Have a MAGA xmas

'Tis the Season to Recycle Your Christmas Tree to Improve River Habitats

And improve trout fishing

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is again partnering with the Rhode Island Chapter of Trout Unlimited (TU) for the ‘Trees for Trout’ habitat restoration program, which collects donated conifer Christmas trees to improve habitat for wild brook trout and other aquatic organisms. The public can drop off their Christmas trees at a collection event in the New Year. 

WHAT:               ‘Trees for Trout’ Christmas tree collection

WHEN:              Saturday, Jan. 4, 10 AM – 2 PM

WHERE:            Arcadia Check Station, Wood River Arcadia Management Area, 2224 Ten Rod Rd, Exeter

DEM and TU thank the public for their willingness to donate trees, which makes this program a success. Donors are urged to read the following information before dropping off trees:

DEM is only accepting real trees, not fake ones or trees sprayed with fire-retardant chemicals. 

All decorations, tinsel, ornaments, lights, and the stand must be removed before the tree is brought in.

Only whole conifers will be accepted, do not bring tree trimmings. 

Trees larger than 5’ tall are preferred. 

DEM will not accept large drop offs of surplus trees from businesses.

The Trees for Trout program was started by TU in 2018 to assist in restoration projects to fish habitats. During the summer months, DEM’s Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) staff, along with volunteers from TU, build “conifer revetments” where trees are strategically placed along riverbanks to provide stability and control erosion. 

Just kidding

Will there be anything else, sir?

High-Fiber Plant-Based Diet Found To Halt Progression of Incurable Blood Cancer

Tasty and good for you

By Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) have announced results from the first clinical trial to demonstrate that a high-fiber, plant-based dietary intervention may delay the progression to multiple myeloma—a rare and currently incurable blood cancer that affects the bone marrow.

The study involved 20 participants diagnosed with a precancerous blood disorder and an elevated body mass index (BMI), placing them at higher risk for developing multiple myeloma. Over 12 weeks, participants followed a high-fiber, plant-based meal plan and received an additional 24 weeks of dietary coaching. Notably, two participants who had shown advancing disease prior to the trial experienced a significant improvement in their disease progression trajectory.

Additionally, at one year after enrollment, none of the participants had progressed to multiple myeloma. MSK myeloma specialist and NUTRIVENTION study lead, Urvi Shah, MD, presented these findings at the 2024 American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting in San Diego, California.

EPA Bans Known Carcinogens Used in Dry Cleaning, Other Industries

Will the ban on cancer-causing chemicals last under Trump?

Jon Queally for Common Dreams

The Biden administration's Environmental Protection Agency on Monday announced a permanent ban on a pair of carcinogenic chemicals widely used in U.S. industries, including dry cleaning services and automative work.

According to the Washington Post:

The announcement includes the complete ban of trichloroethylene—also known as TCE—a substance found in common consumer and manufacturing products including degreasing agents, furniture care and auto repair products. In addition, the agency banned all consumer uses and many commercial uses of Perc—also known as tetrachloroethylene and PCE — an industrial solvent long used in applications such as dry cleaning and auto repair.

5 of the most frustrating health insurer tactics and why they exist

What could possibly go wrong with a system that rewards denying claims?

Monica S. Aswani, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Paul Shafer, Boston University

The U.S. has made great progress in getting more people insured since the Affordable Care Act took effect in 2014. The share of uninsured Americans ages 18 to 64 fell from 18% before the ACA to 9.5% in 2022. And preexisting conditions no longer prevent coverage or lead to an increase in premiums.

Yet even for those with health insurance, coverage does not ensure access to care, much less high-quality and affordable care. Research shows that 1 in 3 Americans seeking care report delaying or forgoing treatment because of the “administrative burdens” of dealing with health insurance and the health care system, creating additional barriers beyond costs.

Some of these are basic tasks, such as scheduling appointments. But others relate to strategies that health insurers use to shape the care that their patients are able to receive – tactics that are often unpopular with both doctors and patients.

In addition, more than 40% of Americans under 65 have high-deductible plans, meaning patients face significant upfront costs to using care. As a result, nearly a quarter are unable to afford care despite being insured.

As scholars of health care quality and policy, we study how the affordability and design of health insurance affects people’s health as well as their out-of-pocket costs.

We’d like to unpack five of the most common strategies used by health insurers to ensure that care is medically necessary, cost-effective or both.

At best, these practices help ensure appropriate care is delivered at the lowest possible cost. At worst, these practices are overly burdensome and can be counterproductive, depriving insured patients of the care they need.

Deja Vu

Hey MAGA sucker - then and now

Winter solstice marks official start of winter

 ...With a coating of snow in Charlestown

The day of the winter solstice has the shortest amount of daylight of the year. From this day forward, each passing day adds to the length of daylight. Note that Donald Trump has announced that he will end daylight savings time, yet another way his MAGA will change our lives.

Naturally, the idea to abolish daylight savings time comes from Trump's Rasputin, Elon Musk. 

Two ProPublica reports on formaldehyde in your car and home, why that's important and what to do about it

Unless you're getting embalmed, Formaldehyde Is not good for you. 

By Topher Sanders, with additional reporting by Sharon Lerner and Al Shaw for ProPublica

Reporting Highlights

• Invisible Danger: Formaldehyde, a colorless pungent gas, can cause cancer, breathing problems and reproductive harms.
• Greatest Threat: Most of us face the highest risks in our homes, where formaldehyde is released by some types of furniture, gas stoves and other everyday products.
• Our Testing: We found concerning levels of formaldehyde in furniture stores, inside a nail salon, in cars and at a dinner party.

These highlights were written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.

The air was packed with savory and sweet aromas when I walked into my colleague’s Brooklyn apartment for dinner. The sizzle and pop of rice and green beans cooking on the gas stove blended with soft jazz coming from the TV. Candle flames danced and flickered.

But we weren’t gathering just to enjoy a late-summer meal. We were trying to expose an uninvited yet ever-present guest — formaldehyde.

The invisible chemical can be harmless in small amounts, but in larger concentrations, it can cause headaches, dizziness, respiratory illness and asthma. It is also responsible for more cancer than any other toxic air pollutant.

Because of its importance to many industries, formaldehyde has proven difficult to regulate. This year, President Joe Biden’s administration finally appeared to make some progress, though it was modest. If the past is any guide, however, even those limited efforts are likely to hit a dead end after Donald Trump is inaugurated. Knowing our risks is essential to protecting ourselves, experts say. Last week, ProPublica published a tool to show how much formaldehyde is in the outside air.

But our biggest exposure happens indoors, so my colleagues and I set out to do our own testing.

We read thousands of pages of scientific studies and Environmental Protection Agency documents on the dangers of formaldehyde, and we learned the toxic chemical is nearly impossible to escape. Formaldehyde is in furniture and flooring. It is in the adhesives used in wallpaper and carpets. It’s given off by candles, fireplaces and gas stoves. And it’s in hair products and cosmetics.

Nearly Half of Older Americans Can’t Afford Basic Needs

Trump plans to make it worse

By Sherlea Dony 

I worked hard my whole career and retired feeling secure. Then I lost every last dime in a scam. I was left with $1,300 a month in Social Security benefits to live on in an area where monthly expenses run about $3,700.

I’m a smart woman, but scams against older Americans are increasing in number and sophistication. Whether through scams, strained savings, or costs of living going up, half of older Americans — that’s 27 million households — can’t afford their basic needs.

And suddenly I became one of them. The experience has taught me a lot about the value of a strong social safety net — and why we’ll need to protect it from the coming administration.

I was ashamed and frightened after what happened, but I scraped myself up off the floor and tried to make the best of it.

I’d worked with aging people earlier in my career, so I was familiar with at least some of the groups who could help. I reached out to a local nonprofit and they came through with flying colors, connecting me to life-saving federal assistance programs.

I was assigned a caseworker, who guided me through applying for public programs like the Medical Savings Plan (MSP), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), subsidized housing, Medicare Part D, and Medicaid.

It’s hard to describe my relief at getting this help.

Suckers!

If your Amazon package is late...

Teamsters Launch Largest Strike Against Amazon in American History

Kara Deniz 

The Teamsters launched the largest strike against Amazon in U.S. history beginning at 6 a.m. EST on Thurs., Dec. 19. The nationwide action follows Amazon’s repeated refusal to follow the law and bargain with the thousands of Amazon workers who organized with the Teamsters.

“If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed. We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. 

“These greedy executives had every chance to show decency and respect for the people who make their obscene profits possible. Instead, they’ve pushed workers to the limit and now they’re paying the price. This strike is on them.” 

Workers will join the picket line from DBK4 in New York City; DGT8 in Atlanta; DFX4, DAX5, and DAX8 in Southern California; DCK6 in San Francisco; and DIL7 in Skokie, Ill. Amazon Teamsters at other facilities are prepared to join them.

Teamsters local unions are also putting up primary picket lines at hundreds of Amazon Fulfillment Centers nationwide. Amazon warehouse workers and drivers without collective bargaining agreements have the legal right to honor these picket lines by withholding their labor.

“What we’re doing is historic,” said Leah Pensler, a warehouse worker at DCK6 in San Francisco. “We are fighting against a vicious union-busting campaign, and we are going to win.”

Amazon is the second-largest corporation on the Fortune 500 list. Despite being worth more than $2 trillion, the company fails to pay its workers enough to make ends meet.

Will Charlestown get its first snow of the year?

Maybe. Maybe not

By Will Collette

Earlier this year, NOAA's winter forecast for us predicted higher temps meaning less snow was likely. This follows a continuing pattern, driving by climate change, of milder winters.

While Trump's transition team has its sights on abolishing NOAA and perhaps the National Weather Service, too, we have the benefit of some pretty good weather diagnostic tools at our exposure. They just have to work out how to focus Donald Trump enough so he can make weather predictions with his Sharpie®.

One of my favorites is the NOAA/NWS Winter Weather Forecast tool which gives you site-specific odds of snowfall. 

At 7 AM this morning, the best odds (59%) are for a Charlestown snow accumulation of less than an inch. It is possible for up to 2 inches to fall, but the odds are only 7%. I don't know if there are weather bookies who take action using this tool, but let's face it, there are people who will bet on anything.

The official National Weather Service forecast at 11 AM calls for rain just after sundown and then some snow showers and a possible accumulation of about half an inch of snow before ending tomorrow night. With a forecast of temperatures in the 20's, whatever does fall is likely to be very slick, so be careful on the roads. 

Here's the NOAA/NWS odds sheet for South County snowfall: