Yawning doctors: Harmful to your health?

Health | Ano Lobb | Wednesday 17th March 2010

A study in this month's Pediatrics examines communication lapses during shift changes that can have serious consequences for the health and safety of patients. Researchers at the University of Chicago observed first-year residents spending 10 to 15 minutes at the end of their shift informing members of the next shift about their patients. Frighteningly, the information that the outgoing residents

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	Home-made pv panels Sustainable Development \| Andrea Brennen \| Wednesday 17th March 2010 In my last post I introduced some of the differences between low-tech vs. high-tech approachs to green design. The Main Solar Energy Association [MeSEA], based in Lubec, is a great example of the former. Straight out of the pages of the Whole Earth Catalog, MeSEA offers workshops in "do-it-yourself-solar" and publishes a quarterly newsletter, The Maine Sun. I spoke with the organization's John Burke and Soni Biehl at the NESEA trade show. Soni showed me a functioning home-made pv panel, built from industry seconds, and handed me a copy of The Maine Solar Primer, "a compilation of practical information and diagrams from past issues of The Maine Sun." Lessons from the Maine Solar Primer Yes, you can use solar energy in Maine; in fact, if you're industrious, you can build your own solar hybrid green house, solar [air] heater, solar cooker, solar herb and food drier, or "bread box" solar water heater. To help you get started, the Primer contains step-by-step how-to instructions, illustrated with a series of very helpful hand-drawn diagrams. If you're really ambitious, you can follow the instructions listed in the section...

	Use Job Postings To Your Advantage! Responsible Careers \| Mrim Boutla \| Wednesday 17th March 2010 Many of you have already heard that 80% of job opportunities are never advertised, and are instead filled through networking. Today, we will focus on the 20% of job (and internship) opportunities that are actually advertised, and how you can best compete for those! Here are a few suggestions for you to use the job (or internship) posting to maximize your chances to convert your application into an interview: The job posting represents the profile of the ideal candidate the company wants to hire. The hiring manager knows that it is unlikely that he/she will find the ideal candidate. Therefore, your job is to show how close your profile is to that of the perfect candidate described in the job posting. Don't let the job description intimidate you: Job seekers are quite often intimidated by job descriptions and don't apply for jobs they actually are qualified for. As a job seeker, remember that 100% of people who get the job applied for it! Therefore, if your profile meets most of the requirements and some of the preferences listed on the description, apply and let the hiring manager make a decision! ...

	Socio-Eco Innovator: What is it and how can you become one? Responsible Careers \| Mrim Boutla \| Wednesday 17th March 2010 What's one of the most common questions I get from students and working professionals? What is a socio-eco innovator (SEI) and how do I become one? What is a Socio-Eco Innovator (SEI)? SEIs are professionals who lead careers that successfully blend financial return with social impact and environmental responsibility. As such, SEIs can be found across the private, non-profit and public sectors. Across these sectors, SEIs aim at measuring their results and return on investments using a triple bottom line approach. They measure financial return, but also assess the social and environmental impact of their work. How do I become an SEI? The visibility of SEI careers is higher than ever. However, for aspiring SEIs, more information can also mean more confusion! This post is designed to help you explore your options and further articulate your career goals. Whether you are an aspiring SEI currently in college or an experienced professional that now wants to add social or environmental value in addition to the economic value you have been creating, this post will help you get to ...

	Introducing New Responsible Careers Blogger - Mrim Boutla, PhD Responsible Careers \| Mrim Boutla \| Wednesday 17th March 2010 Greetings Readers! I am thrilled to have this opportunity to serve as a new author for the Justmeans Responsible Careers Editorial Blog! Like many GenXers, I am under 40 and yet have had a number of careers: I am a brain scientist turned career coach turned social entrepreneur. I am also a global citizen: half-Swiss, half-Moroccan, and married to a Brazilian - living in the Midwest truly is living in the middle for us! I am thrilled to bring my global knowledge and my career coaching experience to make the Justmeans Responsible Careers Blog the go-to blog for students and professionals who want to (a) articulate their values and purpose, and (b) best compete for job opportunities that translate their purpose into good work. I look forward to sharing insights, best practices and tips for you to make career moves that will enable you to emerge as socio-eco innovators who use a triple bottom line (3BL) approach to doing business. Better. My blog posts are meant to be conversation starters. I also look forward to reading your comments and questions, as they will enable me to make my posts as relevant as possible to you!&nbs...

	Open Season for Social Enterprises, and a New Future for Detroit Social Enterprise \| Blake Poston \| Wednesday 17th March 2010 In an effort to save what is left of the housing stock in Detroit, city officials are devising a plan to shrink its residential city limits and hopefully turn around its fate. Currently, Detroit possesses a serious population decline and neighborhoods that have seen better days. A trip through any of Detroit's residential areas would reveal hoards of abandoned buildings and vacant lots, strewn with trash and debris. According to one recent estimate, the city of Detroit currently possesses 35,000 empty houses and 91,000 vacant residential lots. These vacancies have become blights on the community and feeding grounds for illegal dumping, crime and graffiti. It is because of these residential eye soars, the city of Detroit, lead by Mayor David Bing, is seeking to demolish these areas and re-map its residential areas. With the decline of the auto industry and a drastic decrease in population that can be blamed in part on the numerous plant closings, the glory days of Detroit are long behind them. Once a thriving industrial powerhouse, Detroit boasted a population of over 2 million. Now, the city is populated with h...

	Friends in the White House Social Enterprise \| Blake Poston \| Wednesday 17th March 2010 During President Obama's first State of the Union Address, he outlined several initiatives he would like to focus on during the remainder of his Presidency. One of those initiatives was to focus on small businesses. President Obama has called small businesses "one of the biggest drivers of employment that we have." In addition to advancing the small business community, Obama has set aside funds to spur social innovation. This is good news for those interested in pursuing social entrepreneurship. With regards to the small business assistance, the President has outlined a plan to see small businesses possess lower health care costs. He will do this by providing a small business health tax credit that will help employers provide quality health care to their employees. This refundable tax credit offers up to 50% on premiums paid by small businesses on behalf of their employees. Obama's small business health tax credit will work alongside other aspects of his health care plan to lower costs and improve competitiveness for America's small businesses. Barack Obama also believes that his administration needs to reduce the burdens...

	Fair Trade Matters: Hunting for Ethical Easter Eggs Sustainable Food \| Tricia Edgar \| Wednesday 17th March 2010 At every chocolate-oriented holiday, I become a devout shopper. I love Valentine's Day, Easter, even Christmas baking, since they all provide an excuse to bring more chocolate into my home. And no, I don't mean the good-for-you 90% cocoa bars that provide the implicit promise of good health and renewed vigor. No, I mean the delicious milk chocolate bars that are full of sugar and fat and make my life complete. I am also devoted to fair trade chocolate. While I am not a completely ethical consumer, I do try to purchase certain items that are certified fair trade. These include chocolate, bananas, and coffee. Why do I choose fair trade? In the case of chocolate, I want to ensure that the money that leads to delight does not cause other people pain. I want to make sure that the cocoa beans that make my chocolate are not grown by children who are beaten into laboring for up to 18 hours a day, misled into farming on cocoa plantations and seduced by the lure of potential education and good pay. I wouldn't want my child to be hurt for my chocolate. I don't want anyone's child to be hurt so that I can have this lovely little pleasure. But I have a child, and I...

	Indirect Effects of Climate Change on Cyclones Climate Change \| Brian Kahn \| Wednesday 17th March 2010 Fiji was recently hit by Tropical Cyclone Tomas, a category four storm. Reports coming from the hardest hit areas indicate the effects were felt for four days, but that thankfully, there appear to be few fatalities. Was the cyclone caused by climate change? Not really. Were some of its impacts linked to climate change? Possibly. Shorter-term factors like El Nino and local factors like sea surface temperatures and wind shear had a much more immediate impact on the strength and track of Tomas. In fact, the El Nino conditions were experiencing right now can increase the number of cyclones in the South Pacific and move their storm tracks northeast. Fiji sits right to the northeast of most storm tracks so its not surprising that a cyclone made landfall there. Climate change and its effect on cyclones is a very "active" area of research. It just so happens the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Expert Team on Climate Change Impacts on Tropical Cyclones recently updated their findings on tropical cyclones (or hurricanes or typhoons as you may know then in other parts of the world). There's two areas of stro...

	Indirect Effects of Climate Change on Cyclones Climate Change \| Brian Kahn \| Wednesday 17th March 2010 Fiji was recently hit by Tropical Cyclone Tomas, a category four storm. Reports coming from the hardest hit areas indicate the effects were felt for four days, but that thankfully, there appear to be few fatalities. Was the cyclone caused by climate change? Not really. Were some of its impacts linked to climate change? Possibly. Shorter-term factors like El Nino and local factors like sea surface temperatures and wind shear had a much more immediate impact on the strength and track of Tomas. In fact, the El Nino conditions were experiencing right now can increase the number of cyclones in the South Pacific and move their storm tracks northeast. Fiji sits right to the northeast of most storm tracks so its not surprising that a cyclone made landfall there. Climate change and its effect on cyclones is a very "active" area of research. It just so happens the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Expert Team on Climate Change Impacts on Tropical Cyclones recently updated their findings on tropical cyclones (or hurricanes or typhoons as you may know then in other parts of the world). There's two areas of stro...

	What to Do With an Extra Kilowatt? Energy & Emissions \| Paul Birkeland \| Tuesday 16th March 2010 How can salmon benefit from our energy savings? In a recent post, A Nominal Egg, I wrote that in order to maximize the effectiveness of our electricity conservation efforts, we needed to make sure that the electricity we saved did not just end up on the open market where it would actually lower prices for others and ENCOURAGE them to use it. I advocated that we invest the actual resources saved in not producing the electricity to restore other resources that we may have depleted. Here's one example on how to do it in a specific region. A recent report by The Wilderness Society found that the top ten National Forests for carbon storage are all in Washington (3), Oregon (6), and Alaska (1). This is the heart of "Cascadia,' a region defined by salmon runs, evergreen forests, and, coincidentally, hydro power derived from the extensive river systems. Currently, dam systems on many of the region's major rivers are damaging salmon runs, or outright running them to extinction. Logging has historically devastated watersheds where salmon return to spawn, rendering spawning streams unusable. Climate change is of course complicating the whole picture, changing oce...

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	Home-made pv panels Sustainable Development \| Andrea Brennen \| Wednesday 17th March 2010 In my last post I introduced some of the differences between low-tech vs. high-tech approachs to green design. The Main Solar Energy Association [MeSEA], based in Lubec, is a great example of the former. Straight out of the pages of the Whole Earth Catalog, MeSEA offers workshops in "do-it-yourself-solar" and publishes a quarterly newsletter, The Maine Sun. I spoke with the organization's John Burke and Soni Biehl at the NESEA trade show. Soni showed me a functioning home-made pv panel, built from industry seconds, and handed me a copy of The Maine Solar Primer, "a compilation of practical information and diagrams from past issues of The Maine Sun." Lessons from the Maine Solar Primer Yes, you can use solar energy in Maine; in fact, if you're industrious, you can build your own solar hybrid green house, solar [air] heater, solar cooker, solar herb and food drier, or "bread box" solar water heater. To help you get started, the Primer contains step-by-step how-to instructions, illustrated with a series of very helpful hand-drawn diagrams. If you're really ambitious, you can follow the instructions listed in the section...

	Use Job Postings To Your Advantage! Responsible Careers \| Mrim Boutla \| Wednesday 17th March 2010 Many of you have already heard that 80% of job opportunities are never advertised, and are instead filled through networking. Today, we will focus on the 20% of job (and internship) opportunities that are actually advertised, and how you can best compete for those! Here are a few suggestions for you to use the job (or internship) posting to maximize your chances to convert your application into an interview: The job posting represents the profile of the ideal candidate the company wants to hire. The hiring manager knows that it is unlikely that he/she will find the ideal candidate. Therefore, your job is to show how close your profile is to that of the perfect candidate described in the job posting. Don't let the job description intimidate you: Job seekers are quite often intimidated by job descriptions and don't apply for jobs they actually are qualified for. As a job seeker, remember that 100% of people who get the job applied for it! Therefore, if your profile meets most of the requirements and some of the preferences listed on the description, apply and let the hiring manager make a decision! ...

	Socio-Eco Innovator: What is it and how can you become one? Responsible Careers \| Mrim Boutla \| Wednesday 17th March 2010 What's one of the most common questions I get from students and working professionals? What is a socio-eco innovator (SEI) and how do I become one? What is a Socio-Eco Innovator (SEI)? SEIs are professionals who lead careers that successfully blend financial return with social impact and environmental responsibility. As such, SEIs can be found across the private, non-profit and public sectors. Across these sectors, SEIs aim at measuring their results and return on investments using a triple bottom line approach. They measure financial return, but also assess the social and environmental impact of their work. How do I become an SEI? The visibility of SEI careers is higher than ever. However, for aspiring SEIs, more information can also mean more confusion! This post is designed to help you explore your options and further articulate your career goals. Whether you are an aspiring SEI currently in college or an experienced professional that now wants to add social or environmental value in addition to the economic value you have been creating, this post will help you get to ...

	Introducing New Responsible Careers Blogger - Mrim Boutla, PhD Responsible Careers \| Mrim Boutla \| Wednesday 17th March 2010 Greetings Readers! I am thrilled to have this opportunity to serve as a new author for the Justmeans Responsible Careers Editorial Blog! Like many GenXers, I am under 40 and yet have had a number of careers: I am a brain scientist turned career coach turned social entrepreneur. I am also a global citizen: half-Swiss, half-Moroccan, and married to a Brazilian - living in the Midwest truly is living in the middle for us! I am thrilled to bring my global knowledge and my career coaching experience to make the Justmeans Responsible Careers Blog the go-to blog for students and professionals who want to (a) articulate their values and purpose, and (b) best compete for job opportunities that translate their purpose into good work. I look forward to sharing insights, best practices and tips for you to make career moves that will enable you to emerge as socio-eco innovators who use a triple bottom line (3BL) approach to doing business. Better. My blog posts are meant to be conversation starters. I also look forward to reading your comments and questions, as they will enable me to make my posts as relevant as possible to you!&nbs...

	Open Season for Social Enterprises, and a New Future for Detroit Social Enterprise \| Blake Poston \| Wednesday 17th March 2010 In an effort to save what is left of the housing stock in Detroit, city officials are devising a plan to shrink its residential city limits and hopefully turn around its fate. Currently, Detroit possesses a serious population decline and neighborhoods that have seen better days. A trip through any of Detroit's residential areas would reveal hoards of abandoned buildings and vacant lots, strewn with trash and debris. According to one recent estimate, the city of Detroit currently possesses 35,000 empty houses and 91,000 vacant residential lots. These vacancies have become blights on the community and feeding grounds for illegal dumping, crime and graffiti. It is because of these residential eye soars, the city of Detroit, lead by Mayor David Bing, is seeking to demolish these areas and re-map its residential areas. With the decline of the auto industry and a drastic decrease in population that can be blamed in part on the numerous plant closings, the glory days of Detroit are long behind them. Once a thriving industrial powerhouse, Detroit boasted a population of over 2 million. Now, the city is populated with h...

	Friends in the White House Social Enterprise \| Blake Poston \| Wednesday 17th March 2010 During President Obama's first State of the Union Address, he outlined several initiatives he would like to focus on during the remainder of his Presidency. One of those initiatives was to focus on small businesses. President Obama has called small businesses "one of the biggest drivers of employment that we have." In addition to advancing the small business community, Obama has set aside funds to spur social innovation. This is good news for those interested in pursuing social entrepreneurship. With regards to the small business assistance, the President has outlined a plan to see small businesses possess lower health care costs. He will do this by providing a small business health tax credit that will help employers provide quality health care to their employees. This refundable tax credit offers up to 50% on premiums paid by small businesses on behalf of their employees. Obama's small business health tax credit will work alongside other aspects of his health care plan to lower costs and improve competitiveness for America's small businesses. Barack Obama also believes that his administration needs to reduce the burdens...

	Fair Trade Matters: Hunting for Ethical Easter Eggs Sustainable Food \| Tricia Edgar \| Wednesday 17th March 2010 At every chocolate-oriented holiday, I become a devout shopper. I love Valentine's Day, Easter, even Christmas baking, since they all provide an excuse to bring more chocolate into my home. And no, I don't mean the good-for-you 90% cocoa bars that provide the implicit promise of good health and renewed vigor. No, I mean the delicious milk chocolate bars that are full of sugar and fat and make my life complete. I am also devoted to fair trade chocolate. While I am not a completely ethical consumer, I do try to purchase certain items that are certified fair trade. These include chocolate, bananas, and coffee. Why do I choose fair trade? In the case of chocolate, I want to ensure that the money that leads to delight does not cause other people pain. I want to make sure that the cocoa beans that make my chocolate are not grown by children who are beaten into laboring for up to 18 hours a day, misled into farming on cocoa plantations and seduced by the lure of potential education and good pay. I wouldn't want my child to be hurt for my chocolate. I don't want anyone's child to be hurt so that I can have this lovely little pleasure. But I have a child, and I...

	Indirect Effects of Climate Change on Cyclones Climate Change \| Brian Kahn \| Wednesday 17th March 2010 Fiji was recently hit by Tropical Cyclone Tomas, a category four storm. Reports coming from the hardest hit areas indicate the effects were felt for four days, but that thankfully, there appear to be few fatalities. Was the cyclone caused by climate change? Not really. Were some of its impacts linked to climate change? Possibly. Shorter-term factors like El Nino and local factors like sea surface temperatures and wind shear had a much more immediate impact on the strength and track of Tomas. In fact, the El Nino conditions were experiencing right now can increase the number of cyclones in the South Pacific and move their storm tracks northeast. Fiji sits right to the northeast of most storm tracks so its not surprising that a cyclone made landfall there. Climate change and its effect on cyclones is a very "active" area of research. It just so happens the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Expert Team on Climate Change Impacts on Tropical Cyclones recently updated their findings on tropical cyclones (or hurricanes or typhoons as you may know then in other parts of the world). There's two areas of stro...

	Indirect Effects of Climate Change on Cyclones Climate Change \| Brian Kahn \| Wednesday 17th March 2010 Fiji was recently hit by Tropical Cyclone Tomas, a category four storm. Reports coming from the hardest hit areas indicate the effects were felt for four days, but that thankfully, there appear to be few fatalities. Was the cyclone caused by climate change? Not really. Were some of its impacts linked to climate change? Possibly. Shorter-term factors like El Nino and local factors like sea surface temperatures and wind shear had a much more immediate impact on the strength and track of Tomas. In fact, the El Nino conditions were experiencing right now can increase the number of cyclones in the South Pacific and move their storm tracks northeast. Fiji sits right to the northeast of most storm tracks so its not surprising that a cyclone made landfall there. Climate change and its effect on cyclones is a very "active" area of research. It just so happens the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Expert Team on Climate Change Impacts on Tropical Cyclones recently updated their findings on tropical cyclones (or hurricanes or typhoons as you may know then in other parts of the world). There's two areas of stro...

	What to Do With an Extra Kilowatt? Energy & Emissions \| Paul Birkeland \| Tuesday 16th March 2010 How can salmon benefit from our energy savings? In a recent post, A Nominal Egg, I wrote that in order to maximize the effectiveness of our electricity conservation efforts, we needed to make sure that the electricity we saved did not just end up on the open market where it would actually lower prices for others and ENCOURAGE them to use it. I advocated that we invest the actual resources saved in not producing the electricity to restore other resources that we may have depleted. Here's one example on how to do it in a specific region. A recent report by The Wilderness Society found that the top ten National Forests for carbon storage are all in Washington (3), Oregon (6), and Alaska (1). This is the heart of "Cascadia,' a region defined by salmon runs, evergreen forests, and, coincidentally, hydro power derived from the extensive river systems. Currently, dam systems on many of the region's major rivers are damaging salmon runs, or outright running them to extinction. Logging has historically devastated watersheds where salmon return to spawn, rendering spawning streams unusable. Climate change is of course complicating the whole picture, changing oce...