What’s not to like about the month of July? How can you not like a month that starts off with a long weekend? The Fourth of July, also known as Independence Day, has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941 celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Common celebrations include backyard barbeques with hot dogs and hamburgers, parades, and displaying the flag. To the dismay of many veterans and dogs, fireworks continue to be a major part of community Independence Day events. But in some communities, especially in fire prone areas, drone light shows are replacing fireworks displays. Yes, the times are a changing!
America, too, is ever changing in other ways as it strives to meet the principles established in the Declaration of Independence, especially the well-known words in the Preamble:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. – That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”
The signing of the Declaration of Independence did not establish independence of the American colonies from Britain – that had to be accomplished by war. Nor did the Declaration of Independence create a country that fully reflected the principles established by its signers. Even today, America continues down the path to embody the opening words of the Declaration of Independence. Progress can be slow and at times elusive. But the commitment to the ideals of the founding fathers continues to withstand the test of time.
This Weekend Reading Series begins with Self-Evident – But Not to Everyone, with articles on self-evident truths; truths that are so obviously true and do not need further validation. Next, check out Life – Making it Better, offering news on recent developments that help enhance Americans’ lives. Do not miss Created Equal Versus Treated Equal, with articles highlighting the chasm between true equality and the current state of equality in the U.S. Last, but not least, check out Pursuit of Happiness and my personal favorite, Hot Dog Etiquette!
I hope you enjoy the following:
1. Self-Evident – But Not to Everyone
TikTok Is Flooded With Health Myths. These Creators Are Pushing Back. Meet the medical experts fighting bogus science, one “stitch” at a time. (The New York Times)
Facebook is bombarding cancer patients with ads for unproven treatments. Clinics offering debunked cancer treatments are still allowed to advertise, despite the company’s stated efforts to control medical misinformation. (MIT Technology Review)
Delaying or refusing COVID-19 vaccines: The effects of misinformation. How has the quality of information on COVID-19 vaccines affected the vaccination campaign in the United States? An EU-backed study analyses the data. (CORDIS)
How Abortion Misinformation and Disinformation Spread Online. With reproductive rights being dismantled, social media companies need to stop propagating lies (Scientific American)
2. Life – Making It Better
How Much Health Insurers Pay for Almost Everything Is About to Go Public (Kaiser Health News)
HHS Issues Guidance to Protect Patient Privacy in Wake of Supreme Court Decision on Roe. Guidance includes information about what’s protected – and what’s not – when using period trackers and other health information apps on smartphones.
Parkinson Disease Monitoring App Available for Apple Watch (American Journal of Managed Care)
Protecting children from firework-related injuries, burns. 1 in 5 parents would allow kids to help set off fireworks; some don’t consistently enforce sparkler safety rules or keep a safe distance. (Univ. of MI Health)
3. Created Equal versus Treated Equal
Health Inequity Leads to $320B in Unnecessary Healthcare Spending. Stakeholders can help curb high healthcare spending by addressing health inequities, such as socioeconomic, racial, and gender disparities. (RevCycleIntelligence)
Race, Gender Matter in Receiving Timely Heart Attack Care (HealthDay)
Why the LGBTQ community has ‘some of the worst outcomes in health’ (Employee Benefit News)
The end of Roe will create more inequality of opportunity for children (Brookings Institution)
4. Pursuit of Happiness
The most popular July 4th food in every state (Time2play)
Hot Dog Etiquette Everyday guidance for eating America’s most sacred food (National Hot Dog and Sausage Council)
The Man Who Invented Water Skiing. One hundred years ago, Ralph Samuelson successfully skied across the waters of Lake Pepin (Smithsonian Magazine)
Adults Long to be a Kid Again in the Summertime (PR Newswire)
Enjoy your weekend!
Best,
Suzanne
Suzanne Daniels, Ph.D.
AEPC President
P.O. Box 1416
Birmingham, MI 48012
Office: (248) 792-2187
Email: [email protected]
