Editor's Take: June 15, 2009
Image courtesy: Caveman92223, Flickr.com
Roadmap to Health
As US leaders try to figure out how to fix a broken healthcare system, one writer takes a look at the failure of care on the country's Native American reservations. And medical treatment is one thing, but what about the neighborhood we live in? Does homeownership and the lifestyle that comes with it make us fat?
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Your editor today is Anna Fahey | View All Today's News
Is native health care a federal failure?
Fairbanks Daily News Miner
06/16/2009
On some reservations, the oft-quoted refrain is, "don't get sick after June," when the federal dollars run out. It's a sick joke, and a sad one because it is sometimes true. Officials said they have about half of what they need to operate, and patients know they must be dying or about to lose a limb to get serious care.
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Does homeownership make us fat?
Vancouver Sun
06/16/2009
Researchers discovered homeowners, on average, outweighed renters by 12 pounds. In addition to excess weight, female homeowners were also carrying around more aggravation, making less time for leisure, and were less likely to spend time with friends.
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Court rules Exxon owes a billion in damages, interest
Anchorage Daily News
06/16/2009
Exxon Mobil Corp. was ordered Monday to pay roughly $1 billion to Alaska Natives, fishermen, business owners and others harmed by the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Prince William Sound.
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Report: Pedestrians and cyclists account for almost half of traffic deaths
Washington Post
06/16/2009
Traffic accidents were the 10th-leading cause of death in the world in 2004, behind lung cancer and ahead of diabetes, and they are on track to become the fifth-leading cause by 2030.
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Barcodes could reveal your food's credentials
New Scientist
06/16/2009
WHERE does your food come from? A few years ago, most consumers were satisfied with a sticker showing the country of origin. But concerns about fair trade and the environment, as well as food safety, are now driving a wave of projects aimed at tracking food from farm to shopping basket.
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Issaquah may ban polystyrene food containers
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
06/16/2009
Washington State's Issaquah City Council is considering a ban on Styrofoam food containers. Restaurant owners are bracing for a cost increase but the shift will mean less toxic, non-degrading materials in food and landfills.
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WA Tribes want protection for Mystery Bay shellfish
Seattle Times
06/16/2009
Two Olympic Peninsula tribes say federal, state and county officials have failed to protect tribal shellfish beds in Marrowstone Island's Mystery Bay in violation of treaty rights.
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Beetle-ravaged forests prone to summer fires
AP
06/16/2009
Officials from Rocky Mountain states urged Congress on Tuesday help them avert a potential catastrophe this summer as they grapple with millions of acres of beetle-ravaged pines that are prone to fire.
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Audio: Pierce Transit's Smart Buses
KPLU
06/16/2009
Even with a slick new light rail line about to open, the humble bus will still carry the lion's share of the region's transit riders. Now, in Pierce County, that workhorse is getting a high-tech makeover.
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Views: Ill-conceived CA family planning cuts
San Francisco Chronicle
06/16/2009
Since its inception, Family Pact's programs has saved the state more than $2 billion, according to a UCSF report. And, for every $1 the state puts in, the federal government sends $9. Sadly, California's family planning programs are slotted for the governor's budget ax. That's more than penny-wise, pound-foolish. It puts women's lives at risk.
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