Editor's Take: February 23, 2009
orcoo, flickr
Three P's of Health Care
It’s a slow Fat Tuesday in Cascadia, but national news brings to light some trends important for our region. A new report today shows publicly funded family planning prevents 2 million unintended pregnancies each year. Also, health care is predicted to reach $8,000 per person this year; an AP health article examines how programs oriented around prediction and prevention could be the smartest move.
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Three Ps of Health Care: Preventive, Predictive, Personalized
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
02/23/2009
Popping a pill can cut your cholesterol. But did the doctor also prescribe cutting the stress that's eroding your immune system? Or teach you how to exercise without worsening painful joints?
Think 3 Ps: Good health care is preventive, predictive and personalized, a rarity today in a crisis-oriented care system far better at treating disease than keeping it at bay.
Go to article.
Former WA Governor Next Obama Pick?
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
02/24/2009
His dream was to be remembered as the "Education Governor."
But Gary Locke is best known as a wonk. Now the Democrat politician who was more prudent than flashy might be up for a national post.
His job would be to oversee a hodgepodge of national programs that, like his gubernatorial tenure, include the nerdy and the international -- but areas that generally receive relatively little fanfare.
Go to article.
Health Care Costs to Top $8,000 per Person
Seattle Times
02/24/2009
Health care costs will top $8,000 per person this year, consuming an ever-bigger slice of a shrinking economic pie, says the report by the Department of Health and Human Services, due out Tuesday.
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Global Warming Danger Threat Increased
Seattle Times
02/23/2009
The Earth won't have to warm up as much as had been thought to cause serious consequences of global warming, including more extreme weather and increasing threats to plants and animals, says an international team of climate experts. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimated that the risk of increased severe weather would rise with a global average temperature increase of between 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit and 3.6 degrees above 1990 levels.
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Oregon Is Helping China Go Green
Oregonian
02/24/2009
There's so much opportunity in China, even the little guy can win big jobs. In a place where unprecedented growth begets unprecedented pollution, Oregon's green expertise is turning gold. Opportunity knocks for the state's engineers, landscapers, architects and nurseries, as the world's fastest-developing nation becomes environmentally aware.
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Libby, MT: Asbestos Trial Underway
Missoulian
02/24/2009
Jurors heard lengthy opening statements Monday in the criminal trial of W.R. Grace & Co., as lawyers sketched cases that are poles apart in their portrayal of Libby's widespread asbestos poisoning. Federal prosecutors outlined a high-level corporate conspiracy to shirk liability and maximize profits by concealing the known hazards of asbestos-laced vermiculite mined near Libby.
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Public Funds Stop 2 Million Unintended Pregnancies per Year
USA Today
02/24/2009
Publicly funded family planning prevents nearly 2 million unintended pregnancies and more than 800,000 abortions in the United States each year, saving billions of dollars, according to new research intended to counter conservative objections to expanding the program.
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Southern Oregon Dam Removal Raises Questions
Oregonian
02/24/2009
The 88-year-old Savage Rapids Dam in Southern Oregon is in its last months, with a few questions remaining, such as: What's going to happen to the 200,000 cubic yards of sediment behind the dam?
When the dam is breached in early October, says a federal official, there could be a significant pulse of sediment.
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Court Clears Way for EPA to Regulate Coal Pollutants
New York Times
02/24/2009
The Supreme Court cleared the way Monday for the Environmental Protection Agency to issue new regulations on emissions of mercury, lead, arsenic and other pollutants from the nation's coal-fired power plants.
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Weathering the Times: Stimulus Boosts Green Jobs
NPR
02/23/2009
People in the business of weatherizing homes are expecting to profit from the new economic stimulus plan. The federal aid package sets aside $5 billion worth of spending for making homes and buildings more energy efficient. The idea is to save energy, create jobs -- and even perhaps slow global warming.
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