The race in Massachusetts is stunning. If Democrat Coakley is unable to beat Republican Brown in the bluest of blue states, then any Democrat is vulnerable. Just the fact that this race is close should be a startling wakeup call to the Democratic party.
It appears that Brown is doing and saying all the right things and Coakley is doing just the opposite. If defeated the party will blame the candidate , and refuse to see it as a referendum on the current administration. Brown is running against Coakley on her statements, her policies, and her record. Brown is being attacked by invoking references to Bush and “tea baggers.”
Last Wednesday the odd at the trading site Intrade had the odds of a Coakley win at 85 to Brown 15, this morning it 53/47; a remarkable shift.
The Democrats have grossly misread their mandate and their hubris has dwarfed even that of the Bush administration. This mismanagement of their party’s victory should be laid squarely at the feet of their leaders, especially Pelosi and Reid. Their first constructive step to clawing their way back from the abyss should be to quickly replace both of them. It is their hubris, partisanship and arrogance that are putting the nails in Kennedy’s coffin.
May is a high risk month to have a baby in Michigan and Uganda. Why?
Ramadan.
Some parts of Michigan and parts of Uganda have a large Muslim population that fasts during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan which runs from about August to September (It is based on a lunar calendar). Muslim women who fast during that period put their fetuses at risk during the critical first trimester.
From “Superfreakonomics” by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
French researcher Bertran Auvert discovered a way to dramatically reduce the risk of AIDS infection in heterosexual males after trials in South Africa. The results were confirmed in studies in Kenya and Uganda.
For reasons not clearly understood circumcision reduced the rate of HIV infection 60%.
From “Superfreakonomics” by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
A tragedy is what happens to somebody else. A catastrophe is what happens to everybody including us.
We have a health care problem that needs some new rules. For an individual family with serious illness bankrupted by medical bills it is a hardship and a tragedy.
But under the guise of “the system is broke” (for 85% of us it is not broke) and “we must do something” the government stands to turn tragedy into catastrophe. To improve the system for some they stand to make it worse for many.
The reason is simple. Government wishes to provide benefits without paying for them. In health care they simply dictate reimbursements and then shift the underpayment to the schmucks like us without the power of the government.
The government could simply subsidize health insurance for those who need it with vouchers, but then they would have to face the same market reality we all do. They would realize that much of the coverage mandated by ..ahem … the government has driven up their costs as well.
Choices will be made, whether by the market or by the government. Change is easy; choice is far more difficult.
Men are vain enough to get calf implants, chin implants, even breast implants to get the body that they think will attract women. A relatively new procedure called high definistion liposuction can now deliver the six pack abs of your youth for a mere $16,000 to $20,000. Alfredo Hoyes, a Columbian plastic surgeon has perfected the technique using more precise instruments to get the “sacred centimeter” of fat around the abs down to hug the muscle tissues.
I also learned from the article in the July Men’s Journal that the Mayo Clinic defines an abnormal penis as one that is less that 3″ when erect, a condition called “micropenis”. (not a very clever name) The surgical solutions have considerable risk, including erectile dysfunction.
Yet I am told that the most important sexual organ is the brain (the real source of perversion) and that the best aphrodisiac is attention. Some apparently find power, jewelry and alcohol effective as well.
HKO
Lamasil 250 mg made by the pharmaceutical company Novartis is prescribed for internal use to eliminate a type of fungus beneath the nails.
A local Walgreen wanted $450 for a prescription. When I was in Canada they said it would cost $150 (US) but they could not fill my prescription unless it was written by a Canadian doctor.
When I got home I noticed an ad for http://www.magendavidmeds.com/, an Israeli pharmacy, in the Hadassah Magazine (a Jewish Women’s Organization). I called, sent in the prescription, and just received the prescription: total cost including shipping was……..
$53.15.
