Ruin Your Health With the Obama Stimulus Plan: Betsy McCaughey

Commentary by Betsy McCaughey

Feb. 9 (Bloomberg)

Republican Senators are questioning whether President Barack Obama’s stimulus bill contains the right mix of tax breaks and cash infusions to jump-start the economy.

Tragically, no one from either party is objecting to the health provisions slipped in without discussion. These provisions reflect the handiwork of Tom Daschle, until recently the nominee to head the Health and Human Services Department.

Senators should read these provisions and vote against them because they are dangerous to your health. (Page numbers refer to H.R. 1 EH, pdf version).

The bill’s health rules will affect “every individual in the United States” (445, 454, 479). Your medical treatments will be tracked electronically by a federal system. Having electronic medical records at your fingertips, easily transferred to a hospital, is beneficial. It will help avoid duplicate tests and errors.

But the bill goes further. One new bureaucracy, the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, will monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective. The goal is to reduce costs and “guide” your doctor’s decisions (442, 446). These provisions in the stimulus bill are virtually identical to what Daschle prescribed in his 2008 book, “Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis.” According to Daschle, doctors have to give up autonomy and “learn to operate less like solo practitioners.”

Keeping doctors informed of the newest medical findings is important, but enforcing uniformity goes too far.

“Ancient” Syriac bible found in Cyprus

NICOSIA – Authorities in northern Cyprus believe they have found
an ancient version of the Bible written in Syriac, a dialect of
the native language of Jesus.

[More..]

The Unsung Goddess of FUNK

This morning, I rediscovered the ultra-fine music of Betty Davis; it had been a few years since I last listened to that tape I had copied from my ex-gf (a domina / stripper / musician).

Anyway, if you’ve never heard Betty Davis, go LISTEN NOW or be officially de-funked!!!

From CD Universe: “Despite an abundance of talent, a crack back-up band (which included most of Graham Central Station), and some of the most stinging funk tracks of the era, it’s really not all that surprising that Betty Davis never became a star: the girl was a stone-cold freak, and her self-titled 1973 debut more than illustrates that fact. Second wife to Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix’s former girlfriend, Davis is often credited (by Miles himself in fact) with steering Miles toward the sounds that would give rise to his fusion period, and one listen to the acid-tinged wah-drenched guitars on the album’s opening track, “If I’m in Luck I Might Get Picked Up,” makes it clear that Betty was on a decidedly different trip than almost all of her contemporaries. The album can be quite odd, yet Davis is so unhinged and brimming with such confidence (particularly on the cult fave “Walkin’ up the Road”) it’s impossible not to be amazed. Frustratingly, Davis remains in relative obscurity to this day despite providing the template for the sexually confident female performer that has been used by Lil’Kim, Foxy Brown, and Kelis, among others.

2007 digitally remastered reissue of the 1973 debut album from Funk diva Betty Davis (not to be confused with the actress Bette ‘Mommie Dearest’ Davis). In recent years, rappers from Ice Cube to Talib Kweli to Ludacris have rhymed over the intensely strong but sensual funk of Betty Davis. One can hardly imagine the genre-busting, culture-crossing musical magic of Outkast, Prince, Erykah Badu, Rick James, The Roots, or even the early Red Hot Chili Peppers without the influence of this R&B pioneer. In addition to the restoration of the incredible original cover art, the albums feature compelling and heartbreaking liner notes written by author and respected soul music scholar Oliver Wang (O-Dub/Soul Sides) and include her second interview in decades, making these essential reissues for any soul or funk-rock collection. In 1973, Davis would finally kick off her cosmic career with an amazingly progressive hard Funk and sweet Soul self-titled debut. The album was recorded with Sly & The Family Stone’s rhythm section, sharply produced by Sly Stone drummer Greg Errico, and featured backing vocals from Sylvester and the Pointer Sisters.

Personnel: Patryce Banks, Pointer Sisters, Kathi McDonald, Anita Pointer, Annie Sampson, Sylvester (vocals); Doug Rodrigues, Neal Schon (guitar); Skip Mesquit (saxophone); Jules Broussard (baritone saxophone); Greg Adams (trumpet); Michelle Gillette (trombone); Hershall Kennedy, Merl Saunders, Richard Kermode (Clavinet); Doug Rauch, Larry Graham (bass guitar); Greg Errico (drums); Victor Pantoja (congas); Pete Sears (unknown instrument). Audio Remasterer: Dave Cooley.

The Wire (p.43) – “Davis gets over on pure attitude alone. The obvious comparisons are to Madonna, Lil’ Kim and Kelis….The music on BETTY DAVIS is as loud and nasty as she is…”
CMJ (p.46) – “Every word hisses and slithers out of Betty’s chompers like a cobra leering and ready to strike…”
Down Beat (p.62) – “The grooves of her music still have power after 30-plus years….This stuff is upside-down funky, and tilts toward the raw side…”
No Depression (p.86) – “She doesn’t sing her originals so much as attack them, sometimes like a 300-pound bouncer, other with ninja-like stealth, and always with powerful impact.”

More: http://www.lightintheattic.net/releases/bettydavis

Blueberries

Research is showing that blueberries contain a number of compounds that have medicinally beneficial properties. The earliest recorded use of blueberry for medicinal purposes dates from the Middle Ages, and it has been used in European folk medicine since the 16th century. Some of its reported medicinal benefits include preventing urinary tract infections, antioxidant (anti-cancer) activity, reducing heart disease risk, strengthening collagen, regulating blood sugar, improving night vision, reducing replication of the HIV virus, and treating diarrhea.

Research has been done by Rutgers Lab in New Jersey, and by scientists in Israel on the ability of blueberries to prevent urinary tract infections. The compounds inhibit the binding E. coli bacteria to the urinary tract wall, thus preventing the bacteria from invading the tissues and causing an infection. Treatment with blueberry compounds offers an alternative to the use of antibiotics.

Recent work indicates that blueberries contain compounds having anti-cancer properties. They act to induce enzymes that protect against cancer and reduce rapid tumor growth. A survey of the antioxidant capacity of a number of fruits and vegetables conducted by Dr. Ron Pryor of the USDA placed blueberry at the top of the list.

Reality Sandwich

Great site, check it out!
http://www.realitysandwich.com/

“Reality Sandwich is a web magazine for this time of intense transformation. Our subjects run the gamut from sustainability to shamanism, alternate realities to alternative energy, remixing media to re-imagining community, holistic healing techniques to the promise and perils of new technologies. We hope to spark debate and engagement by offering a forum for voices ranging from the ecologically pragmatic to the wildly visionary (which, to our delight, sometimes turn out to be the one and the same). Counteracting the doom-and-gloom of the daily news, Reality Sandwich is a platform for voices conveying a different vision of the transformations we face. Our goal is to inspire psychic evolution and a kind of earth alchemy.

For the launch of the site, we’ve assembled dozens of regular contributors who will post a variety of content, including thought pieces and essays, short news stories, video clips, and audio podcasts.

As Reality Sandwich develops, we will become much more than a traditional online magazine. Reality Sandwich will merge media with a social network that facilitates connections between the members of our international community. As our features present visionary ideas and new tools for sustainable living, the social network will support our members in using these new concepts and techniques in their own lives, as well as facilitating discussions about their own journeys of discovery. “