Skin Cancer Awareness

"Overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays causes most cases of melanoma, the deadliest kind of skin cancer. To lower your skin cancer risk, protect your skin from the sun and avoid indoor tanning.

Summer is full of outdoor activities. You probably put sunscreen on yourself and your kids when you go to the pool or the beach. But do you know you should protect your skin with more than just sunscreen anytime you’re outside?

Sun protection is important all year round, and it’s best to use several different kinds. When you’re working in the yard, watching a ballgame, or taking an afternoon walk, make sun safety an everyday habit so you can avoid getting a sunburn and lower your chance of getting skin cancer.

What’s In Your Tote Bag?

Here’s a tip to help make sure you and your family stay sun-safe. Get ready for summer with a tote bag full of different ways to protect your skin. Keep the tote bag handy so you can grab it whenever you head out for summer fun!

Some important things to pack—

• A lightweight long-sleeved shirt or cover-up.
• A hat with a wide brim that shades your face, head, ears, and neck.
• Sunglasses that block both UVA and UVB rays.
• Sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher and both UVA and UVB (broad spectrum) protection..."
  Skin cancer 

The Budget and Economic Outlook: 2022 to 2032

"The Congressional Budget Office regularly publishes reports presenting its baseline projections of what the federal budget and the economy would look like in the current year and over the next 10 years if current laws governing taxes and spending generally remained unchanged. This report is the latest in that series

 • The Budget.

CBO projects that the federal budget deficit will shrink to $1.0 trillion in 2022 (it was $2.8 trillion last year) and that the annual shortfall would average $1.6 trillion from 2023 to 2032. The deficit continues to decrease as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) next year as spending related to the coronavirus pandemic wanes, but then deficits increase, reaching 6.1 percent of GDP in 2032. The deficit has been greater than that only six times since 1946 (see Chapter 1).

Outlays are projected to average 23 percent of GDP over that period, a level high by historical standards, boosted by rising interest costs and greater spending for programs that provide benefits to elderly people (see Chapter 3). Revenues are projected to reach their highest level as a share of GDP in more than two decades in 2022 and then to decline over the following few years but remain above their long-term average through 2032 (see Chapter 4).

Relative to the size of the economy, federal debt held by the public is projected to dip over the next two years, to 96 percent of GDP in 2023, and to rise thereafter. In CBO’s projections, it reaches 110 percent of GDP in 2032 (higher than it has ever been) and 185 percent of GDP in 2052 (see Chapter 1). Moreover, if lawmakers amended current laws to maintain certain policies now in place, even larger increases in debt would ensue (see Chapter 5)..."
Federal Budget 

Federal Trade Commission Launches Inquiry into Infant Formula Crisis

"Today, the Federal Trade Commission staff launched an inquiry into the ongoing shortage for infant formula that has caused hardship for countless American families. The inquiry seeks information about the nature and prevalence of any deceptive, fraudulent, or otherwise unfair business practices aimed at taking advantage of families during this shortage. It also aims to shed light on the factors that have led to concentration in the infant formula market and the fragility of the supply chains for these crucial products. FTC Chair Lina M. Khan released a statement in conjunction with the public inquiry committing to a series of actions to confront this crisis. 

"We have been monitoring and will continue to monitor the ongoing infant formula shortage, which is causing enormous anxiety, fear, and financial burden for American families," said Chair Lina M. Khan in her statement. "The FTC is launching a public inquiry to identify the factors that contributed to the shortage or hampered our ability to respond to it. Learning from this experience can help determine how we can minimize the risk of similar shortages in the markets for other life-sustaining products."

The Request for Information seeks public input on whether the FTC itself or state or federal agencies may have inadvertently taken steps that contributed to fragile supply chains in the market for these crucial products for many American families. Comments should be submitted to regulations.gov and must be received no later than Friday, June 24, 2022 by 11:59pm ET..."
Infant formula 

Overview of the SEC Climate Risk Disclosure Proposed Rule

"On March 21, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted 3-1 to issue sweeping proposed climate-related disclosure rules for public companies. In issuing the proposed rules, the SEC cited its existing statutory authorities under the federal securities laws— specifically, the Securities Act of 1933 (P.L. 73-22) and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (P.L. 73-291). The proposal represents a more prescriptive and detailed approach to climate-related disclosures relative to the existing broad, principles-based climate-related disclosure regime embodied in the SEC’s 2010 “Guidance Regarding Disclosure Related to Climate Change.” Among other things, it would require all public companies, as a growing number voluntarily do, to report on their direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and under certain circumstances their upstream and downstream GHG emissions.

Public companies would also be required to report on the impacts of climate-related natural events and transitional activities to mitigate such impacts on their consolidated financial statements. According to the SEC, both the current and proposed disclosure regimes are grounded in the federal securities laws’ concept of materiality—the notion that required disclosures should encompass the types of information that investors consider important when they make investment or corporate voting decisions..."
Climate risk disclosure 

16 Months Since the Jan. 6 Attack on the Capitol

"Friday, May 6, 2022, marked 16 months since the attack on the U.S. Capitol that disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the process of affirming the presidential election results. The government continues to investigate losses that resulted from the breach of the Capitol, including damage to the Capitol building and grounds, both inside and outside the building. According to a May 2021 estimate by the Architect of the Capitol, the attack caused approximately $1.5 million worth of damage to the U.S. Capitol building.

Under the continued leadership of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the attack continues to move forward at an unprecedented speed and scale. The Department of Justice’s resolve to hold accountable those who committed crimes on Jan. 6, 2021, has not, and will not, wane.

Based on the public court documents, below is a snapshot of the investigation as of Friday, May 6, 2022. Complete versions of most of the public court documents used to compile these statistics are available on the Capitol Breach Investigation Resource Page at https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/capitol-breach-cases.

Arrests made: More than 810 defendants have been arrested in nearly all 50 states and the District of Columbia. (This includes those charged in both District and Superior Court)..."
Jan. 6 Attack on the Capitol 

Splash Pads

"Splash pads (also known as interactive fountains, spray pads, spray parks, or wet decks) are aquatic venues that spray or jet water on users. Splash pads are usually designed so that standing water does not collect in the water play area to reduce the risk of drowning. Because of this design, splash pads do not always meet the local, state, territorial, or tribal definition of an “aquatic venue.” This means they are not always regulated, nor are they always required to disinfect the water with germ-killing chemicals. Splash pads can spread germs and make users sick if the water is not adequately disinfected. So, users and parents of young users should take their own steps to stop the spread of germs.

Stopping the Spread of Germs in Splash Pads

Splash pad users and parents of young users can take a few steps to help stop the spread of germs in the water:

DO:

• DO stay out of the water if you are sick with diarrhea.
• DO shower before getting in the water.
• DO take kids on bathroom breaks or check diapers every hour.

DON’T:

• DON’T swallow the water.
• DON’T poop or pee in the water.
• DON’T sit or stand on the jets. Sitting or standing on jets can rinse poop off your butt..."
  Splash pads 

How to Stay Healthy Around Pets

"Understand the Risks and Benefits of Pets

There are many health benefits of owning a pet. They can increase opportunities to exercise, get outside, and socialize. Regular walking or playing with pets can decrease blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and triglyceride levels.  Pets can help manage loneliness and depression by giving us companionship. Most households in the United States have at least one pet.

Studies have shown that the bond between people and their pets is linked to several health benefits, including:

• Decreased blood pressure, cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels, feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and symptoms of PTSD.
• Increased opportunities for exercise and outdoor activities; better cognitive function in older adults; and more opportunities to socialize

However, pets can sometimes carry harmful germs that can make us sick even when the pet appears healthy. The diseases people get from animals are called zoonotic (zoe-oh-NOT-ic) diseases. Below are some tips to help you and your family stay healthy while enjoying pets.

Pick the Right Pet

Before adopting a new pet, make sure that it is the right one for you and your family. Do some research beforehand about the specific needs of the animal. Ask yourself these questions before getting a pet:

• How long will this animal live?
• What does the pet eat?
• How much exercise does the pet need?
• How large will it become?
• How much will veterinary care cost?
• Do I have enough time to properly care for and clean up after the pet?
• What type of habitat does this pet need to be healthy?
• What type of exercise does this pet need?
• Are pets allowed in my house, apartment, or condominium?
• Are there young children, older people, or people with weak immune systems who will care for or be around the pet?.."
  Healthy around pets 

Happy National Asparagus Day! Get to Know Spring’s Delicious Vegetable

"USDA wishes you a happy National Asparagus Day! Americans consume over 500 million pounds of asparagus each year, and 80-90% of that is imported, mainly from Mexico and Peru. While domestic production continues to decline year-by-year, per capita consumption is growing and U.S. growers still produce 60-70 million pounds per year, mostly in Michigan, California, and Washington.

Asparagus is a perennial plant that grows from rootstalks (or rhizomes). It takes two to five years for the plant to establish; after that the sprouts (a.k.a. spears, the part people consume) are ready to harvest. The first sprouts are left to fern out into rows that look like shrubbery. Ferning builds energy reserves and a strong root system that will produce healthy yields in later years.

Once in production, a well-maintained field of asparagus can produce spears for 20 years or more. Spears emerge quickly in the springtime. To get the most tender spears, workers harvest almost daily. Each spear is hand-harvested and bundled by skilled workers using special knives.

Asparagus production has multiple pest management challenges. Asparagus beetles and aphids drive the biggest need for insecticides. Another troublesome pest is the asparagus miner, which is a maggot infesting stems. Ideally many pests are controlled after the season is over by managing populations on ferns. A common cultural tactic is to remove or burn dried ferns in the dormant season, to eliminate over-wintering habitat for pests. But under high pest pressure, growers sometimes need to spray spears in between harvests, carefully selecting tools determined by EPA to be safe..."
Asparagus 

Early Estimates of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities And Fatality Rate by Sub-Categories in 2021

"NHTSA has released a companion report presenting early estimates of traffic fatalities and fatality rates in 2021 (Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities in 2021, Report No.DOT HS 813 283). That report shows the increased trend in fatalities in 2020 has continued into 2021, and the increased trend in fatality rate per 100 million VMT in 2020 continued into the first quarter of 2021 but decreased during the second, third, and the fourth quarters of 2021. This NHTSA note is being issued after conducting a special analysis of the fatalities and the fatality rates per 100 million VMT by key sub-categories in 2021. The analysis is based on ratio adjusted estimates of 2021 fatal crash data coded thus far into NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), as described in the Data and Methodology section.

For the whole of 2021, a statistical projection of traffic fatalities shows an increase of about 10.5 percent as compared to reported fatalities in 2020. Some categories showed large shifts in fatalities and fatality rates in a given month, compared to the corresponding month in 2020. For instance, the share of fatalities on urban roads went from 57 percent in March 2020 to 62 percent in March 2021, a 5-percentagepoint increase. Correspondingly, the total fatalities (fatality counts) on urban roads increased from 21,940 in 2020 to 25,411 in 2021, a 16-percent increase. In summary, the traffic fatalities (fatality counts) in the following categories showed relatively large increases in 2021 as compared to 2020..."
Traffic fatalities 

Algorithmic Stablecoins and the TerraUSD Crash

"What Are Algorithmic Stablecoins?

Stablecoins are a type of cryptocurrency that aim to maintain a stable value. There are several classes of stablecoins that each use different methods to try to achieve this, one of which is algorithmic stablecoins. While no precise definition captures all of their features, algorithmic stablecoins typically use an algorithm or smart contract to manage the supply of tokens and guide their value to some reference asset (for example a fiat currency, such as the U.S. dollar). Algorithmic stablecoins generally do not attempt to achieve value by holding a reserve of fiat-denominated assets with a value in a 1:1 relationship with the value of the stablecoin. Instead, algorithmic stablecoins use different mechanisms to control the supply or value of the stablecoin, including the minting or burning of coins, rebasing, and arbitrage.

What Happened with TerraUSD?

TerraUSD (UST) stablecoin uses an arbitrage mechanism typical of some algorithmic stablecoin arrangements consisting of two coins or tokens: the stablecoin, in this case UST, meant to maintain a stable value or “peg,” and a balancer token, in this case,LUNA, the value of which can fluctuate. An algorithm manages the relationship between these two coins to attempt keeping the stablecoin pegged to the reference. If strong demand pushed the price of UST above its peg, arbitrageurs could buy $1 worth of LUNA, trade it for 1 UST (worth more than $1) and sell UST for a gain. If UST falls below $1, someone can buy $0.99 worth of UST and trade it for $1 worth of LUNA. In both instances arbitrageurs net a profit and ostensibly maintain the peg. Over the past week, UST llost its peg to the dollar (Figure 1), and both UST and balancer coin LUNA were dropped from various cryptocurrency exchanges. UST hit a low of $0.12 at 9 a.m. on May 16, 2022..."
Stablecoins 

Big Tech in Financial Services

"For the past decade or so, “Big Tech”—which hereinafter refers to the large technology companies Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook (now Meta Platforms), unless otherwise noted—has been offering a variety of financial services products to retail customers. Big Tech uses advanced data analysis and novel partnerships with traditional financial institutions to redefine financial services. The financial service with unanimous participation among Big Tech companies is payments. In 2021, more than 100 million consumers used mobile payment apps, including those provided by Big Tech. Other offerings include credit cards and lines of credit, value storage, and stable coin wallets. In addition to these direct offerings of financial services, Big Tech has other significant, albeit less direct, ties to finance. Amazon, Microsoft, and Google account for roughly two thirds of cloud service in the United States and count banks and other financial institutions as major customers.

Big Tech relies on partnerships with traditional financial institutions in some capacity to deliver nearly all of these services. The variation in such relationships accounts for much of the difference both between companies and among products offered by the same company. These complex partnerships can obscure the role of Big Tech and the ultimate provider of the financial service, and they raise the question: Do Big Tech companies provide convenient interfaces, or are they true financial institutions? The answer to that question, perhaps not surprisingly, lies somewhere in between. Big Tech companies are neither pure financial institutions nor solely technology providers.

The premise of that debate belies a fundamental issue. Irrespective of the nature of their relationships and current role in financial intermediation, Big Tech companies have demonstrated interest and possess the scale and financial capacity to increase their range of offerings of financial products should they choose to do so. Traditional economic factors such as economies of scale and network effects—and the unique advantages of the Big Tech business model, which relies on access to troves of data and insight into consumers’ behavioral preferences—support this reality.

The context in which these developments have taken place raises a host of policy issues. Currently, regulation of Big Tech’s financial services is fragmented. Big Techs hold money services licenses for their role in facilitating payments and are subject to a handful of regulations, but they also rely on the licenses of their partners to facilitate other offerings. Some observers question whether the existing regulatory framework is adequate. Regulation-related policy issues include, as well, consumer protection concerns and evolving data security and privacy laws. Other policy issues include financial inclusion, algorithmic bias, and third-party and cyber risk. How these companies evolve will have consequences for many of these policy issues but perhaps none more so than the companies’ regulatory treatment..."
Financial Services 

Supply Disruptions and the U.S. Economy

"The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the production of many goods and services. Although those disruptions have waned since spring 2020, some continue to constrain production, exacerbating inflationary pressures. The Biden Administration has announced a series of initiatives to address supply chain disruptions, which are detailed in CRS Insight IN11927. This Insight discusses some of the factors contributing to supply disruptions and policy considerations surrounding this issue

Supply Disruptions

Recently, supply has been constrained by disruptions to global supply chains, labor shortages, temporary business disruptions linked to COVID-19 outbreaks, and commodity shortages linked to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Pandemic-related shutdowns and production delays worldwide have caused a chain reaction of delays in the availability of products across a wide range of industries. Product availability has been disrupted for both final products sought by consumers and inputs used by American producers. Earlier shutdowns created backlogs that have taken months to unwind.

The labor force participation rate has been unusually low throughout the pandemic, which has resulted in companies being unable to fill job openings. Periodic surges in COVID-19 cases have also caused labor shortages at times that have hobbled production. For example, the Omicron surge led to employee absences that caused new supply disruptions in the winter of 2021-2022, including to flights and passenger rail. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 3.6 million employed individuals were unable to work at some point in January 2022 (when Omicron peaked) because of illness—more than twice as high as the pre-pandemic high. In the same month, 6 million individuals were unable to work because their employers closed or lost business due to COVID-19. Absences and loss of business because of illness have been consistently above average throughout the pandemic.

Supply chains are global, and a product can pass through several countries before reaching the United States. A delay or disruption in any one of those countries can therefore cause supply problems for theUnited States. Different countries have experienced different kinds of production disruptions, including lockdowns and other work restrictions, and at different times compared to the United States. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York publishes an index measuring how much pressure there is in global supply chains. For much of the pandemic, supply chains have faced significantly higher pressures than at any time in recent decades.."
Supply Disruptions 

Keeping Infants Safe in Midst of Formula Shortages

"There are few things that worry a parent more than their children’s health and safety. The ongoing infant formula shortage due to supply chain issues, which worsened due to a major formula recall in February, has left many caregivers feeling concerned and anxious about their options for safely feeding their infants.

Families receiving formula through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, commonly known as WIC, are among the many affected by the recall. The Biden-Harris Administration and USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service are taking many actions to help ensure WIC participants can get safe formula to nourish their babies.

Some steps you can take to ensure the safety of your infant’s formula include:

• Learn more about choosing an infant formula that’s safe for your baby.
• Do not feed your baby cow’s milk or other non-dairy milks until 1 year old, unless you’ve talked to your child’s pediatrician.
• Don’t make homemade infant formula or water down formula; there are serious health and safety concerns.
• Do not buy formula online that comes from outside the U.S., which could be counterfeit, have a fake label or a wrong use-by date.
• Prepare and store infant formula according to the manufacturer’s instructions; do not water down formula.
• Properly clean, sanitize and store infant feeding items.
• Always wash your hands when handling formula and feeding items.
• Talk to your pediatrician about introducing complementary foods by 6 months (no earlier than 4 months). Visit MyPlate to learn more.

Please note: Only medical professionals are qualified to provide advice on acceptable alternatives to formulas that may currently be difficult to find. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers tips for parents and caregivers who are struggling to find baby formula during the shortage. Please talk with your pediatrician about safe and appropriate feeding alternatives for your child if needed..."
Infant formula 

Is Unauthorized Dissemination of a Draft Supreme Court Opinion a Federal Crime?

"On May 2, 2022, it was first reported that a news organization had obtained a draft Supreme Court majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and received confirmation from “a person familiar with the court’s proceedings” in the case. The Court subsequently authenticated the draft opinion, and Chief Justice Roberts ordered an internal investigation. Beyond discussion of the substance of the draft opinion and its implications for the constitutional right recognized in Roe v. Wade—and setting aside potential employment or professional consequences for the person or persons who shared the draft—a number of commentators have questioned whether the act of providing the draft opinion to a media organization was a federal crime. Several Members of the House Oversight Committee wrote aletter to the Attorney General on May 3, 2022, calling for, among other things, a Department of Justice investigation and a briefing on “whether criminal charges are being considered against the individual or individuals responsible for this breach.”

Although federal law does prohibit the dissemination of certain kinds of government information—such as “classified” information related to national security—there does not appear to be a federal criminal statute expressly prohibiting unauthorized sharing of Supreme Court documents like draft opinions. Several laws that have been publicly referenced in connection with disclosure of non-public Supreme Court information could apply to particular disclosures depending on the underlying facts, which remain unclear in this instance, but there would be legal hurdles associated with seeking to use any of the referenced laws to prosecute the person or persons who shared the draft opinion in Dobbs. The provenance of the disclosure is unknown, so the laws addressed in this Legal Sidebar may or may not apply depending on the facts. Further developments in the Supreme Court marshal’s investigation could also make additional laws relevant (for instance, 18 U.S.C. § 1001, which prohibits knowingly and willfully making a materially false statement “in any matter within the jurisdiction of the . . . judicial branch of the Government of the United States,” among other things). As relevant to the disclosure itself, this Legal Sidebar will briefly describe three federal criminal provisions that have been cited by commentators in the context of apparently unauthorized Supreme Court information dissemination and identify some of the potential issues that application of each of those laws could raise..."
Supreme Court Opinions 

Young drivers

"As summer approaches, employers may consider hiring young workers that may perform driving duties as part of their job. From 2011–2020, 896 workers ages 16–24* died in motor vehicle crashes at work, accounting for 25% of all work-related deaths in this age group.¹ With your help, we can reduce these preventable deaths by keeping young workers safe behind the wheel while providing them with meaningful job experiences.

Use the following recommendations to set workplace policies and programs that promote safe driving for young workers.

• Comply with labor laws that limit young workers’ driving. In non-agricultural jobs workers must be at least 17 years old to drive for work, but their driving is limited by Federal lawexternal icon. Workers aged 17 years have limitations on the type and weight of the vehicle they may drive. Workers ages 18 and older can drive on the job, but those under age 21 may not drive a commercial motor vehicle across state lines.
• Ensure young drivers have a state license valid for the type of driving their work will require. Be aware of your state’s graduated driver licensing requirements. Young drivers in the U.S. receive their licenses in stages; requirements and restrictions, such as number of passengers in the vehicle and nighttime driving, vary by state.

• Check driving records and remind young drivers they must always obey traffic laws. Ensure the young driver has no record of moving violations, impaired driving, and license suspensions at the time of hire. Stress the importance of driving at an appropriate speed and keeping a safe distance from other vehicles. Explain that a speed appropriate for road conditions (such as wet roads) is often less than the posted speed limit.
• Provide the safest possible vehicle for young drivers to use. Select vehicles that have good crash-test ratingsexternal icon and keep them in proper operating condition.
• Provide driver training. Training should include making young drivers aware of the safety features of the vehicle they will be driving. You can also schedule on-the-road driving sessions to assess driving skills and to help recognize traffic risks, anticipate risky situations, and reinforce company driving policies.
• Require the use of seat belts at all times. Seat belt use is one of the most effective ways to save lives and reduce injuries in crashes. They must be worn in the front and the back seats – every trip, every time.
• Prevent distracted driving. Ban all cell phone use while driving a company vehicle, and make sure cell phones and other electronic devices are off and out of sight. Ask young drivers to make necessary adjustments (such as adjusting mirrors, seat or radio controls) to the car before driving. Require workers to pull over in a safe location if they must text, make a call, or search for directions..."
  Youth driving, and workers
  

Vision care for children

"Your child’s vision helps them take in the world around them. But it also plays an important role in their development. If your child has an uncorrected vision problem, it may affect their ability to learn and reach their highest potential. Having a routine eye exam is important to keep their eyes healthy.

In the United States, about 1 in 4 preschool-aged children have an undiagnosed or untreated vision problem. Because many vision problems begin at an early age, you should make sure your child gets regular eye exams to help keep their eyes healthy. Healthy vision is important for your child’s overall development and learning ability.

You can do a lot to protect your child’s developing vision. Keep reading to learn how to help your child see the bright future they have ahead.

Vision Screenings and Eye Exams

As your child grows, their eyes can change quickly. Your child’s pediatrician will likely screen your child’s vision as part of their regular checkups. If they find signs of a vision problem, they may recommend that your child see an eye doctor for a comprehensive eye exam.

Although both are important, a vision screening and an eye exam are not the same thing.

• A vision screening is a quick evaluation of your child’s eyes. It can be done by a family doctor, pediatrician, school nurse, or other health care professional. Although it can help identify possible vision problems your child may have, it cannot diagnose the exact problem.
• A comprehensive eye exam is a thorough exam done by an eye doctor—a specialist called an ophthalmologist or optometrist. The eye doctor can diagnose your child’s medical or vision problem and provide treatment.

A vision screening should not take the place of a comprehensive eye exam. Even if your child passes a vision screening, they should also see an eye doctor at least once a year to check the overall health of their eyes. If you have any concerns about your child’s vision, ask their pediatrician to help you find an eye doctor. Early detection and treatment are key to protecting your child’s vision..."
Children and vision 

Menthol & Addiction

"No Menthol Sunday

Highlighting the Problem of Menthol and Tobacco Addiction in Communities

Tiffany R. knows what it’s like being addicted to menthol cigarettes. When she was 16 years old, her mother, who smoked cigarettes, died of lung cancer. Still, Tiffany started smoking menthol cigarettes in her late teens because she wanted to be like other kids in her school. What started out as a youthful desire to fit in became an addiction to cigarettes, and soon she was smoking about a pack of menthol cigarettes a day. Tiffany’s story is all too common in African American communities, which have been disproportionately targeted by menthol cigarette marketing and advertisements, especially in cities.

Tobacco companies use advertisements, giveaways, and cheaper prices for menthol cigarettes to increase appeal. Menthol products are given more shelf space in retail outlets in neighborhoods that have more residents who are African American and are from other racial and ethnic minority groups. Targeted marketing from tobacco companies puts African American people at higher risk of smoking and becoming addicted to nicotine, as well as the risk of smoking related disease and death. Now, there is an opportunity to do something about it.

This year, on May 15th, national organizations and faith communities are marking the day as No Menthol Sunday to educate people who smoke menthol cigarettes about their harmful effects and encourage them to quit.,,"
Menthol addiction 

FY2023 Budget Documents: Internet and GPO Availability

"Every year the President submits a series of volumes to Congress containing the President’s proposed budget for the coming fiscal year. The President’s submission is required on or after the first Monday in January, but no later than the first Monday in February (31 U.S.C. §1105(a)). At times, the President’s submission has been delayed beyond the statutory deadline. This year the President released the budget submission on March 28, 2022.

This report provides brief descriptions of the FY2023 budget volumes and related documents, together with internet addresses, Government Publishing Office (GPO) stock numbers, and prices for obtaining print copies of these publications. It also explains how to find the locations of government depository libraries, which can provide both printed copies for reference use and internet access to the online versions. This report will be updated as events warrant.

Please note that neither the Congressional Research Service (CRS) nor the Library of Congress (LOC) distributes print copies of the budget documents..."
2023 budget documents 

Federal Retirement Plans: Frequently Asked Questions

"This report answers common questions related to federal retirement plans. The vast majority of the civilian federal workforce is covered by either the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS), depending on date of entrance into federal service. Most civilian federal employees hired before 1984 are covered by CSRS; most civilian federal employees hired in 1984 or later are covered by FERS. This FAQ focuses on policy issues related to CSRS and FERS while also identifying additional retirement plans that provide benefits to specific populations of civilian federal employees. It provides the legislative history of CSRS and FERS as well as information on benefits and financing.

For additional information on CSRS and FERS benefits, see CRS Report 98-810, Federal Employees’ Retirement System: Benefits and Financing.

For additional information on CSRS and FERS funding, see CRS Report RL30023, Federal Employees’ Retirement System: Budget and Trust Fund Issues..."
Federal retirement plans 

Memory Loss Among Caregivers

"Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is defined as self-reported memory problems that have been getting worse over the past year. A new CDC study found that about 1 in 8 unpaid caregivers who are 45 or older has SCD. SCD was more common among caregivers (12.6%) than noncaregivers (10.2%).

The result is tens of thousands of people are reporting signs that their memory is getting worse. Compared to noncaregivers, SCD was more common among caregivers who were men, employed, and aged 45 to 64 and who have chronic health conditions.¹

The Important Role of Caregiving

Millions of adults could not maintain their independence without the support of unpaid caregivers. As the older adult population continues to increase, caregivers will be relied on more than ever to provide support to family members and friends.² In the United States, 79% of caregivers provide care for adults 50 or older, and 76% of care recipients are 65 or older.³

 Caregiving often requires cognitive accuracy. Almost 80% of caregiverspdf icon help manage household tasks, such as finances, cleaning, and preparing meals. More than 50% help with personal tasks, such as managing medications, feeding, dressing, or bathing.

Nearly 1 in 5 caregivers reports fair or poor health,⁴ and those with SCD are more likely to have at least one chronic health condition.¹ SCD and other health conditions may affect a caregiver’s ability to provide care for their family and friends, including their ability to manage appointments and medicines.

Lifestyle Choices for Risk Reduction

Caregivers can help reduce their risk for memory loss by making positive lifestyle choices. These choices include being physically active, eating healthy meals, getting enough sleep, drinking alcohol in moderation, and not smoking.

To avoid creating more stress for themselves, caregivers can make these changes gradually. For example, getting an additional 30 minutes of sleep at night, getting an annual physical exam, or simply taking a walk every day may make a big difference in cognitive health. Caregivers should talk to a medical professional if they feel their memory is changing or getting worse..."
Memory and caregivers