Remember after 9-11? Re3member all those good things we said we were going to do in the world? You know, all that stuff we didn’t do? Well, the swine flu problem we’re facing right now is nowhere near that level of concern just yet – so far, the only people who need to be iced down in this country appear to be our media – but perhaps we can use this moment to do things our last great moment of trial failed to muster from our elected leaders.
We know, for example, that the members of our community affected most gravely will be our children and elderly. If nothing else, perhaps this is a wake up call to get children’s health and senior health initiatives off the ground in this country. Maybe this is the wake up we need to pass comprehensive health care reforms, to make sure that hospitals are prepared and that vital vaccines are always in supply.
Meanwhile, much of the world’s squalor is either created by or antagonized by U.S. corporate interests. Such squalor presents as much of a national security threat as any terrorist cell, when you look at where this flu and others like it are originating from. Clearly, not every fetid sewer is our fault. But just because we don’t deserve the blame for everything does not mean that we can’t get some credit for healing some of the environmental problems that exist around our nation’s foreign operations.
And if you ask a doctor what might help ease the suffering and lessen the potential of flu attacks in poorer parts of the world, they would tell you that fresh drinking water is the key. Just look at the situation in the Mexican village where the first reported case of swine flu hit: they’ve been complaining for months about pig farm waste leeching into their water supplies. If the United States pledged to build a UN coalition to provide clean drinking water to the world, the world would be a remarkably healthier place.
I’m sure there’s more to be done. Right?
The Inner Space Boy checks into his blog to report on the latest round of PSAs created to do anything but service the public: the corn syrup lobby.
Of course, corn is the single most subsidized crop in the United States and the end result is that HFCS is used in just about every prepackaged food we eat, not to mention fast food. Personally, while I hardly avoid all packaged foods, I’ve lost thirty pounds since kicking fast food to the curb and increasing my whole foods intake.
Am I the only one who thinks that a company that cannot plug a simple security hole in their social networking site should not be trusted to automatically grab data from your grandma’s sugar monitor?
We finally figure out the obvious and start buying banks, Gene Simmons buys a record company, and masturbation becomes a healthy ((not to mention natural and zesty)) enterprise in this latest of news roundups for DFE. Lets whip out some stories, shall we?
I’ve been working so hard for the Christmas selling season that I’ve ignored a problem with my foot. Well, now that problem has drawn enough attention to itself that I was forced to go have emergency surgery on it yesterday.
Nothing big, I’m confident I’ll live. But keeping this foot raised makes it difficult to get to the keyboard. So, keep looking at the headlines, as I’ll try to keep those updated. But don’t look for too much analysis today or this weekend. See you Monday!
Gardasil. It’s everywhere. On television, in movies, in print. But didn’t that happen rather fast? And what was the risk of cervical cancer to women prior to the vaccination?
All these questions and more are posed and partially answered in this excellent article.
I appreciate vaccination as much as the next guy. I’m sure that I would rather live in the world we have today than a world where people die from stubbing their toes. Still, it is exactly these types of value questions and logical inquries which are simply lacking in our media, our government and in our health system. In fact, we are actively encouraged to abdicate our common sense to drug companies’ ability to spin new diseases and crisises in advance of their own cures.
Go ahead, try it some time: the next time you walk into some sort of specialty clinic for some specialty treatments – some little office in a great big office building in Henrietta – ask the doctor how many patients come through the doors with your problem, and how many leave cured.
They won’t answer.
As the salmonella outbreak panic continues to grip the nation, it looks as though an effort is being made to block the import of Mexican tomatoes as one possible source of the outbreak. Of course, that’s pissing off Mexico, since there’s really no proof whatsoever that their ‘maters are the source of the bug:
Worried U.S. buyers block Mexican tomatoes at border | Reuters
“I’ve had phone calls from producers saying their tomatoes are being blocked, not all varieties but some varieties,” Alberto Cardenas said, stressing that U.S. officials had found no evidence so far that Mexican tomatoes were unsafe to eat.Twenty-five people have been hospitalized as a result of the U.S. outbreak, which is being linked to raw plum, Roma and round tomatoes. Investigators at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, have not ruled out Mexico as the source of the infection.
I suppose that there’s wisdom, despite the irritation, in at least cutting down the number of potential sources while the true culprit has not been identified. There seems to be no really good way to track the progress of crops through the supply chain, therefore this may be a long process, if they ever find an answer the government is willing to share with us (don’t hold your breath).
Kennedy diagnosed with malignant brain tumor – Capitol Hill- msnbc.com
“He has had no further seizures, remains in good overall condition, and is up and walking around the hospital,” said a joint statement issued by Dr. Lee Schwamm, vice chairman of the Department of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Dr. Larry Ronan, Kennedy’s primary care physician.
So, keep a thought or a prayer in you for the good Senator.
I know those of you who are either teachers or administrators in schools will probably not see the humor in this that I do. Never the less, it’s freakin’ funny.
Apparently, someone got a hold of both the letterhead and the mailing list of Portland, OR’s Lincoln High School and sent out a nominally official letter to all the parents actively encouraging them to open their liquor cabinets to the attendees of the prom as a way to promote “a safe, secure place for students to have fun.” Condoms were included in the letters.
OMG, whomever pulled this off is my freakin’ hero.
I have a friend who just lost his job and is in need of medical insurance because of existing conditions. He was checking into Healthy New York and discovered something that should raise more than a few eyebrows out there: HealthyNY does not cover mental health. At all.
So, after all those television commercials featuring our former governor Pataki, where does one go to get mental health issues covered if they’re out of work? Even better, our supposed lifeline for health insurance in this country also goes on in its website to state the following:
Pre-Existing Condition Limitation
Coverage under the Healthy NY program is subject to a pre-existing condition waiting period. This means that if the applicant has a medical condition that they have been either diagnosed with or treated for in the last six months, services for the treatment of that condition may be excluded from coverage for up to a year.
Republicans and Conservatives can say what they want about the government not getting involved in people’s lives. But I think a big question we all have to ask ourselves is: if they’re going to get involved, what are we going to get for our tax dollars?
More coverage to come. . .
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