MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'farm'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:56:56 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139698&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fe2yDOuRLLa8%2F By Tad DeHavenTwo polls of likely voters released by Rasmussen Reports today indicate that the federal government’s corporate welfare programs should be prime targets for spending cuts. The first poll found little support for the Small Business Administration’s lending programs: A majority (58 percent) of likely voters said that the federal government shouldn’t guarantee loans issued by private lenders to small businesses. 23 percent said the government should back small business loans and 19 percent were unsure. A majority (59 percent) of likely voters said that reducing government regulations and taxes would be more helpful to small businesses than the government providing loans to small businesses that can’t obtain financing on their own. 22 percent said the government lo... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139698 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 18:47:19 +0100 5139698 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050535&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F0FczLaTHxGI%2F At the Encyclopedia Britannica blog, I take on the argument made, for instance, by President Obama in his Friday news conference: We should not be asking sacrifices from middle-class folks who are working hard every day, from the most vulnerable in our society — we should not be asking them to make sacrifices if we’re not asking the most fortunate in our society to make some sacrifices as well. I call that a fundamentally flawed argument: The main thing our government does these days, despite the lack of any constitutional authority for it, is tax some people and transfer money to other people. …But there is no moral equivalence in the two sides of the transfer system. On the one hand, the government takes money by force from people who have earned it. On the other hand, it g... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050535 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 19:59:23 +0100 5050535 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975846&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FI7c-rTbplTw%2F By Chris EdwardsIn the Washington Post Friday, Ezra Klein partly confirmed what I fear the Republican strategy is for the debt-limit bill—get to the $2 trillion in cuts promised through accounting gimmicks. As I have also noted, Klein says that there is about $1 trillion in budget “savings” ($1.4 trillion with interest) to be found simply in the inflated Congressional Budget Office baseline for Iraq and Afghanistan. Klein says, “I’m told that a big chunk of these savings were included in the debt-ceiling deal” that Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Sen. Jon Kyl (D-AZ) are negotiating with the Democrats. Republican leaders have promised that spending cuts in the debt-limit deal must be at least as large as the debt-limit increase, which means $2 trillion if the debt-limit is extended ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975846 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:52:43 +0100 4975846 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968496&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=39261&url=http%3A%2F%2Fvactruth.com%2F2011%2F06%2F24%2Fantibiotics-in-vaccines%2F Antibiotics are in your vaccines. On June 2, 2011, The New York Times posted an online editorial that caught my eye, “The High Cost of Cheap Meat,” in which small doses of antibiotics in animal feed were discussed as the probable cause of the growing concern over an ineffectiveness in eliminating bacterial ‘super bugs’ that are overwhelming our immune systems and the practice of medicine. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/03/opinion/03fri3.html However, this ‘gem’ really sums up the issue: Last week, the Natural Resources Defense Council, joined by other advocacy groups, sued the Food and Drug Administration to compel it to end the nontherapeutic use of penicillin and tetracycline in farm animals. I must admit that was music to my ears. I’ve been promoting that ever since I lear... vactruth.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968496 Fri, 24 Jun 2011 10:41:33 +0100 4968496 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934121&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fpw9c0aAgXos%2F By Daniel GriswoldWith trillion dollar deficits and mounting federal debt, will Congress finally get serious about cutting farm subsidies? We’ve been disappointed before, but there are a few hopeful signs—like the front-page story in this morning’s Washington Post—that this Congress may be serious about cutting billions in payments to farmers. As the Post reports: In their recent budget proposals, House Republicans and House Democrats targeted farm subsidies, a program long protected by members of both parties. The GOP plan includes a $30 billion cut to direct payments over 10 years, which would slash them by more than half. Those terms are being considered in the debt-reduction talks led by Vice President Biden, according to people familiar with the discussions. The Post story pro... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934121 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 18:20:42 +0100 4934121 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893417&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FD9pbEbw8h1s%2F By Sallie JamesHeartening news from the Appropriations Committee yesterday: they voted to cut aid to farmers generally, and to make significant changes to an egregious cotton program. But first, some background.  You’ll recall the embarrassing deal made by the Obama administration last year to head off Brazil’s right to impede American exports in retaliation for WTO-illegal cotton support. The United States is, in other words, now sending almost $150m worth of “technical assistance” and “capacity building” funds to Brazil, just so we can continue to subsidize American cotton growers without penalty (so much for U.S. promotion of the rule of law in international commercial relations). Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) tried to end that deal earlier this year, but... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893417 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:46:05 +0100 4893417 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4794843&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FnRTNw4lF5DA%2F By Chris EdwardsThe British royal wedding was splendid, and the bride and groom were a great match. As a fiscal wonk, my idea of a royal match-up would be marrying corporate tax cuts and business subsidy cuts. The Obama administration is talking about corporate tax cuts and Republicans are talking about cuts to farm subsidies. Might they get together over a cup of tea and work out nuptials? The global average corporate tax rate has fallen over the last decade from 32 to 25 percent (KPMG, page 79). We have been stuck with a highly damaging 40% federal-state rate. Canada is chopping its combined federal-provincial rate to 25 percent. The Conservative government just won a parliamentary majority, which promises even more pro-investment changes for our largest trading partner. Consider a Japa... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4794843 Fri, 06 May 2011 17:51:52 +0100 4794843 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684272&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FftAI2DQb20E%2F By Sallie JamesI thought I would add some detail to the posts my colleagues have already written on Congressman Paul Ryan's (R-Wisc.) 2012 budget resolution. Interestingly -- and, I would argue, appropriately -- the agriculture stuff appears in the "Ending Corporate Welfare" section of the plan, most of  it on page 36. After outlining the ways that farming America is doing well, Ryan's plan would cut almost $30 billion (or 20 percent of projected outlays) over the next 10 years from farm subsidies (direct payments, currently costing about $5 billion per year) and crop insurance subsidies. Cuts will also reportedly fall on nutrition and conservation programs, but I will let my colleagues weigh in on those. The focus on crop insurance is encouraging, because crop insurance is an increasin... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684272 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:59:47 +0100 4684272 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684277&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fjerptwu4EFo%2F By Chris EdwardsHouse Budget Committee Chairman, Paul Ryan, introduced his budget resolution for fiscal 2012 and beyond today entitled “The Path to Prosperity.” The plan would cut some spending programs, reduce top income tax rates, and reform Medicare and Medicaid. The following two charts compare spending levels under Chairman Ryan’s plan and President Obama’s recent budget (as scored by the Congressional Budget Office). Figure 1 shows that spending rises more slowly over the next decade under Ryan’s plan than Obama’s plan. But spending rises substantially under both plans—between 2012 and 2021, spending rises 34 percent under Ryan and 55 percent under Obama. Figure 2 compares Ryan’s and Obama’s proposed spending levels at the end of the 10-year budget window in 2021. ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684277 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:54:21 +0100 4684277 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4549733&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FWMZJ_vxdA08%2F By Tad DeHavenOver at Downsizing the Federal Government, we focused on the following issues this week: Block-granting Medicaid would be a good short-term reform to get the program’s ballooning spending under control. Policymakers who are concerned with bureaucratic duplication and waste should focus their efforts on limiting the government’s capacity to spend. Federal spending would still increase in fiscal 2011 if Republicans get the $61 billion in funding cuts they're seeking. The solution to a lot of the problems caused by farm subsidies lies not in changing the direction of the programs, but in abolishing them. "Other mandatory" programs are often forgotten in the debate over how to rein in our extraordinary deficits and mounting debt. That needs to change. Follow Downsizing the ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4549733 Fri, 04 Mar 2011 21:42:32 +0100 4549733 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4540549&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FE6xlKgJDyac%2F By Sallie JamesMark Bittman had a column on the NYTimes online "Opinionator" blog yesterday on farm subsidies. He included a fairly (but not completely) thorough list of what is wrong with farm subsidies in America, but he ultimately comes down on the side of "fixing" farm subsidies rather than ending them altogether. Bittman acknowledges that the "temporary" programs intended to offset the worst effects of the Great Depression have morphed into the bloated, corrupt, regressive and damaging programs we see today, and yet he still has enough faith in government to advocate new programs. He would like to see farm subsidies reformed to (a) encourage farmers to grow foods that Bittman determines we need more of;  (b) re-size American farms to what he thinks are the appropriate size; (c) ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4540549 Wed, 02 Mar 2011 20:51:18 +0100 4540549 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489652&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FCUijtZ1nf7g%2F By Sallie JamesWhile I fully agree with my colleagues that President Obama "chickened out" in general in his FY2012 budget proposal, in one area he had the courage to propose some cuts that have proven controversial for ages: farm subsidies.  His plan would lower the income eligibility limits for subsidies (from $500,000 to $250,000 for off-farm AGI per farmer, and an on-farm AGI limit of $500,000, down from $750,000.) It would also lower the cap on annual direct payments that individuals can receive -- from a maximum of $40,000 to $30,000. The administration's proposal would affect only about 2 percent of the total recipients of direct payments -- subsidies that flow every year regardless of prices or farm output to owners of land that may or may not still be used for farming -- and... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489652 Wed, 16 Feb 2011 17:21:36 +0100 4489652 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4445786&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FSQe9ZSH2R2w%2F By Michael F. CannonFrom my latest Kaiser Health News op-ed: When 34 Senate Democrats joined all 47 Republicans last week to repeal ObamaCare's 1099 reporting requirement, their votes confirmed what their talking points still deny: ObamaCare will increase the deficit, no matter what the official cost projections say... This public-choice dynamic [of concentrated benefits and diffuse costs] is why the Congressional Budget Office, the chief Medicare actuary, and even the International Monetary Fund have discredited the idea that ObamaCare will reduce the deficit. It is one of the principal reasons why, as Thomas Jefferson wrote, "The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground." In other words, the game is rigged in favor of bigger government. It als... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4445786 Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:22:35 +0100 4445786 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4405757&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FvkLzvqa5a4c%2F By Sallie JamesWhen the Washington Post published a story in 2007 about how dead farmers had received farm subsidies to the tune of over $1bn, most people were horrified (even “farm subsidy moderate” Rand Paul thought they should go!). Although the article made clear that “most estates are allowed to collect farm payments for up to two years after an owner’s death,” and that the payments weren’t necessarily fraudulent, outrage ensued. But a follow-up investigation by the USDA has found that all but about $1 million of the payments were completely above board. From the Associated Press: A 2007 report that the federal government had paid $1.1 billion in subsidies to dead farmers sparked an outcry and has been frequently cited by critics who considered t... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4405757 Thu, 27 Jan 2011 16:50:04 +0100 4405757 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4399510&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FfYVSr1DPCnI%2F By Sallie JamesConfirming my ongoing skepticism about the committment of self-identified fiscal conservatives, especially when it comes to cuts to programs that benefit their constituencies, Politico last night posted an excellent story about the Republican Study Committee’s silence on farm subsidies: Net cash farm income for 2010 is projected to finish near $92.5 billion — a 41 percent increase even after subtracting payments from the government. Yet conservatives are almost tongue-tied, as seen last week with the Republican Study Committee’s proposal to eliminate relatively modest subsidies for an organic food growers program without mentioning the nearly $5 billion in much larger government direct payments to farm country — including to the home districts of many of the R... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4399510 Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:08:51 +0100 4399510 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4394422&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FJHtVMOW7kH0%2F By Tad DeHavenLast week the conservative House Republican Study Committee released its Spending Reduction Act of 2011, which would cut federal spending by $2.5 trillion over the next ten years. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) will introduce it in the Senate. The vast majority of the savings, $2.3 trillion, would come from freezing non-defense discretionary spending at fiscal 2006 levels over the next ten years. The rest would come from cutting the federal civilian workforce, privatizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, repealing the state Medicaid FMAP increase, repealing remaining stimulus funds, and immediately reducing non-security discretionary spending to fiscal 2008 levels. Of the $2.3 trillion over 10 years that would be saved by freezing nondefense discretionary spending at fiscal 2006 levels, o... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4394422 Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:45:54 +0100 4394422 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4372026&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fjgx0zOlu-9w%2F By Tad DeHavenAlmost half of America’s farmland is operated by someone other than the owner. Critics of farm subsidies often point to examples of famous wealthy landowners receiving handouts as a reason to end the federal government’s agriculture gravy train. Notable recipients have included Ted Turner, Larry Flynt, Charles Schwab, and numerous members of Congress. While policymakers justify their support for farm subsidies in the name of “protecting farmers,” a new academic study describes how landowners are often the real winners. Farm subsidies get “capitalized” into the price of farm land, pushing up land prices. As a result, those farmers who lease land from landowners at the inflated prices end up having a substantial share of their subsidy benefits effectively canceled o... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4372026 Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:08:36 +0100 4372026 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4360980&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ffarm-woo-and-our-food%2F2011.01.18 Google is an amazing thing — it occasionally tosses you a link that lands you in an alternate universe of folks you’d never encounter in real life. Like cattle ranchers. I’ve just spent the good part of an hour wandering their world — reading about their concerns (water, wolves, the economy), seeing how cattle breeding has changed (you pick a sire at Bullsemen.com, then do genomic profiling on your stock — did you know that cows bred for docility have more tender meat ?), and learning that ranchers are not immune to marketing from the world of scientific woo. Check this out — it’s called SOP Life Vibration or “Serio Bio-Hygienization.” They’re selling it to farmers and ranchers in Europe and the U.S. as the latest and greatest answer to bacterial growth... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4360980 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:00:17 +0100 4360980 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4337908&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FGE5MNSlFpJg%2F By Tad DeHavenThe Washington Times says that the upcoming farm bill re-write could “sow division in the GOP.” While House Republican leaders John Boehner, Eric Cantor, and Kevin McCarthy voted against the 2008 farm bill, the new chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), is a dedicated supporter of farm subsidies. The Times recalls Boehner’s comments on the 2008 farm bill: “The farm bill has often been abused by politicians as a slush fund for bizarre earmarks and wasteful spending projects, and the latest version … is no different,” Mr. Boehner, then the GOP minority leader, said at the time. It’s too bad then that the Boehner-friendly Republican Steering Committee, which decided the committee chairs, didn’t appear to blink at handing the agric... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4337908 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 18:39:56 +0100 4337908 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4337911&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fy0cuASswcr4%2F By Sallie JamesLast year I wrote about the intriguing proposal by the North Dakota Farm Bureau to do away with federal farm subsidies. I expressed at the time my doubt that the proposal would find much traction with the national American Farm Bureau Federation and, indeed, the group voted yesterday (at their annual conference in Atlanta) against the milder proposition to cut direct payments — the approximately $5.2 billion per year of your money that flows to farmers regardless of what, or even whether, they farm. Those payments are becoming increasingly politically contentious at a time of growing unease about record deficits, and some farm groups had said defending (let alone receiving) them was a threat to farmers’ broader interests. Well, despite some discord among t... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4337911 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:37:32 +0100 4337911 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4324875&cid=t_150385_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F08%2Fanother-hard-tumble-on-ice-and-still-i-enjoy-winter%2F Just twelve days after landing ass-down on my wallet in Perth, ice in Toronto claimed me on Friday – only I went down faster and even harder! I was at Riverdale Farm taking pictures of some of the birds and animals there and I went to check out how accessible one of the walkways down [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4324875 Sat, 08 Jan 2011 05:37:33 +0100 4324875 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4314004&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2F7-3-10-foods-to-avoid-in-2011%2F2011.01.05 A patient reading a copy of Prevention in the waiting room brought to my attention an interesting article entitled “7 Foods That Should Never Cross Your Plate.” I would have to agree that these seven commonly eaten foods should be avoided, so I’ll rehash them here, along with three more of my own choosing to flesh out a New Year’s 7 + 3 = Top 10 list. The lead into the article implores the reader to recognize that “clean eating means choosing fruits, vegetables, and meats that are raised, grown, and sold with minimal processing.” Michael Pollan, the regarded author of The Omnivores Dilemma and In Defense of Food, puts it even more simply: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” So here are the food items to avoid, in no particular order: 1) Canned Tomatoes – The resin t... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4314004 Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:00:10 +0100 4314004 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4245287&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FJC0c-yGFhaI%2F By Daniel GriswoldWhere will the new Tea-Party-backed members of Congress come down on trade issues, such as the newly revised trade agreement with South Korea or the next farm bill? Those elected to the House are the biggest question marks because very few of them have had to think much about trade, never mind actually cast a vote on it. In an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer this week, I try to discern what direction the new members will take the generally pro-trade Republican Party, and which direction they should take it in light of the movement’s free-market, limited-government principles. For my full take, see “Are Tea Partiers Anti-trade?” Are Tea Partiers Anti-trade? is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4245287 Thu, 09 Dec 2010 19:44:07 +0100 4245287 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4237869&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FxX0pzhYgrJs%2F By Tad DeHavenIn-coming House Speaker John Boehner’s endorsement of Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) for a seat on the chamber’s appropriations committee means that it’s probably a done deal. Flake is one of the few policymakers who actually lives up to the fiscal conservative label. Thus, Flake’s appointment to a committee that many members think only exists to increase spending on special interests would be welcome news. Boehner also endorsed a suggestion from Rep. Jeff Kingston (R-GA), who has mounted a dark-horse campaign to chair the appropriations committee, to create a subcommittee focused on investigating federal programs. Flake would chair this subcommittee, and according to a release on his website, he has already lined up worthy targets like Head Start and farm subsidies. How much... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4237869 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:47:18 +0100 4237869 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4183283&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FSeO43ByQJ2Q%2F By Sallie JamesI wrote last week about my concerns regarding the fiscal conservatism of tea party candidates when it comes to farm programs. Edward Lotterman, writing in the (Minnesota) Pioneer Press Online, asks the key question: If you campaign on a platform of lower taxes, smaller government, no budget deficits and ending government redistribution of income to small interest groups, how on Earth can you vote for continued spending on federal commodity programs? Read the whole thing here. Quick Link on the Tea Party and Ag Subsidies is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4183283 Fri, 19 Nov 2010 16:11:02 +0100 4183283 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4178930&cid=t_150385_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FVirologyBlog%2F%7E3%2FkfiLCB5KGGg%2F I’ve been hearing about the vertical farm concept from Dickson Despommier for years – as a faculty colleague of his here at Columbia University Medical Center, and more recently as co-host of TWiV and TWiP. I could not help but be enthusiastic as the idea grew from a seed, to seeing Dickson jetting around the globe trying to build the first prototype. Now that the eponymous book is out, does it stand up to the hype? The Vertical Farm begins with a brief history of agriculture: how humans learned how to grow their food, slowly developing the technology to eke more and more from the earth. We learn about how machinery, petroleum, and fertilizer have impacted farming. But more importantly, Dr. Despommier reveals how farming, while growing more efficient, has slowly destroyed earth... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4178930 Thu, 18 Nov 2010 18:44:07 +0100 4178930 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4159213&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUvMHYcXEwgQ%2F By Sallie JamesLast week I urged readers to be on the lookout for Republicans seeking to exclude farm subsidies from any cuts they plan to make to federal spending. And it seems the first example of “smaller government for thee, but not for me” has been provided by incoming congresswoman Vicki Hartzler, who campaigned on a Tea Party-ish platform and defeated long-time congressman Ike Skelton (in Missouri’s 4th congressional district). Ms. Hartzler calls Margaret Thatcher her role model because she “took principled stands.” (As, indeed, she often did.) Ms. Hartzler also says economic issues — cutting government spending, complete repeal of the health care bill — are her main concern. But read the fine-print in this article from the St. Louis Be... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4159213 Thu, 11 Nov 2010 20:23:04 +0100 4159213 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4133671&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FDeOi65dU6nM%2F By Sallie JamesMy colleagues have done a thorough job of analyzing the policy implications of Tuesday’s federal election outcome as it affects trade policy, health care, immigration, education, and the scope and size of government generally (more here on federal spending). Most of them are cautiously optimistic that a Republican-controlled House is good news for liberty-minded folk. Let’s hope so. Unfortunately, there are fewer obvious reasons for optimism that Tuesday’s result will mean big changes in agricultural policy, a depressingly bipartisan area of federal intervention. Even Rand Paul, the poster child for the Tea Party, expressed “moderate” views on farm subsidies during his campaign. On the positive side of the ledger, our friends at the Envir... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4133671 Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:19:46 +0100 4133671 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4074034&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FPhrwvl2iBC0%2F By Tad DeHavenThe Wall Street Journal reports that the agricultural sector is recovering nicely from the recent recession while the rest of the private sector continues to struggle. The counter-cyclical nature of some farm subsidy programs means that the taxpayer bill for the year could be cut in half to only about $12 billion. From the article: For many crops, prices are climbing even as big harvests pile up, a rare combination. Farmland values are up while those for some other kinds of real estate languish. Debt on the farm is manageable. Incomes are rising. And trade, of which many Americans are growing wary, is for agriculture a boon. Asia’s economic vigor and appetites make the farm sector’s reliance on exports—once thought a vulnerability in some quarters—a plus today... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4074034 Fri, 15 Oct 2010 12:16:59 +0100 4074034 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3858140&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FRPjhFfHrg6o%2F By David BoazI went back home to Kentucky to attend the Fancy Farm Picnic last Saturday. It may be the biggest political event in the state; it takes place every August, 10 miles from where I grew up, and somehow I’d never attended before. It was time. I got there just in time to hear Senate candidates Jack Conway and Rand Paul give their 7-minute speeches. (There are lots of speakers, and timekeepers are strict.) There were plenty of advocates for both candidates among the 2000 or so people watching. It’s an old Democratic area, but they’re conservative Democrats who now mostly vote Republican in federal races. It was well over 90 degrees and humid, so both candidates handed out fans: As I listened to the candidates, my main impression was this: Conway accused Rand Pau... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3858140 Wed, 11 Aug 2010 18:20:20 +0100 3858140 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3827055&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FIjWWuoMICgE%2F By Tad DeHavenAs the fall elections approach, two factions within the congressional GOP have emerged. The first faction, which generally controls the Republican leadership, is short-term oriented and just wants to return the GOP to power in Congress. Riding the wave of voter discontent over the government’s finances is a means to an end — the end being power. The second, and considerably smaller faction, is more ideas driven and views the upcoming election as an opportunity to push for substantive governmental reforms. Whereas the “power first faction” offers platitudes about smaller government, the “ideas first faction” isn’t afraid to offer relatively bold suggestions for confronting the federal government’s unsustainable spending. The ideas first faction is willing t... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3827055 Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:42:06 +0100 3827055 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3813204&cid=t_150385_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FP3cHqKbWaWQ%2F There was a 13 percent drop in the number of animals used for toxicology testing last year in the UK - to slightly more than 672,000 - although overall usage is up since the beginning of the decade, according to OutsourcingPharma. For instance, about 549,000 animals were used in experiments in 2000 and the number rose steadily to roughly 769,000 in 2008 before declining. Over the past 10 years, more than 3 million mice were chosen for testing safety, quality control, efficacy and ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination/excretion), making them far and away the most popular creatures, followed by rats at 1.83 million; 266,000-plus rabbits; 400,000 or so fish; 150,000 fowl; 97,000 beagles; 53,000 monkeys; roughly 27,000 pigs and about 22,000 cattle. Last year, however, the... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3813204 Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:51:31 +0100 3813204 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3762897&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fasses-wearing-sunglasses-photo-of-the-day%2F These kick-ass donkeys are part of a 30-piece photography collection called Pencil vs. Camera. They’re amazing. They’re funny. They’re provocative. (And did you know donkeys keep all the other farm animals calm?) Check out Ben Heine’s entire series here. Photo from Flickr user Ben Heine Post from: BlissTree Asses Wearing Sunglasses: Photo of the Day (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3762897 Sat, 17 Jul 2010 15:00:09 +0100 3762897 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3718381&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F0mRalV1SaZE%2F By Sallie JamesRand Paul, after setting the newswires alight with his controversial stance on the Civil Rights Act, is busy touting his “moderate” credentials. Moderate, in this case, being a euphemism for “laughably timid.” In a recent interview with a Kentucky radio station, Paul rejected the charge of his political opponent that he was opposed to farm subsidies. Not true, sayeth Paul. He is “much more moderate than that.” According to an article in yesterday’s  Lexington Herald-Leader, Paul’s less-than-radical view on farm subsidies is that, well, maybe dead people should not receive them: Let’s just agree that we will get rid of subsidies for dead farmers first,” he said. After that, Paul said, the government should restri... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3718381 Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:05:20 +0100 3718381 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3699474&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FL6N-Sz5CCVs%2F By Jason KuznickiCheck out this invitation from the United Farm Workers: There are two issues facing our nation—high unemployment and undocumented people in the workforce—that many Americans believe are related. Missing from the debate on both issues is an honest recognition that the food we all eat—at home, in restaurants and workplace cafeterias (including those in the Capitol)—comes to us from the labor of undocumented farm workers. Agriculture in the United States is dependent on an immigrant workforce. Three-quarters of all crop workers working in American agriculture were born outside the United States. According to government statistics, since the late 1990s, at least 50% of the crop workers have not been authorized to work legally in the United States. We ar... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3699474 Fri, 25 Jun 2010 19:00:39 +0100 3699474 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3695837&cid=t_150385_167_f&fid=38271&url=http%3A%2F%2Frebeccascritchfield.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F06%2F24%2Ffarmers-market-find-the-pea-tendril%2F One of my favorite things about the Farmers Market is that it shows me a world of new vegetables to experiment with! Case 1: The Pea Tendril. Pea tendrils (also know as pea shoots or greens) are the tender young leaves and delicate shoots of the pea plant, all of which are edible. They have a crisp texture and taste like a cross between peas and spinach. This is an exciting way to get your nutrient-rich greens in, and they are high in vitamin A and C, and folic acid. A veggie seasonal to the spring and early summer, you will probably only find them in your farmers market or a specialty grocer. Pick out fresh stems with a bright green color, and make sure they are not too dry or stiff. They can be served raw, tossed in a salad, or wilted, by lightly steaming or stir-frying them. This is my ... Balanced Health and Nutrition Rebecca Scritchfield's Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3695837 Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:55:06 +0100 3695837 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3687379&cid=t_150385_167_f&fid=38271&url=http%3A%2F%2Frebeccascritchfield.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F06%2F11%2Ffarmers-market-finds%2F One of my favorite parts of summer is shopping at the Farmers Market. Farmers Markets are a great place to find fresh, local and sustainable produce. Not only are you shopping in a very environmentally friendly manner, but this also a great chance to get to know the people that grow your food. And the taste of fresh fruit and vegetables in your meals can not be equaled by anything in the supermarket! Here are some tips to make the most out of your farmers market trip! Find a Market Close to You! Local Harvest will help you find farmers’ markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area, where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other things! Bring a Reusable Bag-So you can load up on veggies without wasting paper or plastic Chat it up! Get to... Balanced Health and Nutrition Rebecca Scritchfield's Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3687379 Fri, 11 Jun 2010 09:31:45 +0100 3687379 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3640985&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Frue-mcclanahans-charity-work-daily-do-gooder%2F We’re still mourning the loss of Rue McClanahan, but we’re also celebrating the former actress’s great work, both for her Golden Girl character, Blanche, and for her work with the Farm Sanctuary’s Legacy Society as their longtime spokesperson and advocate for animal rights. She hosted major events and galas, as well as helped pass legislation banning foie gras in California, promoting compassion for animals. via Look To The Stars Post from: BlissTree Rue McClanahan's Charity Work: Daily Do-Gooder (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3640985 Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:30:09 +0100 3640985 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3603591&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Forganic-food-is-it-better-for-you%2F2010.05.27 In 1952 Martin Gardner, who just passed away this week at the age of 95, wrote about organic farming in his book Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science. He characterized it as a food fad without scientific justification. Now, 58 years later, the science has not changed much at all. A recent review of the literature of the last 50 years shows that there is no evidence for health benefits from eating an organic diet. The only exception to this was evidence for a lower risk of eczema in children eating organic dairy products. But with so many potential correlations to look for, this can just be noise in the data. Another important conclusion of this systematic review is the paucity of good research into organic food –- they identified only 12 relevant trials. So while there is a lack of ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3603591 Thu, 27 May 2010 12:00:08 +0100 3603591 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515335&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUDM234-0uLQ%2F By Tad DeHavenThe president’s fiscal reform commission started off with some breathtaking chutzpah from Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND): Rising federal debt is like a tsunami that could swamp the country at any moment…Our economic strength and security is on the line. Now is the time to act. And we need everyone, Democrats and Republicans, working together on a solution. If now is the time to act, why did Sen. Conrad just pass a budget plan out of his committee that promises massive spending, deficits, and debt? From a transcript of Conrad’s opening remarks: I personally believe that saying, ‘everything is on the table’ is critical. I hope none of us will take things off the table prematurely, because I think it is clear it’s going to take dramatic changes o... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515335 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:46:54 +0100 3515335 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3487044&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F4VC4OgGr6Zk%2F By Sallie JamesI’ve written before about Rep. Collin Peterson’s (D, MN) disdain for the World Trade Organization, and its rulings against U.S. farm programs. However, in launching his 2012 Farm Bill listening tour, the Brownfield blog reports that he sees that perhaps some changes might be necessary after all. And, lo and behold, he cites the WTO rulings as the reason: One of the key issues [in the 2012 Farm Bill] will be what to do about the way that cotton farmers are subsidized. The committee’s chairman, Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., said today that the cotton program will have to be overhauled in the wake of Brazil’s successful challenge to the subsidies at the World Trade Organization. The Obama administration agreed to change the program in a deal to avert retalia... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3487044 Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:46:36 +0100 3487044 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3482688&cid=t_150385_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.virology.ws%2F0416-fib58.mp4 I joined Marc Pelletier on episode 58 of Futures in Biotech for a conversation with Dickson Despommier. We talked about some of Dickson’s passions – eukaryotic parasites and vertical farming. The idea for placing hydroponic farms in skyscrapers, about to be realized, was conceived by one of Professor Despommier’s classes at Columbia University. Video courtesy of Team ODTV Download video (179 MB .mp4) (Source: virology blog) virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3482688 Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:37:50 +0100 3482688 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3408432&cid=t_150385_109_f&fid=34730&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F03%2Fi-like-to-paint-flowers.html The title of this post comes from one of the questions in the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, which I had to take when I applied to medical school. And I do like flowers. One of the things I like about the place where I work now is the fact that it's filled with plants---I don't know enough about horticulture to say what they are---but I think they are mother-in-law's tongue, ferns, philodendrons and other bushy green things. In front of the hospital there's a bed of tiger lillies and I can't wait for them to start blooming now that it's Spring.Our hospital has a horticulture program. Patients who have worked their way up through the privilege level system and are safe enough to leave the ward are allowed to tend the many green plants lining the hallways and windows of the hos... Shrink Rap blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3408432 Fri, 26 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0100 3408432 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3403854&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2F3-cool-things-3%2F Three things we like, in no particular order, from Blisstree to you: Fat Toad Farm – Goats’ milk caramel sauce (cajeta) from a family-run dairy in Vermont. Skip dinner. Scarlett Johansson’s Mail – The seductive starlet sent a letter to Representative George Miller of California’s 7th District urging Congress to support the The Healthy School Meals Act of 2010. RedLaser – An iPhone app that lets you bargain hunt: Use it to scan the barcode of items in a store and find out how much they’re going for online. Post from: BlissTree 3 Cool Things (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3403854 Wed, 24 Mar 2010 20:50:17 +0100 3403854 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3378462&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQ2xIsk1ZHis%2F By Sallie JamesI suspect I may be falling into a publicity trap here, but nonetheless I am unable to resist blogging about an email I received this morning from the Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University.  The email contained this teaser: How does cheap food contribute to global hunger?  GDAE’s Timothy A. Wise, in this recent article in Resurgence magazine, explains the contradictory nature of food and agriculture under globalization. He refers to globalization as “the cheapening of everything” and concludes: “Some things just shouldn’t be cheapened. The market is very good at establishing the value of many things but it is not a good substitute for human values. Societies need to determine their own human values, not let the market do it for them. Th... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3378462 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:14:46 +0100 3378462 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3331275&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fu3lFBBg7i2M%2F By Chris Edwards1. Additional federal spending transfers resources from the more productive private sector to the less productive public sector of the economy. The bulk of federal spending goes toward subsidies and benefit payments, which generally do not enhance economic productivity. With lower productivity, average American incomes will fall. 2. As federal spending rises, it creates pressure to raise taxes now and in the future. Higher taxes reduce incentives for productive activities such as working, saving, investing, and starting businesses. Higher taxes also increase incentives to engage in unproductive activities such as tax avoidance. 3. Much federal spending is wasteful and many federal programs are mismanaged. Cost overruns, fraud and abuse, and other bureaucratic failures are e... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3331275 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:34:12 +0100 3331275 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3243774&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FFOHwFBdaL9s%2F By Tad DeHavenSenator Kent Conrad (D-ND) has a reputation for being a “deficit hawk.” But the bar is apparently so low in Washington that merely paying lip service to “fiscal responsibility” is enough to earn you the hawk title in the press. In reality, Conrad is a tax and spender as a story in today’s Wall Street Journal demonstrates. These examples illustrate Sen. Deficit Hawk’s commitment to deficit reduction and fiscal responsibility: “Like many in Congress, he is conflicted. He boasts a 23-year record of looking after North Dakota voters with ample farm subsidies, aid for drought-hit ranchers, defense spending and scores of pet projects. He has done little to help rein in Medicare and Social Security expenses—the U.S.’s biggest budget busters.” “He has bee... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3243774 Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:17:42 +0100 3243774 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3235821&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F3RcaiyzvnDs%2F By Sallie JamesThis priceless quote from Barack Obama comes from 2007 apparently, but is depressingly instructive: We need to stand up to the special interests, bring Republicans and Democrats together, and pass the farm bill immediately From Jacob Sullum at Reason, via Megan McArdle (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3235821 Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:38:27 +0100 3235821 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3216566&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FEmoAYlv-QkA%2F By Tad DeHavenIt’s become standard fare for senior government leaders to declare that any and all subsidies are good for economic growth. Two weeks ago it was the Economic Development Administration’s John Fernandez. This week it’s USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack in a speech to the U.S. Conference of Mayors. From GovExec.com: In his speech, Vilsack called the increase in supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits “an economic driver” that helps truckers, grocery stores and farmers. Those benefits, which used to be known as food stamps, have gotten the most funding of any USDA program. Vilsack also cited increased funding to bring high-speed Internet service to rural America; accelerated implementation of the energy title of the farm bill; and USDA investments in small,... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3216566 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:48:58 +0100 3216566 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3212316&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fqd8-53IOb_4%2F By Sallie JamesHouse Agriculture Committee Chairman Colin Peterson (D, Sugarbeet Farmers) announced yesterday [$] that he would begin hearings on the 2012 Farm Bill this spring. I’m still recovering from the traumatizing 2008 Farm Bill fight, so I heard this news with some trepidation. But wait! Put those red pens away, folks, because Chairman Peterson plans to keep on spending on agricultural programs. Heaven forbid that agriculture should take any of those “cuts” we’ve been hearing so much about : House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., said… he is determined to write a bipartisan bill that is within the funding baseline that exists in 2012. The funding baseline is the amount of money that the Congressional Budget Office determines wo... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3212316 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:56:12 +0100 3212316 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3178761&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FJfR3DUvorA8%2F By Tad DeHavenOver at Downsizing Government, we focused on the following issues this week: It’s time to end the federal government’s bias toward homeownership. Federal agriculture subsidies make it difficult to find Pepsi or Coke with real sugar in it. Government job creation efforts are a loser for taxpayers, employers, and employees. The Department of Health and Human Services is not up to the task of handling the additional responsibilities pending health care legislation would give it. The latest on cost overrun incompetence at the Department of Energy. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3178761 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:35:19 +0100 3178761 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3100778&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FtFatODyqKEo%2F By Chris EdwardsThe Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee is holding hearings today focused on Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Judd Gregg’s (R-NH) idea to set up a special Task Force to draft a deficit-reduction plan. The plan would get fast-tracked through Congress for a vote and “everything would be on the table.” For taxpayers, this idea creates the threat of large tax increases on top of all the other tax increases being discussed in Congress. While the senators supporting a Task Force express valid concerns about the government’s exploding debt, the plan could launch a drive to impose a European-style value-added tax in America. In theory, such a Task Force could come up with some meaty and long-overdue cuts to the federal budget. But nine of the se... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3100778 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:06:01 +0100 3100778 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3089259&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FpOuftlmZ4MI%2F By Chris EdwardsPrompted by my blog on Senator Kent Conrad’s Task Force to reduce the federal deficit, my assistant Amy Mandler dug up some interesting information on the good senator. Conrad has nurtured his image as a “deficit hawk” for decades, but when it comes to subsidies for millionaire farmers he demands that the federal gravy keep flowing. Earlier this year, for example, President Obama proposed cutting one type of farm subsidy (”direct payments”) for farmers earning over $500,000 a year. I suspect that about 95 percent of Americans would support that tiny nod toward fiscal sanity and deficit reduction. But not Senator Conrad, who helped shoot the proposal down. See here and here. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3089259 Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:52:52 +0100 3089259 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3089260&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F6-Rob9CAzpQ%2F By Sallie JamesWell here’s an interesting, if three-weeks-old, story. Apparently the North Dakota Farm Bureau’s annual convention recently passed a policy calling for the elimination of all agricultural programs.  Reading between the lines of the original press release indicates that the call was part of a broad political position by the NDFB to move away from government intervention in many areas of the economy apart from farm programs, including cap-and-trade and health care: “As people in this country expect more from the government and less from themselves, our delegates are urging everyone, including farmers, to step away from the public trough and get back to the principles of individual responsibility and initiative,” said NDFB President Eric Aasmundstad…. ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3089260 Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:51:20 +0100 3089260 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2970199&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F1fh_fPOPVfI%2F Even though the climate change summit in Copenhagen next month is likely to yield very little, domestic shenanigans continue. The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works passed a bill on Thursday amid controversy, and the farmers’ friends in the Senate (notably Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D. Mich) are looking to send goodies their way by filing an amendment that would pay farmers for not cutting down trees, not farming, and will likely see states such as — well, how about that! —  Michigan “cashing in” (see here). Meanwhile, those concerned about the cost of climate change regulations may have lost an ally. Often, but not always, one can depend on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to defend free enterprise, or at least free trade. On climate change, however, t... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2970199 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:55:16 +0100 2970199 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2954491&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FeY5mHHxTn2w%2F Mexican sugar growers want “in” on the cozy little arrangement that domestic sugar growers have here in the United States.  They have formed an alliance with the U.S sugar lobby to recommend that the U.S. and Mexican governments work to “avoid importing sugar from other countries to help boost the market between the neighbours” (full article here [$]). This proposal is not new, of course, having previously been suggested to lawmakers’ during the 2008 farm bill debate (see here). The “recommendation” was rebuffed at that time, but these people are nothing if not tenacious. In what surely must be a contender for the “Understatement of the Year” award, the article ends with this: ” Sweetener users and free trade advocates are ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2954491 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:37:23 +0100 2954491 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2923239&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUGT_XjXWY3w%2F Dairy farmers were allocated $350 million in extra assistance recently (as if the billions we artificially funnel to them every year are not enough) because of plummeting prices. The assistance will come mostly in the form of cash, although the federal government will also buy more dairy products for nutrition programs, and at increased prices. (Not to be outdone, hog farmers are asking for the same.) An article from Wednesday’s edition of the Wall Street Journal Online has the details. In a rare fit of candor, one dairy farmer group admits that the emergency money, and the decades-old programs, are not enough: The National Family Farm Coalition, a Washington-based farm-advocacy group, is asking for an overhaul of the milk-pricing system, which is based on a complex Depression-era... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2923239 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:17:24 +0100 2923239 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2834490&cid=t_150385_167_f&fid=36991&url=http%3A%2F%2Fefoodalert.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fuk-petting-farm-outbreak-grows-another.html September 25, 2009The number of E. coli O157 illnesses that can be traced to the Godstone Farm petting farm in Surrey, England has risen to 82. Three children remain hospitalized – all in stable condition.As a result of the outbreak investigation, the UK Health Protection Agency has recommended the closure of two additional petting farms, bringing the tally of closed farms to five. The latest petting farm to shut down is the Big Sheep and Little Cow Farm, in North Yorkshire.The most recent closure followed confirmation of three cases of E. coli O157 that may be linked to the Big Sheep and Little Cow Farm. Another five suspected cases among recent visitors to this petting farm have not yet been confirmed.This series of E. coli O157 outbreaks clearly demonstrates the potential downside of ... eFoodAlert.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2834490 Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:01:00 +0100 2834490 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2820621&cid=t_150385_167_f&fid=36991&url=http%3A%2F%2Fefoodalert.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fcattle-ponies-lambs-oh-my.html September 21, 2009Are Petting Farms Worth The Risk?Sixty-seven children have been infected with E. coli O157 while visiting the Godstone Farm in Surrey, England. Eight of the children remain in hospital.Today, the UK Veterinary Laboratories Agency reported having isolated the outbreak strain of E. coli O157 from 33 out of 102 samples taken at the Godstone Farm. The pathogen was recovered from ewes, lambs, pigs, goats, cattle and ponies, and from floor-samples of pooled rabbit droppings. Is it any wonder that the pathogen was spread to children that handled these animals?While most of the attention is focused on the Godstone Farm outbreak, this is not an isolated incident. Three other area petting farms – White Post Farm in Nottinghamshire, World of Country Life in East Devon, and Horton ... eFoodAlert.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2820621 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:30:00 +0100 2820621 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2788504&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F-Aa0En02Lrs%2F In his blog post yesterday — appropriately entitled “Congressional Conflict of Interest“ — my colleague Chris Edwards questioned the selection of Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) to head the Senate Agriculture Committee: Lincoln has been “a tireless advocate for the Arkansas rice industry’ and a ‘champion for agriculture.” You can see what 20 or so other agriculture lobby groups say about Lincoln here. These are very laudatory remarks, but what about the taxpayers? What do taxpayers think about her support for the $20 billion or so in annual giveaways to farmers? I wonder what taxpayers think about the fact that Senator Lincoln and her family have received hundreds of thousands of dollars in farm subsidies? From a 2007 USA Today article: Members... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2788504 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:49:05 +0100 2788504 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2785909&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fc2XZiO0Tu6Y%2F It looks like farm subsidy reform is unlikely for another few years. Senator Blanche Lincoln has been selected the new head of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Dow Jones notes: “Lincoln is a two-term moderate Democrat who described herself Wednesday as a ‘farmer’s daughter.’” Lincoln has been “a tireless advocate for the Arkansas rice industry” and a “champion for agriculture.” You can see what 20 or so other agriculture lobby groups say about Lincoln here. These are very laudatory remarks, but what about the taxpayers? What do taxpayers think about her support for the $20 billion or so in annual giveaways to farmers? I’m guessing that Lincoln will put the interests of subsidy-receiving farmers in her state ahead of the... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2785909 Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:21:37 +0100 2785909 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2747830&cid=t_150385_139_f&fid=38879&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.rawvoice.com%2Fpmn_twiv%2Fwww.twiv.tv%2FTWiV047.mp3 Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dick Despommier On episode #47 of the podcast “This Week in Virology”, Vincent and Dick discuss influenza virus-like particle vaccines produced in insect and plant cells, rapid sharing of influenza research, and answer listener questions about cytomegalovirus, viral evolution and symbiosis and much more. Download TWiV #47 (51 MB .mp3, 71 minutes) Subscribe to TWiV in iTunes, by the RSS feed, or by email Links for this episode: A Farm on Every Floor Influenza virus-like particles in insect and plant cells PLoS Currents: Influenza Transmission of 2009 H1N1 influenza virus to turkeys [Thanks Debbie!] Baxter produces Vero cell H1N1 vaccine [Thanks Peter!] Boundaries of Darwinism podcast [Thanks David!] Phages in human intestine: papers one, t... virology blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2747830 Sun, 30 Aug 2009 14:57:38 +0100 2747830 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2715920&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUrtpVTrB35Q%2F Pardon me while I pile on the post earlier today by my colleague Sallie James about the Obama administration refusing to allow more sugar to be imported to the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture this week declined to relax the quotas the federal government imposes on imported sugar despite soaring domestic prices and understandable complaints from U.S. confectioners and other sugar-consuming businesses about potential shortages. For all his talk about change, President Barack Obama has shown no inclination to pursue meaningful reform of U.S. agricultural programs. He supported the subsidy-laden and protectionist farm bill that finally passed Congress in 2008. On the eve of the U.S. presidential election in October 2008, he wrote a letter to the U.S. sugar industry reminding ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2715920 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:49:07 +0100 2715920 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570575&cid=t_150385_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F07%2F03%2Fthe-situation-of-food-the-movie%2F From Michael Phillips’ Chicago Tribune review: Several things — too many, probably — are going on in “Food, Inc.,” all connected. Kenner begins by tracing the impact of 20th Century American fast food on industrialized food production, and notes that when McDonald’s brought factory assembly-line strategies into practice, everything changed. McDonald’s became a universe of beef-purchasing power unto itself. Their cows, like so many millions of other feedlot residents, consume corn instead of grass; the humans in our increasingly obese nation eat a ton of corn as well, courtesy of high-fructose, heavily subsidized corn syrup found in everything from ketchup to Twinkies to Coke. As a Brooklyn, N.Y., doctor in another food doc, “King Corn,”... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570575 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:01:40 +0100 2570575 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2464280&cid=t_150385_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FSJQ560dB0NI%2F The San Francisco Chronicle brings two great pieces today - including an excellent review of our new Book! Is Your Brain A Couch Potato? (online book review) "At 165 pages, we're talking a short, sweet, entertaining read of a complex topic, with timely (written in 1/09) reviews of 21 top technology products, as well as informed and expert predictions of where this burgeoning brain-fitness field is headed. More importantly, after you read it, you'll have a good, detailed sense of where you, personally, can act to improve your own couch-potato brain - and how to keep it fit and flexible your whole life. The SharpBrains Guide To Brain Fitness reminds of us all why books (and not just googling a topic) can be well worth your time and money. Two Stethoscopes Up - check it out." Sof... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2464280 Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:22:50 +0100 2464280 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2424023&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FkjO1mEMf8kg%2F Brink Lindsey’s post, triggered by Jerry Taylor’s controversial critique of conservative talk radio at National Review online,  is part of a much-needed debate about the changes needed to create more fertile soil for limited-government — a task that is especially difficult given the GOP’s decade-long embrace of statist economic policy. But in the spirit of friendly disagreement, the problem is not Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. Talk radio, after all, existed when Republicans were riding high and promoting small government in the 1990s. The real problem is that today’s GOP politicians are unwilling to even pretend that they believe in limited government. In such an environment, it is hardly a surprise that anti-tax and anti-spending voters decide that talk sh... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2424023 Tue, 19 May 2009 21:03:51 +0100 2424023 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2389929&cid=t_150385_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F05%2F06%2Fcould-getting-your-hands-dirty-make-you-happy%2F Midweek Mental Greening Although I don’t live near it anymore, one of the things I love about my old city’s community mental health center is the center’s greenhouse. The center’s patients, or clients, grow and sell the flowers, ferns, and other plants within the greenhouse and any money raised goes toward the continuing operation of the center’s various programs. I don’t have any firsthand experience with the center’s greenhouse (although I do keep promising myself to stop in the next time I’m in the city), but I’ve heard great things about it. Of course, that’s not surprising. We already know how mentally and emotionally beneficial activities like gardening can be (and if you need a refresher course, check out Thrive’s Carry on Gardening website, including the g... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2389929 Thu, 07 May 2009 01:40:06 +0100 2389929 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2263782&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F80euALkVotE%2F Come Monday you can thank the federal government for making food more expensive by requiring retailers to provide useless information. On March 16, federal regulations will finally kick in that require perishable food at the grocery store to sport “country of origin labeling,” known as COOL. The rules were originally passed by Congress as part of the 2002 farm bill, but are only being implemented now because of understandable resistance from retailers. The COOL regulations will require that all perishable food products be labeled at retail to indicate the country of origin. The regulations cover beef, pork, lamb, goat, chicken; wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish; fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables; peanuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, and ginseng. In a recent statement announcing ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2263782 Fri, 13 Mar 2009 18:44:11 +0100 2263782 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2255990&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F2nX4f9l5GWI%2F The National Center on Family Homelessness has generated headlines today by releasing a report that claims “one in 50 children is homeless in the United States every year.” That would be a total of 1.5 million homeless children, a truly shocking figure. The number is all the more shocking because the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development says there actually only 671,000 people were homeless in 2007 (the last year for which data is available), of which only about 249,000 were people in families. Assuming even one adult per family would mean there were around 166,000 homeless children, far too many, but also far fewer than 1.5 million. What accounts for the discrepancy? First, the National Center uses an incredibly broad definition of homeless. For example, in addition to thos... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2255990 Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:39:10 +0100 2255990 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2609156&cid=t_150385_46_f&fid=38789&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2Fcholera%2F2009%2F03%2F01%2Fkingston-farm%2F We leave the burial and disinfecting team to get on with their business and four of us set off to Kingston Farm. I find out that actually it is now no longer a privately owned farm but rather a community which has taken over and each care for his or her crops. Photo: J Stavropoulou | Huts at Kingston Farm. We find the settlement of huts and our driver stops in an opening and starts honking his horn. Soon women, children and men all start gathering around the car. The health promoters explain the use of aquatabs, chlorine purification tablets to disinfect contaminated water, and the importance of washing hands and cleaning eating utensils. Photo: J Stavropoulou | Kingston Farm kids There is one tall young man who is the acting chairman (the older chairman is being treated for cholera at the... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2609156 Sun, 01 Mar 2009 16:16:22 +0100 2609156 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2131361&cid=t_150385_134_f&fid=35187&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDiabetesDaily%2F%7E3%2F_9IPuAR07Es%2Fminnesota-props.php For those who might be unfamiliar with the term "Props", take a click and then come on back...I spent most of my day at the Mall of America today.  I participated in the JDRF Walk for a Cure, and then... (Source: Diabetes Daily) Diabetes Daily blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2131361 Sun, 25 Jan 2009 04:58:20 +0100 2131361 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2122206&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F518820977%2F In his inaugural address yesterday, President Obama tried to step around the central question of whether the federal government has grown too big and powerful: The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works, whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. Even in skirting the question, President Obama has in effect come down on the side of bigger government. His statement assumes that government programs will be central to creating jobs and providing health care and retirement security. For every problem confronting American families, it is just a question of finding the right progra... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2122206 Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:04:15 +0100 2122206 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2035859&cid=t_150385_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F-WtfDf89Z3U%2F A potentially double-good plan involves (1) preserving one of the last strips of undeveloped land within Dubuque’s city limits and (2) creating a residential facility with an on-site farm for autistic adults: Today’s THOnline tells more about an effort to preserve green space and provide a place to live, and to work, for autistic adults. $985,000 has to be raised to purchase the property and the whole project could cost some $2million, so there’s a lot more to do. Says Craig Beytien, whose autistic son is 15 years old, “‘We’ve got the passion and some ability, but does the economic model support it?’”Goes without saying—hoping that it can, and will.  Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, disabilities blog, disability, dubuque, Educ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2035859 Sun, 14 Dec 2008 00:00:30 +0100 2035859 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1945210&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2008%2F11%2F08%2Fhealthbolt-funtimes-the-many-faces-of-broccoli%2F Can you see what I see? There are tiny faces staring back at you… For a close up of these tiny faces head on over to bread & honey who not only have some macro shots but also the full story on why the broccoli have faces.. Don’t know about you, but I’ll never look at frozen food packages the same ever again. (photo published with permission from photographer Alicia Lynn Carrier) Tags: bread & honey, broccoli, broccoli faces, Cascadian Farm, Healthbolt, healthbolt funtimes, illusions, optical illusionsShare This (Source: Healthbolt) Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1945210 Sun, 09 Nov 2008 00:29:16 +0100 1945210 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1376637&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F04%2Fegg-industry-responds-to-hsus-sponsored.html I wrote about the pending voter initative in California (Prevention of Farm Cruelty Act) that would, among other matters, outlaw "battery cages" for the housing of hens. I posted the HSUS argument in favor of the initiative here. Now, an egg industry representative has sent along arguments on the other side:Wes:You had an excellent posting on your blog recently about HSUS' ballot initiative aimed at driving the egg industry out of California. You asked some specific questions, which deserve answers. Let me provide them to you.1. Are modern hen houses and cages humane and ethical? YES. An independent group of the nation's top animal science experts (Michigan State University, Perdue, University of California, American Veterinary Medical Association, etc.) say that modern hen houses and cage... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1376637 Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:26:00 +0100 1376637 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1369670&cid=t_150385_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F04%2F13%2Ftherapy-with-animals-%25e2%2580%2593-not-just-a-cats-and-dogs-game-anymore%2F If you suffer from a mental disorder maybe you’d feel more at ease – home on the range. At least that’s what a new study out of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences supports. To assess the benefits of Green care, the researchers asked ninety patients (59 women and 31 men) with schizophrenia, affective disorders, anxiety, and personality disorders to complete self-assessment questionnaires on quality of life, coping ability and self-efficacy, before a 12-week period spending three hours twice a week working with the farm animals. The research results showed that the patient’s experience with the farm animals positive results on the patient’s ability to copy with psychiatric symptoms and thus improving their quality of life. In addition, after six months self efficacy was s... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1369670 Mon, 14 Apr 2008 03:00:31 +0100 1369670 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1317944&cid=t_150385_158_f&fid=36018&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcaregiversbeacon.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Finjured-in-accident-trying-to-get.html Recently during my traveling I fell down a flight of steps while visiting in Florence, Oregon, perhaps due to wet shoes from the rain. The ER physician strongly suspected a torn ligament in the knee, the "ACL." The owner of the property where I fell has a State Farm Insurance policy that covers such accidents, for $50,000 or one year of medical care. But there's a catch, where I live, on the central coast of California, the medical facilities have told me I need to pay up front for care, and turn the bills over to State Farm, and then pay the balance that State Farm does not pay. In my area the medical personnel I have checked with have estimated the acl repair to cost $30,000. Who has $30,000 available to pay up front for care, and then wait for reimbursement from State Farm?Currently I'm... The Caregiver's Beacon - Resources, Links, Ideas, News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1317944 Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:49:00 +0100 1317944 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1160989&cid=t_150385_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F01%2F18%2Fthe-cause-of-schizophrenia-remains-unclear%2F For all of the money, energy and focus that has gone into gene studies on schizophrenia, two findings this week call into question much of that effort. The first one has been widely reported yesterday, Parasite May Lead to Schizophrenia. The parasite? Good ‘ole toxoplasma gondii, a common organism carried by carried by cats and farm animals. In most cases, the parasite is harmless (except for pregnant women, who have long been taught to avoid handling cat litter when pregnant). But in the latest study, researchers found that 7 percent of people with schizophrenia had this parasite, compared to only 5 percent in people who were not diagnosed with schizophrenia. That puts someone who has this parasite at a 24% increased risk of also getting schizophrenia. The second study, not yet ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1160989 Fri, 18 Jan 2008 15:04:44 +0100 1160989 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=948821&cid=t_150385_111_f&fid=36538&url=http%3A%2F%2Fernursey.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F10%2Ffarm-is-dangerous-place.html Farm accidents are plentiful, and one of the worst things is the PTO (power take-off) drive on the back of the tractor, it spins round and round and powers the equipment that is attached to the tractor, for instance the mower, tiller, baler, etc. New tractors have safety shields but in the majority of the farmers now-days are barely subsisting and can't afford a new tractor which can cost as much as a home.Farmers wife with long hair gets to close to the PTO which grabs her hair and in less than a second, wraps the hair around the shaft, almost completely scalping the woman.Farmer is attaching equipment to the PTO and gets too close, his coat sleeve gets caught and he suffers a traumatic amputation of his forearm.Farmer is up in the hayloft of the barn chopping newspaper for bedding using ... ERnursey - An emergency room nurse blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=948821 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 02:32:00 +0100 948821 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=868264&cid=t_150385_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F09%2F13%2Farif-jinha-floats-a-great-idea-for-hersheys-plant%2F Arif Jinha, federal NDP candidate in the riding of Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox-Addington, sent this letter to members of his facebook group, outlining a terrific idea for the soon-to-be-closed Hershey’s plant in Smiths Falls:   Fair Trade in Smiths Falls To members of Arif4MP Lanark Frontenac Lennox and Addington Hi supporters of me! You are making my political head swell, really. So here’s [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=868264 Thu, 13 Sep 2007 07:06:37 +0100 868264 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=573748&cid=t_150385_87_f&fid=34866&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecardioblog.com%2F2007%2F04%2F27%2Fmore-shrewd-tactics-by-food-makers%2F Filed under: Diet, Prevention, ExerciseSee? I told you they were tricky!!! Food manufactures are doing all that they can to get around the whole trans fat ban. This much was explained in greater detail in a post I wrote a few days ago, pointing to serving size trickery and other tactics to appeal to the health conscious consumer. But, buyer beware; there is something else that you should be on the lookout for when it comes to the type of fat you are consuming. It's called interesterified oil, and it's an unhealthy fat that has sneaked its way into the likes of Peperidge Farm cookies and Little Debbie cakes. Ineresterified oil have been shown to raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol, while also having a negative effect on blood glucose levels. A recent study at Brandeis Universit... The Cardio Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=573748 Fri, 27 Apr 2007 04:00:00 +0100 573748