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Health Nominee Sebelius Has Bipartisan Pros and Cons

LibertySugar — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:30:31 -0800

When it comes to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius's ability to be bipartisan, the diagnosis is mixed. As a Democratic governor of red-state Kansas, President Obama's pick for health and human services secretary has worked with a Republican-led legislature. But when it comes to policy, many conservatives will fight her stances like a deadly virus.

National pro-life groups have already expressed opposition of Sebelius, a choice some say is worse than your run-of-the-mill pro-choice nominee. In April 2007, she held an event with a reported late-term abortion provider and his clinic's staff at the governor's residence. Thus, pro-life advocates view Sebelius as an abortion-rights radical.

Besides abortion, Republicans, at least in Kansas, don't seem to agree with her healthcare plans either. She has failed to convince lawmakers to raise taxes on tobacco for increased coverage. During her two terms as governor, the rate of uninsured Kansans have grown seven times as fast in the sate compared to the national average. Still, Sebelius's healthcare expertise is considered one of her greatest assets.

Do you think Kathleen will have a better time getting bipartisan support for reform than the candidate Obama passed over - Howard Dean?

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Bush Says No Funding For Hospitals Who Deny Pro-life Staff

LibertySugar — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:30:00 -0700

The Bush Administration wants any recipient of federal money given through the Department of Health and Human Services to sign a certification that they will not refuse to hire nurses or other healthcare providers who morally object to abortion or even certain forms of birth control, perhaps including the pill and emergency contraception like Plan B.

The plan would cover hospitals, clinics, researchers, medical schools, and state and local governments. The department's proposal said federal money must not "support morally coercive or discriminatory practices or policies in violation of federal law," which it says ensures that doctors, hospitals, and health plans cannot be forced to preform abortions. For more, including how it could impact rape victims, read more.

Some worry that the proposal defines abortion to include other forms of birth control. And the proposal does express concern over state laws that require hospitals to provide emergency contraception to rape victims.

Is refusing to hire healthcare professionals who won't perform legal procedures based on moral or religious grounds for discrimination or effective management? Either way perhaps the Bush Administration should narrow the objections permitted, so disadvantaged woman who rely on government health services have wide access to contraception.

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Should Shrek be Dropped as Anti-Obesity Spokesperson?

FitSugar — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 07:30:00 -0700

It is being reported that a children’s advocacy group wants the Department of Health and Human Services to oust Shrek, everyone's favorite ogre, from his role as ~~spokesman~~ spokesogre for an anti-obesity drive.

In the ad campaign, Shrek and his fellow characters urge children to exercise at least an hour a day. The spokesperson says Shrek is perfect for the role as he shows that you don't have to be perfectly fit to be healthy and active. The problem lies in that Shrek the Third, which opens May 18 (yipee!), has promotional deals with dozens of food products, including Mars Inc.’s Snickers and M&M’s candy; PepsiCo Inc.’s Sierra Mist drink; and Kellogg Co.’s Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes, Pop-Tarts, Cheez-Its and Keebler cookies. All these unhealthy choices kind of go against the idea of being healthy, right? To see a commercial, go here.

What do you guys think?

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Substance Abuse State by State

FitSugar — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 08:45:00 -0800

I am always fascinated by the national surveys that rank cities and states, like the recent rankings of healthy and unhealthy cities for women done recently by Self Magazine and the safest place to raise a child by Safe Kids USA. Well, now it looks like Uncle Sam has released the new report ranking states by the sordid issue of drug use, and its occasional counterpart mental health. The Department of Health and Human Services issued a report of substance abuse and mental health based on a survey of 136,110 people completed in 2005 and 2006. North Dakota was the cleanest state in a couple of instances, but depression and drug use superlatives can be found all across the map of these United States.

Want to see if your state ranks the highest in marijuana abuse or lowest in depression rates? Then read more.

When asked if they had used illicit drugs during the previous month, the highest number of positive responses came from Rhode Island, with 11.2% of respondents answering yes. North Dakota had the lowest percentage of people reporting use of the illicit drug.

The citizens of Vermont reported the highest percentage of marijuana use and Utah reported the lowest, in the month prior to answering the survey. Seems like Vermont* might be earning its nickname of the Green Mountain State for more than one reason since 9.7 percent of its citizen participating in the survey reported smoking the green bud compared with Utah's citizenry with only 4.3 percent answering positive to the question of using marijuana.

Cocaine use was reported by 2.4 percent of all participants with rates being highest in Washington, D.C. with 4.9 percent and lowest in North Dakota with only 1.6 percent.

On the mental health front, Nevada had the highest rate of reported depression with 9.4 percent and Hawaii had the lowest adult depression rate of 5 percent.

If you are interested in further reading, the full report is available on the Health and Human Services website.

*Vermont was also ranked number one in the Summer Safety Report. Go figure!

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70,000 Women a Year Die From Unsafe Abortions

TresSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:00:00 -0700

After three years of research, the New York-based Guttmacher Institute has concluded that although contraceptive use has lowered the number of abortions worldwide, unsafe abortions still account for a staggering 70,000 deaths a year, particularly in the developing world. More than half the deaths are in sub-Saharan Africa, a region with the lowest rates of contraceptive use and the highest rates of unintended pregnancies.

"In much of the developing world," said the Institute's president Sharon Camp, "abortion remains highly restricted, and unsafe abortion is common and continues to damage women's health and threaten their survival."

The report calls for easing developing nations' abortion laws, citing that laws banning or restricting abortion don't keep it from happening, they just make abortion unsafe and either self-induced or performed by unskilled people in any unhygienic conditions.

The Guttmacher Institute's recommendations: expand access to family planning and modern contraceptives and to legal and safe abortion, and improve the coverage and quality of post-abortion care.

Their recommendations have been criticized by Deirdre McQuade, a policy director for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat for Pro-life Activities who also castigates priests or nuns who make referrals to family planning services, which she says veers from church policy. "We need to be much more creative in assisting women with supportive services," she said, "so they don't need to resort to the unnatural act of abortion."

Cold Water Works Just as Well

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:47:13 -0700

Germs are everywhere. Swine flu, regular flu, our homes, the gym - there's no escaping the little buggers. One of the best ways to protect yourself is still the easiest: wash those hands! If you're like me, you probably believe that the hotter the water, the better. Not so, says a recent study.

Conducted by scientists with the Joint Bank Group/Fund Health Services Department, the study looked at the bacteria levels of participants after they washed their hands in different water temperatures. The results showed no difference in levels between participants who washed their hands in hot water versus those who washed in cold. The scientists went on to say that tepid water is a better choice for hand washing because it's gentler on the skin and it's better for the environment.

I think it'll take me a little while to adjust to this change - something about washing my hands in hot water just feels safer. When you do wash up, though, make sure you always use soap and lather up for at least 30 seconds.

South Africa Weighs Legalizing Prostitution For World Cup

TresSugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:00:00 -0700

Fans heading to South Africa for the World Cup 2010 are interested in more than soccer. Anticipating that sport tourists will frequent prostitutes while they're in town, health experts are calling on the South African government to legalize prostitution for the tournament. The hope is that testing and registering legal sex workers will reduce HIV infections among visiting fans and South Africans alike.

In South Africa, approximately 50 percent of sex workers are HIV-positive. While this figure might be enough to dissuade cautious would-be customers, experts figure that the party atmosphere, fueled by alcohol, will lead to much promiscuity. In fact, South Africa has been anticipating a surge in prostitution demand for some time now. More than a year ago, police unveiled plans to legalize sex services for the 2010 games, arguing that Germany opened safe and easy "adult entertainment centers" during the 2006 World Cup. These plans have been rejected so far, for reasons including concerns about greater transmission of HIV, but if legalization means screening sex workers for HIV, it could make things safer.

No matter what happens, let's hope South Africa can use the World Cup to raise awareness about HIV testing. If that happens, everybody will walk away from the tournament a winner.

10 Areas of Government With the Greatest Job Growth

SavvySugar — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 04:30:07 -0700

Working for the government used to elicit groans of expectant dullness, but times have changed. Instead of criticizing working for the ultimate Man, Uncle Sam, more people are drawn to the secure nature of working for the federal government. According to a new report from the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, the federal government will have hired 273,000 new workers by Fall of 2012 for jobs the group calls "mission critical" - that's a 41 percent hiring increase over the three previous fiscal years.

Partnership gathered hiring projections from 35 of the largest federal agencies and used the information to determine the 10 categories that will have the highest job growth. You can search job listings on the government's official job website, and see the 10 areas expected to undergo the most growth in the next three years when you read more.

Medical and public health: 54,000 new jobs by 2012.
Security and protection: 52,000 jobs
Compliance and enforcement: 31,280 jobs
Legal: 23,600 jobs
Administration and program management: 17,300 jobs
Accounting and budget: 16,640 jobs
Information technology: 11,500 jobs
Business and Industry: 10,770 jobs
Engineering: 10,640 jobs
Transportation: 10,560 jobs

Lil Links: See Your Name in Lights . . . Literally

babysugar — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:30:42 -0700

Chalkboard pendant lamp - Inhabitots
Pete Wentz flying solo with Bronx - Celebrity Baby Blog
Health reform easily explained - Cookie
What celebrity would you trade places with? - CafeMom
All marketing all the time to tots - ParentDish
Adam Sandler has a Sunny day at the beach - Celebrity Baby Scoop
Swine flu drug IV could save lives - Health
Best cities to have babies - Fit Pregnancy
Participate in a day of service on 9/11 - Alpha Mom

Meet Matchmaker Amy Andersen, Part I

TresSugar — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:00:00 -0700

I'll admit it: one of my guilty TV pleasures is The Millionaire Matchmaker. I find the orchestrated pairings entertaining and stomach-churning at the same time. Of course, there are other matchmakers hard at work without reality TV contracts.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, Amy Andersen works with 800 singles, half of whom are women. Amy's company, Linx Dating, doesn't call itself a "millionaires" club; instead it fashions itself as a service for both "successful" men and women. Of course, you have to pay to play. Amy's fee starts at $6,000 for eight hand-picked matches. $30,000 gets you 15 introductions, a nationwide search, and a cocktail party. Amy also offers date coaching, image makeovers, wardrobe overhauls, fitness training, and networking cocktail parties.

This sort of "high-end" matchmaking can be controversial, so I thought it would be enlightening to ask Amy to share her take on matchmaking and modern love.

Why do people come to you for your services?

Amy Andersen: People come to me because they are educated and hardworking, (typically) young professionals who are interested in finding a like-minded, quality match. Often our clients have dabbled in online dating (to mixed results), most have attempted the bar scene to unpleasant outcomes, and due to their success and taking their professional careers seriously, they refuse to date their colleagues. Thus, the resources shrink, and choices become limited and sparse.

To find out what qualities Amy's clients look for in a date, and to see how she would answer critics, read more.

What are the top qualities a man looks for in a woman?

AA: I would say being physically fit is way up there -and keep in mind, fitness can be wide ranging; she doesn't have to be an Ironman triathlete, just someone who cares about her health and enjoys fitness - along with being confident and happy with who she is. It's also important she has a life outside the relationship - in other words, not clingy. Being warm and nurturing is also way up there!

What are the top qualities a woman looks for in a man?

AA: A woman looks for good DNA! She wants a man who is going to be a good provider - so she looks for financial stability. Our clients are not looking for a guy jockeying between jobs and floating around trying to figure out what to do with his life. She also looks for physical appearance, often wanting him to be fit or tall. And finally someone who is a good communicator, not a game player.

What would you say to critics who think you're setting up gold-diggers with men who want trophy wives?

AA: We couldn't be more opposite of matchmakers who only represent men and simply have women in their databases. Unlike The Millionaire Matchmaker or other firms, we represent both men and women, and not just average but exceptional professionals. So many of our female clients are just as, if not more, successful than their male counterparts. A critic could speculate that men gravitate toward the network to meet a highly affluent woman! It really could not be further from the truth that we work with gold diggers. Everyone in Linx is an equal, and each client pays for the service. Thus there are not unusual expectations, or women desiring rich men, or men desiring a casual hookup.

Can money buy you love?

AA: Money can buy you the option to meet someone great, but it can’t buy you chemistry which leads to love. That is left up to two people and fate.

Come back tomorrow to find out what Amy thinks about "hooking up" and traditional gender roles.