Nov 21, 2009 -
BAGHDAD — In its largest reconstruction effort since the Marshall Plan, the United States government has spent $53 billion for relief and reconstruction in Iraq since the 2003 invasion, building tens of thousands of hospitals, water treatment plants, electricity substations, schools and bridges.
But there are growing concerns among American officials that Iraq will not be able to adequately maintain the facilities once the Americans have left, potentially wasting hundreds of millions of dollars and jeopardizing Iraq’s ability to provide basic services to its people.
The projects run the gamut — from a cutting-edge, $270 million water treatment plant in Nasiriya that works at a fraction of its intended capacity because it is too sophisticated for Iraqi workers to operate, to a farmers’ market that farmers cannot decide how to share, to a large American hospital closed immediately after it was handed over to Iraq because the government was unable to supply it with equipment, a medical staff or electricity.
- 11 Comments
Nov 19, 2009 -
Reid's fuzzy math
Comments: 2
'Reform' bill's true cost is twice advertised price
By JEFFREY H. ANDERSO
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is touting the Senate’s newest health-care bill as costing $849 billion over 10 years. But this uses the same accounting trick as past versions: 99 percent of the costs don’t kick in until the fifth year of that “10 year” period.
- 0 Comments
Nov 18, 2009 -
by Newt Gingrich
Posted 11/18/2009
As the Senate prepares to take up health reform, senators should take note of the tremendous shift underway in the thinking of the American people.Historians may record that the Obama Administration and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were the wake-up call which led Americans to recommit themselves to the core values of American civilization.
The net result of the Obama presidential campaign and a ten month campaign for government control of health care has been a decisive shift away from reliance on government and toward personal responsibility.
A Stunning 22-Point Shift Away From Government Responsibilty for Health Care
Polling data released last week by Gallup show a startling shift in public opinion: President Obama and Speaker Pelosi are actually convincing the country to rethink their attitudes and move toward the right and away from government solutions in health care (the same seems to be happening on spending, taxes, and how to create jobs, but that will be a future newsletter).
- 3 Comments
Nov 17, 2009 -
Benjamin French was born with his right arm missing below the elbow. In his 12 years, he has been fitted with seven prostheses. His most recent replacement will cost nearly $30,000 and his doctor says he will soon grow out of it.
- 224 Comments
Nov 18, 2009 -
by Ann Coulter
11/11/09
The massacre at Fort Hood last week is the perfect apotheosis of the liberal victimology described in my book "Guilty: Liberal 'Victims' and Their Assault on America." According to witnesses, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan entered a medical facility at Fort Hood, prayed briefly, then shouted "Allahu akbar" before he began gunning down American troops. Now I don't know which to be more afraid of: Muslims or government-run health care systems.
- 13 Comments
Nov 16, 2009 -
Many of the benefits of pets — companionship, affection and so on — have been well known for centuries — even numerous ancient Egyptians cherished their companion animals. However, data gathered during only the last few years have shown just how significantly our health is improved if we share our lives with animals.
A study undertaken in 2002 by the Waltham Center for Pet Nutrition and United States Food and Drug Administration revealed that the heart rates and blood pressures of pet owners increased less when the individuals were presented with math problems to solve if their companion animals were present.
- 18 Comments
Nov 17, 2009 -
New mammogram guidelines raise questions
Benefits of screening before age 50 don't outweigh risks, task force says
updated 7:39 a.m. CT, Tues., Nov . 17, 2009
NEW YORK - For many women, getting a mammogram is already one of life's more stressful experiences.
- 7 Comments
Nov 11, 2009 -
The Absolutely Worst Bill Ever
By Peter Ferrara on 11.11.09 @ 6:08AM
"The Worst Bill Ever." That is the title the always calm and rational Wall Street Journal put on its editorial on November 1 about the government health care takeover bill that passed the House last week on virtually a party line vote, 220-215. But even this label doesn't fully communicate the outright assault on the American people involved in this legislation.
- 1 Comment
Nov 10, 2009 -
The Breasts
Inside a woman's breast are 15 to 20 sections called lobes. Each lobe is made of many smaller sections called lobules. Lobules have groups of tiny glands that can make milk.
- 0 Comments
Nov 13, 2009 -
So Now Khalid Sheikh Mohammad Is A 9/11 "Suspect"
The NY Times has joined the dance being performed by Team Obama, which has decided to try 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in a Manhattan Federal Court - the accused is now a "suspect":
Key 9/11 Suspect to Be Tried in New York
By CHARLIE SAVAGE
WASHINGTON — Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the self-described mastermind of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and four other men accused in the plot will be prosecuted in federal court in New York City, a federal law enforcement official said early Friday.
By way of contrast, the WaPo is going with "Accused 9/11 mastermind".
- 0 Comments