Cities around the world have been adopting various environmentally friendly policies during the past few years. Some cities have moved to make construction sites recycle materials, and still others, such as Chicago, have made a concerted effort to incorporate “green” building principles into their municipally financed structures. This past week, the city of San Francisco continued to consider...

Alzheimer's disease is one of the most serious health problems for the elderly, and no cure has yet been found. To shed some light on this mysterious illness, the National Institute on Aging provides this valuable resource explaining how Alzheimer's affects the minds of people suffering from it. In an overview of potential causes, the site distinguishes between genetic risk factors for early and...

What is our responsibility to the well-being of others around the planet? This is one of the many pressing questions asked by this uniformly fine digital exhibit and interactive collection created by staff members at the National Library of Medicine. First-time visitors will want to click on over to the exhibit proper for starters. Here they will find the "Health for All" exhibit which takes users...

Against the Odds is an online exhibit that is based on an in situ exhibit at the National Library of Medicine. The purpose of the exhibit is to demonstrate the "revolution in global health" that is taking place and to share stories from around the globe that prove that "collectively, we can make a world of difference." Visitors can view the online exhibit by clicking on "Exhibit" at the top of...

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) was originally created in December 1989, with the directive to "support research designed to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans." With a budget of close to $270 million, the AHRQ disburses 80 percent of those monies as grants and contracts to researchers at universities and other research...

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) provides this website to educate the public about contaminants found at hazardous waste sites. The information for each substance is presented as an easy to understand fact sheet. The materials are written in English and Spanish and can be viewed in standard HTML format or in the pdf format. Users can find out the basic characteristics...

The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service produces new and compelling research on the world of sustainable agriculture and organic farming. Recently, specialists Jeff Schahczenski and Holly Hill wrote this 16-page paper on "the relationship between agriculture, climate change and carbon sequestration." Broadly speaking, the paper looks at the science of climate change and also...

The Ryan White CARE Act provides funds for programs to "improve the quality of life of patients living with HIV/AIDS through the provision of high quality professional education and training." The AIDS Education and Training Centers (AETC) are part of such a program, and they "conduct targeted, multi-disciplinary education and training programs for healthcare providers treating persons with...

The Scout Report has reported on several aspects of the AIRNow website before, but this is the first time that we’ve noticed that they have a very fine selection of short movies on their website. These short films are designed for the general public, and they deal with such topics as air quality control, how ozone is formed, and a special presentation for children on ozone. The films range in...

Several decades ago, airline meals may have been the main reason that planes carried airline sickness bags, but in the past few years the food has improved by leaps and bounds from an international perspective. As a banner on the homepage declares, this is "the world's first and leading site about nothing but airline food." Amazingly enough, there is a section on the site dedicated to airline...