All Civil & Government Articles
  • Feast or fire: Caution for Thanksgiving kitchen blazes

    Dr. Denise A. Valenti Food & Beverage

    The risk of a kitchen fire triples on Thanksgiving Day, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. From 2009-11, there were an average of 1,300 cooking-related fires causing injury each Thanksgiving Day. As part of an active campaign to educate holiday celebrants about fire safety when cooking, CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum has some simple advice.

  • EAPs for substance abuse reduce absenteeism and increase productivity

    Joy Burgess Civil & Government

    Studies have shown that problem drinkers and alcoholics cost American businesses billions of dollars. Studies also show that substance abuse can result in an increase in absenteeism, which reduces overall productivity. Even though the actual substance abuse may take place at home, it still has an impact on both large and small businesses.

  • Events for downtown resurgence

    Bambi Majumdar Civil & Government

    ​Downtown resurgence projects are key programs for every local and municipal government in the country today. A bright and prosperous central business district has become synonymous with a healthy and improving economy, which in turn will reflect well on the local government, so their concern is understandable.

  • Identifying symptoms of acute depression

    Dr. Abimbola Farinde Mental Healthcare

    Depression can develop in any individual regardless of age or gender. It is a common mental disorder, and the incidence of depression increases each day. In order to improve the changes of a positive outcome, the symptoms should be identified almost immediately upon onset, but there are cases where it can sometimes take years to identify.

  • Making local access more accessible

    Victor Blake Communications

    ​In recent years, we've seen the evolution of emergency systems to include both forward and reverse services for cellular networks and subscribers. Clearly mobile networks (when combined across all of the mobile service providers) are more geographically ubiquitous than any fixed-access network alone can be.

  • Employee wellness programs boost employee satisfaction and productivity

    Joy Burgess Civil & Government

    ​Many companies have been turning to employee wellness programs to help reduce employee healthcare costs. In fact, statistics from the American Institute for Preventive Medicine show that 91 percent of organizations now offer some type of wellness program, a percentage that has risen substantially in the last decade.

  • Ice fishing tales of a gun plumber

    Donald Norrie Civil & Government

    I was a poor munitions and weapons technician on the strength of CEPE/AAED at RCAF Station Cold Lake. I say poor because I had purchased a new mobile home and financed it through the only institution an airman in those days could get credit: the Industrial Acceptance Corporation (IAC). The monthly payments turned out to be higher then contracted, and I was in a financial pickle. I could sell the unit or get a part-time job. I chose the latter and became a bartender in the officers' mess at 50 cents an hour.

  • Proper holiday decor in the workplace

    Jessica Taylor Business Management, Services & Risk Management

    With the fall and winter holidays quickly approaching, many offices are bringing out their decorations to lift spirits for the seasons. It's also the time for the annual argument of what's appropriate, if anything.

  • The View from Europe: The natural consequences of F-gas

    Andrew Gaved Construction & Building Materials

    The ATMOsphere natural refrigerant conference Oct. 15-16 in Brussels provided a good opportunity to test the potential impact of the forthcoming F-gas regulations on the world of "naturals." For the changing landscape of legislation, with upcoming potential bans on servicing high-GWP equipment, it looks highly likely that we'll see natural refrigeration techniques thrust to center stage in the European RAC industry.

  • What can we do about the post office?

    Steve Stanley

    ​It seems as though everyone and his brother has weighed in on the problems plaguing the U.S. Postal Service. I spent my entire adult life working in my family’s trucking and warehousing business, and I started and have run a multistate corrugated box business for a decade or so, so my perspective is probably different than most.