Apr 18, 2023 | Salon.com
When Dr. Heidi Kar was a psychologist for the Department of Veterans Affairs, one of her patients was a veteran who refused to give up his gun — despite being so depressed that he had repeatedly tried to take his own life.
Today, Dr. Kar is the Principal Advisor for Mental Health, Trauma and Violence at Education Development Center (EDC)....
Originally posted on salon.com
Apr 18, 2023 | Salon.com
If no settlement can be reached in Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News, the ensuing trial will prove to be one of the most important in the history of First Amendment law. On Sunday, the start of the trial was delayed by 24 hours, and reports of a possible settlement spread. ...
Originally posted on salon.com
Apr 15, 2023 | Salon.com
No one wants to be falsely accused of saying or doing something that will destroy their reputation. Even more nightmarish is a scenario where, despite being innocent, the fabricated “evidence” against a person is so convincing that they are unable to save themselves. Yet thanks to a rapidly advancing type of artificial intelligence (AI) known as “deepfake” technology, our near-future society will be one where everyone is at great risk of having exactly that nightmare come true....
Originally posted on salon.com
Apr 14, 2023 | Salon.com
While most Westerners take it as gospel that full-time work means working a five-day workweek, many labor groups, progressive businesses, and even governments are touting (and even testing) the viability of a four-day work week. Indeed, there are many well-studied benefits to only being required to work for four days instead of five, including improved employee mental health (without loss in productivity) and increased opportunities for personal productivity....
Originally posted on salon.com
Apr 14, 2023 | Salon.com
The term “forever chemical” might sound ominous, but there is a good reason for that. Formally known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), so-called forever chemicals are used in hundreds of common products for water-proofing and stain-resistance. They’re also linked to a tremendous number of health problems, including liver and fertility issues....
Originally posted on salon.com
Apr 11, 2023 | Salon.com
40,000 pounds of contaminated soil being transported away from East Palestine, Ohio was spilled in the eastern Ohio county of Columbiana at 1 PM on Monday, according to several local news sources. The spill occurred as a truck driver, 74-year-old Phillip Falck of McDonald, Penn., was driving a vehicle full of hazardous material that originated in East Palestine....
Originally posted on salon.com
Apr 11, 2023 | Salon.com
The term “abyssal ocean” conjures up ominous images, and rightly so — the literal deep sea abyss is extremely dark, at or near freezing temperatures, and full of peril. In the deepest parts of the abyssal ocean, which is defined as the ocean layer between 4,000 to 6,000 meters deep, light is so limited that photosynthesis is not even possible, meaning there are no plants....
Originally posted on salon.com
Apr 9, 2023 | Salon.com
If you live in the United States and commute to your job, there is a 91% chance that you do so via a personal vehicle — meaning, a car. While that is certainly an extreme level of car dependency, Americans are hardly alone in their affliction. In Cyprus, 85% are dependent on cars as their main transport mode, while the European Union as a whole has an average of 47%....
Originally posted on salon.com
Apr 9, 2023 | Salon.com
The United States has reached unprecedented levels of political polarization, and the phenomenon seems to only be getting worse. Whatever bipartisan comity existed in the twentieth century seems to have largely evaporated; indeed, polling shows that Americans are even moving away from places where they feel their political views aren’t welcomed....
Originally posted on salon.com
Apr 8, 2023 | Salon.com
Arguably the most important question for humanity in the 21st century is how we will adapt to climate change. While climate change is a multifaceted problem that is going to wreak all kinds of havoc on Earth and its life, humans will inevitably need to focus on preserving resources that are most fundamental to sustaining us....
Originally posted on salon.com