Archive for the ‘Health’ Category
??? The death count has went up since I posted yesterday, They found 7 more souls lost to the killer storms. Lets just hope the federal response time will not be so woefully lacking as it was after Katrina hit the gulf coast. Probably not as these people may not have been as poor as the residents of New Orleans who languished for days on end awaiting help that was so slow to come. Help that was too late for some as they perished awaiting relief. I could write a book articulating the inadequate response from the federal government. The only ones on top of their game were the men and women of the Coast Guard who tirelessly, flew mission after mission saving stranded people. It breaks my heart still to think of the way our president and his staff bent over double to insure that help got there the very next day. (Insert Sarcasm Here) I can say with all honesty that I truly believe that if the storm had flattened an affluent city that the response time would have actually been overnight and I would not have to hold my tongue in cheek when I say that. There is a double standard in this country and it is not based on race or color of skin, though it is based on color and that color is green – money green – that along with the greed it brings out in people. But here I have gotten away from the subject at hand and it is the poor unfortunate people who have lost everything they own and are now trying to pick up the pieces. Now would be a good time to donate to the Red Cross as they can use your help. Right now they have a massive effort across five southern states to bring relief to every storm stricken community. Already Red Cross workers are on the job – providing shelter, feeding victims, and search and rescue workers,- and lending emotional support to all. They are encouraging families forced from their homes to register – or have a friend register you – on the Red Cross Safe and Well web site. On the site, people within a disaster area can register themselves as “safe and well” by selecting and posting messages for friends and family. Since the disaster struck, a total of 14 shelters have sheltered more than 450. Over the past two days, Red Cross volunteers have provided devastated residents and emergency workers with thousands of meals and snacks.?
??? Once again the Red Cross beats any efforts from our government. Lets just hope their response won’t be like Katrina’s – too little, too late.
Are you like me, an animal lover, who would love to be able to take care of more than the pets we now have? Well I have found a web site – The Animal Rescue Site – that will allow you to help feed abused, neglected, and abandoned animals by simply clicking a button on their web site. It takes only a few moments to visit and click the purple button to donate food to these needy animals. Corporate sponsors and advertisers use the number of daily clicks to donate food in exchange for advertising and public relations. They pay CharityUSA, the parent entity of the site on a per click basis. CharityUSA then directs a percentage of the ad revenue to animal shelters and sanctuaries. They then keep the remaining funds. The Animal Rescue Site is not a non-profit entity so it should not be confused with charity even though it does send a large portion of its revenues to the needy. While you are there you can click the tabs to give for hunger, help sponsor mammograms, click to give free health care for children, donate books for literacy, and assist in saving the rain forests. Now that I have explained that let me also make sure you know that upon your clicks, all proceeds are donated 100%. There is no profit off you clicks only giving. Now if you would visit every day and tell ten of your friends to tell ten of their friends and so on and so forth there would be a big difference made for abandoned pets and humans as well. Over all it is a win win situation for those in need. Can you please help them?
A recent study says FEMA ignored and hid government research on the effects of formaldehyde in trailers used by victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Even going so far as to manipulate the findings so as to play down the dangers posed by the chemical. Though a FEMA spokesperson denies the charges saying [the agency] “did not suppress or inappropriately influence any report.”
Formaldehyde is commonly found in building materials especially those found in mobile homes. I worked in the mobile home industry doing everything from set-ups, truck driving, repairs and factory service. I remember all too well the acrid burning sting of going into a new trailer house and smelling the formaldehyde in the air. Most homes had aluminum vents situated so they would allow fresh air in and the formaldehyde to escape, while insuring that the window would not allow moisture or insects inside the new home. I would suspect that anyone with the least amount of common sense would insure that new trailers were aired out before residence is take up inside of them. But then again this is the federal government we are talking about and common sense goes right out the window with them. Just more college educated idiots in my book. Go out onto job sites and they are everywhere. Out of school with a degree in hand and not a clue as to what is really happening. But even these fools should know that formaldehyde is a dangerous chemical that can cause respiratory complications and has been classified as a carcinogen.
Spearheading the investigation is Rep. Brad Miller, D-N.C. of the House Science and Technology Committee. The committee is looking into reports that show how FEMA ignored expert Christopher De Rosa who said,
“Any level of exposure to formaldehyde may pose a cancer risk, regardless of duration, failure to communicate this issue is possibly misleading and a threat to public health.” FEMA used data from unoccupied trailers that had aired out several days and then they compared them to federal standards for short term exposure never comparing them to long term exposure. As a matter of fact they even instructed scientists to leave out the details of long term exposure. I agree with Rep. Miller when he said, “Honest scientific studies don’t start with the conclusion, and then work backwards from there”.
They are currently testing a mere 500 out of 40,000 trailers and are expected to give their most likely flawed reports in February and May. Don’t hold your breath expecting an honest review. Honesty has been infrequent when it comes to anything under the executive branch the past seven years.
??? On Friday the Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments deciding whether smokers may file court challenges, based on state law, to cigarette companies? advertising claims that some brands are ?light? or ?low in tar and nicotine.? The cigarettes case, Altria Group (owns Phillip Morris) v. Good, – [docket number 07-562] – was one of six the court accepted for review Friday. The U. S. Chamber of Commerce is supporting Altria as they believe a loss could extend product liabilities to other industries besides just tobacco.
??? As many of you know I have just recently quit smoking cigarettes myself but never let myself believe that a light cigarette was any healthier for you than a full flavored one. I could taste a big difference between full flavors and milder brands. I never thought they had less tar and nicotine just a lot less flavor. The plaintiffs in this case claim to have smoked Marlboro Lights for 15 years and claim that that Phillip Morris marketed them under false pretenses. They claim that the big tobacco companies know that smokers of light, ultra light, or mild cigarettes simply make up for the lowered nicotine levels by holding the smoke in longer or smoking more cigarettes to compensate for the lowered levels.
??? It sounds to me as if they were doing it to themselves. No one from the tobacco industry came and twisted my arm and forced me to start smoking cigarettes, and I feel fairly confident that they were not forced to smoke either. Heck there is even a warning on the side of each pack that tells you that “smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema and may complicate pregnancy.
??? I don’t know the surgeon general personally but I feel pretty confident that he knows what he is talking about, and that if it were not so then the lobbyists for big tobacco would have forced its removal from the packs. I do know they fought hard to keep it off of there and eventually lost
??? The case focuses on the interaction between a federal law that regulates labeling and advertising of cigarettes and a state law ? Maine‘s Unfair Trade Practices Act ? that permits lawsuits based upon deceptive commercial practices. A federal Judge had originally thrown the case out only to have the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston reinstate the case. This case could be decided as early as this spring.
??? If you are trying to quit, more power to you as I know you need all the help and encouragement you can get. Nicotine is a tough habit to kick. Even if you are not trying but especially if you are even considering smoking cessation I have a little challenge for you today. Let’s see how long you can go without a cigarette. An hour, two, maybe three. The longer you prove to yourself you can go without a cigarette the easier it gets. I am a little over two weeks into quitting and I still find myself reaching for a smoke. But I have been able to resist by will power and lying to myself. If you need help there are lots of groups that will help you. Try your local health department they should have a group or know where ones are located. Feel free to message me or leave a remark. A good blog that might help you is Quit Smoking Together. Let me know how it goes.
I am making it official. I am or have quit smoking cigarettes. The last cigarette I had was while watching a Wednesday night basketball game a fortnight ago. Making it official already leaves a gnawing feeling in my gut just thinking about it. My problem is that I actually like smoking but know it is bad for me. And this time I am going to demand of myself that another method of smoking not take its place, like cigars or a pipe. And defiantly not any left hand rolled cigarettes either.
What started out as a feel bad day where I did not even go outside until nearly three in the afternoon and deciding upon a lark that I was going to try to make it through the end of the day without smoking. Well I made it though that day without a lot of problems as I spent very little time out of the house and even though I was smoking I forbid it in the house. It did create a good bit of friction between myself and my son when he was still living at home cause he would sneak and smoke and think I wouldn’t know it. I grew up in a house that always had smoke in it and had that ashtray smell. Its funny cause I tried my best to talk my momma out of smoking to no avail as she smoked her Winstons from the time I was a child until the day she passed on to the hands of the Lord. I hated them back then and the way they smelled and the acrid smoke burning at my eyes and nose. But by time I was a teenager I was smoking them myself. First off we would steal a few out of mom or pops pack and sneak out back or into the woods for our smoke. About that time we also would smoke rabbit tobacco from a corn cob pipe. Then onto Prince Albert or Velvet tobacco either hand rolled or in the pipe.
By that time we had already been caught a couple of times and punished to no avail. Pop tried to wipe out the urge to smoke by forcing us to smoke a cigar each. Only problem with his reasoning there was that we had been smoking harsher smokes than that so it did not have the desired effect of getting us sick. I always had some money because I would work doing anything I could such as grass cutting or onto the fields where I picked beans, squash, tomatoes etc to pay for my habit and they were cheap back then. When I started smoking cigarettes were 3 packs for a dollar here in South Carolina and even cheaper in North Carolina which is only a short ride for us. Mom and Pop would stock up by spending twenty bucks and getting 8 cartons of cigarettes. And they both smoked the same brand so there wasn’t the problem of one smoking more that the other and running out before the other did.
Well enough of that as it is long past and nothing can be changed. The only things we can change are what lies in the present and the future. I wasn’t actually planning on quitting at all. As a matter of fact I have a full carton of my full flavor non filter cigarettes in the freezer. I quit with two open packs in my pockets. Even carried two lighters, a zippo and a bic. I kept lying to myself that I would allow myself a smoke after a certain length of time or after a task was completed. Then I would lie some more. My wife brought me a few handfuls of after dinner mints from her job and they helped me some. I did see exactly how much smoking is just a useless habit and how I would reach for one after ever little task or while waiting on something. I would open up a program and light a cigarette – take a few puffs off of it and lie it in the ashtray – Next thing I would do was pick it up to see it had burned nearly to the end wasting most of it while I was busy.
There are lots of methods of smoking cessation and they are proven effective but for me it was easiest to quit cold turkey. As long as I smoked any I was going to smoke a pack or two a day, or at least burn that many up as I am not sure how many I would waste while working on a web page or other task on the computer. I have my computer in my own private out building so I could smoke all I wanted to down here.
My advise if you want to quit would be to first thing make up your mind that you really want to quit. Then forbid smoking inside your house force yourself to go to a garage or outbuilding to smoke and especially in the winter time you are more likely to hurry back into the house where it is warm. That one by itself will force you to cut down on the amount you smoke. Plus if you share the home with anyone else you will be doing them a favor as second hand smoke is deadly too.
Maybe looking at what it is doing to your lungs will help you. It helped me once before as I had a relapse of smoking after going 20 years cigarette free though not entirely tobacco free. I found some pictures online at QuitSmokingSupport. I had a pair of pictures showing a healthy lung compared to a diseased smokers lung and every time I would reach for my smokes (I had them next to the pics) I would see the pictures and not light up. Another thing is not to worry that if you quit you will gain weight. Which would you rather do gain 10 or 12 pounds or have smokers lungs shortening your breath and life.
I would be glad to talk to you and try and help you get your mind right for quitting cigarettes at almost any time. I would also love to hear your stories and experiences quitting smoking. If you want to talk just leave a comment and tell me so and I will get back to you. I did it and it wasn’t too bad just hard at points when you automatically reach for them like after eating. You can do it and you will feel better for it also. I can already tell my breathing is better. And thats just 2 weeks into a lifetime of no longer smoking.
??? For the second time in three months the House failed to override President Bush‘s veto of a bill that would increase spending on the popular State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). They have already passed a scaled back version and it has been signed into law. But after only missing the override by 13 votes they attempted the override again but this time lost ground and fell 15 votes shy of overriding the veto. The result was pretty much expected, even as override supporters pointed to the slowing economy as another reason to spend another $35 billion on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program over the next five years. Rep. James Clyburn, from here in South Carolina said “Hardworking American families are struggling and in dire need of assistance.” According to White House press secretary Dana Perino “He [Bush] is pleased the House of Representatives voted today to sustain his veto of misguided legislation that would have expanded SCHIP to higher income households while increasing taxes”. Myself I agree with Representative Clyburn and feel they should extend health care to more children. Personally I feel that all Americans should be eligible for health care when they need it. Too many hard working people have pretty much lost every thing when them or their spouse gets sick. Even with health care the co payments can be so high that the sick person can not afford the treatments. It is very easy for members of Congress to sit on their high perch and denounce universal health care as socialism. They have great health care provided by us. They have nothing to worry about if them or someone in their family gets sick as their coverage is fantastic.
??? In other news on the health care issue President Bush is threatening to veto a bill to designed to improve health care on American Indian reservations. The legislation would boost screening and mental health programs at the Indian Health Service, increase tribal access to Medicare and Medicaid and prompt new construction and modernization of health clinics on reservations. The Senate began consideration of the legislation Tuesday. Senate Indian Affairs Committee Chairman Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said the bill is a first step in addressing the “crisis” in American Indian health care. The system is underfunded and inefficient, he said.
??? Pretty much business as usual from the Bush camp. No expense is spared for the war mongers and their cronies who are making money off the blood of others. But when it comes to spending some money on health care for those who really need it or a similar issue we can not afford it. It seems to me to be a double standard. Where is the compassion for our fellow man. Hopefully this election sees a change from top to bottom of our elected officials. My advise to you if you feel like I do on this issue is to register and vote for candidates who feel like you do on this issue.
Another cold day for us here in SC and another day of my fibro assaulting me. That and the fact that they let me run out of part of the meds for my bipolar had me out of sorts so to speak. After years of denying it even to myself I finally got on what appears to be the right chemical cocktail and it keeps my moods pretty well stabilized. I used to be a holy terror with my radical mood swings and ill temper. Now I stay on a pretty even keel and life is much better for me and my family around me. Now if my body would cooperate I would be quite happy most of the time.
I did manage to stay awake long enough to watch most of the debate from Myrtle Beach. Nothing new there, just a lot of bickering between Hillary and Obama. Edwards came out smelling like a rose, with what little camera time he was able to get. I do like the fact that they all three are for universal health care. I don’t see how countries like England, France, and Canada can give their citizens health care and we can’t. Even Cuba can give health care to its citizens. Not so sure about Cuba but the life expectancy is higher in France, England and Canada than ours. Maybe – not having to worry that you may one day get sick and lose everything you have worked for all your life – has a calming effect upon your soul.
John McCain won the Republican Primary on Saturday. We will find out who wins the Democratic Primary next Saturday. We still have a long run to the final votes are cast in November. But unless things change drastically I don’t think the Republicans can muster enough Independents to retain the Whitehouse.
Thats just my opinion on the race this year. But with the way the country is going as well as unrest about the war I think they will have a hard time mustering enough voters to vote any Republican into the Presidency.
Yesterday was a damp snowy day for the Republican Primary here in South Carolina. Or at least it was snowing here in the upstate. We never got any accumulation of snow but John McCain accumulated enough votes to get 33% of the vote – enough to win the GOP Primary here in SC. Turnout was relativly high for a primary especially considering the inclement weather where people were concerned about getting out on slippery roads to vote. South Carolina’s Democratic Primary is next week. It is kind of confusing to a lot of voters who do not know this and went out expecting to be able to simply select the party then their candidate. I was one of those that did not know the primary was broken up into two seperate days until we had made it to the polling place.
We made it there after going out shopping for some essentials and I was totally worn out. It seems the cold and my arthritis and fibromalgia do not get along very well at all. By the time we finally made it home I was pretty much down for the count so to speak. I was lucky in the fact that a few of the stores had nice benches to sit on while my wife and daughter were gathering up our supplies. I don’t like to leave them alone but when you are whipped physically it is hard to keep up with them. The ride through the snow flurries was rather nice though. Not enough to lay on the roads and make it slick but enough to start showing white in the grasses and woods alongside the roadway. At least it doesn’t hurt much more to drive than it does to ride.
I really enjoyed the time spent with my wife and daughter. Even after 28 years of marriage I still enjoy spending time with her. And our daughter is such a pleasure to spend time with too. I really feel blessed to have the family I do. I know of other people and families that can not say they get along so well and enjoy going places and spending time together so I am very lucky in that respect. Even with our son who we love dearly was not as easy to get along with when he was a teenager. The rebel without a cause syndrome I guess you could have called it. I think boys go through more of a wild stage than girls do or that is how it is with our two children.
Day eleven and counting without a smoke. Each day is a little easier or most of the time it is. I can now see the triggers that got me to light up and remember how many of those times I was simply lighting up, then letting most of it burn up without even a draw on it. There by wasting it which may have been a good thing in the long run.
Would you knowingly eat meat that came from cloned animals? In a recent decision by the US Food and Drug Administration not only have they declared it to be safe but they also declared that no warning labels need be used either. The agency decided that no labeling is necessary for meat or milk from cloned cows, pigs, or goats or their offspring. (Ironically the FDA didn’t include cloned sheep in the announcement, claiming a lack of data, though the very first cloned animal was a sheep named Dolly.)
Now, will people buy it? Consumer anxiety about cloning is serious enough that several major food companies, including the big dairy producer Dean Foods Co. and Smithfield Foods Inc., say they aren’t planning to sell products from cloned animals. It is not too likely that we will have actual cloned meat for sale in your local supermarket. At 10 – 20 grand per cloned cow it is highly unlikely that they will be slaughtering these animals. But they will be breeding them and perhaps milking them very soon.
My question to you is – How do you feel about the subject of cloned animals and their products being sold unlabeled? The FDA noted that their focus groups and other public input indicated that about 1/3 of US citizens do not want food from cloned animals under any circumstances; another 1/3 have no objections; and the other 1/3 fall somewhere in between.
Hunger is a terrible thing and it is – lucky for us – something very few if any have ever had to deal with. But to most of the world hunger is something that must be dealt with on a daily basis. The World Health Organization estimates that one-third of the world is well-fed, one-third is under-fed one-third is starving. It is estimated that one billion people in the world suffer from hunger and malnutrition. In the Asian, African and Latin American countries, well over 500 million people are living in what the World Bank has called “absolute poverty”. Every year almost 15 million children die of hunger or hunger related problems. It is not just third world countries that have hunger issues. Even here in the United States one out of every eight children under the age of twelve goes to bed hungry every night.
This is a terrible thing and even though you want to help you are not able to financially. Many of us live from paycheck to paycheck, just barely getting by. My readers may remember me posting about the FreeRice site that gives away rice with every correct question on vocabulary. I have found yet another site where you can help feed the poor for free. It is estimated that over 3 billion people in the world are struggling to get by on $2.00 US per day. The site is The Hunger Site. Since its launch in 1999 the site has helped feed the world’s hungry. To date there has been more than 300 million visitors that clicked the yellow “Click Here to Give – it’s FREE” button. Turning the clicks into more than 500 million cups of food. They also sell ad space and have a store that features hand made items from various countries. They have numerous pages of items in their store. Anything from hand carved gourds to Peruvian silver jewelry. And all the profits go to a good cause, feeding the hungry. Most items will tell you how much food is being donated per purchase. But you do not have to purchase anything whatsoever to give away free food everyday. Simply visit the site everyday and click the Yellow “Click Here to Give – it’s FREE” button. It will only take a few moments of your time and can mean the world to someone else.