FAT

An interesting article on fat in todays NYT's Science section. Let's not forget that fat has an important role to play in our physiology. There is even an hypothesis that the relative "fattiness" of humans when compared with other species results in our "braininess".

Ocean City, NJ

Ocean City, NJ was founded in 1879 by several Methodist ministers. It has a long tradition of being a family resort which continues today. Thus the reason for many churches and a dry city. Here are a few pictures.




The boardwalk is exciting and is filled with people day and night. It's a huge hangout for kids at night and they all seem to be very well behaved.


Early morning til 11 AM the boardwalk is open to biking. You have to watch your step as a pedestrian during these hours.


Long beautiful, clean beaches line the Island.


This picture was taken about noon. The beaches clear out about 5 PM.

Back from Ocean City, NJ

I'm back from my little trip to Ocean City, NJ, Washington, DC and Olney, MD. Ocean City was a real trip. I've never been there before. I can't wait to post my pictures of all the 50's motels. No big name motels or hotels in Ocean City. It's also a completely dry community. Picts of the beach and boardwalk also to follow.

Damn We are a Bunch of Stupid People

I'm getting ready to fly to Washington, DC for a few days. So checking on what is and is not allowed to be taken aboard an airliner seems to be reasonable. Go to tsa.gov (here) to see what is and what is not permitted. Hmmmm, better check the sharp objects section.....no knives, ice axes, meat cleavers, box cutters (the infamous box cutter!), razor blades, swords....seems reasonable. Oh, but sharp pointed scissors are allowed as long as they are under 4 inches in length. Oh, yeah, kniting needles too, they couldn't be used as a weapon. Screw drivers are ok (<7 in), cigar cutters and cork screws ok, as well as nail clippers and nail files.

The liquids policy is a hoot and a laugh. We actually pay people to come up with this stuff. No bottles of water. That's ok with me. I really don't understand why people have to walk around with bottles of water. I guess people dehydrate more easily these days.

Who decides these things? Do they throw darts at a board? Are we really that dumb? Can we at least ask for some consistency?

Farm Bill Passed - Gillibrand a YES

H.R. 2419 was passed in the House of Representatives on July 27. From what I've read the "Farm Bill" in the USA is a completely dysfunctional program that makes very little sense to the average American. A quick overview and specifics of the heavily amended Farm Bill can be found here.

Here is what WashingtonWatch has to say:

American farmers want current farm policy to be the foundation for the 2007 Farm Bill. This policy has helped provide the safest, most affordable, and most abundant food supply in the world, while accounting for less than one-half of one percent of the total federal budget. The current farm safety net should be the floor, not the ceiling, of the commodity title in the next farm bill.

The bill only costs $2590 per average family.

Foodfirst.org has a different take on the Farm Bill and they prefer to call it the Welfare for Corporate Agribusiness Bill. There is even a good argument that the Farm Bill results in obesity in Americans.

This resolutely unglamorous and head-hurtingly complicated piece of legislation, which comes around roughly every five years and is about to do so again, sets the rules for the American food system — indeed, to a considerable extent, for the world’s food system. Among other things, it determines which crops will be subsidized and which will not, and in the case of the carrot and the Twinkie, the farm bill as currently written offers a lot more support to the cake than to the root.

As far as I can tell the so-called "Farm Bill" does very little for the small farmer at a huge cost. Remember this is the program that paid out $1.1 billion to dead people. Not that this was illegal believe it or not. Yes it covers necessary food stamp and nutrition programs but why can't those programs be covered elsewhere? The Farm Bill determines, to a large extent, what we eat in the USA.

I like the Food and Farm Bill of Rights proposed by Rep. Earl Blumenauer.

1. Americans have a right to a policy free of special interest giveaways
2. American taxpayers have a right to a fiscally responsible policy
3. Americans have a right to a policy that serves all farmers
4. Americans have a right to a safe and healthful food supply
5. American children have a right to good nutrition
6. Americans have a right to local supplies of fresh food
7. Americans have a right to a policy that promotes energy independence
8. Americans have a right to a policy that protects the environment
9. Americans have a right to preserve farmland from sprawl
10. Americans have a right to a policy that fosters sustainable farming practices

That seems to be a policy that progressives could and should support but I have no idea how many of these items were incorporated into the Farm Bill of 2007. Rep. Blumenauer was one of a handful of courageous Democrats that voted against the Bill.

How Far is It from Your Home?

Here is an interesting google maps website. Type in your address (or any address) and it tells you how far different types of stores, parks, businesses etc are from your front door. It also gives a "walkability" score of where you live. The walkability score from my house is 0 out of 100....not surprising.

Homes on My Road

Prostate Biopsy

Read "Tales from a prostate biopsy".

There is no delicate way to describe what is about to happen to me. Wearing only two thin hospital gowns and lying in a modified fetal position in a cramped room in downtown Seattle, I’m waiting for a doctor to grease up an ultrasound probe and stick it where the sun don’t shine. But wait, it gets better: One at a time, a dozen needles will be inserted alongside the probe and through the wall of my rectum to snatch bits of tissue from my troublesome man gland.

That pretty much describes the procedure. In fact, it describes it exactly.

But for me, “doesn’t hurt much” and “not so bad” are stunning failures at describing the awful cocktail of fear, anxiety and misery in which I find myself drowning on the day of my procedure.

Fear, anxiety and misery....right on.

But let me say this....it really isn't that bad. There is zero pain involve other than the mental pain of "stick it where the sun don't shine". Lidocaine....not necessary and almost never covered by health insurance. The ultrasound probe about the diameter of a roll of nickels is pretty accurate but maybe a bit larger. No matter it seems very large. The actually biopsy....well there must be a script. The doctor does say "you're going to feel a little pinch" same as they do when they draw blood from a vein. The pinch really is a very little pinch. Then the spring loaded snapping sound....there goes an 18g piece of your "man gland". This is done 12 times and it's over. About 15-20 minutes tops. Next day....it's like nothing ever happened. It's all about fear of the unknown.

Acceptance Speech for Democratic Nominee

Washington Monthly has a speech, written by Theodore C. Sorenson (JFK special counsel and advisor), for the next Democrat Party nominee for President of the USA. Sorenson would have the next Democratic nominee pledge the following:

1. Set a timetable for a systematic redeployment and withdrawal of all our troops in Iraq
2. Implement a comprehensive regional economic and diplomatic stabilization plan for the entire Middle East
3. Immediately transfer all inmates out of the prison in Guantanamo Bay and close it down
4. "pledge in person to the United Nations, in the September 2009 General Assembly, that the United States is returning to its role as a leader in international law..."
5. "...sign the Kyoto Protocol, and seek its ratification by the United States Senate..."
6. "...favor communications, negotiations, and full relations with every country on earth, including Cuba, North Korea, Palestine, and Iran."
7. "...restore the constitutional right of habeas corpus, abolish the unconstitutional tapping of private phones, and once again show the world the traditional American values that distinguish us from those who attacked us on 9/11."

It's a good strong speech. Read it.

Saranac Lake Water Supply: Is It Safe?

An article in todays Adirondack Daily Enterprise says the Village of Saranac Lake may be required to filter its water or find a new source of water other than McKenzie Pond.

The village currently uses liquid chlorine to disinfect the water and kill microorganisms. Byproducts of chlorination are haloacetic acids (HAA5). A 2004 Environmental Protection Agency law said that water sources can have a maximum of 60 parts per billion microliter of HAA5 in the water supply and still be considered safe. McKenzie Pond was found to have 61.1ppb MCL in March. That level has since fallen to 58.8ppb MCL for June.

Because of the one-time violation, the village will now have to either filter its water or find another water source within 18 months of the department’s final decision.

Currently, the Village chlorinates its water to kill microorganisms. The problem with this is that the chlorination process can result in the formation of haloacetic acids when the chlorine reacts with organic materials found in unfiltered water. This is also called formation of disinfection by-products (DBP). Haloacetic acids are a group of chemical compounds based on the acetic acid molecule (CH3COOH) where one or more hydrogen atoms attached to carbon atoms are replaced by a halogen (chlorine).

Although the EPA sets very stringent allowable levels of HAA's there really is not much evidence that HAA's pose a significant risk. There is evidence in mice and rats and in in vitro studies that exposure to HAA causes increased risk of problems in embryos. But this recent study on pregnancy loss finds no correlation between pregnancy loss and DBP exposure (including HAA). Here is another finding that HAA exposure does not result in significantly increased preterm births. A long term study on the effects of HAA exposure on the incidence of leukemia has recently been reported. The incidence of chronic myloid leukemia increased in those with high exposure to HAA. But the incidence of other leukemias actually went down.

All this being said, I am surprised that the Village does not filter its water. There is nothing more important than a safe, clean and pure water supply except perhaps an effective sewage system in protecting a population from disease.

An exposure summary of HAA's can be found here. HAA exposure of 70 ppb results in a 1:10,000 risk of getting cancer during ones lifetime.

A classification and assessment of HAA can be found here.

Prescott Bush - Fascist and Traitor?

Remember the fascist plot in 1933 to overthrow the FDR Whitehouse? No? I don't remember it either. It wasn't covered in any history course I ever took. But the plot did occur. Now, BBC claims it has documentary evidence that Prescott Bush father and grandfather of Bush 41 and Bush 43 was also involved.

This shouldn't be too surprising. Prescott Bush evidently didn't have a big problem in helping out the Nazis, at least financially. Here is a line that I thought interesting:

"You can't blame Bush for what his grandfather did any more than you can blame Jack Kennedy for what his father did - bought Nazi stocks - but what is important is the cover-up, how it could have gone on so successfully for half a century, and does that have implications for us today?" he said.

Oh yeah, and this:

"There is no one left alive who could be prosecuted but they did get away with it," said Loftus. "As a former federal prosecutor, I would make a case for Prescott Bush, his father-in-law (George Walker) and Averill Harriman [to be prosecuted] for giving aid and comfort to the enemy. They remained on the boards of these companies knowing that they were of financial benefit to the nation of Germany."

Rep. Gillibrand Responds With Specifics

I'm impressed. I finally got a personalized answer from Rep. Gillibrand concerning my question on Universal Health Care and HR 676. Here it is:

Dear Dr.______,

Thank you for contacting me about HR 676, the United States National Health Insurance Act. I share your concern about our country's health care system, and I am committed to finding a solution that will give quality, affordable health care to every American.

Our health care system is broken and extensive changes need to be made soon. I agree with the goals of H.R. 676, and I believe that Congress can use many aspects of the bill as we develop a comprehensive solution. However, I have concerns about some specific provisions of HR 676 as currently drafted. I am worried that the proposed substantial payroll tax increases will negatively affect our already overtaxed small businesses and working families. I also have concerns that the bill limits participation to only not-for-profit care facilities, which unnecessarily limits access to all health care facilities.

My vision for affordable health care for all Americans is to open up Medicare- or a similar federal program- to all Americans, to buy health care at a rate that they can afford, as a percentage of an individual's income, as a possibility. It is unacceptable for 47 million Americans, including almost 3 million New Yorkers and 9 million children, to be uninsured. In addition, I am a co-sponsor of the All Health Children's Act of 2007, which will bring comprehensive health care for every child in America.

The 110th Congress was elected to refocus on our national priorities, including finding a solution to this important issue. I am committed to addressing this problem and I will work with my Democratic and Republican colleagues to draft a bipartisansolution that can pass the U.S. House of Representatives.

Thank you again for contacting me about this important issue, and please keep in contact with my office regarding any future legislation and concerns you may have.

Sincerely,

Kirsten Gillibrand

First, thank-you Rep. Gillibrand for your reply. I'm not sure if using Research! America (basically a lobby), using my professional title or because of the recent visits to this blog by persons unknown from the US House of Representatives that resulted in this communication.

But it doesn't really matter. What matters is that a majority of Americans want Universal Health Care. I don't know the specifics of HR 676 other than it was ok by Michael Moore who probably does understand the specifics. We want SOMETHING. What matters even more, especially for a newly elected member of the House of Representatives, is that we want to see some ACTION! Many of us understand that the Republicans are using the filibuster to prevent action on important legislation but it's time to start using some hardball tactics on these members.

We also understand the many things that you probably do for your District. That's great. But to get re-elected we need to see serious action on the Iraq War, Health Care and medical research, Education and a fair economic shake in the economy for middle class people.

By the way. The "Farm Bill" is a joke. Don't give in to the lobbyists.

Latest John Sweeney News

Two articles in the Albany Times-Union. Ex-US Rep. John Sweeney has filed for divorce from his wife. This article explains how John Sweeney is afraid of his wife.

He described Gayle Sweeney's physical mistreatment of him as "pretty extreme" and said he is afraid of her.

This article explains how he physically and mentally abused his wife.

I wonder if I can find any comments, during Sweeney's re-election campaign, on family values? I'm not even going to bother to look. I doubt he will be running for elected office anytime soon.

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

The House Judiciary Comm. has voted on issuing contempt of Congress citations for Harriet Miers, former Whitehouse Counsel and Chief of Staff Josh Bolton. The next step is a vote of the entire House of Representatives.

"If we countenance a process where our subpoenas can be readily ignored, where a witness under a duly authorized subpoena doesn't even have to bother to show up . . . then we have already lost," committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) said before the vote. "We won't be able to get anybody in front of this committee or any other."

I agree. I don't want any President, Republican or Democrat, to be able to dodge the oversight of our Congress. If the House vote favors issuing contempt citations and President Bush prevents the DOJ from pursuing the will of Congress I think very bold action needs to be taken. First and foremost, the impeachment of AG Gonzales (which should happen regardless). If that doesn't help, serious discussion about impeachment of the President needs to take place. I don't want any President to have the power that Bush claims to have.

Bush absolutely needs to keep AG Gonzales as head of DOJ. He's Bush's last line of defense in keeping a whole house of cards from tumbling down.

Statetris

Play Statetris here.

Spitzer Administration a Bit Different From Bush Administration

The big news today in NY seems to be how unethical Gov. Spitzer has been in seeking to discredit State Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno. It seems that some of Gov. Spitzers aides improperly used the State Police (kinda like Tom Delay misused Homeland Security a few years ago). The aides have wrongly used unethical strong-arm tactics to un justly tarnish the reputation of a man (sorta like Karl Rove and Scooter Libby did to Joe Wilson).

But here is the difference. Spitzers attorney general (unlike Bush's attorney general)made an investigation and a report that exposed the Spitzer aides) Both of those aids have been suspended and I hope they will be fired if not serve some jail time.

But the real difference is here:

But Mr. Spitzer acknowledged that his administration had “grossly mishandled” the situation.

“As governor, I am accountable for what goes on in the executive branch, and I accept responsibility for the actions of my office,” he said, as staff members stood nearby.

The governor actually takes responsibility for the actions of his aides.

Gov. Spitzer claims he had no knowledge of what the aides were doing. As a Democrat I'm not willing to take his word on that. Let there be a complete investigation and let the cards fall where they may.

Gillibrand Gillibrand Gillibrand Gillibrand

Ms. Gillibrand, where do you stand on Univeral Healthcare coverage? I sent an email via Research! America asking that question but it's unlikely I'll get a specific response.

I was just watching Michael Moore being interviewed by Chris Matthews on Hardball. Moore brought up HR 676 (To provide for comprehensive health insurance coverage for all United States residents, and for other purposes). You can find a list of co-sponsors for this bill here.

Guess whose name isn't on the co-sponsor list? John McHugh's name isn't on the list either but we expect that.

Facts on uninsured here.
Myths on Universal Health Care here.

Brits Welcome to Visit the USA But....

The British pound is worth more than $2 now making it easy for Brits to visit the USA. But get these new regulations.

Highly sensitive information about the religious beliefs, political opinions and even the sex life of Britons travelling to the United States is to be made available to US authorities when the European Commission agrees to a new system of checking passengers.

Personally, I think the Brits should require US citizens to certify whether they voted for Bush and Cheney. If they did, they shouldn't be allowed into the UK.

Why So Many Republican Filibusters?

Kevin Drum of the Washington Monthly explains it.

It's also worth noting why Republicans are filibustering everything in sight. It's not because it's the only way they have of blocking legislation they dislike. After all, a Republican is president. The real reason is a desperate desire to kill popular legislation quietly (the press doesn't spend much time reporting on routine filibusters) rather than force President Bush to kill popular legislation in full public view (the press does report on presidential vetoes). The problem is that the public tends to be on the side of Democrats when domestic issues actually get some attention, so Republicans benefit by keeping their disagreements as low key as possible. The last thing they need is a bunch of high-profile vetoes that would make it crystal clear exactly what they're fighting against.

Stupid me. I hadn't really thought of it that way. But it's exactly right. Republicans are filibustering bills that Bush would likely veto anyway if they were passed. I still don't understand why they protect that fool

Saranac Lake Village Photos