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Study: Financial waste in healthcare remains significant

Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied Healthcare

Despite its reputation for saving things, healthcare can be a pretty wasteful environment. In fact, there’s so much excess that nearly a quarter or more of all the money in the sector gets wasted, a new study suggests. The sum of all waste is estimated to range from $760 billion to $935 billion, according to a recent report in JAMA. There’s a small sliver of good news: Things could be worse. The study authors suggest that the amount of waste was worse, by as much as 5%, in 2011.

Dominant Facebook supports net neutrality, political ads

Michelle R. Matisons Science & Technology

Imagine the kind of hegemonic influence Facebook founder and multibillionaire Mark Zuckerberg has, what with his company supporting 1.5 billion daily active users. That massive data stream is a constant, along with the controversies swirling around Zuckerberg’s indirect and direct political influence. By virtue of the platform’s popularity, Facebook’s ability to shape public consciousness and debate produces a vicious cycle whereby people debate the legality of Facebook’s utter social media dominance on Facebook.

VA’s Adaptive Sports Grant Program awards millions

Roy Phillips Civil & Government

The Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced that it has awarded $14.8 million in grants for adaptive sports in 2019. The funds were distributed to organizations that support adaptive sports programs for disabled veterans and current service members who are disabled. 126 organizations and 11,000 veterans are expected to benefit from the grants. The grants were made, primarily to veterans service organizations, municipalities, and community-based groups.

Where to see fall bird migrations

Dave G. Houser Travel, Hospitality & Event Management

Just the mention of wildlife migrations brings to mind the frenzied scene of millions of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles racing across the Serengeti plains of Africa. It is a grand spectacle to be sure, but every fall certain areas of the U.S. play host to mass migrations of similar scale and excitement as billions of birds take wing on their way to southern wintering grounds — in flocks that are often large enough to darken the sky. For those who would like to get in on the action, here are six major stopover spots across the United States where you can see birds as they make their way to warmer climes.

Bison on the mountain

Chester Moore Jr. Recreation & Leisure

The unmistakable silhouette of a bull bison caught my attention. Enshrouded in a rainy mist, the curving horns, broad shoulders and massive hump were a perfect picture of nature’s strength. Seeing bison at Yellowstone National Park was not surprising. After all, it is the epicenter of their remaining wild range. Seeing one near a mountain’s peak at an elevation of nearly 10,000 feet, however, was not expected.

Infographic: Understanding marijuana laws, state-by-state

Brian Wallace Law Enforcement, Defense & Security

Marijuana laws are changing across the country. On an almost daily basis, more states are discussing the legalization of marijuana, especially related to drug testing in the workplace. Some states have fully legalized marijuana while other states have only legalized it medicinally. Do you know if your state allows employers to drug test for marijuana? This infographic includes more information on the most lenient and strictest marijuana laws, state by state.

The UK grapples with its low-carbon heating future

Andrew Gaved Manufacturing

Whilst the subject of Brexit is weighing heavily on the minds of U.K. politicians, the heating industry has an equally seismic change of culture to deal with — no less than the prospect of wholesale technology change as it bids to build a low-carbon heating infrastructure. One of the last legislative decisions by former Prime Minister Theresa May was to commit the U.K. to "net zero" carbon emissions by 2050. It is accepted by the HVAC industry that such a stiff target cannot be reached without radically changing its technology approach. What the technology approach should be is currently the subject of fierce debate.

Basketball backlash: China, Hong Kong, business and the NBA

Seth Sandronsky Sports & Fitness

Who could have imagined the shake-up ahead when Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted support for Hong Kong street protests against the Chinese government’s power in the former British colony on Oct. 4? We know now. Chinese firms ended NBA sponsorships and cancelled the airing of televised preseason games, including ones played inside the country between the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets. Chinese basketball fans in the hundreds of millions mean growth for the NBA. Its investors and players count on the financial benefits of that trend. Still, many questions linger.

IRS final rule delivers easier access to 401(k) hardship withdrawals

Grace Ferguson Business Management, Services & Risk Management

On Sept. 23, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published a final rule that simplifies hardship withdrawals for 401(k) and 403(b) plan participants. The final rule substantially mirrors the IRS’ proposed regulations — reflecting changes made by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, the Pension Protection Act of 2006, and the Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax Act of 2008. Some changes are optional; others are mandatory and must be implemented by Jan. 1, 2020.

The crippling American teacher shortage

Patrick Gleeson Education

A teacher shortage doesn’t look the way you might expect. Your child doesn’t come home from their first day of class and announce there’s not enough teachers at school. Neither does this year’s K-12 classroom necessarily have a dozen more kids than last year’s. In some ways, the teacher shortage is nearly invisible, which is part of the problem. What a teacher shortage does is most simply lower the quality of the available teachers.

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