Echo

Does hunting solve the equation of desperation?

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When the number of people having trouble feeding themselves and their families increases, and the services that are instituted to help them, suffer at the same time, what I call “an equation of desperation” is created. Food isn’t really a commodity, and if it isn’t available, there certainly aren’t replacements. I mean, hell…the stuff has generated wars and caused people to do outrageous, unspeakable things. So, while we may not be to that point yet in the United States, could it get there if the system that was put in place to prevent food hardship fails? The 2010 Food Hardship report by the Food Research and Action Center recently reported nearly 20 percent of all people have trouble feeding their families on a daily basis.

Echo

Edible Cutlery: A trend and source of waste?

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As if overeating wasn’t already a problem, now we are offered the option to eat our dishes. Large, hollowed out loaves of bread known as “bread bowls” have become a trendy addition to the menu of a startling amount of chain restaurants. They are fully operational bowls, filled with soup, pasta, chili, dip, quiche and even salad, and customers love it. I once watched a woman practically throw her tray back at the cashier after her broccoli and cheese soup was served in ceramic. However, after the meal was returned to her in the sourdough she requested, she ate the soup, leaving the bowl that had caused so much controversy, on the tray.

Recreation

VIDEO: Freshwater surfers are Great Lakes activists

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Last February, Deur was asked by the Healing Our Waters Coalition, a group working to restore the Great Lakes, to lobby in Washington, D.C. on Great Lakes Day. He was the only surfer among 100 business leaders, lobbyists and activists discussing the restoration and protection of the lakes on Capitol Hill.

Echo

Special Report: Public Health, Public Pools

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Public pools are recreational havens. But hey can also be health hazards. The most common safety risk associated with swimming is usually drowning. Few people think of water quality. Join the Great Lakes Echo in a series to answer: What’s in the pool?

Echo

The people running your pool: Michigan is one of 21 states not requiring certification for pool operators

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By Haley Walker, Alice Rossignol and Emma Ogutu

Maintaining a pool to be healthy and safe is not easy. And Kevin Hoard would know. As a certified pool operator at Michigan State University, he’s had 70 hours of official pool maintenance training. “It updates us on the current codes, concerns and disease prevention,” Hoard said. “It makes sure we’re in compliance with the law.”

But not all pool operators are trained like Hoard.

Echo

What’s in the water: How the quality of the water in your pool affects your health

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By Haley Walker, Alice Rossignol and Emma Ogutu

Jan. 14, 2010

Three years ago a 6-year-old boy was rushed to intensive care when someone put the wrong amount of chemicals into a Nebraska motel pool. He and 23 other people suffered digestive, eye and respiratory problems when a pool operator used the wrong ratio of chlorine and ammonia. The boy was hospitalized in pediatric intensive care. Drowning is the most common risk people associate with pools.

Echo

Testing the water yourself

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Unsure of how well a pool is maintained? You can test the water yourself. Swimmers can test the chemical levels of a pool before they swim by using  testing kits purchased from home improvement or pool chemical stores. Test strips:

Test strips are chemically treated to react by producing a certain color upon dipping in the water. The testing kits come with  instructions for collecting water or simply dipping a strip in the pool.

Water

Tips for Healthy Swimming

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The CDC recommends the following practices to protect swimmers from water-related illnesses:

Don’t swim when you have diarrhea. Shower with soap before swimming and wash your hands after using the toilet or changing diapers. Don’t swallow pool water and avoid getting water in your mouth. If the pool has a strong chlorine smell, it is usually an indication that the water is unhealthy. The smell comes when the chlorine is combined with bodily fluids such as saliva, urine, feces, sweat or body oils.

Water

Common Recreational Water Illnesses

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Cryptosporidium (Crypto)

Crypto is a diarrheal disease caused by a parasite. Infection occurs from ingesting or swimming in contaminated water. Common symptoms include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever and stomach cramps.  The parasite is protected by an outer shell that allows it to survive for long periods and makes it very resistant to chlorine. Shigella
Shigella is a group of bacteria that cause fever, diarrhea and stomach cramps usually a day or two after exposure. The diarrhea is usually bloody but goes away in five to seven days.  Infection occurs from contact with infected water or stool.

Echo

Rx: Healthy food for a healing body

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By Haley Walker
Dec. 4, 2009

Chef Frank Turner buys local and organic food every Wednesday from a farmer’s market a few feet from where he works. Turner uses tomatoes, greens, onions, squash and other items from approximately 18 vendors that set up each week on the grounds of Henry Ford Hospital in West Bloomfield, Mich. The meals he creates from the fresh food aren’t served to restaurant patrons. They will most likely be enjoyed by someone in bed as Turner is the executive chef of the hospital and his customers are the patients.