Dear Editor:
Please consider this commentary on Trump's latest initiative to slash our environmental protection laws. For PeaceVoice, thank you.
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Sowing division, reaping lives
by Leslie D. Gregory and Tom H. Hastings
630 words
It's textbook Institutional Racism.
Did Trump say out loud, "I'm going to gut the original environmental law of the US and it will affect everyone's health negatively but the health of black and brown people the most?"
Of course not. But that is exactly what is afoot with his intention to roll back major portions of the 1969 germinal environmental law—the National Environmental Protection Act—the original law upon which all such important protections are built. The Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act—all these protections, and more, of our public health will be weakened and, in some cases, rendered virtually moot, when Trump finishes.
Big oil will profit. Huge corporations will skip previously required steps to pass assessments and protection measures, increasing profits for all manner of developers and increasing incidence of lung disease, heart disease and cancers associated with reckless release of toxic and hazardous material that speeds extraction, quickens construction, and jacks up mortalities. Industry benefits, people lose.
It's not like environmental laws are perfect, but they need improvement, not evisceration. Rebecca Beitsch writes for The Hill:
The EPA found black Americans are subjected to higher levels of air pollution than whites. Another study found that communities of color and low-income populations are disproportionately exposed to chemical releases. Others have found that minority and low income communities were more likely to be near hazardous waste sites. Advocates often collectively refer to these towns as environmental justice communities.
So there is already a lethal bias against poor people and people of color in many respects—as if that means that middle-class white people are immune from these public health threats. It does not.
But it does mean that institutional racism will be claiming even more victims—little children, innocent of anything other than being African American or Latinx or Native American/Pacific Islander, will be statistically more likely to suffer asthma, nascent heart damage, and a wide range of chemically/toxically related cancers.
When a little girl whose parents can only afford housing near some project or facility that is releasing unhealthy atmospheric elements or polluting the local drinking water, when that child gets sick, that isn't a statistic, that is a little girl. Donald Trump should not be allowed to hurt her.
From caging children to poisoning them, this impeached guardian of corporate profits should not be permitted to get away with this and other crimes against humanity.
Racism is not primarily, or even much, about an ignorant white person calling a black person the n-word, nor about Trump calling refugees "animals." It is far more common, far more deadly, when it's baked in the cake of our laws, our governance, our education, our healthcare system, and our economy.
The hypocrisy of Trump labeling other countries, even some of those with universal healthcare and decent environmental law enforcement, as "sh--hole" while we descend to new lows ourselves, is truly abysmal. Our leadership in the world is being dragged down by one unfit to lead in any worthy sense.
These diseases associated with proximity to toxicity are insidious, atypical in many cases, and deceptively chronic, all highly associated with resultant compromised self-concept, and other mental health risks. It is often hard to pinpoint a proven origin, but common sense epidemiology shows it clearly. Of course, access to the health care required is negatively associated with the populations most directly affected, thus exacerbating all these causal and correlative factors.
Our work, if we are serious about making America great, is to repair racial disparities, not worsen them. Please sign the MoveOn petition to fight institutional racism as a threat to public health and let your federal representative know that you care, that you oppose this attack on our basic environmental laws.
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Leslie Gregory is a PA-C focusing on Preventive Cardiology and is Executive Director, Right to Health. Dr. Tom H. Hastings is PeaceVoice Director and on occasion an expert witness for the defense in court.
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Is Your Life Full Of Headaches?
Maybe You Should Rethink Popping Painkillers
Headaches remain a common source of pain in the U.S., but the frequency and severity differ widely among sufferers, and how to avoid headaches altogether is still a head-scratcher.
The first remedy for most people is to take a painkiller. But this may not always be the best or safest option, says Dr. Suhyun An (www.drsuhyunan.com), an expert on regenerative medicine and co-author of Demystifying Stem Cells: A Real-Life Approach To Regenerative Medicine.
“Whether it’s aspirin, acetaminophen, naproxen, ibuprofen, or another medicine, these can work well — if you don’t use them too often,” she says. “Using too much pain medicine can make your headache worse and cause other problems as well. And you may also have headaches more often as a result.”
Dr. An reviews why you might want to rethink popping a painkiller every time you get a headache, and she suggests other ways to deal with or reduce the frequency of headaches:
Problems with painkiller overuse
Side effects. Non-prescription analgesics, commonly taken for headaches, can have serious side effects if taken too often. “For example, if you regularly take acetaminophen (paracetamol) for several days, you could damage your liver,” Dr. An says. “These drugs can also cause kidney problems. Aspirin and ibuprofen sometimes cause gastric bleeding.”
Rebound headache. An additional problem you may encounter if you take pain relievers regularly is a medication overuse headache, also known as a rebound headache. “This is caused by regular, long-term use of medication to treat headaches, such as migraines,” Dr. An says. “It becomes less effective and your headache comes back as soon as the medicine wears off. If you choose to take a pain reliever, always follow the dosage recommendations on the label.”
Non-drug solutions
Make lifestyle changes. Headaches occur for many reasons: lack of sleep, poor diet, stress, excessive computer or phone screen time, etc. Tweaks in your daily routine can reduce the number of headaches or migraines you have. Dr. An suggests drinking plenty of water, monitoring your caffeine and alcohol intake, having a consistent sleep schedule, getting exercise, and having a healthy diet. “Tracking your headaches can help you devise lifestyle changes,” Dr. An says. “Write down when you get one and what you were doing beforehand.”
See a doctor. If your headaches get in the way of daily life, it’s time to talk to a doctor. Dr. An says the following occurrences should cause someone to seek medical advice: severe headaches that come on quickly; a headache accompanied by fever, stiff neck, rash, confusion, seizure, double vision, weakness, numbness or difficulty speaking; a headache increasing in severity despite rest and pain medication; taking pain relievers more than twice a week; certain actions like bending over or coughing that bring on a headache. “Your primary care physician is a good place to start, but headaches can be complex, and neurologists and headache specialists have special training to help them figure out the type of headache you have and its causes,” Dr. An says.
Use natural therapies. “Many natural therapies can be useful,” Dr. An says. “Your headache specialist may suggest stress management such as relaxation exercises and meditation, physical therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, biofeedback, massage or acupuncture.”
“Whether or not you suffer from frequent, severe headaches, migraines, or just the occasional tension headache, you should try to limit the use of over-the-counter and prescription drugs,” Dr. An says. “Meanwhile, you should always be vigilant about your lifestyle habits.”
About Dr. Suhyun An, DC, MSN, NP-C
Dr. Suhyun An (www.drsuhyunan.com) is the clinic director at Campbell Medical Group in Houston and an expert on regenerative medicine. She is co-author of Demystifying Stem Cells: A Real-Life Approach To Regenerative Medicine and travels the nation speaking on those topics. Dr. An received a BS in Biochemistry and Biophysical Science from the University of Houston, graduated cum laude from Parker College of Chiropractic, and got her master’s in nursing science from Samford University.
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Mobile Mondays: Staying Connected Through Winter Storms
Winter brings a lot of goodness – friends and family, holidays and celebrations – but it can also bring tough weather and dangerous storms. Snow, sleet, ice and wind create treacherous conditions that could impact wireless networks and the power grid.
It's important to be ready for the worst and know how to use your phone in emergency situations, especially if your wireless service is interrupted. Here are T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile's tips for weathering big winter storms:
1. Keep phones and devices fully charged, and store back-up chargers and batteries
There's nothing quite like losing power when your phone has a low battery, so keep your devices full of juice. And if your power goes out, make sure you have back-up chargers, portable chargers, and/or batteries so you can keep your devices on until your power comes back.
You’ll also want to have a charger handy if you're travelling. If you get stranded or stuck while driving, you'll want a way to stay connected with loved ones or emergency services. If you need to stock up, there are some great options here.
2. Pre-program important numbers in your phone
Most of us have our friends, family and coworkers programmed in our phones. But in an emergency, you may need to contact your local police, fire departments or power company. Program these numbers now so that you don't waste precious time looking them up during an emergency.
3. Text instead of calling, and keep your calls short
During a weather event, when many people may be trying to access a crowded wireless network at the same time, text messages are more likely to get through than phone calls because they take up fewer network resources.
If you absolutely need to make a call, consider keeping it short so others can also get through. The number of calls typically spikes during severe weather events, so keep the lines free for emergency workers and your neighbors will be appreciative.
4. If you don't have mobile service, try Wi-Fi calling
If your power and Wi-Fi connection are still on but your mobile service is down, you may be able to call someone via Wi-Fi. For Apple phones, go to Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calling and for Android phones, go to Settings > More Connection Settings > Wi-Fi Calling.
5. While the network is down…Stay safe and calm. Network engineers prepare for winter conditions throughout the season so they can restore service as soon as possible. But keep in mind hazardous conditions may cause delays. Downed trees, power outages and other obstacles can hinder restoration efforts. Engineers will make repairs as soon as it’s safe to do so.
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With 26 percent of all nonretired adults having no retirement savings or pension, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2020’s Best States to Retire as well as accompanying videos.
To help retirees find a safe, enjoyable and wallet-friendly place to call home, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 47 key metrics. The data set ranges from adjusted cost of living to weather to quality of public hospitals.
Retiring in Utah (1=Best; 25=Avg.)
For the full report, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-states-to-retire/18592/
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NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release: 13th January 2020
Asia-Pacific (APAC) will be the leading region in terms of 5G technology adoption with 1.14 billion subscribers, accounting for 65% of global 5G subscriptions by 2024, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
An analysis of GlobalData’s Asia Pacific Mobile Broadband Forecast Pack reveals that APAC will be the largest region followed by North America, accounting for 44% and 32% share, respectively, in terms of revenue in 2024.
Ramya Sindhu Jetty, Research Analyst of Telecom Market Data and Intelligence at GlobalData, says: “With the help of low latency, high reliability and greater throughput, 5G is going to create demand and opportunities through platforms such as Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR) and robotics.”
Countries, which have early 5G launches, are likely to lead mobile data traffic growth over the forecast period. The leading 5G countries in APAC will be South Korea, China, Japan and Australia.
The average monthly data usage of consumer in the region is expected to increase from 5 GB in 2019 to 11 GB in 2024. At the same time, the global average monthly data usage is expected to be 9.98 GB in 2024.
IMAGE FOR PUBLICATION – Please click this link for the chart
Sindhu adds: “There is a higher probability that 5G is embraced in countries where 4G is the existing driving technology. Though various 5G networks are going live in 2020, 5G smartphone sales will be moderate due to the initial high cost and lack of network coverage at national level.”
The impact of 5G technologies will not be ascertained much in 2020 as operators and vendors are still working on the rollout plans. The share of 4G technology in the total APAC telecom market increased from 6.4% in 2014 to 49% in 2018. Similarly, 5G will reach 25-30% of the APAC telecom market by 2024. The growth rate of 5G will comparatively high due to more number of use cases such as IoT and enhanced MBB services.
Sindhu concludes: “5G wireless network is expected to influence not only consumer field but also segments like automobiles, manufacturing and IoT. Operators like China Telecom are looking to create a robust ecosystem of cloud, AI and 5G. In the 5G era, Asia will be the leading 5G market and will hold half of 5G subscriptions globally by 2024.”
ENDS
For more information
To gain access to our latest press releases: GlobalData Media Centre
Analysts available for comment. Please contact the GlobalData Press Office:
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Asia-Pacific: +91 40 6616 6809
Email: pr@globaldata.com
For expert analysis on developments in your industry, please connect with us on:
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Notes to Editors:
GlobalData’s Asia-Pacific Mobile Broadband Forecast Pack:
GlobalData’s Asia-Pacific Mobile Broadband Forecast Pack quantifies current and future demand and spending on mobile voice and data services. The data is published quarterly.
About GlobalData
4,000 of the world’s largest companies, including over 70% of FTSE 100 and 60% of Fortune 100 companies, make more timely and better business decisions thanks to GlobalData’s unique data, expert analysis and innovative solutions, all in one platform. GlobalData’s mission is to help our clients decode the future to be more successful and innovative across a range of industries, including the healthcare, consumer, retail, financial, technology and professional services sectors.
