More this and that

Assorted stories I heard or read over the past few days:

• Congress took action to ban phthalates, a family of chemicals found in plastics (including toys), cosmetics, and other toiletries. It's rare for Congress to take on the chemical industry, but there appears to be a recognition that the laws that protect the public from dangerous chemicals in consumer products just aren't working. More from Living on Earth.
• Hard to believe, but it's been 25 years since Yaz released their classic "Only You." More from NPR's Day to Day.

• The people with the lowest carbon footprints are often those most affected by climate change. That's particularly true for people living above the Arctic Circle, like the residents of the Alaskan villages Kivalina and Newtok. These nomadic peoples were forced by the government to settle in one location (the alternative was having their children taken from them!), and now that they've done so, they're seeing their villages threatened by weather changes. Erosion is eliminating up to 150 feet of beach per year, bringing the ocean's waves perilously close to their homes. And melting permafrost is causing homes and other structures to sink. Listen to the story from Day to Day.
• Victor and I have been enjoying a variety of non-beefsteak tomatoes lately--heirloom, cherry, and cherub varieties of a variety of colors--and Ezra Klein shared a video of a walk through an Italian market with a discussion of the fresh produce available there.

• Finally, David Brooks' Tuesday column for the New York Times addresses what he calls "the biggest issue" America faces: a slowing increase in the skills of Americans. He discusses two studies that 1) credit education for the rise of the U.S. economy in the 20th century and 2) flag cultural changes as the cause for the leveling off of educational gains in the past few decades. He notes:

  I point to these two research projects because the skills slowdown is the biggest issue facing the country. Rising gas prices are bound to dominate the election because voters are slapped in the face with them every time they visit the pump. But this slow-moving problem, more than any other, will shape the destiny of the nation....

  ... Both sides of this debate exist within the Democratic Party. The G.O.P. is largely irrelevant. If you look at Barack Obama’s education proposals — especially his emphasis on early childhood — you see that they flow naturally and persuasively from this research. (It probably helps that Obama and Heckman are nearly neighbors in Chicago). McCain’s policies seem largely oblivious to these findings. There’s some vague talk about school choice, but Republicans are inept when talking about human capital policies.