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 'gates'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:57:07 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107603&cid=t_156970_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F07%2Fnegawatts-the-positive-psychology-behind-negative-energy%2F Almost every way we make electricity today, except for the emerging renewables and nuclear puts out CO2. And so, what we’re going to have to do at a global scale, is create a new system. And so, we need energy miracles. ~Bill Gates A typographical error led Amory Lovins to coin the phrase negawatts. In a brilliant 1989 keynote address to the Green Energy Conference in Montreal he outlined what has become the blueprint for a radical business and energy concept. Pay people to do nothing. Twenty-plus years later the idea is deeply taking hold. Fast-forward to Dr. Ron Denbo who was recently featured on a TED global ideas project. He is the Founder and CEO of Zerofootprint, an international company that provides software to measure and manage carbon footprint.  Individuals, governments ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107603 Sun, 07 Aug 2011 10:24:31 +0100 5107603 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952850&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=39261&url=http%3A%2F%2Fvactruth.com%2F2011%2F06%2F21%2Fgavi-guts-uk-for-1-5-billion-bill-gates-applauds%2F On Monday 13th June, David Cameron hosted a meeting with GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations) and sent shock waves around the world, after he pledged £814 million of taxpayers money to the to a child vaccine programme run by the Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates. This takes the UK’s total spend to £1.5 billion. Defending his decision, Cameron said: “There is a strong moral case for keeping our promises to the worlds poorest and helping them even when we face challenges at home” According to the Daily Mail, his pledge was praised by Mr Gates as being ‘human generosity at its finest’. The Mail continued: “As well as being more than five times the £274million pledged by the U.S., it is more than 30 times higher than Germany’s £44million and almost 50 time... vactruth.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952850 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 11:10:21 +0100 4952850 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934172&cid=t_156970_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FMexheSqEmG4%2F illustrated in a single diagram...why and how? (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934172 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 06:50:01 +0100 4934172 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921388&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FhcmUhNIRnzM%2F By Christopher PrebleMy title above can’t really top the one DOD Buzz gave its summary of Defense Secretary Robert Gates’s comments to NATO ministers yesterday. Here is the passage from Gates’s speech that is getting the most attention: The blunt reality is that there will be dwindling appetite and patience in the U.S. Congress … to expend increasingly precious funds on behalf of nations that are apparently unwilling to devote the necessary resources or make the necessary changes to be serious and capable partners in their own defense. The gist of his comments were quite clear: the NATO allies must do more, spend more, and take their security responsibilities more seriously. A parade of U.S. presidents, dozens of secretaries of defense and state, and countless lower... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921388 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 16:03:38 +0100 4921388 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911459&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FH--GMMz4C1o%2F By Malou InnocentThe United States will begin drawing down troops in Afghanistan this July. The White House is desperately trying to seize the narrative of the withdrawal claiming that the cuts will be “real” even as Defense Secretary Robert Gates is arguing for the opposite. This week, the New York Times revealed that some in President Obama’s national security team are seeking steeper reductions, particularly after the death of Osama bin Laden and the increasing costs of the war. Steeper reductions are certainly warranted. A limited counterrorism mission must be on the table. The president will try to claim credit for keeping his pledge to reduce the U.S. troop presence, but when we consider that there are three times as many troops in Afghanistan today compared to when Obama too... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911459 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:50:49 +0100 4911459 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902402&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FnXL7E_9howw%2F By Justin LoganThat’s the argument Ben Friedman and I made in our “Think Again” piece for Foreign Policy magazine. Our point there was that someone reading newspapers and watching television would think that Secretary Gates was some sort of transformational figure who took hold of a boneheaded grand strategy, two failing wars, and one broken bureaucracy and made them into successes. We argued that this description, which one finds almost everywhere one finds the secretary’s name, is wrong. (For responses to some of the critiques of our piece, Ben has a post up at The Skeptics.) Dana Milbank, Defense Analyst Over the weekend Dana Milbank authored a column demonstrating the tendency to represent Gates as something of a messiah. He does so by juxtaposing…Sarah Pa... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902402 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 19:56:26 +0100 4902402 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902693&cid=t_156970_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F7xm5seVkAgw%2F Several big drugmakers have agreed to slash prices on some of their vaccines, which are distributed to poor people in developing countries by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations, the non-profit that was established by Bill Gates. The move comes just days before a widely anticipated GAVI board meeting that will address, in part, plans to raise $3.7 billion in needed funds. The price cuts are being offered by Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson’s Crucell unit, Sanofi Pasteur’s Shantha Biotechnics, Bharat Biotech and the Serum Institute, and should help GAVI reduce the funding gap for commitments that run until 2015. The effort involves vaccines to combat rotavirus and HPV, as well as diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902693 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 15:38:52 +0100 4902693 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893390&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FVbD6rCsA4DM%2F By Christopher PrebleBetter late than never. The House of Representatives today debated two different resolutions purportedly aimed at forcing the Obama administration to comply with its statutory and constitutional obligations to secure formal authorization for the ongoing military campaign in Libya. I say “purportedly” because it seems quite clear that the real intent of House Speaker John Boehner’s resolution was to lure away a sufficient number of Republicans who otherwise would have been inclined to vote for Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s (D-OH) measure. Whereas the Kucinich resolution would have compelled the Obama administration to withdraw from all military operations in Libya within the next 15 days, Boehner’s resolution bars the administration from deploying... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893390 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 20:55:56 +0100 4893390 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872068&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fx0E9qtGqUGY%2F By Justin LoganI don’t know what the right word is here, but there is something remarkable about the fact that the United States is currently borrowing money from China to buy precision-guided munitions to give to the Europeans to drop on Libya, isn’t there? At AEI on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates responded to a question about removing U.S. troops from Europe by saying that bringing them back home and having to build facilities to base them here actually would be about a wash, money-wise. That’s probably correct, but the real question is why we shouldn’t bring them home and disband their units. On that logic, Gates remarked that Europe “is one of the places where an American presence has a significant impact on our allies, on our friends, and on ever... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872068 Thu, 26 May 2011 16:22:11 +0100 4872068 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862509&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F3XLKKkQF-xs%2F By George Scoville DON’T FORGET: Today at 2:00 p.m. Eastern at Cato, former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty will detail specific spending cuts Congress can make as it tries to rein in the size and scope of the federal government in “Limiting Government: What Washington Can Learn from Minnesota.” Tune in at our live events hub, or watch on Facebook. It’s not low taxes that caused the Greek crisis, but high spending. A new Internal Revenue Service account reporting rule would drive out foreign capital. A defense budget that does not force trade-offs assumes the United States can take on any mission, and that all are necessary. If the Affordable Care Act is so great, why are so many people seeking waivers? Wednesday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institu... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862509 Wed, 25 May 2011 16:00:32 +0100 4862509 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4852841&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FnU1nadyGicA%2F By Christopher PrebleWhen President Obama meets with British Prime Minister David Cameron in London, they should focus on the two wars that involve both the U.S. and British militaries (Afghanistan and Libya). But these discussions will take place in the context of diminishing British military capability. At a time when the United States should be shedding some of the burdens of policing the globe, and encouraging other countries to step forward to defend themselves, the British are moving in the opposite direction. They are cutting their military, and tacitly becoming more dependent upon U.S. power. The end result will be a United Kingdom that is less able to assist us in the future. The United States today spends far more on its military than does the United Kingdom, and the gap is like... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4852841 Mon, 23 May 2011 15:39:42 +0100 4852841 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841987&cid=t_156970_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FPnFE-Cg3WGw%2F Good morning, everyone, and how are you today? Here on the Pharmalot corporate campus, we are engaged in the off-to-the-school-house hustle. This calls, of course, for a cup or two of stimulation. How else to gear up for those meetings and deadlines? So please feel free to join us. And here is another invitation: our webinar next week on the injectable drug delivery market. Meanwhile, we offer you these tidbits of the world at large. Have a great day and do stay in touch… North Carolina Delays Vote On Preemption Bill (Associated Press) CDC Blog On Zombie Apocalypse Proves Apocalyptic (AdWeek) Takeda To Buy Nycomed For $13.6 Billion (Reuters) Bill Gates Calls For A ‘Decade Of Vaccinations’ (Pharma Times) J&J Failed To Warn Parents Of Motrin Risks: Lawyer (Bloomberg Ne... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841987 Thu, 19 May 2011 11:47:58 +0100 4841987 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841441&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fh83wI2sGJyQ%2F By George ScovilleThe free market needs and deserves a moral defense. Cato senior fellow Tom G. Palmer delivers part of that defense, regarding economic profits, in a new video: This is an installment in a series entitled “The Morality of Free Enterprise,” a joint project of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, where Palmer serves as the vice president of international programs, and the John Templeton Foundation. Palmer is also the director of Cato University; so if you’d like to hear more from him, we hope you’ll register today and join us July 24-29 in historic Annapolis, Maryland for our annual summer seminar on political economy. Students may also apply for a scholarship. The Morality of Profit is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cat... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841441 Tue, 17 May 2011 18:02:35 +0100 4841441 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4758739&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUzDsC43VEhQ%2F By Christopher PrebleThe report that Leon Panetta will be appointed Secretary of Defense, and Gen. David Petraeus will become the new CIA director, does not come as a huge surprise. But I worry that President Obama’s decision to fill these positions from within his administration signals an unwillingness to rethink U.S. foreign policy. Such a reevaluation is desperately needed. Leon Panetta brings some experience in national security affairs to DoD, including his stints at CIA and on Capitol Hill, and as a member of the Iraq Study Group. His more relevant experience, however, may be as Director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Clinton administration. Bob Gates effectively shielded the Pentagon from spending cuts, but that merely postponed the reckoning that Panetta ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4758739 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 15:04:46 +0100 4758739 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4724177&cid=t_156970_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2F2iT15ZcFUWM%2F Paul Allen Dishes the Gossip on Bill Gates (and His Yacht) on 60 Minutes. Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Unplugged (cbsnews.com) Paul Allen on Bill Gates (i-programmer.info) Paul Allen breaks his silence, calls Gates a rip-off artist in new book (blogs.seattleweekly.com) Filed under: asides, electronic life Tagged: 60 Minutes, Bill Gates, microsoft, Paul Allen, Steve Ballmer (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4724177 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 14:15:22 +0100 4724177 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4714693&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fthird-rail-that-no-one-wishes-to.html DiscussionWhile the data from this case-study were limited, they do suggest that major private foundations that support global health, and by extension, health care, services, and policy research may have institutional conflicts of interest, and their leaders may have personal conflicts of interest. It is possible that these conflicts have steered global health policy to favor vested interests, particularly towards approaches that depend on drugs and devices, perhaps instead of more effective ones using less technology.Furthermore, it is possible that that these conflicts of interest have helped create the anechoic effect.  Conflicts of interest could have pushed the foundations in directions that favored specific vested interests, and away from... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4714693 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:11:00 +0100 4714693 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4709422&cid=t_156970_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F2O5tLCPGn9c%2F Major philanthropic foundations, such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foudation, regularly make the news with their donations and initiatives aimed at improving global health. But there is an aspect to their efforts that may be overlooked - such organizations can have links with drugmakers that could constitute a conflict of interest, according to an analysis published in PLoS Medicine. The researchers examined the five largest US private and/or family foundations that focus considerably on global health - besides the Gates Foundation, the list included the Ford Foundation; W K Kellogg Foundation; the Rockefeller Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which is a philanthropic outgrowth of a Johnson & Johnson founder. They analyzed publicly available endowment disclosures... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4709422 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 14:06:18 +0100 4709422 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4653313&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FfcHyBTaElD0%2F By Caleb O. BrownThe Weinberger-Powell Doctrine offers Congress and the President five key hurdles before military force should be employed. Chris Preble, in this new video, runs through the reasons why President Obama's Libya incursion fails the Weinberger-Powell test. You can subscribe to our YouTube channel, too. Five Rules for Going to War 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=4653313 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 14:38:11 +0100 4653313 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4565882&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FE-5AgfWOb0M%2F By Christopher PrebleOn Monday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, speaking in Kabul, stated that the United States “will be well-positioned to begin drawing down some U.S. and coalition forces this July.”  But as Greg Jaffe of the Washington Post reports, the planned reductions likely wouldn’t lead to a major change in the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. Indeed, even as Gates is stating that the United States will adhere to its date to begin withdrawing troops, negotiations are in the works that could establish a long-term security presence for the U.S. beyond 2014 and might include permanent military bases. Secretary Gates and General Petraeus both claim progress in Afghanistan.  But their concepts of progress are murky and exist within a strategy that has never had clearly defined obj... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4565882 Wed, 09 Mar 2011 21:18:18 +0100 4565882 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560237&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fe7ht4-A8HVI%2F By Gene HealyMy Washington Examiner column this week is on the growing drumbeat for military action in Libya.  That allegedly serious people are proposing, as Defense Secretary Gates puts it, “the use of the US military in another country in the Middle East,” ought to be appalling.  If the last ten years haven’t convinced you that a little prudence and caution might serve us well in foreign policy, what would? Recently Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT), the Bobbsey Twins of knee-jerk interventionism, chastised Obama for dragging his feet on the path toward war.  They called for arming the rebels and implementing a no-fly zone, for starters. “I love the military,” Sen. McCain complained “but they always seem to find reasons why you can’t do something rath... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560237 Tue, 08 Mar 2011 19:15:50 +0100 4560237 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4540552&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FcIitwJHsV84%2F By Justin LoganThe prospect of the United States intervening in Libya is uncertain.  Yesterday, Secretary Gates and Adm. Mullen appeared to downplay the possibility of military action, while not clearly taking a position.  But lost in much of the reporting is President Obama’s Executive Order declaring a national emergency, and the accompanying letter to congress, issued last Friday. Obama claimed that the overall situation constituted “…an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”  Over at The Skeptics, I examine why it is a mistake for the president to lump together national security and humanitarian considerations: Obama should be ashamed of this language. Muammar Qadhafi is a despicable man without basic decency, but ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4540552 Wed, 02 Mar 2011 19:19:05 +0100 4540552 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489636&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fe2n1jTBYksY%2F By Christopher PrebleIn testimony yesterday before the House Armed Service Committee, Defense Secretary Robert Gates stated that the United States has an “interest” in keeping troops in Iraq past the agreed date of withdrawal, December 31, 2011.  Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) pressed Gates by asking: How can we maintain all of these gains that we've made through so much effort if we only have 150 people there and we don't have any military there whatsoever," Hunter asked. "We'd have more military in Western European countries at that point than we'd have in Iraq, one of the most central states, as everybody knows, in the Middle East? The logic of Rep. Duncan’s question provides some interesting context. His logic implies that the thousands of U.S. troops stationed in wealthy, develo... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489636 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 20:48:45 +0100 4489636 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4478155&cid=t_156970_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FxQAoxKq3qM0%2F Rise and shine, everyone. Another day is on the way. Here on the chilly Pharmalot corporate campus, we are, once again, hustling the short people off to the school houses. Speaking of challenging routines, meetings and deadlines are also beckoning. We assume you can relate. By the way, we would like to remind you that we are co-sponsoring a patient adherence conference and hope you can join us. Meanwhile, the time has come for another cup of stimulation. Hope your day goes well and stay in touch… Oncology Investigators Needed To Maintain Patient Recruitment (Outsourcing Pharma) EU Taken To Court Over Secrecy In India Trade Talks (Reuters) Tachi Yamada Steps Down As Gates Foundation Health Leader (Xconomy) FDA Approves Medical Devices Too Easily: Study (CBS News) Watson Pharma Earning... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4478155 Tue, 15 Feb 2011 13:16:41 +0100 4478155 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4450252&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fafter-publicity-about-losses-from.html Over the last few weeks a series of stories appeared about how corruption siphons off money from worthy global health initiatives.  Corruption Depletes Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and MalariaThe story that first got attention was from AP:A $21.7 billion development fund backed by celebrities and hailed as an alternative to the bureaucracy of the United Nations sees as much as two-thirds of some grants eaten up by corruption, The Associated Press has learned.Much of the money is accounted for with forged documents or improper bookkeeping, indicating it was pocketed, investigators for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria say. Donated prescription drugs wind up being sold on the black market.The fund's newly reinforced inspector general's office, which unco... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4450252 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 21:05:00 +0100 4450252 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4330996&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FL8ZjvOmtF9U%2F By Christopher PrebleAs I discussed last week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates’s latest attempt to “cut” the Pentagon’s budget are phony. The Secretary would ideally like to see the $78 billion over five years in savings filtered elsewhere into the budget; meanwhile, the 2012 budget will actually grow. This hasn’t stopped uber-hawk Max Boot and a cadre of neocons from attempting to spin the Secretary’s announcement as the latest example of military downsizing that will make our services less prepared to deal with any conflict or international issue around the globe. I rebut Boot’s claims over at The Skeptics: In his latest offering at The Weekly Standard, Boot wails that the personnel cuts “will bring the Army’s active duty strength down to 517,000—still larger than it w... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4330996 Mon, 10 Jan 2011 21:09:15 +0100 4330996 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4318315&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FRL1Ek73Yq44%2F By Christopher PrebleSecretary of Defense Robert Gates is poised to axe or significantly restructure a number of high-profile weapons platforms, and otherwise rein in the Pentagon’s budget. The reports present these initiatives as intended to preempt greater scrutiny of the military’s budget by Congress. The cuts will be announced later today, but it seems pretty clear that Gates will call for terminating the unnecessary Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV), a Marine Corps program that is more than 176 percent over its original per-vehicle cost. Unhappily for taxpayers, the Pentagon has already spent $3 billion on the program, which has managed to deliver only prototypes. The Marine Corps’s version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will also be delayed, according to... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4318315 Thu, 06 Jan 2011 16:47:36 +0100 4318315 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4238058&cid=t_156970_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FITIH5pA4UIA%2F It was recently reported that one in three Americans have been vaccinated for the flu. While that’s on par with the number of seasonal flu vaccinations in the past, many doctors are hoping that the number will increase before the flu season peaks between January and March.  But why listen to doctors when there are so many celebrities willing to inform us about the pros and cons of vaccinations?  Save yourself the trouble of waiting in a crowded medical clinic or trying to find time in your schedule for a doctor’s appointment.  Instead, if you’re not sure what your stance on immunizations is – and don’t limit your opinion to just flu shots – look to these celebrities for guidance: ... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4238058 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 22:42:00 +0100 4238058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4197341&cid=t_156970_147_f&fid=39273&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FePharmaSummit%2F%7E3%2FUptKPEtGH5g%2Fbill-gates-on-digital-healthcare.html Recently, Bill Gates looked at how mobile health was going to take off and revolutionize the healthcare industry. He looks at the successes in cloud computing as a precursor to the coming revolution in how Mobile Health will revolutionize the industry. This is only further aided by the increasing rates at which technology is being substituted for labor.The Economist concluded the article concluded on this note:“Middle-income countries are where most innovation in health care is going to come from.”What do you think about that closing statement? Why will middle income countries be the future of the healthcare revolution?The technology revolution is an important part of the future of the pharmaceutical industry and the ePharma Summit wants to keep you in the loop. Join us for a special p... ePharma Summit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4197341 Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:00:00 +0100 4197341 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4183280&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F16O_EAuNob4%2F By Andrew J. CoulsonBill Gates is addressing the Council of Chief State School Officers today. According to the NYT, he’ll tell them to bite the bullet and start making sound budgetary decisions like rewarding teachers based on merit instead of time served, and not handing out raises simply for the trappings of higher learning, but rather for demonstrated prowess in the classroom. In principle, that’s good advice. But it’s an ultimately futile effort, and here’s why: Bill established himself early on as a pretty sharp computer programmer, and no doubt he still is. But there’s only so much you can do when the hardware you’re writing for is a pile of junk. Public schooling is the Coleco Adam of education systems. The Adam was a pretty cute looking machine ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4183280 Fri, 19 Nov 2010 18:57:30 +0100 4183280 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4179323&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fbill-gates-at-mhealth-how-mobile-health-can-improve-healthcare%2F2010.11.18 We reported last week from the mHealth Summit in Washington, DC -- a conference covering the integration of mobile technologies with medical research, information, diagnosis, treatment, and care.] One of the highlights of last week’s mHealth Summit was the keynote interview of Bill Gates. While inseparable from his history as founder and leader of Microsoft from 1975 to 2008, his current passion is global health. Through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has now given 3.8 billion (with a “b”) of targeted philanthropy into global health since 1994, he and his wife Melinda are helping bring about profound change to the lives of millions around the world. In a meeting dedicated to exploring the power of mobile devices to shape health in developed and developing countr... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4179323 Thu, 18 Nov 2010 13:00:56 +0100 4179323 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4060575&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FDhdPHcbV5bg%2F By Christopher PrebleToday ForeignPolicy.com has a feature article examining possible “Plan B’s for Obama,” with contributions coming from numerous experts. My contribution to the feature is titled “Cut (Really Cut) Military Spending.” It is time for President Obama and the administration to finally notice the increasing calls—from across the political spectrum—that the Pentagon’s budget should not be off limits when reducing the deficit.  From the Foreign Policy article: Despite all the hype about Defense Secretary Robert Gates and his cuts of big-ticket military projects, the Pentagon’s $680 billion budget is actually slated to increase in coming years. This is unconscionable at a time when taxpayers are under enormous stress and when the U.S. government must r... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4060575 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:40:26 +0100 4060575 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4040569&cid=t_156970_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2F-1AhpKdt5m0%2F Book Review on Clinical Neurology a primer, written by neurologist Dr Peter Gates. (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4040569 Thu, 07 Oct 2010 04:56:05 +0100 4040569 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3924816&cid=t_156970_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fdna-pcr-test-tuberculosis-shows-great-promise-speedy-diagnosis-treatment%2F A new testing method to determine if a patient is infected with tuberculosis has been developed by a consortium of research institutions with funding coming from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Drs. Peter Small and Mario Raviglione comment. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3924816 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:32:29 +0100 3924816 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3914972&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FfzWuZ8j6Vjw%2F By Daniel GriswoldCertain headlines seem to re-appear in one form or another on a regular basis, such as “North Korea Threatens Military Action” or “Myanmar Junta Tightens Grip.” A leading example from the world of trade is, “Congress Weighs Export Control Reform.” For the past 20 years, variations of that headline have appeared regularly, yet Congress never gets around to actually reforming our Cold-War-era restrictions on what U.S. companies can sell abroad. This week, in a welcome move, the Obama administration plans to announce administrative changes that will help to bring our export control regime into the 21st century. As part of their constitutional duty to provide for the national defense, Congress and the executive have the legitimate power to regulate the sale of sen... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3914972 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:24:21 +0100 3914972 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3880829&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FvaTwO4IGH6k%2F Today’s Los Angeles Times features an op-ed by Lawrence Korb of the Center for American Progress, and Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute, that is worthy of attention. The theme, cutting military spending, isn’t particularly original. It has grown into a regular topic of conversation across the media spectrum, with the New York Times featuring an editorial this past Sunday making the case for real cuts in Pentagon spending, not the half-hearted cost-shifting that Defense Secretary Gates is busy selling these days. Ben Friedman and I wrote about cutting military spending in the LA Times a few months ago, and I collaborated with Larry Korb on this same subject at The National Interest Online. Nothing particularly newsworthy there. Loren Thompson’s contribution is sig... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3880829 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:20:04 +0100 3880829 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3880833&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FO5CVs43bK3M%2F On Saturday the Washington Post published a letter I wrote chastising their editorialists for inventing defense budget cuts: The Aug. 12 editorial “Mr. Gates’s rough cuts” and David S. Broder’s Aug. 12 column, “Gates’s budget warning shot,” applauded the defense secretary for his plans to cut spending even though the plans will do no such thing. As Mr. Broder wrote, Mr. Gates proposed closing the U.S. Joint Forces Command and shedding contractors and generals in the Pentagon’s employ. But neither piece noted that these proposals are part of a plan to shift some Pentagon spending from administration to force structure — not to cut total spending. The impetus for the cost-shifting plan is the White House’s reluctance to increase Pen... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3880833 Tue, 17 Aug 2010 20:03:56 +0100 3880833 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3865250&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FW0v93u2pNHc%2F By Christopher PrebleKudos to the Financial Times (subscription may be required) for figuring out what most other journalists and editorial writers haven’t seemed to grasp concerning Robert Gates’s economy initiative at the Pentagon. [H]is aim is not to cut the overall budget radically; it is merely to achieve savings in the military bureaucracy and thus, against a background of broader fiscal constraint, protect spending on new weapons and other outlays.  (my emphasis) The reforms in and of themselves are “commendable,” the FT notes, but they don’t amount to very much in the grand scheme, and they therefore do not go nearly far enough. Indeed, as I and others have noted, U.S. military spending will continue to rise if Bob Gates gets his way. This isn&#8217... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3865250 Fri, 13 Aug 2010 18:45:25 +0100 3865250 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3854511&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F2O3tV3JtrjA%2F By Christopher PrebleDefense Secretary Robert Gates has again made headlines with a proposal to slow the growth of the Pentagon’s budget — already higher than at any point since World War II — by cutting overhead, waste and a top-heavy command structure. The proposed shuttering of Joint Forces Command (Jif-Com) has elicited most of the press attention today, and prompted an impassioned plea from Virginia politicians, including Gov. Bob McDonnell, that the command remain open. Unhelpfully for Gov. McDonnell, outgoing Jif-Com head James Mattis (who will assume the title of CENTCOM), reportedly supports Gates’s decision. But this isn’t the first time that opportunistic politicians have latched onto defense spending as a way to sprinkle economic benefits to their... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3854511 Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:52:57 +0100 3854511 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3845093&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FeTLB4WJAkxA%2F By Andrew J. CoulsonAt the Techonomy conference last week, Bill Gates declared that going to school would soon be obsolete, and that ”five years from now, on the web, for free, you’ll be able to find the best lectures in the world.” What’s interesting is that Bill was quick to note that he was talking only of higher education. K-12 education should still be tied to physical schools, he is reported to have added. Certainly there’s a custodial aspect to the education of young children, but there’s no reason that electronic learning options cannot be combined with custodial supervision — and much more affordably than traditional schooling. Homeschooling already consists of hybrids of parent lessons, lessons taught by paid tutors and guest lecturers, web cl... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3845093 Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:28:21 +0100 3845093 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3767062&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FCd2SvFebCG4%2F By Andrew J. CoulsonAs I write in the San Jose Mercury News today: Bill Gates and Warren Buffett want the world’s billionaires to donate half their wealth to charity. If they’re successful with just their American peers, they’ll raise about $600 billion — an amount U.S. public schools spend in a single year. And therein lies a problem. The problem is that one of their chief goals, shared by many of their billionaire peers, is to improve American education — an institution whose ultimate outcomes have not improved in four decades despite the infusion of trillions of additional dollars. Buffett blames some of our educational woes on a “distorted” market system that rewards great investors ”with sums reaching into the billions,” while it &#8... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3767062 Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:51:24 +0100 3767062 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3714163&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FmTztdfgR3uE%2F By Andrew J. CoulsonYesterday, Bill Gates addressed 4,100 charter school leaders and activists and told them that their movement “is the only place innovation will come from.” Certainly there are innovative charter schools–and others that deploy traditional methods with such skill and dedication as to achieve results far above the norm (think Ben Chavis’ American Indian Charter Schools in Oakland). But of course charters are not the only source of educational innovation, and, much more importantly, they are unlikely to drive the process of mass replication and scale-up of innovations responsible for the stunning economic progress of the past several hundred years. Pick any field in which a brilliant innovation has been capitalized on and brought to the masses and yo... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3714163 Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:43:31 +0100 3714163 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3687077&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FsU0ck1i-3J8%2F By Christopher PrebleApparently not. Unlike Douglas MacArthur, Stanley McChrystal has tendered his resignation. President Obama should accept it, and move swiftly to put this unfortunate incident behind him. This story moved so quickly that I wasn’t able to keep up. In the early morning, we learned that McChrystal had been called to Washington for face-to-face meetings with President Obama (aka The Commander in Chief), and Robert Gates (the SecDef who has built a reputation for sacking generals). McChrystal’s press aide was fired. By early afternoon, others, including those sympathetic to the general, were predicting that he would step down, or that he should be fired if he did not (Eliot Cohen “This is a firing offense”; Peter Feaver “This is clearly a f... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3687077 Wed, 23 Jun 2010 01:50:50 +0100 3687077 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3592213&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmale-birth-control-is-ultrasound-the-key%2F2010.05.23 Finally men everywhere might have a birth control option that won’t rob them of the joys of living. Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill may have discovered a cheap, convenient and noninvasive method of male birth control — ultrasound. The scientists believe that a single treatment can provide up to six months of infertility that is reversible. The team has received a $100,000 Grand Challenges Explorations grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for their work. If the project pans out, this could have an incredible impact on global health. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Medgadget* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3592213 Sun, 23 May 2010 12:00:51 +0100 3592213 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3569789&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FF2BE60TOrlc%2F By Justin Logan…who needs conservative editorial pages? It’s rather sad that the nation’s leading liberal editorial page dedicates an editorial to Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ milquetoast call for less-huge defense spending, but can only muster dissembling and throat-clearing. The Times mentions the “feeding frenzy at the Pentagon budget trough” since 9/11.  It notes that defense spending has roughly doubled in the last decade.  It admits that the recent QDR “failed to start making the hard choices” about defense spending. But there’s almost nothing of substance in the Times editorial about what the United States should be doing to its military budget.  Nonsensically, it argues that as the U.S. gets out of Iraq and Afghanistan, &#... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3569789 Mon, 17 May 2010 15:18:10 +0100 3569789 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3408364&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fsrr9nu0Bzcc%2F By Christopher PrebleSecretary Gates’s new guidelines for “don’t ask, don’t tell” are consistent with the Obama administration’s plan to alter—and eventually reverse—the misguided policy. Both the guidelines and their ultimate goal deserve broad public support. In the nearly 17 years since it was enacted, DADT has impeded military effectiveness by prohibiting motivated and well-qualified individuals from serving their country. A new generation of military leaders, both officers and enlisted, has seen the harm and injustice done by this policy, and is ready for change. As this cohort advances through the ranks, and as an earlier generation that was not willing to change retires from service, we should anticipate a relatively smooth transition to a pol... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3408364 Thu, 25 Mar 2010 17:51:43 +0100 3408364 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3378732&cid=t_156970_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fj_XwUiio9VA%2F The move is designed to jumpstart testing and approval of new regimens for so-called drug cocktails to combat tuberculosis, AIDS and cancer. The guidelines would apply only to drugs for life-threatening illnesses for which options don’t already exist, and that drug cocktails are believed necessary. Among those involved: the Critical Path to TB Regimens, which includes Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline and a unit of Johnson & Johnson; Global Alliance for TB Drug Development, the Critical Path Institute and Treatment Action Group, as well as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The companies have agreed to share data and test combo treatments. “This represents a bigger issue - the strengthening of regulatory science” to encompass scientific advances,... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3378732 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:10:42 +0100 3378732 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3346447&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FWSFHS9C0PS8%2F By Christopher PreblePaul Starobin at the National Journal’s Security Experts Blog has kicked off a spirited debate surrounding Europe’s military capabilities (or lack thereof). The jumping off point in the discussion is Robert Gates’s speech to NATO officers last month, in which Gates lamented that: “The demilitarization of Europe — where large swaths of the general public and political class are averse to military force and the risks that go with it — has gone from a blessing in the 20th century to an impediment to achieving real security and lasting peace in the 21st.” [Justin Logan blogged about this here.] Starobin asks: “Can America Count On Europe Anymore?” Is Gates right? What exactly does “the demilitarization of Europe&#... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3346447 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:23:24 +0100 3346447 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3306824&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FpSMkhNR6qiA%2F By Justin LoganYesterday Defense Secretary Bob Gates complained that European defense spending is too low: The demilitarization of Europe — where large swaths of the general public and political class are averse to military force and the risks that go with it — has gone from a blessing in the 20th century to an impediment to achieving real security and lasting peace in the 21st. If Gates is really upset about this, he should blame his predecessors.  The United States has played an active role in stifling European defense, and is now reaping what it has sown.  As Alex Massie points out, American opposition to anything that would “duplicate, decouple from, or discriminate against” NATO meant that anything the Europeans decided to do would have to be kept within the context ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3306824 Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:15:40 +0100 3306824 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3235825&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FFpPteqLeVJ4%2F By Justin Logan“If the Department of Defense can’t figure out a way to defend the United States on a budget of more than half a trillion dollars a year, then our problems are much bigger than anything that can be cured by buying a few more ships and planes.” - Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Speech to Economic Club of Chicago, July 16, 2009 “The situation out there in the world doesn’t change and the world is getting more dangerous rather than less so.  The Defense Department certainly spends a lot of money but if you look at where the Defense Department is today it certainly is within historical norms.” - Defense Secretary Robert Gates, responding to suggestions that his new $741 billion budget should be cut, February 2, 2010 (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3235825 Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:40:15 +0100 3235825 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3096855&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2Fbcq6qZOsmlU%2F The following guest post by Susan Crowley, President of Multilateral Consulting, LLC, is part of Disruptive Women’s “The Value of Health: Creating Economic Security in the Developing World” series. By any measure, giving programs directed at developing countries by research-based pharmaceutical companies are the most generous of any industry. The Geneva-based International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), whose methodology and data presented in its most recent “Partnerships Report” were validated by the London School of Economics, reported $6.7 billion in giving. The 2009 “Index on Global Philanthropy,” published by the Hudson Institute, provides a measure of global private giving and, once again, demonstrates that private flows... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3096855 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:23:47 +0100 3096855 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3026659&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FyvRnYcRIEus%2F Two weeks ago in Defense News, I argued that America’s alliances are growing increasingly detached from American security interests.  With reference to Defense Secretary Bob Gates’ visit to the newly-minted government in Japan, I wrote that after imploring [new Japanese PM Yukio] Hatoyama to continue Japan’s minuscule contribution to the war in Afghanistan and not to reconsider the deal to realign U.S. forces in Japan, Gates was asked whether the U.S. military role in Japan might be scaled back. Offering the obligatory reference to the countries’ “shared interest” in regional security, Gates admitted that “the primary purpose of our alliance from a military standpoint is to provide for the security of Japan … It allows Japan to have a defense bu... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3026659 Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:42:37 +0100 3026659 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2886517&cid=t_156970_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F10%2F13%2Fthe-situation-of-racial-profiling%2F Bernard E. Harcourt recently posted his intriguing paper, titled “Henry Louis Gates and Racial Profiling: What’s the Problem?” on SSRN.  Here’s the abstract. * * * A string of recent studies has documented significant racial disparities in police stops, searches, and arrests across the country. The issue of racial profiling, however, did not receive national attention until the arrest of Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., at his home in Cambridge. This raises three questions: First, did Sergeant Crowley engage in racial profiling when he arrested Professor Gates? Second, why does it take the wrongful arrest of a respected member of an elite community to focus the attention of the country? Third, why is racial profiling so pervasive in American policing? The answers ... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2886517 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 05:18:28 +0100 2886517 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2778394&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FcIe63u8Z0B4%2F I’ll confess one of the arguments that I’ve never understood is the claim that the U.S. “abandoned” Afghanistan after aiding the Mujahadeen in the latter’s battle against the Soviet Union.  Yet Secretary of Defense Robert Gates apparently is the latest proponent of this view. Reports the Washington Post: Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said in an interview broadcast this week that the United States would not repeat the mistake of abandoning Afghanistan, vowing that “both Afghanistan and Pakistan can count on us for the long term.” Just what does he believe we should have done?  Obviously, the Afghans didn’t want us to try to govern them.  Any attempt to impose a regime on them through Kabul would have met the same resistance that defea... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2778394 Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:39:15 +0100 2778394 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2663978&cid=t_156970_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F03%2Fhes-a-banana-eating-monkey-but-im-not-a-racist%2F Whatever may have been the payoffs of the recent discussion between Harvard University Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Cambridge police Sergeant James Crowley, Vice President Biden, and President Obama, the teachable moments unfortunately continue.  Last week, Crowley’s colleague, Officer Paul Barrett wrote an e-mail responding to a Boston Globe columnist this way: “If I was the officer he verbally assaulted like a banana eating jungle monkey, I would have sprayed him in the face with OC [pepper spray] deserving of his belligerent non-compliance.” Crowley summed up his old-school rant as follows: “Gates is a goddamned fool and you the article writer simply a poor follower and maybe worse, a poor writer. Your article title should read CONDUCT UNBECOMING A JUNGLE ... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2663978 Mon, 03 Aug 2009 04:01:58 +0100 2663978 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2657777&cid=t_156970_125_f&fid=34819&url=http%3A%2F%2Fflapsblog.com%2F2009%2F07%2F30%2Fale-to-the-chief-obamas-beer-summit%2F Don’t Obama and Biden have anything MORE important to do? Like putting people back to work? But, Noooooo – Obama makes a stupid remark about cops being stupid about African American Harvard Professor Henry Skip Gates and it is beer summit time at the White House. Political cartoon by Michael Ramirez Obama is indeed a rookie. And, an increasingly unpopular one at that. This one incident may just taint Obama’s entire Presidency. Technorati Tags: Barack Obama, Henry Gates Bookmark/Search this post with: (Source: FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog) FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2657777 Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:58:23 +0100 2657777 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2469431&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F36kbou6JIWc%2F Maybe you have wondered, is it possible to get an op-ed published in the Washington Post advocating increased US defense spending without any mention of the enemies the defense budget is meant to defend us against or the wars we might fight with them?  Yes! Michael O’Hanlon proves it. He says: 1. The Pentagon needs two percent annual growth above inflation to maintain its current plans. 2. Therefore the zero percent real growth the Obama administration plans for the next five years is unwise and we need to add $150 billion over that period. The first part is reasonable, but why should the Pentagon maintain all its current programs? O’Hanlon doesn’t say. What the article amounts to is an argument for higher defense spending because defense spending is expensive. That... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2469431 Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:09:56 +0100 2469431 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2452462&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F06%2Fbing-or-google-blair-witch-project.html BINGLast year, I moved from a PC to an iMac, finally getting Bill Gates and the appalling Vista out of my life. It was the best computer move I have ever made. I have not had a single computer crash in over eight months. Not one. I am not a computer geek and so, for me, this was great news. BING is from Bill Gates and so I approached it with trepidation. I like it. Maybe I have just become complacent about the general excellence of Google. Maybe I am tired of that same old display. BING seems to do it all better. I spend a lot of time looking for news information, pictures and vidoes on politicians who work in health care. So try the Patricia Hewitt test. (It's all right, don't worry children, she is not coming back). I put "Patrica Hewitt" into BING and then into Google and searched fo... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2452462 Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:47:00 +0100 2452462 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405173&cid=t_156970_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsandnsurf.medbrains.net%2F2009%2F05%2Fusing-the-brainstem-2%2F Even more scenarios designed to test drive Gates’ Brainstem Rules of 4 (helpful figures here): Scenario 5 You are examining a patient with sudden onset right-sided weakness. These are your clinical examination findings: weakness of the right face, upper and lower limbs. failure of abduction of the left eye. loss of vibration and proprioception in the right upper and lower [...] (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405173 Wed, 13 May 2009 21:00:23 +0100 2405173 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405042&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FeOWIO4B9lUg%2F Fred Kaplan and the New York Times say that the decision to replace General David McKiernan with Lt. General Stan McChrystal as the principle US commander in Afghanistan is another step in the COINification of the Pentagon under Robert Gates. They say we’ve replaced a conventional warfare guy with an unconventional warfare guy. That’s too simple. McChrystal is known for his mastery of the sharp or kinetic end of the counterinsurgency mission. The command he headed from 2003 to 2008 – Joint Special Operations Command — is essentially the operational component of Special Operations Command, which has really become a fifth service. JSOC organizes special operations missions in war zones.  According to many officers, JSOC has also become enraptured with direct a... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405042 Wed, 13 May 2009 12:40:20 +0100 2405042 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405174&cid=t_156970_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsandnsurf.medbrains.net%2F2009%2F05%2Fhelpful-brainstem-figures%2F References Gates, P. The rule of 4 of the brainstem: a simplified method for understanding brainstem anatomy and brainstem vascular syndromes for the non-neurologist. Internal Medicine Journal 2005; 35: 263-266 [pubmed] Goldberg, S. Clinical Neuroanatomy Made Ridiculously Simple. MedMaster Series, 2000 Edition. [betterworldbooks] ‘Life in the Fast Lane’ links Brainstem Rules of 4 Helpful Brainstem Figures Using the Brainstem 1 [...] (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405174 Tue, 12 May 2009 21:00:55 +0100 2405174 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405175&cid=t_156970_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsandnsurf.medbrains.net%2F2009%2F05%2Fusing-the-brainstem-1%2F As promised here are some scenarios to try out Gates’ Brainstem Rules of 4 (helpful figures here): Scenario 1 You are examining a patient with sudden onset left-sided weakness. These are your clinical examination findings: weakness of the left upper and lower limbs, with sparing of the face. tongue deviation to the right, with no ophthalmoplegia. loss of vibration and [...] (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405175 Tue, 12 May 2009 20:59:15 +0100 2405175 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405176&cid=t_156970_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsandnsurf.medbrains.net%2F2009%2F05%2Fbrainstem-rules-of-4%2F Hands up who enjoyed learning the anatomy of the brainstem in medical school? Hmm, thought so. Cross-sections of the brainstem. A. Rostral midbrain, B. caudal midbrain, C. Pons, D. Rostral medulla, E. Caudal medulla. A= nucleus ambiguus, ML= medial lemniscus, S= nucleus solitarius, SC= Spinothalamic tract, numbers 3-12 refer to cranial nerves. (From Stephen Goldberg’s wondrous book [...] (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405176 Sun, 10 May 2009 21:00:55 +0100 2405176 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2380731&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F6mnqDu-jDMo%2F God hates the sin but loves the sinner, we are told.  Americans have a similar attitude towards credit cards.  They love the cards but hate the card issuers. Naturally, President Barack Obama has picked up on this sentiment and wants the credit card companies to be “fair.”  Reports the Washington Post: The Obama administration yesterday called for an end to unfair credit card industry practices such as retroactive interest rate increases for any reason, late-fee traps that penalize borrowers with weekend or middle-of-the-day deadlines and teaser rates that last less than six months. In a written statement released by the Treasury Department, the administration outlined practices it would like Congress to reform as it considers two bills that would crack down on the industry... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2380731 Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:36:49 +0100 2380731 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2353749&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FJwXg0e7VWAE%2F Here are a few highlights from Cato Today, a daily email from the Cato Institute. You can subscribe, here. “Bright Lines and Bailouts: To Bail or Not To Bail, That Is the Question”: Vern McKinley and Gary Gegenheimer have a new Policy Analysis that discusses the failure of bank bailouts. In a new piece at National Interest (Online), Doug Bandow offers a new strategy for dealing with Kim Jong Il. Nat Hentoff reports on Obama’s broken promises of transparency in the Washington Times. Make no mistake: “Of course it was torture,” says Gene Healy in this week’s Examiner column. In Tuesday’s Cato Daily Podcast, foreign policy analyst Benjamin Friedman discusses the record of Defense Secretary Robert Gates under Obama. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2353749 Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:49:53 +0100 2353749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2210671&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=35060&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthnewsblog.com%2Fcgi-bin%2Fhnblog.pl%3Fhnblog%3D205091 Bill Gates released a bunch of mosquitoes on the unsuspecting audience at the Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) Conference. Gates was trying to demonstrate how easily malaria is spread. The mosquitoes Gates released did not carry the disease. "Malaria is spread by mosquitoes," Gates said while opening a jar onstage at a gathering known to attract technology kings, politicians, and Hollywood stars. "I brought some. Here I'll let them roam around. There is no reason only poor people should be infected." Gates waited a minute or so before assuring the audience the liberated insects were malaria-free. TED curator Chris Anderson fired back at the legendary computer software maker, joking that the headline for the video of his talk to be posted online at Ted.com would be "Gates releas... HealthNewsBlog.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2210671 Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:00:00 +0100 2210671 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2021293&cid=t_156970_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclinicalit.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F12%2Fgates-foundation-to-fund-global.html The American Medical Informatics Association will announce Monday that it has received a $1.2 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to promote health informatics and biomedical education and training worldwide, particularly in developing countries.This will be the first project of a new program called 20/20, in which the International Medical Informatics Association and its regional affiliates, including AMIA, will attempt to train 20,000 informatics professionals globally by 2020. This is an outgrowth of the AMIA 10x10 program to train 10,000 people in informatics in the U.S. by 2010. IMIA and its partners will discuss details of 20/20 this week at the Wellcome Trust in London.AMIA will use the Gates Foundation money to develop "scaleable" approaches to e-health educati... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2021293 Mon, 08 Dec 2008 05:40:00 +0100 2021293 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1964131&cid=t_156970_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2Fyb6yxO-6Qo0%2F According to the November 15th Slate, Barack Obama needs to choose a cabinet of really smart genius types—that is, with those who are “brilliant—albeit prickly, semi-autistic, and egomaniacal—thinkers”: The issue starts at the Treasury Department, where the best choice would be former Clinton Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers. Summers is the outstanding international economist of his generation, someone whose brilliance is immediately evident in any conversation. ……………. Summers can also be arrogant and politically incorrect. He sometimes does a poor job hiding his contempt for lesser intellects and loves to play the intellectual provocateur. Socially, he can be a bit autistic. But these are the defects of a superior mind, and they are a... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1964131 Sun, 16 Nov 2008 09:08:22 +0100 1964131 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1955507&cid=t_156970_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F449466213%2F Nice to you see again, too. A nippy start here on the Pharmalot corporate campus, where the heat seems to be missing in action. Nonetheless, we must persevere as we transport the short people to their schoolhouses. Meanwhile, we have found a few items that may generate some heat of their own… Indiana Woman Sues Pfizer Over PCB Contamination (The Tribune-Star) Celgene Stem Cell Therapy Gets FDA OK For Human Trials (Reuters) Merck/J&J Recall Infant Gas Drops (Bloomberg News) New Zealand Court Tells AstraZeneca To Comply With Inquiry (news3) Glaxo, XenoPort Yank Restless Leg Drug Application (Associated Press) Large Malaria Trial To Begin In Africa (Associated Press) (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1955507 Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:05:02 +0100 1955507 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1686429&cid=t_156970_151_f&fid=35823&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FAddictionInbox%2F%7E3%2F357655423%2Fgates-bloomberg-target-cigarettes.html Billionaires pledge $500 million, but will it do any good?If money were all it took, tobacco smoking would be on the run after Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg jointly pledged last month to fight tobacco use worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries, through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Johns Hopkins University.Mayor Bloomberg, who has been involved in anti-smoking campaigns for years, admitted at a joint news conference that "all the money in the world will never eradicate tobacco. But this partnership underscores how much the tide is turning against this deadly epidemic."The program, put together by Bloomberg and Dr. Margaret Chan of the World Health Organization (WHO), is an ambitious, multi-faceted effort to be coordinated by the Bloomberg Initiative to Red... Addiction Inbox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1686429 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:41:00 +0100 1686429 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1554428&cid=t_156970_109_f&fid=34788&url=http%3A%2F%2Firvingpsychiatrist.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F06%2Fbill-gates-made-billions-and-brief-and.html Bill Gates made billions and brief and engaging transition remarks. (Source: a psychiatrist who learned from veterans) a psychiatrist who learned from veterans blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1554428 Sun, 29 Jun 2008 23:15:00 +0100 1554428 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1531703&cid=t_156970_150_f&fid=35779&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pharmamanufacturing.com%2Fonpharma%2F%3Fp%3D2111 On Tuesday afternoon, a panel discussed ways in which corporations might be able to stimulate the development of more therapies for serious diseases—-the world’s top killers such as malaria. The topic is one that I’m very interested, but, unfortunately, I arrived late and missed much of the discussion. Genzyme has been doing some pioneering work with [...] (Source: On Pharma) On Pharma blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1531703 Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:49:31 +0100 1531703 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1397683&cid=t_156970_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2F277364755%2F Last evening, I had a chance to attend an interesing panel discussion on The Personal Genome. The Symposium featured Eric Lander, George Church, Leena Peltonen and Bill Gates and was moderated by Maynard Olson. My take away from the discussion, which was fueled by questions submitted by the audience and via the web, was that there is so much uncertainty at this time. We know so much, yet so little. At some level, we do not understand the implications of what we know, ethical and medical, at the same time, we underestimate the ability of our own genetics to withstand changes. Perhaps one of the things that jumped out at me was the general popular bbelief (which is hardly surprising) that it is a gene or a few genes that can be altered or fixed to address a “problem”. We’r... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1397683 Fri, 25 Apr 2008 03:36:19 +0100 1397683 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1379434&cid=t_156970_132_f&fid=35011&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fmndoci%2F%7E3%2F272192025%2F Cameron has written a wonderful post about a Science Exchange, distilling a varied set of thoughts, including one by Shirley. It’s clear there are problems and that we need a new system. I also feel that our future doesn’t lie just with government funding, but increasingly with institutions like the Gates Foundation, or Google.org. Perhaps such an exchange can be funded by a combination of micro-funding and “investors”, who, in essence are enabling the future. If one can layer something like iBridge Network on top of that, that would be even better That said, I would not mind seeing the scientific equivalent (or equivalents) of Stackoverflow for starters. We need that too. Technorati Tags: Microfunding, Science Exchange, Collaboration ShareThis (Source: business... business|bytes|genes|molecules blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1379434 Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:11:07 +0100 1379434 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1352770&cid=t_156970_158_f&fid=36160&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.popeinstitute.com%2Fcaregivingminutes%2F%3Fp%3D59 Earlier this week I had the opportunity to participate in the Microsoft Vision to Venture Event for Women Entrepreneurs here in St. Louis. My sincere thanks to Microsoft for supporting women entrepreneurs. It was a pleasure to meet other supportive and energetic business women. I also enjoyed participating as a panelist and was honored to share my personal start-up story and field questions from other business women. Every business owner has a startup story. As I networked with other women, it made me think about how each of us face individual yet similar challenges while trying to grow our businesses. Friends who don’t get the vision. Parents who think the college degree in English Lit is wasted in a pet grooming business. A spouse who thinks a “9 to 5” is the key to a comfortab... CaregivingMinutes™ by Pope Institute blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1352770 Sat, 05 Apr 2008 18:36:26 +0100 1352770 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1280786&cid=t_156970_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F246252110%2F There’s talk about curing and preventing autism, but is this really possible? Is it where all the funds raised in the name of “autism research” should be directed? What about focusing on helping those who already have autism—on autistic persons now and today? Compare a recent discussion about eradicating malaria. Maybe eradiction isn’t the right aim to direct research efforts towards, experts about the disease note in an article in the March 4th New York Times. Are scientists feeling they have to talk about “eradicating” malaria—which Bill and Melinda Gates called for last year—-although funds might be rather spent in keeping numbers down and managing the disease? Dr. Arata Kochi, the W.H.O. malaria chief, went further than other skepti... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1280786 Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:44:07 +0100 1280786 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1275982&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F03%2Fits-goodbye-to-bill-gates.html After much thought and a casual visit to an Apple store, I have finally said goodbye to Bill Gates and let Jonathan Ive into my life. It was not difficult. My ageing PC was clunk-clicking. It was time for an upgrade. The Apple stores are the acme of modern retailing, full of people enjoying themselves. There must have been about £50k's worth of kit out for people to play on. No "please don't touch" here.  I thought the store was just a front end for the Apple mail order operation, so having chatted with a helpful assistant, and about to leave, I said "A shame you don't actually have them in stock here" Half an hour later, I was lugging a large box to the car. The 24 inch iMac screen is preposterously, extravagantly, beautifully large. I plugged it in and switched it on and less than a... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1275982 Mon, 03 Mar 2008 23:32:00 +0100 1275982 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1239283&cid=t_156970_87_f&fid=35052&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWomensBioethicsBlog%2F%7E3%2F237102192%2Fscience-money-influence.html According to the NYT, a memo critical of the role of the Gates Foundation's increasing role in global health research and policy was recently released to the media. The World Health Organization's... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] (Source: Women's Bioethics Blog) Women's Bioethics Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1239283 Mon, 18 Feb 2008 18:13:49 +0100 1239283 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1034968&cid=t_156970_113_f&fid=36670&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fmsdn%2Fhealthblog%2F%7E3%2F184363131%2Fneeded-a-few-more-instigators-for-the-healthcare-internet-revolution.aspx Yesterday in Las Vegas, I had the pleasure of delivering a keynote luncheon address at the 11th Annual Healthcare Internet Conference.  I say pleasure because the audience consisted of the very folks needed to drive and innovate new web services and care delivery models in healthcare.  These were marketing VPs, senior healthcare strategists, physician executives, CEO's, IT executives and web developers. Sadly, I must say that we still have a long way to go in realizing the kind of Internet revolution in healthcare that Bill Gates evangelized in his October 5th, 2007, Wall Street Journal editorial.  I've been following how healthcare is using the Net for perhaps a dozen years or more.  During my keynotes I frequently show a slide o... HealthBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1034968 Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:29:00 +0100 1034968 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1034969&cid=t_156970_113_f&fid=36670&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fmsdn%2Fhealthblog%2F%7E5%2F184363134%2FDownload.asp I'm writing this from Philadelphia where this evening I'll be presenting at the 2007 International Freddie Awards.  The awards ceremony honors the very best in health and medical media (television, film and video) from around the globe.  It is always a star-studded event and a chance to see many of my colleagues from the medical broadcasting and health reporting community.  From here, I travel to Las Vegas to keynote on Monday at the 11th Annual Healthcare Internet Conference at the Venetian Hotel. After attending the Freddies last year I wrote a piece on digital media and how personal computing has changed the landscape of television and radio.  Today, anyone can create and distribute programming thanks to the personal PC and the Internet.&nbsp... HealthBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1034969 Fri, 02 Nov 2007 16:47:00 +0100 1034969 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=966550&cid=t_156970_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F167009901%2F The Aspen Health Forum gathered an impressive group of around 250 people to discuss the most pressing issues in Health and Medical Science (check out the Program and the Speakers bios), on October 3-6th. It was the first conference, by the way, where I have heard a speaker say: "I resuscitated a woman yesterday". Key highlights and trends: 1- Global health problems require the attention of the scientific community. Richard Klausner encouraged the scientific community to focus on Global Problems: maternal mortality rates, HIV/ AIDS, nutrition, cancer, clean water.  Bill Frist, former Senate Majority Leader, added to that list the increasing epidemic risks of global zootic diseases (transmitted between humans and animals), supported by 2 interesting data points: at any ... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=966550 Mon, 08 Oct 2007 16:09:01 +0100 966550 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=915414&cid=t_156970_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F163271037%2F Finished the chores? Curling up with a cup of coffee? Trying to relax? Then the time has come to catch up on events. Here are a few items to enjoy before you head off to pick some apples or talk a walk in the park… Drugmakers often complain their good deeds go unnoticed, or worse. So Time magazine has run a piece about Merck’s efforts to provide HIV meds in Botswana. The drugmaker wins praise from its partner, the government and Gates Foundation, although the mag doesn’t bother to ask one of the NGOs, or non-governmental organizations, for a quick comment. Novartis ceo Dan Vasella, who has felt the sting of rejected drugs more than once lately, complains that the FDA has become politicized. “The FDA has become subject to politics. If they are assailed like they are ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=915414 Sun, 30 Sep 2007 17:02:19 +0100 915414 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=828195&cid=t_156970_134_f&fid=35137&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdiabetesupdate.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F08%2Fif-bill-gates-got-diabetes.html This study is particularly important. Despite the fact that a whole series of short term dietary studies have established the superiority of low carb dieting for people with diabetes, every single review of their data concludes "caution is required as we still do not know the long term effects of this diet" and then goes on to suggest they are probably bad. This study would answer that. Both these studies would cost a lot of money because they would require large populations to be followed for many years. But "a lot of money" when you are discussing medical studies is something like $30M over ten years, which is lunch money for Microsoft Bill. For now, this is our only hope of seeing ANY research that doesn't "prove" that oral drug A makes a tiny but not clinically significant (as opposed ... Diabetes Update blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=828195 Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:53:00 +0100 828195 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=674494&cid=t_156970_125_f&fid=34819&url=http%3A%2F%2Fflapsblog.com%2F%3Fp%3D5118 U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates speaks with the media after a meeting with the Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, not shown, at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Friday June 15, 2007. Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ assertion that the Bush administration will not replace its plan for a missile defense system in Eastern Europe with Russia’s counterproposal [...] (Source: FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog) FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=674494 Sun, 17 Jun 2007 09:23:40 +0100 674494 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=651197&cid=t_156970_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F121198820%2F Sometime in March, something clicked and Charlie, after years of hand-over-hand prompting and getting nowhere efforts, learned to use the computer mouse. While I acknowledge that, even in this 21st century day and age, life goes on without the computer (these two gentlemen’s companies to the contrary), Charlie’s recently acquired ability to point ‘n’ click has made it possible to consider more and new ways to help him learn to read, comminicate (via typing, one hopes), and much more. Two years ago, we purchased a touchscreen and Charlie had some very occasional successful moments of pointing and dragging (it was particularly difficult for him to figure out the right amount of pressure with which to press on the screen). He has now been beating the clock while doing ... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=651197 Thu, 31 May 2007 21:30:10 +0100 651197 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=564073&cid=t_156970_125_f&fid=34819&url=http%3A%2F%2Fflapsblog.com%2F%3Fp%3D4814 Defense Secretary Robert Gates (L) smiles during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow’s Kremlin April 23, 2007. US, Russia clash over missile shield for Europe Russia rebuffed Monday an attempt by US Defence Secretary Robert Gates to soften opposition to Washington’s plan for a missile defence shield in Europe, saying it threatens global security. Defence [...] (Source: FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog) FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=564073 Tue, 24 Apr 2007 01:56:05 +0100 564073