When most people think of summer, they think of hot days that are enjoyable to spend outside. Bathing suits, swimming pools, the ocean, flip-flops, gardening, and cook-outs all come to mind, basically anything outside for people to take advantage of the warm weather. However, this summer, particularly the past few days, have been unbearable for much of the eastern United States as record breaking temperatures are causing power outages and even deaths.

“Hot and hotter will continue to be the story from the Plains to the Atlantic Coast the next few days,” the National Weather Service said Monday. “The widespread excessive heat warnings and heat advisories have certainly decreased in coverage, but temperatures will remain well above average across a large portion of the U.S.”

Over the past weekend, emergencies were announced in several states including Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, and Washington D.C. as a result of the “hurricane-forced wind storms.” The storms have left severe damage, resulting in power outages and dangerous living conditions for those without power living in the sweltering heat.

According to the website Reuters, “The storms’ rampage came as sweltering temperatures topped 100 Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) in several southern cities, including Atlanta, where the mercury hit an all-time record of 106 degrees (41 C) on Saturday and reached 105 on Sunday. Over two-dozen cities across 10 states set or tied all-time record high temperatures on Friday and Saturday, including Columbia, South Carolina; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Raleigh, North Carolina.”

Thus far, the storms have killed 22 people and have resulted in power outages in over three million homes, and as the heat index increases more deaths are anticipated.

David Glenn of the National Weather Center said that a man was killed when his shed collapsed on him in North Carolina. Additionally, six people in Virginia have died as a result of the storms, two were killed in Maryland, a falling tree killed two young cousins in New Jersey and two brothers, ages 3 and 5, were killed from heat stroke in Tennessee, according to reports.

Two-thirds of the state of Ohio lost power last Friday and to revive power, Ohio’s Governor John Kasich received federal emergency assistance.

Pepco CEO Jim Rigby told CNN, “”We’ve restored about 45% of the customers (which are considered households), but obviously, we’re not satisfied,” Rigby said. “We have a lot of work to do, and we won’t be satisfied until we have everyone back.”

According to CNN, Rigby also said that, “he understands the frustration some people may be experiencing. Crews from as far away as Canada’s New Brunswick have arrived to help, with more expected Monday. Our foot is on the pedal.”

As electrical companies are working hard to get the power restored for their customers, they are hoping to have regained power for 90% of households by Friday. Rigby, after making significant progress overnight, said he believes “we should be able to beat that.”

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This June, the Federal Reserve might play again the sweet symphony of ‘Operation Twist’, as their broken drums are beating loud, in the US economy at a meeting that will be held on June 19-20,  thus providing a new dimension to the economy in its policy announcement.

The Federal Reserve has played the symphony of Operation Twist two times previously. On November 25, 2008, the Federal Reserve announced that it would purchase up to $600 billion in agency mortgage backed securities and agency on debt, and the Fed Launched this measure once again in 2011. Under this plan the Fed announced that it was going to purchase $400 billion in securities with maturities between 6 and 30 years.

The basic idea behind Operation Twist is to lower the interest rates in order to increase more avenues for consumers and businesses to borrow and to ultimately increase spending.

After almost six months of a bumpy ride with unemployment numbers lacking signs of improvement and ailing GDP numbers, all focus has shifted back toward the monetary authorities.

Recently the Fed’s Beige Book, called the Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions, concluded that overall economic activity showed some signs of improvement in April to late May. However, there have been growing worries about the weakness of the US recovery underlined by recent lower-than-expected growth in job numbers. Federal Vice Chairman, Janet Yellen, described an economy endangered by marginal  job growth, a weak housing market and the specter of problems in Europe.

“There are a number of significant downside risks to the economic outlook, and hence it may well be appropriate to insure against adverse shocks that could push the economy into territory where a self-reinforcing downward spiral of economic weakness would be difficult to arrest,” Yellen told an audience at the Boston Economic club.

In the corridors of economic growth and stability, performance of the US economy in the first half might be regarded as lacking prospects of probability and consistency because the US Federal Reserve lost of all its ammunition by playing the flutes of record low interest rates, defending some of the worst economic battles.

The US economy was able to grow at only a 1.9 percent annual rate in the first quarter of 2012  and  it seems it is not expanding any more quickly this quarter either, sparking concerns over recovery. 

Now all of the attention is orbiting in and around the Fed, since it appears that streamlining the economy can be easily done by the Fed, as well as the transformation of the economy toward a brighter and more secure future. This is evident by a previous line of action by the Federal Reserve when they first launched Operation Twist.

Quantitative easing will provide limited, time-bound quasi relief to the economy because the scale of the crisis serves as an exclusive illustration that the mere reliance on monetary policy adjustments won’t help the US get out of their noisy mess of broken drums and defective flutes.  What is needed is, no matter what happens in Europe due to the Sovereign debt crisis, the US should start off consistently with collaborative action from both fiscal and monetary spheres to rejuvenate the economy.

According to the BBC, Mr Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, echoed grim concern about tax policy adopted by the government and further said that it might jeopardize economic growth, pointing to the so-called fiscal cliff, and legislation that could bring a steep fall in government spending alongside rising taxes, which is a move hated by most economists.

In a poll of Economists conducted by Reuters, 42.5 percent believed that the Fed may extend the Operation Twist program in June, and 45 percent said it might eventually embark on more quantitative easing. Reactivation of business rhythms and the loud consumer chorus is greatly dependent on fiscal policy and monetary policy aid. Adjustments are possible in terms of tax reforms and deficit-reducing plans, and on the monetary side, restarting Operation Twist largely depends on evidence of success in earlier such programs.

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Over 120 girls and teachers were hospitalized Wednesday from the Bib Hajera Girls School in the Northern Afghanistan province of Takhar after being poisoned by a sprayed substance, CNN reports.

As of Thursday, forty girls were still under a doctor’s watch with symptoms ranging from dizziness, vomiting, headaches and loss of consciousness, Dr. Habibullah Rostaqi, the hospital director, said.

“Generally they are not in a critical condition. We are looking after them, but let’s see what happens later. We understand so far from the situation … they are more traumatized,” he said.

According to the BBC, police contemplate radical insurgents sprayed toxic materials in the classroom.

This has not been the first attack on schoolchildren in Takhar. Contaminated drinking water poisoned 150 students last month. Although no group has yet to claim responsibility for either attack, many have begun blaming the Taliban because the entire region is infamous for housing radical extremists wanting to suppress woman’s education, Reuters reports.

During the Educations World Forum in London January 2011 Dr. Farooq Wardak, Afgahan Education Minister, claimed that the Taliban surrender their fight again woman’s education. However, the group never confirmed the allegation, according to CNN.

However, last week, in areas where the Taliban are highly supported, the insurgents closed down 550 schools in 11 provinces.

Lutfullah Mashal, the National Directorate of Security (NDS) spokesman, told Reuters he believes the group’s newest offensive is to close schools before the 2014 withdrawal of foreign combat troops, which NATO just signed off Monday on President Barack Obama’s exit strategy, the BBC reports.

During the Taliban’s six-year reign, women were banned from education and work. After the group’s fall from power in 2001, women returned to schools, especially in the country’s capital, Kabul. However, there are still many attacks against students, teachers, and school buildings in areas where the Taliban are most supported.

Furthermore, the constant struggle over Afghan schools has created a strain in the newly established government, especially in the Eastern provinces. The insurgents’ anger comes from the government’s banning of motorbikes, a favorite of the Taliban. There has been a spike in attacks against schools after the government banned to use of motorbikes.

“The Afghan people know that the terrorists and the Taliban are doing these things to threaten girls and stop them going to school,” said Khalilullah Aseer, spokesman for Takhar police, told CNN. “That’s something we and the people believe. Now we are implementing democracy in Afghanistan and we want girls to be educated, but the government’s enemies don’t want this.”

Image Courtesy of  Lizette Potgieter / Shutterstock.com

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The recent brouhaha over pink slime (and other lovely mass meat production processes) is only the beginning. Here’s our roundup of some standout reporting about the food on your plate.

This is a multifaceted, perennial topic. If you think Propublica missed any, we’re happy to hear suggestions. Please email a link to MuckReads@propublica.org or tweet it with the hashtag #muckreads.

Safety of Beef Processing Method Is Questioned, The New York Times, December 2009
A look at the development of Beef Product Inc.’s “novel” method of meat production that later became known as the infamous “pink slime.” Reporter Michael Moss won a Pulitzer Prize for his investigations into contaminated beef.

Our Dwindling Food Variety, National Geographic, July 2011
Our dwindling food variety, in a stride-stopping infographic.
Contributed by @kleinmatic

What the USDA Doesn’t Want You to Know About Antibiotics and Factory Farms, Mother Jones, July 2011
The U.S. Department of Agriculture appears to have repeatedly removed a report by a USDA-contracted researcher that summarized recent academic work, from “reputed, scientific, peer-reviewed, and scholarly journals,” on possible links between antibiotic-resistant infections and factory farm animals. Mother Jones got a permanent PDF of the researcher’s report, dubbing it the “document the USDA doesn’t want you to see.”
Contributed by @foodinteg

Asian Honey, Banned in Europe, Is Flooding U.S. Grocery Shelves, Food Safety News, August 2011

Some of the biggest U.S. honey packers knowingly bought honey of questionable quality so they could sell it on the cheap. Much of it was likely smuggled from China (honey the European Union has banned) and may have been laced with lead and illegal animal antibiotics — if it was really honey at all.

America’s Dangerous Food-Safety System, The Daily Beast/ Newsweek, September 2011
A shortage of inspectors in the U.S. food-safety system exposes Americans to the risk of illness and death.
Contributed by @StepShep

Nation’s Food Anti-terror Plans Costly, Unwieldy, Associated Press, September 2011 
An AP investigation into the United States’ $3.4 billion food counter-terrorism program found that progress had been slowed by a complex web of bureaucracy.
Contributed by @joannalin

On The Menu, But Not On Your Plate, Boston Globe, October 2011
A Globe-organized DNA test revealed scores of mislabeled fish in Massachusetts restaurants, grocery stores and seafood markets. Often, “local” fish was actually hauled from thousands of miles away, and while some chefs and store owners seemed to have no clue, others admitted to knowingly selling mislabeled food to boost profits. Experts said it reflects a nationwide trend that causes diners to unwittingly overpay, may make people sick and results in overfishing.

Contributed by @JoeYerardi

Dispute Over Drug in Feed Limiting U.S. Meat Exports, MSNBC, January 2012
The controversial drug ractopamine has sickened or killed more pigs than any other livestock drug on the market, leading the EU and China, which together produce and consume about 70 percent of the world’s pork, to refuse meat imports raised on the additive. The U.S. pork industry wants to change their minds.
Contributed by @NaomiStarkman

How Washington Went Soft on Child Obesity, Reuters, April 2012
The food and beverage industries have more than doubled their spending on lobbying in Washington in the last three years. And now Congress has declared pizza a vegetable.
Contributed by @mariancw

A History of FDA Inaction on Animal Antibiotics, ProPublica, April 2012
Everything you ever wanted to know about the Food and Drug Administration’s actions, or lack thereof, to keep antibiotics out of your food.

As Beef Cattle Become Behemoths, Who Are Animal Scientists Serving? The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 2012
A growing number of animal scientists employed by public universities are accepting payouts from pharmaceutical companies. They’re often hired to persuade farmers to use antibiotics that fatten up cattle but haven’t necessarily been proven safe. Some have been banned in the E.U. and China.
Contributed by @MelodyPetersen

Bonus points: In 1968, Nathan Kotz of the Des Moines Register and Minneapolis Tribune won a Pulitzer Prize for reporting on unsanitary conditions in meat packing plants, which, according to the Pulitzer site, helped ensure passage of the Federal Wholesome Meat Act of 1967. Anybody have an online copy?

by Blair Hickman, ProPublica, May 7, 2012, 12:21 p.m.

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Documentary Channel (DOC) is proud to announce the acquisition of 2012 Academy Award nominee ”Incident in New Baghdad.”  A film by James Spione, ”Incident in New Baghdad” is an eye-opening look into the WikiLeaks video that rattled the world as recounted by a United States soldier who was there. The film will premiere on Documentary Channel Sunday, May 27th at 8p ET/PT.

This compelling documentary shines a spotlight on one of the most notorious incidents of the Iraq War – the July 2007 slaying of two Reuters journalists and a number of other civilians (some armed, many not) by U.S. attack helicopters – through the powerful testimony of an American infantryman whose life was forever changed by his experiences on the scene.

U.S. Army Specialist Ethan McCord bore witness to the devastating carnage, found and rescued two children caught in the crossfire, and soon turned against the war that he had enthusiastically joined only months before.  In April 2010, WikiLeaks released the stunning cockpit video of the incident, spurring McCord into speaking out about his role that day.  In”Incident in New Baghdad” the former soldier tells his story.

“We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of this impactful Academy Award-nominated film,” said James Ackerman, President and CEO of Documentary Channel.  “Documentary film is a powerful medium that offers a window into some of the most important stories of our time.  Jim Spione and Ethan McCordhave courageously shed light on an astonishing event.  We congratulate Jim on this phenomenal nomination and are honored to bring ”Incident in New Baghdad” to our channel.”

“I am so pleased to be partnering with the Documentary Channel in bringing this story to the wide American audience it deserves,” said Mr. Spione.  “The on-the-ground reality of our wars is too often kept hidden from us—so I applaud the Documentary Channel’s courage in bringing Ethan McCord’s story to center stage.”

The 2012 Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject will be presented on Sunday, February 26. ”Incident in New Baghdad” comes to Documentary Channel May 27th, 2012 at 8p ET/PT.

Documentary Channel is primarily available through satellite television services DISH Network (Channel 197) and DIRECTV (Channel 267).

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According to reports more than 30,000 women have been asked to remove their breast implants by the French authorities. The cause is the potentially defective silicone these women could be carrying inside them.

The newspaper Liberations has exposed, that these implants supplied by Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) carry potential health risks.

Last year, the French Society of Plastic Surgeons found out that the PIP implants were not meant for medical use, since they had a higher rate of rupture than other implants and their silicone was not quality one to be used in these type of procedures.

The past year after the company PIP went into administration, the implants were banned.

According to the BBC, Government spokeswoman Valerie Pecresse told French television that a plan of action would be unveiled later this week. She said, “All women who have PIP implants should return to see their surgeons urgently.”

These terrible concern has result in 2000 complains from women to the police. The AFP news agency reports that these women have opened a criminal investigation to the firm.

The French newspaper Le Monde, exposed that after these defects were known, a total of 523 implants have been removed in the country. Among all affected women, there have been eight cases of cancer reported in patients with PIP implants.

France’s Director General for Health, Jean-Yves Grall added that all costs related to the removal of the implants would be reimbursed, although it is not clear if this will extend to paying for replacement implants.

PIP implants were really accessible to many woman, since they were among the cheapest in the market, the problem is not only focused on France since these implants were exported in many other countries. In United Kingdom it is believed that around 50,000 woman could have them as well.

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At the Kabul International Conference 2010, which was the first Conference to be held in Afghanistan at Foreign Minister level and to be run by the Afghan government, President Hamid Karzai expressed the Afghan government’s determination to have control of security transferred from foreign to Afghan forces. The Conference set the deadline for 2014, but even at the time, the BBC’s Ian Pannell questioned the feasibility of the, albeit, optimistic goal.

In a report, the British journalist estimated that the security situation across the country would not allow plans to move forward in the near future. Violence was on the rise and June 2010 was the deadliest month in nearly nine years of war. Roadside bombings, assassination and suicide attacks were all increasing exponentially but despite these numbers, military commanders and politicians gathered at the Conference were convinced the process was on the right track. The argument was that the rise in violence was a temporary result of the troops’ effort which sometimes aggressively targeted the Taliban. They believed the security of people in the south and east was improving as a result of areas now being controlled by government and not the insurgents. Additionally, there was broad optimism among officials about the numbers and capabilities of Afghan police and soldiers.

The realities a good seven months after the inspiring commitments of the Afghan government and the International Community, are less optimistic. Despite possessing more capabilities than before, the police force and the Afghan army is not considered at all battle-ready. Both groups have problems with desertion, illiteracy, drug abuse, poor supply and logistics as well as a lack of representation from the majority Pashtun ethnic group, the group from which many Taliban members originate, according to the BBC. Concerns have also been raised about the Taliban’s capacity to infiltrate the security forces and investigations are taking place to figure out what happened in the known instances of insider attacks. Screening procedures may need to be significantly revised.

The biggest obstacle remains the hardline Islamic Taliban movement. The group emerged in the early 1990s in northern Pakistan following the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan and their early popularity was due to their humanitarian work for local communities – their involvement, however, soon brought international accusations of human rights and cultural abuses. A decade later, the Taliban in Afghanistan was accused of providing sanctuary for the al-Qaeda movement following 9/11 and was driven from power in Afghanistan by the US-led coalition.

The senior Taliban leader Mullah Omar has evaded capture since the invasion and is believed to be guiding the resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan. Despite being under pressure  from security forces in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Taliban is presumed to be steadily extending their influence and rendering vast tracts of Afghanistan insecure.

The Red Cross said at a rare press conference in December 2010 that the US plan to start withdrawing troops from July this year, in accordance with Afghan desire for security handover by 2014, would be a great mistake. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) expressed their concern by saying they expect fighting to increase in 2011 just as it had the year before – 2010 being the deadliest year of the war since 2001. Reuter’s quoted the head of ICRC in Afghanistan, Reto Stocker, for saying that “The proliferation of armed groups threatens the ability of humanitarian organisations to access those in need. Access for the ICRC has over the last 30 years never been as poor”.

This comes in conjunction with the increasingly tense relationship between the Afghan government and its Western backers. The often-uneasy ties have further deteriorated over a bank corruption scandal, a ban on private security contractors, election fraud, the establishment of a US base in the country and more recently, a row over civilian deaths in Kunar province.

The seven-months-old optimism is looking increasingly misplaced if the realities of the situation on the ground do not improve radically in the short term.

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