Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

Today was the annual “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” walk in Boston, an event put on by the American Cancer Society.  I am pleased to say that I participated in the walk with my wife and her fundraising team, my daughter, and my niece.  There were two routes which participants could take, either 3 miles or 5.7 miles.  We opted for the 5.7 mile route, and let me tell you… my feet really hurt.  It’s been a long time since I’ve walked that much at once.

The American Cancer Society stated that they expected around 35,000 people to participate in this year’s walk in Boston, and I heard someone state that there were closer to 40,000 people walking today.  I haven’t seen any official indication of exactly how many people were in attendance but there sure were a lot of people there.  It was amazing to see so many people collected in once place with only generosity, support, and charitable donation on the agenda.  A little of my faith in humanity was restored today.

The weather was cool to cold with a bit of light rain, but we remained dry throughout the walk due to good fortune and the natural canopy of the trees along much of the route.  I don’t think many of us felt the cold anyway, with our brisk pace and the inner warmth you can only experience by being part of something truly important.  Those of you who have participated in something like this probably won’t think I am a cornball for saying that, but I can imagine some will.  I suppose it’s one of those things you have to experience to truly understand.

My wife is already beginning her plans for the team’s fundraising efforts for next year, and I have already decided that I am going to help as best I can.  It’s an experience I will not soon forget.

Nearly 13,000 in hospital in China milk scandal

That’s right folks, keep purchasing those Chinese imports.

Of course, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to purchase domestically produced products since Chinese imports are so damned cheap.  But somewhere along the line, we need to stop and think about this for a minute.

Chinese manufacturers are killing their own babies with defective products.  What makes us think ours are any safer from those products? I would like to think that imports are held to the same standards our domestic products are, but as we have seen in the past, that is not the case (Carcinogenic toothpaste, lead tainted toys, etc).

Check out this article by Chris Buckley over at Reuters:

The number of Chinese infants sick in hospital after drinking tainted milk formula has leapt to nearly 13,000 and Premier Wen Jiabao threatened harsh punishment for culprits in the latest blight on the “made-in-China” brand.

Read the whole article here: http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSPEK11155120080922?sp=true

Blocking Care for Women

I received a link to this article recently, and regardless of what side of the fence you sit on regarding abortion, this is serious business.  Once again, the Bush Administration has decided to use legislation to force religious politics on the People.

LAST month, the Bush administration launched the latest salvo in its eight-year campaign to undermine women’s rights and women’s health by placing ideology ahead of science: a proposed rule from the Department of Health and Human Services that would govern family planning. It would require that any health care entity that receives federal financing — whether it’s a physician in private practice, a hospital or a state government — certify in writing that none of its employees are required to assist in any way with medical services they find objectionable.

Laws that have been on the books for some 30 years already allow doctors to refuse to perform abortions. The new rule would go further, ensuring that all employees and volunteers for health care entities can refuse to aid in providing any treatment they object to, which could include not only abortion and sterilization but also contraception.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Republicans and Democrats alike should be angry.  This is not about pro-life/pro-choice, this is about taking medical responsibility and replacing it with personal bias.

New safety concerns over Chinese-made fireworks.

Every year, millions of fireworks are set off in neighborhoods all over the United States in celebration of our Independence.  What I have always found to be interesting about this, is that many of these people celebrate their Freedom by supporting a communist economy:

Last summer, it was Chinese-made toys, pet food and meat that caused concern. This July 4th holiday, there are new worries about the overly explosive nature of its fireworks. This week, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a report saying it found that nearly half of the shipments they inspected coming from China do not meet Federal safety guidelines. That’s especially worrying since, according the American Pyrotechnic Association, 98 percent of fireworks used in backyards and front lawns across America are manufactured in China. NEWSWEEK’s Caitlin McDevitt spoke with Scott Wolfson, a chief spokesman for the Commission about its findings and why this Independence Day could be more volatile than in previous years.

Read the complete article here:  http://www.newsweek.com/id/144477

That’s right folks, 98% of those fireworks you set off in your backyard were made by people living under communism.  Your purchase of these products… I won’t get into the fact that 80% of the products you buy also come from China right now… supports the communist economy which is growing so fast it is becoming the largest contributor to the growing climate crisis the world is facing.

Happy Independence Day.

Study Affirms Nature’s Ability to Relieve Stress

I suppose I should not be surprised that this study was performed, but I have always sort of knew that actually seeing real nature is far more relaxing and calming than watching an animated screen saver, or desktop background.  Of course, in today’s digital world many of us don’t get the opportunity to get out as much as we should, so our screen savers are vacation slide shows and our desktop wallpaper is often scenes of tropical islands we want to visit someday.

SEATTLE - In a study that reaffirms the restorative powers of nature, researchers at the University of Washington report that for stress relief, looking outside trumps toiling away in a windowless room or viewing a digital version of that outdoor scene.

Read the full article here:  http://www.psycport.com/showArticle.cfm?xmlFile=krt_2008_06_11_knihj_6291-0110-MED-NATURE.SE.xml&provider=The%20Seattle%20Times

Perhaps this is a reminder for those of us who get so caught up in our work to take a moment and look out our windows… or better yet… go outside and actually be part of the REAL world for a bit.

Clean-air rules for national parks may be eased

This is just the sort of thing that really upsets me:

Scientists, managers oppose plan that may allow for new power plants

The rewriting of air-quality rules would ease the way for the construction of 33 coal-fired power plants within 186 miles of 10 national parks, including Great Smokey Mountains, left, according to the National Parks Conservation Association.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24658362/

Here’s some interesting facts I dug up…

• China’s Ministry of Health says pollution has made cancer China’s leading cause of death.

• Only 1 percent of China’s 560 million city dwellers breathe air considered safe by the European Union.

• Nearly 500 million people lack access to safe drinking water.

• According to the Journal of Geophysical Research, much of the particulate pollution over Los Angeles originates in China.

Much of the pollution in China is a result of their energy demands, which are primarily answered with coal fired power plants. The effects of China’s pollution have worldwide reach, and will for many years to come. Keeping this in mind, why in the name of all that is sacred, would we even consider relaxing Clean Air protections?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/world/asia/26china.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2005/oct/31/china.pollution

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/07/070709-china-pollution.html

People never see it coming, when they look the other way.