Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Welcome All Hugh Hewitt Readers

Welcome all Hugh Hewitt Readers:

The Fullosseousflap's Dental Blog is in the process of moving to:

http://flapsblog.com

See you there!

Flap

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Workplace Dating - Dangerous Liasons - Kyung Lah



Flap previously covered the firing of Los Angeles television KNBC reporter, Kyung Lah. Read the updated story here.

Now, there is a column by Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-times that discusses Kyung's demise and the phenomenon of risky workplace dating behavior. Interesting enough Kyung Lah was a television reporter in Chicago before leaving for Los Angeles. The story is found here:



...Of course, take any workplace of more than a dozen people, and it's a virtual certainty that somebody there has been involved or is involved with somebody else.

A dozen? Check that. You could put three people in an office, and there's a decent chance that two of them will end up having an affair, and the third one will be bummed because he won't have anyone with whom to gossip about it.

Everyone knows it's a dicey situation when co-workers get together, even in those rare instances where their employment status is absolutely equal and there's zero chance the relationship will impact their production or anyone else's.

But it happens -- and if you think it's nobody's business, you haven't been paying attention to recent headlines. These days, you can get fired for having an affair. You can also get fired if you know about an affair and you don't report it to management -- or if you allegedly rat out your colleagues for supposedly fooling around.

We'll get to that last one in a moment. First, the soap opera last month at a Los Angeles TV station that resulted in two producers and a reporter losing their jobs. Former CBS-2 reporter Kyung Lah was working for KNBC-TV and reportedly was having an affair with her field producer, Jeff Soto. Both are married. According to the stories I read, the two were fired not because the affair had led to any on-air or behind-the-scenes problems, but just because they were having an affair and the station considers that "gross misconduct." The producer of KNBC-TV's 11 p.m. newscast also was fired, reportedly because he knew about the affair and didn't inform upper management.

Put yourself in that latter producer's position. Either you tell management about the affair, or you risk losing your job. Hardly seems fair.

And as you'll recall, earlier this year, Boeing President and CEO Harry Stonecipher was asked to resign because he had a "personal relationship ... [with] a female executive of the company who did not report directly to him," as the company said in a statement...


Roeper's take on the story is that people are inclined to this behavior so why punish the Perps or the folks covering up the dangerous affairs.

The story goes beyond individual responsibility and social mores. Corporate America expects and demands certain behavior for the efficient execution of commerce and markets. Corporate mores have seemed to superceded plain old morality.

Go figure.

Source blog: Fullosseousflap's Dental Blog http://flapsblog.com

Sunday, April 24, 2005

Day By Day by Chris Muir

Joe Biden - Frequent Flyer


Photo courtesy Sen. Joe Biden
AFGHANISTAN: Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., visited there in January 2002, not long after the fall of the Taliban.


With all of the discussion of House Majority Leader Tom Delay's ethics and his travel schedule comes this story out of Delaware about Senator Joe Biden:

....From 2000-2004, Delaware's congressional trio of Biden, Carper and Castle have taken hundreds of trips, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to House and Senate records examined by The News Journal. The trips range from official taxpayer-funded fact-finding missions into war zones, to privately funded trips for speaking engagements or seminars at luxury resorts.

In 2004, for instance, Biden took 16 privately funded trips, worth a total of $48,482. Carper took five paid trips, for a total of $7,740. And Castle took just one, which cost $4,088...

...Biden has the highest travel profile in the delegation, in part because he is in demand as a guest on television news programs like "Meet the Press." More than half of the privately funded trips he's taken in the past five years were paid for by news organizations...

...Last September, Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism examined more than 4,800 trips that members of Congress had taken at private expense from 2000-2004. The study ranked members according to the number of trips taken, and the amount of travel money accepted from business groups, think tanks and other organizations.

As of September 2004, Medill ranked Biden 26th out of 582 members of Congress, with 48 trips in four years, worth a total of $90,906. Castle, who took fewer trips, but visited expensive destinations, ranked 41st in Congress with 16 trips valued at $69,671. Carper took 11 trips, at a cost of $10,402 to private interests, ranking him 356th out of 582 members.

Biden racked up the largest single-trip tab of the three Delaware politicians: the investment firm Forstmann, Little & Co. paid $17,000 to send a private jet to deliver Biden to a four-day conference in Aspen, Colo., last September...


Ok, are we going to apply the conflict of interest rules fairly?

How is Biden's travel so different than Delay's?

Star Wars Episode 3 - Clip



Ok, I like Star Wars!

Here is a bootleg clip. I really think it was released by Lucas Films like the stills many weeks ago.

But, enjoy anyway.

Clinton Supports Blair and Labour Party



Former President Clinton puts in a campaign appearance (via satellite) for Prime Minister Tony Blair:

Former US president Bill Clinton rallied in support of Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour Party, urging British voters to turn out in force for a May 5 general election.

Appearing on a giant screen at a Labour Party meeting in London, the former Democrat leader warned that when a country has "a progressive government in power, our people get a little easily disillusioned."

"They don't like this policy or that policy. They sometimes fall into the trap of thinking it doesn't matter and there are no consequences."

"But if you believe that look at the difference in the US between now and four years ago," he said, in a reference to the election of President George W. Bush, a Republican, in the United States.

Clinton's remarks were made after Blair gave a speech outlining his party's ambition to combat poverty in the developing world.

In the fight against global poverty, Clinton argued that global leadership was key to making a real difference.

"We just need leadership and Tony Blair, (Chancellor of the Exchequer) Gordon Brown and New Labour are providing that leadership," he said.

"I'm just here to say thank you, amen and go get 'em," he concluded......


Meanwhile the White House has already weighed in:

Answering a question on whether Bush wanted Blair to be triumphant on May 5, White House spokesman Scott McClellan had said earlier this month that the issue would be "decided by the people in the United Kingdom".

"We don't tend to get involved in internal political matters," he said.

"But Prime Minister Blair has been a good friend of the president and a strong ally in the war on terrorism and we appreciate the partnership that we have with Prime Minister Blair and his government."

No matter who challenges Blair he would be safe. So, why not take support from both sides.....LOL.....

The real election battle will be to choose his successor.

Hugh Hewitt et al vs MSM (LA Press)

Hugh Hewitt and other bloggers will face off in a "Blogs and the Commentariat evening". The event will be held at the Los Angeles Press Club:

Meet Hugh Hewitt, author of "Blogs: Understanding the Information Reformation That's Changing Your World"

PRESENTED BY: The Los Angeles Press Club, Amy Alkon, Emmanuelle Richard, and Cathy Seipp

WHAT: A Blogs and the Commentariat evening, starring guest-of-honor Hugh Hewitt: author, radio host, constitutional law professor, blogger and opinion columnist (for the Weekly Standard's online site The Daily Standard.) Hugh will discuss his new book "Blogs: Understanding the Information Reformation That's Changing Your World," along with related topics such as bloggers vs. the mainstream media -- which means in particular of course, our own favorite mainstream media the Los Angeles Times.

PLUS: Special appearance by L.A. Times Sunday Opinion editor Bob Sipchen, who edits the Times-criticizing Outside the Tent feature, along with Outside the Tent contributors Mickey Kaus, Matt Welch and others to be announced.

WHEN: Tuesday, Apr. 26, 7-10 p.m. Short talk and Q&A session at 8:30 p.m.

LOCATION: The L.A. Athletic Club's main bar (3rd Floor), 431 W. 7th St. (7th & Olive) validated parking in the garage at 646 S. Olive St. (PLEASE NOTE: The L.A. Athletic Club has a dress code, "casual" for the main bar, but that still means no torn jeans, gym shorts, etc.) L.A. Athletic Club phone: (213) 625-2211. Cash bar, complimentary hot hors d'oeuvres. More info: laac.com.

SPECIAL THANKS TO: L.A. Athletic Club member Jim McCarthy of Gold Star Events who arranged this great location for us. More info: http://www.goldstarevents.com

RSVP: Mandatory. Contact info@lapressclub.org or 323-469-8180


Flap will be attending.

Looking forward to meeting other bloggers and MSM types at the event.

BTW: Hugh the one RSVP link (non-members of LA Press Club) on your site returned the e-mail Flap sent.

Ventura County Star Editorial: College District Must Be Open

The Ventura County Star (free reg. req.) has this editorial today on the Ventura County Community College District:

If Ventura County Community College District Chancellor James Meznek and the board of trustees truly want to foster mutual respect within the district and community, as they say they do, they need first to respect the public's right to know.

They need to make critical decisions about the colleges' future with as much input as possible from faculty, other employees, students and members of the public.

Respecting the public's right to be informed means not having a secret list of proposed cuts and their rationales, as was the case prior to the March 8 meeting of the college district board of trustees. It was at that meeting trustees voted to lay off 15 full- and part-time employees March 11 and another 117 by June 30 to close a $7.5 million shortfall over the next 14 months.

Fortunately, The Star was able to obtain and publish that list....


Chancellor Meznek everyone know who leaked the list - one of your Trustees or College Presidents.

If you want something to remain private keep it to yourself.

If it is a VCCCD personnel issue or litigation keep it in closed session and number your documents so they do not wander away to the VC Star.

Otherwise, public policy issues such as lay-offs due to budgetary short-falls and the elimination of instructional programs should be discussed in public and by the public - who by the way pays your salary.

Eagleburger on Bolton

Former Secretary of State Lawrence S. Eagleburger has this piece on United Nations ambassador designate John Bolton:

President Bush's nomination of John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations has generated a bad case of dyspepsia among a number of senators, who keep putting off a confirmation vote. That hesitation is now portrayed as a consequence of Bolton's purported "mistreatment" of several State Department intelligence analysts. But this is a smoke screen. The real reasons Bolton's opponents want to derail his nomination are his oft-repeated criticism of the United Nations and other international organizations, his rejection of the arguments of those who ignore or excuse the inexcusable (i.e., the election of Sudan to the U.N. Human Rights Commission) and his willingness to express himself with the bark off.

As to the charge that Bolton has been tough on subordinates, I can say only that in more than a decade of association with him in the State Department I never saw or heard anything to support such a charge. Nor do I see anything wrong with challenging intelligence analysts on their findings. They can, as recent history demonstrates, make mistakes. And they must be prepared to defend their findings under intense questioning. If John pushed too hard or dressed down subordinates, he deserves criticism, but it hardly merits a vote against confirmation when balanced against his many accomplishments....

These are but two examples of why I believe Bolton possesses the substantial qualifications necessary to be our ambassador to the United Nations. By now it should be obvious to all that the halcyon days when our advice was sought and our leadership welcomed because the security of others depended on the protection we gave are no more. I recognize that John's willingness to speak bluntly has raised questions. Perhaps there was a time when those concerns had merit -- but not now. Given what we all know about the current state of the United Nations, it's time we were represented by someone with the guts to demand reform and to see that whatever changes result are more than window dressing...

Enough Said.

Give him an up or down vote.

Remember President Bush won the election last November and he wants John Bolton.

Hear this well Republican Senators (the President will enforce Party Discipline!).

Root Canal Instrument Inventor Sentenced to 15 Years



Root canal apex locator inventor, Leonard Salesky, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the attempted murder of his estranged wife in her Evesham home more than two years ago.

Read the entire story here.

Here is the link to his patent.

Bear Flag League Round-Up Redux Part 1



Justene over at Calblog is completing a quite exhausting treatise on Bear Flag League Members:

Bear Flag Roundup Part 1

The league is large and doing things like filing an amicus brief (yes, I will keep mentioning it until you have all read it). Who are these league members? For those of you not watching the NFL draft, here's your roundup:

A is for Apple v. Does

Aaron has returned in Aaron's cc: I'll break the rules at the beginning and instead of sending you to one of Aaron's post, take a look at the third, THIRD, year of buy a gun day.

Over at Absinthe & Cookies, Ith is on vacation. You can still get cookies, though. Angela has posted this recipe for Blackberry Jam Bars. She says to cook at 400 degrees and watch for dark edges. I appear to be the only person in the country who cooks by smell. I can tell you if the food smells done, close, or burning and I am generally more accurate than the timer or looking at it.

There are baby pictures at Accidental Verbosity. I love baby pictures.

American Digest is on a ten-day hiatus and has left a list of posts worth reading from his archives. If your new to the League or just new to American Digest, this is a cornucopia of good stuff.

Annika has a good report on Pope Benedict's early burst of ecumenism.

B is for Bear Flag League

Baldilocks commisserates with Condi over her rusty Russian. Rusty Russian or not, it's tough to confuse Da and Nyet. Condi forgot it was a secret. She really is running for President (please, please, please).

Beautiful Atrocities has lots of good stuff. (Note to self. Read Beautiful Atrocities more often.) This post though best fits the blog title.

Beekeeper gets extra points for mentioning the NFL draft. For some of his analysis, though, check out this post on Sacramento Unified School District's latest move.

Below Street Level has been quiet for too long. He sneaks some good stuff in if you go looking.

Ben's Law explains taxes. Someone needs to do it.

Body Parts shares an interesting glimpse into his neighbor's life. There's not enough people-watching left in this world.

BoiFromTroy is my only source for news on the Mayoral election. What is that a picture of?

Bear Flag Roundup Part 2

C is for California

California Conservatives 4 Truth reports on the growing acceptance of bloggers.

New member California Mafia falls into a moment of panic. It can't be that bad.

At California Republic, Eric Hogue reports on the emptiness of the Democrats' rhetoric on education.

Caltech Girl gets mega-points for mentioning AND analyzing the NFL draft.

Enjoy the pride in Citizen Smash's post about his wife.

Cobb: Head over for conversation, stay for the comics.

Coffee with Cranky Beach has lots of good hiking photos, though they had trouble loading for me. This post is the most interesting observation of the bunch.

D is for Digger Causes Trouble

Da Goddess has a not-for-the-children joke.

David Brown is posting on Daily Pundit. I missed the memo. Show of hands -- how many of you had Dads like this?

You should have seen the email list this week. There was infighting, to put it mildly. On a number of topics. Some of it spilled over into the public eye. By the way, Digger is the cause because he jumped first. He wasn't the only one though. Even yours truly started arguing over who knows what.

Kasey is in charge of adding new League members. If it's been quiet lately, get a look at this list of reasons.

Reminding me that I'm old, Drink This blogs about people I have never heard of until she gets to 1959 and Buddy Holly.

Bear Flag Roundup Part 3

E is for the Eastern Half Of the Western Sandwich

e-Claire is on the story of the Minutemen and the ACLU observers. The Minutemen project is a good idea that I fear is doomed to end badly.

Education Wonks host the Carnival of Education. Thusfar, I have spared you my rants on education and the strain it places on me when the girls have to do a 35 page report on the entire Civil War. Go read intelligent posts instead.

F is for Fun

Faute de Mieux follows stories that the rest of the League doesn't pay that much attention to -- like the EU constitution.

Feste has lost inspiration. Perhaps a few visits and a few comments will help.

I is for Individualism

Like many folks, I ordered a couple of Cardinal Ratzinger's books from Amazon right after he was elected. Infinite Monkeys headed over to Barnes & Noble and found something that surprised me.

J is for Just Missed Him

I was supposed to have lunch with Jeff Doolittle a couple of weeks ago but blew him off to head to SF for a Fox News interview that got cut to about 20 seconds. I should have eaten lunch first. Jeff needs to post more entries like this one on poverty.

Politician Calls Out a Dentist Over NHS failures

Rhona Brankin really got her teeth into the election campaign this week.


Rhona Brankin accused the dentist of staging "a political stunt"


Here is an interesting story from the U.K. where a minister calls out a dentist for a Political Stunt. What did the dentist do? He limited his practice to non-National Health Service (NHS) patients or as they call it across the pond - went private.

The story goes on:

She's the deputy health minister who launched an astonishing attack on a dentist in Stranraer.

Rhona Brankin accused the dentist of staging "a political stunt"

She didn't actually bite Kenneth Barr but she stood up in parliament and said his behaviour was "appalling".

His decision to go private - and leave 3,000 patients without an NHS dentist - was "a political stunt", she said.

Mr Barr says he has been defamed and is consulting his lawyer.

All he's doing, he said, is giving patients the time necessary for quality treatment.

"There's been a steady erosion of funding in NHS dental services over the years," he told BBC Scotland.

We've become used to the SNP using question time to drop yet another embarrassing statistic on the first minister's head

"We are no longer able to maintain and indeed advance our high quality of service."

He is taking on 1,000 private patients and will continue only to treat children and special needs cases on the NHS.

Ms Brankin was furious and said: "It's not good enough for dentists to be able to train at the expense of the public purse, to build up an NHS list, to build up the trust and confidence of patients in Stranraer and then walk away."

The Scottish National Party's Roseanna Cunningham - convener of the health committee - was able to make the point that Mr Barr was doing what many dentists have been doing all over Scotland, because the fees paid by the NHS are too low.

Only 3% of Scotland's 3,700 dentists are expecting to increase their NHS work.

Ms Brankin told MSPs that dentists should stay loyal to the NHS. The executive is investing an extra £150m over the next three years in dental services.

There will be 200 more dentists trained, grants of up to £20,000 to help dentists set up in rural areas and "the biggest tooth brushing education programme in Europe".

Wow, they are doing a tooth brushing education programme! How about some dietary counseling and an anti-smoking campaign. How about some privitization of your miserable healthcare system?

Will these socialists ever get a clue?

Now, they resort to name calling.

Shame!

Day By Day by Chris Muir

U.S. Senate Hearings on Methamphetamine



On Thursday Dr. Nora D. Volkow, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse testified before the U. S. Senate Labor, HHS, and Education Subcommittee Hearing on Methamphetamine abuse.

Nora D. Volkow, M.D. is the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Before assuming this position on May 1, 2003, Dr. Volkow was Associate Director for Life Sciences at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Director of Nuclear Medicine at BNL, and Director of the NIDA-Department of Energy Regional Neuroimaging Center at BNL. She was also Professor at the Department of Psychiatry, State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook and Associate Dean for the Medical School at SUNY-Stony Brook. Dr. Volkow received her M.D. in 1981 from the National University of Mexico, in Mexico City, Mexico, and performed her residency in psychiatry at New York University.

Her main area of interest is the investigation of the mechanisms underlying the reinforcing, addictive, and toxic properties of drugs of abuse in the human brain. Dr Volkow was the first to use imaging to investigate the neurochemical changes in the human brain that occur during drug addiction. Her studies have documented a decrease in function of the dopamine system in addicted subjects that is associated with a disruption in function of frontal brain regions involved in motivation and drive. Her work has also focused on the investigation of the neurochemical mechanisms responsible for intersubject variability in response to drugs of abuse and its potential link to vulnerability to drug abuse and alcoholism.

Her testimony before the Committe is here:

Her conclusions:

In closing, I would like to say that as someone who has spent almost 25 years studying the effects of psychostimulants on the brain, I am particularly concerned about the methamphetamine problem in this country both because of its powerful addictive potential and because of its high toxicity. One of NIDA's most important goals is to translate what scientists learn from research to help the public better understand drug abuse and addiction and to develop more effective strategies for their prevention and treatment. NIDA has long supported research on methamphetamine, which is now paying off in the development of effective treatments, and it is critical that these treatments become more readily available to those who need them.

Hopefully, the Senate will take action to limit the availability of the chemical precursors that are used in Methamphetamine manufacture.

And the President must direct the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to enforce federal drug, import/export laws, and immigration laws to eradicate large Methamphetamine Labs operated by the Mexican Drug Cartels on American Soil.

Saturday, April 23, 2005

Blackberry Thumb



Boy! Am I glad I own a Treo.

Read about the newest trendy illness/injury (spelled Workman's Comp Attorney) here, here and here.

My thumb works fine.

Lay Off Our Judges

Ted Olson former Solicitor General of the United States has this biting, but learned commentary on our independent judiciary:

....We might start by getting a firm grip on the reality that our independent judiciary is the most respected branch of our government, and the envy of the world.....

...This is not to say that some judges don't render bad decisions. Arrogant and misguided jurists exist, just as such qualities may be found in the rest of the population, and our citizens and elected representatives are fully justified in speaking out in forceful disagreement with judges who substitute their personal values or private social instincts for sound jurisprudential principles. But the remedies for these aberrations consist of reasoned, even sharp, criticism, appeals to higher courts, and selection of candidates for judicial positions that respect limits on the roles of judges....

...No discussion of the judiciary should close without reference to the shambles that the Senate confirmation process has become. It does no good to speculate about how or when the disintegration began, which political interest has been the most culpable, or the point at which the appointment of judges became completely dysfunctional. That sort of debate is both endless and futile. The only hope for an end to the downward spiral is for the combatants to lay down their arms; stop using judicial appointments to excite special-interest constituencies and political fund-raising; move forward with votes on qualified, responsible and respected nominees so that those who have the support of a majority of the Senate can be confirmed, as contemplated by the Constitution; and remove the rancor and gamesmanship from the judicial selection process.

We expect dignity, wisdom, decency, civility, integrity and restraint from our judges. It is time to exercise those same characteristics in our dealings with, and commentary on, those same judges--from their appointment and confirmation, to their decision-making once they take office.


Hopefully, we will have some votes soon on the appeals court judges (Texas judge Priscilla Owen and California judge Janice Rogers Brown) voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committe last week.

I wonder if North Carolina judge Terrence W. Boyle, a former aide to retired Senator Jesse Helms, will ever get a hearing in the Judiciary Committee.

Come on Senators ...... vote yea or nay!

Berekeley Professor's Laptop Goes Missing

Did you hear about the UC Berkeley Professor who lost his laptop? La Shawn Barber has the story here:

Did you hear about the Berkely professor (Jasper Rine ) whose laptop was stolen, and he warned the crook that the feds would be looking for him? You can listen to the audio here and read the transcript here.

I’m not a techie (euphemism for nerd), but the warning sounded scary to me. One of Michelle Malkin’s readers thinks the professor is bluffing:

Interesting speech from Professor Rine. And a total bluff. I…have extensive knowledge of data communications, radio communications, radio signal tracking, computer security, and so forth. There are several things that Professor Rine stated that demonstrate that his story is false.

Laptops are stolen all the time, but I didn’t realize laptop stealing at Berkeley was so newsworthy.

Eccentric and absent-minded are the adjectives that come to my mind, Professor. Hope he does not lose any of the genetic code he so deftly manipulates. Heh!

Paul Martin Hardly Needs Another Scandel

Paul Martin has his hands full with the Adscam Scandel. But....... read this piece about his involvement with Maurice Strong and the United Nations.

Why is he sticking around?

Welcome BFL Members



Welcome Bear Flag League Members!

Tragic Story: Treat a Toothache Seriously

The New York Post has this tragic story of a toothache gone bad.

Please don't wait!

Bear Flag League Round-up



Justene over at Calblog is doing a round-up of the Bear flag League bloggers.

Check it out!

Junk Science: With Fluoride, Less Is Best, None Is Better

Flap runs across these junk science missives often on the internet:

Tooth decay declined substantially in prevalence and severity in all countries – whether or not fluoride chemicals get injected into water supplies. .

In fact, a world-wide scientific trend reveals, reducing fluoride, reduces cavities....

This is crap and ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE!

Here is a link to the real story.

Sheesh!

City of Thousand Oaks City Manager's Resignation Sparks In-fighting and Investigations



Flap previosuly reported on Phil Gatch's, City Manager of the City of Thousand Oaks, resignation and the FLAP that ensued.

At this Tuesday evening's Thousand Oaks City Council meeting the sparks flew and an investigation launched:

The controversy over the fate of the current Thousand Oaks city manager took a new turn during Tuesday’s city council meeting, dividing the council further.

Instead of resolving the issue in a closed session during the meeting, the council called for an investigation into whether or not state laws had been violated concerning the possibly coerced resignation of longtime city employee Phil Gatch.

According to letters obtained by the Thousand Oaks Acorn, Gatch, the city’s 64-year-old city manager, was pressured to resign by Councilmember Andy Fox on March 23.

When the action became public, residents protested, arguing that Gatch, a 38-year employee of the city credited with authoring the city’s general plan, deserved better. Many singled out Fox as the instigator, supported by council members Jacqui Irwin and Dennis Gillette.

"I don’t know Mr. Gatch but I know that what was done to him was wrong," said Linda Brown, who was among more than 20 speakers, including several former city leaders, who spoke on Gatch’s behalf during the council meeting. "Lower level workers can have no faith in higher ranks if they see this kind of treatment."

Mayor Claudia-Bill de la Pena requested that outside counsel be called in to review the circumstances surrounding what’s been called a forced resignation to ensure no impropriety. But Gillette balked at the idea of spending an unknown amount of money on an inquiry and criticized the mayor for wanting to single out specific council members.

City Attorney Amy Albano suggested that the district attorney would be the appropriate party to investigate possible violations of the Brown Act violations. The Brown Act is California’s open meetings law that requires government business to be conducted in the open. Elected officials are specifically forbidden to take action behind closed doors or outside the public forum. Albano suggested writing a letter to the D.A.’s office, but pointed out that the district attorney may already be looking into the issue.

"They don’t tell us when they do that," Albano said. "They read the papers. They know what’s going on."

Fox took the mayor’s idea further, calling for an investigation into possible violations of the Brown Act over the past two years—from the time Gatch was appointed to city manager.

"I welcome an investigation," Fox said. "I didn’t violate any state laws or rules."

Irwin echoed Fox, adding that closed session discussions on the issue that were revealed to the public were Brown Act violations and deserved further investigation.

Bill-de la Pena also wanted the inquiry to include possible violations of city code, but such an investigation must be conducted by an outside counsel, something that Fox, Irwin and Gillette voted down. Only Councilmember Ed Masry supported Bill-de la Pena’s motion.

Larry Horner, who served on the council for nearly 17 years, including four terms as mayor, agreed that an investigation would clear up rumors and offer a resolution. But he felt that rather than focusing on the past two years, the investigation should only address the current issue of Gatch’s employment.

"What’s past is past," Horner said. "This situation appears to be a power struggle or a personal conflict. It should have been handled in an entirely different way."

Albano will draft a letter on the council’s behalf to the D.A., she said.

Mayor Horner is correct that this matter should have been handled in a different manner. But, will the Linda Park's crowd, including other council candidate wannabes and amen chorus allow slow-growth advocate Gatch to slowly fade into the sunset?

The Ventura County Star (free registration required) now reports that now the City Council has agreed to hire outside counsel to negotiate the possible resignation of the City Manager:

Two days after the Thousand Oaks City Council voted unanimously to investigate itself, City Attorney Amy Albano said Thursday that the city has hired outside counsel to negotiate the possible resignation of the city manager.

The resignation letter of City Manager Phil Gatch has fueled accusations that the 38-year city employee was pressured to leave by Councilman Andy Fox. This week, the council agreed to ask the Ventura County District Attorney's Office or the state attorney general to investigate possible violations of the state's open meeting law.

Although the City Attorney's Office has the expertise to negotiate the terms of a possible resignation for Gatch, hiring an outside attorney is a good decision given the circumstances, Albano said.

"I believe the relationship between the council, the city manager and the city attorney, given everything that's going on, has become awkward," she said. "This was really done to lessen the awkwardness."

The city has hired Melanie Poturica, a managing partner for Los Angeles-based Liebert Cassidy Whitmore. The city will pay $250 an hour for her services.

On Tuesday, the council gave direction to Albano's office to contact the District Attorney's Office to seek an investigation.

Mayor Claudia Bill-de la Pena has contended that some council members might have violated the state's open meeting law based on conversations she had with Gatch, she said. Gatch told her he was pressured to resign by Fox, who apparently implied he had the three votes to fire him, she has said.

At Tuesday's meeting, Fox said he welcomed an investigation and said he believed that others, not him, might have violated the Brown Act.

It is unusual for a council to seek an investigation into itself, said Tom Harris, special assistant district attorney.

"It is my experience that it is relatively unusual for a city council to invite an investigation of this nature," he said. "However, I do recall Thousand Oaks is a city that has done it at least once in the past."

About three years ago, the District Attorney's Office investigated allegations of potential Brown Act violations among some planning commissioners. The office concluded there had been no violations.

Harris said he is unaware of any other city that has requested such an investigation in the eight years in his position.

He said the District Attorney's Office would consider the merits of a city's request just as it would any other request. As of Thursday, he had not received an official request from the city.

There was no Brown Act violation and the Mayor should allow Mr. Gatch to retire.

The Mayor and her supporters did not win majority control of the Council in November 2004. She and Councilman Masry are in the minority and the majority wants to replace Gatch - big deal - let him go. He has served the City well but a majority of the council wants a new manager with a new direction.

Flap cannot help but think that the Major is sore because she simply is not getting her own way and by creating a FLAP she hopes to discredit sitting councilmembers. In the process she is making herself appear as an ineffectual leader and denigrates city government.

She needs to remember the November 2006 council elections are long off and voters will little remember these machinations. In fact, most residents do not even know or care who the City Manager is.

So, Mayor gather a few more headlines and make your supporters feel good and then step out of the way and allow the City find a new manager.

Mike Williams Goes to Detroit

In the NFL Draft:

Mike Williams from USC is drafted by the Detroit Lions.

Some Electric toothbrushes Are More Effective Than Manual Brushing

Whenever I read some of these studies I always wonder who funds them. The latest missive in this subject comes from Peter Robinson of Sheffield University in Sheffield, England:
British researchers say some powered toothbrushes are better at removing plaque and reducing the risk of gum disease than are ordinary manual toothbrushes.

Peter Robinson of Sheffield University in Sheffield, England, and his colleagues, made the discovery in a study that has been published in the April issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research.

The kind of powered toothbrushes that demonstrate superior performance are those with circular bristle heads that rotate in alternating directions.
Ok, but is that what they are really saying?

Next, read this take on the same story. this one from ABC News:

The circling motion unique to certain power toothbrushes is better at sweeping away dental plaque than the traditional 'up-and-down' technique used with manual brushes.

That's according to a new review of 42 different studies, involving more than 3,800 participants, that found circle-motion electric toothbrushes outperformed simpler, hand-manipulated models.

The review's British authors found that over one to three months, powered toothbrushes with circular heads that rotate in alternating directions reduced plaque 11 percent better than manual toothbrushes and reduced signs of gum inflammation (gingivitis) 6 percent better than manual toothbrushes.

After more than three months of use, the powered toothbrushes reduced gingivitis 17 percent better than manual toothbrushes. The researchers found no evidence that powered toothbrushes of any kind caused more gum damage than manual toothbrushes.

They stressed that even though the powered toothbrushes provided better results, the benefits of regular brushing "occur whether the brush is manual or powered, and the results of this review do not indicate that tooth brushing is only worthwhile with a powered toothbrush."

"We did not want to say that electric brushes are necessary, just that they can help. It is possible to clean one's teeth perfectly well without an electric brush," review co-author Peter Robinson of Sheffield University said in a prepared statement.

Ionic brushes — which makers say reverse the polarity of teeth, improving cleaning — and powered toothbrushes that do not use a circular, alternating motion, were no better at removing plaque and gingivitis than manual toothbrushes, the review concluded.

The review was published in the April issue of the journal The Cochrane Library
Now read the manual toothbrushes are just fine slant to the same story. This time the piece is from Canada's globe and Mail:

Most electric toothbrushes are no better at cleaning your teeth than the old-fashioned manual ones.

That's the conclusion of researchers at the University of Sheffield in England, after reviewing 42 trials of all sorts of toothbrushes.

In fact, the only type of electric toothbrush more effective than a traditional brush is one with a so-called "rotating-oscillating" head. (It has a circular head that moves a quarter turn in one direction and then back a quarter turn.)

"These results show that many people may be wasting money on toothbrushes they believe will clean their teeth better, when actually a much cheaper traditional brush would do the job just as well," Prof. Peter Robinson said in a statement released with the study.

His team looked at trials that assessed how well various brushes removed dental plaque -- a gooey mix of bacteria and detritus -- which can cause gingivitis, an early form of gum disease that undermines teeth.

There are a wide range of electric brushes, including those that move bristles with ultrasound, and those that move side to side, or round and round -- and those of the rotating-oscillating variety.

Compared with manual toothbrushes, the rotating-oscillating gadgets removed 11-per-cent more plaque and cut gingivitis by a further 17 per cent after three months of use, according to the study in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

Prof. Robinson said the other electric gadgets don't do any harm. "However, if [people] bought an electric toothbrush to get their teeth as clean as possible, then it is worth investing in a brush with a rotating-oscillating head."

Other experts also recommend regular flossing, rinsing with an antibacterial mouth wash and periodic trips to a dentist's office for a professional cleaning.
So, what is the truth of the matter - BRUSH YOUR TEETH, FLOSS THEM, WATER IRRIGATE THEM, USE ANTIBACTERIAL MOUTHRINSES AND SEE THE DENTIST AND HYGIENIST REGULARLY.

And forget about worrying about what type of toothbrush you use because it is simply one portion of dental hygiene and doesn't really matter.

And to researchers..... you have better things to study - Heh!

Friday, April 22, 2005

Day By Day by Chris Muir

New Site: http://flapsblog.com

Flaps Blog is moving..... eventually.... the new url = http://flapsblog.com.

I will be dual blogging (both sites) for a few weeks until the final change over!

Check it out here.

Canadian Adscam Scandel: The Gomery Publication Ban: Could we have been used?



Canadian Blogger Angry in the Great White North has this opinion piece as to whether Justice Gomery may have manipulated the MSM and blogosphere to bring world attention to the Adscam Scandel:

This has been a thought that first came to me during the Gomery publication ban. It keeps popping up in my head, so I'm finally putting it in writing for your consideration.

Could Justice Gomery had intended to have what happened happen?

If you recall, or if you are just tuning in, a publication ban existed during the explosive testimony of Jean Brault, when it was first revealed just how extensive and criminal were the activities of the Liberal Party under the auspices of the Sponsorship Program. Instead of merely being an example of government waste, and an example of contracts being given out to friends, the allegations re-cast the program as a money laundering scheme designed to move millions from the government purse into the coffers of the Liberal Party, paying off party debt and positioning the party for the next election.

Jean Brault was facing criminal charges, and not wanting to taint the jury pool in Montreal, Justice Gomery instituted a publication ban. That made it illegal for any media outlet to report on the testimony. But what made it strange was that the hearings are being held in Montreal, and that the ban did not include banning the public from attending the hearings. So even though it was illegal for a local newspaper in Vancouver to report on the story, any Montrealer could go into the hearings (and the audience chamber is packed every day), listen to what was said, then leave and tell his friends and family.

Word of what was said was destined to be common knowledge in Montreal, if no where else.

What happened though was that Captain Ed at Captain's Quarters picked up the story, having had the details sent to him by someone at the hearings. Several Canadian bloggers (including yours truly) joined into to publish the material despite the ban, and over the next four days, hundreds of thousands of Canadians visited these various sites and learned what was said, and the allegations became common knowledge everywhere.

Noises were made about laying charges, but nothing happened. Before the end of the week, the ban was lifted.

Justice Gomery is no fool. We also know there is no love lost between him and former prime minister Jean Chretien. Prior to the ban, the Gomery Inquiry was barely a blip on the radar in English Canada, followed only by the chattering class and political bloggers. Now, of course, it's all we're talking about.

Did Justice Gomery manufacture the conditions for his revenge? When he lifted the ban, he had no angry words for bloggers who were defying the ban. Indeed, he echoed what many of us said about the danger a ban constitutes to our constitutional rights. Then the ban was gone, and the pressure that had been building in the main stream media as they watched the best political story in years being carried by amateurs was released in an explosion of front page in-depth articles from coast to coast.

If I wanted my commission to become front page news, I couldn't have stage-managed a better sequence of events to make sure that happened.

OK, cue the X-Files theme.

A very plausible thesis! And, yes it crossed Flap's mind as well!

Police Finger Woman and Say Wendy's Finger a HOAX



In a news conference Friday afternoon San Jose police investigating how a human finger ended up in a woman's bowl of Wendy's chili declared the claim a hoax Friday and arrested her on charges of attempted grand larceny.

The entire story is here (San Jose Mercury News, free registration required):

The arrest of Anna Ayala at her home outside Las Vegas was the latest twist in a case that has become a late-night punch line, taken a bite out of Wendy's sales and forced the fast-food chain to check its employees for missing fingers.

Ayala, 39, claimed she bit down on the well-manicured, 1 1/2-inch finger in a mouthful of her steamy chili on March 22 in San Jose. She had hired a lawyer and filed a claim against the Wendy's franchise owner, but dropped the lawsuit threat soon after suspicion fell on her.

When asked whether police considered Ayala's claim a hoax, David Keneller, captain of the San Jose police department's investigations bureau, said yes.

"What we have found is that thus far our evidence suggests the truest victims in this case are indeed the Wendy's owner, operators and employees here in San Jose," Police Chief Rob Davis said.

At a news conference, police refused to say where the finger originated and exactly how the hoax was carried out.

But according to a person knowledgeable about the case who spoke on condition of anonymity, the attempted larceny charge stemmed from San Jose police interviews with people who said Ayala described putting a finger in the chili. The source said the interviews were with at least two people who did not know each other and independently told similar stories.

The source added that investigators still did not know where the finger came from.

Ayala - who has a history of bringing claims against big corporations - has denied placing the finger in the chili......

Read the rest here.

Read the background of this story here, here and here.

Well Wendy's is relieved.... after losing tons of money:

....The furor caused sales at Wendy's to drop, forcing layoffs and reduced hours in Northern California. Joseph Desmond, owner of the local Wendy's franchise, called the ordeal a nightmare.

"It's been 31 days, and believe me it's been really tough," he said. "My thanks also go out to all the little people who were hurt in our stores. They lost a lot of wages because we had to cut back because our business has been down so badly........"

Flap is positive the D.A. will make an example of this woman!

Martin vows to fight Chrétien challenge to probe



The Globe and Mail has the latest machinations of Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin and the Adscam Scandel:

Prime Minister Paul Martin returned to the airwaves Friday, expressing regret that he did not know about the sponsorship scandal sooner and vowing that the government would go to court to keep the Gomery inquiry going if necessary.

Only 12 hours after delivering a national, televised address, Mr. Martin appeared on CTV's Canada AM, again saying that Canadians need to hear all of the Gomery commission's findings .

He also said Ottawa would take legal recourse if a challenge by former prime minister Jean Chrétien to the proceedings proves successful.

Mr. Chrétien has mounted a legal challenge to the sponsorship inquiry, which he has called biased. The court has agreed to start hearings June 7.

Mr. Martin also said Friday that his office has not contacted Mr. Chrétien, asking that the former Prime Minister apologize for the situation.

“We are going to fight to keep the inquiry going and there's no doubt in my mind that the courts – if, in fact, it came to that – will allow the inquiry to keep going,” Mr. Martin said.

“It's very, very important that the inquiry be allowed to continue its work.”
On Thursday night, Mr. Martin – faced with a faltering Liberal minority government and the threat the Opposition members may force an election – said he would call a vote within 30 days of Justice John Gomery's final report on the inquiry, due in December.

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, who called Mr. Martin's TV address a “sad spectacle,” has suggested that his party may look to send Canadians to the polls this spring.

He reiterated his criticism on Friday. “It's great to say we're trying to fix this scandal, which has been going on for two years, and we need another eight months,” Mr. Harper said in a later appearance on the CTV program.

“That really doesn't provide me a very good reason to morally, ethically or politically to prop up this government.”

Mr. Harper would not say specifically that he would press for a spring vote. He said instead that his party would “listen to the people in the next week, and our caucus will meet when we return, and we'll probably have a pretty good idea of the timing.”

Earlier reports in The Globe and Mail have suggested the Conservatives have set May 19 as the day they will most likely attempt defeat the minority government, paving the way for a June 27 election, although the dynamics of the House of Commons suggest a no-confidence vote would be close.

Meanwhile, the acrimony over the situation again spilled over into the House of Commons, with Conservative MPs grilling the government over what they say are discrepancies between Mr. Martin's testimony before the Gomery inquiry and that of other witnesses.

Claude Boulay, one of the ad executives embroiled in the sponsorship scandal, testified Thursday that he met with Mr. Martin at least twice a week when he worked on the politician's election campaign in 1993.

Mr. Boulay's wife Diane Deslauriers testified she saw Mr. Martin daily during that campaign.
“How can the Prime Minister, with these glaring on the record expect Canadians to believe him,” deputy Conservative leader Peter MacKay asked.

Finance Minister Ralph Goodale, however, challenged the Tories' interpretation of the situation, saying Mr. Martin stands by his testimony and again called for the Opposition to wait for the commission to do its work before drawing conclusions.

Earlier Friday, Mr. Martin said again that Canadians need a full picture of how the sponsorship scandal played out before drawing their conclusions.

“They want to know what happened,” Mr. Martin said. “I think they want to know who is responsible and I think they want to know that the government's going to punish them.

“I'm going to do that and I think they want Judge Gomery to report before they have to pass judgment on the government.”

Although Mr. Martin acted as Finance Minister while the sponsorship program was in place, he said his job at the time was to set the nation's fiscal framework.

“It is not the minister of finance who follows where the money goes,” he said. “And none of the senior officials, the deputy minister of finance didn't know about this and therefore there's no way the minister of finance in that capacity would have known.”

That being said, he added, he doesn't believe that is the way governments should work and, once he became Prime Minister, he brought in “a whole new set of spending controls so that won't happen again.”

As well, he said he doesn't believe members of his department kept information from him in an effort to protect him at a time when his rivalry with Mr. Chrétien was coming to a head.

“If that were the case, I would be very, very mad.”

But, Mr. Martin also said he was sorry that the situation arose in the first place.

“I do regret very, very much that the government – and I was – not more vigilant in checking it out,” he said.

“But the deputy minister of finance didn't know, therefore it's very hard for the minister to know.

“But I now take my responsibilities as Prime Minister and I changed that fact and I do very much regret that we did not know.”

Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe, meanwhile, was ready to pull the election plug, saying Mr. Martin has "no more moral authority or moral legitimacy."

He said there would be no need for a vote if Mr. Martin resigned. NDP Leader Jack Layton, on the other hand, struck a conciliatory note when asked about an election.

"Ultimately, Canadians will let us know when they think it absolutely is time, but in the meantime let's try to do something positive for the Canadian population," he said during an interview on CBC.

He has said he would like corporate tax cuts removed from the budget bill: "I'd like to see a budget, an improved budget, passed by the House."


Paul Martin should cut a deal and resign post haste.

Santa Clara County District Attorney: It's Safe to Eat at Wendy's


Anna Ayala
The San Jose MercuryNews reports:

It's safe to eat Wendy's, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's office said today, hours before a scheduled 1 p.m. news conference at which San Jose police are expected to disclose details behind the arrest of the Las Vegas woman who claimed to have found a partial human finger in a bowl of Wendy's chili.

``America should go back to eating at Wendy's,'' said Chief Assistant District Attorney Karyn Sinunu. She declined to discuss the matter further, saying San Jose police will release affidavits at the 1 p.m. news conference at police headquarters. ``We're being very mindful of the defendant's rights.''

A Wendy's spokeswoman, Irma Seaholm, said company representatives would also be present at the news conference. The company has said business has been off sharply, especially in the Bay Area, since the finger incident.

Wendy's officials say their internal investigation eliminated the possibility that Wendy's, its suppliers or employees were involved with the finger.

Thursday night, police arrested Anna Ayala in connection with the case. Last month Ayala said she bit into the partial finger when she was eating at the Wendy's on Monterey Road a month ago while visiting family in San Jose.

Ayala, 39, is being held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center in downtown Las Vegas as a California fugitive until her first court appearance, at which time it may become clear whether she will fight extradition, according to Sgt. Chris Jones of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Ayala's case is slated for review Tuesday. A Nevada judge has the authority to allow her to bail out, Jones said.


Looking forward to the afternoon's news conference. Wonder what her counsel will say?

Online Freedom of Speech Act Update

Mike Krempasky over at RedState.org has this update on the Online Freedom of Speech Act:

First, in the House - HR 1606, introduced by Texas Republican Jeb Hensarling can not only boast a few co-sponsors - the better news is this - Ohio Democrat Tim Ryan has become the first bipartisan cosponsor of the legislation. As you can imagine, getting leaders from both sides of the aisle on a bill early is key.

But frankly, I have to say - the news in the Senate is the real gem. S 678, introduced by Minority Leader Harry Reid, has been waiting for a Republican to step up - and one has. And of all the Members that provide...um, political balance for Senator Reid - how about RedState favorite Dr. Tom Coburn? (his cosponsorship is not listed in Thomas yet, but Coburn's office has already contacted Reid's.)


Frankly, the legislative route will be hard and a court decision more expedient. However, any change to this unconstitutional law will be slow in coming.

Wendy's Finger Finder Pinched



Flap previously reported on this story here and here. But, now there is more.....

Fox News is reporting the story that the woman who reported finding a severed human finger in her chili at Wendy's restaurant last month has been arrested by police:

SAN FRANCISCO — The woman who claimed she found a well-manicured finger in her bowl of Wendy's (search) chili last month was arrested at her home Thursday night, police said.

Police in San Jose, Calif. — the site of the Wendy's in question — announced the arrest of Anna Ayala in Las Vegas (search). Police spokesman Enrique Garcia (search) said authorities would not give any details until a news conference Friday.

Ayala's 18-year-old son, Guadalupe Reyes (search), said he had gone to the store around 9 p.m. when he got a phone call from a friend who was back at the house.

"We rushed back and she was already gone," Reyes said.

Reyes said he had no other details and was waiting to hear from his mother.

The arrest is the latest twist in the bizarre case about how the 11/2-inch finger tip ended up in a bowl of fast-food chili.

Ayala told police she found the finger March 22 while eating at a Wendy's in San Jose. She said she intended to sue but relented, claiming the publicity was too emotionally taxing.

When police and health officials failed to find any missing digits among the workers involved in the restaurant's supply chain, suspicion fell on Ayala, whose story has become a late-night punch line.

Ayala has a litigious history. She has filed claims against several corporations, including a former employer and General Motors (search), though it is unclear from court records whether she received any money. She said she got $30,000 from El Pollo Loco after her 13-year-old daughter got sick at one of the chain's Las Vegas-area restaurants. El Pollo Loco officials say she did not get a dime.

Earlier Thursday, Ohio-based Wendy's International Inc. announced it had ended its internal investigation, saying it could find no credible link between the finger and the restaurant chain.

All the employees at the San Jose store were found to have all their fingers, and no suppliers reported any hand or finger injuries, the company said.

Sales have dropped at franchises in Northern California, forcing layoffs and reduced hours, the company said. Wendy's also has hired private investigators, set up a hot line for tips and offered a $100,000 reward for anyone who provides information leading to the finger's original owner.

I guess you can say she has been fingered in this case and wonder if she will knuckle under during interrogation?

More later......

Update # 1




Yahoo News has more here:

And Captain Ed over at Captain's Quarter' weighs in on the Fickle Finger of Fate here.

Thursday, April 21, 2005

Day By Day by Chris Muir

U.K. Proposal on Alzheimer Drugs - Removal From Formulary



Internal Medicine News has this story about Alzheimer Drug rationing in the United Kingdom:

A British proposal to remove four antidementia drugs from the National Health System formulary is unlikely to affect Medicare coverage of these agents, but some experts in the United States worry that it could influence private payers here.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), the independent body that recommends which medical therapies the National Health System (NHS) should provide in England and Wales, has proposed that donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine, and memantine no longer be used to treat Alzheimer's disease. Although acknowledging that the drugs provide moderate, short-term cognitive and behavioral benefit for some Alzheimer's patients, NICE's proposal holds that the drugs fail to delay time to institutional placement and thus are not cost effective.

The proposal appears to be a wholly economic one, according to the draft document and experts in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Although the drugs aren't prohibitively expensive on an individual basis—annual therapy runs about $2,000 per patient—they cost the NHS the equivalent of $92 million in 2004. As in the United States, the United Kingdom has projected steadily increasing Alzheimer's drug expenditures, saying spending could exceed $134 million by 2006. The total NHS 2004 budget was about $151 billion.

Withdrawing the drugs from the NHS could save $29 million the first year and $115 million by the third year, the document said.

The U.K. proposal would have no effect on national policy this side of the Atlantic, said Peter Ashkenaz, spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The federal government has already committed to offering at least two cholinesterase inhibitors as part of the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003. The new coverage will begin in January 2006. Mr. Ashkenaz did not know which two in the class would be covered.

“As long as these drugs are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for Alzheimer's, they will be covered under the new prescription drug benefit,” he told this newspaper.

But should the proposal pass, some U.S. dementia experts are concerned about spillover into the policies of private payers and managed care systems. “Insurance companies worldwide are always looking to minimize their expenses,” said Samuel Gandy, M.D., professor of psychiatry, neurology, and gerontology at Philadelphia University and director of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences, Philadelphia. “I would predict that the U.S. insurance companies are watching this very closely.”

This country's private health care system is a “patchwork” of different companies that make decisions based on both economic and clinical factors, Lon S. Schneider, M.D., said in an interview. A national dictum condemning a class of drugs as not cost effective will get plenty of notice, he predicted.

“Private payers are really this country's prescription benefits managers, and they are constantly assessing whether the drugs on their formularies are working and are cost effective,” said Dr. Schneider, professor of psychiatry, neurology, and gerontology at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. “They are very interested in the NICE decision and analyses, which may have implications into how these companies manage their pharmacies.”

If the recommendation is accepted, no new prescriptions for antidementia drugs will be written through the NHS, although the drugs will not be withdrawn from patients already taking them.

Physicians, advocacy groups, and families in the United Kingdom have bitterly criticized the proposal, announced on March 1. Protesters contend that the drugs' true value can't be measured by a single outcome and have complained that the public comment period of only 3 weeks was far too short. They also said the decision would contribute to health care disparity in the country, since patients could still obtain the drugs through a full-price private prescription.

Britain's health minister, Stephen Ladyman, said his department will ask NICE to reconsider its cost analysis, taking into account the economic and social benefits the drugs provide to caregivers, as well as to patients. But the minister also said he wouldn't interfere with NICE's decision-making process.

NICE is expected to render its final recommendation in July.
Damn! And the U.K calls itself a civilized society?

How could you possibly equate the rationing of Alzheimer's disease care with cost?

I suggest that Tony Blair and his Labour Party get off their arses, privitize a few industries and use the resulting mega-increase in tax revenues to support their own citizens.

Indeed!

Prime Minister Paul Martin Offers to Call Election Within 30 Days of Gomery Report



The Globe and Mail has the following on the Adscam Scandel:

Prime Minister Paul Martin offered to call an election within 30 days of the final report from the Gomery commission, in an extraordinary prime-time address to Canadians Thursday night.

He made the speech in an effort to stem the damage the sponsorship scandal has caused the Liberal party and to appeal directly to Canadians.
"I commit to you tonight that I will call a general election within 30 days of the publication of the commission's final report and recommendations. Let [Mr. Justice John] Gomery do his work. Let the facts come out. And then the people of Canada will have their say," Mr. Martin said from the desk in his office, in a taped televised address in both French and English.
Mr. Martin said he takes responsibility for the actions of his party and is prepared to let Canadians judge his response to this test of his leadership.

"I will be politically accountable. But I believe that before there is an election, you are entitled to answers — to the answers that [Mr. Justice John] Gomery is working toward," he said.

The final report from Mr. Justice John Gomery is expected to be released in mid-December.
Mr. Martin said he recognizes that the choice to hold an election may not be his, as the opposition parties could bring forward a no-confidence motion and bring down the government.

"If the opposition forces an election before then, that is their choice. But I believe we can do better. I believe we can — and we should — use the coming months to pursue the public's business," he said.
Opposition Leader Stephen Harper did not respond positively to Mr. Martin's plea to wait until December to hold an election.

In a speech in the foyer of the House of Commons immediately following Mr. Martin's speech, Mr. Harper said Mr. Martin is the leader who called an election last year, before the Gomery commission had heard a single witness.

"We have all just witnessed a sad spectacle — a Prime Minister so burdened with corruption in his own party that he is unable to do his job and lead the country, a party leader playing for time, begging for another chance," Mr. Harper said.

Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe said Mr. Martin's words did nothing to change the opinion of the Bloc on Liberal corruption. He said his party still plans to vote against the Liberal budget implementation bill when it comes to a vote.

NDP Leader Jack Layton, however, offered an olive branch to the Prime Minister, saying his party would consider supporting the Liberals on the budget bill if they were willing to make some changes.
The minority Liberals are outnumbered in the House of Commons and would need the support of the NDP to pass the bill.

In his speech, the Prime Minister also went over a number of steps that he took, beginning when he became Liberal Leader in late 2003, including firing former public works minister Alfonso Gagliano, setting up the sponsorship inquiry, cancelling the sponsorship program and launched lawsuits to try to recover some of the money that went missing.

He said the Liberal Party takes full responsibility for the sponsorship scandal.


Ok, he takes responsibility..... how about resigning?

Stem Cell Therapy - An ALS Treatment?



The Associated Press has the following story about the use of Stem Cells to possibly treat ALS - Lou Gehrig's Disease:

A University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher said he would ask federal regulators Friday to approve the first clinical trial injecting special stem cells into the spinal cords of people with the degenerative nerve ailment called Lou Gehrig's disease.

The trial would test whether a technique anatomy professor Clive Svendsen has pioneered on rats afflicted with the disease is safe to use on people. If successful, Svendsen said a much larger clinical trial aimed at treating the disease could be under way in two or three years.

About 30,000 Americans currently have the disease, which gradually kills brain cells that control muscle movement. The disease, formally known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, typically can lead to death in a few years and has virtually no treatment.

Svendsen and his colleagues are asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval to bypass testing the technique on primates, typically the next step after rats, and to go straight to humans. The trial would involve five ALS patients treated by neurosurgeons at the Cleveland Clinic.

The trial would build on research Svendsen published this week in the journal Human Gene Therapy, which found that injecting certain types of stem cells into the spinal cords of rats could help stave off the disease and potentially prolong their lives.

Svendsen and his colleagues said the study was the first to show that the stem cells carrying a protein that fights ALS could flourish after being injected into their bodies.

The ALS Association, which is spending millions of dollars to fund Svendsen and other researchers rushing to find a cure, called the research encouraging.

"It is so exciting to see how rapidly ideas are moving from the laboratory into potential clinical applications through strong collaborations with leading investigators," the association's science director, Lucie Bruijn, said in a statement Thursday.

While noting the promise of his research, Svendsen sought to play down expectations, saying a cure of the debilitating disease was still years away.

"We're not going to cure ALS in the first clinical trial," Svendsen said Thursday at a forum on bioethics in Madison. "We're going to tell the patients that as well."

The research does not involve human embryonic stem cells, the blank-slate cells derived from human embryos that can be molded into any type of tissue cell in the body.

Researchers are instead using neural progenitor cells in fetal brain tissue, which are in the early stages of brain development. Those cells - derived from miscarried fetuses - are obtained through the National Institutes of Health.

Svendsen's research team first created stem cells that pumped the disease-fighting protein, and then had to find the exact location in the rat's spinal cord to inject them to fight ALS. The latter step took months of trial and error but may help surgeons deliver the treatment to humans.

Svendsen acknowledged the clinical trial proposal was risky. If the research on humans fails or is deemed unsafe, it could set back the field for years.

But he said waiting to unleash a potential cure for the lethal disease was unacceptable and the research has been safe so far.

"We're hoping the FDA doesn't require a lot more animal work," he said.


Having seen this devastating disease ravage at least three men I have known, I can only pray that these trials will be successful.

Note: this treatment invovles Stem-Cells but not Embryonic Stem-Cells from Aborted fetuses.

Bush: Politics stalling Bolton vote



So what are the real reasons for the delay in confirming John Bolton as United Nations Ambassador?

The CNN story is here:

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee delayed a scheduled vote Tuesday on President Bush's pick for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations when a Republican member balked at voting during a contentious hearing.

Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, the committee's Republican chairman, had pushed for a vote on John Bolton's nomination Tuesday afternoon.

That plan was derailed after a member of the panel's Republican majority joined Democrats in seeking a delay so the committee could consider new allegations about Bolton's conduct.

"I've heard enough today that I don't feel comfortable about voting for Mr. Bolton," said Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio.

"Maybe it would be in the best interest of this committee to take a little bit more time," Voinovich said.

The committee, dominated 10-8 by Republicans, is expected to meet again in early May. A majority vote in favor is needed to send the nomination to the Senate floor. A tie would be the same as a no vote.....


President Bush's support of Bolton is here:

President Bush on Thursday urged senators to "put aside politics" and confirm John Bolton as the country's new U.N. ambassador, calling him "the right man at the right time for this important assignment."

"Sometimes, politics gets in the way of doing the people's business," Bush said in a speech to the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America convention in Washington. "Take John Bolton, the good man I nominated to represent our country at the U.N.

"John's distinguished career and service to our nation demonstrates that he is the right man at the right time for this important assignment," Bush said. "I urge the Senate to put aside politics and confirm John Bolton to the U.N...."


So, what are the real reasons behind the delay?

Time for the Libs to dig up some dirt and if none is found manufacture a controversy anyway?

Or is it like Professor Bainbridge suggests:

As I understand it, the official case against John Bolton's appointment as UN ambassador consists largely of claims that he's a lousy boss who is mean to his subordinates. Uh, huh. If being a jerk at work is disqualifying, I wonder how many Congressmen would have to stand down? Half? Two-thirds? More?

Probably both.

Prime Minister Paul Martin falls in Polls - Addresses Canada Tonight



Prime Minister of Canada, Paul Martin will address his nation at 7:45 PM (EDT) today to explain a "Cash for Favors" scandel that is threatening to bring down his government.

Reuters has the story about his latest polling numbers here:

Prime Minister Paul Martin, preparing to make an unprecedented nationwide address on an escalating scandal, woke up on Thursday to a gloomy new opinion poll, mocking headlines and sensational allegations about his ruling Liberals.

Martin will speak to Canadians at 7:45 p.m. on Thursday about a cash-for-favors scandal which has paralyzed Parliament and his minority government. Opposition parties seem poised to topple Martin and force an election on June 27.

Support for the Liberals has slumped since a public inquiry into the scandal heard that the party had demanded kickbacks in return for government contracts in French-speaking Quebec.

A Decima Poll, which was released to Canadian Press late on Wednesday, showed the Liberals at just 28 percent compared to 35 percent for the opposition Conservatives.

The results indicate that the Liberals, who have been in power since November 1993, would be replaced by a minority Conservative government if an election were held now.

Martin aides said the prime minister would not dissolve Parliament and call an election but would instead outline what he thought should be done to end the political stalemate.

Televised national addresses in Canada are rare and opposition parties said Martin -- who will speak for about six minutes in both English and French, Canada's two official languages -- was in a hopeless position.

"He's a man of hesitation and now he's a man of desperation," said Gilles Duceppe, leader of the separatist Bloc Quebecois party....


Read the rest here.

Election here we come!

Chuck Guité allegedly sent $50,000 to Charest Liberals

Claude Boulay, former president of Group Everest–Media IDA Vision, testifies before the Gomery commission on Wednesday in Montreal.

The Globe and Mail have the latest on the Adscam Scandel:

Montreal — The controversial Ottawa bureaucrat in charge of the federal sponsorship program allegedly directed a $50,000 secret donation to Jean Charest's provincial Liberals, the Gomery inquiry was told in testimony that could not be reported until now.

The damaging accusation made during the testimony of ad executive Jean Brault had been under a publication ban but was made public during an exchange at the inquiry yesterday.

Mr. Brault's claim is noteworthy because it would demonstrate federal meddling in a provincial election.

But the story was flatly contradicted yesterday by another ad executive, Claude Boulay.

The allegation that the provincial Liberals got a covert donation from Mr. Brault in 1998 had been reported before but it is only now that the media can reveal that he allegedly was acting at the request of a federal bureaucrat.

According to the account Mr. Brault gave on April 1, the head of Groupaction Marketing Inc. got a call in 1998 from Chuck Guité, head of the sponsorship program, telling him that Mr. Charest needed money....

Read the rest here.

And Prime Minister Paul Martin will address Canada this evening.

Costco to Soon Sell Health Insurance



The San Diego Union reports:

Plans will be available for California members

Costco, the popular wholesaler of all things huge, plans to add individual health insurance to its array of products and services in California in the next six months.

The Issaquah, Wash., company has sold health insurance to some of its small-business members in the West for several years and plans to add individual plans for its general membership.


"We realize we don't have to be everything to everybody," said Patrick Callins, Costco's vice president of member services. "We are looking at programs where we can help people save some money."

Because many people are struggling with the high cost of health care, several retailers are carving their own low-cost niche in the market.


Callins said the company is able to provide lower-cost health insurance – 5 percent to 20 percent less expensive than what members could buy on their own – by creating an efficient market to sell them.


The company said it creates the savings by selling a plan with large deductibles and co-payments and at the same time eliminating the commission that agents might otherwise get for the sale of the plan.


PacifiCare Health Systems designed and manages the two PPO plans Costco currently offers.

Costco is still developing the individual plan and declined to discuss its details.

Callins said the company's services, from merchant credit card processing to health insurance, are designed for what Costco said is its core membership – the small-business owner.


Martyn Hopper, the California state director of The National Federation of Independent Business, said, "It (health insurance) is the No. 1 concern of small-business owners."

According to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, more than half of small firms shopped for a new plan in 2004, compared with 37 percent of large companies.

Jill Peterson said she looks to Costco for nearly everything for the small business her husband and his partner run. The company, Mikelson Yachts in San Diego, was self-insured, which was getting expensive.


So when Peterson, who handles the administrative issues for the company, was evaluating other options, she said it seemed natural to look to Costco.


Peterson said she couldn't recall the exact cost, but said it was less than they spent before, and an insurance agent told her he couldn't make her a better deal.


Other retailers are targeting the small-business market as well. Sam's Club started offering a health discount program to its members last month.


The program, run by California-based Health Allies, provides access to services that are not typically covered by insurance, such as cosmetic dentistry, hearing aids and vision services.


In the first few days it was available, Sam's Club said it was one of the top five services it sold.

"It's very difficult for everybody to afford some health care options," said Pat Quinn, member services manager for Sam's Club.

Although the state of California changed the market for small group insurance a few years ago, which made health insurance more readily available to small businesses, problems persist. Many companies, large and small alike, have difficulty affording the premiums or can only afford scaled-back plans.


Ok, Costco Dentistry and the Cerec 3D are not a myth.

Are the rumors true that Sirona/Patterson have sold hundreds of Cerec 3D machines to Costco in anticipation of opening their own dental offices?

Stay tuned.