Policy
tsmith | July 19, 2006Despite the fact that abortion is a public health issue, I don't write on it much. It's so emotionally charged, and I can only handle so many trolls at one time. However, regardless of one's position on abortion, we should be in agreement that women shouldn't be lied to at such a trying time--but it would seem that's the case:
Women who consult with pregnancy resource centers often get misleading information about the health risks associated with having an abortion, according to a report issued Monday by Democrats on the House Government Reform Committee.
Congressional aides, posing as…
tsmith | July 13, 2006Here in the U.S., we've not found any high pathogenicity H5N1 influenza viruses, be it in our wild waterfowl, our domestic poultry, or our human population. But a recent story shows how quickly (and quietly) it could enter our country:
Officials investigate poultry from Troy warehouse
Michigan agriculture officials said Wednesday they have found no evidence of contaminated food in their investigation of frozen poultry that originated from China, where bird flu has been reported in some areas.
Some of the poultry found in a Troy warehouse has been seized and destroyed in the past few weeks…
tsmith | July 12, 2006Some interesting public health stories on MSNBC today:
In the first, they highlight discrepancies in newborn testing between states.
States have nearly doubled the number of newborns being tested for a host of rare but devastating genetic diseases -- yet where you live still determines just how protected your baby will be, the March of Dimes reports.
For almost two years, specialists have urged that every U.S. newborn be checked for 29 disorders, to detect the few thousand who will need early treatment to avoid serious, even life-threatening, problems.
The geographic disparity is gradually…
tsmith | June 23, 2006Rebecca over at Memoirs of a Skepchick makes an excellent argument against the new HPV vaccine:
Before the invention of the fire extinguisher in 1816, people used sensible fire safety precautions. They did not leave oily rags piled in buckets next to the ashtray. They did not set their farts on fire. And they always kept their curtains far away from heating devices.
After the invention of the fire extinguisher, all hell broke loose. It didn't take long for games such as "Tie a Lit Sparkler to the Cat" and "Flaming Monopoly" to explode -- literally and metaphorically -- in popularity all over…
tsmith | May 6, 2006Just a few things that have either been sitting in my drafts box and I know I won't have a chance to get to, or stuff I saw elsewhere that deserves a mention.
Check out this excellent (and hilarious) post by Skip Evans on creationists and boobies.
I've posted previously here about our eagles here in Iowa. Phil at the Bad Astronomy Blog gives links to 2 webcams, where you can watch the nests of eagles or peregrine falcons (another favorite bird of mine). They've shut down the eagle one because the eggs didn't hatch and the parents left the nest, but there's a fluffy white falcon chick (…
tsmith | April 25, 2006...whereby the Catholic church may be more accepting of condom use (and discussion thereof) than some American "sex education" classes.
tsmith | April 22, 2006Again, I never get to discuss all the topics I find interesting. So to keep you busy over the weekend, check out a few that I didn't have time to emphasize this week:
Neurotopia on the zombies among us.
Orac's series on medicine and evolution:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 4a
New studies suggesting that mercury fillings aren't harmful.
Can you name that virus over at Buridan's ass?
Professional societies spurning women editors? (More here from Evolgen).
Ewen on the science behind the recent monoclonal antibody drug trial gone bad.
The National Science Foundation website is up for a…
tsmith | April 21, 2006Skeptics warn bird flu fears are overblown
Doomsday predictions about bird flu seem to be spreading faster than the virus itself. But a small group of skeptics say the bird flu hype is overblown and ultimately harmful to the public's health.
There's no guarantee bird flu will become a pandemic, and if it does there's no guarantee it will kill millions of people. The real trouble, these skeptics say, is that bird flu hysteria is sapping money and attention away from more important health threats.
While I agree with some points the so-called "skeptics" make (we don't know if H5N1 will become…
tsmith | April 20, 2006I've discussed preparedness issues previously (like here, here, here, here, and here, for instance), and noted that we're still sorely unprepared for an outbreak of pandemic influenza. It's also been a frequent topic at Effect Measure, and of course at the flu wiki. What's largely been discussed, however, is preparedness at the personal level, and at the federal level. Discussed less frequently has been preparedness at the local/community level (though again, I should note this definitely has been a concern and emphasis of the flu wiki folks, and is specifically included on this page of…
tsmith | April 15, 2006I don't know how other bloggers decide what to post. For me, everytime I run across a "oh, that would be so cool to discuss" topic/link/story etc., I copy the topic/link/story etc. into a new entry here, hoping to have time to elaborate on it at a later date. Some of them I get to--some of them just drift slowly to the bottom of the pile, untouched. But they're still interesting topics, so here are a few more that I didn't have time to write about, and as new topics come up, probably won't be able to get to in the immediate future:
A recent CNN story referring to the hygiene hypothesis.…
tsmith | March 5, 2006Lest those who support the vaccine-autism link accuse me of ignoring this by not jumping on it immediately, I want to briefly point out a new study suggesting autism rates decline as thimerosal has been removed from childhood vaccines. From the press release:
A new study shows that autism may be linked after all to the use of mercury in childhood vaccines, despite government's previous claims to the contrary.
An article in the March 10, 2006 issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons (JPandS.org) shows that since mercury was removed from childhood vaccines, the alarming…
tsmith | February 23, 2006You don't need to worry about security.
I don't know whether having a UAE company manage our ports would increase our vulnerability to terrorism or not, but I find it highly, highly ironic that an administration who's spent so much time telling us how *not* safe we are (wasn't electing Kerry going to bring on another terrorist attack?) are now reassuring us that there's nothing to worry about. I bet the folks in New Orleans would beg to differ.
tsmith | February 16, 2006Just wanted to point you to these posts over at Mike's blog, regarding Jimmy Stewart, a former physicist and candidate for State Representative in Ohio's 22nd District: Dublin and Clintonville. I don't know him from Adam and so this doesn't constitute an endorsement in any way, but apparently he's reaching out to the blogosphere for both questions on his positions, and, of course, support. Mike's already asked him some questions (including ones about intelligent design and overall science education in Ohio's schools), and I submitted some as well that have reportedly been passed along.…
tsmith | February 4, 2006In my piece with DarkSyde yesterday, I mentioned a bioterrorist attack with Salmonella that took place in Oregon in the 1980s. This is an organism that you've all certainly encountered (though hopefully didn't get sickened by), and it's certainly not one that's commonly thought of as a potential agent of bioterrorism. Well, the National Academy of Science says our current list of potential agents is seriously flawed.
US 'unaware' of emerging bioterror threats
The life sciences are developing so quickly that a watch list of dangerous pathogens and toxins is useless in fighting the threat of…
tsmith | February 3, 2006...check out this post by DemfromCT (one of the founders of the Flu wiki). He discusses a topic near and dear to my heart--preparation for an influenza pandemic. And like I've pointed out, he agrees that we're not ready.
tsmith | February 2, 2006Quarantines were briefly discussed in the comments on this thread. A recent study in the journal "Health Affairs" carried out jointly by researchers at Harvard and the CDC determined attitudes about quarantine in Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the U.S.
One thing to note: remember quarantine is for individuals who have been exposed, but are not showing signs of illness. Those who *are* sick would be put into isolation (likely at a hospital--if there are available beds). Just so no one gets those two confused...
U.S. perspective on compulsory quarantine. In the United States, compulsory…
Inexperienced religious groups receive AIDS funding--but don't worry, it's not politically motivated
tsmith | February 1, 2006Religious groups getting more AIDS funding,
Bush administration earmarked $200 million for less-experienced groups.
Aargh.
Franklin Graham just got federal AIDS money. His group, Samaritan's purse, has a mission described as "meeting critical needs of victims of war, poverty, famine, disease and natural disaster while sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ." This is the same Franklin Graham who has said about Islam,
The God of Islam is not the same God. He's not the son of God of the Christian or Judeo-Christian faith. It's a different God, and I believe it is a very evil and wicked…
tsmith | January 25, 2006 Well, at least there seems to be some progress in terrorism preparedness plans. Apparently, the Department of Homeland Security has a program ready to prepare children for disasters.
After more than a year of delays, the Department of Homeland Security says it plans to launch a preparedness program next month aimed at alerting and preparing children for natural disasters.
The program, called Ready Kids, is scheduled to roll out with TV ads, school programs and other events.
"Ready Kids is a tool for parents and teachers to use to be able to speak to their students and children about how…
tsmith | January 25, 2006Day 1: History of Pandemic Influenza.
Day 2: Our adventures with avian flu.
Day 3: Challenges to pandemic preparedness
Day 4: 1918 influenza virus reconstructed
Day 5: How ready are we, and what can YOU do?
Many more influenza posts can be found at this link.
tsmith | January 24, 2006So, like Kevin over at No Se Nada, this started out as a comment on his avian flu policymaking post but got rather wordy, so I'm spinning it off over here. For those keeping track, the initial volley was this post, but previous discussion was had over here as well (and this post discussed some of his comments from that one).
So, in response, I think we are talking past each other a bit. I see a lot of difference between "wolf-crying" and simple education. I'll re-post what I said in the comments here regarding that issue (in response to the question, "How do you inform people that this…