At first glance, Thursday’s lunch-hour explosions in London looked designed more to alarm than to kill and destroy, as if terrorists were trying to tell Londoners their increased vigilance is futile. As British Prime Minister Tony Blair said, “They’re done to scare people, to frighten them and make them worried.” Still, it seems as if the West had better get used to this new tactic. And the hope that such smaller-scale terrorists won’t similarly target American cities is seeming more hollow all the time. Will all those new homeland security dollars protect us?
Posted by Rhonda Holman
A July 17 letter to the editor complained that average Muslims had not expressed enough outrage at the July 7 London bombings.
But this Washington Post article indicates that Britain’s moderate Muslim leaders — who met with Tony Blair this week — are unified in their outrage. However, they’re divided about how to channel that outrage into a solution.
“We’ve gone through this shock period immediately after the bombing when we all reacted simultaneously to condemn it,” said Nazir Ahmed, a Kashmiri Muslim and member of the House of Lords. “But now many people are confused as to how to deal with it.”
There are no easy answers to terrorism, but simultaneous condemnation is a good start — one that should quiet critics who are calling for a stronger reaction.
Posted by Melissa Cooley
The location of one of Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ two ceremonial signings Wednesday of the $148.4 million school-funding bill was sweet: Wichita’s diverse North High School, whose dynamic principal, Denise Wren, said early this year that it was a lie to say schools have enough money and that she feared the Legislature (and business) had abandoned her school. With the legal and legislative battles settled until next year, it’s now up to Wren and the others on the front lines of student achievement to spend their new dollars wisely.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
With Kansas being home to the year’s first human case of West Nile virus, it’s nice to know that most cases can be prevented. Insect repellents containing DEET are practically a “sure thing,” this New York Times article points out, when it comes to preventing the virus. But not enough people — only 40 percent — are using repellents at all, according to a Harvard survey.
For those people who can’t tolerate the smell or feel of DEET, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended two other better-smelling repellents that don’t contain the ingredient (included in the article). Let’s hope that the extra options — or maybe just the thought of all those pesky bites — will entice more people to protect themselves from West Nile.
Posted by Melissa Cooley
The climbing death toll from the Phoenix heat wave should serve as a somber reminder to follow the advice in this article during the days ahead, which are forecast to be in the 100s.
Drinking plenty of water, avoiding the heat and checking on the elderly could save lives this week.
Posted by Melissa Cooley
A disturbing new study challenges the belief that fetuses in the womb are protected from environmental pollution. The independent lab tests of 10 babies chosen at random found the fetuses’ umbilical cord blood contained an average of 200 contaminants, including pesticides and industrial chemicals known to cause cancer, brain damage and birth defects.
Meanwhile, a recently released Government Acountability Office review of the Environmental Protection Agency’s chemical safety monitoring found EPA’s efforts “unlikely to address more than the most serious chemical risks.”
While the science is still out about the exact level at which some of these pollutants are dangerous, scientists agree that developing infants are especially vulnerable to contaminants.
All the more reason for Congress to renew efforts, already under way, to amend the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act to more strictly control the witches’ brew of chemicals being released into the environment.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Kudos to Exploration Place board members for opening their ears — and the science center itself — to public input. The museum will offer free ice cream sundaes and admission Sunday, and officials hope to get ideas from the public about how to improve the programs and exhibits. This is a smart public relations move as well as a good sign that board members are serious about getting the struggling museum back on track.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
