Better Safe Than Sorry

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norah MacKendrick
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Endocrine Disruptors ◽  
Food Chain ◽  
The United States ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Grocery Store ◽  
Diverse Group ◽  
Health Food ◽  
History Of ◽  
Whole Foods

How toxic are the products we consume on a daily basis? Whether it’s triclosan in toothpaste, formaldehyde in baby shampoo, endocrine disruptors in water bottles, or pesticides on strawberries, consumers are increasingly concerned about the chemicals in their food and personal care products. Norah MacKendrick chronicles these concerns, showing how individuals attempt to avoid exposure to toxics in the aisles of the grocery store using a practice she calls “precautionary consumption.” Through an innovative analysis of the history of environmental regulation in the United States, the advocacy work of environmental health groups, the expansion of the corporate health food chain Whole Foods Market, and the words of a diverse group of mothers, MacKendrick ponders why the problem of toxics in the retail landscape has been left to individual shoppers—and to mothers in particular. She reveals how precautionary consumption is a costly and time-intensive practice, one that is connected to cultural ideas of femininity and good motherhood, but is also most available to upper- and middle-class households. Better Safe than Sorry powerfully argues that precautionary consumption places a large and unfair burden of labor on women, and does little to advance environmental justice.

Six Types of Waiting in Berlin, 2017

2021 ◽  
Vol 120 (2) ◽  
pp. 279-283
Author(s):  
Christine Sun Kim ◽  
Amanda Cachia
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
American Sign Language ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
The United States ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Grocery Store ◽  
American Sign ◽  
Written Form ◽  
Doctor's Office

In Six Types of Waiting in Berlin, Christine Sun Kim’s drawings provide a fascinating constellation of cultural and sensorial experiences with time. Originally from the United States, the artist shares her account of how time (and waiting) is measured differently according to the cities in which she has lived, with each place having its own advantages and drawbacks. While each environment in which one must tediously wait—an immigration office, the health insurance office, the doctor’s office, the bank, an art supplies shop, and the grocery store—is familiar, the subtext of the drawings is how the artist’s relationship with time is also measured by her style of communication. Kim uses American Sign Language and asks questions in a written form using an iPhone on a daily basis as she goes about her chores. “Crip time” is thus also punctuated by the pauses in writing/scrawling questions, in reading, and the creativity involved in ad-lib responding between deaf and non-deaf sensorial modalities.

Fast Food

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Penfold
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Food Chain ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Social Life ◽  
The United States ◽  
Global History ◽  
Global Brand ◽  
Family Leisure ◽  
History Of ◽  
Systematic Thinking

Fast food probably originated in 1948, when Dick and Maurice McDonald re-designed their successful restaurant. Few of the brothers' "innovations" were entirely new. They specialized in a small number of familiar foods and applied systematic thinking to production. By fitting into existing and emerging cultures of age, family, leisure and consumption, the brothers' new outlet acquired a social life. Under Ray Kroc's leadership, McDonald's grew from its first outlet near Chicago to more than 300 locations in 44 states by 1961, when he bought out the McDonald brothers for $2.7 million. Over the next decade, McDonald's emerged as a dominant fast food chain in the United States, spread to Canada, and eventually turned into a global brand. Four themes—expansion, taste, systems, and social life—might be viewed as the basic elements of a global history of fast food, one that has similarities to the McDonald's story but is unique on its own. Technology and technocracy allowed food to become fast food.

Review of A brief history of the United States.

1919 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 414-414
Author(s):  
No authorship indicated
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
History Of

An American Language

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosina Lozano
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
National Policy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Spanish Language ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Language Recognition ◽  
Political Language ◽  
Political Issue ◽  
History Of ◽  
The U.S

An American Language is a political history of the Spanish language in the United States. The nation has always been multilingual and the Spanish language in particular has remained as an important political issue into the present. After the U.S.-Mexican War, the Spanish language became a language of politics as Spanish speakers in the U.S. Southwest used it to build territorial and state governments. In the twentieth century, Spanish became a political language where speakers and those opposed to its use clashed over what Spanish's presence in the United States meant. This book recovers this story by using evidence that includes Spanish language newspapers, letters, state and territorial session laws, and federal archives to profile the struggle and resilience of Spanish speakers who advocated for their language rights as U.S. citizens. Comparing Spanish as a language of politics and as a political language across the Southwest and noncontiguous territories provides an opportunity to measure shifts in allegiance to the nation and exposes differing forms of nationalism. Language concessions and continued use of Spanish is a measure of power. Official language recognition by federal or state officials validates Spanish speakers' claims to US citizenship. The long history of policies relating to language in the United States provides a way to measure how U.S. visions of itself have shifted due to continuous migration from Latin America. Spanish-speaking U.S. citizens are crucial arbiters of Spanish language politics and their successes have broader implications on national policy and our understanding of Americans.

Clinical Characteristics of Patients Diagnosed with Strongyloidiasis in a United States Urban Outpatient Dermatology Department: A Case Series

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 156-160
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Watchmaker ◽  
Sean Legler ◽  
Dianne De Leon ◽  
Vanessa Pascoe ◽  
Robert Stavert
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Case Series ◽  
The United States ◽  
Screening Tools ◽  
Dermatology Department ◽  
Cutaneous Manifestations ◽  
Serologic Testing ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
History Of ◽  
Endemic Areas

Background: Although considered a tropical disease, strongyloidiasis may be encountered in non-endemic regions, primarily amongst immigrants and travelers from endemic areas.  Chronic strongyloides infection may be under-detected owing to its non-specific cutaneous presentation and the low sensitivity of commonly used screening tools. Methods: 18 consecutive patients with serologic evidence of strongyloides infestation who presented to a single urban, academic dermatology clinic between September 2013 and October 2016 were retrospectively included.  Patient age, sex, country of origin, strongyloides serology titer, absolute eosinophil count, presenting cutaneous manifestations, and patient reported subjective outcome of pruritus after treatment were obtained via chart review.  Results: Of the 18 patients, all had non-specific pruritic dermatoses, 36% had documented eosinophila and none were originally from the United States. A majority reported subjective improvement in their symptoms after treatment. Conclusion:  Strongyloides infection and serologic testing should be considered in patients living in non-endemic regions presenting with pruritic dermatoses and with a history of exposure to an endemic area.Key Points:Chronic strongyloidiasis can be encountered in non-endemic areas and clinical manifestations are variableEosinophilia was not a reliable indicator of chronic infection in this case series Dermatologists should consider serologic testing for strongyloidiasis in patients with a history of exposure and unexplained pruritus

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