Gail Short - a freelance writer in Birmingham, Alabama

It might be tempting to purchase your medicines from an online pharmacy to save money, but beware. Some online pharmacies are selling ineffective and even dangerous products.
The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) reported this year that it identified dozens of illicit online pharmacies (IOPs) selling drugs marketed as treatments for COVID-19, drugs that would normally require a prescription.

“Rogue internet pharmacy networks are run by criminal opportunists, and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has provided the perfect opportunity for illegal online drug sellers to prey on fearful consumers,” the NABP says in its “Rogue Rx Activity Report.” Read the article. 

After nearly a decade delivering newspapers part time, Jesus Serrano says he dreamed of landing a better-paying, full-time position with benefits.        
He applied for several jobs, he says. Employers, however, rejected him because he lacked a high school degree.

“Most of the jobs ask you for the high school diploma or a GED,” Serrano says. So last year, he went the Bakersfield Adult School to enroll and study for a GED. That is when a School adviser told him he could study closer to his home at the School’s new workforce development center, Job Spot, at 1501 Panama Lane. Read the three articles on pages 2, 6-7.

In late spring of this year, automakers in the United States began ramping up production after a nearly two-month shutdown to contain COVID-19. By then, the virus had sickened millions and killed thousands of Americans and forced businesses across the traumatized nation to close. Read the article. 

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Joshua Finklea, pastor of The Rock in Conway, South Carolina, is quick to credit God’s grace for his congregation’s growth.

“His hand has been on us,” says Finklea, who is starting his fifth year as pastor of the 15-year-old church. “He has allowed us to do some things that have resulted in people being reached.”
But besides God’s grace, the church strives to attract, reach and teach those Finklea calls “this generation.”
“We don’t use the phrase ‘next generation’ because we believe that students and kids and young adults aren’t ‘next,’” Finklea says. “God wants to use them today.” Read the article. 

These days, many warehouses and distribution centers are under the gun to boost efficiency and productivity and ship products and materials faster than ever.
In the e-commerce industry alone, a recent survey by the global consulting firm Capgemini Research Foundation reported that 55% of consumers polled said they would choose a brand or retailer over its competitor if it offered a faster delivery service.
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That said, a white paper titled “Warehouses of the Future,” published by the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University (ASU), says warehouses are becoming places “not just to store stuff,” but places integrated into supply chain processes. The paper goes on to say that, consequently, warehouses today are looking to technological advances to cut the cost of labor, boost productivity and speed up the flow of goods. Read the article here. 

Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said, “Nothing endures but change.”
The German automaker Mercedes-Benz U.S. International (MBUSI) in Tuscaloosa County, and its parent company, Daimler AG, are moving forward with a host of changes for the decade to come.
Last November, al.com, the Associated Press and other news organizations reported that Daimler planned to shed at least 10,000 jobs from it 300,000-worker pool worldwide by the end of 2022, including reducing management by 10 percent.
Daimler said the cost-cutting measure would save the company approximately $1.5 billion, freeing up its cash flow to implement its fully electric and hybrid vehicle programs. ​ Read the article here.

Aaron Moncrief, a pastor from Oak Park, Ga., was shooting fireworks at a summer youth camp in 2018 when he noticed an unexploded mortar on the ground. As he attempted to discard the tube, it erupted.

“The firework mortar misfired,” says Moncrief, “and I took a direct hit to my left eye.” The force of the blast shattered the bones in his face and ruptured his left eye. A rescue crew loaded him onto emergency air transport, which flew him to Birmingham.

Once there, ENT surgeons at UAB Medical Center worked to repair his facial fractures. Then a surgical team at the UAB Callahan Eye Hospital made an effort to repair his eye.

​“It’s always worth trying to repair a ruptured eye when possible,” says Sarah Jacobs, MD., ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgeon at UAB., “even when the injuries seem devastating, because there are many traumas that the eye can potentially recover from.”
Read the article here (Page 10). 

While many Americans are sheltering in their homes to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, long-haul truckers are traveling down the highways day and night delivering food, medicines and other essential goods to grocery stores, hospitals and pharmacies.
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But what happens if a trucker gets coronavirus or feels ill while on the road? While driving heavy or tractor-trailer trucks has always put drivers at a high risk for accidents and injuries, COVID-19 poses an added danger. But, as the pandemic rages on across the country, truckers, their employers, associations and others are working to keep them healthy. Read the article here. 

While blockchain technology is usually associated with bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, today some companies in the food industry are beginning to implement this tool to increase transparency, trust and consumer safety while reducing waste.
Many experts describe blockchain as a digital ledger. It is decentralized, meaning that no single individual or entity controls every computer on the blockchain network or the information entered onto the digital ledger. Every transaction along the supply chain is recorded on the ledger, time stamped, given a code or “hash,” and linked to the blockchain. All parties on the network — growers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers — can read the data in real time and add their own updates. And, almost without exception, the data, once entered, cannot be altered or erased. Read the article here. 

Warehouses are the large, often nondescript structures where goods are stored, packed, tagged and distributed to destinations around the globe. While they already play an important role in any supply chain, today these facilities are undergoing major changes in both their dimensions and complexity.
Experts say one reason for the change is the rapid rise of e-commerce retail sales. In fact, according to the U.S. Census, e-commerce today makes up 12% of retail sales and is growing 15 to 20% every year.
As e-commerce retail sales continue to grow, the need for warehouses and fulfillment centers that meet the needs of online retailers and brick-and-mortar stores is also rising, says James Breeze, senior director and global head of industrial and logistics research at CBRE Group Inc. Read the article here.