Hey everyoneSorry I haven't been able to post sooner as the internet connections in Africa weren't always the quickest so I'm posting after the fact. This is one of probably 4 or 5. I'm actually back in Europe Den Haag to be exact but Africa was AMAZING It's definitely a country that I will be returning to as there is still so much to see and explore. I arrived in S. Africa on March 12t
ASU withdraws from financial partnership in UA medical school – Bizjournals.com
 UA News (press release) | ASU withdraws from financial partnership in UA medical school Bizjournals.com “We will continue to support the medical center,” he said. “We still have faculty participating in the medical school. What we're not doing is participating ... ASU plans to end partnership role in UA med schoolArizona Republic ASU pulling out of medical school partnershipKGUN ASU leaves UA's Phx. med school partnershipArizona Daily Star Examiner.com -Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription) -East Valley Tribune all 22 news articles » |
Mercola, Gardasil, and Toyota?
Joseph Mercola, D.O. should be well known to readers of SBM for reflexively opposing science-based medicine while providing an endless stream of misinformation on his blog, advocating detoxification, homeopathy, the tapping of meridians chiropractic and more at his clinic, and peddling a treasure trove of vitamin supplements, foods, and Mercola-endorsed devices (on sale at his site for your convenience, no conflict of interest there!).
Nothing seems to personify the evil of modern medicine to Dr Mercola more than the concept of vaccination, and Gardasil, the vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV), has been drawing a good deal of his ire of late. Case in point is this train-wreck of a post comparing the recent Toyota recall to Gardasil entitled “Time for the Truth About Gardasil.” The post is ill-named.
It begins:
Cervical cancer accounts for less than 1 percent of all cancer deaths — so it was somewhat surprising when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration fast-tracked approval of Gardasil, a Merck vaccine targeting the human papilloma virus that causes the disease.
Cervical cancer tallied 11,982 new cases of cervical cancer and 3,976 deaths in 2006, not to mention the non-cervical cancers for which it is also responsible. Worldwide it has an even greater impact as the second leading cause of cancer in women. Unless Dr Mercola is trying to tell us that he considers the prevention of several thousand deaths per year in the US alone a waste of effort, the fact that cervical cancer isn’t one of the leading causes of cancer death in the US is irrelevant to the FDA’s approval of Gardasil.
I’m certain the actual point Dr Mercola is trying to make is that in his opinion, Gardasil was inadequately tested prior to release, and that he does not accept the data supporting its efficacy or safety. The fact is that it was tested on over 20,000 women in stage 3 trials where both its safety and efficacy profiles were excellent while identifying a few rare but legitimate side effects, and that post-licensure studies after over 23 million doses have supported the original licensure data (I covered this topic at some length here, as has Dr David Gorski here). If Dr Mercola insists on having such exceedingly high standards for the safety and efficacy of a vaccine, surely he holds the myriad concoctions and other products he endorses and sells on his site to the same standard. Surely. Right.
He then continues:
As of the end of January 2010, 49 unexplained deaths following Gardasil injections have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.
Mercola implies that the 49 “unexplained” deaths are in fact due to Gardasil (there were 48, not 49 on my check on April 2nd, 2010). There are two major problems with this statement. First and foremost, an unexplained death is, by definition, unexplained.
Second, of the deaths associated with Gardasil reported to CDC’s VAERS, the majority of them are explained. At the time of the post-licensure review published in JAMA in August of 2009, there had been 32 deaths reported following Gardasil injection occurring between 2 to 405 days after the last injection. This is the breakdown of those 32 reported deaths after investigation:
Eight of the reports were second-hand reports that could not be verified. Four were manufacturer reports with no identifying information for confirmation or medical review… Causes of death (of the remaining 20) included 4 unexplained deaths, 2 cases of diabetic ketoacidosis (1 complicated by pulmonary embolism), 1 case related to prescription drug abuse, 1 case of juvenile amyotropic lateral sclerosis, 1 case of meningoencephalitis (Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B), 1 case of influenza B viral sepsis, 3 cases of pulmonary embolism (1 associated with hyperviscosity due to diabetic ketoacidosis), 6 cardiac-related deaths (4 arrhythmias and 2 cases of myocarditis), and 2 cases due to idiopathic seizure disorder.
Keep in mind that over 23 million doses of Gardasil had been administered in the US at this point. It would be remarkable if none of those millions of women had died within a year or so of receiving the vaccine. A rate of death similar to that of the control population with a random smattering of causes should be expected, and is exactly what is found. As always, correlation does not necessarily mean causation, and Dr Mercola is deprived of his greatest source of rhetoric against Gardasil.
Not that it will stop him from jumping another shark:
By contrast, 52 deaths are attributed to unintended acceleration in Toyotas, which triggered a $2 billion recall.
Holy false analogy, Batman! He’s comparing apples to… I don’t know, mops or something. Where to begin? Let’s just accept the number of 52 deaths for now. These deaths are not simply associated with unintended acceleration in Toyotas, they are attributed to them.
These are two very different things! If Dr Mercola wants to compare 52 deaths attributed to defective Toyotas, he needs to compare it to zero deaths attributed to Gardasil, not 49. On the other hand, if he wants his analogy to use the 49 deaths associated with Gardasil, he needs to figure out how many people have died from any cause within a year or so of riding in a Toyota. Methinks the number will be slightly higher than 52.
Not to mention that he completely ignores the starkly different risk/benefit ratios of using Gardasil and driving a Toyota. No one risks developing cancer or dying from not driving a Toyota.
He concludes:
There has been no recall for Gardasil, however. In fact, it is required for sixth-grade girls in D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and many other states. Merck denies any of the deaths are related to its vaccine — and of course, it is difficult for the grieving parents to prove they were.
No, Merck doesn’t deny the deaths are related to the vaccine, the data does. There has been no recall of Gardasil because no recall is warranted, and in the meantime the vaccine is protecting millions from contracting HPV and the cancers it can cause.
My heart goes out to the grieving families to whom Dr Mercola refers; their loss is tragic regardless of its cause. But their grief is being needlessly compounded, and the memory of those lost insulted, as Dr Mercola insists on misrepresenting the conditions of their deaths and callously exploits their loss to spread misinformation and fear of vaccination.
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Storage Cloud and the City
When I moved to Houston nearly five years ago, one of my long-term goals was to land a job downtown. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been enamored with big-city downtowns — something about a city’s core is electrifying. It might be the commerce that’s going on all around – the undeniable relevance of what’s happening inside the Fortune 500 company headquarters. Maybe it’s the movement — messengers zipping by on their bikes, the light rail smoothly slipping through intersections, cabbies weaving in and out of traffic, and businessmen and women hustling to meetings, gripping phones, laptop bags and a Venti Starbucks. Or, perhaps it’s just my personal awe of ginormous buildings made of glass and steel (especially 75-story ones).
Whatever the reason for my infatuation, I’m an especially big fan of Houston’s downtown. I’m lucky that The Planet’s headquarters are located here, and I’m within walking distance of some of the coolest destinations in town: the Angelika, which regularly screens indie, foreign, and critically-acclaimed flicks; the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, with a regular schedule of Broadway shows; a bevy of dining options (Post Oak Grill and Azuma are personal favorites); and Minute Maid Park, home of the Astros.
Our latest Storage Cloud customer, Central Houston, is one of the reasons Houston is so great. The 26-year-old nonprofit has championed the sustainable revitalization of Houston’s center city, spearheading downtown improvement projects and encouraging businesses to land here. The organization has been a driving force behind some of my favorite downtown developments: Discovery Green – a 12-acre urban park that hosts free outdoor concerts, ice skating in winter and “yoga on the green”; the Buffalo Bayou Walk – a perfect trail for those long marathon-training runs or a scenic walk at lunchtime; the Houston Pavilions – home of a 2-story Forever 21 (my idea of heaven); and House of Blues Houston – the venue where I’ve seen acts from Arctic Monkeys to OAR to Who’s Bad, a – you guessed it – Michael Jackson cover band.
Amidst all of these other incredible projects, Central Houston manages a historical repository of downtown — including old photos, maps and various business documents — so they required fail-safe storage to protect their critical data. They selected our Storage Cloud based on a number of factors, chief of which are the product’s scalability and ease of management. And, of course, they’re neighbors of ours in this big, bustling downtown. And in Texas, that counts for a lot.
You can read more about their selection of The Planet Storage Cloud here: http://www.theplanet.com/about/news-events/press-releases/2010/Central-Houston-Selects-The-Planet-Storage-Cloud/
-Katie
Related Posts:
Cracks emerge in Democrat coalition: Mayor Ed Koch calls Obama policy on Israel betrayal of Jewish supporters
"It's outrageous... Obama willing to throw Israel under the bus to please Muslim nations" -- Mayor Koch
From Eric Dondero:
Former longtime New York City Mayor and stalwart Democrat Ed Koch had an editorial at Real Clear Politics, March 29: "Obama's Treatment of Israel is Shocking."
Excerpt:
I have not heard or read statements criticizing the president by New York Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand or many other supporters of Israel for his blatantly hostile attitude toward Israel and his discourtesy displayed at the White House. President Obama orchestrated the hostile statements of Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, voiced by Biden in Israel and by Clinton in a 43-minute telephone call to Bibi Netanyahu, and then invited the latter to the White House to further berate him. He then left Prime Minister Netanyahu to have dinner at the White House with his family...
President George W. Bush made it a point of protecting Israel at the United Nations and the Security Council wielding the U.S. veto against... Arab countries [that]sought to... if possible, destroy, the one Jewish nation in the world... based on the actions and statements by President Obama and members of his administration, there is grave doubt among supporters of Israel that President Obama can be counted on to do what presidents before him did - protect our ally, Israel.
So I ask again, where are our Senators, Schumer and Gillibrand?
Now regrets Obama support over McCain
This was followed up by an interview with Neal Cavuto on Fox News, April 1:
"I have been a supporter of President Obama and went to Florida for him, urged Jews all over the country to vote for him saying that he would be just as good as John McCain on the security of Israel. I don't think it's true anymore," Koch told Fox News' Neil Cavuto.
"It's outrageous in my judgment."
"I believe that the Obama administration is willing to throw Israel under the bus in order to please Muslim nations," Koch said. "We'll know when I'm right or wrong."
Koch is a decorated US Army infrantyman who participated in the Allied invasion of Western Europe during WWII, and a former 4-term US Congressman.
Note - As Koch points out in his RCP editorial, 78% of American Jews voted for Obama in 2008. Also of note, both Schumer and Gillibrand are up for reelection in 2010.
Republican Jewish Coalition rjchq.org
US Army Physician refuses orders; Says Obama needs to show him Birth Certificate first
3rd Active Duty Military Officer joins growing Birth Certificate First movement
Lieutenant Colonel Terry Lakin, an 18-year Veteran of the United States Army is requesting that Barack Obama provide proof of his birth certificate and eligibility to be a legal United States citizen, before he will agree to be deployed for a second time to Afghanistan. From his announcement:
"All active duty military personnel deserve the truth on President Obama's eligibility to serve"
According to various reports, so far the Army is treading lightly on the affair, and has no plans yet to court martial him.
UPDATE!
Right Guy reports that the US Army is reacting to Lt. Col. Lakin by ordering him to have a full physical including a brain scan. Full story at Fellowshipofminds.com
Idaho Legislator proposes State issue Silver Coins
MONETARY POLICY UPDATE
By Clifford F. Thies
From the Idaho Statesman:
Athol Republican Rep. Phil Hart, the bill's sponsor, wanted to encourage the use of an alternative currency he believes is more stable than the U.S. dollar. He also sought to stimulate the state's languishing silver mining industry with tax breaks to entice a company to build an ore processing plant in the state.
O.K., so the proposal didn’t even make it out of committee. Nevertheless, this year, representative Hart (photo) actually proposed that his state begin issuing silver coins – err, I mean “medallions” – that taxpayers could use to pay their taxes and other dues to the state.
America has a long and varied history with state- and privately-issued coins and paper money. This includes “trade tokens,” issued as change, when government-minted coins were in short supply, and “coal mining scrip,” issued in advance of pay in isolated coal-mining towns which could be used at the company store. Traditionally, these, shall I say “supplemental” forms of money enjoyed only limited circulation relative to government-issued money and bank deposits (and, a long time ago, bank notes). They mostly filled in gaps in the money supply. But, from time to time, they were of macroeconomic importance.
From 1857 to 1907, whenever the banks of the country were temporarily closed due to a financial panic, they, through their “clearing house associations,” issued emergency money, backed by their mutual guarantee. The emergency money kept the economy from totally succumbing to the financial panic and, so, prior to the 1930s, we never experienced anything so much as half as bad as the Great Depression. Then, when we were hit by the Stock Market Crash of 1929, the still new Federal Reserve System said, hey, we’re the ones who are supposed to control the money supply, not you private banks. And, guess what, we wound up with the most awful depression we have ever known.
Nowadays, the problems we face are not merely a moribund economy. We also have the problem of a tremendous budget deficit, humongous debt-guarantees, and ginormous unfunded entitlement obligations. Even Burger King’s Steakhouse Burger pales in comparison. So, the idea of private money is not merely to fill in a gap left by the government’s money system, but to gain some protection against the risk of inflation.
Of course, there were many practical problems with the state of Idaho issuing coins. For one thing, what famous Idahoan (that’s what they’re called) would you put on them? So, I googled famous Idahoans and came up with one: J. R. Simplot, the “French Fry King.”
Dr. Thies is a professor of economics at Shenandoah Univ. in Virginia
Butch Otter proves running as a Libertarian Republican a big winner!
Has a 32% lead for reelection
New poll numbers for Idaho, show libertarian Republican Governor Butch Otter in a healthy position for reelection.
From Rasmussen (via Hedgehog)
GOVERNOR – IDAHO (Rasmussen)
Butch Otter (R-inc) 60%
Keith Allred (D) 28%
Allred, a former University professor at Harvard, is a lobbyist in Boise with a liberal special interest group called Common Interest.
Idaho's former Democrat Governor Cecil Andrus said the following when Allred first announced last December (Idaho Statesman):
"Keith will immediately be a credible, serious candidate."
Rand Paul against Seat Belt laws
Republican candidate for US Senate Rand Paul stood up against the Nanny-State in an interview with the NY Times last Sunday.
From the Times:
But in light of your distrust of the federal government, where are you on an issue like seat belts? Federal legislation requiring people to wear seat belts could obviously save lives.
Paul: I think the federal government shouldn't be involved. I don't want to live in a nanny state where people are telling me where I can go and what I can do.
Progressives are attacking him for his "Libertarian insanity."
The blog Progressive Rambler, compared Rand Paul's opposition to seat belt laws, to fighting for one's right to "drink toxic chemicals [or] consume household cleaning products."
Donate RandPaul2010.com
Libertarian Republican Science Fiction? – Robert Heinlein’s Red Planet
Goldwaterite libertarian-republican
Robert Heinlein called the Grandfather of Science Fiction, has long been identified as one of the greatest of libertarian writers. But this may be the first time he's received the "libertarian Republican" label.
From a review of influential books by Daniel McCarthy the Tory Anarchist at The American Conservative March 31 on-line:
Robert Heinlein, Red Planet (1983). Since this was the first non-picture-book I read, it should be fair to say it influenced me. The only conscious influence I can detect is that it sufficiently enjoyable that I was motivated to read more. Subconsciously, though, who knows? Heinlein was a Goldwaterite libertarian-republican, I learned what an IOU was from reading this book, and as I recall it ends with the young protagonist’s Martian friend having to leave his human society and rejoin his own people — something of a cultural particularist theme, perhaps?
Note - Heinlein was a proud Veteran of the US Navy, and unlike other libertarians of the day, took a very strong on defense view, particularly against the rise of Communism and the Soviet Union.
Convention Early Bird Discount Extended until Monday!
We’re extending the Libertarian Party of Indiana Convention early bird discount just a couple more days for anyone that might have waited just a little too long! Consider this your LPIN April stimulus!
Hurry and register now at http://lpin.org/convention
After 11:59 PM (Est.) Sunday, the prices will all increase $20, including our extremely low rates for all [...]
Hands-On With the Apple iPad — and Your Questions – Wired News
 Wired News | Hands-On With the Apple iPad — and Your Questions Wired News The camera dongle accessories — which let you connect a camera or an SD card to the iPad's dock connector for uploading photos — aren't available yet either ... |
College dorms ban use of medical marijuana – Grand Junction Sentinel
College dorms ban use of medical marijuana Grand Junction Sentinel None of them allows medical marijuana cardholders to smoke marijuana in residence halls. Mesa State College is one of those schools, requiring freshmen and ... |
Private Island Price Reduction
Like mainland properties, island prices occassionally drop. These price drops represent an excellent opportunity for prospective island owners to prick up a great island at a great price.
The Vacouver Sun is reporting that Jesse Island, one of British Columbia’s most beautiful island has been reduced to $4.5M. The island which is located near the beautiful city of Nanaimo British Columbia and situated at the mouth of Departure Bay near the Pacific Biological Station,
The island’s price has been reduced from %5.9M according to Re/Max realtor Michael Peterson, who has been trying to sell the nine-acre private island for his U.S. client for years, said while he has had expressions of interest from potential buyers from “a number of countries” there haven’t been any firm bites.
Jesse Island has a four-bedroom house near the island bluff which overlooks the home of the island’s caretakers, who guard the island year-round.
The island also has its own lighthouse, a dense grove of various tree species and the descendants of goats that many believe were brought there by explorers centuries ago. Water, power and telephone services are delivered to Jesse Island through submarine conduits which eliminate the utility problems encountered on other private Islands.
Crazy Guy Smashes iPad With Baseball Bat [Ipad]
Apparently this guy must've realized that he doesn't need all three of the iPads he purchased, so he brutally destroyed one with a baseball bat. Hope the minor Internet fame was worth $500. [iPad Insider] More »
Teen CPS student fatally shot on South Side – Chicago Sun-Times
Teen CPS student fatally shot on South Side Chicago Sun-Times Reggis Washington, 16, was pronounced dead at 8:30 pm at Saint Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's ... Teen dies after being shot on South SideChicago Breaking News - Tribune (blog) |
How Professional Athletes Use Video Games As Training Aids [Games]
"He gets behind the steering wheel console of his PC, puts on his real game face - without the helmet - and pays attention." More »
Speculation: 700,000 iPads Were Purchased Today [Ipadmania]
One other key tidbit was just added to the Mercury article about Steve Jobs showing up at the Apple Store. Tech Analyst Gene Munster over at Piper Jaffray, believes that 600,000 to 700,000 were sold today alone. Earlier, he believed 300,000 would be sold over the entire weekend. As a point of reference, 270,000 iPhones were sold in its opening weekend. [SJ Mercury] More »
Yes, The iPad Kinda Runs Crysis [Ipad]
Ok, maybe it's cheating a little because the graphics are rendered in the cloud and then streamed to the device via a service called OTOY, but still: The iPad runs Crysis. Kinda. [TechCrunch] More »
The disintegration of memory | Cosmic Variance
Given that it’s Easter Sunday, I thought it would be particularly appropriate to mention survivors of the Holocaust. Sean has been arguing (here and here) that science does not give us morality. And, as the Pope and the Catholic Church have resoundingly demonstrated, God doesn’t seem to provide us with morality either. None of this means that we shouldn’t strive to make the world a better place. Nor that we can’t say that the Holocaust was evil.
Maciek Nabrdalik has been photographing survivors of the Nazi concentration camps. Nabrdalik is quoted in a New York Times blog: “I believe that by looking into their eyes, a sharper perspective will appear and perhaps help us understand the nature of the enormity of this atrocity a little bit better,” Mr. Nabrdalik said. “Understand it on a human scale, that is.”
The photographs show only shining faces, surrounded by an encroaching blackness. Perhaps the blackness represents the horrors they have experienced. Perhaps the blackness represents the fact that the number of survivors is dwindling, and soon there’ll be no one left to remind us of one of the worst examples of man’s inhumanity to man. All that will be left is darkness.
Shema
by Primo Levi (Holocaust survivor)
You who live secure
In your warm houses
Who return at evening to find
Hot food and friendly faces:
Consider whether this is a man,
Who labours in the mud
Who knows no peace
Who fights for a crust of bread
Who dies at a yes or a no.
Consider whether this is a woman,
Without hair or name
With no more strength to remember
Eyes empty and womb cold
As a frog in winter.
Consider that this has been:
I commend these words to you.
Engrave them on your hearts
When you are in your house, when you walk on your way,
When you go to bed, when you rise.
Repeat them to your children.
Or may your house crumble,
Disease render you powerless,
Your offspring avert their faces from you.
