Everyone needs a helping hand, every now and then. But sometimes that helping hand comes with an anal brain attached to it.

The story of the “relief” effort, in the mega retirement compound where my parents reside, was so pathetic and skewed that it just makes you want to rush and string politicians up by their balls (or boobs if they lack the balls).

I’ve told this saga before, but once in Florida, I got the full details. First, the Red Cross handouts. Yes, it was nice of the Red Cross to come and deliver food to thousands of retirees stuck without power. However, many of the residents in this community are quite old, are not very mobile, and scaling a staircase is an exercise in futility. The elevators were not working, due to the power outtage, and these old folks were basically stuck on the second and third floors.

The Red Cross was parked at the clubhouse, which is situated at the front of the development. They did not make rounds to deliver food. My stepfather, who is mobile and drives, attempted to take extra portions so that he could bring them to neighbors who weren’t as fortunate. But noooo, that was not allowed. While some old folks, to be sure, might take extra portions and hoard it (you know, the Depression mentality), others simply wanted to help their friends and neighbors. You know, prevent starvation.

But that was verboten! One portion per person and no exceptions. If those old geezers were just too damn lazy to push their wheelchairs and walkers down the stairs, well they deserved to go hungry. Oh, the kindness of the Red Cross.

Some politician (no, not Jeb) was lurking around there, looking for photo ops and what not. When the situation was brought to his attention, he kind of made himself scarce. When he was asked when the power was going to come back on, he replied, “Soon.” When asked how soon, he conveniently pretended that he had a hearing disorder.

On the ninth day of the power outtage, a bunch of little girls came around with food. And ohmygod, they actually climbed the stairs and knocked on doors. Better late than never I suppose, but still. I imagine that some people didn’t open their doors because they were long dried out and dead, but that’s another story.

Does this sound like an American story to you? I admit, I am repeating this second-hand, but it seems to fantastic for my parents to have made up. They don’t have that much imagination.

Here’s an interesting tidbit of history, and one which seems rather astonishing. The inventor of the lobotomy, a man named Egas Moniz, was actually awarded the Nobel Prize for his work. Talk about being desperate for a recipient. Of course, I imagine that this topic is one that the medical and scientific community would just as soon be forgotten, but unfortunately, lotobomies refuse to die a quiet death. NPR, just did an interview with a man who was lobotomized when he was only 12 years old.

It all goes to show how wrong medical “expertise” often is. Lotobomy was touted by some as the cure for all mental ills, just as it was formerly believed that tonsils were just some useless piece of tissue whose only purpose was to get infected. Some doctors still think that a woman’s uterus and ovaries are useless if she’s not actively breeding, but that’s another story.

What other gems of wisdom have we heard over the years? Well, in 1969, the Surgeon General announced that we basically had “won” the war on infectious diseases and could now “close the book.” Margarine was touted as a healthy food, hormone replacement therapy was believed to curtail heart disease in post-menopausal women, and routinely using antibiotics for everything and anything was considered the status quo.

By the way, Dr. Moniz was shot by one of his disgruntled ex-patients, and remained paralyzed for the rest of his life. Sweet revenge…

,

I was off of the Internet almost the entire day and evening yesterday. What’s more, I was at home and the computer was turned off. For someone who’s email automatically checks every 15 minutes, and who starts getting shakey if I am away from the Internet for longer than 30 seconds at a time, this was a monumental task to accomplish.

However, it was done not to beat my addiction, but simply an attempt to restore full power to the battery in my laptop. It is supposed to give me about four hours worth of juice, but this last time around, it was gone after about an hour.

So I drained the battery completely, and then let it charge undisturbed, per instructions from IT support. Hopefully, it worked. I’m plugged in right now, but I’ll be testing it sometime soon–before my next flight.

What does one do without the Internet? Well, I had mundane tasks to accomplish, like unpacking, going through reams of snail mail, paying bills, and cleaning up. My wheezing was better so I took a walk when the sun came out, but was careful to walk “flat” rather than scale any hills. I covered my mouth with a scarf, which does tremendously help reduce bronchospasms. The air didn’t seem worse than usual, despite the advisory of “particles.” However, I did feel better when I was in Florida, and still feel a little bit winded here and lacking in energy. Seattle doesn’t seem very conducive to my health, as I do notice how much better I feel in other locations. It could just be my house, I don’t know. It’s an old building, and probably a lot of mold/mildew everywhere.

Anyway, it’s so good to be back online. It really is an addiction…

I am home, in beautiful dark and dreary Seattle. And it is dark, cold, and damp. This morning is about as dark as it can be after sunrise, although the trees right outside of my office window are still bright and cheery with red and yellow leaves that are still clinging to the branches.

Two women sitting near me on the plane were marveling at how pretty the mountains were from the window, and were patting themselves on the back for having such “great” weather to greet them in Seattle. And up in the skies above the city, it was bright and sunny. Gorgeous views of Mts. Rainier and St. Helens, glorious snow capped peaks shining in the bright sun. But more ominous was the thick cloud cover, which looked like a field of snow. They didn’t associate that snowy white stuff, which looked so lovely when you’re flying above it, with the actual conditions down below.

And as expected, as the airplane cut through the clouds, and made for the runway, the bright sunshine was replaced by dark threatening skies. And it was cold. Not the warm sunny weather that they seemed to be anticipating. Oh well. I told the woman next to me that this was very typical Seattle winter weather. Dark, damp and chilly. Not so much rainfall as the myth leads many to believe, but just a lot of very dark skies that make one feel as though the end is near.

But most disturbing is that I was only back in Seattle for about an hour when I started coughing, and having a little trouble breathing. After a few hours at home, I was beginning to wheeze a little, and drank several cups of Breathe Easy tea, which does seem to help. What is it about the air, I wonder? I was fine in Anaheim, and in Florida, but as soon as I get home, I’m coughing and my chest is getting tight.

My guess is that the climate in the Pacific Northwest may just not be conducive to my optimal health, and plus, there was a warning on the Weatherunderground.com for “Air stagnation advisory in effect until 6 PM PST Saturday.” I tried to find out what it means exactly, and what I could figure out was that people who are somewhat sensitive (ie, those with respiratory conditions, etc) are advised not to exert themselves when out of doors. Terrific. What the hell is floating around the air here? At least in LA, I understood what smog alerts were. You could see the stuff. But this is so vague and peculiar, which worries me more about what is entering my lungs.

At any rate, while it is good to be home and back at my own desk, I don’t feel particularly well in Seattle. Plus this is the spit-on-sidewalk capitol of the US, as I’ve mentioned before. More slime per capita than than any other city. Perhaps there is a reason why so many people feel the need to spit, other than that they think it makes them look cool or macho. Maybe the population is drowning in slimy mucus, due to the mysterious particles floating in the air, which get so bad that “air stagnation” warnings are posted.

I’d like to go out for a walk, but not sure I want to risk a full blown asthma attack.

Due to weather conditions, I missed my connecting flight to Seattle and was doomed to spend the night in Jersey. Newark, to be exact. And of course, if weather is the problem, the airlines don’t pay for your room, although you get a “distressed passenger” discount at some hotels.

The weather was terrible at Newark airport, where I had to change planes for Seattle. My flight was delayed in West Palm Beach, but then we reached New Jersey on time, only we were put into a holding pattern for almost 40 minutes. Then we made the descent from hell into the airport. I’ve never experienced turbulence like this before, in all of my travels.

But what pisses me off is that my connecting flight to Seattle left about 10 minutes before we landed. There were six people on board my flight who missed that plane. How difficult would it have been to hold the plane? I mean, ten minutes wouldn’t have made any real difference and Continental would have gained brownie points. Instead, they’ve earned my scorn. I can see not holding up flights if they’re not sure of other arrivals, or if it’s going to be over 15 minutes. But 10 minutes?

So now I had to go through the tiresome process of changing my ticket, booking a hotel, getting my luggage, then getting to the hotel shuttles, and so on. My flight came in at 5:35pm, and I arrived in my hotel room at 8pm!

The staff at Continental was very nice, and they gave me $12 in vouchers for food–downside was that I had to use them today and at the airport. So I bought a salad and some fruit and a bottle of water, and here I sit in my hotel, munching airport salad (actually quite good) and lamenting about my tale of woe.

I am happy to have landed safely after that awful turbulence. I am glad to be in a nice room. However, I would prefer to be at home, or at least, en route, which is what I’d be right now.

When in a rush, post a press release. And that’s what I’m doing now. I’ll be returning to Seattle tomorrow, so hopefully, posting will become more regular. And I’ll be back on my DSL–this dial-up is driving me crazy because it is slow and I keep getting disconnected because as soon as I log on, someone immediately has to use the phone.

This is a rather bizarre story from the Organic Consumers Organization. Can it be true? Are toxic chemicals and pesticides really going to be tested on mentally handicapped children and orphaned newborns?

ALERT: EPA PROPOSES CHEMICAL AND PESTICIDE TESTING ON ORPHANS & MENTALLY HANDICAPPED CHILDREN

Public comments are now being accepted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on its newly proposed federal regulation regarding the testing of chemicals and pesticides on human subjects. Earlier this year, Congress had mandated the EPA create a rule that permanently bans chemical testing on pregnant women and children, but the EPA’s newly proposed rule puts industry profits ahead of children’s welfare. The rule allows for government and industry scientists to treat children as human guinea pigs in chemical experiments in the following situations:

1. Children who “cannot be reasonably consulted,” such as those that are mentally handicapped or orphaned newborns may be tested on. With permission from the institution or guardian in charge of the individual, the child may be exposed to chemicals for the sake of research.
2. Parental consent forms are not necessary for testing on children who have been neglected or abused.
3. Chemical studies on any children outside of the U.S. are acceptable.

So Ahnald the governator got his own butt kicked. Like nearly kicked out of the state of California. He spent 300 million US juicy dollars just to be told “enough is enough” Ahnald, we don’t like your “reforms.” Every single initiative that he tried to put through was defeated at the polls.

Nothing worse than a sad dejected governator. But it seems that we have a more humble man at the helm. The really big news, at least for patients, potential patients, nurses and all other healthcare workers, is that he’s dropped out of the battle. The ratio law will stand, as it was originally passed.

More on this tomorrow…

The FDA rides again. Still afraid to act like a regulatory agency and still cowering under pressure from the nilly-willy neocons. The new acting commissioner is just as much a wuss as the old one, but then, what can you expect from a Bush appointee? That was probably part of the deal. Dubya made him sign a document that said, “Thou shalt not use good science when making decisions at the FDA. Thou shalt not think of the good of the public. And most important, thou shalt never permit Plan B to be allowed over the counter.

Why bother even having the FDA? Why waste money on such a corrupt agency who can’t be trusted to do its job?

So the point of this story is that Plan B, overwhelmingly approved for over the counter status by the FDA’s own advisory board, still hangs in limbo. If you can stomach it, here is yet another chapter in the long sad story of the FDA’s descent into loony-tunes.

Government Report on FDA’s Emergency Contraceptive Decision Is Made Public

Confirms “Unusual” Process

“FDA consults lobbyists, not scientists, when making decisions about our health,” says Rep. Maloney

WASHINGTON, DC – The Government Accountability Office has confirmed that the Food and Drug Administration undertook a “unusual” decision-making process when considering the application to make the Plan B emergency contraceptive available without a prescription. This confirms earlier allegations – including those from the FDA’s own scientists who were ignored – that science did not drive the FDA’s decision. The GAO’s much-anticipated report, which was made available this morning, said:

“The decision to not approve the Plan B OTC switch application was not typical of the other 67 prescription-to-OTC switch decisions made from 1994 through 2004. FDA’s joint advisory committee considered 23 OTC switch applications during this period; the Plan B OTC switch application was the only 1 of those 23 that was not approved after the joint committee voted to recommend approval of the application.”

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (NY-14), who has repeatedly pressured the FDA to use science as the basis for its decisions and who recently introduced the Plan B for Plan B Act (H.R. 4229), which would compel the FDA to make a quick decision on the most recent application for over-the-counter status, released the following statement:

“All the evidence lines up – the FDA let political interests, not health interests, drive its decision on the emergency contraceptive. The government’s investigation found a very ‘unusual’ decision-making process over at the FDA, just like the FDA’s own scientists have told us. The American people have every right to demand that decisions about their health be based on science, not politics.

“You don’t go to a lobbyist if you get sick, you go to a doctor. But for some reason, the FDA consults political interest groups, not scientists, when making decisions about our health. The FDA’s mission is to improve our health, not play to a political base, and right now it’s failing at its mission.”

Good morning tropical depression #27. I know, just what we need, another storm. But tropical depression #27 is slated to become Tropical Storm Gamma, and in fact, is almost there. Everyone here in Florida is watching with wary eyes, but so far, it seems pointed towards Central America. Just what they need too.

But George Bush, our wonderful and highly intelligent president, says that there is no such thing as global warming, and certainly, can’t have anything to do with the oceans warming and thus creating a nice cozy environment for hurricanes to form and flourish.

We should name this one Tropical Storm Dubya, and send it to Crawford, TX.

Is it possible that there are truly some people who would prefer that teens and other unmarried women who dare to have sex with a man deserve what they get? Is that their version of Christianity? Funny, but I don’t recall Jesus ever being so malicious.

A column by Ellen Goodman in the Boston Globe has highlighted this new and grotesque vision of the “Taliban” right. The Taliban, if you recall, saw women as barely above the level of cockroaches. They had no right to education, were not permitted to hold a job even if they were the sole support of their family, could not leave the house without a male escort and without be covered from head to toe, and were stoned to death if they had sex beyond the confines of holy matrimony.

Believe it or not, there are some holy rollers (a suitable word for a person whose brain isn’t anchored to common sense in any way, shape or form) who believe that vaccinating girls against the human papilloma virus, which is responsible for causing the vast number of cases of cervical cancer, is evil. Never mind that the new vaccine was found to be 100% effective in preventing HPV. Cervical cancer is the second-leading cancer killer of women in the world. But never mind that—there are some who believe that this vaccine is going to somehow “undermine” abstinence only sex ed programs.

This was the response of Leslie Unruh of the National Abstinence Clearinghouse: ”I personally object to vaccinating children against a disease that is 100 percent preventable with proper sexual behavior.”

Read that quote and gasp. Leslie would prefer to see teens and women with cervical cancer than receive a vaccine. Perhaps in Leslie’s world, where all unmarried women are encased with chastity belts, there would be no need for the vaccine. Ditto for having all men keeping their dicks encased in a zip locked bag when away from their wives.

First, it is impossible to “undermine” the abstinence programs because they are such a joke anyway. It is impossible to undermine something that is already grossly ineffective. To say nothing of the incredible inaccurate information that is also being conveyed in some of these programs, like a man has “female and male sperm.”

Second, their attitude is the same as saying that anyone who doesn’t’ remain pure and chaste until her wedding night deserves to be ravaged with cancer. Are these people totally evil or just mentally ill?

The honchos at the Family Research Council said tepidly that they ”welcome medical advances,” but with a very frayed welcome mat. FRC’s Tony Perkins said he would not inoculate his own daughter: ”It sends the wrong message. Our concern is that this vaccine will be marketed to a segment of the population that should be getting a message about abstinence.”

Meanwhile, Gene Rudd of the Christian Medical and Dental Associations acknowledges the worries of fellow travelers: ”I’ve talked to some who have said, ‘This is going to sabotage our abstinence message.”‘

I’m certain that most teens who have sex haven’t a clue about HPV, nor do they care. The lowly and potentially lethal HPV has no impact on their decision to have sex. Sorry guys, but the cornucopia of sexually transmitted diseases that are currently making the rounds have little impact on the decision of most teens to screw around. The vaccine is not going to make a difference in the choice that a teen will made.

Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma cites HPV in the campaign to get the FDA to pin new labels on condoms to emphasize why and when they don’t work. Abstinence-only teachers use HPV in manuals that say students must be told that choosing sex may be choosing cancer.

This vaccine would have to be given to preteens before they are sexually active. If that gives them the ”wrong message” — that we expect they’ll have premarital sex — what exactly is the ”right message”? That we care more about their virginity than their life? And if you believe a vaccine promotes sex, is fear the only reliable promoter of abstinence?

Fear-mongering as a public health tactic is very popular these days. There is the endless disinformation campaign that links abortion to breast cancer. There are the burgeoning abstinence-or-else classes riddled with misinformation.

US Representative Henry Waxman found that two-thirds of the abstinence-only education programs are teaching the ”right message” with the wrong science. Your tax dollars are at work — to the tune of a billion dollars — teaching students that touching another person’s genitals ”can result in pregnancy,” that ”there’s no such thing as ’safe’ or ’safer’ sex” and that loneliness, embarrassment, substance abuse, and personal disappointment ”can be eliminated by being abstinent until marriage.

Our tax dollars are going to bizarre programs that do nothing to curb premarital sex, and fill the heads of teens with misinformation. That just warms the cockles of my heart to no end. I will post more on the idiocy and inaccuracy of these abstinence programs at another time—some even give the wrong number of chromosomes that each parent donates to the embryo. I don’t know how substance abuse can be eliminated by being abstinent until marriage, but I would love to hear that particular lecture. Ditto for how “embarrassment” can be eliminated by remaining pure and pristine. Can you imagine how the kids who are forced to sit through this dribble are laughing behind the teacher’s backs, or even right in their face. I guess these classes are also a good excuse to catch a few winks.

So for the holier-than-thou-rollers, I wonder what they would have said if polio was transmitted by sex. Should we not have given the vaccine? Would it be better to have young women paralyzed from polio, than to have “undermined” the abstinence programs?

Researchers are also developing vaccines for other STDs, including gonorrhea and chlamydia. Best to make it illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to get that shot. Maybe make it illegal for anyone unmarried to get it as well, especially if you’re female. And if we ever come up with a vaccine for AIDS, well, the choice is also easy. Best to die of AIDS than be tempted to renege on your abstinence pledge.

I truly think that the far far far right wing has totally lost it. This has to be the most perverse logic that I’ve seen in a long time.

I always thought it was a bit much to talk about a ”Taliban wing” of the Republican Party. After all, the real Taliban stoned women to death if they had sex out of wedlock. What sentence would our Taliban choose? Cancer?

This would go over really well in hospitals, where nurses are legendary for whining, complaining, backstabbing (and of course, taking little action to remedy the situation). But apparently, a German IT company has banned complaining at work, even requiring employees to sign a binding contract that declares whining, grumbling and bellyaching strictly verboten in a move that comes amid a broader backlash against gloom in Europe’s largest economy.

“If one person is grumpy it makes everybody else feel bad and ruins what could be a good day.”

Workers at Leipzig-based Nutzwerk are contractually obliged to put on a happy face by the policy, which was inspired by a particularly cantankerous co-worker, said manager Thomas Kuwatsch.

“We made the ban on moaning and grumpiness at work official after one female employee refused to subscribe to the company’s philosophy of always smiling,” Kuwatsch explained.

“Mood is an important factor in productivity,” he added. “Everyone here works hard and is happy.”

Kathleen Sochor, who has been with the company for four years, agreed, saying: “I think it’s great that whining is not allowed. If one person is grumpy it makes everybody else feel bad and ruins what could be a good day.”

While lawyers disagree about the legality Nutzwerk’s “no whining” policy, the crackdown on complainers seems in tune with Germany’s prevailing Zeitgeist.

Recently, 25 leading media and publishing firms launched an unprecedented advertising campaign designed to lift spirits in the country.

The $36-million campaign, called “Du Bist Deutschland” (You Are Germany), targets Germans who prefer to see the glass as half-empty — rather than celebrate the fact that their country is one of the world’s wealthiest nations, with good schools, well engineered products and high standards of living.

The campaign’s upbeat message is being conveyed through posters, newspaper advertisements and a television commercial set to the tune of the same bittersweet but inspirational piano melody that featured prominently in the 1994 hit “Forest Gump.”

A recent poll by insurance company R+V Versicherung suggested that Germans are more worried today than at any time since reunification.

All that angst is more than just unpleasant — it may also be damaging Germany’s economic prospects, say experts who point to anaemic consumer spending and depressed housing prices.

I am surprised that hospitals and other healthcare facilities haven’t come up with this “miraculous” solution to the nursing shortage. Let’s see, if we ban the right to complain, then nurse will put on that happy face and stay on the job. Hospitals often pay consultants millions to come up with all sorts of idiotic campaigns to keep the staff happy (rather than use that same money to increase salaries and benefits), so I wouldn’t be surprised if some dweeb comes across this tidbit of news and decides that it would be gosh-darn honky dory to implement at a healthcare facility.

Read the full story at the German Information.org

I should say, Wilma’s mild side. There are places in Florida that look a lot worse, but still, the is the worst that I have ever seen the area where I am currently located.

If you have been following my travels, then you know that I was at a medical conference in California, and mildly pissed off at the Hilton for trying to squeeze and scrimp every last penny out of paying guests. And charging for Internet service which was haphazardly delivered. But now I am in Florida, in Boca Raton to be exact. And I almost forgot all about the hurricane, despite the fact that my parents were without power for 9 days.

It looks a lot better than it did, I am told. The main roads and streets are no longer blocked by trees and debris, but it certainly looks odd to see trees stripped clean of their leaves here in Florida. Alongside the roads, trees are uprooted everywhere, and the ones that are still standing are brown and lifeless looking. They look like they’ve had a major haircut.

There are still traffic lights without power, street signs bent and upside down, and some storm damage apparent on homes. In my parents huge mega-condo development, a few apartments were damaged, but all in all, the damage (other than no power for 9 days) was primarily on the grounds.

Looking at this damage, I can’t even imagine what Biloxi and Gulfport look like, after being a direct hit by Katrina. I can’t imagine what Bhagdad must look like, or Chechnya, after years of war. I can’t imagine what Aceh province must look like, after the tsunami ravaged the landscape.

What I’m seeing here is just a glimpse. Just a tiny peek at what both nature and humans are capable of–the immense power of destruction that we both have at our disposal.

More nickel and diming at the Hilton—I was reading their information about checking out of the hotel, and if you want to extend your check out time, they charge you $30 extra if you want to stay until 3pm (regular check out is noon), and $60 if you want to stay until 6pm. Most hotels, at least ones I’ve stayed out, often will let you check out a few hours later free of charge, provided the room hasn’t been booked yet. This hotel takes the grand prize for chintzy behavior. It is astounding, that customers are squeezed for anything possible.

Plus, everyone I’ve spoken to says that the wireless doesn’t work in the rooms, nor do the Ethernet cables. So they charge you $12 a day for a service that can only be used in the lobby. The little ad sitting in your room shows a guy relaxing on his bed, grinning, and playing with his laptop and cell phone. It says that this service is reliable and easy to use. Doesn’t mention, thought, that you can’t access it in your room. I spoke to IT at length about it, and they acted like it was something unusual, that it didn’t work in my room.

Oh well. Aside from their penny pinching, the stay was pleasant. The hotel is nice, very clean, very good service and friendly people. And since their was a little dog racing down my hallway, they apparently permit pets. That alone puts a hotel into my good graces.

However, I still am going to write to the Hilton and tell them how the wireless doesn’t work in the rooms, and they shouldn’t be offering it as such. The ethernet cables don’t work either. So people are paying $12 a day to sit in the lobby and play with their laptops. Better than nothing, I suppose, although there were very few places to plug in a laptop if you needed juice.

When in a rush, post a press release. I am still at my conference, and not getting a chance to blog. So as not to desert my blog completely, here’s a press releasr from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

And it makes sense. Right now, all bird flu in humans has been caused by very close contact with infected birds, like chickens and ducks. Like eating raw infected birds. And if people ate less birds and animals, the number of farms would decrease (thus less harboring of the microbes) and thus less spread.

Anyway, think about bird flu before you next sink your teeth into a chicken breast…

Concerned About Bird Flu?
Doctors Offer “Vegetarian Starter Kit”

Meatless Diets Could Help Stop the Disease at its Source, Physicians’ Group Says

WASHINGTON—In response to the growing concern over a potential worldwide outbreak of the avian flu, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is offering a free 16-page Vegetarian Starter Kit for worried carnivores. Although the lethal H5N1 strain of the flu has not yet been found in the United States, the World Health Organization and other authorities fear the possibility of a deadly pandemic if the virus mutates and begins spreading easily among humans.

Avian influenza develops on poultry farms, where routine confinement, overcrowding, and poor sanitary conditions create the perfect reservoir for viruses and other diseases to incubate and spread. Once a pathogen emerges, it is easily carried by migrating birds or commercial livestock transport. But a meatless diet helps eliminate the farms that breed infectious disease.

Vegetarian eating habits also eliminate animal fat and cholesterol, which have been linked to heart disease, one of America’s top killers. “The fat, cholesterol, and cancer-causing agents in chicken, turkey, and other poultry meats are damaging America’s health,” says PCRM nutritionist Tim Radak, DrPH, R.D. “Switching to a vegetarian diet would dramatically decrease obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, and other diet-related illnesses in this country. And meatless eating habits could also help reduce the risk of a bird-flu pandemic.”

Medical conferences are fun. Especially when you go to visit the Exhibit Halls, and collect the loot. Pens, cute gadgets, tote bags, candy, and a lot of smiling PR types who are anxious to sell you their product. In this case, they are mostly looking for doctors who will prescribe their drug to their respective patients.

You can see how the smile fades a bit, when they notice my name tag says “PRESS,” or if they notice that the person they’ve wasted ten minutes gabbing with is a mere nurse, or even worse, the spouse of an attendant. And I’m not being critical. Many of these companies represented in the Exhibit Hall are helping to sponsor the conference, and in all fairness, a lot of objective information is reported. It really isn’t just a show for the pharm or medical device companies.

And yes, they know that I’m just wandering through to collect pens and cute items, and don’t have much interest in their merchandise. So I can understand that they don’t want to waste time talking to me, unless they’re really bored, or think that I might write a story about them.

Anyway, I’m having fun. I don’t have Internet service in my room–not even the ethernet cable works anymore. And to use the telephone, the Hilton charges $1.50 for a local call, and then begins to charge you per minute after 60 minutes. This is to ensure that you think twice about dial-up, which can turn out to be about as expensive as their wireless/cable hook-up–which doesn’t work in your room. It does work in the lobby, but big deal. There isn’t anyplace really comfortable to sit down there, except the Starbucks, and I don’t know if the Hilton’s wireless works in there–as it competes with Starbucks own system.

So my posts may be a bit irregular until I leave here. Then I’m going to Florida, where I only have dial-up, but at least, I’m not being charged beyond the local phone bill.

It’s hard trying to blog coherently while attending a medical conference. And a medical conference where I am supposed to report on things and write them up.

My only complaint is the Hilton Hotel. The hotel is quite nice, and the room is also nice–not one of those places where the lobby is ornate and gold plated but the rooms aren’t big enough to lie down in and are infested with bed bugs. I am just so fed up with this nickel and diming. Whereas smaller chains and independent hotels often offer free wireless and Internet hook-ups, the Hilton charges $12/day. As an added perk at this hotel, paying guests are also CHARGED to use the gym. To the tune of another $12/day. How cheap does it get? I have never heard of a hotel charging guests for basic use of the gym. Are these people on the verge of bankruptcy or what?

If they really want to be cheap, why not just add $20 to the daily room charge and include the gym and Internet. Most people will not notice it, and it won’t make them seem like such money grubbing parasites. I do know that I’ve stayed at the Hampton Suites, and the Internet is free. I stayed at the Harrison Springs Resort in British Columbia, and the internet access was also free.

Shame on you, Hilton. And especially, double shame for charging guests to work off their calories on your stairmaster. And this is in California yet. What’s the world coming to????

This is a quick post for now (thank you, press releases!) I am on the road, making my way to yet another conference. So when I settle into my hotel, I’ll post again. But here’s a glint in the dark tunnel of FDA politics. Legislation has been proposed to force the FDA to make a decision on the over the counter status of Plan B.

The legislation will not force the FDA to approve the over the counter status of Plan B, but it will force them to awaken from their stupor and recognize that they are supposed to be a government agency devoted to the welfare and well being of the consumer, and not some quasi mouthpiece for the current inhabitant of the White House.

So we shall see where it goes.

Bipartisan Action to Stop FDA from Postponing Morning-After Pill Decision

Maloney-Shays-Inslee-Crowley bill would require FDA to announce decision on over-the-counter status

Washington, D.C. – In the wake of repeated postponements by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on deciding Plan B emergency contraception’s over-the-counter status, a bipartisan group of legislators has introduced legislation requiring a decision on Plan B (text of bill: http://www.house.gov/maloney/issues/choice/110305PlanBBill.pdf). The legislation was introduced by Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Christopher Shays (R-CT), Jay Inslee (D-WA) and Joe Crowley (D-NY), all members of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus.

“We’re not telling the FDA how to decide on emergency contraceptive pills, but we do want the FDA to make a decision before stalling any longer,” said Maloney. “It’s time for Plan B on Plan B. It’s no secret anymore that politics, not health concerns, is driving the FDA’s process. The FDA exists to improve our health, not to play politics. The longer we have to wait for a decision on this clear-cut issue, the worse it is for women’s health.”

“The FDA has failed to take action on approving Plan B for over-the-counter status, despite scientific data that shows it would be safe,” Shays said. “The FDA should make decisions based on science, not politics and ideology. The bottom line is, expanded access to emergency contraception will safely decrease the risk of unintended pregnancy and decrease the number of abortions.”

“It’s time to put an end to the FDA’s heel dragging and excuse making on the Plan B application,” said Inslee.

“The unnecessary delay in FDA passage of Plan B over the counter sales is yet another example of the assault on women’s rights by the Bush Administration,” Crowley said. “The Administration has dragged its feet throughout this entire process, putting politics ahead of public health policy. The facts are that Plan B is safe, Plan B is effective and Plan B is an essential tool in limiting the number of abortions and giving women the choices they deserve.”

The legislation will require the FDA to approve or deny the over-the-counter application for Plan B, a concentrated dosage of birth control pills that, if taken within 72 hours of contraceptive failure or unprotected sex, can reduce a woman’ risk of pregnancy by up to 89 percent. Failure to make a decision would result in automatic approval of OTC status. If the FDA determines the approval shouldn’t stand they can act to deny the application — but they would have to finally act.

The FDA has delayed the decision two years and recently postponed the decision indefinitely, despite stating, “the available scientific data are sufficient to support the safe use of Plan B as an OTC product…for women who are 17 years of age or older.”

All aboard for bird flu. The train is about to pull out of the station. And look, wait, here comes a straggler, racing to catch the train before it leaves. Why, it’s George W. Bush!

Bush is a little late to jump on the bird flu bandwagon, but that’s not surprising, considering that the health of the population that he governs has never been a priority (like cutting benefits to veterans and food stamps for poor children). But now all of a sudden, Bush is on the bird flu bandwagon. By golly, he’s going to fight that sucker if it takes every dime out of the U.S. Treasury. Which is empty, by the way. But since the deficit is so huge anyway, what’s a few billion more?

I guess maybe Bush thinks that people will ignore everything else that is going on, including the Iraq mess and the messy state of Bush affairs. And maybe by trying to show compassion to future victims of the flu, people will see him as a compassionate conservative.

This particular quote is from the AP

President Bush on Tuesday outlined a $7.1 billion strategy to get ready for the next pandemic. Topping his list is improving systems to detect and contain the next super-flu before it reaches the United States and overhauling the vaccine industry so that eventually, scientists could quickly make enough for everyone within months of a pandemic’s appearance.

That vaccine improvement will take years to implement and the details released Wednesday by the Department of Health and Human Services stress that early on, the public will be depending on scarce supplies of anti-flu drugs and stockpiled vaccines.

The Bush plan is heavy on vaccine development, stockpiling drugs, but exceedingly weak on where the money is desperately needed, and the place where it will really make a difference–to bolster local and state public health, and for public education.

Here is the breakdown, according to Bush wisdom. Not a penny for prevention, or for local efforts.

From the Christian Science Monitor

The White House plan would allot $2.8 billion to speed the development of new vaccines. A further $2.2 billion would pay for stockpiles of the vaccine against the current strain of bird flu and for antiviral drugs that health workers hope would alleviate flu symptoms.

A $583 million subsidy would pay for state and local governments to prepare emergency plans to respond in the event of an outbreak. Some $251 million would help fund a new international partnership on avian and pandemic influenza. This partnership would help other nations train personnel and improve surveillance and testing.

Of $7.1 billion, only $538 million for local and state public health. And that is for emergency plans in case of an outbreak, not money to be used to strengthen the system, and actually help prevent a widespread outbreak.

Our local public health systems have been nearly destroyed, thanks to the Bush system of starving states of needed revenue. And it’s not all Bush’s fault, that I know. Our public health system has been deteriorating for years, and preventive health in this nation is a dirty word. I would say that at least half of that money should be going to our public health systems, which if they are well funded and well staffed and well informed, can nip a local outbreak in the bud. Things tend to work best at the grassroots level, and instead of instilling hysteria in the public (some people think that they can get bird flu from watching a sparrow fly by), we should be educating them.

What about something really novel, like taking public health education to the elementary school level. Teaching kids the importance of washing their hands, for instance. Nice, simple, low tech and free of charge. Or how to sneeze into a tissue, and then wash their hands afterwards.

Or how about imposing a fine on people who spit in the streets? The city of Seattle would make a fortune on that one. Never have I been in an American city where so many residents take part in such a disgusting habit, and seem very proud of doing so. Charge a $150 fine, and then see how fast public spitting stops.

The Vaccine Story

The whole issue of developing a vaccine to fight the super-flu, and have it ready and stockpiled, is a little confusing. One health reporter wrote on a list-serv that he had questioned the wisdom of spending hundreds of millions of dollars to buy vaccine for the H5N1 virus when, by definition, it has to mutate before it becomes a widespread threat to people. In other words, preparing a vaccine now is nearly worthless, because it hasn’t mutated to the point where it spreads from person to person. A vaccine prepared now will not be effective against the mutated strain.

This particular journalist tried to get some answers from HHS about this, as it made no sense to him. What they told him were really exciting things like, “It might help.” Isn’t that comforting. The CDC, according to him, basically told him the same thing.

And of course, that’s the case. They need to actually have the strain, that mutated little Devil that can pass the virus from person to person before there’s any hope of developing an effective vaccine.

The Antiviral Stockade

When you also don’t hear blasting at you from the TV set is the skepticism among healthcare professionals about how useful antivirals would be in a pandemic. They “think” that Tamiflu will work, but then, maybe not. It does seem to be point of view of well, “something is better than nothing.” And maybe something is better than nothing, but again, improving public health, educating the public, and so on, is an excellent use of funding.

There’s nothing wrong with putting antivirals aside in case of an emergency, but maybe we should also be looking into getting back to basics–like encouraging people to stay healthy. You know, those ancient adages from grandma that are so old fashioned now–get enough sleep, wash your hands after picking your nose, stop smoking, eat healthy, turn off the TV set and move your butt so you burn a few calories, and lay off the booze.

Given the flu’s limited impact to date, Bush’s flu plan might be seen as alarmist, according to Dr. Marc Siegel, an associate professor at the New York University School of Medicine. “The potential widespread effects of an eventual pandemic are worthy of preparation, not panic,” writes Dr. Siegel in a statement on the Bush plan.

As I posted earlier, my parents were without power for 9 days. There is no reason for this at all, considering that the simple solution would be to put the power lines underground and upgrade the entire system. Here is a quote from my mother:

It is disgraceful that they refuse to put the wires underground and we are stuck with old wooden poles that fall as soon as the wind blows.

It’s all over – I will thank our elected politicians when I see them and ask why this place was not put on a priority list. Real old people in their 90’s were passing out and medics were here because we had to wait hours near the clubhouse to get ice and some food from the Red Cross.

Last year, when their power was out for almost two weeks, it was stifling hot and several people died. They died simply because Florida Power & Light says that it is too expensive to put the power lines underground. Jeb Bush should be making this a priority, considering the precarious conditions that his state faces. Businesses lose millions from this, people lose wages, children lose school time and the sick/elderly often lose thier life. I won’t be surprised if Florida begins to lose its appeal, and people look to other warm places to migrate–that are less prone to hurricanes and power outtages. That companies consider Florida a risky proposition and decide to set up their business elsewhere, in a place where they be more certain that power is not going to disappear on a regular basis.

But I guess since Jeb always has his lights on, and air conditioner humming, what does he care? What’s so tragic about the death of a few old people. I mean, they were going to die anyway.

An update to my earlier post. My parents, who live in Palm Beach County, got power restored at 10:30pm. After 9 days of cold showers (yes, grateful to have water), and meals delivered by the Red Cross, the lights have come on.

I know, there’s worse hardship. Their home is undamaged, they are well, they have water to drink and food to eat. But as I said earlier, there is no reason for this. Having power lines dangling in the breeze is insane in a place like Florida. It’s a dumb idea in most places, but that’s another story. Power lines belong underground. The loss of productivity, school closing, and hardship on people–many are elderly with medical problems–is uncalled for. And mostly preventable.

But amen, and thank you Lord, for lighting Florida once again.