NOW They Tell Me….

Ken AshfordHealth CareLeave a Comment

I don’t care.  I’m not eating it anyway.  Yuck.  Yuck. Study: Fish-eaters stay sharper with age Researchers say one meal a week slows decline by 10 percent CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) — Eating fish at least once a week is good for the brain, slowing age-related mental decline by the equivalent of three to four years, a study suggests. And another … Read More

Avian Flu Update

Ken AshfordAvian/Swine FluLeave a Comment

I think this is going to be a big story, so I am inventing a separate category for it: WASHINGTON – In developing a plan to deal with any possible outbreak of pandemic flu, the Bush administration has concluded that the United States is woefully unprepared for what could become the worst disaster in the nation’s history. A draft of … Read More

Culture Of Life Update

Ken AshfordHealth Care, Sex/Morality/Family Values, Women's IssuesLeave a Comment

Several months ago, I wrote this: "It’s really cute that the citizens of Wingnuttia, who truly should be given their own homeland somewhere (they can call it the Christian States of America, or whatever, I don’t care), would prefer women to die of cancer if the alternative is maybe, just maybe, increasing the likelihood of them engaging in any sexual … Read More

The Next Conspiracy Theory

Ken AshfordHealth Care, War on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

Remember that anti-war protest last weekend in Washington, D.C.?  You know, the one on the weekend of September 24-25 where hundreds of thousands marched on the Mall? Well, that wasn’t the only thing appearing in D.C. that weekend: Biohazard sensors showed the presence of small amounts of potentially dangerous tularemia bacteria in the Mall area last weekend as huge crowds … Read More

Light Blogging

Ken AshfordHealth CareLeave a Comment

Been under the weather lately, and busy with work and rehearsal, but I thought I would jump in with this terrifying bit of news: ‘We Are in Real Trouble’ A health expert warns of the increasingly real possibility of an avian flu pandemic and what we can do prepare Since its discovery in the late 1990s, the avian flu virus, … Read More

Too Busy To Freak Out About This

Ken AshfordHealth CareLeave a Comment

One of these days, I’m going to read this wikipedia entry from top to bottom, and browse around the Flu Wiki.  I know nothing about the avian flu, but a lot of people who do know about it think we should all know about it. This blog is supposed to be pretty good, too.  It keeps an eye out on … Read More

In Which I Become A Hypochondriac

Ken AshfordHealth Care, PersonalLeave a Comment

I’ve noticed that my tendency to daydream has declined rapidly in the past few years.  Not that I ever daydreamed to excess, but in those quiet moments alone at home, my mind would occasionaly indulge itself with flights of fancy.  But not so much anymore. I’ve also noticed that my mind is quite as sharp as it once was.  Not … Read More

“Let ‘Em Burn!”

Ken AshfordGodstuff, Health CareLeave a Comment

That’s what you’re likely to hear from the Christian conservatives, when they read this: An experimental therapy that uses skin cells grown from an aborted fetus successfully healed severe burns in eight children, sparing them the need for skin grafts, according to a study published today. The treatment led to the regrowth of essentially normal skin on second- and third-degree … Read More

Sheehan Bigger Than Schiavo

Ken AshfordAssisited Suicide/Schiavo, Bush & Co., Iraq, SheehanLeave a Comment

From Blogometer (a good daily resource by the way): Each time this week we’ve visited Technorati, the popular blog search engine, the "Top Searches This Hour" feature has placed "Cindy Sheehan" at the very top. At one point this a.m., "Sheehan" was also #5. The Blogometer is trying to remember the last time this happened, but no person or event … Read More

Lessons From Schiavo: Even A Living Will Won’t Protect You From The Krazy Kristian Kooks

Ken AshfordAssisited Suicide/Schiavo, GodstuffLeave a Comment

Under threat of a lawsuit, Pro-Life Wisconsin pulled a news release accusing HospiceCare of murder in removing the feeding tubes of severely injured Marine Staff Sgt. Chad Simon, but the group has not, as requested, issued a public apology or retraction. *** Simon, 32, of Monona, was injured by a bomb in Iraq in November. The father of a 6-year-old … Read More

Seeing Is Believing

Ken AshfordAssisited Suicide/Schiavo, Godstuff, Health CareLeave a Comment

Epilogue to Terri Schiavo: "The brain weighed 615 grams, roughly half of the expected weight of a human brain,” he said. “This damage was irreversible, and no amount of therapy or treatment would have regenerated the massive loss of neurons.” [Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner Jon] Thogmartin said the autopsy report was based on 274 external and internal body images, and an … Read More

Culture of Life?

Ken AshfordHealth Care, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

"It’s really cute that the citizens of Wingnuttia, who truly should be given their own homeland somewhere (they can call it the Christian States of America, or whatever, I don’t care), would prefer women to die of cancer if the alternative is maybe, just maybe, increasing the likelihood of them engaging in any sexual activity", says Atrios. He’s referring to … Read More

Lies

Ken AshfordAssisited Suicide/Schiavo, Bush & Co.Leave a Comment

First, a Bush lie: Bush on the Armstrong Williams payola scandal in a press conference, January 26, 2005: And we didn’t know about this in the White House . . . Page 8 footnote of the Inspector General’s Report, Department of Education, concerning the Armstrong Williams payola scandal, released Friday: "During a meeting between the White House and Department officials … Read More

Hannity Coaches Interviewees

Ken AshfordAssisited Suicide/Schiavo, Right Wing and Inept Media1 Comment

Can you imagine how the right-wing blogosphere would react if this was Dan Rather (instead to Sean Hannity)? From the New York Daily News: Fox News host: Repeat after me If the conservative guests on Fox News’ "Hannity and Colmes" sound especially on-message, that’s because they’re being coached by the best: Sean Hannity himself. On the March 31 installment of … Read More