Journalists and editors were in the spotlight this week. At the Society of Environmental Journalists conference, attendees grappled with journalistsâ role in covering climate change; Robert McClure at Dateline Earth and Richard Littlemore at DeSmogBlog report. Tara C. Smith at Aetiology highlights one cringe-inducing example of a newspaper getting an important statistic wrong, while Revere at Effect Measure criticizes newspapersâ failure to correct factual errors.
Bloggers also pointed out public health-related calendar items: Gloria Feldt at RH Reality Check reminds us to celebrate Margaret Sangerâs birthday (today, 9/14); Grrl Scientist at Living the Scientific Life provides important information for World Suicide Prevention Day (9/10); Tara C. Smith at Aetiology tells us why we should care about World Rabies Day (9/8); and the folks at Deep Sea News have declared this week Microbe Week (âshark week for geeksâ).
Elsewhere:
Amanda at Enviroblog tells Congress how it can give the toothless tiger back its teeth (i.e., get the Consumer Products Safety Commission to do its job).
Nick Anthis at the Scientific Activist explores HIV denialism in South Africa.
Merrill Goozner at GoozNews explains neglected tropical diseases and how to fight them.
Barton Jones at Hazardâs Recognized wonders why OSHAâs new electrical standard is based on old information.
Angry Toxicologist has some possible explanations for the surge in reports of adverse event from prescription drugs.
David Roberts at Gristmill discusses the role of civil society in tackling environmental problems.
Lisa Stiffler at Dateline Earth reports that orcas in the Puget Sound have a PCB problem.
WORKPLACE BULLYING Continues to be one of the most injuring environmental issues in the State of Washington. According to a recent Zogby Poll 77% have to leave the jobs they loved in order for it to stop. Usually they end up with lower pay and a longer commute.
Much more sophisticated than the school bully who took your lunch money, the workplace bully has targeted you for expulsion or mistreatment, and usually dispenses a mixture of verbal assaults, humiliation and intimidation, destruction of your workplace relationships, sabotage or falsified documents, witholding deserved praise, and witholding what you need to properly do your job. Please go to the Namie’s website at http://www.bullyinginstitute.org for more information.
The physical & psychological injuries are very real, and it impairs the victim’s ability to enjoy life away from the workplace. The average time needed off work after a bullying experience is 16 months. Sadly, few of us can afford this, but limp right into the job market only to find the bully has sabotaged your ability to get another job.
Workplace bullies can be very focused. My bully has accumulated a file on me that is in excess of 2500 pages for only 7 months of supervision. Much of this is single spaced typwritten pages documenting my every move, i.e., when I carried a cup or went to the bathroom. (You have to have organizational power so you can give all your work to somebody else in order to do that). She also scours the internet looking for stopthebullies blog posts to add to that file. I guess she can have this one too!