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Is the US a nation of nontraditional workers? Not yet

Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Do not believe the hype of a boom in gig jobs. Such nontraditional work arrangements reveal a pattern that has remained largely unchanged over the past 12 years, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics survey. The survey, called Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements, found that 5.9 million Americans or "3.8 percent of workers...held contingent jobs" in May 2017 vs. 1.8 percent to 4.1 percent of the workforce in February 2005. The BLS also surveyed other workers in alternative work arrangements.

The road to ruin: How US infrastructure is hurting logistics

Delany Martinez Distribution & Warehousing

From crumbling, aging bridges that failed to pass any but the most basic of structural tests to endless waves of patch-fixing on the torn-up highways traversing them, many of the 4 million miles of roadways in the United States have seen much better days. For everyday drivers, this amounts to an inconvenience, and perhaps a pinch of worry when ugly weather is tossed into the mix. For logistics professionals, however, the situation is much more dire.

New House bill focuses on Medicare drug price reduction

Dr. Abimbola Farinde Pharmaceutical

The rising costs of drug prices is an issue that many Americans have had to contend with for some time. The out-of-pocket costs that some Americans have to pay for medications can put them in situations where they have to decide between life's necessities or obtaining medications that have the potential to sustain or improve their health. Currently, there is a proposal in the U.S. House of Representatives that would seek to tackle rising drug prices, especially for those Americans who fall under Medicare Part D, Medicare’s long-existing prescription drug plan.

Scandinavian countries top happiness chart: What’s their secret?

Dave G. Houser Civil & Government

For about six months of the year, Finland has only a few hours of light per day and endures temperatures well below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. It also has one of the world’s highest tax rates. Nonetheless, Finns are the happiest people in the world according to the 2018 United Nations’ World Happiness Report — and their Nordic neighbors aren’t far behind in the rankings. By contrast, the United States is in a period of happiness slippage, fading from third place to 18th in the last two years.

Hints and ideas for boondocking

Cindy Belt Recreation & Leisure

There are many terms for kinds of camping, and each has a slightly different definition. Dispersed camping is more of a government term for dry camping spread out on national lands. Some locations are free and some have a minimal fee. Boondocking can be free camping or dispersed camping. Black top boondocking is a subset of boondocking that takes place when you camp in a parking lot. We don’t boondock all the time, but we like to reduce our expenses by boondocking several times a month. Here are some hints and ideas for boondocking.

Then and now: Apparatus changes over the years

Frank R. Myers Law Enforcement, Defense & Security

As many of us have experienced over many years in a career, there are always trends and changes. Besides those that have occurred to apparatus in the fire service, I have also noticed changes in design. The changes on apparatuses have revolved around safety, technology and improvements. As with all changes that occur over time, a trend usually appears across all departments.

Study suggests legal marijuana industry puts profit ahead of safety for…

Dr. Denise A. Valenti Medical & Allied Healthcare

Seventy percent of women describing themselves as pregnant were advised to use marijuana as treatment when seeking advice from medicinal-marijuana and adult-use dispensaries in Colorado, according to a study published in Obstetrics and Gynecology released this month. Further, more than 30 percent of these women were told marijuana is safe to use during pregnancy. Marijuana is not recommended for use during pregnancy. While the evidence is mixed, there is indication of harm to a developing fetus.

New initiatives bring hope for K-12 curriculum changes

Bambi Majumdar Education

The education system that forms the backbone of our schools is more than 125 years old. What may have worked well in 1892 is no longer helping our students. In an era of Google, social media and continuous innovation, this should be a defunct system. Students need different skills and a different way to learn and absorb knowledge. Instead of rote memory and test output, children today need to learn new skills on a perpetual basis. Some change is on the way.

Think positively for positive results

Maryann Lesnick Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Studies have long shown that not only does success at work lead to individual satisfaction and happiness, but that happiness leads to successful outcomes at work. From personal experience, I have seen that teams are happier when they have a happy leader. I am happier when I work for and with happy people. Attitude is everything. I think proposals are fun. And when I convey that message — when I live it — they become fun for everyone in the company.

Little-known facts about Memorial Day

Dave G. Houser Recreation & Leisure

With our minds focused on beach or pool visits, barbecuing and other activities associated with the unofficial start of summer, it’s easy to overlook what Memorial Day is really all about. Clearly, it is about much more than a fun-filled three-day weekend. Memorial Day, of course, is a solemn day of remembrance in honor of the men and women who have died while serving in the U.S. armed forces. But how much more do you actually know about the holiday and its origins?

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