This ACORN mess is in Ohio

"The activist group ACORN, which has long worked with criminals as it preys on the weak and the troubled, is on the verge of yet another public relations catastrophe.

That's because a cross-dressing Ohio male escort whom ACORN registered multiple times to vote was convicted of full-fledged vote fraud in addition to the lesser crime of voter registration fraud. A spokesman for Cleveland prosecutor Bill Mason confirmed yesterday that a local investigation of ACORN remains wide open."

Story at American Spectator

After seeing what went on here in Franklin County where they bussed in the voters and brought in the phony registration workers, I don't expect much action on this Cleveland case.

ACORN worker claims they threw out Republican votes

Interesting comments from a Black Republican, who registered voters, and voted for Barack Obama.

" “This is my first experience” with ACORN, [Fathiyyah] Muhammad said. “This was before Obama got the nomination, long before then….I heard about this group that was paying $3.00 per person, to go out and to get people to sign up to vote. So I went over, I thought that well this is a good way to make some money because I know everybody, you know. I went over there and this guy signed me up and everything, and gave me my little pad, all this stuff.”

Muhammad went to the ACORN office in Jacksonville. There she encountered a young man speaking to a room of about twenty people. “He was telling us, you know, about his experience, he was from Brooklyn, he wasn’t from this area. He was just here recruiting people to register people to vote. They had a big office here, and I would say maybe about ten or twelve people at there.”

She went to work: “Well, I went out and got a lot of people, homeless people, but of course I signed everybody up as a Republican, and I would have put people had they been Democrats.” She was not forcing people to sign up as Republicans: “You could put down anything you wanted.” But when she got back to ACORN, a group leader was not pleased: “So I showed what I had, and he said, “No, no, you a fraud, there can’t be any black Republicans,’ and oh, he just kind of hung me out to dry…. But of course their main aim was to register only Democrats. They’re not interested in registering Republicans.”

She saw ACORN officials in Jacksonville throw out the Republican registrations she made. “They just discarded those, they weren’t valid. All of the registrations… they just threw those out.” Yet she says that she is sure that the people she registered were actually going to vote: “Yes, they all were going to vote, I just didn’t want to get anybody just to get the three dollars, I wasn’t desperate for three dollars.”

ACORN did not honor its agreement to pay three dollars for each registered voter. “He took my papers,” says Muhammad, “didn’t pay me anything and I just left, I just figured that this is just another scam…. Everyone else got paid, all the other people got paid, but I didn’t. And I didn’t make a big deal about it, I just figured that it was another one of life’s experiences.”

Now maybe she's no more reliable than other ACORN employees, but this wouldn't be the first time Democrats have tried to claim there are no black Republicans (which is really odd because I link to a lot of them). ACORN in Minnesota which helped that comic get elected also needs to be investigated for not being able to find Republicans. These would be much easier to track down than hanging chads.

Link to original article at Big Government.

Medical education

The Sept 23/30 (v302, n.12) of JAMA is on medical education. Just a few items gleaned to throw into the health care mix and to ponder whether universal health care will help or hurt medical care.

• Up to 60% of practicing physicians report symptoms of burnout, defined as emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and low sense of accomplishment.
  
  
• Physicians can now get CMEs for "mindful meditation," i.e. learning to pay attention and listen.
  
  
• 60% of the schools that responded to a survey on web 2.0 reported medical students were posting unprofessionally online.
  
  
• Although medical educators have been working on better feedback for 25 years, learners still complain. There seems to be evidence that physicians overestimate their abilities.
  
  
• There is little evidence that continuing medical education improves practicing physicians' clinical reasoning and the quality of care. Electronic sources aren't too great either.
  
  
• Getting information faster doesn't mean you remember it. There are two types of memory--verbatim and gist. As we age, our verbatim box is less accessible so we rely more on the gist box.
  
  
• It seems medical schools aren't doing a great job of teaching doctors about health care for people with disabilities. The report was issued in 2005 so I assume the research pre-dates that. And since those goals weren't met, bigger better larger and more expensive goals are suggested.

As I found out from my years in academe, educators are terrific at setting goals; not so great at solving problems. I think you get money for setting goals. Not so much for solving problems.

Carol Diedrichs named Director of Ohio State University Libraries

"Carol Pitts Diedrichs has been recommended to serve as Director of University Libraries at Ohio State. Subject to approval by the Board of Trustees, her appointment will be effective Jan. 5, 2010. Diedrichs is currently serving as Dean of Libraries and the William T. Young Endowed Chair at the University of Kentucky, the flagship institution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. She has vast experience in library administration and at UK provides intellectual leadership for the educational and service programs of 12 libraries; administers a budget of more than $21 million; and is a member of the Provost's Dean's Council.

Diedrichs served at Ohio State from 1987-2003, most recently as assistant director for technical services and collections and professor." OSU Today, Oct. 9

I worked with Carol during my years as Veterinary Medicine Librarian, and I am quite happy with this choice.

George Gilder on Silicon Israel

In the Summer 2009 City Journal there is a must read article about Israeli Jews and investment in technological innovation.

“The most precious resource in the world economy is human genius, which we may define as the ability to devise significant inventions that enhance survival and prosperity. At any one time, genius is embodied in just a few score thousand people, a creative minority that accounts for most human accomplishment and wealth. Cities and nations rise and thrive when they welcome entrepreneurial and technical genius; when they overtax, criminalize, or ostracize it, they wither.

During the twentieth century, an astounding proportion of geniuses have been Jewish, and the fate of nations from Russia westward has largely reflected how they have treated their Jews. When Jews lived in Vienna and Budapest early in the century, these cities of the Hapsburg Empire were world centers of intellectual activity and economic growth; then the Nazis came to power, the Jews fled or were killed, and growth and culture disappeared with them. When Jews came to New York and Los Angeles, those cities towered over the global economy and culture. When Jews escaped Europe for Los Alamos and, more recently, for Silicon Valley, the world’s economy and military balance shifted decisively. Thus many nations have faced a crucial moral test: Will they admire, reward, and emulate a minority that has achieved towering accomplishments? Or will they writhe in resentment and plot its destruction?”

It would seem like a no-brainer that Israel should have gone to the top with all those talented, creative Jews, but no, in the early years of that tiny nation they repeated all the mistakes of 20th century European socialism--high taxation to redistribute wealth, a welfare state mentality, communal experiments in which both the family and private property were put at risk, public ownership of major companies, and huge bureaucratic barriers. Yes, it was, in my opinion on a smaller scale, our own Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod experiment with Barack Obama fronting the show. But all that has changed now, says Gilder. In the last 25 years there was an flood of Soviet Jews, disdainful of socialism, who had honed their minds in math and science, and an influx of Americans bringing Silicon Valley know-how with them.

“Mix the leadership of these dynamic capitalists with a million restive and insurgent Soviets, and the reaction was economically incandescent. . . Today, immigrants from the former Soviet Union constitute fully half of Israel’s high-tech workers.” [And having been there in March I think the rest are in the diamond retail industry.]

This is a critically important article on capitalism and the economy for you to read. Don’t miss it.

Sleep Apnea Research at OSU

Occasionally I stop by the web page of the Center for Clinical and Translational Science at Ohio State University--mainly to ponder "what does translational mean." Believe it or not, it's getting ARRA (stimulus) money--over $1.6 million for some new computer grid--and I also ponder how that will do one thing to improve the economy. Although I still haven't answered those questions, I did note some interesting research on sleep apnea, which if successful, looks a whole lot easier than wearing one of those awful masks in order to have a good night and safe night's sleep.

"Dr. Magalang, an Associate Professor in the Divison of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, along with his research team will examine the effects of mandibular advancement devices [MAD] treatment on insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, psychologic well-being, and quality of life in patients with OSA who are unable to tolerate Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy.

Sleep apnea affects more than 20 million Americans and occurs when the area behind the tongue and soft palate becomes obstructed repeatedly, causing a person to stop breathing numerous times during sleep. It can range from mild to severe and the condition has been associated with an increased risk for stroke, hypertension, heart disease, depression, and diabetes.

The most common treatment for OSA patients is CPAP, delivered by a machine through a specially designed mask that prevents the throat from collapsing during sleep. While CPAP is a highly effective treatment for sleep apnea, it is estimated that at best, only 50% of patients tolerate and continue to use the machine long term.

Thus, Dr. Magalang and his team have proposed a study to better understand the effects of MAD for the treatment of sleep apnea. MAD is a dental device that is worn by the patient only during sleep and protrudes the lower jaw forward, preventing the airway from collapsing.

“There is a need for alternative therapy for sleep apnea,” says Magalang. “MAD has been used in the past to treat OSA, but the health outcomes as a result of this treatment have not really been evaluated. Some patients just cannot tolerate CPAP and we need to know the health outcomes of these alternative therapies.”

Dr. Magalang hopes that by providing evidence for the effects of MAD therapy on selected health outcomes, practitioners will consider this form of treatment when the patient is unable to tolerate CPAP.

“There is good evidence that the hypoxic stress, caused by the repetitive dipping of the oxygen levels in sleep apnea, is associated with insulin resistance, a marker for the development of diabetes and also an important risk factor for heart disease,” he said. “We need to know whether MAD treatment improves insulin resistance.”

Over the course of 3 months, the study will examine 40 randomized subjects who have reported that they cannot tolerate CPAP. The research team also includes: Dr. Allen Firestone, Department of Orthodontics; Dr. Dara Schuster, Divison of Endocrinology; and Dr. Sharla Wells-DiGregorio, Department of Psychiatry."

My husband says that when I lost 20 lbs I stopped snoring. Do thin people snore?

After they get the death panels in place . . .

there should be more room in nursing homes. "Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced Tuesday that she is pursuing plans to remove some captured illegal aliens from “prison-like or jail-like circumstances” and put them in converted hotels and nursing homes . . . Our detention system has some who have committed crimes, others whose crimes under federal law is a misdemeanor, others who have as I said before not committed a crime at all,” Napolitano said, apparently not including being arrested from breaking federal immigration law as a crime." CNS News

The H1N1 vaccine

"A recent poll by Consumer Reports found that two-thirds of parents plan to delay or skip getting their children the H1N1 shot altogether.

Some believe the vaccine was rushed and not adequately tested. Others just don’t trust flu shots in general and avoid them each winter like the plague.

But government officials say those concerns are irrational. H1N1 flu has hit children particularly hard — 36 youths in the U.S. had died from it through August — so they are advising parents very strongly to do what's best for their kids and get them vaccinated." Fox News

There's an easy way to reassure the public. The HHS and CDC families get it first. If all goes well, it's probably OK.

WSJ reported that state and local budget cuts coupled with limits on who can administer the vaccine would hamstring the delivery of the vaccines, even if you convince people to get it. Manufacturers are still in production, and it has been rushed to market.

But never mind. Rahm Emanuel assures us they'll never waste a crisis, so it's all for the good.

Update: Carol's granddaughter has cancer. She wants everyone to get the vaccine. Read why.

Don't they have insurance?

I was reading a blogger today who was enjoying Britain's health system and couldn't imagine why Americans didn't want it. Maybe it's these stats:

"According to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development data, there were 26.6 MRI machines in the U.S. per million people in 2004. In Canada, there were 4.9 such devices, while Britain enjoyed 5. For every 100,000 Americans, 2006 saw 436.8 receive angioplasties. Among Canadians, that figure was 135.9, while only 93.2 Britons per 100,000 got that cardiac procedure.

Maybe that’s why, among American men, heart-attack deaths in 2004 stood at 53.8 per 100,000. In Canada, 58.3 men per 100,000 died of cardiac arrest, while coronaries buried 69.5 of every 100,000 British males.

The fatality rate for breast cancer, according to the National Center for Policy Analysis and Lancet Oncology, is 25 percent in the U.S., 28 percent in Canada, and 46 percent in Great Britain.

Among those diagnosed with prostate cancer, 19 percent die of the disease in America. In Canada, 25 percent of such patients succumb to this disease. And in Great Britain — an Anglophone NATO member and America’s closest ally — prostate cancer kills 57 percent of those who contract it. That is triple the American fatality rate." Deroy Murdock

In comparing life expectancy you need to start at about age 40--that's when we start falling apart, and that's when you need decent medical care.

A Bill Ayers theory

Ann Althouse has a plausible theory on why Bill Ayers would admit to authoring Obama's book, Dreams from my father. Wanting to get back in the news would get my vote. Getting back at Obama who has been a big disappointment to the far left would come in second. But Marxists lie, so who would believe him? I'll let this one pass.

How we came to own Government Motors

"Autos are an industry that, for decades, has not been able to rationally restructure itself to provide a competitive return to investors. Politicians won't allow it. They wouldn't permit the necessary short-term job loss. The result, finally, is what we see today: a global auto sector increasingly dependent on taxpayer subsides." Holman W. Jenkins on the UAW and Nummi

The crooks are getting lazy--going after Medicare

And these crooks are not in Congress. This is just old fashion street crime. Kelly Kennedy of Associated Press has gone all Glenn Beck on us and is actually reporting with a front page story (in the Columbus Dispatch) on Medicare fraud. Now if Medicare is so expensive, poorly managed and there is crime and fraud, and it is government health care for a very small percentage of the American public, why not clean it up first to demonstrate the government can take on a bigger job--that of insuring all of us?

"Lured by easier money and shorter prison sentences, Mafia figures and other violent criminals are increasingly moving into Medicare fraud and spilling blood over what was once a white-collar crime.

Around the nation, federal investigators have been threatened, an informant's body was found riddled with bullets, and a woman was discovered dead in a pharmacy under investigation, her throat slit with a piece of broken toilet seat.

For criminals, Medicare schemes offer a greater payoff and carry much shorter prison sentences than offenses such as drug trafficking or robbery." Google News

To answer my own question. Obama's take over of the health care system has nothing to do with cost, improving coverage, or reducing waste. It's all about power. More for him, less for us.

Congress catching on about czars

OK. So they are finally noticing the power grab of the executive branch from the legislative. It's been a small drip; now it's a flood. Joe Markman of McClatchy Newspapers reports (story varies somewhat depending on which paper you read) that members of both parties realize the appointments circumvent their authority. A panel of experts brought in to testify can find no legal issues--it apparently began with FDR. But the issue isn't dead. Time to again alert your representatives and senators that we still want to be represented.

In a letter sent to the president this week, Sen. Susan Collins (R- Maine) and five other Republican lawmakers criticized the administration for encroaching on Congress's authority in establishing too many far-reaching czars.

Collins identified 18 positions created by President Obama which "may be undermining the constitutional oversight responsibilities of Congress." The letter asks Obama to respond with information about each position, including the administration's vetting process and whether the officials will be available to appear before Congress. . .

Democrats have also questioned the use of czars. On Tuesday, Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) raised concerns in a letter to Obama. And Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) had sent a similar letter earlier this year, noting that czars in past administrations had "rarely" testified before congressional committees "and often shield the information and decision-making process behind the assertion of executive privilege."

Saturn's "new" ring

"Scientists at NASA have discovered a nearly invisible ring around Saturn -- one so large that it would take 1 billion Earths to fill it." CNN technology.

Who knows why it took so long to find it. These stories always strengthen my belief that the Genesis record is true and completely trustworthy, and decreases my confidence that pea-brained experts and politicans have any clue what to do about controlling climate. Look what tiny little "Phoebe" was able to do--with no visible industry or cities or capitalists in sight.

"Phoebe, a Saturnian satellite measuring only 214 kilometres (133 miles) across, probably provides the record-breaking tenuous circle of dusty and icy debris, they report on Thursday in Nature, the weekly British science journal." Canada.com

Way to go, Anne!

A joyful place in which to kill babies

I get most of my green schemes and screams from my husband's architectural, urban planning and construction e-newsletters. But not usually items on abortion. This morning, my two interests came together in this handsome video of the Planned Parenthood Golden Gate and interview with Anne Fougeron, architect, and Dian Harrison, of PPGG. I was going to ridicule the "joyful" nature comment, attractive, artistic jars filled with condoms, and the architect's sense of bonding with the "mission" of the client. But then when I researched it, I found Jill Stanek had already done the research on this organization, and that Dian Harrison had been the model for a PPGG cartoon featuring violence against pro-lifers.

Host shouts down guest on MSNBC

So much for thugery.

Listen up, you overweight couch potatoes who voted for Obama

"Wednesday, the Senate Finance Committee approved a healthcare reform amendment that would penalize employees who are not following “healthy lifestyles” and participating in wellness programs. Employers will be allowed to raise healthcare premiums by as much as 50 percent for workers who are fat, smoke, don’t exercise, are noncompliant with preventive care, and not meeting certain health measures, such as lower cholesterol levels." Read the full story at Sandy's Junkfood Science.

Guess which insurer denies the most claims?

The government.

"The Medicare denial rate found in the study was, on a weighted average basis, roughly 1.7 times that of all of the private carriers combined (99,025 divided by 2,447,216 is 4.05%; 6.85% divided by 4.05% =1.69)." Read the whole article here. The research used the AMA's 2008 report.

There's a solution for everything

HT Ann Althouse

The door swings both ways Bertha!

"[Bertha] Lewis said many conservatives have used the videos to act on a longstanding grudge against Acorn. “I think you make some powerful enemies…when you organize poor people to have power,” she said. Washington Wire, WSJ The left gets very nervous when their schemes to keep the poor in their grasp is loosened, and they'll come out with all guns firing, even in no firearms cities. The most recent example of McCarthyism we have has been during the Obama Congress when they hauled people in to ridicule and threaten them for doing their jobs and making too much money. Bertha says ACORN can survive without government grants, and I say good for you. Go for it! I think all non-profits, right, left, center, and religious, ought to stop taking government money to run day care centers, foreclosure workshops, AIDS clinics, women empowerment programs, children's sporting events, "think tanks," tutoring for immigrants, races for disease of the week, and any number of do-gooder programs that are politically or religiously slanted and ultimately dance to the government's wishes. Let's get the government out of our cupboards, churches, sporting events, and arts organizations and make those boards, trustees and CEOs earn their own money and stop using ours.