President Trump has taken a serious drubbing from both the political right and left for his decision to pull troops out of Syria and Afghanistan. I am not pleased. This is perhaps the one issue on which I'm inclined to support the president, against the united warmongering front presented by the military-industrial-corporate media-Congressional complex. Social … Continue reading One thing I can agree with Trump about – Bring the troops home
Can anyone doubt that climate change is the story of 2018?
New York Times columnist David Leonhardt opined yesterday (Dec. 30) that "the story of 2018 was climate change." Leonhardt explains: "The past year is on pace to be the earth's fourth warmest on record, and the five warmest years have all occurred since 2010. This warming is now starting to cause a lot of damage. … Continue reading Can anyone doubt that climate change is the story of 2018?
Does Mississippi like being last in health rankings?
Does Mississippi covet being at the bottom of the national health heap? You would think as much, given how we never stray too far from it. In fact, the most recent United Health Foundation ranking has Mississippi moving up a notch overall - over its "rival" for last place, Louisiana. But no worries, there's still … Continue reading Does Mississippi like being last in health rankings?
Yellow Vests movement in France deserves attention from U.S. social workers
This is what a democratic uprising can look like - https://www.facebook.com/nytvideo/videos/frances-yellow-vests-protests-understanding-the-collective-rage/261768511159947/ - and it scares the hell out of neoliberal elites everywhere, in the U.S. as well as Europe. Which no doubt helps to explain why four weeks of Gilets Jaunes ("yellow vests") protest in France has been largely ignored by the American corporate media. French … Continue reading Yellow Vests movement in France deserves attention from U.S. social workers
How will social work respond to the impacts of climate disruption?
Increasingly, even the "optimists" among climate change realists are concluding that massive disruptions to both the natural and social worlds are a certainty. Even if rapid and effective government action somehow manages to avert the very worst effects (whatever those might be, but we can't rule out runaway climate feedback loops spelling the extinction of … Continue reading How will social work respond to the impacts of climate disruption?
Public health workers declare police violence a public health issue
An important development that I nearly missed - At their recent annual meeting in San Diego, voting representatives of the more than 25,000 members of the American Public Health Association (APHA) approved a policy that identifies violence associated with "law enforcement" as a major public health concern. (You can read about it here - https://filtermag.org/2018/11/15/the-american-public-health-association-declares-police-violence-a-public-health-issue/) … Continue reading Public health workers declare police violence a public health issue
Might Mississippi be finally waking up to the climate crisis?
You'd be hard pressed to find much major media discussion of the climate crisis in Mississippi. (Let's stop talking about climate "change," by the way; it's already a crisis that can only intensify with time). So imagine my surprise at seeing the Clarion-Ledger today run a front-page story on the failure of both senatorial candidates, … Continue reading Might Mississippi be finally waking up to the climate crisis?
Thank you, women
If the U.S. manages to arrest its current slide toward authoritarian despotism, it will be because women - including the record number of candidates, the record number of volunteer operatives, and the record number of voters - stood up and stood out in the 2018 midterm elections. A still-uncertain number of fresh female faces, most … Continue reading Thank you, women
Southern Miss Faculty Members & Students Soar at the AL-MS Conference
USM School of Social Work faculty & students attend & present at the 47th Annual Alabama-Mississippi Social Work Education Conference.
Students Gathering Data Also Find Kindness Door-to-Door
The first of a two-day research project in south Mississippi on disaster resiliency and preparedness resulted in 168 completed surveys.