Tanning bed warning
Indoor tanning beds would carry new warnings about the risk of cancer and be subject to more stringent federal oversight, under a proposal unveiled Monday by the Food and Drug Administration.
The FDA has regulated tanning beds and sun lamps for more than 30 years.
Immunologists give isle revenue a shot
The American Association of Immunologists’ annual meeting that began May 3 and ends today brought 3,500 scientists and attendees to Hawaii.
The conference is expected to generate $16.5 million in visitor spending and $1.6 million in state tax revenue, according to the Hawai‘i Convention Center.
The group presented new research in more than 100 sessions through the past few days.
More than 1,000 attendees and 1,000 family members flew to the islands. The group celebrated its 100th anniversary at this year’s meeting.
The organization honored seven distinguished scientists for their achievements in immunology, including Dr. Barton Haynes of the Duke University School of Medicine for his contributions to the development of an HIV-1 vaccine.
Brands risk image in Bangladesh responses
MUMBAI, India » Global clothing brands involved in Bangladesh’s troubled garment industry responded in starkly different ways to the building collapse that killed more than 600 people. Some quickly acknowledged their links to the tragedy and promised compensation. Others denied they authorized work at factories in the building even when their labels were found in the rubble.
The first approach seems to deserve plaudits for honesty and compassion. The second seems calculated to minimize damage to a brand by maximizing distance from the disaster. Communications professionals say both are public relations strategies and that neither may be enough to protect companies from the stain of doing business in Bangladesh.
Britain’s Primark and Canada’s Loblaw Inc., which owns the Joe Fresh clothing line, have acknowledged production at the building and promised compensation. Benetton labels were found in the rubble. German clothing company KiK’s T-shirts and tops were found in the rubble.
Experts say possibly the only way retailers and clothing brands can protect their reputations is to visibly and genuinely work to overhaul safety in Bangladesh’s garment factories. A factory fire killed 112 workers in November, and a January blaze killed seven.
GOP seeks alternative to overtime pay
WASHINGTON » It seems like a simple proposition: give employees who work more than 40 hours a week the option of taking paid time off instead of overtime pay.
The choice already exists in the public sector. Federal and state workers can save earned time off and use it weeks or even months later to attend a parent-teacher conference, care for an elderly parent or deal with home repairs.
Republicans in Congress are pushing legislation that would extend that option to the private sector. They say that would bring more flexibility to the workplace and help workers better balance family and career.
On the Move
Airmarket USA and Delyse, founded by Elisabeth Galvin, have donated 12 Acer Aspire laptop computers to winners of Honolulu Community Action Program’s “Go College! Essay Contest.” The contest was open to all HCAP Competency-Based High School Diploma Program graduates and HCAP Head Start Program parents. One of the awardees is Billie Jo Naleieha-Betiru, a mother of five children who all attend Head Start. Naleieha-Betiru is graduating from Kapiolani Community College and going into elementary education with a focus on special education. Other winners are Latifeh Alyousef, Micheala Belden, Kahelelani Brady, Chante Galton, Leticia Haire, Joshua-Nicholas Nguyen, Rusty Oppenheimer, Sherine Quintal, Loreal Russell, Kehaunani Tai and Jesse Young.
Saint Louis School announced it has received a matching gift of $7.5 million from the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation. The school raised the same amount in donations to trigger the gift.
