Recent Articles
-
Study on marijuana, male reproductive health spawns misleading conclusion
Dr. Denise A. Valenti Medical & Allied HealthcareEver hopeful to report positive aspects related to marijuana use, writers often leave out key points. As an example, a report from a Boston-based publication had the following headline, "Harvard researchers link smoking marijuana with higher sperm concentration.” It further concluded, "Experts say men who smoked marijuana have significantly higher concentrations of sperm than those who have never lit up." The report describes the work with research participants, "…scientists collected 1,143 semen samples from 662 mostly college educated white men." What the media report left out was the description that appeared in the published research, "…This longitudinal study included 662 subfertile men."
-
Travel2020: Travel trends downward as worldwide visits decline, per new…
Lark Gould Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementAnnual international visitation to the U.S. began to decline in 2015 — and has yet to stop that trajectory. Concurrently, Americans are traveling less frequently and are returning to attractions less and less, possibly often in search of something new and welcoming. The results of PGAV Destinations' fourth annual "Voice of the Visitor: Outlook on the Attractions Industry," which tracks Americans' travel behavior and forecasts future plans, revealed a dramatic shift in the demographics of attraction visitors, and a deep desire to visit places that make them feel welcome and relaxed.
-
Church communication must show you care: Here’s how
Mark MacDonald Religious CommunityI recently spoke to a church about effective church communication. In my talk, I reminded the congregation that Jesus told His disciples that we're to be known for loving those around us. However, when the world is asked about the Church, most of them know what we're against (and not for love and caring). We've become really good at being salt while our "light" skills haven't broken through. Church communication must tackle this since it's the voice of ministries to our communities (and not just an internal reminder voice to our congregations). Here's how to truly care for a group (as God's called us to) using communication.
-
Space Force plans hit funding, leadership problems
Miranda Y. Brumbaugh Law Enforcement, Defense & SecurityIn August 2018, President Trump announced that the United States armed forces would gain a new branch — the United States Space Force. The use of the Space Force is intended for space warfare. While this concept sounds like an episode of "Doctor Who," the U.S. would not be the first country to pioneer a space force. Yet, proceeding with the United States Space Force may not be as turnkey as the presidential administration would make it seem, due to hiccups with financing and leadership.
-
After jumping into grocery game with Whole Foods, Amazon to debut new chain
Bambi Majumdar Food & BeverageOnce it shook up the online retail world, it was time for Amazon to do something different. Hence the acquisition of Whole Foods in 2017, a move that was diametrically opposite to going online. Then came Amazon Go stores, with their grab-and-go, no cashiers or checkout lines concept. Now, Amazon has just announced the launch of a new chain of grocery stores in the U.S. that will be a separate entity from Whole Foods. Shares of grocery giants like Costco, Kroger, and Walmart all dipped upon the news breaking.
-
How to determine if now is the right time to quit your job
Roberta Matuson Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementI was speaking with an executive the other day who told me he was thinking about quitting his job. I asked him why he didn't just do that. He explained that occasionally he had a few good days where he enjoyed coming to work. Making a life-changing decision like quitting your job doesn't come easy, especially when you've reached the top of the organization. Take it from me. There will never be the perfect time to quit. But that doesn't mean you should remain in your current situation. Here are six questions to consider when evaluating if the job you have is worth continuing.
-
What is Safety II? New opportunities for safety leadership
Christina Thielst Healthcare AdministrationResearchers in Europe may have defined and given structure to the challenges associated with safety. Their white paper on Safety I vs. Safety II highlights where scientific methods, standardization, root cause analysis and reliability alone fall short. They assert that safety needs to progress beyond a bimodal model to employ multiple approaches for reducing error/failure and achieving fully resilient systems. Safety I, as experienced today, is the push to eliminate all accidents, system failures and injury. Safety II recognizes that medicine and healthcare processes are not an exact science and that there is sometimes an art to caregiving.
-
Largest US bank divests from private prisons
Michelle R. Matisons Law Enforcement, Defense & SecurityJPMorgan Chase, the U.S.' largest bank with assets close to $3 trillion and a 2018 income of $41 billion, is no longer funding private prison companies. Last week, the financial heavyweight announced it will stop bankrolling GEO Group and CoreCivic, the largest builders of private prisons. This is a direct result of an activist campaign involving a coalition of organizations, all opposing immigrant detention in private facilities. It is estimated that up to 70 percent of all immigrant detention facilities are private. These facilities have long been criticized for being largely unregulated — unlike state-run facilities.
-
10 US dark-sky parks worth a visit
Dave G. Houser Recreation & LeisureSince the dawn of time, the mysteries and splendors of a starry night sky have been filling us with wonder. As Vincent van Gogh once said, "I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream." Today, however, when we look up into our galaxy from most areas of the country, we are lucky to see but a handful of stars. Fortunately, there’s a group of dedicated conservationists who are trying to preserve our view of the heavens and protect this natural resource for present and future generations. To mark International Dark Sky Week — March 31-April 7 — here are 10 of the nation's finest stargazing spots.
-
Update: Social slows while podcasts boom
Emma Fitzpatrick MarketingAt the beginning of the year, everyone makes their predictions for what marketing trends will take the world by storm. From there, it's a waiting game to see what will stick. Luckily for us, we've done that long enough! The first report on consumer media trends, conducted by Edison Research and Triton Digital, has officially gone live. Read on to learn how your customers are consuming digital media differently in 2019 than they did in 2018.