoc Along the Gulf Coast
Originally posted on April 20, 2012 by Colorlines. Two years ago today, a Deepwater Horizon oil rig run by BP exploded in the Gulf of Mexico and released 200 million gallons of oil into the surrounding waters. The oil spill … Continued
Health
Mass Killing Demonstrates Need to Address War’s Toll on Troops
On Sunday a US soldier murdered 16 Afghani civilians, mostly women and children, after leaving his base early in the morning. The BBC reported that, “The White House voiced ‘deep concern’ and Nato-led forces in Afghanistan promised a rapid inquiry.” … Continued
Jim DeMint: Making Choices on Behalf of Women Everywhere
Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) has dealt yet another blow to women’s rights. Recently, DeMint rather underhandedly attached a radical anti-abortion amendment onto an otherwise completely unrelated piece of legislation. On the heels of passing the so-called Protect Life Act, which … Continued
Health Action Center Opening in Milan, Missouri
(Español mas abajo) As we all know, there are currently thousands of Americans who have no access to health care, and this quandary is compounded for those living in rural areas. But for immigrants living in these areas, the situation … Continued
Health
Slow Down the Line: Safer Food, Safer Workers
Over the years cases of contaminated food being sold to consumers have been frighteningly frequent. As is the case of the recent outbreak of Turkey meat contaminated with salmonella, which at the time of writing has already claimed one life.
Health
Refugee Struggles in Minnesota’s Meat-Packing Plants
Over the last two decades the trend of Somali refugees moving from their war torn homeland to America, so often finding work in small meat packing plants, has had a profound impact in small towns across the Midwest and the … Continued
Health
Fear and Loathing on the Killing Room Floor
Where animals are slaughtered and processed, where the meat is portioned and packaged, several dangerous elements exist. Processing plants in this country dispense with over 400 head of cattle per hour, which from living animal to fully processed meat is … Continued
Health
Blame a Poisoned, Inhumane Food System . . . Not Sprouts
Health officials and news pundits are blaming bean sprouts for the latest outbreak of E.coli in Europe, which has killed at least 22 and sickened over 2000. But the real culprit is a diseased and dysfunctional food system where the … Continued
Lack of Education Spurring on Public Health Epidemic in Minnesota
According to recent media reports, eleven confirmed cases of measles have appeared in the Twin Cities, with about half emerging from the Somali community. Despite the dedicated efforts of health professionals within our community, many of us continue to neglect … Continued