The nation shudders into the second half of 2020, months deep into an unchecked Covid-19 pandemic that has infected 2.8 million Americans and killed roughly 130,000 of us. America has become the coronavirus’s outbreak epicenter, its would-be travelers shunned by leading nations around the world as too risky to allow without quarantines or outright bans…..
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Potomac River tragedies offer warning about summer water safety hazards
At least three recent deaths in the DC area offer a grim reminder about the summer’s heat and the risks of drowning. With the Covid-19 pandemic changing the easy and relaxed availability of public and supervised pools and other cool water recreation spots, will this be a harbinger of needless tragedies? Here’s hoping not. But….
Continue ReadingEven with coronavirus lockdowns, reckless driving and violent attacks abound
The Covid-19 pandemic has kept most Americans locked down for weeks now, but the tight public health measures, alas, haven’t slashed as much as might be hoped two leading, non-virus causes of harms to people: reckless driving and senseless violence, especially with guns. The road mayhem is a real head-scratcher, as a frequent factor in….
Continue ReadingTough choices loom for all of us as states ease public-health restrictions
Do I, or don’t I? Do we, or don’t we? As the stringent public health measures designed to bend the curve with the Covid-19 pandemic begin to lift or ease — including in Maryland and Virginia — hundreds of millions of Americans will make difficult individual decisions about their lives and livelihoods. Fears are high….
Continue ReadingLife grinds to a halt as Americans start to deal with gravity of Covid-19 spread
Across the nation, and throughout the DC region, Americans — finally — have started to come to grips with the gravity of a fast-spreading, new respiratory virus’ infections. The novel coronavirus has infected almost 150,000 internationally, killing thousands as part of what now is officially a global pandemic and a national emergency. Cases of Covid-19….
Continue ReadingA cause for global concern: an exploding viral outbreak in central China
The Year of the Rat has dawned in Asia in most inauspicious fashion, with public health officials grappling with an exploding viral outbreak centered in China. Tens of millions of Chinese have been locked down in what officials are saying may be one of the largest health quarantines of its kinds, occurring during Asia’s major….
Continue ReadingFor safety’s sake: Pedestrians, put down the phone! Bikers, put on the helmet!
With the pedestrian death toll climbing to scary levels and bike-vehicle accidents zooming up too, individuals may need to take common sense steps to safeguard themselves and not rely on motorists or traffic planners for their safety. Just as drivers need to put away electronic devices while they’re on the road, so, too, should folks….
Continue ReadingWho will step up to deal with dementia and Alzheimer’s?
With as many as 14 million Americans potentially suffering from various forms of dementia by 2040, including the common Alzheimer’s disease, and with the costs of the care for them forecast to soar soon to more than $500 billion, a frenzied race is on for ways to deal with the debilitating cognitive syndromes. But will….
Continue ReadingGet ready, Washingtonians — 20,000 scooters soon may be part of cityscape
In the cooler, rainier autumnal weather, transportation officials may be planting the seeds of significant change for the health, safety, and way that residents and visitors get around Washington, D.C. They may allow a smaller number of private companies to double the number of scooters zipping around the nation’s capital by the new year. By….
Continue ReadingSafety concerns grow over cars’ high-tech braking and summoning features
Technology advocates may be ignoring due cautions as they put software ahead of safety in the push to make the vehicles of today and tomorrow more self-driving (aka autonomous). Car and truck owners, safety advocates warn, should proceed with care before relying on automatic emergency braking systems, especially as they purport to safeguard pedestrians. Restraint….
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