Naturally I am concerned about overweight people. I am concerned because I have a big heart. Not an enlarged, unhealthy heart, like thickset people, but rather I am full of concerned feeling for them. I want them to be healthy. Even if they don’t want to be healthy themselves. I want this for them because I am healthy myself. I run almost every day. I eat healthy foods. And I feel great! Except for all this concern that I have for people who don’t run, and don’t eat healthy foods.

When I think of those butterballs, I feel sad.

But then I feel happy again when I think of the people who are actually doing something about our country’s obesity epidemic. People like me, who make enlightened food choices, and who exercise regularly. I am a lean and healthy 154 pounds, and at 6′1″, I am an appealing ideal to which others can aspire.

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Tags: health & medical, politics & government
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A few months ago, I discussed the ineptitude of modern-day journalism. Specifically, I picked on some blowhards and relics from the Columbia Journalism Review.

Well, the latest issue of CJR arrived in my mailbox the other day, and in addition to the obligatory tear-stained “obits” for downsized reporters, it has an inexcusably lazy piece of writing by Alissa Quart.

In a story called “The Trouble With Experts,” Quart begins by excoriating Jenny McCarthy, the brain-dead figurehead of the anti-vaccine movement. Now, I’m fine with that. McCarthy deserves all the criticism she gets. She’s a menace to public health.

But Quart’s next move is to make the sort of moronic comparison that only a “fair-minded” journalist can in providing “balanced” and “objective” reporting.  She characterizes the acclaimed medical blogger “Orac” as the pro-vaccine equivalent of McCarthy. In verbose, pompous fashion, she suggests that Orac is no more qualified to speak on medical issues than McCarthy is. [Read more →]

Tags: health & medical, trusted media & news
4 Comments »

President Obama, a role model to our children (I like to think of him as our “Role Model-in-Chief”) set a terrible example to our obesity-plagued children by having a cheeseburger with some guy from Russia.

The buzz around the White House centered much more on the presidents’ unexpected jaunt for cheeseburgers to Ray’s Hell Burger in Virginia — Medvedev took jalapenos — and less about the many substantive matters they discussed.

Did the president check this out with his wife first? Remember, she is the one who created the “Let’s Move” campaign, to encourage fat kids to, well, move.

And also, to not eat so many cheeseburgers.

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Tags: health & medical, politics & government
3 Comments »

The marvelous Mr. Cohen has written a chilling piece here tonight, The end of privately held medicine.

In the piece, he tells the tale of a Senator’s quest to ban medicine in your home, for the purpose of, drum roll please… Saving the Children!  The surprise is overwhelming!

But I’m not sure how up-to-date Mr. Cohen is on the technological front…

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Tags: health & medical
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Recently, I was made aware of the fact that the congress passed a health care reform action, of some sort. I don’t know what’s in it, but I don’t feel bad about that, because the people in congress who voted for it also don’t know what’s in it, either.

In a new report, the Congressional Research Service says the law may have significant unintended consequences for the “personal health insurance coverage” of senators, representatives and their staff members.

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Tags: health & medical, politics & government
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Today I read Peggy Noonan’s regular piece in the Wall Street Journal, The Heat Is On. We May Get Burned. Normally I appreciate Ms. Noonan’s insightful and carefully crafted missives. However, today was one more straw on a camel’s back that’s about to break. Ms. Noonan, like so many others, refers to the people in the current administration, including the man at the top, as “so bright.” Ahem. I beg to differ. [Read more →]

Tags: health & medical, politics & government
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I am currently digging Say Anything – the 1989 Cameron Crowe movie starring John Cusack. If you live under a rock and never saw it, surely you have seen the image of Cusack holding the boombox over his head. Cusack stars as Lloyd Dobler, the most unrealistically cool, laid back, and interesting teenage boy that ever lived. Since I was the heavyweight champion of having crushes on girls in high school, it’s good to see that Lloyd gets the girl. But beyond all that — the soundtrack is ridiculous. Cameron Crowe never goes wrong – Singles is in my opinion the best movie soundtrack ever, and even Elizabethtown is a rather legit soundtrack. I have been driving my girlfriend insane with all my Say Anything references and recently serenaded her Cusack-style and adapted to the times by holding my ipod over my head. She didn’t think it was as funny as I did. 

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Tags: health & medical, movies
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Face it folks, you’re going to get sick and tired of me writing about the new health care law.  I don’t think it’s Constitutional, no matter what precedents you can dig up out of some dusty old tome of law.  Common sense will tell you that this is a gross encroachment of liberty by government, all in the name of power.  The issue has divided this country more thoroughly than anything since the Civil War.  I don’t know what it’s like in the cities, but this country boy can feel the anger and fear in small town America.

This doesn’t end well, no matter what happens.  If it isn’t repealed, rural America is going to go crazy, and if it is repealed, the cities will be overwhelmed by rioting.  But let me present the only side of the story I’m familiar with, the side of the story that I live…

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Tags: health & medical, politics & government
44 Comments »

So there it is, folks! There will be last ditch efforts from republicans and state attorney generals to nullify the law, but the healthcare overhaul in America is now in motion. My main criticism of the bill was that we might be throwing money at the problem. No one read the bill. No one understood it. And there didn’t seem to be any distinguishable solutions.

But now that it is law, there seems to be more details. And I like what I hear. There are a lot of essential provisions without too much government control. However, there are still a few loose ends. First, more people will be covered, but will more people treated? There is a difference. Second, we cannot afford this. Doesn’t that mean anything anymore? It makes you think… [Read more →]

Tags: health & medical, politics & government
10 Comments »

The shrill din of health care debate is burdening my soul. I want everyone to be pals again and go canoeing together. I want to share fun links about Louis Farrakhan’s zombie and transsexual-themed calypso ditties; YouTube clips from Jess Franco’s Succubus; and Flickr images of busty mannequins. Therefore, I went ahead and transformed Mike McGowan’s recent Obamacare post (and readers’ comments) into a menacing word cloud. Click through the image to see a larger version and to make new variations. Share your results with the group and we’ll have interactive fun.

Tags: ends & odd, health & medical
No Comments »

The health care reform bill that passed the House of Representatives last night is flawed and adulterated; but for millions of Americans who aren’t stockholders of insurance companies, failure to pass it would have been disastrous. That failure would have led to the continued spiraling out of control of health-care costs (and perhaps, ten or 15 years from now, a better solution, a single-payer system). But the bill is a start on the right road, not the wrong road. [Read more →]

Tags: health & medical, politics & government
7 Comments »

Stalin is reported to have said something along the lines of, “If you know the rape is coming, you might as well enjoy it.” To those members of Congress and the current administration, who now gloat over their pyrrhic victory, let me advise another text, this one from the Book of Proverbs, 16:18. “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” [Read more →]

Tags: health & medical, politics & government
1 Comment »

Michelle Hottentot, 26, of Sherman Heights, has been sentenced to six months in jail for violating the state’s Health Care Freedom and Insurance Act. Ms. Hottentot was convicted of having unprotected sex with an unidentified man with whom she was not in a committed monogamous relationship.

Prosecutors had argued that Ms. Hottentot’s promiscuous behavior was in violation of the state’s health care laws, which require that all citizens not “knowingly engage in any behavior that might be considered ‘risky’ to any reasonable person or entity.” Cities around the state have been prosecuting people for any number of activities, including riding skateboards and inhaling helium to make their voices squeaky.

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Tags: health & medical, politics & government
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Plenty of people have been whining publicly that they can’t afford health care insurance, some of whom I know. I’m talking about fairly young, reasonably healthy men and women with decent jobs who think the government should step in. Consequently, I sought out a solution at the grassroots level to see if I could help, and in the process, avoid a costly federal mandate.

Turns out it was easier to get health insurance than one might think. That’s right, an American who wants health insurance has a sure fire way to get it. Here’s how. [Read more →]

Tags: health & medical, politics & government
2 Comments »

At what point does respect become subservience? This is a serious question because much has been made about respect for our leaders, especially at the federal level. Certainly, it is productive to treat elected officeholders with a measure of decorum. Politeness goes a long way toward getting heard. Nonetheless, it may be time for some tough talk and bold action. Of late, certain officials have told some whoppers: absolute, far-out, nowhere near the truth tales. The press somehow manages to let these pass with nary a challenge. The opposition party members seem to get a case of Timid Timmy, too. They let the bald faced balderdash fly into the ether with a look of consternation if they manage that much. [Read more →]

Tags: health & medical, politics & government
No Comments »

Dramatis Personae
Barack Obama, President of the United States
Joe Biden, Vice-President of the United States

OBAMA: I have one small concern about our health care proposal.

BIDEN: What’s that, boss?

OBAMA: Don’t call me “boss.”

BIDEN: I’m sorry — I thought that was the lingo. You know, jive talk. [Read more →]

Tags: health & medical, politics & government
3 Comments »

One look at the House and Senate health care bills shows who Congress’ favorite constituencies are. It must be sheer joy to be on that list. If you or your group are there, it means Big Brother loves you and will address your every whim. Of course this largesse comes at the expense of others, but you’re not worried about that. You’re more important, more deserving, a little more equal than the rest.

What’s more interesting than who is on the dole, is who isn’t. For example, there’s not much in there for doctors. The bills are loaded with rules and regulations, those type of sentences that contain the words “shall” and “must.” Somehow, Congress left the goodies out. No scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours, no guaranteed minimums, no cushy boards to create steady streams of government cash into the pool of physician pockets. [Read more →]

Tags: health & medical, politics & government
No Comments »

The headline from Salon.com reads “Tweeting an abortion: A blogger takes to Twitter and YouTube as she terminates her pregnancy, and women should thank her.”

Now, I’ll be honest.  When I saw that, I had a mental image similar to that of the piece’s author (Tracey Clark-Flory), that of a woman laying there on the rock slab as they fired up the Dust-Buster and started vacuuming out her fallopian tubes.  But it’s not quite “all that and a bag of chips.”

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Tags: family & parenting, health & medical
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Sex is essential. People who have regular sex live longer than those who do not. These people also tend to be healthier and happier. Given the importance of sex in the lives of Americans, you would think that our government would do all it could to ensure that everyone had equal access to sexual services. Tragically, this is not the case.

In fact, our government has stood by while sexual services have been controlled by sex industry workers who seem far more interested in turning profits than turning tricks.

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Tags: health & medical, politics & government
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Nancy Reagan used her powers of persuasion in her capacity as First Lady to get us all to “just say ‘no‘” to drugs. Now everyone knows that crack is whack, and only losers are users. Drug use is now the exclusive province of entertainers who take drugs purely for their value as entertainment to us. Barbara Bush focused like a laser beam on literacy, and taught a nation to read. The fact that you’re able to read this now is proof of her success in that endeavor. Hillary Clinton delivered on her promise of providing affordable and effective healthcare to every citizen, regardless of income level or pre-existing condition. Laura Bush focused like a laser beam on literacy, and taught a nation to read. The fact that you’re able to read this now is proof of her success in that endeavor.

We’ve been waiting for over a year to discover what weighty issue our current First Lady, Michelle Obama, would eliminate. And now we know, she is bringing her considerable persuasive heft to convince us all that we need to stop being so fat.

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Tags: health & medical, politics & government
2 Comments »

Two recent events were undeniable… arithmetically indisputable, good news on the economic front. These of course were the rapid growth in Q4 of last year and the recent crash through the dirty-glass floor of double-digit unemployment. Gold prices are well down, oil is up but it seems that is mostly currency fluctuation. That’s good stuff. However public opinion is unimpressed. The recent spike which seems was captured only in Rasmussen’s robo-called three-day rolling average has endured scarcely a week. Even the Obies are going easy on the trumpets. So what is up? It’s quite simple. Everyone paying attention now knows that whatever blurps and blips take place in the short term, economically at least, we are fully and truly screwed. [Read more →]

Tags: health & medical, money, politics & government
3 Comments »

You are an elected Democrat. You have voted for Obamacare and you may be asked to do so again. In any case, the two of you are now married. But Left and Right agree, she is on life support. Sentiment aside, do you want her to live or do you pull the plug? [Read more →]

Tags: health & medical, politics & government
No Comments »

While I wasn’t old enough to have clear memories of Reagan’s Presidency, I’ve heard the stories and read plenty of articles about how the news was almost daily describing the plight of the homeless in America.  To watch the 6 o’clock news, you’d have thought we were all living in a van, down by the river and that only the elites owned double-wide trailers.  Then, almost as soon as Bill Clinton took office, those stories vanished.  A bubble began to inflate. [Read more →]

Tags: damned lies, health & medical
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The headline of the Reuters article “Countries re-think swine flu vaccine orders”, by Maggie Fox, doesn’t leave much to the imagination.  As the much-hyped disease fades into memory, dropping out of the public’s awareness, people have finally been able to take stock, to put numbers to things, and they’re finding that the drug companies are sittin’ fat.

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Tags: health & medical, politics & government
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In the chart below, I’ve plotted IHE (Ishares Dow Jones Pharmaceuticals ETF), IHF (Ishares Health Care Providers), and IHI (Ishares Medical Devices), with SPY (S&P depository trust) included for comparison purposes. I’ve also included vertical lines marking various landmarks in the road to healthcare reform (left to right): May 11, healthcare industry players meet with Obama; June 8, Senate HELP committee releases initial draft bill; June 23, Obama presser on healthcare; July 22, Obama prime time presser on healthcare; July 31, Congress recesses to go home and get yelled at by constituents; November 19, Reid unveils bill in Senate; December 24, Senate passes healthcare bill. [Read more →]

Tags: health & medical, money, politics & government
5 Comments »

Dramatis Personae
Barack Obama, President of the United States
Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House

OBAMA: Guys, what’s this I hear about you conferencing my health care bill in secret?

REID: Well, Mr. President, like they say, legislation of this type is a lot like sausage. It’s better if the people don’t know how it’s made.

OBAMA: But I promised during the campaign that all negotiations surrounding this bill would be public. [Read more →]

Tags: health & medical, politics & government
1 Comment »

It’s a contentious time in America. Between fighting over health care, over terrorists and TSA regulations, and dealing with standard-issue holiday stress, we all seem to be teetering on our last nerves. So for my debut column at When Falls the Coliseum, I’ve decided to start 2010 on an uncontroversial note and champion a cause we all can get behind. [Read more →]

Tags: health & medical, science
2 Comments »

It was during the first hour of 2010 that I resolved to visit my friend Monty Gelstein in the hospital as often as possible. He won’t know I’m there, but I will. And hopefully that good karma will assuage the guilt I feel for putting him there in the first place. I’d never administered electroshock therapy and should have practiced a bit before treating my best friend. [Read more →]

Tags: creative writing, health & medical
No Comments »

I was posed a question by the reader wjv in an earlier thread, asking me if I could work some of my ideas on the nature of government, and the freedoms of individuals and groups, into a few thoughts on health care.  I must admit that I find it interesting that anyone would care what I think about it, but it was a great question/suggestion, and provided quite a bit of food for thought as I wandered the crisp, breezy woods yesterday afternoon.

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Tags: health & medical, politics & government
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We’ve been dealing with health care reform for the better part of a year now, and progress today is still as iffy as it was before the “Summer of Angry Town Halls”.  The Senate is debating amendments and provisions, jockeying for votes, and trying to keep together the fragile coalition which allowed for debate on the Senate floor to occur.  The average American, having long ago made up their mind, is probably becoming tired of the same speeches, the same talking points, and the intolerable actions of Congress people on both sides of the aisle.

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Tags: damned lies, health & medical, politics & government
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