Comparing Diltiazem (Cardizem) and Atenolol

Results comparing Diltiazem with Atenolol for Cardiac Arrhythmia are based on 701 research studies conducted by health experts on 309,631 patients, trial data from the FDA, and 877 patient discussions on the web. Regarding effectiveness, health experts concluded Diltiazem was effective about as often as they concluded Atenolol was effective. Regarding safety, health experts concluded Diltiazem was safe about as often as they concluded Atenolol was safe. However, in FDA trials, the average incidence rate of the top 5 side effects common to both Diltiazem and Atenolol was lower in Diltiazem. Finally, patients on average mentioned experiencing side effects common to both treatments more often with Diltiazem

She’s dead, but not a terrorist. Democrats unhinged with hate words

DC Police have said the woman they shot and killed today (unarmed last I heard) was an isolated incident, and not an act of terrorism. Meanwhile, Democrats have called Republicans jihadists, arsonists, anarchists and terrorists for resisting a health care law that will consolidate government control over more of the economy without any health benefits for the people.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/shots-fired-u-s-capitol-report-article-1.1475378

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/22/pelosi-republicans-legislative-arsonists-government-shutdown

Democratic lawmakers are definitely not holding back with name-calling lately, even comparing conservatives to arsonists, people with bombs strapped to their chests, and extortionists.

http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/10/66593/

Don’t declare a win yet

I think conservatives are getting too excited about the roll out failures of Obamacare. It might take years to get the bugs worked out. And if you've ever battled insurance companies over messed up payments or health records (like the time my husband was billed for a pap test), just multiply this by a number you can only imagine. Keep your eye on the (government's) goal. Whether it was a deliberate plan to fail or not 1) it's the first day and involves a number of computer systems that track our daily lives and usually they don't communicate; 2) the ultimate goal is single payer. This has never been about better health; it's always been about control and power. Even the SCOTUS declared it legal only because it is a tax. Unfair taxation was what birthed this nation. And it may be what kills it.

Barry-cades

What they put around the WWII memorial in Washington, DC to frustrate the veterans who'd had their trip planned for weeks. Thank you Republican representatives who came to their rescue and removed them.  In a number of cases, the National Park Service only supervises parking lots, and local groups pay for and control the memorials. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/1/elderly-veterans-force-entry-wwii-memorial-defianc/

                     

$197 million was raised to build the WWII memorial in DC, a project suggested and promoted by Marcy Kaptur (D) of Ohio for 5 years before it was finally approved. The federal government chipped in $16 million, the rest came from from individuals, veterans groups like the American Legion and VFW, and corporations. I donated. I want it open.

Janice Crouse reports Democrats are hiring protestors to march at WWII and other DC memorials ... paying $15. Homeless and others earning some extra cash.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/shutdown-overreach-more-guards-at-wwii-memorial-than-benghazi-park-service-closes-park-it-doesnt-run/article/2536710

The government shut down scam

When the rest of us have a set back or need to budget, we move money from the non-essentials. Not the government. Those departments raced to spend their allotment before the end of the fiscal year (Sept. 30) because of the use it or lose it mentality, and always asking for more based on what was spent the previous year. If I were short of cash, I would be making coffee at home for 5 cents instead of paying $2 at a shop where I could chat with my neighbors. If I were running low, I'd make every trip in the car count. And I'd make sure my church pledge was paid before I'd take out the credit card at Macy's.

This government shut down has happened 17 times since 1976. I bounced one check in 53 years because I had 2 checking accounts when I was a private contractor and wrote a check on the wrong account. Imagine your credit rating if you'd done this that often. And you don't even get to print money!

Head Start closures being reported

A report for WCTV by Julie Montanaro is being discussed on Facebook.

Here’s my take.  Some of the Head Start employees (often parents of the children enrolled) may suffer from the shut down, but there is evidence that any boost the children get disappears by third grade. 40 years and this is the research. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/opre/executive_summary_final.pdf    The report  ( Head Start Impact Study. Final Report. Washington, DC. January 2010) was sat on for four years and released on a Friday evening in Feb. 2010, so you may have missed it. Obama chose to increase the funding for Head Start anyway, as you can see from the graph, and maybe that’s the story. In government if spending billions doesn’t work, spend more.

The mission of Head Start was to give poor children a "head start" for school readiness—make up for all that middle class children got at home in vocabulary, reading readiness, socialization, good nutrition, etc. It was part of that social experiment called the “War on Poverty” of the 1960s. 40 years and $8 billion later it has failed in its mission. The most successful event to lift children out of poverty is the marriage of their parents. Co-habiting parents yields about the same results as single parent home. Poverty falls to 8% compared to 56% for single parent families. Marriage of parents also gives them a boost in health and education, and children raised with fathers are less likely to enter the criminal justice system.

Uncle Sam just isn't a good step-father because government can't be a parent and apparently isn't all that great at being a pre-school facilitator. Head Start isn't the only program--many churches support pre-schools in low income neighborhoods (mine included). My neighbor runs one--it's a delightful program. And the results are about the same--dedicated, loving, committed personnel pour their lives into these kids. The best we can say about Head Start (and private charities that do this) is that the children are safe, well cared for, and often employs the parents.

Buried deep in this article about budget increases for Head Start FY2011 you find a reference to the 2010 report of its failure of mission, although it doesn’t link to the government report I cited above. http://earlyed.newamerica.net/blogposts/2010/a_closer_look_at_obama_s_fy11_budget_head_start-27490

Little pets

A Rhinoceros Beetle from Costa Rica can reach the size of 6.75 inches.  That’s a horn in the front.  They are harmless, I’m told.

And then there’s my grand puppy, Abby, a Chihuahua, dressed for Buckeye football.

Socialists, humor about

Socialists, humor about

Happy 10th blogiversary to me

Jorn Barger of Robot Wisdom coined the term "weblog" Dec. 17, 1997.  It meant a diary or log kept on the world wide web in reverse chronological order, or simply BLOG, that others could read. Technically, I started blogging on October 3, 2003, but then back dated it to October 1 because it just looked untidy the other way.

Barger thought blogs should be primarily links to other people’s writings. Why I don’t know.  I like to include links to the articles and sources I cite, but it’s just plain boring to come across a blog that has two sentences and then a link to someone else who thought of it first and did the research.

I’m not sure when blogging peaked—maybe 2005-2006, as least for young people—so it was hot less than a decade.  Now if I want to read the people I met blogging I need to track them down on Face Book, Twitter, or Pinterest because after 2012 it was just hard to find them.  Social media has moved on to the pithy and brief, the bitter and sarcastic.

For this blog I’ve written over 12,000 posts and had about 580,000 page views in 10 years (Blogger tracks that for me).  But I have 9 other blogs, or maybe 10, so all told, I’ve said and read a lot in 10 years. I used to print them off (don’t really trust Google to maintain Blogger forever), but that soon became a space hog in my office, so I quit doing that about 5 years ago.

Here’s what I used to blog about—13 topics.  The longer I was retired, the less I wrote about libraries; the older I got the less I said about parenting; after a few years, I’d pretty much exhausted my memory on the good old days and family stories; the people who ran the memes like Thursday 13 and Monday Memories and the poetry challenges all turned to other ventures.  So that sort of leaves “current events,” or what a mess the world is in.  And recipes.  That’s always a good fall back.

Commonly held myths about end-of-life issues

Some people don’t have a health care power of attorney or living will because they don’t realize how important these documents are. Others worry that such documents mean they are signing their lives away. Not so.

These powerful documents make sure that you get the treatment you would want for yourself if you couldn’t communicate your wishes. Here are a few myths that shouldn’t get in the way of creating a health care power of attorney or living will:

Myth: More care is always better.

Truth: Not necessarily. Sometimes more care prolongs the dying process without respect for quality of life or comfort. It’s important to know what interventions are truly important. It’s often impossible to know that in advance. That’s where the advice of a healthcare team is invaluable.

Myth: Refusing life support invalidates your life insurance, because you are committing suicide.

Truth: Refusing life support does not mean that you are committing suicide. Instead, the underlying medical problem is considered to be the cause of death.

Myth: If medical treatment is started, it cannot be stopped.

Truth: Not starting a medical treatment and stopping a treatment are the same in the eyes of the law. So you or your health care agent can approve a treatment for a trial period that you think may be helpful without fear that you can’t change your mind later. However, be aware that stopping treatment can be more emotionally difficult than not starting it in the first place.

Myth: If you refuse life-extending treatments, you’re refusing all treatments.

Truth: No matter what treatments you refuse, you should still expect to receive any other care you need or want — especially the pain and symptom management sometimes called intensive comfort care.

Myth: Stopping or refusing artificial nutrition and hydration causes pain for someone who is dying.

Actually, what is listed here as TRUTH is not.  You can find valid studies that state removing hydration from a dying person increases their pain.

[Truth: Unlike keeping food or water from a healthy person, for someone who is dying, declining artificial nutrition or intravenous hydration does not cause pain.]

Harvard Health Beat, Sept. 26, 2013

Agenda 21 is growing while we squabble over Obamacare

We the people will get Obamacare, even if Congress, the unions, and hundreds of crony political donors don’t—and even they will too, eventually.  At least the Democrats and the President voted for it, even if not a single Republican did. And while we’re spinning our wheels on a power grab for one sixth of the economy, a bigger prize is out there ready to gobble us up, and that’s Agenda 21. For that there will be no vote.  We have no say, even if you try to stomp it out at the local level, which is nearly impossible because people are even more apathetic locally than they are nationally.

To see what’s going on there you only need to attend your local school board meeting or city council. For Agenda 21 we have no one in charge, because no has been elected. But every time you hear the word “sustainable,” or “smart growth,” or even something that sounds as positive as “government grant for a new bike path” you are being conned. http://www.offthegridnews.com/2013/08/31/private-property-seized-under-eminent-domain-for-ohio-bike-path/  In northern Ohio a $75,000 “planning grant” is planning to grab millions of federal dollars for bike paths in just one area of one state.  These are wonderful and scenic, unless you need to get to work in a bitter cold, northern Ohio winter storm. 

Eventually, it is hoped to remove automobiles and replace them with mass transit and biking or walking.  We’ll hear various reasons—Ohioans are too fat, or the air quality, or there’s an endangered animal, or farms are causing too much run off in the water, but do not be fooled; as with Obamacare, it is about power.

Voting will be a thing of the past, as will private property, the family farm, local control of zoning (zoning is now considered racist and HUD will come after you.) The push for mass transit, “pack and stack” housing even in the suburbs, control of all local meat and produce, Common Core education plans—it all leads to the global plan.

So that you don’t think this is just one more crazy, paranoid blogger, check out what has happened in Westchester Co., NY, one of wealthiest, and best integrated regions to live in the U.S.  A lot of liberals live there.  There are 253,000 registered Democrats, 135,000 Republicans and 120,000 not affiliated to any party.  After negotiating with Westchester to build 750 low income housing units (HUD sued under an 1863 law), the feds (HUD) decided Westchester really needed to absorb 10,768 low income housing units. Skip to about minute 39 in this video to see the “grand experiment” of the federal government taking over a local community by deciding that zoning is racism. http://www3.westchestergov.com/state-of-the-county  If they can do it in wealthy, liberal Westchester, what chance does your county have?

While our representatives in Washington are squabbling over a break the bank take over, something bigger is coming down the path.  A country we can no longer use.

Cooking the books, secret deals

What benefits babies more than this OSU health plan?

Married parents. It’s been confirmed in numerous health, welfare, and financial studies.  Better health, less poverty. There is a 50 to 80 percent difference in child well-being between cohabiting and married families. Most government transfer programs encourage the parents to NOT marry.

I noticed this announcement at OSU health plan.

The Ohio State University Health Plan Inc., together with Your Plan for Health (YP4H), encourages all benefits-eligible expectant mothers to sign up for the Buckeye Babies program–designed to support moms-to-be during their pregnancy, through the delivery of a healthy, full-term baby, and to guide moms through the initial stages of breastfeeding and infant care. Post-partum health coaching is also available.

A trusted nurse, well-versed in evidence-based maternal-child health care–will work with you every step of the way to answer questions and ensure the moms receive needed support. Services are complimentary and confidential.

http://www.urban.org/publications/311001.html

Ladies—it’s up to you. You control the financial and physical health of your children.

Comparing the health care law with other important legislation, all of which had bi-partisan support

The original draft of the 1935 Economic Security Act, which established the Social Security Administration was 64 pages

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 - forbidding discrimination based on race and sex: 8 pages

The 19th amendment to the Constitution, giving Women the right to vote in 1920: 1 page

The Emancipation Proclamation, with which Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves in 1863: 5 pages

Or, if you really want to get back to basics: The Declaration of independence came in at 1 page in 1776

And the Constitution: 4 pages long in 1787

Health care reform, Pelosi version - almost 2,000 pages, and she admitted she hadn’t read it.

Cavuto and Obama on the health care disaster

OBAMA:  “If you’ve talked to somebody who said, ‘Well, I don’t know. I was watching FOX News and they said this is horrible…”

NEIL CAVUTO:  Mr. President, we at FOX News are not the problem. I hate to break it to you, sir. you are. Your words are, your promises are. We didn’t sell this healthcare law, sir. You did. Remember this?

OBAMA: “If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor, period.”

NEIL CAVUTO:  Not so.  Mr. President, tell that to tens of thousands of retirees at IBM and Time Warner and dozens of others, who have been dumped from their coverage and told to find their own coverage. Now, FOX News didn’t break that news to them, Mr. President, their companies did.

FOX News didn’t push more of those firms to hire part-time workers, your healthcare law did.

FOX News didn’t incentivize fast-food restaurants to scale back their benefits, your healthcare law did.

FOX News didn’t make doctors want to opt out, your health care did.

FOX News didn’t make insurance premiums skyrocket, your health care law did that.

Just like FOX News did not grant hundreds of exemptions to companies that needed them, you did.

And FOX News didn’t delay one key provision after another, including (just today) online enrollment for those small business exchanges. You did that, sir.

Just like it wasn’t FOX News that said, “We had to pass this to see what was in this.” You did. Or, was that Nancy Pelosi?   Sometimes, I’m confused. but of this I am not.

FOX News didn’t redo basic math. sir, you did.

FOX News didn’t say you can cover 30 million more Americans and not see a hit in premiums, you did.

FOX News didn’t say you could throw in those with pre-existing conditions and not have to pay for it, you did.

FOX News didn’t all but say you can get something for nothing. You did.

FOX News didn’t come back years later and say, “Oh yeah, we did raise some taxes.” You did, Â just the other night.

Here’s where you are right about FOX News, however, Mr. President. We were on this very early. We can do math, and did. You cannot and did not. We said it and proved it. You didn’t and we’re suffering for it.

Take it from the numbers guy here at FOX. Numbers don’t lie. The number of Americans working part-time and nervous, the number of retirees days away from being dumped on exchanges, and anxious. The number of company bosses with news to pass along on those exchanges, still clueless. The number of doctors who want out. The number of congressmen opting out.

No, Mr. President, none of those numbers lie, but with all due respect, sir, I can only conclude, you do.

I know, I know, I know, you hate us at FOX, but please, please, look in a mirror and fast. You think we’re the skunk at your picnic, but that does not mean we are the ones that stink, because that smell account isn’t coming from the folks reporting on your law. Mr. President, that smell is your law.

More on bread pudding

I’m always on the look out for bread pudding that tasted like my mother’s.  I’ll just jot this one down. Haven’t tried it yet. I probably wouldn’t do the sauce.

Grandma's Old-Fashioned Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce
• 4 cups (8 slices) cubed white bread
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Sauce Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions for Pudding:
Heat oven to 350°F. Combine bread and raisins in large bowl. Combine milk and 1/4 cup butter in 1-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat until butter is melted (4 to 7 minutes). Pour milk mixture over bread; let stand 10 minutes.

Stir in all remaining pudding ingredients. Pour into greased 1 1/2-quart casserole. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until set in center.

Directions for Sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients except vanilla in 1-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens and comes to a full boil (5 to 8 minutes). Stir in vanilla.

To serve, spoon warm pudding into individual dessert dishes; serve with sauce. Store refrigerated.

 

Remembering Mollie Orshansky

Who invented the government's definition of poverty? Mollie Orshansky. She liked to say she was very poor, however, she managed to get a college degree in 1935 and landed a nice government job, something neither of my parents, who were about her age, were able to do during the Great Depression (extended to “great” by FDR, when the rest of the world just had a plain old depression).

Because of her research and government service, poverty will never go away, it will just get redefined with an ever rising threshold.  In fact, under Obama a higher percentage are poor than in 1965 when the War on Poverty began. If you have an ounce of common sense you know that's a lie because we have 126 federal programs that transfer money from the middle class to the bottom classes.

Here’s a bibliography of her work. http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v68n3/v68n3p79_bib.html

He calls Republicans terrorists . . .

The cupboard is bare! Pelosi

NEARLY 20 PERCENT OF NEW OBAMACARE WAIVERS ARE GOURMET RESTAURANTS, NIGHTCLUBS, FANCY HOTELS IN NANCY PELOSI'S DISTRICT....OH, AND HER WEALTH GREW BY 62% IN 2011 TOO....HUMMMMM.   Blacksphere on Facebook

http://dailycaller.com/2011/05/17/nearly-20-percent-of-new-obamacare-waivers-are-gourmet-restaurants-nightclubs-fancy-hotels-in-nancy-pelosi%E2%80%99s-district/

“Crony capitalism at its most basic. Create onerous regulations and then give out exemptions to allies and constituents. The only wrinkle in this case is that the demographic subsection unburdening itself of ObamaCare is the same demographic subsection that has been most pointedly exuberant in advocating health care reform, with California Democrats even passing symbolic health care laws just like the ones that their most liberal supporters are now opting out of.”

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/05/18/pelosi-district-gives-20-percent-of-obamacare-waiver/